life at the woods

San Antonio or bust!

2012-01-18T19:00:00.001-06:00

Over the Christmas Break we took a 3 day trip to San Antonio. Santa brought Ryan 2 Alamo Bowl tickets and this 8 year old was EXCITED about the game and the trip! Mark found a wonderful deal at the JW Marriot and off we went. My favorite part was hanging out with these two and not cooking, cleaning or doing much of anything for three days----aaahhhhh my kind of getaway!

When we arrived they were running around the lobby like wild men. And you know that I just let them run and run and then run down the halls and race to the elevator every time! We were on Vacation!

Ally's picture taking skills. She thought this pic was HI-Larious so I included it just for her :).

Getting ready to root on the Bears! The game didn't START until 8, so Ally and I hung out and watched a movie in the room.

And they're off! GO Bears! They played a great game and came away with a victory.

The next day we discovered the game room. Mark could play Miss Packman all day long!

Ally schooled everyone in the driving game. TWICE!

It was 82 degrees the whole weekend and felt like Spring so we explored the resort,

ate at a cool sports restaurant,

and then these guys went swimming---in JANUARY!!! The water was heated and they had an absolute blast at the pool and lazy river.

On our last night we visited with Mark's older brother, Mike. The kids loved burning cedar at Mike's new house. I think Mark had just as much fun as the kids did :).

And finally no trip to SA is complete without a visit to Ryan's favorite restaurant Chama Gaucha. It did not disappoint!

After a hectic December this is just what we all needed.

I hope we'll be back soon!

The Purdy Family PJ Pic

2012-01-13T13:50:00.001-06:00

As promised...

Honestly I think this one depicts our family better :)

Happy 2012!!

Christmas Eve and Christmas morning Purdy style

2011-12-28T22:54:00.008-06:00

We had such a wonderful Christmas this year. I honestly was very busy all month and was really looking forward to a few peaceful days with my little four pack. It was a much needed blessing to s-l-o-w down, sleep in, play games, eat great food and visit with my favorite people in the world. Thank you Lord for this time to reflect on your Son and for the continued Grace and Mercy you show us each and every day.

Christmas Eve was freezing!! I know it's cold when Ryan actually wears pants (he is always wearing shorts and it drives me a little nuts). It wasn't too cold to keep these 3 from hooping it up outside :).

We let Ally and Ryan open their gifts to each other early and this will probably be a new Wood family tradition because it spaced things out a bit and they were SUPER EXCITED!!

Ryan really liked his new DS game :). I see this scene a lot these days.

Then we went to Honey and GP's and let the Festivities begin. We let all the cousins draw a name and they got to choose a book for that person. This was a great idea sisters and we'll be doing this again next year too! Can you feel the anticipation?

The 8 books, each carefully chosen

Cousin twins again---these two are thick as thieves.

Pinkalicious!!

and a Phineas and Ferb chapter book for Ryan

We LOVE our books!!

Ally forced Aunt Kacey to read it immediately.

And then presents and more presents....such fun!

Dad read the Christmas story and we all headed to the Christmas Eve service

When we got back it was PJ time!!! We all have matching PJ'a...I mean ALL 18 of us, I'll post that picture soon---it's a keeper. My sweet Nana and her friend Sam were also with us this Christmas although I have no pictures to prove that. SO sorry NANA! I lost some major photo steam after the service. We were thrilled that you guys were here and absolutely LOVE getting to spend time with you.

After a short sleep it was CHRISTMAS MORNING!!! And of course Santa came and visited us at Honey and GP's.

Ally's stocking

Ryan's stocking

I wish Ryan I could have bottled Ryan and Ally's excitement when they ran into to find their stocking!! Ryan will never show his emotions in a picture but believe me he was STOKED that we're going to San Antonio to the Alamo Bowl!!

He's gonna wear this...

And Ally and I are gonna relax at the hotel while the boys go to the very late game :).

She was thrilled about her Barbie bike (and maybe even MORE excited about the mini Barbie bike that came with it)

Stocking madness

And then we had one of the best meals ever. Steak, twice baked potatoes and all the fixings. YUM!

Merry Christmas

from the Woods

to you!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2011-12-27T15:21:00.002-06:00

"For unto us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Price of Peace."

Isaiah 9:6

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Fun in December!

2011-12-27T13:34:00.007-06:00

What a fun month!! December is always a super packed month and this year was no exception. We started the Christmas season off right with a performance by Ally Wood for Christmas Chapel. This girl LOVES to SING!! She did great:).

There was also a stellar performance by Charley and Stacey

GP and Ryan watched the greatness from the audience

After singing it was off to her classroom for the first of about 7,000 Christmas treats consumed by this super sweet girl!

Such a fun pre-k class

me and my star!

I found this little angel hanging out in the lunch room! He really is a angel most of the time...

We delivered gifts to a family in need

Such a great act of service that my dad has done for years. I got to experience this growing up and it's the COOLEST thing to share this now with my children. This year Stacey and Ally also got to participate and it was a huge blessing for all of us.

No December would be complete without a trip to see SANTA!! The big man visited Central National Bank and we opted for this rather than the mall this year. It was really a great experience. Ally was a bit timid at first but then warmed up and told Santa she wanted 'paint' :). Love that crafty girl! Ryan also sat on Santa's lap and told Santa he wanted Alamo Bowl Tickets this year for Christmas. He is a TRUE BU fan!! I had to laugh that I look a wee bit like Santa with my ever expanding belly:))))

Cousin twins

And then ALL the cousins. This is one big, crazy, excited group!!

Matchy matchy and

lil' matchy. Caroline's personality is really starting to sHiNe :)

On Christmas Eve we decorated our family gingerbread house. Every year it's a race to see who can get their side finished first. Nice work guys!

I hope you all had a JOY filled December as well!!

A Pajama Party for our Princess

2011-12-22T15:22:00.008-06:00

When I asked Ally what kind of birthday party she wanted this year, without hesitation she said she wanted a pajama party!! Perfect for a cold December morning. I started planning this one WAY later than I normally do so once again the Cersey Team was called in to help implement the decorating. THANK YOU SISTERS!!! What goes better with PJ's than Donuts?? So we went B-I-G with donuts and had a great party. Thank you all for coming and celebrating with our Ally girl!

She was SO happy!! She smiled like this all day long. (Lauren these PJ's are awesome! Thanks again for stitching this for our princess.)

Donuts anyone? :)

(click to see some of the party decor...the donut trees were my favorite)

What five year old girl party would be complete without a great sparkly donut craft?? I think I had as much fun making these as the kids did decorating them!

The biggest donut I've ever seen!

and we couldn't forget the babies, so we had some donut seeds :)

One happy PJ lovin' family

She was very appreciative and complimented every single decoration, balloon, etc....so nice for momma to feel appreciated!!

Some of the donut lovin' folks

craft time!! notice while the girls worked hard on their donuts...

the boys played football outside! Honestly it worked out amazingly well for everyone :).

Honey read If you give a Dog a Donut, and all the party guest signed the cover for Ally---a treasure to see all those 4 and 5 year old signatures!

After the story it was time to sing to Ally and open some presents

We have some very sweet friends and Ally received WAY too much this year. With a birthday and Christmas a week apart, this girl is on gift overload. Thank you all SO much for not doing a combo birthday/Christmas gift...this momma really appreciates that!!

Right now Ally loves to do crafts, play with Barbies, American girl dolls, Angry birds and anything sparkly and girlie! So check...

check...

and check!!

Grandma gave Ally her first Biddie Baby and we have been playing with it non-stop. Thank you Grandma!

Party peeps (minus a couple)

and The Purdys (minus Ryan, Josh and Caroline).

Since her party was from 9-10:30 we had the rest of the day to enjoy hanging out in our PJs. Ally played with all her new toys and even had time for a manicure (her first fake nail kit, hilarious:))

Oh this girl loves her some pink!

Meet Lila and Caroline. So precious to me that she named them after her beautiful cousins!

Such a great party and a wonderful day!!

Ally's 5th birthday!!!

2011-12-22T14:58:00.004-06:00

My one and only Ally girl turned 5 on December 18th and I can hardly believe she's F-I-V-E!!! I remember thinking Ryan was so old when he turned five and now my baby is there too:). Ally was born a week before Christmas and since she's not the only December birthday in our family I feel like this month always flies by.

Here's our big girl at school celebrating with her favorite Great American Cookie cake.

After singing Happy Birthday Ally she was ready to blow our her FIVE candles

It's a special treat for Honey to get to celebrate at school with all her grankiddos.

Daddy and his mini-me

Love this girl SOOOOO much

Mommy and Ally---ahhhh my little sidekick is growing up y'all!!!

We had such a fun weekend celebrating our princess. The next morning we had a fabulous donut celebration (see next post for lots of party pics), and then her real birthday was on Sunday morning so these next few pics are some classic sleepyhead birthday pictures.

A new stroller for my doll Lila---yea!!!!

And a gift from bubba too!!

Thank you Bubba!!! He let her hug hug him since it was her birthday and all :)

Ally,

We love you SO very much and have a hard time believing that you are FIVE years old!!! You still have the sweetest heart and love sharing you JOY with everyone. You are quite the little dancer these days and still love taking ballet, tap, and gymnastics. You are very particular about your hair and your clothes these days and I'm sure that is a slight glimpse of your strong personality coming through. It's hard being little but you absolutely LOVE Ryan and you can't wait to be a big sister!! You check on mommy all the time to see how I'm feeling, and are a wonderful helper around the house. I love watching you grow and learn new things every day! You have been such a blessing to Daddy and I and we know the Lord has wonderful things in store for you. Happy Birthday Ally girl, have a fantastic 5th year!!

American Girl Birthday Celebration

2011-12-13T08:21:00.007-06:00

One of the things I love most about having daughter is that we both LOVE to do all things girlie :). We love getting our hair fixed, playing with makeup, nail polish, etc. So when Ally turned 4 last year I knew she was going to LOVE the American girl store. This is one of the coolest places for girls of all ages. Ally plays with "Lila Anderson Wood" all the time and since Ally and my niece Lila both have December birthdays we decided to celebrate by visiting the Galleria for a family lunch at the American Girl Bistro.

This was one happy girl!

She loves all the little accessories is DYING for a real pet. Maybe this small American girl dog named Honey will hold us off for a bit?:)))

Ryan was very sweet to her on her special day. I mean---check out sister's SASS!!

"Mom, this is the bitty baby I want for my real birthday"

fun times on the escalator

watching the dolls in the Salon

Aunt Cary recently told Ally that she was part of the of Middle Sister club. Right now they are the only middle sisters in our family. I'm sure Caroline will one day join the club for for now it's exclusive to Caryn and Ally. Ally has clung to this and frequently reminds us that she is a little sister and almost a big sister. These two are actually quite similar in the middle sister ways, and Ally has a wonderful Middle sister roll model!

This was Lila's first visit to the American girl store, and she loved it as well.

picking out a doll to way with, since I totally forgot our Lila doll in Waco--opps.

Oh this picture is a perfect depiction of Lila and Ally right now. Lila is constantly checking to see what her big cousin is doing and then she does the same exact thing!! I know this stage won't last long but it's priceless to watch these two together right now.

Is there something wrong with brushing the dolls hair with knives?? Who are their parents anyway?

The girls got to wear special crowns since we were celebrating their birthdays

Love this girl SO much and I cannot believe she'll be FIVE this week.

I think Lila was excited, what do you think?

this pic cracks me up

Caroline got to join the birthday fun since she's a December baby too.

This is how Ryan felt about all the pink!! ha

one big happy family

GP and Honey

The Warren fam

and the Wood family

After lunch it was time for a pink cake of course!

Make a wish...

This girl LOVES her some sweets---she can put away some cake and ice cream!

Such a fun early birthday treat, and we can't wait to go back soon.

Love you very much Ally girl.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-12-07T12:42:00.004-06:00

We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving week this year. We relaxed, had a lot of time together just the four of us, and counted our MANY blessings!! This was the first Thanksgiving without Mark's dad and I was expecting some sadness, but we were covered in prayer and the actual Thanksgiving day was wonderful---praise the LORD!

I only took a few pictures of our Thanksgiving day---here they are:).

Somebody tried pumpkin pie for the first time and LOVES it!

Mark and our kiddos

The only picture of yours truly:)

Uncle Bobby and Uncle Jimmy

The most wonderful cooks on the planet. I have it easy, they cook everything!!

Ally schooling Cody in a mean game of hammer:).

Ryan loves holidays and being with our family.

I am SO thankful for these two---even when Ryan is "shaking his sister":).

Mark and his older brother Mike

Kids table!!! Ally's dream come true, just her and bubba!

Give thanks to the Lord for all our incredible blessings.

Turkey Trot

2011-12-01T12:54:00.004-06:00

One of my favorite days at WCS in November is the annual TURKEY TROT! This year was no exception. We all meet for a 'feast' in the sanctuary that includes singing by grades 1-6, dining on Bush's Chicken and all the dessert you can eat :). Ryan has gotten better and better each year about singing in front of others---it's still not his favorite thing to do but he doesn't need to be bribed any more!

I love that the Smith family can also join the fun this year at WCS, it's been a HUGE blessing for us.

After lunch it was time to R-U-N! Ryan chose to run the 3 mile race again this year and we were ready to get this thing going.

The Bowdens were ready to race too!

Ally and I couldn't wait to cheer them on :)

Ready GOOOOO!!! and they were off

bringing up the rear was this crazy crew... (just kidding Caryn and I smartly decided to cheer on our runners from the sidelines.)

Note Mark got left in the dust by our 2nd grade stud!!! Here he comes racing to the finish line, way to go Ryan!!! He got second place out of the ENTIRE SCHOOL...seriously he competed with K-6th graders and came in 2nd. He must get that running gene from his Daddy :).

We were incredible proud of Ry-Ry.

Our great friend Braden won the race. Nice work Braden!

And here comes lightning fast Stacey Reese Smith III---he placed 12th in the 3 mile. He smoked so many kids, Caryn and I were amazed at how well they both did!

Our Turkey Trot Champions

Ryan placed FIRST in the K-3rd grade division. SO COOL!

Getting his recognition :)

AWESOME JOB RYAN!

We are thankful

2011-11-17T14:19:00.002-06:00

I LOVE November!! We have a few weeks off in-between football and basketball, the weather begins to get a little cooler-not cold but perfect, and Thanksgiving is the perfect time to sit together as a family and be deliberate about giving thanks!

I am a preschool pro by now (this is my 5th year to have a preschooler at WCS) and one of the projects I look forward to the most each year is decorating their 'thankful feathers'. I asked Ally how she'd like to decorate hers this year and keeping true to her personality she danced around and told me she wanted "jewels, lots and lots of jewels". Easy enough.

Ally loves a good craft project so she dove right in with no help.

Lookin' good sister

A wonderul surprise this year was that Ryan had to disguise Tom the Turkey so he would not get eaten for Thanksgiving. He also got very into his disguise and chose Darth Vader of course.

He also required very little help from me this year.

I love these hands.

Meet Darth Turkey and...

the most dazzling feather you've ever seen!

My little crafties :).

They were asked at school what they are thankful for and Ryan said, "everything", and Ally said, "My family, my cousins, Texas, Mrs. Dunlap and BU."

Love them!

BU Homecoming Parade

2011-11-17T14:02:00.004-06:00

This year we were super excited to go to the BU homecoming parade because WCS was #125 in the parade and Honey, Ryan and Stacey got to ride on the float! That's right we're pretty big time around here :). Unfortunately, Ally was home with a fever and Mark stayed back with her since she's four and all. However, I got to go see the BU parade in all it's glory with the Smiths and we had a great morning!

Wy-guy was very happy to see some candy being tossed his way.

Sic 'em BEARS

We ran into these two while we were there. Lila looks like she could be a child model in this picture. She's so CUTE!

And bringing up the rear of the parade was Woodway Christian School!!

Such a cute sign

OK, this picture makes me laugh for a couple reasons. Look at Ryan 'gently tossing' us some candy!! I wonder if others were hurt?? He's firing that stuff with some serious POWER!. And second check out Honey's face---she's seeing what's going down and directing Stacey to come our way. So thankful for that Honey.

Sisters :)

I'm so thankful that we live in a college town and get to experience all that BU has to offer.

Happy Fall Y'all!

It's a ...B-O-Y!!!

2011-11-11T10:22:00.006-06:00

Finding out we were expecting again has taken a while for both of us to wrap our heads around. I keep trying to picture what our family will look like and I have a hard time not picturing another baby Ryan, or baby Ally. I can only hope and pray this baby will be as easy as baby Ryan. God really allowed us to ease right into parenthood with Ryan. He slept great, ate great and was all around a very compliant baby. Now toddlerhood was a different story and age 5 was terrible, but we're back to the easy life right now and starting over again is just plain scary.

Now baby Ally was completely different than my first. She came three weeks early and she was a terrible eater, didn't sleep through the night for 15 months and a much more difficult baby. We literally tried everything you can imagine including her crying for hours each night and nothing seemed to work with this one. Ally likes to tell everyone that she used to be 'nocturnal' and that's exactly right!! This is what keeps me up at night now because those were some extremely hard days on me, Mark, Ally, and our marriage. But Ally has been THE easiest toddler, and there isn't a sweeter girl on the planet. She's so easy right now and is much more laid back than Ryan. She's my little shadow and we have a blast every afternoon together.

Mark and I couldn't wait to find out what baby #3 was going to be! We were thrilled to find out that we are adding another B-O-Y to our family. We got the privilege of going to Care Net to have a 4D sonogram and see first hand our little miracle. Our wonderful pediatrician set up the appointment so I could be a "sonogram model" since this machine is fairly new and some volunteers still needed some training. We love Care Net and all the amazing things they do for women in crisis. And this new sonogram machine is literally saving babies from abortion. I love how God works!

After the appointment we immediately headed over to Kacey's to reveal the mystery to our family. Mom got Ryan out of school for 30 minutes so we could tell every one at once. Ryan was really hoping for a brother and of course Ally wanted a baby sister. The suspense was killing them!

We had them sit on the couch and told them that we had some jelly beans for them and that if they were blue it meant a baby brother, and if they were pink a baby sister is on the way!

Ready...

Blue!! It's a BOY!!

We were all very excited and it was a wonderful moment for our family to share.

Of course Honey, Aunt Cary, and Aunt Kacey came prepared with baby gifts for their little guy :). Aren't those socks cute??!

Grandbaby #9 coming in April-WOW. (My scanner's not communicating with my computer right now, but we did get some AMAZING pictures at 16 weeks). I am almost 19 weeks now and feeling oh so much better. Praise. the. Lord.

Proud Honey and GP

For some reason I knew this time that we were having a BOY. I have been wrong with the other two but I distinctly remember after taking my pregnancy test in the Walgreen's bathroom(story on that later) the name James immediately popped into my head. Mark's dad's name was James as well as my Gran's so this baby officially has the middle name James. We have a long way to go on the first name but two out of three names isn't bad!

I am so thankful for this surprise and I am feeling baby kicks now all the time. It is truly one of my favorite stages of pregnancy---I'm done getting sick and it doesn't hurt to walk yet:). We are trying to figure out the whole office/nursery and things are slowly coming together. I am so glad I wasn't in control and that God thought we needed another BOY! AMEN.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T10:00:00.006-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween this year. Halloween is always fun, but always a very busy week for us. We started the week by finishing up Ryan's flag football season with two games and a team party. The Crocs won their last game with two touchdown passes by my #1 stud-RW!! Way to go Crocs!

Ally then got dressed up for ballet and gymnastics, we attended the super fun Fall Fest at Church, followed by a preschool party and then trick-or treating---whew. No wonder I'm tired this morning. Since I am finally catching up on the blog I decided to combine all this week's activities into one jammed packed post full of several costume changes by Ally:).

This year I was that mean mommy who said I'm not buying costumes. You each have at least 10 different things you can be and the last thing I need in this house right now is more costumes. I know...it was mean. They honestly didn't care and just rolled with it. I think they both have come to realize that messing with their preggo momma doesn't go very far these days!

We'll start off with the beautiful Ballerina at dance class. She was very excited to wear one of her sweet friend's old costumes this year. She LOVES Ainsley and this made her week---thanks again Heather!

Pretty pretty

I love this picture of her at Ballet, getting ready for class. Doesn't she look like a real Ballerina?!!

Next up was Ally's gymnastics class. She opted for the BU cheerleading outfit for this class. Here are some of her sweet friends. Look how cute!

Her 4 year old gymnastics class

And then a quick change into her 'real outfit'. She picked this one out all by herself, and it fits her little personality perfectly.

Next up was the Fall Fest with the cousins. AHHHH these two are so adorable I can't stand it. (Wait until you see the entire Warren family this year...awesomeness coming soon on Kacey's blog)

Then we have Crocodile Hunters. Stacey and Wyatt were the hunters and the babies were the Crocs. I laugh every time I see this crew in their cool costumes!

Ryan choose to be "a City Champion" I mean it was a pretty cool choice since they did win the city tournament.

Best one I got, but you get the idea. Check out sweet Caroline the Crab!

These two melt my heart.

Look who made it in a picture :) Do you like my costume??!!

HA!

Now onto Ally's preschool party. Since we are equal opportunity fans here she chose to be a TUU cheerleader this time. Cute little one!

Daddy made a surprise visit and made her day.

Mrs. Dunlap's class. Basically all my friend's kiddos in one super-charged class.

Honey was a Zoo Keeper, which is a fitting title for her everyday.

Last but not least. Halloween night and trick-or-treating with the Weavers.

We made a quick stop by Grandma's and got some yummy treats

And then came to meet up with our friends and neighbors the Weaver family. We have a standing date with them every year and it's a blast roaming the neighborhood with our every growing crew.

Sweet Brinley

And the rest of the gang

Happy Halloween!

Texas Rangers playoff game

2011-11-01T09:39:00.004-05:00

Over the last 12 years of our marriage we have logged countless hours watching the Texas Rangers play ball. In fact Mark was working for this ball club when we got engaged! I also remember the night Ryan was born eight years ago, the very first thing Mark and Ryan did as father and son was watch a Ranger game together int he hospital. It's in our blood and has been a wonderful activity that we can do as a family. So...you better believe that when the Rangers made the ALCS playoffs Ryan and Mark were going!!

Mark surprised Ryan while we were in Lubbock with tickets and I think Ryan probably asked me 4,000,000 times on the way home how much longer until he gets to go to the game. We had a plan. Since we were traveling home from Lubbock with my parents, Mark would just meet us in Eastland and then he and Ryan would drive to Arlington from there---you know to save R some drive time. This was a fantastic plan until we all got to Eastland at 3:00 0n Sunday only to find out that the game had been CANCELLED. I haven't ever seen a more disappointed father and son in my entire life. So we drove home and waited for news of when it would be rescheduled.

Fortunately the game was on for the very next day at 3:00, which was perfect since Ryan was out of school for Columbus Day. YAY for good ol' Columbus! The plans were on and Ryan couldn't wait any longer.

Tickets

Getting some pizza on the way to the game

Watching BP before the game at The Ballpark in Arlington

One happy duo. This picture makes me smile from ear to ear!!

The rangers won with an impressive walk off home run by Nellie and they saw the game of the series in person!! Way to go Rangers! I wish they could have won the World Series too. We watched every single game and let Ryan stay up WAAYYYY too late but they couldn't win game 6 and it was all downhill from there. Next Year will be our year :).

Thank you Mark Wood for making your son's dreams come true.

Purdy Pumpkin Party

2011-11-01T08:33:00.009-05:00

If you've been reading this blog for a while you know that my mom is VERY creative and always up for some chaos and fun for the grandkids. A few weekends ago she asked the older five to come over for a Pumpkin Party, and they had an absolute blast!1 Thanks Honey and GP for making this a day to remember.

They started by making cards for their teachers, complete with lots and lots of foam stickers!

Caroline got to come watch since her Momma was out of town on a fun trip. She was really happy Kacey I promise :). Caryn was also out of town on a fun trip which is why you'll notice the hodge podge outfits on this particular day. I however was there and have no excuse.

After making the cards it was onto a race to find mini pumpkins in the backyard. Here's Honey going over exactly what to do.

Ryan counting the loot!

"Look Aunt Angie, I found one!!"

"I found TWO!"

"And I'm the happiest baby on the planet, especially when I'm outside watching these crazy cousins!"

Next was game time. Ryan was tossing the pumpkins into a bucket for candy---he could have played this all day.

Each time you got a pumpkin in the bucket you got to add a piece of candy to your plastic pumpkin on the table. Ally was showing Daddy all her candy.

And then...the Pumpkin Painting station! We have some serious artists in the family :).

Fun for all ages. Check out the beauties.

And then we raced to the front yard to find some spiders. They were pretty tricky to find in the grass but these kids were determined and loved "helping" each other find them.

(Yes that's chocolate on Wy-guys' face, I forgot to mention the ice cream treat.) After the spider game there was one more surprise. Honey came up with a great scavenger hunt to find their treasure.

We finally found it in the back of Uncle Josh's truck---whew!

THANK YOU again Honey and GP for loving these kids the way you do. The Purdy Pumpkin Party was AWESOME!

RAIDER-POWER

2011-10-30T16:44:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago we made the long trek to Lubbock to see Nana and of course catch a game at Jones Stadium. We had a wonderful time and I really loved being back at my old stomping grounds with my wonderful kiddos. Here are some bored pictures from my talented sister Kacey.

(Notice Nana has a new friend Sam in this picture. We are very thankful that she has found a great companion and he seems to be a great man.)

Ally feels extra sassy in this cheerleading uniform :).

Where there's room Ryan will play football...no matter the temperature, the field, the time. This boy LOVES him some football.

Me and my little Raiders.

Oh so sassy

Love this picture of Ryan "holding" Caroline.

Cutest cheerleaders EVER!

Ryan's EIGHTH birthday celebration

2011-10-26T12:18:00.011-05:00

Can you believe I now have an EIGHT year old. EIGHT, seems so much bigger that seven...probably because it's a big year. He's finally out of a booster seat, which he's been very excited about. He's in second grade, lost 13 teeth, and communicates on a whole new level with Mark and I. He is incredibly smart, makes all A's, and has a very good attitude most of the time. Our super-uber shy guy is gone and he's turning into a jokester at school, which is good and bad! He still LOVES to read and play Lego but Star Wars is finally taking a backseat to sports---which I personally LOVE! He also loves anything electronic: the DS, the Wii, our phones, the computer, TV etc. Somedays I love technology and some days I can't stand it! It is however the very first privilege that gets taken away for being disrespectful, acting too silly at school, and basically anything else that comes our way. Ryan has made us really up our game in parenting. He's so smart he can outwit me quickly if I'm not careful, and you better believe he NEVER, EVER forgets anything we say EVER! Even when we think he's not listening, he is, he ALWAYS is!! :) I am so thankful the God choose him to be our firstborn and I cannot wait to see him in action as a big brother again. He is so sweet with all the cousins and has turned into quite a leader. He still beats to his own drum, has Mark's sense of humor and unfortunately got an equal dose of our stubbornness and sarcasm. He's a very generous kid who's full of kindness, silliness and craziness wrapped into one perfect stinky boy. We love you Kid-O and we are SO proud of you! 8 is going to be a blast.

His real birthday:

Honey and GP treated the older cousins to 3 Spoons and he got his present from them early, which he loved and built in an hour and a half---he has some serious Lego skills y'all.

Then we had a cookie cake celebration at school and headed to Texas Roadhouse for some yummy steak. Ryan's favorite meal :).

His Sports party:

I need to thank the Cersey Party Planning Team big time on the party. I was so sick I hardly remember this so thank you girls for decorating everything and taking all these wonderful pictures to document "the perfect party" (according to Ryan). Ryan had very specific requests, so the fact that he called this party perfect was a huge success!

The decorations:

Yes that's a PVC goal post that Kacey made. I mean how cute??!!

And Caryn meticulously hung the banner and decoupaged the name and number eight. Thanks again girls!

It really turned out very cute...I mean cool!

These two were the only girls allowed at the party.

The Smith clan

Uncle Frank and Caroline

Cutie-Pies

Cersey Team

Again the cutest girls on the planet

And this is what the majority of the party looked like. Lots of running, jumping, hockey, football, basketball, and fun!

Such a mean goalie

Some friends and babies (sorry Ann I thing we surprised ya:)

Party people

Even sick I managed to sanitize everyone!

One happy birthday boy

Getting our grub on

Wyatt and Landry, two peas in a pod.

such handsome fellows

COOKIE CAKE!

Singing

Our one and only family shot. So thankful for my photographer!

Thanks mom for "the perfect party". Sometimes I want to burst he's so sweet, and other times ...we'll save that for the non-birthday post :).

Gifts galore. We have some amazing friends and such a wonderful family. Thank you guys so much for sharing in Ryan's day!

Happy 8th birthday Ryan!

Ryan's QB debut

2011-10-17T14:16:00.008-05:00

Ryan has been playing flag football again this year and he is LOVING it! He is in the 2nd-3rd grade division and plays quarterback. He can throw a great spiral and loves to say "down, set, hut" on every offensive play. We have ourselves a great little athlete and have enjoyed watching him gradually get more aggressive and confident this season. (These pictures are all out of order again...sorry folks:)

The most faithful fan awards definitely goes to Grandma! She has never missed a game and we love getting to visit with her at the games.

The amazing Mrs. Wallace made it out to cheer on the crocs last week. We are incredibly blessed to have this fantastic 2nd grade teacher in our lives. Ryan talks about her all the time and it has been a huge comfort to us this year knowing he's in wonderful hands every day at school.

Ryan has a huge fan club. The Warrens cheering on their #1 nephew. Lila was given me her new wave...what do you think? pretty funny!

absolutely edible Caroline who LOVES her Ry-Ry

I love the WFC because it's a very laid back sports environment.

RW getting ready for some De-fence! (he's #9)

these two were a BIG help holding the down marker :)

Some serious actions shots

He's gotten so good!!! Love watching you play Buddy!

These two were on different teams this year, but still the best of friends.

Ryan and Dad

The rest of the crazy fans!

I promise I was at the games, just forgot to get pics of myself in attendance. We haven't had many wins this year and honestly I was concerned at the start of the season because I know how competitive my son is. He has handled it sooooo well (honestly much better than his dad and I:)). I am continually amazed at this child of mine.

LOVE YOU!

Updates & Let's Go Wildcats!!

2011-10-04T13:05:00.005-05:00

I feel like I need a disclaimer for this post. It's completely random that I'm updating our lives mixed with a WCS PEP rally post but that's just the way I roll these days. Update #1 WE HAVE A NEW COMPUTER!!!! Whoo-Hoo! We got an iMac and I am beyond excited about it...but going from a PC to a Mac has been a little more difficult than I thought, and I cannot yet figure out blogger- so my pictures are all out of order. I cannot figure out iPhoto yet either and still prefer Picasa so we'll see how that goes but who really cares, bottom line I am just excited to write a post in less than an hour and a half :).

Update #2 I am now in my 13th week of pregnancy and still feeling pretty awful unfortunately. Hopefully just a few more weeks of the pukes and then I'll be able to actually accomplish a task or two around this joint! Lately I have been having really bad headaches as well, so I'd appreciate those prayers!! I heard the heartbeat of this miracle baby last week and immediately heard this thud, thud, thud noise through the speaker. My Dr. then started laughing saying that I have, "an incredibly active baby" and those thuds were teeny tiny baby kicks! I'm not so sure hearing I have "an incredibly active baby" is something to smile at or fear, so for now I'm undecided. It was honestly amazing hearing those thuds, and I am starting to come out of denial a little bit:).

Update #3 We have decided to stay put here in our house and have started to transform our office into a nursery. When I say transform basically we have painted and removed about 10 boxes of "stuff" that I have no idea what to do with! I am excited about having this cozy little space for Wood baby 3 three, and am super excited to find whether we'll add soft pink or slate blue to the light gray walls. Now onto the actual post:

We are so fortunate to attend Woodway Christian School and this year we have a brand new mascot...the WILDCAT!! The school has been such a blessing for my and my family and being a part of their first ever PEP Rally was SO fun!

As all the students pre-K-sixth grade walked into the gym they were handed a pom-pom. I'll let you guess which one of my children was WAAAY too cool for that, and which one thought they might explode with enthusiasm :)

Some of the elementary teachers lead the students in a couple of cheers, and boy were they awesome. I never knew they had such secret talents

And here he is... the WCS Wildcat! He came through the walking track throwing out gum and then kids were EXCITED!!!

Introducing the WCS flag football team.

Let's go, let's go, L-E-T-S G-O!!

And the WCS Girls Volleyball team. Aren't they adorable!

Y-E-L-L, yell, everybody yell (clap clap)W-C-S.

Oh yeah they busted through this poster made by the talented art teacher Mrs. Barnett. Nice work!

Honey lead they Wildcats in a prayer. That's right a prayer at school, need I say more!

Some super excitement

Cutie pies

Oh and Ryan was the only one with no pom, pom---and big shocker he refused to look at Aunt Cary for a picture. But don't let that fool you, he was having a blast!

And this little cheerleader was on cloud nine!

I know I sound like a broken record about the school but when you've experienced the greatness of WCS it's hard not to shout from the rooftops how incredible this place is.

Fired UP

Fired UP, and UP and UP and UP and UP

Life at the Woods

2011-09-16T16:41:00.001-05:00

We have been busy getting back into our fall schedule. Ryan and Ally are both LOVING school this year and it has been absolutely wonderful so far:).
Ryan had a Second Grade community helper project and he immediately decided to interview Uncle Josh. He did AWESOME!! Meet the future Dr. Wood.

Ally and momma have had the afternoons all to ourselves and one of her favorite things to do is get pedicures. I love it too!

College football is baaaaack!! Ryan is loving watching football with Mark. They got to go to the BU vs. TCU game and it was incredible. They stayed until the very end and loved every minute of it.

Ryan's also playing flag football again this year and is the quarterback! He's constantly playing ball in the living-room, the backyard, basically anywhere he can throw the ball. Oh and under armor is his official sponsor. :)

Ally and I on one of our many lunch dates. I really haven't been cooking at all lately...

...Because I'm PREGNANT!!!

I know!!! It was a big surprise to us too but, we're thrilled! I thought our family was complete, but the Lord had other plans for us. It is absolutely amazing that this happened at all and we are incredibly grateful. It did however take a little getting used to. Mark almost had a heart attack, I did have a panic attack but... our beautiful, amazing children were SO excited they could hardly contain themselves! It is an incredible blessing and I feel very honored to embark on this journey again (sort of wish I hadn't sold every baby item I had, thankfully the sisters are fully equipped in the baby department).
Our family is going through a lot of changes but I am excited for our future and REALLY ready to start feeling better. I'm 10 weeks and have been super sick this time. And since I'm 35 now, I think it's just overall harder on this body. This miracle baby is due April 1st and we would love your prayers and encouragement. Thank you blogger buddies!

Back...back, back to school again

2011-09-06T19:27:00.001-05:00

After the fastest summer on record, it was once again time for SCHOOL!! Ryan's a big 2nd grader and Ally is going every morning until 11:30. She absolutely loves getting to go with Bubba and thinks she is pretty big stuff at Woodway Christian School:). Here are my precious babies getting ready for day one.

Look closely at this picture and you'll notice that Ally has recently lost 3 more teeth...that's a total of four teeth at age four!! She has the most beautiful new smile:).

We had "homework" to bring back on the first day. This is Ally's 'All about me' poster. My favorite section is naming her pets. Since we have no pets she named all our family pets. If I can keep that going for awhile I'll take it!!

Big seven year running into school. What a difference a year makes!

Ally waiting for Daddy to help her in the building.

Our annual pic with the best administrator in town!! This picture blesses my socks off.

The one and only family shot

Ryan and his fabulous teacher Mrs. Wallace. She is amazing!

An added treat this year is that Ally and Wyatt are in the same class---I mean how cool is that??!!

These three are TROUBLE.

Checking out her new classroom

Ally and Mrs. Dunlap. Ryan had her when he was four and I am very grateful that Ally gets to have this fantastic teacher as well

We are ready for a wonderful year. Go Wildcats!

Helping Daddy ;)

2011-08-24T22:01:00.001-05:00

We have had such a fast summer! I captured these pictures with my iPhone one random day and just ran across them tonight:). Mark had some really good helpers washing the cars.

Ahhh the relaxing days of summer have come and gone, I just wish the heat would leave as well!

What is Gilbert's syndrome?

2011-08-24T21:52:00.001-05:00

(I wrote this on 8-4-11, and forgot to post it)
Tonight

For the past year I have not been feeling like myself. I seem to catch every single virus within 100 miles, I'm constantly fatigued, have body aches and pains, weird yellow eyes, anxiety, insomnia and a plethora of strange tummy issues. I have had every test imaginable and tonight I was finally given an answer! Drumroll please...I have been diagnosed with Gilbert's syndrome.
Lovely. What is this?? Will it go away? Basically it's an inherited liver disorder that effects 8-10% of us. My body produces excess red blood cells and the bilirubin from this isn't filtered properly by my liver (hence my yellow eyes) and leads to all these symptoms. There are more but I haven't experienced those thankfully. There are also"triggers" like overexertion, dehydration, stress, and lack of sleep. Not doing so good on that list today, and something's got to give. :)
As far as a diagnosis goes I think this far outweighs the other options. However, it is not a great thing to hear you have something that's "mild" and has no cure. I am relieved to know what's wrong because it's been a long, long, road. So far I haven't had a big pity party but it may be coming so watch out!! Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and patience. I am hoping that soon, very soon I start feeling better for longer than 2 days in a row!!
Been clinging to this verse...
Isaiah 49:15-16
"I would not forget you! See I have written your name on the palms of my hand."

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Stacey's S-I-X

2011-08-10T13:35:00.003-05:00

I cannot believe my #1 nephew is already Six!! We had a great time celebrating his birthday at Hawaiian Falls this year. Of course Caryn had a wonderful theme to go along with the water park...pirates. (Check out her blog for some super cute photos of the party). We had never been to Hawaiian falls and let me tell you it was GREAT!! We went on Tuesday so the crowd was very manageable. There was plenty of shade, not a lot of walking and enough rides to make everyone happy. So score one for Hawaiian Falls, we'll be back next year for sure!

Stacey in all his six year old glory.

Reapplying some "non-stingy" sunscreen

These two had a BLAST.

And so did Ally

And Lila

Waiting for the BIG bucket of water to dump on the spray area.

four out of five cousins loved it :) poor Lila did not.

What ya got Wyatt?

I always love the chance to hang out with the Smith family!

Happy Happy Birthday buddy, I cannot wait to see all the cool things God has in store for you this year as you start KINDERGARTEN!! Whoo-Hoo!

4th of July Family Shoot

2011-08-10T12:42:00.004-05:00

We did something very unusual at the lake this year. We all got cleaned up and ready in our red, white and blue and took some family photos. Kacey and Caryn have been my person photographers this summer, thanks girls. I love seeing this patriotic group!

Summer Lake fun

2011-08-10T10:39:00.007-05:00

Some of my favorite memories growing up were at Lake LBJ and I absolutely love that my children are making memories here each summer! We haven't gone down there much this summer but we had a fantastic 4th of July with all the cousins. We are now a rather big large group but I enjoy every second of this tribe! Here are some of my favorite moments this trip:

Daddy and Ryan

precious Caroline enjoying a Purdy girl favorite

mmmmmm, smores

a little water hockey

babies on a boat

babies on a blanket

no makeup crashing a fireworks show

kids in PJ's at the show (we felt SO White Trash, but have a great story)

Cars on the big screen

lunch with cousins

Ally in the boat

Wyatt and his water guns

Ally and Lila on the ski-bob

Ally and Ryan on the ski-bob

my little fish

my little relaxer

and basketball player

singing to Honey for her birthday

lovin' on Honey

The great thing about this HOT weather is that we can enjoy the lake house straight into the fall:).

Biddie Ball camp 2011

2011-08-02T13:09:00.004-05:00

OK where were we... still in June? Geez Louise I must get caught up on the bloggity blog before school starts in THREE WEEKS!!!! June was our month of camps. Ryan did Midway Football Camp, Swim Lessons, Vacation Bible School, Ally and I had Zumbatomic Camp and gymnastics then we finished the month up with BU Biddie Ball Camp. All the while my boys were playing in the city tournament so I really felt like our summer started in July. July has been a slow, low key month with lots of fighting between my precious children, lazy swim days, sleeping in, movies, putt-putt, and overall goodness. I have no pictures of any of the June camps except basketball {thank you Caryn for the pictures} so I'm very happy to share these! Again I NEED A CAMERA!!!!!!! {Also, way back in June I made the crazy decision and let Ryan buzz off all his hair. He loved it---mommy did not. It's already grown back out so looking back at these pictures made me smile :)}

Ryan has gone to BU Biddie Ball camp since he was 4 so this was his 4th year to attend this fantastic camp. This is also the last year he will be with the Biddie Ball group. Hard to believe that next year he'll move on with the older campers. We had some extra special guests join us for camp this year and it was a BLAST. Here they are day 1 ready to GO!

Coach Drew making everyone do some push-ups

This kid has some serious Skills. I can't believe how much he's grown since last summer

Just a little dunk

or 2...he had his coach rollin' that he was able to do this!

Daddy and Ryan. It is very nice that Mark has such a flexible job and he's able to come see all of our mid-day activities when he's in town.

cutie #1

and #2

Ally and I had a ball watching them on the last day. We also got to love on Coyt and Crew which was an added treat.

Ryan and coach Terence

Ryan and Momadeau

Coach Drew and the three cousins

We love icy pops!!

Two future Bibbie Ballers 2015...look out!

City Champs, oh yeah!

2011-07-17T15:07:00.005-05:00

The Tigers had an AWESOME season this year and since we were the Midway Little League Champs our team got to play in the Waco city tournament. Whoo-hoo! Let me tell you this was some serious business y'all---I had no idea :). There were 15 total teams from: Lorena, Robinson, South Waco, China Spring, Midway, East Waco and Lake Air, and WE were the team to beat!

My sweet friend Ashley and I decided to go all out and make Tiger posters, noise makers, personalized signs and of course balloons. Unfortunately this is the only picture I have. I have GOT to get a camera soon! The boys and parents loved it and we had the loudest fans by far.

Ready to beat Lorena #1 the White Sox

No problem! We stayed in the winners bracket, won all 4 of our games and were named CITY CHAMPS!! The very last play was a ground ball to Jake (pitcher) and a great throw to first, my Ryan!! I wish I had it on video. Ryan caught and the last out and then the whole team rushed him, while they were all holding up #1s. I am SO proud of these boys.

We had a R-O-W-DY crew at each game. I was so excited that all the cousins were there to see Mark do his thing. He honestly has a talent coaching these boys. To think where they started in March and where they ended up was incredible. They were very well coached!

What is it hot?...only 102~

Coach Wood, Coach Weaver and Coach Farmer getting some much overdue credit!

Check out that trophy. It now lives in our office :).

The team picture was in the good ol' Waco Trib

(Ryan had been mentioned earlier in the season as a leading hitter)

The CHAMPS!

I can't really begin to describe how it feels to watch your husband pitch, and your son play in such an intense environment. It was VERY fun, but stressful, awesome and a blast all at the same time. Mark and Ryan you make a great team.

Can't wait until next year.

The prettiest little Leprechaun you've ever SEEN!

2011-07-14T12:13:00.005-05:00

See what I mean...isn't she CUTE?? Ally absolutely loves to dance and this year her ballet and tap class was at the top of her list of fun. Since this was our first year to take tap, I wasn't quite sure how the recital would go since we had to change tights, wait a while backstage and remember 2 different dances! Fortunately, none of those things mattered. She was SOOOOO cute out there, she knew all of her dance moves and she stole the show.

The Lord had different plans for me that day so I owe my parents, Kacey a huge thank you!! Earlier that day I was teaching a Zumba Master class and got violently ill DURING class. At least I made it to the bathroom, but it for sure goes down as one of the most embarrassing moments of my life to date. I was in bed all day and it's a miracle that I even made it to the recital, but thankfully I did and I was much better the next day. Whew! Honestly that day was a blur. I'm so glad Ally had all her clothes and thankful that Kacey and mom did her makeup and hair. :)

The recital theme this year was a trip around the world and so every class was a different country... Hence the Luck of the Irish costume:)

Here 's some behind the scene action. Ally and Aubrey

Ally and AnnMarie. They look like sisters here to me!

Coloring backstage

Getting ready

Ally and Lila. Poor sweet Lila wanted to dance SO badly. I can't wait to see her on stage next year!

Strut your stuff sister. (She's in the middle)

After the recital GP and Mark gave her flowers and then the cousins gave her a precious gift as well.

A charm for her bracelet! So thoughtful guys, thank you very much.

Family shot. Momma a little green :)

My favorite picture of the two of them ever.

Grandma and Ally

Me and my tiny dancer.

Ally, we are do proud of you. Way to go girl, I love watching you dance. You bring us J-O-Y!!

Trip to the Hottest Place on Earth, Purdy style

2011-06-25T09:48:00.005-05:00

This year for Memorial Day weekend we visited San Antonio with my parents, sisters, brother-in-laws and kiddos, and we had a ball. My parents take this motley crew on vacation every other summer and this year we thought San Antonio would be a great place for the kids. They had never been to the Riverwalk, or Sea World and we girls love La Cantera Mall so off we headed to the Hottest place on Earth for a fun-filled family vacation! Things started out great. We checked into the Wyndham Riverwalk hotel and went to dinner.

Here's me an my sweet Lila, our honorary third child.

Honey and her granddaughters (the three C's were left at home for this trip so we just had 5 kids with us.)

After a 10 mile walk in the heat (really just 1.5 miles but seriously the hottest I've been in a while) we made it to Mi Tierra and had a great Mexican feast.

The five older, wilder cousins. This picture pretty much sums up all of their personalities!

After dinner we made the smartest decision ever to ride on an air-conditioned trolley to go see the Alamo.

The middle 3 cousins---don't let these smiles fool ya:).

And the older two BFFs

Ahhh the Alamo. Ryan loved reading all about the battle and had a million and one questions about the war, who won, why they lost, etc. It's getting harder to answer his very thoughtful questions these days. Thankful for iphone Google!

After walking in the heat, having dinner at Mi Tierra, riding a Trolley and visiting the Alamo we should have gone home but...we decided to stand in the Riverboat line. This was not such a great idea and after a long wait Honey got us rainchecks, and we promtly headed home and went to bed. The next morning was the perfect time to ride the boat on the Riverwalk. A lot less people, at least 20 degrees cooler and we could see ducks, which was the best thing to three of our 13!

Ally and her sidekick Lila

My boys

This was my favorite day. We walked around the Riverwalk, then the girls headed to La Cantera! This would not have been possible or fun at all with the kids. The daddies blessed us by taking the kids swimming and then to see Kung Fu Panda 2. This was a unexpected gift and gave us the entire day to relax, shop and finish sentences and thoughts without interruptions. Thank you Mark, Stacey, Josh and GP!!

We met one of Kacey's best friends Kelly at the Kona Grill for lunch and had a wonderful time catching up with her and her firstborn daughter. Kelly was always at our house growing up and then she went to TTU also so I feel like we helped raise this beautiful girl.

After a long day of shopping we met the rest of the gang at Chama Gaucha and Mark's brother Mike for a wonderful dinner. This is Ryan's favorite steakhouse--he ate more meat than I've ever seen him eat.

Day 3 was SEA WORLD!

These guys were very excited

Sea World is something else. It started off fine. We got there wearing our suits because the heat is unbearable unless you're a little wet. And took these pics:

Don't worry I bought squinty Ryan a pair of sunglasses immediately! The kids had a great day at Sea World but this momma did not enjoy it. A couple of things that would have been nice to know prior to this place.

The shows are good but not great.

Never go to any sort of theme park on a holiday weekend.

Make sure all the kids know the plan ya know just in case someone gets lost (Side note: We lost Wyatt for 30 minutes...he was completely fine and fortunately Caryn missed the drama but my nerves were shot after that!)

Make sure you stay hydrated because have I mentioned it's hot!!!

Eat before you get hungry because the lines are insane.

Buy the refillable drink bottle and drink all the gross Pepsi you can.

Take your camera.

Any child under 7 needs a stroller.

Skip the Shamu show.

The waterpark is not worth it.

Remember that you paid good money for this kind of fun:)!

In all honesty, my children had a blast a Sea World and would go back right now if we told them they could. And I had a wonderful time with my family. Thank you very much mom and dad for this fun trip! Even when it's blazing hot and I'm on the verge of a breakdown I can still laugh at all the planking pics that came from this trip:). I am so fortunate that my sisters and I are SO close and enjoy spending vacations together. LOVE Y'ALL!!

I Heart FWCS and I can't Believe it's summer!

2011-06-17T15:33:00.006-05:00

I have LOVED every single second of Ryan and Ally's school year at FWCS. I feel like this school is such a blessing in our lives and I am astonished at everything my children have learned. Not everything has been roses this year for the Woods but school has been a constant source of wonderfulness! Ryan had field day this year (back in April) and his momma got to lead a zumba station which was very enjoyable. Then my boy dominated the relays and tug-of war! Field day brings back such great memories of childhood and I'm thankful that my kids get to participate in the fun each year.

Ally had the most fantastic two women this year also. Mrs. Thompson and Mrs. Conner blessed my socks off in their commitment to these three and four year olds. Thank you guys SO much for loving our Ally girl the way you did.

And Mrs. Herbert, the same goes to you. Thank you for spending time on your knees for your first graders! You have also been an enormous blessing to our family.

OK now this is the part of this post that maked me tear up. My Ryan, my firstborn wonderful young man received N-I-N-E awards this year at FWCS. As a mother, there's nothing like having others see your child the way you do!!! As I was scanning these into my computer I was flooded with emotion and praise. Ryan is such an amazing son! Thank you Lord for trusting me with him.

(If you click on this you can see Ryan's favorite award---the mileage club award. Ryan ran 62 miles this year in P.E. Can you believe that? So impressed!

Congrats buddy!

We are so proud of our bubba!

After the awards ceremony it was time to sign their annuals.

Here's Ryan's official first grade picture. :)

I cannot believe that I now have SECOND grader...what?!??? I am thrilled that it's summer time and we are enjoying this season in our lives very much!

For your viewing pleasure

2011-06-17T15:24:00.005-05:00

Here's a few pictures to brighten your day. I found this series on my iPhone and laughed at my sweet silly 4 year old, and her many faces!

Love love love you Ally Anderson Wood!

Ryan meeting Coach Briles

2011-06-16T21:46:00.001-05:00

My amazing seven year old son has been obsessed with several things in his life but, sports has been a constant to him since he was old enough to hold a ball. I vividly remember Ryan and Mark rolling a ball across my coffee table before he could even walk! He has also been a fan of Baylor football (back before they were good at all) since he was 2 years old. This was a little irritating to this TTU momma but since we've been back in Waco I must admit that I am also a BU fan. Being such a fan of BU football, you can imagine how cool it was for him to meet Art Briles at dinner one evening. Here's how it went down:

We were hanging out at Ninfa's for Uncle Frank's birthday when Mark spotted Coach Briles behind us. Ryan immediately argued that that was not coach Briles since he wasn't wearing his BU cap. Mark prevailed and even asked the coach for a quick picture with his #1 fan. Here it is!!

Coach Briles was just about the coolest man we've ever met (probably because he graduated from TTU also:-)). He bent down and talked to Ryan on his level and told him to come see him in a few years :). He was impressed with Ryan's height for a 7 year old and said it was GREAT that he has a September birthday for maturity in sports. The whole conversation lasted about 3 minutes but it was one that Ryan and I will never forget. Thank you Coach Briles for making Ryan's day. I am so impressed with your character and hope you have a wonderful 2012 season!
Go BEARS!

Oh my...when did Ally turn 15??

2011-06-10T20:25:00.011-05:00

Hello Bloggity blog blog...it's been a while. So sorry I got busy and neglected you. I LOVE reading friends's blogs and I am ready to start re-documenting out little life here in the Wack. I'd like to blame the no camera situation, or the business or the laziness or whatever but bottom line is I write this for my family and I want to keep it going seester! I am on my lazy summer time schedule and watch out 'cause I'm baaaaaaack!

Ok when I look back at this year there are certain things that will always stand out. One is how easy my kids are right now. I don't mean life is a breeze around here but this parenting stage is by far the simplest one yet. I used to feel rather guilty that my kids would fend for themselves for breakfast but then I realize...HELLO, it's a gift. They know what they can and can't eat and they are just perfectly fine letting momma wake up v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. Honestly it's awesome.

Another thing that will stand out to me is just how old my BABY is beginning to look. Honestly I look at her an forget she's just 4. Maybe it's the teenage attitude, independence and opinions lately. (Oh man, this raising daughters thing is crazy!!)

Case in point: Ally made her own haircut appointment with my super sweet friend Michelle. She walked up to her one day after Zumba and said, "I want you to cut my hair like you cut Hailey and Aubrey's (two of Ally's friends). "Please...Is that OK?" Michelle was very calm and responded that we'd need to check with your mommy but honestly what could I do???!!! I called her and made an official appointment for the following week. Here's my 4 year old in her element!

Before with Michelle at Salon 19

Look at all the cushions she stacked to make sweet pea comfortable! She really is amazing at her job.

I wish you could feel Ally's excitement. She loved every single second of this haircut experience

I'm sorry can you please bring back my baby, this girl looks far too old to be mine :).

Ally was VERY specific in how she wanted this side braid---weird have NO idea where that came from:)

Ally's SHINE performance at MCC

2011-06-03T09:00:00.002-05:00

I have posted several times about the Teams Of Tomorrow (TOT) program. Ally absolutely loves basketball and has enjoyed every minute of this great program. At the end of the year they put on a performance of everything they've learned all year. It was wonderful to watch our baby out there show her stuff!

She did SOOOO good!

Her favorite part of this day was that she received a trophy just like brother! She was SUPER excited about this gift from Mrs. Michelle.

Ryan was also really proud of his little sister

And of course so were we,

and Grandma,

and Honey and GP!

Thank you Michelle for putting on a wonderful program. We will miss TOT next year!

The sweetest class ever!

Easter 2011

2011-06-02T11:26:00.006-05:00

What a wonderful Easter we had this year. I always love when all the cousins get together and this holiday did not disappoint. We started our day with checking out the kids Easter baskets and then headed to church to celebrate our Risen Lord!

I am such a blessed mommy and wife!

GP, Honey and the girls...seriously look how cute these three are.

Stacey and his 4-pack of boys

sweetness x3

The older 4 grandkids

The original twin snaggle-tooth cousins

Ryan and his BFF Stacey

Ally crying because she wanted to be in the picture with the Warren family.

We were honored that Grandma came over to Honey and GP's house this year to have a delicious lunch and help with the egg hunt. We love you Grandma!

Getting ready to go hunt those eggs

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y

Our precious Pink Bobblehead Dolphin-Shark

2011-05-24T16:08:00.004-05:00

Ally's T-ball team is called the...wait for it...Dolphin-Sharks. An absolutely perfect name for a t-ball team if you ask them:). Ally has wanted to play ball like the boys for two years now, so when we realized she could play this season, and we knew the coaches we signed her up! She talks about it all the time but I'm pretty sure she likes the idea of playing t-ball better than actually playing the games.

Here she is prancing around the bases with her pretty pink bobblehead helmet.

Ok now what do I do? Oh yea...RUN!

She's absolutely hilarious to watch!

This picture cracks me up. It was BLAZING hot so sunscreen for everybody!

Ally thanks for being such a source of entertainment for our family. We LOVE watching you play ball girl!

Great season Dolphin-Sharks

We are the champions, the mighty Tiger champions!

2011-05-09T12:48:00.007-05:00

WOWZERS! What an awesome Little League Baseball experience we've had this spring! Honestly it's been quite a lot with Mark managing a team and all the extra duties that are required but it has been well worth it. Our amazing Detroit Tigers won the league and are headed to the city tournament in a few weeks. Let's just say that Ryan and Mark are EXTREMELY excited!

Coach Wood, Coach Weaver and Coach Farmer have done an exceptional job with these 6 and 7 year olds and Ryan has turned into quite the baseball player this year. I'm sure he could tell you his exact batting average, if you ask him---it's really good! :). He loves every minute of the games and they are constantly playing ball in the back yard, and I love watching them bond through sports. It'll so sweet it makes me tear up if I'm not careful.

My sweet sisters were able to come to a couple games and took all these pictures since I am now without a camera. My sweet angel Ally dropped it at her last field trip and that's all she wrote! Thanks girls for documenting our time at Broughton Fields. Between this and Ally's tball we have clocked a lot of baseball hours lately! I love seeing these wonderful pictures taken with a good camera. It's time for this momma to upgrade (maybe anniversary...hint hint MCW).

Ryan plays first base and has grown at least a foot since last year, I mean he's gotten really tall y'all. Here are some pics from two different games this season:

#10 in full effect

Our awesome pitcher(he's so cute out there!)

Getting ready...

BLAM

Just another home run for my little stud!(This is as close to a smile as you get during a game)

RW's fans

My sweet Jenn...and YES we were sitting in Ally and Lila's tiny princess chairs, whatever works:)!

GP and Coyt...I think? Sorry Caryn if I got that wrong. Either way one of the cutest twins on Earth!

Ally and her cousins

Sisters and Brothers

So Sorry Caryn, Honey and Grandma for not documenting your faithful presence at these games. I was just thinking this weekend of all the hours Norma Wood has spent at the ball fields watching Mark play through college and now Ryan. WOW!!! Thank you so much for never missing a game and always bringing the snacks :)

Ryan and Jake

Mark and Ryan

Boys I have loved every second of watching you two on the field!! Way to go TIGERS!

Just Dance it!

2011-04-19T08:22:00.001-05:00

I found these pictures the other day of my sweet Ballerina girl and just had to share them!! Ally LOVES dance and looks forward to it every week. She's got some really good moves too :)!

I love you Ally girl!

Zumba Team Success!

2011-04-18T15:00:00.000-05:00

Today is my one year anniversary of instructing ZUMBA in Waco!! WOW...What a year it's been. I remember being SOOOO nervous for my first class and practicing the lineup until I knew it in my sleep. I still crack up that I am doing this and that I am perfectly fine wearing these crazy zumba outfits around town. Things are definitely different than they were a year ago. I have to make sure my family comes first. I have to make sure that my kids are taken care of while I'm teaching. I also need to fuel my body differently on days I teach a kids and adult class back to back. I have to not be concerned about what others are doing in this Zumba sub-culture and try to not get upset when we hear discouraging news. (Some days I'm WAY better at this than others!)

There is also a lot that goes along with being a fitness instructor. I had to get several different certifications (my AFAA group certification, Zumba kids, and Zumba Basic 2). I never know where I'm going to be when someone comes up to me and says, "You're my Zumba instructor!" I feel like I am constantly on display. I have been in the grocery store and had my cart scrutinized. I've been at dinner and had more than one conversation about what I'm eating. It's hilarious that people get embarrassed if they've missed class for a while or they make up excuses to me about where they've been. Please know that I'm happy to see you and I never ever get upset when you're not in class :-)!!! I have said no more lately than I ever thought I would. The opportunities are great but MANY and we can't possibly do all that comes our way. I struggle with this but it's getting easier. Erica and I are great friends and we are around each other A LOT! We joke that we should just have a joint checking account because we are together almost every day in some capacity. Our friendship will always come first and we've had to learn how to navigate that friendship through ministry, and also through our zumba partnership. We have THE BEST ladies who come to class and they are committed to us and have a giant impact on our lives each and every week. That is why we do what we do. We feel called to reach women through fitness and encourage them through God's word. It's not something we take lightly or for granted.

The MAC Power Zumba Team is still going strong. We are up to 8 classes a week and get calls and emails weekly about doing more in the community. It has been a lot of fun, sweat, and tears as well as a financial blessing for our family and every single day of instructing is different. Every week there is a lot of behind the scenes stuff that takes place and that is what had been extremely time consuming lately. I would guess we spend at least 12-15 hours a week working on play lists, learning new songs, making up new choreography, dealing with childcare, flyers, birthday party needs, emails, facebook, etc. That doesn't include the devotions we do every week or the time we actually spend instructing!!! It's a lot, and I can get very consumed with all of it if I'm not careful. I have really been trying to be a better steward of my time lately with it and we'll see how that goes, and what changes will take place in the future. It's all a learning curve for me. I still LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Zumba but, I have reached a point of busyness that I do not love. Between Zumba, kids Zumba, Church, playgroup, Ryan's Little League, Ally's T-ball, Dance class, Praise Team and FWCS Hospitality Committee my days are full. (I know most of you can relate to all this Spring time fun!) I know summer will be here soon enough and For now, we will hang on and hope for healthy kids, and rest when we can! ;)

Moving on the the wonderful Zumba Raffle. Erica and I are attending the Zumba Instructor Convention this summer in Orlando and we needed a fundraising week to help with the costs of this trip (it's about $1500 each!). We had a group garage sell, a Disco night, sold Zumba bracelets and then had a raffle for an iPAD 2!! It was a huge effort that involved a lot of work but we were so blessed by our MAC Zumba ladies that we exceeded our goal!!!

We were just a little excited. (Pic before class)

during

Who's it going to be???

And the winner is...

LORI DAY!! Congratulations sweet Lori, I can't wait to see you use this cool new toy.

We had some really cute little zumba girls after class that just had to try out the stage!

Such a fun night!! I am always blown away that the Lord uses ZUMBA in such a capacity. Thank you Lord for being bigger than I could possibly imagine! I am blessed.

Puerta Vallarta, Mexico

2011-03-28T18:09:00.001-05:00

Ahhhh Puerto Vallarta. It was heavenly! Mark and I loved that it was a short 4 day trip and that they had a direct 2 hour flight from DFW to Mexico. This was by far the easiest traveling we've ever done in 11 years with NFIB. We had a fantastic time. It was a beautiful resort, gorgeous weather and we did nothing except lounge around by the pool and hang out on the beach---my perfect vacation!

Here's a few pics of our tip

We represented Tejas in a wonderfully big way! I'd go back there in a flash. There was not one single scary incident (except the tsumani warning)...but other than that brief scare it was perfect. It is always so nice to get away, and we owe Honey and GP a BIG THANK YOU for watching the kids for us. Love you guys!

Spring Break

2011-03-28T17:10:00.002-05:00

We took the kids to Austin for a quick trip over Spring Break. I really wanted to spend some good quality family time before Mark and I headed to Mexico. We had a really wonderful day just shopping, eating and hanging out.

Little Miss on the way!

Momma and Ally

Mark and Ryan

Headed to the Disney Store for some sweet gifts.

This may be the last time she fits in the little red mall car!

Happy Little Camper :)

I'm 35 y'all!

2011-03-07T11:50:00.006-06:00

As each birthday flies by I try to take time to stop and reflect on the Lord, my life, changes I need to make, blessing I have been given, etc. I don't know why this happens on my bday each year instead of January 1st, but that's the way I roll :). As I gear up for this 35th year there are some definite things I love and some things I need to let go of but that's what is SO great about taking to time to stop and reflect.

I love my sweet life and I am blessed beyond measure. I have developed some of the best friendships of my life the past few years and they get me through it ALL!! And I mean it A-L-L. Life has been a little tricky this year with the plaguing illnesses, grief, and anxiety and I would be lost without the prayers of my friends and family!

I love being a stay at home mommy (who teaches a lot of ZUMBA) to my SEVEN and FOUR year olds. I love that we are out of the baby stage around here and moving on. I also love that I get to kiss my sweet nephews and niece to get my baby fix without having to actually birth another child--(huge praise for all of us)!!

I am in awe of the lessons of faith I've learned this year. As I sit down to write our weekly Zumba devotions I am amazed at all the Lord has taught me through his word. I have a long way to go but I am open and willing to hear Him and change.

I love FWCS. I cannot imagine not having this school in our lives. Ryan LOVES school and has learned SO much this year. He is a very smart child and we are seeing such amazing things from him. I know that he thrives in a smaller classroom and he is given a lot of freedom to discover new ideas and concepts in a Christian environment, and I couldn't be happier!

I am not fearful of flying anymore. I say this now because it may change later this week as we head to Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. But I really think I am over the fear part. I still don't like it, and would rather not do it, but I don't start sweating like I did three years ago at the mere mention of flying---so in my book, major change people!

I hate refereeing the fights between my children. It's a lot and it's exhausting and I need some prayer to make it this summer. Whew...do they still make Calgon?

We are now into year round sports. Ryan played football, then basketball and now we are starting baseball. I love it and look forward to each and every game but the scheduling of that and zumba has been a challenge. (not to mention homework and dinner...but that's another thing entirely). Ally is doing TOT basketball, ballet, tap and kids zumba so she's got a lot going on as well.

I am extremely thankful that my husband has a flexible work schedule. He is usually available to help with the kids at night so that I can be gone until 7:00. In fact, I couldn't do any of this parenting stuff without him so I am very grateful for the last 13 years of NFIB. I cannot believe he's been there this long. Praises and more praises!!

I had a pretty interesting 34th year and I am ready to see what 35 will hold. 35....gosh that sounds old doesn't it!!??

My wonderful birthday weekend started at Supper Club Friday night and lasted until my Sunday afternoon pedicure with mom and my sisters. I like to really drag out a celebration. Kacey made my favorite Red Velvet cupcakes and they were delicious!

So fun that Caryn was here too!! Caryn and I have birthdays 2 days apart so we always try and get together to celebrate in a big Waco way.

My sweet supper club friends (minus Heather---we missed ya girl!). I love these women to pieces!

Our husbands were all there too but somehow we always end up with the girls in one room and the boys in another. I love you guys, thanks for making me feel so special!!

Happy Valentines' Day!

2011-03-07T11:00:00.001-06:00

Awww the day for love. I was thinking this morning about how different this year looks compared to celebrating Valentine's Day during our newlywed years. Back then it was all about the perfect outfit, the gift for each other and usually an expensive dinner. Now I would never dream of fighting the crowds on Valentine's Day, we don't do big gifts and we get to see the excitement on our kiddos faces when they give us the gifts they created. I wouldn't trade our time together before kids, but I absolutely LOVE the way we celebrate as a family.
This year for Valentine's Day we kept it low key. I was in charge of Ryan's school party, I got a much needed pedicure and we enjoyed Carino's takeout for dinner. All in all it was a wonderful day!!

Here's Ryan and his fantastic teacher Mrs. Herbert.

And a TREASURED place mat made by RW.

I love you because you take care of me, you care for me, you teach me things, you let me buy things, you are there for me, you are kind to me and because I just do! Love Ryan Mark Wood

My heart melts. We were also given this "coupon" book with coupons for drawing a picture, painting a picture, 5 minutes of silence, 7 minutes of alone time :), a massage, and a walk around the block. I LOVE this!!

Ryan's favorite toy right now is still Legos and he built this in 23 minutes...I timed him. I think he is going to be some sort of engineer or something because he is CRAZY fast at these things.

And Miss priss wanted me to take her picture with her new Valentine shoes. She's gotten so opinionated lately but I love all of her creative ideas.

Now mommy, take a close up picture---yes ma'am!

And that sums up our Valentine's 2011. I hope you had a great one as well!

Daddy Daughter Date Night

2011-02-18T13:29:00.000-06:00

I am so thankful that these two are mine!!

GO Bears!

2011-02-11T12:37:00.003-06:00

We finished a wonderful season of First Grade basketball last night. The difference between Kindergarten and First Grade Ball was HUGE! The boys are much more aggressive, athletic and know the game better. This was definitely the case with our Ryan. He was AMAZING to watch this year and he made at least 10 points every game!!! He had quite the cheering section too, which he just loved :-).

Mark coached this year and did a GREAT job. He is very patient with all the players and everyone got equal playing time, and had a blast every game.

Our boy has some serious skills!

The Bears were undefeated this year (even though we don't keep score---which is ridiculous at age 7!! Believe me ALL the boys knew the score!!)

Way to go BEARS!

I never realize how tall Ryan is until he's around kids his own age. He's got GP's height fo' sure!

Love this picture of my boys!! Way to go guys, you make me very proud!

SNOOOOOW Day!

2011-02-08T11:38:00.003-06:00

We had such a wonderful surprise last week in Waco...SNOW! I love how beautiful everything looks with a layer of snow. It is so quiet and peaceful. I also love that we only get a couple of snow days a year here in Texas. (I could never live up north...bbuuuurrrrr). Ryan and Mark played outside all morning, while Ally and I watched from inside our nice warm house. Ally did go out for about 5 minutes and loved making footprints in the snow. If you click on this picture you can see her rain boot mid air, and that was all she wrote. After that she was inside with her momma :).

Ahhhh nice and toasty!

Yummy snow ice cream. (Look quick at who's smiling!!)

Such a wonderul calm family day at home, just what we needed!

Ally's TOT preformance at BU

2011-02-07T14:45:00.003-06:00

Our little girl is doing great and we really appreciate all your prayers and overall sweetness the past few months! It's amazing to see Christ's hands and feet at work.

This past Saturday Ally got to show off her basketball skills! She did a wonderful job at the BU Men's Basketball halftime show! (If you look closely in this terrible picture you can see her waving)

We had some wonderful fans cherring on the Bears and our little 'baller

Way to go ALLY! You were Amazing!!!

I wish I could upload my video here because from last year to this year she has improved SO much! She loves TOTs and I'm very thankful for her teacher who works patiently every week with 3, 4, and 5, year olds. The hospital couldn't keep this girl down!

Go TOTs!

I'm not complaining...well maybe a little

2011-01-26T20:44:00.001-06:00

I wrote this post last night inbetween Ally throwing up and almost deleted it but decided that I am still claiming HIS TRUTH and posting it.

Tuesday night at midnight:
I am up late once again and felt the urge to write to get all of this out of my heart and mind. So...here goes:).
The last couple months have been extremely difficult. We've been hit hard with so much stuff that I have just been trying to 'survive the day'. Well ya know what, I'm tired of surviving the day I am ready to LIVE again!! My faith is solid, my marriage is good, I am surrounded by fantastic friends, I love instructing zumba and of course my kids are the highlight of each day but I am sick and tired of being sick and tired! On Oct. 22, I got diagnoised with mono and since then I've had strep, migraines, horrible sinuses, MAJOR fatigue, wierd yellow eyes, plantar fachitus, and a sprained ankle. I've never been sick like this in my life and have done more bloodwork and tests than you can imagine. Everything keeps coming back "normal" which is great except I feel lousy every day. Blah blah blah..,:). I also feel terrible that my husband is having to deal with all my wierd health stuff when he needs me to be strong for him right now. Throughout this season of life God is still moving, still listening still covering us with only the strength, love and grace and revealing himself to us all the time. The last few weeks we have been discussing conditions of the heart in our zumba devotion. I have struggled with each and every one: control, self-pity, jealousy, anger, pride. I know the Lord is patiently waiting for me to get these lessons but I am having a hard time not falling into a frusturated mind set, and that's not a good place for me to be. As I'm studying to prepare my lessons I hear God asking me if I believe what the Bible says. Do I really believe that That I can cast my cares and anxiety on Him, that HE makes all things new, and HE will fight for me I just need to be still. So tonight at 12:52 I am claiming your word Lord, and I am done, done, done with all this!!
Take that Satan.

We are in hillcrest hospital tonight with our beloved Ally as she heals from the most terrible stmach situation of her life. She seems to be feeling a little better and is enjoying her new coloring book from Aunt Kacey. Please keep us in your prayers tonight and pray protection over the rest if our family. Still claiming truth!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ally's First Slumber Party

2011-01-17T22:00:00.001-06:00

We had the J-O-Y of watching Lila a while back and it was quite an exciting night for these two. We had really been talking up having a slumber party with Lila LEW and sweet Ally was beyond thrilled that she was going to sleep in her room!! Their excitement was hilarious. First we did a little playing with Pretty Ponies.

Then some hugging and they HAD to wear matching shoes of course

Then baths and giggling, and more laughing

Then some sweet prayers from Daddy (aka Uncle Marky)

This picture makes me tear up because Mark and I love our precious nieces and nephews like they're our very own! I wish I could tell ya they slept peacefully all night long but not so much:). We did figure out that they were both very used to sleeping in beds alone so once we put one on the floor it was lights out! Super fun Slumber Party if you ask me.

Lila we can't wait to have you back soon!

Merry Christmas

2011-01-03T14:39:00.000-06:00

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2:11

Christmas 2010

2011-01-03T14:02:00.005-06:00

This Christmas was the very first time that we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with just our family of four. We did see Honey and GP for a bit and that was wonderful but for the most part we were here. It was odd and quiet, and sad and we missed everyone, but we needed a quiet place to worship Him this year.

Mark found this sweet little mirrored box for Ally and it has already become a treasure to her. It's so sweet how she tells all her friends that her Daddy gave it to her. SO SWEET!

Thank you Daddy

At home after the Christmas Eve Service trying to get ready for bed.

And then...SANTA!

Ally got her skates and has been a skating fool!

Christmas Day

Ready for Lunch!

and a mean game of Disney monopoly. I forgot just how long those games take.

I hope you and your family had a Merry Christmas as well.

Santa pic and Cousin Christmas

2011-01-03T13:31:00.003-06:00

Oh how I love the annual trip to see Santa...we've come a long way baby! This year we were able to get 6 of the 8 grand kids to see Santa. After waiting a hour in line this is what we got. HA!

It's not bad just not good ya know? :).

Earlier in the week Ryan got to ring the bell with GP for the Salvation Army. He was a big hit, almost everyone that came into Walgreens on this very chilly day gave Ryan and GP some money. I love that my dad is instilling the heart of servanthood in my children---SUCH a blessing!!

After Santa we headed to GP and Honey's for some presents. These three were very excited!

And the ripping, screaming and new toy euphoria began...and it was over in a flash.

Lila was just 'pretending' to sleep on her new princess sleeping bag and Ally immediately had to put on her new gold sparkle dress--ooh La La! Also, all the boys got boxing gloves---real boxing gloves. Let me tell ya this was a gift to both Ryan and Mark. They have been duking it out A LOT!

Thank you mom and dad for making this year special through the craziness!

Love this new family of 4!

And of course my sweet kiddos.

We missed our Daddy while he was working hard in Dallas. He somehow managed to earn enough sales in the last two weeks to make his 11th President's Club trip. Honestly I am SOOO proud of you Mark Christopher Wood, and I have no idea how you continually earn this prestigious award year after year. You're amazing and I LOVE how you constantly provide for us even in the midst of heartache. XOXOX

Christmas Chapel

2011-01-02T19:08:00.006-06:00

Ally had her big preschool debut singing in Christmas Chapel this year. WOW this was a different experience than when Ryan sang he when was in Mrs. Thompson's Class! Ally was not nervous at all, sang every single word and looked precious the whole time. I have some great video but couldn't get it to upload---boo! Here are some pics after the event!

We were given glow sticks instead of candles for silent night, and the girls were trying to make them glow during Pastor Toby's sermon. Honestly it was hilarious seeing them both under the chairs on the floor. I have also come a long way too the second time around. Instead of insisting that they sit in their chairs perfectly still and silent, I just let them crawl all over the nasty floor---and you know what, we were ALL happier :).

Ally girl we are so proud of you singing your heart out, way to go!

Ally's first trip to the American Girl Store

2010-12-31T12:00:00.001-06:00

Ally and I have been looking through the American Girl catalog for months in anticipation of her 4th birthday. We have been talking about this trip for a long time and she has been wanting a doll since she played with her sweet friend Ainsley's this summer. Mark and I really try to honor any promises we make to our kids so even thought things had been ridiculous around here we knew we needed to go to Dallas and make our Ally's dream come true! We decided to go to Dallas, let the kids meet their new nephews, stay in a hotel for a few days and then take Ally to the Galleria and let her choose a doll. It was a great plan, and you know how I LOVE a good plan :).

December 18th (Ally's real birthday) we enjoyedShipley's for breakfast. YUM!

Then onto the birthday girl's gifts. We told her she was going to Dallas to the American Girl store and she was VERY excited! Back to Dallas we go.

Ally holding Crew

Ryan meeting Coyt. They were both very sweet holding their new cousins and asking a lot of questions (and I mean a LOT...Where do babies come from? How do they get out of mommies' tummies? Why don't the have any teeth? How do they drink milk?...whoa!!! I think it must have been a while since they were around a teeny tiny baby!)

The next day we took Ally to the Galleria and she was in her element.

After trying to steer her to buy a historical doll, Mark reminded me to let her choose and this is who she picked...meet Lila Anderson Wood :)

She really does look a lot like Ally. After getting Lila's ears pierced, we went and ate at the Bistro.

So FUN!

It was a fantastic day and Ally has taken Lila everywhere!

Our first of many trips to the America Girl Store was wonderful and it lived up to all of our expectations. I can't wait to go back.

Meet My precious nephews!

2010-12-30T14:05:00.003-06:00

On Thursday, December 14th we had a WONDERFUL day. We were finally going to meet Coyt and Crew! Caryn was induced in Dallas and I was a complete nervous wreck. I kept praying but just filled with anxiety over all the details. But Caryn---you know the one actually HAVING the twins---was cool as a cucumber. Mark says she is a model pregnant lady, never complained and just glowed each and every time (a far cry from his wife!) I know that the Lord knew that she would be the perfect sister to have twins. She is so patient, and laid back and a wonderful mommy to her boys!!

Here she is opening a little gift from sweet Lauren.

She was progressing slowly at first the all the sudden she went from a 4 to a 10 in 45 minutes!!! The nurse called her doctor and rushed her to the OR just in case they needed to do surgery and we all waited very impatiently in the waiting room. After a hour or so we saw proud poppa Stacey coming out in his scrubs and he gave us the incredible news that everyone was doing great! Crew Anderson Smith weighing in at 5 pounds 14 ounces was born at 3:54 PM and his brother Coyt Austin Smith, 6 pounds 5 ounces, was born at 4:05 PM. They are the most precious tiny miracles you have ever ever seen!! Here we are lovin' on Crew.

And then finally we were able to see them together for the first time---we all went a little insane and took 100s of pictures. :) I mean look at Caryn she is for sure a rock star!

Coming home

And these are my favorite pictures. Stacey and Wyatt had strep so they were not able to meet their brothers at the hospital. Their first meeting was priceless!!

Sweet family of 6---S-I-X

Indeed a day for dancing.

Tea Anyone?

2010-12-18T00:15:00.000-06:00

Today my baby girl is FOUR! She is full of four-year-old questions and is quite expressive and emotional and wonderful all at the same time. I adore that she is a girlie-girl so when she said she wanted a tea party birthday I was all over it!

Getting 'dressed' for the party with Lila

I think that Ally probably drank 15 tiny cups of pink lemonade out of this princess tea pot. She had a blast serving herself "tea".

I am so thankful that we decided to have the party at the MIX instead of my house this year. With all we've had going on it was a wonderful decision. The decorations, and favors.

Lila checking her outfit

We had a special visitor come read us a Fancy Nancy book---Honey! Thank you mom. (Note big brother playing on Mark's phone, pretending like he's not listenening, but I know better!)

Ally and I had a blast at her party

Party guests, including baby Caroline!!!!

Practicing her pinkie up pose

Can I really use this to drink out of? YES!

Ally has some very generous friends. Thank you all!

A real Barbie Dress too!

I missed taking pictures of Ally blowing out her candles, but these were the delicious cookies! Oh I want one of those right now.

Ally I loved having a real grown up tea party with you and I love your sweet enthusiasm for life. I get teary just thinking of how blessed I am to have a daughter.

Happy Birthday Ally Girl, I LOVE YOU!!! Have a fantastic fourth year.

There is a time for everything

2010-12-11T02:00:00.000-06:00

A time to mourn

Wow where to start? What a difference a week makes. One week ago today we were celebrating Grandpa's 67th birthday. One week ago we were picking out special sugar-free chocolates for Grandpa and getting ready to meet Mark's parents at Red Lobster. We always love celebrating birthdays together and we had a wonderful dinner. We laughed, and we smiled and we tried to scare Grandpa by telling him that we were going to have the entire wait staff sing to him (he really hated that). Ryan was sharing his shrimp scampi and we were enjoying our time together as a family. One week ago today we didn't realize that would be our last meal with Mark's dad here on Earth.

Sunday morning while we were in Sunday School Norma found her beloved husband in his recliner not breathing. She immediately called 911 and they were there in minutes. Mark and I received a phone call from Norma and we raced to her home to see what was going on. We were greeted by two Hewitt police officers and given no information other than Grandpa was taken to Hillcrest Hospital. We drove to the hospital not knowing what awaited us but aware things were not good.

We were greeted at the emergency door by a young, scattered hospital Chaplin and taken into a family waiting room. The next few minutes seemed to last hours. A Doctor came in and the first words out of his mouth were,"I'm sorry to tell you Jim died." Shock set in and I can't really remember anything else. I know that Norma and Mark asked several questions and were given no helpful information. We were then ushered into the ER and asked to wait with his body while the Chaplin did who knows what. We received Norma's phone call at 10:10 and by 10:40 everything was different.

In desperation I cling to what I know to be true. God knew the very second of Jim's birth and He also knew the moment he would take his last breath. Nothing Jim did could change either one of those two things. I am reminded of Ecc. chapter 3 when Solomon wrote, there is a season for everything under heaven, a time to be born and a time to die. A time to mourn and a time to dance. I know that nothing is untimely to our Creator and that He is the author and sustainer of life. None of us are exempt from difficult times but mourning is just awful.

This week has been the hardest week of my married life. From the very moment we got that news the world changed for us. To watch my husband start to grieve has been unbearable. To tell my children that Grandpa died was awful and we are all exhausted, shocked, emotional, angry, confused and sad. Our lives are forever changed and I want to write a few of the wonderful things I loved about my father-in-law and also remember some of the words spoken at his grave site service by Mark's best friend David Rogers.
Jim:

accepted Christ at a young age so we'll meet in heaven
was married to his precious wife Norma for 46 years
was in the marines for 7 years and a postman for 37 years
loved his sons and his grandchildren
survived by his wife, sons, brother, sister and many nieces, nephews and grandchildren
loved baseball, especially watching Mark and Ryan play
enjoyed a good meal, especially his wife's cooking!
never missed a day of work in 37 years at the post office. His work ethic was amazing.
was always prompt---never ever late to anything and he didn't appreciate tardiness at all
hated having his picture taken or dressing us for any reason.
was secretly compassionate. He was constantly helping others but never wanted people to know what he was doing.
was extremely proud of both Mike and Mark
loved playing golf and spending time at the ranch
had a perfect record of attendance at Ryan's soccer, basketball, football and baseball games. He was very proud of the fact that he was at every single game!
he had a soft spot for his only gran-daughter Ally. She could always get anything she wanted out of him :).
loved a colorful joke
was very competitive. He enjoyed cards, dominos, games, you name it
he raised a wonderful son who is the most amazing man I know. These are just a few of the many thoughts that keep me up at night. I wish I could have told him goodbye and let him know that we were going to be OK. And I would promise to take care of his wife---but that was not the case. I am continually reminded that life is fragile and it's necessary to make sure that we know Christ as our Savior.
Grandpa we love you and we miss you

A time to dance

Jim passed away on Sunday and on Monday at 4:30 I got the privilege of welcoming sweet Caroline Caprice Warren into our family. Kacey, Josh and Lila are all doing GREAT, and she is the cutest baby ever. In the midst of mourning we were given a time to dance! To say that we were on a emotional roller coaster doesn't even come close to describing our week. I am so thankful that the Lord knew we needed to love on a teeny tiny precious baby this week. I'm in love!

Ryan and Aunt Kacey moments before Caroline's arrival!

She's here!! 7.10lbs and 20 inches and simply perfect!

oldest cousin

Ally and Caroline

Fancy Caroline at Ally's 4th birthday party yesterday!

Thank you Lord for a time to dance during our mourning!

Welcome to the world sweet Caroline.

{Thank you for praying for our family. Don't stop! We are carried by your prayers right now. Also add my sister Caryn to your list she's expecting the twins on Dec. 16th---more dancing to come!}

A Very Thankful Thanksgiving

2010-12-01T19:30:00.002-06:00

WOW! Do we have a LOT to be thankful for this year. Praise the Lord! When we were sitting around the Thanksgiving table with my family. I had several thoughts. I know, it's rare, but sometimes I actually get a thought or two :-):

I love having meals in the home I grew up in. There are 13 of us now at one big table and it's frantic and loud and crowded but I wouldn't have it any other way
This year the kids were so peaceful, and they were together for four days.
This time next year we will have THREE 11 month olds joining our mix...that alone deserves PRAISE!
My marriage is stronger than ever. The power of commitment, prayer, and the Lord's faithfulness have been very evident in our lives the last 12 months.
When we went around the table and said what we were thankful for, Ryan chose electricity and his family, and I was thinking that I definitely take some things for granted.
I know several friends that have suffered terrible loss this year and I was thankful we were able to all be together.
And so so much more but like my GP said it would impossible to list them all because we're so blessed

We enjoyed Honey in her element letting the kids make a 'turkey'

We watched a movie-3D style

We enjoyed sweetness #1

and #2

Side note story: When I asked Caryn what her boys would like for Christmas she said that they would really like a snuggie. After laughing for 5 minutes straight since I make SOOOOO much fun of those 'robes', I saw they had kid snuggies at HEB and immediately had to get 5 for Thanksgiving. I guess Caryn knows a thing or two because ALL the kids were THRILLED, and Ryan and Ally have been using them non-stop. (I still make fun of them just not to their faces of course)

We loved visiting Snuggieville

We went bowling and had a blast

And managed to get in some great snuggle time with Wy-Wy.

Thank you Lord for a wonderful year, we are SO blessed!

Psalm 100

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made is, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."

The Black Diamonds visit BU!

2010-11-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

One of the things I love about Waco is that it's a college town so Ryan gets to do some very cool stuff at Baylor University. For his last game of flag football, he got to play at Baylor Stadium--how cool is that?! He was VERY excited!! Look closely in this picture and you can see Ryan (#7) playing quarterback and doing a mean hand off. Way to go #7!!

A proud papa

And a typical non-smiling Ryan. Geez, brother help me out once in a while!

This girl always gives me a great little smile! She was really happy to go down on the field after the game.

Great season Black Diamonds!

Two little Tinkerbells

2010-11-16T10:17:00.001-06:00

I think I'll let these pictures speak for themselves

;-)

Halloween Week of FUN

2010-11-09T13:00:00.000-06:00

Oh Halloween, why are you so crazy? Don't you know this time of year is insane? My kids adore you but honestly this momma is always a little relieved when you're over. I blame MONO. Mono has took a lot of blame the last three weeks, and rightfully so if you ask me (or my poor husband!) Now...I do adore seeing kids dressed up in costumes, especially my two, and of course I could eat my weight in bite size Twix but overall I was happy to see you go.

We started off the week-long festivities by attending a pumpkin-polloza party, which my family loved! Thanks so much Bakers for throwing such a great party. Of course the mono prevented me from leaving my bedroom...but I hear it was a fun night. Mark got to watch game 5 of the World Series with his friends, Ryan had an awesome time playing football and ripping up his costume, and Ally ate her favorite dinner...a cupcake followed by cookies and a donut. Basically a home run for everyone! Here are Jango Fett and Sleeping Beauty on their way to the party. This picture pretty much sums up my children and their polar personalities. HA!

Later that week Kacey was gracious enough to take Ally to dance for me. Guess who also got to go?--- 'my cousin Lila'! Ally said she wished Lila could be in class with her every week. aahhhh so stinkin' sweet!

A wonderful break during the craziness was the evening we got to honor my sister Kacey and new niece-to-be Caroline!! I was supposed to host it at my house but obviously the mono had other plans (have I mentioned that I had mono...just wanted to make sure you all knew). I honestly cannot thank Mrs. Katherine Svoboda enough for offering her home last minute to host this shower. Katy girl, you blessed me and my sisters more than you know--you rock! We ended up having one of the cutest baby showers yet.

Isn't Kacey stunning preggers? She and Caryn both are just gorgeous.

Shower table and decorations. Caryn outdid herself on this precious theme. Everything was perfectly "knit together".

A pregnant sandwich

The next morning bright and early I was in charge of Ally's preschool fall party. I didn't get any pictures of the party (another costumed event) but here she is praying one day in her sweet little class. Her class just melts my heart. They are SO cute.

After the school party we got to enjoy the inflatables that were already set up for the FBCW Fall Fest. They had free reign on 10 different inflatables and it was awesome!

Check out Honey getting in on the action

That night my awesome family took this crew up to the Fall Fest. Ally had worn her sleeping beauty costume all day and decided to change last minute. The Smith pirates, Minnie Mouse, a Ladybug and Jango Fett headed up to church to play some serious games.

The next day Ryan had a flag football game, Erica and I hosted a super fun Zumba birthday party (pics on that later), then Sunday it was a 80's College Zumba party and finally...wait for it...it was time to Trick-or Treat!! Can't you feel the excitement?

Every year we go trick-or-treating in our neighborhood with the Weavers. Jenn and I have been friends since Jr. High and Jake and Ryan are great friends so it's always a very fun night. She and Steve just had their 4th baby, so this year was extra special. I think Madelyn had the best costume I've EVER seen. If you knew her feisty personality this bird fit her perfectly!

What a world wind of fun. Maybe you're not all that bad Halloween...I'm just glad you're only once a year!

Zumba One Year Party!

2010-11-02T13:00:00.001-05:00

What a crazy year it's been! Erica started teaching Zumba at the MAC last October so when her First Anniversary rolled around, we knew we had to celebrate in a BIG way. I was there for her very first class---not knowing that I would soon be instructing!! God's timing on my certification makes me chuckle. I originally signed up to sub for Erica just in case if they ever needed one. I didn't even tell her I'd done it and that very next day the girl she instructed with quit. I taught classes the next week and a month later I was certified to teach both adults and kids. We now have 4 adult classes a week, 2 kids classes a week and birthday parties on the side...whew!!!! All I can say is that it's probably a good thing I didn't know all the work and hours a week it would take or I might never have done it :-). I always laugh when people ask if I work outside the home, because this little 'part-time job' has become a HUGE part of my life! I have more wild zumba clothes than actual clothes, which is just plain sad! I am extremely thankful for this opportunity and I cherish the fact that I get to teach with one of my very best friends, and minister to women of all ages, shapes and sizes. Zumba is an absolute blast and no matter what kind of day I've had as soon as the music starts it all melts away. On to the party...

Even though I've just been teaching 7 months we both celebrated a year. We found out later we BOTH had mono in this picture, which explained a lot!

Tatoos too

Party people

we had 174 people show up that night which is AWESOME~

We also had several local instructors come which was SO FUN!

Thanks so much girls for coming and celebrating with us. We had a wonderful time celebrating all that the Lord has done this year through ZUMBA. It'll be hard to outdo this party next year!