Book Tag

Tagged by Amy!

1. One book that changed your life: Gone With The Wind. I read it my sophomore year in high school. It was the first really really long book I ever read and it gave me the confidence to try another really long book. I credit that one with the start of my love for reading.

2. One book that you've read more than once: To Kill a Mockingbird and Tale of Two Cities. I moved my junior year in high school. Both of these books were in the freshman curriculum at my old school and the senior curriculum in my new school!

3. One book you'd want on a desert island: The Bible Also War and Peace. It would take me a while to read and I won't have anything but time on my hands!

4. One book that made you laugh: I Don't Know How She Does It. A hilarious book about a woman who juggles work and young children.
The Number One Ladies Detective Agency.

5. One book that made you cry: Marley and Me. I am a sucker for a good dog book. Also, The Last Coach: The Story of Bear Bryant. I am a suck for a good Bama book.

6. One book you wish had been written: Harry Potter.

7. One book you wish had never been written: Most all motivational books. Who Moved My Cheese, et. al.

8. One book you're currently reading: Love In the Time of Cholera.

9. One book you've been meaning to read: Blue Like Jazz. I have it on the shelf ready to go! Anna Karenina. I have also had that ready to go (even before Oprah put it on her list). The Corrections, John Adams, Two Years Before the Mast.

10. Books I am incredible glad that I read that also had a huge impact on my life: Undaunted Courage, Fly Boys, Mark of the Lion series, Centennial, Come to the Table, Roots . Plus many more!

Thank you to everyone who loves my kids

Yesterday afternoon, a package arrived at our doorstep. It was for Thomas. Much to Thomas's sheer delight, my cousin had sent him an official Shawn Alexander jersey, hat, and fan finger (is that what you call them?). His eyes were wide as saucers. "You mean I get my OWN jersey?" Colleen lives in Seattle and knows how much Thomas adores the team. She couldn't help herself. Colleen just inched past his mother as Thomas's favorite female.

The same day, JoAnna's daughter, Hannah, Matthew's cousin in law, sent him a Georgia Bulldog keychain which plays the Georgia fight song, a personal favorite of Matthew's.

I woke up this morning and poured ME some milk. "Uh, uh. I want COFFEE milk!" I reached for the coffee syrup, a Rhode Island specialty that my aunt, who lives in Providence, sent to me for the kids. ME drank two huge glasses.

After breakfast, I dressed ME in her new adorable outfit from my mother-in-law for her birthday. She LOVES getting new outfits! She goes in her closet and says, "I want an outfit!" What a female.

I am just feeling really grateful today for everyone who chooses to be a part of my kids lives. You bless me. You bless my kids.

*Kristen never forgets their birthdays by sending a card and present.
*Lauren is always available to play with them and brag on them.
*Mom and Dad take them on great vacations and are always looking for special things for them.
*My inlaws sent Matthew "official" car insurance (they are in the business) for his plastic Hummer. He was thrilled. They also have quarters for the boys who love state quarters.
*My brother and sister-in-law have the boys spend the night and do lots of fun things with them (like meet Dirk Nowitzki!). They always remember them when they are on vacation.
*My aunts ALWAYS send cards for EVERY holiday for them. Even St. Patrick's Day!

I feel so blessed to have so many friends and family who love my kids! Thank you!

Great day!

OK, I'm just really having a great day. Maybe I shouldn't jinx it, but I am loving life right now.

I just walked outside to a cool, 86 degree afternoon. It is amazing how cool that feels after 106 degrees days all August! A breeze was coming in from the north. Heaven.

IT SMELLED LIKE RAIN! Wet spots were on the ground and not from my sprinkler system. I have seen rain twice since we moved in 2 months ago. My plants are even in a good mood.

My kids are just too stinking cute today. They make my world a great place to live.

5.95 pizza night! No messing up the kitchen.

No where to be on a Monday. The day gets such a bad rap. I adore Mondays!

Another quiet weekend, the end of an era, and Sloppy Joes.

Bryon had his annual football draft in Dallas which he always attends. He decided last minutes to do the draft at home so we didn't have to go out of town. I usually love to go to Dallas, but the thought of dragging sleeping children out of bed and being on the road by 7 seemed very unappealing on a sacred Saturday morning!

I loved watching both the boys participate in the draft with Bryon. Bryon had first pick (because he came in last place this year) and deciding who would be the number one pick was the dinnertime topic all week. Since Shawn Alexander is Thomas's favorite player, they decided that it would be more fun to root for him than someone who we didn't care about.

I think we have come to the end of an era with ME. My beautiful little napper has suddenly decided that she doesn't like naps. Most days last week she didn't take one or didn't go down the first time. Now, Matthew was 25 months when he stopped napping, and I was 2 when I stopped, so this wouldn't be unusual, but how is it that I wound up with nap haters? To be fair, Thomas loved his naps until he was 3 1/2. I am hoping that this is just a phase. If it is over, it wouldn't be the end of the world. We would have much more freedom during the day. I have to pick Matthew up at 3 anyway. We'll see.

Here is another recipe that I double up and freeze. It is a Sloppy Joe recipe from the Women of ACU cookbook. I don't know what it is about this recipe, but I love it! Bryon and I usually eat 2 "Joes" a piece. Of course it is very kid friendly as well.

Sloppy Joes:
1 pound ground beef
1 C ketchup
1 Tablespoon mustard
2 Tablespoon vinegar (I usually use Apple Cider vinegar, but I am sure any will do.)
2 Tablespoon sugar
S and P to taste
1/4 C water

Brown meat. Add remaining ingredients. Cook slowly for 20 minutes.
Serve on toasted buns.

Phase 1 of the garden project completed!

Well, after a backbreaking day in the garden, phase 1 is now complete! I went to my favorite nursey yesterday to pick up a few extras. What is usually a full parking lot and not a worker to talk to b/c of busyness was just the opposite yesterday. I spent a lot of time with the owner of the nursery and she ended up giving me drastically reduced prices because most everything looks so pitiful this time of year! I planted over 40 plants yesterday. Toward the end, Bryon helped with the shoveling. I am feeling the effects this morning and am having trouble straightening my legs out! I was so happy yesterday working in the yard and getting back into it. I look forward to phase 2 coming up this fall!

BEFORE





















A good look at one of the two beds that were made. This one houses most of my roses that I brought from the other house. I also have some perennials in there such as black and blue salvia and some sages.














This picture shows my arbor and the flower bed on one side. Phase 1 of this project is complete! The next step is to get someone out to put up a short fence on either side of the arbor to divide my backyard in half. I will put rambling roses on the fence.













Not the best picture, but this is where the majority of my KnockOut Roses are. I put Agapanthus around the border because I like this combination.

Thursday

Last night, I started the new Beth Moore bible study on Daniel. I am really excited about starting this one up! I haven't taken one of her studies since I was pregnant with ME and took some time off while she was really little b/c they take up a lot of time. I am also excited because Bryon is taking it with me! This is the first year it has been opened up to guys so it should make for great discussions!

Matthew was thrilled to find out that his teacher is taking the class as well! She doesn't go to our church but enjoys coming on Wednesday nights for Beth Moore. She told me that that morning she had asked the kids to write down things about themselves. Matthew wrote that he was an Exurver (his way of saying "observer"---too cute to correct! ;), a Scientist, and a Daydreamer! I asked him later what he meant by daydreamer. He said sometimes he likes to just sit down and think!

My new big project that has started this week is that I get to start planting! My new backyard didn't have a single flower bed in it when we bought it. My landscape guy came over yesterday and used his sodcutter to shape some beds for me and now I have 30 plus plants to put in the ground. Despite the 100 heat, I am going to try to put a few in before I pick up the kids from MDO. I am stalling, because I am a baby about the heat, to write this post! OK, enough stalling...

This and that

*We had Matthew's parent/teacher night last night. This was the teacher's chance to share policys and procedures with the class, get to know her personality, as well as meet other parents in the class. I really like Matthew's teacher and feel comfortable with her teaching style.

Bryon and I had a chance to talk to her for a while last night. She told us a funny story about Matthew that occurred that morning. They were in circle talking about letters and the teacher asked what word began with the letter "q". Matthew raised his hand and said, "quill". The kids didn't know what that meant so Matthew explained how people used quills during the American Revolution time. Some kid raised his hand and said, "Couldn't we just used 'quilt'?" Matthew popped his head back to the teacher and said, "What's wrong with these people? Don't they care about American history?" Matthew's teacher got a big kick out of that!

*My blog friends are dropping like flies. I miss you, Meredith and Kelley!

*Thomas and ME started Mother's Day Out yesterday. Thomas, woke up and started bouncing around because he was so excited about the first day of school! The most exciting part? Aunt Lauren was his teacher! He had a great time and stayed on green all day. This means he had good behavior. Thomas heard, "I got a green today in school" all year last year because Matthew's teacher used the same color coding. Thomas felt very big having a discipline chart! He probably talked about it 20 times yesterday! I loved picking the kids up and seeing Lauren. I am so glad she is Thomas's teacher this year!

*There were some comments about my double up and freeze recipes on my last post. There are several tried and true recipes I use for this and I will share some over the next few posts. Here is perhaps the easiest double up and freeze, Taco Soup. I am pretty sure that you can't be a member of my church without knowing this recipe! We eat our weight in it during the fall and winter. When I was making it on Saturday, Bryon had some football game on and I was daydreaming that it was October! I can't stress enough how good it is, easy, and kidfriendly. Here is goes:

Taco Soup
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 onion
1 package Taco Seasoning
1 package ranch dressing (powder)
2 cans pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn
1 large can tomatoes (I like progresso crushed)
1 can green chilis

Brown meat and onion together. Follow directions on taco seasoning package to mix in with the meat. Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a large pot and simmer 1 hour.
Serve with either corn bread, cheese, and/or chips.

Again, since this recipe is just mainly dumping cans into a pot, I double it and freeze the massive pot into family portions. My favorite way to eat it is to put cornbread on the bottom of a bowl and spoon the soup over it. Yum!

This weekend

Well, this one was very quiet and wonderfully boring! Since we spent well over one thousand dollars this past month between electric bill, water bill, and gas, we decided to have as close to a spend free weekend as possible! It was very enjoyable actually.

I cooked and froze about 8 meals. I am finishing the rest today. I just do much better with a stocked freezer! I also spent some time at my hair salon. I usually let my hair grow out for the summer so I can put it in a pony tail. Now, it is chopped above my shoulders and looks a little better.

I am enjoying the school year so far. I woke Matthew up at 7 on Friday morning and he said, "But I just went to sleep!" It is hard getting used to waking up early again! I feel like I can start over each school year and am making a list of "School Year Resolutions". So far I have better doing pretty well.

Thomas and ME start back to school tomorrow. I am going to start going up to work and reorienting myself to the paperwork/therapy techniques.

This is a recipe for our family's breakfast casserole. It is delicious anytime of year, but for some reason, we usually only eat it on Christmas morning. I made some for a church event recently and it was eaten up.

Breakfast (Holiday) Casserole:
Assemble the night before:

1 lb. ground sausage, cooked
4 1/2 C stale bread, cubed
2 C cheddar cheese
10 eggs, beaten
4 C milk
1 t. salt
1 t. dry mustard
1/2 t. onion powder

Optional additions: red or green peppers, basil, green onions, rosemary, ham, etc. You are only limited by your imagination!

Combine in 9X13 greased pan.
325 for 1 hour or until set.

What is a positive thing about it being 106 degrees outside?

When my grill has to be 375 degrees to cook pork, and it registers 150 degrees before I even turn it on, it doesn't take nearly as long to preheat! Whoopee!

Yeah, I know your jealous....

Today

Well, we had a successful day of 1st grade. Matthew told me they talked a lot about germs today and how to really make them mad (I guess kill them!). Then he proceeded to tell me all the places that germs live.

"You know, Mommy, germs are all over your purse. You shouldn't put your purse down on a table because you might put germs on the table!"

He reported that he loved everything about today, but if he had to say his favorite thing, it would be that you don't have to take a nap in first grade. It is funny that he picked this perk, because I remember the only thing I hated about kindergarten was naptime. It was the only time I ever got in trouble, because I couldn't settle down for this torturous half hour!

ME had her 2 year appointment today. She is in the 35% for height and 40% for weight. At least she is a well proportioned peanut! I asked the doctor what she projected ME's mature height to be, and she said that you can do a parental height average to guesstimate. (Mother's height and father height minus 5 inches. For boys it is father's height and mother's height plus 5 inches). This would put her at 5'8". Hard to imagine now!

The doctor said that she is talking and putting words together like a 3 year old. That girl LOVES to talk! Here are a few of her favorite sentences:
"Whatcha doing, Mommy?"
"Who's that?"
"No, No. I don't want to."
"Leave me alone, brother!"
"Daddy at work."
"I love you SO MUCH!"

Yes, today was a great day. I love being back on schedule!

First Day of First Grade

Well, Matthew is in school! Although not less exciting, this year seemed a bit less dramatic. Matthew and I both knew what to expect. He really loved talking to Mrs. L at Blast Off on Monday night so he was very excited to get to see her again today. I gave Matthew a hug this morning and he said, "Aahhhh. I still remember that last kindergarten hug..." ME seemed sad to say goodbye to Matthew. As we were walking out, she looked at me and said, "Matthew leavin'?"

We have ME's 2 year appointment this morning and I am anxious to see how she "measures up"!





Looking forward to a calm day of cleaning house and playing with my little two!

What a way to say goodbye to summer!

Today was an absolute blast! Bryon and I were lamenting this weekend that we never took the kids to Schlitterbahn this summer like we wanted to. Bryon got to thinking about it and realized that he could move some court around to give him today off. The icing on the cake was when Lauren offered to watch ME for us. Taking a 2 year old to a water park was less than ideal. What a great sister! She took some cute pictures of ME today on my Flickr page.

We left shortly after 7 this morning and headed down to New Braunfels. This is my favorite area of Texas and I was so happy even to get to drive down there! Schlitterbahn was great. There was a tiny crowd today as many of the schools around here were already in session. We were able to ride all the rides with relatively short lines. We told the boys that they were the "bosses" today. Anything they wanted to do, we would go along with. Thomas said, "Well, if I am the boss, I say we go to Taco Bueno!" I am sorry Thomas. You will just have to settle for a water park with the top rated water ride in the country. Poor, poor child!

Both the boys were incredible. No complaints. No fear. Just good ole' family fun. The experience was a glimpse into the short future where we can start going to fun places without lots of baby equipment, worrying about naps, not being able to swim, etc. I adore the baby phase, but this was great today!

I tucked the boys into bed early as school starts in the morning. I will have a full report and pictures shortly thereafter!

Oh, and we made it home just in time to enjoy a meal at Taco Bueno! ;)

Last day of summer!

What are we doing the last day of summer?

Going to Schlitterbahn!!!!

Bryon took the day off and my saintly sister is watching ME. I can't wait to have a day with my favorite guys at my favorite water park!

Ann Miller

I heard the news this morning that my favorite professor at Baylor passed away on Saturday.

Ann Miller was a legend at Baylor. She had the reputation for being tough as nails but an inspiration to her students. I felt like I couldn't leave Baylor without taking her literature class. I have always had a passion for history and literature and her class seemed the perfect fit for me.

She was a spitfire! She demanded respect. No one dared to show up late for her class. You have never seen someone who adored poetry like Professor Miller. If something in class reminded her of a poem, she would break out in a recitation! She was very demanding. I still have the syllabus from her class (which says a lot since I throw everything away!) that shows the amount of work that was required. The class grade would hinge on 3 tests.

The first test was disastrous for me. I made a 68. I had always prided myself on my high GPA and I knew this was going to sink me. There was something about Professor Miller that inspired me. I wanted to do well on the next two tests to not only make myself proud, but to make her proud of me as well.

As the time approached to take the second test, I made it my top priority to do well on the test. Top priority was difficult this semester as it was the semester I got engaged! When the time came for her to pass back the second test, she pointed at me in front of the whole class and she said how proud she was of me. I made an A+! I was on top of the world!

This inspired me to do whatever I could to bring up my grade. Her class remained top priority to me and I made another A+ on the final. I ended up with an A in the class even after my disastrous first test. This was my hardest earned A in my time at Baylor both undergraduate and graduate.

I learned so much about poetry from Professor Miller. She was a truly unique teacher in that she demanded the best from me and I wanted desperately to show her my best.

I will never forget you, Professor Miller.

A big weekend!

Lots going on this weekend!

Friday night started out with finding out who Matthew's teacher would be this year. We had been in prayer all summer that Matthew be placed with a teacher who is best suited for his personality and interests. I have heard that first grade really kicks in with difficult and plentiful work. It isn't kindergarten anymore. We just felt like having a strong teacher in first grade was so important, although even as I write this I realize that I am going to want my kids to have strong teachers every year! I had heard that first grade had one of the strongest teams in the school and we couldn't go wrong with any teacher.

I knew who his teacher was but wasn't as familiar with her. After spending much of the weekend on the phone with mother's whose children had been in her class, I am thrilled with the placement! From what I hear, she is a 40ish teacher with a passion for first graders. She is very structured and extremely challenging, but kind and loving to the kids. I think my son, who is already asking me when he can start taking quizzes, will thrive in her classroom! She called Matthew yesterday and we both were able to have a nice conversation with her. We are both excited! Tomorrow night is Blast Off for school where we get to tour the classroom. It should be fun.

I know this sounds crazy, but it is really hitting me that I only have one more year left with Thomas at home. If I could have sent Matthew to school at 3, I would have. He was ready even then! Thomas has just quietly grown up in the shadow of his big brother. He has such a gentle and easy going personality, that these years at home with him have flown by. I really want to make the most of this year with him and savor every moment. Life as the mother of a school aged child is so wonderful but so different. All the sudden, another woman, who I don't even get to choose spends more daytime with my child than I do. But not this year with Thomas. He's all mine.

Saturday was ME's big birthday! We all rushed in to sing her Happy Birthday and she said, "Thank you!!!" I had the family over for a meal and cake. The theme was Disney Princesses. She loves Princesses! ME has my speech impediment of choice, the lisp. All of her other sounds, even r and t are perfect, but she says things like "Thomath" and "Thockth". We love hearing her say, "Printheth". Too cute! She loved her dolls and toys. Our big present to her was her Barbie Hot Wheel. We can't pry her off!

This morning was Promotion Sunday at church. This was a big year for Matthew because he moved to the classroom upstairs. Woohoo! He was thrilled. Tonight, we had a party in recognition of our preschool director's 14 years of service. She is starting a job at a local public school. All the kids were on a video thanking "Miss Jan". Matthew thanked her for "molding young people's minds". What a hoot.

This should be a fun and busy week! Three more days until school!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Mary Elizabeth!

Tomorrow, my little girl turns 2. I am so excited to have a 2 year old again although she has been developing her 2 year oldness for a while!

ME is sweet and funny. She is quiet and a spitfire. She is affectionate but always on the go. She is beautiful in fluffy dresses with her curls up in a bow, she is adorable with a T-shirt on and birds nest hair! She loves to laugh and make us laugh. She loves her family, she loves her teachers, she loves life. She has been a blessing to us since the moment she was born.

Thank you, God for your beautiful gift to us. You knew the deepest desires of my heart and chose to bless us with a daughter. What an overflow of blessings that she is everything I ever imagined a daughter to be and more. Thank you.

Kicking off!

Tonight is P.T.A. kickoff and I am so excited! There are a lot of positives to summertime and having no schedule with three kids home all day with little to do at night. I LOVE having quiet summer nights not having to scarf down dinner to get to sporting events and piano. I love sleeping in and not being in a rush to put the kids down at night. I love not having to wake ME up from a nap to pick up Matthew. I love more time with Matthew.

However, I absolutely love kicking off the school year and all the excitement that brings.

*I love finding out who Matthew's teacher will be along with friends that might be in his class.
*I love school shopping for supplies and clothes.
*I love P.T.A. projects and reconnecting with school mom friends.
*I love the Fall.
*I love football and fall carnivals.
*I love the first cool day (granted this is months away!).
*I love quiet mornings and afternoons with my younger two.
*I love school projects.
*I love a clean house.
*I love when my shows start back again.

While this part of the year is my least favorite weatherwise, I feel like cooler temperatures and excitement are coming! I am just a schedule person and 10 weeks of summer is enough for me. Tonight is P.T.A. stuff. Tomorrow, we find out who Matthew's teacher is. Monday, we meet Matthew's teacher and see his classroom. Wednesday, we start school! Yippee!

Matthew's home!

When my parent's and Matthew were getting screened to get on the plane last week, the security guard asked Matthew, "Are you travelling for business or pleasure?" Matthew looked at him with a straight face and said, "Business."! Boy did that threesome get down to business!

Mom reported that they went from sunup to sundown seeing everything they possible could see. This melts my heart about my parents. It was just that important to them that Matthew got to witness as much as time allowed. To Matthew's credit, he never uttered a peep of complaint of being tired, hot, hungry, bored, etc. Matthew said he was on his "BEST BEHAVIOR and it hasn't even been that hard"! Of course, how hard could this be when the president and CEO of the Matthew Fan Club were giving him their full attention and bowing to his every whim? ;)

It is my hope that he will remember this trip for the rest of his life and go back to Washington someday with his grandson! Many of the pictures from the trip are in my photostream to the right of the screen. I wished they had taken a picture of Matthew's huge plate of crabs that he devoured the first night of the trip!

On the last night of the trip, Matthew asked my parents, "So, where are we going next year?" Don't press your luck, pal!

My weekend and news from Washington.

I had a tiring but exciting weekend in Houston. I took the best continuing education course I have ever taken. There is a lot of new technology out there to help patients who cannot swallow because of a stroke, progressive disease, or cancer. These patients are told that they cannot eat certain consistencies or nothing at all. For a lot of patients, this is the last pleasure that they have and taking it away can be devastating. I was telling Bryon, when my grandmother was told she couldn't drive anymore, she took it well. If the doctor told her she couldn't eat ice cream anymore, she would lose her will to live! I am thrilled to have been certified in this technique and extend a patient's ability to eat.

While in Houston, Bryon and I were able to go on a date to celebrate our anniversary. We ate at one of our favorite restaurants while Bryon's parents watched the kids. We also went and saw Talledega Nights. Highly overrated and highly stupid. I just didn't find it all that funny.

Meanwhile in Washington, Matthew is having the time of his life. My mother was concerned that Matthew might not be able to keep up with the Robinson-style vacation. That is, wake at the crack of dawn and see as much as possible until bedtime. I laughed at this knowing that Matthew doesn't slow down until his head hits the pillow! He has called several times telling me all that he has seen. Mount Vernon, a 6 hour walking/riding tour of Washington D.C., the tomb of the unknown soldier and Arlington National Cemetary, Smithsonian, Air and Space Museum, National Archives, as well as the inside of a taxi (very exciting) and a train! This is all that I can remember. He has been rattling off everything he has seen talking 90 miles an hour!

He also called me this morning to say there was a fire alarm in his hotel last night and he got to exit the hotel at 2 in the morning ("IN MY UNDERWEAR!!!!!") and couldn't go back until 3 a.m. Now, Matthew is fairly fearless, but he has had a fire phobia since the house around the corner from us burned to the ground when he was 5. I told Matthew that a little boy was playing with matches which burned the house down. God forgive me, I was lying through me teeth, but he is such a curious child that I have always been afraid of him being curious with matches. This experience might have been an Oprah moment for him to rid him of his fear!

I have enjoyed a lot of peace and tranquility with just the little two at home. The noise and activity level decreases 10 fold without my oldest little ball of energy around!

ME's Hairvolution

Before I had ME, my only experience fixing my kids hair was to run a wet wipe through it and part it to the side with my fingers. I was always the envy of all my friends with multiple girls who had hair meltdowns on a weekly basis before church!

I have enjoyed doing my little girls hair and get excited with each milestone. We reached a new one yesterday! But first, a look back at how ME's hair has evolved or her "hairvolution" if you will!

First, the bow glued to the head. This was how my mother did my hair and I was only too happy to slap a dab of Karo syrup on her already sweet head and stick a bow on! Here is ME at 1 week old.




















Then, she finally had enough hair to stick a bow in with an alligator clip! This was a huge milestone!















The bigger the head....the bigger the bow!


















Just recently, I was able to put it into a more substantial ponytail. I had tried it before but had to spray it down to keep from flying away. I love this picture!


















And now, drum roll please, the latest and greatest new milestone........
PIGTAILS!!!!!! When did my baby start looking like a little girl?

10 years

Ten years ago this afternoon I married my best friend. It has been a fun few days of remembering what we were doing 10 years ago at that moment. It was a beautiful, hot and sunny day and my wedding was picture perfect. I just remember being on a high knowing that I was going to spend the rest of my life with Bryon.

I would love to say that these past 10 years have flown by, but we have packed a lot of activity into those years! Between finishing schooling, working, Bryon starting his own law practice, 3 kids, 3 moves, countless vacations, holidays, and other activities, we have been busy! Thanks for 10 wonderful years, Bryon. Looking forward to the next 10! (We'll be in our 40s with a driving child! Yikes!)

On the way home from the movies, and "He's leaving on a jet plane"...

I met my friend and her girls at the movies today. Her daughters are roughly the same age as mine (our middle ones are 26 hours apart in age!) and have been great friends since birth!

Here is a sampling from the conversation after the movie:

Thomas: "Buddy, did you have fun today because, yuuuuuck, greeuulls!" (this last word sounds a lot like the cooking aparatus in the backyard but he means girls. This was odd because he adores his little girl friends.)

Me: "Thomas, Mommy is a girl. Do you think Mommy is yucky?"

Matthew's reponse word for word: "Yeah, Thomas! Girls are just a good as boys! I can't wait to grow up. I bet there are going to be lots of hotties to pick from. Mommy, exactly how much does a relationship cost?"

What?
A)When did you start referring to girls as hotties?
B)When did you learn the word "relationship"
C)It'll cost you a lot if you get a good one! ;)

On another note, my little Casanova will be leaving with my parents today to Washington D.C. Matthew is beside himself with excitement and I had a hard time putting him into bed before 10! I am excited for him, especially given his love of American history, but a little apprehensive. He has never flown without me. If you think about it, please send up a prayer for him and the pilot on American Airlines that is carrying my sweet boy to the Capitol Thursday morning!

Back to work!

I just finished my online course to participate in the seminar this weekend! I also realized that I never explained my decision to go back to work. As with the move, I had no idea a few weeks ago that this opportunity would come my way.

I am going back to my old job. The job I have had since I finished my master's degree. I loved my job for many reasons. I got to work with the elderly. I got to drive the backroads of Texas. I only had a few patients (I never worked more than 20 hours a week!). My boss was my mother! The hours were incredibly flexible. I used to schedule my patients around Little House on the Prairie episodes!

After Matthew was born, I continued to be "employed" by the same company but I stopped working. I would come in to supervise new therapists, orient them, or fill in while someone was on vacation. The more kids I had, the less I worked. I haven't seen a patient since before ME was born.

In the back of my head, I was thinking, when the current therapist leaves, I might consider going back for the aforementioned perks. She had called me recently to fill in for her while she was on vacation (starting tomorrow!). This got me excited again about my profession! I was thrilled to get to see if I still knew what I was doing!

I found out 3 weeks ago that the therapist is moving so the job was up for grabs starting this fall! At first, I thought it was too soon, but I wanted Bryon's opinion on the matter. When I asked him whether I should go back or not, his eyes got wide a saucers! He was thinking, "Should I tell her to stay home and come across as a male shauvinist, or should I say go to work and look like I am ripping her away from her babies?" He said the right thing, "Whatever you want!"

While I don't "have" to go back to work, it would speed up the furniture buying process! Also, I would be working about 10-15 hours a week and most of that time would be when the kids were in Mother's Day Out. Lets face it, I usually use that time to hang out with friends or have "me time" so working then would be great and not a huge life change. If I had an extra patient or two to see, I will either trade babysitting with Lauren or use a few hours on Saturday to do it. Bryon usually takes the kids out by himself every Saturday, so I think this will all work.

I am looking forward to starting something new and I am praying that it doesn't change the kids routine at all!

Dusting off the brain cobwebs

I am taking a continuing education course this weekend to keep up with my certification. I am learning a new therapy technique that I need to use when I go back to work some in the fall.

This course can only be taken after an online 12 hour anatomy of the swallowing nerves and muscles refresher course. I am supposed to look over the muscles of the jaw and neck as well as the nerves that innervate them.

As I sat there anwering questions, it make me think of the questions I am generally asked on a daily basis such as:

"Can I go to the bathroom?"
"Can I go over to Ethan's house?"
"Will you tell Buddy to leave me alone?"
"What's for dinner?"
"Does my face look red?"

A sample question from one of the tests for my MBS course that I am expected to answer in essay form tonight:

"The muscle fibers of the buccinator run in an anteroposterior
direction. Explain how this orientation is appropriate considering the
role of this muscle in generating positive pressure in the oral cavity
during the end of the oral phase. Consider the attachments on either
side of the muscle."

Uhhhhhhh.....

Perhaps I'll ponder this question while making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches today.

What I know

I recently read a great article I think in Real Simple magazine. It featured several women who were 100 years old. Each woman told about their lives and the things that they had learned along the way. I have always had a heart for the elderly (that is who I chose to work with) so I loved every bit of this article! It got me wondering, what are things I know to be true about life and about me at the tender age of 31? Here is what I came up with:

I know:
1. That I am a child of God and this is the biggest blessing in my life.
2. The best part of waking up is Starbucks in my cup.
3. I do better in every aspect of my life if I get sufficient alone time each day.
4. That I choose to be around people who make me laugh.
5. That God gave me a wonderful husband and three great kids.
6. That eating a great steak dinner is worth the three pounds I gain from it!
7. The older I get, the less impressed I am by wealth, power, and celebrity and the more impressed I am by humility.
8. That cooking for my family is one of the greatest joys in my life.
9. I can't go to sleep without reading a book.
10. That I really appreciate being surrounded by beauty. I miss my garden!
11. That I have so much more to learn.
12. I used to think the older I got, the more sophisticated I would be and dress. In reality, I feel more comfortable in overalls with dirty hands working in my garden! You can still be sophisticated with dirt under your nails, can't you?
13. That I can't tolerate phony people.
14. That I can't drive well in traffic.
15. When I find myself in a situation where I spot my 2 year old with a smile on her face and a marker without a cap in hand, it never ends well.
16. I really love good food.
17. Diet Coke is the best drink ever to be made by man. This doesn't include coffee which was made by God.
18. Nothing smells better than baking bread.
19. That I am so blessed to get to stay home with my kids.
20. That I am so blessed to have had the parents and siblings I have.
21. That I could spend 24 hours a day with my sister and mother and never get tired of it.
22. Chaos and disorder dibilitate me.
24. I can't stand unmade beds and unopened blinds.
25. I love gloomy freezing cold days more than hot sunny days.
26. I still get excited seeing Bryon at the end of every day.
27. I enjoy Christmastime more than any other time of the year.
28. Football season is a close second.
29. I wish I were more easy going and less hard on myself.
30. I am becoming more of an environmentalist.
31. The best lessons I have learned in life, I have learned the hard way!
32. That I am blessed to have such fun children who are so different. It is a challenge and joy to get to parent them so differently. I know that I fiercely love each one with all my heart.


I wonder what else I will know if I write this list again in 69 years?

31 today

So I am 31 today. Last year was such a fun birthday. The family had a great party for me. Last year was such a novelty. Now I am thinking, "Oh, it keeps going!"

The boys rushed into our room this morning to sing me Happy Birthday. I gave Thomas a kiss and he went running over to Bryon to say, "Hey! That Sweet Hotty gave me the first kiss of the day!" That child melts my heart!

My whole family is in town and we are planning to do lots of fun things today. Tonight, we are going to a great restaurant in celebration of a family friend's law school graduation. Coincidentally, Bryon graduated from the same law school on my birthday 11 years ago! I had to miss it because I was studying abroad. Those were the days....

Matthew's kindergarten teacher and her husband are watching the kids tonight for us. They don't have kids yet so I am anxious to see how it all goes! Looking forward to a fun day!

2 slices of humble pie courtesy of Matthew

I went to the library today with my college roommate. She was a little concerned about how her 2 year old boy would act and I told her that odds are, he would enjoy himself.

We sat down together. Our older kids sat on the floor while the two 2 year olds sat on our laps. Sure enough, the play started and her little boy didn't want to sit. He started fussing and she apologized to me. "I can't believe how well ME sits on your lap." I knew she was frustrated and I told her as long as we were friends, she would never have to apologize for her 2 year old son who was full of energy. Matthew at that age was the same way so I completely sympathized with her. I told her that just like hers, Matthew was never mean or onery, just BUSY! He made me a very humble mother.

We went to eat afterwards at Sonic. The Sonic near the library has a big playground, park benches, and two stands to go and order your food. After a nice lunch together, Matthew informed me that he wanted tater tots. I told him that he had already had plenty and that there was still extra in the kids meals. This seemed to satisfy him and he went off to play while Lisa and I talked.

The next thing you know, a waitress came into the play area and announced, "Who ordered the tater tots!" Matthew came running up and said, "That would be me!" He apparently went to one of the stands furthest from me, pushed the red button, and took it upon himself to order what he wanted. It never occurred to him that I had to pay for them. Oh, that child! I just looked at her and said, "Like I said, you never have to apologize for your child's behavior!" I do think this made Lisa feel a little better!

After lunch, I put ME down and Matthew and I had a long talk about how he was going to work off the dollar that I had to spend on his tater tots. He, like always, realized that he was wrong and was extremely apologetic. He put on his sweetest voice and started brainstorming with me on what chores he could do. Then, still using his sweet voice, he said to me, "You know, Mommy, you are starting to look a little pregnit!" In my mind, I was thinking, "You know, Matthew, you are starting to look a little dead!"

Yes, Matthew's gift to me is the gift of humility.

Oh, those su hu mer....Niiiii Hiiiiiites!

Sorry, I was singing Grease when I wrote my title!

Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis know that summer is perhaps my least favorite time of year. Not because of the kids being home or vacations or my birthday or anniversary. I just can't stand the heat and blazing sun in my eyes that makes it nearly impossible to play outside, say, past 10 in the morning.

There are a few redeeming qualities to this time of year, though. One of those is the summer nights. And while I prefer the sun going down at 6 in the evening rather than 9, you can't argue with the beauty of the wide open Texas sky blazing with oranges, pinks, and reds. It is usually a chilly 90 degrees around this time as well which makes it so much more bearable.

In our new house, the sun goes down on the back right corner of our house. Right in front of the sunset are big trees which turn greyish black as they are back lit from the sun. The past several nights, it has been breezy which makes the most beautiful sound breezing through the trees. It almost looks magical. Pure heaven. It just does something to my soul sitting out there.

In the front yard, there are usually sounds of boys playing. Bryon and our across the street neighbor played a game of baseball in the front yard last night with their collective boys. After watching them for a while, I decided to take a walk and enjoy the sunset and cooler air. Maybe summer isn't so bad after all?

Last night, I had my parents and sister over for dinner. My parents are getting wood floors in so their house is a mess. I was glad to have them over to our quiet, clean house where they could relax (only kidding)!

After dinner, Lauren took Thomas home to spend the night. Thomas and Lauren are kindred spirits. Not only does Thomas look more like Lauren than he does me, they have the same outlook on life! Happy and free spirited. I think they had a great time together.

I put ME down then got to spend some one on one time with Matthew. I haven't had a lot of this this summer so it meant so much to me to get that time with him. His maturity and sweet spirit always seem to shine when he has alone time with adults. I love him so much and am so proud of the big boy he is growing in to!

I have a fun and busy end to the week. Today, I am meeting my roommate from college at our local library for their weekly summer kids activity. Tomorrow, we are meeting Matthew's kindergarten teacher for lunch. They both miss each other a lot! Matthew stares at her website picture daily! Friday, I am meeting some friends to go swimming.

Saturday is my birthday, next week is my anniversary, and the next week is ME's birthday. Let the celebrations begin!

Happenings

I took the time to write a long post yesterday morning only to have Blogger erase it! I was so annoyed by this that I didn't attempt another post again all day.

This has been a really good week that followed a good week last week. The beginning of last week started with me really missing the old house. Things just didn't seem "normal" here. Since then, things have really started to feel normal. Bryon and I are getting back into our normal routine at night. We are sitting on our back porch again. It just feels good to be normal again.

The kids are at their last Mother's Day Out for the summer! My friends and I always go to a nice restaurant on the last lunch of "freedom" for a few weeks! I went into work this morning to take my annual test to continue being an employee. I have been working around 1-2 hours per year for a few years but I think that might change soon! More on that later. I am filling in for the current SLP next week as she is on vacation. I haven't seen a patient in several years so I am a little nervous!

Matthew got a new bike this weekend. It is a "Big Boy Bike" and he is thrilled with it! He looks so big. Someone asked me the other day, "So, when will he turn 7?" My thought was, "Not for a few years!" Seven sounds so big and his birthday will be here before you know it.

Matthew's old bike went to Thomas. It is red, thank goodness! We took the training wheels off his old bike. After Bryon did that, Thomas got on his old bike and started riding it without training wheels! I whispered in his ear that he started riding a two wheeler before Matthew did. This thrilled his soul! Who would have thought? I love how the kids always surprise me. Matthew was talking about training wheels yesterday. I informed him that he was using training wheels when he was 4 1/2. His response? "Aaah, yes. Those were the good ol' days. Yessir, the good ol' days!" What a nut!

We took the kids to Taco Bueno on Sunday night. ME refused to eat her quesadilla until we slathered it with guacamole! I swear, I am a pickier eater than my kids. She is hitting the terrible twos right about now. Her favorite thing to say is, "NO MA'AM!" She says this while her lips are puckered out. It is all I can do to keep from laughing. My parents say she comes by her dramatic side naturally. I wonder what they mean by that?

That's all for now. Hopefully, Blogger won't erase this post!

My brain is too hot to write.

I am sitting in front of my computer with not a clue as to what to write. It is so hot outside. My brain is moving slower, my body is moving slower. I can't let my kids outside after 10 in the morning because they would die of a heat stroke. Despite the fact that my birthday and anniversary are in the next two weeks, I really wish we could eradicate mid-July through August from the map!

I wish that our "summer vacation" from school was April 1-July 4th. At least the kids could play outside! Now I have three kids (plus lots of neighbor kids) over the house with nothing to do besides puzzles (which ME knocks over) and books. Oh well...

I have had a good week so far. I took the kids to our local library for a play about Little Red Riding Hood yesterday and they really enjoyed it. ME actually sat on my lap for an hour captivated!

I mentioned that we have had a lot of neighbor kids in the house. This is something I always wanted at the other house and now I have it! This is a blessing and a small curse. Sometimes I miss just having my three at home with me. I am happy for Matthew, though, that he is having such a good time with his friends.

ME is adding new words and phrases daily. Everytime she sees an outlet, she points and says, "Danger! Danger!" I still don't know where she picked that one up. We have laughed for a while now that she calls Bryon, "Bryon!" Now, she is calling me, "Honey" She'll say, "Comere, Honey!" Goosey girl.

That's all for now. Wishing everyone a cool day.

ME's latest favorite

My 23 month old daughter's favorite song isn't sung by Barney or Elmo. No, she much prefers Johnny Cash to puppets! She doesn't sing the ABC's quite yet, but she loves "Ring of Fire"!






The music starts and she starts jumping in her seat! She joins in full voiced on the chorus:

I went DOWN DOWN DOWN
and the flames went HIGHER
and it BURNS BURNS BURNS
the RING A FI YERRRR!

She always keeps us on our toes and in stitches!

Home again!

For some reason, blogger isn't letting me post pictures tonight! I took 700 pictures on the trip but only posted the best 300! Feel free to look at them until you are bored to tears! Most of the things I talk about in this post can be seen in the pictures to the right of the screen.
I am happy to report that we are home and almost unpacked!

We really had a great week and I was sad to see our vacation end so quickly. Here are a few of my favorite highlights:

*Driving over the Sagamore Bridge which located at the beginning of the Cape. It is a beautiful sight. Thomas's first remark? "I wonder if they have a Taco Bueno here."

*Touching down in St. Louis and seeing the excitement on Matthew's face because he added another state to his "been there" list!

*Going back to Plimouth Plantation. It reminded me of several of our trips there growing up. What a privilege to get to take my own kids!

*Watching Matthew dive off the pier at my uncle's boat house which I was terrified of even in college! It is about a 7 foot drop into a river that leads to the Atlantic Ocean. I put a life saver out for Matthew as a marker to not go past. The current in strong and can pull you out fast if you aren't careful. I have a few pics of Matthew jumping in, then me jumping with him. What a brave little guy!

*My cousin in law and I taking the four boys to the fish pier. Blood, guts, stinky dead fish. A boy's paradise!

*Taking in the beauty of my surroundings. Cape Cod is know for their gorgeous blue hydrangeas. What a sight to see!

*Watching the second cousins bond. Just for clarity, I will explain the "Matthew thing". I have a cousin on both side of the family named Matthew. The first second cousin to be named this was the one we call "Matty". He is 18 months older than my Matthew. Matty got his name from his mother's brother, my first cousin, Matt. Next was my Matthew. I needed an "M" name and always loved the name Matthew. I never see my cousin much so I figured it was OK to have a child with the same name as his second cousin. The next Matthew born was Matty's first cousin. His father is Matt and wanted a Jr. My grandmother's first three great grandchildren were all named Matthew! It only gets confusing once a year!

*My kids loved seafood. Matthew ate swordfish, scallops, and steamers. ME ate scallops and lobster. They are such adventurous eaters!

*Getting to eat oysters and steamers myself!

*Wearing sweatshirts. The weather was overcast for half of the week. My aunt and uncle apologized for this but I enjoyed it. I am a gloomy weather fan and I don't get much this time of year!

*Getting to read two fabulous books. The Scarlet Thread by one of my favorite authors, Francine Rivers, and In the Heart of the Sea, an account of the sinking of the whaleship Essex. I couldn't put either one of them down!

*Just being home again. Friday was a grueling day. 13 hours of travel. The boys were beyond perfect. ME? Hmmmmm.....words that come to mind.....maniac...hell on wheels.....whirling dervish......nonstop movement for the 4 hours in the plane. Yes, we were happy to be on solid ground again!

I am ready for a simple, nothing going on week. I hope it turns out this way!

Day 5

It started raining so I have a few minutes to blog.

Today my cousin in law and I took the boys, Matthew, Matthew, Matthew, and Thomas, to the top of the Chatham Lighthouse. This was lots of fun and a little scary watching the boys climb the steep steps to the top. They enjoyed seeing the Atlantic Ocean and hearing that the next land mass was the northern tip of Spain!

Then we took them to the fish pier. This is always tons of fun for little boys. Lots of stinky fish being unloaded from the boats. The seagulls and seals circle around waiting for a wayward fish. Don't think I will be eating flounder for a while!

We did a little shopping with the boys and ice cream afterward. I do believe I have eaten my weight in ice cream since I go here!

Tonight is steamers and oyster night. Yum! Yum!

Days 3 and 4

Lots going on here! Yesterday, we took the kids to Plimouth Plantation. The kids totally enjoyed it! I remember going there as a little girl, so it was fun to head back. The pilgrims act like it is the year 1623 so the kids had fun asking appropriate questins like, "What ship did you come in?" and "Do you like it in America?" Of course, Thomas was oblivious to this and would tell the pilgrims, "This is my brother! We are from Texas!"

After Plymouth (the city is spelled with a "y" the plantation is spelled with an "i"), we headed back to the Cape and Bryon took the kids to see a Cape Cod baseball game. Bryon loves the Cape Cod baseball league. Many of the up and coming stars from colleges around the country come to the Cape to play in the Cape Cod baseball league. I enjoyed a few hours of quiet reading time.

Today, we had a quiet morning and headed to the Cape Cod Maritime Museum where they had a fun pirate exhibit for the kids. A shameless promotion the same week and the start of Pirates of the Carribbean! All the second cousins had a blast together!

I can't think of much else. It is hard finding the time to blog, so I don't know if I will do much until we get home. We are loving the trip. A perfect combination of relaxation, sight seeing, and family reunion. I am looking forward to downloading the hundreds (literally) of pictures I have taken!

Tomorrow we will be touring the Chatham lighthouse and watching the fish be loaded off the fishing boats at the fish pier. Lots of smelly fun!

Day 2 of vacation

I am sitting in my uncle's house on Cape Cod and taking a few minutes to blog about our trip. Things have been pretty low key for the past two days which was nice after a grueling day of travel on Friday. We woke up at 4:30 in the morning and didn't stop travelling all day! The boys were perfect. ME was a little hard to handle on the plane, but overall was better than expected.

We hadn't been here but 30 minutes before Matthew collided with his second cousin, Matty and cut his lip pretty badly. Blood was everywhere! What a start to the trip. My Matthew is very tough and doesn't cry easily. He was crying so hard that he started sweating. Bless his heart! After he calmed down, he told me, "Daddy said that was a manly cry." I guess he was embarassed.

A lot of my extended family came in for the weekend to see us. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and second cousins. The kids have had so much fun together. Three of the seven second cousins here are named Matthew. It has gotten confusing! We spent the day yesterday and the beach on my uncle's property. Last night we celebrated many of our family's birthdays and anniversarys. It was so chilly last night that I had to put on a sweatshirt and jeans. Pure heaven!

I think we are going to try to go to Plymouth Plantation tomorrow. We are going to spend the rest of the day just relaxing and gearing up for a busy week. I will try to write more tomorrow or Tuesday!

Just now settling in and already packing again!

This has been a really fun week. Bryon had the holiday off, we are feeling much more settled, we got to hang out with lots of friends and family, and now we are anxiously awaiting our summer vacation starting tomorrow!

I worried about the timing a little considering all we have been through, but I think a relaxing week together is just what the doctor ordered. We head for Cape Cod in the morning and will be there most of next week. If you remember from reading last year, my uncle has internet capabilities so I will be able to blog from his house. It should be a fun week: whale watching, Cape Cod baseball league, Plymouth Plantation, Sundae School icecream, seafood, hanging out with cousins and second cousins, and the beach. I am most looking forward to highs in the 70s!

This is the first time for me to pack for 5 (other than small weekend trips) and fly with three kids! Yikes! Wish us luck!

Picture Blog

Reconnected to the outside world.

BABY UPDATE!!!
Stephanie had her little girl this morning. Ella Kate was born this morning around 10 ish. Mommy and baby are doing great. I will write more as I hear.


Well, here we are, 1 ½ weeks after moving into our new house. Every day is starting to feel more normal. I now have my TV, internet, and telephone, so I can start feeling connected to the outside world again! The past few weeks have been filled with lots of highs and lows. Here are a few:

High- Finally in the house that we were so excited about! We feel like God worked out the small details that made the dream a reality for us.
Low- Saying goodbye to the house we have lived in the majority of our married life and all the upheavel that involves.

High- Watching the children fall asleep in the new house for the first time and wondering how old they would be the last time they spent the night here.
Low-Moving all of our big furniture and belongings over on Sunday and finding out we had five hard nights ahead of us moving the small stuff over. Definitely the lowest of the lows.

High-Trying to figure out which switch turns on what light, how to operate the oven, turn on faucets, etc. I know this one is a little weird, but it has been fun figuring out how the house works!
Low- Paying someone way too much money to clean our old house only to see that she did a horrible job. I had to pay a babysitter to come over the next day so I could go the old house, get on my hands and knees and do the job over again.

High-Working on the church musical all week. This kind of thing is right up my alley and I had fun working with the kids and with my friends. The kids did a great job! Matthew had a solo in the song, “I’m Guilty!” Imagine that! His line? “I scared my sister with a big ol’ frog. My mom got mad so I kicked the dog, I’m guilty. Guilty of doing wrong!” He did a great job and never got stage fright.
Low-Getting all three kids out the door by 8:30 every morning to go to practice and not knowing where half of their things were!

High-Getting one car into the garage, then two cars into the garage! We worked our brains out getting the job of finding a spot for everything finished. I can’t stand jobs half done.
Low- Finding out that the replacement window my lawn boy broke was back ordered and scrambling to get that fixed before closing.

High-Hanging out with my friends at Stephanie’s shower.
Low-Being so incredibly tired from the weeks events.

High- Meeting so many great new neighbors. The ones directly across the street have boys the same ages as mine! They have become fast friends.
High-Watching the kids learn to swim better. Matthew’s strokes look great, and Thomas can swim without floaties!
High- Having my inlaws watch the boys this weekend so we could finish the house.
High-Packing this week to go on vacation this weekend!
High- Making a little money at our garage sale and getting to spend the proceeds on our new house!

High-Our fun neighborhood Fourth of July party yesterday. I will post pictures soon.
Low-The morning sun streams into ME's room so we are having to wake up with her at 6 each morning. She does eventually go back to sleep so I have morning time to work around the house!

I'm still here!

My mom informed me yesterday that she was tired of seeing "Okey Dokey, Artichoky" so I thought I would come over to her house and write a quick blog. I have had about 5 minutes of internet time in a week and I am having withdrawls!

My dad said to Matthew last week, "Moving is hard, isn't it?" He replied, "Not really. The kids get to play while the grownups do all the work!"

That really sums up last week. Other than the week that I took my national boards for Speech Pathology then turned around the next week to take finals in graduate school, I can't think of a more busy and stressful week than last week! Moving into one house and out of another (and closing on both) is stressful enough. I also piled on a garage sale, swimming lessons, directing a musical at church (along with two friends), and a baby shower for Stephanie! The baby shower was tons of fun and I really needed a night with girlfriends!

I hope that last paragraph didn't sound like I was complaining. I feel so blessed to be in our new house! Now starts the fun part of putting things where they belongs, etc. My in laws kept the boys over the weekend and Bryon and I (along with my parents) knocked out 95% of the unpacking.

I will have internet, phone, and TV by the middle of the week so I will write more then. Have a great Fourth of July!

Okey Dokey, Artichokey!

Thomas has a new rhyming phrase that he picked up while eating artichokes last night. Man, I love those things!

Yesterday was a gift of a day. The first normal feeling day all summer. The kids got along great, we only had a few errands to run, ME took a long nap, and I actually got to read and finish Monte Cristo. For the record, I am shocked that the movie Monte Cristo could use that name. The book was incredibly different from the movie!

I am going to take my camera to swim lessons today to get a few shots. Thomas is doing hand stands in the pool! It has been a great experience this year and I am glad that T isn't terrified of the water like M was at his age.

Busy day today, weekend, and week ahead of us! This is the fun part. I think I will still have a computer until the end of next week, so I will update the blog.

I leave you now with one of my favorite summertime recipes. I got this from Barefoot Contessa last year and it graces our dinnertable at least once a week in the summer. Chaio!

Corn Salad
5 ears corn
1 med. onion
3 T cider vinegar
3 T EVOO
S and P
Basil leaves

Shuck corn and boil for 3 minutes or until starchiness is just gone. Put ears into an ice bath.
Cut kernels off of cob and place in a bowl.
Dice onion and put in bowl.
Add next three ingredients.
Chiffonade basil leaves (However much you want. I like tons.) and add to bowl.
Chill and serve!

This week...

It has been an eventful but less stressful week.

Monday started swimming lessons for the boys. This has been the first year that I have been able to watch them (the other places I have gone have a no parent observation policy). It has been so much fun to watch! Thomas looks hilarious in his goggles with a huge smile on his face sitting on the steps waiting his turn! He is completely enjoying himself and has learned to do some swimming without floaties! I am hoping that by the end of lessons next week, he will be able to swim to the side of the pool. That will make my days at the pool much less stressful! Matthew, who has been swimming for several years, is learning pretty strokes.

I spent the majority of yesterday on the phone switching my utilities. Anyone who has done this recently knows the pain this was. I had to call TXU energy several times yesterday. Each time, I talked to someone who obviously had English as a second language. I wanted to ask, but didn't have the heart to, which country TXU was outsourcing to. I found it a little funny that each time they put me on hold, they played country music. Do people in India think that all Texans love George Strait?

I breathed a sigh of relief when all inspections came back OK. We had a few things to repair here but nothing major. I am looking forward to meeting the people who own our new home and giving them a big hug. They have been so helpful and gracious throughout the experience. It is how this process should be. We get our key tomorrow night and get to start moving our things in! Now starts the fun part!

A lot of this week has been dedicated to fixing the little things that need fixing. I forgot to blog about this, but when I came home from errands on Friday afternoon, I noticed that one of my windows was shattered. It turns out that my lawn boy kicked up a rock while he was mowing and broke the glass. I didn't have the heart to make him pay for it, so we get to shell out $150.00 for a new window. Now, how did we escape having a broken window for 7 1/2 years and get one the week before we move out? Oh, how I am tired of spending money on this place!

I am trying to finish Monte Cristo before this weekend. It has been a wonderful book. Unfortunately, it is 600 pages which has been hard for me to read quickly as I have been distracted these past few weeks! I recommend it to anyone looking for a great classic to read.

That's all for now! Have a great Thursday!

Thomas at 4 (AND A HALF!)

Here's whats going on with my little Tomboy:

*He just had his half birthday which I believe he was more excited about than his actual birthday. He keeps telling everyone about how he is 4 1/2 now.

*He loves to rhyme everything: "Winner winner, chicken dinner!" "You lost you lost you ate tomato sauce." "That's awesome as a dawsome!" "Later, Tater!" "Time for bed, Fred!"

*He has lots of love and affection for several inanimate objects. He will give his key a bath (soap and all). He will wrap his NASCAR in a blanket to put to sleep. He washes his beanie baby monkey's hair.

*He gets along with everyone. Whether it be an 8 year old girl or 2 year old boy, he plays well with whomever he is with! I don't know a kid who doesn't love Thomas. I couldn't say whether he gets along better with Matthew or Mary Beth. He seems to be the playmate who both of them want to play with.

*He loves to be babied. He talks in a baby voice a lot. He loves to be cuddled. This was a stark contrast to Matthew who was born thinking he was an adult.

*He is my child who can play by himself for hours. Again, a stark contrast to Matthew. He can be in his room and keep himself occupied for ever!

*He is my giggler. It is hard to picture Thomas without a huge smile on his face. Things crack him up easily. I love to hear him giggle!

*He has got a mischevious streak. He is starting to do things specifically to annoy Matthew. After Matthew has inflicted years of "torture" on Thomas, he is finally getting his revenge! I have to choke back the smiles!

*He and Matthew wear the same size clothes. I believe that Thomas will be bigger than Matthew one day.

*He is a daddy's boy to the maximum. He worships the ground that Bryon walks on. From the moment Daddy comes home, Thomas is glued to him.

*He wants to go out with whoever is going out. If someone is leaving the house, he wants to be a part of the action.

*Things don't scare Thomas too easily. He isn't scared of the water, the dark, thunder, lightening, snakes. He takes it all in stride.

*He gets strangely attached to things that we have no attachment to.
Matthew loves Alabama and Baylor football. Makes sense, right?
Thomas? He loves the Seattle Seahawks.
Why? We don't know.
NASCAR? No clue why he adores it so.
The color red? Who knows?
He wants to visit Seattle and talks about it constantly.

Just a few quirky things about my little guy!

*He is my laid back, happy, go with the flow, funny, beautiful boy who has blessed our lives so richly for four AND A HALF years!

The next Tiger Woods?

This morning I informed Matthew that it was Putt Putt day at Mother's Day Out and to please hurry up and get dressed. Ten minutes later, he exits his room wearing this number. When I asked him why he was dressed up for church when everyone else will be wearing t-shirts and shorts, he replied, "This is how you dress to play golf."

He just got through watching The Greatest Game Ever Played and I guess he felt he should dress like they did in the 1920s to play golf! Oh well, you pick your battles.

ME at 22 months.

In the midst of all the chaos in our house right now, my little girl is changing so much! Here is what she is doing:

*Talking up a storm! "Matthew goin' night night!" "Ont (I want) chockit!" "ME do it" "Ont princess cup" "Rocky rock baby doll." The combinations change daily. I love this language explosions age!

*She is starting to love girly things. She will play with her dolls. She will make tea (which she calls "Coppee" because her mama drinks lots of coffee!). She loves her Disney princess sippee cups. She loves bows. If she doesn't have one in her hair she says, "Ona bow!" She also loves holding jewelry and called it all "pretty". "Ona hold pretty!" The first time she sees someone, she walks up to them with her arm out to show her bracelet.

*She loves to make us laugh. One of her favorite ways to do this is to talk in a funny voice. I can only liken it to Fat Albert's "Hey, hey, hey!" voice. That guarantees a laugh every time!

*She looks similar to my mother. She has her smile. I adore my mother so this trait makes me so happy!

*She never met a stranger. She loves saying "HI!" to everyone. She never cries when I take her to the nursery or to Mother's Day Out. I think she is quite the social butterfly!

*She is incredibly affectionate. She loves to hug and kiss all the time. It isn't usual for me to be holding her and her to give my neck a huge bear hug unsolicited. She will also do this from behind when I am sitting down. She constantly wants to be held. I can see where this could get tiresome, but since she is my last baby, I really enjoy holding her.
*She is a mama's girl. Don't get me wrong, she adores Bryon. It's just when the boys were her age, all they wanted was Bryon. It is sweet to have a child actually want me over Bryon from time to time! ;)

*She has a great Elvis impersonation. You tell her to do "Elvis" and she curls up her lip!

*She is still attached to her "bibi" and wants it every time she is hurt or tired.

*She still loves to dance and does so any time she can.

*She can play for long stretches with the boys now without me having to worry about her safety. She can climb up on their bed and down without problems. This gives me 15 minutes every now and then to myself. How nice!

*She moves constantly. Up and down. Left and Right. Even when she walks, both of her arms are going every direction and her body sways left and right! She keeps me on my toes!

What a blessing she has been to me for the past 22 months!

Part 3

OK, I am really not trying to write a suspense novel. There is just so much information and I can't sit down long enough to write it all. I am taking a break from packing to write the rest.

There was one house in the neighborhood that fit our criteria. I called a realtor to take a look inside. I took one look inside and fell in love. It was the right size, the right flow, the right colors, the right details. I immediately said goodbye to idea of the house swap. This was the home I wanted. I couldn't sleep that night because my mind was racing a hundred miles a minute. We decided to put our house on the market and see what happened.

We talked to a builder friend of ours who lived in the neighborhood. He told us that he had just built a house with the same floorplan as the one we were interested in. A couple from out of state had put a contract on it then decided to pull the contract and try to sell their home before they bought it. Our friend put the house back on the market. We took a look at it and loved it as well. It was strange, because there were bits and pieces of each that we liked. One had painted cabinets/one had stained. One had my favorite wood floors/one had wood floors that weren't my favorite although still very nice. One had a peaceful,cozy backyard with no neighbors in the back/one had several back yards converging in its backyard. One had plantation shutters throughout/one had wood blinds. We really struggled with which one we liked better. Our plan was to see which one was still available when we sold our house.

We decided that we liked the builder's house a little better. Mainly because it was a lot less expensive. When we had a contract on this one, we decided to put a contract on the builder's house. Well, the builder told the out of state couple that someone was putting a contract on it and they panicked and decided to buy the house from our friend! We were disappointed but philosophical about it. Our friend told us he would build us the same house with all the things we liked about each house for the same price.

The problem was, all the desirable lots were taken. Should we build a house with everything we want on a less desirable lot? Go through the building process which we didn't want to do? Live in a duplex? We decided to put an offer on the house that was still for sale and offer the asking price of the other and see what happened. The owners took our offer! It was a done deal. The house that kept me up all night a few weeks ago would be ours!

So that is that in a nutshell. I wouldn't wish the selling of a house on anyone. Anyone who has been there can sympathize! I had 1-3 people looking at the house each day starting the week Matthew started summer. It was stressful, but thankfully not a lengthy process. Packing isn't nearly as stressful knowing where we are going.

I wondered for a while about that phone call. I feel like that was God's way of starting me in the process of changing my mind about building. I truly feel like this is the best move for our family and I am anxious to move in and be settled. This move is bittersweet as we are leaving the house that we brought all our babies home to. Our first houseguest the night we moved in was Kevin, the night before he married Kristen! We really feel like this move signifies the end of babyhood for us. Exciting but sad at the same time.

In other news, we returned the favor for our neighbors this evening by running over a very large rat snake headed to their house! We ran over him in Bryon's truck one time and saw that he was still moving. We backed up and he curled up with his mouth wide open ready to strike us! It was so gross! We ran over him again and I think that did him in. Get me out of this neighborhood! ;)

Part 2

About that phone call:

The people who used to own our house called us and said they heard we were going to move and would we possibly be interested in a house swap? Let me back up 8 years. Eight years ago this summer, we found a house for sale that we loved. We made an offer but when it came to selling the house, the owner's sister decided that she wanted the place. The owners said that the across the fence neighbor who had the same house/floorplan (different brick) were thinking of building a bigger house for their teenagers and we should contact them.

Well, we did and the rest is history! We fell in love with the house which seemed so big at the time. This family loved the house they were in but wanted something bigger for their children. They decided that they would build the same floorplan and add a game room. Since we were ready to move and they hadn't even started drawing up plans, they swapped houses with us! We were renting a small house on the outskirts of town.

Fast forward 8 years. Now the family's two children are grown and they are looking to downsize. My first reaction to the suggestion was that we were going to build on our lot but they were more than welcome to buy ours. Something about the conversation made me think. It just seemed to coincidental that we had been having reservations recently. Was this a sign? We thought we would check it out.

When we went to the house, it felt like bizzaro world. It was our house with small changes everywhere. The lot was beautiful with trees everywhere, although there wasn't much yard for the kids to play. Many of the things had been upgraded. It wasn't quite as big as the house we had drawn up for our lot, but it was bigger than this hosue and it felt like a good size. Some things bugged me. It needed a lot of updating and I was really wanting to move into a house that needed no updating. It was in a different school zone as well. There was a steep drop off in the back yard that would have been safe for teenagers, but not my almost 2 year old. We would have had to put in a deck. There were lots of things that I really liked about it as well, so the tough decisions started rolling in. The family had emotional attachment to this house and I felt bad about not taking them up on their offer. Also, wouldn't it be great to go ahead and move and not be thinking about building in a few years?

My parents suggested just for the fun of it, to look at every house in that price range and just see what we could find. We still weren't convinced that we weren't going to build on our lot, but the feelings of being sad if we didn't live there were diminishing. This got me thinking of a neighborhood close to my house that might have just what we were looking for. Matthew's best friend lives in this neighborhood and I took Matthew over to his friend's house recently. I had not been in the neighborhood in years and when I pulled up to their adorable house in a neighborhood with sidewalks and children running around, I thought, "Oh I wish we had thought of this neighborhood before we bought our lot. Oh well, too late now." This neighborhood was close to everything and we wouldn't have to move schools! I called up a realtor to see what was available in this neighborhood....

How we came to where we are now.

I wouldn't have dreamed two months ago that we would end up where we are now! Here is the beginning of the process.

We love the neighborhood where we own a lot. It is one of the prettiest subdivisions in our area. Everytime we are out there, we enjoy it. We did start having a few reservations about the move out there recently.

*I was scared to death to build a house. I have heard horror stories of going way overbudget and I didn't want to drag kids all over Home Depot/Lowes/etc. looking for drawer pulls. Bryon is difficult to get a hold of during the day and I would hate to make lots of those decisions on my own! I also did not want to move into a duplex or apt. while the thing was being built. All of these things added up to a lot of stress that I did not wish to have in my life.

*The neighborhood was in a different elementary school zone (same district). This school is a good one, but I have gotten attached to Matthew's school. I love the kids and the parents whom we have gotten to know this year. Also, Bryon would not have been able to take Matthew to school anymore b/c it was 10 minutes further in the wrong direction. They both have come to treasure that time and I like not having to wake up the little two!

*It was farther out than we would have liked to travel. It would have added 10 minutes to our journey anywhere. Not a lot unless you consider that we are just now getting into time of our lives when we are taking kids to lots of activities.

*The cost of living in this neighborhood has gone up considerably over the years. Katrina didn't help. Again, we are trying to decrease stress in our lives, not add more! Finding a nice home in a more reasonably priced neighborhood would enable Bryon to work less and having him home means more than a big home!

These are a few of the negatives in a sea of positives about the neighborhood. We had decided to postpone building a few years ago until we got a strange phone call two months ago....

I'll write about that tomorrow! We are having our home inspected today so I am praying that all goes well!

Things I have done this week....

Shopping............check
Laundry.............check
play with kids......check
sold our house......check
bought a new one....check


It has been a very busy month in our house! I hesitated even saying anything about it until all the paperwork is signed but I am keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly.

I haven't written a lot of substantive blogs lately primarily because selling the house was all I have been thinking about! I will try and fill in all the details over the next few weeks but probably won't be blogging too much as we only have a few weeks to pack up our home.

Please say a prayer that everything goes smoothly for us and there are no hitches to the selling/buying process!

What does Dirk Nowitzki like to do on game day?

Hang out with my boys!!

My brother had the boys for the weekend. Every game day, DN eats at the same restaurant so Michael took the boys to see him.



Matthew told him, "If I could play in the World Cup I would play for the German team."

Thomas asked him what color his house was!

I am so grateful to my brother and sister-in-law for making such a neat memory for my boys!

Feel good songs

So, lots of stress in my life at the moment. I was out with the kids yesterday listening to my new Prince greatest hits cd when Raspberry Beret came on. I love this song! I cranked it and sang and danced with all my might. The kids had a blast too. All the stress left my body. It is amazing what a good song like that does. My favorite are those that are heart pumping and you can't help either singing at the top of your lungs or dancing. Or both! There are a few that always to that for me:

Heart and Soul by T'Pau
Sweet Home Alabama by Lynrd Skynrd
Tempted by Squeeze
Sharona
How It's Going To Be by Third Eye Blind
Independant Woman by Destiny's Child
Jenny From Block by J. Lo
Scar Tissue by Red Hot Chili Peppers
I Want I That Way by the Backstreet Boys (pathetic)
Lemon Parade by Tonic
Two Princes by Spin Doctors
Jump by Van Halen
Mandonlin Rain by Bruce Hornsby
Buddy Holly by Weezer
Flood by Jars of Clay
Colored People by dc Talk
Shout by Tears for Fears
Most any 80s rock
Alone by Heart
Pour Some Sugar on Me by Def Leopard
Steal my Sunshine by Len
I want to know what your thinking by Information Society
Ain't too proud to beg by Temptations
Good by Better than Ezra
10,000 miles

The list goes on. What are your "feel good" songs?

Dear Better Business Bureau

Yes, I would like to report that I have a complaint against Lockridge Priest....

*I paid the company $60 several weeks to check the system and they said everything was fine.

*I paid the company $60 on Thursday just for them to say we "had a problem".

*I begged and pleaded with the manager to have someone finish the job on Saturday morning so we wouldn't fry all weekend.

*They ordered the wrong parts which left us with no air all weekend and a 5 ton unit sitting in our garage.

*They took 8 hours to finish the job on Monday.

*I noticed last night that a water stain was on our ceiling.

*Air is no longer working and it is again 85 degrees in our house.

*Service man came out but said he was too tired to finish the job tonight. He just charged us up with frion.

*Should take most of the day to find and fix leak tomorrow while it is supposed to be 100 degrees outside.

*Lockridge Priest messed with the wrong hot mama.

Life is good again.

The air kicked on about 2 p.m. yesterday afternoon and it took the rest of the day to get to "room temperature" but we made it! It is amazing the difference a few degrees can make. 85 degrees: liveable. 87 degrees: unbearable!

This is my only few hours without the kids this week so I need to run errands and have a nice relaxing lunch with girlfriends. Gotta run!

The weekend

The air guys have been out this morning so hopefully by this afternoon, things should start cooling down!





We had a busy weekend. Matthew went with my parents to the Scottish festival in Arlington on Saturday. My dad loves all things Scottish and this annual festival is one of the highlights of his summers. We haven't been in a few years and had plans this weekend, so Matthew got to join my parents. They had a fabulous time! Matthew danced the Highland fling for 10 minutes straight while a scottish fiddler played. He also got to do the log toss simular to the ones in the Highland games. Mom and Dad said he never got tired and had the time of his life. I wish I could have seen it!


We stayed here and had Bryon's sister, brother-in-law, and niece come for a visit. Bryons BIL is very handy around the house and came up to help Bryon fix our fence, wood floor in the office, and work station in the garage. Shari and I took the kids to the zoo. Following SG's advise, we took a match box car to the otter tank and Thomas got the otter to follow the car for a long time. We shared the car with several eager children and had a good time! We only got through half of the zoo before it was too hot to go on. We are in for a long, hot summer!

Matthew starts Upwards Basketball camp today. The camp is at our church and lots of kids from the community are going. It should be fun!

Keep your fingers crossed that our house cools down today!

I am one hot woman!

I mean that quite literally.

Our air conditioner finally died. We have been without one since Thursday night. It is pushing 90 degrees in the house and about 5 degrees warmer than that in my room where I currently am. Needless to say, this won't be a long post because I have to get out of this room! For some reason, it is always hottest on this side of the house.

Yes, Thursday night, I had people coming over and I realized that the air wouldn't kick on. Friday morning, I called the air people and asked them to come out and charge our frion. We have had a slow leak for years and it needs to be charged about once a year when things start heating up. After taking a look at the system, it was determined that the motor was dead. We could replace the motor for $600 or get a new system for $2300. Since we have had the slow leak for years and figuring that an inspector would come and tell us it needed to be replaced when it is time to sell the house, we opted for the new system. There goes my clothing budget for the month! (joking)

The manager took pity on me and our three small children and told me that it was too hot to put a new system in that afternoon so they would come out on Saturday morning and not charge me time and a half which they normally do for weekend work. I thanked him and headed out of our sauna.

Saturday morning arrived and our old system was taken out. Then the workers informed me that the manager had written that our unit was an indoor unit and not an attic unit so they didn't order the drip pan for the new unit. It would be Monday before anyone could come out.

Not too happy with Mr. Manager.

We have been trying to stay cool any way we can. Taking long drives. Eating at restaurants. Going to Mom and Lauren's house. They offered for us to spend the night but it is too hard to get everyone packed. We are just waiting it out. I have a new appreciation for all those who came before me before air conditioning was a standard thing. How did they do it?

Anyway, more on the weekend later. Got to get out of the sauna.

The return (and demise) of Snakey.

Last night around 11 p.m., Bryon and I heard a bunch of screaming girls outside. Of course, my first thought was, "If another teenage girl plowed into our mailbox....."

Well, actually, a bunch of teenage girls saw this little guy in front of our house heading our direction. They knew we had little kids and got scared that it would get in our yard, so they backed up and ran over it! This picture was taken just a few feet from my curb.

This one looks identical to the one that was below my feet last month. I got the type of snake wrong. It is actually a rat snake. Animal control says they aren't poisonous but highly aggressive. You won't die from a bite but you are likely to get bitten by them! Yuck!

I am hoping that this one was my friend from earlier and not part of a large family of rat snakes that call my yard home!

Summer garden

Everthing looked so pretty this morning that I thought I would take a few pics of my changing garden. I love a summer garden before it gets so hot that the plants start to suffer. My favorites in summer are my balloonflower, butterfly bush, hydrandea, morning glory, and passion vine.

My gardener friend came over today and when I showed him my passion vine, he told me the significance of the flower and why it was named the "passion" vine. It turns out that there is deep symbolism in the flower. This is what I pulled up:


"Five petals & five sepals are ten apostles, leaving out Judas the betrayer & Peter because he denied knowing Jesus. The purple carolla Bosio reported had seventy-two filaments, the number of thorns in Jesus's crown. The three pistil stigmas are nails. The five stamens are the number of wounds, so that to this day, Catholics in South & Central America call it "The Flower of the Five Wounds." The leaf represents the spear that placed the wound in Jesus's side (that one is a stretch since the leaves are five-lobed, but unlike some other species, this one's individual lobes are at least lance-shaped). The dark spots under the leaves are the 33 pieces of silver paid to Judas. When the flowers are spent after a single day (the time Jesus spent on the cross), the petals do not drop from the vine but re-close over the ovary, & this symbolizes the Hidden Wisdom that constitutes the Mysteries of the Cross, & is like Jesus enclosed in the tomb."