Bits of My Weekend-Volume 9

We had such an awesome weekend!

David organized several babysitters and kid transporters to enable us to go to a Christian conference in McKinney over the weekend. I have seen David Herzog on Godtv as well as several episodes of Sid Roth. His meetings are WILD!

Wasn’t sure I could get David to go with me, but with a little bribing he gave in. He would agree with me—we were both so glad we went. It was amazing! Some typical things that happen at his meetings are healings, gold fillings, and supernatural weight loss. All of those things happened in our midst . . . as well as awesome worship and great teaching. Very fun to be a part of it all.


This was the view from the really great hotel we stayed in. Maybe I'm a dork but I just loved the quaint rooftops and church steeple.


For the record I have only twice stayed at a hotel where I loved the mattress more than the one we sleep on at home. I asked at the front desk what kind of mattresses they were, but all the girl could tell me was that it was a pillowtop Serta. Knowing there is a huge range of pillowtop Sertas, I should have just pulled up the mattress and looked for myself. She did mention that they get that question all the time. Que serra serra.

It was just a meeting on Friday night and another on Saturday night, so we had all day Saturday just to have fun in Dallas . . . and we did!

We had lunch at a great little Chinese place—truly it’s my goal in life to figure out how to make really great Chinese food. It’s my absolute favorite . . . and healthy!

We hit a great furniture store, did some outlet shopping, got my hair cut and even had time for a pedicure. Fun, fun, fun.

We didn’t get back until 2:00am Sunday morning and still got up for the early service . . . so we were totally wiped out. Our new babysitters kind of missed the bedtime goals and both Cole and Jonathan were up until 11:30!! So following the service and a quick lunch at Chili's, we all took an afternoon nap! (except for Ashley)

Sunday evening we gave Ashley her first taste of driving down the driveway. This is a picture of her in all her elation.


And this is a picture of the passengers in the back.


Drama, drama, drama.

Break This Mama's Heart!

Nicholas started pre-school today.

Even though he will only be going two days a week, it would be hard to find a kid more excited than him. He has been jumping up and down for days in anticipation.

With Buzz Lightyear backpack and Buzz Lightyear lunch box in tow, he hopped in the van with great exuberance.

On the way to school I prayed for him . . . and then he prayed for me,

"Dear Jesus, please help my mom to not be sad without me."

Bits of My Weekend-Volume 8

On Friday we headed over to Henry's house to drop Cole off for a sleep over. He had such a great time. Hanging with Henry is one of his favorite things to do. This is a picture of Cole on the left, Henry in the middle and his neighbor, Blake, on the right.


On Saturday I said my goodbyes to Nicholas' sweet little baby room as David FORCED me to go shopping with him for a "Big Boy" bed. This was very hard. When did my baby grow up?!


Nicholas was absolutely overjoyed with his new bed. He crawled right in and hasn't stopped talking about it since. I still need to come up with a new theme as he has kind of outgrown little yellow ducks . . . but for now he is loving some old bedding I had stored away from when Jonathan was younger.


You might notice in this picture (and in most all pictures of Nicholas of late) that his arms are crossed with his body turned slightly to the side. My son Jonathan pointed out that Nicholas now poses for every picture in the same way that Alvin does on the cover of "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" . . . which looks like this.


Which would also explain this picture of him taken on his birthday. I'm starting to see a resemblence. You might also notice his new bike in the background. He took one look at it and said, "I'm not getting on that 'cause I'll fall on my head!" So, he's been sticking with his tricycle . . . maybe he'll be ready in a month or two.


On Sunday after church we headed out to visit some friends of ours who live in Henderson. Because they're moving off of their 30 acre farm, they are parting with their two white pyrenees, Michael and Angel. They are wonderful dogs and our children are really hoping we make them ours . . . a decision we're weighing very carefully.


We made a final pitstop on Sunday late afternoon to buy last minute necessities for school which started today. This was tax-free week-end in Texas (which I try to avoid at all costs because the crowds are overwhelmingly chaotic) . . . but we braved the madness for the sake of desperately needed volleyball shorts (or so we were told) for our daughter. Every pair of shorts in the store were $5.99 . . . except for the pair required for the team which were $25.99 . . . whatever!


Nonetheless it was fun trip as The Sports Academy is quite close to my sister's house . . . so we got to pop in and say "hi" to sweet Lily Faith—which made all the driving worthwhile.


My friend, Michelle, is the inspiration for so many of us to be sharing "Bits of our week-ends." Be sure and check out what everyone else has been up to at Six in the City.

Celebrating Once Again!

My little Nicki-bop turns four today!

Such a wonderful, unexpected, amazing gift to our family four years ago. He is just like a burst of sunshine lighting up the world everywhere he goes.

On such a special occasion I thought I’d totally copy my friend Danielle’s post on her sweet Isabelle born just a few days before Nicholas.

Nicholas @ birth


Nicholas @ 8 months or so


Nicholas @ one


Nicholas @ two


Nicholas @ three


Nicholas @ four—today!


Love you sweet baby. God so overwhelmingly, so unexpectedly, so amazingly blessed us with you. You are such a joy!

Spreading Joy

The other day I was shopping in the mall and pushing Nicholas in his stroller. While walking through a beautiful display of draperies we noticed a lady sitting behind a desk where you place custom orders. She looked rather stressed and I think her day was going south.

Just as we were passing, her countance changed very suddenly and she started laughing outloud . . . my son was the culprit.

Though I couldn’t see his face because I was behind him, she said he was making the best pirate face at her.

Oh that boy!

He gets his pirate faces from that Veggies Tale movie . . . so glad he was able to bring some laughter to her day.

He does that to me all the time.

Bits of My Weekend-Volume 7

Our weekend started off with my three boys wanting to make Ashley breakfast in bed for her birthday—so sweet. Totally their idea with no coaching or help from me. You might notice Nicholas was more or less supervising . . . when he wasn't distracted with his gameboy.


On Saturday Ashley got a manicure (french zebra) followed by dinner with lots of relatives at The Olive Garden—her favorite restaurant.


She's now loaded up with lots of moola (we have LOTS of relatives), a really fun camera, and excessive amounts of girl accessories necessities.


Can’t leave out this sweet picture of Ashley with my new niece Lily Faith . . . oh my goodness she’s the cutest thing!


Finished up the evening with a few more gifts at home—these were suppose to be for the next party . . . but who can win an argument with a 15 year old?! Besides, if I had won the argument, I wouldn't have realized how much my bookshelves could use some serious help from Heidi and Leah!


On Sunday we had the afore mentioned party at Teen Mania’s pool with some of Ashley's friends from school and youth group (1st year we invited boys—yikes!)


And here's the "Okay, let me appease my dad with the camera" shot.


This was followed by a slumber party for the girls.

Note to self: If you have a slumber party for your teenage daughter, you will not get any sleep. Your husband will not get any sleep. AND, you'll have lots of grumpy teenagers at your breakfast table. But they ate heartily nonetheless and it was a great time had by all.

Happy extended birthday, Ashley. I think we can officially say it’s over now . . . at least until next year!

The inspiration for "Bits of My Weekend" is my good friend Michelle . . . she could use an encouraging word today if you have time to stop by.

15!

Really.

She’s 15.

Ashley's ecstatic . . . this is the year she gets her driving permit!

It's such a special day, we're living it up big . . . all weekend long. Bits to follow.

Happy Birthday Ashley. You have been such a gift to all of us!

Relief!

We've been enduring a heatwave . . . which is perfectly normal here in East Texas. With the thermostat hanging out at 105, the kids have been trying lots of different ways to stay cool.





Today it is 77 and overcast—perfect!

The Inevitable

When did this happen?

Yesterday Ashley and I stopped in at Brookshires to grab a few groceries. Brookshires is refreshing. Not only do they play Christian music while you shop, they train their employees to smile, make eye contact and greet you as you walk through their doors.

I think it was the first time in 14 years that didn’t happen.

The young teenage greeter who would have normally done this could not seem to take his eyes off of the daughter potential prom date at my side—his smile and greeting were for her alone.

I’ve been dragging Ashley to Brookshires with me for years . . . I still kind of think of her as the six year old I’m trying to keep from opening a candy bar in the check out line so I’ll have to buy it. She did that once.

Oh nuts!

I knew this day would one day come.

Bits of My Weekend-Volume 6

We started the weekend by catching the new flick Ramona and Beezus with my sister and neice (the extra kid is Elizabeth) . . . such a cute movie. I loved those books growing up. Don’t know if you can tell it from the picture, but my kids are getting rather tersty with Michelle and her Bits . . . okay, really they're just tersty with me and my camera—but it’s so much more fun to shift the blame.


Saturday morning I woke up to three boys sleeping on our bedroom floor. This is not new . . . Jonathan and Cole have been slipping out of bed somewhere in the wee hours for quite some time . . . but this is the first time I found Nicholas there too. What to do? What to do?




This is Ashley earning her loot for itunes, trendy threads and treats at the YWAM substation where she loves to hang out with friends. I’m so glad she’s back. During her week away at camp David decided Jonathan was old enough to take a stab at it . . . which led to a blue garden hose cut in half and wrapped around the cutting deck . . . which led to many hours of repair work . . . not to mention my beautiful magnolia tree which is no longer with us. Sigh. He’s eleven. Maybe next year.


In the afternoon David and I ditched the kids and headed out for some alone time. We stopped by Jon and Kelly's to check out their latest sodding project. While there we took a moment to check on their vineyard. This is my little nephew, Matthew, standing next to some very beautiful Concord grapes. They are about a week out from harvest. Jon and Kelly never cease to amaze us with their projects and undertakings.




We did some running around in Tyler and then met up with some good friends for some good eats at the Outback—very fun.

Since I wasn’t with the kids, I gave them my camera and told them to take some pictures while we were gone. (Didn’t want to miss out on any Bits). To ensure it’s proper protection, I informed Ashley that if it didn’t make it’s way back to me, her future wedding would be held in the back yard with hot dogs and paper plates. I believe strongly in giving good incentive . . . especially for the child who jumped in the pool with her cell phone in her pocket and accidently left her ipod on some outdoor bleachers at a track meet. I’m just sayin’.

Not wanting to disappoint their mother, this is what I found awaiting my return.




Freak me out already!

In my very nicest tone of voice I asked how high up that branch was. They informed me I didn't want to know. Nice.

The fun never ends over at Six in the City. Be sure to click on over to catch some more Bits . . . or even join in with your own.

Preserving the Memories

After a somewhat lengthy hiatus from blogging . . . I'm back! I mean really!

Though I never stopped "reading" updates from my blogging pals, I had to stop commenting and posting so much as I was focused on other things.

I’ve been trying to make my way back for quite some time, but it was a birthday gift that kind put me over the top. My husband surprised me last month with a hardbound book of my four years of “Mommy Blogging.”

What an amazing gift! While I leafed through it a couple of times, it was actually my kids who couldn't put it down. They absolutely DEVOURED it.

It’s like when we were in school and the class year books arrived . . . you could focus on nothing else until you had seen every picture and snippet about yourself. Here was four years worth of tidbits, pictures and funny memories that they had previously been clueless about.

Suddenly I was being quoted at the dinner table, laughed about at family gatherings and asked to elaborate on various posts. Such fun!

So for all the many reasons I love blogging, really I’m back because of the gift it is to them . . . memories of their childhood captured forever.

Bits of My Weekend-Volume 5

While trying to endure excessively high temperatures, we enjoyed a couple of outings over the week-end. On Saturday we celebrated my brother-in-law, Kent's, birthday. This is Nicholas "helping" Kent open his birthday presents . . . this has become the norm and everyone pretty much lets him do the opening.



This is my nephew, Caleb. Though he would never tell you so, he just was awarded the honor of "Best Trombone Player in the World" for ages 18 and under. This was quite an amazing accomplishment. He was selected as one of the three finalist and was flown to Austin to perform live. This Austin part was a little bit sad as each year this is held in a different location . . . and usually in a different country. Austin isn't much of a trip when you live a mere 5 hours away, but it was a very high honor nonetheless.



And this precious little one is my new niece Lily Faith. She is two and a half weeks old and has only been home for a few days. She spent the first two weeks of her life in the NICU after swallowing lots of water in the birthing process. She is our little miracle and is the sweetest little doll. One had to stand in line if they were going to hold her on Saturday . . . the line was quite long!



On Sunday we headed up to David's parents house on the lake after church. It was something like 105 and the water was something like 97—we are sweltering here in Texas! But the kids had a blast while Grandad took them tubing behind his boat.



Unfortunately Nicholas didn't get to go. He cried and cried but once again forced a smile when I pulled out the camera.



Marybeth made a wonderful lunch and we immensely enjoyed the fellowship. We're so blessed to have almost all of our family near us even though none of us are from Texas. Truly we are blessed indeed!

Be sure and read up on more bits at Six in the City!

The Backup Plan

Nicholas: Mom, can I go down to the treehouse with Jonathan and Cole?

Me: Okay, but PLEASE don’t fall!

Nicholas: It’s okay, Mom. If I fall, I’ll come back to the house and hold you.

Bits of My Weekend-Volume 4

Our lives have been so very full lately. This past weekend Ashley finished up a week at Teen Mania’s Extreme Camp and then Jonathan took off for a week at Sky Ranch’s Be*Volution Camp. I’m getting so good at the laundry-pack-unpack-laundry routine.





This is a sweet little guy who was with us for a couple of weeks. Over the weekend we said our goodbyes. Our house feels so empty without him . . . but he is now with family and that’s a good thing.



We celebrated Father’s Day quite late as David was in California for a wedding on the actual day. Ashley (being at camp) missed the celebration. As the kids get older it’s harder and harder to all be at the same place at the same time.



David missed his birthday to boot . . . so on Saturday we celebrated at my sister’s in-laws’ house . . . always such fun.











Oh and one really great tip I discovered over the weekend: If your kids are begging for a bucket of army men (after seeing Toy Story 3), it’s $15 at Walmart. But if you go just two aisles over you can purchase a far better set of army men for $3 . . . it just doesn’t say “Toy Story 3” on the label. : )



It feels to me like the summer is flying by . . . so nice to capture a few bits of it here. Be sure and check out more bits at my good friend, Michelle’s.