Joy in the Journey

May Moments

2009-06-24T18:18:00.009-05:00

I know it's almost the end of June, but I need to play catch-up again. The end of the school year is always so busy and so much fun! Add in Mother's Day and my birthday and, well, it just makes it that much more fun!!

Sock Hop

The last Family Fun Night of the school year is a Sock Hop. The girls had a blast dancing with friends and teachers, and doing crafts. Pike hung out with some middle school friends that had to come because of younger siblings, too.

Big Sisters with Little Sisters: Kayla, Kara, Christina, Catherine, Grace & Emma

Grace and her best friend, Caroline

Emma with her friend Sammy and their teacher, Mrs. Breeding

Field Day Fun

The kids always enjoy Field Day - and Pike was disappointed that middle school doesn't have one...but this year was HOT!!! My favorite part is the t-shirts that the PE teacher designs around her theme. This year it was Field Day Hero and the whole day was based on Guitar Hero - the races were re-named for rock songs and all the teachers had Backstage Passes that they wore that had the timeline of the day. So cute!

Grace and Klarissa

Grace and Madi - we are very sad that she is moving to California!

Emma and her buddy, Garrett. These two are hilarious and his mom and I have already decided we believe in arranged marriages!! :)

Emma and Sammy with Mrs. Breeding - the best kindergarten teacher ever!!

Kindergarten Program and Picnic

The kindergarteners put on a super cute program for moms and dads. They sang some great songs and had the most adorable slideshow. Then we all went outside for a picnic. Emma has had the best year and I cannot believe the girl is going to be in first grade! Crazy!! She has really surprised me with how much she has learned - not that I didn't think she could...I just wasn't sure she would.

She's always been one to just sit back and take her time on everything. Sitting up?? No, that's OK - I'll just lay here and suck my thumb for 7 months. Crawling?? Nope...not right now. I'm perfectly fine just sitting here (and sucking my thumb) until I'm over 10 months old. Walking?? No, thanks...I get around fine as I'm tearing holes in all my cute leggings! I might try that in about 17 months!! So, I always pictured her first year in school like this...Reading?? Writing?? Math?? No, really, that's OK - I'll just wait (while sucking my thumb) and learn that next year. She definitely was not the go-getter, self-motivated type like her siblings.

But, here we are and the sweet girl is reading and writing way better than her go-getter, self-motivated siblings did when they had finished kindergarten...and it just makes me smile! What a great year she has had!

Emma and Sammy

Emma and Daddy

Pike and his Saxophone

Pike didn't have too many year-end activities. In fact, he was really disappointed that his sisters had fun game days the last few days of school - and he had to study for 6 finals. But, he did have a Spring Concert in band. It was held in the gym at his middle school and we were so proud when we got there and he was sitting in First Chair!

And a couple of weeks before this concert, I had talked him out of taking band next year - for several really good reasons - none of which were selfish! Ha! :) But, his band teacher talked him into staying in band - said he had alot of potential. I'm glad she did that!

So...there you have a quick review of the kids' May activities. Maybe by the end of July I'll have a post about my birthday and our June activities!

Last Day...

2009-06-03T08:12:00.003-05:00

I've been meaning to update my blog...the past few weeks have been crammed with so many fun end-of-year activities. We were in constant motion and then, suddenly, we hit the brakes this morning. It's the Last Day of School.

All 3 kids went off to school not needing to take backpacks or lunches. The girls will have a fun half-day of signing shirts, yearbooks and making summer plans. Pike has a not-as-much-fun-half-day as he takes the last of his finals.

Where did the time go?? I vividly remember sitting at my computer and writing this post on the First Day of School. I can still feel all of those emotions - the excitement mixed with sadness of Pike starting middle school and Emma starting kindergarten. And, now here I sit and the school year has come to a close. Wow!

Today is the Last Day I will have a 6th grader, a 3rd grader and a kindergartener.

Today is the Last Day they will sit in that classroom where their journey started not too long ago.

And today is the Last Day I will have to send them off in the morning...it's summertime and now it's my turn to see their smiling faces all day!

Pike's Pipe Cleaner Men

2009-05-07T23:17:00.004-05:00

Pike got in the car one day after school this week and told me he had started a business. He is making men out of pipe cleaners and selling them. Not only is he selling the person, he is also selling accessories to go with the person! Here are a few 'orders' he has been working on...

This is a Ninja - the headband, belt, and numchucks are all added for an extra fee!

This is a Spartan Warrior - the sword, shield and helmet are extras. Love the helmet made out of an eraser...don't love little pieces of eraser all over my kitchen floor!

And, the best part is he is selling life insurance on each creation...for a small fee. If anything happens to your pipe cleaner man, he will replace it.

He is one-of-a-kind...I seriously love that kid!!

Last One!

2009-05-05T22:45:00.003-05:00

I know I've written alot about Emma lately, but she is just making me laugh!!

I had 5 cards for the kids to sign - 4 for Mother's Day and 1 for a birthday. I just put them out on the table and they went down the row and signed each one. When I went to sign them myself and put them in envelopes, this is what I saw on the last card they had to sign...

Looks like she was ready to be done! I love the way she just writes whatever she is thinking!!

And, yes, that scribble really does say 'Pike Stewart'...I need to post more about him. He is a wonderfully complicated one! :)

Backpack Pack Rat!

2009-05-01T14:52:00.004-05:00

Check out what I found in the bottom of someone's backpack today...

Now, keep in mind, this is a very small portion of everything that actually came out and it's hard to tell how high the pile is...

Can you guess whose backpack it was??

I would have guessed him, too...but, no, it wasn't Pike! Pike uses his backpack to transport enormous books to and from school and that's about it...and, if you know him, then you know it's not textbooks he transports! He has also perfected a filing system that consists of him folding up all of his important papers into tiny squares and stuffing them into the pockets of his hoody. It's quite impressive to watch him fish through his pockets and actually pull out the exact paper he needs!

And I think we all know it's not Grace. Her backpack is always cleaned out and her folders are always precisely lined up with papers sorted by subject and date. OK - maybe it's not that organized, but it's close! :)

So, there you have it...I found all of this (and so much more) in the bottom of Emma's backpack!! I asked her why she had all of that in there and she said that she was saving all of it, because she might need it someday.

I guess you never know when crushed up Goldfish crackers mixed with rocks, toys and wilted flowers will come in handy. :)

Emma's Homework

2009-04-29T12:35:00.003-05:00

I love the papers Emma brings home from school. Kindergarteners come up with the best stuff for their work - it's creative and funny and honest.

One day Emma had to write -ug words and illustrate them for homework. She had to solve a few puzzles on the front to get the word and then draw a picture of it...

I absolutely love the way she drew a slug...

She was working on this homework at one of Grace's swim practices and had extra time to do a few on the back. She did a pug in the rain, a hug, juggle, a jug, dug and lug...

When she got to lug she asked me what it meant. I told her it was carrying something heavy. She thought for a minute, then her eyes lit up and she said, "I know what to draw!"

When she was finished I could tell what most of them were, but asked what she was 'lugging'. She looked at me and said, "Can't you see...that's your big 'ole bottle of wine!"

Yep, I sure do see that...still in the paper bag from the grocery store. :)

Fort Fun!

2009-04-24T20:56:00.003-05:00

The girls came home from school and decided to build a fort in their room. After ever so sweetly asking me if they could get out blankets, chairs and tape, I told them they could definitely build a fort, but they couldn't use tape. They really wanted to make it big enough to sleep in, but couldn't figure out a way to get the blankets to stay up high enough without taping them to the walls. This is when having a clever big brother comes in handy!

They talked Pike into helping them get their fort to stay up - and he only charged them $1 a piece! :) I think they would have paid him more, but he enjoys these kinds of projects and decided to work for a small, affordable fee.

The grand idea was to drape the blankets over a structure made of fiddlesticks - and it worked great!

When Jeff came home from work, Emma was so excited to show him their creation. He told me later that she took him upstairs and told him all about it. Then she whispered, "And, tonight we're going to sleep in it, but we're really going to go into our little American Girl doll closet and play. But, don't tell Momma!" :) I just had to laugh, because that about sums up this household - fun Daddy and rule-follower Mommy!

Here is the fort held up by balancing chairs and fiddlesticks...

This is inside...very easy access to the American Girl doll closet!! I think I'll check on them a few times tonight! :) Notice the balancing chairs on fiddlesticks!

I was on my back inside the fort, so this is looking up at the fiddlestick infrastructure designed by Pike. I think he deserves a raise!

Another picture of the balancing act inside...I hope the girls don't knock that down tonight!

Good Night Sweet Girls!! :)

Easter '09

2009-04-21T14:57:00.004-05:00

We had a great Easter this year - an amazing service at church and lots of fun with family and friends. On Friday we went to Lisa's house and colored eggs. On Saturday we colored more eggs at our house and volunteered at church for the evening services. Sunday we went early to volunteer again, then went to service at 11:00.

Sunday afternoon we went back to Ben and Lisa's for a day of egg-hunting and food! Our friends, Todd and Andrea were in town, and it was so much fun to get to spend the day with them! Kyle and Angie came over, too...so it was the kind of holiday I love - busy and noisy with lots of laughter!

Here are a few pictures from the weekend. There is actually a good picture of my 3 kids. I thought as they got older, it would be easier to get all 3 of them together for decent pictures, but it's still not very easy. So, I was excited to see a good one - even if not one hair on their heads was touched by a brush that morning! :)

My Fishin' Family

2009-04-20T09:11:00.003-05:00

Jeff absolutely loves to fish. I never really knew how much until we moved to Houston. When we lived in Dallas, we were in an apartment, I was teaching and he was going to school and working...so there wasn't really a place to fish and there's wasn't alot of time to fish.

When we moved to Amarillo...well - it's Amarillo - and the water is few and far between. It was always a drive to fish, and he was in Pharmacy school and we had babies...so he didn't get to go alot.

Then, we moved to Houston...lots of water everywhere! Our subdivision has a couple of lakes and Lake Houston is right by us. He's working, but no more school, and the kids are older. Finally...there's a place to fish, there's time to fish and there's even someone to fish with!

The girls like to go with him even more than Pike - and, out of all 3 kids, Grace is the one who loves it the most - worms and all!

At the end of March, they went out and Grace caught a pretty good sized bass. She had a bigger one on her line, but couldn't reel it in and her line broke. Here's the one she did catch:

Silly boys...fishing is for girls!

Here's one that Jeff caught at our lake. It's so funny, because he said that when he's out there fishing, people sometimes walk by and quietly tell each other - there's no fish in there. He can hear them and, every now and then, he gets to reel in something like this while they are still there! :)

One of my favorite pictures...Jeff took this of the kids just a couple of weeks after we moved to Houston. So sweet!!

March Moments

2009-04-18T11:52:00.005-05:00

I thought I would put just a few family happenings from March as I am slowly, but surely catching up!

I think Emma learning how to ride her bike was the big moment, but we had a few others...

Emma got to go to a birthday party at Minute Maid Park. It was her friend Garrett's party. Garrett and Emma are in the same class and go to church together, so they see alot of each other. Garrett's mom, Kim, and I have decided we believe in arranged marriages! :)

The birthday group got to tour the ballpark, go in the dugout and eat cake in a luxury box! She had a blast...

Kim took this picture of Emma in the Astros dugout. So cute...

Emma and the birthday boy, Garrett.

One of the kids' favorite things to do at Lifetime Fitness is climb the rockwall. It is so much fun to take them and watch them climb. They have really improved and the last time Jeff took Pike and Grace, they both made it to the top! Jeff likes to climb, too and I have got to get pictures of that! :)

There's Pike - the first time he made it over the ledge.

And, Grace, working her way up...not bad for someone who is scared of heights! :)

Adrian, our sweet nephew, had his 11th birthday in March. Angie planned to take about 10 boys to the Kemah Boardwalk for a day of rides and games. Of course, our whole family planned to tag along to enjoy the celebration. Well, the weather was not supposed to cooperate...but we all went anyway. It was rainy and cold, but those kids had the best time! Adrian always has the best, most memorable birthdays...I love it!!

All the boys hanging out in the wind and rain...they were freezing, but had so much fun!

The Boardwalk Bullet turned out to be the main attraction. The best part...we were the only ones there, so they could ride it as much as they wanted...no lines!!

Adrian wanted Angie to ride with him...I don't know if this was before they went or when they got back!

Hanging out on the Train Ride, which Grace said was 'creepy'. :) There really is a story there, but that girl makes me laugh!

Happy Birthday Adrian!! Hard to believe you're already 11!! We Love You!!

Happy Birthday Jeff!

2009-04-18T11:44:00.004-05:00

Jeff's birthday is in February and we had a fun family birthday celebration. He doesn't like cake and loves Oreos, so the kids came up with a great idea...

100th Day of School

2009-04-17T15:30:00.003-05:00

Emma celebrated her 100th Day of School...in February. I know it's the end of April, but I'm just now going through my picture files. :) I'll get caught up in the next few posts...

All the kindergarteners dressed up like 100-year-old people. It was very cute - I had to go up and take a few pictures...

Emma and her friend, Cy...what a great elderly pair! :)

You can't tell by the picture, but Emma had on knee-high stockings that we bunched up around her ankles. I love Cy's cane and aching back!!

Emma and Mrs. Breeding...this one really makes me laugh, because Mrs. Breeding is so young, hip and fun! The wig and hair net were hilarious!

Latest on Pike

2009-04-17T14:55:00.003-05:00

Pike's injuries are healing so well! I am amazed at how much he has healed in just a few days. It really makes me marvel at how God made us. What better example of how we were made by an Intelligent Designer. What else could explain the way the cells in our bodies work?? Absolutely leaves me in awe!!

Here are the latest 2 pictures of Pike:

This was taken on Easter Sunday - exactly one week after the bite. The scab under his eye came off and it did split open again, but not too bad. He has his medicine on it to keep it from drying out. He loves using that cocoa butter stick!

I took this one on Thursday evening - 12 days after. He looks great! All the swelling is gone...and he's back to the 'cool' stage!! We still have to keep him out of the sun for 6 months, which means lots of sunblock all summer...but that's the easy part!

And, just so you don't have to scroll down or find my other posts, this is what he looked like less than 2 weeks ago...

Say it with me...Wow!!! Thank You Lord!!!! :)

A Real Bike Ride

2009-04-09T21:51:00.006-05:00

As I mentioned before, Emma can ride her bike without training wheels and is "ready for real bike rides"! Everyday after school, she puts up her backpack and heads out to ride up and down the street.

Now this is one reason I love our street...it's a big curved cul-de-sac off the beaten path, so she can ride without traffic. The other reason I love our street is our neighbors. We have the absolute BEST neighbors ever!! From one end of the block to the other - it's just full of great people and great kids!!

When we first moved here (almost 3 years ago), Emma is the reason we met our neighbors so quickly. She was always running up to everyone saying 'hi' and giving out hugs. One day Emma and I pulled into the driveway and she said, "Hey, Momma, look...it's Grandpa!" I looked over and our neighbor, who was getting out of his truck, did resemble my Dad, but I told her that wasn't Grandpa. She said he looked like a Grandpa to her, so she started calling him Grandpa and his wife Grandma. They didn't mind and they loved Emma, so our new neighbors became known as just Grandma and Grandpa. For the longest time, I didn't even know their real names!

Emma goes over to ring their doorbell to give them a hug and she comes home with a baggie full of candy or crackers. When they go out of town, they leave Emma a note on my windshield asking her to please take care of their house while they're gone. She puts their newspaper on their front porch and checks their mail. When they get home, she takes them their mail and comes back with $5. And, you would not believe how much lip gloss the girl can buy for $5!!

What a blessing to have them next door, when our real Grandparents live so far away!

After Emma learned how to ride her bike, Grandpa told me she passed a note to him through the fence that said, "Grandpa, will you wash me ride my bike?" He thought that was so funny and kept saying, "Emma...I'm washing you!"

Well, last week, Grandma and Grandpa came home with bikes of their own...and now Emma gets to go on real bike rides to the lake with them! She loves it...and I have a feeling that they do, too!

All ready to go!

Emma is with them...she's hidden by Grandma

Pike's Progression

2009-04-09T11:37:00.004-05:00

Here's the latest on Pike. I've been trying to take a picture everyday...just to see the progression. He is very funny - he sees me get the camera and he just stops and smiles! I love this boy!!

Monday morning on his way to school. I let him sleep in and wasn't expecting it to be so swollen!

Monday evening - after the swelling went down, we noticed his eye was bloodshot.

Monday evening

Tuesday evening

Wednesday morning before school - it's starting to get yellow and the swelling is going across the bridge of his nose. This is when he told me it didn't look as cool as it did on Sunday. :)

I'll post an update after our appointment today!

Pike's Trip to the ER

2009-04-08T09:36:00.003-05:00

Most of you have heard the story and have seen some pictures, but I'm going to post my email that I sent out on Sunday here. Pike is feeling good and has been back at school. He's not sore at all which surprises me. It looks like it hurts! He is starting to swell and change colors - kind of purple-ish yellow. He said it doesn't look as cool as it did on Sunday. I told him it would get back there once the swelling went down. We have a follow-up appointment tomorrow with the plastic surgery clinic at Texas Children's. I'll post an update after that.

Here's the email I sent out...

We had an eventful night Saturday night....Pike got bit by a dog – just a freak accident – and we ended up in the ER for most of the night. He’s actually doing really good today (Sunday) and the plastic surgeon said it should heal fine. We are sooo thankful that God’s hand of protection was on him. It could have been so much worse and we are praising Him that everything turned out the way it did...

Some of the many praises...
· We knew the dog was up-to-date on shots
· Pike was wearing his glasses which deflected the cuts away from his eye
· The cut on his eyelid was fairly deep, but without his glasses, it probably would have gone all the way through and damaged his eye
· We initially went to the Kingwood ER, which had an 8 hour wait (can you believe??), so we went to TX Children’s downtown where they had a pediatric plastic surgeon in house and only 1 person ahead of us
· The plastic surgeon said all 3 cuts were easily stitched together and were in the best spots possible to show minimal scarring. All 3 are in natural creases in the face and should be almost unnoticeable after they heal.

Thank you Lord!!!!

I actually had my camera in my purse and Pike wanted to look at himself. There wasn’t a mirror in the room, so I took a couple of pictures to show him what it looked like. We were so proud of Pike! He was such a trooper and did so good! Guess I’m going to have to postpone family pictures for a little bit. :)

We are waiting in the ER for the plastic surgeon.

I wanted to take the bandage off, but we just got the bleeding to stop...didn’t want to risk it.

Stitched up and ready to go home. This picture was taken at 4:00 a.m. He is amazing!!

This morning (Sunday) it’s more swollen and starting to bruise. He woke me up at 9:30 (after less than 5 hours of sleep) and said he felt ‘refreshed’!! :) I love that kid!!!

Lift him up in prayer when you think about it – that he continues to heal quickly and without noticeable scarring. We were told to keep him out of the sun for 6 months! Really?? The only thing to do in Houston during the summer to stay cool is swim!! We will invest in a lot of sunscreen – I told him he would have to carry one around in his pocket!!

I’ll keep taking pictures and posting updates when I get a chance.

Another Milestone...of sorts...

2009-03-13T21:50:00.006-05:00

We reached another milestone this week and, even though I'm extrememly proud, it also leaves me wanting to shout what my friend Amy said, "Time, Stand Still"!

If you read my post when the kids started school, First Day, you know this has been a year of transition for our family - and it just won't stop! They keep changing and growing, and I'm slowly replacing all remants of baby-hood and toddler-hood for childhood and beyond. No more living room with a strategically placed bouncy chair or 360. No more dining room with a high chair. No more kids' bathroom with a step stool to reach the sink. And, now, no more bicycles with training wheels!

Emma learned how to ride a bike this past week! Honestly, I've really been looking forward to this. For Mother's Day last year, I asked for and received a bike, and couldn't wait until Emma could ride without training wheels. Our family bike rides consisted of Jeff, Pike and Grace motoring ahead, and me pedalling slowly waiting on Emma with her squeaky training wheels grinding along. I encouraged her every now and then to try to ride Grace's old bike that didn't have any training wheels. She would attempt a few times with me running along beside her, holding the back of the seat, but she wasn't ready.

Well, last weekend she asked her Dad to go out and practice with her. They were outside for about 2 minutes when she comes running in, "Momma, you've got to come outside. I have something to show you!" And there she goes...takes off riding the bike all by herself!!! I was so excited (and secretly thought...I'm pretty sure I did all the hard work on that one...you know, like loosening the really tight lid on a jar when someone comes along behind you and opens it immediately!). But, as I watched her, I realized...Wow! That's one more thing we'll never have in our garage again - a bike with training wheels. I know it's silly, but time keeps flying by and they keep changing and growing, and I really do want to shout, "Time Stand Still"!

Thankfully, I got a few pictures of the girl riding on her own the first time. One of my favorite things about some of these is Gretta, our sweet dog, running along beside her. It was so fun to watch! And, even though I can get a little nostalgic about minor milestones, I can also smile because I know that each new accomplishment brings a wide range of adventures for our family!

Good Job Emma!!

Here's Emma and Daddy - who came along and opened the lid after I loosened it! :)

I love the way Gretta just ran with her and followed her up and down the street!

The only problem she had was pedalling too fast. One of my 'lessons' was telling her that the faster she pedalled the easier it would be. And, man...that girl can pedal fast!!

And her fast pedalling led to a few falls. But, as you can see, she was a trooper and it didn't bother her too much.

She kept getting right back on and riding again. I'm sure Gretta had something to do with that! Everything is always easier with a buddy!

Talent Show and Science Fair

2009-03-11T15:43:00.004-05:00

The school had its Talent Show and Science Fair at the end of February. We had a fantastic turn-out and some really great acts. Grace did a dance to Taylor Swift's "Our Song" with 2 of her friends - Kayla and Christina. They made up the dance themselves and it was really cute! The Talent Show is only for 3rd - 5th graders...I bet you can guess that there was someone who was a little disappointed that she couldn't get her kindergarten self up there to perform in front of everyone! :)

Grace also entered the Science Fair with Jordan, a boy in her class. They announced the winners right before the Talent Show started...and Grace and Jordan won 1st place for the 3rd grade!! It was completely unexpected, so the only picture I have is from a friend. Thanks Julie!

Here are a few pictures from the fun evening...

Kayla, Christina and Grace "with their hair undone in the front seat of his car".

"Our song is the way you laugh"...

"I pulled out a pen and an old napkin, and I wrote down our song."

Here's Grace after she got her Science Fair ribbon and her partner Jordan getting his ribbon on stage. I sure wish I had been prepared!

They go to the district Science Fair at the end of March...at least I can get a picture of them in front of their project when they have to set it up again there.

We are very proud of you Grace!!

Retro-Post II

2009-03-06T11:23:00.006-06:00

One more catch-up post, and then I'll try to stay a little more current.

The week after Christmas, we went to Amarillo to visit my Dad and my brother and his family. Now by 'we' I mean my family and my sister's family. We were quite a sight during that almost 12 hour drive. The 2 cars were loaded down with 4 adults, 6 children, 2 dogs and enough luggage, games, movies, crayons and coloring books, snacks and suckers to keep all of us entertained. We did make a stop at a Gander Mountain along the way to get some hunting supplies, and I had to buy a jacket. I guess living in Houston for 3 years makes you forget how cold it really is once you get a little further north!

We had a great trip. The boys went hunting one day and then went to the river to shoot skeet (is that how you spell that?) another time. The girls shopped and played and talked. There was lots of good food and fun! We even got to go with Dad and Quentin to Wild Wings for their now-traditional Wing Night! Nothin' like eating wings and drinking beer with the greatest family in the world!!

I also got to spend some time with my sweet friend Amy and her precious kids. It was alot of fun to catch up with her. Emma got to play with Macy and even spend the night with her! What a treat! She still talks about it. Grace got to go play with her friend Camryn and spend the night, too. They had not seen each other in 3 years - and Camryn told me that if that happens again, they would be 11 the next time they saw each other! Yikes...we will have to work really hard to make sure that doesn't happen! (Cara...bring the family to Houston anytime!!!) :)

Here are some pictures from our time there...

The boys out hunting birds...Austin, Jeff, Adrian, Pike, Caden, Caden's friend, Quentin and Kyle

Showing off their kill...Adrian, Caden's friend, Caden, Pike and Austin...and, yes, they had to clean them when they got back to Quentin's. Pike still has a bloodstain on his jeans!

This picture makes me laugh! Kyle was outside talking to Kayla, Emma and Kade and realized they were playing with something in the yard. He asks them what it is and Emma picks up a dead bird! Guess they wanted to go hunting, too. The funny (gross) part is that I didn't know about this for a little bit and then I see this picture Kyle took...and there's Emma on the couch sucking her thumb...and she had not washed her hands!! (Gross...I know!!)

Gina and Grace climbing the tree in Grandpa's front yard.

The annual Christmas toast with Scotch...a favorite tradition of the boys!

Dad, Jeff, Quentin and Kyle...next year I need to get a picture of thier faces after the shot! :)

The girls hanging out...Linda, me, Deonna and Angie

Siblings and Spouses....Angie and Kyle, Quentin and Deonna, me and Jeff

Wing Night!!! And it wouldn't be complete without a picture of the Wing Leader...none other than POD!!

25 Random Things

2009-03-04T23:11:00.002-06:00

This is something that was going around Facebook when I first signed up - and it actually turned out to be something fun to do. I've had a couple of people ask about it who are not on FB, so I thought I would post it on here. After reading it again, I realized it's something I wanted to keep on my blog...and maybe my kids would get a little bit of insight into their Mom someday (something that would be fun to have about my own Mom).

Anyway, it's simple and just what the title implies - you sit and write down 25 random things about yourself. If you end up doing one, please let me know...I'd love to read it!

1. I thought this 25 random things was kind of silly until I read several and then realized it's interesting and fun.

2. I love, love, love sports - especially football and baseball, and I plan our activities around watching games - especially the Longhorns. When I was dating Jeff, he wanted to go to a movie on a Sunday and I told him he was crazy...Sunday means football!

3. I got my love of sports from my Dad. I would sit by him for hours on the couch peppering him with questions to learn the game. If I had to go to bed before a game was over, I would leave a note on the kitchen table with blanks for 'final score', 'winning pitcher', 'homeruns' or 'most TDs' - whatever I could think of. He would always fill it out and leave it for me to find in the morning.

4. I never knew what the 'middle child syndrome' was until I saw the Brady Bunch episode where Jan went to the birthday party wearing the black wig to be different from Marcia. I thought I might have it too, but after a few weeks realized I didn't feel neglected for being the middle child.

5. I have always loved big family get-togethers. I love the kids, the noise, the games, the food and all the laughter.

6. I still desperately miss my mom, who died 24 years ago, when I was a junior in high school.

7. I'm an organizing freak - everything needs a place and should be returned to its place when you are done with it, from the ketchup bottle to the shoes you are wearing to the markers and crayons. I think baskets are the easiest way to organize and I love making lists. I am married to a non-list-making and non-list-following man...God does have a sense of humor!

8. Thankfully (for my family), I am able to laugh at myself about my organizing gene, and I don't get stressed out if things aren't just right.

9. I grew up in the church, but it wasn't until I was 27 that I finally realized what it meant to have a relationship with God, and that it was so much more than 'religion'. I am so thankful that He waited for me and actually followed me around planting seeds while I was searching for fulfillment in the wrong places.

10. Other than my relationship with Jesus, my husband and my 3 kids bring me the most joy.

11. I love how different all of my kids are - Pike is the Einstein (genius smarts, scatterbrained and amazingly witty all in one), Grace is my Saving Grace (responsible, helpful, detail-oriented, sweet-spirited, servant's heart, teacher's pet kind of girl), Emma is...Emma (outgoing, talkative, silly, where's my lip gloss - I might see a boy and I'm only 6 - kind of girl).

12. I think my dad is the smartest person I have ever met. He is also humble, gentle, kind, an amazing writer and has been the best role model. I still remember so many of his sayings...one of my favorites on having a job: "Work so that they will miss you when you're gone". And that's what I have always tried to do.

13. It took me 40 years to find the perfect pair of jeans!

14. If I could pick one talent, it would be singing. I can totally see myself on stage singing my heart out...for now, the kitchen and car will have to do.

15. I hate scary movies...when I was a kid Scooby-Doo would give me nightmares!

16. I used to think the Tooth Fairy used all the teeth to make amazing jewelry for her friends.

17. A dream vacation would be going to different ballparks - Fenway, Wrigley, Camden Yards - I wish I would have seen Yankee Stadium before they tore it down.

18. I love colored Sharpies!

19. I really enjoy going to the beach, but I do not like getting in the water.

20. I cry for every emotion - when I'm overjoyed, frustrated, angry, scared, surprised or really sad. I am not a person who can hide the tears either...I get the red face, snotty nose and puffy eyes everytime.

21. I am a very light sleeper married to someone who snores very loud...is this that whole sense of humor thing again??

22. I love that my brother and sister are my best friends - and that I adore their spouses - and that we all make an effort every year to go on a vacation together with all the cousins.

23. I would much rather take a shower than a bath...something about sitting in water that you used to clean yourself is not appealing.

24. I have finally gotten over the fact that I have Fred Flintstone feet and I love to go get a pedicure.

25. I think it's hilarious that I'm a stay-at-home mom with 3 kids in school and it still took me over 9 hours to get this done!

Retro-Post

2009-03-01T21:01:00.008-06:00

I'm going to try and catch up as much as possible in this one post - so it might get long!

Grace had her 9th birthday in November and I posted a letter to her, but never posted pictures. She had a slumber party and it was a blast! Finally, here are some pictures from the fun:

We got her an American Girl doll - Julie. She even dressed up as Julie for Halloween a few weeks before this. She was so excited! If you read the letter I wrote her, this is the gift she's talking about at the end.

Grace wanted brown and blue to be the only theme and I have a friend at church who made this cake for her. As you can see, she is extremely talented!

We did a "Make Your Own Pizza" - and thank you Angie for being there to help me clean up!

All smiles while eating thier pizzas!

Here's the whole group after playing a few games. The boys got to stay for the 'party' part - and we started the real party after they left. :)

Another picture of the amazing cake!

The girls decorating their own pillow cases. They were so creative!

Hanging out after the Fashion Show and Karoake.

In December, Emma turned 6! It's hard to believe my baby is already in kindergarten and is 6 years old! She had her party at Mudpie Co. I love that place! The kids had a great time painting - and all the dishes turned out so cute! The big kids (Pike, Adrian, Grace and Abby) got to choose something else and paint out in the big room.

Emma's excitement after getting her own American Girl doll.

She wanted Mia, who was the girl of the year. And, I have to tell you, she almost didn't get one after the reaction she had when Grace got her doll in November. Check out this next picture:

Yep...that's Emma crying because she couldn't understand why Grace got a doll and she didn't!

Here's Emma and her friend, Sarah, painting at Mudpie.

Grace out in the big room painting her turtle.

The boys, Pike and Adrian, working hard.

Emma just wanted a cookie cake, so Aunt Angie made it for her and we decorated it.

The Birthday Gang together for a group picture. Most of the kids are in Emma's class, and then cousins Kayla and Kade were there and Logan.

OK - that's all I can do tonight. It's late and I'm tired, but I still have some catching up to do. And then I really do plan on staying current!

Happy (very belated) Birthday to my 2 precious girls!!!

Humble Rodeo

2009-02-09T21:02:00.007-06:00

This past Saturday night we took the girls to the Humble Rodeo and stayed to see Kevin Fowler in concert. We went with some good friends - Mike and Teri Jones and their 2 kids, Jared and Emma (or Big Emma as our Emma refers to her). We met early and ate dinner at Tin Roof BBQ and then headed to the Rodeo. We had a great time and Teri and I made a few mental notes for next year...#1 listen to a few songs from the featured artist and know some of the words - would have made it a little better and #2 remember that they start selling beer right before the rodeo ends and the concert begins - that would have made it a little better, too. :)

It was fun and the kids had a blast. Pike was sad he missed it...apparently Jeff has a Kevin Fowler CD that he plays in his truck alot with the kids (so they knew the songs and the words and were one step ahead of Teri and me!). On a side note - Pike had Reality Weekend at church. He spent the entire weekend with 6th grade boys at a sponsor's home. We dropped him off Friday night and got him back at church on Sunday morning. Even though he was disappointed about missing the concert, he had an amazing weekend and said he would have much rather been with his buddies staying up until all hours of the night.

Here are a couple of pictures...mental note #3 - we can go down to the arena before the concert starts to take pictures (and could probably do this at the same time we buy a beer). :)

Teri and me watching the Rodeo

Big Emma and Grace waiting for Kevin Fowler to come on stage.

I also have a funny Emma story from the evening. When we were at Tin Roof she wanted one of the snow cones they were selling and I told her that we would wait to see what they had at the Rodeo. As we are walking into the arena from the parking lot, she is holding my hand and looks up at me and says, "Momma, If they have cotton candy in here, will you buy me a snow cone?"

Yep, that's my Emma...I don't see her as much as I used to, but I sure do enjoy those moments when she shows up!

Gotta Love My Girls!!

2009-02-06T16:59:00.002-06:00

Both of these things really happened to me this week...

Three days ago, Grace is in my bathroom talking to me while I was putting on my make-up and she says, "Momma, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Do you think I'm going to be something when I grow up...or am I going to be like you?"

What??! I look at her and laugh.

Then she realizes how that sounded and says, "I mean you used to be something."

Oh, that's much better! And this is the one of my 3 who probably appreciates me the most right now! Yikes!

Then today I went to pick up my new glasses and took the girls in with me. Emma was looking at the round mirror on the table that flips over and is magnified on one side. After she finished putting on her lip gloss and singing to herself, she said, "Here Momma, you look in it."

I did and it definitely magnifies everything. "Wow! It really makes my face look big!"

Grace chimes in, "It makes it look kind of wrinkly."

And Emma quickly corrects her, "But Grace, it is all wrinkly!"

I just had to laugh again...at least this time they were right!

Way to Go Angie!!!

2009-01-18T17:40:00.005-06:00

Angie did it and we are so proud of her! She ran in the Houston Marathon this morning - her first one - and she did great! She ran the whole way and finished strong. I met Kyle and the kids downtown to cheer her on. Some of Kyle's friends came out to support her, too, and we had the best time. Here are a few pictures of her during and after the race.

Mile 20 - We got to run with her for a little bit. From the left is Adrian, Joshua (the son of one of Kyle's friends), Kayla (in blue shirt), Kyle with Kade on his shoulders, me and Angie

Angie and me at Mile 20!

Kyle and Adrian waiting for Angie to come by at Mile 24. That's Kade waiting, too. The funky wig was used so Angie would be able to spot our group as she was going by.

Angie slowing down to hug Adrian.

A big hug from Kayla!

All smiles at Mile 24!!

A big kiss from Kyle after the race!!

Admiring the medal Angie got for finishing the marathon.

You did great Angie! What an accomplishment - we are so proud of you!!!

Snow...in Houston!!

2008-12-11T17:30:00.006-06:00

I had to share a couple of the pictures we took yesterday - when it actually snowed in Houston! This was not the typical Houston barely-there flurries that were last seen here 4 years ago. This was a good, wet snow with huge snowflakes that came down for hours and actually covered the ground and tops of bushes. We were even able to make a small snowman and had some friends who made a huge one!

The kids had a blast playing in it and trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues. And I think Uncle Kyle had just as much fun as they did when they all jumped on the trampoline and had a snowball fight.

One of the things the kids say they miss about Amarillo is having snow around Christmas, so this was an unexpected and fun treat!

This is our house as covered in snow as it will probably ever be.

Pike, Grace and Emma enjoying the big flakes!

Pike, Kayla and Grace on the trampoline. Adrian is actually on there too - he's hidden behind Grace.

This is our little snowman we made with a carrot nose and M&M's for eyes.

Our friends made a big snowman! This is Craig, one of Pike's friends, with his mom Adriana, one of my friends. They made it as a surprise for Christina whose birthday was the next day. Adriana said some UPS delivery drivers were coming through their street and stopped to take pictures with him!

All the kids got to bed late, but it was worth it!

Happy Birthday Grace!!

2008-11-04T15:58:00.005-06:00

Today Grace turned 9 - WOW!

This is for the birthday girl or, as her dad would say, his Princess:

My Dear Sweet Grace,

I love that I have always been able to call you my "Saving Grace". Your sweet spirit, kindness and helpfulness have blessed me more than you know!

I love how much you love your family. And how you think about your brother and sister when you're at a birthday party on your own - and you always bring them back a small prize or share your goody bag.

I love the way you are always wanting to play family games of any kind - board games, card games, dinner table games and car games. The "Two Truths and a Lie" game is a dinnertime favorite - and a great way to find out about everyone's day.

I love the way you use the phrase "for no odd reason" all the time for no odd reason!

I love how you have grown in your faith and have a real sense of who God is, how big He is and how much He really loves you. When you were 4 I was putting you to bed and you looked up at me and said, "You're the bestest mommy in the whole world." And I said, "Well, you're the bestest Grace in the whole world." And you quickly said, "Oh, no, Mommy, God's Grace is."

I love how you have wisdom beyond your years and can see God in so many things, like the time you were playing your DS at night in the back of the car and said, "Did you know this light from the DS is just like Jesus? Everything else is dark, but He is a bright light that we need to focus on to see what we're doing." Such wisdom from such a young girl!

I love to listen to your heartfelt prayers every night and imagine what a prayer warrior you will be.

I love how you started kindergarten full of excitement and came home after the first week so frustrated that the other kids wouldn't sit still and listen all day. You threw up your hands and said, "Don't these kids know they're in kindergarten!"

I love that you love to learn and that learning comes easy for you, but I really love that you are still a humble person who knows you've been given a gift - and that everyone is gifted in some way. You told your 1st grade teacher that you didn't want to move from sitting next to a boy who was autistic, because you liked helping him; and his mother was so grateful for your friendship to him.

I love the way you can't say the word "approximately" and the sound of your laughter when you try!

I love how you sit back and take in a new situation carefully, but you are so spontaneous and silly at home and with good friends.

I love the way you enjoy to make lists, organize and label everything - especially when we make a big breakfast on Saturday morning (one of your very favorite things to do) and you set up everything buffet-style and number and label each spot - #1 plates, #2 silverware, #3 napkins, #4 eggs - and you make sure we all go in order.

I love how affectionate you are and how your hugs last a long time. Sometimes I take the time to slow down and allow you to let go first - and those are the longest, best hugs ever!

You are an amazing child of God and you are such a blessing to our family. You said tonight that the present Daddy and I got you was the best gift you've ever been given and I left your room thinking, "Oh, sweet girl, you are the best gift that we've ever been given."

Happy Birthday...I love you dearly!!

Cupcake Boycott

2008-10-28T12:58:00.006-05:00

Grace and Emma's elementary school had its Fall Festival this past weekend. The PTO does a silent auction (as well as several smaller fundraisers) in conjuction with the Festival. Because of Ike, we had to cut back on our auction items and we had very little time to get everything ready. We were also doing a pumpkin decorating auction, selling snow cones and a giant cookie cake. It was a busy time!

Did I mention that I'm the president of the PTO? Important to know for later...

One of the games at the Festival was a cupcake walk and the school was having a contest to see which class could bring in the most cupcakes. I got the notes that were sent home and just threw them away. Emma never mentioned it, but Grace would ask about it.

The day before the Festival, I had my parent conference with Grace's teacher.

During the conference, we start talking about the Festival coming up and how much fun it will be. I see some cupcakes sitting on her back counter and mention that it looks like they did pretty good collecting cupcakes for the contest.

She said they did fairly good, and had a funny story about that.
Uh-oh!

The day before she asked her class if anyone else had cupcakes to turn in and Grace raised her hand.

"My mom said she does enough for this school already and she is not going to send in cupcakes."

Yep, that's what I said...word for word...

He Called You a...What??!?

2008-10-10T22:43:00.005-05:00

As most parents, we really try to curb name-calling between the kids. When they were younger, anything that ended in 'head' was outlawed...and we're just talking about things like 'stinkyhead' and 'dumbhead' - it never got much worse than that. I even called Grace a 'sleepyhead' one morning and she burst into tears.

Which leads me to the latest episode of name-calling. As the kids have gotten older, their techniques to put each other down are more sophisticated. Add Pike to that equation and you have trouble! But, I actually had to laugh (behind closed doors) about this one...and I apologize in advance if anyone is offended.

I was cooking dinner while Pike and Grace were in the front room playing. I could tell there was some sort of disagreement, but it didn't sound too bad, so I waited to see how they would handle it. I remember Grace wanting Pike to give her something, but she didn't want to do anything in return (as I found out later, this was a very important part to the disagreement).

They continued to discuss their opposing points of view when Grace bursts into tears (yes, this happens alot) and comes running into the kitchen. I was trying to get her to calm down enough to find out what happened when Pike walks in the room.

"Pike, what happened? Do you know why Grace is crying?"

"She wanted me to give her one of my (insert anything here...I can't remember what it was) just because I have more."

"O.K.?"

"I just shook my head and said..."

Then Grace blurts out, "He called me a Democrat!!"

And then I heard myself say, very seriously, "Pike, do not call your sister a Democrat...that is not a nice thing to say." :) And, yes, we made him apologize.

Hurricane Ike

2008-10-05T22:22:00.014-05:00

I can't tell you how many times I've started this post over, because I felt like it was getting way too long and didn't want to bore you to pieces...but I finally realized this is a record of what happened for me and my family, and I am a very detailed person by nature, so - fair warning - this is going to be long!

We knew there was a possibility that we would get some sort of fall-out from Hurricane Ike, but early in the week, it didn't look like it would be too bad. My friend, LaDonna, who had already planned a trip, flew into town on Wednesday, Sept. 10th. I'm sure I encouraged her and said something like "Oh...we'll get some rain, but that's about it", and our biggest concern was losing power on Saturday and not getting to watch college football! Honestly...that was the biggest concern for us - even into Saturday! I guess that's why we've been friends for 35 years - we have our priorities in order!! :) She came in with her daughter, Alexia, who was turning 5 on Friday, Sept. 12th...and the adventure began.

As we looked at the hurricane tracker throughout Thursday, Ike turned just enough and was headed right for us. At one point, I saw a projection of where the eye would come inland and it was going right over our house - and it was big! Mandatory evacuations were given on Thursday (which did not include us) and the roads were packed heading north. Stores and gas stations were so crowded - I really have never seen anything like it. I had almost a full tank of gas, but Jeff made me sit in a line (about 8 cars long at every pump) and top of my tank. Later, I would be grateful. We started getting messages from the schools that they were all closing on Friday and Jeff didn't have to go into work on Friday. The strangest part was that Thursday was a beautiful day - sunny, not too hot - really nice. It was hard to imagine in less than 24 hours, we would be in the middle of a hurricane!

We spent the day Friday getting as prepared as we could...which included taking the girls to get pedicures for Alexia's birthday! Regardless of what was coming, we all had sparkling toes! :)

Alexia, Grace and Emma

Sparkling Toes!!

I had already stocked up on food and water, so I did all of my laundry - just in case we didn't have power for a few days. We heard that our area lost power for 3 days after Rita, so I wanted to be ready. (Little did I know how not ready I would be!) We also moved all the outside stuff into the garage...the grill, patio furniture, the trampoline...we took away all the potential projectiles!

We spent most of Friday evening watching the news and we knew it would start to get bad for us around 9:30, so we got the kids to bed at a good time with the hope they would sleep through everything. The wind started blowing hard right around 9:30 and then the rain came in sheets, but we didn't lose power until 12:30 in the morning. We were able to stay up and watch the news and stay as updated as we could.

On a side note, LaDonna and I were checking out FoxNews online and found that video clip of Geraldo getting knocked off his feet by the waves in Galveston. If you haven't seen that clip, watch it here. It is hilarious! We probably watched that thing 20 times and laughed until we cried every single time! I think it was the highlight of the night!

OK - back to the story - Ike went over us at a category 2 and we did get a break from the wind when the eye went over us around 5:00 in the morning. Jeff went out in the eye and he said it was beyond eerie - completely still - no wind, no rain, no clouds, no sound and completely dark. Then around 7:00 a.m. the second wave started. And, yes, all of our kids slept through the whole thing!

Saturday we went out to assess damage and, thankfully, ours was minimal. My sister's fence was blown down and our neighbor across the street had a 60 ft. pine tree fall in their yard and it just knicked the corner of their garage and fell across their driveway and into the backyard. We were able to drive around a little bit and see the remnants. I was amazed at the huge trees that were either snapped in two or completely uprooted. Trees, limbs, fences, debris and power lines were strewn everywhere. These pictures are from Kyle:

A neighbor's yard

This is usually a 4 lane road right by Angie's house.

This is the main entrance to Summerwood. By comparing the tree to the man in the yellow jacket, you can see how big it was. He's standing in front of the top of it and those branches are from the trunk that's laying across the road. It knocked down power lines with it. This road was actually closed for over a week.

This is my neighbor's garage that was knicked by their tree.

Grace, Pike and Adrian playing on Angie's back fence that was blown down.

Phone lines were down and cell phones didn't work, so we went and checked on friends and had some come and check on us. One of our friends had an extra generator and that ended up being the biggest blessing to our family!

When we got the generator set up - we were able to save our refrigerated food, run a few fans and - get this - watch TV - yes, our satellite TV was working! The hardest part was finding gas to run the generator. All the gas stations ran out of gas on Friday before the hurricane hit and, even when trucks came to deliver gas, there was no power to run the pumps. We would hear through word of mouth where there was a station that had both gas and a generator to run the pumps. Jeff sat in a line for over 6 hours one day and they ran out of gas right before he got there. We were planning strategies with our neighbor on the best way to get gas, and we shared and borrowed. It was crazy! That was the part I was not prepared for...I knew we would lose power, but I didn't think about the widespread ramifications - everything was shut down. There was no gas, no grocery stores, no Wal-mart, no Sonic, no restaurants. Our oven and microwave didn't work, so we grilled and grilled and grilled...and ate alot of sandwiches.

LaDonna was supposed to fly out on Monday and her flight was cancelled. She ended up getting to leave on Tuesday. I always hate to have friends leave, but I didn't want her to stay under these circumstances. I have to say that I am glad we experienced it together - one more thing to add to our list! :)

The next few days were almost all the same...a lot of cleaning up with neighbors, trying to find gas, checking on friends and trying to keep the kids entertained with no school.

We did get a change when Kyle and Angie decided to take a camping trip and took all 3 of my kids with them. They are amazing...2 adults, 6 kids and 1 large dog camping for an undetermined number of days! They loaded up bikes, old clothes and mosquito spray, and headed out on Wednesday. They ended up in Bastrop, which is outside of Austin, and had a blast.

I ended up driving to get the girls on Friday and we went to Austin and stayed in a hotel. Jeff and I had 2 tickets to the UT/Rice game and decided that I would take Grace before everything happened. We went ahead and kept our plans to go to the game. Jeff drove to Austin on Saturday to get Emma...and Grace and I headed to campus to walk around and go to the game. We had a blast! She loves her football and baseball...so we stayed the whole time and yelled and sang fight songs and saw the tower light up orange. We stayed in Austin overnight and headed back to Houston on Sunday. Pike stayed with Kyle and Angie to camp through the weekend.

When we all got back on Sunday, we had been without power for 8 days and heard it might be Thursday before we got it back. Apparently our subdivision had extensive electrical damage. We were so thankful to have a generator and a little bit of power - even though we couldn't run the A/C, stove or microwave. I was able to vacuum a few times and run the washer. The biggest inconvience was hand-washing dishes everyday and hanging out clothes to dry on a makeshift clothesline. It brought back memories of helping my mom and grandma do the same things, so we really didn't have it too bad.

We finally got power back on Wednesday night - 12 days after Ike hit, and my sister had to wait until Saturday. The rest of the subdivision and the school were up and running on Sunday, so the kids were able to go back to school on Monday. They missed 2 weeks of school and we just found out that they don't have to make it up. The district got a waiver from the state for the days missed. I was glad to hear that...I would hate if they had to be in school until the middle of June!

That's enough for now...I have some things that I learned during the past few weeks, but those can wait for another time. If you're still with me, check back and I'll make sure the next post is more of a short story than a novel! :)

Are You Ready For Some Football...

2008-09-01T16:40:00.006-05:00

I absolutely love football season and I'm so glad it's here! As much as I love watching the Cowboys and Monday Night Football...College Football is my favorite.

Jeff and I went to Austin on Saturday to watch the Longhorns home opener. We had a blast! One of my friends kept all 3 kids, so it was a date for us. We got to Austin around 1:00 and had plenty of time to walk around the campus, eat lunch and shop. We got to the stadium about an hour before kick-off and it was already full. The 3-year renovation on the stadium was complete and the attendance for the game was over 98,000. It was great!

We also saw Vince Young as he got his jersey retired before the game. The best part was when they played his highlight video and the last 2 clips were of him running into the end zone to score the winning touchdown against USC to win the National Championship and when he was standing amid all the confetti after that game. That always gives me goosebumps!

Here are a few pictures we took before the battery on our camera went out...

This is us on our way to the stadium...there were blocks and blocks of tailgaters...it was crazy!

We had already gone into the stadium and then decided to go out and take a picture in front of the seal. We almost didn't get to go back in because we didn't get a stamp when we left. That would have been bad!

The Longhorns were coming out of the tunnel for their pre-game warm-ups. The stadium was already packed. It was also great weather - not too hot, surprisingly!

Here's Vince Young on the jumbotron during his ceremony. I think they actually call this the godzillatron - and I can see why - the thing is beyond huge!

First Day Pictures!

2008-08-27T23:32:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures of the kids from the first day of school! They are all doing great and enjoying the year so far. The biggest surprise has been how well Pike is adjusting to middle school. He absolutely loves it...it's "awesome"...and I've been amazed at the dramatic signs of maturity in just 3 days. We are very proud of him!

OK - now that makes me laugh! I just finish talking about Pike acting more mature and the only picture I have of him by himself is where he is climbing up the basketball pole! He is one of a kind...and we are still proud of him!

First Day...

2008-08-25T09:37:00.005-05:00

Today was the First Day that I wrote "I Love You" notes to my 3 kids and secretly put them in lunchboxes and backpacks to be found later in the day.

Today was the First Day that Emma joyfully skipped down the hall on her way to kindergarten, pulling me along, singing "I am so excited! I am so excited!"

Today was the First Day that I watched her find her nametag, hang up her backpack and find her seat. I watched as she sat down for the first time and realized what an amazing journey she had just begun.

Today was the First Day that Grace didn't want me to walk her to class, but she looked back, smiled and waved quietly as she turned down her hallway.

Today was the First Day that I watched Pike slowly get swallowed by (what seemed like) much bigger kids as he walked into middle school, and an unknown world, for the first time.

Today was the First Day that I tried really hard not to cry as I walked out of the school, then saw some sweet friends who asked me how I was doing, and I let the tears softly fall as I got some much-needed hugs.

Today was the First Day that I drove to the grocery store and shopped alone - not because I got to, but because I had to.

Wasn't it just yesterday that I couldn't wait until Emma could sit up by herself, so I wouldn't have to lug that heavy baby carrier into the store while trying to hold the hands of her 5-year-old brother and 3-year-old sister?

Wasn't it just yesterday that I wished I could run errands by myself without having to buckle and unbuckle five-point harnesses at every stop?

Wasn't it just yesterday that I wanted a quick errand to really be quick and not include instructions on how to behave?

Wasn't it just yesterday that I longed for a quiet house so I could get everything done in peace?

Today was the First Day that I prayed for God to take care of them while they are away from me...to protect their precious hearts...to give them courage to make wise choices...and to come home full of joy and ready to be with a mom who has a plate of fresh-baked brownies!

All About Emma

2008-08-05T13:50:00.007-05:00

It's time for an Emma update...

Most of you know that Emma gave herself a haircut last October. She had her hair in 2 ponytails and tried to take them out to put on a crown. When they got tangled and started to hurt, she got out the scissors and cut them off! (I found them in the trash can still bound in the rubber band!) She sported a mullet for a long time and we usually had between 4-6 clips in her hair to keep down all the layers.

Well...last week we finally got the haircut we've been waiting for for almost a year! The sides were finally long enough to get a cute bob!! It looks great and she loves it!!

Here are some pictures of our adventure...

This was taken in September right before The Haircut.

The night of The Cut...before I took her in to get it as fixed as possible.

After going to get it 'fixed'. She had this mullet look for a long time!

Her new look!!! We made it...just in time for kindergarten!!

Emma is also the one of my 3 who always makes me laugh at the way she gets words mixed up. My other two grasped the English language at a very early age. I absolutely love the way Emma gets things confused, even though she doesn't do it as much as she used to.

An early example...When Emma was 2 and her friend Macy (who had a new baby brother named Jack) was 3, we were headed to the car. Macy was putting on her new coat and this is the conversation that followed:

"Emma, Did you see my new jacket?"

"I know you have a new baby Jack."

"No, Emma. I got a new jacket."

"Macy, I know you have a new baby Jack."

Then sweet Macy looked at me, smiled and just shrugged her shoulders, as if to say, "That's just Emma!".

Well, that Emma gave me a chuckle today when she was singing a new song she learned last week at VBS. Along with a very serious face and hand motions, this is what I heard...

"Get up, Get up...and tell the world.

Get up, Get up...some people haven't heard.

Jesus paid the price

So we could have eternal lice..."

I love that girl!!!

That didn't last long...

2008-08-05T13:43:00.001-05:00

In my first post, I talked about my blog not being very cute. Well, thanks to a link on a friend's blog, I've jazzed mine up just a little bit. It was very easy...and free! What do you think?

The Best Surprise (another update)...

2008-07-27T21:29:00.019-05:00

Wouldn't you know it...as soon as I start this blog, my children have completely stopped giving me any kind of interesting antecdotes to write about! So, I'll go back in time for another family update.

Have you ever been so completely caught off guard with a joyous surprise that the only thing you can do is cry? Until recently, I would say that I've never been 100% surprised my entire life. I'm usually aware of things going on and, even though I might not know what is going on, I know something is going on. That is...until my 40th birthday.

I knew I wanted to celebrate with friends so I told Jeff to not even try a surprise party. My sweet (and sneaky) sister, Angie, said she would start planning and she set up a great party at a friend's house for the night of my birthday, which was a Saturday. That morning the kids had a swim meet and after my shift as a timer, I was hanging out under our tent watching the meet. I heard my sister calling my name asking about Adrian's (her son's) race. Everytime I tried to look into the pool area to see where he was, she kept calling me. Then I finally saw it...a hand waving high in the air that caught my attention. That's when I noticed the group of people walking around Angie...it was my entire family from Amarillo!! My dad, my stepmom, my brother, sister-in-law and their 3 kids!! They had all flown in for my birthday. I absolutely could not believe they were here in Houston and all I could do is cry...and those were the most joyous tears I've ever shed! I found out later that they had been planning the trip since January - and I never suspected a thing...Wow! I can't even do the moment justice by trying to describe it here...I was so full of joy and gratitude and I couldn't quit sobbing! It was great!

The party ended up being better than I could have ever imagined. We talked, ate and laughed - and you should hear some of these people sing karaoke! :)

Here are a few pictures from the occasion - starting with me when I notice my family at the swim meet and ending with a picture of all the grandkids together.

Just a Few Updates

2008-07-24T22:14:00.008-05:00

Since I'm just starting, I'm going to give a few updates on our family...

Emma graduated from preschool this year and cannot wait to go to kindergarten. She asks me just about every day how many more months/weeks/days until she starts school. Here are a few pictures from her graduation...

These are her amazing teachers - Ms. Jackie and Ms. Kerri

The girls were on the swim team this year. It was Grace's 2nd year to swim and Emma was finally old enough to be on the team. Pike opted to play tennis instead, but he said he wants to swim again next year. We had a great team and, even though it can be time-consuming, it was a lot of fun and the girls learned so much.

Here's Grace doing the freestyle

Grace is getting ready to get in the water for the start of her backstroke. She's really good at the backstroke, but doesn't like it too much because she tends to hit her head on the wall at the finish. They can't turn over until they touch the wall or they're disqualified - and for some reason her head always hits before her hand or arm!

Here's Emma on the starting blocks getting ready to jump in during her freestyle relay.

I love this picture! If you could see her before she jumps in, she has her hands over her head and she is bent over like she is really going to dive...then she just stands up and jumps - I love it!!

It's hard to see her, but this is Emma doing her freestyle. She started the season not being able to swim much at all...and by the end of the season she could swim the length of the pool by herself.

Because I'm 40...

2008-07-24T12:07:00.004-05:00

I have a couple of friends who recently started blogs and I have really enjoyed keeping up with their sweet families, so I've decided to start one myself. I also have a tendency to mentally do something that I'm interested in...like in high school when I took a typing class and was actually getting pretty good at it, I would mentally type my conversations with people (a little strange, I know)...and when my friend Amy got me hooked on eBay, I would mentally write descriptions of my girls' outfits that they were wearing...which leads me to the past few weeks of mentally blogging as my day unfolds. It's time to get the thoughts out of my head and on virtual paper! I also hope it's a way for friends and family to watch the kids explore and grow.

I stayed up last night setting up my blog page and realized that mine was not very cute. I'm usually a very cutesy kind of person, but as my page came together I realized it was very introspective. I've always loved "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost and realized much later in life that I connected it with following God's path for me - especially when I found the scripture in Matthew 7. I thought about changing my page as I wondered why it wasn't very cute, when the answer hit me...

Because I'm 40...that's why!!

This year has been full of changes and there are more to come...my oldest will be going to middle school in a month and my youngest will start kindergarten...and I just turned 40! Am I traveling the right road? Are my kids headed down the right path? I've been asking alot of questions lately. Thankfully, the answers don't bring alot of regret and I do find contentment in where my 40 years have led me...and I'm looking forward to where the road leads next. My prayer is that I can stay on the path that God has set out before me and that I can teach my children to do the same...and that we can look back and laugh at some of the stories and pictures on here - and I can finally stop blogging only in my head and move on to some other odd mental task! :)