Happy 2nd Birthday Elle

Today, our little Elle is 2 years old!!

Her vocabulary consists of at least 100 words she chooses to say on her own. She can mock any word you through at her. In fact we find it to be great fun getting her to repeat words like Massachusetts and Mississippi. Her imagination needs no improvement, her shyness is truly, sweetly authentic, and her comprehension is amazing! If you cannot tell we are incredibly proud of our little Elle.

For the first time Elle brought cupcakes to daycare to celebrate the big day. She reminded me that she had cakes to take to school and wore a special sticker I made her for the big day. I think after going through a few classmates 2nd birthday's she knew what to expect and was extremely excited. The daycare was nice enough to send me these great pictures! Thanks!

We celebrated her big day at our house with family and close friends. It was great fun and Elle really liked it. She opened each gift, loving them, having to be reminded there were others she needed to open before playing with them.

One of her favorite and a huge hit at the party has be Taro Gomi's “Everybody Poops”. It's a great book with pictures of and text explaining how everything that eats, poops. Her expressions were priceless! Still at bed time she was listing off the things that poop and asking about new ones not mentioned in the book.

Imagine if you will, a serious 2 year old asking her Daddy "ducks poop?" and that adoring Daddy, answering seriously, because it is serious, "Yes dear, Ducks do poop too!" I am sure this will speed up the potty training. I made sure to mention the book to daycare, just in case she started to ask the teachers about pooping animals.

At the end of the day, I would have to say Elle enjoyed her cake the most! Perhaps it was the fact it was chocolate or that Mimi made it. Either way, she really loved it and ate it up!

All of her presents were great! Thank you to everyone that helped to make Elle's 2nd birthday so great! What a wonderful 2 years its been, each day more wonderful then the last. We really enjoy our little Elle bug and we are so lucky to have such a great daughter!

Cooking With Julia - Live

Julia loves to record little shows in a series she calls "Julia Live" and if I might say so myself, she is really talented.

Well a couple of weeks ago she made this one, the first in her new series "Cooking With Julia"... and dispite its unedited quality, I just had to share.

It makes me laugh everytime.
Make sure you notice Bug in the corner... too cute!
I know.. we are mean!



Perhaps I will find the time to post some of her other creations.

5th Grader

They grow way too fast!!

Look at my Julia, the 5th grader… the last year of her Elementary school career.


The finale leading too school dances, socializing outside the house with friends... and oh my Boys... ahhh!
I know I know I am getting a little a head of myself, but it seems like yesterday my little 5 year old was skipping off to Kindergarten. And now, its gone too fast... someone quick, press rewind, I want to see it again!

I know Julia is going to have an awesome year and excel as she always does.

After all she has fall softball and 5th grade Marimba to look forward too!

Thank You

It is really easy to get caught up in the simple stresses and pleasures that happen to me and my family each day. It is really easy to ignore the dramas unfolding far away, in another front, for my fellow countrymen.

But I am often overcome with pure gratitude and up most respect for the brave men and women serving us so well in a foreign and sometimes confusing war. Today is such a day.

On March 20th 2005 the loss of war hit very close to home when Jay's dear friend and mentor Paco lost his only son to the cause of Freedom. Paquito, not even old enough to buy a beer, sacrificed the most precious gift he was afforded for our way of life. Paco's composure and actions following such tragedy has influenced me and my own actions more than I can ever state. With an unimaginable loss he found indescribable courage.

Following in his sons heroism, Paco re-enlisted in the Air Force and will be joining our troops in Iraq next week. Please join me by including him in your prayers daily and wishing him a healthy and safe return to his wife and daughter.

Read the latest news article on Paco's bravery at -
http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/753969.html
http://www.mfconsulting.com/blog/


Thank you to all our country's Heroes. We are forever in your debt.

Unaccompanied Minor

Estimated arrival time 5:56pm, Actual arrival time 9:58pm.

Dallas is known for its thunderstorms this time of year. But when the intercom announced Kordell's plane was diverted to Waco, my heart skipped a beat.

I have been waiting almost five months to see him, after his Father and him moved to Colorado. And now, now he was in Waco. Now the airport was "shut down" all for some lightning and rain... Ahhhhh!!

When we talked of sending the kids back and forth alone on a plane... it was with great hesitation I purchased the tickets. All because this scenario lay back in my mind, my child alone, in another city. Noooooo.....

Luckily, once the woman at the ticket counter calmly explained the plane would only sit in Waco until clearance was given and Kordell would not be left alone at any time ... my heart slowed, my hand steadied and my tears dried.

Of course the 4 hours of waiting drug along and Jay and I were not prepared for such wait times with our little Elle. We will definitely prepare better for the next arrival!

The time only drug along for some of us.
It seems my Kordell enjoyed the experience and was even given special privileges.. as you can see below, as he sits in the cockpit of an Airbus A-319 with Frontier Airlines. A special special thanks to Rob Saul - First Officer for sending me this picture. Its truly priceless!


In the end his trip was a great experience, and Frontier did a wonderful job keeping the worried parent in me calm, and the adventurous 14 year old in Kordell thrilled.

Wish us luck, Jules gets home tonight.....