Amazing!!!!!

A few weeks ago, my long time friend lost her husband unexpectedly. This was on the back of the program at the funeral. His funeral was a true celebration of his life. Lots of laughs were shared along with many tears. I'm so glad I was able to find this amazing video. It's a true testament at how we shoudl all live our lives.  I can promise you one thing, I have looked at life a whole lot differently than before. When I say I love you to the girls or Ryan it's different. I take the time to look them in the eye when I say it. Of course I have always meant it when I said it but I truly take the time for them to know I love them, not just in passing while we go about our daily lives.

I know I have asked God WHY  so many times since this tragic tragic event. Brett was a great son, brother, husband, father and friend. The Sunday after the funeral our sermon at church was on Matthew 13:24-30 . Why bad things happen to good people. Wow it was amazing! One of those moments when you know God was listening and wanted to answer your questions.  It was a good way to end a week of sadness.

 I can't imagine what life will be like for Amber and the girls but I know one thing... her strength and courage will get her through.   Please take a minute to pray for Amber and the rest of the family. I know things won't be easy tomorrow because it's Brett's birthday.  May the lord be with them as they celebrate this special day.

Quick Summer Read

We are getting a new principal. As a part of our summer, she asked us to read this book. It was a very good book. It gives you the 10 Rules to live a happy positive life. If you read it let me know what you think. You can also visit the website Jon Gordon's website.

After reading this book, I have now started reading Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I started reading it a few years ago because our pastor at church was doing his entire sermons on it. However, for whatever reason I never finished it. Now that I have all this positive energy going, I need to know what God wants me to do with it. So far it is amazing. At the end of every chapter is gives you questions to reflect upon. It really makes you think about things in God's perspective. 

My New Favorite Songs for the Summer

I don't know about you, but I always have my favorites songs of the summer.  So here is what I have this summer. 

                                                Teenage Daughters by Martina McBride
I know I don't have teenage daughters (YET!) but I can relate to this song. It's really cute! Having a 'tween is close enough.

If Heaven Weren't So Far Away by Justin Moore. Sorry it's not the official video but you get the idea. Wow it's a powerful song. It reminds me of my Opie and Omie. My children never met my Opie but I know some day they will. There are times when they talk about him as if they have met him. I'm so glad they are able to learn what a wonderful man he was through our memories of him.

I just really like this song. It reminds me of hang out with friends on the back roads of Comal County.
Sorry for the overload of videos but I had to share.

Summer 2011

 Oh summer how we've missed you! Summer is most favorite time of year. This summer has been by far one of my favorites. I had to work the first week but it wasn't all that bad. Then we were Florida bound! What an awesome vacation.

White sand, clear emerald green water, what more can anyone ask for on the beach. We visited the Gulfaruim, Margaritaville, took a glass bottom boat ride into the Gulf of Mexico, held an alligator, raced go-carts and did some shopping near the beach. We had a blast! 

       

Daddy and his girls

Mother dolphin and her baby 

       

                                                                        Gator beach 

The girls have been very busy since we've been back. Karagen has already been to basketball and softball camp. Reagan had an awesome (her word) time at VBS at a friend's church. Next week Reagan is going to another VBS with her cousin. I love when she comes home to share all that she has learned. Last week, she came home with "Mom, you know God is watching us all the time." We spent Father's Day with my family for lunch. Then in the afternoon we went to Ryan's Dad's toob place(like us on facebook) for a little river action. My poor children have never been floating down the river. Call me a chicken  over protective mother but the river can be a dangerous place. I took my nephews and the girls down to the river with some toobs. They would walk up to the rapids (what's left of them) and float down to where I was sitting. There belly laughs could be heard up river I'm sure. It was a great time. 

ONE HUGE REQUEST...PRAY FOR RAIN! We are so very dry here. Wildfires are popping up all around our area. Ryan's grandma even had a mass for rain. That might have worked because we have a 30 -40% chance of rain tomorrow. 

What we've been up to!

                                                     ***WARNING: picture overload****
Since January we've been going like crazy! K played volleyball again this winter. Her team was AWESOME. He coach is great! She signed up for a summer camp on Sundays with her coach. She has gotten so much better every game she played. Now she is working on her overhand serve. She will get it, I have no dought.

 In February, we played in the snow. It was a whole lot of fun! We were  up and out by 6:15 AM and didn't come in until it was all gone.  We are never up that early on a Friday morning. We made snowballs and snow angels. The girls thought it would be fun to jump on the trampoline. They never really got up,  just slid all over the place. It was hilarious! We laughed so hard our sides hurt.

And finally, we had our first family stock show season. We only went to San Antonio and our county show so it was too bad. Tic and Tac were a LOT of work but we had a great time with them.  We met some great people and were reacquainted with old friends. I hope K enjoys showing as mush as I did when I was a kid. She is really good at it. She won her very first showmanship belt buckle. We made sure to let her know that was all her.  She was really proud of herself, as were we. It was really hard to say good bye last weekend.

We have already started Tball and softball practices. R, my niece, and cousin's little girl are on the lady unicorns(Yes, I know) . Let's just say they are going to have a blast. Who knows if they will learn anything. If they practices are any indication of there playing ability it's going to be a fun season. Lots of laughs and smiles to be had.  K is playing on the same team she was on last year. The coach decided to play up the season. They are pretty good for their age. Okay, I'm a little bias. K turned 10 on Wednesday! I can't believe she is 10. A local church puts up weekly quotes. A few weeks ago this one was up " If you are a parent the days are long but the years are short." How true is that? We are so proud of her. She has made straight A's for 2 years in a row. She is amazing at sports and showing steers. We couldn't ask for a better kid.

Ryan is going to a steer sale today. Hopefully, he will come home with a good one!  Spring Break is in a week (can't come soon enough) and we aren't going anywhere this year. The girls are bummed but we have TONS of stuff to do around here. SUMMER is RIGHT around the corner. I just want to get through TAKS testing and I'll be fine.  AND THAT IS THE CRAZY LIFE WE LEAD and would change a thing!

Prayers Needed

For Baby Skeet!  My cousin Malcom and his wife had Skeet Asher Kitchen. Baby Skeet arrived at 9:15 am on Novemeber 30th He weighed 3 lb 1 oz and 16" long. He was born at only 28 weeks. There have aleady been some ups and downs in his short little life. There is no dought he will be a fighter.  He is the first boy of 5 girls. Poor thing will have to defend himself with all those WILD girls. He is a true Christmas mircle just as his sister Madeline was last year. We pray for God to keep him in his hands!

Welcome Fall

I didn't realize how long it's been since my last post. I've tried many times to post but something always happens. School has started to our lazy days of summer are long since gone. K is playing volleyball this year for the first time. They are doing very well. Their coach is AWESOME! Coach Q is very passionate about volleyball and is passing that on to the girls. She also showed her steers...Yes I said steers at the Comal County Fair. She has two very big boys. We've enjoyed working with them. Tic and Tac are going to be hard to say good bye to, I'm afraid. Tic, was 2nd in his class and Tac well let's just say it was a VERY good class. She seems to really enjoy the steers. I was surprised at how well K showed. She stayed clam and worked very hard.

VERY Proud Mom, Dad, Opie, K, and Tac

Show time

R started school in August. Our school district started a program a few years ago for staff children. She has learned her entire alphabet in sign language. Now they are working on syllables. She can't wait to get up in the morning for school. Her teachers are wonderful! We are blessed beyond words!

Today we are cleaning house, putting up the fall decorations(pictures to follow) and working in the yard. This is the first weekend we've had free in a while so we are trying to get it all in. Happy Sunday!

God Bless Omie

On the same day Jesus was put to death our beloved Omie and Big Old Omie, as Karagen so proudly named her went to be with The Lord and my Opie after 12 long years without him. Yes, we are very sad because we miss her so much but the tears we shed are also tears of joy. She is with Opie once again.

I will always remember her "magic key" hiding right behind the light on the wall. When I was little I loved to hide in the bathroom and get into anything I can. She'd always get in with her key. I think I was probably 13 before she finally showed me where the key was hidden. She also loved to cook huge meals for our family. I have to say she was an awesome cook. No one can make spaghetti noodles like her. You can read more about her on my sister and cousin Shelia's blogs.

This song is going to be played at her funeral on Tuesday. What a wonderful way to remember a wondrful loving women.

2010 so far...

It's been a while since I've blogged. So much has happened this year. Yes, we've finally moved into the house. It's wonderful and we LOVE it. The walls are still a work in progress so they are kind of bare. We have been out in the yard the past few weekends because the weather has been beautiful. I am too lazy to take pictures and post so I will have pictures soon. We lost a wonderful friend to pancreatic cancer in February. We will miss her but no she is in a wonderful place with our Lord Jesus Christ. Our family has so many memories we will cherish for years.

Of course the girls keep us super busy. Karagen just turned 9 March 2nd. We are getting things ready for her slumber party on Friday. We will have 8 very excited little girls at house. We will h

ave lots fun with our "camping" theme. She just wrapped up basketball yesterday. I have to say I think this might be her sport. She made 2 (yes 2) 3 point shots this season. It brought tears to my eyes. It amazes me to see her on the court. She must have gotten that from her Opie. A few weeks a go she started softball. Her coach calls her Gunner because of her throwing arm. She has also decided that she wants to show steers. She won Pee Wee Steer showmanship at the chapter show in January. Following in her momma's footsteps. I think it will be tons of fun to get back into that. Again, her Opie is SUPER excited about this new adventure. He's been counting down the days to buy steers since the day she was born. (I'm not kidding either.) She is also preparing for her first Holy Communion. We are so proud of her and her accomplishments!

Reagan will she just keeps up laughing. We joke that she looks like her Daddy but acts like me. She is a clown all the time. She likes to do things her way. That's where I come in. She and pizza (the pig) had a great time in the ring. She loved the fact that everyone was looking at her. She may be short but she's a feisty one.

Speaking of feisty, If you could say a little prayer for my Omie, we'd appreciate that. Her birthday is this Saturday and we are having a party for her. She's had some struggles lately that aren't getting better. We know the Lord will watch over her. Wow that's a lot. I hope I didn't bore you to much with our life. Happy Late Birthday to my sister. She's 29...almost catching up to me. You can also visit her website at http://rufflesandrhinestonesblog.blogspot.com/. She's getting in some great new stuff.

Life!

Wow I didn't realize how long its been since I've posted. We have been so busy with the kids and the new house. Reagan just finished soccer for the first time. She loved it! Karagen is getting ready for basketball and her first communion. Both of the girls are in dance. Life is really getting crazy around here. I've posted some pictures of the house. Hopefully we will be in by Christmas. I can't wait to decorate for that. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. This year we have so many things to be thankful for.

The front of the house. Cabinets before rock
Cabinets after rock. I never would have thought that rock would change the look of cabinets that much.
Our fireplace.

Scriptures Please

Okay I need help and fast... We are building a new house. They had to chip out some of the concrete to move the island out of the walk way. I called our neighbor, which is an interior decorator. She had this wonderful idea to paint the floor a different color and write a scripture on the floor. So here's where you come in. I would love to know your favorite scriptures about food or fellowship. The only problem is I need this by tomorrow so I can tell the builder what I want on the floor. I can't wait to see what is out there.

As Seen on TV

Spacebags... They are my new best friend. I have been wanting to get Reagan's closet organized for a while. Well the other day at Costco I saw 12 bags for $24 so I bought them. Wow these thing really work. Now with that being said I couldn't seem to get them as flat as they do on TV but this is what I did.

This is 8 years worth of clothes from 3 girls. I was storing them in 4 LARGE tubs and numerous trash bags in Reagan's clothes. Well that is now until Spacebags. That sounds like a commercial.

New Favs and more

Okay, we've been so busy lately I haven't had time to post. We went on vacation in June to Disney World. That was a blast. I think Ryan and I had just as much fun as the girls. That is definitely the most magical place on earth. We've been to Fiesta Texas several times, Emerald Rainbow, and just hanging at my Aunt and Uncles pool. This summer is flying by and I hate that. I love the summer. It is my favorite time of year. Don't get me wrong I love teaching but getting to spend my days in a pool and nights playing with the girls, what more can any mother want.

One day when Ryan's cousin Jennifer and I took the kids to Fiesta Texas she told me about this freeze dried fruit at Costco. It was a huge box of apples and pear crisps. Wow are these good. The girls and I love them. They are packed individually so they are an easy take along snack. Best of all they are REAL fruit.

Divorce???

Really, I'm a little disappointed that Jon and Kate Gosslin couldn't work things out. I was hoping the big announcement would be they were quitting the show to focus on their family.  I've been watching this show since the beginning. I love it but if they were going to quit to work on their family then GREAT! However, I do have to commend them for keeping the kids in "their house" as Jon said. That is awesome. I wish them the very best and hope for good things to happen to them. The big announcement episode. 

Appleby Bill~~ Prayers Needed~~

Please Please Please if you live in the state of Texas take a few minutes to contact theregarding this bill. To read more on the life of my long time friend, Kristy go to her website http://www.myspace.com/restsweetkristyregarding. Please help save another life of someone that does not deserve to be taken away from their family too soon. Also I asked that you send prayers to heaven in honor of this bill. Yesterday, would have been Kristy's 33rd birthday. What a way to honor her this month. Rick  has called a special sesssion so there is still hope this will pass.Write the governor and push for him to review SB843 and consider bringing it to the table for vote this (very short) session. Its coming up quick so we have a very small window of time to write!!!

Governor Rick Perry
PO Box 12428
Austin TX 78711

Obsessive, maybe Funny, of course

Okay this just happened in our house about an hour ago. I'm trying to get things done for our vacation when I realized that Reagan was quiet. If you have kids you know that is not a good thing. So I start calling her name... I found her in their bathroom. This is our conversation:

Rea: Mommy, I'm in the bafroom(bathroom) going poopey(no explanation needed). 

Mom: (before I get in the bathroom) Rea,  do you any help? 

Rea: No, Mommy I put toilet paper on the potty so it be clean. 

I'm a little obsessive when it comes to cleanliness in PUBLIC restroom. Actually, I'm completely repulsed by them. I will wait to use the restroom at home if I don't like where I'm at. So when I went to check on Reagan, she was going to the bathroom and put toilet paper on the seat just like I do for her. I was laughing so hard, I was cried. I wanted to take a picture but I though that might be a bit much. 

Summer Reading

If you know me at all, then you know that I only read during the summer. I don't have time to read during the school year. I know you might say well you can read at night but I'm too tired to remember anything I read. So this year I've started an AWESOME book, My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picuolt. 

This is one of those books you just can't put down. I have to finish reading by June 26th because the movie comes out on that date. 

I'm so excited! I will get  a lot of reading done on our trip to Disney World. I also have another book waiting for me. I borrowed the Kate Gosselin book Multiple Blessings. I love there show. I won't tell you how sad I am about their marriage. I just pray they can save everything they had. 

Busy Time of Year

And I wouldn't have it any other way. We only have 4 more days left of school. This week is always crazy at school. We are going bowling tomorrow, party on Wednesday and Thursday early release on Friday. Of course the teachers have our own party on Thursday. Those are always fun. :)  Karagen has softball practice Tuesday and Wednesday with a game on Saturday. The team softball party is also Saturday right after the game. Thank goodness we only have one child involved in activities right now. I can't imagine what it's like with more than one. Reagan starts dance next fall. Last week we celebrated Reagan's 3rd birthday. She wanted a Chucky E.  Cheese party forever. She is like a wild child at the place. I couldn't have a blog without pictures. 

                                                                                                                                                

 

I just wanted say thanks to my friend, Misti. At the last minute I called her to take pictures for Karagen softball team. She did an AWESOME job. Thanks Misti for doing this for our team. Everyone is going to love the pictures. Go take a look at her work  http://www.mistimoments.blogspot.com/

Happy Mother's Day

Wishing everyone a very Happy Mother's Day. Mom, I love even though I might not say it enough. You have done so much for all of us. Thank you for everything you have and will do for us. You're truly are the BEST Mom in the World! We love you Omie!

You can see it in their eyes, in tender hugs and long good-byes, a love that only moms and daughters know.You can see it in their smiles, through passing years and changing styles, a friendship that continually seems to grow.You can see it in their lives, the joy each one of them derives, in just knowing that the other one is there...To care and to understand, lend an ear or hold a hand, and to celebrate the memories they share.

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Husband!

This year we are celebrating 10 years of happily being married. This has been the best 10 years of my life. Ryan has giving me so much to be happy about. First of all he puts up with me. Wow that should be enough right there! He is always there for me and the girls whenever we need him. Then we have our beautiful daughters. I'm so happy to be married to such a great friend, husband, and father. I look forward to may more years of celebrating birthdays with you. WE LOVE YOU, Daddy.