The Paulsen Family

Cross Country Banquet

2011-11-15T21:18:00.000-06:00

Coach had nice things to say about Blake. Hard to believe this time next year he will be a Senior. I will have to bring my tissues next year.

Kendall's Baptism

2011-11-03T20:55:00.000-05:00

District XC Meet

2011-10-29T16:48:00.004-05:00

U of H Meet 2011

2011-08-27T21:36:00.001-05:00

Finish line at the U of H meet

Cross Country 2011

2011-08-27T21:35:00.002-05:00

Cross Country season kicked off last weekend. I will post pictures from that meet later. Today was our 2nd meet of the season. It was hosted by U of H downtown along Buffalo Bayou. It was a steep, hilly course and lots of kids fell.

This week was also the start of the school year. Those pictures will be posted soon as well.

Blake began his Junior year. He actually is driving himself around these days. This has been super helpful! So far, he has changed his schedule a few times but we hope it is right starting on Monday.

Kendall started off her 7th grade year with a brand new school. They finally built a junior high in our neighborhood. It is a very cool building! She will start cross country this year as well. I can't say she is thrilled but she is doing it to keep in shape for swimming. I think she will also be swimming year round again so she should be good and tired!

Swimming 2011

2011-06-21T13:28:00.001-05:00

Catching Up

2011-04-03T20:00:00.004-05:00

K-State vs. North Texas Game Willie!

Rodeo...Tim McGraw

Where Blake spends his time

The new car!

Cathcing up...that about sums up what life has been like at our house since the last time I logged on here. Work has become crazy for everyone. Homework and afterschool activities keep everyone occupied. It seems like we have very little time to just relax. I think we are all looking forward to summer and a bit of a slow down.

So, to keep this brief I will at least try to update on the kids.

Kendall has been busy with school. It seems that we never really have to check up on her to see if she is keeping up with homework, etc. She just does it and has made straight A's this school year. She is expanding her interests and her circle of friends. Kendall has gotten involved with youth group at church now that she is in middle school. She is about to start summer swim season in the next few weeks. She also has her camps planned out for summer so it will be a packed summer once again. Her new adventure will be running cross country next year in 7th grade...we will see how that goes as she really isn't fond of running.

Blake has been, well, obsessed. Back in the fall, he began rebuilding an engine for a Mustang. In January, he found a car and now owns a 1966 Mustang. It's in great shape and he has been working on it daily. Aside from that, he has stayed involved in youth group and has run track this season. His final track meet is actually this week. I will be happy to have him driving so that I am no longer his driver!

Fall Update

2010-11-07T14:08:00.004-06:00

October Camping/Canoe Trip

This pic is pre-Canoe and mud fight

Kendall's Birthday! She got her Kindle that she has been asking for.

Blake during one of the last Cross Coutry Meets.

Getting ready to run

I haven't had much time to post pictures or what we are up to. There hasn't been time for much of anything. In fact, we went 3 weeks without a grocery store trip which wasn't fun. Someone always has to be dropped off or picked up somewhere. There is always something going on that I have to be at work early, late ar both. It seems that this year I am constantly at the store getting science supplies. Ted has started going to College Station most every day for work now also. That has left me to be the driver and that is a full-time job. I will truly be happy when Blake can drive himself places.

Blake has finally finished the Cross Country season as of last weekend. It was a bit of a rough season. He started having chest pain and we took him back to the cardiologist. After stress tests, ultrasounds, EKGs and 2 weeks of wearing a heart monitor, they deemed him to be healthy. Well, we made it about 2 weeks with no problems. After the District Meet, he had pain and other symptoms again. I took him to the ER. They don't think it is his heart but banned him from sports until a follow-up with his doctor. The pediatrician feels he may have some acid reflux issues and muscle strain. So, we are going to try treating that and see how it goes. It has been overly eventful at our house for that reason alone.

This past week, Blake has been extremely busy with the Hairspray production with Theatre at school. He is on the set/run crew. They have had practice every night until about 9:30. Then it is home to eat and finish homework before going to bed. Thursday night was their opening performance. We attended the Saturday night performance and were very impressed. These kids put on an amazing show and sold out several shows! The final performance is Monday night. Then, hopefully we can wind down for at least a month.

Kendall has been busy with school. She's had lots of homework that she stays on top of. Her grades have been fabulous. She is also getting a lot more involved with Youth Group. One of her big accomplishments this fall has been having her art displayed at the main offices in the district. Sadly, we are not swimming right now. I honestly don't see how I would get her to practice with the way the year has been going.

That's the highlights! I am sure there will be more to post soon. We are planning a trip to Manhattan for Thanksgiving. Something fun to look forward to!

Spring Creek Invitational

2010-09-26T16:05:00.002-05:00

Homecoming Week 2010

2010-09-19T19:27:00.005-05:00

Cross Country Meet @ Spring BranchComing in for the finish

Whole group getting ready to leave for dinner

The guys

Blake and Amy

Group photo

The guys, again

Blake getting ready to leave

Homecoming 2010, by K Paulsen

2010-09-18T21:40:00.001-05:00

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos

First Week of School

2010-08-29T17:42:00.003-05:00

This was the first week of school. We are all still alive! I think we could still all use a little more sleep but we will eventually recover. Blake started Sophomore year and had some glitches in his schedule. They put him in Freshman English again. Seriously?? But, he got it all worked out and is in the correct spot now. He's been busy with cross country. They practice twice a day. At 6:15 am and again at 2:30 pm.
Kendall started her first year of Junior High. She loves it and has mastered getting into her locker. She loves her math teacher the best so far. He keeps them laughing. She has done all of her assignments plus the extra credit. Can you say overachiever?

First Day PhotoAt the starting line...U of H Cougar Classic...sophomore runHeaded for the Finish Line

U of H Cougar Classic Finish

2010-08-29T17:39:00.000-05:00

U of H Cougar Classic video #2

2010-08-29T17:36:00.000-05:00

U of H Cougar Classic Aug. 28, 2010

2010-08-29T17:34:00.000-05:00

Cake Time

2010-08-08T21:29:00.000-05:00

Waiting for Blake

2010-08-08T21:28:00.000-05:00

Present Time

2010-08-08T21:25:00.000-05:00

More Pool Fun

2010-08-08T21:20:00.000-05:00

Surprise Party Pool Fun

2010-08-08T21:18:00.000-05:00

Blake's Surprise Party

2010-08-08T21:15:00.000-05:00

Surprise Party!

2010-08-08T20:50:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, we had a surprise birthday party for Blake. His birthday was 2 weeks ago but since he was out of town, we did not have the official party then.

In the pool

Blake after walking into his surprise...

More pool time...

Happy 15th Birthday, Blake!

2010-07-24T11:17:00.003-05:00

Divisionals Meet Butterfly June 19,2010

2010-06-24T17:05:00.000-05:00

Divisionals Meet Freestyle June 19, 2010

2010-06-24T17:03:00.000-05:00

A Few June Highlights

2010-06-21T18:30:00.008-05:00

Hard to believe that June is half over. I really don't want to think about it! Our summer swim season just ended this weekend. It seems like the season just started and now it is over. We only have the awards ceremony this week and then it is done. Time seems to move faster and faster these days.
It has been quite the summer so far. Last week was my first full week off. The week after we got out, I spent 3 days at a Leadership Conference. I was excited that we heard so really great speakers and I am motivated for August (sort of). My first full week off began with learning that I'd been a victim of identity theft. That was not an exciting way to start the summer! Luckily, I have resolved the issue. It just proves that no matter how careful you are, people can find ways to steal.
Blake has been practicing for cross country already. He runs 3 mornings a week with other kids from the neighborhood. Last week, he volunteered to help with VBS. He was put in the room with 3rd and 4th graders. They must have really worn him out since he came home and napped the first two days. I think he felt it was worth it at the end of the week when he got some thank you notes from the kids. Other than that, he has been at the pool a couple times per week, or ice skating on Friday nights or spending the night with friends. He's got 2 camps coming up in July that he is looking forward to.
Kendall has been busy with swim practice most days. We have already done a little shopping for clothes for next year. She has spent lots of time texting. I think she misses school! Kendall has had a few sleepovers already this summer. She's also been in our pool quite a bit. I know she is pretty happy about being able to walk out the back door and be in the pool. Her first ever camp is next week. This week, we will be getting her packed up and ready. I know that she is excited. (Blake probably is too.)

Car work...

Well, it was my intention to upload some video from the swim season. It isn't cooperating tonight so I will try again tomorrow.

Summer is Almost Here...

2010-05-29T20:44:00.007-05:00

We are ready for summer! After this much needed 3-day weekend, the kids have two school days left. Actually, I take that back...Blake has one half day left. High school has early release for Finals and he has exepted his Tuesday finals.
It's been an exciting May! Swim season has kicked off. This means being up early and at the pool every Saturday morning for a swim meet. Kendall has had an exciting May. She scored Commended on all of her state tests (Math, Reading, and Science)! She won a medal for her DARE essay on Friday. She was very proud to win for her class. Friday was also her 5th grade Party...the one thing all kids wait for! It's been a busy month for her.
Blake is just busy being social this month. He's looking forward to getting his permit this summer so he can start legally driving. I have a feeling we will be chauferring him all summer. He is ready to start having some swim parties here at the house. I think he is ready for a break from studying. He's had great grades this year and we are very proud of him!
I'm posting some pics from the month...

5th Grade Party Day

Getting her DARE essay medal

Shaking hands after getting her DARE certificate

5th Grade Choir getting ready to perform

Field Day
Butterfly...she won this heat

BackstrokeBreaststroke...she's in the middle of the pool in this picture

Home Stretch

2010-04-11T23:55:00.008-05:00

It seems like we just started this school year. Now, we are in that home stretch. I am sure there will be days that drag on but summer will be here before we know it.

What we've been up to...

Blake just finished up his track season. He did a phenomenal job running the 400 m and the 4x400 m races.

Blake has chosen all of his classes for his Sophomore year.

Blake is working on getting his car (Ted's car) ready for driving his Junior year.

Kendall finished up her year-round swimming. She is now starting summer league. Hard to believe the season is already upon us but summer league is a lot of fun!

Kendall has chosen her classes for her first year of middle school next year.

Kendall has mastered the art of texting.

Ted has been gearing up for work in College Station. That will be a good hike each day that he drives up there. Blake and I may head that way to check out Texas A&M campus over the summer. Not his first choice but in his Top 3.

Kristin had a crazy idea and joined an over-30 coed soccer team. It's been fun so far! And no injuries...yet.

We've had one really great camping weekend already. Beautiful weather and looking forward to the next trip over Memorial Day weekend. One day soon, we hope to make the trip and camp at Tuttle Creek in Manhattan, KS.

The kids are all signed up for church camps this summer. Wondering where to fit in some family trips...It has become harder for us to get away in the summers. Sure would be easier for people to just come here!

Those are the highlights! Here are a few pictures from the past month...

How could I forget...Kendall and I went to see the Jonas Brothers at the Rodeo this year...not the best picture but we were pretty high up. Had better seats for Toby Keith but no pictures of that one.

Blake, third from right, getting ready for a race

Camping Pictures...Huntsville State Park

Track Season

2010-03-04T21:36:00.002-06:00

We are in the midst of Track Season now at our house. Tonight was Blake's 3rd meet. He has been running the 400m dash and the 4 x 400 relay. Here is some video of tonight's 400m dash. Blake is just above the kid in the red jersey. He placed 5th overall for the Freshman (out of both heats).

The Orthodontist

2010-02-08T21:31:00.002-06:00

So Kendall has been a frequent patient at the orthodontist for the past 2 years. Her first task was having 4 teeth pulled. With that accomplished, they put a top set of braces on. After wearing those for a year and a half, last summer she was put into a retainer. She has religiously worn the retainer since she got it. She takes it out for swimming and to eat but immediately asks for it once she is finished! Well, tonight, they told her she only has to wear it to sleep in. This is exciting news! We even get a break from visits for a whole 3 months! Next, she will get to spend some time this summer without having to wear the retainer. Most likely by the start of junior high next August, she will be in a full set of braces. This gives us plenty of time to save up!

January 2010

2010-01-30T09:30:00.004-06:00

January has definitely flown by. It has been very fast-paced and sadly, probably the slowest of the next few months from the looks of our calendar.

Ted has finally finished his project in the Medical Center. He has been able to enjoy driving to the main (much closer) office. It has also been helpful to be able to rely on him to help shuttle kids to where they need to be. I think that is short-lived though. He just picked up 2 jobs in College Station and 1 in Liberty. Neither are exceptionally close to home.

Blake has started with track practice. He is running the longer distances. He had to sit out for 2 days this past week. They run EKGs on the athletes and Blake had an abnormal EKG. So, he was not allowed to participate until he saw the cardiologist. We went in for that appointment on Monday afternoon. They did another EKG and echocardiogram. The cardiologist cleared him to play so he is back at it. He has also been busy with volunteering with Key Club. This has let him see lots of different things...Special Olympics Bowling, Rockets games, Aeros hockey, etc.

Kendall stays busy everyday with swimming. We haven't been very good at getting to meets. We've done at least 3 though. Once the summer swim team starts up, we will be swimming every Saturday. Kendall is really enjoying her 5th grade year. This week they had a skating party. Now, she is looking forward to her 5th Grade Party in May.

I am enjoying a rare Saturday without a camp today. The next two Saturdays, I have camp. By the looks of my calendar right now, I am going to be gone to meetings more than I will be at school! That will make getting ready for camps a little rough. These Saturdays have made it hard for us to get out the camper and enjoy it. We've had to cancel a couple of trips already. I will be glad to see the end of April roll around!

We are all looking forward to Spring Break! Once again, it falls over my birthday so I can at least enjoy that day off. I will definitely enjoy the break this year.

Below are a few clips from Kendall's inter-squad meet last night...

Kendall is 2nd from top...breaststroke

Kendall at the top...freestyle

Kendall at the bottom...butterfly

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T10:33:00.006-06:00

We are home from our trip to Georgia for Christmas. It was a good Christmas. Got to spend time with the family and ate too much. We also got to take a trip to the new Infantry Museum. Below are some pics from the visit...

Blake and Ted practicing their shooting at The Infantry Museum
"Follow Me" statue outside the museum

Kendall getting ready to open presents

Blake and the laptop Santa brought

Meredith, Nick, Trinity, Brinly

Family Photo

Trinity and Brinly

Uncle Brett and Blake

Brett and Karen

Nana, Papa and all the kids

Snow in Houston!!

2009-12-06T00:08:00.003-06:00

Well, it really happened. Friday, we got to school and it snowed! By the time we got out for the day, it had all melted. Basically, it was a wasted day because the kids were too excited to really focus on anything but the white stuff outside. I can honestly say that the snow did not excite me one bit. It was funny to see grown adults so excited about snow. Seriously, how exciting is snow?? It is the reason I love Houston...it doesn't snow or get miserably cold. So, I am glad the snow is gone and that we will be back to our normal Houston weather. It has also reinforced my desire to never live anywhere else. Texas is it!

No snow pictures but this one is recent!

Thanksgiving Break

2009-11-27T17:48:00.003-06:00

Thanksgiving Break. It is one of my favorite breaks from the year. This year, it arrived at just the right time when we all felt like we could use some time off. I don't think we have wasted one second of it this year!

The days leading up to our 3-day break started off on a sad note. Facebook has been one of those things that has brought me many blessings in that I have been able to reconnect with old friends. Sadly, we learned that one of our high school classmates (the 4th out of 100) passed away. He was someone whose daily posts would bring a smile to your face and just make you feel good. His passing has made us all very aware of the things we have to be thankful for. His life taught us that we should live every day to the fullest.

So, we have had a very full break. I think we have all enjoyed every minute of our time off and together. We kicked it off the day we got out. We went and saw "New Moon" with a theater full of teens. I have a feeling that when the next movie hits, Kendall will be just as crazed as the rest of the theater was. Definitely an experience! I have read all 4 books and am looking forward to the next movie.

I spent Wednesday cooking so I wouldn't have as much to do on Thursday. So, for two days, we cooked and ate and ate some more. It was all delicious. I have come to the realization that fried turkey is the way to go! We opted not to fry it this year and it just wasn't the same. Maybe we've just been in Texas too long and have acquired different tastes.

Friday, Ted and I got up like crazy people to get a great refrigerator deal. Well, Lowe's did not have the deals they said they would have. So, we ended up at Sears and got a good deal there. I don't think we will ever again get up early on Black Friday. Nothing is worth that mess.

We finished the week off by going to see "The Blind Side". What an excellent movie! One we will most certainly purchase to watch again and again. All in all it was a great break and we can't wait for Christmas Break in a few weeks!

The end of Football Season

2009-11-08T12:09:00.004-06:00

Well, football season is now over for Blake. This past Thursday was the last game of the season. I was looking forward to not having to juggle carpool rides, having cash on game day, and rushing to get to a game every Thursday. I say "was" because Blake has now decided to try out wrestling. Wrestling begins Monday. So much for having free time. Oh well...as long as he is doing something he enjoys and is managing his activities and grades as well as he has been, I can't complain.

Kendall is still with swimming. We didn't do the swim meet this weekend. Originally, we were scheduled to go camping. I had to teach Science Camp Saturday and so Ted decided last minute to cancel the camping trip. We have a swim fundraiser in a week as well as another meet. I am hoping that I do not have to miss her February swim meet at LSU...I am supposed to have a Science Camp that Saturday. I really hate to think I will have to miss the meet! Maybe someone will step up and teach instead that Saturday. We'll see. I miss summer league swimming...it was so close and much shorter practice time. It will be here before we know it though.

A dressed-up Blake

2009-10-28T18:19:00.002-05:00

Swim Meet

2009-10-18T20:11:00.005-05:00

This weekend brought Kendall's first swim meet with Texas Terrapins Swim Team. After such a great experience with the summer swim team, Kendall decided she wanted to do this year-round. Since she turned 11 in September, she also moved into a new age group. The meet was an all weekend meet. Kendall was not in any events Friday night but swam both Saturday and Sunday. She was not nervous and never noticed the difference we could see with her move into the new age group. As Kendall stood on the blocks, she was surrounded by girls who are nearly twice her size! She was also swimming distances she had never swam in a meet before. It was quite a learning experience and she now knows what to expect. Our pictures and video did not turn out great but here are a couple from the weekend.

Kendall talking to her coach (in the green cap)

Kendall's first event on Saturday was the 100 IM. She is in the last lane in this clip.

We have another meet next weekend. Unfortunately, I will miss Saturday due to having to teach Saturday Science Camp. Hopefully, I will get to go on Sunday.

The upcoming week is a busy one for Blake as well. It is his high school Homecoming week. They have a parade on Tuesday which is during school hours. Wednesday is their Pep Rally and JV game. Thursday is the Freshman game. Saturday is the dance that Blake is still deciding on. He's gonna have one busy week!

Teen Idols Concert

2009-09-27T15:33:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday, we celebrated Kendall's birthday a little early. For her birthday, my mom came to visit for the week and treated us to the Teen Idols concert. It was our first time seeing Peter Noone. (My mom is a Lifetime fan) It was the kids first ever concert. Before the concert, we met other fans for dinner. Ted, mom and Kendall all won door prizes.

The concert was actually 3 people...Mark Lindsay from the group Paul Revere and the Raiders, Mickey Dolenz from The Monkees, and Peter Noone from Herman's Hermits. It was a really good concert. We had great seats. Kendall was picked out of the audience and given a free CD from Peter Noone. After the concert, we got to meet him and he autographed her CD. The kids are now fans and want to go see Peter in concert in January when he plays in Galveston.

Below are a few video clips from the concert.

Mark Lindsay

Mickey Dolenz

Peter Noone

Happy Birthday, Kendall!

2009-09-22T22:20:00.000-05:00

High School and Other Craziness

2009-09-13T16:30:00.000-05:00

You would think that with a 3-day Labor Day weekend, the following week would be a breeze. No such luck!
Labor Day weekend was a busy one. Looking back, it probably would have been better spent resting and letting some of us get over the sore throats and congestion. Again, no such luck.
We spent the weekend learning about Texas history. We spent Saturday at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park. We saw the replica building where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed. We also went to the museum they have at the park. It was really an interesting museum with a lot of cool artifacts. Our next stop was Brenham where the Blue Bell Ice Cream factory is. We got there just in time for them to close. They were nice enough to hand out ice cream sandwiches for free. Then, on Monday we headed to the San Jacinto Monument. This required a ride on the ferry. Once there, we got to see the movie about how Texas won its independence. Really an amazing story. Next stop was Battleship Texas. It was way too hot to really enjoy looking around the ship. Plus, when you aren't feeling good, it is even less exciting.
The "short" 4-day week began with High School Open House. Ted chose to take Kendall to swimming. I was left to brave Blake's schedule. It really isn't a bad schedule. He definitely gets a workout between classes going upstairs, downstairs and back. Out of his 7 teachers, 3 had to be sent home early due to illness and one had the varsity volleyball game to coach. So, I have only met 3. It definitely sank in that we are in the final stretch of school before college. Blake has been busy with football daily. In a few weeks, he has Homecoming. He is trying to decide who he wants to ask to the dance now. I'm sure it will be a tough choice for him. I just hope he does it in enough time. Homecoming in Texas is a big deal!
The week is always kept busy with after school activity. Blake has had a lot of homework. Mostly Geometry. Good thing I loved Geometry and have been able to help him. He usually gets home from football, eats, does homework and goes to bed. Kendall has been busy with swimming. She swims 4 days a week now for an hour and a half. It definitely makes for a busy week.
Work has been crazy busy as well. I usually don't sit down for long. There is always something that needs to be done or someone who needs something. It is always different which is nice. I go home exhausted so I must be getting things done! I am certainly learning that not everyone listens or does what they've been asked. That can be frustrating.

It was also a great week to learn that there are some people in life you can always count on. There are others whom are just not worth the effort. I am so glad that I have many people in my life and my family's life that are of the sort we can count on. It was also a week that brought sad news. September has not been a good month the last 2 years. It can only get better!

San Jacinto Monument

Battleship Texas (San Jacinto Monument in background)

View of Battleship from top of monument

Washington-on-the-Brazos Park

Building a log cabin at the museum

Ted and Kendall

Outside of museum

Back to School

2009-09-05T09:23:00.003-05:00

I guess it has been a while since I updated this blog. Summer is now over for us. School has started up again. We all went back for the official first day on August 24. Blake started high school, Kendall started 5th grade.
Blake likes high school so far. He is coming to the realization though that he has a lot of homework. He is the only Freshman on his Geometry class. He is taking 3 Level 1 classes...Biology, World Geography and English. He also has Spanish I and Health to take and then Football. Football has kept him busy after school most days. It has also kept him constantly in search of his next meal. His first game was supposed to be on Thursday but it was cancelled due to lightning.
Kendall is enjoying being a 5th grader. She is looking forward to getting to do all of the exciting things 5th graders do...Choir, 5th Grade Party, etc. She has 3 teachers again this year and is happy with who she has. One of them was Blake's 5th grade teacher also. Sadly, Kendall has not had much homework. Maybe that will start to pick up soon. She is already looking forward to middle school and getting a locker. Kendall has started year-round swim team. She swims 4 days a week for and hour and a half. Luckily, they swim at Blake's high school so I am there one way or another.
I am adding a few random pictures from the past month...

Scrimmage Game- Blake is #3
Another Football Pic

Making lunch on the first day of school

Blake on the first day of school

After Pics of Kitchen

2009-08-04T16:10:00.002-05:00

So, it would have been easier to put this all in one post but the pictures were out of order when I loaded them. So, I am just doing this in 3 phases. Glad to have it all done!! Now, I get to save up for new appliances. :)

"During" Photos

2009-08-04T16:00:00.003-05:00

Here are a few photos of the kitchen in progress...

Before Photos of Kitchen

2009-08-04T15:58:00.002-05:00

After many weeks of toying with the idea of moving and not really seeing anything on the market worth moving to, we decided to do a little remodeling. Here are a few before pictures of the kitchen.

Happy Birthday, Blake!

2009-08-04T15:26:00.002-05:00

Happy 14th Birthday, Blake!!

The Paulsen 4th of July

2009-07-09T20:40:00.017-05:00

We are back from an awesome trip from Chicago spending Independence Day with the Paulsen side. It was good to get away and play. We drove to Racine Wisconsin on the 4th to eat, swim, eat, hang out with Family, eat and watch the annual "Uncle Rick and Cousin Sam Fireworks Show". The weather was very refreshing (60's to 70's) after spending several weeks in the Houston scorching heat. Blake swam for a couple of hours but to no suprise Kendall was in the pool all day long. Kristin relaxed by the pool and Ted & Blake played sports with friends and family for most of the time.

On the 5th and 6th we hungout at Uncle John's and Aunt Cyd's having a great time visiting with relatives playing horseshoes, yard toss and swimming. We also were able to catch a movie (Ice Age III), feed the ducks, go paddle boating, play cards with Grandma Paulsen and celebrate Blake's birthday.

Summer 2009

2009-06-13T20:08:00.012-05:00

Kendall waiting her turn in freestyle relay
Backstroke

Kendall's dive

We are officially out of school!! We have been out for a little over a week now. It hasn't actually felt like summer yet. I suppose it has something to do with the fact that we had so many unusual events during the school year...random days/weeks off for hurricanes and flooding. Perhaps once we reach next week, it will feel more like summer vacation. Maybe I shouldn't use the word "vacation"...we don't really get to have one of those this year. It is going to be a bit busy and I have yet to find a sliver of time so that we can go and do something fun.

It has been an exciting week off for most of us. Blake went on a Mission trip with church for the week. He had a great time and got to work with 2 different families. They did a lot of yard work, built stairs and built a deck. He is on the waiting list for a camp in July and he really, really hopes he gets to go. Kendall got a week of no Blake which was heaven for her. We got our nails done and our hair cut. She spent a lot of time at the pool for practice. We also took her to an Astros game and she brought her friend along. They were more worried about what the people around us looked like and where the guy was who was selling cotton candy! I had an exciting week because I interviewed for a new position. It is a position at my current school and I didn't tell many people that I had even applied. It was a little strange interviewing with people I already know...I am not sure if that made the process easier or more nerve-wracking. I am happy to say that I got the position and am excited about being the new Instructional Specialist (Math/Science). It will be a learning experience but I can always use the excuse of being "new", right?

We have had many swim meets over the last month. Every Saturday, we are up by 6AM and at the pool by 7:15-ish. We are usually home by 2pm or so. Kendall has cut her times quite a bit since the start of the season. She is about 2 seconds from qualifying for an invitational meet which is great since this is the first season for her to swim. We plan to sign her up for a year-round program since she likes it so much.

Kendall's First Swim Meet and Blake's 8th Grade Dance

2009-05-17T21:27:00.009-05:00

Before the dance

The guys before the dance

Kendall is in the lane next to the 5ft mark

Kendall is right in between the 2 guys in white shirts in this one

Floods, Flu, and Swimming

2009-05-03T19:26:00.008-05:00

It's been a crazy week around here. We have experienced lots of firsts this school year. This week, we actually got a day off of school due to flooding. We had extreme amounts of rain Monday and part of Tuesday. Due to the rain, our school district had to cancel because there were several areas that were flooded. Luckily, we did not have any flooding and I only experienced flooded streets on my way to work Wednesday. Because of this "flood day", our state TAKS testing was thrown off by a day. So, on Wednesday, we began our testing. Poor Blake has his last test tomorrow. Then, we got to experience the panic of Swine Flu. On Friday, our district shut down one elementary for 2 weeks. It will be interesting to see if we make it to June 3rd without having to shut down.

Our other first for the year was today's Swim Meet. Kendall did very well for it being her first time ever. She was nervous about it at first but calmed down and had a good time. She swam 5 events today so they could get times on the kids. She swam 25 Yd Freestyle, 25 Yd Breaststroke, 100 Yd IM, 25 Yd Backstroke, and 25 Yd Butterfly. Below is a picture from today as well as a video.

Kendall finishing breaststroke

Kendall in her freestyle event (she's the one in the middle)

TSA Regional Competition

2009-04-18T15:53:00.005-05:00

Blake got to attend his first TSA competition this weekend. It was in our school district at The Berry Center. He entered the go-cart that he has been working on. It is actually just the frame for the go-cart. He can't manage to talk us into paying for an engine and seat. However, Blake's project won Second place! He now gets to attend the state competition May 8-10 in Waco, TX. He'll be able to make some improvements on the go-cart before State.

Blake's go-cart. Those are the high school projects in the back.

The Berry Center

Blake with his project

The write-up of what he did

Another view

Stephen F. Austin Camping Trip

2009-04-12T22:28:00.002-05:00

Stephen F. Austin State Historical Park
Kendall posing with "The Father of Texas"
The bluebonnets were in bloom at the monument

Over Easter weekend, we took a camping trip to Stephen F. Austin State Park. It was much closer to home than we realized. We had the chance to visit the historical portion of the park as well. The lady who is the tour guide really knew her Texas history! She was full of stories and we learned a lot. We had a good time at the park exploring the trails. Maddy went along with us and as always, was a good dog. She had the opportunity to see a racoon. Luckily, it was from a distance. We left just in time on Sunday to beat the bad weather. It was well worth packing up the night before so that we had little to do to leave on Sunday.

Now, it is back to work and school. Kendall and I counted the weeks before school is out. I think we have about 7 1/2 weeks left. Only one more break in sight. Memorial Day!

Busy Busy

2009-03-31T22:37:00.003-05:00

I don't know where March has gone! It seems like just yesterday I was waiting for it to arrive. Now, it's over. I'm not sure how that is possible. It at least gets us one month closer to summer vacation.

Speaking of summer vacation, I am not sure how much of a "vacation" it will end up being. At the time, keeping the kids busy this summer seemed like a great idea. This week, however, I have been plotting everything on my calendar and am not sure it was such a great idea. I feel like my time over the next 3 months is spoken for.

Blake will be the busiest of all. Wait a minute...if he's busy...so am I...he can't drive yet! I am thinking of stocking the car with books, movies, snacks and drinks so that Kendall and I will be prepared for our shuttle service this summer. I am happy that Blake is booked though so he can get adjusted to managing his time in bits and pieces before high school hits. It will be a nice ease-in to all of that. Whoever said kids were the most work as babies was a LIAR!! Right now, I am thinking that when Blake hits 16, I may like it. He can take himself to all of these events.

Kendall just has swimming on her plate for now. Since Blake is also swimming, I won't be going too many different directions. They'll have practices and meets at the same times. I am hoping to find another thing or two for Kendall to do this summer. If she had it her way, she'd be content to swim every day. Surely, there will be some interesting books on the summer reading list as well.

As soon as I figure out a few more dates for camps, etc. I am hoping to find some time this summer for an actual vacation. I know I will be ready to get away for a few days this summer. I need to do my research and decide on a few places to go. It will be nice to spend time somewhere that isn't dictated.

Until mid-summer, we won't be travelling far. Maybe not even until the end of July. Our camper may get some good use over the next several months. Until then, if anyone wants to see us...you know where to find us! The guest room is ready.

Home Improvements

2009-03-18T16:35:00.003-05:00

Kendall's new redecorated room
New Foyer light fixture

New ceiling fan in living room and finished tile

We've had many "projects" lately. Next project is painting the rest of the walls.

Hilton Head

2009-03-18T16:15:00.003-05:00

Hilton Head, SC...we rode these bikes for miles
The nice guy in the tackle shop came and took pictures for us so we could all be in them!

We found another nice guy to take this one.

This week we are getting a taste of summer. We are on Spring Break this week and it has already gone by way too fast. The kids have enjoyed not doing much of anything. We have done a little work in the yard and have all stayed up far too late.

That being said, I think our actual summer will be far busier in many ways. With the arrival of spring, we also had the arrival of High School registration. Blake has now signed up and wirtten his plans in stone. He will be taking English (K Level), Biology I (K Level), Geometry (we opted out of K Level on this one), World Geography (K Level), Spanish I (again since this year's teacher was not the best), Communications App (Speech Class), Keyboarding, and Athletics-Football. Over the summer, he plans to take a half credit class to get it out of the way. Blake's summer is pretty full! He'll be going to 2 different Youth Group camps, Summer School for about 3 weeks, Summer Swim Team, Strength and Conditioning camp at the high school and then Football Camp at the high school. I don't think we can fit one more thing into the summer! So, right now, I am going to try and lay it all out and see if we have any small gaps that we can use for a little mini vacation.

I shouldn't complain though. I did just come back from a fablous trip to Hilton Head, SC. This was a trip that fell absolutely into place just perfectly. Four of my friends from high school and I all met and had a great weekend together. It is nice to know that some things never really change. We had just as much fun together as we always did. It is our goal to make this an annual get together. The timing of it works out well since we all have birthdays within the same time frame of March-April. Below are a few pics from our trip.

January 2009

2009-01-25T23:00:00.004-06:00

January has already been an eventful month. Everyone is back to school. We all went back a day early thanks to Hurricane Ike. School will be over before we know it and we will be enjoying our summer.
In the meantime...we've managed to find time to have a little fun. We decided that we really needed to make more of an effort to use our camper. So, we have scheduled 5 trips over the next 6 months. Our first trip was over MLK weekend. It was a very cold weekend! We chose to go camping at Lake Livingston State Park. It was a great place to camp even though it was a bit chilly. Below are a few pictures from the trip. Next trip is scheduled for March during the first weekend of Spring Break.
This leads me to my next bit of excitement...over the last several months I have been fortunate enough to reconnect with several of my close girlfriends from High School. We have had a great time on Facebook exchanging messages, pictures, and memories. We have picked up right where we left off and it has been the best gift I could ever ask for. The most exciting part is that timing has fallen into place and we are all getting together for a weekend of fun in Hilton Head, SC in March. Sadly, I will be deserting the planned camping trip. BUT, I am so excited to see my friends. I know it will be a fast, fun weekend but I look forward to it. Good thing I will have the rest of the week off for Spring Break to recover!
The kids are still swimming. Blake is doing well in school and came out with all A's and B's for the first semester. Kendall still loves school. She just made straight A's for the second time this semester. They are both trying to avoid getting the flu that is going around. Hopefully, we avoid it at our house this year!

View of Lake Livingston just across from our site
Not sure what Kendall was doing...

Campfire

Blake has become quite helpful with setting things up

View of our "Second Home"

Merry Christmas 2008

2008-12-29T21:40:00.004-06:00

Kendall and Kit in matching pjs
A new laptop from Santa

Blake with his new toy from Santa
Meredith, Nick, and the girls
Family photo
Blake loves Uncle Brett
Cousins

2008-12-12T21:27:00.002-06:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Election Day

2008-11-04T20:01:00.003-06:00

Last night was Kendall's 4th grade PE Program. They did several routines that I will post this week. I thought their final routine was an appropriate post for today.

"Proud to Be An American"

Cross Country Season

2008-10-27T20:15:00.008-05:00

Getting ready to start the Final Race of the season and as an 8th Grader
**Note to Blake...DO NOT put Dawn in the dishwasher!!**

Third Meet of the season...headed to the Finish Line

Second Meet of the season

Beginning of the District Meet...aprox. 180 8th grade boys from the entire district ran this race tonight.

Midway through the race...the course was about 1.8 miles

Blake headed for the Finish Line...came in 87th. Not bad out of 180! His time was 11 minutes 30 seconds. I think it was his best time of the season. Now, he gets to decide whether or not to do this next year in High School.

September Update

2008-10-13T18:21:00.002-05:00

Well, I had intended to add more to the blog this school year. I guess I am doing better than last year. Hurricane Ike kind of threw everyone's plans off kilter.

We survived Ike a few weeks ago. We had little damage to our house. A few shingles lost, lost of leaves and branches in the yard and a little water leaked in through the attic onto the living room ceiling. Listening to the storm was a little scary. It started getting really windy around midnight and just picked up from there. The kids ended up sleeping downstairs in our closet that night. We lost power for just under 2 days. It was good that the neighbors had a generator and we were able to save our frozen meat. For several days, we had cookouts with the neighbors. We ended up being out of school for 7 school days. Now, we get the luxury of making up at least 3 of those missed days. It has been almost like starting the year all over again.

The kids have been busy this year. Blake has had lots more homework and is learning he has to actually study. I think he takes after me...I never studied and made it through. I have had to really go back and refresh my memory with Algebra I. Spanish...he's on his own! Those are both high school credit classes. He is also running cross country again this year. He was torn between that or football. He has done pretty well at the meets...coming in in the 30s out of 100+ runners. They have 2 more meets to go.

Kendall has also been busy this year in 4th grade. She does her homework without a fight. She is finally learning to like reading for fun now too. This is also the year of having to learn all of those dreaded states and capitals. The projects have already begun! Both kids have started swimming lessons to prepare them for swim team. Kendall's coach has already asked her to please join swim team. This place is pretty hard-core about their swimming so I know once we sign her up, we will live to swim. Maybe this will be her thing though. She refuses to play a sport involving a ball unless it's golf!

The First Day of School

2008-08-25T22:04:00.004-05:00

Kendall ready for 4th grade!
Kristin and Kendall on the first day of school
Blake and Kendall and that's the dog peeking out through the curtains

Blake ready to go to the bus stop
Kristin and Blake ready for school (I cheated and stood on the step...really he is as tall as I am)

Well, we all survived the first day of school.

Blake started 8th grade. He has a full load of classes this year. Two classes are high school credit classes...Spanish I and Algebra I. He is also in athletics. Tonight, I was informed that he has decided to run cross country and play football. These sports run in the same season here. This means going to one meet and one game per week. These are spread throughout the district as well. Lots and lots of driving! He at least enjoys all of his classes so far. Of course, homework has not begun yet...

Kendall started 4th grade today. She has 3 teachers again this year. One of them is Blake's favorite teacher from when he was in elementary. Kendall was just excited to see her friends and how the boys had all grown out their hair. I'm sure she will have a good year. She likes school and does whatever they tell her. She also started after school care at our church. She is with all of her good friends so that helps. She looked really tired tonight! I know she will pass out on Friday when we get home.

I had a good day today also. Since I am in a different role this year as an at-risk teacher, I don't have a homeroom or full class. I spent the day calling parents of the kids who were unsure of how they were getting home. It was entertaining to say the least. I get to do it all over again tomorrow. Hopefully, by Wednesday, I will be able to start working on my schedule so I can start pulling kids in 3rd thru 5th grade. The new school is beautiful and they finished so much over the last week. We did have lots of district people and the news crews show up. It was a little chaotic. Hopefully, they won't all be there tomorrow.

I'm trying to make an effort to post more. I was lazy this summer...

Trip to Disney World--June 2008

2008-06-19T21:34:00.004-05:00

The whole family at Magic Kingdom
Trinity and Kendall in the Tea Cups
Celebrating Father's Day with PaPa
Kendall, Blake and Ted on Father's Day
Blake as "Hannah Montana"
Kendall posing with Mickey Mouse
Walking through Animal Kingdom
Kendall and Trinity dressed up for dinner
At The Grand Floridian for dinner

2008-06-05T13:38:00.004-05:00

Final Band Concert

2008-05-20T21:34:00.004-05:00

This is video of one of the songs Blake's band played last night. It is called Superheroes R Us. They did a great job. The results of their contests were announced. For their UIL contest, they were the only band out of 30 regional bands to score straight 1's. They also won a trophy at last Friday's contest and I think they placed in something else as well. As of right now, we are not doing band next year. I can't say I am terribly sad about it.

April Camping

2008-04-27T18:05:00.005-05:00

Kendall waking up

Blake visiting the statue of Sam Houston in Huntsville

Blake and Louis waiting for the rain to stop
Blake and Louis getting ready to go fishing at McKinney Falls
Playing around

Here are a few shots from our camping trips this April. Last weekend, we went to Huntsville State Park. This weekend, we were at McKinney Falls State Park in Austin. We have one more trip next weekend and then a few weeks off. Unfortunately, my camera died this weekend so I did not get as many pictures as I wanted to.

Entertainment from Blake's Band

2008-03-26T23:27:00.005-05:00

Blake's band is preparing for their UIL contest in about a week. This is one of the songs they will play. This will be Blake's last year of band. He will be taking a class for high school cedit instead next year.

March 2008

2008-03-26T22:37:00.003-05:00

It's been a busy few months. Here are some highlights for now... Kendall's new look...she got 5 inches of hair cut off and just got her new braces.

Kendall built a snowman in the parking lot of our hotel in Kansas in February. He melted pretty quickly though.
Kendall at Field Day in March.
Blake using his Tech Ed skills to build things at home.

Christmas Video

2007-12-25T22:38:00.001-06:00

Blake opening his phone on Christmas morning.

Christmas 2007

2007-12-25T13:52:00.001-06:00

Blake and his new phone
Kendall with one of her sets of American Girl books
The present they thought was a flat screen TV (Ted wishes) that was really a new air hockey table
Kendall getting ready to open Julie, her new doll
Blake and his camo outfit...just in time so he could cover up for pictures!
Blake with a shirt on now...thank goodness!
New pajamas
Blake posing with his gift cards...now he can afford to shop

As is the tradition every year, Kendall had to open Uncle Brett and Aunt Karen's gift on Christmas Eve
Some of Kendall's photography...us opening the ornament she made at school
Blake being "special" on Christmas Eve
Maddy didn't mind posing as a gift
They look awfully happy for being up at 6AM on Christmas morning! We managed to buy a little time before having to get up to open gifts...we made it to 6:30...

One more Video from Concert...

2007-12-15T17:07:00.001-06:00

"Runaway Sleigh"

The End of 2007

2007-12-15T00:15:00.001-06:00

I decided not to do an "official" Christmas letter this year. Since I started this blog, I thought I would just post a letter here instead. I think it is more fun to have the pictures and videos of everything that has happened over the year as well.

It has been an exciting year. It was a stressful year. But, it has been a year of new things as well.

Ted has been working at Kilgore as a project manager for a little over a year now. He enjoys it and it keeps him very busy. He usually has at least 3 jobs running at a time and he puts countless miles on his truck. We have definitely felt the "pain at the pump" this year.

There have been many Saturdays that Ted goes in to work this year as well. Those Saturdays have caused our major home improvement project to span nearly the year. Last January, we decided to tile our entire downstairs with the exception of the master bedroom. This was going to be a big project since it encompasses about 1,000+ sq ft of tile. So, between working days, we laid tile. I am happy to say it is nearly complete! We have to touch up some trim and then we can cross this off our list! We may never start another project again after this one took so long! ha ha

I guess you could say I had the stressful portion of 2007. Last August, I had the crazy idea to move with my principal to the new, closer-to-home school she was opening. Needless to say, no one would have guessed that the school would be filled to the brim with at-risk kids. I was in a portable building and had special ed as well. The behaviors of the kids were unbelievable. It took everything not to quit before May! So, in July, I resigned and intended to stay home this year. I took a few classes this fall through the local college...business, accounting, income taxes. I really enjoyed them all and it was nice to learn something totally new.

Before Thanksgiving, I was offered a great position at another school in our district. I am at an at-risk school again but the staff is wonderful. The kids are fantastic and the environment overall is so much better. I am an Accelerated Math Improvement teacher. I see several groups of 3rd through 5th graders and we work on improving math skills. I have found I really enjoy the 5th graders the most.

Blake is now in 7th grade. You can tell he is becoming a teenager. He doesn't like to miss school because he might miss something exciting. He is in all Level 1 courses this year. He does very well in all of them. I am having trouble with the homework now because I have to remember math formulas from high school! Blake is also taking Band again. Our dogs don't enjoy the trumpet practice. Blake is also taking Tech Ed (formerly known as shop class) and is enjoying making things. They really make a lot of cool stuff! This fall was also the first time he ran cross country. It was a really fun experience for him and he was always up and ready for the 6:45 am practices. This spring, he plans to run track. In January, he will be taking the SAT along with high school students. He was chosen to be a part of the Duke University 7th grade Talent program. It will be a great opportunity for him to see what the test is like.

Kendall is in 3rd grade this year. She is having a great time at school. She loves to go and has really enjoyed everything about it. One of her teachers was Blake's 3rd grade teacher so that has been a neat experience for her. Kendall is slowly moving into that tween stage. She is really getting into the American Girl dolls and stories. She also loves Hannah Montana just like any other 9 year old! She is still into crafts, art and cooking. She would love to be a chef and helps in the kitchen every chance she gets. We took a break from swimming and dance. Now, she wants to take up golf lessons and after seeing "The Nutcracker" she would like to start back up with ballet. One of her newest interests is history. She has an interest in going to Washington DC to see the sights. We may have to plan a vacation! However, that may have to wait until after we pay for Kendall to get braces! They think she'll need them TWICE! Now I know why I had to go back to work...

We still have two dogs. Lucy is about 6 years old now. She had to adjust to the new puppy. They get along now. Maddy is a little over a year old and is starting to calm down. She is a lap dog and can't stand to be without people.

Hopefully in 2008, we will have a laid back year. We are hoping to plan a vacation to Disney World in June. Other than that, we plan to stick around here. It becomes harder to go places when the kids are older and have activities. Plus, I think they are a little weary from always being the travellers. So, if anyone wants to come for a visit, we are always glad to have you!

Merry Christmas! We hope everyone has a safe, healthy and happy New Year!

Christmas Band Concert

2007-12-14T23:22:00.000-06:00

Tonight, Blake had his Christmas Concert for band. This year, they got to play in the auditorium at the high school across the street. It was the first time we could actually see the kids. Normally, they were packed into the cafeteria and were too large to fit on the stage!

"Fires of Mazama"

"The Screaming Eagles"

New Photos

2007-11-11T20:01:00.001-06:00

Kendall
Blake
Family Photo
Blake with the mohawk Kendall and her friends gave him
Texans Game vs. KC Chiefs
Enjoying the game
Kendall in her favorite place...downtown Houston
Blake and Kendall posing

Thought I would update with some new photos. A few are older that I just forgot to post.

Halloween 2007

2007-11-01T22:01:00.000-05:00

Maddy dressed up for Halloween as a "Hallowween-er"
Carving Pumpkins...Blake got creative with his after he butchered his design.
Waiting for it to get dark...Kendall went as an old lady. Cheap costume!
Blake went as himself! Didn't get much candy for this costume...
Blake trying to be taller than me. He actually is just about there...I had big shoes on. He thinks that is cheating on my part.

Band Concert- October 9, 2007

2007-10-22T22:13:00.000-05:00

This is video from the Football Band Concert a couple of weeks ago. They played at the football game and then that night for the parents. They played "fun" music. This is just one of their songs. I missed getting video of the trumpet solo in another song. We didn't have a very good seat!

Last Wednesday was the last cross country meet. I will have to sort through to find a picture. The battery in the camera was not charged fully and after 3 false starts to the boys' race, the camera died! The 7th grade boys came in 3rd for the district.

Cross Country Meet #4...Only One Left

2007-10-12T08:09:00.000-05:00

This is from this Wednesday's meet. Blake came in 21st. They have about 100 kids running each time. He has steadily improved each meet coming in at 55, 44, 37, and now 21. Next week is their district meet which is the final meet. I didn't time him this time but he has been running 2 miles in just under 14:30. Maybe he will find out his time today. I wish I knew how to post this with a close up of these boys' faces because their expressions are funny!

Cross Country Meet at Bear Creek Park

2007-10-03T20:22:00.000-05:00

Video from the Finish Line at today's cross country meet. Only two more meets and the season is over until track starts in February. They had perfect weather today for running!

Happy Birthday, Kendall!

2007-09-23T14:37:00.001-05:00

Kendall and Sofia at Build A Bear to celebrate their birthdays
Kendall opening presents

First Cross Country Meet

2007-09-19T18:00:00.000-05:00

Blake ran his first cross country meet this afternoon. It was quite hot outside! They ran 1.8 miles. Blake did well considering he was not feeling real great. There is some sort of cold going around so everyone is congested. Next meet is Sept. 26th...

~~Kristin~~

Last Year's New Family Member

2007-09-17T15:13:00.000-05:00

Maddy, the mini-Dachsund. She was Kendall's birthday present last year. She weighs 10 pounds now and basically runs the house!

Christmas 2006

2007-09-17T15:00:00.000-05:00

Trinity, Ted, and Kendall
Kendall on Christmas Morning
Kendall and Trinity at Rehearsal Dinner
Brinly at Uncle Brett and Aunt Karen's Wedding

2006 Christmas Card That No One Got

2007-09-17T14:54:00.000-05:00

This is the 2006 Christmas Card no one got last year...I came down with the flu. I hope to send actual cards this year. :)

A Few Summer Highlights...

2007-09-09T14:19:00.000-05:00

Kendall and Trinity in Kentucky at Grandma's House, July 2007
Kendall in Kentucky sitting by her handprints, July 2007
July Birthday Celebration in Georgia
First Day of School, Blake 7th grade and Kendall 3rd Grade, August 2007
Kendall and her best friend on the First Day of School, August 2007

Blake at Band Camp, Sam Houston State University, June 2007
Band Camp Concert, June 2007
Blake on the way to Baseball Parade, March 2007
An Astros Game, the only thing that has been on our TV all season
In Nashville for Ted's dad's last Southwest flight, July 2007

Joining the Blog Bandwagon

2007-09-09T12:39:00.000-05:00

After many months of thinking about setting up a blog, we finally decided to do it. Hopefully, this will be an easy way for us to keep everyone updated. It seems we have lots of photos and videos to share as the kids are more and more involved in things. We hope to keep this site up-to-date with the latest news, photos, and videos of our family.

~~Kristin~~

The Paulsen Family

Cross Country Banquet

Kendall's Baptism

District XC Meet

U of H Meet 2011

Cross Country 2011

Swimming 2011

Catching Up

Fall Update

Spring Creek Invitational

Homecoming Week 2010

Homecoming 2010, by K Paulsen

First Week of School

U of H Cougar Classic Finish

U of H Cougar Classic video #2

U of H Cougar Classic Aug. 28, 2010

Cake Time

Waiting for Blake

Present Time

More Party Video

More Pool Fun

Surprise Party Pool Fun

Blake's Surprise Party

Surprise Party!

Happy 15th Birthday, Blake!

Divisionals Meet Butterfly June 19,2010

Divisionals Meet Freestyle June 19, 2010

A Few June Highlights

Summer is Almost Here...

Home Stretch

Track Season

The Orthodontist

January 2010

Christmas 2009

Snow in Houston!!

Thanksgiving Break

The end of Football Season

A dressed-up Blake

Swim Meet

Teen Idols Concert

Happy Birthday, Kendall!

High School and Other Craziness

Back to School

After Pics of Kitchen

"During" Photos

Before Photos of Kitchen

Happy Birthday, Blake!

The Paulsen 4th of July

Summer 2009

Kendall's First Swim Meet and Blake's 8th Grade Dance

Floods, Flu, and Swimming

TSA Regional Competition

Stephen F. Austin Camping Trip

Busy Busy

Home Improvements

Hilton Head

January 2009

Merry Christmas 2008

Election Day

Cross Country Season

September Update

The First Day of School

Trip to Disney World--June 2008

Final Band Concert

April Camping

Entertainment from Blake's Band

March 2008

Christmas Video

Christmas 2007

One more Video from Concert...

The End of 2007

Christmas Band Concert

New Photos

Halloween 2007

Band Concert- October 9, 2007

Cross Country Meet #4...Only One Left

Cross Country Meet at Bear Creek Park

Happy Birthday, Kendall!

First Cross Country Meet

Last Year's New Family Member