Cool!!

The other night Ricky was checking his traps close to the house and he had TWO bobcats in the same spot!! It was a nice surprise!!!

Lights Galore!

Every year in Llano there is a trail of lights in the city park and we have made it "tradition" to take the kids there. My parents, Aunt Joni, and Kristi went along with us and we had a great time with the kids. They have lots of neat things to do there! First we walked through the lighted arches to see all the lighted displays. Each lighted display represents a group or is dedicated in memory of someone who has passed away. There is a special one in memory of my cousin, Tanner, who was killed in a wreck in 1999. He was special to all of us and I know the kids would have loved him. Kalyn and Kristi enjoyed spinning around under the big lighted tree in the park. Sheldon just enjoyed riding on Granden's shoulders! At the end of our stroll we got in line to talk with Santa. Sheldon didn't like him too much last year, but did GREAT this time...both kids sat on his lap and told them what they want for Christmas. I love the picture we got with Santa! Right before we left the park the kids roasted marshmallows with Aunt Joni and Kristi...yum!! There was also a man-made snow slope with kids riding down on tubes. We didn't get a chance to try it out...maybe next year!!

Kalyn and Sheldon ready for the stroll

Sheldon on Granden's shoulders

Kalyn and Kristi spinning around under tree

Kristi, Sheldon, and Kalyn with Tanner's display (Tanner is Kristi's brother)

Kalyn and Sheldon with Santa (no tears this year!!!)

Sheldon on RudolphKalyn on Rudolph

Kalyn and Kristi roasting marshmallows (Aunt Joni and mom chatting on side)

Sheldon enjoying his marshmallow

Tagged!

Guess I better join the club...here are my "Crazy 8s"

8 Shows I Watch: (when I actually watch TV...rarely!)
1. Days of Our Lives
2. HGTV
3. Food Network
4. Dancing with the Stars
5. The Bachelor/Bachelorette
6. Hannah Montana (with Kalyn)
7. whatever Sheldon is watching in the morning (cartoons)
8. News (to see what the weather forecast is)

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. Granny's
2. Taco Cabana
3. Olive Garden
4. Saltgrass
5. Schlotzsky's
6. Salsalitos
7. Red Lobster
8. Texas Land and Cattle

8 Things That Happened Today:
1. went to church in Llano with my parents
2. ate potluck after church/class
3. drove home from Llano
4. got locked out of my car at a gas station (ugh!)
5. unpacked my car
6. cleaned the kitchen
7. checked email and blogs
8. got ready for church

8 Things I Look Forward To:
1. heaven
2. school being out
3. Christmas
4. time with family
5. good night's sleep after sleeping with Kalyn last night (she kicked me all night long!!)
6. another cold front
7. finishing up my Christmas cards and shopping
8. time alone with Ricky

8 Things I Wish For:
1. safety for family and friends during the holiday season
2. good health for us and the kids
3. financial freedom
4. my kids to always feel safe and secure wherever they are
5. the kids to have a close relationship with God and to always look to Him for guidance and wisdom in their lives
6. a vaccination for the stomach virus so I will stop worrying about one of us getting it!!! ;o)
7. the kids to find the right person to marry and have a good marriage
8. grandchildren

8 People I Tag:
1. Carie
2. Hannah
3. Tera
4. Shannon
5. Jessica
6. Missy
7. Summer
8. Corrie

Have fun!!! ;o)

Sweet Tooth

Sheldon helped me bake a cake this morning...actually he was waiting for the beaters so he could lick the batter! Seriously, this little boy LOVES sweets! ;o)

Wild Game Supper

Last year we started a sign language class on Wednesday nights at our church to implement our Deaf Ministry program. We have had 8-10 members who have worked hard and have improved SO much since last year!! I am very proud of each one of them and appreciate all their effort. Ricky and I invited the class to eat supper at our house last year and it was a great success. We decided to do it again this year as well. Last year we had "Mexican Stack" and this year we opted to go for "Wild Game" which included whitetail deer, axis deer, wild hog, and moose. Everything tasted great and several people who said they didn't like wild game were actually surprised when they took their first bite! The fellowship wth our friends in our home was wonderful...we are looking forward to next year!!

The spread...Kay trying to decide what to try...

Jamie was surprised how good the fried venison tasted!

Special Christmas Dishes

I was getting all of my Christmas dishes out of the shed yesterday and I started to think about the special person who gave most of them to me. Janice started my collection when I married Stephen 11 years ago and each year she added to it on my birthday or Christmas. Each piece is special to me! I have five collector's plates with the year written on them...each one of them represent an important event in my life.

The first plate was 1997-the year Stephen and I married and the beginning of a wonderful, special relationship with Steve and Janice. I love those two people so much! Janice taught me alot about cooking while I lived with them for 9 weeks while Stephen was at basic training so those memories fit well with the dishes!!

The second plate was 1998-the year I graduated from Texas A&M University!! WHOOP!! Being an Aggie graduate was my dream as a little girl and it was a huge accomplishment for me to fulfill that dream. I miss Aggieland in many ways!!

The third plate was 2002-the year Kalyn Leigh Springer was born. Stephen and I were thrilled to have our first child and a GIRL!! She is very special to our family and we love her so much!

The fourth plate was 2004-the year Sheldon Blake Springer was born. Having a boy made me so happy...I had always wanted a little boy! He is everything I dreamed a little boy would be like!

The fifth plate was 2006- the year Ricky and I married. Ricky has been such a blessing to me and the kids in the way he loves us and takes care of us. God continues to bless us with so much!!

Janice, I want you to know how much I love you. I treasure the times we had together and I am so thankful we remain to be close today. You taught me so much and you are an amazing wife, mother, and now NANNA! All your grandkids are blessed to be loved by you and Steve. Thank you for my special Christmas dishes and I have told Kalyn that she will inherit them one day. She knows how important them are to me and said she would help me add to the collection-ha! ;o)

Busy!!

I know some of you have been waiting, and waiting for me to post for awhile now...so sorry!! We have been crazy, busy now that the holidays are here in full swing. Thanksgiving this year was different with the kids being in Houston and Ricky being here with his mom. I enjoyed the time I had alone with my family in Llano though! ;o) Ricky was able to join us the next day to celebrate my birthday and that was very nice...thank you honey for making my birthday extra special!

Now for some updates....

Kalyn and Sheldon have lovingly named our bobcat, Tommy. They made him a picture and hung it by his cage. Those kids crack me me up sometimes!!

We finally got a new TV!!!! Sheldon learned his lesson, we think, and is being more aware about

the way he plays around "breakables." We'll see if that lasts!! ;o)

My daddy got a new toy....a skid loader. He spends alot of time on that thing! The grandsons really enjoy riding in it with Granden whenever they get the chance. He has done alot of work around the home place at the ranch and it looks so good! I can definitely see why he enjoys working on it...looks relaxing and a wonderful time to think and talk with God.

Last, but not least, we put up our Christmas tree after the kids got home on Sunday. The kids each get a new ornament each year from us and my parents. It is a neat tradition that Carie and I have always enjoyed through the years and now I've passed it on to my children.

Next on our agenda....tackle the outside lights tonight!!! We shall see.

Weekend in Llano

Last weekend we went to Llano so the kids could see everyone since they will be with their dad for Thanksgiving this year. We had a wonderful time! Colten was able to join us and the kids enjoyed playing...there were a few squabbles here and there though! ;o)

Granden got the kids to help him pick up all the acorns in the yard









New shirts from Oni

Having fun riding bikes

Colten was exhausted from trying to keep up with Kalyn and Sheldon!

Tom and Buck

Yesterday morning Ricky went to check the traps as usual and found a bobcat. He brought it home alive and it is now in a cage...so cool!! His luck didn't stop there...he saw a nice 8-point buck when he was heading back to the house with the tom. He hurried into the house to get his rifle and headed back. Luckily the buck was still out there chasing a doe (it's that time of the year I guess) and he got a good shot at him. Mmmmm...fried venison!!

Sheldon wasn't happy about having his picture taken that morning.

No TV for awhile!

Take a look at what my sweet son did to our TV yesterday while I was making a phone call. Apparently he was pretending there were big ants crawling into the TV so he tried to kill them with Kalyn's baton. Needless to say, I was not very happy about what I saw and the thought of having to buy a new TV....ugh! Hopefully there will be some good deals coming soon with Christmas just around the corner. Ricky and I told him he couldn't watch Star Wars for awhile as his punishment (he LOVES those movies!) and he will have to do a few extra chores to earn some money to "help" buy the new TV.

notice the little storm trooper figure on top by the VCR?? ;o)

Boys sure are different......

Trapping Update

I forgot to post this cute picture that Ricky took of Sheldon on the trap line yesterday morning ! Ricky and Sheldon got their first fox of the season in a trap by one of the tanks on our place. They ended up letting it go since it was so small. They brought home two more coons and Ricky caught two more this morning.....the count goes on!

School Day Mornings

I thought it would be fun to take pictures of a "normal" morning around here before school. Believe me, they aren't always this way...some mornings are s-l-o-w with cranky kids not wanting to get up! ;o) I figured we would enjoy looking back on this blog and remember those days......

Sheldon decided he didn't want to check traps this morning because he missed being with his sister before school. Awwww!

I have let the kids eat their breakfast in front of the TV on weekdays ever since they were babies. This is one of their favorite things to do in the mornings...I turn it off at 7:10 otherwise Kalyn wouldn't be ready on time!

Kalyn makes up her bed right before we head out...sometimes earlier.

You can see here that Sheldon doesn't like making up his bed...he's getting better. He's just stubborn about it! ;o)

Veteran's Day

A couple weeks ago the PE coaches at Kalyn's school asked me to teach them how to sign the chorus to "America the Beautiful." They wanted to teach the 1st graders how to do it for the Veteran's Day program. My mom and I went to the gym on Halloween morning and gave the coaches a quick lesson...they did very well! Yesterday morning was the program and it was very nice...I didn't realize that I would be standing in front of everyone with the coaches instead of with the kids. Pat (Mimi) came along to take pictures and we enjoyed it. Kalyn was disappointed that she couldn't stand with me, but she really enjoyed being in the spotlight all last week as they practiced the song. There seems to be alot of interest from staff and students in learning more sign language. Maybe one of these days I will start up a sign club at the school...we'll see!

Standing in front of everyone with Coach Hodges

You can see Kalyn right in the middle of all the kids

Trapping Season-Week 1

Trapping season has begun! Ricky and Sheldon were busy all last weekend setting traps all over the place. Every morning at 6am the boys have gone to check the traps before Ricky went to work and then they have also reset them in the evenings after supper. Sheldon has really been enjoying being his "trapping buddy" and is learning alot about the sport. In fact, one thing he has asked for Christmas is a new trap!

So far they have caught 22 coons, 1 coyote, and 1 bobcat!

Setting a trap

Sheldon watching closely and playing with his pistol

1st coyote of the season

bobcat on far left...15 coons (the rest haven't been skinned yet)

Happy Birthday Sis!!

God blessed our family 30 years ago today when you were born. He gave me someone to talk to, someone to tease, someone to argue with, and someone to play with as we were kids. We have shared so much and I want you to know that treasure our friendship and I am so blessed to have a sister like you. I am so proud of who you have become...you are a wonderful wife to Caleb and an awesome mommy to Colten and Cambry. In honor of this special milestone in your life, I decided to use 30 pictures of our life together as sisters. Sadly, I discovered that there were lesser pictures of just the two of us together each year after we married and had our own kids...we neeed to change that!! Let's take more pictures together!!

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Halloween!

We had a fun Halloween!

Kalyn's school had Red Ribbon week (Say No to Drugs) so the whole school was able to dress up each day this week. They kicked off the week by wearing something red to school on Monday and received their red bracelets. On Tuesday the theme was "Lay off Drugs" so the kids wore leis to school. Wednesday's theme was "Put on the fight against drugs!" with the kids wearing camo wear. Team spirit was the theme for Thursday so kids wore any sports shirt. Friday was "Boo to Drugs!" day so everyone wore their Halloween costume to school...even the teachers!! I'm sad that I didn't take any pictures, but it was a fun week at school.

Our Halloween weekend was even more fun with my parents here for the festivities. We started off our evening with hotdogs for the kids and delicious tortilla soup made by Mimi for the adults. Our good friends Bonnie, Mason, and Jenna joined us and the kids had a blast! As soon as Hannah Montana, Hunter Mason, Darth Vader, and Princess Jenna were ready we drove to town to join the Halloween fun on the streets. Each year there is a block or two in town completely blocked off for trick or treaters. It was interesting to see all the different characters walking up and down the streets.....even some adults were dressed up! It was fun watching the kids have fun wearing their costumes and running up to each house to get candy. So many good memories of my Halloweens with my family came flooding back as I watched the kids...so fun!! We were exhausted by the time we got home and the kids are already talking about who they want to be next year!

Hunter Mason, Princess Jenna, Hannah Montana, and Darth Vader

Trick or Treat!

Next house!

Hannah Montana

Darth Vader with Granden

Even Daddy Ricky had to be Hannah Montana...Kalyn wanted to be Miley!