Wildcats First Games

Well, the basketball season has started again. Five of the girls from last year have returned along with three new girls. This year the girls wanted to be called the Wildcats after the High School Musical movies. So far, they have played in two practive games, of which they won both! The look good out on the court and despite the change in rules this year, they are working as a team and doing quite well. Below is a video of Callie shooting the first basket of the season...

Abbott Family Photo 2008

Today we decided to take family photos at home. We decided on one that will be our Christmas card this year. We managed to get a picture of us including the dogs that looks real nice. The dogs needed to be bribed with treats in front of them in order to sit good for the photo. Below is this years photo spread. :)

Dallas Christian School Fall Carnival

A couple of weeks ago, Callie's school had their Fall Carnival. Each year they have a carnival to raise money for the school. This year they had an Olympic theme. All of us hard a fun time. Below are some pictures and a video of Callie jumping....Enjoy!

NKOTB Concert

The New Kids on the Block were in Dallas Sunday night. Mindy and her friend Roseann went down to the concert and had a blast. We wore some old New Kids shirts from about 20 years ago. After stopping in West End for something to eat beforehand, we hopped on a bus going to the American Airlines Center full of New Kids fans. The driver even played some New Kids songs while we drove over. Callie was also at the concert and at one point during the concert, the guys walked past her section and she was able to reach out and touch them! The screaming women got to her as well and she ended up having her ears covered at one point. The concert was a blast and was well worth it. They played many many favorties and changed them up a little bit. Jordan and Joe even sang some songs from their solo albums. Below are some pictures and a video clip.

Dallas Arboretum

This past weekend, we went to the Dallas Arboretum. Mindy's Mom is in town visiting and we thought it would be fun to go visit the Arboretum. It was a beautiful place to visit. I would like to go back to see what flowers have been planted during the spring and summertime. Below are some pictures...

A Visit with Our Cousins

This past weekend, Mark and Theresa came to visit. We had such a wonderful time and kept almost too busy! Friday night, we started at the airport, then went out to dinner at Pappasito's....mmmmm....and also visited the Mustangs in Las Colinas (sp?). On Saturday, we headed off to the Texas State Fair where we met up with Kevin's parents. It was a beautiful day and all of us had a fun time. On Sunday, the four of us went to the Cowboys/Redskins game. The game was fun and exciting, except the Cowboys lost. :( All in all, it was a fun weekend! Below are some pictures...

Abbott Volleyball Star

Callie had her first volleyball game this weekend. She joined a team with some third grade girls from her school, Dallas Christian School. The girls seemed like they had fun. This weekend, they had two matches. Unfortunately, they lost in the first match up, but won the second. Below are some pictures along with a video of Callie serving.

SMU Football Game

Last weekend, Kevin and Mindy attended the Southern Methodist University (SMU) football game. It was a beautiful day and the game was a lot of fun. Before the game started, we walked around campus a little and took some pictures. There was a large area near the stadium that was designated for tailgating. The fans seemed really into celebrating the home game. Enjoy the pictures.

Abbott Update

Well, we haven't had an update recently. We have a couple sets of pictures to post. The pictures include our churches anniversary party, Kevin's birthday, and a Toby Keith concert that Mindy attended with her friend Cheryl. Enjoy!

NY / Boston Trip

Well, we have had a busy week on vacation and had fun every minute of it. Our trip started out flying to NYC on July 2nd. When we got there, we had to figure out how to get to our hotel and while we were waiting for our luggage, we found a limo service to take us to the hotel. The limo was much cheaper than a taxi (so we've heard) and was fun to ride in. After checking into our hotel in Times Square, we found something to eat and then headed out to Yankee Stadium to watch the Rangers play the Yankees. The game started out good, but then the 7th inning came and went downhill from there. But, we had fun at the game. The next day we got up early and walked to the Empire State Building. It was kinda hazy from up there, but it is always fun to go up and see all of NYC! Next, it was off to the Natural History Museum to see Dum-Dum (You have to see the movie Night at the Museum!) near Central Park. After the museum, we walked across Central Park 'cause Mindy wanted to go to a restaurant on the other side. The walk was long and Callie and Kevin were ready to give up, but everyone kept pressing on. It was worth the walk to Jackson Hole! After lunch we walked to Rockefeller Center and along the way we saw many churches and went into St Patrick's Cathedral. Then, we went to FAO Schwartz, which Callie enjoyed a lot. Mindy and Callie got to play the jumbo piano that was in the movie Big with Tom Hanks. After that we looked around Rockefeller Center, walked around Time Square and then went back to the hotel to clean up and go see Mary Poppins on Broadway. Mary Poppins was awesome. The show incorporated some songs and storyline from the movie, but there were also new songs and stories. On July 4th, we headed out the Liberty Island to see the Statue of Liberty and then Ellis Island. After that it was off to South Street Seaport for a late lunch/dinner and then we walked around the Financial District to see Wall Street and where the Twin Towers once stood. On Saturday, we took a train out of NYC to meet up with Mindy's Dad and headed off to Endicott. While in Endicott, we got to see family, friends and watch the Binghamton Mets play. Monday morning, it was off to Boston. Mindy's Dad was able to get time off work and go with them. That night we went to a Boston Red Sox's game against the Minnesota Twins. The experience at Fenway Park was awesome. The crowd truly loves their team and it was fun to sing Sweet Caroline during the 8th inning. After the game, there was a mass exodus to the subway. While we were in line, this guy made his way through yelling 'Sweating Redneck Coming Through' haha. Everyone didn't want to come near him and parted so that he could get through. On Tuesday, we walked the Freedom Trail in Boston and saw a lot of the sites around Boston. At one point, we came upon the Bunker Hill monument and decided to walk up all 293 steps! It was pretty tiring, but the view from the top was nice. And on our final day of our vacation, we visited Harvard. Some of the students give an Unofficial Tour of Harvard and gave us some of the insights of the campus. We had a wonderful time on vacation, but glad to be home as well. Below are the pictures we took. Enjoy!

Weekend at the Abbott's

Mom, Dad, Steve, Jessica, Christopher, Kim and Aunt Carolyn came over on Saturday for a cookout and swimming. Everyone had a great time. We celebrated Mom's birthday (July 12th) since we weren't sure if we would see her again before her birthday. Below are some pictures....

Callie's 8th Birthday

Well, last weekend we celebrated Callie's birthday with a couple of her friends. She had a sleepover from Friday to Saturday. Friday night, we took the girls to see Kung Fu Panda at teh drive0in theatre. The movie was pretty good and the girls enjoyed it. Saturday, they got up and had chocolate chip pancakes and then played a game of charades. Then it was off to swim. We were going to cook out for lunch, but a big wind storm decided to come our way so we had to make a trip to Sonic. Callie and girls had a lot of fun playing together and swimming. Enjoy the pictures.

America Program at DCS

On May 15th, the second grade classes at Dallas Christian School performed a program about America. All of them did a great job. Most of the students had a part to play in the program. My favorite was the Statue of Liberty and Martha and George Washington. In the middle of the program, Callie spoke about how important the American flag is to us and then the kids handed out flags to each of the veterans in attendance. Below are some pictures....

Camping at Bob Sandlin Park

This past weekend we went camping with Mom and Dad Abbott. We had a lot of fun. Mindy and Callie celebrated their birthdays. We took a quick trip to Mt Pleasant on Saturday to see a festival during the day. Below are some pictures...

Visit from Dad

This past weekend, Mindy's Dad came to visit for a couple of days. We had a lot fun. Friday night we went out to dinner at Saltgrass in Arlington. Saturday morning we headed out to hit some golf balls on the driving range. Then we headed out to Lone Star Park to watch the races. It was so hot that one of the horses had heat exhaustion after the race and had to have water sprayed on it in order to get up and back to the stables. After the races, we headed into West End to eat and then went by the American Airlines Arena to watch the Stars play outside in the square. They had large TVs showing the game while everyone watched. It was neat to see the support for the team. Sunday we headed off to church and then to the Rangers game in the afternoon. The weather was great and we ended up getting burned a little. On Monday, we headed up to Mesquite to eat dinner for Mindy's birthday at Iron Chef. It is a Japanese Steakhouse where they cook in front of you. Kevin decided that it would be funny to tell them that it was Mindy's birthday. So, everyone sang happy birthday and everytime they said that word 'You', Mindy had to hit a gong. It was pretty funny. After dinner we headed into Dallas to try and watch the Stars game again, but since we couldn't find parking we headed over to the Longhorn statues in downtown Dallas. Mindy got to try out her new camera that Kevin and Callie got her for her birthday. Below are pictures from the weekend and of the dogs (needed to test out the new camera!)

Field Days at Dallas Christian

Today, Callie had her field days at school. We went up to spend most of the time with Callie and watch her and her class participate in the different events. The first thing that the second graders did was to jump around in a couple of bounce houses. After that, they competed against each other with filling a 2-liter bottle with water while it sat on top of someone's head. Needless to say, some of the kids left very wet! Next were a couple of races and then an obstacle course. The most fun seemed to be the Egg Toss/Pull station. First the kids participated in an egg tossing event and then a tug-of-war against each second grade class. Callie's class won, as well as, the boys vs girls tug (I definitely helped that there were more girls than boys!). Next the kids pulled their teachers in a platic baby pool to see which class could cross the finish line first. Unfortunately Callie's class didn't win that one. Kevin even got to help in the event. All of the Dad's that were there were on one side and the kids on the other. The kids won and were so excited! Below are some pictures and then a video of Callie in the tug-of-war. Enjoy!

Allied Waste Family Picnic

Last Saturday, Kevin's office had a family picnic at Camp Wanika near Corsicana, TX. It was a lot of fun. Many of the attendees participated in a horse shoe tournament. Kevin and Mindy didn't last too long in it. The kids had a lot of fun too. Callie and her friend Grace were at the playground most of the day. We even had a little soccer game going while the tournament was going on. One of the employees from Kilgore cooked some wonderful barbeque for everyone. We were told that he has at least five more barbeques to cook at. Well, we took a lot of pictures, so be sure to check them out below...

Weekend of Fun

This weekend was a lot of fun for us. Friday night, our friends, the Walkers, came over to play a game of Spades. They brought their two girls, Courtney and Morgan, so Callie had some friends to play with for the night. They even put on a show for us at the end of the evening. Saturday started out early with the Derrick Parade in Corsicana, TX. Corsicana was known in the past as part of the east Texas oil boom. Kevin's company Allied Waste was in the parade. So, all three of us got on the back of one of the trucks and threw candy during the parade. It was a lot of fun. After the parade, we went for lunch in Ferris and saw that the Annual Brick Festival was going on. They had some rides and we got free snow cones! Saturday night, we hung out with the Walker's again and went to the drive-in movie theatre to see Nim's Island. Before the movie, everyone participated in a game of charades. Finally on Sunday, we went to church and then a spaghetti dinner and pie auction to help support the youth at the church. Kevin had his eye on a coconut cream pie and kept talking about how he as going to bid and win it to bring home. Well, he did end up winning the pie. However, when we were walking to the car, this huge gust of wind came by and tossed the pie from his hands. Fortunately, it landed right side up but without the meringue on top and pie all over his hands, shirt and pants. We were told that the pie was good though. :) Below are some pictures from the weekend.

Callie the Gymnast

This past Tuesday, Callie had a gymnastics program at school. During the school year, she attended a gymnastics class on tuesday mornings. The parents were invited to attend the program to see how the kids have improved. First the first graders performed, and then it was off to the second graders. Callie did an awesome job and received a medal at the end of the program. Here is a video of our gymnast!

Rangers Game and Concert

Yesterday, we headed to the Rangers game with a group of friends from church. We had a great time. Before the game, there was a concert on the left lawn outside the stadium. As part of the Faith Concert Series that is sponsored by the Rangers, a Christian rock group name Third Day performed. It was a lot of fun and the weather was beautiful for an outdoor concert and baseball game. The Rangers didn't do too well against the Blue Jays, but in the end we had fun! Below are some pictures...

Texas Bluebonnets are in Bloom

While driving around this weekend, we saw many places along the highway where the bluebonnets have come up. It is pretty neat to see a blanket of blue patches along the roads. Below is a little history of the bluebonnet and some more pictures that we took.

On March 7, 1901, Lupinus subcarnosus (also known as Buffalo clover) became the only species of bluebonnet recognized as the state flower of Texas. However, Lupinus texensis (Texas bluebonnet) emerged as the favorite of most Texans. The flowers' deep blue blossoms can be seen from March through May in many areas of Texas. As a result of this popularity, in 1971 the Texas Legislature made any species of bluebonnet the state flower, including L. subcarnosus, L. texensis, L. concinnus, L. plattensis and L. havardii. Lupinus texensis remains as the iconic Texas bluebonnet. [1]
A popular spring pastime in Texas is photographing children, family members, and pets among the bluebonnets. Many families return to the same spot every year for photographs as part of a family tradition.
Another Texas tradition was started by Lady Bird Johnson, after her return from Washington, D.C. as First Lady to President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Lady Bird persuaded the government of the State of Texas to seed bluebonnets and other wildflowers along the highways throughout the state. Every spring the flowers return as a legacy of the First Lady.

Check out this website for more history on the bluebonnet...

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/flowers/bluebonnet/bluebonnetstory.html

The Abbott Soccer Star

Callie has been playing in her spring soccer league. The girls are now playing against nine year olds and we have found that some of the girls are a lot taller. One of the girls from today's game looked like she was almost 5'6". Maybe not quite that tall, but definitely taller than all of the other girls. The girls haven't won a game yet, but today they looked real good and are definitely improving. They are starting to pass the ball to one another and getting more aggressive each game. There are only a few games left in the season, so hopefully they can win a few more. Below are some pictures of Callie from the past couple of games...

Easter at Choctaw Baptist Church

Today we went to the Easter service at Choctaw Baptist Church in Idabel, OK. After hearing a wonderful message of the death and resurrection of Christ, the kids went on an Easter Egg Hunt in the field next to the church. After church, we went out for lunch at Papa Pablamo's Mexican restaurant.

Relaxing Day at Beavers Bend, OK

This weekend, we headed up to Mom and Dad Abbott's for Easter. On Saturday, we decided to go to Beavers Bend Park in Oklahoma for a picnic and some hiking. The day turned out to be beautiful. It got up into the 70s. We walked through the forestry museum, ate lunch, took a train ride, and hiked a little through some of the trails. Below are some pictures...

Traders Village

Last weekend, we headed out to Grand Prairie to Traders Village. Traders Village is a large outdoor flea market. It was a nice day and we wanted to go look for some palm trees and anything else that we might see. They had pretty much everything you could think of. There was an area where people were selling puppies. There was one puppy who was sleeping in his food dish. I guess he didn't want anyone to take his food while he was sleeping! haha We did end up buying some palm trees for the pool area and a painting for our living room. Below are some pictures of the flea market (including a Mexican band that was playing) and what we bought. Enjoy!

New Trees at the Abbott Estate

This weekend we had six new trees planted at our house. We had some trees planted in the front of the house, along the side of the driveway and one in the back. Unfortunately, the blue spruce from NY didn't survive the Texas dirt and weather. So, we had to replace it with a live oak. There was another tree in the front yard that hadn't grown any when the previous owners planted it. We also started to plant trees in the back and hope to plant more maybe this fall. Hopefully these trees survive!!!!

Live Oaks in the front of the house....

Red Oaks along the side of the driveway....

Crepemyrtle near the garage....

Texas Ash in the backyard...

And last but not least, a picture of Kevin who was spreading weed killer while I was taking pictures...

'Lil Mavs Win Final Game

The girls won their final game 10-2. They were up 10 points in the fourth quarter and had to remain in the paint on defense in order for the other team to have a chance. Maya, Emily and Callie made the baskets. Emily scored three of them, but the other girls had a big help in moving the ball around the court in order for Emily to make some shots. Below is a video of Callie's basket...

Lil' Daisies Soccer Game

Callie also had a soccer game this past Saturday. Unfortunately, they lost their first game of the season. The final score was 2-1. Here is a video of Callie....

'Lil Mavs Beat the Big Girl Team

Last Saturday's game was an exciting one. Some of the parents compared it to the Giants beating the Patriots in this years Super Bowl. The girls played the team with the 10 year old and did a great job on defense. The girls did a great job trying to pass the ball and trying to make many baskets. Maya had two breakaways and had great speed to beat everyone to the other side of the court to score two baskets. In between her baskets, the other team managed to get ahead of us with the 10 year old making a three pointer. So now the score was 7-4. Callie was able to get the ball and make a basket making the score 7-6. All of the parents were so excited in the stands. The girls managed to keep the other team from making any additional baskets and in the last few minutes of the game, Maya broke away again and made a basket to bring the score to 8-7, which was all they needed to win the game. The parents really went crazy this time. It sounded like the girls had just won a championship game! Here is a video highlight from the game of Maya making the final basket...

'Lil Mavs and Hot Shotz Tie

It wasn't a win today and it wasn't a loss. Callie was the star player today making 8 of the 10 points. Right after tip off, Callie took the ball and made the first basket. Then about 30 seconds later, she made another basket. The other team should have been scared at that point, but then their baskets started to creep up on us. Towards the end of the game, the other team looked like they were going to win, but then Callie saved the day and made a basket to tie the game during the last 30 seconds.



Here is a video of Callie's two baskets at the beginning of the game...

'Lil Mavs Win!

The picture says it all.

Last Saturday, the 'Lil Mavs won their second game. All of the girls did great. They are doing much better defensively and improving on rebounds. There are three games left in the season. Hopefully the team will be able beat the teams with the bigger girls! haha

Here is a new picture of the team...

Callie's Baptism

Sunday was Callie's Baptism! When she was picked up at school on Friday, she couldn't stop talking about her big weekend. She had expressed her excitement at school to her classmates and teachers and continued to tell everyone throughout the weekend. A lot of family came to our church on Sunday to support her as she expressed to the church family that she has accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior and desires to live her live according to God's word. Kevin was able to Baptize Callie, which was very special.

After the Baptism we headed up to Spaghetti Warehouse at West End in Dallas. We had a lrage group there and everyone enjoyed their time together. Callie's friend Grace was able to come and join us as well. We were happy to have Kevin's parents and brother Steve's family as well. Here is a picture of the Abbott's that attended. We sure did miss Kelly, Kelly and Katy who are stationed in Germany!

Here is the video of Callie's Baptism. It was hard to tell when Kevin would begin since we were in the lobby and it was hard to hear where they were in the service.

A Day in Waxahachie and Ft Worth

This past Saturday, we headed out to Waxahachie with Kevin's parents while Callie went to a birthday party. We decided to go out to lunch and found a cute restaurant call The Dove's Nest. It was in a large building that included antiques in the front and then a tea room in the back. The food was wonderful and I tried their famous Orange Spice Iced Tea. It was pretty good. After lunch, we walked around the square and found that they were having a Mardi Gras parade. It was pretty fun and a beautiful day to spend outside.

After we picked Callie up from the party, we continued our adventure and went to Pappasito's Mexican restaurant on our way to Ft Worth. After dinner we made our way to Ft Worth to try and go to the rodeo. However, the tickets were sold out and we missed out on that. But, we were able to walk around and see some of the vendors. They had Elsie the cow and her calf there. Mindy thought it would be cute to take a picture with the calf. Little did she know that the calf would try to eat her hair! haha

'Lil Mavs Lose Again :(

Well, it was a loss again. But the girls did a great job. At the first tip off, Courtney made a basket (see video below). The girls are doing much better defensively and only lost 8-6. Callie had some nice assists and had the ball at the last 10 seconds of the game. She tried her hardest to get that ball into the basket, but then the buzzer sounded.

Out and About on a Saturday

After the basketball game, Callie and Mindy decided to tag along with Kevin to head down to Corsicana where he works. Kevin's work moved to a new location and had furniture delivered today.

Kevin and Callie in the 'Big Cheese' Office

We also decided to go and visit Aunt Carolyn and Jerry and their new house. Along the way, we saw some animals alongside the road and stopped for some pictures. Here are a few...

Also, at Aunt Carolyn's we saw more cows and spent some time with her and Jerry. It was a nice relaxing afternoon. Thank you to Aunt Carolyn and Jerry for taking us on a tour of their property and for having us for dinner. Below are pictures we took...

Our final stop of the night was at the grocery store. While we were in line, Callie showed us her magic trick! :)

'Lil Mavs Get Beat Again

Well, it's Saturday again and that means that it was time for another 'Lil Mavs game. Unfortunately, the girls lost 13-0, but they really improved as a team. They played the team from Palmer with the 9 1/2 year old girl. The girls played really good defense and were more aggressive this time around. They managed to defensively get on the bigger girls, which was a huge improvement since the last time they played that team. Even though they lost, it was still a good team effort! Here is a video clip from this weeks game...

Quick Update on 'Lil Mavs

Saturday, the 'Lil Mavs had another game. After the first quarter the girls were down 10-0. But, thanks to Callie, Courtney and Maya, the final score was 10-6. Another loss, but the girls made a valiant try at winning the game. Supposedly, the team they played wasn't very nice either. Some of the girls were saying mean things and weren't very ladylike. Next week it is off to play the Palmer team with the 10 year old again! Hopefully this weekend, the girls will be more aggressive and win this time!

Central Market Dallas

Today while Kevin, his friend Clint and Clint's son Evan, were at the Baseball Exhibit at the Texas State Fair Grounds, Mindy and Clint's wife Wendy ventured out to Central Market. Mindy was in grocery store heaven. For those of you in NY and VA, the store is similar to Wegmans. When you first walk into the store, there is a large produce area with many types of vegetables and fruits. Then it is off to the seafood and meat area where there are many varieties to choose from. The best part of the store was the Bulk Food area. They had candy, granola, coffee, etc. It seemed like there were over 30 selections of coffee to choose from. We bought Tiramisu and Snickernut to try out. But, we will have to go back and try the rest! The bakery and deli sections looked wonderful as well. Hope to go back soon so that we can try out some more goodies from Central Market!

A Loss for the 'Lil Mavs

Well, today the 'Lil Mavs suffered a loss. In the first period, the team was down 8-0 and managed to hold off any more points at half. It didn't look good though. The other team had an unfair advantage with a 10 year old who apparantly is still in second grade. Lots of parents were complaining about this and the assistant coach almost was thrown out of the game! haha In the second half, the girls had some foul shot attempts and two baskets made by Callie. In the end the girls lost 12-5. Before the game, we watched our next opponent which looked stronger. Hopefully, next week the girls will rise out on top again.

Below is a highlight from this week's game...

'Lil Mavs First Game

The 'Lil Mavs had their first game yesterday. The girls did a great job for their first game ever!! The first two points came from the other team...haha. But then the girls started making baskets and were up 10-2 at half time, thanks to Courtney, Callie and Emily. The second half everyone was getting tired and Coach K was feeling the pressure as the other team creeped up on them and scored 3 baskets toward the end of the fourth quarter. However, the 'Lil Mavs prevailed in victory with a win of 12-8. Next week it is off to Palmer to beat the next team!

Here is a video of the team in action....