Double Trouble

Valentine

2012-02-14T16:13:00.002-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day to my favorite Valentine. Love ya!

Thankful

2012-02-09T21:33:00.000-06:00

Today, I feel like simply listing some of the MANY things I am thankful for, like...

pajama pants
comfy socks
friends to confide in
a husband who listens to my whining
a husband who puts up with my attempts at new recipes
creative and expressive children
Big Bang Theory
humor
amazing parents
facebook messenger
online chats with those I miss
good teachers
pepsi max
coffee
great community of friends
laughter
outside playtime
warm sweatshirts

What are you thankful for?

Little Abby

2012-02-06T16:55:00.001-06:00

Hey Abigail,
It's your turn. Happy Birthday sweet girl. I love you and hope you're having a great time at school. Oh, and I guess I'll send that graduation gift now......sorry so late. Happy Happy Happy Birthday!

Love it

2012-02-03T17:28:00.000-06:00

I was looking for a baby picture of me to share, but couldn't find the one I wanted. While doing so, I came across this picture. I love it, always makes me smile. It's from a trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons - circa 2001.

Turning 26

2012-02-01T17:27:00.003-06:00

Today I want to wish a very happy birthday to my cousin's oldest daughter, Lauren. We missed sharing a birthday by one day (plus 10 years). I love her to death, and I think she's pretty awesome. She would get mad if I posted some baby picture of her, so I thought I'd post this one instead. She can't argue with this one can she?

Happy Birthday, Lauren!!!

Climbing Park

2012-01-31T17:29:00.001-06:00

Over the weekend we took the boys to check out a climbing playscape we had heard about. It was just as good as we had hoped. While not that big of an area, it still had plenty to do and climb. Overload of pictures of my precious boys below:

Confused

2012-01-26T21:44:00.001-06:00

I think I might be confused. Here's how I watched the Baylor women's basketball game tonight:

In my Baylor sweatshirt, snuggled under a UTblanket. Oh well, Sic'Em!

Hacked

2012-01-25T22:05:00.001-06:00

Today my email account got hacked. I can't begin to explain how frustrating this was. I send emails to a lot of different people, so when my account got hacked, many emails were sent to various people. It's one thing if a random spam message were to get sent to my parents or a friend, but it hit many of the people on my contact list. Church friends, old work contacts, even Gabriel's teacher. Many of them got returned, but still frustrating nonetheless.

To add to the frustration, I tried to send a couple of emails tonight, once I had my email back under my control, and it Google wouldn't let me send anything. It has some new protocols in place, and it will only let you send a certain number of emails per day (to prevent someone from spamming people). Well guess what? I've reached my limit, thanks to my hacker. Now I can't send emails for approximately 24 hours.

I'm hacked!

Soup Night

2012-01-24T12:14:00.004-06:00

Today's weather is rainy, and a little cool. It feels like perfect soup weather. So for dinner I am making this:

Stolen right from the Pioneer Woman's website. I've made it before and it's delicious. Plus, it's super easy to make. Yummmmmmm

Belt Test #2

2012-01-20T23:18:00.000-06:00

Gabriel had another belt graduation for Taekwondo tonight. I'm having a ton of trouble with the videos, but hopefully I can make something work.
One video is of the test itself, Gabriel is on the far left and his friend Ian is to his right. The other video is the presentation of belts to both Ian and Gabriel.

Run!!!

2012-01-19T22:16:00.002-06:00

I've decided I just need to start running everywhere I go. Get up to go to the bathroom? Run. Get up to get a cup of coffee? Run. Opening the door for the kids to go outside? Run. Kai runs all the time, and everywhere. I think if I did that, I'd weigh 30 pounds less. I went with a friend to look at an open house the other day, and the boys came with me. I took some pictures of the house to help her out. When I went back and looked at the pictures, half of them had Kai running through the pictures. Check it out:

I guess I should have captioned our friend, David, here. Notice, like me - he simply watches Kai run.

Tomorrow - I'm going to run.

Sweet 16

2012-01-18T13:34:00.001-06:00

Today is my niece's birthday. I can't believe it, but she's turning 16. She's just grown up to be an amazing, wonderful person. I can't wait to see what the future holds for her.

Happy Birthday, Sophia!

Nervous Bear

2012-01-16T20:59:00.001-06:00

Tonight I am sitting on the couch nervously watching my Baylor Bears take on Kansas in an exciting Monday night basketball game. I'm super nervous for this game - which is rare. In the past, Baylor playing at Kansas wouldn't be worth watching. Kansas is a historically a great program. Allen Fieldhouse (their home court) is about the closest you can come to playing at Duke. This year though, Baylor is good. And they are getting better. And it is a lot of fun to watch them. Coming into tonight's game, they are undefeated. This is the best chance yet to be their first loss. I hope it won't, but I know it could be. I did some reading today - as if that would somehow tell me the outcome of tonight's game and make watching a little easier. I found a great article on ESPN - 10 pregame thoughts. I thought I'd copy and paste some of the thoughts - because I think they are excellent points.

1. The old cliché says that buildings can’t win games. I’m not sure that applies to Allen Fieldhouse, where Kansas has won 84 of its past 85 games. The Jayhawks are an excellent team without question. Their top-10 ranking is deserved. Still, when it comes to pure talent and depth, Baylor has a noticeable advantage. It might not matter in Lawrence. Think about that: 84 wins in 85 games. That’s almost unfathomable. Tonight’s crowd of 16,300 will be as loud as it's been all season. Baylor has won games at the Marriott Center (which seats 23,000) in Provo. And beating K-State in a raucous Bramlage Coliseum last week was no small feat. But neither of those environments compares to what Baylor will face tonight.

8. Anyone who says Baylor “hasn’t played anyone” is clueless. The Bears have victories against Top 25 teams San Diego State, Mississippi State and Kansas State along with likely NCAA tournament teams such as West Virginia and Saint Mary’s. They also embarrassed the same Northwestern squad that beat Michigan State on Saturday. Other than the San Diego State victory, all of those wins occurred outside of Waco. Kansas is the only team in the Big 12 that has played a tougher schedule -- and the Jayhawks have three losses, which is three more than Baylor.

10. Win or lose tonight, it’s time to end the “Scott Drew can’t coach” theory. Anyone who watched Baylor beat Kansas State realizes that’s a false statement. The freedom Drew gives his players might have made Baylor look like a street-ball team in the past, but with LaceDarius Dunn no longer around to fire up guarded, ill-advised 3-pointers, the Bears are running and executing set plays on the offensive end. Poorly coached teams don’t shoot 49 percent from the field. Poorly coached teams don’t play as well as the Bears have played defensively this season, and poorly coached teams don’t flounder in tight games. They flourish.

No one is going to confuse Drew with Mike Krzyzewski or Rick Pitino, but to say the only reason Baylor is winning is that it has good players is false. (Quick fact: Since Drew took over in 2003-04, Baylor has had one player selected in the NBA draft. That’s the lowest number in the Big 12. Texas and Kansas have had 12 each.) Despicable acts by the previous staff had the program on the verge of the death penalty when Drew took over in August 2003. Also, Baylor had never had a winning record in the Big 12. In one of the greatest rebuilding jobs in NCAA history, Drew had Baylor in the Elite Eight within six years. And now the Bears are 17-0 with a realistic shot to win a league title. For that, the coach deserves just as much credit as his players.

Alright, enough hiding my face from the tv. Baylor's starting as nervous and me. Time to go cheer on my team.

Enjoy Every Sandwich

2012-01-13T08:57:00.002-06:00

This is the book I am currently reading. If I didn't have nasty cedar allergies that make want to just sleep at night, I'd probably already be done with this book, as it's a fairly fast read. I am completely enthralled with this man's story.

This simple message of this book is just as the title suggests: Live each day as if it were your last. The author of this book is a doctor who finds himself with a diagnosis of terminal cancer. The back story though, is what makes this book so interesting.

Lee Lipsenthal, the author, had spent a great deal of time studying meditation and relaxation prior to his cancer diagnosis. He discusses these techniques and experiences had as a result of them. Without giving away too much of the book, I'll just say that Lipsenthal discovers for himself that this life is not all there is. This revelation give him great peace of mind once he receives his cancer diagnosis.

Lipsenthal is able to approach his disease and prognosis with such an interesting state of mind. He is not afraid of death. He still struggles at times, but he is so clear headed about such a frightening thing - I'm simply mesmerized by it. As I said, I'm not finished with this book. I do know that Lipsenthal does not survive, but I do not know how he dealt with his disease as it progressed and made life, presumable, more miserable for him. I'm excited to read on and see how he dealt with it.

I am very interested in learning mediation now, after reading what I've read so far. His peace of mind, his ability to center himself and deal with obstacles facing him, ugh - I wish I could do that. Lipsenthal truly believed that any day was a good day to die. He was more interested in living and being appreciative of what he had, than being upset with his diagnosis and what was happening to him. What a great way to live.

**On a separate note - I find it funny that I was reading this book while riding on the bike at the gym yesterday. Trying to workout and be healthy - yet reading a book whose title is "Enjoy Every Sandwich"

I am a Baylor Fan

2012-01-11T16:41:00.000-06:00

Today, Robert Griffin III (or RG3 as many people know him) said he would be entering the NFL Draft this year. I'm pretty bummed, not because I didn't see this coming, but because I hate for Baylor to be losing such a great guy.

I must say though, that I am a Baylor fan. I have been since I was a junior in high school. I was a fan when I was a student at Baylor. During those days, the stands were occupied more by opposing teams fans than Baylor fans. I have been a fan ever since graduation. I have watched and cheered on our teams, even when they have repeatedly lost games.

Being a Baylor fan is important to me. It is important because I am proud of my school. I am proud of what I learned there, both in the classroom and out. I am proud of the person I became while at Baylor University.

Congrats to Baylor Nation and their great year in college sports. But more importantly, congrats to Baylor University, for being a great place to grow.

Old Pictures

2012-01-10T11:58:00.004-06:00

I had to look through old pictures this morning in a frantic search for a picture Kai needed for school. I found what I needed, but then decided to look back through my library of photos. I thought it would be fun to look back at this date each of the previous years. Well, it was fun, until I found these. These sweet little boys of mine. Where does the time go? I don't want it to stop - I love watching them grow and discover new things. I just wish I could learn to savor moments more.

2008 - Kai was not quite 1 year old.

2006 - Gabriel at 7 months old

Oh - and then I found this guy. My original baby. Still no cat quite like him.

Lucky - coolest cat ever.

And this boy

2012-01-08T20:26:00.001-06:00

I love this one too. Look at this series of pictures. Classic Kai faces.

Hey - whatcha doin'?

Hmmm, should I be worried?

HEY! I don't think you should be doing that!

I'm giving you my disapproving look.

Ok, truth is, I want to do that too.

Please, can I have a turn?

This boy

2012-01-06T17:57:00.002-06:00

This boy: melts my heart, drives me nuts, makes me laugh, makes me crazy. I love him so much.

New Year, New Secrets

2012-01-05T14:31:00.001-06:00

Do you make New Year's Resolutions? Or is it New Year Resolutions? Either way - do you make 'em? I usually do. Some years I do better at keeping them than others, but most years I break them before the year is over. So this year, I'm trying something different. I made three resolutions, but I'm keeping them secret. I typed them up, sealed them in an envelope (actually two envelopes) and gave one copy to Tony, and one copy to my parents. I told them they are not allowed to open them until 12/31/12. Nobody knows what they are but me. For some reason I have a feeling I have a better chance of succeeding this way. I can't make public excuses not to reach my goals, because no one knows what my goals are. These are goals/resolutions between me, myself, and I. I have only myself to answer to. So, I can decide whether I want to succeed or not. But, making excuses to myself isn't nearly as satisfying as making excuses to someone else. So - you'll have to wait another 361 days to find out if I kept my resolutions. I'll have Tony blog for me that day and let you know how I did.

How about you - any resolutions?

Well Crap

2012-01-04T08:19:00.001-06:00

See that cute little face up there? Sweet, innocent, little kitty - right? Wrong. Ok, she actually is a sweet cat. She's not so little anymore. And she's definitely not so innocent. Puddy (as in Puddy-tat) has decided to start, well, crapping on the carpet. Only in one area of the house, but still on the carpet! We didn't know it was her because she had been doing it at night. We'd come down in the morning to find a lovely present for us. Seeing as how we have 6 cats, we really didn't know who it was. But today, she decided to do it in broad daylight. Tony caught her in the act. So, now we know the culprit....but we don't know what to do about it. How do you stop this? Better yet, how do you stop this in a humane way?

Martial Arts

2012-01-03T19:54:00.002-06:00

Check out that face! Not a mean bone in his body, but Gabriel did his best to put on his "mean" face for his Tae Kwon Do pictures recently. Oh, and he has no idea how to handle any weapons, but hey - they let him pose with them, so why not? I am SO GLAD we put him into martial arts. It has done amazing things for his focus, and his self confidence. Not bad when he answers us with a "yes sir" or "yes mam" either. ;)

Through the lens

2012-01-02T17:09:00.001-06:00

This is one of the first pictures I took with our new camera - almost four years ago. I have take thousands of pictures over the last four years.....but somehow dramatically dropped off in picture taking over the last year. I'm not sure if it's just busier times. The advent of the camera "in" my phone. Or just laziness. I'm determined to change that though. I like taking photos. Some turn out great, some turn out so-so. But, I like doing it....so why have I stopped? It's time to see life through the camera lens again.

My Mom, My Hero

2011-08-30T06:33:00.003-05:00

10 years. 10 years ago today my world was rocked. I was living with my parents (yes 25 and living with my parents) after leaving a job in Dallas and trying to get my footing here. I was working part time at the news station and also doing some substitute teaching. I have never been so glad I was living with my parents and only partially employed.
On this morning 10 years ago my mom had a stroke. I don't believe I'll ever forget that day. I was terrified. That day I saw my extremely strong, independent mother become humbled and frustrated by a clogged artery in her neck.
I could go into all the details about the following days, weeks, and months of tests, surgery, recovery, rehabbing....but that's not what I'm focused on now. What I'm focused on now is thankfulness.
On this day 10 years ago I was afraid I would lose my mom. But I didn't. She's here. She's been here. She walked down the aisle at my wedding with both her sons at her side. She was in the room when both of my children were born - heck...she cut the umbilical cord for both of them! She has served countless people as a Stephen Minister with two churches. She now spends a lot of time checking on others as part of her duties as an elder at our church. She shows up at swim meets and swim lessons and children's plays and choir performances of her grandchildren. She makes trips across the country and across the world to continue her love of travel. She does anything she puts her mind to.
Her abilities are limited, not quite the same as she was 10 years ago. I know she gets frustrated and sad because of this. But I don't. I am happy. I think of all the stuff she could have missed. I think of all the things she's been here for. I think of the smiles on my kids faces when they know they are going to see her. I think of the memories they are making with her and will continue to make with her. I think of all the people she has touched with her kindness and her heart, and I am happy. I am thankful. I am so glad she never gave up.
I love you mom.

Garden

2011-08-04T21:21:00.003-05:00

Here's my garden update:

Started out good, got tons of tomatoes and some great cucumbers....then the heat hit. Hottest July on record in Texas. Record drought - 17 inches below for the year. Ridiculous, ridiculous heat. Did I mention, it's hot? I grew up here. I've spent most of my life here. This is like nothing I've ever known. I'm getting seasonal depression from the lack of rain. I would give almost anything to see rain at this point. Here's our current 10 day forecast:

The Year of Me

2011-05-19T19:11:00.003-05:00

Beware - long rambling post ahead:

Before this year started I said that 2011 would be the "Year of Me." Sounds selfish, huh? My point was, I tend to spend a lot of time trying to please others, that I often pay the price. Unfortunately, when I pay the price - those close to me also pay the price. I get frustrated because of how I'm treated and take it out on those who do nothing wrong....except love me. I also tend to neglect myself in an effort to help others or please others. Over the course of time (and specifically 2010) this has worn on me and my health (mental, physical, emotional).

So, the "year of me" was to be a conscious effort to do what is right for me. And so far I'm doing a fairly good job of it. I've volunteered for many things, but I've also said "no" to many things. I keep myself extremely busy with activities in my community (Gabriel's school, Kai's school, neighborhood, church) but I am, for the most part, doing only the things I want to do.

Most importantly out of this I wanted to remove as much negative from my life as possible. I am 35 years old - not old as far as I'm concerned, but old enough to not be wasting my time with unnecessary negative influences. I realize bad things happen, sad things happen, unfortunate things happen....and these are things we have to deal with. That's why I surround myself with positive people and a positive faith, to help me deal with those things. But why should I surround myself, and my family, with negative people and influences?

Awhile back when I took a hiatus from Facebook my cousin John commented on here that he noticed how many people use Facebook to whine or complain or otherwise post negative things. I found this to be true. I watched for this trend with some of my "Facebook friends" and as it became more prevalent I chose to "hide" them from my news stream. This made a huge change for me! It's amazing how much it can bring your day down to read post after post of negative comments.

Another unfortunate trend I found on Facebook and in "real life" is that of bashing others, or insulting others. Intimidating, insulting, bullying others is not ok! I realized that there are those in my life who choose to do it anyway. Sadly, I used to let it happen right in front of me and didn't do anything about it. Then, I found out more and more things happening and I've decided to remove these negative influences by removing contact. I'm not a very confrontational person so it is easier for me to just remove contact rather than confront...and this is where I'm at a really frustrating spot. I know how much it hurts to have someone say bullying things about me, or more importantly my children. I know that things will be better and more positive for me by eliminating the negativity from mine and my family's life.....but it will still happen to others. I've taken some steps to address what I can....but I haven't addressed it all. Should I? Or should I let it go? Hope that people change and that no one else will get hurt?

See, long rambling post. But, I feel much better. On another note of the year of me - I've decided to do a 5k (3.1 miles) a day Monday-Friday during the summer while Gabriel is out of school. I love it! Ok, well I'm only a week in - but I Love It! I'm running and walking it....no great times or anything, but I'm doing it and I feel good.

Better Late than Never

2011-05-10T11:10:00.006-05:00

Yeah, yeah - I missed a couple of weeks updating. I know. Here's what's up with the garden:
We're figuring out it's still a learning process. One end of it is doing really well, and the other end was not thriving. Over Mother's Day weekend Tony was kind enough to pull up that end of the garden, add in some better garden soil as well as some manure, and replant the plants at that end. Things are already improving. We have tomatoes and cucumbers almost ready to harvest and a couple of squash beginning to grow. The boys love checking out their seeds that they planted, and Kai can't wait to see those carrots! I'm big on simple meals, so I grill a lot of chicken (quick and easy). Finally our herbs are growing enough that I can run out, cut some off and use them in a marinade for my chicken. The children know this is food, fresh from our garden and are much more willing to eat it (go figure!).

Yes, we need to mow and edge. Look how big the cherry tomato and "presidential tomato plants are getting! We had to add a second cage to the cherry tomato plant because it was branching out so big.

Finally a cherry tomato ripening.

Look at all the cherry tomatoes! All on the same plant.

Carrots really starting to thrive!

Poor little banana pepper plant got eaten by something - all of the lower leaves were eaten off.

Cucumbers!

Finally some squash growing.

Even one little tomato growing on the "large cherry tomato" plant.

If you look closely you can see our first bell pepper growing.

Replanting has already helped - the spaghetti squash is blooming and looking much more green!

The lemon boy tomato plant is also looking better and even has one little bloom!

Stolen Poem

2011-04-28T11:59:00.001-05:00

I read this poem on my cousin's blog and told her I was copying it to my blog. I love it. I keep reading it over and over. What do you think?

Love After Love by Derek Walcott

The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.

Garden Update, Week 4

2011-04-20T09:19:00.004-05:00

Ugh, the lack of rain here is really disappointing, and might make this whole gardening adventure a failure. We'll see - we can always water of course, but it would be nice to get a good soaking rain. I really don't want to complain though. I am thankful that we're some of the few in Texas not dealing with a fire right now. The garden is starting to "do" more and more - which is making it a little more exciting for the boys. I'm enjoying going out every morning with my coffee and looking over the plants. It's almost therapeutic in a way....definitely a nice way to start the day. I'm also really glad Tony suggested the compost area at the end of the raised bed. It has been nice to shift my way of thinking about and doing things. We've started a bowl in the kitchen where we throw any compost scraps each day - then take that bowl out and empty into the compost pile. We have a Keurig coffee maker, and we've started opening each individual container and dumping the grounds into our compost bowl. I know it's little stuff, and stuff many people do already - but for us it's a change and it's been great (and really fun to watch the boys participate and learn as well).
Here are some pictures from the garden this week:

Cherry Tomato plant with 7 tomatoes growing
and plenty more blooms!
Another tomato plant growing well
Strawberries getting bigger
And some tiny little cucumbers starting to grow
Banana peppers
Spaghetti squash has a bloom - hopefully it'll make it!
and unfortunately we keep finding these around the garden
On another note - we planted some boxwoods and got some hanging plants and fixed up the front of our house just a bit. We're starting to look like real grownups!

He's 4!

2011-04-15T08:10:00.005-05:00

Well, we weren't sure if he'd make it....but the crazy kid lived to see 4. Kai turned 4 on Sunday, and celebrated a day early with an Eric Carle themed birthday party. I am so thankful to those who came to celebrate with him. We have such good friends who love Kai and are so good to him. A good time was had by all (I think).

There were Eric Carle themes running through the whole party. A Very Hungry Caterpillar cake and decorations:

The Foolish Tortoise pinata:

The Mixed Up Chameleon (Mixed up Kai-meleon) poster that the kids could help decorate:

We also had crafts based on Eric Carle books:

And other, non Eric Carle related things, like tree climbing....

and of course, a bouncy house (no - that is not me in the bouncy house with Kai...me/bouncy house/bad news)

And of course, because it was Kai's party - there were, the ladies:

Ok, they weren't all girls....

I'm pretty sure the birthday boy had a great time with his friends.

Garden Update, Week 3

2011-04-14T14:08:00.005-05:00

We have growth! Ok, it's only been a couple of weeks, and it's not much - but it doesn't take much to make us happy around here.

Cherry Tomato plant starting to produce

Two strawberries on their way!

President Tomato plant with some blooms

Large Cherry Tomato plant has a couple of flowers blooming

Here's the underside of the squash plant...not sure what's going on, but it looks cool

Cucumber plant with several blooms

Hey look! Carrots!

Look carefully you'll see some banana peppers starting.

The spaghetti squash and the lemon boy tomato plant are both turning yellow - why?

I know, I know

2011-04-14T10:47:00.000-05:00

I know - I'm late on the garden update for this week. I kept Gabriel home from school Tuesday and we had a nice mommy/Gabriel day, so I didn't get to do my usual pictures. I'm hoping to get them done today, but it's a very busy day....so I'll do the best I can. We have a lot of fun stuff growing though! More to come....

Garden Update, Week 2

2011-04-05T11:15:00.005-05:00

Our garden is starting to bloom! Ok, you can't tell much from the above picture, other than the weeds growing between the bed and the fence - but up close, you can tell. We had a threat of rain, but got barely a trace - so we're having to really keep up with the watering. No signs of the carrot seeds or tomato seeds that we planted, but I think those take a couple of weeks before they should be popping through the surface. We came home from a weekend of camping to see that the sunflower seeds Gabriel planted and the random flower seeds Tony and Kai planted had started to break the surface. This was big news around our house. Gabriel really wants the tomatoes to start growing so he can pick them and eat them. Kai just wants to sit on the swing and watch us work. Oh well.

Cherry Tomato - it now has a couple of blooms

Rosemary

Tomato

Lemon Thyme

Banana Peppers - also with a few small blooms

Cucumbers - I think there are the beginnings of blooms tucked in there

Strawberries - two flowers on this plant

Dill

Yellow Onion

Squash - small blooms ready to come out tucked back in there

Red Pepper

Large Cherry Tomato

Lemon Boy Tomato

Basil - this plant is just beautiful in person

Spaghetti Squash

Garlic Chives - these aren't looking all that good

Our sad little cherry tomato plant has righted itself!

Random flower seeds

Sunflower seeds

Gardening, another attempt

2011-03-29T11:44:00.006-05:00

Here we go again, another spring, another time to look at the wonderful yard we were lucky enough to get - and wonder why we don't take better advantage of it. This year, we're hoping to take advantage of it.....the right way.

We were blessed with a huge section of our yard that gets great sun and apparently will grow stuff without our even trying to make it do so. I swore after our last garden though, that I wouldn't have a garden again unless we built a raised bed. Because of our great plot of land, and it's ability to grow anything, our previous gardens were constantly overrun with grass and weeds.

So, this year we built a raised bed. We also decided to follow the theory of "bigger is better" and our garden turned out huge. Total size is 8'x24' - although we portioned off a little less than a third of it for a compost area. After filling and filling and filling it with garden soil and dirt, we were ready to plant this past weekend. I decided I will, for better or worse, document our garden here.....this should make you happy Paul. For now I will stick with a weekly update including pictures of each plant. I'll probably take pictures more often than weekly, but I won't submit you to the torture of seeing all the photos. I think it will be neat to *hopefully* be able to look back at the end of summer and see how the plants grew.

Huge garden with compost area

Cherry Tomato

Rosemary

Tomato
Carrot seeds somewhere under there

Lemon Thyme

Banana Peppers

Cucumbers

Strawberries

Dill

Yellow Onion

Squash

Red Pepper

Large Cherry Tomato

Lemon Boy Tomato

Basil

Spaghetti Squash

Random Tomato seeds under there somewhere

Garlic Chives

Sad looking cherry tomato plant we are trying to rescue

The boys were very interested in planting seeds, thus the carrot and tomato seeds. Gabriel also planted some sunflower seeds and Kai helped Tony plant a random assortment of flower seeds. Let the growing begin!

**on a side not - we've had no rain lately, and tonight it's supposed to storm and possibly hail....great.

HELP!

2011-02-10T13:43:00.002-06:00

Anyone out there? Can anyone help me? I want to use an image for my blog header, but no matter how I resize it, it keeps showing up HUGE and taking up most of the page. I hated the one before because it was all smushed....but I don't know how to fix it. Argh......any help is appreciated.

Camera?!?!?

2010-11-12T21:11:00.003-06:00

I'm finally getting my camera out and attempting to do some photography again.....it's been too long since I've tried to get some decent shots. So of course, when I finally get to it - the light was horrible and Gabriel had a stomach bug so he had huge circles under his eyes. But - here's one of the pictures I caught that wasn't great, but I thought really captured Gabriel. First one is straight out of the camera, second one is played with in photoshop. Too much change? Too little? Good? Bad? In between? What do you think? I prefer honest feedback. You won't hurt my feelings....I just want to know what others think. Thanks!

Let the Music Move You

2010-10-07T11:48:00.002-05:00

Now that I have Gabriel in school 5 days a week and Kai in school days a week - I'm finding that I'm getting to something I haven't done a lot of in the last 5 years.....

LISTEN TO MUSIC!!!

My music, that is.....not kids music. I've listened to plenty of kids music. And occasionally I have the radio on in the car while talking to the kids, but it's not necessarily music I've chosen.

I'd forgotten how much music means to me. It's therapeutic. It's healing. It's invigorating. It's energizing. It's fun. It's comforting. It's a friend.

Does everyone feel this way about music? I just know it's such a huge part of my life. It always has been - but my first real memory of music really meaning anything to me was when I first visited my cousin Sara, and her husband Brad, and their kids when I was 13 years old. I remember driving back to their home in Virginia, from the beach in NC, and Brad playing the Beatles "Do You Want to Know a Secret" in the car. Lauren, then 3 years old, would sing the "ooh ahh ooh" part as Brad sang the rest of the words. I remember thinking how special that was, that connection they had through the music. I remember Brad never being afraid to sing, and sing out loud. Brad still likes to sing - and sing out loud - often times when I'm on the phone with Sara.....but that's OK! All I know is I thought then, at 13, that I would have to eventually marry someone who loved music as much as I do, and wasn't afraid to sing out loud (that worked out btw).

Music has helped me in times of loss or trouble. Certain songs comforted me when I had trouble with boyfriends or friends in high school and college. Other songs comforted me when my grandmother died, and when my mom was going through her stroke and resulting hospitalization and recovery.

Music has also helped me celebrate the wonderful things in my life. I loved dancing to Mary Chapin Carpenter's version of "Grow Old with Me" at our wedding. Everytime I hear a song by Iz, I'll remember our wonderful honeymoon in Hawaii. When Gabriel was born I had Amy Grant playing in the background....he was born during the song "Sweet Will of God." I spent many a night rocking my children...singing a series of songs...usually Amazing Grace, Joyful Joyful, Peace Like a River, Just a Closer Walk with Thee, Eyes of Texas, and That Good Ole' Baylor Line. A weird mix, I know, but songs that meant something to me and comforted my kids as they tried to calm down. Now, when Kai is really upset, he likes for me to sing "Lucy in the Sky" to him.

Music also makes me more productive, I've found. If I have a quiet house....I'll get almost nothing done. If I have music blasting....I'll get a million things done. There's nothing I enjoy more than accomplishing something while singing and moving to great music. Singing....I know....a concept that comes as a surprise to most that know me well. I usually refuse to sing in front of other people. I did learn though, that through marriage, that I had to give that up and at least learn to sing in front of Tony. And I do.....a lot....whether he likes it or not. Luckily I have a great husband who loves me despite my faults.....which include a squeaky singing voice.

How about you.....what does music mean to you? Is it just something to fill space? Or does it move you like it does me?

Because....

2010-10-01T08:49:00.004-05:00

Because it's Friday.....and I love these goofy boys so much.....and because I have nothing better to say......

Alien plays the Wii

Gabriel is: Captain Rex

Avatar Aang

Watcha lookin' at?

Best buds

Trackless Train

2010-09-26T17:50:00.003-05:00

Kai's preschool class rode the "trackless train" last week. He loved it (after a couple of minutes) - here are some pictures of the little one.....

Not so sure at first....had to use the death grip.

Finally loosened up enough to be able to wave to Daddy.

Choo Choo!

Poor Kai has not been blessed with height. Here he is - trying to stretch up as tall as he can, yet he's still much shorter than the rest of his class....

Friends are Amazing

2010-09-24T13:14:00.002-05:00

Ok - I just have to post it here:
I have THE MOST AMAZING FRIENDS IN THE WORLD!

Yesterday on Facebook I posted that Amy Grant (who I have a mild obsession with) will be performing a small (max. 300 people) concert in Austin next week - and would anyone like to donate the $150 for a ticket. This is a benefit concert for Compassion International - tix are not usually this expensive. I was, primarily, being my usual sarcastic self. But within minutes I had one friend respond with - "I'm in for $20." Shortly after that someone who has known of my obsession for many years said she'd match the 20 raise it another 20. By midday I had almost the entire concert paid for by generous friends.

The problem? Well, I really, really, really like doing things for other people - but really, really, really get uncomfortable when other people do things for me. I just couldn't accept people's money. But later in the evening a friend said she would go too if I would go. She is a huge Amy Grant fan, but her husband isn't. She didn't want to go by herself, but couldn't justify paying $300 for them both to go when he's not that big of a fan. I went back and forth, and decided heck, let's do it! My friends money will at least be going to a good cause (plus I get to enjoy a concert out of the deal). Now I have to go shopping - the dress code is "Evening Attire." Around here that means pajamas - I have a feeling that's not what they mean.

Just Happy

2010-09-21T07:32:00.002-05:00

I think the older I get (no, I'm not that old - only 34) the more I realize how seriously lucky, fortunate, blessed, and happy I am. Any problems I have are so minor in the big picture of life. How did I get so lucky? I don't know....but I do know I am grateful for the people I have in my life. I'm learning more and more, be thankful for what you have.....instead of worrying about what you don't have. Surround yourself with positive people. Wish well for others, even when it's hard, treat others as you want to be treated. Thank you to all the positive people in my life!

Workout Day

2010-09-16T08:34:00.004-05:00

Today I think I should burn plenty of calories. I've started taking Gabriel to school in the bike trailer - sorta like this one:

I don't have the snazzy flag on top of mine though. So this morning, I loaded him in and "drove" him the whole 1/2 or 3/4 mile to school. It is slightly uphill to his school. In a car you'd never notice it. On a bike, you notice it. On a mountain bike, you definitely notice it. On a mountain bike pulling a trailer with a 40 pound kid in it - you really notice it. The ride home though...smooth sailing. So, burnt a few calories there....and even better, passed all people trying to get their kids out of cars and moving faster up the sidewalk towards school. That might be my favorite part....riding the bike right up to the school.

In a little over an hour I'm leaving for the gym (in my car, not on my bike) to take yet another Zumba class. I had hoped to take on Tuesday night with a friend that teaches, but couldn't make it to that. This week I get to stay for the whole class (last week I got to bail at 45 minutes). I'm hoping not to make a complete fool out of myself. I've been drinking water like crazy, so hopefully I won't cramp up in the first few minutes like last time. Also, I'll be wearing my heart rate monitor again - which has a calorie counter. Last time I burnt 500 calories in 45 minutes. Any guesses how much I'll reach in a full hour this time? Wish me luck......

Last Airbender

2010-09-14T12:18:00.002-05:00

Have you seen the Nickelodeon series, Avatar: The Last Airbender? Such a great show. I'm really not good at describing things, so I won't even attempt to describe it here, but let me just say - whether you have young kids or not - watch this show (it's on Netflix Instant Streaming). It really teaches a great lesson...it has good humor....plus it's just a lot of fun to watch. Anyway, Gabriel decided for a while that he really like one of the "bad guys" in the show - Zuko - a fire bender. Zuko has a scar on his face, so Gabriel kept wanting me to paint the "Zuko eye" on his face. One day, while having a friend over who shared the same interest in Last Airbender, Gabriel, his buddy Ian, and Kai all decided they needed the Zuko eye. Here's a picture of them sitting on the futon:
I absolutely LOVE this picture because I think it shows each boy's individual personality so well. Kai is looking like he's up to something - he's got the "what can I get into now?" look on his face. Ian, well, he's posing and looking sexy for the camera. He's a ladies man. Then there's Gabriel...taking his imaginary play very seriously. He's in character. He is Zuko. Good times. :)

Go(walla) away.....

2010-09-11T18:56:00.002-05:00

So, I've been away from Facebook (sorta) for a week now and here are my thoughts...actually, let me explain "sorta" first. I've been on Facebook a lot. I've been playing dumb games, and reading my news feed. I've checked specific people's profile pages and looked at many pictures. I have not (except to correct something) updated my status, and have not commented on anyone else's status. I've observed quite a bit. Here are my thoughts:

1) I REALLY don't like Gowalla. You know that lovely app. that lets you check in to places and let the whole world know you're there. I'm just going to be honest - I really don't care! I know this sounds funny, because I do enjoy humorous updates about peoples' day - a quick look into your life and how you're spending your time is fine...but I don't need/want to know that you've checked into the bathroom of the restaurant that you already checked into after checking into the mall that hosts said restaurant -oh, and you checked into the parking lot of that mall after leaving the bookstore that you checked into before checking into the coffee shop inside that bookstore. ARGH! I have nothing against people who use this app., I just find it ridiculous. But that's ok, I don't have to like the same thing everyone else likes.....but I also shouldn't have to have it clutter up my entire Facebook News Feed!!! If you are playing farmville or some other game, I can filter that out. Facebook WILL NOT let me filter out Gowalla. I don't want to have to hide all the people that use it from my News Feed, but I'm thinking that's the best way to deal with the problem for now. Please people - I beg you - use Gowalla discretion!

2) I really enjoy knowing what's going on with my friends. I think I'm a fairly closeted social person. I like to know what's going on with others, I like to share what's going on with me....but I'm not always comfortable in social gatherings. I'm always worried that I'll say the wrong thing, wear the wrong thing, look the wrong way....etc. Behind the computer screen is much easier.

3) It's REALLY hard not to comment. But it's also really cathartic not to comment. Weird huh? I can easily turn into a very petty person. Sometimes in good humor, sometimes not. So, it's hard not to say things when I think people are doing/saying/typing things that I disagree with....but it's also good because I know it's keeping me away from a high school catty mentality that unfortunately too many grown adults have. I also am enjoying not commenting because I feel it's giving me a chance to grow in a sense....I'm not injecting my thoughts every 10 seconds. I'm letting my friends say/be who they want without my input. I'm simply enjoying what they say....even though I'm sure I have some sort of smart ass comment I could add ;)

4) Speaking of smart ass comment - man - tone is also REALLY hard to deal with on Facebook. Especially when you can't comment to figure out what someone means, what their intent is. Assuming someone is upset, happy, angry, or otherwise has feelings about you (or someone else who has commented on their post) is a dangerous place to go. I read someone's status update and the comments that followed and couldn't figure out where it was going. (part of the difficulty is not knowing everyone on their "friends" list). For a second I thought they were mad, then joking, then mad again. Internet tone is a dangerous thing to figure out.

All in all I enjoyed being "away." I think I may stay away another week or so. I've also enjoyed getting back to my blog. I don't get nearly the response I get here as I do on Facebook, but I get much more satisfaction. I know I'm not the world's best writer, so if you've been reading and wonder why I write....it's because I enjoy it. It's a sort of journal for me. It doesn't get infused into everyone's news feed to read when they open up Facebook. You have to choose to come here, just as I choose to come here, and store some of my thoughts.

The Day The Music Died

2010-09-10T08:44:00.005-05:00

Today I think I'm having to face the fact that one of my favorite things has died. I'll spend my weekend seeing if there is any possible way to resurrect it, but my hopes are fairly low at this point. What am I grieving the loss of? This:
It's a 1966 Magnavox Console Stereo. But it's not just any old stereo. It once belonged to my Great Aunt Paula, and then to my grandmother. When she died, I claimed it. I actually don't have many memories of music playing on it, oddly enough. I remember as her place to display most of her music boxes (which I also have, but not on display there thanks to two little boys). When I took possession of it 11 years ago, I was glad to see it was in great working condition. Even the turntable worked well. Before too long I pulled the back off, learned it had a couple of RCA jacks inside it, and hooked up my cd player to run through it. Later we ran the IPod through the the stereo as well. The tuner on it was great as well, so I could pull up almost any radio station I wanted. This stereo is a massive weight....but has moved from Tennessee to my parent's house, to my (upstairs) apartment in Dallas, to a storage facility in Austin, to my upstairs apartment in Austin, to my downstairs duplex in Austin, to my first house with Tony, and to this house with Tony. Yes, I am freakishly strong. All the while it has played beautiful music.

Now, it just plays a nasty buzz. I took the back panel off this morning and did a quick peek, but can't figure out what might be causing the problem. Nothing seems to be helping except to just turn the darn thing off. I guess that's what I'll be forced to do. The question is now - what to do with it. I hate to get rid of it, because of the sentimental value. But really - how long can I hold on to that? Maybe we could gut it, put a new stereo system inside it? But it's really nothing beautiful, so at that point....is it worth it? Ugh, I hate making decisions.

Zumba

2010-09-09T21:50:00.003-05:00

Ugh, I tried Zumba today at the gym. That was rough. Let's just say I don't really have the hip movement for that. But, it was also fun. And even though I couldn't stay for the whole class....I did burn 500 calories in the 45 minutes I was in there. I will try again next week and see if I can keep up better.

Tomorrow is Friday...and man I'm ready for it. I'm volunteering in the science lab with Gabriel's class tomorrow, that will be neat to see him in his school setting. It's also Grandparent's Day at school - so my parent's are going to eat lunch with him (which, surprise - he's super pumped about). After school - swim lessons and then playtime - YAY for the weekend!

Under Water

2010-09-08T20:12:00.002-05:00

Today we are under water. Ok, well not us specifically - but much of the area around us. Tropical Storm Hermine packed a serious punch as it moved over central Texas yesterday. In all I think we had at least 13 inches of rain in 24 hours or less. Luckily we like "up" a little bit, or at least our backyard slopes down enough that we'd have to have some serious flooding of the "non-existent except when it rains" creek behind our house to worry about damage to our house. But, our yard is pretty darn soggy. And you can see a line of dirt/grass that washed down our yard and up against the back fence. I'm guessing that, accounting for the high grass and weeds in front of it, that line is about 8 inches high.
I'm thankful for the rain, thankful for the fact that we were lucky enough to not be flooded, thankful for safe traveling yesterday through nasty weather.....and now thankful that all the rain is, for the most part, done. Kai and I headed over to my parent's house to pick something up this morning and got lucky enough to see these right at the transition from their driveway to garage:

Can't quite tell what that is? Need a closer look?
Earthworms! Piles and piles of earthworms. All of them trying to figure out where to go....
The lone escapee.....

On another note - tonight we had our weekly potluck dinner/choir/discussion group/youth discussion group at church. We go from 6-630 and have a potluck dinner. At 630 the elementary aged kids head off to their respective choirs. The adults head off to either hand bell practice or stay put for a discussion group. The middle and high school students actually skip the potluck, order pizza, and have their own discussion group. I asked if I could help out this year and was thankfully told yes. One of favorite parts about this group is their prayers. The stand in a circle and hold hands. The go around and each tell one thing that they are thankful for. I love this - I get to hear everything from, I'm thankful for pizza to I'm thankful for my family. Kids are honest, and nervous, and fun. But mostly, I feel like these kids are being themselves. And I'm proud of them for that. So tonight, after a rough night with my own kids...who are tired...and a little out of sorts from starting so many new things lately, I want to say what I am thankful for. I am thankful for my husband....who rescues me (and frankly my kids too) from me.

First day of preschool

2010-09-07T12:04:00.003-05:00

Today we took Kai to his first day of preschool. I have no idea if he knows whether or not we are still there. He marched right in, hung his backpack on his hook, took his lunch box out and put it the right spot, then started a little activity the teacher had set out for him. As if he'd been there a million times and knew exactly what to do. We tried repeatedly to get a hug and kiss from him, but he was really too busy to bother with Mom and Dad. I wasn't sure what to expect. He's seen big brother do this a million times, so I guess I'm not surprised he did so well. But also, lately he's been in a bit of an attachment phase, so I thought it might not go well. As for me, well.....I miss him, but I know it's good for him, and I'm already getting stuff done around the house. After 5 years and two kids, I'm getting some time to myself. Ahhhhhhhh.......

First day of preschool
His backpack is a small one, yet still almost as big as him.
We ran into Mrs. Lacy on the way in. She's an assistant teacher at the school, but we know her better as a friend from church (and Gabriel's Sunday School teacher).
Finally got him to look up from his activity long enough to get a picture.

God loves Kai's.......

2010-09-06T13:55:00.003-05:00

I love when I go to pick Kai up from his Sunday School class and I'm greeted with this:

"Um, we need to tell you a story about Kai."

Great....what did he do now? He's one of two boys in a class full of girls. Did he push someone...kick someone...take something? What?

Nope - he just flashed.....everyone. Apparently they were talking about God, and what God loves. God loves us, and everything about us. God loves our ears, our nose, our smile....etc. Then the teacher asked, "What else does God love about us?" Kai was happy to answer the question. He raised his shirt and said, "God loves my nipples." Excellent Kai. Thanks for sharing.

New Things

2010-09-05T22:57:00.003-05:00

This past couple of weeks has been full of new things for my baby, er...Gabriel. He started Kindergarten almost two weeks ago, moved up to the "younger elementary kids" Sunday School class a week ago, moved up to the "Melody Makers" choir last week, and moved up to Nitro 2 (a new level of swim lessons) last Friday. He has done all of this with such grace, I can be nothing but proud of him. If you know Gabriel, you know he's an extremely sensitive child. He loves his mama, and his security, and loves keeping a routine and knowing what to expect and when. The first drop off for each of these activities was met with some tears, some anxiety, some fear....but each one was a massive hit for him.

Especially kindergarten.

I knew (ok, hoped) this would be a wonderful thing for him. 5 days of school, 7 hours each day, no nap, no break to snuggle with Mommy. But 5 days of mental stimulation. 7 hours each day of learning, interacting, discovering. Last week I went to a parent information night. I got to sit in Gabriel's small chair. I got to look through his stuff. I couldn't have been more proud. He's "writing" - through drawing pictures....detailed pictures of things he thinks of. He's narrating these pictures for the teacher to write for him...and then writing short sentences himself. No, he's not the first kid to ever go to school. No, he's not the first kid to ever learn to write. But he's the first one for me. And he's amazing. I'm so proud of my baby......5 year old.

Facebook Sabbatical

2010-09-05T15:16:00.002-05:00

I've decided it's time for a Facebook sabbatical. Actually, it's only a "sort of" sabbatical. I realized the main reason I'm neglecting my blog is FB. It's so easy to be on there, and get almost instant communication/gratification. The problem? Those that I care a lot about, and who care enough to check my blog and see if I've updated it, aren't necessarily on FB. Also, I find myself a bit reserved (yes, I said reserved) on FB. I am usually willing to post most things, but due to wanting to be "safe" or "please too many people" I don't always say what I want to say. I know that my FB posts appear in my friend's feeds, and maybe they don't want to see what I think about government, or entertainment, or religion, or my children, or my day. Yes, they could just skip over it, not read it, move on....but it's still there, taking up space on their computer.

So, I'm forcing people here. Ok, well not really forcing. But, gently suggesting...nudging if you will. If you want to know what I have to say, think, write, muse....whatever....you gotta come here (at least for this week). Leave a comment if you want...or just read and move on....but I will not be posting on FB this week. I will be there, enjoying a game of Bejeweled Blitz or spider solitaire....and reading other people's posts....but not commenting, and not adding my own posts. My goal is to post something here everyday this week, just to get back into the swing of things. Wish me luck!

Legos

2010-05-13T19:46:00.004-05:00

This is really one of those posts that's more for me than anything...but I'm putting it out there anyway. Gabriel has become a HUGE fan of Legos. I recently hung two shelves in Gabriel's room so he can display his Lego creations. We have a bunch of space, Star Wars, castle, pirate, and viking sets that we have passed on to him. We also have all the instruction booklets that came with them. Here's what I love about Gabriel - he wants nothing to do with the booklets. He wants to build strictly from his imagination. And everything he builds has a story that goes with it. And he will tell you the entire story or description that goes with his creation. In detail. I LOVE this child. Oh yeah, and he puts everything he builds on display. And refuses to take the things down. He's pretty much out of space, but continues to build anyway. I guess at some point he'll run out of Legos.
**p.s. - Ignore the fact that I haven't painted the edges of the shelves yet.....I'm getting to that.

The Sleeper

2010-05-12T08:51:00.002-05:00

For a child that really doesn't sleep as well as I'd like - I sure catch lots of pictures of him asleep. Here are the many sleep poses of Kai:

The "side cuddle"

The "on your back two armed cuddle"

The "straight as an arrow" or "practicing for marriage and sharing the bed"

The "fell asleep on the phone"

The "well prepared Jedi"

The "cross"

The "can't even make it to the bed"

It's Done!

2010-05-10T15:34:00.003-05:00

Before:

After:

Here we go again...

2010-03-17T15:36:00.003-05:00

The kitchen remodel has begun. After a weekend of packing up all of our kitchen stuff, shoving all of the boxes of stuff into the front room, and moving our refrigerator to a usable, but out of the way spot, we were ready to go.

Here's a view of our small, cramped kitchen (before we moved the fridge) the morning of day 1. The wall where the fridge and pantry are, is coming down.....opening up the kitchen to the front room: see below.
On the other side of that blue wall is the kitchen. The blue wall is coming down. A new, half wall, is going up from that post to the exterior wall (where the window is). The window will be raised to allow for cabinets underneath. The new half wall will be solid on this side, and bookshelves on the other (kitchen) side to allow for cookbooks and other miscellany.

Here's our kitchen the morning of day 2. You can see he ripped out the lower cabinets and some of the upper cabinets and all the dry wall along that side.....
...and inside the pantry. Later that day, while Kai was napping at my parent's house, Gabriel and I ran home to check on the progress. We got there just in time to help with this:
Gabriel and I both got to kick down part of the wall. That was incredibly satisfying.

Today the contractor is down there removing all the fur downs, the rest of the pantry, the upper cabinets, and who knows what else. All I know is it's very loud. And messy. But mess means progress, so I'll take it.

Food, Inc.

2010-02-26T16:10:00.000-06:00

Excellent Movie - airing on PBS April 10th - don't miss it!

Snow Day

2010-02-23T12:25:00.001-06:00

Well, it actually snowed here. And we took full advantage. I picked up Gabriel early from preschool so he could have some playtime in it (around here you never know how long it will last). It's shortly after noon here now and the snow is still coming down. We're probably close to all of an inch or so - but who cares. It's fun for the kids!

**btw - I realize I haven't posted any final pictures of the remodeling....but the house is a mess and I was sick last week - so pics will have to wait.

Remodel Update....

2010-02-09T19:56:00.004-06:00

Ack! The bathroom removal/replacement/remodel - whatever you want to call it will be done tomorrow.....and I haven't updated the pictures in awhile. Mainly because there hasn't been much to see. Much of the work was rerouting plumbing and electrical. But - here's the little bit of updating I can do.
Here's the new bathroom - as you can see it's nothing more than a hole in the ground. Luckily, that will change tomorrow when they actually install the toilet that is sitting in a box in our garage. But this was Friday, after they had finally sprayed the texture on the walls.
Voila! Bathroom still not done, but paint is on the walls.
And tile on the floor. Oh yeah, and the door is not quite in the right place. Very important door though, we use it as a growth chart for our kids.....so we had to make sure it didn't get destroyed. We hid it in our room during the process.
And a light fixture in (minus two bulbs). And a cabinet and mirror in (although the plumbing is not hooked up yet, and the mirror has to be mounted on the wall).

This weekend Tony's parents were in town, and there was enough work done that we could start working on moving furniture. So, the process began....by cleaning everything.
How many Trouts does it take to vacuum a ceiling fan? (4, 1 to actually vacuum, two to watch, and 1 to take the picture).
Finally we got most of it moved though. On the left side of the picture where you see the edge of the couch, that's where the entertainment center used to be. The couch used to reside in front of the fireplace which we just blocked off with pieces of plywood. The loveseat (shown below) was on the wall where the entertainment is now.
Here is a view from the standing in front of the entertainment center. Keep in mind, the house is a wreck at this point. The loveseat (which I'm still tweaking the position of) is basically where the old bathroom sink was. The wood flooring that is missing there - is now back. They had to remove it to reroute some of the plumbing. The above picture was Saturday...the below is from this evening.
You can see the wall has been painted. I moved the loveseat up a little, it seems to work a little bit better. It's all still a little disjointed because we haven't done anything with the kitchen flooring yet - that will all change in about a month or so once we start on the kitchen. The work so far has really opened things up though. See how above the loveseat you can see through to the front room? Couldn't do that before unless you walked to where the kitchen table is. Tearing out a bathroom makes that easier.

Naptime

2010-02-07T14:12:00.000-06:00

Sunday naps are the best.

Birthdays Just Get Better

2010-02-03T07:48:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was my birthday, and I have to say....I'm learning that as I get older, birthday's just get better. I think yesterday's may have been one of the best yet, and it's not because of tons of expensive or fancy gifts. Here's how my day went:
**First I should note that my birthday kind of started Sunday, when Tony and I got to go to the Baylor/UT Women's basketball game. I haven't gone in a long time, and Baylor has a new player this year who is 6'8" and can dunk. My parent's got us tickets as a birthday present. The game was SO MUCH FUN. Baylor lost, but I honestly didn't really care that much, I just had so much fun watching...women's basketball has come so far.

Anyway, back to yesterday;
I got up at 525am and went to workout, because I wanted to and because I could. It's a great present to me that I'm at a point, after almost a year since starting my weight loss class, that I want to go workout. I love that I wanted to get up, even though it was my birthday and I could have used that as an excuse not to, and go workout.

I promptly followed up my workout with donuts. Well, it was my birthday after all. By the time I got home Tony had cleaned out the bathtub for me so I could take a nice hot soaking bath while he herded children downstairs.

After all of that I got to take Gabriel to school. On Tuesdays they have a 15 minute chapel program where they sing songs, watch the teachers act out a Bible story, then celebrate birthdays from that week. Parents are always invited, and I've been before, but what a joy to sit on my birthday and watch my little boy enjoy school. It was also a thrill to see him be one of the kids that actually sat still and paid attention :)

When that was over I went over to my parent's house (they live a mile and a half from Gabriel's school) and visited with them. I took my mom shopping for some stuff at Whole Foods and she bought me a piece of cheesecake, yummy. I took her home, hung out a little while longer, then headed home to get some work done before I had to pick up Gabriel from school. As I headed down their street and around the corner I noticed a black suburban driving very slow in the opposite direction. Then I noticed they had their lights flashing and they were driving behind someone riding their bike. **This is Austin, and people ride their bikes everywhere - it's nothing new to see one or 10 people riding together in my parents neighborhood, it very hilly and a great place to train** I hadn't noticed the cyclist until then....and then it clicked. Lone cyclist, black suburban following.....as I got closer I could see the cyclist was wearing Livestrong gear....then I looked at his face, it was Lance Armstrong. I quickly called my mom, told her to go look out the window so she could see him, then I turned the corner and headed back so I could take another look. I caught up just as he hit the end of my parent's street, he turned left, I turned right and took the loop around so I could meet him head on (yes, I think I officially qualify as a stalker now). As I came around and passed him again, I rolled down the window and yelled "Good Job Lance." In the heat of the moment I couldn't think of anything better. Who cares, he tweeted about it later: From Lance's Twitter - lancearmstrong Great 70 mile ride today. A mix of TT and road bikes. New TT bike rides like a dream. Thx to all for yelling support 2day. Makes "work" easy.

After all the excitement I stopped stalking Lance and went home. I worked on making dinner for a friend of mine who just had a baby, picked up Gabriel from school, played with my kids, and generally had a lovely afternoon. I took dinner to my friend and her family, then went out to eat with my family and some other friends. The place was nothing exciting, but the company of my husband, kids, and friends was wonderful.

Dinner was followed by one of the best gifts of all - Gabriel and Tony went home and watched Star Wars. Gabriel has been dying to watch it, and we've resisted. But, we finally decided he could, so he and Tony sat and watched it together. I kept Kai upstairs and played and put him to bed. I called this one of the best gifts of all because Gabriel was so excited, and it was so cute to see him sitting side by side with Tony on the couch, a grin stretching from ear to ear.

Once I got Kai to bed I sat down and enjoyed my present from Gabriel and Kai, a new puzzle. Gabriel thought of it and picked it out himself. I love that. I love that my child is old enough to think about what someone wants, or what makes someone happy, and make a gift choice based on that. I know that he was proud of his gift, and I loved it.

It was a low key evening, and it was the perfect ending to a perfect day. To me, it was the best way to spend a birthday. Not filled with lavish gifts, but rather with family, friends, and notes and calls from distant friends and family. It wasn't about what I unwrapped, it was about what I already had sitting here in front of me. It was also nice knowing that when I went to bed, I didn't have to worry about what time Mr. early bird Kai would wake up. My birthday gift from Tony (I told him not to buy me anything)? One week of him getting up with the kids so I could sleep. Ah, I have the best family in the world.

Ipod Child

2010-02-01T12:01:00.005-06:00

What have we come to? Gabriel now knows how to watch movies on the Ipod. Here he is, sipping coffee (aka "kid's hot chocolate") and watching Up on the Ipod while he warms up after swim lessons.
Kids today......

He's Not Really Dead

2010-01-30T12:11:00.002-06:00

This is one of those stories I just have to post, not for any good reason except I don't want to forget it one day as Kai gets older. As I've talked about before, Kai has had speech problems related to his ear troubles. He's doing great now, and talks up a storm. Like an kid his age though, there are some sounds he can't make. The sounds he hasn't mastered yet are the "G" and "K" sounds. If a word uses those sounds, he substitutes the "D" sounds instead. This is quite unfortunate considering his name is Kai, which rhymes with die......so if you ask him his name, he'll tell you, "I'm Die." Ask him if he's a cowboy, "No, I Die." Ask him if he's a policeman/fireman/astronaut/crazy kid/silly boy, "No, I Die."

Lovely.

Someone stole our bathroom

2010-01-27T20:27:00.005-06:00

Well, our bathroom has been knocked out. It's made for quite a dusty mess - but as you can see below, it's gone. The cave is currently covered in plastic sheeting....but as you can see we've already gained a nice amount of space.
The shot below was taken standing next to the plastic sheeting and looking back towards the kitchen/front hall area....the ladder sits over the hole where the toilet used to be, a sheet is hanging blocking the front hall to minimize the dust getting to the front of the house.
Below is a view from the front door looking back towards the kitchen. Again, the sheet blocks most of the view....but on the left hand side you can see the nice plywood. They have knocked out the wall where the door to the new bathroom will be (moving down about a foot from where the closet door was. Behind that plywood is a lovely hole they jackhammered so they can reroute the plumbing. BTW, jackhammering is loud, and dusty.

The House is Coming Along

2010-01-25T14:40:00.004-06:00

We bought our house back in 2004, and I'm not gonna lie - we got a pretty good deal on it...mainly because the people that owned it had taken a job in NY, and needed to get the house sold. It is a great house on a great lot, we are on a huge curve in the street so we have a nice big backyard, and we back up to a greenbelt, so no one is behind us. But, there were some cosmetic issues with the house...that we are slowly working on.
This is our house about a year or so after we moved in. The huge Bradford Pear on the right of the picture is no longer there. It was a beautiful tree, but the grass wouldn't grow in between it and the house because of the massive amount of shade it provided. Also, it was interfering with the growth of an Oak tree to it's right, and the Oak wins since it lives longer. You can see the windows of our loft (above the garage) were lovely cheap windows, that provided no insulation. Those are in the whole house. And those are expensive to replace. But slowly, we are doing so. Also, you might notice that the front door has no protection. If you were to come to our house when it's raining - you'd get soaked waiting for us to answer the door.

Fast forward to last fall. You can see the Bradford Pear is gone, and now we need to do some serious landscaping. Also, the windows in the loft and the window above the front door were replaced (about two years after we moved in). Now the loft doesn't becoming scorching hot in the summer. Last fall we had someone come build us a gable over the front door. This picture was taken before they finished painting - but you get the idea. Oh, and we had gutters put on the front too....nice. We also moved Kai from Gabriel's room to the room on the front of the house (with the nice torn up screen). This was a problem because those windows hadn't been replaced....and it would freeze in there at night. Oh, and the front of the house just looked silly with mis-matched paint and torn screens. So.....
Now we have new windows across the front of the house. And Kai's room is much more temperature friendly. Oh, and you can barely see off on the lefthand side....our new fence. No more rotting, falling over, nasty fence. So now begins the really fun work.....the inside of the house.
This is a shot of our kitchen before we moved in (no not our dog, furniture, or choice of paint color). We quickly painted over all the yellow once we closed on the house. The best part is, in the back where is looks like yellow tile....it's actually paint. Someone took white paint and painted lines to make it look like it was tiled.
This shot was taken standing in the kitchen looking into the den/family room/tv room/whatever you want to call it. I refer to it as the cave.....I'll explain in a second. You can see on the left hand side a small bathroom. This bathroom has always been weird to me....right off the breakfast area, tiny, and makes arranging furniture in the cave quite difficult.
Here's a little bit of a shot of our kitchen/breakfast area/annoying bathroom today. It's a little bare because I've taken down some decoration to prepare for demo tomorrow. You can see we changed the floor and painted the walls.
This shot is facing the opposite direction. See now why I call it the cave? We had to put the tv/entertainment center on the wall all the way to the left (which you can't see from here) so we keep the curtains closed to keep the direct glare off of it. The room is small, and because of the layout of it (it attaches to the garage, and the laundry room is off of there too), there are few options for placing furniture. So, tomorrow begins the work to fix this problem.
Here, by the way, is a view of the annoying layout. The door with the red thing hanging is the door to the garage, just to the left of that you might be able to see the door to the laundry room (which we actually use for the cats' litter boxes as well as food and water - the washer and dryer are in the garage). Say goodbye to the bathroom - tomorrow it is being knocked out. We will now gain 24 sq. feet of space there.
Bye bye bathroom....have fun in your new home.....just down the hall. See the door frame on the wall about halfway down the hall/entryway there? That is a closet. But soon it will be a bathroom. We already took the door off and hid it upstairs because it can't get damaged at all in the process.....it's also our growth chart for our children.
So, when the bathroom gets knocked out - the corner that's in the front of the picture there will be moved back 3 feet. Yay - more space.
A shot from the front doorway - looking back towards the kitchen area - closet on the left will be the new bathroom. What does this do to help the cave? Well now we can move the entertainment center to the wall with all the crooked pictures on it. Move the loveseat (under the crooked pictures) to the wall where the ent. center is now, and move the couch out facing the ent. center (coming off the wall where the bathroom is/was). Right now the couch is in front of the fireplace...annoying....and is about 5 feet away from the tv, which is quite large, and the whole room is cramped. This should open things up. Oh, and prepare us for our next project......
...knocking down the wall there (the blue one), building a half wall from that post all the way to the right till it hits the other wall, and extending our kitchen into there - really making a great room out of the kitchen, breakfast area, and cave. More pictures to come after the crew arrives with a jack hammer and some saws tomorrow......

Rock-A-Bye

2009-10-06T23:32:00.003-05:00

Every night before he goes to bed, Tony goes and gets Gabriel out of bed and take him to pee. Usually Gabriel barely even wakes up for this, just enough to do the deed and make it through the night without wetting the bed. It's really cute to see him so sleepy and out of it though. Tonight I asked Tony to bring Gabriel to me after the bathroom trip, I wanted to rock him. We went through a phase with Gabriel, when he was much younger, where rocking was the only way to get him to sleep. It had to be big rocks, enough to make his little head bobble around, as if we were shaking the poor child to sleep. But man, it worked. I used to love to sit there and hold him forever after he finally gave in and passed out on me. I knew it wasn't what all the parenting books say to do, but I loved it. He'd have his thumb in his mouth, his warm body cuddled up against me....pure bliss. So, tonight I wanted to rock him once more. Tony brought him to me and my heart just melted. He's so big now. Still with his thumb in his mouth (yeah, yeah, yeah, we're working on that) and still so warm and cuddly against me....and over me....and hanging off of me. When did he get so big? I sang to him, rocked him, and tried not to drop him...and it was the perfect ending to my day.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

2009-09-28T22:56:00.002-05:00

In honor of Lucy Vodden...subject of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds...who died recently. This is not the boys' best performance, but possibly my favorite because it's typical Kai, anything Gabriel does I will do to....oops, distracted by to...ys....and I'm back. Kinda long, but entertaining.

Love

2009-09-27T16:12:00.000-05:00

Ok, I need a fill light to help with the massive shadow behind Kai.....but isn't this such great brotherly love?

Oh Yeah

2009-09-25T19:04:00.002-05:00

Oh yeah, I have a blog. No, I didn't forget about it really, I just seemed too consumed with other things to attend to my blog. Not good since my word for the year is "effort." I haven't been putting much effort into my blog.

I think I've just felt kinda blerg about my blog. Seriously, how many people read it? Am I concerned about readership? Should I be? Or should I just care that I have this place to record memories that I might otherwise not ever write down and eventually forget?

Also, I think the heat melted my brain this summer. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it.....we did not break the record for most 100+ degree days in one year (unless of course we magically hit 100 or higher in the next week or so). The record here is 69 days, we hit........68. You've got to be kidding me. I endured the hottest summer on record to come 1 day shy of tying, 2 days shy of breaking the most 100+ degree days in 1 year?

Poor Abby, my cousin Sara's youngest daughter, stuck it out for a week as well. She came to visit and it was just so hot, it almost wasn't worth doing anything. We loved having her though, and I hope she comes back. I hope she had half as much fun with us as we had with her. After she left the boys kept asking where she was, when she'd be back, and why she left. Now if only we can get her mother to come visit.......

I continued my Team Weightloss class through its 12 week course, took a week off and then started again. After about 2 weeks in the new class I knew it was time to move on to bigger things so I changed to Team Fitness. It was a great class and I was making excellent progress on my fitness. I think last I checked I had lost another 2% body fat bringing my total close to 6% body fat lost in about 18 weeks. Unfortunately that took a toll on my body - or years of bad eating caught up with me or something...and I started having pain. Turns out my gallbladder was going bad and I ended up having it taken out two days ago. I'm feeling much better now and I'm looking forward to getting back into the gym as soon as possible. I really feel like the food and exercise choices I was making were making a huge difference in my life, and I don't want to lose too much ground.

Now the fall is upon us and so is busy season. Gabriel has started his new preschool which he (thankfully) absolutely loves. He goes two days a week still but this time it's longer - 9:30-1:30 so I have more time to get stuff done and he gets to eat lunch there with his friends. On Tuesdays he has chapel and music class and on Thursdays he has Spanish class. He's learning a ton and loves going to school. He also is playing soccer again and had two games last weekend. It's still 4 year olds chasing the ball around the field, but a lot of fun to watch. And finally he is doing church choir again - so every Wednesday night he gets to go to choir practice while I get to join in a great discussion group with other adults at our church. I have absolutely fallen in love with our church and the incredible community of people there. I feel so lucky to have found it (thanks Mom!)

So, I will try to work on my word again - EFFORT. I will make a better effort to make this blog a place I visit more than once a month. Hopefully you will visit too, and maybe some of your friends as well. I hope everyone else is doing well and know that I've been keeping up with your blogs....thanks for keeping me entertained.

10 Years

2009-08-19T14:18:00.002-05:00

Today marks a sad anniversary for a good friend of mine. 10 years ago today my friend Teri lost her sister, Miriam, in a tragic car accident. I will never forget receiving the call that Teri's sister had died. At the time all I could think was, "how awful." As time passes I continue to think about what happened that day and as I grow older I am amazed at how my thoughts have evolved. I would call Teri to check on her....sit and talk to her...and finally admitted one day that I honestly just didn't know what to say. What do you say to someone who just lost a family member? At the time my thoughts were primarily with Teri because she was a good friend and had lost a sister, but even more so with her parents because they had lost a child. Even though I had never had children of my own at that point I just assumed the pain must be so much more difficult for her parents because it was their child who had died. But now that I have my own children and my own family...I realize that the pain is equal. I look at my kids and I'm not sure what I would do or how I would handle it if something happened to one of them. I would be devastated and feel like my world was falling apart. Then I look at them playing together and think how their world would never be the same if one of them was gone. They love each other so much, and have a bond unlike any bond they have with their friends. How would it be to have that bond ripped apart?

I'm not sure what is compelling me to write all this today except my deep feelings of love and admiration for my friend Teri. She's such a great person. She does such amazing things and brings light and joy to so many people, despite the darkness and pain she's had to suffer. I hope she knows and understands the magnitude of love out their for her and her family. I actually never knew her sister Miriam other than stories of her, but I will never forget her. If you know someone who has lost a child, or a sibling....don't forget. Tell that person you love them, you remember, and you're thinking of them. It's important.

Drawing

2009-08-16T12:01:00.002-05:00

Our family according to Gabriel.....

Can't Blog - Too Hot

2009-07-27T13:38:00.003-05:00

I can't blog because my brain has melted. It's too hot here. Our grass is brown. Our garden is dead. My ability to do anything fun with the kids has diminished.

Swingin'

2009-07-19T15:09:00.006-05:00

We bought this yesterday(children not included)....and put it together today. YAY!!!

Now I have a place to sit in the front yard and watch the kids play in the driveway with tricycles and sidewalk chalk. Now why is it they're sitting in it...and I'm taking pictures? Go play kids!

Something tells me I'm going to have to share.....

Trial and Error

2009-07-15T13:41:00.004-05:00

Ok, so I keep trying different things and have changed my mind about my photo blog. I'm moving it to smugmug. They have great features, including letting any viewer mouse over the picture and check out the settings I used for the shots, change the display, order pictures.....plus I love the size it displays things. So, finally....if you want to check out my slow ongoing photoblog, go here.

What I've been up to

2009-07-07T14:40:00.006-05:00

**first of all, I have no idea how I managed to delete my pictures from my blog....I was messing around with Picasa and screwed something up***

So, here's what I've been up to - a million things. Or at least it feels that way.

Almost four weeks ago we made the decision to put Lucky down. It was a hard decision, the right decision, but still one I question sometimes. It's funny, it had to be done....and I didn't want to wait too long and let him get really sick, but then I feel bad like maybe we did it too soon. In all truth though, he wouldn't have lasted more than another couple of weeks. My mom went with me and stayed in the room with me. I'll spare you the details, but tell you it was so peaceful. I wish humans could be given the choice to go so peacefully.

Two days later we had Gabriel's birthday party for his friends (we had his family birthday celebration on his actual birthday with his cousins and grandparents in town). Gabriel is very big into the show "Imagination Movers" and wanted a party themed that way. Kinda hard since it's a new show and there isn't any merchandise out there. Also, since Gabriel has a summer birthday, it's easy to save money, have it here, and just put up the waterslide. So, the real "Imagination Movers" part of the party was the cake. One of the Movers plays a bass guitar and Gabriel asked for a cake that looked like it. How could I let him down?
It was a labor of love, and something I was pretty proud of in the end. Gabriel loved it, so that's what was most important. He had a great time at his party with some pretty awesome friends. I'm very thankful for all the people who helped make his party awesome.

I honestly can't remember what I did the week after that, other than clean up the house a little, and then that Thursday, the 18th, my mom had eye surgery. If you had asked me a couple of days ago how it had gone I would have told you the surgery was fine but the results not so great. But, she just went back for another follow up yesterday and the results were good. She has glaucoma and the surgery was to help relieve some of the pressure in her eye.....her pressures were still reading pretty high as of last Thursday, but yesterday they plummeted! Yay!

That week basically was a lead up to a crazy busy week. The following week I helped as a counselor at our church's Vacation Bible School. I was a co-counselor for the 3rd graders, and wow - what a great group of kids they are. We are relatively new to this church, so I don't know a lot of the kids....but these were some awesome kids. Great manners, great listening, very enthusiastic....basically made for a great experience for me. Gabriel got to go with the 3 and4 year olds and they did so much....and a lot of great quality work. I had never done a VBS before....and I'm pretty sure I'll never miss one again...it was so much fun. Also, it was a great way for me to get to know more of the adults at our church....so all around a great experience.

The hardest part of VBS was getting everything done, including my workouts. MWF I got up at 525 - went to workout from 6-7, came home and ate breakfast, showered, and got myself and the kids ready and out the door by 815. Craziness. But, the workout were important....and now I'm done. I have completed my 12 week program. I don't have the "numbers" I may have wanted....but I have the feeling I wanted. Overall I lost 7 pounds and 4% body fat. I know they're not huge numbers, but man....I feel GREAT!!! And, I can tell you, this weight is not coming back. I have changed my lifestyle. I haven't been dieting, I've been eating healthy. I have more energy, my mood is so much better....it's incredible...and SO doable. I am going to go ahead and do one more 12 week program, just to put everything I've learned into practice better. I feel like right at the end of the first 12 weeks was when everything really started to come together as far as what to eat when, and when to do what workouts....so I want to keep that focused for awhile longer. I don't have any great pictures since I didn't take any official before or after photos - so here's the best I have - the top one is one from two days before I started and the bottom one is from 2 weeks before the class ended - I lost another 2 1/2 pounds after that picture was taken - at Gabriel's birthday party where I was making some sort of weird face.

All that to say - whew! It's been really busy - and I left out a few things because my boys are going to be up from nap soon and I need a few minutes to myself. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer so far!

Coming out of hiding

2009-07-06T14:47:00.002-05:00

Ahhhhhhh,
I've decided to come out of hiding. The truth is, I've been so busy the last few weeks, and we've had so much trouble getting Kai to sleep normal hours, that the downtime I've had has not left me feeling like blogging.

I am back though, although maybe not all the way back. I'm basically back to say, I'm on my way back. I'll be back tomorrow to post about what I've been doing for the past three weeks.

In the meantime I've started a new blog for my photos. I had one a while back on blogger, but I really haven't been satisfied with blogger's photo capabilities. I feel like everything is too small and I can't get good layouts or resolution. So, I'm doing a free 14 day trial of typepad. If I like it, and get some decent response, I'll probably stick with it. I just set it up and put a couple of posts. I have a lot to learn about it and their layouts....but will get it rolling better in the next few days I hope. If you want to check it out - it's at http://doubletrouble.typepad.com/

Leave me a note and let me know that you've stopped by.

I'll be back tomorrow with updates on Gabriel's birthday, saying goodbye to Lucky, VBS, and much more.

BYE!

2009-06-10T22:15:00.002-05:00

Tonight is a hard night for me. We have made the decision that it is time to put Lucky down. Tomorrow I will take him into the vet's office. Lucky was the first cat I ever had of my own. I got him when I was living with my cousin Kati outside D.C. A week after I got him my grandmother passed away. As I lay in the bed crying and sobbing about my Gramma, Lucky climbed up next to me and cuddled with me. And he stayed right there with me until I stopped crying. I can't remember a time when I've been crying that Lucky hasn't found his way to me. It's like he knows I need comforting. He has reached the end of his road though. I worry that I'm rushing things, but at the same time worry that I've let him go to long. I will miss him terribly.....

Lucky terrorizing Kati's cat Sophie - I think she had it coming though ;)

Wanting to sleep with the big kids....on the couch with Zoot and Sophie (Kati's kitties)

Learning to love his new little brother, Radar.

**I'm too tired tonight to try and figure out the scanner, so I just took pictures of pictures so I'd have something to post.

Gabriel is 4

2009-06-09T20:01:00.003-05:00

Dear Gabriel,
Today you turned four. My heart is so full of love for you today that I can't even express it well. You have come so far in four years. Heck, you've come a long way just in the past year. Thank you for bringing such joy into my life. Thank you for making me laugh every day. Thank you for challenging me to be the best person, best mommy, I can possibly be. I hope I bring you as much happiness and joy as you bring me. I love you sweetie.

Mommy

On the downhill slide

2009-05-26T20:13:00.002-05:00

I'm not skipping an update on my weight loss class....we just didn't have it yesterday because of the Memorial Day Holiday. Today I joined the Team Weightloss II class as a makeup for us not having yesterday's class and it felt so good to be back. Friday we did a special workout in the pool, so really it had been almost a week since being up on the treadmill, and I was glad to be back to it. I'm starting to sound like the silly poster child for this class.....but it's really amazing. In all seriousness, it really has, in a good way...changed my life. I love going to workout now. I love having a trainer there to push me and keep me focused. I love having other people working towards the same goal. I love tracking my food everyday.....it really helps me focus. I love eating healthy, and I don't feel like I'm eating for fun anymore....I'm eating for fuel. I just feel so much better. I have to admit there has been a slight twinge of jealousy recently when a couple of friends have said they've been dieting and lost 5-8 pounds in a couple of weeks. But then I realize that they are dieting.....I'm not. I'm changing my lifestyle. I'm not crash dieting to lose weight quickly. I'm eating healthy, delicious food and working out in an efficient manner. I'm building muscle and losing fat....the pounds will come off in time. But heck - 4% body fat loss in 5 weeks? I'll take it. Because this is something I KNOW I can maintain. Also, I'm learning how to cook and prepare food so that it tastes really good, and is healthy too. I just can't believe after trying every diet out there, Jenny Craig/WW/Cabbage Soup/South Beach/etc......I'm just now coming to the realization that this is how to do it. I'm just so very thankful that I'm being given the opportunity to do this. I want to tell everyone to do exactly what I'm doing...you'll feel so good....but I know not everyone wants to hear it. But, if you're ever interested.........

On a much sadder note, Lucky has started to go downhill again. It was finally decided a few months ago that his diabetes was caused by Cushings Disease....a tumor on his adrenal gland. Basically the insulin would help a little....but he was going to die from this, it was just a matter of time. It could be a few months, it could be as long as two years. Well, he started showing signs back in August or September....so it's been 9 months now since we've known he was sick. When I was told it wasn't just diabetes but Cushings, and that there was no cure....I had some thinking to do. I knew we could keep doing insulin, or go back to trying to regulate things with diet. We tapered him off the insulin since it wasn't making a big difference and went back to diet. That worked pretty well for about 6 weeks...until now. He's started drinking and peeing like crazy again. I talked to the vet today and he said at this point we should consider Lucky to be essentially in Hospice type care. Whatever he wants, let him have it. He said we should know that we can look in the mirror and know we've done everything we can to make his life better, but we're too the point that there's nothing left. At this point we just keep an eye on him. He really encouraged me not to let Lucky get too bad. Not to let him, or us suffer from watching him. As long as he's still eating, and still moving around, we're okay. As soon as we notice he's stopped eating we probably have a day or two...then he'll start to shut down. Bring him in before that happens so he can die peacefully. So, I have no idea how long that will be. I'm guessing not more than a month. I'm hoping it doesn't fall right on Gabriel's birthday which is in two weeks.

2009-05-25T08:37:00.000-05:00

Thank you to all who serve.

Body Fat Test

2009-05-18T08:04:00.003-05:00

More to come later....but today was the beginning of our 6th week in class, which meant a second body fat test. I was only down 1/2 a pound today....but my body fat test showed much better results. I was down 4%! 4 percent body fat gone in 5 weeks! I can't believe it. I'm so excited.

Team Weightloss:
Week 0: 174
Week 1: 172.5
Week 2: 171.5
Week 3: 173 (on Wednesday)
Week 4: 172
Week 5: 171.5

Body Fat:
Week 0: 29.92%
Week 6: 25.93%

Down 1 or up 1/2

2009-05-11T19:34:00.004-05:00

Well, I'm either down a pound, or up 1/2 a pound this week, depending on how you look at it. I missed last week's weigh in due to our "staycation" so when I went on Wednesday I weighed and I was up a pound and a half. Ugh. I was disappointed, but not too worried since I had enjoyed some cake and a lot of high sodium sushi over the weekend. So, today we weighed in and I was down a pound from last Wednesday. Or up 1/2 a pound from two weeks ago. I'm trying to be the optimist and go with "down a pound." For the most part I feel REALLY good. I have more energy. My mood is better. I'm enjoying fruit....wow. I feel like my fat is starting to disappear...and I'm having a harder and harder time getting my heart rate up during workouts (a good sign that my fitness level is increasing). I talked to my trainer today about my frustration with not losing more weight and she was really supportive. She encouraged me to just keep doing what I'm doing...that the weight will come off. I'm probably building muscle right now...and more importantly, I'm changing bad habits.

One of those habits is sweets. I've really gotten away from eating sweets. This past weekend I took Gabriel to a birthday party for a friend of his and I managed to not eat any cake or ice cream. The second party recently that I've done that! This party was so much fun. It was at the zoo in Waco - which is actually much better than the Austin zoo. They have a little sprinkler play area that Gabriel enjoyed, plenty of animals, and of course Gabriel's favorite....the giraffe. He even got a giraffe hat as a party favor as we entered the zoo. Unfortunatly we spent so much time playing and eating that we had to do a speed trip through seeing the animals so we could get home. We'll have to make a trip back soon.
Our next trip however, will be to Dallas. Well, hopefully. If the car we found passes inspection tomorrow, it will be ours. It's a great deal on a used car (minivan) and it will make a great replacement for my horribly hail damaged car. We fell in love with the Honda Odyssey, and found one that will be good. But, since it's in Dallas - Richardson to be exact - we are making an adventure out of going to get it. Gabriel has been in love with trains ever since my parents took their train trip west last summer. So, if all goes well, Gabriel and I will be riding the train to Dallas on Friday. It's a 3 hour drive, but a 6 hour train ride. I even went so far as to reserve a roommette just like Gramma and Grampa had on their trip. That way we can have our own little area and, I'm sure Gabriel will want to convert the chairs to "bunks" so we can "sleep" on the train. It should be a good time for both of us. We'll get to spend the night with Tony's parents, pick up the new van, and head back to Austin for Gabriel's soccer game on Saturday. Keep your fingers crossed that it passes inspection tomorrow - here's a picture of it -
Team Weightloss:
Week 0: 174
Week 1: 172.5
Week 2: 171.5
Week 3: 173 (on Wednesday)
Week 4: 172

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-09T21:25:00.005-05:00

Dear Mom,
I just wanted to say "Happy Mother's Day, 2009." I hope you are so very proud of all your accomplishments as a mother. You work so hard, so tirelessly, yet so effortlessly it seems, to do for others. Thank you. If one day I can look back and see that I was half the mom you were for me, I will know I was successful.
I love you,
Meghan

No update today

2009-05-04T20:23:00.003-05:00

No update today - mainly because I didn't go to class. Therefore, couldn't get weighed in. I wasn't being lazy, really. This was preplanned. Instead I was at home, in bed, sleeping.

Saturday was our fifth anniversary, and we celebrated with a "staycation." After Gabriel's soccer game Saturday my parents took the boys and kept them until this evening. We had from 1pm Saturday until 5Pm today with no kids. The house to ourselves. And it was wonderful. We went to bed late, slept late, ate when we wanted to, went wherever we wanted to. I missed the boys, but I sure enjoyed our house with a little less chaos in it.

I was having trouble coming up with a good anniversary gift for Tony, so I gave him five gifts of five. Five boxes of K-cups (coffee we use), five dollars on a gift card to Dunkin' Donuts, five new racquetballs (since we've been enjoying playing), five UT sporting events of his choice over the next year, and five hours worth of massage over the next year (professional massage). He seemed to like the gifts. Also, my friend Lynne just took a cake decorating class, so she made us a beautiful cake...that was delicious too.

Tony gave me a beautiful ring. There is a story behind it. When we honeymooned in Hawaii we went on a whale watching tour. I was paranoid that my new wedding ring might fall off on the boat, so we left it in the safe in the hotel. While we were waiting for the boat to load we went shopping in Lahaina. We found a shop selling rings made from beads. They were really cute and only $1, so we got one for me to wear in place of my wedding ring while on the boat. It was pink and white and the pattern looked like daisies. Last year the $1 ring finally gave out and broke apart. I was pretty sad, because of the sentimental value. I found one at James Avery that reminded me of it - although in silver, not cheap beads and mentioned it to Tony....and he remembered. Here's a catalog picture of my new ring:
Anyway, it was a wonderful weekend, and I certainly wasn't going to ruin it by getting out of bed earlier than I had to this morning. So, I'm going to a make-up class tomorrow morning. I'll have her weigh me then and see how I'm doing. I won't be surprised if I haven't dropped or have gone up. I was pretty bad with the cake....and a ton of sushi last night...which was was full of sodium. Oh well, back on the wagon.

Another pound

2009-04-27T21:27:00.002-05:00

It's been a long day, and by the sounds of Kai's screams that have been going on for almost an hour now....it's going to continue to be a long day.

On the bright side...I'm down another pound. And I feel really good. I find I'm having to work harder to get my heart rate up during workouts. That's a good thing. I can also tell a change in my body. Fat is disappearing....or at least it seems. We'll see at 6 weeks - when we do another body fat test.

Off to deal with screaming child. Ferbering is so much fun.

Week 0: 174
Week 1: 172.5
Week 2: 171.5

In need of sleep

2009-04-22T16:04:00.004-05:00

Does anyone have experience/suggestions on kids getting out of bed in the middle of the night?

Kai recently started climbing out of his crib over and over. It was getting to be such a battle, that we decided to switch him from his crib to his toddler bed. That way, rather than fight the battle with the crib, then again when we move him to his toddler bed....we get it all done at once.

Ugh, but he's still getting out of bed. I sit in the room with the boys at naptime and either Tony or I sit in there with them at bedtime until Kai has fallen asleep or calmed down enough that he's not getting out of bed. That usually takes about 10-15 minutes. I know that's not that bad, but I hate setting that precedent. Also, Kai is now waking up around 430 or 5 every morning, getting out of bed, and bugging Gabriel (they share a room). One of us has to go back in there and sit/lie in the room with them until Kai falls back asleep. For some reason this takes forever....sometimes upwards of 30 minutes. At that point the morning is shot. We can still get back to sleep, but not for long...and the night's sleep has been horribly interrupted at that point.

Maybe this is a phase and it will pass soon enough. Maybe it will last forever and Tony and I will be zombies. I don't know. But, I'd gladly take any advice/thoughts/questions/suggestions that anyone has.

1 down, 11 to go

2009-04-20T15:00:00.003-05:00

One week down, 11 more to go.

Today was our first weigh in after a week of workouts and new eating habits. I was down a pound and a half. I was really excited. Sure, I'd love for it to be 5 pounds down, but I know that the most effective way to lose weight and keep it off is to do it slowly.

Last week was a really good week. It was really about learning to journal properly and learning what foods need to go. To help with that I had two people come over: the trainer leading my group and the nutritionist that works with our group. I volunteered our pantry for them to go through and throw out what I shouldn't be eating, or feeding my family. Actually, they didn't throw anything out. They loaded it into bags and donated it to a food bank. And they loaded A LOT!!! It was really a little frightening how little was left in our pantry and fridge after they left. But, in a weird way, it was also refreshing. Now there were no bad options. And I had the power to restock with only good options.

Some of the things they threw out:
pasta (not whole wheat)
alpha bits cereal
white rice
canned vegetables
tomato paste
chicken noodle soup
easy mac
white flour
miracle whip
peanut butter
prepackaged deli meat (local store brand)

Some of the things I restocked with:
whole wheat pasta
grape nuts cereal
brown rice
fresh/frozen vegetables
mustard
smart balance peanut butter
boar's head deli meat (not as much sodium)

I think one of the biggest challenges for me is actually going to be learning to eat fruit. I've never been much of a fruit person, so this is hard. I'm trying though. I ate an apple the other day. And I've had a couple of bananas. I bought a cantaloupe, but I still need to cut it up. It'll all get there...it's a work in progress.

My other challenge is that I don't get to workout with the team on Friday. Gabriel will be having surgery and we'll have to be there early, so I'll have to do my workout on my own. I know I can do it, I'm not worried about that....I just hope I can motivate myself to keep up the same intensity that I have when I'm with the team. I leave that place dripping with sweat. It's a great feeling!

Week 0: 174
Week 1: 172.5

Truth Time

2009-04-15T16:09:00.003-05:00

As many people who spend time around me know, I constantly struggle with my weight. Probably a more accurate description is, I struggle with my self-discipline. Well, I'm tired of it. I'm ready to do something about it. I don't like the way I look. I don't like the way I feel - always tired, out of breath, out of shape, moody, cranky. I'm tired of the way I treat people when I feel this way. I realize it's my unhappiness with myself being redirected at other people.

Before I got pregnant with Gabriel I had been doing the Jenny Craig program with a lot of success. I lost about 25 pounds and was almost to my goal weight. I felt better, I looked better, but I still wasn't totally healthy. I wasn't working out enough. Also, Jenny Craig, while it's a great program, allowed me to be dependent on them. All I had to was buy their meals, follow their menu, and I lost weight.

I want to be able to do it on my own now. I know I won't be perfect, but I can make some big changes, and small ones too, to help the process. So, I am on the track to healthier living. I've decided the best way to do this is with a program at our gym called TEAM Weightloss.

TEAM Weightloss is a 12 week program that meets 3 times a week, MWF, for one hour each time. Every Monday we spend the first 30 minutes with a nutritionist, talking about healthy choices, how to change habits, etc. The rest of the time, and the hour on Wednesday and Friday are spent doing a workout with your team.

I started the program Monday and have already learned a lot. I have a journal to keep track of all my food. I was given a "meal plan" of how many calories to try to consume each day, and how much I should consume of the following: starches, proteins, fruits, vegetables, milk, water, and fat. I now have to learn to change my eating habits. I'm not a big fan of fruits, so I have to learn to incorporate those into my diet. Also, they want us to cut out some things...well, actually a lot of things. No hydrogenated oil, no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial sweeteners, nothing white (bread, rice, pasta). This is a hard task to follow. Not because I don't want to, but because that stuff is in EVERYTHING!!! But, I will learn. And most importantly, I don't expect to be perfect. I expect to give it my best shot, and get results, but I won't be hard on myself if I'm not perfect.

So, I will use my blog as another place, other than the scale and the fit of my clothes, to keep myself accountable. Our trainer will weigh us every Monday, so I've decided I will not weigh myself at home. I will just work hard, see how my clothes are fitting me, and leave the weigh-ins to class time. I will keep things updated here though about my progress. My progress with workouts, my progress with eating, and yes....as crazy as I may be, my progress with weight. I don't like to share my weight with anyone usually....not even Tony. But, I want to succeed. I want to be accountable. You people must keep me accountable. Every Monday - before the end of the day, I will find time to get online and update my progress.....specifically concerning my weigh in that day. So, here goes.....I am posting a "before" picture. It's not a great picture, but it's the most recent one I have - from this past Saturday. (it's a shame my head is turned to the side, you can't tell how much Gabriel and I look alike in this pic - especially with the goofy look on his face)

Meghan - 5'6" - 174 pounds, April 11th, 2009
12 weeks to go.......

Happy Birthday Kai

2009-04-10T06:38:00.009-05:00

Dear Kai,

Today, April 10th 2009, you turn 2 years old.

Two? When did that happen?

Two years ago I was holding this little 8 pound baby in my arms. Two years ago I was staring in awe at your tiny little fingers and toes. Two years ago I was wondering when I'd ever sleep again. Two years ago I was just beginning the baby process all over again.

Oh, you're growing so fast. It makes me a little sad to see my baby becoming a toddler, but I know that's just a part of life. I love watching you learn new things (even if that includes learning about new places to jump from/off).

Your vocabulary is increasing almost on a daily basis. For so long you had no words, your ear/adenoid problems caused your speech to be so limited. Now you talk all the time. Your two favorite words are probably "Pablo" (from the Backyardigans) and "Bubba" (your name for Gabriel). In fact, many times when you wake in the morning or after nap, the first thing out of your mouth is "Bubba?'" "Bubba?" "BUBBA!"

You love your brother more than I could have ever hoped you would. You follow him around like a little puppy (sometimes even nipping at his heels). Anything thing Bubba does, Kai does too. The two of you draw together, play chase together, watch movies together, even cuddle together sometimes. I hope you know how much he loves you too.

Your other great love is kitties. I've never seen a child love cats
as much as you do. I guess it's a good thing we've provided five of them for you to love on....plus Gramma and Grampa Dever have one for you to chase after also. And you don't just love the kitties....you hug them, and lay on them, and occasionally pet them. I'm not quite sure the affection is appreciated as much as you'd like, but I think they know you love them.

Another love? Climbing. You climb almost anything and everything you can find. I'm not sure when the ER bills for broken bones will start happening, but I'm sure they are in our future. While I don't always love the climbing (and jumping that follows) I hope you always have that adventurous spirit. Don't ever let anything get you down. You will go as high as you wish, and as high as you continue to reach.

So on this second birthday I wish you HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I love you so much.

Love,
Mommy

Bedtime Routine

2009-04-02T20:49:00.003-05:00

Most people have a nice, calm bedtime routine with their kid(s). We used to. We used to do diaper and pajamas, then sit and read a few books, then tuck in and kiss/hug goodnight.

That was before we put both boys in the same room together. That was before they realized it was fun to play together. That was before Kai, yes Kai...the younger child, introduced Gabriel to climbing and jumping.

Now they run around the room playing chase, then climb onto Gabriel's bed, step onto the bookshelf next to it, and jump off. Yep, that's our bedtime routine. Then they read after we do tuck in and kiss/hug.

I love having boys.

April Fools

2009-04-02T12:54:00.001-05:00

It was a joke people. My car wasn't really totalled. The insurance company didn't get me with "wreckless driving." But I did think it was a good joke :)

My car was pretty well damaged though. Something like 7900 bucks to get it fixed. Bleh. At least we only pay the deductible.

Unbelievable

2009-04-01T13:38:00.001-05:00

Wow - well we had my car looked at yesterday (from all the damage from the hail storm) and you wouldn't believe what they said.

It's totalled.

To make matters worse...they're not covering it. Because of what they call "wreckless driving." I guess since I tried to get ahead of the storm and wasn't doing necessary driving...that's "wreckless."

Lovely.

Weekend update

2009-03-30T14:14:00.004-05:00

How was your weekend? Ours turned out not to be too bad...despite Tony having the pager. The last time he had the pager he didn't get paged once...so we kinda figured this time would be horrible, but it really wasn't.

Saturday morning we took my car in and got a new windshield put on....the second one in two weeks. It was pretty eerie driving it to the shop, I could hear the grass creaking as I drove. Now we just have to get all the hail dents fixed.

Saturday afternoon was Gabriel's first soccer game. What a blast! At this age (under 4's) they just play 3 on 3 with no goalie. It was really windy, which made it a little bit cool, but for the most part the weather was pretty nice. Gabriel had a great time and can't wait for his next game. He even scored a goal! I don't know if this is something he'll get interested in and play year after year, but at least he got out there, tried, and had fun.

Sunday was pretty laid back. Gabriel, Kai, and I went shopping and Gabriel picked out a birthday present for Kai. Gabriel and Tony finished planting the rest of our gardens. We played outside a lot and enjoyed the nice weather. I grilled some chicken and made a yummy grilled chicken salad for dinner.

Tony gets to give the pager to the next person today....and he has to work his normal schedule the rest of this week...then he's off for a whole week! Yay! Hopefully we'll get to have some laid back family time.

Always a coaching moment.Scoring his first goal!The wind got to be too much.Kai REALLY wanted to play too.

Thanks to my dad for all the pictures!

**I wrote this post yesterday, but thanks to short naps, I didn't get to add the pictures and post until today. Oh well.

Lucky me

2009-03-26T16:34:00.003-05:00

I learned a little lesson yesterday.....don't drive in a storm. Don't try and drive ahead of a storm. If it looks bad out...don't go. Wait for it to pass.

About 3 1/2 years ago I got a new car. About a month after that a rock hit my windshield and cracked it. About 2 weeks ago the crack started really grow, so we got the windshield replaced. And then last night I tried to get from my parents house to our house (a 5 mile drive) before a storm hit. I didn't make it.....before the storm hit.

And boy did the storm hit. It hit with marble sized hail about 2 miles into the drive. About 2.5 miles into the drive it started hitting with golf ball sized hail. And about 3 miles into the drive it started hitting with tennis ball sized hail. That's when my brand new windshield couldn't take it anymore. It started to crack with every bit of hail that hit it. Luckily, as my car was pelted by hail for the next 2 miles, my windshield held up. It looks horrible, but at least it didn't break in....which is what happened to A LOT of people driving in the same area last night.

The worst thing was that I had both boys in the car with me. I was freaked out, to say the least. Kai didn't make a sound....and Gabriel just kept asking when the loud noise was going to stop. Thank goodness for calm boys.

I have driven in some crazy weather before, but NEVER anything like that.

It wasn't just the top of my car and hood - but the driver side was also badly dented. The hail was really coming down hard.

The view from the driver's seat.

Here's what I learned

2009-03-23T14:57:00.003-05:00

Here's what I learned over the weekend (in no particular order):

*Having your nieces over for a sleepover is good fun

*Having the cousins live close enough to play together often is great

*My 13 year old niece can read faster than anything I've ever seen (she read a 300 page book in one night)

*Having a dream about something the pastor preaches about, BEFORE he preaches about it, is really freaky

*If I continue to play racquetball 3 days in a row, I may never be able to lift my right arm above shoulder height again

*I can go to Krispy Kreme and not eat a single donut....even when everyone else I'm with is having 2

*I like to read again. I tend to read a lot for a period of time, and then go a while without reading at all.....I've hit the reading stage again. I just picked up Jodi Picoult's book Plain Truth and I'm really enjoying it.

*Gardening is hard...and leaves me sore...but a great way to teach children.

*We have a huge yard, and need to take better care of it.

*Rosemary on pasta makes it taste really good.

*Trying to make a purposeful trip to Home Depot with kids is difficult.

*I never get any mail anymore....it's all for Tony. What's that all about?

Yeah, nothing too exciting here.....but I do feel like I learned a lot this weekend. I love my family and we had a nice, productive weekend at home. I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Careful what you ask for

2009-03-16T10:14:00.004-05:00

Well, we finally got some much needed rain here in Central Texas. We are WAY behind in the rain category, and on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday it rained here - a lot. I think we got about 3 or 4 inches worth of it. I know that was good for the ground and the grass and the plants and whatnot....but it also meant no soccer game for Gabriel. So, now we wait two more weeks until his first game. It also brought colder temps, which together with the rain meant we were home bound, and by yesterday we had serious cabin fever. Luckily the weather cleared in time for us to go to Kai's friend Marian's birthday party. The boys had a great time jumping in the bouncy house and decorating cupcakes. Then when we got home - they got to enjoy the nice weather and the bubbles Marian gave them in their treat bags. Thank goodness for the sun!

GO BEARS!!!

2009-03-12T15:38:00.001-05:00

Baylor beat Kansas in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament today!!! They didn't just beat them....the dominated them in the first half, at one point leading by 17 points. Oh yeah, and Kansas was the number 1 seed in the tourney. Baylor was the 9th. Go Bears!!!

Here's what I did

2009-03-10T13:56:00.006-05:00

Here's what I did over the weekend. I took Gabriel to his first concert. It was an Imagination Movers concert. He discovered their show on Disney a couple of months ago and fell in love. I have to say, for all the shows out there, it's not that bad. And their music....pretty good. They describe themselves at Mr. Rogers meets Beastie Boys. Anyway, I found out that they were coming to Fort Worth in concert. I have a good friend from college who lives in that area, and she has a son one year older than Gabriel. So, I took G up and we spent the night Friday then went with them to the concert. It was such a blast. They were fun to watch, and they kept coming out into the audience. Gabriel even got to high give Mover Scott. I sounds so cliche - but there is nothing that makes me happier, than to see my kids happy. And Gabriel was happy. He didn't sit down the entire time. He stood in awe, dancing and singing along.

First we dropped Kai with my parents while Tony was at work.

Then we stopped in Waco to see the Bears (at Baylor).

But the bears were sleeping, so instead Gabriel walked the path of previous Bear's paw prints.

He compared his hands to their "hands."

And he compared his feet.

Outside the concert hall with his friend Jack.

Inside, waiting for the show to start, wearing his "wobble goggles," just like Scott.

Mover RichMover Scott

Mover DaveMover Smitty

We went to Uno's after the concert and Gabriel got to make his own pizza.Aren't those blue eyes just to die for?

I Will Walk Because They Walk

2009-03-04T20:21:00.002-06:00

I am planning on walking in the CROP Walk here in Austin on Sunday. I feel very fortunate to have the resources I have, and know how very lucky I am. I don't go to bed hungry, I don't hurt for food. Others do. There are 854 million people in the world who go to bed hungry. The CROP Walk is an opportunity to raise awareness and money for world hunger. Why a walk? Well, as the CROP walk motto says, "We walk because they do." Because of poverty they walk to accomplish most tasks: find food, water, shelter, firewood, employment. So, we walk along with them, and in support of them.

If you are able, please follow the link below and donate to this great cause. If you can't donate financially, please donate your time. Find a CROP Walk in your area, or just get out and walk in support of them. Walk to get groceries, walk to work, walk to support those who walk.

Thank you for your support.

http://www.churchworldservice.org/site/TR/2009SpringCropWalks/General?px=1115903&pg=personal&fr_id=2868&et=eYWMRwhnkEx6hXPakY4O8A..&s_tafId=14372

Bath Time

2009-03-01T19:25:00.004-06:00

I had to share this one.....I'm sitting in our computer room, messing around on the computer while Tony is doing bath time with the boys (that's his job...and my break time). Suddenly I hear this:

Tony: What was that?

Gabriel: It was Kai. He burped. From his bottom.

Hilarious.

Happy Ayyam-i-Ha

2009-02-26T16:33:00.005-06:00

Today begins the Baha'i celebration of Ayyam-i-Ha. Gabriel made a present for his Grandma Trout....but we'll just have to show her pictures until we see her next. It's way too heavy to send in the mail. We hope you like it. (Tomorrow we'll post pictures of Gabriel's present for Grandpa)

Making a new stepping stone for your yard....

Camera battery died here....so had to wait awhile to get more pictures....

...checking out the finished product....decorated completely by Gabriel.

Music in the heart

2009-02-23T21:46:00.003-06:00

The pastor at our church has posted this quote from Howard Thurman is the church bulletin for several weeks now - and continues to refer to it during sermons. I love it, and keep coming back to it....reflecting on it. Enjoy....

"When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,
To make music in the heart."