The Day Has Come….

I remember holding that little baby and thinking how difficult it was to imagine that the day would come when he was bigger than me.  

Well, after a few months of comparing, the day has come.  Andrew has passed me by in height.  Needless to say, he is giddy about it.  Me, not so much.  Of course, I want him to grow into a strong and capable man, but it just brings it home that he is slowly, but surely preparing to "leave the nest."  And that means his brothers won't be too far behind him.  

Picking the Perfect Tree

After Thanksgiving, I love to get in the Christmas spirit by kicking off our holiday season at the Christmas tree lot.  My guys did not disappoint me as they were all eager (okay, maybe not Paul) to find the perfect tree.  I think we did it in record time.  

Cave Explorers

Andrew loves to explore caves.  He has been to Inner Space Caverns, Carlsbad Caverns, Wind Cave, Longhorn Cavern and Natural Bridge Caverns.  He is always on the lookout for another cave to visit.    He has been asking for awhile to go on one of the adventure tours that many of the caves offer, so for his birthday, Paul took him to Natural Bridge Caverns for their Hidden Passages Adventure Tour today.

After gearing up,

the guides led them to the entrance.

 The entrance is a 22 inch hole.

 At first, Andrew was a little nervous as they lowered him down 220 feet.

 He enjoyed the ride down though.

 Then they rappelled the rest of the way down.  They crawled through some tight spaces and got to see some interesting cave formations.

The adventurers had a successful outing as shown by their dirty clothes. 

We Have a Teenager in the House!

Thirteen years ago today, ten days earlier than we expected, our little Thanksgiving baby, Andrew Christopher McHorse arrived.

In honor of him entering the teen years, I have found a picture of him celebrating each of his birthdays so far.  

We celebrated #1 at home with family and friends.  I made a teddy bear cake and stressed out over it so much that I have not attempted a decorative cake since then. 

For age 2, it was all about Barney.  While staying in Austin with grandparents, he discovered the world of Barney and couldn't get enough.  We celebrated at home with friends and family.

When Andrew turned three, we held his party at "Kids in Action."  The theme was dinosaurs and he enjoyed playing games, climbing and swinging with friends.  That was when we saw hints of the gymnast to be.

Andrew's 4th birthday was right when the movie, "The Polar Express" came out.  He took a few friends to the movie theater and had a really cool Polar Express cake.  

Spiderman was the theme for age 5 at Incredible Pizza.  Friends came to celebrate with pizza and games. 

When Andrew turned 6, Ms. Barbara from Wonders of the Woodlands came to our house with her critters.  Andrew and his friends got to learn about and touch insects, amphibians, and reptiles. 

It was glow in the dark mini-golf for age 7.  We shot a few holes and enjoyed cake with friends.

The Mad Scientist came to our house for Andrew's 8th party.  The children got to do some amazing experiments.  

When Andrew turned 9, we took a few friends to see "Planet 51." It was out of this world!

Andrew had just broken his left arm about a week and a half before he turned 10.  He was still in the ace bandage and splint.  We took a few friends to see the new movie, "Megamind."

We had moved to our new home when Andrew celebrated turning 11.  He took a few friends to Dave & Busters for games and fun followed by an ice cream sandwich cake.  

Age 12, Andrew's first year in middle school, was celebrated by taking two friends to the trapeze class. It was high flying fun!

Happy 13th birthday, Andrew!  

We can't wait to see what other adventures you have to come!

Veteran's Day Assembly

Matthew and Jacob's school held a Veteran's Day Assembly to honor friends and family members who have served in the military.  The choir sang patriotic songs, there was a speaker and the histories of the various branches of the military were shared. 

My dad was in attendance this year.  Jacob and Matthew were so proud to have him there.  We are all proud of him and his service to our country.

He Works Hard

Every Thursday,  I help the children in Jacob's class with their journal writing.  When I arrived this week, there was a change of plans.  This time they were writing in science journals about pumpkins.  

Jacob was taking his research very seriously.  He tested the pumpkin to see if it sinks or floats, measured the height and circumference and checked to see if it is magnetic or not.  It is fun to see him engaged in learning at school.  I am savoring this time because as the other two boys have gotten older, there are fewer and fewer opportunities.  

A&M vs. UTEP

We were thrilled to head back to Aggieland for the A&M vs. UTEP game.  

The kickoff wasn't until 8:00 pm, so we had lots of time to fill.  We stopped off at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library, so Jacob could visit with the former president.

Andrew and Ben thought they would give it a try to see what the job was like.  

After lunch and a little shopping, we headed over to the century oak for a little exploration. 

It happened that it was our graduating class' 20th year reunion.  After a meal together, 

 we all headed outside so the yell leaders could teach the kids the Aggie yells and have a little yell practice.

We watched the band lead the football players to the stadium and headed to the game.  

 As usual, the band put on a spectacular show.  Top it all off with a Fightin' Texas Aggie win, and we had great day in Aggieland!