Back to Blogging!!

Hey Friends - I know it has been like almost a year since I last posted a blog...Dang Facebook!! Got me out of the game...but I think that I can get back into posting now...
So, what has happened in the last year? Well, Sophie turned 9, Spencer turned 6, Tristan turned 5, Eric turned the big 3-0!! and I turned 38...Eric & I celebrated our 8th year together...Spencer graduated from Kindergarten & Tristan from Pre-K!
Eric has a new job, still custom painting, but with a new company...My company was integrated into Mercy Memorial Health Center (which I might say has been a wild ride)! I still work for the same doctors, doing the same things, but just under a new company name - MMHC!
I lost working with 2 of my best friends, Larissa & LaQuita...Miss you girlz so much!! But glad that I still get to see ya on our own personal time...BTW - we must get together soon....Oh ya, we will....We have a wedding!!! My BUF Emily is marrying an awesome man, Jay, in September @ Birdsong Wedding Cottage & has asked me to be her Maid-Of-Honor!! Whoo-Whoo!!
Now, I can't remember the month that it happened, but I'm sure my landlord can (LOL!! ) when Eric tried to burn the garage down!! Well, not literally, but we did have a scare when he left some "cold" charcoal in a box in the garage & it started up a flame!! 2 firetrucks, multiple police & the fire marshall & an hour later - we had a burned out, gutted out garage, of which all contents were donated to Operation Pride...funny to think about now - but so very thankful to the One Above for saving our home!
The last major thing that I can think of at the moment that happened in the last year was my total surgical overhaul...I had a hysterectomy & bladder suspension in March! Whoa - feel like a new woman!! :-) No more pads, No more Depends!!!

Meet -N- Geet!

It was a very special time for the kids & me yesterday! It was our first pre-enrollment testing & a chance for the kids to meet their new teachers for the upcoming school year. I already knew both teachers & had specially requested them for each, Spencer and Tristan. Mrs. McElhiney is Tristan's pre-school teacher, who Spencer also had last year in his first year of school. She is a great teacher with lots of love & patience for the youngsters coming in. We are very excited to have her again.

Mrs. Fields, an accomplished kindergarten teacher - with Teacher of the Year under her belt - is Spencer's teacher this year. Again, I have known Mrs. Fields for several years because she was also Sophie's teacher when she was in kindergarten. She is a phenomenal teacher and I am thrilled that Spencer will be spending this next year with her.

Although Sophie is enrolled for Lincoln Elementary 3rd grade - we don't have her meet and greet with her teacher until next week! So, more to post soon!

Our New Home

The Bruce bunch moved into our new home this past weekend...and a little into the week! It took us about 4 days of packing, moving, cleaning, etc.. to get the job done but we now have our new home! We live on the SW side of town (old historic distric) and are very happy to be there! We have a 2 story, 3 bedroom 1.5 bath with carport & garage & even a side lot with lots of running space for the kids. It's not at all ready to show pictures or even have people over - living out of boxes & things are just everywhere - but we are here!
And thankfully Eric has finally passed his kidney stone (at least we think)! With moving and all this weekend we thought he had thrown his back out again but his normal back meds weren't touching the pain...Monday night, he wound up in the ER for about 6 hours & a CT later found a 2mm kidney stone! Well, Dr. Sofola here at Urology said that it would pass on it's own within about 24 hours. Lots of water & lemondaid later & it must've passed cuz today Eric says that he is just "sore" but not in pain! Thank you Jesus!
Last but definitely not least, my best friend Quita is recovering very well! I saw her Tues for a visit for her birthday & then we had her come up for lunch with us at the office yesterday so we could all be with her for a little birthday bash! She is doing great after her surgery just 2 short weeks ago! She is moving around & has even lost a few pounds. I'm so glad my friend is OK! Love you girl!

Water Babies

Another weekend spent at the lake & it was a great time! This time we were joined by Aunt Chrissy & Aunt Jennifer...We loaded up the cars & coolers & set out for a day of fun, sun & swimming! The kids always have such a blast but what made it even better - people with huge floating devices!! We had to share our beach area with another family & they were kind enough to let the Bruce Bunch use some of their floaties - like a shark, dolphin and a huge baseball glove. Spencer was thrilled & even let their kids play with his submarine & beach ball. We had so much fun playing with some "new friends." Aunt Jennifer's birthday is coming up (July 4th) and one of her friends has already given her a birthday present so she could use it at the lake - a hot dog grill! I didn't get a picture of it but it was so cute & awesome. Just big enough for an entire packet of hot dogs - which were delicious with all the trimmings. Watermelon & bananas for dessert & back in the water we went! It was a great day! Tristan deciding what floating device to use My girls are loving the water & their Kool-Aid Juicers
Spencer is too happy when he is in the water!

Family Day @ the Lake Murray

Dad had the greatest idea for our Sunday family day...a day at the lake. It was gorgeous weather, not too hot and FREE! How great is it to spend quality time together with little money. So, we ran to get the cooler filled up with drinks & ice...Mom packed up a little lunch & we loaded the van & off we went. We got there around 11AM - found a spot - although it was a great location we had to settle for an afternoon of listening to Mexican Rock music behind us (there was a family reunion going on)! HHAHAHAHAH!

But, it made for a great day of fun. The kids loved the water! I, however, enjoyed the water but not all the rocks I kept stubbing my toes into! Dad lost his Oakley sunglasses - but were retrieved by some kids swimming next to us! It was a miracle that they found them under the water! We started out with sunblock 50 cuz those of you that have had the priveledge of seeing my white legs know that I don't do heat & sun! We should've re-applied though cuz by 3 1/2 hours later when it was time to load up - we were pretty red! Now, 3 days later - Sophie & I are suffering the most - pretty burnt up & sore to the touch backs!! Thank God for aloe vera gel with lidocaine - it does make it bareable!

Watch out for flying bats

First shiner of the year...Sophie

was at daycare last Friday & because the weather is so beautiful these days...thanks to the rain letting up...the teachers took all the kids out for a field day. Well, some of the kids decided that a nice round of baseball would be perfect on such a great day...but not so for Miss Sophie! As you can see, she didn't do well with the swing around of the bat. She was bending down to "get a drink of her water" right in the line of the batter & KAA-BOWIE! right to the eye. We are very thankful that it was a plastic bat & not wood for the sake that it would have knocked her out &

we would've been in the ER getting stitches had that been the case. So, we didn't have to have stitches...or even make a run to the doctor...we just had to put ice on it for a few hours. It was swollen shut & pretty sore but within a couple days, just a nasty black eye!! Look out Sophie!!

Tristan's Birthday Continues...

Tristan's 4th birthday continued this weekend too...Remember last Saturday we all went to the Dallas Children's Museum...Well, this weekend we went to the chidren's "memorial" craft fair at the historical museum here in Ardmore. It was a pretty good time. We made star wreathes, American flag pins out of safety pins & colored beads, stand up stars and coloring pages. These projects didn't hold Tristan's attention for long so she mostly went running around the museum & checking out all the displays! Sophie & Spencer made quite a few projects before becoming bored with the cutting, glueing & coloring.

We took lots of pictures, although Sophie really wasn't in the picture mood...so even though she was there - I got very few pictures of her...However, with Spencer & Tristan - it's all about hamming it up! Sgt. Spencer loves airplanes, guns, & war movies so he fit right in with the display about WWII. Tristan found the old buggy's and boxcars - of which she actually climbed INTO the display (yes, that means she crossed over the ropes!). Luckily, Mom got the shot before we got caught!

Then we went to Central Park and had some fun there! Lots of climbing, swinging and sliding. Sometimes even giving Mom heart failure as they are leaing over the side of the railing or sliding down the slide like you would the railing on a staircase! We took some pretty pictures by all the beautiful flowers there and then went over to the Memorial Fountain so the kids could make their wishes...and Mom could get some pictures! After we had all of our fun at the park/fountain, we decided that Sonic slushies were calling our names so we jetted off to get some delicious refreshments...

Sunday we went to Grandma's so Tristan could get her birthday presents! Tristan couldn't wait to put on her new clothes & have me take her pictures! I swear she is going to be a model, but that would be after she is a cheerleader! YAH! We had a really good time this weekend...and we miss Sophie a whole bunch! She was with Akami this weekend...We hope she was having as much fun as we were!