The McCool Gang - themccoolgang

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what are you lookin at?!


Preston's Giraffe
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the boys
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Fossil Rim Wildlife Center
July 2010

mmm yummy
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Nolan feeding the animals
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the boys getting ready for the driving tour of the park
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nice toupee there sir
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just a little too close
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Nolan loves the "baby" slide
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me & NoNo sportin the shades
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2nd attempt...not any better than the 1st
we gave up

sno cones
of course Erin is the only one paying attention to the camera

Miller and Nolan
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Me & Miller
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one of erin's many birthday shots

yeah...happy b-day
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Erin's first attempt at sushi (and chopsticks)
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Erin and I celebrating her birthday
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January 16, 2010

Colin's first basketball game and this was the start of his first basket!

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lost another tooth

finally...a year later he lost his 3rd tooth

Nolan's first attempt at bowling

he kicked the ball

Nolan wanted to bowl
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Preston the super star bowler
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15 ft in the air....a lot scarier than it looks
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the boys waiting to here a x-mas story from Papa EJ
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using Skype to hear Papa Ej read a book
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and in 5 minutes...x-mas was over
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super excited that Santa left presents in the garage!
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3rd day of snow this month
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Nolan and his "girlfriend" Eden
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where most of their time is spent
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Preston took us to the airport
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Chris saying his goodbyes and Preston realizing that we were leaving without him
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YAY we're on the plane!!
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yes, we were BOTH watching GLEE on the plane
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we rode that tiny plane from the airport to the island we were staying on
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hee hee...
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boat ride from the docks to the resort
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view from the dock looking at the resort
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the pool and main villa (restaurant and bar)
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DINNER!!

grilled lobster, grilled pineapple, coconut rice, and carrots....oh so yummy!

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our bungalow...
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the Bikini Bar....and yes, those are swings at the bar
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the only beer served on the island
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fishing on the dock
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hilarious!!
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oldest restaurant on the island
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feeding the tarpon
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Conch Ceviche...pretty much ate that everyday
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night fishing with the resort staff
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Ruben!! our favorite staff member
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Bomba, Belize
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our bus for the hour long ride to the jungle
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cutest little local village girls...their mom owned the wood carving shop
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Leon...our tour guide
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the only toilets in the little village of Bomba
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former bed of a Mayan royal family
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hallway of the Mayan "apartment"
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recently excavated ruin
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local fishermen...that boat was scary!
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nice catch! our tour guide bought it off him for a few dollars and a strawberry Fanta
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the High Temple...over 120 feet!
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lunch at the ruins
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just a very old tree
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at the top of the temple
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jungle cruise
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rum distillery

STINKY!! smelled like baby diapers

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they just uncovered the face...really cool
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yes...he's working
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going on a pumpkin hunt
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i just love this picture...

Colin (7) and Nolan (1) on a hunt for a pumpkin

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Nolan had to sit on every pumpkin to test it out
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my little pumpkin
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3 smiles!!
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found a pumpkin!!
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not sure why Preston is so upset
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finished jack-o-lantern
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USMC 70 second flex arm hang - DID IT!

and i got a free shirt!

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the marine said Preston was a natural...

looks like we might have a recruit in about 15 years! (hopefully 18 years)

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not too thrilled to be holding a giant gun
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official dog tags
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the boys having their first funnel cake
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yes, that's a foot long corn dog!
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he really didn't want his face painted, but someone insisted...
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this picture is for Erin...do those shoes look familiar?
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fell asleep on the train

it was a long day for little monkey...

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we didn't explain the bathroom breaks to Preston very well
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our attempt at a family photo...
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yikes
photo courtesy of Preston

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Rough Riders Game

June 2009

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the crazy kids

well, 6 out of 9 anyway

mmm dippin dots
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Nolan loves BBQ!
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HAIRCUT TIME!!
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gotta love the faux-hawk
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our newest addition to the yard

a little piece of home

diddy up tow boy
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i don't know who looks smaller in this picture


go to work boys!
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trip to the zoo

may 2009

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love the look on Colin's face...
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it's officially summer!
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yep, that's my boys...checking out the girls!

from Christy and Blake's wedding

May 23, 2009

 

http://destinweddingphotographer.blogspot.com/

Yummy Chicken!!

May 2009

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came home to ducks in the yard
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Nolan was going for the sneek attack
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and Preston was very upset that Nolan scared them away
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Preston playing soccer
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it's called squashing the bug

he's not posing for a picture

my good little eater

wants to use the spoon all by himself

yummy!

"baghetti" as preston would say

Nolan...running away!
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Prosper Baseball Opening Ceremonies

preston is so little!

ready for baseball!!
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10k - March 8, 2009
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forced family photo
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Nolan trying "milk" for the first time

and yes, it was "banella" milk in the box

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Valentine's Day 2009

from Dinner Club...the theme was completely Red & White

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SMILE
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Beach House X-mas 2008
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Preston & Papa Cool

beach house x-mas 2008

Papa Cool & Nolan
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Nolan really doesn't like sand
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Nolan's second visit to the beach
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please pick me up!
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mommy's little helper
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Preston's first attempt at ice skating
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War Castle
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yummy money
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Sister Love
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Oh Merry Christmas

best family photo ever!

Nana & PopPop with the grandbabies
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silly Jolliffs
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Me & Pam
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New Year 2009 with friends Pam & Travis
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Happy New Year

2009

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messy kitchen
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my Babycakes
babycakes

The Mason Grandkids

Chris - Mike - Matracia - Colin - Justin - Erika - Preston - Aslinn

Mary - Gloria - Beth

Mason Sisters

Happy Baby
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Happy Birthday Papa EJ

Earl celebrated his 64th Birthday

Nolan Likes Cake!
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Gobble Gobble Runners

1st Annual McCool Gang 5k

November 27, 2008

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Nice Leg Erika
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Colin - Nolan - Erika
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Rub a Dub Dub Three Men in a Tub


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mop head needs a haircut!
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preston found a pumpkin
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Parker - Braddock - Preston

Pumpkin Patch 2008

Nolan and Colin
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The Boys

can anyone look at the camera?

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March 4, 2008

Nolan's b-day was also another first....SNOW!

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jabba the hut

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who they are going to be
when they grow up

me & baby miller
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future pop star

madison...hee hee hee

yeah baby!

work it!

iFlip

look what this old lady can do...

i'm pretty sure the rest of my family doesn't even know about my "other" place...no, it's not a dark closet filled with candy (although i wish it were), but just another blog that is much easier to keep up with. and since i'm at the beginning of hard core training, keeping up with 2 sites is starting to prove difficult. so, if you don't find what you're looking for here, then go here:

 

The5McCools

San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon

June 6, 2010!!

10 years ago....i took your name and then we drank champagne...hard to believe this was 10 years ago! we look so young (and chubby), and those looks on our faces...not a care in the world. here we are 10 years, 3 kids, a mortgage, 2 car payments, and a long list of memories later. we chose to get married at Thanksgiving for a few reasons, but mostly it was my favorite holiday and it definitely was something to be thankful for....for many many many years... 

UPDATE: unfortunately our race has been postponed due to multiple sicklies and injuries...new time and day update will be posted soon...

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, which means it's time for our annual McCool Gang Gobble Gobble Run (and by annual i mean this is the 2nd year we've done this). anyone who is interested in running is more than welcome to join us. it's an easy 5k through our neighborhood and this year we are doing a "guess your time" race. no watches are allowed during the race, instead you decide before you run how long you think it will take to run that 3.13 miles. the person closest to their "guess" wins! okay, so what if the prize is a slice of cake and a nice cold beer, it's just for kicks and giggles at our house...

*UPDATE* Eden is home and doing absolutely great...now Mommy on the other hand, needs a vacation!

 

even though she's not my child, i still feel the nervous worry that a mom would. our families have known each other since high school (we're talking about 18 years ago people!) and our kids have been together since they were born (all 6 of them!). so, when one of them is sick or hurt, i get a little emotional. and today is no exception...Jessica's little girl, Eden, is going to the hospital today for and MRI to try and figure out what the hell is going on. i can't imagine what is going through her mind right now (actually i can, because i have a child the same age), and there's not much i can do for her, but just be there if she needs something (even if it's just to get her son off the bus from school). so, i'm asking anyone and everyone to please think about the Devenny family today...

 

*instead of me trying to explain what's going on...click on Jessica's blog to read all about it...

 

http://thejourneytoeden.blogspot.com/

 

feel blessed that 1. i'm up this early 2. i'm in a good mood (thanks to 2 cups of coffee) and 3. you're getting a cool story out of me...i just read a friend's blog that got me to thinking (HockeyMan) and of course i was a little mad that it made me cry so early in the morning, but it did get me to thinking. yesterday, to him, was a very significant day and to everyone else just another ordinary day (unless it was your birthday or something); he celebrated "father's day". i got to thinking about the day(s) that Chris and i found out that we would become parents for the first (second & third) time, which is what mr. hockeyman was referring to. i remember Colin's like it was yesterday...September 5, 2001. it was lunchtime and i was at home from work (yes, i at one time had a real 9-5 job) when i recieved a phone call from my OBGYN's nurse. "Ash, you might want to sit down, hon." after that, i almost threw up in my mouth and passed out. we were not expecting that phone call...at all! i was already 6 weeks along....no idea i was pregnant, but it was the best surprise, and one that i will never forget.

 

now, to the rest of this crazy story...so, it's a few years later, January 5, 2005...thought i was sick from bad oysters...nope, Preston was about to make us parents, again! a couple years later, July 5, 2007...once again i thought i was sick (this time it really was a hangover from 4th of July - oops!) but baby Nolan was ready to make us parents, again! so, did anyone notice a trend? no, not that we have all boys, but the days that i found out that i was pregnant...all on the 5th! i had no idea, and it creeps me out just a little. but, i now have my own holiday - Happy Parent's Day! - let's just hope that it doesn't mean i'm going to have 5 kids....

(update - found a good picture) once again my favorite time of year has started. there are 3 months out of the year that i truly get giddy about...october - december...the fall weather (although this year has been nothing but rain) really puts a smile on my face and an extra inch on my waist. halloween, thanksgiving, and christmas means candy, snacks, sweets, and extra food everywhere, but i love it (that extra inch keeps me warm).

 

i was hoping to have a great picture of chris and i in our costumes, but the 2 we did have were taken by a somewhat intoxicated camera man, so needless to say they are a little (okay a lot) blurry. i'm in search of someone who has better pictures and will hopefully post them soon. for now we're looking forward to thanksgiving, and better yet a nice vacation!! this year chris and i celebrate our 10th anniversary in BELIZE!!

 

okay, so maybe it's not that chubby, but it sure felt like it at mile 10. sunday mom and i went down to Irving, TX to run in the Heels and Hills Half Marathon (which was originally scheduled for May of this year). just a little advice...if you plan on running 13.1 miles one weekend, make sure you actually train for it! i honestly haven't been running since i stopped training back in May, so all summer (because of the unbearable heat) i didn't step outside to jog even a mile or two. so, come race day, i was a little terrified that i might kill myself running 13 miles! to my shock and utter amazement, i survived the sweltering hot and mentally exhausting 13 mile run and even managed to finish in a decent time. i say decent, but for me 2 hours and 11 minutes is pretty darn decent (one potty break and 3 walk breaks) considering the wimpy 4 hours of sleep i got the night before. everytime i do this i say i'm done with running, but once you cross that finish line your first thought is "wow! that wasn't so bad...when is the next race?" needless to say, i'm already looking for my next mental and physical challenge...

 

*note: i swiped these pictures from the race site, so that's why they have stuff smeared all over them, because i wasn't about to pay $19.95 for a darn picture!

finally, after 8 days of rain, we had a beautiful day. so, we packed up the car and drove down to Grapevine, TX for GrapeFest. it's been a long time since we've been to a street festival, and this one had wine tasting! it was great day full of corn dogs, funnel cakes, beer, sno cones, lemonades, french fries, and chinese food (my choice of festival food). the boys got to ride some fair rides and we even ended the day with a short train ride. it was almost too hot, but we couldn't complain - we were outside and the kids had a blast...

i mistakenly took Preston and Nolan at the same time for their check-ups today. poor Preston had to get 4 shots and i went ahead and got him his FluMist. he was such a trooper and didn't even cry when they began to hold him down for the big 4 needles in his legs. i will say that Preston better hurry and grow some before Nolan catches up to him. Nolan is now only 7 inches shorter and 10 pounds lighter than Preston, and he's not even 2 yet! they both did very well, even after waiting an eternity in the front office before seeing the pediatrician (i'm talking about almost 2 hours of waiting!). it was then off to McDonalds for Happy Meals for all 3 of us...

even though we miss being at the beach, i'm sure glad to be home. yes, the beach this year was amazing and the kids were great, but there's something about clean sandless sheets that just makes my day. we couldn't have asked for a better week this year, and it even rained a few days, but it was a welcome change in the middle of the week. we had a busy week for sure, a wedding, a birthday, friends, the beach, family 1, the beach, family 2, the beach, family 3, the beach, and then it was time to go home. we really dragged our feet when it came time to leave; we didn't even pack until late saturday morning and then we didn't even get out of town until almost 2pm (which also meant that we didn't get home until almost 3am)!

 

we miss you beach, and can't wait until we see you again...

i think i have found the best thing ever, and it's so easy to make. i had a craving for bananas and chocolate (leftover pregnancy craving from Preston) and i didn't have much in the pantry, so this is what i came up with, and let me tell you....HOLY CRAP THIS CAKE IS GOOD! (i ate it right out of the oven) i think i'm going to experiment with icing, and maybe turn this into a birthday cake for some lucky fool, but so far it's best served warm....

 

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 bananas mashed

1 egg

1/2 cup melted butter

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp milk

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

 

1. In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

2. in a separate bowl melt butter then add your bananas and start mashing. once the bananas are good and mushy, add egg and milk and stir.

3. add banana mix to flour and blend, but do not over mix.

4. blend in chocolate chips.

5. pour batter into a 9x13 greased pan. bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

6. pour a glass of milk and wait patiently....

this was the temperature reading from yesterday (at 6:30pm)...granted it was from the sunny side of the house, but seriously, it was hot!! the pool felt like a hot bath and was in no way a refreshing release from the heat. we ended up spending the rest of the day inside...

yep, that's my dad! happy to have two somewhat crazy girls, but even happier to have 4 very crazy grandsons and 1 very crazy grandaughter. i'm very proud to say that i have the greatest dad. he has put everything aside to make sure that my sister and i have everything that we need, and did so while looking good i might say. look at my dad stylin in the flops and cowboy hat (can't say much about the BC glasses in the third picture)...who would have thought that picture was taken 30 years ago!! anyway...i just wanted to say thanks dad, and i hope you have a wonderful father's day, even if we are 800 miles apart. LOVE YOU DAD!! 

another successful dinner club evening! the theme this time around was Southern Cooking, and let me tell you...YUMMO! everything we had was absolutely delicious. i really should give kudos to our host, K. & S. Jones. not only did they make some awesome food, but the yard was so perfectly set up for our "southern" theme. so, if you're wondering, this is what was on the menu:

Drinks: Alabama Slammers & Natural Light

Apps: Shrimp & Grits and Pimento Cheese Dip

Salad: Layered Cornbread Salad

Soup: Spicy Corn Chowder

Bread: Bisquits with butter and honey

Main: Fried Chicken & Fried Green Tomatoes

Dessert: Pound Cake with fresh Berries and Cream

 

let me remind you that everything we make for dinner club is actually made and not pre-made grocery store items. we work very hard to try new things and most of the time it all turns out amazing...

 

oh yes! there are only a very select few who even know what this is, but for those of you who do...you know you're jealous right now! every once in a while i get a craving for a childhood favorite - Hoo Mee Chow Mein, delivered direct from Massachusets. yes, i have to actually order this stuff, but guess what, all 3 of my kids eat this stuff up! honestly there's nothing to it until i add the chicken, carrots, celery, and mushrooms, but mmm mmm mmm it's so darn good. hope everyone else enjoyed their dinner tonight as much as i did...

finally, i was able to run in something! i ran with mom and erin in Eglin's Gate to Gate run on Memorial Day. it was so incredibly hot and humid, but i managed to finish without walking. there were almost 1800 people running and walking that day and i think i finished somewhere around 460 out of those 1800!

this may sound strange, but i've taken to counting calories. yeah, yeah, me who doesn't diet. i really don't consider this dieting. it's more of an experiment. my friend jess started it at the recommendation of her trainer, and i thought i would just do it along with her as encouragement. let me tell you first off that jess doesn't really need to lose weight and i suppose i don't either, but remember i'm doing this as an experiment. so far (2 days) so good. since it's not a "diet", i don't worry about what i'm eating, but more about how much i'm eating. according to 'My Plate' (also called The Daily Plate) on LIVESTRONG in order for me to lose a pound a week i should be eating roughly 1,600 calories a day. for me to stay the same and just keep doing what i'm doing i can eat about 2,100 calories, which is what i probably consume anyway without even thinking about it. i've been tracking my calories on their website and it's quite surprising at the end of the day. yesterday i ate like i normally would and even had ice cream and still did not reach the 1,600 calorie mark! like i said, it's an experiment, and i will probably loose interest very quickly, but i just want to see what happens if i can stick to this for just a few weeks.

well, to say the least i'm a little pissed off. after months of training and busting my rear for this stupid race, they go and cancel it!! okay, so it did rain...A LOT! (it was bad enough that the Cowboys practice stadium collapsed) but really, cancelled?! so we drive all the way down there, spent the money on the hotel, and spent the money on the race registration, and all for nothing! yippee, i got a t-shirt. thanks for reminding me people! just puts a bad taste in my mouth for training for anything, although mom did talk me into doing the gate to gate at Eglin in a few weeks, but that's only 4 miles. c'mon people!! is it wrong to ask for my money back?

i think i say that a lot, but i just realized 2 things:

1. race day is only 10 days away!!!

2. we've had almost 3,000 page visits - WOW! (granted that probably half of them are me, because shutterfly counts a page view everytime i come to edit a page, but still 3,000!)

 

oh, and 2 more things:

1. Nana and PopPop will be here next week.

2. there are only 5 weeks of school left!!

yep, that's what i told my knees today. after 9 miles they were pretty exhausted. the crazy thing is the rest of me was just fine. i did try a new route today, which proved to be a mistake on my part. i should have known not to take "the road less travelled." i actually had to run in the street at one point and then in the grass median of a very busy street (me no likey!) because there was no sidewalk (due to some construction)! i did manage to finish in an acceptable time, so i wasn't too distraught over my "extreme" running today. i'm almost glad that there are only 3 more weeks until race day. at this point i just want to get this over with and finally have a weekend to relax - no running - no soccer - no baseball - nothing!

whew! what a whirlwind...we've had such a crazy couple of weeks. the Jolliff Crew came to visit last week, YAY! our house was a hot crazy mess for about 6 days. i felt bad that our cleaning people had to see that mess, but it was so nice to come home to a clean (smelling) house, even if it only lasted a day. chris was out of town the whole week (skiing in Tahoe with uncle Mikey) so it was just Erin and I with the 5 kids. i guess i can say that after having three kids of my own, adding two more wasn't that bad. i can't say that i would want 5 kids, but as long as they weren't all the same age i think i could handle it. of course i'm saying this now (beer in hand) while Nolan is already down for the night (only 7pm) and the rest of the boys are at baseball practice. yes, i'm home alone, but the quietness won't last for long.

now that spring break is over i have to get my butt back into gear. the marathon is only 5 weeks away (holy crap) and i haven't been keeping up with my running schedule. i have only 5 weeks to get ready for 13 miles!! i'm so going to be dreading May 3 and cussing myself the whole time for not being more prepared.

wow, i'm actually proud of myself! i just finished a 10k this morning!! i think i might argue my time with race officials. i use my running watch practically everyday, and i can't imagine it's wrong. i started my watch when the race started, but when i finished my time was 6 minutes off of the race clock. 6 MINUTES! how could it be that off? so, MY time was 58:33 (race time was 1:04:11). not the best time i've done, but it was 6.25 miles!! needless to say, the best time in my age division was 49 minutes....i've got some work to do....

just a small celebration at home with the family...burnt pizza and all!

and we're having more cake tomorrow for Nolan's (early) birthday dinner...yes, our family likes cake!

just got back from a very lovely 6 mile run. okay, so most people wouldn't describe running that far lovely, but it was actually quite enjoyable. the weather was amazing and none of my parts hurt (until the last mile)! so now i've done two weeks of 6 miles, which means that next week i'm going to have to bump it up to 7, but i don't think i'll even notice, what's a few more minutes when you've already been out there for an hour. the marathon is not until may 3, but i know it will get here faster than i want it to. that means i have only 10 weeks to get my butt ready for 13 miles!

http://www.heelsandhills.com/index.html

chris and i have finally done it. yes, we have mastered and perfected our eggs benedict. i'll be honest, i am not a breakfast person. i'll skip all breakfast foods in the morning and go right to lunch if no one is looking, but eggs benedict is definitely a weakness for me. it's such a simple idea - bread, eggs, meat, and sauce, but the right combo gives you a little taste of heaven. we may not make everything from scratch, but who has time for that!

to taste this bit of goodness for youself here's what you need to do:

follow the directions on a package of Hollandaise sauce mix (we prefer the Knorr brand)

toast up a sourdough english muffin

poach 2 eggs (also takes some perfecting - but we bought an egg poacher for the stove)

place your poaced eggs on muffins and pour on the Hollandaise (the more the better)

sprinkle with EXTRA CRISPY bacon (we use the already cooked kind, but NOT the turkey bacon)

and for the added touch, dust lightly with dill and cayenne pepper!

oh sweet heaven!!

it seems that the weather has different plans for my training. i'm usually not one to complain about running in the cold, but i don't run on ICE (and i hate running on frozen dog poo)! i'm clumsy enough, i don't need a patch of ice to help me bust it. i suppose i could run on the teadmill at the gym, but that is about as much fun as washing sheets and changing poopie diapers. please, where is the warmer weather?

this morning i finished my first race of the year. yes it was only a 5k, but you have to start somewhere, and it was only 35 degrees! i'm blaming the weather for my extremely slow pace, oh, and the hills. i really felt like i was making good time; passing people every once in a while, and yes little kids and men, but when i saw 27 minutes on the clock at the finish line, i was mad! well, it's only the first race and i have many more to go this year.

 

my sister has inspired me to run for a cause ( http://runningformiller.blogspot.com/ ), so, i'm trying my hardest to help her and her son. my nephew, Miller, has this strange thing called Prune Belly (read her blog - too long to explain for me), and the network is very small, so they need all the help they can get. so, one race down, and about 10 more to go this year!

 

 

well, here it is, a new year...which means a few things 1. we are going to have to pay our property taxes in a few weeks - 2. we get to file our income taxes (which will hopefully pay our property taxes) - 3. we will all hopefully fulfill our new year's resolutions - 3. and everyone gets to celebrate yet another birthday!

 

okay, so, i'm not too thrilled about the first two items on the list. both will cause great stress for a few months, but good thing i have tequila for that!

 

now, as for birthdays...i think every month we have one and it all starts off with Dad (aka PopPop) in January turning 58 (is that right? - holy cow!)

February - Chris will be 34 and Papa Cool will be 54

March - Nolan is going to be 1!!

April - Colin 7

May - Gaga, well, it's not polite to state a ladies age, but i'm guessing she's turning 39 again this year

June - Old Nana 82

July - Erin (hee hee) is turning 30! and Matt 35

September - busy busy Mom (Nana) 57, Preston 4, and Mikey 29

November - Madison 5, Papa EJ 65?, and chris and i celebrate our 10th anniversary!

December - I will be 34 

 

talk about a busy year! and i didn't even get into new year's resolutions. i would say at the top of my list, much like anyone's, is to take better care of myself and my family....more excersise and less brownies! so, good luck to everyone and here's to a new year filled with everything and anything that makes you happy!

sadly our vacation is coming to an end. we've been at "home" for a week now, and it's already time to pack up and head back to texas. we were lucky enough to see everyone for x-mas, well, not everyone, but getting around 3 sets of grandparents has its limitations. the kids had a blast at the beach, and it was only freezing for two of the seven days we were here.

 

pictures will be uploaded once we get back home.

 

Merry Christmas everyone!

it seems that the hottest thing around is the Elf on the Shelf. so, yesterday at dinner, we had a surprise visit from someone at the front door. the doorbell rang, and the boys ran to the door to see who it was, but no one was there. on the porch was a little box with a note..."for 3 little boys...he will keep an eye on you...take good care of him..." and it was signed, S. Claus. Preston was upset that Santa did not stay for dinner, and that he just rang the doorbell and ran! So, the boys named our elf Rex, and he'll be here until Christmas keeping an eye on them. Rex has magical powers that allow him to shoot on up to the north pole while the boys are sleeping, and in the morning he returns to sit somewhere in the house. this morning Colin found him sitting in the chandelier in the dining room. sneaky little elf! during the day it sits and watches the boys, to make sure they are being more nice than naughty. we'll see how that goes.

okay, who said anything about global warming...it's almost noon and the temperature has not gotten to 30 degrees yet! i've already skipped the gym, because i didn't want to get the boys dressed to go outside, and i'm still in my pajamas. i will say this has been the coldest year we've had in texas.

 

i'm glad to say that we will be making the trip back to florida for christmas, so at least we have a little bit of warmer weather to look forward to. the boys are super excited about having christmas at the beach house, but they haven't quite figured out how santa knows they are going to be there. we told them if we took our tree with us, santa knew where to find it. apparently santa has planted a gps device in the star on top of the tree.

 

we are actually having breakfast with santa on saturday, so, i'm curious how the boys will react, and if they will ask about the gps device. oh, and i hope everyone enjoyed our attempt at a family christmas photo. preston refused to wear clothes or stand anywhere close to his brothers. CLASSIC!

Well, our first race day was a big success. Okay, except for that Mikey thought it was a good idea to move one of the directional signs we had posted. Poor Gaga, and Aunt Mary were a little lost at the end. All in all it was a good day. We all finished the race and had a great Thanksgiving Dinner.

 

Here are the official race times (thanks to Uncle Doug - "official timekeeper")

Mikey - 23:28* (24:58)

Gloria - 25:40

Ashley - 25:52

Beth - 29:22* (28:37)

Mary - 33:53* (33:08)

 

*Gaga and Aunt Mary get to deduct 45 seconds and add them to Mikey's time for cheating

Halloween 2009

TinkerVamp and her "Glam" Vamp Beau

Halloween 2008


Nolan & Eden
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CIMG1728.JPG 2008-10-31

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CIMG1722.JPG 2008-10-31

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CIMG1724.JPG 2008-10-31

Halloween 2008

Hansel and Gretel

Halloween 2007

and yes, that is a pregnant belly hanging out of my top!

2007

Colin - Madison - Preston

Halloween 2006

Wolverine Colin

2006

Preston Monkey

Halloween 2005

look how little they are!

Colin - Preston - Chris

Halloween 2004

NICE!

2004

Superman Colin

i could say that i love the warm weather, but there's something to say for being able to throw on a pair of jeans and a hoodie and being comfortable. i love the fall season. there's college football, halloween, thanksgiving (my favorite), and cooler weather. i may be the only one in the house who looks forward to fall this much, but everyone else deals with it.

 

for the past few years we've all looked forward to costume selection for halloween, and this year is no exception. although, colin is going to be the same thing he was last year, a pirate. easy enough for me, i don't have to buy another costume. preston has decided to be Dale Earndhart Jr., and nolan, well, he might be a borrowed costume (like he really cares). as for chris and i, well, you'll have to come back for those photos....our costumes are held to secrecy until after the adult halloween dinner party.

 

once halloween is over, the real excitement begins....i don't know why i love thanksgiving so much, but i really do. i always have, for as long as i can remember. maybe it's the food, or the family, or the week off from school, but whatever it is, it's great. if presents were involved with thanksgiving, it would blow x-mas out of the water. actually this year presents are involved! this year not only will we be celebrating thanksgiving, but our 9th anniversary and madison's 4th b-day! yippee!! what a crazy day!

 

well, here it is - Hansel & Gretel

from this year's Halloween party

 

i remember when cartoons were funny, silly, and meaningless (hello - we watched the smurfs). so, what has happened in the last 25 years? parents, correct me if i'm wrong, but you didn't find the stuff we watched offensive did you? now that i have my own kids i try to pay attention to what they are watching, but sometimes i'm honestly too lazy, until my 3 year old called me stupid! so, i 've learned that i have spongebob to blame for that. I HATE SPONGEBOB!! i would rather my kids watch the science behind air craft carriers than that crap. really, is this what kids are watching these days? no wonder they have problems in school, disrespect their parents, and beat each other up....spongebob thinks it's funny.

 

done ranting, but if anyone buys any spongebob, pokemon, or poweranger junk for my kids...it's going in the garbage!

well, the boys are asleep, chris is out of town, and i'm actually still awake. i only started this because i noticed something silly. on the bottom of the page here it shows how many people have actually taken a look at our page. all fine and dandy, not a bunch, but i wouldn't think that there would be. i don't know that many people. but then i looked at the other 3 pages on the site (the boys pages), and i saw that their page visits were a 1/3 of the main page. not that it bothers me that no one is looking at my boys, but i think some of you are missing out on the extreme cuteness there. i bet that some of you didn't even know that the boys all had their own page. so, for those of you missing out...those names at the top are actually links to 3 other pages on our site.

 

well, good night all, i'm all blogged out

well, the kids are off to school!! it's funny how at school all the parents have giant grins on their faces, and all the kids looked a little flustered and sad. I'll admit, i think this time i was the one who was a little sad to see preston off to school. maybe it was beez he was so excited to go today, but either way, it was a good day. nolan and i had a busy day to ourselves and are looking forward to the next day of school!! is it bad to be this excited that my kids are gone all day?

only 3 more days until we head to the beach! even though this vacation includes the kids, i'm still looking forward to it immensely. we haven't been anywhere (let me rephrase that - I have not been anywhere) since x-mas, and i can't wait to have a change of scenery. even better - the new scenery will be the beach!! this vacation has been a year of planning and waiting, and i can't believe it's finally here. man, a year ago...i just found out i was pregnant with Nolan, Colin started Kindergarten, and Preston started pre-school. WHOO - this past year flew by....no wonder i need a vacation, we've been busy.

 

for those of you that we are going to see in few days, we can't wait! and for those of you we won't be seeing....sorry, but we'll think of you while we are chillin on the beach with lots and lots of margaritas and beer.

i may have been a little harsh before when i took all my frustrations out on the poor gym. honestly, it's just a building with man made death traps inside! most of the time i avoid those traps and head straight to yoga class. i've managed to make it to yoga 3 days a week, and if i'm brave, one day a week i'll tip toe into the "big kids" gym and tangle with the death traps. my hopes are that no one is watching while i do so, but on monday i was not so lucky. as you know, there are always those frequent visitors to the gym; the ones there every single day (they either have no kids, or have completely lost their marbles, and sometimes both). well, i was spotted and approached by a gym rat. i almost flew right off one of the death traps, because he tried speaking to me in the middle of my torture session. needless to say, this gym rat (aka - 70 year old pepaw) liked how i was torturing myself. it's amazing how many pepaw gym rats there are at the YMCA!

 

and i've completely gotten off track....the gym is not so bad, and i'm heading back tomorrow after my morning run.

well, i braved the gym today, and it sucked! granted, i did feel better about myself once i was finished, but the whole 75 minutes i was there i was cussing myself. i made the mistake of going to a conditioning class (should be renamed to a buttkicking class), and all we did was run, jump, and do crazy squats and lunges. oh, and when was the last time you used a jump rope? remember when you were little and jumping rope was fun and you could do it all day, well, this is not a good way to reminisce about your younger years. jumping rope is hard!

 

i've started back to the gym not only because i'm fat and flabby (thanks Nolan!), but i've promised some friends that i would particpate in a silly duathlon in july, so, i'm in training (thanks ana!).

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July 2009
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dinner club...June 2009

already had a little too much to drink

New Year's Eve

Happy 2009

Chicago 2008

Navy Pier

Chicago 2008

Wrigley Field

That's Us!

March 2004