Life with the Lucky A's

Great Wolf Lodge

2010-06-17T07:52:00.000-07:00

On our way home from Texarkana, we decided to stay a few days at the much heralded Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Tx.

It has an indoor and outdoor waterpark, an arcade, video game/computer room, spa, restaurants and all sorts of activities for children of all ages.

This place is nirvana for toddlers through the tween years.

And like crack for 13 year old boys. More on that later...

Every evening at 8 o'clock, all the young children gather at the Great Clock for storytime. It really is a cute sight to see 50 little toddlers and the like huddled round in their pajamas listening to the Clock Song.

We arrived late on Monday so we didn't really get to enjoy the waterpark the first day. We ate and then went down for the Clock Show and storytime.

Livi wasn't intimidated at all. She walked right up to the group and sat down to watch the show. You can see her at the bottom right of the above picture.

She loved it! She was entranced by the singing racoon and owl. And the trees sang too - that was kinda weird.

All went well until the Great Wolf Lodge mascot Wiley showed up. And we all know how large costumed characters go over in my family (the Blanco Panther, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny). As soon as Livi saw that wolf she jumped up and ran for my arms.

Too bad I was the one taking the pictures because it was a pretty funny sight.

Here are my little girls chillaxin' in the room after storytime.

The next day we went to eat lunch at the Rain Forest Cafe.

Robbie entertained himself at the aquariums while Livi was busy making friends at the

elephant.

Up next - swimming!

Great Wolf Lodge Part II

2010-06-17T07:07:00.001-07:00

So we finally make it to the pool!

While Molly June looks on...

Livi starts to get a little nervous. It can get loud in the indoor part of the waterpark. Especially when the wave pool starts - all the kids squeal and scream and run to get in the best position for jumping waves.

But once she got in the water, there was no stoping her!

She played,

and played,

and played some more.

Molly June slept a lot...

while Livi played some more.

Well, I mentioned how the Great Wolf Lodge is a heaven for 13 year old boys. Here is what Robbie did the entire time -

Basically he showed up all the other 13 year old boys who couldn't get across the lilypad/lumberjack floats. I swear my boy is part goat. We haven't found anything he can't climb.

He also liked to show off his 'walk on water' ability.

Not really, but its a cool shot.

He rode the slides.

And basically spent every waking hour in the water park, or the arcade, or the video game / teenager gallery.

Did I mention there was a middle school cheerleading competition being held at the Great Wolf Lodge the same time we were there?

Yep, several dozen 11-14 year old blonde cheerleaders roamed the halls filling my ears with "We're gonna rock it, yeah, with spirit, yeah!"

Coincidence that Robbie didn't spend much time in the room?

I think not.

Molly June didn't care. As long as her Mommy or Daddy held her and fed her and gave her a little attention, she was cool with it.

Goodbye Great Wolf Lodge.

Maybe we can convince Daddy to bring us back next year.

Sweetness and Sleeplessness

2010-05-28T13:06:00.000-07:00

Pure sweetness... even sideways. I have no idea why this picture won't straighten out, but Molly June is cute in any position.

Touchdown!

That's an important move for her to learn - September will be here before you know it.

We've been practicing ;)

Such a happy baby. She loves to smile and coo. And eat. Then more smiling and cooing. Then more eating.

Notice we haven't used the word 'sleep' in here yet.

SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK!

She loves her brother

2010-05-28T12:55:00.000-07:00

She really does.

Bluebonnets!

2010-05-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

Our Easter weekend tradition...

pictures in the bluebonnets.

All my beautiful children.

We are so blessed.

That is one scary rabbit!

2010-05-24T12:09:00.000-07:00

We are all set to hunt Easter Eggs and candy!

Everyone is smiling and ready to go at the start line... buckets in hand (or in the case of Morgan - on our heads), grandmothers giving directions and the men trying not to look amused in the back.

Then, this walks around the corner.

We immediately go into 'Help me, Daddy!' mode.

Notice Jeff trying to not laugh out loud.
He wasn't trying too hard...

That is one scary rabbit.

She thinks so too.

Can't say that I blame her. And who could argue with a cute little fact like that?

Don't you just want to squeeze those little cheeks?

At least Molly June wasn't scared...

Well, not too much. ;)

She might be in therapy one day with flashbacks of an evil rabbit with a large yellow bow-tie.

Molly June Akin

2010-05-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

Help us welcome Miss Molly June Akin. Born March 9th, at 1:14 pm. She weighed 7 lbs 1 oz and was 20.5 inches long.

She came out of me squirming away! Everyone says that while she was being cleaned up and officially weighed and charted, that her little arms and legs couldn't stop moving!

I guess she was tired of being all cramped up inside Mommy! :)

When she made her debut, I agreed with everyone that she looked a lot like Livi.

"I like to play..."

2010-02-22T11:45:00.000-08:00

Livi is pretty good at RockBand.

I just learned that her dad played the drums in band... maybe that is where she gets her talent.

She sneaks over to the set and starts to hammer down a few sets. A regular Tommy Lee on the drums.

She even uses the foot pedal correctly.

"I like to play..."

Can anyone name that movie? Anyone??

A smiling baby!

2010-02-09T10:03:00.001-08:00

We finally got one of her smiling :)

I think she got ahold of my camera.

2010-02-08T11:19:00.000-08:00

Sorting through my photos I came upon this...

Looks like someone got curious.

Looks like she is taking after her daddy when it comes to photography skills.

33 week belly pic

2010-02-02T07:34:00.001-08:00

Here I am 33 weeks along with Baby4. I feel much bigger... I'm not sure how much room is left in there, but with all the squirming and jumping go on in there, Baby4 sure is trying to make room!

Livi had to get in on the next picture. She is playing "I leave now." She puts on her hat and scarf, grabs her backpack and slips on someone's shoes (usually her sister or dad's) and walks around the house saying, "OK, I leave now. Bye!"

A friend's blog givaway!

2010-01-21T09:06:00.000-08:00

A fellow book club member is having a giveaway on her blog - stop by and check it out!

http://mrsmessi.blogspot.com

Have a great day!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

2010-01-18T11:06:00.000-08:00

Let your heart be light.

From now on all troubles will be out of sight.

So have yourself

a merry little Christmas nigth.

Next year we'll add two more ;)

Meeting Santa at the Rivercenter

2010-01-18T10:51:00.001-08:00

My cuties at the Rivercenter :)

Emma and Livi sharing a moment on the riverbarge.

And finally - Santa Claus! Livi was very excited to see him... up until we went to sit her on his lap. Notice the pained expression on her face.

Now for the tears...

and a perfect upside down frown.

The Rivercenter Santa Claus is the best around - and very reasonable. All you have to do is make a free-will donation to the charity of the day and your picture is taken and presented to you in a nice keepsake card.

He also looks like Santa.

Our annual Christmas Riverwalk/Alamo trip

2010-01-18T09:57:00.001-08:00

Well, I'm finally getting around to uploading our Christmas pics. Sorry for the delay.... but with no further ado - here is Christmas with the Akin/Arlitts.

Near the beginning of December every year we have a tradition of heading down to Riverwalk / Alamo area to look at the lights and eat at Casa Rio.

Here are Emma and Livi at Casa Rio, feeding the ducks and fish. We hate having to sit under the bridge, but with the crowds that time of year, we really didn't have much of a choice.

After our meal, we walked over to the Alamo to take a few pictures. Here is a cute one of Emma and Livi on the back grounds of the Alamo.

A rare and precious picture of our baby smiling! She really hasn't been in a 'smiling for the camera' mood lately.
She liked the koi pond/creek that runs behind the Alamo.

As you can see, smiling time is over.

Our traditional pic in front of the Alamo.

And one in front of the big HEB tree outside of the Alamo.

This is for Mom and Dad. And MaMaw and PaPaw.

2010-01-07T09:03:00.000-08:00

I saw this in Fredericksburg the other day and just had to take a picture for everyone. There is another, smaller sign off to the left with ordering information, if you'd like one of your own. ;)

The Coach meets The Amish Lady Part 2

2009-12-07T06:44:00.000-08:00

I made it! I'm in the room with Pioneer Woman! In just a few short minutes, I'll be getting to meet her and apologize for the Longhorn/Sooner debacle... and what does The Coach do? He goes and flirts with Pioneer Sister.

Not really. The Coach doesn't flirt. The first time he asked me out went something like this... "So, ummm, do you want to ummm, go out and do something sometimes?"

Very verbose my man is.

Ok, I'm getting near! Here are my Line-Mates, Lucy and Sarah meeting PW. I'm getting excited!

I made it!

Now I'm falling all over myself trying to apologize for the Longhorn/Sooner questions. Typical Texas coach's wife - I get to meet a celebrity and all I can think to ask is a football question...

She forgives me :)

She was also entertained by The Coach's comment on our drive to Austin. He asked me, "So, are there going to be any people at this book signing? Because I've never heard of this Amish Lady."

After my quiet giggle, I calmly answered, "Yes, honey. There will be lots of people there. She's actually kinda famous."

Lets just say he didn't believe me and was shocked when he had to hunt to find a parking space on the 4th level of parking garage.

See the small child on my hip trying to strangle me with my necklace. Yeah, the breathing treatment she was on at the time made her a hyper wild-child. It was late at night and she wasn't even close to slowing down.

All in all a very fun night!

Pioneer Woman was funny - She had to have been exhausted by the time she got to me (remember - 18th from the end) and yet she was gracious and smiling.

Marlboro Man was hot and Pioneer Sister and The Coach hit it off famously.

The Coach meets The Amish Lady part 1

2009-12-04T09:01:00.000-08:00

Ree Drummond (aka The Pioneer Woman) was at BookPeople in Austin to promote hew new cookbook "The Pioneer Woman Cooks." Of course, half of central Texas showed up - including me. Yes, I'm a devoted PW fan :)

She started off by taking questions from the crowd - including ME! Of course, I managed to screw it up... I asked a loaded question, given the enviornment, "So, are you a Longhorn or a Sooner?"

The crowd got a kick out of it, but I'm not sure she did. She bowed her head a bit but responded nicely with, "Well, actually I'm a Trojan." DUH - I knew that. She graduated from USC... I should have thought before asking.

Here she is recovering from my rudeness:

And here is Marlboro Man.

Let me tell you, I've always thought MM very nice looking, but he is very smooth too. I have to admit, there is this sexy aura that surrounds him. After I got my books signed, we were organizing Livi, the bags, the books, the coat, etc. he started to talk to me a bit. My toungue was tied - blah blah blah - I sounded like an idiot! He asked me what my blog was and was being nice in general and all I could do was gag on myself. I sounded like I had a mouthful of mashed potatoes. sigh.... I can be such a dork.
Plus, he took several pictures of Livi - I think he thought she was pretty cute. I hope she makes PW's blog!

But here is the sexiest man in the house - The Coach. He already managed to sew up the 'Father of the Year' award with his single-handed victory over the Swine Flu earlier this fall, but now he is vying for 'Husband of the Year' after his show of dedication and love last night.
Pioneer Sister was very impressed that Jeff drove me to Austin and watched Livi in the bookstore for 3+ hours so I could meet PW.
Apparently Jeff made friends with Pioneer Sister and Pioneer Mother in the kids' book section while I was standing in line. He had no clue who they were. Figures.

Here is Livi continuing her World Domination Tour of toy and book stores. I like that the Olivia book is right behind her. The BookPeople store is amazing - I fell in love. Too bad its all the way in downtown Austin or we'd be there every weekend.
The childrens' section employees deserve extra pay after last night - just sayin'.

It was a long wait. I was the 18th person in line from the end. Here is a pic of the end of the line to prove it. My feet hurt - of course I chose to wear my cute black heeled boots rather than comfortable shoes...

Here are my Line-Mates, Lucy and Sarah. They drove in from San Antonio. We had fun visiting whilst waiting our turn.

Up Next: Me and the Pioneer Woman!

The Coach

2009-12-03T10:14:00.000-08:00

Here is The Coach... doing what he does best :) He loves football and football loves him. Right now he is super busy with football playoffs + basketball season. And he doesn't complain one bit.

He wakes early to take Robbie to basketball practice, then has his own teaching duties, then does football practice, then basketball practice, then home for diaper duty to give me a break, and he is usually the one who stays up late (or gets up at night) with Livi.

Blanco will be playing in the 3rd Round Playoffs at Victoria Memorial Stadium Friday night at 7:30 vs. Refugio. Its a re-match of last year's Quarter Final playoff game. Should be a very good game - and a very cold one! Bundle up and come support the Blanco Panthers! If its a bit too cold, the game will be broadcast on KTKO 105.7 FM

Robbie's basketball

2009-11-30T13:15:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, basketball is harder to photograph than football or volleyball... Here is Robbie in his first game against Hunt. We won by quite a bit.

Here he is in his second game against Johnson City. We should have beat that team badly, but barely squeaked by with a 1-point victory.

Livi is not very interested in basketball. She just likes to run around the halls.

23 week belly pic

2009-11-24T09:04:00.001-08:00

Here I am at 23 weeks and 4 days... wearing jersey #4 for Baby4 :)

I tried to catch Livi smiling for the camera for a change... but no go. She isn't into smiling these days.

Livi wishes Robbie a 'Happy Birthday'

2009-11-24T08:57:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try uploading a video of Livi wishing Robbie 'Happy Birthday!'

Happy 13th Robbie!

2009-11-24T08:50:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Robbie's 13th Birthday last week - I can't believe I now have 2 teenagers in the house!

He got 2 of his favorite books...

An UnderArmour jacket...

Aaaaaand.....

A cell phone. I know, I know...

The week before, NaNe and PaPa came and we had a small celebration with them as well.

Happy 13th Robbie!

A relaxing football game

2009-11-18T11:44:00.000-08:00

Mom and Dad came to our first playoff football game vs Karnes City last Friday night. I have to say - it was the most enjoyable football game I've attended this year. Livi was completely entertained by NaNe and PaPa. No climbing on my belly, no going up and down the stairs, no squealing when the raisins run out, etc.

Hmmmm...... what is that in Livi's mouth? Looks like she's enjoying whatever it is.

Ah, its a Snickers bar, courtesy of NaNe.

Blanco won 53-0 and I enjoyed most of the game. Now, how to convince Mom and Dad they need to come to all of Jeff's basketball games? Ha!

Blanco plays in the Regional playoff game vs. Rogers this Friday, Nov. 20th at The Palace in Round Rock, Tx. Kickoff is 7:30 pm.

Info on the stadium, parking, tickets can be found here -

http://www.roundrockisd.org/docs/parmer_stadium_prochure.pdf

Emma's Big Play Debut!

2009-11-16T09:03:00.000-08:00

Here she is - our newest actress!

Emmalee had her debut in the high school's fall production of The Rivers and Ravines. She did a fantastic job! We are so proud of how well she did - teachers, students, and people from town can't stop talking about how impressed they were with Emma's performance.

Mom and Dad came up to see her on the second night - they loved the show as well!

Emma and I after opening night.

And here she is with Jesse T. - her play "husband" ;)

We are so proud of Emmalee - she has really started blooming the past few years. For the second straight 6 weeks in a row she has made the A/B Honor Roll - not an easy feat with Chemistry and Geometry on the schedule. She did well in volleyball, is about to start golf and wowed everyone with her acting abilities! Such a great daughter!

Livi and her best friend

2009-11-10T13:22:00.001-08:00

Getting two 20 month old girls to pose together for a picture is nearly impossible... especially when there are cheerleaders, candy and old women cooing over them the whole time.

This is about as close as we got.

They go to daycare together and their brothers' are in the same class - so these two see a lot of eachother. What started off as a rivalry has now turned into a friendship.
So cute!

7th Grade Panthers - undefeated!!

2009-11-06T07:35:00.000-08:00

Congrats to the 7th grade Blanco Panther football team! They had an undefeated season for 2009 - they finished off the Harper Longhorns last night 0-18.

This was Coach Mouser's last game - he'll be retiring at the end of this year... next fall while the boys are getting all sweaty practicing in 1st period, he'll be sitting on his backporch reading the paper and sipping coffee.

Here is The Coach and The Boy. Why can't The Coach smile?

Pick Six in action!

Robbie and Dylan - their first (of hopefully many more) undefeated season together.

Sonogram pics for Baby4!

2009-11-03T07:08:00.000-08:00

I have to start out by saying this baby moves more than any of my other 3! There is constant kicking, squirming and dancing going on in my tummy... and in this picture we could even see the baby's mouth moving! He/She was saying 'hi!' to Mommy!

Here is a really good profile of the face... again, I already think he/she looks like Daddy.

This was cute to watch - Baby4 is playing with his/her toes. He/she kept grabbing at the foot and wiggling around...

And one last pic of the face!

Even the U/S tech commented on how much the baby was moving - she had a hard time getting clear pics and had to re-do her measurments a few times because the baby would jump around so much.

But the news was great! Baby4 is perfectly healthy and growing right on schedule :)

Halloween 09!!!

2009-11-02T08:18:00.001-08:00

Livi was an elephant for her first year of Trick-or-Treating.

She was all ready! She would say "Tick Teet," although it was a very quiet mumble.

But she would say "Thank You" as we turned and walked off. Then she would wave goodbye. How sweet!

Here she is with her Daddy. She held our hands the whole time and walked to nearly every house. Only at the end did she get tired.

She wasn't too sure about this lady. She was trying to give her a spider ring. "I want candy!! Not some stupid ring!"

Say "Cheese!"

It was time to head home and Daddy volunteered to carry her back to the car.

And of course we have to throw a fit for the only picture I tried to make her pose for... yep, its time to go home for sure.

My Halloween costume

2009-10-30T09:50:00.001-07:00

I don't look pregnant, I look bloated. Ugh.

So excuse the frumpiness, but if you look closely, you can see Baby4 making his/her Halloween debut.

Everyone asks if I painted the costume myself... ha! Um, no. I have no artistic ability whatsoever. Which is sad, because both of my parents are incredible artists. It skipped me for some reason.

So, no, I borrowed the sweatshirt from a much more artistic friend.

And just for reference - here is my Halloween costume from 2007. I left the ribbon off of this year's costume... since Baby4 is going to be a surprise. Emma wanted to add a green ribbon to baby skeleton's head, but I vetoed it. If Baby4 turns out a boy, he wouldn't have appreciated a ribbon in his hair regardless of the color.

Pep Rally!

2009-10-29T10:49:00.000-07:00

Assume the position.

Why do all football boys stand the same way at pep rallys? Is there a manual, a diagram, a contract that they must sign agreeing that they all stand with their arms folded around the middle looking completely bored?

Here is Robbie with his best friend Dylan. Looking bored.

Come on boys! The girls are cheering for ya'll! Get into it!

Bump, Set, Spike

2009-10-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

Finally! Some pics of Emma playing volleyball.

I don't know why its so difficult for me to get volleyball pics - but very few of the dozens I shot turned out. There always seems to be someone that steps right into the photo at the wrong time.

So I made her pose for one... yeah, she was happy about that. LOL!

Getting ready to serve...

Serving again - these seem to be the only ones that turn out. I guess because she is standing at the back by herself.

Yay! Finally one of her not serving. But she's coming off the floor.

sigh... oh well, maybe I'll get some next year ;)

Pumpkin Carving Contest

2009-10-27T06:32:00.000-07:00

Our local Dairy Queen is having a pumpkin carving contest and this is Robbie's entry. I think its pretty good!
If you're in the greater Blanco area over the next few days, swing by the DQ and drop a few coins into Robbie's cup to vote for him - he could win 10 free combo meals!
Which is 10 fewer that I have to buy on volleyball/football game night :)

It was bedtime, but Livi wanted her Robbie for a bit.

Then she decided to claim the pumpkin entry as her own... poor Robbie - he really needs a brother.

Pumpkin Patch Time!

2009-10-26T10:04:00.001-07:00

We went to Sweet Berry Farms outside of Marble Falls. It was a beautiful day and it seemed like every couple with a toddler or older decided to join us. I never seen that many strollers, Moby Wraps, slings and pregnant mommies in one place!

Livi wasn't in the smiling mood, but we did manage to trick her a few times :)

This is about as good as her smile gets nowadays.

We made it through the Kiddie Corn Maze - thanks to Robbie!

And they had goats. Livi wasn't too excited about the goats. This is as close as she would come.

But somehow her binky ended up in the goat cage. And there it stayed.

Robbie volunteered to take her on the Kiddie Barrel Train Ride. She wasn't too excited about that. Once she started her fit-throwing, neither was Robbie.

I want OUT!

But once it got underway, she calmed down. As long as she is with her Robbie, all is well.

Robbie said she even enjoyed herself.

The hayride was muddy. Robbie has prime seating here behind the tractor wheels.

I think they enjoyed themselves too....

2009-10-23T11:04:00.000-07:00

Let me start this entry by pointing out what a death-trap the Johnson City visitor stands are.... they thought they improved things by making the bleachers metal. Um... no JC, do you not see the giant gaping holes in between the seats and the foot rests? I do. And so does my 19 month old daughter.

No! Those aren't SweetTarts she's eating! Um... they're ummmm... vitamins! That's right, I'm letting her eat her vitamins.
Don't you just want to squeeze those cheeks?

And there's The Coach in the back. Watching his baby closely. Sigh. He still makes me swoon.

Another shot of my little girl (who really looks like a boy in that getup) and the insanely dangerous visitors stands. All I'm seeing is the green of the grass below.

I can't tell you how many times we had to have a cheerleader climb under the stands to retrieve a binky, camera, or other fairly important item that fell.

This is cute. :)

But she could go tumbling over the side at any moment.

Did you also notice the terrible condition of the track?

And how flimsy the handrails are?

Uh-oh! There he is. 'Pick Six.'

'Quick Six.' His nickname depends on if he is playing defense or offense.

Hee Hee... this one is really cute.

It drives his dad nuts - the way his arms flop out to the side when he runs.

Hey dude. Stop giving me instructions and pay attention to your own position. I know what I'm doing.

I nearly intercepted 2 passes this game already. Just try and catch up to that.

Oooooh, I think I broke a nail!

Cross Country and Football

2009-10-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

Robbie has been all gung-ho about joing Athletics this year. He decided to run cross country and play football. Only one problem, cross country practice is at 6:15 in the morning. But Jeff has been getting up and taking Robbie to practice 4 days a week since the middle of August. Jeff says he has film to watch, so I might as well sleep in... but I think its because he loves me. And I'm pregnant. Yes, I like to milk that point. :)

Whoops! There goes Robbie - man he is fast!

Coming in to the finish line - I'm so proud of him. You'd have to hold a gun to my head before I'd run 2 miles... much less get up early every morning and occasional Saturdays and do it for fun.

Robbie in action on the gridiron! He is #6.

Watch out Comfort! Robbie Arlitt is out for blood! He'll run circles around you, he'll leave you in his dust, he'll pound you to the ground, he'll pick off your pass!

But he also does a lot of this too ;)

Peek A Boo!

2009-10-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

I know, I know... its been awhile. But I'm back with a goal to make several new posts a week. Sounds like a plan - but is it a realistic plan? Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Here is my lovely Livi Lou playing Peek A Boo under her bed with her brother.

{{sigh}} What a darlin' face - so innocent, so full of joy, so lookin' like her Daddy. Ha!

Hope all is well with everyone - I hope to get this blog back up and running. Feel free to pass the address on to other relatives and friends.

But they especially love their Little People Farm.

2009-03-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

So cute...

Opening the presents...

2009-03-23T19:33:00.000-07:00

They loved all the presents the got....

More bullriding...

2009-03-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

Grace enjoyed the bullriding as well... she was pretty good!

Lucky Charms!

2009-03-23T19:30:00.000-07:00

Our theme for the birthday part was "Lucky Charms!" and we had shamrocks and horseshoes for decorations.

To go along with the cowboy theme, Uncle Alan set up a bullriding site for the kiddos! I even enjoyed it a bit ;)

Party time!

2009-03-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

We celebrated both Livi's and Aaron's first birthdays together at Nane and Papa's house on Sunday, March 15th. The weather wasn't really cooperating, but everything turned out so well.

Here are the honorees - trying to get the two of them to pose for a pic is harder than even imagined. :)

Happy Birthday Livi!

2009-03-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

On March 17, 2009, Olivia Alicia Akin turned one year old!

My how the past year has flown by... she is such a light in our lives. She brings us tears, smiles, laughter and utter joy. We are so blessed to have three wonderful, healthy, happy children. :)

Here is a pic of our little birthday girl showing off her teeth - she has 6!

Our Santa pic

2009-02-09T18:49:00.001-08:00

The kids met Santa at the Riverwalk. This is the first pic I have of Emma and Robbie with a Santa in a long time - this time they weren't as scared.

Livi did very well - she didn't cry at all!

Snow!

2009-02-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

We got some snow in December here in the Hill Country. We had about an inch in the back yard.

Robbie and Liv

2009-02-09T18:43:00.000-08:00

One last look at Texas Stadium...

On to Texas Stadium

2009-02-09T18:41:00.001-08:00

The Panthers got to play at Texas Stadium before it gets torn down. Here is Robbie on the field.

Robbie and Dylan at the Alamodome

2009-02-09T18:38:00.001-08:00

The Waterboys hard at work... :) Blanco beat Refugio at the Alamodome - it was a great game!

The Football Crew

2009-02-09T18:35:00.000-08:00

Mom, Dad, Aunt Johnnie and Uncle Bouggin got into the action during the football playoffs. Here they are at the Alamodome - we had so much fun with them this year! Thanks for coming to the games!

Football Fun #1

2009-02-09T18:32:00.000-08:00

Well, we had an exciting season of football this year. The Blanco Panthers made it to the Semi-Finals! It was a fun season - but very long. Here are a few pics from the season...

Here is one of Daddy and his little girl before a game.

LIfe got the best of us!

2008-11-03T20:03:00.000-08:00

Wow! Our calendar has gotten the best of us! We are sooooo busy and I have completely let this blog get away. I hope I'll be able to find some time once a week to try and update everyone on our family.
The regular district football season is over and the Panther's are the new district champs! So far we have an undefeated record of 10-0! Go Panthers!
Emmalee's volleyball season went very well as well. Her freshman team only lost 3 games and lost only 1 district game. It was so much fun to watch her and her friends play!
Robbie is enjoying life in middle school and loves his waterboy duties - he'll continue his "job" throughout the basketball season. Speaking of basketball, Jeff and Emma started practice last week, so right now we are pulling double-duty with football and basketball.
Livi is growing like a weed! She has been crawling around for a couple of months now, but she has really got the groove down lately. She can get anywhere pretty much faster than you can :) She is pulling up and standing and will walk along a couch while holding on... such a sweet baby! We are so blessed to have 3 wonderful children!
Keep in touch and I'll try my hardest to post some pics and updates a little more often!

Wow! We must have gotten busy...

2008-09-20T05:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the giant gap of postings, but life has moved into super-speed with the beginning of school, football and volleyball.
Since then, so much has happened! I'll make a few posts to share some pics: The first is that Livi has learned to sit up! She can scooch all over the floor and will push herself up into a sitting position. Nothing is safe anymore - she is sooooo close to crawling, but can get anywhere she needs to - and fast! :)

Great Great Aunt Mable and Uncle Eddy

2008-08-11T16:43:00.001-07:00

Livi is sitting with her Great Great Aunt Mabel and Great Great Uncle Eddy. They came in for the parish picnic, and I'm so glad we got to see them and pose for pictures!

We had fun at the parish picnic!

2008-08-10T20:07:00.000-07:00

We didn't get to stay as long as we would have liked - or as long as we usually do, but visiting with family and friends is always nice! Here, Livi and Aaron are kicking back on their pallet enjoying the auction.

Aaron has a faux hawk!

2008-08-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

His mom ran to the store the other day and Aunt Carrie and I couldn't resist! Now, if we could only convince his parents to dye the hair purple and give him some feather earrings! :)

Avacados - yum... maybe!

2008-07-31T15:16:00.000-07:00

Livi's first real food was avacados... a true Texan at heart! She ate them well enough, but we paid for it later! :)

Robbie liked the Dominion too!

2008-07-31T15:11:00.001-07:00

He ususally ran around the rough looking for lost golf balls and checking out the fish and turtles in the water hazards. Next year, he'll play too!

Emma at the Dominion

2008-07-31T14:56:00.000-07:00

Emma had a great summer of golf. She played at Alamo CC twice, Schriener CC in Kerville, Fair Oaks and the Dominion. We had so much fun watching her and we got to see some really great courses. It was a great chance to for Emma to get some tournament experience. She won 1st place at 3 tournaments, a 3rd and a 2nd place.

Her first food - rice cereal!

2008-07-31T14:48:00.000-07:00

She did so well and continues to love solid food. She eats like a champ! Already she begins to lean in for the spoon and always opens wide. The first few bites were a bit messy, but now she knows the good stuff goes in the mouth!

4 months old!

2008-07-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

Livi's feet kick up as soon as you lay her down, so you can see Jeff's hands holding her legs in place for this picture. Ha! :) She is growing so fast! She is such a good girl - we are always on the go, but Livi seems to take everything in stride. I hope that continues throughout football and basketball season. Her 4 month wakeful period is starting to wane a bit, she is only waking up 1 time a night instead of 2 or 3. She love attention, and as long as she is in the middle of any action, she'll just sit and watch and enjoy life! So beautiful and how blessed we are!

Awwww! Too cute!

2008-07-22T16:30:00.000-07:00

Here are the girls at Bennigan's last Friday. We were school shopping and they were both having lots of fun!

Livi and her mom

2008-07-22T16:27:00.000-07:00

Finally! I made a picture! ;) Jeff decided to pick up the camera the other day and I was so happy to find myself on the other end of the lens for a change. I don't have too many of her and I together, and I thought this one turned out nice.

17 weeks old!

2008-07-22T16:23:00.000-07:00

I can really see how much Livi looks like her Daddy in this picture. :) She is babbling up a storm, eating cereal, grabbing for toys and scooching all over. We love her so much!

NaNe and Livi

2008-07-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

I just thought this was a cute picture!

Her first dip in the Frio!

2008-07-22T15:57:00.000-07:00

OOOOH! It was cold! Livi seemed to tolerate it for a bit, but didn't want to spend too much time in there. We spent 3 days at the Frio with NaNe and PaPa, the Migls and the Sofkas. We had so much fun splashing around in the river, playing Bolo Golf and SkipBo. Can't wait until next year!

First Cereal

2008-07-22T15:48:00.000-07:00

Livi had a taste of her first cereal last week. She did pretty good, considering it was the first time she used a spoon. She's a regular feeding champ now! She'll open her mouth when any eating utensil is put near her mouth!

16 weeks!

2008-07-11T14:54:00.001-07:00

At 16 weeks Livi has found her feet and likes to suck on them all the time, she is sitting very pretty in her Bumbo or other support chair, has really found her voice (see post above) and is slowly learning to go to sleep by herself.

She is such a wonderful joy in our lives!

Livi loves her Johnny Jumper!

2008-07-11T14:48:00.000-07:00

We put her in the Johnny Jumper a few weeks ago and she wasn't quite big enough... so we waited and tried again yesterday. She loved it! She bounced and bounced and twirled around... it looks like this will be a staple in our entertainment bag. :)

My two girls...

2008-07-07T19:16:00.000-07:00

... aren't they cute!

Happy Fourth of July!

2008-07-07T19:13:00.001-07:00

We missed Robbie so much, but Livi and Emma posed for this picture. Both are wearing their red, white and blue! Happy Independance Day everyone!

Emma's ears are pierced!

2008-07-07T19:09:00.000-07:00

Finally! It took years and years of beggin, cajoling, bribing, and encouraging - finally we have earrings. She only cried a bit, mostly from fear, but soon realized that it wasn't that big of a deal after all! Yea for Emma!

15 weeks!

2008-07-07T19:03:00.000-07:00

She's outgrowing all of her newborn and 0-3 month outfits. If you look close, you can see her stretching this outfit to the seams :) Such a cute, good baby! She loves to smile and has discovered how to cough this week. At first we were worried she might be getting sick, but soon realized its her way of letting us know she wants attention! :)

Let's try a video

2008-06-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

Let's see if a video will post - here are Livi and Aaron again.

And they're off!

2008-06-30T20:19:00.001-07:00

I thought I'd post a before pic... stayed tuned for the after. :)

Packing everything up

2008-06-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

I should have taken this picture a few hours earlier - camping gear was everywhere! Robbie, PaPa, Uncle Jerry and Uncle Buddy are taking a canoe/camping trip to Canada. Robbie was so excited, he could barely contain himself.

He was worried about the bears. We told him that he didn't have to outrun the bears - He just had to outrun his uncles! :)

Her new favorite thing...

2008-06-30T15:46:00.001-07:00

... is hanging her feet in the air! For some reason, this position is the one that Livi loves the most. She finds herself entertained by a toy or a smiling face and BOOM! her feet go straight up!

14 weeks old!

2008-06-30T15:40:00.001-07:00

And she rolls and rolls.... she started rolling tummy to back a few weeks ago (I posted about that), but now she rolls back to tummy - which is much harder. She drools all day and constantly tries to put her hands, toys, etc into her mouth. We are wondering if she'll start teething soon. She reaches and grabs for items now - she hasn't perfected it, but definately makes a grab at everything! Livi is growing up too fast! :)

It was a great weekend!

2008-06-23T17:36:00.000-07:00

It was so much fun to spend time with the whole family!

Playin' Hide and Seek

2008-06-23T17:26:00.001-07:00

Grace and Brianna were hiding underneath the picnic table yelling, "I'm stuck! I'm stuck!" I thought the pic was too cute not to post!

Livi Swims!!!

2008-06-23T16:55:00.001-07:00

well, not really - but she did have her first dip in PaPa and NaNe's pool this past weekend. She did well for the first 3 or 4 minutes, but it was nap time and she didn't last too long. That's OK - I'm sure she'll spend plenty of time in there for many more summers.

Six Flags Fun!

2008-06-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

We had a fun day at Fiesta Texas last Thursday... Dylan joined us and rode his first roller coaster! Here are Dylan, Robbie and Emma waiting in line to ride Overboard! - I think they rode it 4 times :)

3 months old!

2008-06-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

My how the time flies!!! My baby girl is 3 months old already. She has been busy rolling over, cooing and gurgling, playing with her hands and feet, drooling and sucking on her fingers. That's her favorite thing to do - her fingers and hands are in her mouth all the time! She has outgrown her newborn clothes and has moved into the 3-6 month group. Such a beautiful baby - we love her so much!

I'm not happy, Mommy!

2008-06-18T14:50:00.001-07:00

This is the first frown I've seen on Livi during bathtime since the day she was born. Bathtime is ususally her favorite time of day - but this day Livi was trying to take a nap but was fussy with gas. So I got the great idea to try and calm her down with a bath. No good! She just wanted to go to sleep - The frown remained on her face the entire time. She wanted out! No worries, by the next bath the smiles reappeared and bathtime was fun again!

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-18T14:47:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day to Daddy, PaPa, and PaPaw! Hope your week is wonderful... we love you!

Livi and Addi

2008-06-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

Livi met her new cousin Addi Akin last week at Aunt Jamie's house. Addi is 11 mos old and we're sure that she and Livi will be fast friends. Welcome to Texas Aunt Julie and Addi!

She was so proud of herself! Surprise!

2008-06-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

Livi has started rolling a bit this week. I haven't made too big a deal of it, because its been mostly accidental. She sleeps on her tummy, so anytime she gets agitated there is potential for a roll.

So, while I was Ebaying this morning, Livi was napping across the room in her bed. She was being fussy and not sleeping very well... I kept having to get up and give her her binki, put my hand on her back, etc. Finally, she just started gurggling and cooing, so I stopped and watched her for a moment. All of a sudden, she just rolled right on over, looked me straight in the eye, and broke into the widest smile. She was so proud of herself - and she was so proud of the 'little' gift she left me! :)

11 weeks old!

2008-06-11T16:44:00.003-07:00

Last week Livi was 11 weeks old! Time flies... she is getting so big - I sorta miss my little newborn. She barely fits on my lap when I'm feeding her :(

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

2008-06-11T16:20:00.000-07:00

Livi is a'rollin'! The first couple of times you think it was an accident... but she seems to be doing it pretty good now!

The Brave Ones

2008-06-11T16:14:00.000-07:00

Here are the courageous helicopter riders!

50 dollars is 50 dollars...

2008-06-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

... inside joke! NaNe finally got to ride in a helicopter! They had helicopter rides at Tom Tom and NaNe found a bargain. She and Emmalee and Katherine rode for only $20 each. I didn't get a good shot of her inside, but here she is exiting. Robbie, Trey Elizondo and I followed in the next helicopter. It was a fabulous ride!

Tom Tom Parade

2008-06-11T15:56:00.000-07:00

Livi made her first Tom Tom parade this past weekend... she slept through most of it, but she was there! She didn't like the sirens and horns, but the rest of parade was fine. Here she is with her Great Aunt Bonnie holding her next to cousin Vicky and Homer!

Aunt Carrie and Uncle Clement are in the back...

Scary Movies with NaNe

2008-06-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

NaNe has always had a bad habit of letting her grandchildren watch scarey movies, then sending them home with me to deal with the nightmares. :) She is now inducting Livi into the mix... here is the 4 of them watching Disturbia at her house last weekend.

Chillin' in her Bumbo!

2008-06-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

We've started putting Livi in her Bumbo for a few minutes at a time. She loves it! She's upright and can see all that goes on.... but her head isn't quite strong enough to last a long time, so we have to take her out.

I've been lax on my posts recently. I had to go back to work for the last week of school and then lost my USB cord... I found it and so we're back online! Sorry for the interruption - I'll be posting several tonight to catch up!

10 weeks old...

2008-05-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

Livi has had a fun week with NaNe! She came up to Blanco to babysit for us while I returned to work this last week. It was hard leaving Livi for the first time, but I knew she was in the best hands. I think NaNe enjoyed herself too... :)

Livi looks a bit grumpy in this picture - we couldn't get her to smile. I think it was because we had just taken her out of the bath!

Happy Livi!

2008-05-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

She has the brightest smile - here is another picture of her laying out at Fiesta Texas. Everyone comments on her big, beautiful eyes.

Mommy and her baby

2008-05-28T18:35:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd post this pic of Livi and I... I like it! :)

9 weeks old...

2008-05-28T18:30:00.000-07:00

... look at my little baby growing! She is so good. She still has reflux, but it seems to be getting a bit better. She only cries when she's hungry or when we're not paying enough attention to her! :) We love Livi!

Fiesta Texas!

2008-05-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

Livi and I joined Emmalee and her classmates last Wednesday for their 8th grade trip to Feista Texas. The kids had so much fun and Livi was such a good baby. She and I camped out in the shade most of the day, but I did get to sneak away for a bit for one ride. Emmalee actually rode the roller coasters and the log ride - an achievment on its own! It was such a good day!

Two months old!

2008-05-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

Here is Livi wearing her 12 mos onesie... still quite a bit big on her. At two months Livi weighed 10.5 lbs. and was 22.75 inches long! She is growing so fast... she is really starting to try and roll. If you lay her down on her tummy, she'll scooch herself all over. She is smiling and interacting with anyone who'll pay her attention. She loves company!

Jeff and the Babies

2008-05-28T18:11:00.001-07:00

I don't know who is happier - Jeff or the babies... they all look pretty comfortable!