We heart Taylor Swift

Cary surprised Kate and I with Taylor Swift tickets two days before the concert. I was so excited! I had known that she was going to be in town for months but did not want to fork out the money for the tickets. I had even tried winning some from a radio station earlier in the week with no luck. But, I do have the most amazing husband ever and he obviously knew how much I wanted to go...love him so much!!



We were in the nose bleed section, but the seats were actually perfect for us. We were right in front of the massively, ridiculously, HUGE jumbo screen so we could see every thing perfectly without worrying about anyone standing right in front of us and still had a view of the stage.

It was so much fun! 55,000 screaming fans, mostly all girls singing every word to every song.

The show was filled with fireworks, stories, dancers, wardrobe changes, and even a special guest. (B.o.B.) He and Taylor Swift sang "Airplanes" and it was amazing!

During the opening acts Kate was getting really anxious and was wondering what was taking Taylor so long to come out. She kept saying, "she's probably just getting ready". During the show Kate leaned over to me and said, "Her hair is so pretty. I think that is what was taking her so long. She had to fix her hair."

We had such a blast....but I would have to say the thing that made going to see Taylor Swift's show so much fun was that I was able to share it with Kate and see the show through her eyes. Definitely a memory I will never forget!

Day of Service

Our stake is having a day of service tomorrow. Our ward chose to collect non-perishable food items for our area food bank. I took the kids out last night along with our close friends, the Flores family to romp around the neighborhood and ask for donations. We didn't do so bad and the kids had fun. It feels good to serve. :)

If you are not sure what a ward or stake is click here.

Vote for Joshua

Joshua is running for student council at his school. He wants to be the school historian. He had to make a video and this is what he came up with...

Dallas Art District

On Saturday we took a walking art tour of the Dallas Art district. In the 13 years we have lived here this is the first time we have done this. The kids enjoyed it at first but after 3 miles of walking were exhausted. We saw some pretty cool stuff though and some amazing buildings.

Braeden said this looked like a dancing manatee

hundreds of oragami birds

Proud to be an American and a Texan

Our Rocky moment on a much smaller scale

I did it and I didn't die...and I even won a trophy

I have had a goal to run a 5k forever. This summer I finally took it seriously and did it. This past Saturday I ran the Roc the Doc 5k that benefited the Little Elm area food bank. My main goal was to run the whole entire thing without walking...and I did it! I am not a runner so this was a big triumph for me. My time was 32 minutes and 5 seconds. And the cherry on top of it all...I got a trophy for my age category....2nd place for the old ladies. Woo hoo!

It's great to be 8!

Kate was baptized September 17th. It was a gorgeous day and a beautiful, simple service. Braeden gave a talk along with Kate's Nana. We were so lucky to have my dad there. He literally flew in from Kuwait a couple of hours before the baptism. Kate looked beautiful and was so excited. She had been waiting for this day for a long time. We are so proud of her and for this decision that she made.

Daddy/Daughter Dance

Now that Kate is 8 she is involved in Activity Days with our church. She has been looking forward to this for a while. The very first activity she was able to attend was the annual daddy/daughter dance. She LOVED this! We bought her a new dress, curled her hair, and dad took her out for steak before the big dance. From what I hear they whipped their hair back and forth, macarena'd, and did the cha cha slide. Yes, Cary apparently boogied all night long with Kate. Wish I could have been there to see it.

Fall Soccer 2011

We are back in the full swing of soccer season. That means Braeden is back to making money, Kate is back to working up a sweat, and the rest of us are back to carting them around.

Kate is 8

Kate turned 8 last Saturday. So to celebrate we had a sleepover/pedicure/scavenger hunt/Justin Bieber/dance party.

The birthday girl

Kate and her girls....Jenna, Adria, Ava, and Olivia

The pedicures

The birthday cake

She doesn't look like she is having a good time does she? This is just after blowing out the candles.

The gifts

Kate had been asking for a Nintendo DS for sometime. This is all she wanted for her birthday. To make it a little more fun, I sent her on a scavenger hunt to find it. Her friends thought this was the coolest thing ever.

Still hunting...

What is a sleepover without Justin Bieber?

These girls had so much fun...too much, I think. They were still up at 2am! And of course, like always it was declared the best party ever!

First day of school 2011

Yesterday was the first day of school. Kate is now in the 3rd grade, Joshua in 5th, and Braeden is in 8th grade. The kids look happy in these pictures and yes, it was a good first day, but lets be honest.....we are already counting down the days until next summer. Only 173 days to go!

he cracks me up

me: Did you know that watching 1 hour of tv shortens your life by 22 minutes?

Josh: wow.....Seriously? I'm going to have a short life.

contract pending

This is a contract Braeden presented to me the other day.....it made me laugh

Contract I of the Jones Household

This contract is deemed to be between Kelly Jones with Cary Jones and Braeden Jones.

This contract was born due to the rising demand of one person per bedroom. Therefore, Braeden Jones has decided to put forth this proposal to the counsel of Kelly Jones with Cary Jones. The proposal is:

If Braeden Jones proceeds to maintain straight "A's" all year long, he will be granted the currently known as Guest Room. However, there will be many terms and conditions coming from both sides.

Terms and Conditions from Kelly Jones and Cary Jones

• Straight A's will be maintained ALL year long
• When there are guests the bedroom will be given up
• Any changes made will have to be approved under counsel of Kelly Jones and Cary Jones

Terms and Conditions from Braeden Jones

• If all work is turned in but grade is still high "B" (88-89) room will still be granted.

Signature:_________________________Date__/__/2011

Signature:_________________________Date__/__/2011

Signature:_________________________Date__/__/2011

***Contract valid through 2011-2012 school year***

No decisions have been made concerning this contract. Braeden is still hopeful...

OUCH!

Kate got into a fight....

with the swimming pool...

and unfortunately, the pool won.

back tracking

Braeden and I along with some of our friends were among all the other nerdy Harry Potter fans that just had to see the movie at midnight on opening day. It was well worth the waiting and all the craziness.

Josue, Jasmine, and Braeden

Me and some of my favorites....Emily, Marisa, and Joana

***yep, that's a golden snitch.....if you couldn't tell...:)

Scout Camp 2011

Braeden left at 4am yesterday morning to head off to scout camp. He LOVES camping and loves being with these goofy boys. They are going to have tons of fun!



**the crummy picture is due to the fact that it was 4am and I was lucky to even get one...:)