Relay for Life 2010

On Friday, April 23, four months of fundraising and preparation culminated in Wylie's 3rd annual Relay for Life.

The theme this year was Hollywood and our team chose the 80's cult-classic movie, Pretty in Pink.The friends in my moms' group had a blast dressing up in our best 80's outfits. Everyone was "like" "totally rad" in our pink 80's gear: off the shoulder sweatshirts, lace, plastic bracelets, tie dye, side pony-tails and more!

Opening ceremonies were at 7:00. We were both proud and extremely disappointed that we got 2nd place overall, beat only by $22!! We raised a total of $7100...not bad for a little group of moms. We were up against schools, churches, organizations and businesses. In the end we were all extremely grateful for everyone's efforts and proud to display a "gold" level sign at our campsite.

One of the most touching moments of the night was the luminaria ceremony. Luminarias are white paper bags that are purchased in memory of someone who has lost their battle with cancer or in honor of someone who is fighting cancer. The bags are decorated and lined around the track with a small lit candle inside. At 9:00 all the lights are turned off and the candles are lit. It's a time of remembrance and reflection as everyone makes one lap around the track.

Although the relay is supposed to go all night, until 7am the next morning, lightning and rain showers prevented us from staying that long. Shortly after midnight and relay shut down and closing ceremonies were held.

We're already talking about upping our fundraising goal for next year to the platinum level of $10,000! We'll have to start fundraising this year in order to meet that goal, but it's one I know we can make if we all put our minds and hearts to it.

A New Kitchen for the Boys!

Yesterday I bought a used kitchen set for the boys. OMgosh...they were THRILLED and have been playing with it for hours! It has a refrigerator, freezer, oven, stove, cabinet and more. And...it goes perfectly with the Bistro Grill that Granny and Gramps got them!!

Luke especially loves to cook...and Noah likes to copy anything his big brother does.

Anytime I'm in the kitchen, Luke wants to be right there with me, helping to pour, stir, mix or chop. He loves to watch Food Network with me and calls himself the, "Iron Chef!"

Our toy room is officially filled to capacity! We're going to have to be very careful about any more large toys. We are definitely blessed to have such a wonderful home.

Our Little Super Heros

It's finally warmed up enough to pull out our short sleeve jammies. One set was a super-man outfit that Luke wore when he was a baby. We put them on Noah today and he LOVED them!!

It was the cutest thing when he came out of the bathroom hoping and skipping with his hands raised in the air like Super-man himself. He ran around the house and giggled so hard.

Not to be left-out, Luke ran to his room and got his Incredible Hulk mask. He roared and demanded I take his picture too.

I love my little super-heros!

Sprouts!

Our garden is sprouting!!! After working for the past two weeks to built and plant our garden, we were so excited to see the first sprouts today! The cantaloupe and green beans both have one plant sprouting through the soil. This is especially rewarding for me because I have always thought I had a terrible black thumb. Luke was super-excited too because he has helped me water and nurture what has looked only like dirt...until today! I can't wait to enjoy our fresh fruits and veggies this summer!!!

Luke Earning His Stripes

Today Luke earned his first stripe on his orange belt in Taekwondo.

I was so proud watching him follow the instructions of his Master during the test. And he was so proud when he earned his stripe!

After he earns two more black stripes, he will have the opportunity to test for his yellow belt.

I'm so pleased with how well Luke is learning to obey and be respectful. Taekwondo has been very good for him!

Easter 2010

Easter morning 2010 was especially fun because Nana and Seth were still here visiting.

We started the morning staying focused on the true meaning of Easter by going to church. Although the bitterness of "Good" Friday was still fresh in our minds, the happiness of Resurrection Sunday was what we celebrated today!

After church Papaw and Memaw came over. While Noah slept, they dyed hard boiled eggs with Luke. I honestly think that Papaw has more fun than Luke. We had a dozen boiled and ready for coloring, but in the end that wasn't enough for Papaw, so we boiled another dozen and a half!!

When Noah woke up from his nap, our good friends and neighbors came over with Emma and Cooper. As we have for the past four years, we had an Easter egg hunt in the front yard. I video-taped it...it took a whopping 8 minutes from start to finish!!!

We ended the day with a YUMMY traditional Easter dinner: baked-ham, home-made macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, asparagus, rolls and more!

A blessed day with a blessed family. It just doesn't get better!

Happy Birthday Nana!

Nana and Seth flew in on 3/31...one day before her birthday. It's the first time we've been able to celebrate her birthday with her since we moved to Texas, so we wanted to make sure it was extra-special.

We started by ordering her a super-neat cake from a new bakery in town called, "Say it with Sugar." The cake decorator here has been on Food Network's Cake Challenge several times...and she certainly didn't disappoint. We couldn't believe how beautiful the cake was when we picked it up. What's better is how it tasted. We chose one layer red velvet because that is Nana's favorite and one layer Italian cream. MmmmmMmmmm!!!

Next, Luke decided he wanted to pick out some flowers for Nana. So, off to the store we went. How neat that we found an arrangement with Gerber daisies in it...just like the ones on her cake.

We went to dinner at the Flying Fish. Casual, but delicious place to get catfish, grouper, shrimp and more! We were all stuffed!

Finally, we opened presents. Luke could hardly wait. He brought all the presents over to her and stood right beside her as she opened them. First, she got a Scentsy warmer and four yummy candle scents. Next she opened the Amelia beaded glass tray and the Amelia beaded trio bowls. Finally, she opened two new pictures of the family that we recently took outside at a cute little park with a bridge here in Wylie.

Nana and Seth finished the day at Don & Sherry's watching a movie, while Leo and I got the boys tucked in bed.

Happy Birthday Nana!!!