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.

Happy Easter!

We have been very busy during this past week, and unfortunately, a little under the weather, too. Last Wednesday, Dane and I started coughing and then proceeded to lose all of our ability to keep our noses from running out of control. We think it's allergies, but it's still no fun.

Anyway, we just kept trudging on...Thursday, Lane and I took Dane to stay with my parents for a few days while we went to Dallas for LTC. I felt horrible leaving Dane while he didn't feel well, but I checked with his dr. before we left, and they told me what to give him to help him out some. Of course, I knew that he would have a great time with Granna and Pa, so that helped to reassure me some.

Lane served as the Coordinator for the Speech event at LTC again this year, so we had to be there a day earlier than the rest of our group, since he had a meeting first thing Friday morning. Everything went great this year at the convention, and our kids that came did a fantastic job and behaved themselves so well. We were really proud of all of them. They really are a great group of kids.

Saturday evening, I headed back to Mama and Daddy's house, and Lane went back to Kilgore with our group. I decided that, since we were planning to come to lunch with my family after church anyway, it would just be easier to spend the night there and go to church in Daingerfield. It was nice to see everybody there, too.

Saturday night dyeing eggs - What Fun!

Lane made it over in time for lunch Sunday, and soon after, our good friends Christopher and Angela and their boys, Chase & new little Drew, came on over just in time for the 2nd Annual 2nd Generation Bowers/Mays Easter Egg Hunt. Us Bowers kids grew up with both Christopher and Angela, and it has been so special to see all of our kids enjoy being friends just like we do! Of course, Chris and Angela and the boys also go to church with us in Kilgore, so Dane and Chase have really become best friends, along with Winter, who completes the Trio. They're just so goofy!

Of course, the Easter Bunny left Dane some great goodies, including this chocolate Dude da' Bunny and also his very first "Swanky", which is Slinky in 2 yr. old East Texan language.

A moms and kids shot after church (Didn't Robyn do a great job making Mary Nan's and Laura's Easter dresses?)

Walking around before Easter lunch

Just the boys talking things over

J.J. likes to end his conversations with a kiss. This is a little weird for Dane, since he really doesn't like to kiss anybody. I'm sure J.J. will grow out of this someday, but for now, it is sweet.

Just a swingin'

My sweet little man!

Mary Nan and Laura, of course, are seasoned egg hunters, and they did very well in the hunt. J.J. enjoys the end result of the hunt, the candy, but he often loses sight of the goal during the hunt. We kept finding his basket deserted. It was really funny. I was so excited with Dane's hunting skills this year. Being the competitive person that I am, I was so proud to see him find so many eggs! As we were hiding them, Lane and Christopher got kinda tired of it, and one of them, I think it was Christopher, just dumped about 15 eggs down on the ground in a big pile and put a box over them. We considered that stash to be the jackpot, and much to my pleasure, Dane was the one to discover them! Yea!!! I know I shouldn't be so competitive - I'll have to work on that so that all of the other sports parents won't hate me someday!


We had a good time, and most importantly, we got to spend time with our family and friends. Too bad Joe David and Stefany couldn't make it this year - maybe next year they'll be able to come with little Jed, who will soon join the Bowers family in May!

I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend, too!

So Much Excitement!

Well, I think I have officially been bitten by the "having a girl" bug, and I (with some help from my mom), have gone a little crazy this weekend after finding out our exciting news! Here's some of the fun stuff I found! I think I've gotten it all out of my system now, so I should be good for a little while longer.

This is the bedding I ordered for the nursery. I had already picked it out earlier, just in case!






Mama & I had so much fun finding these goodies! Notice, there's nothing pink yet. With the chance that she might have red hair, pink is out for now. Pale pink is the worst color for a redhead, or so my mother always told me growing up. She always said that red and pink clashed with my hair. I agree on the pink, but I love red, so I wear it anyway! I love all of the orchid and teal stuff - I think those are my favorites!

Here's the little man of the house, trying to decide which toy to play with. I love the hand on the hip and the finger on the chin - very serious business!

This is our latest addition to the house. Thanks to my Daddy, I designed and he built us this great desk! We had been using this really compact computer armoire with no workspace for a few years, so we have all really enjoyed doing all of our "work" on it! The other day, I caught Dane sitting at the computer tapping his fingers on the keyboard, and then he would get some paper out of the printer and get a pen out of the drawer to draw. Then, he turned around and told me he was doing his work.

It's A Girl!!!

I just love how she is smiling at us in this picture! I hope that she will be a smiley girl all the time!

It's official...well, my doctor says 99.5% official that we're having a little girl! Lane's reaction - I would call it basic fear. He doesn't seem to think that we will have a clue what to do with a girl. I told him we will just make sure she understands both football and basketball. I have a feeling, though, that he will be putty in this little girl's hands, and he will very quickly learn how easy it will be to fall in love with her.

The doctor said that she looks perfect and very healthy. She weighs approximately .95 lbs, and is about 10.5 inches long. The doctor said she is in the 70th percentile right now, which is good, too.

Anyway, we are thrilled to finally know what we're having, and most importantly, we are so thankful to God how he has blessed us.

Our Short Snow Day!

Last Friday, like most of North and Northeast Texas, we got a little bit of snow here in Kilgore. It started snowing at about 6:00 AM, but sadly it turned to rain and had all melted by noon. However, while we had the chance, we got to play in it for a little bit. Lane and Dane enjoyed a lively snowball "bite", as Dane called it. He also calls pillow fights "pillow bites", which always makes us laugh.

My Abercrombie Model

Happy Valentine's Day!

I have been working this week to get all of Dane's Easter outfit together, since we are going to be so busy during the month of March. I had not intended to actually find everything this week, but luck was on my side, and I did.

So, today, we finally got the finishing touch...his first "Big Man" tie. He keeps saying how he is a big man now. So, I couldn't resist, and I had a very fun photo shoot. I think he was so excited about his tie that he did everything I told him to do. He'd smile when I asked, and I loved that he put his hands in his pocket and leaned against the tree on command!

I hope you enjoy looking at the slideshow as much as I enjoyed watching him today!

Look what I found this week!

I wanted to take some pictures of Dane today, but somehow the three of us have turned this house of ours into a warzone! I will not place all of the blame on Dane, but most of the mess is his! For some reason, I allowed myself to become callouse to the caos today, and we all enjoyed our day off together. My birthday is this Friday, but we can't celebrate it then because of a youth retreat, so we enjoyed a great lunch at Olive Garden. I had really been craving those breadsticks and alfredo sauce, and it had been so long since we had been there. It was really good. After that, we came home and all went on a walk together with Spanky, who, by the way, has completely forgotten how to walk on a leash since I let myself be lazy and not walk during November and December (pregnancy is an easy excuse for that!).



Anyway, during the afternoon, Dane was in his room climbing and getting into his dresser drawers, and he found a little box that had some coin proof sets Lane's grandfather gave him for his birth year. Well, in that box, I guess I had slipped this picture in it during the move because I haven't seen it in ages! As some of you will recognize, this is a picture of our child, Rusty. Before I was expecting Dane, Lane and I went with our friends, Bruce & Katy, to Dave and Buster's to play one night. That particular Dave and Buster's had a photo booth called The Gene Machine, which took each of our pictures and then came up with what our possible offspring might look like. To be perfectly honest, when we first saw Rusty, we were very alarmed. He looked angry, and he looked like he might be the type to take out that anger on us. The fact that he looked about 5 years old and already entering into puberty also alarmed us.

So, anyway, not long after that, we found out we were expecting Dane, and all during my pregnancy, we would sometimes refer to him as Rusty. So, clearly, unless I am blind to my child's appearance, Dane does not look like Rusty. However, our fears have already begun to surface about what looms ahead of us with our expected bundle of joy coming this summer...Will Rusty really become a part of our lives?...Will Rusty really be so angry, or is it just his look?...Is Rusty really even a boy?...If not, I will start saving now for all of the uni-brow waxing expenses in her future!...And, why is his/her hair so matted looking?!

Snow in Kilgore!

This morning around 11:00, much to our delight, it starting snowing here in Kilgore. Unfortunately, the temperature is too warm for any of it to stick, but we are still enjoying watching the beautiful snow fall. Some of the flakes are as big as a quarter. Hopefully, it will keep on snowing and the temperature will fall enough for a little bit to stick. Dane keeps on talking about building a snowman - wouldn't that be a treat!

Anyway, we decided to walk outside on the front porch for a couple of minutes to let the snow fall on our heads and to take a couple of pictures. After I took the pictures, Dane declared, "These are great pictures!"

Catching up after the Holidays

I recently caught Dane in our bed wearing Lane's glasses and reading a Harry Potter book! So studious looking!

It seems like forever ago that I updated my blog. So bad! Anyway, I wanted to catch everyone up on our Christmas and everything else that has been happening since.

We had so much fun with Dane this Christmas. He was really into all of the lights and trees and Santa Claus! He especially loved baking cookies for Santa and writing him a note. He was so excited on Christmas Eve that he stayed up until about 11:30. At about 9:00, we got him ready for bed and thought we would drive around and look at Christmas lights until he went to sleep. Usually that works within minutes, but not on Christmas Eve. We drove around for about an hour, and then gave up and headed home. So, we got the cookies and milk all set out and ready for Santa and took some really sweet pictures.

Christmas morning was great, and my dad drove over to enjoy seeing Dane get his Santa Claus presents. I think he kinda understood everything, but ever since Christmas, he keeps saying that he wants presents from Santa Claus. It's hard, since he still doesn't have that great of a concept of time, at least past minutes. He can wait a few minutes, but he has no idea what I mean when I say he has to wait until next year when Santa comes back!

We got to spend a lot of time with friends and family over the holidays, and that was wonderful, too. We even managed to have a successful photo shoot with my side of the family! You can see those pictures down below. We've finally gotten back into the normal swing of things, and my work schedule is finally back to normal this week, since classes started back at the college. That is nice, since I will be able to get Dane back on his normal schedule.

Well, I go back to the doctor tomorrow afternoon, so I am anxious to find out how Brown #2 is coming along. It's been very nice to me so far, so I have a feeling that this kid and me are going to get along just fine! As of now, my official due date is July 21, but it will be born before that, since I will have to have a c-section. I am going to ask tomorrow if I can have it July 17.

That's us for now!

Dane wanted to have another Christmas photo shoot on his own. He set his chair up and really got cheesy for the camera.

Lane and Dane with Santa's cookies and milk!

More posing with the cookies

Pretty good stance for a two year old, if you ask me! Notice the lefty swing!

Dane with his new most prized possession...Buzz Lightyear!

The 2007 Bowers Family Photo

Granna, Pa and the Grandkids

The "Nuclear" Bowers Family

Mama & Daddy

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

It's been quite a while since I've blogged - we've had a lot going on here. It's officially my favorite time of the year, starting with Halloween and going until Valentine's Day. I know - it's a big holiday season, but during that time, all of the important events take place for me (Halloween, Thanksgiving, my anniversary, Christmas, New Year, my birthday and Valentine's Day)! That's actually a very selfish point of view, I just realized. It's also Lane's and Dane's birthdays, too, so it's not all about me! Anyway, I just love this time of the year.

I mainly wanted to share with you the official 2007 Brown Christmas picture. It didn't quite turn out exactly how I wanted - it seems a little blurry to me, but I just loved the expression on Dane's face. I think it threw him off to be smiling at an unmanned camera, so he came out with this great little fake smile. I had never seen it before, but I love it!

I also wanted to catch everybody up on what Dane has been up to lately. I am most proud of his latest development. In his Bible class, they have been working on memorizing John 3:16. I had not heard him say it yet, and the other night, he picked up a Bible in the living room and said, "Let's read a Bible story". So, I started to grab the Bible and I was going to find a story to read to him. Before I could grab the Bible, he opened it in his lap, and he started in, word for word, reciting John 3:16. He gets a little caught up on a few words, but once he gets toward the end around the phrase "should not perish", he's home free. There are so many developments that make me proud of him, but there is absolutely nothing like the feeling you get when you hear your child saying the words from God's Word! So precious! Lane and I keep trying to get it on camera, but he doesn't like to perform for the camera, and I am not very good at being discreet with the camera. I'll have to work on that. I'll try to get it and post it on the blog.

Anyway, some more big news we have is that I'm pregnant, and I'm due in July! We are very excited about meeting the baby that will complete our family! I am almost ten weeks along, and I have my first doctor's appointment this coming Monday. That's another reason that I haven't blogged in a while because we've known about the baby for almost six weeks, and I know that I would have let it slip!

I hope that you are all doing well and that you are enjoying the wonderful season!