Joyful John's

Rachel's Eight!

2009-11-30T17:34:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun taking pictures of Rachel for her baptism. She is growing up to be such a wonderful young lady! Love ya Rach.

Rachel's Baptism Day! November 28th, 2009!!!

2009-11-30T17:30:00.000-08:00

This is Rachel on November 28th. She was so excited to be baptized. I am so proud of her. It was such an amazing day.

Rachel is growing up so fast. I can't believe she is already eight. Where has the time gone? Thanks to my mom for making this dress for Rachel. It turned out perfect.

How cute is this picture? I am so gratful that Ricky was able to baptize Rachel. We were also so lucky to have both sets of grandparents join us. We loved seeing them.

Happy Birthday Rachel

2009-11-15T19:55:00.000-08:00

Can't believe Rachel is already EIGHT! MY BABY girl. LOVE ya Rachel!!

Build a Bear Was A HIT

2009-11-15T19:36:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this picture. We went to Build A Bear for Rachel's birthday and EVERYONE had the best time. The KIDS LOVE their bears!

Halloween Day!

2009-11-06T20:19:00.000-08:00

Tyler and I went to a service project in the morning called, "Feed My Starving Children." It was awesome. We were able to help package meals for children in far away lands. It made us both feel good to be part of something so cool! Tyler carved his very own pumpkin this year. It said BYU. Very COOL. Of course the candle in that pumpkin never blew out.

There is my scary little skelton-Drew.

I loved Rachel's costume. Wish it came in my size! CUTE, cute.

There's my mystery man!

Church Halloween Party!

2009-11-06T20:13:00.000-08:00

Glad I got these pictures of the kids! On Halloween day, Drew wore his mask almost the entire night, so these pictures are about all I have of his face in this cool costume. Tyler is getting too cool to wear a costume and went out without a costume Halloween night. TURKEY! I remember thinking about those kids who would come to the door without a costume and I would be so annoyed....now Tyler is one of them. YIKES!!

I was in charge of the games for the party. They turned out fun and it gave me a chance to meet more of the Primary and Youth in our ward.

Columbus Day

2009-11-06T20:08:00.000-08:00

Yep, the kids get Columbus Day off here so I decided to take them to a park. It had over 20 retired tanks the kids could climb on etc. There was also a playground. Good times. It was fun to just be together.

Rachel Plays Soccer in Chicago!

2009-11-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

WAY bigger field this year! Becoming more fun to watch with time. I will NEVER forget Rachel's last game. It started SNOWING! It was raining at first and then turned into HUGE snowflakes! It was so, so, so cold. We decided we would go to McDonald's after the game. Since when did a hot chocolate cost $1.99???

Soccer in Chicago!

2009-11-06T19:24:00.000-08:00

Tyler is still playing soccer. He has become such a fun player to watch...and yes, I am a little biased. Tyler's team went undefeated this season! Pretty awesome.

Some fancy footwork!

Rachel Earns $500 Cash!

2009-07-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

Murphy Oil awards students in the first grade who score in the top 85th percentile or higher on the SAT 10 with $500. Rachel along with 35 other students in the El Dorado school disctrict earned the award! She wants to buy a laptop computer!

This is the president of Murphy Oil, Mr. Wood. He gave a speech and then awarded the eligible students their awards. He noted he thought Rachel looked really cute. Thanks Mr. Wood! Cute and Smart!!!! Way to go Rach!

Drew Made All-Stars!

2009-07-26T15:52:00.000-07:00

Drew and one other child his age made T-Ball All-Stars. He was playing with kids who were going into 1st and 2nd grade. It was so fun to watch. He was actually in the paper today because he went 11 for 12. He played in four total games. There were 14 teams from four states. GO DREW! He was also first in the batting line-up for every game. GO DREW! Ricky and Tyler were SOOOOOO proud (and so were Rachel and I).

MOVING!

2009-07-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

We are moving! Ricky has accepted a new job with a company called NIDERA based out of The Netherlands. We will be moving to Chicago, IL. I am a city girl at heart and so I feel like in a small way I am going home. We are all excited about the move.

The Whole Family!

2009-07-05T09:24:00.000-07:00

Here is the whole entire gang. We were all able to go to Aspen Grove in Utah at the end of June. We had so much fun. All the kids were able to enjoy TONS of activities during the day and the adults were also able to have a little bit of fun...ha ha. We played paint ball, shot guns, and played every sport imaginable. The surroundings were amazing and the weather was PERFECT.

Boom, boom...Fire POWER!

Hiking In UTAH

2009-07-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

Love this picture!

Stewart Falls in Utah

2009-07-05T09:16:00.000-07:00

There were two nights where the camp had family games. Of course, this spells BYU! LOVE IT!

My cute sister and brother!

Swimming at Aspen Grove

2009-07-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

Can you believe this view? The weather was in the mid 70's and at night got down into the 50's. Thanks goodness for heated pools. Yep, if you look close, you can still see some snow in the mountains.

Aspen Grove

2009-07-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

Drew lost his first tooth. He seems so grown up with a missing tooth. He loves to touch the spot where the tooth fell out.

Ropes course, high above the ground! I was also able to conquer this course. First you climb a long log, then a rock wall, then walk on these wire ropes. Pretty amazing!

Rachel did the monkey bars for the first time all the way! Thanks Elle for teaching her!

Aspen Grove

2009-07-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

Rachel and Elle. Ahhhhh. So cute!

Drew had pirate day with his group. He is captain blue beard.

His cousin Sammy was captain white beard. I thought it was funny...in this picture he is closing the eye with the patch drawn on his face.

My whole gang on the last day. We sure did have a lot of fun!

Drew's Last T-Ball Game

2009-06-18T18:32:00.000-07:00

Drew was able to play "pitcher" and had a great time going after the balls.

Caught a ground ball.

Going after the runner.

Drew is so proud of his first trophy. He is a serious little T-Baller. He is already ready for next season. I think next year we will play him up in pitching machine. He has had a blast.

Lake DeGray was a BLAST

2009-06-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

It's getting harded and harder to catch shots of these two together. They are always running in opposite directions. I just love their faces in this picture!

Captain! This is one white boy who knows how to command his boat and the speakers!

More Fun on the Lake

2009-06-14T15:39:00.000-07:00

Love, love this girl. Love this picture of her just chillin' while we were cruisin'. Her hair looks so cool.

Ricky is getting so good on the wake board. Yes, he can get up every time...unlike his wife. I didn't even bring mine to the lake. I can't seem to pull that big thing out of the water!

BUT, I can ski! Tyler caught this picture! Good job buddy! I had just let go of the rope. Doesn't the water look amazing?

Ahhh. These three are so funny. Look at Drew's face. He is just such a goof!

The Lake

2009-06-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

I just had to post this picture! Love this little girl to death!

Tyler has mastered the skis! He just let go of the rope and went for a little ride.

Yeaaaahhhh Haaaaa. No good southern girl could leave those words out of her blog.

Lake DeGray

2009-06-14T15:36:00.000-07:00

This little guy LOVES the lake!

Doesn't this picture look like they are touching the ground? NOPE! We had at least 80 feet of water below. Lake DeGray is one of the cleanest lakes in America! YEAH for that!

"Cannon Ball."

Something looks pretty funny!

Julie's Wedding

2009-06-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

Once Upon a Time....there were three sister-in-laws (shown above). They were taken by their mother-in-law to a land far, far, away. Fortunately, they lived to tell the story. GIRLS, we shall never forget our journey to the far away land. I will always laugh when I think about going to Julie's new home! Good luck Julie on those dirt roads. I will certainly think of you whenever I am driving on a long, never-ending, dirt road. Ha Ha. What an adventure.

Five brothers...making fun for the kids. They launched water balloons and then the kidos tried to catch them. They all tried to play. A caught balloon was worth $5! They were hard to catch.

"Incoming!" I think this was one of the favorite things we did while in B-ville.

Tyler Hits a Home Run!

2009-06-06T20:42:00.001-07:00

Today was an exciting day of baseball. Tyler hit his first home run.

The team was thrilled!

Tyler gets to pitch about every other game. He is the teams head catcher.

See that ball?

Ready to catch a STRIKE!

Ricky's Family Picture

2009-06-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

Yep. This is the whole gang. No one is missing. Can you count the grandchildren? I know it takes a while. Ricky's sister was married over Memorial Day weekend and we were all there to help support her and see family. The cousins had a BLAST playing together. I will post more later.

Bar-J Ranch Murpy Oil Party

2009-06-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

Tyler riding the "horse."

Drew thought this was pretty cool!

Rachel and Tyler both went bobbing for apples! This was a winner!

Feeding a cute little colt.

Loving the Potato Sack Race and Wagon Ride

2009-06-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

Tyler caught some serious air in the potato sack race!

One of Rachel's favorite things was the wagon ride. There was an old fashioned wagon pulled by horses and it went around a LONG track. I was the brave soul who went along. We were pretty dusty by the end, but she thought it was COOL!

Drew loved this swing! It was just his size.

All the Kids LOVED the Horses

2009-06-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

I love this picture because it just shows Drew's pure love for animals. He was going to give this horse a hug. Look how the horse has it's eyes closed! It was a very nice horse! Drew is telling us he wants a horse for his birthday! Yeah, sure, why not? We have nick named Drew Doctor Doo Little.

Rachel loves her horses too. She is terrified of dogs, but horses...she LOVES!

Tyler told us he for sure did not care about this activity and didn't want to ride on a horse (he is just getting too cool...right?). As soon as we arrived, he was ready to ride and horse. He did it twice and loved it!

Tyler Carries In the Arkansas Flag

2009-05-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

What a great looking flag boy. Tyler had the privilege of bringing in the Arkansas State flag for his fourth grade graduation. He earned this privilege through putting the flag up every morning and then taking it down after school. He always left for school with Ricky so he would be there early to take care of the flag. Bringing the flag in was his favorite part of the graduation...so I thought I better post a picture so I didn't forget.

Tyler Finishes Elementary School

2009-05-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

In El Dorado, elementary school only goes up to fourth grade. So, today, we watched Tyler graduate from elementary school. Above is Tyler's fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Waggoner. We have loved her.

Tyler's school had six fourth grade classes this year. It was so big we had to do the graduation in the high school gym instead of the elementary school cafeteria.

Tyler with one of his all time favorite teachers, Mrs. Waggoner. I sure hope she is around when Rachel and Drew go to fourth grade!

Tyler's "loot." Principals list, AR (accelerated reader), writing award, art award, citizenship award. Next year, Tyler will move to a fifth and sixth grade school where all the children in the town will attend. It will be very different. He will start having different teachers for different subjects. I think he will enjoy it. For now, let's celebrate. Summer is HERE!

Rachel Is FINISHED with First GRADE!

2009-05-20T18:38:00.000-07:00

Rachel had her fourth and final awards assembly today. She made straight A's the entire year and won Kid's for Character, and Excellence in Computers. We are getting excited for the summer! One day of school left!

Drew's Fire Station Field Trip

2009-05-20T18:29:00.000-07:00

I think this will officially be my last fire station field trip. I was thinking I have been to at least 7! They never cease to impress! Below is Drew's preschool class. He has had a great year and only has one more day left! Crazy! Kindergarten here we come!

This is Drew's best buddy Mitchell. We just love him. He is such a great friend. He lives on our street. Drew is so lucky!

Drew is Playing T-Ball

2009-05-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

Drew LOVES playing T-ball. It is finally HIS turn to play a sport. He has watched so many games for Rachel and Tyler, that he is thrilled to get in on the action. His favorite thing to do is to slide. He even practices sliding at home on our wood floors. It doesn't matter if there is anyone around from miles away, he is going to try to slide into home.

My Brother Is Sealed to His Family

2009-05-18T12:23:00.000-07:00

This was such a tender experience. I was able to attend the sealing of my brother to his wife and daughters. How neat! Just Rachel and I went to Maryland and had such a fun time being with them and my family. Thanks for letting me capture your memories for you. I am honored!

My Little Trio!

2009-05-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

I have been So BUSY this month. Ricky has been the best HUSBAND in the world. He held down the fort while I attended a photography conference in Texas. I learned so much and will be continuing to pursue my love for photography.

Happy Mother's Day and Dance!

2009-05-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Rachel's dance recital. It was so fun to watch. She has beautiful lines! Take a sneak peak at the little video...

Rachel's Dance Recital

2009-05-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

Rachel had her dance recital today. It was just adorable. It makes the whole year of practice worth it. Rachel even told me this year she would take ballet again next year. Yeah!!! I am so excited. What a great gift on Mother's Day! Here is a little sneak peak of the dance.

Time to Find Some Eggs!

2009-04-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

Does this little Cougar Fan look ready to find some eggs?

Tyler still loves to get in on the family egg hunt. There is one egg they are all out to find. The golden egg. Inside the golden egg lies a $5. You can see his little eyes looking while I am taking this picture. Rain, rain go away. It was a rainy day today. But we were able to steal about 30 minutes without rain for our egg hunt. Yeah!

Love these pictures...Drew in focus...

Rachel and Tyler in focus. Both Rachel and Drew ADORE Tyler. He is so funny. Prior to the egg hunt, he made up a contract with Rachel. It said if Rachel found the golden egg, she would immediately give it to Tyler. Rachel even signed on the line! Tyler told her he would give her $2 for the golden egg! He had it all worked out. Ha ha.

Good Friday

2009-04-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

Good Friday was really good to my kids! They all had a great day. In the morning Rachel and Drew had an Easter egg hunt with friends. The weather was beautiful! Look how close Rachel and Drew are in height! I love the picture of them looking for eggs together. They really are good friends.

Tie Died Eggs! We Did It!

2009-04-12T19:31:00.000-07:00

Ok. So, thanks Ryann for inspiring me to make these eggs this year. I was so unmotivated to buy PAZ and die eggs for the 30ith PLUS time. So, we made these. It was a little hard, but well worth the effort. The kids were so amazed and so was I! So here is what you do:

1. Cut the fabric off an all silk tie.
2. Wrap the egg in silk and tie very tight at the top with the color (shiny) side of the tie tightly against the egg.
3. Cute white fabric and wrap the egg again. Tie again at the top.
4. Cover the eggs in water and 1/4 cup vinegar. Bring to boil...then let simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Take out of pot and place in a strainer with tongs. Let them cool off.
6. Remove material.
7. If you want them to look shiny, rub a little oil on them! So Pretty! Too pretty to eat!

I purchased a bunch of ties at Goodwill for this project. But, I noticed the kids today all noticed Ricky's tie...for the first time. "Dad, that is a nice tie. Where did you get it? That tie would make a nice egg!" We will never look at neck ties the same way!

I Love My New Toy! A Remote Control!

2009-04-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

I had so much much fun playing with my new remote control for my camera! The second picture shows Rachel and my amazement. Drew even got in on the action.

Concentration and the Tongue!

2009-04-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

Tyler had a soccer tournament in Conway, Arkansas (30 minutes West of Little Rock) this weekend. He did a great job in the tournament and is really starting to understand the true fundamentals...even his old mom finally knows what "off sides" means! Notice in all the pictures his little tongue is hanging out. It is so funny. He has done this since he was a little boy. When he is deep in concentration, his tongue is usually also there! These pictures took me back to when he was little, coloring pictures, with his little tongue hanging out! Tyler will continue playing year round soccer...but I believe there are only a few tournaments left this season. We have now started the joyful game of baseball! Drew and Tyler will be playing! I better start getting excited. Tyler is hoping to pitch and catch this season. We shall see. I will keep ya posted.

Rachel Rides Horses!

2009-03-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

Rachel went to a birthday party on a Ranch. I decided to stay so I could see all the cool ranch things she was able to do. She rode on horse for the first time. She loved the brown and white horse. All see needs now are some pink cow girls boots! It was FREEZING that day, but she still had a great time. She had NO fear of the horses!

Third Quarter is OVER!

2009-03-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

Straights A's for the third quarter! Yeah! It is almost Spring Break here! I can't believe the year is already 2/3's finished! Time is just flying BYE!

Pear Trees!

2009-03-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of our house with my FAVORITE tree in Arkansas on the left hand side. It is a pear tree. They have the MOST beautiful blossoms. They remind me of my childhood in Japan, when all the cherry blossom trees would bloom. There are entire streets here with these trees blooming. It is so heart warming! These trees remind me of how beautiful our world really is! They are now starting to loose their blossoms and it almost looks like it is snowing sometimes.

Jesus Can Hear Me?

2009-03-08T19:22:00.000-07:00

On the way home from church, Drew told everyone he didn't like church because it was too long. I told him, "that makes Jesus sad when you say that." He said, "Jesus CAN hear me?" Busted!

Daffodil Fesitval in Camden, AR

2009-03-07T17:12:00.000-08:00

I took the kids to a Daffodil festival in Camden today. It was a little crazy getting everyone there, and of course getting everyone picture perfect was impossible. However, we had fun looking at all of the flowers. It made Spring seem so close and the weather was perfect, minus a little bit of wind.

The "Kiss"

2009-03-07T17:11:00.000-08:00

First

Second - (the dodge)

Third...

I told Rachel to give Tyler a kiss on the cheek. He successfully dodged that one! So funny!

Something Magical About Black & White

2009-02-28T18:02:00.000-08:00

I am normally not a fan of black and white, especially for children. However, occasionally, I love taking color out of a photo for a whole new look.

Rachel's Darling Costume!

2009-02-28T15:17:00.000-08:00

How cute is Rachel's costume for her recital? She will be wearing this in May for her ballet recital. I can't wait! It is on Mother's Day. Sooooo....there will be more pictures coming soon! My little ballerina! How I wish I had a costume like this when I was seven! Ahhhhh. The things we can do for our kids! Love ya Rachel!

Ricky's Valentine Treat!

2009-02-15T19:09:00.000-08:00

As you may know by now, there is NO where to eat in our town!!! THIS is TRUE! It is a REAL killer on holidays and birthdays. Sooooo, this year, Ricky made our house his "Home for Fine Dining." He invited a few friends over and the boys treated us to a wonderful dinner, made my them! Ricky was the ring leader of all this. He coordinated a babysitter, food, and friends. What a great Valentine's present! Hope yours was great also!!! P.S He even ironed the table cloth!

Tyler is Playing Basketball

2009-02-14T11:18:00.000-08:00

Ricky is Tyler's coach for basketball. He is doing a great job and I have to say those games are really exciting to watch! These kids are REALLY into the games, and so are the parents! :) It's not about trying their best anymore, it's about WINNING! Tyler has really improved and the competition has really tightened. Tyler is learning his skills from the best.

Rachel is Playing Basketball!

2009-02-14T11:08:00.000-08:00

Rachel is having a blast playing basketball. She is doing great. She even was able to grab some points! She plays on a team with boys and girls who are in both first and second grade. The boys can be rough, but Rachel doesn't let that get to her! I actually think the girls on the team are some of the better players! Ha ha ha.

Daddy/Daughter Dance

2009-02-09T10:23:00.000-08:00

Rachel has been talking about this dance for the last MONTH! Ricky and Rachel attended a Daddy/Daughter dance sponsored by Camp Fire Girls. There were over 100 girls there plus their fathers. Rachel had such a good time! All the girls get dressed up and go have a dinner and a dance at this super cute Medieval looking church in El Dorado. Rachel had been perfecting her dance moves for the last month and gave Ricky the work out of a lifetime! My dear friend Heather helped do Rachel's hair because I went to Dallas to hang with my coolest cousin, Amy! I think Rachel will always remember this night...notice the corsage and boutonniere! They looked so cute!

Tyler and Rachel Both Made Straight A's the Second Term!

2009-01-16T08:55:00.000-08:00

Rachel made straight A's and also received the kids for character award!

Tyler also made straight A's and is now in the 40 point Accelerated Reader club. I am so proud of him. Reading is not something he really enjoys, but he has really been working on getting those points. He just finished the first Harry Potter book last night! Way to go Tyler. Now...we have to start working on his science fair project. Yeee haw!

Drew's Funny Comment

2009-01-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

Ok...so we had our first ever Stake Conference via teleconference. It was awesome. The broadcast was live from SLC to 21 different Stake's to four different States in the Gulf coast region. As our Stake Center is 2 hours away...this was a REAL treat to be able to watch conference at our local church. About 15 minutes into the broadcast, Drew looked up at me and then at the broadcast screen. He asked, "what DVD is this?" I thought that was so funny. It is pretty amazing the technology that is available today!

Happy Birthday Ricky! 36!!!

2009-01-01T11:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Ricky!
Wow! I can't believe Ricky is already 36. Time really flies when you are having fun...ha ha ha. For Ricky's Birthday we were able to go with Sean and Amy to Ruth Chris Steakhouse in Dallas. It was so yummy! Ricky was also able to clean house with a few new suits, dress shirts and ties. He is really going to look great for work.

Things I love about Ricky:
1. He is so caring.
2. He is always willing to coach ANY of the kids sports. He would coach everything if he could.
3. Patient.
4. Hard worker.
5. Understanding.
6. Supports things I am interested in...
7. Gets so excited about sports. He is so excited, it almost seems like he is there or knows the players personally. He will jump up in the middle of the game and cheer! It really is funny.
8. Kind. He is an amazing friend, husband and father.

Love ya Ricky. Hope 2009 treats you well! You deserve it!

Merry Chirstmas! 2008

2009-01-01T11:13:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone! Hope your Christmas was wonderful. Drew is my MOST uncooperative child in the smile department. You have to catch him smiling or he ends up looking super serious...silly guy! We all had such a great day! At about 2:00 we went to my cousins house in Dallas. Amy and Sean have three cute boys and our kids always have so much fun playing with them. Thanks Sean and AMY! Merry Christmas!

Tyler's NEW I-Pod and Madden '09

2009-01-01T11:05:00.000-08:00

Tyler can now help teach me to use my I-Phone - YEAH!!!

Tyler made out well for Christmas...funny how the older they get, the smaller and MORE expensive their gifts are! Love ya Ty!

Rachel's Christmas 2008!

2009-01-01T11:02:00.000-08:00

Rachel has been wanting this scooter for EVER! She and Drew were both able to get one from Santa. They have had the biggest blast riding around on them!

Drew LOVED Christmas!

2009-01-01T10:59:00.000-08:00

Drew was so excited to come downstairs Christmas morning!

Drew was a little unsure about this scooter at first. He was riding it around like a regular scooter. Now, he cranks it up and flies around on it. I can't believe he is my baby!

Loves Legos...and this one floats in the bathtub! Cool!

Christmas Morning...almost time!

2009-01-01T10:56:00.000-08:00

Before the kids come down for Christmas, we always have them wait at the top of the stairs while we get everything ready (i.e video camera, cameras). I LOVE Drew's face here! He is READY!

Getting READY for Christmas Morning...

2009-01-01T10:54:00.000-08:00

Webkinz! Christmas Eve!

2009-01-01T10:05:00.000-08:00

The kids opened these webkinz on Christmas Eve! Ahhhh. They loved them! Thanks Grammie and Gramps!

Christmas Eve with the Howell's

2009-01-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

We had a beautiful Christmas dinner with the Howell's. It was super yummy and fun. We played a white elephant game where Rachel scored a pocket dictionary! Just what she always wanted...REALLY! Tyler almost ended up with a Utah jersey! YIKES! That was a close one buddy! FUN times were had by all.

Drew Singing "Go Tell It on the Mountain"

2008-12-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

I love how Drew looks at the little girl sitting on the one side of him and starts singing louder!

Christmas Nativity at Drew's School

2008-12-18T10:32:00.000-08:00

One of my FAVORITE things about living in El Dorado is Drew's darling Preschool Program. It is truly AWESOME! It is managed through the First Baptist Church. The teachers are very loving and really care for these children...as well as many volunteers including grandma's who help with music and story time. They adopt these children and are really sweet to them. It is so darn cute! Drew even came home one day with homemade mittens and hat. DARLING! He was a Shepard in the play with the Best Friend Mitchell, who is in the orange costume. They were so cute. Mitchell said, "what is that." Drew said, "who is that." Then all the Shepards said, "let's go find him." Ahhhhh. Drew's first acting debut. Way to go buddy! They also sang songs. You can only imagine how cute it was so see 15 little 4 and 5 year olds singing, "Go Tell It On the Mountain." I am so grateful for a good preschool for Drew.

Tyler's Spelling Bee!

2008-12-17T14:35:00.000-08:00

So. Tyler has never been one to study-EVER! He WON his class spelling bee today. I guess there was a list of words they were all supposed to be studying. Of course, I had NEVER heard of this list. Tyler, pulled it out of his backpack and said, "this is the list." Nice! Anyway, he will now compete with the other 5 fourth grade classes! Good luck Tyler.

Look at DREW! It Just Makes Me Smile!

2008-12-16T20:05:00.000-08:00

NOW you can see what I mean about Drew's smile. Love his smile in this picture! and LOVE the boys in their ties. Tyler has been asking for a tie to wear to church for the last 2 years. I finally got him one. He told me for an hour (while taking pictures) the tie was choking him. He hasn't asked to wear it to church yet. I think he is hoping I forget all about the tie! Ha ha ha.

Drum Roll....The REAL Christmas Card!

2008-12-16T19:54:00.000-08:00

Every year, I make some sort of card. This year, I think I made about 10 different layouts and styles. It is JUST so hard to decide what to do and what to choose. So, this is what I chose. Fun stuff. I am slowly getting better at using Photoshop. Of course I am already thinking about what I want to do next year. I LOVE technology. It is always testing me! Merry Christmas ALL!

Meet Santa and "Bolt" the Movie

2008-12-13T11:52:00.000-08:00

Soooo. There is no mall in our town. BUT Murphy Oil does have their annual children's movie day in December as a Christmas party and Santa is present. The children get to talk to Santa, get a free kids pack and watch a movie. We watched "Bolt." I wasn't thrilled with the movie. The whole idea of the movie was odd. The dog, Bolt, lives on a movie set. He thinks he has real super powers. One day, he accidentally leaves the movie set and realizes 2/3's of the way through the movie that he really doesn't have super powers. He is just a real dog. EVEN Tyler didn't get it. He asked at the end, "how did Bolt loose his powers?" The annimation of the movie was GREAT but, for a cartoon, the story line was way over the age group they were targeting. Why in the world would a super dog not be SUPER??? Oh well. Free movie and food is GREAT by me. Thanks Murphy.

Now about Santa...what's going on with the hair in your eyes??? You must be pretty good to see everyone with one eye! Funny! Drew was a little unsure about the whole thing. He wants a four-wheeler, Rachel wants a motor scooter and Tyler wants an I-Pod! Wooooo hooooooo.

The Christmas Card I Didn't Use!

2008-12-12T12:11:00.000-08:00

OK. So I spent hours creating these photos. Then, I went with a totally different look and picture. You will see when you get the real card...and if I missed ya, I will post the "real" card later after they are delivered (in the next few days). We used the auto timer on these photos and I thought Drew's face was great. We kept saying, "whoever has the best smile gets $1." Fun Times and I definitely think Drew won on this picture! VOTE! Which layout do you like better?

Tyler's Fourth Grade Class

2008-12-12T12:01:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture I made of Tyler's class for his teacher. There are 26 students in the class, so there are a few missing. Mrs. Waggoner is a WONDERFUL teacher and has really inspired Tyler to read more. Thank-you Mrs. Waggoner!

I am Thankful for...

2008-12-01T19:35:00.000-08:00

This Holiday Season I am Thankful for:
my family
friends
Ricky's job
my little quirky town
shelter
food (especially chocolate)
computers
pictures
prayer
the gospel
good examples
The Journey!

Thank-you to everyone who has been a part of my journey this year and has made my life, in any way, a little brighter!

Drew's Best Buddy!

2008-12-01T19:27:00.000-08:00

Drew's best buddy and family were able to come and Bowl with us for his Birthday! Yeah! The storm trooper is Drew!

Storm Trooper Mask for Drew's Brithday!

2008-12-01T19:15:00.000-08:00

It's a perfect 10! Drew has been asking for this storm trooper mask for the last 2 months. This is amazing because he normally changes his mind about 25 different times prior to his actual birthday. He was SOOOOO thrilled by this mask. We went bowling for his birthday and he wore it. Oh to be FIVE! He was so sure he was getting this mask. He had no doubt he was going to get it. When he saw his presents all wrapped up, he went right to this one and said, "my storm trooper mask," before he even opened it! So funny!

P.S Check out our Christmas Tree in the background! We just finished it yesterday! Whoooo hoooooo!

Tyler Turns 10!

2008-12-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

Notice the "Y" on the cake! I know...I am a real pro!

Tyler had a BYU vs Utah game party in addition to a friend party he had during the beginning of the month. We didn't get the channel for the BYU game (which turns out to be a good thing, since BYU lost...boo hoo). Instead, we had a OU vs. Texas Tech party. We had some friends over and it was crazy fun! OU is our back-up school if we can't watch BYU and OU made a great victory over Texas Tech! Tyler scored some fun things for his birthday!

Don't Look Now. It's a Hunter...I Mean Tyler!

2008-11-23T18:33:00.000-08:00

Yikes. I NEVER have been in a hunting family and really am against guns and hunting in general. THEN, we moved to Southern Arkansas where hunting is like a religion. I am serious. Our good friends were telling us a story about when their son was born. As a gift, the grandparents purchased their new grandson his first hunting gun! I couldn't believe it! Last year, I spent the year telling everyone my beliefs against hunting and then...I realized...my thoughts about hunting were slowly changing. I listened as families told me their stories of family fun and wonder at the deer camp and couldn't help but understand a little better why they loved it so much. Tyler went deer hunting with a friend and his family. This friends family has a "camp" set up with 15-20 deer stands though out the property. The kids were let out of school early on Friday and "grandpa" came and picked up the boys at my house. Grandpa is a real sweet older man! He is cook of the camp. All the families have little rooms at this camp. There is no TV and no cell phone reception, therefor at night everyone sits around and tells stories...just like in the old days. Ricky was able to join them after work and was surprised..."it wasn't too bad." Both boys (Ricky and Tyler) had fun sitting up in the deer stand looking for wild life. For the record...this deer is an eight point buck (eight points on the antlers). He was shot by his friends dad...and yes that is his tongue hanging out. Eeeewwhhh. The whole hunting thing is very new to me, but I sure do appreciate the sweet friends Tyler has made here and their allowing him and Ricky into a little piece of their heaven. P.S There will be no guns under our Christmas Tree this year. :)

High ho, high ho....it's off to deer camp Tyler did GO!

2008-11-23T18:31:00.000-08:00

Yikes! That deer still looks alive!

Tyler Wins Writing Contest!

2008-11-20T16:20:00.001-08:00

This week is Education week at school and the students were asked to write an essay about the college they wanted to attend. Tyler's paper won! Here is what he wrote about BYU.

I want to go to Brigham Young University because there is a scholarship football team and a tremendous bookstore. I love and appreciate my favorite college Brigham Young University.

First, I want to go to Brigham Young University when I grow up because there is a scholarship. First, there is the El Dorado Promise that will give me free college money! I will be on the academic team and can compete with other schools. Also, I could be on the Brigham Young soccer team and that is what I really want to do.

Second, I want to go to Brigham Young University when I grow up because of the incredible football team. They always have some uniforms that are my favorite color navy blue and sparkling white. They play like dynamite in football and work well. They have a very big nice and fancy arena where they play on soft turf and have the field green as a brand new green sparkling jacket fresh out of the store. They always keep the field painted with a big Y on the center!

Third, I want to go to Brigham Young University when I grow up because of the bookstore. I have been inside the bookstore before and they have clothes in all sizes, hats, balls, and whatever you can think of. Every time I go to the bookstore, I choose something I will keep forever and always have. Also, college students go and buy books for classes or even calendars sometimes.

I want to go to Brigham Young University when I grow up because of the scholarship, football team, and the incredible BYU bookstore. BYU is the best college you can ever ask for!

WAY to go Tyler. He will be reading this to the whole fourth grade tomorrow! YEAH BYU! He also had a few teachers ask him where BYU was located...good little missionary. :) and you are RIGHT...BYU is the BEST college anyone could ever ask for!!!

Tyler Turns TEN!

2008-11-18T07:28:00.000-08:00

Yikes. Check out my "little" boy. I guess he is not so little any more! Ahhhhh. He is growing up way, way to fast.

Although Tyler turns ten this weekend, he will ALWAYS be my little boy! Love ya Ty!

Oh How This Face Makes the World Go Around!

2008-11-18T07:08:00.000-08:00

I adore this little face! He had so much fun throwing pine needles at me...that's what the smile is all about! I was dodging them left and right! It's the little things!

These smiles have to do with Christmas. We were talking about what he wanted...oh that brought the smile RIGHT out!

My BABY is almost FIVE!

2008-11-18T07:05:00.000-08:00

Ahhhhh. What a little bribery and a lot of rocks will do.... Drew is not my most cooperative photo subject. I took him down to the train tracks by our house and as soon as he saw all the sticks and rocks, he knew he had found a little piece of heaven.

My little Super Hero! Blast OFF!

Happy Birthday Rachel! Seven! WOW!

2008-11-15T12:50:00.000-08:00

I LOVE PowerPoint and had a blast making this invitation.

Eight Things I Love About Rachel:

1. She is so happy. She is always able to find a smile.

2. She loves her family. She is a great big sister to Drew and little sister to Tyler.

3. She can stay up LATE with me. A girl of my own heart. She LOVES the night.

4. Is a great shopping buddy. Is great at picking out fun shoes and clothes. This will really come in handy one day when we live closer to shopping.

5. She is passionate about sports. She LOVES soccer, hence her soccer cake. I also have her in ballet and gymnastics, but I think I have yet another soccer player in the works.

6. She loves to eat gourmet food. She is the only child I know that will pick a salad at Wendy's!

7. Chocolate makes the world go around! Just like her mom!

8. Loves musicals. Recently watched Hairspray and LOVED it! Can't wait to take her to "Wicked" someday!

Love Ya Rachel! You are so SPECIAL!

Rachel and Her Best Friend!

2008-11-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

Best friends are so much fun to have. Rachel loves B.

Rachel's Skate Party!

2008-11-15T12:40:00.000-08:00

Rachel had a super fun skate party with her soccer team and her best friends.

Tyler was showing Rachel how it's done.

Friends, sweet friends!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-04T10:44:00.000-08:00

Drew and Rachel! Drew was a firefighter and Rachel was a Queen or Medieval Princess.

Oh Yeah! Candy Time!

Score!

Hummmm. Doing well so far!

The Sky was AMAZING on Halloween!

2008-11-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken on my street! This is what the sky looked like on Halloween! Amazing! It was eye candy! Oh...and I didn't photoshop this at all...the colors are right out of the camera! We were so lucky.

Where is Tyler?

2008-11-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

Rachel and Drew went Tricker Treating with our friends the Vaclaws! They look so cute together!

Ahhhh.

Hummmm. What's in here. Just checking!

Yes! Tyler was around on Halloween...however he had a friend over and was completely off and running. They were baseball players. They went to a little party before Tricker Treating, grabbed some candy and then went with Ricky to a football game. They had a good time and our HS team won! Rachel and Drew helped me pass out candy the rest of the night. EVERYONE comes from far and wide to tricker treat in our neighborhood. It is crazy. There are cars and kids and PEOPLE everywhere. I spent over $50 on candy and was out before 8:00pm. We all had a great time! P.S I LOVE Halloween!

Our Soccer LIFE!

2008-10-31T18:39:00.000-07:00

Tyler had a soccer tournament in Little Rock last weekend. We all had fun! Their team played five games total and went on to the final championship game. Unfortunately they took second place, but we will take it. We lost the final game to the same team last year! NEXT year will be our turn to WIN!!!

Side note: After playing five games over the weekend both Rachel and Tyler had games on Monday and then Tyler had yet another game on Tuesday...I was in soccer overdose mode! Love the game...but watching 8 games in 4 days was OVERLOAD! Next year will really be crazy when Drew starts! YIKES!

Tyler was tagged!

2008-10-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

Five things you may not know about Tyler:

1. Organized sports Tyler has participated in this year: swimming, soccer, basketball and baseball. He also has a love for golf thanks to his dad and has his own Ping golf clubs-which he stores in his room.
2. Tyler has the BEST sense of direction. He is a great GPS. He just seems to know the right way to go when I am not sure.
3. Tyler can spell his heart out. He only needs to see a word one time and knows how to spell it.
4. Tyler can physically pick me up...need I say more?
5. Tyler is ALWAYS the life of the house. There is an energy field around him. There is NEVER a dull moment when Tyler is around. He always has a lot of ideas. He loves to draw and make things. He has made everything from football helmets to skate board ramps and is a professional fort maker. Whew.

Rachel Made Straight A's Too!

2008-10-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

Rachel was in a pretty great spot for taking pictures. It is always hard to keep my longer lenses steady. I would love to pull out a tripod, but then I would really look like a nerd.

Ok...so there is the ribbon. Whooo hoooooo. Doesn't she look thrilled?

One of these kids is not like the others...Rachel goes to a school with a science and math focus. Of course there are more boys than girls. FUN stuff. I wonder if she will like science more than I did growing up? So far so good. They are learning about the human body right now and she tells me interesting things all the time, like there are 206 bones in her body. WOW! My kids are helping me be smart. :)

Quick side note: I was reading this blog to Rachel and asked her which child is not like the others. She said the little boy on the left wearing the black shirt...because he was not wearing a red shirt. I love children!

Straight A's

2008-10-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

Today was the first nine week awards assembly. Both Ricky and I made it! Whew. They had the kids standing on bleachers...of course Tyler was at the end, and I wasn't able to get any good pictures without going across the entire room! DANG!

Ricky and Tyler.

Tyler is holding his award ribbon. He was super excited because 4th grade had the last award assembly program and so we were able to check him out of school early. That was the highlight for Tyler. You can see his ribbon a little in the picture. As soon as we got in the car he threw it on the dash. When we were coming inside the house, I told him to get his ribbon. He told me he didn't care about the ribbon! Oh well. What a boy!

Almost SEVEN!

2008-10-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

Rachel and I had such a fun time taking her picture! I just had to share a few! I am taking a photography class once a week and it is almost time to turn in our assignments. Whew. I will keep you all posted. I found some really fun places in El Dorado to take some pictures. Oh how I LOVE pictures!

I LOVE this Little Girl

2008-10-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

There is a NEW Firefighter in Town!

2008-10-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

This little guy certainly owns my heart! He is turning FIVE in just one month. Oh...how the time does fly. He was so excited to get dressed up like Rachel to model his costume.

I just LOVE Halloween!

Medieval Knights

2008-10-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

My little knight in shinning armour.

Ahhh. I can't believe he is turning 10 in a month!

Gotta love friends!

This show was a lot like the show at the Excalibur in Las Vegas. Tyler has been studying Medieval Times. They served food you had to eat with your hands- chicken, potato wedges, soup. I don't think Tyler had one bite. He was more interested in the show. He loved the jousting. There were 6 sections and each section cheers for a different knight. Our knight was the yellow and red. He Lost! Booo Hooooo.

Just Tyler and I for the Weekend in Dallas!

2008-10-20T07:21:00.000-07:00

Tyler and I were able to spend the weekend in Dallas together. He had a GT (Gifted and Talented) Field Trip and we decided to lengthen the trip and add some fun things. We left Thursday night to watch the TCU vs. BYU game and then Friday did the "school" thing. We went to the King Tut exhibit at the Dallas Museum of arts. It was incredible to see what they found in that tomb! Then that night we went to Medieval Nights. Saturday and Sunday we had a great time with my awesome cousin Amy and her family. Thanks Amy and Sean for always making us feel so special and welcome in your home!

WHAT Happend to BYU????

2008-10-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

So Tyler and I drove 7 hours to the BYU vs. TCU in Fort Worth! What a total embarrassment! BYU looked like they had rocks in their shoes! We were surrounded by PURPLE everywhere. TCU was GOING CRAZY (because they were killing us) and so was Tyler (because he was so annoyed by BYU)! Every time it was a BYU third down-which was A LOT...the announcer would slow his speech down and say, "and iiiittttt'ssssssssss a third down." The TCU fans went crazy! WE did not!

By 1/2 time Tyler was disgusted and wanted to leave. His team was not a team at all on THURSDAY night! What happened Cougars???? It was pretty sad to walk out of the building and have TCU fans yelling for the Cougars to go back to Utah!!! We will show them. Come on Cougars. Turn this around!

Even though our team was slaughtered, we still had a great time. This was actually the highlight of the game. It was breast cancer awareness night and the whole band was playing and made this cool formation. Then, they let go of thousands of pink balloons...you can vaguely see them in the sky.