Hyland Family Home Page

Hyland Halloween!

2011-10-31T20:40:00.000-05:00

Jill in the Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-06T15:09:00.000-05:00

Another Photo of Cutie Jill

2011-09-26T10:18:00.000-05:00

Princess Jill

2011-09-15T20:40:00.000-05:00

We tried on Jill's new Princess costume today. Grandeb coached her in the art of posing like a Princess.

Easter 2011!

2011-04-24T22:02:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again! The crazy day known as Easter at the Hyland House. The boys are hyped up on chocolate and dying to get their hands on the eggs, while Mom asks them to please sit for a few photos.

So here it is....

Would have been a classic if not for Jake sneezing right in the middle! Oh well.

Another try. Jill not so great, but it will have to do! I need that software where I can cut a face from one picture and pop it into another.

Background: Jill had just taken a face first dive off the swing behind Josh and Paw Paw caught her by the ankle to keep her from hitting the ground. Yay for PawPaw! Jill was still stressed.

Jake on the hunt.

Josh going down low.

Jill - who cares about plastic eggs?

This is so much better!

Oh, okay, if I have to.

Hmmm, looks like too much work. Maybe some other time.

This killed the boys who felt like they needed to help Jill by bringing eggs to her.

And again...

The whole Easter Egg hunting gang.

A tired and sad Jill gets a hug from Dad.

NCAA Championship Game

2011-04-05T00:45:00.000-05:00

Justin and Josh went to the NCAA Championship game tonight. Josh was very excited to go for several reasons. 1) He has recently become a humongous sports fan. 2) He picked UConn to win in his bracket. 3) My 7 year old may or may not have had money riding on the outcome. Okay he did. So did my 9 year old. They both hit the jackpot! Don't Judge.

Josh gets to the game.

Justin, Josh and Jim at the game.

Jim takes Josh down to see the players run in.

View of the court, not too bad considering.

Justin and Josh happy for the win.

The Leprechauns!

2011-03-18T19:12:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pics of my little Leprechauns! I just wish they could all be smiling and looking at the same time!

How Does Your Garden Grow

2011-03-09T08:46:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was the big day! The first grade play!

I use that term loosely, because, let's face it, they are first graders. And to include all 100 something of them means most of them are backgrounders. But still, cute.

Josh was a weed. From attending the morning performance for the 3rd - 5th graders, you could tell the weeds are the kids favorite role in the play. Must fulfill their secret longings to be gangsters or something. Josh wore jeans, a "do" rag, and sunglasses and got to "rap" his song along with his fellow weeds. I will need to ask him, but it goes something like this, "We're the Weeds, We Rule. We're the Weeds, We Rock." That is the chorus, anyway. There are other words and several verses, but the main point is how awesome weeds are.

When I get my officially sanctioned DVD of the school play (yes, you read that right!) I will see if I can bootleg a clip to post on the blog.

So here are a few pics of my cutie pie weed. When Jake was in 1st grade they decided not to do the play that year, so I would have thrown in a flashback pic, but no such luck!

Josh and his best buddy, Jacob.

Josh in the middle. From my vantage point this was the absolute best picture I got all day. Sorry.

1/2 the weeds group. Josh, far left, middle row.

Go Texan Day!

2011-02-25T13:09:00.000-06:00

Dressin' up fancy, Trail Rides, Square Dancin', and the start of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo - Go Texan Day! My family has always loved this day and ever since I was a kid, we have dressed up, watched and even ridden in trail rides and loved the rodeo! So, here are some fun pics of my kids doing the same thing.

Playing in the Street - Yay for Warm Weather!

2011-02-15T20:26:00.000-06:00

So, we are so thrilled to have warm weather again! We spent the entire afternoon outside playing in the yard!

Below are some fun pics. I intentionally set the camera to the nighttime setting and we got some super fun, long exposure pics. The boys discovered that if you go by really fast on your go-kart, you turn into a ghost!

Jake gives Jill a (slow) ride on the go-kart. I don't think a little girl could love her big brothers more. Jake is so sweet to her. And Josh is too.

Josh's 7th Birthday Party

2011-02-14T08:00:00.001-06:00

This past weekend we had Josh's 7th Birthday Party with his classmates. Let me tell you, that is one high energy group of boys! WOW! After 2 basketball games that morning, they played HARD non-stop for an hour and a half. They didn't even want to stop for Pizza and Cake, I had to make them!

We had the party at Lifetime which was great because we didn't have to worry about weather issues and it was handled by someone else! No mess for mommy to clean!

So here are the pics of the party. We played dodgeball, soccer (dangerous!) and kickball. Then our special visitor came for the sit down part! Very fun.

Josh by his Birthday Sign. He was ready!

Jake shooting hoops with his Dynamo Diesel.

Blurry Dodgeball pics. Sorry, poor lighting + lots of motion = blurry pics!

Our crazy soccer game. You can see Josh down on the turf in the back there.

Josh with our special guest, Dynamo Diesel!

Jake and his Buddy with Diesel.

Uncle Jim with Diesel.

Diesel played football with the boys after cake!

YEA PACKERS!

2011-02-06T22:15:00.000-06:00

We had a fun afternoon with my family coming over for a Josh Birthday Party / Super Bowl Party! We even took this pic because we totally knew the Pack would pull it out! I can say that now!

Yes, Josh watched the whole thing and stayed up to watch the trophy ceremony. Yes, I am sorry Ms. Ramey he will be tired and completely distracted tomorrow!

Jill Counts!

2011-01-25T15:38:00.000-06:00

As you can tell from the background, I was folding laundry this aft when out of nowhere Jill walks to the fridge and starts counting! It was so cute and so spontaneous, so I grabbed my video camera and it was dead! So, I plugged it into its base and dragged it to the kitchen to record (cool feature I never knew about!).

She gets to about 6 legitimately, then I all I could think was "did I catch a Niner in there? Are you calling from a walkie-talkie?"

So cute!

Josh's 1st Basketball Game

2011-01-08T13:35:00.000-06:00

So, Josh had his first Basketball game today. He also scored his first basket! Yay for Josh. Other than refusing to dribble, he had a great game. Anytime he got the ball he looked for his best buddy, Jacob, to pass it off to. We will have to work on that!

Christmas Morning!

2010-12-27T15:08:00.000-06:00

Here are some pics from Christmas Morning 2010. Everyone seemed very happy with all their stuff. Josh was bummed that he didn't get a jet pack, but otherwise, we were very happy! Thanks Santa!

All is quiet. But not for long...

Jake and his BIG new Lego set.

Josh and his new Packers Throwback Jersey.

Jill and her new doll stroller.

Jill and her new piano.

Jake and Josh on their Ground Force Drifters. Yay!

Jill in her new ride. Just like GranDeb's!

Official Santa Photo

2010-12-16T15:00:00.000-06:00

Here is the professional one. We go again Saturday morning to a breakfast with Santa, so I will let you know how that turns out.

A visit to Santa and the Firetruck

2010-12-16T09:01:00.000-06:00

So, this past weekend we decided to once again participate in a family tradition and go to the Heritage Texas Realty office to see Santa and play on the vintage Fire Truck. I was expecting a horrible trip seeing how Jill is in the opening act of the Terrible Twos. Not only will she not smile for the camera anymore, she refuses to look at it. That combined with her usual fear of masculine strangers left me with little hope for success.

Shockingly, she did very well. She still refused to smile or look at the camera, but she warmed up to Santa. She introduced herself and her brothers. Then re-introduced herself about 5 more times. I can't wait to get the professional photo back. I had to take mine from the side, so this is the best I have for now.

They are all looking at the camera and no one is screaming!!!! VICTORY! Oh, and Josh, get comfy okay?

Jill chats up the Big Guy after the shoot.

Almost a great pic. Oh and minus the power pole! ha ha.

Who says you can't climb in a dress? Certainly not Jill. This is on its way to the cleaners now.

Jake and Josh play fireman with the water cannon on top of the truck.

Jill's 2nd Birthday Party!

2010-11-07T22:44:00.000-06:00

So, you can't have a birthday without a party! Jill had her 2nd Birthday Party this weekend with the whole Moriarty Clan in town. We were lucky to get Michelle in from California and Kiki, Aaron and Owen in from Austin to add to the fun and festivities.

Here are some pics from our fun day!

Jill rides her elephant from Auntie Kiki, Aaron and Owen.

She loves on her Wubbzy doll from Courtney, Anthony and Jay.

Jill officially has too much birthday! She just needed a break and then opened the rest of her presents!

See! She loved it. Here she is on her new motorcycle. Foot powered, of course.

Jill and Michelle build with her new blocks.

Jay just couldn't stand all the fun!

Then we had our family flag football game. Since my kids are such good sports it went really well. Oh wait, I must be thinking of someone else's good sports. All in all it was fun, despite a few bumps in the road.

Jake kicks off to start the game. He actually kicked it well and PawPaw didn't pull a Lucy which was a plus.

Josh runs it back for a TD. He was thrilled!

Owen appears to be ready. But I don't really know what he is ready for.

The fans on the sidelines.

Little Miss, who knows exactly what you do with a cell phone when you find it laying on the ground.

Green Team gets a plan. Uncle Tony, friend Jacob, Josh, Uncle Jim, Auntie Michelle.

Orange team waits for the start of the game. Auntie Courtney, Owen, friend Josh, Jake, and PawPaw.

Wubbzy Cake. How awesome did that turn out! I love my cake lady. Let me know if you want her #!

Jill blows out the candles! Yay! Happy Birthday big girl!

Jill is 2!

2010-11-04T00:01:00.000-05:00

I don't know what else to say, Jill is 2 today. Sometimes she still looks so little to me, and other times she seems so big. I completely adore her and enjoy all my time with her. I was so scared adding a girl to our boy house, but it has been so wonderful and brought out such a tender side of ALL my boys. She is truly a blessing to our family!

Halloween!

2010-10-31T22:06:00.000-05:00

So here are a few quick pics from Halloween. Each kid got to go with a friend this year, yes, even Jill. I didn't get too many shots because it was quite chaotic. Maybe I will do better next year!

This was the best of the kids, though Jill was walking off.

Jill and her friend Tess follow the big kids up to trick or treat.

We were with this big group for a few streets. Jill was too slow to get in the pic.

But she takes off for the next house.

And one from last year, just for fun...

Pumpkin Patch 2010 Part 2 - Just Jill

2010-10-27T17:52:00.000-05:00

So, I wanted to try again for some cute Pumpkin Patch Pics of Jill. And I think I got some!

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-10-08T15:12:00.000-05:00

So this week, Kiki and Owen were in town visiting for a day and we decided to take the kids to the Pumpkin Patch at MDUMC for some Grandkid pics.

If you think this sounds like a great idea, well so did we. The execution was not as easy or successful. We had 4 adults with 4 cameras taking pictures as quickly as was humanly possible and this was the best we could do! Of course, in our defense, getting a 9 year old, a 6 year old, a 4 year old, a 2 year old and an infant to look in the same direction and smile at the same time is pretty much impossible. We are ready to declare it a proven scientific fact. And any discussion on the matter is closed.

The best pic. At least they all looked pleasant!

This was how we started out. I like that they are all looking and facing different directions.

My kids. Jill was having a "I refuse to look at the camera and smile day" that day.

Almost...

I give up. They are all smiling, though.

Jill.

Josh.

Jake.

Mom and kids. Notice Jill had hijacked the camera at this point.

And a look back at last year. I forgot how nice it is to have dry ground and not rotten pumpkins to take pictures with!

Football and Football

2010-09-25T22:39:00.001-05:00

Josh had his first soccer game of the year this morning. He was awesome and played his buns off. I have super cute before and after pics as evidence. His team won 7-2 and the game was quite lively, with the other team getting yellow-carded (in 1st grade!) and many fouls called on them. But so fun and his team is really good.

Then we took the kids to Rice Stadium (I know, such a plain and boring name) for the Rice vs Baylor game. Or as my kids like to say, Rice was versing Baylor. It was really fun, the kids went on the field before the game to make the spirit line, we had Chick-fil-a for dinner and then it was called due to lightning. So we headed home with 1 1/2 quarters done. It was just as well, they were tired and probably were close to causing a Mommy meltdown since we usually only last about 1 1/2 to 2 hours at stuff like that.

Josh before the game...

And after. He played hard!

Boys on the way into Rice Stadium for the game.

Jake and Dad watch the action.

Josh with his buddy Jacob.

Dad and the boys.

On the field before the game.

Baby Jay comes for a visit!

2010-09-24T15:39:00.000-05:00

So today my sister Courtney brought her new little one, Jay over for a visit. Jill was thrilled and loved seeing him and using his pacifier.

She even asked to hold him, which I thought was adorable and super cute.

And he even pooped 2 times, once through his clothes. What an adventure!

Her only issue came when I held Jay in "her" sling while Courtney was trying to get hers on and adjusted. I wish I had taken pictures of her protests. Hilarious!

Random Cell Phone Pics

2010-09-20T14:41:00.000-05:00

So, I had to have my cell phone wiped and restored and I freaked about losing my pictures. So, I downloaded them to the computer. Some are a bit older, but they are so cute I couldn't resist sharing them.

My little miss enjoying her iced coffee.

The new waterslide. The old one had had enough.

Jake's Battlebot from camp at the Museum.

My kiddos walking Jake to Museum camp.

Jake rock climbing with Cub Scouts. I am pretty sure that is as high as he ever went!

Josh having a Tea Party with his little sis.

Roller Skatin' Mama. She went to a party for a big brother's friend and couldn't stand watching anymore. My back was killing me!

My 3 kiddos at my old stomping grounds, the Dairy Ashford Roller Rink!

Jill at LegoLand.

First Day of School

2010-08-23T08:37:00.001-05:00

So, today was the first day of school. I should be putting an exclamation point on that, but I was not excited. I am going to miss my boys. So is Jill. She has no idea what is in store for her.

But here are some cute pictures of the drop off. Mom held back the tears, but only until the boys couldn't see!

Josh, clearly thrilled to be at school.

Big Bro helps him out.

With Ms. Ramey. Who wouldn't be smiling now?

Jake wouldn't allow us in the room, so this was the best I could do.

Baby Jay is here!

2010-08-22T07:39:00.000-05:00

Jake, Josh and Jill have a new cousin!

Jay Andrew Squillante arrived Aug 21 at 5:38 am. Mommy (and Daddy) was tired, but thrilled. He is 20 inches long and 7 pounds.

I went up to the hospital at 3:30 am to await his arrival. I took the rest of the fam the next afternoon to visit. So cute. They loved meeting him. Except Jill, who just wanted her Auntie Courtney to herself.

He was so gung ho to hold him. He is a natural now!

Josh was more nervous but excited.

Jill was happy to have Jay removed from "her" spot!

Now, after seeing the babies in the nursery, Jill seems like she might want to get close.

And then she didn't want to let go!

Our family with Jay.

Jill and Courtney share a snack before leaving. I think she just wanted some Boppy action.

Jill Swims!

2010-08-08T20:06:00.000-05:00

So, when we were at the pool this afternoon, Jill started swimming from the steps to me, all by herself! It was so exciting and we managed to get a video. In this video she chooses to skip mom and go to GranDeb.

California 2010 - Surfing

2010-07-26T18:38:00.000-05:00

So, Jake, Josh, Michelle and I took surfing lessons on our trip. Deb and Justin watched Jill and took video. I had the waterproof digital camera with me to take lots of cool pics. Which I did. But then a wave ripped the camera off the strap off my wrist and there went the pictures. I was so sad. So, we don't have a ton, but here are some pretty good ones of us riding the waves.

The gang (with our instructor Evan) heading out to surf.

Josh's first try. I never got him standing since we lost the camera.

Jake riding the waves.

I was a little excited! I didn't think I would be able to do it.

Heading back up the beach.

Jake the surfer dude.

Then the boys had to help mom out of her ridiculously tight wetsuit!

California 2010, LegoLand

2010-07-26T16:41:00.001-05:00

So we had a total blast on our trip to Hermosa Beach, California for a sunny vacation and to see my littlest sis, Michelle. It is going to take several updates to get all the pics posted but here is one of the big highlights. We went to LegoLand in Carlsbad, CA. It is north of SD and was about a 1 1/2 hour drive from our condo. The boys loved it and so did Jill. It is probably as close as you can get to Heaven on Earth for Jake, my resident Lego nut. He aspires to work for Lego one day designing new sets. Exactly. So, here are a few pics from our visit. I have a few cute ones on the cell phone, too, that I will try to load.

Arriving...

Leaving...

Driving on the Lego Streets

Riding the Aqua Raiders ride.

Josh and Jill on Safari.

Jill on the Duplo playground.

The boys in MiniLand. So cool.

Swimming and Underwater pics!

2010-07-16T14:10:00.000-05:00

So, we had Meemaw's 80th Birthday party last night. I didn't get pics because my camera died, but I will try to get some and post them.

Beforehand, we went to Auntie Karen and Uncle Steve's house to swim and beat the traffic out 290. 3 PM vs 6 PM. I felt like a genius. But we had fun and used lots of energy before having to sit at dinner, so it was a win-win.

Here are pics from our fun time. We took lots underwater this time and they turned out cool. I heart my new underwater digital camera. Thanks Costco Executive Membership. I love you.

Kiki and Jill just chillin on the kickboard.

Jake giving Jill a piggyback ride. This is her new favorite thing.

Josh jumping in.

Owen making his funny face.

Josh doing some Egyptian move.

Jake diving. I just liked the bubbles.

Josh diving. Don't worry, I already showed him this and told him to streamline!

Josh diving with the torpedo. He loves this picture.

Jill. It took us about 20 tries to get her face in an underwater picture!

Jill again, full face. I wish I could convey how much she LOVES the water. And jumping in and swimming and going under. She completely holds her breath and come us so happy. She is a fish!

Jill and Kiki.

Owen swimming.

4th of July Parade

2010-07-05T20:26:00.000-05:00

Just some super cute pics of my kiddos at our neighborhood 4th of July parade. It starts at the school and ends at the pool.

The kids with Cousin Owen.

MEET OF CHAMPS

2010-06-30T08:25:00.000-05:00

So, this past weekend was Meet of Champs for our Swim League, The Memorial Spring Branch Swim League. Both boys qualified and were expected to do well.

The meet was held at the Spring Branch ISD Natatorium, yes, my old stomping grounds, so it was fun for me to see them swim there again.

When it was all said and done, Josh came home with 2 4th places (after a devastating - to him mom - goggle mishap in the 25 Freestyle) in the 25 Free and Free Relay.

Jake won the 25 Free, the 25 Breaststroke and came in a very close 2nd in the Fly. His relays were 2nd and 6th.

At the team party the next night both boys took home their Age Group MVP trophy, Josh in 6 & Under and Jake in the 7 & 8.

It was a very successful season and it is sad to be done with swim team, but kind of a relief as well. Mom needs a break!

WAY TO GO BOYS!

Just Plain Funny

2010-06-20T11:55:00.000-05:00

Let's just say, I have no clue what the heck is going on here. Jill is wearing Jake's underwear on her head (she loves sticking her head through the holes). Fortunately it came out of the clean laundry in the basket behind her. She is also carrying the mosquito spray that I coat the yard with to make it safe to play in. And lastly she is pushing her popper. All while wearing her swimsuit. I wish I knew what was going on in her head at this moment!

Swim Meets

2010-06-11T22:06:00.001-05:00

Jake and Josh had their first swim meet of the year last night. It was against Memorial Forest at Plaza Oaks. The Piranhas won 600.5 to 587.5! The boys were very excited and both had great nights. Below are some videos of them swimming their hearts out!

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Chillin' in Cypress

2010-06-06T11:16:00.000-05:00

So, my Aunt and Uncle have a really fun pool in their backyard and the kids beg all the time to go swim there. So, since school is finally out and Kiki and Owen were headed in from Austin, we all met at Auntie Karen and Uncle Steve's house to go swimming.

It was a hot day and the pool was nice and cold. We ended up staying 3 hours! We are a little pink, but had a blast. Here are some pics.

Jill and Owen playing in the shallow area.

Josh, Daniel and Jake jump off the waterfall.

Owen, me, Josh, Jake and Daniel all go off. Thanks Auntie Kiki for taking the pics!

Josh's Kindergarten Graduation

2010-05-27T15:01:00.000-05:00

This morning we had Josh's Kindergarten graduation ceremony. It was super cute. The kids sang about 5 or so songs and then got their diplomas. We headed back to the class for cookies and juice

Lined up and ready.

More lining up.

Getting his diploma from his teacher.

Shaking the principal's hand.

Just cute. Josh was in the dead center of the entire Kindergarten.

Josh and Mrs. Johnston.

Josh and his pals Camden and Allen.

Josh and Mom and Dad (and Jill).

Josh and Dad.

Josh and Mom.

RIP Jose Lima

2010-05-24T14:33:00.003-05:00

I am know I am being a little melodramatic, but Houston Astros baseball was FUN back when we had Jose Lima out on the mound. He was a character and so fun to watch and cheer for. So, as a tribute to his memory I was going to post pics from last summer of the kids meeting him at Scott's baseball game.

Jake and Josh thought it was great. Jill was terrified (as she usually is of strange men).

And once more as a "final encore" here is the Casa Ole commercial song. Good times....

Way to Go, Michelle!

2010-05-19T12:56:00.000-05:00

My little sister Michelle was chosen to go to Turkey to play in World University Games Beach Volleyball Tournament.

Here is the link below.

http://usavolleyball.org/news/article/36074

Way to go, Michelle!

RCE 3rd Grade Talent Show

2010-05-18T14:30:00.000-05:00

Jake and some of his buddies put a skit together for the 3rd Grade Talent Show which was held at RCE during specials today. Below is a video of the super cute skit and some pics of the group.

Josh's Last TBall Game and Party

2010-05-17T14:58:00.000-05:00

So if you were in Houston this past weekend, you probably already know I am going to tell you that Josh's last TBall game got rained out. We had downpours Friday night and all the fields were underwater. It kept raining Saturday morning and the games were called. Too bad. But we still had the team party!

And since I was going to take tons of pictures and video of the last game but didn't get to, I am going to post someone else's pictures of the previous game! I know, but they are REALLY good and professional looking and you will like them!

Josh and his coaches at Double Dave's. They were great guys and Josh loved them. John Sion on the left and Craig Brothers on the right. Very positive and encouraging!

Josh and his trophy. The only part of the season that really mattered!

Josh and his buddy Allen with their trophies.

Here are the good pics of the previous TBall game...

Josh is on the left, cheering on his teammate.

Josh's favorite, the play at the plate! Watch out for him, he will not slow down for anything. One of his coaches thought we should call him "Freight Train". I like it.

A Smile, Courtesy of Jill

2010-05-10T07:50:00.000-05:00

We had a fun weekend this week, but I only have time for a quick post right now.

So here is something to make you smile. Jill decided to wait for the bus with her brothers this morning. She is so funny!

Sprint For Life

2010-05-04T00:17:00.000-05:00

So, this past weekend was Sprint for Life. Every year, the MD Anderson Cancer Center's Department of Gynecologic Oncology holds this fun run to raise funds for research to cure Ovarian Cancer. Check out the site here : http://www.mdanderson.org/how-you-can-help/community-events/sprint-for-life/index.html We stumbled across it years ago (before kids, so 10-ish) soon after Justin's mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Even though we were thousands of miles away from Connecticut, it was a way for us to honor her by participating and contributing to fighting cancer.
So, after a few years, I was asked to help out by joining the planning committee. After making a small suggestion to provide more kids activities, I was given the task of forming the Kids Zone to keep kids entertained at the post race party. After many years of running the Kids Zone (the last while several months pregnant) I decided that I needed to take a break since I would have a new baby. It was great fun to go back and see everyone and take my kids to the Kids Zone to have fun. It has come full circle, I guess.

So, here are pics of the fun morning we had. Justin ran the 5K and his brother walked it, but I don't have pics of that. Sorry.

The kids already enjoying the kids zone at 7:45 am! Snow cones already!

Jill lines up for the Tot Trot for the 3 and under set. She was mesmerized by the Red Robin!

Mommy, Jill and Josh take off for the Tot Trot. Josh opted for this shorter race and skipped the big kids race.

Jill and Mommy head down the home stretch.

Jake is off and running the Sprint for Sprouts. A 1K race for older kids.

Jake hits the wall towards the end. He usually heads out too fast and we end up pooped before the finish.

The family in front of our Sponsor sign. Yea!

The whole Hyland gang (including Uncle Jim this time) in front of the sign.

Uncle Jim and Jill after all is said and done. Jill is enjoying a lollipop.

And now for a blast from the past!

The boys lined up and ready to go in 2007. What cuties!

Josh and Mommy with Donald Driver at the race in 2005. Go Packers!

TALLADEGA 2010

2010-04-27T19:46:00.069-05:00

So, this past weekend was a huge event, not only at the Hyland house, but for NASCAR as well. It was Talladega time! For those of you not in the "know" the race held at the Talladega SuperSpeedway in Alabama is the equilvalent of a Redneck pilgrimage to Mecca (see Islam for reference). It is the longest, biggest, and fastest NASCAR track and is the home of the "The Big One," usually the largest and craziest crash of the season. Can you imagine a more wonderful place for a race car crazy 6 year old boy?

So, Justin and Josh flew out Friday morning to Atlanta. This despite Josh waking up that morning with croup. Right, I know. They stayed in Atlanta and bussed to Talladega, AL the next morning for the race. Unfortunately, with all the bad weather in the state, the race was called off for Saturday so the bus turned around and headed back to Atlanta. [On a side note, a tornado hit the town where we spent Thanksgiving (see Nov 09 post) and wrecked the park where we played. Thankfully, my family (and their homes) was unhurt.] So, they ended up spending the day at a super cool aquarium in the ATL.

Finally, the weather cleared and they ran both races on Sunday. So, Justin and Josh boarded the bus at 6 am central time and headed back to the track. They spent the first part of the day down on pit road, since Justin got pit passes for the two of them. That was cool to see the cars and crews up close. Then they hit the hospitality tent and ate hot dogs and Golden Flake potato chips (don't ask, Justin just wanted to give them a shout out). Finally the race started and a good time was had by all. According to the TV announcers it was one of the most exciting races ever at Talladega and set a record for lead changes.

After the Sprint Cup race, the had the Nationwide Race that had been cancelled from Saturday. After another exciting round of racing it was time to head back to the hotel. After the bus ride, the boys got back to the hotel at 10 pm central time. A VERY long day for a 6 year old boy. But a wonderful one. He is already asking when they can go back!

Arriving at the track.

Arriving at the track. The stands.

Josh got to go down on the track!

Next to Denny Hamlin's car.

At Kyle Busch's pit. He is Josh's favorite driver.

Cool tires waiting for Kyle Busch's car.

Getting up close with the pit crew.

Kyle Busch's car. Ready to race.

Josh signs his name on Pit Road.

Justin and Josh's names. I guess Josh didn't like his first attempt.

Justin and Josh on the track.

Josh plays Pop-A-Shot with a new friend while waiting for the race to start.

Jeff Burton's Caterpillar car.

Kyle Busch comes out to the track.

And they are racing. Nice view.

Coming into the front stretch tri-oval.

Josh shows off his binocs.

Kyle Busch's pit stop in the 2nd race, the Nationwide Race.

Justin didn't take this picture (we grabbed it off ESPN) but this was the highlight of the 2nd race (and the whole day for Josh for crashes). This happened on the last lap at the final turn of the race!

Josh on his way out of Talladega. He asked his dad if they could come again next year. We'll see....

Jake's Tae Kwon Do Belt Test

2010-04-26T08:47:00.001-05:00

So, Jake just had his test to get his green belt this past week. As usual, he was outstanding. Master Kim even told him good kick a few times. To get your green belt, you have to break a board, too. That was the fun part. Here are some pics from the event.

Jake waiting for his turn in Self Defense.

Board Breaking.

Josh Tball

2010-04-19T14:45:00.001-05:00

So, Josh started tball and as yet I have been unable to be at the game and/or without Jill long enough to actually take some pictures. Finally! Some of Justin's family was visiting from CT and came along to see the game. Between us all we watched Jill and took pics. I will post more pics from their trip when I get them!

Josh lines up for the swing. We are trying to get him to go back to his more, say kamikaze, style and crush it.

Josh gets some info from the 3rd base coach.

Josh almost makes the catch as first baseman. He did well by at least stopping all the balls that were thrown to him.

I love this pic. Josh hops into third while running the bases.

Josh on the bench waiting his turn. Cutie pie.

Justin with his nephew Michael, niece Nikki and sister Joan watch the game from the shade!

Roseola!

2010-04-14T22:49:00.000-05:00

So, Jill was ridiculously sick all weekend long and we couldn't figure out what was going on. She woke up Saturday morning with a 102 fever and it stayed high all weekend, peaking at 104.5 in the middle of the night Sunday night. No sniffles, sneezing, coughing, stuffy head. Nothing. We were puzzled, but suspicious because we had seen this twice before, once with Jake, once with Josh.

Today, we finally had confirmation in the form of a red rash all over Jill's (adorable!) tummy and back. She has Roseola! I don't know what it is about my family, but it must be a Hyland rite of passage. So here are pics of Jill's Roseola that I took while she was taking a bath. The last 2 are just because she is so stinkin' cute in the bath. And her scar from stitches looks pretty good, too.

Easter!

2010-04-05T08:48:00.000-05:00

Oh, Easter, how I have waited for your arrival. I have waited to dress up my little baby girl in the most adorable clothes and send her running into the yard after her brothers to hunt eggs like a crazy person. Well, Easter came and went and it was every bit as fun as we had hoped.

The boys and Jill waited until we got home from church to hunt their eggs. Grandeb and PawPaw were there to witness and help document the fun. It was a little wet (again this year) but that did not deter anyone from climbing, running, jumping or squeezing to get their eggs. After it was all over we went inside and shared (yes, I said SHARED) our candy and everyone got what they wanted and were HAPPY. It was great. Here are some pics of the fun.

And special thanks to the Brasher Family (our awesome next door neighbors) for helping make Easter even more fun!

My little Easter Baby! It was perfect except for the stitches under he nose! Thanks Mr. Coffee Table.

Fam Pictures.

Mom and Jill.

Dad holds the boys back from the back yard so Jill can catch up.

Here she comes at full speed.

Here is where she gets it good. She finds her own eggs, puts them in the basket, and then realizes Jake has tons of eggs that are easy pickins!

Josh goes up the ladder for some eggs.

Jill is wiped out. She had a fun day of hunting eggs and needs a break. Really, she just LOVES her chair.

T-Ball Time

2010-03-30T07:59:00.000-05:00

So, Josh is playing T-Ball this year for the first time. After a rather inauspicious start to the season (i.e. we got our roster Monday, had a rainy 30 minute practice Wednesday and had our first game Saturday) we are now rolling.

As with most things Josh does, he is going full boar into this one as well. We bought a tee and some balls and just about every night we go out and hit balls and field balls and throw balls and then fish them out of the rain gutters on the street.

Here are a few pics of Josh's first game.

Josh trying to avoid getting a picture taken in his cute uniform! He's #1!

Josh and his buddy Allen wait for the game to start.

The whole team.

Josh's first at-bat.

Oops. We'll work on avoiding the tee when we run to first. He was still safe.

Josh started out at pitcher. Very exciting as most balls went to him.

We will also keep working on which foot to step with! But I think he got at least 1 out!

Rodeo Time!

2010-03-18T00:02:00.001-05:00

So, it is time again for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (http://www.hlsr.com/ if you are so inclined to visit).

You may remember a few weeks ago when I posted the Go Texan Day pictures and talked about the trailrides and rodeo. Well it is in full swing (still) and we went for our annual visit. Kiki and Owen came in town for spring break and all the kids wanted to go so we took our big group for a close encounter with the animals!

Indoors is the Livestock Show. They have a great kids area where the kiddos can see animals up close, pet them, feed them and learn all about their life cycle. There is even a birthing center (ick!), a milking parlor (yum!) and lots of info on how animals provide or become our food (double ick!). All in all, it is a good time with some learning thrown in.

My family, however, doesn't just stick to the main venues, we like to go visit the FFA kids with their show animals and get a closer look. We got lucky because it was longhorn day so we got to see tons of huge horns. What boy doesn't love that!?! The kids and their parents are so nice and let you pet them and take pictures with them. It is fun.

Then after a yummy lunch that can only be described as a heart attack on a stick (or bun - your choice!) we headed outdoors to the carnival. My kids 'real' favorite place at the rodeo. Tons of pics follow!

Jill has an immense fascination with all animals. And no fear.

Josh found a buddy. This guy truly loved pecking at Josh's finger. He paced back and forth and just tried to get to Josh.

One of the many longhorns we saw.

Jill loved the petting zoo. Here she checks out a sleeping goat.

Here she checks out the chickens.

For $2 you can buy feed. Jill feeds hers to a deer.

And a goat.

And a sheep.

And another goat.

And a llama.

And a baby goat (he wasn't sure what it was).

And another goat. Needless to say she was a big hit with the animals. I am sure it was a combo of the food and small stature making her an easy mark!

If you make it out to the rodeo be sure not to miss the Footsie Wootsie. Much cheaper than a carnival ride and at least as fun. We must have done the dang thing 10 times!

Owen does the bungee jump at the carnival.

Josh Jumps.

Jake jumps super high. We couldn't talk any of them into flipping.

Jake and Jill on the pirate ship ride.

Josh and Owen on the pirate ship ride.

Josh Loses a tooth!

2010-03-17T13:18:00.001-05:00

So this sucker had been hanging on for at least 5 days. Josh didn't want to pull it out because he was afraid it would hurt, so he let it hang. It interfered with eating, talking, drinking, but he was not going to pull it.

Finally, today, his GranDeb convinced him to let her pull it out. I don't know why but she LOVES to pull teeth with strings. She has done almost all of Jake's! This was Josh's first and he was nervous. Now, of course, he is really happy!

If you look closely at this pic, you can see how much it has been hanging (she is not pulling yet). Also, note the look of concern on his face.

The now toothless Josh!

Jill's Tricks

2010-03-12T15:17:00.001-06:00

So Jill has acquired some new talents of late and I want to share them here. Honestly, she has been doing them for probably 6 weeks or so, but I just now got them on film. So, apologies, but these are stills taken from video. Look, I only have so many hands!

So, a few months ago I posted a video of Jill jumping on the trampoline. Well, she is still jumping, but now she gets air! Here are pics...

And, if you know Jill, you know she LOVES to climb. Anything and everything. Nothing is unclimbable (just go with it). And if you know our house, you know we have a huge swingset in the backyard. Well, it was inevitable. Here is Jill performing one of her favorite tricks. Keep in mind she has been doing this for at least a month and probably closer to 2 months. The kid is crazy.

Here are the videos of the above activities in case you want to see the whole thing.

Jill Portraits

2010-03-04T08:21:00.003-06:00

Last November I had 1 year baby portraits taken for Jill. Until now I had never really asked my photographer for permission to post any, but I finally remembered and I wanted to post this one so you could see how stinking cute Jill was.

And my photographer, Sarah Hays (who lives one street over!), was awesome! Jill was not in a terrible mood, but not the best either. I have no idea how she got so many smiles and cute looks. It all looked cranky to me!

So, check out Jill's pic and then check out her site http://www.onceandforever.com/ if you need a photographer!

Go Texan Day!!!

2010-02-26T14:26:00.000-06:00

So every February in Houston the trail rides make their way into the heart of the city (downtown) for the Rodeo Parade signaling the beginning of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

As a kid we always participated in the trail rides, thanks Uncle J for having a wagon pulled by mules for us to ride along in! And some of my most fun memories are riding through downtown in the parade in the back of that wagon and hearing Uncle J yelling, Gee Kit, Haw Kate. If you don't know, don't worry about it. My other favorite memory was when my cousin Kelli fell out the back of the wagon on a particularly abrupt start and fell smack into a pile of horse manure. Good Times....

So, today is Go Texan Day, the annual arrival of the trail riders to the city and the kickoff to the HLSR which starts this week. As such, all school kids in Houston dress like little cowboys and cowgirls and dance square dances for the amusement of their parents. Mine were no different and here are the pictures to prove it!

Josh and his classmate Yusif sneaking in the back.

Josh and his square-dancing partner Caroline. (You will notice Josh doesn't have boots on because, 1) they are uncomfortable and 2) they cost a lot and you really only wear them once or twice!)

Josh, Yusif, Ava, Allen and Carter gettting ready to start.

Josh and Caroline square dancing.

Jake in his western wear.

Jake's square, Melissa, Ayla, Jake, Josh, Cole, Joel, and Makenzie.

Jake and his partner Ayla.

Jake do-si-doing his corner.

Cowgirl Jill came to watch and cheer! Those are real Wrangler jeans and a pearl snap shirt! And she loves her hat and boots. Really.

And we got to see Auntie Courtney! Jill was tired and hungry and wasn't having any more of the picture taking today!

A Whole Lotta Nothing

2010-02-20T23:22:00.000-06:00

So, I haven't posted in a while and there really has not been a whole lot new going on here.

Jake had his last BBall game of the season today. He did great! Scored another basket (his 2nd of the year) and made a freethrow! A huge day for him!

Meanwhile, Josh and Jill are hanging out and being kids. I'll leave you with a few pics of Jill since I got nothin'!

Jill has recently fallen in love with Baby Einstein. Now she demands to watch it all the time. And loves sitting all tucked into her chair while she watches. As a side note, she only likes the ones with farm animals and neighborhood animals. Won't watch the others!

And here is Jill with her new laptop from GranDeb. She always shows such an interest in everyone else's computer's that GranDeb thought she should have one of her own!

Josh's 6th Birthday!!!!

2010-02-10T14:34:00.000-06:00

This past weekend was Josh's 6th birthday! I can't believe it has been so long.

It seems like just yesterday I was hoping not to go into labor during the Super Bowl since it was in Houston and Justin was there watching and really didn't want to have to leave his Pats to meet meet me at the hospital!

It seems like just yesterday I was checking into the hospital at 7PM and being put on the IV and epidural only to be told at midnight they were just going to wait until morning (try and get some sleep, uh-huh, riiiiiight....).

And it seems like only yesterday that I frantically woke Justin up at 2 AM and told him he better the get nurse that the baby was about to fall out! And then it was 3:30 AM and there was Jake at my bedside to see his new brother. No, that wasn't on purpose, but he was woken up when the phone rang and insisted on coming!

And then there is Josh, my little sweetheart! He still loves to snuggle, doesn't like to go to school because he would rather stay at home with me, and eats anything anyone offers and likes it!

-----------

So, in Houston in February you never really know what the weather will be like and now with a baby, I really don't want to have to do a lot of work to have a birthday party, so again this year we went with the indoor, destination party!

It was at Biron's Gymnastics over on Dairy Ashford. The place has been around since 1972 and we all grew up going there for something or other, classes, parties, haunted houses. The boys had each been to a party there a while ago and they had fun, so we decided to go for it.

The kids had an absolute blast and were worn out! Here are some pics below. Excuse the graininess or blurriness. The lighting in there was so bad that action shots were grainy for lack of light and regular shots were blurry waiting for a flash!

The kids huddle up to get instructions before going to the first activity.

Josh leads the way over the obstacles in the obstacle course.

Josh swings on the ring across to the other side.

Jake launches off the trampoline into the foam pit.

Jill has some fun of her own in the barrel.

The kids wait for instructions on the rope swing into the foam pit.

Then a foam pit fight!

Josh blows out the candles.

The birthday group. Josh's classmates from his Kindergarten class plus our neighbor MaryAnn and cousin Owen.

And finally, Josh gets to leave his handprint to mark his birthday party.

Pinewood Derby

2010-02-08T18:15:00.001-06:00

So each year the cub scouts have a Pinewood Derby where the dads (oops, I mean kids) carve cars out of a block of wood and paint them and put wheels on and race each other.

Most people want to win so they design their usual wedge shaped car that looks like a race car and name it something really clever like "lightning." (Sorry if you, dear reader, are one of these people I just insulted).

But not in our house. No way, in our house, we go for the coolest, most fun design we can think of (and then actually build). This year was no exception.

We entered 2 cars, one for Jake and one for Josh, since there is an open division where siblings and parents can enter their cars to compete. I think this is supposed to ease the pressure on dads so they will actually let their kids touch the car instead of just look at it. I'll let you know if it works.

Jake's entry, the Swiss Army Knife Car.

Josh's entry, the Brickmaster. A Lego Brick.

And I how could I forget the most important part? The electronic finish line and the camera for watching the finishes. You know, in case it gets too close to call!!!

Super Bowl Party

2010-02-08T15:55:00.002-06:00

So I am totally over Super Bowl Parties and don't really watch the game or the commercials anymore (well, let's be honest, I would, but with 3 kids who has the time?).

So we went to my mom's yesterday for a Super Bowl Party which really involved hanging out with Michelle and Scott, Courtney and Anthony, and Kiki, Aaron, and Owen. The WHOLE gang was there and it was raucous. No one cared about the game, so we laughed at the commercials when we caught glimpses and mostly played with the kids outside.

The best part, for me anyway, was the gambling! We set up one of those grids where each person gets a number that corresponds to each team. Then at the end of the quarter if your numbers match the last digit of the score for each team you win. Well, I won 2 quarters!!!!! Oh yeah! 40 smackers! I am so living it up this week.

Anyway, that truly was my highlight. Sigh.... so sad.

The crew in a calm moment.

Justin representin' the 504.

Josh's 100th Day of School

2010-02-03T12:16:00.001-06:00

So being the perfect and wonderful mother that I am, I completely forgot that Josh had his 100th day of school parade yesterday.

He had told the several times the week before and we talked about it over the weekend, and his teacher even sent emails home! Thankfully it wasn't until Tuesday, so when I remembered at 5 am Monday morning, (no I didn't go back to sleep after that) I panicked!

I spent Monday morning before a summer league swim team meeting (yes already!) trolling the aisles of Michael's begging something to jump off the shelf at me so I could glue it onto a shirt.

I had considered pennies (since he LOVES money), but wisely changed my mind when I realized 100 pennies can make a shirt pretty heavy if you are 5 (almost 6). I thought about stickers, okay, or those fuzzy balls, so-so, but then I finally found it, google eyes. What 5 year old doesn't love google eyes, especially 100 stuck all over his shirt and moving and making noise? I brought it home and Josh loved the idea. He was so pumped to have his google eye shirt to wear to the parade.

Score one "save" for the forgetful mom!

That little Stinker (really - she was stinky)

2010-02-02T14:16:00.000-06:00

So Jill's new thing lately is one of my personal favorites. I love to watch her in action.

It usually starts with me smelling something foul. Then I ask Jill, are you poopy? Did Jill do poo-poo? She smiles this shy smile.

Then I say, let's go change your poopy diaper. So off she trots, without being distracted along the way - shockingly! - all the way back to her bedroom. She walks right over to the corner, grabs a diaper, holds it up to me until I take it and then lays down on the floor to wait for her clean diaper.

It is just so cute. And it just amazes me to see that she has followed the whole process and now repeats it exactly by herself every time. Babies are amazing!

Here is a pic of her sweet little face after it collided with the pool edge at Lifetime Athletic a few days ago. She is okay now, but was not happy about it then! (sorry about the bad quality. I had the camera on the action setting and all my pictures turned out bad this morning.)

Jake Tae Kwon Do Belt Test and some BBall pics

2010-02-01T13:47:00.000-06:00

So Jake just had his Yellow Belt Test this past week and passed! That means he moves up to Orange Belt at the Belt Ceremony this week.

I was nervous because he had been sick with swine flu all week and I didn't know if he would be well enough or have the energy, but he did a great job!

Here is a short video of him doing his blocking test.

And the next day he had a basketball game. Jake has been improving so much this year and was the defensive player of the game for his team this week because of his awesome rebounding! He had 5 or 6 rebounds total!

The huddle.

Jake and his buddy Cole get fired up.

Jake takes the 1/2 time free throw. I just loved his "follow through."

Warm Weather

2010-01-29T08:11:00.000-06:00

So last week we finally got rid of all that yucky cold weather (note the dead plants behind the kids in the first picture) and got back to our normal warm January weather! No one was more excited than Mommy who could once again send the kids out to play to burn off their energy!

We celebrated with a picnic snack in the front yard.

Jill enjoyed her new power wheels toy (50% off on the clearance aisle at Academy!). She still doesn't really get how to make it go, but she pushes the button, it jerks forward and she smiles. Plus it was the perfect fit, she loves the boys school bus so now she has her own.

Josh shows off his ramp jumping skills. Yes, it is as uncomfortable as it looks. With the 2 back wheels so far apart and low to the ground the big wheels slams into the ramp every time. But he loves it and keeps coming back for more.

Jake jumps his scooter.

And then shows off his balancing trick.

Just some more pics of Jill

2010-01-20T21:03:00.000-06:00

My posts have been pretty monothematic of late, I realize that, but honestly, when you are home alone for 8 hours a day with a baby, well, I think you get where I am going...

Here is Jill playing with Mom's shoe. Too bad for Jill that mom's feet are so big, that it is really hard to wear her shoes. Hence the one at a time thing here.

Here is a cute pic of Jill's first ponytail!

So, her hair in front is getting so long that it hangs in her eyes. But she rips out barrettes faster than you can say 'Tomboy'. This morning when I was getting out of the shower I took out my rubber band and set it on the bed. She walked right over, picked it up and held it up to her hair while making some rubbing motions.

I did not hesitate! I grabbed the baby rubber bands I had bought specifically for this occasion, sat her on a stool in front of the full length mirror, and tossed up a ponytail. She left it in for a while, but pulled it out on the long (5 whole minutes) car ride to Gymboree, but I whipped it back up and it stayed all day until bathtime! We may have solved our problem!

After bath, she went right back to our morning ponytail spot, grabbed another rubber band and insisted on another ponytail! So she is sleeping in one tonight.

And here is her penultimate resting place. The boys like to hang out in my bed and watch an educational show while I put Jill down at night. (Judge me, I am over it. Truly, they are educational, Mythbusters, MonsterQuest, Dirty Jobs, Man vs Wild, etc. But I digress...) So tonight she rolled over against her brother and snuggled there asleep. He was so proud. He told me, "Mom, look, she loves me!" And she does. She adores him.

My Little Sweetie

2010-01-12T21:47:00.000-06:00

Look what I found Jill doing tonight! What a little cutie! Think we have had toilet problems lately?

Jill Cuteness

2010-01-06T11:09:00.000-06:00

There is really no theme, but here are some cute things Jill has done in the last few days!

Ranger decided Jill needed some company last night. Must be the extremely cold weather, he has never tried this before!

Jill "jumps" on the trampoline. Just go ahead and turn down your volume before you watch because it will just be me baby-talking annoyingly in the camera!

Adorable Pics

2010-01-03T22:41:00.000-06:00

So, Kiki got a new camera for Christmas. One of those huge, honkin' nice ones and she took some pics with it. They turned out super cute, so I am including some of my faves below for your enjoyment.

BTW, we were all at the park to take a massive Moriarty family photo including grandmothers and grandkids so it worked out nicely that the kids were actually wearing something without stains! And I hope to post a few shots from that shoot on here if I can soon.

I know I am partial, but I think these are some cute kids!

A Hyland Family Christmas

2009-12-27T22:59:00.000-06:00

Oh, minus the family picture! That kinda stinks. But here are some cute pics from our Christmas morning. This was a far cry from where we were last year. Jill was still in bed asleep at 6 weeks old. This year we had to wake her up because the boys were so excited to get in and see what Santa had left them.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

And then things got crazy!

Jake and his new iPod. Thanks Santa!

Josh was thrilled to get an Indiana Jones Kyle Busch M&M's race car. He is so easy...

Jill's new fold out couch.

Jake and Josh show off their new Hess Trucks from Poppy. This year's are so cool! But we say that every year. Where do they keep getting such cool ideas?

Jill and Auntie Michelle in her new playhouse.

Jill checks out the doorbell.

Then the fountain. It really works!

And peeks out the window!

Jill and the train

2009-12-22T14:19:00.021-06:00

Jill loves the train that we have circling our island in the kitchen. So everyday she climbs on the stool and stands and watches it. For hours. Well, at least for 30 minutes. I kinda feel bad, but at least I have some time to cook dinner!

Jill watching the train

Jill and Dad watching the train. Sometimes she likes a better vantage point.

Dad and Jill. So cute!

Jake Update

2009-12-21T16:17:00.002-06:00

Jake went back to the doc and got his long-awaited cast this morning. He was very excited that they had the camouflage color he wanted. Even though he won't be back at school for 2 more weeks, he has tons of signatures already!

We found out from this doc that he has buckle fracture. The bone is not broken through and not displaced so they want him in a cast for 3 weeks. We then go back for another x-ray to check on his progress and if it looks good, then he has 1 week in a splint. That is pretty quick!

And I guess in keeping with the camo theme, this was the letter he wrote to send to Mark (my cousin Kelli's husband who is serving in Afghanistan). He has been watching everything on the Military channel lately and loves learning about all the weapons. He is so proud that his "cousin" (as he says) is serving our country and that he flies an Apache helicopter.

It Finally Happened...

2009-12-17T21:02:00.005-06:00

Well, honestly, I have to admit I am SHOCKED it took 8 1/2 years, but Jake finally did it.

Yep, he broke his wrist this afternoon.

Yes, it involves his new bunk bed, but probably would have happened on the old one. No, it doesn't involve crazy, irresponsible behavior, shockingly. It was just an unlucky accident.

Jake was leaning over the side to look at our neighbor MaryAnn below and lost his balance and slid forward off the bed. I guess I should say a prayer of thanks that it was just a wrist and nothing more serious. The urgent care doc said it is the most common injury they see at this age and is pretty minor. We are going to the orthopedist as soon as one will see us. We'll see about the upcoming basketball season and Tae Kwon Do. We may have to take a little time off.

Jake shows off his splint. Trust me, it took us 2 full hours to get to this point. He collapsed into bed exhausted at 8:30 tonight. It was a tough afternoon.

Cute Jill Video from Alabama!

2009-12-11T11:06:00.002-06:00

So, due to the snowfall, this video never made it on the blog. But I wanted to go ahead and put it up because it is so adorable.

It makes me think she really is a princess because she looks like she is waving to her people while she rides on her horse. And she doesn't do the typical wave up and down, but turns her wrist so it looks even cuter!

Snow in Houston?!?

2009-12-07T13:32:00.000-06:00

I know, you must be thinking this is a joke, but no jokes here! It really did snow. A lot!

Okay, so not a lot, a lot, but enough to make snowballs, a small fort and make it really feel like winter! It even stuck around for the whole day. Then the sun came out and it started melting, but refroze overnight into ice as the temps dipped to the mid to low 20's.

As usual, the city was paralyzed and schools got out early, Justin's office closed down for the day. You know, the general, "We have never seen this before what do we do?????" panic. We can handle hurricanes and torrential rainstorms, but not *SNOW*! Okay, enough mocking... for now.

Here is our winter wonderland as the snow really starts coming down.

More shots.

Jill and I went to see what it was all about. Apparently her. (see shirt)

The boys with the neighborhood fort. Yes, there was only enough for one group effort. This was the day after when everything had slightly melted and it was really crunchy!