Meet Flat Stanley

If you have a second grader chances are you have met a Flat Stanley along the way. We were mailed a Flat Stanley by our cousin Kalia from Pflugerville, Texas. It was our job to show Mr. Stanley around Houston and to document it. Jonathan did the same project earlier this year but we sent his Flat Stanley all the way to Chicago to visit his Aunt Callie.

Here is what we did with Mr. Stanley from Pflugerville:

We were very excited when he arrived at our house. That night we took him to Pappasito’s for some good Mexican food. We made sure to buckle him up because safety is first! He seemed to really enjoy himself and like being around Kaela, Bryanna and Jonathan. He got to climb a tree while we were waiting for our table and he really liked the fajitas we ordered too! Carlos let him drank some of his margarita as well! He was pretty hungry and thirsty after his long trip in the mail.









The next day Jonathan had practice for baseball so we wanted Flat Stanley to see what baseball was all about so we took him out to the park with us. He even posed for a picture with Jonathan and a few of his team mates. He got to see how to throw and hit a ball. I think he wants to play baseball now too!



On Monday he got to visit Bryanna at school for lunch. She was excited to show him off to her friends. She got to tell her friends all about where he came from. Then after her lunch we got to go back to her room for DEAR time which means Drop Everything And Read. Flat Stanley enjoyed listening to Bryanna read; he seems to really like books.





Then we saved the best for last for Stanley. We took him to the Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo with us! He was very excited and we were too! He took a picture with cowboy Carlos and Jonathan to get everyone in the mood. When we got there he couldn’t believe how big the carnival was. He got to ride the rides with the kids, he was just as nervous as they were! He had a great time and even enjoyed the concert at the end of the night.







We hope Flat Stanley had a great time in Houston!

Do you see what I see?

I walked into the kitchen to see Sadie (our German Shepherd) and Dixie (our cat) looking out at the backyard at a squirrel. It was hilarious; they were watching the squirrels every move just hoping that they could jump through the glass and get it. Sadie and Dixie are best friends, they do everything together; play, sleep and it looks like they would be great hunting buddies too!

Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo

We took the kids to the carnival and rodeo this weekend. They have been looking forward to this since I bought the tickets. The singer for the night was Jason Aldean and they kids LOVE his big green tractor song so they were very excited to see him live.

We did the carnival first. I could not believe how brave the kids were this year, mostly Jonathan. Kaela is a trooper and like me loves to get on the scariest rides. I really didn’t think Jonathan would get on any of them but he did right along with Kaela. Bryanna not so much, she was nervous about the Zipper and decided she would sit it out. Kaela said while they were waiting to get the ride started Jonathan looked at her and asked if he was going to die! She laughed and said no just hold on tight! They had a blast spending the 150 tickets we had purchased.

The kids also enjoy the actual rodeo before the concert. We love the bull riding. I could never imagine being on a bull and being swung like they do. They also have this event called Mutton Bustin’, you can only be 5-6 and you get to ride a sheep. The longer you hold on the more points you get. Some of the kids fall off immediately but others actually hold on for dear life. It is so cute and priceless to see the kids face when they get thrown off, it is hilarious!

Rodeo Cook-off 2010

Carlos and I ventured out for an adult night out. We don’t get many of these so I was super excited and put on a bunch of make-up! I even bought a pair of boots this year and was totally thrilled to put them on even if they were going to hurt my feet by the end of the night. We went with a bunch of friends and met more friends out there and had a great night. The weather was clear but windy and really cold. Too cold to even venture out of the tent we were in. Here are a few pictures from our evening:

Half Marathon

This past weekend I completed one of my goals for the year; a half marathon. It was everything I thought it would be, scary, nerve racking, hard, tiring, exciting and so on. Six months ago when I began running I NEVER would have thought I would have this goal. I joined the running group because other friends were and thought it would be fun to have “girl time” on a Wednesday nights never thinking that I would enjoy it as much as I did. My goals kept getting bigger and bigger and by the time I knew it I wanted to do a ½ marathon.

I was nervous all day on Saturday. Hoping I didn’t over eat or eat the wrong thing because when you are a runner your stomach can do some weird things. The last thing I wanted during the race was to have to a) use a port a potty and b) use a port a potty to go #2! Saturday night I began to get all my stuff ready which made more nervous. I got in bed around 8 because I wanted to get plenty of rest. My alarm clock went off at 6am Sunday morning and I jumped out of bed ready. I was SO ready for this race. I am a true believer of the power of positive thinking. To me the race was mind of matter and I was 100% sure in my mind that I could do it. I got to the racing grounds about 30 minutes before so I could stretch really well. The most I had run was 10 miles so I wanted to make sure that extra 3 wouldn’t kill me. They asked us to start lining up, I seemed to be the only one without a partner but I wasn’t worried about it, I was ready. I plugged in my ear phones, turned up the music and began to run. I ran and ran my heart out. I didn’t stop once which was another goal of mine, I didn’t want to walk. Mile 12 came and I was totally exhausted, how my legs kept going I still don’t know but I got to the finish line with my mom and Kaela cheering me on and I did it! It was an amazing feeling of accomplishment, one that I will never forgot.

My stats aren’t the best but I didn’t run the race to be the best, I ran the race to prove to myself that I could do it. Here are my stats:

Ryan Flores's personal results:
Gun time: 2:32:36.7
Chip time: of 2:32:12.2
Pace per mile(based on chip time): 11:39
Age Group total finishers: 20
Age group place: 15
Age group percentile: 75
Total finishers: 355
Your place among total finishers: 308
Overall percentile: 87

Will I do another ½ marathon absolutely; maybe I can even beat my own time next time around. Now on to a bigger decision, to train for a full marathon or not to train for a full marathon?!

Moving along

I was told today by a friend who reads this blog that I haven’t updated lately. I haven’t, I haven’t had too much to say I guess. Our year started out crazy. The first month Carlos lost two grandparents, 29 days apart. But his grandparents have been reunited once again and that it is pretty amazing.

I have been “training” for my half marathon. Basically training consists of short runs during the week and a long run on the weekend. Last weekend I did 10 miles. It was hard, I will not lie but I think I can do it. I am supposed to do 12 this weekend but I have been trying to get over a cold so I am not 100% sure it will happen. I am ready mentally though for the 13 miles. I do have to go get some energy snacks to carry along with me during my journey to 13.1 miles. I am excited and ready, ready to mark it off my list of “to do’s”.

My little boy turned 8 in January. We had a small celebration at home. He got a cool bike and a sharp knife. The knife is for the country, when he goes hunting with daddy. He was very excited to get both. Baseball season is right around the corner. Carlos is going to be the assistant coach this year and is pretty revved up for it. He has been at the park on most pretty days with the kids practicing.

Kaela starts softball in the next couple of weeks. I think she is nervous. She has never played before but is a great catcher and she can hit the ball as well. I know she will do great and I cannot wait to watch her play! My favorite sports are always the ones my kids play.

Spring break is coming up and the kids are ready for a break. We have no plans of going out of town. Kaela and I are going to see the Black Eyed Peas in concert so I am pretty excited about that. I LOVE concerts and her and I have been going to them since she was about 2. I also have my first photo shoot at a wedding. I am SO nervous but really exciting for the experience. I have been on a million wedding websites getting ideas and I just hope everything turns out well.

Miss T this update was for you! I have lots of pictures to share and belated birthdays to post so that will be next!

Faces of Leni

Lennon is my neice and I thought these pictures were too cute. They were from my dad birthday and she LOVES cake!