The Gochi

Happy (Early) Birthday Cindy!!!

2009-06-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Cindy!
Happy Birthday to Cindy!
You're the best sister ever!
Happy Birthday to Cindy!

Class of 2021

2009-06-04T05:10:00.000-07:00

Hannah had Kindergarten graduation yesterday. They "graduated" and then did a play about all the things they learned this year. It was really cute. Hannah was in the yellow group and her line was "Anybody dressed in yellow, come on down!!!" She said it with a Texas accent and with the enthusiasm of the Price is Right announcer! Here are some photos of the event. Happy Summer!!!

Memorial Day Memories

2009-05-25T17:34:00.000-07:00

Every year we spend Memorial Day in Houston. The weekend is close to my grandfather's birthday so it is a good time to visit him and spend time in a fun city. This weekend was a fun one for lots of reasons...

We celebrated my grandfather's 92nd birthday---which is actually this week. He is still going strong at 92. he has a razor sharp memory and is really inspirational.

We also saw my sweet friend Michelle. Michelle and I have been friends for a long time and she is an awesome person. She is an amazing mom to two kiddos and is working on her PhD while also working. I am inspired by her and although we don't see each other very much, we always pick up right where we left off.On Memorial Day we went to the Museum of Natural Science. We saw an exhibit on the Terracotta Warriors. It was very impressive. The warriors are actually figures, dating from 210 BC. They were discovered in 1974 by some local farmers in a province in China somewhat near the municipality Hannah was born in. It was a very fascinating exhibit.

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day! God bless the families of those who have served and continue to serve our country!

Introducing George!!!

2009-05-20T18:20:00.000-07:00

OK...we are officially crazy. We have added another animal to our home. The animal is a dog and the dog only has three legs. (Nothing is ever quite ordinary in the Gochis household!) The short story is Andrew and I went to a "Paws in the Park" event a couple of weeks ago. There were some dog rescue groups there and Andrew started looking at a dog. I told him "Drew, you know Dad really only likes schnauzers." (That is not completely true, but Rich favors schnauzers so I thought it was a good way for me not to leave the park with a dog.) The lady from the Waco Humane Society heard me and said, "Oh we have a schnauzer that is in foster care. He has three legs because one had to be amputated. He is a really great dog." Well, we met him on Saturday and he is now ours. His name is George and he is a sweet dog. Sammie definitely reminds him that she is the big boss but they get along well. We are now a five person to five pet family (2 dogs, 2 chinese dwarf hamster and 1 guinea pig)...Yikes!

An American Girl

2009-04-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

My mom, Hannah and I went on our first trip to the American Girl store. We were in Dallas for a couple of a days for a meeting and decided to go the store and bistro. We surprised Hannah with the trip there and she was thrilled. If you have never been, it is very cute and fun but it is also a little pricey. I conveniently forgot my wallet on our trip so my mom saved the day and used her credit card. Can you imagine if I would have taken Hannah there, picked out some things and then had to say "just kidding those dolls weren't for sale." Luckily, I didn't have to do that because my mom saved the day as always!

More bluebonnets

2009-04-04T20:06:00.001-07:00

It's official...I really am a bluebonnets fanatic. They look unusually pretty and full to me this year. The kids are so sick of having to take pictures in them that I have now added the dog to the pictures----she doesn't complain as much. :)

The picture below is at a place down the street from our house. I really love the picture because it reminds me to love where I am. Since we moved from San Antonio I have struggled at times not to think..."In San Antonio, we had this (fill in the blank) and that was better." The fill in the blank could range from the River walk, to Sea World, to our church, etc. I have liked being here but have sometimes felt like life was just a little bit better where we were. When I took this picture, I was with the dog and the kids and I thought "This is exactly where I want to be and I am glad this is home."

No PHT

2009-03-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

Ever since I can remember I have hated getting my haircut. I always go in with an idea of how it is going to look and it never works out quite right. After Rich and I got married, he diagnosed me with PHT (Post Haircut Trauma) and I wholeheartedly agreed with his diagnosis. Well, I think we have finally broken the PHT curse with Hannah. Today she had a haircut and wanted to have "short hair" so the girl cut off 4-5 inches. She just said "I like it" and was ready to go. I was very impressed!

Here's her new do!

Bluebonnet Season

2009-03-21T18:41:00.001-07:00

It is one of my favorite times of the year in Texas----bluebonnet season! We went out today and found some to take our annual bluebonnet pictures. A special thanks to my mom and dad for being the official photographers! :)

Basketball Boys

2009-03-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

I have had an alomst 3 month absence from blogging and luckily I have not received a bad blogger award or anything. :) So, I am going to try to get back in to things....

Yesterday the boys were ball boys at the last home game for the Baylor Basketball team. They had a great time. Even though Baylor didn't win, the boys had fun. Drew actually mopped (a skill which he is going to start doing at home) and Jacob gave water to the refs. At the end of the game Scott Drew talked about faith and adversity and ended the event with a very sweet prayer. It was a great experience for us and our kids.

At the end of the game, Hannah also got to take her picture with one of the cheerleaders who used to be one of Rich's patients. She loved it and is ready to join the squad!

ICE!

2008-12-22T20:00:00.001-08:00

Today we went to Grapevine, Texas to the Gaylord Resort. They had an exhibit called ICE! and boy was it cold. They had huge ice sculptures that were pretty amazing. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy. Merry Christmas!

Hannah's Birthday

2008-12-22T05:47:00.000-08:00

My mom reminded me the other day that in my lack of blogging I had not blogged about Hannah's birthday. She turned six this year and had a great day. She had her birthday at a place with a bunch of inflatables and had a great time. We always tease her by saying "Hannah, you really need to get happy" becuase she is usually giggling or laughing. Her birthday was no exception. She brings so much joy to our family!

Frosty the Snowman

2008-12-16T20:11:00.000-08:00

Tonight Jacob took the stage as Frosty the Snowman for the Third Grade Christmas Musical. I am not biased at all but I thought he was the best Frosty ever! He had an entourage of fans to watch his performance. Our babysitter and her friend came, our friend Emma from China, Steve and Cindy and my parents were all there to cheer him on. He had some pretty crazy dance moves especially considering he was wearing a snowman outfit. Look for him on next season's Dancing with the Stars!!! :)

Costume Crazy!

2008-11-10T19:12:00.000-08:00

I am way behind on pretty much everything....letters, reading, phone calls, work, emails....everything. I am actually becoming very comfortable in being behind. I even feel like posting Halloween pictures a week and a half after Halloween is early! :)

Here are the kiddos....Hannah was Fancy Nancy, Jacob was Indiana Jones and Andrew threw on some of Rich's military stuff and was actually a pretty convincing Army Man.

Blogging Absence

2008-11-03T19:57:00.000-08:00

Hello All,

Although this may not seem like the truth, I am really not in a competition for the worst blogger in the world. I have been overtaken by Fall events for the kids lately. I have been in high gear craft activity with Halloween costumes, school projects, and other fall activities. Over the next posts, I will posts some of these activities so I can feel justified in my non-blogging!

Froggy-Frogilina....Storybook Pumpkin Contest.

Below are Jacob and Hannah's entries in the Storybook Pumpkin Contest at school. They entered in the sibling category and entered Froggy and Frogilina because they both love the Froggy series. Jacob has kind of outgrown Froggy but at one point had several of the books completely committed to memory. Jacob and Hannah won first place in the sibling division which was fun for both of them. They did share their ribbon with me which I thought was nice!

A Good Dog

2008-10-13T07:02:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite quotes is: "My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am." I am always amazed at how our dog will run up to us and lick us, watch us attentively, and sit at our feet when we are home. Even when the kids are a little crazy and things are wild, she really wants to be there in the thick of it all. Alot of times I think we need to get the Dog Whisperer to come to our house because Sammie barks and howls every time the doorbell rings. She also jumps up on people when they come over (luckily she is only 16 pounds). But even with all of her faults she is a good dog because she makes us feel so good!

Have a great week!

Multiple Personalities

2008-10-09T20:44:00.000-07:00

The next few pictures are pictures of Hannah all taken within a period of 20 minutes. As you can see, she went from Soccer Star to Bride to Princess in a matter of minutes. Maybe the title of this should really be quick change artist?

Speaking of changes, check out the change on Jacob's face while receiving love from his siblings. Its as if he realized that this might just be too good to be true! :)

Have a great week!

Date Night

2008-09-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

Last night Rich and I went to the Clay Walker concert. He was at the Opening Event for the Heart of Texas Fair. He was a really great performer and we had a fun time.

We also learned something---we need to make sure we go out every now and then without the kids. When we told them we were going out without them they were stunned! They kept asking us: "Why aren't you taking us?" "Why didn't you get us tickets?" The best was when Jacob actually told us that he "forgave us" for going out without them!

We used to be pretty good about date nights etc. but having three kiddos in school and sports means the 5 of us are usually at a game, practice, or school function. Speaking of which, here are the kids in their various uniforms:

Hve a great week!

Grandparents and Gotcha Day!!!

2008-09-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

The past two Sundays have been fun celebrations around our house. Last weekend we celebrated Grandparents' Day with my parents. Andrew pulled out his cookbook and made an incredible lunch. The best part of the lunch was that he made 2 desserts! (That's my boy!!!) All 3 kids made homemade lemonade to accompany the meal. The name of it was "Pucker Up Lemonade" which we discovered was a perfect name! A fun time was had by all.This week we celebrated our family's Gotcha Day which was also great. Gotcha Day (or Family Day) is the day we added Hannah to our family so it is a very special day in our house. We celebrated by bringing in Chinese food and having a fun family lunch. My parents brought their two Chinese students from Baylor. They told us that our Chinese food was not very authentic but it was still good. My mom made moon cakes for our dessert. The moon cakes were also not very authentic but were yummy as well!

In light of all of our family events, I'll end with one of my favorite quotes about family. Brace yourself, it's from Jeff Foxworthy!

"If you ever start feeling like you have the goofiest, craziest, most dysfunctional family in the world, all you have to do is go to a state fair. Because five minutes at the fair, you'll be going, 'you know, we're alright. We are dang near royalty.' " Jeff Foxworthy

New School Year

2008-09-08T04:56:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago the kids started a new school year. (Which is my latest excuse for not blogging!:)) All 3 kiddos are happy with their new classes etc. Hannah's backpack is bigger than she is but she can still carry it!

My favorite activity of the new school year is taking the traditional first day of school picture. The best part is hearing the kids complain about it like that is really going to stop me from taking the picture!!!

Cadillac Ranch

2008-08-19T20:59:00.000-07:00

On the cruise we saw and swam in the most beautiful water in Cayman and Cozumel.

In Colorado, we were in awe of the mountains and streams.

In Amarillo, we saw a "field" of Cadillacs! :) I don't know if any of you have ever been to the Cadillac Ranch, but we have. It was a little detour on our way back from Colorado. I had seen it in one of Andrew's books and I was curious to see it in person. The Cadillacs are planted face down in the ground. They also had been grafittied which was interesting. Well, at least now our kids can never complain that we didn't take them to see the Cadillacs in Amarillo!!! :)

Rocky Mountain High

2008-08-18T18:44:00.000-07:00

One week after we returned from the cruise, we were very happy to repack our bags and head to Colorado. This time we were with Rich's family. We loved the beauty of Colorado and being with family. Here are a few pictures from our trip...The natural beauty of Colorado is truly awesome!

This picture above is not exactly a natural beauty picture---it is from the Hammond's candy factory and store in Denver. It was a very yummy. By the way, this is the place where Santa gets his candy canes! Yummy!

Barely Blogging!

2008-08-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

I think I should change the name of this blog to Barely Blogging! :) The good news is that we have had a fun and busy summer. Bad news---not much blogging time! So ....for the next few days I wil post pictures from some of our events of the past weeks.

The Segura Family Cruise was very fun!!! we had such a good time going to Cozumel, Jamaica and Cayman.

Jacob was our bus co-pilot in Jamaica. He loved the "no problem mon" lifestyle in Jamaica. Do you think his hat makes him look like Bob Marley?

This is was us at dinner one night. Dinners were my favorite part of my cruise. Yes, the food was awesome but itwas also great for all 9 of us to be together and recap the events of the day.

Some of you know that Rich loves Frank Sinatra. This led him and Andrew to sing "New York New York" during karaoke night on the cruise. The funny thing is that one of the cruise people then wanted Rich to star in the All Cruise Talent Show singing "My Way!" They told him that there would be 1,600 people there. Althought the kids really wanted him to do it, he said "no." :)

After the cruise we came home and repacked and went on the Gochis Family Colorado Trip. I'll post some pictures from that tommorow!

Godincidence

2008-07-06T20:04:00.000-07:00

I once heard a speaker talk about God-incidences in our lives. She said that when many things in our lives happen we tend to call them coincidences or fate. She asked why we considered them coincidences when they were obviously signs of a God that cared enough to manage the details of our lives. Well, today our family had a Godincidence.

Today Rich and I drove Drew to Pine Cove for a 6 day camp. If any of you know Andrew, you will know that new things are not his favorite. He actually hates transitions/change of any kind. And true to form, today he decided he didn't want to go to Pine Cove. To top it off he was gong to the one in Tyler versus the one in Columbus which then led him to tell us that if he was going to the one in Columbus he would be more likely to see friends from San Antonio, etc. etc. etc. He actually looked a little miserable as we drove in to the camp. Then, as we got out of our car, a precious girl from our church in San Antonio ran over to say hi. We love this girl and her family and had no idea that she was a counselor at Pine Cove. This in fact was her first week there. Andrew was so excited to see her. Rich and I were thrilled that she was there and because of all the little details that had happened it was clear that we were experiencing a Godincidence. :)

The other miracle of the day was that I was able to leave Drew at the camp. It was not very easy but I know that he is in His hands and will experience a great week!

Independence Day

2008-07-05T17:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence Day. We had a great day yesterday celebrating the 4th and being thankful for our freedoms.....

Freedom to vote

Freedom of speech

Freedom to practice our faith

AND freedom to post a 4th of July post on the 5th of July! :)

Happy Birthday Drew!

2008-06-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

Andrew turned 11 and because he takes after his mom he decided to turn his birthday into a 3 day celebration. Friday began for him on his last day at Pre-Teen Church camp when he was serenaded by other campers at breakfast. We then ate at Chili's that night as a family where he was serenaded by the wait staff and had a birthday milkshake. Saturday morning began with a birthday waffle breakfast with our sweet friend Mallory. Then Saturday night we had my parents and Steve and Cindy over for cookie cake and birthday wishes. Tonight he and some buddies went up to Dallas to watch a Rangers game. This kid knows how to celebrate! :)

It is hard to believe that 11 years ago Rich and I became parents. I remember leaving the hospital and thinking the nurses and doctors must be crazy to let us go home with an infant. Sometimes I feel sorry for Andrew because as our first child he has been our guinea pig in many ways. I once saw a book called "The first child as first draft," and I thought that was a pretty good explanation for what you feel like as a parent of a first born. Jacob and Hannah have definitely had the benefit of more relaxed versions of me and Rich. Andrew has had to endure parents with less perspective....but he has survived. Some would say by his 3 day celebration he has not only survived but thrived!

Backwards Blog

2008-06-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

Hello there! You are not mistaken, this is an actual blog entry! My sister gave me "feedback" that I need to blog more. I am accepting her feedback and will try to redeem myself.

This is a backward blog entry...I will be posting pics from the past month...starting with the most recent pics first. All in all, it has been a fun, eventful past few weeks.

Father's day with a special tie cake for my dad and Rich.

Th kids at their Vacation Bible School program. They loved VBS !

We went to a family friend's wedding in Fredricksburg, Texas. It was very fun...this is Jacob doing his air guitar to a song he requested "Eye of the Tiger." Nothing says "Happy Wedding" like the Rocky 3 Soundtrack!

Hannah at her dance recital! She was fabulous and I am not biased at all!

Jacob doing "Blessed is the Texas Child" for the 2nd Grade Poetry Recital.

Fun trip to Houston to celebrate my grandfather's 91st birthday! He is an amazing man and our family is continually blessed by him and his amazing life!

Andrew in the 4th grade musical at school. It was a great performance.

Well, that's a look in the rearview mirror from the Gochis Household. The pictures don't include the boys being at Baylor Basketball Camp.....swim lessons for Hannah....the rock one of my children put in their own ear and the subsequent ER visit to remove the rock....me going to a Boot Camp program at 5:15 A.M. on MWF. There is never a dull moment and we wouldn't trade it for anything!

Please Pray for the Chapman Family

2008-05-22T18:25:00.000-07:00

Please pray for the family of Steven Curtis Chapman. This tragic event is a reminder that this world is not our home and our only hope is in the Lord.

2 Corinthians 4:16,18 So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace...There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.

A Day of Firsts for Hannah

2008-05-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hannah has had a pretty exciting day. The day began at 4 am when she came in and announced that she had lost her first tooth. Why that happened at 4 am is something we do not know, but she was thrilled. She has been wanting to lose her tooth ever since some other kids in her class started losing their teeth. Rich told her that maybe the tooth fairy came by to see if she had lost it yet and since she hadn't she nudged it a little bit so Hannah could lose her tooth and finally put it under her pillow. (I thought that was pretty creative!)

We also went shopping today and at the end of our shopping trip I decided to see if I could stop and get a pedicure. I rarely get pedicures but thought that it might be fun to do that with Hannah. So, we both had our toenails painted. Hannah kept saying "oooh....fancy." She even get a flower painted on her big toe. Very Fancy!!!

This one is for the girls!

2008-05-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

We are wrapping up a fun weekend here in Woodway, Texas! My mom, sister, Hannah and I went to the 9th Annual Mother Daughter Weekend at the Woodway Arboretum. Although it was the 9th year for the event, it was the first year we have ever attended. It was a very fun event. We ate finger foods, drank punch and had a good time. I am surprised that Hannah does not have vertigo right now because she kept spinning around in her dress.

Here's a great tip for people with small children that they had at the tea. They had a basket with paper, clothes pins and pipecleaners on the tables. The little girls could use the pipecleaners and tissue paper to make flowers. They could also use the paper and clothes pins to make butterflies. It was amazing how the little girls use those supplies to stay entertained.

Three kids and a wedding!

2008-04-27T16:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend our three kids were in a wedding in Hunt, Texas. Holly Hillman Smith asked them to be in her wedding which was such a sweet invitation. Holly's mom was my adviser in Tri Delta and she would come to our dances and events when I was in school. It is hard to believe and admit that was 20 years ago! As Holly grew older she would babysit our kids when we were at my parents' house. Andrew would call her "Polly" when he was little and all 3 kids love her. She has a real heart for children and it shows. She had always wanted to be married at Camp Stewart and it was an absolutely beautiful place to celebrate and start a new life together.

Here were some highlights of the weekend:

Jacob and Andrew were the candlelighters. They liked that job except the wind and a stubborn lighter made it a little difficult. Jacob's face and mannerisms were hilarious as he tried to get the candles lit.

Hannah loved being a flower girl. At the end of the wedding though the Ringbearer was ahead of her so she took off running to get in front of him. I think we may have a track and field star on our hands! I was very nervous during the wedding...you hear all of these crazy stories about kids and weddings. Holly though was very laid back and not stressed out at all about the kids or anyone else. She was the true opposite of some of the "bridezillas" that you hear about.

It was family affair for us because my mom and dad and Steve and Cindy came to the wedding also. We had alot fun and I think took over 200 pictures between all of us.

We came back to Waco through Johnson City and went to the home of LBJ. We watched a video on Lady Bird Johnson and her life. The video mentioned that Lady Bird was an extremely positive and active person. They said she had an uncanny ability to be positive and hopeful and see solutions versus problems. Even the bluebonnets we enjoy every Spring are a result of her seeing the highways as she traveled from Texas to DC and thinking they needed to be beautiful and pleasant for travelers. What a great quality for a person to have! It was an inspirational way to end a fun weekend!

One of the reasons we love Texas!

2008-04-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

The bluebonnets are out and we are so glad. It is one of the many reasons we love living in Texas!

Renaissance

2008-04-06T19:57:00.000-07:00

Today our family went to a Renaissance Festival in Waxahachie, Texas. We had gone to a place called Medieval Times a couple of years ago and the boys loved the jousting and all of the lords and ladies etc. so we thought we would try this festival. I am happy to report that a great time was had by all. Jacob even said it was one of the best days of his entire life----he is very expressive and maybe exaggerates a little! :)

Some of the highlights of today included:

Seeing an American Bald Eagle. It was so majestic. It was part of a show on falcons and other birds and the amazing things they can do.

I received a winner badge at the Archery Booth. On my very last arrow, I was pretty close to actually hitting the bulls eye! I was very happy!
Hannah became a Lady of the Court. She is now very good friends with the Queen and actually curtsied for her. All of those dance lessons finally paid off.
Jacob and Andrew got soft swords and got to have a sword fight with a very pretty girl.

Rich and I became a king and queen! Don't we look great?

Out like a lamb....

2008-03-26T20:59:00.000-07:00

In one of my last posts I mentioned that March had roared in like a lion and we were hopeful that it would go out like a lamb...well in some ways it did. On Easter Sunday we hosted Easter lunch at our house and we had ham, but we also had lamb. Rich's grandfather was from Greece and was Greek Orthodox. He would always make leg of lamb for Easter dinner which is a Greek tradition. The year Andrew was born, Rich decided to adopt that tradition for our family. He always makes the lamb and does a good job. This year Hannah told me that she did not want to eat lamb. When I asked her why, she said that she did not like to eat animals, "except chickens, pigs, and cows." At lunch when the lamb was passed to her she said, "Remember Mom I do not eat sheep." :)

We had a blessed Easter and we hope you did too!

Smile!

2008-03-12T20:53:00.001-07:00

Click on the link below to put a smile on your face...

http://producten.hema.nl/

I have no idea what it means but it is very cute to watch!

Smile and have a great day!

March Madness

2008-03-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

The Gochis household has definitely been experiencing March Madness lately! The past week alone has been pretty crazy. Here are a few of the happenings that have made March so wild...

1. Andrew had his tonsils and adenoids out on March 6th. He has had a sleep apnea and the doctors are hoping the removal of the adenoids/tonsils will help with his sleep. He has gotten lots of TLC from my parents. They even gave him a bell to ring when he needs something! :) He also received visits from his teachers.....

and from our sweet friend Mallory (or shall I say Dr. Davidson?)

2. It snowed here on Friday! Snow is always a little weird in Central Texas because we rarely have it. Since it is such an event, Hannah and my Dad built a snowman. As you can see, it is kind of small. You will also notice his arms are made out of bubble wands. He is quite fashionable. When they came in from outside, Hannah asked my dad when they were going to go and build a snow fort!

3. My dad and Andrew found a dog yesterday. We are searching for the owners and will probably connect with them very soon. In the meantime our kids are falling in love with the cute little fur ball that she is...

4. Another weird event of these past few weeks of March is hearing discussions that Baylor may actually be involved in the real March Madness (basketball tournament). It is fun to see the basketball team do so well especially after all of the ups and downs of the past couple of years.

Rich reminded me tonight that "March roars in like a lion and goes out like a lamb." Sooo, the next few weeks should be very calm. (I've got my fingers crossed.)

Howdy Y'all

2008-02-29T20:44:00.000-08:00

Howdy Y'all! I have been out of the blogging world for awhile. We got busy with Valentine's Day (picture above), school, basketball, and then on top of everything else I got the flu! Boo to the flu! I slept for 2 days straight.

Hannah had Western Day at school today so our house has been filled with lots of "Howdy Y'alls." She is definitely a Texan! She was very excited about wearing her boots to school. She even wore them to Jacob's basketball game tonight.Speaking of Jacob's basketball game tonight---he had his last game of the season tonight. His team improved so much over the season and it was fun to see them get better and learn. The team came over for an end of the season party tonight. It was a wild party (7 and 8 year old boy wild). Rich was the coach for the team and he did a great job.

I will leave you with this....This is a list of things you can do to maintain a healthy level of insanity. Please try to do some of the things on the list and email me!

At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.
In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write 'For Smuggling Diamonds'
Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.
Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is 'To Go.
When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream 'I Won!, I Won!'
When Leaving The Zoo, Start Running Towards The Parking lot, Yelling 'Run For Your Lives, They're Loose!!'

Bye Y'all!

Sharp Dressed Man

2008-02-13T20:30:00.000-08:00

A couple of pictures of Andrew all dressed up. I think he looks great; he thinks he looks "ridiculous." (Yes, those are his words.) In a future blog entry I will explain why he is dressed up, but for now I will just post the pictures. :)

Happy New Year - Chinese Style

2008-02-10T18:26:00.000-08:00

Dragon Dance

Today we had a Chinese New Year party at our house. It was a great time of fun for our family. We met new people and spent time with others we hadn't seen for some time. Some of the new people we met today are other families in Waco that have adopted children from China. Another couple that came was in our travel group when we adopted Hannah. We also had quite an international group, we had Baylor students from Finland, Russia, Korea and of course China. Faye and Sarah are from China and my parents have hosted them this year. We love them and they have become part of our family this year----the kids calls them their big sisters.

Today as we celebrated a holiday from another culture, I was reminded of how adopting Hannah has expanded our life and love as a family. We have met so many people in the adoption community that are amazing and inspirational. We have learned about China and the Chinese culture. In every way, our life has become bigger and better.

Happy Chinese New Year to Everyone!

Jacob in the Middle

2008-01-31T19:22:00.000-08:00

Tonight Rich and I were guests of Jacob at "The 2nd Grade Big EVENT" at his school. We went to the various extracurricular classrooms he goes to during the week. We went to Outdoor Education, Computers, Art, Gym (Rich's favorite), Music and the Library. It was fun to see Jacob interact with the other kids and do various activities. In art he made a heart shape and wrote in it "I love you more than 10,000 suns." He gave it to me and then decided he wanted to give it to a little girl in his class. :) He also performed on the xylophone and taught Rich and I to play as well.

The title of this post is Jacob in the Middle because it was so fun to be with Jacob and have some time to focus on him. When Rich and I decided to have three kids, I worried a little about the middle child thing. It seems like the first born gets so much attention being the first and the third is always "the baby." In our situation, Andrew is the first and has also had some medical things that have demanded more attention. Hannah is "our baby" and our only girl. Again, I just worried that Jacob would get lost in the attention shuffle in a busy family. Rich (a middle child himself) would assure me constantly that being in the middle was not so bad and that it would be fine. Watching Jacob tonight, seeing his excitment over his school activities and experiencing the energy and enthusiasm he gives to his friends and us reminded me that being in the middle is a pretty great place to be.

The Many Faces of Hannah

2008-01-27T19:46:00.000-08:00

Hannah loves to dress up, pretend, and perform. You never know what costume, mask, or new hairdo is going to show up when she is around. Here are a few of her most recent looks....

Rock 'n Roll Baptists

2008-01-23T17:46:00.000-08:00

For the majority of my life I have gone to the Baptist church. As everyone knows, the Baptists have quite the reputation for things that they don't do. One of the biggies most people talk about is the "don't dance" rule. For some reason, I have never really related to that rule. I have always loved music, dancing, all of it! I have passed that love on to my kids also. Check out the pic below...

Watch out ZZ Top! Jacob and Andrew are on the guitars and Hannah is the dancer in the middle. Even though the guitars are plastic ---the performance was pretty good! Maybe this is how the Osmonds started????

We love basketball!!!

2008-01-20T20:37:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a great weekend for basketball in the Gochis household. Andrew's team won their third game. His games are great---very action filled, yet low scoring. The top picture is of him at his first game. He scored the only basket for the first 3 quarters. :) This week they won by two points. It was 8-6. Rich is coaching Jacob's team and although they didn't win, they did do much better. Their first game they lost by 20 some points, so a loss in a single digit was pretty close to a victory. And both the Lady Bears and the Baylor Men's Team won their games. So, even though we left our beloved Spurs in San Antonio, we are finding good times in basketball here in Waco! :)

Funny thoughts...

2008-01-11T20:52:00.000-08:00

It’s always darkest before dawn. So if you’re going to steal your neighbor’s newspaper, that’s the time to do it.
Always remember that you’re unique. Just like everyone else.
Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you’re a mile away and you have their shoes.

These all made me laugh! Have a great weekend!

Fun Fridays

2008-01-11T16:00:00.000-08:00

When I was growing up, Fridays were always my favorite day of the week. I loved it being the end of the week and knowing I wouldn't have to get up early the next day! :) We would also eat pizza with our next door neighbors so everything was very relaxed and laid back. This Friday afternoon with our kids reminded me of Fridays when I was growing up. It was just a relaxed evening playing and having fun. The highlight of the evening was watching Star Wars and eating candy...now I need to convince them to sleep in tomorrow morning! :)

The Next Emeril

2008-01-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

Andrew has a new hobby---cooking. He got a kids cookbook during the break and was inspired by the success of Emeril and we have enjoyed the rewards of his new activity. His first cooking adventure was a Rocky Road dessert. One night he made us tomato spirals (spaghetti).

One day he actually made breakfast, lunch and dinner. Last night he didn't have time to make dinner because of basketball practice so he made shakes for dessert. So much for our New Years' Resolution to lose weight. :)

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T19:59:00.001-08:00

Happy 2008! We are just returning from a New Year's Family Camp that we attended the past three days. It was held at Crier Creek which is a Pine Cove Camp in Columbus, Texas. We had such a good time. The boys shot bb guns and did archery, fishing and horse back riding. Hannah did a couple of pony rides and arts & crafts. We all did canoeing, paddle boats and other games. It was very relaxing and we had 3 days with NO ELECTRONICS!!!! No wii, no TV, no Gameboy, no DVDs...we didn't even use our cell phone. It was awesome----although I was worried that the sudden and complete detox might send a couple of the members of our family into shock!

We also did some pretty cool family activities. We participated in a version of the Amazing Race, went to a fun New Year's Eve Celebration, and we did new year's resolutions as a family and put them in a time capsule to open next year. I think we came up with some fun and challenging resolutions. The kids are going to work on not bickering and using kind words. This resolution was put to a very tough test on our car ride home today! :)

I always love a new year because it does hold such promise. One of the verses we discussed in worship yesterday was what Paul says in Philippians 3:13b-14 "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." On the first day of a new year, the thought of 'pressing on' towards a goal is one that I feel like I can do. I seem to have more energy and enthusiasm for moving forward. My calendar is nice and new. I don't feel as burdened by the day to day things that come with routine. I realized though by re looking at these verses yesterday the verse is not only about the goal, it is also "forgetting what is behind." I tend to rethink, rehash, and rework so many things that the energy to press is often used on regret. So, one of my resolutions is to forget what is behind and press on to a fabulous 2008! I also wish the same for you! Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T14:36:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas! The kids are all very happy with everything and a good time was had by all.

Almost here

2007-12-22T12:43:00.000-08:00

Christmas is almost here. The boys and Hannah are ready and very happy that school is out. Andrew is looking forward to playing games with Rich and my dad. Jacob is ready to play outside with his new friends. Hannah has been trying out all her favorite poses for Christmas. It is nice to think about not having to fight the holiday traffic trying to get up to Waco, we are already here! As I think about the past year I am amazed at how many changes have come for our family. We are truly blessed and have been so lucky that the move to Waco has gone so smoothly.

Hannah is 5!

2007-12-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful family celebration last weekend. Hannah is very happy about being 5. She has mentioned several times that she is so happy she is 5 years old. I have no idea what the difference is between being 4 and 5 but I am sure she will fill me in.

Hannah wanted to celebrate her birthday at Chuck E. Cheese. She had a wonderful time playing with friends from her school and of course her brothers. My parents' international student and her friend (both from China) came as well and had a fun time playing all the games and celebrating a birthday "American" style.

Going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come...

2007-11-20T05:17:00.000-08:00

Let the Thanksgiving holiday begin. We are leaving tonight to head to Kansas. Overland Park really but that didn't fit with the song. Anyway, we are looking forward to a wonderful time of giving Thanks for the many, many blessings in our lives that have happened over the past year. It is always a special time for the kids to visit with cousins, aunts and uncles, and of course pappa and grandma. I sent Rich to buy the kids new jackets as it looks like the temps will be a bit colder than here in Texas.

Andrew plays his final peewee football game tonight. The reason we are letting him play and delaying leaving Waco till late tonight is his team is playing at Floyd Casey. For those who aren't from BU that is where the Bears play. Hopefully Andrew's team, the Longhorns!, will have better luck. He is super excited about playing in a real stadium.

The picture is from the annual Segura Christmas card photo session. Now that we are in Waco there is a lot less stress with getting the picture done. No more having to pack, unpack to get that perfect picture.

So it's been awhile...

2007-10-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry to take so long on posting. Getting 3 kids, 1 husband, and 1 dog settled in a new home and new city takes some time. I am very glad to report that we are getting towards the settled part with baby steps every day.

Rich and I are both enjoying our new jobs. It is great to take less than 30 mins. to get to work even with taking the kids to school. We have our system worked out to Rich taking Hannah on his was to Baylor and I take the boys on my way to the bank. I love being able to zip around town and we have even been able to meet for lunch several times.

Andrew is loving 4th grade. He and his teacher share their Aggie love and he has enjoyed doing his best for her. He likes playing tackle football and hasn't missed a game yet. We all have team tshirt now which makes him so proud. He and my dad continue their weekly outings to Target and Game Zone. Bet my dad didn't realize how busy we would keep him when we moved here!

Jacob continues to love school and loves to socialize. He is great a telling stories with lots of details and expressions. Tonight is his last flag football game. We are having the team celebration at the house, our first event at the new place. He has made great friends with the kids on his team. It was fun to watch him get better each week.

Hannah as cute as ever. She has more activities than the boys with gymnastics and dance each week. She loves showing off her new "moves" and cheering the boys on at their games. My mom picks her up from school in the afternoon and that has been perfect.

We had a great visit from Rich's parents a few weeks ago. They were able to come down from Kansas and see the boys at their games which was wonderful. We shared some fun time outside on the deck. We love having them visit. I also bought a new camera (after spilling Gatorade on our old one, go figure) and camcorder so I look forward to posting more pics. We are all looking forward to Baylor Homecoming next week and are hoping for a BIG win over K-State.

Back to school

2007-08-25T12:09:00.001-07:00

Well, this week has been filled with many new things for the Gochis family. I started my new job at Extraco Bank this week. It was great to get settled in with my job. Andrew started football practice. His team is the longhorns. For such an Aggie fan this might prove a little complicated. Since we have moved to Waco though I have seen him wearing more Baylor shirts than A&M shirts so who knows :) We are waiting to get a schedule for his games. He can't wait to play with new friends. Jacob will start flag football practice next week. This will be his first venture into football. Last year he played soccer and tball. Hannah is going to take gymnastics at her school and dance at a local studio. Her favorite thing to do is watch Hannah Montana and sing and dance along so I think this will be a good match.
The boys had a back to school open house on Thursday night. I really like the school they will be attending, Woodway Elementary. Both their teachers are great and the boys are looking forward to their first day. Andrew's teacher is an Aggie so he loves her already!
Looks like work is almost finished at the house. We had the floors replaced downstairs. We also had some rooms painted and part of the kitchen redone. It has been a busy month and we are looking forward to settling down soon!

Officially a Wacoan

2007-08-16T13:34:00.001-07:00

After a long trip to Waco (6 hours-thanks to a wreck on I-35) we are trying to settle in. The moving van left at 4pm yesterday. Now is the fun job of unpacking. Thank goodness my mom and dad are able to help! Rich had to go back to work today so I get to decide where everything is going to go. My sister, Cindy, has volunteered to take the boys to get their school supplies so that is one thing to cross of my list. Next Wednesday is meet the teacher night at their new school and we are all looking forward to meeting everyone.

new home

2007-08-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile due to so many things going on. There is a lot of work to get done with selling a house and buying one as well. The great news is is that we closed on our house in Woodway on Monday. That night we got an offer on our house in San Antonio. I think God knew how stressed I was about making 2 house payments :) We will close on the house in San Antonio on the 31st.

Rich has started his job at Baylor and loves it. He and Andrew have especially enjoyed the pool at the Student Life Center where his office is located. Rich and the kids are staying with my parents while I wrap things up down here. It is great for the kids to have grandma and papa to play with. The boys have also made friends with some boys across the street.

I think we will officially claim Waco as our home on the 20th when I start my new job at Extraco Bank. I know this month is going to go by quickly! We are all looking forward to our annual beach trip to the Texas coast with my parents and sister.

Andrew as Harry

2007-07-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Last year for Halloween Andrew was Harry Potter. The Today Show on NBC is doing a month long celebration for the new movie and book coming out in July. We submitted Andrew's picture and they put it on the web! Andrew was very excited to be out in cyberspace. Here is the link http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19372351/nPage/1
He is on page 1 on the first row.
Happy 4th of July!
Cheryl

Birthday weekend

2007-07-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Andrew. We celebrated Andrew turing 10 on Saturday with a party at Laser Quest. It was a fun time for the boys including Rich, my dad, and my brother-in-law. We are trying to wrap things up here in San Antonio. We have about a month before we make the move to Waco. Although we are very excited to move we will miss so many friends that we have made while in San Antonio.
This week the kids and I will be spending the week with my parents in Waco. I have already started filling their garage with our stuff, lucky them! We are looking forward to our annual 4th of July cookout on Wednesday.

Let's get it started

2007-06-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

My sister, Cindy, has decided that in all my spare time (haha) I should have a blog. Not sure when I have time to do this since I am in the process of buying/selling a house and moving from San Antonio to Waco.
More to come...