One of those days...

Today was one of those days...

On more than one occasion today I wanted to either scream and pull my hair out or sit down and cry...Our house is a wreck, we are digging up the front yard, and I have 101 things to do for school. All of the "living things" in our house were off kilter...Grayson refused to take a nap and changed clothes at least 10 times, Ella was screaming for no appear ant reason and had a spitting up problem, the dogs would not quit howling and two of them escaped, the cat knocked over the 2nd candle in less than a week, the fish was playing dead so I tried to flush him (to then notice that he was swimming in the toilet!)...

It was wild!

And then, nothing would go my way...I lost my credit card and cell phone, I spend an hour on the computer to loose everything I was working on, they were out of the two things I wanted at the grocery store, the lady at Wendy's messed up our order, we broke a sprinkler head, I hung some clothes to dry and then turned the sprinkler on them, I broke the vacuum, all of the diet Coke was flat...Nothing went my way!

And do not get me started on the headache I had...

Now that it is almost midnight, things have finally have settled down. The kids and animals are all asleep, and the house suddenly seems so peaceful. I was so frustrated earlier...Yet, sitting here now, all the "bad" things that happened today seem so trivial. The fact that I was so frustrated seems almost ridiculous!

I just need to always remember that I am so lucky...and to thank the Lord that I am so blessed.

Happy Birthday Papa

Today would have been Papa's 80th birthday...

We love and miss you Papa.

Grayson's Fascination

Grayson definitely has his own opinion about things. Those of us who know him best are all aware of his distinct likes and dislikes...He shares them well!

Grayson HATES the Rattler mascot at Eric's football games, to wear ANYTHING that I pick out for him, tea with lemon, minty toothpaste and to wake up in the mornings. He LOVES to play football, take baths, chocolate milk in a sippy cup and to watch Signing Times. However, of all the things he loves is greatest love is by far the Aggie Band.

To be more specific, he loves the drums of the Aggie Band. All week long I bribe him, " You do___ and this weekend we will get to go see the Aggie Band!" It is amazing what he will do...even on Monday...if he thinks he might get to see the drums in action.

Last weekend he sat by the front door for over 30 minutes waiting for GiGi and K-Dan to get to our house so that we might be able to leave to see the band...He practices marching, told me what they were going to be wearing, imitated how Kason stands, got angry because I could not find his "Aggie boots" and demanded that I "blow the whistle" to tell him when to start playing....all while the Aggie War Hymn is playing on repeat on the CD player!

Of course, his love is fueled because his Uncle Kason plays the drums in the Aggie Band...even better for Grayson! In Grayson's eyes Kason is the most incredible person in the entire world. He says, "I love Kason because he plays the drums so fast...I am going to do that too."

Only time will tell if he too will play the drums like Kason, but until then I am confident he will keep practicing with his spoons on my pots!

Making Friends

I was blessed to spend this past weekend with one of my dearest friends from college. My time with her reminded me of how important friends are...I was reminded of how much I "need" them...of how happy they make me...and, sadly, of how I sometimes take them for granted.

I have made a vow to myself to not take my friends for granted...and I hope that my children will see by example how these relationships should be cherished.

I know that as I watch my children grow they will make so many friends, and while these relationships are so young, they DO matter...

The New Friday Night Lights

Friday night marked the opening of the new, much anticipated Rattler Stadium! We were all super excited to be able to go to the game!

Even better...they won 43-0!

Ella Bella Ballerina Toes is 2 Months!

Since the day that Ella was born, I have called her Ella Bella. This HIGHLY offends Grayson! He says, "No Mommy! Her name is Ballerina!"

Even knowing what Gryason wants me to call her, I still make mistakes and call her Ella Bella, and EVERY time I am corrected. "It is ELLA BALLERINA!" he screams!

A couple of weeks ago I mistakenly called her Ella Bella, and Grayson frustrated with me to his limit he says, "Fine Mommy...She can be Ella Bella Ballerina Toes!"

So, this is her new name...Ella Bella Ballerina Toes.

We decided that the ballerina needed some pictures for her 2 month birthday dressed as a ballerina! Grayson thought that it was awesome!

We are family...

My parents have given me many great things in my lifetime. My spoiled self certainly never went without, and I must admit, I have received some fairly extravagant gifts...cars, a house, a wedding, a college education...just to name a few...

However, of all the gifts they have given me, the fact that they gave me 4 incredible siblings is by far the greatest.

Growing up I would never have said this. In fact, I think I sometimes felt cursed having 4 younger siblings...My naive eyes believed I did not get things because I always had to "share" with the "others," I sometimes grew weary of being the babysitter, and I longed for just a moment of solitude.

Yet, looking back, my greatest memories ALL involve one or more of my siblings...and today the only people I will ever completely understand me, that I trust whole-heartedly and that I feel the most comfortable around are them.

Ironically, it was not until I we were all "grown" that we ever really got-to-know each other. Afterall, Kason was only 5 when I left for college, and he still addressed me as "mam."

One by one we have all come to Aggieland (some of us never leaving), and it is here that the seeds my parents planted so many years ago have come into bloom...it is here the relationships blossomed. There are so many reasons why...but we will just say it was because of the "spirit" here. However, the relationships we now have with one another can never be described with words...

This in no way means that we are "chummy" all of the time. The opposite is perhaps more true...We have certainly been known to have some real good "grown-up" fights involving the hurling of frozen chicken at each other, the locking of one another in a bathroom resulting in a slightly dismantled door when the person inside attempted to escape, and the traditional pulling of hair as we roll on the floor. (Yes, these have all occurred within the last five years.)

There is also no group of people that I am likely to disagree with more than the four of them...I must say they (not me) make some pretty dumb decisions and have the most bizarre outlook on situations! :) Yet, now matter how we might disagree with each other, how angry we are at one another or how ridiculous one of us might be acting...No one but us will ever know. We are a united front...and we will never stray from one another.

Tonight...like every night, I will thank the Lord for the greatest gift my parents gave me, and I will pray that I will be able to plant the same seed for my children that they planted for us.