Travis Family Times

Traditions...

2010-05-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

Repeatedly, I have tried and failed to instate "official" family traditions in the Travis house. I see these cute things on television, or hear about other families doing neat little things on holidays or birthdays, and I sometimes go into a panic thinking that I'm failing in my duties as "homemaker" by not establishing those types of whimsical traditions in my own home.

Tonight it finally dawned on me that we DO have traditions in our house, traditions that were born on their own, with no intentionality at all...

As I type this, Corban is snuggled up to Cayden on the bottom bunk. Corban is reading the Bible aloud to Cayden. This has been going on after tuck-ins for quite some time now. Corban has this forehead-band light that he puts on, and Cayden listens with rapt attention while big brother reads the Word to him.

Somehow, all the other cute traditions that I've tried to start don't seem all that important anymore. Even if this is the only enduring one we ever have at the Travis house, I'll take it gladly.

I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!!!

2008-11-07T07:16:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has been so long since my last update. We've been busy with home schooling, MOPS, and general life.

The weather is absolutely beautiful here right now. Our mild autumn and spring weather is VERY short-lived. We go from "hot" to "slightly-too-cool" and back again very quickly. We have some colorful foliage this year, more so than usual. The property we're on has a lot of oaks, so I'm enjoying the view with the lake in the background. I'm going to take some photos this weekend.

For Jesus Celebration on October 31st, Corban was a great Optimus Prime, and Cayden wore Spongebob PJ's. Corban said, "This was the BEST DAY EVER! I had a blast!" There is nothing he loves more than getting in a costume. Our church had dozens of attractions for Jesus Celebration. We had pony rides, tons of inflatable slides and obstacle courses, and a real firetruck for the kids to explore.

We're looking forward to the holidays. We're hosting Thanksgiving at our house, and some dear friends will be spending the day with us. I think we're going to rent an inflatable moonwalk for all the kiddos to enjoy in the backyard.

Cayden is talking up a storm! His little sentences may not be perfect yet, but he always gets his point across. Potty training is coming right along, and he doesn't even turn 2 until January. I'm so proud of him.

Corban is doing second-grade math! I can't believe how much he loves to learn. Math and science are his favorite subjects, and he tolerates handwriting and spelling well enough. I never thought I'd enjoy home schooling as much as I do.

Last night Corban and I had an intersting conversation. I thought I'd share it here:

“Mommy, what’s it going to be like on the last day?”

“What do you mean, Corban?”

“I mean, on the last day of the world.”

“Well, Jesus will come back to take everyone that loves Him to Heaven to live with Him forever.”

“Mommy, how many arms does Jesus have?”

“What? How many arms does he have? Two, I would think. Why?”

“Because, how can he take everybody to Heaven at the same time if he only has two arms?”

“Well, he will give us all the ability to rise up and fly to Heaven, I think.” (That was the simplest answer I could come up with.)

“Like angels. They have wings that make them fly.”

“Yes, like angels. Do you want Jesus to give you angel wings so you can fly?”

“No. I want Him to give me a hang-glider.”

Autumn, where art thou?

2008-07-21T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody.

It's hot. I'm ready for what passes for autumn in Texas!

Corban turned the big 5 on June 25th. We had a Transformers birthday party. He had a blast and told us that it was "The Best Day EVER!"

Among his favorite gifts were a Batman costume...

and an Optimus Prime helmet complete with voice distortion.

We have officially decided to give home schooling a shot. We'll begin Kindergarten with Corban in September. We're excited and just a little nervous! We hope to incorporate lots of fun field trip experiences: Destin, Florida in September for lessons in simple geography and marine biology, and the Creation Museum in Glen Rose, Texas in November for a science lesson. We really love the idea of being able to instill the wonder of God's creation in our children while teaching them ourselves. Not to mention the wonderful flexibility and mobility of home schooling.

Corban and Cayden continue to grow closer as brothers and friends every day. Watching them play together is so sweet.

One of Corban's favorite things to do in this heat is play in his little kiddy pool. I like to keep it under the porte-cochere for sun protection. He goes nuts in that pool!

That's about it for now. Stay cool!

Time for some updates!

2008-06-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

Whew, it's been a busy past couple of months. Time to fill you all in on what's been up with us.

We've settled into our new (leased) house and new neighborhood very well. There are lots of little lakes and all of the properties are nicely wooded. It truly feels like being out in the country with the wonderful convenience of a Kroger center, farmers market, restaurants, and our church less than one mile away. Love it!

I had a great Mother's Day last month. Jonathan and the boys got me flowers and an iPod Nano, which has become a new appendage on me. Such a cool gadget! My extensive CD collection is now the size of a credit card. Whooda thunk it?

Jonathan and I celebrated our 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY on May 23rd. We spent a week in Cancun, Mexico while the boys had summer camp at Grandma and Papa's, and Nana's houses. Jonathan and I got pampered in the lap of luxury while the boys got spoiled rotten. Everybody was happy!

Jonathan and I are now working hard to prepare for a 13 week class we will be teaching in August at our church. It will be a study on Creation Apologetics. I am currently taking courses to receive a post-BS certificate on that subject, and I hope to attend training for formal seminar presentations at the Creationism Museum and Answers in Genesis headquarters in Cincinnati within the next year. Check them out! http://www.answersingenesis.org/. I'm also toying around with some t-shirt designs that relate:

Corban turns 5 years old (oh Lord, I'm getting old) on the 25th of this month. We're taking him to Splashtown and having a Transformers party with a few of his friends to celebrate. We are still on the fence between private kindergarten at our church or formal home schooling. Pray for us to make the right decision about that.

That about sums us up for now. Hopefully I won't get so behind again!

Out of the mouths of babes...

2008-04-05T07:16:00.000-07:00

Over the week preceding Easter and the days subsequent to Easter, we have been talking with Corban about the death and resurrection of Jesus. Because he's only four years old, we use basic language and simple phrasing while keeping it accurate and serious.

So much for that...

A few nights ago, I decided that instead of talking about the Easter story with Corban, I'd ask him to tell ME the story. He did a pretty good job...but HONESTLY this is NOT how we taught it to him!

"Well, first Jesus died on the cross. Then he went to the jungle where he kicked the bad guys' butts. Then he was alive again."

What could I possibly say about that, other than, "Good job, buddy. That's right."

Easter Sunday

2008-04-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late posting about Easter, but better late than never...

We had beautiful weather on Easter Sunday, and we had lots of fun at the church egg hunt.

This was Cayden's first egg hunt, and he was precious. He ate his first Peep. A momentus occasion for sure. (Note the pink Peep drool just about to run down his chin onto his cute outfit.)

It took Corban a few seconds to realize that the egg hunt was not a liesurely game, but a mad rush to find the most eggs. He got the hang of it, though!

He was so very proud to be the only kid with an Optimus Prime egg bucket. Of course.

Before church services began, the praise band hammed it up for the camera. Those guys are crazy. Jonathan plays either the acoustic guitar or the bass.

After church we had Easter lunch at a local pizza parlor with our dear friends Ryan, Shannon, and Sydnie. Ryan and Shannon were the very first friends we made in Texas in 1999! We all go to church together. Little Sydnie came along just a few months before Cayden. She and Corban are facinated with each other.

And below is my favorite shot of the day. This one's going to the framing shop:

New House!

2008-03-29T07:43:00.001-07:00

We're moving into our new house this weekend, so this is going to be short and sweet. I will be posting all things Easter and house related next week, when things have settled down a bit (as if our house is EVER really settled).

The new house is right by our church, which will be great. It's on waterfront acreage, and the view out back is breathtaking. I can't wait to post pictures. We're leasing for a year, then we will evaluate the market and make an offer on the house accordingly. We have big plans for the property, and hope very much that our moving days are OVER!

Stay tuned!!!

Is it really March already?

2008-03-05T05:42:00.000-08:00

Yes, indeed. Spring is already upon us, and the Houston climate leaves no doubt about it. Despite my yearning for a four-season year, I have to admit how wonderful it is to have so many days suitable for playing outside.

We took advantage of a recent beautiful Saturday by taking the boys to the Houston Zoo. It's not the most impressive zoo, but it's just the right size to spend a couple of hours with two small boys. The petting area was full of goats, chickens, and llama. Cayden was facinated, but Corban was a little freaked out. Of course, he is much too full of four year old male machismo to have admitted this. He just kept refusing to go in the pen with the animals, saying, "I just don't like goats. They smell gross." Maybe we'll have better luck at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo this weekend! Speaking of, it's time for new cowboy boots...

We continue to be in our little temporary rent house just north of the city limits. We're on the lookout for a larger place much closer to all the conveniences and entertainments of The Woodlands. Corban keeps saying, "Mommy, when are we going to move to a house with stairs?" He loved living in our two-story house in San Antonio. In his prayers at night, he rarely forgets to add, "...and please Jesus, help us find a new house. Amen."

Cayden is coming along with his new-found walking skills. He'll walk several steps, plop down on his bottom and then applaud himself. Sometimes he'll stand up and sit down repeatedly while chanting, "Up, down, up, down." It's hilarious.

Jonathan and I are very excited about our 10 year anniversary coming up in May. We've booked a honeymoon suite for a week at Le Blanc Spa Resort in Cancun. Check it out! www.leblancsparesort.com I cannot believe how quickly ten years goes by. Am I really 31? Wow.

Sorry it's been so long since my last update! I promise you'll hear from us more often from now on!

Love,
The Texas Travises

Pumpkin Patch Kids!

2007-10-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

We had a great family weekend!

On Saturday morning, we dressed the boys up in their costumes--Lightening McQueen racecar driver for Corban, and baby sea turtle Squirt (from Nemo) for Cayden. They were adorable.

The community where we own acreage property hosted a very nice catered luncheon, and the property owners that haven't built their houses yet were invited to come and enjoy that along with a pumpkin patch that was created beside one of the neighborhood lakes. The weather was absolutely perfect, and the boys had a wonderful time being outdoors in the sunshine and cool breeze.

Corban had his pick of any pumpkin in the whole patch, and he chose a mini pumpkin. "Mommy, I want this baby one," he said. He didn't mind that it couldn't be carved. That was fine by me!!

Later that afternoon, the boys got to play with their babysitter for a couple of hours while Jonathan and I went out for a much-needed date. We had lunch at a wonderful Caribbean restaurant called Tommy Bahamas and then we walked around The Woodlands Riverwalk window shopping and enjoying the weather.

Travis Family Blog is now here....

2007-10-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

We've moved...

No, not physically, like we are prone to do! LOL

This is a much more user-friendly site, so I decided to move the Travis Family Times here!

October in Texas...

...and it's still HOT. Usually in the mid to upper 80's, and some days in the low 90's. I miss having a real autumn, but come mid January, I'll be singing the praises of Texas weather once again.

The boys are doing well. Corban has his first little "girlfriend" at school. He came home the other day, and out of the blue he said, "Mommy, I like Kelsey."

I said, "You do?"

"Yeah. She's pretty; like you mommy."

Okay, I have to admit that one made me cry! So sweet!

Since then, not a day has gone by that he hasn't mentioned Kelsey. She's a cute little girl with long blond pig tails. She has a very agressive personality, just like Corban, so maybe that's why he likes her so much!

Cayden is on a rampage now that he has mastered crawling. It seems like all I do is chase him down. At least I'm burning calories.

I'm working on new jewelry projects. My latest creation is a wrist watch with interchangeable gemstone and sterling silver bracelet-bands. I'm also doing bands for my personal watch that have my kids' names spelled out on them in sterling silver letter beads. I call it the Mommy Time watch. I'm going to show it for the first time at my next Trunk Show on November 3rd.

Jonathan is doing well. His new hobby is small-scale stock trading. He even bought this fancy PDA so he can get stock alerts while he's at work. He's actually quite good at it.

We are visiting a new church on Sunday called Woods Edge. We've heard lots of great things about it, and look forward to it.

We're planning our North Carolina visit for December 25th through January 3rd. We will be in western North Carolina for the first half, and Fayetteville for the second half. Let us know when we can see you while we're in town!

Well, that's about it. Ta-ta for now.