Apple Antics

Monday, January 4, 2010

2010 Brings Surprises For...

The Apple Kids

That we, MamaApple and DaddyApple, love to plan especially for the start of a new year!!!

OF COURSE...NONE of this would be possible without God and all His blessings He has poured on us to make this all happen...so I don't want to forget to thank our TRUE sponsor of all these surprise happenings!!!

So...sit back relax and enjoy the show. You never know what you will see with the Apples in tow!

After about a good four hour drive and questions of "where are we going?" and "are we almost there yets?", this is what we get...

Because this is what they are seeing from the outside...

And boy do they FLIP OUT when they see what the inside holds for them!!!

Meanwhile the sisters are surfing it up...

And they appear to be naturals at the sport! That's my girls!!!

And you can never leave a waterpark without a try at the wave pool...

They even have a happening hot spot for the toddlers where mom can just sit back, relax and let them go wild!

This was just after the first day of swimming at the indoor waterpark...

The next day was a full 10 hour day of non stop splishin and a splashin with dad while mom was out for the day taking in the shopping possibilities kid-free!!!

Just a hanging out...

Waiting patiently for the last days event which the Apple kids think is all about what mom and dad "want" to do....

BUTTTT....little do they know Dad has plans for more fun!!!
In the SNOW!!!

That's right...a little bit of skiing is in store for the first time ever for the kids that is!

Because back in the days...Dad use to ski way before the kids came along and has since put it on the back burner until now, since his girls LOVE IT. It looks like we will be making this a yearly event real soon!!!

Now...as adventurous as Dad is...Nico stayed behind in the warm inside to hang with Mom in the arcade room where he found some fun suitable things to do. Though, I know he was hoping to try some snowboarding out....

Well...it was a great start of a NEW YEAR, but we of course had to say goodbye and head back home. ALL in ALL I'd say the Apples had a blast just being together and flying by the seat of our pants!

We wish everyone a blessed 2010 and we hope it is FULL of SURPRISES that bring laughter, love and joy !!!

Oh yeah...we musn't forget we did make one last pit stop for Nico!!!

Surprise Surprise!!!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Tis' The Season

To Dress Up and Party Like 1980 something never went out of style!

Meet my date...Gene Simmons and I don't think Madonna's famous pink Material Girl dress looked quite the same then as it does now...

Here are me and the girls showing off our own unique 80's look...

And of course the boys looking ever so punk, hip-hopping, preppy and rocker-like

And no 80's Party would be right without some jamming Christmas music from our very own boys to men...

We musn't forget the games and there are always winners that must pose

And pose again...

I would have to say, we all had a blast from the past as we celebrated Christmas with the coolest Sunday School Class ever!!!

We hope you all are taking some time this season to share the joy of having good friends and family in your life and giving all the glory to our Saviour!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

A Texas Style Thanksgiving

I know, I know, it is Christmas time right now. However, if you are still tuning into my blog, you know I am a bit behind in keeping up these days! Excuses excuses! And blah, blah, blah...

I will just get started with it all began with a 13 hour drive one way, where we make our first stop to visit with one of my best friends since we were in the 7th grade! I miss her like crazy!

She takes our family out to lunch and of course...

I had to take a picture of our kiddos. Her boys are the biggest ones. And she actually watches kids like I do and she brought them along, which are also kids from an old high school alum.

Then off to see GranApple and PapApple where we don't waste any time and get riding on the tractor...this is what you do in TX right?

Along with fishing...

And receiving handmade with love one of a kind presents like these where you can hang your softball gear on...

While brother receives the coolest specialty handmade wooden rubber band shooting gun ever!

I think he likes it...

He likes it a LOT!!!

Then off to Mom and Dad's Old Stomping Grounds, where we show them some cool "hamburger joints" we use to frequent, where of course the boy finds something he might enjoy....

We take a tour of the best college stadium ever. Those Aggies fought a good fight against them T-sippers! There's nothing like the Spirit of Aggieland.

And looks like he just couldn't wait. We are pretty sure he hasn't been the first or the last...

We then show them some more of the Aggie traditions...
some not sure I was ready to share, but some they needed to know!

And size up the boy for his future...

Then leave with a couple of souvenirs that are Biblically based of course...

Before we head off to grub at the best Mexican restaurant EVER to show off our TN style and visit with more of our dearly missed friends!

Mind you, those two older yet younger looking boys were just babies not too long ago.
Seriously, I knew them when they were about the age of my two oldest now!!!

Then of course, the dreaded goodbyes, and the hope to see you soons...came and broke my heart. However, the memories will last forever! Thank you TX for being the best Southern Hospitality around! WE love you!

And this is us fueling up for our 13 hour drive home to TN!

Where we Apples are super Thankful to be settling and raising our God given family!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

A Long Over Due

Happy 10th Birthday to My first born child Rylee....

Dearest Rylee,

The days before you were even born, I thought I would be so prepared with a college degree, a career path that would impress everyone at my 10 year high school reunion, a savings account that the financial gurus urge you to have at least six months worth of your salary saved up for "emergencies" and a perfect white picket fence house to bring you into this world with, well...I did a few of those things. BUT nothing, not all the books, the advice, the professionals could have prepared me for compares to the moment in time I first met you on September 24, 1999 at

5:31 PM...

My heart, my soul, my self-centeredness realized that I had a more important role to fulfill honor and cherish from this day forward.

I was your MOMMY!!!!

And with that right, I took lots of pictures of you, of you and your daddy, of me and you and of the three of us of course. And looking back at the past decade of your existence I also learned a lot about who I was, who I wanted to be and who I needed to be for you. You, being the first had no idea in your first 10 years of life have taught me more than I have taught you. I want you to know that you have made this world a better place to live and love in...

And as the years passed, I knew I had to eventually let go of you slowly and share you with the world. At times I cringe at your style of dress, but not your style of friends, so for your 10th birthday, you chose to take your little sis and your best friend on a camping trip...

And thankfully, you still chose for your mommy and daddy to be with you....

Though, I know it won't be too long before you must go and experience this world on your own. Until then, I promise to keep learning how to be your mommy and loving you to the ends of the earth. Thank you for being my first....

Love,
Mommy

Friday, September 18, 2009

Not so sure I am ready

Ready for what? You might be asking? For this girl who sits in the car daydreaming about driving one day....

As I sit in the ER room last night waiting to have 3 staples put on the top of her head. Now when I say staples, I really mean staples like the one you use to hold papers together. And in exactly one week on her 10th birthday she will have them removed just like you would remove staples from a paper. Now you might be wondering how does one get to the point of having her head stapled together?

Well...you prop yourself on top of the kitchen counter top even after Mom says, "please don't do that, it is DANGEROUS," and proceed to hit your noggin on the corner of a kitchen cabinet and slice it wide open. Then you proceed to scream bloody murder and say things like..."This is the worst day of my life, EVER!" and " I NEVER want to go in the kitchen again!" and continue on with more intense screaming of the bloody murder kind. Thankfully, I had plenty of recruits to step in and help with the mini-crisis at hand. By the way, many many thank you's from the bottom of my heart for taking over and allowing me to get her to the ER quickly.

And as we rush to the hospital of course in a calm and non-speeding kind of way, Rylee asks about 1001 questions, all of which I gave calm one word answers to. Now, the one question that stumped me and had me smile was..."Will my brain still work?" Needless to say, we make it safely and all is well. We left with extras like a stuffed bear and an orange popsicle. At least she left smiling over those two things. I am sure the hospital will be smiling just as much as they process the bill...

In the end, I am thankful she is back to normal. I am sure she is having a fun day of show and tell today at school. Oh the joys of" war wounds"! If anything, I do hope she has learned her lesson!!! We shall see...

Friday, September 11, 2009

Where am I NOW?

That seems to be the question from everyone these days directed towards me. My dear husband comes in late from his 2nd job to inform me that I have NOT blogged in 3 weeks? Now, this is coming from the man that abhors it when he finds me on the computer checking email, FBing, or blogging. So...what do I do now? Find myself trying to figure out where am I? In my so called life? To be frank...I am all over the place, unsettled at times when I am not all over the place, and completely full of myself most of the time. All that being said, I am still here. I am 81/2 weeks pregnant, nauseous, but blessed. I miss some things and some people from my past, I savor the present, and cannot wait for the future that lies ahead. I do hope that many of you that check my blog continue to as I sift through the jungle I live and love. And of course I didn't want to leave without a few snapshots of where I've been...

Watching these girls hang with their friends, making their own fashion statements and memories...