And the award goes to....

Moi, for the worst blogging mother of the year. My sweet daughter, Gracyn, is eight weeks old and I am just now putting her on our blog. I can't even use the excuse that I've been busy (although I have) because I have several blogging mom friends (and you know who you are!) who have children as young as three days old and those babies have already made their family's blog. I, unfortunately, have no good excuse but hope to redeem myself with the onslaught of pictures and videos to follow. Hopefully, my computer will not crash as I upload my little heart out over the next day or so. So, without further ado, introducing Gracyn Rae Goldstein!!

Gatlin's first day of school

Gatlin started Pre-K this morning and I am very pleased to say that he did wonderfully! He picked out his own outfit last night and triumphantly dressed himself this morning after eating a healthy breakfast. When we were leaving the house, we saw our neighbors (who are adults, by the way) and Gatlin told them that they "could come to school with me if you want to". Once we arrived at school, he immediately engaged another little boy in a conversation all the way to the classroom about how excited he was to be going to school and "aren't we going to have so much fun?"
He gave me a big hug and kiss when I told him I had to leave and then he asked "you aren't going to cry, are you?" I told him "no" and kept my promise until I was back in the car and down the road about 10 minutes with an empty car seat staring at me from the back seat. At that point I realized that he was no longer my baby boy. The car was so quiet aside from my boo-hoos and I realized that my four year old handled this day far better than his hormonal mother. That brought a smile to my face and I pulled myself together just in time to walk into my morning Bible study.
When I picked Gatlin up from school, he told me what a wonderful time he had and how he was excited about going back tomorrow. His teacher told me that he was "so smart" and was quizzing the other kids at lunchtime to come up with a word that rhymed with 'bear'. When no one answered, he said "air!" as if to say "duh!"
I could not have imagined this day going any better for him and I pray that he rolls with his baby sister's arrival as well as he did with his first day of school. I just love my little, scratch that, BIG boy! :)

Picking out his outfit the night before

Gatlin's all ready for his first day!

All settled in and ready to learn!

*On a side note, Gatlin's much anticipated Halloween costume arrived today via UPS. He tried it on and can hardly wait the fifty something days until Halloween arrives (more on the costume as we get closer to the big day). Could this day get any better for Gatlin? I think not!

Audie Murphy Day 2009

For the fifth year in a row, Kyle performed the flyover for the Audie Murphy Day parade in his parents' home town of Farmersville, TX.  He has become a hometown hero and the people look forward to his flyover every  year.  Kyle's friend and fellow pilot, Dave, accompanied him and, together, they flew a two ship over the main street of Farmersville to kick off the parade.  It was a great way to cap off a family filled weekend and Kyle looks forward to carrying on the tradition for years to come!

Family picture, notice Gatlin is the only one who doesn't look good.  Monkey!!!

Gatlin and Daddy with the fish Gatlin caught!

The flame coming off of Kyle's .50 cal revolver

Video of the flyover!

Rocky Mountain High...

The first week of June, Kyle and I took a trip to Colorado to spend some time with our friends Brian and Michele. While we were looking forward to some good fellowship and fun, the main reason we were there was for Kyle and Brian to climb Mt. Elbert (14,433 ft) and Mt. Massive (14,421). These are the second and third highest mountains in the contiguous United States. Keep in mind, please, that Kyle and Brian have never attempted to summit any mountain nearly this high but, it was on Brian's "bucket list" so, they decided to give it a go.

After one day of acclimation to the Colorado altitude, the boys set off from Winter Park, CO (where we girls stayed) to Leadville, CO to camp at the base of the two mountains. They found a beautiful lake isolated from the rest of society and set up their base camp. They each caught a trout within two minutes of throwing their lines in and ate like kings that night.

Very early the next morning, the guys set off to climb Mt. Elbert. Everything was going well for the first three hours but, soon after, the altitude and lack of oxygen began to take its toll. Now slightly hypoxic and muscles weakened from lack of oxygen, they continued pressing onward as the weather began to deteriorate. Before long, they were in ice and sleet and battling 50 mile an hour winds. Two more experienced hiking groups turned back before summitting and suggested Kyle and Brian do the same yet, they pressed onward.

Around 12:30 pm, Michele and I received a phone call from the guys telling us they couldn't go any further. At just 500 feet from the summit, our brave men decided to turn around and head back down the mountain to the safety of their campsite and, ultimately that evening, the comfort of a house and their wives. After hiking six hours, they later figured it would have taken them another two hours to climb the last 500 feet. Ultimately, it was the high altitude and thin air that caused them not to summit that day but, they did climb further than any other group that day and Michele and I couldn't be prouder of them.

After getting home from the hike, the guys decided that their hiking days were over but, as of last week, they are already discussing trying it again and also climbing Mt. Massive as well. Hopefully, next time, they will bring oxygen!

Michele and I took a couple of day trips to an outlet mall (of course we had to shop!) and we also took a train ride through the mountains of Leadville, CO. After the boys got home, we took a trip to Grand Lake, CO and spent the day window shopping and sight seeing. All in all, it was a fabulous vacation and a nice break from the sweltering heat of Texas in June!

The before shot!

The mountains in the background, invisible due to the impending weather!

The view from the guys' tents when they woke up in the morning.

The guys' campsite

Brian just above the tree line!

Kyle and his .50 cal pistol for bears or mountain lions. Fortunately, he didn't need to use it!

Very hard to see but, the lake where they camped is just above and slightly to the right of Kyle's index finger. Amazing to see how far they came!

Kyle at 13,861 ft. The summit is in the background.

The after shot!

Michele and I on a train tour through the mountains of Leadville, CO.

Our Conductor.. oh yes, he did!! Nice chops!

The four of us

My man and I!

Moose on the side of the road!

New Family Member!

Kyle's brother and sister in law got a horse a few weeks back. His name is Hillbilly Deluxe but they call him Dee and he is beautiful! He is very gentle with the kids and so sweet to anyone he meets. Kyle couldn't wait to get on him and ride so, the last time we were in Waco, Kyle did just that.

Welcome to the family, Dee! We will spoil you rotten with more carrots than you can eat!

Gatlin's 4th Birthday

Yes, folks, it is that time of year again!  My baby boy turned 4 on May 24th!  I feel like the years just fly by and the next time I turn around, he will be graduating from high school!  Ok, so maybe not that fast, but time is certainly not slowing down at all.

Thankfully, we narrowed our party count back down to two this year.  On Friday, my Dad, Grandma, and Aunt took Gatlin to Peter Piper Pizza (like a Chuck E Cheese) for pizza and games.  He had a wonderful time but had a hang up about those cars that kids ride in when you put money in.  He loved sitting in the car but would just about crawl out of his skin if you came near it with any money.  He didn't like the idea of the car actually moving and still talks about

 it to this day!  Where does he get these weird ideas and when do kids outgrow this?  I am beginning to think he did not get his Daddy's thrill seeking tendencies!  

On Saturday, we had a party at an indoor play place with about 14 different bouncy houses called Pump it Up.  Let me just tell you that I believe we will have his party there every year from now on!  It was so easy on the parents and the kids all had such a blast!  We spent about an hour and a half bouncing and then had pizza, presents, and cake for about the last 40 minutes.  The best part is that set up and break down was all done by the Pump it Up staff instead of myself.  What a blessing that was and well worth the money.  We had Kyle's whole family in town for the weekend and enjoyed every minute of their visit.  It was a very busy weekend with many renditions of Happy Birthday sung to Gatlin.  By Sunday (his actual birthday), Gatlin was so sick of the song, he would cover his ears and say "no more singing!"

  What a crack-up he is!

Party #1 at Peter Piper Pizza

Daddy and Gatlin on the obstacle course

(Kyle had as much fun as Gatlin did!)

The whole gang!

A not so "American Idol" rendition of Happy Birthday!

Worn out after three days of singing and parties!

Kids and their funny observations!!

Today, we were in the car on the way home from lunch with Kyle and Gatlin and I started having a conversation.  Kyle has been gone for the last two weeks and, apparently, Gatlin was really affected. 

Our conversation went like this...

G: Are we going to see him when we get home?

Me: See who?

G: Daddy.

Me: Yes, he will be home after while, when he gets off work.

G: Today!?!

Me: Yes, today!

G: Oh, that is so great!  Daddy is so nice.

Me: Yes, he is.

G: And then he farts.

So, at this point we both busted up laughing.  I called Kyle to tell him that his son has him summed up in two words.. Nice and farts.  He laughed too and we both agreed that his observation is occasionally appropriate depending on the day! :)