2012 in a Nutshell

-----------------Here is the past year in a really condensed nutshell ----------------- Baylor, Chase and I had a great end to our school year in Louisiana. Brody found a new job in Texas, so after the school year ended we moved there. Yeehaw! We have all become Texans.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our summer was so much fun. We swam almost every day, played with cousins, neighbors, friends, and went on all kinds of adventures and outings.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Baylor started 1st grade in the fall and loves his new school. He is a great student and a sweet kid. His teacher is always telling me how impressed she is by him. Chase goes to preschool a few days a week and really enjoys being with his friends and teachers. He loves learning and just happens to be the best artist and colorer on the planet. I am at U of H working on a degree in Science Education for Grades 4-8. Brody works hard in his profession as a dentist. He is a great dad and lives near us, so he is able to see his boys practically every day.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Birthdays!! We had a great year of birthdays. Brody turned…well old, and the boys showered him with hugs, kisses and took him to his favorite restaurant. I turned 30. Whoa, I know, and had a great time celebrating my oldness with friends and family. Baylor turned 6 and had a super fun Angry Birds birthday party, and Chase turned 4 and had friends and family over for a Mario birthday party.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Since Baylor and Chase both have birthdays in the fall I usually have their yearly pictures taken at that time. The boys are getting so big and turning into such handsome little guys. I just adore them and am so grateful to be their mother.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I went on a super fun Caribbean Cruise with my sisters in October. I feel so lucky that we are able to live by and see my family all of the time. My parents and 7 of my siblings live within a few miles of each other. We get together for birthdays, holidays, dinners, games, and any other reason we can come up with. We just love it!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The kids have loved celebrating many of the holidays in Houston. The Jensen’s are always cooking up something delicious and having a great time together. We don’t want to miss out on any fun so we also go to parades, parties, and all the festivities we can handle.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Christmas was wonderful! The boys had a blast going to winter festivals, school and ward parties, and friend’s Christmas parties. The kids were excited to get what they wanted for Christmas; apparently they were on the nice list, yay! They are super sweet to one another and their favorite part of Christmas morning was giving each other their brother gifts.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Since Christmas and throughout the year we have been involved in different sports with the kids. Baylor played basketball, baseball and soccer, and Chase played t-ball and soccer. We love watching them learn and develop new skills, plus seeing them in their cute uniforms doesn’t hurt.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We are all doing great and rolling with the punches from time to time. This year was full of a lot of changes, but nothings we can’t handle. We have loved spending most of this past year living in Texas. We are so lucky to be by family and have them here for example, support, friendship, and love. We have met new people that are amazing and will be charished in our lives, plus we've been able to rekindled old friendships that will last forever. We are so thankful to be surrounded by amazing people that we love and have them with us on this journey we call life.

The rest of 2011

Yes, I know it's been forever since I've posted so here is a quick recap of what has happened since August.

Brody, Baylor, Chase and myself are doing great. Brody is enjoying work and life. He works really hard and is a great provider and support to me and the boys. I finished my first semester at McNeese State, and it went well. I'll be honest, it was not easy taking 20 credits with 2 kids, but I did it, and I actually kept my sanity...so far, but that may not last. I will be majoring in Biology with secondary education, and will likely minor in Chemistry. It's been pretty hard, but fortunately Brody is really smart and can help tutor me in Chemistry and Physics if I need it. Brody and I did file divorce a while ago and things went smoothly with that. As you can tell from the pictures we still spend time together with the kids and get along. Baylor loves kindergarten and says he is the smartest boy in his class, apparently there is a girl that is the smartest (haha). Baylor also started playing on a basketball team last month and really enjoys that. It's been fun to watch him learn how to play. Chase started going to daycare while I am at class and his teachers just adore him. He is such a sweet boy and gets along with everyone.

And now here are a few pictures from holidays, birthdays, vacations etc.

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Baylor had his 5th birthday in August, Chase had his 3rd birthday in October, and I had my big-time 29th birthday in September. We had a fun time celebrating by going to Chuck-E-Cheese, the circus, and having birthday parties here and at Nana's house, in Houston. While in Houston I also had my sister take the boys' yearly birthday pictures. Thanks Courtney!



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We had a totally fun Halloween. Brody's mom came to visit from Idaho and the kids loved spending time with her. Baylor and Chase (aka Mario and Luigi) loved all the festivities associated with Halloween.



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I had an entire month off in December between semesters, so I spent that time traveling and visiting family. Our first trip was to Oklahoma. My brother, Chris and sister, Sheri both live there with their families. Thanks for the fun time!



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We came back to Louisiana for 2 days and celebrated an early Christmas. We would be traveling to Utah/Idaho on Christmas Eve and be in Idaho for Christmas, so I made a special call to Santa and asked him to bring our presents early since we would be out of town, and he did!



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We had a wonderful time in Idaho celebrating Christmas with Brody's family. We got to see Santa on Christmas Eve, open lots of presents, eat great food, have lots of laughs, play in the snow, go sledding, and spend time with the amazing Miller/Mower family. Thanks for the awesome Christmas! We miss you already!



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After returning from Utah/Idaho the boys and I spent the rest of December through New Years in Houston with the Jensen family. We went to Kemah, had our family treasure hunt, ate lots of great food, watched movies, and played with cousins. The boys just love those Texas cousins!



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Well that about wraps up my 5 month recap. Life is pretty crazy and busy right now but everything is going great with our little family.

Back to School

We went back to school this week. Baylor to kindergarten, Chase to preschool, and me to college. We gonna to be lots gooder and smarter than all's y'alls now.

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Getting ready for the first day

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Baylor and Chase with their new teachers

High School Reunion

It's funny how much we have changed since high school, yet when I got with my old high school friends all the adultness left the room. All the sudden we were acting like hyper, annoying, teenage girls again. I recently had my 10 year high school reunion at Minute Maid Stadium, in Houston, and it was really fun. I got to see a lot of people I had not seen in...well 10 years. There are few things more rewarding than seeing and hugging an old friend, so I was glad I went and got to do that. Thanks for the memories Kingwood High School. Go Mustangs! Rub the hoof!