Weekend Wind Down

Highlights of our weekend in Dallas...

{Dining Here} for our 8 year anniversary. Mmmmmmmm

{Sitting in HERE} for the inaugural event at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium.

Can I just say that this place is amazing...I think the $1.1 billion price tag proves that, but none the less it is first class from top to bottom!

From the largest retractable roof in the world to the sheer capacity of 100,000 people it's a marvel. Thanks to Mr. Jerry Jones for keeping up the notion that, "Everything is bigger in Texas."

I was the first person EVER to sit in seat 5 section C333 for the concert!!!

{Staring At This} The King of Country Music!!!! Our seats were smack dab in the middle of the largest HD television screen in the world, that's right kiddies, IN. THE. WORLD.

Yeah, I know...you can hate. me. now.

Dear George,

It makes my heart happy that you don't resort to strobe lights, pyrotechnics, or stage dancers to draw a crowd at your shows. A man, a guitar, and a band singing hit after hit is all fans really want anyhow. You are living proof that a man can get better looking with age...love ya George!!!! {blush} Be still my heart!

{Listening To Him} he's got some good music out and he's not too hard on the eyes either!

P.S. This weekend brought to you by Nani and Papa...without their grandchild sitting, none of this would have been possible :) xoxoxo

roger that...

Steve and Cade had the incredible opportunity to visit the Ft. Hood air field this past week with the operations manager there named, Rich. (He just happens to be on our HOA board with Steve as well)

He allowed the boys to get up close and personal with an Apache helicopter while touring the facility! I was impressed my little pilot was actually brave enough to be lifted into the cock pit!

Thanks Rich for an exciting afternoon and for sending us these snapshots to share!

No Memory (literally & figuratively) and a story

During our last trip to Dallas, I left my camera at my parent's home! I had so many cute Valentine pictures to post, stories to tell, memories to record, but alas they are all stuck in the "BIG D" on my Canon Rebel's memory card.


Darn it.


So I will leave you with a story...that I did have a photo to go with...but you'll just have to settle for the story folks.


My Dad, Cade and I are driving back to Nani and Papa's house one evening after he spent the afternoon with Aunt Manda and Uncle Cody!


Cade- Mommy, look at that!



Me- Look at what?



Cade- Up there, in the sky.



Me- (spotting airplane lights moving across the sky) Oh the lights?



Cade- Yeah Mommy, it's Jesus.



Me- You think?



Cade- Yes, he's headed to bed in the clouds.



Me- Why is he flashing?



Cade- So the birds won't run into him.

Gotta love the ingenuity of a 4 year old.

I really miss updating the blog! Badly...

Hopefully, I'll be back in business soon! You'll have to bear with me...no pics and all :)

Blogging so FINE in 2 DOUBLE 0-0-9

THANK YOU to my sweet friend Kristi who designed a new look to go with our new family picture for '09!

If your blog is needing some New Year love or if you've been thinking of joining us here in blogland, you can visit Kristi at http://www.kristiskringles.blogspot.com/. She's wonderful to work with and offers some of the best rates on the net! Happy Blogging in 2009!



I'm looking forward to seeing my new blog everyday...well, maybe every other day...errr, every two days....okay, who am I kidding....whenever I can steal a few precious moments away from the kiddos to type an update! Let's just be honest here.

Ice, Ice Baby

Okay kids...I know we live in Texas, BUT 80 degrees and air conditioning on Saturday and 2 days later 30 degrees and I-C-E on my front tree limbs!!!!?!?? Proof...

So what are all of y'all doing on this cold icy day?

Jot me a comment and let us know!!

ICKY-SICKY

Well...we have all survived the stomach bug of 2008! Heaven help us, it was a nasty little thing but we're still here, a few pounds lighter, but here alright!

Our saga began last Wednesday night, on our way to Luby's (Cade's pick) for dinner he was sitting in his car seat and complained of a stomachache! Then he said, Mommy I think I'm just hungry. Which seemed to me quite plausible because he HADN'T eaten a snack that afternoon so I brushed it off. We arrive at Luby's, order, eat with no issues! Head out to church and on the way there he says again, my tummy hurts! So of course, I say we'll let's go home and see how you feel. To that he replies, Mommy I think I just need to go potty and then it will be okay. Again plausible, because this DOES aleve his "stomach issues" 9 times out of 10. Oh but the story is only beginning, about half way though bible class, his teacher Ms. Melissa comes in to get me saying he's complaining of a stomachache! I rush down there to find him standing in front of the trash can, pale as a sheet, gripping is tummy like there's no tomorrow! No puke luckily but he hadn't TOUCHED his snack during class which is VERY unlike Mr. Cade. My antennae immediately went up that something wasn't right. I pick up Gracie and we head home in the van. As soon as we step in the door he throws himself on the tile floor in the kitchen and says Mommy I'm gonna be sick....

Of course I blurt out, AHHHHHH...go to the bathroom QUICK!!!!

I'm holding Gracyn in one arm, trying to lead him to the potty with the other. Meanwhile, Dad is parking his ride in the driveway. Shortly there after...about 5 seconds... began a series of "icky-sicky" episodes that lasted through the night to the early morning. I ended up sleeping in his bed to help him. We were up almost every hour. Then around 4 AM the stomach pangs hit me! Oh goodness gracious....Dad stayed home from work half the day on Thursday to "nurse" us. My Mom and Granddad came in that afternoon. Steve had scheduled my Granddad that Friday to do some dental work. Mom took care of everyone while I was down and out! Believe it or not, Mom & Gracyn NEVER got sick, but Steve and my 81 year old Granddad...not so lucky. Steve got sick on Friday evening and PaPaw followed early, early Saturday morning!!!! If you have lost count, that's FOUR people who caught this nasty, horrible bug. It was a 24 hour virus, but man when those 24 were over we felt totally sluggish, weak, tired, and beat down.

We are all 4 well now, thanks to the help of phenergan (nausea medication), Gatorade, more phenergan, dry toast, and saltine crackers!

Signing off,

Happy to be Bug Free

2 Adults + 5 Kids = Lucky 7

Recently our friends the Locklins let their fun lovin' kiddos come spend the night at our casa. It was the first time Cade has EVER had "kid" friends spend the night, so to say he was excited is the understatement of the year!!! We honestly had such an awesome time with them! They are truly a neat mix of kids. We spent the night gorging ourselves on pizza, guzzling lemonade, dunkin' cookies, playing golf, hitting baseballs, sharing toys, bowling on the Wii and watching BEE movie! When the sun rose the next morning, everyone was eager to help out in the kitchen making their own individual servings of monkey bread for breakfast! Locklin Crew you're welcome anytime here at Casita de Alaniz...the more the merrier!

Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here

Learning the ropes

Now it's Ray's turn

It's ON little brother!!Mr. Captive Audience
Our own future Cirque du Soleil performer practicing his balancing act

Boxing Action... the SuSpEnSe...is killing me

BEE movie timeGracie...right in the mix of thingsBeD HeAdS

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

My camera has returned via my Mom! Ahhh, I am so happy to have my Canon Rebel at my beck and call once again. I am going to upload LOTS of pictures from our recent weekend visit to Dallas and of my playroom project...the ragamuffin garland!

WARNING
Obnoxious Amount of Pictures to follow...

A Reading Buddy

A BIG FIVE-O

My first Garland!

mixture of fabrics, burlaps, ribbons, treasures and pictures :)

Treasures hidden within...

Just Passing Through

How good is it to see old friends?

GREAT, I TELL YOU!!!

Our long time friends The Riggs family stopped in to visit us at Casita de Alaniz today on their way home to Dallas. They spent their weekend in San Marcus, back to school (YIKES...the dreaded S-word) at the outlet mall. We got a chance to sit back, relax, visit, catch up and reminisce about old times! Kay co-taught with me in Kindergarten for 3 years while I was at Brown, but I've known her since 1999 when I had the privilege of teaching her youngest daughter Ashlyn in kindergarten!!! I adore Kay and her sweet family! She is funny, intuitive, organized, caring, a good cook, full of contagious laughter, easy going, a good listener, understanding, joyful, gentle, and one of my sweetest and dearest friends in the world. Thank you Riggs family for stopping in to visit with little 'ole me and my chick-a-dees! We are continually blessed by your friendship and love!

Summer Storm

We had a TERRIBLE storm hit yesterday! We had very high winds, driving rain and a major lightening display. Of course all this blew in right on the cusp of laying the kids down for naps, luckily they're fairly sound sleepers and slept through it all...THANKFULLY!!!

Check out the aftermath in our backyard

YES...the winds pushed half of our 40 lb. stainless steel grill off the patio & completely toppled Cade's swing set.

Steve, Cade and I spent the rest of the evening dismantling the swing set! It's been through a cross country move, a wind funnel cloud (which happened right after we moved in), and now a summer storm! Poor thing, we put him out of his misery...may all his pieces rest in peace....in Lake Belton.

Ballard Design Sweepstakes

Anyone want to win $25,000 in awesome home furnishings? Then go to Ballard Designs and register today!!! You can register to win once per day for the remainder of the contest! We take their catalog and they really have some neat decorative things and home furnishings! Just thought I'd share the wealth...I've been signing in EVERYDAY hoping to win.