Matt's Field Trip to the Aquarium

I had so much fun going with Matt on his field trip to the Aquarium.  However...Marlie also had a field trip on the same day.  PreK-3 was walking to the park so I had to chose one.  Horrible for the school to make a parent have to do that!  I knew a few Mom's that would be attending the PreK-3 field trip so I decided Marlie would be ok.  I'm still not ready for Matt to go without Doug or I to an open place like the Aquarium.  I just see him running off and getting lost (although I know that most likely would not happen).  As I dropped Marlie off that morning I wanted to cry and luckily pulled myself together.  Apparently she attached herself to Mrs. Traci and even begged her to take her home at the end of the day.  Traci sent me a pic and a text during the day to tell me the kids were having a blast.  A true friend!  That made my day!  Traci sent me some really cute pics but I cannot seem to download them from the Kodak Gallery! 

The kinder kids had a blast at the Aquarium and I did too. Here are some of the usual suspects...

I was so surprised when Matt wanted to go on this ride that takes you way up high and drops you down.  I asked Caden if he would ride with Matt and there the boys went.  I thought for sure he would cry when he got to the top but he was smiling like crazy and the boys stayed on to ride again!  He is much braver than I and I'm so thankful for that.

Matt asked Ms. Marchesani if she would ride the ferris wheel with us.  She reluctantly said yes and it was so cute because she was a bit scared.  Now this is a huge ferris wheel so I was too.  She sat next to Matt and asked if he would hold her hand.  He was in heaven and loved every minute of it!  To think this school year is coming to an end and we will have to have a new teacher next year makes me want to cry AGAIN.  This young Baylor grad is awesome.  It was so fun to watch her interact with the kids during the day.  I learned a few tricks from her.  Thank you Ms. Marchesani for organizing a great day for everyone and for all your hard work! We are so blessed! 

Don't You Want Some Bunny To Love?

Easter is such a special holiday.  As with Christmas, often times we forget what we're celebrating.  But Marlie knew that Jesus died and rose on the third day.  Sister Mary taught her well!  The kids also decided to give up gum for lent and when I forgot and asked Marlie if she wanted some she said, "Mom I gave up gum for lent."  Now first Matt thought about giving up chocolate but when Dad told him that meant Oreos, chocolate ice cream, etc, he said "maybe I'll give up vanilla".  Somehow they both decided on gum which is good because they ask for gum every time we hop in the car. 

We went to the Movie Tavern and saw HOP with a bunch of friends.  The kids couldn't wait to paint eggs so we came home and did that too.  We made every color we could and even made some glitter ones too.  They had a blast!

We had a quick, but really fun weekend in SA with the entire family.  Matt woke up early to go potty and found his basket.  He was SO excited.  Marlie...not so much.  Maybe she was so tired from not sleeping and punching me in the face all night (I don't know how you crazy parents sleep with your kids but your missing out on some great sleep!).  And it was Matt who was so excited about the Easter egg hunt.  He couldn't wait!

And here are all the cousins getting ready for the hunt.  We missed Tim in the first picture so I had to take another of him and Matt.  Since these are the only boys they have so much fun together.  It will be fun to watch them as they get older.  They already had a blast playing Tball in the backyard.  Matt got to "coach" and he loved that.  Later T said, "Matt I love you".  How cute is that? 

We had a really great Easter and I hope you did too!  We got to swing by the Hatters house on our trip and see them for a bit and that was just icing on the cake.  They are way too fun and we always have so many funny things to talk about.  We love you guys!  

Blog Slump - Need Prayers

No I don't need prayers for my blog slump. Let me explain.  There are 3 important women in my life that need prayers.  I've been busy lately trying to turn worry into prayer.  I don't think I've prayed this much in my life.  But I'll keep doing it. 

If you read my blog you know Melissa, Caden's Mom.  Melissa was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer in February.  When she told me I immediately got a knot in my stomach.  I remained somewhat composed until we got in the car and I lost it.  I lost my appetite and couldn't sleep.  Imagine how she felt?  Fast forward to now.  Her PET scan showed the cancer only in one spot.  Huge blessing.  She had a lumpectomy last Wednesday and will start chemo in a few weeks.  This will most likely be followed by a double mastectomy and reconstruction.  It's a long road ahead, but she's being strong and positive.  The positive of this is that we got to kidnap Caden on Sunday and the boys had fun.  Caden is really sweet to Marlie too.  Please keep Melissa and her family in your prayers! We want them to be ready for another trip to Great Exuma next year!!

You also know Traci, Hannah and Hayden's Mom, from my blog too.  Traci's sister, Tami, passed away a little over a week ago from cancer.  She was 43 and had 5 girls.  Matt and I have been praying for "Hannah's Aunt Tami" for so long now.  She has been sick for some time.  That night when Matt prayed that she get better I had to tell him something.  So I told him that his prayers worked.  That she is better because in Heaven no one is sick.  And in Heaven she can be the Mom she wants to be and watch over her girls.  I told him that now we have to pray for Ms. Melissa and keep Ms. Stephanie on our list.  He asked lots of questions and I didn't use the word "cancer" but explained about them having "bad cells" in their body that we have to pray go away!! 

Traci is back in Houston now.  I haven't had a chance to talk to her much and I'm not sure if she's ready to talk.  It broke my heart because when she did talk about Tami I could always tell that Traci was so hopeful.  Even the last few weeks when Tami was on life support.  Please keep Tami's family and Traci in your prayers!

And lastly, if you haven't read my blog posting from last December about the "Pink Christmas" you should read it! Ms. Stephanie had surgery to remove the cancer that had moved into one of her lungs.  She has been waiting to start chemo but her white blood cell counts have been too low.  She was back at MDA this week.  I texted her that morning praying for better cell counts.  She texted me back that they had found three more spots on her lower left lung.  My heart sank. 

I don't know if I have the right words to describe Stephanie.  When you see her, you would never know she has Stage IV breast cancer.  Her face almost glows...she has the best skin and looks angelic.  She's always running around with her 2 small children.  She is always concerned about others.  She has been a huge blessing for Melissa in giving her advice.  I'm so happy they know each other.  When I go to visit and take her food or little surprises she always has something for me too.  She is my inspiration to keep moving forward no matter what life throws at you.  I am a better person for knowing her and I thank God everyday.

It's been a very emotional few months.  In a way it has helped me to get perspective on life.  I worry less about the small bumps in the road.  However, I also find I am insensitive to people that complain about the little things or people who are just plain mean.  I have lost my patience with my little ones because sometimes they fight over the smallest, most ridiculous things.  I'm trying to do better with that one because in their world those things are important.  I've learned to pray better...yes more meaningful prayers. 

What has kept a smile on my face while trying to support these ladies are my wonderful friends.  There are my daily "quick" emails from Laura and Jenny who always make me laugh. My walks with Heather every night help to get any stress out and talk through ideas.  These girls are supporting all 3 of these women too so we can share in our heart breaks and in the blessings of our lives.  My Mom has taken the lead with Team Stephanie and I know through our team she will be well taken care of.  And my coworker Ann who reminds me to keep praying.  Thank you ladies!! 

Peace & Blessings to you all!  Please keep these amazing women and their families in your prayers. 

Yee-haw!

Well we barely made the rodeo this year!  We rolled in on the last day and as always had a blast!!  We set a record this year.  6 hours!  Yes we were at the rodeo, really just the fairgrounds, for almost 6 hours.  Here are my cowkids all ready to go!

Our usual routine is to get there when the doors open.  While we're waiting for the carnival to start we get in a pony ride and visit the petting zoo.  They both love riding the ponies.  And they hop on and ride like they do it every day. 

I think the entire family is scared of the attacking goats in the petting zoo.  So we typically move towards the smaller guys and then we're ok. 

Then it was time for the highlight of the day...Matt was really excited about Mutton Bustin'.  So Doug signed him up.  Here he is getting ready...

Then we could tell he was terrified.  But he didn't say a word. 

Here he is in the shoot, getting ready!!

And then well, I have to be honest...I think of his group he was the first to fall off.  He didn't like the dirt all in his eyes and mouth when he fell either.  I could see he was holding back tears when they took his helmet off.  I was glad he was brave and tried.  We told him we were proud of him for trying and that got him more excited.  When they walked the kids out at the end, he was smiling and waving as if he won!!  Too cute!!  Maybe we'll try again next year??

Then it was off to ride some rides!!! The faster it was, the louder Marlie screamed.  She loved it all.  Here are a few pics on the roller coasters. 

Then Doug made me go with the kids on the slide, which he knows I don't like.  Last year I think my back was out of whack for a few weeks after this slide.  But it was fun and I'd do it again to hear Marlie scream all the way down!

The kids were excited when we spotted Ashdin and we got to go on a ride with him too!

It was a great day!  Thanks Dad for taking us to the Rodeo!!! Yee-haw!!!

Thankful for Thursday

Doug and I both took off work on Thursday but unfortunately didn't coordinate too well and we ended up going in different directions.  But we all had fun!!

We were so excited that Hannah spent the day with us.  Matt very proudly told Caden the day before that he and Hannah were going to the zoo.  Like it was a date!  Doug took them and had just as much fun as they did.  You can tell from the pictures that they had a great day! They loved the baby giraffe and baby elephant.  Doug said after 3 hours they were exhausted.  Matt (still recovering from baseball camp) could barely keep up with Hannah!

We finally took Hannah home at 6:30 that night and I wouldn't have cared if she stayed all weekend.  Her and Matt played so well and he was so much calmer than normal!  He even talked in a more quiet voice.  They love to wrestle and played board games.  When Doug told them they could watch a movie they sat right next to each other on the couch.  Too cute!!  Hannah left this cute note for Matt...I love it!

Marlie and I had some errands to run but our prize after our hard work was going to Addison's party at Build-A-Bear. Marlie built a bunny and picked out a cute pink dress and shoes and then named it "Mr. Bunny".  That last only until she got home and brother harassed her about it being a "Mr.".  So now it is Ms. Bunny and they go everywhere together!  Happy Birthday Addison and thank you to the Conner's.  The girls had so much fun!

A Note for Dad

So we are home today and Mom is catching up on chores.  Marlie is down for a nap and Matt is watching some cartoons.  I went to straighten up upstairs because it looked like a tornado had blown through...and found this note on the chalkboard...

Is this the cutest or what? Not to mention that Matt wrote it all by himself.  Doug please be surprised when you see this tonight.  It was just too special not to take a picture and post on the blog.  

Spring Break Baseball Camp!

While everyone else is traveling the country, we are at home for Spring Break!  Doug and I are working but we are still managing to sneak in some fun here and there.

We were excited when Uncle Jay said we could go to Baseball USA for camp.  Caden came with us and even Evan met us there too!  The boys were all very excited.  

I however (no surprise really) was emotional.  This was the first camp where Matt's friends could join him AND the first camp where we would drop them off and leave for the day.  I know that sounds ridiculous but it's a big step for a parent.  I was in tears until we pulled into the parking lot and I saw Joel (Caden's daddy) and John (Evan's daddy).  I figured I better pull myself together or they'll think I'm crazy...which they might already but anyway...so there were all 3 boys.  Cute as could be and super excited. 

Even better that Uncle Jay was working the camp!  It made them feel special that he knew them and gave us parents some comfort that they would be okay! 

So I left, hoping to get hugs and a kiss from Matt.  But Evan looked at me like "lady, I am way too old and cool to be hugging you" and Matt gave me the quickest kiss he possibly could.  I figured at this point I wouldn't embarrass Caden too so he got a pat on the head. 

The boys met other kids and day 2 when I picked them up, they already had another friend that was planning on coming home with us.  Unfortunately I had no idea who he was or where he lived so that plan didn't happen. 

After 3 days they were completely exhausted.  I thought they might have been "baseballed out" but it just got them more excited about playing.  They wanted to come home and play and they are excited to go back to practice.  Thank you Coach Jay for your help!  It was a blast!