Letter's from Santa!

Cade and Caelin were SO SURPRISED today to get letter's from Santa!  They are looking forward to staying on the NICE list...ha!

New Car!!

10 years ago on 11-23-05 Charles and I purchased our first vehicle together.  It was a 2006 black Honda Element with just 7 miles on it.  It now has over 146,000 miles and has seen A LOT of memories, but good and bad.  On our first trip to Round Rock the day after we purchased it, Baylor threw up in the back seat.  It was the car both of our kids were born with and it has seen many poopy diapers, breast feeding, tickets, wrecks, drive in movies, outdoor adventures, our first family trip to Lubbock when Cade was 4 weeks old for Grandma Watts' funeral, laughter, late night studying while Charles drove to Baylor games, sitting on the tailgate while kids played in the driveway, and most recently protected me while I drove as fast as I could to see my Dad on the early morning of March 3rd.  It is funny how you do get attached to the material things you are accustomed to in life.  It reminds us of the good and bad times of the last 10 years.  The element was a joy to have, but we have outgrown it in our family.  It was becoming more and more difficult with the suspension to ride long distances in (on Charles and I's back).  The storage space in back did not hold our groceries and the kids would have to straddle groceries.  Trying to transport mats and materials for work to multiple campus' required numerous trips or trading Charles for the truck.  A GREAT vehicle, just not able to do the most basic things becoming more and more needed for our family.  We had been looking at Buick Enclaves for a while (about 6 months now) due to the 3rd row that could be laid down for additional storage.  I also wanted captain chairs for the kids so that Baylor would have a place to ride in the middle, leather if possible, and a pearl or white color on outside.  Now you know why we said we had been looking for a while!  We knew what we wanted and luckily did not have the pressure of having to get anything right away.  This was nice as we could wait for the right deal to come along.  Charles came across this beauty that met all our criteria and was in our price range!!  It is a 2014 model with only 12,000 miles on it.  A lot of things happened in getting this vehicle that led us to know this was the right deal and time.  First, Charles found it on the internet just 2 hours after they received it on the lot and posted its picture, then when I originally went down to look at the car, I met the owner of the dealership named "Lucky".  Lucky looked just like my Dad and we talked for a long time about Baylor University, families, and cars.  He also loved the element and offered us well over KBB for it.  There is no way I could even sell it for the amount they gave me.  Then, when we started discussing the enclave, he helped mark it down much more than I ever expected to be sure with TTL he was well under our price range.  This took off the burden of a large expense and eased my mind about the deal.  This was the first big purchase Charles and I have made without my Dad, and it helped knowing he was by our side.  He always told Charles and I to "sleep on big decisions".  He also told us to "be smart, take risks, and look at the long term".  That is exactly what we did and we feel great about it!  The kids fell in love with the enclave the moment they saw it.  They love the big space they have, more cup holders (ha), and the fact that they have windows they can roll down.  We cannot wait to make all the new memories with "Pearl", our new car!

Jaxson's 5th BD and Round Rock Trip

It may seem far away at times, but we are still lucky to live only 2.5 hours from the Parks' side of the family.  This weekend was Jaxson's 5th birthday and with us having the week of Thanksgiving off, it was a great time to spend some extra days just having fun.  The cousins love all being together and especially sleepovers at Nana's.  Jaxson had a unique birthday party at the Bass Pro Shop bowling lanes.  The lanes are all decorated with fish and underwater themes.  Not to mention the fun party room, pizza, and cake!  I had to laugh as most of Jaxson's gifts were sports or hunting gear.  If it didn't fall in that category it was still either camo colored or small toys.  I love Jax's fun loving attitude, spunk of energy, and love of sports.  I should note here that he also will still monkey hug me and give me kisses...even if "girls" are watching.  On Sunday we just relaxed at the house until lunch time when we met up at Hat Crekk for lunch.  The kids were able to play on the playground while we ate lunch.  We even ventured to the outlet mall after lunch in hunt of Christmas pajamas for all 4 kids.  Guess what, first store we hit was Gymborie and it was a JACKPOT!  We went with pajamas this year that can also be work as clothes in order to get more use out of them.  So, the girls will match and so will the boys!  Then, us 3 girls (Nana, Mendy and I) have matching monogrammed pajamas.  But, you will have to wait till Christmas to get to see them!  Sunday night the cousins had a sleepover and were able to spend Monday having fun at McDonald's and playing together before one last family dinner.  And it is worth mentioning that we made smores for dessert.  Chris even helped Mom make the ULTIMATE smore with 3 layers.  Hahahaha!  It was a great LONG weekend!

Cutest Kindergartner EVER!

Some pretty pics of Baylor/McLane stadium...

Happy 35th birthday to me!

This weekend for my birthday we were supposed to go to Round Rock to be with family. It is the little things that cut deep, like knowing my Dad's name won't be on my birthday card for the first time. God had different plans and unfortunately our kiddos are both healing from strep, so we decided to stay home. But, before you go feeling bad for me...I have had the best day I could have ever imagined! My sis surprised me by coming in town this morning!! We were able to spend time together with a toast of coffee cream liquor in honor of Dad, brunch at Peli Peli paid by Mom and now she is staying the night with Cade and Caelin so that Charles and I get to go to the Baylor game together! Who has the BEST SIS in the world? ME! Thanks Christopher Blevins for taking on kids and letting her come. So, what I was dreading as a day has turned out to be a huge blessing. My heart is full!

Veteran's Day

Today is such a special day for our country. Happy Veteran's Day to all the brave men/women out there. Last night Ehrhardt Elementary had a Veteran's Day program honoring our Veteran's. Cade got to have a star where he could list the names of his Grandfathers (Papa and Grumps) as well as his great Grandfathers (Grandpa Parks and Grandpa Watts). We of course have countless other family members, but the star was only so big! My family makes me so proud, from war medic/POW to the reserves. Our veteran's come home with scars and memories we can never fathom or understand. I know all the Veteran's served proudly and yet it still came as a sacrifice to them and their loved ones. So, happy Veteran's Day and make sure you honor those who have served today with your thoughts and prayers.