Learner's Permit

It is always a monumental day when one of your offspring gets behind the wheel of a car.  We have entered that time with Kelsey.  She still has not made it behind the wheel or our car, but now she can legally do so.

We trudged up to the DPS at 7 am to stand in line and wait for her turn to take her test and fill out paperwork.  She passed, and now we can spend the next six to twelve months working on her driving skills.

I am not sure why, but the cross section of humanity at the DPS always shocks me.  Are there really this many weird/crazy/messed up people in the world?  Notice the woman in the photo - just seemed to be living right there on the ledge outside the DPS.  And don't get me started about the crazy man who shows up every day and preaches hell fire and damnation LOUDLY prior to the DPS opening.....  It is always such a lovely trip.

So, watch out Houston - Kelsey is driving.

Summer Time Pearson Style

School is out.  Soccer try-outs for next year are done.  Cross Country summer workouts don't start until Monday.  Do you know what that means?  No "extra" stuff to mess with for all of five days!  And then, we just have summer cc Monday Wednesday and Friday nights.

Summer means swimming when you live in Houston.  Some pictures of what goes on around here while I am in my office working...

Kelsey's friend have come by and used the pool - which is great.  The two boys here, Brian and Quinton have made great use of our pool since school ended (before all the rain...)  They are very nice and they play with the twins which is nice.  The twins have missed some "brother" type playing and it is nice of those teen-aged boys to play with two nine year old girls!

That is all from Tomball - swimming, sleeping, eating and chillin.  Nice start to summer.

One and Half Days

And counting....  I think we might actually make it this year.  School will be out - then they will all be here on top of me while I am trying to work.  Why was I excited about this?

We had a nice relaxing holiday weekend.  Complete with swimming and not doing much of anything.  I think that sets the proper groundwork for the summer - don't you?

I missed festival season in my extended family.  What is festival season you ask?  I have a friend who had 6 kids.  All of them, with maybe one exception, have summer birthdays - both she and her husband have summer birthdays.  She would refer to it as festival season.

Over the last week, there were 5 birthdays in my family!  Crazy but true.  So, here is my shout out to all the Quigley/Linford/Heningers who had a birthday.

First up was Josh. 

Josh at the Stockyards December 2008

Josh is just a couple of months younger than the twins, so they have always had fun playing with him.  Josh had kind of a rough start on life - he cried A LOT.  And remember I had Sophie.  Josh's problem was he was a momma's boy to the extreme.  If Julie was not holding him, he was crying.  He is a fabulous kid now and the girls love to play with him - especially Allie.

Allie and Josh Easter 2010.

Then it was Megan's birthday. 

Laurie, Megan and Michelle - Go Cougars!

Megan is my sister - my daughter Sophie is very much like Megan.  I would say it is genetics, but since Sophie is not Megan's daughter it is a little funny.  She is smart, funny, beautiful and just an all around great sister.

Megan and Blake Quigley August 2008

Jordyn was our next celebrant. 

Kelsey, Jordyn and Sophie Easter 2010.

 My brother Matt and his wife Julie have taken Jordyn into their home and they are raising her.  She has been with us about two years (on a funny note, when Steven got off the plane from his mission in Brazil he kept looking at Jordyn, then someone told him who she was.  He said to me, no one told me we had a new family member!)  Jordyn is funny, sweet and a good example to my girls. I have not seen her roll her eyes to Julie once!

Our little Jonah, or donut as I call him, was our next birthday boy. 

The Heningers - Jonah is in the cowboy hat!

I have no reason to call him donut, I just do.  He lives in California - so I don't get to see him as much as I would like.  He is funny and a crazy boy.  I submit the next photo as proof of his craziness.

Our last participant is my brother Michael's wife, Erika. 

Michael and Erika August 2008.

She and Michael just celebrated their first anniversary in April, so I guess she is the newest member of the family.  She is wonderful - she is smart, funny, and very thoughtful.  She and Michael were the hosts of this year's easter egg hunt.

The Pearson kids with Michael and Erika - Easter 2010

That wraps up festival season.  All those birthdays and I did not get ONE single piece of cake.  What is up with that???  I hope everyone had a great birthday.