July

Well, now that it's the end of July I thought I'd post something to let you know what we've been up to. It started with the 4th of July celebration at the Merten's (Steve's family). Kamri, Steve and I had a great time. It was actually the first time that Kamri and I met his family and I think it went really well. We spent some time on the lake, had some great barbecue, and enjoyed a great fireworks show. Kamri really enjoyed jumping on the "jumpoline"...

Then we move on to the weekend of Ryann's birthday......That's right - my baby is SIX years old!!!!! We threw a surprise party for Ryann at Oak Creek Country Club. I think we all really enjoy her birthday being smack dab in the middle of the summer - POOL TIME!!!! She wanted a Hannah Montana party - and boy did she get one! Hannah Montana EVERYTHING! Here's a pic of the birthday girl.....more pics on my photoalbum.com website. And still more to come.

Next comes my mom's birthday. It was a little more elaborate this year. At her request, we all (minus Ryann and Kamri) went to Beavers Bend in Oklahoma. It was the first camping trip we've all been on since I was a kid.....I usually miss out. But we had a BLAST!!! Steve and I drove up on Saturday morning and arrived just in time to "catch the boat"...lol. Literally, my mom rented a pontoon boat for all 11 of us to enjoy for the day. Here are a couple of pics from the day......more pics on my photoalbum.com site. And still more to come!!!



I think that's about it for the month of July. It was a fun-filled month!!! But August is going to be jam-packed. Birthdays, bowling tournaments, and the beginning of a new school year. More updates to come!

Love to all,

Melony, Ryann, & Kamri

A look at the past year....

Wow! I didn't realize that it had been almost an entire year since I had last posted anything. SO MUCH has happened that I would never be able to update you on everything. So, I'll just hit the high points and let you all know what's going on with us currently.

Ryann finished Kindergarten this year. She did extremely well and had EXCELLENT grades throughout the whole year. She's really looking forward to starting 1st grade in the fall. Right now she's spending the summer with her Dad. She plays soccer during the summer. And, from what I hear, she loves it. We celebrated her 6th birthday last weekend! Man, I can't believe my baby girl is six years old!!!! Ummmmm......she read her very first book a couple of months ago. Dr. Seuss's - Green Eggs & Ham. That book's like 64 freakin pages long!!!! GO RYANN!!!

Kamri is also currently spending time with her Dad. She'll be starting Pre-K in the fall and she can hardly wait!!! Both of my girls are ready to completely forgo summer and start going to school right now!! But I'm sure as soon as school starts they'll be ready for summer again....lol....kids!

As for me, I'm working at the DB's Sports Grill and Bowling as a Manager/Bartender. I've also started bowling. I'm sure this is in part due to the fact that I've started dating a professional bowler. But, truth be told, I really enjoy it and am really glad that it's something he and I can share in together.

On a more personal note, for anyone who's interested........I'm really glad that I've finally met someone who I feel can fill the gap that I've had in my life for so long. He makes me want to be a better person.......he makes my heart smile........and I'm so very happy.

Okay, well, I'm sure that I missed SO much! But, come on, I can't remember everything that's happened in the past YEAR!!!

Seriously, I'll do better with the posts. Scouts honor!!

Mel : )

Milestones......

Ryann brought home her first report card on Monday. And, of course, she's doing extremely well!!! She's excelling in EVERYTHING! I'm so very proud of her. I tried to scan a copy of her report card to post it, but haven't been successful yet.

ALSO, Ryann has learned how to tie her shoes!!!!!!!!!! This is HUGE!!! I mean, this is one of the milestones in life! Right up there with learning how to spell her own name and learning how to drive!!! And what's even more amazing is that we haven't even really worked on it very much.......she just picked it up so fast!!!

Those are the two biggest things so far this week for Ryann. I'll let you all know if she starts multiplying large numbers or reciting Shakespeare!! LOL!!

Melony & Ryann (Miss Smarty Pants)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAMRI!!!!!!

Kamri Jaycee turned 4 years old on Tuesday, October 16th!!! She and I celebrated by going to one of her fav places on the planet...Chuck E Cheese!!!! It was just the two of us because we're having her party this Saturday afternoon. I snapped a few pics of her while we were at CEC.....you can see the rest of them through the link to our photos. I'll take lots more pics at her party and get them posted asap.

Love ya!
Melony & Kamri

October 2007

This month is going to be a very busy month for us. We have several birthdays in October including Miss Kamri Jay who will be turning 4 !!!!! My baby girls are growing up so fast. We'll be having a party for her on the 20th of this month. On the 13th we'll be going to my sister's 21st birthday party and on the 8th my family is having a joint birthday party for Brittany, Kamri, and Thomas (my brother-in-law).

Along with all of the birthday parties, we'll be planning for Halloween and of course, starting to look ahead to the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays. It's all going to be here SO fast!!! Before we know it we'll be ringing in a new year.

I'll also be starting a new job this week and of course with that comes a little bit of stress. However, I'm positive that it'll be less stress than I've been under with my CURRENT job. Everyone wish me luck with that endeavor.

Ryann's teacher came in to the restaurant last night to have dinner with her husband and I got an update on how's she doing. Mrs. West is still very impressed with her and comments frequently on how smart she is. The only problem that Ryann has in school (and may continue to have) is that she has to have everything perfect. Mrs. West said that she really enjoys doing her assignments, unlike most of the other kids in her class, and is always very eager to please by doing everything right. This does not surprise me at all. Ryann has always been a bit of a perfectionist. I only hope that she's eventually able to learn that she doesn't have to be perfect all of the time. Otherwise, she's going to have a life of disappointment.

Kamri started back to school this week as well. She's very very excited. She's enrolled at Kickin' Kids......the same school she was in this time last year. They called me to let me know that they finally had an opening for her class and of course I jumped on it!!! At this school she gets to go through pre-k curriculum, participate in gymnastics, and spend time with lots of other kids her age!! She loves it and I'm terribly happy that she's happy!!!

I think that's about it for now. Ryann's with her dad this weekend and I've been doing some cleaning this morning. Kamri and I also decorated the house with a few Halloween decorations. I'm excited for the time I can take them down and then soon after put up our Christmas tree and all of the other decorations we have for Christmas!!!!!

Hope everyone's weekend is fun!!!

Melony

The latest.....

It seems like it's been a while since I've posted an update so it might be time to do that. Actually, though, there's really no a whole lot going on right now. My job is pretty much the same. I work days now except for Friday and Saturday nights. I really like this schedule because it allows me to spend almost every evening with the girls. And every other weekend Ryann is with her dad anyway so she wouldn't be home even if I weren't working. The job is good.....a little monotonous at times....but I supposed everyone's job is like that.

Ryann is doing extremely well in school. I spoke to her teacher just this morning about her progress. Mrs. West told me that she's been VERY impressed with how smart Ryann is. It's actually shocked her a little bit how advanced she is compared to the other kids in her class. I told her that I knew she was very smart but sometimes I wonder if it's just me being biased since she IS my child. She said that it was definitely NOT me being biased. Ryann's very intelligent. So, I'm a beaming mommy today!!! : )

Kamri is FINALLY back home. It was absolute hell trying to get her here......but I guess what's most important is that she's here. And we're all SO happy to have her back. She got to do a lot of fun stuff while she was gone but says that she's very excited to be back home. She missed her sister a lot. And she and I have been enjoying our one-on-one time today. Lots of hugs and kisses!!!!!!

Other than that I can't really think of anything else that's going on. I'm starting to look forward to the holidays and try to make some plans. Haven't started my Christmas shopping yet which, in my family, means I'm behind schedule!!!! LOL Guess I'll start working on that soon.

Hope everyone is doing well. Love from all of us to you!!

Melony, Ryann, & Kamri Jay

Texas A&M 17, Miami 34

Kyle Wright, QB for the Miami Hurricanes threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns to lead Miami to a 34-17 win over No. 20 Texas A&M tonight. It was definitely a disappointing game to all Aggie fans. And if anyone watched the same game I did this evening, can I get an answer please.........Where were the Ags???? It seemed like they didn't even show up for this game. They were slow, clumsy, and seemed uninterested!!!! As a true Aggie, I'll always be here to support my guys...but I have to say, this season isn't going to get easier. So, I think they have a lot to work on before meeting up with the Big 12.

Gig Em and God Bless!

Melony : )

Texas A&M 54, Louisiana - Monroe 14

Well, the guys did a much better job this week at outscoring the opponents. However, I have to ask myself......at one point does it stop being a game and start being simply a massacre?????

Regardless, TAMU fans all over are proud of our boys for bringing home yet another victory. Next up......Miami.

Gig Em and God Bless!!

Melony : )

Texas A&M 49, Fresno State 47

It was an emotional day for all Aggies.....elation, fear, happiness, and a feeling that to me felt a little like a coronary. But, TAMU finally pulled it out in TRIPLE OVERTIME!!! I swear, by the end of the game I was so frustrated that I didn't even want to watch anymore!! Good thing the game ended when it did, I guess.

Regardless, the Ags are still undefeated this season and I sure hope their winning streak continues for several weeks to come!

Gig Em and God Bless

Melony

2007 School Year

I can't believe that it's actually happened, but Ryann started kindergarten on August 27, 2007. She goes to Travis Elementary, a part of the Greenville Independent School District.

Her teacher is Mrs. West. And she really likes going to school. The goal for kids in kindergarten is to learn how to read by the end of the school year. Ryann's already got a really good start on that. She's been able to identify her own name and several family member's names for quite some time. And she can even spell and write those names. I'm so proud of her!!!

We'll keep you updated with changes and interesting news this year.

Love,

Melony & Ryann

Texas A&M 38, Montana State 7

Off to another good start this year!!! Gig em Aggies!!!!

Sometimes Mommys are stupid.........

Today was Ryann's second day of Kindergarten and she was late. And it was TOTALLY my fault!!! We drove to Fairfield to pick up Kamri last night and didn't get home until almost 11:00. By that time both girls were ready to pass out so, they went to bed and I went about doing those night time things that moms do. I packed Ryann's lunch, I folded a load of laundry, took care of the dog, etc. And one of the things I remembered to do before going to bed last night was to adjust the alarm on my phone so that I could wake up early enough to see the lunar eclipse. Well, not only did I miss the eclipse.....but Ryann was late for school because my alarm didn't go off AT ALL!!! Apparently I adjusted the time but didn't remember to enable the alarm. I'm a retard!!!! Fortunately, she was only 10 minutes late and there were still parents dropping off their kids when I was leaving (so, I'm not the only irresponsible parent in Gvl). I guess in the end everything turned out okay......but I was SO kicking myself this morning!!!

Hope everyone else's day has gone a little more smoothly!

Love to all,
Mel : )

So many changes.....

So, yeah...it's been a long time since I've updated anyone. But given the circumstances, I think everyone will understand. There's just been SO much going on!!! I haven't had time to check emails, return phone calls, or visit any of my friends in so long that I'm pretty sure they're going to give up on me completely. So, for those of you who've stuck it out...here's the scoop. The restaurant that I was working at basically went under and has been replaced by another. This all happened in a matter of about 2 1/2 days. I was never out of work......in fact, just the opposite. I've been working my tail end off!!!! I'm now the manager in charge of pretty much everything at Temeraria's in Greenville (located where Cole Mountain used to be). It was a tough change.....and we're still all adjusting. But I've hired 10-15 new employees in the past week and a half just to keep up with all of the business we've been getting. Lots of interviews and training in my days!!! However, the really good news in all of this is that I'll be able to work while the girls are in school and spend my evenings with them!!! I'm very excited about this!!!! Ryann is starting kindergarten on August 27th. Kamri still isn't old enough to start pre-k yet......which is going to be really hard on her, but there's not just a whole lot I can do about it. Ryann just came home from her dad's where she spent the majority of the summer. She played soccer for the Keller Soccer league and also participated in her first real gymnastics class. She did really well in both....but was ready to come home. And trust me, Kamri and I were ready too!!!! I now have a computer at home so maybe I'll get better at returning emails and keeping up with this blog thing.....no promises though.

I guess that's about it for now. I'm sure there's more to tell......but I have to get to checking all of those emails I mentioned.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Love to all,
Melony Ryann & Kamri

Holy Cow!!

I can't believe that it's been OVER 2 months since I've had a chance to update this thing. That's insane. But it kind of fits in with our lives these days. In case there's anyone who didn't already know, I finally got a job. I've been there since April 4th. I'm the Bar Manager at a local restaurant here and I LOVE it!! It's so nice to finally have a job that I love and can actually make decent money doing. The only downside is that I don't get to spend all of my evenings with the girls. I miss them terribly and they miss me as well. But, we do lots of fun stuff when we are together!! Ryann and Kamri are both gone right now. It's Daddy time. Ryann is starting soccer at the end of this month and will start gymnastics next month. She's very very excited about both. And then, of course, she'll be starting kindergarten in August!! AAGGGHHH!!! They grow up too fast.....

We've been enjoying the summer so far. Since I no longer work during the day we're able to go to the pool and the park all the time. The girls love that!! They're both growing like little weeds. I haven't been able to take many pics lately so I'll have to work on that. As soon as I get some new ones I'll get them posted.

Until then, hope everyone is well. Sorry it's been so long....I'll try to do better. : )

Love,
Melony Ryann & Kamri

Happy Easter!!!!

Easter this year started out nice. We all went to church together and then met up with the rest of the family at Jessica's house for the remainder of the afternoon. We enjoyed a HUGE lunch of smoked brisket & chicken with all the fixins. We all came home SO FULL!!!!

After lunch the adults hid about a million plastic eggs and then the kids went hunting. We all had such a wonderful time.....and we got lots of pictures. So, make sure you check out our photo albums to see the rest. Hope everyone's Easter was as blessed as ours was this year!!!!!

Love to all,
Melony : )

FINALLY!!!!

I just got off the phone with my sister, Jessica......her and Thomas just found out this morning that they are having a BOY!! This is a HUGE thing for my family!!! We don't have boys in our family. Until now I thought we were physically incapable of producing them...lol. My mom had 3 girls, I had 2 girls, Jessica has already had 1 girl.....and now she's expecting a BOY! We're just not going to know what to do with a little man running around the house!! But we're SO excited!!

More to come!

Mel

Look what I can do!!!

Ryann is so funny!! A couple of minutes ago she came running into the house and said, "Mommy, come quick"....so I go outside. And she says "Watch what I learned"....here are pics to show what my big girl learned!!





She wanted to let me know that she learned how to swing all by herself!!! With absolutely no help!! And look how high she can go!! Whoo-hoo!!



*New pics (okay some of them are really old) are up as well.....so check out our photo albums!!

Love,
Melony, Ryann, & Kamri : )

The reason....

So, anyone who actually uses this blog as a means of staying "in the know" about me and the girls is probably wondering why I haven't updated in A LONG TIME!! The answer is simply this......there has been absolutely NOTHING going on with us. I'm still jobless....still searching for employment. The girls are once again staying at home with me during the day while I try to find a job. And to be honest with you, I think we're all getting a little spoiled sleeping in every day. Well, everyday except the past three days. Kamri has decided to wake up unusually early everyday this week...I mean we're talking like 6:00-6:30 every morning. And yesterday she wasn't feeling well. She had an unexplained fever all day ~ which we fought with medicine and she woke up this morning feeling much better (no fever). Other than that, there's not a whole lot going on.......wow, we lead an exceptionally exciting life.

But, regardless I wanted to let everyone know that we're still here....still chugging along.

Love to all,
Melony

It's been a while.....

I don't really have a good excuse for not keeping this thing updated. I guess there's just been so much going on that I forgot. Not really sure where we last left off, but the girls and I are still in our transition phase. I've been working temp jobs while interviewing for something more permanent. Ryann just got back home after being with her dad for the past month basically. We all missed her SO much and are so very glad she's back home with us. But she had a WONDERFUL time being with her Daddy, Courtney, and Aiden.

Other than that, not much has changed with the girls. They're still growing and learning and amazing me every day with what they pick up. I suspect that's not going to change anytime soon. I, however, have recently started dating someone who's very very special to me. Unfortunately, he had to board a plane to Iraq last night and may not get to come back home until October or later. So, I'm going to miss him terribly. Please remember him and all of the other troops in your daily prayers. They've said that sometimes the only thing that keeps them alive is the prayers that we send up. So.....keep 'em comin!!!

I've got to get some lunch ready for these girls and then we're all going to go out and enjoy the beautiful weather that we've been blessed with today.

Love to all,
Melony, Ryann, & Kamri

PS: I'm going to post some new pics on our new site.....check it out!

Daddy Daughter Dance 2007

Last night Adam took Ryann to their first Daddy Daughter Dance. And she was SO excited!! I think she was most excited about the fact that she got to wear a beautiful "princess" dress!!!

When she got home from the dance she called to tell me all about it. She told me that she got to dance with her daddy and eat a pretty pink cookie......and that there were LOTS of pretty girls there! I feel so happy for her!!! She had such a wonderful time! And to be honest with you, according to Courtney, her daddy was even more excited about the whole thing than she was!! She has such an awesome daddy!! And she is SO lucky to have him!! I'm sure this dance will become something that they'll both be able to look forward to every year!!

Look for more pics in our photo albums!! Hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day!!

Love,

Melony : )