SPRING BREAK 2009
The boys and I decided to go to Del Rio and to San Antonio this year for Spring break, we all had a great time visiting family and friends. The much needed vacation came off without any disasters. We can't wait for the next vacation to come.

Enjoy our Post

Mi Tierra Cafe is one of the more popular restaurants in San Antonio at Market Square. We went before the Spurs game, but the wait was over an hour and it would have made us late for the game, maybe on our next trip to San Antonio, besides Mi Tierra Cafe never closes!

One of the highlights to our Spring Break was going to a Spurs game. Unfortunately I was not allowed to bring my camera with my lens, so thanks to my friend Art who brought his smaller camera we were able to get these pictures....until his battery went dead. The spurs game was like one big party. Austin said it was the best day of his life.

Tony Parker in action!

Austin enjoying a picture with a Spurs pep squad member.

San Antonio Temple - March 2009

My mom and I had a great experience in the temple. A temple worker was one of the missionaries that converted our family 38 years ago in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Let me know and I'll share the awesome story.

OK, this is how the story went, on our trip to San Antonio, my little sister Linda said that she never gets to pick where we all get to eat, it's always someone else picking the location, so she was pretty adamant about where to have lunch.... Hooters!!! She said the chicken wings are the best. Well my boys have never been there and were not sure that I would ever take them there again, so they begged for a picture with a "Hooter girl"... oh and the boys each took pictures on their cell phones. They were thrilled, can you tell on their faces.

Can you believe it! My mom grows poinsettias in front of her house.

The boys and I are having a great Spring Break!

Christa Lee and Austin (cousins) had a great time during vacation having water balloon fights, and climbing grandma's roof for fun.

Mr. Will, the youngest grandchild wants to be a "Super Hero" when he grows up!

Austin demonstrating his NFL pose at Grandma's house

My mom, the boys and I shopped in Acuna, Mexico

My mom, topher and Austin getting fresh lemonade.

My idea of vacation "Counting Calories Not Allowed"....which i didn't!
Dipped Cone from DQ

TACOS ACA TOY The best tacos you will ever eat! They are roast beef crispy tacos rolled up, topped with a crema (cream), tomatillo dressing, cabbage, tomatoes, onions
and a jalapeno on the side

We eat them on the sidewalk where we buy them.

I make this stop almost everytime I come to Acuna, Mexico

Topher spent a major part of his vacation "texting"

Austin's idea of vacation on the road!

I've been looking through all my hundreds, maybe thousands of pictures that I have boxed, stored, labeled, and have found so many that are not yet put in my treasured albums. I have been out of touch with my scrapebooking hobby for so long, blame it "all" on nursing school. I am now about 3 years behind, but have all intentions in returning to a habit that I really love and miss doing. I have continued to stock up on the latest brads, eyelets, ribbon, paper, stickers, buttons, scissors, templates, flowers, chip boards, metals, epoxy, paper clips, idea magazines, etc. , did I leave anything out. I have a great craft room area, I just need to get started and "just do it". I'm thrilled to share the photos that I stored away and neglected with my family and friends.

My beautiful Brooklyn Marie at the Claydesta Building 2007

Am I a lucky "granny" or what!

Pretty little angels
Aubrey & Ayla

In my next life, I want to be a photographer, I love to take pictures, the boys have totally outgrown the "say cheese" for me. My new subjects are a little challenging, but I get so much satisfaction doing it. Truly looking thru the eyes of Love! I love my girlies and love being their granny!

Brooklyn Marie - Cute as can "B"

January Winter 2009

Aubrey Afton - Our little thinker!

Ayla Maria - Ay Que Bonita!

This last weekend the boys and I took a trip to Lubbock to visit family, John and Sue, the boys love seeing them. We didn't get there till Saturday afternoon, but was able to go to their IMAX and see a showing of "Mummies", it was very interesting. We followed it with a trip to Barnes and Nobles and Circuit City since they are going out of business. Don't rush to circuit city, everything is pretty much picked over, the only thing left is a bunch of printers and IPods that are only 15% off which isn't much of a sale to me. I am in the market for one of my own. The boys IPods have a lot of their music that I'm not too crazy about. Anyway, we had a great time visiting, eating, taking a Sunday drive to Ransom Canyon and just enjoying each others company.
Is Austin really getting that tall!
How do you like my pretty purse,
love it's size

We always have a great time when we visit John and Sue
in Lubbock

John and Sue Saunders

This is Ransom Canyon in Lubbock
There are homes all along this pond/lake, having a pond/lake in their back yards would be so awesome. Many of the homes are really large and gorgeous.

This is a home at Ransom Canyon that we saw while visiting Lubbock
It's much larger up close. What some people do when they have tons of money!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood
I love the 90 degree weather
I can wear sandals today!

It's National Pancake Day! so I treated Ayla and Aubry to pancakes at McDonalds, unfortunately Brooklyn had school today>

McDonalds has the best pancakes ever, wouldn't you agree!

Thought I'd better put the bibs on!

This was their lucky day!

I think they love pancakes.....

Because mommy and daddy say, they only get 1/2 container of syrup,
granny gets 2 containers on her pancakes.......hehehehe

The whole time they were eating, they kept saying "I love pancakes"

What is worse then working on a beautiful day.....
Being sick on a beautiful day, the weather today is in the 70's and I'm home sick in bed for the last 2 days. We went to the Hockey game in Odessa and as we were leaving, I walked between a group of smokers, and I could feel the cigarette smoke go right through me! Why I am I blogging about being sick? because secondhand smoke really makes you sick, it has me. On my way home, I started sneezing, scratching throat, my ears were itching, then the headache. How can anyone function with a headache, I can't......
Thank you to my friends who brought me homemade bread and soup.
So what do I take for a scratching throat, itching ears, stuffing nose, and headache. Where's the NyQuil when you need it.
How do you like that bed hair!

My under the weather survial kit

1. Water - Hydrate Hydrate
2. Tissues for the runny nose
   
3. Excedrin for my headache
   
4. Remote for the TV
5. Lip gloss for my dry lips
   
6. Chocolate (a cure all in my book)
7. Gotta have the Diet Coke
   

Riley bug.....is her name! She is a beagle and is the cutest dog to have. She first belonged to the Rushtons, then the Adams, back to the Rushtons, then to the Peines, and then finally back to us! Do you think she might have some identity issues, if she does, she doesn't show it. There have been times where I thought she could really use some Adderall! I open the back door and she runs in and straight to the couch, off the couch, into the living room, into the kitchen, back to the couch, then to the laundry room to check and see if sunny has any food left in her bowl. By this time, it's back outside for her. She's been a great dog, Brooklyn loves to walk her around the back, the girlies scream when they see her coming. We love having her around.

This is my cat "Sunny D2". She really is not very nice to people and my girlies are afraid of her. You might say she's a little bit of a "snob", and she will only drink RO water from the kitchen sink. She will wait a long time waiting for someone to turn it on for her to drink. She even has a bowl of RO water, but won't drink from the bowl if she doesn't have too. Last week I turned it on to let her drink and got distracted and forgot to turn it off. I ended up with no RO water left in my tank. She is one spoiled cat, but I love her....She also thinks my bed is hers!

I come home from work and there she is, in my bed under the covers. She has no shame at all.....Because she is a long haired cat, I have her shaved every couple of months, and she really hates that, she is upset for days, and hisses at her pet carrier. but it sure helps with the shedding. She looks like a poodle. She looks like a mad Tony the Tiger, wouldn't you agree......

Remembering
Zachary Steven Ashton
12/13/06 - 2/13/08

Thinking of my dear friends The Ashtons on this day: Today is one year that Heaven received a new little angel Zachary Steven Ashton, 14 months old. Zach was born 1 day before my sweet little twins. I can't believe it's been a year. I have thought of David, Gillian and the kids often. I'm wishing them all the love, comfort and peace that this loss has brought. I hate that you all have moved away and I can't be there for you all.

A year and a week ago, I remember I was in the foyer at church, Dave was holding Zach, Gillian by his side and Zach with a large sippy cup of "chocolate milk". Gillian commented on "what bad parents they were" for letting Zach have chocolate milk, and I clearly remember thinking "what a lucky boy" Zachary got to have chocolate milk. Zach was truly a lucky boy to have such wonderful, amazing, and loving parents and a grand circle of friends and family in his short life. Zachary in his mission here on earth, truly touched that grand circle of family and friends. I miss his big brown eyes, his contagious smile, his awesome feet and hands,and how he loved to hug anyone . I miss you Zach.

Giving up some control! For the last 13 years I have picked out the clothes for Topher and Austin. For a long time I use to pick out the same style but different color of the same outfits. The last couple years I have let them pick their style of clothes, yet I could "veto" any item I deemed just not right. So this year, for our "Christmas Card" photo, I told the boys they could pick anything out for our pictures. I let them loose at the store, and I would seriously let them pick and I would not have a say or could veto their choices. After about 20 minutes, they both showed up with "hats", I thought NO WAY, I said NO WAY, and they both stated that they were COOL hats. I kept my promise with a few comments under my breath, and let them have the hats. So there it is! Our 2008 Christmas Card pictures, and by the way, I have yet to see those "cool" hats since the pictures were taken!

Paul is my oldest, the one that set the tone for the rest of his brothers and sister. I had no practice as a mom, so hopefully he will forgive me for any mistakes I made. He's married to a wonderful girl named "Christina" of all names. The other boys are not allowed to marry anyone named Christina! just kidding but it sure has been hard with 2 Christina's.

This is my daughter Christina, Christina is definitely the better part of me! She does it all, she's married to a great husband, and has blessed me with 3 wonderful granddaughters.

Brendan is my so called "middle child", he is doing well in Roswell, and graduating this May and will be commissioned an officer by his older brother Paul. Brendan is 23 and loves to watch movies, just ask him how my movie DVD's he has.