Bye-bye 20's...

Wow. Thirty.

Sounds so refined. Thirty used to sound "old" to me... you know, back when I was a teenager... But then when I hit my twenties, 30 just sounded like a respectable "grown-up" age. The age of a person who could be categorized as independent. Established. Self-controlled. Dignified. Someone who has it all together.

I can't be thirty...

Independent? I'm still afraid of the dark.
Established? Not even sure what that really means.
Self-controlled? HA! ...I sneak hands-full of M&M's behind my kids' backs on a regular basis...
Dignified? Not in the least. ...I totally dance in my kitchen when I'm making the kids' lunches or doing the dishes... Hey, it's the only hardwood flooring in our house and it's fun to slide on! Avery hates it and actually rolls her eyes. Julia usually be-bops along. She totally gets me.
Someone who has it all together? I'm altogether NUTS on most days and I can't tell you the last time I felt organized.

But I'm 30. I am. And I love my life... I love my chaotic, crazy, raising-two-preschoolers-and-usually-covered-in-peanut-butter life. I love entering a new decade with Collin and looking back at pictures of us just starting to date when I was 19 and he was 21. ...and I love that he'll always be older!... I have much to be thankful for and a LOT to learn. Maybe I'll know it all by the time I'm 40! ;)

Drew & Bella Grace

It's about time for a Bossen update on this blog, right? We've gotten to hang out with Jen, Andrew and Drew pretty frequently over the past few months, and I LOVE having them so close by. I think it surprises people how often we travel to Sherman and they come to Dallas, but it's literally a 50 or 60 minute drive. (Sometimes it takes me that long to get to Frisco!) So, yes... We visit often. I'm addicted. I love the Bossens and I LOVE Sherman. The ones who are really burning up the roads are Mom & Dad! They just need to move here. ...or invent teleportation... But I digress...

Drew is TWO! I can't believe it... He had an incredibly fun 2nd Birthday party at the University of Gymnastics, and the girls LoVeD it. Who wouldn't love running on a trampoline, hanging from the rings, trying out the uneven bars and playing with a parachute on the floor?! Throw in some balloons and a giant cookie cake and you've got preschooler heaven.






And sweet Bella Grace (who is set to arrive in just over FOUR weeks!) had a beautiful baby shower on February 13th. Jennifer is doing the nursery in black, white and apple green... and it's absolutely beautiful! The shower was decorated like the nursery will be... Isn't it pretty?! And it was SO much fun to watch Jennifer open PINK presents!! :) We can't wait to meet you, sweet Bella! We love you already. And, Jen... I can't believe how gracefully you carry. You look BEAUTIFUL.





...and then we went back to their house to find a very playful Drew... Gotta love this precious boy...

Dallas Snow Storm!

WOW! SNOW!! And we didn't even have to travel to find it! This time, it actually came to us!

Thursday morning at daybreak, during our usual routine of Avery waking me up and me walking into the kitchen (like a zombie) searching for something to make for breakfast... I heard Avery gasp and say, "Mommy! SNOW!!" Knowing that some snow had been in the forecast, I quickly jolted to life and walked out into the living room to where Avery was standing, pointing out the windows. Sure enough... Snow! And not just a light Texas dusting, either! And it went on... and on... and on... for 19+ hours with a record-breaking 12.4 inches after all was said and done! It was AWESOME!! We loved every minute of it, and I think Avery could have spent all day playing outside and never complained of cold. She was very excited to get to make snow angels, go "sledding" on the neighborhood hill and help Collin build a snowman. Julia was... not so excited about the whole thing. But she did put on a happy face during the sledding.

One thing about snow in Texas: It happens so fast that there's no time to prepare a cute snow outfit unless you've already got one hanging around for a ski trip or something! Our poor, poor children!! I have NO idea what I was thinking when I was pulling out clothes for sweet Julia. No wonder she cried all day! If I was out of the house looking like that, I'd cry too! (Please note the plastic bags over her feet which are secured to her knee-high socks with packing tape... Seemed like a good idea in theory, but no wonder she couldn't ever get traction! Sweet baby... Mama's SO sorry.)

Avery's Class Valentine's Day Party!

Thursday of last week was a day to remember!

We woke up to SNOW (pictures are forthcoming... I promise...) and school was NOT canceled! We had a fun day at Avery's school! Parents got to attend music class, which was so much fun. And I was one of the Moms helping with the Valentine's Party for her class, so that was a treat too.

I had stayed up way too late the night before making heart-shaped crayons for the kids to use on the craft I planned for the party. They turned out great, and the kids loved coloring with hearts! I also made more chocolate treats, which is becoming my new addiction! This time we made chocolate-covered pretzels in two shapes: Hearts and "LOVE" Avery and Julia gave them to classmates and teachers as Valentine gifts. Fun, fun.

It was a very Happy Valentine's Day, for sure! Hope it was for you, too.

(For some reason I can't get blogger to include the entire frame of this video. :/ Ordinarily it wouldn't be a problem, but it cuts Avery out of the frame during her "solos" in the music, so that's no fun. Anyone know any tricks??)

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

You know when it's good...

SO PROUD of my Hometown Boy!!

Last night was the first time in history that I remember actually caring about a team playing in the Superbowl! Even when Collin asked, "What about when the Cowboys played a few times when we were in high school?" ...nope... I mean, maybe. But not nearly like last night! This was MY hometown boy I was cheering for! Totally different.

Drew was my High School quarterback at Westlake, and so watching the game last night took me back 12+ years (cough!) to the State Championship game in the old Cowboy Stadium when we watched Drew lead us to victory. (And in Texas, it's a BIG DEAL to be the 5A State Champs in Football!) I'm just so happy for him. And now I wish I had awkwardly snapped more pictures with him in High School during the random occurrences when we had conversations. I'd be famous by association! I was even at his house a time or two! ...Should have stolen his razor or something... I could make a FORTUNE on eBay!! ;) And how cute was all this stuff with his baby boy?! Precious...


Congratulations, Brees family! ...Glad I saved my year books... :)

Poage Family Christmas

What a FUN Christmas we had this year celebrating with Collin's side of the family! On Christmas Eve just at the beginning of the Dallas "snowstorm," we headed south to Pflugerville for a Poage-sized Christmas.

It's always a good time with this group, and you can see why... This picture (below) is JUST Collin's immediate family. No Aunts. No Uncles. No Grandparents or anything... JUST his Mom and siblings and their families.

CRAZY, huh?! Well... not crazy to anyone who has a large family, but to one who just has a single sibling it seems huge! One thing is for sure-- there's always someone to talk to, play games with, joke with, or fry sausage in the kitchen with after midnight on Christmas Eve! ;)

We had a blast with a great meal and family fun. We listened to Nana give a beautiful talk about her wish for us, her kiddos, this Christmas as she coined it the "Silver Dollar" season this year and spoke of how she hopes we'll have Christian walks that are pure and precious; Not mixed with any other "metals" diluting the value. (She gave each of her kids a valuable silver dollar which she's kept from childhood to commemorate the evening.) We watched the boys revert back to childhood as they shot Nerf guns at each other from across Melanie's beautiful living room (Poor Mel!) and our hearts smiled as the three grandkids gave their best attempt at performing the song, "Away in a Manger." Cousin Ian just couldn't wait until Christmas morning to give Avery and Julia the Hot Wheels cars he bought for them with his VERY OWN money!! They were a huge hit! After the kids were tucked in tight, a game Trivial Pursuit went well into the wee hours of the morning, and we wrapped-up Christmas Eve by laying out the goodies that "Santa" brought the children for them to see first thing in the morning! (Those pictures are MIA at the moment... I hope Collin has them on his computer, but until we find them we'll just lean on the pictures Kendra took! Check back later...)

It was wonderful.


On Christmas Day, after watching the kids open their gifts and hearing the "Handy Manny" theme song play about a million times from Avery's new tool box, we hopped in our cars and headed to San Marcos to join Janice's family for a Christmas feast. It was a Merry Christmas, indeed! (Thanks for the cool slideshow, Kendra!)