Maintaining Sanity in Chaos

Kentucky!

2011-09-27T19:57:00.000-05:00

So I had the pleasure to reconnect with an old and dear friend this past weekend and it was AMAZING to say the least! She was my college roommate at BYU our freshman year. I have been trying to see her for a few years now and finally, after 12 years, my dreams came true. Katie asked me to help her work a trade show. I thought it would be a fun experience and a chance to catch up!

What I didn't realize was the awesome time I was going to have and how lucky I was to be able to spend it with her. We were able to get in some good shoe shopping and dinner to catch up between all the crazy hours of the trade show. It was worth the trip just to do that! I learned a lot while I was there and feel very grateful I was asked to come! She is an amazing woman and has an amazing company! Check it out: pujbaby.com

Back to School...Back to School 2011

2011-08-22T15:42:00.000-05:00

Today was the first of many! Miguel's first day of school in his 8th year. The first day of middle school for my oldest...

...that's crazy. I still have friends I met from middle school! Today was Alivia's first day of 2nd grade.

It was also my baby, Ethan's first day of Kindergarten.

Can't believe I finally got all my kids into school! It's amazing how you work so hard as a mom and never think you're kids are going to grow up or learn to clean up after themselves (still working on that one) or go to school. Then, when it finally happens you wonder where all the time went! Now, I'm supposed to grow up??? This stinks! I'm still looking for a job but will enjoy my days that I don't have to work full time! Here's to another great school year!!!

The Best Week Ever (2011)

2011-08-19T23:55:00.003-05:00

So every year before school we have 'The Best Week Ever'. This started when I was watching Spongebob with the kids a few years back and he sings this really annoying song "It's the best day ever....." Anyways, long story short I got the idea from the cartoon for the song. Every day we do something fun that the kids decide they want to do. I got sick of doing fun things in June and then they never remember it when they go back to school and have to write about it! So, if we do fun things the week before school starts, then they'll remember it.....and that's how 'The Best Week Ever' got started. So this is our third year to do it and it was a fun filled week!

Day One started out at The Jumpy Place. One of those places where the kids can jump for hours and hours! I loved it because the kids get all sweaty and they have a blast! I convinced them after 3.5 hours that it was time to leave (sorry, no photos, I forgot my camera in the car)!

Day Two was a fun filled day at Austin Park and Pizza.

We definitely got our money's worth that day between eating lunch, riding go-carts,

teacups, bumper boats, snack, more go-carts,

teacups,

laser tag, bumper boats and then dinner. Throw in some rock climbing...

...and some arcades in between all that and we had 6.5 hours of pure fun! Livi tried really hard on the rock wall but her wall was pretty difficult. Ethan, seeing as he's part monkey, scaled the wall quickly to the top where he hit the bell (that didn't ring), came back down and was almost to the top again when the guy told him to come down. Eli was too busy shooting people on an arcade while the littler kids were rock climbing! To say the least, they had a blast!

Day Three was supposed to be roller skating but that got bumped since it wasn't open on Wednesday. Instead, we went to see The Smurfs. The kids loved it! We did the whole movie experience. We got some candy, popcorn, and soda and the kids ate (I helped of course) almost every bit of it! All I can say is, wow, movies have sure gotten expensive! The kids liked the movie; I thought it was a little long but that's not what counts!

Day Four was fun in more ways than one! We registered Eli for middle school, yes, middle school. I told him about how I still have friends from middle school (yes, I'm old and I tell stories about 'when I was a kid...'). We walked his schedule going back and forth from one side of the school to the other. I then timed it while he walked his schedule twice, to make sure he knew where he was going! He is super ready and excited. He gets to ride the bus and he's excited for that too! I don't really worry about him since he seems pretty confident and ready to go to junior high! After registration we all went roller skating. If you haven't been since junior high, you need to go; it's pretty darn fun! This day was fun minus the sauna in the roller rink. It was 94 degrees inside where you skate and almost made you want to pass out. The kids noticed the heat a little but not much. Ethan brought his own roller blades from home and was skating around on those while Eli, Livi and I rented skates.

For those of you who haven't seen a 5 year old roller blade, namely Ethan, picture chaos on skates. You think he's going to fall and lose control and eat it but somehow he stays up and rarely falls. It's a pretty funny picture. Since we've skated a few times in the past couple of months, the boys are getting more daring. Eli was going around corners on one skate, so Ethan thought he would try it, along with jumping while skating.

Usually two hours is more than enough time to skate but with the rink being a sauna we left just shy of two hours. After skating we go to a place across the street that has frozen custard--it's super yummy! Then we headed home so we could walk over to Livi and Ethan's meet the teacher night. Livi has Mrs. Elkins for 2nd grade and Ethan has Mrs. Sandoval for Kinder. They both seem really nice and the kids are super excited for school. Actually, I think mom is more excited than them. It truly is a bittersweet situation. Now that all of my kids are in school, it's going to be pretty weird not having them around, at least one of them! Now is the time I have to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I've applied for several jobs and haven't been successful so I think my plan is to sub in the schools and work on my alternative teaching certification and eventually be a teacher. It's a good mom job!

Day Five was scheduled to be a movie day since the kids wanted to see 'Spy Kids' and it didn't come out until Friday. We got to the show 30 minutes early since I figured it'd be packed on the first showing of the first day it came out. Turns out I was wrong and most people got there 10 minutes before it started. Oh well, we were able to pick where we wanted to sit! The kids loved the movie and thought it was super funny since it had all the great poop and vomitting jokes in it. If I were you, I'd wait until it came out for $1 rental!

Here's to another school year! It'll be over and I'll be writing about our next 'Best Week Ever' before I know it!

Another Year!

2011-04-04T21:54:00.000-05:00

2010 has come and gone and now onto the new year! Things have started out really well here! We ended 2010 with Miguel's 33rd birthday and another year of a chance to wise up, I mean become wise!! After many nights of practicing good table manners, we finally took the kids to Bennihana's for a chance for them to show off their ettiquite and a chance to eat some GOOD Japanese food!

January brought lots of basketball.... and a lot more basketball....

and a mariachi band!

What??? Not really a band but a solo artist! Livi just likes to pose for the camera so anytime she can get in front of it and act silly, she will!

February brought....

a snow angel and a dog attacking.....

and some really cold weather, including SNOW!!!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-09T18:18:00.001-06:00

So Christmas was a blast this year! We had a bunch of fun going to Grandma's house and being with family and also at our own home for the 'Big Day!'

We started our celebration with some gingerbread house making, then some family talents, and finished with opening presents! Before we left Houston, we stopped by and visited Granny Great and had lunch with her!

When we finally made it back home, we rested from all our fun all to do it again a few days later! Grandma Maritza came to visit with cousins Evan and Tristan on Christmas Eve. We had a nice dinner, opened presents...

and in bed just to do it again the next day! Santa brought Livi some....

Dollhouse furniture for her dollhouse. Santa brought Ethan some...

Rollerblades, and Eli got...

running shoes, basketball shoes and a basketball! Grandma got us....
ROCKBAND! That's been a lot of fun--we're the '5 Rockin' Saenz' Band! Can't believe Christmas has come and gone and now the New Year is here!!! Here's to another great year--2011!!

Getting Older!

2010-10-02T21:50:00.000-05:00

School is back in session and things are back on schedule! Eli has started the 5th grade (I know, I can't believe it either)!

Livi started first grade and Ethan is in Pre-k.

Can't believe how time flies and the kids grow so fast! I feel like it was yesterday, wishing my kids would grow up, at least be a little independent, and now it's already here!

For all those moms out there that have little ones (you know, where your goal for the day is to shower or not feel so tired all the time) enjoy your time with your kids! They grow up so quickly! Although they aren't so little anymore, I'm really enjoying their ages! All the kids are at such a great age where we can do family things together and it doesn't have to revolve around nap time or who needs to eat! We go on family bike rides and have adventures that can last the whole day! I'm so grateful for my wonderful family! I am truly blessed!

Back to School, Back to School....

2010-09-10T08:53:00.000-05:00

So the season of early rising, alarm clocks bleeping, sleepy eyes being rubbed, new clothes being worn, backpacks all over, homework, reading time, teeth and hair brushing, rushing out the door, teasing, waking up non morning people.... Oh, your morning is sweetness and goes smoothly? Mine is rushing around making lunches, making sure kids are doing what they need to do to get to school on time. Afterall, since I'm such a mean mom, I told my kids I will not sign them in if they are tardy--we live right behind the school!

Besides all the necessary things, the kids are loving school. Eli is in 5th grade and loving that they switch between three teachers through out the day; he's learning all kinds of great things.

Livi is really enjoying 1st grade. She's reading really well and likes her teacher. She's doing a great job writing neatly and doing well in mathematics (thanks to Eli helping her after school)!

Ethan is at a pre-k program/mother's day out and he's loving it. There's some kids in his class that he knows from previous classes or church. I love to pick him up from school and see him all sweaty!

Miguel is more than half way into his volleyball season and still enjoying it after all these years!

I'm working odd jobs here and there, just something to keep my attention! I run my own fitness class a couple times in the early morning, do some editing/proofing, water aerobics instructor at the local gym, substitute at Ethan's school and volunteer at Livi and Eli's school. Between all of those and being a mom, I'm pretty busy.

We added another to our family this past summer, Shiloh. She's a chocolate lab mutt and has been great (for the most part). She's about a year old and is potty trained, crate trained and Ethan trained (he has no fear of her)!

That's about it for us here! We're back into our schedule and the kids are growing up so fast!

Another Summer has come and gone...

2010-08-22T21:19:00.001-05:00

I can't believe summer has come and gone! This was a very exciting and fun summer! We did a few things this summer that we've never done before; take a vacation! Summer started out slowly but the kids and I fell right into the swing of things (i.e. sleeping late, going to bed late, going swimming a lot). Our normal summer routine includes going to the library, swimming almost everyday and enjoying free movies!

This summer Miguel and I got to go to Jamaica for our anniversary. We spent a whole week together and enjoyed each other! I would recommend this to anyone---spending one on one time with your spouse. We get so caught up in raising our children and all the day-to-day living, that sometimes we don't nourish our relationships with our spouses. Miguel and I truely enjoyed our relaxation, fun in the sun, and tropical adventures! We went ziplining, dune buggy riding in the mud, on a jamaican bobsled, on a catamaran and climbed a waterfall! All while we were doing that, the kids were spending quality time with Miguel's mom and having lots of fun!

(Miguel and I getting ready to zipline!)

Shortly after we got home from Jamaica, it was onto vacationing again! (it's a tough life but someone's got to do it!) We took a road trip! This was a lot of fun! My mom drove with us and we went to Utah. We stopped in New Mexico and went to Carlsbad Caverns and then headed up to Utah for a family reunion and also a fun time with the cousins!

(Alivia, Sterling, Owen, Maddie, Elijah, Brighton, and Ethan)

The kids had such a blast and were so good! Since they're all old enough to play with their cousins, there were times I wouldn't see them for hours at a time. Livi would play barbie's with her girl cousins for hours. She had so much fun playing with girls! She also got her ear's pierced along with her cousin, Josie! Eli would play with his cousins for hours on any type of video game until I made him get off so he wouldn't turn into a zombie! Ethan would jump and run around with his cousins (pretty much get them into trouble) all day long! We went to temple square one day, Lagoon another day (Miguel was there for that), Bridal Veil Falls and also the pool!

(Eli and Ethan at Bridal Veil Falls in Provo, UT)

Miguel was only able to join us for a short time and my mom had to fly back, so I got to drive back by myself with the kids! They were absolutely fantastic and we got to see some of the most gorgeous parts of our country.

(Driving through gorgeous mountains in Ouray, CO on our way to Durango! It was breath taking!)

All good things must come to an end, and so it is with that, that I say 'good-bye summer, see you next year!'

{Some family pictures from our Utah trip!}

(Amy, Lisa, Mom, David, and Me)

(One proud Grandma with all her 16 grandchildren; one more on the way! I only have 3 of them!)

THIRTY!

2010-06-12T23:41:00.001-05:00

I finally turned the big 3-0! Not really such a big deal since I've felt 30 for awhile; having three kids will do that to you! I feel really blessed to have made it this far and feel like I've already accomplished a lot! I have a beautiful family.....

I finally finished my bachelor's degree. I graduated from Texas State University with a BS in Applied Mathematics and a minor in Physics this past December.....

I have great friends.....

At my surprise party-Ashlee, Me, Amber, Elise, Natalie and Eli in background

Here's to another thirty years (and more hopefully)!

School has come to an end----SUMMERTIME!

2010-06-12T23:18:00.000-05:00

School has come to an end and so now summer has begun! Elijah completed the 4th grade,

Elijah and Mrs. Mize--his 4th gr. teacher

Alivia completed kindergarten,

Alivia and Mrs. Redburn-her kinder teacher

and Ethan finished his mother's day out! I can't believe how fast they are growing!

Ethan's last day of school with Mrs. Monique and Mrs. Diane--his teddy bear parade!

Next year Alivia will be in 1st grade, Eli 5th grade and Ethan in pre-k (at Mother's Day Out program). Just trying to enjoy every minute with them; especially the sleep in late mornings (around 8 or 9 am) and the late nights!

Our summer consists of a lot of pool time, going to the library and trying to wear out the childrens' energy!

Here' to summer!

Missing Grandpa

2010-04-01T17:44:00.000-05:00

Sometimes there's little things in life that trigger a past experience or a passing thought about someone. As Eli was showering the other night, Miguel heard him crying. He went in there to see what was going on. Come to find out, he was missing Grandpa. I went in there to talk to him and see why he was so sad. We had a good talk about missing Grandpa (my Dad) and all the things we used to do with him. It's sad to say that my Dad was the only Grandpa in my kids' lives and Eli was the only one that got to spend a substantial amount of time with him to make any kind of memories. I hugged and held Eli and before I knew it, he was ok! Even though he's almost 10, he's still just a sweet and innocent child. Sometimes I forget he's still so young but it's times like this that remind me he is. I wish my children had a Grandpa to make memories with and spend time with, but they don't, so my goal is to make sure to enjoy every moment I have with them. It's hard at times when I'm tired and they're tired, but that's ok. We never know how long God allows us to stay here, and how long we'll have with each other. Make memories now, not later, because you never know if later will come!

Miss you Dad! (and Buddy!)

Six Already!

2010-04-01T17:02:00.000-05:00

Yes, my baby girl turned 6 already. She had her birthday last week and a party last Saturday. She was SO excited to turn 6. In fact, the day after her birthday, she woke up and said, "I'm so glad I'm 6 now!" It was precious!

When I asked Livi what she wanted for her birthday, she said she wanted Miguel and I to surprise her! She opened 2 presents before she went to school on her birthday and she got a hello kitty spinning toothbrush and a real ceramic tea set. She was so excited! We went to Gattitown for dinner (pizza and games) and played for awhile after dinner. A couple times Livi asked if she was going to get anymore presents and I told her maybe. She wasn't being a brat or acting ungrateful, she just really wanted more presents, I guess! When we got home, it was late but still did cake and ice cream!

Afterwards, I asked Livi to go get ready for bed and she asked me if she did it, would she get anymore presents. I told her she needed to obey and not do it to just get presents. As she broke down in tears (she didn't have a nap that day, she was over tired, and it was already about 9:30 and she normally goes to bed at 8pm) Miguel came in with her last present! She went from tears to all smiles in about a second!

Our next step is to take off the training wheels! So far, she loves her bike and rides it everyday outside! Still can't believe she's 6, but that means Eli turns 10 soon! Happy Birthday, Livi!

Livi's Party:
We had a party for Livi this year and she invited some girls over for some lunch, a scavenger hunt and some cupcake decorating! First, they had lunch! Then a scavenger hunt that sent them from the microwave to the grill to the trees and then ended up at the school playground where all the girls got a princess stamp that Dad hid in the slide! It was so cute to listen to all the girls sound out the words and read the clues!

After that it was time to open some presents....

...and then on to the cupcake decorating! Instead of cake (since we already had one on her real birthday) the girls got to decorate and eat their own cupcakes!

At the end of the day I asked her if she enjoyed her party and her day and she said, "I had a blast!" It made me grin from ear to ear!

So glad she's so happy to be 6! Thanks for all the birthday wishes, calls and cards!

Day trip to Wimberley & Fort fun!

2010-01-18T21:16:00.000-06:00

I've really been trying to enjoy every moment with my kids since time is not on my side. They all just keep getting older and wiser (ha!)! I've tried not being so high strung and just go with the flow and enjoy the simple things in life. Miguel had to go to a funeral in Wimberley so I thought it would be fun to make a day trip out of it and go see what the little tourist town is about! After we dropped Miguel off, we went back into town and went to a park. Majority of our time was spent there, where the kids threw sticks in the water! After much coaxing and promising to go to a candy store, we finally left the park!

ethan trying on hippie glasses in a toy/candy store!

We went to a toy/candy store and looked around. The kids wanted everything and so I told them we were going to get ice cream and if they didn't want that, then we could come back and they could get some candy. Let's just say, they were fine with getting ice cream. Since Miguel's funeral was very long, we had to kill more time. We drove down the mainstreet and found a middle school that had a playground. I read in the car (since it was cold and I only had a light sweatshirt on) for awhile while the kids played. After that, I got out and played tag with them for awhile! When everyone was thirsty and Livi was upset and Ethan had splinters in his hand, we decided to call it quits! We waited back at the park for Miguel and enjoyed a game of "Uno" on a blanket at the park! It was a great Saturday!

Eli fake sleeping in the fort!

Then, since the kids didn't have school on Monday, I thought it would be a good idea to build a fort for the kids and let them sleep in it! I remember using every encyclopedia in the house to hold the blankets down for our fort! We built a great fort, got all the kids in it and they had fun. It didn't take long for them to go to sleep, but let's just say, the night was not great!

Ethan in front of the fort!

Livi woke up a couple of times to switch from the couch, to my bed, to finally end up in her bed. Ethan and Eli woke me up at 3am b/c they were trying to fix the fort. At a little after 5am, I had had enough. I stormed into where the tent was to see both boys awake, playing the radio with every night light on, and and an extension added onto the fort.

getting their places ready in the fort

They both had to go to their own beds and warned them not to wake me up early! It started out good, but should have known it couldn't last long! We decided we'll try it again, in a few years!!

It's official...I'm ....

2009-12-15T22:42:00.000-06:00

no, not pregnant. Whoever thought that should be shot, ok, not shot, but seriously?? I'M GRADUATING from college on Friday!!

This has been a very long journey that started when I was just 18, and now I'm 29. Now, all that time was not spent in school. I did take 5 years off to have 3 kids! After a lot of perserverance, patience, hard work, and tears, I will receive my bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics and a minor in Physics. After being in school so long, not sure what to do now! I guess enjoy my kids before they're all grown up and be a mom!

We'll see what's next for me! Any suggestions??

Summer turns into School Time!

2009-08-24T19:21:00.000-05:00

(at the Rainforest Pyramid in Moody Gardens-Galveston)

So, the summer flew by, again. Don't you remember how time used to be so much slower when you were a child? Why is it that it gets faster and faster the older you get? We had a good summer. It went quickly because I was working about 60+ hours a week, for two months of it. I finally quit and was able to spend the last part of the summer with the kids.

(in Galveston at the Rainforest Cafe)

Alivia went into Kindergarten and Elijah started 4th grade today.

That left just me and Ethan. When I asked him what we should do today, he replied "let's play Bingo!" We never got around to Bingo, but we did have a blast at the jumpy place (indoor bounce house place).

(Ethan climbing on the school playground after we dropped the other kids off at school!)

I would say it was a good summer, but glad for school to start! I start school on Wednesday--I'm finishing my last class (2nd comp. science class) and will graduate in December from my very long college career. Ethan will go to Mother's Day Out program on T/Th and that leaves me to find some new freedom!! To another great school year!

Almost Summer!

2009-05-30T23:24:00.000-05:00

(family picture at Maritza's-Grandma-Graduation)

This crazy thing called life keeps throwing things our way! In a nutshell, I got my personal training certification, finished my semester of school (yes, I passed both my classes and have only ONE class left to graduate), Livi finished Pre-K, Ethan finished his Lambs class, and Eli finished THIRD grade, and Miguel's club volleyball team qualified for the Junior Olympics.

To say the least, it's been one heck of a rollar coaster! Things are about to pick up even more, and hopefully, it'll slow down after 2 months! I start boot camp full time on Monday. I've been instructing classes on M/W/F and teaching at Livi and Ethan's school on T/Th. I teach 6 classes a day, M-Thurs., 4 on Friday and 1 on Saturday. Miguel starts his volleyball camps also, so we're looking forward for the J.O. in Miami, when we get to see each other--that's at the end of June. Here's to the crazy summer!

Charlie's Angels, almost!

2009-02-26T21:58:00.000-06:00

Life has been as busy as ever, but I still managed to get in some paintball action with my friend, Shonna! We 'work' together at school, but really hang out all day! She invited me to go play paintball with her and her family and a bunch of people I didn't know, and I was all over that! If you haven't ever tried, you should. IT's Totally FUN! If it wasn't so expensive, it would be my new hobby!

Besides school, working, being a wife/mom, things are good. Eli's doing well in school, loves scouts and still likes to tease his siblings! Livi is growing up, learning her alphabet (Thanks Mrs. Bonnie & Mrs. Denise) and becoming a pro on her bike! Ethan is my last child for a reason--precious, but has no fear! After all, he's just trying to keep up with Eli and Livi. He likes to do anything that involves running, jumping, kicking or throwing. He's all boy to put it simply. Miguel is as busy as ever! He started club volleyball and that takes him away on weekends! It's a good thing he still loves it!

Ethan and Livi with Marge's dog, Guiness. No, Livi's not homeless, and yes, she did pick out her own outfit and brush her own hair!

Back to School... Back to School

2009-01-21T11:15:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's that time again. School starts today for me. We'll see how it goes. I have my second statistics class so it should be about as fun as pulling my nose hairs out one by one!

(this is my theme song by Adam Sandler)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhuvlchBixw

New Year---New Ambitions!

2009-01-03T14:40:00.000-06:00

Why are they called 'New Year Resolutions?' Isn't a resolution something that is resolved? Well, since most people don't ever finish their resolutions, why not call them 'Ambitions?'

So this year, my ambitions are:

* Graduate from college

* Get my bmi to 19%

* Read my scriptures at least 4 times a week!

* Stop and play with my kids more

* Learn to like to cook

* Paint my house--do touch up's

I think that about sums it up! This last year I really focused on my body and getting healthier. This year, I want to focus on increasing my spirituality. My husband and I talked about our goals this year and a family goal that we set was to do a service project, as a family, every month. I think this could be a really good thing for us and our kids!

Have you thought about your goals for this next year???

UPDATES!!! HALLOWEEN 2008

2008-12-27T23:13:00.000-06:00

We had a great time for Halloween this year! We went to the Trunk-or-Treat at church on the Wednesday before Halloween. This worked out well, because Eli got sick on the actual Halloween night!

Miguel was dressed as a coach, who would have thought? This is him in action--sitting in the trunk of our van handing out candy!

Eli, a.k.a. Mr. Incredible, was kind (mostly) to take Ethan, a.k.a. Tigger, around to all the cars and teach him how to load up on the candy!Althought Livi, a.k.a. Sunshine Bear had a lot of fun, apparently it was painful to take this picture!!This was the actual Halloween night! Livi was Sunshine Bear, I was a clown (check out the long rainbow eyelashes I had--they were fun!) and Ethan was a dinosaur! We had a good time going house to house. Eli stayed home, since he was sick, and passed out candy.

UPDATES!! Third Annual Sisters Weekend!

2008-12-27T22:54:00.000-06:00

(Lisa, me and Amy eating sushi in Austin)

My two favorite sisters and I (ok, so I only have 2 sister--they're still my favorite ones!) decided we needed to get together and more often, without children or spouses, so we started "Sisters Weekend!" Before I knew it, we were on to our 3rd annual one. Let me tell you about our weekend. First of all, this helps mantain my sanity for a long time. I look forward to sisters weekend for months, literally months, before it happens. I keep reminding myself to hang in there (meaning all the chaos that goes along with life) because I'll get to take a break from it during sisters weekend. Our first ever weekend that we got together we went to San Marcos and stayed in a bed and breakfast. This is where our traditions started. We go out to eat, sometimes dressing up a bit, and we exchange gifts that we've made/bought for each other, and we shop and relax.

Sisters Weekend at a Glance:

First sisters weekend--oldest sister flew down from Utah and we went to a bed and breakfast for a night.

Second sisters weekend--me and older sister flew to Utah, stayed in a cabin 2 nights and a hotel one night, went to Conference at the Conference Center, went to the Salt Lake Temple (my first time there!), shopped, got a massage (that was my favorite!)

Third sisters weekend--oldest sister flew down from Utah, we stayed at my house two nights and a hotel one night, SHOPPED almost the whole time, went to a museum, tried to see the bats fly out from under the Congress bridge!

(this is all our bags from two nights--we got some good sales!)

All I can say is that I'm so glad that my sisters and I have so much fun together! We talk about our kids, husbands, and how we are glad they aren't there (seriously--there's nothing wrong with that!!) We always have such a great time and I always look forward to that wonderful weekend to have a fun time and not have to do anything for anyone else! Love you sisters!!

(this is proof that we went to a museum and didn't shop the WHOLE time! Who's oldest??? Can you guess? Who has 6 kids? Which one is still in her 20's???)

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!!

Still Going STRONG!!

2008-11-24T22:36:00.000-06:00

Ok, life has really taken over and I haven't been able to post everything I've wanted to such as: 3rd Annual Sisters' Weekend, Halloween Pictures, and just life in general since my last post over a month ago. Well, things are pretty much same old, same old here, but a little lighter. You may ask yourself, 'Self, what does she mean by 'a little lighter?' ' Well, I'm proud to boast, I mean, admit, I've been doing boot camp for 6 MONTHS. Yes, you read that right. SIX MONTHS of waking up when most people are still sleeping,

(if I was sleeping, I'd love to sleep in this bed!!!)

when most sane people are taking advantage of the darkness outside and sleeping in their cozy, comfortable beds. Not me! I'd rather be out in the 30 degree weather, running around a dark park shouting out boot camp songs and stopping every 100 yards doing some insane exercise the instructors think is a good idea! Why you might ask yourself? Because I've spent too many days regretting being overweight and not happy with myself.

So, I've come to a simple explanation. You have 2 choices:

1. Complain about your life (or something you aren't happy about) or

2. Do something about it.

Before you know it, it's been six months, and you could still be complaining and thinking you might start changing tomorrow, or be a little better off than you were six months earlier. It's up to you. For me, I picked the first option for way to long, and it got me further away from where I wanted to be. So, I decided insanity (isn't insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? ) wasn't for me anymore.

After six months of boot camp, I can proudly say that I have lost 14% body fat and am down about 22 lbs. My weight now is... (c'mon, you really think I'd put that on the web? for real, people!) The numbers on the scale don't show how healthy I'm becoming. And, there are some more benefits to eating healthier and exercising.

I have learned:

1. Don't have to have dessert every day

2. Don't have to have chocolate after every meal (or between meals)

3. Can eat smaller portions

4. Can stick to something!!! (that's a big one for me!)

5. I am not only making myself healthier, but I'm setting an example to my family!!!

So, I wish you well on your quest to complete something. Remember, you never know what tomorrow will bring, and if tomorrow will ever come!!!

Just some precious kids!

2008-10-15T16:01:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in awhile, so I thought I'd post some pictures of my kids! They're having fun in school, soccer, piano, and just being kids!

Ethan snuck in my room and fell asleep. He looks like such a big kid! My baby is already 3!

Livi was at Tara's birthday party at a dance studio. She had a lot of fun!!

Eli (and Alayna) swimming in the pool the last week before school started!

They're getting older and older by the day! Eli's already 8 1/2, Livi's 4 1/2, and Ethan just turned 3!

"Having children makes you mature more quickly – for each of their years you age by two!"

-Stuart Macfarlane

Research ROCKS !!!

2008-09-24T11:16:00.000-05:00

I know this sounds pretty nerdy, but if you got to wear a lab suit, shoe covers, gloves, safety glasses and a hair net, you'd think it was pretty cool! I got to go into the cleanroom lab the other day and work with my professor.

(this is a clean room--you have to suit up before you enter and then you go through other doors. normally there's a high power fan that blows air on you to make sure you don't come into the lab with anything on you! the one i went into wasn't this fancy but it still looked cool!)

I'm doing research with a physics professor and so far it's awesome. It counts as a senior level physics class, I don't have any tests, and I get to do cool things and put it on my resume! How much better can it get?

We went into the fabrication lab and I got to use a PVD (physical vapor deposition) machine.

(this isn't the exact machine, but it looks kind of like this!)

We put some SiO2 wafers (what they use in semiconductors--don't know what that means) in the machine and then some high quality aluminum on a tungsten coil. We took out the air (made it like a vacuum) and then melted the aluminum. After it evaporated, we had to pump air back into the instrument (so we could open the door), and then removed the wafers. They were all shiny (looked like a mirror) since the aluminum evaporated onto them.

(an aluminum wafer--looked like this but didn't have the neat pattern on it!)

Pretty interesting stuff. Hopefully next week we'll go into the photolithography room and be able to put a picture on the wafer or some sort of design!

April and Brian's Wedding--Livi's 4th Wedding!

2008-09-14T00:24:00.000-05:00

We went to Bastrop a couple of weeks ago for a friend's wedding! Notice the hottie (ok, the short guy on the right) and the cuttie in the middle! Miguel was a groomsman for his good friend Brian, whom he's been coaching with for 9 seasons! Livi was a flowergirl and a pro by now, since it's her fourth wedding!

Livi had been so good, I told her she could have a piece of candy that was on the middle of the table--this is the shot I got! I thought it was precious!

First Day of School 2008

2008-09-14T00:18:00.000-05:00

I always take a picture of my kids on the first day of school. It's something my mom used to do to me every year! I still can't believe my kids are all in school (ok, 2 of them go to preschool twice a week, but that counts!)

Aug. 25th: Eli's first day of 3rd grade! Miguel (he's the tall hottie on the right!) had been in school since the Wednesday before!

Sept. 2nd: Ethan and Livi go to preschool! Ethan's in the Lambs class and Livi's in the Giraffe's class.

10 Long Years Ago, I was......

2008-09-14T00:07:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I had my 10 year high school reunion. It was pretty fun! It was neat and weird to see people I hadn't seen in 10 years and to see what they look like and what they were doing. It was also interesting to see people's reaction when I told them I had 3 kids!

This is Erin and Kristen. Yes, they're twins and after knowing them since 6th grade, I still can't tell them apart! They're a total hoot!

L to R: Some of the original 'Goffer Girls!' Julie, Margarita, Dana, and me!

L to R: Dana, Julie, Me, Margarita, and Amber. We (ok, just me) was showing my school spirit!

It was a pretty fun time! I did miss my sister (not biological), Ashley, but I heard she's successful and super skinny, so I guess she's doing well! j/k I did miss her, my husband, and some others, but got to talk to people I didn't really hang out with in school! I also stayed out until 2:30am that morning and paid for it all week. There's a reason why mom's don't stay out late---b/c their children wake up at 7:30am the next morning!!!

BEST WEEK EVER!

2008-09-13T23:53:00.000-05:00

Since I'm such a great mom (there's sarcasm in my writing, but you can't hear it!) I decided we'd have the best week ever before school started. There's really 2 reasons why I did it: first, because I've been lame all summer and we haven't really done anything, and secondly, I wanted to make sure Eli had something to write about when he went back to school. If we did it too early in the summer, they'd forget. So, why not do it the week before school and they totally remember? I made them take pictures as proof of our fun!

Monday: we went to Olypmic Hills Gymnastics where they have open gym for toddlers! Ethan and Livi love it (Eli is a super big helper!)

Tuesday: we went to the mall and ate lunch (I did a bunch of errands) and the kids got a cookie!

Wednesday: we went to Goin' Bananas (our neighbor, Katie, came with us!)

Thursday: we went to Gattitown. Kids even got to play some games (I didn't just pretend they were playing!)

Friday: we went swimming and had a lunch at the pool!

On top of the fun things we did all week, I reminded the kids frequently we were having "The best week, ever!" I sang the song to them (changed the words from 'best day ever' to 'best week ever.' It's from Spongebob--any of you who have watched this with their kids know what I'm talking about!)

Just running around like a chicken with my head cut off!

2008-09-03T21:31:00.001-05:00

It's been awhile since my last post and I haven't downloaded any cute photos, so I guess I'll just have to paste this quiz up! It's pretty funny!

16

So a new school year has started and all the mayhem has begun! Eli started 3rd grade, Livi preschool and Ethan preschool. Miguel started school and his hectic volleyball season. I started teaching at the kids' preschool, I go to school (still working on my degree at Texas State), and I'm an assistant to a realtor! To say the least, we are so busy! But, don't forget to say 'hi'!

I've Been TAGGED!!

2008-08-07T13:55:00.000-05:00

My dear friend, Chrissy, 'tagged me!' So, here's a whole lot more info than you probably wanted to know about me!

What Were You Doing 10 Years Ago? Packing up to go to BYU!

Things On My To-Do List Today: Finish painting furniture to put in boys' room, buy paint to paint their room, do dishes, take a nap (my favorite!), pick up house

What Are Some Snacks You Enjoy? blueberry yogurt, apple, animal crackers

What Would You Do If You Were A Millionaire? pay off debt, start my business, help family members, travel

Name Some Of The Places You Have Called Home: Tucson, AZ, Houston, Provo, UT, San Marcos, Austin, and Buda, TX!

What Are Some Of Your Bad Habits? Yelling at my kids (and husband), procrastinating, starting a new project when I haven't finished the other 10 I've started, falling asleep with the TV on at night

What Are Some Jobs You Have Held: (these are all a long time ago) Lifeguard, Waitress, Checker at a grocery store, Pharmacy Tech, worked in the bakery and floral dept. at Randall's, Teller, Nanny

Who Are You Tagging? my sister Amy, Ashlee, Kinsey and Kristi!

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait....I Think!

2008-07-28T21:55:00.000-05:00

So after a month of having things all out of their place, they are finally back where they belong. I didn't get a 'before picture,' but you can picture it in your head while I paint it for you. There was a toilet in our shower, the door frame into the toilet room (straight ahead in the picture) was cutout half way, flooring ripped out, no trim on the bottom and big fans blowing in there with a dehumidifier.

Let me take you back to what started it all.

I noticed the carpet in our closet (just on the other side of the wall from our sinks) was wet. I didn't think anything of it because some people (I'll let my husband remain nameless) throw wet towels in the dirty clothes pile in our closet. The next day I picked up some other clothes and they seemed more wet than a wet towel could get them, so I asked Livi if she'd spilled water in my closet (she's known to take water in weird places). She volunteered that she had. I asked her again later and her story changed. Later that evening, I walked into my closet and my foot was wet. I knew there's no amount of water Livi could spill that could create this totally soaked wet carpet. I ended up pulling the carpet back and the padding was all wet. I pulled it back and put some fans on it to let it dry out. The next day, I noticed the foundation was wet on the outside of the house (on the other side of our shower and tub). I didn't think much about it until it happened the next day and no other part of the foundation was wet. So, I called up the supervisor and said to him "Keith, you told me to call you if I ever had a problem." I explained the situation and he said that the builder would cover the repairs (even though we've been in our house for over 2 years and out of warantee for 1 yr. ) if it was something that we didn't do. He said someone would be by to check it out in the next couple of days. I called him back the next day because now half my closet was wet and even though I'd put two big fans on it, it still didn't dry out. To make this long story not longer than it has to be.....after cutting about 8 holes they found out what was wrong. The pipe that goes to our shower was leaking in the wall between the closet and bathroom. After mold remediation, dry wallers, painters, plumbers, and tilers, we now have a new bathroom. We originally had laminate and after talking with the supervisor, I offered to pay for the tile if they'd install it. So, $60 for a new bathroom isn't too shabby! The long moral of this story is....good things can come, even a month later!

A Trip Down Memory Lane!

2008-07-24T22:51:00.000-05:00

I am stealing this from Ashlee who stole it from Stacy, who stole it from Ali...It sounded fun!

Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

3. Keep it clean---no dirty secrets!! j/k

SUMMER FUN!

2008-07-24T22:00:00.000-05:00

I decided since I'm such a lame mom, to do something fun with the kids today. I thought it might be fun, but ended up being torturous to me! We went to the free movie at Westgate and saw....Mr. Bean's Holiday. Ok, I've never seen Mr. Bean, but I thought he was hilarious in Rat Race so I didn't think it would be that bad....boy, was I wrong. Eli really liked it. Livi kept asking when we were going to see Stuart Little 2 (that was the other option for the free movie), and Ethan...well, let's just say he's 2. The popcorn we had lasted Ethan about 5 minutes, and the cookies lasted about 2, so the rest of the movie he was pretty bored. He ran down the stairs once and Eli caught him. We went to the restroom twice just to kill time! My advice: See a movie that will catch a 2 yr.old's attention, bring enough snacks for an hour and don't go by yourself with 3 kids!

We then joined Miguel for some lunch at Chick-Fil-A and the kids got to play. We headed home for nap time. It finally rained really good this afternoon--thank the Lord! I figured since I'm being a good mom today, I could continue that and do something different. Instead of our gourmet dinner of grilled ham and cheese at the table, I thought we'd have an indoor picnic. The kids really liked it! I made little name cards for the kids and set out their plates. I asked them to all wash their hands and then wait for me in the bathroom. The kids were great! They waited just outside the bathroom in a line from youngest to oldest. I told them we were going on an adventure---an indoor picnic!

After posing for the camera a couple of times (first time I used the timer) we all cleaned up and got ready for bed! I'd have to say that today was a success!!! (besides Eli being grounded and Ethan in time-out for the rest of the night for climbing on the piano, AGAIN!)

Thank You, for another day!

2008-07-07T14:41:00.000-05:00

Yesterday had to have been one of the most gorgeous days of the year. It was warm, the wind was blowing and the sun was shining. When I first stepped out of the house, I had an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. I was granted another day of living and enjoying this miraculous world.

I know that since I've become a mom, I think I'll always be here to take care of my children, but truth is, I may not. There is a higher power and He is the one that gifts me this thing I call life. I think one of the many things I've learned in the past years is that life is precious and it can be taken from us so quickly. My younger brother was in a terrible motorcycle accident and passed away. A few months later, a neighbor, who was in his mid 40's or 50's was in a motorcycle accident, but he lived. Why him and not my brother? Because, that's the plan that He has for us. My dad was emitted to the hospital for back pain he couldn't get rid of. Turns out he had stage 4, non-hodgkins lyphoma. He died 2 weeks later.

The point is that we never know how long we have here on the earth. So, my advice would be: always kiss your loved ones before you/they leave the house, don't hold a grudge--forgiveness is a mighty weight lifted off your being, embrace your blessings, be grateful for what you do have and not think about what you don't have, focus on the positive and you won't be able to see the bad side of things anymore, give thanks, share your love, tell others how you feel about them, call a friend or a family member, and most of all---give thanks to God for allowing you to do all of that!

Today marks one year for my father passing away. If I could give anyone some advice, I would tell them to make peace with your family. I have no regrets with my father, and I'm grateful for that. I was able to forgive him and the Lord was the only one that could help me forget when I truely asked for help. I belive he also forgave me for anything I had done to him. So, if you have a dad, call them for me or give them a big hug!

I love you, dad!

(my kids' last picture with their only grandpa)

Making the Opportunities!

2008-06-29T10:10:00.000-05:00

So, I did something this weekend that I've never done! I spent money without telling Miguel about it. He knew we were supposed to go out for a date night, but he didn't know what was happening after that. I called up a friend of ours and asked if he and his wife (they don't have kids, just a dog) would mind watching our kids over night. They were sweet and said "Yes! (I don't think they really knew what they were getting themselves into.) So, after our date, Miguel and I shopped around the mall for awhile and then when he realized we were supposed to pick up the kids in 10 minutes, he got kind of mad at me. I had to tell him we didn't have to go. He got really confused so I told him it was ok, someone was picking up our kids and we were going to a hotel for the night. Then he got frustrated and said he was helping someone move the next day. I told him I already took care of it and I let that person know he couldn't make it! I think he really just didn't believe me! He called the friend that was going to watch our kids and was trying to find out if I was telling the truth!

When he realized I pulled it off, he relaxed and we continued our childless night! It was off for dessert and then a movie! Too bad we both fell asleep during it. Man, we're lame. Then we checked into our hotel--the downtown Hilton. It was awesome! We put the "zzzzz" sign on the door and didn't wake up until after 11am. I told him I had another surprise and we had to come back by the hotel about 1:30pm. So we walked to good old P.F. Chang's and then killed some time sitting in the lobby of the hotel. Miguel was convinced we were going on a segway tour of downtown (hadn't thought of that, but maybe next time)! As we walked towards the elevator, and I pushed the button for the gym, he starts in on me. "I'm not working out with you." I just played it off and asked him why not! Then when we got there and started walking to the glass doors, he figured it out. A massage! Yes, we had a couple's massage. Can I just say that I think this should happen every month! It was heavenly. And the best part is that I feel loose and not so much stress for weeks afterwards! So we finished up our massages, got some ice cream and came home to our kids! It was a great getaway! Although it was short, it was much needed and worth every cent! I would highly recommend it to anyone. I used Priceline and negotiated a price and got a great rate on the hotel!!

(ok, ours wasn't on the beach, but you get the point! one day, it will happen, one day!)

After a nap (you know, from my stressful day) I took Livi and Ethan to my 8 week boot camp celebration! I got a shirt, won a bottle of Mona-Vie (juice that has like 20 fruits in it) and my measurements. I've lost 13 inches and 10 lbs! That's only just the beginning! My goal is to lose more than that the next 8 weeks! Thanks to John and C.J. (they're the instructors) for pushing me so hard!!

This reminds me of old church dances!

2008-06-26T19:30:00.000-05:00

This is a little fun quiz to remind you of the days when you'd stand against the wall and hope a boy would ask you to dance and if they asked your friend next to you or started the slow dance and no one asked you, you'd head out into the hallway for "another pee break!" Maybe this only happened to me!

Political or Not: You need to see this!

2008-06-18T07:40:00.000-05:00

I've never thought of myself as an avid voter, but the election this winter actually scares me. I didn't think that Obama would make it as far as he did, but he did. I've heard things about him and ....well, if you have about 12 minutes, watch this clip and you can make your own decision. All I ask is for you to educate yourself before the election this year! Don't hop on the ban wagon--learn what you need to know to make a good decision. After all, this will affect our children.

Still Here!

2008-06-17T13:50:00.000-05:00

Nothing really exciting has gone on, but I figured it had been awhile since my last post! Well, I turned one year older, we went to Sea World with my brother (and his family), sister (and her family), and my mom! We all had tons of fun! We also visited some family in Houston and said one last "good bye" to my brother and his family before they head off to Hotlanta! Ok, so they're going to Peachtree, Georgia, but Hotlanta is a lot more fun to say! I'm still doing boot camp everyday. I've only missed 2 days when I was sick with Bronchitis. Other than that, I've gone twice a day, a couple of times. I did get a nice earful from one of the trainers because my eating habits are not good. All I can say is that 1500 calories is like NOTHING! Oh well, if I want to be as fit as I do, than I gotta do it!

Livi was in a wedding and as cute as can be (I am biased, though)! I am officially an assistant teacher at the Preschool I signed Livi up for. And since I will be there everyday, I had to sign Ethan up too. I'm also working with a real estate agent and assisting him and trying to figure out if I want to get my license.

Miguel finally got a new car. No more having to drive around Austin in the heat without a/c.

I went to Schlitterbahn with the kids and my neighbor and her daughter! Talk about tons of fun!!! We got there around 10:30am and didn't leave until 5pm. I couldn't believe how long the kids lasted!

That about wraps it up for me and my family!

Still Staying Strong!

2008-05-29T16:12:00.000-05:00

I've been going to boot camp for almost 4 weeks. I have not missed a day yet, and I truly enjoy it! It's been really hard, I've been really sore, but I've lost a couple pounds and have definitely gained muscle! The hardest part for me, is eating right. I'm on a strict 1500 calorie diet and have to break down what I eat, and how many grams it contains of protein, carbs, fat and calories. It's been a total pain to do that, but it sure helps me not want to eat junk so I don't have to write it down in my food journal! Anyways, if anyone is interested, I'd highly recommend it! It's at the Buda City Park and they have 4 different times they do it everyday (it's an hour long). I've been going to the 5:30am class. Yes, that means I get up about 5am and then go work out for an hour! If I just can't get up in the morning, I'll go to the 6pm or 7pm class! Wish me luck! You might not recognize me the next time you see me with my big guns! (aka--biceps)

When it rains, it POURS!

2008-05-07T10:14:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure why it seems like so many things are going on at once, but I'm going to try and take a new approach and look at the good side of things. I feel like I've been really negative on my blog lately, so I'm doing a 180.

Some people might think after they took their last final, there would be this great sigh of relief, but for others, it's not. It's not a sign of relief, because, then life would be too easy. So what better day to find out that your washing machine is leaking water all over, then the day that you got up at 5:05 am to go to boot camp and then was literally falling asleep at your 11am final? So, I got really uptight and stressed out like I normally do and then tried to have a better attitude. Afterall, we've been in our house for just a little over 2 years and I've never cleaned behind my washer and dryer. I took the time to be grateful for the chance to clean up all the water and dust and then started taking things apart on the back of my washer and dryer and learned how they work a little bit. To make a long story short, take the opportunity to make a bad situation, good. Afterall, we'd never have lemonade if we didn't make it when we had lemons!

Boot Camp or Bust!

2008-05-04T23:00:00.000-05:00

Just when you think you can't get enough into your life, here comes more! So, I think we got rid of the lice (still look for nits and wash things ALL the time) but I'm hoping we're through the worst. Now that I just acknowledged that, I'm sure we'll get a reinfestation, because that would only be suitable. I've signed up for a boot camp! No, I'm not going to go Britany on you and shave my head, but I might start to resemble G.I.Jane, which I'm totally fine with! I'm really thrilled about it, but I have to get through my last two finals first. I'm supposed to start tomorrow morning at 5:30am, but I've opted to do the evening one, after my Modern Physics final. If you aren't doing anything tomorrow around 2pm, say a little prayer for me! Then it's onto studying for my Engineering Mechanics test which I take on Tuesday morning! If you aren't doing anything around Tuesday at 11am, you could say another little prayer for me! Wish me luck! My only goal (I know, I aim way too high) is to pass my classes! Afterall, my brother-in-law has a saying "D's get's Degrees!"

Just when you think things can't get any worse.....that's when the bugs come in!

2008-04-29T20:38:00.001-05:00

I don't know anyone who has had a better week than this past week! Just when I think my life can't get anything more into it, that's when the bugs come! This past week was a very hectic one, including a test in modern physics, homework due in fourier series class, miguel leaving to go out of town and having a babysitter come relieve my other babysitter, having to drive to Houston by myself (after just taking Ethan to the Dr. to get shots), helping my sister move in, trying to get my kids to nap, trying to get my kids to go to bed, and then finding out that Livi has lice. Yes, the parasite that lives in your hair. Ethan had it too. They both only had nits (which are the eggs and can't be spread). After disinfecting my mom's house, learning that I had lice too, my sister went to my other sister's house to pick up Eli. His head was pretty nasty with the lice. So, my sister brought him over to my mom's, I shaved his head and then put lice shampoo on him. I did this only after my sister put the shampoo on me, my brother shaved Ethan's hair, I cut livi's hair and put shampoo on them. Then, I had to comb thru literally each strand of her hair and pull out the nits with my fingernails (they are really hard to get off). As if that wasn't enough, then my mom and I got into a really big argument and I had only slept 3 hours the night before! After sleeping Saturday night and dreaming all about parasites and what I was going to have to do when I got home, we headed home. That's when the real fun began! I had to wash everyone's bedding, vacuum the house, the furniture, disinfect brushes and combs (did I mention Miguel was in Reno this whole time?), unpack the car, call Eli's teacher, look for nits in the kids' head and somehow get some sleep? I think that Eli brought it home to everyone from school (which is usually what happens). Miguel didn't get it--probably b/c he's at work most of the time and out of town when all hell breaks loose!
And that's it for my horrible,terrible,no good, very bad week!
Hope yours was better!

(by the way, if anyone needs some knowledge about lice, I have a lot I could share with you!)

What ice cream are you?

2008-04-24T23:28:00.001-05:00

Remember to....

2008-04-24T22:54:00.001-05:00

I love this wonderful time of year when trees are green and flowers are blooming! When you can open your windows at night and it's cool! Don't forget to stop and smell the roses! They don't last too long, and you'll regret it if you don't!
Remember to drown out all the noises of the world and be still for a moment. Remember to be grateful for what you do have and not always thinking about what you want next!
Remember to sit down with your kids and play with them, or run around with them. There will be a time when they don't want you around, so enjoy it while they do.
Remember to kiss your husband and tell him 'thanks' for no reason!
Remember to call your parents and tell them how much you appreciated something that they taught you when you were young.
Remember to compliment people.
Remember to smile---it makes any situation better. Besides, you look better too!
Happy Spring!

You put two and two together.....

2008-04-12T15:57:00.000-05:00

Ok, anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a usually 'happy go lucky' kind of person. Not quite positive the meaning of that saying, but I think it means I'm usually happy and not too uptight (notice I had to add the 'too' part to that last phrase). Well, I've become a little cynical in that I think everyone is going to die of some kind of cancer. Cancer rates have rose so quickly over the years and they keep going up. My dad passed away of lymphoma last year (get tumors on your lymph nodes) and now that has sealed my belief. Besides, how many chemicals do we use now as opposed to 'in the olden days?' I just read an article about how bottle water consuption has skyrocketted the past years and people aren't recycling and on and on, but the point is, it described the different kinds of plastics that are used for what. If you look at the bottom of a milk jug it has a 2 on it. This is code so you know what type of resin is used in making it. To make a long story short, one of the worst kinds of resin is #7. So, please tell me why baby bottles, medical storage containers, and stain resistant food storage containers are made out of this? Has anyone asked yourself why cancer rates have skyrocketted and why there are chemicals in everything we use? Have you ever looked on a cleaning product and notice that the ingredients aren't listed? Did you know that Pledge contains butane and propane in it? Just wanted to open some people's eyes to the world we live in. Next time you go to clean your bathroom and you use all your chemicals, ask yourself why you think when you clean with all that stuff why you think it's 'clean?' Don't get me wrong, I do the same thing, but wonder why I think things are clean when I smell all those chemicals?

Just missing my dad!

2008-04-10T22:13:00.000-05:00

My sister in law emailed me this picture and it reminded me how much I loved this picture of me and my dad! We went to Temple Square in the spring and it was sooo goregous! For those who don't know, my dad passed away last summer to non-hodgkins lymphoma. From the time that he went into the hospital until the time he passed away, it was just over 2 weeks. You never know how long you have and so I say to you "Don't have any regrets. Don't hold any grudges. Love and live as much as you can each day, and give thanks to your Maker for another day of the gift of life!"

Second times the charm!

2008-04-10T22:11:00.000-05:00

I tried this test again, and look how well I did. If I could just retake real tests at school, maybe I'd do so much better!

TRY THIS!

2008-03-28T13:08:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty embarrassed to say that not only can I not pass my junior level Modern Physics class, but I can't even pass an 8th grade science quiz!

Just a little of what I've been doing lately....

2008-03-25T21:14:00.000-05:00

No, I haven't gone on some exciting trip (I'll leave that to our world-class traveler Natalie), or done anything really exciting! We had spring break a couple of weeks ago and I didn't do anything exciting, unless shampooing your carpets counts. Oh well, here are some things we have been doing!

This is the sunset from when Miguel took me on a picnic to Mt. Bonnell for Valentine's Day. We've been together for about 10 years now and this was probably the most romantic thing he's done. There's hope ladies---it's never too late for your husband!

This is Ethan. Him and Livi play 'Mom and Dad' and he gets all dressed up. I think he's confused that he's supposed to be the 'dad!'

How can he not be confused when his sister makes him play 'dress-up' with her? No, Livi's not in pain in this picture. I think she's trying to pose and smile. This looks a little difficult/maybe painful for her!

This is what you do when you watch 7 children at one time---give them popcorn....

and turn on a movie!

Miguel is trying to teach Ethan how to be patriotic. Maybe Ethan should teach Miguel since Ethan has the correct hand over his heart! We were at the 'Final Mile' for the Marathon Kids.
Here's Eli--the Marathon kid. He completed 26.2 miles over the course of a couple of months and has a medal to prove it!! Way to go, kiddo! We went to the park and had a picnic afterwards! It was such a beautiful day!

This is bribery at it's finest. Ashlee cut Ethan's hair and I told him I'd give him a lollipop if he sat still in the chair. I decided to give him a popsicle instead in the tub, b/c he can't make a mess and if he does, it washes right off!

We went to Austin Park & Pizza on 3-15 and had a great time! Miguel took Livi and Ethan to the little kids area while....

I took Eli on the go carts. Too bad he wasn't old enough to drive and I had to do it!!!

Miguel did get to take Eli on the bumper boats and Eli got to drive his own. He did a good job getting dad wet!!

Eli got his first chance at rock climbing! He did a great job!

Livi and Ethan got to do an Easter egg hunt at Stacie's house this year. I was trying to take a picture of them, but Cooper was excited that his mom was taking a picture of him, so I guess that's why he jumped in front of Ethan!

These kids sure act fast when they know there's candy involved!

We spent Saturday at the Buda Park for the Easter Festivities! It was great--everything was free! This is Owen, the cousin, riding with Ethan and Livi on the train ride. The other kids were off waiting to go into the petting zoo. They even had hot dogs and water and pony rides, and inflatables to jump on and egg hunts every hour! What more could a kid (or a parent) want?

Ethan and Livi knew what to do at this egg hunt. Like their bags? I forgot their baskets at home and had to go find some garbage bags for the kids! Oh well. You should have seen some of these parents grabbing the eggs for their kids---pretty pathetic!

I DID IT!

2008-02-24T10:18:00.000-06:00

It's taken me so long to post an update from my half marathon because I have to admit me and my sister both forgot to bring our cameras. I know. I always do that. I have this great camera and I forget to use it. Anyways, I'll tell you I finished in under 3 hrs. (which isn't great, but hey, at least I finished)! And I was 18 out of 27 in my age group! And guess what, I think I'm going to do it again. I need to train during the week more and I'd love to train with someone. So, if you're up for running 13.1 miles on sand, let me know!!! It was a great feeling of accomplishment (after all the pain went away and I had a medal)!!!

Good Laugh Courtesy of my Kids!

2008-02-17T19:21:00.000-06:00

So we're having our normal Sunday evening dinner, Macaroni & Cheese, and the kids are all watching the Backyardigans from the table. I've seen this one episode more times than any human, or adult should, so I'm singing along with it. As I'm singing and dancing to 'Racing Day, it's Racing Day..." my 3 yr. old makes a nice comment.

Livi: Mom, I see your boobs dancing!

Me: (I have nothing to respond to this other than laughing--that's some good parenting skills if I do say so myself)!

then my 7-yr. old sees what a good laugh that I gave his sister so he chimes in with: Mom, look, my nipples are dancing (as he shakes his bare chest).

I guess that's when I had so step in and be the adult. So I told them: Ok, we're done with this.

Moral of the story: Either I shouldn't wear v-necks or maybe I need to get a new bra. I like the latter one---Victoria Secret, here I come with my dancing boobs!

Wish me luck! I'm off.....

2008-02-08T09:24:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to say one last 'good-bye' before I become a world class half-marathon runner! Ok, that's not entirely true.

I really wanted to ask for your prayers and blessings that I can complete my race, I don't actually sink into the sand (I'm running 13 miles on sand, why?), I beat a 70 yr. old lady (that was my husband's asperations for me), my bowels don't get shy before the race, that my bowels don't get unshy during the race, that I can complete the race before they start taking it down, and that my feet don't fall off!

That's it!

That's all I'm asking for!!!

Have a great weekend!

Procrastination is my friend!

2008-02-04T21:14:00.000-06:00

What better thing to do than everything else than what I really need to be doing? Did you follow? I figure since I really should be doing homework, why not catch up on my email, blog stalking and ice cream eating? Who wouldn't want to surf the web when you could be figuring out problems about particles colliding at certain speeds close to c? Does anyone know what 'c' stands for? Anyways, I thought it would be a good time to type another post.

Why do kids say the darndest things? I think I figured it out. I think they say it to make us realize that we are the idiots, not them. Tonight my daughter asked me: "Why did you yell at Eli?" I replied, 'Because he wasn't listening to me.' Then I thought about it some more and realized. If I'm yelling at him, how can I even notice if he's listening to me. Better yet, why would he listen to me yell? If I were him, I'd probably want to cover my ears or leave the room. So, I'm going to try a different approach. I'm going to try and NOT yell at my kids. I know. This is totally foreign to me and who knows, it might even work! Wish me luck!

I Joined the Double Digit Club for Running!!! I RAN 11 MILES!

2008-02-03T19:29:00.000-06:00

I'm training for a half marathon (next weekend) and yesterday I did my longest run. I ran 11 miles. Ok, I didn't run all of it, but I ran about 10 miles of it. It took me forever. My first 5.5 miles were uphill, running into the wind, so that really put a damper on my time. My wonderful husband had rode up to the front of our neighborhood just as I was coming home and he cheered me on from his bike! That really helped me finish strong. He then went home and made me an ice bath. I think that's why I'm able to walk almost pain-free today. I sat in an ice bath for a little while and it helped with the pain in my calves and knees. It wasn't high enough to get my hips, so those are hurting pretty bad. I'll have to remember to make sure my hips get in the ice bath. So, this has been an amazing journey seeing that I started out running 2 miles and have gotten up to 11. I'm hoping my training has paid off so I can run 13 on Saturday!

This will be me next weekend---i'm running on sand!

I guarantee a cry from laughing sooooo hard!

2008-01-31T09:10:00.001-06:00

I stole this story off my friend Aly's blog. I was crying so hard from laughing. I think I got a good stomach work-out from it. It's all to familiar!

A 3-year-old tells all from his mother's restroom stall.By Shannon PopkinMy little guy, Cade, is quite a talker. He loves to communicate and does it quite well. He talks to people constantly, whether we're in the library, the grocery store, or at a drive-thru window. People often comment on how clearly he speaks for a just-turned-3-year-old, and you never have to ask him to turn up the volume. It's always fully cranked. There've been several embarrassing times that I've wished the meaning of his words would have been masked by a not-so-audible voice, but never have I wished this more than last week at Costco.

Halfway through our shopping trip, nature called, so I took Cade with me into the restroom. If you'd been one of the ladies in the restroom that evening, this is what you would have heard coming from the second~to~the~last stall:"Mommy, are you gonna go potty? Oh! Why are you putting toi wet pa per on the potty, Mommy? Oh! You gonna sit down on DA toiwet paper now? Mommy, what are you doing? Mommy, are you gonna go stinkies on the potty?"At this point, I started mentally counting how many women had been in the bathroom when I walked in. Several stalls were full ... 4? 5? Maybe we could wait until they all left, before I had to make my debut out of this stall and reveal my identity.

Cade continued, "Mommy, you ARE going stinkies, aren't you? Oh, dats a good girl, Mommy! Are you gonna get some candy for going stinkies on the potty? Let me see doze stinkies, Mommy! Oh .. Mommy! I'm trying to see in dere. Oh! I see dem. Dat is a very good girl, Mommy. You are gonna get some candy!"I heard a few faint chuckles coming from the stalls on either side of me. Where is a screaming newborn when you need her? Good grief. This was really getting embarrassing. I was definitely waiting a long time before exiting.

Trying to divert him, I said, "Why don't you look in Mommy's purse and see if you can find some candy. We'll both have some!" "No, I'm trying to see doze more stinkies. Oh! Mommy!" He started to gag at this point. "Uh oh, Mommy. I fink I'm gonna frow up. Mommy, doze stinkies are making me frow up!! Dat is so gross!!" As the gags became louder, so did the chuckles outside my stall. I quickly flushed the toilet, in hopes of changing the subject. I began to reason with myself: "OK. There are four other toilets. If I count four flushes, I can be reasonably assured that those who overheard this embarrassing monologue will be long gone.""Mommy! Would you get off the potty, now? I want you to be done going stinkies! Get up! Get up!" He grunted as he tried to pull me off.

Now I could hear full-blown laughter. I bent down to count the feet outside my door. "Oh, are you wooking under dere, Mommy? You wooking under DA door? What were you wooking at, Mommy? You wooking at the wady's feet?" More laughter. I stood insid e the locked door and tried to assess the situation. "Mommy, it's time to wash our hands, now. We have to go out now, Mommy." He started pounding on the door. "Mommy, don't you want to wash your hands? I want to go out!!" I saw that my "wait 'em out" plan was unraveling.I sheepishly opened the door, and found, standing outside my stall, twenty to thirty ladies crowded around the stall, all smiling and starting to applaud. My first thought was complete embarrassment, then I thought, "Where's the fine print on the 'motherhood contract', where I signed away every bit of my dignity and privacy?"But as my little boy gave me a big, cheeky grin, while he rubbed bubbly soap between his chubby little hands, I thought, "I'd sign it all away again, just to be known as Mommy to this little fellow."

Back from my blogging hiatus

2008-01-30T20:52:00.001-06:00

I finally caught up tonight on my blog! Yeah! Hope there's something enjoyable for you to see or read! Things were great over the holidays, but back to my busy life. I started school again. It was good to get back into it. I had about 6 weeks off, so I had time to recover and do some projects! Anyways, I'm taking some hard classes, so I may be asking for some help. I'm taking Modern Physics, Engineering Mechanics, and a Fourier Series Class. It's pretty interesting how my math has helped me in my physics classes thus far. Now it's opposite. My physics is helping me in my math classes now!! How crazy is that? So now you know I'm a total nerd! At least I enjoy it. You may not hear that from me by the end of the semester!

When the kids are away......(or sleeping)

2008-01-30T20:44:00.000-06:00

That's when the parents play. Ok, that's when Miguel breaks out with his serious 'gaming!'

He's hooking his XBox up so he can play it Live. How come they never grow up?

This is Miguel being a grown-up. He'd just given a fabulous speech at the athletic banquet. I guess he can be a grown-up, especially when he's the Varsity Volleyball coach!

(what a hottie, if I do say so myself!!!)

All in a day's work!

2008-01-30T20:40:00.000-06:00

This is our beautiful new grill my mom gave us for Christmas! After a good while of reading instructions and looking at pictures, this is how it turned out!

We've never had a propane grill before so cooking on it is going to take some time, but we've already made some good hamburgers and fajitas! Miguel promised he'd cook more if we got a grill! Ok honey, go crazy!

Dad Would Be SO Proud!

2008-01-30T20:31:00.000-06:00

Miguel would be so proud of his son if he saw this. Thank goodness he doesn't read this very often. I thought it was hilarious. The one on the left is my 3 yr. old daughter, and the child on the right is my 7 yr. old son. They both make beautiful princesses. He was all decked out, from the high heeled shoes to the bracelet and earrings and crown. Again, I was just grateful both of the kids were playing so nicely and not teasing each other.
What can I say about my 2 yr. old son? He's a frog, no tigger, no.... I guess he's just 2 and loves to jump!

The Extent of Our Outfits for the Day

2008-01-30T20:24:00.000-06:00

This is Ethan trying out the top bunk bed. Eli sleeps on the top and Ethan sleeps on the bottom. Why is it so much fun on top?This is about as much clothes as he normally has on. Since it's been winter, they usually have a shirt on too.

This is Livi and Ethan playing 'shopping.' They go and get cans of food out of the pantry and the bread maker under the counter is where it goes. Livi's in her usual attire, but Ethan, I guess was hot. That's his hand on the other side of him---it's not his boy part. Yes, I made him put underwear on after I took this cute picture! Kids will be kids! At least they weren't screaming and fighting. It's amazing how relaxed you get after you have 3!

San Antonio Spurs vs. Detroit

2008-01-30T19:48:00.000-06:00

We have some wonderful friends, that gave us some fabulous tickets to see the Spurs vs. the Pistons.

This is warm-ups.

Back of Manu's head. Yes, I'm a total and complete fan of Manu!

This is a shot of Manu on the bench. The Spurs bench was about 11 rows in front of us to the left a little bit.

Love those Spurs!
This is Pop talking to I don't know. I think he was telling him how fabulous he was! Yes, we were really that close! I got a shot of Horry coming out of the tunnel but some lady who's power came from her black NBA vest, told me I had to erase it. Where did she get that power from? I guess it was against some NBA rule that you could have pictures of the players coming out of the tunnel. All I heard from Ms. Hitler was, 'blah, blah, blah, blah, I have power b/c of my black vest.' As you can tell, I'm not at all bitter about the situation!This is me and my friend Sam. We had a good time watching the game! Oh, our husbands were sitting next to us, I think!!

Just being kids!

2008-01-30T19:16:00.000-06:00

The kids really wanted me to get out this little folding table that we have with little chairs for them, but I'm such a scrooge I didn't want to do it. So, they made their own 'little table' by pushing the chairs together! They were playing so well with each other!

Christmas 2007

2008-01-30T18:52:00.000-06:00

Ok, this is long overdue, but I needed to get some pictures up. We went to Houston and had Christmas with my mom the Saturday before Christmas, and then spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Miguel's mom's house.

This is my sister, Lisa, my paternal Grandma, brother, David, my mom, and me. Grandma was a favorite with the grandkids b/c grandma's always give the best gifts!

This is Eli and his cousin, Brighton, being shepards for our family nativity.

Ethan was a sheep, but he really liked to suck on the ears more than 'baaaaaing!'

Sterling, a cousin, and Livi were both Mary. They couldn't agree on who it was going to be, so why not have two Mary's? That's baby Jesus in Sterling's arms.

This is Christmas Eve at Miguel's mom's house. Miguel and his mom, Maritza were hard at work making homemade tamales. Let me tell you---they were awesome!

Ethan opening all his presents Christmas morning. We didn't wake the kids up. They didn't wake up until about 8am. It was awesome!

Eli opened his cool present. It's all about the planets and even has a solar system that has the planets all in order and you can move them around. Hopefully, he'll be a scientist when he grows up!

We had tons of fun and the kids were totally spoiled. Santa brought Livi some barbie dolls and the boys got a bunk bed. Santa couldn't bring it to Houston, so dad had to pick it up in Ft. Worth. Good thing Santa wrote a letter to the boys to tell them that!!! Overall, we had a great time!

Oh No, the Big 3-0!!!

2007-12-31T14:57:00.000-06:00

I officially did it!!! I pulled off Miguel's surprise party, in HOUSTON! I didn't know if it was going to work, but it did! He was extremely surprised and so grateful! We did it on the 21st of December, but his official birthday is today! Happy Birthday, My Love!

He was excited----he got 'Call of Duty 4!' What kid, I mean 30 yr. old male doesn't want that?

WOW! IT"S BEEN AWHILE!

2007-12-18T10:40:00.000-06:00

(this is me, my cousin Jamie and my brother, David)

I can't believe it's been so long since i've blogged. A lot has happened since I last wrote. My grandmother passed away and I drove to Colorado Springs with my brother and sister! (wow is that a long car ride with those two! j/k! i loved it)

(this is my sister, Lisa. Yes, it was extremely cold in CO. Ok, we're from the south, but it was still cold!)

While it was a bittersweet being in Colorado, it was exteremly fun! Sad that my grandma passed away, but good b/c she'd suffered for awhile--she had dementia. I got to see my mom's side of the family and hadn't seen most of them for almost 9 years! That's too long. It was so great to see how everyone has grown up!

(this is birth order: my uncle wayne, my mom, uncle charlie, uncle scott, and aunt lu)

It was good to see my mom with her brothers and sister again!

After the service, we all went to a restaurant and ate. I got to talk to my Uncle Scott and Aunt Luann, and their girls, Tammy and Jamie. It was so great to see them and talk to them! I loved being around my cousins and have really missed getting to know them! Later that night, I went and saw Enchanted with my cousin, Evann. I loved the movie. I wanted to talk with my hands together and wear pretty dresses and sing all my conversations!

(don't know why it looks all yellow--it was blue when i downloaded it).

After a short night sleep and a good breakfast the next morning, it was off back to Texas. That was a fast trip, but I had to get back for finals and my brother's in grad school and my sister has 4 kids! I left Thursday morning about 6am, and got back Sunday morning at 3am. It was extremely fast. I got back in time to go to my last Deterministic Operations Research class on Monday, go to review for Physics on Tuesday, take my Det. Oper. Rsch final on Wed, and my Physics final on Thursday. Let's just say after that whirlwind, it took me a few days to settle down and enjoy life again. This is one of the things I love----leaves changing colors!

(this is one of my trees in my front yard----I love it!)

Then it's on to getting ready for the holidays! We found the perfect tree and decorated it!f

We decorated it and vewala! (don't know how to spell that)

(these are my kids just being precious! this is good if i can keep underwear on them all!)

They were all being so precious, I had to get a picture! Things have changed since then! Ethan is pretty much potty trained. He can take naps in his underwear, but I have to put a diaper on him at night. He's been in underwear for almost a week now and he hasn't had an accident!!!! Yeah! Can I tell you how exciting it is that my last kid is in underwear????!!!!

Our next adventure, was going to Sights and Sounds in San Marcos. It is soo cool! We took Eli there when he was 2. They transform the park into a winter wonderland. They have every thing you can think of at a carnival. Best of all, I had a funnel cake for the first time ( i think!). Thanks Miguel for introducing me to the best kept secret of a carnival. We saw Santa (line was soooo long) and the kids rode on a train ride. They also had a live nativity scene. Ethan loved the camel and donkeys. Can't wait for next year! I'd highly recommend this to anyone. It's only the first weekend in December.

(Eli and Livi riding the carousel)

(this is the pretty tree they have in the park--like the one at zilker)

Ok, I know this is really long, but this is it. I am training for a half marathon and had my long run on Saturday. Because the wind was blowing sooooo hard, I couldn't come back home. I kept running and then called Miguel to come pick me up. I ran to the HEB in Kyle. It was 5.5 miles. When I was waiting, I saw that they had Santa there and my kids could get a free photo with him. Since I'd told them the day before they could go get their picture with Santa at the mall and then changed my mind when I found out it was $20, I had to bring them there. After Miguel picked me up, we went home, and I got the kids ready and we went back over there.

Chefs in Training!

2007-11-28T20:54:00.000-06:00

We had a fun time making dinner tonight! You ask yourself, "Self, how is it possible to have fun making dinner?" And you answer, "Let the kids do it while you supervise and take pictures!" I wish there were more things the kids could make. We'll have to figure it out. I guess some more practicing and I could have some personal chefs by the time they're 10!

so carefully they spread the sauce!

then it was on to spreading the cheese while saying 'cheese!'

such concentration goes into putting pepperoni's on--who'd of thought?

presenting their masterpiece

trying to get a picture with all 3 kids looking is impossible!

watching it cook.....

still watching it cook!!

We were all just waiting for the pizza to finish and I look in the family room to see this.....

Yes, Livi has a kleenex hanging out of her nostril and Ethan's eating toothpaste, again.

I made the best out of the situation, and made them pose! As you can tell, Livi was more than willing to do so!

THANKSGIVING 2007

2007-11-25T23:21:00.000-06:00

We had lots of fun in Houston, but without fail, at least one of our kids was sick. This is my baby, Ethan not feeling well.

this is Miguel holding Ethan. I love their little bootie when they wear underwear---he's still potty training! He's not letting go of his pacies! Yes, he has 4. Normally we can only find 1, but he found a bunch the other day!These are the grandboys at my mom's house! Eli, Brighton, Owen (falling off the couch), Drew on my mom's lap, and Ethan on the edge!

All in a day's work!

2007-11-25T23:17:00.001-06:00

Before we headed to Houston for Thanksgiving, there were some things I had to do. I'm making some bridal shower invitations for one of the previous players on Miguel's school volleyball team, and got some of them finished! Then, I volunteered to make some shirts for my brother and sister so we could wear them on our 5K on Thanksgiving morning. I also hit up Hobby Lobby for their 80% off fall decorations! Love that I can use these pumpkins for Halloween and Thanksgiving!

Gala Fun!

2007-11-25T22:52:00.000-06:00

So I wanted to go to a 'Thanksgiving Gala' Miguel's school was putting on for numerous reasons, such as:

1. I have never been to a Gala and don't even know what it means

2. It was at the TDS ranch and wanted to see what it looked like

3. It was an opportunity for Miguel and I to spend some time together (always a plus!)

4. There was going to be really good food, and we didn't have to pay for it!

It was an experience I'll never forget! We had a great time. We drove out to the ranch and this is only a small taste of what I got to see!

this was one of the first pictures---yes, those are zebras.

don't know what this is--but I had to slow down so it could run right in front of me!

this is what I saw as I pulled up to the gala and turned around. YES--that's a giraffe. And there was also a longhorn right in front of it!

it looked like something straight out of Africa. I really liked this picture, I might even frame it!

Who knew that something so beautiful could exsist right behind the landfill? Anyways, after checking in, Miguel and I headed over to the skeet shooting. Neither one of us had shot a gun before, so we thought we'd try it. I went first.

Yes, that's me with a 20 gauge shotgun (i think that's what it was). Check out the sunset behind the guy.

this was part of my problem--i wasn't leaning into the gun. I did get 2 out of the 8 skeet! I know what I want for Christmas now!

Next, it was Miguel's turn!

he's getting some pointers first! I guess it worked b/c he got 4 out of 8 skeet. His gun was bigger than mine!

After some good old shootin', we headin indoors to see what some people were bidding on for the auction. All the proceeds benefit the school, Regents School of Austin. Some of the things up for auction were: a chance to go in a jet and fly Mach 1, a ski boat, trip for your family to a private island on a lake, a trip somewhere on a private jet with 2 pilots for a couple of days, and then there were some things like a few cheerleaders coming to your daughters party and teaching them some cheers. To say the least, we were rubbing elbows with some very wealthy people, and totally out of our league, but it was fun and adventurous! After the great food, I split so I could go have some fun at Natalie's 30th roller skating birthday party! After a fun time on the skates again (I think the last time I roller skated is when I was 12) the night was still young! Sam and I headed down to sixth street to listen to some good music. We ended up at Pete's Piano bar and stayed there and listened to some amazing musicians!! It was fun b/c you could request songs and then everyone sang along with them! I didn't get home until sometime after 1am and learned why mom's don't go and hang out late! It took me a few days to recover, but it was so much fun!

STill HeRe

2007-11-12T08:11:00.000-06:00

I'm still alive, just barely being able to keep up with everything! We set out on a family adventure this past weekend. I drove to Fort Wort with the kids on Friday afternoon and came back on Saturday afternoon. It was cut short due to a volleyball loss. Yes, Miguel's volleyball team lost unfortunately, and we came back early. They made it to the final four in the state play-offs, but lost the first game and it's single elimination. As Miguel put it, "It wasn't their year." They won state last year, but it wasn't meant to be this year.

(this was last year after they won state----hence, the big volleyball trophy)

Well, it was 8 hours well, ok not well, but spent in the car. I would advise any other mothers traveling by themselves with children, don't go during nap time like I did. It backfired on me. I left about 12:30 thinking the kids would sleep since that's their normal nap time. Livi took a power nap until Ethan woke her up (I think it was seriously like 10 min). Ethan fell asleep about 20 minutes before we got to the game. Oh well, we had an adventure!

Now it's off to the next adventure---studying for my Physics test on Tuesday, writing my lab for Physics due Wednesday, and studying for my Deterministic Operations Research test on Wednesday!!! Wish me luck! I'll be back after that's over with!

Happy Halloween

2007-11-03T15:30:00.000-05:00

We had a lot of fun this year for Halloween! We went to the Trunk-or-Treat on Tuesday, the 30th and my kids learned how to get candy pretty quickly! If you noticed, Eli was not dressed up b/c he was grounded. I won't go into the whole thing, but he went something like this:

Me: Eli, can you set the table please? (just called him in from outside where he was playing with his friends)

Eli: What? You called me in from outside to do that? Why can't you set the table? I was playing with my friends.

So, that's about it. If you don't have any kids that are this age, then look what you have to look forward to! I was pretty surprised by his comment, so I told him he had to tell his father what he said when he got home (Eli knows that means business!!!) Why do they know things are serious when dad talks to them and not mom??

Sorry for the word vomit, let's continue on! So, I took Tigger and Sunshine Bear (a.k.a. Ethan & Livi) around to all the trunks and let them get giddy with getting candy! The YW put this whole thing together so they were handing out donuts and hot chocolate. What kid wouldn't want a donut when they have a bag full of candy?

We ran out of candy and it was getting late, so we took a family picture before we left. I think Eli gets his picture posing skills from Miguel. Usually Miguel is the one making silly faces. I'm behind Sunshine Bear and Eli. My hand is on Sunshine Bear's tummy. I was an army girl---people had a hard time seeing me. I guess that means my costume was really good! (for those of you who don't know me, that last part was all sarcastic. it's really hard to be sarcastic in a blog b/c you can't hear the tone!)

Halloween Night
This is Scooby (a.k.a Eli) showing Ethan that we have a bowl full of candy to give to trick-or-treaters. Ethan kept trying to get candy out of it. Maybe he recognized it from the night before at the trunk-or-treat. Yes, I recycled the kids' candy. They got a couple pieces on Tuesday night and then I poured them into this bowl to give to the kids in our neighborhood.

Scooby went to all the houses on our block pretty quickly so Miguel took him in the back of the neighborhood and I kept Sunshine Bear and Tigger. We went around on our street and then headed back to our house to hand out candy. It was fun. There were tons of people out and so many on our street! I realized when we got to our house, Miguel had locked the front door and had the keys in his pocket. I would have called him, but his cell phone was inside recharging. I thought to myself, this isn't so bad, the back door is unlocked, so I thought! Well, it wasn't, but the window next to it was open so all I had to do was take off the screen and reach around to unlock the door. Good thing I got robber like instincts!

This is what it looked like most of the night. Ethan knew what to do, and Alivia was along for the candy. Ethan would walk right up to people's doors and knock (he'd attempt to ring the doorbell but was usually too short). I love these ages when the kids have so much fun! When we got back home, and in our house, we passed out some candy. The kids ate some too! Little did they know, the next day it would be gone!! I kept a few lollipops as bribery and some good chocolate bars to mix in ice cream and threw the rest away. If I don't do that, then I eat it all, and we all know that would not be pretty!

Happy Memories

2007-10-30T15:04:00.000-05:00

(Eli and Livi. The day we brought her home from the hospital. So precious!)

Yesterday was a great day. Some of my favorite parts were: Livi said "I love you, mom!" for no reason! Then, Ethan did something really cute (can't for the life of me remember it now) and he always says 'thank you' for everything. If I give him some toast with jelly and milk for breakfast, he'll thank me for the toast, the milk, and the jelly I put on it. Eli was such a big helper. I threatened to take away his privelage of going to the Trunk-or-Treat for church tonight and he shaped up. He cleaned all the tires on my van (that was part of our activity for FHE) and recruitted half the street to help wash it! I love my family! I had a great day. I really tried to see the positive in everything and I was astonished. I think I need to do that everyday!

(In the hospital, after having Ethan. Livi was only 18 months old, Eli was 5.)

In Memory of....My Dad

2007-10-30T14:48:00.000-05:00

I figured a blog was like a journal, so I wanted to use it to record some of my dreams. I've had some strange dreams lately about my dad. If you don't know, he passed away in July (ironically on the most lucky day of the century: 7-7-07) from an agressive lymphoma. He was fine one day, thought he pulled something in his back, and finally went to the dr. 2 weeks later. He was in the hospital while they ran tests, and died 2 weeks later. This was a lesson on how precious our life is and how it can be taken away so quickly.

So, my point was to record some of the dreams I've had about him. I think i've had about 4, but can't remember the first 2. The other night I dreamed that we were at one of Eli's soccer games, but it was indoors in a gym. (Might be from the amount of time I spend in a gym watching Miguel's volleyball team). It was quite a large gym and we were sitting on some chairs, the game going on in front of us, and people setting up for some event behind us--they looked like caterers. So, we're watching the game (completely aware that my dad has passed away and feeling like I needed to cherish this time I had with him) and Eli tries to do some tricky dribbling move and loses the ball. We're kinding laughing thinking he was cute for trying to do some tricky move. Then, my dad looks at me, and says he thinks the eggs are baked, not broiled (I guess we had been discussing what the caterers were putting out). His face was as clear as day, and I remember feeling his leg touch mine as we sat next to each other. For anyone that can tell me what this dream means, feel free.

Another dream I had was last night. It was me and my dad and my older brother--he must have been behind me in the dream b/c I couldn't see his face, just hear his voice. I think we were outside of a hospital. So, we're talking about how my mom is the new scribe for the bishop at our church. David, my brother, puts his two sense in and says how he used to do that and glad he's done with that job. Then my dad makes fun of my mom saying he didn't think she'd know how to do that and blah blah blah. I respond, "ok, bert!" (my dad's eyebrows were bigger than bert's from bert and ernie on seasame street). My dad kind of laughed that off, then turned around to smoke a cigarette. I didn't understand why no one was making a big deal about this, so I sneaked up behind him, hit the cigarette out of his hand and ran over and stomped on it. That one was a pretty weird dream. Who knows if I'll have anymore!

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-28T21:46:00.001-05:00

Off to Sweet Berry Farms up in Marble Falls! What a fun trip! The kids had tons of fun and the weather was beautiful!

First, it was posing time! I made the kids pose by everything---they're so sweet and cute!! Miguel got in on some of the posing action!

Then they all had to take turns posing on the kids tractor. Ethan added his own touch to this one by letting his pacifier hang out! What a personality that kid has!

Then it was off to paint pumkins. Livi insists on making hers pink. Afterall, why should it be any other color?

Eli is preparing his masterpiece of a pumpkin. His pumpkin (and his face in this picture) were a little scary!

Ethan was supposed to paint a pumpkin, but that lasted all of 60 seconds. He kept eating the paint, so I took him over to an area where he could do what he loves best----JUMPING! He was having a great time jumping off of the hay. Maybe I'll get him a bale for Christmas---he'd be so happy!

Then some more precious pictures! I love these boys! Don't let their smiles fool you---they're full of it!

Then it was Livi's turn to be tortured by mom and have to pose in some pumpkins. That's ok, I bribed her by telling her we'd go see some goats afterwards! Off to the animals. The kids got to see chickens, goats, horses and a puppy of course!

We had some homemade ice cream, picked out a family pumpkin, and then one last pose before we left! What a fun day! A couple of hours and we were all tired!

This is Miguel being silly on our way home---gotta keep the marriage alive! He was moving the seat all around and trying to get as close to the steering wheel as possible! We're such goobers! I think he's hilarious. He thinks I used to be hilarious!

Then, to finish the day off, the kids got to put on their costumes! What a precious Sunshine Bear, and awesome Mr. Incredible!

So MUCH to do, so LITTLE time!

2007-10-24T08:04:00.001-05:00

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done? Ever felt like this?

I definately have, and do right now. But then I think, I could look like this.......

and I don't want to pull my hair out anymore.

Ever had a hard time motivating yourself on the treadmill? I think this is a FABULOUS idea!

Help, I've fallen .....

2007-10-20T10:43:00.000-05:00

Yes, I fell. I was getting up to turn off my alarm, which is across the room, and I guess I fell asleep when I was going back to bed. I hit my leg on the metal part of the bed and my head on the chair by our desk. Man, it's really going to suck when I get old and fall for real (and not when I fall asleep walking back to bed)!

Super Target Rocks!

2007-10-19T17:15:00.000-05:00

Today was my first visit to the Super Target at South Park Meadows. NO, I was not there opening day, but should have been. We stopped on the way home from the longest dr. appointment ever! I figured some Target would do me some good! I was so proud of myself! I went in to get a dust buster and tried to look at other things but went to the check-out line with my 1 item. It was then that I glanced at the cute hats the girl was buying in front of me, and then my gaze went from them to the screen where it shows how much there were. I blinked a couple of times, thinking my eyes were playing a trick on me, but they weren't . Did it really say $2.48 for those hats? I was off on a mission to find me some hats!

I've never had a winter hat like that, and it looks cute on the girls in the magazine, so why not for $2.48? I found them! I bought one in tan and one in grey! I'm totally stylin'! After that, I noticed a "sale" sign in the jewelry, which was right next to the hats! Now, I know why Miguel hates it when I tell him things were on sale, and even more, when I go to Target! Then, I saw a beautiful necklace! It's like Natalie's, but not so long!

Then I saw another one and couldn't decide, so you know what I did? Yes, I bought both!

I would say it was a good day at Target!

SISTERS WEEKEND 2007

2007-10-19T16:03:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to write about my fabulous time in Utah, but have been waiting for the pictures. I forgot my camera and thought my sister Lisa would bring hers. Come to find out, she didn't bring hers because she just got a new one and didn't know how to work it and figured either me or Amy had one. Amy, my other sister, forgot her camera and thought me and Lisa would have one. So, in the end, we went to Rite Aid and bought disposable cameras! I can't believe we all forgot our camera, well, yes I can!

Let me set the scene. It was Thursday afternoon, two weeks ago when my friend, Margarita, came to my rescue. I had asked her to take me to the airport and then she volunteered to watch my kids also! Wow! I need more newly married (child-free) friends like her!!! So, she took me to the airport and dropped me off and took my kids to get dinner and then home. I was FREE!!! What a wonderful feeling! I was at the airport, all by myself, like a grown-up! After I checked in my luggage and undressed to go through security (not really, just seems like it), I was off to purchase magazines! I never buy magazines unless I fly somewhere and that is not very often! So I had a good read while I ate dinner. When I took the first couple bites of my sandwich I realized they were huge bites. Why do I take such big bites? Then I realized it's because I'm used to being in a rush, and getting a few bites before someone else needs something at dinner. So, I slowed down, took smaller bites, and enjoyed my magazine and aloneness! It was off to Denver first. That's where I met up with my awesome sister Lisa!!! We flew to Salt Lake on the same plane! We sure did have fun. In fact, I think the guy next to my sister was trying to tune us out, but that nazi stewardiss sure had a hard time. I guess we were her "problem" the whole time. Really, what is the big difference that my purse sticks out 6 inches from under the seat in front of me. If we crashed, is it really going to matter? Ok, enough on my high horse. We finally get into Salt Lake about 11pm and wait for Amy, my other sister, to pick us up! When she arrives, Sisters Weekend has officially begun!!!!

(me--youngest, Lisa--second oldest, and Amy--oldest)

We head out to Park City where we are staying in a friends cabin (thanks so much Petty family). By this time it's about 12:30am or so and it is dark up there. After going up and down the mountain, we find the cabin---boy is it nice! So we peak around at everything and finally settle down and get into our pj's and exchange gifts. We make (ok, i was lame and ran out of time) gifts for each other. Amy gave us our gifts--I got an Angel of Learning from Willow Tree. I loved it! Then, Lisa gave me a beautiful wooden bead bracelet. I have been looking for something like that, forever! My sisters are the best! After a really late night of talking and catching up, we put in a movie and drifted off! The next day, Friday, I got up kind of early. I guess I was giddy for being childless. I woke up my sisters and then I went back to sleep. After a short run, a lot of wheezing, and coughing, and realizing we should have run up the mountain at the beginning and not the end, we got ready for the day. First we stopped by some waffle house place, can I say that bacon is probably the best breakfast food out there, and then headed to the spa for a nice relaxing massage! Wow! I could have a 60 minute massage, everyday! From there, we went to our hotel. We got kind of jipted, so the lady gave us a room on the executive floor where we had access to the VIP lounge. I never knew they had anything like this! Whoo hoo for The Hilton in downtown Salt Lake! We headed to the lounge for some hor derv's, and then it was off to the Salt Lake Temple!

This was my first time in the Salt Lake temple. What a wonderful experience. Afterwards, we headed to The Garden in the J. Smith building. I forgot that Utah is not known for it's food. That was probably the worst stuff ever! Off to the hotel for a night! The next day we got up and watched conference then headed over to the conference center to enjoy conference in person!

After that, we went to see the Joseph Smith story. That was a very, very moving movie. I was bawling through most of it. I've read the story of the first vision and learned about it forever, but when I saw a visual of it, it was so real. I would highly recommend this to anyone!!! After (a good cry during the movie) we picked up some souveniers in the distribution center then headed over to the gateway to eat some asian food with my good friend, Jenny Black. It was so great to see her and catch up and eat some good food! I miss her so much. She's one of those people that you love to come over and your house is a mess and you don't care, and know she doesn't care, and you talk and let your kids go crazy together!! We had some good times! After dinner, we shopped for a short while then we said good-bye to my beautiful, pregnant, friend!

(jenny's the one on the left--doesn't look like she's hardly pregnant. i'm next to her, not pregnant, but looks like it here. i did't eat for awhile after i saw this. ok, it was like a couple hours, but you get my drift. man, i hate that pictures don't lie)

After some good times with Jenny, we headed back to the cabin in Park City! What a dream! There was about 4-5 inches of snow everywhere! I LOVE SNOW!!! We talked to Bryant, who lives at the cabin, for awhile, then headed to sleep. Sunday was a nice sleep in day (i'll read conference when i get it). We packed up, dropped Lisa off at Conference so she could catch the afternoon session. Amy and I headed to the Salt Lake cemetary to find my grandpa's grave. I haven't been there since he was buried there in July of 1988. It was something I really wanted to do. It made me feel closer to my dad for a short while (this was his dad's grave). Amy and I had some lunch then she dropped me off at the airport, and it was back to reality. All in all, I had a FABULOUS time. I had tons of fun, got some rest, and was ready to go back to my life. I highly recommend everyone having a sisters' weekend, and if you don't have a sister, call me--I'm up for it anytime!

Why do I hate man boobs?

2007-10-16T21:02:00.000-05:00

Because I heard my daughter say that! Yes, no lie, my 3 yr. old daughter said that tonight. I sat down to comb her hair and turned on the tv to distract her. Guess what was on? Yes, that's right, The Biggest Loser. That's when a great conversation started.

Livi: I see her nipples.

Me: No, those aren't nipples, those are boobs.

(the lady goes back to her team and a man takes off his shirt to weigh in).

Livi: I see that man's nipples.

Me: Those aren't nipples, those are boobs. They're man boobs.

Livi: I don't like man boobs.

Me: (laughing) I don't either!

So, if you haven't learned the moral of this story by now (I think this is advice that I REALLY need to follow), don't let your 3 yr. old watch 'The Biggest Loser' or you'll hear all kinds of words that shouldn't come out of their mouth!!

I MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING RIGHT!!!

2007-10-16T15:07:00.000-05:00

I thought to myself today, I must have done something right! This was my thought as I'm trying to potty train Ethan. He just turned 2 a week and a half ago. We started doing it about a month or two ago and he was doing really well, and then he stopped and I didn't want to clean up pee 5 times a day. His grandma gave him some pretty cool underwear for his birthday (thanks Maritza) and I think that sparked the interest again!

I again realized that I (really me and Miguel) had done something right when I went to check on Livi, in the bathroom, and this is what I encountered. She makes us soo proud!!!

(yes, I do comb her hair, just not everyday b/c of the screaming and the fight for her to let me do it. I may start doing it everyday after I realized that she looks homeless!)

SLEEP

2007-10-14T21:17:00.000-05:00

Today was one of the nicest days I've had. Well, it didn't start out like that. I decided not to go to Stake Conference (pretty much for the reason of wrestling 3 kids for 2 + hours was not something I could do today) but because I am exhausted beyond belief. Things have been really hectic and I've been going and going and going for a long time now. I think today was my body's way of telling me I have to stop! So I got to sleep in a little while this morning (translation---getting up to referee b/2 Eli and Livi, and getting them breakfast). It is nice to be able to keep my door open and one ear open and both eyes shut, and letting the kids play and watch cartoons. Ethan has been sleeping in really late, lately. I think he slept until 10 am today. He usually sleeps until 9 or 10am every morning---just for the past couple of weeks. I have been somewhat worried about him but figure I should take it while it lasts. I think he's going through a growth spurt. Anyways, after emailing some things to people in my Math class, I learned that Livi had gotten into my make-up and used the back of our chair as a canvas for her masterpiece. I totally lost it. I had specifically put my make-up on a counter that she couldn't reach (this isn't the first time she's gotten into it).

(ok, this isn't Livi and this isn't make-up, but you get the picture)

While I was scrubbing off the foundation on the back of the chair I thought about taking a picture, but that thought vanished as I continued to clean off the foundation. I was able to think and realize that there was one good thing that did happen---at least we have leather furniture and I wasn't trying to get this out of fabric. I felt very proud that I was able to realize that in the midst of everything. So, it doesn't stop there. Ethan pushes the ottoman into the kitchen and gets in the pantry and starts eating the raisins. I would have been fine with that, but then he eats them and spits the nasty things all over. What another mess. I finally completely lost it, went crying into my bed and told Miguel I was done. He then took the kids, and I slept. When he got home, I finally ate something and then went back to bed for another couple hours. We then went to our marriage class and learned some really good tactics on communicating our feelings. So after all that happened, I would say today was a good day. It is amazing what happens when your body has sleep!!! That's just what Wendy ordered (that's where you say Dr. , but i'm not a doctor so I just put my name in there instead!)

FRESH AIR !!

2007-10-12T07:53:00.000-05:00

I love this time of year!!! We slept with our windows open last night and it was so nice!! These are a few reasons why I love this time of year!

Cool breeze is so wonderful, especially after a long summer with the air conditioner running all the time!

I know we don't really see this here, but leaves that change color are so vivid and vibrant and almost take my breath away! I got to see it a lot when I was in Utah for sisters' weekend (i'll tell more when i get my pictures developed!!!)

So sinful! If you have to have a donut, try the pumpkin spice ones at krispy kreme. Never liked anything pumpkin until I tried this. Could it be the vast amount of sugar they put in it?? Probably not!

It seems like sunsets this time of year have more color. Maybe it's just the fact that I get to see it since the sun sets earlier! I love fall!

GOTTA LOVE THEM!

2007-10-09T20:35:00.000-05:00

Don't you just love how real kids are and how they just tell it like it is? Well, as I was combing Livi's hair before bed, we sat down to watch a show on tv (usually a great distraction from the gnarls in her hair). She proceded to inform me that she doesn't watch 'shows,' she watches 'cartoons.' I thanked her for telling me that and she went on playing with her book as I watched "The Biggest Loser." I noticed she started watching the show more and playing less with her word book. Before long, this was the conversation that we had.

Livi: Wow, that lady has big nipples.

Me: (laughing) Really? You can't see her nipples. Those are her boobs.

Livi: No, she has BIG nipples.

Me: (still laughing that my 3 yr. old is talking so frankly about nipples). Are you talking about her belly?

Livi: No. That lady has big nipples.

Me: (still laughing to myself and thinking how am I going to explain the different body parts so she doesn't bust out with this conversation in public).

Livi: Wow. That guy has big nipples.

Me: Those are his boobs.

Livi: No, those are his nipples. (hey kristi, is 'nipples' on your "list?")

Me: Do you have nipples, Livi?

Livi: Yes, I have baby nipples.

Me: You do? Aren't you a big girl?

Livi: Yes, but I have baby nipples. So does Ethan and Eli and Daddy and you!

Me: How does Eli have baby nipples when he's 7? He's a big kid.

Livi: Jeremy has baby nipples too. (he's a cousin that's 9).

Me: How does Jeremy have baby nipples when he's 9?

Livi: Eli's 9 too!

Me: Eli's only 7. Jeremy's 9.

Livi: Ethan has baby nipples, and so do I.

Me: Where's your nipples?

Livi: (pulls up her nightgown and points at them)

Me: Good job. Let's go to bed now.

Livi: Ok. Will you read me a 'once upon a time story?'

Me: Sure.

The moral of this conversation is: you need to explain that boobs are different than nipples and you probably shouldn't let your 3 yr. old watch "The Biggest Loser." I hope I'm not the only one that has children that talk so frank about things and make no sense when you're trying to reason with them!

Any ideas??

2007-10-02T16:05:00.000-05:00

I am in desperate need of a babysitter!!! I have one, but soon will have none. I hired a girl last friday and she quit on Saturday. She said something about being 'overwhelmed.' I don't understand where she was coming from! I mean, why can't you handle three kids when one is crying, and the other two are fighting, and dinner needs to be cooked and laundry is all piled up and the house is a wreck. I mean, I can do it all!! j/k. NO, in all seriousness, I'm looking for a sitter on Mon from 2:30-5:30, and Wed. from 11:30-5:30. And another sitter on T/Th from 10am - 1pm. No, she doesn't have to make dinner and clean my house! Just make sure my kids are ok!! Thanks for the help!

Busy Weekends!

2007-10-01T12:15:00.000-05:00

Was this weekend busy or what?? With all the usual fun filled tasks such as laundry, vacuuming, and picking up, it was CRAZY!!! My mom did come to visit so that was so fun!!! We went to Eli's soccer game and watched him play!! I know I'm a little biased, but he's got some quick feet! What a soccer player!!

Eli's the cute one on the far left. Yeah!! He's not the shortest on the team!

Then we headed to Ashlee's for a haircut! She really does a fabulous job!! Then Miguel went on a "date." We went grocery shopping without any kids!!! That counts as a date when you're as old as we are and have 3 kids! Then off for some more fun with my mom! We headed out shopping before we went to the RS Broadcast! I loved it! So nice to hear inspiring, encouraging and praise for what we do as moms/women/wives/latter-day saints! Then over to Marie Calendars for a quick bite and dessert. Let me give you a word of advice. When you tell them you want a brownie sundae, BEWARE! It was the hugest thing ever. Three people couldn't have eaten it. I made a dent in it, but that was it!!!

A DEAL, if you have time

2007-09-28T16:45:00.000-05:00

My mom told me about this deal that Wachovia is having. You open a checking account and you get a $75 gift card to Academy. I thought that it wasn't worth the time, but then remembered Christmas isn't that far away, and decided to go for it. So, I took my 2 little kids to the bank (would not recommend this to any sane person) and opened my account. Since I told them that my mom referred me, they send her a $25 visa card and me a $25 visa card. I told the bank lady that I had to be home soon, so it literally took her 5 minutes (with the promise that i'd come back and she could go over everything else another time) and I got a $75 gift card and will hopefully get a $25 visa card in the mail. I figured that putting $100 in the account for 6 months was worth getting $100 in free stuff!!! I love a good bargain! Oh, about another good, ok, GREAT bargain---OLD NAVY OUTLET has everything 75% off. Yes, that's 75% off. I bought khaki pants for Miguel for like $5 and $3.75 for Eli. They had polos for $2. (you can't hear it, but if I was saying this, my voice would be getting really high when I tell you the price and I'd be getting more and more excited the more I told you about the loads of money I saved)! I have to take a deep breath! I get really excited about a deal, and even more excited about an awesome deal! Old Navy outlet is changing into an Old Navy store so they are getting rid of everything. They open as a regular store on the 2nd of Oct. so i don't know if they have anything left!!! Happy Shopping!

ok, these aren't my children, and we weren't outside, but you get the picture!

p.s. i would recommend NOT taking small children. I did and they were running around everywhere b/c I filled the stroller up with clothes!

How to (or maybe not to) communicate with a 7 yr. old boy

2007-09-28T16:28:00.000-05:00

Me: So Eli, how was your day at school?

Eli: Want me to tell you who's in my class?

Me: Sure!

Eli: Jackson, Logan, she's a girl,...(i zoned out while he continued to tell me everyone's name and their gender)
Did you count 18?

Me: Oh, I wasn't keeping track.

Eli: Ok. There's Ava, Maddie (and this time he tells me where they sit in reference to him).

Me: (i'm really trying to focus now and count how many kids so he doesn't have to list them for a third time!)

Eli: (he finishes) How many was that?

Me: That was 18. So, how was your day?

Eli: Good.

Me: Is that it?

Eli: Yeah! Do you want me to tell you what we did today?

Me: Sure!

Eli: We had 'fun friday!' Do you know what that means?

Me: Yes. You get to go to recess two times!!

Eli: Oh, man! (then he proceeds to tell me when they have recess, what they did after lunch and so on and so on. He used 'like' so many times I was really distracted. Who would have thought that he would have gone on for so long? It was like word vomit that just kept coming and I couldn't do anything to stop it!)

Me: Hey Eli. Did you know when I was a kid, we used to have recess twice a day, everyday?!

Eli: (eyes real big) Really?

Me: Yah. And, we had PE everyday.

Eli: Are you kidding me? Why?

Me: Because it's good for you to move around and exercise and have fun!

Eli: Can I go outside now!

Me: Sure. Love you!

Eli: Love you too!

The moral of this conversation is to show you that just b/c you aren't 7, doesn't mean you don't have A.d.d. and how boys (who eventually grow into men) communicate. Why can't they communicate? What's a mom/wife to do?

Ode to Muffin Top

2007-09-26T22:47:00.000-05:00

O muffin top, muffin top. What would I do without you? Better yet, what do I do with you? You are my cushion in a busy crowd, my speed bump my shirt doesn't quite cover, the eye sore for skinny people. What would it be like without you? Could life exist without you? It can. For in the distance I can remember a time when you weren't around. Those were the days when I did whatever I pleased, whenever I pleased. I ate what I wanted and had 'self-control' when chocolate was around. Those days are far gone and now look what I have to show for it, you. I hate to say it, but I think our time is coming to an end. I enjoyed your company and all the comfort you gave me. When I had no one to turn to and that sweet didn't satisfy my emptiness I felt, you were a constant in my life. We have grown fond these past years and you continue to show your talents and how you grow! I need to separate myself from you and find something else to be my rock in times of peril. I have nothing but great things to say about you, but I must say good-bye. I've been able to shed a few pounds, but I've come to a point in my life where I don't want you around. You ask yourself what you've done to deserve this, and I answer, nothing. You are remarkable. Think of all the great times we've had together. You will have those great times with others, and maybe even better times. Thanks for everything. I bid you a farewell. Go, find someone who needs you. Please, don't make this harder for me than it already is. We need to go our separate ways. You're amazing and don't let anyone ever tell you differently!

I'm blogger savvy!

2007-09-26T09:27:00.000-05:00

Check out the music thing I added to my blog!! I did it all on my own! It probably only took about 2 hours worth of figuring it out, but I did it!!!!

I LOVE MY NEIGHBORHOOD!

2007-09-25T18:27:00.000-05:00

We had our annual neighborhood party this past weekend and boy was it a blast! I hadn't been to one yet, since we were out of town last year when they held the annual shindig! I was in for a surprise. Let me take you to the situation.

It was a Saturday evening, sun still shining so brightly. I placed my two youngest offspring's in the stroller and followed my eldest offspring to the 'partah in the cul-de-sac.' (At one point, Livi was holding onto Eli as he rode the scooter.) As sweat was dripping down my back and across my brow, I rounded the corner to see a little piece of sweetness! The expression on my face was one that could be confused with a child on Christmas morning. There was more than my eyes could digest and more joy than anyone should experience at a neighborhood party! There was a slip and slide, a jumper for the kids,

a petting zoo, face painter, the UT game on an 8 foot screen with any man's wildest dream of a sound system, and the biggest, most enthusiastic grill any die-hard tailgater could ever want! To say the least, we enjoyed some good food, ok, fabulous food. I only say fabulous b/c it was free and I didn't have to cook it! The kids had so much fun, and my favorite...the firefighters. Did I say firefighters? I meant the fire truck (there was this one hottie that could put out any fire I ever had).Was that out loud? Dang it. It was a blast! Here's the proof!

(Livi did this pose all on her own. If I don't say, she's got it goin' on! You go girl!)

What the.. Bee?

2007-09-25T17:37:00.000-05:00

We had a very scary encounter with a bee this weekend. Ok, so i'm exaggerating just a tad. I saw it out on my back porch, and it was squirming around. I ended my misery, ok, everyone's misery by using enough bug spray to kill a small family of bees. I've been researching (really just looking at pictures on google) to find out what kind of bee it is. If you have a husband like me, you have to wear the pants in the family and just kill the bee. It was pretty scary!

LESSON OF THE DAY!

2007-09-25T14:19:00.000-05:00

Another great lesson was learned today, thanks to good old Physics class. I only share these wonderful tidbits of information because they are so interesting (yes, I'm a totally physics nerd). Say there are 2 speakers placed some distance apart. You are standing between them, but about 20 feet away. This forms a triangle, but it's not an equilateral triangle (distance b/2 each speaker to you is a different length). Well, these speakers interfere with each other and cause the sound to reach you (meaning each of your ears) at different times. If you were standing at the right position, you would have a constructive interference. If you were standing at another position, you would have a destructive interference and ultimately not be able to hear the speakers--they would cancel each other out!!! Wow, what a cool concept. Now all this depends on the wave length and the phase angle. Now, go share your plethera of information! Stay tuned for next time....I'll tell you how you can shatter a glass!

BEWARE OF BIG MAMA's

2007-09-21T22:22:00.000-05:00

This is a confession to all you ladies who have children and have never hurt them. Today I thougth I broke Livi's finger. As we went to do my favorite thing (take children to places that they shouldn't go and do things I don't want to do) renew my tags on my HUSBAND'S car (don't know if I signed up to do that one or how I ended up doing it), things went bad quickly (can anyone tell me if this is a run on sentence or if I can just keep putting things in ( ) and it doesn't count). I was holding Ethan's hand and Livi was right behind me. A gentleman held the door open for me and we walked in. I knew Livi was behind me. All of a sudden I heard a loud scream and twirled around to see Livi's hand stuck in the door. As we were in about a 10' x 4' room with 4 other men in there, I quickly removed her (and Ethan--making sure he didn't get his hand caught in the door) outside and looked at her pinkie. I held it up and immediately I could see blood all inside of it like a blood blister was forming. She was screaming out loud, while I was screaming inside b/c I couldn't believe I had done this to my baby girl and I didn't know what to do next. On the knuckle on the back of the hand, it was all white and had a huge crease in it (where the door was on it). I thought I broke her finger. After about 2 minutes, she calmed down and we were able to get Miguel's car legal again. Thank goodness the Lord made kids so resilient and pliable! pretty much the same thing as the picture except Livi's a girl, it wasn't in the car, and I didn't take a picture while my kid was in misery!

BEWARE OF LITTLE CHILDREN

2007-09-21T22:04:00.001-05:00

I finally downloaded a whole bunch of picture from my camera! Yeah!! When I saw all those wonderful pictures it reminded me of a great story I could retell. So we have some friends that got married down at this old mansion in Galveston this past summer. They have been friends for awhile and have known our kids most of their lives. Well, since Miguel and I got married and had kids so young, it works out for our friends. They are all now just getting married, and our kids are in their weddings(since we're really only the ones with kids, let alone that they are the right age for being really cute in weddings). This was the first wedding that Livi and Eli have both been in together. Eli was the ring bearer and Livi was the flower girl.

James and Rheanna (the wedding couple) had their wedding at 6pm. Not the ideal time for Livi since she still naps in the afternoon (i can't believe they didn't schedule it around her nap---the nerve! j/k). Let's just say she was being good but getting tired and getting into stuff. By the time we got to the mansion, she's ripped the seam on her dress (i just finally cut it off) and she'd pulled a bow off! Thank goodness I had "borrowed" one of those little sewing kits from a hotel and it had some pink thread and a needle in it (Thanks so much omni!) so I sewed that bow on in the car on the way to the wedding! Go Martha, I mean Mom! While I was in the process of having Eli take a picture of me and Miguel, I noticed Livi was no where to be found. I started freaking out and then I found her. Any guesses to where she was??? Yes, she had taken a fork and was eating the bride's cake. Now in a normal, not in public place, especially not at a wedding, I would have totally freaked out, but I didn't. I thought to myself "self, you can look at how bad this is, or how bad it isn't." I took the latter. I figured, at least she ate off the back side of the cake, and she used a fork and not her hands!! That's a story to keep forever!

DORA TO THE RESCUE!

2007-09-21T18:50:00.001-05:00

For those of you who have mulitple children, you know that fighting and contention can't be prevented. So when those rare moments occur where the kids are playing so nicely, you wish you could make those moments last forever! Here is proof that they do happen.

Both Ethan and Livi wanted to ride the infamous Dora bike, so they took turns being the driver. I love these times!! I'll have these wonderful memories to look back on when they're teenagers really fighting over who's turn it is to drive!! AGGGGGHHH!

IS IT JUST MY KID WHO'S REALLY GROSS?

2007-09-21T18:38:00.000-05:00

While I was in my normal position in the morning (on the couch half asleep) I notice Ethan was being quiet and just standing there sucking on his pacie (pacifier). Usually when he does that--assumes the position--then I know he's doing his business. This position was different. As the fog rolls from my eyes with each blink, I notice there's hair hanging off his pacie. Yes, HAIR. Not just any hair, but long, black hair. It wasn't just a hair, it was lots of hair. As soon as I would grab the pacie and take the hair off it, he would go find more, put it on his pacie and suck it so contently!! I about vomited at this. It was so gross, I had to take a picture and share it. Please tell me my kid isn't the only sick one out there! no, it's not a pubic hair, although it looks like it

LESSON OF THE DAY!

2007-09-21T09:41:00.000-05:00

I got the most comments when I posted the wave equation, so I figured since I'm so intellectual, I'd share some of my knowledge. (I guess you can't hear my sarcasm when it's just words!) We will have a short lesson of the day. Today we are going to talk about different kinds of waves, mechanical ones. Transverse waves are like if you're holding a string and you shake one end of it. The individual particles move up and down, but the wave pattern moves down the string. Thus, the particles move perpendicular (up & down) to the wave pattern (moves from left to right). Longitudinal waves are sound waves. The particles are compressed (think of an ear canal) moving back and forth, just like the wave pattern is traveling that way!!! Now, go into the world and share this highly useful information. Go, run. Run as fast as you can!

Physics Presentation 2: Waves

2007-09-21T09:40:00.001-05:00

This is pretty cool. You have to listen--the music rocks! Again, I forgot you can't hear my sarcasm when I'm just writing! Doh!

Miss Teen South Carolina Calls 911

2007-09-20T16:38:00.001-05:00

Kudos for those who made this movie--gave me a good laugh! I'd watch the other one first!

Miss Teen USA 2007 - South Carolina answers a question

2007-09-20T16:33:00.001-05:00

I'd heard about this clip on you tube where one of the contestants was asked a question about kids in the u.s. and then totally went off and said stuff about South Africans. Here it is. Brace yourself. I didn't know people like this really existed.