American Girl - Celebrate Your Inner Star!

Heather wrote that she never thought she'd be this mom...I must admit, I am this mom. I love these dolls and wanted Caela to have one well beyond a reasonable age. Santa brought her "Zoe" (not to be confused with Zoey) for Christmas 2 years ago and she has been part of our family since.

Last November the Dallas location opened and we've been saying that we'd go but it seems we never made it. So, after I went back to work I decided to bribe her with a trip to the Bistro and Salon. You see, she has had the hardest time adjusting to the new family dynamic and many days she'd begin with tears. Today was our Mommy-Daughter date in celebration of making it throught the last 7 weeks! When we walked in I believe Caela heared the angels sing "hallelujah, amen" and then she took off. She bounced from one section to the next as quickly as a ping-pong. It was all quite overwhelming and yet exciting all at once. She asked me, "Mom, why are you smiling?" It was just so fun to see her be a child. I hope I always remember to slow down to catch the view from here more often.

Does it get cuter than this? My picture isn't too clear, but this little hook is on the bathroom stall just to the front left of the toilet. It says, "Hang your doll here"! Oh, my heavenly days!

After brunch, Zoe had an appointment at the salon. Caela chose the style and ribbon colors. Quite honestly I was amazed at how well it turned out. Since Zoe has curly hair - just like Caela - it can get a little crazy, but our stylist did a great job.

I love this little quote above the door!

Every Who down in Who-ville,

the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any presents at all!

He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming!
IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!

Friday was the last day of school before the holiday break and all the 1st graders dressed as Who's. I know she may not look like much in this photo, but her sweater had a little fringe on the cuffs and she wore fuzzy slippers. Her hair looked really cute - I had to convince her it wasn't too much!

Merry Christmas, Stranger-Friends!

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

I've been meaning to post this picture to share our celebration of the Feast of The Immaculate Conception but life has thrown us a few curve balls. Last Monday both kids were sick so I scheduled an appointment with the pediatrician and turns out they both had strep throat. This is a new occurrence for Jaedon, but unfortunately this was the 5th time since October 3rd for Caela. Poor baby is miserable! We visited the ENT and he has scheduled surgery for the 29th. She is very nervous and so am I! She hates hospitals and I can't say that I blame her, but I know she will feel so much better when her tonsils come out. The ENT said that there is very little space between her tonsils and her uvula. Nighttime breathing has become a challenge and she is extra 'fussy' these days. Please remember her in your prayers.

Back to our 'celebration'...We (the Coach and I) had a white dinner and I made white cupcakes that I decorated with white icing and clear sprinkles. Caela colored the lovely portrait you see above just shortly before she fell out. :) As I'm sure you can imagine, our evening ended early...

Father, You prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy mother of your son. You let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by his death, and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception. Help us by her prayers to live in your presence without sin.We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,one God, for ever and ever.

St. Nicholas Likes Hot Cocoa?

Saturday night we celebrated the feast of St. Nicholas. This was our first year to do this and it was a lot of fun. The kids were so excited to participate in all the activities I had planned. I did not accomplish all I had on my list, but next year I will be 'on my game' and better prepared.

Jessica, Catholic Mom Extraordinaire, is soooo gracious and always shares her fabulous plans. Now that I am working fulltime - outside the home - MOST days I feel completely overwhelmed and underprepared. I love that I have Jessica as a resource. So it is with that disclaimer that I share what our family did on Saturday night. :)

We made St. Nicholas Hot Cocoa (cocoa was said to be his favorite drink), and the kids turned chocolate santa's into chocolate St. Nicholas'...

I really wanted to read, St. Nicholas The Wonder Worker, but I had a hard time finding the book (when I had free time to look). Note to self: Next year order online in advance!

At bedtime, the kids set a shoe at their doorway and woke to a nice surprise...

Altogether, I'd say it was a good evening.

God of joy and cheer, we thank you for your servant, the good bishop Nicholas. In loving the poor, he showed us your kindness;in caring for your children,he revealed your love. Make us thoughtful without need of reward so that we, too, may be good followers of Jesus.

'Tis But A Season

**** Disclaimer - This is a long post ****

Ecclesiates 3:1
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven...
Almost 5 years ago to the day I quit my job! Only to take on the task of being a stay-at-home mom & wife on a FULL TIME basis. It has proven to be the very best decision we could have ever made for our marriage and our family. We are stronger for it.

Being a stay-at-home mom requires sacrifice (for most) in the budgetary area and it has been no different for us. I researched and learned how to make nearly everything from scratch to lower our grocery budget. During the first 2-1/2 years, I made a $300/mo grocery budget (this includes all food, toiletries, cleaning, etc) stretch as far as I could. I drove my poor car until the wheels fell off - btw, if you were in the school parking lot and I honked at you I'm sorry! On it's way to the auto-grave my car horn went crazy! Every time I turned the wheel the horn honked! :)

The Coach wasn't so sure about the idea of me becoming a sahm. I know he had his doubts, so it became my mission to make sure he never felt the pinch. I would have sacrificed just about anything to be sure he was happy during this season of our life. I also felt very strongly about the kids never realizing we didn't have the money for "fill-in-the-blank". The kids and I have built many memories making cookies in the kitchen or checking on our homemade popsicles. We'd have themed "restaurant night" dinners - at home. Olive Garden was a favorite of our son, mexican is a winner any day of the week and pizza has been a Friday standard!

We have received God's blessings in abundance during the last 5 years. The Coach got his dream job after 10 years of working towards it. Whereas it included a nice raise, we were excited to have some extra. We bought a house into his second year and finally got a new car.

Ecclesiates 3:3,4
...a time to tear down...a time to weep...
But, last March we had to deal with some job issues and we weren't sure what the future would hold. It seemed God worked it out and we sighed a collective breath of relief only to have the air knocked out of us in May. The same man who said he wanted to start fresh, "reassigned" my husband the day after his all-sport athletic banquet. This basically meant he fired The Coach, but because we have a contract (which right now doesn't seem to be worth the paper it's printed on) we are "safe" for one year. The Coach was devastated. He has never been reprimanded during this career, never received a 'below expectation' review, etc. This man just didn't like my husband. The principal was in the wrong on several aspects...he never gave him an evaluation for the year (still hasn't), wanted him to sign a Growth Plan in June that the principal dated in February, etc., etc. Even though it felt like the darkest time, I know God was with us. We have both grown spiritually in the last 9 mo's.

The school year has been the hardest of his career. The principal assigned him to In-School Suspension. So he sits behind a desk all day and babysits kids who can't behave. He was volunteer coaching for his best friend at another high school in the same district, but his gem-of-a-principal found out and told him it was a conflict of interest (even though he has NO athletic responsibilities at his school). So, my Coach, a man who is usually so busy this time of year that we rarely see him, has been home by 4:30p everyday (any coach's wives reading this will know that this is NOT fun for anyone involved)!! God continues to stretch him in ways he didn't know he could go.

Ecclesiates 3:12, 13
I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil-this is the gift of God.
Late in the summer, God showed us his grace again. A neighboring city (about 5 miles away) has grown exponentially in the last few years and will be opening a second high school next fall. They have already hired an Athletic Coordinator/Head Football coach and several other positions...but the have room for my Coach! The AC and my Coach had dinner and talked for a couple of hours. The Coach has gone to many of their freshman games this season (since he has nothing but time on his hands :)) and they are regularly emailing one another. The district isn't beginning the paperwork process for all the new hires until the spring semester but the AC has all but made it official. (trust me though, I know....until you sign the dotted line...keep praying) This new school will be 7.5 miles from the house!! The Coach has never worked that close to home. He is so excited about being part of a program from the ground up. The AC puts a high priority on character and integrity of the athletes and his staff. So refreshing!

The downside, you ask? Compensation. We will be taking a sizable cut for him to go into this district, but I know he wants it and deserves it (esp after the last year!). We just have to get through this year.

Knowing about this pay cut and loving my home (neighborhood, friends, church), it became clear that I was going to have to go back to work. I prayed about this and was even a little resentful (just being honest, friends) of the idea. Reluctantly I began applying for jobs in the kids school district and in the district The Coach will be in. Nothing. So I put my resume on monster.com and within 4 days I had an interview. Turns out it was NOT part of God's plan that I work for that company (I received many signs after asking God to show them to me....you see, I'm a little slow at hearing God's voice. I need the giant marquis that says "THIS IS IT" or "NO!") but the interview sparked a conversation with a man from church. This man is the same age as me, is married to the absolute sweetest woman you could ever know and they have two precious boys. He just bought a 30-yr old family business from his grandfather and wanted to talk to me about working for him. I start a week from Monday.

This will mean a little change for the kids...Daddy will take them to school and expedite the "morning routine" and one of our families dearest friends will pick them up in the afternoon. Daddy will be home by 4:30 and I will follow shortly thereafter. I guess the biggest change will come on school holidays - when I'm schlepping myself out the door to work while my family sleeps...but, to everything there is a season, right?

Stranger-Friends, I will end this by saying, God is Faithful. Even when you think it's the end of the road, He shows you another way.

This bloggin' thing....

....takes a back seat to my life. Although, I began blogging for the opposite reason - to keep up with things on a daily basis - it seems I get sucked into living and forget about the rest of it. Not such a bad thing, though. Living is good.

So, in short...

...we went for a day visit to see the kids' favorite cousin

...the kids went back to school

...I've been subbing in our local school district,
...I was sick for a over a week,
...my in-laws came for a visit,
...Jaedon turned 10 (& went to the Fort Worth Stockyards with his grandparents),

...somehow this SUCKER is the PTA president for the district AND over the Intermediate school
...I had a garage sale with my sister
...Caela started dance
...Caela's school just finished their fundraiser
...Jaedon's school just started their fundraiser
...(have I told you that I hate fundraisers?)

Now you know that I wasn't lying when I said I've been living. I hope you are all enjoying your lives as well. Don't get me wrong, we all have our crosses to bear, but right now I'm trying to focus on the grace-filled life I've been blessed with!

Happy Tuesday, Stranger-Friends!!

Shaylee

My neice, Shaylee, is 11. She is a beautful girl - inside and out! I had the honor and blessing of being in the delivery room when she took her first breath and watching her grow into a young lady has been equally exciting.

So, it is with pride that I tell you that this baby girl is bloggin'!! :) Go say hello, would you?

Friday Funny

Yesterday the kids were arguing (about nothing, I'm sure) and Jaedon rattled off to Caela that because she said she couldn't taste the sugar in a VERY SWEET drink she "had no taste buds".

Caela was understandably devastated at such news and came to me in that whiny girl voice and said, "Mom, Jaedon said I don't have any taste buzz."

To which Jaedon responded, "It's taste buDs not buZZ."

In her defense Caela replied, "No, everyones taste buzz are different."

The Walls Are Closing In On Me

One year ago we made the decision to move from the city to the "country". We are 30 minutes away from the big city and 10 minutes from the closest grocery store in a small suburb near us. Because I do not work outside the home I occasionally feel a little claustrophobic...even in our nearly 2700 sq ft! Especially this summer. I go to church on Sundays and the rest of our activities are here in our little community. I venture out to pick up groceries or occasionally pick up fast food from our limited options. Last week while The Coach was gone to football camp I got it really bad. I needed to see traffic, some tall buildings, maybe a restaurant and possibly visit TCBY.

I love my man. He was tired when he came home on Thursday so I let him sleep for about 6 hours. (He had been gone 6 days and they were practicing 3x/day in 100-degree temps!) On Friday morning I let him sleep in. Friday afternoon we lounged around the house just enjoying the fact that he was back home with us. By 3 or 4pm I was getting a little antsy. The Coach loaded the children into the car and took us for a drive into the city. ahhhhhh, relaxation. I know it sounds sooo crazy, but seeing this made me so happy!

We drove around our old neighborhood, rolled through a carwash and stopped to get me a Coca-Cola from my favorite...Burger Street. Let me say that I have specific criteria for fountain sodas. They must be in a styrofoam cup (for the insulation) and they must have "good ice". The Coach cannot understand this ice issue, but...Sonic ice pellets - good ice; McDonald's chunk ice - not so much. Burger Street - FABULOUS ice...it's the flaky kind!! Ohhhh, he must love me.

Then we went to see this...

Could She be more beautiful?? The Cathedral Shrine of The Virgin of Guadalupe is the Mother Church of our Diocese and has been standing since 1902! Can you see me beam with pride...what a piece of architecture! ;-)

We attended the Chrism Mass here in 2004 and the Rite of Election during our RCIA process.

We ended our city-adventure by eating an early dinner at El Fenix...my absolute favorite restaurant!!

So that concludes my "day out". Do you ever feel the walls closing in on you?

Today's Post Is Brought To You By The Letter "F"...

...Friends, Family, Fun...

My sister and a friend came over on Wednesday (I'm a little late in posting since The Coach has come home! :) !! ) and the kids - all 6 of them - had a ball. There was swimming, tons of food, a house full of laughter and silliness...well, judge for yourself!

My niece...Shaylee

Caela & her friend Mia

Lunch...Cheeseburger Rolls & Homemade Fries

My sis & her make-up (she HAD to fix her face after swimming) with Caela

The whole motley crew...Jaedon & Andrew (l-r), Genna (pink), Mia, Caela (w/bow) and Shaylee

Playing with the dogs

Shaylee playing with Aunt Christie's camera...look, it does black & white...

Aunt Shell's new do (in sepia no less) :)

Genna

I hope your Family is enjoying a Fabulous summer!!

Girls Night

The Coach has been at football camp this week so the kids and I have taken the opportunity to do some deep cleaning! It has been a lot of hard work...sorting through clothes that no longer fit Caela, sorting through Jaedon's tiny pieces of lego's, transformers & imaginex, and even vacuuming the stairs! My reward for it all....Girls Night! I sent an email to a bunch of ladies from church and invited them over for a movie. I made popcorn & cookies and we all wore our pj's! So fun!

Do you ever have 'girls night'? What's on the schedule?

A Mother's Prayer for her Children

Mary, Mother of Consolation, be with me now as I pray for my children. You, who bore the most perfect Child, know a mother’s concern for her children. You are the finest example of motherhood. Open your heart to my prayer.

There are times, Blessed Mary, when I feel so confused. My love for my children always directs me to do those things each day which will be good for them.

I always try to act in a way which will help them to be better Christians. It is often difficult for me to know what is right. Mary, please guide me through my doubts. Help me to know what is right. Help me to direct and raise my children, not for my own satisfaction, but for the glory of God.

Oh Queen of Heaven, my children are so frail in this world. Help me to guide them to know and love Our Heavenly Father. It is through His will that I have these children. They are truly His gift.

At this time, Blessed Mother of Consolation, I place my children under your care and protection. I know you will help them just as you have helped me. Keep us in your love, always.

Amen.

Seriously?

The Coach sent the kids to the back yard this afternoon to clean up after the dogs. They had been out there for all of 3 minutes when the arguing began.


Seriously? They are arguing about who gets to pick up the dog poop (key word: poop).

Popcorn, Popcorn! Get Your Popcorn!

About a year ago we were the blessed recipients of a really cool popcorn maker from a generous member of our local Freecycle. It has provided tons of popcorn and some essential entertainment on these (occasionally) boring summer nights.

Veggie is my creative child. He is known for pulling out anything and most everything I've thrown away. Pringles cans, milk jugs, cereal boxes...just about anything can become something important to him. Usually he is willing to part with his creations fairly quickly but they definitely keep him busy for a day or so.

The popcorn stand was a cardboard box in it's former life. It was rescued and resurrected into the piece that you see in a matter of an hour or so. It served it's purpose for one evening and we were sure to capture it on film.

This is a typical day in our house. Do you're kids pull things from the trash? Do you sneak the items into the garbage pail or do you set them aside for creative thinking?

NOTE: Sorry for the picture placement lately. I'm strugglin' with blogger! ugh.

Last week we traveled to Oklahoma City for The Coach's first family reunion in about 12 years! It was fun to see everyone and the weekend seemed like a whirlwind!

We arrived Friday for the picnic at a local park. Tons of food, music & dancing, dominoes and even swimming for the kids. And, of course, no family reunion is complete without the t-shirt!

On Saturday the group split up...adults (who were interested) went to the casino and the rest of us took a group of kids to Incredible Pizza. It's Chuck E. Cheese x 10!! Both Veggie & Saucy ended up with over 400 tickets to be cashed in for the "prizes" that broke in the car! :)

We had a chance to rest for about an hour before we had to get ready for the evening's banquet. Dress for the evening was defined as "dress to impress yourself"...needless to say there were many interpretations of this. Saucy chose a white dress (former flower girl gown) and she looked radiant (if I say so myself).

Veggie wore his khaki's with a blue button-up and a navy jacket...he is getting so big & handsome!

The banquet was a seated meal (with 3 forks!) and when we were finished eating...

("DJ Jazzy J" aka The Coach) :-)

Dancing was enjoyed by all until 10pm or so. Shoes came off and hair went up. If I may be so bold to say, "a good time was had by all"!

We've Adopted...

...a couple of Boxers! :)

Meet 2yr old best friends Brutus & Precious
(Brutus has white on his muzzle)

These kiddo's are 2 weeks apart in age but have been together since birth. Already we are noticing the unique relationship they have with one another. Brutus is definitely the 'alpha male', and he is an attention hog! Precious seems content to sit back and let him do as he pleases. She is shy and laid back while Brutus is a little more energetic.

Veggie and Saucy were sleeping when The Coach brought the dogs home (they had no idea we were getting dogs) so it was a huge surprise Wednesday morning when they woke up! :) Now I have trouble separating the 4 of them.

Brutus and Precious are pretty attached to each other and still seem a little freaked out to be in a new place with new people. They are so well behaved - now if only my human kids would do the same, right? :)

I Am Blessed

Once I posted the messy house pictures I got a little worried about letting everyone see them. A little 'photographer's remorse' set in. However, "Anonymous" wrote...

Our house is very clean now - and silent. Cleaner than its ever been. Our children are grown and we are stationed a continent from them.

I looked at your pictures with envy...

It put everything into perspective for me. It forced me to look at the pictures with a different set of eyes. Instead of the critical, self-examining vision that comes as such second nature to me, I had to see the mess through corrective lenses.

I have two healthy children who are active, smart, mess-makin' little people. They bring such joy and surprise to our lives. Veggie Boy is so smart, but we liken him to the little cloud of dust on the Peanuts cartoon. He is a bull in a china shop, Messy Marvin, etc. He dirties more clothes than any other person in our house and his heart is bigger than any other 9 yr old boy I know. He is very sensitive to the needs of others - bringing an extra jacket to school for the boy who doesn't have one, offering to be a partner to his classmate with whom no one would pair-up. These behaviors are normal to him. He is a natural born leader. All of this from the 3lb 15oz tiny baby we took home from the hospital 6 weeks before his due date. By all accounts he could be a special needs kiddo, instead God saw fit to bless us with his complete physical and intellectual health.

Saucy is such a princess and adores all things pink & sparkly. She meticulously selects her clothes and has such a distinct personality. She will "tell it like it is" to anyone who asks. (which is a clear reminder that to watch what we say around her :)) She is full of energy and seems to be a natural athlete. She is a good friend but is still definitely 5 when it comes to problem solving. She is our cuddle-bug and will brighten anyone's day with her beautiful smile.

The Coach loves football and is blessed enough to wake up each day and live his passion. Lots of people struggle just to find their passion and the reality of living may evade them forever, but not my man. He works 12 hour days in off-season and we don't even try to count the hours during football season. He misses a lot of life here at the house but we join him when we can. Fall Friday nights are the best. We're all decked out in orange and I have snacks and pom-poms shoved into my purse as we sit on the 50-yard line - about 6-8 rows up - and cheer our team on.

We are busy people. We are involved in our community, our church and the local schools. I may not always get to the laundry and the dishes may fill my sink, but Dear Stranger-Friends, I am blessed.

laughin' so hard, i'm cryin'

Y'all have GOT to click this link and watch Christian comedian, Tim Hawkins, talk about kids. (when you get to his page...scroll down and click on 'Tim on Parenting')

Let me tell you that when he talks about stupid games boys make-up...know that this is my son! The Coach and I couldn't quit laughin'. I watched it twice and cried both times.

Enjoy! :-)

Easter Fluff

I can vividly remember the Easter dresses of my childhood. Mainly because each one is permanently documented in the traditional photo...

(let's not talk about the mullet hairstyles! :-))

I can also remember coloring eggs at my grandparent's house, hunting eggs in their yard on Sunday afternoon and the candy-trail left by the Easter Bunny from my bed to my basket. But...I can only recall one specific religious memory of Easter past. I can remember, in broken segments, the youth group at our church doing a passion play for the sunrise service. One particular young man, Todd, (whom I thought was quite cute - he was 16 or so...I was 7 or so!) played the part of Jesus and he hung on the cross they erected in the yard behind the church. It was quite realistic (at least to the 7 year old eye).

My point (and I do have one) is that the vast majority of what I remember was completely "fluff". I don't think my parents did anything wrong by spending a fortune buying us dresses, shoes, hose/tights, purses, hats, and pounds of candy, but I do think there's another way.

I'm striving to live a more simple life. A life with less fluff. I admit that it's not always easy. The girl with the most stuff wins, right? To voluntarily take yourself out of the game is contradictory to society as a whole. It frustrates me to think of myself as a pawn in the game of consumerism, but apparently that is what "they" intended all along.

from SortaCrunchy...

Annie Leonard quotes Victor LeBeau's statement that in order for the consumerist model to work, as we "make consumption a way of life," we must "convert the buying and selling of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction in consumption . . ."

ugh. It is sooo irritating! "make consumption of way of life"...well, they've succeeded. We associate stuff with nearly every holiday. Halloween (something like #2 holiday for retail sales), Thanksgiving (do we really need all that food?), Christmas (need I say more?), Valentines (created for consumers I believe), St. Patrick's Day (can you say public intoxication?), Easter, blah, blah, blah. If we're not comsuming large quantities of food, we're consuming even larger quantities of stuff. What do we do with all the stuff when we tire of it? when we outgrow it? when it breaks?

Exactly how does all this stuff at Easter remind us of Christ's resurrection? I know Saucy would love to go shopping and pick out a new something for Easter, but today it's not a priority in our house. She can look cute & frilly in a dress that's already in the closet. Trust me, I'm all about the girly thing - bows, sweet little patton shoes, precious bucket hats with flowers on it - but who says I NEED to go buy new stuff for this particular Sunday?

So, this year I will rummage through the giant bucket of hand-me-downs that have been given to Saucy and I'll let her choose a dress. She will look as beautiful as the others. I pray Christ's light shines through her precious smile.

The bucket o'stuff

Our casual options...

Our fancy options...

A Goodwill find...$2 & Brand
New!

Her choice...

Happy Easter, Stranger-Friends!