Grand Cayman!!!

I get to brag on my husband for just a bit here! Dustin, and his counter-part Randal, kicked some major work butt last year and qualified for the President's Club for Covidien. This means that the 2 of us got to take a week long vacation to the Ritz-Carlton in Grand Cayman. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing this trip was. We were beyond blessed to go and are so thankful. Next year's trip is to Costa Rica.......you better believe I am pushing Dustin to have another awesome year!!!!!

Oh, and GREAT BIG THANKS to my mom for watching the kids for us! They had a great week with Grammie!

Enjoy a few pictures!

Catch-Up!!!!!

Ok, I have had a lot of troubles with this stupid blog but for some reason I think it is working again! Let's try it and catch-up on a few things since it has been OVER 6 MONTHS since I've been able to post anything! (make sure you scroll down to see our Chicago pictures that I tried to post months ago)

• Ramsey started 1st grade and LOVES it! There is a huge difference between kinder and 1st, she has REAL homework and even spelling tests!
• Bryson is at school with is best buddy Noah and loves it! I have to register him this week for next year already, seems way too soon to me but I think I say that every year! :)
• Dustin is working is butt off but in 2 weeks the 2 of us will be sippin' on drinks ocean side in the GRAND CAYMANS BABY!!!!!!!!! To say that I'm excited it the understatement of the year!
• Bryson had surgery in August for a dermoid cyst that popped up above his left eye. He is truly one of the bravest/strongest kids out there. He flat out refused pain medication and it never even seemed to bother him. I'll try to post a picture of that at some point.
• I had sinus surgery in October and have been breathing ever since! Why did I not think that breathing was a necessity!
• Christmas was awesome this year. Lolli and Pops drove up the weekend before Christmas and we had Christmas with them....exposed Lolli to sushi and now she is addicted! Then my WHOLE family came up to Frisco for Christmas and we had a wonderful time. All 12 of us stayed at our house and it was so neat to see the kids create Christmas memories together.
• In November our sweet niece Brynnlee was born! Angela and Matt are great parents and she is the cutest thing ever! I thought she looked just like Ramsey when she was born but you know how quickly babies change. She is just adorable and we only wish we could see her more often.

That's enough for now! Love you all and I hope to keep you updated!!!!

Dustin' this sucker off.....

Hello, Hello?!?! Is anyone there?!?! It has been WAY TOO LONG!

I have tried to post a few times over the past few months but Blogger wasn't loving me so they never got posted. I'm trying again and if this works 1. you will be reading this and 2. I promise to blog more!

I have lots to share and lots to show so cross your fingers this works!

3 months of catch-up......

It has been FOREVER since I have written on this ol' blog so I figured why not dust it off and play a little catch-up. I'll start with our trip to Chicago.....way back in May! Dustin and I went with our best friend Wes and had a great time just being adults (or kids, depending on the situation) on our own with no kids. Great food, great game, great drinks and did I mention great food?

6 years old!

Happy 6th Birthday, Ramsey!!!!!!!

(just a few days late!)

We could not be more proud of you! A heart of gold, a nurturing spirit, a love for friends and family and the will to be a good person. What a blessing you are!

Don't get me wrong, you have some sassy in you but you come by that honestly! :)

We had a small pool party for her this past weekend and she was so excited to have friends and family there to spoil her! She is already planning her 7th birthday and can't wait to have a slumber party next year!

We love you more than you will ever know!

loooong overdue post

SO much has happened since I last blogged almost a month ago.

Here's the short version:

• Ramsey is officially a 1st grader. She passed kinder with flying colors, is reading like crazy and ready to get her "twinkle toe" shoes for next year....she has been obsessed with them forever and has been promised a pair for 1st grade.


• Bryson is kicking butt at swim lessons and is now part fish. good: he's no longer a wuss in the water, bad: he thinks he can swim on his own and has NO fear.


• The kids have been to the pool LITERALLY every single day since June 4th. They are obsessed and can't get enough. Bry told me today he wanted to jump off the diving board, again he has no fear.


• Dustin left on Monday the 6th and hasn't been home since. we miss him. A LOT.


• My sister, and therefore my nephew and BIL, move to The Woodlands tomorrow. I'm so sad about it. I have LOVED having all of us sisters in the same area and having our kids grow up together. It's only 3.5 hours away, not 3.5 days so we will make it work....in fact, we already have a trip planned to visit in late July.


• Bryson has an appt with a plastic surgeon next Monday. He will most likely have surgery to remove a dermoid cyst above his left eye sometime this summer....hopefully LATE August time frame. It's (hopefully) a very straight forward surgery and recovery, but we will know more next week. Please keep him in your prayers.


• I am surviving.....summer, Dustin gone, family in, family out, birthday coming up, swim lessons every day.....I'm surviving. I LOVE my life, am BEYOND blessed and will forever be grateful for it all but some days I feel like I fail at all of it.


• Meg, Michelle and I rocked the Susan G. Komen 5k this past weekend. I am SO excited about the 3-Day that I am participating in with some FAB ladies...more on that later!


• Annie is this close to jumping over our fence. If she does, I'm not going after her.


• Chi-Chi is F.A.T. I was asked if she was preggers today. She is that fat.

So, that's the Bettencourt's in a nutshell. We are looking forward to Daddy coming home on Friday and seeing him for Father's day. I am also really looking forward to a glass of wine tonight!

Pictures

Bryson is 80% potty trained......still asks for pull-up to poop in and wears one at night but other than that he has mastered standing and sitting! and looks super cute in his undies!

my knee-high boots are thigh-high on her but super fashionable. oh, and bryson is sporting my crocs from like 5 years ago!

If she was native american she would be named "daddy long legs"

This is Ramsey's new favorite pose and face!

At Rob's birthday party at TopGolf....SO MUCH FUN!

Lot's of stuff to talk about soon: end of school, 6th birthday, trip to chicago, the 3 day, 5k, summer plans, etc. I will try to update more often.