Mayomayomayomayo

may o may.
you are about to go away.

we will miss your days full of fun.
you always keep us on the run.

it is shocking how you can drain us dry.
i'm not sure if it is the bank or the exhaustion that make me wanna cry.

i know without a doubt that you will be back.
i look forward to the things that you will spit out.

and soon we will take time to reflect and rest.
i can really say today that i might like you best.

(Oh, except for I LOVE June and I'm pretty crazy about the holidays and I think that Jan., Mar., Aug., Sept., and Nov. are REALLY cool too.)

Late Night Cookies

I happen to be up making cookies tonight. The next few days are jammed packed with field trips. Nothing says field trip better than some chocolate chip cookies.

We have been so busy this last few weeks. Whew.

I can't wait until summer. I am ready for my babies to sleep in. To watch too much TV. To make tunafish. To get bored with video games. To ride their bikes all over the neighborhood. I LOVE SUMMER!

I'm already making a mental list of all of the things I want to do with the kids. Right off the bat, we'll go to the Blue Hole. Maybe a day hike to Pedernales Falls. I've checked the dollar movie schedule twelve times in the last couple of days. I think I want to make a family quilt. Oh and we'll do puzzles. Lots and lots of puzzles.

I wonder how I can make the summer last six months?

And it is so hard to believe that SBW is 9 months old already. Holy cow. Where has the time gone?

Hmmmm...maybe we should start thinking about having him sleep in his own bed. Or maybe not.

In six days I will have a 7th grader. Freaky. In six days I will have a 1st grader. Growing too fast. In seven days I will have them all with me. Perfect.

A Little Bit Hairy

Things are starting to get a little bit hairy. But it is all good. What do I do when thing get hairy? I get a haircut. And even though I'm not IN LOVE with my current do, I did love getting it done. I mean have you EVER seen anything cuter?

#4 had a field trip last week at the Austin Nature and Science Center. Look at this cool green flower we spotted. Isn't it wild?


#2's soccer team did pretty great in their soccer tournament last weekend. We leave tomorrow night for a trip to Victoria to go to the next level of tournament. She is having a load of fun with her team and that is all that matters. Besides creaming the other team, of course.


SBW had a pretty bad ear infection. Even when he feels like crap, he is still smiling. (I know I'm bad for taking this picture, but I just couldn't resist.)


I'd love to have this bumper sticker. Guess it'd be pretty silly though since all of our kids are in elementary school or younger.


#1 and his buddies are trying out for the school talent show. (So is #2, but I didn't get a good picture.) They came up with a little jig and rented these crazy costumes. One of their teachers said that she is sure they will end up on Saturday Night Live before too long. The dance is pretty darn funny!


#3 is also trying out for the school talent show. SO so so proud of her and her buddy O. They sang the Hot n Cold song by Katie Perry. I could have never gotten up and sang a whole song like that when I was her age. When we were walking into the try-out she quietly told me that she was excited because this was her first time to try-out without #2. Geez, everyone is growing up.


Do you think that people have bumper stickers like this in other states?


Here is a pretty cool shot of #4 scoring one of his three goals last Saturday. Yippee!


Was being sneaky and took this shot of my JC hopping the fence at soccer. I think it is pretty hot. And he didn't even pull a muscle! :)


SBW loves to celebrate these days. Always smiling and now always throwing his hands in the air to cheer. YEA!!!


This is the new RunTex billboard on MOPAC. I like it. But I'm still not gonna start running.


One of our giant crepe myrtles is in full bloom. It is so so so pretty.


We saw Leslie walking down the street the other day. The boys hopped out and took some pictures with him. He really is a nice fella.



Saw this giant snake crossing the street going into my friend Jenny's yard. I 'bout wet myself. JC got out to take the pictures and REFUSED TO KILL IT. I should've jumped into the drivers seat and squished its guts out. I've been worried about it all week. What if it hurts one of the kids. Oh, I've gotta let this one go.

This is just a small sampling of the 400 or so pictures that are on our camera right now. Hope to do more blogging so. I have SO much to share!

No More

No more Monday behind.

The concert master has finished his time with the Austin Youth Orchestra. Things we learned from this experience...

1. I like taking all of the kids someplace outside of the house to do their homework.
2. I like having one planned hour set aside (during normal awake time) to blog. Just me and the computer doin' it freestyle. No interruptions and no agenda.
3. #1 loves applause. Especially standing ovations by strangers that are standing for only him.
4. 9 people can get ready in less than 1 hour in one house after spending the day at six soccer games. I submit to you the proof.

5. When grandmas are really proud, they will pay over $3.50 for a bottled beverage for their grandchildren.

6. When one purchases 7 tickets for the Symphony Orchestra, one can expect at least half of the party to fall asleep. Even after drinking jumbo high dollar sodas.


We have been going non-stop. An example would be this past weekend...

Friday afternoon: #2 choir practice after school, #3 brownie meeting after school, #1 soccer game at 7:15pm
Saturday: 8:00am #2 soccer game, 9:00am #4 soccer game, 10:00am #2 soccer game, 11:00am #1 soccer game, 11:45am #3 soccer game, 2:30pm #1 soccer game, 4:00pm #3 tea party (you read that right), 4:00pm #1 soccer game, 7:00pm #1 soccer game.
Sunday: 10:30am #2 soccer game, 1:30am #2 soccer game

We have stuff every single day this week. Part of us are headed three hours away for a HUGE soccer tournament for #2 this coming weekend.

This is what May is for us. Non-stop school. Non-stop soccer. Non-stop fun.
I'll try to blog. But there are no guarantees. I'll try to reply to email, but it is the last thing on my list. Gee, with over 250 unread messages, I don't even know where to start.

So when you feel like you are being neglected, remember that I am making a choice to put my family first and I will write when we come up for air in June.

I know in 20 or 30 years, I will not regret spending this time with my kids and avoiding the super connected world. I will probably regret lots of other things - but the computer coming before my kids will not be one of them.

Now I will put myself in the bed and try to force myself to sleep. Although it doesn't come easy these days.

Don't Stop Believin'

The world I live in...

#1 downloaded Journey on his iPod today. I've been singing my heart out.

#2 was watching Obama talk about Swine Flu. He was talking about hand washing when she threw her hands up in the air and with an exasperated voice said 'Geez, when is he going to do something about Global Warming. I mean, the polar bears are dying.'

Kinda strange being a mom to kids that are almost grown.

And I LOVE IT.

Monday Behind

There comes a point in your life when you realize who matters, who never did, who won't anymore... and who always will. So, don't worry about people from your past, there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future.

This was a post that a childhood friend put on Facebook today. How about that. I've read it a few times. I am sometimes very overwhelmed by Facebook. But I do log on every single day to play Bejeweled Blitz. Ugh. Like I need to be spending time playing Bejeweled. My friend Krob is a pro at it. I wish I could be like her and make a high score. I wish I could be like her in a lot of ways. She is good people. She is such a good person that some might even confuse her as being from the greater Manvel-Alvin area. Except she's not. (har har. Cracking myself up.) And then my friend Austin Sarah started playing it too, and she is also way better than me. Ugh. Maybe I'll hafta put out a hit on them. Oh, except for the fact that they are in my mafia. Nevermind.

I've been feeling very protective of my real friends lately. I want to scoop each one of them up and move them onto the girl compound. The safe place where we can sit and visit and drink and pray and cry and laugh. No men allowed. A special key gets each one of us in. This compound doesn't replace our homes or our families. It is just a safe place for each of us to go and be together and refuel. No judgements. No walls. You know I am planning for when we win the lottery.

Then when I come back to reality and realize that I am not building the compound anytime soon, I start daydreaming about spending time with my lifelongs. The people that know the whole story.

I want to be in Germany doing nothing with my Heather, oh and driving down the road with the radio on and visiting.

I want to be with my dear friend Christy at her kid's baseball game so that when one of the bitchy moms makes an ugly comment I can trip and spill my drink all over her.

I want it to be the middle of the night at a house on a shady street in Luckenbach with my Manvel Girls. Oh, and did I mention that I would like to have a little bit of a buzz on that shady street? (Angie, Jena, Nor, Guid and Jennifer)

I'd like to go to Abilene and get to see my old friend Wendy face to face.

I'd like to drive to San Antonio and have a day of kids and catch-up with my friend Angela.

I think a lot about getting to hang out with my cousin Codi and how much fun we can have and how much trouble we can get into.

I want to play ball in my parent's yard with Coletta and Dawn. How could I have asked for better neighbor girlfriends to grow up with?

And my sweet Grease Monkey Kristin. I want to laugh and listen to her laugh.

Oh it is the little things in life. I am so lucky to have so many people in my life that I care so much about. These ladies are the squares in the quilt of my life.

When I picture the quilt of my life, it is full of bright colors with lots and lots of purple. In the center of the quilt is a huge red square for my JC. Surrounding that one big square of love are five big huge colorful squares that represent our miracle children with two squares made out of cloud fabric that represent the babies that didn't make it. Then around that is our family. Parents and grandparents. Brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews. Cousins, aunts and uncles. Then there is the inner circle of friends.

You know I've always said that friends are the family that we make for ourselves. These ladies are the people from my past that matter. Really really matter. There have been times in my life that each of them have been my family. And I know that there will be times in our futures that we will walk into each other's homes and it be just like it has always been.

My Heather is my sister. I don't know how it is that we didn't come out of the same womb. There have been so many times in our lives that we have cried for each other and with each other. She is the one person besides my JC that I can tell anything, everything and nothing to and it all be okay.

I often send out little prayers of thanks. I know how lucky we are to have lifelong friends. I have known everyone of these ladies for half of my life and in most cases, LONGER. When I talk to the people around me in everyday life, they all seem shocked that I might still be close with my friends from kindergarten. I am constantly left wondering, how could you NOT be friends with the girls that you grew up with?

I watch our daughters have relationships with girls from preschool and public school. I wonder if these friendships will carry over the way that they did for me. I can see that some of these young girls are kids that value and appreciate a true friend and that others are just moving through girls like pieces of bubble gum that have lost the flavor.

I long for my girls to have these connections when they grow up. I know that they see me interact with my lifelongs and that they realize how important it is for me keep watering my friendship gardens. There are so many times in my life that I feel I can't turn to anyone but a lifelong because no one else can really understand why I might be the way I am. There are also times in my life where I might not talk to a lifelong for a long stretch of time, but when we reconnect it is just like home. And that is what true friendship is for me.

Then there will be squares made of fabric with stars that represents all of the people that have walked into my adult life and touched my heart. The people that have made me a better person just because I know them. People like my AJ. Amy came into our life through a stinky ol' boy, but she will be in my heart forever. She is a friend with beautiful heart that I feel like I have known my whole life.

And geez Louise, the quilt will end up covering all of Brazoria county once I count all of my work friends and mom friends. Oh and let's not forget the Sanity Sisters. Gosh, I am thankful for you gals.

I mean really, could it be any better?

Someday very soon, my girls will be at the top of the list for best girlfriends. I am looking forward to it. I know that it could be a long time before we get to that point, but I am going to savor every moment once we are finally there.

Earth Day

There are many many things that I love about our elementary school. This is just a small sample of the love and joy that the staff and community is committed to bringing to each child on a daily basis.

This year for Earth Day the kids 'cooked' hot dogs inside of Pringles cans, they made sun viewers using cereal boxes and they made solar panels out of gigantic garbage bags. The really great thing about all of the Earth Day activities is that the big kids taught the younger kids each one of these projects.

One thing that I am so thankful for is the presence of music at our school. This year at the end of the school day, the whole school (all 360 kids) met out on the slab and had a little music festival. The kids (K-6) sang four songs. I wish we had a video camera so that I could capture the beauty and innocence of these kids singing these songs. It is always very moving to me when I hear them sing songs with a message.

So I am sharing with you three short videos of the kids singing. I don't share these with you to brag on our kids or to be boastful about our great little school. I hope these videos bring a little joy to your day and are a small reminder that there is still a lot of hope in the world.

You are My Sunshine (Just about the sweetest thing you've ever heard.)



Here Comes the Sun (One of my FAVORITE songs.)


This Land (The kids sing this song every Monday morning during the weekly assembly after the Plege of Allegiance.)


P.S. I am sad to say that our little camera can't hold much. I didn't get to record them singing the last song - What a Wonderful World. Boo Hoo.