Catching up with all the fun!

Let's see...the last time I blogged was the first week back to school. It is now the beginning of the 5th week and boy have we been busy. Where do I start???

I guess I'll begin with our visit to the Houston zoo on Labor Day. What a fabulous time! James is finally at the age where he really enjoyed the animals. His favorite was the dragon and elephants.
I love the Houston zoo in the fall! Not too hot, so the animals are active. We were able to see the lions and bears walking around and feeding. The girls and James were sooo excited. We will go back near Halloween time for the Boo Fest. The kids dress up in their Halloween costumes and play all kinds of informational games that involve candy! Animals, fun, and candy...what more could a kid want? *snicker*

My girlfriend Becky is having a baby anyday now. SO last weekend I hosted a baby shower for her with 5 other ol' friends; Michelle, MK, Jodi, Tasch, and Maria (Beck's friend from highschool). We held the shower at my house and it turned out beautiful. We served Becky's favorite food...enchiladas, beans and rice. We had little pinata's shaped like a pacifier and a duck. I made her a scrapbook and a diaper cake. Since she doesn't scrapbook (YET!-i'm working on her...ha!) I decided to put one together for her so that all she has to do is drop the pictures in later. I hope she get's excited about it then maybe in the future we can hang out with the kids and scrap! Fun girl time!
In the middle of all the baby fun, last Saturday I went to the Leadership Training through my church for all the kids bible study teachers. To open, Pastor Young spoke to us through a powerful message...he said that we (bible study teachers) have been called to do one of the most important things on earth...to teach children about the gospel. I had goosebumps all over my body and tears trickling down my cheeks by the time he was through speaking. I can't express what it means (or feels like) to me to see a child grow in His love...some grow more than others. You never know what an impact an adult can make in a child's life..especially at 5th and 6th grade where they are changing physically and emotionally. How Jesus fills their hearts and molds them into his image is amazing!

That's about all for now except that we have had our first "cold front" this Fall. The much needed rain brought cooler weather. The highs dropped to the mid 70's last week. The low humidity makes it really nice to play outside with the kids. The backyard toys have once again become a blessing! The kids absolutely have a ball with each other...they play so well together. We are so blessed!

First Day of School

Summer is over and it's back to the ol' grind stone. The girls were excited and nervous about their first day at school. Ashlee is in 6th grade this year and Sydney is in the 3rd grade.

Sydney actually got Ashlee's old teacher so she is happy to have the inside scoop. She knows all the in and outs of Mrs. Reyes class and expects to have a smooth sailing year.

Ashlee is in honors classes this year. She likes it so far...even though she has much more homework than last year. She has already written a creative story from rough draft to the final copy and it's only been one week. I have to say she has wonderful writing skills. The plot is full of exciting pirate adventure and the characters are so detailed you feel like you're in the story when reading it. She has had some great writing teachers, including her mom! No really, she wrote this one all by herself and it's a masterpiece if I say so myself.

So here is to a good school year. I'm sure it will fly by...making exciting memories along the way.

God is so good!

I have very exciting news to tell. This past August, Sydney decided to make a very important decision in her life. She excepted Jesus Christ as her personal savior and on August 23, 2009, she was baptized. It was a huge celebration in our church as 14 children and 2 adults were baptized that day. The baptism was held at our dear friends house in their backyard pool. It actually is the same pool that Ashlee and I were baptized in when we joined the church. We are very proud of her and are truly blessed that God has given such a beautiful child to us to raise. Every day is amazing to see her growing spirtually. God is so good!

Happy 2nd Birthday James!

Our baby boy James is growing big...FAST! We celebrated his 2 years of life this past weekend and boy was it a party! So many friends and family were able to come and so many were here in spirit! The fun began in the backyard with multiple activities. From Slip and Slides to water balloons to the famous "cold" tub to the trampoline...kids having a blast everywhere! James had his favorite cake...chocolate with Cars on top! It was a fun birthday...his first to understand and participate in...and boy did he! Take a look at our slideshow and see! Happy Birthday James!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Kids Camp

Wow! What a whirlwind of a summer! It's coming to a quick close as the kids start back to school in only 6 more days. We have had many memorable experiences and good times these past couple months. The kids have had a blast visiting relatives, playing with friends, and going to camp.

Speaking of camps, Ashlee and I (mom) just got home from kids camp. Ashlee went as a 6th grader this year and I tagged along as a 5th grade girls counselor. What an amazing opportunity that turned out to be. I think everyone should experience the blessing...not only as a child but as an adult. I remember going to a christian camp when I was a kid and wanted to give back to my kids what I received so I decided to go as a counselor. To see God's love so profoundly throughout the week and to watch the kids grow was an absolute blessing! At this age kids are so impressionable and what a better place to be than among those who love and live their lives for Christ.

There were a total of 500 kids at the christian camp in Huntsville. By the end of the week, 189 of them excepted Jesus Christ as their savior. I can't even begin to explain all that went into this week away so I have attached a few pictures for memories sake.

Summer Week With Gma and Papa

The girls spent a week with Gma and Papa Hoenerhoff in Austin. They started their good time by spending a couple days and a night on the boat. Lake Travis is at an all time low this summer. The west is having a serious drought and they say it's the lowest it's ever been and no rain insight. In spite of the dry lake bottom somehow Papa was able to get the boat out for a little while for his grandgirls and they had a blast.

The rest of the week was full of fun at Vacation Bible School. The theme of VBS was Discovery Canyon. Ashlee and Sydney haven't stopped talking about it yet. How they walked through the "splitting of the Red Sea"...buckets of spaghetti, rocks, soap and water. They loved the reenactment of when "Jesus calmed the sea of Galilee"...nothing like a flat bottom boat, water balloons, and shaving cream for a good time.


Of course, crazy hair day was right up Sydney's alley! She loved her purple and orange hair...even matched her "prayer rock" that the girls found and painted in the "canyon land."

The best part of every day was story time in the canyon cave. Unforgettable memories were made this week while growing deeper in Christ...priceless!

HAAK Winery

We visited our first Texas winery this past weekend in Santa Fe, Texas. For our sister Susan's birthday we gathered at HAAK Winery for the evening. There was a little blue grass band with a small dance floor, good food and wine. It was absolutely beautiful amongst the grape vines right at sundown. The kids had fun playing hide and seek as we walked the vineyard. We will have to take Gma and Papa next time they visit!