Karla’s Neighborhood

Still Being Thankful

Kendell
3 days ago
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Easter 2009

I couldn't let my thankful mood pass without posting about my 3 precious children. From the moment that each of them was born, I've felt pretty blessed that they were mine. But as they get older and their personalities and talents develop more and more, I am continually amazed that I actually gave birth to these 3 incredible people. They are so much more than I ever

Fall 2008

imagined my children would be.

Brendan, Kaelin, and Collin are all very different creatures. Brendan is the stereotypical firstborn child. He is an overachiever, highly intelligent, responsible, soft-spoken, and patient. He is laid back and quiet. He is silly and likes to make people laugh. He observes everything that is going on around him and takes it all in. Recently we discovered that he has a talent for playing and writing music. He's really good on his electric guitar and it's been a lot of fun to watch him develop his talent. In school, Brendan is a teacher's dream. His 5th grade teacher still refers to him as "the genius." He loves to play baseball, and even

Brendan

though he is never the best player on the team, he is always consistent and you can count on him to get on base or make the play in the field. He's becoming interested in other sports and is considering running track next year in 7th grade. I have encouraged this because he runs like a rabbit. He is not built for football, but that boy can run. We tease him sometimes about his $80,000 NICU bill and threaten to make him pay us back. But he was worth every penny.

I prayed many times for a daughter. I was ecstatic when we had the ultrasound and found out that we were, in fact, having a girl! I knew from the time I was a teenager that my daughter's first name would start with a K and her middle name would be Gail. I'm so happy that I have had the opportunity to raise a little girl, and I'm so happy that my little girl is Kaelin. Despite the fact that she is a blonde haired, blue-eyed version of me, she is very different than I was as a child. She is all girl whereas I was a tomboy. She loves nail polish, makeup, purses, body

Kaelin

spray, anything that sparkles, hats, and shoes. Kaelin is a very talented dancer and throws a baseball like a girl. She played one season of soccer and decided it wasn't for her. She, too, is a teacher's dream. She is quiet, attentive, and very smart. She loves her doll house and one of her favorite things to do at home is anything artistic or crafty. She loves to paint and draw. Kaelin is very strong-willed, but one day that could work in her favor. She just has to learn how to channel it appropriately. I look forward to watching her grow up and I can't wait to see what (and who) she becomes. Her first 8 years have been an incredible journey. I'm sure the years to follow will be even more so.

Collin

Last, but not least, there is Collin. He is our little surprise that we are so thankful for every single day - truly a gift from above. Collin has the sweetest little heart and the funniest personality. We never know what he will do or say next. He is equally as smart as his older siblings, but he is not quite the teacher's dream that the other 2 are. Collin is a very typical little boy and has trouble sitting still and quiet for any amount of time. It's not unusual for him to have to move his clip at school, but it's usually only once. We are still waiting to see exactly what Collin's passions and talents will be. He's a fairly decent little baseball player, but as of right now, he doesn't want to play next Spring. Collin is creative, smart, unique, adorable, and he's a total mama's boy, although I'm sure those days are numbered. I will enjoy it while it lasts!! One of his favorite things to do is build things out of Legos or Magnetix. Recently he's started drawing, and loves books that teach kids how to draw. He pronounces breakfast "breftis" and calls granola "granilla." These are things I will miss when he starts pronouncing them correctly. Collin loves art and crafty things, too. I have a picture on the refrigerator that he drew that says, "I love Mom." He drew 2 cats on it and punched the edges with my paw print punch. I will never throw that picture away.

I did nothing to deserve these amazing kids, but I am so thankful they are mine.

More That I Am Thankful For

Kendell
4 days ago
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I previously blogged about being thankful for my parents, and today I'm going to blog about another person that I am

DSC00017

thankful for. It's the guy over on the right. Yep, Cole. I'm pretty thankful for him, too.

I met Cole in college. Specifically we met at an end of semester party thrown by a mutual friend of ours. It was mid-December and I was headed home the next day for almost a month. He and Mick were walking into the party right behind me, and Mick introduced us (I had met Mick earlier in the year). I ended up sitting with Cole the whole night and we talked. I don't remember a single thing that was said, but I remember what he was wearing - a green button up shirt and a green Stussy baseball cap. I thought he was adorable. At the end of the night I gave him my phone number, but I really wasn't all that concerned with whether or not he would call. Sure enough, when I got back to Austin he called. That was January of 1994 and we've been together ever since.

Cole is a great guy. He's a wonderful husband and a fantastic, involved father. He's a good provider and I'm so glad that I was able to stay home for all of those years while the kids were so small. We don't get to spend nearly enough time alone together, but when we do we still have a lot of fun.

Since January of 1994 we have had many happy times, many scary times, and many times in between. It's been a roller coaster of a ride, but we're still here. When I hear other women talk about their husbands, it amazes me that men can behave the way some of them do, and I feel so blessed that I am married to a man who does not. Thank you, God, for sending me Cole.

What I Am Thankful For

Kendell
5 days ago
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Mom and Dad and the kids - November 2009

Collin brought home some die cut leaves from school. They had written on them things they were thankful for. On the first leaf he wrote, "God, Jesus, baseball." On the second leaf he wrote, "friends, cats, pumpkins." And on the third leaf he wrote, "Family, Brendan." Collin has the sweetest little heart. I just love how he thinks.

The other day when Cole and I were on the UT campus we, of course, were talking about our days at UT. There are a lot of great memories both before and after I met Cole, and I was thinking about how cool it is that I went to the University of Texas. There is so much greatness at that school and I am so proud to be a Texas Longhorn. And for some reason I started thinking about my parents and how they let me make the choice to go there, and how they paid every single penny of my college education. That was their gift to me...a college education. I will always be grateful for that and I will always be grateful for them.

Now, when I was a teenager, my parents were not my favorite people. They were pretty strict with us and we had a

Mom and Me

lot of rules we had to follow. But of course now that I'm a parent, I totally understand and find myself being the same way with my kids. And now I know they gave me those rules because they loved me.

There are many reasons I find myself being thankful for my parents. They gave me a wonderful childhood, I always had everything I needed and a lot of what I wanted, they made me do housework and learn responsibility, they didn't accept anything less than my best, they were supportive of every single thing I ever wanted to do, they are still married, they (well, Mom) took me to church and taught me about God, and no matter what stupid thing I did, they were always there. And since becoming an adult, it's been fun to

Kaelin and Boo

get to know them in a different way - as friends. They're still supportive of anything that I do, they love Cole, they love my kids, and they are always there for us no matter what. They're pretty amazing and I'm very blessed to call them Mom and Dad.

Thanksgiving Silliness

Kendell
4 days ago
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So True

Kendell
4 days ago
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My mom sent me this email today. I've seen it before, but I got a good laugh today because it's never been more true than it is right now - especially the part about the wise men and the asses. Enjoy...

The Supreme Court has ruled that there cannot be a nativity scene in the United States' capitol this Christmas season.

This isn't for any religious reason.

They simply have not been able to find three wise men in the nation's capitol.

A search for a virgin continues.

There was no problem, however, finding enough asses to fill the stable.

Horns Win!

Kendell
5 days ago
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My favorite part of a UT game has always been hearing, "The Eyes of Texas" and "Texas Fight" when the game is over. I love how the fans in the stands stick around long enough to sing and all the players and coaches stand on the field with their horns up singing. It's such a cool moment. So last Saturday I filmed both songs. All I had was my (not video) camera and I was filming with my right hand and I had my horns up on my left hand, so the video is kind of shaky and not high quality. But the audio is really what I wanted and I got that. So if you want to see it, and you don't get motion sickness, here you go...

The Eyes of Texas

It Took Me 14 Years, But I Finally Made It

Kendell
5 days ago
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Yesterday I went to my first UT game in 14 years. And not only did I got to the game and have really good seats, I also had a pre-game field pass!! Amazing! My neighbor is in charge of the smoke that the Horns run through at the beginning of each half, and he gave us his tickets and he got me the field pass. I had never been on the field before and it was very cool. I took almost 200 pictures while we were on campus. I enjoyed being on the 40 acres again. It's changed a lot, but it's also stayed the same.

Last night's game was special for 2 reasons - it was the seniors' last home game and Colt McCoy broke the record for winning the most games as a quarterback. It also put UT in the Big 12 Championship, which, by the way, we have tickets to also. : ) Of all the games I could have gone to, I'm glad it was this one. I'm not going to say it was worth waiting 14 years for (I wish I could have gone to a game before last night), but it sure was cool to see it.

I'm not going to put up all of my pictures, but here are a few from the game...

Watch D.O.G.S.

Kendell
6 days ago
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Watchdoglogo

Our schools (both elementary and middle) recently started participating in the Watch D.O.G.S. program. It is a program designed to get dads involved in their children's schools. Kids are used to seeing their moms doing things in or for their schools, but most dads are not able to do much. Dads who participate in the Watch D.O.G.S. program spend one day a year (or more if they want) volunteering at their child's school. At our elementary school our principal announces the Watch D.O.G.S. for the day during morning announcements and the kids get so excited when they hear! And if there isn't a Watch D.O.G., they are very disappointed. The kids love it and the dads that I've talked to that have participated have really enjoyed their time at the schools. If your kids go to a school that does not yet have this program, I would encourage you to look into implementing it. And if your kids' school does have it, I would encourage all dads to get involved. Investing time in your children is always worth it.

Thrill the World 2009

Kendell
Oct 24, 2009
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Brendan's middle school took part in Thrill the World 2009. This is when people all over the world do the Thriller dance at the exact same time. The kids spent several hours after school learning the Thriller dance, and tonight was the big night. Brendan and Jared were side by side, and I was filming what I thought was them. But there was a kid wearing an Obama mask that was in front of and directly between them, so he is in all of the video. I've watched the video several times and I actually laugh out loud when I see President B.O. doing the Thriller dance!! He steals the show!

Brendan and Jared really are in my video, but you have to look past the president to see them!

President B.O. Does the Thriller Dance

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My Collin Earned the Game Ball!

Kendell
Oct 19, 2009
1 comment

Collin finally earned a game ball in tonight's game. He struck out twice, and on his third at bat, he hit a grounder to the infield. Fortunately, whoever threw it to first base overthrew, and the first baseman missed the ball, so Collin ran to second. He hit a double and got 2 RBIs!! The next batter got a hit and Collin listened to Coach Jeff perfectly and ran all the way home. He slid into home because he knew the throw was coming. It was close, but he was safe! We really needed the run. All of the coaches congratulated him and Coach Josh even picked him up and carried him into the dugout. It was a big night for Collin, and I'm so glad his coaches recognized that. We are really blessed that he is on the Blue Jays this season.

And just as an aside, the reason this is such a big deal is because Collin is not a fast runner. He told me yesterday he wanted a game ball, and I told him he had to hustle. So he did! Yay, Collin!

Here he is proudly holding his game ball...