Sliding Into Home

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The set-up.

The descent.

The victory dance.

Meeting Babies

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While some of us had to work today, other members of the family were able to enjoy the beautiful day and hang out with the Little Bambino.

Not only did mom and Jax get to enjoy the day with one another, they also got to meet Connor for the first time. Blake and Laura are the proud parents of a bouncing baby boy. Connor, who is part of the blogging community already, entered our world back on January 5. Today was the first time that they were able to get together and meet. Congrats to the new parents, he is a beautiful boy.



Dr. Evil's Twin

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A Welcomed Evening

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As the cold air blew and the clouds made way for some much needed sunshine yesterday evening, we were indulging in a wonderful bowl of homemade chili and cornbread muffins thanks to Scott and Katy.
We spent the evening with Katy, Robyn's cousin, and her husband Scott. It was an evening of good conversation, Trivial Pursuit and card games (which Scott dominated most of the evening) and just sitting back and enjoying their new home; which is gorgeous.

Jaxson seems to enjoy letting Katy feed him. At our Christmas party, she helped fill his belly full of meatballs - and he has not forgotten. Each time he sees her, he clings to her - I think he is secretly hoping she has some more meatballs in her pocket, but that's just me and my thoughts.


More Than A Mouthful

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St. Valentine's Day Recap

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Nothing screams true love to me more than a good breakfast during the work week, and what better breakfast then an old Wheat family favorite - Egg Toast with a big glass of cold milk.

Basically, it is French toast with peanut butter and syrup - a weird yet delightfully good combination. My dad would make this for us growing up on the weekends, and it was always a treat. I remember countless Sunday mornings before church, scarfing down these little treats before heading to Sunday school. Not sure if he created the recipe or read it in one of his Boy Scout manuals, but where ever the hell it came from I am glad we picked it up along the way.

I had to introduce this little morning goodie to Robyn; so the family tradition is extended one more generation.

To close out the day, Mimi stopped by for a bit to see the little guy. We finally got around to playing with the "Elephun" toy that we got from Boo for Christmas. It shoots out little pieces of plastic you are suppose to catch with the nets. Jaxson didn't get that concept, but staring up and giggling - he's got that down.
Before Mimi left, I think I caught her and Jaxson asking the mirror, mirror on the wall who the coolest dad of them all...

Put A Leg Up

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If I could only sleep this good again...oh the dreams I could have.



Bucking

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The stereotypes are true, everybody from Texas DOES know how to ride a horse (or whatever that animal is on the toy).



He did stay on for 8 seconds. All he needs now is some chaps, spurs, and a hat.

B-Ball With The Devils

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The boys had a night together. Just us, the t.v., and the Duke Blue Devils on ESPN.


By the way Casey, I won. You owe me 2, yes count them, 2 rounds of brewskis.

Uncle Casey and I had a reoccuring bet for the Duke/Maryland match-up. Casey is a fan of the Terps, where I am a life-long fan of Duke basketball.

Stinky Socks

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Loves to smell his socks, weird.


Blue

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This Big Kid Is Happy

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As a HUGE Dr. Seuss fan, with my favorite being Oh, the Places You'll Go, I am exicted to see this new movie coming out.
Jim Carrey leading the charge with Steve Carell as a co-star...I think it will be a good one.

Sleepy Boy

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A sweet moment between momma and son.


Chinese New Year

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We celebrated the coming of the Year of the Rat with Gracie last night. Great way to connect cultures and communities from worlds apart.


Gracie looked like a million bucks in her authentic silky threads.


Never Too Early

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We hit the links (well, at least the back yard) with the sticks.

Just Cut Short...

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I will let you guess what happened the second after the camera stopped.....


Sun & Shade

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He Makes It Look So Good

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Carshon's in FW has THE best pies, all homemade and all from scratch. Big recommendation from this sweet tooth. Oh yeah, their sandwiches are fantastic as well.

Doesn't he make your mouth water.....


Like A Primate

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Not sure if you remember the National Geographic videos that we all suffered through in elementary school; but, if you do - try and recall the one where the gorilla takes the stick and dips in into the ant hill and pulls out a little snack.....


Robyn Caught Off Guard

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Poor thing was just trying to get a good family photo during our train ride....



....funny thing is, she hates having her picture taken, and the one time she was willing to have it taken - it was the wrong time.

Riding The Train To Happyville

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Once again, the weather is spectacular here in Tejas. To celebrate the sunshine we decided to Forest Park and ride the miniature train, for $3 a person - you can't beat it. You can't tell, but the sign reads Forest Park Depot.

Winding through the Trinity Park area and with one stop to fill up on popcorn and soda; we couldn't think of a better reason to let the tracks take us where they may.

One more reason why I love Fort Worth.



Looks Like Moon-Walking To Me

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Wondering P.J.'s

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Destined For Greatness

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I wonder if Tiger ever slept with his golf clubs??

He even has a proper grip on the club, that'a boy!

Popping On A Saturday Morning

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We all had them as kids, we all loved them as kids, and we still want them as adults.

Pop-Tarts!!!

What's better than a warm Pop-Tart fresh out of the toaster - home made Pop-Tarts.

While browsing through the internet yesterday, I ran across a recipe for home made Pop-Tarts. I couldn't think of a better way to start a weekend than some home made treats for breakfast while the sun creeps through the tree branches and across our kitchen.

For a first time around, they weren't too bad. There are a few modifications that I would make but they were definitely edible.

Is it 2011 yet???

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I stole this from one of my favorite blogs, but I'm sure they won't mind. All the details about the Cowboys new home and Super Bowl info. Enjoy:

You don't have to like football or sports in general to be impressed with the progress of the new Dallas Cowboy's Stadium in Arlington.

The Star-Telegram's website today highlighted the stadium and area as related to the coming 2011 SuperBowl. It's worth a look (make sure you click the "see stadium details" link).http://www.star-telegram.com/Multimedia/News

I happen to like buildings, architecture and sports so it's enjoyable for me to watch and follow.

When the SuperBowl arrives in 2011, Fort Worth will be ready with new hotels, boulevards and maybe even a train from the airport south and west (then again, maybe not). Grapevine's Gaylord Resort will get a big boost as will our Convention Center. Dallas and Fort Worth will get a lot of tourism dollars. Personally, I can't wait.In like news: Dallas - Fort Worth ranks No. 6 in fastest growing large metro areas according to Forbes magazine and reported in Yahoo news. Projected growth for 5 years: 20 %. Austin was No. 1 at 32%.

If that gets a big "so what" from you remember, property values climb the same way anything else increases in value: high demand, short supply = prices up. low demand, big supply = prices down. Cleveland and Detroit have the latter.Fort Worth has the infrastructure, available land, natural resources, and drive to be a growing, prosperous city.

I hope we can also maintain a certain virtue, a small town attitude and that common sense disposition of fairness to its residents and visitors, without which monetary wealth is of little value.

I don't know about you, but after reading that and looking at the websites; I may go set-up my tailgating spot this weekend and just sit and wait till the Big Dance comes home.....

Coolest, and scariest, thing about all this. Jaxson will be almost 4-1/2 years old. Greatest part about that is that he will be able to experince all the hoopla that goes on during the week. And maybe, just maybe, get to meet a few players while they are in town. And, since his daddy works in downtown Fort Worth, and one of the teams will be downtown Fort Worth...I may have to be a stalker for the week and bring Little Buddy along with me.

But, since the Cowboys will be in the Super Bowl that year, I guess they can just stay at their homes. (wink, wink)

Gravity.

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Sometimes curiosity can get you in a predicament you wish you hadn't been forced to face. But, like the wise men always say, "What doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger."

It started with just a glance, looking down the slide seeing where it would take him.


This is how it ended.

More Snapshots From Tillery

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The Shirt Says It All

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Scenes From Tillery

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As much as it would be nice to have some cold winter days where we can bundle up next to a fire with some blankets and stick in a movie, and just waste the day away; you don't see me complaining about 60+ degree days on the weekends. That's why we love Texas.

With days like we have had lately, the only sensible place to end up is the park.

Times have changed.

The great thing about parks, are the people. Eveyone is happy to be there so the feeling is always pleasant and relaxed, and your community shows it's true colors.

A couple of ladies had some sort of bubble contraption and were entertaining all the kids, and unshelfishly sharing their time with the group; and also made for some great snapshots.



Look's Like Somebody Is Sleepy

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Black, White, and Green All Over

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Just lounging around the house on a Friday evening in our new pajamas reading the Fort Worth Weekly, isn't this what all kids do??

Meet You At The 19th Hole.

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Looks like somebody is ready to hit the fairways...


Reading the green and lining up the putt...

From the look on his face, he must have missed the putt.

"In the Navy..."

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With families being scattered across the country, it is always a pleasure to have members of Jaxson's extended family to stop by for an impromptu visit.


Great Uncle David, an admiral in our US Navy, was in town for business and stopped by for a short visit before heading off to dinner. David is a true gentleman, and it makes me feel honored to know him and know that he keeps us and our families safe on a daily basis.

Great to see you David, and Jaxson REALLY appreciates you showing him how the blinds work.

Houdini Would Be Jealous

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It seems I busted Jaxson on his secret way of disappearing.



Not sure what his stage name will be when he goes on the road, perhaps "The Great Bambino," oh wait, I think somebody else has that.

Any suggestions on stage names would be appreciated, maybe Robyn can start making a costume for him...

300.

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This entry marks #300 since I began Crayons and Keyboards on August 24, 2006 . Not to shabby.

To mark the event, Jaxson has become a multi-blogger.

Christian, Beckett's Papa, has an incredible blog that not only brings attention to education design, the goings-on in the world of education, and learning environments - it is also a blog that explores his child's daily living and learning.

With that being said, Jaxson is now part of the think:lab world by being posted as part of a blog entry that I am sure will not only bring on some great conversations about digital learning and the advances our children have made in the digital age - but I think it may also bring some smiles to faces around the neighborhood, the country, and possibly the globe.

Thanks for the post C, the little one enjoys being a king-pin.

Wii Are Family

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I'm in trouble, I think.

Tonight I had a revelation. My kid is a freaking genius. He copies my movements and actions, he knows what we are saying when we talk to him, and he is smarter than the average bear.

Examples, from just tonight, that support my fear.

Exhibit A: A couple of screws came loose on our computer desk, so I went and got my handy Phillips screwdriver from the kitchen, came back to our room, and proceeded to tighten the screws on the bottom side of the desk. I casually sat the screwdriver down, turned my back; when I turned back around Jaxson was under the computer desk trying to tighten the rest of the screws.

Possible future engineer or possible future handyman??

Exhibit B: As I was typing the intro to this blog entry, Robyn said, and I quote, "Jaxson, go get me your cup so we can get you some milk so you can go to bed." What does the Bambino do?? He walks over, picks up his cup and takes it to Robyn.

Yet again, he knows what we are saying. Scary.

Exhibit C: We got a Nintendo Wii for Christmas. Yes, two grown adults with a child got a video game system for Christmas. (Everyone should get one by the way, they are freaking great). On the Wii there is a bowling game, and we tend to get a few frames in a few times a week while the kid watches. That leads me to the final exhibit...watch and be amazed.


Possible future athlete or possible future "gaming geek."

It really is humbling and amazing when you watch your children grow, and the amount of physical and emotional changes that occur week-to-week. Every kid eventually becomes an adult, but the transformation is one that will always be a wonder.

So, from now on, I really do need to watch what I say because the 7 Sacred Words that I all to often say, will soon be coming out of someone's mouth that should not be talking like George Carlin.

Kids Will Be Kids

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