Long Time, No Blogging

I know I've been an awful blogger, but I will try to do better! The last time I really blogged was more than a month ago when it rained last, and guess what? It finally rained again this weekend! I'm not really sure if the rain came in time to help our corn crop, but we always welcome rain, and I know it helped the rice and hayfields. Thank-you Jesus! Darren has told KatieLynn that when we say our prayers at night, she should ask God for rain on the corn, so every night she says, "Please God, help it to rain, rain, rain!" And now, it has, and we just have to trust the Lord's timing of it all.

Dean helps me tenderize some deer steak; he and his sister take turns helping me cook.
We have already had a busy summer, and one reason I haven't blogged is that I've been awful about remembering to take my camera, so haven't had many pictures. We went to the Oil Ranch and the Houston Zoo with the Burmans. I forgot my camera at the Oil Ranch, and then my battery died right after we got to the zoo, but I'm hoping my friend Heather got more. :) Here are her kids, Gracie & Chipper with KatieLynn in front of some monkeys.

Father's Day weekend we went to west Texas for a reunion in Robert Lee on my mom's side, and also to celebrate my Lacy Grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary in Miles. We had a good visit, and the kids traveled very well. Of course, nobody slept in the car, but still the trip was good. Here's a picture of Davis (a cousin) and Dean playing tractors at Aunt Gaye & Uncle Richard's house. For Darren's Father's Day present I had some aerial photos taken of our house. They took several, but here are a couple. We have Darren's pride-n-joy hayfield immediately surrounding our house. In the bottom one, you can see some of the rice fields close to our house, and a cornfield on the backside of the house. This past weekend, we had company from one of my Aggie friends, Heather Petton. Her daughter Haley is four, and her son just turned one, and KatieLynn and Dean loved playing with them. Haley and KatieLynn played dress up as mermaids; they were so cute!!

Here's a shot of KatieLynn after church one Sunday. She is putting her jewelry up. It's so funny because the nursery ladies think she is a girly-girl, always wearing a dress and sometimes a ring or bracelet to churh, when the truth is she does enjoy dressing up for church, but she usually has stripped down by 9:30am to put on 'her real clothes' (we're usually home around 9:20). Her favorite is jean shorts -she calls them short jeans.

KatieLynn & Dean are all clean in their pajamas and John Deere caps, watching one of Daddy's farming shows.

Gotta Love a Survey

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:00
2. Diamonds or pearls? both!!
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Evan Almighty on June 26, 2007 (my anniversary -maybe we can go again this year!)
4. What is your favorite TV show? This summer- Army Wives, but I also enjoy Darren's favorites: Iceroad Truckers & Farmer Wants a Wife
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Cereal & Milk
6. What is your middle name? Lacy
7. What food do you dislike? sandwiches with a bunch of mushed up stuff, like chicken salad -I call it 'old lady chic food'!
8. What is your favorite CD at moment? I don't really buy CD's, just listen to the radio: old & new country
9. What kind of car do you drive? 2004 Tahoe
10. Favorite sandwich? Grilled Cheddar Cheese
11. What characteristic do you despise? Bad Attitude
12. Favorite item of clothing? Jean shorts & flip flops
13. If you could go on vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go? somewhere with blue water, and someday I'd like to go to Europe too
14. Favorite brand of clothing? Target, TJMaxx, something cute, comfortable, and on sale :)
15. Where would you retire to? My house -I love it
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? This year??? Just family came over while Jack cooked fajitas; we had a ball!
18. Furthest place you are sending this? ???
19. Person you expect to send it back first? Julie, maybe?
20. When is your Birthday? January 27
21. Are you a morning person or a night person? Once I am out of bed...I love the mornings, especially when I get up before the kids. I enjoy getting dressed for the day, without the kids' help. :)
22. What is your shoe size? 9
23. Any pets? Nellie, a mixed collie breed that showed up the day we moved into this house, 6 years ago
24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? Darren and I are going away for the weekend; our first time alone since before KatieLynn was born! :)
25. What did you want to be when you were little? lots of things, but always a wife and mother - I had a fabulous mom to look up to!
26. How are you today? Great!!
27. What is your favorite candy? Smoothie Skittles, they're a little hard to find, but that's good, because I would eat them too much if I had more access to them!
28 What is your favorite flower? Red Geraniums, and Red/White/Yellow Dahlias
30. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? this weekend!
31 What is your full name? Andrea Nicole Lacy Friedel
32 What are you listening to right now? KatieLynn playing in her room (instead of napping!), Dean napping (I don't hear anything, so that's a good sign) and the dryer running.
33. What was the last thing you ate? Ribeye Steak, Mashed Potatoes, and Watermelon; Yummy! Darren can grill a good ribeye!
34. Do you wish on stars? No, I pray!
35. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Green or Red
36. How is the weather right now? Breezy, but still plenty warm
37. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Darren
38. Favorite drink? Lemonade
39. Favorite restaurant? Pappasitos! that makes me hungry just thinking about it!
40. Hair color? Honey Blond
41. Favorite toy as a child? Babies, Barbies, Barbie Jeep, and my imagination -my brother and sister and I played outside with our imaginations a lot!
42. Summer or winter? Spring is probably my favorite, but I look forward to each season
43. Hugs or kisses? both!!
44. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
45. Coffee or tea? tea sweet
46. Do you want your friends to email you back? Yes
47. When was the last time you cried? I don't know about cried, but a few days my eyes definitely watered when I heard the song 'If you're reading this, I'm already gone'. I don't know the singer...
48. What is under your bed? torso track -I need to use it :(
49. What did you do last night? attend transportation meeting, focusing on TTC-69
50. What are you afraid of? I try to trust that God will take care of me, and not worry
51. Salty or sweet? Both..at different times
52. How many keys on your key ring? 5
53. How many years at your current job? Stay-at-home mom - 3 1/2 years ; Field Rep for Senator Hegar - 1 1/2 years
54. Favorite day of the week? Saturday & Sunday
55. How many towns have you lived in? 12 towns - Hockley -6 yrs, Waller -3 yrs, College Station -2 yrs, Stephenville -3 yrs, Brenham -2 yrs, Elk City 5 years, Carrollton -9 mths, Amarillo -4 1/2 yrs, Odessa -2 yrs, Wyoming -1 1/2 yrs, Laredo -1 yr, Houston -1 yr (my dad was in the oil business)
56. Do you make friends easily? I think so!
57. How many people will you send this too? everyone who reads my blog????
58. Favorite Bible Verse right now? 2 Timothy 2:22 "Pursue Righteousness, Faith, Love & Peace ."
59. What are you most thankful for today? My family/close friends' good health, and a simple comfort knowing that God will always be there to take care of me, no matter what happens here on earth
60. What are you saving your money for right now? We just bought new couches for the living room; last week we were still sitting on the couches that I bought used when I was in college, though I had sewed some slipcovers to help them last a little longer. They were good couches, but I'm so excited to have new ones!

Getting Wet

It rained again! We got just under an inch early yesterday morning; just the right amount! All of our crops look good, so we're very thankful. Our garden is also thriving, though it still has lots of grass. We have been enjoying strawberries, and got our first tomato today. KatieLynn was so excited, as tomatoes are one of her favorites.

The kids had so much fun sliding into the little pool, that we decided to buy a new pool that has a slide, and is a little bigger than last year's pool. Dean was still so little last summer, that I had bought the smallest pool there was, so he could crawl in and out, but as you can see, he is very capable of using a larger one now. :) The water was pretty chilly last night, but Dean and KatieLynn sure didn't notice!

This past weekend, we got the pool out, and the kids had a ball splashing and playing. They moved our little slide over so they could slide into the water, and loved it!
Hadley came to visit, but thought it was a little cool to swim, so she opted to swing instead.

Dean is very into sitting on the toilet. He has yet to actually do his business on it, but he really enjoys getting out the seat and getting up there. Then he wants to read one of Daddy's tractor magazines; it's quite hilarious to watch him!

It's Raining!

We have had a wonderful week! The kids got to play at the park twice last week(with the Bolciks and Burmans), and loved every minute. The weather got a little cooler and we couldn't ask for prettier days. We also had a great time playing with Bebe and Papa, both at our house, and theirs. Darren worked very long hours last week, in the cornfields putting out fertilizer. He finally finished Friday evening, and was able to spend the weekend at home.

KatieLynn and I went to a festival in Bellville, where she got to ride a horse (sorry, I forgot my camera!). She was excited! We had a terrific time watching the parade and going to lots of different booths with Claire and her daddy, Glenn. We got to play with cousin Emma too. On Sunday, Papoo (Darren's dad) cooked lunch for us all. The kids always enjoy playing at Gigi & Papoo's, especially now that they have a swing set. Last night Darren watched Jack cook his famous fajitas, while Catherine and I watched the kids jump on the trampoline and play in the sandbox. The food was delicious, and the visit was lots of fun.

And some great news: It's rained nearly 2 inches today! Thank you Lord!

Playing Outside

Hi All. We've been enjoying all the beautiful weather we've had the last couple of weeks. Last week the wind blew a little more than our liking, but this week the breeze feels really nice. The kids love to be outside, and we usually play out there for a few hours in the morning, and then again in the late afternoon/early evening. Here's a few pics:
Katie Lynn had her 3 year exam and Dean had his 18 month exam. They are both very healthy, and at the top of the charts for height at 40" and 34". Dean got his shot like a champ, and was more unhappy at being held down, than the actual shot. I was thankful to have Darren to go with us, as it always takes a while to do both exams with shots. Katie Lynn didn't have to get a shot this year, just a finger prick for bloodwork, and she was just excited to get a mermaid sticker!

Another Nice Weekend

We've enjoyed lots of beautiful weather for many days, though it has been a little cool the last several mornings. The kids love to play outside, regardless of the activity. Here's a picture of them beside our (small) garden. KatieLynn likes to help me water, sometimes pulls weeds, but her favorite thing is to check to see it there are any strawberries that are ready to be picked. Dean also likes working in the garden, but the problem is that he sits on top of the rows (and plants) and often pulls plants up with the weeds... so for the most part he works on the outside edge of the plot. :)

Dean laughs as he 'pretend' falls down, and when KatieLynn giggles, Dean acts even more silly.






KatieLynn works on her new puzzle (Thanks Uncle Johnny & Lauren!) after church. She's wearing a dress that I wore as a little girl, that my Granny Millican gave me.

Beautiful Days

We had a nice week and weekend. The kids got to spend lots of time outside, which they loved. Darren finished planting corn, and this week will be working in the rice fields. It was nice to have him home for most of the weekend. Sunday, we ate lunch at Darren's grandpa's house, to celebrate his(PawPaw's) birthday. We're so thankful he's close by, and so healthy. Here's a few recent pictures of the kids.







Dean is reading a John Deere book to his bear, and Katie Lynn is doing a puzzle.

KatieLynn's 3rd Birthday

It is so hard to believe that it's been 3 years since KatieLynn was born! She is still my baby, but she's definitely growing as a young girl. She and Dean are able to really play together, and KatieLynn is so good with him! She is patient, helpful, sometimes motherly, and very sweet.
On Saturday evening, we invited only immediate family and friends to celebrate Katie's birthday, and she had a ball! The weather cooperated, so we were able to be outside, as well as inside. And it worked out that Darren was able to get out of the cornfield for the festivities, which was a relief.

On Sunday, KatieLynn's actual birthday, our small church congregation sang 'Happy Birthday' to her, which made her feel pretty special. We then were off to Brenham for the rest of the day to see Bebe, Papa, Natalie, Harper, and Johnny & Lauren, who were down from Colorado. We had a great visit!

Easter Weekend

We're finally stepping into this century, and starting a blog. My sister has encouraged us to start our own website, so we are using this as a baby step towards a website...

We had a great Easter weekend. Saturday morning the kids and I went to our church, Macedonia Methodist, for an Easter egg hunt and pancake breakfast. The kids had a wonderful time hunting for the eggs, and were pleasantly surprised to find candy inside!

Darren has been busy in the fields for the last couple of weeks. It finally stopped raining so they could get all the corn ground disced up, and he started planting late last week. Unfortunately, he had to work over the weekend, but we are just thankful that the weather is holding for us. Darren is really burning the midnight oil, working way past our bedtime, and then getting up at 5am. I don't think we've been this tired since we had a newborn baby, though I'm sure he is more tired than me right now. I wait up for him at night, and then get up in the morning to cook his breakfast, but then usually go back to sleep for an hour or so. The kids are missing him in our regular daily activities, but we are still spending some time with him, as we take him lunch and dinner every day. The kids absolutely love playing in the dirt, and then we usually make a few rounds in the tractor with Daddy. It's fun for everyone, and I know it helps break up Darren's day. He has a new computer on the tractor, and working the kinks out has been a little frustrating for him, but hopefully in the long run, it will make things easier.
Here's a picture of Dean playing in the cornfield.