Houston

For Memorial Day weekend we went to Houston. This past year we gained some family in Texas...yeah!! Tad has two cousins (Heather and Emily) who moved to the Houston area with their husbands (Troy and Luke). We had a great time hanging out with them this weekend! Thanks for being awesome hosts!

Heather and Troy live near the coast, so on our way to their house we stopped at the beach.

We went to NASA's Space Center Houston.
Here Tad is touching a rock from the moon. That was one of my goals...see some moon rock. I was pretty excited we got to touch one!
There was a time when I was a little girl that I wanted to be an astronaut. It was short lived, but I've always been fascinated with space travel.

Little Chef

This week for our preschool fieldtrip we went to the Young Chefs Academy and the kids all participated in a cooking class.






Ever since then Preston has been carrying these bowls all around the house and cooking Eliza and I up all sorts of concoctions. Between this and the addition of Ratatouille to our DVD collection I think Preston has decided to aspire to become a little chef:)

Ugly Face Tag

haha...thanks kimi! I tag anyone that's up for it!

Catching up on a few tags....

Preston was tagged by Brooklyn...

1. Preston loves trains. He loves to ride trains, watch trains, read about trains, play with trains, etc. We recently inherited a train table (fully equipped with tracks, trains, and scenery) from some friends, and he has been in heaven.
2. Preston has a lot of personality. He is a lot of fun to be around and enjoys leading his friends in all sorts of imaginary games.
3. Preston's favorite food is cold cereal with oatmeal as a close second. If I allowed him, he would live off of these foods...breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack time.
4. Preston has a little preschool group where we rotate to each other's homes. He loves the socializing and is starting to get excited about the learning aspect too.
5. Preston's favorite friend is Eliza. They entertain each other all day (there is some fighting involved as Eliza has learned how to stand up for herself) in all sorts of games and activities. Right now they have turned Preston's mattress into a slide/fortress.

6. Preston loves stories about Jesus. Randomly he'll bring things up about Jesus. Last week when we were in a public restroom Preston went into his stall to take care of business. When he was finished I told him to come out. His reply was, "No. I want to sit here and think about Jesus."

7. Preston loves his grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and Toby the dog. Utah is his favorite place to go, and he is counting down until our upcoming trip!

Preston tags: Leah M., Julia C., Max S.

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20 years ago...
1. I was 6 years old.
2. We were moving to Gainesville, FL. I was afraid I would get eaten by an alligator, or we'd be blown away by a hurricane.
3. On my first day of first grade (at a new school) I threw up in front of the entire class.

10 years ago I....
1. I was sweet 16.
2. I was living it up at Pine View High School.
3. I took my first trip to Havasupai.

5 years ago....
1. Tad and I moved to Cody, WY for the summer.
2. I worked at Peter's Cafe on main street Cody.
3. We cruised the Baltic with my family....yes, Preston is a cruise baby

3 years ago....
1. Tad and I moved to San Antonio, TX.
2. We attended the temple dedication for the San Antonio temple.
3. I went swimming almost every day adjusting to the humid heat of Texas.

1 year ago....
1. We bought our first house.
2. Was not sad to leave behind the stairs to our 3rd story apt. Was sad to leave our awesome ward and friends.
3. Enjoyed getting to know our new ward and area.

So far this year I have...
1. Discovered I love to plant and grow things (well, I'm not very good at it yet)
2. I've actually gotten excited about food storage and emergency preparedness.
3. Started running (this is more recent)

Yesterday I...
1. Took Preston to preschool
2. Went to Costco and ate a chicken bake.
3. rented "27 Dresses" and watched it with Tad...cute movie!

Today I...
1. Finished reading "Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry"
2. Went to the library
3. Took a nap

Tomorrow I will...
1. Have a girls night with Eliza while the boys go camping for fathers and sons.
2. playdate with the Cagles.
3. start reading "These is My Words"

In the next year I may....
1. learn how to can peaches
2. run a 5k
3. I guess we'll see...
I tag Kristen O., Whitney W., Krissy D.

Love this quote:

“When we understand the magnitude of motherhood, it becomes clear why prophets have been so protective of woman’s most sacred role. While we tend to equate motherhood solely with maternity, in the Lord’s language, the word mother has layers of meaning. Of all the words they could have chosen to define her role and her essence, both God the Father and Adam called Eve “the mother of all living” —and they did so before she ever bore a child. Like Eve, our motherhood began before we were born. Just as worthy men were foreordained to hold the priesthood in mortality, righteous women were endowed premortally with the privilege of motherhood. Motherhood is more than bearing children, though it is certainly that. It is the essence of who we are as women. It defines our very identity, our divine stature and nature, and the unique traits our Father gave us.
Motherhood is not what was left over after our Father blessed His sons with priesthood ordination. It was the most ennobling endowment He could give His daughters, a sacred trust that gave women an unparalleled role in helping His children keep their second estate. As President J. Reuben Clark Jr. declared, motherhood is “as divinely called, as eternally important in its place as the Priesthood itself.” Sheri Dew, “Are We Not All Mothers?” Nov. 2001 Ensign

Happy Mother's Day

I have been blessed with many wonderful women in my life who are great examples, great influences, and dang good friends! I especially love love love the mothers in my life...

My best mother in the whole world. She is unselfish, caring, gives the best advice, and is the best example.

My sassy, wise Grandma Wanda. Life would be so boring without her!

My angelic Grandma Debenham. She truly is an angel and knows how to pull out the best in all of us.

My super creative and fun mother-in-law to whom I will be forever grateful for raising a wonderful son.

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Best idea ever.....Tad and the kids have been spoiling me all day (breakfast in bed, blindfolded to a surprise picnic). One of my favorite things has been the massage cup. Every hour on the hour I get to draw out a body part (i.e. foot, hand, head, neck, etc.) and get a five minute massage. It has been awesome! I think it should become a tradition...

One Lovely Day

On Monday we decided to make a day trip to our favorite little german town, Fredericksburg, TX. On our way into town we stopped at an orchard and picked strawberries. I forgot how scrumptious fresh picked strawberries are. It took me back to days of picking berries in my grandparents backyard. We had perfect weather and the orchard to ourselves most of the time. It was a blast.

On our way out of Fredericksburg we stopped at the Wildseed Farm and wandered the meadows of wildflowers.

At the wildflower farm they had a Butterfly Haus. I had never been to something like it before and thought it was pretty exciting with all the many butterflies fluttering around. Eliza loved it and wanted to touch one so bad. Tad got some great shots of the butterflies. The one below was my favorite.

50 Years

Today is my dad's 50th birthday. I'm bummed I couldn't be with him to celebrate the day, so here is my tribute to my dad....I have learned a lot from my dad's 50 years. He has taught me a love for learning, history, travel, and the outdoors. He has taught me the importance of family. My dad taught me truth. He bore his testimony and lived the gospel. My dad was a great example of service, good neighbor, loyal friend, and dedicated father. Nobody could have been a better father for me!