First Day of First Grade

Wow!  I can't believe my baby is in 1st Grade!  How did this happen?  Where has time gone? 

Monday morning, Natalia finally woke up after a lot of tickling and talking and negotiating.  After all that work, I got her attention:  "Hey, Natalia" I said, "do you want to help me make breakfast?"  She jumped out of my arms, got ready and went to the kitchen to make pancakes. We ate breakfast, finished getting ready, did our devotional, prayed and went to school.

This year, "first day of school" wasn't as hard (for either one of us) as her first day of Kindergarten was.  She did ask Daddy to carry her to her classroom though.  At first, I objected, but then I stopped myself and realized that this will soon stop!  She is growing up.  She will not be a little girl forever.  Why not take advantage of the little things that you can do now that you will not be able to do later?

She had a great day!  She really liked her teacher and informed me that they had a lot of work to do...

Update - Unpacking

Alright, so I'm finally getting a chance to blog :0)!

Here are two photos from Saturday.  I've been meaning to take more pictures, but I've been a little pre-occupied with Natalia's first day of school, Luke's follow-up ENT's appointment, the boys' open house, unpacking, running errands and so on and so forth. 

The house is coming along though.  My mom has been wonderful.  I could have not done it without her! Also, my mother-in-law has been so helpful.  She has fed us every night!  And as mentioned before, not only did Susan and Elizabeth give up their Saturday to help me, but look at how much fun they were having: 

And as always, Matt being so helpful!

He did mowed our grass on Monday though!  ~Thanks Matt, we really appreciate you guys.

Chaos

I'm at my in-laws house for dinner, so I have access to internet!  I decided to update you on my situation.  I don't think I need to say much.  These pictures pretty much speak for themselves:

As you walk in the front door

From my dining room

My dining room

The back room

The boys room

Do you feel sorry for me yet? 

But thanks to my Mom, Susan and Elizabeth, my house looks a lot better now.  My kitchen is done and a lot of those boxes are gone.  I'll post more pictures as soon as I can.

Farewell

Today is my last day as a property manager of One Technology Center and the Aztec Theater Building for Kennedy Wilson Property Management! It was such a blessing to be able to come back to my old job. I was able to work, once again, with my friends and co-workers from many years ago. They all were very helpful and supportive through out my time here. My boss, who offices in Austin, was wonderful to work for too. I'm really going to miss them all.

I'm glad though for the opportunity that God is giving me to be able to be a stay-at-home mom again. Even though these 3 little humans can drive me crazy, all the time, I wouldn't change it for the world! I love all the kisses, hugs and smiles I receive from them through out the day. It fills my heart!

Sometime today, right after work, we will be heading to Beaumont. I can't wait to be a family again and actually be able to see Dave on a daily basis. You can't even imagine what I'm going home to though. Lots and lots of boxes to unpack!!! And no internet. Yup, you read that right. NO INTERNET (what is a blogger to do without internet?) So, who knows when I'll be able to blog again. I have lots to do when I get to Beaumont. I have boxes to unpack, get last minute school supplies for Natalia, soccer practices for Natalia and Carson, and so much more. Oh yea, and in the middle of all that chaos, I have to find time to sleep too. Anyway, so keep checking in though because when I am able to blog again, I WILL blog. So just get ready....

I would appreciate any prayers in the mean time :0) !

Confession

As you already may know, tomorrow is my last day at work. I'll miss a few things about work. One thing I will really, really miss is Lunch Time! I love going out to eat with friends. I also love eating lunch alone, with a good book to read (pretty much, the only time I have to read). I just love eating out. I really, really do. I did bring my lunch from home, every once in a while, but I also did my share of eating out!

I know, I know, I know, I can still eat Chick-fil-A when I get to Beaumont, but Chick-fil-A doesn't taste the same when you have three screaming kids in the back seat. Trust me, I know.

I love Papouli's gyros!


Oh, I'll miss EZ's Fajita Chicken Pizza, their onion rings and their fires. And their Basil Chicken Pasta too. ~Oh, so good!


Freebirds! What else can I say, I love those burritos!


Cosi has the best salad! I love their Signature Salad (mixed greens tossed with red grapes, pears, pistachios, dried cranberries and gorgonzola. Tossed with shallot sherry vinaigrette.) I love their Flatbread Pizzas too!



Now...these are only a few places I LOVE to go for lunch. There are several others, but I'll just stop there :0) .

Forgetting my Spanish???

On Sunday, I was talking to my aunt Lilian,from Guatemala. I was explaining to her that I'm having a hard time writing in Spanish. I'm starting to question my spelling and grammar. She quickly said, "Yes, you know what I think you should do? You should read books in Spanish! Oh and you should read them out loud too. That would help you with the accent." ~~She thinks I'm starting to sound funny when I talk Spanish.

So, today I went during lunch and got this:


I still have to finish reading World Without End by Ken Follett, but I think this is very important too. So, we'll see how long it will take me to read these two books plus the book I'm currently reading to Natalia and the books I daily read to Luke and Carson. ~Wow, that's a lot of reading.

Remembering the Alamo

Our Sunday afternoon outing...

Look at all that detail!

Double Whammy!

The kids love Chuck E. Cheese and Peter Piper Pizza. I'm glad, because on Saturday, we attended two birthday parties - one was at Chuck E. Cheese and the other one was at Peter Piper Pizza!

The young lady standing next to Carson is Kayla, my cousin's step-daughter. She was great, she babysat my children all night long at Peter Piper Pizza! ~Thank you Kayla!

Pablo Picasso? Claude Monet?

All I want to know is, who does Luke think he is? The other day, Luke decided to show off his art abilities in his room. On the WALL.

My poor parents will have soooo much work once we are gone. -Sorry Mom and Dad!

What a Difference!

I didn't think I needed new running shoes, but I've been reading that even though your shoes might not look that bad, it's a good idea to get new running shoes every 300 to 500 miles.

I wanted to take advantage of tax free weekend. So, look at what I got today.

After all, I have ran 386 miles since the end of March plus all those miles I ran a while back with the very same pair of running shoes.  I decided it was time for a new pair.  I think I deserve them!  What do you think?

Oh, and did I tell you they feel great?

Leonardo Da Vinci

Admission to the Witte Museum is free on Tuesdays from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. so hey, we took advantage of that!

The kids were so intrigued by Da Vinci's hands-on exhibit of his inventions. They are now able to identify a few of Da Vinci's paintings and were introduced to some of his inventions and the four elements!

It was truly lots of fun...

Touring San Antonio

Sunday, after running, grocery shopping and all that good stuff, my Mom and I took the kids to the Riverwalk. We were able to ride the little boat and then, for dinner, we went to Casa Rio. They didn't care too much about the food (they normally don't anyway) but they had a great time feeding the ducks all my chips :0(.

After walking around the riverwalk, we took them to the Tower of the Americas. Now, that was the highlight of the weekend. As soon as we left, Carson started asking me when would we be able to go back.

It was fun. I planned so that we could see San Antonio during daylight, but I also wanted for them to enjoy the sunset. It was beautiful!!! The picture below is not that good, but it'll give you an idea of what we saw that day. And of course, the kids enjoyed seeing all the lights everywhere once it was dark!

Once they had had enough of the scenery, we went back downstairs and saw a 4D film about Texas. That was a blast, although the kids were a little concerned. You know, they have a snake coming right at you and at the same time they spray air in your face. An alligator almost got us too, while they were spraying water at you. The seat even pokes your back, pretending to be a bull...and so on and so forth. It was so funny to see the kids' expressions. Natalia even said, "Mama, I think that snake touched my leg."



We really enjoyed our little outing.

Just do it!

Yea right. I wish it was that easy...Just do it. This morning I had such a hard time getting out of bed. I had to fight my bed, sheets and pillow. I guess part of the problem is that it's still so dark at 4:00 a.m.

This is a picture of my alarm clock with the lights off

I finally was able to get out of bed at 4:18! I mean, it took me 18 minutes to decide that I was going to go run.

See how dark it is at 4:38 a.m.?

Well, the struggle didn't end there. Once I got to the track, I had to talk myself into running. I thought to myself that as long as I walk (just for today) it would be okay. But somehow, I found the strength to start running. Boy was that first mile hard. My legs weren't moving! Somehow though I was able to run the 6 miles I was scheduled to run. Yay, I did it! Now I feel great. I'm glad I didn't give in.

After warming up, running, visiting, and cooling off it was time to go back home to get ready for work.

This is a picture of the clock in my car after my run this morning.

Still dark, even though is 6:00 a.m.

Just two more weeks for the Nike Human Race!

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake V

I just finished making this Pineapple Upside-Down Cake V for a co-worker's birthday tomorrow. I've never used this recipe before so I hope it's good :0) !  ~I'm sure ya'll will hear about it, if it's a total disaster!

I have to go now.  I have to wake up in 5 hours!  I'll tell you more about our weekend later...

Enjoying a Hot Summer Day

In an effort to stay cool, on Saturday we decided to go to the Guadalupe River again.  Last time we were there, the kids had a "spectacular day" like Natalia would say, so it seemed like a good idea to go back again. We had a pic-nic by the river and then we went swimming.  I kid you not, they swam and swam and swam, with a short break here and there.  They even made some friends there!  And you know me, I also got to talk to a lady with three children almost the same ages as mine.  

I just love days like these.  They are just so relaxing!

Taking a short break.  And I mean SHORT!

Luke inspecting the rocks

Look at what I found!  --Who knows, maybe I'll start a little collection...

Finally at approximately 5:00 p.m., I decided that it was probably a good time to get out of the water.  This time though, I decided to give them a shower at the Guadalupe State Park's camping grounds.  It worked out well, because by the time we got home all I had to do was feed them, brush their teeth and send them to bed. 

Oh - Thanks DAD!

I think, somehow, we are going to forget these three trumpets here in San Antonio when we go back to Beaumont.

Can you blame me?????

 

The kids spent most of the day at the Market with my Dad and Mom on Friday, while I was at work.  Well, you know how it goes, whatever the kids want, they get.  So...to make a long story short...the kids ended up with these lovely trumpets.

2008 Summer Olympics

Last night, the kids were introduced to the Summer Olympics!  While watching the Opening Ceremony on NBC, I was explaining to them that these people had been working out hard for a very long time to get there.  "Not just anybody gets to play at the Olympics", I said.  "You have to practice very hard, every day."  Natalia and Carson were just staring at me.  Then I continued, "Do you think they say things like 'I'm hot' or 'I'm tired' or stuff like that?"  They both shook their heads no.  Then Natalia said, "Oh...then I never want to go to the olympics.  It's way too much work."  Carson on the other hand, wanted to be called Federer from then on.

  

Carson said that one day, he'll be playing tennis at the Summer Olympics!  --Oh Daddy, by the way, Carson wants to know if you can sign him up for tennis.  

"Not Funny"

Dave, being the Aggie that he is, was very close to having a heart attack when he saw this picture.

Promise! I didn't do anything. All I did was take the picture :0) -

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Last night, we finished another book. This time, Carson and Luke also got to enjoy it!

Edward may be a toy rabbit but he has a lot to tell us about the nature of love and how we learn to love.

Kids Know it All!

On Monday morning before our trip back to San Antonio, Carson and Luke had a follow-up visit with the ENT doctor. While waiting for Dr. Parks to see us, Carson asked, "Mama, who built this building?" I said, "Well Carson, I don't know the name of the building company." Luke looked at us with a perplexed look in his face and said, "Mama, Bob the Builder!"

The Great of 808

Dave, Bryan, Mark and JPat

These four guys are so blessed! They have been friends since college. It's so awesome how they ended up as roommates at A&M for the majority of their four years of college. Their apartment number was 808. So, they were known as "The Great of 808". They are all from Southeast Texas, although some of them didn't know each other until they got to college. Four strong Christians holding each other up throughout their college years. How awesome is that!

Mark Fittz got his degree in Architecture and later obtained his masters of Architecture. He and his wife Michelle have a four year old, Micah and Arianna who is 2. They gave up the "All American Dream" left a very good job and their life in Florida to become missionaries in Honduras. They now work with CAM. You can read more about their ministry here.

Bryan Holmes is an awesome Christian guy. He graduated from A&M with a bachelors degree in Construction Science. He has lived in several countries as a project manager with CBI. Finally, he decided to follow God's calling and became the Young Life Director in the Woodlands.

Jpat Ivey is an attorney in Katy, Texas. As many of you know, he married Hetal and have two beautiful daughters, Hannah and Sarah. He got a Political Science and a teaching degree from A&M. --I hear he was the best teacher ever!

Dave graduated with a degree in Biochemistry and then went to dental school in San Antonio. And that's how I met him (more about that later).

So once a year, all of them make an effort to get together as a group. On Sunday, we met in Beaumont at Bryan's parent's home. Bryan's mom, Ms. Peggy, smoked chickens. We always look forward to those smoked chickens - they are delicious!

It was nice to see everybody again. We had a great time!

Pawpaw Stovall is 90 Years Old

Pawpaw Stovall is Dave's grandfather. On Saturday afternoon, the whole family got together to celebrate his 90th birthday. It was good to visit with him and other relatives we don't get to see very often.

Happy 90th Birthday Pawpaw Stovall!

Staying Cool on a Hot Summer Day

Dave needed to go to a soccer coach meeting on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., so I invited Elizabeth to go swimming with us at the Wellness Center. Little did I know that Dave was going to have enough with the meeting just a few hours after he showed up, so he met us at the pool at about 11:00 a.m.

Luke is our little fish! He is not afraid at all. He really thinks he can swim. According to Elizabeth, he almost drowned about 50 times in the 3 hours we were at the pool.

Carson also swam like a fish - non stop. He got some good exercise!

And Natalia, also swam, jumped in the pool, floated on her back, and played...

The kids were having so much fun, so we took advantage of that and didn't leave the Wellness Center until 1:00 p.m. Just enough time to eat lunch and get ready for PawPaw's 90th birthday party...