Happy Birthday Drew!

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

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

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

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!

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!

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!

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