Nate and Rachel on their way to Salt Lake City

Mom and Mike took Nate and Rachel to the airport. The weather across the country was terrible and all of the flights were either delayed or cancelled. So, we just hung out for a few hours. We ate at McDonalds and then did some people watching. We were playing this game of picking out people we saw and matching them with famous people we thought they looked like. We were laughing so hard. Some of the people we saw: Kenny Chesney; Macie Gray; Oprah Winfrey; Olive Oyl; Johnny Depp; Eminem (wanna be); and others less known, but just as funny, like the mean fat kid on Pee Wee's Big Adventure; Ice Skater Dude; and even some family members which will remain unnamed.

Trying to get these kids to be serious for a picture was like trying to make them behave in church.

As a follow-up, Rachel and Nate's flight left an hour late. We were guaranteed that all the connections would be fine. When I received a phone call from Nate that they had landed at 9:30 in Denver and that they had only 10 minutes to get to their gate for their connecting flight, I was a little worried. It was really fun when they called again and said Frontier Airlines wasn't letting the 13 people (including them) to board the plane. After about 15 frantic minutes, the airline decided it was better to put them on the plane than to put them up for the night. So, Nate and Rachel made it to Salt Lake around midnight.

For those of you who remember last Christmas, Nate, Rachel and Mike spent the night in Dallas airport after missing their connection. We thought this was going to be a repeat. Oh the adventures my kids have!

Family Christmas Gift Exchange

Since the older kids wouldn't be with us at Christmastime, we held our Family Gift Exchange a couple of days early. All of the older kids received cash and gift cards. Kellee received a Cinderella outfit (shoes, dress and tiara); Marshel received 2 remote control police cars; they together got some new bath toys. Michael also brought everyone a gift: candy for the older kids; magic marker coloring books for the little ones.

All of the kids received blankets made with love by me, Mom. The girls all received crocheted afghans (which took a couple of months to finish). The boys received flannel and cotton blankets (Mike - Navy; Nate - Air Force; Marshel - FireFighter). Those were all quickly made the night before.

Making Trash...the annual tradition!

We had our annual Trash making activity. It was an adventure to be sure. There were a few technical difficulties. First, we added too much cool whip to the first batch, so they were a runny mess. The second batch was white chocolate (white trash) and it just doesn't heat up the same, so those got hard really quick.

Finally, success as we worked out all the kinks. Kellee loved the red and white candy sprinkles so much. She used her whole hand to pick them up, after licking her hand that is, so she was covered. We had a great time and enjoyed the clean-up the best, I think. I hope the kids will always carry on this tradition with their own families. It's a fun time for all, no matter the age.

San Antonio Wax Museum

The real Planet of the Apes

Harry Potter and the gang
Batman and Catwoman (without disguises)

Future Batman

The real Joker of the family

Dad really loves these guys

Denzel (oh baby); Mike likes hanging with the Lieutenant Commander

In my next movie, I play...

The Top Ten List

Dad was caught Jaywalking!

Rachel spilling her guts to Dr Phil

The real Shirley Temple

Which one is Marilyn Monroe?

Indy or Sly? Which should I choose?

Mike meets the Prez!

The Angel of Music...Dad's pretty scared!

I just love werewolves...Jacob? Is that you?

Dad wants this Bride!

What? Frankenstein? Where?

Marshel was also at the Last Supper!

Jurassic Park in San Antonio

The Clan in front of the Alamo

Marshel was worn out

Waiting in the car for dad!

Mike and Nate...all tuckered out!

Hanging in the streets of San Antonio

After visiting Ripley's, we headed to Subway for lunch. After

filling up and on our way to the next fun attraction, I caught these cute pictures of the kids. Incidentally, in these photos, they are right across the street from the Alamo.

Ripleys Believe It Or Not...San Antonio

We took a family trip downtown to Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum. It was a lot of fun and we found some really cool things, like:


World's Largest Tire


This interactive game where you can kick things away with your feet (kind of like the Wii)






Double sided mirror (they knew we could see them, so it wasn't quite as funny)

Spinning walkway

Items of Torture (not such a bad idea, after all)