Special Times

We had such a special week. Michele and Dale were able to come and spend some time with us. We were all excited and the kids were SUPER excited to be able to see Grandma and Grandpa Coates. The weather was crazy here in Texas the day they were flying in and they ended up with their flight delayed for a few hours in Denver. That is never fun but they finally made it. We had such fun hanging out, visiting, and playing games.

The main reason they flew down was so that Dale could ordain Courtney a high priest. We feel so blessed that they were able to come with such short notice to participate in this special event.
Dale was able to get Courtney ordained to the office of a high priest and then President Krogue set Courtney apart as a member of the high council. I feel so blessed to have the priesthood in our home to bless our family. Oh, how I love my husband and the man he is.
Now we begin a new adventure. Me trying to get the kids to church on time when Courtney is gone traveling and speaking in other wards. Oh, and trying to keep them somewhat reverent during Sacrament meeting. Wish me luck.

Bluebonnets

The bluebonnets have really started to come out around here so a group of us decided to head over to Ennis, TX to check out their bluebonnet park. So after driving a little over an hour we got to bluebonnet park and there wasn't a bluebonnet in sight. But there was a playground, so we let the kids play for a while. We did find out that they have tons of trails you can walk and drive to check out bluebonnets. We couldn't resist stopping here and getting pictures. There were horses, ponds, and beautiful bluebonnets everywhere.

Averi had some serious sun in her eyes but she was a good sport and let me get a picture anyway.
I love the sibling love going on in this picture. In all reality though, it was the photographer that was with me that suggested that Rylan could put his arm around Ave. I am so glad she did. It turned out so cute. And sadly, that is when my camera ran out of batteries. It was so funny because the kids kept asking if they could just go back to the park. Apparently they haven't discovered the beauty of just looking at the wild flowers. It made me laugh because they would ask, "where we going now?" I would respond, "to see all of the flowers." Then they would proceed to tell me that we had just seen flowers. It really was a beautiful day and in the end I think they even had a good time checking out the bluebonnets.

Aaaahhhhh!

So, I am so sad because my kids are simply not going to have any pictures to keep the memories alive of the last few months. Averi thinks my camera is a toy...it is not. Which brings me to my next question, why will my kids not play with the awesome camera that is for them but instead beg for, steal. and break the real thing. I hate posting with no pictures. I will probably have to get over it because I don't see a new camera in my near future.

Scary.....

Scary....or not so much. I tried to have the kids come up with costumes ages ago so we could kind of coordinate. That didn't work so well. So, we headed to the store and they just randomly picked something. I guess all that matters is they were happy. Jax chose a Ninja. He was breaking out some pretty serious moves. And they have been constantly singing, I am ninja, you are ninja, we are ninja, ttttwwwwoooo.
Kam was a skeleton...or as I like to call her, and eighties rocker-skeleton chick. She sure looked cute though.

Rylan was Batman. Again. He loved every second of it. It is batman everything at our house with him. Everything he got for his birthday was batman too.


Sweet Averi decided that she needed to be a princess. She didn't care who the princess was, she just wanted to be a princess. We found the Ariel costume and she loved the dress. So she was Ariel even though I don't think she has a clue who Ariel is. And don't you love the bows in her hair. She insists that they match and that they are "pretties". So being that she is two and always right she has been wearing the bows everyday for about a week. No reason to make an exception on Halloween.

Here...Fishy, Fishy

You have to look real close but Averi even caught a little fish. She was obsessively reeling in the fishing line and somehow managed to grab a fish on the hook on the way into shore. It was so funny. There was so many weeds and junk I didn't even know there was a fish on the line.
We went fishing on Saturday evening. It was so nice. We went with our friends, the Faulkinburys, to a private pond. It was the perfect place to fish, especially for the kids. The fish are constantly biting so they can catch all sorts of fish. Not so fun for the men, probably, because they spend the whole time retrieving hooks and getting the fish back into the pond. Courtney had a heck of a time getting the hook out of one of the fish I caught. (yep, he even has to bait my hook and get the fish taken care of and back out there.)
Jaxon caught quite a few fish. This is one of many. Although, he is super funny about the Blue Gill. For some reason, he is just not a fan. I think it is because last time they went fishing he kept catching the smallest fish, oh, and it got him with its spikes. The other day we were at Bass Pro shop and we happened to be looking at a chart of fish. When he got to the Blue Gill, he raised his fist and said, "Curse you, Blue Gill."
Kambree got one of the biggest catches of the day. It was pretty exciting. She was even able to get the worms on her hook by herself. And then Courtney convinced her to hold and throw the fish back. She did way better than her mama.
The kids were way excited to go out on the kayak. Kam and Jax went out with Christy earlier in the day. Right before we left Courtney took the younger kids out for a little ride. We had such a good time and are glad the Faulkinbury's invited us, helped us with all the kids and the fish, and let us go out in the kayak. It all made for a great family outing!

12 Years down....Eternity to go

August 8, 1998

It seemed so natural at the time to be getting married. I knew I had found the man I wanted to be with for eternity. But I have to admit when I look at our wedding pictures now, I am amazed at how young we were. The only thing that really matters is that age didn't matter. I made an amazing choice and I love Courtney more today than I ever thought possible. We have had to endure some tough times but those times have only made the great times that much more amazing. I feel truly blessed to be where I am now.

So here are my 12 things I love about Courtney:

1. He always sees the positive in every situation.
2. His sense of humor ensures I am smiling a lot.
3. He is such a hard worker.
4. He always supports me in everything I do.
5. He helps out around the house.
6. He makes some yummy food.
7. He doesn't complain about the "honey do" lists.
8. He "plays"/wrestles with the kids.
9. He is my rock.
10. He is a great father.
11. He honors his priesthood.
12. He loves ME.
    

Here is an example of one of my honey do jobs. I saw a washer/dryer stand on another blog and decided I had to have one. So, we headed off and bought the supplies and even went and borrowed the necessary saw. Courtney even did all the painting after it was built. Then, when I was gone to girls night on Saturday, he moved it in and even lifted the washer and dryer up on it all by himself. I was so excited. It turned in to quite the fun gift.

Tramp

Averi follows Zander around wherever he goes and loves him to DEATH. He is a good sport and allows her to torture him with her love.
Zander was loving the trampoline!Lyndsey and Jer were able to come down for Easter and of course they brought Zander. (Court told me later that Zander is his favorite nephew on my side...but shhhhh, don't tell anyone.) Here is a video of Zander jumping with the kids (this is for you mom). In the beginning he sounds like he is crying but he is really laughing. You will have to excuse all the other conversations about dodgeball and such that are going on.