The Rao Family

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

2009-12-17T22:00:00.002-06:00

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

2009-12-09T19:43:00.017-06:00

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.

Please make comments if you can. (You will have to register)

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

2009-05-22T19:18:00.018-05:00

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.

Mandy's visit to Texas (HOME)

2009-04-15T21:41:00.007-05:00

We had a typical "Wynkoop" gathering while Mandy (aka Amanda) visited Beaumont in March. Tons of pictures were taken but I will spare you and pick some of the best.

This is Mandy and 6 month old Kayden

It was so easy to make her laugh - just ask Neal.

Adryanne had a bo-bo so Reese was helping by holding the icepack on her head.

Reese is sharing the baby doll with Kayden

Charlotte (Aunt Cha-Cha) & Adryanne

Reese & Hannah taking turns on the slide.

Kara going down the slide backwards of course.

Kara, Hannah, Adryanne and Reese playing Ring Around the Rosie....

...and they all fall down!!!

Reese & Adryanne had a great time jumping together.

Papa and Adryanne - so sweet!!!

Kara loves to sing!

2009-03-17T20:51:00.004-05:00

Kara is not shy when it comes to her singing (belting out) a song. Any old song and most of them are made up by she, herself and her. On Tuesday night Bryan had his first baseball game (yea for the season finally starting). John is Bryan's coach so he had to be at the ballfield early to get the field ready. There are some bleachers out past the home dugout kind of away from the main crowd. John says (I wasn't there yet) that she was laying down on the top seat face up and was just singing away. LOUDLY. John says everyone that was up closer to the main area could hear her and just kept talking about how cute she was. Watch out American Idol...here she comes!!!

Throwing out the 1st pitch @ Lamar

2009-03-08T21:06:00.006-05:00

Our little guy next to all those big college boys singing the National Anthem.

Very proud of Bryan getting out there on that big boys field and throwing out the 1st pitch for Lamar's home game against Nicholls State. Lamar ended up winning the game 7 to 3.

Bryan got a hand shake from the catcher and then got to bring home the baseball.

Hard to see in this picture but there is definitely a big grin on that face of his.

Kara, Joey (Bryan's best friend since Kindergarten) and Bryan.

The three of them got to do the Chug-A-Lug contest to win Astro's Baseball tickets. Bryan won the two tickets but offered to give them to his friend Joey. What a guy!!!

I love it when Kara lets me French braid her hair. You can really see her pretty little face and all those cute little freckles.

Proud of my Scouts

2009-03-01T21:52:00.005-06:00

Bryan earned many awards at the Scouts Blue & Gold Awards Banquet. We are proud of him and look forward to him "crossing over" soon to Boy Scout.

Kara is a Daisy in a Girl Scouts troop and had her first year of selling the VERY famous/popular Girl Scout Cookies. She sold over 150 boxes and then went to Krogers to help her troop sell even more.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-30T21:06:00.004-06:00

Santa - we have been good all year.

Our new family member - Ms. Whiskers

Kara is so happy to have a new bike to fit her growing body.

Daddy and Bryan are proud to show off their local college support.

Our 3 kids - Kara, Bryan & Ms. Whiskers

Couldn't leave out this cutie - Reese 2 years old holding Ms. Whiskers.

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SMILE!!!

2008-12-30T20:53:00.002-06:00

Proud Papa is happy to be able to have Adryanne some weekends. She is a sweet sweet little girl.

What a beautiful smile!

Kara and I had a good time visiting with Adryanne. She is very happy. You may have to give her a few minutes to warm up to you but it is worth the wait. We had a fun coming up with fun ways to make her laugh.

Deck The Halls - 5th Grade Program

2008-12-29T23:21:00.003-06:00

These 5th Graders worked very hard on their Christmas Program but not many parents were able to attend. The program was set for 9am on the day it SNOWED in Beaumont (yes, I did say it snowed in Beaumont - see my previous blog.) School didn't start until 10am this day so the program was switched to 2pm. They did a great job but I am sad that there were probably only a few dozen family members there to watch. John & I were both there (had it been at 9am John wouldn't have been because of work). Bryan did have a speaking part - one of a dozen so I am very proud that he was chosen.

You can ALWAYS find Bryan next to his best friend Joey (to his left). Every time that they have had programs they are standing side by side. They have been in the same class each year since kindergarten.

Bryan taking his turn at the microphone.

Cute moves to the songs they sang.

It Snowed in Beaumont - Yes, you heard me right!

2008-12-11T19:18:00.008-06:00

Wow, can you believe it? I still can't. I woke up to a recorded phone call at 5:30 am from the kids school saying that school will be delayed for 2 hours due to the snowfall during the night. (Why may you ask they have to call 3 hours before school is even supposed to start?...I wish the heck I knew.) I decided the kids could wait until at least 6:30 to see the snow so I had an hour to myself before getting them all wrapped up warm as best I could to have some fun in the snow. We, by the way, are NOT prepared clothing wise for snow and even after today won't ever be. By the time it snows here again they will have outgrown what they might have worn today.

OK, here goes....

Cliche' after Cliche' after Cliche'

WE HAD A SNOW BALL FIGHT

WE MADE SNOWMEN

WE MADE SNOW ANGELS

AND YES, WE EVEN TOOK A LITTLE NIBBLE AT THE SNOW
(Only 1 little bitty bite)

AREN'T WE JUST TOO CUTE!!!

NOW 4 SOME REAL FUN!!!

Playing "POPCORN" with tennis shoes is so out.

Snow on the trampoline was way more fun!!!

SNOWBALL VS. BASEBALL

SNOWBALL IS THE WINNER!!!

In this picture Bryan has hit a home run with one of our neighbor "kids" (the 20 something newlywed across the street). They had a blast blasting snowballs with a baseball bat.

Most of all we had fun, fun and then some more fun.

Blogs Blogs and More Blogs

2008-12-06T19:52:00.002-06:00

Well, it has been way too long since my last blog so here goes...

I have added 9 new blogs (actually 10 with this one). From Halloween to Thanksgiving and others in between. My last blog was Oct. 12th. A lot has happened and most has been captured by pictures. Please check out my 9 other new blogs.

Since my last blog we have had a birth, a marriage, Halloween, a new Scout, Thanksgiving, Ice Skating, Plastic Skating (read blog to see what I'm talking about) and a visit to Santa. We got report cards (all A's for Kara and A's & B's for Bryan). Soccer season is over - won some, lost some & tied some. All and all it was a fun season.

It is now December and I hope to keep up the blogs a little better in the future. Thank you all for reading up on my family.

Christmas Blessings to you all. May the goodness, mercy, and love of Jesus bring joy, peace and hope to your Christmas.

Santa

2008-12-06T17:37:00.003-06:00

Bryan & Kara are now 10 and 6 years old and in 5th and 1st grade. Aunt Kim (John's little sister)was in Beaumont recently and while I was at work she took the kids to see Santa and surprised me with their picture and even got a frame for it. THANKS KIM!

As you can see since we are in TEXAS my kids are in shorts and t-shirts. I am just glad Kara is back to being okay with seeing Santa so up close and personal. Two years ago she sat in his lap just fine for the first time in her life then last year she was back to being afraid. Can't wait to see what next year brings.

"Ice" Skating in Beaumont, TX

2008-12-06T16:58:00.007-06:00

I say "ICE" in quotes because the "ice" was actually a plastic slab. Kara and her friend Skylar who spent the night with us and Carson and her friend who met us there had a good time anyway and I guess that's all that matters.

Kara & Skylar

Carson and her friend from Kountze

Ice Skating in Downtown Houston

2008-12-06T16:28:00.008-06:00

Friday after Thanksgiving ("Black Friday") we opted to go ice skating over fighting crowds in the shopping malls. Bryan and Kara put on those skates (1st time for Kara & 2nd for Bryan) and hopped on that ice and took off like they have been doing it all their lives. They loved it! The sun was shinning and it was warm so the ice melted quite a bit. Bryan had a blast "pretending" like he was falling down and dove into it like he was sliding in to home plate. His dad was proud that he was "practicing" for the upcoming baseball season.

I did miss the "Black Friday" shopping just a bit because I missed spending the time with my sister-in-law Kim. She and I have made it a tradition to go out in the wee hours of the morning and get those "great deals". She was scheduled to work that day so she came to Beaumont the weekend before Thanksgiving and helped me shop for her kids.

Kara - 6 years old

Bryan - 10 years old (you can't tell in the pic but he is soaked)

Tim helping Hannah learn to skate.

Hannah - 5 years old

The kids watching the Zamboni do it's job.

Thanks for Thanksgiving

2008-12-06T16:01:00.007-06:00

I love Thanksgiving because it is usually the only time I get to see a lot of my extended family. The "Wynkoop" side (Thorpes) treat it as our annual Family Reunion. There are 3 Thorpes, my grandmother Judy Wynkoop is the youngest. She has 2 brothers Wix & Jack. Wix has 5 kids and Jack has 3 and Judy has 5 so you can imagine how many grand-kids and great-grand-kids these 3 Thorpes have. This year we had a rather small gathering - only 33 were able to make it to Houston ranging in ages 2 months to over 80 years old. Usually there are around 40 to 45 that make it each year with each of those years being a different make up of the family members. Each of the 3 Thorpe children (who are all over 80 years old) has over 25 when you count kids, spouses, grand-kids, & great-grand-kids.

THANKS Cindy for hosting Thanksgiving at your home. THANKS to all who put us up in your homes for the night. THANKS to all who brought such wonderful food. THANKS to all for the much needed fellowship. I love you all!!!

I took several pictures but decided to only add this one below. Pappy and the young kids had a great time playing card games. Thanks Pappy!!!

Kids will be Kids!!!

2008-12-06T15:56:00.003-06:00

My Little Princess!!!

The other night before I went to bed I checked in on the kids as I usually do and found Kara sleeping in this plastic storage bin (the size that fits under your bed). I had just emptied it of her winter clothes and put them in her drawer. She even stayed asleep when I turned it on it's side to dump her out of it. Too cute!!!

Scouts

2008-12-06T15:33:00.005-06:00

Well, we finally have a Scout in our household. I have been wanting to get Bryan involved in this terrific organization but have drug my feet. Back in 2005 we signed him up but then Hurricane Rita hit and it never got it's feet off the ground. Then with baseball, soccer, & school it just all seemed too much. Now that St. Andrews has decided to restart their Troop 221 we decided now was as good a time as any. I pray that our young man will stick with it and get his Eagle. There is so much peer pressure in this day and time. I am well aware that some kids may not support him being in the Scouts. In fact there are 2 boys in our neighborhood that he plays with often and one day he had to cut his playtime short to leave for a Scouts meeting. I was very sad when I heard them laugh about it (in front of me) and I called them out on it and asked them what their problem with it was. Later I talked to Bryan about it and he was upset (as I knew he would be) about them laughing and thinking it was un-cool to be in scouts. We had a good talk and he is happy to be in the Scouts (for now). In fact, as I am writing this blog Bryan and his dad are on their first Scouts camp out. Yeah!!! Please keep Bryan and his journey in Scouts in your prayers. He is a good kid and the Scouts will only make him better.

Below is a picture of Bryan in his Scout shirt before any patches got put on. I hope to get a new picture soon with the rest of his uniform and with his patches on.

P.S. No I am not trying to save money on haircuts. I have finally let Bryan keep his hair longer which to my dismay is the current style. It is so hard not to run him down to the local salon and get the #3 blade to this mop of hair.

Welcome to the World Kayden Lea

2008-12-06T15:16:00.005-06:00

On September 20th, 2008 Kayden Lea was born. She just couldn't wait to see the world so she came about 6 weeks early. Kayden is now 2 months old. The first time I saw Kayden believe it or not I forgot my camera so here is MY first snapshots of her taken on Thanksgiving Day.

Jason & Hollie get Hitched Hawaii Style

2008-12-06T15:04:00.008-06:00

On September 21, 2008 Jason and Hollie exchanged their vows in Hawaii with family and friends. I wish I could have been there but was lucky enough to get a few pictures sent to me by his sister. Congrats to you both!!!

The new family!!!

Halloween 2008

2008-12-06T13:57:00.008-06:00

Hannah Montana aka Kara 6 years old and Baseball Catcher aka Bryan 10 years old

For Halloween this year I had a 6 year old Hannah Montana and a 10 year old boy who really really wanted to be something scary. With our church Halloween party we are asked not to be anything scary because there are lots of little ones that come for the night. We settled on Bryan being a "Baseball Catcher" (we had the equipment and it was easy) for our church event but then he was able to be "Jason" from Friday the 13th movies (which by the way he has NEVER seen so probably doesn't really know who "Jason" is but it looked cool at the store) for a Halloween party he went to and then after the church event we went to a few doors before heading home for the night.

Hay ride at the Church's Critter Carnaval

Ma-Maw, Kara (as Hannah Montana without the mask) & Bryan (as Jason without the mask)

My Niece Reese Turns 2

2008-10-12T16:58:00.006-05:00

Two fingers for 2 years old.

It's my party and I'll smile if I want to.

Fork? Who needs a fork?

See n' Say
Reese says "moo" after her first pull of the See n' Say birthday gift she received from her favorite Aunt Shelly :)

Yeah 4 soccer!!!

2008-10-09T23:27:00.015-05:00

Game # 1 - tied 2-2

Game # 2 tied 1-1

So glad to be watching Bryan play soccer again. After a late start because of hurricane Gustav and then the first 2 games cancelled due to hurricane Ike, soccer is on. We have 2 games under our belt both ending in ties. Our 1st game the team was short handed and after playing with no subs our boys played hard and tied 2 to 2. (Bryan scored one of our two goals.) For our second game we tied 1 to 1 with our boys playing hard and fast. They kept the ball on our end of the field for most of the 1st half but just couldn't pull off a win. Good effort made by our team. I just love watching Bryan play sports.

GO PUMAS GO!!!

I am also glad to say that Carson has also signed up to play soccer again this year. We've only been able to make it to one of her 2 games because Carson & Bryan's game last weekend was at the same time. I love watching the kids play in the sports they enjoy.

Carson is in position to give it a good kick.

Carson is #10

After all that running it's time for a spritz with the water fan.

The cutest little cheerleader in Hardin County

GO TIGER SHARKS GO!!!

Life back to normal?

2008-10-09T21:30:00.008-05:00

Since my last blog things have been absolutely crazy. We are finally getting into a school year routine after 2 evacuations with one terrible storm that wreaked havoc in my hometown and even worse in some surrounding areas. We are blessed to have very minimal damage to our home and our places of work. The hardest we got hit is financially but can't complain after seeing the total losses of others in our area.

After just 5 days of school we left on Saturday, August 30th at 7pm and headed to my dad's home in Austin to evacuate from Hurricane Gustav. We arrived at 3am after an 8 hour drive that should normally take 4 to 5 hours. We had what some are now calling a "HURRICATION." On Sunday we went swimming in a local neighborhood pool (Olympic size pool with 2 lifeguards) and it was free. We then went to a popular Mexican restaurant called Chuy's for dinner and really enjoyed the food and atmosphere. On Monday (which was Bryan's 10th birthday & Labor Day) we toured the State Capital and from there a trip to the ER (a family member got really ill) then on to Dave & Busters to celebrate Bryan's birthday with food and games. We returned to Beaumont on Tuesday evening after 7 hour trip home. Then after just 5 more days in school off to Louisiana on Thursday, September 11th to escape Hurricane Ike. Well, as I said above Ike wreaked havoc in my town so we were not able to return home for 9 days. Again during this "HURRICATION" we had a family member (not the same one) make a trip to the ER. This time it was very serious and after 4 days in ICU and another 3 more days in the hospital she was released to return home. (Oh - did I mention that during our evacuation for Hurricane Rita back in 2005 there was also a trip to the ER with yet another one of my family members for a broken arm??? - Should we just stay in Beaumont for the next one?)

Back at home we had another week out of school before BISD was ready for students but it was back to work for mom & dad. The kids started back to school on 9/29 and just had 5 more days of school before the end of the 1st 6 week grading period (total of only 15 days in class).

So, LIFE BACK TO NORMAL???...as much as it can be with things still in disarray in our town. We are back to work & school, ballet classes & soccer games, church & Wee Wacky. Glad to be in our family routine. Hope and pray that things will stay this way.

"Neighborhood Pool"
Wish we had pools like this in our neighborhood.

State Capitol in Austin, Texas

Double Digits for Bryan Douglas Rao

2008-09-03T20:46:00.004-05:00

Bryan has turned 10 years old. What a birthday weekend he had. Starting off with an Astro's game on Friday night (8/29) with 2 friends and his dad then on Saturday evening heading to Austin to escape Hurricane Gustav arriving at 3am after an 8 hour drive. Then Sunday afternoon we all got to swim in a "neighborhood pool" - Olympic size 10ft deep pool w/2 lifeguards (wish we had pools like it in our neighborhood.) Then we had dinner at Chuy's (famously known for Bush's twin daughters getting arrested there for underage drinking.) Then on Monday (his actual b-day) we took off for a tour of the Capital of Texas then on to Dave & Busters for a fun time of games and dinner.

1st day of 1st & 5th Grade

2008-08-25T19:10:00.003-05:00

Summer is over - back to the drawing board. I dropped off the kids for their 1st day of school. This will be Bryan's first year to switch classrooms for different subjects. He has just 3 different teachers. As you can see above I spared him of picture taking. I am proud of myself that I didn't even try. He probably would have been livid. This is the last year that Bryan and Kara will be in school together. Thinking about that makes me sad. Bryan's elementary years went by way too fast. I think I am having a harder time this year than last year when Kara started kindergarten. When John picked up Kara from daycare today she informed him that she has the "best life ever". John asked her why she thought that and her reason is because her teacher is sooooo nice. How sweet that is. She then told John that she has homework and she was very excited about that. (I will enjoy that while I can). Bryan didn't have any homework but of course I DO. Lots of papers to fill out for both teachers.

Soon to be Ducklings

2008-08-08T21:08:00.003-05:00

Momma duck has risked crossing the busy intersection at Delaware & 11th street to lay her eggs in a planter box where I work for over a week now. As of Thursday 8/7/08 she had laid 10 but this morning (Friday 8/8/08) she had them mostly covered up and we couldn't see if there any new ones. She comes over daily at least twice a day to lay on her eggs. We have started feeding her and have left some water out for her. She comes from the big pond on 11th Street. From what I have read it should be about 30 days before they hatch. Check back on my BLOG for updates on our ducklings.

ADRYANNE TURNS TWO

2008-08-08T20:23:00.015-05:00

Wow, all this for ME???

1...2...3... BLOW!!!

Yum Yum

This is my piece - go get your own!

Papa I'm coming....

Ahhhh....MY PAPA!!!

I LOVE MY NEW POOL

Sooooo many presents soooo little time. My new mom is helping me and my new sister is ready and waiting.

What a birthday she had. With her family from all sides to help her celebrate turning 2 it was a big big day. Adryanne is a very happy 2 year old with a wonderful long life ahead of her. I am happy to see her growing up with a big sister who loves her. Life is good for Adryanne.

Bryan's New Truck...Oh - I mean Daddy's New Truck

2008-08-08T20:10:00.003-05:00

Well, actually I believe that Bryan is as excited about the "new" used truck we bought for John as John is. We found this 1997 Ford F150 in very nice condition for a great price and then we were able to get back a 3rd of our money by selling the Toyota Camry we had. This is their "fishing" truck. It will be so EASY to toss the fishing gear in the back and take off.

Mom's New Car??

2008-08-06T21:43:00.003-05:00

Mom was in a car accident after only having her car for about 3 months. After seeing this photo I am sure you are thinking the worst...

.....Mom is very sore but doesn't have a scratch on her. Thank you God. You are amazing. This was a very well built car (Hyundai Sonata) but as well as it was built the silent passenger (her Guardian Angel) is who I would credit for saving her life. The young man that caused the accident also had an amazing Guardian Angel at his side. After not yielding to oncoming traffic and not having his seat belt on (which caused him to fly out his passenger window) he walked away with minor injuries. God is an awesome God.

Annual Back to School Eye Check-up

2008-07-22T22:08:00.010-05:00

Back when Bryan started 2nd grade in the 2nd week of class he started bringing home his homework assignments by writing them down in a daily assignment notebook. Now I believe (as most parents do) that my child is really smart (he is by the way) but he was bringing home this gibberish that I couldn't understand. So I asked Bryan why he was misspelling the information that was directly off the chalkboard. He informed me that he couldn't see the board clearly. So, off to the eye doctor and to my amazement Bryan had really really bad eyesight. It was so bad I was doing that thing that I do where I laugh and cry at the same time. Tears just pouring out but laughing at how unbelievable it was. (Not to mention that the Doctor checking his site was cracking us both up - If any of you have ever been to Dr. Conroy you would understand.) Poor Bryan has such bad eyesight that he can't even see the BIG E at the top of the chart. Well, at the time he was just turning 7 years old so that means we have to go each and every year for a new prescription because of his fast growing body. Kara will start 1st grade this year so I thought I would be the good parent and take her along for a 1st time eye check. Little did I know.... (scroll down for a peek)

.....Kara would need glasses too. Kara is far-sited (unlike Bryan who is near-sited) and will need her glasses when she is reading, doing school work and watching TV. We broke the bank and went ahead with getting two pair. It was a hard choice but when the 2nd pair is only half the cost of the 1st we had to go for it. MY plans are for her to keep a pair at school and a pair at home so she won't have to worry about remembering to bring them back and forth. When she is at her desk she will wear them but when she goes to PE & recess time she can leave them on her desk in the case. I know, I know - we will have to see how this works out. Check back after school has started & I might just have a story to tell.

Home Sweet Home

2008-07-22T21:13:00.009-05:00

Well, a week at Cho-Yeh has come and gone. It was only 1 week but it seemed like a month. I missed the kids but enjoyed the quite time with no refereeing between the two. On the drive home we enjoyed the kids telling us about their experiences for the week. Thank goodness for Cho-Yeh's Parent Communicator Website. Every day John & I got to look through approximately 600 pictures for some of our two. Luckily each day we found more than one of each of our kids. We were even pleasantly surprised to see a couple of them together.

Kara has mixed feelings about her week. She loved it but she didn't. Too much walking for her. If you have ever been there you would agree. I believe that next summer she will be ready to go back with all the walking long forgotten. (If I can "forget" how bad childbirth was and go through it a 2nd time surely she can "forget" about how bad the walking was.)

Bryan wanted to stay for a 2nd week but mom and dad aren't quite ready for that yet. He had a blast getting to pick and choose the activities he got to do. Between rock climbing, flag football, archery and such he was a busy little guy.

At the closing ceremony the kids were excited to show us the "energizers" they learned.

Missing the kids!?!?

2008-07-14T18:27:00.003-05:00

Every morning Cho-Yeh uploads pictures from the day before to a website that we can check. John checked on line this morning to see if there were any pictures of our kids in the daily upload of pics and of course there weren't any. Out of over 160 pictures from yesterday we didn't find one with either of our kids. I'm holding out hope that tomorrow we will see some from today's activities.

Well, at the end of the day today I couldn't take the not knowing so I called Cho-Yeh to have Kara's counselor check in with me and let me know how she is doing. She called this evening and said Kara is having a great time. There was only one little girl in her cabin that was homesick and it wasn't Kara. I feel better now. (This is Bryan's 4th year so I didn't feel the need to check on him). I am sure I can go the rest of the week without checking. It will be a lot easier when I can see some pictures of her and Bryan.

I do have to tell a cute story about Kara and camp. At the beginning of the year when it was time to sign up for camp we asked Kara if she wanted to go to Cho-Yeh this summer. Her first response was an unhesitating "YES!". Then her big brother started talking about camp things trying to be "helpful" and get her excited about it. Well, he started talking about shower time and told her you have to take really really quick showers. Kara started boo-hooing. I asked her what was wrong. She wailed "I don't know how to take a shower!" It was very sad but funny at the time. We, of course, couldn't help but chuckle. The she got mad because we were laughing "at" her. After calming her down we explained that there was approximately 6 months that we could "teach" her how to take a quick shower. From that day on she took showers. (Of course some of them were very, very long due to playing). Anyway, by the time she went to camp she was an old pro at showering.

Cho-Yeh

2008-07-13T21:54:00.012-05:00

Well, this is our first year to bring both Bryan & Kara to spend the week at Cho-Yeh. Kara was very excited to go. This is Bryan's 4th year and he says he is ready for a two week camp trip but Mom & Dad weren't quite ready for that. It was tough enough dropping off Kara for the first time. Believe it or not no tears were shed by Kara or Mom & Dad. (Yet!) Kara was off and running. Can't wait to pick her up on Saturday morning to hear about all the things she got to do.

First we dropped off Bryan, who moved up with the big boys in Walnut Hill. After spending the last 3 years in Sweet Gum he was ready for that change. Bryan chose the top bunk as usual. When we walked into Bryan's cabin (WH#8) the first person we see is hometown boy Tony Deehl. Tony was one of his counselors last year too. How lucky can we get.

After hanging a few pictures, taking a few pics and making up Bryan's bed we were off to Kara's cabin in Sweet Gum riding on a low-boy behind a tractor. (Can't get any fancier than that!)

Kara is smiling big. Ready to get in her cabin and start her first year of camp.

And of course like big brother Bryan she had to chose the top bunk. (The hardest ones for the parents to make up.)

And after meeting Kara's cabin counselors (Emma & Hannah), making her bed, hanging up some pics, and taking a few snapshots off we were back to Beaumont, childless for the week. We hope Kara is still smiling like this when we pick her up.

Matthaei Family to the Beach

2008-07-13T21:26:00.011-05:00

On their next to last day in Texas (Sunday, July 6th) we decided to head to the beach. The girls (and Aidan) needed to get in some ocean time before heading back to the Colorado mountains. Charlotte sacrificed her just cleaned SUV for the trip down. Aunt Shelly is not fond of the beach but actually enjoyed watching the kids have their fun. We packed up a sandwich & chips picnic lunch and found a spot on the beach to park our SUVs. Seashells & Seabeans were brought home for a trip back to Colorado.

Sophie & Kara (and Bryan under the board) surf the ocean.

Joanna, Kara & Sophie hit the waves - and again, Bryan is wiped out (see blond head @ bottom left of picture.)

Seashells are fun to find. Poor girls were only allowed to bring 10 home to Colorado with them.

The boys are building their own sand castles.

All the kiddos are taking a break from the water and playing in the sand.

Pappy and Joanna had some time to themselves looking for sand crabs then went for a quick dip in the ocean to clean off the sand. While out "crabbing" they found a pretty cool seabean that I am sure will hit the classroom on show-n-tell day in Colorado.

And of course I can't help but add the cutie pie Aidan to the mix of pictures. He is just such a handsome little guy.

Rogers Park can be just as fun as BIG Splash Parks

2008-07-13T21:13:00.007-05:00

Saturday, July 5th, Pappy took the grand kids to Rogers Park for a fun time of Splashing. Pappy stood in the center the entire time to make a "pool" of water and the kids loved it. They thought it was pretty cool.

Cutie Pie Aidan had fun too.

Sophie and her tongue catching some splash.

The only boy cousins have their quality time.

July 4th @ Sailing Camp

2008-07-13T20:58:00.004-05:00

John & Bryan hit PAYC early on the 4th and got out an Opti for him to hit the water. Bryan got to sail for a little bit but then a bad storm hit and we had to run before he really got some good sailing in. Joanna & Sophie came down with Shelly & Kara hoping to catch a ride with Bryan but we didn't make it in time. The kids did get a quick ride in Mr. Novich's small boat though and were happy with that.

Kara, Joanna & Sophie look like 3 sisters with
matching hair styles. Very cute they were.

Swimming @ Aunt Molly's Pool

2008-07-12T13:02:00.014-05:00

Everybody loves the slide. Waiting patiently and taking
turns is sometimes tough but well worth the wait.

Even Reese wants her turn.
She wants to be like the big girls.

Kara goes head first.....

.....and makes a big splash.

Carson, Joanna & Sophie love the

water and the water toys.

Even the "babies" are having fun in the sun.

Aidan and Reese are just too cute and both

had their fair share of "snapshot" moments.

Molly picked up this canoe for the

"babies" and Aidan really loved it.

Mike and Bryan tossing up some fun.

Get out the measuring tape and lets

just see how far Bryan was tossed.

Lunch break for the water logged.

Sun shades over head and over the eyes.

Nana, Ma-Maw, Molly & Kirk enjoy watching

the kids from the side of the pool in the shade.

Refreshing After Hard Day of Feeding the Gators

2008-07-12T11:50:00.013-05:00

Carson and Joanna share a smoothie.

Hannah & Sophie sharing a smoothie

Robyn, "Nana" and Jenny taking a break after

keeping up with all the kiddos.

Bryan & Mike cooling off with their own drinks.

Gator Country's new playground was fun.

But of course the "adults" made us stop

and pose for a snapshot.

Gator Country

2008-07-12T10:42:00.010-05:00

Joanna, Hannah, Carson, Bryan and Sophie are ready to feed
hot dogs to the very hungry gators down below the pier.

Hungry Hungry Gators

This gator is going for a hot dog on a string.

Those gaters below surely have full belly's with

a great lunch from this many people.

Are we sure this fence is safe???

The kids like this Gator because they can "hug" it.

Adventure Kingdom with Robyn & the Kids

2008-07-08T21:06:00.024-05:00

THE BOYS

First Born & Last Born

(with 5 girls in between)

Bryan & Aidan
9 years vs. 14 months.

Paddeling with the Swans.

The girls (Carson, Sophie, Kara & Hannah)

gang up on Bryan and keep him "trapped".

Bryan makes a mad dash to get away.

Too many girl coodies.

Putt Putt Putting Away

Bryan 9 years 10 months

Joanna 9 years 5 months

Carson 8 years 11 months

Sophie 7 years 7 months

Kara 6 years 2 months

Hannah 5 years 1 month

Nana is happy to pose with her older

grandkids & Hannah who joined us for

a fun outing at Adventure Kingdom.

Aidan is just strollin' in his ride.

To little this year to play a round.

Blueberries Galore

2008-06-30T22:57:00.000-05:00

Bags and bags of blueberries.

Bryan, Joanna, and Carson are each working on getting their zip-locks full to the top.

Reese is "helping" her mom.

Kara's got a hand full.

Sophie is picking her fair share too.

Carson's bag looks like it is almost full.

Hannah is just beginning on her bag o' berries.

Mike is hauling Aidan around while he eats all the pickings.

We all had a fun time picking blueberries at a friend of Jenny's house.

Who's gonna bake the pie??? Not me!!!

Sail Away Bryan

2008-06-30T22:27:00.000-05:00

Off he goes in the FINAL race.

As you can see here, Bryan is looking good to come in 1st place.

And he did it!!! Way to go Bryan.

Bryan went for his 3rd year to PAYC's Jr. Sailing Camp and had a blast as usual. The final day was race day. Each of the 3 age groups compete against each other. Bryan came in 2nd for his age group which qualified him for the final set of races. The 1st and 2nd place winners from each age group then sailed against each other in a best out of 3 races. For the 1st race Bryan came in 2nd, in the 2nd race he came in fourth and in the last race he came in 1st. So overall he had 7 points and that caused him to be in 2nd place overall. The boy that won 1st place overall has been to camp 7 years running. He came in 1st place in the first race, in 3 place for the 2nd race and in 2nd place for the last race so that gave him a total of 6 points.

Matthaei's visit Texas

2008-06-28T22:16:00.000-05:00

Sophie pushing Adryanne

Carson, Joanna & Sophie diving off the rocks.
Reese "holding the baby".
Kara & Aidan
Joanna, Sophie & Cowboy.

Robyn, Joanna, Sophie & Aidan are in town visiting for a good week & 1/2. Big daddy Mike will be joining them soon. It has been a long awaited visit. Last time they were in Beaumont was 2 summers ago. Aidan wasn't even invitro and now he is 14 months old. Aidan is such a sweet little man with bright blonde hair & blue eyes that remind you of Robyn when she was little and he even looks just like his big sister Sophie. Joanna is 9 years old now and soooo tall. She is a great big sister to Aidan and very helpful. She is still a great hugger too. Sophie is such a bright light with her bright blonde hair that matches her little brothers. Full of energy and spunk. If I had half the energy she has I would be running marathons. So glad to have them here and wish they didn't EVER have to go back to Colorado.

Kara's Beach Trip

2008-06-28T01:00:00.000-05:00

The very first week after Kara finished Kindergarden off she went to Destin, Florida for a fun beach trip with her Aunt Kim & family. I do believe Kara lived in the water. Whether it was in the ocean or the condo swimming pool, she is a true mermaid. I am plesantly surprised she didn't come home sunburned from head to toe - way to go Aunt Kim. Kara did however, come home with her fair share of typical tourist treasures (junk) from the local beach stores. Did Kara miss me? - I'm not too sure but I sure did miss her. I do have to admit that I enjoyed the "quiet" for the first day (or two). Since she has been home she has made up for those quiet days 10 fold.

Beginners Luck

2008-06-28T00:36:00.000-05:00

I recently learned about blogging and thought I would give it a try. I now have a new computer that can handle "blogging" and such. I hope to share this with my family and friends so they can keep up with the RAOs and our busy busy life. Check back soon for more on the RAOs.