Spring Breaking Good!

Reporter Sophie here reporting on a spectacular Spring Break!  Here is the breaking news!
 
We went to the Rodeo and Techno Chaos with the Jacksons.  Giddy-up!

Rodeo here we come!

Watching baby chicks hatch.

The hungry kids got fed.

And then they hit the carnival.

Emme and Luke on a bumpy car ride!

Prizes for everyone, and yes the bubbles are coming out of Harrison's bubble gun!

The giant slides were enjoyed immensely.

This is Harrison's "Bad-guy car" he made at Techno Chaos. 

We also went Bowling and to Charles (AKA Chuck) E. Cheese's with the Nikos.

Here is the Champion of game two and co-champion of game one.(There was a tie.)

Bella is ready to bowl!

Harrison is ready to make a strike!

Here is me in my bowling position.

Everyone's a winner when they get to bowl and go to Charles Cheese!

 

Pizza and games were eaten and played and then it was off to the prize booth.

Later in the week, we checked on the progress of our new house.

Emme was amazed by all the work that had been done from the last time we saw our lot.

I give this foundation job a double thumbs up!

It looks small now but once the house is built it ill be much bigger!

Everyone is exited to see our house after the frame is up!

Last, but certainly not least, we went on a mini vacay to College Station and the Woodlands.

Stopping at Free Birds in College Station.

Everyone was very hungry after a long time in the car.

This is my parents favorite restaurant in College Station; all my siblings and I love it too!

We all had fun making tinfoil sculptures!

We then drove to the Woodlands and settled in our hotel room.

It was huge!

My dad relaxing after a long drive!

The view was amazing!

We all had fun playing on the Sky-bridge.

We climbed on the beams and looked out the window for a breathtaking view.

We walked through the beautiful town center.

And the next day we hopped on a Water Taxi and enjoyed a soothing boat ride.

Funny face time! ;oP

That's a wrap from reporter Sophie on the Spring Break trail!  Until next time . . .

Daddy Dates

It was Emme's turn for a daddy date, and she chose the zoo as the destination.  Bella's turn is coming up, and she asked Emme if she could join the zoo outing and do a combo daddy date.  Emme said sure, so the three of them headed off to the zoo on a pleasant Saturday and had a fantastic time!

Field Trip

I have enjoyed going on several field trips with my kids as they have made their way through elementary school.  Here I am with Bella on a recent fourth grade field trip to the historical George Ranch.  We had a lot of fun!

Get Your Kicks on Route 66!

Bella's fourth grade class put on a terrific musical performance, and Bella had two singing parts!  She knocked it out of the park!  Great job, Bella Blue!  The theme of the show was Route 66.

In one of her singing parts, Bella sang about becoming a nurse in a career themed song.

Her other singing part came in a song called "Adventure" and was with a group of girls.  It was the closing song of the Route 66 performance, a fitting end to a splendid show! 

The bubblegum twins enjoyed the performance immensely!

Sam Houston State Park Half Marathon

Stephen and I ran a half marathon in Huntsville at the Sam Houston State Park this morning.  It was a trail run, and we loved it!  The name of the race is the Love.Run.Marathon, and it benefits a very worthy cause.  We will definitely do it again in the future and may do the full marathon next time.  We have been looking to do another full marathon, and we really enjoyed the vistas and constant change that accompanies this trail race.  Good times!

We had to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to drive up to Huntsville, pick up our race packets, and get ready for the race.

It was chilly before the start of the race, so after we checked in and picked up our packets, we hung out in our car and turned the heat on to warm up!

The weather started to warm right before race time, and the morning ended up being beautiful and perfect for running.

The park has some very scenic views.

And the running trail took us by the lakes and through the forest the whole time.

Keeping my jacket on as long as I can before the starting horn sounds.

Another great race in the books!  Of the combined 4 marathons and 10 half marathons we have done over the last 15 years, this was one of the best.  We will definitely be back in the future!

Kicking off a Busy 2014

We have been involved in various activities and ventures during the first month of this new year!  Harrison has started a new Marshal Arts class and is loving it!.  Sophie went with her Dad and our ward on her first temple trip to do baptisms for deceased ancestors, and they had a great time.  We have gathered with family whom we don't ordinarily get to see on a regular basis for dinner and fun.  Harrison had a cousins sleepover, where they stayed up until 4 a.m.!  Bella got a first place ribbon for her science fair experiment (and we had fun doing it together as a family ;) )!  And we bought a great lot in a new community and have started the process of building a new home!  Exciting times!!