Dancing with the Stars at a Party in the USA!

My cute little niece, M loves to dance (and now so does her little brother, H)! So, awhile back I taught her some moves to the Miley Cyrus song, "Party in the USA" (simple moves, people - not because she is little, but because I don't have quite the rhythm that she does and I needed it simple!).

Anyway, I taught her these moves and since then she asks if we can listen to "our song" (aka: "Party in the USA") anytime I see her.

Last night I went to babysit M&H and had a mostly enjoyable night. The only non-enjoyable part was when H had a bit of a tummyache and ended up pooping through his clothes - and I happened to be holding him on my lap, in white capris, it was gross. I felt bad for H...and for my white capris... they are soaking!

There were more enjoyable parts of the evening though, like:

Reading books about Spring and Easter (We always read books and if you know me, you know why!)...

Making Easter eggs for Uncle B. We wrote notes on tiny post-its and put them inside the eggs. The cute things that M came up with on her notes! (I can't wait for you to read them, B!)...

While we were "writing," she asked me if I was having fun, and when I told her "yes," she replied: "I am having fun too. This is fantastic, Kirsten! Brian is going to love these notes!" Know what, she is right, B IS going to love these notes!

Having a puppet show with the book: Bark, George (and now a note from your friendly elementary school librarian: this is a book to checkout if you have kids who like funny stories because George is hilarious!)...

Making a new friend named Charlotte (She is a ladybug and now she lives in Maddy's front yard)...

and we danced!

A lot.

It was a dance party!

It was my exercise for the day (and since I was holding H for a lot of it, I am counting it as weight training too!).

I was tired this morning, but it was so much fun!

So, how lucky am I that last night I was Dancing with the Stars!

Being an Aunt, Part 2 (the real deal)

First - a word about technology glitches - they stink! I was having one last night and so a couple of other posts with this same title popped up on Google Reader. They are not the real deal anymore (which you will quickly notice as you read them) and I say darn those stupid gremlins! THIS is the real deal! So read away, and enjoy!

Did I mention before that I wish all my precious my nieces and nephews all lived closer to me? Oh, I did? Well, let me mention it again: I wish all my precious nieces and nephews lived closer to FW!

When Miss E was little bitty she lived closer to me and I really wish I would have taken better advantage of seeing her regularly, but you know, I figured that they would be here for awhile. After all, my brother had started up his own company and was moonlighting for a local company as one of their tech guys, but then he went and moved his family out to the East Coast so he could go back to school for his MBA. The nerve of that kid, I tell ya!

So, when they leave, my brother (love ya, Chrissie-poo!!!! Ha, ha! Take your family away from me, will ya!), my sis-in-law that I love, and cute little bitty Miss E load up and head out of town for two stinkin' years. They get settled in at Rochester University, where despite some amazing experiences and opportunities because of my brother's hard work and dedication, they face some pretty big trials.

Of course, after the storm comes the sun, and in this instance, after the painful and scary trials they faced came the little charmer - WCS - and WHAT A BLESSING! He is so cute, so happy, so easy to be around (well, he was the last time I was around him, that is), and he has one of the best smiles around!

I wish I could jump on my private jet and whisk away to visit these cutie-patooties, but our private jet is currently on loan to the Travolta's 'cuz we're nice like that! Even though my time with Little Miss E and WCS has been limited (which is why I had to lift pics from my SIL's Facebook account for the video at the bottom!), I love knowing what is going in their lives and I am grateful for modern technology that makes the distance seem smaller.

But, you can bet that as soon as the Travolta's are finished using our private jet, B&K will be on their way to the East side of the USA!

And now, for those cuties....

Note: The video won't open in Goggle Reader - don't know why, it just doesn't. If it doesn't open from the blog directly, try refreshing your computer. Or if all else fails, visit this link:

http://www.onetruemedia.com/my_shared?z=307ed26d6607fe53056e65&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Being an Aunt, Part 1

I love being an aunt and I simply adore my nieces and nephews - all 13 of them! Over the next few days, I am going to do different posts focusing on each family branch from which all of these precious children and youth who range in age from 1 years old to 19 yours old spring.

I am going to start with my niece and nephew that live the closest to me.

Just a sidenote: I wish all of my nieces and nephews lived closer (hint to my siblings and sibling-in-laws that live away: you should move back to FW!).

Some of the qualities I love about each of them include:

• M - extremely polite, loving, kind, creative, and fun
• H - happy, snuggly, fun, and I got to be there when he was born!

I have been blessed the last couple of months to see M & H several times and have had the chance to take them different places and even had a sleepover with my little niece (fun, but exhausting!).

Both M & H make me so happy! I love how excited they both get (or seem to get) when I come around and there are always lots of hugs, kisses, and I love you's!

Check out some of the fun I have had with M & H....

Note: if the video player doesn't load up right away, hit the refresh button on your computer, or visit this link: http://www.onetruemedia.com/my_shared?z=307ed26d6607fe53056e65&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I've Been Mooned!

Not THAT kind of mooned!
I'm talking about going to see New Moon...the movie!

So, here's how I was "mooned"...

The plan had been in the works for weeks...
the date was set...
the theater was selected...
the girls were notified by our "event coordinator"...
the tickets were purchased...
the meeting location and time were determined...
Finally... The Day Had Arrived!

The girls gathered...
the cars pulled out of the driveway...
the drivers made their way through traffic...
the excitement was building...
the drivers continued to make their way through traffic...
the caravan pulled into the parking garage...
Finally... We Had Arrived!

We all got into one elevator...
zipped across the street...
waited for our tickets to be placed in our eager little hands...
took a quick detour to the bathroom...
got snacks...
and found our seats...
Finally... The Time Had Arrived!

But wait... what's this... previews... more previews...
WOULD THEY EVER END!!!!!

FINALLY.... NOW it was time!

A hush fell over the theater (it was pretty much just us!)...
with bated breath we waited...
and then...
the movie began!

Of course, since I was hanging out with my grown-up friends (and some of our mothers!), we did our best to be grown-up and mature movie-watchers...

Yeah, right! Jacob took off his shirt and we all started wondering (out loud) how the heck this kid got to be so chiseled.

And then Edward took off his shirt later on in the movie and we wondered (out loud) why the heck he wasn't chiseled, at all (plus, not only could you see his hip bones, but his abs were painted on... GAG ME!).

Edward should be chiseled, he should be cut, he's supposed to be this over-the-top, drop-dead, drool-on-yourself, gorgeous vampire, and while the Edward of the books cuts it, the Edward of the movies (aka: Rob Pattinson) definitely DOES NOT.

Needless to say, as mature grown-ups, we spent quite a bit of time after the movie analyzing these points in depth, as well as discussing the overall quality of the acting, how closely the movie stayed to the book, etc. etc, all while enjoying fried gator, fried pickles, and desserts at Razoo's (dinner of the critics!).

The evening was a blast and I enjoyed a night out with The Girls!

Boston Pictures (yep, they're finally up!)

Fame and Fortune (with a twist!)

NOTE: click on the sound icon to hear the song and to turn it off.

At some point in our childhood we all wanted to be famous, right?

Well, we might not be cast in a big Hollywood box office sell-out, but we certainly star in plenty of our own FAMILY productions.

The lyrics to the song in the slide show perfectly describe our famous roles in those FAMILY productions...

When I grow up, I wanna be famous
I wanna be a star, I wanna be in movies
When I grow up, I wanna see the world
Drive nice cars, I wanna have groupies

When I grow up, be on TV
People know me, be on magazines
When I grow up, fresh and clean
Number one chick when I step out on the scene

Be careful what you wish for
'Cause you just might get it
You just might get it
You just might get it

Be careful what you wish for
'Cause you just might get it
You just might get it
You just might get it

Hope you enjoyed some of the "headshots" of our family.

They have not brought us any fame or fortune, but have provided us with some pretty good laughs!

Christmas Parties - Blogland Style!

Welcome to our Christmas Open House!

Come in and look around.

After your visit here, check out these great spots for more splendid Christmas ideas:

Kimba's Holiday Open House
Julia's Hooked on Houses
Thrifty Decor Chick's Christmas Tree Par-tay

(Just be careful of B.I.C.S. You know, Butt-in-Chair-Syndrome).

The Living Room

ideas in the living room:
* create your own cloche with a cheese tray dome
* use large vases or jars for jingle bells or ornaments

The Kitchen

ideas in the kitchen:
* use a fun, non-traditional color scheme
* use a tiered serving dish as an ornament tree
* frame gift wrap and ribbon for easy wall art

The Den

ideas in the den:
* use children's literature in a variety of places
* have a central theme (ie: snowmen) throughout the room
* hang stockings on front handle of fireplace door

And finally...

Find ways to emphasize that Jesus Christ is the reason we celebrate this season!

Thanks for stopping by for a visit.

Don't forget to sign "the guest book" before you go
(This means leave a comment my silent friends and family!)

Merry Christmas!

Brian Graduates!

WAHOO!!! This past Saturday Brian graduated with his BA in Criminal Justice from UTA!!!!

After 2 and 1/2 years of juggling work and family with school, he did it... and did it well!!!!

I can't even begin to express how proud I am of all his hard work and diligence, even when life got tough and threw some unexpected curve balls into our playing field.

Congratulations, B! I love you more than I can tell you!
K

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

My Seester (aka: my sister!)

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A Summer Storm

Texas definitely has it's own weather system!

Here's a typical Texas weather report:
hot, hot, muggy, hot, hot, muggy, muggy, hot...
(did I mention hot!)

So, when a cool rain falls, we jump at the chance to appreciate the gift - even if it is not long-lasting and the end results are muggy, muggy, muggy, hot!

Aahhhh.... summer

Summer in Texas is...

1. Simmering heat.
2. Clinging humidity.
3. Thick air that chokes you when you walk outside.
4. The droning of the AC as it works to keep things cool.
5. Watching the steam rise from the street.
6. Knowing your grass is going to die because you can't water it enough and you have no sprinkler system.
7. Burning yourself on the too-hot interior of your car.
8. Panting like dogs (this is SUPPOSED to work).
9. Stripping off the layers as soon as you walk in the door
   (admit it, if you're in Texas, you know you do it).
10. Getting excited when the temperature finally reaches 82
    (at MIDNIGHT!)

So, why Texas?

1. Roots (friends, family, church)
2. History (I've been here since 2nd grade)
3. It really is it's own planet
4. Things are laid back
5. Comfort (I don't have to have a GPS to get around)
6. Convenience (something is always open late)
7. My neighborhood
8. Did I mention roots?
9. Did I mention convenience?
10. Oh yeah, people understand my accent!

But, if not Texas, then...OREGON!
(we just got back, pictures tell all)...