The Tooth Fairy is on Her Way!!!

Ryann came home from school today and told me a very interesting story. Apparently, while she was at lunch today, she accidentally hit one of her bottom front teeth with her fork and noticed that it moved a little.........so of course, being a kid, she started playing around with it and lo and behold......Ryann has her first loose tooth! I don't know how long it'll take for it to fall out - but this is a first and she's VERY excited! We'll see how long the little bugger can hold out!!!

Kamri started her ballet class yesterday. YES, I took pictures - about 3 - and then my camera died!!!!!!!!! Darn the luck! So, I'll have to get pics of her in class next week to share with you all. And actually, there's a good possibility that Ryann will be starting the class next week as well......double the pics!

Man, with violin lessons, ballet classes, and the youth bowling league we're a busy little family.....and did I mention..............WE'RE MOVING!!!! Unfortunately, the living situation here at the house is SOOOOOOO not working out. It's pretty much impossible to live with James (our roommate)........and Steve and I decided that since we basically KNOW that we're going to be together, we wanted to get a place of our own. So, we found a house - we paid the deposit, and we're moving in next week. We'll be in our new place by the end of this month! And let me tell you, I couldn't be more happy! Steve, the girls and I are all VERY excited about this place. I'll take pics of the house and post them as well.

I think that's about it for now..........and quite frankly, I'm glad.......that's a lot!!!!!! Whew, I'm tired!

Updates soon,
Mel & the family

School Starts Again

And so begins a new school year. Ryann in first grade and Kamri started pre-k. The morning went much more smoothly than I expected. Woke up, bathed, dressed, ate breakfast, and we were off. Unfortunately for mommy, the girls don't both attend the SAME school. In fact their schools are about 10 minutes apart.....but Kamri starts at 7:45 and Ryann starts at 8:00 so we've been lucky in that at least.

First off, we droped off Ryann. Her teacher's name is Mrs. Clark and thusfar Ryann seems to really like her class. She (of course) came homes with a "green" for Monday. For anyone who doesn't know, this means that she didn't get in trouble and had no other problems that day. On Tuesday, same story.......today, well you get the picture. This is pretty much what I expect from Ryann the entire year.

One exciting thing starting for Ryann this year is her enrollment in a SPECIAL music program at her school. It's called Suzuki Strings......Ryann's going to learn to play a violin. It also requires a lot of parent involvement. I have to attend classes every Thursday night for the next six weeks. And every week thereafter, I'll be attending Ryann's private lessons on Wednesday mornings. She wasn't really sure what she thought of all of this until she heard Mr. Holden (instructor) play "Twinkle, twinkle little star" on his violin. Her eyes became the size of saucers!! So, we're really excited to get started! More to come on Ryann's progress in the first grade!

Kamri is attending Pre-K at L.P. Waters. She's been waiting for this for 2 years (basically since Ryann started school). However, before she could actually attend her first class, she had to have a physical and a few shots. This was not pleasant. She had to have 4 shots. And when we left she told me "I am SO DONE with those shots!" Yeah.....she's four! The good news is that she is in the 50th percentile for her weight (average) and in the 90th percentile for her height (way above average)......and she got a completely clean bill of health from the doctor. So, we were off to school.

Kamri's teacher is Mrs. Moyston. And I was a little dismayed to hear from her when I picked up Kamri on the first day of school that "Kamri doesn't like to walk in line and Kamri doesn't like to follow directions". But, we're working on those things and hopefully the rest of the school year will go much more smoothly. I'm looking into enrolling Kamri in dance or gymnastics.....we haven't decided which one yet.

Also, I've signed both of the girls up for the youth bowling league at my work. They'll be bowling on Saturday mornings starting September 13th. I'm hoping that it's something that they'll enjoy. They love going up to mommy's work and bowling......I'm hoping that continues when it's in a more structured setting.

More pics posted on our website.......since blogger doesn't really like me that much! Lol....

Love to all,

Melony, Ryann & Kamri

My first tournament......

The PBA Southwest Region Doubles Tournament was held in Longview, Tx August 1-3. This was the first tournament that I was able to go and support Steve. It was a lot of fun. We spent 1 1/2 days together in Longview (where it's oh-so-exciting....lol)....and we had an awesome time. I feel so incredibly blessed to have this man in my life. My kids love him, my family loves him......and even though I haven't told him yet, I love him. He makes me happier than I've ever been.....even my family sees it. So, anyway - it was awesome. He didn't make it to the final cut, but he bowled REALLY well and came really close. He'll be bowling in Memphis August 9 & 10 and I have a feeling it's going to go really well for him there.

We're going to my parent's house this evening for my birthday dinner. Since my birthday is on Friday and I'll be working, we're celebrating a little early. I'm really looking forward to it since my family hasn't all gotten together since we went to Beavers Bend for my mom's birthday.

On another note, I'm going to start looking for another job this week. I've reached the point that I'm really tired of working long hours and making NO money. Plus, it would be very very VERY nice to have a STEADY amount of money coming in and have the extra benefit of that wonderful thing called insurance. So, I'll let you all know how the job hunt goes this week.

I also started working out this past week. I'm once again unhappy with the amount of weight that I've managed to gain.......so it's time to shed a few (or 30) pounds. Updates on everything to come!!!

* New pics on myphotoalbum.com *

Mel : )

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 : )