Hembree Family

Ladies and Gentlemen....

2010-11-06T17:49:00.002-05:00

We have a new obsession in the Hembree household and it is FOOTBALL.....Gone are the lightsabres and droid armies. It is football day and night here...."Mommy...Do you want me to show you a quarterback sneak?"...... "Mommy.....do you want me to show you how to throw the ball right and we can play catch?"....... "Mommy? Did you know I had a dream last night and I was doing this option play and then....blah blah blah" LOL.....I have to say I know as much about football as I do about Star Wars but it is much more enjoyable to watch. Ty had his first game and scored 2 touchdowns so I dont see this obsession slowing down anytime soon. He is so stinking fast....It makes me laugh to watch the other team try to catch him. I wish he would LOVE a sport that was played indoors or during a prettier time of year but I dont get to choose, do I? Jake is not as crazy about it as Ty is....He will sit and watch an entire game and give me a play by play as "we" watch. Jake is still into Star Wars, screaming when his brother aggravates him...and anything that has to do with candy...I would say that may be his obsession :) Anytime he walks by the Halloween candy he will ask to have some, which ends up being close to 30 times a day. He says he wants to try basketball so I will keep you all updated on that.....Night Night!

Boys!!

2010-10-26T16:25:00.002-05:00

So I am on medicine for this weird hives...itching thing and it is making really crabby. Still dont know what the problem is.....So I pull Ty aside and say "Buddy..I am sorry mommy has been so crabby today." Ty: "Thats ok mommy....to be honest I havent even noticed!" LOL....Mommy to herself... Ugh... You are a boy why would I expect you to know if I am even speaking let alone if I am barking at you all day :) Just another day in my life... Ha ha! Do I even live in the same house as these boys? Oh wait ...someone does feed and pick up after them...I guess I do.

Proof

2010-09-24T14:40:00.007-05:00

The shirt .............

The cake ...........and yes the helmet during the movie!

Pictures to prove my point......Yes my hint worked and I have a camera!!! Love you honey!

A note to Tyler and Jacob Hembree

2010-09-17T16:10:00.002-05:00

Dear Ty and Jake,

I hate to ruin your fun, but I do not share your excitement or your obsession with all things Star Wars. I am a girl...I like the color pink, flowers, painted toenails, bubble baths and reading books in peace and quiet. When you start a sentence with "Do you remember when Darth Vader..." I have stopped listening and have gone to a happy place in my mind. When you ask "Who is Mace Windu?" I do NOT know the answer or care. When you want to play and ask me to be Princess Leia....it will not end well bc the princess likes to sleep in my story. Every cup and plate you use does not have to have Yoda on it...you will live with normal silverware and dinner plates. Lightsabers are not stuffed animals and do not need to sleep in your bed. They are just fine in the toybox and will be there when you wake up. Luke Skywalker is a made up person not a member of our family, so NO, I do not love him. I am excited your vocabulary is expanding but I dont believe you will find Clone Trooper or Rebel Alliance in the dictionary. Just a reminder my birthday is coming up and if my card has Boba Fett I am running away and may not come back all day. I love you both but enough is enough!

Love,
Mommy

P.S. I feel the same way about Phineas and Ferb so don't even think about it!

Hi there!

2010-09-11T17:18:00.002-05:00

So we have been crazy busy and I am not good at keeping up at the moment. I have started homeschooling Ty(occasionaly Jake) and it is going really well....Of course he is only first grade so if I was struggling we would all be in trouble :) I think the thought of homeschooling was much scarier than actually doing it. He is doing great! Such a little smarty pants. The curriculum has alot of language and phonics type stuff and he is flying thru it considering he already reads at a 3rd grade level. But I want to go thru it all so when he comes to words he hasnt memorized he can actually sound them out. lol. We had our first homeschool field trip and the boys had a lot of fun...when I get a camera for my birthday(wink, wink) I will be able to add pictures. I dont know how to get the pictures from my i-phone to the computer without it taking forever so no pics till Oct. We went to the Butterfly festival in Southlake. The kids learned about butterflies and fed them some watermelon on a stick and Ty even had one on his nose by the end of the day. Then we went to Chick-Fil-A and had lunch and let the kids play while I visited with a couple of the other moms.
Texas is FINALLY feeling like home and I am comfortable with the group of girls I have met and am surrounding myself with. They are all so encouraging and sweet and I love being around girls I can be myself around. We also joined a church which helps in the feeling at home. Of course we loved Calvary in St Peters and it will never be exactly the same but we love our pastor, the music and they have alot of options for the kids. We have met a couple people up there that are great and I look forward to getting to know better. I am thankful that God has lead us to Glenview and I look forward to becoming more active with them and watching my children grow in the Lord in this church.
My family was all in town over Labor Day and it was WONDERFUL! I cant remember the last time all of us were all together like that and I havent laughed that much in a long time. I love each and every one so much. I could not be more blessed! The competitions were in full force and we kept the fighting to a minimum...Woo Hoo! I love how we are all so competitve and up for anything. The boys had so much fun with all their cousins and came back exhusted and of course sick from all the fun :)
Tyler starts soccer again this next week and is doing karate too, which he loves! So that, school and his birthday should keep me pretty busy this week but I am going to try and get better about my blogging.....I am such a slacker :) Much love to all who are reading and keep us in your prayers as October gets nearer and Jay has to leave us!

Homeschooling and we belong to a church!!!

2010-08-31T15:50:00.000-05:00

Coming soon!! :)

Jake---You gotta love him!

2010-06-20T14:22:00.002-05:00

Our morning went like this....Daddy: " Jake are you eating out of the trash?" Jake: "Umm...Yeah." 10 minutes later....Jake: "Hondo(our dog) is licking my booty!" Mommy: "Jake are you naked in the kitchen?" Jake: " Umm.....Yeah."
This is our child who is in a cast for a fractured foot with a black eye and mosquito bites all over his face and neck at the moment. He also wished Jay a Happy Mother's day this morning.
So my question is this: If he is this much trouble at 3 yrs old what are his teenage years going to be like and can we all start praying now for Heaven to help his poor mommy and daddy?

P.S. We had a great time in St Louis and I will try to get some pics up soon :)

Happy Father's Day !!

When it rains..... it pours right?

2010-05-20T13:33:00.002-05:00

So it has been forever.....and not b/c I am sitting around here eating bon-bons all day...LOL.....I wish!! We had a great visit with Jen and the kids.....later Gigi (Great Grandma). I started watching a little baby for a friend of ours.....It may be short lived...he is super fussy and taking up my whole day catering to his screaming.....super cute but way way more work than I bargined for. Jay has some foot problems that will eventually need surgery. And now Jake has possibly fractured his foot. Have I cheered you up yet? LOL......Honestly I am tired but my spirits are up and I know I can do all things through Christ right? Right now I would love a job away from my job as mother, wife, housekeeper, babysitter, etc. :) I am looking forward to a visit to St Louis in a couple weeks and Ty coming home for the summer to keep Jake entertained. Oh yeah we went to Sea World recently too and had a great time but I am too busy feeling crabby to tell you a happy story right now....LOL! Just wanted to let you all know that I am alive and keeping my head above water and praying for a peaceful, uneventful day in the near future.......A girl can dream right???

We lost one!!

2010-04-25T23:34:00.003-05:00

Ty lost his first tooth!! Woo hoo! Ok....It has been loose for over 2 months....his big boy tooth came in from behind and was pushing it out of the way....It has been practically falling out of his mouth for the last 2 weeks. Ty is usually pretty afraid of most new things. This was no exception. It took alot of patience on his mommy and daddy's parts to not yank it out about 30 days ago! :) But we let him do it in his own time and pull it himself so hopefully the rest of the baby teeth wont be so dramatic...LOL! He is so happy and is waiting patiently for the $20 his Papa promised him for pulling it himself. Ha ha! WOW!!! Papa is much nicer than the tooth fairy that only left him a $5. Btw...We put him down for bed at 8...still awake until around 930....Woke up at 1030... Came down the stairs and saw us sitting here....showed us the tooth fairy had come...Hmmm.....Didnt see her...She is pretty good! :)

Night Night Buddy.....I am proud of you! My baby is growing up!!!

Eggs, Kites and Bugs...Oh my?

2010-04-14T21:10:00.003-05:00

We have been pretty busy..Here are some pics showing what we have been up to....Yes these are Jake's eggs before his mean mommy broke them all :)

Took the boys to the park and flew kites while Jay was having a drill weekend....Jake cried the second his went into the air...He hated it.....thought he was going to lose his kite....Good times! The bugs are a project Ty had for school....Jake thinks he has to do everything his brother does so he made the green one....He also insisted on bringing it in to Mrs. Riley.....she said he did a great job and if he was in Kindergarden he would have gotten a A from her.....2 years till he starts school.....Yikes he may be bored like his brother!!

Thursday April 8, 2010

2010-04-08T13:07:00.002-05:00

Slowing down on the blog...sorry! We had a great Easter and weekend. Jake never once asked about his eggs or where they went. Praise Jesus for even the small victories :) I have had a couple ups and downs the last week as far as my mood goes. One day optimistic and the next feeling sorry for myself so it has been hard to keep up with my thanks on the blog. Today is a new day though and a good one at that....even the wind and cold is not going to ruin my mood..LOL! I had walking group today which always lifts my spirits. I LOVE being around other Christian wives and mothers it is so encouraging to know you are not alone, isn't it? Speaking of that....please pray for us and deciding if we are going to keep Ty in public school....My heart is just so uneasy about it and I could really use one of those special moments where you know God is giving you a direction to go and a peace in your heart. We are not having any major problems with him yet....I just want to keep his little heart innocent and keep him as safe and happy as I can. The world isnt the same as it once was and kids are growing up WAY too fast. Because we dont have family or a church family around, I want to make sure that we give both boys a strong foundation to go into this crazy world. Anyways enough about that. Jay has drill this weekend..Yuck! But what I am thankful for was last weekend we got to spend with him and we had alot of fun together. We tried a new church...it was alright. We went to the base for haircuts. We kinda wondered aroud town for awhile and saw a park and decided to stop and walk around a little. 3 miles later and we were all beat but good times and good memories. We only had to bribe them in the last 1/2 mile with ice cream to finish :)
Ok so besides the weekend....I am thankful for Jay......even though there are days here when I feel really alone and sad....He is there and I am so thankful that we are in this together and I am NOT alone! He is always quick to give me a break or whatever I need and I would be lost without him!!! He is such a hard worker. I will never have to worry about us needing anything b/c he would do whatever it takes to take care of us! (Even if that means taking an extra job, working longer hours, whatever) I love that about him! He is calm and caring when we need him to be but strong and determined on giving us the best life possible. God gave me the husband I wanted but didnt deserve.

Mother of the Year Moment

2010-04-03T08:24:00.003-05:00

So I spent all day sleeping...taking a bubble bath.....getting a pedicure....shopping....basically being selfish :)

I decided my kids needed a little attention so we colored our Easter eggs. It went well,minus the mess, until the end. Jake wanted a wrap thing around an egg....well the egg was too big but I kept cramming it in there until it smashed in my hand. (Insert meltdown from Jake) Mommy broke his egg!! Tears.....crumpled in the chair....Ok ...bed time boys! Mommy:"Jake what do you want to have good dreams about? Jake:"My eggs but not the one you broke!" (Insert really sad and broken hearted face) Mommy:"Alright angel, sorry mommy did that...goodnight!" So I went down stairs to clean up the mess and put the eggs away. Well while I was doing this I was also messing with my phone ....so egg tray in one hand...Words with Friends in the other....You know what happened right? Egg tray smashed to the bottom of the fridge.....Mommy:"Oh please God don't let it be...." Yep it was every single one of Jake's eggs!!! Not one survived....Ugh!!!

Can't wait till he asks to see his eggs this morning :)

March 29, 2010

2010-03-29T08:09:00.002-05:00

I'm back! A week of company and a weekend off :) We had a great time with Jack and Mary....They are such easy guests and fun to be around....We had lots of good food and good times.....It is so neat to see them with the boys. Ty and Jake miss them so much and I think Jake put a pretty good guilt trip on Mary to get her to move here so fingers crossed...LOL :)
This weekend was great! We got tons done around the house and had fun having Jay all to ourselves. The weather was perfect!! We also had lots of fun playing Super Mario on the Wii...Actually it is pretty hard so Jay and I had more fun than Ty.....We got to be sneaky parents and play once the kids went to bed. I have absolutly nothing to complain about! The weather has alot to do with my sunny mood...Isnt it sad had a little sun can totally change your mood? Oh yeah and my baby was born this week!!! Woo Hoo! LOL....Ok not my baby, but the baby I am going to watch this summer and he is adorable!! I look forward to having a tiny little guy around again...My boys are getting so big, so fast!! Stay tuned for pictures of the little guy....He will be coming around May 10th if his mommy can part from his sweet little face. So to sum it up I am thankful for the following: Family, Weather, Jay had the weekend off, and Baby Joe! :)

March 19, 2010

2010-03-19T17:56:00.002-05:00

I am thankful this week is coming to a close :) I had a great week but I am wiped out!!!
We went for a walking with my walking group girls....I thank God for them. The 2 that went today with me are super sweet girls who I hope to continue to spend time with. Good Christian moms who I can talk to and learn alot from. Their kids are darling also and I love being around kids who I see are being raised like I want to raise my boys.
Anyways I am also thankful the Aggies are playing and the boys are watching movies so I can relax! We have family coming in tomorrow so I will be rushing around to clean and stock the house and undo the damage 3 kids and a mom on the go have made all week! The boys are very excited to see them (Jay and I too)!
Till next week! :)

March 17, 2010

2010-03-18T09:17:00.002-05:00

I am a little late but yesterday was the best day!!!

It was just me and the little guys and we went to the Ft Worth Museum and had a blast. It was super packed with everyone being out for Spring Break but the boys had a good time....I will say it again....It is so nice to have Ty home! We played for about 4 hours.....went to Dairy Queen and I bought them Light Sabres from Star Wars(Their new fave. thing..they live and breathe Star Wars right now)

They are at the age now where I am seeing less little boys and more big boy stuff. Dont want to change in front of me, dont want my help for showers, less cartoons, more friends and playing outside. Everything is bad guys vs. good guys LOL! Part of this makes me sad but it is also more fun than I thought it would be. Last night when I put them to bed they wanted to have good dreams about the fun we had together. It is nice to know that even though they dont want me around, as much, they still like hanging with mom sometimes :) Only thing missing from our day was Jay!

My fave. pictures of the day...The boys sitting in a dino footprint and searching for dino bones.

March 16, 2010

2010-03-16T18:01:00.002-05:00

Yummy homemade potato soup on a cold rainy day! Need I say more? :)

My kids sitting at the table eating and playing...enjoying each others company. I love how close they have become since we moved here....They are best friends and play so well together.

Thinking about this makes me think about Jenny.....She is and always has been my best friend! How lucky I am that we have always been close!! She knows me better than anyone and I am blessed to have her. She is so kind and patient and caring. You could not ask for anything more :) I love everything about her. She is also super protective of those she loves and isnt afraid to speak her mind when she feels like they are being treated unfairly. Seeing her aggravated at someone makes me smile....I know it shouldn't but she is just so darn cute! She is a great daughter, sister, wife and mother....I wouldn't mind being her one day when I grow up :)

Tomorrow it is just me and the boys. I can't wait to spend the day with them again. I love having Ty back with us for awhile!

March 15, 2010

2010-03-15T18:32:00.003-05:00

I am taking the weekends off! LOL!

The boys and I had a great weekend.....We went to the base and walked around and played outside, church, etc.! Good weekend!

Today I am thankful for these smiles! I got to take the kids to a bouncy house, McDonalds and the park. I kept them busy all day and wore them and myself out : )

I am also thankful that Jay is resting as he is not feeling well and I still have enough energy to keep going with the boys until bedtime!

March 12, 2010

2010-03-12T18:30:00.002-06:00

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

God keeps bringing this verse to my mind and I keep finding it written in random places. Today it was in a blog I read. It is called Moms in Need of Mercy. She wrote about how God's love and mercy can be found everyday if we are willing to look for it. Kind of a jolt of joy to carry you through the rest of the day when the sunshine fades and the clouds start to roll in.
Today was not a great day for me. I was thinking what can I find to be thankful about today? I started this mission and day 3 and all I can think to say is "Yeah guys I got nothing!" :)
I have kind of felt like an outsider everwhere I went the last 2 days and have been fighting feelings of lonliness....but when Ty got home he reminded me "Tonight is movie and pizza night right?"
God has been faithful and given me the husband and children of my dreams...There is nothing better than spending the night with them and forgetting the rest of the world! And God's mercies are new every morning. I can forget how I feel today and start new tomorrow and focus on my "boys" and on the great things God has in store for the 4 of us!

Thursday March 11

2010-03-11T16:07:00.003-06:00

Ok here goes :)

I am thankful for:

1. An unexpected chat with a girlfriend......I am so thankful God brought Craig and Amy into our lives and I am so greatful that she is so easy to talk to and had some "words from God" that my heart needed to hear and it was a true joy to spend some time with her. I had a list of what seemed like 100 things to do and instead spent most of the morning reconnnecting with her and it was just what I needed!

2. I am so blessed that I am able to stay at home with my boys!!! It seems like all I do is talk to children all day, but it is a BLESSING and not all mom's get that chance!! I was able to go up to Tyler's school today and see him playing at recess and Jake got to play too. Tonight we have an open house and we get to see all the cool stuff he has been learning and making for us.

3. One more future thing to be thankful for......Jay and I have a "date night" tonight to watch the Office :) LOL......I know.....sometimes it is the little things but I am really looking forward to it just being him and I and a TV show we BOTH actually enjoy! :)

Thanks Michelle and Amber for the encouragement.....Keep Me Accountable!!
Amber....I have nagged you enough about your blog so I am sure I deserve a little nagging back ....P.S. I am praying for you!

My thoughts

2010-03-10T12:56:00.003-06:00

Ok..... I dont know if anyone even reads this anymore :) It has been so long since I have updated!!!
Texas has been hard for me....I've been mad, upset, unhappy and most of all I feel like I have lost a year and a half of my life feeling sorry for myself! Today I want to take my life back and let go of what I think I need and begin following the path the God has put us on. My boys are happy.....love school and life in general...My husband is content with his job and he is finally getting the appreciation he deserves! It is time for me to remember what it is like to be joyfully following the Lord. No one can make me happy unless I choose to be happy....I have told Jay many times..."Choose Joy!" It is time I follow my own advice...LOL!
So if anyone is still reading this...Keep me accountable :)
What I would like to start doing is using this blog to record the things that I am thankful for.....I am out a camera right now...Long story...But I will try to add a picture of the ones I love every now and then.

Today I am thankful for:

Jake: I was walking by him as he was watching a cartoon before his nap...I dont know why but I stopped and walked over and gave him a hug. I assumed he would push me out of the way...LOL but he said "I am so glad I am here with you Mommy!" One of those moments where you realize what you are doing is worth everything and it brought a tear to my eye.

Ty: He woke up early so I got some snuggle time in before he went to school!

Jay: I actually was up early enough to talk to him and spend some time with him before work....He has been so busy lately and I have been sick so I have hardly got to see him. He gave me the night off last night and let me get some sleep. I am thankful that he noticed what I was needing and went out of his way to make sure I was taken care of.

WOW

2010-02-09T08:48:00.003-06:00

Has it really been since Nov? It seems like the last few months have flown by and I have forgotten all about this blog......Well Thanksgiving in St Louis was hectic but great and Christmas and visits from family made Christmas a blast as well. Ty has started basketball. He scored in his very first game..WOO HOO! I still think he prefers soccer but he is really learning alot and toughening up...which he needs....He really enjoys daddy being his coach and Jay is doing a great job with alot of kids who started the yr with no clue how to play basketball. Jake is doing great...Learning his letters and how to write them....I am so proud he has taken an interest in this....I expected alot more fuss about learning from him but he is loving it! He has been great hanging out here with me and helping out in Ty's class. He is like one of the students up there and all the kids in Ty's class treat him like he is their own brother...trying to carry him, etc :) It finally seems to be settling down around here so I hope to blog more. Jake is sick right now and miserable, which makes me miserable...That combined with no sleep for all of us is making for a crabby house but I hope he is on the end of this virus or whatever he has got. I will add a couple pictures from the last couple months to catch you up :)

Soccer

2009-11-15T16:28:00.002-06:00

We finished up Ty's soccer season this weekend with a tournament and a party! The kids did great and we are so proud of them...They got 2nd place and more than half of the team had never played before. We could not have had a better coach...he was so patient and made practices and games a blast for all the kids. I think we could have won if the kids werent so tired from 3 games in one day! Ty is very excited about his 1st trophy! We hope to keep in touch with Coach Geoff and some of the other players for next year. When we got to the party today it started pouring rain so you will see cold kids and dark skies but we made it work and the kids had a dance party...Lots of fun!

P.S. 5 more days till St Louis!

Mrs. Riley

2009-11-03T20:02:00.002-06:00

I have to say at the beginning of the year I wasn't sure about Ty's teacher. She seemed a little cold and not as motherly as the other kindergarten teachers, but honestly she is GREAT!! Ty is so blessed to have her for a teacher. I got to visit class today for the 50th day of school. All the kindergarten had 50's day...they dressed up like 1950's and Mrs. Riley did lots of fun stuff for the kids. We made coke floats, she had a hula hoop contest, a bubble gum blowing contest and even did a twist dance off :) I took a couple pictures of the dancing. You will not see Tyler and his friend Braeden as they were too cool for the twist but everyone else had a blast! So I have learned that God answered my prayers and gave him the perfect teacher to meet his needs and he loves her dearly. He writes I love Mrs. Riley on the back of his papers...HA HA...little kiss-up! He got another blue today...which is above and beyond on his behavior in class. His only complaint about school is that it starts too early :)

Pumpkin Patch 3

2009-10-12T15:14:00.002-05:00

Pumpkin Patch 2

2009-10-12T15:05:00.002-05:00

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-12T14:58:00.002-05:00

Super Heros on the Loose

2009-10-12T14:29:00.003-05:00

Beware of these Super Heros!!!! They are dangerous and they shoot missiles at their own mother.

Ty=Soccer

2009-10-12T14:20:00.004-05:00

So Ty has had 2 soccer games and 2 rain outs...His first game they lost 5-4, If I am remembering correctly..and the 2nd game they won 4-2 and Ty scored 2 GOALS!!! Woo Hoo! He was so excited and happy to show off for Nonnie and Papa Baker.

Ty's B-day

2009-09-20T18:06:00.002-05:00

So my baby is now 6 YEARS OLD!!! WOW! Time flies doesn't it? He had a great day at school. They announced his name over morning announcements. He got to go to the office for a birthday eraser(Big stuff for a kid! ..lol!) Mommy and Jake came up and had lunch with him. He brought cupcakes for snack and his teacher gave him a card and birthday pencil...Exciting stuff! Well for a kid anyways. Oh and the most important thing.....He got a birthday crown which he wore all day and part of the next day! :) The big excitement of the birtday celebration was on Sat....All day with Daddy and his first Texas A&M football game!!! Ty is truly a joy and we love him so much!!

Happy Birthday Tigger!

Shh....

2009-09-08T11:17:00.002-05:00

What is that I hear? NOTHING....That's right I am in an empty house. It feels so weird! As I dropped off Jake for his first day of school and walked to the car, I had a weird feeling like I was forgetting something. Ha! I never go anywhere, do anything, without a child tagging along side of me. Even walking into another room I have a dog or 2 following. It is nice and sad all at the same time. Jake was not overly thrilled with the idea of school or me leaving but he didn't cry so that was good. Now what do I do? I should be naping but instead I am posting pictures, blogging, ran a form to Ty's school, went to the store to order cupcakes for Ty's birthday at school, filled out forms for a doctors appt, called the insurance company, got a nap mat ordered for Jake, etc. LOL...As you can see I am going to have to get the hang of this being alone and relaxing thing!!

Kindergarten

2009-08-24T09:36:00.002-05:00

So Ty is off in the big world now and I have to let go and trust that God will take care of my baby! This is a hard transition for every mom but I am trying to trust in a FAITHFUL God that He knows the plans He has for Ty and I need to step back and watch Him work. Tyler has been very excited for school to start (Until last night, ha ha!) so that has helped. The kindergarten teachers sent home a special packet of "Ready Confetti" for each of the kindergarteners. It has a sweet little poem about putting this confetti under your pillow the night before school and it will help you be rested and ready for your first day of school, etc..Really cute! So Ty usually loves this kind of stuff..so we put it under his pillow before bed. About an hour and 15 minutes later I hear him banging around upstairs. I go up to check and he is mad and throwing his confetti away. I ask what the problem is and I can tell he is on the verge of tears. He says " This stuff is stupid and I am not rested or ready for kindergarten!" I can tell it is more than that so I probe further......He says he is afraid and nervous and doesn't want to go to school and meet new friends. We talked for awhile and I let him cry. (Luckily I was able to hold my crying for later!) And he finally fell asleep 2 hours after I wanted him to : ) So I was feeling terrible and trying to think of a way to get us out of this kindergarten mess. Ha ha! Is it too late to home school? I miss my baby already!!!! We took him in this morning and as you can see he smiled for his pictures and perked up a little from last night...Tough little guy. When it was time for us to leave I could tell he was trying to be strong but he put his head down, I am not sure but he may have cried a little. I know in my heart he is fine though..he is smart and friendly and helpful and who could not love this kid!!! As for the home schooling...If this doesn't get easier I am looking into this quickly...ha ha!

Big changes for a big boy!

2009-08-18T07:52:00.002-05:00

So this next week is a big week in the Hembree household.....Ty starts school! To be honest, I thought I was going to be really sad. But Ty is so excited it is hard to be anything but excited for him! We meet his new teacher in 2 days and then he starts school on Monday. Another big thing is Ty starting soccer. He really wanted to do football but he is too young, BUMMER :) So we got his shin guards and ball and it should start in a couple weeks. I woke up at 7am this morning to a strange, velcro type noise. See pictures....I guess he is pretty excited about soccer too..LOL...Oh to be 5 again! Nice touch leaving the jammies on buddy!

Catching Up

2009-08-11T11:01:00.004-05:00

Six Flags for Jake's b-day

Incredible Pizza for Jake's b-day

Zoo with Nonnie and Papa

Outside last night eating Spiderman treats from the Ice Cream Man

So I have a couple cute pictures to catch you up on what we have been up to....Less than 2 weeks till Ty starts kindergarten and a month till Jake starts Moms Day Out. (My babies are getting BIG!) Jay just left for Tucson, AZ for the night to fix a plane and then he will be back. We are taking advantage of any water we can find while the pools are still open and before things get crazy with schools and sports stuff this fall. We miss our family still but are beginning to settle in and meet some friends. Keep praying in that area for us...it has been slow going! Can't think of anything funny that has happened...I will keep you updated though!

VBS...the nightmare I have sent my children to..LOL

2009-07-22T14:26:00.002-05:00

Well the title pretty much says it all. I signed the boys up for VBS with all these great ideas of them making friends and loving Jesus and singing songs for several hours a day (ok and mommy getting a little time on her own).

Day 1: Dropping boys off to the gym of screaming, dancing, singing children. Jake will not leave my side so I sit for awhile with him. Everytime I get up to leave he follows crying his head off. Put him back repeat...you get the picture. So the sweet teacher says "Go ahead and go honey I'll hold him for you." Ok I quickly and happily walk to the exit door. Turn to check and Jake is now in full-out panic screamming and kicking and hitting the sweet teacher. She is holding on to him for dear life while he physically assults her. I watch this for what seems like an hour (2-3 minutes) She puts him down (probably checking for bruising and bleeding) and he bolts for the door, where I stop him. I put him back....sit for awhile longer with him, realizing my dream of a completely silent morning is quickly vanishing. I look in Ty's direction and see 3 teachers all huddled around him ("Oh no is he hurt?") Ah... no, he is crying his head off now for no apparent reason. He wants to go home and hates it here. It is too loud and none of his friends (St Louis friends, that is) are here. So I talk to (threaten) both of them off to the side about how this is supposed to be fun and to get back to their classes. Ty decides he will give it a chance once they leave the noisy gym and start making crafts and having snacks. I take Jake to his room and he throws himself on the ground and kicks and screams. Ok...I have had all I can take out of him so I kiss Ty goodbye and put Jake in the car to go home.

Day2: Jake has been threatened if he beats his teacher he will get a beating from daddy so off we go for some more fun and learning about Jesus. Ha ha! Ty goes off to his class and sits on the ground ignoring all of the songs and dancing going on around him but he isn't crying so I will take it. Jake sits down with me in the vacinity of his class and has a death grip on my hand. I remind him lovingly how he will be getting a spanking if he throws a fit or hits his teacher. I get up to leave and he stands up and starts with the tears again. No screaming and assulting, just a broken hearted why are you doing this to me again cry so I'll take that too...Off mommy goes for her first morning of silence. I go home feeling guilty...why again am I doing this to them and why are we not in St. Louis? It was a long three hours spent sad and worrying...not what I had envisioned at all. So I go to pick them up and Ty is looking sad, I ask him how his day went and if he had any fun today. Ty: "No not at all and that boy over there is so mean, I don't like him at all." Oh great so you are learning to hate at VBS? LOL. So come to find out this boy told Ty he has big ears and looks like a monkey. Nice huh? I was hoping this bullying wasn't going to come for a few more years and especially not at a church thing. Well, what can you do huh? Now I am feeling extra guilty and convinced I am not sending my children back to this horrible place, it is making all of us miserable. Jay and I talk to Ty about it and Jay thinks we shouldn't run away from it (bullying is going to happen to all kids at some point and we can't protect him forever). He is right, even though the mama bear in me wants to find the kid and tell him what I think he looks like..lol!

Day 3: Ty has ready to give VBS one more try and if it doesn't go better we will talk about skipping the rest of the week. I prayed for him and Jake all morning and when we got there. Ty ran over to his class and began dancing with our neighbor friend Kaden. I talked to his teacher and told her what happened and just asked if she could look out for him. She said she had another complaint about the same kid so she already had her eye on him today. I decided that I would stay with Jake until the music was over and they were going to the classroom. I walked him to the class and he ran off with the teacher to help start the Veggie Tales movie....HELLO! No kiss goodbye, no see ya later...just gone...I look around...Can it really be? No tears? I am free? Why am I still standing here? RUN NOW!

So that is my week so far.
Lesson? God answers prayers and my kids will survive without me for 3 hours.

A blog??? Oh yeah I have one of those!

2009-07-11T16:24:00.004-05:00

The boys at Sea World!!

Fourth of July Party

Jake's 3rd Birthday

Jake's New Police Costume

Ok I have gotten as bad as Amber with my blog. Jay got home...back to back guests and here we are in July already! So today I took Ty shopping for some school clothes...sigh..he is getting so big! He looks like a little man in his new clothes and I hope I make it through the first couple days of kindergarten without crying. We started a new care group and it seems like it will be a good fit for us all. Ty already has a little girl who he gets along with great. 2 of the men are Aggies and one is a pilot..so Jay is getting along great too! Ha ha! Jake is turning 3 in a few days but we had his party early while Uncle Adam and Aunt Jenny were in town. We had a great visit with them and are already wishing they could come back!! Jake keeps asking me every day if he is still 3 years old. I dont know if he is happy about it or not, but we will probably go to Six Flags with him on Monday so that should be fun...Jay took the day off from work. After that I will be doing some more back to school shopping..they say things sell out if you wait till August so I am getting on it early this year. Then the boys have VBS the following week and then Mom and Dad come in town. I will try to update pictures when I can....The boys are getting so big!

Hondo

2009-06-01T12:55:00.002-05:00

Hondo is taking over!!! As you can see she is getting very comfy and fitting in well! The boys are having a good time with her and Pebbles is tolerating her. Now if we can just get her potty trained I will like her more. We had a great time in Rockwall visiting Justin, Angie and the boys. Ty and Jake are still recovering from all the excitement and fun. They got to go to a coupe of Nate's ballgames and ride Jet Skiis at Uncle Roger and Aunt Pam's. Jake was a daredevil going 40 mph while Ty kept daddy under 20 most of the time. We are so glad Jay is home and able to spend a couple weeks at home. Now if he can just get his puppy under control!

Summer time!!

2009-05-19T17:25:00.002-05:00

It is BEAUTIFUL outside...Jay is out of Iraq and on his way back to us! Things could not be better....I thank God he is safe and the boys and I made it thru...(with alot of help from family and friends!) Here are a couple pictures from today. Please ignore the underware and pretend we are not ghetto enough to swim outside in them...LOL....Ty doesnt have any swimming trunks that fit. Maybe mommy needs to make a trip to the store before the neighborhood pool opens on Sat. I dont think the neighbors will appreciate a half naked kid in the pool!!! Thank you all for your prayers and extra love!!!

Hmmm!

2009-05-13T09:53:00.002-05:00

This picture shows you what happens when a mommy sends her boys outside to play with bubbles. Not exactly what I had in mind but they are cute, aren't they?

Fishing

2009-04-29T13:48:00.003-05:00

The boys and Brandon had a great time fishing with Papa on Sunday. They caught lots of bluegill but missed any bass this time. Ty really enjoyed it and helped his Nonnie reel one in that was too strong for her. LOL. The highlight for Jake was after the fishing, when he got to throw the rocks in the water...he waited patiently for all the fishing nonsense to be over for the real fun! He has already asked to go again. He also enjoyed playing with a stick in all the moss and mud. Cousin Brandon went too and his favorite part was finding and holding the worms. Ha ha!

Jay has about 3 weeks left and his definatly ready to come home. He has been emailing Tyler everyday, which Ty really enjoys. We have lots of fun coming up before we go home next weekend....birthday party for the girls and 2 t-ball games! We also need to hit the zoo before we leave.

Finally a nice day in St Louis!!!

2009-04-22T14:05:00.002-05:00

Ok so the weather here has pretty much stunk until today so the boys took advantage with a little fun outside! We miss daddy!!!

Ready for family!!

2009-04-01T22:28:00.002-05:00

We are excited to see our family and friends in a couple days...I took a couple pictures of the boys for daddy so I thought I would share them. He cant call for a couple days but is hoping we can keep emailing. He sent Ty an email, which he read all of. He is impressing us everyday with all the words he can read! St. Louis in 3 days!!!!!

Prayers!!

2009-03-26T10:27:00.002-05:00

Ok I dont really have much to say but I thought I would ask all of you to please pray for Jay and all the guys going over to Iraq in the next couple of days. Safety on the trip over and back, while they are there, keeping their spirits up, etc. Also Jake has been acting out alot lately...Jay has been working alot and I think that has alot to do with it. So pray that I stay strong, am patient with him and the boys adjust well to the change in routine and have lots of fun in St Louis. I will try to get some pictures up of Kevin's birthday party we are going to this weekend. It is a 4 wheeler birthday and Ty is very excited to see his cousins and spend some time outside!

2009-03-09T20:39:00.002-05:00

So this is how our week is stacking up:
Tuesday: Playdate at the park
Wednesday: Blood work for Ty
Thursday: X-Ray on Ty's hand
Friday: Shopping
Sat: Birthday party for friend in Rockwall
Sun: Try out yet another church.

We finally took Ty to his 5 year check up and he got 4 shots(Wonderful) and the doctor wants to run a couple tests on him to check on his small size and make sure there is nothing wrong. I dont expect it to be much of anything and it will put my mind at ease. The thought of having to do this to him is making me sad, so I will pass him over to daddy for the blood work beacuse I am a softy and I think me crying along with him is probbaly not going to help the situation : ) I will let you all know how it goes.
He is very excited about Austin's bowling birthday party on Sat. He said he hopes he bowls 100 this time so I pray at least that will go well for him this week. LOL!
Jake has been taking his naps in his Thomas tent this week and that seems to be going well and making nap time go alot smoother. Hey a moms gotta do what a moms gotta do, right?
Jay has been working non-stop so we havent seen much of him. I guess it is helping us adjust to not being with him in the next couple months but we really miss having him around already!

More Disney

2009-03-03T08:17:00.004-06:00

Disney!!!

2009-03-03T08:00:00.003-06:00

So we had a great time at Disney! Mom and Dad are very exhusted but the kids are rested and happy from our trip.

Highlights:

-Ty and Jake reaching out to touch everything in the 3-D shows.

-Ty driving the car at the race track.

-Jake attacking then hugging every character....burying his face in their costume till we made him stop for pictures. The boys knocking over Tigger and Eeyore.

-Ty feeding 4 ducks popcorn and laughing while waiting for the bus. Sharing his popcorn with some other kids so they could do it too.

-Lots of great food......Jay at the Italian place eating steak.

-Buzz Lightyear and Nemo rides over and over and over.

-Ty talking to everyone he met and telling them he was at Disney and it was so fun! LOL

-Chip and Dale playing with the boys and Ty and Tigger bouncing.

-Ty on his 1st boat ride wearing his Mickey Ears.

-Jake falling asleep before almost every meal.

Surprise Surprise!

2009-02-20T16:08:00.002-06:00

So today I decided to skip the fight and let Jake stay up from his nap so I could put him to bed early... I went in my room to check on him, he was playing with his cars......Ugh! Kids!!!!

Bad Blogger

2009-02-19T08:59:00.002-06:00

So I haven't been very good at keeping up with this blog. Jakers is keeping me busy with his naughtiness (Is that a word?) this last week. We are leaving for Disney in 2 days so I should have some pictures and fun stories when I get back. Maybe a week at Disney will wear my little guy out and get him back to taking his naps and keeping his clothes and diaper on!

My little Girl

2009-02-11T14:51:00.006-06:00

Ha ha! I wish!! We had so much fun seeing Jenny, Brandon and Ashley. We got to visit family in Heath, go to the zoo and just watch the boys play together. Brandon is growing up so fast and he is a little sweetheart. Ashley is adorable and I love that she is starting to smile. Now that they have gone the days are going by very slowly. Laundry, dishes, baths for the boys...Ugh! I can't wait for Disney next week! Jay is working alot to make up for being gone to Florida so the boys and I are spending alot of time in our jammies doing housework and playing. Here are some pictures from the visit with the Reale family(minus Adam).

Oh Brother!!

2009-02-03T17:46:00.004-06:00

Mommy: "Ty what do you want for dinner tonight?"

Ty: "I guess nothing."

Mommy: "Aren't you hungry?"

Ty: "No I guess I am just not feeling like myself today. I didn't have a very good night sleep."

The picture is how to show you all how he is feeling!

EASY DRAMA KING!!!

Jake is also not feeling like himself today. He woke up from his nap and threw a huge fit when he was not given a THIRD fruit roll-up. I asked him if he needed another nap. He said he did and went upstairs and cried in his bed for about 30 minutes.

Mommy is feeling tired and crabby from these boys!

END OF UPDATE ON OUR FEELINGS FOR THE EVENING!

My new FAVORITE thing!!

2009-01-30T20:51:00.002-06:00

I don't know why it is but I feel like I can only blog when I have pictures to share. But here I go...on my own tonight! Ty was sick the last 2 nights but is back to 100% today just in time for Nonnie and Papa to come visit. While he was sick we had alot of laying around on the couch and I introduced the boys to Tom and Jerry. I wish I could record their laughter! You would think it was the funniest thing they had ever seen in their whole little lives. Neither of them sits still...I have to constantly remind them to move away from the TV and I swear they act like they are going to pee in their pants. Tears are rolling down Ty's eyes as we speak. So watching them watch Tom and Jerry is my new favorite thing!

We are back!

2009-01-21T13:50:00.003-06:00

We have been pretty busy lately and I havent gotten around to the blog. Ty is still playing video games non-stop.(Well.... until mommy makes him stop!) I have inserted a picture and his score for bowling showing him beating daddy : ) Jake is pretty much Cars crazy and carrying every car from the movie wherever he goes. Jake is behaving much better and really talking and cracking us up. He had a bad dream the other night and said "The rumor weed was spanking me in the butt mommy!!" He was really upset and so I let him sleep with us. Jay started working nights last night and Jake came in looking for him around 10pm. He also asked if their were any rumor weeds in the house and I told him mommy doesnt let weeds in the house. He asked if I would please let Larry Boy in to save him. I said "Sure Buddy...COME ON IN LARRY BOY!" He laughed at me and told me "Mommy.... he don't got no arms you gotta open the door!" Too funny. He is the sweetest thing when he wants to be and I think he is just making up for the weeks prior when he was a little monster. We are excited for the next couple of weeks and seeing Nonnie and Papa, Jen, Brandon and Ashley! We got our Disney stuff in the mail today!!!!

My Littlest Angel

2009-01-08T19:54:00.002-06:00

Ok......... Jake is moving from being my sweet angel to my worst nightmare. Ha ha! Not really, but he could use a visit from Supernanny or a daily spanking. He walks around pretend shooting me all day and telling me he is a "bad guy". Yesterday he was mad at me b/c I dared to tell him it was nap time. So he started yelling "YOU ARE A STINKY MOMMY AND I SHOOT YOU WITH MY LASERS" followed by karate kicks in my direction.

Any suggestions on how to get a 2 year old to be sweet and love his mommy again would be greatly appreciated!

I have included a picture of his "muscles" that he uses to scare me away!

What is going on here??

2009-01-06T11:33:00.004-06:00

Yes I let the boys pick out their own clothes today...notice the fancy socks!

The weather here is crazy! This is a picture of 2 days ago...yesterday Jay came home early from work because of freezing rain and tomarrow is supposed to be back in the 70's. The weekend is going to be freezing again. Follwed by nice weather. WEIRD!

On another note, my reality shows are all starting back which I am very excited about since Jay will be gone so often. You know I really need to get out more and start making friends when I look forward to the Bachelor all day long! : )

We have another addition to the Hembree household it's name is WII and it's taking over the house and consuming our evenings. Please pray for our sore arms and that daddy will let us beat him at anything. We are very proud of Ty and his bowling scores and hope that in the future he will make us lots of money (Fingers crossed!)

It's Over and lots more fun to come!!

2008-12-30T14:13:00.002-06:00

So Christmas is over...the boys had a blast and got all they wanted and much much more!! They are playing with toys all day long and really playing together well. That leaves lots more time for mommy to get things done..although right now I am glaring at the pretty Christmas tree and the trouble it is going to take to put it all away. We had a play date at the park with some new friends and the boys are slowly adjusting to life away from family and friends. We found a church we really liked this weekend and will try it again on Sunday...even the boys liked it! In other news...Jays mom and dad are in town and we are having a good time with them and seeing the boys light up when they wake up and see Nonnie and Papa are still here. Jay, Jack and Ty have a football game to go to tomarrow so that should be fun. Jay goes out of town for 4 days in January, My parents come in a couple weeks and then Jenny, Brandon and Ashley(yippee)! After that we will be getting ready for our trip to Disney!!!!! We are so excited and I am already trying to plan fun things to do while we are there. Dinner with Tigger and Pooh...Breakfast with Donald and Goofy...etc. After that we will be missing daddy like crazy while he is overseas...but I am going to keep Ty busy with spring soccer with his new friends Cayden and Taylor and a trip to St. Louis....(deep breath) That is all we have planned right now but that should get us to the end of May. Here are a couple pictures of the boys at Christmas!~Andi

Yikes!!

2008-12-19T10:37:00.003-06:00

Ok how many more days till Christmas?? Seems like I have

nothing ready. No presents wrapped, no cookies made, stocking stuffers to buy. Oh yeah and Ty just reminded me that I have to make a birthday cake for Jesus! We have alot of fun stuff coming up. Kevin is spending the night with us tonight, in the morning we have a cookie decorating party to go to at Christopher's house(Ty's neighborhood friend), then we have family coming over for dinner and the Cowboys game! I love this time of year but it seems like I havent gotten the chance to really sit back and enjoy it yet. I miss my mom, dad, Jenny, Adam, Brandon and Ashley! How am I going to feel like it is Christmas without my favorite people in the whole world? Oh and last year Jake threw up all over us at Christmas Eve service...ok I wont miss that!

To all my family and friends....... Merry Christmas...we love you and miss you all! I didnt get a chance to send out Christmas Cards (maybe next year)!

Zoo Trip and other reasons why we love Daddy!!

2008-12-16T13:34:00.002-06:00

Sat. we woke up and daddy had the great idea of going to the zoo. It was a great day and the boys had a blast!! Ty loved the alligators and Jake loved the monkeys. The gorillas were gathering hay and making pillows to sleep on....too cool! The animals were all really close to us and I think this was the best zoo I have been to. I cant wait till the weather cooperates so we can go back again soon. On another note....Daddy has now covered the SCARY smoke detector so mommy can get a decent night sleep. Yesterday(Monday) Jay took the day off and we went to Rockwall so Aunt Angie and Randi could babysit while Jay and I got to go see a movie and go Christmas shopping. Ty stayed to spend a couple nights with his "best friend" Kevin. So Jake and mommy are spending some quality time at home today......I forgot how easy 1 kid is!!!!! He is helping clean up and do some laundry. He is a little like a lost puppy without Tyler though...he keeps walking around going.."Where is Ty mommy? I want Tyler home now! Lets get him mommy."

One question for you all.....Why are smoke detectors and birds scary and alligators aren't?

Not Bragging

2008-12-12T14:27:00.003-06:00

Ok my mom told me not to brag so I will just remind all of you that today is DECEMBER 12 and this is what we did today!

Family Fun Night Part 2

2008-12-12T11:10:00.002-06:00

Outside Santa's tent, we didnt tell them to hold hands...too cute!

As you can tell Jake loves riding the merry go round!

Dragon spinning ride

Family Fun Night Part 2

2008-12-12T11:04:00.002-06:00

So last night we took the boys to a drive thru Christmas lights place. It was alot of fun and in the middle of the lights the boys got to get out and ride a couple rides and get their picture with Santa. Other than the traffic on the way to get there....we all had a great time!

Family Fun Night Part 1

2008-12-08T13:08:00.003-06:00

So this week we have a couple fun family things planned. Last night we took the boys bowling. They had alot of fun! Jake beat Ty but he had a little help from mommy and daddy pushing the ball. Then we had pizza, played video games and watched the Cowboys.

Jake: "Mommy these shoes is CRAZY!"

Sleepless Nights and Funny Things

2008-12-05T13:29:00.003-06:00

Ok....Who would have thought a little fun game (mixed with a little fire safety lesson) would cause so much trouble?

The picture above is the cause for many sleepless nights in the Hembree household. It seems now Tyler is afraid our new home will burst into flames at any moment due to all the smoke detectors in the house. He stays awake staring at the stupid thing waiting for it to sound us all to attention!

He asked me what it was, what is it for, what sounds does it make....a million and one questions about it and then wanted to pretend it went off and what we would do. Stupid mommy told the truth and tried to teach him fire safety. Guess I deserve getting up at all hours to turn on lights and calm him and his brother back to sleep.

On another note....he also wanted to know what shrimp were and what they looked like. I told him I could show him a picture on the computer. He says " Oh like on shrimp dot com, right?"

Why can't my little boy just be 5 and play with trucks or something?????

My handsome boys

2008-12-03T16:53:00.003-06:00

Christmas time is coming fast and the boys are very excited for Santa. We got the tree up this week and one present bought!!!

Hembree Family

2008-12-03T15:53:00.000-06:00

Hey I am new to this whole blogging thing but I enjoy Heather and Hayli's so much I thought I would give it a try. Jay, Ty, Jake and I miss our friends and family back home but are glad to be in sunny Texas today.