My Family
Top Row: Douglas, Felipe, Benjamin, Matthew, Maria, and Tony
Middle Row: Celeste, Ary, David, Elizabeth
Front Row: Tammy, Rebeca, Felipe (Fito)
Birth order: Tony, Douglas (is married to Ary and Celeste is my first grandchild), Matthew, Benjamin, Maria, Felipe, David. Elizabeth, Michael (was still-born), Rebeca.
These were taken 2 years ago and we took a couple of hundred pics with 3 different cameras and did not get ONE single good picture.
Why are we doing this?
Can everyone smile just once...all at the same time?!?
We took a bunch that were the girls and then the boys, and none of them came out okay...
Oops! Lots of oops pics!
The Models.
This is at Pioneer Day 2009. Matthew, Felipe, and Elizabeth are doing Archery. Fito taught Archery at Scout Camp for 8 years and the older boys worked with him. To the left you can see part of our tepee. We rendezvous and own 3 tepees. (If you live near the Oklahoma City area and are interested in starting a Mountain Men Club with us where we would rendezvous twice a year--let me know).
Rebeca is 7 years old. She is in first grade this year and enjoys school. Elizabeth is 11 years old and is in the 5th grade. Both girls are always drawing, painting, cutting, and coloring. They are artists, but even better, they are both great organizers and like to help around the house.
David is 13 and in the 8th grade. He works hard in school and it shows in his grades. Felipe is now 15 and in the 10 grade. He took driver's ed this summer and will get his license in February. Mom will be happy! I like having drivers who can do errands for me. He has grown a lot this year. We wonder if perhaps he will be the tallest of the boys. Both David and Felipe have worked with their Dad this year. They mowed lawns, landscaped, and more. They take of the animals and do most of the outside yard work. Both are hard workers.
Maria is 18 and is a freshman at Oklahoma University. She works and is always busy with school and church. She is engaged to be married?!? Which mom and dad are still struggling with. I guess it is hard to see your baby girl grow up.
Benjamin is 20 and is a sophomore at Kansas State University. He is majoring in mathematics. We really miss him and the house seems so empty with only six children.
Matthew is 22. He is working and is a sophomore at Oklahoma City Community College. He has an apartment and stays busy with church, work, school and crazy young adult stuff: like riding bikes down our hill, up a ramp, and into the lake?!? Of course, they did it while we were gone!
Douglas 24, and Ary are in Houston. They have a baby girl named Celeste, who will be 1 in September. Douglas is going to school at the University of Houston and working part-time. Ary is working, too, and stays busy with Celeste, her blog, and other hobbies.
This is a site where you can buy art from Douglas.
Tony 26, is a Senior at West Point. He is in the Glee Club and had many incredible opportunities this year, just as in years past. He will go to Australia at spring break for a cadet exchange program. He went to Costa Rica this summer.
I am done with my PhD. Finally! I have been doing the usual, taking care of my 79 year-old mom who lives with us, taking care of the house, helping 5 children who are in college, chauffeuring, nursing, cleaning, gardening, canning, cooking, teaching as an adjunct, consulting, giving training sessions, and another hundred things. I saw a tee-shirt that said it perfectly:
SUPER MOM
SUPER WIFE
SUPER TIRED!!
Fito gardens (so far we have canned salsa, apple sauce, pears, and peppers), works outside, works in leather, carves, etc. All the stuff he has always done. He has taught the boys to butcher, tan leather, and many more things. He even has been carving a rock for a company. The thing is that this rock is about six feet tall and probably four feet at the base. He is carving all four sides and we have all learned a lot about rock carving, the tools needed for such, and so on.
