The Armstrong Family

Christmas Weekend 2011

2011-12-27T11:11:00.014-05:00

Christmas is already over... :) We had such a fun month of decorating for Christmas, buying/wrapping presents, Christmas music, and lots of family. It is always bittersweet the week after Christmas is over. Our family was so blessed this holiday season and celebrated Jesus' birth with family and friends.

My Christmas cuties :)This is a Christmas present for the kids. A Jack Russell puppy appropriately named "Joy."
Little cowboy in his boots, pjs, and hat.

Taking Joy to a Christmas for Casey's grandmother.

Cousin Bella and Toas

Cousins Chloe, Boone, Avery, and Creek at Grandmomma's Christmas

Somehow Avery's name got left out of the "name drawing." At first she was upset, but then each family started giving her money to buy a present... see the smile.

By the end of the night, she had $38! I'd say she did pretty good and was happy as could be.

Avery and Pose, Boone and Grandmomma opening presents

Christmas Eve we went to my parent's house... Joy came too.

Taos opening a present

Avery sitting by her pile of presents! Taos trying out his new broom. Maybe I can use mine without him wanting to "help" so much.

Getting tickled!

Opening more presents

Snuggling up in her warm kid snuggie.

Riding his new horse from Uncle Lance and Aunt Kallie

She applied all her new "play" makeup by herself - if you can't tell.

Play makeup, pretend jewelry, and snow white costume while making Christmas cookies... doesn't look like it could get better.

Icing her creations

Christmas stockings at our house ready for Santa

Looking in his stocking Christmas morning

Riding his new spring horse from Santa

Looking at her stocking and scooter

Playing with her Fur-Real friend "Go Go" that she asked Santa for

Trying out his new rope

Ready to open presents from mom and dad

New horses

New boots

Eating chocolate first thing in the morning

Casey's parents, sister and brother-in-law, and niece and nephew came over Christmas morning for more celebration.

And lots of presents!

Taos (20 mo.) Boone (7) Bella (2) Avery (4)

Opening up her presents

Playing with his new cork gun

Bundled up while driving the mule

Dandad posing by the warm fire

Ready to play with her new princess craft set... daddy was "thrilled" to see that it contained over 1500 pieces :)

Bella modeling her new puffy jacket

Taos playing with a new barn in his new rain bootsStaying warm with mommy

Angela, Bella, and Avery ready to ride around

Boone was a pro riding his new 4-wheeler behind the mule

Looking for varmits... needless to say, don't take a 20 month old with you when you want to see if you can be quiet enough for a varmmit to come up so you can shoot it. Taos caused quite the camotion.

The hunters and kiddos. Avery, Boone, Dandad, Casey, Shawn, and BellaAll warm and cozy watching Dumbo before bed. Love the babies.

Christmas so far....

2011-12-21T20:24:00.005-05:00

It feels like we have been looking forward to Christmas for the last few months and it is HERE! So far, we have already celebrated with family and are anticipating more fun times this week and weekend.

Family Christmas card picture 2011
The traditional "cousin lineup" picture with the 5 cousins and spouses/children. Left to right in chronological order: Taos, Avery, Sarah (my cousin), Kallie (my sister-in-law), Betsy (my cousin), Evan (married to my cousin Callie), Callie, Lance (my brother), Me, Casey

My cousins, brother, and kid with my grandpa - Pop

Avery's Sonshine choir sang Christmas songs at church a couple weeks ago. We were so proud of how pretty she looked and how she sang all the words to the songs. She is in the front row, 4th from the left.

Taos opening his first present of this Christmas season at my Pop's house.

Avery was SOOO excited to open presents this year!

Modeling her new "side purse" from her big cousins

Playing with his new cow toy and holding his puppy dog "Kate"

Evan, Avery, and Callie

Cas, Me, Taos (and the puppy)

Avery with Betsy modeling Taos' coonskin hat that he was scared of when we tried to put it on his head!

I guess Avery didn't want to wear it either!

And at the end of the night he was super tired and only wanted to hold the camera - NOT smile for anymore pictures!

Kid's Christmas Pictures

2011-12-21T18:56:00.003-05:00

My sweet friend Reyna took pictures of my kids for Christmas cards. I love having these memories of them at Christmas time. Avery is 4 1/2 and Taos is 20 months.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-21T18:36:00.004-05:00

I know I am behind... but I have to catch up somewhere. This year we went to Pampa to see Casey's parents Thanksgiving weekend. We were joined by Casey's sister's family and 2 cousins plus their families. We had fun hanging out and the 6 kiddos played the whole time. On Saturday we started the 1st annual Robbins' Family bowling tournament - held at Wildcatter's Bowling Alley in Borger.

It was SUPER cold and none of us had packed for such weather so the girls bought mis-matched sweats from Walmart and were comfy and cozy. The husbands were embarrassed!
Taos was quite interested in the bowling and loved the balls everywhere.

Dad helping little man bowl

Avery did so much better this year! She had a blast.

Proud little girl!

Our niece Bella and nephew Boone eating some pizza

Casey's cousin Shelly and her husband Colby

Casey's cousin Kristie and her daughter Chloe

Dandad and Posey

Casey and his sister Angela

Pumpkins and Halloween

2011-11-01T10:33:00.011-04:00

Halloween gets more fun as your children get older. Seeing the excitement on their faces during the Fall Carnivals, dressing up, and of course - getting massive amounts of candy is so much fun for parents. This year Avery was Rapunzel and Taos was a cow... fitting for a child who is obsessed with the "booos" right now. Funny though - he got called a girl and a sheep throughout our trick-or-treating night!!

The cow and Rapunzel ready for trick-or-treating

Ready to get started with the Gibsons. Brenna, Taos, Avery, Caden, and Gracie
Checking out each other's costumes :) They are only a couple weeks apart in age!

Knocking on the first door

Daddy, Taos, and Aves are getting the hang of it

Avery and Minnie Callie

It took Taos a while to warm up to the idea of walking up to a stranger's house. But he did figure it out!

I think he ate about 4 suckers!! It was the only thing that kept him happy toward the end of the night.

Carson, Caden, Avery, Taos, Callie, Gracie, Brenna

Getting everyone to the door, saying trick-or-treat and thank you, putting the candy in the bag and returning to your parents seemed to be a chaotic task.... everyone helped everyone!

Ninja Carson and Spiderman Caden

Baker Averi and Rapunzel Avery

Taking a break on the curb

Avery's eyes are shut but this one was so funny - the kids were too tired to walk back to the car so we carried the little ones and the big kids shared the stroller. Caden and Avery were hilarious riding together.

Brenna, Avery, Taos, Caden, Carson, Gracie, Callie

Caden, Gracie, Carter, Averi, Avery

Whew - what a fun night!

At the pumpkin patch

Where did sister go?

Her favorite were the little pumpkins

Trying to get a good pic!

Picking them ALL up.

Got a cute one!

Pretty pumpkin!

Our scary jack-o-lantern!

Avery and her masterpiece

Looking at all the goo and seeds

Sticky fingers

Cleaning out the inside

Showing little man how it's done

Looking around the gym at the Pioneer Drive Fall Carnival

Rapunzel playing games

She only wore her Rapunzel wig one night - but it was perfect for her costume

Phil and Casey with the kids

Riding the Thomas train

The whole family!

Borger Visit

2011-09-30T09:42:00.007-04:00

We were fortunate enough to get to travel back to Borger for the first time since we moved. We went 2 weekends in a row and had so much fun seeing family and friends.

Casey's parents live in Pampa so we got to cook out at their house. I was excited to see Shawna and Krista again! Love these girls.
Taos (17 mo.) and Rylan (2)

Avery and Hazen were SOOOO excited to see each other again. They spent the whole weekend together and acted just like brother and sister!

Me and my sweet boy

Having fun on grandparents' bed

Brooklyn, Avery, Hazen, Rylan, and Brayden

Taos and Posey at Bounce Zone in Pampa

I know this pic is blurry, but I thought it was so cute of Avery and Hazen holding hands while sliding down!

Rylan and Aves all dressed up for a wedding at the 6666 Ranch.

Hazen and Avery - what a cute couple!

Taos and Rylan were quick to find the ice to cool off in.

Cotton, George, Don, Casey, and Bubba chatting at the reception

Casey and Hegan

Handsome cowboy

The kids had a blast playing at the reception

Avery looking disappointed because Hazen refuses to dance with her - men!

The next weekend we went to "Hope" in Borger which is a concert/dance benefiting the American Cancer Society. I got to see Cristen and Marcie - miss them.

Me and my honey

Jana, Me, and Shawna

Me, my sister-in-law Angela, and mother-in-law Janice

Casey harassing his dad Danny

Aaron Watson played for the dance. He was awesome and it was so fun.

Casey, Me, Aaron Watson, and Angela. Fun times in Borger. We miss all our friends and had so much fun visiting!

Princess Jeep on the Ranch

2011-08-27T10:51:00.003-04:00

We are loving our new ranch! The kids have a blast playing outside and watching Daddy ride horses. The barn and pens are just right outside the backdoor. Avery and Taos especially love driving around in Avery's princess jeep. Taos hangs on and they can go through the grass, dirt, and rocks wherever they want to go! It's fun to grow up on a ranch. We are so blessed!

The diva had to wear her sunglasses this morning!

Looking at the horses

I had to snap a pic of all the horses Casey had tied up to ride... he rides so many each day for work and loves what he does. We are proud of him.

What could be more fun that having this much ranch to explore!

Summertime

2011-08-15T10:46:00.007-04:00

School is starting again :( I can not believe how fast this summer went by. We had a crazy move from Borger to the Abilene area and have been getting settled in while we enjoy the summer. Here is a look:

Popsicles are a must on hot summer days
And playing outside in the water while you eat popsicles!

Family came to see us. Casey's dad - Dandad - and our niece Bella

Our nephew Boone and Avery riding horses at the house

Avery trotting Cocomo around the hay

At the zoo with Nona on July 4th

Papa and little man

Looking down at the alligator

Playing with friends. Brookelynn Beal pushing Taos at Nona's house

The kids on the tire swing

My best friend Courtney Beal and her sweet girls. Love getting to catch up!

At the pool

Then, the Lord finally sent some rain our way! What a blessing. I was happy for the kids to get out there and play in the mud puddles!

Greasing up the slide with mud makes it go faster!

Avery's puppy Lizzie was all wet and muddy too

Look at those sweet kids! Needless to say, we had one muddy bathtub after all this!

Fun Valley Colorado

2011-07-27T19:10:00.006-04:00

We went on our annual family trip to Fun Valley. It is a family campground near South Fork, Colorado. Since we do not have a camper, we always rent a cabin there. The cooler weather and kid's activities there are so much fun. I enjoy reading books and taking naps in the afternoon while the kids sleep. Doing "nothing" is so much fun. This year me and the kids went (Casey was working), as well as my mom, dad, Aunt Karla, and Pop. Needless to say, Avery and Taos were spoiled!

This was our cabin... and the model is holding a new princess umbrella compliments of Aunt Karla!

Avery loved looking at all the flowers.

Little man taking a rest on the putt-putt course.

Kids seem to love umbrellas :)

Trying to figure out the longhorn

Avery and Nona riding the train

Playing in the river - he didn't have watershoes so we left his socks on in case he stepped on a rock.

Miss Priss wore her rain boots - and yes, they did fill with water

Aunt Karla making sure Taos didn't float away

My little loves!

The munchkins stealing food from Pop

Teaching Taos how to roll the ball

Watching Papa teach Avery how to fish

What a fun vacation!

Avery's Birthday Party

2011-06-14T23:49:00.007-04:00

Since we are moving this week, we had Avery's birthday party for her friends here in Borger early. She will actually not turn 4 until July 3rd. She has been asking for a swim party since last summer... but it was after her birthday so we have been talking about having one this year. We weren't going to let the move ruin our plans. It was SO much fun and she had a blast!

The gorgeous birthday girl!
We reserved the Stinnett Pool so it was all to ourselves

Avery and her best buddy Hazen ready to swim

Taos, Casey, and our nephew Boone

Avery riding down the slide with her friend Trevor.

Hazen jumped off the diving board first.

Then Avery finally jumped (with a little help). One time was good enough for her because she didn't do it again!

Loving the water

Avery was clearly only trying to give Hazen a kiss goodbye and he is not thrilled at all! They are going to miss each other so much when we move!

Taos and Bella playing with the swim noodles.

Alli and Rylan about to swim

Taos playing in the water

The beach entry was great for the little ones

The spectators watching the kiddos

My sister-in-law Angela and her kids Boone and Bella

Casey and Taos

The cake was Taos' favorite part. Look at that fat tummy!

As long as nobody messed with his cake he was happy

Hazen and Brayden eating cake

My sweet friend Marci who I am going to miss so much

Brayden, Brooklyn, and Avery ready to go home. We are going to miss all our friends from Borger.

Goodbye Borger

2011-06-14T23:17:00.004-04:00

Well, this is our last week in Borger. It is truley bittersweet, but after living here 3 years we are moving back to the Abilene area. We are definately excited about being closer to family, but find it hard to leave our home here and friends who have become family. We are going to lease a ranch south of Merkel so this is a wonderful opportunity for us. Looking back on the memories here, I wanted to remember some of our favorite places that we visited often.

The Morley - this vintage movie theater is so fun to watch movies in. The atmosphere is great.

My school. I love my time working as a Speech Pathologist at the Early Childhood campus in Borger. I made many new friends and love what I do.
The city park. One of Avery's favorite places to go.

Jump Zone was a lifesaver this winter when it was too cold and windy to do anything outside and Avery was getting a little stir crazy.

My FAVORITE place to eat. The Coffee Ranch serves the best food and was mine and Marcie's hangout while our girls were in ballet every Monday.

Amy Lynn's was a great place to shop for anythign from clothes to jewlery to purses... love their stuff.

But of course, we will miss the 6666 Ranch the most. It is so pretty and Casey put such hard work into his job. The wide-open spaces and history of this 130,000 acre ranch is amazing.

Our favorite "swimming hole" complete with a high dive... although the water was too low to do any big tricks off of it this summer.

A barn at headquarters

One of the views that just goes on forever

Casey's tack room and stall

Goodbye Borger

Stinnett Rodeo

2011-06-12T21:57:00.003-04:00

This weekend Casey judged a rodeo in Stinnett. It was at 2:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday which as everyone can assume was MISERABLY hot. We didn't stay for the whole thing, but the kids did find some fun things to do as usual.

Taos and Aves riding Bojangles while Daddy and Hegan look on. Those kids could ride horses all day long.
What a good big sister to let her brother ride with her! And yes, someone was standing right there beside Taos.

Then they had to play with the puppies.

And the most fun! Playing in the dirt. When you're hot and sweaty dirt makes for a nasty mess!

Even prissy little girls like to play in the dirt.

Pool Time

2011-06-09T17:06:00.004-04:00

Summer is in full swing and we have tried to get to the pool as much as possible. Here are the first pics from our pool trips.

Ready to swim!
At the Borger Pool

Little man was more interested in running away from me than chillin in the pool.

Avery, however, could not get enough of the water!

He finally got wet!

Yesterday, we drove to Sunray to enjoy their public pool with slides and a prate ship for kids to climb on and slide down. We went with several friends and it was so fun!

Avery riding the turtle.

The Pirate Ship

Me and Avery coming down the big slide.

As you can tell, she LOVED the slide (in my lap of course) and I think we went down it 2o times!

Sliding out of the whale's mouth

We stayed all afternoon and she already wants to go back!

Dance Recital

2011-06-07T22:28:00.002-04:00

This past weekend Avery was in her first Dance Recital! She did so good and loved every minute of it. Her tap dance was to "The Candyman" and her ballet dance was to "The Tooth Fairy Loves Ballet." The best part was during curtain call. I guess her teacher told all the little girls to bow after they walked out on stage. The 3-4 year-olds were on the front row since they were so little. So Avery came out and bowed right away... then she walked a little further to front and center and she bowed again - and just held it. She was so cute of course to us and we were cracking up. Finally a teacher grabbed her hand and lead her to where her class was standing. Avery was lucky enough for her Nona, Posey, and Dandad to attend. All the "action shots" are on my mom's camera so here are the posed ones.

Avery and her friend Brynne

Avery and Nona

Dandad and Aves

Avery with her grandmas and her beautiful flowers.

Daddy - who did survive the dance recital despite his doubts!

The family - Taos stayed at home with a babysitter, which I am sure was much more fun for him!

Family Pictures

2011-05-26T23:51:00.003-04:00

We had our first professional family pictures taken since Taos was born. Andreia Rice took them and she did an amazing job! I love having sweet memories of my kids at ages 3 1/2 and 12 months. I am so blessed!

Borger Carnival

2011-05-20T18:44:00.003-04:00

This week there has been a small carnival set up in Borger. Last night, we didn't have anything to do so we took the kids to ride some rides. Our nephew Boone is staying with us this week and Casey's parents also came along. It was alot of fun and the kids had a blast riding all the rides.

Avery's favorite ride - the carousal. Her primary goal was to ride the purple horse everytime.
Avery, Cas, and Boone on the dragon roller coaster. I was surprised at how much she loved all the rides and wasn't scared at all.

Until she went through the obstacle course... I think the height scared her, because all of a sudden she was holding on tight, looking down, and crying. Good thing cousin Boone was there to hold her hand until she got to the bottom.

Little man wishing he could ride a ride.

Boone and Aves on the rocking boat.

Avery had a huge smile on her face during every ride!

I guess all the watching tired him out. Sweet boy.

The kids on the motorcycles.

They rode the little rides over and over again until it was time to go. We all had a blast.

May 2011

2011-05-20T09:21:00.009-04:00

May has been a fun month full of things to do.... We are so excited that summer is close!

Mother's Day 2011. Taos 12 months, Avery 3 1/2 years. I could not be more thankful for happy, healthy, and precious children. Thank you Lord.
First golf of the summer. Styling with her pink golf bag.

Golf pro if I say so myself!

The grass feels good on his feet.

Our border collie Kate had 7 puppies. They are so fluffy and fun to play with.

Avery's favorite :)

Boone and Aves riding on the console at the ranch!

Sitting in the tent at the chuckwagon.

Enjoying some sweet tea.

On the ranchPlaying at the chuckwagon on the ranch.

Watching the Western Heritage Parade in Abilene

Hardin Simmons Six White Horses

The famous Clydesdales

Nice and comfy with her Sonic slush at the parade

Handsome cowboy

Taos and his Posey at the Western Heritage

Me and Aves watching Daddy show his horse

Avery riding with Dad

Now it's Taos' turn to ride with Daddy

Silly picture with Avery

The kids with Nona

Avery won 2nd place in the bronc riding of the stick horse rodeo for ages 3-4. She was adorable and so fun to watch! She won a big puffy jacket and it was in a clear package. When I asked her what it was, she said, "A life jacket." Cracked me up.

Little man had a blast. I think we can all agree that he has no change but to be a cowboy!

Avery making a face with Daddy at the rodeo Friday night.

Ready for the rodeo again Saturday night.

Sitting with Pop, Sarah, and Betsy

We brought our nephew Boone home with us for a visit after the Western Heritage weekend. As you can tell, all 3 kids were exhausted. Made for a nice trip back to the panhandle.

Happy Easter

2011-04-27T22:06:00.004-04:00

We were blessed to get to travel home to Abilene for Easter weekend and to celebrate our sweet niece Bella's 2nd birthday! The whole weekend was full and fun.

Taos got off to a rough start at the birthday party on Saturday.. too many people and here he is trying to escape the kid picture.
My sister-in-law Angela and the birthday girl Bella.

Danda and Popo with Taos.

Checking out their eggs.

He has taken up to 10 steps in a row now, but still crawls most of the time.

The group after Easter egg hunting... it was so hot that the chocolate almost all melted!

Then a nice little shower came down and when the rain stopped of course the kids wanted to play in the water and mud.

Drinking the drops from the roof.

And yes, she did manage to slip and fall several times - but that's the best part :)

Even Taos got in on some mud action splashing around in a puddle.

Daddy with his two kiddos before church.

The Armstrong Family on Easter

My sweet babies.

There was a rolly polly on the ground and Taos was determined to pick him up. They were both fascinated.

Sarah, Avery, Besty, and Callie - cousins

Another egg hunt. Taos was asleep for this one.

Even helping Avery reach an egg in the tree.

Avery with her Nona and Papa!

Happy Birthday Taos

2011-04-19T22:50:00.006-04:00

Today is my sweet baby boy's first birthday! I can not believe a year has gone by. Taos is such a funny little guy. He is so curious and into everything. He is a rough and tough little boy - so different from his big sister. He can crawl faster than anything and is almost walking. He has taken 7 steps without falling and gets better each day. He babbles and yells and says "dada" every time he sees Casey. "Dada" plus "Katie" (our dog's name) are just about the only words he says... why won't he say "Mama" all the time? Who knows - and he is the least one concerned about talking for me. He understands so much that it amazes me :) He LOVES our dog and all Casey's horses. He will dart to the door if he hears it open because he love to be outside. His big sister is his hero and she can make him laugh so hard. He still loves his pacifier. He has 8 teeth and can eat lots of table food. We love you baby Taos!

Newborn

1 month

2 months

3 months
4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

12 months

Taos' First Birthday Party

2011-04-19T22:22:00.005-04:00

This past weekend we had Taos' first birthday party a little early since we are planning to go to Abilene for Easter. We had a blast celebrating this little man's first year!

Nona and Betsy came early to play with the kids.
Cousin Betsy and Taos.

The birthday boy playing with a rolling puppy from Dandad and Posey. It is hilarious,

Mom and Taos - I love you birthday boy!

Daddy and Taos

Avery tried on all the doggy ears before the other kids arrived. These were her favorite.

Gentrie and Brynne - such cuties

Casey, Dandad, Taos, and Boone (Taos' dog ears and paci make him look like a little pig!)

Sweet boy in his new chair!

Opening presents was fun for a while...

Then he just wanted to chill in his big chair.

Hmmm.... the chocolate dog looks yummy on the cake.

Our sweet kiddos.

Grandmomma wtih cousins Bella, Taos, Avery, and Boone

Spring Break

2011-04-03T23:42:00.006-04:00

Yes, I know spring break was last month, but I am a little behind on blogging. We started off spring break with one of Casey's Team Ropings. Cousins Boone and Bellas came along.

The "boy" cousins Taos and Boone Bella with her Dandad.

Taos quickly found the toys.

Boone and Aves playing in the dirt.

Taos and Dandad.

Next, the kids and I went to Abilene to see more family. Nona and Sarah now understand when I say that Taos is hard to change... wiggle worm is an understatement!

He soon got over the pajama changing by riding on Uncle David's shoulders.

Avery taught Papa how to cook... he is holding her pretend cookbook.

We went to see Mimi - my dad's mother.

And we got to see Grandmomma too. Casey's grandmother.

Taos got his first haircut by Aunt Nanny.

Handsome boy.

Avery - so sweet as always!

When we got home Taos was quick to wreck the kitchen... It amazes me how fast he can open a drawer and pull EVERYTHING out!

Then he ate his first piece of pizza. He was a fan! Fun spring break. Now we are counting down the days until summer.

Kiddo Update

2011-03-09T17:50:00.006-05:00

I have been meaning to take some recent pics of my sweet kiddos for a couple weeks. This is what we've been up to...

Taos was being a wild man while I was trying to take his picture! This is one of the only ones that I got of him actually looking at me.... the smile part was a lost cause. He was too busy:
Looking out the window

Pulling the stuffed animals out of the basket

Looking out the window again.. probably for Kate, our dog.

Climbing under his end table

and playing pat-a-cake. Love this 10-month-old.

My sweet Avery was looking so adorable in her ballet clothes.

She is looking so old!

Love this little angel.

Again, she looks too old in this one.

Here is my sweet Avery and her Daddy crashed on the couch before bedtime.

I moved her to her bed so she wouldn't fall off the couch in the middle of the night. Casey eventually made his way to bed too.

Handsome man in the bathtub!

My smiling Munchkin!

Taos' First Word

2011-02-12T10:39:00.003-05:00

Taos has been very busy crawling, pulling up, and figuring everything out. Lately, I have been listening to all his "babble" and wondering what word would come out of his mouth first. Avery's first word was "up" around 9 months. This was fitting, because she didn't crawl until 11 months and often needed to say "up." Little man can pretty much get wherever he wants to go so he doesn't need to say "up." I have been trying to get him to say "more" when he is eating - but he just smiles at me and grunts to indicate that he wants more. That works for him so why would he say the word. BUT... he loves and I mean LOVES our dog Kate. He absolutely lights up when he sees her and could just look at her all day long. So when I heard him saying "gog" a couple days ago when we were outside I thought he may be saying dog. Then, he started imitating it after me when I would say dog and make the barking noise. Although, it will probably just sound like babbling to everyone else (and no one else will probably be interested in this short video except the grandparents) we are writing down Taos' first word as "dog" (gog). And please ignore my embarrassing "mommy talk" and yes, barking sounds in the video!

Sun Dogs

2011-02-09T14:44:00.004-05:00

Last night we got several inches of snow and it was still pretty cold this morning. This is what I saw from my backyard. It looks like there are 3 suns rising. Gorgeous. God can paint amazing pictures on earth. I saw on the news that the meteorologist called it "Sun Dogs" and said that it occurs when ice crystals form in the lower atmosphere. It lasted until the sun rose all the way above the horizon. This was a great start to the day.

LOVE

2011-02-08T22:28:00.002-05:00

WE LOVE THESE LITTLE KIDDOS SOOOO MUCH! TOO PRECIOUS NOT TO SHARE.

PRINCESS AVERY 3 YEARS OLD

WILD MAN TAOS 9 MONTHS

Outside

2011-01-26T15:44:00.006-05:00

We LOVE to be outside at our house... I mean who wouldn't, we live on a ranch! There are no cars, noises, or busy streets to even think about. I can not tell you how ready I am for it to warm up around here. I am tired of having to bundle everyone up, wipe runny noses, and freeze just to play outside. If the weather is even remotely nice we try to make it outside for a little while to play. Avery usually rides horses with Casey at least once a week weather permitting, but of course I have no recent pictures of that. Here are some of the kids just playing outside the house.

I love this picture because Avery has on her boots tucked into her sweats! And she has the back of her tricycle loaded with cake (feed for the cows).
Kate is always ready to play with us.

And you will notice that she has on her boots and sweats again in this picture. Like any woman, she thinks that sweats are way more comfy than jeans and prefers to wear them as much as possible. As a 3-year-old she can get away with this!

Taos wasn't too sure about sliding with his sister! I'm sure he will grow to love it!

Random

2011-01-19T20:11:00.004-05:00

Since Christmas, we haven't done anything too exciting around our house... but our kids keep things interesting and we've managed to take a few pics of life at the Armstrong house lately. Here is what we've been doing.

Avery has an inflatable horse named Rody. The kids LOVE to sit on it while Casey makes it buck! Looks like fun to me too!

Avery can get some major air!

The dress up queen in her bride costume... thanks Callie and Evan!

We were fortunate enough to have a few pretty days to play outside amongst the freezing cold Texas panhandle weather.

The cozy coupe

Already love the rope (even if it is purple)
This little man has turned into the biggest mess ever since he started crawling. Now he also pulls up on everything. The dishwasher is one of his personal favorites.

But the all time favorite is the toilet paper. And yes, he can and does reach it and drag it out everywhere. I haven't gotten a good picture of the actual crime. This one was a caught in the act pic! Most of the time he pulls it down and eats a few bites, then as he crawls off, he drags it along behind him to the other end of the bathroom :) stinker!

Watching sister take her bath

Big sister it the best help. Tonight, she wanted to feed him baby food. She did an awesome job until the end when he started hitting the spoon out of her hand. By the end, he was a mess... but that's pretty common after supper!

Loving on their daddy

Bathtime

2011-01-08T21:45:00.002-05:00

I love bath pictures! Kids are so sweet and look so happy when they are taking a bath. Both of my children LOVE baths. I think they could play in there for hours if the water never got cold. Taos has been taking a bath with Avery for the past couple months as he is now able to sit up well and not fall over into the water. He even crawls around in there trying to capture the cup I use to rinse their hair out. Once he gets it, he just holds it in his lap and is a happy guy. If he doesn't have the cup occupying his hands he is usually splashing as hard as he can which eventually triggers Avery asking me to get him out. Avery wasn't in the picture mood while taking her bath today - the only one I got of her, of course Taos isn't looking. But I still love the bath pics!

December 2010

2010-12-28T08:27:00.012-05:00

This is an incredibly long post and not all in chronological order because there were too many pics to arrange correctly. The past couple weeks have been filled with fun, family, and traveling. Here it all is crammed into one post. What a wonderful month of December it has been for our family.

This is my best friend Courtney and her precious little girl Berkley. How pathetic is it that this is the first time I have met this sweet little baby! That is what happens when you live too far from friends!
Avery and Courtney's daughter Brookelynn did not have time to pose for many pictures - they were too busy playing.
Taos was quick to grab Berkley's bow and pull her toward him. I'm not sure if he was going for her pacifier or chubby cheek, but you can see the terror in her eyes. He reminds me of Pacman in this picture.
Group shot - Me, Courtney, Avery (3) Taos (8 mo.) Brookelynn (2) Berkley (6 mo.)

It snowed in Borger the week before Christmas. Here is my beautiful snow bunny.

I helped her make a snowman in the front yard.

My cousins Betsy and Sarah came to visit. They got in town just in time to play in the snow before dark. We are pulling each other behind the Polaris riding on an old car hood. It was a blast.

Me and Aves - she wasn't missing a minute of the fun.

Sarah, Avery, and Betsy

There was a Santa downtown Borger so we had to say hello to him.

Making Christmas cookies with Popo - yum.

My handsome man turned 8 months old!

Making more Christmas cookies with Aunt Karla.

Waiting in line to see Santa at the mall on Christmas Eve.

Dressing up at Nona's house - she got several new costumes to dress up in and is loving all of them.

Taos trying out his new chair, hat, and football.

Sitting with Pop.

His favorite thing to get - a shiny red ball off the tree.

Modeling a new hat.

Playing with their toys Christmas morning.

Sweet cousins Boone and Bella on Christmas.

More Christmas Day pictures with Daddy.

She loved her Tinkerbell jewelry box.

Christmas night fun with lots of cousins. Taos, Boone (6), Avery, Chloe (5), Creek (7), Bella (1)

Moore Christmas

2010-12-15T15:39:00.003-05:00

Our first family Christmas of the season was last weekend. The "Moore" Family gets together the 2nd weekend in December every year. We all eat and play games and visit.... only on a baby's first Christmas does anyone bring gifts. Taos was honored to receive lots of great gifts for his first Christmas. The Moore family is my grandpa's (Pop) 4 siblings and their families. Taos is named after this side of the family - Taos Crawford - Crawford is my Pop's middle name and was his mother's maiden name.

My brother Lance and his wife Kallie, Pop and us.
This is an annual "pose" that our parents force us to still take even though, as you can see, my children are now in the shot. This is the grandkids (and now additional spouses and children) in chronological order. Taos, Avery, Sarah (cousin), Kallie (sister-in-law), Betsy (cousin), Evan (married to my cousin Callie), Callie, Lance (brother), me, Casey.

I debated taking the "funny" shot off the blog because of my husband's embarassing pose, but hey - obviously he knew it was going to be in the picture so here it is.... lovely.

Lance, Kallie, and Taos

Opening his first Christmas present. Sweet.

Avery helping out.

My Aunt Mary Francis made Taos this adorable cap. It looks precious on him.

Avery trying to unwrap a present with huge gloves on - a game we played. While Aunt Karla is busy putting her bow back in - very important.

Taos wasn't feeling too hot the next morning so here he is taking a precious nap on mommy.

Think she was tired on the way home? This looks so uncomfortable.

They both slept the first 3 hours! Priceless is the key word here!

November

2010-12-04T10:32:00.005-05:00

November flew by and I have not been able to blog lately.... here are some pictures from last month.

Watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with Dad. We were lucky enough to have my mom, dad, and grandpa joing us for Thanksgiving this year since we couldn't make it to Abilene.
Thanksgiving Day with Pop and Papa - Nona and I apparently didn't make it in any of the Thanksgiving pictures this year. BUT we did have a blast shopping early on black Friday. So fun!

Avery went to her first movie at the theater with mom and dad. We took her to the Borger movie theater which is downtown and so cute. "The Morley" Some of the theaters in The Morley only have 10 rows of chairs - I couldn't believe it the first time I saw that it was that small. But there is also one huge theater that has balcony seating.

She was so excited to see Tangled - the Rapunzel movie.

And it was in 3D! Too bad they don't provide smaller glasses for the 3-year-olds. She loved it and the movie was actually really good. I liked it too.

This is her first year of ballet. Here is one of her poses!

Parent watch night was last week. She is doing her stretches beside her friends Brynne and Caroline.

She wasn't even embarrassed with all the parents watching.

Waiting her turn.

Then it was time for tap. Their class is 30 minutes of ballet and 30 minutes of tap. She absolutely loves it and I love watching her have fun.

Oh, and Taos was having fun too watching all the pretty little girls dance around.

Crazy Rodeo Weekend

2010-11-14T10:16:00.002-05:00

This weekend was the Ranch Rodeo Finals in Amarillo. Casey's ranch is not able to compete in this rodeo, but he entered a horse to show on Saturday. Our full weekend turned out to be super busy with crazy weather in the panhandle!

Thursday night Casey took Avery to the rodeo in Amarillo. I went to Borger to play Bunco and Taos stayed with my neighbor.

On the way home from Bunco, it was pouring down rain, hailing, and there was TONS of lightning. Everytime the sky lit up with lightning, I prayed that I didn't see a tornado out there! When I got home and was picking Taos up from our neighbor, we noticed a huge grass fire on the ranch. The rain had stopped and now there was a fire! Thank goodness the wind was blowing away from my house so I wasn't too concerned about evacuating. The fire trucks came just as it began raining again. Thank You God for sending more rain to put out the fire. It continued raining all night and then as the temperature dropped through the night, it started to snow.... crazy.

So we woke up to this Friday morning... By Saturday, the sun was out and melting the snow away!

Bundled up as we walked into the rodeo Friday night :) I think I've said this before, but THANK GOODNESS for the double stroller.

Watching the rodeo in Dad's lap

Saturday morning, we were there again to watch Casey show his horse. He did great! No pics of him because I was videoing.

Taos was entertained

Avery playing with toys in the trade show.

Holding her little brother - even though he looks as big as her!

I LOVE this picture - my two boys :)

Halloween

2010-11-01T21:58:00.003-04:00

This year Halloween was so fun. Avery is getting big enough to enjoy it and understand how to trick or treat. Avery went to a Halloween party during story time at the library Wednesday.

Coloring her pumpkin picture.

Taos made a spider out of his handprints. Now he just wants to put it in his mouth! Here he is sitting with his Posey.

On Halloween we went over to friends' house to cook out before trick or treating. All the other kids there were girls and Taos was quite popular!

My little frog is about to empty that bowl of candy... he actually chewed on one package of Junior Mints until the words were bleeding into each other. We didn't pass that one out!

My adorable kids - The princess and the frog :)

Hannah, Gentrie, Taos, Avery, Brynne, and Caroline

Taos was an excellent trick or treater riding along in his stroller.

They were so cute running up to each house. Avery walked all the way down one side of the street and then said she was finished and Casey carried her the whole way back down the street to our car. She had a blast and is already planning what she is going to be for next year.

Pumpkin Farm

2010-10-24T17:47:00.007-04:00

Saturday, we took the kids to Maxwell's Pumpkin Farm in Amarillo. It was a blast! We went with the Lamb family - Hegan, Shawna, Hazen (3) and Rylan (1). We will definitely plan on going every year!

Best friends!
Riding a pedal tractor/car thing - with help from dad.

The babies in the double stroller - what a life saver!

Haha - I know anyone with kids is laughing that we even attempted to get a picture of all 4 kids. AND we picked an awful background with the potties behind them :)

She finally stopped long enough to take one with her brother and the pumpkins.

In celebration of the Texas Rangers' win - we have the claw and the antlers!

The bunny rabbits had a town of their own... Wild Hare Salon was where this one was hanging out.

A super fun slide through a mountain (aka "a mound of dirt")

She was so funny going through this maze. First she tried to step over the ropes and when we told her that's not how it worked she looked confused. After running into a few dead ends she eventually found a "big" kid and followed him to the end :)

Obstacle course through the corn maze was tons of fun!

She called the tall corn stalks "grass."

Rope bridge

The men made Shawna and I go through this tunnel with the kids, then proceeded to swing it back and forth while we were in it... very funny!

Avery's favorite part was this thing called a jumping pillow. I had never heard of it before, but it was awesome. I wish I would have taken a picture of the whole thing, but it literally was like a giant bouncy pillow buried in the dirt.

Me and Taos at the bottom of the haystack.

My littlest pumpkin!

Riding on the "cow train"

Shawna and her boys rode the on the "wagon train"

Last Football Game

2010-10-24T17:40:00.003-04:00

Friday night was the last home football game for the Borger Bulldogs. We tailgated with our church again and then headed to the game. It got a little chilly for me - but the kids were bundled up so they were happy. Borger won the game vs. Dalhart!

They didn't like the loud cheering and horns when Borger scored a touchdown.

Clearly, Avery's best buddy Hazen did not want to take a picture with her.

And clearly here... Avery is a diva!

6 months old

2010-10-24T17:27:00.003-04:00

My little boy is 6 months old! He is SOOO happy and such a sweetheart. At his 6 month checkup Taos' stats are as follows:

Weight: 17.6 pounds - 50th percentile

Height: 27 1/4 inches - 80th percentile

So I'm happy to report that the little man has gotten taller and more proportionate. Taos is sitting up alone (falling over occasionally), rolling all over the place, and even scooting bacwards on his tummy. He loves toys that make noise, animals, and being outside. Taos is still nursing, but he also eats cereal with fruit and is just starting vegetables. He is all about the food and enjoys getting to eat more than just milk. I love putting him in his highchair to play while I am busy in the kitchen. He can throw spoons, cups, and toys off his tray in an amazingly short amount of time. Taos loves his mommy and daddy, but is head over heels in love with his big sister. What a blessing to have such a sweet 3 year old to entertain and love on Taos.

Siblings

2010-10-23T09:59:00.003-04:00

Here are some pics of the kids when they were around the same age. I think Taos looks like Avery at some point every day...

2-4 weeks old

8 weeks

5 - 6 months

The bow gives Avery away every time - I couldn't seem to find many pictures of her without one.... imagine that! And Taos fills out all his clothes more than she did :)

10 Year Reunion

2010-10-18T22:51:00.010-04:00

This past weekend was my 10 year reunion for Merkel High School - yes, I have been out of high school for 10 whole years! Oh my! Thinking back to my senior year, I was trying to remember where I thought I would be in 10 years... I would say that married to my wonderful husband Casey with 2 beautiful children is beyond blessed and more than I could have imagined. It was so much fun to see some of my friends that I went to school with from kindergarten to 12th grade. Everyone seemed to be doing well and I hope it's not another 10 years until we see each other again.

This is me and my best friend Miranda at graduation... yes, I know the shoes are hideous :(

Here is Cristen, Bethany, Me, and Miranda the summer after we graduated in 2000.

Merkel High School Class of 2000 - about 83 students

Avery, Gracie, and Brilynn at the Merkel park on Saturday

Avery having a great time

The "moms" at a picnic/play time Saturday at Merkel South Park.

Dinner at the Abilene Beehive - classmates that were there.

Bethany, Cristen, Miranda, and Me (same that were in the old picture)

Me and Miranda

Me and my hubby

Sunday, we celebrated my dad's birthday - even though I didn't get a pic of the birthday boy. Sorry dad :( Here is my Pop with Taos. Pop's real name is Elmo - yes it's true. We found this hilarious onesie that says "Elmo is my Homeboy" when Aves was a baby and Taos inherited it. I love it.

Look - Taos and Pop have about the same amount of hair (no offense Pop!)

Avery was dressing up and having a great time at Nona and Papa's house

Aunt Karla and Taos

The newlyweds - Evan and Callie with Taos

5 months

2010-10-08T17:00:00.002-04:00

My kids are growing too fast! It seems that Taos is flying through the milestones and although we aren't counting Avery's age in months like we are with him, she seems to be acting so much older too. Avery is the BEST big sister ever! She is SO helpful and loving toward her baby brother. He absolutely adores her and literally watches her ever move. This week, we introduced rice cereal to Taos for the first time. Well, Miss Priss INSISTED on trying it out first - I mean this was new to her too and cereal sounds great doesn't it? As you can see in the picture below, one bite was plenty for her and she announced that it was "for babies" and Taos could have the rest :)

The infamous facial expression when babies first taste something other than milk!

It didn't take long for him to start grabbing the spoon. After a few days, he is a pro and is spitting less out each bite. I am only giving it to him once a day, but will probably move to twice a day next week.

And look at that smile. I LOVE his dimple that Casey gave both our children - just one on the right side.

What a big boy sitting up so well - in the jean diaper if you couldn't tell. Every little cowboy needs jean diapers! Thanks Aunt Kallie :)

Canton 2010

2010-10-04T22:19:00.007-04:00

Last Wednesday, I loaded up the kids and headed for Abilene. We were excited to see visit Casey's grandma in the hospital and glad that she was recovering well from having BOTH knees replaced. We hope she gets well soon! Thursday morning, my mom, me, and Taos left Abilene for Canton to shop the First Monday Trade Days. Avery stayed in Abilene with my Aunt Karla and enjoyed spending time with her cousins, Aunt, Uncle, Papa, and Pop. She got to do fun things like go to the park, zoo, and Wylie Football game - sorry that I have no pics to post of my sweet girl. I don't even think she missed me since she was having so much fun. I really didn't take as many pictures of Canton as I had hoped too due to a massive amount of shopping that was taking place.

Taos was THE BEST shopper ever. He wore his hat the whole time and didn't fuss at all. Seriously, this kid can tag along with me anytime if he continues to be this laid back (somehow I'm thinking that this may not be the case when he figures out how to get around on his own).

He was super happy in his stroller and "talked" to every person and dog that walked by. Most people talked back to him.

He took some great naps in the stroller. The weather was perfect - not too hot or cold and no rain. We shopped Thursday and Friday until almost 6:00 p.m.

We were surprised to run into people we knew! Here are friends from Baylor - Ashley and Austin Evans. It was great to visit with them.

On Saturday, we drove into Dallas to see my roommate from collage, Becca and her husband Jay, and their sweet new baby Meg who is 6 weeks old. She was SO sweet and tiny. You can read baby Meg's blog at http://lifeasacoile.blogspot.com

Taos is 4 months older than Meg. What a difference a few months makes.

After visiting with Becca, we stopped at Arlington Highlands for lunch and yes, a little more shopping. Taos enjoyed watching the water spray up.

Yummy Mexican food from Chuy's. Nona and Taos.

Hubcaps hanging from the ceiling... fun atmosphere.

Taos loves his Nona - such a happy baby.

After lunch, we headed back to Abilene.... until we got a flat tire in Ft. Worth. Yes, awful - not what me, my mom, and Taos wanted to deal with. We rolled into a gas station in a Tom Thumb parking lot and contemplated what to do. Thank goodness for caring people. My mom went into the grocery store to ask the manager if there was a place we could call to come help us with the tire (no I do not know how to change a flat). The manager actually offered for one of his employees to change it for us. Andy was so nice to change the flat for us with much difficulty as the jack was not very cooperative. Mom and I joked that the worst part was having to unload the whole rear of her Expedition (of Canton treasures, pack-n-play, luggage, stroller...) for Andy to get the spare and tools out. After a lengthy delay, we were off again and made it safely to Abilene on the spare tire.

Thanks again Manager Mike and employee Andy for all your help!

What a great, long weekend. Too bad I have to go back to work tomorrow. I can't wait to visit Canton again. Thanks mom for taking us!

Hope 2010

2010-10-04T19:47:00.004-04:00

Hope is an annual event benefiting the American Cancer Society that is held at the Crutch Ranch in Borger. Every year, there is an auction, gaming, dinner, and entertainment in which all the proceeds are donated. This is the second year we have been able to go and it was so much fun. The weather was great and several of our good friends went. This year, the entertainment was Sawyer Brown and his band put on an amazing show. I think we literally danced the whole time he was playing.

Me and my friend Marcie

Before the show, we got to meet the band. Here I am with Sawyer Brown, Shawna, and Cristen

The band - it was so fun to be right up next to the stage!

Casey and Hegan

Dede, Shawna, Cristen, Me, and Marcie

A few pics

2010-09-17T09:17:00.002-04:00

Nothing new - just a few sweet pics...

Taos with Casey's Grandmomma
4 1/2 months old

Sweet boy

Sleeping on Daddy

Daddy with his kids - and yes, Avery is in her dressup clothes. She absolutely LOVES to dress up and changes clothes multiple times per day. What a girl!

Borger Football Game

2010-09-05T18:50:00.003-04:00

Friday was Borger's first home football game. Avery was more than excited to wear her cheerleader uniform and Dandad bought her some red and white pompoms to take to the game.

Dandad, Taos, and Aves ready for the football game.
First, we tailgated with our church outside the gates.

Avery and Brynne looking adorable.

Avery, Brynne, and Caroline

Avery with her mouth full of popcorn at the game.

I think I see a future football player here!

"Silly" picture with the girls and my friend Marcie

Daddy and the baby boy

He fell asleep during the game - sweet baby. Until the Bulldogs made a touchdown and it was so loud that he woke up. We had to leave shortly after that because he couldn't go back to sleep.

What's better than to be fed pizza by your buddy Hazen :) They had so much fun.

Jump Zone

2010-09-05T18:43:00.002-04:00

I have been so busy with work starting back up that I decided to take Aves for some much needed play time at Jump Zone. It wasn't crowded at all since all the school-aged kids were back in school. She had a blast and I enjoyed watching her play.

Taos was the happiest little baby in his stroller the whole time :)

Bath Hair

2010-08-29T17:28:00.001-04:00

No caption needed for this picture - it's just plain hilarious! Love her :)

Well Babies

2010-08-23T16:35:00.003-04:00

Today I took the kids for their "well-baby" checkups. Avery went for her 3-year-old visit and Taos was there for his 4-month visit. Both kids checked out 100% healthy which we are so thankful for. They both had to get shots which just breaks my heart, but they did remarkably well. I have to admit that I was nervous taking both of them for shots by myself. Avery was crying after her shot, but helped hold Taos' hand during his shots and that made her feel better. Plus, he had to get more shots than her so she didn't feel as sorry for herself. The sucker afterwards and a cookie from the mall seemed to heal any bad feelings from the doctor's visit so we're good. Here are their stats:

Avery

Weight: 25.6 lbs. - 3rd percentile
Height: 37 1/2 in. - 50th percentile

Taos

Weight: 16.4 lbs. - 80th percentile

Height: 25 in. - 50th percentile

So it seems we have a skinny child and a "healthy" child as we like to call Taos. Thank You Lord for our perfect children!

4 months

2010-08-22T20:41:00.002-04:00

My sweet baby Taos is 4 months old today - I can't even believe it. It seems like just yesterday when I had him and was so excited to not have to go back to work until he was 4 months old... I went back to work 2 weeks ago and here is his 4 month birthday. We (me, Casey, and Avery) love Taos so very much and are so happy to seem him grow. He is a healthy little chunk. I will have stats to report on him tomorrow after his checkup. Things we love about him and things he does: "talks" so much, LOVES watching his big sister, just found his feet, can roll from his stomach to his back, tries very hard to sit up, sleeps all night, loves to eat, wears size 6 month clothes, enjoys his pacifier, tries to put everything in his mouth to chew on, and is absolutely adored by everyone who meets him. We love you Taos!

Love this expression

First, I propped him up against the horse...

Then I tried to sit him up on his own.... not bad. He sat there for quite a while, but I actually think he was just leaning over on his chubby tummy rather than sitting up all on his own.

Hugs from sister!

My Baylor Bears

2010-08-12T22:22:00.002-04:00

So Taos got the cutest Baylor onesie as a baby gift - Thank you Peggy Grimes! Everytime I put it on him, Avery wants to put on her Baylor cheerleader outfit. Usually, if we are going somewhere I don't let her but today we were staying home so it was perfect for her to play in all day. Seeing how adorable they were in their matching Baylor attire, I thought it would be a great idea to take some pics of both of them. I don't think my camera takes very good pics inside so we went out to the backyard.... the photo shoot did not go as planned and instead of cute sibling pictures, all you get are the attempts to get both of them happy and smiling at the camera. I'll have to try again another day :)

She said he was too heavy.... not that she was trying really hard to keep him up.
Can't remember what the original pose was supposed to be, but clearly this wasn't working.

This one was close, but the sun seemed too bright for little man to look up and Avery's looking quite uncomfortable.

While holding him, I did get this cute one of Avery - she's a doll.

Then while Avery was taking her nap, Taos was happy and smiling in his swing. So at least I got one of each!?!?

Avery Riding

2010-08-10T10:19:00.002-04:00

Last weekend Casey was in a Ranch Rodeo in Groom, Texas. We had fun watching him and Avery loved every minute of it. She has fun doing anything with horses or her Daddy. Somehow I only got pictures of Avery before the rodeo and none of the actual performance - oops. She's prettier than all those cowboys anyways!

Waiting for it to begin...
Dad said she could ride her horse behind his during "warm ups."

She's SO excited!

There they go - she looks so tiny on the horse :)

Happy Birthday Casey

2010-08-10T10:15:00.002-04:00

Yes - this is late, but we've been so busy I haven't gotten to post anything. My sweet husband turned 29 on August 4th. Yes, he shares a birthday with Obama! To celebrate we met up with several friends at a Mexican Restaurant in Borger called The Plaza... yum. It was fun to celebrate with good friends. Happy birthday honey. I love you!

I love him!

My Cousin's Wedding

2010-07-26T19:11:00.006-04:00

My cousin Callie Morris got married to Evan Harris on July 17th in Abilene. My family was honored to be included in all the events and we had a wonderful weekend with lots of family and friends. I was a bridesmaid, Casey was an usher, and Avery was the prettiest flower girl I have ever seen (not that I'm partial or anything). Whew - we were tired by the end of the weekend. Congrats to the new couple and welcome to the family "Eban."

Bridesmaid brunch
Rehearsal dinner - Avery was so kind to "write" down her marriage advice to Callie and Evan.

Playing with her Uncle David

Taos and Aunt Karla at the Rehearsal dinner

The groom and bride plus her sisters Betsy and Sarah

Hugs for the bride-to-be

Sorry Lance (my brother) but I couldn't resist posting this... yes, those are white shorty socks that he wore to the church with his tux. No, we did not allow him to usher anyone down the isle in these - good thing my mom brought him some black socks!

Did I mention that she was the most beautiful flower girl ever!

Casey, Lance, and Evan before the wedding

Avery was very interested in all the girls getting ready in the bridal suite

This picture melts my heart :)Me and Aves

My cousin Betsy, Casey, Avery, Me, Lance, his wife Kallie, and my cousin Sarah

My whole family after the wedding

The wedding party

3 year/3 month Pictures

2010-07-15T23:21:00.004-04:00

Earlier this week I got Avery and Taos' pictures taken in Borger by a photographer named Andreia Rice. I was determined not to miss Taos' 3 month mark for pictures as it seems things like that with the second child are harder to get accomplished. His baby book is not as detailed, there are less video tapes of him, and no professional pictures yet... Andreia was so sweet and patient with my 3-year-old and 3-month old. I was sweating from head to toe by the end of the photo shoot from frantically trying to keep everyone happy, smiling, and looking in the general direction of the camera. I was thrilled to see the pictures and now just have to decide which ones to order! Here is the link to Andreia's blog with a sample of a few of the pictures she took. I am so excited to have good pictures capturing this sweet time in my children's lives. I love them more and more everyday!

http://studioandreiaphotography.blogspot.com/2010/07/avery-taos-borger-tx-children.html

Battle in the Saddle

2010-07-13T08:25:00.007-04:00

This past weekend we loaded up again and went to Oklahoma City for a ranch horse competition at an event called "Battle in the Saddle." The ranch horse competition that Casey participates in involves "showing his horse" to score points and obviously the person with the most points wins. There are several elements of the performance (which lasts about 6 minutes per horse) including changing leads, stopping, spinning, cutting a cow, roping, and dragging. Casey took a young horse that he has just started training to show at competitions like this. He did great and was very pleased with how his horse performed. We had a blast tagging along and taking in Oklahoma City. Casey's parents, sister, and niece and nephew also came with us. And, just because I know you will notice.... our nephew Boone has a black eye and swollen cheek because he got hit with a golf club in the face! Yes, OUCH. It is actually looking much better, but you will still notice it in the pictures.

Finished and walking his horse out of the arena - I didn't get many pics of the actual horse show because I was video tapping.

Taos is more interested in the cow hanging from his stroller than the horse show at this point.

Sitting with Casey's mom - Posey.

Boone, Avery, and Dandad

Helping hold the reins

Avery and Boone in front of Casey's stall

Grandparents holding Taos

Ready to swim at the hotel!

Boone and Bella are ready too.

Taos' first time in the pool - not too sure how he feels about it??

Casey with Aves and Bella

We also got a chance to go down to Bricktown in Oklahoma City where they have a little riverwalk, ballpark, and places to eat. We ate at Toby Keith's and it was excellent food and a super fun atmosphere. Somehow I didn't end up with any pictures from that evening so I wanted to add that.

Summer

2010-07-06T18:07:00.003-04:00

This summer has already been going by way too fast! I am just now catching up with blogging our past few weeks because we have been so busy. There are several new posts, so keep looking down the page. We have been enjoying being outside as much as possible and traveling some too. Here are a few summer pics.

I made a strawberry cake to take over to some friends' house. The remaining half was on the counter the next day and I walked into the kitchen to find this - a little munchkin on the counter with a fork digging in! Yum!
Happy Father's Day! My husband is the best dad every and his kids adore him. We love you Casey.

Ready for the pool

He is also ready for the pool, but slept the whole time this day....

Aves loves the water.

And he slept this whole trip to the pool too - makes it easier for me to play with Aves.

Yes, I did actually get in a swimsuit and in the pool - scary, but hey it's summer and so hot!

Me, Aves (and her goggles) and my cousin Betsy at the Abilene Country Club pool

Bets and a tired munchkin

Don't foget to keep looking down for vacation and birthday blogs!!!

Santa Fe

2010-07-06T17:11:00.005-04:00

Summer vacation has begun! Casey and I took a long weekend trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. We had to take the little man along since he is... well, attached to me for the next few months. Avery went to Colorado with Nona and Papa so she was in good hands. We stayed at a resort on a golf course and it was a blast.

Casey and Taos in the resort lobby
Hotel pool - even though it was a little cool for swimming to us... looks like fun
Catching up on some sleep - and no, Taos doesn't sleep with us. His pack and play was set up right next to our bed. After I fed him, he fell back asleep and I laid him down by Casey while I got ready.

Me and Taos at the Plaza in downtown Santa Fe.

Native Americans lined up to sell their handmade art. The jewelry was beautiful!

The miraculous Lorenzo staircase in an old church downtown - very beautiful and interesting.

Sweet baby is getting so big

Camel Rock

Morning golf

Beautiful Towa golfcourse

This is how little man rode along with us - he did awesome and it wasn't too hot at all. Yes, I did play too, but am awful so there are no pictures of me golfing!

On our last night there, we ate supper at a nice restaurant. It was such a fun trip and went by way too fast.

Fun Valley Colorado

2010-07-06T16:19:00.007-04:00

Last week my family traveled to a little place near South Fork, Colorado called Fun Valley. It is an awesome place to escape the heat and hang out with family. We go every year with whichever family members are free to attend. I miss the relaxing weather and no schedules already.

Campfires for smores every night - yum

My grandpa, Pop, with his 2 great grandchildren This was Avery's absolute favorite thing to do - ride the "train" around the resort... over and over again!
Taos in his "Roy Rogers" outfit

He wore it to the Fun Valley dancehall one night!

Me and my cousin Betsy

Betsy with Aves

Casey and my Dad showing off their fish.

Avery and her Nona

My mom, Me, and Avery

Avery's 3rd Birthday

2010-07-06T15:52:00.005-04:00

Time flies! I can't believe we just celebrated our sweet Avery's 3rd birthday on July 3! She is such a joy to our lives and we have loved every minute of the 3 years we have gotten to watch her grow. Here are a few things about Avery:

Favorite colors: pink and purple

Favorite food: cheese

Favorite TV show: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Favorite animals: Her dog Kate and horse Little Buddy

Favorite game: Chase

Best Buddy: Hazen

Nickname: Munchkin, Munchie, Munch or any other form of the word Munchkin

At age 3 she is 36'' tall and weighs 26 lbs. Yes, that makes her tall and skinny. We can't believe how fast she has grown. Take a look at her 1st and 2nd birthdays...

Here is our sweet Avery on her 1st birthday

Happy 2nd birthday

And here is our big 3 year old riding her new bike from Dandad and Posey.
She also got a new set of real golf clubs. They are precious and she loves carrying them around.

Cousins Chloe, Creek, Boone, and best buddy Hazen and the party.

Singing happy birtyday with her My Little Pony Cake.

Opening her princess fishing pole from her Daddy!

Taos sporting a party hat - he enjoyed taking in all the action that night.

The next day, we went to Canadian to watch Daddy in a 4th of July rodeo. His team won second place.

Best Buddies

My handsome Taos even wore his pearl snaps!

Happy 4th of July!

Abilene

2010-06-09T18:51:00.004-04:00

This past weekend we made our first trip back to Abilene since Taos was born. There were MANY family and friends who were anxiously waiting to meet him. On Saturday my sweet friend Courtney and her mom had a little shower for us to introduce Taos to everyone. It was so fun to see lots of family and friends that we don't get to catch up with often enough. We are so blessed to have such good friends to open up their home and give us such a nice shower. Thank you Teri and Courtney. I didn't get a ton of pics on my camera, but here are a few below.

Nona and Papa said he had grown so much since they saw him when he was born.
Sitting with Aunt Kallie

Meeting Pop (my grandpa) for the first time.

Meeting Grandmomma (Casey's grandma) for the first time.

Casey's cousins Kristie and Shelly with Mimi in the middle.

Me and Taos and my cousin Cristi with her son Heston.

I was so excited that my Aunt Cherry came to meet Taos. She is actually my grandpa's (Pop) aunt so Taos would be the 5th generation since her! Wow!

Courtney holding Taos with her sweet little girl Brookelynn. Court looks so good - you can't even tell that she is having a baby at the end of this month.

My good friend Blandi who I haven't seen in forever. She is also preggo - so excited about all my friends and their babies!

My aunt Karla holding the little man.

Avery and dad enjoyed some fun in the pool at Casey's aunt and uncle's house - after all, the temperature was in 100s that day!

Swimming with her cousin Boone.

Big Boy Jeans

2010-06-01T09:24:00.002-04:00

So I'm assuming it has something to do with being a cowboy and wearing jeans 7 days a week - but my husband just insisted that Taos have a pair of jeans. We got this cute pair from Uncle Lance and Aunt Kallie when Taos was born and Casey couldn't wait for him to wear them. I'm sure that these will just be the first of many pairs of jeans that we will go through around our house. I have to admit that he does look pretty darn cute in them.... we'll see what Taos thinks about them.

Looks like he thinks they are alright... just sitting in his bed.
Wow - look at that temper. Not sure if he's mad at the jeans or mom making him sit up in his bed like a big kid :) It almost makes me laugh when he gets this mad. He's still so cute.

Already riding a "bucking horse" on daddy's knee. Looks like the jeans have Taos' approval! I love my boys and their jeans.

Taos Ropin'

2010-05-30T21:42:00.002-04:00

I took this short video for Casey's mom... long story, but when my nephew was little Casey would always move his little baby arms to look like he was roping a calf. It was so funny because the babies just bobble around and let you move their arms however you want to. Anyways, Casey was doing it with Taos so we took a video to send to his mom. After Casey makes Taos rope the imaginary calf Taos just grins from ear to ear. It is so precious - you have to look closely though, he's only 5 weeks old. I decided I had to post it on here for others to smile at. I just posted some new pics below so make sure and look down there too.

Cousins

2010-05-30T21:18:00.003-04:00

This weekend we were so excited for Casey's sister Angela and her 2 kids to come and visit us. They were glad to be out of school for the summer and we were ready for them to meet Taos. Here are a few pictures from this weekend.

Our little slugger is getting so big!
Avery and Boone played in the sprinkler

We went to Jump Zone in Borger - the kids had a blast. Avery kept saying, "Mom I love this place. Can we come back tomorrow?"

Sweet Bella

Boone and Bella before church - so precious

All 4 cousins - love them!

Taos hanging out with Kate :)

Big sister and little brother

Taos and his Daddy

We had so much fun! Taos - 5 weeks, Boone - 5, Bella - 13 months, Avery - 2 1/2

Beautiful weather

2010-05-20T10:12:00.005-04:00

Today and yesterday have been gorgeous days. We have been trying to take advantage of the nice weather (meaning no 100 mph wind blowing) and be outside. Here are a few pictures of things we have enjoyed.

Dad and son napping in their matching chairs during Casey's lunch break :)
They look so peaceful

Eating lunch outside!

This one is a tad blurry, but had to include it since it is me with both my kiddos.

Riding these adorable little scooters

Aunt Mam taking Avery for a ride - we were so glad she got to come visit and meet Taos

Zoom

Bouncing on the porch

My sweet 4 week old!