thecunningham411

Just DANCE!

2011-10-01T20:28:00.004-05:00

We may not be the most coordinated or the best dancers but we know how to have fun! LOL!

Fun with Friends

2011-09-11T19:37:00.006-05:00

Fun day with fun friends!

Gulf Shores 2011 Part 1

2011-07-20T22:24:00.028-05:00

Yes this is just Part 1 of our Gulf Shores pictures. As most of you know, I have become a big slacker with my blog and I figured that it was better to put up some now since I prob won't get the rest up for a while. For those of you who are not family, this may be slightly painful to browse. A lot of pictures and a lot of posing. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Jason!

2011-02-25T22:34:00.005-06:00

Today is Jason's 37Th birthday and we celebrated by going to a Karaoke/pizza restaurant. I was a little unsure about this but he insisted so we went and had a blast. The girls absolutely loved it. Ava sang every song and even danced a little. Adiah got excited when Redneck Woman was sung and she has decided that she's a redneck woman. Ha. She is so funny. I think that she thinks if she has a label of redneck she doesn't need manners. Well, not so. But, I let her enjoy it for the night. Sitting there in the bar brought back so many memories of Jason and I when we were dating and newlyweds. It was nice to remember things that we had really not thought about in years and to remember happy times that were long forgotten. We were told several weeks ago that a good thing to do is to pick one thing from each year you were married and remember that. Unfortunately, I don't remember very many good things from the first five years of our marriage except of course the birth of our children. Tonight someone sang a Keith Whitley song called When You Say Nothing At All. That song brought back great memories. As cheesy as this sounds, Jason used to sing that song to me when we would go dancing at Stampedes. It would make me laugh but that didn't stop him. He just kept singing. Yes, I said it was cheesy. Anyway, I am so glad that I remembered that and I hope I can dig up many more great memories to hold on to. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASON! I love you very much!

Ella Barnes Running Club

2010-12-11T22:18:00.007-06:00

Ava's new love is the running club at her school. She is too young to be on it but they allow her to run if I run with her. We have had so much fun and she is doing so well. Fortunately, she has some experience in "pacing" herself and most of the other kids just want to go all out and burn all of their energy in the first half mile. We are so proud of her. Last week her club ran a fun run at Texas A&M CC and Adiah was kind enough to run with us. Ava blew us all away. I hope she sticks with it because I really think she has the ability to go far with this.

If someone knows how I can turn these pictures please share...

Mrs. Collins, Ava's running coach and wonderful 2nd grade teacher.

A little warm-up before the race.

And she's off..

A small part of the running club.

After the race

Just a Normal Saturday in Corpus

2010-12-11T20:47:00.009-06:00

The view from the incredibly long line.Watching the sailboats...what a wonderful way to wait in line. Getting tired of waiting...The Christmas tree forest. I was expecting extravagant. Ella Barnes sponsored tree. Australia

Adiah's school sponsored India but we didn't get a picture with that one. Oops!

I am really starting to feel the very near move tonight. I don't know why it is hitting me so hard now but ouch! I am really going to miss my life in Corpus. Today was such a beautiful day. 85 sunny and windy. Perfect. The sun was hot and the wind was cool. Just the way I like it.

The girls and I started our day off by going to the Art Museum of South Texas with our friends. Well, it was supposed to be fun and festive but, after waiting in line for about 45min just to get in and then waiting in line to see the Christmas tree forest everybody was just ready to go. I was a bit disappointed with the exhibit. I expected so much more. At least Adiah and Ava were able to spend some time with Karston, Camee and Kayden.

While we were waiting in line or, while I was waiting in line and they were running around playing, I was able to enjoy the beauty of Corpus Christi bay. You may laugh at that last statement but, it was so pretty and I am going to miss it every day.

Later this afternoon the girls and I took a walk down to the bay and they ran and played with the tumble weeds and I sat and texted pictures of them to Jason. I had never seen tumble weeds until this fall. They are so strange to me. The girls loved running wild and we had a great time.

BFFs Kaitlyn and Ava

2010-11-07T20:42:00.005-06:00

Halloween 2010

2010-11-07T19:27:00.010-06:00

Halloween was fun this year. Momma and Daddy came to visit, Ava was baptized and we went trick-or-treating. Oh yeah, there's nothing like halloween in Corpus Christi. For some reason everyone seems to participate in some way or another. The neighborhood next to ours is huge and it is a candy haven. We can only make a couple of streets before our bags are full and our kids are done.

Adiah was Moaning Myrtle from Harry Potter. Apparently she is a ghost character who lives in a toilet at Harry Potter's school. Ok, I just went along with it. She has gotten so far into those books. Once she started reading them she never stopped until she finished the last one just a few days ago.

Camee is Adiah's BFF. She was a cat. I love the glasses. Adiah is going to miss her very much.

I don't think that I've ever seen so many adults dressed up for Halloween. These people are hilarious. And no, I didn't dress up but I wish I had.

Ava was a little Senorita or a salsa dancer. She had to have high-heels for this costume but they only lasted a block before she switched to her tennies. Karston was the scientist from Phenius and Ferb. Duffensmirts??? He was perfect.

Not too far into it this is where I found Adiah.

Kayden was a pretty ballerina.

Hahahahahhahahahahah. I think this guy is hilarious! Hahahahahah

Goodnight Ava!

We were so glad that Mimi and Papa were able to trick-or-treat with us. We don't get to see them much and it was a great time. It was also perfect because Ava was baptized that day as well. I feel a bit funny posting pictures of her baptism on fb but it is a perfect way to let friends and family who weren't able to see it get a little glimpse of our special day.

I'm so proud of my little Ava!

Goodbye Corpus

2010-10-26T08:28:00.020-05:00

Moving again...I guess that's what we do. It's only been two years and here we go again. I realize that this is all God's plan but it sure is a pain. Don't get me wrong, I am excited but I am also sad and scared a little bit. Georgia is so far away from everyone and everything that is comfortable and familiar to me. Thankfully, the locals will have a much more severe accent than us this time.

I didn't realize how "country" I sounded until people here started asking me to "talk". What??? I sound funny? No, I sound just like you do. Well, no I really don't. This was one of the first things I learned here in Corpus. That one was easy and painless. Along with learning about my accent I also learned a few more things during my two short years here.

The first lesson that I learned was that no matter how much you put yourself out there you will not feel settled and a part for about 6 months. I met a girl named Bridgette about a month after moving here and she helped me understand that very important lesson. However, I couldn't see it at the time. I was told by many people that it was totally up to me and if I was going to make friends then I would have to "come out of my shell and get out of my comfort zone." Well that I did. For those of you who have known me for some time you know that I do not like to make small talk and I am very uncomfortable in new situations especially when I don't know ANYONE. OK, I was not myself. Yes, I got out of my comfort zone but who in the world was I? Not Allison. I was so eager it was embarrassing. Everyone that I met got a hand shoved in their face, "Hi, I'm Allison." It was a bit pathetic. I went to NNL meetings with Bridgette and was determined not to look like her shadow so I would make my way around the room introducing myself to everyone and pretending to be interested in them and somehow make conversation. I had nothing in common with these women and knew that I would not form lasting friendships with them. It was horrible. So not comfortable. But I did it. Because that's what everyone told me I had to do. Bridgette and I did not stay in touch but she helped me through a very tough time and helped me realize that I was OK and it just takes time.

Another person who really helped me was Ms. Bea, the librarian at Ella Barnes. She allowed me to volunteer in her library and while I was there she introduced me to so many people and really pushed me to get involved in different activities. She was definitely a big support and a great friend to me.

Another major leason learned was how important it is to be involved and be "a part" of a good bible based church. We spent a lot of time floating from one church to the next trying to find the perfect fit. Each time I thought we were there we would go looking for something else. We were looking for perfection and we were not going to find it. Hopefully, we won't make that mistake again.

I learned to enjoy year-round flip-flops and intense heat. I learned to enjoy the smell of salt and fish in the morning and just be thankful that we live so close to the water. I've come to appreciate rust on the doors and light fixtures outside and now I'm not critical about how worn the roofs look and how fast the homes weather. Basically, I've learned not to judge a book by it's cover. Because that's what I did when we first came here. I was not impressed and not happy about much of anything. But now I have seen Corpus Christi for what it is and what it can be and I have loved it. I never dreamed that we would have all of the opportunities that we have had in this town. There are endless free activities for our family to enjoy. We will miss the Hooks and especially the IceRays. I'll never forget the first time I saw them throw real stingrays on the ice after they scored. I will miss the Texas State Aquarium. I can't count how many times we went there but every time we would notice something new. I never went on the Lexington but that's OK. I got to see it from the harbor bridge tons of times. I think that's enough for me. I will miss eating at Laguna Reef , a hole in the wall resturant on Laguna Madre. I am sad that I won't be able to run The Beach to Bay relay marathon again. But, I will always be proud when I say I ran the third leg over the Island bridge. I will never forget the first time I ran on Ocean drive and was completely beat-up and choked by an insane amount of sand. And yes, I will miss the wind terribly. When people complain about the excessive wind they have never experienced real intense heat with 100% humidity and no wind. Welcome to Tyler, Tx. Not pleasant. I have a feeling that that is what I will experience in Georgia and that does not appeal to me at all now that I have discoved something so much better. Wind!!! I will miss being able to see the bay from Ava's bedroom window when I stand on my tip-toes and lean really far to the right. I will definitely miss our walks and jogs in the evening. Running straight into a 20-40mile per hour gust of wind. The water is beautiful and worth every second of it. I will miss taking the long way home after dropping Ava off at school just so I can look at and appreciate the stillness of the water. I will miss Ella Barnes Elementary and all of my friends that I have grown to love and appreciate.

Of course, I will miss our beautiful beaches. For those of you who don't think they are beautiful you just haven't been at the right times. I will miss finding tons of sandollars in the water after a hurricane or tropical storm. It was really hard for me to search for them at first. Digging my toes into the sand with water up to my waist is not very high on my to do list. It's a thrill though when you start finding them and then you don't want to stop searching. We brought about 25 live sandollars home on Labor Day weekend. I will miss watching Jason take Adiah, Ava, Cole and Sadie out in the blow-up boat and playing out there for hours. I will miss being able to watch the release of the sea turtles as they make their way to the water for the first time. And knowing that only one will live a full life. I am sad that I never slept out on the beach with a fire. I was really looking forward to doing that this fall. I will miss seeing the massive amounts of stars that you can see out on the Island at night. It's really unbelievable.

I will miss feeling like I'm on vacation when I walk outside every day. I love to look at the field of grass and mesquite trees across from the entrance to our neighborhood. I will miss the endless amounts of 5K, half marathons and triathalons. No, I never participated in a triathalon and I never will (I hate to swim) but I loved knowing I could if I wanted to.

Above all else I will miss the Bright family. They have been our support and basically have become part of our family. I have loved watching all of the kids play and fight and grow. Well, I didn't enjoy the fighting but I guess that's just what happens when five kids are together every day. We trained for and ran the 3M half marathon in Austin, went to the Air show, played on Bird Island and the kids spent a lot of time playing "City". I still don't know exactly what "City" is but they sure did make a mess with it. Tents were all of my house. Cans of food on the stairs for a grocery store. Whatever it is, they had a blast. We spent endless days watching the kids in the pool laughing and talking. And of course plenty of time at the beach. Amber introduced me to political events and I have actually started to enjoy learning about it. We met Rick Perry, Medina (she's crazy), attended a debate (honestly, I don't remember what they were running for but I enjoyed it). We attended the Tea Party in San Antonio and saw Glenn Beck speak, a Tea Party in Corpus and the 911 memorial service. I never would have attended any of these events if I had not met Amber. So thanks Amber for opening my eyes to something new.

I hate that I won't be able to see Kayden on her first day of kindergarten and hear about how well she behaved until someone took something from her on the playground and she socked them. I will miss how she snuggles up in my lap but ONLY when she feels like it. I hate that I will miss Amber's graduation in December and Ava won't be able to ride home with her everyday and have her as teacher like we talked about so many times.

When I moved to Corpus Christi I didn't think that I would ever find a friend. And now I have tons that I love and one that I'm going to have a very hard time leaving. It's so amazing how God puts people in your life when you least expect it and takes care of you when you think you are at your worst. He carried me through our adventure in Corpus and I know that he will carry me through our adventure in Georgia.

Back to School Vacation

2010-08-26T14:10:00.015-05:00

Off to San Antonio for our last hoorah before school starts.

Adiah loves to go to the Alamo. This is probably the 6 or 7Th time she's been there. Occasionally, on Saturday's they have exhibits outside to show the weapons etc. that were used at that time. The people working the tables wear period clothes and she gets excited about this every time.

My future history buff

We had a great time at our hotel.

Ava loved the pina coladas.

We ate at Chunky's-famous from Man vs. Food. It was so good. Normally I couldn't care less about where we eat or what we eat but this was good. I will definitely want to go back. Jason said his burger (jalapenos and a slab of cream cheese) was the best burger he has ever had. This is a San Antonio must.

My beautiful family.We got to roast marshmallows and eat smores at the hotel. The girls loved this.So did I. Yum

This was a great ending to a wonderful summer.

Girls Weekend

2010-08-15T18:59:00.015-05:00

Fun girl's weekend in Fredericksburg, TX. Yehaw!!!

Friends Forever!!!

Our beautiful B&B. Thanks Vic! We are so grateful for your kindness.

And the same picture again. Sorry, don't know how to delete pics once I add them to the blog.

Beautiful Jane. Love the red highlights!

Goofin' around

We laughed so much. This was just the first five minutes.

Jane posing at the restaurant we ate dinner at the first night. Can't remember the name. Something Cantina, I think. :) It was sooooooooooo good. Great atmosphere too.

Main Street at night.

The stores closed way too early so we went window shopping and this is what we found. Eeek! Creepy baby

And this is what our world is coming to. Sad I know. This is a little boys size shirt with Farrah Faucet posing on it. This store had a lot of these. I'm sure this would make any mother proud.

And this is Satan.

This is us before we tackled Enchanted Rock.

We are Oh, so confident. No problem. It's not that high. Right?

And we headed off onto our own path. Path? What path? We were not on a path. We decided that the main trail was just too easy for us. We decided to climb up snake infested cactus filled rocks that were almost too hot to sit on. And, we decided to do this at noon. Wonderful!

I think I was the only one having any problems by this point. I had a backpack on with 8 bottles of water in it. That backpack ended up almost breaking three of us.

Yeah, we were having fun!

And now Alesha is picking cactus prickles out of her leg.

And Jennifer is picking them out of her fingers.

And Jane is picking them out of her arm. This is the same arm that is already bruised and scratched from an incident with, we think a fox, during an unfortunate bathroom break on the way to Fredericksburg.

We finally made it to the top after thinking we were there about three times before we actually reached the peak. Aren't we a sight for sore eyes? Ha Notice that Alesha doesn't even look sweaty. She never carried the backpack. Look at the other three of us. I think the backpack almost had us. We ended up leaving it a ways down the rock. If we had taken it one of us would have been lost I just know it.

Headed down.

Somebody please tell me how Jane's band aids made it from the inside of her socks to the outside during our hike. Look closely. I laughed so hard.

Ok, let me explain. We had the majority of the house but two other couples had the other part. This is a locked and screened door that separated us from each other. We assume that this was their living room. The night before we had stayed up very late in our living room laughing and talking until we heard a very loud bang on the wall. So of course we knew that we had upset our house mates. Ooops. This is not the first time that this has happened to us so I don't know why we were surprised. Anyway, like I said, this is the next morning when they were talking about us and mocking our laughing etc. We just wanted to hear what they had to say about us. Ha.

Jane was so excited to get her German potato salad and Alesha was excited to get her peach cobbler. Yum! We ate very well that weekend. I'll pass on the German food though. Yuck!

Jane shopped until her shoe broke.

This was probably the best visit that we have had in many years. I love you girls and I am so glad that you are my life long friends.

Tiny Twirler

2010-07-16T13:11:00.008-05:00

Saying goodbye to Adiah. She looks real sad right? Ok, moving on to my Tiny Twirler

Ava wanted to pose in front of this old boat. We went to this hole in the wall restaurant on Laguna Madre. We had never been before but decided to try it. We loved sitting out on the water. It was so peaceful and relaxing. Aaaahh. What a way to celebrate Ava's final day of twirling camp.

Ava spent the week at a twirling camp where she learned basics of twirling, modeling, tumbling and dance. On the last day they were able to perform all of their new skills for their parents. This was her modeling. They had to walk down the center aisle and split off to the left and then cross in front of everyone to the right and pose at each point. I have always thought of Ava as "the shy little girl" but, let me tell you, this little girl is NOT shy. She was all about the posing.

This was her first pose. Go Ava!

Dancing

I asked her to pose for this one. I did embarrass her a little. psssst pssst Ava hold your baton like this. Ha

Ribbon baton. She really liked this.

Once again, Ava and I had a great time spending the week together. Having one child is sooooooooooo easy.

Go AVA!!!!!

First Summer Camp :(

2010-07-14T13:34:00.002-05:00

Poor pitiful mom. Once again I am crying over Adiah leaving. She left about an hour ago to go to her first overnight summer camp. I really didn't think it would affect me like this since she was just gone for a week. However, when she left with people that I barely know and not one close friend it was almost too much for me. Leave it to Adiah though to just push through the nerves and go anyway.
I feel like her life is flying by way too fast. Ever since Adiah was born she has been quite the handful and I have looked forward to the day when she would be more calm and just I guess mind me. Well, in my ignorance I guess I forgot that by doing this she would slowly start gettting to the point of being "grown up". Don't get me wrong, I realize that she still has a lot of growing to do but at this point she seems to grow twice as fast each day as she did even a year ago. I feel guily for trying to rush this and sad that so much has already come to an end. I want to soak up every day that I spend with her and Ava now. I have enjoyed spending this summer with them so much. It hasn't been about trips and swimming so much as just spending time together and doing whatever comes up that day.
Last year I worked so much and missed so much with the girls. I had such a good opportunity and I didn't want to pass it by but by enjoying that opportunity I did not get to enjoy the girls as much. Who wants to fight about homework and getting clothes and shoes picked up every afternoon after getting home from work. And forget about cooking dinner. There's no time for that when you are in ballet, girl scouts, and then kickball and softball. It was really too much and I really don't want our lives to be like that again. I don't want them to miss out on anything but, I think that as the parent I need to cut out certain things in order to be able to have a calm happy family at home. I really have a hard time not letting them participate in the activities that they want to do but in order to do those it really puts a strain on all of us. It's too much. Life is so much fun right now that I wouldn't want to waste another year that I could have enjoyed with my girls the way I am enjoying them now. Even though I'm sad today. :)

My only child

2010-07-07T22:51:00.005-05:00

This week has been unusual for me because I am hanging out with just one of my girls. Adiah went to Tyler for a week and Ava and I have been doing the only child thing. Tonight I am a little sad because Adiah doesn't seem to miss me at all. This is all so new to me and I'm not sure how to deal with it really. I am Mom. I am supposed to be her world. What has happened to change this so fast. I want to say, "Adiah, I know you miss me. Why are you acting like you don't? Why are you TRYING to hurt me?" Of course I didn't but, I really wanted to. She has changed so much in the last 6 months and she is growing so fast. I am very proud of her and who she is becoming but, I didn't realize this would come so soon. I want my kids to stop growing and just stay little forever. How pathetic am I? Right now I have tears running down my face just thinking about her. And no, I am not hormonal either. This is truly upsetting.

On a lighter note, I have loved my time with Ava. She has the best personality and unfortunately I don't get to see it for what it really is very often. She tends to hide in her sister's shadow most of the time. She is so funny and loves to joke. We have laughed so much. Monday, Jason and I asked her what she wanted to do while Adiah was gone and she said, "play tennis." So we went to Academy and bought a couple of racquet's and balls. Yesterday we went and played for about an hour and had a blast. It was so hot but she was loving it.
Today we went down to the bay and road bikes on the seawall. I feel so lucky to be able to ride bikes along the ocean. I love just looking out at the water and knowing that this is where I live and I can come back tomorrow if I want. The water was green today and very choppy. The level was up about two feet at least so we were able to see it as we hadn't seen it before. Ava commented several times about how this or that area usually isn't covered with water. I started us way too far away so we didn't make it to the sno cone stand. Ooops! Ava was Ok with just getting a milkshake at the famous two-story Whataburger though. Thank goodness. :)
I can't wait to see what Ava wants to do tomorrow.

Miss you Adiah! :(

Fun Times

2010-04-15T23:47:00.006-05:00

Today was an exciting day because Adiah was fortunate enough to be in a local commercial to advertise for the Corpus Christi Business Hall of Fame. She did so well. It was just a short script but she got it and looked completely natural. This is something that she really loves to do and would love to do more often. She was so funny when I told her that they wanted her to do it. She said, " Momma all I can think of is bobble-heads and action figures of me." She's crazy but in her mind she wants to be famous. :0) I say, "Go for it Adiah! The sky's the limit."

Obviously, this is a very old post. I attempted to get my blog started again but just saved this as a draft.

I haven't posted in many months so here are a few pics of the last few months. Life is sooooooo busy but I really need to keep up with this better.

Big Water Moccasin in the Nueces River

2010-03-20T18:25:00.003-05:00

Fun in San Antonio

2009-12-31T15:22:00.001-06:00

2009-11-24T12:58:00.006-06:00

Ok, let me explain, Adiah had to dress up as a character from a book but only use a hat. She had already chosen Amelia Earhart before we knew she could only use a hat. I bought her a bomber jacket and and Amelia Earhart flying hat and goggles. Obviously, she is not wearing the jacket but we decided to keep the goggles and just add an airplane to her hat. Viola! There you go. Amelia Earhart.

Ava got to dress up for her literary parade full costume. I chose Ragedy Ann since we already had the costume and this is probably the last year I will be able to get her to wear it. Isn't she so cute. She's still my little baby.

Ava and her bestfriend Kaitlyn. They laugh constantly.

Cami was a beautiful vampire.

Ava's parade went on for so long. There were so many kids. It was fun though.

The high school cheerleaders and drumline were at the parade.

Then on to trick-or-treating with our friends the Brights.

Jason got into the spirit.

Adiah tried to go trick-or-treating but ended up vomiting in the yard at our first house. The next day we found out that she had strept throat and two days later we had to take her to the ER for Croup. Wow. What a weekend for our sweet little girl.

Ava was a scary ghost. She loves to get a little crazy with the make-up.

Adiah wanted to be Morticia. This is her third year in a row to wear this costume. Yea Adiah. I'm glad you can be content without something new.

2009-11-24T11:23:00.002-06:00

The Harbor Half-Marathon 13.1mile

Jason ran another half-marathon. I don't know how he found time to train for this. He had fun running with our friend Josh. They would get us to drive them 7-9 miles from home and drop them off. That way they would have to make it home. They trained through the hot hot days of the summer dripping in sweat. Go Jason!

2009-11-24T10:36:00.005-06:00

Mimi and Papa came to visit and of course they had to bring gifts...

Ava got a Curious George book. She loves to read.

And yes, we had to go to the Texas State Aquarium--again.

It was fun going with them though because they had never been and they actually stopped to read everything. We saw animals we have never seen before. One being a four eyed fish. Yes, it has four eyes.

Momma and Daddy pet the stingrays.

We still love the bird show.

We got to watch Ava play t-ball. Uno dos tres - hooks!!!

Friday night we all went to SunnyFest at Ella Barnes - Ava's school.

Thanks for coming to visit us. We love you both very much!

Seal Island "The Ring of Death"

2009-11-24T09:43:00.004-06:00

Adiah was chosen at the beginning of the school year to be the only student in her class to participate in an independent research project that she would present to the entire third grade at her school. She chose to study "The Ring of Death". There were four other presenters and this is Sesh. Sesh studied Korea. Adiah met Sesh this year in her independent study class and he has developed quite a crush on her. She came home one day telling me that this "Koresian" guy liked her. We got quite a laugh about that. She is so funny. Adiah says no guy has ever treated her as good as Sesh. However, Sesh has some competition. Garrett also has a crush on her and he gets mad when she spends time with Sesh. What a love triangle. Adiah is so innocent though. She just likes the attention that they give her. She goes back and forth about whether or not they are just friends or if she "like likes" them.

Adiah shaking hands with her principal after the presentation.

She got really embarrassed after she finished her presentation. She didn't show any nerves while she was presenting.

She made a powerpoint slide show.

I'm so proud of my little Adiah. She is growing up so fast and I can't wait to see what she will become.

Girl Scouts Rock!

2009-11-24T09:35:00.002-06:00

What a Great Day!!!

2009-09-19T22:21:00.009-05:00

This was a great day. Our first Hooks t-ball game was so much fun. There is nothing better than watching your kids have a blast. Ava was so cute out there with the boys and her rinestone silver baseball belt. She has one other girl on her team and her name is also Ava. But she doesn't care if she's the only girl. All she cares about is playing hard. She is really pretty good for her first attempt at t-ball. Jason loves the fact that she is playing and has put some time into helping teach her the rules. They have fun out in the yard playing catch. Jason has already hit her in the face twice but, it didnt stop her for long. Yes, she's pretty tough.

Karston and Ava-best buds

What a swing!!!

Karston got to play pitcher and did great! He's left handed. :0)

Look at her go.

This is the cheering squad. Adiah said "Look there's a treehouse."

Come on home Ava!! Way to go!

After the game I decided that I needed to take Adiah shopping for some new jeans so we invited Amber and Cami to go with us. We had so much fun! The girls of course had to go to JUSTICE. They tried on different outfits and modeled them for us. This is a picture of Adiah at Forever 21. She loves to play in all of their jewelry and such.

We had to stop in at Chick-fil-A and grab a shake. Cami and Amber did the wave...

and then Adiah and Amber did the wave.

There are two very pretty models. This was a great day!

Snaggle Tooth

2009-09-16T20:55:00.004-05:00

OK Ava, It's time to pull that raggley tooth.

OK Ava. Please..........pull it!

OK. She has it twisted completely around but, is too afraid to pull it.

Can you believe this? Please pull it.

Is that tooth starting to rot? Please Ava.

It's so much fun to look at my raggley tooth in the mirror.

"I'm too scared." It was such a struggle. She knew it had to come out tonight but she was so afraid to pull it.

So she twisted it and twisted it and twisted it. And finally...

It twisted loose. "That didn't even hurt."

Yay Ava!!!

Check out the blister from the monkey bars. She's so tough. :)

Labor Day 2009

2009-09-16T20:30:00.003-05:00

So much fun just relaxing with friends. Always a good time with the Bright family.

2009-08-27T20:03:00.004-05:00

The first day of school means new friends, new teachers and for Adiah a new school. This has been a year of firsts for all of us but especially Adiah. Two new schools in one year. Who wants that? Well, Adiah didn't know if she wanted it on the way to school the first day. Her little chin started quivering and her eyes got all watery and she said, "Momma, I wish I didn't take that test." She was so sad and so afraid of what she was about to walk into. She was worried about not seeing her old friends anymore and having to "learn a new school all over again". Well, she survived. She was so excited about her new friends and her teacher. As soon as she got home she ran to do her homework. I haven't seen her so excited in a while. She has actually carried that excitement through this whole week. I am so happy for her and feel so fortunate that she has an opportunity to learn at a school in a way that is more suited for her.

Ava on the other hand had no worries. She kept the same teacher and 6 of her friends from kindergarten. She still insisted on going to meet the teacher and hanging around as long as we could stretch it out. She is also very excited and happy about what this new year holds for her. I love her school and her teacher. She is getting ready to start T-ball next month and girl scouts as well. She is very social and loves to be the center of attention. Well, that is until someone points it out. She is always laughing and loves to play hard. I am so proud of her and can't wait to see what she will become.

Adiah has started ballet. I am very excited about this because she has not been very interested in much of anything other than video games and TV lately. She attends twice weekly and this is real ballet. Her teacher works them non-stop for 45 minutes. She actually works up a sweat in ballet. Never before. I can't watch her much while she's in class because she looks very bored and tired and that frustrates me. She says she is just trying to focus because her teacher is speaking French and she's trying to understand her. I get that. I would probably be the same way but my instinct is to try to make her better. Which I am learning is my issue not hers. She looks beautiful when she gives it her all and I can't wait to see what she will become.

End of Summer Fun part 2

2009-08-27T19:32:00.005-05:00

Back to school party!!!! Lots of fun at the back to school party. We painted with pudding, made banana caterpillars and played with spaghetti. The kids loved it all and had fun with their friends. Nothings better than painting your friends with pudding. Right? What a great way to end the summer.

Just the Girls

2009-08-27T18:22:00.007-05:00

Before school started I wanted to have a special day for me, Adiah and Ava. Yes, we were together all summer but, making a day especially for them meant a lot. So, the Thursday before school started we decided to have a "Girls Day". We started off with frappachino's from Starbucks. Because every little girl needs her Starbucks before her pedicure. So, you guessed it, next we went and got relaxing pedicures. Adiah and Ava were so funny. They didn't know what to think about someone they didn't know rubbing on their feet. They were both grinning from ear to ear. Ava's legs weren't long enough for her feet to make it into the spa water so they had to prop her and she had to slump a lot. She didn't care though, she was having a great time. After our pedicures we went to the mall to Forever XXI. They love to try on the jewelry, scarves and hats there. So, we played there for a while but couldn't find anything too special so we went to Claire's to find some jewelry. Adiah picked a gold necklace with an A on it and Ava chose earrings that are rainbows. After the mall we had to go eat. Adiah chose Jason's Deli because she wanted to eat healthy. Ava needed a little convincing but we finally agreed that Jason's Deli was where we were going to go. We had a great lunch and a fabulous day. I love my girls and I love doing girly things with them.

End of Summer Fun part 1

2009-08-25T18:53:00.009-05:00

In all of this end of summer fun, Ava lost a big tooth. She is so proud of her snaggle-tooth smile.

Ok, this picture was supposed to be focused on Cole.

Sadie just chillin' in the pool.

I almost blinded them trying to get the perfect picture. Well, they arent blind and I didn't get the perfect picture.

Loving the sun.

Amber, Cami, Karston and Kayden came to the beach with us.

Ava's amazing sandcastle. She did it all by herself. And that's the way she wanted it.

Aren't they sweet?

Wow! Hubba hubba

Handsome little man

Heading out to the waves.

Look! She has all of her teeth here. One day later, everything changed.

The end of summer means squeezing in all of the fun you can in a short amount of time. I think we did a pretty good job of that.

Amanda, Matt, Cole and Sadie came for a visit. We had a great time. Of course, we went to the Texas State Aquarium. I don't know how many more times I can see the same fish and birds. But, the kids love it and that makes it all worth it. We spent a day at the beach too. That never gets boring. No visit is complete without a visit to the two story Whataburger on Ocean drive. They had fun teasing the seagulls out on the deck and scaring me when they climbed on the rail.

Weekend with the girls

2009-08-18T23:33:00.012-05:00

Jane, Alesha and I got together for the weekend and had a blast catching up. We talked and laughed and stayed glued to the computer most of Saturday night. Yes, I know, boring. But, no, it wasn't. We had so much fun talking about (updating Alesha) everybody from high school that Jane and I had been keeping up with on facebook. Alesha hadn't been on facebook so we had to hook her up. Of course we went shopping, swam and ate and ate and ate. Oh yeah, and ate. Did I say we ate a lot? And no weekend is complete with the girls without a midnight run to IHOP.

It's so great to have such wonderful, loyal, non-judgemental friends to hang out with and just be myself. We are all so different but have a common bond with each other. I feel so lucky to have such wonderful, caring friends that have stuck with me since I was a little girl. Growing up we weren't always together but we knew we could always call on each other for anything and we would always stand up for each no matter what. Jane was on the drill-team and eventually cheerleader, Alesha was a cheerleader, Jennifer was student concil and I was in athletics. I really never realized that everybody didnt have friends like us until I was talking to my friend Amber about the upcoming weekend with the girls and she told me how lucky that I am to have lifelong friends. She told me that she moved around so much when she was young that she wasn't able to form lifelong bonds with her childhood friends. Wow, I can't imagine making it through life without them. How do people do it? I love having friends that I can cry on, laugh with, complain and vent to, yell at, get iritable with and continue to be loved by them. I love you girls.

More Summer Fun

2009-08-06T11:25:00.015-05:00

I love Chinese food!

Well what started out as a trip to Virginia and a visit with friends soon turned into just a trip to Virginia.

I was so excited to be going "home" to Tyler to see all of my friends and family. And I felt so lucky that I was also going to be going on a week long trip to Virginia alone with my hubby. So I headed off to Tyler with the girls and dog. About three hours into the trip, out in the middle of nowhere, my check engine light came on. Ok, for those of you who really know me, you know that I tend to FREAK out quite easily. So, needless to say I freaked out. Ok, my car is about to blow up! That's the most reasonable thing right? Or something is about to fall off and I[m going to be stranded with a dog the doesn't listen and two little girls out in the middle of nowhere. It was about 105 that day and I knew we would all die before Jason was able to get to us to save us. Jason said, "Just keep driving." So I did. But, I was waiting for something scary to happen so that didn't make the next 5 hours very enjoyable. Not to mention, it's a felony apparently to leave a dog in your car even for a very short period of time , so taking bathroom breaks was quite an effort and a joy. Oh yes, it was just wonderful.

Well we made it to Tyler safely and nothing blew up. Whew! Thank goodness. Momma and Daddy were there and Amanda, Cole and Sadie. That is always fun but I was done in from the car situation. We had a great time visiting and then I was off to Virginia. I met Jason in Houston and we flew together to Virginia. Ahh. Peace. No worries. The car would be fine for a week and the girls were happily visiting both sets of grandparents and having a blast. The flight was unusual because we had to fly around thunderstorms which took us along the coast of Texas. It was amazing to see the Texas coast from the sky. When we got to Virginia I was in my happy place, a cold hotel room with room service and maid service. Wow. I think I may have visited heaven. My plan was to relax , read and lay out by the pool--yes for a week. I deserve it. Right? Well, as we drove into the city from the air port I saw the Virginia Holocaust Museum and I decided that I was going to visit it. The first night we enjoyed some fabulous takeout on the pool deck at the hotel. The weather was so nice that night. Such a change from the hot south Texas days. It even started to rain a little. Like I said, heaven.

Did I say already that Jason was in school every day that we were there from 8-6pm? Ok, so I was all by myself. No problem. I was going to be brave. Something that I used to be all the time but have lost so much since marrying Jason. He does so much for me and I just let him. Anyway, the first day I went to the Holocaust museum. I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed it. I learned so much and stayed there for hours. By the end though, I was running out. Too much death and bones. I had had enough but I am so glad that I went. Great museum.

On Sunday, I decided to try to walk to Carytown. This is a fun area for shopping and neat little restaurants. Everybody said I should go so I took off----on foot. Ok, after walking 26 blocks I found out that I was still 15 blocks away. Did I say 26 blocks uphill? Yeah, that is very important. Oh yeah, and I was in some very questionable areas. Thank goodness for texting. I was texting Jason in class the whole time. I hadn't eaten in hours. I didn't have any water and I thought I might start crying. Jason googled me directions and supported me until I got over my episode. Oh yeah, then it started raining. Oh yeah, and I was carrying my huge black leather purse with everything I own in it except water and food. Not a good day. So I went back 26+ blocks to my cold hotel room and read.

The other places that I visited were the civil war museum, Hollywood cemetery and the James river. It took me the entire week to get brave enough to go to the cemetery by myself. Jason and I had run there one night after he got out of class but it was closed. Great! Now I would have to go by myself. So after two more days I finally got out of bed and decided to go. I would take the hotel shuttle though. I grabbed my camera and cell phone and headed down stairs. There were about 8 bellhops looking so busy but the shuttle was no where to be found. I asked one to call and he said it would be about 10min. Ok, I will wait. !0 min 15 min where's the shuttle? Out of 8 workers no one seems to know where the shuttle is so i decide to just walk. It's only about 3 miles. So armed with my pepper spray I take off for the cemetery. By the time I get there I am covered in sweat. My hair is dripping and I have big rings under my arms. Great! I had to go into the office for a map. I was a little embarrassed but fortunately the lady offered me some water and warned me that the cemetery is 2 1/2 miles of walking. Great! Well, at that time I was excited and ready for it. Lots of beautiful tombstones dating back to the early 1800's. Mostly civil war graves. John Tyler, Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis were some of the famous people there. It was really beautiful and perched right up on a hill overlooking the James river. really pretty. Worth the walk. Well, maybe not. The walk back was horrible. I thought I was going to die. The humidity had to be about 200%. I was texting Jason the whole was back asking him to have me some water and a sandwich for when I get back. I was on the verge of tears once again and he was mad at me for walking. I think by the time I got back to the hotel I was dehydrated because I got a little crazy. There was not a sandwich waiting on me and I hadnt eaten all day. Jason didn't understand my text. Please have water and sandwich for me. I guess I wasn't clear enough. So I started crying and asking him why he didn't have a sandwich for me. Then I got mad because he still didn't seem to know what he did that was so bad. I tell you, I almost died out there that day. Why did no one care and why did I not have a sandwich to eat when I got back? Well, after a few bottles of water and some food I was rational again and we were able to laugh about it. Wow, a woman needs to be fed.

Jason and I had lots of fun together though. Every night when he would get home from class we would go explore. We ran together three nights. That was the most fun. He would be tried from the day and I might have been in bed most of it just reading and relaxing so I would tease him and run hard until he quit. It was really fun being silly. I am never silly anymore and I think we needed that. I have a hard time relaxing when I feel like two little lives are in my hands. We ate lots of good food for dinner and enjoyed walking down the cobblestone streets.

Virginia was a lot of fun and I'm glad that I got to experience it with Jason but I was so ready to get back home with my baby girls to Corpus Christi. I need routine. It's how I function best.

The Fourth of July

2009-07-18T15:42:00.009-05:00

We had a great 4th of July weekend. Friday night swim party with our friends and a Saturday night hooks game with the Bright family. 10 months ago I never would have dreamed that we would have parties to go to and friends to hang out with. It is really great! Here are some pics of our 4th weekend.

Adiah and Ava"s first sleepovers

2009-07-18T15:06:00.006-05:00

Adiah was so excited when her friend Cami called and asked if she could spend the night with Adiah and Ava could spend the night with her brother Karston. Adiah could barely go to sleep after she got off the phone. She yelled for me to go get her Hannah Montana party planner so we could start planning for this amazing sleepover that she was going to have the next night. I assured her that we would make plans the next day but she could not go to sleep until I went over the book with her and we agreed to have an ice cream sundae bar and plan more the next day. I tried to explain that this was not necessary and it was not a party but she wouldn't have it any other way.

Ava was also very excited but it did not keep her from sleeping that night. Ava loves Karston but insists, "He is just my friend." So, we made the switch about 4:30 and Ava went to Karston's and had a Chinese lantern party. Unfortunately, Karston, Hunter and Kayden fell asleep before Ava and she got a little homesick. "That fish tank made scary noises." So about 12am my precious baby Ava returned home. She was very embarrassed but so happy to be home. She had a great time but did not like it when the lights went off and her friends fell asleep. The next morning she woke me up and said, "Can I tell you more about Karston's house?"

Adiah ended up being very happy with the way her sleepover turned out. They made their own pizzas and sundaes. We went down to the bay to explore and watched movies, played with the gerbils and built a huge tent. What's with the tent building? It's so strange to me how exciting Adiah and Ava get when they build a tent. It's all about the building though. Once it's built they pretty much move on. Hopefully from now on Adiah will be happy without the party planning and just the spontaneity of having a friend over.

Will I Ever Get Organized?

2009-07-06T15:24:00.002-05:00

Once again I am behind on my blogging. I am behind on everything really. This seems to be the theme of my existence lately. One step out of my routine and everything just gets completely disorganized. We have been having so much fun doing "fun" things that things like sweeping the floors and dusting have just been pushed to the side. Somehow I have got to figure out how to do it all.

Today I decided to hang picture frames upstairs that I bought probably two months ago and have been sitting in sacks until today. They don't have pictures in them but at least they are hanging. That's one thing I can check off my list. Unfortunately I still have the floors and the sheets and the bathrooms. Oh well, I always have tomorrow. :0)

Crab Boil

2009-06-21T21:56:00.008-05:00

Saturday we went to our first crab boil at the beach. The girls had a great time playing with the crawfish and Ava found a hermit crab in the water. We played with that for a while then let him go. Not really my kind of dinner but Adiah and Ava loved the shrimp. It was huge but, I couldn't get past the fact that it wasn't deveined. Yuck! There were two huge tubs with shrimp, crab, sausage, corn on the cob, crawfish and potatoes. Sounds pretty good but it was all just dumped on this big piece of plywood in the middle of everything. It was fun and I would definitely do it again but, I would probably bring a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for me.

Congratulations Danae!!!

2009-06-20T21:40:00.013-05:00

Valedictorian 2009
Grandma Nilene's great-grandkids
Oakley
Cunningham Grandkids Just chillin

Aunt Rhonda and Jodi
Dylan and Adiah
Kayla and Ava

Memorial Day at the Bright's

2009-06-20T21:05:00.009-05:00

Memorial Day was so much fun. Grilling out with friends and playing guitar hero. It doesn't get better than that. We feel so lucky to have made such great friends that we love to just "hang out" with.

Honestly, I'm just trying to get caught up on posting pictures and so I went ahead and added the snake pics. This was not a memorial day event. It came a few days later. Jason was lucky enough to go head to head against a diamond back rattlesnake. Fortunately, Jason won. Thank goodness. :0)

So much fun.
Look at these two cuties eyes. They are really something.
Jason on the guitar and Adiah singing.
Karston is great on the drums.
Beautiful Cami.

Gotcha Amber. Look at Amber's photo website amberbrightphotography.com

Summer Fun

2009-06-19T22:38:00.006-05:00

And it's only June.

School's Out!!!

2009-06-05T11:46:00.009-05:00

Wednesday was the last day of school. I am so glad that we survived our first school year in Corpus Christi. God really blessed us with wonderful teachers and great friends. It still amazes me how everything just fell into place in order for our move to be so much easier. It also gave me fewer things to get upset about during my 6 months of misery. :0) The sad thing is that I am actually looking forward to next year already so that I can see my "friends" at the school. I will really miss seeing Ms. Bea, the librarian, who took me under her wing and helped me adjust to the new school and new city. Anything I needed, she would know where to find it. She encouraged my need to attend NNL club meetings and luncheons, which I was very hesitant to do and she prompted me to get involved in any social event that was available. She would always tell me, "If you want to join, let me know. I know a lot of people."

Ava has learned so much this year. We are so proud of her and how far she has come. We were a bit concerned about her progress at the beginning of the year but after some hard work and effort on our part she has far exceeded our expectations. Right after Christmas she took off with reading and now loves it and is always asking for a new book. It's hard to believe she ever had any trouble. She is really looking forward to first grade. Her kindergarten teacher, Ms. Moreno, is also moving to first grade and assures me that Ava will be in her class again. We are very excited that she will have one more year with her. She is a great teacher.

Adiah has also learned a lot this year. Most of all how to be a teacher's pet. It's not her fault though. She just happened to form a tight bond with her teacher Ms. Cordell. I think Adiah ran more errands and filed more papers than she did worksheets and spelling tests. She really enjoyed school this year and has said so many times how she likes it so much more than her classes before. Ms. Cordell discussed current events as well as how slim the chances were that the kids would get bit by a shark. Did you know that more people died last year from a toaster than died by a shark bite? Yes, these are the things Adiah learned and loves to tell me. I really hoped she learned a lot more than that but, I honestly don't know. She always did her homework without prompting and we rarely had to check her work. Second grade seemed like a breeze so, I hope we aren't behind next year. :0) Adiah will be attending a school for GT students next year and she is really looking forward to it. We are excited and hope she continues to love school.

Corpus Christi Business Hall of Fame

2009-05-22T08:59:00.009-05:00

Yes, Adiah was a part of the Corpus Christi Business Hall of Fame. Through Junior Acheivement Adiah was able to try out for a part as a presenter. Out of all of the Corpus Christi schools as well as Flower Bluff ISD only 10 kids were chosen to participate. Once again we are so proud. Adiah was the youngest and was assigned to lead the invocation for this huge event. She really enjoyed dressing up and being able to stand up in front of approx 500 community leaders and hopefully "get noticed." :0) She was really hoping for an invitation to Broadway after she presented last night. Ha. Isn't that cute? I wouldn't be surprised if it happened though. This girl has got it when it comes to public appearances. I know she gets it from her daddy. Anyone who knows me knows that I would injury myself intentionally before I would stand in front of even two people. What will she be when she grows up? Who knows but, I know she will be fabulous whatever she chooses. She has so many goals and dreams right now.

Last week after I gave a homeless man money she immediately verbally constructed a home to house homeless people and feed and teach them to be able to eventually function in the community on their own. She went on and on with her ideas about this. She has also talked about being a teacher or news broadcaster. She has pretended to be a weather girl and quickly comes up with very witty scripts for herself. She loves to write stories and loves to be the leader in everything she does. We are trying to find a good medium in the leader department. She is learning to listen to others ideas and give her friends a chance to lead too. This is very hard for her but she is getting there. It's so funny to see how hard it is for her when she has no control. That however, is probably equal parts me and Jason. We both like to have control. :0)

Who knows what Adiah will become but whatever it is we will always be proud of her. I pray that she always has this energy, imagination and drive to help her achieve all of her dreams.

We love you Adiah!

Adiah's Day

2009-05-21T23:11:00.006-05:00

Yesterday Adiah had her award's ceremony at school. We are very proud of her and all that she has accomplished this year. She has found a great friend in her teacher Ms. Cordell (hum???) and has made several good friends her own age :) She received an award for happiest girl in her class as well as honor roll and citizenship awards, highest AR score third six weeks, Advanced reader and science fair participant. Yea Adiah! Way to go!

Beach to Bay

2009-05-19T11:41:00.012-05:00

Well, Jason and I survived our first ever relay marathon. We had a great time Saturday running with our friends Amber and Josh and their friends Chris and Sally who we also quickly became friends with too. Running is always a bonding experience. Especially when you think you might die. :0) Well, it wasn't really that bad but it was difficult. Jason ran the second leg and handed off to me. I made him work a little for his hand off. He didn't like that very much. Ha. His leg started in two feet of sand and continued through downtown Padre Island up to the bridge. He handed off to me under the JFK Causeway (the big bridge connecting the Island to CC) and I headed up and over the bridge. I was so excited to run the bridges. Of course I saw it as a challenge and that made me excited but it backfired on me and I got really anxious the week before and had a nightmare about not being able to stay upright on the bridge because it is so steep. The bridge wasn't bad but the distance was. I had only been running about 3.5 miles routinely and the distance was a little over 4. I think the worst part was not knowing where I was going to be able to stop.

We all finished strong and we had a great time. There were just under 12,000 runners and approx. 2000 teams. It was really amazing to be a part of this huge event. Everybody seemed to look out for each other and really come together as a community. Jason and Amber were able to hitch rides in the back of trucks from the end of their legs to the cars. Amber, I was a little concerned about. She didn't strike me as someone who would be fearless and hop in someones truck but, I guess you do what you have to do. I think even she got a little nervous though when she had to start passing beers up into the cab of the truck she was riding in. Ha. We all got a laugh out of that. She is so funny. We finished in 4 hours and 36 minutes which was about 50 minutes faster than the teams time from last year. Woohoo!!!

Hope you enjoy the video. Yes, I know I look like a lunatic but I got really excited when I saw Josh because I knew I was at the end. Yeah!!! Go team Lundquist!!!

Graduation Day

2009-05-19T11:11:00.007-05:00

Beautiful Kindergarten Graduate. We are so proud!

Karston, Sophie, Kaitlyn, Ava and Jenna. This is the best behaved class. :)

Is this my future son-in-law? Ava loves Karston. "He's my best friend in the whole world. I'll never let go." This is what she told me yesterday.

Ms. Moreno has been a great teacher and we are very excited that she will be moving to first grade next year. Ava has learned so much.

Mrs. Bowers our principal.

Well yesterday Ava walked the stage and received awards as well as a medal for kindergarten graduation. She was so proud and so were we. I grabbed a front row seat and yes, I was that mother. :0) They dressed in their Sunday best and lined up with their class to accept their awards in front of all the parents and their friends. Ava received an early bird award, a kindergarten completion, citizenship award and recognition for second place in Science Fair award. When we got home she drew a picture for Jason describing the whole event and awards she won. The funny thing was that Jason was there. I guess she just wants to make sure daddy is really proud and have him go over it all again with her. :0) So sweet!

The Best Mother's Day Ever!

2009-05-10T20:57:00.012-05:00

Homemade Mother's Day cards with pop-up squirrels and chicks inside. :0)

Adiah's fact sheet for me. She knows that I like my naps. :0)

Adiah's

Ava's poem. There is a tea bag attatched at the top.

This is the pin that I wore everywhere today. We tried to get it in the pictures at the muffin shop.

Ava's. Mom is proud, happy, fun but best of all my mom is mine. This is precious.

My Mother's Day loot.

Self Portait

What was left of my blueberry cheesecake muffin.

Ava's cinnamon swirl.

And of course, Adiah's Death by Chocolate.

I brought home the double chocolate for later. Yum! So much for my diet I started yesterday. :)

They opened the door for me.

Aren't they the BEST!!!!

Today was a wonderful day. I woke up to whispering and planning between Adiah and Ava. Jason was not here so it was up to them to make this day special for me and they really did. Adiah immediately asked for the cell phone to call her daddy because they had gift cards for My Favorite Muffin hidden somewhere and she needed to find them quickly. After the gift cards were located I was showered with handmade gifts from their school. They were so sweet and proud of everything they did. Adiah said, "Did you notice that I did everything in blue? I know it's your favorite color." She had asked me a couple of weeks ago what my favorite color was and she wanted to make her art extra special for me. Ava's extra special gift was the poem she read to me out loud in just the right rhythm. She was very proud of herself. We got ready and headed out to My Favorite Muffin and had a great breakfast. After that we went to Barnes and Nobles and spent some time reading and buying new books for everyone. Of course I had to go shop a little after that and they were wonderful and seemed to really have a great time. I was so proud of them today. They were so kind and loving to me and even each other. We had lunch at Chilli's and then headed home. We ended our day by going on a bike ride and finally watching Beverly Hills Chihuahua. What a great Mother's Day! I only wish that I could have shared it with my mother, grandmother and my sister. That would have made it perfect.

Happy Mothers Day

2009-05-09T19:54:00.003-05:00

Since I am in Virginia over Mother's Day, I wanted to wish you a Happy Mother's Day. I am so lucky to have you as my wife, and the girls are even luckier to have you as a mom. You are dedicated to them day after day, regardless of the struggles they may throw your way. I love you and I hope you have a wonderful day. I miss you already. Love, Jason

Friends

2009-04-29T21:39:00.006-05:00

Today we were so lucky to have Karston, Cami, and Kaden over to play. We are so glad we met ya'll.

Allisonology

2009-04-29T20:05:00.006-05:00

Tag- You're it!!! Let other's know a little more about yourself by re-posting and tagging your friends. Re post note as your name "ology"

1) What is your salad dressing of choice? Outback's Tangy Tomato Vinaigrette

2) What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? Macaroni Grill

3) What food could you eat for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of? Macaroni and Cheese or Raisin Bran

4) What are your pizza toppings of choice? Just Cheese or Pineapple and Canadian Bacon

5) What do you like to put on your toast? Butter and jelly

6) How many televisions are in your house? 3--living room, bedroom, playroom

17) What color cell phone do you have? silver with a blue cover

8) Are you right-handed or left-handed? left-handed this has always made me feel a little special. :)

9) Have you ever had anything removed from your body? too many things. But the two best things were Adiah and Ava. :)

10) What is the last heavy item you lifted? 3 40lb bags of salt

11) Have you ever been knocked unconscious? nope

12) If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? no because I would just worry about everything way too much.

13) If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Shasta just kidding

14) Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? no way. I would definitely end up in the ER. I think my stomach might explode.

15) How many pairs of flip flops do you own? I have no idea. Way too many

16) What is/are your goal/s for the year? get fit, stay happy, be a great mom

17) Last person you talked to? Jason

18) Last person you hugged? Adiah

19) Favorite Season? Summer

20) Favorite Holiday? Easter

21) Favorite day of the week? Tuesday. I don't know why. I just like it.

22) Favorite Month? March. It's my birthday It's my birthday!!!

23) First place you went this morning? took the girls to school

24) What's the last movie you saw? Slum dog Millionaire

25) Do you smile often? Yes

26) Do you always answer your phone? nope

27) It's four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it? Crystal--she's a night-owl

28) If you could change your eye color what would it be? I like my eyes the color they are. I wouldn't change them.

29) What flavor drink do you get at Sonic? lemon-berry slush or a big diet coke

30) Have you ever had a pet fish? Yes in college. Angela and I had two. We had a beta and a goldfish in the same bowl. Nobody told us that the beta would eat the goldfish.

31) Favorite Christmas song? Jingle Bell Rock

32) What's on your wish list for your birthday? anything for the house

33) Can you do push ups? probably two

34) Can you do a chin up? no way. NO upper body strength

35) Does the future make you more nervous or excited? both. Everything makes me nervous if I think about it too much. My imagination is way too big.

36) Do you have any saved texts? yes

37) Ever been in a car wreck? yes And I've also run into a pedestrian. No I'm not proud about it. I just think it's kind of funny.

38) Do you have an accent? yes but I didn't realize it until last Sunday. A lady at church said, "You have a great accent. I love to hear you talk." What? I guess it's an ET accent
39) What is the last song to make you cry? I don't get into music that much anymore
40) Plans tonight? plans to sit right here on this couch and relax

41) Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? yes

42) Name 3 things you bought yesterday. baggies, yogurt and tortillas

43) Have you ever been given roses? yes

44) Current hate right now? listening to Paula Abdul judge American Idol

45) Met someone who changed your life? yes

46) How did you bring in the New Year? with my friends in Tyler. Jason wasn't with me. :(

47) What song represents you? Boom Boom Pow--the Black-eyed Peas

48) Name three people who might complete this? Melissa, Jami, Tracy

49) What were you doing 12 AM last night? Watching reruns of The Real Housewives of New York City

50) What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? I need to make lunches

Beach Run

2009-04-29T13:15:00.008-05:00

These are pictures of what I was able to enjoy on my jog.
The mean sand before I turned around.
Pretty palm tree lines streets.
Christus Spohn Shoreline. Maybe Jason will be here one day. Because remember...we are not moving again. :)

Skate park next to the water.

After much encouragement from Jason I decided to go for a jog down on Ocean Drive this morning. I parked at FBC because I was scared to leave my car in one of the park lots for fear of it being broken into. Ok, things are looking good. It's a nice day. The wind is blowing a little but, not too bad. So I take off down the sidewalk along the water. Wow, it's so pretty and calm. I'm feeling pretty strong so I think, oh I'll just run as far as I can. Maybe run down to the American Bank Center. Not thinking about how far I would be from my car when I got there. So I'm coasting along I've got a good tailwind feeling confident. During this time I decided that I was being a bit overly ambitious so I decided to turn around about 2 miles into it. Ok, that's not bad. Just 4 miles. I can do this. But, wait, the wind seemed to be blowing much harder in this direction. What was going on? What happened to my speed? I swear the wind must have been blowing 40mph. I am not exaggerating. Shortly after I turned around the sand began flying too. Almost immediately I was covered in sand as it pelted me in my face, on my arms and my legs. Ouch!!! I got a little nervous because I knew I could not feel this kind of misery for two more miles until I got back to my car. Fortunately once I got past a hotel the sand pelting stopped. Thank goodness. But, the wind did not. I honestly started choking on the wind. I was dry heaving. What??? I honestly think it was rattling my uvula. (you know that hangy down thing in the back of your throat?) I don't know what else it could have been. Let me tell you, I must have looked a mess. Struggling against the wind covered in sand and dry heaving for two miles back to my car. Neadless to say, I will not be running that route again. Sorry Jason but you can have Ocean drive. I'm going back to the neighborhood where I have a wind break. :)

Our Backyard Beach

2009-04-28T20:55:00.009-05:00

What a handsome man!!!
Just hangin out waiting for the fireworks.
Checking the water level this morning.
My little Diva.
Soccer Star

Are those monkeys?
Adiah wanted a picture of the water ripples.
Trying to stay warm.

The Cunningham house has been a little bit boring for the past week with two exceptions, fireworks at the bay and our new little pool. Well, almost fireworks. Friday night we went out to CC Bay to watch the fireworks that were eventually cancelled due to high winds. Go figure, it was windy in Corpus Christi. Well, we had fun anyway. We sat on the cement steps at the water while the girls ran around for a bit and then snuggled and talked the rest of the time. I can get a lot more info from Adiah when it's one on one. It's nice to be reminded of how sweet they are and how fast they are truly growing. We don't spend time like that together enough anymore. Everyday seems so rushed and hectic. But, to tell you the truth I don't know what we are doing to make it so hectic. Life is pretty easy when I really think about it but I think the constant lessons and reminders that fill our days seem to make them seem more difficult. Consistency, consistency, consistency. :0)

We have been talking about this pool for so long and finally Saturday we went and bought it. No it's not huge or deep but it's wet and I can float in it. Yea!!! The girls are so excited! Jason has spent the last two nights getting it ready to use. I was fortunate enough to get to empty the forty pound bags of salt into it today. Ok, I have no upper body strength and it was torture but, well worth it. Hopefully, it will be in working order and ready for some splashing by tomorrow night.

Ava has her last soccer game tomorrow night. This season has been a lot of fun for her and I am sad that it is over. Saturday she will get her trophy and that is something she is really looking forward to. I don't know what it is about those little gold trophies but she really loves them. She has been known to sleep with them at times.

Adiah's arm is appears to be healing well. She is still not able to straighten it all the way but it gets a little straighter everyday. She is not enjoying the lack of activity but I don't think it will bother her too much once she is able to jump into the pool and swim. That is definitely something she can do.

Look Mom and Dad, I'm a brunette!

2009-04-22T14:18:00.008-05:00

I guess this is better news than the day I told you I got my tatoo. :0) I'm just kidding. For some reason the title of this blog reminded me of that wonderful :0) time in my life and I thought of your reaction. I was really bored and unhappy with my hair so I went for a drastic change. I love it! Well not when I wake up in the mornings. I really don't look like myself at all. That's when I get my makeup on as fast as possible and then everything is ok. The worst part is everybody's initial reaction. I cringe a little everytime I encounter someone who hasn't seen it yet. So I'm letting you see me now so I can get this part over with. Remember, I like it!

Cast off!!!

2009-04-22T12:50:00.009-05:00

What are we going to do with that stinky thing?

Adiah is jumping up and down screaming "It's off. I can't believe it's off!"

Aaaaahhh!!! "It's free."

Well today Adiah became a very happy little girl. We went to the orthopedist for x-rays and an update on her progress. After reviewing the x-rays the Dr. informed her that she no longer needs her cast. Yea!!!. She is so excited. I am happy for her but some concerned. The x-ray showed that there is still a break but it is healing very fast. He assured me that two more weeks of being very careful will be enough for her to be completely back to normal. Right now she can't straighten her arm and is still on restrictions from any physical activity. Ok, I'm sure I won't have any problem keeping an 8 year old without a cast from riding her bike, running with her friends or falling on her arm simply from clumsiness. These next couple of weeks should be fun. One thing we are really excited about is the fact that she can swim now. We have really gotten tired of the plastic bags every time we go near water or sand.

The Blue Angels

2009-04-19T22:00:00.009-05:00

Well once again we have had an amazing day in Corpus Christi. We packed up the family and headed off to the NAS-CC with our friends to see an exciting air show featuring the Blue Angels. We sat just feet from the water's edge in perfect weather enjoying the sun, family and friends. How much better does it get? I just can't get used to all of the free entertainment that we have access to now. Not only was there an air show this weekend there was also a Windfest, SandCastle contest and Earthday/Bayday. No, we did not do everything but , it was all here within our reach.

Ok, I have more pics of the planes but, I can't find them on the computer right now. I'll add them later. :0)

Remember the Alamo

2009-04-16T19:33:00.008-05:00

Me, Amber and Kayden

Wow what a day. I had no idea what I was getting into but my experience far outweighed my expectations. I am a little hesitant to try to explain the event because honestly I still don't understand what left-wing, right-wing extremist and radicals all really mean. What I do understand is that we were protesting the extreme spending which was bad with Bush and is continuing to worsen with Obama. I get that. It was a very peaceful calm gathering of concerned Americans-Texans first (right Amber?) except for this one guy who stumbled into our area arguing the other side. I immediately panicked when he started yelling at the other protesters. In my mind it was all over. LOL I have never been a part of any type of protest and from what I've heard they usually end bad. So in my mind the guns and knives were about to come out and I wanted us to get out of there before the kids got hurt. Fortunately, I overreacted. Go figure. The peaceful protesters ran off the trouble maker and everything went on as planned. It was great to be there for Glen Beck's show. If you look really hard you could see us to the left standing beside a big white sign with red lettering. Ted Nugent was great. I had no idea who he was either until I found out that he played Cat Scratch Fever. Oh yeah. That's when I got excited. He played the Star-Spangled Banner on his electric guitar and it was great. The sun was hot, the Alamo was beautiful and I stepped across Colonel Travis's line for the first time. What a great day!
Check out this blue flag. Apparently it is the Republic of Texas flag. Pretty cool
Before the show, Glen Beck enjoying his fame.

Kameron and Josh

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-14T21:06:00.004-05:00

We had so much fun Sunday with our friends from church. A couple in our ABF class invited everyone who did not have family near to lunch and an egg hunt at their house. The girls had a blast and we had some great food and fun time with our friends. It's surprising how many people here don't have any family near. Adiah was a little disappointed that she couldn't swim but she had a great time with the egg hunt. Ava got right in and had a blast. Did you see the eggs in the palm tree? Isn't that great?

Tea Party at the Alamo

2009-04-14T17:26:00.005-05:00

What in the world is that? That's what I said when my friend invited me to one. She laughed at me but honestly, I'd never heard of anything like that. Apparently, we have some very political friends down here who do instead of just watch. I have always just gone along with whatever's going on. Who cares, we can't do anything about it. Whatever's going to happen is out of our hands. Well, tomorrow I am going to be a part of a huge gathering of Texan's who want to fight who are willing to stand up for what is right and believe that they have a voice and can make a difference. Wow! I am so excited. I believe that this can only be a powerful, moving event. Maybe I will learn a little about what is going on in my country and maybe I will start to care.

2009-04-10T21:54:00.000-05:00

My Confession

2009-04-10T21:05:00.004-05:00

Ok, I was just looking at my blog and trying to decide if I should keep my favorite books on. It is a little embarassing that my favorite books almost all have to do with Twilight. But, it's true. They are my favorite books. I can admit it. No I haven't really read much else but honestly, nothing else has really ever kept me interested. I have never been a "reader" because I have always been one to fall asleep at least by page two. Because of that I basically decided that reading just wasn't for me. That was until I read Twilight. Honestly I could not put it down. Yes I am 33 and yes I want a Twilight t-shirt. LOL

This evening the girls and I went out to Bird Island with our friends Amber and Josh and kids. It was so peaceful and calm. Josh was wind-surfing and the kids all played in the water. It's perfect out there for kids because the water stays very shallow for a long way out. Amber and I were able to just relax. We all had a great time. Unfortunately, Jason wasn't able to come along. He had a paper to write and more. Maybe next time. :0(

Egg Hunt

2009-04-09T21:02:00.000-05:00

Today was the big Easter egg hunt at school. Ava's class had so much fun. It's amazing how exciting a little yellow chick can make a child. Which led me to wonder why do I spend so much money on gifts that aren't as exciting as a little yellow chick. It was so much fun watching the hunt and battling the 40 mph wind. Did I say hot wind? At least it's wind, right?

We had a soccer game tonight and once again we didn't keep score. It's better if the kids just don't know. That way they are able to just have fun. Little did they know though that they lost 8 to 0 tonight. They are getting better though and that is all the matters. GO BUMBLEBEES!!!

Our new life in CC, TX

2009-04-08T22:20:00.000-05:00

I decided that it was time to start the blog up again. No entries since 2007. WOW! So much has happened.
We made the big move last year at the end of September. Everything just fell into place. It was amazing how smoothly everything went. But then, everything seemed so wrong. My life was over. :o) No friends, no church, no job, NO LIFE. What in the world was I going to do? Oddly enough I threw myself into anything that came my way. Those of you who know me know that this is not at all in my character. I was terrified but I thought if I was going to be happy then it was totally up to me. What in the world was I doing? People probably thought that I was crazy. I would walk up to anyone in my path and stick my hand out and say, "Hi, I'm Allison." What!!! I just knew every new person I met was going to be my new "best friend". Yes, I was crazy and some of those people may have been a little scared but I was so determined that I was not going to be responsible for my unhappiness. Well, so many weeks went by with no friends and no church. I literally made an indention in my couch from sitting in the same place day after day feeling sorry for myself. What a loser! :0) Well, the week after Christmas break we started going to a great church and I realized that there was so much potential for friends there. I really looked forward to Sundays but the week days, well, they were the same. I took a leap of faith and went on a weekend retreat with the church with people I really didn't know but had a great time. I really feel a part now.

Life at the beach is really fabulous for the most part. It's like a permanent vacation. Everyweekend there's something exciting to do. I have made a couple of great friends and I am always looking for something new to entertain the girls. Next week we are meeting our friends out at the bay in the kayak to watch the Blue Angels all afternoon. You can't do that in East Texas.

Staying at home has become a wonderful thing. I feel so blessed to have a husband who wants me to be happy and wants me to play and help the girls all day. How did I get so lucky? I can't believe that I wasn't enjoying it at first. There is nothing better than this.

Jason is still in school. Yes, he is. One more year. That's it! No more. He promises. At least until the girls graduate. This semester is so time consuming for him. He studies so much. He will graduate May 2010 with a master's in Healthcare Administration. Oh please Lord give him a good job so we can pay back these student loans. :0) It's got to be in CC though because I'm not moving again. There is still so much that I want to do here. I don't even have a palm tree yet.

Adiah and Ava love it here. We love their school and their teachers are great. They have had so many opportunities here and exposure to new things that they didn't have before. Not that it's better, just different. I help in the library at least twice a week and with Ava's class as often as possible. Her teacher has an open door which I really appreciate. Adiah's teacher keeps the parents at an arms length but that's ok too. Adiah is fine and she tells me everything that goes on in great detail every day. Her teacher seems to be very caring and really puts a lot of time into Adiah and her learning needs.

Ava has started soccer and has improved so much from last year. She is so funny to watch. I see a little bit of me in her. She gets out there and elbows the boys gritting her teeth. It's still cute though. We may need to tame her a bit before long. She is not shy at all anymore. That is a little bit of Jason.

Adiah decided to take gymnastics. Her only goal in life is to do a great cartwheel. She is getting so much better. Unfortunately she broke her arm last week when she fell off the balance beam and will not be able to go for several more weeks. Surprisingly she wanted to keep going with her cast. This is the same girls who will not play softball because she is afraid of getting a black eye. Since the break she says that doesn't scare her anymore. Maybe that will be our positive out of a really big negative.

So...life is good in CC, Texas. For today anyway. :o)