Halloween 2010

Sunset at the Kaska Family Farm near West, TX on Oct. 16

Juxtaposition of some of God's greatest beauties The kids in the corn crib (yep, that's corn)

The lens is not dirty. That is the dust in the air after sunset at the Kaska Family Farm

Claire's sweet smile at the pumpkin patch at Kaska Family Farm.The kids picked some small pumpkins to paint from a local church's pumpkin patchClaire dressed as a 1920s 'flapper' for Zoo Boo

Claire getting her face painted like at a cat at Zoo Boo.
The paint lasted 2 minutes before she wiped it off. Claire and Scott at Zoo BooPirate Will ready for some spooky stuff at Zoo Boo

Eating at Fazoli's after Zoo Boo. Do you think Will had fun?

Excited pose in front of our Jack-a-Lantern.

Some pictures to share!

Thanks to my mom and some others, I have a few pictures to share from this summer!

Claire opening her birthday gift from Nana and Grandpa.

Princess night gowns!!

Getting ready for a swim. I have no idea what that look on her face is!

The kids and I in the pool...yeah, I've got a dorky hat on. ;)

Dad and Will having a water war.

Will at his CDO water day a few weeks ago.

Scott shooting at people at a friend's swim party in June.

And last, but certainly not least...my favorite pic of the summer. This was captured by a friend of ours at a swim/birthday party. It's priceless. I will cherish this always. (And yes, he had permission to do this by the homeowners!) ;)

Breaking the Silence

I thought I should at least explain why I haven't posted in two months. Our camera was stolen on June 15, out of our car. It was partly my fault, as I forgot to lock the car, but I'm still blaming the thieves, too! I like to post pictures along with the text, so this is why I haven't posted. We have had a busy summer, though. Here are the highlights:

June 15-June 17 -- VBS. I taught 2nd grade with my friend Callie and it was great!

June 28-July 3 -- Mountain View Christian Camp. We had a great time visiting with old friends and making new ones. Scott taught classes and the kids and I found lots to do. I even learned a new card game that I am looking forward to playing again soon!

July 7 -- Area-wide youth devotional hosted by our church, with Scott as the emcee and speaker.

July 8 -- Claire's 2nd birthday!!! Poor kid didn't get a party because of all the craziness going on, but she did get brownies and some sweet gifts!

July 9-20 -- Scott on Wilderness Trek in CO, the kids and I in Katy, to visit Nana and Grandpa. Scott got to climb one of the tallest mountains in CO, sleep in a tent and not bathe for 5 days (he he) and the kids and I got to do lots of fun things including an Astros game, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and swim every day! The three of us came back with nice tans ;) My mom took lots of pictures while we were there, but alas, I don't have them. (Hint, hint, Mom!!)

July 21-22 -- Scott and Will went to Arlington with the youth group kids to see a Rangers game and go to Six Flags. Well, Will didn't go to Six Flags. He got to play with his pal, Raylee all day instead!

Since then, we have tried to rest! There have been a few little events here and there, but mostly we've just been working and enjoying family time.

Sorry I don't have much interesting news or pictures! Hopefully I'll have some next time!

Where Have I Been??

Well, I'll tell you. I've been at work! But as of last week, I have gone back to part-time and I couldn't be happier about my decision. I am so glad to be back at home with my kids two days a week!

Since I will be at home a couple of days a week again, I will hopefully be able to update a little more often. Since my last post at Easter, a lot has happened! Scott graduated from LCU on May 2nd, earning his second Masters degree, a Master of Arts in Biblical Interpretation. Scott's parents and grandmother were able to join us for the event. We are so proud of our daddy and all his accomplishments!

That same day, when we got home from Lubbock, we had Will's 4th birthday party. This year, we went with a pirate theme; Will dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow in the costume we got him. It was a crazy day, but we had a lot of fun! Since we were going to be out of town the day previous to Will's party, I bought his cake from the bakery this year instead of making it myself. They did a great job and it was delicious!

Will's actual birthday came on Mother's Day, May 10th. That day we celebrated by going to Midland, eating at Rosa's, shopping, and having birthday cookies on Spider-Man plates at home. It was a good day for all. We just can't believe that our big boy is FOUR!

Here is a random picture of Claire reading in her chair that I thought was too cute and had to share! The next picture is Claire at her end-of-the-year CDO program. They are singing "Twinkle, Twinkle." I don't have a very good picture of Will; we took more video of him than pictures.

We are excited that my parents are here this weekend. They are going to take care of the kids while Scott and I get away for a couple of days (our anniversary is coming up). Then, summer is right around the corner and our lives will be filled with VBS, camps, mission trips, youth rallies and the like! It doesn't seem possible that summer is so close.

I am looking forward to updating more often and keeping myself updated with all of you!

Goings-On

Hello! I am still alive :)

So much has been going on, and most of the time I am way too tired to even consider blogging, but I thought I'd update since I have a few pictures to share.

A couple of weeks ago, we went down to San Antonio to visit my grandmother and meet up with my parents. The kids and I went on with my mom and dad to Katy and Scott returned home to work on his essays for his comprehensive exams. We returned a few days later by plane. THAT was an experience I'd soon like to forget. Plane travel alone with two kids is not much fun. I did survive, though :) My mom took a lot of great pictures of my kids riding my brother's girlfriend's horse, but alas, I do not have those. Maybe my mom will email them to me (hint, hint!) ;)

Scott has since finished his essays and turned them it (Praise God!) and we are done with grad school stuff for a while. We also found someone to baby-sit our kids on those days that they're not in "school." So that is another "Praise!" The flower shop was extremely busy last week with several funeral pieces, so I definitely got in some "practice." This week has been a little slower so far, so that's kind of nice (it is our local schools' spring break, which is always notoriously slow).

The kids are doing well. Claire was sick for a while before we went to my parents' house, but she is better now. Will is currently obsessed with pirate "jewels" (which will explain a couple of pics), however we haven't watched Pirates of the Caribbean for several days as he is currently hooked on Star Wars (my fault, I let him watch it the other day). He still likes to dress as a pirate, though. Claire likes to do everything that Will is doing and is a sweet little helper. She is showing her intelligence here lately by recognizing some of the letters of the alphabet and talking more and more. She loves to sing and dance and is even starting to show interest in the potty. Kids grow WAY too fast!!!

One funny thing that Will has been doing the last few days is asking me if I am going to have a baby. I am not sure what has prompted this question...maybe it was the fact that we went shopping for a baby shower gift a few days ago. Anyway, he's asked me several times since about it and I have told him, no, that I'm not going to have a baby anytime soon. He says that I should and he wants a brother. Hmm. I'm not so sure.

Anyway, time for the pictures!

Scott and the kids watching Cinderella in our bed.

Claire's ponytail!

"Smarty Pants!"

Man, I wish this picture wasn't blurry! It would have been so great!

Will watching a movie while wearing his "pirate jewels", a Mardi Gras mask, and his Capt. Jack Sparrow hat.

Will (again with the pirate jewels) and his St. Patrick's Day hat he made at school (so cute!).

Claire with the leprechaun hat.

This is how I found my children when I came home today...Claire asleep in her chair (but sitting in it the wrong way, with its back on the ground)...

...and Will deeply engrossed in Winnie the Pooh, with my couch's arm cover on his head and wearing (of course) his pirate jewels. Funny.

New Hair and New Hope

I got my hair cut yesterday. It always makes me feel better to get my hair cut. I feel like a new person, somehow. I can't ever stick with one style for too long. It always amazes me when I watch make-over shows and these women (or men) say they have had the same hair-do for twenty or thirty years. I'm like, "Seriously? Don't you ever get bored??" But everyone's different!



This weekend we were blessed to visit our dear friends, the Malletts, in Arlington. We didn't do a whole lot--just took the kids to the park and ate out a few times--but we just had a good time being together. Since their son Ryland is one of Will's favorite people, he was just ecstatic. When Will found out that Ryland had a full gammut of pirate costumes, he was in hog heaven. I didn't take many pictures at all the whole weekend, but I did manage to get a couple of Will in Ryland's Jack Sparrow costume and of Raylee, Will and Ryland together with their guns and swords.



I just felt like I needed to express what I'm feeling right now about hope. My outlook has changed a bit since this past fall. I still don't agree with everything he stands for, but I am very hopeful about our new president. What I have seen these past few days and even weeks has been so encouraging to me; that maybe our country isn't "doomed," but is possibly in for a few good changes. I was so moved yesterday watching President Obama, just knowing that an African-American has done what so many never dreamed of, or never wanted to see happen, is awe-inspiring to me. That in and of itself, makes me proud to be an American. It was so moving to see so many people, of all races, so excited that this man has become our president. I am proud of our citizens, and that gives me a new hope. I am excited to see what lays in store for our nation in the weeks and months to come. I am praying that the many people who are still doubtful will support our authorities and our nation and not bring it down. Like he said in his inauguration speech, what we need now are hope and virtue in order to move forward.

On a completely different and lighter note: Will was the only one in his Bible class tonight. The story being taught was Adam and Eve. When the teacher told him this, he promptly told her, "No, it's Wall-E and Eve." I thought we ought to send that one in to Disney/Pixar. What do you think?

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas-time!

We had a busy but fun Saturday. In the morning, our friend Amber came to photograph us for our Christmas cards. She is a professional photographer that attends our church and if you live in or around Big Spring, you should check her out. She does amazing work. Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot:
If you are interested in seeing the rest of the pictures, you can follow this link: http://www.staceyphotography.com/prather/

That afternoon, I took Will to our local museum where Santa and Mrs. Claus just happened to be spending the afternoon (*wink, wink*). He had his picture taken with them, too, and we decorated gingerbread men cookies and looked around the exhibits at the museum. I then took him for a late lunch at his favorite place, of course--McDonald's. A grand time was had by all. We had a great "date." (The Santa picures won't be ready until Dec. 16th, so I will post it then).

Then that evening was the big Christmas parade. We ended up in the same spot as last year next to the same family. We had a good time chatting with them, waiting for the parade to begin. The kids soaked up the parade, crying, "LOOK!!!!" at every single thing that went by. We saw horses, monster trucks, motorcycles, classic cars, low riders, fire trucks, tiny cars, a boat, semis, and of course lots of people riding on the back of trailers. I think this year's parade was better that last year's. Some of the floats were really awesome.

The Steer mascot dressed as an elf led the parade.

Here comes the band!

I thought this guy was funny.

This one doesn't really need a caption...

Western Container's float (they make Coke product bottles--I think).

I guess this horse is a Clydesdale. It was enormous!


The boat full of cheerleaders.


That's the Grinch in jail! (Sheriff's Office float)

And last but not least, Santa and Mrs. Claus end the parade!

Since then, I have been trying to get my house decent for visitors. The first of the visitors come tomorrow; Scott's parents and grandmother. The first of his finals is tomorrow also and his second final will be Wednesday. Then we are home free! Graduation is this weekend and we are so excited. My parents will be meeting us in Abilene on Friday and then coming back to Big Spring with us for the rest of the weekend. I usually work on Mondays, but Scott needed extra time to himself to study and write today (he has a paper due tomorrow, too) so I stayed home today and it was probably a good thing because the house needs constant attention with my two running around taking apart everthing I've just done!

Claire is really starting to spout off the words now. She picks up a lot from her brother. You can really tell by the fact that she has started growling, much to my chagrin! Anywho, there's a little update on her.

As for Will, he just cracks us up all the time. Today he told Scott (albeit quoting from a movie), "Dad, sometimes I just think I'm a genius." Really?

Until next time (hopefully with graduation pictures!).