" I'm An Old Cowhand....from the Rio Grande"

I find it rather funny that my boys have grown up their whole lives in Texas and have never owned a cowboy hat, a belt buckle, or boots. Is that sac religious? Probably....after all, everybody here wears a cowboy hat, and drives a big ol' pick-up truck, including police officers. This week at school is "Western Week" where my boys get to dress up everyday, learn how to lasso, sit around a campfire, go on a pony ride, and hear stories from "Cowboy Bob". Fun huh? Wish I went to Kindergarten!
Connor and Gavin love their new duds. They were strutting around like peacocks this morning as proud as they could be. We ordered them some six shooters (cap guns) for a wild west shoot-out in the backyard. Did you know that nobody carries cap guns anymore? We had to order them online! We live in a sue-happy world, my friends. I am not terribly fond of guns, even toy guns, but c'mon! What boy didn't grow up with a cap gun? It's all about the sound it makes anyway. Just like fireworks!

Here's to my little buckaroos! I sure do love 'em.
(Of course, Brennan wanted in on the fun, too).

Somebody BUY ME! (er, my house)

I said I would post pics of our house once we were "on the market". So here you go...if you are interested in taking a peek at our casa, visit: http://buyowner.com/HOU6325.html click on the 360 degree tour...it's really cool! We are switching from BuyOwner to a Realtor this weekend, so we will get put on the MLS and hopefully sell our cute lil' house. By the way, if you know anyone who is interested in a great home in a great neighborhood, for a great price, send 'em the link!

I booked my ticket today for Steve and Evie's wedding, so I will see all you Utah folks in a couple of weeks. I know it'll be fun to see everyone and get the opportunity to take a nice stroll around my dirt square in Mountain Green. Floor plans are coming along very nicely and we should have the final product this week. It's all so exciting, stressful, fun, tedious, creative, scary-all rolled into one. Connor drew a few things he'd like to see added to the floor plan, like a slide from the main floor to his room in the basement. And a big movie theater on the roof, so that everyone can watch movies with us. We were going to put in a laundry chute, but thought better of it because of what Connor and Gavin may end up using it for. "Help me Mommy...I am stuck!" coming from Brennan most likely. Once the floor plans are finished for the final time, I will let you see them if you want. I really enjoy looking at floor plans and model homes and stuff, so bear with me if that's all I talk about for a while. Next comes the really fun part...picking out all the design elements. I'd rather win a shopping spree to Lowe's or Home Depot than in a fancy clothing store any day! (Maybe because I don't have to stand in front of any mirrors!)

Spring Break = Boxing Camp?

In Texas this week it is Spring Break, which means a whole lot of kids with a week off from school. I rely on school to keep my sanity so when Spring Break rolls around I better have something for the kids to do. With all that has been going on lately with the house(s), I failed to make proper arrangements until my neighbor suggested Boxing Camp. Huh? What's boxing camp? Honestly, I thought, "Yeah, I can see my kids learning the proper way to kill each other. No thanks." But I was assured it wasn't like that at all, (and it would be a great way for the kids to wear themselves out every day for a week)...THAT I can go for.
So we gave it a try. Connor and Gavin LOVED it! I have never seen my boys so happy to get hit by big flying balls and over-sized boxing gloves. Connor even got a bloody nose today and just kept on smiling. Gavin learned how to jump rope. They both learned how to jab, cross, left hook, and upper-cut. They feel like they are 10 feet tall every time they leave the boxing gym. Anything that helps build coordination and self-image, as well as respect for others and the rules, I am on board! (They sleep like the dead every night as well, so that has been a bonus).
Sadly, today was our last day but we did get some cool boxing glove key chains as a souvenir of our fun week. My boys earned those little golden gloves! Boxing is an exhausting sport!

Ready for action!

A couple of "shadow boxing" action scenes.
They loved Toni, their boxing coach.
She is a golden gloves fighter herself on the women's boxing circuit.
Girl boxers are tough cookies!

Pure joy only a jump rope can bring!

Why is it soooo much fun for boys to hit each other? I don't get it, but at least they are in the ring and having the time of their lives!
Connor is the winner!!

Dodge ball is a great game for cat-like reflexes.
Boxers play this game a lot! Who knew?

Curb Appeal (a.k.a. back-breaking work!)

Our last major project before putting the house on the market was adding some "curb appeal" to the massive mulch bed surrounding the front of our house. There are certain rules that have to be followed if you choose to live in The Woodlands, mainly you must keep 40% of your front yard natural.... meaning trees, mulch, stone, etc. When we moved in, we had a giant dirt pile and a few trees. We've planted flowers or shrubs each year, but that's about it. (For those of you who have been to our house, you'll know how much work we've done!) We originally intended on doing this to our front yard and 5 years later, we've finally accomplished it. Sad that it took us this long to do it, but hopefully it'll draw someone's eye to our house. It was some serious work! Sean and I have done nothing but haul rocks all day (for 3 days)....it wasn't fun, and I have taken many a hot bath and Advil at bedtime. BUT it is finally done and it turned out beautifully. We list our house this weekend, and hopefully with Spring Break going on next week in Texas, we will find a buyer! I just want to move already!!! With a little luck, we will be outta here very soon. So, here we go! No turning back now.

And here's a photo at dusk...complete with dramatic landscape lighting ...
everyone say "oooohhh...ahhhh".

Here's a picture of our living room.
We put wood floors down about a year ago and I love how easy they are to clean. I will never go back to a light carpet in a heavy traffic area! More pictures will be posted once the paint touch-ups are finished and we are taking the final pics for our online property listing.

"Maggs" the WonderDog!

Let me preface this by saying I am NOT a dog person. Not that I am afraid of them, or dislike them, I have just never wanted to own one myself. I guess the hassle of cleaning up a lower life form's feces just doesn't sound all that appealing to me. True, I do have 2 cats, but the litter box is far less of a chore in my opinion than "Dog Bombs" all over the yard.
All of this being said, my opinion of dogs has changed since "Maggs" came along. (Or Margaret Sheridan Mathis, if you're into proper names). Maggs is an adorable Norfolk Terrier of proud lineage...(think lots of blue ribbons) and is just about the sweetest dog I have ever met in my life. She isn't hyper or yappy like most small dogs. In fact, she's quite mellow and plays gently with my hyper, yappy boys. I have never considered owning a dog until she came along. She belongs to my mom-in-law and has been Janie's "therapy dog" while recovering from her stroke last year. She works wonders! She truly is a wonder dog!

She's now fully grown and weighs maybe 12 pounds. (Janie, correct me if I am wrong). She is so compact and portable you can take her anywhere, but she's stocky and sturdy, too. I love this dog. She really is the perfect pet. So if any of you would consider a puppy from Maggs maybe in 6 months to a year, let us know. (I definitely want one of her puppies, maybe down the road a little when Brennan is older and we aren't in the middle of building a house.)

We love you, Maggie!
If anyone has cute pictures of Maggs, send 'em my way!

This is the only one I have of her.

Friday Ramblings on Saturday!

I know, I know....today is technically Saturday, but my computer or Blogger or my internet connection was acting up yesterday. I know you all can't LIVE without my Friday Ramblings, so I apologize it's late! (For those of you who were holding your breath, it's okay to exhale now.)

Things are going well and chugging right along. It has been a gorgeous weekend so far, so we have been working out in the yard trying to get some "curb appeal" so we can put our house up on the market next Saturday. The weather has been rainy or cold the last few weekends, so this was a much needed and welcome change. The boys have been so incredibly sweet and helpful (almost to a fault) and are helping me plant some flowers tomorrow. They are my green thumbs!

We had three more birthday parties today, and I welcome a calm and peaceful day "digging in the dirt" tomorrow. I took some really cute pictures of the kids this week. Brennan is getting so big and pulling up to a standing position, so he may just decide to be my early walker...we shall see! I wouldn't mind if he crawled a little longer, 'cause once they start walking they never sit still again!

Here are just a few random pics for your viewing pleasure....................

Halloween only comes once a year, true. But in our house dress-up is an every day affair. Connor is a "lost boy" and is wearing one of Sean's costumes when he was a kid. Grandma Janie was nice enough to pass it down! I am sure there's a photo of Sean in this outfit somewhere!

Gavin is my knight in shining armor keeping the
"mean dragons with red eyes" far away from frightened mommy.
What would I do without my handsome rescuer?

Brennan's "gerber baby" submission.
He just keeps getting more and more cute!
But hey, I am his Mom...not so objective, am I?

HAPPY BABY! Squealing at the top of his lungs!