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Melissa

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Melissa Wheeler

What!!!??? It's August!!!

It is August again already and again I find myself saying where did the year go. I tried and was unsuccessful at consistently updating my blog yet I find myself trying again. I have lists of lots of things I want to do but somehow I don't find the time. I don't ever want to give up so instead when I am inspired-I will try again, and again, and again. 

School is about to start which is not only a start to my kids growing up more but another opportunity to start traditions, start sports, start having more fun, start exercising, start book club again...I am welcoming all of these new starts except for one. It's really just a small thing...okay I am lying-it's big-HUGE! My youngest child is starting kindergarten this year. 

I feel so conflicted about this. It seems like just the other day that I couldn't put him down because he was so clinging as a baby. It used to frustrate me and now it is one of his gifts that I love the most. He is so tender and loving. He is the only one of my kids who still tells me good morning and gives me unprompted kisses. I am really going to miss him. I am so glad that over the past 5 years I stuck it out and stayed home with him and my older daughter. There were many a time I was tempted to go get a job, I wanted an escape-some time with adults, and wanted to feel useful in another capacity besides being a mom. Now-I look back and that time has gone so quickly. I realize that they-all 3 of them were and will always be my job.

 How lucky I am. It has been my job to help teach them and mold them into the people they are and the adults that they will become. I am honored to have them call me mom. The gravity of influence that we have on them is kind of scary. They are a reflection of what I have taught them even when I didn't realize I was teaching-I hope that I have done a good job and that I can continue to learn how to be a better parent.

 I saw this  parental promise posted on Pinterest and I think this sums up the kind of parent that I want to be. Let's just hope they understand! 

Get it here!

February 2011

 This was Blake's month-look who turned 4 years old!

And-look who loves to help celebrate with him! 

2011 in pictures

January 2011

Snow in Texas...and more snow days than we ever had in 4 years combined in Colorado!

 Exploring our Texas at the Stockyards in Ft. Worth

Removal of Blake's tonsils-bye bye sleep apnea and snoring! A good nights sleep is on the horizon!

Testing, Testing

Is there anyone still out there. 

It's been so long-I can't even remember how to do this. As always my intensions are good and once again I will try to start this back up. 

I love my children and want to keep this for them-for all the memories I swear I could never forget and sadly have a hard time recalling now. We will try again. 

Pinterest

I have found a new website that I can't seem to get enough of! Pinterest! It is esentially a pinboard of all those great ideas you see or read about all in one place. If you are anything like me-I still have magazines that I am wanting to throw away but just after I cut out a recipe or make a note of something I read-well not more. I am putting these ideas on a virtual holding place! Oh the things I have found! I have actually implemented some of them too which is a much better off place than searching though my collection of random papers all jumbled together.

Here are few of my most recent finds: Simple Sangria!

I will be the first to admit-mine didn't look that beautiful but it was terribly easy and one that I will definitely use again. I think the next time I am invited to a party-I am bringing Sangria!
Another fun find: Watermelon!

Who doesn't love watermelon on these last hot summer days. Well at least it can simple with a pretty presentation. Although I have to admit-the watermelon balls were not as easy as I expected them to be. Other than that-another fun way to change things up.

I am finding not only new ideas but by searching the Pinboards of my other friends I feel like i am getting to know another side of them by really seeing what they like. I am also embracing my creative side and getting to know a bit more about me too!

You should really check it out!

Back to school

I wish I could remember back to when I was entering the 1st grade. Granted-I went to private school and had to wear a uniform-my choices were limited to yellow, brown and white. Apparently I still tried to accessorize-notice the purse.  I believe this photo was from my kindergarten year. 

 Today I watched Avery school shopping at Target like she was at Neimans or Saks. Every time she would turn around and spot something new her reaction was filled with surprise and gasping at how CUTE this t-shirt was or how ADORABLE the bow on the doggie was on that t-shirt. The bright blue Hello Kitty shirt, the cute denim shorts and even the solid purple t shirt were all breathtaking...especially when she came across the Sharpay Evans collection-PINK & SPARKLY. (She is one of the characters on High School Musical) As we moved on to pick up some more things for Zach, I stopped to just watch her as she belted out Justin Bieber songs with zero regard to anyone who could be walking by. She is dramatic and beautiful, gentle and loving. She is lively and oblivious to everything going on around her when she steps into her personal la-la land. 

How fun it must be to be 6! 

Blogging restart fall 2011

It has been almost a year already since my last post and even before then I wasn't doing so good at keeping up. I would like to give it another go and try to be faithful about keeping this up to date. Many friends are on Facebook and obviously through email and phone calls but I want to try to update with an entirely new outlook on how and why.

In the beginning I was trying to document our lives as it seemed we were going through so many changes and in the end I just got swallowed up by our busy-ness! Now instead I want to talk not only about our life but I want to include anything I get inspired by. A snapshot I take or a blog I read or an idea I come across.

This last year has included so many fun times and I have not talked about any of them on here. I want this to be a place for my kids to look back at and learn more about our family, and about their mother. A sort of legacy to remember me by. I want them to know more about me and how much I loved them. With school around the corner I feel I get another year of 2nd chances to make my kids feel special, connect with them and document their lives. I am not a scrapbooker-their baby books leave so much to be desired-my children instead hopefully will be able to look through this blog and relive childhood memories. Maybe I can get it made into a book.

Restarting his blog is on my TA-DAH list!

New home vs. new house

Finding a new home is one thing...but here is our new house. Brand new and even with some personal touches in it we have found a house that we plan to be in for a very long time...check out how it progressed....




And progressed...

And progressed-until we came to the final product....

With everything in its place-just don't look in my closet...it is feeling more and more like home everyday...which means...Open for visitors! Come on down to Texas ya'll!

New home

Now that you are caught up on everything that happened in the last 6 months-thought I would fill you some small details....our house. While Andrew works in Plano we originally planned on moving back to Frisco and planting down some sturdy roots there. But-I just moved from the awesome little town of Erie and after we arrived I was really wanting to find a special community similar to Erie....well, I think we found it. 

We settled in Prosper, Texas...never heard of it...well here are some facts

 

              ABOUT THE TOWN OF PROSPER – The Town of Prosper is a fast-growing suburb with small town charm, located 30 miles north of Dallas at the crossroads of U.S. 380, Preston Road and the Dallas North Tollway in Collin and Denton Counties. Prosper sits on 27 square miles and is home to more than 9,000 people. A home-rule municipality, governed by a council-manager form of government, the town has full-time fire and police departments, including its own dispatch service. As the Town grows to its projected build-out population of 90,000 residents, Prosper’s vision is to remain a “Place Where Everyone Matters."

As a matter of fact in June of 2010-Prosper was named by D Magazine 

The 10 Best Dallas Suburbs

Take our tour of the greatest places to live outside of Dallas.

5. Prosper

Peace and quiet in Prosper.
photography by Ryan Jones

Population: 9,350 
Annual growth since 1990:11.7% 
Average home sales price in 2009: $328,452 
Median age of residents: 32.5 
Families with kids under 18:50.3 %
Median household income:$64,063

What they say: Residents move here primarily for the schools and the wide-open spaces. These are people who like to work in the yard and grow gardens. They don’t mind seeing their neighbor’s house from their porch, but they’d rather not. One resident has a neighbor with buffaloes and enjoys the cows in the pasture near her children’s school. Speaking of, the school district is rearranging things next year. Instead of three elementary schools feeding into a middle school, then a high school, the three lower-level schools will feed into a fifth- and sixth-grade campus, a seventh- and eighth-grade campus, then a high school. Parents like it. The town doesn’t have much (you’ll always see someone you know at Palio’s Pizza Cafe and Ernesto’s Mexican Restaurant), but residents seem content to drive to Frisco for more varied dining and shopping. In 2008, the Prosper Eagles beat the Celina Bobcats for the first time in 25 years, going on to win the Class 3A football state championship. They beat the Bobcats again last season. People talk about it like the birth of their first child. Even Prosper’s most famous resident, Deion Sanders, has been spotted at an Eagles game. Houses here start at $130,000 and go up to, well, keep reading. Average is in the $400,000s. 

What we say: Prosper was so close last time we did this. The town came in at No. 11 then but would not be denied this year. When you come into Prosper, past the corn fields, you’ll see a Sonic, a couple of restaurants, a dentist, an eye doctor, a couple of gas stations—then Sanders’ $21 million estate, which happens to be on the market. Whether you’re looking for Friday night football or “your own Dave & Buster’s” with an indoor basketball court, bowling alley, and Hall of Fame gallery (as Sanders’ listing touts), Prosper is for you.
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The downtown of this tiny town will make you feel right at home.

by Ryan Jones

Published 7.07.2010

In many ways, Prosper epitomizes the tiny Texas town. It claims fewer than 10,000 residents and harbors a whole lot of wide open space, but it doesn’t offer much by way of entertainment.

There’s plenty of shopping to be done — in nearby Frisco or McKinney — and nightlife mostly consists of dinner at Palio’s Pizza Café or Ernesto’s Mexican Restaurant. Among the more impressive drive-by sights in town are the new Prosper High School, which looks like the campus of a private college, and ex-NFL star Deion Sanders’ massive 100-acre estate, currently on the market for $21 million. But there is one spot, known as downtown Prosper, where you can get a feel for what small town business is all about.

The word “downtown” might be a bit of a misnomer. It’s small and the business mix is odd, with the municipal courthouse sharing a building with a real estate office, while a hair salon operates just a few doors down.

Nestled behind a simple white-brick storefront is Maggie’s, a women’s boutique that owner Margaret Gurley guesses is the only retail store in town. Not being particularly fashionable or particularly female, I know I stick out like a sore thumb before I even walk through the door.

“Hi there,” Gurley says with a smile as I make my way inside. “Are you lost?”

She knows I’m new — if I weren’t, she’d recognize me. Having settled in downtown Prosper seven years ago after moving the store from Carrollton, Gurley has developed a loyal clientele, and she knows her niche.

“We don’t buy big box items,” she says. “We look for something unique that they won’t find at Wal-Mart.”

Gurley’s store carries women’s items that range from wedding formal to weekend casual, as well as goods for teens and babies. You’ll also find spirit wear supporting Prosper High football (the Eagles won the 2008 3A state championship, as anyone in town will gladly tell you), and the store is expanding to include Corral boots.

But the goodies that really make Maggie’s a convenient stop for residents are the often the cheapest pieces you’ll find in the store. Greeting cards, lip balm, and forget-me-nots are side items that can be tough to track down in an undersized city, while selections of stationery, shea butter soap, picture frames, and other similar items make for painless gift shopping.

On the opposite end of downtown — but still only a minute’s walk away — is the Cotton Gin Café. Owned by longtime Prosper residents Sondra and Steve Channell, the Cotton Gin has been in business for nearly a decade, first opening its doors in 2001. The dining area holds fewer than a dozen tables surrounded by mixed-and-matched blue and beige chairs, and the menu is scrawled out on a giant whiteboard that hangs behind the cash register. Steve serves as a handyman when needed, but most days you’ll find Sondra holding the fort and mingling with regulars.

The Cotton Gin Cafe serves up a heck of a value meal for $4.59.

“There’s a group of men that come in every morning to get their coffee and gossip,” Sondra says.

The café opens promptly at 7 am every day but Sunday. For $4.59, you can order the Gin Breakfast Platter — a country breakfast of eggs, biscuits and gravy, hash browns, and bacon or sausage. Like any respectable small town café, the Cotton Gin serves a killer chicken fried steak, and Channell recommends the pork tenderloin sandwich, a specialty she brought with her from her native Kansas.

Even if you can’t handle an entire meal, it’s worth checking in to see the desserts of the day, which range from sopapilla cheesecake and pumpkin cake to old standbys like pecan pie. 

As I pulled out of my parking spot in front of the Cotton Gin, I caught a final glimpse of downtown Prosper. It occupies all of one city block of simple one-story buildings that, anywhere else, would seem underwhelming. But somehow, in the charming, close-quartered confines of Prosper, it feels right.

What a whirlwind!

I've decided that it is simply impractical to try to recap our summer since we are already getting ready for the holidays. I will put into a few words what the last 6 months have been like...LOTS OF MOVING AROUND! 

May 31st-We moved out of our house in Colorado

June 1st-moved into a hotel for a week

June 11th-drove to El Paso and visited my parents for 2 weeks

June 18th-drove to Plano and moved into a corporate apartment

June 20th-Zach fly to NY for the summer

July 13th-drove to back to El Paso

July 14th-flew to Las Vegas to celebrate Andrew's 40th birthday

July 19th-flew back to Dallas

July 20th-moved into another temporary apartment

July 23rd-flew to Denver

July 24th-drove to Cheyenne for Frontier Days (rodeo)

July 25th-flew back to El Paso to pick up the kids

July 29th-drove back to Dallas and settled into new apartment

August 12th-flew to Las Vegas for a girls only trip

August 23rd kids started school

Breathe, Breathe, Breath.....

School, the first lost tooth, lots of time with Grandma,  soccer games, swim practice and swim meets, fun with friends old and new, a new house....

Needless to say it has been a little busy around here. We are settling in fine and getting well adjusted. 

We are home....