Happy New Year

I'm not one for New Year's Resolutions... but I'm a firm believer that if "you aim for nothing, you'll get nothing" so I've decided to blog some goals in hopes that I'll stay focused on reaching them.

Garth Brooks has a song: Live Like You Were Dying... (LOVE that guy!)

I want to live with no regrets.

I want to love more.
I want to listen more.
I want to be more patient with my kids and Tony.
I want to be a better mother, wife, daughter, sister, teacher... and more importantly, the Proverbs 31 Woman I believe I was created to be.

And yes... I want to lose the weight that I've gained this year (What New Year's list is complete without that one??)

As I reflect on this past year, I'm humbled and amazed at how blessed I have been as a wife and mother. In spite of me, for whatever reason, God has chosen to bless my life with more than I deserve. I hope I never take for granted all that I have... and pray that in 2009, I will continue to grow into the woman I need to be... as a mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend and teacher.

May He Be Glorified In Me!
amen

Seasons of Life

I am so glad Halloween is over, and we can move on to being "Thankful"... right?

It's a season for us to be Thankful ... and I am!

But once in a while... well,

DID anyone see all those cute fairies and princesses last night???

My boys... at the ripe "old" ages of 7 to 11 are 'too cool' to dress up anymore, much less humor me and dress up for any photos.

I liked it when they were little and I could make them dress up and take pictures.

Not that I don't LOVE my boys... and love the crazy, busy, LOUD life we live! I do!

But sometimes, I appreciate the season of life... after it's passed, much more than I did in the midst of it.

SO... as I look back at my cute photos of past Halloween's... where they were SO cute... I'm going to remember that this season...

the one I'm in right now... This is the season of my life when:

I'm able to sleep in. ( YAHHHHHOo)
I'm able to enjoy THEM putting away clothes (theirs and mine!); and get their own FOOD (usually without spilling it everywhere)
I'm able to enjoy them taking care of me, and each other.
I'm enjoying them wanting to snuggle and cuddle still (without wanting "something" from me)
I'm loving that they are becoming the "knights" albeit not in costumes... that their daddy is trying to teach them to be. (GOSH I LOVE THAT MAN!)

and a thousand other things that I couldn't have said... back in the season of our lives when they still would dress like I wanted them to, and wear their hair like I wanted them to... and smell like I wanted them to....
and go to school where I wanted them too...

But... that's another post.

PS!!!
Thanks a million for all your encouraging words and thoughts on our home schooling dilemma!

Fall Fun

Happy Father's Day Daddy

Happy Daddy's Day Dad!

I love you... and so do all these boys + 1 princess...


You're the world's best Dad... and grandpa!

See this pix of Rufus and you... brought back so many good memories...

We sure had it good! How'd we get so blessed to get you for a dad???

I love that you're a father that we've ALWAYS been able to look up to and admire as you continue to be a wise, and godly man (in spite of us, sometimes... *grin*)

I don't know how we got to be so blessed to have you as our father... but I'm sure thankful that you are!

I love you dad... and I'll never get tired of Cinderella!

LUV,

Cardo

Size Matters

My parents have the greatest Easter egg hunt around! All the eggs are filled with money, and in our "ultra competitive" family... it's not about the $$$ (necessarily)-- it's all about finding the "golden egg."

Since some (mostly mine) of the "grand children" have been "too disappointed" in the last couple of years with not finding the golden egg--- this year a special egg was made for each child with their name on it with $.

So as to not "disappoint the big kids," our parents made up eggs to do a hunt for my cousins and I. After the kids did their egg hunt, we had a separate egg hunt for the "adults only." You've never seen so many 27 to 39 year-olds in such a hurry to pick up plastic eggs! What a site! This year was even better because my aunt AND my mother made up "Golden Eggs" with $100 inside! So here we have... both winners! Tony found my aunt's egg, Matt found my mom's.

The most competitive people on the planet... each a winner... each with $100 eggs...

To which my darling says, "Yeah, but mines bigger than yours!" And Matt fires back, "size doesn't matter."

... hmmmm.... boys, boys --- and it was all down-hill from there! We're still laughing!

Easter Vacation

Yeah.... Easter vacation is finally here! School for me and the kids is over for at least 10 days (and after staying up last night until 2a.m. helping Kyle finish his 5th grade state report... I'm VERY excited about no homework, no flippin' school projects, and no getting up early for school! The idea of relaxing for a while is just fantastic... OH, wait.... I don't have time for that! Easter vacation means Easter at my house in 2 1/2 days, with dozens of people at my house. uuuhhhh OOOO. It's unbelievable what will need to transpire within the next 48 hours. I'm not just talking about the cooking, cleaning, decorating.... that kind of stuff. No, that would be too easy. I'm talking about major remodeling jobs that will need to be finished, just so we can get to the yards to hunt eggs! Not to mention the remodeling jobs that need to be finished so that there's actually room for people to sit and eat! AHHH, yes... I'm very excited about Easter vacation... starting Monday morning... when I'll certainly still be in bed until noon! But... I'M sooooo excited to finally be getting some of these things done. Nothing like being inspired by a few house guests!

Where Did the Weekend Go?

With only 7 days until Easter... I'm wondering where my weekend went???? Oh, yeah... 9-12 baseball, 1-4 baseball, 6-8 BVG... home to make my "hunny-do" for Sunday.

We finally got Kyle moved downstairs into his new room, but by the time we repainted, sanded, and moved the funiture... the day was gone! Yikes. But, it will all get done; and all that really matters is that we'll all be together for the holiday... YEAH, Right! There's always this week... if I could just cancel baseball for just this week....

WHAT is that?

This... this is what I did today- and believe me... it wasn't on the to-do-list.

Well, it's not what I 'actually' did today... but isn't a picture worth a 1000 words?

This is Caden's Kinder class mascot. Each kid takes chicken home for a night to journal about a special adventure. The ONE night my ever-so-funny husband helped with the homework, and this is what we get (and now you know why I get to do it all --except math. I only teach 1st grade and I'm not 'smarter than a fifth grader- especially with math.)

Anyway, before 'this teacher' could edit her darling's paper... daddy glued the picture down and wrote some 'terribly funny' adventure. urggg.

How embarrassing is that? I'll tell... I thought the teacher would be livid... but she loved it, and the boys are still laughing, and... it's perfect for me today. Because... today, with only 14 days until we host Easter... I was going through pictures and found this. Instead of doing the 37 things that I should have been doing... because I'm the world's worst procrastinator.

And this, this photo pretty much sums up what I got done today! Why was I doing this? Because there's so much to do... I don't know where to begin. And... I guess I work better under pressure. So, me and chicken (when he's finished of course)... we're just going to stop making 'to-do-lists' - and maybe go play golf!

Monday Maniac

I love Mondays because I get to recover from going crazy over the weekend... usually. Except for days like today, when I try to do a zillion things (without a list or a plan); and so I actually don't complete a darn thing!


There are a literally a zillion things I should have done, could have done, would have done... but instead; I don't know what the heck I did! How frustrating is that?


In less than 20 days, I'm having Easter at our house and I'm already starting to stress out. The list of things to do is overwhelming... and I really need to make a list. Tony HATES my "lists" because it just emphasizes (again) how differently we view what is important. It's amazing how differently we see things. Who cares if the boys rooms are finished? ME! Who cares if the new fence is painted? Tony! (Hon, just get the fence 'up' so people can't see into our yard!) Who cares if the the house is perfect? Me, b.c. we need to make it look Eastery! Who cares if the yard is perfect? Tony, b.c. that's where we'll hunt all the eggs!

Well... First I need a list. Then I need a Plan. Then I need a lot of help!

But... it's all worth it... because a few weeks after that-- we'll have 7 different class swim parties, 7 different baseball team parties, and and endless summer of fun... so it's all good-
assuming we don't kill each other in the process.

We do love a challenge...