And the award goes to....

Moi, for the worst blogging mother of the year. My sweet daughter, Gracyn, is eight weeks old and I am just now putting her on our blog. I can't even use the excuse that I've been busy (although I have) because I have several blogging mom friends (and you know who you are!) who have children as young as three days old and those babies have already made their family's blog. I, unfortunately, have no good excuse but hope to redeem myself with the onslaught of pictures and videos to follow. Hopefully, my computer will not crash as I upload my little heart out over the next day or so. So, without further ado, introducing
Gracyn Rae Goldstein
Born September 24, 2009 at 1:08pm
Weighing 7lbs 15 oz and measuring 21.25 inches long!!

Gatlin's first day of school

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

Picking out his outfit the night before

Gatlin's all ready for his first day!

All settled in and ready to learn!

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

Audie Murphy Day 2009

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

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

Gatlin and Daddy with the fish Gatlin caught!

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

Video of the flyover!

Rocky Mountain High...

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

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

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

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

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

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

The before shot!

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

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

The guys' campsite

Brian just above the tree line!

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

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

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

The after shot!

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

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

The four of us

My man and I!

Moose on the side of the road!

New Family Member!

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

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

Gatlin's 4th Birthday

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

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

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

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

  What a crack-up he is!

Party #1 at Peter Piper Pizza

Daddy and Gatlin on the obstacle course

(Kyle had as much fun as Gatlin did!)

The whole gang!

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

Worn out after three days of singing and parties!

Kids and their funny observations!!

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

Our conversation went like this...

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

Me: See who?

G: Daddy.

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

G: Today!?!

Me: Yes, today!

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

Me: Yes, he is.

G: And then he farts.

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

It's a.....

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!

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!

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!

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!!!

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!

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

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