Keeping up with the Reubin's

She's 2 wheelin' it!!!

2010-02-05T18:23:00.000-08:00

Hannah had a great day...she learned to ride her bike minus...training wheels!! That's my girl!!! Of course I got it on video!!

Oh yeah, mark you calendars for May 15th!!! It's Hannah's spring show for tumbling!!

Enjoy!!

1st try

2nd time

By the time it we decided to go inside, she was riding and turning all by herself. She even went with me tonight to walk Bubba! She rode the entire time around 2 blocks!! YAY Hannah!!

Some fun pictures:

Jake was a good boy at school and got a gold star!! Super Dude!!

Hannah got a "great job" sticker!!

Our little Biker chick!!

Catch up!!

2010-01-24T13:07:00.000-08:00

I know, I know....it's been forever since I've posted something. I just plain forgot!! So needless to say, I have a lot of pictures to share with you!! Hannah's birthday, New Years Eve, and just some miscellaneous pictures of the kiddos!!

For Hannah's birthday, we had a little pizza party with her grandparents and us. A little intimate party which she thoroughly enjoyed. We blew up balloons and had them out on the floor for them to play with and I made a homemade strawberry cake!! It was the best!

The next day we were invited to go to the Dallas Stars game with our good friends, The Richmonds! They live across the street and have a little boy..Aiden..who turned 3 yrs old on Dec. 28th. The kids love playing together. I wasn't sure how well our kids would do at a game but, they had a blast and were on their very best behavior!

Hannah and Jake our doing great! Hannah has started to learn how to read at school. She brings home a new book each week, we work on it, and then return it to school the following week! She is really doing well. Her first book was with all of the "at" words. Mat sat, Sam sat, Cat sat...you get the idea! Jake is counting to eleven all by himself. He does not like to play the game...count to ten or what color is this but, if it's his idea...he does great! He just says....listen to me, I know my numbers! Or, Daddy's cars are red and Mommy's is white! Such a complete difference between him and Hannah! Hannah likes to be quizzed but, Jake doesn't! So funny!!

Brent just got back yesterday from being in Florida for the past 9 days!!! It was a long week! Last night we took the kids to Shogun here in Mckinney for some yummy Hibachi and sushi!! Sushi for Brent and I...Hibachi for the kids!! The last time we took them to a place like this, it scared them with the fire and all. Last night they really got into it! They shocked us with how good they are at using chopsticks! Today Brent went dove hunting on my parents property. Jake was not thrilled about being left here. He told Daddy that he wanted to going shooting too!! Maybe several more year buddy!!! Such a little Brent...has to do everything that daddy does!! Jake's favorite phrase..."I do like Daddy do's" not does...do's!!! So stinking cute!!

Enjoy the pics!!

Me and my 2 favorite kids!!

Jake showing off his harmonica skills!!

Just being cute!!

Hannah figured out static electricity with her birthday balloons!!

Our hockey seats!!

Hannah wearing Chris's jersey!

and Jake wearing Alicia's jersey!

Jake helping Uncle Robert fix something in our bathroom...with his own tools!!

Truly my child...he concentrates just like his mommy...by sticking his tongue out!!

Jake with his chopsticks

and Hannah with hers!

Let it Snow!!!

2009-12-29T19:34:00.000-08:00

Just a few pics of the kids playing in the snow this evening!! It was so pretty while it lasted....it's already begun to melt!

Anniversary surprise!!!

2009-12-28T18:20:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in the previous post...it's our anniversary today. After dinner last night, Brent had to fly to Shreveport! Much to my surprise, he drove home after dropping off in Shreveport at midnight! He worked a little bit and came home around noon!! What an awesome thing!! Hannah and I had to do some grocery shopping and when I got back, I had an even better surprise!! A dozen pink/peach roses sitting on the kitchen island!! He is so good to me!! I love him so much!!! Happy Anniversary Sweetie!!!

Oh yeah, by the way, this is the work of the bestest floral specialist I know....My Mom!!!

Our Christmas!

2009-12-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

We had a very successful Christmas this year. The kids had a blast opening all of the gifts...there was paper flying everywhere. Jake received a new train set, books, Lego's, a cowboy hat and a soccer goal....all of which he loves playing with. Hannah, on the other hand, got a jewelry box complete with jewelry, a cowboy hat, barbie house and barbies and walkie talkies! The guys had fun putting together the barbie house. It was over 55 pieces....he,he,he...I know how to pick 'em!

This was the first year that we weren't blowing and a goin'! We stayed here and let the kids play with there presents. Jake had come down with something, of course on Christmas Eve. He was running quite a high fever and wouldn't eat anything. On Saturday, when everything opened back up, I took him to our urgent care place for kids. He had major fluid in his ear! They gave us medicine and as of today...no fever!!! YEA!!

Today is our 6th year anniversary. Funny, it doesn't seem like it has been that long! He took me to a great new restaurant here in town. Baileys Prime Plus. This is where their Christmas party was this year that we didn't make it to. Dalton gave him a gift card for it and we used it last night. What a great meal! I had salmon and Brent had a yummy steak!

Well, here are all of our pictures!! Enjoy!

opening stockings!

Brent opening his gift from me! A very cool gun!!

Robert got a gun

and so did Dad!

My anniversary present to Brent! Yes, another gun!!

Christmas time!!

2009-12-22T08:16:00.000-08:00

Well, it's almost Christmas and the kids are anxiously awaiting Santa's arrival. There are presents under the tree, just not for them. All have been wrapped and are in hiding!!! On Christmas Eve we plan to put all of them under the tree after the kids have gone to sleep. This is the first time that we have really played Santa Claus and I am so excited to see their faces on Christmas day.

Last week we took the kids to visit Santa in our new Allen "Village." It's a new and upcoming shopping center with all the major stores and an Allen Event Center. In the middle of all of the stores was Santa's house with a huge Christmas tree out front. We were pretty lucky, we walked right in and didn't have to wait in line!! At first the kids were not on board with talking to Santa and were completely against the idea of sitting in his lap!! Even though they had talked about him the whole ride up there. We finally got Hannah to sit in his lap for a while and Jake was still against it. We got Hannah's picture and I was paying, Jake was told by Daddy that he would not get any presents from Santa! He told him that he hurt his feelings and Jake ran back in there and gave Santa a hug! Thankfully, the lady elf got a picture of it!!

After visiting Santa we walked around a little bit and found a maze in the shape of Texas and some little houses made for the little kids to play in. All in all, it was a pretty good outing! Of course, I got a bunch of pictures!!

An early b-day gift for Hannah

2009-12-16T15:19:00.000-08:00

It's approaching quite fast...Hannah's 5 year birthday!! I cannot even believe that it is going to happen. It doesn't seem right but, it just keeps getting better!!! We finally decided to give Hannah something that she has been asking for, for about 2 years. He ears pierced!! She is such a big girl! I took her to this little girls salon called Sweet and Sassy in Frisco last Monday. I know, I know...I'm very tardy in updating the blog but, we have been a little busy! She got to pick out her earrings and then they sat her in a chair and it was over before we knew it. There were some fake tears. I think it was just because she couldn't see what they were doing. I quickly told her to look in the mirror and then she was all good!! She said "mommy, don't you know that daddy will love them!!" So cute!! Of course I have pictures and a video!!

Parade of Lights

2009-12-06T11:37:00.001-08:00

Last night was Hannah's parade of lights. She was invited to ride on the Tumble Bug float along with her other Hot Shot friends! It was quite cold but, was really fun. They had so many cool floats to look at and lots and lots of Christmas lights! The parade route was around the square in Mckinney and only lasted about 45 minutes, which was all we could stand! What a blog post be without some pictures!! I tried to take a lot but, it was had with my gloves on. Hannah had a great time in her first parade! She even got to see Santa and a tall green elf on stilts!!! Her costume was a mouse if you can't tell!!

Happy Birthday to our lil' man!!

2009-11-11T07:10:00.000-08:00

That's right, it's Jake's birthday today!! I can't believe that he is 3 years old today!! It seems like it wasn't that long ago that we brought him home from the hospital. All 9lbs and 14oz of him!! Jake is such an fun loving, energetic, and one of the most affectionate little boys I know. Thank God for the opportunity that we have!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE!!

A flashback to Hannah's first time to meet her little brother!

Always taking care of her little brother!

And today! Jake's 3 year portrait!!

Oh Deer!

2009-11-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

One thing that I forgot to mention is the previous posts, was all the deer that we got to see up in Arkansas. They would come up to the deer feeders in the backyard at Tommye and Leon's looking for food every day. The last day that we were there we saw an amazing site just a few feet in front of us!!

It started off with these 2!! We were sitting on the deck just checking them out!

And this is how many showed up towards the end! It's really cool in person!

T-ball

2009-11-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

As I said in the previous post, T-ball is over! YEA...it was fun but, a lot of work. Sometimes we had 2 games a week plus practice! Hannah did great this season and is looking forward to the spring. Here are some pictures from her last game as well as of her "trophy!" She was so excited to get her trophy and took it every where and showed everyone!

The proud daddy with his kiddos!

Hannah is the one in the big straddle!

Up to bat!

Just chillin' in the dugout

After game huddle

Hannah and her TROPHY!

Hannah and her buddy Haylee!

At last...a video of her doing what she does best...being super cute!

Vaca to MO and AR

2009-11-09T08:21:00.000-08:00

I have to admit...I have been terrible about updating the blog the last couple of months. From swim lessons to T-ball to allergy doctor to Tumbling to everything else in between. I feel like I have been running on overload trying to get everything done. However, I think things will be a little bit slower from here on out now that T-ball is over. I say that and now I am trying to do 2 kids birthday parties and Thanksgiving and Christmas....Whewww...will it ever end!!

A couple of weeks ago we got a week off to go spend time with Brent's side of the family. We were all together in one house. This is a very rare occasion and it was fun!! We got to meet our new nephew, William David or Baby Will...as our kids call him. William come out all mumbled for them. Hannah had a blast holding him and playing little momma! Jake thought he was too small and looked a little scared when holding him. They got to also play with their favorite girl cousin Clara!! They had been talking about her for days and had so much spending time playing with her. After a short visit there, we headed to Arkansas for several days to get some much need rest and relaxation! More for Brent than anything. He has been so busy flying that he needed a break! We didn't get a chance to be outside too much because of the rain but, the kids totally didn't mind. They got some good bonding time with their Great Grandparents! The one day it didn't rain we ran like crazy trying to get a lot of outdoor activities in. We went down to the river, to the park, to the fish hatchery and spent hours picking up and playing in the leaves. All in all it was a great trip! Now for all the pictures that I took....watch out there is a lot!!

She loved holding him!!

he,he,he

Of course she had to visit Auntie Ann's salon!!

Brent enjoying some William time!

something new to play with

So stinkin' cute!!

Buddy,buddy,buddy!

Jake loves fire trucks so, while we were in Arkansas he got to sit in a bunch of them!

Jake tuckered out after playing in the leaves...he loves his "Pop pop's chair!"

Misc..

2009-10-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to play a little bit of catch up before our trip up to Missouri and Arkansas. We have a new nephew...William David Trent!! I'm sure that I will have plenty of pictures to share when we get back!! These are just a couple that I have taken in the last couple of weeks!

Jake loves bath time...especially when he gets to pick his own color tablet!

Hannah has been working really hard on her penmanship! I caught her writing her Aunt Kerri's name! She'll ask me how to spell "whomever" and then she'll write it!! This was the 5th or 6th person's name that she wrote! She's pretty good!!

I think everyone knows that Brent and I love to watch NFL and college football!! Well, while watching the Cowboys, we caught Jake doing this!! I guess he picked it up from us!! It's a little dark but, you can still hear him!!

A true "Edge" smile!!! Today was haircut day!! Freshly cut and styled by "melissa!" All ready for Christmas card pics and family pictures!

Texas State Fair

2009-10-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

It has been several weeks since we went to the fair and I'm just now getting pictures up. I don't know why I haven't put them up sooner, oh well! We had a great time eating, playing and visiting all the sites!! This was the kids first visit to the fair and they really seemed to enjoy it! Our main reason for going out there was to see Dad's landscaping. Dad designed it and they won second place!!! YEA DAD!! I have to say that out of all of the landscapes out there, which there were quite a few, they were the best!!

We visited the petting zoo, which was crazy but fun! They had all kinds of animals for the kids to feed! There was a couple that we did steered clear of...the ostrich!! One little kid got bit right in front of us...OUCH!! The kids also got to ride on a couple of rides together! Surprisingly enough, they we over the required height. I guess we don't really know how big our little 2 are!! On the way out we treated the kids to a funnel cake...Yummo!! I'm still trying to work that one off!! Anyway, enjoy the pics!!

Yummy corn dog!

Big Tex!!

The next several pics are from Dad's landscaping

hanging out in the monster trucks tire

Of course she had to feed the longhorn...Hook'em horns!!

One GREAT Weekend!!!

2009-09-29T08:13:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was so beautiful here in Mckinney!! Brent was home, the weather was great, and we had lots to do. Brent got home late Friday night after being away for 3 days in D.C. Friday the kids and I did a lot of playing at the park and while waiting for Daddy, we played in the back yard for over 2 hours!! They played in the sandbox for about a hour and then proceeded to exploring through the flower bed. I just sat there and enjoyed watching them play! Saturday morning we had a wee bit early game. This was Brent's first T-ball game to attend. Unfortunately I think that all the kids were still sleepy and probably didn't want to be there. It wasn't as lively as it usually is! Maybe he will get to make one more game before they're done! The rest of the afternoon was filled with mowing and more playing in the yard! I caught lots of pictures this go around! Check them out!

before Hannah's game...I finally have it looking somewhat like braids...still not as good as Auntie Ann!!

Check out the 2 kiddos in this video and what surprise they found!

Having fun just playing with trucks

enjoying their sand table....Thank you Uncle Robert!!

my treasure...freshly picked flowers from my favorite little ones!

Too stinkin' cute!! I love these kids!!

What a month!

2009-09-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while since my last post. Lots of changes here in the Reubin household! First, we are without our dogs. Sammy went to a very nice couple that are friends of Ann and Jared! He seems to have fit right in and I think it is just what he needed. Bubba has be relocated to my parents house right across the street. I was most worried about him due to his skittish nature and fear of men. He has adapted very well! He gets along with all 3 of the other huskies that reside there as well. Thankfully, they really watch out for him and are very gentle....seeing that they are twice his size!! I miss both of them terribly!

If you are unaware why we had to find new homes for the dogs...I will fill you in. For the past several months Jake has been sneezy, sniffly, coughy, and just about everything else! The pediatrician did a blood test and the results said that there was very good chance that he was allergic to peanuts, fish, and dog dander! We got referred to an allergy specialist and he said that he was not worried about the fish and peanuts, especially since he had both and not had a reaction. He thought it would be best to do a scratch test for the dog dander. He was not able to do it at the appointment since he was wheezing so, we had to wait a month to get him all well! Yesterday was the day to get tested. The results...he is allergic to dogs and dust mites!! So that means no more furry friends in our house!! I'm so sad but, we want the best for Jake and do not want him to be sick anymore!

Prior to knowing the actual results, we thought it would be best to go ahead and replace the carpet in the high traffic areas, especially where the dogs were. So, we now have laminate hardwoods in our living room, kitchen and entry way!! It looks awesome! Really all I have to do now is clean our couches where dogs have been. My Mom has a carpet cleaner that has a hand attachment so, that should be relatively easy! As far as the dust mites go...my thoughts are "yuck, who wouldn't be allergic to dust mites!" I'm not going to go overboard, there is not just a whole lot you can do. I am going to do some of the recommended and leave it at that! I encased his mattress and pillows and put any unused blankets and pillows that he is not using in a huge zip lock storage bag in his closet! Wheww....I told you it was a lot! Since I have been working on this post, the kids have destroyed Hannah's room! So I best get back to making them clean it up!!

Just a few pics to share!

Jake has finally found some of his own dress up attire! Daddys "boops"

Yeah, they thought they were hiding from me

goofing around as usual and making a mess!

new floors "1"

new floors "2"

new floors "3"

Orioles 1st game!!

2009-09-03T08:23:00.001-07:00

Hannah had her first T-ball game last night and she did awesome!! She got to hit twice and then rotated through all the positions on the field!! She was such a "go getter".....she went for every ball even if it wasn't near her!! She hit 2 line drives in between 1st and 2nd and was never tagged out. Although, the kid on 1st thought he would tag her out even though he didn't have the ball!! It was so cute watching all the 4 and 5 year olds running around the field. Sometimes it was complete chaos but, it was still fun to watch!! They had the individual and team pictures before the game so I have a something to share!!

Hannah and her buddy Haylee

After game huddle....Hannah's #5!

It's Go time!!

2009-08-28T07:31:00.000-07:00

Well, in just a few short hours, my dad and I will be on our way to Wichita Falls to ride in the Hotter'n Hell ride! I am very excited since we have been training all summer for it! It will be 100K which turned out being about 65 miles last year. There are rest stops about every 10 miles so, plenty of times to rehydrate! I should be back sometime tomorrow afternoon! I think Brent is planning on smoking something on the smoker and our good friends will be coming over to help me celebrate the accomplishment!! Hopefully, I will do okay!! I have my Ipod synced, my bike is ready, and someone to watch the kids....he,he,he....that would be Brent. He has the weekend off and is going to get some great alone time with the kids. Have I mentioned that Brent bought me a new bike!! Yes, he did! He is so sweet. He bought a Specialized Dolce for me a month ago. It is a bike that is specially designed for a woman! I have had the opportunity to ride it on several long rides and I absolutely love it!! You're the best Brent!! I love you!

This has not been the best week for us. On Tuesday, we found out that Jake has some allergies towards dog dander. NOT good for the 2 pups that we have. Dad has graciously said that he would love to have Bubba and we are still looking for a good home for Sammy. I have been crying, it seems like, for days! Brent and I have had them since our first couple of months of marriage! They are wonderful dogs and I wish that this was not something that we had to do! They have been absolutely great with the kids and let them do just about anything to them. If anyone knows of someone looking for a dog, please let me know. I won't give him away to just anyone. They are both getting beautified today and getting updated on their shots on Tuesday!!

To add to that ..... my Iphone got dropped in a cup of water last night....yep it doesn't work anymore! Then 10 minutes later...Jake dropped a chair on a wine glass and broke it!! So, I think I'm down to 3 wine glasses...he has shattered 3 of them previous to this incident!! It just keeps getting better for me huh?? So, please think good thoughts for me while I'm gone! I would like for something to go right this week!!

If you do know if someone that would like a dog, let me know and I can send you a picture of Sammy. My e-mail is m.reubin@yahoo.com

1st T-ball practice

2009-08-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

Hannah's first T-ball practice was last night and she had a blast!! She did so good! They kept the 3 girls together....there are only 3 on the team....and they moved to each station together. They learned to hit the ball off the T first, moved to throwing, and then to fielding!! She really did have a blast out there! Why wouldn't she...it's in her blood!! She even got a little competitive out there! I don't know where she got that from...he,he,he!! Anyway, my girlfriends little girls are on the team as well and one of them is our favorite photographer. She took some great shots of Hannah! So, I have a couple of pics to share!! Of course, I have to brag!!

Sunday Fun day!

2009-08-18T07:56:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we had the pleasure of going to the suite out at the ballpark! This was Hannah's second time to go and Jake's first! We had fun, even though Jake thought it was more fun to run into the side by side suites and harass them. That's our little man! Still, I think it was a success. We invited some of our friends along with us. Brent and Crystal live in the housing division to the east of us and they have had us over there a couple of times. They also have 2 little ones the same age as us. Haylee has been in tumbling with Hannah for about a year and now they will be playing t-ball together. Presley just turned to 2 in February and I don't think she cares much for Jake. She is half his size and thinks he is not so cool. Although, I think Jake thinks she is pretty cute. Anyway, here are some pics I took for our adventure out there!! I hope everyone is having a great week so far!

This is the new Cowboys stadium!! It costs $800 for a cheap seat and $60 for a pizza!!! Crazy,huh??

Our view from the suite!

Our girls chessin' it up!!

Family shot...notice the Hawaiian punch mustaches!

Both families

Presley is playing hard to get!

Let's Ice Skate!!

2009-08-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

We have had a very busy weekend with the kids. We haven't had this much fun in a long time!! On Saturday, the kids and I met Auntie Ann and Grandma at the Galleria in Addison. We shopped a little at Old Navy and then headed to Mc Donald's for lunch! The kids were very excited about getting to ice rink! I have to be honest, I didn't know how well the kids would do once we got the skates on. They surprised me more than you know. Jake started off with Auntie Ann and acted like it was no big thing for him to be out there. No FEAR! Hannah was with me and I really didn't think she would make it out on the ice. She was very leery of it at first but......after about 5 times around the rink she was much more comfortable. She even stayed out with Auntie Ann after Jake and I got off. She even ended up skating a little bit by herself. It was definitely a hit!! We will be doing this more ofter since we have an ice rink in the Frisco mall!! After the ice skating was done, we met Grandfather, Uncle Jared and Daddy for dinner by the ballpark! We had a great time hanging out with everyone!! Of course it wouldn't be right if I didn't take some pictures!! Enjoy!!

Ann-I don't know about you but...my biceps are so sore from all of this work on the ice!!

Little biker dude!!!

2009-08-13T15:17:00.000-07:00

As promised....here are some pics and even a video of our little man riding his bike! I was able to get them outside for a little bit this afternoon after he got home from school! Oh yes..and check out his new Spider-Man helmet!!

Hot Sauce, T-ball, and a new biker!!

2009-08-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

I didn't have a cool title for this post! Oh well, a lot has happened this week! I have now created a new and better hot sauce recipe! This one is actually a cooked sauce rather than just blending fresh ingredients. It will last a little bit longer than just a couple of days! Yesterday, I believe that I perfected the recipe! We had nachos and homemade hot sauce for dinner last night. Yummy! While I was making it yesterday I took some pictures of my observers!

Bubba and Jake watching

The hot sauce coming to a boil...it simmered for about an hour

The finished product...it makes quite a bit!

Of course I have to have a test taster and Jake loves hot sauce!! He's the perfect critic!

"first I have to stare at it and then smell it"

"Ooooo...it's spicy...i must have a drink!" After it was said and done, he gave me his approval!

After all the hot sauce making was done, I signed Hannah up for fall T-ball! We found out last night that she was on the Orioles team! Practice starts next Tuesday and games will begin in September. Get ready for a bunch of t-ball pictures of our little rock star!! She is very excited and we are about to leave to buy her some cleats for practice and get Jake a helmet!! Which leads me to our next and newest news! The helmet for Jake is because he learned how to ride a bike last night! He just popped up on it and starting riding. I have no pictures since it was out of the blue but, hopefully we will get some tonight!! So there ya go!! Lots going on here! I hope everyone is doing well! Check back tomorrow for maybe a pic or a video or Jake riding his bike!!

Splish Splash

2009-07-31T11:50:00.000-07:00

Today we visited our new splash park near the neighborhood. It's less than a mile away from our house. Hannah rode on her scooter and Jake on his tractor. The kids had a blast but, I think got a little worn out from the walk over there. We only stayed about 45 minutes. Hannah could have stayed a lot longer but, Jake was tired. Check out the pics!

Hot Shots Invitation

2009-07-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

Great news!!! Hannah has been hand picked, by the owner of the Tumble Bugs, to join a group called the Hot Shots!! Brent dropped off Hannah this morning and was handed a note as he was leaving. Here is what it said:

Congratulations! I think your child has potential and possesses the right tenacity to be a great gymnast. The Fireflies that have been selected really thrive in the gym. This Hot Shots program will allow them longer hours of training, introduce them to new skills that others at their age are not ready for, and help create a love for the sport that will last a lifetime! These classes will also be geared for advanced gymnastics in preparation to our USAG (USA Gymnastics Association) competitive program; yet will remain the FUN that has always been the roots at TBG!

Brent and I talked about it and we are so impressed with Hannah's gymnastic abilities and are so very proud of her!! When I read the note earlier, my eyes welled up with tears of joy!! She is such a remarkable little girl and Brent and I are so blessed to have her as our child!

This new program would begin at the end of August and is composed of about 8 girls. It would be 2 times a week for an hour and half. We thought we would leave it up to Hannah on whether she would like to join or not. I talked to her about it on the way home for school today. She was very excited! I explained it would be more time in the gym and her response was....."so I can be on the bars and beam more???" I told her yes and of course she said that she wanted to do it. If you haven't seen her in class....she is awesome on the uneven bars and the balance beam!! No FEAR at all!!

I haven't forgotten that we have another child!! I know the last posts have been about Hannah but, Jake has been under the weather this week. I took him to the doc on Monday because he was coughing quite a bit. I think we caught it early enough to were it didn't get too bad. He has been on steroids and breathing treatments this week. Tomorrow we go back to the doc to see if all is good and if it is....back to school he goes!!

Today Brent left to go out to Mississippi and we probably won't get to see him until next Tuesday!! So, it's going to be a long week here without him!! But, thank God for the business! This past Saturday, Brent had a trip landing into Mckinney airport. We took the opportunity to go out and see him and the new plane. We even got to ride back with him to Red Bird!! This was a huge treat for us! Ya know, that was most of our dates back in the day. Meet him at Mckinney airport and fly back to Red Bird just to turn around and drive back to Plano. We loved it though! Those were the days!! Anyway, here are some pictures of the kids on the Citation!

This is one of her favorite poses!

Pilot in training!

Now....new pics of the airplane!

And this is what he gets to fly in when working....sweet ride, huh??

Hannah's new room!!!

2009-07-28T19:58:00.001-07:00

That's right...Hannah has a big girl room now! We decided to upgrade her furniture and make her room a little more like Hannah! She got to come with us and decide what furniture she liked and what mattress she wanted. We decided that this would be an early birthday gift for her. The new furniture fits perfectly in her room and really gives her a lot more space to play! I decided to take the time and paint her room and fix it up all nice and girly. I figured that I owed it to her since I didn't paint either of their nurseries! I picked out the paint and then decided that it would be really cool to put up a chair rail!! Man, that was a beating painting with 2 different colors. But, I'm glad that I did it!! It looks really cute. I still have a couple of things that need to go up on the wall but, it's pretty much done...as of today!! I did the caulking on the chair rail and touched up the paint today! I took the pictures tonight so that we could share it with you!! Next time you are at our house, I know Hannah would love to show you her new room!! She loves to show it off! Stop on by anytime!

Happy 4th of July!!!

2009-07-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is having a great 4th so far!! Brent was not able to be with us this year due to technical difficulties on his new airplane!! :( We are so sad but, we are going to make the best of it! Our new friends, Chris and Alicia, have invited us over for dinner and fireworks watching. They live next door to my parents. They are great and have a 2 and half year too!! Aiden is a month younger than Jake!! All 3 of them play very well together!!

Earlier this week I bought the kids a pool at Wal-Mart. They start swim lessons on Monday so, I thought it would be a good idea to get them acquainted with the water! I also bought Hannah some goggle. They are Dora, Dora the explorer goggles! She calls them "gobbles!!!" She's so silly!! I hate to correct her when it's so cute and she's so serious!! Here are a couple of pics of them playing in their pool!

working on trying to blow bubbles

Hannah in her "gobbles"

Just a couple of minutes ago I asked Hannah to get her clothes on and get ready to go over to Aiden's house!! This is what she did.....get ready to laugh a little!!!!!

Of course we can't forget about Jake!!!

Being a stinker as always....we love them!!!

Finally some cool air!!

2009-06-17T16:14:00.001-07:00

Since our first summer in this house, we have always struggled with cooling down the living area and kitchen! We have bought small fans to put all over the house in hopes of cooling it down. That worked very little and we still had to turn the AC down just to survive in the heat of the summer. A couple of weeks ago I was looking online at Home Depot and found some really good deals on ceiling fans. We ended up getting one for the kitchen and one for the living room. The one that I originally bought for the living room had some technical difficulties so, Brent returned it and got a really fancy 60 inch fan!! I was quite impressed. It goes great with our decor and is awesome at putting out some great air flow!! We have had the AC on 79 most of today and it happens to be one of the hottest days of the year so far. I think we topped out at 98 degrees! With both fans going, Hannah has told me several times already that she is cold!!! YEA! Maybe we will survive in 09's heat!! Brent and Robert had a fantastic time putting both fans up!! We really appreciate all of Robert's help!! He is always up for helping out on all of that stuff!! I took a couple of pics of the fans to show how great they are! They probably look better in person but, you get the idea!

Yep, that's my husband....always the funny guy!!

Thanks to Lindley and Stephanie, we now have an abundance of little hot wheels cars in our house. Brent broke out the box a couple of days ago to take a trip back in time. It was Hannah's day at school so Jake was here to look on to all of Daddy's treasures. He got out this basket of cars,trucks, and trains and Jake was suddenly in heaven. He has been playing with them for hours upon hours since they made their way out of the box. I took these today while he was playing with them!! So cool that he gets to play with his Daddy's old cars!!

A little behind!

2009-06-10T11:11:00.001-07:00

Well, the title speaks for itself. Yes, I haven't posted in a while. The kids had all of last week off and Brent was not around for most of it. It was a little hard to find things to keep the kids busy and entertained for 12 hours out of the day. Thankfully, we were able to spend most of the week at the park and the gym. They were okay with that! This week they both started their new class schedule. Hannah is in pre-K on Monday and Wednesdays from 9-2 p.m. and Jake is in the 3yr old class on Tuesday and Thursdays from 9-2 p.m. It was a little bit of an adjustment switching days and packing lunches for both but, all in all it has been great. It has been so nice to have Jake in class a couple of hours longer than normal. It gives me some great one on one time with Hannah. I have been dropping off and then coming home to walk with each one of them. We then get to visit the park for a little while! Today was Hannah's day at school and also her tumbling lesson. Since Jake was normally in school on Wednesday's it always worked out for me to watch her without chasing him every which way. Today was a different story. He was everywhere and I didn't get to watch her. Thankfully, they have another class that I switched her to that coincides with Jake's day at school. Next week will be a little better, I'm sure.

A couple of weeks ago we attended the graduation ceremony for the pre-k kids. Hannah's class was part of the ceremony even though they weren't graduating. They gave us a peek of what they worked on this year. It was really cute watching her up on stage singing songs. She did so good and looked so grown up. I took a couple of pictures to share!

And for you great grandparents up in Arkansas...I know we don't get to see you as much as we would like but, that doesn't mean that Jake doesn't remember who you are. I took this after he picked it up and said very clearly "Grandma and Pop-Pop!!!" Seriously....too gosh darn cute!!!

Key West Trip

2009-05-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

Our Key West trip last week was absolutely the best! We had so much fun and did a lot of relaxing!! This was a much needed trip for both of us. Key West is such a neat and colorful place to go. There is a lot of history, many things to see and some yummy food. So yummy in fact, I gained a couple of pounds! Oh well, it's vacation! We enjoyed going on a dolphin safari. We had to actually search for one but, one finally came around. It was pretty to watch! It came up a couple of time and then finally rode the wave in the front of the boat!! They took us out in the middle of the ocean to go snorkeling. Very cool....so many beautiful fish. Then towards the end of the trip they took us to the sand bar out in the middle of no where. He pulled the boat up onto the sand and let us venture out. This is where we found our shells for Hannah. We even got to see a couple of sting rays!

Although we very much enjoyed our time by ourselves, we still missed our little stinkers! We were glad to get back and play with them! Check out our pictures from the trip!

the view from our room

the pier the jetted out from our hotel....and the beach that we lounged at

The sandbar that we played on

After our dolphin trip, this little manatee visited the marina

Evidently, they like to drink fresh water from the hose!

I know this picture is fuzzy but it was at night and this was the best I could get. This is the 90 mile marker at the southern most part of the island....90 miles to Cuba!

We decided after walking around the island for 3 days.....we would take a break and rent a scooter. Pretty fun!!

Our last excursion...a sunset champagne cruise on a catamaran!! Oh, and we saw another dolphin!

Sister and Brother fun!

2009-05-06T17:28:00.000-07:00

Who said you can't have fun playing with your sibling. Even if that means dressing up with them. Sound familiar Robert? Poor Robert just didn't have a chance. With 2 older sisters he was going to play whatever we were playing. Which usually included dressing him up in our clothes and covering his hair in barrettes! Ha,ha,ha...it was fun and he was too little to know the difference. Bringing that into modern day times....check out the picture below!!

This was from earlier today. Jake thinks that it is crazy fun dressing up with Hannah. For now it's cute we might think twice a little later in life if he's still doing this! We have had to make our own fun indoors lately due to all of the rain that we have been getting. We have been having a little bit of behavior issues with Jake at school the past 2 weeks. It seems as though he has been the bully of the class!! Thankfully, today we had a break through. He was back to his normal self!!! YEA!! Since we are nearing Mother's day, I got a little treat from the little man today and it totally is true!!! Check out what he made for me!

That was the highlight of my day! After dinner we had no more rain showers so, it was off to the outside we went! Hannah has been enjoying her umbrella with all of the rain and even if it's not raining....well, she still find it fun to play with!!

Birthday Weekend!

2009-04-27T18:36:00.000-07:00

As always, we tend to extend our birthdays from one day to days!!! It's fun like that! Brent's birthday was on Friday and we were able to celebrate with a dinner without kids! One of Hannah's friends from school (that I take home from school) invited her and Jake over for a couple of hours of play time. Brent decided he wanted La Hacienda Ranchhouse for his birthday dinner. We ordered some yummy decked out queso (queso with guacomole, sour cream and beef). We enjoyed it for a couple of minutes and then our fajitas arrived! By far, the best fajitas in the world! We finished our dinner in 30 minutes! We looked at each other and said...what do we do now?? Thankfully, we found an errand to run and then went to pick up the kids. Saturday rolls around and it's time for Brent's homemade birthday dinner. He decided this year that he would like to smoke a prime rib for dinner! We had my parents,brother,sister and aunt and uncle come over to join us! It was outstanding!!! If any of you have shopped for Brent, you know it is the hardest thing in the world to find something that he needs or wants! This year, I hit the jackpot!! I had been thinking for a couple of months that I wanted to get him a Wii!! Thankfully, several weeks ago he got to play one while he was out on a trip! He came home talking about it for days!! I was so excited because I knew for sure that he would love it! So, last week while he was gone Hannah and I went to get it. We have had so much fun playing with it!! I got him the sports Wii for us sport fanatics! We have tried out every game and have really enjoyed it! Brent and I are both sore from playing it for hours upon hours! Here are just a couple of pics of Hannah and Brent playing golf tonight! She really had fun playing with it too!

Enjoying the outdoors!

2009-04-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was both wet and beautiful!! We had rain pretty much all Friday and most of the day on Saturday. However, Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day. Brent got to spend most of the afternoon playing some golf and the kids and I played outside for an hour. The kids have really started to enjoy playing out in the front yard and, of course, our steep driveway! This makes a great little hill for them to ride their bikes down or the tractor! It always fun!! I have a video of Jake riding his tractor down the street. It's quite hilarious to watch. He has way outgrown it but, still insists playing with it.

Today Hannah and I went on our weekly shopping trip to get groceries. While we were there I found an Easton glove and ball set!!! We have talked about putting Hannah in T-ball with her friends this fall. I wanted to see if she would find it fun and see if it would even be worth it. Turns out, she really likes it. We threw around some grounders together this afternoon. She's pretty good. Although, there was the occasional distraction...butterflies and birds!! She would stop and say "look mommy...aren't they pretty??" Oh well, so maybe she is the kid in the outfield searching for caterpillars. That's okay. I caught a couple of pics of her anticipating the ball!! Pretty darn cute!

Also, I took some pictures of all of my beautiful landscaping the back yard. It really has come full force this year. So beautiful!

More Pictures!!!

2009-04-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

We have more pictures to share!! Enjoy!!

A little teaser!

2009-04-11T07:32:00.000-07:00

Well, this is a lot sooner than I thought. I have just a couple of teaser photos from yesterday. My friend edited a couple last night and sent them our way!! Check out our beautiful kids!!

Sunshine fun!

2009-04-10T17:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday to everyone!!! Brent stayed home today and enjoyed some one on one time with Jake! They mowed the yard and cleaned up the garage! Such a guy thing to do. Hannah and I, on the other hand, went shopping. A great thing to do on Good Friday. She and Jake both, have gone 5 months in the same tennis shoes. This is actually a long time for both kiddos. Today I noticed that Hannah's shoes were a bit on the small side. When I asked her "why didn't you tell me that these were hurting you?"....her response..."I was trying to be nice!" How sweet is that?? We hit the Stride Rite outlet and got both her and Jake new shoes. They were having a buy one get one half off sale. Can't beat that. We came home and they enjoyed some time outside and then went off to nap time. After the kids got up we had our pictures done! I have a friend that is trying to jump start her photography business. She is great! Hopefully, we got some good shots. Jake is not so much into sitting still right now. I will post some when she gets done editing. But, for now, here are some pics from enjoying the sun.

It's been a while!

2009-04-08T17:16:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry for the long delay. Things have been very busy for us this year. We have have had our share of illnesses and have stayed pretty busy with the kids school. Thankfully, after a visit to the ER in February, the doctor has finally come to the conclusion that Hannah's symptoms are brought on by seasonal allergies. He has put her on Singulair and a daily inhalation treatment to keep her bronchial airways from being inflamed. So far, it has done the trick. With this crazy Texas weather that we have, she just doesn't get a break. Yesterday it was 50 degrees and today it was up to 82 degrees. But, she hasn't had any problems yet. YEA!!! I think that I have bitten all of my nails off. I'm not normally a nail bitter but, when your child has this and they cough you get nervous that they are going to start struggling to breath!! So far, so good!

On another note, Jake has been in his big boy bed for over a month now. He loves it. The deal was....he broke the crib and had to be moved over. He didn't really break it, the bottom fell out from underneath him while he was trying to take a nap. Since, Daddy wasn't home...Mommy's muscles couldn't fix it. I think he was done with it after that! Brent got home and they took down the crib together. Such a big boy now!!

I have a few pictures to share. I promise to be better about updating my blog from now on!!

Jake's new room!

Jake got a shaving kit from his Aunt Kerri and Uncle Ricky for Christmas. He loves shaving with his daddy! He may kill me later for the picture above but, I couldn't resist. Isn't it cute??

It's a very special day!

2009-02-22T11:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Laura!! Just for you, a special birthday message!! We hope you have a wonderful day full of fun and surprises! Lots of love!!

A much needed update!

2009-01-23T15:26:00.000-08:00

I know, I know....it's been a month now since my last post. Things have been a little hectic around here. The past 2 weeks we have been taking care of sick kiddos. This week both of them caught "croup"!! Such a nasty virus! I think that we are nearing the end! Although, it seems that I have caught the nasty virus too. So anyway, as soon as we are all well and back to school, I will be blogging like crazy to catch up! For now, love to everyone and have a great weekend!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-22T17:53:00.000-08:00

I think this might be the last post that I do until Christmas! We have been quite busy this weekend. We had some our friends over this weekend to make ornaments and for some playtime! We had a great time. Today we went over to another friends house and made some Christmas cookies! A little more than we normally do for a weekend! It was so much fun! I have attached a video that I took today of the kids on the way back to the house. Evidently, Jake has learned how to say "Merry Christmas!" It's so cute!

I have also attached some cute pics of Hannah and I. She actually wanted to take pictures last Wednesday before her tumbling class. Notice her leg warmers....can you believe they are bringing those back?? YEA!!! I had some when I was a little older than her! We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! Love to you all!

Party Time!

2008-12-13T10:52:00.000-08:00

Last night was Brent's Christmas party down in Dallas. As always it was very fun and exciting, no not really! This will be the last Christmas party for Club Marketing in Dallas and I'm sure Brent is thrilled! Since we hardly ever have any pictures taken of Brent and I, I thought this was a good opportunity since we were all dressed up. Don't get me wrong, I will take any time to get to be with my husband, even though he doesn't really care for the party! I still had fun just being with him!

Where's Hannah??

2008-12-09T12:25:00.000-08:00

The past couple of naps that Hannah has had, she has ended up in the plastic storage box that we keep her stuffed animals in. At first, we would come into her room to wake her from her nap and would find her nestled in her curtains on the floor. When you would first walk in the room you couldn't find her. It's been kind of funny to go in and see where you will find her! The other day Brent was home and got the chance to wake her up from her nap. When I got home he said "you're never going to believe where I found Hannah." He told me that she was in the box! So that last 2 days she has wanted to sleep in the box! Whatever it takes to get her to take a nap...I don't care! I got a couple of snap shots of her in the box!! Now when she takes a nap she says "Mommy, I want to sleep in the box!" I guess it like her secret hiding spot that we all know about now! Cute,cute,cute!

yesterday at nap time!

today at nap time!

My Q & A with Hannah

2008-12-04T14:34:00.000-08:00

Hannah decided that she didn't need a nap today. Instead, she came out to the living room and talked to me about the Christmas tree. After a couple of minutes I thought...this would be a cute video! There is a little added bonus of Hannah's version of singing Jingle Bells. Check it out!

Deck the Halls!!

2008-12-04T12:47:00.000-08:00

Today I accomplished quite a bit! Hannah was in school today and Jake was home with Mommy. We had a late start but, I soon came up with the great idea of wrapping presents. I started about 10 a.m. and finished about 11:15. I had already finished all of our Christmas shopping last Friday and now I thought it was time to conquer the world of wrapping. I did pretty good and got all of Hannah's gifts wrapped except for the kitchen, of course. That will be assemble by her Uncle Robert in his free time over at Dad and Mom's. I don't even think we're going to wrap it. We can't wait to see her face Christmas morning. Anyway, back to wrapping...I started on Jake's gifts since he was busy watching CARS! He didn't really notice me grabbing his gifts that were nicely hidden on the top bunk bed (It has to be used for something...storage works well for now). I had one more gift of his to wrap and I went in and grabbed it and all of the sudden I heard this loud gasp! I thought, "on no, he's in here!". I turned around and his mouth was wide open and he had the look of amazement on his face. I had in my hands....his firetruck! I ran into the kitchen and tried to cover it up with paper as fast as possible(while he is trailing fast behind me). I got it covered up and thought...he has short term memory loss right now, he won't remember as long as I distract him with something else. As I was trying to cover the firetruck up with paper, I ran out of paper and the roll was left behind. I handed him the roll and he thought this was the best thing ever!! He started running around the house, in typical Jake fashion, whacking whatever he could with it! Problem solved!!!

After most of the gifts were wrapped we headed out for some more shopping! For the past 2 years I have bought the kids their very own ornament for them to put on the tree. A little late this year but, I got it done. I got Jake a choo-choo train and Hannah a frosty the snowman! I also found some great silver and red jingle bells! Our tree has never been very creative, just the plain-jane balls you get at Wal-Mart! But since the kids have come along, they really get into putting their very own ornaments on the tree. It will be fun in 20 years to look back at each and every ornament that we have collected over the years. It may looked a little funny right now with not so many ornaments over here but plenty in just one spot. That's the way we like it...because those little critters did it themselves. Our little elves!

Catch up!

2008-11-30T11:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I am going to try and play catch up on this post. Since last Wednesday we have had a lot going on. On Wednesday morning we got the results back from Hannah's allergy testing and it came back negative. She's a perfectly healthy girl! So, since that exciting news, I got together with 2 other mommy's (from the tumbling class) and we took all the kids to the park! I think that there were 6 kids total, all the same ages as Hannah and Jake. There is even a little boy Jake's age. It was perfect. I think we spent 2 hours just playing at the park. We had been waiting for a couple of weeks on taking Hannah outside, just for the fact that we didn't know if something outside was making her sick. She and Jake were so excited to get some fresh air.

Later that day my in-laws came into town for Thanksgiving. We enjoyed some yummy lasagna and chessy bread from Papa Murphy's. If you haven't tried them yet, they are outstanding and pretty cheap! I started a couple of things for Thanksgiving and then we called it an early night, since I was running the next day. I didn't end up running in the Turkey Trot in downtown but, did an awesome 8.5 miles here in Mckinney. Dad had spent some time in the ER earlier that morning and he didn't think he could make it down there with 30,000 other runners! For someone who has a pinched nerve, he did fabulous!!! Way to go Dad!

Friday morning came around and Randi and I got up at 5 a.m and hit the stores!! I can't believe that I got out that early to shop! We actually had a great time and didn't really run into too much mayhem! Then we got to Toys 'R' Us...that place was crazy! We had to wait in the check out line for 1 hour! But, I have to say they were very organized! I got home at about 10 a.m. and enjoyed some time with Brent's family before they left! I think we had a pretty good Thanksgiving! No fires (remember Randi??), nothing was burned and every thing was done about the same time! Very relaxing, good company, and a very easy clean up. Thanks to Brent for the great idea of buying paper plates and plastic silver wear! That was the best clean up by far! Brent ended up having to fly on Friday and got back late last night. We didn't end up doing too much while he was gone. Just chillin'!

Today has been a fun day. We took the kids outside to ride their bikes. And much to our surprise, Hannah has picked up riding her bike really fast. We have been working with her off and on for a while and she just couldn't get the pedaling part down! I think that it helped a little that Jake got a tricycle for his birthday and she has been practicing indoors on that. We got a lot of pictures and even a video to share!

working hard to get up the driveway

She's so proud of herself

Aren't they super cute?

Almost a collision...thankfully Hannah got out of the way!

We hope you enjoy the video!

Poor Hannah!

2008-11-23T16:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Hannah was playing with one of Jake's big Tonka trucks when her face met the floor! Bless her heart, she bit her lip really good and skinned her nose up! We didn't even know about the nose until this morning! I guess it took a little while to appear! We felt so bad for her. Jake runs around the house and is always running into or bumping into something and really never sheds a tear! Usually the next day there is a scratch or bump or something and we're both like...where did that come from. Hannah on the other hand is pretty dramatic when she gets hurt. This time she had reason for the dramatic crying....she was bleeding pretty good! She seems fine today but, I had to share the picture! She smiling though!

We've had a pretty lazy day for the most part! I got out and ran with Dad. We ended up running 8.2 miles!! Pretty crazy, I didn't know I could actually go that far! But, good news is...I can run the 8 miles at the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day. I was a little worried that I might not have it in me to do it! Turns out, I was wrong! We have really enjoyed having Brent home this weekend. We accomplished a lot. The kids got their pictures taken for the Christmas greeting card and school pictures....you'll see them soon! I got to take Hannah to her very first movie! We went to see Madagascar 2! She seemed to have fun but, couldn't really sit still! Oh well! Anyway, that's it from us! I have added a couple of pictures that I took this weekend! Enjoy!

Prior to her little accident...in her new sweater!!

The little man eating applesauce and chessin' it up!

Update!

2008-11-18T12:38:00.001-08:00

Well, it's been way too long since my last post! If you didn't hear, Hannah was in the hospital last week for a couple of days due to, what they say, Asthma. The cause of it....they don't know. She is back home now and is doing well and is getting back to her normal bubbly self every day! She headed back to school this morning and evidently didn't skip a beat! Sorry for not blogging lately. I was just not in the mood! Now that Brent is back home (after being gone for nearly 2 weeks) life will be back to normal for us North Texas Reubin's. I will update the blog soon with some new pictures of the kids and from Jake's recent birthday party!

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers for Hannah!! They were greatly appreciated and needed!

A day of fun!

2008-10-26T12:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was quite a busy day! Hannah had her very first birthday party that she was invited to. The little boy,Cameron, is the son of one of my friends that I went to school with. We played softball and danced together on drill team. Small world....her and her husband live not 2 miles down the road from us and their son goes to pre-school with Hannah. In fact, she came home the other day and told me that Cameron was her boyfriend and that they were going to play baseball together. When I told Katy this, we both laughed. How cute is that? Any how, back to the birthday party....I went in to drop her off and she froze. She didn't want me to leave! It was...one more hug Mommy, no just one more! I was about to die! I told Katy I have to just turn around and leave, I know she'll be fine once I'm gone! I left and never got a call to come and get her. I went to pick her up and saw her playing with all of the other boys!! That's right, boys! She was the only girl! Didn't seem to bother her one bit! She evidently got right in there and had a great time. She talked about it all the way home!

After we got home, it was time to get ready to go to the farm! We say farm because this is where my parents hope to be very soon! They would love to have their land with a log cabin and a farm on it! For right now my Aunt and Uncle have some property up there with a lake and we go up there every now and then to have get togethers! Last night was a bonfire night! We got up there around 5 p.m. and had hamburgers and hot dogs and let the kids run around! We brought the John Deere tractor up there and the kids took turns playing with that! They also got to see some catfish in the lake! After a couple of hours of play....Hannah was tired and wanted to go home. Bless her heart, she had a long day! Check out our pictures from the "farm!"

What a day!

2008-10-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

Today has been a day full of exciting new things for the kids. I didn't plan any of it, it just fell into place. Today was Hannah's first day as a Firefly at the Tumble Bug gym. She did awesome!! I was so proud of her! She did things that I didn't even know she could do! She was challenged more so than she has ever been before. She handled it very well! When we were getting ready this morning for her class, I noticed that it was particularly difficult to put on her leotard. It seems that she has grown quite a bit since I bought this one! We left early and headed for the gym to see if we could buy a new one. Since she is a gymnast, they wear different fitting leotards. So you have to buy them at the gym! Hopefully, this one will last a little longer...they're quite expensive but, nice! She got a new leotard that fits her perfectly! After class, the owner of the gym gave each of them a ring-pop for graduating up into the new class! Hannah devoured hers after lunch!!

After her class was over it was time to pick up Jake from down the hall! He made a BAT today in preschool! Very cool!! He did well in class and did extremely well being in underwear! The teacher is quite pleased with his progress in potty training!! I can officially say...JAKE IS POTTY TRAINED!!!! YEA!!! What a big boy! It had been such a great day, thus far, that I decided to see if Brent had left out of Mckinney airport yet! He hadn't, so we headed that way to share with him all the good news!! When we arrived, there was a fire truck helping out someone that had just arrived on another airplane. The kids love fire trucks!! Their little eyes got so big when they got out of the car and saw it. As we got through the gate they just sat there at starred at it!! I don't think they have ever seen one up close. The firemen came from around the truck and started talking to both of them and gave them some stickers and tattoos!! Then they let them sit in the front seat!! What a huge treat for them!!! Then it was off to Daddy's airplane! They got to play inside the Falcon for a couple of minutes and then it was off to lunch! This was such a great day for them! They will be talking about it for days!

Brent and I feel so blessed to have 2 wonderful and beautiful children! We love them so much and are so proud of them for all the new and exciting things that they are doing! They are so special to us and I thank God for them every day!

Hannah in her new leotard eating her ring-pop!

Hannah learned how to do a back bend all by herself!

Jake driving the fire truck!

Aren't they cute?

Hannah standing on the wing of the airplane!!

Sea World Fun!

2008-10-20T09:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend I took the kids to Sea World for a little get away. Originally, Brent was supposed to be down there for training but, that got changed. Since, I had already talked it up to Hannah, I decided to go ahead down there. My Mom took off a much needed day off from work to go with us. She needed a little getaway too! After a long drive down there (I hit rush hour traffic in just about every major city) we arrived about 7:00 p.m on Friday night. We relaxed had some dinner and called it a night. We got up pretty early or earlier than normal for the kids (about 8:00 a.m.) and had breakfast and headed to Sea World. We got there right after it opened. The weather was perfect and there was not that many people in the park. I had bought a harness for Jake because he can only stand so much for the stroller. He likes to wonder around so the harness was great! Hannah actually held the leash for most of the time. We ended up renting a double stroller after a couple of hours, just to give them a break! We got to see the Shamu show, feed the dolphins, see the penguins, sea lions and all kinds of other sea life! They had so much fun! I'm so glad they got to experience it! Later that night we went to Outback for dinner and then watched a movie in the hotel. Hannah got to sleep with Mimi in her room and Jake stayed with Mommy. We didn't sleep well the first night all together. They kept waking each other up! We decided to get a really good night sleep and wake up extra early to go back home. I stuck to my plan and we left at 7 a.m. and got to Dallas at 11 a.m. They was so much better than going down there! We still had the whole day to spend with Brent! When they got home they were so excited to see Brent. It's like it had been eternity for them! They had a blast but they still missed their Daddy!

This was their first taste of cotton candy!

The Shamu show

They were mesmerized for 30 minutes.

Of course we sat in the splash zone!! Both Hannah, Jake and I got soaked. Mimi not so much.

Hannah thought it was so exciting to get splashed by Shamu!

After 5 hours of fun at Sea World....they didn't make it to the highway!

A short video of Hannah and Jake's first cotton candy experience!!

A reason to celebrate!!!

2008-10-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

Today was a pretty good day, I have to say! Jake has started big boy underwear as of Friday! The weekend didn't go great but, I think that was because we were all over the place. Today though, he was in underwear from this morning until he went to bed tonight!!! No accidents!!! YEA!! He's such a big boy!! Good job Jake! What a relief to have this under our belts! I have to say, kudos to Brent!! He worked with Jake all day yesterday while I was out and about! He didn't get to do that with Hannah but, he was very patient with Jake yesterday and it paid off! I'm sure there will be the occasional accident but, I think we're off to a great start!

Hannah, on the other hand, had tumbling today and of course did GREAT! She had been doing so well that they bumped her up to the 4&5 yr. old class early!!! Yippee Hannah! After her regular class we went out to pass by time while waiting to pick up Jake from pre-school. When we got back, her tumbling teacher said that she was trying to get a hold of me. She said that they wanted to move Hannah up to the next level. She has been doing so well following directions and has excelled in the tumbling, they believe that she was ready to be further challenged!!! We were so excited for our little Tumble Bug!! She has graduated from Caterpillar to Firefly!!! Way to go Hannah! As a reward she wanted some new Crocs!! I know that sounds silly that she wanted some new shoes but, you don't know our kids! They love shoes, especially boots and Crocs! Since I didn't want to buy boots, I opted for the Crocs. She hasn't had any for a couple of months since she grew out of her old ones! We're a Croc wearing family!

Jake may kill me later down the road for this picture but, it's cute for right now! Hannah in her new purple Crocs and Jake in his Nemo underwear!! They actually posed for the camera!

Robert and Dad got home from there camping trip early so, they came over for dinner tonight! Uncle Robert is always chasing the kids around and playing with them to wear them out for me!! Check out what Uncle Robert goes through!! Poor Uncle Robert! Well, it's just pay back for what he did to me!!! Ha, Ha, Ha!!!!

The start of something GREAT!!!

2008-10-08T11:33:00.000-07:00

It was exactly 5 years ago today that Mr. Brent Reubin proposed to Melissa Edge!! I can't believe how fast it has flown by. If you don't know that story...it's a good one. Brent told me that he wanted to take me up to Arkansas to meet his grandparents in October. Of course, I was really nervous about meeting them, just for the fact that Brent talked so highly of them and I wanted to make a good impression! He flew me up there (yes, that's right...he flew me up) in a pretty fancy airplane on October 8th. I met the grandparents and we hurriedly went to the lake. He wanted to show me all around Bull Shoals, which is gorgeous! As we sat in front of the dam he asked me if I would like a glass of wine and as he bent down he came back up on one knee!! He then pulled out the blue box. I thought I was going to pass out. It was the most beautiful ring I had and have ever seen (he designed it himself)! He asked me to marry him and I said "of course!!!" Those were my exact words! I hugged him and he sat back and said "okay, was that a yes?" Poor guy was so nervous all he wanted to hear was "yes" or "no". The rest is history! It's been 5 years and 2 kiddos later!! We have a great marriage and 2 wonderful kids! I wouldn't trade any of it for the world! I love you Brent!

Thank you Leon and Tommye for letting us share that wonderful moment up there with you! Oh and by the way, I had no reason to be nervous. Leon and Tommye are 2 of the easiest people to be around! I immediately felt right at home!

Engaged couple - Brent and Melissa

Leon, Tommye, and Brent

The Dallas Arboretum

2008-10-04T13:43:00.001-07:00

It's no surprise that Brent is out flying this weekend...he's in Las Vegas. His favorite place...just kidding!!! I think he dislikes going there more than Shreveport and he goes there almost every weekend!! It has been pretty hard lately to keep the kids preoccupied while he is gone...which has been a lot, especially on the weekends. I think I have taken them to the park so much...they don't get excited about it anymore. Recently, I was talking to one of my friends and they told me about the pumpkin patch out at the Arboretum!! I thought this would be a great adventure for the kids! Hannah has been fascinated with pumpkins for as long as I can remember!

When we first got there I was a little hesitant that they may not like it but, 10 minutes into it I was wrong. They had a blast. Of course, it was a little warm...what do you expect..it's Texas! But, other than that it was perfect. The flowers were absolutely amazing, they had more pumpkins than you can imagine and of course the botanical gardens with water! Right now Jake is into water....he loves to play in it. So every couple of steps he would say "wa-wa!" This definitely was the day to go, it was totally geared towards the kids! I enlisted my parents for some extra help! I have to say...they were troopers. It's been a long time since they have had to chase around little feet! All in all I think it was a success! The kids are napping right now and I'm sure Mimi and Papa are too!!

I took a ton of pictures! Enjoy!

The Weekend!

2008-09-23T09:40:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was fun! I got to go with Brent to Shreveport for a night and the kids got to spend the night with their Auntie Randi! We had a very nice time in Shreveport, well I had fun! I know Brent is there all the time so I'm sure he would like to be else where. But, we got to spend time together and that's all that matters. He took me to a great steakhouse and we ate way too much and then went back to the hotel and saw 88 Minutes. It's a pretty good movie if you like those intense movies.

Randi had all kinds of things planned to do with the kids. They made cupcakes, carved a pumpkin, and drew us some pictures. Hannah also got to sleep with Aunt Randi in our bed! It was quite a treat for her. She has been talking about it since Sunday. Randi took lots of great pictures of all of their activities! When we returned home, Hannah had prepared a very nice dinner for Brent and I with her pretend food. It was so cute!

Hannah frosting the cupcakes!

What fun is it if you don't get to lick the spatula?? Jake is just an innocent bystander...he's just waiting for the finished product!

He gets his chance and boy does it show!!

Look at him go for it!

Hannah and Auntie Randi in Mommy and Daddy's bed! She was good, Randi said she slept on her side the whole night! Good job Hannah!

Is this not the coolest pumpkin you have ever seen?

Me and Hannah after we got home. You can barely see the magnificent meal of pretend food that she prepared. She even used her blankets as table clothes. What a sweetie!

What's going on?

2008-09-17T19:53:00.000-07:00

Well, the last 6 days have been fun! A little hectic though. Jake had been doing great with the potty training until yesterday. For some reason he decided he didn't want to do it any more and Hannah decided she didn't want to take a nap!!! Yikes! Which means...everyone was miserable from about 5 p.m on! Brent had been out of town for 4 days and the kids usually are really good when he's gone unless, he's gone for more than 3 or 4 straight days! I guess this was one of those times. I thought I was going to pull my hair out...I missed Brent and Hannah and Jake missed their Daddy! What a long day that was. Thankfully, Brent came home about 7:30 p.m. last night and we had dinner and everything was fine again! Of course, he's been gone today but they were good! Jake is back to potty training and he's doing great! I almost thought I had it made tonight! I put him to bed and he looked over at his bunk beds and said "bed!" I said "do you want to sleep in there?" and he quickly got out of my arms and headed for the bed. I tucked him in and did our little routine. I went about my normal getting ready for bed myself and thought, he hasn't made a peep. This went on for about 15 minutes. Usually he's screaming in the middle of the bed. Sure enough as I got closer to the door I heard him saying "nice,nice,nice" and I realized he thought he was in time out. I picked him up and loved on him and reassured him that he was not in trouble but thanks for trying it out. Oh well! He went to sleep in the crib! Not quite there yet! Well, that's whats going on in our house! Love to all!!!

This is a picture from September of 2007! Crazy, it just seems like yesterday!

Way to go Jake!

2008-09-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

Well, big news here in the Reubin house....Jake is potty training!! This is not something that I was really thinking about. I was more concerned about getting him to sleep in the big boy bed! On Friday the kids went to Mother's Day Out like usual and this time when I picked them up their teacher informed me that Jake went to the potty! I was shocked! He's only 22 months! I was thinking I would start when he closer to 2 1/2 maybe even 3. I had heard horror stories about little boys and potty training! Well, we have "Super Jake" here and he has gone all weekend and at least 7 times today!!! Yippee! It's been so easy! He just says "potty, potty" and we run to the bathroom and he goes! How many 22 month olds do you know that are potty training?? Anyway, we went to Wal-Mart yesterday and got him his very own "boy potty seat". It's spiderman!! Check out some of the pictures I took! Don't worry the potty seat is clean. He was just showing off! So the next step, I guess, is to get him into the big boy bed. One step at a time!

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

2008-09-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

Today is my Dad's birthday! Yippee!!! I couldn't have asked for better parents. God has blessed me with 2 of the most fabulous people I know! When I look back, I had a wonderful childhood and wouldn't change anything about it. I have always looked to my Dad for guidance and now look back at how I was raised to continue on as a parent myself! What more could you ask for! He's a great Dad and a wonderful "Papa!" Have a great one Dad!! Love you!

A day with Daddy!

2008-09-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

Brent started a little tradition with him and Hannah when she was about 10 months old. He would take her somewhere special for some alone time with him. Yesterday was one of those days. Brent got some tickets to the Ranger game and decided to take Hannah for her first baseball game experience. Check out what a good time she had!

Hannah eating her hot dog in the Suite...

and eating some peanut butter crackers.....

and being silly.....

and drinking orange soda!

A day at the Ballpark makes for sleepy Hannah!

Needless to say, she had a lot of food out at the ballpark. Today while Hannah was in school, it was Jake's turn to spend some alone time with Daddy. He had his first try at pushing the lawn mower with Daddy! He seemed to enjoy it, even though it was taking Daddy a lot longer to mow with a little person helping. I caught a couple of pictures of him in the act! What a big boy!

As busy as Brent is, he always makes time for his 2 favorite kiddos! He is always bringing us souviners home, spending alone time with the kids, and helping me around the house...when he can! He's like Super-Dad and we love him bunches!!!

Airplane Comfort

2008-08-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, Brent is a pilot and has flown us to places like Houston, Arkansas and Oklahoma (wow, we're spoiled). What you may not know is how comfortable our kids feel inside the cabin of an airplane. They love to take off and sit with their Daddy in the cockpit! Hannah went on her first airplane ride at 6 weeks old and Jake at 6-7 months old. They think it is the best treat in the world when they get to do this and Hannah will talk your ear off about it! As I was doing some clean up on the computer I found these precious pics of the kids on the airplane.

Hannah at 9 months - chewing on the headset

Hannah flying the airplane

This one is a cutie! I couldn't resist. Jake at 7 months.

Just like his Mommy....he likes to push buttons

New Paint!!

2008-08-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

If any of you have visited our home, you have probably noticed the scary red entry way! Brent and I attempted to paint this area and little did we know....red is the absolute hardest color to paint with. So, I have been very unhappy with it for quite some time. It had 5 coats of paint on it and it still never looked just right. In fact, everyone thought that I was trying to do the faux painting technique. Thanks to everyone that was very kind about the way it looked. But, the truth is...it was awful! Anyway, we hired our next door neighbor to fix it. When she came over to discuss the shade of red that I wanted, I was very leery. I was done with the whole red paint idea. So she came up with a great suggestion and we went with it. Not only did she paint the entry way but also did the dining room as well. Since this is the first impression that everyone gets when walking in the front door, I feel that it is now a good one. Hopefully! We now feel that the house is complete! Take a look!

The "new" dining room!

The entry way!

This pictures don't really do justice to how good it looks. It's better in person! So stop by sometime.

I DID IT!!!

2008-08-24T08:21:00.000-07:00

I'm back from Hotter 'N' Hell! It was so much fun and a great experience. I'm so glad that I was able to do it and hope to do it again next year!!! I took lots of pictures to share, just because you would have no idea the extreme coolness that I encountered! We got to Wichita Falls on Friday around 4:30 p.m. and set up our camp ground. Dad and I set up the tent (he did most of it, I supervised. He,he,he). Then we walked around the MPEC center to check everything out! I have to say...it was like Sam Moon for cyclist! They had all kinds of booths there, it was a circus! We went back to our camp ground and had a sandwich and chilled for a little while and then called it a night! Randi and Jake got in around midnight and they already looked tired. We got up around 5:30 a.m. and started the journey. We got in line for the ride about 7a.m. which was the coolest part....to begin they had 4 jets fly over us and cannon blasts! It was awesome! We also had the best weather we could of hoped for. It started out at 74 degrees and by the time we finished it was only 97 degrees. It was great!

This is our tent...It's huge!

This is just part of the start line! They were lined up for a mile or so!

Randi and Jake at the Start!

Me and Dad at the Start! Check out our jerseys...aren't they cool!

Me at the 1st rest stop! I'm feeling good...drinking some pickle juice!

Rest stop #2 - okay I don't know these people but, they had this longhorn that you could get your picture taken with....I didn't want to wait in line but, snapped one of these people! Hook 'm' horns!!! (Sorry Ann!)

The finish line!!!!!

We did it! Dad and I after we finished at 1:30 p.m. (6 1/2 hours!) Whooo-hooo!!!

It's been a while!

2008-08-21T15:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been under the weather for about 2 weeks now. Thankfully, I went to the doctor on Saturday when my mother-in-law was in town and found out that I had a nasty sinus infection. I am much better now but, did not have it in me to blog for the last week! A lot has been going on though. We now have bunk beds in Jake's room! He likes the idea of them but, hasn't wanted to sleep in them yet. It's okay for now because his crib is still in the room. I guess it has to be his idea!!

Secondly, my sister-in-law, niece, and mother-in-law came into town this past weekend and we had a blast playing! It was fun seeing the kiddos playing with their cousin. Check out some of the pictures I took.

Hannah with her Aunt Laura

Baby Clara with her favorite toy - the John Deer tractor

Jake getting some tickle time from cousin Clara

One happy family!

This is by far, my favorite picture that I have taken. Is this not the cutest picture you have ever seen?

I'm off tomorrow to Wichita Falls for the ride. I will be posting pictures from our ride!

The Biker Chick

2008-08-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I am into the whole biking thing!! Right now we (Dad,Randi,her boyfriend, and I) are in training for the biggest ride of them all.....The Hotter than Hell!!! It is on August 23rd in Wichita Falls. I'm looking forward to it but, a little nervous. We are striving for the 100K! Last weekend I rode with Dad for 45 miles! This weekend I believe we are going to shoot for 50 miles! Then off to Wichita we go! Brent is so sweet, he is going to be here with the kids so that I can shoot for my goal! Thanks a bunch honey!! If you don't know anyone that is a bike rider, this is their ultimate goal! Today I added goal #2....to run in the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. It is an 8 mile run. I'm not really a runner but have taken it up recently. Today....I RAN 5 MILES!!! YIPPEE! I can't believe I did it!

"Santa's making me a kitchen?"

2008-08-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

Today has been a fun day so far. Hannah has been looking at pictures of herself from back in the day. She has found this one and is wondering where her kitchen is. Little does she know that Jake destroyed it and Mommy had to take it apart and throw it away. Since she has discovered the idea of a kitchen, she has been asking for one for Christmas and her birthday. She says ... "mommy I need an oven and a kitchen like you, so that I can cook my food." Pretty cute, huh? I told her that if she was good that maybe Santa would bring her one this year!!! I told her that he is making it for her. Since then she has been telling me "mommy, Santa's making me a kitchen, right?" Of course I say yes, but tell her "remember you have to be a good girl!"

The Pledge

2008-08-12T19:31:00.000-07:00

I guess Hannah has learned "The Pledge" at her preschool. She started spouting it out on way to dinner tonight, it was so cute! She promised me that I could get it on video when we got home...here it is!

2008-08-12T16:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, here we go! Welcome to our blog! I hope that everyone will enjoy the updates! I have to admit, I'm not the best when it comes to this technical stuff. I'll give it my best though!