Notes from the Neals

Keri Neal - Author Extraordinaire

2012-01-06T17:00:00.004-06:00

OK not really :)

But seriously, I did write a novella titled EGO. It's a mystery. And lo and behold Bradley Publishing loves it and wants to publish it. Yay me! The publisher designed the cover already. I know, I know... but this is the way it works and I had to let this cover go. I love what they did with it :)

I'll keep you all updated on it's progress over on my author's blog. I'm trying to keep the family news seperated from work news. So far I just know that it has a release date of April 2012. It's at the editor now so I'm expecting revisions of mass proportions :)

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T11:51:00.004-06:00

Its 7:30 on Christmas morning and Mommy and Daddy are wide awake :) Kids are snuggled in their beds... that is until Daddy gentle wakens them with his Airhorn App. Hee hee...

We managed to get parts of the present-opening-chaos on film:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Christmas 2011 part 4

2011-12-26T11:49:00.003-06:00

Christmas 2011 part 3

2011-12-26T11:49:00.001-06:00

Christmas 2011 part 2

2011-12-26T11:48:00.001-06:00

Christmas 2011 part 1

2011-12-25T10:34:00.005-06:00

Christmas Treats

2011-12-07T19:23:00.009-06:00

The design job for Fog Ink led to my contract with Still Moments Publishing. I'm super excited about this new venture because we have covers planned all the way into April! As for now, if you're a romance genre fan and you like ebooks, Christmas Treats is available for download. There are two versions: Santa's Naughty List, which features "steamier" romance stories, and Santa's Nice List, which features tamer romance stories. Enjoy!

Bedtime Stories for Dogs and Bedtime stories for Cats

2011-12-07T19:11:00.008-06:00

In case you haven't heard, I have been published :) Not as an author, but as the artist of these fun covers. Fog Ink commissioned me to do them a few months ago and last month they were published. It is actually one book, with cats on one side and dogs on the other. You kind of have to see it to understand :) So come on people! Buy a copy!

Tiny Friends

2011-11-15T16:47:00.003-06:00

We adopted a few new members into our family. Meet Sweetie and Bolt. Sweetie is Stewart's hamster. He's pretty mellow. Bolt is Allie's baby. And, of course, Bolt is crazy hyper. They are both still a little skittish, but they are getting used to us and letting us pet them now. The kids love to watch them run around in their little hamster balls. Sweetie will sit and look around, while Bolt heads full speed to the nearest wall and bounces off of it :)

The Month of Boxes

2011-10-30T13:45:00.000-05:00

Let's see if I can sum up this month for ya'll...

At the end of last month, we decided to put our house up for sale. Times are tough, jobs are non-existent, work is cutting back hours, BLAH BLAH BLAH. The long and short of it is this: We couldn't afford our house any longer. LAst year at this time we did a huge cutback in our monthly spending, and yet it just wasn't enough. The sanest solution was to sell the house and look for something smaller. Turns out, not much for sale this time of year. So we took a fair amount for our house from a very eager investor, and moved into an apartment.

Wow, I make it sound so easy! Well, it wasn't. I'll spare you the details of keeping the house clean with two hurricane children living in it, and the showings that never seemed to end (I lost count at around 20). After almost two weeks on the market, our house sold. Quick and clean and now we are living the easy life in an apartment.

So I know what you're thinking, "But Keri, you hate apartments. Everyone hates apartments. They're dirty and ugly and small." Aha! We we were lucky enought to discover the Lodge at Lakeline Village. Where spacious floor plans mirror the size of our house in San Bernardino, and the clubhouse has a movie theater. No more yard work. No more worrying about the next hail storm damaging our roof again. No more large appliances breaking and paying someone to come fix them. We are on the 3rd floor, which is challenging. But the view is gorgeous! Stewart gets to ride the bus now, whch he's been begging for. The kids have lots of new friends. All in all, I think this was a smart move :)

I think that's it for now. I'm going to go break something and then have maintenance come fix it ;)

Flickr

2011-08-13T09:16:00.004-05:00

One of the best things about my new phone, is that I can take pics and post them online! I'm using Flickr, click here for link.

Legoland/Sealife Trip

2011-08-09T22:29:00.009-05:00

Last weekend we loaded up the family for a two-day trip to Dallas. Our original plan was to spend all day at Legoland. What we didn't realize, was that this particular Legoland is part of a mall. AND it was way smaller than we expected. We still had a great time, but we really only spent half of our day there.

SO, across the "hall", inside the same mall, was this place called Sealife Aquarium. This is where we spent the second half of our day. They had a super deal that if you bought tickets to both Sealife and Legoland, you save $9 a ticket!

The kids had a great time. Allie said her favorite part of the whole trip was the karoake machine inside the Princess Palace at Legoland. Yes, this was even funnier than it sounds :) Stewart's favorite part of the whole trip was Miniland at Legoland, and the Sharks (of course) at the aquarium.

We obviously took a ton of pictures, but here are the highlights:

Little Golfer

2011-07-27T20:09:00.003-05:00

A few weekends ago Stephen took Stewart to the driving range to shoot a few balls. Not really thinking it would be anything more than father/son time and they can both laugh about it later. Turns out, Stewart isn't half bad! We're getting him his own junior size set this weekend and seeing how he does then. The boys have so much fun on their golf outings :)

PS: Sorry you have to tilt your head. I can't get the video to rotate ;)

Tiny Dancer

2011-07-03T10:51:00.006-05:00

Allie started dance class last week at the Little Gym. They are teaching her ballet, tap and gymnastics. She is very excited if you can't tell :)

Stewart's 8th Birthday Party

2011-05-24T09:55:00.013-05:00

Stewart's birthday party was on Saturday and 18 kids showed up! You'd think that would be chaos, but it was actually great. All the kids got along famously and enjoyed the yard that Stephen built :) Stewart now has LEGOS coming out his ears, and he's in heaven :)

Clubhouse

2011-05-24T09:55:00.012-05:00

My fabulously talented husband built Stewart a clubhouse for his birthday. I like to pretend this is a present from US, but really he did all the work. We've been talking about it for a while, and I wanted him to build something that is going to last. So that's EXACTLY what he did! The kids love it, although I've yet to break it to Allie that Stewart is having me make a NO GIRLS ALLOWED sign. I expect Stewart to practically live in it this summer so I'm stocking it with a cooler, a lantern, and bug spray :)

Crossover Ceremony

2011-05-24T09:54:00.003-05:00

Stewart's Crossover ceremony in Cub Scouts was last week. This is where the boys crossover from their current year to the next year. He got a new neckerchief and book :) It was very cute.

Stewart and His Bike

2011-05-10T13:43:00.003-05:00

We have been trying to get Stewart's training wheels off for months. He's been too scared to even try riding his bike without them. So Mean-Ol-Mommy got annoyed and took them off and told him "sink or swim, buddy". Yes, I know... Stephen took a much gentler approach and told him that they would spend all day Saturday practicing. After 30 MINUTES, that boy was off and peddling like a champ. You see? Mommy's tough love actually did him some good. OK, MAYBE Stephen helped a little. :)

Birthday Invites

2011-05-10T13:39:00.002-05:00

Stewart is having a party at the house to celebrate his 8th birthday. Since he wants to invite 30+ people, I decided to print my own invites and save myself time and money. So printed them at the 1-hour photo, bought a box of envelopes and voila! Instant invites for less than $7!

Whose Clubhouse?

2011-04-24T10:01:00.005-05:00

Stephen is building Stewart a clubhouse for his birthday. So far, Stewart has wanted nothing to do with helping to build it. Allie on the other hand, is game for anything :)

Sleeping Beauty

2011-04-21T14:44:00.002-05:00

Why are they so adorable when they sleep???

Bluebonnets

2011-04-12T06:26:00.005-05:00

The bluebonnets by our house are a little late in blooming this year, so we drove out a ways and found this little field. The kids gave their usual cooperation and I had to step in and say "Hey, Whoa! Stop with the smiling and the loving each other!" Seriously, they wanted nothing to do with getting their pictures taken :)

Happy Birthday Allie!

2011-03-21T12:00:00.002-05:00

Allie turns 3 today!

San Antonio Zoo

2011-03-21T10:36:00.005-05:00

This last week was Spring Break. We took the kids to San Antonio to visit the zoo. Before we went, we visited Big Lou's Pizza which is the home of the 42" pizza, and it was featured on "Man vs. Food"! Stephen and I were like kids in a candy store :) We didn't get the ginormous pizza, but the table next to us did. The pizza there is sooooo good! Oh yea, and we went to the zoo where it was a madhouse. The best part of that experience was that Allie slept on the way home.

Cranky Girl Vs. Mean Daddy

2011-03-14T17:49:00.005-05:00

I know this is mean, but come on! So Allie got in trouble the other day and Stephen sent her to her room. She was so crushed that she curled up in one of her toy "boxes" and fell asleep. Stephen went in there with the camera and the crying fit started all over again :)

Grandma Visit - December/January

2011-02-05T13:57:00.002-06:00

While I'm at it here are some pics from when Grandma visited. We did alot of fun things while she was in town, including going to the San Antonio Children's Museum.

Fluffy White Stuff 2011

2011-02-05T13:50:00.001-06:00

We had a light dusting of "snow" on Thursday night. It was just enough to cancel school and keep my butt inside where it was warm :) But the kids went out and enjoyed it the next morning!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T10:40:00.003-06:00

Family Photos

2010-12-13T14:15:00.001-06:00

If you want to see how our wacky family endures family picture day, visit our Picture People Album. It went very well, actually. But of the 11 pictures taken I had to pick only 1!

Christmas Recital

2010-12-12T16:19:00.003-06:00

Allie's Mother's Day Out is at a church. They've been working with the kids for months and this morning they performed before their congregation. Turn your speakers WAY down because that voice you hear screaming above all the other voices? Yeah, that would be Allie :)

FWD:

2010-12-11T16:04:00.001-06:00

ive been SSSSOOOOOOO good this year SANTA!

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required.

Decorations, Bobcats and Another Lost Tooth

2010-11-29T21:40:00.004-06:00

Christmas is here, which means the Neals perform their annual ritual of decorating the house. The interior is fairly easy, a few lights, a tree and the snow village. The exterior is a WHOLE other ball of wax. 30+ hours later and we are finally done! YEAH! I tried to include the highlights :)

Stewart is a Bobcat! The Cub Scouts had their Bobcat ceremony in which they award those who have moved onto the next level. They painted his face during the ceremony, which he hated. But he loved standing up in front of everyone next to his daddy :)

Stewart lost another front tooth this weekend. I guess he really will be asking Santa for his two front teeth!

Halloween and more Cub Scout stuff

2010-11-09T20:39:00.004-06:00

Stewart has been having a great time during his first year with the Cub Scouts. A few weeks ago they made bird feeder out of a plastic milk jug. Then they designed their own wooden boat and raced them at the Regatta.

Halloween is always exhausting, but fun. And this year was more so now that Allie is old enough to actually "get it". Stewart dressed as a zombie - or as Allie says "a scary" - and Allie was a fairy princess. Luckily Cherry was here to help me rangle the kiddos because they ran - and I do mean ran - from house to house and in seperate directions. After about 45 minutes they were exhausted and ready to go home. Stewart loves passing out candy to the kids that come to our house afterward. Allie managed to not get sick from the massive amount of candy she consumed, so that was good :)

Forgot One!

2010-10-19T18:04:00.001-05:00

And this one's my favorite! This is so something my husband would do :)

Dad 1974

Old Family Photos

2010-10-17T23:00:00.003-05:00

My Aunt Michele sent me these old photos and I wanted to share them. These were fun to go through! The kids looked at them and Stewart kept saying "That's not you, that's Allie!" I don't see it, but maybe?

Me and Brianne - 1985

Mom, Dad and I - 1983

Me - 1983

Mom and Grandpa - 1974

Mom and Dad - 1974

And now a message from our sponsor :)

2010-10-15T09:30:00.000-05:00

Online Ordering Information
Web address: scholastic.com/bookclubs
Class Activation Code: H9MNQ

Dear Parent,

Now it’s easier than ever to find the perfect books for your child—shop
our NEW online Book Clubs Web site. Choose from a much-wider selection
of books than in the printed flyer. Plus, you can send your orders
directly to me online and use your credit card to pay.

Best of all, we earn a FREE book for the classroom library every time a
parent places an order online.

It’s so simple! Here’s how it works:SIGN UP at
www.scholastic.com/bookclubs. On the parent page, register by clicking
click the "Don’t have a user name or password?" link. When prompted,
enter the one-time Class Activation Code shown above. This unique code
ensures that your order is sent to me.

SELECT the books you’d like to order—choose from thousands of
titles—many more than in our monthly flyers.

SEND your order to me online by the due date and your child’s books will
be delivered directly to my classroom.
Ordering online is fast, easy, and secure.

Of course, you can still order using the form from the printed flyer.
But why not see for yourself how convenient it is to order online?
　
Thank you,
Larissa Gomez
(Stewart's teacher)

2010-10-13T18:08:00.001-05:00

Stewart went to the dentist last week and got a clean bill of health! Today he lost another front tooth so now he looks like a jack o'lantern :)

Cub Scouts and Fundraising

2010-10-01T16:00:00.003-05:00

Stewart joined the Cub Scouts this year. Here's how our first meeting went:

Me: Before we leave we have to get a picture in your uniform.
Stewart: I don't want to.
Me: Too bad. Now stand in front of the garage here and smile. (First picture taken) That was good now can you try smiling instead of making a face. (Second picture taken) Better, now Allie wants to be in the picture pretend you love her. (Third picture taken) OK everyone in the car let's go!

So far it's been fun but we've only had one meeting so I'll let you know more in a few months :)

Stewart's Fundraiser started earlier this week and I am just now getting around to looking at the catalog. I know, BAD MOMMY! It's really easy this year for everyone. Everything is $15 each. OUCH! Don't feel pressured to buy anything, the prizes are not very exciting :) Here are your choices:

One box of frozen pre-portioned cookie dough. Contains 48 1 oz. cookies per box. 3 lbs. Choice of flavors: Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, Peanut Butter, Lemon Cooler, Chocolate Chunk, White Chunk Macadamia, Double Chocolate Brownie, Snickerdoodle, or Candy Cookie (M&Ms).

Cinnamon Rolls. Two re-sealable trays each with four large 4.5 oz. servings with delicious cream cheese icing.

Auntie Anne's Soft Pretzels. Each box contains six 4 oz. frozen pretzels with salt and cinnamon sugar flavor packets.

Kolaches. 10 individually wrapped 2.2 oz. kolaches. Choice of flavors: ham and cheese, pork and cheese, or jalapeno pork and cheese.

Ugly Mug brand coffee. 12 oz resealable bag of ground or whole bean coffee

Ugly Mug brand hot cocoa. 16 oz. resealable bag of old fashioned hot chocolate.

Ugly Mug brand vanilla chai. 12 oz resealable bag of vanilla chai.

I have to have orders by October 7th. Again, no pressure :)

Become a Tastefully Simple consultant. Satisfaction 100% Guaranteed!

2010-09-29T10:20:00.005-05:00

From extra income to being home more, discover the rewards of starting your own Tastefully Simple business!

Join my team by tomorrow and if you are not satisfied with your business by the end of your first quarter, I will refund your money for the kit. That's right, I will mail you a check for $99 if you do not LOVE being a Tastefully Simple consultant by the end of your first quarter. You can even keep everything in the kit as my thanks to you for giving it a try.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE? Simply sign up on my website or email me and I will sign you up.

For a list of everything included in the kit click here.

Limited Time For Halloween: Blood Orange Slush Drink Mix

2010-09-24T21:04:00.004-05:00

No tricks - just a delicious treat for Halloween! For cool and creepy cocktails, simply add water and your choice of tequila, rum or vodka. Freeze in the handy bucket, and scoop into glasses. Makes about 9 (8 oz.) servings.

Ingredients Needed:
14 oz. (1¾ cups) tequila, rum or vodka
Warm water (about 6 cups)

12.5 oz. bucket (354g)

TIP: For non-alcoholic drinks, combine with 5 cups warm water or sparkling water, pour over ice and enjoy. (Do not freeze.) It's perfect for children's Halloween parties!

Click here for more information.

Just a Reminder: Become a Consultant Today!

2010-09-18T10:16:00.002-05:00

Congratulations and a Thank You to Darbi for becoming a new Tastefully Simple consultant! I am so excited to work with you in this new adventure. If anyone else is interested in knowing what TS has to offer, email/call/text me and I will be happy to answer your questions. This kit is an amazing deal and this price expires September 30th!

Here is what comes in your kit:

Four Party Plus Kits
Samples and supplies for one party … in one box
FOR YOUR HOST
• Party Food Kit #1
• Planning Your Party brochure*
• Invitations*
• Order forms*
• Catalogs*
FOR YOU
• Sample Assortment A (include 9 FULL SIZE products)
• Planning Your Party brochure
Party Display
10 of our best-selling products, plus additional
client information
• Absolutely Almond
Pound Cake Mix™
• Bountiful Beer Bread Mix®
• Corn, Black Bean Salsa
• Garlic Garlic™
• Key Lime Cheese Ball Mix
• Nana’s Apple Cake Mix®
• Onion Onion™
• Perfect Parmesan Biscuit Mix
• Seasoned Salt
• Spinach & Herb Dip Mix
• It’s that Simple Gift
• “Tabletops” to enhance your display (see envelope)
Training Materials
Resources to guide you through your business
• Success Made Simple workbook
• The Party DVD
• Business Policies booklet**
Recruiting Tools
Share the business opportunity with everyone
• What Do You Want? ® brochures
• What Do You Want? DVD
Additional Materials
• Incentives and special offers envelope
• Party Script Cards
Party Supplies
• Taster spoons
• 5.5 oz. souffl é cups and lids
• 2 oz. souffl é cups
• Black sampling plates
• Plastic gloves

Are you ready for some football?

2010-09-10T17:21:00.002-05:00

Tastefully Simple's The Perfect 10 collection has everything you need to make your Monday Night Football party a success! Well, everything but the football :)

Products include:
Absolutely Almond Pound Cake Mix™
Bountiful Beer Bread Mix® Value Pack
Corn, Black Bean Salsa
Garlic Garlic™
Key Lime Cheese Ball Mix
Nana's Apple Cake Mix®
Onion Onion™
Perfect Parmesan Biscuit Mix
Seasoned Salt
Spinach & Herb Dip Mix

Email, call, text, or shop from my website 24/7!

Shield Parade

2010-09-10T14:26:00.002-05:00

Every year, Naumann Elementary has the Shield Parade for all the students. I think its for every grade, but I'm not sure. At the beginning of the year, the students are asked to decorate a shield with one half representing their class mascot (which for Stewart is the gecko this year) and the other half representing themselves. Them all the classes get together and pmarch in a parade around the school. Its always like pulling teeth to get Stewart to decorate his shield, but he loves the parade :)

Oh my God its RAINING!!!!!!!!

2010-09-08T08:18:00.006-05:00

Yes, we're fine. Just alot of rain and road closures.

Stewart was thrilled that school was postponed for two hours, even though I'm bummed because it looks like I'm stuck at home today with Allie. Oh well, I'll just slap a rain coat on her and some galoshes and call it a day!

Just Chillin at McDs

2010-09-05T17:30:00.001-05:00

Menu and Recipe Ideas

2010-09-03T15:21:00.002-05:00

Planning a tailgating party, bridal shower or kids' party? Check out the Try Our Recipes section of tastefullysimple.com for full menus to make planning these events even easier (and tastier!).

Stewart is a 2nd Grader!

2010-09-01T14:09:00.003-05:00

How could I forget to post this?! Stewart started the 2nd Grade this year. He likes his teacher, he like his classmates, he likes recess... but he hates being away from his computer. Seriously! He doesn't miss me or Allie or sleeping in or any of that. He just hates being away from his computer. The boy is truly my son :)

Become a Consultant Today!

2010-09-01T09:55:00.000-05:00

This really is an amazing deal! The Business Blast Off Kit comes with EVERYTHING you will need for four parties: catalogs, order forms, invitations, brochures, samples, 10 products from the new catalog, grocery lists for hosts, cups, spoons, plates, and additional business materials. I LOVE selling Tastefully Simple and I know you will too! For more information on becoming a consultant click here.

Free Gift for Hostesses

2010-08-28T00:01:00.003-05:00

Host your own Tastefully Simple party, and your home will come alive with the aroma of freshly baked bread, the laughter of friends and family, and simple yet delicious meal ideas your whole family will enjoy!

Discover the Benefits of Hosting a Party!

Fabulous Food - Experience all kinds of delicious new foods from appetizers to soups to desserts. You and your guests will get to taste-test up to 18 products!Plus, you'll receive free recipes and see how Tastefully Simple products can make you look like a cooking and entertaining expert.

Fun - Have fun shopping for great food and gifts with friends.

Book your Tastefully Simple party and hold it between September 5th and October 4th and receive either the dip bowl or the serving plate for free!*

Serving Plate 10 ¾” x 10 ¾”

Dip Bowl 5” x 2 ¾”

Don’t have time or a formal Taste Testing Party? No Problem, consider these options:

Catalog Party:
Send catalogs to friends and family. Your party will stay open for one week. At the end of that week I will pick up all the order forms you collected. Your guests may also email their orders to me. Depending on how much your party sells, you can earn free product!

Mini Catering:
Enjoy samples of 9 of our products from the current catalog. Samples are intended for approximately 12-15 people. This is perfect for snacks at your planned event (Poker party, movie night, Monday Night football party, i.e.). Your party will stay open for three days. At the end of those three days I will pick up all the order forms you collected. Depending on how much your party sells, you can earn free product!

Just email me and let me know the details for your party. Thanks and happy tasting!

*To be delivered at the end of your party. Only one per customer, please.

Family Trip to Dallas

2010-08-21T14:44:00.005-05:00

Stephen was home this week so we decided to load up the family and go on a trip. We drove up to Dallas and spent three days there. We went to the Aquarium and played in the hotel pool. On the way home we stopped at Dinosaur World. It was a great time! Here's a slideshow of all the pictures we took:

Tastefully Simple and Tupperware

2010-08-06T15:33:00.004-05:00

This month I became a Tastefully Simple consultant. I've been ordering their products for years and finally decided to just give in and start selling the stuff :) Tastefully Simple offers a wide selection of convenient, easy-to-prepare foods designed to help people spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the rest of their lives.

I recommend the Perfectly Potato Cheddar Soup , the Absolutely Almond Pound Cake , and my kids LOVE the Twisty Grahams. If you're interested in learning more or to place an order, please visit my website by clicking here.

As far as Tupperware goes, I am still an active consultant. If you are interested in placing an order please email me by clicking here. All of our catalogs and flyer can be found online by clicking here.

LEGO store

2010-08-06T12:46:00.002-05:00

We tried to go to the LEGO grand opening at Barton Square Mall, but then we saw this mob waiting to get into the store and we turned around and went home.

Nope! Sorry kids. I told Stewart we could anywhere he wanted for lunch but no way no how were we going to stand in that line. The kid is a trooper, he was happy to go to Burger King :)

Grandma and the Museum

2010-07-27T08:31:00.004-05:00

Grandma was visiting this week. One of the things we did was take her to the Children's Museum. As always, the kids had a blast. For lunch we went to McDonald's where Allie proceeded to sucker grandma into putting even more stickers on her body. The girl is a stickers nut.

2010-07-13T08:10:00.001-05:00

Ok mommy im almost ready for school. I just have about 40 more necklaces to put on and then ill be good to go.

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-04T20:22:00.001-05:00

For 4th of July fireworks we made our annual trip to Milburn park. It wasn't too hot, in the 90s. But just before sundown is when it was at its hottest. So when the sprinklers came on and we all got soaked, it was great!

GOOD BOY!

2010-06-28T16:32:00.003-05:00

Stephen's finished all his honey-dos while I was away: covered the patio with outdoor carpet, filled the sandbox, and kept the baby happy ;)

DADDY AND ALLIE

2010-06-26T22:45:00.002-05:00

While Stewart and I are in CO, Daddy and Allie are back at home. Oh yeah, theyre getting along just fine ;)

THE NORTH POLE

2010-06-26T22:39:00.002-05:00

Stewart and i are in CO visiting Cheryl and her family. Yesterday we went to The North Pole in CO Springs. Here are some pictures.

Will's Party

2010-06-14T21:30:00.002-05:00

Our neighbor had a birthday party for her son, Will, who just turned 1. Darbi rented this huge waterslide that we placed between our two houses. The kids had a blast!!! By the end of the day the grass had turned to a nasty mud :)

Allie and Daisie have formed quite a bond. Daisie will let Allie do pretty much anything to her. Probably because Allie is constantly feeding her. The other day, though, Allie followed Daisie around for half an hour with a bucket full of water. Daisie finally got smart and parked her lazy but on the back porch. Here's Allie trying to figure it all out :)

The week from H-E-double hockey sticks

2010-06-06T16:03:00.005-05:00

Let's see...

Its started on Tuesday when Allie threw my cell phone into my coffee. Fried it. Yes, this is the very cell phone that earlier this year I dropped into the bathtub. Was able to get a another one that day but I could have killed the little squirt.

Then on Friday after his last day of school, Stewart was playing barefoot in the backyard and kicked a brick. Judging by the amount of blood I was certain he'd ripped off his toenail. Thankfully he did not, but my boy is a HUGE drama queen so that was fun. Here is a pictue of Allie after the incident. Stewart had just hosed her down when he hurt himself so I can't help but think she had something to do with his accident.

Then on Saturday I go out to my minivan and it has a dead battery. Instead of leaving it alone and going to ask a neighbor to help me push it out of the garage, I decide to take that task on all by my little ol' self. Simple enough: You put it in neutral, and you push. Right? Only the minivan gets away from me and to prevent it from hurdling into the street I run to open the driver's door and I get pinched between the garage wall and the minivan. Hence this beautiful collection of bruises on my left arm. The picture really doesn't do it justice. I hurt. ALOT! Good news after all this the minivan gets just enough juice in it to start up so I can go to Walmart and get a new battery.

On a side note, Allie is an M&M freak. I gave her some during our walk to the park yesterday. Here I am trying to get her attention but she refuses to take her eyes off the M&Ms in fear they may disappear.

Rocket Day

2010-05-27T16:04:00.008-05:00

Today was Rocket Day at Milburn Park. It's the 1st graders big end-of-the-year party. Each student built a rocket and today they got to launch it. It was awesome! It was super hot, as usual, but Allie was in preschool so I didn't care :) Afterwards they played and had BBQ hot dogs.

Here are some pictures of Stewart with all his (girl) friends. Hey, the girls keep him out of trouble! They're like little mothers and they manage to keep the boy on the straight and narrow when I'm not around. I'll worry about the ramifications when he becomes a teenager :)

2010-05-22T17:33:00.005-05:00

Yes, I know. Allie looks like she's been beaten with a stick. But if you could look past the band aids and the scratches and the bruises, you'll notice that she is wearing several accessories. On her right hand is my wedding ring, her left hand is my new Stella and Dot ring, and her toe is my Silpada ring. The girl has expensive taste!

A couple of weeks ago I cleaned out Stewart's room and got rid of an embarrassing amount of junk. Instead of donating some of it, Stewart opted to have a garage sale. So this morning in the 90 million percent humidity and gail force winds we attempted to have just that. After an hour Stew got bored so we gave up. We never sold anything :( But at least the kids had a blast! He wants to try again on Monday when "The kids will be walking home from school." Quite the little entrepreneur!

Stewart Turns 7

2010-05-19T12:11:00.002-05:00

Stewart's birthday was a big one this year. Stephen was home so the boys went to the Mammoth Dig Site in Waco. Stewart's big present this year was a computer. He was so surprised! On his birthday I brought him lunch and then he and his classmates had cupcakes. Then for dinner we all went to Chuck E Cheese. It was a big day!

Allie's Tea Party

2010-04-23T17:50:00.003-05:00

So you spend hundreds of dollars on toys and the kids plays with the box, right? Miss Allie even has a REAL tea set. And yet today she had a "tea party" with her My Little Ponies using cupcake liners, stacking cups, and Tupperware. The menu: fishie crackers, paper clips, dry noodles and apple juice. Mmmmmmm.

Bluebonnets

2010-04-18T17:00:00.002-05:00

Its a Texas tradition to have you pictures taken with the bluebonnets every year. Last year the drought made it next to impossible to find them anywhere. This year they were blooming everywhere!

But for one reason or another we could never make it out to take pictures. So today, despite the rain and mud, I took the kids out to the field behind CPMS and took their pictures. Of course, they didn't want to be near each other so I couldn't get one good picture of the two of them. NOT ONE! I did get these though:

New boots, big girl bed, Grammie and Papa, and misc.

2010-04-09T09:31:00.004-05:00

Ok so alot has happened since my last post...

I bought myself a new pair of boots for my birthday. They are fabulous and I love them!

Allie got a big girl bed for her birthday. A daybed. It came two days ago and, thankfully, Stephen just happened to be home to put it together. Grammie is making a quilt for it so for now it just has these cute sheets I bought at Target.

Grammie and Papa visited this week. They took Stewart to see How to Train Your Dragon and he loved it. Grammie bought Allie a tea set and now its her new favorite toy. Stewart and Grammie colored easter eggs but they were too cute to hide (according to Stewart) so they are still sitting in the fridge :)

Um...i guess that's it people! I feel like there's more but I can't think of it just now. Off to chase Allie!

Ruffled Dress

2010-03-29T17:59:00.000-05:00

Ruffled Dress

Looky what I made!

2010-03-23T17:46:00.001-05:00

Ruffled top and matching pants

Pigtails!

2010-02-25T22:12:00.001-06:00

Allie's hair is long enough for pigtails. Finally!

Snowman

2010-02-23T15:58:00.004-06:00

Stephen and the neighbor kids built a snowman in our front yard today.

Pretty Fluffy White Stuff!

2010-02-23T12:39:00.004-06:00

The best part? It'll melt before it gets annoying!

Snow!

2010-02-23T08:21:00.003-06:00

We got a little snow today. And when I say little, I mean it fell from the sky in buckets but melted before it had a chance to accumulate :) Fine with me, I'm not a huge fan of snow and ice.

Day in San Antonio

2010-02-23T08:17:00.003-06:00

Stephen's home this week so we gave in to Stewart's request to go to the Rainforest Cafe in San Antonio. Allie was less impressed with the place, and mainly kept her head down and colored the whole time. Then we went over to the wax museum where they have a lifesize animated model of a T-Rex in their lobby. Afterwards we went for a walk where we stumbled upon the Children's museum. OMG! That place is fabulous! They have something for every age. In the basement, they have a kid-size grocery store complete with cash registers. We had sooo much fun!

Allie Swings

2010-01-21T20:00:00.003-06:00

Lately Allie wants nothing to do with her "baby swing". She's graduated to the "big kid swing" we have hanging from the tree in the front yard. Here she is wanting to swing, but refusing to give up her sucker :)

The Tooth Fairy

2010-01-15T22:11:00.003-06:00

Stewart lost his first tooth tonight! He was so excited, it had been bothering him for weeks. So I put it in a tupperware container and told him that he needed to put it under his pillow before he went to bed so the Tooth Fairy could leave him some money. After he fell asleep I snuck in to do the deed, and what do I find? Stewart curled up in a protective ball around the container. Luckily he's a heavy sleeper, so I very carefully and slowly slipped the container out of his grasp and made the switch. PHEW! Little twirp :)

PS: Yes, Stewart's lips are extremely chapped. He won't stop licking them!!!

Merry Christmas: THE MOVIE

2009-12-25T14:06:00.009-06:00

I video taped our entire christmas morning. It's pretty boring, but if you want to watch it...enjoy! It's in 4 parts, the entire thing is 26 minutes long :)

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T10:32:00.003-06:00

By sheer luck, Stephen was home in time for Christmas :) Although he's probably regretting it now because the kids have been a handful. Stewart had the stomach flu the first half of the week. Allie fell down outside and skinned up half of her face. On top of that she has a terrible cold so she's been MUCHO cranky. We all had a great Christmas, though. Stewart woke up at 6 and announced it was time to open presents. He had time to open all of his presents and put them together before Allie woke up at 8 and opened her presents. I think we're all ready for naptime now :)

Christmas Cards

2009-12-10T08:47:00.003-06:00

I wanted to make my own Christmas cards this year. I couldn't get either kid to sit still together long enough to get a group shot. Stewart refused to smile. Allie just wanted to ride Stewart's old tricycle that's she's too little for. It was a mess. Here's the best I got:

Beads

2009-12-02T12:25:00.004-06:00

AJ and I went to Claire's today and got her some "jewelry". She loves playing with mine. Which is more than frustrating when I have to search the house everyday to find where she'd hidden things. When she went after my wedding ring, I decided it was time she had her own accessories.

I bought her a set of 5 pastel beads. At first she was very excited about wearing them, even showed them off at the grocery store to the checker. Then we got home she took them all off and played with them for AN HOUR! It was mind-numbing. I'd give a million dollars to know what was going through her head :)

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T21:47:00.007-06:00

Stewart was off ALL LAST WEEK! Not to worry, we survived. We spent alot of time playing in the backyard, courtesy of the BEAUTIFUL weather we've been having. HA HA to those of you wading through 12 feet of snow :)

We also went to Chuck E Cheese on Black Friday, thinking no one would be there. This plan worked until about 11:00 when all the crazies were apparently done shopping and decided to visit CEC. Allie was LESS THAN impressed with CEC. She clung to me the whole time and when I dared to put her on this seemingly harmless ride, she freaked. This picture is seconds before said Freak-Out happened.

Yes...Miss Thing is in dire need of a haircut

Halloween

2009-11-06T10:38:00.003-06:00

The kiddos had a great halloween. Stewart ran from house to house and we managed to keep up. Allie on made it to one house and as soon as they opend the door, she ran to the wagon and hid there for the rest of the night.

Allie went as a Princess (Stewart picked out her costume) and Stewart went as the Grim Reaper.

Allie's Tower

2009-10-17T15:38:00.002-05:00

This is Allie's newest obsession: building a tower of blocks. She gets in the zone while she's doing it and there's no reaching her :)

Allie Stuff

2009-09-01T10:17:00.003-05:00

Ok enough about Stewart, now for Allie. Still not talking actual words yet, but she has alot to say in her own language.

Here she is bumming ice cream off of daddy.

On my mom's old rocking horse with her brother's firemen's hat on
Miss AJ is quite the little accessory queen. Her favorite thing to do is wear hair bands as bracelets.

Kindergarten Graduation

2009-09-01T10:13:00.004-05:00

Despite our doubts, Stewart graduated from Kindergarten. As Stephen would say Halle-freakin-lujah!!! In the class shot, you can see Stewart at the back of the line, not paying attention as usual. :)

Wild Animals

2009-09-01T10:02:00.004-05:00

For Stewart's birthday, instead of having a party, we loaded up the minivan and headed to the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch in San Antonio. If you've never been, GO! Its a zoo that you drive your car through and the animals come right up to the car and you can feed them! Aside from the psychotic ostrich that tried to eat Allie, it was so much fun!

Updates

2009-09-01T10:01:00.001-05:00

My last entry into the blog was May 17th. YIKES! I will try to play catchup with the next several entries...

Junie

2009-05-17T13:57:00.004-05:00

Stewart has been wanting a snake for a long time. So I told him if he saved his money that I'd get him for his borthday. Well, he did, and I did. Meet Junie. She's a baby California King Snake. She's super mellow and Stewart has been great with her...so far. Stephen's been a trooper even though I know he's not too fond of having a snake in the house.

3-2-1 Penguins

2009-03-27T14:57:00.003-05:00

There's cartoon on Saturday mornings called 3-2-1 Penguins. I can't tell you what time its on, because I don't really know. All I know is that I tell the DVR to record it and VOILA! Anyhoo, Stewart thinks it's absolutely hilarious, especially the theme song. And Allie thinks its hilarious that Stewart thinks its hilarious. Here's what I mean:

Allie's 1st Birthday Photos

2009-03-25T18:49:00.000-05:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/kerineal/AllieS1stBirthday#

HAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-25T18:32:00.005-05:00

They'd been threatening rain all afternoon, and boy did they deliver! At about 5:45 our time the sky opened up and WHAM!

The damaged skylight. Don't worry, it's just the outer shell :

Golf Ball sized hail:

Candid

2009-03-21T17:44:00.001-05:00

Just a cute shot of Allie in front of the Cracker Barrel :)

2009-03-18T06:06:00.002-05:00

I got my hair done for my birthday. I love it! I've never had my hair highlighted before, so this was a new adventure :)

This is Buster, Cherry and Larry's Cocker Spaniel. He's a cutie pie. Allie loves him!!!

Shoes

2009-03-10T08:28:00.002-05:00

Behold! Allie's first pair of non-slipper, non-infant shoes! This is hilarious to me because Stewie had like 10 pairs of shoes by the time he could walk. Which is probably why he didn't walk until he was 14 months old :) Since Allie is already running everywhere, at 11 months, I figured she was past due for a pair of shoes.

Updates

2009-03-05T20:56:00.002-06:00

Yes I know I KNOW! ok I am foregoing sleep to sit down and write something since it's been forever!

Lil S has had his ups and downs in school. On one hand he's very smart and reading at a 2nd grade level. On the other hand he's very smart and knows it. He enjoys getting a rise out of his teacher and spends at least one day a week in the Vice Principal's office. Grown ups do not intimidate this kid, and its EXTREMELY frustrating. He is very popular and somehow seems to know every teacher and student at his school!

Allie is a trouble maker in her own right. Now that she is walking...no RUNNING, she goes from room to room looking for things to get into. I spend most of my day following her around going "no...NO...NO!!!" She is a sugar freak. We can't leave cans of soda sitting out or she will grab it and make a run for the nearest corner where she will guzzle it up!

The weather is getting warm now, and I say thank god! I miss the rain, but i'm happy to have the warm weather back.

Ok that's it for now. SEE! Not all that exciting around here :)

Updates

2009-02-01T03:58:00.005-06:00

Dad was here visiting a couple of weeks ago, and he brought this thing with him. It's called a GigaBall. You climb in it and someone rolls you around. Stewart took one look at it and said "UH UH!! NO WAY!" Then the neighbor kids came over and Stephen rolled them around a bit. Then Stewart was ALL into it! Didn't take long before they punctured a hole in it, though :)

The baby has had the stomach flu since Wednesday. Its awful, she can't keep anything down and I'm trying to keep everyone else from getting sick. I'm usually not a germ-a-phobe, but the day before she started having symptoms, I went to get my oil changed and I let her play in the play area. I just know she picked it up there. When I took her to the doctor, he said that this is going around and that its highly contagious. SO BEWARE!

2009-01-05T11:19:00.003-06:00

During AJ's nap today I cleaned Lil S's room. And I mean CLEANED! I bagged up a bunch of his old junk to take to the Goodwill and I organized all his toys. So what do you think AJ did as soon as she woke up? Well here's proof:

Gramma's Visit

2009-01-04T14:33:00.003-06:00

Gramma visited this weekend and we all had a great time! We went to Chuck E Cheese, McDonald's, Burger King, and the bouncehouse. Thank god Lil S goes back to school tomorrow, I can't keep this up!

I bought AJ a Longhorns' Cheerleader's outfit at Kid to Kid. I couldn't help myself, it's the cutest thing i've ever seen! Especially with her fat little belly poking of the bottom :)

Merry Christmas

2008-12-26T17:18:00.005-06:00

Allie and Stewart had a wonderful Christmas! Stewart got everything he wanted and Allie just wanted to play with her brother's stuff. In the afternoon we went to the Rod's. Here are some highlights, the rest are at our Picasa Photo Album:

Allie Walking

2008-12-24T09:36:00.002-06:00

Finally caught Allie walking on video:

Mohawk

2008-12-19T15:08:00.003-06:00

Allie got out of the bath last night, and I thought I'd have some fun with what little hair she has :)