So many siblings...so many birthdays...

I have not posted in a while...It has been a busy few days! I have MUCH to say (tonight I just got home from LA with a terrible black eye); however, that story and others will have to wait for another time.

For now, I want to send a birthday shout out to so many of my siblings...

The spring in my world is filled with sibling birthdays...

First there is Kason. It was his big 21! While Eric and I really felt that we were entirely too OLD, we did get to witness this that evening...Then there is Cambrey. And, well, she lives too far away, and then I lose my cell phone of her b-day, so there were not even any birthday wishes for her from me!And, don't you just love this picture of me and Cammie? It is right after I had G! Sad...this was the only picture I could find of the two of us on my computer!

Then there is Justin. He celebrated his birthday Easter Sunday. We chose to hang in town that day and did not get to see him, but we DID think about him!I like this pic of Justin...his engagement day. What a happy day! And, soon his wedding day! Yea!

Then today is Emily's birthday! I missed hers because I JUST got back from LA! And, to think that the family got to eat at my favorite fish place in celebration without me. Booo! So, I do not know if there is a picture that exists of just Emily and me! I am the photo-taking junkie, and Emily is not really a fan of being in pictures. This combination= not many pictures of the two of us! This, however, is my absolute favorite picture of me and my sisters!

And, last, but not least of my (confirmed) sibling birthdays' (I will soon have two more, so...) is Ragan's. The end of next week she will turn another year older. Ragan, I am going to wish you an early birthday. You know, Friday is the last day of the big TAKS week, and I will not lie, there is a good chance I will forget to call!

To all of my siblings with their spring birthdays...I hope they are the happiest!

Love to all!

An Easter Peep

We had a VERY low-key Easter. Knowing that we have a very busy couple of weeks ahead, we decided that we REALLY wanted to "chill" as much as possible Easter day.

And, that is exactly what we did!

We did baskets with the two little ones...Daddy dyed eggs...(The kids were NOT as amused by the activity as he was!)Then we were off to an incredible church service!
After church we had lunch with Becky, Randy and Emily...Where Emily made the ever-popular bunny cake! (By the end of the afternoon the bunny remained; however, he was missing his eyes and nose! Poor thing!)
Our Easter day was as calm as it could get, and we loved it! No better way to celebrate His rising than a day of calmness!

Oh, I forgot, there was ONE MUST each Easter, that does NOT sit well with me! Eric cannot celebrate the holiday without these...

Yea, he LOVES Peeps! I, however, think they are DISGUSTING!

Oh, but unfortunately, G discovered that he loves them too! Like father like son! Uck!

And, then there is Ballerina...She was the one thing that was not-so-calm Easter Sunday! This little fireball had NO NAP and learned to open EVERY door! (She had opened several before, but there were still some that eluded her...) Uhhh!
Last, but not least, the cutest little bunny around! He was told that if he changed clothes one more time that he had to wear the bunny ears for the rest of the day! Ha! He thought I was joking at first...However, he was NOT all smiles a couple of hours later!

I hope all had a very Happy Easter!

A Really Good Friday

Oh, it has been a really Good Friday.

It started off crummy..

Eric's cell phone was stolen at school yesterday and mine. And, mine... Well, we will just say that it has been misplaced . (No, was not located in any of the typical places I leave my cell phone - the refrigerator, the mailbox, the pantry, the toy stroller, Ballerina's purse, etc.) Thus, we felt backed into a wall, and decided it was about time to purchase new ones.

Uhhhh...I HATE getting new cell phones. First, I am too cheap to buy something that does anything other than the necessitates; therefore, the sales pitches pretty much irritate me to the extreme. No, I do not want internet. No, I do not want to use it to play music. No, I do not give a rip that it has a GPS. I just want to talk, and occasionally I would like to be able to use it to text. (It is not that I am anti this technology...It is just that I am too cheap to purchase it! I will be all about it all when I can get it for what I deem a reasonable price!)

However, it quickly turned better when Eric, the 2 little ones and I headed to the waterpark at the beach! Because Eric won the tickets from the radio station they had to be used by next weekend, and then considering we had today off from school we figured there was no better day to go! We may have spent a good chunk of the day on the road, but the kids had the BEST time when we were there. It made me excited about this summer...

Gigi and K-Dan, we were thinking about you today...We know you said good-bye to your beloved lakehouse today, but, man, the kids are going to have in the water at your new one! :)

And, then, of course, today is Good Friday...WOW! How can it get any better than that?

My Little Attourney

Long story short, G and I were having a serious conversation in the car this afternoon about Native Americans and why they hunted buffalo.
"Well, for food...They would shoot them with arrows so they could have food." I explained.
"You mean they ate animals?" he asked. (As if I was mistaken.)
"Yea. Just like we do."
"Mommy, I do not eat animals."
This was news to me. He eats lots of chicken, bacon and hamburgers...I explain this to him and go into detail about what animals the food he eats comes from.
"Mommy, it is not right to kill an animal and eat it. That is so mean."
"I understand G, but sometimes that is what you do. Some animals are raised so that we can eat them."
"People who kill animals to eat them will go to hell with the devil," he says with the straightest face. "Do you want to go to hell Mommy? Yes or no?"
I ignore his yes or no question because I feel slightly berated by the 4-year-old. He, however, is not deterred by my silence. Instead, he sees it as an opportunity to further prove his point...
"Mommy, do you love Daddy?...Yes or no?"
"Yes, G. I love Daddy, " I reply.
"Do you love Ballerina? Yes or no?"
"Yes, I love Ballerina..." He proceeds through the rest of our family with a yes or no following each question, and I reply frankly that I do love each of them. After I answer this first series with all yeses, he pauses dramatically he then says, "That is nice, Mommy. You love your family. You know, animals have families too, and you think it is okay to eat someone's Daddy...or brother...or sister...or baby..."
Is there really an appropriate answer?
This kind of questioning continued our entire drive home.

I am not going to lie, by the time we pulled into the driveway I was re-thinking my position on eating meat, and I assuredly felt guilty fore every decadent bite I had ever taken. My grandfather was an incredible attorney, and I could not help but to think as we walked into the door that Papa is laughing in heaven...and so very proud of G and his line of questioning.

Where does he get this logic? I

Oh, just so you know that G IS perfectly logical...He also informed me that if you mix English and Spanish you get Chinese and it is perfectly acceptable to chew gum one finds on the bottom of tables (these things told to me as he is chomping on gum found in this special location)!

Palm Sunday

We have had a rough couple of weeks in our house...There is always craziness at work this time of year (in the midst of TAKS), but to add to the craziness, we have all had bouts with sinus infections and strep throat. Then to top off the craziness, I learned last week that I have a pretty bad stomach ulcer...that is bleeding. :(

Of course, I felt bad, but this diagnosis frustrated me more than it caused me pain. (Not to mention that I was pretty ticked that the only symptom of the ulcer I did not have was the rapid, unexplained weight loss! My luck! I could use some rapid, unexplained weight loss more than the ridiculous stomach pain and annoying as all get out heartburn. ) I was frustrated that I had something that was slowing me down, cramping my fast-paced style and putting a halt to things I had previously been determined to do.

However, this past Sunday, Palm Sunday, as we walked into church this is what I saw...I stopped in my tracks, and an instant peace fell over me.

Once again, I had forgotten, and I needed Him to remind me...to calm me...to give me peace...to provide me with the strength I could muster from myself.

Purposefully, I lagged behind the family to soak it all in, to meditate and to give thanks.

I was then blessed with another shot in my arm when I walked inside.

This is what I saw...How could one not give thanks for this greatness? (Please ignore the fact that Gunnar looks slightly drunk.)

Palm Sunday is the beginning of the holiest of weeks. I always take time during this week for extra reflection and meditation on the greatest gifts He has given me and the tremendous sacrifices He made for us. Yet, He has spoken to me differently this year...at a time when I needed Him to, and as I spend my extra time this great week, I will add this intervention to my list of great things He has done for me.

Oh, there was also an Easter Egg hunt at church this weekend...The older two were not so interested in hunting (a little too cool for egg hunting when there are friends around), but the younger two had a stellar time!

Texas Bluebonnets

On our way to the Bunny Bash we found the most incredible patch of bluebonnets! Thus, on our way home we could not resist stopping! There was NO way I was going to pass such a field and not snap a few pictures of our kiddos and the flowers!I love Texas wildflowers. They truly bring me such great joy!