Devin's Competition

I know I havent mentioned it here yet but today Devin had a competition in Waco with some of his automotive class. I thought this was a team thing but turns out it was an individual participation and based on his knowledge of cars alone.

The first stage of the competition was a written test. Normally this would be really hard on Devin but he said it went really well and he was one of the first five done. Once the boys completed this timed test the were ranked based on their scores. The top 16 were chosen to then move on to an applications type test where they are ranked based on their hands on knowledge. Devin was one of the top 16 and thus moved on to the second stage of testing! wooohooo Devin! WTG kiddo!

He said he did well on most of the hands on tests but there were some he felt he didnt do so well in. Unfortunately we wont know if he will be sent to the state competition until Monday but I will be sure to post where he ranked in that and let you know if he will go on to the next big competition in Corpus Christi! He had such a great time today and came home with some funny stories. I love it when this kid has fun in a positive way. Its definitely God answering my many prayers!

Crafting Today

I realized that its been forever since I have gotten in my craft room and really knocked out some projects. I really miss having the motivation to just get in there and create. So today I had the urge to get in there and play and thats just what Makayla and I did. I didnt get a project completed but we played and had fun together.

I took out my fancy watercolors that I have had for more than five years. I knew Makayla would love them because they are very sparkly. You know anything with bling is going to light up my daughters eyes. It was fun watching her eyes light up the second she saw those colors sparkle!

So we painted some scooby coloring pages (she loves scooby ya know) and then pulled out the rubber stamps. We stamped some images and then colored those in too (fortunately I dont have any scooby stamps hehe). She had a great time playing with the craft stuff and I did too. Any day spent playing with my daughter is a good day!

In fact we had so much fun that Makayla didnt want to go to bed tonight, she wanted to keep painting. So I promised her that we would get it all back out again tomorrow. I will be sure to post pictures of our creations then!

Spring Cleaning... blog style

Ok if you havent noticed I have been doing some spring cleaning on the ole blog and its been a whippin' to say the least. I keep finding all these fabulous templates that I really like but once I try to load them on the blog they wont work correctly.

Since my knowledge of html, xml and css is very limited I cant figure out how to fix most of them. Isnt that just the way the cookie crumbles?

However! I was finally able to get this little birdie template working after much research online on fixing a code or two! woohooo! I love the Internet, dont you? Its just a wealth of knowledge! Im not ready to retire this blond brain of mine yet!

Balet? You decide!

Ok be warned this video comes with a spew alert...

You decide... balet or no?

2/22/09- AKA Makayla's Birthday

We had such a great day today!

Today was AWANA day at church. The focus on the children is a bit hit at church lately and today was no exception. The kids love the attention and the adults get to relax a bit and enjoy! All of the children that participate in AWANA were called to the stage where they got to sing a song with Nic. BUT the best part was each section of AWANA had a child chosen to recite a memory verse of their choosing. Makayla was the cubbie chosen to do that and it couldnt have been on a more perfect day... her birthday! She didnt hesitate one second to take that microphone from Childrens Minister, Karen. She said her verse (a little faster than we had practiced) but she said it loud and clear! I was so excited for her. Shocked a little that she didnt bust out in song but proud none the less. I love our church and everyone there!

Then it was party time! We headed to Jumping Party to have her birthday extravaganza! We were a smidge late since church ran a little long and we still had to pick up Papa and the cake from walmart. Makayla had such a great time with all her friends!

You cant tell by these pictures that she had any fun can you? I want to thank all my friends and family that came and made it such a special day for her. It really meant a lot!!! She had a great day and I am sure its one that she wont be forgetting anytime soon!

Four years...already?

What happened? Four years ago at this very minute I was gearing up for the hospital visit I was to make in a little more than tweleve hours. Then four years later I wake up. I cant get over how fast time really flies. Especially when it comes to raising our precious children. Wasnt it just yesterday I gave birth to Devin? Didnt he just turn 18? I cant wrap my mind around it and now tomorrow my precious baby girl will be four! FOUR... thats F-O-U-R? Good grief.




Here is my precioius girl the day we brought her home. I still remember her sweet squeaks and jerky movements. I remember how Robert carried her around with just one arm. He has always been a great dad and continues to get better as the years go on. Its just so hard to believe how grown up she is already. *sniff, sniff* Anyone have a tissue?





I took this photo of her just the other day. She has grown into quite the beauty. Best of all is her personality though. Robert thinks she is a lot like me with always wanting things done her way and like it or not she knows what she wants. I see how sweet and gentle she is. How much she genuinely cares for her friends and their well being. She is going to be such a great asset to the world... she already is.

So join me tomorrow in wishing my baby girl a very happy 4th birthday. She is going to have a very exciting day. They have chosen her from all the cubbies to go on stage in big church and recite a verse of her choice. She chose to recite Mark 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart. After church we will be headed to Jumping Party for a fabulous birthday extravaganza complete with princess everything! Its going to be a very exciting day for her!

Happy Birthday my sweet baby girl!

Snakes

I read www.thepioneerwoman.com every day. Her blog makes me laugh, cry and learn new things daily. She has a great photography and cooking section complete with some fabulous recipies not to mention some good homeschooling information as well.

Yesterday she posted that her hubby played a trick on her by putting a fake snake next to her bed and then having her reach down to get his pillow. I just about wet myself reading it not because of her story but because of a memory that immediately came to mind.

Robert and I were busy in our house with normal day to day goings on about three summers ago when all of a suddon my then 79 year old grandfather came barrelling through our back door. He was all sweaty and out of breath. I thought he was going to tell me something had happened to my grandma but all he could get out was my phone wasnt working. I finally calmed him down and got out of him what the problem was. hehe

He was sitting in his recliner watching tv and reading his newspaper when a six foot long water moccasin came slithering under his recliner and through the house. He in sheer panic reached for his phone and started dialing my number to come for help but was so upset and excited, he couldnt get the number dialed. He finally after coming out of his catatonic state managed to RUN out of the house and down to mine to get us to help him.

When we got back to his house the door was opened, some chairs were overturned and I couldnt find my grandma. I yelled for her and she yelled from her bedroom that she was fine. However you could tell that she was in a panic and freaking out beyond any panic that I have ever heard in her voice. Aparently when she realized the snake was in her room Grandma screamed and ran for her bedroom, slammed the door and got up on the bed. Now this was a site I tell ya...LOL My 73-year old four-foot-ten grandma standing on the bed with sheer panic in her face.

All this over a snake? I am not afraid of snakes and Robert has a healthy respect for them but doesnt care for them much. I had pet snakes both as a child and an adult. They are beautiful creatures that do a good deed for the earth. They eat RODENTS! After some searching we finally found that poor snake. Robert caught him and beheaded him much to my protest. I thought he should be taken to the lake and set free but Robert didnt feel like he could wrangle the thing without being bit at some point. I prefer to keep my hubby healthy as opposed to the poor snake.

Its a day I hope I never forget. The moral to the story is... dont leave your doors open when you live in the country! It was such a beautiful day and Papa was tired of getting up to let the dog in and out every five minutes so he left the screen door open just enough... to invite in the critters!

Makayla's Birthday

Ok lets just face up to the facts... I waited till the last minute to set Makaylas birthday party...LOL It just slipped my mind until my sister called me today and asked what I was doing and I was like "I dunno, I still have time to figure it out" to which she replied... "ummm, its like next weekend." can ya give me a big whoooooooooooopsy!

So I called Jumping party and luckily they had a slot opened at 1pm! So thats what we are doing! woohooo! Its all finalized and paid for! All I have to do now is order the cake and get some party favors together, get the invites out and well... buy my daughter a present...LOL

So to all my good friends (namely, Shelley and Jessica) have your kiddos ready to be at Jumping Party on Feb22 to celebrate Makaylas birthday! We will be able to stay and jump the entire day...LOL

Horoscope?!?!

So do you read your horoscope? Do you believe anything they predict? I rarely read them and at times wish they would come true. For example, this was my horoscope today...

Things are about to equalize in all aspects of your life, so get ready to enjoy
a healthier period that will give you a stronger sense of security and
confidence. You're standing on a firm foundation again, which means you can
reach higher and try harder for the things you want. It's time for bolder action
and bigger stakes. You are feeling totally in control and it looks like no one
is standing in your way. Ignore your fears and move ahead at full steam!

So here's to wishful thinking and hoping that whoever it is that is predicting this is dead on! hehehe

Depression... an FYI for my friends

Some of you know but most of you don't that I suffered a severe bout of depression from 2001-2003. It was horrific to the point of me not leaving my house for a long time. It was a struggle to get out of bed, brush my teeth and so on and so forth. It was a scary time in my life and one that I hope to never relive. I bring this up because I am going to need help from my friends to pull me out of the funk I am starting to get in to.

How can I tell that I am starting to get depressed? Quite simply... I am getting a case of the woes Me's! I really think that all this pain and illness is causing me to get depressed and I just cant have that happen again.

Luckily for me I have a great hubby who helps me through these things and some pretty great friends too that I know will give me a kick in the pants if I need it. Since I am already recognizing the signs of depression setting in I am making a conscience effort not to let it grab me the way it did in the past.

A couple pictures to start your day...

I just loved that Makayla and daddy made a cake for Devin on his birthday. I was such a sweet gesture and obviously Devin loved it...

Gotta love these faces!!! I still cant get over the fact that I have an eighteen year old! OH and did I mention that he is on the A/B honor roll again! Senior year is doing great things for my boy!

Crafting with my Daughter

I promised Makayla that we would play in the craft room today so after her nap thats where I will be if you need me...LOL

Ill post pictures of some of our projects later on! Have a great day everyone!

Eighteen Years Ago

I remember it just like it was yesterday (which is saying something for me). I remember not sleeping well at all because I was so nervous. I remember taking a long hot bath thinking it would be a while before I would get one again. I remember getting to the hospital and crying for my Mom because I was so scared. I remember being poked and prodded and some other things I wish I could just forget... I was only 16 for crying out loud.

I remember the doctors telling golf jokes over my sliced open body. I remember pressure and then I remember hearing a bunch of numbers being yelled out which I kept thinking to myself meant something... but what? Then I remember the sweet cry of my baby boy. I remember my husband leaving my side never to be seen again for several hours. I remember the nurses laying my newborn boy on my chest and then they wheeled me out of the room and down the hall where they knocked me out for several hours before taking me to my hospital room.

I remember these things so clearly although they were eighteen years ago. How is that even possible? I couldnt possibly have an eighteen year old boy now could I?

Makayla made her big brother a cake today and he loved it. Ill load some pictures later.

Happy Birthday baby boy... I am so glad to have you.