This Crazy Life......

Cruise 2011* A Mommy & Daddy Get-Away....Day 1&2

2011-12-12T04:54:00.000-06:00

waiting to get on the boat....it was a bit warmer than when we left Dallas!

leaving Miami

Dinner on Day 1

Day 1

Dinner on Day 2

Drinks all the way around!

Dinner was an active event!

Billy surprise me by having them sing "Happy Anniversary" to us....

12 years & counting...

2010-11-25T15:29:00.001-06:00

Making a run for it! :) a weekend with no kids!!!

Dinner & it was delicious!!!

On to the concert!!!

Pretty good!

Yay baby!

Saturday tailgating at the UT game with Carlos, a friend of Billy's from childhood!

Very important!!!

Beautiful horses!!!

Loved the view!

Dinner........

& desert! (not really!) it was delicious looking but I went with good ol' fashion strawberry cheesecake! :)

Posted by 'the Mom'

Turkey Trot 2010

2010-11-25T15:10:00.001-06:00

Mac has been begging to run a 5k since last year. She ran the school 5k & loved it! So, with her crazy soccer schedule, we were finally able to work one in!

35,000 people were there!

2 girls around Mac were soccer players so she felt right at home! :)

Streaking toward the finish line...in green!

She was the first 10 year old to cross the finish line & 3rd in her division.

She got some daddy-daughter time this morning & absolutely loved it!

She is planning on running a 10k in Austin in March!

I stayed home and manned the turkey. Next year, I hope that I can run with her! :)

I'm so proud of Mac-Attack!!!

Posted by 'the Mom'

Halloween 2010

2010-11-15T08:57:00.001-06:00

The Ninja Turtles & Master Splinter

Mac AKA Leonardo

Leah AKA Michaelangelo

AJ AKA Raphael

Avery AKA Donatello

Robert AKA Master Splinter

It was fun to make the costumes this year...definitely need to start earlier though!

Posted by 'the Mom'

Lunch with Gammy

2010-10-18T22:58:00.001-05:00

My mom got to come spend the weekend with us watching all the kids play soccer & even watching me attempt to play soccer! :) it was nice having my mom & dad cheer me on!

Enjoying lunch with Gammy!!!

Don't ask! He earned them in music!!!

Dropping my girls at church camp

2010-10-10T23:29:00.001-05:00

Its that time again...CHURCH CAMP!!!

They are different cabin this year!!! :)

It's absolutely gorgeous out here!

Posted by 'the Mom'

First Day of School 2010

2010-08-23T12:19:00.015-05:00

UP Bright & Early for our first day of School!!!

Mac is a 5th grader!!!!!

Leah is a 4th grader!!!!

AJ is a 2nd grader!!

Avery is a Kindergartener!!!!!!!

Our nephew, Robert is a 5th grader!!!!

Mac, Leah, AJ & Avery are at one elementary this year. I only have this year & next year to enjoy that. When Mac gets to 7th grade, she is headed to Middle School......ugh!

Avery is soooo excited to get the ride the bus with the big kids this year. She walked into her classroom with a "later mom!"

As i walked away, my eyes teared up.....they were tears of joy! :)

Robert has a few special needs so he gets his own school. He was sooo exctied to see his teacher this morning.

Avery scores a goal...

2010-05-02T17:26:00.002-05:00

So Avery is the newest Shipman soccer player in the family....

Here are 2 videos Daddy posted on YouTube. Enjoy!

Avery scores!

Avery hi-fives with coach/mom!

Watch'em in order.... :)

Posted by 'the Mom'

SNOW?!?!?! In TEXAS?!?!?

2010-02-26T22:55:00.007-06:00

AJ attempting to sled...... not working too well!

Kids eating snow.....yes, we made sure it was WHITE before enjoying it!

We spent the day making a soccer team of snowmen! GAME ON!!!

Avery being cute in the snow!

school bus picking up kids before the "Texas Blizzard"came thru...... LOL!

Fall Sports 2009

2009-11-15T22:23:00.001-06:00

So, we are headed in different directions:
*Mac is playing for a rec soccer team & an academy soccer team

**Leah is playing for a rec team & gymnastics

(friend as these pics, will post them when i get them)

***AJ is playing rec soccer & select football ****Avery is playing rec soccer & gymnastics

we averaged 4-5 soccer games & a football game on Saturdays & at least 1 soccer game on Sunday, sometimes 2.

Enjoy!

New Eyes...

2009-11-14T15:11:00.000-06:00

Apparently my oldest 2 girls have inherited my vision, or lack thereof..both needed glasses this year. Leah is near-sighted & Macey is far-sighted...how is that for being different? I think they look absolutely adorable in them!!!
Mac was concerned when we were picking our frames....the claimed they had "too much bling" on them... :)

Posted by 'the Mom'

Panthers are FALL '09 CHAMPS!

2009-11-01T09:07:00.005-06:00

This is the crazy bunch of girls from the Panthers.....they may look silly now, but when they were on the field, IT WAS GAME ON!!!

School Projects Galore!!!!

2009-10-16T18:17:00.000-05:00

So I have been swimming I school projects this week! It is te end of the 9 wk period & we had a few due, some regular schoolwork, some extra credit....my house was a total mess this past week but talk about all the FUN!!! Here is 3 of them....

Leah's Tundra project

Mac's Einstein Science Project

Mac's Harry Potter Book Report

Posted by 'the Mom'

Turkey letter

2009-10-16T18:14:00.000-05:00

I finally got around to sorting school paperwork from last year....this is a letter from the Thanksgiving Turkey.

I thought it was absolutely adorable & wanted to share....

Have a great weekend! :)

Posted by 'the Mom'

Football Homecoming!!!

2009-10-10T17:13:00.001-05:00

Although all the soccer games were canceled for the day due to all the rain we have recieved lately, we still play FOOTBALL!!!!

Today was homecoming & although we lost 14-20....AJ scored his first TD.

I will post a link later for pics from the game. We have a very sweet dad that photographs all games & then upload to picasa for us!

Kristi
-- Posted from my iPhone

We Won!!!!!

2009-09-27T11:07:00.002-05:00

AJ's pics from his game yesterday! We WON!!!!! YEAH!!!! Go Jackets!

Flag - http://picasaweb.google.com/willyorji/2009RYSAFLagVSBulldogs#

Soccer & friends

2009-09-26T17:06:00.001-05:00

For the first time, my older girls had to play AGAINST a friend.... It was tough but both side played well & in the end...

All was good!!!!!

-- Posted from my iPhone

AJ's football game this Saturday, Sept 19th

2009-09-21T14:06:00.002-05:00

so my poor son is stuck with #9.....oh well! Maybe next year..... :)

Flag - http://picasaweb.google.com/willyorji/2009RYSAFlagVsPatiots#

Avery's first soccer game!!!

2009-09-19T13:11:00.002-05:00

So we "finally" got to play Avery's first soccer game....she is so excited!

She was all over that field. She even almost had a goal..she was sooo close!

She hustled the whole time & literally ran circles around everyone....she not so much for the tight grouping when a soccer ball is in play....she always ran way around the crowd of players...:)

Macey's new number.....

2009-09-17T01:49:00.001-05:00

As crazy & hectic as life is here....we have found several occasions where an extra phone would come in handy. After chatting all summer about this, our oldest now has a cell phone.

Beware! This phone is on our family plan & she has unlimited texting!!! Lol!!!

AJ's Flag Football games

2009-09-13T14:20:00.004-05:00

We have a dad who takes pictures of ALL of the football games & then posts them to a picasa album for us.....

Here are the links:

AJ is #11 in this game

Flag - http://picasaweb.google.com/willyorji/2009RYSAFlagVsWyliePirates#

Aj is #9 in this game, his jersey (along with most of the team's) was done incorrectly. They were gathered this past Saturday to be fixed to we shall see

Flag - http://picasaweb.google.com/willyorji/2009RYSAFlagVsTruthPrime#

I will try to post as they come!

Go Jackets!!!!!

Macey's new soccer team

2009-09-12T12:53:00.002-05:00

Macey has joined a club team...she is loving it! This pic is from her first game as a NTX Striker!

They placed 2nd in the tournament!

Her coach has since left that club to start his own!

We are now called Dallas Juventus!!!! Email me if are in the Dallas area, we have games & tournanments all over the area!!!!

Go Juventus!!!!!

Kristi -- Post From My iPhone

Painting bug....

2009-09-04T18:34:00.001-05:00

So I recently visited my friend, Taryn who does crazy timing of painting. One of the first times we did anything together, it was painting her living room. The story goes something like this:
She was hosting bunko & the night before, she calls me at 6pm & wants to know if I wanted to come help. I said sure & I would be over about 7pm. Needless to say, we were up late (3ish?) & were able to finish with the help of her niece, Robyn. I knew then that we were gonna become great friends....

Sooo, we are having a couple of fmilies over for fajatas & poppers. We purchase the paint at 3pm, people are due to arrive at 5pm....yep, I got one coat on before dinner.

I finished up with the second coat on Sunday night.
My beautiful red pantry door...

Kristi -- Post From My iPhone

Women of faith....Friday nite

2009-08-22T10:28:00.001-05:00

What an awesome event...this is my first year to attend & I am really enjoying it....

The guy in the picture is Steven Curtis Chapman...bad pic, i know but man, can he sing!!!!
Kristi -- Post From My iPhone

Two Princesses in a box..

2009-08-13T23:15:00.002-05:00

So a box arrived with goodies for Taryn's kiddos & of course it was full of peanuts...the girls played for hours!!!

Kristi -- Post From My iPhone

3 cheers for HOOTS!!!

2009-08-11T11:52:00.002-05:00

Talk about a bouncin' load of fun!!!! We decided to take the kids to "Hoots" this morning to see if we could wear them out...we had 5 boys & 2 girls....loads of fun!!!

AJ in the "squeeze"...

Avery showing off her skills...

A huge padded jungle gym....

AJ going at super sonic speed down the slide..

There are 3 HUGE bouncy pads...

Kristi -- Post From My iPhone

First Rememorable Airplane Ride

2009-08-10T14:38:00.002-05:00

So we are sitting at the gate waiting for our plane to board...somehow, Avery was under the impression that we got our own plane, not our own seat.

The 2 of them are quite excited about this as neither remember their "real" first flight. AJ was 2yrs old & Avery Grace was just 3 mo old when we flew to Virigina for Donny & Julie's wedding.
We are loaded & ready to go...10 minutes behind already....

Kristi -- Post From My iPhone

Camp Deer Run

2009-08-09T17:19:00.002-05:00

We just dropped Macey & Leah off at church camp. They are in cabin 3 this year. This is their first church camp with our church, Eastridge Church of Christ.

This is a picture of their cabin. The camp grounds are really nice with only the dining hall being air conditioned. We stopped at a super-walmart on the way out to buy a fan for their bed space & a mini-fan to carry with them...

They are really excited about camp. I'm sure they will have tons of fun!

Kristi -- Post From My iPhone

Family Vacation in Tennessee

2009-08-07T14:04:00.002-05:00

So we took a vacation in June with some of friends, Collin & Holly Farrell. Their family has a cabinon a lake in Tennessee near Chattanooga so we thought this would be a great family vacation. It was!

Here is the kid crew from oldest to youngest...you should have seen the looks we got when we went anywhere. We had a great time freaking people out....

This picture is from Falls Creek Falls. It was beautiful scenery.... but it was quite HOT!

I will add more pictures later....

Kristi -- Post From My iPhone

Horseback Riding Lessons

2009-08-07T13:53:00.001-05:00

Macey recieved a horseback ridi g lesson as a birthday gift this past January from her friend, Drew.

She was a natural! Her horse's name was Harry Higgins & he was a sweet horse...she did well riding & absolutely loved it....now she wants a horse for her next birthday...oh boy!

Kathyrn was really nice & her sweet daughters also took the girls to pick eggs from the chickens...

In all we have 6 eggs....guess it is time for some breakast burritos... :)

Kristi -- Post From My iPhone

Football practice?!?!?!

2009-08-06T19:42:00.001-05:00

AJ started (flag) football practice this week. He is a bit taller than the average boy on team but he seems to fit nicely into the group. His football season starts soon so look for pictures from his games....

Kristi -- Post From My iPhone

Home Sweet Home

2009-08-03T12:07:00.001-05:00

So I left Abq this morning at 7am, landed at 9:40am, grabbed lunch at Pei-Wei's and now headed home to drop dogs to get a haircut, soccer practice, VBS & somewhere in the day I need to find time to make 200 mini-projects for my promotional that I run each month.... I really would love a nap buy I'm thinking tht is so not happening today!

Kristi -- Post From My iPhone

Chillin' in ABQ

2009-08-01T15:35:00.001-05:00

So I'm staying with my friend, Taryn for a few days to get some scrapbooking done. She had a card stamp camp last nigh & for the first time I got to be a customer, instead of the demonstrator! It was so much fun! We made 25 cards & the are absolutely too cute!!!

They have recently adopted 2 kittens, Lynx & Mustachio. Adventurous as kittens are, I have found them sleeping in some unusal places....

Kristi -- Post From My iPhone

ABQ get-away..

2009-07-30T20:44:00.001-05:00

Normally this time of year, you would find me in Salt Lake City, UT at the biggest event Stampin' Up! has to offer each year. Unfortunately, after 7.5 years of being a demonstrator, I am choosing not to attend. Although I am sad, we just have way too much going on at this time. I did however find 4 days to "sneak away" from my life & scrapbook with a friend for a break.

We lived here for 4.5 years & loved it. The weather is a beautiful 73 degrees, and of course, the view is great!!!!

Off to run some errands...have a nice evening!!!

Kristi -- Post From My iPhone

Pedicures & Mohawks?!?!

2009-07-26T13:34:00.001-05:00

We got a chance to get pedicures on Saturday...

This was lil' Miss Avery's first pedicure.

& we sent the boys for haircuts....
This is the last time daddy gets to take him to get his haircut....

Just kidding! He has been asking for months to get a Mohawk....isn't he just the cutest?

Kristi -- Post From My iPhone

Wedding weekend!

2009-07-26T13:25:00.001-05:00

We are on our way home from San Antonio after a quickstop in West, TX for some of my favorite bologna...the wedding was beautiful!!!! My cuz, Alana was gorgeous in her wedding dress. she is a UT grad so of course, burnt orange & chocolate were her colors. Her dress had burnt orange weaves into the lacing in the back of the dress as well as the middle of her train. It was absolutly beautiful!!!
All the men in the wedding worn burnt orange ties...below is a pic of Leah wearing uncle Alan's tie.

It was great to see my family...it has been a long time since I have been able to visit with some of my cousins. I will definately have to work on getting together with them more often!
Kristi -- Post From My iPhone

Weekend in San Antonio

2009-07-24T21:19:00.001-05:00

We are headed to San Antonio as I write this for my cousin, Alana's wedding. The wedding is tomorrow at 4pm so I'm looking to get some putt-putt golf & pedicures in before that.....we shall see!

Family Vacation 2009

2009-06-28T01:46:00.001-05:00

So we survived..well, almost! I'm writing this as we are only 4 hours away from home. Driving thru the night has not been a common practice as of late, but so far it is working. Billy is listening to his books on his Itouch, kids are all asleep & I'm wishing I was asleep...oh well!

We stayed a week with some friends at their family cabin in the Chattanooga, TN area & had a great time.

There was fishing, swimming off the boat dock, eating ice cream at Clumpie's, & so much more. It was nice to get away to where there was no TV, Xbox, or computers..well, atleast I left mine at home. My poor hubby had to bring his to work some...not too much though!

Now I need a week to recover from our vacation....LOL! I will post pictures soon!

You're STUPENDOUS Mom!

2009-03-09T12:27:00.005-05:00

How is that for a word?

That is what I got from my son, AJ when he walked in from school today.

I'm what?

You're a stupendous mom.

Where did you hear that?

It's a spicy word mom!

Oh, ok! Thanks!

First Day of School!

2008-09-17T01:08:00.008-05:00

It's offical! We have a 3rd grader.....

2nd grader......

Kindergartener.......

& a Pre-schooler.......

WOW! where does the time go???

GO Texas Rangers!

2008-08-04T16:55:00.004-05:00

We ended up with tickets to a Texas Rangers game on the day I flew back in from Convention yesterday! WOW! What an extremely long day, but TOTALLY worth it!
The kids had a blast! The seats were in row 10, right above 1st base...WHAT A VIEW! (thanks Uncle Aaron!) & to top it off, the TEXAS Rangers WON!!!!

Offer on Hearthstone!

2008-06-15T22:57:00.003-05:00

We got an offer (finally) on our house. Wea re taking a loss but that is the way things roll I guess. We accepted & are set to close on July 11th so let's hope that Cartus will not screw things up. We have had many difficult issues with them for a relocation company, mainly they tell us one thing & then when we get to that part of the process, things are now different. Very frustrating!! anyway, keep your fingers crossed!

Soccer Camp 2008!!!

2008-06-15T22:56:00.016-05:00

The kids attended a day soccer camp, or rather an evening soccer camp this June. They all had a blast including little miss Avery.

Macey was in the older division & is pictured holding a make-shift trophy with her teammates & the Brittish soccer coaches.

It was really warm but we managed not to get heat stroke or sick so we are thankful for that!

The kdis are already begging to sign-up for soccer camp next summer!

Macey taking a break!

Macey Classroom Award

2008-06-08T01:05:00.003-05:00

Macey's teacher does a candy awards at the end of the year. I was amazed at this other woman who gets to spend almost as much time with my Mac as I do. She recognizes amazing traits in Macey that as parent, I tend to over look at times. I was totally beaming after this. I even let her cut class to go grcoery shopping with me for the rest of the day! We had Krispy Kreme Donuts & DP for lunch...

Closing Date...

2008-06-08T00:50:00.003-05:00

SO we have been up & down since May about when we could close....we finally have a date! JUNE 20th! Which also happens to be Avery's 3rd Birthday so we are still working on that issue as well. She has been going on & on about her Birthday party at the pool so we will figure something. Life is crazy here so if you do not hear from me till July, you know why...Billy is gone for most of June so that leaves me relying on my friend, Shara & my family for all the help around close dates. Billy is here for 2 days after closing then off to work for Raytheon! BTW, have i mentioned how great a company Raytheon is???? Man, we have been so blessed to have a job with them. Nothing like the AF that is for sure! Gotta run! I have have alot of packing still to go!I will keep you posted!

Albuquerque House

2008-05-14T13:30:00.002-05:00

Here is the link to the house in Albuquerque. We are lowering(yet again) the price of the house to $259,000. If you know ANYONE who is interested in buying or renting, please send them this link. We perfer to sell but are considering renting/leasing at this point. Thanks so much!

Starting to look like a real home...

2008-05-05T18:54:00.010-05:00

So we have grass now...how cool is that??? The fence that you see is our side lot/yard & eventually will have an inground swimming pool. That is a few years away when all of kiddos swim like fish. We hope to close soon. (May or June timeframe) I will send out the new mailing address when we get settled.

Dentist Appt

2008-05-05T18:51:00.006-05:00

AJ & Avery's first dentist appt was today & went really well. AJ went back all by himself & did not even need me. I have to admit that left me with mixed emotions. Then , Avery came along & would not budge without me.....It is good to know that I am still needed! :)

Hair-Cuts!

2008-05-05T16:46:00.007-05:00

It is that time again when the girls hair is just too long & they want to change it up some! We found this place called shakey's cuts for kids & it was a total blast for the girls.

My Mother-in-Law....

2008-05-05T16:42:00.002-05:00

My mother-in-law passed away 2 weeks ago tomorrow. I felt that if I wrote it down somewhere it would be real & I really did not want it to be real. I hear millions of stories of horrid mother-in-laws & i have to say that I do not understand them. Mine totally ROCKED! She was there when you needed her.

When we were stationed in OHIO, I talked with her on a daily if not every other day basis. I could tell her anything, I mean anything. She was a military wife & totally got the all of the BS that comes with it.

We breezed thru the Celebration of Life service & as long as I stayed busy, I could do it. My Billy had to get up & say a few things about mom & my heart went out to him. I can not imagine the greif that he feels. She was my mom for 10 years & I miss her so much.

My children miss their grandmother too. Leah (6) left a not on Billy's pillow this morning that reads" I know that you miss your mom. I miss her to. I know that she loves me & you. Love Leah." Leah drew a picture of a cake on a table at the bottom of the note & also drew music notes & labeled them "irsh music". She knew that here gmom loved irish music.

There are so many things that remind me of her: lasgna, gnomes, blue eyes, shamrocks, st. Patricks Day, sudoku, (she is the one who got me hooked!), Snowbabies,THOMAS KINKADE. I think she had everything he ever made. She was a great lady who was there for anyone who ever needed her.She will be greatly missed! Love you MOM!

School Art Show

2008-04-15T11:13:00.005-05:00

First Day of Soccer Games

2008-04-15T10:51:00.011-05:00

The day started out chilly. we are all wrapped up in jackets & blankets. Gammy, Pappy & Uncle Jek were able to go to the games with us. Everyone had a lot of fun! There were so many little soccer players running around. You could not see any "leg" on any of them when they had their shin guards, socks & cleats on. Way too cute!

AJ was attacking the ball. He is located in between #9 & #13. He kicks well so the coach has him kick the ball in often.

Macey has been named the team goalie. She is the only girl who would get in front of the ball when it was coming at her. She is excited that she gets to get special gloves & a different jersey when she plays goalie.

Inside Grisham...

2008-04-15T10:40:00.005-05:00

So here are a few pics from the inside of the home. It will be really great to get settled soon. We still have our home in NM so PLEASE pray hard that it will sell fast. We have a month left....

Fireplace in the Family room

(the mantle will be stained the color of the kitchen cabinets)

Kitchen

media room with my little brother, Nick being, well, being Nick!

Easter 2008

2008-04-05T10:45:00.006-05:00

With all the craziness this past March, the kids spend 3 weeks (includeing Spring Break & Easter) with my folks. My mom was a life-saver & came & stayed with the kids so I could go with Billy to his mom's & get things in order. Here are some more from their east egg hunt at the FARM.

So Far, So Good...

2008-03-22T23:49:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I have been totally nervous about the stone that we picked out last September. I kept thinking that it was more PINK than BROWN for some reason. I will not go into any details, but let's just say that I was having nightmares about having a PINK brick home. Billy was confident that we were okay on colors that we choose but I was quite nervous. The brick was dropped to the house on the day we left for San Angelo, so there was no way to tell what the color was yet. My mom was with the kids due to school so she drove by everyday & took a picture with my camera & her cell phone. For the first week, we were looking at our brick/rock combo on a screen of a Razr Phone so that was tough. We decided to get Vanilla & bring her out to San Angelo rather than leave her alone at home during Spring Break. I was able to go back to Rockwall & get photos to bring back to Billy. The brick & stone look great. Hopefully the outhouse will be moved when the home is done. :) We are so excited. Our home will be finished toward the end of April so we hope to be moved in by the end of May. I will keep you posted!

Calling for Prayers...

2008-03-09T22:45:00.003-05:00

We received some sad news last Thursday evening. For some of you, you may not know the whole story. Here is a brief summary:

Jean (Billy's mom) was diagnosed with lung cancer in mid-January while admitted to the hospital for pneumonia. There was a stint put in to help her breathe while she recovered from the pneumonia & then the plan was to attack with radiation treatments.
Earlier this week, Jean was readmitted to the hospital because the pneumonia was back. Apparently, she had not recovered from it before the radiation treatments. Along with adjusting other meds, it has become quite draining on her body. On Thursday, her kidneys started failing & she was told that the cancer was spreading too rapidly. She was given 2 weeks at the most. She decided she had enough. We brought her home on Friday night with Hospice.

We are in the process of getting all her affairs in order & enjoying what time we have with her. She spends most of the day sleeping. Please pray for our family as we go through this tough but natural process. It is hard at times to believe it but everyday it becomes more real. Please pray for the strength to know what to do & when to do it. I will keep you posted as much as I can.

So, walls are nice!

2008-03-09T22:24:00.004-05:00

The house is slowly coming together. We did our walk thru last week of where we wanted the phone, TV & internet outlets. The brick was being dropped Friday so this next week we shall see what the outside will look like. I am a bit nervous about what we picked out but hopefully the brick & stone will look as good as it did on the table when we picked in 4 months ago.

A might bit chilly...

2008-03-04T03:13:00.004-06:00

At least there is walls. Okay, so I know that these are not the finished walls but the house seems to be taking shape. The bricks will be coming in later this week so hopefully the outside of the house will be looking pretty good in a week or 2.

More Showings.....

2008-03-04T03:10:00.004-06:00

Okay, so we have had 5 showings in the last week so please keep prayin! 2 of the showings claim that our home is their top choice but neither has made an offer. All we need is to accept an offer & the relocation company takes over from there. Hopefully someone will make an offer soon!

Drop to your knees & start prayin'!

2008-02-26T18:15:00.003-06:00

Okay, so I just got a call from our realtor in NM. We had our first showing....the thing is that that our house was 2nd on their list. Well, their first choice is already gone & they are coming back for another showing on Friday. We are getting down to the wire with the house that we are building in Rockwall in accordance with our contingency. We basically have till the 2nd week of March to get a contract on our home in NM or we will lose the home in Rockwall. So we have been praying hard & long for this stress to go away so please take an extra moment to pray that we will be relieved soon, whether through this buyer or the next. I will keep you posted!

Framing up!

2008-02-23T10:38:00.004-06:00

They have been framing this past week & putting in the windows. It is really neat to watch our home take shape. We have had decent weather so far so hopefully we are still on the Mid-May move-in date.

Vday Lovin'

2008-02-19T20:47:00.005-06:00

So the kids all got animals for VDay & wanted to show them off! Enjoy!

A Before & After Valentine Suprise!

2008-02-15T20:53:00.008-06:00

Okay, so I wanted to something special for Billy for Valentine's Day but he is yet out of state for the 3rd year in a row for VDay. Since he was gone the whole week, I decided to do an project that I had never done before. Staining a piece of furniture...

Not just any piece of furniture....HIS USAFA blue trunk!

I personally did not know this could be done, but a friend of mine had mentioned that she knew someone who haad done it before. She & Iwere visiting last Sunday afternoon & she was telling me about it. The top of Billy's trunk had started to peel & was ripped & torn from al lthe moves in its lifetime. We started peeling the blue "vinyl" off. If you take an exacto knife & run it around the edges, it leaves a nice clean cut line next to the metal.

This picture is after the vinyl has been peeled away. I sanded it down & the proceeded to put 3 layers of American Walnut stain from HD . Then I sealed it with polyeurathain.

So, not too shabby for my first staining job if I do say so myself!

Foundation is a GO!

2008-02-15T20:47:00.004-06:00

The foundation was poured on Tuesday & looks really good. They were to start framing today but with 80% chance of rain for the 3-day weekend, the are hoping to drop lumber on Monday & start framing then. It will actually start looking like a house soon!

School Valentine Parties

2008-02-15T20:38:00.004-06:00

The kids had their valentine parties at school the last 2 days. I just wanted to share some pictures with you. Unfortunately, I have no pics of AJ or Avery's party because my batteries died. Gotta love technology! :)

Leah & Mommie

Mrs. Lee & Macey

We have PIPES!

2008-02-13T07:52:00.003-06:00

This are moving along on our home. The foundation will be laid this week. Completion date of new home is mid-May at this point. By summer, (hopefully) we will be all moved in.

Darn Toe! (again)

2008-02-07T21:41:00.000-06:00

You would think after multiple broken toes, I would know how to avoid additional ones. NOPE, wrong again! I have yet again kicked the couch & broken my toe. This time it is the one next to the baby toe on the left foot. I did this on super-bowl sunday (it honestly had nothing to do with the game) & I am still taking Motrin so I will be heading to the doctor on Monday to see if I broken anything else besides my toe. Wish me luck!

Macey Turns 8!

2008-01-30T10:51:00.000-06:00

So I can not believe that my baby is 8! As many of you know, Macey is mini-me. Besides the fact that she is a lefty & a blonde, she & I have alot of common traits. She has been in love with horses for a while & has been asking how much $$ does it cost ot buy a horse. Billy& I have tried to explain the depth of this concept but alas, it is not getting thru. Although we did not run out & buy her a horse for her birthday, we were able to make arrangements to ride for an hour last Saturday afternoon.

We headed to Uncle Brian & Aunt Staci's home for an afternoon cook-out of brats & hotdogs requested by the birthday girl & then an afternoon ride on horses, Jade & Moose. She really enjoyed riding the horses as did all the kiddos. Of course, she has been really interested in guitars as well so we got her a starter guitar to start learning on. ( I am sure that we will regret this later) She is very excited about learning to play an instrument & has already put on atleast a dozen show since last Saturday.

Daddy's Birthday

2008-01-23T17:30:00.000-06:00

Daddy's birthday was Monday. With the weather being a bit chillier than we hoped for, we spent the evening in the family room with a fire blazing in the fireplace while we snuggled on the couch & watched movies. It was a great evening!

getting started...

2008-01-23T17:14:00.000-06:00

Well, we are finally getting started on the new house. We have our first meeting next Tuesday with the builder to get started with customizing our home. We have picked out our colors already & we are so excited. When it is all said & done, each kiddo will have their own room, Billy will have his own study & I will get the additional bedroom that is downstairs for my office which has an extremely nice walk-in closet. Keep checking back to see updates.

Halloween 2007

2007-11-22T13:32:00.001-06:00

Okay, so most know that we are in teh middle of a move so I am getting my way back to blogging. I know there are some in Albuquerque who are reading faithfully to keep tabs on our family so I will do my best to blog atleast once a week. :)

Here is the kids this year for Halloween. We had a Trunk or Treat at our church in ABQ. It was the last day we were in ABQ & so it sad, but we still had alot of fun. We got tons of candy that we will be eating on all year long.

Catching up.....

2007-10-31T22:27:00.000-05:00

Since I have tons of "free time", I thought I would use it wisely & play catch up. I am sure many of you are wondering why we are moving when we just bought a house in February.

We decided last summer to separate from the AF. It was a tough decision but one we were excited about. We knew that we wanted to move back to Texas then but not really sure what kind of job we were looking for or where exactly we wanted to live. During the spring, we looked at many options in both San Antonio & Albuquerque.

In May, we decided to take the civilian position at the Safety Center where Billy was working while active duty. The active duty position was being dissolved & they wanted to bring him back on as a civilian with the same job description.

The week Billy started as a civilian, a boss of Billy's decided it was time to leave & was offered a job as a Vice President with Raytheon. Some of you know that we have alot of disappointments with the AF. Many times, we were led to believe or promised one thing, then after Billy delivered, the story changed. That was the main reason for us separating from the AF.

In July, we got a phone call from Billy's old boss (the one who went to Raytheon) asking Billy if he was interested in coming to work with Raytheon. He had worked with Billy for the past 3 years & knew what Billy was able to accomplish. After a few weeks of talking, we were offered a job we could not turn down.

Billy's dad had a stroke almost 2 years ago. His mom has had a few health issues as well & along with Cancer hitting my family last year. We decided that the first chance we got, we would get back to Texas to be with our family. That chance came in August.

Billy started working in September & we are officially moved. the kids started school in November & are loving it. I am working diligently to get the house up a running along with my business. I am hoping to have a great kick-off Christmas Open House on December 8th.

Question of the Day

2007-10-31T18:01:00.000-05:00

"Mom, have you ever been to a thronery?" Macey asks.

" A what?"

" A thronery?" She says again.

"Honey, I am not sure what you are talking about? Can you give me any details?"

Leah exclaims," You know, where they wrap you in toilet paper & throw you in a box, & everyone bring you balloons & flowers."

"Oh, you mean a funeral?", I asked.

"Oh yeah! That is the word!" the girls say. I just smiled!

Kids are so much fun & such a blessing.

Moving Day

2007-10-31T17:17:00.000-05:00

I knew this day was coming & at first, it could not come quick enough. I just wanted the move to be over with. (no, I do not enjoy moving 6 months) Billy left in September to start his job at Raytheon in Dallas so things have basically crazy around here. I have workshops & stamping events scheduled till the end of November so I will be coming back to ABQ for 3 different weekends. I will also be coming back for Scrapbook Happiness in December if all works well in the family schedule.

I am excited about the move. New house, new schools (AMEN!!!), family closer than ever before..... I will dearly miss my friends here in ABQ, though. I have to try not to think about it or I will end up in tears.

We have enjoyed the time that we have lived here in New Mexico. Our family went thru many struggles here & without the friends that God placed here for us, we may have not made it. I want to thank you all for everything that you did. Good friends are hard to find & we are ever so thankful that we found you.

I have a team of ladies here so I will be back to visit often. We will miss you all! If you are ever in the Dallas, Texas area, look us up. We have plenty of sleep space....

ohhhh--so far behind!!!

2007-10-19T22:00:00.000-05:00

I must apologize for the lack of communication...many of you many be thinking that I fell off the face of the earth. Thankfully that is not true. :)

Many of you know, we are in the middle of a move. Billy got a job in the Dallas,Texas area so we are heading home. He has been work there since September 17th & we have decided the family has been separated long enough. You must think I am a wimp since it has barely been a month but this will be the 2nd relocation this year. The first was in February of this year when we moved off base & bought a house here in NM. For family reasons, we have decided that we wanted to move back to our stompin' ground.

I will be sending an email next week with our new contact & mailing address info. If you do not get it, please shoot me an email. It has been a while since I have had the chance to update it! Please keep our family in your prayers as we move (hopefully our last for a while) to Texas. I hope to be back on track with blogging by Thanksgiving!

Look who is 4!

2007-07-25T22:51:00.000-05:00

AJ had a birthday crown the wear while we were at C.E.C.
He was syked that he was getting special attention for the day.

Macey & Leah love playing air hockey & with the table just their size, it was great.

AJ taking Bob the Builder for a ride.

Avery had a date with Chuckie himself. They even had their picture taken together.

I am not sure what it is about boys & their video games but AJ was addicted to the race car game. He actually did very well.

AJ out for a drive with Stuart Little.

Mommy & her birthday boy!

The newest member of our family....

2007-07-25T22:48:00.001-05:00

Just to clarify, we are NOT pregnant again. I am sure many of you jumped to that conclusion. We have added a new family member in the form of a 4 legged ball of fur. His name is TOBY. He is a Queensland Heeler mix almost 3 months old. Vanilla Bean needed a playmate & Toby is just what she wanted. Toby is potty training & doing quite well.

This is Toby sleeping in the truck after we got him.

He was worn out from the summer bash where we picked him up at.

He is checking out his new bed. I find him sleeping in it through out the day.

He is playful as a puppy should be but not destructive (yet, anyways!)

Leah turns 6!

2007-07-24T10:14:00.000-05:00

We did an at-home birthday this year. As a new tradition, we started letting the kids pick where they want their birthday lunch/dinner. Leah chose Golden Corral. We had a nice meal & then went for Coldstone Creamery later that evening for dessert.

Leah has been wanting a Tamagotchi since Macey got one fore her birthday. She named it ABBY. For those who do know what it is, it is an electronic pet they have to keep charge of.

Date Day

2007-07-15T05:23:00.000-05:00

It has been quite a while since our last date, so as soon as we had our babysitter home from Harding & a summer mission trip to Africa, we booked a WHOLE day of just the 2 of us time. We started the day by walking around old town & I actually got to go in to the shops that I normally have to avoid due to non-child friendly.

Then, we hit The Melting Pot....if you have never been to The Melting Pot, then you defiantly need to make plans. It is not an average night out...you might want to save it for a special occasion, though. It is a fondue place that is really great. It took us 3 hours to eat dinner with all the courses they give you. WOW! We waddled out way out the the restaurant. Just kiddin'....

Then we hit the putting greens...for those who know us, we have always loved to play golf. We used to play a couple of times a week till my belly got so big, I could not swing anymore. I realize that this is no the same, but we hope to start playing again soon. We were playing best of 3 & got rained out on the 18th hole of the 3rd game. Guess we will have to go for a rematch!

To finish our evening, we went to see Transformers, the movie. WOW! I remember my brother, Brian having transformers growing up. It was really neat to see Hollywood breathe life into them. It is a very good action movie.

Look who is 2!

2007-07-15T05:15:00.001-05:00

Avery is 2! Who can believe it? I am still shocked that time has flown so quickly. She is talking non-stop like the rest of the crew & loves to do EVERYTHING that Big sisters & brother do. No leaving this big girl behind. She is going thru the terrible 2's a bit early so hopefully that means that she will come out of the terrible 2's early, right? Well, I can still hope! I just keep looking at the bright side. I can stop buying diapers after 7 1/2 years. YEAH!!

Kristi's New-DO

2007-07-06T10:54:00.000-05:00

Okay...so it is summer time & MAN! is it hot! For those of you who do not know this, I have really thick hair & alot of it. I decided to donate my hair to Locks of Love. A good friend of mine did it in Ohio & I thought it would be a great idea.

It was fun going thru the process of trying to figure what I was going to do with my hair short. I have a computer program that simulates hair-cuts & I chosse a few & we all voted. AJ was totally against me cutting my hair at all. (I think Billy paid him off) The girls were excited about the whole thing. Avery did not have much of an opinion at the time & now she just keeps looking at me. :)

They cut off 10 inches as you can see in the picture, I still had quite a bit. I am sporting a new do for the summer & lovin' it.

Happy July 4th America!

2007-07-04T23:19:00.000-05:00

As I sit here writing this, I can hear fireworks going off just outside. (Yes, apparently it is LEGAL in ABQ for certain fireworks to be set off within the city limits.) I have no idea exactly what the laws are here but I am sure there are some.

We had a wonderful block BBQ last night & got to meet a lot of our neighbors. We ended up unintentionally blocking a street but the kids had a blast meeting other kiddos their age & Billy & I were also excited about meeting our neighbors. We set fireworks off in the street & of course, the cops showed up. We have at least 2 firefighters in the neighborhood, (one is our next door neighbor, Martin) so the cops basically said HI & left. Funny how that works!

I can not believe that summer is almost half way over. Where has the time gone??? I spent about 3-4 weeks in Texas hanging out with family & helping my folks get settled in so there went one month.

Since I have returned home, SU! has released a new catalog so I have jumped started my new business year & planned my classes & events till December 2007 so I am excited about that. If you want more info on classes & events, check out my SU! website link.

I will try in the next few weeks to post from our trip to Texas but with my convention coming up at the end of July, I am making no promises. I did sneak a picture of AJ & my mom (a.k.a. Gammy) SORRY MOM! this is way too cute!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful July 4th!

Deep in the Heart of Texas!!!

2007-06-07T23:23:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I have had a chance to blog. Things have been crazy as usual & I find myself asking when will it slow down...not for a while is the answer I get.

Leah graduated Kindergarten at the end of May & we loaded up & trekked all the way down to Brady to see my little bro graduate HS. I was unable to see Jek's HS graduation due to my pregnancy with Avery so I was grateful that I was able to make Nick's.

Next we headed to the Waco area for my family reunion. It was great seeing all the family but unfortunately we were unable to have our annual family reunion softball game due to rain.

The kids & I are staying with my brother, Brian & his family & having a grand ol' time. Brian & Staci have 2 kiddos, Ashlyn (5) & Garrett(3). Staci & I are definitely getting our share of scrapbookin done. She told me that she has done more pages since I have been here than she did in the last year. Yikes, she must be further behind than me then. :)

I have taken lots of pictures but did not bring the cord to pull them from camera to my laptop so you will have to wait till I return home for pictures of the kiddos.

Tent Rocks rock!

2007-05-13T01:43:00.000-05:00

We took our first family hike since we have been in NM. We absolutely LOVED it! the kids had a blast & were totally exhausted when we got home. (Mom & Dad were pretty tired as well)

The hike was roughly 3 miles long & the kids were having a blast. Not only did Billy have Re-Re on his back, he also had the H2O in there. He was glad when we made it to the top.

Some of the hike was a tight squeeze!

Daddy & the kiddos on the way down from the top! We had to pull aside since the path was SO narrow & we moved a bit slower that the average hiker. The kids were really troopers.

This is a view as we were heading UP. We paused only to check out the view & then on to the top to see it all!

The girls were always facinated by all the rocks that were "balancing". We also found rocks in the shape of a dinosaur head & soccerballs.

The photo of mom & kiddos is taken on top of Tent Rocks. We have taken a family vote & decided we have to go hiking ATLEAST once a month. We are in search of kid-friendly trails so if you know of any in our area, shoot me an email! :)

Officially OUT!

2007-05-13T01:36:00.000-05:00

Billy went on terminal leave on April 27th. We were lucky enough to have 2 weeks off to get somethings done around the house. Ceiling fans, lights, bookcases, the list goes on.....

He will begin is civilian career on Monday, May 14th. While it has been great having him home for two weeks, I am ready to get back to life. Anytime he has been off that long, we have been traveling so having him home was a bit unusual & confusing as I still had work to do but really just wanted to spend time with him.

We are excited to embark on this new direction in life that God has led us to. It has been an interesting life in the AF & we are excited about our new life as "normal" people. (just kidding) One of the most exciting things is that we can build equity in a home. (Are we nuts or what?)

Spring Break 2007

2007-04-06T15:26:00.000-05:00

Spring Break was crazy but well worth it.... I was leaving town the day my husband was coming home from his month TDY. I know that you must be thinking, "that was dumb kristi".... I agree!

His ETA was up in the air most of the mon th of March so I got tired of waiting on the AF to decide & I made plans to head to TEXAS (where else?) to visits moms for the week.

As I am leaving the house, I get a text from hubby that says he has landed. UGH!!! I can not drive by the airport & not see my husband. So we pick him up & take him with us! :) He had to fly back to work for a few days but then rejoined us for the rest of the week. It is so nice having him back home.

We got to visit with grandparents & all the cousins. We went to Amberly's (Uncle Nick's girlfriend) softball game & cheered her on. We (I mean all of us) played on the big playground in San Angelo & had a great time. The kids had a blast except for the fact that it rained everyday except 2.

Nick was running in the San Angelo HS track meet but ended up with the stomach flu the day of pre-lims. Fortunately, the weather was so bad they canceled pre-lims & ran finals on Saturday. He placed 5th in the 110 hurdles even after having the stomach flu the day before. He is running pretty well this year & I hope to be able to see him run again. :)

Tons of laundry to do & lost of emails to return...will try to post more next week!

Back into our routine....

2007-04-06T15:14:00.000-05:00

Well, what can I say.....

We are getting settled in our new home & with life on its way back to normal, things are going a lot smoother than last month.

March was difficult as the move in process was all up to me since Billy was needed at Scott AFB for the month. Needless to say, not one installation was done on one trip...Every one had atleast 2 trips due to not right equipment, not the right tool, etc. In addition the driving the girls to school every day back on base, I regret to say that it has been way too long since I have had a chance to blog.

I have slacked on my business as of late as well but hope to have things back into full swing shortly. I have a few workshops that I needed to reschedule so hopefully I can get the ball rolling soon. I am on target for the cruise so hopefully I can still earn it. It would be in April 2008 which happens to be out 10th anniversay so that would be a great way to spend it. :)

Thanks to the many husbands of friends that helped out with the guy jobs around the house while my husband was away. From hanging a garage door opener to moving the wood playground set from the front porch to the back yard (that is another whole story on it own), I thank you tons!!!!

More New Home Pictures

2007-01-21T23:43:00.000-06:00

According to my mother & mother-in-law, there is a need for more than just the outside of the new home. Here are a few pctures of the first level that I took while having a walk thru last week. Enjoy! :)

Friends Welcome Anytime, Family By Appointment!

2007-01-17T15:02:00.000-06:00

We bought a house yesterday! It has the space we have been dreamin' about. When you have 4 kids, you want as much living space as you can get. It is a 4 bedroom with a study (kristi's stampin haven) & 2 living areas, not to mention a mountain view out the back yard. We have a spare room now, & I do not mean a blow-up matress in the middle of the kitchen. An actual spare room so if & when you pass thru, you are more than welcome to stay at our place.

BTW, the title is a joke..please give a holler when you are in the area. :)

160 Days left.......YEE HAW!!!

2006-12-21T17:07:00.000-06:00

Our official separation date is 31May07. We are excited to embark on the next saga in life.

The military has brought new & interesting things into our lives. We are grateful for the true friends that have come into our lives through the AF.

We are leaning strongly at staying in Albuquerque, NM. Billy is looking at jobs on base as a GS worker. We have a church that we love & wonderful friends to go with it. The house market is a bit steep out here but we have faith that God will provide adequate living arrangements. (boy does that sound military or what, get me out of here!)

We do realize this means giving up or Texas residency. Whatever you do, please do not refer to us as New Mexicans! We will always be Texans even if we are misplaced!

You can take the girl outta TEXAS, but you can't take the TEXAN outta the girl! :)

Gingerbread Houses...from school

2006-12-21T17:01:00.000-06:00

Leah's gingerbread house is on the bottom & Macey's gingerbread house is on top. Both of these fabulous houses were made at school last week. I guess I will get the girls to help us pick out our next home.

31 years....YOUNG!

2006-12-21T16:51:00.000-06:00

As Saturday draws nearer, I am getting teased as to getting older. I have come to the conclusion you are only as old as you feel. So therefore, I am 25 with 4 kiddos. Please do not try to do the math as some of you might bring on a heachache. (just kidding)

I think the matter of the fact is that I am happily married (yes, really!) with 4 beautiful children, with family & friends that love us. Life doesn't get much better than this.

Being happy, well that keeps you young. Sounds good to me!

Drunken Snowman....

2006-12-21T16:35:00.000-06:00

I have to say we are quite sadden to fing that our snowman has had WAY TOO MUCH EGGNOG...

As you can see the snow only lasted a few days but those days were filled with snowball fights, red noses, snow angels, hot cocoa, & movies while snuggled under blankets. We had a wonderful family time!

SNOW DAY!!!

2006-12-20T00:26:00.000-06:00

Just wanted you to meet the newest family member. His name is Jack & unfortunately he will not be staying with us very long but we definately have loved the time that he will be with us!

We want to wish everyone a very MERRY CHRISTMAS as we take this time & everyday to remember the birth of our Jesus & thank God for our blessings.

love the Shipman6

Better Late than Never!

2006-12-12T23:31:00.000-06:00

Billy took me to Phantom of the Opera for our anniversary in November. It was absolutely wonderful. It was the first time I had ever been to an opera so I was thinking I would be asleep in no time. BOY was I ever wrong. The music was awesome! We had a wonderful 8th anniversary!

New Do's

2006-12-12T23:25:00.000-06:00

The girls got new haircuts this past Saturday.

They absolutely LOVE them. I was a bit unsure at first but that is probably just the mom in me.

Leah is 5 & Macey will be 7 in January. My babies are growing up!

The Drowner?

2006-11-05T20:48:00.000-06:00

Did you know that according to Leah that the drain at the bottom of the bathtub is really called a "DROWNER"? Boy, I guess you learn something new every day!

Halloween 2006

2006-11-05T20:33:00.000-06:00

LADYBUG a.k.a. Avery Grace

STICH a.k.a AJ

TIGGER a.k.a. Leah

PURPLE WITCH a.k.a. Macey

Halloween was quite fun this year.

Since it was cooler this year, we decided to dress in warmer costumes!

the Bloody Water

2006-10-18T01:29:00.000-05:00

Leah was reading a book to AJ the other day & I over heard her talking about the bloody water. Curious to see which Bible story she was telling her little brother, I stopped & listened. The next thing I heard was, "And Moses parted the bloody water......"

An AJ Prayer

2006-10-18T01:22:00.000-05:00

Dear God, Thank you for my Macey & for my Leah.

Dear God, Thank you for my Soren & my Keely. (friends)

Dear God, Thank you for ME! AMEN!!

(this is AJ & his friend, Keely)