Table for six

Sicko

2012-02-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

When I actually sit down and think about the longest stretch we've gone without being sick, it would have to be since before Christmas Joy. This makes for several back to back viruses mixed in with some strep and a household of 6. It feels never-ending! But, today my friends, everyone has had a cold and a stomach virus (except for dad on this one). I am sure we are out of the woods. The bathrooms have been scrubbed. The laundry has been washed. The vitamins have been digested. Our immune systems have been built. We are done with all this ridiculousness.

p.s. I heart instagram, obvs

2012-01-23T09:34:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks have been overtaken by illnesses. We'll have one or two days everybody is well, but then somebody comes down with something. Nothing major--Emma had strep throat, that's as major as it has gotten--but annoyances nonetheless.

Now, I felt like even though I don't have pictures documenting the trash cans overflowing with used facial tissue...or the bottle of antibiotic emptied...I still need to put this down to remember:

A. We get sick, its part of life

B. Families of 6 pass around sick

C. It will end and I should be super grateful when it does

D. It could be MUCH worse, but even if it was, I am able to make all my worries, concerns, stresses known in prayer.

I've gotta go get laundry put away and trash cans emptied now. Stay well, people, it's a germ-y world out there!

Test...Panic!

2012-01-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

I've been pseudo-back in the interpreting world for about 2 years now. Our state requires a license...and the license requires certification after 5 years of provisional licensing. So, I'm taking the national test for interpreter certification. AND I'm scared to death. The test itself isn't cheap and its only 50 buck cheaper if you have to re-take it. I only work in one insulated environment for the most part and I'm a little bit freaked out. What if I fail? Seriously, I've never taken it before so I don't know what to expect and they are in the midst of re-vamping the whole shebang which means it could be easier or it could be MUCH harder. It's just a test, I know, but it's also an indicator of my skill set...a way to judge me...and I want to be good and I'm not sure what to do if I'm not. *thinks to self: what did I just do by registering for the test?!*

Winter Break Shananigans

2012-01-05T10:10:00.000-08:00

Noah skiing:

Lila on Pa's riding lawnmower:

Emma after a woodworking project with Pa:

Winter break came and is now gone. A break was good, we had fun, but there's something about routine and a new start that I welcome. It's refreshing to feel like you can start over on somethings. I recently came to the realization that since moving here (away from lots of co-accountable parent friends in DFW) we have lost a lot of positive habits in our parenting and in our children's behavior...really in our speaking. I've settled back into this environment and am content to stay here, but I do miss having friends constantly around me with the same parenting goals. Not to say I don't have friends here, but it's just different. I miss them. But, I can change my habits. So I picked up a good motivating read called "Scream Free Parenting". It was just the push I needed in this new season of 2012. Here's to motivation and resolution!

Lobos Basketball

2011-12-24T08:01:00.000-08:00

Lila w/Barney (@J's bday party bc there are no Lobo pics for her) :

With Lobo Louie and Lucy:

A few nights ago our friends, Ron & Debb, invited us to Ron's company suite for the basketball game. For those of you who aren't familiar with college basketball, the Pit is famous...for it's team and architecture. We had a great time and no one else in the shared suite showed up! And, of course, the Lobos won!

Break

2011-12-15T09:32:00.000-08:00

I feel like I slipped into a new realm for a while. My mind is in complete disorganization. I'm so very very very thankful for Winter Break from school and activities. The past two days I've been able to play catch up (though I'm not all caught up). I was quite unprepared for Christmas Joy this year...in some ways I was prepared, in other ways I wasn't. It was a big commitment that I'll plan better for in 2012. For now, though I'm taking a deep breathe because it was beautiful and worshipful:

third drummer boy

easy to spot

finale

Christmas cards were completed today, ready to mail tomorrow. Shopping is done...mostly...just have groceries, so that doesn't really count. Looking forward to family and friend time!

Musings

2011-12-14T20:43:00.001-08:00

Christmas cards were purchased yesterday, December 13. Christmas Joy is over. I'm grateful and sad. 24 cupcakes, 24 cake pops, 40 cookies...and those aren't even for gifts. Aunt Abby has been here (my youngest sister-in-law) to help out with yet another crazy week, well really, just today: Spelling Bee, IEP meeting, Freelance work, Dance, and #3's 6th birthday! Obvs this pic isn't from today as it is actually snowing outside...it's been a long day as you've read, but this shot was just a couple of months ago and suffices. There is just something about this kid that I madly love. He's a bit hot-headed, but gives me little nudges of love. He is super athletic and makes up football games while simultaneously keeping score. It's cute. He loves the Lobos and the Broncos and wears his Tim Tebow jersey twice a week. He's more introverted, but will play a game with anyone. He's a reader now too! Happy Birthday JLB!

Why no bloggy?

2011-12-07T07:50:00.000-08:00

Prepping for this show:

Christmas Joy

When I'm not at the theatre, Bobby is. Opening night Friday!

Maybe my mom will get off my back...

2011-11-08T07:14:00.000-08:00

Star Wars cast, plus a random sort of ballerina...whatever, she's 2 and obsessed with tutus.

She's a dog loving ballerina...as she is telling us there is a dog across the street and we're telling her to get in the car and she's all, but there's a dog right there and we're all, get in the car L, so she shoots me this look.

Leia

Anakin Skywalker

Yoda...obvs

Seriously. She got the boys' costumes for them this year, so I see why she wants to see them so desperately. But I've got to get my business together, and I've read a book for "Large Family Management". Lets just say that it was prefaced by a Dugger. Though I disagreed with several points, especially the HoMe ScHoOlInG part, it still had good ideas. Like, have an Office Day. So, today is my new Office Day. Yes, I'm totally serious, and, yes, I do have a dire need for routine, and yes, I do need some self-discipline with avoiding the www, oh, say, especially Pinterest throughout the week. So, here you have it. MOM--only 1 week after Halloween, your request is met...and while the hubs is traveling for business...you owe me a mani/pedi. They're cute kids!

Yes, one last post

2011-10-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

Drummer Boy:

O'Holy Night:

Had to share these pictures. Getting into the Christmas spirit with our Christmas Joy pics!!

Home V. Public

2011-10-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

...Schooling that is. For whatever reason in today's Christian culture, homeschooling is the trend, like 97% (this is not a scientific number) of families at our church do it. NoT uS. And, unlike when we were kids and the "homeschoolers" were the weirdos--today it is US. I'm a white American, so I get the whole majority mindset...I'm disturbed by it, but I can also see how it's super easy to brush off a minority. Here's the hard part: I feel that way at church, the weirdo minority. I'm serious. I will not say where we attend church and I will say it's NOT something we are going to leave our church over. I will say that a leader in our church who is with the majority epically failed (in my opinion) in appropriately handling this issue in our church body.

The real trouble is, I've never been one to keep my mouth shut. I also have the tendancy to be judgemental, easily offended, and not quick to forgive. However, over and over I read that I should be the opposite of that.

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; -James 1:19

I am angry. I am disappointed. I do think he lacked compassion. AND I think I'm going to be okay with that. The thing is I quite often lack compassion and fail to see the struggle of others...this occured earlier this week. So before I go and start nit-picking, before I start accussing someone of lacking compassion, I think it is time to change a few of my nasty little habits. I'm challenging myself to compassion, like real, deep-seated, genuine, heartaching compassion for those who are struggling with real oppression.

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. -Colossians 3:12

I'll never change this person and I don't want to. I need to change myself. Big girl panties ON.

Party!

2011-10-24T12:34:00.001-07:00

We threw a mystery party for Emma's 10th birthday! The girls all came in character--Sherlea Holmes, Mancy Crew, and Adrian Monk to name a few. They had a blast, they used their noggins, they got a little too into it at some points, and they all thought the ending was lame. I have to admit that it was pretty lame, but it was made for kids so it had to be a "no one did anything bad" kind of ending. It was 3.5 hours of screaming, giggling, running, lots of dancing, discussions, debate, and total F-U-N.

#4 is 2

2011-10-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

Today my baby is 2 years old. If you're a parent you know this dichotomy: How can it possibly have been two years yet how can it have only been two years? Lila is a monkey. We call her peanut...which came from calling her Sweet Pea...that came from "P"...which came from LilaPillar b/c the boys thought she looked like a little Lila Catepillar when she was swaddled. This is weird and we know it, but sometimes we call her P-Nizzle. Yes, she responds.

P-Nizzle loves dogs and babies. They light up her face everytime she sees one! She signs more than she talks (this is something I love and makes any of our Deaf friends very happy). She doesn't pair words just yet, but she will pair signs, typically something like this: MORE PLEASE. MILK THANK-YOU. It's cute. And, she does talk, but doesn't say the ending syllable, so I'm the only one who really understands her. She loves her daddy. She loves her siblings, but definitely has a special relationship with "Bubs" aka Jonah. She cuddles and hugs and kisses. She screams. She likes Blues Clues. She loves books, especially Barbie books. And Lila is a total maniac...I had to put a door lock on the pantry yesterday. This morning she tried to open it and couldn't, so she shot me a look like "What the hell are you trying to pull here?! This is just wrong, mom." She walked away and rubbed expensive facial cleanser on her hair.

That's Lila. We love her, wouldn't trade her!

Ten

2011-10-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

My first born turned 10 on Saturday. Whoa. How we've both grown. I was 20 when she was born...she was zero when she was born. We both like that our ages always have the same last number, it's sweet. I love so many things about Emma. She's smart (I'm talking like super smart...I'll never tell her what her IQ is, but it's somewhere between mine and Einstein's). She's a good friend. She's a decent big sister, a bossy big sister, but a decent one. I see little glimpses of the Holy Spirit working in her heart...little changes she is making that I can never force. She's a good dancer, a pretty ballerina and she loves to dance. Emma is clean at school but messy at home. She loves to cook with me and she can make a mad batch of chocolate chip cookies and pancakes all on her own. She still loves to read and still has Agatha Bunny...Agatha hasn't aged as well as Emma has though, she's a little nasty. Her party is this Saturday...mystery party...will post pics!

Balloon Fiesta

2011-10-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

My most-est favorite-est part of living here is the beginning of fall. The month of October. Fresh green chile, pinon burning in fireplaces smelling up the neighborhood, and cool weather (not to mention I have two very sweet girls with birthdays at this time). Here's one girl whom I've got to stop calling the baby:

Here's one balloon--at the kid's school--with the city's founding date:

Here's the other girl, double digits on Saturday:

And, it snowed. Seriously. It snowed in the mountains. And there were balloons flying that morning...it was beautiful and I must get the picture off my phone! Next time.

Bad Blogger Mom

2011-09-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

At least I'm consistently inconsistent...with blogging. Oh my, life's pace picked up really quickly, and though I do have spare time where I refuse to use my brain and stare blankly then excitedly at Pinterest, I haven't blogged. Shame on me. Also, I haven't taken pictures. Shame on me again. But, I was thinking I need to update, but needed inspiration as to where I should start. I was provided it by this photo 'cause it made me think of two things:

1. Emma is a sweet and smart girl, but she can have attitude. I'm so glad I captured this image last year as proof. She always complains that I'm too organized and like things too clean. Yet, at every Parent-Teacher Conference they tell us one of her strenghts is organization...and every year I giggle...no...I laugh out loud and the look above is what she shoots me!

2. This past spring Erin, Dan-O, and the girls kept Lila so I could watch Emma's recital. Dan-O was installing car seats and saw Emma in the above full make-up. He was disturbed. Little girls in make-up is disturbing. But little girls without make-up on, on a huge stage is more disturbing 'cause your kid looks like a ghost and not a kid. Dan-O had NO idea Emma was in a recital so Erin had to explain the recital thing and the stage make-up thing before he got all judgy judgerson on me. I still think this story is funny.

So, other than that, we are at dance Wednesday & Thursday with Christmas Joy rehearsals on Saturday. Soccer is Monday & Friday with games on Saturday. Sunday we have church x2 and Community Group. Life is busy and I run barefoot now. :)

Lipstick and Soccer

2011-09-09T17:05:00.000-07:00

Noah is playing his first year of soccer. I think he's a little stud muffin!

And, Lila, well, Lila is lucky to have such a great friend like Erin. Why, you ask? Well, Lila likes Erin's makeup specifically a shade of Mary Kay lipstick and some eye shadow. Momma and Erin were having great catch-up time and it suddenly became very quiet from Miss L. She was playing. Erin laughed, Momma had to laugh a little, and Lila seemed quite pleased with herself. The lipstick was in her hair, on her hands, on her shirt, on her face, but not on Erin's brand new carpet. How she managed that, I'll never know. One thing I do know, this girl is trouble. Seriously? Nail polish. Make up. I don't want to know what is next. And, thanks Erin for being so nonchalant about the whole ordeal, I really was stressin about it.

Psalm 119

2011-09-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

Let me start out by saying, my family is fine, but you know how it goes when others' families have struggles and you are intimately involved. Our family loves other families who today are dealing with devestating health issues, so far undiagnosed ailments with a likely undesirable answer, and car wrecks with no financial means. When these things happen, I immediately question if God is really good. It's something that I've struggled with since I lost my best friend 10 years ago. If God is good, then why....? Don't get me wrong, I believe the gospel, I believe God, but sometimes I have to tell myself the truth I believe instead of depending on my emotions. So for today, for me, maybe for you, here's the truth:

⁶⁵You have dealt well with your servant,
O LORD, according to your word.
⁶⁶Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
for I believe in your commandments.
⁶⁷ Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep your word.
⁶⁸ You are good and do good;
teach me your statutes.
⁶⁹ The insolent smear me with lies,
but with my whole heart I keep your precepts;
⁷⁰their heart is unfeeling like fat,
but I delight in your law.
⁷¹It is good for me that I was afflicted,
that I might learn your statutes.
⁷² The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

Emmafluenza

2011-08-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

Technically our second week of school started out like this:

Mom wakes up feeling very cold, which is weird, because it's not cold. Starts the AM routine, returns to her room to find a fiery little Noah ball...101.9 to be exact. Then she finds a dressed and ready Emma ball curled up on the living room floor, saying she feels tired, but that is all folks, and no fever. Dad rides bike to work. Mom drops off Emma and Jonah at school and starts to feel worse. Mom drives to pick up Dad suspecting the symptoms will only get worse and Dad willingly complies to miss work. Mom and Noah take a nap and wake up to an Emma asleep in her bed (school nurse called and sweet girl was with fever), a baby down for a nap, and Dad crashed out on the couch. The flu.

At a meeting yesterday, Emma's teacher informed me that 5 kids were absent that day because of what she has termed "Emmafluenza". It was funny, not mean...the teacher that is, not the actual flu, no, the flu was mean, not funny.

We're recovered now...were recovering in the above pictures of the kidlets watching "Home Alone 2". Hilariousness! Grateful to be well and have my little apple thief to play with:

Bad mom? Prepped mom?

2011-08-17T14:13:00.000-07:00

Fourth

First

This little girl was so sad today, she kept asking for her "Bubba" all day. Last year it was just the two of them at home, they have a bond.

I don't cry normally. It takes a lot to make me cry. Wedding? No crying. Funeral? I'm not cold-hearted, of course I cry.

Yesterday was the first day of school for 2 kids. Today was the first day for K. I remember Emma's first day of K vividly: We lived really close to the school and walked, double stroller in tow. We dropped her off and I bawled the entire walk home, from the second we walked out of the classroom. I had a great friend keep me occupied all day long, but I still cried off and on.

Last year when Noah started K, I didn't want to cry in front of him (he's my sensitive kid and I didn't want to upset him), so Bobby took him. It was a weird day, everything felt new and different and totally out of my control.

Today, I was meeting up with other moms for breakfast after K drop-off, so I took J. I didn't cry. I didn't feel like today was weird. I feel bad that I don't feel bad. I miss all my kids, but there wasn't a big heartache. Am I a bad mom? The biggest difference I can see is that Jonah has the same teacher and classroom Noah had last year. I'm hoping the more natural return to that classroom is the reason I don't feel any anxiety or sadness and that I'm not becoming a jaded mom.

Just to make the situation weirder, Jonah is the one kid so far who hasn't loved the first day. He's never felt comfortable talking about emotions, instead of crying because he is sad, he'll usually act angry. Yesterday he mentioned he was nervous bc he thought he would miss me. Today he told me the note I left in his lunch made him sad, not happy. It simply said, "I love you!". Then, he had an outburtst of anger after school...and I knew, something was up. He doesn't like school. He was obedient and compliant, but he doesn't love it. Maybe I needed to be okay with him being gone because he isn't okay with being gone. Sweet boy.

I love them all soooo mucho.

Musings over.

They went for a hike...

2011-08-15T16:30:00.001-07:00

And rode up the Tram with an expert. Jonah ran the 3 miles. Emma fell. Noah was hit in the head with a waterbottle. They slept well last night.

Vacay

2011-08-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

The view

The spill above the clean up below

The curl

The kids

Oh, Vacay, you were so good to us! With 4 kids it can't be drama free, but there was no major life-threatening disaster. Here's the DL on the crazy: Bobby and Emma were stung by jellyfish (meat tenderizer fixes that). Lila poured red nail polish onto the carpet (acetone, rags, and Spot Shot fixes that). Emma kicks Jonah on the nose (kleenex, baby wipes, and the gospel fix that). Lila gets a case of Transient Synovitis (Dr. Tom diagnosis this, Advil for kids helps fix that). The beach was beautiful...we didn't do anything tourist-y, except for maybe our trip to Lambert's (which really just signified everything that is wrong with America all in one fell swoop). We relaxed, we refreshed, we are HOME...and school starts Tuesday. Yikes.

Asper Kourt

2011-08-05T13:17:00.000-07:00

Hula hoop madness--itty bitty shot, one lense only, had to document anyway (that trash can sure is pretty though, I'm an extraordinary photographer).

Our second and final summer concert at the BioPark last night was Asper Kourt! I kinda like them a lot. And, it's a little nerdy, which makes me smile. The dude on keys is an engineer, need I say more (he works with the hubs). The sad part is, the hubs missed the concert. He's...out of town...again. The good part is, I have friends with cute babies, who like nerd music in the park too. We had fun. My camera battery died so I only got a few pictures and no twin baby pics. But, we had fun.

Oh, and today we celebrate 11 years of matrimony. I hope Bobby's boss takes him out for a nice romantic dinner...I'm thinking the kids and I will have a candle lit dinner of quesidillas and guacamole. Maybe Noah will saranade me.

Christmas Joy

2011-08-01T06:27:00.000-07:00

I for one, am not the person who gets so excited that Hobby Lobby has already set up the Christmas decorations. It's now only August, December is far far away, and you're not supposed to do that until the day after Thanksgiving. Yet, here I find myself, with the word "Christmas" in my title.

This however, is to cue all 2 people who read my blog, that my carefree summer has come to an end and what we've come to call "Christmas Joy Season" has begun.

The cast list was made available this morning. And, my sweet Emma angel, is not an angel this year :( She's like a big girl now or something. Miss E was cast in the corps for Drummer Boy and O' Holy Night. She is still a little girl, just in big girl numbers.

And, as I said, so begins our season. Let's see...hmmm...return from vacation at 2PM, rehearsal from 5-8PM and the next day from 9:30-4. You see what I mean? BUT, I'm not buying nor am I putting up Christmas decorations yet, sorry Hobby Lobby.

Le Chat Lunatique

2011-07-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

Two things that are super awesome-ness about where we live: 1. There are tons of things for families to do for reasonable prices. 2. Those things are typically outdoors and it is not unreasonable to be outdoors even in the summer. Sooooo, last night we went to a Le Chat Lunatique concert at the BioPark with the Prince family.

Because the band has a French name (though they are a crazy little jazz band--very GOOD jazz band...note the link...go check them out) we had French theme for food. Well, French meaning we made sure to have some cheese and bread. Really, now that I'm typing it, we went more for a kabob theme, but I think it started out as a French theme.

Nevertheless it wasn't stressful, because of peeps from our church we were able to score some great seating (that wasn't planned, but it was fun chatting with them for a while), the weather was perfect, the concert was great, the impromptu dancers (some of which were quite talented while others were, well, um, hmmm...) were entertaining, AND we got to see Clan Tynker, an awesome family Vaudeville show including fire juggling and sword swallowing like totally up close and personal. The best part is: we're going next week!

Bye, Bye, Bye

2011-07-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

I know it isn't nice to show a lady's rear end, but it's all I've got for my tribute

Can you sing it with me? You know, the Backstreet Boys song?! Well, Old Red has just left Casa de Bearden and I gave her a little pat on her way out. She's kept us safe and taken us from point A to point B on numerous occassion, but I just have to say, I have never loved her. You know when you get a new car and you're just a little giddy. My feeling after buying her was a little sick to my stomach...it was the 'ol swichteroo from a car to a minivan that just leaves a BLUCK feeling. Also, rightly noted, we were in a nasty accident in the middle of Nowheresville, Texas that involved a semi, us, and ice. She kept the kids and adults safe. She was also rear-ended by a waterbottle drinking momma. Both events somehow involved my mom. She must be the curse of Old Red or vice versa. Anyway, we're all just a little relieved to retire her and we wish her well with her new family or set of geriatric parents (that population is buying up our Odyssey's these days--if you ask me, when I'm old, I'll drive ANYTHING BUT a minivan). So, bye, bye, bye Old Red. Thanks for everything. We're trading you in for something a little more exciting (picture to come)...yup, you guessed it, a younger model with passenger windows that roll down, a moon roof, and (cue the choir of angels singing) the little jack for the iphone so we can play our music and podcasts!!!! This time I'm excited for a new minivan, it's who I am, I own it. SUV's with no sliding doors don't got nothin' on my Odyssey!

Potty choices

2011-07-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had what I thought was a step-back, turns out, Lila doesn't like the panties I picked out. She prefers Tangled and My Little Pony panties. When I gave her a choice of a diaper or panties (the ones I picked out--pretty pink polka dot) she replied "no panties. diaper." But, this morning I thought to give her the option of the panties she picked out. Her choice between diaper and panties was...PANTIES! And she even clapped her hands in excitement. Phew! I was about to change my mind on her readiness.

Potty Time!

2011-07-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

So, she's only 21 months old, but if I've learned one thing in parenting 3 others, it is that THEY will potty train when THEY are ready. She has been showing "signs" for a couple of months now. And, so, I was thinking, maybe I should give it a whirl while we still have the flexibility of summer. Today is Day 2. Yesterday she went successfully in the potty twice...more than that was not in the potty. This morning, she started to "tee-tee" on the kitchen floor, but all by herself she stopped and ran to the potty to finish unloading her tiny bladder, which can by the way, hold vast amounts of "tee-tee". This is a fantastic step and has reassured me, she is indeed ready. Or, at least that's my theory for today. Fingers crossed!

Uninspired

2011-07-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

I guess J needed alone time. He is inside the futon mattress. Weird.

This picture might be the picture that lands him in therapy, but it's too funny not to post!

Life has its ups and downs, seasons of inspiration and seasons lacking inspiration. Maybe inspiration is the wrong word, maybe motivation is the right word, maybe its both. Regardless, everyone knows what those periods of time are like, and I'm not here to complain. I just need some ideas to get out of this funk. I need my battery to be re-charged. Now, vacation is only a couple of weeks away and immediatly following our return, school starts. I might be wishing for such a quiet season in a few weeks, but for now, I need some mojo. In the meantime, at least I can laugh at my kidlet's antics :)

Dear Diary...

2011-07-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

This one needs a haircut.

This one is very testy these days--he needs dad time.

This one is doing manual labor.

This one is being naughty--she has climbed on the table, grabbed her brother's notepad and crayons and is drawing...oh, and see the two apples to her left, they have bite marks taken out of them, oh say, the size of Lila's mouth.

...and she thinks it's funny!

Dear Diary, it is time for the hubs to be done traveling for work. I've lost all control, if I had any to begin with.

Fun, fun!

2011-07-06T21:51:00.000-07:00

This doesn't belong, but it's a picture of the cupcakes I made for Noah's birthday--get it? They look like popcorn boxes!

Thanks to Nani and Papa Maley! They improvised a deck and used cinder block to cover the nails sticking out. The pool is gonna be awesome when all is said and done, I'm talkin' sweet like bathroom, pool house, and kiva fireplace!

Sweet but worn out little ones!

Jell-O Pie Face

!!Sparklers!!

Ok, so Independence Day was like either super scary or super fun as a kid. I vowed to make it fun for my little ones, so we typically head to Carlsbad to visit Mimi and Pa and watch the awesome show their fire department puts on. This year the fourth of July was on a Monday--I am the only interpreter for Sunday and a sub is like impossible to find on a holiday weekend--so I thought we were doomed for a crap-tastic holiday. However, we decided to make the trek anyway after my interpreting services and Bobby's mad Sunday School teaching skills were used. And, it ended up being pretty freakin' fun! It was full of time with the grandparents, swimming with Maley family (fyi, it's good when your best has in-laws building a pool, who know you well enough that they lovingly welcome you into their construction zone so your kids can all swim and burn energy), sparklers (no fireworks for us, we weren't about to possibly contribute to yet another fire in this state), dinner (like a mini high school reunion), and a great seat for the city fireworks show (with a tired baby taken home and put to bed by her fabulous grandparents)! Oh, and a date night...to...IHOP. Small town=locally owned and operated businesses closed on holiday weekends=date night at IHOP. It wasn't crap-tastic. It was fast, but it was fun, AND my kids concure. Success!

7 years of Noah!

2011-07-01T08:03:00.000-07:00

My sweet Noah! My how you've grown, yet you are still the same 'ol person as the day you arrived. It's so funny how some behaviors are simply innate. We called him Rolly-Polly-Nolly because he would just snuggle up into a ball like a rolly polly...he still sleeps this way today! My most cuddly baby, and the only kid aside from the baby, that will randomly hug me without me asking. I love these unchanging qualities. Some ways he's changed: no longer does he say "L" like "W". I'm happy, I'm sad. It was so cute, but not so cool, I suppose. He's a reader, good at math, loves to draw, and is super helpful, rarely complains about chores, wants his hair long, responsible, kind, and is our family "mayor". Noah is super outgoing, never met a stranger, and makes senior citizens in our community aware of our entire family history in about 5 seconds flat. Now, don't get me wrong, he has flaws too (he's a whiner), but geese, I love this kid!!! Happy Birthday!

Girl Time

2011-06-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

The beauty of technology is that I don't have to type this all out, you can click below and read all about our Saturday and Pinterest!

The Prince House: Girl Time: "My ABQ bestie and I had a day!! A fun one! It's amazing that a day in my home, with 6 kids, 3 under 2, a dog, 100+ degree temps..."

Accomplished!

2011-06-20T09:26:00.001-07:00

Cecchetti Grade One--Passed Commend!

Nummers!

Father's Day treats

The Father: that's right it says #1...that's for the dad and the Mavs (see shirt)!

Uh-huh. Yup. Woohoo! More pictures. Sans little boys, but its okay, its a good start. No library though. Baby steps, baby steps. And better than that, Emma accomplished a pretty darn big thing too. She passed her Cecchetti Grade One Exam with a Pass Commend (I've learned this is kinda a big deal for a first-time test taker. That's what her teacher says and I'm stickin' to it). Seriously though, this has been weekly classes since August and bi-weekly classes since February, a workshop, note cards, and way more French than I ever learned in my 2 years taking it in high school. Go Emma!!!! *Shimmy, Shake*, urgh, I mean *Plies, Trois Grands Pas de Chat et un Petit Changement de Pied*

More Pictures Required

2011-06-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

This is how I make coffee when the hubs is on a business trip. Gross, I know.

Jonah, swim teacher, Noah

Though she acts like she's 2!

Case in point: she has on Emma's tap shoe.

Every summer I have grandious plans. Like this summer, I was going to transform Jonah into a super reader. Everytime we sit down to read, it's a knock-down-drag-out event. Fail. I was going to be up-to-date on my bible study and bible listening...yes, listening, people, I said listening. How does one get behind on listening?! And the bible study, well I did 2 lessons on the night before the study. Then, I had all of these plans to sit with the kids at the pool after lessons to let them play...this is practically an unobtainable goal with a kid to adult ratio of 4:1. I'm glad this was a fail, cause, let's face it, they're alive and haven't drowned. I also decided I was going to be back to blogging routinely, because I *S*U*C*K at scrapbooking, I need this blog to chronicle our family's life. So, I just decided I'm going to take more pictures. I'm leaving my camera out--if it breaks, at least it was being used. And, I'm going to blog more (not everyday, but more) and tomorrow I'm going to the library, maybe.

Spray Park

2011-06-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

Jonah and his buddy Matthew

Lila lovin' it!

Jonah, Emma, Emma's friend Hannah, and Noah clearly showing off his newly lost two bottom front teeth!

Our sweet pea having fun

Big kids!

The summer break has begun and a new routine has set in. But, before we were busy with boys' swim lessons and Summer Intensive Workshop for Emma, we had some fun free time. We spent it at the city Spray Park. It's like a waterpark with no chance to drown...that is one sweet deal for our family while there is just one adult on duty!

Jonah's Last Day

2011-06-09T12:03:00.002-07:00

J & Ms. Jennifer

J and his best buds...Matthew and Matthew (Matte)

Jonah is done with pre-school. I am sad. I am happy. Here we go with 3 kids in Elementary School...well summer first!

Recital Pictures

2011-05-23T13:36:00.001-07:00

Recital 2011. Emma's tap dance is to "If My Friends Could See Me Now" and ballet dance to Beethoven.

Tom's

2011-05-19T17:12:00.001-07:00

All I have to say is love, love, love! Oh, and, thanks Mimi!

Bad Day, No Pic

2011-05-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was not a really good day. I had to take the car into a dealership which required 2 hours of time with 4 kids in a teeny tiny room. I texted Bobby and said, "Seriously, other than the hospital, I can't think of a worse place to be with kids than a dealership." I spoke too soon because as soon as we got home Lila was dropped (by a sibling who will remain unnamed) on the kitchen tile floor. After she stopped screaming, she tried to start sleeping. I though "concussion" then took her immediately to Urgent Care. We were there for about 2 hours as they monitored her and we woke her up, looking for specific responses during the night. Praise God she is okay! I've decided no more sarcastic and complaining text messages :)

Long time, no blog...

2011-05-09T11:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a while...a long while. Let's see we've had Easter, a stomach bug, Performer's Company induction, and Mother's Day! Here's a pictorial recap of the past 2 months!

at the botanical gardens

jonah

noah

emma

kindergarten mother's day tea

emma and her favorite demonstrator, bella

emma, now an official member of the performers ballet & jazz company!

at the 'topes game!

simone and lila (2 days apart in age)

mother's day dinner with the vicenti's

lila

Just Because

2011-03-18T15:27:00.001-07:00

I want to eat her up!!

Spring Break...

2011-03-18T15:20:00.000-07:00

cousins

second cousins at aunt's house

second cousins on a slide

noah with a worm

lila & abigail

was a quick trip to DFW.

Kid Pics

2011-03-02T07:03:00.001-08:00

Sweet Pea

Cut lip, dirty chin

Hmmm....

Sweetness

Freezer Cooking

2011-03-02T07:01:00.001-08:00

3 Hours, 2 Friends, 28 meals...perfect!

Disney Land!

2011-01-04T15:25:00.001-08:00

Lila's ride

"The Plastic People" as the Queen Witch from Snow White called them

Ballou

Captain Hook

Pearla (a mouse from Cinderella)

Belle

Mulan

Rosetta and Tinkerbell

Snow White and Ariel

Mary Poppins and Bert

Our trip to Disney Land was full of...RAIN! However, there were some great perks. No vendors out and about luring children with $14 balloons or $20 spinning lights. Better than that...no lines! I mean, NO lines! The longest line was about 40 minutes long (stupid Roger Rabbit Ride...we would've never waited, but the line was so deceptive). We walked onto the major rides like Space Mountain, Tower of Terror, California Screamin', Matahorn, Pirates of the Carribean, the Haunted Mansion...you get the point. So after a purchase of waterproof shoes, we were good to go and enjoyed riding the rides and meeting characters! It was super!

December Recap

2011-01-04T15:11:00.000-08:00

Jonah's Christmas program (he's the little guy waaaay on the left at the end)

The "just woke up and my stocking is full on Christmas morning" look

That is her new baby in her arms. She loves it!

Emma and Lainey the American Girl Doll...twinsies!

This is what happens at Mimi's house!

December was a very busy month for us. Obviously Christmas Joy dominated the first half of the month, but the rest was just as crazy. We had kid's school parties, DisneyLand the 20-23, Christmas Eve Service (I worked), Christmas Day, then a trip to Carlsbad from the 26-January 2. We had a lot of fun though!

Jonah is Five!

2010-12-14T08:53:00.000-08:00

5 years ago today!

Happy Birthday Jonah! 5 years has flown by so quickly. Jonah is full of energy, full of smarts, and full of love. We are blessed!

Finale!

2010-12-13T07:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas Joy is over for 2010. It was a beautiful production and Emma did a perfect job! Finally, at the last Finale, I managed to get a shot of Emma with the halo and wings on. This proves to be a major task as the angels are only in costume a short time and for an even shorter time have the wings and halo on. I'm happy I was able to get at least this. Now for...Jonah's birthday, DisneyLand, Christmas, and Carlsbad!

Busted

2010-12-10T14:26:00.000-08:00

Never leave the pantry door open!

I know how this works

Delicious Success!

No, it's not Ash Wednesday...that's a bruise, from such adventures. This is exactly what happens when momma turns her head for two seconds. I guess she likes Apple Jacks!

Angel

2010-12-04T16:55:00.000-08:00

We're gearing up for Christmas Joy! Emma's costume must stay at the theatre this week, so we took the opportunity today to practice makeup and shoot some pics. She will have a halo and wings, but the wardrobe committee was wise not to send either of those home. I'll try to get a picture at the full dress rehersal. This is a busy, busy week for us, but Emma is excited and we're excited for our little Hannah Angel!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T14:37:00.001-08:00

Our sweet pea

The big sister and doll Chrissa

Brothers

The "adults"

The cousins

The kids and their aunt

The cousins + a sweet baby

We went on our annual trek to Colorado for Thanksgiving this year. It was frigid...so cold that it was too cold to snow! Nevertheless we enjoyed our stop in Colorado Springs with the Scanlan's and our turkey day with the Bearden/Winter family!

Christmas Joy!

2010-11-13T17:49:00.000-08:00

Come see Emma perform as an angel in Christmas Joy, December 10-12 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center! Visit The Performers website for details.

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T18:20:00.001-07:00

Everybody carving pumpkins

Designing!

Displaying!

Ready for treats!

Noah-Luigi, Emma-cowgirl, Jonah-Mario

Lila the ladybug

Lila is One

2010-10-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

The difference 12 months makes

Today my sweet and final baby is turning one. She is crawling and talking, but not walking yet...just like her big sister. Jonah cracks her up and Noah can always make her smile. She's a momma's girl, but loves to hug her daddy too. We love her so much. And, I would like to say that I'm happy and excited that today is her birthday, but I'm not, I'm sad. I'm so happy and thankful she is healthy and growing, but I am sad how fast time is flying by. Can't wait for all of my friends to have their next batch of babies so I can get some new baby love in! But for now, Happy Birthday to my Baby, Lila!

Emma's Party

2010-10-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

Posing with the new bike!

Fantastic friends!

The girls with their dolls!

Oh, how sophisticated with their glasses and good manners!

Emma had an American Girl Doll themed party. She invited 5 of her friends over to Hotel Bearden. We had wine glasses with sparkling cider, cake pops, mini muffins, games, crafts for the girls and their dolls, and just a fun time with the girls! Emma also got a new bike for her birthday, what fun?!

Noah Karate Gear

2010-10-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

Noah, ready for Karate!

Birthday party!

2010-10-18T14:27:00.000-07:00

Birthday girls!

That's not a 19, but a 1 & a 9

Thanks to Ro, I have pictures from the party! I swear, I will NEVER make fun of her picutre taking madness every again.

Emma is 9!

2010-10-15T07:48:00.001-07:00

9 years ago today

toddler

starting school

today

Happy Birthday to Emma! 9 years ago I became a mom and held her in my arms for the first time. She is such a sweet daughter, a great sister, wonderful friend, beautiful dancer, full of hilarious stories and smarts. We love you Emma and are blessed to have you!

On a sad little note, I had lots of wonderful pictures from the Cates' visit, the Balloon Fiesta, and the family party we had for Emma & Lila, including the cake I made. They were deleted in my haste during the transfer to iPhoto. Depressing, so depressing. :(

Back in the Saddle

2010-09-22T08:23:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I've neglected the blog. I really do love to sit down and review things, I don't know why I haven't done it in so long. Things are settling into routine around here. We have school, dance, karate, church and it all just pretty much falls into place. Routines are good. So a quick recap for each person:

Emma started 3rd grade in August. She has a nice teacher and great friends. Her after school time is filled with Ballet, Tap, Cecchetti, and Christmas Joy rehersals. She has a friend, Katie, who is in her school class, ballet class, tap class, and is also an angel in Christmas Joy as well. That's so much fun!

Noah started Kindergarten in August! He is doing very well and has made several sweet friends, including Noah W. His teacher is great and he's in the after school Signed Language Club. Noah has also started Karate and is really enjoying it. Bobby takes the class with him, as parents are required to for the introductory age group. Noah counts to 10 in Japanese, knows his Dojo Kuns, and the sensei frequently uses him as a demonstrator. I have no idea what Dojo Kun means, but they're kind of mantras i.e., respect others, refrain from violnece, etc. Sensei means teacher. Obviously I'm learning some Japanese too.

Jonah is in Pre-K. He is in the same school and has two great buddies, one of whom he's been pals with since the 2 year old class. He's enjoying time alone with mom and Lila during the day. And, he's dad's little buddy for games. He tends to be the only kid that wants to go to games with Bobby, so he's gone to 2 baseball games and 1 football game this season. He has a great time, definitely going to play sports I'm sure.

Lila, our sweet baby, is 11 months old now. She has four teeth and has started to crawl. Although, she's only done it a couple of times, her prefered method of transportation is rolling. This is quite hilarious. Oh, her cheeks, I could just eat them!

Christmas Joy!

2010-08-20T07:32:00.001-07:00

Our sweet Emma was cast in Christmas Joy! This is a privilege for many reasons. Christmas Joy is a celebration of the life of Christ through dance. And, performers are cast by invitation only. Both are an honor. The show is beautiful, but requires A LOT of commitment and rehersal. If you're in ABQ December 10-12, let us know and we'll make sure you get a ticket!

Padre!

2010-08-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

I know she looks a hot mess with all those paterns mixed up...but the baby skin stayed super white and that was the point!

We had a great time on the beaches of Texas this summer. Minus Crystal being stung by a sting ray, it was another fantastic vacation. Lila loved the sand and her hair curled up everytime we went to the beach. Jonah enjoyed boogie boarding and jumping waves. Noah had a blast learning how to surf with Derrick and found a new friend in Megan's boyfriend. Emma's favorite thing was swimming in the water, but did not like the sunburn she got. Bobby and I loved every minute of vacation and think it was far too short!

Independence Day

2010-07-08T14:04:00.001-07:00

Sparklers!

Boys with sparklers!

Blake & Emma

Our plans were to go to "the beach" (or in reality, the Pecos River park) to watch Carlsbad's fireworks show, but we also had a plethora of fireworks to set off ourselves. So we changed venue and headed out to the Maley's casa. We grilled some hot dogs, let the kids run around, set off some fireworks, then moved to the balcony of their casita and had a perfect view of the show. It was fabulous--food, fireworks, more fireworks, and no traffic. May become a tradition for us!

Party, party

2010-07-08T13:57:00.000-07:00

The natural entrance (and stupid bars!)

Pinata madness

Cake time!

Fourth of July weekend was super fun! Biffy & Clay aka "the kids" joined us in Carlsbad for a day. We went to the caverns, ate at Lucy's, and had a little party. We celebrated Noah's birthday with Mimi & Pa, the Maley's, and Biffy & Clay. Mario star cake, bounce house, pinata, and Noah's bf and fellow Mario addict, Bryce, made for a super evening in Carlsbad.

On Pointe

2010-07-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know me, know I was very hesitant to put Emma into ballet. My mother was in ballet, my grandmother, and so on. I didn't want her to feel pressure, and in this day and age, kids feel pressure to perform sooo early on. We've found though, Emma loves to dance and enjoys it even when it requires work on her part. I came to the realization this past weekend that she is totally and officially a ballerina. She's on pointe and check out that turn out! Good job Emma, you're a beautiful ballerina!

6 years of Noah!

2010-07-01T08:25:00.001-07:00

New born version!

Pirate version!

In keeping with my tradition, here's a "new" baby shot and a up-to-date of Noah on his 6th birthday. Happy Birthday Noah Thomas--you are soooo loved!

Art in the Park

2010-06-14T08:10:00.000-07:00

Noah climbing the rock wall

Emma

Noah the magician's helper!

We had a rare occurence as we checked out at Costco. I ran into a friend from high school, who has a big family too! I haven't seen her in probably 12 years, but she's moved here in the past few years. So fun...and a huge blessing! We decided to meet up at Art in the Park and had a great time doing lots of stuff from climbing a rock wall, watching a magician, listening to live music, playing drums, and go cache-ing. Of course, we were like half the people there with our 9 kids!

Summer Begins

2010-06-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

Rest stop!

Lila's first swim and our family first swim of the summer!

Noah & Emma with classmates Daniella, Hannah, and Haley

We ended school with a field trip to the zoo with Emma's class! Then we had a mini-vacation, and Emma has now started Summer Workshop with the Performer's Company. We're soooo glad we don't have to be anywhere at 7:45 am. Welcome Summer!

What the heck?!

2010-05-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

Look towards the cab of the truck...

Fuzzy, but a bit better view of the situation at hand...

No joke. Bobby and I saw this as we were obviously driving somewhere. It couldn't be?! Did they even realize what that bear was doing to that moose? Poor moose! You can't make this kind of stuff up.

A Bit of May

2010-05-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

Pretty Baby

Noah's Last Day of Pre-school...ever! (With Mrs. Jennifer)

Jonah and Mrs. Kelli--last day of school!

Elizabeth. She came in to help out during a busy week of spring events and conferences. She was super and it was our last chance for some time with her as she's off to NYC for an internship this summer then Paris for a semester study abroad!

Mother's Day Tea--best idea ever!

Just like most of you, May has been busy. Good, but busy. Hope you enjoy the photo recap...will get pics of Emma soon too! We've had Mother's Day, Howlin' At The Stars, NMRID conference, Kindergarten Open House, Pointe shoe fitting, and lots of fun!

6 Months

2010-04-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Lila is 6 months old today! I swear 6 months during pregnancy does not go by nearly as quickly as 6 months with a baby. She is no longer a newborn. Lila laughs for her brothers and sister, but not mom and dad. In comparison to her siblings, she is much more of a mommy addict. She's beginning to sit up and rolls over, but now generally only to move from her tummy to her back--she doesn't like tummy time, but neither have any of our kids. She likes toys and loves more than anything to be held--which she is A LOT. Awww, we love our cute baby!

Easter

2010-04-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

Lila hunting for eggs, I mean zzzz's!

Oh, the trickery. She doesn't even realize the egg is above her head!

Did we get all the eggs?

Lookin' all fancy in their Easter outfits ala Mimi!

This year we went to Carlsbad for Easter, as Mimi and Pa have this special thing to hide eggs in, its called grass (and there's not much of it in Albuquerque, and none in our yards at all)! We had a fun filled weekend with friends and family.

March

2010-03-23T20:37:00.000-07:00

Emma on Crazy Hair Day

Emma, Noah, and Jonah

Noah and Zachary and the snake!

Noah the pirate!

Jonah the pirate!

Well Spring is upon us and of course the weather is crazy. We've gone from taking walks and playing at the park to snow in 24 hours. Aunt Katrina came for a visit during Spring Break--always awesome! The Carter family came for a visit and we had a lovely time with them. Sean played guitar and sang, which is always a treat, and Lila loved it. We got to show off her amazing trick: whenever the kid cries all we have to do is play Phil Whickam and she stops. I think I'll try to get it on video so they can send it to Phil! We also had Double Date Night with the Warden's and a trip to the Museum with the Jobe's.

Emma is having fun and in school has completed all of her timed mathematics tests for the year! She went from addition to subtraction to multiplication. Noah is registered for Kindergarten (sigh) and is stoked he will be attending a Dinosaur Detective camp this summer. Jonah is enjoying the time he gets to spend outdoors and has become so helpful lately, he's moving out of that little guy stage and resembles a kid more than a toddler. Lila is growing, of course, and we just love her to pieces. She has started rice cereal (although she still doesn't get the whole food thing yet), can roll over, laugh, and is really gaining some fine motor skills in her hands. Today she was rubbing my face (as my heart melted). So that summarizes life right now--I'm hoping to remember to put my camera back into my purse so I can take more pictures!

January-February

2010-02-15T16:08:00.001-08:00

Wow! This has been a fun and crazy past few weeks. Bobby turned 30 on the 30th of January! The Friday before we were able to go to an adults only dinner at Tucanos Brazilian Grille, so of course we had a great time with our ABQ friends. The next weekend our friends, the Barrick family, came to visit. We went to the Aquarium and stayed up embarrassing Chris and I by looking through our high school yearbooks and photo albums. Seriously--watch the show Undeclared and you'll see pretty much what my wardrobe consisted of--oh, and you know I thought I was something cool! Then this past weekend we were blessed to have the Huskey's come for a long weekend. Of course, it felt just like home as we hung out, ate out way too much, and laughed our heads off nightly. I love those guys! Out of all of that I managed to take not one picture. (What is wrong with me?!) But, here are some recent snapshots of the kids, just to show how they're growing! One last exciting thing: Emma was invited to join a second and more advanced Ballet class and an invitation-only summer workshop. We're so proud of her efforts in dance, they're paying off!

Uncanny Resemblance

2010-01-20T20:14:00.000-08:00

Emma

Lila

Emma

Lila

Need I say more?

Weekend For Mom's 2010

2010-01-14T12:25:00.001-08:00

Ro, Mary, Me, Christi

Making S'mores!

Mexican food!

Antlers at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort

Lila and I had a GREAT time in San Antonio with some of our besties. We stayed up late, slept in later, went to the spa, and had great meals! I think we're going to have a trip like this annually. Thanks again to our great husbands (and from me to mine an extra special thanks 'cause I even came home to happy kids and a clean house)!

Christmas on the Pecos

2010-01-11T14:12:00.001-08:00

Emma's favorite yard

A tree floating on the water

Jonah

Noah

Emma

We had a lot of fun making up for Jonah's flu ridden birthday. Mimi got tickets to Christmas on the Pecos. We bundled up the kids (baby Lila stayed at home with Pa), packed some blankets, and grabbed some hot chocolate before we boarded the boat. It was not as cold as it could've been and the lights were so much fun to look at!

Christmas Catch-Up

2010-01-11T14:01:00.000-08:00

Snow in Carlsbad

Good morning ladies!

Christmas morning with stockings.

Lila on Christmas Eve

Its been a while since I've caught up with the blog. Christmas Eve we all got dressed up and went to the service at our church. We got Santa's cookies, milk, letter, and some veggies for the reindeer ready then headed off to bed. Christmas morning my grandmother and parents met at our house to open up gifts. We had a great time. Emma's favorite gift was her mp3 player. Noah and Jonah loved their handmade wooden planes and trucks from their great-grandfather Winter. We left for Carlsbad on Sunday. While we were there we met up with old friends, went on Christmas on the Pecos, and it snowed 4 inches!

A Good Summary

2009-12-21T12:28:00.000-08:00

This is from the LPM Blog from Beth Moore about her recent medical issues. It's one paragraph from a pretty long entry, but this particular paragraph struck me. Encouraging truth regardless of your circumstances:

"There is no way I can emphasize strongly enough that the outcome of the story I am about to share with you has nothing to do with God's extravagant love for me, the right kind of praying, or the fact that "He's not finished with me yet." He loves us all extravagantly, whatever the outcome of medical tests. He does not play favorites. He hears each desperate cry and esteems the groanings of our souls. He doesn't let our lives be touched or even ravaged by disease because we didn't get our words exactly right or because we yelped, "Help my unbelief!" He's not a mean, distant God playing Monopoly with human lives. And He's not finished with a single one of us or we wouldn't be drawing terrestrial air into our lungs and coursing our eyes over words on a computer screen. The fact is, He has a sovereign plan that is for good and not evil and He is writing a story of on-going redemption with each of our lives. Our lives are woven together through seasons. It's one person's season to experience this. And another person's season to experience that. Neither is loved more. Neither is more dispensible."

Santa Picture

2009-12-21T09:27:00.000-08:00

The kids at Boeing's Kid Christmas Party at Explora. This is where they got the flu, I believe.

H1N1 at the Bearden's

2009-12-18T07:08:00.000-08:00

How Daisy dealt:

How Bobby dealt:

Welcome to Facebook, Bobby.

Oh, gracious. H1N1 hit our house and as you can see, Bobby and I dealt with the flu in completely different ways. Poor Bobby was stuck with 2 then 3 sick kids all while he was sick. I was quarantined at my grandma's house with the baby, so he had to take care of the others and try to get well himself. What a crazy time?! The good news is the baby and I, by God's mercy, did not get sick and returned home yesterday to a well family.

Happy Birthday Jonah!

2009-12-14T09:00:00.001-08:00

Jonah's arrival

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

Today is Jonah's 4th birthday! Last night we had a great time at the ER celebrating his last few hours of being 3. 4 can only bring good things, right?! Happy Birthday Jonah!

Popcorn Kernels

2009-12-13T21:22:00.000-08:00

Popcorn is for eating. Popcorn kernels are for the trash can, not your nose. If you put one in your nose, you have to go to the ER to have it removed. Ask Jonah, he'll tell you.

Pretty Baby

2009-12-02T06:47:00.001-08:00

This is a preview of our birth announcement that will be going out very soon. This pretty baby's picture is now a display at the photography studio we have used and loved for 10 years. I just love how her little arms are just dangling, she is just so comfy in her daddy's arms. I really appreciate how our photographer, Jessica, really captures our family so naturally.

Thanksgiving Summary

2009-11-30T14:42:00.000-08:00

Lila with Nana Bearden (Bobby's grandmother)

Playing in the snow

With Grandpa Scanlan aka "Ancient One" (Daisy's grandpa)

With Great-Uncle Sean (Daisy's Uncle, yes, you saw that right). At 23 he is the great-uncle of 4!

This year we traveled to beautiful Colorado for Thanksgiving. We had a great time with the Bearden/Winter family. Lila was sick, but thankfully Dr. Grandma was there to help us get her into good shape. We went to the doc today for a follow-up and she's doing well. (What a relief!) So, Lila met lots of people; the kids played with their aunts; Bobby got to hang out with his family; and I got to visit Dr. Grandma's Spa! It was great and I got to play with Liz and the microdermabrasion machine, super fun stuff. We also stopped in Colorado Springs to visit my grandpa. It was snowy there. I am thankful for a great family.

Last Layoff

2009-11-20T13:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, people, I'm sure you're just as over with our layoff drama as I am. So the word is this is the last layoff at Boeing-SVS for a looooong time and THANKFULLY Bobby is still employed. I feel super sorry for everyone who has been let go these past 6 months, yet very relieved it wasn't my husband. With that, the layoff discussions and posts END!

For Grace Cates

2009-11-20T09:27:00.000-08:00

Miss Grace,

I hope you like the couple of pictures of Lila in the cute little dress you and your mom picked out for her. I think she likes it a lot and I think she just might be waving to you in the first picture! Have a great day Grace.

Love,

Miss Daisy and Lila

Big Brother, Baby Sister

2009-11-02T06:42:00.001-08:00

Noah is finally over his cold and can now hold his sister. This was just so sweet!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T06:36:00.000-08:00

Luigi and Mario!

Emma as the American Girl Doll Elizabeth (from the Colonial Period)

This year the boys went to a party and the girls stayed home to hand out candy. Emma was sick and couldn't contaminate the party go-ers and I'm not taking the baby anywhere large groups of kids are! The boys had a fun time and actually, so did the girls. Emma loved handing out candy and she got to visit the next door and across the street neighbors who over indulged her with candy.

Cute Kids

2009-10-28T12:04:00.001-07:00

I love my kids and think they are too cute. Here are a couple of pics of the older kids. They all look so huge to me now, especially Jonah. Having a tiny baby at home just makes him look sooo old. They grow too fast!

Labor Story

2009-10-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

For anyone who wants to know: I woke up Tuesday morning at 3:39. I remember that specific time, weird, I know. So I was having contractions, but this was not the first time it had happened, so I decided to walk downstairs and see if they were real or fake. As I wandered around I noticed the contractions were pretty painful and were coming every 2-4 minutes. So I woke up Bobby, started packing my bag, called my grandma, and called the doctor. We were at the hospital by 5. My doctor was on-call and she monitored the baby and I then allowed me to walk or whatever. I got into a warm bath for a while then back out around 7 when the nurse's and doctor's shifts changed. Then I went back into the tub to try to relax b/c my contractions were coming back to back and it sucked. In the bath I knew it was time, so I got out, called the nurse and doctor in. The doctor checked and said next contraction I could push and I did for about a minute. And that is that, at 8:01 she was born and I was relieved! I did have some complications post birth and I'm still a bit traumatized about the whole situation. Summary: I had a "trailing membrane" (the amniotic sac didn't fully detach from the uterus) and I basically had to have a DNC, mind you, I had no epidural and no pain medication. It was horrible. I'm fine now, 800 cc's of blood gone, quite a bit sore in the abdominal region, but fine. Oh, but look at that sweet baby. . .and I will never have to do that again, short of some miraculous act of God!

Lila Bearden

2009-10-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

Just delivered

Having a melt down, but my eyes are open!

Starting to look like baby and not just a little old man!

Lila was born October 20th at 8:01 am. She weighed in at 7 pounds, 11 ounces and is 19.75 inches long. I will post a quick labor story later. . .it was interesting to say the least. But, we are both home and healthy, feeling very blessed!

My State

2009-10-18T04:58:00.000-07:00

Sure, I bet you thought you were about to read about Texas or New Mexico, but no, not what this is about. I'm 40 weeks today. On weekends I still wake up around 5 am. I cannot put tennis shoes on very well myself. I cannot rock my kids. I'm grumpy. My mom goes home today (until Thursday night). Everywhere I go people say, "Still?" That helps, really, it helps a lot. I've tried everything they say to try except for jumping on a trampoline, because I still maintain I would probably pee instead of going into labor, and I'm not going to find out if I'm right or not. So, having said all of that, I've been pregnant now for 10 months and that my friends is my state today.

Request:

2009-10-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

Can someone get this kid out of me?!

Happy Birthday Emma!

2009-10-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

October 15, 2001

First Birthday

8 Years Old!

Today is my first born's 8th birthday! Shocking really. What a sweet girl she is growing up to be. Tonight we will have a mom, dad, and Emma dinner at the Melting Pot. Emma thinks fondue is very cool. We love who Emma is and look forward to watching her become exactly the lady God has designed her to be! Happy Birthday Emma!

Mommy Bracelet

2009-10-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

I had a mommy bracelet when Noah was born, but one day it broke and then I had Jonah. Now that we know our family will be complete, I really wanted a new bracelet. Those suckers are expensive, they go for around $250 for a four strand or four names. Crazy. Luckily I have a friend, Jalissa, who is very creative and crafty. She has made me several of my favorite pieces of jewelry, a gift she got from her mother. Long story short, I called her and asked if she would make one for me and she did! I LOVE it and am waiting for this baby to come out so I can finally wear it. It is just perfect, exactly what I wanted. Thank you Jalissa!!

Job Update

2009-10-09T08:48:00.000-07:00

Bobby was not laid off! God is faithful no matter what and had the outcome been different we know He would've provided for every single need we have. We are very grateful and relieved though that this was His choice!

What We Woke Up To

2009-10-03T08:51:00.001-07:00

View from our loft

From down the street--I don't have a professional camera, but all those dots are hot air balloons & this was only the first and second launch group. There were 550 balloons today!

For Eric Cates, the ReMax balloon with the bees holding hands just above it!

Ah, the days of fall and the Balloon Fiesta are here. We live in the perfect location to see the balloons without having to actually go to the Fiesta grounds. I love this time of year!

What Friends Are

2009-10-02T13:36:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes b/c I think I probably have the best friends anyone could ask for. Yesterday I got a box in the mail filled with cute clothes from Mary. I talked to her today and she mentioned how she wished we could've had a shower in Coppell. I told her that was silly, this is my 4th kid after all. Well, after I picked up Emma from school today I saw two packages on my door and couldn't think of anything we ordered. Guess what, they were packages from the Huff's and the Cates-both full of clothes and receiving blankets! Even though I'm a bajillion miles away they were all so thoughtful and kind to think of us and obviously orchestrate a mail-in shower. You can't put a price or location on friends like that, they're the forever kind of friends. I love you all and thank you!!

Apple Orchard

2009-09-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

Lookin' for apples

Quick group shot

The orchard is nestled in a valley with this cool range to the south.

This picture is the already harvested section facing west.

We took the kids to the Dixon Family Apple Orchard today. We ate fresh apples, bought half a bushel of their famous Champagne apples and 2 gallons of cider, and enjoyed fresh cider and apple slices with caramel. The mountains were beautiful, the weather was great, and it was a relatively short drive through some beautiful reservations. We also ran into 4 Boeing-SVS families and 1 family from our pre-school. Good times.