It's a GOOD sign....

~Note the CONTRACT PENDING on the sign! Well, what a wonderful Christmas present! The house in Kyle that we have made wonderful memories in for 71/2 years will be sold on January 14, 2009............YEA!!!!!! We are so ready now for the next chapter to start! We have found a new home in a beautiful community. I will upload photos ASAP!

Have a wonderful & blessed Christmas!

Bridge City Post Ike.... three months later

This past weekend we went to Bridge City to celebrate Christmas early. This small town is where my mom, cousins, and my husband grew up! The poor town was devastated on September 13Th by Ike's storm surge. Dax family was really hit pretty hard. His mom and grandma have been living on concrete and had all the sheet rock replaced in their homes. His dad & aunt just got a FEMA trailers and both of their homes need a tons of work. The town is full of FEMA trailers. The grocery store where Dax worked when we met is operating out of trailers. It is just so sad. I am amazed at how strong everyone is in the the face of such adversity.

Well, here are some pictures we took of the ongoing clean-up!

Stanley's FEMA trailer in his driveway.

View from the from yard of Stanley's home

Walking to the store!

Pawpaw's living room

This one Dax taking the picture in Robin's old room and behind us is Dax's old room! The boys had so much fun crawling through all the "walls"!



Mary making the most of her carpet-less floors had painted her walls.... and then had dress the floor a bit by adding a splattering of paint which actually looked awesome! But after her grand babies arrived she let them take to it with permanent markers.

We each took turns drawing and signing our names.

Jax made this HUGE heart... he said it took him hours! I have never seen that kids stay in one place for hours. I guess when you are 6 and write that many names.... it must seem like hours!

The girls made several with each others names. They love their cousin!

A good view of the whole floor. You can also see how Mary has been living with everything out of sorts. (Ok..... so our bags add to the drama of having nothing where it belongs!)

Just if you were wondering I still love him ;-)

Christmas in Bridge City

This past weekend we celebrated Christmas with Dax's family.

****really I claim them... just wanted you to know which side ;-).

It was a wonderful weekend. We had lots of fun! It is great watching the kids enjoy family. We are so very blessed with FAMILY! Dax and I even got a date night. We went to see the movie Australia. It was awesome and very beautiful. It was VERY long but well worth it! Mary took us to the Pompano Club for a nice Christmas lunch. We enjoyed Santa, decorating cookies, live Christmas music and yummy food! We had a great time!
Here are just few picture from the trip:

I will post picture of the Post Ike Bridge City later.... eventhough I have been down there since Ike it still feels very weird. Speaking of un-easy feelings, this time of year is always hard when you have lost a loved one..... We Miss & love you, Robin!

Remember, hug those you have with you

just a little tighter this Holiday Season!

'Tis the Season......

Last weekend we went to Austin and enjoyed the laser lights at South Park Meadows. The kids got to tell Santa what they want for Christmas.... Jax forgot.... good thing Santa already knows what he wants ;-)

We also got to spend some time at Mom's shop Texas Homegrown in Gruene. If you get the chance stop by, shop and tell her Hello! We had a nice visit but it was too short!

The house in Kyle is getting lots of traffic..... sell House sell!!!!!

All of the kids have been sick. Emma is doing pretty bad. Yesterday, she had a chest x-ray and a sinus CT. Looks like she still has a terrible sinus infection which is triggering the asthma. Oliver was put back on meds because his infection was returning. I am taking Dede in later today but..... my guess is return of the Sinus infection.

All in all..... we are very blessed!

We have help with the kids, a warm place to sleep, Doctors, and medicine.

Chef Delaney

Last night, Delaney cooked a yummy dinner. She wanted to cook Spaghetti. She browned the ground turkey. Then we realized that the noodles were BAD.... BUGS....yuck! After nixing spaghetti, she decided to cook mac & cheese and add the turkey. It was VERY good. De served a salad on the side. The meal was a huge sucess.

Here are my Stay Puft Marshmallow Men/Jedi.... aren't they cute in their $8 Walmart jackets!!

Poor Emma.... she is still struggling with her Asthma. She was sent home early after an attack yesterday at school. I have another appointment for her today!

Finding Joy....

in the little things!

My kids are my GREATEST TEACHERS! Today, after Emma got her flu shot I bought all the kids a huge lollipop. You can imagine their joy! My four year old finds joy when his brother reads him a book or ask him to play. Delaney finds joy in helping make dinner. Emma finds joy reading, reading and reading. Jax finds joy in making me laugh and climbing a tree! All four are bounding with joy when their Daddy walks in the door at night. Joy is found and so excitingly shared around me!!!

One of my favorite stories is when the boys were 4 & 2. We were driving to pick the girls up from school running late as usual when we got stopped by a train! I sighed a loud and digusted,"OH, GREAT!"

Immediately from the back Jax squealed, "OH, GREAT.... Ollie a train....look...look... OH, GREAT!" His joy was so BIG & BEAUTIFUL I could not help but feel it also. We rolled down the window and enjoyed the sounds of the train. I can't remember if we were late or not but the girls don't either. Still, everytime I get stopped by a train I feel Jax's JOY!

Anyway, as we enter the hectic Christmas Holidays try and remember to find joy even in the smallest things! Also, make sure to share it!!!!

Asthma and Emma

Unfortunately, the two go hand in hand. Watching your child struggle for air is one of the most scary things ever. She had her first problems with asthma when she was only 6 month old. I have many unpleasant memories of late night emergency visits to hospitals. This past week at 9 1/2, she had an awful attack at (white face & blue lips) and is slowly getting better.

We have been counting our blessing:

• The school nurse is wonderful and recognized Em's asthma "cough" (her typical sign)
  
• She is on the mend and new meds!


• We just found a new pedi that seems to be very wise about asthma! They are HUGE about prevention


• Dax comes home for Singapore TODAY!


• The rest of the kids colds are getting better. Plus, I actually feel GREAT.... 1st time in months with the chest cold :)
  

Here are some Asthma links with great information:

• Asthma for Kids: this site is great to look at with your kids.... plus, it has lots of other kid illnesses!


• Asthma Kids. CA: another great one for kids w/ asthma


• Web MD: a good one for parents


• American Lung Association

~12-3-08: Emma is doing much better and is adjusting well to new preventative meds. We went in for a check-up... she is still scoring low on her peak flow meter but hopfuly we can get that up. She was able to get her flu shot.... YEA! She has not been well enough till now.... this helps me breathe a sigh of relief!!!

A Trip HOME

Good Times & Good Friends

What a wonderful couple of weekends.... I just had to blog about it. Dax has been out of the country this was my second weekend alone. This by far is NOT the wonderful part...

I miss him sooooo much!

Last weekend, we had a lot of fun. We celebrated Mary's birthday! I must say I have an AWESOME mother-in-law. It was great the kids and I got to celebrate with her! An added plus, we saw more family and a special cousin my girls LOVE seeing. We also got to see my grandfather celebrate 50yrs of being a Mason in the Masonic Lodge. (My kids thought it was super cool he has a connection to "National Treasure" which is a favorite movie around here!) It was a very touching ceremony. My brother's family and sister's family were there. We had a nice time together. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera.... traveling with 4 kids alone..

pretty good excuse :)

O.K. on to this weekend.... after a week of homework, homework, more homework, and just the everyday taking care of 4 other people, I needed some "Big" girl time! On Friday night, I dropped all 4 off at gymnastics fun night. They had a blast! I also had a wonderful time hanging with Anne, her parents and hubby. We ate dinner and talked. It was so nice and comfortable.

I just love them bunches!

On Saturday, I just stayed home all day. I had a revolving door of neighbor kids in and out. WONDERFUL!!! In the afternoon Holly, Sherry and their kids came over. We had 11 to 13 kids in the house at any given time. Surprisingly, a little Rum makes kids whining seem less annoying. We talked, laughed and played some dominoes. These ladies are really a blessing in my life. Plus, their boys & my boys have a special bond that I think will last a lifetime!

This weekend was just what the Doctor ordered. Driving back to Houston with renewed spirits, I tried to gather my thoughts to the week ahead. I know someday this will feel like home. It seems so far off. Hopefully, when we get to buy a house and settle in one spot the HOME-like feeling will appear. At least on Thursday night late.... my hubby will return and he is my

#1 feeling of home.

These 2 pictures are some cute ones of my kiddos before school last week.

The Great Pine Cone Wars....

A Long Time Ago (this past weekend)

In a Galaxy Far, Far away......................

There was a battle called the Great Pine Cone War!

3 of my 4 children have battle wounds from this Great War. The one above was the easiest to photograph. My brown eyed boy has his in the hair... with a giant bruise. The littlest man... his was too close to the bum ;) My 12 year old nephew also had some scratches. What were these kids thinking?..... and yes they were told NOT to throw pine cones at each other!

USMC

Happy Birthday to My Marine and All Marines!

1775: Founding of the Marine Corps
A Legacy is Born
During the American Revolution, many important political discussions took place in the inns and taverns of Philadelphia, including the founding of the Marine Corps. A committee of the Continental Congress met at Tun Tavern to draft a resolution calling for two battalions of Marines able to fight for independence at sea and on shore. The resolution was approved on November 10, 1775, officially forming the Continental Marines. As the first order of business, Samuel Nicholas became Commandant of the newly formed Marines. Tun Tavern’s owner and popular patriot, Robert Mullan, became his first captain and recruiter. They began gathering support and were ready for action by early 1776. Each year, the Marine Corps marks November 10th with a celebration of the brave spirit which compelled these men and thousands since to defend our country as United States Marines.

Some of the Girl's Costumes over the years

"It's hard being the Princess...but one day I'll be the Queen!"

Princesses wear crowns to remind them that they are smart and beautiful because some days it's easy to forget. ~ Author Unknown

I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift would be curiosity. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future. ~Author Unknown

What I wanted most for my daughter was that she be able to soar confidently in her own sky, whatever that may be. ~Helen Claes

"A playful path is the shortest road to Happiness!"

"Every child is born blessed with a vivid imagination. But just as a muscle grows flabby with disuse, so the bright imagination of a child pales in later years if he ceases to exercise it." ~Walt Disney

*This year the girls are going to be Dorothy and a Vampire! Have a Happy Halloween!

*Here is Dorothy, Princess(my niece), Vampire, Superman, Opitmus Prime, & a Unicorn (also my niece) at Zoo Boo this year!

LUCKY 13!!!!

13 Years!