Little Loves

Cody: Outstanding Soloist Award and a 1st Division at Solo Competition!

2011-05-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

Cody, a cornet player in the Greenwood 6th Grade Band, received the Outstanding Soloist Award last night at the end of year band concert and Greenwood Music Festival. On May 9th, Cody also earned a Division One Medal at his first solo contest for his rendition of "Cappricio." The 6th Grade band also earned a Division One. Bravo, Cody!

Cody Competes in the Texas Destination ImagiNation Tournament

2011-04-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

Cody competed with his Greenwood team in the Texas Destination ImagiNation Tournament in Lubbock, Texas on April 2nd. Their project was about bullying and even included Cody playing Beethoven's Ode to Joy on his cornet. Approximately 2,400 students competed. Sue Shanks, the state director of DI, said, "[the] students are exploring the best of their creative skills for a bid to DI Global Finals. They are the ones that are responsible for doing everything. The coaches or team managers are there to make sure everything is okay. They can go buy things the team tell them to, but the solution to the challenge is the team." (via Fox34). Congrats to Cody and his team!

HAPPY THIRD BIRTHDAY TO CAMILLA!

2011-04-08T11:59:00.001-07:00

Cara's First Big New York City Adventure

2011-03-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

You must know by now that I'm the very proud aunt to three little loves - Cody, Cara and Camilla.   Cody has already visited me in New York City a number of times, but Cara only came once when she was only one year old.   Camilla hasn't been yet, but plans are formulating that will bring her in a few years.

Cara has been dying to come again, exclaiming, "New York looks so cute!"   6 and 1/2 year old Cara finally got the chance this week.   She arrived a little later than planned on Monday night, due to storms in Houston, but via First Class on Continental!   Being upgraded was indeed a good omen for the three day trip.

On Monday night, we immediately headed down on the subway to Time Square to acclimate to the excitement of New York City.   We started with dinner at Ellen's Stardust Diner - like her aunt, she appreciates any live vocal performance.

On Tuesday, we started the day with brunch at Sarabeth's (this trip was for her mom and me too, you know, but these children are not the type who will only eat at McD's).   We then headed to the coveted American Girl Store. I must admit that I was dreading this just a bit, but acquiesced for my Little Love.   I enjoyed the experience though - the American Girl franchise impressively pays attention to the most minute of detail and embraces history and ethnic differences. After we visited Rockefeller Plaza, the Top of the Rock, Pronto Pizza, the Lego Store (a nod to her brother), St. Patrick's Cathedral and a walk up 5th Avenue with window shopping - we picked out all of the best bling bling - she knows what RahRah likes.    We spent the rest of the afternoon in Central Park, where fearless Cara climbed dozens of rocks.

On Tuesday night, Cara finally got to see her first Broadway show. She's no stranger to the theatre - she has seen shows at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio and is a patron at Midland Community Theatre.    We saw "Mary Poppins." She was thoroughly enchanted and it was hard for her to decide which part was her favorite, although I think it was Bert climbing the ceiling and Mary flying over the audience.

On Wednesday afternoon, we had tea at the Plaza. Cara and I are both fans of "Eloise." Tea in the Palm Court was absolutely lovely and I recommend it for any special occasion.    Afterward, we walked to Dylan's Candy Bar and then spent the rest of the evening shopping at Macy's - we both scored some new outfits!

On Thursday, sadly our last day together, we headed downtown on the 1 train to South Ferry. We took the Staten Island Ferry for a close up look at the Statue of Liberty, which was just as "cute" as Cara thought she would be.   Of course, I had to show her Lincoln Center, a place to described to her as "the place where RahRah spends lots of money".     She loved it and is excited about seeing something there in the future.

We watched some of the St. Patrick's Day parade on 5th Avenue. There's just nothing like seeing the NYPD pipes and drums up close, although I think her mom and I may have been a little more excited than Cara.    We then made our way back to Time Square to get more shopping done - the Disney Store, ToysRUs, Hello Kitty - and thankfully a rest at Angus McIndoe's where we wet our whistle with Shirley Temples.

Every day was wonderful and intersperced with entirely unique New York City experiences and food.   I threw in a little of my every day with a lot of magic.   I think Cara will be back by herself as soon as she can and I'm already counting the days until that can happen.

Quote of the Day

2011-03-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

From MawMaw about the nieces: Cara was bragging "I'm going to NY!" and Camilla said "I'm going to Dairy Queen!"

Cody's Status

2011-02-08T08:38:00.000-08:00

Future Librarian: Camilla

2011-02-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

Countdown for Cara

2011-01-06T07:19:00.001-08:00

Little Love Cara is coming to New York City!

Christmas Portraits 2010

2010-12-21T10:30:00.000-08:00

Cody's 1st Band Concert!

2010-12-21T09:09:00.000-08:00

Cara is type cast in the school Christmas program

2010-12-21T09:05:00.000-08:00

Camilla's Gobble Art

2010-11-18T08:59:00.000-08:00

Trick or Treat 2010

2010-11-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

Newsmakers

2010-10-29T10:26:00.001-07:00

Cody, Cara and their MawMaw made the front page of the Winkler County News when they attended the Centennial Celebration of the Medallion Home. Included in the photo is our beloved piano teacher Mrs. Miracle, as well as Dee-Dee the Clown. (Camilla is in the picture too, but is hidden - *somebody* doesn't know how to stage a photo)

Cody: Top Ranger

2010-10-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

Cody achieved the A Honor Roll, 1st Chair of the Cornet Class and the Top Ranger Award!

Little Loves Celebrate History

2010-10-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

Little Loves attended the celebration of the Centennial of the Medallian Home in Kermit, Texas. This was one of their mom's favorite places when she was a little girl.

Skyping with Little Loves

2010-10-06T18:39:00.000-07:00

Little Loves have FUN with Great Aunt, Great Uncle & MawMaw!

2010-09-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

Quote of the Day

2010-09-10T17:25:00.000-07:00

Relayed to me by Cara's Mom via Cara's 1st grade teacher. Today at school, Cara was discussing various colors. At the mention of each other, she commented: "My Aunt doesn't like orange," "My Aunt doesn't really like green," "My Aunt loves purple! It's her favorite," and so on and so forth. Her teacher said, "You must really like your aunt." Cara responded, "Oh yes, my Aunt has two phones - a blackberry and a blueberry!"

Put out an APB for the Tooth Fairy!

2010-09-02T07:54:00.001-07:00

Cara & Camilla meet the Texas Watermelon Queen!

2010-08-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

Cara and Camilla met the 2010 Texas Watermelon Queen Mariana Perez Treveno. She's a sophomore at Texas State University, majoring in theatre! She plans to be on Broadway someday!

Happy Birthday MawMaw!

2010-08-26T05:38:00.000-07:00

First Day of School for Little Loves

2010-08-24T07:32:00.000-07:00

Cody Chooses Cornet

2010-08-16T15:11:00.000-07:00

Cody is joining beginner's band as a cornet player! I can't wait to hear his first concert!

Camilla's Got Style

2010-07-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

Matinee Performance of On the Trampoline

2010-07-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

Big Brother Baby Sister

2010-07-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

MIGHT AS WELL JUMP! GO AHEAD AND JUMP! JUMP!

2010-07-15T20:09:00.000-07:00

Will Cody follow in RahRah's band shoes?

2010-07-15T17:25:00.001-07:00

Happy Sixth to Cara

2010-07-15T03:59:00.001-07:00

Cody in Santa Fe

2010-07-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

Cody is the best traveled eleven year old I've ever known. Now he's in Santa Fe with his cousin Tristan.

Bring on the Foul Balls

2010-07-05T07:23:00.000-07:00

On the 4th of July, Camilla was ready for some baseball and fireworks!

Quotes of the Day from Cara

2010-06-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

To her mother:

"RahRah thinks she's 24, but I think she's 21!"

plus

"So you and RahRah were sisters when you were little?"

Camilla's long luscious lashes

2010-06-13T09:27:00.001-07:00

Camilla helped herself to Mom's mascara

In an email from Little Loves' MawMaw

2010-06-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

"Cara wants to say something--Camilla loves RahRah. Cara does too. And Cody does too but he is spending the night next door."

Cara and the West Texas United Sockers

2010-06-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

Eleven Years Ago

2010-06-08T13:15:00.001-07:00

Cody was born on June 7, 1999 - the first best day of my life when I became his aunt.

And now Cody moves on to Sixth Grade (plus a medal for A/B Honor Roll!)

2010-05-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

Backyardigans

2010-05-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

Cara, the Class of 2022

2010-05-19T05:02:00.000-07:00

Mom, It's a Program, not a Play!

2010-04-30T05:10:00.000-07:00

Cara's kindergarten performed the annual program about dinosaurs last night. Cara wants to make sure we differentiate between "program" and "play". Clearly, this is a program. But the important thing is that now she's learning about dinosaurs and some day I'll let her drag me down the street to the Natural History Museum and we'll have fun looking at all of the bones.

Just a swingin'!

2010-04-19T16:58:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY TO CAMILLA!

2010-04-08T07:41:00.000-07:00

Easter at the ranch is exhausting for Little Loves

2010-04-07T13:54:00.000-07:00

Dressed in Best for Palm Sunday

2010-03-29T05:49:00.000-07:00

Camilla auditions to be the new spokesgirl for Heinz Ketchup

2010-03-28T05:12:00.000-07:00

Cody's First at Bat of the Season is a Hit!

2010-03-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

Cara the Actress

2010-03-20T06:50:00.000-07:00

Cara attended Midland Community Theatre's spring break camp. Her class performed a stage adaptation of Babe. She played one of the dogs. I asked her if she enjoyed being an actress and she enthusiastically said, "It's great! I was good!" She celebrated her triumphant turn with a fro yo with extra toppings.

My favorite moment of these videos comes at 1:42 of the fourth video - Cara hijacks the curtain call with her new signature sign.

Sunday Playin' & Chillin'

2010-03-14T15:06:00.000-07:00

Cosmic Cara

2010-03-12T12:54:00.000-08:00

Little Old Cara

2010-02-03T05:18:00.000-08:00

On the 100th day of school, Cara and her classmates dressed up as if they were 100 years old.

Camilla's Future is So Bright...

2010-01-11T15:34:00.001-08:00

Little Loves Road Trip

2009-12-31T08:04:00.000-08:00

Since Cody didn't get to go to NYC for his Annual Trip After Christmas and Cara isn't old enough to travel alone yet, we decided to road trip to Ft. Worth from Midland. We rented a car and drove the 4.5 hours east on I-20. We stayed at the Worthington in downtown Ft. Worth. The University of Houston Cougar football team was also staying there for the Armed Forces Bowl Game, which was exciting for Cody. We took advantage of their indoor pool and room service. We enjoyed the festive downtown area and took a carriage ride too. We also visited the Kimbell Art Museum and the Museum of History and Science.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2009-12-25T09:24:00.000-08:00

Front page stars!

2009-12-07T08:06:00.001-08:00

Cody, Cara & Camilla were on the front page of the Midland Reporter-Telegram!

Snow Day!

2009-12-04T06:39:00.000-08:00

Camilla is quite comfortable in a crown.

2009-11-23T05:04:00.000-08:00

Dorothy and her Lil Punkin'

2009-11-14T05:48:00.001-08:00

Field of Dreams

2009-10-07T19:22:00.000-07:00

A Soccer Star, a Poet and a Speed Racer

2009-09-13T14:49:00.000-07:00

Cara starts kindergarten: first days are exhausting!

2009-08-26T07:36:00.001-07:00

Happy Anniversary to the Mom & Dad of the Little Loves!

2009-08-03T05:49:00.001-07:00

Who is at the zoo? Little Loves, that's who!

2009-07-31T12:34:00.000-07:00

Cody builds a trip to LegoLand

2009-07-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

The Girls Hit Huntington Beach

2009-07-31T09:13:00.001-07:00

Our Disneyland Adventure

2009-07-31T05:35:00.001-07:00

And now for something really entertaining!

2009-07-13T06:05:00.000-07:00

I'm off to California for a rendevouz with my little loves Cody, Cara and Camilla! See you in a week!

Cara is my sunshine!

2009-05-10T06:06:00.000-07:00

Cara had her second dance recital today. Since I couldn't be there to see her perform live, this is the next best thing.

Just like Camilla, I can have my cake and eat it too

2009-04-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

It was a perfect, whirl-wind (literally!)trip home to West Texas: lots of hugs from Cody, Cara and Camilla; Mexican food at Dos Compadres for dinner; shopping with my sister at the mall (her birthday too!); Camilla ears were pierced; a golf-ball sized hail storm; wind mills on the Caprock; dying Easter Eggs with Cara and Cody; Easter Sunday at my home church First United Methodist in Kermit; seeing favorite teachers from high school; the pipe organ I learned to play (sort of and not very well!) still being played with Liz Miracle, my piano teacher and French horn accompanist and our church organist for at least 40 years; my brother-in-law's BBQ; lots and lots of cousins of my Little Loves for an Easter egg hunt; and best of all, Camilla's First Birthday Party. Whew.

It's Today: Little Love Camilla is ONE!

2009-04-08T16:59:00.000-07:00

Cody, Grab your partner & dosey doe!

2009-02-15T05:44:00.000-08:00

Cody's the one in the plaid shirt and white stetson. Doesn't he look all George Strait as he swings his Laura Ingalls partner around?

Cody's 3rd Annual New York Adventure!

2009-01-27T04:11:00.000-08:00

Cody's New York adventure ends...until next year!

2009-01-03T17:16:00.000-08:00

Two Broadway shows, an opera, the Met Museum of Art, the Intrepid, Rock Center, Toys R Us, New York pizza, coffee shops, a fancy restaurant, a sidetrip to Philly, toys, buses, subway, taxi cabs, Star Wars: Clone Wars, counting limos, discussing and looking at luxury cars, Central Park, Shirley Temples, NYPD Museum, snow, no bed time, no rules, laughing, laughing, laughing...and now we return to our regularly scheduled endless pursuit of entertainment, but first Auntie SarahB needs to dry her tears and take a nap.

Cody sees Shrek the Musical on Broadway

2009-01-02T17:18:00.000-08:00

I had hoped to take Cody to see Billy Elliot, alas cheapish tickets were sold out. So, we used www.broadwaybox.com discount for Shrek and further saved on fees by purchasing the tickets in person at the Broadway Theatre Box Office.

Adventure at the USS Intrepid

2008-12-31T17:26:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Cody and I went to the USS Intrepid. Cody has extreme interest in anything military, anything mechanical and especially anything that goes fast. We loved seeing all of the jets, helicopters and the inner workings of the air craft carrier, originally commissioned in 1943. I've been looking forward to exploring the Intrepid for years but wanted to wait to go with Cody. I'm a Marine brat and I love military history. I enjoy watching old military movies and one of my favorite movies is Midway, which is almost entirely shot on battleships and carriers. When I was a kid, and my dad was stationed at Camp Pendleton, he took us to San Diego to board a working carrier, but I can't remember which one it was! When Cody was two years old, we took a family trip to Corpus Christi, Texas, where we explored the USS Lexington, but it has nothing on the Intrepid. We're both looking forward to a return visit.

Adventure to Philly

2008-12-31T17:23:00.000-08:00

We left New York City via Bolt Bus at 7:30 am and arrived at the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia at 9:30 am. We took a cab to the National Constitution Center. The Constitution Center is all about learning (coaxing and patience is needed) about our Contitution. From there we spent a little time with the Liberty Bell (free!). We had a Philly Cheese Steak at the Reading Terminal Market. We then visited Independence Hall (Pick up your free tickets in advance at the Vistor Center), where we saw the room where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were debated and finally signed. We saw the chair where George Washington sat while presiding over the events. We then took a Big Bus tour of Philly. We were back on the Bolt Bus at 6:30. It was a whirlwind adventure, but it wasn't about rushing (could have seen so much more!), just enjoying the time with 9 1/2 year old Cody in a new city.

Camilla the Christmas Angel

2008-12-15T16:56:00.000-08:00

I'll finally get to see this angel again in less than one week!

The Deer Hunter, i.e. Cody gets his first buck!

2008-10-26T17:21:00.000-07:00

"RahRah, I'll show you the antlers when you come to Midland and we'll have deer meat for dinner cause the processing will be ready by then. I used the 22 so the kick back wasn't that bad, but it sure was loud!"

Optical illusion

2008-07-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

Which one is Dora? Which one is Cara?

Happy Birthday, Cara!

2008-07-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

Four years ago today, I became an aunt to my beautiful little star Cara!

Big River Cody

2008-07-14T17:28:00.000-07:00

Cody had an adventure on the Rio Grande River in New Mexico - his first white water rafting trip.

THE BEST NEPHEW IN THE WORLD IS 9 YEARS OLD TODAY!

2008-06-07T17:29:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CODY!

Like Aunt, Like Niece: Cara's Pursuing Entertainment Too

2008-04-28T17:08:00.000-07:00

Here she is world!

2008-04-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

My new little love Camilla made her debut to the world around 3:00 Texas time this afternoon. She weighed in at 7 lbs 2 oz and is 19 inches long. She's already got a quite voice. The news came through while I was on the downtown subway. Just as I was returning back up town to Times Square, Broadway Baby looped on my playlist. That's a sign if I ever saw one. Let the Stage Aunting begin!

A New Little Love On the Way

2007-12-11T03:45:00.000-08:00

Light the sparklers, crash the cymbals, blow the bugle, my sister is giving me a wonderful present, something I always need. Start the whistling and clapping, it's another niece!

Corvette Cody, i.e., Trouble in the Making

2007-10-08T17:30:00.000-07:00

Happy 3rd Birthday, Cara!

2007-07-15T04:23:00.000-07:00

The Best Nephew in the World is 8 today!

2007-06-07T04:18:00.000-07:00

Snow Snow Snow!

2007-01-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

Much to his disapointment, Cody learned during his New York Adventure that it was the first time in 125 years that New York had not had snow...but he went home to Midland, Texas and his dream of a snow day came true! It was also Cara's first snow. And New York City finally has a light dusting today!

Seven Years Ago Today

2006-06-07T17:24:00.000-07:00

Seven years ago today, I became an auntie to Cody, the best nephew in the world. Happy birthday, my little love!

My Nephew the Actor!

2005-12-18T06:03:00.000-08:00

My nephew Cody made his acting debut today at the St. Paul United Methodist Church in Midland, Texas. He played dual roles - Joseph and "a shopper" in The Eye Witness News: Live from Bethlehem. When Playbill caught up with the young actor backstage, he said about the experience, "there was too much singing." He celebrated by going ice skating. He got to skate really fast and learned how to slice! He further commented that his parents don't even know how to skate.