November 25, 2007

We had a fun Thanksgiving. Grandma and Grandpa Ankeney brought Great-Grandma from Hereford and we enjoyed time playing, eating, watching football, and of course sleeping. Dave played in the local Turkey bowl and showed off his talent (now he is quietly dealing with the aches and pains of playing football with all the kids while his almost 40 year body yells "No!".

It's been so cold here that it even snowed on Thanksgiving! Lucky for us it didn't stick to anything. One benefit is I got to light a fire in our fireplace! Dave has to watch me like a hawk, however, because I tend to play with the fire way too much!

Yesterday we tried to pull together Rachel's science project and costume for the 3rd grade program. Rachel's science project deals with hand washing effectiveness. We started the experiment by taking all three kids to Chick-Fil-A for lunch and then demanding they stay and play for at least 30 minutes in the play place. When we got home, they rubbed their hands on apple slices and placed them in individual canning jars. The process was repeated after washing their hands different ways - Germ-X, bar soap, or liquid soap. We have to watch the jars until next Saturday to see which ones are least rotten. We'll see if this works.

As for Rachel's costume, she is supposed to be a comet. I found a picture on the internet we are using to model the costume after. Hobby Lobby had some really cool metalic looking material for the main part. Problem - the material kept getting eaten by my sewing machine. Now I have resorted to hand sewing! I am glad I have all next week to work on this. I did not intend for this to be an all week afair!

The kids go back to school tomorrow and I have to return to work. I ended up leaving work early on Wednesday and then took Friday off. I've enjoyed the time off. We now have our Christmas tree, lights, and other decorations up. We found a really good radio station playing Christmas music. This is my favorite time of year.

November 18, 2007

This was another fairly quiet week at the Ankeney household. Rachel went on a field trip with her school class to go swimming on Monday. She had a lot of fun. They tested her abilities while at the Natatorium. She was placed in the Level 2 category. That pleased me considering she has only had one swimming lesson session in her life. She made a lot of progress on her own last summer.

Tuesday night Dave assisted the youth on a temple trip to Dallas. I met him after work to trade cars and kids. On the way home, Rachel convinced me to take her to the brand new "American Girl" store at the Galleria Mall. She was in heaven with all the dolls and accessories there. She has a doll and a matching outfit for herself picked out. Her heart was broken when she saw the price tags and realized it may be a long time before she can have one for herself. We'll just have to see - Christmas is coming!

Matthew and Alyson continue their normal activities. I must admit the carpet around our family room is wearing holes due to their traditional racing around the furniture. The weather turned cold during the week and they needed some outlet for all their energy. These two kids wear me out!

Everyone is out of school this week for Thanksgiving. I have Thursday off for the holiday. We are looking forward to a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Ankeney who are bringing Great Grandma Stark. We hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Well now that the family seems to be into blogging we have set up links to other families blogs on the right. If you would like your families blog to be on that list send an invite to Kari and I.

(PS I need an invite to Dean and Mary's and to Kent's. I know you have sent one to Kari but I need one so I can access it also. Thanks)

November 14, 2007

Yes, we've updated our website again. This is in hopes of improving security. All the same information is here, so come back and check us out often!

November 11, 2007

My update is going to be short and sweet this week. I cannot think of anything worth reporting. We are all healthy and happy and staying in our normal routines of home, school, work, and church life. My only complaint today is time is flying too fast. My kids are growing too fast!

Have a great week!

November 4, 2007

We had a fun week. The kids enjoyed dressing up and going trick-or-treating. Rachel was a witch, Alyson was "Alice in Wonderland", and Matthew was Batman. We have some cute pictures but Dave has the camera with him so I'll have to post them later. We attended the "Trunk or Treat" in the church parking lot where the kids filled pillow cases full of candy. Matthew had so much in his bag he could hardly carry it. After we got home, they all wanted to go around our block as well. We are all sugared out! I am looking forward to when there will not be so much candy around - I guess I'll have to wait until after Christmas!

The kids were looking forward to a very fun weekend with their cousin Rebecca while Dave and "Uncle Dave" went to the races at Texas Motor Speedway. Alyson was especially heart broken when she woke up Saturday morning to find Rebecca and Uncle Dave returned to Austin in the middle of the night just in time to make the delivery of their new addition to the family. I am excited for Dave, Cheri, and their family, but we are sad to have missed this fun time with Dave and Rebecca. Any name for this darling little girl yet?

Our David ended up going to the races yesterday and today alone. He commented last night that he quite enjoyed some time where he could wander and see whatever it was he wanted. He came home with a lot of cool things being handed out by various sponsors. You couldn't ask for any better weather for a November race weekend. The temperatures have been in high 70's/low 80's with a slight breeze.

The kids and I just did our normal weekend stuff except today was Stake Conference. Elder Wickman and Elder Dykes were here from Salt Lake to reorganized our Stake and speak to us. The meeting was used for those who were released to share their testimonies of the Savior. We heard from the new Stake Presidency members and also the visiting authorities. The meeting was very uplifing despite my realization that I have room for improvement in many areas of my life.

I could write a lot more, but I'll refrain. I hope you all have a great week!

October 28, 2007

We had two "firsts" at our house the week. The first one was Rachel getting her braces on. She was so excited to get braces - why, I don't know, and I think now she is wondering why herself. She got the long list of items to avoid - anything hard, sticky, or chewy. She was extremely bummed when she realized she will not be able to eat 95% of her Halloween candy. For the first few days, her mouth hurt so bad she couldn't eat anything. We've resorted to protein shakes, pudding, jello, and ice cream. Alyson thinks it's a great diet except it leaves out her favorite things - anything that comes in a bag and ends in "O" - doritos, fritos, cheetos, etc. Why do we always think life is greener on the other side?

The second first of the week was a Halloween party at Dave's friend's home where the kids carved pumpkins. They did an awesome job:

Rachel did the spider one ALL BY HERSELF! She even was ranked in the top 5 among more than a dozen pumpkins carved by adults. Alyson's is the one in the middle. She did hers almost all by herself too. Matthew's is the one on the right; he and Mom did this one together. The kids had a blast. I don't know what Alyson liked doing more - carving or digging out the insides?! I was proud of Rachel; she sat there for a long time diligently marking the pattern and then cutting. All three pumpkins now sit on our front porch for all to see.

Happy Halloween to you all!

October 21, 2007

Grandma and Grandpa Ankeney came on Friday to spend time with the kids. Dave and I took our chance to go away and enjoy our 10th anniversary. We found a hotel in Addison and spent Friday night at the Galleria mall wandering and window shopping. Saturday, we went to the temple, took a drive to explore parts of the area we haven't been to yet, and lounged while watching movies later in the evening. I enjoyed the time alone and it sounds like the kids enjoyed time without us...

Saturday, there was an air show out at the Alliance airport north of Fort Worth. Grandma and Grandpa braved the outing and they all had a blast watching the planes doing tricks in the air. They especially liked all the junk food they could convince Grandpa to buy. Grandma even splurged and surprised Matthew with a set of toy airplanes to take home. They all had smiles on their faces when Dave and I returned, so I gather they survived their time marvelously! It's so great to know we can leave our children in such loving care.

(I do have to say, not everything was fabulous while we were gone. Grandpa saw the wrath of Rachel when he unknowingly stopped the DVR recording of "Hannah Montana". I think Grandpa was surprised at the tamtron this girl can throw! If her Dad was home, she would have been grounded from the TV for a week, if not the rest of her life!)

October 14, 2007

We celebrated Rachel's 9th Birthday on Monday. We went out to eat at her favorite restaurant - and mine, too! The girls, myself included, enjoyed steamed snow crab legs to our hearts content! Dave surprise Rachel and took cake in for her class to share (see picture below). Then, Friday night was her party at home. She had 12 friends come. Next year I will have to restrict the number, or maybe just those invited; some of the girls were quite rowdy and it was hard to get order! Rachel was pleased that almost everyone she invited could come. She has been enjoying her gifts since then.



I don't now what else to report this week. Matthew got to have a "play date" with a boy from church. This boy's father loves Kevin Harvick and has a lot of Nascar things at their house. Matthew was in heaven (Kevin Harvick is his favorite driver too). They planned another time to get together for this week.

September and October are the busiest times of the year for things at work - and at home for that fact! I am hoping to make it through the biggest "Budget Crunch" this week and then hope to be able to breath, only a little, come Wednesday. We'll see. Amidst all the stress with projects, we are preparing to move our entire IT department to an off-campus facility beginning october 29. The hospital has run out of room and needs additional space for clinics. IT was the most logical group to move; however, that comes with a huge expense as well. This move will most likely end my train-riding days. They are planning to offer a shuttle between the train station and the new building on a trial basis (not guaranteed!). This will require me to extend my day at both ends to be able to meet the schedule and get my required time in -- not worth it for me, so I'll go back to driving.

Dave got his XBox back and has returned to spending hours in front of the big screen. He has joined the 'Halo 3' craze. He is always looking for people to play online - anyone interested? As for me, I have focused on reading. I have gotten into the "Work and the Glory" series again. I am now in Book 7 of 9. This is much better entertainment in my mind. It's funny, though, that most of my reading happens after the kids are in bed and I find I only get 10-15 minutes in before I wake up and realize it's 1 a.m. and all the lights in the house are still on.

Have a great week!

October 7, 2007

I've had no good reason why I haven't done updates lately. My eyes are becomming increasingly bothered by the computer screen, but I still spend a lot of time sitting in front of the monitor.

We had a fun week. I was glad my Mom and Dad could come visit last weekend. I am especially glad Dad faired well with the car ride. I worried about him. I cannot say we did anything all that exciting but I enjoyed a walk through our neighborhood and a trip to the infamous "Babe's". We only go there when we have company so anyone wanting awesome fried chicken or chicken fried steak is welcome any time!

Alyson turned 7 on Wednesday. She was excited for our traditional donut breakfast and dinner of her choice. Dave and Matthew surprised Alyson by showing up at school with a special birthday cake to share with her classmates. She had no clue he was coming and loved all the attention. We continued the celebration with a party at our house last night. I think we tested the limits on the trampoline as 12 kids played "Cherry Bomb". I had a whole bunch of games lined up for them to play, but the trampoline won their attention. I am glad they all had fun. One more party to go and then I'm done for a while!

Matthew's big excitement was a return trip to the dentist. He now has 2 "silver teeth" and 4 filled cavities. He did wonderful at the dentist. He was thrilled to get a hot wheel car as a gift for being a great patient. He also got to keep the nose mask used for the laughing gas. I am glad this was not a horrible experience for him as many children fear the dentist.

Rachel had a quiet week as everyone else got the attention. This next week will be Rachel's big week. She turns 9 years old tomorrow; the school is celebrating by giving the kids a holiday. She gets to spend the day at home with Dad, Alyson, and Matthew. Tuesday, Rachel goes back to the orthodontist to begin preparations for spacers and braces. Unfortunately, Rachel takes after her Dad with her mouth and needs help to allow 4 teeth to come in that don't currently have room. If we can catch this now, we're hoping she will not have to have full braces when she gets older. I've been a little overwhelmed by all the dental issues and expenses this last year - thank goodness for savings!

Everything else is normal for Dave and I. Have a great week!

September 23, 2007

This was a fun and busy week. Matthew turned 5-years-old on Thursday. He was thrilled to have a few friends come over to a party yesterday. We served pizza, cake, and ice cream and the boys decorated license plates, played a "Cars" games, and jumped on the trampoline. Matthew has spent the rest of the weekend playing with his new toys - so, there really are toys not made in China!!!

Today was the children's Primary Sacrament Meeting program. All three kids had parts and did wonderful. I sat by myself since Dave was responsible to help his class, one child in particular, to sit still and pay attention. The music was absolutely beautiful. We had two young girls play a violin duet, another group of ladies accompany the children on the harp and the flute, and then just the sounds and sights of children singing their hearts out.

As far as work goes for me, the change was made official last week that moved me back under the lady who hired me. I am happy with this change and things are improving there. It's a busy time of the year as it is budget season and I've been involved with preparing projects for capital budget submissions. Who knew I would end up using my finance degree in a QA role!?! My boss commented that she did not intend for me to become so involved, but she realizes I have the knowledge and skill. I am happy to learn new things.

Dave and I talked earlier about the need for motivation to lose weight and be healthier. Both of us have gained quite a bit of weight since moving here and have been unable to shed the pounds. The Cowtown Marathon is next February in Fort Worth. I am thinking about registering for the 10K run as part of this Marathon; this will give me 5 months to get myself ready. Dave is thinking he wants to prepare to compete with Dave Taylor in the next Austin Triathalon. Wouldn't that be awesome? We have a lot of work to do to meet these goals!

September 16, 2007

The highlight of the week was a surprise visit from Grandma and Grandpa Ankeney. They came this weekend so they could share in the kids' birthdays since they won't be able to make it on the actual days. I wish I could capture on camera the excitement of Alyson when the big birthday present was unveiled ... All three were excited, but Alyson's reaction was thrilling. We were sad to see Grandma and Grandpa leave today after church. Matthew is counting down the days until Thursday - 4 days until he's 5!

September 9, 2007

I am trying to think about what to write. I've had a hard time lately getting a turn at the computer. Between Dave, Rachel, and Matthew, computer time is a commodity. Alyson for some reason doesn't spend a lot of time at the computer.

Since I wrote last, the kids have all been to the dentist. Rachel goes back tomorrow for a filling. Matthew is scheduled for some major work the first of next month - 6 cavities! Three are so bad that he has to have caps put on. Alyson was pleased to come away with a perfect report! (We won't remind her that last time they went to the dentist, she had four cavities and the other two didn't have any!)


Dave started a new "job" helping with football games around the area. He had his first game last Friday and was responsible for the 25-second clock. He will work his way to chain crew and then referee. He has to work a number of games to progress up the chain. With my work schedule, it may be hard to progress too quickly, but at least it gives him an "out". The assignments do pay a little which always helps.

We had a BBQ at our house last night. Dave invited a few friends from church to come over and watch the Nascar race. He spent most of the day smoking ribs and briskett. It was wonderful and he received many comments last night and then again today at church about how good the ribs were. I agree - they were awesome! We have quite a bit left over and I am enjoying them. I also had fun getting to know people better. I am starting to feel like I have some friends here.

Work for me has been a roller coaster but this last week was pretty good. My biggest challenge has been meeting the train schedule since school started. The school changed the start time for elementary kids and we start 30 minutes earlier than last year. Trying to get my grumpy kids out of bed, bathed, and fed has posed to be a challenge. Some of this is self-inflicted since we decided as a family to have our family scripture study and prayer in the morning instead of at night. We are more consistent this way and it usually brings a better spirit into our home.

With some pretty grumpy attitude lately, we are eliminating t.v. from our daily routine until Wednesday. The kids are living their lives around specific shows and throwing tantrums when told to finish homework, chores, or anything else that involves effort. We'll see how this goes. I've noticed Dave even turned off the t.v. tonight and it has been wonderfully peaceful.

I've rambled enough. We hope you all have a wonderful week!

August 30, 2007

School started on Monday. We've gone from "I'm bored" to "I didn't get any time to play!" To say tonight was frustrating is an understatement. Alyson is laying in bed sobbing because she didn't listen to Mom and Dad and decided to go outside and play instead of doing what she was told to do. Now, she has been forced to bed with no homework done and half the toys (literally) banned to Mom and Dad's room for the next week. I feel really bad, but she (and Matthew) need to understand choices and consequences. Sometimes, this is harder for the parents to take than the kids! The kids are now in bed and I have few minutes when the computer is not occupied to write my update.

On a brighter note, the girls both absolutely love going to school and their new teachers. Both girls have a whole new set of friends in their classes. Rachel is already talking about the girls in her new class; she is arranging for a play-date with one of them.

Before school started, we enjoyed our last week of summer with our trip to Lubbock. It was great to see Brian and Misty and family. We also enjoyed seeing Mom and Dad. I have included pictures so you can see some of the fun we had.

Grandpa Ankeney came down to Lubbock and took Matthew to Hereford for a couple days. He helped Grandpa and followed him on all his errands. By Friday, he was ready to come home. I missed him tons while he was gone. Even Rachel kept begging to call and talk to him. That surprised me - they are always fighting when he's home. Oh how separation makes the heart grow fonder!

August 12, 2007

It's a big birthday month for the Anderson Family. I enjoyed my birthday this last Tuesday. I hope Karen and Dell also enjoyed theirs. My kids treated me to some very special homemade gifts and a dinner out. Alyson always enjoys going out to eat, so she didn't mind the idea. I worked on my birthday and it was just an ordinary day really - I am realizing birthdays are much more fun as children than adults! Thank you to all the calls, emails, and cards from many of you this week.

I cannot really think of much to write this evening. The kids spent a lot of the week at the swimming pool. The girls are becoming pretty good swimmers now. I was worried about them earlier this summer, but practice is showing to pay off. We are still working with Matthew on some techniques. He is still not comfortable in deeper water without his life vest. That's ok with me. I don't worry so much when he has it on.

Dave and I got a babysitter and had some time away last night. We need to do that more often. We went to a steakhouse in Grapevine and walked around "Bass Pro Shop". I know, that sounds really exciting to many of you! Dinner was nice and I enjoyed the time alone with him. The kids are still at ages where they monopolize as much time from us as they can.

We're headed to Lubbock next weekend, so our next update may be delayed. I am taking two extra days off work. We are looking forward to visiting with Brian and Misty and their kids who are coming for a visit. We hope you are all doing well!

August 4, 2007

It's really late tonight, but I thought I would get this update out before I went to bed. The kids and I spent most of today at the swimming pool. I have a nice sunburn to show for it. We all applied sunscreen before we got to the pool, but I didn't think about re-applying after we had been in and out of the water for over 4 hours. Alyson and Rachel's faces are pretty pink but I got the worst of the burns. Lesson learned...

Summer continues to roll along. Alyson returned from her trip to Grandma and Grandpa's on Wednesday. She was spoiled beyond belief while she was in Hereford. I have yet to see her wear all of the clothes she acquired on the trip (not that she isn't wearing them - she just came back with so much!). I am glad to know that Grandma and Grandpa Ankeney enjoy their grand-daughters so much! Matthew is looking forward to his turn late August.

Not really anything new has happened the last couple of weeks. We've had some issues with children not sleeping well at night; thus, I have been pretty grouchy. Noises outside Rachel's window have been bothering her. We have construction on the road behind our house. They do not work at night, but they do start early in the morning. I don't think that is what is bothering her. If anything, it's the air conditioner running below her window. Matthew continues his traditional 3-4 nights/week sleeping on the floor beside my bed. This has been going on for well over a year - I can only imagine how well he is sleeping on the hard floor.

Dave spent his allowance this week on a new XBox game. He stayed up all night last night playing "Guitar Hero". He had me try it for a while. It is addicting. My fingers hurt before too long and I quit playing. I never saw him come to bed. That always means he stayed up way too late playing the game and decided to take a nap on the couch before the rest of us woke up. I sometimes think the XBox takes precedence over other important things, but then I stay up all night long playing with computer graphics programs and re-designing websites. I don't have much room to talk!

If you have a few minutes, check out our Photo Gallery. That's all for this week!

July 22, 2007

Alyson was in heaven this week with her cousin Rebecca staying for 4 days. They played together constantly and occasionally let Matthew play with them. They rode scooters, played in the sprinklers, went swimming, watched movies, and stayed up late each night. We are all trying to catch up on some much needed rest.

Rachel is still in Hereford with Grandma and Grandpa Ankeney. Each call home reports how spoiled she is getting there. Poor Rachel was born to a mother who doesn't like to shop; thank goodness for Grandma who fills in the void. Rachel sounds happy and is enjoying her time. We sure are missing her! Grandma is scheduled to bring her home on Tuesday and then take Alyson for her special time beginning Wednesday.

Dave and I are staying busy keeping up with the kids and miscellaneous projects around the house. Dave has benefitted from time at the pool with the kids - he's getting quite the tan! He was ecstatic for the chance yesterday afternoon to play golf with a couple other guys. He is looking forward to an appointment Tuesday morning hoping the doctor will remove the stitches in his mouth.

That's all for this week!

July 15, 2007

Grandma and Grandpa Ankeney came to visit this week. The highlight of the week was our first trip to Six Flags. The kids had a blast. We learned that Six Flags does not close for rain. In fact, it's kind-of fun riding rollercoasters in the rain. If we didn't get wet enough walking around the park, we definitely did on "Aquaman" or "Roaring Rapids". Matthew and Alyson will tell you the "Mini Mine Train" is their favorite ride - YES! WE GOT ALYSON ON A ROLLERCOASTER AND SHE ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! I believe Rachel's favorite ride was the "Gunslinger" (name?); this is a huge swing that lifts the kids up high and spins them around. Rachel was disappointed in Looney Tunes because she has crossed the mark - she is too tall to ride many of the rides there. I took the day off from work and enjoyed time in the park with everyone.

Rachel returned to Hereford with Grandma and Grandpa for a week of spoiling. She'll come home sometime next week on one of Grandma's days off. Alyson is thrilled to have Rebecca Taylor come stay the week with us in Keller. They plan to do fun things like playing outside, riding scooters, going swimming, and just plain being silly.

July 8, 2007

I really don't have much to report this week. The excitement of our week was the holiday festivities for the 4th. The weather held off Wednesday and we enjoyed our pancake breakfast and bike parade at the church. We had free tickets to the theater and tried to see a new movie out; however, the show was sold out. Instead of the movie, we wandered around Barnes and Noble. They have some cool books and toys there for everyone. Dave found a book he wanted to read, we bought it, and it took him just a couple days to finish it. He has found an author he really enjoys. Wednesday evening was spent watching our neighbors do fireworks in our cul-de-sac. It was funny - they ran out of fireworks and felt compelled to go back and get more to keep up a competition with neighbors on the next street. They were really nice and let the kids share their sparklers. We'll have to pitch in with the sparklers next year; I don't know that you would ever find Dave trying to compete with the neighbors for the best illegal (or legal for that matter) fireworks show!

Dave is recovering well from his procedure. He went to the doctor on Thursday and the doctor said he could start brushing his teeth again - yipee! He is now completely off the pain pills and starting to try eating some more normal food - still nothing he has to chew very much.

July 3, 2007

The kids had a total blast in Austin last week! They brought home a lot of fun crafts and stories of going to the park and swimming and playing with Rebecca. Cheri reported they were on their best behaviors. Rebecca was in heaven having cousins come stay for a whole week. Now, we are trying to schedule time where Rebecca and anyone else interested can come to our house this summer.

Dave filled his days at home alone with constructive projects. He completed the repairs on our Yukon - checking the brakes, replacing the shocks, and changing the oil. He had all carpets at the house cleaned. He refurbished a weights machine his Dad gave us and moved it upstairs to our bedroom. After my work, we made a trip to the Dallas Temple as well as several nights out enjoying each other's company. We had fun together just the two of us; however, we did miss the kids quite a bit!

Dave's procedure on Friday went as planned. He complained when I picked him up that he couldn't get completely numb, but he cannot remember anything now. In fact, he cannot remember anything that happened Friday and most of Saturday. It's kind of funny to tell him about things that he did knowing he has no recollection. (Blackmail material!) He is still very sore and has to stay on pain medication even now. Each day seems to be getting better. He is on a liquid diet for the next three weeks while his mouth heals.

The kids spent some time today decorating their bicycles for a bike parade scheduled for tomorrow. We are crossing our fingers the parade will be able to happen. The rain continues and we are seeing more widespread problems with flooding. It took me 2 hours to get from the train station home today (12 miles) because many roads were closed due to high-standing water. One advantage of the rain is cooler temperatures; I am sure we'll be wishing for the rain when it's up in the 100's later this summer!

June 24, 2007

This has been a really quiet week for us. Yesterday was a fun day for the kids - we had a primary activity in the morning where Dave and I were involved. We were asked to dress up like specific characters from the Book of Mormon and tell the kids the stories about these characters. Dave was Moroni and I was a mother of the 2000 Stripling Warriors. The kids then did arts and crafts related to the stories. Afterward, Matthew's Primary teacher invited his entire class to come swimming at her house. When we got there, she invited Rachel and Alyson to stay as well. The girls were ecstatic and I took them home to get their swimming suits on. They all swam for over 2 hours and didn't want to leave when the party was over.

We continue to get a lot of rain. We've had many call or email asking if we are o.k. There is a lot of flooding in areas around us, but we are fine. I know we are 250% of normal precipitation for the month of June already. I believe we are well over normal for the year as well. There is talk of finally lifting the water restrictions we've been on since the lakes and reserviors are back to normal levels. It was nice to have a break from the rain yesterday. The sun was out most of the day. The temperatures have been in the 90's and humidity averaging 75%. The warmth really feels good to me and I am slowly becoming accustomed to the humidity.

The highlight of the summer is finally here! I am headed down to Cedar Park (outside Austin) this afternoon to take all three kids to "Cousins Week" at Dave and Cheri's home. We've been counting down the days since May. I hope Cheri and family are up for having all of my kids the whole week. (our) Dave is scheduled for oral surgery on Friday; he has to have bone grafts to repair bone loss in his mouth. He is definitely not looking forward to this. I will drive back to Cedar Park on Saturday morning to bring the kids home. Dave has each day planned out with some big projects while kids are gone. Of course, I have my honey-do list as well! I don't think we'll know quite what to do with ourselves.

June 17, 2007

Happy Father's Day! I hope you all have had a great day. It's been a normal Sunday for us. In fact, this last week was pretty quiet.

I think the highlight of the week was me locking my keys in my car at work and Dave and the kids having to come bail me out. I was late to work that morning due to a dentist appointment - two new crowns! I had a really stressful day at work and then was late leaving the office because of a long meeting. By the time I got out to the car, I was more than ready to be home and relax. Oh, the best laid plans... I had no keys. After careful inspection, I found my keys lying on the driver's seat and all doors were locked! I felt very picked on at that moment. What could go wrong next!?!

The rest of the week was pretty tame. Alyson and Matthew spent yesterday playing in the street as water from the neighbors' draining swimming pool made a neat river to play in. They tried floating anything that would go fast down the hill - flip flops, popsicle sticks, etc. Both came in soak to the bone after finding they could get wet and then lay on the dry pavement leaving impressions of their bodies. Quite the entertainment!

Rachel has been filling her time with reading, surfing the internet, and working on art projects. She enjoyed a birthday party yesterday afternoon at a local "Bounce House" business.

That's all for this week. If all goes well, we are planning to take the kids down to Camp Brolly next Sunday evening. They will spend the week at Cheri's house in Cedar Park. They are really looking forward to time with cousin Rebecca! We're crossing our fingers we can go!

June 10, 2007

We have had quite the week-unfortunately, not one I care to repeat. Somewhere Alyson picked up a nasty bug (literally) and we've been dealing with that all week. We ended up canceling our big trip to Austin for next week just to make sure we didn't spread anything to others. I know cousin Rebecca was horrified to know she had to add 3 weeks to her countdown for time with the girls. We've rescheduled for the last week in June.

The highlight was a visit from Grandpa Ankeney and Dave's friend Ron from Salt Lake. The Indy Race was at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday night. Dave had extra tickets. Ron came down Friday afternoon in time for the Truck race that evening. He and Dave spent Saturday morning playing golf - great weather! Another of Dave's friends was participating in the Corvette show before the race; he needed another person to drive a second Corvette. Dave and Ron were happy to assist. Grandpa and the kids enjoyed a quieter day at home and a brief visit to the park. Then, Grandpa Ankeney and Matthew joined the boys at the track for the Indy race. Matthew felt so big to have special time with Grandpa. Grandpa brought Matthew home a little early due to a bloody nose. However, Matthew was so excited last night when they came home; he had a hard time settling down to go to sleep.

The girls and I stayed home and watched t.v. Sounds exciting, huh. For excitement, we decided to cut Rachel's hair. She is now a little cooler with six inches shorter hair. I think it looks really cute on her.

June 3, 2007

I cannot believe it is June already. May seemed to just fly by. My days at work were overwhelming with more to do than time in the day. But that's pretty usual. I have a new boss (interim) as a result of reorganization in our division. The new CIO will be recruiting someone to fill the director position over my department. I will report directly to the new director when the position is filled.

We got a trip in to Lubbock for Kevin and Laurie's reception on May 19. Grandma and Grandpa Ankeney came down for the evening. It was fun to see and visit with them. The kids had fun playing with Rebecca and Ryan Taylor at the reception. My girls are also very much awed by wedding gowns and loved seeing Aunt Laurie in hers. We were sad to see everyone leave Sunday morning, but we enjoyed a nice quiet Sunday with my parents before returning home.

School is out for the summer. We enjoyed a really nice Kindergarten graduation program for Alyson. She is now officially a full-day student. Hoorah! (actually, more exciting for Dave than for me.) Rachel showed significant improvement in her grades this last term, not that her grades were that bad to begin with, but she needs some extra encouragement to pay attention to details. We treated the kids to dinner at a local restaurant.

Last weekend, Aunt Kaylene came to visit. She got to witness how much rain we've been getting as it rained the entire time she was here. We did some fun activities with her - we took her to see the largest model train display in the U.S. The display happens to be in the front lobby of Children's Medical Center of Dallas. This trip served two purposes as she wanted to see where I worked too. We also wandered downtown and found the Dallas Farmer's Market. It was fun to see all the fresh produce and taste the samples. They also have plants, furniture, and jewelry that were fun to see.

Before Kaylene returned to home, we went to see the iMAX show on Dolphins and the presentation at the planetarium. The kids enjoyed the exhibits at the Fort Worth Museum of Natural History and Science. Matthew's favorite part was digging for dinosaur bones in the huge sandbox. My least favorite thing was cleaning wet sand off three children before getting into the car. We miss Kaylene already and are sad she is not as close as we were used to.

Yesterday was another trip to downtown Fort Worth to the Central Library. They had a free program for the kids to encourage reading during the summer. We got to have story time with two clowns from the Barnum and Bailey / Ringling Bros. circus. I even enjoyed that program.

We had a thunderstorm move through early this morning and now the sun is out and the skies are clear. I am enjoying the warmth. I have to agree with my Dad, this is great weather for Sunday. It sure helps me feel better about life when it's not so overcast and gloomy.

That's a lot for one week. I know if I didn't wait so long between updates, I could keep up better. I hope you all have a great week!

May 13, 2007

Happy Mother's Day to all you women! I hope you're all having an enjoyable day.

I enjoyed the time I spent in Salt Lake City with my extended family. Kevin and Laurie were married last Saturday and it was fun to be there for all the festivities. I was really sad David and my kids could not come this time.

This week was full of activites. Rachel went on the 2nd Grade field trip to Ranger Stadium in Arlington. She got a tour of the field, museum, and ate lunch in the dugout. She said it was a lot of fun. Friday was "Field Day" at the school. Rachel and Alyson participated with their classes in relay races and other games. The kids ate lunch in the classrooms while their teachers had a special appreciation luncheon. No more homework for the rest of the school year. It is hard for me to believe there are only 2 more weeks left before summer.

Dave and Matthew went to the Father and Son's outing at Grapevine Lake Friday night. We've had so much rain over the last few weeks, we were wondering if the event would still go on. Both boys seemed to enjoy themselves with all the other guys. They did skits and roasted treats over the fire. Matthew's favorite part was sleeping on an air mattress in the back of the Yukon.

While the boys were away, the girls also played! We went out to eat. The location of choice was Ihop! Then we rented a video to watch at home. We rented "Alice in Wonderland" and stayed up late.

Yesterday was busy doing chores around the house. Dave mowed the lawn and washed the cars (with some help from those who love to play in water!). I spent the morning rearranging closets - sounds like fun, huh. We went to the library and grocery store. The girls even found time to sunbath. This was the warmest, dryest weekend we've had in a couple months. We are all a little tired today and ready for our day of rest.

April 29, 2007

Another week has come and gone. The most exciting event of the week was another bonding moment with my children in the downstairs closet listening to thunder, lightening, and wind. Just as the kids got to bed and fell asleep Tuesday night, the tornado sirens went off in our area. We gathered in the closet with pillows and blankets and tried to convince the kids they really could go back to sleep. The storm passed within about 20 minutes. By that time, no one wanted to sleep in their own rooms. We filled up the queen-sized air mattress and had a slumber party in the master bedroom. Rachel was the first to say she did not care for tornadoes one bit. We sure have had a lot of them lately.

This weekend was absolutely beautiful weather. We went for a walk around the neighborhood yesterday morning. It was the designated garage sale day for the subdivision. Alyson came home with the most goodies - a new porcelain doll and a piggy bank. Matthew found a batman outfit he couldn't resist. Rachel was disappointed she couldn't find anything she wanted. The weather was hot (85 degrees) and there was not a cloud in the sky. We had a block party picnic at the park yesterday evening. Afterwards, the girls went to a birthday party and Matthew, Dave, and I went to the local home improvement store. Sounds really exciting, huh!

The school year is coming to a close. Rachel got her last homework assignment last week. Alyson has one more week of reading and then she is done. The kids will be participating in school fieldtrips, parties, and standardized tests between now and the last week of May. Time seems to be flying fast!

April 22, 2007

We have had some fun over the last couple of weeks. Dave and his Dad really enjoyed the races at Texas Motor Speedway last weekend. I had planned to go out on Friday night, but the activities were cancelled due to bad weather. We were under a tornado warning for a portion of the evening. In fact, we had taken Grandma and Grandpa Ankeney over to Golden Corral for dinner. We watched the funnel cloud from the restaurant windows - it was hard to remain calm so the kids wouldn't freak out. Large hail, rain and wind followed. The storm passed very quickly. When we got home, we heard on the news that the tornado touched down just a few miles south of our home and did quite a bit of damage. I think the kids are becoming accustomed to the severe thunderstorms here; however, they are really scared when they know tornados are headed our way (and so am I).

After rain and cold during the week, this weekend was beautiful with temperatures in the 80's. The kids and I spent some time at the public library picking out books for bedtime stories. Rachel is really getting interested in a couple authors and she has enjoyed reading instead of other activities. Rachel and a friend from school participated in a talent show Friday. They sang a song from Hannah Montana's CD. I was sad to miss the performance but Rachel said she had a lot of fun. I am glad to see my children are making some good friends here.

Alyson is impressing me with her progress in reading. I don't remember Rachel reading this well until the end of first grade. Alyson doesn't like to sit down and do her reading homework with Dave for some reason; she waits until I get home to do her "baggy books". I think she is proud of herself - and should be!

Matthew is up to his usual antics. Today, he was extremely bad about picking on bigger sisters. He was taking toys and hiding things. He truly is all boy! I think back on my growing up years and remember things Kent used to do to me. I am seeing a repeat in my own son!

Dave Taylor brought Brooke out this morning to go to church with us. They were in Dallas for a volleyball tournament. It was nice to visit with them. Brooke met some girls in our Young Women's program with volleyball ties. They stayed for a little while after church and had lunch and relaxed. I am afraid we are a little too boring for Sunday afternoons. Dave said he enjoyed the down time. I've missed being so close to family in Utah; it is really nice to see family here too.

That's enough for now. Have a great week!

Love,
David, Kari, and gang

April 8, 2007

Happy Easter to you all! I know I didn't write last week. We were havening technical difficulties. Not much more than the usual is happening around here.

The highlight for the week was the Easter Bunny left "empty" candy baskets yesterday morning. The kids were absolutely thrilled to be able to search throughout the house for plastic eggs filled with candy. After they collected all the eggs, they decorated hard-boiled eggs. When all the planned activities were done, they hid the eggs and spent hours playing hide-and-seek. They ate candy the rest of the day. Today has been focused on the true meaning of Easter. I know Alyson has been learning from our lessons because she promptly replied when asked in church today the meaning of Easter, "To celebrate the 'reshurrection' of Jesus Christ." It's funny to watch her try to say it with the gaping hole in the front of her mouth!

I am ready for my Sunday afternoon nap! I slept really well last night, and probably slept too long, but right now I am feeling tired. After yesterday's festivities we took the kids over to the mall to window shop and play in the children's play area. The girls got new shoes for Spring. Rachel has been needing some new tennis shoes and we found a good sale.

The weather earlier this week was stormy with a few tornado sightings not too far from us. I love listening to thunder and lightning. A cold front moved in Friday night and we are reminded of winter; the kids are beginning to go stir crazy because it has been too cold to play outside.

I have a few days off at the end of this week. It will be NASCAR race weekend here in Texas. Dave got tickets for the entire weekend. His parents are coming to visit the kids and help with babysitting. I plan to go to the track with Dave Friday night. Then, it sounds like his Dad will go with him to the other races. Matthew wants to go out and see a practice. Matthew is excited - he got to take a tour of the track last week and really wants to see it with cars going really fast!

That's enough for now. Have a great week!

Love,
David, Kari, and gang

March 18, 2007

With Spring Break this week, the kids had a lot of fun visiting both sets of grandparents. Their activities included drawing pictures, making cookies, shelling pecans, and building things with Legos. Each night I talked to them on the phone, they were all excited to tell me about their activities. In an effort to share their joy with me, they brought home a big bucket of pecans, a nut cracker, and about 3 dozen sugar cookies! Matthew learned that his "chicken grandpa" has a real name - "Grandpa Anderson" - and so does his "duck grandpa", "Grandpa Ankeney". One of these days, we'll have to tell you how those original names evolved.

Dave spent his time in Lubbock doing odd jobs for my Mom and Dad including fixing a porch light and helping Dave's Dad, who came down from Hereford for the day, to convert the guest bath tub to a shower. Dave also enjoyed special time with my Dad at the Lubbock Temple helping a youth group from Austin. One neat thing that was accomplished this week was setting up Dave's Dad's computer to do video conferencing. He bought a camera for the computer and got it setup to use software to talk to his grandkids. While I was here in Fort Worth, I could sit at the computer, see and talk to my kids who were miles away. This is really neat - no long distance phone bill and you can actually see who you're talking too - just think about Matthew just shaking his head in answers to questions from someone over the phone.

We took the kids to the American Airlines Museum yesterday. They enjoyed looking around a seeing all the gadgets and activities they had there. Matthew and Alyson's favorite part of the museum was the wheelchair ramp outside. They were handing out free books with stories for airline employees. Rachel has been reading the book and wants to do a book report for extra credit at school. I thought the museum was pretty cool, but I'll have to go back without kids to really enjoy all the neat stories and history there.

Have a great week!

Love,
David, Kari, and gang

March 12, 2007

We just continue to plug along with normal activities. Alyson lost another tooth last week. She was thrilled to have the tooth fairy come and leave her some money. Alyson is very frugal with her money; she'll save it all up for something really special unlike her sister who thinks Alyson should use her money to subsidize her older sister who cannot let any change sit in her pocket unspent! Rachel has been wanting a fish for a long time (she actually wants a dog but knows Mom and Dad will not let her get a dog, cat, or anything else of the sort). We have established some ways for the kids to earn money doing extra chores around the house. The kids begged us to go to the pet store on Saturday just to look. We consented and then regretted it later after the Rachel-sized fit that ensued. She thought it was totally unfair for us to demand that she earn 100% of the money BEFORE she buys the fish. "Mom, it will take me another month to earn enough money!" "Can't you just make up the difference?" Blah, blah, blah. Boy, we have some teaching moments coming in this regard!

We enjoyed some absolutely gorgeous weather this last week. Saturday was wonderful. We all wore shorts and spent Saturday evening at a local park. The girls found a friend at the park and spent the entire time racing each other around the playground and up a hill behind it. This park runs along a creek and has a lot of picnic areas and walking trails. I have a feeling we'll spend some more weekends or evenings there.

We celebrated Dave's birthday yesterday. He is now "39" - old man! He got his favorite German Chocolate cake and a new Xbox game to play - Tiger Woods '07. He spent the day trying to build a character on the game that looks just like him - between all of us, I think we got pretty close.

Now we're off to another week. Dave and the kids headed over to Lubbock early this morning. They will spend a couple days with my Mom and Dad and then a couple more days in Hereford with Dave's parents. I expect they will be back home before I get off work Friday. It will be lonely at my house this week since I cannot go with them. I have several projects I need to get done so maybe I can make progress without interruptions.

Have a great week!

Love,
David, Kari, and gang

March 1, 2007

Again, I am delinquent in writing. Our excitement this week was our venture to the Grapevine Mills mall last Friday night. The kids enjoyed walking around the mall and looking for things they wanted to buy. Of course, they wanted everything they saw. For anyone who has never been to the mall, it is huge! We’ll have to limit our trips there in the future in an effort to save our pocket books.

We endured the storm on Saturday afternoon as West Texas blew through our area. Sunday morning, I was still digging dirt out of ears! The sky was a yucky brown and you didn’t dare open your mouth for fear of what might be inhaled. Our roof sustained some minor damage as shingles not sufficiently attached blew loose. Dave has been putting off the climb on the very high and steep roof until I was home to make sure he had help in case he wanted to pull a “Bryan Kent” stunt!

I left Sunday afternoon for a business trip to New Orleans, Louisiana. I attended a conference for Healthcare professionals. I came home overwhelmed with the knowledge offered, not quite everything soaked into my brain. I had intended to stay through today (Thursday) but changed my plans at the last minute to accommodate a presentation I was involved with today. When I arrived at the office this morning, I found the presentation was canceled. Dave and the kids were thrilled I was home earlier.

I had never been to New Orleans before. I will admit it is not one of my favorite places to visit. The temperature was in the high 70’s with 98% humidity; unfortunately, the natural curl in my hair frustrated any attempt for my normal style. Many shops and restaurants are still closed. One report I read said only 50% of the original population has returned to the area thus far. The hotel I stayed in has only been open a few weeks. I stayed down in the French Quarter and walked to the convention center about a mile each way. I got a lot of good exercise and enjoyed some Cajun food I cannot get at home.

Well, that’s about all for this week!

Love,
Kari, Dave, and the gang

February 11, 2007

I went to write the date and realized today is Scott and Kevin Anderson's birthdays. I hope you both are having a great day!

The highlight of this week was the annual Daddy-Daughter Gala at the elementary school last night. All girls attending the school are encouraged to bring their Dads for a special night with dinner, dancing, and other activities. They came home just beaming with joy. They all had more fun than could be imagined! It was a semi-formal event; they served a nice lasagna dinner followed by dancing and a limo ride for everyone. Rachel was thrilled to be driven around the neighborhood in an extra-long white stretch limo. She commented she felt like a movie star! Dave said it was really fun to see both girls dancing and having a blast!

Matthew and I spent our alone time at the grocery store. Matthew felt like such a big boy helping Mom put things in the cart. He got to pick out a special treat for himself and didn't understand when I wouldn't let him pick up something for his sisters. He never wants to leave them out of the goodies, but they were having their fun and he deserved something all his own. We were excited to have everyone else come home and tell us about their night.

Other than this, it was a quiet week around our house!

Have a great week!


Love,
Kari, Dave, and the gang

February 4, 2007

I am delinquent in updating our website the last few weeks. The first week was because we were off in Austin having a blast with my sister Cheri's family. Then last weekend, we didn't have internet access. So, here I am trying to get caught up.

Icy weather cleared out long enough for us to go to Austin. I was able to get off work early and we made it to Austin late Friday night, January 19th. We didn't have anything big planned for the weekend except just spending time with Cheri's family. The kids had a ton of fun playing with Rebecca and Ryan. I think Rachel played every game in the toy closet. Dave, Cheri, and I left the younger kids with Holly and went down town to see Brooke play in a Volleyball tournament. That was fun, too, even though it was not a win for Brooke's team. We stayed up late and had ice cream sundaes and watched a movie - or should I say, some of us watched the movie while others slept through it. Since we've been back the girls keep asking when we'll see "the cousin who has big sisters named Brooke and Holly" again. Someday soon, I think Alyson will get "Rebecca" in her brain. Cheri was hoping to make a trip up here mid-February, but that's not certain yet.

For entertainment last weekend, we took the kids to Dallas and went to the aquarium at the fair grounds. We intended to go to the World Aquarium but found the other one instead. The kids had fun. Rachel will tell you her favorite animals were the alligator, alligator snapping turtle and the sea turtle. Alyson liked all of the "Lake" fishes. The "sea" fishes scared her - sharks, stingrays, jellyfish, etc. Matthew was just thrilled to balance on the benches that ran along all of the windows. He also really liked the "upside down mirror".

We're plugging along trying to get more settled. This week we've been fighting colds and coughs. Rachel missed school yesterday and Matthew has been pretty grumpy all week. Alyson is the furthest behind in school, so we are working with her to help her read simple three-word sentences. She was still learning her ABC's when we left Utah. Despite more homework and bigger expectations from teachers, the girls both love their new school.

I'm still adjusting to a different work environment. My job is still being defined; strategic planning meetings were held this week and that should prove to give me guidance on the work I am to focus on this year. Dave is trying to keep up with kid's homework and chores; he found a few minutes this weekend to get away from the house by himself. He is looking at his future options - he really wants to go to back to school and has found UT Arlington has a really good Electrical Engineering program. We have to wait a full year to apply to avoid out-of-state tuition. In the meantime, he plans to continue being home to help the kids and support me!

I hope you are all having a great week!

Love,
Kari, Dave, and the gang

January 14, 2007

We are finally settled in. The house is unpacked and the furniture is set where we want it. The girls are enjoying their new school and have already made friends. Tuesday, I came home to find Rachel had invited a friend over to play. When her mother arrived to take her home, we found out she has a daughter Alyson's age and a son Matthew's age. So, we've found some good playmates for everyone! Rachel is finding the school work here is more challenging than her last school. I think the challenge is good for her, but a little tough to face.

We have been grounded for the weekend as an ice storm threatens the metro areas. Our church leaders cancelled church today in an effort to keep everyone from traveling on the icy roads. Our bishop and a counselor came over this afternoon to do the official "meet and greet you" visit. They said the storm did not materialize this far south as the meterologists were predicting. It has been drizzling almost all day. Our swing set has small icesickles forming - Dave wanted me to wait to send a picture until the icesickles were at least a foot long. We'll see what happens out there by morning.

There is not much to report for this week. I will probably miss an update next Sunday as we are going to Austin to visit my sister Cheri's family. We are really excited! I hope you all have a great week!

Kari, Dave, and the gang

January 7, 2007

Since I last wrote, Dave and the children have finally arrived in Keller and we have unpacked most boxes. The only items left packed are the ones we don’t have a place for yet or the ones that will remain in the garage for storage. The kids had a great introduction to Texas last Friday (December 28). It was their first day in the area and they had their first Tornado warning. I am glad Dave, his Dad, and several neighbors were able to get our truck and trailers unloaded the night before. Severe thunderstorms moved into the area Thursday night and by Friday afternoon we had quite the storm. I returned home from work early, happy to have found my way through the torrential downpour just in time for the Tornado warning to be issued for our area and the sound of the sirens. We spent a while in the closet under the stairs. The kids were terrified and didn’t want to come out of the closet once things settled down. Lucky for us, the tornado turned and headed to the east.

Rachel started school on Thursday this week. Alyson had to wait a day because of a recent measles outbreak requiring all Kindergarteners to have another shot before school. Both girls really like their teachers so far and Rachel is talking about friends she is making in her class. We spent yesterday shopping for all the school supplies required for the kids. We got spoiled in Utah by the school districts providing most of the supplies. This new school district is supposed to be exemplary; it has been rated one of the top districts in the state.

We have met a few of our neighbors. There are still quite a few homes for sale on the street. We are hoping someone with little girls moves in soon. Matthew has several boys to play with; however, we will have to import some girls for Rachel and Alyson.

I still really like my job. As the new year gets going, I have many projects to keep me busy. The department is in the process of redesigning procedures and reorganizing some teams. These changes are likely to affect my position only to add more responsibility.

As far as I can tell, Dave is really liking his “job”. I am grateful he is able to be home and help the kids through this transition. He finally got to purchase the new set of golf clubs he has been waiting for. He is hoping to be able to get out on the range soon. We’ll see how much he is able to get out there.

We are doing well. I have to admit, I’ve been missing friends and family in Utah. I think it hit me a little today in church. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Love,Kari, Dave, and the gang

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