No More Pencils, No More Books, No More Teachers Dirty Looks!!

And so it begins...

Brenda and I are blessed with lots of nieces and nephews. We love them all and do take lots of pride in their accomplishments. Last weekend we headed down to Houston to celebrate the Class of '09. Amber, Barbara and Cutter all graduated this year. They are our oldest nieces and nephews and it was a blast to celebrate with so many family and friends. We filled up Becky's pool with kiddos and filled up the adults with liquid refreshment from the margarita machine.

The stars aligned just right for this weekend and ALL of the siblings were together! That has actually started happening with a bit more regularity, but this time we also had all the spouses and kids together. If I counted correctly, that makes 23 right now! That just doesn't happen nearly enough. You know you are getting old when you stop talking about "getting the family together" and you start "organizing a family reunion". Something tells me that our family reunions wouldn't look like too much the ones I went to as a kid. My family is crazy and fun and hysterical and nutty. Brenda and I left the party with big smiles on our faces and the girls were asleep before we got the to end of the driveway! Okay, so it was after midnight and Grace hadn't had a nap all day, but as I mentioned, this is a fun family.

So what's next for this fabulous trio? Amber will be going to the Art Institute to study photography, Barbara is going to take college classes close to home in Louisiana before heading off to McNeese State and Cutter will be packing his bags for Northern Arizona University in the fall. So many people think of graduation as a completion milestone, and it does celebrate your hard work and academic achievement in high school. But really, its the beginning of a new chapter. It will be fun to see what they do, and who they become over the next several years. We could not be more proud of them. There are lots of pics in the gallery, so check it out. You can access our online gallery from the link in the right hand navigation.

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Grace's Birthday pictures

Count Brenda and I into the category of fans of Portrait Innovations! Leading up to Grace's first birthday we took her to have her picture taken at Sears every 3 months so that we could watch her grow. Each time it was a difficult experience. Nobody at Sears seemed to be able to get Grace to interact at all. It usually came down to Brenda and I deciding on 1 decent picture out of the set to use. For Grace's 2 year old picture, we decided to try someplace different. We went to Portrait Innovations. Talk about a great experience. Just like in the previous times, Grace was fussy and not at all interested in having her picture taken. The difference was that this time, the photographer took her time to draw Grace in and make her feel more comfortable. We took some family shots and used lots of different props to keep Grace engaged. It also helped that they took a ton of pictures! Not only did they take lots of pictures, we used 2 different studio rooms and several diffe...

I can do it!

Today was our second class at Young Chefs Academy in Round Rock. Grace was very excited to be going back this morning. We have talked a lot about our class over the last couple of weeks. Grace already has plenty of enthusiasm for spending time in a kitchen, which is something we have been instilling in her at home for some time now. This week, even though this was just our second time in our class, it was a joy to see her confidence grow. When we walked in the door, Grace was still a bit timid, clinging to my leg. She was happy to be there, but she just still needed a few minutes to warm up. By the time Miss Lesley Ann got us into the kitchen, and I got Grace's jacket off, she was already starting to warm up. This was familiar now. Miss Lesley Ann helped her get her apron on, and then it was off to wash our hands. Unlike last week though, I didn't have to take her. She had confidence in where she was, and what the routine was. Miss Lesley Ann was no longer a stranger and the on...

C'mon Mom, it's just PB and J!

When Mommy makes Grace a sandwich, she takes lots of time to cut the sandwich in small, manageable pieces for Grace. Mommy also has a thing for clean fingers, clean hair and hopefully clean ears. There is certainly nothing wrong with this approach. I applaud her enthusiasm for Grace's manners. However, sometimes... well, come on... really. It is just peanut butter and jelly. At this point, I should probably take a moment to thank the sponsors of this particular blog entry, Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Gramma's Strawberry Preserves. Gramma's Strawberry Preserves and Peach Butter is only available at a small pantry in Tyler, TX. She doesn't advertise, she doesn't sell her products online, heck, she doesn't even sell her products period... But those in the know, know where to go to get their jelly fix. Since I am down to my last jar of Strawberry Preserves, and I am completely out of Peach Butter, it must be about time for another journey to East Texas. Since Gramm...

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