Well this time it has been a very long time since I posted on here.  The summer is over and it is time for school to start again.  We had a very busy summer but it was fun.  We went to 2 concerts,  to San Antonio, stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge and played at the indoor water park they have in the lodge, and went to Bonham a few times to visit family.  

Here recently Russell took a new job at the Childress Economic Development Corporation.  He is the executive director.  He was 1 out of 4 applicants to interview.  He was officially hired Wednesday (August 12, 2009) and turned his resignation in to the school on Thursday.  He will begin his new job on Monday.  He is really excited but nervous at the same time because he is doing something new.  Like with anybody, when you try something you haven't done before you are a little nervous about the unknown.  Personally I think he will be great at the job and several people I have talked to think the same thing.  

Well hopefully I will be better in the future about posting on here.  Till next time.

Well as you can tell I haven't typed on here in a while but we have been busy.  We have been out of town quite a bit.  We went to Bonham (our hometown) and celebrated Ryan's birthday with a party at my sister's house.  My nephew's birthday is June 8 and Ryan's is June 28 so my sister and I decided to have their parties on the same day.  We had it on June 24 because that is the only day that we both were going to be in town to have it.  Ryan got sick the morning of his party and didn't get to enjoy it that evening.  He was feeling so bad that he didn't want to even open his presents.  He was sick the next morning and after that he was fine.  June 25 we had a little party for him at my inlaws house and he enjoyed that one.  The next day we came back home and have been here since then.  Next weekend we are going back to Dallas to see Keith Urban in concert and then when we leave there we are going to drive to San Antonio to stay a few days.   I am excited even though I like being home.  Well I guess that is all I have to say for now.  Till next time.

Well it has been a week since I typed on here. Russell's brother left the next morning, Wednesday, after they had got back home from the fishing trip. We just hung around the house the rest of the week. Friday night we packed up for Dallas because Saturday morning we were going to get up early and head out. Russell, our 2 kids, and I had tickets to see Rascal Flatts in concert Saturday night in Dallas. We woke up and left around 8:30 a.m. We went by the Childress Bakery for some breakfast to eat in the car on the way. We arrived at Dallas and checked in our hotel. We were wanting to take the kids to see a movie because the parking for the concert didn't open until 5:30 p.m. so we had some time on our hands. We all decided to go see the movie "UP" and it was a really good movie. We left there and went and ate some supper at On The Border. By then it was time to head to the concert. We had paid for premium parking ahead of time so we got to park in a certain parking lot close to the gate. It was great that we didn't have to walk very far to get in. The gates finally opened and then we had about and hour and a half until the concert actually started. The kids and I stood in line to buy a t-shirt while Russell stood in line to get us something to drink. It was an outside concert and the heat and humidity in Dallas was awful. But we made it through it and saw an awesome concert. By the time we got out of the parking lot and back to the hotel it was midnight. The next morning, Sunday, we headed to Bonham (where both sets of our parents live) because Russell's brother had taken Russell's truck back home so we were going to pick it up. His brother lives close to Bonham. We visited a little while and headed back to Childress. It was a whirlwind trip but we had a great time. Until next time.

Well I have missed blogging in several days. We left last Thursday to go to Bonham. We got there about 3 or so. We stayed at my mom and stepdad's house that night. Friday we hung around the house until it was time for me to get ready for the graduation. My mom was going to keep Bailee and Ryan so I could go to the graduation because I didn't think they would be quiet during it. I got back to my mom's house about 10:30. We watched tv for a little while and then went to sleep. Saturday we woke up and were going to go eat and go shopping. Ryan woke up that morning with a stomach ache. He threw up a few times but was okay by that afternoon. We went and ate and went shopping. Later that night we went to my inlaws to see them. Sunday we hung around the house with my mom and stepdad, played outside with Bailee and Ryan, cooked hamburgers on the grill for lunch, and my stepsister and step nephew came over to eat and visit. We went and rented movies that night and then went to sleep after the movies. Monday me and the kids came back home to Childress. Russell had left Saturday to go on a fishing trip with some friends. He was either coming back Monday night or Tuesday morning. He called me Monday night though and said they were leaving this morning and he got back this afternoon. Bubba, Russell's brother came to our house with Russell, and is leaving in the morning. Tonight we all went to watch Bailee play softball and then went out to eat. Now we are just relaxing at the house. Till tomorrow.

Well, I haven't blogged in several days so I will try to catch up on what has been going on.   We finished up the last week of school.  Everyone was ready for the summer vacation to begin.  The first three days of the week were normal days except on Wednesday after school we had a retirement party for Barbara Murray, Vicki Matteson, and Cheryl Bruce.  Thursday the kids got out of school at 2:00 and we could leave at 3:30.  I had an early out card (3:00) that Mrs. Sanders and Ms. Word had given me for my birthday so I used it Thursday.   Our last day was Friday.  The kids left at noon but we couldn't leave until 2:00.  Our lunch was at Garibaldi's as it always is at the end of school.  Once we left there we went back to school until time for us to leave.  Then summer vacation began.   On Saturday morning, Russell, Bailee, Ryan, and I left for our short family trip to Balmorhea.  It was a long way down there but we really had fun.  We swam, ate, went sight-seeing, and relaxed.  It was so nice to not have to be in a routine and be able to do what we wanted.  We stayed until Tuesday and headed back home that morning.   When we got home that afternoon I relaxed for a while.  Then I did some laundry because Thursday morning we are leaving to go to Bonham.  Russell is speaking at the graduation of Dodd City High School, the school he graduated from on Friday night.  Saturday he is leaving to go on a fishing trip with some of his friends but the kids and I are going to stay in Bonham.  We are going to go back home on Monday because Bailee has a softball game Tuesday night.  Russell is coming home either Monday night or Tuesday morning to get back home in time for her game.  Soon after that we will be packing again to head to Dallas to see Rascal Flatts in concert.  It is going to be so awesome and I cannot wait.   More to come later.

Today is Memorial Day and of course we have to work and are probably the only ones that had to work today.  The daycare that Ryan goes to was closed today so a friend of ours named Nicole Dill kept Ryan for us.  Bailee also went there after school.  They seemed to have a good time.  In fact they didn't want to leave when I went to pick them up.   We left there and went to United to get some things for supper and I dropped Bailee off at her friend Rilae's house to play.  Rilae had come by the house while we were gone so Russell told me when I talked to him that Rilae had come by.   Ryan and I came on home and then about 30 minutes later we went back and got Bailee.  We ate supper a little later and then watched some tv.  They got ready for bed and now I am typing on the computer.  It is quiet except for the tv sound.    Both kids are feeling well and hopefully will continue to do so.  Maybe tomorrow will be another regular day.  I am going to go get my nails done tomorrow after school and Russell is going to get the kids.  Bailee's guitar lesson changed times tomorrow so he will have to get her there and pick her up.   He will also pick Ryan up at daycare.   So I will get a little ME time tomorrow.  

I haven't typed on here in a few days so I will try to get caught up.  I think I told about Ryan being sick.  He was going to go to Debbie's on Thursday but he woke up running fever so he stayed home.  I stayed home with him and Bailee went on to school.  She got out early that day so Ryan and I went and picked her up.  When she got home she complained of her head hurting.  I figured it was because she had been out in the sun a lot of the day at school since she had her playday.  She also had a softball game that night and Ryan was feeling pretty good by then so we all went to Bailee's game.   Russell met us up there because he had been out showing some land that he is trying to sell.  Ryan rode home with Russell after the game and Bailee rode with me.   We were going to go get us something to eat to take home.   She told me that her head was hurting pretty bad.   By the time we got home, her head was hurting so bad that she went and layed on her bed and went to sleep.  This was at about 7:30 in the evening and that is just not like her.  Friday Bailee was supposed to go on a trip to Wonderland for earning 100 AR points.  She felt too bad to go to that.  So her and I stayed home on Friday and I took her to the clinic just in case she needed an antibiotic plus Monday is a holiday.  The doctor said that she had tonsillitis and that her tonsils were swollen and her ears were red.   He gave her an antibiotic to take.  Friday night we ate supper, watched 2 movies, and then went to bed.  Saturday we just hung around the house.  I did some cleaning, the kids straightened their rooms, and watched tv.  Today we just hung around the house again and Russell cooked on the grill tonight.   The kids took a bath and went to bed at their bedtime.  We only have one more week of school and hopefully we can make it through that.   Well that is all until tomorrow. 

I missed posting on here last night so I will type about yesterday and today.  Well to start off with Ryan and I stayed home yesterday so I could make sure he wasn't going to run fever again.  He didn't run fever all day and he acted like he felt pretty good.  So this morning he went back to daycare.  He complained of his head hurting so I gave him some Tylenol before we left.  About 11:00 today Debbie from his daycare called me and said that Ryan was still complaining about his head hurting but his fever was about 99.  I was going to take him Tylenol but Debbie said she would rather him go home in case he was contagious.  She said that a little boy that goes to daycare with Ryan had tested positive for the flu.   Ryan and I left and that got me to thinking.  So I called the clinic to see if I could get Ryan in to be tested just in case.   We got an appointment and headed out there at the time of our appointment.  He tested negative for the flu and the doctor thought Ryan just had an upper respiratory infection in the sinuses.  He told me to continue giving him the antibiotics and alternate Tylenol and Motrin for his headaches.  If his symptoms got worse,  I would need to take him back to the clinic.  So we will just wait and see I guess.  Maybe he will be able to go to daycare tomorrow and stay there the whole day.  Time will tell.  Till next time.

Today was a different day.  I went to work and about noon Ryan's daycare called me and said that he was running fever and it was 102.  So I  went and got him and called the clinic.  They could get him in at 2:30.  When we got home I gave him some Tylenol and it reduced his fever.  We went to the clinic when we were supposed to be there.  The doctor looked him over and said that he couldn't find anything wrong except that his throat was a little bit red.  He did go ahead and put him on antibiotics for 5 days.  I decided to keep him home tomorrow also because his fever came back.  Bailee was at school during all of this and she went ahead and rode the bus to the daycare.  Russell picked her up there.  When they got home one of Bailee's friends named Rilae Crow came over to play and then they went to her house.  Bailee had a softball game tonight against Rilae's team so Bailee just rode to the ball field with them.  We were all going to go to her game but that is when Ryan's fever came back so Russell stayed home with him and I went to Bailee's game.  She played really well and now she is looking forward to her next game which is Thursday.  Hopefully we will all make that game.  Till tomorrow. 

Today was a relaxing day at home. We just hung around here and played with the kids until Ryan's program for his daycare. It was at 4:00 today at Main Events. It was a really cute program. They said the Pledge of Allegiance which we all said with them. Then they sang "You Are My Sunshine" and the alphabet song. I videoed the whole thing so we will be able to see it later on. After the program we went to United Supermarket and got some stuff to grill because Russell wanted to grill outside. The kids played while he cooked and I watched them all. We ate and then Russell and I went jogging and walking while Bailee drove the chuckwagon with Ryan riding as the passenger. Then they watched a little tv when we got home before they went to bed. Now I am in our bedroom watching tv and typing on the computer. I was just now thinking about the busy week we are going to have this week. A lot of activities going on that we will be a part of. Posts about those things will come.

I slept in this morning.  When I got up and around, I got the house cleaned in between checking my email and looking on facebook.  We were having friends over tonight for a cookout so we were getting ready for it.  Russell was going to cook hamburgers on the grill so this afternoon he and Ryan went to the grocery store.  I  took a shower and got myself ready while they were gone because Bailee was at a friend's house playing.  We were afraid it was going to rain us out because it has rained so much lately.  But it held out and we all had a good time.  Our friends left to go home and so now the kids are in Bailee's room watching a movie, Russell is in his office, and I am in our bedroom typing on the computer.   Tomorrow Ryan has his end of year program for his daycare at 4:00 so we will be going to see that.  I will type tomorrow how that went.  Till next time.

Today is Friday but like I said in the last post we had today off. I slept in this morning and did some laundry. I didn't get the house cleaned like I wanted to so I will have to do it tomorrow. Russell said that he would help me but we will see. Ryan and Russell got both of our yards mowed and weed eated before the rain moved in tonight. It is so cute how Ryan wants to help Russell push the lawnmower as they mow. Ryan had goggles on so nothing would fly up in his eyes. Today I recorded them with my video camera. It will mean a lot when Ryan is older and looks back at the videos. Well I guess that is all I have to say tonight. I will get up in the morning and clean the house, take a shower, and get ready to entertain some friends. Maybe it won't storm tomorrow night but the way the weather has been here lately you never know. I am out of here for now.

Today was a pretty uneventful day also.  Work and school and then back home.  Bailee was supposed to have a game tonight but it was cancelled.  So her coaches said they would just have a practice.  Soon after we got home, her coach called and said that she was going to have to cancel the practice but they would make up the game on Monday night.  About an hour later  we went out to eat at K-Bobs and it was really good.  I like eating there.  We don't have to go to school tomorrow (Russell and I work for the school system) so we are letting the kids stay up a little later.   I am going to enjoy having a day off tomorrow, although I will probably clean the house so I won't have to do it Saturday.  Saturday night we are going to have some friends over so the house will definitely have to be clean before then.  

    Today when I picked Ryan and Bailee up from Debbie's I looked at Ryan's work he had done for the week.  He has learned to write his first name and how to write letters and numbers.  He knows his full name and his birthday.   He will stay at Debbie's one more school year and then we will register him for kindergarten.  I cannot believe that he is that old.  It seems like yesterday that he was born.  It seems that way for Bailee for that matter.  I can't believe she will be in third grade next year.  For now though we are going to finish out this year and enjoy our summer.

Well I forgot to write on here last night so I will write tonight.   Yesterday (May 12) I picked Bailee and Ryan up from Ms. Debbie's daycare and took Bailee to her guitar lessons with Mr. Monson.  We dropped her off and then Ryan and I went to Sonic to get a drink.  We came home for a little bit before it was time to to go back and get her.  By this time Russell got home so Ryan stayed at home with Russell while I went to Mr. Monson's house to get Bailee.  We came back home.  I fixed supper not too long after that and then Russell told me that it looked like a storm was heading this way.  As we watched it on the radar we decided we needed to go to our next door neighbor's house because they have a basement and we didn't know how bad the storm was going to get.  We tried to stay as calm as we could because Ryan is really nervous about storms.  Last year we had just pulled in the garage when fairly large hail started hitting the garage door and it really freaked Ryan out because it was so loud.  Now anytime it storms, he gets really nervous.  Luckily the storm last night didn't get real severe so after a few minutes with our neighbors we came home.   The kids then went to bed and so did we.

Today and tonight was pretty uneventful.  Russell and I just went to work, Bailee to school, and Ryan to daycare.  I picked the kids up from daycare when I got off work.  (Bailee rides the bus after school to the daycare Ryan is at and stays there until Russell or I pick them up.)  Russell took Ryan to check on Tom's land ( a guy that owns land here in Childress and Russell looks after it for him) and Bailee went to G.A.'s with Brittany Johnson at FBC.  I watched tv while they were gone.  When everyone got home, I cooked supper and we ate.  Then Russell, Bailee, and Ryan rode bicycles to the end of the street and back.  Ryan just learned to pedal his bike with training wheels so he couldn't go very fast.  That is why they didn't ride very far.   Everyone came back in the house and played around until bedtime.  The kids went to bed, Russell is on the big computer, and I am typing on the laptop.   I am about ready to go to sleep myself and get ready for the grind again tomorrow.

Today is Mother's Day.  It has been a pretty good day.  It was cool and cloudy outside today.  The kids played outside a little today and I cleaned the house.  Bailee decided since it was cool outside she wanted to put on jeans and a long sleeved button up shirt.  She then went outside.  Soon after that Ryan came in the living room and was dressing like Bailee along with cowboy boots.  Then he went outside to play.  They were so cute the way they were dressed up.  

Well it is just 3 more weeks until school is out for the summer.  I cannot wait.  We have tickets for 2 concerts.  We have one in June and one in July.   They are to see Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban.  I am so excited.  Right after school is out we are going on our annual trip to Balmorrhea, Texas.  It is a real relaxing trip.  It can't come soon enough.

Well today was busy day.  Bailee and Ryan went to a birthday party from 10:30 a.m. to about 12:00 p.m.  Then Russell and I picked them up, went by Sonic to get lunch, and headed to Altus.

Once we got there, we went to the bowling alley.  We got our bowling shoes, our alley, and started playing.  It was so much fun because Russell and I haven't been bowling in a while and our kids have never been.  Ryan would just try to throw the ball instead of rolling it so it would make a loud sound when it hit the floor.  He did really well though for a 4 year old that had never been bowling before.  Bailee was pretty good at it.  She wasn't very far behind Russell on scoring .  We won't even talk about how I did because my score was terrible.  Like I said though it was a lot of family fun.  

After bowling we did a little shopping and then ate supper at Applebee's.  We came home after eating and then Russell and I went jogging while Bailee drove and Ryan rode on the chuckwagon that we have.  It was a very eventful day and a day I will remember. 

Well today was just another day at work but at least it is Friday.   We didn't do much today when we all got home.  We ate supper and the kids played outside.  It was a real nice day.  Now Russell and I are watching tv and the kids are in Bailee's room watching a movie.   Bailee and Ryan are going to a birthday party for Seth and Kate Taylor tomorrow.  Then Russell and I are going to pick them up and we are all going to Altus, Oklahoma to eat at a nice restaurant and take the kids bowling for the first time.   I am anxious to see them try to throw the bowling ball because they don't know how heavy the balls can actually be.  I will post about it.

Now it is time to talk a little about our son.  Almost 4 years after Bailee was born, we had our sweet little boy.  His name is Ryan.  Ryan is now 4 years old but is about to turn 5.   He also loves sports and the outdoors like his sister.  Right now he is too young to play any sports or go hunting with his daddy but he does go just riding around with Russell looking for wildlife.  He loves to help Russell mow the yard but I would be willing to bet that when he is old enough to mow it himself, he will have more important things to do besides mowing the yard.   Next summer he will be able to play t-ball and he is so excited along with us.  It is hard to believe our youngest child is growing up so fast.  Again, we are very blessed to have Ryan and Bailee.  They are truly 2 great kids. 

Yesterday Ryan finally figured out how to pedal his bicycle with training wheels.  We were proud of him and he was really proud of himself.  He kept saying "I did it!"  It was priceless.  

Well 7 years after we were married, we had our first child, a daughter, and named her Bailee.   She is now 8 years old and in the second grade.   She loves to play softball and basketball the best but likes most sports.   She loves to be in the outdoors also.  Her daddy takes her hunting and fishing and both cannot wait until she takes her first deer.  We are very blessed to have such a smart, sweet, and loving little girl.   In my next entry I will talk about our little boy.

Well I have just started this blog to document what goes on in our daily life.   It all started almost 16 years ago (19 years if you count 3 years of dating) when Russell Graves and I got married.   The date of our wedding was September 11, 1993.  We were married on that Saturday at 6:00p.m.  We left later that evening and headed to our new life together.  We spent the night in Wichita Falls and headed to our new house in Childress the next morning.  The reason we had chosen to live in Childress which is about 250 miles away from any of our family is that Russell's dad said he needed to have a job before we got married.  He had just graduated from college as an ag teacher and that is where he got his first and only teaching job.  I also got hired at the elementary school as a teacher assistant.  We both had to be at work on that Monday.   Since we didn't have a long honeymoon, we went the next weekend to Amarillo, Texas and spent the whole weekend there.  Then we came back home and went back to work.