Dragon Night at the Rangers Game

The Rangers were cheered on by lots of Dragon fans tonight.  It was Southlake Carroll ISD's night at the ballpark.  It was an awesome game, and we all had so much fun.  We stayed for the entire game and enjoyed the firework show afterwards.   

Christmas Cards

Love, love, love our Christmas cards.  I am so pleased at how well they came out.  What's even better? I have them early, and there is no stress with a photography delay.  I think this is the first year there hasn't been some sort of issue.

Perfection

Today was a big shift.  Ridley was happy and fun to be around, after a few rough days.  Not a great picture of me, but it is a great one of her smiling.  

We played on the beach all day, enjoying the sand and water.  Pure relaxing perfection!

All Smiles

Even with multiple trips to the ballpark to watch her brothers play baseball, Ridley is a happy girl.  We have been super busy this weekend, and she has been drug around to all the activities.  We love her happy go lucky attitude, and how giggly she is.

Blastball

Reed loves blastball!  

He has been wanting to get the game ball for weeks, and today was his turn.  He was very proud and eager to show off his prize.  

Happy

Who is happy?  Ridley helped me work today, so we set up shop in my office floor.  She had her play mat and animals, and I sat on the floor by her and answered emails.  

Her happy spirit is infectious, even in the most boring of tasks.

Celebrating Christmas

We started our Christmas celebrations with family this weekend.  We had a full house with family and three dogs.  Ryland and Reed were really into the gift exchange this year, and they were excited to open presets.  They were pretty patient when others were opening as well.  

I love that Doodle was waiting patiently to see what was in the box.

The boys tore into the gifts.  What will it be? 

The sleeping bags were a bit hit, and now they are ready to go camping or hunting.  They wanted to try them out tonight, so it looks like it will be a pallet party in the game room.  

It's a GIRL!

It is confirmed.  It is a baby girl!  I had my big ultrasound appointment today at my doctor's office, and it is now official.  I still can't wrap my head around the news.  I think this is shock.

 

Pity Pantry

I have been complaining about my pantry for years.  The shelves are pulling away from the walls, and there is no flexibility for larger or smaller items.  I have been planning on starting over and installing an Elfa system, but I just hadn't pulled the plug and made the investment. 

After the ultrasound appointment, I guess John Chris was feeling sorry for me since chances are we are adding another boy to the family.  He actually suggested going home and starting the pantry project.  I lovingly call this my pity pantry.

 

Before

 

After

 

 

Before

 

After

 

Before

 

 

After

 

I love the final product.  The shelves are all adjustable, so I can move them depending on what we have in stock.  This will be really handy after a trip to Sam's.  My favorite part has to be the drawers on the left.  I love the flexibility and the accessibility they offer.  Everything is off the floor, which makes it easy to sweep and mop, and we now have a spot for the broom and dust pan inside. No more walking out in the garage.  John Chris added a light in the back of the pantry, so I can see all the large serving pieces and appliances.  I love it!

End of the day

What better way to end the day?  Ride off naked into the sunset.  I am not sure why every day ends the same way, which is both boys naked and happy, but it's not bad.

Happy Meal

The many happy things you get with a Happy Meal. Who knew a hat was included?

Happy to be home

What a grin! I try to catch him smiling and take a picture, but the minute the camera comes out he hides his face or stops smiling. Today, he was happy as a lark. He told me a thousand times how he was happy to be home. I am sure I told him a thousand and one times how happy I was that he was home. He had a blast playing with all his toys and being silly.
I think Reed was happy to be home as well. I missed him so much. We all had a great day of playing and laughing.
I am so happy they are home.

New windows

The new windows are in, and they are being installed tomorrow. I am thrilled beyond words. These hideous windows have bothered me since we purchased the house months ago. We gathered estimates of replacing the glass, and it was harsh. We elected to go ahead and install new energy efficient windows instead of the glass replacement. It cost us more, but we really wanted to get more energy benefits. We replaced the 4 in the family room, Ryland's room, and the 2 in the game room. If they make a big difference in energy conservation we are planning on replacing all of them. Needless to say, I was happy to say bye, bye.
Yuck, I have kept the plantations shutters closed on these back windows to avoid looking at the nasty mess.

Beautiful!!!!!! I am beyond words right now. I just love the clean, crisp glass. Hooray!

This is the view from the outside before the replacement.

This is the new view. Don't they look amazing! I am sad that we had to hold off on our Anguilla vacation, but the gorgeous things might just be worth it!

Swinging

Do you think Ryland loves his new play set? He could swing for hours. We are really enjoying the beautiful weather and taking every opportunity to play outside.

Diaper box fun

Who needs toys when you have a diaper box to play with? After a nap and a snack, Ryland is in a much better mood. I think the Spongebob bandage helped him forget about his head injury.

Cooper is never far from the fun. Ryland tried to talk him into getting in the box, but Cooper wasn't interested.

Good mood morning

One of the best places to play at our house right now is behind the Christmas tree. This morning Ryland was in a silly mood, and we found him covered up playing under the tree.

The boys love to watch a little TV in the mornings. They just can't pass up Spongebob. I love how Ryland has covered up Cooper.

Finished master bedroom

The master bedroom is finished. Hooray! We put the final touches on some little projects and wrapped up the first completely finished room in the house. We removed the carpet and pad, installed hardwood floors, painted, new baseboard, replaced electrical switches, new ceiling fan, white recessed light cans with new bulbs, cleaned and repainted all vents, and then added all our furniture. The after pictures are taken at night, but the room does have a warmer, cozier feel. The wall color looks fresh and clean during the day with the plantation shutters open. We are very pleased with the end result. On to the rest of the house....
AFTER


AFTER

BEFORE

Happiness in the mess

When I look around this mess of a house that we call home, I can get overwhelmed very easily. I just have to stop and take a deep breath. It doesn't seem to bother Ryland one bit. In fact, I think he kind of likes all the stuff everywhere, and the fun tools and supplies scattered about.
Ryland is happy no matter how bad it is. This look is one of total mischief. What will he be in next?

We are having a boy!

We had a 3D ultrasound this evening to find out the baby's gender, and we are having a boy! It was a wonderful experience, and we couldn't ask for better news. The baby didn't want to cooperate at first, so he wouldn't move to another position to give us a look. The ultrasound tech started lightly pushing on my stomach to move the baby. Ryland was standing on the stool right beside me, so he started poking my stomach also. It was his first few whacks to baby brother to show him who is the boss. It worked. The baby repositioned, so we could clearly see a penis. John Chris and I expected a boy and are excited about our growing sports team.

We finally have a fridge! Amen!

Yes, we have been living in this messy cluster without a fridge. Two weeks of fast food and junk has us craving a real meal. We didn't expect to be without a fridge, because the previous owner was supposed to leave the fridge. Surprise! She decided to take it with her.
Oh well, we ended up purchasing a super cool Electrolux. I don't think we have ever seen a more beautiful fridge. It was so great to dump out the ice chest and go buy groceries.