Collins again!

Right now Collins has two words that she struggles to say. It is adorable and we don't really want her to learn how to pronounce them correctly. These words are: thumbs - she says "flums" and dessert - she says "zawert."

Tonight Collins is having a chocolate chip cookie for zawert.

Collins

This week we invited our friend Emmarie to join us for dinner. Collins usually loves it when we have company at our house and she talks non-stop. This time was no exception. She told Emmarie all sorts of interesting stuff. But the best moment came when Collins said, "Dad, show Emmarie your moves." We laughed so hard. I think both Todd and Emmarie were a bit embarassed.

Colton's Birthday

Colton turned 8 on January 11th! We invited his buddies to our house for a game of backyard football. Colton loves football so much! Unfortunately it was rainy and cold so the party was forced inside. We did manage to get in one round of Punt, Pass and Kick out in the drizzle. Here we are singing Happy Birthday to Colton with all of his friends - each wearing their favorite football jersey.

I'm not sure what this face was for after he blew out his candles.

After the party Colt Hurley hung out for a little bit and the boys compared football cards.

Colton got an RG III jersey from mom and dad. He was so excited. He also got new football cards and football receiver gloves.

Mr. Football

Connor

Connor is always Mr. Funny! This week he had to reply to an email from a classmate at TCS. I got him all set up to type his email and then walked away. He did get it done, but he added a little bit of extra flair when he signed his name. I have posted his email below.

Dear Nelli,

       These are the quotes that I used for the history project. Sorry I took so long to send them to you. I hope that this is what you need. If not, just email my mom back. Thanks for doing this really nice thing for Dr. Williams.

Sincerely,

Connor Martinez Tito Roberto Angelo Fandago Lego Zoro Alfredo Tintin Waffle Daniel Rapp

Put them on the blog!

Telling a "froggy" story before bedtime tonight. Usually Collins asks Todd to tell her a doggy story, but tonight she requested something different.

Holden and Mickey Mouse enjoyed listening.

Collins and her braided pigtails. She wouldn't smile for me, but she still looked cute.

After church we went to lunch at Jason's Deli and enjoyed some free ice cream!

Squishy face smile.

His brothers said this picture is the "Yes, I'm getting ice cream" picture.

Yummy!

Collins (with a chocolate rimmed mouth) shared a strained smile for this picture.

Even dad had ice cream!

Todd, Carter and Colton crashed the end of the Armed Forces Bowl game. They saw the University of Houston make a dramatic comeback to win the game.

On Monday I took the kids to get haircuts before we went back to school. Holden wanted to leave the house with his sister's helmet. Hee hee!

Playing outside! It has been chilly in Houston, but nearly as cold as it has been in other places around the country.

Hook 'em Horns! Our friend Ricky Gonzalez provided a ticket for Todd so that they could go to the Texas Bowl in Houston. The University of Texas played the University of Arkansas in this game.

Surprise! Also part of the group was Flint Harris - a friend from Kanakuk.

The Longhorns had a terrible game and lost to the Razorbacks, but Todd said at least the UT band played well.

Go Longhorns!

Hunter's Interview

Hunter Thomas Rapp
Age 13
December 29, 2014

Who is your favorite superhero?   Captain America. Or Ant Man. Or Star-Lord. Or me.

Who is a fictional or non-fictional hero?  My favorite hero characters are: Fictional - Obi-Wan Kenobi. Non-fictional - Bear Grylls

What is your favorite kind of hat?  A fedora - like detectives wear in old movies.

At what age are you officially grown up?  X

Who is your favorite singer/ group?  The Newsboys and TobyMac. Least favorite is Taylor Swift.

Who is your favorite author?  I really like C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Andrew Clements and Rick Riordan.

What is your favorite movie?  I'm a big fan of all the Star Wars movies. My favorite is Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. I also like the recent Marvel superhero movies, Tintin, Big Hero 6, the Narnia movies, National Treasure, Despicable Me and Holes.

What is your favorite color?  Probably blue, since it is the color of the House of Maxwell at Trinity Classical School.

If you were stranded on an island with only three things, what would you choose as your items?  1) Unlimited food and water 2) A copy of "Wilderness Survival for Dummies" 3) Swiss Army knife

What is your favorite animal?  The edible ones

What is the best thing about living in Houston?  The restaurants - especially the Tex-Mex restaurants

If you could make an app, what would the app be called? What would its purpose be?   I would like to create an app that records your dreams at night so you can watch them again the next morning. I might call it Dream Instant Replay.

What is your favorite part of the day? Probably lunchtime because it involves eating food and I happen to be an expert at that.

Who is your best friend?  Hayden Engram

What is your favorite restaurant in Houston?  Taste of Texas. I also like Beck's Prime and Lupe Tortilla. However I might have a new answer if they decide to build an In-N-Out Burger here.

What is worse...being stuck in a box with snakes or having to wear church clothes?  The box of snakes of course.  What's wrong with church clothes?

What is your favorite Blue Bell ice cream flavor?  Strawberries and Cream

What do you want to be when you grow up?  Someone who designs, invents or plan stuff.

What is your favorite Bible story or passage?  Isaiah 40

If you couldn't have your name, what name would you choose?  Maybe my middle name, Thomas, or something else that is unusual and cool sounding.

What do you like best about TCS?  All the people there. The students, the teachers,...pretty much everybody.

Where do you hope we go on our next family trip?  Somewhere in Europe

What is the best thing about being in a big family?  Never a dull moment

What is the hardest thing about being in a big family?  The NOISE! That's why I asked for a pair of noise-canceling headphones for Christmas.

How has God gifted you? I believe God has made me creative in many ways.  When I need to get something done I try to do it to the best of my ability. Although I am somewhat shy, I actually love doing adventurous things (paintball, ultimate football with a dead squid, zip-lining, riding the third largest escalator in America. Ha!) I have a fun and friendly personality. I'm also a bit of a perfectionist.

Describe yourself in three words: Clever, Likeable, Creative