I'M BAAAAACK!

Okay - it's been WAAAAAAY too long since I've posted anything and so much has happened! We survived the "storm" - Hurricane IKE. This is kinda sick I think, I actually wanted to stay! I didn't want to travel to avoid the storm and get stuck somewhere that wasn't home (especially if it turned out to be a little wind and rain!) I actually wanted to see the storm too! What's wrong with me? Is that what all those folks down in New Orleans were thinking? I really thought, "Ya, we'll get some big winds and lots of much needed rain and it'll be sort of fun if the lights go out for awhile!" I've been without power in the middle of winter in Nashville for 9 days (cold!) We went without AC in the hottest days of this past summer here in Texas BUT . . . being without AC AND power after a hurricane, well, it's just yucky! Everyone hangs out outside of their homes because it's just too hot to go inside! My neighbors (and us) cooked outside on our grills and the constant hummmmm of generators was annoooooying!! Not having access to any TV news was slightly agitating too since I really wanted to know what was going on in our city!

It took me just a couple of days of that plus school kids running wild since there was NO school to GET OUT OF TOWN!! I was blessed enough to have several offers and we chose to go to Oklahoma to see an old roommate of mine (not old, just old), Mickie Foris! She not only had a generator we could borrow (which I still need to return!) but she lives on a farm with horses, dogs, kids and a husband willing to let my kids play! This was a freaking vacation for us! Way too cool! My kids will forever remember Hurricane Ike as the time they got to rope calves and ride horses! Thank God for good friends!

Well, since then the weather has been much calmer and we've settled back down to our non-routine kind of life. Treet has finished baseball and is now playing basketball in a church league. We tested Shelbi and found out that she has dyslexia. We are working with that now and she is simply amazing! She's also started Hip-Hop dance classes which she loves. Kove and Ayvan are both taking gymnastics and I - yes I - am their teacher! Makes for some free lessons! Yea!

Okay, I'm tired and the kids are being needy! Imagine that! Gotta run for now!

9 Years Of Bliss

My Flowers!

My Reaction!

Yesterday was our Anniversary! Jason let me sleep in and while I was sleeping he loaded up our children and the baby I babysit along with his portable crib and toys etc.... and took them to Grandma's house so he could take me out to breakfast!! Ahhhhhhhhh!!! I had NO idea! We had a wonderful meal at The Egg & I (yes that's the names of the restaurant) then headed back to pick up the kids. The afternoon was filled with washing cars (everything turns yellow here this time of year from the pollen), washing the dog, raking the "poky balls" out of our yard (I swear I'm cutting down that stupid tree this year!!), then having a nice picnic on a blanket in the front yard. Oh to enjoy the fruits of your labor!

About that time the FedEx man drives up and hands me a box that had a beautiful bouquet of flowers in it from my boyfriend!! (That's Jason!!) Can you believe this guy? He's pretty good, huh?

Soon after that, we got dressed up, took the kids to Jason's brother's house and went out for dinner to Bennihanna's (sp??). YUM!! I was so stuffed after dinner I could hardly walk! We were sitting with a Spanish speaking family so when Jason asked if I mined if he left me for a minute to use the restroom I jokingly said that I was going to make friends. Yup, you guessed it, I made friends! They were so nice! From Bolivia.

I'd have to say that this is absolutely one of the best anniversaries yet - but I'm willing to try many more times to see if it can be beat!! I'm so blessed.

Grocery Store Laughs

So I'm at Kroger with my girls. We are picking out cake mix and frosting because we have a little bit of a sweet tooth and "need" a cake that very night (you know how that goes!) Kove is looking at the candles and picks up one of the "Over The Hill" candles that looks like a tombstone. She walks up to me and innocently yet seriously asks, "So this is what you use when you're making a cake for dead people?"

The lady walking by burst in to laughter along with me! It just doesn't get much cuter than that!

Hannah Mon-who-a?

So Treet is at batting practing at the Bandito's batting facility with his professional coach - Big Coach Albert. Here's the conversation:

Coach: Is that your little sister Treet?
Treet: Ya, I have THREE of them! Sometimes it gets a little boring.
Coach: You mean you don't play with dolls?
Treet: NO!!!
Coach: But I bet you watch Hannah Montanna sometimes, don't you?
Treet: ya.

Coach Al was CRACKING up!! It was too funny!

Elvis' Favorite Sandwich

Did you know that Elvis Presley's favorite sandwich was bananas mashed with peanut butter and mayo? Well, Kove made it today! She crammed it in my face and said, "Here, try a bite!" Me being the superb mom that I am - ate a bite off the corner where there was just bread and said, "Mmmmm! Good!" She then offered Ayvan (my 3 year old) a bite. Ayvan apparently took a bite and when I asked her if she got any she said, "No, only a nipple!" Don't you just love kids!

Where Has She Been?

Here I am! I'm back with a vengance! As you can see by my lack of writing I have been a tad busy. Thankfully things are about to get back to "normal" after the holiday crazies. By normal I mean - one week after Christmas was Shelbi's birthday - two weeks after that was Kove's. Treet starts his select AA baseball workouts twice a week and weekend tournaments at least once a month soon - OH, and guitar every Friday. Shelbi will begin sewing lessons next week along with knitting lessons for my three oldest. Shelbi also has her own phone now - that's another story in itself! Kove turned 7 Jan. 16 - holy crap! We're still trying to decide where to focus her energy - she's got it down to either gymnastics, soccer, swimming or running. She just wants to be an athlete. So there is another class at least once a week. Ayvan? Well, she's still just tagging along to everything making our outings a little sillier!



Other than that - I basically just try to work in meals and sleep.
And that's where I've been!

Uncle Johnny

This actually happened before Christmas but I still wanted to post it:

My "Uncle" Johnny died this morning. Mom called and told me. He's not really my uncle - I think he's my 2nd cousin - but he's just a tad younger than my dad and I've always called him uncle. This being completely unexpected, I think I'm still a little in shock. When I picture him all I can see is this big tall quiet natured man with beautiful honest blue eyes. He's very loving, giving and Godly and I have no doubt that he's in Heaven right now with our Lord. The hardest part about this is the family he left behind. Isn't that always how it is?