Fantastic Four

A New Year

2010-08-24T08:29:00.004-05:00

The only thing not changing in the Klenke family is the weather! Aaron and I have begun the next phase of parenting with "big kids". It is wonderful!

Madison has is now 9 years old and she is growing into a darling young lady. Madison is involved in jazz and choir and fashion! She enjoys anything that does not make her perspire...I can't imagine where that comes from..hee hee!

Of course Cade is the exact opposite; he has played baseball, football and now soccer. Cade is really amazing to watch because you show him how to do something one time and he pretty much gets it! He is relatively good at all his athletic endeavors. He obviously gets that from Aaron. Cade also has artistic abilites and he is very, very funny! At least he got something from me!

The kids have begun another school year and they seem pretty happy with their teachers and friends in class. Madison is in the 4th grade and Cade is in 1st. Aaron and I have been very happy with their school.

I have begun a whole new career with The Pampered Chef. I resigned from teaching public school last May and I wasn't too sure what the future held for me.... I had dabbled in Pampered Chef on the side and really enjoyed it so I thought I would follow my heart. I am so glad that I did that!! Now I am working from home, leading a team of consultants and putting on cooking shows that work around our family schedule. I really feel like I won the lottery!!!

Aaron is working for CBRE and is being challenged. He does commute to the Galleria each day which can be stressful to say the least. I feel like God is preparing him for something BIG. I know he is happy with me working from home and handling all the family stuff so he doesn't have to worry about us.

As a family we enjoy traveling and just being together. The kids love game night and movie parties.

I guess I should also write about Smokey. Smokey is our replacement cat. He replace Mittens after he died. Smokey is very....well...let's just say if Maddy didn't love him so much he may not live here anymore.

Goodbye sweet, sweet Mittens

2009-12-22T12:47:00.003-06:00

Mittens Klenke came into our lives July of 2007. He was just a sweet little 5 week old kitten. He was so tolerant of the kids and their crazy way to play with him. He allowed them to dress him up and put him in the baby stroller. He was a great cuddler and companion.

As he grew he learned to be a great mouse and bird catcher. he kept our home mouse free all the days he was here. he was a sweet little guy who loved to sleep all day and chase mice outside all night.

In November of 2009 Mitty went out for the night as he usually does, only he didn't return in the morning. We thought maybe he was on a long hunt but deep down Aaron and I knew something was wrong. Our whole Sunday school class prayed for Mitty's safe return. He never came home.

Madison was probably the most devistated. She printed off a picture of hime and put it on the wall next to her bed. On the bottom of the picture she wrote: "Mittens was my best friend, and then he ran away".

We really do think something terrible happened to Mitty. He was a small little guy.

Rest in peace dear sweet Mitty.

Happy 4th Of July

2009-07-04T17:25:00.002-05:00

We are celebrating the 4th of July with food, family and fireworks! Madison and Cade are really excited to see the fireworks tonight. Cade has been asking me how much longer......since July 1st! He and I are both glad the 4th is finally here. Hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July!

Things that make me smile....BIG!

2009-06-15T10:48:00.002-05:00

Cade eating a blue cupcake

My cutie pies getting ready for Camp Willomocky

Cade on PJ day

Aaron enjoying some quiet time with Mittens!

Hey, that's MY chair!

Silly boy!

ABC's Of Kathy

2009-06-11T09:41:00.002-05:00

I have read several blogs with this little tidbit and thought i would try it too. I am not even sure if anyone reads this blog anymore, as it is really important mostly to me....so here I go. Please copy this idea and put it in your blog if you think it is fun/interesting.

A- Angels, I had a dream that the angel of the Lord appeared to me the other night. He told me not to worry about a human hurting my children but to watch out for animals. Frightening, I know.

B- Babies, everytime I see a baby I think I want another one.

C- Coffee, my new favorite drink and my favorite moment of the day when i am drinking coffee and reading the paper in the morning.

D- Deanna, my mother's name. I worry about her.

E- End of Days, I truly wonder if I am going to be alive when Jesus comes back.

F- Friends, I feel truly blesses to have so many very dear friends.

G- Grandpa-T, this is what my kids call my dad. They love him so much and so do I.

H- Happiness, I have learned that we each make our own happiness. Each day we must decide to be happy in spite of circumstances.

I- Ice cream, this is Madison's favorite food!

J- Jesus, he is in my thoughts everyday and I can literally feel him with me in times of need. I did nothing to deserve his mercy.

K- I really messed up here....I went to buy Maddy a bottle cap necklace for her birthday with her initial on it and i bought one with a K on it. Shouldn't I have gotten an M? Is it really all about me?? I truly did not think I was a self centered person but maybe subconsiously I am.

L- Love Dare, Aaron and I are doing the Love Dare right now and it is really improving our marriage.

M-Money, for the first time in a long time I feel like we have a fantastic financial future. Participating in Dave Ramsey's FPU has completely inpired me to continue to Live Like no one else now so later we can Live Like No One Else. We may seem strange with some of the things we do but it will all pay off in the end!

N-Nothing, this is what I have to do tomorrow and I am thrilled!

O- Ocotpus, this is a new game Cade and I made up in the pool. He is so much fun to play with!

P- Popsicles, a fun summer treat for the kids.

Q-Quiet--ahhhhh, need I say more?

R- Ressurection, what an absolute miracle.

S- Swimming, we do it every day!

T- Tadpoles, aren't they amazing that they change so dramatically to actually become a frog? I absolutley HATE frogs by the way, but I will give credit where credit is due.

U- Unicorn, this is what all the little girls were painting when maddy and I went to pick up our pottery from the pottery painting store.

V-Vicks Vapor Rub, gotta love that smell! I am a little weird.

W- Watermelon, my dad's favorite summertime food.

X- X-ray, hope my kids won't need any this summer!

Y- Yummy, a great adjecitve to describe a dinner at Los Cucos!

Z-Zoo, we are not going there this summer, it is just toooo hot already!

If you have enjoyed the ABC's of Kathy please leave a cooment or post your own and let me know where to find them!

Summertime!

2009-06-09T09:48:00.004-05:00

We are all on summer break officially now. Cade has been off since Memorial Day, Maddy since last Thursday and I have been off since Friday. Aaron....well that is a whole different story....

I think this is my favorite summer break thus far, the kids are so independent and they play so beautifully together. I have spent my first few days od summer vacation cleaning and organizing closets and bedrooms. It is amazing how much stuff the kids have acquired over the past year. It is extremely theraputic to clean out and organize our living space. We follow the motto of Less Is More.

Aside from cleaning and organizing we have been swimming in our backyard pool everyday and cooking together. Mommy school starts today too. I need to bring Cade up to speed on a few concepts. Madison is going to be my teacher in training. She has decided she wants to be a teacher when she grows up so she might as well start now!

Our future plans for the summer include Splashway water park on Friday and SeaWorld after 2 weeks of VBS.

The Perfect Day

2009-05-16T16:33:00.002-05:00

Sometimes things just go your way and today was our day. We started the day getting up when we woke up NOT when the alarm clock woke us up. I then made yummy breakfast tacos and had the best cup of coffee. After breakfast and getting ready we went to Griffin Elementary to register the kids for football and Cheerleading. That was so fun to see both kids get so excited about starting a new activity. Aaron applied to coach Cade's team and that made it really special for Cade. Madison then asked if I was going to coach her cheer squad...uh no. Registering the kids for these activities normally would be no big deal but since we are living off one income (and it is not the bigger one) everything is tough. But by the grace of God and some very generous relatives we were able to do this for the kids.
After a qucik Kroger run and a good lunch we went swimming in our new pool. The water was fabulous and both kids had a great time going under and really swimming! This is a huge accomplishment for them. Aaron was saying that we really needed some rain because our grass is very straw like..and then wouldn't ya know an hour later it started raining. So we rushed inside and dried off and now the kids are having a "movie party" while I make dinner. I am making chicken enchiladas and of course that calls for a margarita!
So yes we have been having our challenges lately but today was the perfect day. God is great.

Going private

2009-04-28T19:37:00.001-05:00

I am thinking about going private with my blog. If you would like to be included on my blog list please send me your e-mail address and I will include you. Thanks so much!

Our Country Home

2009-04-28T09:27:00.000-05:00

We bought a house on a golf course and since then the course has closed and been sold to a farmer with cows. Our golf course view has now turned into a country farm view. We often hear mooing in the day and night. Madison has of course named one and has claimed it for her own. Are the Klenke's going country? Never a dull moment around here!

All About Baseball!

2009-04-28T09:12:00.001-05:00

Cade is palying his second season of Tee-ball right now and he is having lots of fun. His skills have improved noticeably since last spring. I think he is quite good but I know I am a little biased. He had a really good game the other night and he was awarded the "Game Ball". this is a very big deal to Cade. He was also asked to be on the summer All Star team. I have learned that the top few players of each team in his division are chosen to participate in the All Star league/division. So basically we wiil continue at the ball fields throughout may for practices and then he plays on the "big kid" field in June for the All Star team. This team will prepare him for the next age group that he will be with in the Fall. I am learning all this as I go. I think I am going to be a co-team mom too. I will be team mom with another mother. This is Cade with his coach after he recieved the game ball!

Cade playing pitcher, isn't he a cutie!

Catch up time

2009-04-28T08:07:00.001-05:00

So today school is cancelled because of the non stop pounding rain that began yesterday and lasted until the early hours this morning. So I am going to update my blog with all our recent activities.
Sportsfest at Katy Pony Baseball Fields

Here the kids are visiting the petting zoo. This was by far the highlight of the kids' day. They are such animal lovers, especially Madison.

Here Cade is showing off his spray painted hair. Surprisingly this washes out easliy!

Here the boys are lining up for their team picture. This is the cutest lil group of baseball players ever!

Birthday party at Time Square Entertainment!

We attended a birthday party for Cade's sweet little friend Blake. The party was at Time Square Entertainment. It looks really small on the outside but it was perfect for a birthday party! The kids and Aaron had tons of fun!

Cade's pre-school easter Party

Aaron was able to attend Cade's pre-school Easter party this year as he is a temporary stay at home dad. I was a little sad that i couldn't go but I see how much it meant to both of them that "Daddy" was there and it makes it all better. Cade and his classmates made these darling little bunny headbands and walked to the pastors' house to go on an egg hunt. He then returned to school and planted a flower to take home. Theses activites were of course intertwined with discussion of how Jesus died for us and rose again and then ascended into heaven. I am so proud that Cade fully understands how much Jesus loves us and the sacrifice that was made so we can be free.

This picture will be posted at Cade's high school graduation!!!!

Baseball!

2009-03-28T12:46:00.000-05:00

Spring break!

2009-03-20T20:34:00.000-05:00

We have tried really hard to keep busy with the kids during this break. Yes, Aaron is still looking for a job so we had to do it all on a super tight budget. Thankfully the weather has been pretty so we have been outside a bunch. The kids have been in bathing suits at least half of our days off. We also visited the Science Museum on Tuesday because Tuesdays are free from 2-8.

We also went up to my classroom one day for a couple of hours. I got some cleaning and organizing done and the kids got to play with all my stuff. They love doing this!

We are still praying about Aaron's job situation and trusting that the Lord has great plans for us. There are a couple of things on the horizion, but we will talk about that only when it is relevant.

Enjoy these couple of pics of our adventures!

Gotta love houston weather in March!

Happy St. Patrick's day!

This poor cat puts up with so much abuse! Here is sporting a gold chain thanks to Cade and a baby blanket thanks to Madison!

Fun at the museum! Or Maddy fussing at Cade about something.....

Do I look like this lady from the newspaper?

2009-02-21T12:18:00.001-06:00

This is me with my old hair cut.
This is a lady who I keep seeing in the newspaper.

This is my new haircut in a scary too close picture. Why do I think I look like this lady?

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T09:09:00.001-06:00

Here are two of my 3 favortie valentines!

A Test of Faith

2009-02-08T09:45:00.000-06:00

Well for those of you who don't yet know, Aaron was laid off in January. This was not a huge surprise but still devastating. He has been unemployed for 5 weeks now. Our faith, that we proclaim to be so strong, is really being tested. Every week is like a roller coaster ride. Some days we are happy, joyful even, then comes the big downturn. I am having conversations with God on a daily basis and I am listening very hard for what he might be telling me.
For some unexplainable reason I have a positive outlook on the future. We may have to make some changes in our life but they may be good changes.

Texas Winter

2009-02-08T09:23:00.000-06:00

The weather here has been so perfect for oudoor activities and we have been taking full advantage of it. Since the kids got new bikes from Santa, (good bikes) we have been visiting the Texas State Parks for little day trips.

This is the kids on Christmas morning.

Madison at Stephen F. Austin State Park

The kids in front of a gorgeous tree at Brazos bend. Aaron planning our alligator infested route.

Taking a break.

Christmas Eve 2008

2008-12-24T16:00:00.000-06:00

Here we are on our way to Church.
Merry Christmas to all our fabulous friends and family, from the Klenke family.

Crazy 8's

2008-12-22T12:23:00.000-06:00

Okay so I have been "tagged" is that right? I don't even know....but here we go:

8 Shows I Love to Watch...
1. American Idol
2. Forensic Files
3. Anything on HGTV
4. Fox news
5. The Weather Channel
6. The History Channel
7. Deal or no Deal
8. Man vs. Wild

8 Restaurants I Love...
1. Los Cucos
2. Any Pizza place
3. Chick-fil-a
4. Pappasitos
5. Fuddruckers
6. La Finca
7. Casa Ole
8. All Mexican Restaurants

8 Things that happened today...
1. Read the paper
2. Drank 2 cups of coffe
3. Laundry
4. Updated my blog
6. Read a magazine (Better Homes and Gardens)
7. Hugged and Kissed my sweet kiddos about a million times
8. Cleaned and freshened the guest room

8 Things I'm looking forward to...
1. Being completely DEBT FREE (about 15 days to go!)
2. Seeing my kids sing in the Christmas eve service
3. Watching my husband excel in his career (I work in the real world through him)
4. Getting our house painted (interior)
5. Cade starting Kindergarten
6. Putting in a swimming pool
7. Watching the kids ride their NEW bikes (shhh! Santa is working on this)
8. Meeting Jesus (just not to soon!)

8 Things on My Wish List...
1. A new and much cooler ride
2. A bikini body with no effort on my part
3. Good health for my kiddos (so far so good)
4. God's blessings for our family
5. Aaron to continue to have great success at work
6. Custom curtains through out the downstairs
7. A stronger more intimate relationship with my Heavenly Father
8. A long and happy marriage with my wonderful husband!

8 People I tag to do this on their blog...
1. Kay
2. Stacy F.
3. Debbie H.
4. Anyone
5. else who
6. reads this
7. and wants to
8. participate. :)

Christmas Vacation

2008-12-22T11:06:00.000-06:00

I am back! I am all rested and relaxed on our much loved Christmas vacation. I have updated our blog's appearance, I hope you like it. I have taken off some things and a few more. I have decided to take a new angle with this blog in the new year. I want to share more with you about how our family is growing under the love and protection of our Heavenly Father. About 2 years ago Aaron and I joined a Sunday School class where we have been taught God's plan for us and how to listen when God speaks to us. I am a completely different person because of this. Aaron and I are trying our best to raise our children according to His Word.

Enjoy these pictures of Madison and Cade as we get ready for Christmas.

Time

2008-12-08T18:05:00.000-06:00

So I hate when people say they are just so busy to do whatever...yada, yada, yada.... My usual cold hearted response is yeah were all busy so +*%&$$##. BUT I think I may really just be too busy to keep this blog up to date.
I have 591 pictures stored in my camera and some of them are just darling. You may never be able to see them unless you are holding my camera in your hand. That is just my current reality. I do however have high hopes of catching up with this over Christmas vacation and of course I will be totally current during the beloved summer.
Check back with me....just not too soon!
KK

Cade's 5th Birthday

2008-11-23T16:46:00.001-06:00

Here are some long over due pictures of Cade's birthday. I am having trouble keeping up with this site and facebook and my real life....Sorry.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T12:20:00.001-05:00

Here is Cade waiting to go to his Pre-school Halloween party. Mittens is close by...

Here is Cade at his school party. There are only 6 students in his class. I still can't believe that!

Here is Cade on Parade at school.

Cade and Madison are participating in the cupcake walk at the Halloween Festival.

4Th Picture in my 4th Folder

2008-10-29T19:41:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by Shana to post my 4th picture in my 4th folder.
This is a cute picture of my kids and their sweet little cousin having a water balloon fight at sundown on Labor Day. This makes me miss those relaxed days of summer with NO HOMEWORK!

No Training Wheels!

2008-10-26T19:55:00.000-05:00

Yippee!!! Cade is now riding without training wheels! We have been talking about taking them off but he said he wanted to be 5 first. He will turn 5 in just 2 weeks. Yesterday he came home from the hardware store with Aaron and he told me he was ready. Aaron took off the wheels, held the back of the seat and off he went!

Fall things

2008-10-18T19:07:00.001-05:00

The kids are unloading Pupmkins at the pumpkin patch at church.

Here we are getting all ready for Fall. The kids are baking, Mittens is busy growing and we were making ghosts to hang outside.

Posing by the little scarecrow.

Mittens is getting spooked!

The house is now ready for trick or treaters!

Jolly old St. Nick

2008-10-04T09:51:00.000-05:00

So we went to Garden Ridge to get a new flag for our flag post outside. While there we were looking at all the fun Christmas stuff they have out. We saw this neat Santa who sings and swings his hips and arms. If Aaron wasn't there to control me then we would probably own it right now!

Happy Birthday Aaron

2008-10-04T09:47:00.001-05:00

Aaron just celebrated another big birthday! Here we are celebrating in Bay City with "Nana". We also used this recent picture as our blog cover picture....that is why there is a little green eyed dog in the picture.

Karen Kingsbury and the Crockpot Lady

2008-09-22T21:20:00.000-05:00

So I absolutely love to read Christian fiction (and non-fiction, but that is a whole other conversation...). I just finished reading all the Francine Rivers books and I have been searching for the perfect next collection. I keep coming across Karen Kingsbury books but I never know where to start. I finally got on her website: http://www.karenkingsbury.com/books/ and read the book lists. It recommends where to start in her series....yippee! So I am going to start with the Redemption Series. I usually get my books from the public library so I got on the website to put the first book in that series on hold but I am 5th in line for it!!!! This is tragic! I am so bad at waiting.
If you are reading this and you have the Redemption series....I would love to borrow it!

My other exciting new thing is The CrockPot Lady. That is not really her name but that is what I call her. This lady has a blog where she cooks a different crockpot meal each day for a year. COOL! Tonight we had the Ziti, tomorrow night we will be having Candy Chicken. The Ziti was really quite good. I added Italian sausage because it didn't have any meat in it.
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

Bible stories

2008-09-21T21:33:00.001-05:00

This morning Cade has his bible out and was ready for church. Madison sat with him and was reading to him from his bible. I just had to snap a picture! How precious!

My Problem......

2008-09-17T16:09:00.000-05:00

Okay so here's the problem.....

I get time off from work and I am so very excited then I take on little projects around the house and one thing leads to another and I find myself needing something from the store.....before you know it I am standing in the middle of Wal Mart, Charming Charlie's, Katy Mills, (you can fill in the blank). I spend money being home. Does this happen to you? I was driving to HEB today and I passed by Charming Charlie's. I usually don't have time to browse because I am ALWAYS in a hurry. Today I am in no hurry at all.....

On the flip side I did end up getting a new purse and wallet that I did need. It ends up my little Madison has excellent and decisive taste. She helped me eliminate choices and narrow in on something that wasn't for a "very cool" mom but would increase my style. (She is painfully honest). This purchase did cost me one pair of greens Crocs for Cade, for waiting so patiently and some bling for Maddy for being my style consultant.

This is actually a little cuter in person, a little more shiny etc... the wallet is so neat it is hard sided and opens with a clasp...I just LOVE it.

Bottom line...if I want to be home then I have to work.....that makes no sense does it???

My life does seem so full of irony.

Staycation

2008-09-16T17:27:00.001-05:00

The kids and I are on a staycation from school. We just found out that we have the rest of the week off. There are still many KISD schools without power and many Katy families without power and/or water. We actually have everything restored and have for quite some time. We even have our satelite working great. I feel indulged when I know others are really suffering.

The kids and I went to Hobby Lobby to get some crafts today. We figured we needed to fill the time. I am not sure who enjoys "crafting" the most, me or them!

After being home with them this week it has made me realize how much I long to be more available to them. I would love to be able to go to their classrooms and volunteer and eat lunch with Maddy or drive Cade to Pre-school. I also love cooking nice meals without rushing or feeling stressed after a chaotic day at work. Last night we all cuddled up and read books and I actually enjoyed it! Maybe that's because I wasn't totally burned out after working all day. Maybe it's time for a change....I wonder what Aaron will think....hmm...... I better be cooking some really yummy meals!

I am including this picture because I absolutely LOVE it.

The rest of the story...Hurricane IKE

2008-09-13T20:51:00.001-05:00

So we did survive The big hurricane. We have a couple missing shingles, some fence damage and a few leaky windows. The kids and I are safe and sound. We were without power for less than 24 hours. Our phone and internet service is in and out and the power still flickers. I am exhausted I mean truly and completely exhausted. I am going to take a hot bath and sleep until I have to wake.
Thanks for all your prayers and phone calls.

Hurricane IKE update

2008-09-13T14:18:00.000-05:00

This is the playground Cade's Pre-school, it is
littered with branches and leaves.

hurricane wind damage

This is a house in our neighborhood.

Hurricane IKE

2008-09-12T12:17:00.000-05:00

Well this is supposed to be the big one for Houston. Hurrican IKE is on it's way. Aaron is in Canada working and I am home with the kids. My neighborhood has really pulled together and we are all helping eachother out. The neighbors know that I am home without Aaron and they have been so supportive and helpful. Brad came by with his brother and moved ALL my backyard stuff into the garage, this includes disassembling our playground! Paul and Elizabeth have offered any type of help we may need during and after the storm, Thanks guys! I was going to go to Stacy and Brad's house to hunker down with them but with all our neighborhood support I have decided to stay put.
The kids are taking naps right now in preparation for a long night ahead.
Please pray for our family and all the families who are experiencing anxiety right now.

BUNCO!

2008-09-02T21:28:00.000-05:00

So I have finally joined a Bunco group at my school. I have decided that the kids can survive one night a month without me. Aaron can hold down the fort while I get out with some teacher friends. I have played twice now and I haven't won anything yet, BUT I have gotten Bunco a couple of times. It is really nice to visit with ladies that I don't get to really talk to that much. We also bring yummy food to share!

Labor Day Fun!

2008-09-02T21:17:00.000-05:00

We had lots of fun over Labor Day weekend! We visited with Grandpa-T, Aunt Shelli and Uncle David. We had a cookout and water balloon fights, what a great way to wrap up the summer. We also went to Bass Pro shop to look at all the animals. This is the closest our kids have come to actual camping! I am not against camping, I just don't want to sleep outside or have bugs and animals crawl on me.

Back To School

2008-08-25T20:09:00.000-05:00

Madison started second grade today. Our little baby is getting so big! She has a real sweet teacher named Mrs. Garner and she has already made a new best friend named Julia. How sweet......

Cade starts at his school next week...stay tuned!

Happy Birthday K-Paw!

2008-08-25T20:00:00.000-05:00

Aaron's Dad celebrated his 62nd birthday on August 12th. We went to LaRosas' in Pearland for our family celebration. We had GREAT mexican food and a lot of fun. I think Doug had the most fun!

Back To Work!

2008-08-15T18:32:00.000-05:00

Well the time has finally come, it is time for teachers to go back to their 7:30 - 4 schedule. We have actually already been back for the whole week. The kids don't start back until the 25th. I am happy to be back to see all the familiar faces and to meet the 28 new teachers on our campus! I am also happy to be teaching Pre-K, which I haven't done in 8 years. Madison will be going into 2nd grade at Katy Elementary and Cade will be in Pre-school at the Lutheran church in old Katy. I am excited for the kids to meet their teachers and to see which friends are in their classes. Hopefully Madison will get the teacher she wants and have all of her future "sorority" sisters in her class. She and her friends have it all worked out as to whom should be in which class! We'll see.....

More about Mittens!

2008-07-30T13:25:00.000-05:00

Look at Mittens in the baby carriage!

Every picture of Cade with Mittens is blury
due to the constant motion when they are
together!

Aaron has come to love Mittens too!

Looking at his cute white paws it is easy to see
where his name came from!

Well Mittens has been in our family for 10 days now. We have found out that he is a boy and he loves to be cuddled. Mittens has an extremley high tolerance for kids! Mittens allows the kids to play baby with him. They dress him up and put him in the high chair (made for dolls) and the stroller. He actually seems to like this. On the other hand when the kids go to bed Mittens is ALL OVER Aaron and me.
We have been to the vet and all is well with his health. Mittens weighs a whopping 1.14 lbs! We are aiming for 2 lbs this week.

Enjoy our new family photos!

Welcome Home Mittens!

2008-07-20T21:10:00.000-05:00

Today we brought a new kitten into our family. Mittens was found with her/his 3 other brothers and sisters abandoned in a field. A woman took them in and bottle fed them. They are manx kittens and so adorable. We have been waiting for just the right cat to join our family and we believe Mittens is a good fit. Mittens is very sweet and loves to be held, cuddled, loved! There is plenty of love around here! Madison hasn't put him/her down yet. We do not know if it is a boy or girl yet.....it is harder to figure out than you may think!

By the way...Manx kittens are like bobcats in that they have stubby little tails!

Here's a funny....I told the kids that Madison would be responsible for feeding Mittens because she has been wanting a cat for so long and is dying to care for it in all capacities. Cade was quiet for a minute then asked me "Is Maddy going to breastfeed it?".

Hmmm....

2008-07-18T14:42:00.000-05:00

Why is it our $38 swimming pool from Target is still in great condition? We have had the pool for 2 months it has been used almost daily, we have consistently exceeded the water level, weight limit, and human capacity. It has been in multiple rain, wind, and thunder storms. That pool has been thrown all over the back yard and up against the fence and brick yet it keeps on trucking.
Why is it that our Air conditioner in our brand new house has not lasted 2 years? I am sure it is worth thousands of dollars, much more than the pool. We take very good care of it, I never let the kids touch it, I don't even touch it. We have not thrown it around or exceeded any limits or special rules set by the manufacturer. Why doesn't the warranty cover all labor? Why, why, why couldn't the air conditioner have cost $38 like our trusty pool?
Just my thought for today.

Good Things

2008-07-15T12:19:00.001-05:00

Okay so I am already feeling a little guilty about complaining in my last post. I wanted to share a few things in my home that bring me a great deal of joy. Note: these are things and not people, I hope you know that Aaron, Madison, Cade and my ever growing spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ compose the foundation of who I am. But God gave us other "things" to enjoy while we are here on this earth and these are a few of mine.

Folders for 1 cent at Office Depot.

I went there and they actually had them in stock!

I bought these lamps at Kirklands for $12 each.

They look so good and give of just the right

amount of light. I especially like them when

it is dark outside and they are the only lamps on.

This is a fountain that lights up. They look like

candles but they really aren't ahhh.....

This is going on 2 years old and it has not failed

me yet. Good things....

This is the stone on the front of our house.

I love this stone and I am happy every time I

look at it (which is frequently because as a result

we can't afford to leave the house! ha ha!).

This is our Texas star door. One more "thing"

that brings me a great deal of joy!

What things in your surroundings bring you joy?

Life Happens

2008-07-15T09:59:00.001-05:00

This is our dead (and only) tree. nice

This is our broken dryer. (sigh)

This is the mass destruction by chinch bugs.
Imagine this all over our huge back yard.
You'd think we would have caught this sooner......

Is this when I should say something about how everyone is healthy and we should count our blessings? Could you fill in that part for me? Thanks.

Kathy goes to Kansas!

2008-07-15T09:08:00.000-05:00

I took my first trip away from home without Aaron or the kids. The elementary school that I work for invited the teachers to attend a Love and Logic conference presented by Jim and Charles Fey. The conference was in Witchita, Kansas. Love and Logic is a behavior management system for teachers and parents. It is a truly wonderful program that all parents should use with their children from toddlers to teens. There is even a Love and Logic program for marriage (don't tell Aaron...ha ha!!).

23 teachers and administrators from our campus attended this conference. We decided to drive the 10 hour trip. It was so much fun! We filled our evenings with movies, dinner theatre and games. It was nice to be away and recharge my battery.

I have been home just 3 days now and I already feel like a better parent. I am not sure if it was the new Love and Logic lessons or if it was just the break. Either way, it sure is good to be home.

4th of July Fun! (with Flat Stanley)

2008-07-15T08:47:00.000-05:00

Madison and Flat Stanley on the 4th of July.

I am a bit behind in my posting because of all the excitement and travels in my life.

Well here we go....

On the 4th of July we went to the zoo. It was a free admission day at the zoo (we try to take advantage of any freebie that we can while we strive to become debt free!). We usually go to the zoo the day after Thanksgiving because that is also a free day and the weather is just perfect here in Houston, Texas. But this year we thought July would be a better time to go, big mistake. The zoo was packed! We also brought Flat Stanley with us. In case you don't know, Flat Stanley is a character from a children's book. Madison read this book in first grade and her teacher sent a copy of him home the last day of school. Madison was supposed to take Flat Stanley with her on all her summer adventures, write about her adventures on the back of Flat Stanley and then mail him to Mrs. Ford at the school. Well, I accidentally misplaced the original Flat Stanley.....uh oh! Madison does not handle this type of thing well. The morning we were going to the zoo I had to find another Flat Stanley on line and color him in the car on the way to the zoo. To ease my guilty conscience I told Maddy that we would photograph her with Flat Stanley and then mail Mrs. Ford all the pictures of the two of them together.

Unfortunatley, my camera battery died after the second or third animal exhibit at the zoo. At this time Madison made me hold flat Stanley for the rest of the day without wrinkling him!!!!

After a long, hot, rainy day at the zoo....we watched fireworks at Katy Mills Mall (Flat Stanley went too!). All in all we had a very nice family day!

Up, Up, and Away!

2008-06-29T20:40:00.000-05:00

Here it is coming towards us.....

Now it is getting closer.....

Finally it lands diagonally behind our house!

This morning we awoke to a hot air balloon floating towards our house! We were getting ready for church around 7am and looked out to see a hot air balloon that appeared to be coming towards us. The kids were so excited to see a hot air balloon so close to us. We could hear the helium being turned on to fill the balloon and we get just about see the faces of the two passengers. The balloon came straight towards the house then when right over the houses on our street to eventually land on the golf course behind our neighbors' house. Check out these pictures to see all the action!

Yummy!

2008-06-26T19:16:00.001-05:00

Ready.......

set.....

go!

need I say more?

Splashway Splash Park

2008-06-26T13:02:00.000-05:00

Having fun in the sun!

Maddy and Cade in "Kiddie Cove".

On Tuesday the kids and I went to Splashway Splash Park in Sheridan. It is a nice little waterpark just right for young kids. They have an awesome kiddie area. We all got pretty good tans (except Maddy, of course!).

Fishing for the first time.

2008-06-26T12:50:00.000-05:00

This is the fish Madison caught!

This is the fish Mommy caught!

Here is Aaron and Cade gearing up to catch fish......

Cade got a taste of fishing here in our neighborhood a few weeks ago and just loved it! Our neighbors were out at the lakes here in our subdivision and they let Cade participate. He was hooked from that point on. So we got Cade a Sponge Bob fishing pole and Aaron got a regular fishing pole and were ready to go. We went to MaryJo Peckham park for our big fishing adventure. Madison and I were going to be passive observers of the fishing process and maybe feed some ducks. Well, things didn't turn out quite as planned..... Aaron ended up needing some help with his fishing pole and Cade somehow lost interest when the fish weren't biting so before we knew it maddy and I were the ones fishing! Here are the photos of the fish the GIRLS caught! By the way...the boys didn't catch any. Maybe next time guys!

Baby Shower Day!

2008-06-22T19:05:00.000-05:00

Yippee! On Friday, we celebrated Kelly's new bundle of joy! Kelly will be welcoming Garrett Hunter sometime this summer. We celebrated on Friday with good friends, food, and cute games. Kelly unwrapped so many adorable outfits, toys and goodies...it almost makes you want another baby...almost!

Zube Park

2008-06-22T18:59:00.000-05:00

Saturday we went to Zube park with Aunt Shelli and Uncle David. Zube park is located in Hockley about a 25 minute ride from our house. It has a train that you can ride through a scenic grassy and wooded area. There is also a neat playground for little ones and some picnic areas. It was a hot day but a good experience!

Surf's Up!

2008-06-21T14:23:00.000-05:00

We have finished another fun week of Vacation Bible School. I was Cade's teacher for the 4 year old class. We had such a great class. We had a beach party theme and we made lots of cool crafts relating to Scripture. I love being in the "church school" setting where I can tell little ones about Jesus! Cade had lots of fun playing with some new friends. Madison was in the class for kids going into 2nd grade. At first she did not want to go but during the week she told me she wished it could last 2 or 3 weeks!

Puppet Power!

2008-06-16T20:59:00.000-05:00

Today was a very fun day at our house. We started out with VBS, which is always hectic and crazy, but fun. Then I had a Pre-k inservice on how to use puppets in the stations to build language and story comprehension. Well we got to make the neatest character masks that the kids can use to re-tell stories. What a cool idea! There were 14 characters to make from various fairytales. Madison and Cade got to try them out when I got home. They had a lot of fun acting out the story of The 3 Little Pigs!

At the inservice I won a door prize! It was a stick puppet kit, so of course the kids wanted to make puppets right away. And once you make puppets you have to have a...... puppet show! Cade was pretty much the mastermind behind the puppet show. He called his puppet Mr. Smolik, (he is our neighbor) and so Madison ended up with Mrs. Smolik. Cade also remembered that he had made a cat puppet last week (we love crafts!) so the puppet show was about The Smolik's and their new cat Sparkles (they don't even have a cat). This was all Cade's idea and Madison was such a good sport to go along with it :) Cade even made up commericials for the puppet show!

What a ham! I just love summer!

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T20:54:00.000-05:00

Today we celebrated Aaron's 7th Father's Day. We started the day with breakfast tacos ( that I actually went out to get). Then Madison and Cade gave Daddy their home made "pop-up" cards. This was a really cool craft that we made last week.

Aaron's father's day gift was a portable weather radio from Home Depot. This is a battery powered radio that tells the weather......hmm....I still don't totally get that but I have like 15 bottles of lotion that I never really use, so I guess he can have a weather tellin' radio!

After the cards and gifts we were off to church. Aaron and I are studying a book about prayer called The Prayer That Changes Everything by Stormie Omartian in our Sunday School class.

After Cade's nap time we went to see Kung Fu Panda. It was a very cute movie. And now the kids are practicing all their newly acquired Kung Fu moves. (I have already gotten hurt twice!)

It has been a pretty great day all around!

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

Sunny Saturday

2008-06-14T21:25:00.000-05:00

Well, the kids and I stayed plenty busy inside well Aaron was out mowing the lawn. Madison was actively engaged in her favorite website "everything girl". I was busy organizing all the kids school papers into neat piles and bins. Cade took a little snooze on the couch!

Sunny Saturday

2008-06-14T21:14:00.000-05:00

Today was a beautiful yet sultry day in Texas. Aaron spent a great deal of time mowing, weed eating and edging our lawn. The back lawn is just a job in itself.

Our sweet girl

2008-06-14T11:46:00.000-05:00

Madison is seven years old now and sweeter every day. One of her favorite things to do is help me in the kitchen. She picked out her very own apron.

Sports, songs and more....

2008-06-14T11:37:00.000-05:00

We have been having lots of fun since we moved here to Katy. Cade has completed his first season of T-ball. He had tons of fun and was a pretty good too.

Hello and Welcome

2008-06-14T11:27:00.000-05:00

Hi welcome to our blog!
We are a family of four living in Katy, Texas. This is our story.....