Happy Father's Day

To the man that keeps us all going. I know it isn't easy to be a good father. There are so many men out there that have children but aren't good father's. I am extremely lucky to be married to a man that is a wonderful father. It just comes naturally to him. I know moms take care of most of the day to day stuff, at least that is how it works around here. But when I really think about what Chris does for our family, it blows me away. He bears the burden of our future. Our financial future and the future people we become. The things he does are not always tangible, but always important. I really believe some days he keeps me sane. He is so good at knowing what the kids and me need and doing it. Whether it is telling me to get away for a bit and go for a run, or playing cars on the floor with Cameron, or reading book upon book to Calleigh, he just does it. He doesn't complain and I know he always has something he could be doing. Somehow he always seems to make time for us. He may not realize how the little things he does here and there matter, but they do. I just cannot tell him enough how much he is appreciated. Happy Father's Day Chris!

Lady Bird Lake Family Run

Mom, Dad, Joey, and Savannah came to visit this past weekend. We went to run, walk, and bike at Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin Saturday morning. Chris and Joey biked, I ran, and mom and dad walked with the kiddos. It was such a nice morning so we were able to get a good workout. I love downtown Austin and wish I could run there everyday. We have been so busy since we moved here that we don't venture out in the area near enough. Every time we do, I wish we did it more often. We went to eat lunch at Thunder Cloud Subs afterwards. It was really good and a nice end to our workout.

Date Night

Chris and I have not had a date night in a REALLY long time. We don't have a sitter in Austin and we are 3 hours from my parents now, so it is just not that easy to do. Last weekend, sick kid and all, we decided to have a date night. Chris made fajitas and we had a few drinks and hung out. Our plans were to sit out of the balcony listen to some music, have some drinks, and talk. Well, we ended up looking for music channels on TV and to make a long story short, we watched 2 episodes of the Marriage Ref on demand. Yeah! Pretty lame but somehow fun. We laughed and talked about what we would do and it was a good time. We got in bed around 12 and about 15 minutes later we were joined by sick and crying Cameron. We were both so tired but I guess it brought us back to the reality. Oh well, maybe we will have another date soon. These are some pics of us trying to "remember the evening" and actually getting a picture of the two of us, which never happens!

Sick Baby

Last week Cameron was very sick. It was the saddest thing I have ever seen. He got sent home Tuesday throwing up and it was just all down hill from there. He was sick for 5 days and went to the doctor twice. He ended up having an ear infection, strep throat, and most likely some kind of viral infection. His fever was up to 103.4 at one point and that is without adding a degree for it being taken under his arm. It was a miserable several days for us. He finally went back to school the following Tuesday and is fine now. I just felt so helpless and it was hard to handle. I was so glad to see him get back to his happy-cheerful-full-of-energy self!

Water Fun

Friday afternoon I got off work early so the kids and I got home and headed straight for the pool. It was not that well thought out on my part, but the kids loved it. I had obviously never taken a toddler and preschooler to the pool by myself and did not think of what a task it would be. Well, neither child is afraid of the water so they just want to dive in. They were on a ledge in 3 ft water right next to me. Next thing I know they both start trying to jump off and I am supposed to catch them both at the same time! Then I had to explain that they could jump one at a time so I could catch them. Cameron was fine with that. Calleigh did not want to compromise. She would not wait her turn and just jumped whenever her little heart desired. Needless to say, we moved to the area of the pool with 1 ft water for the little ones. Then they problem, once again, was Calleigh did not want to listen. Cameron was playing so nicely and I was sitting in a chair in the water getting some sun and watching. The way the pool is set up is like a wave pool. You can walk in and out and it gradually gets deeper. Well, Calleigh would not stay in the water for long. She wanted to run around the pool area, and she wanted me to chase her. After about 15-20 minutes I gave up and took them both home kicking and streaming. I think next time I will wait until daddy can go with me. Fun....

Goddard School Family Picnic

We had a family picnic at school yesterday. We are so lucky to be part of a school where families really care. We had a great turn out and I even got to have lunch with my kiddos. Daddy had some meetings he couldn't get out of so he did not get to attend. It was so funny to have lunch with them and get to spend some one on one time with each of them. It amazes me everyday how big and smart they are getting. Trying to make the most of the these days. I know that all too soon I will do good to nail them down for a lunch date. It was really cool to see how excited they both got when I came to eat with them. I will always remember the looks on their faces.

New Car

For the past several months I have wanted a bigger car. I bought my car when I was pregnant with Cameron and I thought it had plenty of room and I could have it even with 2 children. Well, fast forward 4 years... We travel so much because we live even further from Arlington now, we have two children, and we needed more room! My mom has a suburban and my brother has a tahoe and I love driving them both. I finally found a car that fit my needs perfect and did not give me a ridiculous car payment every month. I traded in the ole saturn for this 2005 Chevy Tahoe. It has everything I wanted and actually looks brand new. This is the first used car I have bought and I am really proud of the purchase. My brother and I spent Saturday morning and afternoon at the dealer. It was so busy but it didn't end up being too bad. Chris was on his way to Arlington and was just glad he wasn't the one sitting at the dealer with me. It was a good experience and I learned a lot about the correct way to buy I car. I bought the last 3 cars on my own and I made some mistake each time. I think by this time I got it all right. I love this car and plan on keeping it for a while. Also included pictures of the vue when I first bought it. I will really miss that car...I know it is crazy and Chris makes fun of me but I get attached to cars and houses and stuff like that. I am a sucker for memories...
The old...




the new...





(yes I already have my 13.1 sticker on the new car) he he

American Heroes Run

So somehow I talked my brother into getting up early on Monday and running a 10K with me. It is kinda crazy how it all happened. I went to The Runner in Arlington for my mom to get some new running shoes. She has been walking for several weeks now and is starting to run some too. As she was getting fitted I was walking around and heard several people picking up race packets. I love love love racing, so I was interested. I started asking around and it was for a race benefiting Veterans the next day at The Ballpark. I called my brother to see if he would run with me and he said sure whatever, he is easy going like that. So the race started at 8:30 Monday morning and it was already hot. We have run 10K's together before, but always in the fall or winter. This was probably our toughest one. It was so darn hot I could barely breathe, and I have been running between 15 and 20 miles a week. We made it through in just over and hour and we had a good time. Maybe it will become a Memorial Day tradition for us. I sure like having a racing partner. Oh, by the way, I talked him into running it and he beat me by a few seconds! And who know the last time he ran! I run every week! UGH!

Memorial Weekend at Nana's

We went to my parents house for Memorial Weekend to hang out and relax. The kids swam and loved, loved, loved it. It was so funny to watch them in the water. Cameron likes to go under the water and neither one of them are scared of it, which scares me! We grilled and had a great time. The kids and I drove up on Friday after I got off work and Chris met us after a meeting on Saturday. I got to hang out with my parents and brother Friday night and have a few "cold ones" sitting out on the patio. It was so nice to just talk and catch up. I sure am glad summer is here!

Love that Backpack (pak pak)

Whether it is hers or bubba's, this kid loves back packs. She can barely walk with them but still wants it on. She calls it pak pak. Guess my kids just like that word. Many of you know Cameron has a pak pak that he carries his cars in.