SNOW!!! Two Years In A Row!!!

Wow, my kids are going to start thinking this is the norm - NOT!!! Last year they woke up to about 6 inches of snow but didn't get to see it come down. This year they got to see it come down and it came down pretty hard for quite some time. Just not enough for it to really build up much. They did get to play in the snow on their daddy's truck. John of course is wearing shorts - imagine that!

THE RAO FAMILY



MOM AND DAD


JOHN, BRYAN & KARA



TRYING TO CATCH SOME SNOWFLAKES

OK MOM, GET THESE PICTURES OVER WITH SO WE CAN GO PLAY!!!

LOOK AT ME!!!

WATCH IT MOM, I'VE GOT A BIG ONE COMING AT YA!

Thanksgiving 2009 - in Alexandria, LA

Patty Ann & David hosted the

Thorpe Family Thanksgiving
in their home this year.

We had a small group this year. Only 40!!!
(usually have between 40 & 60)


LET'S EAT!!!!


WHAT A SPREAD!!! GREAT JOB BY EVERYONE!



After all that food it's time to sit back and watch the Cowboys.


OR, make a slide out of mattresses.



Monica and John (a wanna be Cowboy.)



Check out that buck tooth on John. Too funny!



What's that e-mail address to the Irving Police Dept. I bet those co-workers of John's would LOVE to get a hold of these pictures.

Instead of WATCHING those Cowboys play these guys decided to play their own game.

Maybe some of them should have stayed inside & watched those Cowboys.

What a beautiful sunny cool day.

These little guys had a wonderful time out in the sun.

Kate, David & Jake

Cousins!!!

Cort, Jillian, Hailey, Monica, John & Trey

John & Elesea Russo

Charles, Jeanine & Neal Wynkoop

Patty Ann and David Hankins

Polly, Sarah, John, Elesea and Aunt Pat

Jillian and Cort Ludwig

Emily & Janet Hankins

"Buddy, Bobby, Bob, Chip???" and Andy - bestest friends forever!!!

Robert Powell - a friend of John & Elesea Russo

(I love Facebook, I couldn't remember his name after all the jokes about what his name was so I looked at John's FB friends and there he was)

Like mother like daughter.

Polly & Sarah were pooped out. Sarah got home from a trip to China and then drove straight to LA from Florida with her mom and grandmother for Thanksgiving.

Kara Sue Rao - 7 1/2 years old - BEAUTIFUL GIRL!!!

Sam Hankins (Adam's son)

Susie Hankins (Adam's youngest)

Patty Ann and Emily Hankins (Eric's middle child)

Patty Ann & David and their children & grand-children

(missing Wendy & Drew)


Patty Ann, Aunt Pat, Polly & John

Jillian, Aunt Pat & Trey

Elesea, John, Polly & Sarah (missing Joseph)

A small group from Houston.

Jean, Vince, Andrew, Aunt Ferrell, Cindy & Bruce

Trey and his family - Tinly, Shelley & Hailey

Cousins - Emily & Abigail

Brothers - Adam, Andy & Eric

Hard not to write Andy, Eric & Adam as that is their natural order.

OK family, after reading all my "captions" if you have found I have mis-spelled a name PLEASE let me know so I can fix it. I did my best trying to remember all the kiddo's names. There are so many now. I really enjoyed seeing everyone and hope it's not so long before we see you all again.

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Lots & Lots have been going on with NO time to BLOG so here it goes

Here it is November 29th and I am just posting the pictures I uploaded back at the end of May but never actually "posted" to my Blog. This is an accumulation of several events that I should have posted as they happened but didn't get around to it. To be perfectly honest I got caught up in the FACEBOOK world and have been on that much more than my BLOG. I will try to do better in the future so those of you that like to "check out" my family blog won't have to look at so much at one time. These pictures are in backwards order, that being the more current thing first.

Bryan made the Hit Pitch & Run competition for the first time this year. We went to Houston for the competition. Here he is hitting.

Here he is posing with the target of the pitching part of the competition.


Here he is pitching.


Here he is in the running part of the competition coming in at home plate.

Kara "crossed over" from being a Daisy in Girl Scouts to being a Brownie.
This is a picture of the Girl Scout troop that Kara is in.


Bryan was selected to be on the 5th Grade Track Team and he ran in two races.

This one was the 50M.


This one was the 4x50M Relay. He came in 4th in both. I think he did pretty darn good being that he has NEVER run track before.


Kara had her recital in May 2009 where she did two for the first time.

This was her first year to be in Cheer.

She loved being in Cheer!!!

Warming up.

She was in Ballet for the 4th time.

She is so good on the stage. She LOVES it!!!

Posing outside before the show starts.

Waiting for stage time.


These pictures were from Mother's Day lunch at Jenny's house. Reese is such a funny little girl. She was looking at me through her handmade glasses.

My mom (Beverly), Molly (my aunt) and Ma-Maw my grandmother (my mom's mom)


Kara's end of school picnic at Roger's Park.
She LOVED her 1st Grade teacher Mrs. Faraci.

Some of her best girl friends.


Easter morning at St. Andrews with the Fitzpatrick's, Rao's and Cody

What traditional fun!


Oh where oh where could those little eggs be???
That sneaky little Easter Bunny.

Easter morning after finding eggs outside in the front yard.

Wow...that Easter Bunny really went all out!!!!
(See next 4 pictures)


Well, poor Kara's birthday falls around Easter every years so we had to tie in her 7th birthday celebration with Easter Egg Decorating. Kara loved her Hannah Montana birthday cake.

AND her new Hannah Montana bedding.

Kara's first Girl Scout "camp-out". Roasting marshmallows.

"Camping-out" on the floor of the church.


Bryan pitched for the first time this season and did pretty good but Daddy wants to keep him behind the plate as the catcher.