A Zoo Day and Fun Around the House

Yesterday, Lane and I were both off, so we decided to sleep in and then head to Tyler for a zoo day. I think that we are all really spoiled right now, since Dane will let us all sleep until around 9:45 on days we get to sleep in! I know that things will be changing very soon around here, so we are relishing our days like this now. Who knows, maybe Sydni will be a late sleeper, too! Wouldn't that be nice?

After we all got up and got ready, we headed first to Cracker Barrel for a nice brunch and then on to the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler. It was such a nice day outside, and we had a great time. I think that we had more fun this time, since this is the first time we've been that Dane really knew what all of the animals were - Thanks to our friend, Diego!

These are just a couple of pictures from last week of Dane and Spanky. They love each other, and I'm so glad that Dane has a fun, sweet dog to play with. Spanky was so dirty that day, but the pictures were still great, I thought. We especially like the one where Spanky is looking right at the camera.

I've been tagged!

I was tagged by my friend Joanna

*What was happening in my life 10 years ago--
1. I was finishing my first semester at A&M
2. I was getting ready to work at Camp Deer Run for the summer
3. I began work cleaning the house of an extreme hoarder - great job security because the house never actually got completely clean - there was always work to be done!
4. My brother was about to graduate from high school
5. I was still waiting on an engagement ring (I finally got it Oct. 3, 1998-he did a great job!)

*5 things on my To Do list today
1. Study for my Bible class lesson for tonight (I'm blogging because I'm procrastinating)
2. Go buy MORE milk (my boys love them some milk!)
3. Start on my stenciling project for Sydni's room - maybe.
4. Keep Dane from bothering my cat, C. John (that's a constant to-do)
5. Keep the house clean (I've kept everything caught up for almost a week now!)

*5 snacks I enjoy (not a fair question for a pregnant person)
1. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (that's my only pregnancy craving)
2. Mozzarella cheese sticks!
3. Oreo cookies with milk
4. Chocolate milk (doubles as my heartburn remedy-works like a dream and tastes great!)
5. Anything with cheese

*5 things I would do if I were a billionaire
1. Give lots of money to Camp Deer Run
2. Start my own plant nursery business located on...
3. Buy about 100 acres with tons of pine trees and a lake and build a cozy house
4. Buy a 2nd home in Colorado
5. Honor Lane's billionaire plan to pay off any debts belonging to any of our family members

*5 bad habits
1. Biting my cuticles (but not my nails)
2. Losing my temper easily
3. Not using moisturizer regularly (my Grandmama would be very disappointed)
4. Going along with #3, sleeping in my makeup (Grandmama would really hate that one!)
5. Unfinished projects (mainly craft projects, like cross-stitching)-I just get bored easily

*8 places I've lived (I wanted to list them all)
1. Naples, TX (Feb. 1977-March 1978)
2. Daingerfield, TX (March 1978-August 1995)
3. Searcy, AR (August 1995-December 1997) (with summers at Camp Deer Run)
4. College Station, TX (January 1998-October 2000)
5. Plano, TX (October 2000-June 2001)
6. Wylie, TX (July 2001-July 2006)
7. White Oak, TX (August 2006-September 2006)
8. Kilgore, TX (October 2006-Present)

*10 jobs I've had (just wanted to list them all, too)
1. Babysitter
2. Bank teller
3. Dorm desk receptionist
4. Fast food worker at Chick-fil-A
5. Camp counselor
6. Housekeeper
7. A&M Bookstore student Accounting associate
8. Accountant
9. Part-time church secretary
10. Full-time mom!

*5 people I want to know more about - a.k.a. tag!
1. Lindsay (this will give her a new blog topic since she just started blogging)
2. Holly
3. Katy
4. Robyn
5. Rachel

Texas, Our Texas!

This afternoon, we were all working in the yard, mowing and trimming the hedges. We ran out of big trash bags, so Dane and I went to our local Home and Ranch store, Atwoods, to get some. While we were there, we saw some flags and flagpole sets, and we decided to get one. I have always wanted to hang a Texas flag at my house, and today was the day it happened.

Dane was very excited to stand by his state flag with pride and pose for a picture. We are all so proud to be Texans!

Dane and his Financial Assets!

These pictures are in front of the bank right before we went in.

Dane, filling out his new account paperwork.

Dane had another first today...As of around noon today, he now has his very own savings account!


The other day, I was cleaning out a closet, and I found his chicken bank (a piggy bank that's a little baby chick). Dane is really into coins and learning the difference between all of the different coins right now, so I told him that we would start collecting his coins and put them in his chicken bank. Then, when it's all full, we'll take it to the bank like we do Mommy and Daddy's money.


So, anyway, today was payday, and we went through the drive-thru window at the bank to make a deposit, and Dane says, "Where's my chicken bank?" So, I turned to the bank teller and asked her if they had a savings account for children and what the minimum deposit was. She said they did, and it was $25. I then turned to Dane and asked him if he would like his own bank account. I loved his reaction - he gasped and his eyes got really big and said "Yeah!"


After we drove away, I told him we would go home, and that we would look around the house and finish filling up his chicken bank and then head back up to the bank to open his account. I figured that since he was showing so much interest in the idea today, that I'd better jump at the chance to make it really fun for him!

So, we just "happened" upon a vase in the house that had tons of change. It was funny how we went right to it :) We put all of the coins in his chicken bank and completely filled it up. We decided to keep the dollar bills in the vase, so that he can use them to give to God at church. He agreed with that idea, since the dollar bills weren't fitting in his chicken bank very well.

At the bank, the teller counted the change in the coin counter, and it totalled $32.99! We were very pleased, and I told him that I would also write him a check for $25, since his great-granddad had written him a check for his first Christmas and we didn't have an account for Dane back then yet. The new accounts lady was so sweet and gave him a "My Bank Account" coloring book that we worked on while she processed all of our paperwork.

Dane really seemed to enjoy the entire process, except he did get a little upset when his chicken bank came back empty. He was OK, though, after the bank lady gave him a new penny and quarter to start his new collection with.

A great adventure for my little investor! Maybe he'll take after his mother and become an Accountant some day, too!

Go Mavs! / C. John's Latest Project

Dane and I were so excited that our 2008 Mavs Playoff tickets came in the mail this week! In the package, they had also included a very cool Mavs sweatband. Well, for some reason, they mailed the different tickets in two separate packages, so much to our delight, we now have, not one, but two Mavs sweatbands! So, we found this a great time to show our Mavs support and pride and take some pictures.

C. John, my nine year old cat and firstborn son, and I have been doing some research lately, and he has decided to take on the training of our 10 month old boxer puppy, Spanky. We have both noticed several ugly habits she has been forming, and we are going to try to mold her into a well behaved dog. As you can see, C. John has been reading up on some training secrets for boxers, and he is going to let me know what he finds out. I just like looking at the pictures - I've never been much of a reader! We'll keep you posted on our progress.

Baby Nursery Pictures/My Great Find at Canton

This past week, I have really worked hard to get all of our overflow stuff out of our guest room, so that it can be transformed into our little girl's room! I finally found a room arrangement that I like that will also allow me to keep the queen size bed in the room for guests, too. I still need to paint flowers on the wall and hang new blinds and curtains, but other than that, the nursery is getting pretty close to being done. My goal is to have everything done by the end of May so that I'll have the last month and a half to be in full-time miserable mode!! :)

My friend Kristina and I went with our kids to Canton today. It was the perfect day to go - the weather was wonderful! It was pretty crowded, but we managed, and the kids were great. Dane had a near meltdown toward the end, but I think that was mainly because he's a boy and was sick and tired of looking at iron sculptures and little girl clothes and accessories. I feel bad that I never ventured out to find the guns that I had told him were at Canton. He did get a pretty cool toy snake, so I think he'll be OK.

I found a booth that personalized bags, bibs and such, so I bought our little girl, Sydni, a bib with her name on it. I think it is so cute. I guess that means that Lane and I are becoming more certain about her name. If not, I'll have wasted $10! We're pretty sure her full name will be Sydni Lee Brown. We just like the name Sydni, and the name Lee is special on both sides of our families. Lane's maternal grandmother's name was Lee, and my maternal grandfather's middle name was Lee. Two amazing people to share the name with.