ken's rodeo field trip

we caught a glimpse of ken heading to the bus for her second grade field trip to the austin rodeo! she said it was wonderful . . . although when asked what was wonderful, she couldn't really say! :) she said they were late getting there, the tour guide didn't know what they were doing, they missed a few things . . . but it was a day away from school! :) and she liked eating in the arena! :) what fun! :)

mck"s kinder texas day!

mck was so excited for a fun day at school . . . texas day! she dressed in her cowgirl best (minus the boots which were too small!) and headed to school! kam, b.c., and i headed up for a peek at the fun! :) we got to see her square dance . . . ooooh! so cute. she did great with a sweet old man dressed in green! we watched her with a pony and listening to a real cowboy singing songs. she loved making a bandanna and the hay ride! what a great celebration of texas! :)

powder puff derby

ken and mck participated in their first powder puff derby! after several weekends of hard work with daddy the girls had a chance to race their cars. they did great and had lots of fun . . . no ribbons this year, but it was a great chance for a project with daddy! the girls got a kick out of seeing daddy's old cars too! way to go girls!

fun fridays for kam and b.c.

b.c. and kam love fridays at a local gym! they love to run and play and get along SO well together when we are here. b.c. loved the ball pit this time! and kam loved running like an antelope down the trampoline and swinging on the rope swing! it's a great way to spend a friday morning! :) b.c. was crazy about climbing up and down the slide and kam loved stopping to do her "minnie poses" every few feet on the trampoline! :)

first splash day of spring

so the kids finally convinced me that 89 degrees was warm enough for splashing! :) what a great way to spend a friday afternoon! :) mck was CRAZY and got totally wet right away . . . the water was FREEZING! ken would not be outdone by her, so she got soaked too! kam was a little slower to get wet, but by the end, she was all in too! little b.c. wasn't too sure what to make of this. he's not big on baths . . . so he took a long time too warm up to the idea of standing in freezing cold water with his three big sisters splashing around! by the time we were ready to head in, b.c. was having fun! :) i think we're in for lots of fun this summer! next time . . . we break out the sprinklers! :)

we are getting a kidney!

wow. what amazing news we got today! our angel is a match and she is willing to give bailey one of her kidneys. amazing. i get goose bumps every time i think about it. a woman who just a few months ago knew us only from visits to the pediatrician's office is now willing to give an organ to our family . . . how crazy, wonderful, amazing, unbelievable is that? what a great day this is! we have so much to be thankful for. . . so much to be excited about! in a matter of months our lives can be "normal" again. we will have our family back . . . all because of a beautiful, wonderful woman! it is impossible not to feel lucky! :) i never would have imagined this a year ago. it makes you truly grateful for each moment you have and makes you really appreciate your health and the health of your kids. now there is extra meaning in every moment we spend together . . . even the little things like catching bugs or building with legos . . . i catch myself wanting to remember each moment because you just never know. the big day is may 24th! the countdown is on! :) now we are just making arrangements and getting things figured out for our stay in houston!

daddy turns 40!!!!!

wow. he is old! :) the kids couldn't believe how many candles were on the cake . . . and i only used 24! :) we had a great time celebrating . . . complete with black balloons and streamers and a giant ice cream cake! :) we gave daddy a cool popcorn popper, lots of grilling stuff, new flip flops, and other stuff! :) we ate outside at cotton patch and enjoyed the beautiful weather. 40 is going to be a great year . . . 4 healthy kiddos, an amazing wife :), a new kidney . . . and a fresh start! :)

chuck e. cheese treat!

we finished off spring break with a special treat . . . a trip to chuck e. cheese! the kids were so excited! :) ken and mck took off on their own trying to earn as many tickets as they could. kam and b.c. stayed together and rode ride after ride . . . although b.c.'s fav was the bob the builder tractor! :) daddy even managed to meet us for a bit! we ate pizza, got prizes, and mourned the fact that spring break is over. boo! now we start the countdown to summer! :)

st. patty's day with g&g

we most of spring break week at g&g's having fun . . . and completing classes for the upcoming transplant! we had great intentions of fitting in lots of fun stuff . . . but spent more time just hanging out and enjoying time together! we tried to go to the zoo on tuesday. it was "full" when we got there . . . so we drove around looking for a movie place . . . and ended up playing at a cool park and getting an ice cream. you'd think the kids would have been disappointed . . . i was! i wanted to see the animals . . . but nope! they thought it was great! :) what awesome kids! we played at the neighborhood park, played with toys at g&g's, celebrated ken's and s's birthday with family, and played some more! (ken got her dream gift from g&g . . . an american girl doll! she is so in love with her! :) ) grammy surprised the kids with matching st. patty's day shirts to wear! they sported them around market street . . . doing lots of silly poses . . . kenzie is the ultimate "high fashion poser"! kam loves to do her "minnie pose" or stick out her tongue! ken likes to do something crazy! and b.c. loves to show off his belly to anyone who will look! we had a great lunch . . . YUM! and then did a little shopping . . . and then the kids all had gourmet cupcakes! we finished the afternoon with a carousel ride at the mall and sonic drinks for the ride home! :) thanks for a wonderful visit g&g! :)

b.c.'s first trip to build-a-bear!

a great start to spring break! :) the girls have been wanting b.c. to have his own build-a-bear . . . so a coupon for a free animal was all the motivation we needed to make the trip! :) and i collected enough build-a-bear coupons for everyone to get a $5 goody for free! :) yay! :) b.c. picked a camo bear - with a little help from all of us! :) he wasn't too interested in pressing the pedal to stuff the bear. he didn't really understand why we gave it to him and then took it away! :( but he was all smiles once it was done. daddy dressed the bear in surfer gear and named him "hunter"! then b.c. daddy, and kam took a ride on the train while the girls and i looked in a couple of stores. we stopped an got cookies for everyone to top off the evening! :) b.c. held his bear the whole way home! :)

my sweet eight year old!

my sweet, sweet girl! how are you already eight years old. i am not sure where the time is going. i can remember when i first met you. so teeny tiny, so beautiful, so amazing! you have made us smile from the moment we saw you! you have grown into such a cool kid! you are so mature. so wonderful with your siblings. you are so smart and so talented. you love school. you love books! you stay up late reading almost every night . . . unless you are too tired. you love to be outside and aren't afraid to get dirty . . . but you also love to dress up and be girly! you love to write and make up songs and stories and poems! you love to dance and turn your music up way too loud! you are such a big helper! you are strong and independent, but still love hugs! :) we are so lucky to know you our sweet oldest one! :) what a great example you are for your sisters and brother. i am so proud of you! happy birthday ken! we love you so much!

ken turns EIGHT!

the birthday girl woke up to a room filled with balloons and streamers! she was a happy kid! :) ken opened her first present . . . the usual! a birthday outfit and a book! :) she loved the outfit . . . and i messed up on the book. she had already read it. oops! :) then it was downstairs . . . where she got to see all of her gifts wrapped up . . . but only got one! HER BIKE! :) she fell in love with this bike when she first saw it and talked about it for weeks . . . so it was really cool to surprise her with it! she took a few laps around inside the house! :) we sang happy birthday and she got her favorite breakfast . . . kolaches and donuts . . . thanks to an early morning donut run by daddy! :) sadly, it was a school day, but the second she got home ken was riding her bike! :) she looked pretty cute on it too! :) when daddy got home we did presents. she got a new sleeping bag (because she hated the slipperiness of all the ones we had!), an orbeez lamp, some clothes, and a craft kit! then it was off to mama fu's for dinner (yay! she didn't choose mc d's!)! :) when i tucked ken in at night she told me this had been "the best birthday ever!". wow.

first gs campout

the girls and i had our first girl scout campout this weekend! we drove out to belton and stayed at the girl scout camp there. what a cool place for a kid! :) there were lots of things to explore and sooooo much to do! we didn't have enough time! we stayed in a great rustic "lodge" with lots of bunks and a kitchen! we cooked a great hot dog dinner, went to do crafts with the rest of the troops, made s'mores over a coal flame, hiked to the bathroom A LOT, and enjoyed all the fresh air! a cold front blew in over night, which meant cold and rain in the morning . . . making for a perfect campout! :) we all got soaked on our way to breakfast, but then things cleared up and we were able to enjoy the morning's activities . . . making a journal, learning to use a compass, making longhorns, and munching away on our trail mix! we made a great lunch of pb&j and then packed up to head home. we were all tired, but had a great time being in the outdoors! :) we might even brave two nights next year! :)