The Powerfoot's

Busy Weekend!

2009-08-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was full of fun and excitement with a visit to the Ringling Bros. Circus on Saturday and then the afternoon Rangers game on Sunday. Boy, was it ever hot too!!!

The circus was full of the normal circus acts....elephants, tigers, motorcycles in the globe, etc. Jackson really enjoyed it, but was certainly ready to go by the end. The show was REALLY long...almost too long, I think. It was just about 2 1/2 hours long!!!! But, in all it was fun. Jackson brought his neighbor friend along....let's just say he looked less than enthused about the circus.

The Rangers game was pretty exciting, considering that they were playing the Red Sox and battling it out for the wild card spot. The only drawback was the HEAT! It was so hot. Jackson was ready to go by the end of the 2nd inning, but we got him through the 7th inning stretch with lots of water, lemon chill, peanuts and of course a hot dog. Thankfully the Rangers won and were able to move ahead and the Red Sox (sorry Sam : ).

Ready for Fall & Legos

2009-08-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

During this time of the year it is hard for us to understand why we choose to live in Texas. With the 100+ degree temps and the not being able to play outside, things get a little mundane around here. So, we always look forward to the day when the after school activities begin...baseball, swimming, etc.

New on the agenda this year is a Lego class. You read it right...a Lego class. We are lucky enough to have the only Lego Education Center within the U.S. right down the road from our house. So, Jackson will officially begin his Lego training in about a month. It is a 48 week long course, broken down into 4 segments. For the first segment, he will be studying modes of transportation in space. Sounds so cool!! I think we are all pretty excited for the beginning of the class...I can't wait to see what he does!

Our New Toy

2009-07-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

Well, Drew and I finally broke down and bought a new computer. We are newly converted to Mac, especially since Drew's love with Apple products began with the release of the iphone (he's had 3 since the phone was released). I am anxious and excited to learn all that the new computer has to offer, although it has been frustrating to navigate since I am so "PC".

Colorado Fun!!

2009-07-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

Drew, Jackson and I just returned from a 9 day trip to beautiful and sunny CO. This time around we stayed with maw-maw and granddad in Southfork, which was SO much fun!! Of course we went to Creede to hit up some of our favorite eateries.....Kips and The Fire House. We did a lot hiking, fishing, and hanging out with the family. We also checked out the local Creede parade and the fireworks, which went off from the top of one of the mountains right in Creede...so cool!

On this trip we were lucky enough to see a bear, a bald eagle and then the typical deer that are all over the place there. The other exciting event was fishing! Jackson caught not only his first fish with Drew, but then caught a second fish on another day with granddad! He was quite the fisherman!!

All in all we had a wonderful time and as always questioned why in the world we all live in TX!!! We left the lovely 80 degree days in CO for the 105+ degree days in TX....why oh why do we live here!!!

Don't Call It A Comeback

2009-06-30T20:02:00.001-07:00

Well, I am attempting to make a comeback with my blogging. Now that the summer is here, I am hoping that I can find the much needed time and motivation to get this blog back up and running. I certainly have a plethora of topics to write about seeing that I have the cutest little kiddo who proudly informed me this week that he is officially 4 1/2, or so that is what Grammy told him ; ) Hopefully I will be back soon with some great pics and a few stories or two!

I Knew This Was Going To Happen!!

2008-12-18T10:46:00.000-08:00

I just knew that the holiday season would hit and I would lack any motivation to do anything other than Christmas and birthday planning, hence me being MIA from the blogging world. I feel like I have so much to share, yet I know that I have forgotten many of the things that I wanted to blog about. So excuse the huge post, but I have a lot of bloggin' to do.

Let's seen....where to start. Thanksgiving! This year we celebrated Thanksgiving 3 times!!! Yes, three times!! On Thanksgiving morning Jackson and I watched the beloved Thanksgiving Day Parade. Granted, it went on a little longer than what I would have liken, but he seemed to enjoy it. Drew built him a tent...more like a cave...in which he watched the parade. The weekend following Thanksgiving several us caught an evening showing of the Polar Express at the IMAX theatre. That was a bit much for Jackson, who started crying on several occasions because it was too loud and too big.

To kick in the holiday season, Jackson and I attended the light parade hosted by the City of Grapevine. It was really chilly that night, and I was unprepared. My feet were freezing by the end of the parade, but we had such a good time that I didn't care one bit.

The holiday season continued with the weekend packed and every spare moment of time occupied with planning or shopping. Jackson enjoyed his very first experience with Chuck E Cheese...he was invited to his friend "little Brendan's" birthday party. Needless to say, he had a great time and he and Brendan reconnected after not seeing each other for almost a full year. They enjoyed riding on the kiddo version of simulated roller coaster ride, which they are pictured riding below. It was fun!!Lets see...so the holiday season continued with us finally getting our Christmas tree out. We were over a week late in putting up the decorations, which was really a bummer for Jackson. He was dying for us to have some Christmas "stuff" on and in the house. Things have been so crazy for Drew this month at work that it was hard to have a moment that we could all be together to trim the tree. Well, we finally found a moment to breath, play some Christmas music and decorate the tree. I think Jackson did a pretty good job putting Santa on top of the tree : )

Next big event was the annual Christmas concert at Jackson's school. It was an interesting evening, to say the least. Jackson had a really bad day at school the day of the concert....I actually found him in the office when I went to pick him up. Little mister man decided that he was going to be mean to one of his friends and refused to apologize. Let me tell you, the night only got worse leading up to the time we were supposed to be at the school for the concert. Let's just say that some time was spent in time out and a little someone named Jackson really cared less. Whew...it was an evening!

We arrived at the school for the concert. After putting a lovely Christmas tree on his head, Jackson refused to get his picture taken. He then also refused to sing with his class. Oh, he was standing with them...but he refused to sing. He was too busy walking around, playing with the back drop and waving at his grandparents. I swear, he wasn't my child that night!!

The next big event was an evening with the family at the Grapevine Vintage Railroad. For the past few years the organization has hosted a Polar Express ride at Christmas time. We had so much fun!! As they boarded the train, they had the ticket holders que through a forest of pine trees (fake, of course) with snow falling all around (also fake). The music from the movie was playing as everyone boarded the train. We were with a huge group of people....all of the cousins were loving being together for the ride. I think the adults had a lot of fun too! And finally....last, but certainly not least, was Jackson's 4th birthday party. Jackson and his cousin Mikayla, who will be turning 5 this year, bot decided that they wanted to celebrate their birthdays at The Great Wolf Lodge. So Drew's sister and I decided to have a combined party for them at this is a huge indoor waterpark / hotel. We rented a room for a night and decorated the room with balloons and banners. Jackson wanted a Transformers and Mikayla wanted Barbie...so they both got their wishes with their own cake and balloons. Friend and family member gather together in the room for the party and cake. After cake and present, those who were staying headed down to the waterpark. Jackson and his friend Brendan spent several hours going down the slides and swimming together. It was so much fun and I think that the birthday kids really enjoyed themselves!!

Now, on to Christmas in Corsicana this weekend and then we head home to CT!! We can't wait to have a break and spend the holidays in CT!!

2008-11-20T10:10:00.000-08:00

First and foremost, Coldplay was awesome!! Drew and I had seats the were dead center facing the stage. While they weren't floor seats, we were only three rows back in the first section (right behind where the mixing boards were...let me tell, watching those guys work the sound and visual effect boards was almost as entertaining as the concert itself).
The band treated the audience to a little in-audience performance, which I thought was pretty cool. They went to one of the back sections and actually sang 2 songs surrounded by all of the fans (picture included in this post). Oh, and before I forget....no, I don't have totally awesome camera skills or the ability to fly around the venue to get these awesome shots. These are, however, pictures that were taken from the concert last night in Dallas.

Oh, and one final note...besides the fact that the concert was awesome...Gwenth Paltrow was there. She was a few feet in front of us, hanging in the area with the mixing boards. While I am not a celebrity hound, it was still pretty exciting to see her. Drew wasn't nearly as impressed with her sighting as I was. All in all, though, we had a really fun night. Thanks again Layla for making this night happen by taking care of the little man!!

Nothing To Blog About....Really???

2008-11-19T05:42:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that I just went through the last week and didn't take a single picture of Jackson!! I was a big dummy and didn't hand the camera over to Drew when he took Jackson to the Backyardigans Live show....nor was I there, so I am unable to share the experience with you : ( All that I do know is that the show was fun, it cost $30 for a few drinks and 2 bags of popcorn (ridiculous), and that the show was about knights.

What I can tell you is that in the course of one weekend the vacuum broke, the seal under the shower broke, and our kitchen is still a work in progress. The hood we ordered for the kitchen is still not in, which keeps us from being able to finish the work we not to complete on the wall for the vent...without finishing the wall we can't paint...without paint we can't have the cabinets installed...without cabinets we can't use our brand new dishwasher and stove that we recently purchased. Oh, and did I mention that our vacuum cleaner broke and the the seal under the show broke too. Did I mention that the way the j-hole builder put in the plumbing under the shower that we have to rip out the current shower in order to fix the problem. While we had planned on redoing the master bathroom (yes, we still have just concrete floors in there right now), the little shower incident is forcing our hand and our pocketbook for immediate repair. Luckily we have two other bathrooms with showers in the house...so we are able to buy a little time until the master bathroom project commences. Please, can't we just finish one project at a time!!!!!

Fall Leaves...And We Thought We Wanted A House With Trees!

2008-11-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

We always look forward to Fall in Texas. It means cooler temperatures (our electric bill last month was $65 since the A/C has been off), a slight change in leaf color (nothing like CT, CO or UT), and the beginning of the holiday season. What it also means, especially now that we are in the house in Grapevine, is that we have to deal with massive amounts of leaves in our front and backyard!!
This past Saturday Drew and I decided that it was time to begin the process of fall cleanup. Mind you, during the summer we were out in the yard at least once or twice a week raking up the pine needles that would cover the lawn. So, we are no stranger to the rake and bags / garbage cans full of lawn debris. Long story short, we ended up with about 20 bags full of leaves. Yes, we were Eco friendly and bought Home Depot bags that will decompose along with the leaves, as opposed to 20+ plastic bags that would sit in a landfill for who knows how many years.

Normally Jackson loves to help us when we are working in the yard. While short lived sometimes, the fact that he offers to help is just so sweet. While he did pick up a few handfuls of leaves, most of his time was spent either riding through the piles on his bike or his electric "car movie" car. At one point he ran head first into a pile with his car, and then proceeded to drive all of his other vehicles (bikes, trucks, etc) into the pile too. Drew and I didn't have the heart to be mad, even when he started loading up his large dump truck with piles of needles and leaves and began making his own new piles : ). He was a kid being a kid!! The good news is we got the yard cleaned up and looking good. The bad news is that there are a TON of leaves still on the trees....this was just one of many yard-work-leaf-pickup weekends : (

Another Successful Season

2008-11-12T05:47:00.000-08:00

A week ago Jackson officially ended his second season of baseball...or as Grapevine likes to call it blastball (modified version of t-ball for 3 and 4 year olds). The season ended on a high note with a pizza party and award ceremony at one of Jackson's teammates home. The kiddos were more interested in playing with the mass amounts of cars than in the coveted baseball trophy. But, in the end it was a fun night and a fun season for the boys. Go Braves!!!

This Is What Happens When Mommy Is Sick.....

2008-11-07T10:16:00.000-08:00

...and Daddy isn't around...

I asked Jackson to get himself dressed, by himself so that I could remain comatose in bed. The madras shorts and tie dyed shirt are the combination that he came up with. Gotta love this kid!!

NASCAR...Really???

2008-11-05T05:16:00.000-08:00

This is not a joke....Drew, Jackson, Drew's Father and I braved the redneck crowds and headed out to the NASCAR race this past weekend. Those funny movies, like Talladega Nights, aren't far off in terms of the crowd that attends one of these races....especially in the great state of Texas. People were shirtless, toothless and had hair in all the wrong places. I was in AWE! Drew and his father did their own impersonation prior to leaving for the race (no, they did not wear their garb to the race...thank goodness)!!

Now, I do have to say that I understand the fascination with the race itself. It is full of pomp and circumstance prior to the beginning of the actual race. They roll the cars out and line them up. Then they drive each driver around the track in the back of a pickup truck so that they can wave at the fans prior to the beginning of the race. Finally...the moment that those cars start their engines the crowd really picks up and the heart starts pumping with anticipation of the pending race. Even though we were wearing ear plugs, there was a moment during the race when it was a little too loud for Jackson...Daddy had to cover his ears and comfort him a little bit. Other than that, Jackson LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the race!! It was Lightening McQueen in real life...what little kid that loves the Cars movie wouldn't love a day at the race.

All in all, it was a fun afternoon. We managed to avoid most of the traffic by leaving with over 100 laps left to go (there were 330 in total, so we saw more than 1/2 of the race). Thanks to Otto for the tickets!!!

1st Black Eye

2008-11-03T11:25:00.001-08:00

Well family, Jackson got his first black eye. I would love to tell you that he received it during a rousing game of baseball or wrestling around with Drew. The truth of the matter is that Jackson received his first black eye from a GIRL!!!

Many people thought that the black eye was part of the costume...that Drew and I had used some sort of makeup in order to get that effect. Alas, it is a real black eye delivered by a little girl in his classroom (he was bending over and met her elbow on the way up...all very much an accident). It certainly did add to his pirate look : )

Halloween Fun

2008-11-03T11:03:00.000-08:00

Another fun Halloween has come and gone...and more importantly my son continues to shy away from any kind of candy with chocolate. Score one for the parents!!! I am sure any parents would be happy beyond belief to have a child who only cared about the "suckers" and other chewy-fruity candies : ), and left the chocolate alone (since most people hand out chocolate candy).

The week leading up to Halloween was really busy for us. I spent a half day getting our kitchen cabinets ordered and assorted problems that arose with that order (missing pieces, etc). Jackson had a Halloween Carnival at his school on Thursday night, so we had to carve our pumpkins on Wednesday night. I was afraid about the pumpkins holding up until the big day, but they did just fine.

So the pumpkin carving began. Jackson wasn't too keen about pulling the "guts" out of the pumpkin...in fact he wouldn't even try : ( Don't worry...Drew and I got him with a few seeds and strands of "guts" during the course of the pumpkin carving session. I went with a more traditional pumpkin look, while Drew and Jackson went a little more non-traditional with added bats and snakes attached. We had a lot of fun!!

The Halloween Carnival was a big success and Jackson really enjoyed himself. His teachers really enjoy him so much, which as a parent is so nice to see. It was a trial run for his pirate costume, which was a big success. Several of his little friends called him Captain Jack Sparrow, which I really think that he loved (even though I am not really sure if he knows who Captain Jack Sparrow is).

Halloween night was really a blast for all of us. First and foremost, how great was it that Halloween fell on a Friday night!! There was no need to worry about wrapping things up early in order to get the kiddos home to bed. The cousins were all together for the night and were treated to a hay ride around Ma-Ma's neighborhood making periodic stops for trick-r-treating. It was another fun and very successful Halloween, costume and all!!

Coldplay...Here We Come!!

2008-10-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

The countdown has begun!! I am so excited for the upcoming Coldplay concert that we were lucky enough to get some free tickets for. Have I mentioned that Drew and I are so spoiled that we REFUSE to pay for tickets to go to a concert. Shoot, we almost missed the U2 concert last year because we didn't want to buy tickets....so spoiled : )

So, have I mentioned how I excited I am about going to this show?? Our wonderful cousin Layla is going to watch Jackson that night in order to make this little weeknight date night happen. Otherwise only one of us would have been able to go. Thanks Layla....we love you!!

Last Stop - Creede, CO

2008-10-22T06:03:00.001-07:00

Last stop, Creede, CO! After a lovely 6 hour car ride from SLC to CO, we finally arrived in Creede at Per-Pa's cabin. He had been there for several weeks, so the house was all toasty and warm upon our arrival. We arrived 15 minutes after the debate had started, so we tried to catch what we could while unloading all of our bags.

We were pleasantly surprised by the new room that Per-Pa had built. While we knew he was working on it, we had no idea how much had been done!!! It was awesome!! Thanks Per-Par for all of your hard work to make that happen prior to our arrival.

Our time in Creede was spent hiking, off-roading, biking (for some), and eating some rather crappy town food (all of our favorites were closed....come on Kipp's, you could have stayed open a little longer for us : ( We did, however, cook dinner one night over the campfire...hot dogs and packets of veggies cooking in the fire. It was wonderful even though the veggies got a little over cooked.

It was a wonderful family vacation!! We were so thrilled that Jeff was able to join us...it had been too long since we had some one-on-one time with him. It was also so great to have that time in CO with Per-Pa. Jackson loved spending time with his uncle and grandfather. We love you guys!!

4th Stop - Moab, UT

2008-10-22T05:58:00.001-07:00

We picked up an additional traveler for our trek to Creede, CO. Jeff had previously decided that he wanted to go with us to CO for the 4 days that we planned to be there. On our way to Creede we stopped in Moab, UT.

Drew and Jeff took off into the early morning light and left Jackson and I in the parking lot : ) Jackson and I made the most of it, though. We went on a little hike in search of dinosaur footprints. While we didn't make it to the footprint portion of the trail, we had a lot of fun writing letters in the sand and exploring plants and rocks on the trail. Jackson insisted that I take his bike out of the car so that he could go "biking" like Daddy. He did get out on the trail, although he didn't go far before he turned around and came back. It was so much fun, and Jeff & Drew had a great time too!

Our Stop in SLC

2008-10-22T05:48:00.000-07:00

Our time is SLC was a lot of fun! We arrived at Jeff and Leah's house during a little snow fall...what a treat since we don't get to see snow in TX very often. While Jackson wanted to play in it, it quickly melted the following morning.

It was good to spend some time in our old stomping grounds, since Drew and I both lived in SLC for several years prior to moving to TX. One of the highlights of the trip was being able to see some of our old friends whom we don't get to see or talk to very often.

Jackson loved being able to ride his bike up and down the sidewalk and at the vacant school behind Jeff's house. We had a really great time and can't wait until the day we get to return.

2nd Stop - Mesa Verda National Park

2008-10-22T05:39:00.000-07:00

After our wonderful night in the yurt, we headed out on our journey to SLC. On our way we made a stop at Mesa Verda National Park. It was a cold and very windy day, but we decided to brave the elements and go on one of the cliff house tours. Our choice was Cliff Palace.

There was a steep decent and ascent to and from Cliff Palace, but Jackson did a wonderful job. It really was an interesting tour and Jackson did his best to stay focused and out of trouble (there were a few sand throwing incidents...but luckily the sand didn't actually hit anyone and mostly blew back into his own face : ).

After the tour was over we proceeded onward with our journey towards SLC and a few nights at Uncle Jeff and Aunt Leah's house. The drive was pretty easy and only 6 hours as compared to the 14 hours from the day before. We passed through Moab on the way up...Drew was chomping at the bit to get out on his bike and do a little riding. But, I promised that we would stop on our way to CO so that he and Jeff could do one of the rides there.

Here we come SLC!!!

The Journey Begins - 1st Stop Mancos State Park

2008-10-22T05:08:00.000-07:00

Our journey to UT and CO began almost a week ago. While we returned home this past Sunday, it took me a few days back home to recuperate and have the desire to get on the computer. I will do my bast to recount the fun experience over several posts.

A few days leading up to the trip our family had a little family project. Within the last few months Jackson has really gotten into building different cars, airplanes and helicopters with Lego's. Drew and I came up with an idea to build a Lego box for the trip. It all seemed to come together when I found a flat Lego building board at the store. Drew built a wooden box with a compartment to hold Lego's or cars, and Jackson stepped in to paint the box. It turned our awesome! And, it provided HOURS of fun in the car for Jackson.

OK, back to the trip. After 14 long hours in the car we arrived at Mancos State Park. We departed from the house at 3am in order to make it to the park prior to sunset. Boy, am I glad that we did so that we could have a few daylight hours at the yurt.

Our stay in the yurt was really neat. We had the entire park to ourselves, as you can imagine not many people want to camp when it is 30 degrees out at night. The yurt, however, had a propane heater that kept our little room warm and toasty...almost too warm. We cooked hot dogs over the fire and roasted marshmallows. It was a great first day for our trip.

Road Trippin'

2008-10-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

"Road trippin' with my two favorite allies. Fully loaded we've got snacks and supplies. It's time to leave this town, it's time to steal away. Let's go get lost in anywhere in the USA."

Drew, Jackson and I are hitting the road tomorrow for what should be a really fun family trip. Nothing is better than being stuck in the car together for hours on end knowing that the beauty of UT and CO await us.

1st stop, Mancos State Park where the fam is going to experience something new. Anyone ever heard of a yurt...well we have, and that is what we are going to stay in Friday night. Can't wait! More updates to come as the trip progresses.

This Mommy Is SOOO Lucky!

2008-10-07T09:31:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt in my mind that I am the luckiest mommy on this earth. Who couldn't ask for a better kid or one cuter than mine. Of course, though, I am biased : )

Who's The Crazy Kid Wearing A Snow Hat On A 90 Degree Day?

2008-10-07T09:16:00.000-07:00

I brought out the snow hat on Sunday in order to do a "hat check". With our vacation to UT and CO looming in the near future, I figured it was time to break out some of the warmer clothes to see if they still fit Jackson. The hat happened to be one of those items. Little did I know that Jackson would continue to wear the hat for the rest of the day (he even tried to wear it under his bicycle helmet, but that didn't work so well).
Jackson was having so much fun playing with his "car movie car" cars. He wanted me to take his picture playing with them, and then he lined them all up for me so that I could take their pictures too.

Jackson's Little Lizard

2008-10-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

On Friday night, after the lawn had been mowed and the pine needles raked (for the 100th time this summer), we discovered a little friend by our front door. Jackson was a little timid about even getting down on his knees within the comfort of the front door. Can you see the little lizard....look straight down from the stick that is next to the wall. See it??

We Are A Happy Family...Right??

2008-10-01T05:32:00.000-07:00

So, about a week ago I went to pick Jackson up from school. I was met by his longstanding teacher, Ms. Haley. She proceeded to tell me that Jackson had done one of the funniest things that she has ever seen in her entire career as a teacher. I wanted to ask..."Seriously, even funnier than when he dropped his pants in the middle of circle time." But, I wasn't sure that she saw the humor of that particular day, so I opted for silence instead.

So, Ms. Haley grabbed a blue laminated art project that Jackson had worked on that day. The topic for the week was families, so she had asked all of the kiddos to draw a picture of their family. As Ms. Haley was going around the room she noticed that Jackson only had one person on his picture (see picture above). She asked him where his mommy and daddy were. Well, my kid proceeded to flip the picture over....

...and on the back Ms. Haley saw the following. She asked Jackson where his parents were. Jackson simply and sweetly told her that his mommy and daddy had been eaten by this shark. Can you see it?? The shark is at the top of the page....the teeth are on the left side of the oblong looking figure; the scribbles below are the water. No one can ever accuse Jackson of not thinking outside of the box.

Seriously...I love this kid!

Jackson's Got "Mad Skillz"

2008-09-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I wish I could say that our weekend was as action packed as last, but all-in-all it was pretty tame. Jackson woke up on Saturday morning in perhaps one of the worst moods ever...we almost left his baseball game on Saturday early because someone didn't want to play or do anything. Finally it was the lure of snacks after the game that did him in...even still, playing in the dirt was more up his alley than trying to catch a ball. Can't win them all!

So, after a long nap on Saturday we went to Trinity Park in downtown Fort Worth for Jackson's cousin Dawson's birthday party. We enjoyed cupcakes, good conversation and a ride on this little train (it was a Thomas themed party...so a ride on the park train was a perfect ending to the party). Jackson's favorite part was riding Dawson's brand new "Car-Movie-Car" scooter. He discovered that he could "jump-it" for some added fun. I had to capture it and share....too cute!

Weekend Recap

2008-09-23T05:36:00.001-07:00

Since the whole "tax" blog I took a little down time in order to give everyone a break from my ranting and raving. Now, though, I have a whole weekend worth of fun to write about!!

The weekend started out with a Friday night Rangers baseball game. It was the first game that we had a chance to take Jackson to this whole season....I know, we are total slackers since the ballpark is about 20 minutes from our house. The game was really a lot of fun, and Jackson got into heckling the players...a lot! He heard some other kids, and of course Daddy, yelling at the players and decided that is what you are supposed to do. It was just so cute! By about the 7th inning Jackson was ready to head home, which was fine considering the Rangers were losing. Not to mention, we had to get up at 7am the following morning for Fall Blastball baseball pictures and a 9:00am game. Oh, and yes....Jackson did eat this ENTIRE corn dog all by himself!!

So early Saturday rolled around and NONE of us wanted to get out of bed. But we did and we made it in time to wait another 20 minutes until the team baseball picture (they can never stay on schedule). The Braves had a good game and the boys had a lot of fun. You can't ask for more with a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds : )

On Sunday Drew went Mt. bike riding. While gone, Jackson and I did some things around the house. He REALLY wanted to play with the Play-Doh, so I got it down from his high shelf in the closet and we went to town. We had so much fun making snakes, Play-Doh figures and cookie-cutter ghosts. Drew even came home during the action and got in on the tail end of the Play-Doh party. It was fun!

In all we had a really fun weekend. We got to spend some time with family, we got to catch a couple ballgames, I got to make some more candles, and Drew and I were able to finish Season 2 of Heroes before the premier last night. The whole weekend must have really worn Jackson out, though, since he fell asleep in the car when I picked him up from school yesterday....that rarely ever happens! Side note, Jackson has a thing for picking "treasures" up on the playground at school. I have no idea where he got this from, since Drew and I are always telling him not to pick stuff off of the ground. Anyway, when I picked him up yesterday he had his new "treasure"....this beat-up, missing one eye-piece, pair of girls sunglasses that he just had to wear home. I couldn't even begin to tell my baby no...not when he looked like this on the way home. Man, I love this kid!

2008-09-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

This horrible picture was taken a mere 10 minutes before the beginning of one of the most miserable days of this year! See me smiling…well that smile was gone in the matter of 20 minutes tops.

Here in the lovely state of Texas they have this so called law that the assessed value of your home for taxing purposes is based upon the market value of your home. When you buy a home they use that purchase price as the new assessed tax value for the following taxable year. Drew and I decided to protest this since as of January 1st, 2008, which is the date at the official assessed value is determine. Well hello Tarrant Co and Texas, we didn’t have a kitchen as of January 1st, 2008!!! Our realtor and the district both encouraged us to protest the assessed value and go before a non partisan board to have our taxable rate lowered.

Drew and I spent months gathering information and taking pictures to backup our protest. The district even provided us with a list of homes sold within 2008…what we found is that three of the homes on their list did not comply with the “law” (which isn’t really a set in stone law per someone at the district) about assessed value being based upon the sales price of the home. We were thrilled because we finally had solid factual proof that demonstrated that not all homes are being assessed based upon the sales price of their home.

Long story short, we were called into the hearing. There were 3 elder retired gentlemen sitting at the table….these were our nonpartisan group of guys who supposedly have no affiliation with the county. On the other side of the room was the representative from the district….he didn’t even look-up or acknowledge our presence so I knew we were in trouble from the get go. Drew and I presented our case and clearly demonstrated all of our factual points….including the fact that the district was not concise with their own “law” which really isn’t the law. It was then the districts turn…..only think he said as he pointed to the back wall is “Texas state law says that assessed value is based…..”….well, you get the point. He had NOTHING!! Didn’t argue our points, didn’t give any reasons for why other homes less than a mile from ours didn’t see the same % of increase!!!

It gets better. After we made our closing statements and restated our argument it was the panels turn to decide our fate. I kid you not…those three guys said not a word to each other. There was no deliberation concerning the FACTS that we presented. One mumbled something and the other guy shook his head. That was it!! That was their level of interaction!! Before we knew it the guy in the middle said assessed value to remain the same…one of the guys seconded it and the protest meeting was over.

I can’t even begin to tell you how angry Drew and I were!!! Those guys had already made up their mind prior to us even arriving in that room. There was no attempt to discuss our points or question the district for their lack of valid reason as to those homes that didn’t see an increase. What a joke!! Thanks for wasting my time and money on a fight that was over the day that they sent me my 2008 tax forms! I have 0% respect for the system right now. Needless to say, I didn't leave with a smile on my face!

Peter Petrelli - Where Have You Been All of My Life?!

2008-09-10T08:30:00.001-07:00

Call Drew and I crazy, but we are marathoning it through Season 1 & 2 of our new found love....Heroes! For the last year or so I have heard from a ton of people that Heroes is a great show and that we were really missing out. Well, after I found out that one of my favorite characters on Gilmore Girls (Jess) happens to be one of the main characters on Heroes (Peter Petrelli) I was totally sold.

On Saturday, Drew and I decided that we would beging watching Season 1 & 2 so that we would be ready when Season 3 begins. We are so hooked!! We have been watching 2 or 3 episodes each night in order to make it. We are not only counting down the days that we have left to get through S1&2, but the countdown is going on for the beginning of Season 3!!

If you aren't watching this show, you should! There is still time to catch up.....

School's in Session

2008-09-05T09:46:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday evening Jackson, Drew and I attended Jackson's school open house. While he has been at the school and in the same class for the past year, we still wanted to be supportive and attend the event. Besides, Jackson really want us to come and see him at school....he knew that his friends would be there and that parents were going to be a part of it too. The teachers demonstrated what kinds of activities they do with the kids during "circle time", they sang a little song and showed us how they incorporate learning letters, words and Spanish into the daily curriculum. It really was an enjoyable evening...we are so proud of our grown up "big enough" boy!

Weekend in Houston

2008-09-02T05:29:00.001-07:00

Nothing could have been more fun than spending a long weekend in Houston with Mike and Maria. We arrived on Friday night and proceeded to have two wonderful days with them. On Saturday we went to the Space Center; Jackson really enjoyed the slide area and seeing the "guy hanging out of the rocket" (a life sized model of an astronaut doing a space walk).

After the museum, we headed over to Kemah, which has a little boardwalk area with restaurants and other assorted entertainment venues. We were able to avoid the playground area...thank goodness since it was 95+ degrees and very humid...and only had to do one round on the carousel. Not that I don't love my kid, but it was too HOT and HUMID to hang very long on the boardwalk.

Our lazy Sunday was spent sitting around, talking, attending church, playing a little catch and of course, what trip wouldn't be complete without a little money hunt! Mike had to take apart their dryer and in the process found a lot of loose change hanging out in it. So, Uncle Mike took Jackson out to the garage for a money hunt. The hunt then had to make its way into the house where Jackson spent the next 30 minutes or so looking in every crack and crevice in the house with his little flashlight. It was really cute, but Mike created a money monster who wouldn't put the flashlight down. Jackson is still talking about it!

New Home of the Braves

2008-08-28T19:12:00.000-07:00

Jackson is a Brave! Today was the first day for the Fall BlastBall baseball season. Jackson was anxious to get to his first practice and meet his new team...although I think he assumed that his team and past teammates would be the same. After a few shy moments he got right out there and tossed the ball around with his good old mom (Drew was helping his Dad tile his bathroom). Things were chaotic for a little bit, as you might assume they would be with a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds, but all of the kids had so much fun. It also seemed like a really nice group of parents too, which I am excited about. I spent some time talking to one mother and her father, both of who were LDS....original hometown somewhere in Idaho and had lived for some time in SLC too. It looks like we are in for a good baseball season all around.

Let's go BRAVES!

Hotter'N Hell....Literally

2008-08-25T07:12:00.001-07:00

Drew did it...and Jackson and I are so proud of him!!

Since I moved to TX in 2000 I have heard about this Hotter'N Hell thing from Drew. It all sounded crazy to me....cycling a 100 mile course during the middle of August, which is generally the hottest time of the summer. Well, as a last minute entry, Drew and his friend from work, Otto, decided that they were going to attempt the 100 mile race. Mind you, you have to reach "Hell's Gate" or the 60 mile mark by 12: 30 (they moved it up to noon this year because of the temps) or you can't complete the full 100m!! I believe the race started at 7:30 and Drew finished right around 3pm. There were trucks with trailer beds behind them driving up and down the course picking up those who couldn't handle the heat. Craziness!!!

Congrats to Drew who made the full 100 miles, and did it all on a 95 degree TX day!!

Busy Weekend....Again!

2008-08-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

Well, this home improvement stuff just never ends. This weekend, while watching the Olympics, Drew and I finally put up the curtains and pictures in our living room area. The pictures that I have attached don't do the room justice....not to mention that the color is off due to the lighting and the room looks really small due to the angle that I had to stand at (I promise that our wall color is not pea green :). Jackson was a big helper...he brought in the curtains and the curtain rods so that Drew could put them up. It was certainly a family event!

I bought these really cute music sheet framed artwork, which we hung above each of the windows, from Pottery Barn Kids...somehow they were perfect for our living room. Also, I was crafty and made "The Power Family" sign after seeing something similar at Mike and Maria's house. You can't tell from the glare, but it has a distressed look to it. Kind of ties in the antiquey feel of the room. Now all we need for this room is a large entertainment center so that we can hide the TV and corresponding equipment.

I can't wait for the reactions of those who get to see the room in person!

Can't Get Enough of Phelps!

2008-08-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

It used to be that gymnastics was the main event that everyone anxiously waited for when the Olympics rolled around. I have to admit, gymnastics has brought me very little viewing pleasure....fun to watch, but no where as exciting as Olympics past. What has been the highlight in this household is the swimming events. How could you not want to watch our U.S. team...not to mention being captivated by Michael Phelps and his multiple gold medal and WR wins!! What an awesome guy who appears to be extremely humble about his tremendous abilities as a swimmer. He has three more to go...let's see if he can bring home a total of 8 medals during the Beijing Olympics. Go Phelps!

By the way....and this is totally for Maria....Jackson's favorite event has been all of the equestrian events (and boxing, but we won't go into that). Can't wait to visit you guys in Idaho and get that kid on a horse!!

Goodbye Brown...Hello Bungalow Blue

2008-08-10T19:35:00.000-07:00

Well, we did....we decided to paint our bedroom blue. Bungalow Blue to be exact. We spent the morning on Saturday prepping the walls....taping the crown and baseboards, removing outlet covers and moving furniture away from the walls. Then it was off to Lowes for paint and supplies. Drew and I began painting around 6:30 and finished up around 11:30 that night. It was a long night, but one so worthwhile when we got to see the end result.

The walls are a gorgeous blue color...it reminds me of a color that you would find on the walls of a colonial home. Now begins the long process of finding the perfect bedding set and curtains in order to complete our new look! We are so happy that we went with our gut instinct to change the color while the motivation was there. Once again, though, we have vowed that it will be years until we paint again (shhh...don't tell Drew that I am thinking about painting our guest bedroom : )

To Paint or Not to Paint...That Is the Question!

2008-08-08T07:50:00.000-07:00

When Drew, Jackson and I bought our home almost a year ago to this date we knew that we had a HUGE project on our hands. Not only did ALL of the flooring have to be replaced, but the entire house had to be painted as well (smokers really do wonders on a home). It took A LOT of time to paint the entire house, and up until this week we weren't even done (our friend just finished all of the doors and trim on Monday). Both of us vowed it would be years before we would ever touch a paintbrush again!

Drew and I might be crazy, but we are already talking about changing some of the wall colors. Let's step back a few days and I will tell you how this crazy conversion began. The day that Shawn finished painting the crown in our bedroom I brought out this beautiful comforter set and curtains that I had bought for the room. Let's just say....Drew wasn't a fan : ( I'll admit, I wasn't crazy about the look either. The khaki color that we had painted the walls (see picture above for a sample of the paint color) made the whole room look a bit drab considering that the carpet in that room is a similar color. Even though we lack a beautiful comforter, curtains and artwork, we are beginning to doubt our color choice.

So the question for the day, family and friends....do we paint or leave things as is : )

(this is the blue color we are thinking about...???)

Green ever after all of those 100+ degree days!

2008-08-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

Somehow, even though we have had weeks worth of 100+ degree weather, Drew and I have managed to keep the front lawn and garden beautiful and green. It has been hard work, but really worthwhile in the long run. Oh, and I guess I should give most of the "green" credit to the sprinkler system (we've had to run it every other day) and some Texas specific fertilizer.

Now, let me tell you about what has been the biggest pain and the biggest challenge for us in terms of keeping the yard looking green. If you look closely at the pictures above you will notice that there are a lot of pine needles scattered on the sidewalk. Let me tell you about that!! We have 5 very large pine trees in our front yard that refuse to stop dropping their dead pine needles. Every other day I am able to fill up at least one garbage can or large black garbage can with those pine needles....every other day I am out there with rake in hand trying to get them off of our front lawn. If they were to go unraked, our lawn would be completely covered within a week. Talk about a dead looking lawn!

All-in-all, even through the heat and the massive piles of pine needles, I believe that I have discovered a new hobby/interest in life. This is the first home where I have truly been passionate about the yard care and gardens. I am already formulating ideas for what I can plant next spring! Oh, and Drew is thinking about attempting to grow a vegetable garden in the backyard (I am out on that idea)!!!

For all you bloggers and digital scrapbookers out there!

2008-08-05T07:45:00.000-07:00

I just discovered my new favorite digital photo album website...Blurb (http://www.blurb.com/). This is a site where you can create your own photo album using their free downloadable software. From what I have seen so far, I believe that it is a step up from Shutterfly or Kodak's sites. But, be warned...I am basing my opinion solely on what I have seen online.

But wait....it gets better!!! This company also has the ability to upload your blogs and publish them into a book!! I was just thinking last night that "blogging" is almost like keeping a journal. What better way to hold onto those precious words, thoughts and moments in your life than being able to publish what you wrote. I have decided that at the end of each year I will have my blog published into book format via this site.....I'll let you know how it turns out at the end of 2008!

One step closer to the finish line......

2008-08-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

No, I am not talking about running a race (although I really should lace up my running shoes and hit the scorching pavement in this 105 degree weather that we have been having). Officially we are one big step...maybe even a leap...closer to finishing the complete remodel of our home that we purchase almost a year ago to the day!!!

In the past two months we have had the doors refinished, painted and hung, crown molding and baseboards have been installed in the downstairs (long story about that if you ever care to know), and just last week we finally tiled the kitchen floor. It has been a challenge, to say the least, living without a kitchen for the past year....but now I feel like we are making excellent progress towards the completion of the kitchen by having the floor installed.

Drew is the man and did an unbelievable tiling job....one of his best by far! Below are the before and after shots of what the floor looked like prior to the tile (concrete slab before...beautiful tile after). Don't mind the junked out look of the kitchen.....one day it will be beautiful and no one will know the better : ) I can't wait for that day!!!

Ninaja Warrior - What Is the Appeal for Men and Boys Alike??

2008-08-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

Several months ago I caught Drew watching Ninja Warrior on the channel G4. It was never a planned or TIVO'd TV event, but if he was flipping through the channels and it happened to be on Drew would certainly have to stop and watch. I had to ask myself, is it the actual challenges that the competitors are faced with, or the high drama Chinese speaking announcer that creates the allure for the viewer. Well, I still don't have the answer. But what I can tell you is that while flipping through the channels yesterday, Jackson made me stop when he saw that Ninja Warrior was on!!! I know that he has watched it before with Drew, but I had to laugh in amazement that it had the same pull on a 3 year old little boy as it does on a 32 year old adult daddy.

A New Creative Me

2008-07-31T20:06:00.000-07:00

Now that I have officially graduated from college (yea me!), I have decided that I want to devote more of my free time to my creative side. Today I was inspired by my very creative sister-in-law while reading her latest blog posts. You may be asking yourself which sister-in-law, since I have 7 of them. Well, I will tell you....I have been inspired by my very talented sister-in-law Leah. From writing inspiring blogs (see proudfootfam.blogspot.com for a peek), to painting a very large, very beautiful cupcake in just one day, she has turned into my creative hero!

So, I have decided that I am going to reinvent myself and turn back into the Martha Stewart that I used to be....baking yummy cakes (once I have a kitchen), cute home improvement projects, and organizing pictures into digital photo albums and videos. In 2005 I did some of my finest work at the time by organizing family pictures for both my mom and mother-in-law into Mother's Day tributes. It is time, people, for me to turn back to my creative roots and start making beautiful things for my home and other people!

Our "Noble Beast"

2008-07-31T19:41:00.000-07:00

I was faced with the difficult decision of what the first topic would be for our family blog. Our "noble beast" Zoe is fast approaching her 10th birthday. She was a gift to Drew on Valentine's Day the first year that we were officially dating. She was the tie that began the family bond that now includes Kaya, our other dog, and Jackson, our 3 year son. She is part of what made us the infamous Powerfoot clan, hence the reason why she was the lucky winner for our first post.

This summer we made our annual trek to Creede, CO. As is the tradition, the dogs, or the "girls" as we refer to them, came along for the ride. They love running in the woods and wading in the streams that run along side the trails that we hike on. Zoe and Kaya are our faithful companions who do nothing but shower us with unconditional love. We love you "girls"!