thankful for everything

November 21, 2012- Pecos' kindergarten class did a project for Thanksgiving stating what they were thankful for.  Here's the class bulletin board:

And here's Pecos' contribution.  He's thankful for everything.  

Happy Thanksgiving and hope you are thankful for everything!

1 little, 2 little, 3 little indians

November 19, 2012- I know I'm really behind on my blog postings and there's so many things that I promise will eventually get up here, but for now here's something to get you in the mood for Thanksgiving.

Brazos is just a bit confused on his heritage...a cowboy or an indian?

Here's some of the little indians at today's Thanksgiving Feast at St. Barnabas Mom's Morning Off Program.

They even got out the musical instruments and sang the 1 little, 2 little, 3 little Indians song.

Some of the decor the kids made to decorate the tables:

Oma & Opa made it to the feast.

Me and my little Indian cowboy:

flag football {movie}

Fall 2012-

Here's my latest "movie" project...Pecos' inaugural flag football season.

This is the link to the video on You Tube if the above file doesn't play for you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuZ5TOSCXzA

5-1-5-0 somebody call the po-po

October 31, 2012- Pecos picked out the costumes this year.

They had fun playing games at the community Fall Festival.

This is why he's a jailbird...he tried to run off with Steele's tractor!

Then we did some trick or treating.

What's a holiday around here without craft time?

Brazos' class had dress up day at mother's day out and he went as himself Cowboy Small.

perfectly normal

October 16, 2012- There's something perfectly normal about a 2-year old in Texas with a gun...at Wal-Mart.

Am I a total failure at parenting?

pecos on politics

October 10, 2012- Pecos told me that his class was going to vote for the President in the election.  "Really?", I said, "Do you know who our president is?"  He told me it was President Obama and he was going to vote for him.  When I asked why he said because he is our president.  It was as simple as that for him.

{News of this school-wide mock election was made available to me today at the PTO meeting.}  I was hoping Casey and Pecos could discuss this important election when he is home this weekend but since he brought it up I figured I had to converse a bit more about it with him.

It went something like this:

Me:  So, you're going to vote for him just because he is the president now?
Pecos: Yeah.
Me:  Do you know the name of the other person you could vote for?
Pecos:  I'm not sure but I know it is someone that is not the president.
Me:  Hmmm, well the other guy's name is Mitt Romney.
Pecos: That's a funny name.  What does he do?
Me: Right now he works in Washington D.C., kind of like Jamie's boss, Senator Cornyn.
Pecos: Oh, is Jamie's boss gonna try to be the president too?
Me: No, not Jamie's boss, just Mitt Romney.
Pecos: Does Jamie work for Mitt Romney too?
Me: No, but let's talk a bit more about President Obama.  Your dad and I don't think he is a very good president.
Pecos: Why not?
Me (trying to think in terms that Pecos would understand): Well, for one, he has made gas more expensive so it takes more money to buy gas and drive our cars; that makes everything like food cost more too.  Then we have less money to buy other things and do fun stuff.
Pecos: Well, daddy works a lot so he has money for that.
Me: Did you know that President Obama takes a lot of daddy's money that he works for and gives it to the people that don't work?
Pecos: Why don't they work?
Me (hitting hard this time):  They are lazy and would rather that daddy work instead so that Obama can take his money and give it to them to buy that expensive gas and food.
Pecos (with a look of shock and horror on his face):  That's not good!  President Obama should be fired!
Me: Yeah, I think so too.  Do you know how President Obama gets fired?
Pecos: No.
Me: Everyone has to vote for Mitt Romney.
Pecos (with much exclamation): I'm going to tell Mrs. Randle that so everyone in my class can vote for Mitt Romney and he can be the President!!!!

You can forget presidential debates and campaign commercials.  Just share this story with your friends and maybe we can fire Obama!

Don't forget to vote on November 6th!

in the practice pen

October 3, 2012- Pecos and Widow Maker have been practicing for the upcoming Harper Horse Club play day on Saturday.  

The competition should not be too worried...Widow Maker only has one speed and it is not very fast!

aggies in the making {class of 2029 & 2032}

September 22, 2012- As the Aggie game is on tv while I'm getting a few things done in the office it reminded me that I needed to get these pics up from our visit to Aggieland in August.  

Our first stop on a HOT Saturday afternoon was the Association of Former Students to take a picture under the giant Aggie Ring monument.

The Aggie Ring is rich in symbolism, which you can read about here.

Next stop, the newly renovated Memorial Student Center (MSC).  We were hoping to see the video they play at the visitor's center but it wasn't open on the weekend.  Instead we walked through it ~ Brazos ran through~ to see how things have changed, and while it has some nice improvements, it just didn't feel the same.

Brazos practiced his "freshman wildcat".  

And what do all good Aggie parents do on a visit to Aggieland?  Take their kids down bottle cap alley and then to the Dixie Chicken for some Tijuana fries and to shoot pool.  

take me out to the {t}ball game

May & June 2012-  Since we have started flag football I thought I should probably get around to posting pics from t-ball season!

Pecos decided this would be the year to play t-ball.  I'm so glad he did because Casey really wanted him to play last year but we didn't want to push him into it.  And he almost didn't play this year...he changed his mind about a week before practice started.

They allow the coach to pitch to the players and after 3 strikes they bring out the tee.  Pecos did pretty good and managed to get a few hits from the coach's pitching.  

Even though the coaches do all the pitching in t-ball, Pecos looked pretty comfortable in that position.

Picture day!

The team had a great coach ~ Mr. Harper~ and he prayed with the kids before each game.

Casey filled in as assistant coach for a few games.

Pecos and Coach Harper:

We played one game a week for 6 weeks.  Every game we set up our chairs in front of the 3rd baseline fence, not so we could see the game better, but so Brazos could play with his tractors in the dirt.  

 He was pretty good about sharing, until someone wanted to play with his front end loader!

It was a great season ~Pecos said he had fun and he'll probably play again next year.   

i can {still} sew

September 2012- I've still got it {sort of}!  I was a very skilled sewer back in my youth.  My mom taught me to sew with her grandmother's sewing machine.  It was a Singer with all metal parts, nothing automatic or computerized about it.  I would sit at the machine in the sewing room with the window air conditioning unit humming in my ear, oldie music on the radio and mom hunched over my back guiding me through it.  My first project was an apron for a 4-H contest.  I got first place and never looked back.  Over the years I made everything from skirts to shorts, pants to blouses, dresses and jackets.  {I even made a bubble suit in the 80s- yikes!}   I won the most competitive of all sewing contests in 4-H in high school- Creative Choice at our state contest.  For this contest I enlisted the help of Aunt Sue to help me make my own pants pattern.  Of course back then I was a size zero and a half so I had to make my own pattern if I wanted it to fit!

Sewing was my path to so many great experiences.  I even met my college roommate/best friend/Godmother to my first born, through my sewing projects.  

Sadly, I just don't do it anymore.  I have dozens of excuses but none of them are very good.  About a year ago I wanted to start sewing a few small projects...mostly baby gifts for friends.  So I borrowed Oma's machine and made a few.  Since then I've acquired an older model machine that works good for these projects.

My skills are very rusty but with each new project my technique is improving and I'm remembering all those things mom taught me.  I'm just not ready to do button holes or zippers yet without her hovering over me so for now I'll stick with the simple projects.  

Here's some burp cloths I made for a friend's new baby boy.  

And these are for another baby boy that I made about a year ago.