My Little Texas Tornadoes

South Carolina Bound

2012-01-30T14:37:00.000-08:00

We had the best time at Aunt Marys in Chapin South Carolina!

Aunt Mayry and ryan bonded on this trip. She gets him. Her 'Ryan' was Spencer, if that tells you anything. Lord please let him turn out like her Spencer!

Adam and Ryan loving on ol' Oot.

This is the little house that Walt Built for his grandchildren.

This is the loft in the little house that Walt built.

This is a work in progress- a tug boat that Walt is building for his Grandchildren. A real one. That will flow. Amazing.

Aunt Mayry taking the boys for a ride in the golf cart. Adam liked getting clams out of the lake.

caitlin watching her big brothers skip stones with Auntie Mayry.

Shoot, I thought this picture would show up better. Basically it is a tally of running records for students at Chapin High School. Lets just say Luke Lovelace owns you if you run in South Carolina :)

We had a short but sweet visit in South Carolina. Aunt Mary or Mayry as most good southers say, and Uncle Oscar hosted us in their country home. We had such a good time. Thank you for letting us stay with you!

It's been awhile

2012-01-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

We have been absent from the blogging world due to traveling. Currently we are in North Carolina anxiously awaiting the arrival of my sister- Lander. She arrives tonight at 5:30.
We drove to Alabama, stayed at Mary Laslie's for a night. Then we drove to Chapin, SC and stayed with Auntie Mary's (Mayree). Then we drove to Greensboro, NC for one evening before we headed to the most Northern portion of our visit, Richmond, Va. We stayed in Richmond until Saturday. Left Adam with the Grandparents. Missed him terribly for two nights. Meanwhile we are being stuffed full of smoothies, chocolates, greek awesomeness, and Bojangles. O and melt in your mouth Krispy Kreme. Adam is back with us now!
Lord willing, we are headed back westward on Saturday Morn. I will post pictures soon.
If you don't mind I am going to do a few posts on prayers. I have asked a couple of people how they stuck with prayer and how prayer changed as they grew older, life changed, etc... and would like to record what I heard. I will post later.
happy bloggings!

Here we come...

2012-01-13T19:40:00.000-08:00

Road trip time for the kiddos and me! We leave early in the a.m. I will have my cell if you need us! Tim is staying in the sweet land of Sugar.
First stop ALABAMA to see our sisters!!!!!! The kids were so excited tonight and want to dress up like ninjago for their sisters.

Just another day in paradise...

2012-01-12T20:16:00.000-08:00

At others request and a knowledge that one day I will look back and not have any pictures of me with the children that I spend all my time with, I have been getting more pics of me with them. Especially Caitlin, because she participates the best and quickest (she doesn't have a choice).

Adam found a bag full of sparklies today and spent the afternoon gluing and reglueing them to our heads. It if kind of hard to see on his head, but it is there. Ryan didn't participate in it. He did glue on on his hand that became his 'power' source...

Adam also forced the cowboy hat on caitlin. I didn't stop him. she is the cutest cowgirl I have ever encountered.

So you may be asking yourself, where is Ryan? Well Ryan likes to play this game where either Adam or I tie him up with an apron and put him jail (the study). Then while we are 'sleeping', he slips out of the 'rope' and attacks us. Only to be tied up again. and again. and again.

Guess who this baby is?

2012-01-12T20:07:00.000-08:00

Ihere are your choices: adam. ryan. and caitlin. this is at ben and lindsay's wedding. or just before. We look soooooooo young! too young! i am working on a future post that i am really excited about. and I rediscovered this picture. by the way I busted my hiney in the parking lot at this wedding. luckily no one caught that on camera.

Criss Cross Makes you JUMP! JUMP!

2012-01-08T18:20:00.000-08:00

On Rainy days the kids are in the garage jumping. On sunny days we move it to the yard and they are jumping. We have a lot of fun ont he trampoline!
This weekend was Ah-mazing! First we kicked it off Friday by doing din din with our friends the Wilseys. Mandy got to come over early with the girls. We played outside and enjoyed the amazing weather. We had ribs for dinner and ended the night with... ice cream- duh :)
Tim did an incredible job on the birthday! On top of Dec 28th where he gave me a beautiful necklace and too me to dinner, I had a sort of surprise party in Waco with my old bible study group- minus a few that couldn't make it. It was so special and sweet- literally. It should have been called a death by chocolate party. Malea hosted it at her house and put so much heart into so many details. THANK YOU tim and malea and katie welty for all you did. thank you ladies who came and brought treats adn gifts and laughs. I love you all so much.
The boys went to the zoo wtih the Selby boys for the afternoon. Then we headed over to our ol' neighbors at Arlington Farms for a pizza dinner and playtime for all the kids. I have to admit it was hard to leave all the people we love and have become more like a family to us.
Best weekend ever. Thank you to every one.

Did you eat paint chips when you were a child?

2012-01-06T19:24:00.000-08:00

Caitlin did.

She is a maniac... (are you catching the tommy boy quotes here?) A mess. She got into the boys paint. It could have been a lot worse. A LOT worse. She is into everything and loves to be in the CENTER of all the fun. For example, the boys play in their room a lot. She will be out with me and then I will start cleaning or something and she will crawl all the way to their room and start squealing with delight. Then I hear the door shut. More laughter. Talking. Babbling. And eventually, "NO CAITLIN." and Tears. I guess I don't hear tears. But I hear wailing. Her spirit is crushed. She looks up to them so much. But she has got to control her self when it comes to lego towers. She can't not knock them down. A little self control goes a long way, Caiti-bug.

Warm Jackets for cool days

2012-01-05T20:15:00.000-08:00

Gran sent these jackets to the kids for Christmas. The kids love them! Thank you Gran!

Happy New Year

2012-01-05T08:10:00.000-08:00

As mentioned before I just love new beginnings. And that is what 2012 is all about... NEW BEGINNINGS. The few resolutions I have are top secret. Well, more personal. However, you might recognize a change... time will only tell. I will tell you this, it has nothing to do with dieting or exercise or weight.
Here are some changes coming up in our lives:
We are going to meet my sister, Lander in NC. AND get to meet Lander's Montana Boyfriend of the month in the end of Jan in NC. This will be the FIRST time I have traveled by myself with all three kids and we will be gone for 2 weeks.
Why are we gone for two weeks? Besides getting to see family is Virginia, NC and AL? Tim defends his dissertation Feb 28th and we are going to give him a chance to have all the time he might possibly need to touch it up. This is a BIG deal for him and I am really proud of him. Feb 29th will be the FIRST time in 9 years that Tim will be DONE with gradschool! Can I get a whoop, whoop!?!
This is our LAST winter/spring summer before we have a child in school! Yikes! Adam goes to kindergarten in August! God help us! (I mean it). This brings out a desperate side of my I was unexpecting. It makes me want to home school him and do all kinds of fun things and be with him forever and all kinds of sappy things.(we are still planning on public school, i am just describing how I am feeling...)
I have to go, more pics to come

Pictures of the kiddos

2012-01-01T06:27:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to Me

2011-12-29T16:38:00.000-08:00

I had an awesome birthday and it isn't over yet because I am going to Waco Jan. 8th to celebrate with friends! Adam picked out my delicious cake, an andes mint ice cream cake. It was YUUUUMMY!
My mum is in town. We are having a great time. Mom and I ate at a new greek place for lunch. Loved it and will definitely go back and we had a trip to the mall afterwards. Then tim took me to Outback for dinner. And guess whaaat... Tim adorned me with a beautiful aqua marine necklace. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME :)
So what do I think about turning 30... honestly i haven't had much time to think about it. In general, I love new beginings, I love birthdays. This year I feel like I just do what I can to get through each day. (Why did katie welty make three kids looks so easy? ) So maybe thirty will hit me later on...
Thank you for all the birthday wishes and gifts. Love to all.

Can you make this?

2011-12-26T13:03:00.000-08:00

I love pottery barn. Do I own any of their stuff? Hardly. But one of my guilty pleasures is looking through their catologs and websites at all their beautiful things. Here is something I love and might attempt to make. (see piture above). What do you think? Is it possible?

I decided (a long time ago) that when Tim and I celebrated our 10th anniversary we would get bedroom furniture and new bedding. I want to feel like we have earned it. We celebrated our 7th year in August. Just three to go!

(this year was the chinese year of the minivan for our family.)

and the FINALE

2011-12-25T18:30:00.000-08:00

Look at this nice spread! Mandy worked really hard to fix this dinner for us! It was amazing.

She was the perfect hostess. Her and Caroline even made specialized place mats for each of the kids.

While the adults sat around and talked the kids played hide and seek. This is a trick Adam learned from the great Caroline Houdini herself.

Then time for a little Wii action on Caroline's new wii. Adam was obsessed.

AND here is the wonderful and amazing Mandy. She is always pointing me to Christ and a blast to be with. and a blast from the past because this girl can talk about some atari! THANK YOU WILSEYS FOR HOSTING US FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER!
Merry Christmas everyone! GOOD NIGHT!
How was your christmas!?!

More Christmas Fun cont'd

2011-12-25T12:56:00.001-08:00

Some of the Christmas fun... MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2011-12-25T07:50:00.000-08:00

This is how we do xmas part one

2011-12-24T21:28:00.000-08:00

The four main food groups are sugar, candy canes, candy corn and syrup. Our christmas's start and end with lots of baking. This is tim's spanking good.fudge. YUM!

It is all in the grip of the wooden spoon.

Here are the boys working pretty seriously on the gingerbread house. When they finished Ryan ran and got a spoon and said, "Now can we eat it?"

Adam said to Caitlin, "Would you like to read a christmas story?" Then he got the Halmark Book with a recording of Mimi reading the story and flipped through it with Caitlin until she sat on the pages.

CAITLIN! Her favorite food is banana yogurt. She will actually yell at me if I don't move fast enough. In this picture she had lasagna. I think more got on her face.

Bathtime!

Baby it's cold outside! Look at those chubby cheeks!

Time to get ready for church everybody!

Nicole Donnelly lets her children do a silly picture if they do some seriously/smiley ones first. It worked but somehow we wound up with 17 silly ones and one good one :)

And here is Caitlin and I ready for church. Isn't she a doll!!!

Merry Christmas Y'all!

2011-12-24T18:29:00.000-08:00

It is christmas Eve and I cannot stop smiling. I have not stopped smiling since I woke up to feed our precious Caitlin this morning. I couldn't stop smiling and kissing the children during the church service. I kept thinking how sweet all their noises were- baby smacking, loud whipsers and baby babble. All their little hands and the feel of them wiggling in their chairs brought so much joy because I thought this is probably what it was like in the stable. Mary and Joseph were delighted to hold the precious son of God. To see him yawn or make the baby whisle face. In the still of the night to hear the unavoidable noises of a barn and of the sound of a baby breathing. How beautiful. SO I am thankful and my heart is full. The Prince of Peace has come! Rejoice!

It's sleepy time

2011-12-22T23:07:00.000-08:00

Can you tell that Caitlin is sleeping? She fell asleep in Tim's arm while he was on the computer. Don't you just love the life of a baby? If only we could get her to sleep through the night, yawn :) good night.

Understanding 3 (years old)

2011-12-18T19:46:00.000-08:00

We are new territory with Ryan. He cries and whines and basically i feel like I don't know him anymore. He yells at me like a TEENAGER. Worse even. Well, maybe. It feels worse. He is testing me. Today he told me I am not the mom anymore. When I looked at him, I asked "are you being ugly to me?" and he said "yes." with a guilty look. I told him that I would always be his mommy and that he needed to talk nicely to me and obey. He burst into tears. i hugged and kissed and held him as he cried. Poor little guy.

Visions of Sugar Plums

2011-12-18T13:27:00.000-08:00

We got a BIG box of wrapped gifts. One present came with instructions to "open the Sunday before Christmas and to sleep tight and dream of Christmas delights".
The boys were very excited to find some of Mimi's special homemade Christmas pillowcases. THANK YOU MIMI! and thank you Pops for sending the box!

take 2

2011-12-17T15:53:00.000-08:00

Check it

2011-12-15T19:48:00.000-08:00

Aunt Barbara MADE this outfit. Mom picked out the fabric. Isn't it cute! I love the ties on the shoulder. It was 81 degrees today so she didn't need any thing under it. THANK YOU!

My Ryan

2011-12-12T18:16:00.000-08:00

Ryan has no limits. This is the boy that jumped off our bed in attempt to fly, landed on his face and 'killed' a tooth. Every day the tooth gets darker.
This is the child that has two knees somewhere beneath all the scratches. His first tackle was when he was eight months old to take down his 2 year old brother.
If Tim or I lay down, he is the child that will be on backs in a hot second. He picks up his baby sister and gets in muscle contests with his brother. He headbutted Grandaddy Charlie. He fights his daddy like a champion. He pulls my hair back behind my ear and whispers, "superman shoots with his eyes. This is Ryan.

A first for Everything, even chocolate!

2011-12-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

Caught at the scene of the crime. Here is what happened. Ryan left his Advent calendar on the floor of the office. I brought Caitlin in and sat her down while I checked email and probably spent too long browsing the internet. She tore apart Ryan's calendar and found CHOCOLATE.

You can't really tell but there is chocolate drool all over her chin and pjs.

This is her tight fisting the chocolate.

The worst part is, I didn't have the heart to take away the chocolate. I just feel like I understand her. If I were her, it would break my heart if something took it away. I can't break her heart, not over this.

It makes us so happy.

Sick I know. That is why we have therapists in the family (mom and charlie's phych. major has to count for something).

Deck the Halls

2011-12-07T20:06:00.000-08:00

Before the tree was even up Ryan broke the first ornament. Within 24 hours of the tree being up, 4 have been broken. Oi! O and all by Ryan. We had to tell them to stay on the (unlit) fireplace ledge until we a)have the tree completely up and b) have cleaned up all the broken ornaments (plastic and glass).

Breaking Dawn

2011-12-04T21:52:00.000-08:00

Breaking Dawn Part 1= AWESOME! In fact for the first time ever I thought it was better than the book! I was so excited the entire movie. I smiled through the whole thing. Tim is just glad he didn't have to take me to see it.

AND I got to see it with this beautiful woman- minus the cute sidekick.
I stuffed my face with pop corn, m&m's and diet coke. It was awesome. Every time I get with Mandy I have a great time. I cannot wait for part 2! BRING IT ON VOLTURI!

Hot Cocoa

2011-12-02T09:50:00.000-08:00

We read The Polar Express one evening. Adam wanted to drink hot cocoa just like the children did on the train. Check out his form! He was born to drink hot drinks in a mug! What a natural. I couldn't be prouder. Ryan on the other hand... was a mess. I couldn't be more disappointed. HA! I'm kidding.

"I'm kidding!"

2011-12-01T07:06:00.000-08:00

oLast night I went to Star Cinema Grill to watch a movie and let me tell you it was aAN EXPERIENCE. First of they do NOT allow children under three or teenagers without adults! There was a bar and grill. You can order food while watching your movie. Have refills, etc... The chairs for plus... I am surprised they didn't have massage chairs. I saw Jack and Jill with two other moms from the preschool. I tried to get them to see the new Twilight movie but one of them wasn't caught up yet. and Yes I am 13.

3 shots

2011-11-29T17:04:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving with friends

2011-11-28T17:03:00.000-08:00

Isn't this pie beautiful! Bethany made it! It was delicious too!

This is Tim in Evan's shirt. Caitlin soiled his. Tim cooked a turkey, two pumpkin pies and broc. casserole. He did a great job!

Here is precious Jane. She weighs a pound more than Caitlin and is a good year older. It is adorable to see such a little person walk.

Here is Bethany slicing the turkey. It was incredible.

Adam, Clara and Ryan ate dinner together. They liked the rolls the most.

Bethany and Evan were so sweet to invite us to their home for thanksgiving. Here are the lovely hosts.

And the beautiful table!

And bug eating one of the scrumptious rolls.

Meet Kate, Rachel and Luke. Kate is the sister in law. And she is awesome.

And here is Sarah. She works with Evan and Tim. dont let her size fool you because she is an intellectual giant.
Thanks giving was wonderful and low key. Thank you to Getzes for having us.

How was your thanksgiving!?!

Paula Deen's Competition: Gran Mazie's Shredded Sweet Potatoes

2011-11-28T06:40:00.000-08:00

Shred 2 cups of sweet potatoes. This is two sweet potatoes.

It calls for a stick of butter. Mazie's signature ingredient. Throw it in the casserole dish and let it melt in the oven while it is preheating (set for 350 degrees).

Beat 2 eggs well.

Pour in 3/4 cup of milk.

Pour in the eggs. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon of All Spice, 1 Tspn of cinnamon, 1/4 tspn ground cloves, 1/2 cup of sugar and a dash of salt. After it is mixed dump and spread into the casserole dish. Bake for an hour. When Half done, stir. Do NOT cover.

Up until I was married, I had spent every Thanksgiving at Gran Charlie's and Gran Mazie's in Greensboro, NC. The spread was amazing, but what every grandchild there devoured was Mazie's not so pretty yet devine in taste shredded sweet potato casserole. Yum.
I will never forget being 16, going to a friends house to help her cook for her thanksgiving feast. We were both excited about preparing the sweet potato casserole. I was in for a surprise when I found out her recipe was bright orange and topped with marsh mellows. I just couldn't believe it.And then it tasted so mediocre compared to Mazie's. Now, don't get me wrong. I now love the traditional sweet potato casserole. Particularly Mimi's recipe topped with pecans (I think Matt makes this one?). But today is about Mazie's down south shredded sweet potatoes, so pull out your grater and get to work!

Gran Mazie's Sweet Potatoes
2 cups grated sweet potato
2 well beaten eggs
3/4 cup of milk
1 Stick of melted butter
1 tspn cinnamon
1/2 tspn All Spice
1/4 Ground Cloves
1/2 Cup Sugar
dash of salt

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Place butter in casserole dish and allow to melt in oven while it is preheating. remove the dish when butter is melted.
Shred 2 uncooked sweet potatoes. Measure out two cups of the shredded sweet potato. Beat 2 eggs. Mix in 2 cups of sweet potatoes, eggs, milk, spices, sugar and salt. After it is all mixed. Dump and spread into dish. Bake for 1 hour. Half way through, stir. do NOT cover. Mazie's orders.

Enjoy! Let me knot what you think!

Adam's birthday pics

2011-11-28T06:16:00.000-08:00

When Adam woke up, daddy took him to get donuts. Near 10am he opened a birthday card from Mimi and Pops. It was a gift certificate for Build a bear. The boys and I went and it was so much fun. Ryan did a really good job watching Adam get all the attention. Adam was so excited and hasn't let go of his bear since. It was a great experience.
then I brought the boys home, and Tim took them to McDonalds for Happy Meals.
That night we had cake and 'gum' ice cream (mint). Adam declared it the best cake ever. He opened presents and at the end he declared this the greatest birthday ever. Ebee and Chippy got him the Captain America shield and mask that everyone in our family is wearing at some point during the day.
Thank you for the cards and gifts! Adam had a great- the greatest day ever!

Happy Birthday Adam!

2011-11-26T07:57:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to my first born. Adam, ever since we found out we were going to have you, you have brought so much joy into our lives. From the first night we brought you home from the hospital, all we do when you are asleep is talk about all the things you did that day and how cute you were when you slept. Now we talk about how awesome you are. You see things not as they are to the normal eye, but for what they could be. A birthday hat is a unicorn horn, or 2 can transform you into a 'good monster'. You never build just a tower with blocks. You make a turtle. You are a perfectionist which can make life hard for you. But you are learning to use your mistakes to make your projects better. You are a delight to talk to. I love laying in bed with you at night and hearing you process your thoughts. You ask questions like, "do sharks poop?" or you assure me that you will never get married and live with us forever. Ryan too. (all your idea).
You love surprises, mint ice cream, happy meal toys, cartoons, sand boxes, hide and seek, reading books, climbing, swimming, icing on cupcakes, dressing up like super heroes, shiny things- treasures, treasure hunting...
I love you my precious 5 year old. I hope you have a wonderful day! Happy birthday My Mister Mister!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2011-11-24T07:15:00.000-08:00

from our turkey butts to yours!

day 23... Thankful

2011-11-22T21:18:00.000-08:00

For God's presence. I mean it. i know it is cheesy. But man I am so thankful that he is here. with me. HE is the only constant in my life. My children are growing. We have moved to another new land (for us) therefore we have a new home to live in, have to make new friends, new church, new grocery store, new life. Everything can change. But God doesn't. And he is here. with me.
Immanuel

day 22,,, Thankful for

2011-11-22T11:44:00.000-08:00

These three kids!
These are our first round of christmas pictures. none of them are horrible. just none of them are doing what I wanted them to be doing- which is what makes them so great. Caitlin only wants ME touching her. if the boys touch her she pushes them away and makes awful noises.

Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip recipe

2011-11-21T08:46:00.000-08:00

Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip recipe

Mandy made this last time we visited. It was so good she claims it was easy.

Day 21...

2011-11-20T17:22:00.000-08:00

Thank you God for the Wilseys! We met the Wilseys 7 years ago in Wake Forest. John got a job as a prof at SouthWestern here in Houston around the same time Tim did... so now we have the Wilseys here and we are so thankful for them. these pictures are proof that we have friends in our new land. Tim and John have declared themselves BFF and LTFOLGLL (laugh their faces off like giddy little girls). Mandy and I plan playdates and girls nights and abandon our mother duties together.Adam particularly loves them because he once thought, "no one else in this world could understand his love for ice cream", that is until he met the Wilseys. He thinks Caroline's middle name IS ice cream. by the way I am also thankful for when Ryan asks for ice cream because it sounds like ass cream. Why do we think things like that are funny? maybe it is just me.

day 20...

2011-11-19T18:40:00.000-08:00

Thank you for my mom- dream interpreter, counselor, mother, wife, granny, runner, beautiful, chinese speaking, easy to laugh (at/with), always learning and being challenged, business, hard working woman. That is my mom.
Happy birthday to you, mom! Love you!

boy xmas no sew grinch shirt

2011-11-19T18:17:00.000-08:00

I just love etsy. I also love when I see things for boys. I saw a shirt on etsy I just had to have for the boys. so I copied it. (sorry). I was sort of dreading the sewing part until i realized I could just use stitch glue. It was simple and FAST. the boys were really excited about them.
I think I am going to make xmas outfit for caitlin next. perhaps: an ornament onesie for Caitlin with these leg warmers... are you working on anything?

day 19...

2011-11-19T08:17:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday Mac! you are awesome!

i am thankful the kids have cousins! although adam refers to the girls as sisters! we love you all!

day 18

2011-11-18T08:38:00.000-08:00

Thankful for laughter. here is the link. these are really funny and honestly I would never think such dirty humor was funny unless it was honest mistakes. It it the circumstances that makes it so funny. Prepare to hurt from laughing so hard.
http://www.iulianionescu.com/2011/03/04/funny-iphone-auto-correct-mishaps/

day # 16 Thankful for

2011-11-15T20:45:00.000-08:00

The YMCA! Might seem lame but hear me out... today i dropped the kids off, went to a class, and when I picked them up Caiti Bug was sleeping in the worker's arms. Adam and Ryan were playing dinosaurs with the other children. It was so sweet.
The workers know the kids by name. They let the kids color or do puzzles. They can even get the kids to clean up without a fuss. The kids enjoy going everyday. Ryan refers to it as 'my class'. i am so thankful for the workers at the Y and the safe environment they've created for the kids.
Next, I am thankful for the fact we can go to the YMCA. Everyone knows it is expensive to belong to a gym, especially with childcare. The YMCA has a rule to let everyone in. It isn't a handout. Their rule is everyone has to pay something. They have helped us and many other families in times when we otherwise couldn't afford it. I am thankful for their generosity towards us and others.
I am thankful that I can work out! I enjoy being able to take a random class or jump on a bike or treadmill. It makes a difference in my day when I have gotten to work out. It isn't for everyone. I get that. but man I LOVE it. Thank you God for the Y.

Day 11 THANKFUL FOR MIMI!

2011-11-11T05:50:00.000-08:00

Here's to an amazing mother in law, mother, Mimi, wife to Gary, friend, daughter, etc... She wears many hats with dignity and grace. I am so thankful for Mimi not only because she loves my children and dotes on them, but because she is a friend. A shoulder I have cried on. An encourager. A partner in prayer. We have shared a lot of laughs. She even loves chocolate... She is wise and a blessing to our family. And today is her birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIMI! We love you!

day # 9 Thankful for November

2011-11-08T21:51:00.000-08:00

birthdays, party hats, balloons, cakes, icing, colored faces, singing songs, presents, birthday lists, one more thing to tell Grandma what he/she wants... The kids love to pretend it is the stuffed animals birthdays. We sing songs to them and give them presents. Adam bought me a do-nut yesterday and he said it was for my birthday.
I personally love my own birthday because I love the idea of starting all over. I know I talk about this every year. But I just LOVE LOVE a clean slate, new goals, etc... So bring on the cake!

Day #8 Thankfulness

2011-11-08T06:36:00.000-08:00

Telephones... weird. but I am so thankful for the ability to talk to family and friends from different parts of the states (and sometimes world). The ironic thing is I don't really like talking on the phone and it isn't easy at all with kids screaming and demanding and needing attention in the background.
I am thankful the the Lord is with us where ever we live. He is my only constant.
Anywho, the creatures are calling. I get to color spiderman pictures and who knows maybe I might get a minute on the phone :)

Day #7 Thankful

2011-11-06T21:27:00.000-08:00

Kathleen Nelson does a thirty days of thankfulness on her blog every year. I always find it inspiring and moving. Don't those mean the same thing? Anywho I would like to join her on this journey of thankfulness. Today I am thankful for Texas weather. Truth be told I love snow. I love cold weather. I love the way cold air hurts your lungs when you run. But in Houston, I don't have that. I have done my share of grieving colder days and things like fall, but when it is a sunday, and your kids are in shorts and tshirts barefoot outside ALL day, when the church is able to have a 'patties and pies on the porch' lunch and it isn't too hot or too cold, when you don't have to run the air in the house... there is much to be celebrated. Most will agree, a beautiful day is a good day!
I am also thankful that a beautiful day is a distraction for me. I think of all these little things I want to buy or get done. But when I step outside, I am distracted by the beauty. I get the kids outside, even Caitlin. and we run and play until it is time for dinner. I have forgotten to run to the store to get lunch bags. so I will just wrap lunches in ceran wrap? but we filled the day with wonderful memories. And when we do this, is it not an act of worship- responding to the beauty of the Lord!?!
This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it! Amen!

Just hanging around

2011-11-06T20:35:00.000-08:00

Remember the counting crows? They have always been a favorite of mine. Anyway, Ryan does this funny thing where he says, "Dad, you member supaman?" or he will say that he wants to tell me a secret and he whispers, "Superman shoots with his eyes."
These pictures are from tim's phone. I lost (again) the cord to the camera so we have to wait for pictures (again). my apologies. believe me when I say I am more frustrated about it then you are.

a you tube video for a good laugh- content might scare children

2011-11-06T15:45:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/EzNhaLUT520

hope this makes you laugh too!

A good laugh for the adults

2011-11-05T13:11:00.000-07:00

I found this to be absolutely hilarious. However I must warn you some of them are not for kids to read out loud. also if you need another good laugh google "hide your kids, hide your wife, and your husband"... It came out almost a year ago. but we are clearly behind the times.

While Adam is at school...

2011-11-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

cup cakes with friends

2011-11-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

These are our friends from Vietnam. Phuong is holding Caitlin. Tai Bin is her son and Tai Phuong is her daugther. We had them over for a mini celebration for Ryan's birthday a couple of weeks ago. We also got to go trick or treating with them monday night. I will post pictures soon. Phuong is taking ESL classes and is trying very hard to learn english. She couldn't be nicer if she tried. I am thankful for a kind friend.

On my birfday

2011-10-31T20:05:00.000-07:00

Ryan lives for his birthday. Whenever you ask him, "where did you get that?" He answers "on my birfday." Whenever he asks for something I tell him on his birthday he can have it. It has helped us out of many of stores. Ryan my sweet boy is three years old. He is a delight. He is my warrior child. I am so thankful for him. Thank you God for my sugar sugar, my Ryan. He is wonderful.

Don't Lose your HEAD this Halloween...

2011-10-30T20:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Fall Y'all

2011-10-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

Things I love about the fall...
cooler weather (even if it is from the 90's to the 80's.), hot chocolate, a good book, warm baths,homemade bread (from Bethany Getz) and fall beer, pumpkins

Just another day

2011-10-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I don't have much laundry because the kids wear the same costumes over and over.

Art

2011-10-24T08:40:00.001-07:00

While you wait

2011-10-23T22:12:00.000-07:00

http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

I anxiously await for new posts on this blog. Katie the writer is the most inspiring christian I have ever "E"- encountered. I hope that you are just as blessed and moved by her as I have been.

(fyi I decided to go ahead and pay the stupid five dollars :) basically you have x amount of free storage for photos/videos. also the pictures I have been using have tons of pixels and that takes up a lot of space. lesson learned.)

blog delay

2011-10-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

Apparently I have maxed out my free picture posts to blogger. i am taking my time trying to decide what to do about this predicament. i like having family seeing pictures regularly of the kids. But at the same time I am tired of playing all these games with websites. They are drawing us in and then taking all our money. Hulu, Facebook, picassa, etc... If it is too good to be true, then it probably isn't.

Girls Weekend

2011-10-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

Caitlin and I flew to South Carolina for Erin and Josh's wedding. Caitlin did well on the flight there. the real fun started when Colleen, Branden's new bride picked us up at the air port and took us to the hotel. Then we got to spend some QT with Gran Mazie. Then mom and dad! and Carrie, Bryson, Lander, Barbara... At the rehearsal dinner we ate great local BBQ and shared lots of laughs. As usually Charlie had everyone rolling. He said that everyone's attention spans were almost as short as Erin's dress. Her dress wasn't that short :) We had so much fun. The wedding itself was beautiful. The tears started when Aunt Mary was seated. She looked beautiful. You could tell Erin and Josh had waited a long time for this. I wish I had a picture of the way they were holding onto each other during the service. Or the way they were whispering to each other.
And the reception, what a party. There was a stunning strawberry tree with bowls of dippings at the bottom. And the band was awesome. I have never seen a livelier bride. She looked like the happiest person in the world. (I would be to if my husband could dance like that. )Josh danced like a maniac. Cousin Mac tore up the dance floor too!
this weekend was packed full of special memories with almost all my family! i missed my boys a lot though. I don't think I could have been separated from them another day.
As for Caitlin, She came home and slept for two days.nuf said.

2011-10-12T10:04:00.000-07:00

The golden goose tantrum

2011-10-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

Adam is going through a pretty confusing phase- at least confusing for me. I thought tantrums were over. But it appears that I was wrong, they had barely begun. This is what it looks like: He will go to his room, SLAM the door and then yell in his room or wail or both. He loves to be loud about it. I thought maybe if I take pictures of him crying, it will curtail his act. This backfired because he soaked up the attention and called for pity. oi!
But who am I kidding? I still throw tantrums. My tantrums look like gritted teeth, slamming a cabinet, unloading the dishwasher loudly, and even lashing out at my family and a lot of uglier things. I guess we have some growing up to do in the Brookins household.

Plank Training

2011-10-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

It is hard to get anything done around here with all this planking.

Each child at his best

2011-10-01T07:39:00.000-07:00

Brown paper packages tied up with strings...

2011-09-30T06:51:00.000-07:00

Tim's grandmother, Gran sent us a sweet box with new sheets and toys for the kids. Who would have thought sheets could be so exciting :) I am always excited about sheets, but man o man, those boys LOVE these sheets. Thank you Gran for our new things!

Read previous post and then watch this video

2011-09-26T13:50:00.001-07:00

notalways.live58.org

Church

2011-09-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

Some people hunt for sasquatch and some hunt for churches. I am sure I am going to get responses about this. Please don't leave them unless they are klove style positive and encouraging.
Sugar Land is a very affluent area. The average income is $110,000/household. Some of this probably duel incomes. Therefore the churches we have visited are over the top awesome physically. For example one we visit often has an indoor playground and a cafe inside that serves Chic Fil A. Another church here brings in almost $4,000,000 a year. In fact in Oct alone, they are hoping to bring in $500,000 to make up for summer losses. I understand that it costs money to run programs and to have large buildings, cleaning, supplies, etc... But everything seems excessive. Not just at this church, but most of the churches around here. Sunday the pastor brought up that the church was able to buy a stove for a local family that needed one. I think that is AWESOME.However, this is going to be harsh, but really just a stove? Should we be proud that a church that brings in $4 million gave one stove?
I feel like a hypocrit because I love my starbucks drinks maybe more than anyone. Is it wrong to own a nice car, a nice house, to buy starbucks? No. I don't think so. But I do think we should be willing to sacrifice for the poor. What that looks like for each of us probably going to be different. Bear in mind, everything belongs to God. He will provide for you. So if you are feeling him pulling on you to give to someone or somewhere, just do it. Sometimes this might look like money, clothes, blankets, food, toys, books, a listening ear, and sometimes just your TIME. turns out I sound like I am telling you what to do, yikes. May I challenge you to pray for your church and your tithes.

more pics

2011-09-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

Caitlin's first wagon ride!

first kiss? ha!

uh oh! I think the flower is tipping her over!

Hey Mary Mac, Ace Ventura Called. He wants his job back (pet detective)

2011-09-21T15:23:00.000-07:00

He is in there somewhere...

this is us waiting for them to climb up there and catch him. they wanted it to rain so he would get cooler and climb down a little.

this is the girls pulling the rope off his neck.

here he is, the rascal.

So when I was in elementary school my neighbors lost their dog, Daisy. Susie and I were determined to find her. I asked every single neighbor up the street to see who had seen her last. following clues, I ended up almost 2 miles from home at a gas station (sketchy? ) to find that one of the employers had taken her home and (ahem, thanks to us) would return her in the morning to our neighbors- the howertons for those of you in greensboro. (honestly I think ann howerton may have been glad daisy was lost. )\

On Labor day the kids and I were out for a stroll. We walked in Waco, but we stroll in Sugar Land. Anywho, and a neighbor looked upset- the clue was she was crying. She had lost her younger green iguana. The kids and I prayed for the lizard and looked for it that afternoon. She put up signs around the neighborhood and sat in her yard with binaculars for hours. Every day we prayed for that iguana. I kinda started thinking a bird had gotten to it. Well saturday morning (two weeks later!) I walked outside and there climbing our mulberry tree was a bright green lizard. I ran and got the neighbors who called their 'wild igauna researcher' friend and she brought her long iguana catcher tool. 4-6 hours later they captured the dang thing and I got an answered prayer and 20 bucks.

if susie had been wtih me this time, maybe I would have found him faster.

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

2011-09-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

N'awlin's style of chicken with an up-dated Alfredo sauce.

Tonight we are having this and I have to say I may have tasted it, no Charlie I didn't use my fingers, I have learned to use a spoon. It is delicious. Definitely a repeat in our house if the heavy cream doesn't kill us first.

Leah Grace's Heart Transplant

2011-09-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

Leah is in surgery right now. Please pray for her precious little body as it undergoes a major surgery. Pray for her parents and drs.
In honor of today, Sept 8 I thought it would be a great encouragement and surprise for the Parkers if everyone who is able donates $8 and or signs her guestbook at http://www.cotaforleahgracep.com/
Leah checks her comments regularly and loves hearing from people who are thinking about her.

Leah Grace Heart Transplant

2011-09-08T12:03:00.001-07:00

Please pray for Leah Grace Parker (3-year-old daugher of Katie and Ross Parker), who is having a heart transplant today! Spread the word...

Nonverbal

2011-09-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

This is Ryan and our friend Angelina. She is 2 and is Vietnamese. No, she didn't understand anything we said. But that didn't stop her from playing :) Her dad dropped her off this morning for a couple of hours. We had fun until it got close to the time for her dad to come. She started crying and could not be calmed. I think it was, "ok lady, I have seen all your toys and now I am DONE. I want my mom and dad."

6 Months!

2011-09-04T19:01:00.001-07:00

Vietmanese Anyone?

2011-08-31T20:16:00.000-07:00

I met Katie Welty at MOPS, Kristen at Chic fila, Bethany at Barnes and Nobles. All the begining of beautiful friendships. Tonight I may have made a new friend or someone I will never see again. But it felt good. I can't say her name because it has no vowels. Yes you guessed it, I have a new Vietmanese friend. She speaks about 10 words of english. But by golly leave it to me to teach her the word fence and stinks tonight. She was working out at the park with her kids. She named Angelina and just when I thought she was going to point at the boy and say Brad the word Justin came out. Justin Beiber? I don't know. So I left with her email and have used google translate for the first time. Zoiks. (think scooby doo when I say that.)

Precious baby hands

2011-08-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

I love Caitlin's precious sweet yummy baby hands. She is so delicate and wonderful. I hope I never forget out great her little hands are. Tim always thinks she looks mature for her age.

The many faces of Eve...

2011-08-29T20:51:00.000-07:00

First Day of Preschool for Adam

2011-08-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

I took Adam to school early this morning so he could play on the playground a little bit.
Adam did surprisingly well(for him) at the drop off. His teacher informed me that Adam's new nick name is "Awesome Adam." Adam stood there and beamed. Then in the car he told me he changed his song! (Some of you may know that each kid has his/her own song. Adam's nick name has always been 'Mister Mister' and it goes with the song, "Mr. Adam, Mr. Adam...." )
He is my precious AWESOME Adam! I love that lil man!
After we put Adam in his class, Ryan couldn't wait to go to his class. when he realized he wasn't going, he threw down. It was awesome. Rationalizing with a two year old goes over really well, eh. Finally after he calmed down I told him his class was at the Y he got excited again.

Jurassic Measures in Sugar Land

2011-08-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

One evening I stepped outside and to my surprise in the middle of the road was this gigantic turtle. I started screaming for Tim and the boys to come see. I really did think it was a freak of nature that this giant turtle was wondering the streets of Sugar Land. The next thing I know, these two women come asking me, "Where is he? Do you see our turtle?"
Our neighbors a couple of houses down love animals- as you can see. This is their pet turtle Ricki-shay. He isn't even full grown yet. He lives in their back yard in the summer and in the tub in the winter. What! My toes were painted red so he kept thinking they were strawberries and coming for them.
They also have a pet iguana which I cannot remember his name. The family was very kind and showed some more of their animals to us and answered questions. Ricki-shay loves blue berries so we will be delivering him some later this week.

Chil-lax

2011-08-26T11:14:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful mess I'm in

2011-08-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

Spending all my time with you, there's nothing else I'd rather do!
I love that song. And we are in one mess here. Adam has a stomach bug. Tim and I are sleep deprived. Meanwhile Ryan and Caitlin are wired.
Tim had his first day of classes today! He teaches three M/W/F classes and one T/Th. Last week HBU had a bbq (indoors thankfully and the kind of bbq where they serve burgers and dogs) for the staff. We were greeted by cute HBU cheerleaders with their bright orange and blue pom poms. Then the mascot, a Huskee who Ryan just loved. There were games for the children and the center pieces on the tables were huskee sugar cookies.It was hard to meet people because of the children (mind you, we were in a room full of introverts). However it was great to see where Tim works and get excited about HBU!
From the highway all you see is a sign and what you would expect of a large city- buildings everywhere. I was caught off guard when we went through the gates of HBU's spacious beautiful campus in Houston.
The first church we attended in Sugar Land was Sugar Creek Baptist. It is about five miles from our home. It has over 3 thousand in attendance. Inside it has a cafe that is open all the time. It has a christian book store. It also has an indoor playground- a giant chic-fila play area. It goes way up and it is SWEET. The church keeps it open during the week for families to come play in. If you get hungry you can just buy lunch or a snack at the cafe. We met a couple of families from HBU there last week. Adam enjoyed it the most. Ryan tends to stick by side whenever we go anywhere until after he is well fed. Then he goes to join Adam.
This past sunday we attended a church in Katy, TX with the Jones (Tim's colleague)- Kingsland Baptist. We just went to sunday school, but we really liked it. We will go back. The hard part is that Katy is about 35 minutes away. Our plan is to find a church and then move near it when our lease is up. It is tempting to stay in Sugar Land though. We are in an incredible school district and everything is so convenient. We will follow the Lord where ever he leads us.

Razz-fingers

2011-08-18T16:44:00.001-07:00

A favorite fruit around here.

Cornstarch experiment gone wrong

2011-08-15T21:33:00.000-07:00

Adam, Ryan and James Selby

James Selby and Ryan

(luke selby)

When you mix the correct amounts of water and cornstarch it turns into this great tangible science experienment in which when you pick it up it is a solid but then it turns into a liquid. It is also incredibly easy to clean up. Eh hmmm. The problem is when you are sleep deprived, throw it together and put it and the kids outside, leave an extra box of corn starch outside with the kids, and sit down to feed for a baby. this is when things MIGHT get out of control. James came in covered from head to foot his cornstarch.
"What happened?"
"Ryan dumped all out and threw it at us."
The sad part of it all is, this seems to happentoo often when James comes over. One time he came up to Malea and I looking soaking wet from his head to his waist Naturally we assumed it was water but when he started screaming that his eyes were burning and we felt the gel consistency in his hair, we found out it was hand soap. Ryan had pumped soap all over his friend.
side memory: He has also been covered in chocolate at house.

Take five

2011-08-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

Schools out for summer (tim chills out with kids)

2011-08-14T17:39:00.001-07:00

Yoga anyone?

2011-08-13T22:09:00.000-07:00

happy baby. caitlin invinted it.

To each a yard of his own

2011-08-13T22:07:00.000-07:00

O how wonderful it is to be in a home! We have a yard- a front yard and a back yard! can you believe that! We even have a sprinkler and a hose that we can play in. The kids absolutely love it. The power of holding the hosing is equal to that of a controller. May the best man win.

Lemonade for Leah! | Leah Grace Parker

2011-08-06T14:55:00.000-07:00

Lemonade for Leah! | Leah Grace Parker

Sugar Land

2011-08-03T12:39:00.000-07:00

How can I explain this city? It is as if someone said how can we make the most convenient and nice place for good people to live? Then they created Sugar Land. It is AMAZING. Seriously. Not just because we have about five grocery stores within miles of our house (including a whole foods but NO HEB?). We are just a couple of miles from a library.We are surrounded by churches: Lutheran, non denom, catholic, methodist and baptist. The elementary school is outstanding and half a mile or less from our home. It is so quiet here. We sleep like babies at night- and by baby I am not referring to Caitlin who is up at all hours of the night.
There are paths through out the entire city. You could run for hours and still not run out of sidewalk. There are also a neighborhood pool that we will eventually go to.
We even have a maid... ok that is going to far. We don't have a maid. But it is a really neat area and we are excited to be here.
Today is tim's birthday. We are trying to buy a van today. We dont' have a fridge until the 8th of august. My dad is visiting from NC. The kids are THRILLED to have a house and a back yard. We got one of those lil pools for the backyard. It is an exciting kind of stress. You know what i mean vern?

What we will miss most about arlington farms...

2011-07-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors!

Remember when...

2011-07-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how BIG the boys have gotten! I can't believe we have Caitlin! Ah! It is hard to imagine our lives without her. She is so precious.
Tim asked Ryan, "who is your best friend?"
Ryan answered, "Adam." This is the same kid that will come to me and say, "mom will you please spank adam with a wooden spoon on his butt and on his head?" (no i don't spank heads, he just likes to say head at the end of every sentence).
Adam is quite stirred up about marriage. I will blame it on all the cousins weddings. He can't for the life of him figure out why anyone would leave their parents to get married. Every day he tells me he doesn't want to get married or that he is going to marry me. On the way to church yesterday he told Ryan, "Ryan you shouldn't get married. You and I can live together and play."

Arrrrrgh!

2011-07-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I am too tired to write long posts. Basically everyday I am falling more and more in love with my kids. I am so thankful for each of them. They are wonderful and a blessing. Truly.

I love you Gran Mazie and Charlie!

2011-07-21T17:11:00.000-07:00

Gran Mazie has a gift with children. I love when she calls and talks to the boys. She delights in them- even when they won't cooperate (ugh!). I love my Mazie. Her and Grandaddy Charlie are amazing people. Their love for the Lord is... well... beautiful. Mazie and Cha-lee always made things so wonderful for us growing up. They kept coca cola in the pantry and I knew i could always get some when I went to their house. O and they also had Fruit loops- the real kind! Mazie would take ALL of us (there are 15 grandkids total) to the dollar store and buy us a treat. She came and got me at school whenever i was sick and let me watch TV!

Gran Mazie and Charlie volunteer so much time all over town. For awhile it was at the food shelter downtown and for the past couple of years a lot of time and tlc has gone into a women's shelter. O, did you try to call and no one answer? That is because they are probably at church serving. O did you call and they answered and then hung up? That is because they can't hear. Not many people give nearly as much of their time, energy, things and love than Gran Mazie and Gran Charlie.

I love you!

Uncle Matt makes me smile!

2011-07-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

Goggles!

2011-07-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

Cousin Magic

2011-07-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

There is something that is extraordinary about cousins. It is like magic. I take my kids to a close friends house and my children will cling to me and be so difficult I want to pull my hair out. We get to see the cousins, what once maybe twice a year? and the children leave my side immediately. I have to physically look for them and fight them to come to me. It is like little pixies have spread their fairy dust on the children, enchanting them... Mac is such a sweet boy. Really, THE sweetest child you will ever meet. He is so obedient and a delight to be around. He and the boys played together almost every day we were in NC. Mac is a year younger than Adam, yet even taller. He LOVED holding Caitlin and begged to hold her longer. Mac is 3 and the boy can SWIM! Amazing!

Adam declared the girls his sisters. Tim always talks about how well spoken these girls are. Dartmoth, Harvard, Princeton, Baylor (okay Auburn too) these are your future students! They played with the boys and ooed and ahhhed over Caitlin every second we were with them in Alabama. Lillian even got pooped on. There are pictures to prove it. Ansley let Caitlin sleep on her bed. There is no doubt that these girls will make incredible mothers one day. Martha helped me a lot. O how I love each of these girls!

Dear cousins, we miss you! and we love you!

Is my voice going to change?

2011-07-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

I was not ready for that question. I can thank Bambi for teaching the facts of life to my kids.

So we finally signed a lease for a home in Sugar Land, TX. It is less than 20 minutes from campus. Maybe 15 minutes. We will have to learn our way around. I also found that a local gym is hiring for a lead run position. My hope is that I could get a position at the gym so we could all go. But it might not work out. It is just an idea floating around in my head. There are several up there.

Caitlin is getting so big. I need to post some current pictures of her up here. I will do it when tim gets home. She is still pretty happy and laughing. Adam and Ryan are gradually getting more and more into her. In fact Adam tried to carry her yesterday. While I am not a fan of him toting her around, I tried not to be to harsh at his desire to intereact with her.
Kristen had a funny story last night related to this that she posted on fb, "at some point last night as my children harassed Anna I said, "Ryan and Adam never mess with Caitlin!' (because comparing your children to their friends is always good parenting, right?) Well, anyway, my great idea failed because Nate just said, 'Awwww, poor Caitlin.' If she ever needs some messing with, let me know."

Take a load of Fanny...

2011-07-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

That is a song by the Band... if you don't know it, look it up. I love this picture. this was taken at Mimi and Pop's home in Virginia. We had such a good time there.

I love the boys at this age. We spent most of the afternoon pretending to be power rangers. Well, I was Rita. I would trap them and rant about how they could never in a million years escape. during which they would escape and laugh at me. Repeat. Repeat. You get the picture.

Tonight I hung out with the neighbors while tim worked out. They had "Americas funniest Videos" on and I laughed so hard the family was just staring at me. It was embarrassing but I literally could stop myself. It is just so funny when people fall. Good thing I can laugh about it because Atkinsons fall all the time.

I love this girl!

2011-07-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

Katie Jo is a very good friend from college and I love her. As dorky as this I have to ask, "Katie Jo, do you know how much God loves you?" I happen to know he loves you so much. Katie is one of my most real friends. Meaning she is very good at being real. At loving people where they are. At being honest. She has seen my flaws and still loves me. She is like veronica mars to me. ok she looks like V. M. but isn't anything like her. That is a good thing.

Seeing her love on my kids was a beautiful thing. She even fell asleep with them on her. Safe? I don't know. But I do know she rocks.

we baaaaaack... in the blog world at least

2011-07-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks for being patient about the whole blogging thing. It is really hard to get through a day with three kids (for me at least) so adding a blog post in has not been a priority. I have done other things, like finish book two of twilight. I almost switched over to Team Jacob, but something keeps me on Team Edward.

So this picture was taken probably two months ago. but it perfectly captures what is going on in our life. All three kids are always that close to each other. I will have Caitlin and the boys will be climbing all over me. Ryan's blankie always in the midst of the action. 1/3 of the kids is usually crying of whining. Ryan has ONE of his four molars in. Adam has fluid coming out of his tubes. And Caitlin is showing several signs of teething. It isn't all bad. I am being objective as I explain these woes because I have never had a heart so full of love as this. I love my children and I love having all three of them in my arms. One afternoon I had all three kids sleeping on my bed with me and it was the best feeling in the whole world. Yes I am tired. Yes I am much less social than ever. But it won't last forver (right?).

People keep asking about how I feel about the move and Tim's job. Well honestly while i am so proud of him I could bust, and couldn't be happier about the whole thing, I feel that I am in a place in life where I do all I can to get through each day. I don't really look forward to much, mostly because I am so distracted by the business of getting milk for this kid, while I look for this one's shoe, change this one's diaper and clean up the spillt milk for the first kid.

I have also been asked about how does tim feel about it. I will have you know he is beside himself with excitement! This is what he has been working for for so long! and to have a job- wow!

Houston- our thoughts on houston... well I have only driven through it once. Maybe I have flown out of there before, but I hardly remember that. Airports don't really count anyway. A) most colleges are in tiny towns that have less citizens than the number of students that go tot he college. so we are thankful that we will be in a city!

b) we are thankful for all the opportunities that come with Houston. It is the THIRD biggest city in the US. (lets talk about traffic another day)

c) we just got approved for a house (rental) in Sugar Land. Yes like the band. Also voted one of the top places to live!

d) Houston Baptist University is up and coming! Their newest latin teach is HOT! Go Huskies!

e) food- more grocery store options! holla! and eating out options! (well I never thought too poorly of wacos, I just love food.)