Grace

Once upon a time, I had a precious baby girl. She was BEAUTIFUL. I love babies... I would have had a dozen if they would have just stayed small... instead, they keep growing up on me!!

Today is my "baby's" birthday. She used to look like THIS...
...but now she looks like THIS!
Still beautiful, but OH! So BIG! It hurts my heart!! Miss Gracie turned 5 today, and celebrated in true Gracie style... she chose to go to Waco with just our little family this afternoon. We went to the movies to see the "Alvin and the Chipmunks" movie, and then had dinner at her favorite restaurant... the Hibachi place!! It was REALLY good.

SO, Happy Birthday to my baby. I love you so much, Grace. I hope you had a WONDERFUL day!!!

Changes...

For the past eleven years, I have been a "stay-at-home" mom. I have loved it. I have loved being able to be at home with my babies and playing with them and loving them. But, you know, a funny thing happens with those babies... no matter how hard you try to keep them little, they grow up. In September, my littlest baby will be starting Kindergarten!

In my LBK (life before kids), I was a teacher. And, most days, I liked it. And, not to toot my own horn, but I was pretty good at it. SO... when I found out that our local elementary school was planning on adding another 2nd grade teacher, I stepped out of my little "stay-at-home mom" box, and applied for the job. And, I got it. I start on Monday.

My interview for this job was on January 27, 2010. EXACTLY 11 years ago TO THE DAY, January 27, 1999, was the last day I worked. Serendipity, don't you think????

Wish me luck. It is going to be a HUGE change for me, and an even bigger change for my little family!! But I am OH, SO READY for this change!!

Kate

Today my Kate turns eleven years old. How did this happen? When did she start looking like this? She's so grown up.She should still look like this. Shouldn't she?
Happy Birthday to my biggest one. I love you so much, Kate, and I hope your day is as special as you are!!!

Cold-Hearted...

So, a few days ago I run into Maurice's (my favorite little store for quick bargain clothes), because they have a big SALE sign in the window, and, luckily, I found a few quick things that I just had to have.

The sales associate who was helping me could not have been more than 16 or 17... I mean, seriously, I could EASILY have been her mother. I'm just saying...

She was ringing up my purchases, and was trying to ask me if I was a CARD-HOLDER at Maurice's...

But, instead she got all tongue-tied, and it came out, "Are you cold-hearted?"

The manager stopped what she was doing and turned around and gave her the strangest look... my little teenager who was helping me turned beet red and started stumbling over herself apologizing and trying to tell me what she was trying to say, and I busted out laughing. It was SO funny!!! I told her that my husband has been asking me that for years!! She was mortified, but my the end, we were all laughing, and I think even the manager realized that it was all OK, and hopefully the little teenager didn't get in trouble...

SO, just call me cold-hearted... obviously, it shows! ha ha!!

THE PARTY GIRL

Yesterday, I left Grace at home with The Fabulous JU JU while I went into town to run a few errands and pick up the girls from school. After school, Kate had basketball practice, so I was gone for several hours. I could tell when I was leaving that Grace was starting to get restless... Lately she has been getting "bored" at home. So, I was a tad concerned that she would be REALLY "whiny" while I was gone.

When I finally made it back home with all the other girls, Grace met us at the door and announced that we were all invited to a "Valentine's Birthday Party." She was SO excited... she had "fancied" herself all up, and had even chosen costumes for the other girls! She had also "decorated" the living room, and she had activities planned, as well.

We told her that Mom needed to cook dinner, and that the older girls had to do homework. She was crushed, and began to cry because nobody was coming to her "party". Finally we convinced her that we should wait until after dinner, because then her Daddy could come to the party. She finally agreed.

When her Daddy got home, she didn't even allow him time to eat... we had to begin the party immediately. Luckily, the older girls really were quite nice and played right along... they kindly put on their costumes and participated like little champs.

FIrst Gracie performed a little dance for us...
... and then the girls had to have a scooter race around the living room (in full costume.) Abby was a bunny,
...and Kate was Minnie Mouse.
Luke and I had things we had to do, as well. Luke had to wear a little blue hat, and I had to sing along with a stuffed dragon who was singing "Hot Stuff." I know you are glad we DIDN'T get that one on video! ha!

Grace was so proud of herself and her party, and happily helped to clean up her "decorations" when we announced the party was over.

It's crazy around here, people, but it's a good kind of crazy. We ALL had fun at our little impromptu party, which was planed by the best "party planner" around... the Mighty Miss Grace!! :-)

Thankful Thursday...

Today I am so thankful for my friends and family. They make my life so much richer EVERY SINGLE DAY.

So, if haven't told you lately, thanks.

For all you do.

And just for being there and making me laugh and smile!!

Love, B.

Wordless Wednesday

Basketball '10

Basketball season is in full swing now... Abby's team had their second game this morning, and Kate's team had their first game. Neither team was victorious, but they both played good, solid games. Abby's team played SSSSOOOOOOOOOO much better... they didn't even look like the same team!!! They only lost by 2 points. I could not have been prouder of them. Kate's team made a good showing, as well. Kate has improved so much from last year. She even drove the ball to the goal a couple of times (which doesn't sound impressive, but for her, it's a HUGE improvement!!)

They agreed to pose for photos when we got back home today to show off their swanky new uniforms.

Kate is #2 on The Stingers...
...and Abby is #1 on the Pink Panthers.


Even if they didn't come out on top today, they are the CUTEST little b-ballers I have ever seen!! Go Teams, and Yay for Basketball Season!!

Final Update...

Just a quick update about the Pioneer Woman and her efforts...

She ended up with 25, 850 comments by noon today. So, she gave a dime for every comment, which totaled up to $2585.00. Her original plan was to divide that amount between the top three charities that were mentioned in her comments. However, she decided that because the need is so great, she she would give $2585.00 to EACH of those three charities. Amazing!!! The top three charities mentioned that will be getting those donations are: Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, and Compassion International.

She also chose two comments at random, and is sending $500 to each of those charities. Those winners are Yele Haiti and Catholic Relief Charities.

I am so humbled by this woman's generosity. Thanks to the Pioneer Woman, and God Bless the people of Haiti.

Update...

I told you last evening about the Pioneer Woman and her amazing donation to Haiti and the relief effort going on over there...

Well, she is almost up to 25,000 comments. That's right... TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND!!! That is one dime times 25,000 comments... I am not a math wiz, but I'm thinking that is about $2,500 dollars IN ADDITION TO the extra thousand that she has already pledged... Amazing, amazing, amazing, PW!!!

SO... the comments are open until noon today. If you haven't clicked over to her site, please do!!

Once again, here is the link: http://thepioneerwoman.com/confessions/

Happy clicking!!

Haiti on my mind...

I think the world is watching in horror as the images of death and destruction come pouring out of Haiti after the devastating earthquake that has rocked that poor nation.

I saw a mother today PLEADING with a television interviewer to help her find milk for her baby. I cried, because I could not hand that mother milk for her child. And then I prayed to God to send that baby some milk, so it would not die after it had survived an earthquake.

Then I googled "Haiti", and I discovered that it is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. That is saying something... there are a lot of nations that are pretty needy! And, if you look on the map, Haiti is physically close to the US... closer than Puerto Rico, even!!

This is a country that needs help. Now.

One of my favorite "famous" bloggers that I love to read is "The Pioneer Woman". Her link is on my side bar. I love her writing style and her stories so much that I bought myself a copy of her recently published cookbook. Folks, the cookbook was so good that I bought a copy for my Mom, and one for my sister-in-law, as well. Well, "Pioneer Woman" is feeling the need to help the people of Haiti, as well. If you go to this link, http://thepioneerwoman.com/confessions/ ,

you can help her give to the people of Haiti. She is donating $500 to two charities suggested by her readers. Then, she is also donating a dime for each and every comment left to three other charities.

I can't imagine a more worthy cause, so please take a moment to click on over and leave a comment.

And while you are at it, say an ernest prayer for the people of Haiti. May God bless them.

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday...

Well, you see, I started on this post yesterday, which WAS Wednesday... My plan was to upload some Christmas pictures, since I never got that done, as a Wordless Wednesday post.

But, you see, "life" got in the way... as it often does around here!!

So, today we are having a "Not-so Wordless" Thursday (even though that isn't as catchy as Wordless Wednesday, it will just have to do this time!! :-)

Kate and Gizmo (who is NOT happy about wearing the WebKinz clothes...)
Gracie, trying on her new ear muffs (with the gloves still attached to them!! You can see the gloves on the top of her head!!!)
Abby IS the gift that keeps on givin'!!
Kate with one of her many WebKinz...
Abby got a Fancy Nancy doll!!
Gracie loves Gizmo, and Gizmo loves Gracie!!
All 3 little ladies, standing in front of a VERY large package (which turned out to be a basketball goal!)
The girls turned their PaPaw into Santa...
Here is "Little Santa," aka Gizmo the cat. (She looks SO thrilled!!)
And, last but not least, Gizmo under the tree. She loved it under there!!
Happy Thursday!!!

Basketball...

... begins tonight!!

Abby has decided to play this year. How fun! I'm so proud of her for "stepping out of her box" and trying something new. I am helping to coach her team of first and second graders. Their uniforms are BRIGHT pink, and they have chosen to be the "Panthers"... ( get it? The Pink Panthers?!?!?! Ha ha ha ha!! They thought they were SO very clever!!) Anyway, their first game is tonight, and I am so very nervous for them... none of them have ever played before, so it may be a rough night...

Kate is playing again this year, and she has really come a LONG way from her start last year. I mean, she's no Michael Jordan or anything, but she's improved so very much. She doesn't play until Saturday, but her team practices tonight. (Luckily, I am NOT coaching her team, so I don't have to be in two different places at two different times!!!) Her team has gold uniforms, and are named the "Golden Girls." Very clever, until I told Kate that there was a TV show many years ago about little old ladies that had the same name. After she heard that, she wasn't so "in love" with the name anymore!! :-)

Wish us luck... Basketball is probably the sport I enjoy the most (or maybe softball... I guess it's a toss up!), so I really hope the girls like it and want to continue playing. At the very least, I hope they have fun and learn something new!!

These are the last pics...

... I Promise!! :-)
Here are a few pics from inside the water park.


It was great fun!!

...just a few more pics...

... from the trip we took last week!!

Here's Luke, being splashed by a bucket above his head!
Here's Grace, coming down one of the "kiddie" slides.
Here's all three kids, looking out from a fountain.
Here's Abby on the spraying "wave runners"...
And here's the whole fam!!

Just a few more pics, I promise, and then I WILL move on...

More pics...

I'm uploading the swimming pics a few at a time...

Here's the latest installment of Great Wolf Pics!!

Here are Grace and Abby in the wave pool.
Here are Luke, Kate, and Grace in the wave pool.
And, here are Luke and Kate in the wave pool. I *heart* this picture. Look how happy they are!! Makes my heart smile...

Keep looking out for my pics... That's all I had time to load off of Luke's phone before I was "needed" by some child last night...

Happy FRIDAY!!!! Yay!!!!

Photo time

Here are some long awaited photos from our Great Wolf trip. I do have some more of the kids actually swimming, but they are on Luke's phone... I have to work on that later when his phone is here!

Here are the girls, posing on the bear by the bakery and ice cream shop.
Here are the girls in the treehouse, ready to go swimming for the first time. So excited!
The girls in the treehouse again...
Here are the firls in the kid cabin. Gracie is already wearing her goggles, ready to go swim!
Here is Kate, posing in front of one of the paintings in their kid cabin.
Here is Grace, wearing her goggles, ready to hit the water!
Here's Abby, showing the artwork in the cabin.
And here's Abs again... She loved that bear!
Now... coming soon... photos of the park and swimming!!!

Happy Tuesday!

Surprise, Surprise!

Luke has had to work over the Christmas break.

A lot.

He was on-call on Christmas day, and the weekend after Christmas, and New Year's Eve, as well.

This has made for a "Not so fun, my Dad is working, Ho-Hum" kind of school break for the kids.

SO... we decided to have a "surprise" trip for them for this last weekend before school began again.

We didn't tell them anything about it, but we planned a trip to take them to the Great Wolf Lodge!!
Great Wolf is an incredible hotel with a huge indoor water park.

We told the kids that we needed to take a trip to Dallas, because we needed to go to Home Depot.

Our kids HATE Home Depot, because when we were building our house, we used to go and spend HOURS and HOURS at a time there, picking out "exciting" things like faucets and windows and light fixtures. And maybe a little paint. And just one or two sinks. One trip in particular, we reduced them to tears at a Home Depot... it was a little sad, really, but a trip that we will always remember!!

SO... when we mentioned Home Depot on Saturday, the wailing began.

But then, we showed up at Great Wolf, and the wailing stopped, and turned into cheering!!

Our room was a suite, which had a "kid cabin" inside of it, with bunk beds and a day bed. It was painted like a log cabin and also had fun little critters on the walls. It looked like this.
The water park was fantastic, and was a balmy 82 degrees.

At one point on Saturday evening, the kids told us that the place was "kid heaven".

I think they liked their surprise, and they didn't even complain when we put them to bed at 7:30 tonight!!! :-) They were EXHAUSTED.

Actually, I am exhausted, too. I did take a few photos, but I am too tired to upload them now. Maybe tomorrow, when we get back into our "usual" routine!!