The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Hannah is in the play that opened today for Amarillo Little Theater. It is called The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. If you are in Amarillo this weekend try to go and see it. It is a really cute play based on the book. Today was the first school performance and she has one tomorrow. We have a busy weekend Friday, Saturday and Sunday shows as well.

Hunter had the spelling bee this week. He did not win, but did good. He got 9th place... He now knows that Mom was right when I tried to get him to study for the past 3 weeks and he just said he would... but never did. I know he will try much harder next year. The kid that won is in his class and a good student... but Hunter is smarter than him.. this kid really studied... so it was an eye opener for him.

Not much else is going on.. I am a PE teacher this week. That is my favorite to sub for.. I get to wear my sweats to school.. Not heels.

I will try and update some pictures maybe this weekend. We have not even taken our Christmas card pictures yet.. so we are really getting behind.

Halloween Photos

Hunter and Hannah loved Peyton in his Elmo costume. He was so cute... he is a major Elmo fan now.

This is a picture of Hannah and her friend Logan. We go trick or treating in a large group every year and we usually take their pictures together.. Can you say "GO TECH!!"

I know you are in shock!!!

This is from Hannah's Bat play at school. She was the loudest singer you could hear only her... at least she was on key. Hayden got to come to Belmar for the Red Ribbon parade. He had a good time playing the base drum. I told him next year to pick the snare.. it is not as heavy.
Hannah is playing basketball for the first time. She actually made 2 baskets at this game!
This is from my trip to Dallas. This is my friends Tracy Cortesi, Nicki Crump and Tiffeni York. We stopped and ate at Maggiannos (sp) Really great food if you have not tried one.
This is from Hannah's play "The Velveteen Rabbit" She is on the second row in the grey with pigtails.

Ok, I know that I have nooooo excuse for not posting since September 2nd. Can I say that I am just busy all the time. Yes, I stay home... well some of the time... but life is just busy all the time. After school is one mad dash to another place. I don't get to sit down until 10:00 pm or so... Ok enough excuses.. I will try and catch you up on what has been going on.

October was busy with Hannah. She was in the play "The Velveteen Rabbit" It was a Amarillo Little Theater production. We had nightly practices for about 2-3 weeks. I also played lots of tennis. My combo team won a local tournament so we got to take a trip to Dallas and play in the sectionals there. It was lots of fun. My team did not do too well, but we had fun. So far to date this year, I have played 18 USTA matches and have 3 loses on my record... so I have played much better this year. Hayden played USTA junior tennis and did very well too. His team did not advance but he was the best player on his team. Richard was busy with his Oct 15th deadline at work. He still has yet to slow down. Hunter has not been doing too much other than guitar lessons during Oct.

November so far... consists of Hannah being involved in another Amarillo Little Theater play called "The best Christmas Pageant ever" It is really a cute and funny play. She does not have lines in this one... but is actually involved and on stage a lot more than her previous play. We now have practice nightly for 3 weeks Monday - Thursday. Hunter and Hannah both were models for me for the Christmas Roundup Luncheon. They modeled for Children's Place and looked so handsome and cute. Hannah thought it was the best... Hunter just liked the fact that he got to get out of school for the day. I even got Richard to model for Rafkinds. He got to wear a Burberry coat that was $700.00. He did not even know what Burberry was... ha!

I am still subbing at Belmar. One of the Kindergartners could not say my name last week and so I became Mrs. Rocketship to him.. it was so cute that I never did correct him. I get to sub in 1st grade tomorrow and then 3rd on Friday. My favorite to do now is PE. I love it... I can wear sweats or shorts.. I don't know what everyone would not want to be the PE teacher.

Hunter is going to be in the spelling bee at Belmar on Dec 2nd. He has always been a great speller. He loves to help Hayden spell words the right way. The kids are all doing really well in school this year. Hunter and Hannah have had all A's so far.. Hayden was really close.. he has a B in math, but all A's in the rest. Not too bad considering the only homework I ever see is math.

I cant think of much else to say.. so I will try and add some pictures.. we got to have Peyton spend the night the other night and it was fun. He was in such a good mood the entire time and just laughed and played with the kids.

Catch Up

I was informed that I am behind and I have not posted in a week. So here is goes. The first week of school went rather well. The kids all love their teachers and are glad to be back with friends and routine.

Hayden is doing well in tennis. He played in a tournament this past weekend and so did Richard. They did not win.. well yes, Richard did win the consolation bracket, but only because his player dropped out and so he won. Hayden is enjoying his early morning tennis for school. Today it was my turn for carpool to take the boys back to school and let me tell you they all stunk so bad. I told them I was bringing body spray for them tomorrow. They were all dripping in sweat. I guess they will be in much better shape in a month or so.

Hunter and Hannah are both dropping out of soccer this year. Hannah just has not enjoyed it the past year and so she wants to focus on ballet and gymnastics. I don't blame her and I am really glad. She is such a good dancer. Hunter is going to start playing tennis like his brother. We have some friends that are trying to talk Hunter into joining a swim team. So far he is not convinced that he wants to do that...even after watching the Olympics.

I have been on a wild hunt for my new glasses that I have only had for a month. I packed them in my suitcase when we went to Las Vegas... (I am almost positive... I remember throwing them in the suitcase anyway) Well they were no where to be found when we got to Las Vegas.. I have called everyone involved with Southwest. I am hoping and praying that they turn up in the lost and found in Dallas this week or next.

Not much else going on... if I have some time later I will try and post some of our Denver pictures.

Back 2 School

I have not updated this in a few weeks... sorry but it has been a busy few weeks. We did go to Denver and had a great time. If I have time tomorrow I will try and post some of the pictures. We were home for 1 day and then Richard and I left for Las Vegas for 4 days. It was loads of fun... but we had been to Vegas in May so it was a quicker return then I would have wanted. We did not win the Wheel of Fortune, although we did try and give it a shot.

I made Richard go with me to see Mama Mia. We saw the movie and I really wanted to see the musical live. It was a great show. I was amazed at how close the movie really was to the live show.

Tomorrow is the first day of school for the kids. Hayden has to be at tennis at 7:30 so I told Hunter and Hannah that they get to leave the house every morning with me at 7:15 to take him and then we will go to Belmar for them. I have to go back to Amarillo High and pick Hayden up and then take him to Crockett at 8:30. So I will have a few more miles to drive this year.

I will post some stuff tomorrow... I need to go and finish up some stuff for tomorrow.

Still not sure about rash on kids!

We still do not know what this is on the kids. Hunter is the worst. He is covered on his stomach and some on his back... he has about 50 spots on his stomach alone. Hunter does have an ear infection too so I will be trying to get him to the Dr tomorrow between 11-2 (hopefully... have a full day) and maybe we will find out what is covering their bodies. I have got to get these kids well.. we are going to Denver on Friday.

We had the first day of registration at Crockett today.. it was a mad house.. all those lost 6th graders that do not know what to think about such a big school after elementary.

Chicken Pox or Hot Tub Rash

Yesterday I was looking at Hannah while she had on her swimsuit and I noticed that she was covered in red bumps. She had a slight fever the day before... anyway.. I decided to take a look at the boys as well... they have them also on their stomach and back. Our problem is ... is this from the chicken pox booster that they got 2 1/2 weeks ago.. or from the hot tub because the PH has been high and I have had a hard time bringing it down. Anyway I called the Dr. and she just said to watch it and see if it spreads. They look the same this morning as they did last night.. so we will hope that it is from the chemicals.

Today is the start of the Crockett registration. I get to work it from 2-6 today and 2-6 tomorrow. I have told all 3 kids that they get to help sell T-shirts. If I can I will post later on.

Glasses for Hayden

Hayden went to the eye doctor and it is official, he has joined Richard and me in the ranks of the blind. He actually looks very good in them. We tried on about 125 pair before we found the right one, but I like the out come. They also have the sunglasses clip so that will be nice when he plays tennis.

The hot tub does work! Hallelujah! The electrician came today and hooked it all up and it came on the first time. We have drained it, and tomorrow we will fill again with water and 2 gallons of vinegar (anyone up for a dip in that... Stinky!) run it for 2 hours and then drain again.

Richard and me played tennis tonight again, we lost...our record is now 5 wins 2 losses. Our last game is next Tuesday, hopefully we will win. They do play us in the #1 slot, so that is usually the hardest pair. I sure hope that is the case, we don't like to lose.

New Backyard Purchase

We have always wanted one, but did not want to pay the hefty price that they cost. A friend of mines brother is selling his house and has a hot tub that he got from Dr. Rush. He said that Dr Rush only used it 3 times... which the inside looks great. The outside cabinet is going to need some work, but anyway we bought it from him cheap.. well as far as hot tubs go. He has had it for a year and never put water in it. It was sooo hard getting that big thing in the back yard it took 4 guys and then of course I got to help too. Anyway it will be really nice this winter when it is cold outside. It will be perfect when you guys come for Christmas, so bring your swimsuits... no skinny dipping aloud. Richard, me and the boys worked all day yesterday getting the spot ready and laying down these 80 lb bricks and then today trying to get that massive thing through the gate. Pray really hard that on Tuesday when the electrician comes that it will work. We would hate to do all the work and then it not work. I will post some pictures of it later..

Tomorrow Hayden has to go to the eye Dr. He has been squinting when he watches TV. Lets hope that he is not too blind. Well it is late and I am really tired. Did you guys see the lady on Fox News this morning who makes enough money on her blog by having advertisements. She makes enough to pay for her house payment...and she has 6 kids... Nite!

Back to Routine

Well the kids are home and it did not take long for all of us to get back to our normal routine. The kids did not take long to make the huge pile of laundry that I am so used to. I thought I was all finished only to find another huge pile tonight for all the stuff they had on today. The boys got hair cuts today. I will post pictures later. I have to take them.. Hunter did not get it cut short if you are wondering... but you can see his eyes again.

Hannah had her first PT today on her feet. They told us that her gastrocnemius muscle in her leg is extremely tight and we have to work on getting it to loosen up. She also has very low mobility of her ankles. She said that her left leg is worse than the right. We are set for a month of PT and then we will reevaluate her condition. We just need her to really concentrate on walking on her heels and not her toes.

Lacy ate a bird or part of a bird tonight and now is feeling the pain. I have had to take her outside several times for a potty break. Hopefully she will not be too sick over it. I gave her a bath and she sure looks better.

Well that is about it tonight. I will try and take some sort of picture tomorrow and post it.

2 nights down 2 to go!

Well we have made it half way and have had no calls about Hannah, so we are accepting the fact that she is sooo tired at night that she is falling fast to sleep or she has gotten to know her counselor really well and snuggles with her each night. I told the boys to be nice and give their sister a hug when they saw her... I really do not see that happening ever. I could only wish that they would do that... but not my boys. It has been really quiet around the house the past 2 days. You would have thought that we would have gotten so much done... but no we haven't. We did go and see a movie "Step Brothers" I did not like it. Mama Mia was much better. Tomorrow I plan on trying to clean out the kids rooms some more. I have been trying to go through clothes... where did they get them all! Make sure and check out the pictures below.

Ready to Roll!

Hunter Cortesi, Tanner Pitts, Taryn Pitts and Hayden before the boys left.
Hunter and Taryn, best buds!
Hannah, Kenna, Jacquelyn, and Hannah (these girls all did ballet together and are all bunk mates)
Kenna, Jacquelyn, Hannah, Konner, Hannah and their Counselor Monica Frank
Hannah and Hannah

Tomorrow is the day!

Well tomorrow is the day that the kids all leave for camp. So today was spent packing and shopping for the perfect water gun. Hayden is picky... it had to be BIG and it had to shoot far. Needless to say he got 2. He thought he might need one for each had. Hannah is a little nervous.. she cried tonight several times. It was not a cry like she was mad. It was a quiet cry. I asked her what is wrong and she said that she is nervous to go to camp. She will do fine... but thinks it will be hard not getting to talk to me on the phone at least. She is used to talking to me everyday no matter what. I always call her when we are out of town. I told her if she got really bad to have her counselor call me and let me talk to her for a minute if she had a phone. Well it is really late. Hayden leaves at 8:00 am and then Hunter and Hannah leave at 12:30 pm. I will post some pictures tomorrow of them leaving for camp. Hope all is well with you guys.

Day filled with fun

Well today was a busy day. I played tennis this morning for 2 1/2 hours and then got the kids and Peyton and we went swimming. Then it was time to get those shots that Hayden refused to get yesterday. All the kids did great. I bribed them with ice cream. We had NO tears! Tonight Richard and I had another tennis match. (We are playing as partners on a mixed doubles league) We won our game again... so far we are undefeated ( Yes, we have played 4 times so far) It is really a lot of fun. We think that all people wanting to get married should have to play tennis as partners before you get married. This is definitely a test... we are passing though... we have a lot of fun playing together and decided that we make a great team! Make sure and check out all my photos below from the day. Kari... I am getting ahead of you....

Check out my Slide Show!

Peyton at the Pool

Peyton had a great time today at the pool. He cried for about 5 minutes when we first got in the water. Then he realized how much fun it was and he was a talkin boy. He had a great time! He loved sticking his face in the water and drinking it. He especially liked watching the kids go off the diving board. His favorite words of the day were Whee and Whoo! We have to take Brad and Paige with us sometime.

Doctor... Doctor...

Today was the day for physicals and well checks. Hayden found out that he needs 3 shots, which he refused to get today because he did not put the lidocaine on his arm before we went to the doctor. So we get to go back tomorrow for shots. Hayden will get 3, Hunter and Hannah each get 1. I will have to post tomorrow to let you know how many people had to come and hold Hayden down. That boy is horribly afraid of needles. All kids were healthy.. Hannah gets to start physical therapy next week to help stretch out her feet. She has been a toe walker since she learned to walk and it has been causing her some pain. We hope that will fix it for her.

To Carson - Love Hunter and Hannah

Hunter and Hannah decided to tell Carson Hi, and that they missed him. We hope that he will send one of him for us to look at. We really miss all of you!

Lacy beggin' someone

This is a short shot of Lacy. She thinks that if she looks cute enough someone will let her in. Hannah did this with her camera since mine is in the shop again.

The kids were having fun tonight playing with balloons and the dog. She is such a good dog that she just lets the kids do whatever to her. The balloons were sticking by the static on them.

These are some more from White Sands. I had to try and get a picture of all the kids. We went with my sister Holly and her husband Mike and their kids Zach and Will. You will also see our dog Lacy, the one with the white nose from digging in the sand. Holly had her 2 dogs with us also, Chelsea loved the place, Chester on the other hand would have rather been at home taking a nap.

These pictures are from White Sands. We have been to El Paso lots of times, just never took the time to go to White Sands. The kids and dogs had a blast. Just took a few days to get rid of all the sand.

Trip to Ruidoso July 24-27

This is the creek by the playground in Ruidoso. We always have to check it out when we get in town. This year it was very low, but the kids and Richard still managed to walk it with shoes and socks on. They were wet, but had a good time.