Dawn's stuff

Lily turns 3

Hard to believe, I know. Her birthday is tomorrow, but we celebrated last night, with the LA Pruyns and Monica, Cora and Claire.

 

Check out this cake! Monica never ceases to amaze me.

And because Lily couldn’t decide between a heart birthday and a Cookie Monster birthday, she also made these…

Sweets for the sweet.

Last weekend, Scott and I attended a birthday party for the Fabulous Miss Angel, our 5th and 6th grade ministry leader, and it was such a blast. Sadly, there was karaoke. Sadly, we did participate. You never really appreciate the lyrics to Summer Lovin’ from Grease, until you’re beltin’ ‘em out in front of your whole church staff and pastoral team. Not sure if they still want us teaching Sunday School.

 

Check out Owen’s cool new Mike the Tiger luvey that Nana brought.

 

Today, Scott and Kurt are participating in the Tough Mudder Austin, a crazy, muddy, obstacle-laden 9-mile race. Nana, Poppa, and Amy went to cheer them on (and possibly carry them out on stretchers), so I’m spending a fun day with my crew and my 2 nieces and 2 nephews. They are a great group of kids, these Pruyns. They are all keeping each other entertained and having a good Saturday together. We don’t get to do that often enough.

Well, that’s one New Year’s resolution that I’ve blown already

Blogging more, that is. There’s always tomorrow :o)

In the meantime, so many pictures to share. December flew by, like the rest of 2010, in a crazy, awesome blur.

We started out the month with a visit from Nana and Poppa. Scott and I had one of TWO date nights in December, when we attended a surprise birthday party for our friend Becki. Then there was the room-moving that I am famous for…this one resulted in Emily finally getting her own room.

The next weekend, we had a visit from Granny and Pawpaw, and Date night #2, Scott’s company Christmas party.

 

Random Owen cuteness.

We attended Claire Howard’s annual Birthday Gingerbread Party, yummy and fun.

 

We made it back to LA the weekend before Christmas to spend some holiday time with our family and friends. Who knew you could cram so much fun in such a short period of time.

There was a late night dinner and visiting with Kurt and Amy and the kids.

There were marshmallow wars,

 

and a short visit with our dear friends, the Freys.

Then on to Granny and Pawpaw’s for the annual Simoneaux gathering, which never disappoints.

There was Just Dance 2 on the wii, lots of dancing.

 

There was a visit from the big guy in red. Oh yeah, he’s a personal friend of Granny’s.

Other kids have to go to the mall, not us.

Santa actually did some Just Dance on the wii as well, but I don’t have any good pictures. He’s got some moves, though.

It’s soooo fluffy!!!!!

There was the traditional wrestling with Uncle Mike.

It’s all fun and games until somebody gets hurt.

 

And then this year there were the Babies. Lots of cute, cute babies.

Owen, of course.

Maya.

Jayden.

The Linkster.

Owen again.

And Buster. Not a baby, but cute.

Back home for the rest of our Christmas holidays.

The girls, as always, spend a lot of their free time entertaining themselves, and me, making videos. This one they did in full costume, and it was precious.

They are something else.

Scott, Owen and I were privileged to play the Holy Family in the Kids Crazy Christmas show at church. It was such a good experience, something we’ll never forget.

Here’s a picture of Jesus with his 5 big sisters. Didn’t remember that from Luke, did ya?

Anna was chosen to read the Christmas story from the Scriptures during the Christmas Eve service, in front of a packed crowd. She was amazing! Calm, cool, brave, awesome! And quite sassy in her new dress and boots.

And, finally, Christmas.

  Lots of excitement, as you can see.

We finished out 2010 in the best way possible, with a visit from the Frey’s.

Happy 2011! More to come….

November is gone, really?

What books and/or magazines did I read this month? STILL reading Gary Thomas’s Pure Pleasure. Great book.

What movies, television shows, plays, etc. did I watch this month? Finished Season 3 of 24. Actually saw Secretariat and Tangled at the theater and LOVED them both. Also, loved Ramona and Beazus.

Claire and I went to see the Nutcracker at the Houston Ballet and had a really great outing.

Dressed up for the ballet.

 

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends? We made one trip home to LA for a really busy weekend. We had a birthday party for Megan (8!) and attended the annual Morvant Family Reunion at the Rouse’s. It’s always so good to get to spend time with our extended family, aunts, uncles, cousins…to see our kids playing together like we did when we were young.

That’s my dad on the right, with his sister Mary Ann on the left, and two of his brother in laws, my Parrain Wayne and Uncle Carol.

Linkin and Dev.

Emily and her bff Olivia, who came with us as an honorary family member.

My niece Olivia and her little buddy, Lily.

For my 40th birthday, I got to have a dinner out with Monica at Poppa’s Seafood (crabcakes, yumm!) For Moni’s 40th, we had a nice girl time for me, Moni, Rachael, Becki and Amy…hot cocoa, pedis and lunch.

Forty and fabulous!

You can tell which foot is mine by the extreme whiteness!

What gifts did I give and/or receive? Miss Megan got her very own American Girl doll, and her very own fish, Rocco.

I got a great crochet bag from my hubby, and a new charm for my bracelet, and some very needed nice new clothes.

What special or unusual purchases did I make? Other than the fish, I’ve done LOTS of online Christmas shopping which I will not speak of in any detail at this time. :o)

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?

None!

What were my accomplishments this month?

Lots of school, closet cleaning, work.

What were my disappointments this month?

Not a one!

Anything else noteworthy to include?

We had Thanksgiving here at home, just us, which was quiet and relaxing, but we so missed our annual Frey/Pruyn traditional turkey time.

We also started The Boy on rice cereal. He is sleeping through the night again, which makes Momma very happy. Almost makes up for the added stink in the diapers.

Some more of Emily’s awesome photography that I have to share.

She’s also learning some Photoshop skills. That’s my girl.

Happy December!

Two for One Round-ups

Okay, so here are some photo highlights. I have to give credit where credit is due. About half of these pictures were taken by Emily. She had a photographer visit her class at Super Fridays to give some tips and she really took them to heart. She’s been doing lots of snapping and has gotten some awesome shots! I’m so thankful, because honestly, I’ve not been taking pictures like I usually do.

Uncle Chris and Owen.

Anna and Cora, superstars.

 

Owen finally getting some Tummy Time.

Who is that handsome boy in the mirror?

How YOU doin?

Any finally, Trick or Treat. Scott took a few girls to a few houses. Notice the Mickey and Minnie pumpkins, though. Sweet.

September 2010

What books and/or magazines did I read this month? Still reading the Gary Thomas book.

What movies, television shows, plays, etc. did I watch this month? Still in Season 3 of 24. Scott and I saw Date Night and got a good laugh. We watched How to Train Your Dragon as a family and LOVED it! New family favorite.

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends? We had Scott’s dad and brothers here as they prepared to go fishing and hunting. It was so awesome to see the Pruyn boys all together.

What gifts did I give and/or receive? Hmmm. Can’t think of any.

What special or unusual purchases did I make? A Nano for Anna’s b-day.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have? All good on the health front.

What were my accomplishments this month? Just adjusting to homeschooling 4 now, with a toddler and a baby on the side. Does that count as an accomplishment? Yes, I think so.

What were my disappointments this month? Totally dropped out of P90X. Just not enough hours in the day, and right now, I’d rather have that hour to sleep :o)

Anything else noteworthy to include? How did I manage to miss a whole month?

October

What books and/or magazines did I read this month? The Christian Atheist: When You Believe in God But Live as if He Doesn’t Exist by Craig Groeschel and Pure Pleasure: Why Do Christians Feel so Bad about Feeling Good? By Gary Thomas. Both excellent books.

What movies, television shows, plays, etc. did I watch this month? Still in Season 3 of 24, Scott and I saw Date Night and got a good laugh. We watched How to Train Your Dragon as a family and LOVED it! New family favorite.

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends? I had to teach at a workshop for LVS in Natchitoches on October 1, so I brought Owen and Emily with me. Emily and I enjoyed the drive, getting to talk and laugh together, good girl time. We picked up some good ole’ Natchitoches meat pies for supper and watched a movie in our hotel room. The workshop went great, Owen was an angel, then we headed home. Nana was here taking care of the rest of the gang.

Emily and I went to a fun mother-daughter crochet workshop at Fabi’s and I am so “hooked!”

Miss Claire had her 5th birthday party, which had a butterfly theme! Monica made the most beautiful cake and we had a great time with Granny and Pawpaw, Nana and Poppa and some good friends.

We celebrated our 17^th wedding anniversary on the 23^rd of October. We had plans to go to a church event at the Howard’s, but ended up canceling to relax at home. Scott made a gumbo and we watched football and napped. The kids got a huge kick out of watching our wedding video as well. How young we looked!

We had a nice visit from Granny and Pawpaw. Granny did a lot of crafty stuff with the girls, sewing and making stuff. Nana and

What gifts did I give and/or receive? Hmmm. Can’t think of any.

What special or unusual purchases did I make? Yarn to feed my new crochet addiction.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have? All good on the health front.

What were my accomplishments this month? Well, I guess 17 years of marriage is an accomplishment, although I think the credit for that one goes to God, not me or Scott.

What were my disappointments this month? Can’t think of any.

The Boys

September was a really busy month for us, but especially for Scott. He had a couple of trips, for both business and pleasure, one of which was a “Blast and Cast” with his dad and two brothers, Chris and Kurt. This trip was planned as a celebration for Poppa’s 65th birthday, and it was a huge success! Not the best hunting or fishing, they all agreed, but the best time together.

 

Good ole’ Pruyn boy foolishness. What’s not to love?

It’s not all fun and games, you know.

Lest you all think that homeschooling is all fun and sweetness and snuggling and laughter…

Sometimes, not so much. Case in point. Rosetta Stone Spanish on the left. 7th grade science on the right. Oh joy.

What else is up?

The boys laughs now. So, our main task and focus of our day, all day, every day, is to make the boy laugh. We live for it.

I actually got him laughing in this one by saying “Who Dat?” He just cracked up.

And, yes, it’s football season.

Not that The Boy cares, but we pretend he does. We dress him as though he does.

Scott got to go on his first Texas deep sea fishing trip this weekend with Lieutenant Dan. He’s not really a lieutenant, we just like to say that. With a distinct Forrest Gump accent. “But you ain’t got no legs, Lieutenant Dan.” Anyway, they had a great time.

We are house-shopping. Yes, we are crazy. Really, did you have any doubt left in your mind? We just think that showing a house and selling a house and packing up a house and moving with 6 kids would be fun.

Waiting for Nana and Poppa to come in today. Tomorrow is Anna’s 10th birthday, can you believe?

August Roundup

What books and/or magazines did I read this month? Reading Her Mother’s Hope by Francine Rivers. Finished a great devotional book called Out of the Spin Cycle: Devotions to Lighten Your Mother Load, which I really enjoyed.

What movies, television shows, plays, etc. did I watch this month? In Season 3 of 24, enjoying the new season of the Duggar’s, no time for much else.

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?

We had a surprise visit from the Frey’s, short but good.

Anna had her first slumber party.

We attended our first Astros game.

We made our first trip to LA with The Boy. It was very busy, time with my sisters and parents, time with Scott’s family, time with the Picards, time with the Freys, back on the road to Houston.

Nana and Owen.

Mrs. Susan finally got to meet Owen in person.

A princess party with the Picard’s. (Say that three times fast!)

Whenever me and my three sisters are together, we always try to get a group picture. Some are better than others, and it always involves many shots with Dad’s finger in the way, Dana’s eyes closed, and lots of other foolishness.

We got this one, even with Mom in the picture! Seems like we get tanner as you go to the right….

This time, we also tried to get one of all the grandkids, since it’s rare that we have them all together these days. Left to right, Linkin, Olivia, Megan, Carsen, Claire (she was making crazy faces in all the shots), Lily, Anna, Owen and Emily.

Last month, Denise and Mike made a trip to New York and Mimi got “the boys” matching Yankee uniforms, so we were determined to get a picture of those.

Linkin is such a hoss! He made Owen look like a rookie.

But a cute rookie.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?

My mom and sisters and I went in to get my dad a Kindle for his birthday. He’s not sure yet that he wants one, but we made the decision for him. I think he’s going to enjoy it.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

Not much of anything, which is unusual for us.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?

None!

What were my accomplishments this month?

Began P90X! My first real exercise in about 12 years, I’m in my third week now. We also began our 5^th year of homeschooling.

What were my disappointments this month?

Not a one!

Anything else noteworthy to include?

The girls went back to Super Fridays for the new school year! This has been such a wonderful part of our homeschool life here in Texas. The girls are getting to do fun extra-curricular activities (Martial Arts, home-ec, cake decorating, scrapbooking, theater, and on and on), they’re getting to make and spend time with some terrific friends, and I get a couple of hours a week to myself. Well, this year, to myself and Owen, but still, a break. We love it!

Claire finally started her first ballet class. She has been twirling through life for almost 5 years now, we decided to make her an official ballerina. She’s had one class, she had a HUGE smile on her face the whole time, and she was absolutely the most beautiful little ballerina in the world!

We’re having a nice Labor Day weekend, some work, some play, some household chores. But good. Love and kisses! Dawn

End of Summer

Summer 2010 is quickly coming to a close for the Pruyn’s. Our scheduled start of school is August 23, so this week is it for us! Emily, Anna, Megan and Claire left yesterday with Nana and Poppa to spend a few days in Louisiana, so it’s pretty quiet around here today. I’m getting a little more done, but not much, because I’ve still got the two that require the most from me, and NO helpers! But I miss my big girls alot, and not just for the slave labor. I miss their voices and their crazy laughter and silliness. Me, Scott, Lily and Owen will be heading to BR on Thursday for a short weekend visit, then it’s back here for the start of school.

We had an awesome visit a few weeks ago from the Freys. We actually kept the news of the visit from the girls until they pulled up in the driveway, which was such an awesome surprise! Scott and David went out in the kayaks and did some fishing, then came back and picked up Megan and Hayden and took them fishing. Jodie and I,  of course, sat around and talked and solved all of the world’s problems, at least in theory, and did much ambitious homeschool planning!

In case you haven’t heard, David wants you all to know that standing up in a kayak is not advisable.

Scott took this one, just beautiful!

We also celebrated a couple of upcoming birthdays while we had the Freys “in-house”…Hayden and Ainsley in August and Anna in September.

We did not celebrate Megan’s November birthday, but she wanted a candle on her cupcake anyway.

It’s so awesome to watch these girls who have been bffs since birth, as they grow up and change, and still adore each other.

Anna also FINALLY had her first real slumber party, another early celebration of her 10th birthday. We had four of her Texas friends for the event and they had a great time! Much silliness, laughing, screaming…pizza, milkshakes, games…very little sleep. But all good. No fussing, no drama, just good ole’ fun.

In other news, we attended our first Astros game as a family Saturday evening. You know me, I was just excited that Owen had an Astros onesie to wear, didn’t really care about watching the game. But it was fun, something different for us, and the kids did great (although secretly, I think they were a little bored, too). And the Astros beat the Pirates! At least that’s what I’m told.

I’m looking forward to the weekend in BR…we’ve not seen the Leblanc gang since they moved to Alabama. Gonna’ hang out at mom and dad’s with all three of my sisters and kids and hubbys. Also celebrating 22 years for Denise and Mike! Happy Anniversary!

The Boy’s going be two months old tomorrow, yeah! Shots on Thursday, nooooo! They really should medicate the moms for those things, I just hate them.

The Boy

‘Cause that’s what we call him. “Will you get The Boy from his bed?” “Have you changed The Boy?” “It’s time to feed The Boy.” “How’s The Boy today?”

Here’s The Boy getting a bottle from Claire.

The Boy, being admired by his sisters while mom stands above them on her bed, snapping pictures.

 

The Boy, looking kinda’ bowed up, like he’s ready to do P90X with his dad.

The Boy and his sweet sister, Lily Kate.

And more random cute pictures of The Boy.

I’m getting ready to start school with The Girls and all this baby obsession is going to have to fight for time with all the busyness of our homeschool life…but right now, it’s all about The Boy.

Happy Monday!

July Roundup

What books and/or magazines did I read this month? The Help, The Glass Castle

What movies, television shows, plays, etc. did I watch this month? Still in Season 2 of 24, not much else at all.

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends? We had a short visit from the Freys for the Fourth of July. Then we had first time visits from Denise and Mike, and Kurt and Amy and the kids! Then a visit from Granny and Pawpaw, and one from Laura and Jill and the Picard/Alford kids. Pawpaw helped me with shuttling the kids back and forth to VBS. Jill, Laura and I actually went out to dinner, my first night out since Owen! I pumped his first bottle, which Scott had great success with. Scott managed to hold down the fort with all ELEVEN kids while we had dinner!

What gifts did I give and/or receive? No gifts this month.

What special or unusual purchases did I make? We bought a pair of kayaks which Scott has wanted for a while and which he and the kids have enjoyed already. I bought the girls their portable dvd player for their room as potty-training payment. I also bought a sling for Owen, which I’ve used a little, not used to it yet.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have? None! Recovering fine from delivery, no issues to report. Made my 6 week pp check up.

What were my accomplishments this month? Got pretty well organized for our upcoming start of school, back down to one in diapers (although I credit Em and Anna with that accomplishment).

What were my disappointments this month? Not a one!

Anything else noteworthy to include? Scott spent 5 days in Michigan on a business trip and also got to fish and attend a cool boat race. Got my hair cut short again.

 

Now for some pictures…

Owen’s first bath, July 1.

Owen’s first real bath, July 1, 2010.

One month picture, looking very serious.

 

He sees big people.

 

Scott and Pawpaw took the three big girls for an evening kayaking trip.

I love this picture of my dad and his new grandson. They hung out together a lot.

Scott took Emily and Anna and Beau and Sean Alford fishing Saturday morning. Hot. Not a lot of fish. They had fun, though.

Love this picture of my two big girls!

My two handsome boys, taking a snooze on the couch.

Happy August! School starting soon, can’t wait!