Takin' off the Training Wheels!!!!

Do you remember as a kid learning how to ride your bike without training wheels? I can actually remember it very well. I don't remember my exact age but somewhere around kindergarten or first grade. My dad took me out in front of the house, in the middle of the street, no helmet or any other padding either. He stood behind me atop a mini hill and I got on the bike he gave me a little push.....and let me go! He probably ran behind me for about a second, if y0u knew my dad you know he did not do much running, anyway he just let me go. There I was "riding" my bike with no training wheels, if you can call it riding. The handle bars wiggling back and forth as I try to get my balance, I turn to look behind me to see if my dad was still there, NOPE....CRASH!!!! I can still feel the road rash on my knees and elbows, it still makes my skin twinge with a little pain, and at that moment I was so mad I don't think I even cried. "DADDY why did you let me go?" I screamed! Expecting full on sympathy from my dad (mom was watching from the front yard) I got a hug and then the ol' "you gotta dust yourself off and get back on that bike" spiel. All this to say, it took me about a week to get to where I could do it completely by myself....fast forward to 2008 and we are teaching our oldest to ride his bike without his training wheels. All it took for him was ONE afternoon! No scratches, bumps or bruises. Nothin'!! It's sad really. I run in the house to get the camera to take pics and just waiting to get that one with the huge scrape on his knee or at least one of him as mad as a hornet because he could not get the hang of it...what kind of mom does that make me??? At the end of the session however I was as proud as can be singing his praises so maybe it makes me an okay mom! CONGRATULATIONS Son, Mom is super proud of you!

Hotels and kids....and swimsuits!

Okay who does not like to stay in a hotel?? I usually love it because it means "vacation"!! Well, we just got back from a week of "vacation" back home..."Red Oak". Technically the hotels, and I mean the plural of the word, weren't in Red Oak but we were in the DFW area. Anyway, we tagged along with my DH for a week back "home" while he had some business to do there. I was super excited you see because we would get to see a lot of our family and friends that we miss dearly. In theory it was all supposed to be as smooth as butter but in reality it was quite chaotic and by the grace of God my kids are all alive and well...PTL!!! LOL!!! Okay, the first night(Sunday) we stayed with my mom and it was great. The kids got to play with their mimi and gramps, I got to spend some quality time with my mom. A little crowded but we managed.

Monday rolls around and we get packed up in the car to go and check in at our FIRST hotel, very NICE! (a plush robe hung in the closet and the towels were amazing) Probably one of the nicest I've ever stayed in however the room was a single bed room. We have a family of 5! The bed in this room was a large king sized bed but to me I was questioning "are we really ALL going to sleep in this one bed"? There was no room for a roll away or we'd have gone that route. Anyway, I asked my DH can't you just go and ask for a double bed room? Seems simple enough right?? NOPE, he turns to me and says "well, you all aren't really supposed to be here". News to me...anyway we all proceed to "sleep" in that bed. DH has to get up very early to attend his work meetings there in the hotel...just after he leaves the phone rings..."make sure you have everything packed up before you leave...we're changing rooms for tonight". Guess he did not like the sleeping arrangements either. Well, as you know when you don't get enough sleep or at least for me, you tend to have a shorter fuse and I also start to loose my marbles. We were able to have a car because my DH business was in the hotel where we were staying. That was one of the reasons we all tagged along and I was under the assumption it would make things so much easier...It helped but having 3 kids 7, 5, and 3 couped up in a hotel room nothing can make things easier. Well, maybe one thing, the POOL! We were so excited about getting to go swimming, especailly because this hotel's pool was on the ROOF!!! It was soo cool! Apparently I began loosing my marbles before we ever left Magnolia...I FORGOT MY SWIMSUIT!!! How can you forget your swimsuit knowing that you'll be in hotels with 3 kids for a WHOLE WEEK! I knew that would be the one thing we could do to get out of the room when I felt like the walls were closing in...I FORGOT MY SWIMSUIT!!! Okay, so I'll just run to the nearest Wallyworld and grab one, they'll be on clearance, it'll be cheap...WRONG!! Three different ones and no suits to be found! Well, there were some cute little two piece, pieces of string type suits...LOL!!!!! You won't find me in one of those and you'd say THANK YOU!! By Wednesday, and our 3rd hotel, I was desperate so I decided to "create" my own swimsuit. So, for those of you that this might happen to in the future, there are some pieces of "work out" wear that will do in a "swimsuit crisis". My sanity and the life of my 3 beautiful children depended on it! Thankfully I do have a teeny tiny bit of creativity in me. It worked and we got to swim and had a wonderful time...my boys were pretending to be "Michael Phelps". Which was so funny because neither one of them knows how to swim but they sure tried. On a side note, it's amazing how Michael Phelps helped my boys overcome their fear of putting their faces in the water to swim and their fear of jumping in the water off the side of the pool. Thanks Michael!

Don't get me wrong, we did get to spend some wonderful quality time with family and our friends and I am so thankful for that. However by Saturday when we came back to Magnolia we'd stayed in 3 different hotels! Rest assured, I probably won't be forgetting my swimsuit again!

Who Am I Casting Crowns

Just wanted to share this really cool human video. I did not know much about human videos before I started going to the Oaks Fellowship. There I saw many performed by our Masters Commission students. Because of those students I saw music in a whole new way. This is a beautiful yet almost simple interpretation of an awesome song.

Enjoy!!! Many blessings to all who visit.

It pays to have friends in "high" places...

Well, we got to go on an adventure that not many people get enjoy. My family and I got to see "how the other half lives". One of my best friends hubby is a pilot and is also one of the nicest and most thoughtful guys I have ever met! He was nice enough to think of my kiddos this past week while he was on I guess what you'd call a layover here in Houston. He actually thought to see if my kids would enjoy coming out to the airport to see the plane that he flies. Of course I jumped at the chance to take the kids (not to mention I was REALLY excited too!) and off we went. My hubby got to come a long as well so it made it extra special. So off we went to visit, Mr. "Davin" as my ds #2 calls him and they were very excited. Here are a few pics for all of you, who will someday read my blog, (lol) to ohhh and ahhh over and you can get a little glimpse of "how the other half lives"!







Thanks! Mr. "Davin" It was a lot of fun and we really appreciate it!

So Long....Farewell...

Well, it's a true miracle...I have not had one Dr. Pepper in 1 week and I have not fallen over dead! It's something I've tried to do before and failed at miserably but a new friend of mine made a comment that for some reason really affected me. It's a comment I've heard before but she said it in such a way that I had one of those "AHH HAAA" moments. Apparently this "spare tire" that I'm carrying around my mid section is in large part a result of my Dr. Pepper "addiction". Now I'm not saying that giving birth to three fairly large babies and gaining at least 70 lbs each time has not contributed to it but it's a lot of the reason I can't get rid of most of it. So, I'll keep you posted as I once again begin the work out regimen that I quit doing just because I was moving, and let you know if my battle of quitting the DP's is a success or not! Stay tuned....

Happy Birthday Jacob

Well, I'm a few days late but on Sunday July 6th, 2008 my oldest turned 7 years old. Normally we would have had a huge birthday party with all of his friends (and mine) but this year things were different. Since we've moved it was hard trying to plan a party like before and everyone he wanted to invite was back "home" so we surprised him after church and took him to Chuck E. Cheese's. He was very surprised and very happy! I got him a cake...a baseball one and we sat as a family ate lunch, enjoyed cake and played lots of games. It turned out great and I learned that it's okay to just have a "family" celebration once in a while.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACOB...I love you!!!!

Every Parent Should Do It....

Well, I know, it's been almost a month since I've posted but every time I think I have something good to write....it seems a little boring. But now I've got something that I'd like for all of the parents out there to do. We've done it now and we've done it more than once...this last time was our 3rd visit and we plan to go again! It's a place that your kids will love and it let's you as an adult act like a kid without you feeling like a dummy! There is something for just about every age to do and if you so choose something for every age to eat. This wonderful place that I am referring to is...SEA WORLD! We went to Sea World in San Antonio, Texas. I would love to be able to visit all of the Sea World locations one day but for now the San Antonio location will be just fine! Now, I must admit that once upon a time I wanted to work at Sea World. Now, I'm not talkin' about at the ticket counter or one of the many attractions. Didn't want to pick up trash or clean the restrooms, NOPE! I wanted to be a trainer that worked with either the dolphins or Shamu. I'd just jump in now if they'd let me! Well, as most of you know that's not where I ended up. So now I just go and enjoy watching the shows and pretend it was me out in that freezing cold salt water the animals call home. You see you can get a taste of that freezing cold salt water if you sit in the right spot....the seats labeled "splash zone". They don't just put that on your seat for the heck of it either, especially if you sit in the first 5-6 rows. Don't just take my word for it, go and experience for yourself. Now if it is not your cup of tea, it's okay. Just think of how much fun your kids would enjoy it...the look on their faces is enough to make it worth going...just take a look...







Now how can you resist such a reaction????