Pictures of the boys

Here are some recent pictures I took of the boys.

Lego Store Grand Opening

This morning we went into Dallas to the grand opening of a new lego stores at one of the malls.

They were building an 8ft Yoda out of Legos, the boys were able to build a brick or two that went on the large Yoda. Landon and Blake were in heaven. They were surrounded by Legos and they were able to meet a real Lego Master Model Builder. Landon wants to be a Lego inventor when he grows up and a Lego Master comes up with ideas for new lego sets.

Afterwards, we waited in line a long time to get into the Lego store so the boys could use their allowance to buy some legos. They gave away a special Texas Longhorns lego set with what they bought.

Landon and Blake were so happy. Landon said he had so much fun.

To top off the day, we had a family game night and played some games together.

The special Texas Longhorn.

The Lego Master Model Builder.

Texas, Our Texas

In an effort to remind myself why we are living in Texas despite the 100+degree weather we've been having, I've come up with a list of a few of the reasons why I love TEXAS:

1. Texas Food

Who doesn't love to have choices when it comes to good food? And here in Dallas, we have so many places to eat, whether it's Tex-Mex, Steak, BBQ, or a Shrimp Boil, (thanks Holly and Brian for introducing us to that - yummy)! In fact, Dallas is the city with the most resturants per capita in the entire country! Some of our family favorites are Abuelos, Saltgrass, Sonny Bryan's, and, of course, Whataburger. What's yours?

2. Texas Friendliness

They say everything is bigger in Texas, and I'd have to say that holds true of people's hearts and smiles here! Doesn't matter if you're a native Texan or a transplant, as soon as you cross that border into Texas, your smile gets wider, and you cannot help but wave to people as they pass. I just LOVE how friendly EVERYONE here is!

3. The Texas Sky

Nothing's bigger and more beautiful than a sunny blue sky on a hot Texas day. I love being able to see forever whether I'm driving down the road, taking a walk around the neighborhood, or lying on the trampoline looking up at the clouds with the boys.

4. Texas Storms

I love everything about thunderstorms. Real Texas thunderstorms. I love to watch the storm clouds build as they come closer, I love the calm right before the storms hit, I love the sound of rain pouring down, and I love, love, love the fresh smell of grass and rain after the storms have passed.

5. Texas Accents

Everything sounds better with a Texas drawl!

6. The Texas Pledge

I remember being blown away when I moved to Texas as a fourth grader and had to recite the Texas Pledge alongside the Pledge of Allegiance. You gotta love a state that has it's own pledge. Interestingly enough, there are a few other states that have their own pledges, but I don't know if they can compete with ours!

7. Texas Cost of Living

People are living well here in Texas. House prices are UNBELIEVABLE. For instance, we paid only $88 per square foot for our home, (and that's a home with hand-scraped hardwood floors, crown molding, granite countertops, an outdoor fireplace...you get the idea). There is no state income tax, there are mature tress, parks, and sidewalks everywhere, and the schools are great.

8. Texas Sports Teams

Just here in Dallas, we have the Dallas Stars, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Cowboys, and of course, the Texas Rangers. I've never been to so many sporting events before!

9. Texas Pride

How can you not get excited to live in Texas when there's so much Texas pride? Even my Southern California loyalist husband is starting to catch some of the Texas spirit!

10. My Own Texas History

I do not get sentimental about very many things, but Texas holds a special place in my heart. I cannot help it, it's in my blood! It's the state I've lived more years of my life in than any other place, and it is the only place that's ever REALLY felt like home to me.

Okay, so why do you love Texas?

Father and Sons Campout

These are from our ward's father & sons' campout from forever ago! I just found them in one of the folders on the computer and wanted to share. The boys loved going camping with dad and all their friends!

A Visit from Nana and Papa Roe

My mom and dad came down from North Carolina for a visit. We had a wonderful time! The boys wouldn't leave them alone for a minute. They were up bright and early everyday ready to play!

Bear Lake

This post is extremely late in coming, but at least I'm finally posting it! We spent several days up at Bear Lake with Jeff's family. Despite the cold and wet weather, we had a great time! We played games, got a little silly, and ate too much food! We also went to the Minnetonka caves. They were amazing! I'm not sure why we don't have more pictures????

Hot Fun in the Summertime!

We've had quite a Texas heat wave the last few weeks. The only way to stay cool is to stay inside or go to the pool. We have some great pools around here, but due to some carelessness on my part, (too busy talking to notice how red I was getting), I failed to re-apply my own sunscreen often enough and ended up with such a bad burn that I couldn't go swimming for over a week. So, to ease the boys' cabin fever, we purchased a slip and slide for $8.99 at Target. They LOVE it.

Nine Years Down

Nine years ago, I married my sweet husband in the San Diego Temple. It was a wonderful day, full of family, friends, lots of kissing, and lots of smiling. Nine years later here are nine reasons why I love Jeff even more today than I loved him then.

1. He is an eternal optimist.

2. He is an amazing father.

3. He is the hardest worker I know.

4. He never takes life too seriously.

5. He loves to laugh.

6. He can handle my mood swings.

7. He can handle our children's mood swings.

8. He spoils me.

9. He has made me a happier person.

When Momma Ain't Happy...

My poor family! Today has just been one of those days. I woke up grouchy, and everyone knew it. Everything about a home changes when Mom's in a bad mood. It's kind of unfair, really, for the Mom to have so much riding on her mood, but it is what it is!

It may surprise some people to know that over the last few years, I have become a very optimistic person. Most days, I wake up and couldn't be more excited about life! I am FULL of gratitude and couldn't be happier.

This is a stark contrast to my life four years ago. I was deeply depressed and usually had no desire to get out of bed in the morning. I hated myself, felt burdened by my responsibilities, and felt like a failure pretty much every single day. It was bad; really bad most of the time. I hid it pretty well from everyone, everyone except my parents, Jeff and our kids. At a time in my life when I should have been full of excitement about my growing family and our life together, I mostly felt sadness, fear, loneliness, and even indifference. One day I came across an article in the Ensign that was just what I needed to hear. It talked about depression, it talked about the fact that depression is an illness and no matter what you are doing right, (ie: reading your scriptures, praying, desiring to get better) you will not be able to do it without help. Not just the Lord's direct help but also help from therapy or medicine or whatever. For anyone interested, you can find the article I read at www.lds.org, October 2005 Ensign, "Myths About Mental Illness" by Elder Alexander B. Morrison.

So, after several years of being on some type of anti-depressant, as well as some insightful sessions with a therapist at LDS family services, I am at a place where I don't dread the morning anymore, where I never feel helpless, worthless, and alone, (sometimes I may feel one of these, but never all of them at the same time).

As painful as it is to even remember what I felt like then, I am grateful for being able to remember, because now, even on my worst days, when my hormones are out-of-whack, or I haven't gotten enough sleep, or I'm just plain grouchy because I'm on a diet that seems to be never-ending and all I really want to do is eat cake, I know it's nothing compared to what I've already been through!

Mother's Day...I know it's really late!!!

Jeff and I were asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting on Mother's Day. My first response was, "Hey, it's Mother's Day...I shouldn't have to speak!" Well, as it usually turns out, having the opportunity to write a talk on motherhood was such a great blessing and a wonderful Mother's Day gift!

I'm not someone who dreamed of being a mother my entire life. In fact, when Jeff and I found out we were expecting with Landon, excitement was not the predominant emotion. I was mostly just upset and terrified. Fast forward seven years later (and lots and lots of learning experiences), and I'll be the first person to tell you that being a mother is the greatest gift in the world! Motherhood has made me into the type of person I didn't think I could be, (and it's been a long, unrelenting road, and I know I still have lots to learn, too). Nothing worth having in life comes easily and having a strong family is worth more than anything else.

What I learned from writing this talk is just how inspired the modern-day prophets are! I found so much information from different apostles and prophets to help me in my role as a mother. I learned, even more deeply than before, that the Lord hasn't left us alone, He has given us counsel and comfort through His prophets to help us be the type of mothers He knows we can be. How thankful I am that my Heavenly Father has entrusted Jeff and I with the care and nurturing of these two wonderful boys! I love them both so much. They bring so much joy to my life!

Chili and Cornbread

After Blake's T-ball game, the storms came in. The rest of the day was filled with thunderstorm after thunderstorm, so we've been stuck inside. I decided to make chili and cornbread for dinner to go with the cold, rainy weather. It was so yummy.

Blake's T-Ball Game

Here's some pics from Blake's game today. Watching 4-year olds try to grasp the concepts of baseball is so hilarious! Today, Blake was very into chasing the ball and throwing it to first base. No matter where in the field the ball went, he tried to reach it first. And so did half of his team-mates, which meant that there was a herd of 4-year olds racing around the field after the ball after every hit. It was so dang cute! At one point during the game, Blake was running from 2nd base to 3rd when the ball rolled directly infront of him. As soon as he spotted the ball, he completely forgot about getting to 3rd base and instead joined the other teams' players chasing after the ball!!!! What fun.

Table Cloth

Here's a table cloth I made for super cheap. I bought a shower curtain on clearance at Target for $4.98, (gotta love Target clearance!) and added some trim.

Landscape Lighting - Before

We decided to put in some landscape lighting. I decided to give it a try myself. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be and didn't cost too much.