Cub Scout Rally Time

We meet Randy's girlfriend and go see Santa and his lights

A Big Project!

14 - 17 September 2007

See Ya Later 2007!

31 December 2007

Uncle Bubba Turns 21!

13 December 2007

Happy Birthday, Kristofer!

26 December 2007

Bubba Comes to Visit!

24 December 2007

Gran and Papa Come to Visit!

23 December 2007

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

25 December 2007

Thanksgiving Abundance!

29 November 2007

Halloween Carnival!

31 October 2007

New England For Daddy!

27 - 29 September 2007

Back To School!

August 2007

Meeting The Winner of the All In For Cole Tournament!

August 2007

All In For Cole Tournaments!

28 July 2007

Happy Birthday Jake!

3 December 2007

Light 'em If You Got 'em!

29 - 30 November and 1 - 2 December

Happy 11th!

9 November 2007

Um-Dad Visits!

8 - 10 November 2007

Um-Dad didn't know he had a surprise waiting for him when he opened the door...so when Kiara opened it, he had quite a shock!

It was great to see his face light up and to have everyone in the house for these couple of days!

Thanks be to God!

Auntie Erika & Cousins Kiara and Ava Visit!

7 - 10 November 2007

This was the first time since March of 2000, so Ava had never been here! We had so much fun we couldn't tell it all here...but it was a visit long in the coming and way overdue, and was the best anniversary present Mama and Daddy had ever received!

Thanks be to God!

Picture This!

1 September 2007

We went to San Antonio so that Daddy and the Power Dinamiks! team could get green screen pictures done by Mama's Uncle Mike and Aunt Barb, who were in town visiting Gran & Papa. We also had our family portrait done by them!

Thanks be to God!

Nathaniel Rolls Over and Eats Rice

10 September 2007

He's making his moves to join the rest of us in our perspective...and getting an eye and mouthful doing it!

Thanks be to God!

Let's Talk About Sex

10 July 2007

Kristofer received a book from CJ and Randy when they came to visit last month, called the "Biggest Ever Book of Questions & Answers>"

He came up to Daddy in the kitchen after reading through a lot of it (and where do most kids go when they see diagrams of the human body...do you suppose?) and asked, "Daddy, what's a condom?"

And so it begins...

Thanks be to God!

Papa's 60th

7 July 2007

We celebrated Papa's birthday here at our house and sent him a video birthday card.

Thanks be to God!

Putting Up The Flag

4 July 2007

We decided to make our post out front permanent with a flag attached to it.

The Boyz were very helpful!

Thanks be to God!

Cigars and Brats on the Deck

30 June 2007

With Calvin in town, the Taxman and Mr. Watson came over for a relaxing evening of fire and spirits.

The Undertaker was in full effect and the Taxman cometh as we played a round of poker later in the evening.

Thanks be to God!

Live Free or Die Harder with Calvin

30 June 2007

Uncle Calvin came to see the latest installment of his and Daddy's favorite screen character in action...well, he's actually tied for favorite.

Thanks be to God!

CJ Visits; Randy eats

29 June 2007

We had CJ in town and Randy was hungry.

Just like old times!

Thanks be to God!

Uncle Daren leads us over the hill

29 June 2007

This is Daren's birthday...he's 39.

Thanks be to God!

Andrew leads grace

27 June 2007

He's been learning our family grace for several months now and, when Daddy asked if he wanted to lead us at dinner, he got us started without a hitch!

Thanks be to God!

We Go see Cole

19 June 2007

We didn't get to see him, but went really to give his mom and dad big hugs. We had a nice, brief visit in the waiting room, and saw the train display in the lobby of the hospital.

Cole's in good Hands...His.

Please pray!

Thanks be to God!

Uncle Scott & Aunt Mimi

19 June 2007

On our way to Houston to see the Coopers, we had the chance to rendezvous with Mama's Uncle & Aunt from Hattiesburg, MIssissippi at the McDonald's in Hempstead, Texas.

Thanks be to God!

All In For Cole is Hatched!

19 June 2007

On the way home from seeing David and Susan at the hospital, Daddy decided to hold a small poker tournament with his buddies to see if he could tais a couple of hundred bucks for Cole and his parents.

Thanks be to God!

The Boyz are back in town

17 June 2007

Daddy picked up Mama and The Boyz in San Antonio and brought them home. It sure was nice to have some life back in the house!

Thanks be to God!

Daddy gets the third degree

16 June 2007

Daddy was exemplified to the Third Degree in the Knights of Columbus just sout of San Antonio. Uncle Michael and Papa were there to witness the day.

Thanks be to God!

Daddy Visits Father Mike and Gets a Tour!

15 June 2007

Daddy went to Austin to see Fr. Mike for Confession before his Third Degree Exemplification in the Knights of Columbis tomorrow. Fr. Mike's office is right down the hall from the Bishop's, and he gave Daddy the grand tour...even a quick look at the dumb waiter and one of Fr. Mike's secret hopes about it!

Thanks be to God!

Cole Cooper is born

15 June 2007

Right about 1:55 PM, Cole showed up...a little early. About 100 days early, as a matter of fact!

Strong faith, strong family and friends, and perfect doctorin', and our little buddy will be cow tippin' with the rest of us in no time!

Keep those prayers coming!

Thanks be to God!

Flag Day for Kristofer & Daniel

13 June 2007

The two Cub Scout cousins went to a Flag Day Ceremony in San Antonio.

Thanks be to God!

Gran's Birthday

9 June 2007

We had a great party, and Daddy was down for the weekend to see evryone in San Antonio, too.

Thanks be to God!

CJ & Randy to Hawaii

7 June 2007

Daddy sent them a phone picture of where he was one rainy night, and they sent back a picture of where they were.

No guesses as to who was enjoying themselves more!

Thanks be to God!

Mama and The Boyz to SA for two weeks

3 June 2007

Daddy needed to get a lot of work done, and The Boyz were jonesing for the swimming pool and Mama needed a break. So off to San Antonio they went to stay with Gran & Papa.

Thanks be to God!

Nathaniel's Baptism

2 June 2007

Some new rules at our parish don't allow us to baptize during Mass anymore, but we had Deacon Bill perform the Rite and lots of people showed up this Saturday afternoon to welcome him into a sanctified life.

Thanks be to God!

Kristofer receives his Tiger Badge

29 May 2007

Though he earned it earlier, it was awarded at the last Pack Meeting before he was to be of age to be a Wolf. He worked hard and was very proud to be the first Tiger in the Pack!

We're all very proud of him!

Thanks be to God!

Andrew says a word

27 May 2007

Andrew was sitting with Dady and when Dady asked him to say a word he said "word."

Thanks be to God!

Andrew tosses his nigh-nigh

22 May 2007

He and Mama had a talk, and the pacifier went into the trash. And we got it on video!

Thanks be to God!

Cigars for Nathaniel

19 May2007

Daddy was joined on the back deck by our neighbor Ed, Taxman, Joe, and Maddawg for some stories and some fire and spirits to celebrate Nathaniel's arrival.

Thanks be to God!

Daddy's $450 poker night

18 May 2007

Daddy went to his first game at the Leigh spread and came out in first place with 15 opponents!

Chris "Maddawg" Pennington was in for the weekdn and came for the game, too, so he and Daddy went to celebrate afterwards at the Fox & Hound.

It was a nice payout for a $40 investment.

Thanks be to God!

Kristofer's first quiz

14 May 2007

No, this doesn't mean he's not been going to school...it means he needed to shoot for a goal to keep him on track.

He aced it.

Thanks be to God!

C.J. Graduates - Party ensues

11 May 2007

We hosted CJ's party at the house and her entire family showed up! We're sad to see her move on, but happy to know we'll see her just like anybody should see their kids!

Thanks be to God!

Andrew counts "5, 6, 7" Unassisted after kristofer counts 1 - 5

9 May 2007

Andrew is learning the basics, with a lot of love and patience from his Bobo!

Thanks be to God!

Daddy relaunches Power Dinamiks!

5 May 2007

Daddy's long dormant personal development organization was dusted off as a customer service development organization after Daddy had a heartfelt discussion with God.

Actually, Daddy just kept quiet and listened.

Thanks be to God!

Back to Basics!

7 May 2007

Mama started going to the Mon's Prayer Group again, after a long hiatus.

This time, she has three boys in tow!

Thanks be to God!

Tiger Cub!

4 May 2007

Kristofer officially finished all of the requirements for his Tiger Cub Badge, which he will be awarded at the next Pack meeting!

Thanks be to God!

On The Radio!

4 May 2007

Kristofer and Daddy went to the radio station Daddy used to work for with other Cub Scouts on a tour. The boys all got to be on the air!

Thanks be to God!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

26 April 2007

Daddy turned 38 today!

Thanks be to God!

Check Mate!

24 April 2007

Kristofer earned his Chess Activity Belt Loop fo Cub Scouts. His was the first belt loop earned in the entire Pack ever!

Thanks be to God!

You snooze, you win!

23 April 2007

Mama and Daddy got a new mattress. This may not seem worthy of noting, but if you knew their last mattress, you'd be celebrating, too!

Using their skills learned in their Financial Peace University class, they were able to buy a $900 queen set for $675!

Thanks be to God!

Nathaniel comes for a visit!

11 April 2007

At 6:54PM, 11 April 2007, Nathaniel Madison Cowles came home nine months after joining our family!

Chris Pennington declared half a year ago that Nathaniel would be born on his birthday. And he was!

Thanks be to God!

Happy Easter!

8 April 2007

The boys had fun searching for eggs and we all celebrated with Papa and Bubba joining Gran with us at the house.

This year, the Easter Bunny brought toy guns. Last year he brought toy swords. We figure by 2015, he'll be delivering tactical nuclear weapons!

Thanks be to God!

Gran to the rescue!

31 March 2007

Gran came to stay with us to help us get ready for the baby and help after he's born.

Mama and Daddy were getting a little worn out with the other boys needing them while trying to make it through some uncomfortable, sleepless nights this late in the pregnancy!

Thanks be to God!

School's out, school's out, monkey's let the teacher out!

30 March 2007

Mama's last day of school was today so that she could be home when Nathaniel decides to show up. The teachers and staff at school gave her a nice party and some gift cards!

Thanks be to God!

Hail To The Chief!

24 March 2007

Kristofer and Daddy get to sit twenty feet in front of Former President George H. W. Bush at a special event setup by Mr. Holzsweiis at the Bush Library. It was an event for Boy Scouts working on their Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge, and Kristofer was the only Cub Scout allowed!

They sat five seats down from Mrs. Bush, and got to pet the family dog (who goes wherever the Bushes go!), Sadie!

Thanks Bob!

Thanks be to God!

Andrew says, "Okay!"!

22 March 2007

His default answer had been "No" because it was an easier word, but we were getting a little worried that he wasn't making a distinction when he should have been making an obvious positive answer.

Today, we asked him if he had an okay nap, and he said, "Okay!"

Thanks be to God!

Switcheroo!

12 - 16 March 2007

We moved the office to the play room and the play room to the office! Daddy did most of the moving, and the Boys helped Mama with organizaing!

Whew! What a week!

Thanks be to God!

Andrew Jumps AND Somersaults!

March 2007

We didn't write down exactly the day they happened, but Daddy saw the first ones!

Thanks be to God!

Den Leader!

27 February 2007

Daddy took over as Den Leader for the Tiger Cub Den that Kristofer joined. His first official duty was to call Um-Dad and say "Help!"!

Thanks be to God!

Retreat!

23 - 25 February 2007

Duck Soup In A Dawg Bowl, LLC had its first corporate retreat! Gran and Papa came to stay with The Boyz while Mama, Daddy, and Chris sequestered themselves in a hotel all weekend!

The retreat was just what the doctor ordered!

Thanks be to God!

Science Fair!

21 - 22 February 2007

M

ama takes 11 students from Saint Michael's Academy to the Regional Science Fair in Austin, and three of them advance to State!

Good job Mama!

Thanks be to God!

We have a winner!

20 February 2007

Kristofer came in Second Place in the Pack 977 Pinewood Derby, and got the only superlative awarded...for Best Design for his Blue Pickup Truck!

Thanks be to God!

The Flu hits home!

9 - 15 February 2007

Yuck! Fortunately. Mama and Andrew escaped it, but Kristofr and Daddy were bed buds for a week!

Thanks be to God!

Back to school!

4 February 2007

Daddy's birthday present to Mama was enrolling them both in Financial Peace University!

Mama was very happy with the gift!

Thanks be to God!

Happy Birthday Mama!

4 February 2007

Even though our attempt at Red Lobster got waylaid by incompetent staff, we celebrated the night before with the Holzsweisses after Mass and Mama got smothered with kisses from Daddy and The Boys!

Thanks be to God!

Andrew says "Thank You" AND "Excuse me" without prompting at the dinner table!

2 February 2007

It's these moments that we think about when people ask "How do you do it?"

Practice! Practice! Practice! and Patience! Patience! Patience!

It starts the day they come home from the hospital!

Thanks be to God!

Daddy becomes a Knight!

31 January 2007

Daddy finally joined the Knights ofColumbus after someone asked him to join. Many people had told him to join, but only one asked. Thanks David McMahon!

Thanks be to God!

Kristofer earns his Bobcat Badge!

30 January 2007

He's really excited about "all his friends at Cub Scouts" and earned his Bobcat Badge in time for his first pack meeting! The whole family came, including C.J.!

Thanks be to God!

Kristofer loses toothe #3!

27 January 2007

The Tooth Fairy was on top of things and visited him the same night it came out!

Thanks be to God!

MDM Poker League Season Three Starts!

27 January 2007

The Third Annual First Strike was held at the Union Hall in Orange, Texas, with Union Dave hosting. Daddy didn't place in this one, but he received the League MVP Trophy and a certificate for MVP for last season!

Thanks be to God!

Goodbye to the Sweatts!

23 January 2007

Our long time friends and mentors move to Austin to minister to other married couples!

Thanks be to God!

Andrew asks for his friend Nick!

21 January 2007

He goes to the fridge where Nick's picture is and says "Nick! Nick!"

This is Nick!

Thanks be to God!

Iced In!

16 - 17 January 2007

A couple of days of cold and ice kept us from going anywhere!

Thanks be to God!

Andrew speaks on the phone to Papa!

13 January 2007

Andrews first "conversation" on the phone was with his Papa!

Thanks be to God!

Kristofer attends his first Cub Scout meeting...and likes it!

9 January 2007

He's decided to join Pack 977 at the United Methodist church across the street!

Thanks be to God!

Taking down the decorations!

6 January 2007

We celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas...so the lights stay up until then!

At least we're not nerkles!

Thanks be to God!

Kristofer becomes sales manager!

5 January 2007

As we revamp the company, we found the best incentive to making sales calls was to have Kristofer get a reward of some Playstation time with Daddy if those calls were done. So when Daddy comes home and kristofer asks, "Did you make any sales calls today?" Daddy needs to have the right answer so Kristofer can play with his Daddy on the Playstation!

Thanks be to God!

Kristofer & Daddy are Andrew's Buddies!

4 January 2007

Andrew walked up to Daddy and said, "Daddy buddy?" and before the end of the day, he was saying "Daddy Buddy! Bobo Buddy!"

Thanks be to God!

Mama starts back to school...and so does Kristofer!

3 January 2007

No rest for the weary, but if the timing is right, Kristofer will finsih First Grade at The Viola Institute about the time Mama comes home from St. Michael's Academy for good at the end of March! Stay tuned!

Thanks be to God!

Ring in 2007 with the Holzweisses!

1 January 2007

We celebrated the coming year with PBNJ at their "annual lame new years celebration." There was drink and conversation to ring in the new year at 11:00 and again at 12:00! And no singing!

Thanks be to God!