growing up texans

FYI Logsdon and Schultz Family

2012-01-29T23:41:00.002-06:00

We've played our family memory game, have any of you?:) Amy- Yours is on the way:)

I know it's already on FACEBOOK

2012-01-29T23:35:00.002-06:00

I still love blogging more than facebook, but with a phone that does it all, facebook is so easy, available, and quick.

We finally signed Jackson up for hockey. He is soooo excited, until he found out he has to take skate lesson first:) At his second practice they moved him up a whole level and I'm hoping he moves up quickly. If he can graduate all these mandatory lesson quick enough, we can get him into mini mites for the spring season. His birthday is in 12 days. He's getting hockey gear (like the whole shabang) that he'll need to play on a team:)

Having a little fun with color in my livingroom

2012-01-29T23:33:00.001-06:00

My family room has be void of all color for so long. It's so great to have something in that room that isn't BROWN:-)

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to ME!

2011-12-14T12:16:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to ME.

The Earth is Saved for One More Day

2011-12-08T12:42:00.002-06:00

Isaac and his buddy are keeping themselves entertained (saving earth) during Jackson soccer game. This was a few months ago, but I laugh everytime I see these photos pop up on my screen saver. I thought it might give everyone else a good smile. Boys and their imaginations:-)

cooking lessons are in session

2011-11-26T18:53:00.003-06:00

The kids took turns helping me with the rolls and pie crust for Thanksgiving dinner.

Jackson's looking better

2011-11-24T14:04:00.002-06:00

Jackson today at the Turkey Bowl wishing he could play.

Jackson yesterday after his bath and before we put his bandages back on.

Turkey Bowl

2011-11-24T13:59:00.001-06:00

Jeremy and the guys from Mckinney 2nd ward got together and played a little football. All of us wives came to watch, I mean only this wife (ME) Where were you all:)

I always love going and watching when I can.

One last quick story

2011-11-20T22:22:00.002-06:00

I know I've posted like 10 posts in 10 minutes (catch up time)

Makayla and Isaac have had a hard time watching Jackson be misreable the last few days. Everytime we have to change and clean his bandages and nose the kids leave the room. They both cry along with Jackson everytime. This picture was taken Saturday after Jackson had to have his nose cleaned and Isaac started crying. They're all hugging after all the craziness had calmed down.

Thursday when Jackson got home from surgery, Isaac kept bring him toys, blankets, and drinks of water. He even started crying when dad was trying to get Isaac and Makayla to go to dinner with him. Jeremy was going to take them to mcniel spirit night at Chic-fil-a and Jackson and I were going to stay home and watch T.V. Isaac started crying and said he didn't want to go. "What if something happens and we aren't here to help mom take care of Jackson" it was really sweet.

Isaac and soccer

2011-11-20T22:19:00.002-06:00

Isaac last minute joined a indoor soccer team. The Blackhawks. He's so excited to be playing indoor soccer. They won their first game on Saturday 3-0. Isaac score the first goal! It's amazing to me how much he loves soccer. He's always been quick, but this last season his foot work has gotten so good. He's so much fun to watch. I love watching him play.

A typical Sunday morning (Everyones ready for church but Mom:-)

2011-11-20T22:15:00.002-06:00

This morning, I was taking pictures of Jackson and everyone decided they wanted to be in on it. Of course the camera is always out when my hair and makeup person is out of town.

The Last Few Days

2011-11-20T22:03:00.004-06:00

Jackson has been amazing the last few days. As you can see in the pictures, it's been rough. This is so typical Jackson, you can see he's upset and then he tries so hard to be happy for you and then as quick as the tantrum started it's over and he's back to what he was doing.

It breaks my heart. Those big crocadille tears coming down his face. He hates it when we have to change his bandage, clean his nose, and spray his nose with saline. I mean he hates it. He puts up quite the fight. It breaks my heart everytime. I'm so bad. I only make him clean and spray it about every other or even every third time I change the bandage.

Sunday Morning (three days after surgery)

2011-11-20T21:57:00.002-06:00

Saturday afternoon (two days after surgery)

2011-11-20T21:55:00.001-06:00

Saturday Morning (two days after surgery)

2011-11-20T21:53:00.001-06:00

Friday afternoon (one day after surgery)

2011-11-20T21:52:00.001-06:00

Friday Morning (day after surgery) or Thursday (the day of surgery) I can't remember

2011-11-20T21:49:00.001-06:00

Cabo San Lucas!!!

2011-11-11T21:23:00.002-06:00

Jeremy and I at the marina in Cabo.

The catamaran that took us snorkeling on Tuesday.

My big buff Honey

These are the only pictures I have from Cabo. All the others are trapped on Jeremy's phone. When we figure out how to upload from our phone to computer, I'll share some more. Maybe even the video of me getting completely taken out by a huge wave:)

I don't know why everything is underlined!!!!!!

We had such a good time in Cabo. The weather was amazing. The water was warm. It was great.

There were a few highlights: Jeremy being a hero and saving someone, riding the public bus, and repelling. Oh yeah and sleeping as much as I wanted:)

Have I ever said how much I love love love Halloween

2011-11-03T16:02:00.004-05:00

Jackson laid down on the ground and didn't want to get up, he was to tire to go on. Even with candy waiting at more doors, he was done.

Makayla went back to Grandma and Grandpa Schultz's because she was afraid there might be dogs at the homes we were trick or treating at.

Pumpkin patch in the Tri-Cities

Some of the cousins we went out trick or treating with

We spent halloween weekend in Washington. It was a little cold for me, but I loved it so much. Makayla was Hermione Granger, from Harry Potter. (my kids are inlove with Harry Potter, they let me start reading it to them this summer. We're on Book 3) Isaac was a skeleton, because it was on clearance two years ago. Jackson was a green Power Ranger, because Power Rangers are soo cool, and Isaac wore it four years ago:)

My Sister's Funeral

2011-10-30T00:54:00.005-05:00

My Sister Rochelle and her family (husband) Ryan, Cole (13), Kamden (9), and Carter (6)

My sister Rochelle's funeral was today. What a perfect day. From the cute boys in pink ties, to the pink balloons, and the wonderful sun shining down on us all day. The weather couldn't have been nicer.

How do you know Mom's been gone?

2011-10-20T09:54:00.005-05:00

So my precious wife has been gone for her second extended trip back in WA helping her sister who is in her last days of her heroic fight with cancer. I would STRONGLY encourage you to visit her sister's blog to meet this courageous woman @ http://www.rolumpybreast.blogspot.com/ (or just click on the tag towards the bottom on the right of our blog list). It's great that Chauntel can be there with her family and serve her sister and her sister's family at this time. We have been praying for Aunt Rochelle in every one of our family prayers over the past 5 years, and the kids have great faith that the Lord hears and answers prayers. We have seen many miracles that we directly attribute to the power of a simple prayer, with simple faith, and how that simple act can change the course of life.

With all of this going on, it has been left up to me to run the Logsdon home in the way that Mom has always done. But we have learned that Dad is not Mom, and there is no one that can quite replace our Mom and how she does things. I have come up with some ways that I can tell that Mom has been gone for an extended time. Here they are:

*The magic clothes hamper must be broken, because usually I just throw stuff in there and it washes, folds itself, and makes it's way back into my closet within 48 hours.
*I can go directly to where peanut butter is in the different grocery stores without having to ask for directions.
*I now have Papa Johns Pizza in my phone under "Pizza it is"
*I find myself standing very close to, or just hugging soft things. My wife is soft.
*The kids' teachers ask, "has Mom been out of town?"
*I have learned what my priorities are. Kids' bedtime is at 8:00; unless of course I have my flag football playoffs that night. Bedtime is then at 10:13 on those nights.
*One of the lady's at the game says to her husband, "Chauntel must be out of town b/c Jackson still has the tags on his jeans."
*Jackson tells me the other morning when he wakes up, "Dad, I forgot what brownies taste like" as he's looking at the pan on the counter. I didn't want him to forget how the goodness of brownies taste, so we indulged together.
*I never realized the volume of paperwork that comes home with the kids, and in the mail. It's just all in a pile in the kitchen. I don't know where she puts it all, so in a pile it sits.
*Not as much reading is getting done at night to the kids, but they can tell you the batting order of the TX Rangers.
*Stimulating conversation consists of things like "Guess what? Chicken butt!" and stuff like that.
*The kids can actually take on responsibility and do things they otherwise may not be asked to do. Such as the other night when I didn't know what to make for dinner, so I just told Kayla that she was in charge of feeding us that night. We went to the store and she picked out dinner and made it for us: ham and cheese rolled in crescent rolls, corn on the cob, watermelon, and brownies (that she made). Picture above.
*I find myself thinking about what vegetable goes well with Italian chicken? And then I remember that I don't know how to make Italian chicken, and then we go to Sonic.
*I carry my phone around in the evening from room to room "in case she calls". It's like I'm in the 8th grade and I'm hoping that hot girl in my Science class calls me, even though she doesn't have my number.
*I'm bummed when I get a text and it's not from my wife.

These are just a few of the sure-fire signs that Mom is gone from our home. We are cetainly survivors. We can do it. When the moments do roll around of panic, I just reassure myself that Papa Johns has lots of coupons online, Carla Shields down the street has offered to fix Kayla's hair whenever she needs it, Jackson can sustain himself on cereal alone, and Isaac can actually go 4 days without a bath and still feel great about himself.

We love you Mom and are so happy that you can be with your sister at this time. We miss you a lot!!! I look forward to seeing you (all of you) really soon!

My Sister Rochelle

2011-10-17T14:17:00.008-05:00

I spent two weeks at the end of Sept. visiting and taking care of my sister's family. She's been battling cancer for over four years now. She has fought long and hard and is ready to rest. I've been here for a week now again and now we're just trying to make her as comfortable as possible. It has been a HUGE blessing to have Jeremy home with the kids and being able to be here with my family. This picture was taken yesterday, it's all my beautiful sisters together. It's been a few years since we've all been together. You can barely see, but we're all wearing crazy striped socks.

We have seen sooo many miracles in the last four years. There hasn't been a day that my kids haven't prayed for Aunt Rochelle and her family.

Here's a picture from the last time we were all together.

2011-10-09T11:14:00.001-05:00

Jackson just told Isaac "You're not following the gospel!"

QVC Shopping Spree!!!!

2011-10-07T07:24:00.002-05:00

Some joker this last week decided to have a QVC shopping spree, curtesy of Jeremy and Chauntel, totaling $1950.00. They must have bought some really amazing merchandise and must have been pretty excited for it be delivered right to their doorstep. But have no fear, their early Christmas was cancelled and reimbursed to our account. Life would be really easy if you could just buy stuff all the time with out really having to pay for or not worring about who will have to pay for it.

Jackson's TEETH!!

2011-10-05T14:28:00.002-05:00

Jackson finally went to the dentist. He's been needing major work for about a year, but we weren't able to get someone to do it and insurance figured out. They put him completely under this morning and had to have 6 baby route canals and silver caps. Then they had to pull one of his old capped teeth, because it was rotten all the way through the jaw bones. Poor buddy, he's never once complained of his teeth hurting. They put a spacer in the place of the pulled tooth, to keep the space open for his permanent tooth to come up. Major work!!!

So, for the last year we've had a prize sitting on our fridge. We've been telling him for a year that he'd earn it after his next dentist appointment. We definitely didn't think it would take a whole year for him to get it.

HE'S BEEN PLAYING WITH IT ALL AFTERNOON:)

Kendall and "The Boys"

2011-10-05T14:24:00.002-05:00

Kendall and the boys came to visit this last week. We loved having them here. My kids LOVE having family come and visit. We took the boys to The Dallas World Aquarium. I think they loved it as much as I did:)

It's that time of year again

2011-09-11T11:30:00.005-05:00

Labor day we made our semi annual trip to Eisenhower State Park to do a little hiking and climbing. We thought it would be busy but we didn't see another soul there. It must have been because the water was off limits because of the drought and extreme temperatures lately; the water has some kind of lethal bacteria in it. I guess that could keep the faint of heart away, but not the Logsdon's or Montano's. We laugh in the face of bacteria infested water:)

Anyways the weather was PERFECT. We had a good time as usual.

Let the games begin

2011-09-11T11:11:00.003-05:00

I love that it looks like they're holding hands. They were pushing each other to get to the ball.

Jackson sitting on the bench with some of his team mates.

This is Jackson celebrating his first (of two) goals.

Soccer season has officially started. The boys had their first games on Saturday. Wow, what a fun day. Unfortunately, I only have pictures of Jackson's game. The boys both had GREAT games. Isaac scored 4 goals and Jackson scored two. They both won their games!! I'm most proud of the confidence and skill they both played with.

This is Isaac's first season with goalies and the field has doubled in size. I could tell the boys were getting more winded and needed breaks. Isaac's playing a new position this season. He wasn't quite sure he wanted to (he really knew how to play his old position and was good at it) but now that he's been practicing more at center and played the game, he's really enjoying the new position.

My Day

2011-09-06T23:04:00.002-05:00

Nothing really important about today, but I thought that I would just like to let everyone know about it for some reason. I loved today, so I thought I would share it. My day today started by getting Jackson to Pre School. He had a great 1st week, but for whatever reason, he needed a bit of coaxing to get him excited about going back today. I love his comment to me after his first day of school last week when I asked what he learned on his first day - "You don't learn anything at school Dad." After school, Chauntel and I went to an institute class that is being held at the Stake Center on Tuesday mornings - Old Testament. It's great to be able to go with Chauntel. We decided that since we were out, we should make a date out of it. Off to lunch we went, went and got me a few shirts at the store, and just hung out. It was time then to go and pick Jackson back up. He was in a different outfit. He is still having a problem with his bladder, but I told him, that's alright bud. He told me, "yeah Dad, it's ok, huh?" My heart breaks for him with him peeing his pants everyday still. Some days are better than others, but we go to the Urologist soon and we'll find out what's going on.
We went to Wal Mart on the way home to get some wood screws for the fence in the backyard that fell over. Again. So I'll fix that tomorrow. When I got home, I had time to go to the gym before dinner. I saw a friend up there and we worked out together for a while and then I came on back home. It was great to see the kids when I got back and dinner was ready, so we sat down to eat. We play this game that we started several years ago where we get one of the kids' plastic forks, turn it over and spin it. Whoever the fork is pointing to, they either have to tell us about their day or we all have to say why we love that person. We play it every night; the kids make sure there is an extra fork every night at dinner time.
After dinner Isaac got ready for cub scouts and Jackson wanted me to get my computer set up on youtube so he could watch race cars. I said that I would, but then forgot. A little later, I noticed he had been following me around and asked again about the race cars. I quickly got back over and set him up. We watched race car crash clips for a while. I love that he loves race cars. I love that Isaac got his "Bobcat" badge tonight at scouts. I love hearing how everyone loved Kayla's birthday pencils that she passed out today to everyone in her class at school.
I had a football game tonight too. We won. It's a lot of fun playing and hanging out with the fellas. I had a few passes thrown to me, had a few sacks on the other quarterback tonight. Got dead-legged really bad; probably gonna hurt quite a bit tomorrow. And now I'm home. Everyone is asleep, but as I sat down at the computer I just felt so blessed and had a feeling of how much I loved today. Jackson's request of finding race cars on youtube echoed in my ear as I sat down in the quiet tonight. For whatever reason, I love that he loves race cars. I love that Isaac asked me tonight if we would have enough time tonight to help him memorize the 8th article of faith after dinner. I love that Kayla loves to write in her school notebook/planner and tells me that it makes her feel so grown up having a planner. I loved going out with Chauntel to lunch today. I love that she was the hottest woman in the restaurant. I love that I went home with the hottest woman in the restaurant.
To say that I feel and see the tender mercies of the Lord in my life this very day would perhaps be an understatement. I hope Jackson will still want to see race cars tomorrow; that Isaac will still want to learn the 8th article of faith; and that Kayla will still feel grown up tomorrow when she has to write in her planner.
I love being a Dad.

Makayla's 10

2011-09-05T08:02:00.004-05:00

Wow 10 seems so big. Saturday Makayla had a few friends over and we did make overs and then went out for frozen yogurt so they could show off their cute faces. We had the girls stay till 10. Makayla calls it a "late overs" because we won't let her do sleepovers. She had a completely wonderful, crazey night. It's always a lot of fun to watch:)

I've been waiting and waiting

2011-09-02T14:48:00.003-05:00

For Jeremy to do a little post on his trip to San Antonio with Makayla.

Makayla has been wanting to go to San Antonio to see The Alamo for years. She was born there and has never been back.

Jeremy and Makayla love learning about history. Makayla especially loves history when Jeremy is teaching her. He gets so passionate and enthusiastic about things he loves, it hard not to be excited about it also.

The weekend before school started he took her to The Alamo and they hung out at the river walk (which used to be a favorite of ours when we were there) They stayed the night in a haunted hotel and saw a few educational IMAX movies and then came home.

Makayla was so excited and really felt special to spend the weekend with Jeremy.

First day of Pre-K

2011-08-30T12:56:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was Jackson's first day of Pre-K. He's in school Monday thru Thurs 9-2. Yesterday he informed Jeremy that "you don't learn things at school" and informed me that the teachers "made me do boring things"

It couldn't have been that bad, because when I picked him up, he jumped up and down and yelled "that was cool" and was excited to go back to school this morning:)

What in the world?

2011-08-30T12:52:00.001-05:00

bAcK tO sChOoL

2011-08-20T11:10:00.003-05:00

Isaac the big 3rd grader

Jackson the big Preschooler

Kayla the big 4th grader

Makayla as a sweet preschooler

Isaac as a sweet "innocent" preschooler

I can't believe school starts in two days. This summer went by way too quickly. This was definitely the best summer vacation yet. Jeremy was home all summer. We were able to go to Washington as a family for the first time during the summer. We got to have Grammy and Poppy visit. Amy, Dusty, and Colton visited. Grandma and Grandpa visited. It was a busy summer.

Makayla will be a big bad 4th grader. We are so excited to still be in McKinney and for the kids to go to McNiel Elementary School again. We love McNiel and are so glad to be there again. Makayla and Isaac have gone here since Kindergarten and we are so familiar with the school. Makayla has Mrs. Clay for homeroom and is soooo excited to have her best friend Lindsey in the same class with her.

Isaac will be in 3rd grade which in Texas means TAKS testing this year. The kids seem to really think this is a big deal:) He will have Mrs Todd:) Which is so exciting, because Makayla had Mrs. Todd last year and we just adored her. This is the second year in a row Isaac has had Makayla's teacher from the year before. Isaac thinks that's way cool.

We've decided to hold Jackson back one year. So he will be going to Little Saints Preschool. The same preschool Makayla and Isaac both went to. It's a wonderful school and I'm so excited that Jackson will be able to be there. The teachers are all amazing. He will go to school Monday through Thursday, 9 to 2. I'm so glad to have Fridays with him for one more year. I really think this will be prefect for Jackson to have one more year to prepare for Kindergarten.

LOGSDON'S GOT TALENT NIGHT

2011-08-08T09:07:00.002-05:00

A Logsdon family favorite is talent night. Jackson danced for us and played the piano, Makayla sang with Jeremy accompanying her and played the piano, Isaac showed off his six pack, Poppy sang with Jeremy accompanying him, Jeremy sang and played, Dusty played the guitar, and I played the piano. I think Colton even got in on the action and danced around a little. Wow I had no idea how talented we all are:) It was fun to just sit around and laugh.

The Dallas World Aquarium

2011-08-08T08:47:00.003-05:00

The Dallas World Aquarium was amazing. We've lived in Dallas over four years and never visited the aquarium because the price of admission is pretty high. But it was well worth the money to go and visit. I'm so glad Poppy really wanted to go there or I don't think we would ever have gone.

They have a little of everything there: Manatee, octopus, shark, jaguar, flamingo, sloth, many different beautiful birds, crocodile, monkeys, fish, and snakes. The neat thing was how close you could get to everything and the vegetation everywhere made you feel like you were in the jungle. AMAZING. It was a definite favorite of all the adults. The kids complained the whole time about being tired and hungry so it hard to tell how much they enjoyed it.

busy days of summer (very unusual)

2011-07-19T09:30:00.004-05:00

My day is going to be crazy today. Which isn't very typical for summer (which means no working out for me today, darn it:)

Isaac has soccer camp from 8 - 11

Then Jackson has swim lessons from 10 - 10:50

Playgroup is from 11 - 1

Then Jackson is seeing a new doctor today at 2:30 (acupuncture ?)

I have an OB appointment :) at 4:10

Isaac has scout from 6:30 - 7:30

and Makayla has gymnastic from 7:15 - 8

and somewhere in all that time Jeremy has a football game and was gone all morning at the temple so I'm trucking the kids everywhere today:) I can't imagine have 4, 5, 6 kids to truck around to soccer, gymnastic, scouts, Dr appointment, piano etc...... Is this what they call being a soccer mom. Just running around all day in the effort to give our kids every opportunity to be happy, health, and diversified?

If I'm being honest, I actually prefer being busy to having nothing to do all day. I'm a happier mom when I have stuff to keep me busy. and we all know a happy mom makes a happy home:)

Having a little fun with our computer

2011-07-10T18:21:00.004-05:00

We got out our green screen and tried to have a little fun. The kids thought it was funny:)

Isaac's Baptism

2011-06-15T08:45:00.003-05:00

Saturday, was Isaac's birthday and baptism. It was such a nice day. My parents came for the baptism. It was nice to have them here, even if it was only for a few days. Isaac was so well behaved (all day). It was amazing. He looked so great in his Sunday best.

Isaac's primary teacher's came and a few of his best buddies came (Adrian, Ephriam, and Ben etc.) I could tell It made him feel special that so many people were there that he knew.

Jeremy baptised him and confirmed him. In his confirmation circle was Bro. Aycock (primary teacher), Dustin Driggs (friend and teacher), Gabe Trinadad, Emo Montano, and Grandpa Schultz.

washington summers are the best

2011-05-29T21:13:00.002-05:00

It's official. I bought my tickets. I'll be in WA June 21st - July 7th :) and I'm flying into Pasco. Thank goodness. I'm so sick of flying into Spokane and having to drive 3 hours to get to Kennewick:) Yeah !!!!!!

3 SCHOOL DAYS LEFT OF THE SCHOOL YEAR!!!!

2011-05-28T09:01:00.002-05:00

WOW! I can't believe it's almost summer vacation. For the first time since my kids have been school aged, I'm not having a panic attack that summer vacation is coming. The only thing it could be is that Jeremy will be home with me and usually he's gone more than he's here.

Our plans for summer are first and for most to sell the house and move to Houston. However this seems to be out of our control. So next on the list of things to do are:

June 9th- Isaac turns 8 and gets baptised

June 18th- Shliterbahn Water Park in Houston with Bailey and her family!!!!!

June 21st?-7?- visit Washington and go to McGinnis Family Reunion

June 23- 11 year anniversary

July 28th- Jeremy's 35th birthday

june-august- try to workout and go swimming everyday!!!!! I love summer!!!

somewhere in that time my good friend will be having her baby boy twins and if I get it my way, I will still be here so I can hold those cute boys:)

Hockey and Jackson

2011-05-28T08:55:00.002-05:00

I'm sure I've blogged about Jackson's hockey obsession, but it's just so much fun. Here he is with his hockey guys. He plays with them all the time. And his Dallas Stars watch.

Our family now has a new obsession, ANGRY BIRDS. thanks to our new phones the kids and Jeremy are obsessed with angry birds and I'm obsessed with sudoku and now I actually get on face book.

GLUTEN INTOLERANCE ?!? AHHHHH!!!

2011-05-24T14:02:00.002-05:00

How in the world am I supposed to get my picky eaters to go without gluten. Inconceivable, I tell you.

I went to the store today in search of all foods gluten free. Thank goodness it's more available now a days. Otherwise I don't know if I'd bother trying.

Jackson and I went to a natural path yesterday. He told us to cut gluten out of our diets. So here we go. It's going to be a family affair.

My counter is full of food that I need to throw away or give away:(

If you all have any suggestions, helpful hint, or knowledge on the subject, feel free to share:)

Rylee Jean Robles

2011-05-24T13:55:00.002-05:00

My sister Jillian had her beautiful baby girl, Rylee. She was a huge baby girl at 9 lbs. 9 oz. and 21 inches long! Wow. Congrats SIS. She's amazing.

jillian's quilt

2011-05-10T08:13:00.004-05:00

one week till jillian's due date. i hope it makes it in time.

It's Great to be Dad

2011-05-08T22:15:00.003-05:00

I would have to say that Saturday, May 7 was probably the greatest day that I've had as a Dad. From beginning to end, it was a blast. I'll walk you through my day:

The day started out waking up with my wife at the Gaylord Texan hotel/resort. I surprised her and took her overnight there and we celebrated Mothers Day in style. Let me tell you, we celebrated. I've learned that it is awesome to give gifts that you get to enjoy also. I got a babysitter to stay overnight at our house, so kids were not a worry for 24 hours. It's funny though that although they were not a worry, you still find yourself thinking about them and laughing at memories of them. Like the most recent comment from Jackson as to why when he puts on his hockey pants, he always pees in them - " . . . it's because, Dad, that my pee pee just thinks it can come out whenever I have them on." I was wondering if he played hockey while the babysitter was there - if so, he dealt with hockey pee'd pants.

From the hotel, we met the kids at their soccer games. Isaac and Jackson both had games right after each other, and Chauntel and I ALWAYS enjoy watching our kids play. We absolutely love it - and it helps when our kids are complete beasts out there. From the soccer fields, we had Jackson's soccer party b/c it was their last game of the season. Jackson LOVES to get his trophy at the end of the season. It's so fun to see his excitement at getting it. From the party, Kaylagirl and I took off on our date. We try to go on dates as often as we can, I always wish it was more frequent than what they are. We have so much fun. We ended up going to the church bookstore and got her some books and just looked around. We then went to the pet store to look around then met the rest of the family at our gym to go swim. It was the first day of the year so far that the outside pool was open, so the water was absolutely freezing! Isaac and I were the only ones to brave it, and we did for about 15 minutes - it was freezing.

After we got out of the pool, Jackson, Isaac, and I went to the soccer field right behind the pool and met 3 other kids out there. Isaac just informed them that we were going to play with them. The other kids were about 15, 12, and 11. They asked what the teams were going to be, and I proudly said for the first time ever, "Me and my boys will take you guys on." I immediately recognized how amazing that sounded and felt as I said it. "Me and my boys will take you guys on". It was AWESOME! So us 3 took on these other kids - all of us in our swim trunks, no shirts or shoes and played soccer. It was great. I have never been so proud of how well the boys played. Isaac was a beast out there against the older boys. He was fearless. Jackson would get where the action was and kick the ball. He grunts when he kicks; it's awesome.

We wrapped up soccer and went home and hung out till bedtime. At the end of the night, I started thinking of how great the day was and realized that it was probably the greatest day of being a Dad that I've ever had - Overnight with the Hottest Mom in Texas at a resort, watched two of the most hard-core boys play in their soccer games, took my little princess on our date, went swimming with the family, challenged some chumps in soccer with my boys, then came home and hung out till bedtime. It's great to be Dad in our home.

2011-05-04T16:50:00.001-05:00

I kept telling Isaac I'll post one of his drawings. So this morning he finally insisted. This is what he was working on this morning.

art show

2011-04-29T22:08:00.002-05:00

Awhile back Isaac had TWO art projects selected to be displayed at the misd building for a district art exhibit. We are so proud of him. He had one last year and we never got around to seeing them. I'm so glad we went. I noticed that having TWO chosen was kind of a big deal. Not everyone gets art displayed. and very few have TWO:)

Since our wii broke a few months ago (it's fixed, we just haven't set it up again) Isaac does A LOT of drawing and he's really really good at it. He loves drawing so much, he said he doesn't care if we set up the wii again. Which is kind of amazing for Isaac.

Since he's been on ADD meds he's a whole new wonderful kid, and student. It's been a wonderful blessing in our home and family to have him be so much more happy and less impulsive.

Preschool Graduation

2011-04-14T14:41:00.004-05:00

Jackson graduated from preschool a few weeks ago. His teacher had a baby three days ago, so preschool had to end a few months early this year. He really enjoyed preschool. His teacher did an amazing job. He's pretty bored right now. But at least Dad is home a lot lately to entertain him a little.

Jackson's certificate said he was the "Friendliest, always a Friend to everyone" That sounds like my sweet boy alright.

Mighty Mustang

2011-04-14T14:38:00.003-05:00

Isaac got the Mighty Mustang award this week:) He's really doing well in school. Actually he's doing well in all aspects of his life. It was fun to see him get acknowledged for all his hard work.

Look Mom NO training wheels

2011-04-14T14:14:00.002-05:00

jackson was thinking he was pretty hot stuff the other day, so he asked me to take off his training wheels. we've only been out twice to try, but i'm sure he'll get it soon.

cArTeR aNd LoGsDoN's

2011-03-19T22:04:00.003-05:00

We went to Houston for Spring Break, to look at homes and visit the Carters. We had a good time. The kids are definitely more excited about moving now. We even brought Audrey and Rachel home with us. It's amazing how well the kids get along. They act more like cousins than friends. It's been awhile since we've seen them and it was nice to see that they still enjoy getting together. We looked at homes in Spring, Humble, and Atascacita. We were going to look in Pearland also. But we really loved Atascacita. We'll probably end up there. I'm thinking of looking at homes in Crosby also. We'll see. We've had two showings and one showing that didn't show. Our home has only been on the market four days so that's not bad.

home is where the heart is

2011-03-02T09:37:00.002-06:00

or so I've heard.

Jeremy has officially sold Dallas Preventive Pest Control to Terminex. Him and his partners have been working on this deal since before summer started. I've been told and retold not to tell anyone until all the deal was completed. Everything is cleared out of his office and done as of yesterday.

We are so sad to leave McKinney. It's been the most wonderful place to live. We love our home, school, friends, and ward. We are moving because it's the best thing for our business. We'll go back to Houston as soon as our home sells. It's not on the market yet. Yesterday we had carpet put in and there's a few other details before it goes up for sale.

Even though I don't want to move, I'm ready to get it all over with. Moving is going to be hard on the kids now that they're in school and have friends.

I'm trying to think of all the wonderful things about Houston. (and trying to forget the humidity, mosquitoes, and traffic)

We love the

zoo

Astros

children's museum

no snow

Carter's

outdoor theater in the park

Kema

ocean

I'm sure I've missed some. Oh yeah and at least Christy Hall has family in Houston and McKinney so I'll get to see her.

JERRY LEE LEWIS

2011-02-20T10:20:00.003-06:00

Jeremy and Makayla went on a date last night:) We love taking the kids on dates. The kids are always asking when it's their turn to go out on a date. I guess they don't come frequent enough for them.

Makayla's been taking piano for maybe four months now. There was a day a few months ago that Makayla wasn't wanting to practice and Jeremy happened to be home. So he brought Makayla to the computer and showed her some clips of Jerry Lee Lewis jamming on the piano. He told her how important it is to practice and maybe one day she'd be able to play like Jerry Lee Lewis.

Makayla has been infatuated with him ever since.

A few weeks ago Jeremy saw a billboard for the Choctaw Casino in OK featuring Jerry Lee Lewis. So of course he bought tickets and him and Makayla went last night to go see him perform.

He's in his late seventies (?) A little older now but still a lot of fun.

Happy Valentines

2011-02-19T13:00:00.003-06:00

Jeremy and I went to The Glass Cactus to see Steal Magnolia perform. We love a few of their songs and watched and cheered for them when they were on Can You Duet. Steal Magnolia was nominated at the CMA and at the AMC awards show. In fact, you can vote for them at voteamc.com (or something like that) Jeremy and I were surprised by how few people were there.

We decided that we need to get out and do stuff like this a lot more. It was a lot of fun.

Today's Jackson's Birthday

2011-02-10T16:53:00.002-06:00

makayla helped me make jackson's cake today. we're going to go to chic-fil-a for jackson's birthday dinner. his birthday is all hockey. saturday we're going to a hockey game, but tonight we're doing cake, ice cream, and gifts. i took him to the star's hockey gift shop to spend some money grandma schultz sent. he got another hockey stick and a real puck. when we got home we found more money from grammy so we'll have to go back tomorrow, so he can get a jersey or something.

the guest room is finally painted

2011-02-10T16:38:00.002-06:00

With all the snow we've gotten, Jeremy couldn't handle being stuck at home with nothing to do, so I put him to work. It's so great to have a few of the things on my list crossed off. The kids always want to help. It makes painting hard with kids hanging around. It has gotten better now that they're older. I was always such a disaster when they were little.

SNOWED IN

2011-02-05T13:53:00.003-06:00

So for family and friends who aren't in Dallas, you may not know that we have been snowed in since Tuesday. School was cancelled Tues-Fri. and Saturday Stake Conference was just cancelled. The Super Bowl is here in Dallas. Snow snow and ice has cause some problems with super bowl stuff.

It's been nice having Jeremy home so much lately. We painted our guest room finally and have it all set up. Today we finally got out and went to the gym and played for a while.

The kids have watched a lot of T.V. and played the Wii and have been on the computer way too much. It was nice to get out and play. The snow is supposed to melt today and tomorrow, but then it's supposed to snow again Tues!

My Guy

2011-01-30T22:51:00.004-06:00

First of all, I would like to say that I am an avid people watcher. I always have been. I think that I always will be. I don't know when I first realized that people were funny. Really funny. The funniest things in life to me (as I chuckle) are the everyday real life experiences like the lady the other day that was texting and fell right into the fountain at the mall (youtube it). There is no movie line funnier to me than the day that Makayla said that Mom uses lots of toilet paper because she has a BIG bum. Not even anything in Tommy Boy. I think that people are funny, and I think that's why I just love to be around people so much.
The funny thing about people though, is that if you ask, they will always tell you of something that they don't like about them self. Something is too big, too little, sticks out too much, or someone has something somewhere that no one else does!? Most people always have something that they would love to change about them. I wouldn't mind if I were 4 or 5 inches taller. But, I'm not. There is also something about everyone that they love about them self. They may not tell you right away, but if you work on them a bit, they'll tell you. Sometimes that something is obvious. Take my wife for instance. Today, as she was leaving for church, she made my heart stutter by how great she looked. I count myself lucky how I get to make out with the Assistant Nursery leader at church frequently. Actually, a lot.

I'm here to confess something about myself that I am most proud of.

As I have aged a bit, slowly I have noticed my body make some subtle changes. I've noticed that I can't jet by guys on the basketball court with ease as I use to. That's OK, because I have become more proficient with my 3 point shot. I've noticed that sometimes even a glass of water can give me gas. I don't know how, but it just can. But also, that's OK because I have kids now that sometimes think it's funny. But another thing about me that I've noticed that happens to most men is the receding hairline. This was a bit concerning to me because there really is no redeeming quality that I could find . . . until recently. It seems that with all the recedingness that that has occurred, that there was one little guy, right where my hairline use to be that has refused to accept defeat. There he is, where all of his buddies have long gave up the ghost previously, refusing to lose. I love that guy.

I see him in the mirror in the mornings and I tell him to hang in there and how proud I am of him. I admire his courage and it inspires me throughout the day. I think of his determination to defy natural law, and make his will the rule of the day. Everyday. He is who I want to be each day.

There is one thing that I have noticed about people though. It's that if there is something obvious that is great about someone, there is always someone else who can't accept that you may have a better___ than them, and they will want to tear you down. I think it's human nature. It's sad, but it happens.

The other night as I cuddled up to my Assistant Nursery leader at church while watching a movie, all of a sudden I felt what seemed like a quick pin prick on my forehead. It all happened so fast, and before I could react or do anything about it, "my guy" was plucked right out of my head! How could she do this? He has been such a survivor! Why was she so jealous of "my guy". Where to find the drive to be great tomorrow? The determination?

I know "my guy". He'll be back. This is just a minor set back, and when he does come back, it will only feed the fire to show the world how great he is; which, in turn, will only make me better.

I can't wait. This is going to be so good.

Kendall and the boys

2011-01-27T12:00:00.002-06:00

Thanks for coming to see us this last weekend. We don't get to see family nearly enough. We all loved it. They boys were so good and fun to be with. You're a great mom. The kids were pretty sad when they got home and you all were gone. I guess Makayla didn't realized you were leaving.

There's nothing else to exciting happening here. I just took Jackson to the doctors. He has the flu and a sinus infection:( Poor guys had a fever since Monday. I hope the twins don't get it.

tooth fairy

2011-01-20T23:18:00.002-06:00

Isaac lost his first tooth and few weeks ago and then he lost his second a few weeks after that and now he has another loose tooth. I was so worried because he hadn't lost a tooth yet and now I'm a little worried that there's not enough room for his new BIG adult teeth to come in. If you know me I love teeth. I love watching their teeth come in as babies, I love wiggling their loose teeth, watching them fall out and watching new ones come in. But most of all I've loved watching Makayla go through expander's. I'm so excited for her to get braces. I'm so fascinated by the whole process. It drives my kids crazy. But I can't help myself. If I had been a guy I swear I would have become an orthodontist. I would have loved it.

sNoW dAyS!!!!

2011-01-11T22:25:00.005-06:00

School was cancelled on Monday because of all the snow we got on Sunday. The kids loved playing outside in the snow. The only problem is our lack of snow clothes. They get so cold and wet and don't last very long. Hopefully it will snow again so we can go sledding. I really don't enjoy the cold weather, but I remember loving snow as a kids and loving snow days. So I only love it for the kids.

basketball

2011-01-11T20:20:00.004-06:00

Saturday was Isaac's first basketball game. It was a lot of fun to watch. It brought back so many memories. He was so lost. I mean sooo lost, but so was the rest of his team. They quit keeping score because we were losing by so much. The last minute of the game the other team didn't guard us so we'd have a chance to score. The end score was literally something like 2 - 58. Not joking, the other team was amazing. They were making jump shots, three points. They looked unbelievable. Supposedly they're the best team in the league so hopefully it can't get any worse and we can only get better. Isaac is a natural athlete so he'll catch on quickly.

I was so proud of him for trying so hard and doing some really great things, during his first game. He's had two team practices and Jeremy's taken him to the gym a few time to practice.

32

2011-01-06T08:47:00.003-06:00

I forgot to mention that I had a great birthday while I was in Kentucky. My husband is amazing and suprised me with a new lens for my camera. I'm so excited for basketball and soccer season to start, so I can try it out. Amazing gift thank you Jeremy. I got jewelry from the kids, and beautiful watch (that I love) from Starr, and a retro, air popcorn popper from my mom. What a great 32nd Birthday.

2011-01-04T20:51:00.002-06:00

I couldn't resist adding a few more family photos. I loved being with everyone so much. I feel so bless to have the best in-laws. Some of the high lights were of course, heading to Mr. Gatti's and bugging Uncle Mike at work. Mr. Gatti's is always at the top of our fun list when we go home, bungee jumping at the mall has become another favorite. I can't remember if we've done this the last three times or two times, but the kids love it. I would say Jeremy's favorite had to have been paint balling with Uncle NuNu and Uncle Jason. My favorite had to have been getting sicker than I've ever been in my whole life:) Just kidding my favorite was going to Cato's with Jeremy and the kids:)

Kentucky Fried Christmas

2011-01-01T21:49:00.003-06:00

Here's the whole Logsdon Family. I can't believe we had everyone there.

Thank you Grammy and Poppy for letting us visit for so long. We had so much fun. We'll give you a good 6 months to rest before we expect you to perform again:)

I loved seeing all the cousins play together and seeing the cute little babies. The family's growing so fast.

Fast as fast can be you'll never catch me

2010-12-17T11:38:00.007-06:00

every year we decorate gingerbread houses. this year i thought it would be fun (and easier) to decorate gingerbread men. then we could give them to the families we carol to.

this year jeremy got us santa hats to wear and bells to ring while we were carolling. it was so fun. the kids love carolling. jackson even screamed the song at a few homes.

the funniest thing happened this year. we were carolling at a friends house and one of the family members said the Lord's name in vain. jackson totaling busted them. he looked at this person and said "you said a bad word" so funny jeremy and I went hee hee hee all the way home.

Isaac The Builder! Yes he can!

2010-12-17T11:33:00.004-06:00

Isaac got lego star wars for Christmas. It's wonderful when he starts to build things. The amount of concentration is amazing. He put this WHOLE ship together on his own. He was so excited; he asked me to blog about it.

Just a few more candids

2010-12-11T17:24:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas

2010-12-11T17:13:00.003-06:00

We finally took some family photos. We just barrowed a tripod and went to the park and did it. So here's a few of our family pics. These aren't the ones we put on our christmas cards (which I just ordered, you should be getting them around Feb:)

Xanadu

2010-11-30T14:45:00.003-06:00

We had the whole week off for Thanksgiving. The kids did so good at playing together. One day we taught Isaac how to roller blade. I was so much fun. We skated to the park and messed around and than skated back to the house. Isaac was so proud of himself. He was so excited to show Jeremy.

It was very impressive; usually Isaac gives up when something is hard. But he really stuck to it and tried hard to figure it out.

Destruction

2010-11-28T22:43:00.003-06:00

We decided to take out the old swing set in the backyard on Saturday. I gave them hammers and they had a blast! They all did a great job and loved it. I love the pictures of Isaac - one with his wild man hammer pose, the other after he hit his finger with the hammer. Makayla did a great job too. She took out all the lag bolts with the crescent wrench. She liked learning how to use the wrench. We decided also that we'd go fishing afterwards, so we dug up a bunch of grubs and worms. Makayla was proud of herself for getting the courage to touch them. We then went fishing, but at our fishing spot, there was a little beagle running around, so Makayla and Isaac wouldn't get out of the van, so they watched Jackson and I reel in fish after fish. I ended up taking them home and Jackson and I went back and caught a bunch more. We had a fun Thanksgiving weekend just hanging around the house.

Texoma . . . again

2010-11-24T15:33:00.006-06:00

We made our annual trek to Eisenhower State Park today and went hiking again today. I took off work and we went. This is our third time going up - we love to go hiking and rock climbing there. There are lots of trails and camping areas, but we've found our favorite spot to go and we go there every time. Makayla was especially excited and just started jumping and climbing down the cliffs and trails. It's always a great time. We finished the afternoon off at Cracker Barrel. That may have been the best decision of our married life so far. Everyone was so hungry and ate everything on their plate! The one picture of Isaac is him beating a dead bird to death again.

Isaac's soccer season

2010-11-16T08:23:00.002-06:00

Isaac's soccer season is officially over. We're so proud of how hard he's work and how much he's learned. He enjoyed playing soccer so much, it was a lot of fun to watch. He was awarded most improved! He's so proud of his trophy, award, and metal that he took it to school today to show his teacher.

Jackson's season was over a few weeks ago. He did an amazing job also.

mckinney fire station 5 field trip

2010-11-10T14:57:00.003-06:00

Today Jackson had a field trip to the fire station for preschool. It was a lot of fun. I'm hoping he'll find a new obsession with something he saw today, instead of 9-11.

I'm just glad he didn't raise his hand to tell the fire fighters about 9-11. Instead he raised his had and told all the fire fighters that his dad plays basketball and football:)

The kids were able to see where they sleep, eat, watch TV, and park the fire truck, ambulance, gator, and smaller engine.

Dallas Stars were in Mckinney!!!

2010-11-08T13:45:00.005-06:00

This morning I took Jackson to see the Dallas Stars Practice. They were practicing in McKinney today. I guess usually they practice in Frisco. We showed up about 30 min. early because I wasn't sure if there would be a crowd. Then the team was running 45 mins. behind schedule. So after 75 mins. of waiting Jackson only watched 20 mins. of practice before he was ready to leave. So now I know to come late and just catch the tail end. There really wasn't too many people at all. And the team signs autographs at the end. We missed that though. I bought Jackson a hockey stick so he could get it signed. Maybe next time.

family primary dance

2010-11-08T13:41:00.002-06:00

Our primary presidency has planned a family dance the last few years. We have so much fun dancing with the kids. Don't they look like they're having so much fun.

Isaac didn't want to dance with any of us, but he had a good time.

The Logsdon's Doings

2010-11-01T21:57:00.004-05:00

Me - "Jackson, what are you going to do on your mission?"
Jackson - "Play football. Football IS my mission."

Those were Jackson's words last night during our scripture study before bed. We were talking about what missionaries do and after we talked about it, I wanted to make sure he got something out of it. That was his answer. Another successful scripture study.

That's Jackson. If football is on, he goes and gets his football helmet and football and you have to end up playing because he WILL NOT STOP until you do. He is obsessed with whatever sport is on his mind. If baseball is on, he's a baseball player for the night. The same with basketball, hockey (we went to a Dallas Stars game last year and that kick has lasted a year now), golf, and whatever else he sees. He's ALWAYS on the go. He absolutely cannot walk across the room. He will start to walk, then skip, then roll head first, then karate kick whoever is there or not there. He loves contact; he initiates it. It's always him that will go to Isaac and say, "hey Isaac, lets go wrestle." or "hey Isaac, let's go box". Isaac is usually good about not pounding him too bad and just does his famous belly laugh that is extremely contagious when Jackson pounds him.

I wanted to post some more pics of the kids (and my hot wife. seriously, check her out. her weakness is cookies and stuff like that. If she indulges, her butt gets bigger. My weakness is her. When I indulge, just my smile gets bigger. Lucky me.) I posted one of Jackson helping me get a snake off a glue board that got stuck at one of my customer's houses. I brought it home and Jackson helped me get it off while Isaac watched from inside. Jackson loved it and really helped me. We rubbed vegetable oil on it to make the sticky wear off, then we let it loose in a neighbor's yard.

There's a picture of Isaac at soccer. The boys are really doing well in soccer this year. Isaac scored 3 goals last Saturday in his game and Jackson scored 4. We love to watch them play. Makayla started piano this week also and has her 2nd lesson tomorrow. She was so nervous before her first lesson, but afterwards came right home and played something for us. She is really excited to play. We are so proud of her.

The picture of Chauntel is her with her Young Women's Presidency. I think it was at her YW in Excellence night. She came up with the idea of doing a Wizard of Oz theme and her Presidency and Advisors really helped out a lot and she was so happy with how it turned out. I am so proud of her and how hard she works at being the YW president in our ward. She is ALWAYS thinking of the girls in our ward and how the program can help them. It's great for her and our family.

The Logsdons are a blessed bunch. In spite of me, the Lord continues to bless us immeasurably. We see the hand of the Lord in our family daily and feel so fortunate. We talk about the goodness of God and the Gospel plan that centers on our Savior Jesus Christ each day. We look for ways to serve others and try to find joy in a life that can be difficult at times. We believe that God knows us and our needs and have chosen to always trust in Him. It has yet to fail us so far, and know that it never will.

Jackson was a hockey player for Halloween

2010-10-31T19:57:00.003-05:00

I have so much fun making Jackson's costumes every year. He always chooses to be something that he's really into. He'll make his decision and never change his mind so I know I can put a lot of effort into his costume and he's not going to change his mind everyday.

I made his jersey out of one of Isaac's old shirts and some ribbon and felt I had around the house. I even had leftover iron on letters from an old project. Then I spray painted his bike helmet and ta da.

GLASSES FOR MAKAYLA

2010-10-31T19:50:00.002-05:00

Makayla got glasses yesterday. I had no clue that she needed glasses. But she came home from school having failed the eye screening. She also has been moved to the front of the room so she can see the board, so she got tested Monday and her glasses came in on Saturday. She's so excited to have glasses. I assume the excitement will wear off as she breaks, and loses her glasses. but she looks so cute in them.

This picture is of Makayla after trunk or treat last night.

SHOW AND TELL day?

2010-09-24T16:01:00.002-05:00

O.K. here's a quick Jackson (sweet as honey) story. Jackson's preschool does Show and Tell on Fridays. Every MWF as we're getting ready for preschool he'll ask me if today is Chauntel day:) What could be cuter. I smile and laugh every time. I don't think it will ever get old. I'm sure he'll figure it out soon.

Jackson's OBSESSIONS

2010-09-23T13:16:00.003-05:00

Jackson has so many OBSESSIONS. It's so amazing to watch his intErests change into new interests (OBSESSIONS) For instance, Jeremy is so good at teaching the kids about history. At every holiday, he likes to teach the kids why we celebrate. Like 4th of July, Christmas of course, Martin Luther King Day, etc.... Well on Sept. 11th Jeremy taught the kids why we remember 9-11 and what happened that day. Now Jackson is obsessed with 9-11. He watches footage on Youtube of the twin towers attacks and takes all his air planes and runs them into things to knock them down. He keeps talking to me about how sad it is and how people died in the air planes and in the towers. It's a little unnerving. He had a air port look out tower that he keep flying all his planes into and wants me to watch over and over as he tries to knock the top off of it.

This is definitly the strangest obsession so far. We thought his hot air balloon and tornado obsessions were funny and a little strange but this takes the cake.

A few days ago I found him reading a book (with his tag reader) to all his sisters webkins and stuffed animals. Isn't this cute?

SoCcEr SeAsOn

2010-09-11T19:28:00.006-05:00

I love watching soccer. It's so much more exciting than watching baseball. Jackson and Isaac had their first soccer games of the season. Isaac played one season of soccer a few years ago, when he was 4. So this has been a very new experience for him. His first practice was really rough, but the next two practices and the game today were amazing. He's doing soooo good. Jeremy and I just want the kids to be involved in something that challenges them, makes them feel part of a team, gives them exercise, and confidence. I'm really hoping this will be fun for Isaac. He was so excited after his game, because he SCORED A GOAL, kicked the ball right in a boys face, and kicked the ball at a kids feet and made him do a complete flip in the air. He can't wait for his next game.

The great thing about soccer compared to baseball is all the games are on Saturday, instead of on a school night late at night. He doesn't focus well at night.

I can't even begin to explain the joy Jackson gives us. He is so happy and always ready for anything. He scored THREE goals (the first goal of the game and season), and almost TWO more. He was such a hustler. And so FAST. We're used to him racing Isaac and being so upset that he can't beat Isaac in a race (and of course Isaac won't ever let him win) But with kids his own age, he was so quick!

2010-09-05T09:33:00.002-05:00

For those of you who don't know yet, here's a picture of Jackson with his nice, new cast. Here is also a picture of Makayla just because she is so darn cute.
A week ago Saturday, Jackson came into the house crying saying that he hurt his arm. He usually will cry for a bit, then run off to go play again pretty soon. I called Chauntel about 10 minutes after he hurt himself, and he was still crying. When I got home about 20 minutes later, he was wrapped up in his blankie on the couch, still upset about his arm. When I asked him what happened, his lip curled up and his eyes welled with tears as he tried to tell me how he "missed the slide". My heart broke for him as I could still tell he was in a great deal of pain. I still didn't understand how he could "miss the slide" in the backyard, but that's the story. He stayed on the couch, curled up for another 20 minutes when I checked on him again. When I asked him if it hurt, he said it didn't.

*****SIDE STORY*******

Because of all of the surgeries Jackson has had, anytime you ask him if something hurts, he will ALWAYS say no. He is always afraid that if something hurts, another surgery is imminent. Even with his last surgery on his spinal cord, every time the nurses would ask if he was in pain, he would always say no - to which they were always surprised. They would ask 3 or 4 times with the same response, then would finally give him something for pain, because "something has got to be hurting".

SOOOO - when I asked if his arm hurt again later, he said no (with his lip curling again and eyes welling with tears), but this time it was turning purple from his thumb down to his arm. I knew something was probably broken, so . . . off to the ER again. We were just there 2 weeks ago with Isaac with his Concussion episode from Wal Mart - that's another story.
We actually went to the Urgent Care down the street (the same one we've been to several times: stitches, sickness, etc.) and they confirmed the news: Jackson had officially broken his arm. They wrapped it up in a temporary cast and the orthopedic last Tuesday put a permanent cast on it. Jackson picked his current favorite color green and was very brave and took it like a man. During this time also, he is fighting a severe sinus infection that he has had for seemingly months. This round of antibiotics seems to be helping a bit. He sees a Urologist in a few weeks to see why he still can't control his bladder (that we thought his spinal cord surgery was supposed to fix), and his neurosurgeon and pediatrician wants to "go ahead with" more reconstruction surgery on his face.
Jackson is a champion to us. He is completely unaware of trials in his life. They haven't been as bad as others may go through and we have been blessed to bear them all. None of this slows him down. although his cast is on his right arm, he now just uses his left one. Jackson's mission in life is to have fun and make sure all those around him are happy too. Just recently (another blog post sometime) Makayla was very upset over something and Jackson was just smiling and rubbing her back to comfort her. He just wants everyone to be happy. We love him for that. The kids are EXTREMELY sweet on him and he is what brings such joy to our family.
Chauntel and I feel as though the Lord has blessed us so much in our life. Our children bring us such joy and concern. They truly are our greatest source of joy, outside of each other.

computer trouble

2010-08-27T07:22:00.003-05:00

I've been having some problems with my computer lately. Maybe a week ago I got an email that had a virus. I didn't even open it. But I guess that doesn't matter. My computer started getting slower and slower, til it was impossible to do anything. Than Jeremy and I started getting calls from all of you wondering if I'd been mugged and was now stuck in the U.K.:) Which I am happy to say, I'm not in England and I have not been mugged. So, Jeremy got on my email at work and noticed all my contacts had been erased. Someone was still emailing people from my account and had also gotten on my face book account and changed my password. So I still can't get on my face book. It's been frozen for suspicious activity. Apparently they would be chatting on face book also. So I've changed my email account and closed my old account. And my face book account is hopefully still frozen so they can't chat to all my friends and family asking for money. What a hassle. What jerks would spend so much time trying to be so rotten? Hopefully everything is fixed. I'll have to make some phone calls to get all my contacts back on my new account.

Thanks for all the calls of concern.

First Day of School

2010-08-23T14:57:00.002-05:00

Back to school:) Makayla and Isaac are about to get home from their first day of third grade and second grade! I hope they had a great day. I did! Jackson and I went to the gym, then he had preschool. He goes to preschool from 12 - 2:45 every M-W-F. I'm going to be kid free 9 hours a week! What will I do with myself.
Today I cleaned bathrooms, laundry, and dish. I was even about to run a few quick errands. I'm so giddy.

More pics of the family

2010-08-22T01:23:00.006-05:00

Here's some more pictures of Washington and home. Isaac is ripped, Kayla is way high on the swing, and the kids look dang cute in their outfits!

CaMpInG In tHe BaCkYaRd wiTh gRaNdAd

2010-08-18T13:30:00.004-05:00

Grandpa sent up the tent in the backyard, so all the grandsons that were here could sleep out back. Isaac won't even try to sleep in the tent and the Twins only lasted till 11, then grandpa came in around 3 or 4. So only Cole, Carter, and Jackson made it through the night.

We also roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. Yummy I love s'mores.

2010-08-18T13:26:00.003-05:00

My mom's brother, Uncle Paul, dropped in to visit the other night, while passing through Kennewick with his son Daniel. It's been probably 10 years since I've seen him. It was great to get the chance to visit a little.

Water Slide Park

2010-08-18T13:13:00.004-05:00

My sister Rochelle took us all to a water slide park in Hermiston OR. It was fun, mostly because Jackson was allowed to go down in his life vest as long as there was someone at the bottom to catch him. It was great. Most places we've been required the kids to be a certain height and be able to swim. Kendall took the twins down and Jillian took Joseph down. It was fun to see the little one get to go down the slides.

The weather was perfect of course. We've had a lot of fun this last week and a half. Been kept busy so, I think today (our last day here) we're going to keep it simple and relaxed.

I can't believe my summer is almost over. Here I was so scared for the summer to start and now I'm sad to see the kids go back to school. We've had a lot of successes and fun this summer.

Levie Landing

2010-08-15T15:25:00.005-05:00

My sister Rochelle took us out on her boat yesterday. The kids had so much fun. Makayla kept saying "this is the best day ever" and Isaac kept saying "this is the best birthday party I've ever been to." We got all my kids to try out the tubes. Makayala cried a bit but now says it was her favorite thing yesterday. I'm glad they each decided to be brave and try it out. There were a few places to go cliff jumping. I was brave enough to jump off the lowest cliff. My nephew cole and my brother in-law jump off the highest clip (crazy) Ryan even did a back flip off of one of them.

Rochelle was such a great host. She bought so much food and worked so hard to make sure everyone had a great time. The weather was perfect and early in the day and late in the day there weren't too many boats out. Middle of the day however, there was too many out.

Natallie (my bestest childhood friend) brought her boat and family out with us also. They totally saved the day by having a grill and coal, because our grill was out of gas.

2010-08-15T11:31:00.000-05:00

more zintel canyon pictures

2010-08-15T11:24:00.001-05:00

Washington in the Summer!!!

2010-08-15T00:29:00.003-05:00

I haven't been home during the summer in 8 years. I can't believe it's been that long. I've been home once in Oct. and once in march or April, but not during the summer. We are having so much fun. The weather has been amazing. We went on a hike through Zentil Canyon. The kids loved it. We all went on the rope swing, jump over and in the streams, tried the wild black berries, played in the dirt, and played under the bridge (overpass)

I love that I'm not dripping in humidity the second I walk outside. I love that it gets cool at night and warm during the day, I love that the shade is cooler than being in the sun, I love that we can be outside during the day and not have to be in a pool. Of course I love Texas, but there are a few things that are amazing about WA. Of course the most amazing part is being with family. The kids are really enjoying cousins and grandpa and grandma. What's better than hanging out with cousin?

Grammy and Poppy in Mckinney

2010-07-27T09:02:00.002-05:00

Today we take Grammy and Poppy to the airport:( We've had so much fun having them visit. The kids will be sad to see them go and so will I. Grammy was so nice and clean my whole house and read with the kids. Two things I wish I did more of. Poppy was so nice and fixed our broken gate and surround sound speakers. He even did lots of reading with Isaac. It was great to have them here for a whole week.

Whenever family visits it makes me sad we don't live closer to family:(

The highlight of the week would have to be buying a wii. We had a yard sale on Saturday and earned almost $300. So with that and a little bite of birthday money from Grammy and Poppy we were able to get a Wii and each pick out a game. We've had fun bowling and singing on the wii.

Family Pictures

2010-07-26T22:34:00.003-05:00

2010-07-26T22:34:00.000-05:00

I got all my sisters with me

2010-06-28T15:30:00.003-05:00

Well, I had two sisters, one mom, and one dad with me this last week. It was so awesome to have Bailey come and visit with her sweet little boys and then a few days later have Kendall and her sweet boys come and visit with grandma. It was great that I got a day or two a lone with each sister and a day or two with them both here.

After everyone had left we were able to go out to eat with grandpa while he was here for work.

What an awesome week and of course it's always great to get back to normal. I got the house all cleaned up again and now it's a total wreck again. Such is my life during the summer.

Thanks for coming to see me everyone. I love you all and hope it was worth the crazy flights home.

I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN MORE PHOTO!!!!!

Fun in the Sun

2010-06-14T15:38:00.004-05:00

Isaac got two water guns for his birthday. Jeremy and the kids took turns shooting each other. Jeremy is so good about playing with the kids.

Makayla and Jeremy had just gotten home from going swimming together. He took her out for some "one on one father daughter fun." While they were at the pool, they started a water fight with a group of young boys who were there. Jeremy said they boys were a little stunned by a old guy and makayla shooting water at them. But when they realized what was going on it started a big water war. Jeremy kept getting deserters from the other team, who wanted to join up with him and Kayla.

Happy 7th Birthday!

2010-06-14T15:33:00.002-05:00

Wow, Isaac is 7! I can't believe I'm going to have a nine year old in a few month. Wow, my kiddos are growing up. Good thing Jackson will always be my baby.

We kept it real simple for Isaac's Birthday. He had a friend over and we all went to "Marmaduke" the movie and than came home and had cake and ice cream. Boy was it nice to keep it simple. I didn't stress at all.

Isaac loves getting gifts I almost think it's his love language:)