Summer's coming back to Texas! The other day it was in the 90s so the kids decided they wanted to play in the sprinkler. Lorelle has just been waiting for when she could wear her new bathing suit that the Easter Bunny got her. Lorelle loves getting wet in the sprinkler. Tyler pretty much avoids the water, but loved wearing his new Lightning McQueen shorts and his McQueen crocs.
But I try to respect her and go outside as little as possible if I know she is there. 
Titan also got used to her. He would bark at other birds that tried to come close to the porch. It's amazing what animals will do for each other. I did not think after Momma had her babies last year and when they flew the nest that it would ever be used again. Now, I don't know that it is the same Momma - but it's the same kind of bird with the exact same patterns so in my mind it's Momma. I was so excited to see her back this year. And this year I got pictures!!! I don't know how I didn't manage to get any last year. 
Can I just say that I have the best family EVER!!! I have LOVED getting to hang out with my family lately. We have had a bunch of fun!
She's only 5 years old and already her dreams are coming true! A couple years ago Lorelle began watching Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team with me. She LOVED it! She knew the girls by name and would try to copy the dances and everytime we drive through Dallas she wants to stop and see them. Well on March 28th, she became one...well for a day anyway! My sister (wonderful woman that she is) informed me of a DCC Clinic and performance with the San Antonio Rampage (minor league hockey). 
After looking into it I decided to go ahead and sign Lorelle up and invited Logan to join us. I was bummed that both Lorelle's friend AVery and her cousin Mckayla were too young because I think all would've enjoyed it. So the Friday night before the kids and I headed down to San Antonio to spend the night. We had to be at the clinic at 8:15 and there was NO WAY I was going to get up early enough to make that 1 hour drive in the AM. I figured everyone would enjoy it more if we played friday night (the kids in the room with toys, the adults with the Settlers/Seafarers of Catan) and then only had a 15 minute drive in the morning. The girls were soooo adorable and so excited. Unfortunately my sister was not able to join us due to other commitments. But she told me to take ALOT of pictures. Not wanting to disappoint, when Casey pulled the pictures off my camera after the clinic there were like 160. And that was AFTER I'd deleted the really bad/fuzzy ones. 
For the performance in the evening at the game, my parents and Tyler joined us. (There I only took like 80 pictures!) 
The cheerleaders were so good with the kids. Many times I caught Logan and Lorelle just gazing adoringly up at them. 
The girls were so cute learning their dance. Lorelle pretty much got every move, but she didn't make 'em in time to the beat. (It was a litle fast for their age) But they sure were trying! The hard part was as a parent, I had to sit behind glass windows so alot of the pictures are a bit fuzzy. 
After the clinic the parents were able to come out and take pictures. The girls got t-shirts for the performance and the cheerleaders signed the back of 'em. So I got a bunch of individual pictures. They were also provided with an 8x10 glossy with autographs of the Performance Group. 
The girls were so cute at the actual performance. First, look in the picture above. All the other children are facing the parents. Notice Lorelle and Logan - they're not facing us. It took a second to set 'em straight.
There were 2 cheerleaders posted, one on each corner. Leave it to our girls to look at the one furthest away for directions! I video taped the performance with my digital camera and even got a little wave during the performance. Again, since it was a hockey game and we wer in the stands, we were sitting behind plexiglass so the pictures aren't perfectly clear. But we were sitting in the first row. The poor girls were so exhausted by the start of the hockey game. Both laid their heads down during the first period, I know for sure that Lorelle even took a little nap. I on the other hand did not. 
You might be surprised to know this, but I LOVE being at live hockey games!!! Don't care for 'em on tv, but love 'em live! There so much excitement. Tyler got real into it also. I think he liked all the movement and sounds. And to top it off, The Rampage won!!!!
Before the start, I didn't know how long we would stay with the little kids...well, us adults made 'em suck it up when they were ready to leave! We were having too much fun. We were 5 rows away from the ice and right next to the Rampage penalty box - perfect seats. And to get to our seats, you had to go through the "Spurs and Saddles Club" area...which is FANCY for a stadium! Mom and I were joking that this experience has ruined any other games that we might go to where we are in the carpeted area with private bathrooms! haha All in all we had a FABULOUS time! And Lorelle tells me everyday (and most people she sees) that when she grows up she is going to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader!
Yes, I can't believe it...my baby boy is 3!!! (Yeah whatever, I know I'm a month late - deal with it!) We had a very fun birthday - though it was a bit rushed. I got home from West Virginia on Friday, March 6th, his actual birthday. And wonderful airlines that they are....got us delayed for several hours. (Equipment failure...makes ya feel safe huh!) So instead of getting home at 4pm so we could have a birthday dinner. I got home after 9pm. And then we had his birthday part on Saturday evening. 
We were lucky to have a ton of friends and family join us for the event, even Clint's mother who lives in Arkansas was in town. 
Tyler LOVES having his cousins, both the girls and the boys around. 
His uncles enjoying playing with his new bright red tractor. 
Because I didn't get home when expected, I didn't have the time I needed to make the perfect cake. Tyler still got a Thomas cake, but it's definitely "goofy" looking. But Tyler knew what it was and was very excited about it so I guess that's all that matters!
And he may have made a little bit of a mess eating his cake!
Alright...I have alot of lost time to make up for. So I will start back in March with my trip to West Virginia. I was originally going to visit my great-grandfather, Papa Sayre for what was probably going to be the last time, but unfortunately he passed away 2 days before I left. But, what worked out was that I was able to be out there for his funeral. As he was such a wonderful part of our lives, I was humbled to represent my side of the family there and share a letter that my grandmother (his daughter) had written. He was a wonderful man who shared anything and everything with everyone, family or not. I remember that when we would go visit, even if he couldn't buy you a present he would just take something off his shelves and give it to you because he didn't want you to walk away empty handed! And I remember he used to keep Ding-Dongs and Diet Riet in his fridge for a snack. But one of the best things was his front porch swing! You could just sit for hours on that thing and never once get bored. He is the reason I have a swing on my front porch. And everytime I sit on it I think of Papa Sayre. One thing I had to make sure of, I HAD to eat at a Bob Evans while in West Virginia. That is where Papa Sayre always took us to eat. 
r since they were teenagers so for them it was interesting to meet again after all these years. At the dinner was also my cousin Melinda and her family. I always though Melinda was the coolest person, you know....I was a little kid and she was this cool teenager and later college-age person, so hip and trendy! And I thought she had the coolest name! So it was very neat to visit.
en a mile down is a 2nd left and that is where you turn to get to the site. For me I think that is the saddest part, that they were so close. 
I felt very loved while I was out there! And though part of the reason I was there was kind of sad, I was so glad I was able to make it. I hadn't been back to WV since I was 15 years old, and let me tell you, it hadn't changed....from Big Boy right down to the Pink Elephant it was the same as I remembered!!! And a speacial Thank-You to my family in West Virginia for making Wonderful Memories!!! XOXOXO
