Be Silly

And this is the face he gave me...

Happy 21 months today!

Say Cheese

Waffles & Eggs

And the tradition continues...remember Crazy Eggs? We went to Buda last week to visit my aunt and uncle and cousins Camille and Catherine to decorate Easter Eggs! This year was a little different. Instead of jumping right into decorating eggs, Camille and Catherine were more interested in playing with Davis (who really wasn't into the eggs this year). I'm convinced Davis (and Duke for that matter) are ready to move to Buda. They have so much land and free roaming space, not to mention the rabbits, chickens, turtles, and horses. Heaven for a rabbit chasing dog (don't worry, the rabbit won the race) and an animal loving kid. Once we did finally start decorating, there was a definite royal theme to many of the eggs!

Easter morning Davis was an egg-hunting pro! He was excited to see a basket full of goodies when he woke up and loved looking for eggs outside. The Easter Bunny put little puffs in his eggs and with each one it was like he was shooting oysters, open egg - head back - puffs in mouth!

My parents and Ann Marie drove in from Austin that morning. We all went to mass together (half the time spent outside with Davis) and then headed downtown for brunch at the Menger Hotel. There was a TON of food. I think I had three plates of shrimp! Ann Marie enjoyed a massive leg of lamb! And Davis, as you can see, enjoyed the most delicious waffle he's ever had.

By the way, I did edit/crop these pictures and for some reason when I uploaded them, the edits were not saved. So you can see red eyes and the awful bruise on Davis' forehead (he ran into a door). Oh boy, we always have bruises :)

Happy Easter to YOU

Softly call the Muster

Last night, Forrest and I attended the yearly Aggie Muster here in San Antonio at Aggie Park. Aggies all over the world were also paying their respects for loved ones who have passed away over the past year. We went in honor of a family friend that passed away in February. I felt honored to answer 'here' for him as his name was called and light a candle.

Once you leave the land of traditions, howdies, and humpin' it -- it gives you goose bumps to be back in a room filled with aggies. I was, admittedly, a 2%er, but that doesn't mean I don't love a howdy or two. I love the traditions A&M holds true.

The tradition of Muster began on June 26, 1883. Students gathered to live over again their college days, victories and defeats won and lost on the drill field and in the classroom. Over time, this tradition changed, celebrating different things that had happened over the year. "If there is an A&M man (woman) in one hundred miles of you, you are expected to get together, eat a little, and live over the days you spent at the A&M College of Texas."

Roll Call for the Absent

In many lands and climes this April Day

Proud sons of Texas A&M unite.

Our loyalty to country, school, we pray,

And seal our pact with bond of common might.

We live again those happy days of yore

On campus, field, in classroom, dorm, at drill.

Fond memory brings a sigh -- but nothing more;

Now we are men and life's a greater thrill,

Before we part and go upon our way,

We pause to honor those we knew so well;

The old familiar faces we miss so much today

Left cherished recollections that time cannot dispel.

Softly call the Muster,

Let comrade answer, "Here!"

Their spirits hover 'round us

As if to bring us cheer!

Mark them present in our hearts.

We'll meet some other day

There is no death, but life eterne

For old friends such as they!

All Done!

Davis has always used the sign for 'all done' when he is done eating. Lately I've been seeing him put this sign to other uses. For example, when I'm drying my hair. He will get my attention and tell me I'm all done so I can come play with him instead. And this morning, I was singing (I'll spare you, but it was something along the lines of hippity hoppity Easter's on its way!) and he gave me this funny look and decided he was ALL DONE with my singing. I know I don't have the best voice, but I thought I was providing him a little entertainment.

And because I don't have a picture of Davis doing the 'all done' sign, I will leave you with this adorable pic, right before heading to Mass. He loves to point out the "cars" on his jumper!

From Houston to Austin

My parents and my aunt completed the MS150 bike ride from Houston to Austin this past weekend (and FYI it's more than 150 miles). So proud of my dad, as this was his first year to do it! He rode with a group called the Wheels of Love and my mom and aunt rode with the Tough Cookies group. Here's a quick picture re-cap of Sunday afternoon:

Waiting at the finish line for our two favorite teams to cross!

My dad!

Ann Marie with our cousins, Camille and Catherine

Tough Cookies making their way across the finish line!

If you can manage to see around Claire's flailing arm (cute watch), here comes mom and Robin!

Together, my parents raised over $4,000! Way to go!

The green and pink supporters!

Guess who else did the ride? Jarrett, my good friend Courtney's husband. So we were able to catch up with them after the race!!

Baby Gray on his Way!

This past weekend Forrest and I made our way to Dallas (stopping in Austin along the way to drop off Davis with my aunt and uncle) for a baby shower for sweet baby Jaggers. Grayson Bradley Jaggers is due this June and we cannot wait to meet him. So in the meantime, we showered him and his parents with lots of baby essentials! Cara and Jarod (Grayson's parents) were quite the athletes back in the day with a little soccer and a little football, so we decided to throw a sports themed shower.

1) Sign for the door

2) Signing table decorated like a football field. We had pictures of Cara and Jarod geared up for their sports and we had cracker jacks as favors.
3) Sport-themed-onesies
4) Scoreboard

1) Cute sport themed diaper cake

2) At the bar, we had a concession sign and cups made especially for Baby Jaggers

3) Daddy Diaper Duty pass-down belt

4) We served hot dogs with all the fixin's, fruit salad, and baseball oreo balls for dessert

Davis Makin' Us Laugh!

Here's what's funny about this video...right before I caught it on tape...Davis answered all the questions correctly. Lately, he's been holding up one finger when we ask him how old he is...but in this video he surprised us with a new answer!

Davis and the Crawfish

A Letter From My Mom

Dear Family and Friends,

Here I am, a week before the MS150 bike ride, feeling slightly nervous, wondering if I will have the wind at my back and if rain might be an issue or will I be able to sleep the night before the ride. I checked my bike odometer and see that I have over 2000 miles logged in. I have trained every weekend since December. Because I am a slower rider than many of my Tough Cookie team,(It is the age thing, I am sure!!) it takes me 4-6 hours or more each day to ride the miles required to be trained. Next Saturday, I will be riding 100 miles which I expect to be on the bike 8 to 9 hours and then another 6 hours on Sunday. When I started this crazy adventure, it was about me and could I do this at my age and level of fitness, but soon after I started training, I connected with Kathie, my very special friend. I also met others with MS. Now I realize I ride, because I can. I often think of Kathie as I get up for these long rides and sometimes complain about the amount of training and the persistent wind in my face. MS patients are wondering will they be able to function when they wake up in the morning or will they be able to get out of bed. Kathie's future and the future of others with MS puts this ride in perspective for me. For this reason, I will ride the MS150. I will be carrying a bandana on my bike signed by Kathie. While I ride along side my team of Tough Cookies, Tom, my husband, and 13,000 other riders, I will see people with MS on the roadside holding signs and cheering us on. I will talk to other cyclist riding for their loved ones with MS. I know that when I am riding from Houston to Austin that I get more than I give on these two long days. Kathie has been and will be praying for me and all the Tough Cookies. I ride in honor of Kathie because I can.

I wanted to send a gentle reminder to those of you who wish to donate but may have forgotten. I know many of you donated in the MS Walk so please do not feel obligated to donate again.

Sincerely,

Ann Francese

Laughter

Room Make-Over

When you walk through our front door, you enter one huge room. Let me do a little bit of explaining when I say "huge." I basically mean, the largest room in our house, which isn't saying a lot since we live in a tiny 2 bedroom 1 bath. This first room has been a puzzle for me since we first moved in. We've re-arranged it in so many ways! This room has many possibilities, but needs to fulfill our needs. It needs to be a second living space, a dinning room, a study, and a playroom. Wow, that's a lot of pressure on one room.

Here's a glimpse of the room...

1. When you walk in the door, this is the first wall you see. The candle sticks, lamp, and side table are all antiques. I still need to find a good shade for the lamp.

2. I found this small love seat at Ballard Designs. I love antiques and if I can't find an actual one, this store usually has the new look alike! The wingback chair on the left was $25 from an Estate Sale.

3. We need tons of playroom space for this kiddo! He can play the piano with one foot in the toy bucket!

4. Our dinning room table is at the far side of the room. This was obviously decorated for Davis' first birthday, but it usually has a centerpiece on it and my computer at one end. This is where I work all day.

After 2 and a half years of living here, I think I've finally figured out what to do with this room! Here are some fabrics I found...so stay tuned and see what you think...

Goal: $5,000

On May 30, 2011, I will be competing in the Cap Tex Triathlon to raise money for the Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund.

WHY WE TRI

We are raising money in memory of Mark Felice who died of cancer at the age of 17. He was a close friend to many and truly a friend to anyone he met. The Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund was created in his name, by his family, focusing on the needs of children and their families in the research and treatment of childhood cancers.

In the U.S., there are approximately 12,400 children, from birth to 19 years, who are diagnosed with cancer each year. About 1 in 330 children will develop cancer before their 20th birthday. Cancer is the most common cause of death by disease for children and adolescents in America. There is a decline in the childhood cancer mortality rate by 2-3.2% per year. The Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund is dedicated to aid in the continuation of this trend downward and aid those fighting childhood cancer.

Like the past years, we will continue our efforts to fundraise for such a wonderful cause. Thank you to all of those who helped us to raise money last year and reach our goal of $5,000. Our goal this year again is to raise $5,000!

Interested in getting involved...here's a couple ways to do just that:

Fundraising:

On my sister's Tri-ing for a Cause blog she has listed ways to get involved (fundraising letters, tshirt forms, etc). You will be able to download the information and customize it with your details. I used to be weary of sending out letters to ask for money until I read this article that said, "Be proud of raising money for a cause. Think that 'I'm proud to raise it' and that 'you'll be proud to donate'." You know its a great cause and everyone would love to donate so loose your inhibition to ask for money!

T-shirts: If you want to buy one please do! On race day all of the spectators who come to cheer us on usually have a shirt and makes it easier to spot them as well as spread the word. Let me know if you have any questions.

Training:
If you want some guidance on training you can visit here. It is a beginners training guide that you can follow and mold to match your lifestyle and level. Down at the bottom are some workouts you can download to listen on your iPod.

We have already raised $300 which is a great start. With your help, soon we will be well on our way to reaching $5,000!!

Thank you!!

My Golly Miss Molly

This past weekend we were in Austin for a baby shower. Kelly and Collin are expecting a baby girl this June, Molly! We had so much fun preparing all the little details for this day...of course we went with a PINK theme. It was a morning shower, so we offered pink mimosas (tea for the preggos), quiche, crepes, and macaroons for dessert. We had napkins with Molly's initials and towels in the bathroom that said, 'Thank Heaven for Little Girls.'

Here's a little sampling of the decor...

The hostesses are all friends from St. Michael's, our high school

Davis and Forrest went to Cabelas during the shower, but made an appearance at the end for some football and a wagon ride with Collin. They also bought Molly a pink camo sippy cup. Just what every country girl needs!