2008..The Year of the Vacation

2008 has definitely been an active year; we never imagined we would be taking so many trips! Kev and I started our excursions with a wonderful visit to Puerto Rico in May. We followed that with a family vacation to Lake Burton, GA with some good friends in June. Shortly after visiting Georgia, we headed to the beach in Alabama to meet the Jeffords family. The kids and I figured we might as well visit another state in August, so we flew home to Texas. Labor Day Weekend found me celebrating with grade school friends, Shannon and Allison. We had a girly trip to Scottsdale, AZ, and we stayed at the Phoenician (we enjoyed a little night-life followed by a day of spa treatments). It was so wonderful to see my girls; it had been 10 years (at my wedding) since the 3 of us had been together. With school starting, we decided to stay home for a couple of months, so September and October were spent in Gainesville. To celebrate our 10 year anniversary, Kev and I headed to Weston, FL 2 weeks ago. We drove down to the Keys one day and spent the rest of the days relaxing in the sun. You might think our travels are over for the year, but we still have 2 trips to go! We all fly to Texas on Nov. 25 (Happy Birthday, Mimi) for Thanksgiving and then Jamy & Joi's wedding. We are so excited that Uncle Big Time is tying the knot!!! To round-out the year, we are spending the week of Christmas in West Palm (hopefully soaking up some sun); we hope to get to spend a little time with Allison and J. King (Aunt Al, the kiddos miss you). We have thoroughly enjoyed all of our fun this year; who knows what we'll do in 2009!

Shuttle Launch

The shuttle is the small object (speck) at the left; the moon is the large object

Please don't judge me - I worked the night before and was sleep-deprived

On Friday, November 14 (also our 10th anniversary), we had the wonderful opportunity to see the space shuttle launch. We didn't go all the way down to Kennedy Space Center, but we weren't very far from it. What made it even more spectacular was that it was a night launch. The pictures definitely don't do it justice. Hopefully one of these days I can get the video posted.

Happy Anniversary

Today is our 10th Anniversary! I can honestly say that it has been a wonderful journey (lots of smiles and laughs with struggles scattered in between). God blessed me with the most wonderful husband who is truly my perfect match. Kevin understands me and my 'issues', and he still chooses to spend his life with me. I am one lucky gal! 10 years ago, I married my best friend - the love of my life...I am excited to see what adventures the next 10 hold for us.

Kev, thanks for being my rock; I love you as much today as I did on our wedding day.

Uncle Randy, Aunt Kristin and Cousin Trey

Kristin and Randy

Randy, Trey and Jax
Trey and Gracie

The whole gang - Kev, Bran, Kristin, Randy, Gracie, Trey and Jax

Jax, Trey and Kev

We were extremely excited to have my little brother, Randy, his wife, Kristin, and their son, Trey, visit us this summer. Both of Kev's brothers have traveled to Florida to see us, but this was the 1st of my siblings to venture out here. We had a great time with them; we hit Disney's Blizzard Beach one day, we spent one night at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa (with Gracie's Girl Scout troop), and we frolicked in the surf at Daytona Beach. We are very thankful they decided to spend their summer vacation with us; Gracie and Jax adore their cousin, Trey!!!

Arnie

Here's what happens when I work...Kev and the kids adopt an animal! I don't think we have even posted pictures of our (formerly) newest family member, Peach. She is sweet, 3 years old, and purrs ALL the time! As you can probably guess by her name, she is peach-colored. As of today, she has a little brother named Arnie (although Jax keeps calling him Barnie...his name will probably be changed to reflect this). I haven't met Arnie/Barnie, but he is a little black kitten who is a few months old. Jax picked him out; now each child has their 'own cat'. Gracie has considered Peachy to be her own (since we adopted her in May), so we had to get Jax one (right?). We know this is going to make Mimi SO excited; she just LOVES animals!!!

Dr. Brian Schwartz

It's official...Kev's 1st Ph.D. student successfully defended his dissertation today! CONGRATULATIONS Bri and Suzy-Q!!! We couldn't be more excited for the Schwartz family as they prepare for their new beginnings. Brian has accepted the position as Turfgrass Breeder for the University of Georgia in Tifton, GA. Tifton is the location from where all of the great bermudagrasses have emerged (TifEagle, TifSport, etc.). Brian definitely has a bright future!!! We will miss them tremendously, but Tifton is just 2 hours up the interstate.

In case you read my earlier post about our harrowing night yesterday, you will understand why Kevin needed to get as much sleep as possible (which still wasn't very much) and why he MUST play golf this afternoon with Bri and the guys in spite of me being in stomach bug jail!:)

Good job, Bri. We love you guys!!!

Sleeping arrangements

It's been a while since we had a good stomach bug rip through our house, so we were due for last night. At about 5:00, Jax mentioned that his stomach didn't feel good, but he didn't make a big deal about it. In fact, we went to the grocery store, and he ate a chocolate chip cookie from the bakery (I guess you're never too sick for cookies). When we got home, he and Gracie terrorized the neighborhood on their scooters. Rightfully so, I assumed he was fine. WRONG! He came in about 6:00 and said he was sick. Of course, Gracie's soccer game started at 6:30, so I didn't have time for a sick child. In the frenzy of trying to get out the door, Kev sees Jax hugging the toilet and then laying on the bathroom floor (Kev is so proud..Jax is ready for college). Of course, my baby wants his momma when he's sick, so Kev took Gracie to her soccer game.

To save time and energy, I will get to the point...we have new floors throughout our house. It was not safe to let Jax sleep anywhere except...our bathroom! Therefore, we aired up our double high queen air mattress, placed it in our bathroom (it obviously has much wasted space), and Jax and I prepared for a wonderful night. We did have to change the sheets shortly after our escapade began (we gave Jax a Phenergan suppository, and he didn't even wake when he threw up in the bed). Note to self: the Phenergan didn't help his nausea; it just made him incoherent to his vomiting! Luckily, he stopped the madness at about 3:40 this morning.

All in all, we survived. He totaled 8 vomits, but he is acting like a champ today (he wanted cereal at 7:30...I made him wait until 9:30). It was definitely an adventure last night. Please pray Gracie doesn't meet the same fate!!!

Touchdown

Jaxon scored his 1st touchdown Tuesday night. Of course, Kev was quite the proud daddy! Did I get it on video? Of course not; Gracie and I were a little late due to her soccer practice. We saw him do a big run as soon as we got there, but I didn't have time to get the video camera out of the bag. On the same drive, he was then the quarterback, and he completed a short pass. After that, he was running back again, and he made it to the end zone!!! The coach asked Kevin if Jax was going for game MVP with his great playing. Hopefully he'll do it again next week (when I have the camera on him).

New floors

Well, the floors are in, and we survived. For those who don't know, we put hardwood floors in the 'front' of the house (living room, dining room, study, halls and master bedroom). We also put new carpet in the family room and in the kiddos' rooms. Needless to say, our house was (and still is, somewhat) a mess! We also switched the dining and living rooms, so we had to have some new lighting installed. We are far from complete, but at least we are better than we were. The floors are gorgeous, and we are very happy with our choices. They start the lanai renovations in a week or so (we have a screened lanai now, but we are having it enclosed...it will be a wonderful playroom for Gracie and Jaxon), so there will be continued madness...

Staying in Florida

This is another old post, but I am determined to get everything blogged before 2009. When we moved to Florida 4 1/2 years ago, we always thought we would migrate back to Texas at some point. Now, though, we have accepted the fact that we are probably staying in beautiful Gainesville, FL for the rest of the visible future. After a couple of potential opportunities, we decided to remain Gators! When the decision was made, I changed my license plate to reflect our appreciation for University of Florida; they have been very supportive and encouraging with Kevin's career. We see lots of potential here, and I think Kev will definitely make a name for himself at UF. We never imagined this, but our children have lived longer in Florida than anywhere else. They are definitely growing up as Gators!

Another Jaxonism

Gracie and Jaxon had 2 of their friends, Coleman and Renae, sleepover last night. Jax was telling Coleman about his football games thus far (Coleman also plays flag, but he is in 3rd grade). Anyway, Jax and Coleman were sitting at the kitchen table eating and talking. I was able (thankfully) to hear Jax tell Coleman that they won when they played the 'green bean snatchers'. Yes, you are reading correctly...his Jaxonism for Green Bay Packers was...Green Bean Snatchers! He's so special.

African Market Day

Jax

Jax won't try the plantain...even from Mom

Jax is quite good at basket balancing

George, Mateo and Jax

Noah and Jax...guess who is the clown

Jax making bead bracelets

Jax in his African outfit

Jax playing an 'instrument'

The kindergarten classes (there are now 7) get together and have an African Market Day each year. I missed Gracie's because I was working, but Kev was there taking pictures. This year, Kev and I both got to attend the festivities (Kev photographed and I was the homeroom mom); Jax was very excited. Here are a few pictures of Jax enjoying the singing, dancing and eating African foods.

Lake Burton (June)

Gracie knee-boarding on her 1st try - EVER!

Jax, Kev, Bran and Gracie

Jax caught a fish (Daddy is proud)

We vacationed this summer (in June...little late posting) with some wonderful friends: The Sparrows (Kenny, Renai, Logan and Luke) and the Hanners (Andy, Carolyn, Garrett and Jordan). We rented a house on Lake Burton in the northeastern Georgia mountains, and it was fun! The Sparrows took their boat, and we tubed all week! The lake was beautiful, the water was gorgeous, and we had a blast! We are anxiously awaiting next year's vacation back up there. You can see MANY photos from our trip on our picasaweb site; click on picasaweb under picture albums on the right.

Methodist

After visiting Grace @ Ft. Clarke United Methodist Church for the past 4 years, we finally joined today! As most of you know, Kev was raised in the Presbyterian church and Bran in the Baptist. Methodist seems like a good middle ground. Our church is very involved in missions both locally and internationally. We have been fairly active in the church the past few years, and the kids have been quite involved in the children's ministry. We are so happy with our new church home! I guess I have gone from a back-row-Baptist to a front-row-Methodist (Gracie always wants to sit on the very front row). We signed our covenant today, but we won't be introduced to the church until October 19. We would love to have friends and family attend.

Happy 7th Birthday, Gracie (May 24th)

Gracie and her 'boyfriend', Nathan

The Cake

Gracie reaching for.....?
Gracie with friends Renae, Eugenia and Taylor

Gracie turned 7 on May 24th. She wanted a science-themed party, so that's what we did. Jessica, one of our friends, was the 'mad science lady', and she was wonderful! She helped the kids decorate their goggles (safety, first!), get dressed in their aprons (like any good scientist), and she performed experiments for the children to watch. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics of the experiments, but I did get the cake and some of Gracie opening presents.

Jaxonism

Kevin was singing "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" this evening. Gracie was somewhat singing along, and Jax was listening intently. When Kev was done, Jax asked, "Did Grandma really get run over by a reindeer?" We had a small chuckle. Not the greatest Jaxonism ever, but it was cute nonetheless.

Homeroom Mom

Update on the whole homeroom mom thing...not only am I Jaxon's kindergaten class homeroom mom, but I am now also Gracie's 2nd grade homeroom mom. Note to self: what was I thinking?

Jax Graduates Preschool

Oh my goodness; is it Hannah Montana at Jax's graduation? No, it's just his big sister, Gracie, in her Hannah wig

Well, Jax obviously 'graduated' from preschool (in May), but I am just now blogging it. I have given-up on post-dating the belated blogs; they will just appear as new blogs.

The graduation ceremony was very simple. Most of the students in Jaxon's class moved on to the Pre-K class. Jax was one of the few who actually started kindergarten (his birthday is in July, so he's one of the youngest in his class). It was a little sad leaving Gainesville Country Day, but it was fine; Jax is doing great in kindergarten.

On that note, Jax got to see some of his best friends from Country Day last night at a birthday party. The boys, Felix, Drew and Eric were SO excited to see Jax. He played in the pool with Felix all night!

School Daze

School was somewhat successful last week. Jaxon attended Monday but wasn't supposed to go back until Thursday (our school limits the number of children in each kindergarten class the 1st week of school...that way there are only 6 or so kids each day; it's a wonderful adjustment for children and teachers). Gracie went Monday through Wednesday. Schools were closed Thursday and Friday thanks to Tropical Storm Fay. Therefore, today was Jaxon's 1st day with a full classroom. We rode our bikes to school, and everyone is geared-up for a full week of classes (hopefully). Jax was quiet when I left him in his classroom (imagine that), and Gracie was her usual confident self (she says 2nd grade is, "awesome!").

I returned home to a quiet house. I am suddenly in unfamiliar territory...what is this silence...what do I do....where do I start....I will be the 1st to admit that Jaxon starting school has been difficult on me. I think I am finally adjusting to the fact that my my last child is now in school (where he shall remain for MANY years). I was asked to be his homeroom mom (I know...what were they thinking), and I agreed (I know...what was I thinking). At least I will be very involved in his class (I also volunteer in the classroom one day a week just like I did with Gracie). I have cleaned this morning and obviously blogged (and uploaded some pictures to picasaweb); I am quite sure I will be able to keep myself very busy!

It's about time to bike over to the school to get my little ones. Hopefully Jax had time to eat his lunch today (apparently that didn't go so well his 1 day of school last week).

Blogging

I will be catching-up on an entire summer of blogging sometime in the near future. I will date the blogs accordingly, so you should check back often and browse our older posts since some of them will actually be new.

1st Day of School

Little fuzzy (it felt as humid as it looks...Fay is looming offshore)

Gracie Mae in 2nd Grade

Welcome to kindergarten, Jaxon

Jax and Mrs. Johnson

Are we twins?

Well, the unimaginable has happened...our baby has started kindergarten. Today was the 1st day of school for both children. Gracie is in 2nd grade, and Jaxon is in kindergarten. We are still not sure how all of this happened, but there are many mixed emotions running through our family right now.

Gracie was, surprisingly, a little apprehensive about 2nd grade. We met her teacher last Friday, and she seems very nice (even though she is from Oklahoma and graduated from OU - at least her husband got his degree at OSU). Gracie will also have her for reading; Gracie's math teacher is the same one she had last year (and will also be her math teacher next year). We are looking forward to another great year!

Jaxon was blessed to get Mrs. Johnson for his teacher. She was Gracie's kindergarten teacher, and we can't sing her praises enough. We know Jax will have a wonderful year with her. It was SUCH a relief when we found out we got her; Jax already knows her, so he feels comfortable. He is so shy that he didn't say 1 word to her the whole year Gracie had her. He finally started talking to her last year when Gracie moved on to 1st grade. He was just fine when we left him this morning even though he had that 'deer in the headlights' look.

Wish us luck as we start a new chapter in our lives...

Texas trip

Mimi, Mamaw, Bran and Jax

Riding the Ranger with Poppie

Hanging with Papa and ChaCha

Poor ChaCha

Cousin Charlee, Gracie and Jax after some hard swimming

Jax, Gracie, Mimi and Miller

Jax, Bran, Gracie, Miller, Lea Ann and Joe

The kids and I made an unscheduled trip to Texas. We didn't even purchase the airline tickets until 1 week before we left, so it was truly unplanned. The purpose of the excursion was to let Kev get a ton of work done which included submitting a HUGE grant. We missed Daddy very much, but we had a wonderful visit with grandparents. We didn't let anyone know we were coming, so we didn't see any friends; therefore, we apologize to all of our Texas friends and family that we didn't visit. Joe, Lea Ann and Miller came to Granbury and spent a couple of days with us. It sure was wonderful getting to see them and play with Miller (I am sure Gracie and Jax taught their little cousin plenty of new bad habits); seeing him walk and run around is such a blessed sight! We visited the Fort Worth Zoo with our fellow Kenworthys, and the pictures from that are in our albums on the right. Another highlight from our trip was spending time with Mamaw. We had not seen her since the stroke she suffered in January. Mom was not able to care for her after the stroke, so she moved to a nursing home for rehab. Unfortunately, the rehab was not too successful, so Mamaw is going to remain in the nursing home. That is the best thing for both Mamaw and Mom. The good news is that Mamaw looks great; she has gained weight, and she seems happy. I am not sure she knew who we were, but I think she knew we belonged to her. She just thought Gracie was the most beautiful little girl she has ever seen (which she is). It is difficult to understand many of the words Mamaw says, but you can she thinks Gracie and Jaxon are 2 very special people. Oh, I also cut my hair and donated 10+ inches to Locks for Love while in Granbury.