our back yard . . .

(the part that we don't have to mow.)

Finally

found my camera . . .









Reed Family Reunion 2011

Happy Birthday Bex!

Happy Birthday Bex

Best.Teenager.Ever

also super mom. . .

and wife . . .

and daughter.

.

Got trash?

The moving in process is almost complete. We have been through countless boxes - sorting, organizing, and sometimes just throwing out to the curb. Yesterday I heard Mike talking in our dining room. Since he was speaking in spanish, I went to see who our guests were. He was giving them a tour of our house and offering them some discarded items. Since I assumed they were the workers he had entertained during our rennovation process I joined in the fun and offered them some of the nicer items we had decided to discard - a very nice portable oven, space heater, etc. It wasn't until after they left that I found out he had never met them before. He saw them rummaging through our trash and told them they wouldn't find much there, then invited them into the house to continue their "shopping."

Itinerary

Just so everyone knows:

While Bex and Shawn are here (Wednesday through Sunday) everyone is invited to eat breakfast and dinner with us in our newly rennovated (almost) kitchen.

Menu: (tenative)
Wed: Breakfast - Breakfast tacos, fruit, OJ

Dinner - Hamburgers on the grill, salad, guacamole and chips

Thurs: Breakfast - Muffins, berries,

Dinner - Shish-ka-bobs with rice, salad

Fri: Breakfast - Begnets, Fruit, Bacon, Hash browns

Dinner - Lupe Tortilla

Sat: Breakfast - Shipley's donuts and kolaches - before pictures

Dinner -BBQ and birthday cake

Sunday: No breakfast - fast sunday

Dinner - Shrimp linguine

Please let me know who will be attending what days.

Bad News

Remember when we decided to move our furniture back from Mexico?
And the moving company told us it would be here in two weeks?
(plenty of time before Bex and Shawn were to arrive)
OK, maybe you don't remember, but I sure do.
Turns out, they lied.
What they meant to say was that it would take more than a month.
So . . . my stuff is still stuck in Mexico, and will be for quite some time.

Not to worry, Bex. We're making the necessary accommodations.
No hay problema!

This is me

THURSDAY
Worst.Day.Ever
Something about eyelashes and glue
Don't ask.
Glad to finally go home and get to bed.
Set my alarm a little earlier -(babies to see at two different hospitals 30 minutes from one another in the am)
FRIDAY
Jumped out of bed at the first sound of the alarm
Showered
Make-up
Blow-dried hair
Packed a baggie of Swedish fish for lunch
Before backing my car out of the garage glanced at the clock on my dashboard:
12:37 am

Bayou Nature Park

Here are a few pictures of the nature park to entice the Funks to come visit so we can take them:

and if that doesn't entice you, this should:

cute little Atley, whom you've never seen!

anybody else want to come?

HAPPY 2011!

Ode to 2010 - the year of transitions - Our Top Ten

1. Shacking up at Bethy's house because I was homeless (thanks Bethy and Brandon)
   
2. Accepting two job offers
3. Being fired from the first job before I started, then dad being fired after 12 years of service in Mexico
   
4. Graduations of Shady (BYU, Spanish), Brandon (BYU, Geology and Engineering) and Shawn (UT Medical School)
5. One trip to Nashville
   
6. Two trips to Mexico City
7. Three trips to Utah
8. An "almost" trip to Amsterdam
9. Buying a home and closing on it the last business day of the year
   
10. The birth of Atley Kae Reed - Grandchild #9 - Best transition of the year (actually more of a transition for them than us)
    

Christmas 2010

Why do I love Christmas?

(sorry you weren't here, Funks)

This is why. What a great year!

Nutcracker

This year I decided to start a new tradition and take all of the "girls" to the Nutcracker matinee performance. I knew Mabel would love it, but was a little worried about whether Annie would be able to sit through it. Annie was enthralled and Mabel had never seen so many "princesses" at once in her life. She was hesitant to leave during intermission because she wanted to make sure she would be able to come back for the rest of the performance.

Shady probably enjoyed the art as much as the music.

Bethany and her beautiful girls

Mabel wanted to share her drink with her nutcracker doll.
We missed Carrie and Caroline and Brianna and Atley, and Violet. Maybe next year!

Dancing with the Stars

Anybody know Corky Ballas?
Yeah, me neither,
until last night.
He was at the Tomball Hospital Christmas Party.
They hired him to come perform.
As a side number he gave the group dancing lessons.
Then he and his partner roamed the room looking for "problem students,"
and guess who they found?
DTB danced with Natalia - his sexy, volumptuous and extremely talented partner,
and Corky took on me.
After a few short minutes of instruction we both looked pretty impressive -
until we got back together.
but that's where we're going to stay. In spite of the dance missteps -
he's still the one.

Poodle

Happy 30th Birthday Poodle!
We love you!

Thanksgiving

So grateful . . .






and so many more.

Nieto #9

Congratulations to Ryan and Brianna for making us grandparents again.
Little Atley is beautiful!
and Asher - well he's adjusting quite well.

Halloween

We encountered quite a few spooky creatures on Halloween:

the beautiful Peterson girls . . .

brother, Shady and company

the cutest little cowboy EVER . . .

Paul, the octopus (predictor of the World Cup)

(I guess she would have to be his ghost, since he passed away this week)

Princess sock hop

Lego my Eggo Annie

and, scariest of all - the lovely Yoda!