James' New Blackout Curtain Project!

 

Gma is one of the most talented people I know.  When it comes to a needle and thread...she can do anything. Whenever anything needs to be fixed Darrell's first words are "I bet your mom can do it!" And basically he is right.  From sewing pant hems, holes in tree house roofs, to trampoline safety nets...she has fixed them all. Not to mention she makes the most beautiful blanket quilts among a ton of other things.

Well when she found out that her only grandson's room is the brightest and hottest because of the setting sun that shines through it everyday, she got the idea to make a blackout curtain.  This curtain turned out gorgeous, matching James' room decor with balls of every sport highlighted in stars. So last week, during Dad's meetings in Houston, they stopped by to set it up.  And wow! What a project that was!  Four hours and a dinner later, the black out curtain project was completed.

And did I mention that the next morning, James slept into the late morning hours for the first time in a long time. His room is cool, dark and sooooo comfortable now that the heat and light is blocked out.

Then it was time for good ol' snuggling with the grandkids. Ahhhh, this is what it's all about!

 Thanks so much, Gma and Papa!

Sand, Sun, Beach!

Well summer is officially here and the Higgins' believe the only way to get it started is to make a run for the beach. Galveston may not be the most beautiful beach in the world, but it is only 45 minutes from our doorstep and well...it's the beach!

This beach gathering involved friends and family all meeting up Memorial weekend at Surfside.  The older girl cousings hung out in the water while the younger cousins used their creative juices building sand castles. Aidan and James teamed up for a good while trying to keep the mote full of water. So cute!

And the Trumpet Sounds!

Ashlee finished the school year off with a fabulous performance by her award winning Symphonic Band.  They put on a Spring Concert in the high school auditorium that was music to my ears. Playing songs like "Superheroes R Us" and "Highlights of Harry Potter."  "Engines of Resistance" was my personal favorite, highlighting the brass instruments.  Ashlee plays the trumpet and is very good...so good that she made the Honors Band for next year. Woo hoo!

James the Camera Ham!

I wanted to get a picture of James' new car seat that I purchased after my recent car accident...don't worry! Nobody got hurt!  I just felt that it was better to be on the safe side by getting a new one rather than to keep the one that had been jerked around a bit. Yes, I can be one of those paranoid moms when it comes to my baby's safety. But in reality...it was a win, win situation because James was rapidly outgrowing his old one anyways.

I looked online at these Britax seats which I heard were the best...ummm, yeah and the most expensive!  But I was able to score this bad boy off of our neighborhood yahoo group. A lady around the block just so happen to be selling a slightly used one for a third of the cost!  Needless to say I jumped on the opportunity and hence the photography shoot.

Anyhoo, James is a real ham these days when it comes to self portraits. "Look at me Mommy, Look at me!"

"Take my picture, Mommy!" And thanks to digital cameras the child knows he can instantly see his funny faces. "Let me see, let me see...ME!"

 Personally my favorite!

We Love Mimi Powell!

Spending time with our family is the most important thing to us. We don't get to do it as much as we would like, but when we do, it's always so full of love...and hugs! The Powell's took us (Ashlee and me) in as their own 5 years ago and I truly feel blessed by them. The smiles and cuddles in these pictures are the true meaning of family...holding each others love tightly. And Mimi is the one that holds us the tightest. We love her so!

Approved Workman Are Not Ashamed

 

Sydney is the only one of my kids right now in AWANA. Ashlee went through it and James will when he is old enough.  I think it is an awesome program.  It brings fun to reading the bible and memorizing scripture.

The founders of Awana derived the Awana name from the first letters of "Approved workmen are not ashamed" as taken from 2 Timothy 2:15 of the Bible. Awana helps churches and parents work together to develop spiritually strong children and youth who faithfully follow Jesus Christ. The program offers a proven approach for evangelizing and discipling kids in the church and community.

Sydney graduated this year from the first book and because of her hard work she was given the opportunity to throw a pie in the face of her favorite teacher.

She picked Mr. Max (of course). He is always goofing around...well, he's a big kid at heart and the kids love him. After careful aim, Sydney hit her target dead on! Good one Syd!!! 

Sydney Is A Decade OLD!

Our Sydney Marie turned 10 this past April...as her sister puts it "She is a decade old!"  She wanted a sleepover movie night with a few of her bestie's.  So we gathered up some of her favorites (Tangled being #1) and tide down the hatches for a night of fingernail painting, pizza, cake, and fairy tales. Even James had fun decorating his fingers and terrorizing his sisters and friends.

New York Pizzeria has a party pizza that is always fun. The slices are huge and make for great conversation and full tummies. I've never seen such happy faces!!!

I made Sydney's favorite cake...CHOCOLATE!  She was impressed with the chocolate icing topped with Nestle's candy pieces. Happy Birthday sweet girl!!!