SURPRISE...A New Post

I've finally decided it's time to rejoin the land of bloggers. I know it's been awhile. Is there anyone out there still reading this? It has been nearly a year since I last blogged. A lot has happened since that last post. So if anyone is still interested in The Lightheart Family goings on, please keep reading...

--I'll highlight the best bits-

Kurtis returned from Iraq in May 2009. In June 2009 we moved to Houston(3rd largest city in the U.S.) where Kurtis started a two year orthodontic residency at University of Texas-Houston. It's like dental school only better because we are actually getting paid. We spent the summer of 2009 unpacking and exploring our new city. I love, love, love everything about Houston, except for the traffic. It has anything I could ever want including the beach...which is only a short hour away. I could live in Texas forever if it wasn't so far from my family.

Ellie, now 10, is in 4th grade and started wearing glasses this fall. I was so afraid that she would hate it but...She loves them and that makes it worth shelling out $300 a pair. This year she decided not to do dance and play soccer instead. We discovered she has a natural ability for it...not to mention she is a smokin' fast runner.

Carter, 7, is still sports maniac (did I ever mention that his favorite movie was Hoosiers when he was 2). He loves playing soccer, basketball, and the Wii.

Maggie, is 4 and goes to afternoon preschool everyday. Next year will be all day kindergarten(one of the many reasons why I love Texas). She still prefers dresses to pants.

Mom and Dad were here for Christmas this year. It was so nice not to have to do the traveling for once. If you've ever traveled solo with children before you know firsthand just how fun it isn't.

My Colts made it to the Super Bowl...but failed to win. It's okay Peyton...I'll forgive you in time for next season.

I decided it was time to join the YMCA and lose some weight. My youngest will be 5 in June and considering she is no longer a baby I cotinually found it harder and harder to justify the extra pounds as leftover baby weight. WARNING..future blogs on this subject.

Life in the Lightheart family still is and will always be an experiment in managed chaos. So if you are still reading this...stick around...there will be more.

Soccer Champs!

Carter's soccer team won his 1st/2nd grade soccer league with a record 7-1-1. Carter scored 2 great goals one of which was a in spite of a very strong(20mph) head wind. What a great season!

A day in the Life...

of my favorite army dentist! I'm a sucker for a man in uniform. :)

Who's Driving this Bus?

Okay, so ya'll know that Kurtis is gone and I'm currently driving the Lightheart Bus solo. While my heart is always fully aware of this...my brain tends to forget. So when soccer sign-ups came around Carter asked to play because we missed fall soccer. Unthinking, I said, "yes". When I looked at the schedule on the first day of practice, I thought to myself, oh, boy...our already busy bus route was going to have to accomadate 4 extra stops. So along with Ellie's Ballet class on Tuesdays and Fridays, I now have soccer practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays with games played on Mondays and Saturdays(with a double header to boot). Throw in primary activity days on Wednesdays and I'm one busy and tired bus driver while my kids are loving every minute of the ride(well almost). During the few quiet moments at the end of the day I wonder...who is actually driving this bus?

Bloggers Block Disease

I have a problem. I have all these great blogs floating around in my head(that of course I think of all the time) but when I go to actually type them out, they either come out jumbled and incoherent or don't come out at all. I've been trying to blog for at least 2 weeks but to no avail. I've decided I have bloggers block disease. HELP! Anyone have any suggestions as to how to cure it?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We rang in the new year with fun, food(my favorite), and fireworks(definitely the kids' favorite).

We want to wish all our friends and family nothing but the best in 2009! Thanks for being part of our lives.

Now we're sleddin'...Utah Style

Since we are in Utah and surrounded by snow, the kids were dying to go sledding...this time on actual snow. The kids had a blast and yes, even I participated in the fun, even though I think I'd rather be sleddin' Texas style.

Hey Mom, What's all this cold white stuff?

We, Texans, don't see snow very often. So when we arrived in Utah to spend Christmas with Gramma and Papa Shaw, the kids couldn't wait to play in it. So after much scrounging for hats and mittens(my Mom so thoughtfully bought snow boots...they don't even sell them where we live). Everyone was bundled up and ready to go, everyone, but Maggie. It took some convincing to get here to even go out in the "cold white stuff." Ahhhh...she is a girl after my own heart. I'm not afraid to say that I don't like the cold and I don't like the snow. I don't ski or snowboard and I don't do much sledding, although that is on the agenda for tomorrow(I do it for the sake of the kids). I hate having to wear a million layers even inside the house. Everything is wet from your car to your house because the snow gets tracked everywhere. And there is nothing worse than stepping in a cold wet puddle of melted snow on the kitchen floor with your bare feet. I stepped outside just long enough to snap some pictures. When I finally made them come inside and remove their many wet layers, Maggie proudly announced that she is beginning to like the snow.

The Tooth Fairy

Carter(with Kurtis' help) just lost his first tooth. Ya'll know what that means...yup...the Tooth Fairy! A visit from the tooth fairy is a big deal at our house, especially since her last visit was such a debacle. Apparently, she was so busy with her other fairy responsibilities that she forgot, and I woke up to a very disappointed child(Ellie) the following morning. It was definitely not one of her proudest moments. She did make good the next night and left an extra dollar to boot(I'm sure to ease her guilty conscience). I'll bet, though, that she learned her lesson and will redeem herself tonight. I don't think I could handle another disappointed child.

Goin' Sleddin'...Texas Style

There is nothing better than kicking off the holiday season with some good ole fashioned sledding...Texas style. Just drain the water out of the local waterpark and !VOILA! instant sledding in 65 degree weather. No snow required! Now that's my kind of sledding.

(I would have had more pictures but my camera chose the perfect moment to run out of batteries)

Poor Carter didn't weigh enough to make it all the way down.