Goldstein Family

Birthday bash part two!

2010-06-29T15:53:00.006-05:00

Gatlin was fortunate enough to have a second birthday party on his actual birthday this year. We got together with my Dad, Grandma, and Aunt and Uncle at Gatlin's favorite place, Peter Piper Pizza. He got some really great gifts to include:

Some early reader books, which he read every night until he'd read them all, and read them all by himself!!

A cool T-shirt from New Orleans from Hojo

And.. the biggest hit of them all...

A cool robot bank! Boy, was he ever excited about this!

He just kept saying "I love my robot bank!"

Putting all his change in that Great Grammy Ross gave him.

Then, it was time to hit the games! The best game of all was actually a ride. You sit in these seats and watch a movie filled with turns, bumps, and drops while the seat moves along with the movie and a high powered fan blows in your face to make you feel like you're moving. Gatlin must have ridden it about six times!

Gatlin and Hojo, two lovers of rollercoasters and all things thrill related!

Gracyn wants to get on too!

Gracyn getting some love from Hojo
What a fun day we had and so much love surrounding us and our birthday boy. We are so blessed!

Picture time

2010-06-28T17:11:00.012-05:00

We've been taking a lot of pictures with our new camera lately and some are just too cute not to share. So, here you go!

Easter dress

Fun with a slip-n-slide!

First time wearing a bow without a headband. Grow hair, grow!!

Ok, this one wasn't taken with the new camera because we were at the hospital. This is Gracyn in her one-size-fits-all scrub top getting ready to have a VCUG procedure done. She did very well and everything came back normal!

Trying on big brother's silly hats

Gatlin's goofy face!

Sibling fun

And not to be forgotten...
Scout turned 12 years old June 15th

Sortie striking a pose!

Gatlin's fifth birthday bash

2010-06-28T16:14:00.008-05:00

My son is five years old and I am having a difficult time believing it. I can not tell you how fast the time has gone and I know it's only going to go faster!

Gatlin decided he wanted to have a Super Mario Brothers birthday party this year. We decided to have it at a new pizza place right up the road from us and, what a wonderful place it was. The play room wasn't too big and we had our own private party room complete with our own party person to help with food and cake. We had Tina, one of Gatlin's friend's mom, make Gatlin's cake and cupcakes and I was completely blown away! She should definitely go into business and I would be her regular customer! Fantastic!!

We had a special birthday shirt made for Gatlin to wear on the big day and had invitations made to look like VIP passes complete with a lanyard for the kids to wear during the party.

Billie, Kyle, Mike and I stayed up late the night before the party blowing up balloons and drawing eyes on the star balloons to make them look like the invincible star from Super Mario Brothers.

I found mini Gameboys filled with Mario Brothers gummies to anchor the balloons and to give as party favors.

We even had my mom act as a bouncer with dark glasses and a flashing wand she used to allow the kids access to the party.

But, the ultimate highlight of the day was when Mario (aka Kyle) made an appearance at the party just in time for the cake. Kids and adults alike were thrilled and the girls that worked at the pizza place asked Kyle to make an appearance at their 21st birthday party! Hmmmm, I see a potential side job for Kyle if this whole flying thing doesn't work out. ;)

Gatlin's precious teacher, Ms. Leslie, made it to the party!

The kiddos

Gatlin and his good buddy, Jeremiah

Even the adults had fun!

All in all, I think it's a day that Gatlin will not soon forget and I know Kyle and I won't either.
Gatlin, I am so proud of the boy you have become and love you more than you can ever imagine.

Birthday celebration at the farm

2010-06-28T15:41:00.009-05:00

I am trying to catch up on blog posts so some of these will be a little outdated, sorry.

We went up to the farm the weekend after Mother's Day to celebrate Coach's 92nd birthday this year and had a wonderful time. It is always so relaxing up there and so much fun to be had for all, but especially, Gatlin (and Kyle). Fishing, feeding the ducks, shooting guns (well, not Gatlin), and visiting with family. The trip up and back is always long but the time together is worth it all.
My wonderful hubby got me a brand new camera for Mother's Day! I guess my hints on a previous post were well received. :) Here she is.. isn't she a beauty?
So, all of the following pictures were taken on the new camera. Now all I need to do is take a photography class so I can learn how to get the most out of all this baby can do!

Doc giving Gracyn her first solid food.. a grape! We were all hovering until she bit off a piece and I am quite certain she had three adult fingers in her mouth simultaneously as we all rushed to get it out of her mouth before she choked!

Gatlin's fish.. doesn't he look thrilled! He loves to fish but hates to be close to the fish once he pulls it out of the water.

Gracyn and Frenny

My beautiful baby girl

Loving her brother

Gracyn and Grammy

Helping Coach read his birthday card

Feeding the ducks

The wonderful farm and the ducks gorging themselves. Thanks Gatlin!

Snuggling with Gigi and showing off her new favorite skill.. sticking her tongue out!

My baby graduated!!!

2010-06-05T19:08:00.005-05:00

OK, so it was only Pre-K but still, a big day in our family.

It was a day filled with tears on my part. Crying because he was leaving the most wonderful Pre-K program I could have ever dreamed of. Crying as we said goodbye to his WONDERFUL teacher, Ms. Leslie. Crying because I was going to have to find some way to entertain my son for the next three months. Crying because I was losing my five hours of freedom every Monday thru Thursday. Crying because... well, I digress.

But seriously, I am having angst because this school was so wonderful, how will I ever find a school that could even remotely compare? I would love to put him in a private school but Kyle and I have a hard time justifying the money we'd have to spend to send him to private school just for Kindergarten. If he was starting middle school or high school, the choice would be much easier but being that it's only his first year, what would it hurt having him in a public school for this year? We can always move him to a private school if we don't like the public school system, right? Has anyone else struggled with this decision? If so, what helped you make the decision you did?

Anyway, back to the graduation.. Gatlin got to wear a cap and gown and then they had a sweet ceremony in the chapel. They sang several songs and the teachers all spoke about the fun things they did all year and about how wonderful the kids were. (Insert me crying here). Then, they called each child down one at a time, gave them a certificate and a Bible and told everyone what each child said they wanted to be when they grow up. Here's what Gatlin said...

(Insert more tears here)

We finished up graduation with a traditional hot dog lunch in the gymnasium and then, just like that, my son was a Pre-K graduate and on his way to Kindergarten.

Gatlin's class

Gatlin and his precious teacher, Ms. Leslie

Gatlin and his buddy, Ryan

Can anyone tell me what happened to my little sweet boy who couldn't hold his head up, drooled everywhere, and needed 6-8 naps a day?
Congratulations, Gatlin. You have learned so much and I can't wait to spend the next three months with you doing who knows what; haven't figured that out yet..

Seven months old?!?!?!?

2010-04-24T18:28:00.012-05:00

I'm tearing up just typing that title! Where has the time gone? I am blown away that my sweet newborn is now seven months old. I decided to take her pictures outside this month in this gorgeous weather we're having (finally!). She had her six month vaccinations yesterday (I know, late) so I didn't get many smiles out of her but enjoyed just taking pictures of the many faces of Gracyn.

Please ignore her crazy nap hair ;)

Sitting up on her own!!

Daddy was working in the backyard and decided to get in on a few pictures..

I think she's saying "enough already"!

Next, it was my turn..

Then Gracyn decided to get in on the photography action and took a collection of shots that she'd like to call
"A Beautiful Perspective"

Happy seven month birthday, sweet one. We love you more than you will ever know. Father Time, you are very cruel!

I wonder...

2010-04-12T17:06:00.003-05:00

If you find your child like this after swaddling her mid section to stabilize her, is it time to stop using the swing? :)

Spring is in the air!

2010-04-12T16:33:00.004-05:00

Like any good Texan mom, I took advantage of this beautiful spring and took pictures of my children in the bluebonnets. It took two separate trips to some far away places to get some good shots of each child. Sure, there were patches of bluebonnets all around San Antonio but my mom and I thought it would be good to drive south an hour or so to a little town called Poteet where we heard the flowers would be amazing. Well, they were OK and by the time we got to a good patch, Gracyn was exhausted and would have nothing to do with any of it! So I got some good ones of Gatlin and decided to try again another day. Flash forward to three weeks later and the panic that set in thinking I may have missed the opportunity to get Gracyn's pictures in the bluebonnets during her first spring on this earth. So, my mom and I set off again in search of the perfect field. This time we headed north an hour or so to a 'scenic loop'. Lo and behold, we found a gorgeous strip of bluebonnets worthy of the perfect pictures I had envisioned. I got some great shots of Gracyn but never really got the "money shot" with both children. I can't blame it on the children or the flowers, this one was all me and my lack of photography skills. I decided on the way home that I'd like to take a photography class and that I need a better camera. Yes, a better camera. Perhaps a digital SLR camera (not that I really know what that is, I just heard it's great). That will make my bluebonnet pictures perfect and make up for my lack of skills... hint, hint, Kyle! :)

Day one.. the best shot of the day

Day two, much better field and much happier Gracyn!

Best shot of the two kids.. good of Gatlin but Gracyn's examining her adorable baby toes!

And last, but definitely not least...

Four year old conversation

2010-03-30T15:44:00.006-05:00

Today, Kyle dropped Gatlin off at school. As he was signing him in, this is the conversation he overheard between Gatlin and a little girl in his class....

Little girl: My dad is on a trip.
Gatlin: My dad went into the woods and shot a pig.
Little girl: I like pig. I've eaten pig before.

You just can't make this stuff up!

Everything is exciting and new to a five month old!

2010-03-12T17:44:00.005-06:00

Gracyn is really beginning to enjoy this wide world around her. I love to watch her discover and experience things she's never seen or touched before. Her favorite thing to look at is still our faces (which I love more than anything) and she is always trying to touch our faces and bring them close to her. She used to suck on our noses but now she gums them HARD, which means my sweet baby girl will be cutting teeth soon, I'm afraid. I love her gummy smile and will miss that so much when her baby teeth poke through.

A few weeks back, we decided it was time for Gracyn's introduction to the new exersaucer. I was at the store when Kyle put it together and when he called me to tell me she was playing in it, I was a little sad to be missing it. I told him to grab a camera and get a picture. All he had was his iPhone so, excuse the picture quality...

Her other latest discovery is her feet. She found them one night while sitting in her bumbo and now she tries to get them in her mouth at every possible moment. Our personal favorite is when she plays with them on the changing table. Unfortunately for you, it is cutest when she's a naked baby, but I am not about to post a picture of her like that! So, I took a couple of her with her diaper on. Not as cute, but still pretty cute.

Busted! Who me?

You would think we were first time parents, wouldn't you? But, we are last time parents, which I think may be even worse. I found myself wishing for each new stage to come with Gatlin like rolling, crawling, and walking. Now, I find myself wishing that each day would be like the last and that Gracyn would stay at just this stage in life forever. She is more fun than should be legally allowed and I am trying to cherish every moment because tomorrow, she'll be bigger than today and a little less baby.

The incredible egg...

2010-03-12T17:19:00.007-06:00

So, Gatlin has been learning about dinosaurs lately and has become completely immersed in them. He tells me all about the meat-eaters and plant-eaters and even uses words like "omnivore"! Pretty snazzy, right?

Since he has found a new passion, my mom decided to get Gatlin a dinosaur egg where the dinosaur actually hatches. As soon as Gatlin opened it, he begged me to put it in the water so he could watch it hatch. I think he thought it would instantaneously become a dinosaur so I had to explain to him that it would take several days. I have to say, I was pretty impressed with how it actually "hatched". I expected the shell to just disintegrate, but it actually hatched out of the shell like a bird would! I decided to journal it's growth with pictures and now, I'm going to ~~bore you~~ share them with you!

Day 2
Because Day 1 was just an egg and I forgot to take a picture of it :)

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Finally hatched!
Gatlin named him "Rhino" (don't ask me why) and took him to school the next day to show all his friends. Now, Rhino is a member of the family, even playing board games with us. It's amazing how something so small can bring so much joy, isn't it?

Gatlinisms

2010-03-10T17:15:00.004-06:00

I have been meaning to do a post on some of the funny things Gatlin says on a regular basis. So many people have told me that I should be writing all of these down and now I've forgotten some of them so, I'm going to carpe diem and write down the few I can remember from the last couple of months..

1. When talking about his first "girlfriend" Olivia when she told him she didn't want to be friends anymore, he said:
"I just want her to tell me she loves me!"

2. At dinner one night, he was looking at his plate and said:
"Dear Jesus, help me eat these peas!"

3. One morning I told him to put his shoes on and he said:
"These shoes bother me!"
I said: "Why, are they too small?"
He said: "No, they bother me because they aren't perfect!"
(Uh-Oh, I've created a monster!)

4. Gatlin was sick one weekend and Doc was picking on him so he said:
"Quit picking on me or I'll breathe on you!"

5. While camping this last weekend, Gatlin said:
"Doritos give me energy!"

And last, but not least..
6. Gatlin has been saving up for a game he wants and he came out in the living room one night after he'd earned another dollar and said:
"I saved money for my elephant game by switching to Geico!"

Never a dull moment when you live with a four year old!
I love you, Gatlin!

January and February, where did you go?

2010-02-25T16:46:00.020-06:00

Since I posted a post covering September through December what seems like just a few weeks ago, I find it crazy that January is already gone and February is on it's way out the door! It has been a couple of great months, busy as usual, with both of my children growing like weeds. Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

New Years Eve and day was pretty tame this year. Usually our dear friends, the Rendells, are in town and we celebrate together but, this year they stayed in Florida and we stayed here. We went to my mom's house for a little while and then came home to put the kids to bed and watch the ball drop. We barely made it past midnight before we were conked out, cozy in our bed. Not too exciting yet strangely relaxing.

On January 2nd, Texas Tech played Michigan State at the Alamobowl here in town. So, being the true Tech fan and alumnus that I am, we decided to go. We invited some dear friends to go with us who are die hard Aggies and they said they would go and support Tech incognito. Tech won 41-31 and I went home a happy Red Raider!
We celebrated my Dad's birthday a couple days later at Gatlin's favorite restaurant, Peter Piper Pizza. It was a great time and Gatlin thoroughly loves playing games with his "Hojo". Gracyn likes it there too because she can look at all the flashing lights. We are very blessed to live so close to our family and be able to celebrate birthdays together.
Gracyn getting loved on by her Hojo. Happy birthday, Dad!

Next up was the much anticipated National Championship game featuring none other than Kyle's beloved alma mater The University of Texas squaring off against our neighbor (and great friend's) beloved team, Alabama. Boy, could you feel the tension in the air as game time approached. Kyle even drew with sidewalk chalk all over our driveway to support the Longhorns and taunt our neighbors. Graciously, they invited us over (in spite of ourselves) to watch the game and eat wings. Here are Kyle and Gracyn getting into the spirit and anxiously awaiting kick off...As most of you know, Texas' quarterback, Colt McCoy, got hurt on or around the 4th play of the game and did not return to the game. Without him playing, Texas suffered an agonizing defeat to Alabama (much to the joy of our neighbors). To this day, Bobo still taunts Kyle with the score of 37-21. He even put notes in Kyle's jacket pockets for Kyle to find at a later date. Kyle's retaliation?...
He knew that crossbow would come in handy someday!

Also in January, one of Kyle's high school friends came in town for an incentive ride in the T-38. Ceb is the lead guitarist for Blue October and his band did a concert for the military over in Germany. As a thank you, Kyle was able to arrange a ride in his jet for Ceb. That's a pretty big deal considering I've never been up in the jet and will never get to. The ride was a lot of fun for both of them and Ceb is now considered an honorary Black Eagle! He even came back a few weeks later and attended a roll call (yet another thing I've never gotten to do or will ever do). No, I'm not jealous! :)
Doing a pre-flight check around the jet
Getting ready to go..
Back on the ground after a fun ride!

February has been a bit less eventful but I've been able to get some cute pics of the kids. Gatlin had two weeks of "themed weeks", one week being "Bear week" and another being "Cowboy week". Anything you could ever want to know about either one, Gatlin learned at school. He took a teddy bear to school with him two days and came home with the most adorable ears...

The next week, he had to dress like a cowboy...

Cutest cowboy I've ever seen! :)

One of my mom's sisters (Bonnie) and her husband Ralph have been in town since mid January. While they've been down here, Bonnie celebrated her 70th birthday. Unbeknownst to her, her two daughters and their families planned a surprise visit to help her celebrate. We all met at Olive Garden for the big surprise and boy, was she ever surprised!! It was so much fun to see the look on her face and we were all so relieved that we didn't have to keep the secret any longer. We all almost slipped several times!!

On Valentine's Day weekend, we went to Lorena to see Kyle's brother and family and his parents. This was the same weekend when Dallas got six inches of snow. Being the clever mom/Gigi she is, Billie brought down two big coolers full of snow and we all had a snowball fight! The kids even made a small snowman!

We also celebrated both Doc's birthday and the twins' birthdays while we were there. It was great to be together and thank you Brandt and Christi for hosting all of us. What a fun weekend!
Here are all the kids, minus Gracyn, piling on Doc!

Gigi and Gracyn dolled up for Valentine's Day!

February 16th was a big day in our house as Gracyn rolled over for the first time on her own!
Watch..

On Friday, Feb 19th, we got the best news of all... Kyle got hired for an AGR position! What does that mean? Warning: Long explanation to follow...
Ever since Kyle separated from Active Duty, he has had a part time reservist position. He was still flying the T-38 but was not guaranteed to ever have enough hours of flying and working to make up a 40 hour work week. So, in order to keep the bills paid, he has been "troughing" (flying as many hours as he could), in addition to working other jobs around the base. For a year, he was on the Inspector General team that goes around to other bases doing inspections. That required him to be gone about one week a month, sometimes more. When we got pregnant, we both agreed that being on the IG team wasn't ideal. Without a job to fall back on, we put our faith in God and decided to quit the IG team for a year. God was faithful and provided another job for Kyle taking bids from companies to build the new T-38. Since that job wasn't supposed to start until January and the IG job ended in September, we again put our faith in God that he would provide enough hours to keep the bills paid. He did and also orchestrated an AGR position opening up in the squadron that shouldn't have been. Kyle applied about three weeks ago and praise God, he got the job.

What this means is we are now back on Active Duty status, flying the T-38 here, at Randolph, indefinitely. We are on military health care again and will receive an active duty retirement when he retires. It is truly the best case scenario for us. God is so faithful and we praise him daily for his goodness and mercy. It still feels like a dream and I don't think it's fully sunk in for either of us yet!

Just two days ago, San Antonio got a little snow. Not much to write home about but, in this town, it's a big deal! Gatlin got to go outside and catch snowflakes on his tongue while he was at school and I purposely woke Gracyn up so she wouldn't miss the snow. Believe it or not, it's the second time she's seen it in her short little 5 month life! Once in Dallas over Christmas and once here!

Look very closely at the fence and you can see flakes and on the ground, the tiniest amount of accumulation! :) I know, pathetic, right?

To end this post, I thought it would be fun just to post some cute pics we've gotten over the past couple of months. I will try to post them chronologically so you can see how Gracyn has changed. We love our lives and couldn't be more blessed!

Proud gingerbread house builder!

Actually riding the car at Peter Piper Pizza..usually he won't let you put money in it!

Gracyn in her new swing.. all color coordinated, of course! Three and a half months old.

Gatlin in his new flight suit Daddy got him

Getting me some baby love!

Four months old!

I love my Bumbo! Thanks Aunt Holly!!

Trying out Mommy and Daddy's bed!

Five months old!

Dead dog sleeping.. Scout, 11 years old and counting..

Sortie turned 7 years old Jan. 29th

My beautiful babies!

Three month recap

2010-01-05T23:54:00.031-06:00

OK, I am finally attempting to get back into this blogging thing. I used to be a little more consistent and since a certain someone arrived, blogging has fallen way, way to the back burner. I am now so overwhelmed with all that has happened over the last three months, I am going to recap and then try to keep up from now on. If you have a newborn, you know that time is precious and free time is so very short so, a huge blog post (or several small ones) has escaped me completely. Enough excuses, here you go...

September 2009
Gracyn was born and our family was immediately complete! We arrived home from the hospital two days after her birth and came home to this..Isn't it sweet? Thanks Moms!
Almost immediately after arriving home, all family cleared out so we could get into some kind of routine. Although I was completely scared out of my mind to be a mother of two, it was comforting to know that Kyle would be home for the next week. He was such a wonderful support; taking Gatlin to and from school, getting up with me in the middle of the night to keep me company, changing diapers, cleaning the house and keeping Gatlin clothed, clean and fed. What a man! Here are some pics of Gracyn's first days..
Gatlin adjusted so well to Gracyn and it is safe to say that he is completely in love with her. He wasn't too keen on holding her but loves to talk to her, pat her head and tell her how sweet, cute, gorgeous she is. He also thanked us daily for giving him his baby sister. We are so happy he is doing so well and try to thank him frequently for loving her and being the "best big brother ever!'

October 2009
Kyle celebrated his 35th birthday on October 4th and, sadly, there was no big party or huge celebration as I would have liked to have done for him. We did have some family pictures done that day by a sweet friend, Alex, who takes some fantastic pictures without being intrusive. I don't know how she does it but she always manages to get the best smiles out of Gatlin! Here are a few of our favorites..
In mid October, we went to Kyle's brother Brandt's house and met up with Kyle's parents to celebrate both of their birthdays. It was Gracyn's first long car trip and she did great, sleeping the whole way. We arrived somewhat late and had steak for dinner followed by birthday pie. Gracyn smiled for the first time, not at me, but at my sister in law Christi! She later smiled at me and then at my mother in law the next morning. Once she figured out how, she now smiles many, many times a day. What a happy baby!
Halloween was a highly anticipated holiday at our house this year. So much so that we had to print out a calendar so that Gatlin could mark off the days until the big day. He really wanted to be Wall-E this year so I ordered his costume in September. Big mistake because then I was dealing with the daily wardrobe changes from normal clothes, to costume, back to normal clothes. A mistake I will not repeat next year (or at least, I won't let him know that it's here if I do order it early!). One of his funniest quotes around this time was when the costume arrived. UPS dropped it off in a flat, rectangular box. When I told Gatlin that his costume was in the box, he very quickly said..
"But Mom, that is a rectangular box. Wall-E is square!" How right he was, so smart!
Here he is, trying on his costume while standing on the toilet so he could see himself!
I decided it would be cute for Gracyn to be Eve, Wall-E's little friend. If you haven't seen the movie, here is what she looks like..
I thought, heck, I could make that for a baby. So, I got a long sleeved white layette and a little white hat and used black fabric paint to draw a black LED screen on the hat. Next, I took little blue sequins and made her face on the hat. Now, I am a perfectionist so, it didn't turn out exactly how I envisioned it but, oh well, like Gracyn cared, right? Here is how she looked in it..
Note how unhappy she is? Also, by the time Halloween rolled around, the layette was almost too small and the hat still too big. Again, oh well.
Gatlin also decided he would pick out Kyle's costume. He really wanted Kyle to be Mario, of the Super Mario Brothers. Not wanting to disappoint, Kyle went out and spent too much on a costume and even grew a real mustache! It was so sweet to see Gatlin's face when Kyle came out all dressed up, priceless! We all trekked out together to trick or treat and all costumes were a hit!
Not to be outdone, the dogs dressed up too (begrudgingly, actually)

November 2009
During this month, Gracyn started sleeping through the night, going from about 11:30pm to 7:30 am! Ahh, what a feeling the first night I slept eight hours! Veteran's Day weekend was big for all of us. Kyle got to be part of a four ship flyover for the UT game and Kyle's mom drove down to San Antonio to watch Gatlin and Gracyn so I could go to the game; my first time away from Gracyn! Kyle flew into Austin the night before the game and had dinner with the 1969 UT championship team. He also got his picture taken with the old coach of the team, Darryl Royal. The next day, I drove up to Austin, sans children, and met up with Kyle's dad, brother, and family while Kyle and the other pilots had breakfast with the team and chatted it up with Mack Brown. Kyle even got a dog tag from Colt McCoy that all the players wear during the games. Meanwhile, we got to the stadium and had great seats and whooped and hollered when Kyle and crew flew overhead.

Once they were done flying, Kyle and the other pilots got a limo ride back to the stadium, stood on the field during the game, met Bevo, and got on the jumbo tron. Needless to say, Kyle was in Longhorn heaven!
Darryl Royal
Major Applewhite
Limo ride
Jumbo Tron! Second from the left.
We also had another set of pictures taken when Alex came back for a second time. Gracyn was not sleepy the first set of pictures so we decided to try to get "sleepy baby" pictures this time but, Gracyn wouldn't have it. She didn't and still doesn't ever want to miss a thing! But, we got some more great shots and are so thankful to Alex for dedicating not one, but two, afternoons to our family!
One of my personal favorites! :)
Thanksgiving snuck up on us this year (for obvious reasons) and it was filled with family and fun. Gatlin did a little Thanksgiving production at his school with songs and a pseudo Thanksgiving dinner. He was adorable in his pilgrim outfit and sang every song with gusto!

Gatlin singing in the production. NO short jokes, please! :)

Thanksgiving was spent with both sides of my family. We went to my mom's house first and ate Thanksgiving dinner then it was off to my dad's house to visit with him, my grandma, and my aunt and uncle. It was really nice to be surrounded by our loved ones and Gracyn did great on her first Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving day outfit!
Mom, unhappy Gatlin, and Gracyn
Gracyn and Great Grandma Ross
The day after Thanksgiving, we made our second road trip with Gracyn up to Farmersville, TX. so Gracyn could meet the rest of the family. Kyle's brother and family came up too and we all went to the Texas Tech/Baylor game at the new Cowboy's stadium while Kyle's parents watched the kids. What an incredible stadium! Gracyn did great considering she is no longer taking a bottle (which upsets me greatly). Fortunately for all of us, she slept for five hours and only woke up about thirty minutes before we got home. What a good girly! We had Gracyn dedicated at Kyle's parents' church that weekend also and she did great. Gatlin was so sweet because we, as a family, stood in front of the church for the dedication and Gatlin wanted to hold my hand the whole time. He was good as gold and so proud of his baby sister!
Gracyn and her Great Grammy
Gracyn and Coach
Gracyn and her cousin Hayley
Cowboys Stadium
Go Red Raiders!
Strauss, one of the two resident longhorns at the farm!

December 2009
December brought, as with everyone else, the season of shopping, parties and pageants. Gatlin's school did yet another little holiday song ensemble. Gatlin did a fabulous job again and I am so happy to be at this age and stage with him. I remember watching children sing in church and thinking "someday, that will be Gatlin!" Well, now it is and I love it!
Gatlin and his "girlfriend" Ayla. Aren't they cute? He's got great taste!

Singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Note three things..
1. Gatlin's standing next to Ayla again
2. None of the kids seem to know the words
3. The boy on the right is totally hilarious!
We also went to a few Christmas parties this year and each one seemed to have the white elephant gift exchange theme. I have to tell you the hottest item as a gift was the infamous Snuggie! There were four being passed around (feverishly stolen) at our squadron party and one at our church party that got stolen to the point it was frozen quicker than any other gift! I have deduced that the Snuggie is the gift everyone wants but no one wants to buy for themselves! We, ourselves went home with one and yes, we use it on a regular basis!
Three of the four of us trying on our Snuggies before we even left the restaurant!

Santa visited the squadron again this year and Gatlin was so excited!! He ran out when the jet was taxiing in and ran up and gave Santa a big hug. This was also Gracyn's first encounter with Santa and she did fantastic!
By the way, Gatlin's shirt says "Dear Santa, I can explain..." Totally appropriate! :)

We traveled up to Dallas for Christmas this year and had a wonderful time despite a very "Griswold type" Christmas. Some of the antics include Gatlin throwing up at the table at Cracker Barrel, Scout eating rat poison, getting a car stuck in a muddy ditch, and Bill falling/rolling down the dam. Those are just to name a few. In spite of it all, we had a fantastic Christmas and hope next year is as good.. but, we could do without the drama, though. Thanks.
The highlights..
Gatlin and Grams making a gingerbread house

Look what Santa left in our stocking! We must have been really good!
Gatlin and Doc next to the bronze statue Gigi gave Doc for Christmas. It's supposed to be Gatlin and Gracyn!
Doc and Gatlin playing with the train

Our annual Christmas pageant. Everyone did a fantastic job including Gracyn as the baby Jesus.
Notice Gatlin is rushing the song? Typical, but so funny!

Sorry for the long winded post but, better late than never, right? The January update is coming shortly (read: June :) ) Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and thanks for tolerating my blogging delinquency.
By the way, this post took me 18 days and 4 hours to finish. No wonder I'm so far behind!!

And the award goes to....

2009-11-20T16:07:00.003-06:00

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
Born September 24, 2009 at 1:08pm
Weighing 7lbs 15 oz and measuring 21.25 inches long!!

Gatlin's first day of school

2009-09-08T16:04:00.006-05:00

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

2009-06-23T17:21:00.008-05:00

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...

2009-06-23T16:02:00.024-05:00

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!

2009-06-23T15:52:00.008-05:00

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

2009-06-23T14:43:00.004-05:00

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!!

2009-05-20T14:30:00.002-05:00

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! :)

It's a.....

2009-05-04T18:07:00.009-05:00

Well, we had our sonogram on Friday and we found out we're having a GIRL!!!

Had you asked us to bet money on what we thought we were having, we would have gone all in on a boy! So, obviously, the shock was palpable in the sonogram room! We still look at each other in disbelief and say "we're having a girl!?!?!!" Now we need to come up with a name! No thought had even been given to a girl name up to this point, yikes! Well, at least we have 20 weeks left to decide.. any suggestions?

We are beyond excited and feel blessed beyond measure to be having one of each. She is the picture of health and so far, every test has come back perfect.

We covet your prayers for continued health for me and this new little girl. Can't wait to meet her!

I am posting our ultrasound video. It starts as a profile with her head on the left facing up. The scan moves across her body then gives you a quick shot on the right of the girly parts. (cover your eyes those of you under the age of 18!) :) Then, as it moves back up the head, you see her face on and see glimpses of her spine and belly. (I thought I'd give a description since some of these sonograms can be a little tricky to figure out what you're looking at). Enjoy!!

Easter fun!

2009-05-04T10:44:00.019-05:00

Easter was a lot of fun this year. We started out by having a visit from the Easter Bunny at the squadron. Gatlin was really excited to see him this year! He was also a maniac when it came time to hunt for Easter eggs, you've never seen a kid run so fast! He also participated in his first potato sack race! He didn't win but was so cute trying his best to keep up with the big kids and keep jumping!

Run, Gatlin, run!!

Cute video of Gatlin in the potato sack race! (turn off the music at the bottom of the blog page)

On Easter weekend, we went up to Kyle's parents' farm for an Easter celebration with the whole family. They had a big party for all the kids at their church complete with another Easter egg hunt, a hay ride, and cascarones (hollowed out eggs that are filled with confetti that you crack on each other's head!)

The hay ride, "city"fied!!!

Gatlin double-fisting the eggs!

Kyle cracking a cascarone on an unsuspecting Gatlin!

The cascarone aftermath.. Thanks a lot, Dad!

Kyle and Grammy getting a little carried away with the light up rings!

Texas bluebonnets!

2009-05-04T10:22:00.006-05:00

Like most moms in Texas, it is hard to pass up a field of bluebonnets and not think "I need to get my child's picture in those!" So, while visiting with Kyle's brother and family, we found the prettiest field I've seen in quite some time and trespassed on a firework stand's property to get some pictures! The kids were tired after church and lunch but we did get a couple of cute shots! Gotta love Texas!

Bunny Ears!!

We have an announcement!

2009-03-23T10:18:00.006-05:00

We wanted to formally announce that Gatlin will be a big brother around September 23rd. We are anxiously awaiting to find out the sex on May 1st but just wanted to let everyone know our big news. The baby looks and sounds healthy and hopefully I will start to feel better soon as this baby has been kicking my butt! At least it means the pregnancy is progressing well! We'll definitely keep you updated along the way and praise God for blessing us with another child.

Vegas, baby! Yeah!!!

2009-03-21T15:19:00.011-05:00

On March 24th, Kyle and I will be celebrating our (gulp) 8th anniversary! Has it really been that long? So, when we found out a pilot training buddy of Kyle's (Russ) was getting married in Vegas, we couldn't resist but take an early anniversary trip. We took an evening flight out of San Antonio last Friday and landed in Vegas around 9:15pm. After an hour shuttle ride (mind you, the airport is about 5 minutes from the strip), we finally arrived at Mandalay Bay, our home away from home for the next four nights. We met up with some friends, Joe and Stephanie, on Saturday that Kyle knew from college and spent the day touring Vegas. We ate at a French bistro in the Venetian and Kyle and Joe rode the coaster in New York, New York. The guys also tried to race go karts but that didn't end up happening (stay tuned for more on that). Saturday night was the wedding and a nice dinner at a Wolfgang Puck Italian restaurant. Yummy! The wedding was fast and intimate, but very nice. We got to spend some time with Russ and his bride and another couple from Kyle's pilot training class and it was so much fun to reconnect with them. We also met up with a friend from San Antonio who had moved back to Kentucky. She happened to be staying at the same hotel we were so, we spent a good part of Sunday lounging by the pool. This is also where I had my one and only celebrity sighting of the trip, Ty Pennington from Extreme Home Makeover and Trading Spaces. We saw two shows while we were there, Mystere (fabulous!) and Beatles, Love. They were both great shows but we definitely liked Mystere the best. Monday we spent the day with one of Kyle's buddies from Eglin, Dave. We went to Planet Hollywood for lunch and then to see his house in North Las Vegas. What a great home! Take two of the go carts went off without a hitch this day and Kyle and Dave had a great time seeing how fast they could take the turns without crashing. Silly boys. We reluctantly headed home but were so warmly welcomed by our sweet, sweet boy that we decided that there is definitely no place like home!

Our room. Kyle's favorite part... the TV in the bathroom!

Kyle jumping for tickets. He got me a pink bling ring the size of a silver dollar. Boy, does it look real! ;)

Joe, Stephanie, and myself at New York, New York

Kyle, Russ, Andrea and Matt after the wedding

Yes guys, this is my attempt at paparazzi. This is Ty Pennington!

Serious racers!

Action shot. The guys joke that even if they were sitting still, it would still be blurry! :)

8 years of marital bliss!

Train Show!

2009-03-20T17:39:00.006-05:00

Gatlin is a huge Thomas the Train fan for those of you who may not be able to tell. His room is overflowing with Thomas track and trains, he has at least three shirts with Thomas on them and countless Thomas DVDs. So, when we told him that we were going to a train show to RIDE on Thomas the Train, boy, did our little boy freak out! Kyle was out of town so my mom and I took him downtown and were immediately overwhelmed with all of the train paraphenalia to be seen. Not only were there Thomas booths but there was every model train type known to man. Gatlin got a conductors hat while I stood in line saving his spot for the train ride. After about thirty minutes, it was Gatlin's turn to ride. Lucky for him, he got to sit in the very front as the conductor. He was proud as punch and had a blast! We found these Thomas tents that he played in for over thirty minutes and, needless to say, we ended up going home with one. Thanks Grams! We ate lunch on the Riverwalk then we all headed home for a nap. Who knows, maybe someday Gatlin will be conducting a real train. Do they even have those anymore? :)

Goldstein family San Antonio vacation

2009-03-20T17:03:00.012-05:00

Yes, that's right. We took a week long vacation right here in good ole San Antonio! Kyle's parents and our niece and nephews came down and we all stayed together in two mini condos. We were joined together by a mud room which made it very private and perfect for four rambunctious children to romp in. We did almost everything you could do in this great town of ours. We, of course, went to the Alamo after watching an Imax movie to help us all bone up on our Texas history. We saw the Ripley's Believe it or not museum and also the wax museum. We went to the Natural Bridge Caverns (a first for all of us) and got a private tour. We also went back to the Wildlife Ranch where we had our "help me Jesus" adventure. Fortunately, there was no repeat performance of that!

Kyle's brother and sister in law joined us on Thursday and on Friday, we took on the San Antonio Rodeo, complete with rides, corny dogs and calf roping!

On property, we enjoyed swimming and water slides, a lazy river, video arcade and even an outdoor movie complete with a picnic and popcorn.

All in all, it was a relaxing vacation and many cherished family memories were made.

Reunion with family

Back from the pool. The Force is strong with this one

Twins about to be eaten!

Natural Bridge Caverns

Gatlin's first carousel ride

Hayley, Jacob, and Hunter on the Super Shot

My Hero!!!

2009-01-09T22:24:00.003-06:00

Kyle's mom is a member of a club for Military Moms of students from Kyle's old high school. In November, a man who owns many of the downtown kiosks in Dallas contacted their club asking for photos of their children so he could put them in his kiosks. He believes this is his ministry, to ask others to continue praying for our military by putting a face to the cause. So, out of 300 military members, only 20 were chosen. My hubby was one of those chosen! So, at Christmas, we drove to downtown Dallas to get our pictures taken by it. On a previous trip, Kyle's mom saw two different men walk by and salute Kyle's picture. It is humbling really, as we live it every day and don't think twice about it. Thank you, Mr. Scott Reynolds, for your ministry. We must never forget those who are fighting and dying for our country so that we can remain free.

A rite of passage

2009-01-09T16:25:00.005-06:00

Well, our son has officially had his first emergency. On Saturday, we were in a model home scoping out furniture that may go up for auction when our son decided to lean on a table leaf that wasn't too secure. It gave out from under him and he hit his chin on the edge of the table. Enter the blood... We quickly ushered him to the front porch so as not to bleed in the model home and put toilet paper (all we could use) on the cut to control the blood. Did I mention there was blood? Anyway, off to urgent care (of course it had to be a Saturday, Murphy's Law, I guess). Three hours later and three stitches later, our son looked like Frankenstein but was, in his words, "all better". He was extremely brave and even got the nurses laughing a couple of times. He called himself Santa Claus when they taped gauze soaked in lidocaine to his chin. Then, when he was all done, he profusely thanked everyone he saw and enthusiastically said his goodbyes. What a ham! Today, we had the stitches removed and, yet again, he entertained the entire pediatric clinic. "Wow, what a cool bathroom" and "What? I'm 31 and a half pounds?" were two of his highlights. Doctors say he will be left with a small scar but, we women think scars are sexy, right? Watch out ladies, here he comes!

Ho, ho, ho!

The offending table!

Sea World and old friends..

2009-01-09T10:21:00.015-06:00

On New Year's Eve, our good friends came in town and we decided to visit Sea World. After all, it was the last day of the year and neither of us had used our free one day admission for being military. This is our second year in a row celebrating New Years with the Rendells and we think we will make it a tradition! We only stayed at the park for about four hours but, in that short amount of time, we crammed in a lot of activities! We tried to pet the dolphins, we toured the aquarium, rode the water ride, saw the Viva show, saw the Shamu show, and visited Shamu's Happy Harbor (for the kiddos). Kyle and I were even lucky enough to get about a 15 minute date when our friends watched Gatlin so we could ride the Steel Eel roller coaster. Thanks guys!
After the Viva show, we ran into one of our friends from the squadron and all of our kids spent about 20 minutes playing on a big hill. That was great for us and helped the kids burn off some energy. After the Shamu show, I saw a few friends of mine that I used to work with at Sea World and was able to catch up with one of them. It was so great to reconnect with her and capped off a wonderful day.

Tongue draggin (like our dogs) after romping with his friends!

Only picture we got of the dolphins in the petting pool

My friend Leslie lounging on a killer whale's tummy. I don't know about you but, I do that everyday! NOT!

Reuniting with my buddy, Jen

Christmas came and went..

2009-01-05T00:49:00.010-06:00

What a wonderful holiday we had this year. Kyle was given about two weeks off without us having to take leave just due to the fact that things were slow.

You can imagine how spoiled we've become. We spent about a week in Dallas with Kyle's family and did it up right! Gatlin was really into Christmas this year which was so much fun to see. He even left cookies and milk for Santa and we started a new tradition with the Elf on the Shelf. If you don't have one or have never heard of it, check it out. Gatlin decided to name our elf "Birthday Cake". I said "Are you sure, cause it's gonna stick" (hoping I could persuade him in a different direction). He emphatically said yes so, Birthday Cake it was. I guess it's fitting since Christmas is really all about the birth of Christ, why not name our elf Birthday Cake in celebration? On Christmas morning, Gatlin's booty included a new Thomas bicycle complete with matching helmet and knee pads and a motorized truck zooming around a track. He also got lots of airplane decor for his new big boy bedroom and several more Thomas the Train motorized trains and too many other gifts to mention. He was in heaven on earth! We also did our third annual Christmas pageant and Gatlin was the shepherd. He took his role very seriously and is now considering a future acting career. He still talks about it to this day but, next year, he has his sights set on the role of the Angel!! He keeps practicing with his blanket making wings with it and saying "Look Mommy, I'm the angel". Kyle and I feel so blessed to be able to spend the holidays in Texas with family and hope you all had a blessed Christmas.

Our little shepherd boy

The whole gang!

It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's Santa in a jet!

2008-12-19T22:52:00.007-06:00

Santa visited the 435th for the second year in a row to bring joy and gifts to all the Black Eaglettes. Gatlin missed the actual taxi because he was busy (read throwing a fit). Ahem. Anyway, once we got out to the tarmac, he began to enjoy himself and even hammed it up for the photographer, Alex. It was a better experience for Gatlin this year sitting on Santa's lap mainly because Santa presented him with a gift. It was a book that I purchased and wrapped for Santa to give Gatlin on the big day. Good idea, right? Wish I could say it was mine, but it wasn't. So, although we didn't get a perfect "sit pretty and smile for the camera while on Santa's lap", what we did get was a cute, genuine reaction shot of Gatlin receiving his book.

Our Rudolph jet!

Santa arriving in style!

"Oh wow, a gift from Santa!"

2008-11-24T21:45:00.004-06:00

This is my first attempt with this blog thing, but I wanted to thank my wonderful wife for everything she does for our family. I am very blessed to have her as my wife and Gatlin, Scout, and Sortie's mom. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARRIE!

We celebrated by going out to eat with Carrie's family throughout the week and on her actual birthday we had our wonderful neighbors over for a small party. I got the numbers backwards on the cake...She is really 23 :)

Love, Kyle

Carrie you get more beautiful with age!

I need a hug!

2008-11-23T12:51:00.002-06:00

What happened to Texas Tech last night? Does anyone know why they didn't show up to play? I mean, that game was a good ol' fashioned spanking! Don't get me wrong, I am still a die hard fan and will support my boys til the end but, come on! They average 40 points a game and barely squeaked out 21 last night. I have never seen them play so poorly. I guess the excitement and nerves took over and they never calmed down. What a sad night in Raiderland and in the Goldstein household. I am still reeling today. I know, I know, it's just a football game. There's always next year.

Go Red Raiders!!!

2008-11-22T11:54:00.005-06:00

I am very excited about this game today. We are #2 in the nation, undefeated, facing OU, #5. We are playing at OU which will make the game much harder to win as OU has only lost at home twice in the past 60 home games! Insurmountable odds? Absolutely not! I am hoping and praying my Red Raiders blow them away and, if you don't have a favorite already, would you do me a favor and GET YOUR GUNS UP!!!

"Dream Team" QB Graham Harrell and WR Michael Crabtree

We're the dancers

2008-11-17T09:15:00.005-06:00

I was laughing so hard when I saw this Saturday night. Justin never comes on SNL and doesn't leave me in tears. So funny!

Camping Part Deux, Chubby Bunny Style

2008-11-15T10:01:00.014-06:00

We decided to do a mini camping experience in the backyard last night with our neighbors again. Kyle set up the big tent and cleared a space in our mulch bed to burn a Duraflame log to roast marshmallows by. We straightened hangars, set out our chairs and lanterns and awaited the darkness to begin the repeat camping experience. We first all had burgers at Jordan and Kelci's house then moved the party over to our place. We got all bundled up as a cold front was beginning to blow through and began the s'more experience in the backyard. After about five minutes, a huge gust of wind blew our fire out and the camping was officially moved indoors.

We lit our gas fireplace without any logs in it and roasted marshmallows on the open flames spouting from the pipe. It was a sight to be seen, I'll tell you. We all enjoyed s'mores in the comfort of our living room (my kind of camping) and chatted the evening away while Gatlin and Christiana played in Gatlin's Cars tent.

After a while, Kyle got the bright idea to stuff as many of the big marshmallows as possible into his mouth (aka Chubby Bunny). He got five the first time and was quickly told by Bobo that his attempt was weak. Can you see where this is going? A challenge was made and Bobo was up next to stuff his face. His technique was fantastic, poking the marshmallows into the corners and crevices of his cheeks until he had stuffed eight into his mouth. We were all laughing so hard, it was great. Kyle then tried again using Bobo's technique and got a whopping seven thereby handing Bobo the "chubby bunny" victory. At the end of the night, we were sufficiently stuffed on s'mores and slept in our cozy beds instead of in the windstorm that continued throughout the night. Again, my kind of camping!

Attempt #1, five marshmallows

Bobo working on a grand total of eight marshmallows

Attempt #2, stuffing number seven into his mouth

Ahh, the sticky sweet taste of victory!

Gatlin and Jordan hangin in the Cars tent

Gatlin's impression of "Chuggy Buggy" as he calls it

Camping Part One

2008-11-15T09:24:00.012-06:00

About a month ago, we took Gatlin on his first official camping trip; complete with tent, campfire, and s'mores. We stayed at the Guadalupe River State Park just a mere 30 minutes from the house and what a beautiful place it was. We went with two other couples who live right next door and right across the street. One couple has an 18 month old and it was her first camping trip as well and the other couple is expecting their first in March so they started him off very early! I have to say it all went wonderfully, especially the kids. We did get there a little late and had to set our tents up in the dark but, while some of us were doing that, Jordan got to cooking the burgers and by the time we were all set up, we were also ready to eat. Dinner was great and we followed it up with too many s'mores. Gatlin loved roasting the marshmallows until they fell off into the fire and then, he started all over again. Who knows the marshmallow casualty number; what a pity. After dinner and dessert, the kids retired to bed and we sat around the campfire singing worship songs thanks to the accompaniment of Bobo's guitar. What a blessed evening.

During the night, we were visited by raccoons and armadillos who were not afraid to come right up close to the site but did very minimal damage. Not the most comforting feeling in the world to be using nature's facility and simultaneously hearing the rustling of leaves right behind you, let me tell you.

The next morning we packed up our gear, ate some breakfast tacos (courtesy of Kyle) and headed on a short hike down a very steep hill to the Guadalupe river. You can bet I was channeling my inner "Man vs. Wild" down the narrow hill and past the "what kind of plants are those?" We stayed for a few minutes enjoying the scenery and taking pictures and then, it was back up the hill to head for home as it was beginning to drizzle. We really had a great time thanks to great friends and warm weather. Gatlin is still talking about it to this day.

Amy, Bobo, and little Christiana

Setting up the tent and, yes, that is an air mattress. If I'm going to camp, I will be comfortable!

Kyle and his "hat lamp". It actually came in handy that night!

Jordan, Kelci, and baby Benjamin (in his momma's tummy)

Gatlin attempting to play the guitar

The whole crew!

Horton Hears a "No Way, Jose!!"

2008-11-03T17:33:00.011-06:00

OK, so I got the bright idea to dress Gatlin as Horton the elephant from "Horton Hears a Who". I browsed online for a costume and gave Gatlin several options. He picked his favorite and the countdown until it arrived began. When it got here, Gatlin was so excited.... until he actually tried it on! A fit, the likes of which I can honestly say I haven't seen in a long time, commenced. I decided to take pictures for prosperity in case I could never get him back into it and after 5 minutes of sobbing and screaming my son said "NO MORE PICTURES!" I just died laughing and put him out of his misery by taking the costume off. After he tried it on, I quickly realized that the costume needed some work if it was to be what I had envisioned it to be. The head piece was so floppy that it wouldn't stand upright. Also, it was missing the most important part of Horton; the flower that the Whos live on! So, I went to Hobby Lobby and bought all I needed to make the flower and hot glued it to the trunk. Then, I went to a fabric store and purchased fusible webbing to get the head to stand up. After much frustration, the costume was ready for its Halloween debut. But, Gatlin was not!

Kyle forced him into the suit and crammed the hat on his head while Gatlin completely lost his mind in a fit worse than the first time (welcome to age 3!) I could hear Kyle telling Gatlin he had no choice and he would trick or treat no matter what because "your mother worked very hard on this" so "man up!" Yes, my husband told our three year old to "man up". I must admit, it was hard to contain the laughter at that point.

So, Kyle dragged my son out the door and across the street to our friends' house where Kelci promptly saved Halloween by giving Gatlin a sucker. Crisis solved, why didn't we think of that? We only made it to about four houses before Gatlin was done trick or treating but, he did wear the costume for an hour after that waiting to pass out candy.

Fit #1. (Notice the floppy head)

Fit #2

Fit #2, still going... this time, no costume malfunction

As usual, the girls were not left out of the Halloween fun. They walked around with us and wore their costumes like good girls. I torture them, I know.

Scout the Chicken

Sortie, our monkey

Fall Festival

2008-11-03T17:17:00.005-06:00

We went to a fall festival hosted by a local Methodist church in the area. It had carnival games, "trunk or treating" (where kids trick or treat at cars parked in the parking lot) and a hay ride. Gatlin loved the hay ride we went on at a different farm last year so we decided to go this year at the church. The church is located right off of Hwy 281 and the hay ride took us alongside the highway and down an exit to a quarry area. About two minutes into the ride, we passed a dead deer that had been hit by a car several days ago. The stench was enough to nauseate even the toughest of stomachs and one lady said "I guess that's the scary part of the hayride!" We all got a good laugh out of that one! Once back at the church, Gatlin headed straight for the bounce house and bounced his little heart out. The church also had a great pumpkin patch where we got some pumpkins this year. I also talked to a lady about their preschool and I am going to look into enrolling Gatlin in the spring! What a great find considering we just happened to drive by!

Birthday Boy!

2008-10-06T16:21:00.006-05:00

Saturday was Kyle's birthday! I won't reveal his age but will say that he is relieved to be an even number age again. He has this thing about that! His parents drove in for the weekend to help us celebrate. Take a walk down memory lane, won't you?

Happy birthday sweetie, I love you more than ever!

Happy Birthday Grammy!

2008-10-06T15:50:00.004-05:00

September 28th, Kyle's grandma turned 90 years old! We went up to Farmersville to help her celebrate and had a great time. Kyle's parents threw her a birthday party worthy of 90 years with about 40-50 people there and even flew in Grammy's nephew as a surprise. Kyle's mom also asked people to send birthday cards to add up to 90 and, of course, she received that many, if not more! She is loved by all and has the best sense of humor and accurate memory of anyone I have known. We are so blessed to have her in our lives and so thankful that she is still so healthy and happy.

We love you Grammy and Happy Birthday!!!

Brandt, Grammy, and the Birthday Bear

Ya Mon!

2008-10-06T14:58:00.009-05:00

Do I have the sweetest husband or what? Kyle decided to plan a surprise vacation for us and kept it a secret from everyone, including his mother. I had no idea where we were going or what to pack so, the night before we left, Kyle told me to pack something warm and a bathing suit. The next morning, (4:30 am to be exact) we headed out in the car to who knows where. We finally ended up at the airport and only after we checked in for our flight did I find out we were going to Montego Bay, Jamaica to stay at the Sandals resort!

We had the most wonderful time just relaxing by the ocean and living on island time. We got recertified in Scuba and dove a couple of times while we were there. Kyle's favorite past time was sailing on the Hobie cats they had available. He was right at home on that boat until one day when he got a little cocky and decided to race the clock back and forth along the beach. It was during one of those passes that I overheard someone say "Hey, it looks like someone on a Hobie cat needs rescue!" After a quick count of boats, I realized it was my husband. Needless to say, he was quite embarrassed when he returned to the beach in a rescue boat. Fortunately, the only thing he hurt was his pride.

We also took part in a dance contest one night to decide the "Jamaican Dance King" and in a separate contest, the "Jamaican Dance Queen"and both Kyle and I made it to the finals but didn't win. We did, however, get comments from the staff that they were surprised we could "shake it so well". My response was "thanks... I think."

After 6 days and 5 nights in paradise, we returned to our normal lives and, of course, were so happy to see our sweet boy and fur children again. If you are ever looking for a romantic, relaxing vacation, look no further than Sandals. What a wonderful trip!

The view from our room

Safe and sound after his "rescue"!

Take me out to the ball game

2008-09-30T15:16:00.003-05:00

We took Gatlin to see San Antonio's minor league baseball team, The Missions, play a few weeks ago. He loves to watch the players hit the ball and run the bases and screams "foul ball!" whenever someone hits a foul ball or just misses a pitch. He especially likes watching the mascots dance around and act silly. Gatlin's good buddy, Jeremiah, was there also with his Dad and Grandpa. What a hoot to watch these two interract and dance to the music. We are so blessed to have such a good friend for Gatlin to play with. The Missions decidedly won the game and we went home triumphant and drained from the heat and humidity that San Antonio is notorious for.

Silly boys!

So Funny!!!

2008-08-14T16:24:00.011-05:00

This video of Obama is too funny not to share! The dancing with Ellen is classic! Enough said...

Make sure you turn off the music at the bottom of the blog before pressing play.

*DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this video do not necessarily reflect those of the Goldstein family

Swimming lessons

2008-08-11T15:50:00.009-05:00

We decided earlier this summer to start Gatlin in swim lessons. Kyle and I both love the water so much, we wanted to be sure that Gatlin would love it too. So, this past week, Gatlin had a week of private lessons with the head lifeguard, Kyrenda. He really took to her the first day and trusted her right off the bat. By the end of the week, he was swimming back and forth between us underwater! I wouldn't say he is Olympic ready quite yet, but I am so thankful that he will finally put his face under the water! That was our biggest obstacle up to this point. Much thanks to Kyrenda for your patience and TLC with Gatlin. Watch out world, a new swimmer is born!!!

Playing "treasure hunt" with Kyrenda's charm bracelet

Getting ready for his first dunk in the lazy river

Look at me go!!!

Enjoying his graduation sucker with Kyrenda

Lovin' the lake!

2008-08-11T15:24:00.014-05:00

A few weeks ago, we met Kyle's parents and brother and family at Lake LBJ for a weekend of food, fun, and festivities. While there, we celebrated both Billie and Hayley's birthday. Hayley celebrated the big 1-0 and it was quite a birthday indeed. We stayed at the same lake house we stayed at in January but, this time, we were able to use Jerri's boat as well. It was all the kids' first time on a boat and it was definitely Gatlin's first time in lake water! I must admit that he didn't enjoy it quite as much as we had thought he would. I think he was afraid since the water wasn't clear like it is in our community pool at home. The other three kids had a blast and the boys (Kyle included) enjoyed being towed behind the boat on the "floating donut" (I like to call it). We had such a wonderful time, we were sad to leave. Thank you, Jerri and family, for another wonderful weekend at the lake!

Ready for a fun filled day on the lake! He can hardly contain his excitement!

Boys on the "floating donut"

Hayley enjoying her first boat ride!

Another agility video

2008-07-20T21:59:00.005-05:00

I was having problems uploading our Jumpers Run but I finally got it to work!! Yeah!!!

Check it out!

Double Q!!

2008-07-17T15:07:00.007-05:00

This past weekend we had a big agility show in San Antonio. It was a four day show but Sortie only competed three days. The first two runs on Friday, a friend of mine ran Sortie in Standard and Jumpers and they qualified (ran the course with no mistakes) in Jumpers. I ran her in a new class on Friday called FAST and she qualified there too! Saturday was a different story with her popping out of the weaves in Standard and us crashing and burning big time in Jumpers. On Sunday, however, my little girly qualified in both standard and jumpers which they call a "double Q"! She took first place in her Standard run and came in fifth in her jumpers run out of 60 dogs! Two of the dogs that beat her have been on the world team a couple of times so, not to brag, but my little Sortie Lou can hang with the big dogs!!

Here is her standard Q on Sunday!

Standard Run

Zoo trip: Round two

2008-07-17T14:55:00.007-05:00

Well, we decided to give the San Antonio Zoo another go last week. If you read our previous post, Gatlin got scared of the monkeys and refused to enjoy the rest of the zoo. So, this time, we went with one of Gatlin's friend's Jeremiah and his mom Catrina and little sis Annalise. Catrina and I were friends in Georgia and thanks to the military being such a small world, the Clarke family has recently relocated to San Antonio! We were very excited to be reunited and have gotten the boys together a couple of times since they've moved here. So, we decided to try Gatlin at the zoo again since Jeremiah loves it so much. I figured that he would give Gatlin some courage and help him appreciate all the wonderful animals to be seen. Well, let's just say that Gatlin did slightly better but I think that for now, the zoo just isn't his cup of tea. He looked at a few more animals this time, loved the petting zoo (again), and had a great time in the toddler section. Unfortunately, he still hung back at most exhibits and had to sit in time out twice for being a bit of punk. Until that day, I didn't even know that time out could exist in the zoo but, oh yes it can! It was really cute, though, to watch the boys interract. Jeremiah just loves to lead Gatlin around by the hand and Gatlin even told him he loved him during the day! How sweet are they? At the end of the day, we did ride the zoo train again which Gatlin was so thrilled about, me not so much. All in all, it was a better day but an experience we won't be repeating for probably another year at least.

Audie Murphy Day 2008

2008-06-25T01:00:00.009-05:00

For those of you who don't know, Kyle's parents live in a small town that just happens to be the home town of Audie Murphy, the most highly decorated war hero and Hollywood actor. Once a year, on his birthday, Farmersville, TX. hosts an Audie Murphy Day. There is a parade, a ceremony honoring veterans from all eras and branches of service, and a flyover to kick it all off. For the fourth year in a row, Kyle performed the flyover in the T-38 along with another pilot from our squadron. As usual, they did a beautiful job perfectly on time and in great position. My camera didn't get a great shot of them but here is what I got...

The day was huge success and everyone had a wonderful day celebrating Audie Murphy and all of our veterans! We also had another weekend enjoying the farm. We fed the two new longhorn steers, picked tons of plums, and took turns getting rides in Bill's Ford GT! What a weekend of firsts!!

Mike and Eric feeding Strauss

The fastest speed reached that day was by, none other than, Kyle the fighter pilot!

Picking plums

Gatlin and Grams, what a cheeser!

This ain't no fish tale!

2008-06-25T00:50:00.004-05:00

Pardon the grammar, but it fits! Last time we went fishing at the farm, we caught quite a few "keepers". But none compared to the biggest fish ever caught out of Kyle's parents' largest lake. This bass weighed 5.5 pounds and was 23 inches long. Longer than Gatlin when he was born! Kyle put his entire fist in it's mouth to get out the lure, this thing was a beast!! And the person who caught this fish......... (drum roll please).............................

Was me!!!!!

Now, I am not tooting my own horn (toot toot), but check out that monster! No, really, I didn't do anything special, I just got lucky. I was using the same bait as everyone else was so, I just threw it in the right spot, I guess. (toot, toot)

Halloween in June???

2008-06-25T00:39:00.003-05:00

Our squadron had a party a couple of weekends back themed "Oscar night". The idea was to dress up as your favorite movie characters. There would be "oscars" handed out for best costume male and female (Best Actor and Best Actress) and a lifetime achievement award. There were people dressed from all movies imaginable ranging from Karate Kid to Princess Bride to Hairspray. Kyle and I decided to go as Psycho. I am Janet Lee in the shower scene and Kyle is Norman Bates dressed as his mother. We didn't win but thought we looked good nonetheless. I will say, though, if you are ever thinking of doing this for a costume party, make sure you will be somewhere cold because that plastic shower curtain will cook you alive! Kyle swears that when he unpinned me from it that steam came out! Too funny! Gatlin was so funny. You would have thought he'd have been scared seeing his Mom half dead and his Dad dressed as a girl but all he kept saying was that he wanted to put his Nemo costume on from last Halloween and go with us! So sweet.

Our mystery plant

2008-06-25T00:20:00.006-05:00

My mom had a hibiscus plant that she thought had died. When she was about to throw it out, it started sprouting a new base, if you will. So, she gave it to us to plant in our yard. As it grew, it looked more and more like a weed and was definitely growing like one! It was definitely not the same plant that had been in the pot a year before! It grew from four inches to about four and a half feet in three weeks.

So, we decided to talk to a local garden center about what it might be. After being told it was a mulberry tree and needed to be pulled up, we decided that was the end. But another guy told us it was a Rose of Sharon. Not knowing what to think, we went straight to the resident horticulturist. After going home and emailing him pics of the plant, this is what he said...

"This is a hibiscus native to Argentina and Brazil and found growing wild elsewhere in the tropical americas but seldom grown out of its range except by collectors. It’s botanical name is Hibiscus cisplatinus. The common Spanish names for it are Rosa de Agua or Rosa de Rio since it is partial to watery places."

He thinks that it was a random seed that happened to be in the pot from when it first was shipped here and that this particular plant grew once the other one died! We were so excited to finally know what it was and now, we have the most beautiful flowers. People in our neighborhood actually stop during their walks to look at them! Take a look!

Flowers as big as my hand!!

(I know, it doesn't take much to get us excited..) :)

Home away from home

2008-06-24T23:38:00.012-05:00

We spent two weeks after Gatlin's birthday up at Kyle's parents' farm. Kyle was in school getting his ATP (airline transport pilot license) and his 737 type rating so that he can fly commercial airliners if he ever decides to go that route. While he was studying his little heart out, Gatlin and I enjoyed an extended visit with his parents complete with two more birthday parties for Gatlin, a visit from Hayley, Jacob, and Hunter, and the purchase of Gatlin's big boy bed! We had a fun filled two weeks and, in the end, Kyle passed his class with flying colors and is now qualified to fly the friendly skies and not spill anyone's coffee while doing it! Congratulations honey, you deserve a vacation!

Cake #2

Working hard on that candle!

Cake #3

Fun at the local water park

Gatlin enjoying ice cream with his cousins by the koi pond. This is the life!

Gatlin's new bed!

Gatlin turns three!!

2008-06-24T23:20:00.005-05:00

Gatlin turned three May 24th and had a wonderful birthday party. It was Thomas the Tank Engine themed and we had a great time. There was pizza, cake, presents, singing, and tons of friends. I can't think of more fun to be had than that! Thank you to all who came and helped Gatlin celebrate. It was a very special day, indeed.

Opening gifts

The cake!

Some of the kiddos enjoying the pizza

Major David Blair Faulkner

2008-05-19T23:56:00.016-05:00

On April 23rd, one of Kyle's best friends went home to the Lord. Major Blair Faulkner died in a T-38 crash in Columbus, MS. along with the student he was instructing. He left behind an amazing wife and two beautiful children. We were fortunate to be able to attend his funeral along with about 1,000 others which is a testament to who Blair was. We, like everyone who knew him, are devastated by this loss and will forever have a hole in our lives that only Blair could fill. Please keep the Faulkner family in your prayers as they say goodbye to their precious son, brother, husband, and father.

Kyle's part of Blair's eulogy is below:

My name is Kyle Goldstein. I met Blair around 16 February 1999 in Pilot training. We became great friends almost instantly mainly because of a question he asked me in the first 10 minutes of meeting him. We have stayed great friends ever since. Our friendship now encompasses our wives and kids.
Rachel asked me to tell some stories about Blair, so I thought about what Blair would have me say about him?
Would he want me to talk about the fact that of all the aviators I have ever known in my 10 years of flying for the Air Force that he was the best? I don’t think so….of course he would shush me and shoo me away like he was embarrassed about me bragging on him, then when I would stop, he would give me a little hand signal to keep on bragging…that cycle would go on about 4 iterations until I finished talking about his Distinguished Graduate from Pilot Training award and the AETC Wright Brothers award in which he was honored over hundreds if not thousands of pilots. He would not want you to know that we threw him in the bacteria infested solo pool after soloing in the T-37 and then again the next day just for fun, and then one night after coming back from dinner, and then again at graduation. We did it because everyone loved Blair. He would not want that mentioned because he knew he could not take credit for his talents.
He probably would not want me to talk about what a great person he was… About how he was always giving of himself to better others, like a father would do for his son or a big brother for a cherished sibling. One of his good friends at his wedding said it best when he said that Blair is everybody’s one and only best friend. He would not want that mentioned because he knew he could not take credit for his ability to love.
He would not want me to tell the story about his search for the perfect girl. About how he would call me every so often and tell me about a wonderful girl he met (and get me excited for him that this might be the one) and then, call back ten days later and tell me he found something wrong with her, like she painted her toenails the wrong color and he was done seeing her. And when I had just about given up on him finding a true love, he called me up to tell me that he had found the perfect woman for him in Rachel. I knew she had to be something special for Blair to want to marry her….and she is. He would not want that mentioned because he knew he could not take credit for marrying Rachel.
He would not want me to tell the story about when he called me up to tell me he and Rachel were pregnant with Davis and asked me how long it took Carrie and I to get pregnant. I told him and he promptly replied, “Daddy got it on the first shot.” I don’t know if I have ever seen a prouder papa as when Davis and Campbell were born. He would not want that mentioned because he knew he could not take credit for the blessing of his kids.
Unfortunately, this story is all too familiar. My mother lost my grandfather in a similar crash when she was 2 years old. He was an Air Force instructor pilot training a new student. They were taking off his B-26 out of Denver when his plane crashed and he went to be with the Lord. I believe most of his friends did not want to tell stories about Grandpa Holman to my mom in fear of making her sad, but that could not be further from the truth. She and I wanted to hear all about him, just like Davis and Campbell will want to hear all your stories about Blair. This is a story book about Blair. Each year on his birthday (which you always knew the date because he would remind you of how many shopping day you had left), I am going to send the kids another story about Blair on a 4x6 card to put in this book, so they will always have a fresh reminder of how great their Daddy was. I would welcome you to send cards too, if you so desire.
He would not have wanted me to tell you these stories because he knew that all of these blessing were not his doing, but the Lord’s. He would want the glory to go to God and not him. This was because he had a relationship with Jesus Christ. My name is Kyle Goldstein. I met Blair around 16 February 1999 in Pilot training. We became great friends almost instantly mainly because of a question he asked me in the first 10 minutes of meeting him. You see, he asked if I had a relationship with Jesus. Blair knew he was going to heaven when he died, and wanted to be sure I was going there too.
I think Blair would have wanted me to tell you that Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life just like the Lord gave Blair a wonderful life…
April 23 2008 around 1230 p.m. the Lord brought Blair home. The Lord did not blink nor was he distracted. It was Blair’s time to go to heaven and worship the almighty Lord, the Prince of Peace. I miss him, but I know where he is. I love you “Kid”.

All who came in uniform with Rachel and Davis in front

Folding the flag

Unveiling Blair's name on a memorial wall at Columbus AFB, MS.

T-38 flyover at the Columbus AFB memorial service

90 years and counting...

2008-05-19T23:50:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Kyle's grandfather, Coach's, 90th birthday this weekend. The whole family was up and a couple of Coach's friends even drove up to surprise him. We are so thankful to have had him this long and look forward to many years to come.

Happy Birthday Coach! We love you!

Good friends, good times

2008-05-19T22:00:00.003-05:00

Our good friends, the Rendell family, met us in Gruene for dinner at the Gristmill Restaurant. It is always good to catch up with them. They live in Navarre, FL; just a few miles from where we lived in Fort Walton Beach but, we missed them by about three years. Fortunately for us, their families live in the Austin area so we see them a couple times a year. Thanks for taking the time to come down, we really enjoyed our evening.

Zoo trip!

2008-05-19T21:36:00.006-05:00

My dad took Gatlin and I to the zoo a few weeks ago. We were so excited with the anticipation of watching Gatlin in this new experience. Unfortunately, it didn't go quite as well as we anticipated. We first rode the zoo train which was, by far, the highlight of the trip for Gatlin. Then it was time to check out the animals. We saw the bears, which Gatlin enjoyed. Then on to the monkeys and that's about where the fun ended for him. The gibbons were extremely noisy (as usual) and Gatlin got scared and requested (not so politely) to go home. This request continued through most of the rest of the park with the exception of the elephant, petting zoo, and the prairie dogs. We ended with, what else but, another ride on the zoo train. Sigh. At least Dad and I had fun. I think, though, that we will skip the monkeys next time we go with Gatlin.

On the train

Brushing the goat

Hojo and Gatlin

Splish Splash

2008-05-19T21:26:00.005-05:00

Our community pool opened in April and we are taking full advantage of it! It has a kid's playground/pool, a lazy river (Carrie's favorite) and a standard pool. There is fun to be had by all! We usually swim for about two hours and then Gatlin gets ice cream from the vending machine to cool off. We go at least once a week, sometimes more! Gotta love the "Texas summers"!

R-e-s-p-e-c-t!

2008-04-02T15:24:00.003-05:00

Watch out everyone, there's a new Major in town!!
That's right, Kyle pinned on Major March 31st. There was a small promotion ceremony and I removed his Captain's rank, gladly!
Congratulations, honey! I am so proud of you!

Just a few cute ones..

2008-03-28T01:02:00.005-05:00

Here's a couple of cute pics of Gatlin recently. He is growing so fast!

Easter morning

Playing with his cousins

On his play gym

Adult Entertainment

2008-03-28T00:57:00.003-05:00

This is how Kyle and I get our giggles..

OK, Gatlin likes it too....

100K!!!!

2008-03-28T00:39:00.003-05:00

No, we did not come into a large sum of money (I wish!) but our beloved Honda Pilot hit 100,000 miles on March 24th. This also happened to be the same day as Kyle's and my 7th wedding anniversary! Where has the time gone? We drove up to Fredericksburg for the day with Gatlin and had a nice lunch and walked around downtown stopping every so often to browse in the many shops they have. Our car hit it's milestone on the way home so we stopped and took pictures. Gatlin even gave it a "Happy Birthday" kiss! Neither one of us has ever had a car with this many miles so it was exciting for us (probably not so much for you, the reader). Well, I'm posting it anyway, so here you go!

Happy anniversary Kyle, I love you now more than ever!

It's that time of year....

2008-03-28T00:34:00.004-05:00

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, it's that time of year again in our 435th squadron!

It is MUSTACHE MARCH!

Enough said! :)

Cruisin!

2008-03-27T23:59:00.008-05:00

Well, Kyle and I decided we did not get quite enough relaxation in the mountains so we decided to try the Caribbean. We had been planning a cruise with our dear friends, The Boulets, for over a year. So, the first week in March, all the planning came to fruition! Kyle's parents kept Gatlin and the Boulets left their four children with their parents. We met up in Florida the day before we sailed and spent the night in Port Canaveral. We went to the Kennedy Space Center before boarding the Carnival Glory for seven glorious days in the Eastern Caribbean. We went to Nassau, Bahamas, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. We snorkeled, laid on the beach and played a ton of board games while at sea. The highlight of our trip (besides reuniting with our wonderful friends) was racing on the very sailboat that won the America's Cup called Stars and Stripes. While on the boat, we were assigned jobs. Andrea and I were the primary grinders, Kyle was the main sheet trimmer, and Jon was a wench grinder. Andrea was also named the Captain of our mighty vessel and, I am proud to say, led our team to VICTORY against the other boat, the Canada II. All in all, it was a wonderful vacation and we can't wait until we can all be together again.

Our home away from home, the Carnival Glory

A view from St. Thomas

The sail on our boat

Where's Waldo? Can you find Kyle and I? And, no, I am not in the bikini!!!

The mighty Stars and Stripes!

The Goldstein's 2nd Annual Ski Trip

2008-03-27T23:37:00.006-05:00

In February, we went to Winter Park, CO to ski and get some well deserved relaxation. We went with Kyle's parents and stayed in a wonderful house owned by some friends of the Goldsteins. We played in the snow, took a sleigh ride and celebrated Valentine's Day and Mike's birthday in the winter wonderland. We also did plenty of skiing (well, most of us skiied). I am not sure if you can call what I did as skiing since I barely made it off the bunny slopes for the second year in a row. Gatlin was beside himself with excitement and spent every day riding on his sled and throwing snowballs at Doc and Gigi! We missed Kyle's brother and family this year but hopefully, they can return for the 3rd annual ski trip next year.

Our snow drift snowman/woman complete with mop hair!

Making snow ice cream! Yummy!

FFFFFFreezing on the sleigh ride

The whole family!

Spouse Taxi Day

2008-02-04T00:40:00.000-06:00

This past Friday we had a spouse taxi ride day where the wives get a high speed taxi ride in the T-38 that their husbands fly. We got specific training on how to flee the aircraft in case of danger, we got fitted with gloves and a helmet, and we made radio calls to each other in the planes. We had to carry the parachutes out to the plane and, let me tell you, I have a new appreciation for Kyle and the stress his body goes through. Those dang parachutes are HEAVY and then, it becomes six or seven times that heavy when he's pulling G's! Yikes! Anyway, once we got all settled into the plane, we taxied out to the runway and Kyle kicked in the afterburners and we shot up into the atmosphere.. OK, not really. We just "drove" fast down the runway, remaining on terra firma and taxied back to the hangars. We then got to play around in the flight simulators, dropping bombs on imaginary buildings and shooting at harmless planes landing on the runway. Kyle and I even landed on 281! All in all, it was great fun and I look forward to the next taxi ride day. Who knows, maybe we'll "accidentally" get off the ground next time.

Folks, presenting the next American Idol

2008-02-04T00:12:00.000-06:00

We in the Goldstein house like to have dance parties in the living room from time to time. We have quickly discovered that our son is a true ham for the camera and potentially has a future in showbiz! He may need a little help on his wardrobe but, at two years old, he has his own opinion on fashion so, we let him wear what he wants.. (around the house, that is).

(you will need to hit pause on the music at the bottom of the blog in order to hear the video clearly)

Birthday weekend

2008-02-03T22:21:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we took a trip to Marble Falls, TX. to celebrate our twin nephews' birthday with Kyle's parents and brother and his family. We had a great weekend fishing and playing with the boys' new Nintendo Wii. Happy birthday Jacob and Hunter!!!

Gatlin in his favorite attire!

The twins opening their gifts (Hunter on the left and Jacob on the right)

Hayley reading to Gatlin, enjoying the lake view

The whole family!!

Zebra attacks!

2008-02-03T21:57:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we went to a wild animal park where you drive through and feed the animals from your car. Many of the animals were friendly but this one was downright ravenous! As he reaches his head in the window, note that I scream "Help me, Jesus" in fear of my life. When the incident was over, we both could not stop laughing. I commented that "I am just thankful that I didn't let him steal my bag" and Kyle's quote was "I am just thankful I got it on tape!" Note: no animals, men, women or children were harmed in the making of the video

(you will need to hit pause on the music at the bottom of the blog to hear the video clearly)

Christmas picture rejects

2008-01-07T22:40:00.000-06:00

We took our Christmas picture this year using the timer on our digital camera. Needless to say, we had quite a few pictures that weren't good enough for the Christmas letter. So, we thought we'd share a couple of the rejects with you! Enjoy!

I want Daddy!!

2007-12-17T23:03:00.000-06:00

Santa stopped by the squadron to check on all the little black "eaglettes". He taxied in on a T-38 decorated like a reindeer and thrilled everyone there. Gatlin sat on his lap but not very willingly. As you can see in the pictures, he told Santa what he wanted for Christmas was to get down and go back to the safety of Daddy (OK, so not in those exact words...). Oh well, it was fun while it lasted!

Watching football

2007-12-06T15:38:00.001-06:00

Daddy's making Gatlin a football fan already.

New playground

2007-12-06T15:32:00.000-06:00

Our neighborhood just installed a new little playground for the kids. We have started making it our weekly weekend excursion as they also have a grassy area for the dogs to run and catch frisbees.

Gatlin's new dance moves

2007-12-06T14:48:00.000-06:00

Gatlin has really turned into quite a little entertainer! Grams got him a singing, dancing snowman and he absolutely LOVES to dance to the song it plays ("Let it Snow"). He managed to swipe Grams' hat and will only wear that one even though he's got five other hats of his own that fit him better. I think it makes him feel like he's Michael Jackson when he's wearing it.. check out some of the moves he makes! I think he's got a future here! There is also a video without sound. Yes, I know it is sideways, I can't change it, but I definitely think it is worth posting.. He is too funny!!

Our Christmas Film! (It takes a minute to load)

2007-12-06T14:47:00.001-06:00

Non-Crappy Starring You! eCards on JibJab

CARS Tent!

2007-11-20T14:11:00.001-06:00

Daddy has decided to introduce camping to Gatlin at the tender age of two and a half. He got this Cars tent for him since he is a Lightning McQueen fan. Gatlin is enjoying "camping" in the media room and he must gather everything Cars oriented that he owns into the tent while he plays. He occasionally invites us as parents to enter his "clubhouse" but it is only temporary before he asks us to leave and shut the "door". Kyle has big plans of a night of camping in the backyard very soon. We'll let you know how that turns out!

Free Wheelin'

2007-11-19T23:23:00.000-06:00

Gatlin got this tricycle for his birthday this year and is really working hard to learn how to ride. He is getting great at steering while we push him along. The concept of peddling still eludes him but we think he'll get the hang of it soon with a little more practice. Thanks Grammy!

Gatlin loves his Nemo costume

2007-11-19T23:10:00.000-06:00

Gatlin was Nemo for Halloween this year. When we brought the costume home, I had him try it on for Kyle. That was the wrong thing to do because the rest of the night, Gatlin would not take it off! We had to hide it in the back of his closet until Halloween so that he wouldn't want to wear it as his daily outfit! The funniest thing is that after all that anticipation of wearing it on Halloween, he only made it half a block trick or treating before he wanted out of it! He will still wear it around the house if given the chance but, we don't think he enjoyed marching up and down hills in our neighborhood in 85 degree weather just to get some candy that he really doesn't care about eating!