Four becomes two

The girls and I have been watching this bird nest for several weeks now. When we first noticed there were 4 eggs (blue in color with light brown speckles) and a storm came through and two eggs ended up in the grass. Hailey really wanted to pick the eggs up and place them back in the nest. I thought by doing so the mother bird would leave and not come back. Steve told her to give it a try. She did and before we knew it the mother bird was back protecting all four eggs. I took this picture this afternoon to realize two of the eggs are gone again. We had some more bad weather so I'm assuming the same thing happened; however, this time the eggs are not on the ground. We can't find them and that makes us sad. We'll continue to keep a close eye on these two and we can't wait to see the baby birds. This is a new experience for the girls. Once again, something else they may not have experienced in "the city."

One of my favorite pictures....

This is one of my all time favorite pictures of the girls. I've had it on my desk at work since I got it developed. It was taken at Spring Break, March 2004 at a Children's Museum in Tyler, Texas. This was the first time we took a short trip as a family of five and one Hailey has not forgotten. We had such a fun time and it confirmed that

you don't have to take an elaborate or an expensive trip for kids to have fun or good memories. We spent two nights in a hotel in Tyler, visited the zoo, the museum and took advantage of the hotel's indoor swimming pool. Steve was holding Kelly up (obviously since she was only 3 months old) and she was not a happy camper. I tried and tried to get Hailey and Brooke to look at the camera, but they were more concerned with Kelly. It's a pitiful and sad picture of Kelly, but I love it! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Girls no longer deprived...

Believe it not... my girls finally have a pet and they are so happy! I was reading the newspaper yesterday and saw the add for 3 male kittens that needed a home. Without giving it any thought I picked up the phone and began making plans to meet the owners. Before I knew it we were in the Home Depot parking lot picking one out. The owner has been calling him "Big Red" but I'm not sure if we'll keep that name or not. I also took my nephew, Aaron, with us and he got one too. His has the same kind of stripes as ours, but is gray and black. They are both adorable! The kids are bringing them inside for play time, but they are staying outside at night in a cage under the covered porch. He will definitely be an outside kitty and will hopefully help keep the bugs and snakes away!

Who is scared of a dog, but not a horse?

Brooke is! This is Brooke on Danny the horse Saturday afternoon. We spent the day with friends, Clifford and Kenda and their kids. Cooked out hamburgers and sat outside while the kids played. Kenda is one of my best friends from our younger days growing up in Montgomery. It was so much fun seeing them. Danny is Kenda's horse and she is currently trying to find him a good home. She is unable to ride now because she had her 2nd baby (her oldest is 11) in September and there is no time for that. The plan is for us to take Danny since we have plenty of room for him and this will allow her to visit and ride whenever she'd like. You see... I'm not riding Danny, that's for sure so I'll be around to keep the baby, Colton, while she rides. Did I mention that Brooke had no fear? She loved him! She rode all alone, no help at all. And let's not forget Hailey and Kelly. They both loved him too! Of course, Hailey rode alone too, but Kelly had a little help from her daddy. Danny... we look forward to seeing you soon!

TAKS Test

The important TAKS tests for 5th graders are finally over! They still lack the science test, but it's not necessary to pass to advance on to 6th grade. It's painful to think back to Hailey's 4th grade year. It was a bad year. Her teacher (bless his heart, very nice guy, but...) was not in control of the classroom and struggled to just get through the day with the basics. Forget going above and beyond, forget grading papers, forget recording grades in the online grade book... no wonder so many kids were pulled from his class. Instead of pulling Hailey, I chose to fight for what I thought was right and what I thought he should be doing as a teacher. Needless to say, she remained in his class for the year, and as a result started 5th grade way behind. This year has definitely been a struggle for her, but let me just say with hard work and dedication she aced her TAKS tests. She is also confident that she will do well on her science test scheduled for April 30th. Way to go Hailey! I'm so proud of you and you make me very happy!!

Prayer Requests Please

As some of you know, my brother Chad was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2000. MS is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system. He has spent the last 9 years with what is called relapsing-remitting MS... meaning he continues to have "flare ups" from time to time. Over Easter weekend, Chad spent some time with Kevin McMichaels, a friend from High School and Kevin's wife Casey. Casey works for a neurologist in Conroe (Chad's doctor is in Amarillo) and went to work the Monday after Easter and discussed Chad's case with her doctor. The neurologists feels like Chad is a good candidate for an upcoming stem cell transplant trial that will take place through the Baylor hospital system. She requested Chad's records from his doctor in Amarillo, prepared a letter of recommendation and sent it this week to Baylor for review. We pray for two things - (1) that Chad will be accepted into this trial scheduled to take place sometime in May and (2) that the stem cell transplant will be successful. It's difficult seeing someone you love so much suffer of an illness with no cure. Please keep Chad and his family in your thoughts and prayers!

Jordan World Circus

Monday night, the girls, Steve and I attended the Jordan World Circus at the Montgomery County Fair Grounds. I knew nothing about this venue, but thought for $25 it was worth checking out. I learned quickly I had been spoiled! Spoiled by The Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus that is! Regardless of my disappointment, the girls had fun and we can't go anywhere these days for $5 per person. I'll miss attending the Ringling Brothers circus this summer in Fort Worth. If we're lucky we'll catch it somewhere along the way in Houston.

Update: Little Miss Toothless

The tooth fairy came last night! We knew this way before daybreak because Kelly ran into our bedroom last night around 2 AM to say "Daddy, the tooth fairy came. I see money in my tooth fairy pillow!" She jumped in bed between us and fell fast asleep.

Smiley Face

Some days Hailey seems so unlike the Hailey I know or think I know. I keep telling myself it's her age and that she's been bitten by the 5th grade bug. Tonight I was cleaning the kitchen and she was sitting at the table working on homework and for a short moment things were peaceful at home. It seemed like the right time to ask her a few questions... I simply started with "do you like it here in Montgomery?" She assured me she did. I asked her why she looked so sad. I told her she seems unhappy at times and that I hardly ever see her smile anymore. She gave me an ear to ear smile (a genuine one) and told me she "loves it in Montgomery and that she is very happy!" I decided to leave it at that and not pry anymore. She's 11, a tweener, no longer in Elementary, but not yet a teenager either. I don't remember how it feels to be her age and honestly, I'm glad. I'm ever more glad I saw her sweet smile today!

Little Miss Toothless

My child who refuses to get her ears pierced was extremely brave tonight! Kelly has had a loose tooth for awhile now and we determined tonight it was definitely time to get it out. A tooth that will lay over flat is a sure sign. She said she wanted it pulled after her bath. I thought that was her way of trying to put it off, but boy was I was wrong. She finished her bath, got dressed, brushed her hair, jumped in my lap and handed me a tissue. She was laughing and smiling and so excited. With one little tug, it was out! Before I could even get a look she took off to the bathroom laughing and stood in the mirror and smiled. We found her tooth fairy pillow, tucked the tooth away, she put it in a special spot and crawled into bed. Soon after getting in bed she came out to ask me and Steve a question... "does the tooth fairy walk or drive?" We giggled! Our response was that the tooth fairy had wings and she flew. I assured Kelly that she was very small, and in some ways like Santa or the Easter Bunny and that you must be sleeping before she would come. Back to her room she went and I have not seen or heard from her again. Sweet Dreams sweet Kelly!

Easter 2009

Happy Easter friends and family!

The Minor Family had a fun filled weekend with our friends and family. My younger brother Chad, his wife Nichole and my niece Addy came down from Amarillo for the weekend and it's always so good to see them. Addy spent the night with Brooke and Kelly Friday night, Saturday we enjoyed a hayride, hot dogs and a bonfire. Sunday for Easter we all gathered at Uncle Darrell's house for lunch and our egg hunt. It rained cats and dogs Easter morning, but by the grace of God was clear come lunch time and we actually were able to have the egg hunt outside. The oldest guest was my Great Aunt, Cecilia who is 86. She is the baby sister to my maternal grandmother, Rosa Herzog (who is deceased and missed very much. We miss Papa Johnny too!). The youngest was Abigail, daughter to my 2nd cousin Clinton and his wife Diana. Abigail is two, has beautiful skin, curly hair and big brown eyes!

This Easter was such a blessing for me to be able to spend the holiday with family that I have not been with for many years. On the other hand, we sure missed Pops, Mae Mae, Elaine, Ashley and Madeleine (Steve's family from the metroplex).

Hope your Easter was a Happy one!

Beeping

I just read a comment from Lindsey, a friend of mine, on one of my earlier posts. She reminded me of how Kelly says "my heart is beeping" when she gets scared and can feel her heart beating in her chest. Kids say the cutest things!

Ocean in the sky

Kelly and I were headed to school this morning and had the following conversation.

Kelly: "Mommy, look at the ocean!"

Me: "Where?"

Kelly: "There" pointing to the sky.

Me: "Kelly... that's the sky."

Kelly: "I know, but you can make pictures with the clouds and I see an ocean."

Me: "I wished I was at the ocean right now!"

Kelly: "Me too!"

I'm so glad I started this blog so I can capture moments like this!