Ted's Birthday

Ted had an extended 38th birthday celebration. Madeline and I stopped by his work with balloons and took him out to lunch, and that evening we had a family party with his favorite dinner of tacos and watermelon. The next day, Danny and Michelle babysat while Ted and I went for a date at an Italian restaurant in quaint downtown Addison. The next weekend, Ted wanted to stay at a resort on Lake Ray Roberts. Although the lake is only 45 minutes from our home, we had never been there, and we were all pleasantly surprised with the lovely forested hiking trails and sandy lake beach. The kids loved swimming, paddle boating, and building sand castles at the lake. The hikes were particularly lovely with the wildflowers in bloom. With the views of the lake below from the resort grounds, it almost felt like we were overlooking the ocean as we enjoyed the gazebo swing.

Sierra, Caleb, and the Baby Beebee Bird

So hard to get a good family shot, especially when everyone is hot and tired--at least the wildflowers cooperated

The lovely grounds and lake view at Lantana Resort

Bake Sale

Sierra and Caleb teamed up with our next-door neighbor Sabrina to have a bake sale Saturday morning. They earned $18 and had a wonderful time--not bad for an hour's work. Caleb put his money toward his college fund, but Sierra has the money burning a hole in her pocket and can't seem to understand why nothing she wants is in her $6 price range.

Sierra's 7th birthday

Sierra turned seven this week, and she is sweeter than ever!

Working Girl

This has been quite a busy school year for me! I taught preschool during the day and attended school at night. I'm relieved to have a chance to catch my breath over the summer, and especially glad to have survived my first anatomy class, which was something like an academic bloodbath. I never realized how far I would be willing to go for a grade until I dissected Roger the Cat. My male lab partners were happy to do the dirty work (they said someone had to have clean hands to turn the pages of the lab manual instructions) until one of them nicked his hand with the scalpel. I just tried to tell myself it wasn't any worse than cooking a turkey, and other than the smell and pieces of fur that splattered on my shirt, that was pretty much true. On my final exam day, I asked the kids to please leave me alone for one hour so I could get some last minute studying in. They each had list of things they needed to do, with timers going off to remind them when to begin a new item on their list. They were absolutely silent, and after a successful cramming session, (it's amazing how much I can get done when I'm not interrupted every 10 seconds) I emerged from my bedroom. Madeline had a bead stuck up her nose and had pooped her pants and Caleb was chasing Sierra through the house trying to handcuff her for an offense which is too embarrassing to publish. They were, however, perfectly quiet, so how can I complain?

School is over soon, and then it will be a long summer of snow cones and swimming. I think I'll have more time on my hands, but I'll be taking one class this summer and working at a rehab hospital as a therapy aide for people with brain injuries. I applied there on somewhat of a whim after a classmate who works there told me there was an opening. I figured I probably wouldn't get the job since I don't have any medical/therapy experience yet, but the ladies who interviewed me said that teaching is an excellent segue way into working with those who have brain injuries because it requires to same qualities of patience and skills in explaining something with simple step-by-step instructions. We shall see! Since the fanciest thing in my closet is a cotton wrap-around skirt, I borrowed an interviewing suit from my dear sister Michelle. She's a few inches taller than I am, and she wears heels with her suits, so I had to borrow her super tall heels to make the pants look the right length. My feet are probably a size smaller, and I had to walk very slowly to keep from losing my shoes. I figured I would be okay as long as they didn't give me a tour of the hospital after the interview, but of course they did. I told the sweet lady giving me a tour that I would love to see the facility as long as she didn't mind stopping when I needed to put my shoes back on again. She offered to take me around in a wheelchair--but I thankfully managed just fine without assistance. Guess that would have made quite the first impression!

Above: I love being able to teach in jeans and a T-shirt

Below: Interview day--I hardly recognized myself. Guess I gravitate toward casual professions!

Papa and Grammy return from Chile

On their way home from a misison in Chile, Ted's parents passed through the Dallas airport. We haven't seen them for two years, so it was fun to have a quick chance to share breakfast and welcome them home.

Snow Cone Lady

The kids (and apparently much of the city of Frisco) have an obsession with the legendary Snow Cone Lady. With over 50 flavors--Wedding Cake, Cinnamon, Tiger's Blood, Banana Split, and Rainbow to name a few--and the secret trick of topping the snow cones with cream, just about everyone agrees these are the best snow cones they've ever had. Madeline dreams of snow cones all winter long, asking me to tell her stories about what flavor we will order when we go again. We checked out her My Space and were there for her opening day. Thinking we might avoid the usual hour long lines because word of her opening wasn't out yet and it was an overcast day, we raced over as soon as school was out. Caleb and Sierra tried to stay warm (and thought they were providing entertainment while people waited) by dancing around in a shared jacket. One hour later, we finally had our snow cones. The look on their faces says it was worth it!

Springtime happenings

Once again, I'm behind on the family blog, so here are a few fun springtime photos.
Sierra attended her friend Ainsley's 7th birthday party at the American Girl Doll cafe in Dallas. She loved how her doll had its own booster seat and menu, and the decorations and food were of course very cute and girlie.

We had a few minor cracks in our walls, and our builder offered to come in and patch them up. Little did we know what a major job it would turn into. The entire house was covered in plastic and plaster!

Picnicking with Danny and Michelle on White Rock Lake In Dallas

While picnicking, we got a good laugh at this antique car/boat. Only in Texas!

We don't have any plans to travel to Paris, France, but at least the kids can say they've been to Paris, Texas. Madeline and Sierra dressing up Little House on the Prairie style at the Fort Worth historical village

Enjoying a perfect spring day

Two days later--snow and ice