The Broom Family

Holiday Break

2012-01-07T05:55:00.001-06:00

We wrapped up holiday parties at school.....

.....and Christmas shopping for daddy at Cabelas.....(I love this pic of Cason and Blayze!)

....and enjoyed the holidays!I took less than 10 pictures the whole break, but that was because I was enjoying what was going on around me!!!The kids received fun gifts from our family!!!

Cason got a tool set!

Cassidee's favorite gift was her American Girl Doll!!

Twins! Ha!

And we had tons of fun playing with Blayze!!!!

Here we are on Christmas Eve!

After Christmas Cassidee got to take her doll, Paisley, to get her ears pierced and get her hair done.

Pretty girls!

The kids got me a Smurf cake for my birthday---and tried to take a big bite of it!

:-)

And here are the two pictures I took from our Houston trip---the fashion show put on by Cass and Reagan!

Lovely bride!

We are now back in the swing of things, wearing new clothes to school.....

.....and crashing out in the floor at 7:00 on Friday night!! :-)

Happy 2012! It's gonna be a great year!- Posted from my iPhone

2 more weeks....

2011-12-11T15:42:00.001-06:00

I know two kids who are ready for Christmas!!

- Posted from my iPhone

I did it!

2011-11-14T03:42:00.001-06:00

This weekend we went down to San Antonio. My parents and I ran a half-marathon but we also thought it'd be fun to take the kids and show them the sights!
We rode one of the River Boats. The kids loved that!

We stayed in the hotel next door to the Alamo and we walked over and toured it. We explained the story of the Alamo to the kids. Cass was worried there would still be shooting going on when we got there. We must not have explained the ending very well!

Cason's favorite part---a cannon!

And the coon-skin cap!

We walked around the Expo after getting our race packet.

Rock N Roll girl!

About to run....

I was totally overwhelmed and it took me a few miles to actually calm down. It was so crowded and foggy!!

But I finished! I crossed the finish line hand-in-hand with my parents, which was cool! It wasn't my best time ever so I'm going to try another one in May. Just call me half crazy!!

- Posted from my iPhone

October Wrap-Up

2011-10-31T12:30:00.001-05:00

Lots of pictures----
We've enjoyed the warm weather and playing at the park!

We've played hard but crashed even harder, most days!

I went to Painting with a Twist one night---so fun!!

We've had soccer every weekend. I LOVE watching Cass play and feel like she is very talented!! Here she is goalie!

Here are her scraped knees after the game!

End of season, getting her trophy and posing with her awesome coaches!

Cason, on the other hand, is fun to watch, when he is actually on the field! If you look closely you will see a plastic dolphin sticking out of his mouth! (one of the rare times he decided to run on the field!)

Here he is---same trophy, same coaches as Cass!

I wanted a pic of each kid with their trophy. You'll see after Cason's progression of pictures why I never had time to take one of Cass!
Mean face!

Silly face!

Uncooperative face!

Really??

Okay, that's a good one!

Quickly followed by a cheese face! Dork!

Here is what he usually is doing on the soccer field!

Moving on....
We went to Top Golf! So fun!!!

The fire clowns came to DCE. Cass felt pretty cool that she knew them and got a hug from them!!

I took lunch to my moms school and brought this cutie pie with me! Check out all her necklaces!

We always head out to the pumpkin patch and have pics with our favorite movie characters! I've taken theis pic of Cass every year since she was 6 months old!

Nemo, of course!

They LOVE Madagascar!

Best Friends!

Cass and Charlie

Sweet!

What a nut!

Horse Rides at P's birthday!

Boo at the Zoo! Cason wanted his pic with all the animals!

Glitter tattoo!

Painting pumpkins!

Dress up day at preschool! He wouldn't look at me!

His cute class!

All decked out for our church fall festival! Her pose kills me! :)

He wanted to stand the same way as her!!

My cuties!

More tattoos!

Pretty girl!

Trick or Treating is tonight! Happy Halloween!!

- Posted from my iPhone

"Texas Flags"

2011-10-31T11:42:00.001-05:00

More commonly known as Six Flags!!!
We got season passes and I'm hoping to teach Cason the correct name of it by the end of this year!! :)
I wasn't sure if my kids were still too little, but they had a blast!!
Here's the little man and I headed in...

We started off in the kiddie land on the small rides!

The kids went trick or treating!

And they all loved the mini-Superman ride!

We quickly moved on to the bigger roller coasters!!

The girls loved the Mine Train!

And Cason was soon a pro at the mini Mine Train!

But neither of my kids liked the cave ride---too dark, too loud---oh well!

The carousel is always fun!

I can not wait for Holiday in the Park!!

Posted from my iPhone

Storybook Character Day at DCE

2011-10-31T11:32:00.001-05:00

Cassidee posed with her favorite teachers (and Bat-Mommy) before school!

My beautiful Belle

Walking in the character parade

Posing with her friends

All the kindergarten classes had a rotating party--here she is making a cracker and pretzel spider!

Coloring with her friend!

Happy Halloween!!

- Posted from my iPhone

My Pretty Girl!!

2011-10-12T13:14:00.001-05:00

Jeremy and I took Cassidee to the Arboretum on Friday since she was out of school. Here are some pretty pictures from that day...

She loved seeing Cinderella's glass slipper!

And getting to sit in her coach!

Pretty!!

The poses kill me---all thought up on her own!!

To say she LOVES her daddy is a complete understatement!!

***LOVE***

My pretty girl!!

She can put away a Big Mac like no one else!!!

And she was Scientist of the Week for K2!

Here she is doing her experiment with the help of her teacher!

Her school picture!

When is showed it to my mom she said, "where did my baby go?" My thoughts exactly!!

Posted from my iPhone

Storybook Character Day & Grandparents Day!

2011-09-30T14:41:00.001-05:00

Cason had Storybook Character Day at preschool this week. I should have put more thought into it, but it was really just easier for him to wear his Woody costume from last year. (despite the fact that the pants stopped at his shins)

Here is his class!

He was in a foul mood! He was crabby all day! Later we realized he had a 103 fever! Yuck!

Cassidee also had Grandparetns Day at her school today. She was so lucky to have all 4 come eat lunch with her. Do you like their seating arrangement for the picture? She posed everyone herself!!

- Posted from my iPhone

It was one of those good weekends!

2011-09-28T10:55:00.001-05:00

Our fun started on Friday. I stayed at school until announcements were over so I could watch Cassidee go to the office and sign the Good ACT book. It is the rewards system our school uses, and long story short, she got her level 1 punch card filled. When it's filled you go to the office and sign the book.

You also put your thumb print on a circle that is hung in the hall so that everyone can see it!
There are 20 levels and as of today she is 7/10 punches on her level 2 card. We are very proud that she is walking quietly on the hallways, following directions, and getting punches on her card! Yea Cass!

Also on Friday, Jeremy played in a golf tournament while I helped work it. There was a concert after and we got to meet Wade Bowen! (and Deryl Dodd)

Jeremy even spent a little time chilling on Wade's tour bus!!

Saturday night we went out with some great friends to Downtown Ft Worth for dinner and the comedy club. It was so fun and a great way to celebrate our 7th anniversary!!

On Monday the firefighters (aka-Jeremy) came up to school to talk to the kindergarten classes. It was a big surprise to Cass that her daddy was there and she was proud to show him off!!

They let the kids crawl thru the truck!

And waved goodbye to them as they drove off!

She kept smiling all day when people would ask if her daddy was the one who came! :)

- Posted from my iPhone

First day of preschool

2011-09-08T02:29:00.001-05:00

Here's a flashback to last year--first day of preschool 2010. (I think Cassidee is the one who has changed the most!)

Now look at this big boy--2011

He looks huge to me! :(

Of couse we had to take a sibling picture! I LOVE that they held hands!

Silly picture!!

And look who else had their first day of preschool--my niece Blayze! She loved school and had lots of fun!

- Posted from my iPhone

Destin, Fl

2011-09-06T18:11:00.008-05:00

Last month we got to go on a road trip to Florida with Jeremy's parents. We took some pit-stops along the way, ate some yummy food, and even got in a car wreck, but we had a great time!

Stop #1 - an alligator farm in Louisiana

Silly girl!

We watched a man feed the alligators from this boat....there were lots of them!

Cason enjoyed the alligator farm!

We, of course, had to take our picture with one!

And staying on the subject of alligators....

We took an airboat ride in Florida to go see more alligators and wildlife.

It took a while but we finally found some gators in the water!

The Broom Family

Cass got to hold another alligator!

Cason, however, chickened out!

We also took a Pirate Cruise. Here is Cass with the pirates on our ship!

Cason took his pirate role seriously!

The kids loved the pirate ship!

Cass helped raise the lines.....or something like that!

Cutie pies!

We went to the Gulfarium in Destin.

There was a huge turtle just walking around!

Cason loved the dolphin and shark tanks!

The aquariums were awesome!

We spent a lot of time at the hotel pool and hot tub!

I loved swimming with this handsome boy....

.....and this cute girl!

But our favorite part of the whole trip was when Cason was sleeping!

Just kidding!

We loved the beach!!!

(Cason conked out one day we were there!) The kids bought boogie boards and had fun with them!

Daddy was a big help getting the kids out in the water.

The kids had to wear their life jackets because there was such a strong current!

Strike a pose---and look what she did!

Who is surprised?! Not me!

Love my little beach babies!

Another pose!

Her daddy decided to copy her!

Sweet picture of my loves!

My handsome boy!

And my pretty girl!

Thanks for the trip, Nana and Poppy!

My Big Girl

2011-08-27T21:01:00.001-05:00

'twas the night before Kindergarten and all thru the house, Cassidee's baking banana bread....
....in her underwear! Oh well, that's how we roll!

My big girl, who I more commonly refer to as: My BABY girl is all ready to go on her first morning of kindergarten!

She looks so big! Hate that!

Cason had to take a picture too--DORK!!

K2 - Mrs. C's class at DCE

She's standing by her name on the racecar.

Again, Cason can't wait for his own first day pictures!

Love you, Cassidee, and I can't wait to watch all the fun you are going to have in kindergarten this year!!

Pretty girl!

- Posted from my iPhone

Finn and the Airplane

2011-08-12T13:59:00.001-05:00

It's a big day/week in the Broom house. Cason's been potty training for the last couple of weeks. In the last few days he has actually been telling us when he needs to go as opposed to us making him try every 30 minutes.
We had also come up with every bribe possible to get him to (sorry) poop in the potty instead of a pull-up. We asked him what toy he wanted---anything!!! He wanted a Finn McMissile car and the Spy Plane from Cars 2. After a week of begging him to do it, he finally did....while we are on vacation!!! I thought vacation may set us back, but he's done great! No accidents at all....even on the 6 hour car rides!!

Here is the big boy with his Spy Plane that we had to go find in Baton Rouge, La! He, of course, wanted it immediately after he did his deed!
Yea for no more diaper-buying and yea for Cason being a big boy!!!

- Posted from my iPhone

Houston 2011

2011-07-23T06:45:00.009-05:00

Last week we took our (almost) yearly trip to Houston to visit the Beaver's. We took our first "family" trip in 2007 and have tried to get back every year since. We have missed a year here or there because of babies being born and such, but I love that Cassidee and Reagan just pick up right where they left off!

This is March 2007. Cassidee was a week away from turning 1 and Reagan was 9 month old.

Neither could walk. Neither could talk. Ahh, the good ole days---just kidding! :)

Same trip

In January 2008 Cassidee and I took a weekend trip to Houston. Cutie girls brushing teeth!
R- 18 months
C - 22 months

I'm guessing we missed 2009..... :(

June 2010, these two 4 year olds had a blast playing together for a whole week!

Still June 2010....the big girls got to go to art camp for three days that week

(in matching/coordinating outfits, of course!)

July 2011....picking up where they last left off!

The played dress up the whole time....and not in costumes, just in Reagan's regular dresses!!

Costume change!

We matched as many outfits as we could last week....hair styles too!

We were very lucky to get to go up to NASA with David and get a "back stage tour" of all the things he does while working there!

Here are the kiddos in front of the old (?) Mission Control room.

Cute daddy/daughter pic!

We got to see moon rocks.

I, unfortunately, don't know much about what happened during this part of the "tour." My kids were acting crazy due to being tired and hungry, and then Cassidee ended up falling and scraping her arm on some metal. It was a ridiculous few minutes, but very cool to see moon rocks!

This looks cute, but really they were just complaining their feet hurt and they were hungry!

David got to take us in the simulator that astronauts train in.....atleast I think that's right. I obviously need to pay a little better attention.

This was a dream-come-true for people who like to push buttons, like me!

Hope she remembered to flush! :)

C and R with the "space man" (Cassidee name for astronaut)

I think the coolest part was going to the NBL where astronauts train in the big swimming pool!

It was huge and very, very blue!

There were people in the water doing something when we were there, too.

Kiddos in front of the pool

He looks like such a little man here!

After a fun day at NASA we decided to go to Kemah for dinner since it was our last night in Houston. I hate that this picture is blurry, but I thought it was cute how the big girls colored together while waiting on our food!

Oh, and lets jump back to 2010 again. This is when Cason and Brooklyn's love affair began!

I love that she is smiling at him!

He has always loved her!

And 2011 Cason / Brooklyn picture.

Same love in their pretty blue eyes!

Cass and Brook also have a big love for one another!

And I'll end that crazy week with this crazy picture!

Thank you again, David and Jodi, for letting us crash your house for the week.....and I literally mean "crash!" We had a blast!

Cousin Fun!

2011-07-23T06:18:00.005-05:00

We are never lacking for fun when these three get together! Blayze came over on Friday and we had a fun swimming and lunch date! They are laughing so hard that they can't hardly sit in the chair together! :)

Blayze had a blast at the pool! When she wasn't lapping up water like a dog, she was....

.....playing with some toys.....

.....and splashing in the water!
This little guy can't seem to eat or sleep enough in the last couple of days, so I'm thinking we are going thru a growth spurt! (He is also waking up at night complaining that his knees hurt--makes me sad!)

He didn't even want to swim at first.....chowing down on some crackers instead!

But once he saw that I brought dinosaurs he was ready!

Sassy pants!

They love jumping off the side of the pool!

Let's try this together.....

So fun!

Pretty girl walking around saying, "oooohhhh!"

Swimming with her momma!

Crazy hair!

Best game ever....especially if she gets to actually go under water!

Speaking of under water....

Check out the mermaid I found swimming under there!

Dork wearing a pink snorkel!

How can it be? My baby is 3!!!

2011-07-10T20:02:00.004-05:00

I can't believe we have already spent three years together, Cason Gage!

Our house hasn't been the same since you've come home with us!

Cassidee hasn't stopped kissing you yet!

This is still, by far, one of my most favorite pictures of the two of you---even if you do look like a baby monkey, Cason!

I like seeing pictures of you with your daddy.....although I love that you're really a "momma's boy!"

1st birthday fun!

This may be my 2nd favorite picture of you two!

You are always very sweet with each other.....almost always!

You love sports! I love hearing you say, "Hook - A - Horns!"

You always smile when I pull out my camera!

You like me to do your hair in a mohawk!

And, although you are very tough, you are such a wimp when it comes to fireworks!

You are not a fan of loud noises!

But, you do love the Rangers and you love going to the games in the summer!

Cason Gage,

You are so much fun to be with! You like going to school with your friends and you like playing outside, but you are most happy when you are with Cassidee!

We love you Cason!!!

Happy 3rd birthday, bubby!

Camp Deer Run 2011

2011-06-20T23:38:00.001-05:00

The camp pictures I have at the moment are the pics on my phone. Still don't know how I went out there for a week and forgot my camera. :(
Cassidee picked up right where she left off last year and quickly found a pet lizard! We first started going to camp when she was 15 months old. Wow!

Hawaiian day and my little hula girl! Cute pose cracks me up!

Evan and Kelsey came to visit one night. It was weird for them to not be there all week!!

Love her!

Climbing the big hill up to the cookouts!

Tired out---in the sand!!!

Every good camper gathers fire wood!

Blurry since he wouldn't stop walking. He kept saying, "I helping, momma!"

Helping our favorite staffer Blake start the fire.

Blake with the kids!

Daddy and Cason cooking their hotdogs!

Long, hard week!!
Yes, he is breathing.....his lips are blue from a Popsicle!

I love sleeping kiddo pictures!

Watching one last movie as we packed up to head home. :(

I'm so grateful my kids love CDR as much ad I do. Cass was trying to convince some of the staff members to let her stay with them the rest of the summer, promising she could dress herself and that she wasn't scared of the dark!!! :)

Backing up in order to catch up...

2011-05-30T14:37:00.001-05:00

Our last couple of weeks have been crazy busy with very fun things! We have enjoyed playing outside in the wonderfully warm, but not hot, weather!

We had a small graduation party for Cassidee, which was a good excuse to get a cake from our favorite place in Decatur. Yes, it says Happy Birthday----she felt bad, but we didn't care!!

We took a trip to the mall one day. I entertained Cason on the merry-go-round so Cassidee could go to....

....Build A Bear!
She got a special trip there with Evan and Kelsey to get a flower girl present....her kitty cat, Ariel!

We have had swirling clouds go over our house that brought some tornado sirens and crazy weather!

But all of us in my neighborhood just stood in our driveways to watch the sky!

We had a fun co-ed bachelor/b'ette party for Evan and Kelsey!

And a lingerie shower for Kelsey!

Cassidee gave her pins to wear that say "Happily Ever After"

Cassidee explaining where she got them!

Cassidee and Camryn got pedis before the wedding!

And also went to get their hair curled!

She aged a few years on me! She looked like such a big girl!!!

And then she crashed!!! Literally---for a couple of hours!!!

More wedding pics coming soon!

- Posted from my iPhone

Preschool Graduation

2011-05-29T20:18:00.005-05:00

Cassidee's officially a preschool graduate now! If time flies when you're having fun, we must be having a a blast! It was a happy/sad night!

Our night started with supper at McAllister's. I can't resist pictures of them walking together!

Although it was Cassidee's graduation, Cason got a "present" in the form of a new CARS book, hoping it would help keep him quiet during the program!

Showing it off!

Cassidee's wish come true....she got a Flynn Rider doll!

All of the Pre-K classes performed together before getting their diplomas.

Ms. Kimberly announcing the graduates, and Cassidee standing with Ms. Kelly, her teacher!

Cassidee wants to be an animal doctor or a cowgirl when she grows up.....well, that's what she wanted to be last week anyway!

Ms. Kelly with her sweet class!

Ms. Kelly's little blonde girls!

I still don't think Cassidee understands that she isn't going to kindergarten with Chloe and Presley....sad day when she does realize that!!!

Most of Cassidee's biggest fans came to see her graduate! She got more flowers than she could hold!!!

Me and my sweet girl

The 4 of us!

Oh, Ms. Carrie!

Words cannot describe how much we are going to miss seeing you at school!

We love Ms. Carrie!

Good-bye Preschool, Hello Kindergarten.....let me grab a tissue....

I can't take much more excitement!

2011-05-06T05:26:00.001-05:00

Soccer is officially over for the season! In her last game she scored 2 goals. She scored atleast one goal in every single game this year! Awesome!

This kiddo keeps me on my toes! Unfortunately for me, every time he does something he isn't supposed to, he give me this cheese face and I start laughing! It's not making my discipline job easy! I laugh just looking at this picture!

The kids got to bring ladybugs home from school. We took them in the backyard to release them. (a rare picture that includes me)

Opening the lid...

Crawling all over Cassidee's arm...

I had to eventually flick them off!

We are already going to as many Ranger games as possible and we love autograph night with dollar hot dogs!

Chatting with Chris Davis!

Love these boys!

Cason still doesn't like the fireworks!

This pretty girl got to spend some time in the doctor's office getting her foot x-rayed. She either jumped or fell off a rock wall at the park. Even after crying in pain while being x-rayed, this is the pose I got when I took the picture!

And how fast does time fly??? Here is Cass in the gym at Kinder Round-Up! She can't wait to go to "mommy's big school" but I'd like to turn back and freeze time.....

She looked so stinkin' cute in her new dress she picked out!

- Posted from my iPhone

Happy Easter!

2011-04-25T15:06:00.001-05:00

Things don't seem to be slowing down much around here, and probably won't until summer time. Here is proof---after school last week the kids were playing. Cass usually gets tired of Cason's constant tagging and tackling so she decided to hide behind the pillows on my bed. She must have sat there too long because she fell asleep. It was too funny and she was crashed out hard!!

These two goofy kids always like to play with Nana's glasses!

We had an Easter party and egg hunt at church. Cason was a pro egg hunter after having done it at his school party!

He decided to pick up the ones of the colors he liked best!

Putting stickers on his picture in the crafts station.

I love how opposite my kids are-- Cassidee always has plenty of space between her stickers, but Cason is a stacker!

Silly boy with friend "T"

I snuck back out to watch Cass egg hunt. She didn't care about colors, she picked up all of the eggs on the playground equipment!

Her hair flying behind her cause she's running so fast!! :)

Pretty girl with her full basket!

Story time with Mr Charlie

And play time in the big room!

Serious crafty face with her tongue sticking out!

Snack time!

Conked out on the way home after a really, really long day!

Easter morning after hunting eggs the bunny left in the playroom! Cason has perfected his serious face when I pull out the camera. I'm not a fan!

Sweet siblings in their Easter clothes!

- Posted from my iPhone

What a Week!

2011-04-18T11:44:00.001-05:00

We have been having so much fun around our house lately! Spring has us in full swing and complete "busy mode" all the time. Here are a few things we've been up to.
-
"U" week at school meant an un-birthday party and lots of talk about uncles. I love her picture about Uncle Camron!

This sweet (crazy) girl always brightens my day! We got to spend a day with Blayze!

Friday night the CFD played the CPD in a charity basketball game. Cassidee was glad to have other cheerleaders there to help her cheer! They knew her name and general bio by the end of the game!

Cason refused to take a picture but wanted an autographed picture for his wall!

Saturday morning was spent at the zoo doing the Zoo Run! The kids ran almost the entire 1 mile run!

Middle of the race, checking out the animals!

The little black blur on the right is Cason running "too too faster!" (that's what Cason calls it!)

Po - from Kung Fu Panda was there!

The Zoo Run was followed by Cassidee's soccer game, 2 birthday parties, my sister Kelsey's wedding shower, dinner at the fire station, etc!
BUSY, but loving every minute!!!

- Posted from my iPhone

Zoo Pictures & School Pictures

2011-04-08T06:17:00.001-05:00

Weekly trips to the zoo with Amie and the boys seems to be our "thing" when the weather is nice. The kids run around like crazy people, they don't get bored of it, and they take great naps when we get home. That's called a win-win for everyone!
-
Amie found a good backdrop for some pics. The kids aren't always the most cooperative, so that's why there are no pictures of Cason!
Pretty girl who know requests "messy side buns" instead of
"piggies" for her hair. :(

Funny how you can tell the kids "do not smile", "do not laugh", and "do not hug each other!" and that's how you get the best pictures!!!

Crazy kids!

I love that they are having a couple of months at the zoo featuring dinosaurs! Besides being something new for everyone to look at, my kids thought it was cool how they moved and made growing noises!

Cason checking out the (hard to see) alligator in the grass!

-
Onto school pictures.....and all these are pictures of pictures, but you get the idea.
I was a little teary-eyed looking at Cassidee's cap and gown pictures. I can't get over the fact that she is five....

This stinker!
He cried and cried and did not want his picture taken. I wasn't expecting to have any pictures of him at all. That stinker cost me more money. The picture is so him and I love it- scraped knee and all!

And I didn't think she got a good one of the two of them! Oh well-- I'm a sucker for sibling pictures!!!

- Posted from my iPhone

The Start of a Great Season!

2011-04-05T07:26:00.001-05:00

It's no surprise we got tickets to a Ranger game.....my kids LOVE the Rangers! They were excited that we got there early enough to watch batting practice.

Love this picture of them!

Cason decided to find a seat and chill before the game. If only our seats were on the third row....

We even got a replica championship ring. It wasn't nearly as cheesy as I thought it would be and it was not plastic! Good news---people are selling these suckers on eBay so I make some money off one of them!

- Posted from my iPhone

My Favorite Birthday Party Pics!

2011-03-23T09:00:00.004-05:00

Cassidee's birthday party was this last weekend. We had a Princess Par-tea, and all of her friends came over to celebrate. Here are the winners of "most distance traveled" and also Cassidee's BFF's...Reagan and Roselyn! She was beyond thrilled they could come!

Centerpiece on the dining room table
The highlight of the party.....facepainting!

Pretty girl with her new tea set

Having her "tea" and snacks with Annaleigh

The princess and her cake

Singing Happy Birthday

"Cheers" with her friends

(one of her special requests for the party....champagne glasses)

Silly Princesses

Not only did we get to celebrate Cassidee's 5th birthday, but we got to have my niece Blayze's 1st birthday party on Saturday too!

Here she is with Grandaddy, getting her first taste of a Peep!

Flashback 4 years ago:

Grandaddy also gave Cassidee her first Peep!

Kayla, Camron, and the birthday girl!

Blayze has the best aunts ever!

My little basketball stud!

Happy Birthday to both of my sweet girls!!!

5 years ago....

2011-03-21T10:01:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow my sweet girl turns 5! That's huge! The other day she told me, "Now I'm a whole hand!" (while holding up her 5 to me!) Makes me a little sad that 5 years has completely flown by faster than I could have ever imagined, but it also makes me so proud to think about some of the things she has said and done in her little amount of time here. She is so sweet and is very thoughtful and always wants to be everyones friend. Here are just a few pictures that I like and document her last five years with us!

Mommy and Cassidee's first official photo!

Silly girl always loved taking a bath....she still does!

This was usually the reason she needed a bath! :)

I've always loved her eyes/eye lashes!

Here she is taking a bite of her first birthday cake!

And here is one of her one year pictures!

2nd birthday

Party at Chuck E Cheese with lots of friends.

Mommy was 6 months pregnant with Cason so this party worked well for everyone!

3rd birthday

Party at home with lots of bounce houses in the backyard!

4th birthday -- she lost that "baby" look by this time!

Shared birthday party at Chuck E Cheese with friend Annaleigh and lots of friends!

Celebrating her 5th birthday - a few weeks early - at Disney World!

Here is our princess with her favorite princess!

I can't even begin to tell you how much daddy loves his little girl or how sad he is that she is growing up way too fast. He said he is enjoying the fact that she can do so much, though. They went to a Mavs game together last night. When I jokingly asked her if I could go, she said, "No, I'm going with daddy cause he is my prince and we love each other!" They are looking forward to going to many Ranger games this summer too!

We love you, Cassidee Brooke Broom!

You make us so proud each and every day and we love watching you grow and learn new things!

We love how loving and sweet you are with your brother, even when he drives you crazy!

We can't wait for you to have fun in kindergarten next year!!

Love, Mommy and Daddy

More Disney 2011...

2011-03-12T17:36:00.011-06:00

Disney World is easily one of my top 10 favorite places! I love, love, LOVE the looks on my kids faces when we walk around a corner and see something new there!

Cassidee has a serious love for this castle and everything about it!

Our first stop when we got to Disney was Magic Kingdom. We got there in time to wait for Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. Her they are with her "pet." I can't remember it's name or know how to spell it!

This was Cassidee's most favorite thing about the trip!

On Saturday morning my kids ran in the Disney World Princess Relays before the half marathon. This was the end of it. They were hot, they were tired, they were thirsty, and they claimed the sun was too bright to open their eyes, even though we were in the shade! They are holding up the medals they received!

The races were at Hess Sports Fields in the ESPN Sports Center.

The Atlanta Braves were also having their spring training there, so I stopped and watched batting practice one day for a few minutes.

The next day we spent at Epcot.

Cassidee wore a "It's My Birthday" button all week (even though we were about 3 weeks early)....you get some special treatment....

Anyway, she received a special call from Goofy one morning. He sang her Happy Birthday!

Both of my kids have a great love for all the princesses and Cason gets as excited as Cassidee does when we see them!

MULAN

Cason has a serious love for Snow White!

LOVE this picture!

We spent one day at Animal Kingdom.

Silly Lilo and Stitch!

We had a great lunch, on the water, with Mt. Everest in the background. Cason is looking at me with a blank stare, Cass is smiling at Daddy, and Jeremy is smiling at??? The people behind me???

The Lion King show at AK is awesome!

While Cassidee was riding the Dinosaur ride, Cason played on the ones outside!

Since AK closes at 6 in the evening, we had time for a little swimming at the resort that day. Cassidee had been begging, so it worked out perfectly! She stayed in the little 1 foot kids pool for a while, then she and I got in the big pool for some real swimming!

He never stopped moving the whole trip! He loves everything Disney!

There's nothing much better than dinner, followed by a Mickey rice crispy treat, all in your pj's!

Another day at MK and Cassidee wanted to dress up!

Every time we meet Tiana she tells her about BFF Reagan that can't wait to come meet her!

We had bought Cassidee a new Ariel dress for her surprise dinner date with Jeremy that was happening that night. Since we were meeting Ariel and Eric and I had the dress with me, we let her see the new dress and change so she'd be dressed appropriately when she met them!

We had to change again when we met Aladin and Jasmine. Cassidee had a long conversation with them about her princess b-day party coming up. Jasmine gave Cass her address and told her to send her an invitation. Aladin claimed his feelings were hurt when Cass said it was for girls only and he couldn't come. Cass told him to stay home and play with Raja the tiger!

A trip to Disney isn't complete without waiting an hour in the sun to see Woody and Jessie.

Totally worth it!

This was day three or four of going, going, going and my kids did melt down a little bit about 3 in the afternoon. We decided not to go all the way back to the hotel, but to ride the monorail in circles and make them lay down a bit. Cason only needed one complete trip to be OUT!

Cass got comfy and slept for a while. Actually, I know that at one point all 4 of us were crashed out! I'm sure we got some funny looks! After 6 - 8 laps (about 2 hours) we were all cooled off, rested, and ready to play some more!

Another highlight for Cassidee was going to Cinderella's Dinner at the Grand Floridian Hotel with Jeremy one night to celebrate her birthday!

Oh man....one of my favorite pictures ever of these two!

This is the only place we have found where you can meet Prince Charming!

Cinderella made a big deal about Cassidee's birthday sash!

Cinderella and the birthday girl!

Gotta love $35 mac n cheese and strawberries!! :)

We spent another full day at Hollywood Studios. We woke up that morning to rain pouring down outside. It looked short-lived, so we ran to breakfast, ran to get on the bus, and ran into the park. We ended up buying a couple of ponchos to cover the kids and the strollers, but Jeremy and I got soaked. Because of the rain we got to ride a few rides before the crowds came. Jeremy and I both rode the Aerosmith Rockin' Rollercoaster that is possibly one of the most fun I have ever ridden. We were going to take Cassidee on Tower of Terror but she got scared at the last minute so we didn't do that. We got Fast Passes for Toy Story Mania and then waited in line for it. My kids love, love, love that ride!

We also love going to see Woody and Buzz at Hollywood Studios. They are in a room that is made to look like Andy's room from the movie. Cassidee wore her Jessie shirt like she did last time we were there. Last time Buzz asked her to dance with him like he danced with Jessie in the movie. This time he pointed to her shirt and then wiped his face like he was wiping away a tear. Woody came over and hugged him. Cassidee got a huge kick out of this! Her favorite stories to tell are what the characters did when we met them!

We also love meeting the green army men!

This was a huge hit for Cason, being the big CARS lover that he is! He even kissed Lightning good-bye! (This is also when I noticed that Cassidee was not feeling well and running a fever. She was going, going, going and all of a sudden didn't want to get out of the stroller to see CARS or anything else, which is very unlike her! She was very lethargic and just wanted to take a nap. It was 10 am. She wasn't well! After many doses of motrin thru-out the day, she became her normal, perky self by the next day! My poor kids don't handle "lack of sleep" very well!)

My most favorite show that we saw the entire time at Disney was the Beauty and the Beast show at Hollywood Studios. It was in an amphitheatre and we had great seats! Don't you just love the pose I'm getting here while taking her picture? She cracks me up and worries me all at the same time!

This was the end of the show, with a view from our seat. No zoom or anything. I could have come back and watched it again.......I can't even describe why.....I just loved it! Cassidee sang along with every song too! Just a great memory I'll always have!

We went back to Epcot on our very last day (half day) that we were in Florida. The kids were pooped, but we had a few things left on our list, one of which included seeing the fairies. They used to be at MK but moved to Epcot during the remodel over at MK. It was the perfect place for them. The Flower Show at Epcot started while we were there and it was gorgeous! They had topiaries (no clue how to spell that) and hundred of various colors/kinds of flowers planted everywhere. It was a great backdrop for meeting Tinkerbell!

Here are the kids with Tink and Terrance!

And with Videa and Rosetta!

Cassidee is still sad we missed SilverMist. (Her favorite, I guess!)

Here are some of the (again, I can't spell...) topiaries. They had some from almost every Disney movie. They were very impressive, although we did hear one lady say, "I wonder how they grow them like that?" HELLO!

Here's an example of all the colorful flowers you'd see walking around Epcot. I loved it and it smelled so great!

Jeremy took Cassidee to ride Soarin' one last time (her favorite ride at Epcot), so I got to hang out with Cason for a bit. He really wanted to wait in line to see Chip and Dale, so that's what we did. He sat on a wall and I couldn't resist a picture or two and luckily he was happy to smile for me!

Love this little, handsome man--goofy smile and all!

And when we got up to see C & D they signed our autograph book. I then looked at Cason and said,"turn around for the picture." Everyone laughed cause Cason stayed the same way while C & D turned around. Ha ha! Jokes on me!

The kids liked going in the Innovations building where they had simulated house fires, had a fire truck, got to play in a house, etc. Cason thinks all fire trucks are Jeremy's, from Jeremy's station! He even told one little kid walking by that it was his daddy's truck. The kid asked Cason if he could touch it. Cason said NO! I laughed and then told him to be nice!

We ended our time at Epcot and Disney World all together at a private meeting with Mickey and Pluto. If you have a Disney credit card, it's a free thing for you....just FYI. (You get the 5x7 picture free)

We have decided that we will wait longer than 5 months before we go back again. They are doing a remodel at Magic Kingdom so we will go back when it is finished next spring. I have also decided that I am fine with this being our family vacation destination spot for a few years. My kids love it, I love it, Jeremy even loves it, and I just don't get tired of seeing my kids deliriously happy all the time! Happiest place on earth for sure!

Not Enough Time in the Day!

2011-03-10T04:30:00.001-06:00

I can not wait to post pictures from our Disney trip. Finding the time to actually sit down at the computer and do it this week has not existed! Here are some pictures taken on my phone that will give you a little preview of our week!
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Cass was all smiles on the bus from the airport to resort!

Excited, happy girl!

The castle at night is my favorite!

We always stop in for a little pixie dust!

Cason showing off his new shades and light-up Lightening McQueen!

And new dinosaurs!
See, the sunglasses were very useful!

We (she) dressed up like princesses.....she even got a new dress for her daddy-daughter date!

We ate way too many yummy snacks!

We even got completely drenched one morning!

Cason is following closely in Cassidee's footsteps as a thrill-seeker! He wanted to spin fast in the tea cups!

And we rode tons of rides!!!

I love how much they love Disney!

I promise to get the other ones posted from my camera this weekend! So fun!!!

- Posted from my iPhone

Countdown: less than 48 hours....

2011-02-23T08:26:00.002-06:00

In less than 48 hours my little family of 4 will be visiting this place again....

I can't wait to take this picture of her again, probably with a new (surprise) Ariel dress on!

And I can not wait to see my little boy's face light up when he gets to hug Woody again!
And since my sweet (not really a baby anymore) girl is turning 5 soon, we have some extra special treats for her during the trip. One includes a very fun birthday date with her wonderful daddy who is taking her to Cinderella's dinner so she can meet Prince Charming! (Meeting the princes are almost as important as meeting the princesses!)

And just a little FYI: my kids don't know we are going. We are surprising them! So, if you see them tonight or tomorrow....please don't mention anything!!!

SNOW - Feb. 2011

2011-02-04T15:12:00.005-06:00

While daddy's away, we will still go out and play!

We were bummed that Jeremy had to work today -- the day that we actually had some good snow to play in -- but that didn't stop us from meeting some friends and playing!

Poor Cason had to wear Cassidee's pink gloves because they were water-proof.....I was going to make all the pictures black and white so you couldn't tell, but I'm too lazy!

We met up with Cassidee's friend Delancey, that lives around the corner. We're glad Delancey had a sled! (We have nothing....although it may be a good investment after the last couple of years of snow!)

Cason finally got the hang of sledding....without holding on. We couldn't ever convince him to hold on to the handles! Crazy boy!

Cass was a pro by the second time she went down! ( I don't think I have a picture, but in the end they were going down on their tummy's too!)

After leaving the big hill and our friends, we came back to our own yard to make snow angels!

My little snow bunnies!

(Feb. 2011)

So Proud!

2011-01-11T09:05:00.002-06:00

This past Sunday my parents and sister Kelsey ran the Disney World Marathon. I wish I had gotten to be there to see them do it and hope I get to do it someday! My dad is such a stud....this is him smiling around mile 10. At mile 24 he tripped and fell and cut up his face....but he still finished the race! So proud of my family!

Family Photos

2011-01-06T21:38:00.017-06:00

Let's start this post with a quiz. I told everyone that we were taking family pictures today. Who looks more whipped in this picture....Cason or Jeremy?

Luckily we got some great pictures and don't have to base the outcome off of this one picture! :)

My sister Kelsey takes awesome pictures! It's good having her home from college....I now have great pictures to hang up around the house!

This one is easily my most favorite of the 4 of us!

We got some great pictures of and with the kids!

I love, love, love this boy!

This one is going on my nightstand!

(and I just want to remember that although he is 2 1/2 right now, he LOVES to give his momma kisses right now! Lots of times I don't even have to ask for them!)

This is the other picture for my nightstand!

My little cowboy!

My two favorite guys in the world!Cassidee has been calling Jeremy "Prince Daddy" lately. She loves him SO MUCH! I know the feeling is totally mutual!

My pretty, pretty girl!

She loves being a cowgirl!

Walking with my girl!

Our little family!

Bringing an end to 2010!

2010-12-31T22:02:00.001-06:00

We have done some fun things with the kids the last couple of days to bring a fun end to 2010!
We started with wearing matching outfits to the zoo!! Ok, so that's not really a high-light, but Luckenbach shirts are pretty cool!

Love watching the kids at the zoo. We have been 100 times but they never get tired of it!

And we are spending our last day of 2010 at Dinosaur World! We took the kids this summer, in the scorching heat, and promised to bring them back when it cooled off. The weather is great today, so we decided to bring them back to one of their most requested places!!
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Cass claims the Brachiosaurus is her favorite dinosaur!

And Cason loves growling at the T-Rex!

They have a great playground there too!

What a great way to end 2010!

Christmas Pictures

2010-12-29T20:47:00.005-06:00

I did not do a great job of taking pictures at Christmas this year. It makes me a little sad, but then I think that I must have been having too much fun to document every single thing! Our "Christmases" started on Christmas Eve morning at Jeremy's parents. It seemed to be quite a feat to get Cason to actually sit still for a picture. He has been in rare-form (also known as: completely whacked out of his mind crazy) lately, so this is a good picture of the two of them in front of Nana's tree!

The only other two pictures I took that morning were of Cason trying out his new sleeping bags. He didn't quite get the concept, so he dove in head first....

Then he decided to just lay on the floor and put it on top of himself!
Luckily, with some help from Cassidee, he's mastered the sleeping bag now, after many movie nights on the living room floor lately!
Christmas Eve afternoon / evening was spent with my side of the family at our house. We have the tradition of eating tamales and chips and queso, watching White Christmas or other Christmas movies and playing games. My favorite game this year may have been Mad Gab and the "dis-solve of the peas" phrase of the year!!! :)
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Christmas Morning! Santa Came!
And Cassidee and Cason sure did rack up this year. Santa must not have been watching Cason too closely this year--or he gave him the benefit since he's only 2!!!

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Cassidee's highlights:
Pink Barbie Escalade
Set of 10 Disney Princess dolls
Texas Longhorns cheerleader uniform
Leap Frog Tag Reader books
and from Santa -- Toy Story Woody and Bo Peep

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Cason's highlights:
John Deere Gator
CARS Mater remote controlled car
Buzz Lightyear light-up/sounds wings
Toy Story 2 & 3 figurines
tons of CARS cars
and from Santa -- an 18 wheeler that holds Hot Wheels + 2 monster trucks

And this is the best by far....

(Jeremy captured all of this on video, which will make great black mail some day....)

Cason ran down stairs first and made a bee-line for Cassidee's pink car. He got in and started "driving." As soon as she got there she kept telling him to drive his tractor, but he was almost impossible to get out of her car. He kept screaming, "I want the pink car! I want the pink car!" I think Jeremy didn't know whether to laugh or cry! Luckily he understands now and loves his "tractor" and loves driving it while Cassidee drives her "jeep!"

She has already spent countless hours with those princesses!

And yes, if you look to the left of Cassidee you will see Cason's football helment and jersey by Cassidee's cheerleading uniform. He doesn't love to wear it much since it's a little big, but he sure does hit hard when he has it on!

Cass was so proud of herself for picking out Jeremy's present. She was very certain that he wanted a Slinky Dog so that daddy could play "Toy Story" with her and Cason!

Cassidee (and everyone else) also thought it was funny when Grandaddy put the present bows on his head and he kept saying that he looked just like Blayze! :)

Another big hit: Cassidee's tu-tu from Evan and Kelsey!

Cason's favorite present was anything CARS related!

And sweet baby Blayze knew exactly what to do with her purse and lipstick!

Merry Christmas from 3 of the cutest kids I know!

And Merry Christmas from the Broom's!

And before I'm late on this too....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Santa Visit 2010

2010-12-10T20:34:00.001-06:00

We like going to see Santa at Bass Pro every year. Last year Cason was hysterical. This year, while holding hands with Cassidee the whole time, we got a decent picture.

He was a little unsure about getting in Santa's lap.....

But he sat completely stone-faced and held Cassidee's hand the whole time!

I have lots of Cass by herself with Santa and she wanted one this year too. She didn't hesitate to tell him what she wanted either!

- Posted from my iPhone

Cruisin' in 2010!

2010-12-08T09:50:00.005-06:00

I know, I know. I hear it alot.....we go on cruises all the time! Yup...it's good to have travel agent friends!! :)

After doing this cruise 3 times, I don't have tons of pictures, but this time we did go with our good friends, the Way's, and I have some pictures of that!

On our boat to go snorkeling in Jamaica!

Wow, Amie makes me look really tan!!! ha!!!

This was a music cruise with Brandon Jenkins, Rich O'Toole, Sonny Burgess, and Stoney LaRue who played for our group. This was a late-night jam session! So awesome!

Julie, Kandace, and me

Singing around the piano bar!

On the beach in Cozumel....

The performers played there one morning! One of the best "concerts" I've ever been to!

Stoney LaRue

After the beach performance we went to the backside of Cozumel to Coconuts.

Jeremy found a good sleeping spot!

We love the Burgess'---Sonny and Donna

And our new friends Justin and Casey Frazell....listen to him on 95.9 The Ranch!

Stoney LaRue and his (teeny-tiny) wife Kandace!

Us with Brandon Jenkins
Next cruise...hopefully....August 2010!

Disney on Ice

2010-12-08T09:44:00.003-06:00

My mom, Cassidee, and I went to see Disney on Ice: Princess Wishes last month. I don't know if it was the seats on the second row or what, but I even found myself totally "lost" in the show!

Cutie girl in her princess Jasmine costume by the ice!

I didn't even have to zoom on my camera....very cool seats! Thanks mom!

Giving me-mommy a big thank you hug for a fun, fun day!

Cassidee with her Me-mommy!

Best Disney on Ice show EVER for little girls!

World Series....yes, I'm still behind!

2010-12-08T09:35:00.003-06:00

Once again, I'm behind, but back in October I surprised Jeremy with tickets to game 5 (I think) of the series that the Rangers won and sent them to the World Series. Jeremy was super, SUPER sick and we didn't get to go..... what a great game that we missed, but oh well! My sister and I ended up surprising Jeremy and Kelsey's fiance Evan with tickets to game 4 of the World Series!

The day of game 4 we dropped the boys off at the Ballpark and took a few pictures!

Our family supporting the Rangers!

Evan and Jeremy
Cassidee with Antlers UP!

Almost game time.....

Although the Rangers didn't win, Jeremy says it was cool to say he's been to the World Series!

Almost Not Worth Posting....

2010-12-08T09:17:00.004-06:00

I some how never got around to posting Halloween pictures. Here they are, mid-December, and it may not be worth posting, but oh well!

We go to the same pumpkin patch every year and I have the kids picture in front of this same sign every year!

So stinkin' cute!

Seriously! Love them!

Fall Funival at our church....the train ride is always a hit!

Oh, and here are their costumes....Woody and Jessie!

Then we went on to the grandparent's church Funival. They had a mechanical bull which both my kids seemed to love!!!

And then my brave little girl decided she wanted to climb the rock wall. She did great and made it about half way up!

Happy Halloween.....2 months ago!

Giving Credit Where It's Due....

2010-11-07T19:58:00.002-06:00

A big "THANK YOU" goes to my sister, Kelsey, for my new header. I needed something new since my old header had pictures of a 2 year old Cassidee and a 4 month old Cason.....very outdated!

The new header sums up our life right now.....just trying to live, laughing a lot, and loving my family more than I ever knew possible. Every single day is a new and exciting adventure that we find ourselves in. I'm having more and more fun with my kids as the days and months go on. They are growing up entirely too fast, but the bigger they get, the more fun they get, too!

If you have a moment, please check out my sister's new blog. She is a fantastic photographer and recently decided to put her pictures on a blog for the world to see. I'm constantly making her take pictures of my kiddos, and she's taken pictures of other families, engagement pictures, and even took pictures for a friend's wedding! Like I said, she's awesome.....

see for yourself HERE!

Zoo Day!

2010-10-28T21:42:00.001-05:00

We love our zoo trips with the Way's! Now that it's getting cooler outside, I bet we may make weekly trips! My kids just never get tired of it! They loved seeing the Halloween decorations that were out!

The three big kids!

All 4 crazy kiddos!

Check out Amie's blog. She actually has really cute, edited zoo photos on her blog. Plus, a great story about our turtle encounter today!!!
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The next two pictures are of two cute outfits that Cassidee recently received. I love the pictures of her in them, except for the fact that she looks 14 and not 4! How do girls just know how to pose like that???

Seriously?!

- Posted from my iPhone

Disney World 2010

2010-10-17T06:31:00.018-05:00

If I told you how many times I got misty-eyed and actually had a few tears in my eyes while we were at Disney, you'd bust out laughing. I even had to laugh at myself a few times. To see my kids see some of those Disney World things for the first time, meet the princesses, ride the rides, and just have a blast for a week, literally made me tear up that it brought them such joy!

Reactions to seeing things for the first time:

Cinderella's Castle (Cass): Oh. My. Goodness. Gracious. Sakes.

(who taught her to say that anyway???)

Meeting Ariel (Cass): Oh wow. She is so pretty!

Eating at T-Rex Cafe (Cason - in a deep, growling voice): I eat dinosaurs!

Me: You see dinosaurs?

Cason: I EAT dinosaurs!

Me: Okay?! (Cason falls into the carnivore category, I guess)

Seeing Animal Kingdom from the ticket gates on the first day (Cass):

We get to go in there?

After eating at Cinderella's Castle for breakfast (Cass talking to Jeremy about it):

It was magical!

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The kids were so excited, and when I asked them to actually sit still so I could take picture before we left, you'd have thought I had asked them to give me their left arm or something.

Smile, kids, we're going to Disney.....

Hello Cason, SMILE!

Uh, never mind!

She wanted a picture by herself with her princess hair bow. You can't see them on there, but Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty are all on her bow!

Cason's first plane ride.

I kept asking him if he was ready to fly and he kept saying, "I not fly. The plane fly."

Okay, okay, whatever! :)

She thinks she's a flying pro!

Thank goodness for portable DVD players!

We got to bed pretty late, but we were still up early to hit the parks.

This entrance got a big scream from the backseat of our car!

First day: Animal Kingdom

We loved the safari ride!

Pretty scenery to look at there!

Monkeys!

Cute picture of Cassidee looking at Mt. Everest in the background.

(One of the best roller coasters ever, by the way)

After all our fun that day, Cason crashed quickly once we got back to the hotel. They were doing fireworks at Magic Kingdom, so Jeremy and I took Cassidee to that.

We got there a while before they started, so we went to look around. We noticed the line to meet Tinkerbell and all the fairies wasn't too long, so Cassidee got to meet them that night.

She loved meeting Iridessa and Tinkerbell, and liked crossing her arms and acting like she had an attitude like Videa.

Here she is with Tink and the bug Blaze!

Thanking daddy for being so sweet and waiting in the line to meet the fairies!

Day 2: Hollywood Studios

Meeting Sarge from Toy Story

At this point Cason still has no idea why we are meeting all these characters and isn't too fond of them!

We got to walk thru lots of Toy Story "stuff" to meet Woody and Buzz.

The kids thought it was funny to be strapped to a rocket!

We honestly thought we'd meet Jessie at Hollywood Studios, so Cass wore her Jessie shirt that day. She wasn't there, but Buzz sure did like Cassidee's shirt! He liked it so much that he asked her to dance with him. Here they are dancing and Woody is playing the violin for them! That was one of those moments that made Cassidee's day/week/month, that she is still talking about, and that caused me to wipe my eyes on my sleeve!

Do you see Cason screaming hysterically? That's because we were telling him it was time to go and it was other peoples turn to take their picture with Mater. He cried, and cried, and cried until we had to distract him with something else. He would have stood by those two cars all day long!

I had made reservations and plans for lots of things that included Cassidee, but didn't worry too much about Cason since he is only 2 and might not remember much. I started feeling guilty that we were meeting all the princesses and doing girly things so I made reservations for us to eat at the T-Rex Cafe in Downtown Disney one night. Cass loves dinosaurs and can identify lots of them, but this was mostly for Cason. He was freaked out at first when they started moving and roaring, but once Jeremy walked him around a bit, he started growling right back at them!

And, Jeremy may have had just as much fun here as the kids did! :)

Day 3: Magic Kingdom

We spent the majority riding all the rides, obviously, but lets just go ahead and document that this momma waited in the big, hot sun for at least 30 minutes while the rest of the family sat in the air-conditioned restaurant, just so we could be first in line to meet these two people....possibly our favorite characters of all of them!
I wish I could show you Cason running full speed at them to say hi to Woody.....

and yes, he got over his character fear very quickly!

Another moment that melted my heart.

The kids were just so happy!!!

I would have tipped these folks if that were allowed. They made my kids day!

One of the things that Cassidee was most looking forward to was going to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Cinderella's Castle. She was ready to get all dolled up and be a princess for the week!

She had a great fairy godmother-in-training that did her hair and makeup and nails.

She made the experience very special for Cassidee!

The final product!

Going to the boutique Monday afternoon was perfect timing, because Tuesday morning we had breakfast reservations at the castle, just me and Cass!

That's one excited little girl!

We walked into the castle and as I was checking in they were giving her a sticker and escorting her into a room.....okay?!

I walked in and they announced that she was named "Princess of the Day" and was to lead everyone upstairs to their tables. We were seated at a table and were the first table seen by each princess as they came out.

Eat up girl, that a $25 plate of french toast sticks! :)

Although meeting Cinderella and the other princesses was great, the highlight of her day was meeting Ariel, her favorite. Ariel spent lots of time at our table.....it's like they know.....

Anyway, Cassidee still talks about the stories that Ariel told while she was with us!

At the end of the breakfast we were given wishing stars and were told to close our eyes and make a wish. Cassidee took this very seriously and still hasn't told me what her wish was for....

Pretty stained glass window in the castle!

Ironically the first characters we saw after leaving Cinderella's Castle was her step-mother and step-sisters. They asked Cass where she had been. The conversation went something like this:

Sisters: Where did you get that purple wand?

C: Cinderella's Castle, where I was eating breakfast.

Sisters: You know what to do with that wand, right? It's only good for hitting your sister with!

C: I don't have a sister.

Sisters: Well, use it to hit your brother!

C: I'm not supposed to hit my brother....

I was cracking up that she didn't understand their humor and she asked me later why they kept saying "yuck" when she would talk about Cinderella! I guess we need to watch that movie again.

Although, later she did tell me: "I wish I had told that step-mother that she really should be nicer and not tear Cinderella's dress for the ball next time!" :)

On Tuesday night we had tickets to go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.

It. Was. So. FUN!

Obviously the kids went in their Halloween costumes!

We weren't sure where to start exactly, and it was really crowded when we first got there. We started off in Tomorrowland and rode the Buzz Lightyear ride that is a favorite of the kids. By this time all the regular park people were leaving and lines were short for most rides. The kids had been wanting to ride on the speedway.

Someone tell me why I always end up with a 2 year old trying to drive me around? I was controlling the pedals, but I think we both left there with a bit of whiplash! Cason doesn't follow the lines very well....oh wait, he can't even see where he is going!!!

We had a highlight of the evening, and I know you are already guessing that it involved Toy Story characters. Of course it did!

We stumbled upon Woody and Jessie's dance party while we were searching for a restroom.

I didn't even dance and it was the best part of the evening for me!

There were maybe 8-10 kids in the whole room at one time, so that was a lot of personal attention given to each kid by the characters.

Cason was a character pro by this point and danced by Woody the whole time. I was actually afraid Woody's size 27 shoes were going to crush Cason, because he was so close to him!

Cassidee attached herself to Jessie, of course, and danced for 2 or 3 songs!

I'm not exaggerating when I say that Cason bawled like a big 'o baby when we left there. He wanted to stay there all night!

We also got to have our picture taken with all 7 dwarfs at one time. That was pretty fun since Cassidee's current favorite disney movie is Snow White right now.

Unfortunately, the fireworks started right above our heads as the people before us were going. Cason began wailing, and Cassidee really wanted to hold her ears because it was so loud, so we have a less than great picture of our family.

Oh well!

Toontown may have been the kids favorite place in Magic Kingdom to visit. Cassidee like looking at Mickey and Minnie's houses, and Cason loved Goofy's roller coaster!

Obviously the Disney villians really come out at Halloween, so we went to find a few. Cass wasn't a big fan of meeting the "mean people," but I assured her it was cool to have some pictures with them. I have no idea how to spell this one's name and I'm too lazy to look it up. She's the bad witch from Sleeping Beauty.....

The castle looked so awesome at night. It would change colors from blue/green to red/orange and other colors.

Cass and I found a good spot for a pic of her!

These next few pics are a little out of order....

Day 5: Epcot

This was taken at the end of the day while waiting to see Chip -n- Dale.

Cassidee was perched up there, looking all cute, but when I told her to smile Cason comes running over and asked for his picture with her. (he was getting used to being told to do that by this point!) He just looked so cute crawling up there and then grabbing her hand.

Again, I can only hope this sibling love lasts a while between them!

We went to meet Winnie Pooh and Tigger.

Cassidee used to watch that show all the time. It doesn't really come on anymore (or maybe it does really, really early in the morning) so Cason's never watched it.

Jeremy told Cason to go meet Tigger and that Tigger loved to bounce.

Cason immediately runs over, hugs both of them, and then just starts jumping!

Tigger joined in and they were both hopping around the room.

It was so cute!

This should be picture 1 of Day 5: Epcot, taken by Cassidee, but it got placed here for some reason. Oh well!

Epcot was another super fun day for Cassidee. We had reservations for Cassidee, Becky, and I to do the princess lunch at Akershus. This lunch was hosted by Belle, so here is she and Cassidee.

Cassidee and Nana

During lunch they do a princess processional. Cinderella asked Cassidee to join her and so Cassidee walked with Cinderella the whole time around the restaurant.

Cassidee's getting her princess wave on!

After lunch we walked around and stumbled onto Mulan. She was the only other princess we hadn't met yet.

She kissed both the kids, which cracked them up!

We found Belle and Beast.

Cason got another kiss!

Cassidee and Cason inside Bruce's mouth!

Picture with the Nemo characters/statues!

Cass and Daddy on the Nemo ride!

After the Nemo ride Cason conked out. He layed on a restaurant bench with me while daddy and Cassidee rode "Soarin". Cass loved it. Jeremy wasn't impressed.

Now onto some hotel pictures.

The first night we were there I walked out of the bathroom and asked Jeremy for help. I knew how to turn on the water, but I didn't know where the water came out into the tub. There was no spout. Hello....it came out of the ceiling. I guess I've lived a sheltered life!

Our room and balcony had a great view of the huge pool (which we never swam in as to not mess up Cassidee's hair!)

Pretty girl!

Big boy eating a sucker for breakfast!

What? We were on vacation! :) Ha!

Here is another picture that Cass took of the two of us!

It's kinda sad, but I think this may be the only picture with all 6 of us in it!

Day 6: 'Pick your favorite thing and lets do it one last time' day!

Cassidee wanted to ride Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios, so we went there first.

While Jeremy was getting in line for that, I took the kids to meet Handy Manny.

Cason was excited, Cass wasn't. She was even kinda mad that I made her get his autograph, and she totally refused to have her picture taken with him.

I asked her why. She said....

"Mom, I don't even watch that show anymore. I'm so over it."

Okay....

Cassidee, while waiting in the line for Toy Story Mania. All the colors kinda tripped me out! :)

We waited in line for 84 minutes to ride Toy Story. All the fast passes for the day were gone by 10 AM, if that tells you how crowded that park was. We left after riding that ride.
-

Cassidee's last request was to ride the safari ride at Animal Kingdom again. We even saw some different animals than what we saw the first time.

One last picture by the big tree.

Everyone was tired.

We were starving because it was 3 and we hadn't eaten lunch.

We were all cranky!

And Cason's fingers were either in his nose or his mouth!

Perfect!

And here is my very last Disney picture....

Cassidee's happy to be riding Rafiki's train.

Cason was sitting in between Jeremy and I because he was about to try to climb out that window!

And, Jeremy's look says it all....it's time to board the plane home!

That's the end of our Disney trip. Looking at all those pictures makes me tired again, but I can't wait to go back with my kids again!

My Loves!

2010-10-05T09:14:00.003-05:00

My super talented sister Kelsey took some pictures of my kiddos and Blayze this weekend. I won't say that the session went perfectly smooth, but it is hysterical to think about what fools you make of yourselves while trying to get three kids to look in the same direction and smile! :)

(Sorry for the tiny pictures....I think they are in email resolution.... Click on them if you have time to see their sweet faces!)

Cason being patient while Cassidee gives him a kiss!

Pretty girl!

Three cutie pies!

Seriously, love these kids!!!

So sweet! Hope it lasts a while!

Cassidee and her baby Blayze!

Thanks for the fantastic pictures, Kelsey!

State Fair 2010

2010-10-01T03:51:00.001-05:00

We have been going to the State Fair every year since Cassidee was 6 months old. It's obviously a little more fun every year the kids get older! They loved it this year and I love taking pictures of them in the same places to see how much they've grown!
-
One of my favorites we take every year!

My little cow and piggy!

Showing off their money - or tickets, according to Cason - that they got for working on the farm.

Love this pic of all my loves!

- Posted from my iPhone

Cassidee's 1st Soccer Game - 2010

2010-09-21T09:24:00.003-05:00

We were excited when Cassidee told us she wanted to play soccer this fall. I'm not sure she totally enjoyed it last fall. (Being 3 and new to the game, it was a big experience for her last year.) This year, though, she was PUMPED! Jeremy told her the night before her first game that he'd give her $5 for every goal she scored.

Here is her team getting a pep talk before the game.....they are in the orange.

Cassidee came out ready to play! She did such a great job of going for the ball and really hustling!

And then, about 5 minutes into the game,
SHE SCORED A GOAL!
Do you see the look on her face?
We're guessing it was total shock. She never showed any emotion about it!

I, on the other hand, was beside myself. I was jumping up and down, screaming for her. The video I was taking is ridiculously bouncy and I'm yelling so loudly into the microphone, it's annoying! I made her come over and give me a kiss.....luckily she wasn't too embarassed by me!

After that goal came 3 others!

But, she did get hot and asked to be taken out of the game towards the end. We played at noon, and I don't blame her one bit. I was melting just standing on the sidelines. She spent most of the 2nd half trying to fan her shirt and stay cool!!!

She was so excited about her goals and couldn't wait to go to the fire station and tell her daddy that she had scored. He was pretty sad that he was working on the day she scored her first goals, but I'm sure she'll do it again for him. I took her up to get the money he had promised her and luckily for him he decided to cap the amount at $10. She looked at him and said, "You owe me 20 bucks!" We all busted out laughing!

We are super proud of you Cassidee and can't wait to see how well you are going to do this season!

We will never forget....

2010-09-11T20:31:00.004-05:00

I remember where I was that day and what I was doing....

I remember praying that all my family members were safe.....

I remember wishing I would wake up and this would be a terrible dream!

I remember....

2,606 in the World Trade Center

87 on American flight 11

60 on United flight 175

125 in the Pentagon

59 on American flight 77

40 on United flight 93

and 19 that don't deserve to be remembered.....

I didn't know at that point that I would one day be married to a fire fighter.

But, 343 fire fighters were lost that day at Ground Zero and since then I have a whole new respect for "service" men and women. The fire fighters, police officers, etc. who do brave things on a daily basis.

And, although my husband and most every other fire fighter I know does not want to be recognized for the work that he does, here is my one little corner of the world to tell him how proud I am of him, the guys he works with, and fire fighters all over. Jeremy does things that I wouldn't ever dream of doing, sees things no one should have to see, and goes places that most people would never go. Jeremy is one of the smartest, kindest, bravest, toughest and most gentle person that I know. I have seen him interact with patients. I know that he cares about people and truely wants to know the outcome of their situations once he leaves them at the hospitals. I know he loves his job and the thrill of fighting a fire. I have heard his heroic stories of saving people and their belongings. I've heard his goofy stories of falling into a swimming pool in someone's back yard with his full gear on and sinking to the bottom. I've heard his scary stories of almost falling through a ceiling when the second floor gave way when he walked in. (I don't like to hear those stories much...) All this to say, I worry about him day and night when he is gone, but I'm so proud of the job he is doing to help others when he is away from us.

Here is my hero.

Excuse the not-so-flattering picture of me. This was May of 2008 when I was 8 months pregnant with Cason and we were at Jeremy's medal banquet.

Cheer Clinic 2010

2010-08-30T19:17:00.006-05:00

(Half my pictures are blurry for some reason....sorry!)

Cassidee and good friend Alix (A's daddy is a firefighter with Jeremy) did the CHS Cheer Clinic last weekend and they got to perform with the high school cheerleaders before the football game on Friday night. Cassidee is bound and determined to be a cheerleader now! She may not have fully participated the entire time (she is only 4), but she LOVED being a cheerleader!

Here is Alix and Cassidee on their day of practice.

We dropped the girls off and took their brothers and daddies to breakfast and to the park while they practiced. There is a backyard of llamas right by the park so we went to check them out.

Cason and TJ didn't plan to match, but they looked awfully cute!

Cason enjoyed the park and extra attention from mommy and daddy while Cass was gone!

He especially loves it when daddy makes him fly!

When we got back to cheer clinic, we got to watch some of the girl's practice.

I don't know what they liked better:

Playing with the big girls pom poms or getting held by the big girls!

On Friday night we went to the football game and Cassidee headed off with the cheerleaders.

Cason and daddy were looking photogenic, so I snapped some pictures!

My little boy blue!

Not sure what got this funny face from him!

Once again, Cassidee got carried around by a big girl!

Giving hi-fives for looking cute....that's what she told me....

Going over the plan one more time....

....and practicing her cheer one more time.

*I didn't post any pics of the actual performance on the field. I took some, but she was so far away that she is hard to see, so it just looks like a mass of red and black kids.*

My little cheerleader!

(I kinda hope she is cheerleader at CHS so I can have a 4 year old/18 year old cheerleader picture comparison)

Cute girl!

She and Alix with their very own poms!

And then I got one more pic of Jeremy and Cason. I used to think Jeremy's green eyes were awesome.....and then I fell in love with Cason's blue eyes....

Handsome boys!

(and I love Cassidee posing in the background)

This one is getting printed and put on my night stand!

I'm a lucky girl!

She's a big girl now!

2010-08-14T03:53:00.001-05:00

Cassidee became a real big girl the other day, according to here, when she got her ears pierced. Here she is getting marked.

Then she got the done at the same time. She is still kinda smiling in this picture....

And she never cried! I did!
She looked brave/scared/hurt/happy all at the same time and then just asked to see a mirror!

Cutie pie!

It took lots of convincing to let Jeremy do that to his "little girl!"
I am not kidding when I say that she has already asked him for a nose ring......holy cow!

- Posted from my iPhone

It's like Christmas morning!

2010-08-12T15:47:00.001-05:00

The kid's Halloween costumes arrived today!

Woody and Jessie have been running around my house all day!

Cutest little cow pokes I know!

- Posted from my iPhone

"I am Jessie forever!"

2010-08-06T13:18:00.000-05:00

I hear this quote multiple times a day as my kids are constantly playing "Toy Story." Cass is always Jessie and Cason goes back and forth between Woody or Buzz.

Cassidee got a hooded Jessie towel and evidently fell asleep while wearing the towel and playing with Jessie and Bullseye!

Any guesses as to who she is going to be for Halloween this year?!

- Posted from my iPhone

Dinosaur World, Lake, and Sea World!

2010-07-23T20:38:00.007-05:00

We have had a crazy busy few weeks, and it finally looks like our summer is slowing down. We took the kids to Dinosaur World last week, and I'll say that we will be going back soon. It was small, but they LOVED it! Cassidee kept telling us what dinosaur was what. I had no idea she watched so much Dinosaur Train at home! The kids wanted their picture in front of EVERY. SINGLE. DINOSAUR., but I'll spare you the redundant pictures!

Did you think these were T-Rex's? We sure did, and took tons of pictures of them.....

Only to walk up, look at the sign, and notice they aren't t-rex dinosaurs. Oh well!

We decided to leave when Cason kept trying to climb the fence and pet the dinosaurs!

We left Dino World and headed to LBJ lake. Jeremy's grandparents live right on the lake! We went to the lake with the Way Family last year and we decided that it needs to be an annual trip for sure! We love going out on Grandad's boat!

These kiddos also love the boat! (Minus Charlie's bout with motion sickness)

Cassidee is completely F.E.A.R.L.E.S.S when it comes to riding in the tube. You can't ever go fast enough for her! She loves the bumps, jumps, twists and turns! Definitely my little dare devil!

I wouldn't call Cason a dare devil, but he rode the tube without crying in the end. He's not a huge fan of water, so he was a little intimidated at first. He warmed up to it in the end!

He preferred to hang out on the boat and wear gay hats instead!

Love this pic!

Gotta brag on my honey for a minute....

He's never wake-boarded ever. He got up on his 3rd try and did really well! I think he liked it!

Amie and I found some super classy tattoos at Walmart for the kids. (is that an oxymoron---classy tattoos?) Anyway, Charlie and Cass were well covered. Cason opted for a small, tasteful tat that was some kind of heart and wings (?) and I wrote MOM above it in sharpie. CLASSY!

Looking tough with his tat!

Our next stop, after two big lake days, was Sea World!

Probably not the smartest idea since we were so tired from being on the boat. Regardless, the kids did really good. We had fun waiting in line for 30 minutes to ride the Shamu roller coaster. Cass and I are in the very back car and Amie and Charlie are in front of us. (I'm pointing at Jeremy in the picture)

Cason wasn't tall enough for the coaster, so he just sat and looked cool in his stroller!

This may be the only picture I got of the two of them together all day. The waterpark was a hit since it was SO STINKIN HOT all day!

I tried getting a pic of the 3 of them.....emphasize *TRIED :)

I snapped a couple of pictures of Cason that just looked cute.....

(This one cracks me up because I just told him we were going to see animals and he yelled at me, "I see sharks?!" :)

Checking out the sea lions

And we got to feed the dolphins. Cassidee could have stayed and petted them all day!

Feeding them some slimy little fish!

Another attempt at a group picture. I was so irritated at Cassidee because the boys were actually looking and she wasn't.

And then when she did look, she struck this pose. Really?! :)

Last show of the day....Shamu show. Hot, tired, sweaty, stinky, hungry, & sleepy, but LOVED the Shamu show!

We had good seats and Jeremy got some great pictures of the whales.

I loved Sea World! I think I'll just go when it's not so hot next time!

Camp Deer Run 2010

2010-07-12T16:18:00.015-05:00

If you ask Cassidee at any given moment where she'd like to be, she'll probably say Camp Deer Run! She was beyond thrilled we were going out there again this year, and if she hadn't been so tired, I know she would have put up a bigger fight when we left yesterday!

Cassidee enjoyed Silly Songs in the Rec Hall and then headed with all the other kids to see the fireworks!

She quickly pooped out, though!

The next few pictures show what Cason did at CDR.....

Lots of canteen time.

I'm still trying to convince him that he doesn't get candy every afternoon!

He played with balls on the ball fields!

He played with rocks on the bleachers!

And, if you'll look closely, my kids walked around with permanent kool-aide mustaches all week!

We dropped Cassidee off every morning with the PeeWees. She LOVED it!!

It was fun to see her with her group around camp and not hanging out with me like she had the last 3 years. Sniff, sniff!

She loved her counselor Jenny!

And she loved swimming every day with her friends. I think she went down this slide 20 times a day!

Cute little swimmer!

This is what Cason did when I tried to take his swimmy picture. Cheese ball!

Aunt Kelsey swam with us one day!

Cassidee got to help the kitchen staff serve supper one night. She was proud to be in charge of the corn!

We went to the cookout spots with all the groups.

Jeremy and Cason headed out in search of weenie sticks.

Cass stayed with Evan and gathered fire wood!

Big helper!

Taking a break before cooking hot dogs!

Cason enjoyed his hot dog!!!

Cason also really enjoyed Hawaiian Day and the fruit at canteen. He spilled his drink all over his shirt so we just ditched the shirt!

Cassidee loved the strawberries!

Cassidee asked me to take her picture one morning before PeeWees. She was so happy to get to pack her bag with swimsuit and towel every morning. She felt like a big girl getting to carry her stuff with her every day!

We caught up with her later and got to see her working on their craft of the day!

Here are all the PeeWee girls!

Cason often slept late into the morning. One day we ventured to the office while still in his pj's. We got to see Drayton in his pj's and had to take a picture of the two boys together!

They are going to have lots of fun together next summer!

We also walked down to watch some of the boys making teepees for outcamping. Cason thought they were pretty cool!

Cason and I would venture up to the crafts hall occassionally.

He loved his buddy Andy!

Cason also got to sit on a horse one day.

I can't believe I didn't get a picture of Cass on a horse.

She loved riding!

We enjoyed a visit from friends for Wednesday night church.

Cason and his buddies, Riley and Nolan, found a mud puddle in the pavillion.

The mud puddle quickly turned to mud hole outside the pavillion and they were head to toe covered!

They looked pretty cute all covered in mud..........but luckily camp is equipped with a "tub" big enough for 5 muddy kids!

Please don't tell the health inspectors about this part....

Crazy girls!

On Thursday Cassidee's PeeWees got to have their own cook out. She had to wait in line to get her hotdog and drink. (difficult concept for a 4 year old, trust me!)

She was also not super happy because she spilled her drink not once, but twice in a matter of minutes!

But she was happy later when I took her to the crafts hall to do some painting!

Then, once all the campers left for out-camping, our family took the 4-wheeler out to visit everyone! It won't be too long before all 4 of us won't fit!

We went up to Hoche out-camping where Sparky and Matt had been cooking a turkey for a few hours. (Trying to out-do the typical chicken....) I will say, although it wasn't thoroughly cooked in some places, it was tasty!

And Thursday we also celebrated this handsome little man's 2nd birthday!

He liked his signs that were hung for him!

We went to Ty and Janelle's house one night and interrupted a game they were playing. Cassidee talked them into playing her "made-up-on-the-go" game.

Cole wasn't thrilled that he never seemed to win!

And we thought it was hysterical that Cason kept pointing at this picture and saying "Jesus". Okee dokee!

Cassidee got invited to a super special "princess party" one night. She picked out these pajamas and this pose!

Here she is, waiting on the girls from Women's 1/2 to join her!

They had a fantastic time!

The princesses were visited by a very special Knight.....Sir Blake!

Cassidee and her picture poses crack me up!
Cason spent many mornings and evenings this way.....donuts and a movie in bed!

For those of you that know what a snake lover Cassidee is, she was super excited to get to see the copperhead eat a rat while we were at camp. Cass let out the most sinister laugh I have ever heard when the snake attacked the rat. She sat and watched for a LONG time while he ate the rat. I went to lunch.....too gross for me!

Poor Rat!

Cassidee made her acting debut as Tinkerbell in Women's 1/2 Killi Kapers! I still can't get all the glitter out of her hair!

Cason's biggest buddy for the week was out great friend Drew. Cason misses Drew so much now that we are home. They were great friends at camp!

One last swim with friends during the Baby Roundup before we left for home.

One last jump off the diving board for my little dare-devil!

And one last picture of these three BFF's who don't get to see each other often enough!

I know that Cassidee definitely can't wait until we go back out there. Jeremy claims we are staying for two weeks next year. The kids will be in HEAVEN!!!

Happy 4th of July (well, actually Happy 3rd....)

2010-07-12T16:10:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I just like putting pictures of this goof ball on here....

Someday she may kill me for it! :)

We had a great 3rd of July.

It was one of the busiest days we've spent in a long time, but we had a ball, starting with....

The 4th of July parade in Coppell....

Dork!

Charlie, Cass, and Cason

Cassidee's favorite, the fire truck at the end!

....and there you have it.

Those are all the pictures I took that day.

We spent the entire day with the Way's and I only have the back of Charlie's head to prove it!

After the parade we went swimming at Nana and Poppy's house, got lunch and took naps. After naps we took the kids to see Toy Story 3! Then we grabbed more food just in time to get to the park in Coppell to see the fireworks that night.

See, we had a cram-packed day and I took a grand total of 3 pictures.

Maybe Amie took more pictures and will blog about it....

Houston, we have a problem....

2010-07-12T15:34:00.009-05:00

The problem is that this pretty girl wants to go see her BFF in Houston every single day now that we are back from our fun trip.

It's hard to explain to her that we can't just pack up and head over there to play..... the concept of "too far away" is still lost on her!

(I don't remember taking these random pics of Cass, but they were on my camera so there you go!)

Our trip to Houston, despite having to leave Jeremy at home, was one of the most fun trips I've taken with the kids. They were so, so, so good in the car on the way down (when I was by myself with them) and on the way back when I had my mom with me.

They wasted no time sitting around once we got to the Beaver's house. We played inside, we played outside, we played in the bath tub, in the kitchen, destroyed Reagan's room multiple times.....whenever they were awake, they were playing!

Go to Jodi's blog for lots more pictures. We seemed to have captured different activities!

Even though he was the only (little) boy, Cason had no problem following the girls around and trying to play with them.
Playhouse fun!

Silly swinging girls!

The night we went to R's gymnastics, Cason did this (most of the time!)

Goober!

Cassidee wanted to take this picture for Jeremy.

He says he would have framed it at work if I had put clothes on her!!! :)

We went to Kemah and ate at the Aquarium restaurant.

Luckily they seated us right next to the huge tank!

Me-mommy even flew to Houston for the last part of our trip to have fun with us!

We all rode the merry-go-round....

....and the big girls rode the huge ferris wheel, although the pictures from that are less than attractive for some people involved! :)

We sadly left the Beaver's house after being there for almost a week and headed with Me-mommy to Galveston. We made a quick stop at Rocket Park at the Space Center. Cason loves airplanes, so this was right up his alley!

They thought this room was so cool!

Once we got to Galveston and checked in a hotel we took the kids to ride on the ferry to Boliver. We had bread to feed the sea gulls, but Cason just kept sticking it in this fence?!

Cassidee loved feeding the birds!

I didn't really love the fact that Cassidee convinced me to stand on the front of the ferry because we hit a huge wave and got drenched! I turned my back in time to just get that wet, but my kids had to completely changed clothes!

*This picture must have been pre-wave because we're all smiling....

Onto the beach.

My poor kids have never seen a pretty beach. IE: Mexico, Hawaii....

This was Cassidee's 2nd Galveston experience and Cason's very first beach experience.

Neither of them loved the water.

They both could have played in the sand all day!

I just love that Cason still lets Cass hold his hand and lead him around!

Checking out the water....

Oh they are so sweet to each other....most of the time!

Fun in the sun!

My little sand babies!

The next day we went to Moody Gardens before heading home. They have a butterfly exhibit and we decided to check it out!

It was a very kid-friendly exhibit!

They even had butterflies you could fly on.

Cassidee was strong enough to hold on to hers all the way to the end.

I snapped this picture of Cason right before he decided to just let go.

(mom caught him, luckily!)

My two crazy butterflies!

A huge thanks to my mom for flying down and playing with us the last part of our trip.

An even bigger thanks to the Beaver's for letting us destroy your house for a week! We loved every minute of it!

Future Post I am Dreading....

2010-07-02T15:00:00.002-05:00

This handsome little man is turning 2 soon. I CAN NOT believe this at all! I promise not to ever blink my eyes again. He is going to have a very fun, and special, birthday day. We will be out at Camp Deer Run during the week of his birthday and we were already promised the birthday song will be sung to him at Flagpole Devo. (He may be curious why everyone is grunting at him during the 2nd verse....) I am so excited to take both kids out there for a week this year. No posts from us for a while. After his birthday and CDR we are heading to the lake and Sea World. See you in August!

Happy Birthday, UGH!

Memorial Day and More....

2010-06-10T09:06:00.008-05:00

We spent Memorial Day with the Way's and went to Dinosaur Valley State Park. The kids thought the dinosaurs were pretty cool, but they had the most fun playing in the water.

Here's our little family.

Cason prefers shallow to no water and spent the majority of the time collecting rocks....

....looking at the rocks....

....and then throwing the rocks!

Cass is my water baby. She didn't come out until it was time to go!

Daddy making Cason get in some water!

Having fun with Daddy!

Cason enjoyed himself once he was used to it....and knew we weren't going to let go of him!

Way Fam minus E!

Charlie

Cass

And we knew our trip had come to an end when Amie's flip flops broke. I bought them for her for $3 at Sam Moon....I'm shocked they lasted as long as they did!!!

We also had a fun time recently at the Ford's birthday party. Cass loved all the farm animals that there were to hold, feed, pet, love on, etc.

Here are her two favorite chicks.

And she did countless pony rides!

Cason, however, played in the sandbox.

Big weeney!

Signs of Summer

2010-06-03T19:43:00.001-05:00

Back porch
Shirtless
Eating watermelon

Oh how I love summer!

- Posted from my iPhone

We're off to the races!

2010-05-28T20:35:00.001-05:00

We brought the kids to the horse races for their first time ever. We let Cassidee makes some bets. So far she has placed bets based on her favorite color the jockey was wearing, her favorite number, and the prettiest horse. She is 2 for 2 and is up almost $10. I think we will bring her back again.....she must be good luck!

- Posted from my iPhone

I'm getting another brother (in-law)

2010-05-26T15:43:00.000-05:00

Congratulations Evan and Kelsey! We love you both and are so happy for you!

- Posted from my iPhone

Great Wolf Lodge, Preschool, baby Blayze, and a zoo trip!

2010-05-22T20:23:00.011-05:00

I wish I had the picture of Cassidee standing outside the huge windows in the lobby of Great Wolf Lodge. She was completely overwhelmed when we first walked in...in a good way. We played, and played, and played, and had the best time with Amie, Bradley, and Charlie. We got there and wasted no time getting our suits on and getting in the water.

Here is my littlest swimmer.

Here is Jeremy and Cassidee as they are coming off the green "toilet bowl" slide. They came out of the slide backwards, hit the water, and their raft completely flipped over backwards. The guy behind me yelled "Oh Crap!" (not fun to hear when your 4 year old is on that raft....illegally, I might add. She was too short to ride in the first place, but oh well......) Anyway, Cassidee came up completely wide-eyed and immediately said she would never ride that one again. :)

The lazy river (or crooked creek....whatever) was more of her style anyway!

We had to drag the kids out to get them dinner and in their PJ's before story time. The kids didn't seem super impressed.......or maybe it was me that wasn't impressed..... but they looked cute sitting next to each other!

Mommies and kids with the wolf? coyote? woodchuck?

The Way's

My kids cooperate so well!

Cason, Cass, and Charlie swimming on Friday after a surprisingly good night sleep in a room all together!

Cass was a slide pro by the time we left!

Funny face!

Little swimmer!

Charlie loved the water spouts!

So did Cass and Cason

She usually tried to spray me! Glad my camera is waterproof!

Happy boy!

Big boy!

Running from daddy!

Cass getting help from daddy to pull a rope.

Cassidee specifically wanted this picture taken for BFF Reagan.

Cassidee says, "Look Reagan, I'm on a beaver!" (Then picture Cassidee laughing hysterically.....she thought she was so funny!)

All pooped out and taking a snack break. They were so worn out but had so much fun. Cason didn't wake up until 11 the next day..... I'd say he had tons of fun!

We've gotten some good play time in with baby Blayze. Cason is super sweet to her and often sits right next to her on the floor.

And he kisses her ALOT!

This week we had Cassidee's end-of-the-year program at preschool.

Standing between her two buddies. She comes home from school telling us that she was Princess Skywalker at recess and things like that. She's never seen Star Wars, but the boys told her that the Princess could fly, so she'll be any princess they tell her to!

My favorite line of the song:

"I am a great big ball of potentiality...."

This week was the first time I've ever taken their picture on this alligator at the zoo.

Ha.....Cass looks happy and Cason looks whipped!

But Cason did think it was funny to pretend the alligator was getting him!

Once again, we spent 2 hours in the MOLA and Cassidee stayed with this snake as long as possible. (I've forgotten the name of it....)

Blayze came over again and actually spent the night with us this week. And there is Cason sitting right next to her again.

And kissing her......again. Do you think he needs his own little sister?

And then we had Cassidee's last day of preschool on Thursday. They performed their program song on more time and Cass insisted on standing next to buddy "C."

She finished off her time with a great game of Duck Duck Goose before telling her friends bye.

And even though we have one more year before she goes to kinder, I was surprisingly weepy this week. She's just getting so big so fast! Cass and Cason will be in preschool together next year, so that will be really fun, and she is excited that he is going to come to school with her. I think we should start praying for Cason's teacher now.....bless her heart, whoever she is!

Zoo Fun!

2010-05-19T14:43:00.001-05:00

We try to go to the zoo weekly with our passes. We don't often do the "extras" that cost money but they were dying to feed the birds today. I can usually spare $2! She loved that the birds would just land on her stick.

Cason wasn't quite as thrilled with the birds getting close to him. This was about as close as he got to the birds.

We finally left once I saw Cason feeding himself with whatever is on those sticks! Gross! I don't even want to know what holds those seeds on there....

- Posted from my iPhone

Teaser....

2010-05-18T11:14:00.002-05:00

Last week our family and the Way family got to spend one night and two fun days at Great Wolf Lodge. We had a fantastic time and can't wait to take the kids back! Here is a teaser picture until I get all the other pictures downloaded.

Such great friends!

FLASHBACK....

2010-05-10T14:03:00.002-05:00

....to Cassidee's birthday week when she was turning 2.

I just opened a link to Rachel's Picasa album and found her pictures from Cassidee's birthday. We had matching dresses for the girls, they went to Chuck E Cheese for the party, we had tons of bathtub pictures, and there was this one of Jodi teaching them the Fuzzy Caterpillar song.

Roselyn looks like she is seriously trying to figure it out, Cassidee doesn't know what she is doing but she's going to smile about it, and Reagan can't figure out which hand has her Fuzzy Caterpillar on it!

Looking at all those pictures made me really miss those girls and miss the fact that those little girls are so big now! I love that they can go for weeks/months at a time without seeing each other and pick up where they last left off. I'm pretty sure they are life-long buddies!

Very First Ranger Game!

2010-05-09T06:46:00.001-05:00

Do you ever expect much when you take your 1 & 4 year old to a new place where they have to sit in a little seat for 2 hours??? I don't! My expectations were super low. We would have to walk around, keep Cason from crawling around everwhere, leave by the 4th inning.......
None of that happened! They were GREAT! I wish you could have heard them cheer. And they totally entertained the people around us with their mad dancing skills! We left at 10:15, at the very end of the game! They did so good. I can't wait to go again!
-

It was Michael Young jersey night when we went. Needless to say, both kids have a Young jersey that will fit them when they are 10! Oh well!

We decided to picnic it with McDonalds instead of trying to buy food there. The kids were fine with that. I was just really craving a hot dog by the time we left. There is just something about eating a hot dog at a baseball game!

The kids did great waiting in line for the games they wanted to play. I'm glad I got a pic of the back of their shirts.

Cassidee really wanted to play the tee ball game. Cason has one at home so the kids knew what to do!

Except poor Cason is a lefty but I think the worker just assumed he was right handed and put him on that side. It took him a few swings to figure out how to hit it!

Cass also wanted to play a pitching game but she was disappointed she didn't hit the target. Miss Perfectionist!

Cutie pie with her daddy!
She had the best time and told us she can't wait to go back!

- Posted from my iPhone

Kids!

2010-05-01T17:37:00.000-05:00

Someday I'll look back on these drawings and smile....

The ones on the floor of my entry way, on the walls of my kitchen.....

The ones that caused my blood pressure to raise 100 points shen I saw them.....

And I hope they remember scrubbing the wall for 10 minutes while crying (Cassidee) and saying "my sow-wee" (Cason).

It's hard to stay mad at them too long!

- Posted from my iPhone