The Rangers are in the World Series!!

I think that the sign says it all...

This day will go down as one of the most memorable moments of Kaylee's life.

Priceless:

*On October 30, 2010 the Texas Rangers played in their first ever at home World Series Game. My husband, daughter and Dad along with some of our dear friends were there.

* According to my husband and Kaylee it was the experience of a lifetime. Just seeing Kaylee's face when she found out we had tickets was a treat in itself.

* Seeing my husband who rarely does anything for himself actually get excited and be able to be at the game.

* Hearing Kaylee give me a play by play of the whole game and the light in her eyes as she recounted everything.

* The conversation Kaylee and one of her best buds had on the way to and from the game.

*Getting to be there amongst all the excitement, the energy in the stadium was magnetic I am sure.

* Being there to witness history being made.

* Getting to see Nolan Ryan, former President George W. Bush and Kelly Clarkson. (at least Kelly Clarkson was important to Kaylee)

* Getting to see the Rangers win their first World Series game. Hello Win Column!!

Alas it was the only World Series win for the Rangers but my husband and daughter assure me that there will be many more World Series games for Our Team in the future. Go Rangers!!

Zoo Day

Last Monday the girls had a day off from school so we decided to have a little fun. They had been wanting to go to the zoo forever so I talked some of our besties into going with us. After packing a picnic lunch we were off.

We have not been to the zoo since all of the new exhibits have opened and let me just say that was money well spent by our tax dollars. The zoo looks amazing!! It was the perfect day to enjoy all of the animals. Our favorites were all of the babies like the lion cubs and ducks as well as the new otter.

I think we could have watched the otter swim back and forth all day. God's creatures are so amazing in their differences, well except for the snakes. (I could have done without those.) Of course the huge fish in the nearby pond are always a big hit too.

It was the perfect day to be at the zoo with great friends. I am actually looking forward to going again soon since the weather has cooled off and the animals were so fun to watch.

Campbell with Abigail

Kaylee with Matthew

He had the same expression in all three pictures I took like this. I thought it was hilarious.

Me with my two favorite girls!! I love these precious faces.

ALDS Game 3- A Family Affair

Well a few weeks ago Cary pre-purchased tickets to the ALDS game in prayer that his beloved Rangers would make it. My sweet husband has always been a Rangers fan so I was very excited for him to finally have a chance to see them play in a ADLS game since the last time the Rangers made an appearance there he was a poor college student and could not afford the ticket.

We packed up the car with all of our necessary traveling gear for the girls and were dressed in our best Rangers gear with hopes high on the day ahead. Once we arrived in Arlington we met some friends who had also traveled from Abilene for a pre-game meal at Papasitos. I do not know who was more excited about the game, Kaylee or Cary. After filling our tummies we went to the ballpark three hours ahead of game time to just take in the atmosphere. (I know we were not there to shop since the one gift shop we tried to go in was so packed you could not move so we just turned around and left.)

While walking around Cary spotted Tom Grieve and spoke to him for a little bit. We also took the opportunity to get a photo of Kaylee with him. She was so excited!

Our seats were great for viewing the game but not for viewing the big score board or the great fly over by our military. I had no complaints though because we were not in the sun and had a cool breeze.

I loved all of the pre-game activities. The unveiling of the Texas as well as the United States flag. The military fly over, the singing of the National Anthem by Charlie Pride ( I thought of my Nannie when he came out to sing because she had Charlie Pride on an 8 track in the stereo and would whistle along with his singing. What a great memory for me.) and the great energy in the air from all the fans present to cheer on their team. At this point we were all hoping to be witnessing a Rangers sweep of the Devil Rays by the end of the day. Let me just say I have never seen so many men with brooms in all of my life. It was a great sight;-)

The Ballpark had a record breaking attendance that day of 51, 746. Let me just tell you that is a lot of people to hear screaming and cheering. The Rangers were ahead most of the game but in the end the pitching just was not there. However the final score will not be the thing I choose to remember the most about that day.

I will remember:

-Our whole family enjoying the game together and being there in our Ranger attire to cheer on our team.

-All the times the food vendor went up and down our aisle with something the girls just had to have.

- The way Kaylee worried about the guys in front of us having too much to drink. (I have to agree seeing as one of the passed out in the 7th inning.) Thank you Red Ribbon Week, you definitely work on our 3rd grader.

-Waiting the whole game for the Rangers to score a home run and when they finally do I got to hear it from the bathroom because that is the moment Campbell decided she just could not wait any longer.(They did hit another one later that I did get to witness though.)

- The smile on Kaylee's face when Derek Holland came in the game to pitch. Cary took her to a previous game and Derek was on the field before the game. He took the time to take a picture with Kaylee, sign her baseball and make her night. Needless to say we are big Derek Holland fans around our house now. What a great example!

-The feel of Campbell cuddling in my lap.

- The excitement in the air when we all thought the Rangers were going to sweep the Devil Rays.

- Most of all I will remember a Dad with his daughters watching his favorite team with his favorite girls. My heart was truly full just seeing this picture which will forever be in my memory.

Despite the outcome I would say we had a very blessed day. Thank you Lord for these moments, may I always stop and appreciate them.

Kindergarten Open House

Well last Thursday was the Big Day for Campbell, it was finally Elementary Open House! She had been waiting so patiently to have her special night where she could show off all of her hard work. We all had a wonderful time looking at all of her work so far. One funny thing though; The teacher had asked the students what their family liked to do and wrote it on a big tablet in the room for us to read. Campbell's sentence was...My family likes to build bears. What?? Then as I thought about it she was talking about going to Build A Bear. That's my girl!

I also got the best compliments from her amazing teacher. When I asked if she could tell Campbell was one of the younger ones in the class, she replied with "Not at all, I had forgotten she was." Yeah!! Since Campbell has a June birthday I have always been a little concerned being a former teacher and all. I have always felt she was definitely ready but it was nice to get another unbiased opinion. Then Mrs. P said that Campbell was precious and she really enjoyed having her in class. Just what every Mom wants to hear.

Here she is showing off her journal.

I had to take this picture of her leaf to show Daddy. Campbell forgot to show it to us the first time we were in her class and Daddy had to get Kaylee to a softball game so she was satisfied with us going back to her class and taking a picture for Daddy.

Safety City

Today was the day that all third graders in the Abilene area look forward to for all of their elementary years...Safety City Day! Our town has an amazing program where the children get to practice pedestrian rules, along with rules of the road and even fire safety. I still remember taking this field trip with the class I was student teaching in several years ago and how excited they were to be there. Well let's just say that Mrs. Jones class was just as excited as I remember if not more. When the buses arrived at Safety City you could feel the excitement in the air as each child exited the bus. There is a little town set up with buildings, highways and road signs of all kinds. I was placed at one of the cross roads and told to make sure the children stopped and looked both ways before proceeding across the road. I only got my foot run over once which I thought was pretty good.

After completing the City part it was time for the Firehouse. Let me just say it was pretty cool how all of the technology was used for the firehouse. We first went into a room that looked like your typical bedroom. Once the fireman gave his talk the room started to fill with smoke and you could see flames in one of the windows. The children had to practice crawling to the door, feeling the door knob and then proceeding out the window that did not have flames coming out of it. What a great teaching tool! There were several other fun activities but that will be the one that sticks out in my mind.

It was so fun to be able to spend the day with Kaylee and get to know several of the other children in her class. Yeah Safety City!!

Intermediate Open House

A little over a week ago we got to attend Kaylee's Open House at school. It was so fun to see the work she has been doing and have a chance to chat with her teachers. She has two great teachers this year. The Lord has continued to place Kaylee in just the right classes for her each year and we are so thankful. Kaylee loves school so much and you can definitely tell by the big smile on her face. I hope it remains that way forever.

Funny story about this art project: A sweet friend of mine got the job of cutting out the heads of the students after they had been laminated. She said that she almost cut Kaylee's bow off because it was kind of a pain to cut out. I laughed and tole her that she did a great job keeping the bow intact. Too funny.

Football, Birthday and Family Time

A few weeks ago we went to Waco to watch Wylie football and celebrate Papa's Birthday. We were all so excited to get a little time with three of our favorite people. I managed to get a little shopping in with Nana and Kaylee which is always a good thing. Then we celebrated Papa's Birthday with him. As you can see from the picture Papa had plenty of help celebrating. The girls also managed to get in a little baking with Nana. We had a quick but fun weekend.

Blowing out the candles.

The Halloween cookies Kaylee and Campbell made with Nana.

The girls with Great Papaw before church on Sunday.

Fall Ball

During the past few weeks Kaylee has been a busy girl. Cary decided she needed to play a little Fall Ball this year since she needs extra practice while making the transition to 10U this year. So far her team is going through some growing pains while learning how to pitch and hit from a teammate instead of a coach. I am very proud of Kaylee though because she always has a great attitude and does her best eventhough so far their closest win was a tied score the other night. The only bad part for me is that the games they play start around 7:45pm which means they are not over till around 9:00pm which is too late for Campbell and Cary is coaching so I have not gotten to attend very many. Of course I always get a play-by-play from Kaylee when she gets home. All I know is that she loves the game whether playing it or watching it on television. I am so glad that she has found something that she dearly loves.

Kaylee ready to catch!

A Sock Hop Birthday Party

Several weeks ago the girls went to a friend's Sock Hop Birthday Party. They had a blast and I had a great time watching them learn the hand jive, hula hoop, and play with all their friends. My friend Ann went all out with the decorations and fun as you can see from the pictures below.

Kaylee and Campbell posing by the 57' Chevy.

Kaylee and her friend Matthew dancing away.

Campbell trying to balance her hula hoop.

Meet the Bulldogs 2010

On Tuesday night the girls participated in their first ever Meet the Bulldogs. This is a special night for the 2010 Wylie Bulldog Football Players to be introduced. Since Kaylee and Campbell did the cheer camp this year they got to perform before the introductions. They seemed to enjoy themselves almost as much as I enjoyed watching them shake their tail feathers;-)

Kaylee with "M" and Anna

Campbell and Ella

Kaylee getting into the Bulldog Spirit.

Campbell getting her cheer on.

Kindergarten and Third!

Well our morning started bright and early since it was the First Day of School as well as our annual breakfast at IHOP. Yes, we are those crazy people;-) The girls look forward each year to a yummy breakfast before the first day and let's be honest I always wake up early for fear of oversleeping so we mine as well go eat together.

After filling our tummies it was time to head to our first stop which was the Elementary Building. My baby started kindergarten today. I still cannot believe it! She was such a big girl and walked right to her locker which happens to be #1 and put her nap mat and backpack away before going to her seat. We did manage to take a few pictures. Since her teacher "Mrs. P" happens to be a friend of ours and go to church with us, then several of her friends from Pre-K are in her class I felt very comfortable leaving her this morning. Just look at that smile on her face in this picture. Too precious for words;-)

When I returned to pick her up at the end of the day she told me her day was good, asked if we could get a first day of school treat at Target (which she calls the "Happy Place" and I have to agree), she was ready to see her sister and said that she would be going back to have more fun tomorrow. Yeah!! I am so glad that she loves school and pray that feeling continues for many years to come.

My two sweet daughters.

Once we left the Elementary we were off to the Intermediate School to drop Kaylee off in Third Grade. I cannot believe that either! I felt a little rushed with two buildings to go to and try to get pictures but we made it with time to spare. Kaylee was so excited to see her friends and start learning something new since she loves school so much. The first picture is Kaylee with her Homeroom teacher Mrs. J and the second picture is with her Language Arts teacher Mrs. M. They are both very sweet and it helps that Mrs. M was one of Kaylee's softball coaches the first year she played. I really feel like we hit the jackpot on teachers this year for both of my girls. When we walked out of the classroom Kaylee was already smiling and busy working on her morning work. I love that sweet face!

When I picked her up from school she told me her day was AMAZING!! Then I got a play by play the whole way home which I love. Of course she was thirsty too.

Thank you Lord for placing my daughters in the perfect place for them this year and making it easier for their Mom to enter a new stage of life with no one at home. Today I managed to stay busy with friends all day so I did not have any quiet moments, check with me tomorrow to see how I really feel about it.

Pup Squad

On Saturday both of my daughters decided to sign up for Cheer Camp (aka Pup Squad). Yes, you read that right BOTH of them. If you know Kaylee at all then you know she is more of a softball/ basketball type athlete than a gymnast. I have tried every year since kindergarten to get her to sign up and every year there was no interest...until this year. Do you think maybe her sister participating had anything to do with it?

Here is Kaylee with her sweet friends Laurel and Anna. They were very excited to see each other and get started learning all those cheers. I cannot believe they are starting third grade on Monday. Kaylee has known Laurel since the three's class at Pre-K and Anna since before kindergarten. I love that they have remained close and are still so happy to see each other.

Here is my baby with her sweet friends Ella, Morgan and Mallory. I cannot believe these four precious faces are old enough to start kindergarten on Monday. Seriously, where has the time gone? I am looking forward to many future birthdays, cheer camps, play dates and all around fun with these girls.

Both Kaylee and Campbell seemed to have a great time cheering and learning a routine for 2 1/2 hours. The first thing out of their moths though was that they were tired and hungry. I had to laugh. Thanks to all the Cheerleaders for putting together a fun day for my girls.

Look who drew the Lucky Card!!

If you have been around my sweet husband long you have heard him brag about his recessive genes when it comes to our girls. Well it seems Campbell became the lucky one to get her Daddy's eyes in color and vision. I took both girls to the doctor for their Well-Visit before school starts and found out Campbell could not see as well as we thought she could. So off we went to our wonderful friend, Dr. Gabe, who informed me she was nearsighted and hooked Campbell up with these precious glasses.

The first picture shows her cute brown framed glasses with little blinged out hearts on the sides. The second photo shows her wire rimmed glasses which are equally precious. I love this precious face and think she looks great!

So far she has been very excited to put on her glasses each day so I am hoping that continues. Kaylee has been a wonderful Big Sister and told her how lucky she is to get to wear glasses and how only special girls get to wear glasses. I love my girls!!