Happy 2nd Birthday,

Kaylen Rae!

Love, Mommy

"Take Me Out to the Ballgame"

Hayden had a wonderful 4th birthday this year filled with excitement, anticipation, friends and family. The theme he chose was "baseball," and all things baseball it was! It all began on his actual birthday having to attend school. While in session, he was serenaded "the Happy Birthday song" by his class, while out on the playground. During class, he was given a handsome birthday hat, afterward he and his classmates delighted in the "baseball cupcakes" that I had made for his class. For our family dinner that evening, he opted for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (which quickly turned into grilled cheeses,) cheetoes, apples and bananas. As a happy ending, we had "baseball cake." Can you recognize the trend that we have going on here?

Alright, Ally, this one's for you.....

You know it's a good party when.....

On Saturday of last week, the festivities continued with family and several friends. It was Hayden's idea to have peanuts and cracker jacks as "side items." I suppose that singing the famous diddy "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" for four years has taken its toll on him, or been so engrained in his head that he recalled the words of the tune while planning his party menu. Smart guy.

We wanted to send a special "Thank You" to all of our friends who made Hayden's 4th birthday such a special event. To Uncle Luke, to Aunt Brandie, and to Derek, Cailin & Joseph, thank you for making the special trip out of town for the party. We are honored that you spent your weekend with us. Thank you, also, to Grandma & Pawpaw, Grandma & Grandpa Gene and to all the cousins who made the trek to our great city. A big "thank you" to all of our friends from the area, from church, and from the neighborhood who spent the afternoon at our house. You all mean so much to our family. Thank you all for the cards and gifts, and more so, for the love that you show our children each time you meet. Our lives would not be complete without each of you and we hold special memories of each of you individually and as a group. You are all what family is truly about. Tear.

Have a good afternoon, and hope to see you all really soon.

"Play Ball!"

Happy 4th Birthday, Hayden Samuel!

I love you, Sweet Boy.

A Post for Summertime

OK, so I truly deserve what I have received. Let the hate mail continue on. I, as in previous entries, apologize for the long delay in blogging. The question has been raised, "How can you possibly recall all of your events since your last blog?" Simply, photography! I have photos to document each and every event, yet have not found time, of late, to form them into words and then into a blog to share with you. We recently came to terms with the death of our computer and some of its capacity. I am still mourning the possible demise of about 1,000 photos that I had yet to file onto my external hard drive. Several IT technicians have promised me that the pictures are still there. If so, why can't anybody find them? We put the hard drive on our new laptop, but I still sense that a piece is missing. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Yes, the Senters are still around, living out here, day to day. Our summer, so far, has been wonderful to say the least. I recently enjoyed an amazing trip out to California for my cousins beautiful wedding (which is another blog in itself!) We have traveled to spend time with family. We have spent many of our days in Austin enjoying freedom with our friends. We endured the loss of a dear friend, which forced me to slow down a bit and realize the things that are of utter importance in my life. Several close friends have given birth over the last month! Yea for new babies and new lives! Seven friends, to date, are due from now until January. Let the baby shower planning begin! We've been to quite a few birthday parties and have been swimming nearly everyday. The Babies both accomplished swimming lessons and progressed onward to the next phases next summer. Happily, Jared & I celebrated another wonderful year of marriage and Jared grew to be another year older.

Since I am consolidating each happenings from the last month, I have decided to turn this entry into a "montage" if you will. So, when you get a moment, sit back, take a breather, and enjoy these photos of our summer, so far. If you know me, you know that there are hundreds more. These are just a few favorites.

Beverly Hills, California

Hayden & Uncle Luke playing Play-Dough


This is what happens when you play the piano for my Babies. Kaylen Rae & Uncle Luke

Rock & Roll Drummer Chick

Kiddie Acres, Austin, Texas

Jared, Kaylen Rae & Hayden

He thought this was Sarge from CARS

Pilot & Pilot
They truly are a team.

Driving the boat at Kiddie Acres, Austin, Texas

Kaylen Rae during swim lessons

Hayden during swim lessons

Bella's Birthday!

Third Base Grand Opening- South Park Meadows

Friends!

Have a good day!

An Amazing 9 Years Later.....

In the Good Ole Summertime

So much has conspired since my last entry, that there is no way to detail every event that has taken place. At our house, Summer is officially here, although the calendars say otherwise.

Several weeks back, Hayden fell and busted his head open DURING church which led to a quick and early exit from church into the hands of the ER. After donning two shiny staples for ten days, he has another manly scar to add to his collection, and still asks people, "not to mess up his hair." When asked how his head feels, his response is always the same, "It feels." Tough cookie.

Our tiny Kaylen Rae has turned into quite the little "Miss Independent." She carefully watches Brother's every move, and adds her own twists' to his already quirkiness. She is beginning to (in her own language,) speak her mind. She can easily get across what it is she wants and will be persistent until satisfied. While speaking quite a few words already, she loves to sit and babel, all the while knowing exactly what she is saying. She is such a sweetie and has graduated from one blanket to three at bedtime along with her drink, paci and "Patsy." Putting her to bed at night is an armful! She is growing up so fast and we are hanging onto every moment. She has begun the art of potty training! Yipee! She began this task on her own, and we are simply servants here to follow her around. Anyone who has seen her lately will tell you that her bouncy, blond curls are doubling everyday, just as her personality is. She is truly a child who's hair matches their personality perfectly!

In the last several weeks, Hayden has graduated from both his first year of Bible Hour as well as his first year of preschool! What a little man. He knows his ABC's forward and backwards (literally,) and can spell and write his name (with a little assistance.) He has begun spelling out everyone else's name as well. He loves to sing the ABC's and will bless you with a concert if you are not careful. His favorite style (other than the original, boring version,) is that of the great Lena Horne. She is on his Sesame Street ABC video (the only thing he cares to watch nowadays,) belting it out in a jazzy sort of way, and he follows along perfectly, dance moves and all!


Preschool flew by for us this year, as I hear it will every year in the future. I often think back to August and how we have all changed since. I was so reluctant to send my child anywhere, and many times tried to talk myself into pulling him out simply because I couldn't stand not being with him. OK, two mornings a week, that was it. Not really that much, but it felt like eternity, twice a week. Here it is May, and I am amazed at all I see. The Baby I took to school in August can now write his name, he's beginning to spell words, he can recognize letters, not to mention the giant gains in his speech and social skills. I knew that if I just put my selfishness aside last summer, great things would happen! Thank you, teachers at WCP (you know who you are,) for making a reluctant and scared Mommy (and child) feel so comfortable and at ease. Hope you are ready for next year! Hayden is on his way, full force!

Well, our house has begun the Summer preparations. We have filled up the pool, broken in the swim suits and made the first popsicles of the season. Our garden is full of bright colored life waiting to be picked. BTW, If anyone is in the market for squash and cucumbers,we are overloaded and truly blessed. It yours for the taking.

Here are some photos from recent weeks.

So, I have a PS story for you. A week or so back, I was in the house attempting my evening duties as usual. Kaylen Rae was sound asleep while Hayden and Jared worked in the garage.
I hadn't heard much from them so I decided to peek in at what was happening. As I rounded the corner, I see Jared busily working, and no Hayden. OK, for you Mom's out there, sudden panic set in. You know the feeling. What I viewed next sent me into panic of a different sort. I come face to face with my sweet son, wielding needle nosed pliers and grinning from ear to ear. He had decided to trim the monkey grass, the lantana, the gardenia and everything else that sits on my front porch. I was in utter shock, while trying not to laugh. I was concerned that my child was running down the sidewalk with needle nosed pliers yelling, "HAHAHA!" Upon his return, he was glowing with pride! I could tell he was so happy at the work he had done. He stated that, "I use scissors in school, Mommy!" I never got a straight answer as to where he found them, WHO GAVE THEM TO HIM, and who in the world taught him how to trim plants. None the less, it was comical. I'll always keep in mind that laughter will always override anger. He could see straight through me. The picture below is only a smidgen of what was laying about. It was much to painful to photo the rest.

Good Night.