Mrs. Klepper's 2nd Grade Class

This year, I have tried to be more involved in Brett's class. He has a wonderful teacher and he is doing really well in school. Recently, I went with the class downtown to the Austin Children's Museum. Seventeen kids, three teachers and four moms followed the buses down. Here's a picture of Brett trying to be "too cool for school" with me. He wouldn't smile for the camera.

After the museum (which was supposed to be educational, but was more like herding a bunch of cats), we trekked over to Zilker Park to have our picnic lunches and to play on the playground. Here's the whole class: (Brett is the one laying on his stomach acting crazy!)

I took Brett for an ice cream and a walk after the rest of the class headed out on the bus. We made a special memory and I am so glad I went!

Happy Birthday Sydney Claire Allen

One year ago on November 5th, a dream came true.

The baby I had longed for finally grew-

So big in my tummy that she had to come see

The family she had waiting for her, all three.

Sydney Claire Allen weighed 7-15.

A calm and quiet baby unlike any I had seen.

She slept and ate well from the start

My baby doll had surely stolen my heart.

The year has flown by and I can hardly believe

All the things she has grown to achieve.

No hair on top, 6 teeth in her mouth

Not walking, but just about

Smiles are given freely to anyone she meets

A snuggle on my shoulder is how she greets

Music, clapping, giving kisses and hugs

These are some of the things my precious girl loves.

We have been everywhere together

Sporting events following brother

Church several times a week

When Sydney smiles, you can see a dimple on her cheek.

Our life together will be exciting each day

Sydney, may love and happiness find their way

Into your heart and life

This is what your mommy prays!

Diamond "J" Ranch

God has blessed us with wonderful friends. We were invited to spend a few days at the Diamond "J" Ranch on birthday weekend for myself and Sydney. Now, if you know me, you know that I am not much of an outdoorsy gal. I might have grown up in small town Belton; my family might be rednecks; but, I like the mall. "Roughin' it" means staying at a hotel to me. After all, living out of your suitcase and walking around in flip flops so you don't get someone else's germs on your feet inside IS an inconvenience, right?

I have to say, this trip was all about the boys for me. I was excited to spend time with my friends and to play cards, but getting dirty, shooting guns, and killing animals is not my cup of tea. Greg was thrilled to be able to attempt to shoot a deer and even more exciting were his thoughts of showing Brett what a "man's weekend" was all about!

We packed up everything and even had to borrow a friend's SUV in order to make the trek to the ranch. A two and a half hour drive and 6 mile dirty, bumpy road later, we arrived. I must say, all I could think about was how far we were from a grocery store, hospital, and gas station. The only sounds I heard were crickets and hogs as we were driving in. The sky was beautiful and I couldn't remember the last time I stepped outside and couldn't hear a car, a neighbor, or see a light in the distance. Despite my hesitations, it was nice.

When I stepped outside the next morning and saw the view from the porch, I gasped. A beautiful pond with small cliffs overlooking it was in the distance.

You could see for miles and the recent rains had made everything look vibrant and healthy. It was breathtaking. The sun was shining and the temperature was a perfect 70 degrees. I didn't get the memo that everyone would be dressed in camouflage. However, we found a perfectly sized camo hoodie that fit my girl.

We first went out exploring on the four wheelers. After all, there was corn to put in feeders and timers to set. Sydney enjoyed the rocky ride and we even saw a giant tarantula on the road. After about an hour, it was time for the girls to head inside. I realized quickly that a shower was unnecessary until bedtime because we were covered in dust.

Brett took his turn at the shooting range. He did great:

On the last morning, Greg went on his hunt with the owner of the ranch. We had explained to RJ that we didn't have any desire to post a big dead deer on our wall so killing a pretty one was irrelevant. I think this made him happy since he has been working for five years to get his stock/breed/herd (whatever you call a gaggle of deer) to its perfect state. Currently, a 1-1 ratio of buck to doe live on this land. Apparently, in the wild, it's more like 6-1 doe to buck. (Impressive, huh?)

Greg went into the stand to wait for his chance. All I know about how it went is that he came back with a deer missing its brow tines.

I'm not exactly sure what this means except that it's bad to lack them. And, you might even make babies sans brow tines which would be even worse. So, Greg took one for the team- the Diamond "J" team. He shot his first buck albeit a deformed one!

All in all, we had a wonderful time at the ranch. We are processing the meat so I will now have to learn what to make and how to make it. Seems like a lot of work for a weekend getaway, but I am glad to help.

Gattiland Lock-in

Brett is finally old enough to attend our Gattiland Lock-in for elementary kids at the church. He was so excited for weeks as the date drew near! Here we are getting ready to head out at 10:30pm. Brett took a little snooze beforehand.

We packed his sleeping bag and pillow even though I was pretty sure it would not be used. We're talking about the same kid who did not shower once at camp in four days! After eating some pizza and drinking all the soda he could down, the unlimited games began!

Some of Brett's best buddies were there and low and behold 6am came and Brett had not stopped going for five minutes. He stayed up ALL NIGHT LONG! WOW!!!

Mom left at 3am and went to bed!!

World's Best Bro

The older Sydney gets, the more I realize how blessed she is to have Brett as her big brother. He is so kind to her ALL THE TIME! He is always helpful... whether it's taking out stinky diapers, carrying one of our many bags to the car, putting her shoes back on for the 10th time, or playing with her while I'm in the shower, Brett is available and happy to be of service.


Brett always says Sydney is the best sister ever. He comments about how cute she is and how much he loves her. At night, he prays for her too. He dreams with me about her future and I often get choked up when I think about how he cares about her. It is beautiful.



Sydney loves Brett just as much as he loves her. Her big brother can do anything in her eyes. Brett is the only person who can make her laugh SO HARD without tickling her. He can just jump around and act silly and she will crack up. She reaches for him and "talks" to him when he walks in the room.

We have had some fun times lately... from Halloween to hunting and Sydney's first birthday, Brett and Sydney have been making memories. Although she may not be old enough to express her love in words, Brett has won her heart for sure.

I can't wait to watch them grow up together. Sydney will always have a watchman and role model that's for sure!

Mansion at Judges Hill

After two months of not one blog, I am going to attempt to catch up on everything my family has been doing. Greg and I finally celebrated our 10th anniversary in mid September. We stayed at the Mansion at Judges Hill downtown in Austin. Here's a few pics:

We had a wonderful room. We went to Greg's dream restaurant, Fogo de Chao, for dinner. It's an all-you-can-eat MEAT FEST! I was thoroughly entertained just watching him savor every bite. After dinner, we went on a nice walk downtown and finished the evening with a show. Even though we were a month late celebrating, it was worth it!