SCHOOL'S OUT!

HURRAY! Summer here we come!

Tucker's Pre-K Graduation

Tucker reached a milestone yesterday. He graduated from Preschool and is now ready to enter the world of public education. He looked so cute in his cap and gown. I got all sappy and emotional (what is wrong with me?). They sang some cute songs that Tucker has been practicing over and over and over. He really is a very good singer and the boy has rhythm. They gave the kids a rolled up blank piece of paper instead of the real diploma so they wouldn't have the real one all rolled up. So when Tucker was playing graduation later that day with Derek, he said, "Congratulations! Here is your blank piece of paper."



Tucker loved his teachers: Ms. Cheryl and Ms. Janet. (In Texas, you call the women Ms. and whatever their first name is. So I am Ms. Adrienne).

We are very proud of Tucker and how far he has come this year. He has such an eagerness to learn. There is a kid in his class that Tucker thinks is super-duper smart because he can spell "raccoon." So I taught Tucker how to spell "raccoon" so he would feel just as smart. If spelling "raccoon" means you are super-duper smart, I just might rank as a sheer genius!



We love having Tucker in our family and congratulate him on his milestone!

Andy the Snake Man

Andy slaughtered a snake last night. Someone rang our doorbell at nine o'clock last night. It was our neighbor across the street. She told us a big snake was in our yard and she was worried about the our kids and her grandkids coming in contact with it. Andy and I went out armed with a shovel and a camera. Our neighbor's son was there with a shovel as well, but was not willing to make the first move. I don't blame him.




For those of you who know Andy, he is terrified of snakes. However, he took the shovel and whacked that thing about a dozen times. This might seem inhumane, but who knows how long Animal Control would have taken. What if it was poisonous and there are all these kids on the street? I don't want to have a snake slither into my home. Anyway, Derek was supposed to be in bed, but heard all the commotion and came out. I think he is in awe of his Dad. Kudos to Andy for overcoming his fear.

Did I Hear a "Niner" in There?

Andy and I celebrated NINE years of marriage yesterday! We met for lunch at a restaurant appropriately called Niner's Grill. (I love a good theme!) We had to take three of the boys with us, so it wasn't exactly a romantic, secluded event. Tucker was home from school because of the croup and Zane and Will are always tagging along. We hope to go out this weekend and just bring Will.

Here's to nine years of wedded bliss! Love ya Andy!

In a Nut Shell . . .

First off, Derek lost a tooth! He also caught a fish last weekend at a fish rodeo at Andy's work. He was thrilled, but wouldn't touch it. He is also starting to bring things home - live things. Things like caterpillars, snails, and ladybugs. I hope he sticks to tame insects like that instead of snakes.




Tucker scored another soccer goal! It was another slow-mo roll down the field, but it got there and his team won the game.




Zane is just trying to keep up. He goes full throttle all day long and with our current school schedule, he rarely gets a good enough nap. Summer is approaching which hopefully means more rest time for all of us.




Will can turn over! Once he gets there, he doesn't know what to do except suck his thumb. He sleeps through the night all the time now - yea!!! Will is extremely wiggly and wiggles his way through the day. When you talk to him and play with him, he talks back and even wiggles his eyebrows as if he is emphasizing his point. Super cute!



The past two weekends, our friends from Midland have been here. Yesterday we went to a park that has a small splash pad attached to it. We didn't intend on playing in the water, just the park. It was hot and we thought the boys could get their feet wet. That was a great idea, but they all got drenched including myself. I was pushed in by Andy (imagine that).





Zane is a looker in the wet white shirt. Watch out ladies!

SLEEP!

Will slept through the night last night! From 11:00 pm to 8:00 am! Go baby, go! Unfortunately, I still had to get up with Tucker whose nose was totally plugged up from allergies. However, I was up for only two minutes instead of an hour.



Here he is all bright and chipper this afternoon.

Other news in the family:
- Derek's front two teeth are loose - stay tuned.
- Tucker is reading really well and suffering with allergies as previously mentioned.
- Zane is catching up on lost naptime when he can and still obsessing over Lightning McQueen.
- Andy is busy, busy, busy. Work, church, school . . .
- I think we all know what I do: feed people and drive them around.

Also, only seven weeks until school is out! Believe it or not, I am excited!

Houston: One Year Later

It has been a year since we got here. What a year it has been! Words to describe Houston:

HOT and HUMID

That is about all you can say. It is not my favorite climate to live in, but it is what it is.

This Easter weekend, we spent with Nana and Grandpa in Galveston. It was a little chilly and foggy, but we still had fun. We went to the beach and saw dead jellyfish that had washed up. On another beach another day, we saw a dead baby dolphin that had washed up. I guess it was Marine Death weekend, instead of the usual Marine Life that we see at the beach.

The boys had a good Easter though and it was so nice to see our family. Will hadn't met his Grandpa yet, so it was exciting for them both. Will is very smily now and his head kind of wobbles around while he is grinning. Super cute! He is the king of spit bubbles. That has been true since day one. If this keeps up, he might have a hard time getting a date . . .