Easter Weekend

Over the Easter holiday we were very blessed to have my parents come down and witness the girls be baptised and confirmed at St. Philip Catholic Church. Morgan was also able to recieve her first communion.

Over the years my life and fears has kept me from really following my faith and religion. On the outside I am very outgoing and friendly but I do carry a fear of rejectionjust below the surface. There were so many things in my life pushing me back to church that I finally made the jump.

We began attending church regularly and it was such a perfect time in my life. I really needed the help that God was able to provide. There is a new peace over our lives. I feel a little more complete and know that I do not have to carry the weight of the world alone.

Evelyn's Godparents are dear friends of ours....Ryan and Allison Bean. They are also both girls confimation sponsers. Morgan's Godparents and longtime very dear friends... Brian and Casey Gurka. They were not able to make the service as they are stationed in Pakistan for one more year. They were in our thoughts that night and continue to be in our prayers daily.

Hard to be better than the BEST!

Dance Baby Dance!

The girls anxiously await the results..little did they know that they were going to be #1

Even Evelyn is so proud of big sis! Heaven help me if Evelyn dances team too...argh...who needs free time?

Miss Morgan and her dance sis Emma. Way to go GIRLS!

Our Final Competition for the Dance Company for the 08/09 Season.

The girls did absolutely amazing. We (yes I claim me..it takes a lot to be a dance mom...I just don't get the benefit of the work out) ranked first place, third and eighth overall. We were scored with two Platinum and one High Gold.

"This is Halloween"

A great man gone.

Grandpa Dobby

It has been a few weeks now since his passing but that does not mean that I have not thought about him since the news. He was truly a great man and lead a great life. He was kind and loving and was not afraid to tell you the facts of life. Keep it simple and to the point. He served as mayor of my home town and was very active in many parts of the community. He had an awesome frontier town that was open for the public to visit and learn a little about Nebraska history. Many people laugh when I tell them who I was related to and had many fond memories of him themselves..mostly the mean school bus driver stories but the were fond nonetheless.
He raised an amazing son who would then become the amazing father to my amazing husband. Everything that has molded my husband into the man that he is came from those two men. The relationship that my father in law had with his father is one that many people would envy. They were best friends even when the list at the village was a mile long and Denny was the only one there to help..he did not mind...it made his dad happy and that is a great attribute in friendship that is hard to find let alone in a parent child relationship.

Grandpa Dobby will be greatly missed. Morgan loved to have tea parties with him. He had time to sit and play pretend, it was a nice reminder to slow down...you know he was always on the go though. A meeting with the old farts club or a hot date with his girlfriend Dorthy or just something that needed to be tinkered with in the village.

A Great Man and a Great Life. He is loved by many and by all. What more could one ask for?

Texas Blue Bonnets

My Girls and the beauty of the Blue Bonnet Flowers.

This is a annual Texas tradition for many people here in the state. This is the first year that we have been able to find them and be prepared the the photo opportunity. They are really pretty and make for a good photo. Oh ya the flowers are pretty too ;)

Morgan's First Dance Competition

Morgan and The Dance Space Company team performed three dance numbers. They scored 2 high golds and one gold. They also scored 10th overall. I am also proud to announce that they...ME...got first place for costumes. Phil had to endure the loss of his wife for several days and hours while I helped size and assist in the design for the costumes for the tweleve girls. I personally did Morgan's costume along with one of the other's while providing creative help for the others. It was an amazing first competition, we are so proud of the girls.

The girls wait on stage for the announcement of the results.

Morgan and Ms. Tera

"This is Halloween"
The Nightmare Before Christmas

Morgan and her dance sister Emma

In the dressing room waiting for showtime!

The Dance Space Dance Company "Hippy Shake"

Morgan is on far right of the stage.

NYC 2009

We had an AMAZING time in NYC. We stayed in Manhattan and had kind of a second honeymoon. I love NYC so much. We had some friends meet us from Baltimore and they ran around the town with us. It was kind of like having our own bodyguards...former Marines so they know how to eat like em but not work out like em..hehehe...

Phil does not care for the city but that is where my heart will be from now on. He suffered through the days running around the city but he enjoyed the nights of sleep and the wife who did not have a headache or too tired or the little ones knocking at the door.

I highly recommend to any married couple of several years to get away without the kids for at least four days. It was so refreshing to remember who I was. I am a woman not just a mom or friend or do it all wonder woman. I am fun, I am not a nag, I don't correct people all the time (kids). I know that Phil enjoyed seeing that part of me again too. It was also really nice to have two male companions for Phil so that he did not have to suffer alone while I drug him all over and through central park. It also kept us in track of just us time and not worrying about family yuck.

I will post more pics as I get the time.

Always a pretty princess

Who said that you can't wear a tutu everyday? Evelyn had a great time ice skating. Her feet moved a million miles a minute but she never really got anywhere. Our backs were so sore from holding her up while she "skated" but luckily Uncle Jesse was there to help in the rotation too.

Our first time ice skating

We had a great time ice skating. Every year Grandma Liz and Grandpa Denny send us some play money for Christmas and this year we really had a blast.

Morgan fell quite a few times but she was never afraid to get right back up and go some more. She owns a pair of roller blades and has never skated on the old school skates but she did pretty good for her first time on the ice. There were a few times that I thought Jesse would biff it but I think that he did pretty well too. Phil and Evelyn spent a lot of time together keeping each other up ;)