Sweet Friday!

We knew it was going to be a long day yesterday, and it didn't help that Thomas woke up at 6am yelling, "We are going to the Sweet 16 today!" The kids were so excited about going and almost as excited to get out of school at 10:30 am!

We packed the car and headed south. It was so encouraging seeing so many BU stickers on cars heading towards Houston on Highway 6 then I-45! When we were almost to Houston, we dropped off Emmy Lou at my in laws house. They were thrilled to have some Mary Beth time for the evening and we knew she would be so excited to have cousin time with our three nieces.

After we said goodbye, we sat in bumper to bumper Houston traffic for a while, but made it to the stadium in time for hot dogs, snacks, and merchandise purchasing. Baylor had rented a large room across the street from the stadium to gather before the game, and I enjoyed visiting with my high school/college friend, Sam.

Then, it was time to head to Reliant stadium, where the Houston Texans play. Apparently BU fans were a little miffed that ESPN earlier in the week said our Houston game wouldn't be like a home game, since Bear fans didn't travel well. Many BU fans drove the 3 1/2 hours to Houston and there must have been 200 BU fans to every one for Duke, Purdue, and St. Mary's! I have never seen so much green and gold in my life!

As the game was starting, I tried to settle my nerves. You couldn't click on ESPN.com without seeing a picture or a reference to Omar Samhan. So many analysts picked them as a surprise winner. However, by a few minutes into the game, it was obvious who the better team was. And Omar Samhan, who was the leading scorer in the entire tournament, only had 3 points in the first half!

The entire stadium was rocking. On one of our cheers, one side yells "Baylor!" and the other side yells, "Bears!" The noise from this was thunderous. I got a little choked up! What an amazing memory to share with our boys! I wish all my friends and loved ones could experience the game with Matthew. That is one crazy fan! The boys were hilarious and so grateful that they got to go.

Of course, by half time, when our hopes for making the Elite 8 came more into focus, Bryon was already scheming on how he was going to make it back down for Sunday's game! Where there's a will, there's a way. The boys will be coming back on Sunday! My in laws were thrilled to get to keep Mary Beth for the weekend and Bryon will pick her up again on Sunday after the game.

We stayed and watched the Duke/Purdue game to see who we would play on Sunday. Wow. Duke's defense was impressive. This one will be a tough hurdle, but I hope that our boys can play as well as they did last night!

Sic 'Em Bears!

The entire stadium was colored in green and gold!
Taking in the sweet success of the first half.

Sic 'Em Bears!

There is never any doubt that we Barnhills are big Baylor fans! Matthew can hardly wait 8 years to attend school there.

We are also huge Baylor sports fans. For the past 15 or so years, we have been LONG SUFFERING football fans. However, our basketball program, which suffered some huge scandals nearly a decade ago by some of the players and former head coach, has been on the rise. The girls even won the NCAA women's championship a few years ago. They are a joy to watch, and are returning to their mid last century glory.

Every summer, Baylor puts on a basketball camp with many of the Baylor players helping. Nearly every day after camp, I would find Thomas playing one on one with Anthony Jones (the last picture with Matthew and Thomas in it), who was so sweet to Thomas. If you are watching the game tonight, he is the one in the white sweatband. The players were so happy to pose for pictures and play with the kids. Every one I talked to was so polite and seemed to genuinely enjoy being with their little fans. I love this team both because they are so much fun to watch, and that they are such sweethearts.

Last summer, I talked to Baylor's head coach, Scott Drew. His daughter and Mary Beth are friends in ballet class. He asked me if Baylor and Alabama played each other, who would I root for? I said Baylor! I will never waver in my loyalty to Bama football, but I am so proud of our Baylor team and basketball program, I could never root against the Bears. Of course, Coach Drew knew something I didn't know. Baylor and Bama ended up playing each other over Thanksgiving, and Baylor lost in the end. One of our few losses of the season! ;)

We are so proud that both our men's and women's teams made the Sweet 16! I am excited to root for our boys tonight in Houston. Win or lose...what a great season!

A day with Aunt Bernie

Bryon took off work on the kids' final official day of Spring Break, and we headed to Aunt Bernie's farm near Bryan/College Station. Aunt Bernie is Bryon's great aunt, but was more like a grandmother to him growing up.

I have written before about Aunt Bernie, but wanted to say again how much I adore this woman! You have got to love a woman in her late 80s who is taking a computer class, lives on her farm all by herself, and wishes she had a .22 instead of a Smith and Wesson gun! She also is a fabulous cook and I enjoyed spending a while looking at her recipes with her.

Bryon's parents surprised us and showed up on the farm as well. They brought their granddaughter, Allie, with them, and Mary Beth enjoyed some girl cousin time.

The kids had a blast! Literally! Both boys got to shoot Bryon's gun for the first time. I did, too! I didn't get a picture of me, but I have the sore ribs this morning to prove it. The boys rode around in the gator (a glorified go cart) and Matthew was thrilled to get to drive it alone.

Up until this year, Aunt Bernie raised and bred a herd of cattle. This was getting difficult for her so they turned her farm into a bird sanctuary. The kids and I loved looking at her birds' nests.

After a fun day enjoying the country and plenty of sunshine, it was time to come home. We are hoping to make the most of our final game free weekend and work in the yard!

Some signs of Spring and a few other pictures

Lots of signs of Spring around our house! Here are a few. Mary Beth needed some warm weather clothes. She fell in love with this hat and it just happened to land in her pile of clothes to purchase!

I love this picture of MB!
My house needed a Spring update. Love the new Pottery Barn throw pillows!
Matthew is center and slightly left top row.

As soon as Thomas spends any time outside in the sunshine, his freckles come out of their winter hibernation! So adorable!

Matthew's select team. With his eyes closed, he looks so much like Bryon! (top left)

Mary Beth has inherited my love of gardening. She couldn't wait to plant her Veggie Tales and Sesame Street vegetable seeds!
Mary Beth's best friend came over to spend the night last night. They were excited to be wearing the same outfit!

March

I very hesitantly turned the calendar this week to March. In our house, March comes in like a lamb and ends roaring like a lion. I am trying to gear up for it!

We not have our Spring schedule pretty well mapped out. Life, for me, is pretty quiet until 3:30 pm. Starting the week after Spring Break, here is a glimpse of our life in the evenings:

Monday- 5:30 Mary Beth soccer practice

5:30 Matthew baseball practice

Tuesday- 5:30 Thomas soccer practice

5:30 Matthew soccer practice

Wednesday- 5:00- Matthew piano

5:30- Thomas piano

5:30-7 Matthew select baseball practice

7- church

Thursday- 4-5 Mary Beth ballet

4-5 Thomas Zumba

5:30 Thomas soccer

5:30- Matthew baseball

Friday- 5:30 Mary Beth soccer

Saturday- Ensemble piano practice, 3 soccer games, 1 baseball game

Sunday- Church, then 2 hour Matthew select baseball practice

Now, before you report us to the overcommitted family police, I will let you know the upside of our schedule:

*Usually, in the Spring, I have more one on one time with each child. One child is at practice and I am sitting in the car with another one. There is lots of quality time with each kid during this seemingly hectic time.

*Bryon feels sorry for me and tends to get home a little earlier in the Spring! ;)

*Many Spring evenings are rainy, and we get lots of rain outs which is always an unexpected surprise!

*The kids are doing what they love. I love having three children who are interested in so many things!

*The days begin to get longer, so we still have time after practice to go on a walk or play in the backyard.

*The kids have 1 1/2 to 2 hours of free time after school every day.

*I can do anything for 12 weeks! Then it's the summer!

We were all set to go to Angel Fire, NM for our second annual Spring Break trip, but we decided to have a "Staycation" instead. We have had a busier than average winter, and have neglected our yard and some home projects. Bryon is taking off a few days and we are praying for good gardening weather!

Also, in March, we celebrate Texas Independence from Mexico. Here is Mary Beth getting ready for her Texas Sing Along today. Let's keep it on the DL that she is wearing boy boots and hat! ;)

She is having some breathing issues lately. I thought she looked adorable doing her breathing treatment decked out in western wear!
She just can't help herself. ;)

Mary Beth right now..

Mary Beth fell flat on her face at recess a few weeks ago. It was quite a mess! I neglected to take a picture of her bruised face until a week later.

I have a special place in my heart for kindergarten and kindergartners. I adore this age! I can't believe we only have three more months as kindergarten parents....ever! I can't think about it or I'll cry.

Here's what's going on with our favorite kindergartner:

*Happy. Happy. Happy! She has such a joyful spirit! Mary Beth has a beautiful smile, and loves to flash it all the time. Her teacher describes her in the classroom as joyful and up for anything.

*Extremely obedient. I can't remember the last time I had to get on to her about anything. She has never gotten a color change at school, but does get changed to "blue" (one step above starting position "green") almost daily. In fact, all you have to do to get her to do anything is offer her a "blue"! ;)

*Her favorite after school activity, other than playing with her best friend, is to watch Full House. She loves getting her bibi's (her two blankets that she has had since birth), crawl in my lap, and watch her show.

*Recently, she was given the option of wearing something with Disney Princesses on it. She wanted nothing to do with it! Princesses were her favorites for YEARS! Now, she loves Barbie, Hello Kitty, and Zhu Zhu pets.

*Happiest around her girls. Mary Beth loves being with her friends. Not only her dearest friend in the world, Whitney, but also sisters of whatever teammate is playing with her brothers. She has spent quite a bit of her life at the boys' sporting events, but she always finds a friend!

*Fashionista! She always needs a purse and accessories before going out the door. We asked her to get dressed for school on Thursday, and this is what she came up with! Along with offering her "blues", she will also do anything for a swipe of lipstick on her lips!

*Quite a little goofball! Mary Beth loves making us laugh, and she has lots of funny accents and facial expressions. The other day, before being corrected by me, I asked her to get ready for bed, and she said in her hickest accent/neck rolling, "What are you talking about, girl?"

*Speaking of her voice, she still has a very raspy voice. It is very distinctive. I wonder if she will be a singer? She has a deep, throaty laugh that I never get tired of!

*She still loves to dance, both in her ballet class and at home listening to music.

*Mary Beth is still a little peanut with small hands and feet, but I have noticed that she is getting harder to carry.

*She has become quite the Daddy's girl lately and wants to be with Bryon at all times. This could be because he buys her candy or treats constantly!

*Mary Beth loves reading her AR books nightly but is not the biggest fan of homework. Homework is BORING according to Mary Beth. This is very different from the boys who begged their teachers for homework at this age. This being said, she ADORES kindergarten and her teacher. I could not have asked for a better teacher for MB. She was everything we had prayer for for our little girl.

*She adores her big brothers and they would do anything for her. Mary Beth is truly the sunshine in our lives!

Thomas right now...

Here are a few things going on with my Sweet T...

*He just finished his Upwards basketball season. I love watching him play basketball! His specialty was rebounds and jump balls.

*I have never once in his 8 years of life heard Thomas say that he was scared. This could come from his laid back nature or calm demeanor, but nothing worries him or gets him worked up. He substituted for Matthew in his game yesterday (Matthew was playing baseball) and had no fears playing ball with 3rd and 4th graders. He actually scored the winning two free throws to win the game for Matthew's team!

*He loves to skip.

*Thomas does not have the greatest fashion sense. Some of his wardrobe combinations are legendary.

*When I was halfway through my pregnancy with Thomas, I started measuring 4 weeks too big and did for the remainder of my pregnancy. I even had to have a special ultrasound done to make sure everything was OK because of this. Turns out, I was just meant to have a big boy! My 8 year old wears size 10-12 shirts and pants, so he and Matthew share a wardrobe. He has a Hos Cartright quality about him. Gentle giant with a heart of gold! ;)

*Thomas adores all sports. You couldn't tear him away from the Olympics these past two weeks. He reads the sports section of the newspaper and watches ESPN for all his sports knowledge. Above all sports, he adores Alabama football the most. For as much as Matthew loves Baylor, Thomas loves Alabama. He has big plans to play football there in college.

*He wants to be a lawyer some day, after his professional football career is over, of course. Any time Matthew gets in trouble, he has to "hire" Thomas to defend his case. These are hilarious moments in our family. During Matthew latest offense, not keeping his room clean which put his new baseball bat ownership in jeopardy, Thomas made Matthew pay him $15 to argue his case to the judges, Mom and Dad!

*Thomas reads on a high level, but isn't motivated to read like his big brother. Above all subjects in school, math is his favorite. He loves doing percentages with me and is thrilled that his teacher is very math minded as well.

*Because of his bend toward math, Thomas has a very analytical mind. I love listening to him talk and wondering what is going on in his mind. I told him yesterday how much I love my children. He said, "I love my Mommy. Much more than I love my children right now." Everything is qualified and very literal! Many of the funniest moments in our family are Thomas's take on different subjects.

*One of my favorite things in the world is watching this boy dance! It has landed him on the jumbotron at Texas Rangers games and Baylor basketball games, not to mention hysterical laughter from his family and friends! One of the highlights in Thomas's life at the moment was enrolling in a kids Zumba class. I am in a Zumba class and Thomas is always wanting to learn my moves. My friend, who teaches the class, began a kid's class last week, and it has been all Thomas could talk about for weeks. My friend said that Thomas was the least inhibited in the room and started doing the Robot for the class!

I was helping out in his class recently and I saw a funny picture Thomas had drawn. It was a picture of a child's body and arrows were pointing to different body parts with action words attached. For instance, arm had the word "wave" next to it. Thomas's had an arrow pointed to his stomach with the word, "roll" next to it. He is very proud of and proficient in his belly roll!

*Thomas is very patient. His piano teacher comments on how calm he is and he will practice and practice particular parts of songs without getting frustrated, unlike other Barnhills she teaches ;). Thomas has a very calming voice and spirit.

*One of his favorite activities is riding his Rip Stick around the neighborhood. I am proud of him for mastering this since I cannot get on it without falling!

*He is extremely obedient and I rarely have to get on to him. If I ever do, it is because of a frustration with Matthew. He adores his older brother and I also love watching his relationship with Mary Beth. He will do anything for her and the play together well.

*Thomas has an adorable giggle and laughs easily. He also has a sweet group of friends whom I adore.

We love our Tom boy! What a blessing he is to our family!

Matthew right now..

I was at a baby shower last weekend and I talked to another member of our church about the preschool years with Matthew. She was shocked to hear that, in her mind, our Type A, serious, obedient 10 year old had ever been as precocious as I described him from age 1-3! Yes, I have often thought what a tragedy it was that I didn't have a blog during the preschool golden days of Matthew! I also thought later that day that since I didn't kill my lip stick ruining, no napping, door locking, car back upping, car seat/stroller/high chair wiggling freeing, running naked down the aisle at church preschooler, God has rewarded me with a fun, interesting, cool 10 year old!

Here's what is going on with my sweet boy:

*The biggest event in his life right now is that he is now playing select baseball. This is something that he had wanted to do for a while, but we didn't feel like it was the right time. We had even decided that this spring, Matthew was only going to play soccer. A few weeks ago, the coach from the select team, that Matthew had wanted to play for for ages, called us and talked to us for an hour about Matthew joining the team. We thanked him, but declined the offer. He called again. We thanked him, but declined the offer. He asked us to come to a parent meeting. Bryon went. We thanked him, but declined the offer. He asked us to come to a practice and see what it was like. Matthew hit two home runs in practice. He was sold. The more we realized what was involved with the team, we became sold as well. We told the coach that he was an amazing salesman! ;) Matthew is a very passionate person and he gets excited about many things, but I have never seen him so excited about a sport ever. He can hardly wipe the smile off his face! Truth be told, we are excited about it as well and are glad that Matthew is playing baseball again. His first tournament is this weekend. Watching Matthew play sports is one of the highlights of our parenting life.

*Matthew continues to be a passionate reader. He reads on a very high level, and it is always a challenge finding interesting books for Matthew with appropriate content! Books geared toward junior high and high school don't always have the content that I am OK with for my 4th grader!

*He is a meat and potatoes kid. His favorite meal is roast, carrots, and potatoes, with my grandmother's spaghetti a close second.

*He is vaguely interested in video games but would rather play outside. He does enjoy playing Club Penguin on the computer and some Disney teen shows on tv.

*Matthew is incredibly independent and reliable. I never have to ask him if he has done his homework or read. I haven't looked at a spelling list with him in years. He just gets it done.

*Although he is independent, he really wants me with him. He can't stand when I go out at night. One of my favorite stories to illustrate this happened many years ago. When Matthew was in kindergarten, he found my cell phone, looked at my contact list, and called my friend, Martha Kate and left her a message saying that I no longer wanted to be her friend and please stop asking my mommy to go out with you! He would still do this today if he could! ;) While we were in Las Vegas, he called me many times just wanting to check in. I love this contradiction in his personality!

*He also is the most open with me about what is going on in his life. Matthew will sit on the couch and talk to me about his friends, teachers, etc.

*He has a great sense of style and is particular about his wardrobe. He chooses what he wears to school, and I never have to tell him to try again. Lots of hoodies, athletic shorts, and UnderArmour in his closet!

*He is a good big brother. I have seen him ooohing and aaahing over Mary Beth to his friends. He also will talk to Thomas for an hour every night in bed. He doesn't enjoy it when Thomas is spending the night at a friend's house, because he doesn't like to be alone in his room. It never bothers Thomas when Matthew spends the night with a friend! He also adores being the oldest cousin and caring for the younger ones.

*Matthew has several good friends who live in our neighborhood. When talking about his friends, he usually talks about his daily football game at recess. Always interesting to hear about who did what well!

*He is as strong as an ox. Matthew is built just like a Robinson. He has great muscle definition and has always had defined pectoral muscles, even as a two year old! His legs are very muscular and solid as a rock. Matthew loves that his hands are bigger than mine, and that he is able to wear my flip flops. We also wear the same shirts. He hit the 100 pound mark this year which amazes me!

*Matthew is obsessed with all things Baylor. He already has his life plan set and Baylor has a huge part of that! He loves drawing BUs over all of his papers, and drinks in every Baylor sporting event. I am sure I will have a Baylor Mom sweatshirt in, gasp, 8 years!

*He continues to grow in his faith and being a Christian is a huge part of his identity. We love that Matthew loves Jesus and cannot stand missing church for any reason.

Just a few things about our Matt man. Updates on the other two to follow!

Snow day!

On Sunday, we were at a baseball scrimmage enjoying the beautiful, sunny, 77 degree afternoon. After practice, we were making plans for the next baseball practice and the coach said we needed to wait and see what would happen with the snow. Yes, the elusive snow that usually comes to Waco every few years. It sort of made me chuckle.

The next few hours, a strong wind came in from the north and wrecked our Sunday evening picnic. It got colder and colder and yesterday morning, beautiful huge flakes begin to fall from the sky! I quickly went out and saw my patient and prepared for an afternoon at home.

My mother came over for lunch, since her office had closed down, and Lauren and the boys came over following an early release from Mother's Day Out. My kids joined the party at 12:30, and we enjoyed several hours of snow ball throwing, snow angel making, sliding down snowy slides, and snow ice cream making fun!

Then, for a few hours, each kid played with one of their best friends. Matthew went over to his buddy, Ethan's house. Mary Beth and Thomas kept changing houses with their friends, Whitney and Justin. The boys were outside and the girls were in. Mary Beth tolerated the snow, but she was much more comfortable enjoying the snow in a cup on a beach towel in the kitchen!

Then, Bryon came home early, and SnowBowl 2010 began! My three boys are so funny, but if there is any change in the weather (well, in addition to any other time of the year), they love to pick up a football and run outside. Years from now, when the kids are grown, I think this memory of my kids will be one of the strongest. Such joy!

Yes, we played outside until there was no more light left. What a fun day full of great memories! Here's hoping for one more snow before Spring!

Matthew and Ethan making an igloo

Fun Cousin time!

The girls gathering snow for snow ice cream.

Where did my little boy go? He has been replaced by this big guy!

Brotherly love in the middle of a snowball war.
Behind our fence. A winter wonderland!
Nana and Mary Beth making snow ice cream.

Cheers!




Bryon preparing for a snowball war with Thomas and Justin.

Snowbowl 2010

Daddy and the boys.