The Weston Family

The kids sing Itsy Bitsy Spider

2009-05-01T19:42:00.004-06:00

You can see so much of each of their personalities in this video. Lucas is LOUD and carefree. Loni is more quiet and has to have things HER WAY. :-) They are so fun and precious.

Sorry the video is dark - enjoy anyway.

We are going to Disney!

2009-05-01T19:36:00.001-06:00

We have bit the bullet and are going to DISNEYLAND! We decided on California because it is closer and cheaper. Lucas is only 2 1/2 so the shorter cheaper option seemed best for this year. I foresee a trip to Orlando in the next 2 years, however. :-)

We will be there May 13-18! I can't tell you how INEXPENSIVE this trip is. We are staying in a 2 bedroom suite. So, in one bedroom there is a king bed and in the other are 2 double beds. Then there is a full kitchen and a living room with a pull out sofa. This hotel was 1/2 what it would have cost us to stay on property. We're thrilled!

Loni is doing the Bippity Boppity Boutique. Oh my gosh - she gets to go INSIDE the castle into their boutique. Gets her hair, makeup, and nails done. Then she picks out a princess gown (to keep), shoes, tiara, and septer. Then they take her picture. She is DYING and thinks that she is so special. Afterwards, we are having dinner with Ariel and the rest of the princesses....Even Lucas is excited about that.

The other fun fact is that our friends, the Briners, are going to meet us there!!!! So, a fun family vacation AND a chance to see some of our favorite Californian friends. :)

Expect pictures when we get back!

Yay!

Spring Break was GREAT!

2009-04-16T17:19:00.013-06:00

We had so much fun in Mississippi for spring break! It is always so nice to go home and see family, friends, and eat the great food! :-)

While we were there, I had dinner with 12 of my girlfriends from college. It was so fun! Some of those girls I haven't seen since we graduated!! NONE of them have changed a bit. My only regret is that we didn't have more time together (or a round table). :-)

Left all the way around: Temple, Springer (Jennifer), Wendy Gayle, Tara, Natalie, Me, Lauren, Charity, Amy, Heather, Catherine, and Neely!

We also went fishing with Mimi and Papaw while we were down there. They live on several acres and are surrounded by lakes! We picked the closest one and pulled out our poles! Papaw caught 2 small fish and the 3rd (the big one) got away. The kids had a great time. Loni is so good at casting and Lucas thought he was a big boy and wanted to do it all by himself.

Loni and Lucas LOVED playing with their cousin, Walker. He's almost one and we cant' believe how fast he is growing! I love these pictures of him and Lucas giving each other "sugar." So sweet!

The day before we were to go home, Loni found a "worm." She asked to put it in a jar. We said, ok but for only one night. The next day she would need to let it go so it would live. Well, the next morning, we woke up and couldn't find "Wormie" in the jar! We looked and looked and FINALLY found him....

He had formed a chrysalis!!! So, our wormie was no ordinary worm! He was a caterpillar!!! We are still waiting for the day when he becomes a butterfly! Mimi and Papaw are sending us pictures every day. Loni is so excited.

That about sums up our visit! It was a great time and we can't wait to go back this summer!

Headed to Mississippi!

2009-03-24T12:14:00.001-06:00

I am packing and doing laundry today. (fun fun) We are headed to Mississippi tomorrow afternoon and we cannot wait! It is our spring break and Mimi's birthday! We hope to see many of our friends and family. Expect pictures and posts while we are there.

Monette White

2009-03-18T16:23:00.000-06:00

Thanks to all of you for your prayers for my Aunt and our family. Aunt 'Nette went to be with the Lord on Tuesday night. She was surrounded by her family. We are thankful to know that she is in heaven today and is no longer suffering.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T18:11:00.004-06:00

The leprechaun came to our house again this year! He didn't make a big mess like last time, but left a trail of gold coins and left a few small presents. Loni was excited to see the note he left too.

Lucas got a new ball and Loni got a chapter book and a book light.

It was a fun day!

Pray for my Aunt

2009-03-16T11:42:00.004-06:00

Please pray for my Aunt Monette (Aunt 'Nette) today. Last week, her heart stopped beating in her sleep. By the time she was revived, there was significant brain damage. She's been in a coma ever since then. Today they will do a brain scan and the family will have to make a decision about taking her off life support.

Our family is VERY close and this is so hard on everyone. She is my dad's sister and he's having a real hard time.

She is one of the SWEETEST people you will ever meet. She loves her family so much and I know she would hate for them to be in this position. Please pray for her husband, Bob; her son, Bobby and his wife Presley; and her grandchildren - Brad, Paige, and Madison.

I am praying for a miracle - that something will show on that scan to give us all promise that she can have a healthy and happy future. But, if that miracle is not there, I pray for mercy and that God takes her home quickly.

2009-03-15T23:42:00.000-06:00

Lucas has been sick this weekend. A fever and a slight cough. Last night, we were watching this new STUPID game show called Hole in the Wall. He LOVED it. Thought it was hillarious when the people got hit by the wall and fell in the water. As soon as the show was over, I looked at him and this is what I saw. My sweet baby. :-)

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November and December 2008

2009-03-14T10:09:00.008-06:00

Here is the post where I will start to update you on our family since November! :-)

Let's start with November - we went to Mississippi for Thanksgiving. We actually decided to drive our new minivan down and give the kids their first road trip. It really wasn't so bad! We stayed the night in Tulsa, OK both ways to break up the trip (it's 18 hours) for all of us. We had so much fun. While we were there, we celebrated my grandmother's 80th birthday!!! Here are some pictures from that great day:

I love this picture - it was ALL that we could do to get Lucas to sit still. We took a ton of pictures that day and he was just DONE. Loni actually took the picture so that Wade could be in it.

Here's the one that Wade took. Also this is Mamaw with her grandkids (minus Michael in Salt Lake)

It was a great day. She's a very special person and I am glad that we were able to be in Mississippi to celebrate her!

Then came December!!! We had Loni's 2nd Annual Christmas Tea Party and all of the festivities that go along with that. I allowed her to invite a few more friends this year and they had a blast.

Here's a slideshow of that fun morning:

Then there was Christmas.

Our Christmas Card for 2008:

It was such a fun Christmas this year! The kids got lots of fun things from Santa - Loni got her Nintendo DS that she's been begging for as well as a tent. Lucas got a train table (his favorite), a cool remote controlled dinosaur, and a tent. My parents came into town for the week between Christmas and New Years and we had a fun time while they were here. Here are a few pictures from our times over the Holidays.

Time for updates!

2009-03-14T09:15:00.002-06:00

I have no excuse. I have just been super swamped since school started. Lame, I know. But, it is true. Here's a quick update and then I promise to come back and post pictures and videos from the last 4 months...and I'll do that soon! :-)

Things have been great at our house. Wade's business is starting to pick up and although we feel blessed, we hate that we rarely see him. Sure, he works in the basement, but his trips upstairs are quick and rare. :-) I am so proud of him and all that I know he will accomplish. These short-term sacrifices will be worth it - I just know it.

Loni is in first grade and LOVING IT! She has a great teacher and we feel blessed to have Loni in her classroom. Loni's strength is reading (like mother, like daughter). She also LOVES music and PE. She just had her first grade music concert at school and they did so good! It was precious. Wade is supposed to put the video on the internet - I'll link to it as soon as he does. See the previous paragraph to estimate how long this might take him :-). Loni is also taking golf lessons and she is pretty good! Her swing is great - the pros where she takes lessons are always impressed. But I think what they love the most is how cute she dresses every time she goes. :-) She's also still in ballet and will have her big Gala the first weekend in June this year.

Lucas is HUGE! He is getting so big. He's growing more and more every day. He looks like he's 4 and acts likes he's 2 - which means I get funny looks at Target when he talks to me. :-) I quickly have to tell them his age so that they don't think he is....well....slow. :-) He's so bright! His biggest new trick is helping me pick up the house. Then he'll say "Thanks for helping me clean up!" :-) I love it. He is still WAY into Thomas the train and he also LOVES books. "Read to me momma!" is one of my favorite things he says. Oh, he also loves sharks which prompted us to get an annual membership to the Denver Aquarium - know we go just about every week. He is starting to show interest in the potty which is exciting! I hate the process of potty training but I know I will love the outcome.

As for me - you've probably guessed that most of my time is spent taxiing everyone around. I also still love my Southern Living at HOME business and work parties into my schedule as often as I can. I am also helping Wade with his payroll and other human resources related projects for his business. I'm still on the PTO board of our school and it has been a great year. I am thankful to see things start to slow down - but I've already signed up to run again next year. I'm not sure why I like to punish myself. :-) I tell everyone that I have 4 jobs - mom, SLAH, AttainResponse HR, and PTO board member. But, I've always liked to be busy, so I guess I should be very happy.

I'll do my best to post more updates soon (including pictures).

Loni's Photo Shoot

2008-11-03T17:26:00.002-07:00

Once again, our Aunt Chrissy took some wonderful pictures of the kids! We do a "photo shoot" around the kids' birthdays each year. We took Loni's 6 year pictures this past weekend and it was so nice with all of the fall colors! Here are a few of Aunt Chrissy's favorites.

Happy Halloween 2008!

2008-11-01T17:05:00.000-06:00

Halloween was so much fun this year. Lucas really got into it and was telling everyone HAPPY HALLOWEEN! He would go up to each door and say TRICK OR TREAT as loud as he could. Loni was a great big sister and helped him get lots of candy.

We trick or treated (is that a word?) with our friends the Faulkners and had a great evening. The weather was perfect. We usually have snow and freezing temperatures, but it was so nice this year that I wore a short sleeved t-shirt!

Loni went as Princess Giselle from the movie Enchanted and Lucas was a Dalmation puppy dog.

Lucas at the WOW Children's Museum

2008-10-27T17:17:00.000-06:00

It was a nice fall day and Lucas and I thought we'd go play at the park. However, on our way home from the grocery store, I remembered that the WOW museum was just around the corner. Since I didn't have anything perishable, we decided to play at the museum for an hour or so! It was a fun day. Lucas LOVES dinosaurs and trains. They had play centers for both of those so Lucas was in heaven.

He's asking Santa for a train table of his very own!

Pumpkin Patch 2008

2008-10-08T16:58:00.000-06:00

This year we once again went to Rock Creek Farms and picked pumpkins! We went with our friends the Faulkners this year and had a great afternoon. The kids each picked one large pumpkin and one "baby" pumpkin (Loni's name for them...). We bought pumpkin bread (Wade's favorite) and petted the animals!

Loni Turn SIX!

2008-09-27T16:45:00.007-06:00

It is so hard to believe that Loni is SIX YEARS OLD! Where has the time gone? We celebrated her day with a big Princess Makeover Party! She dressed as Princess Giselle (from Enchanted - her favorite movie)

She had 12 of her friends over and they all wore their princess gowns. We did their make-up and fingernails and then we had a Princess Talent Show! Each girl made her own jewelry box and went home with some bubble bath and body glitter as happies.

It was a great day!

Happy Birthday Loni!

Loni in front of the "Princess Castle" - notice the "pink carpet!" :-)

Loni and all of the princesses! Yes, you DO see Snow White (the Queen). I wore that costume for all of about 10 minutes - it was SO itchy. :-)

It was a great and fun day!

My Cheerleader

2008-09-27T12:00:00.002-06:00

Loni has enjoyed being a cheerleader again this year! I am her coach and we have a sweet squad of 12 girls. Here's a video of them cheering at half time of one of their games!

We also had a float in our Homecoming Parade and had SO much fun. Here's a few pictures!

My Morning With Sarah Palin, future Vice President

2008-09-15T12:59:00.001-06:00

This morning, I had the huge honor of attending a speech/rally in Golden, Colorado with Sarah Palin - our next Vice President. I went with 3 friends - Nicole Lenaers (who got us the tickets), Cheri Keeter, and my BFF Chrissy Doolen.

I was just excited to BE there. Then, once we arrived, we were plucked from our seats in the audience and asked to be on stage with her. We were, of course, elated! It was a dream come true.

We shook hands (as you can see in this video clip from CNN's Anderson Cooper) and we spoke to her and her husband. It was a joy.

Here's the clip of me shaking Sarah's Hand!!!!

Here are some pictures from our day. (Just click on the link)

http://www.new.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=889989&l=5ceee&id=535247606

I felt so proud to be an American and even prouder to be a Republican. It was a fun day.

We were all over the news! NBC, CNN, Fox, - all the major channels showed my brief moment of fame.

They both were gracious and kind. Todd spoke to us at length - I told him that we were praying for his family. I asked him how they were holding up and he said that they were "used to it" and were doing fine.

Sarah shook my shoulders and said that she had to go - no time for a photo opp with me - it was ok. I was just priveledged to be one of the VERY few to even get to shake her hand - TWICE in a crowd of over 5,000 supporters.

I'll never forget this day.

This is a picture of me with Todd Palin - we call him McHubby - because we think he's so cute. :-)

And here is Sarah. This is just before she got to me at the end of the Rally.

Lucas and Mommy's Day at the Zoo

2008-09-12T10:14:00.002-06:00

Lucas and I decided to take a day trip to the zoo yesterday. We invited our sweet friends Nicole and Gianna to go with us. Gianna and Lucas were born within just a few days of each other and they play very well together. Well, as well as 2 two year olds can play together. :-)

Here are the pictures from our FUN day!

Loni makes the paper!

2008-09-11T10:18:00.000-06:00

It was fun to get our local paper on Wednesday and see Loni's TINY picture on the front page and then a bigger picture and an article on the 3rd page about our Grand Opening Event!

My beautiful boy

2008-09-08T23:20:00.003-06:00

I wanted to show you a recent picture of my sweet Lucas. He is such a momma's boy. You probably already know (if you are a regular reader of my blog) that he calls me "ba bye." It is so endearing. He also calls me momma - but Ba Bye is what I get most often. He takes his little hand and cups my face and says Hey Ba Bye! Then he gives me either a hug or a kiss. I just adore his affections. It makes me melt.

He's so smart and so clever - I am amazed every day at the little boy that he is becoming.

I am blessed.

Black Rock Elementary Grand Opening

2008-09-05T20:57:00.000-06:00

Tonight was Black Rock Elementary's Grand Opening! This is the inaugural year of our new Elementary School and tonight we had all of the grand fare -the Superintendent, the Mayor, the Principal and other dignitaries. One other very special guest was our LONI! She led everyone in the pledge of allegiance at the beginning of the ceremony and we could not have been prouder. She did a great job and had so much fun. Here's the video!

It was a fun night for everyone and our family. Here is a slideshow of some of my favorite pictures from the evening.

One other thing our family did was to place a few things in a time capsule that will go in the wall of the new school behind the cornerstone. I think that it will be opened in 50 years or so. Here is what our family contributed!

The first page is a letter from our family with some family pictures. The letter basically says that we are very excited about the new school and have been hoping for it to open for many years.

Then we included the newspaper article from the first day of school that featured Loni's first grade class.

Lastly, we put in an art project from each of the kids.

It was fun and I hope that the kids are there on the day that it is reopened in the future. :-)

It was a great evening.

Loni's first Homework Assignment!

2008-08-29T09:00:00.001-06:00

She did this MOSTLY by herself. I only helped with the spelling of a few words and I drew her name so she could cut it out. She had fun with this "all about me" project.

Ballerina Face Painting

2008-08-28T00:26:00.001-06:00

After ballet on Tuesday, there was face painting, lemonade, and cookies celebrating the start of a new dance season. Here are Loni and her friends enjoying the festivities!

Daddy's Girl T-Shirts

2008-08-27T23:54:00.002-06:00

You may have seen me around wearing a "Daddy's Girl" t-shirt lately. My cousins, Derek and Jaret own a t-shirt company (among many other things) in Mississippi and this is one of their newest creations. They are SO cute. Loni and I both enjoy wearing them.

I am going to be selling them for them so if you want one, let me know! I can get you a good deal. :-) They make great gifts and you will make your Daddy proud. They'll have lots of new designs coming out soon. I gave them the suggestion to make one that says:

No matter how big my butt gets, my daddy still calls me little" :-)

LOVE IT.

Let me know if I can get you a Daddy's Girl T-shirt of your own!

School is going great!

2008-08-27T23:36:00.004-06:00

Loni is loving first grade. Other than being VERY tired, she is adjusting to full days very well. I am so pleased with her teacher and although we are in a BRAND new school - it's first year - things are going very well. We have a dedicated staff and faculty that is working SO hard to make sure our kiddos are learning and are enjoying their experience.

I feel like I have a home away from home up at Black Rock Elementary. I've been up there as much as I've been at home the last 2 weeks. I am the Volunteer Coordinator and on the PTO Board and that is proving to be WAY more work than I had planned. However, I am enjoying what I am doing and I also know that things will settle down a LOT after the next couple of weeks.

Things will start to settle down for us too. We've had cheer practice on Monday and Wednesday nights for the last several weeks and are about to go down to just Wednesdays.

Loni also takes dance on Tuesdays - so she has a full calendar for a little bit.

Lucas and I are enjoying our one-on-one time together too. He misses his "sissy" or "Woni" and he just LOVES on her when she gets home.

I thought that Loni being gone ALL day would just drag out and seem like forever - oh, and that I would also get a ton done. Now, don't get me wrong - I miss her terribly...but it also seems like when I look up it is already 1:00 and I've gotten very little accomplished.

I am looking forward to the weeks to come where our routine is more established and things settle down just enough to wear I can actually get dressed in the morning.

More soon...

My baby is growing up TOO fast

2008-08-26T00:09:00.004-06:00

Lucas is getting so big. Now that he and I have some one-on-one time during the day, we've been working on some things special to just him.

He LOVES learning. He would rather read a book than play with a truck....well, that's not really true. But it is close!

If you've read our blog before, you know that at 1, he knew all of his letters, shapes, numbers, and colors. Well, I am happy to report that my 25 month old son is now reading.

I was showing him a book today and he pointed to the word my and said "MY!" He then saw at and said "AT!" He knows a few other words as far as I can tell ... he knows we, that, the, on, go, and one other that I can seem to remember right now.

I am so proud. Thank you for letting me brag. Isn't that what a blog is all about?? Maybe I should call mine a BRAG instead of a BLOG. :-)

I cleaned the playroom!

2008-08-23T11:40:00.005-06:00

If you've been to our home, you know that we converted our third car garage into a playroom for the kids. It is GREAT - they can go in there and have a space that is all their own. The trouble is that for the last year, things have just gotten out of control in there.

Toys kept piling up and things were not being put back in their proper places.

I decided to keep myself busy while Loni is in school and I was missing her so terribly and CLEAN OUT that playroom. I got rid of toys that they didn't play with and I also completely reorganized everything and rearranged it.

If you saw it before, you'll really appreciate these after photos. :-) Ahhhh.....to be organized.

First Day of First Grade

2008-08-18T11:14:00.003-06:00

Well, I've only cried for about 10 minutes today, so I feel like I am doing fairly well. Loni was so excited that she could not sleep. We ALL woke up at 6:00 this morning. And if you know anything about me and the kids it is that we like to sleep until at least 8:30. :-)

We got up and had eggs and toast and then went to Loni's room to get her dressed. We had laid out her outfit the night before. We then pulled her hair back into pigtails (my favorite) and packed her backpack to head up to the school.

It was so much fun and so sad at the same time. It was truly a milestone today. I think she'll do great. I can't wait for 3:35 to get here so I can hear all about it from her!

Lucas gets his hair cut....again.

2008-08-17T15:00:00.000-06:00

Before the haircut (look at those eyes!) :-)

Wade decided it was time for him to get a hair cut, so we thought we would get Lucas' cut at the same time too. He did pretty well even though the pictures might suggest otherwise. :-) It is REALLY short (much to my dismay) and he looks like a little man.

Loni Skates!

2008-08-16T16:00:00.000-06:00

Today, Loni had a birthday party to go to for her friend Logan. It was a skate party and it was Loni's first time to really "skate" at a rink. Oh my - it brought back 6th grade memories for me! She did really well and had so much fun. I even put on a pair and tried it out. It was a fun day. Happy Birthday Logan!

Lucas gets his drumset!

2008-08-15T11:22:00.000-06:00

Wade and I wanted to get Lucas a drum set for his birthday - but all I could seem to find were $75 ones! I'm sorry, but that was just a little more than a 2 year old needs. :-) I'm eBaying a lot of the kid's clothes right now, so I decided to see what they had. I found this cute set for less than $15!!! He loves it and what I love about it is that it isn't TOO loud. :-)

Getting Ready for First Grade!

2008-08-14T21:00:00.005-06:00

Tonight we took Loni up to the school for "School Supply Drop Off Night." She was able to take her supplies into her classroom and see her desk. She loved it and had so much fun. She cannot wait for first grade to start. All she keeps saying is that she gets TWO RECESSES! :-)

Loni and her teacher, Ms Huntington and Loni sitting at her new desk!

7 Days and Counting...

2008-08-11T09:34:00.000-06:00

Loni will begin 1st grade one week from today! It is so hard to believe that summer is almost over. She is getting very excited and is anxious to know who is in her class (we find out Wednesday) and also she's ready to eat lunch at school. She thinks that is really amazing.

We are going to try to fill this week with fun activities and take advantage of our last 7 days.

Oh - and we also start cheerleading practice tonight - so that should be fun!

Meet "Karate"

2008-08-06T17:31:00.004-06:00

Meet "Karate." This is Lucas' friend - the worm. We have no idea why he calls him Karate and it took us forever to figure out what he meant by Karate. He would walk through the house calling "Karate, Karate, where are you?" It was too cute. Then, one day he walks up to me and hands me this little plastic worm - says Karate! and gives him a little kiss. It was too cute.

You'll also notice in the picture that he is wearing Loni's flip flops. He LOVES shoes and loves to wear mine and Loni's especially. Wade is worried about this behavior. Hee hee.

My little boy is growing up so fast. He is saying so much fun stuff right now.

My favorite is when he says "I sowwy (sorry)" he also says "I siwwy (silly)" and then just laughs so hard. He also loves to pretend to be a monster and try to scare us all. "Huwwy, Huwwy (hurry)- Monster comin!"

2 is a great age and so far we are loving it!

A Milestone - Shopping for School Supplies

2008-07-28T22:01:00.005-06:00

I find the fact that Loni will be in first grade this year VERY hard to believe. Time is absolutely flying by and my little girl is growing up so fast.

Today, we went to Target to let her get her school supplies. It was always a wonderful memory that I had from my childhood. I can remember going to the TG&Y near our house and mom letting me get the cool folders and TRAPPER KEEPER (remember those?) that I wanted.

I was instantly reminded of those memories today as we were walking the aisles and picking out her things. She wanted sparkly heart pencils and a princess lunch box- and she got them! I think her favorite were the highlighters, however. She can't wait to use those.

It was fun and it was a big milestone, so we had to share.

(Lucas had fun too...)

Out of the mouth of babes

2008-07-26T19:12:00.001-06:00

Tonight as we were driving home from our friend's house in Loveland, Loni was looking at the stars. Suddenly she says:

Star Light, Star Bright. First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might have this wish I wish tonight......

I wish the whole world were pink and that unicorns were real so that I could have one!

Later as I was giving her a bath, we were talking about how smart she was (well, I was telling her this...) and she says:

Yes mommy - I love my brain. I love my brain a lot. But do you know what is the most special part of our body? And the part that I love the most...

Our heart. Because Jesus lives in it...if you ask him to.

I just melted.

I had a happy birthday too!

2008-07-26T17:00:00.002-06:00

I had a great birthday. It started out my favorite way - a Chick fil A chicken biscuit with my bff Chrissy. Then, we packed up the car and headed up to the mountains of Loveland. Our friends own a home there and we grilled out and had a great day.

The kids rode their riding toys and Wade took them around on the 4 wheeler. After a wonderful dinner, we had cake and champagne and toasted my 33rd and Wade's 40th.

Our friends Brian and Guendolyn bought me a cake made out of flowers (see pic), Beth and Chris bought us a DELICIOUS cake and hosted the entire evening, and Janice and Gordon bought me a beautiful turquoise bracelet. The kids each had PRECIOUS cards for me and Wade gave me a card that was very touching. Our gift to each other this year was our "Staycation" - it was perfect.

33 is not so bad....I am still considered to be in my early 30's and I will always have an older husband. :-)

Thanks to everyone for their emails and phone calls. I love you.

Our "Staycation"

2008-07-25T21:10:00.001-06:00

A staycation is a mini-vacation not far from home - it is something that a lot of people are doing these days with gas prices being almost $4.00 a gallon. :-)

We decided to join in on the action and head to Colorado Springs for 2 days and 1 night. We had so much fun!

It was Lucas' first time staying in a hotel and Loni's first remember-able time. She stayed in one when she was only months old.

We drove to Colorado Springs (about an hour and a 1/2 away) and went to North Pole/Santa's Workshop up on the base of Pike's Peak. It is a small amusement park set to the theme of Christmas (you KNOW I loved it). The great thing is that all of the rides are geared toward Loni and Lucas' age - so it was perfect.

We had such a good time. Loni rode EVERY SINGLE RIDE. She was not scared of anything. You'll see one picture in here of her RELUCTANTLY getting her dad on the toboggan ride (he HATES rides). Other than the train and the sky ride, I think it is all he did. :-) We saw Santa (Loni told him she wanted a unicorn and a pony - great); we ate funnel cake, ice cream, snow cones, and hamburgers; we rode every ride at least once and then headed home. The weather was perfect and it wasn't crowded. I would give our Staycation an A+.

Here are some pictures:

Happy 40th Birthday Wade!

2008-07-23T11:53:00.007-06:00

Today Wade turns 40! He's saying it isn't a big deal, but I think he's lying. :-) We greeted him this morning with a breakfast bagel from Chick Fil A and Loni and I are going to make cupcakes for after dinner tonight.

We thought you might like to see the present that we gave him:

Have a great day!

It is HOT here in Colorado - but the pool is nice.

2008-07-21T16:41:00.002-06:00

We have been having 100 degree days lately. The kids and I decided to beat the heat today and head across the street to the pool. It was so nice! The water was perfect and the kids had a blast. We love our neighborhood pool - there is so much to do there.

KidSpree 2008

2008-07-19T16:00:00.000-06:00

We had a fun (and HOT) day at KidSpree in Aurora. Even though it was 100 degrees, we stayed as cool as we could and stayed until Lucas was just DONE and ready for his nap. (Mommy was DONE too).

The kids saw HUGE kites being flown, saw a Frisbee/Dog competition, painted their faces, rode a train, played life-sized Candy Land, and had a great time.

It was a fun family day!

Hello from Mississippi!

2008-07-08T17:15:00.007-06:00

I haven't posted in a while because we have been in Mississippi helping my parents move and have just been SWAMPED! (Not to mention it took us until today to get internet access out here in the boonies of Raymond) I thought it was no fun to move myself - it is even LESS FUN to move someone else. :-) I am just glad that we were here to help them. :-)

Since my last update, Lucas turned TWO! On July 2nd to be exact. We had a low key day on his actual birthday (although we did go out to eat and have a few cupcakes). But we then celebrated his birthday on Friday the 4th here with our family (we missed you honey!). We had a "Cars" birthday party and ended the evening with fireworks that both kids just LOVED. My parents bought Lucas a 4-wheeler that really works and he has had a BLAST on it out here in the country. Here is a slide show of all of us celebrating Lucas' big day(s).

Lucas has REALLY started talking. He calls everyone by their name down here - David, Marcus, Mimi, Papaw, Loni, Jo Jo, baby Walker, Mamaw. Everyone but ME! He calls me Bye Bye!!! How funny is that! I have NO idea why he calls me that since I NEVER tell the child bye bye and am with him 24/7, but I actually love it and think it is cute - his little nickname for me. He walks up and says "hey Bye Bye" - and then gives me a kiss. He can call me whatever he wants if he keeps on giving me that dimpled smile and those sweet little kisses. He is so smart - he knows his colors, all of his letters by sight, how to count, his shapes, and even a few sight words! (You can tell I am proud).

We will be back in Colorado on July 15th and can't wait to get back to our swimming pool and friends. We will miss Mississippi and our family, however. And I'm sure it will be a lengthy transition back home - we always need several days to adjust to being away from family but we can't wait to be back home with Daddy!

Lucas has his 2 year pictures taken

2008-06-10T15:57:00.004-06:00

Lucas will turn 2 on July 2nd and since we will be in Mississippi, we wanted to get his pictures (and of course a few of Loni) taken before we left! Here is a slide show of some of my favorites. My best friend Chrissy is our photographer. She is WONDERFUL! Her website is http://www.creativediversityphoto.com/ if you want to see some of her other work - you'll also see lots more of my kid's pictures - they are her favorite subjects. :-)

Enjoy the pictures. For those of you in Mississippi, we'll be in town tomorrow until July 15th - we'd love to see you. For those of you in Colorado - we'll miss you and will look forward to seeing you in a month!

The Gala!

2008-06-07T14:23:00.009-06:00

Today was Loni's ballet recital - or Gala. She did SO GOOD! I was so impressed. Ballet Nouveau has really got their act together. It was a very professional performance and Wade and I actually enjoyed watching each of the dances.

They did not really allow photography or filming of any type. However, I was feeling a little sneaky and decided to try to video Loni's dance. Well, about 1 minute in, I started feeling guilty and nervous - so I stopped filming. Here is what little bit I DID film. We've ordered the DVD of her performance, so when we get that, I will see if I can't post it all.

In the video, Loni is the first one to go through the "tunnel." :-)

We also took some pictures afterwards. She does NOT like to wear the tights, so the pictures are without her tights and shoes - but you can get the picture. :-) She also wanted me to film her doing some leaps - so I'll post that too.

Loni and I after the Gala. The make up is stage make up - so I know that the eyeliner on her looks low - it's supposed to! :-)

Loni is showing you a few of her favorite ballet positions.

Getting ready for the ballet recital!

2008-06-05T12:36:00.003-06:00

Loni's ballet recital is on Saturday. She has started dancing with Ballet Nouveau of Colorado - a very prestigious and disciplined school. When they put on a "Gala," the girls are expected to be very professional and be in full hair and make up.

Loni, of course, loves this. So, today we decided to practice her make up to see how well she (and I) would do. Here are the results!

We'll have more pictures after the "Around the World Gala" event on Saturday.

Love,
Alana

Loni writes a book!

2008-05-22T18:13:00.000-06:00

One of Loni's assignments at school was to write a book! She had to make up the story, write it, and illustrate it. Here she is reading it to you.

Lucas is learning his letters

2008-05-22T18:06:00.004-06:00

Lucas has been working hard on learning his letters! Here he is giving you an example. He's really good at it - actually better than this video shows - but still not too bad for a 1 year old! He'll be 2 in July and Loni's Kindergarten teacher is just blown away at how he already knows his ABC's!

He's so smart.

Oh to be a Kindergartner again...

2008-05-21T16:36:00.008-06:00

Loni had her friends Kaitlin and Courtney over today for a FULL afternoon of playing outside. We started out at the Park for a bit (Lucas loves the slides). Then it was naptime for him so we headed home. The girls immediately went to the backyard and we made colored sand bracelets - or as they turned them into - anklets! It was so fun.

We then had so much colored sand left over that we got out the glue and made some artwork. It was messy - but we didn't care - we just made a mess and felt artistic.

After artwork, they had a snack and were hot. So, I went to Loni's room and got 3 of her swimsuits and put them on the girls. We got out the Ariel sprinkler and they had a blast! They played all kinds of games in and out of the water.

At the end of the day (4:00), they were pooped. We had yet another snack and the girls then "laid out" and pretended to be at the beach. It was such a great afternoon!!!

From left to right - Courtney, Loni, and Kaitlin

Ahhhhhhh - to be a Kindergartner with nothing to worry about but where is my next playdate.

Pictures of my nephew

2008-05-19T17:44:00.007-06:00

I had to share these precious pictures of my nephew! He's so cute. I can't wait to get my hands on him. Loni and I are going to fight over who holds him first! :-)

This outfit is TOO cute!

This is my baby brother, Marcus holding Walker. I love this picture - so priceless.

Everyone says that Marcus is a GREAT daddy - changing diapers, feeding, everything....I don't doubt it at all! He and Cari Jo are going to be great parents.

Looks like Walker is already picking up "chicks"...hee hee - couldn't resist. That may not even be a chick! :-)

Look at him focusing - and at only a little over 1 week.

I hope you are having a great week!

Alana

Balloon Launch 2008!

2008-05-17T14:18:00.007-06:00

Every Year our town does a big Town Fair. It starts on Saturday morning at 6:00 am at the Golf Course that we live on with the balloon launch. 30+ hot air balloons take off just feet from our backyard and the kids LOVE it. It is a highlight of our year every year. I thought I would post some of our pictures from this morning.

Pictured with Loni and Lucas are Loni's friends, Kaitlin and her brother Kyle.

Loni Graduates from Kindergarten!

2008-05-17T13:58:00.017-06:00

On Thursday, Loni graduated from Kindergarten! It is so hard to believe that she is going to be in first grade next year. I just have no idea where the time has gone.

She had so much fun at her celebration. They sang several songs:
Pledge of Allegiance Song
ABC Song
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

DOGS!
Sing, Sing a Song

Number Rock

and then they were all given their graduation hats and diplomas. All I could keep thinking was that it wouldn't be long before she was graduating from High School. Makes me sad......where is my baby?

Loni and her proud Daddy.

This is Loni's teacher, Mrs. Mutz. We LOVED her!! She was so good for Loni this year. Loni is reading and loves it. She has grown so much this year and I know that much of it is because of her wonderful teacher!

A few of Loni's friends:
Courtney, Loni, and Kylie

Loni's friend, Jack. He's a cutie pie.

One of Loni's longest and best friends - Abbie.

We are going to try to post the video soon. I just have to get Wade to do it.....keep checking back.

SO PROUD OF YOU LONI!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-08T13:49:00.013-06:00

I Just wanted to say Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers out there. Becoming a mother has been one of the best things to happen to me. I feel so blessed that God has trusted me with Loni and Lucas - 2 precious souls of HIS. Being a mom is the best JOB I have ever had and I just pray that I am a mom that will allow my children to have roots and wings.

To the moms in my life:

MY MOM!

She's my best friend and a wonderful grandmother. She is the most self-less person I know (she would have to be to let Loni draw on her face!) and always puts others first. I strive daily to be the mom to my children that she was to me and my brothers. I talk to her every day (at least once) and she teaches me, comforts me, encourages me, and most importantly loves me.

I love you momma!

WADE'S MOM!

Gloria is a loving grandmother, great-grandmother, and proud mother of 3. She loves her son so much and that makes me proud. She is one of the strongest women I know - she has been through a lot (more than she deserves) and has come through stronger because of it. She has taught me that I can make it through just about anything with a little patience, prayer, and perserverence.

Love you grandma!

MY MAMAW!

My grandmother, or mamaw as we all call her, is one of the funniest people and one of the best cooks you will ever meet. She is almost 80 years old and can out work and out play me any day. When we go to Mississippi, Loni would rather play with Mamaw than anyone else. My mamaw has taught me so much - she taught me to drive when I was 12; she has taught me that even when you lose your soul mate, life goes on and you can still find something to smile about every day. My mamaw is someone that has touched my life and my heart in a way that no one else ever has or ever could.

I love you mamaw.

Happy Mother's Day to everyone! Happy FIRST Mother's Day, Cari Jo!

Love,
Alana

Walker Banks Rushing is here!

2008-05-07T21:04:00.005-06:00

He's here!

Walker Banks Rushing
8 pounds 10 ounces
21 inches long

05.07.08
6:31 pm

Walker is on his way!

2008-05-06T23:09:00.002-06:00

My brother and his wife were headed to the hospital tonight at 6:00 to begin labor to have my nephew, Walker! I just talked to Marcus and they were hoping for a quiet night at the hospital - they will start petocin (sp?) around 5am. My parents had just gone home and Marcus, Cari Jo and her momma were settling in for some rest. By this time tomorrrow, Walker Banks Rushing should be here!

Yipee!

Ready to be an aunt!

2008-05-03T19:04:00.003-06:00

I have been an aunt for sometime - Wade's brothers and sisters both have children. However, my brothers have yet to step up to the plate..........until NOW!

My baby brother, Marcus and his wife, Cari Jo are going to have their first baby ANY day now! I am so excited. They are having a little boy and naming him Walker Banks. I can't wait! The kids and I will be headed down to Mississippi to spend several weeks with the whole family in the month of June. Loni is already counting down the days to see her Mimi, Mamaw, and turtle (and probably NOT in that order) :-) . That turtle is all she talks about some days. We'll have to get Mimi to send us a picture. The turtle lives near the waterfall in her backyard.

I will be sure to let you know when Walker arrives. I have bets that it will be TOMORROW - April 4th - we'll see!

The bathroom finished!? - It might be too good to be true

2008-04-29T16:28:00.003-06:00

For those of you that don't know our bathroom story, here it is in a nutshell:

At Christmas (2 days before, actually), while tearing out our tile floor in the bathroom to lay new tile down, they discovered THREE leaks - 2 in the shower and one in the bathtub. Water leaking over 3 years had caused MOLD to grow everywhere in the subfloor.

They started in early January ripping EVERYTHING out of that bathroom. I mean down to the DIRT ripping it out. We had to dry clean every piece of clothing and fabric that we had in our closets (that join to the bathroom). It was a HUGE mess.

What should have only taken a month or two, ended up taking almost FIVE MONTHS! This is due to a lack of organization, communication, supervision, and an inadequate construction crew.

I have been at my wits end - as you can imagine.

Here is the "finished" product. SO glad we are almost over.

Yesterday was beautiful!

2008-04-21T13:54:00.009-06:00

We had such a nice day outside yesterday. The temperature was close to 80 degrees and so sunny. We flew our kite, played in the sand box, and had races in the backyard. Oh - and we blew bubbles. It was so nice. I thought I would share a few pictures!

Lucas Counts!

2008-04-18T14:18:00.004-06:00

You may not be able to understand this, but we can! :-) Lucas is counting to TEN! So cute.

Kids love milkshakes!

2008-04-14T16:27:00.003-06:00

I've been meaning to post this video and just keep forgetting. The other day we got milkshakes from Chick fil A and the kids both shared one. This is so cute - they couldn't get enough!

Love,
Alana

Whew!

2008-04-14T12:52:00.002-06:00

It's been a crazy few weeks! We went to Mississippi and survived a tornado. :-) Lucas had the stomach flu and Loni caught a turtle! The turtle had to stay in Mississippi - much to Loni's dislike (thank GOD!) but she calls her Mimi to check on it all the time. The tornado was scary but didn't cause much damage. My brother and his wife had a large limb fall on their house - but it didn't cause much damage.

They are STILL working on our bathroom (SINCE CHRISTMAS!) and we've been down to just one since then. It looks great so I am hoping that they are almost done. Can you say - OVER IT!

Today is georgous - 75 and sunny but I'll be in the house cleaning from top to bottom.

Loni had a fiasco with my perfume yesterday. She thought she would spray her room and my dining room down to make it smell better. When I finally discovered it last night (after smelling it all day), the finish had come off in 2 places on her desk and all her little "trinkets" were sticky. My house STILL smells like perfume. Loni got 2 days of playdates taken away - not for spraying the perfume but for not asking before she played with something of mommy's. She's handling it pretty well.

Lucas is feeling better and is back to his normal HUGE appetite. I swear, I don't know how we'll feed him as a teenager.

Just thought I'd update you on our life. I've been busy with work and the next 2 weeks will be even busier. We have Gail Pittman and Gary Wright coming to town tomorrow for some meetings - so that should be fun. I'm doing lots of April parties - yay!

Hope all of you are well!

I will try to post a few pictures of the bathroom this week.

Love,
Alana

Getting ready for Birthdays

2008-03-24T15:21:00.002-06:00

Loni and Lucas have been busy making birthday presents for both of their grandmothers. Grandma's (Wade's mom) birthday is Wednesday. Mimi's (my mom) birthday is Friday!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T16:07:00.008-06:00

I love this picture because Lucas said CHEESE for the first time EVER! :-) He is getting to be such a big boy.

Loni did her own hair today - bow and everything. Of course, she does her own hair for school but I usually do Sundays. She's such a little lady.

They were so cute in their matching outfits. I guess this might be the last year!

We had a nice quiet day. We went to church and then home for lunch and a nap.

What a beautiful day. I hope we all remember the reason for today. It is the most important day in our Christian life.

Love,

Alana

Girlfriends

2008-03-20T23:24:00.008-06:00

I am so thankful to have great girlfriends. I was just thinking about it today - I truly have some of the greatest friends ever. Not only here in Colorado, but also in Mississippi too. Some of the best girlfriends that I have now, I have had since elementary school. And no matter that I live 1200 miles away from them, we ALWAYS find time to touch base and just say hello.

I am super busy (aren't we all!). But, my true girlfriends understand that even though I don't always call or email that I love them and I am thinking of them. THAT is friendship - to be able to pick up a conversation from 2 months ago and never miss a beat.

I miss my Mississippi friends and can't wait to see all of you next week! It will be a short visit, but hopefully we can work in some girl time.

I also miss my BFF Chrissy! She's been either sick or traveling for what seems the last month! We are used to spending time together just about every day. I'm going through withdrawals. :-)

<-- That is me and Chrissy

My friend Denise and my friend Chrissy have recently met and instantly hit it off (as I knew that they would) and we have now started some girlfriend time every month or two. I am just loving it and SO look forward to that time.

I was so touched last night at our PTCO meeting. We had elections for the board for next year at our new school. I was running for Volunteer Coordinator along with 3 other women. I was so humbled by the number of my friends that came out in support of me and my friend Shelly. It was so touching to have them there supporting us and voting for us. (Yes, we both were elected) :-) But even more exciting than getting a spot on the board and helping out our new school, I was so excited to see my "girlfriends" all together. It touched me.

To all my girlfriends...(and that includes you momma)....I love you and appreciate you. I may not always say it but your friendship and unconditional love mean so much to me. SMOOCH! :-)

A beautiful day...

2008-03-19T17:16:00.003-06:00

What a beautiful day today was. The sun was shining and it was so nice and warm. It really makes me appreciate the life that our family has. We have our struggles just like everyone else, but as long as we have each other, we'll be just fine.

Loni is better today - the pinkeye seems to have completely gone away.

Wade's grandmother passed away around noon today. The family is sad but we also know that she lived a long life and she did exactly what she wanted to do - how she wanted to do it - and when she wanted to do it.

Let's not forget to love each other and never take one day for granted.

Love,

Alana

Loni has pinkeye - pray for Wade's grandma

2008-03-18T14:04:00.006-06:00

Oh dear - it just never ends. :-) Loni came home from school with a goopy and pink eye. Thankfully, I have the drops here and we've already started treatment. Just praying that Lucas doesn't get it.

Please pray for Wade and his family today. His grandmother has had several strokes and is now in a coma. She's not doing well at all and isn't expecting to last much longer this week. Pray for everyone - especially Wade's mom.

This is a picture of Loni and Grandma Nana from a year ago when we visited Spokane, WA in the Spring.

Thanks and much love,
Alana

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-17T12:17:00.003-06:00

The leprechaun came to our house in the middle of the night and left a trail of gold coins everywhere - even in the car! Then Loni got to school and he had made a mess in her classroom - the toilet water was turned green! There were green footprints on everyone's table and gold coins all over the place. He even left them treats and GREEN water. It was so fun! Loni was in amazement. :-)

Happy St. Patrick's day to everyone!

The Easter Bunny Came Early

2008-03-16T15:01:00.005-06:00

Well, the Easter bunny delivered the kid's baskets early this year. He has been so swamped he wanted to make sure that they were done in time. Well, instead of hiding them in a good spot, he (ok - it was me) hid them in Wade's closet - ON THE FLOOR! I had every intention of moving them to the basement crawl space and just never got around to doing it this week.

Well, my little detective Loni found them about 20 minutes ago! I was horrified. I didn't know what to do - I made her immediately get out of the closet. My first inclination was to tell her that they were baskets for poor kids that had no parents (I'm so bad). But in the end, I just told her that the Easter bunny needed to deliver ours early this year because he was so busy and she had been so good.

So, now she wants to OPEN the basket and get the toys. I at first said - no, you have to wait until Easter. She wasn't going to have ANY of that. I mean, that would be like waking up Christmas morning and seeing your toys but not being able to play with them for a week!

So, I called the Easter Bunny (a.k.a. my mom) and the Easter bunny said that we should just let her have the basket but explain to her that she won't get anything next week and that she should just focus on the REAL meaning of Easter. So.....here is the video of how it all went down. :-)

Lucas is napping and when he wakes up, he'll get his too. I'm sure that will be a separate video. Can you tell I am addicited to this blog? :-)

Lucas - future drummer?

2008-03-16T14:14:00.004-06:00

My mom bought this outfit for him at Christmas but for whatever reason, Lucas hasn't worn it yet. It looks SO cute on him. He wore it today for church. We woke up to a dusting of snow so it was the perfect day to wear it. He was so proud and cute.

Speaking of church. Every Sunday after church is over, we go and get Lucas from the nursery. He runs by himself ALL the way to the auditorium - UP to the stage and to the drums. Since I sing in the worship team, I know the drummer real well (Jerry) and he is so patient to let Lucas drum away for a bit.

Today, he did SO good - I mean he really had rhythm. There were a handful of people still in the auditorium and they just clapped away when he was done. He was so excited. Of course, that sweet little angel drummer turned into a devil child when I took him away from the drumset to get in the car - he threw a FULL ON FIT. :-) Oh well.

Easter Eggs

2008-03-15T14:15:00.001-06:00

Loni and I colored Easter eggs today. It is so weird that we are doing this BEFORE St. Patrick's Day! It is just hard to believe that Easter is a week from tomorrow. As you can see, Loni was very proud of her glittery eggs.

Lucas was just happy to have the TV to himself for 30 minutes. He's not quite sure yet about the whole coloring of the egg thing. He just wants to put them in his mouth.

Lucas goes to the ER

2008-03-14T14:18:00.003-06:00

Lucas had his first (and hopefully last) visit to the emergency room this past Sunday. This is the "after video" of the kids eating popsicles. The video is really short - my camera dies. :-)

His elbow was accidentally pulled out of joint when daddy was riding him piggy back through the house chasing Loni. This is very common in smaller children and is called "nurse maid elbow." Loni had it when she was TINY and learning to roll over. It's scary but quickly and easily fixed. He was such a trooper and Loni was a great big sister.

Kids go to the Zoo!

2008-02-29T15:07:00.005-07:00

Loni didn't have school so we enjoyed a day in the sun at the zoo. The weather could not have been better. We went with the Franko's and this is Loni's best friend, Abbie. We had SO much fun.

Lucas loved the snakes as you can see from the video below.

We have a blog!

2008-02-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

My girlfriend Chrissy has convinced me that blogging is the way to go! I have tried to keep up a family website before, but it just proves to be too much work. This way, I can easily update and keep everyone in the loop! We hope you enjoy a little taste of the "Weston family life."

Love,
Alana