Monday, December 17, 2007

Santa Picture

We took the kids to the Bass Pro Shop to visit Santa. This was an ideal place to see the big guy because there was virtually no wait. Plus, they have such a cool set-up for Santa with a vintage looking sleigh complete with all nine reindeer! Rudolph poised to leap over Rex's head.
Mara had fun pretending to feed Rudolph.
Ho! Ho! Ho! ...Santa says, "hello".
The picture turned out pretty good. Mara was happy, but was not feeling generous with her smiles. (I'm just glad that she's not crying)



Thursday, December 13, 2007

C.T. Eddins Elementary

I am so excited that Rex's elementary school, C. T. Eddins Elementary, was named a National Blue Ribbon School this year. It is a great accomplishment. The school is one of only 14 elementary schools in the whole state to receive this recognition. His school did a lot of special things last week to celebrate their status. The kids had Blue Bell ice cream on Monday and Friday was blue hair day...just to name a few. We went to a Pep Rally in front of the school on Thursday night. It was all a lot of fun. I know the pictures are a little dark, but you get the idea. McKinney Boyd High School Cheerleaders
Scott Johnson Middle School Band
Rex & Mrs. McClellan
Rex & Riley
(Riley & Rex are both in kindergarten at Eddins, but have been friends since they were babies in cradle roll class at church.)

Friday, November 30, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a wonderful time last weekend in Burnet for Thanksgiving.
We enjoyed a traditional dinner with turkey, dressing, and all the trimmings at my grandmother (Nanny's) house. Rex was privileged to sit at the grown-up table.I was very thankful to have both of my grandfathers and my Dad share Thanksgiving with me.
Yummy! Dinner was delicious. Tim and I really enjoyed the whole weekend...lots of food and football (especially the A&M vs. t.u. game). Whoop!
Mara had fun in Nanny's little rocking chair. It's just the right size for her.
Grana loves to read Rex and Mara bedtime stories. Our family is truly blessed, and we have so many reasons to be thankful. Praise God for taking such good care of us!

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Locked Out

Mara and I had quite the adventure this afternoon. I went out into the garage to get something, and when I tried to open the door to get back into the house I was horrified to find that the door was locked! Mara had managed to punch the button lock to the garage access door. This doorknob is tough to turn especially when the lock is engaged. Mara tried to open it for me, but was unsuccessful. I then opened the garage, went around to the front door, and tried to get her to open it for me. The front door was deadlocked, but I thought she might be able to turn the deadbolt so that I could get in. I coached her through the door for quite a while on turning the lock, but it was no use. She wasn't able to unlock any of the doors for me. What to do? What to do? My two-year-old has locked me out of my house! I don't even have a cell phone with me to call for help. Luckily, my neighbor was outside loading furniture into his car. I was able to borrow his cell phone to call Tim at work. Tim was then able to call his parents who live only 20 minutes away, and they have an extra key for our house. Thankfully, Tim's dad was able to immediately come to my rescue. Mara was fine through it all. She was happily playing with her toys on the floor of the living room when we finally got the door open. I think she was relieved to have me back inside the house, and she was even more excited to see Grandpa. What a hassle! I've learned my lesson. From now on, I'm keeping a spare key in the garage for just such an emergency.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Our Little Monster

Mara is such a mess! She is really starting to get mischievous. Rex picked these fangs from the "prizes" at Chuck E Cheese last weekend. Mara just had to give them a try too. She gave us all a big laugh with her new grin. She talks all the time now, and we are constantly amazed by the things she says. For example...We were shopping in the toy department at Wal-Mart last week when Mara pointed to a stuffed dog and said, "I see a dalmation." It took me a moment to process what she had said because I would have expected her to say "dog" or "puppy", but to say "dalmation" really took me by surpise. She is also getting a bit cheeky. Sometimes she will walk with tiny baby steps when she knows I want her to come to me quickly...such as when we are going through the front door, and she knows that I am waiting for her to enter so that I can shut the door behind her. She also does this when I want her to go to the changing table for a diaper change (not her favorite activity..nor mine). She walks regular speed until about five feet from the table. Then, she starts with the baby steps just to push my buttons. Where does she get that from? I blame Tim!

Monday, November 5, 2007

Trunk or Treat

Rex and Mara had so much fun at church on Wednesday night. First, they got to wear their costumes to Bible class. Rex dressed up as Jango Fett (he is a bounty hunter from Star Wars). Mara dressed up as Raggedy Ann. After class, we participated in "trunk or treat”. All the children went to the parking lot where adults gave out candy from the trunks of their cars. This was a fun alternative to "trick or treating" in our neighborhood. It was special to be with our church friends. I gave out candy from the back of our van while Tim escorted our kids around the parking lot. There were so many cute costumes! Mara's Raggedy Ann costume was a big hit. I took a picture of her with Ms. Sherry (one of our children's ministers) who was also dressed as Raggedy Ann. I am grateful to Ms. Sherry and Ms. Deneen for organizing this activity because it was a very fun night for everyone!

Mara, my adorable Raggedy Ann doll.

Jango Fett shows off his twin blasters. Rex loved the holster and the blasters that make authentic movie sounds when you pull the triggers.
Mara & Ms. Sherry

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Pumpkin Patch

Rex's class finally made it to the pumpkin patch yesterday after it got rained out last week. I'm so glad that it was postponed because the weather was perfect yesterday. Everyone had fun at the farm. We got to feed the animals, play on a giant spider, ride the hay ride, and of course pick a pumpkin. Rex enjoyed all of it, but I think the highlight for him was the school bus ride to and from the farm. While riding the bus on the way to the farm, I heard him say, "This is the best adventure ever!" Rex has a ball on the school bus.
Feeding the goats.
Climbing on the giant spider legs.
Mrs. McClellan's class in the pumpkin patch.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Tim's New Job

Well, after over a decade of working for Alcatel, Tim began a new chapter in his professional career when he started his new job with Mercer HR Services yesterday. He is excited about the new opportunity, but it is a big change for him since he was with Alcatel for such a long time (since leaving A&M). Leaving Alcatel has been bitter-sweet for Tim. He is sorry to leave his friends and colleagues, and it feels strange to walk away from the company that has been a part of his life for so long. However, things have been difficult in the telecom. industry for quite a few years, and Tim was blessed to survive numerous lay-offs at the company. Then, last year Alcatel merged with Lucent, and things have been very unstable for months as these two companies worked to combine. The stress of this instability caused by the merger has been tough for Tim. Thankfully, this new opportunity just fell into his lap. My brother-in-law, Jeremy, told Tim about the job at Mara's birthday party in September. Jeremy had just been looking on an Aggie job posting website, and noticed a post placed on the site by one of his fraternity brothers. The job description was a great match for Tim's qualifications, and the company is located not too far from us (N. Dallas). Tim followed up on this lead, and everything just fell into place for him to take the job. We are truly blessed by this new opportunity. While the transition from his old position to this new one may be stressful at times, it gives us great peace to know that God has led him here. There is no other explanation for how this job opportunity came about other than to say it clearly was a "God Thing". Praise God for taking such good care of us! Please keep Tim in your prayers as he makes this job transition.

Monday, October 8, 2007

Soccer

Rex began playing soccer this fall. It is the first time he has ever played a team sport, and it has been quite an adventure. His team is called the Eddins Wildcats (the boys chose this name because they all attend school at C.T. Eddins Elementary, and the school mascot is a wildcat). In fact, there are six boys on Rex's team and five of the boys (including Rex) are in the same Kindergarten class. It has been fun getting to know so many of his school mates and their parents. The Wildcats have had a rough season though. They have been outscored at every game, but the team has made a lot of improvements since the start of the season. Rex has really come a long way. He seems to understand the game better and better with each practice and Saturday match. I'm very proud of him!

Here's a short video of Rex playing soccer... This age group plays 3 on 3 with no goalies...Rex is number 5.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Karlie Mae Thomas



My sister, Lillie, and her husband, Mark welcomed their first child into the world on Friday, September 28th. Karlie Mae Thomas was 6 pounds 9 ounces, 20 inches long, and was born at 4:53pm. Both mom and baby are at home now, and doing great. Karlie's arrival was especially thrilling to me because I was able to be in the delivery room when she was born. What a miracle to witness her take her first breath! Her birth date is also very special because it is also the birthday of her great-grandmother. My grandmother, Nanny, turned 84 on Friday. I know that Nan was thrilled with the present of a new great-grandchild! Thanks for keeping Lillie and the baby in your prayers, and praise God for this beautiful blessing.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Balloons & Theater

We had so much fun on Friday night! We had tickets to see "The Lion King" at the Musical Hall at Fair Park. On our way down to Dallas, we stumbled onto the hot air balloon flight of the Plano Balloon Festival. It was amazing to see so many balloons in the sky!Rex was so excited to see "The Lion King live on stage" as he liked to call it. It was his first broadway show experience. I was a little worried that the late and lengthy performance might be a bit much for him, but he did a great job the whole time. I knew he loved it when he told me that he nolonger wanted to dress up as a Star Wars character for Halloween, but wanted to be Simba (the young lion) instead.
We had great seats for the show (first row balcony on the right & next to the aisle). It was especially neat when the performers came out into the audience for one of the numbers. One of the singers/dancers was right next to us (close enough to touch). We could hear him singing without his microphone...very cool!The late night and all the excitement finally got the better of him. So tired...Rex fell asleep on the way home from the show.





Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Mara's 2nd Birthday


Happy Birthday, Mara!
I can't believe that my baby is already two years old! She is growing up so fast. We had a very fun family birthday celebration weekend at the lake house. Mara was so excited about her party...turns out she's quite the party princess. She had a blast opening her presents and eating cake.Mara really tore into her gifts, and made fast work of opening all of her birthday presents. I had a tough time keeping up with her as she quickly threw the tissue paper out of bags and ripped open the wrapped gifts.Mara was very excited about her new shoes. Grana and Papa gave her these sparkly red shoes to play in, and a pair of flashy light-up tennis shoes. She couldn't wait to put the new shoes on her feet.
Mara loved all of her new things. Here she is giving her new doll a ride in her new stroller. Notice she is also wearing some new bracelets that Nanny gave her as well as one of the new tennis shoes...She really wanted to wear the new shoes, but just couldn't wait for me to put the other one on before playing.Yum!Yum! Mara enjoys her birthday cake.

Biker babe, Mara, rides her new trike from Grandma and Grandpa in her bathing suit.


Mara and Daddy enjoy swimming in the lake.

What a fun birthday weekend!

Thursday, September 6, 2007

On-Line Shopping

What would I do without the Internet? I am amazed by how much I rely on our home computer. I'm so spoiled to have the cable modem and such fast Internet service. I get very frustrated on the rare occasion that the Internet is slow or down, and I can't do what I want on-line. I mostly go on-line to communicate with friends and family, but there are other perks too...such as on-line shopping. Here are two examples of recent on-line purchases...

Rex's new Star Wars backpack and lunchbox




We looked and looked before school started for a new Star Wars backpack and lunchbox for Rex to take to Kindergarten. We had no luck finding anything in the stores. Star Wars items can be tough to find since it is extremely popular, but there isn't a lot of merchandise out right now with no recent movies, etc. to promote. The Internet is a different story. There is a ton of Star Wars items available on-line. We were able to buy his new backpack and lunchbox on eBay. I just wish that I'd started shopping on-line early enough for him to have these new things before his first day of school. Instead, they became the reward for a good first week. He was very excited about them.

Halloween Costume Preview



I just love this Raggedy Ann costume that I found for Mara in an on-line store. I knew that I wanted Mara to be Raggedy Ann for Halloween, but was not seeing any in the stores. Aunt Lezlee helped me locate it through an on-line costume store. We ordered it on Saturday, and it arrived in the mail by Wednesday. I tried it on her this morning... just to make sure it would fit. I think she looks so adorable! I just had to take her picture with the Raggedy Ann doll that Nanny made for her. I can't wait for Halloween!

Friday, August 31, 2007

Yea!...It's Friday!

I'm happy to report that we made it through our first week with Rex in Kindergarten. It has been a busy, but good week for us. Rex seems to be adjusting well to his much more demanding schedule. This is the first time he has gone to school five days a week. His summer day camp was four days a week, but was only half-day. (His Kindergarten is M-F, from 8:20-3:20) Plus, he has church on Wednesday nights and soccer practice on Thursday nights. Surprisingly, he hasn't seemed too worn out though.


He received a stamp in his folder for good behavior 4 of the 5 school days this week. He did have some behavior problems on Tuesday, and had to spend some time in time-out during centers. This also resulted in a note from the teacher instead of a stamp in his daily folder. Of course, he had additional consequences at home. I'm hopeful that he got the message loud and clear that we expect good behavior at school!


It is clear that Rex is having fun at school. He really likes center time. The first day he spent center time in the home center, but since then, he has played with the transportation toys, playdough, and enjoyed the listening center for the past two days. Yesterday, his class hunted around the school for the gingerbread man. They read the gingerbread man story, and made the hats that Rex is wearing in the picture. Overall, I have to say that this first week of school has been a great success!


Mara is doing fine too. I feel bad that I haven't written much about her on this blog yet, but she's not quite as busy as Rex has been lately. She seems to be coping well without her big brother around all the time though. I took her to Grandma and Grandpa's house to play on Wednesday, and she did ask, "Where's Rex?"...he's usually there playing with her. I think she's liking the mommy-time, but probably misses her playmate.


While the week went well, I'm thrilled that it's the weekend (and a long one at that)...Time to recharge the batteries before it all begins again!

Monday, August 27, 2007

Rex's 1st Day of School



Well, today was the day that Rex officially became a Kindergartener! It was a very exciting morning. I woke him up early, and he ate a good breakfast (cheese omelet, bananas, and milk) before getting ready for school. Then, backpack in hand, he headed out the door for the short walk to the school.







Mr. Serious Rex ... I think he is still half asleep in this picture.










C. T. Eddins Elementary









It is wonderful to be so close to the school! I love that we only have to cross the street, and walk up this sidewalk to the school's front door.










Rex and Daddy pause for a picture before heading up the remaining walkway to the doors of the school.








Almost there...












The hallway was very crowded with staff, parents, and children heading to class. Rex was not intimidated in the least by all the activity. He hustled through the crowd toward his classroom like an old pro.






Rex rounds the corner into his classroom.









Rex heads over to the cubbies to put up his backpack before finding his seat.








Camille and Rex play with the bears at their seats.







Rex's table with friends Camille, Logan, and Madison.









Ready for a fun first day.








I just had to give my sweet boy some sugar before leaving him for the day.





Daddy shares some last minute words of wisdom with Rex before we go.











The classroom is already full of activity and the day has just begun.





Bye Rex! Have a fantastic first day!










Post School Day Report:
Mara and I headed over to the school to pick Rex up this afternoon. It was very hot, and we had to wait for quite a while. Finally, his class came out of the building, and I snapped these pictures. When Rex saw me, his first words were, "I just had kinda a not good day." Of course, my heart just sank. The whole class filed out of the Kindergarten doors and proceeded up the sidewalk to their designated areas. It was pretty chaotic to retrieve him from his teacher because the front of the school was a mass of parents, teachers, and clueless children, and I was trying to navigate the swarm pushing Mara in the stroller. We survived it though, and I'm sure that tomorrow will be easier.
I had a chance to visit with Rex about his day in detail on the walk home. Apparently, his teacher got onto him in the cafeteria because he got out of his seat several times(last night we discusses that he was not allowed to get out of his chair at the lunch table, so he already knew that was a rule). It turns out that he got up because he had a problem. He could not find the juice boxes that I packed in his lunchbox because they were in a different compartment from the other lunch items(I showed him where they were this morning, but I think he was too tired at the time, and it didn't register)...He thought that I'd forgotten to pack his drink. This led to him getting chocolate milk from the lunch line. (Now he's going to want me to "forget" his drink everyday because he loves chocolate milk) I feel bad that I contributed to his confusion that led to him getting into trouble, but I think he'll remember the rule about staying in your seat in the cafeteria from now on.
I really think that he had a good first day. He told me that his favorite thing was playing in the home center during center time, and that he had two new girlfriends named Camille and Madison (the girls that sit at his table). He got a blue star stamped in his take-home folder that indicates a "good day". I am very proud of my big boy!