let it snow

austin & coleman couldn't wait to bundle up after school to enjoy the first snow of the winter. hampton is celebrating with a long winter's nap...and that is just wonderful! it is sooo cold! coleman did request hot chocolate before they ventured out into the three inches of snowflakes!

feelin' the love

 

a quick pic...well, (maybe not so quick) photo of the morris grandkids in all their glory! austin, coleman, hampton, evie & sallie! pure joy! such fun to have them all together...hey, we must savor the precious seconds that this is the case...despite the moments of pure chaos as their parents attempt to make them smile in unison!

give thanks

 

a photo of a turkey hampton made in preschool using her hand as the feather pattern. we would like to express our sincere thanks to each and every one of you...our family is truly blessed! happy turkey day!

special person

 

need i say more? this is the treasure i found in coleman's backpack this morning. he wrote and drew this about his big brother austin. the "sometimes" happens to be quite true!

bye bye coleman

 i just had to post the image that i let linger in my mind each and every morning as coleman walks to the driveway to wait for the bus. he turns around, after we have said our goodbyes, to flash yet another sweet smile. he makes my heart melt. can this just go on forever?

hampton...on god

silly hampton, silly mommy

 

 

a few silly pics we took of each other during our spaghettios & meatballs lunch after school. following lunch, hampton took enough pics to fill up my camera's memory. it is quite humorous to see things from her point of view! included in her photo collection was a pic of her new favorite book, "GOD" which she sweetly recollects on video, to be posted soon.

buddy bowling

 

we spent the last day with our friends at austin's final football game of the season, followed by bowling at the alley. there were ups & downs, highs & lows...but all in all, fun was had by all! there wasn't much left of the superdome pizza we ordered (table sized, and oh, so yummy!) can't wait to make our annual trip to st. louis next summer!

nurturing nature

 

my friend kim & i decided to foster the good ole' ways in our children today, on one of the most beautiful days wichita has seen in a while! we began with a picnic lunch at a nature trail, followed by a two mile "hike." hampton kept asking, "when are we gonna be there" as if we had a destination! the older kids griped, moaned, and complained in between chucking nearby crabapples. we did spot a beaver, a few turtles, and lots of ducks. so much for making new annual traditions! we finished the day with time at the park, followed by dinner and homemade funnel cakes! what a fun weekend!

happy halloween

 
 
 
 

what a busy day! we started the day with coleman's class party, followed by a special movie day at the warren, before trick or treating in the neighborhood! our good friends from st. louis came to visit for the weekend to share in the fun! coleman proudly donned his spongebob costume...making the well, lots of hours of creating him worth it! hampton fluttered her monarch butterfly wings again, emily and abby were witches, and hannah was gabriella from high school musical. oh...the older boys! didn't forget austin & brett...they chose to have fun in another neighborhood! oh well! we had a delightful evening amidst the sugar. let me tell you, the sugar highs were incredible, yet thankfully followed by a swift fall. all eyes were shut before 10! happy halloween to all!

coleman's halloween party

 

coleman had fun during his classroom halloween party on friday morning! they played games, did crafts & had snacks. he dug for yucky stuff inside the pumpkin & won a prize for the most correct answers! his teacher paraded him around the school in his spongebob costume...was completely in character with the costume on! absolutely hilarious!

hampton the butterfly

 

hampton was able to dress up in her butterfly costume twice this week. she was excited to transform into a butterfly for dance class, and kids day out! she just never hesitates to pose for a pic...

santa rosa beach, florida 2008

 

here are a few pics from my recent trip to florida with some friends...marla, stephanie and trish. this was our second annual visit to the beach! we enjoyed sun, fun, and a bit o' the bubbly! it was wonderful to kick back, relax, and enjoy the incredible weather there! took a few pics of each other for fun (minus one of our rtc members...as she was not interested)! other than the fantastic meals we had fun preparing in our beachfront condo (it was hard to leave)...we dined at pompano joe's, marlin grill, the red bar, bud & alley's, fleming's, the donut hole and mcguire's pub. such fun, with a great group of lifelong friends! cheers!

coleman celebrates america

coleman sang in his first vocal music concert of the year, "this is america" with the second and third grade classes at his school. they sang a collection of patriotic songs celebrating america. he knew all of the words and actions to all 18 songs! coleman loves music...it is such a treat to watch him perform! aunt ju-ju, uncle t, and cousin evie came to see coleman tonight as well! we all celebrated with pizza at the alley following the program!

this is a quick video of one of the songs performed, "this is america." just so you know, coleman is on the bottom row, far right, second boy in white! we are proud to be american...and proud have coleman as a special part of our family! may god bless us all!

hampton does dance

this was the first day we, as parents, were "invited" to observe hampton's dance class at kansas dance academy. there were 6 other little girls ages 3 & 4, who participated as well. hampton had the most amazing time (as always)...did everything on cue, as she was instructed...however, when she was asked to make her tummy "flat like a pancake," she puffed her tummy up like a watermelon! she appreciates any kind of attention and is always eager to "steal" her place in line. hampton, without a doubt, marches to her own beat. when asked where she would fly her butterfly legs, she replied, "to my grandma's house" (despite every other dancer responding, "to disneyworld")! at the end of class (and this happens at the conclusion of every class), she said, "i wanna do that again!" she thanked her dad and me for being there, and said, as i buckled her into her carseat, "i'm a really good dancer, mom!" i am so proud of her...and yes, she is...

hampton does the hokey pokey!

she definitely "shakes it all about!"

austin makes a catch

here is a video of one of austin's many catches during sunday's football game at circle. yeah! go austin!

hampton the cheerleader

here is a quick snip-it of hampton's new cheering skills...which she so proudly displays at austin's football games! she loves to do cartwheels. btw, her "cartwheel" is hands on the ground, leg in the air!

football at andover

the andover falcons enjoyed a home game this saturday, right on their very own turf. austin made some great catches...coleman and dad were on marker watch...hampton cheered...and riley, hailey & meg proudly wore their favorite falcon's jersey. riley wore austin's #11, bailey wore kenton's #23, and meg wore jake's #1. can't believe austin is growing up so fast! where has my little boy gone?

as hampton would say, "go fa-cons!" they won 19-12.

coleman the football star

coleman continues to foster a deep admiration of the game of football, considering the frequent practices and games. he is always overjoyed at his or his teammate's good fortune, and happy to run & grab flags, however, it is quite visible that he would much rather tackle them full on...the killer instinct is definitely present. coleman is having a fabulous time...he even comes home, wishing to practice more! in the words of his cheering sister hampton, "go co-co, go!"

apple fest

hampton was happy to share her weekly journey of kdo with us, during an "apple fest," at church on thursday afternoon. daddy was able to take part in the fun! they did apple roll paintings, made applesauce and sang apple songs. each week, hampton attends for four hours and greatly enjoys her time with mrs. carol and her good buddy, taci! they have so much fun together! she acts so disappointed when i leave her each week, however, is not so eager to see me on pick up duty.

oh well...at least she's having fun, right?!

two peas in a pod...hampton & taci!

western kansas wedding

on friday, my sister jen, evie, hampton and me, forged a road trip to western kansas for our beautiful cousin brianna's wedding. hampton and evie were flower girls, however, evie chose to stay on the bench, rather than walk down the aisle with hampton, harrison and maureen. hampton strutted her stuff...dropping rose petals here and there, as maureen followed her, ever so carefully picking up each one (good thing hampton didn't notice this!) once they arrived at the altar, hampton plopped herself on the step next to the bride, then trotted right to the back of the church on cue at the conclusion of the ceremony. i think we have a professional flower girl in the making...hampton said, "i like to walk down the aisle, mom, next time, i wanna dance a little bit!" i have recently heard from others, that hampton knows just how far to push the envelope, before she is in trouble. this is sooo true! she is little miss priss!

evie is shown grasping her basket o' petals, pre-ceremony, pre-aisle walk. she chose to stay firmly planted on daddy's lap nstead of treading the long aisle. i had actually planned on singing with jen during the wedding, yet awakened the morning of the wedding with a mere whisper! last minute steroids and other prescriptions were no help. despite an early morning breakdown at village inn, and a public embarrasment by my own sweet daughter, hampton (a story to be told in private)...the day ended well! jen sang like an angel, and i kept busy with kid watch and photo opps. oh, the stories we have to tell...just give us a little while!

we enjoyed a family day, minus austin, who was playing in a very important football game. at the end of the day, evie & hampton found joy in the small mortar pebbles outside the church! that is, before a crash landing in the car for the ride home!

love, blessings & congrats to brianna & devan!

coleman and henry

here is a quick pic of coleman and his best buddy henry (yeah, watch out girls!), following a music program performed by the 2nd and 3rd graders of martin elementary at the kick-off of greater andover days. they sang several patriotic selections, which will be part of their upcoming music performance.

these are two, too cute martin mustangs!

afternoon football with austin

the football weekend began with a big friday night win for the andover trojans at the andover/andover central high school football game (where austin was asked to be a ball boy). we all had a fantastic time...the weather was beautiful & the "old school" trojans were victorious! woo hoo!!

on saturday afternoon, austin #11 & the andover falcons took on the hutchinson celtics. although they lost 17-6, the atmosphere still proved to be quite fun! mema and great aunt "bo" were there to cheer the team on, in addition to hampton, who joined the cheer squad from time to time! she's still working on her kicks and jumps! go falcons, go!

morning football with coleman

coleman had his second game of the season this morning. he did great! doesn't he look rough & tough?

cousin evie came to watch, and practiced a few moves of her own!

sister hampton also practiced a bit...but was much more interested in playing with the opposing team's sibling's toys! seriously?!

pretty day at the park

we decided that a visit to the park would be fun after school! jen & evie joined us, for lunch and play! hampton has proven to be quite the little monkey, and fears very little. she did a face plant as she tried to jump off the swing mid-air, which followed a near fall from the monkey bars! ahhh! we are loving this beautiful

fall weather!

evie had fun picking up sticks & leaves, swinging & sliding!