Where the Green Grass Grows

Day Out with Thomas the Train

2011-12-09T07:04:00.000-08:00

For anyone that has been around Keaton, you quickly learn that he is in LOVE with Thomas the Train. In September, we discovered the Austin Steam Train would be presenting a day out with Thomas at the train station in Burnet. We had a fabulous time visiting with Sir Topham Hatt, riding Thomas the Train, and playing games. Thankfully Sydney likes Thomas as well so it was a wonderful day the entire family enjoyed!

We're having an Elephant (according to Keaton)

2011-11-11T15:25:00.001-08:00

As most of you know, Kris and I are expecting Baby #3 May 11!! We are very very excited and cannot wait to add more joy and love, wonderful craziness and chaos to our little family! Sydney is extremely happy but insists that the baby be a girl. We will be finding out the gender of this baby sometime around Christmas so Sydney will be keeping her fingers crossed! We had a sonogram earlier in the week. When I showed the picture to the kids, Sydney asked why the baby's belly wasn't white like hers? And Keaton just flat out said it was an elephant! So....be it a baby or an elephant, this little being will certainly have two older siblings that will keep life anything but boring! :)

2011-10-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

I told Sydney to quickly take off her (velcro) shoes the other day and she slowly said, "Hold on, you've got to be careful. You've got to craaaaack them open." Okay yes ma'am!

Tippi Toes

2011-09-02T10:03:00.001-07:00

Sydney started dance class today and was beyond excited both before and after class. During class was a totally different story! She mostly did alot of watching and observing. Our fabulous babysitter is actually one of the instructors so we may need some after class tutoring! But we know this will be such fun for her and we think she is the prettiest little dancing queen ever!

Pay bills Girl

2011-08-31T05:23:00.000-07:00

Sydney and Keaton had their first day of Mothers Day Out yesterday! For the past two years, Sydney had gone to a preshool twice a week, but we decided to move across the street to Messiah Lutheren Church and have both kids attend their awesome Mothers Day Out program. The kids did great and we look forward to a fun year! Since Sydney has been in school over the past two years, she always asks me what I will be doing during the day while she's at school. I tell her everytime that I pay bills, clean house, do laundry, & go grocery shopping. So after picking her up from MDO yesterday I said, "Hop in the car big schoolgirl." She asked, "Keaton's a schoolboy and you're a pay bills girl?" Yes I am.

Our schoolgirl who grew like a weed over the summer!

Both are getting too dog gone big!

Mow Yarders

2011-08-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

Our yard people arrived today on their normal weekly schedule. Sydney looks out the window and says, "Well I guess the mow yarders are here again." :)

Jesus Loves Me.....and Keaton Loves Jesus!

2011-07-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

Quick story I just had to share and didn't ever want to forget. As I was reading "Baby's First Bible" to Keaton last night, I pointed to a picture of Jesus and said, "Here is Jesus. He loves you very much." Keaton leaned down and kissed the picture! Oh my heart just melted! And he continued to kiss every picture of him in the book. My sweet boy. Moments like that just reminding me children are such a gift from above!

Concan 2011

2011-06-20T21:59:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I am just now uploading Concan Pictures. We had our annual voyage the second weekend in June and now that it is almost September well......I just really needed to get my rear in gear before I got further and further behind. Despite low water levels..... the lowest I have ever witnessed in my ten years of going to Concan, we had a fabulous time. Our house was situated right on the water and we had a great spot for the kids to splash around and for us to sit our tushies. We had to get creative with fun this year since we couldn't float the river, so ahead of time, Kris and I schemed of many practical jokes to keep the fun level high. Let's just say we will need to watch our backs next year!

The youngsters with our fabulous kiddie pool that has survived the entire summer!

Camron and Lane doing what they do best

Spike it Granny!

Concan cuties....Sydney and Ashlyn

Cheesy smiles with Granny & Pa

The cuties with awesome Cousin Jace

Oh my sweet Keat!

Bring on the water balloons! The most awesome water balloon fight ever! Four adults against about 15 kids! Kris and I had to shelter our own kids from the chaos! I so wanted to be part of it!

The 15 & 16 year old boys got their toenails painted. Priceless!

Checking out the view with Pa

My little family I love so much!

Rodeo Time

2011-06-20T20:53:00.000-07:00

The kids and I headed to Llano the first weekend in June for the annual Llano Rodeo and Parade and meet up with Jima and her kiddos. As you can tell from the pics, our kids are extremely close in age AND size so when these four munchkins descend upon Gigi's house it's the most wonderful kind of chaos! The girls absolutely adore each other and are the best of friends. The boys are still trying to figure out who's in charge. And we've decided littlest Keaton should wear a helmet the next time he tries to play with the other three. It's rough out there buddy!

Checking out the cows in the South Pasture from Gigi's front yard. Cull or keep?

And as any parent knows, you don't go anywhere without some snacks!

Cole and our favorite cowboy, Popo

A few of the spectators. Our childhood friend's Casey and Mark and Clarie's kiddos, Avery and Owen who were also visiting from out of town.

All duded up for the rodeo!

And look at our future Llano Country Rodeo Queen! Ow ow! That would make a 3rd generation queen!

CC Aquarium

2011-05-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

It had been awhile since the kids and I had visited the Corpus Christi Aquarium, so we decided to venture out one morning. Both Sydney and Keaton LOVE fish, so the aquarium is always a guaranteed hit!

Trying to get these two look and smile in the same direction is impossible!

Beach Visit

2011-05-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

We visited the beach on a GORGEOUS day in March. It was a tad bit chilly especially when the wind picked up but nonetheless the kids had a great time! We love going to the beach in the spring and fall when its not quite so hot and there are far less people! Uncle Matt and Cousin Collin joined us to do some fishing, but I have no pictures of trophy fish to show you so that tells you how well the fish were biting.

Sprinkler Fun

2011-05-09T08:16:00.000-07:00

And this is what we've been up to!!

Yard Work

2011-03-02T19:07:00.000-08:00

With the gorgeous weather, I have had the itch to do some yard work and spruce up the joint with some new plants. So, today during Keaton's naptime, Sydney and I headed outdoors ready to work. We had three plants to place in a flowerbed by our garage. After the first hole was dug and the plant had been placed, Sydney began filling up her purple bucket with the potting soil. She was doing a great job filling up the hole with the soil and had been such a big help with the first plant I figured she was loving "yard work." It was at the end of putting the last of the dirt around the plant that she announced she would like to go paint her toenails and fingernails!

Two Girls

2011-01-29T12:53:00.000-08:00

Lately, when having a conversation with Sydney, she points out how many girls or boys are involved in whatever we are doing. For example, I fixed Sydney and I a cup of water today and she asked, "Two girls are drinking water?" With the four of us sitting down to eat supper, she announced, "Two boys and two girls are eating supper." It's hilarious AND interesting to see her wheels turning. Sounds like we are preparing for the TAKS tests!

Visiting the Grass Farm

2011-01-29T10:51:00.000-08:00

These are pictures from our recent visit to the grass farm to keep things in check and a test run on our new automatic grass harvestor! I think our son is going to like driving tractors and our daughter will just like to look pretty!

Christmas and Holiday Hats

2011-01-13T12:56:00.001-08:00

Christmas 2010 was by far the best Christmas we have ever had! The kids were so much fun and the holidays were filled with lots of activities with family and friends. We took a ton of pictures and although I'm sharing alot, this doesn't even come close to the total taken! For some reason, we seemed to have a" hats and acessories" theme going on throughout the holidays which you can totally see in the pictures below. Sydney is still talking about Santa Clause and we are slowly weaning her off her favorite show, "Mickey Saves Santa." Keaton is still waddling around the house saying "Ho ho ho." It may be Christmas all year around our house!

Visiting Santa! Sydney stood but did not want to sit!

Making gingerbread cookies with Granny and the Havelka Cousins

Santa visited our house!

Christmas morning....Keaton with cousin Collin. These two boys have the rosiest cheeks!

Family pose on Christmas morning at Granny's house. Typical pose....Sydney frowning and Keaton being mischievious.

Keith, Neisha, Camron and Paityn. We don't claim Cam sometimes.

Santa Clause ????

Our attempts to get pics of the kids at Gigi's house.

Cole and Keaton...future singers.

I think this could be the funniest picture EVER! This might show up at a future wedding someday.

Showing off winter hats.

They played with their personlized suitcases for hours!!

Wanna be a cowboy???

Sydney and Graycie bumping their trikes from Papa.

Sister and Brother! The best smiles around!

Finally got a picture with my beautiful daughter!

Keaton gets a Haircut

2010-12-27T13:25:00.000-08:00

Our little boy had his first haircut the morning of Christmas Eve! According to the certificate he received, Keaton has graduated from babyhood. Tear. :( We took him to the one and only Duane (D-wain) at Westwood Barber Shop. Kris wouldn't have it any other way and it turned out to be a fun family outing! I can see why Kris enjoys getting his hair cut at this place. Very old school with country music playing on a small radio in the background. Duane is about as down to earth as they come. Keaton did great as long as he had a peanut butter cracker to munch on!

Waiting for his turn

Goldie Locks

"You do know what you're doing, right?"

One handsome little boy! And trys his first lollipop!

"You look good little brother!"

Proud Daddy Kris

Little Picassos??

2010-12-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

The good thing about it being 80 degrees in December....beautiful weather to enjoy painting outside! Sydney added some more art work to her abstract collection! And Keaton was more interested in body art. And yes....this is what we look like when we don't have to leave the house. I didn't look much different. Haha! Don't judge.

Black Bucky

2010-12-14T20:52:00.001-08:00

Over the Thanksgiving Holidays, while we were in Llano, you couldn't wipe the smiles off my Popo or my husband's faces. The smiles were stuck. Major things happened. A&M defeated the t-sips. Whoop! And Kris killed the mysteriously elusive Black Buck on our ranch. Fables had been told over the years about black buck roaming through the area. Only my Popo had ever seen one. We were starting to question his eye sight. Ha! This was the man who once told me he walked through a rainbow and had to go home and take a shower to wash the colors off. :) Anyways, Kris had put corn out on several occasions leading up to Thanksgiving weekend. His persistance paid off. Black Buck or as Sydney would say, "Black Bucky" was caught!

Sydney and her Goats

2010-12-12T12:07:00.000-08:00

I think the pictures speak for themselves. Sydney LOVES goats. We have a few goats on our ranch in Llano and all Sydney wants to do when we visit is to see the goats. She is not afraid one little bit and I love it! Keaton, on the other hand, is more of a cattleman. He wasn't too impressed with the old goats.

Sydney Turns Three

2010-12-12T11:01:00.000-08:00

Sydney Leigh turned 3 on November 14. This is SO hard to believe but I am so proud of the young lady she is becoming! We definitely have our "moments" when I just stare in disbelief at some of our actions, but I know this is typical and something I am defintely not alone in experiencing!

In public, she is typically quiet and a bit timid, but don't let this shy and reserved little toot fool you. She is soaking it all up and will fill us in on the way home! Ever since she was a baby she has been so observant and would study everything so intently! Kris and I are somewhat amazed sometimes at what she can remember. We seriously think she has a photographic memory! She knows exactly what each of her friends gave at her birthday party and is like a human GPS system when driving in the car....even at night!

Sydney definitely fits the roll of Big Sister, although not in size. She likes to tell Keaton what to do and "plays" school with her being the teacher of course. She loves to wrestle with him and I love to hear the two of them giggle together. She gets very concerned if Keaton falls or gets a boo boo. She has a wonderful imagination and I just love to hear her conversations with stuffed animals and dolls. Sydney LOVES Play Doh and we have so much fun with our creations! Recently, we heard a Marie Osmond song on the radio, "No Stoppin Your Heart." I, of course, was singing along. How could you not??? A couple days later, I saw Sydney holding her flashlight and singing, "No stoppin, No stoppin, No stoppin, No stoppin!" She had moves and everything. It was HILARIOUS and made me so proud. She knows good tunes!

I am loving the fact she understands Christmas this year. Kids truly have a way of putting things in perspective. I explained to her that we celebrate Christmas because it is the day that Jesus was born. She then asked if Jesus was going to have a birthday party and if he could have a moonbounce. Well, I don't know about the moonbounce, but she has requested birthday cake on Jesus' birthday! Soooooo, we will be making a birthday cake for Christmas Day and singing Happy Birthday to Jesus. He is the reason for the season!!!

We feel so blessed to be her parents and God definitely created a "one of a kind" Sydney.

On her actual birthday we were in San Antonio. We ate lunch at a mexican restaurant in the downtown Market Square. Mexican food is her favorite and she is a pro at filling up a tortilla with whatever is on her plate and rolling it up. This definitely makes her Daddy proud. Of course we requested the mariachi band for a song and they sang Feliz Cumpleanos while she got to wear a pink sombrero. So cute! Ice Cream for dessert and we had one happy 3 year old!

Strike a Pose

2010-11-23T13:29:00.000-08:00

He knows he's hot stuff!

Ready for the runway!

Rock n Roll Half Marathon

2010-11-19T07:15:00.000-08:00

We did it! After many late nights and early morning runs for 3 + months, Ashley and I completed our goal....running the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in San Antonio on November 14! We had orignally planned on running the Harbor Half in Corpus in October, but kids, business, tropical storm squalls, and unleashed neighborhood pit bulls, delayed our training and we did not feel ready enough for an October run. Our friend and Stroller Strides Leader, Sara, did run the Harbor Half and was such an inspiration for 0ur run! She did fantastic!

Like all accomplishments, I would like to thank (haha!) my husband, my family and my friends for all their support! Seriously, Kris was Super Dad on many occasions. For the most part, I would try to run after the kids went to bed or before they were awake, but like I said before, kids are unpredictable and like the good Daddy that he is, he did whatever he had to do.

We had a fabulous time the weekend of the Half! Two glitches however.....(1) because of the crowds and us having children, we had to settle for a shady pizza joint for supper the night before the race and (2) Ashley and I had to put the kids to bed ourselves and miss out on watching the A&M/Baylor game while our husbands and my Mom viewed it at the Mi Tierra Bar right across the street from our "motel."

Race day was amazing and I've never felt so encouraged and loved by complete strangers who cheered us on along the way. At mile 2 I decided it was time to break out the Ipod, but it would not work!!! I decided to not let it bother me and the remainder of the race I just focused on thanking God for such a wonderful day and experience and enjoyed conversations with many of the folks running along beside me. It truly was a refreshing run for my soul! Crossing that finish line was the coolest feeling ever and I finished in 2 hours 11 minutes and 34 seconds. I averaged 10:03 minutes per mile which was very close to my goal!

We are seriously contemplating the RnR Half Marathon Dallas to take place March 27, 2011. Call us crazy! We are seriously that addicted!

Rockin' it at the Expo the day before the race! Ha!

We HAD to pose with the KISS guys promoting the Hell Run! We didn't quite catch where the run is actually at! I wonder why! Check out our boys checking out the dudes!

After the race! The best family shot we could get!

My Mom was part of the entourage! She is always my biggest fan!

We did it! Neither on of us were very pleased with how we looked in this pic. We had to remind ourselves we had just run a half marathon! Ha!

Celebrating!

Keaton....oh so cute!

Keaton.....oh so tired!

November 14 also happened to be Sydney's 3rd Birthday! We had a fabulous time celebrating at lunch after the race complete with a mariachi band. I will have a seperate post for this special occassion!!! :)

Halloween 2010

2010-11-19T06:57:00.001-08:00

Our good friend Lance and cousin Ashlyn met at our house Halloween. As you can see, Lance was the cutest train conductor EVER! Ashlyn was the beautiful Princess Belle and Sydney was the very petite and pretty Tinkerbell. Keaton was good grief Charlie Brown. :) My camera pooped out on me, so Paula was very kind to send these pictures to me! Thank goodness!

A bunch of characters, I tell ya!

Birthday Par-tay!!!

2010-11-17T11:28:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Keaton's 1st and Sydney's 3rd birthdays with a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse birthday bash on Saturday, November 6th. The weather was PERFECT and we had a fantastic time celebrating with family and about 20 other wonderful friends. We rented a moon bounce from our good friends that own Emma Lu's Bounce House Rental. We celebrated at the neighborhood park just a block down the street from our house. It was PERFECT! I think I mentioned that already! :)

Keaton Turns 1!!

2010-11-16T20:21:00.000-08:00

Keaton celebrated his 1st Birthday on October 16th! I can't believe he is 1 already! He has grown into such a handsome little boy who is oh so close to his very first haircut! I may be biased, but this is one awesome little boy! He started crawling around 8 months and walking at 11 1/2. There's no stopping this guy...he's like a bulldozer who just goes where he wants to.....pushing his weight around with his belly. His belly is HUGE! Despite his 12 month stats of only being in the 10th percentile (20lbs), this is one fat little boy.

We think he may be a lefty! He eats with the left, grabs for toys with the left and waves with the left. I think this is pretty cool.....Daddy does not. Apparently, left handed quarterbacks are not highly recruited. :( Anyways, so far he says, Mama, Dad, Duck and Bye. He eats most everything except pasta and rice. I guess it's a texture thing. He has 10 teeth that I know of! I'm not keeping track anymore.....that's too dangerous!

I was fortunate to nurse him for about 11 1/2 months and in that time I could count the number of times he had a bottle probably on one hand. But since then, he is IN LOVE with his bottle of milk. I know I should probably start offering the sippy cup more, but he is too darn cute walking around, holding his bottle and "turning it up."

On his actual birthday, we just celebrated among the four of us. I made his favorite meal of roast with potatos, carrots, broccoli and rolls. (Actually, this is what big sister Sydney eats the best ;) We enjoyed Garner's Chocolate Cake for dessert and he gave the birthday cake gig a good run.

We had a big birthday celebration on November 6 with friends and family to help celebrate Keaton's AND Sydney's birthdays. I will post that later.

Below, pics from our family birthday! Happy 1st Birthday Keaton James!

Mommy, I'lllllll do it!

2010-10-07T17:25:00.000-07:00

So we are a big girl now and don't need Mommy's help anymore. :( Anytime I try to help Sydney do ANYTHING, like unvelcro her shoes, clean her face, brush her hair/teeth, go potty, get in the car, etc. , she confidently says, "Mommy, I'llllllllllll do it." All I can do is throw my hands in the air and say, "Yes ma'm" and let her do her best to finish the task! It's wonderful to see such a confident little person, but I think I can see a stubborn little toot starting to develop as well. Actually, she's always been stubborn from day -2. Who am I kidding?? We tried for two days to get her out into this world, but she insisted on making it hard on us where we had to go in and "get her." WE had to be patient with her just like we do now. But, she is the most amazing challenge I have ever been faced with and I love each new day with her!

At a recent MOPS meeting, we had a wonderful speaker who reminded us how God created each of our children just the way He wanted. God planned our children long before the thought of them ever entered our minds. Isn't that an amazing reminder??? No matter how different our children can be (stubborn or not) they are how God wants them to be.

Parenthood is such a wonderful adventure and how much a child changes within the first few years of life is absolutely astonishing. I think I'm getting a little sentimental since Keaton is about to turn 1 and Sydney will be 3 next month. I'm realizing these years are precious and the changes they go through will pass us by if we don't pause for a moment and soak it all up.

Anyways, I really didn't mean for this post to turn sappy. Just wanted to document a recent example of my child's confidence and show the world how much I love my children! Gag if you want.....you have my permission! Ha!

Who made the Sunshine?

2010-10-05T07:47:00.001-07:00

I had the sweetest conversation with Sydney this morning. Just like her Momma, she doesn't do mornings. But today, she actually woke up before sunrise and this was quite out of the ordinary for us. :) We always talk about how at night, the sun goes down and the moon comes out. She is obsessed with finding the moon in the sky whenever we have been out late at night. For some reason (because we are always still asleep), we haven't really emphasized the mornings and the sun coming up.

Well, this morning, while we were getting breakfast together and opening curtains, I pointed out that the sun was waking up and getting ready for the day as well. She literally stared out the window for the longest time watching the sun slowly rise in the sky. It started out behind our neighbor's trees. And as it rose into full view, she yelled so excitedly , "Mommy made the sunshine! Mommy, you made it!" Oh my gosh, I melted! But, we all know who really makes the sunshine, so I had to correct her and say that God made the beautiful sunshine. We said a quick little prayer thanking God for such a wonderful gift and the promise of a new day.

It was a wonderful morning and makes me so thankful to be her Mommy!

Barefoot Books

2010-09-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

I recently became an Ambassador for Barefoot Books, a company that sells children's books and toys that encourage a healthful and adventurous lifestyle! As we all know, reading to our children is so important and these books are exciting and colorful and will keep our babies interested on all levels.

I found out about this company on Good Morning America and did a little research of my own and discovered they are also partners with Books for Africa. When you purchase a book from the Books for Africa collection, a book is directly sent to a child in need. I thought that was pretty neat.

I won't lie, I was also interested in the "making money" part of the business. I certainly won't get rich, but I receive a small % on each book sale purchased off my website.

These books are fabulous!!! So, when you have a little time, check out my website at http://Julie-Havelka.barefootbooks.com You can also click on the Barefoot Books box to the right and directly view my website.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Cotton 101

2010-08-25T13:12:00.001-07:00

For the past two weeks, all that has been on our minds is cotton, cotton, and more cotton. It is cotton harvest time and I have not seen my husband but only for blurred moments with eyes half open as he comes in around 11 or 12 at night and leaves about 5:30 in the morning. God blessed us with a good crop this year and the farmers have been working their tails off to harvest it all before any tropical wave, depression, or hurricane can ruin it. We are near the end of ours, but Kris will be doing some custom picking for a few other farmers in the area in the next couple of weeks. On top of the cotton harvest, Kris is balancing his duties with Turfco. August has been a busy month for Turfco and although we are all tired and stressed, we certainly have alot to be thankful for and are so grateful for the business. The kids and I are so grateful for Kris and all he does for us! I hope he knows how much we appreciate him!

The kids and I have ventured out to the cotton picken' sites a few times. My sister in laws, mother in law and I have rotated cooking meals for all the workers (8-10) throughout the last couple of weeks and it is certainly a good feeling to know you are giving the guys a good home cooked meal as they work hard overtime hours. Below are some pics of the kids. They love going out to the fields and certainly LOVE seeing their Daddy!

Silly Sydney- I can't ever get a good pose for the camera. This girl is always on the go!

Future Farmer Keaton and Pa- It's amazing how much they look alike!

Daddy's got Brownies!

2010-07-31T12:46:00.000-07:00

Sydney and I have made a batch of brownies quite a few times (probably more than a few:) ) Of course, you have to lick the bowl and the spoons and your fingers making for quite a messy face and hands. This is after we have stirred the bowl 100 times or more! Sydney loves to "cook," but is not so keen on cleaning up the brownie batter afterwards!

A few days ago, Kris walked in covered in mud and grease after repairing a cotton picker all day. First thing out of Sydney's mouth, "Daddy's got brownies!" Apparently, the mud and grease reminded her of her own messy brownie face and hands. Sadly, he didn't smell near as good as she does when she has "brownies!"

My brownie loving girl!

Harbor Half Marathon

2010-07-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

On October 17, in celebration of my 29th and Keaton's 1st Birthdays, I, along with my good friends, Ashley and Sara, will be trekking 13.1 miles in the Harbor Half Marathon in Corpus. This is my third attempt to train for a half marathon and I'm determined to finish this long time goal of mine. (And also to keep up with my sister, Jima, who just recently completed a half marathon.) Jima and I have competitive sister syndrome and are not allowed to achieve more than the other. I cannot let her one up me! :)

My training runs are sporadic right now. Sometimes I run in the mornings and sometimes in the evenings, depending on Kris' schedule and Keaton's wake up time. I would MUCH rather run in the evenings. I am NOT a morning person. Stroller Strides has been a wonderful cross training workout that has made me so much stronger and is definitely helping with those dreaded hills. If you notice from the pictures below, we will be running up and down the Harbor Bridge TWICE! I'm a little freaked out about that, but going down that bridge is going to feel so good!

After running cross country in high school, I thought I would never WANT to run again. There were so many other forms of exercise, why would I ever have to run again? I've noticed over the past couple of years, how many stay at home moms have become runners. And I think it's an escape from all the chaos your day mostly holds. When I walk outside by myself and get grooving down the sidewalk with MY music, it's pure freedom! I LOVE my family and enjoy every chaotic moment with my kids, but sometimes you just need some ME time. It's a way to set personal goals and give yourself a pat on the back.

Early Sunday morning, July 4th, Ashley and I competed in the "Run 4 on the 4th" in downtown Corpus. It was a fun, laid back race and everyone seemed to be in such a good mood because of the holiday. We even placed 3rd and 4th in our age division! However, we missed the announcement of my name to receive a trophy, because we were gabbing and gossiping too much. Oops! I felt like a goober going up to the announcer after it was over to see if I could get my trophy. The tiny plastic 3rd place trophy is now proudly displayed on our mantel thanks to Kris!

We have a couple of other races between now and the Half. Wish us luck and pray we survive!

My running buddy, Ashley and I in our patriotic attire on the 4th!

The Harbor Bridge

This will be our view going up! Yikes!

Brother turns 9 Months

2010-07-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

Our Keaton who goes by the name "Brother", "Sweet Keat", "Keanut", "Bubby", "Keanutter Butter" and "Eatin Keaton" turned 9 months old July 16th! He is such a wonderful blessing to our family and has been such an easy and content littly guy. However, I can definitely see the mischevious little boy in him starting to take over!

Keaton"officially" started crawling at 8 months 7 days and has not slowed down since. He finds everything and anything on the floor and tries to eat it. So far I have caught him trying to eat a grape, a Barbie necklace, a pebble, and a Turfco receipt! He has 4 teeth and 2 on the way and LOVES to use them. He is such a good eater and has not been picky with anything. He babbles ALOT and is loud, loves to flirt with waitresses and LOVES to pull his sister's hair. He usually has a scratch, a bruise, a mosquito bite on his face and he is always dirty. Keaton's rough tough real stuff, but is the best cuddler when he's all played out. He is a super sweet little boy!

His 9 month stats were somewhat hard to believe. He weighed 18 lbs and measured 27 1/2 in. Both in the 10th percentile. He's always been described as "fat," so I was shocked when I saw the charts. Oh well, he's healthy and that's all that matters!

I am definitely behind in my postings. We've had some computer issues , so I cannot upload our pictures from my fancy camera on the computer I am currently using. Hopefully soon, I will be able to share more of our summer and Sydney's latest developments!

Four Little Boys

2010-06-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

Over the past year, I have gotten to be really good friends with 3 other ladies that I met through Stroller Strides. Each of us have an older child, but as you can see from the picture below, all of us had a baby boy this past year. It was fun to share our pregnancies together and they have all been sources of strength with struggles adjusting to life with two children. In addition, we have all potty trained our oldest children within this past year! We have quite a bit in common........except for one thing! There is a Red Raider in the bunch!

Our handsome little boys!!
Cole- 9 months, Kyle- 4 months, Carter- 6 months, Keaton- 7 months

Sweet Summertime

2010-05-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

It's not even June, but we have been having a blast doing anything summer related either in our backyard or out with friends. This past weekend we hit the Wood River neighborhood pool which is just around the block from our house. Sydney was very timid and a little scared of the water, but I'm hoping with a few more trips to the pool and swim lessons, she will become more comfortable. She was the exact same way last year, but by the end of summer, she was my little "water baby." Keaton LOVED the pool and chilled out in his very own "Mommy and Me" floating device. The way our kids each handled the pool is very typical of their personalities. Sydney is very cautious in the beginning of any new adventure, but will eventually warm up to try new things. We just have to be patient....she will be ready eventually! Keaton goes along with anything and is my little "Good Time Charlie" kind of guy! He is a real trooper!

We are looking forward to lots of pool time, beach visits and backyard fun over the next few months!

Ready for the pool!

Kris' classic goofy face watering the garden.

Sydney actually gave up her favorite past time, so little bro could have a go at it!

The BIG Bubble Stick

Full of hot air!!!

She actually stopped for a second to pose!

The next few pictures are dedicated to Keaton. He is on his way to crawling and has been so proud of himself! He is getting to be such a big boy!

Sitting up and so happy!

Push up position.

Here I go Mom!

Whew! That was tough work!

Keaton turns 6 months old!

2010-05-06T13:15:00.001-07:00

Keaton turned 6 months old on April 16th! I seriously cannot believe this! And I don't like it one bit. This just means that my kids are growing up too fast and there are so many moments in my life right now that just make my heart so happy! Sydney is really starting to pretend play and there are times I have to turn my head, so she won't see me laugh, because what she is doing is too darn funny! Lately, she has been driving her "Coop Car" over by the Bar BQ Pit, saying she is going to Starbucks. Then she says, "Latte, okay." Seriously!! It cracks me up, but it's kind of scary at the same time. What am I teaching her???

Back to Keaton. He is almost sitting up by himself. Poor guy, has a very soft big belly, so it just pulls him forward. He's starting to scooch around, but I think it will be a good month before he really starts crawling with the belly off the ground....again, soft big belly. He is eating like a champ. So far, he has liked everything we have offered, but I think his favorites are applesauce, peas and, of course, Momma's milk. His 6 month stats: 16 lbs 12 oz, 27 in tall, blonde hair, blue eyes! He's a real charmer and has the sweetest disposition!

Loving the bouncy thing!

Learning from Big Sis!

Heart happy moment!

Boat Show

2010-05-06T12:16:00.001-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, the Havelka's ventured out as tourists in their own town to check out the annual Boat Show. Boat Show.....not Farm Show! Can you believe it?? We live 20 minutes from the Corpus Christi Bay, yet have never really explored the marina and boat docks. It was a beautiful day, so the four of us loaded up along with hats and sunscreen. Sydney loves to see the water and boats (we drive by them at least twice a week for Stroller Strides), so she was super excited to get out and see them for the reals! I was impressed with the show...lots of vendors exhibiting water related items. Kris and I even bought our water shoes for our annual Concan vacation coming up in June. We oooogled at some fancy boats and talked about "one of these days..." We ended the day eating at Joe's Crab Shack on the Bayfront (another first). We will definitely be attending again next year. Such a fun learning experience for the kiddos and Momma!

Keaton sporting his matching sun hat! Kris wasn't so enthused with the way I had him dressed! :)

The Double BOB. Keaton's first time sitting without the car seat. Sydney had to make sure he was OK. Such a great big sister!

I had to pose with my munchkins.

The Havelka's new purchase. Ha ha...in our dreams!

Keaton's Baptism

2010-04-17T10:56:00.001-07:00

Sunday, April 11th, Keaton received the sacrament of Baptism, the first step in his lifelong journey of commitment and discipleship to God. The day was very special to Kris and I and we were very blessed to have much of our family and a few friends join us for this occassion. We feel honored to have Kris' Aunt and Uncle, Garry and Laura Rothlisberger serve as Keaton's Godparents. They show a true Christian spirit in their commitment to their family, work and their faith. I can't wait for Keaton to get to know them in the coming years!

Keaton with his parents and Godparents

Kris's Parents (Granny & Pa) My Parents (Gigi and Papa)

Our happy little Keanut!

Like Father...Like Son

2010-04-13T10:29:00.000-07:00

Just had to share a funny picture with you. This last Friday, we went out to eat with our friends Danny and Mindy Oliver who were visiting from out of town. Danny and Kris grew up together and we have a blast each time we hang out. We had our friend and neighbor, Sara, watch Sydney for the evening, but little Keaton tagged along. We dined at the famous King's Inn and had a fabulous meal. For some reason (probably teething) Keaton was a little out of sorts and what calmed him down and made him the happiest was sucking on a cold mug of beer! And boy did he get after it! Below is a pic of Mindy and Keaton....making his daddy proud! Cheers!

Hopping Down the Bunny Trail

2010-04-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a fabulous Easter! We traveled to Llano to celebrate the Easter weekend and the wonderful annual reminder that Christ Has Risen! Sydney participated in 4 Easter Egg Hunts throughout the week and she definitely got better (faster) each time! We had so much fun teaching and explaining about Easter! Preparing for all the kids activities has been a blast and turns us back into kids ourself!

Stroller Strides Easter Egg Hunt

Sydney and cousin Graycie were so happy to see each other!

My grandparent's house. Such a beautiful place, especially with all the wildflowers.

Good 'ole Popo! The hardest working man I know!

Sweet Uncle Jim. He gives the BEST hugs!

Mimi....has aged so gracefully!

I love this pic of the girls! Check out Graycie's eyelashes!

Sydney in her element....riding on the tailgate with Daddy.

The Montfort Family

Literally, the best Easter family pic I could get. Sydney was way too busy eating Easter candy.

Sisterly love for Cole

Gigi and her girls.

Sweet Keat! Or as Sydney would say, "Kea nut"

I am so thankful for this picture! Sydney has taken up with good 'ole Popo and this picture will be cherished forever.

Hill Country Fun

2010-03-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

Last week, the kids and I headed off to the Hill Country to visit my family while my Mom enjoyed her Spring Break. My sister and her kiddos (Graycie and Cole) joined us as well. I absolutely love going home, especially in the Spring. I was hoping to see some Bluebonnets, but I think we'll have to wait until Easter. This should be a great year for wildflowers....the first in a long while and I can't wait to get pictures of the kids.

We had a fabulous girls week and Cole and Keaton were good sports about it all, but I know that will all change in a few years! The week started out with Gigi painting the girls toe nails after their baths. Sydney's an old pro at this which kind of worries me.....am I creating a high maintenance little girl? She just now started letting me put her hair in ponytails, but always pulls the bows out, so I guess I shouldn't be too worried!

We spent one rainy day hanging out at the house and took a trip "up the hill" to visit Mimi, Popo and Uncle Jim. We live on the same ranch place as my grandparents, so we all load up in one car sans car seats! It's quite a scene but the girls love to help Gigi drive and point at the cattle, goats and Larry the llama.

Tuesday turned out to be a beautiful day, so we headed to Fredericksburg, a short 45 minute drive. We were able to fit 4 kids,3 adults and 2 jammed packed diaper bags into my Mom's Mountaineer. Unfortunately, there was no room left for any purchases made on our trip, so Kris was very thankful having learned this! We had a great day....ate lunch on a beautiful outside patio, browsed a few fun, but out of sight priced stores and snacked at "Rather Sweet," a bakery owned by Dan Rather's daughter, Rebecca. We had the BEST sugar cookie in the world and chatted about Jima starting a catering service of her own. We had a great brainstorming session and it's so fun to think about all the possibilities there are when you become a "work from home mom."

All but Sydney fell asleep on the way home. It turned out to be a fabulous day and one we had all wanted to do for awhile! The trip ended on Wednesday with eating lunch at "The Acme," my favorite place to eat in Llano! The kids behaved so well, which is always good when there are people you know sitting at every table. John Cougar Melloncamp's (sp?) song "I was born in a small town" sums up my childhood perfectly! :) Sydney and Keaton were both asleep within 10 minutes of heading South out of town. Such bliss!

1..2..3 Imagine! With Elmo and Friends

2010-03-05T11:19:00.000-08:00

This past Wednesday, Sydney and I had a girls afternoon out at 1-2-3 Imagine! with Elmo and Friends. It was a Sesame Street live production with all the popular characters which of course included the little red monster, ELMO (our favorite). I had been looking forward to it all week and was hoping whe would enjoy it just as much as I thought she would. And she did! Sydney is normally a quiet, more reserved little girl (in public), but Sesame Street brought out the wild side of her! She danced, clapped and said "WOW" about a hundred times. Most of the show she sat in my lap for better viewing pleasure (us short girls need some help sometimes) and in between all the claps and cheers, she was chowing down the popcorn! She couldn't get enough popcorn in her mouth, but it was like she was in a trance, not even looking down at the bucket to pick up a piece....just one after another!

Finally, Sydney couldn't contain herself. She had to dance with all that fun music....she's got rhythm in her bones. Ha! Luckily, we had an aisle seat and Sydney had the entire aisle to herself to show off her moves! (More like Elaine moves from the series Seinfeld) She had a blast and definitly enjoyed herself. The feeling of giving your children an experience like that is so amazing and I'll remember her smiles forever!

Pre Elmo Party at the House

I had to get a picture of her side ponytail! Too cute!

Before the show!

La la la. la...la la la la...Elmo's World

Sydney heading towards the stage!

Keaton's Four Month Stats

2010-02-27T11:15:00.000-08:00

With all the fun going on that I mentioned in the last post, I failed to report very important news! Keaton had his 4 month checkup on Feb. 18 with Dr. Guthrie! And he measured (drum roll) 14 lbs. 12 oz. and 25 1/2 in long. He is in the 50th percentile for weight and 75th for height! Dr. Guthrie is big on nicknames and has called him Porkchop and Meatball thus far. I looked up Sydney's stats from her 4 mo. checkup and she was 9 lbs. 2 oz. and 23 in. long. I believe this was when we became slightly concerned about her growth and started monitoring her more often. Everything has checked out fine with her, so it's just amazing how different two children can be!

Below are pictures of both Keaton and Sydney sitting in their Bumbo seats at 4 mos. Look at the difference in their legs! However, Sydney looks so much stronger! She's our fiesty firecracker and Keaton is our laid back easygoing little man. Both are perfect and give our family such great balance! I apologize for no smiles....neither one of my kids are photogenic!

Fun for All

2010-02-22T12:32:00.000-08:00

I'm a little pressed for time right now. Both kids are sleeping so I only have a short window of time to post anything before one or both munchkins wake up, so I'm going to post mostly pictures of all the fun we had this last week!

The following three pics are from Kid's Day, an annual event at Stroller Strides. The kids stay in the strollers during typical SS workouts, but on this day, the kids got to run wild and have fun. As you can see it was a beautiful day on the Bayfront in Corpus Christi!

Sydney has become obsessed with Corn Dogs. I understand they are not the healthiest, but our little girl needs all the fat she can stand, so on various occasions she gets her corn dog and loves the heck out of them!

Except when she gets to the stick!

We decided Sydney was a big enough girl to handle a weekend alone with Gigi (my mom). We met up with Gigi and Mimi (my grandmother) for lunch at Stonewerks in San Antonio, so Sydney and Gigi could get reacquainted with each other. They hit it off right away, even though it had been since New Year's since we'd seen Gigi. Sydney absolutely adores Gigi, as you can see in the picture, and the two of them had a fabulous girls weekend! We will definitely be planning more weekends like this for them in the future!

After dropping off Miss Sydney, Kris, Keaton and I headed to the SA Stockshow and Rodeo. Keaton was a champ and as content as could be during the rodeo and the Gary Allen concert. It was a great rodeo night, since it included the Champion Drive of the Steer Show. After many years of showing steers, it brought back so many memories. Can't wait for our kids to participate in 4-H when they get older! The three of us drove back to Corpus that night and had a relaxing (quiet) weekend! It's amazing how going from two kids to one is such a difference. It makes me wonder why in the world I thought having one kid was hard!

We met back up with my Mom in San Antonio on Sunday and afterwards headed to the Bass Pro Shop. I love this place and it's so educational as well! We had one meltdown when Sydney wanted to try on hot pink crocs that were a gazzilion sizes too big. I let her try them on so she could see they were too big, but apparently she thought they were perfect. Putting her shoes back on and convincing her we could not take the crocs was definitely a challenge. A kicking toddler is the wildest animal alive!

If you look closely you can see Keaton is sporting his camo in spirit of visiting Bass Pro Shop.

Popcorn and Forrest Gump is how we ended the weekend. It was so good to have Sydney home and our family back as one.

This Time for Real

2010-02-15T11:20:00.000-08:00

If you notice closely, I have already made a post....but that was back in October. Before my second child was born, before I got a new camera and before I even made my blog official. ALOT has happened since then! So this new post is the new beginning of my blog for real! Read the first post from October for the basic facts and reasons for the blog.

Now, to quickly catch you up to date on what has happened since October....

-Keaton James was born October 16 (6 lbs 9 oz)
-Sydney turned TWO November 14
-Obviously Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years kept everyone busy. Sydney's big gift from Santa was a pink baby grand piano. She absolutely loves it and according to everyone, she has long skinny "piano fingers."
-The kids and I started back to Stroller Strides which has definitely become my addiction. We try to attend 3 days a week and I feel guilty if I don't go. It's a major body bustin workout plus great social interaction for the mamas and the kids!
-Kris is gearing up for our crazy time of year. He and his family are about to start planting grain and cotton. Turfgrass sales should start to pick up in March and hopefully keep a busy schedule throughout the remainder of the year!
-Keaton will be 4 months old Feb. 16. We will go for an official weigh in and shots on the 18th, but our home scale has him weighing around 15 lbs! Our featherweight Sydney weighs 20 lbs, so little brother isn't so little!

I know you would rather look at pictures than read, so here are a few pics summarizing whats been going on over the last few months! I hope to post frequently. We have alot going on in our lives, so I know it will not be hard for any ideas on what to write about! Here are the pics!

Keaton James has arrived!

Christmas in Llano

Handsome Boy

Sydney stirring Kris' strawberry birthday cake (Feb.7)

Playing with each other. Keaton LOVES Sydney!

Sydney- Valentine's Day

Keaton- 4 months old!

Hello World!

2009-10-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

This is my first post in the world of blogging! I feel like I am way behind the world and have somewhat failed my obligation as a mother to update and share our family news in such a wonderful way. I LOVE reading other people's blogs, and think it is such a great way to keep in touch with family and friends. I hope I can keep faithful readers with interesting posts. However, I really don't think this will be much of a problem. Our daughter, Sydney (22 months), is at such a fun age, there is never a dull moment in our house!

First of all, I would like to expand on the meaning of the title I chose for our blog, "Where the Green Grass Grows." Obviously, owning a turfgrass company weighed heavily in the title decision. Our business is such a big part of our lives and we strive to grow green grass....not brown grass! :) Additionally and more importantly, Kris and I feel so happy to be blessed with our beautiful daughter, Sydney, and a Baby Boy on the way. Our children bring us so much joy and give us such purpose in our lives. All it takes is one sparkly grin from Sydney or one strong kick from baby and our day is complete! Green grass is a positive and beautiful sign of nature. It's a symbol of growth and prosperity. We feel blessed to have green grass growing all year long!

Kris, Sydney and I in front of the Tetons outside Jackson Hole, WY. Our family of three will soon be four!