Rush Family Happenings

Valentines, Taos, and Little Longhorns

2012-02-27T00:14:00.000-06:00

Valentines Day was big hit for both the kids this year. They both made Valentines for their friends at school. In true fashion, Emmie stayed up extra late making sure hers were just perfect.

Sloan's mom flew in town that afternoon, and babysat while we went out to dinner. She was here all week, and watched Emmie for us as we headed out to ski in Taos for the weekend. They had fun going to a movie, a birthday party, and having a "girl's night".

Meanwhile, we headed up through Angel Fire and had dinner with the rest of Sloan's family that was staying at his dad's house. We headed onto Taos, and stayed at the El Monte...which was so fabulous!!! It is going on my list of "favorites". We had a great time skiing. Hayden and Jason joined us for a day. True did so awesome. He has mastered going up and down the magic carpet all by himself. He told us, "Stand back!!! Don't help me." We just stood there and watch him do it over and over again. I am so proud of him! He makes car noises the whole time he skis, and keeps saying, "I want to go faster!" Most people that see him on the mountain say they have never seen such a passionate 2 year old skiing!

We were so excited to get home on Monday and see Emmie!

This weekend, our local UT alumni group had a service project at the food bank. I told E & T we all got to wear our longhorn gear; E went straight to her closet and grabbed an A&M t-shirt...I broke it to her that was the wrong school. She quickly found her burnt orange cheerleading dress, and we were in action. Such good little helpers!

Snow and an Unusual Adventure

2012-02-11T22:26:00.000-06:00

Earlier this week we had, yet another, snow storm! This one wasn't a blizzard by any stretch of the imagination, but it was enough for E & T to beg and plead to go play outside. I told them it was fine as long as they put on coats, hats, and gloves. While E followed orders, I found T with no coat, no gloves, and his swimming hat...hmmm.

Other than that, this week has fairly uneventful. However, tonight we embarked on a rather odd adventure. We took the kids out to help throw a Valentines Party at a children's home outside of town. As we were driving back, thinking about dinner, we had the grand idea of visiting The Big Texan.

Now if you are from Amarillo, you understand why this is so unusual. No one from Amarillo actually goes to eat at the attraction, just tourist! Well, our kids LOVED all of it. Especially the kid's meals served cowboy hats that they got to keep.

Now we are all bundled up inside; awaiting another snow storm forcasted to hit tomorrow.

Busy, busy, busy...

2012-02-06T21:52:00.004-06:00

That is how I can best describe the past few weeks! About 2 weeks ago, E & T went on a trip to Disneyland with my parents and brother. While I hope to collect some pictures for a blog post of their trip soon; this is the one picture I took when they got back home.
They had such a fun time. When they were leaving to come back home, my dad had asked, "Who is excited to see mommy and daddy today?" Emmie immediately replied, "Me!", but True said, "I want to stay here."
Since they got back home, it seems like we have had one birthday party after another to attend. Along with birthday parties, throw in a Monster Truck Show (which Sloan totally failed me by not taking one picture. They went with a bunch of other little boys and dads. True had a BLAST), mixed with a bunch of church things, AND finishing up with things with our house which is nearly finished being built (!!!!!)...life has been just been busy!
And in between the busyness, True continues to keep me on my toes. Whether it is having his Mickey Mouse figurines putting on a MM Clubhouse show for all this Batman figurines, building towers with blocks and knocking them down, or riding his bike around our house as fast as he can...there is never a dull moment. Including him sticking a paint brush in glue (as I screaming no, running across the room to stop him) and he rubs it all over our carpet! Got to love boys...

However, this Little Mess did get a new big boy haircut this week....and looks so much older!

Here are a few more pictures of some birthday parties we went to recently.

Can't believe its already February. 2012 is already flying by!

3,2,1...Blast-Off!!!

2012-01-22T22:49:00.006-06:00

Experience Life Amarillo has "official" launched!!! We went from a year and a half of meeting at Sloan's office like this...To this; a full scale service in a basket ball gym today ....

Drumroll please!!!

Over 300 visitors
13 Live Committed to Christ (one person who made the decision before the service even started!)

This morning I woke up full of emotions and anticipation that have been building for the last 2 1/2 years. As we were moving back in 2010, Sloan and I had felt called to help start a church similar to the one we went to in Lubbock. We didn't know what that would look like, but right about the time, a pastor from eLife in Lubbock called Sloan and asked if we would be interested in starting a Lifehouse in Amarillo; as they had dreams of planting a church in Amarillo at some point.

The timing was perfect, which usually means one thing: it is a God thing. That fall we began a Lifehouse with 5 couples (and all but one who moved; became our core team). At some point, we decided we would like to meet on Sundays as well. Thus began the meetings at Sloan's office, watching the Lubbock service via video. We had ups and downs as far as attendance, but were slowly able to get more people on board the "vision" of starting an eLife in Amarillo.

And Fall 2011 the decision was made, Experience Life would launch in Amarillo in January 2012! We spent most the fall getting people on board, praying, and getting acquainted with our new campus pastor and his sweet family.

So today, at 9AM when we pull up to 4100 Republic....I was so ecstatic to see what God had planned for this new church here in Amarillo. And it totally blew me away. God and His plans, totally blew me away. That DESPITE my (sometimes) bad attitude about watching the kids while we met, the times I should have prayed more or gave more, the frustration and doubts I had about what we were doing...despite ALL my shortcomings and failures in "helping" get this church started; God came and He did what He does best. He showed His power through our weaknesses. So tonight, my heart is filled with praise and joy for the work God has done/ is going to do through Experience Life Amarillo.

Good-Bye 2011

2012-01-11T20:41:00.009-06:00

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,

for He who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:24

Can't believe 2011 has already come and gone! A few years ago, Sloan and I began a tradition of picking out a scripture to include on our Christmas card that would best sum up what God has been doing in our lives throughout the past year. Thus, Hebrews 10:24 appeared on our Christmas card this year, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful".

2011 was a year full of God proving himself to be faithful over and over again. In some big ways, and others small, we were blessed to see the hand of God at work in our church (an exciting post coming on that very soon!!!), our family and friendships, and just in basic day to day to provisions.

To ring in the new year, we headed up to the Broadmoor with a bunch of family friends for the (semi-sort-of) Annual Trip. True went up with my parents a day early, and had a blast swimming and running around.
We arrived the next day, and it took Emmie no time to adjust to her "princess" quarters.

As new years eve rolled around, we had the classic last minute "we lost your reservations, and have no tables left" scenario, which lead the Broadmoor to offer us a private dinner in a board room. It actually turned out quite nice, office chairs and all!
The next day we enjoyed the walking around looking at all the Christmas decor.
And then went to the zoo. Not the best idea in the middle of winter! In fact my dad said, "Now I remember why I decided I never wanted to come back to this zoo during winter after the last time I took you here 20 years ago." But freezing or not, I think the kids enjoyed seeing the animals.
Especially the giraffes (which True got to feed). And how appropriate he would be wearing his new giraffe hat!

Meanwhile, Sloan and John drove to Denver to watch Tim Tebow in action! (Yes, we are total band wagon fans.) Unfortunately, the Broncos lost....but they said they enjoyed the experience, sitting a little more than a mile high!
That evening we played in the game room.

The next morning, we said good-bye to Colorado Springs, and headed off to Taos.
The snow was fabulous! While Emmie still is not such a fan of skiing, she did enjoy teaching her doll how to ski.
True on the other hand, was SO EXCITED to hit the slopes again. You have never heard a two year old so impassioned about anything. I thought he was going to lose his voice, shouting (happily), "I go to ski school!!!"
When I picked him up the second day He told me, "I a ski-car." I shortly discovered that he was making car noises as he went down the mountain. Such a boy.
Such a nice break after the hustle and bustle of Christmas. This week is back to the grind; as life is in full swing once again!

A White Christmas

2011-12-31T00:11:00.010-06:00

And the best kind too! Not a white Christmas forcasted in advance. No! The kind of white Christmas that comes totally unannounced and unpredicted by meteorologist! A total surprise snow on Christmas morning! (My favorite part of the picture above with my brother playing outside with the kids on Christmas day is our "Happy Birthday Jesus" lights in the background). What a perfect celebration!

Going back a few days before Christmas, here are some pics I found of T's Christmas program at school. Walking in....

From this picture, you would never know he didn't sing a single word!

Fast-forwarding a few days, Mrs. Clause had the grand idea to make Jesus a birthday cake. That started our Christmas Eve celebration.

After our baking, we headed over to Christmas Eve dinner #1 at Sloan's aunt and uncles home.

I didn't get any picture with the kids, but they had a ball playing with Avery and Tom.

After a yummy dinner and fun time visiting and opening gifts, we headed to Christmas Eve dinner #2 at my parents. Opening more gifts...

And playing with new toys.

Before it was time to leave so we could get to bed before Santa came.

That brings us to 2AM; our back door is unlocked, our garage is open, and Sloan is no where in sight. I call his phone a bit concerned. And he is where else? Digging through our dumpster looking for some Santa gifts he thinks he might have thrown away.

He can't find them, and I insist he change clothes before getting back into bed. At this point I have a very curious thought, "Sloan, a few weeks ago when you wrapped all those gifts, do you think you might have accidentally wrapped the santa gifts as well?" A light bulb goes off! Gifts are found! Christmas morning is saved. True got a batcave. Emmie got her hula hoop she had asked Santa for each and every time she saw him. Plus a ski outfit for her doll!

We rushed to get ready for Christmas lunch #1, at Sloan's grandparents. And afterwards, we somehow ended up hosting Christmas lunch #2 at our tiny house for 20 people! It was a ton of fun, and I always love having a house full of people. As long as others don't mind not having a place to sit.

Singing Happy Birthday to Jesus. Emmie asked how God would blow out the candle, and we told her she could do it for him.

Playing with Braylen.

And after lunch, playing in the snow with uncle John.

After all the Christmas festivities came to an end, the fun continued with a cowboy style birthday for Tom. And what would a cowboy birthday be without mustaches?

Happy Birthday Tom!

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Joy to the World!

2011-12-24T01:06:00.003-06:00

Christmas always seems like such a whirl-wind of events. I can't believe tomorrow (well, technically today) is Christmas Eve. (And it is pretty good timing, because our tree will be pushing it to make it another day). Here is a quick overview of our last few weeks.

Our kitchen has been a mess from baking lots of goodies. One night Uncle John came over for a slumber party at our house and helped decorate a gingerbread house (always such a trooper to hang out with E & T).And what would Christmas be without Christmas parties. It seems like every day we a party of some sort to go to, including Emmie's end of year Christmas party at school when her class celebrated Jesus's Birthday. (Wish I had a smile on this picture).
Meanwhile, True has been playing with a toy Jave and Alicia gave him (early) for Christmas.
And CONSTANTLY playing with marble game he LOVES. And Emmie, well this is what Emmie spent her morning doing....arranging all the dolls she could find at Bebe and Boom-paws house on the staircase.
So between silly kids, snowstorms, shopping, wrapping, cooking, socializing, and trying to find a new place to hide our elf every morning....life has been a bit hectic. But like I said last year, we wouldn't have it any other way.

My heart overflows with JOY for all the friends, family, and activities that keep us so busy during this time of year. And as we celebrate JOY coming into the world by the birth of a tiny baby so many years ago, I pray you and your family rejoice in your blessings as well! Merry Christmas.

Santa Clause Keeps on Coming to Town

2011-12-11T16:32:00.010-06:00

One thing is for sure, our kids are not being deprived of Santa sightings this year. He seems to be every where we go. Starting with Slade's birthday several weeks ago.Santa sang songs, read books, and went on a hayride to look at Christmas lights with all the kids.

The next morning after church, we ran into St. Nick once again at a Santa brunch.
And in between Santa Clause visits, what would Christmas time be without snow!
And some hot chocolate to warm up with afterwards.
We also took a fun trip to the Botanical Gardens to walk around and look at Christmas lights with Emmie's sweet friend Evie and her mom.

Got to have some fun with aunt Rebecca while mommy and daddy went to a Christmas party.
Saturday, we celebrated Emmie's Christmas-themed 5th Birthday party (we had her family one on her actual birthday, this one was for friends). All she wanted was a Christmas party at Bebe's house. Here we are all set up for the party.
Christmas trees ready to decorate.
Some for True's friends that were coming too.
>The party began with some Christmas tree decorating.

>
Until, something started jingling in the other room....what could that be???
Santa must have heard Emmie was having a birthday party, because he decided to stop by.

Hanging out with friends.
Santa looking at the all the kids Christmas trees.
Reading The Night Before Christmas.

Lighting the candles....

Happy Birthday Miss Emmie!
Such a fun cute party. Emmie is SO blessed to have so many sweet friends. She had a ball!!!

The next morning, Emmie had a Christmas pageant at Westminster. She and Adler carried the show, and sang and talked so loud! What a great performer!
After church, we had (yet another) Santa brunch to attend. It was fun to run into friends there and get stuffed animals from Santa.
Last, but not least, we had Sloan's office party...and low and behold, Santa showed up once again. This time he brought some fun toys too....

Not sure if (or when) we will have another Santa sighting, but for now, I think it is time to change the focus. And spend a bit more time on the Reason for the Season! Hope you are all having a joyful Christmas season.

Thanksgiving, Taos, and a Pinkalicious Party

2011-12-04T23:26:00.007-06:00

This year, Emmie had a Thanksgiving program at her school.She did so great with all the songs, and afterwards we got to go to her classroom for a party.

Wednesday, Emmie and True got hard at work putting together 50 meals for Sloan and his brothers to take to homeless people on Thanksgiving morning. They have done this every year since as long as I have known Sloan, but this was the first year the kids "helped". Hopefully, we will continue the tradition.
Our Thanksgiving started at Sloan's grandparents house, and was followed by an afternoon at my parents house. It was actually a relatively "small" Thanksgiving for us, as Sloan's parents were both out of town and my granddad was in the hospital recovering from a hip replacement.

Friday, we made a VERY last minute trip to Taos. Since Sloan was off work for the weekend, it was the perfect time to take a quick trip. The snow was fantastic. Emmie did ok...she cried not to go to ski school the second day. Sloan said that was fine and she could ski with us. Not sure it that was a mistake or not. Like I said, she did ok, but Sloan and I both agree it is exhausting skiing with a 4 year old!
On the other hand, True did fabulous!!! He cried and cried when the slopes closed the first day (and didn't stop crying until we let him wear the skis in the hotel room!) When we woke up the next morning, he immediately began crying to go to ski school.When I went in to get him, everyone in the ski school said things like, "We have never seen a two year old do so good." "His attitude was amazing." "He is going to be a professional skier when he grows up." Etc. It was so fun to take him out (it involved a lot less drama, crying, and falling that was involved with Emmie).

True not only mastered the magic carpet, he also got to ride the ski lift.
We got back just in time celebrate Emmie's 5th Birthday! I still can't believe she is that old. Crazy? She wanted a Pinkalicious Party for her family party. She got to wear her new Pinkalicious dress that Mimi and Hayden brought her from New York.

She requested to have pizza, applesauce, and jelly sandwiches. We finished it off with cake, rainbow sherbet, and hot chocolate topped with pink marshmallows.

She got some very cute gifts. Among them, a piano....which we hid from her to bring in for the party. True discovered it, grabbed my dad's hand to show it to him, and said, "Look, I got a new piano". Needless to say, we have had some sharing issues with the piano. But every once in a while I will hear True giving Emmie "requests" for songs to play song. Either "Letter song" (aka ABC's) or "Baby Song" (aka I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee). She plays and he sings...it's pretty cute.

Wedding Weekend

2011-11-24T10:33:00.007-06:00

Last weekend was filled with friends and family, as Jave & Alicia said "I Do." Emmie and Avery Jane were flower girls. True ended up jumping right in with them at the rehearsal, and walking down the aisle just perfect. We scrambled to find him a ring bearer suit for the next night. Here are the girls at the rehearsal. Our family after the rehearsal.
Pictures from the rehearsal dinner.

The next afternoon, we met at the home of Alicia's dad to take pictures. She was a stunning bride, however, the only picture I got on my camera was this one.
Waiting for the wedding to begin.

The kids did just perfect. They walked very slow, and were meticulous about making sure to drop rose petals "into" each row (yes, not on the center aisle). True waiting patiently and stayed right by the girls. They sat with Meme during the ceremony (who had popcorn with her to keep them entertained), until it was time to walk out. After a beautiful ceremony (which was a family affair considering Sloan was the best man, I was the matron of honor, Emmie was a flower girl, and True was a ring bearer), we headed to the reception. Where we got to enjoy a night of fun and dancing!
Congratulations to the newly weds! I am so excited to have a new sister-in-law.

The Most Precious Prayer

2011-11-16T22:40:00.002-06:00

"God, Da-ie. God, Mommy. God, Mem-me. God, True. God, Uncle Jave. God, A-is-a. God, Boom-paw. Amen"

-True, saying a prayer all by himself for the first time (sorry to all the family memembers he left out; we will work on expanding his prayer list!)

Tascosa High School Reunion

2011-11-12T22:14:00.003-06:00

A few weekends ago, I had my 10 year high school reunion. I kind of knew what to expect since I got gone to Sloan's reunion a few years ago. But I was so blessed some of my very best friends come in for it. We got to spend some long over-due time catching up.Friday night there was tailgate before the Tascosa-Amarillo football game. We came straight from a Halloween party (hints the Batman and Batgirl costumes). Luckily, Emmie and True had some friends there that they knew. It was freezing that night, but that didn't stop the fun....

That is it for pictures I took that weekend. I forgot to take my camera to the dinner event we had the next night. But it was also filled with lots of catching up and laughing with old friends.

Trick or Treat

2011-10-31T22:17:00.000-05:00

Halloween has come and gone. Luckily our Batgirl and Batman costumes got PLENTY of use. Our costume fun began last week with Halloween parties at school. Batman woke to a surprise last Thursday morning! As we walked out the door he said, "Oh man! This is going to be fun!"
A record breaking October snow!True in circle time at school with his cute little buddies in costumes.
After school, we came home for a fun afternoon playing in the snow! (Do you see Batman under the coat?)
Friday afternoon, my sweet friend Nicole hosted a really fun Halloween bash at her house. And she had the most amazing face painter come. Here are some pics from the afternoon.

Emmie had a Fall Carnival day at school as well. I helped volunteer at the craft station, so I got see Batgirl make her scarecrow.
Our trick-or-treating fun began Sunday night. We learned our lesson last year that we have too many stops around town to do them all in one night! So we visited Sloan grandparents Sunday.
And Mary Ann and TonyMonday afternoon, we continued on trick-or-treating Aunt Betty.Then my granddad, and Sloan's aunt and uncle. Next stop...my parents.
And onto see Claire.
And then to help Isabelle pass out candy. These girls were hard at work!
After a while, we headed on to trick-or-treat Sloan's dad and uncle Jave.

Our fun didn't stop there. We ended up going over to a family friends house late in evening and helping pass out more candy. When we got home, Batgirl asked me, "Next year, can we just stay at our house and pass out candy?" Ha! Maybe we can figure something out...but it sure was fun making the all the rounds!

Pumpkins and Parties

2011-10-26T22:21:00.009-05:00

Fall is in full gear! Friday night, Sloan took Emmie to a big pumpkin carving party. I stayed home with True, but enjoyed looking at their pictures and listening to their stories. Such a great place for kids to run around and play.
Emmie was so lucky a bunch of her buddies were there.
Being silly.
Letting the parents take charge of carving the pumpkins.
After it was over, everyone put their carved pumpkins in a row and they lit them all up.
They got home just in time that evening to pick True and I up to head to a Tascosa football game. Then Saturday, I got to help host a bridal shower for my future sister-in-law, Alicia. She got so many beautiful gifts.
And luckily, the weather was perfect. Everyone got to enjoy the Klein's gorgeous backyard.
With the bride-to-be...
Then later that afternoon, we went down to the PDC to carve even more pumpkins!
It pretty much just turned into a "parents do all the work" party.
True driving around his girlfriend! The battery was not in the car, so True ended up pushing her everywhere. True's extra-cute moment of the night came when the bigger boys were on a truck bed yelling, "No girls allowed." True ran up and asked, "Boy's allowed?" They very nicely helped True up on the truck; then he received strict instructions to yell "No girls allowed." He, very excitedly, began the chant!
Our pumpkin fun didn't end Saturday, because Sunday after church, we headed out to a local pumpkin farm. We went there last year, and it was just as fun (and dusty) as we all remembered.
Going through the corn maze.
So fun we got to go with our buddy Slade!
Riding the tractor.
Climbing the hay tower. Emmie made it to the top!
True discovered a choo-choo train and was in heaven!He finally found some people to come ride it with him. We ran into our cousin, Braylen, and took good care of him while they went around the track.
Our weekend didn't stop there. Afterwards, Sloan took the kids to the park, then my parents had a Ranger baseball watching party at their house. The fall fun has continued on this week with school carnivals. More on that to come later....

Game Day and A Trip to the Museum

2011-10-21T17:32:00.004-05:00

This fall is flying by! A few weekends ago we got to enjoy a trip to Lubbock to see the TTU v. A&M football game. Sloan was feeling under the weather, so Emmie and I went by ourselves. She was so pumped to go, an got dressed in her A&M outfit (not sure how I feel about that). This child is so confused. She took her burnt orange pom-pom to the game, and was cheering for Tech the whole time. She definitely has mixed allegiances.
Love getting to sit in the box!John and his friend came to Amarillo for the weekend to go to the game. Emmie and True instantly befriended him. In fact, they keep asking when he is going to come back to visit again.
Beautiful sunset.
Aunt Rebecca.
With Boom-paw. Children are not allowed to sit in the box any more, so we had to take turns going to the stadium to sit with Emmie.
My mom really wants to use this photo for a family Christmas car....just trying to figure a way to photo shop in True and Sloan!

Meanwhile, back at home, my husband with the flu magically felt good enough to get in 9 holes of golf while we were gone. He "claims" along with his actual fever, he got "cabin" fever from being stuck at home too long...hmmm. However, it looks like True enjoyed their golf outing.
Early this week, I needed to run an errand to Canyon and promised the kids if they were really, really good, I would take them to the museum. And they were so good, they got to go! We had a fun afternoon exploring the museum and playing on the exhibits.
I had to take this since Sloan's granddad used to be the president of Shamrock. I though I would share this picture with them.

Emmie was a bit traumatized by the Indian exhibit with the Indians killing/eating buffalo. All week long she has been asking questions focused on the poor buffalo. Hopefully she will get over that soon!

Girl's Trip and Boys Weekend

2011-10-07T22:48:00.007-05:00

My mom wanted to go to Round Top ( a HUGE antique fair in the middle of Nowhere, TX)...I am looking for things to use as we are building a house...and Emmie came up with the great idea of, "Let's take a girls trip." So Thursday, we picked Emmie up from school and headed out of town. After dinner at Joe T's in Ft. Worth, we spent the night in Waco. The next morning we got up bright and early and headed to Round Top for a day of shopping. Emmie and I instantly fell in love with this pink chaise lounge...except for the huge stain in the middle (bummer!)

Emmie had a blast looking at all the unique things.

We had a full day of shopping (it was exhausting!) But at least we got to enjoy some good food too.
Next, we made a terribly long trek back to Dallas to stay in a "pink" hotel one of my mom's friends had told us about. It was really cute, and perfect for a girl's trip.

We started our day off with a visit to the Phelp's at their new home! They are living in Dallas now, and it was such a treat to see them. I think we might have to make another trip to Dallas to visit them very soon.
Next we met up with my brother, and Sloan's sister for lunch at Northpark.
Then we went over and saw my mother-in-law. Emmie was so happy to spend the night with Mimi.
Then Sunday, my brother wanted to go to the Cowboy's game (which my mom and I were less than enthused about), but Emmie volunteered to go with him. Here they are walking into the new stadium.
Afterwards we visited the new In-N-Out Burger (in honor of my dad who is loves this place), said goodbye to John, and drove back to Amarillo.
While we were on our girl's trip, Sloan took to True to work with him on Friday. I think he was in pretty good hands while Sloan was in surgery!
After work, Sloan and True went with Jave and the Ritter's to a party at a pumpkin farm.
And topped the night off with a high school football game in Canyon.

Ranch Day

2011-09-28T16:46:00.006-05:00

This past weekend, we got to enjoy the beautiful weather by spending an afternoon at a friend's family ranch. They hosted a day filled with swimming, fishing, playing, etc; followed by a cookout. Emmie, in true fashion, geared up in a fancy dress, pink cowgirl boots, and a bandanna. Laughing on the play area.
Looking for frogs. I love the way this picture turned out with the reflection (my dad got me a new and improved camera for my birthday last week).
Enjoying the open spaces.
And exploring.
The LIT is such a beautiful place.

One of my best friends from childhood is part of the family who owns this ranch. And the whole time I was reminded of her stories from out there...just wish she would have been in town to join the fun!

A Monumental Event (Plus a Birthday and a Pink Race)

2011-09-25T22:18:00.008-05:00

It's official! No more blonde curls. True got a haircut. It was a monumental event after 2 1/2 years of cute, crazy, curly blonde hair. But it was time to take the plunge. When he first got there, he didn't know what to think (but the blue sucker helped calm things over).
He started out happy.
But as the scissors came out, his smile disappeared, and he was no longer a happy camper. Look how long his hair is all combed out!
Very concerned. What is this lady doing to me?
Not liking this one bit. "Please get me out of here" face.
Thinking maybe this turned out ok after all.
"I not baby, I big boy."- True, after the haircut was over. The next day at school, I overheard him telling people. "I got haircut." He is pretty proud of his new do.
Other than the True's big event, my family also got together to celebrate my birthday. My mom cooked my favorite meal, and it was topped off by a cookie cake.
Emmie loves playing with Braylen. He is so big now and can keep up pretty well with E & T.
4 Generations on my mom's side... Then this weekend was Race for the Cure. Emmie had seen posters all over town, and kept talking about running the "pink race." But when we got there, so informed me, "I don't really want to be one of those people who runs the race; I want to be one of the people who stands on the side and watches it." That is a winning philosophy for life (something we might need to work on!)

But even with our less than stellar completion of the race, we all still had a really fun time. And I think Jave made up for our slack by winning 4th overall with a 18:53 time in the 5K. He even got a silver medal for getting 2nd in his age division (which he graciously gave to Emmie). Way to go Jave!

Longhorn Fun

2011-09-19T16:26:00.007-05:00

This Saturday, the Amarillo TX-EX's got together for a game watching party. We were supposed to bring some cookies, and Emmie had the grand of idea of making Longhorn cookies. We woke up bright and early and got to work. After a short detour to the park, we were all decked out in burnt orange (minus Sloan, who was out of town at a work retreat).

Off we headed to eat lunch, and cheer the Longhorns onto victory.

Emmie was so lucky to have a bunch of friends at the party....

who gave each other make-overs and put on a princess fashion show.

And played and played on the bouncer.True spent most the afternoon on the bouncer as well, or playing ball/having sword fights with the other boys.
We lucked out with such beautiful weather that was perfect for playing outside.(Most of these pictures came from a friend who has an awesome camera and takes so many beautiful pics).After an afternnon fillled with fun and friends, the win of over UCLA was just icing on the cake. Hook'Em Horns!

Ballet and LolliPops

2011-09-16T23:49:00.002-05:00

Along with school starting back up has come a host of activities, among which is one of Emmie's favorites...ballet!What a difference a year can make. Last year (same place, same teacher) she was so timid and shy, when I dropped her off. This year she ran in with so much confidence, and was so pumped up about starting again.

Every single day when True leaves PDO, he also wants a sucker. He recently discovered a new "trick" to do with a sticky sucker, and loves to show people.

And that wasn't the only time a sugary, sticky treat that came my kids way this week. Sloan's dad celebrated his birthday with a lunch at his office this past week. One of his employees gave him a giant lollipop because she had remembered him talking about how his parents would never buy him one growing up. Well, of course, Emmie's eyes lit up when she saw the rainbow lollipop (and he gave it to her). So poor Avery, after all these years, STILL has never had a giant lollipop to enjoy all day.

Pre-K and Best Friends

2011-09-10T15:38:00.003-05:00

Emmie had her 1st day of Pre-K last Tuesday. She was so excited to go to "Big Girl School". Here she is modeling her back to school outfit...
She had a wonderful first day. In fact, she liked it so much, she requested I to stay for extended day. So fun to be back in school with sweet friends~
And speaking of friends, I recently overheard Emmie talking about Annie (by parents dog) being her best friend. True got really upset, and shouted, "No Mem-me, I ur est fend."

Good-Bye Summer, Hello School

2011-09-05T22:41:00.013-05:00

This Labor Day weekend, we celebrated the last weekend of summer. (And not just any summer; the hottest, driest summer on record! I think we had 51 days that it was over 100 degrees.) The Rush family ended summer the same way we started it, at the pool!But going back about 2 weeks, True had his 1st day of school (aka MDO, 2 days a week). He was so excited, and picked out his own outfit (pirate hat, cowboy boots, and all).

Sloan and I have both decided that True is going to be that guy later in life that has all "the gear". Hiking, camping, whatever his future hobbies might be....he will be "that guy" with all the gear. His teachers agree with me too :)

Meanwhile, Emmie didn't start school for 2 weeks. So I let her pick out some fun activities we could go do together.

Fun Day #1, she chose to paint pottery.

Fun Day #2, playdate at Jump'n Jive. (Almost didn't happen because True got sick and stayed home the 2nd day of school. But daddy came to the rescue during his lunch break, and let Emmie and I go play for a while). She had a ball, and during snack time I caught them going "Cheers!"

Fun Day #3, rainbow pedicures! And with her Roaster's "coffee" in tow...this girl knows how to relax.

Fun day #4, Chick-Fil-A playdate.

Along with summer ending, and school beginning...comes a fall favorite...football! I love going to Tascosa football games, and so do my kids. They love to cheer and listen to the band at half time. Hopefully we are brainwashing them to be future Rebels!

Unfortunately, going back to school had a downside. It meant Uncle John had to go back to college at A&M. But not without a fight from his well-armed niece and nephew, who blockaded the door way.

Somehow, he busted through the forces to load his car. Emmie and True are still so bummed he left. Now, I just have to re-train them to "Hook' Em", rather than "Gig' Em."

Emmie had her Back To School night last week. We got to see her teacher (pictured below), classroom, and meet some that will be in her class. She is really excited .And with the last few weeks of summer, we continued to enjoy playdates with friends. At the park....

and Discovery Center...

Friday night we began celebrating Labor Day weekend by meeting some friends for dinner at the pool.

Then Saturday, we headed out to the PDC. Sloan filled our yard with fun blow-up toys, and several friend came over to play and cook-out. True had a blast playing monsters and rough-housing with his little friend Grey (and playing a little more gentle with Helena). And Emmie loved playing with Isabelle, Carter, Hanna, Chloe (and including Charlie in activities too). The kids played late into the night, and it was just such a perfect evening.

Sunday we woke to COLD weather. It was fabulous, but we were less than prepared for outdoor church. All wrapped up in blankets, it was such a sweet, unexpected blessing to be outside worshiping on such a cool morning (after so many HOT ones).

The afternoon was filled with the usually potluck and tennis, and then we spent the evening down pool. Emmie had her fill playing with the girls, and True did his best to be the scary monster to chase after them.

My sister made a late night trip to have a slumber party with E & T, and then this morning we all went and got coffee and donuts in town. We came back out to the pdc to eat lunch with Sloan's family. His mom had just got in town, and she joined us to night at the acc to go swimming one last time.

True (all geared up) was in the baby pool when the older group of boys (behind him on the left) who were playing ball, accidentally threw the ball in the baby pool. True caught it and they all rushed over to get him to throw it to them. When he did, they all gave him a high-five. He was so proud of himself, he ran and got his floaties, and tried to jump in the big pool to play with his new "friends". It didn't work out so well, so he had to settle playing with sister instead.

So that was our summer...first ones in the pool, last ones out. Just the way I like it!

Summer Recap

2011-08-21T23:57:00.012-05:00

Is summer really almost over? I can't believe it! Not that I am too sad to say good-bye to daily temperatures over 100, but I am going to miss days spent at the pool. In fact, spending mornings at the gym, afternoons at the pool, night out on family walks, and weekends at the pdc, is probably why I haven't posted in about a month. But here I go at catching up:

Rewinding about a month:
Uncle John has been so much fun to have in town this summer. He always is taking the kids out to do something fun. True's new favorite is anything Toy Story.

Emmie ONLY went to see Texas SEVEN times this summer. Here she is with Elsie and Calvin. The director came up and told Emmie she would make a great Elsie someday (who happens to be the main character). However, Emmie has her little heart set on being Parmalee; and after he walked away, Emmie looked at Rebecca very concerned and said, "Why doesn't the director think I would be a good Parmalee?"

Another exciting event was Emmie's teacher Reagan getting married! Emmie and some of her school buds were at the wedding.

With the beautiful bride.And Slade was an awesome ring bearer.

Moving On....

A few weekends ago there was tennis clinic for all the kids at the pdc. Alex O. had come down for the day to teach the kids.

True was stylin' in his cowboy boots.

After the kids clinic, Sloan played with Brad in a tennis exhibition against Alex and Kyle. Obviously, Alex and Kyle won....but it was a really fun match to watch. It attracted quiet the crowd. Since I never got to see him play in college, I enjoy any chance I get to have a glimpse of his competitive game. Sloan's serve is still as strong as ever, and continues to be quiet amazing (I think for everyone) to watch.

Immediately after the exhibition was over, we loaded up the car and headed to Winter Park, CO. Our friends Jake and Kellye had invited us to come stay at a family vacation home. It was an amazing house, and here was the awesome view we got to wake up to each morning.

Jake and Kelly have a little girl, Kate....these three little monkeys had alot of fun together.

I would like to say this is the closest bear sighting we had. But in fact, MY WORST FEAR EVER came true, and indeed, I did see a bear while I was out on a jog. While it was no life or death situation; it was very close, and very large, and very scary!!!! When I saw it, all logic went out the window and I started running (which is what you are not supposed to do). Luckily, I was very close to our cabin. And even more luckily, the bear must have not been very hungry because he did not chase after me. However, I am still having nightmares about bears, and have developed a really unhealthy habit of staying until 2am looking up stories of bear attacks.

Winter Park had so many fun play areas. Emmie took turns taking True....

then Kate, down the slide.

Cruising down the road.

Riding up the ski lift.

After eating lunch on top of the mountain, we got our group photo.

Musical instruments in the village.

And some fishing.

Such a fun trip, and so much stuff for kids to do. Can't wait to go back sometime (*with bear mace or a stun gun).

After we got back from that trip, we resumed our regular summer schedule. Which included some fun with friends. Parker came down to swim at the pdc one day, but they boys seemed to enjoy playing tennis more than swimming. Here is True in full gear.

Hitting the ball to Parker (who was fully geared up in his floaties as well).Such a fun friend to have!

And last weekend, we had some more fun hanging out at a friend's cabin.

And after pdc church, having some of the kids come over and play with our blow up waterslide.Then this week, we had a fun birthday celebration for my sweet friend Lauren.

And the kids had a ball celebrating her birthday too!

Last, but not least, we took a trip to Red River this weekend. On our way up, we stopped in Angel Fire to see my father-in-law's new house he has built. It is absolutly stunning. My kids favorite part was the movie theater.

True looking into the game room.

That evening, Sloan's dad was hosting a party at his new house, and we got to join in the fun.

We headed on to Red River, and met my family there. It was so nice to enjoy the cooler weather and rain.

Go cart racing was a favorite. Emmie and Rebecca raced...

John and True.

I wish every kid's meal came looking like this.

After lunch we went to see an Indian dance and old-fashion gun fight.

True loved the show, but was terrified to meet the 'bad guys."

Later we took my parents over to Avery's and got to see his incredible backyard view. It was so nice to see if all finished!

And Boom-paw Avery helped show everyone all the fun details.

We had to hurry back to Red River just in time for dancing at the community house. Then this morning, we had to say good-bye to my family (as well as my granddad, who had made the trip with them). They had to get back early, but we headed to the cute little mountain church service...then to play in the park, until it was time to head back home.

So there it is, our summer thus far.

We Invite You All To Come To Texas.....

2011-07-20T15:28:00.003-05:00

My sister is playing Kate this year in the musical Texas. Now for those of you not from Amarillo, Texas is an annual peformance put on all summer long in the Palo Duro Canyon. We all went the other night, and it was so fun to see. For Sloan and I, it brought back childhood memories (most of the plot is still the same). For Emmie and True, they now have a new summer favorite. After the show...
The next day, Emmie took it upon herself to bust out her cowgirl hat and bandana, grab an American flag (she couldn't find a small enough TX one), and sing "We invite you all to come to Texas....". Over, and over, and over, and over, and over again.
True now exclaimes, "Texas", each time he sees a flag (American or Texan).

Last night, we ran into Emmie's friend at dinner. I overheard her friend ask, "How did you do performing in Texas this weekend?" Emmie explained, "No Hanna. I am not in it yet. I have to turn 5 first. But I will be in it every night next sumer."

The World's Longest Post

2011-07-06T22:20:00.011-05:00

Summer is proving itself to be more busy than the "school year". Here is a series of things I had full intentions of blogging about, but am just now getting around to.

Post #1: A Picnic and A Birthday

A few weeks ago, I had made a picnic lunch to take to listen to music in the park. But Emmie said, "Let's go eat in Bebe's yard instead. It is just so beautiful, and I want all the people who drive by to see how fun my Bebe's house is." So we moved our picnic to her front yard, and after we ate the kids laid down for some relaxation.

Later that week, we celebrated our 2nd cousins Braylin's 1st birthday. He is getting so big already. Emmie and True love playing with him; he is already starting to join in playing with them.

Post # 2: True being True

True got his new Cars mechanic shirt and loves to wear it. I can't wait to take him to see the movie.

True has developed a major bad habit. Each time we go to the pool, he runs and jumps in before I can catch him to put on his bathing suit. 1st time he jumped in with his pants still on....

2nd time he jumped in fully clothed....

And don't worry, there has been a 3rd, and a 4th, and a 5th...

Also new to True's world is a dinosaur choo-choo train, he got for...

using the potty 4 times in one day!!! However, after he got the train we have been bribing him with for weeks he has no desire to use his little potty any more. Go figure!

Post #3: Kanakuk Adventure

Last Friday we loaded up the car, and started the LONG trek to Missouri. Sloan had volunteered to a kamp doctor at Kanakuk, and the whole family got to go (and yes, I always spell kamp with a "K"). I grew up going to kamp there, as well as worked there several summers. It holds a very special place in my heart. Going back was very interesting. But how refreshing the first morning to wake to up to see tons of people outside digging into their Bibles, and to hear such awesome conversations about Our Savior changing lives. And who gets to sit under the stars and listen to Joe White talk about God creating the universe? It didn't take me long to remember why Kanakuk might be the closest place to heaven on earth.

We started up our trip with a visit to OKC to see the Shouse family. As always, it was such a blast to see them. Unfortunately, we missed the arrival of their newest addition to the family (who was welcomed into the world last week). But Emmie and her sweet cousin Avery had such a fun time playing princess and other girly things.

So much fun, I think True and Emmie decided they wanted to just stay there while we continued on the trip. We found them tucked into Avery Jane's bed.

However, we forged on through Eureka Springs (just the coolest town EVER), and onto Kanakuk!!!!!

It was the perfect place for our kids to play and hang out.

And swing....

My parents had followed us down, and were staying a few days at Big Cedar. They picked up the kids to spend a few night with them there. Of course True loved all the animals at the lodge.And getting ice cream....and riding horses....

My little cowgirl!

True on the other hand was not-no-way, not-no-how going to get on the horse. When we tried to put him on he said as clear as day, "It's Emmie's turn." For a man of few words, I think he really wanted us to know he did not want to ride the horse! But he did pose with Uncle John.

My mom LOVES Big Cedar, and I am pretty sure my kids love it now too.

While True did not want to ride a horse, he did really want to ride the "ater-ide". Which is his new favorite word.

And of course, we all enjoyed playing in the pool.Then we took the kids back to enjoy the rest of the week at kamp. Where there was a Toy Story party. Here are Woody and Barbie in costume. There was dancing and lots of games to play.

Most every day we found time for swimming.

Our favorite excursion was to go see Noah's Ark. It was seriously the most fabulous play (including Broadway) any of us had ever seen. Sloan had just taken Emmie the Lion King last fall in Las Vegas, and he said it didn't even compare to Noah's Ark. The set was phenomenal, and they had all sorts of live animals. The acting and music was wonderful, and the best part was the story line. They tied it very neatly into the gospel, and Emmie left there wanting to make sure all of her friends knew about Jesus. (In fact, the other day Sloan overheard her telling a friend about her Heavenly Father. The little girl started arguing her father lived here on earth. It was really cute.)

One of the advantages of K-West is being right on the lake. Which meant getting to take out the boat to go water skiing, or spending time kayaking and canoeing.
On the day before last, we drove over the family kamp. We got to hear Joe White give his amazing CrossTalk, and then we spent the afternoon hanging out at the pool. The family kamp is so, so awesome. I think it would be so fun to go here sometime.

We all spent hours each day jumping on the trampoline.

Saying good-bye to K-West.

Saying bye-bye to Thunder, the cute little dog who lived at the nurses station.

After an adventure-packed, God filled, non-stop, awesome 7 day trip. It was time to say goodbye. Emmie had a special bond with the nurses and kamp mom. Her FAVORITE part of kamp was helping them judge honor cabin each day. She would say "Bunks and trunks?" Inspect, then move on to, "Do I see trash on the floor?" She is counting down the years until she can be a kamper (3), and keep her cabin very clean.

Post #4: 4th of July Weekend
On the 3rd, we hung out at the pool some, celebrated my sisters birthday, and then headed out to the Gerald's cabin at Lake Tanglewood for a party. It was such a fun night spent with friends.

On the 4th, Sloan played in a golf tournament, then we all headed out the pool, and then onto the annual parade at the PDC.

My mom had jumped on his float. The float Emmie, True, and Sloan were riding with some friends.
Emmie is sitting in the middle of the back row.
Silly Uncle Jave
After the parade, we got to enjoy some great live music and a fun dance. Hope you all enjoyed your 4th of July!

On the Road....

2011-06-24T15:36:00.003-05:00

I have not disappeared, we have just had a busy week of summer festivities. And there won't be any more posts for another week as well because we are en route to Kanakuk this very second. Sloan is going to be a kamp doctor for the week...and I am beyond excited. Brings back so many favorite childhood/college memories. I promise to resume posting again soon!

Weekend Trip, Wonderland, and Fun in the Sun

2011-06-13T14:06:00.008-05:00

Rewinding back two weekends, I hopped on a red-eye flight to Dallas, rented an awesome white mini-van, and drove off to explore Canton Trade Days (a huge outdoor market with lots of fun antiques). But my first stop was Drip coffee. It was opened in Dallas by the same man who started my all time favorite coffee shop, Roasters. I definitely have a new "favorite" when I visit Dallas.Sloan and the kids drove down this his mom that afternoon, and after a long, hot day of shopping, I headed back and met them for dinner.

The next morning we got up early and headed to the Dallas Arboretum, when they had a Peter Rabbit display. An old Texas town to visit...

And a Fairy Princess Castle exhibit.

Rapunzel's tower with Aunt Hayden...

True was less than interested in the castles, but loved running around in the water. And since it was over 100 degrees, who can blame him?

More castles to visit....

Each exhibit had a story that went with it, and Aunt Hayden was our narrator.

Playing in a tee-pee.

Sloan got really sick that afternoon, so I took the kids and met up with my friends Ashley and Jason. Afterwards, we met back up with Sloan's family to go to dinner.

Sunday, we woke up early to visit Watermark church (another Dallas favorite), then took Emmie to the American Girl Store to eat lunch. Here is Emmie with the doll they gave us to sit at our table.

Sloan kept laughing at the irony that the American girl is now made in China.

After our goodbyes to Mimi and Hayden, we headed back to Amarillo.

On Wed. night, we went with my parents to take the kids to Wonderland. They loved it so much.

Emmie loved the frog hopper, but True was terrified. His face was bright red and he was holding on for dear life. When it was over, he started to smile, realized the little boy next to him was crying, and broke out in tears. I think we might have to wait a few more years for him to try this ride again.

Helicopters with Boom-paw.

I think True liked the cars the best.
Friday night we went to Family Fun Night at the ACC. We met up with the Austins, and enjoyed eating dinner with them. Both the kids had a fun time playing. Emmie found one of her school buddies.
True and Parker had a big time swimming together, and playing some ball.
After a fun filled night at the pool, we headed down to Lake Tanglewood to spend the night at my parents cabin. Both the kids were sound asleep by the time we got there, but the next morning we had a big breakfast, then went and played golf. Nothing like golfing in West Texas!
So now I think I am officially "caught up" on our summer activities. Hope everyone else is enjoying their summer!

Never a Dull Moment

2011-06-08T16:09:00.004-05:00

True's little imagination keeps me very entertained. He pretends his trucks are "monsters" fighting with each other. When I try to change his diaper, he picks up the nearest object, pretends it is a gun, and starts shooting at me. He thinks he is batman, and refuses to to play a 'bad guy". He hops like a frog and ribbets, and loves to be a dinosaur. Here are a few snapshots of his imagination recently:

I guess his toy lawnmower was out of gas, so where else to fill up his gas tank...but the fireplace gas (key) hole. Yesterday, Emmie had just finished watching Snow White, and I caught True digging through her princess box, not sure what he was after. Well, shortly I saw...he had gotten out some of the 7 dwarfs to drive his trucks and cars. Off to work they go...

And today, Emmie's Vacation Bible School had a family fun splash day. Emmie wasn't all that into it, but True loved splashing around and playing in the sun.

Without PDO the past few weeks, I have been having to come up with LOTS of activities to keep this little guy entertained...and it has ended up keeing me entertained in the process.

Memorial Day and Beyond

2011-06-02T22:03:00.006-05:00

Our Memorial Day weekend could not have started out with a bigger splash than...getting a pedicure!!! We went with some other little girls to celebrate school being out (which Emmie had cried ALL DAY LONG about because she was so sad the school year was over, we will see how many more years that lasts!) I had to bring True, and wasn't sure what to do with him, but he jumped right in to get his toes done too!Friday night, we dropped the kids off at a friends house to play while we went celebrate a very happy night. Our friends Kaki and Canyon said "I do".

And now we have Mr. & Mrs. Clifton!

Such a beautiful wedding, with perfect weather outside. Here I am with the stunning bride.

Afterwards, Emmie had her 1st slumber party at Isabelle's house. Besides getting little sleep, she did really good. That morning, we opened up the ACC pool for the summer & were the first people there!

Next we headed to celebrate Tarin's graduation party. Tarin has been living with us since November, and my kids love him so much!

After his party, we headed to Palo Duro club for some swimming, and that night Sloan and Emmie camped out with Isabelle and her dad. They had fun fishing, making smores, and playing on the bouncer.

And of course there was some dressing up like princesses involved.

My granddad came down for dinner and the girls kept him quite entertained.

Sunday and Monday were more of the same. Sloan's mom came in town, and Memorial Day included lunch with Sloan's family at the PDC and then dinner at ACC pool.

Onto Tuesday when Emmie had her dress rehearsal ballet recital. Tickets were limited to the actual recital to 6 per each child, and since we had about 12 people who wanted to, we took a big group to the dress rehearsal. She kept telling us she was sick, and it ended up she had a 103 fever when it was over. She did really good for being so sick. (Emmie in the back right corner).

The sick ballerina with all her fans.

Wed. for lunch we took a picnic to listen to music on the court house lawn downtown. The kids had so much fun.

Aunt Rebecca joined us. I think we are going to make it a weekly tradition.

And finally, we had Emmie's recital (round #2)tonight, and she did great!!! Have you ever seen a little girl with so many flowers?

I think True might be her biggest fan.

I love my little ballerina!

Praying Louder

2011-05-31T16:52:00.004-05:00

This weekend Emmie overheard Sloan and I talking about all the fires devastating Amarillo and the surrounding area. I looked over to hear her praying to Jesus to help all the people who lost their homes, and to keep us safe. Then she ended, "And God, please stop the wind forever. Amen."

As we could continue to hear the wind blow outside, and I could tell Emmie was a bit anxious for God to stop the wind forever!!! I told her to remember her Amy Carmichael book (great book for little girls) that says, "Some times God says yes, sometimes he says no, and sometimes he says just wait."

Once I informed her there was a chance God might say no, she thought for a minute and shouted, "This time I will pray louder."
I love this out-of-focus picture because it reminds me of what it means to have faith like a child. And it encouraged me to pray a little louder last night =)

A Very Pink Morning

2011-05-23T16:27:00.003-05:00

Pink bagel: check!
Pink mugs for coffee (to get a lovely discount): check!
Pink outfits: check!

When I walking out the door to get coffee this morning, Emmie woke and wanted to go with me. So we had a nice fun girls morning.

It was a nice start to the week after a busy weekend. Including, the new "cafe" we set up at the PDC cabin. Here they are with their "menus" after I served them apple juice to drink.

Springing into Summer

2011-05-20T14:52:00.004-05:00

It is starting to be that time of year where most of our days our filled with lots of time outside (as well as lots of sunscreen). Emmie finally has learned how to ride her bike and loves bike rides with True and Boom-Paw. (True "runs" on his bike way faster than Emmie can ride.)

Then we have had lots and lots of play dates with friends. Included tea parties...

And bouncy house fun.

Going back a few weeks, we celebrated Mother's day by visit Sloan's grandmother and my aunt Betty (both my mom and Sloan's mom were out of town). Here we are with aunt Betty.

Followed by more playdates with friends.

And Parker coming over to play at our house. He and True enjoyed playing with dinosaurs, balls, cars, and snacking on goldfish.

Then today we celebrated Parker's 2nd "Dump Truck" birthday party.

Hmmmm. Curious about the "mud" cake???

Yum! More please!!!!

Such a fun party with our buddy Parker.

Daddy-Daughter Campout

2011-05-16T15:34:00.004-05:00

Last night, we finally celebrated Sloan's 31st birthday at my parents lake house, and then afterwards, he wanted to take Emmie and True on a campout. The only problem was it was already dark, and Sloan thought it would be too difficult to set up a tent with both kids. So just he and Emmie went (they ended setting up "camp" on the floor of the cabin). But this morning they took a hike...And then went fishing. Emmie caught 2 fish and was so proud of herself.
However, the worms and fish began to gross her out a bit, and she ended up telling Sloan she thought they had fished enough.

After they got back home this afternoon, Sloan took True on a "guys" fishing trip to the park.

Mall Madness

2011-05-10T16:10:00.005-05:00

No offense to anyone who enjoys spending time at the Amarillo mall...but hanging out there does not happen to be one of my favorite past times. However, Sloan (FINALLY) decided it was time we caught up with rest of the civilized world, and yesterday we went the the at&t store and got iphones (the iphone 3...not 4...that would be pushing it). So anyways, of course we needed cell phone covers. Where else to find them???? But a mall kiosk. Thus began our family outing to the mall.
We started by getting snacks in the food court. Emmie and True love to hit their drinks together and yell, "Cheers!'After that, it was time to hit the infamous germ-infested mall playground. Sloan said he would watch the kids there while I ran in a few stores. After being gone a few minutes, I got a desperate phone call from Sloan saying, "Please come back, I can't handle this anymore." (Anyone who has ever dared to take their children to a mall playground knows exactly what I am taking about...sneezing and coughing everywhere; kids way to big to be playing in there knocking over your kids). So what to do next? Indoor putt-putt! We were the only people there (which is exactly how I like it). True quickly learned how to get a hole-in-one every single time...skip everything else, and just place your ball right next the hole.

Emmie did really well. It took her a while to get the hang of it, but after catching on, she was putting like a pro.

Well, we had planned on more mall fun...but that was it....all I could handle before having a nervous breakdown. So we headed off to have an early birthday dinner for Sloan at Kabuki (by the way, Happy Birthday to Sloan today.)

Now I don't want to sound too critical of the amarillo mall because they did just get a Francesca's...which is amazing. But I think it is the last "family fun day" we will take there for sometime.

Easter Eggstravaganza!!!

2011-04-27T16:46:00.009-05:00

What happens when you children attend 5 Easter egg hunts before the Easter bunny visits on Sunday morning??? They have no interest what so ever in hunting any more. So today, Wed, yes 3 days after Easter...my children finally showed enough interest to hunt the eggs that were hidden all over our living room!

Our weekend was fast and furious, and full of fun. Friday night Emmie had a birthday party to go to at the Discovery Center, and after that we went for some thai food. True was in heaven. Forget the little plate full of rice I put in front of him...he crawled straight to my lap to go for the big plate!!!

Saturday we got up bright and early for the first Easter hunt of the day at the country club. Despite the fact it was a bit cold outside, all the kids were ready to go.

And afterwards we enjoyed a yummy lunch. Can you tell who enjoyed a chocolate cupcake for dessert?

And onto the 2nd egg hunt of the day.

That evening we went to the cutest little restaurant downtown. It is called Cowboy Gelato, and our we all LOVED it. I think it is a new Rush family favorite.

Afterwards, Sloan's dad, sister, and Jason, came over to dye easter eggs. Both the kids got way into all the different egg dying gadgets Hayden had brought.

Sunday morning, Emmie went to church with Hayden to Sloan's granddad's Sunday school class and then to perform her with the children's choir (since it was the same performance they had done for school earlier last week). We had our little church gathering, and let the kids hunt eggs before we started.

Afterwards, we met my family for an Easter Brunch.
And afterwards, we went over to my parents house to hunt eggs the Easter Bunny had hidden over there.

In the midst of all the "eggstravaganza", we really tried to stress to Emmie this year why we celebrate Easter. And in her own words, "Jesus died and then came back to life because He loved us." So from our family to yours....hope everyone had a joyful Easter celebration!

Jesus Is Alive...

2011-04-22T08:01:00.009-05:00

...was the lyrics to one of songs Emmie's class sang at their Easter Program. And after the program was over, she continued to sing the song all day long. Which was fine, until we went to get frozen yogurt that evening, and she continued to sing it to everyone who was in the yogurt shop that night. I am pretty sure everyone in the shop can now sing along to the tune, "Jesus is Alive, Jesus is Alive". Here is her class at the school program.True's class watching.

So cute to watch.

Afterwards with my mom.

And Emmie's teacher, Miss Liz.

We love our "school."

Wed, I said goodbye to Emmie and True because my mom flew them down to Austin to attend an Easter Egg hunt the governor host for all the legislators each session (we went as children, and Emmie went two years, ago, but this was True's first time). Here my mom is at the point of no return as I wished her good luck going through security.

I sure looks like they had some fun with Boom-Paw and Bebe.

That night they went to this awesome new burger joint that has a huge playground. Emmie and True have a new favorite place in Austin.
Then yesterday they went to the Easter Egg hunt.

Bromleyfest 2011

2011-04-19T10:39:00.008-05:00

This past weekend, we loaded up the car and took off for a camping trip. Some of our friends have a ranch outside of Clarendon, and they had invited a bunch of families with small children out for the weekend. This was the 2nd year they have had this event (named Bromleyfest), and it is easy to see why everyone hopes they have it again next year.

They told everyone to bring motorized cars for the kiddos to play on. And the cars were definitely the hit of the weekend. I am pretty sure True spent nearly every waking hour riding around.

The huge tire swing was another big hit.

Here are our tents all set up. True was not-no-way, not-no-how, going to go to sleep in the tent (especially because it was around 32 that night), so I took him up to the cabin to sleep. But Emmie thought it was awesome to get to camp out.

Saturday morning, the girls took off on an adventure in the "spooky forest."

These girls had a blast.

And True enjoyed every minute as well.

After breakfast, we went fishing.

True was so proud of himself, he kept telling everyone "I fish."

Although neither child caught anything, they enjoyed looking at the fish some of the other kids caught.

True was a bit of a wild man with his fishing pole...we ended up taking off the hook and bate, and just letting him swing it around.

Lunch time.

True was so excited when Helena showed up, she is his best buddy at school..and he couldn't stop smiling when he saw her.You know it is time for the camping trip to be over, when the movie on the ipad wins over playing outside.

Although some families were camping out again on Saturday night, we had to get back for Sloan to set up for church the next morning . But what a fun weekend hanging out with friends and enjoying the beautiful Texas landscape.

Six years ago today...

2011-04-16T21:53:00.005-05:00

Sloan and I walked down the aisle and said "I do". Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband.

Not So Sweet Honey....

2011-04-15T13:36:00.003-05:00

True never ceases to amaze me...especially when it comes to food....and making messes. This morning I caught him red-handed, spoon feeding himself honey! Yum! One can only assume how easy it was to clean up this little snack.

March Book Review

2011-04-13T14:27:00.006-05:00

This will be my last in a series of "book reviews". Sloan's test was at the end of March, meaning his hours of studying are over, and with that, my hours of reading each night are over as well. But here is a short review of the two books I read during the month of March.

In the Presence of my Enemies

by Gracia Burnham

Link

Based on a true life hostage story, Gracia gives a first hand account of how her and her husband (who were missionaries in the Philippines) were taken hostage for over a year by muslim extremist. Not to spoil the ending for anyone, but one can assume pretty early on that her husband (Martin) does not make it out alive. USA Today says it best, "The issue...is not why an all-powerful God might choose to subject a man to evil, but how a man, with God’s help, responds to evil...The Burnhams, under torturous conditions, befriended their guards, comforted their fellow hostages and kept their faith in a God who seemed to have abandoned them." I would definitely recommend this book.

Unbroken

by Laura Hillenbrand

Link

Around Christmas, I had seen an interview on tv featuring Louis Zamperini . From a rebellious youth to an Olympic athlete to a air force lieutenant during WWII; he survives a plane crash over the pacific ocean, lives weeks on a raggedy raft with no food or water, until taken as a POW by the Japanese. It is such an inspiring story of resilience, and ultimately an INCREDIBLE story of redemption (as he comes home and deals with his horrific war experience).

This book is a novel; and by no means is a quick read...it is very intense, but very well worth the time it takes to read Louis story. I have already recommended this book to every male I know who likes to read war stories. And I would highly recommend this Unbroken to all my blog readers too!

I had to take a picture of this because it made me laugh so hard. One night when I was finished reading Unbroken for the night, Sloan took the book from me and stacked it on the book he was reading. When I woke up, I noticed the irony in the title of what we were both reading. They say opposites attract...

Best of Texas Weekend

2011-04-10T16:07:00.010-05:00

Our weekend got off to a fun start when we met some friends at Memorial park on Friday for a picnic. It was nice to finally have a not so windy day to be outside and enjoy the sunshine.

Saturday was the long awaited Best of Texas festivities. I was placed on the committee this year, and after months of planning I think we were all the glad the big day was finally here. The fundraiser started out first thing in the morning with a 7K run. True and I went out to cheer on my brother-in-law, Jave...he ended up getting 4th place averaging a 6 min 20 mile...we were so proud of him. Next was the Texas High Tea. Emmie had been waiting for this all week long to dress up like snow white. You have never seen so many little girls all dolled up. Here she is with Bebe.With the Little Mermaid. Belle. Rapunzel!

It was nice to have so many friends there.

Dancing with Prince Charming.

More of Emmie's buddies.

The glass slipper.

Bebe, Rebecca, me, and Snow White.

Onto the evening, it was time for the gala. It turned out fabulous. We had a blast visiting with friends and dancing to some great music.

This morning I had got up really early to go help clean up from last night and when I got to church, Sloan showed me what was in the Amarillo paper this morning...

Tea with a twist

Junior League party pleases princesses

Posted: April 10, 2011 - 12:56am

By JANELLE STECKLEIN

As the Disney princesses entered the room, 4-year-old Emmie Rush quickly forgot her tea and cakes.

Dressed in a Snow White princess gown complete with Little Mermaid shoes and a talking Cinderella necklace, she stood on a chair enraptured, only shifting her attention for a minute to explain her outfit and her red hair ribbon.

Emmie briefly nodded that she was having fun, and promptly ignored everything else as she craned her neck so as not to miss a moment of the celebration.

She was among dozens of little girls who dressed up in their finest and were treated like princesses for several hours Saturday afternoon at the Amarillo Junior League's Best of Texas High Tea held at the Amarillo Country Club.

"It's fun to see all the little girls dressed up," said Jennifer Rush, Emmie's mother.

Jamie Graham, the Best of Texas co-chair, said 150 to 200 people were expected to attend the tea, which was part of a daylong series events to raise money for six community projects including Kid's Cafe, Teen Court, the CPS Rainbow Room and the Amarillo Museum of Art.

She said organizers hoped to raise up to $40,000 from Saturday's events, which also included a run and a gala.

Usually the Junior League hosts a lunch, but this year Graham said organizers decided to try a tea party instead.

"It's a traditional high tea party with a Texas twist as you can see by what I'm wearing," she said. "The boots, the wild crazy things in (my) hair. It's wild and crazy."

The tea party was even complete with Prince Charming and an array of costumed princesses.

"Hopefully something for everyone, whether you're 5 or 55," Graham said.

Isabelle Ritter and her friend Emilia Forero, both 4, smiled broadly as guests complimented how pretty they were in pink.

"I'm a princess," Isabelle explained.

"Me too," threw in Emilia.

"We have a wand and a hat," Isabelle said. "We have rings. And we put our hair up."

"I wanted to be pink," Emilia said.

Sisters Amy Kate, 3, and Ellie Richardson, 6, of Amarillo, went on a special shopping trip with their mother, Sarah, to pick out their matching green tutu skirts. They also decided to wear matching white shirts with pink flowers.

"(This is) a big tea party," Sarah Richardson said. "They've had tea parties before, but not this big."

Link

http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2011-04-10/tea-twist

Closing up the Slopes

2011-04-04T21:11:00.006-05:00

This past weekend, we made a last minute trip to Taos to enjoy one last ski trip before they closed on Sunday. The weather didn't turn out as forecasted....but we still had a really fun time. We left Friday after Sloan got off work, and got to town in time to have dinner in Taos. Saturday morning, we all got up bright and early to hit the slopes. True decided he better be prepared for any danger we might face on the walk to the ski nursery.

And Emmie was pumped for ski school!!!It was really warm outside...meaning the snow was really, really slushy. But Sloan and I had a really nice time enjoying the pretty weather.

That afternoon, we went back a bit early to pick up Emmie and True. We put True on toddler skis and he loved them, and was so proud of himself. All night long he kept saying, "I ski, I ski, I ski...."

And Emmie has learned so much. I am so, so proud of her. Her form has improved dramatically (as well as her attitude, which was the main thing keeping her from giving her all). At Christmas, she told her teacher she did not want to ski any more because she fell down. This weekend she said she did not mind falling down because it meant she was learning and getting better.

Sunday morning, the weather was HORRIBLE!!! It was so cold and windy. And since it was so warm the day before, all the slush had turned to ice. So we made one trip to the top to the mountain chapel. We visited it when we were there last January, and the man who runs it is really nice and keeps track of pictures of people who visit here (you can see us on the 1-2-11).

I wish I could have this view singing praise music every Sunday....

After one more unsuccessful run down (just picture 40 mph wind blowing pegging you with coin sized ice chunks), we decided it was time to pack up. We took Emmie out for a few more runs. The wind didn't seem to bother her. The night before, saying her prayers, she had asked Jesus that he would send more snow to ski on and that daddy wouldn't drive on the other side of the road on the way home and get in a wreck (thankfully that was answered). But also, it snowed for just a split second that afternoon and it was so sweet to see Emmie thank Jesus for sending snow just for her.

Since the kids were so good, on the way out of town we stopped at Twirl!!! The coolest toy store/playground ever.

More of True's Party...

2011-03-30T17:57:00.002-05:00

Sloan's mom just emailed me a few pictures...here you can see True enjoying his cheetos as we sing happy birthday to him.And eating cheetos as he blows out his candles.

The princesses at the party.

Enjoying the yummy cake!

True Turns Two!!!

2011-03-27T17:09:00.009-05:00

After Spring Break was over, I think it is accurate to say we were all really bored. Like really, really bored. Like bored enough to sit down and take a nap in the middle of the day... Or if you are like True, forget finding a chair, just crash on the ground...But luckily, this week the Rush home was back in business. And Friday True turned two! That morning in the bath, he was splashing water every where and I told him not to, he looked and me and said, "Why?" Looks like I have a new stage to look forward to. That afternoon we went to the zoo with some friends. True LOVED it, and got so excited about each animal. At one point, I saw him falling face forward over a fence. He had climbed into a cage...and I rushed over wondering what animal he had decided to visit. Luckily it was the turtles, and not the lion or bear! After we left there, we met a friend at the park, and played until Mimi, Hayden, and Jason came over who had just flown into town. That night Emmie went with my mom and sister to see Bye-Bye Birdie. Some friends had invited Sloan and I to go with them to a TX-EX's dinner (which was such a blast to be around so much burnt orange!), and Mimi played with True. Saturday was his big party. Immediately he wanted to open up gifts. Forget everything else! Mary Ann and Diana, with Braylen, who is getting so big!!!

So much fun to open presents. True's friends Parker and Lucas looking at the new toys.

Asking for more.

Until we opened aunt Rebecca's package...which was a bag of cheetos. True LOVES cheetos, but I will never give him any, because I hate the mess. Once he opened the cheetos, forget the remaining gifts, cake and ice cream, all he wanted was the cheetos!

Needless to say, the cheetos were the hit of the party.

His buzz light year cake.

Aunt Jo brought her puppies!

Playing outside with our sweet friends! True's friend's Parker (eating a cheeto!), True, Emmie, Celia, and Lucas.

Happy Birthday True!!!

Spring Break

2011-03-17T22:26:00.005-05:00

I have officially decided Spring Break is a sham for those of us in Mother's Day Out...but I am sure someday when my kids are busy with school, I will be very thankful for the break =)

Going back about a week ago, we got to attend the 1st birthday party for my friend JJ's little girl, Blythe.
It was such a treat to see them, and Emmie and True enjoyed eating cake and ice cream with some other little friends who were there.
Then Sunday after church, we dropped True off with my parents (since he doesn't turn 2 for a few more weeks, he got to fly free one last time, they were going to Austin the next day)...and started the long drive to San Antonio. Our most exciting part of the drive was stopping to visit Jave at the hospital he was moonlighting at in Big Spring.

The whole purpose of this trip was because Sloan had a conference to attend all week in San Antonio. Since he was going to be busy all week, I decided to take the kids and stay in Austin with my parents for the week.

But Monday morning before we left San Antonio, I gave Emmie the option of doing one "fun thing". Did she choose the zoo? children's museum? kiddie park? No, no, and no. Rather she insisted we stop the car when we saw a pink cupcake place.
Once in Austin, we met up with my parents and ate dinner at Central Market which was perfect because their is a playground outside for the kids to play on.

On Tuesday we drove to College Station to visit John. We ate lunch at a place called Blue Baker and it was wonderful! After that we went to John's house. If you can imagine 3 college guys living at a house, you can imagine what it looks like. My mom and I got to work and did some major cleaning. His backyard backs up to a park, and Emmie and True thought it was so fun to go play on the playground. Afterwards, Emmie and John went to a children's museum while my mom and I took a sleeping True shopping with us.

Wed. I got coffee with a friend, and went on a long run around town lake. Other than some shopping, it was a pretty uneventful day.

Thurs., I made a morning stop by Mozart's and then let the kids run around and play before packing up the car and heading onto San Antonio.

That night we ate dinner with the Christi and Andy (Sloan's aunt and uncle). The next morning, I took the kids to breakfast, and then we met Christi and went over to her house for a while. Once Sloan was finished, we loaded up the car again, and headed out to the Hyatt Hill Country.

What a perfect place to stay! The weather was wonderful, and our kids were in heaven.
The lazy river and pool was a favorite.

That night there was a movie in the park and a bond fire to make smores. The next morning, I got up early for a run. Then we went to the best breakfast buffet, let the kids play on the playground and wade in the pool, then packed up and it was time to head home.
Of course we made a slight detour through Fredericksburg (oh, how I wish I could live there!) And then made it home around midnight.

February Book Review

2011-03-08T21:56:00.008-06:00

This February I continued my "reading spree" as Sloan has been studying. So here is my review and recommendations.

The Pastor's Wife

by Sabina Wurmbrand

This book is written by the wife of Richard Wurbrand (a pastor who was held captive and tortured in Soviet prisons, and later founded Voice of the Martyrs, a ministry devoted to the persecuted church worldwide. It is an amazing ministry, which Sloan and I have supported since we have been married. I would really encourage everyone to check out their website and sign up for their free newsletter. It will change the way you look at the church and the world).

The Pastor's Wife is Sabina's personal account of life in Romania after WWII. The Soviet Union was ruthless as it took control of the country, and this book details her life as a Christian in the years that followed (including horrid years in Soviet prisons). I would recommend this book to everyone, but first, read Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand (click the link and sign up for a FREE COPY...it will change your view of the world, I promise) ...read it first to get "the pastor's" story, then you will have context for The Pastor's Wife.

Link

unPlanned

by Abby Johnson

unPlanned is the true story of Abby Johnson, a Planned Parenthood "Employee of the Year" who quit her job after seeing an ultra-sound guided abortion, and now works for Live Action. While I realize this book brings up an extremely controversial subject, I by no means trying to make any political statement with this post. I am just writing about what I read.

I saw this book displayed at Mardel and though it looked interesting. And it really, really was. At the first of the book, it says something about the contents of the book making both pro-lifers and pro-choicers uncomfortable, and more than likely that is a pretty accurate warning. I found some parts uncomfortable, but overall, I thought it was very inspiring and uplifting. I really enjoyed this book.

Link Here

Bringing up Boys

by Dr. James Dobson

Bringing up Boys by James Dobson seemed like a good book for me to read considering True tests me to limits each day. He is "all boy" and this book is written for the parents who have an"all boy" son. I found this book very helpful and insightful. I am sure I will have to read Bringing Up Girls in a few years. But for right now, True is what I need help with!!!!

Link

Texas Independence Day Tea Party

2011-03-02T14:30:00.003-06:00

Two things I love...my kids and Texas. Needless to say, I couldn't stop laughing at the irony of walking into our living room this afternoon and seeing Emmie and True had set-up a tea party on a "Come and Take It" flag (since today is the 175th anniversary of Texas winning its independence).

What better way to celebrate. When I told Emmie why I was laughing at this she asked if we could watch the "Elmo movie" later today. God bless Texas!!!

Imagination Station

2011-02-22T10:18:00.003-06:00

That is what our house has turned into. True is finally old enough to understand and take part in all Emmie's schemes. Just yesterday he ran in with a dinosaur, and I said, "Emmie you better go get Prince Charming to save your princesses from the dinosaur." Before I knew it, True had run back in with Prince Charming, and had the dinosaur attacking him!

Well, here are my little travelers, all packed up, to go on a trip. On Friday night we had a birthday party for two sisters, one that is Emmie's age, and one that is True's age, at Chuckie Cheese. This place drives me crazy, but the kids just love it!

And when we caught True riding his trycycle in a suit the other day, we could help but wonder if we have a mormon in training?

Happy Heart Day

2011-02-17T15:02:00.003-06:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentines day! Such a fun holiday...and this year I got Emmie and True a children's book about Saint Valentine. While the stories of Saint Valentine vary from him being a saint who sent heart shaped cards to Christians in prison to remind them of God's love, to a saint who would marry people in secret after a Roman Empire said no young men could marry...I am not sure anyone really knows why. But an interesting fact I discovered was the Muslim world does view Valentines as a Christian holiday, and thus, it is illegal to celebrate Valentines in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Malaysia, etc. So I guess you can be thankful we are outlawed from sending loved ones flowers and cards and chocolate covered strawberries?

So on Monday, Emmie went to ballet. She has gone from kind of liking ballet to being total prima-ballerina. All day long, every day, she is putting on performances for us.

After ballet, we got out the "fun"do pot and chocolate chips.

Emmie was ready to go.

Fresh strawberries.

We needed a tester to make sure they tasted as good as they looked.

Time to begin.

Sprinkling on the peppermints.

My two cute Valentines.

Then Tuesday, Meme came into town and Emmie and True have had a bunch of fun with her playing with side walk chalk, going to Mr. Gatti's, and the park.

Well I am off to go outside and enjoy this beautiful Amarillo day!

Snow Day!!!

2011-02-11T13:25:00.002-06:00

Tuesday night a huge storm blew into town. Emmie and True were staying at my parents house, and when Sloan and I got home, we put on our ski clothes and went running! It was crazy, and so terribly snowy and windy outside, but it felt so surreal to be in the middle of the blizzard...and nice to enjoy the snow. I lasted longer than Sloan (thanks to my battery-powered heated boot!), and when we got home, I sat on the back porch for a while enjoying the storm.

Well, the next morning. Sloan made it to work...and after cleaning the house and shoveling our driveway and side walks....I couldn't take being in the house any longer. So I got in the car to pick up the kids...and got stuck!!! Thank Jesus for the kind strangers who towed me out of the mess I was in. I decided it was best for me to stay on snow-plowed road only. So after Roasters, the grocery store, the gym...finally Sloan was off work, and we went to get Emmie and True.

Here Mom and Rebecca are shoveling themselves out.

Playing in the snow!
True liked to run around like crazy.
I know most people here are tired of all this snow...but I really, really, really do love it! By Thursday, Amarillo was up and running again. Just in time for Emmie and True to have their Valentine's party at PDO.

Aunt Nancy

2011-02-10T11:14:00.002-06:00

Sloan's Aunt Nancy passed away last week after a long battle with cancer. She was always such a joy to be around...and is already greatly missed. Sloan is so thankful for the sweet (and silly) books she passed along to Emmie and True, because everytime we read them, we will think of her. Sloan is in Dallas today for the funeral, celebrating a life well lived. Below is her obituary, and as you can read in there she sincerely believed (even in the mist of cancer), "God is good, and He is good all the time."

DALLAS - Nancy Chandler Rush-White, 55, passed away peacefully Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011, in Dallas after a long battle with ovarian cancer.

A memorial service celebrating this remarkable spirit will be at 10 a.m. today in Greenland Hills United Methodist Church, 5835 Penrose Ave., in Dallas.

Nancy was born March 17, 1955, in Amarillo. She graduated from Tascosa High School. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Plan II from the University of Texas at Austin, and a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 1980.

Nancy began her career as an associate with the Dallas firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, and was among that first generation of brilliant women to enter prestigious law firms in force. She was admitted to partnership in 1991. In 1981, she married her true love David S. White.

Nancy was a devoted member of Greenland Hills United Methodist Church in Dallas, where she served faithfully in the shared work of worship, education and mission. She enriched the lives of all she knew. Throughout her illness, Nancy never wavered from knowing in her bones that God is good all the time. Her courage and love for her family and friends was an inspiration to us all.
Nancy is survived by her husband, David; three children, James D. White of Los Angeles, Pfc. Michael J. White stationed in Iraq, and Pfc. John S. White stationed in Hawaii; her parents, Mr. and Mrs. James Avery Rush Jr.; and three siblings, Jo Mozola, J. Avery Rush M.D., and Carol Stewart.

Donations in her memory may be given to Independence Center, 3640 S. Sepulveda Bld., Suite 102, Los Angeles, CA 90032; or Greenland Hills United Methodist Church, 5835 Penrose Ave., Dallas, TX 75206-5591.
Amarillo Globe-News, Feb. 10, 2011

Nancy Chandler Rush-White Amarillo Globe-News

Oh, the weather outside is frightful....

2011-02-07T17:50:00.005-06:00

...but the snow is so delightful! Like most parts of the country, Amarillo was VERY cold last week. I made the fatefull mistake of going to the grocery store last Monday. I had totally forgotten the Amarillo phenomenon of everyone in town going to the store the day before a big storm hits. I waited in line over an hour, and the lady behind me told me it was her 5th trip to the grocery store that day (5th!!!) to stock up on "essentials."

So anyways, we enjoyed lots of home cooked meals and staying home. Here is True "studying" with Sloan. True had more than enough time to find trouble as we were home so much this week. And look what I caught him with....

Apparently, he had gotten into the refrigerator and helped himself to a block of Velveeta cheese (yuck!), and he did not want me to take it away from him. No, he wanted to each the whole thing (again, yuck, I really don't know where this child came from sometimes).

Thursday, it finally warmed up a bit and we stayed out of the house ALL DAY! This weekend, we got together with some friends. Since it had snowed quit a bit in Amarillo, we figured we could go out to the Palo Duro Club and take the kids sledding, and then watch the Super Bowl. Well, it turned out the canyon had not gotten as much snow as Amarillo did, and cabin did not get cable to watch the game. Despite our ill-conceived plan, we all had a ton of fun. Here are Emmie and Celia playing in the snow with their baby dolls.

And True playing with what else....but his bike.

And the girls getting pulled on a sled since there was no snow on the hills.

More snow is in the forecast, so I bet we will have another week of bundling up and cooking at home.

January Book Review

2011-02-01T14:58:00.011-06:00

So for those of you who know me well, you know that I never, ever, ever, ever read for fun. Reading usually isn't on my "hobby list." But Sloan has been studying for a test he has coming up in March, so after the kids go to bed each night, I have had a lot of spare time while Sloan is studying. Of course I could always do more cleaning (ALWAYS), or watch more Fox News, but instead I have taken up reading at night. So here is my "Book Review" of what all I have read this month:
Decision Points by George W. Bush

Link
What an excellent book! I was sitting in the Taos ski lodge eating lunch when I saw a college girl reading this book, then an older man walked over and said, "I just finished it...it was awesome." I chimed in as I was about on the 4th chapter myself, and before long we had a group of about 10 people talking about how great it was. The funny thing over half in the conversation said they were liberal democrats who disagreed without about everything he did...and still they all loved the book. So whether you agreed with him or not (and lets be honest, for the most, I really liked him), Decision Points is informative, inspiring, and has a fair share of humor in it too....I think everyone would like this book.

A Lady of Secret Devotion by Tracie Peterson:

Link

A Christian fictional mystery book about a girl living in the 1800's and falling in love. My sister-in-law had handed this book off to me after she read it over Christmas break. It is a cute, sweet story (will a fair share of suspense) and easy read...it got a bit to over dramatic for my liking towards the end. But still worth the read.

Save Me From Myself by Brian Head Welch

Link

A personal testimony how a drug addicted dead-beat dad rock star comes to know Christ as his Savior. I probably couldn't name one Korn song, nor can I tolerate listening to heavy metal music, but Welch's story is so incredible. It is so awesome to see how God has the power to turn a life around. (FYI, this book is not G Rated).

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Link

Ok, so I know I am probably the last person in world to read this book...so most everyone reading this already knows it is AWESOME. If you have not read this book (and you have been hiding under the same rock I have for years)....this is a must read. A fictional story based on the book of Hosea....certainly worth your time.

So there you go, 1567 pages later, January is over and February is here.

Hike in the Canyon

2011-01-31T13:41:00.003-06:00

Saturday we had another beautiful day. My dad had called and asked if you would all like to go hike. ALL? Somehow he convinced us it would be a good idea to take the kids along. We drove out to Lake Tanglewood and hiked to an area in the canyon that has several waterfalls (and yes, there are actually waterfalls). While Emmie claimed she was the "best hiker ever", True quickly discovered he preferred being carried up hill, and then squirm out of your arms to run as fast as he could downhill. When we got back his little legs were covered with bumps and bruises, not to mention his allergies were going crazy. But True probably enjoyed the day more than anyone.Geoff and Lacy joined us for the hike, and my mom and Lacy asked me to take this picture and then post it on facebook to document their big adventure.

Dad and True.

After we got home, it was time to clean up. And Emmie did just that sporting an old fashion shower cap.

As I am writing this, True just grabbed my sunglasses from the top of my head, broke them in half, looked at me, and laughed. I think it is time to go....

Traffic Jams and Pretty Days

2011-01-28T21:37:00.004-06:00

Our house has turned into a parking lot these days. I knew little boys liked to play with cars ( or "bee-bee" and "choo-choo" as True calls them), I just didn't know how much. Anything with wheels......including his tricycle. Today was such a PRETTY DAY!!! And we literally played outside all day. This afternoon True went on a ride.

And then Emmie came and joined him. She wanted True to drive her in her car, because, well he is a much better driver than her. Sloan believes our children prove his theory that men are naturally much better drivers than females. I am still not so sure about that.

Watch out! (Oh, and True's little monkey rides in the blue box on the back of his bike).

We went inside for a few minutes to regroup so we could go meet a friend at the park, and in the 5 minutes I leave my kids unsupervised, what happens? They are covered in green and red marker. Awesome.

Someone was going to get in trouble for this, but their little laughs and smiles melted my heart, and I ended up laughing too.

"I tried to warn you...."

2011-01-24T22:53:00.004-06:00

This is what Emmie tells me as she we were finishing making chocolate chip zucchini bread this morning. It is one of Emmie's favorite things, and she always helps me bake it.

Well, as we started out this morning I asked Emmie, "What do we need first?" To which she exclaimed, "Butter!" I explained, "No, no Emmie. There is no butter in this recipe." And it went back and forth, her demanding we get out butter, and I assuring her we didn't need it.

Well, we finished out batter...and I realized we didn't have our pan out and ready to go. See usually, the first thing Emmie and I do is turn on the oven, and butter the pan. Ah ha!!! Emmie was right and took advantage of her big, "I tried to warn you....I told you so....I was right and you were wrong" moment after that. She is SO PROUD of herself. And who can really blame her? Maybe next time I should listen to my little Longhorn ballerina (and yes, she did wear this outfit to ballet today).

Texas, Our Texas! All hail the mighty State!

2011-01-20T12:20:00.008-06:00

You can easily forget how big Texas is until you spend a week driving miles and miles from city to city. Our first stop: Lubbock! Sloan and Brian took Emmie and Connor to see a Tech b-ball game. These kids have way too much fun together! We spent the night at the Phelp's hotel (our favorite place to stay in Lubbock!) Visited our old church, saw some old neighbors, made a stop (or two) at our old stomping ground at Market Street, said a bitter sweet good-bye, and headed onto Austin.

My whole family was intown for my dad's swearing in ceremony and we stayed at the apartment he has for this spring.
Emmie found where she wanted to sit for the swearing in ceremony.

Family pic. True was a total stud in his suit!

And True pretty much thought he owned the place. Not only did he refuse to get off center stage, he also started going around shaking hands with all the men in suits. I think we might just have a future politician. (Or maybe basketball player, note his shoe selection?)

After a full day of shaking peoples hands, its time to enjoy a muffin.

Insisting on walking down the capital steps by himself.

With Uncle John.

True eating the breakfasts of a champion: jello, a cookies, and some berries!

On Wed. we continued our tour of Texas to San Antonio (via the San Marcos outlet mall, aka, the ultimate tourist trap). We stayed with our friends Jake and Kellye. Emmie and True had so much fun playing with their little girl, Kate.

And things got really rowdy at bathtime!

The next morning after a late breakfast (we stayed up way to late visiting), we took Emmie and True to watch the Alamo imax and walk down the river walk.

And visit the Alamo! Which Emmie calls the Elmo.

Then we went back to Austin for the night, and had dinner with the Martins. It was so good to catch up with them! The next morning took off for Houston for Sloan's cousin's wedding. The kids stayed back with my mom and brother, so we could go to the rehearsal dinner.

The next day, we hung out at Rice Village...until it was time for the wedding. My parents in the mean time drove up with Emmie and True. Sloan was a scripture reader, and did a great job!

Rob came in from Detroit! It was so good for Sloan to see an old roommate.

The Rush girls.

Sloan and family.

The reception was at the Junior League House of Houston. The band was one from Austin that used to play at many sorority/fraternity parties...so it was fun to dance to some old favorites! It was so much fun to spend some long overdue time with the Kerr family, and celebrate Spencer and Annie's wedding. We are so excited for them. I tried to get some pictures of the beautiful bride...but none of them turned out, but here is Sloan and I at the reception.

Sunday morning, we loaded up and made the LONG waltz across Texas back to good ol' Amarillo.

New Years in Taos, and -16!

2011-01-06T16:13:00.005-06:00

Friday morning, Sloan and I heard that Taos had just gotten a ton of snow, and we decided to make a last minute trip up there for the weekend. My parents volunteered to watch True, and we headed up and got there in time for dinner. Saturday morning when we woke up, it was -16 outside!!! Not the ideal temperature for Emmie to go to her first day of ski school. The heater in our hotel room did not work very well, and none of us had slept very good the night before because we were so cold.

But we hit the slopes first thing that morning. Emmie was more than ecstatic about ski school.

First run of the season, and Sloan smiled at me when we got to Spencers and said, "With fresh powder, there is no place I would rather be". I am pretty sure that is the truth too!Emmie got all dolled up that night with her feather boa as a scarf. However, she crashed out before we even got dinner.

Showing off what she learned as ski school.

Magic Carpet.

I have no idea why, but Emmie begged me to take a picture with her and this snowman.

Before we left Monday, all Emmie really wanted to do was play in the snow. And who can blame her?

Photographer Emmie taking a picture of mommy and daddy.

And we wouldn't have it any other way...

2010-12-27T22:23:00.009-06:00

This was the conclusion Sloan and I agreed upon at 3AM Christmas morning. With both sets of families living in town, multiple celebrations to attend, topped with all the traditions we are trying to start with our own family, Christmas Eve and Christmas day were jam-packed...

But, as I was cooking sweet potatoes and he was assembling toys for the kids to get the next morning, we went "line item" through each event and what we could change or do different next year. And really, we both agreed we wouldn't want to change anything! A little craziness never hurt anyone, and really all the busyness keeps things fun and exciting.

So going back a week, we went to the Panhandle Eye Group Christmas party.
And Santa was there.

True still isn't too sure about him....

Santa Clause brought Emmie a princess doll set.

True got a truck!

Playing with Boom-paw Avery.

The week next week was filled with Christmas parties, coffee dates with friends (for me), hiking man trips with friends (for Sloan), making treats, wrapping and delivering gifts, a few more Christmas parties, and came Christmas Eve...

The annual Rush Family photo at the Mozola's house (we had a small group this year).

Playing with our new toys....it is so much fun to have friends to play with!

Hayden and I.Emmie, Avery Jane, True, Tom, and Jamie supervising. I love watching these kids play together. They are so precious. They definitely added some noise and excitement to the night.

After dinner #1 (which was absolutely delicious), we headed to dinner #2 (which was wonderful as well). Emmie opened up her new princess snuggie from Rebecca. I only let her watch 30 minutes of tv a day, but I guess those snuggie commercials were enough to convince her she needed one.

Pinkalicious bike from Boom-paw and Bebe.

New tent.

Opening more gifts. True liked to take his time with each toy. Every one he opened he was so excited to play with it. He was very anxious while you got it out of the box. Then it was hard to shift his attention to the next package.

Boom-paw and Uncle John.

Sloan and I.
New tricycle from Boom-paw and Bebe.

Our kids probably went to bed at 2AM that next night. But early the next morning, they had to wake up to see what Santa Clause had brought!

Emmie on True's motorcycle on True on Emmie's FJ Cruiser?

Instead of both wanting to drive, they both wanted to be the passenger to control the real radio.

After opening gifts, Hayden and Jave stopped by. Then Sloan, Jave, my dad, brother, his cousin Chris, and several people from our LifeHouse made lunch to take downtown to the homeless. Sloan's brother started this tradition years ago. The Salvation Army and Faith City Mission feed the homeless on Christmas Eve and Christmas night, but no lunch. They said the food was gone in five minutes.

After that, we all headed over to Sloan's grandmothers for lunch #1, and then over to my aunts for lunch #2. There were a few more gift over there. Emmie opening a Pinkalicious game and new princess step stool from Dale!

Uncle Tony and Braylen.

Afterwards, Emmie and I went to my parents house to play with John's new Kinect game, and Sloan and True went home to take a nap. Later that night, a bunch of Sloan's family came over to play board games.

Such a fun Christmas with such wonderful people. Really, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Joy to the World....

2010-12-17T11:26:00.005-06:00

Does anyone else have childhood memories of putting cloves in oranges? I am not going to lie, it kind of hurts your fingers...but Emmie wants a "craft" to do each afternoon, and she LOVED this. She keeps going and picking up her clove-covered oranges to sniff how good they smell. However, they are out of True's reach because all he wants to do is throw them like a ball.

Yesterday, we went to see Emmie's play at school (same play, different group of kids, we saw on Sunday). All the kids were so stinking cute.

Aunt Hayden had just flown in from Dallas and Uncle John had just drove in from College Station. True's class had come to watch too. And he got really into the music!

Eating some of birthday cake for baby Jesus.

Take #1 of Christmas card picture for my parents to send out this year (Santa jumped in next to John and said, "I know you have been a bad boys this year." John was a bit freaked out, and Santa started laughing and it ended up it was one of his friends from high school and they played on the tennis team together. He is now the young adult minister at Westminster.)

Take #2, which one will she pick???

Last night we had our LifeHouse Christmas party. It was so much fun!!! After eating a potluck dinner, we played Taboo...it shouldn't surprise anyone...the girls totally dominated!

Tis' the Season...

2010-12-14T10:23:00.003-06:00

This past week has continued to be busy with Christmas festivities. It was filled with parties, shopping, and listening to Christmas music! On Saturday, our LifeHouse group delivered Christmas gifts for Eveline River's Christmas Project. It has been one of my very favorite things to for as long as I can remember, and this year did not disappoint.

That afternoon, Emmie went with my mom and met Celia and her mom at the Nutcracker. Emmie and Celia sat in the same chair, and LOVED the ballet!

That night, their school was having Parents Night Out. Sloan and I got to have a fun afternoon/evening to ourselves. We went to play tennis, and then dressed up and TRIED to go get dinner. Who knew you needed reservations at every nice restaurant in Amarillo at 6 on a Saturday night? After we struck out for the forth time, we were about to just get fast food...but I thought of Carolina's ...and we got seated right away! Afterwards, we played a game of Scrabble. Now, for any of you who know Sloan and I well, you know that scrabble can become the biggest source of contention in our marriage...and this night was no different. Right after we started playing, I was able to make the word "grounded". Not only did it span two 3x, I also got an additional 50 points for using 7 letters. Breaking a rush family record of 120 in one turn! Needless to say, that ended our game.

On Sunday, Emmie was asked to come sing at Westminster church with their pre-school choir. They were doing the same program that she has been learning for her school, and since Sloan's whole family goes to church there, they were very nice to include us. It was so fun to watch her perform.

Afterward, we went with my sister and granddad to the santa brunch at the Amarillo Club. This santa terrified both my children. However, when he wasn't looking, True would sneak up and loot his candy basket.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2010-12-05T15:21:00.007-06:00

I love Christmas time so much. And especially after living in Oregon last year, where the Christmas season was much less celebrated...it is nice to be back in a place full of Christmas cheer.

I love that Emmie and True continue to play so well together, and can have so much fun entertaining themselves. The other day, I found them both in the pink peddle car, and Emmie said, "Help, we are the family in the Sound of Music and our car won't start to get away from the Nazi's." Not sure if True got all of that, but just goes along with whatever she tells him to do.Friday night the weather was SO PRETTY. So pretty is an understatement, it was PERFECT. So we took advantage of it (along with everyone else in the city of Amarillo), and went to the Christmas light parade. There were so many fun floats. True kept yelling "choo-choo".

After the parade, we headed onto Canyon and went to Christmas open house at the Panhandle Plain's museum. Emmie has gone from the child who was terrified of Santa last year, to the one who loves him this year...now True is the one who is terrified of people in costumes. Emmie loved seeing Frosty.

And meeting Santa and Mrs. Clause.

Saturday morning, Emmie had her friend birthday party at a Pan Handlers. She wanted an Alice in Wonderland tea party, and they came and drank hot chocolate and decorated cookies.

Blowing out candles

True and Lucas weren't too interested in making cookies, so they played ball in the other room.

Such fun friends.

That night one of Emmie's friends from school was having a birthday party as well. It was dinner over at his house and then a hayride around the neighborhood to go look at Christmas lights.

In front of the tractor pulled hayride and her John Deer party favor.

This morning, we had an wonderful church gathering and then headed out to the Santa brunch at the country club.

Hope everyone else is having a fabulous Christmas season as well!

Good-Bye November, Hello December...

2010-12-02T15:27:00.006-06:00

And if you need proof...just look at my calender! Busy, busy, busy is how I would describe coming month. I am not sure if we have more Christmas parties to attend or birthday parties (who knew half of Emmie's class had Dec. birthdays?), but really who can complain about having a month full of parties? Not I!

November ended up being pretty busy itself. I lost my camera cord when we moved (yes, we moved...I don't think I have blogged about that yet), and finally went out and bought a new one today...so here I am am catching up on the last few weeks of November.
So back a few weeks ago, there was a baby shower for my friend Kaki. It was so fun to get to see all the new pink gifts to help her get ready to welcome in baby Claire.A few days after that, our LifeHouse went to see Josh Hamilton speak. Now if you do not know who he is that probably means you are about as big as baseball fan as I am. But he is an all-star player for the Texas Rangers with an incredible story.After it was over, Sloan and I both stayed up reading his book, Beyond Belief, all night long. Most of you know I am not a big reader, but this book was awesome and I would recommend it to anyone.
Then last Saturday, there was a Sip'N See for my friend JJ and her baby Blythe. It was so much fun to see good friends and catch up. Emmie had a fun time to getting to play with some other little girls.

And in between all the hustle and bustle of it all, we moved. I have no idea what day it was we even moved. It was all kind of a whirlwind of events. Our house was not technically on the market, but we had ALOT of yard work to do ( and I mean a ton, the lot our house was on was HUGE and a bit overwhelming). So when an offer came along for our house, and the price was right, it was hard to resist. I loved the part of the house we had remodeled, and that we were just across the street from my parents (and we already miss that a bunch). We had wanted to live in this house for the rest of our lives and we were only in it four months. We might be crazy, or we might just be turning into "those people" who move all the time. But in about 3 weeks we were packed up and moved out. We are currently renting a house in the Colonies and trying to figure out if we want to build a house, buy another old one, etc. No plans yet. But here were our little helpers moving.

Emmie was just grabbing random boxes, but True went straight to the pantry and started grabbing food. He wanted to make sure we weren't leaving the good stuff behind. Especially mac'n cheese. Priorities, priorities...

And speaking of things True likes (even more than food), the other day I had these two pairs of boots sitting out before mothers day out and told him to pick one to wear, and which one did be prefer? Neither, all he wants to wear are Emmie's princess shoes. I am not sure when he is going to get out of this phase? But we had a big shoe standoff that morning...

So along comes Thanksgiving. On Thursday,we started out the day at Sloan's grandparents house. Next we headed to my parents, where we also celebrated my uncle Tony's 50th birthday. We played pin the tail on the donkey. And True was obsessed. He kept playing well after the game with everyone else was over.

I think I have a good activity for True's next birthday.

And Emmie got to open a few early birthday presents that day also.

Emmie's 4th Birthday (One day early)

2010-11-27T17:33:00.006-06:00

Today we celebrated Emmie's birthday. Her actual birthday is tomorrow. And she is going to have a little birthday party with her friends from school next week. But today our families got together to celebrate. We had a tea cup cake and after looking for Alice in Wonderland plates everywhere, we had to settle for Rapunzel (we just went and saw that new movie last night).

The Birthday Girl.

With Dale.

Zoomie and great-granddad.

Opening all our fun gifts.

Eating some more cake and ice cream.

Playing with new toys.