Summer and School Update

I can't believe summer is over and the new school year has begun. We had a great summer, I posted some pictures on the sidebar... We had a couple of swim parties, including a 4th of July party and Maddox's Beach Birthday Party. We got to see my grandparents on both sides, we also went to Lake Texhoma and the kids all had swimming lessons. Mason learned the butterfly stroke, Myla worked on her breathing and her front to back turn, and Maddox swam under water for 5 seconds. It was fun. The biggest lesson I learned this summer was that "I'm bored" turns into great fun if you can just wait out the whining, haha.

We are very excited about the school year. Mason is in second grade and his excitement about school has not waned. He starts gymnastics and boy scouts this month. Myla started a new preschool, it's sort of a Montessori school with less structure and more emphasis on imagination and play. Myla is my creative one, so I'm hoping this will be a good way to encourage her learning style. The pictures of the park are of her playground. It is amazing, it has many fun, different play structures and a real bunny! She starts ballet this month also. Maddox will be home with me this year. I'm looking forward to the days I get him alone. Be sure to look for the impressive "cereal mountain" he made with his cereal one morning. That's all I have for now!

Another "M"

Kip came home with this adorable little puppy on Valentines Day. She is a 10 week old Shih Tzu named Marlee. Myla has not put her done since we got her. We had to put her in the crate to go to church Sunday and Myla cried so hard as we got into the car. I thought we got her calmed down and then I looked in the backseat and she was starring out the window with big alligator tears and her lipped turned out. I love her tender heart. We were strong together and held hands the rest of the way to church. Marlee on the other hand loves her crate. She actually goes in there by herself when she needs a rest. Kip and I have decided we want to be crate trained too.

25 Things...

My friend Stacy did this and I heard It was going around Facebook so I thought I would join the fun. Here are 25 things you might not know about me…

1. I’ve picked up the bottle again, that is Dr Pepper. I love the stuff, but stopped drinking it for diet concerns. We have recently renewed our love affair but with just sips we’re not to the gulping stage as of yet.

2. When I grow up I want to be like Mason. He gets along with everyone (even bullies), his focus is amazing (builds entire lego sets in just hours) and is open to trying all kinds of new things. He has a wide array of interests at night he rotates from reading Captain Underpants and the Bible.

3. I still love the quote on my blog banner, but I will say I’m not intimidated by my shaky voice anymore. A few weeks ago I stood up in front of 50 people and testified about my own weaknesses and my voice didn’t bother me. When Christ invades hearts and strengthens souls it is amazing what changes.

4. I am currently obsessing over a dog. I look at petfinder everyday to check out the new mutts. Stacy call if you find a young medium sized female dog, that doesn’t shed much, loves kids and is potty trained…

5. Most of my 2 friends that read this know this already, but my youth group pastor was Joe Simpson. He even counseled me for almost a year. When Jessica first got popular she talked about the stories her dad would tell her about the girls he counseled apparently that helped her stay on the right track in life. Ha ha, glad I could help.

6. Facebook is super intimidating to me, I’m not on yet but I sneak on Kip’s every now and then. Shhhh, don’t tell.

7. Another secret I hold close is that Maddox my little trouble maker actually cracks me up with all his schnanagins. Where does and 18 month old get all that will power?

8. One of Kip and I’s favorite things to do is drive. Even when we were in college we would take long drives with the windows down listening to good music. Back then it was Dave Wilcox…

9. When I was 2 I got my tooth knocked out when I hit it on a slide. The permanent tooth grew in with a discolored spot which still shows even though I’ve had it fixed. Annoying

10. I think honesty is totally under rated. Whenever I hear someone who is cutthroat honest about their life it always takes me back for a minute. I want to “help” them by saying it’s not that bad or even fix them. What a blessing to be able to sit still and take in someone else’s life without judging and what faith it takes to trust them in the arms of Jesus and not in your own. Honesty is just another word for integrity.

11. Whenever I’m not being honest about something in my life the house seems extra dirty and I always think if I can somehow get it clean, then I will feel better (which never works). Either that or I start blaming Kip for everything.

12. I’m getting better at listening, but still have a long way to go in that department.

13. Someday Kip and I want to buy a lake house so we can get away with friends and family on the weekends.

14. I loved vacations as a kid. Seemed like one of few times when we all relaxed and nothing was an issue. We always went to Port Isabel and South Padre to visit my grandparents and camping in Colorado.

15. One of my biggest fears for Myla is that she will grow up to be absolutely beautiful and she’ll think that’s all she is… Bikini Girl on American Idol made my stomach churn, poor girl and mom.
16. I like to sing really loud at church even though I can’t carry a single note. I don’t want to hear any comments from Tarrah or Kip on that one!

17. I LOVE my church, I do miss the small, quaint, family feel and close distance of our previous one though. But, the wisdom and depth The Village brings is unmatched.

18. I always dreamed of having 3 kids, the two book ends would be one sex and the middle one would be the opposite. That way there would be no middle child syndrome and everyone would feel special. Sounds like a plan, now how did everything get so complicated?

19. There are chapters in the Bible that really scare me. I really don’t like Matthew, mostly for his version of the Parable of the Sower. Makes me nervous just thinking about it…

20. I have many journals full of writings trying to understand and work out some of Jesus teachings. There are so many things I long to understand…

21. My favorite fast food is a Burger Street chicken sandwich, tator tots and a DP.

22. I hate shopping, well actually I hate deciding what to buy. I could look all day I can just never decide on anything.

23. I have a very good friend that calls me a deep sea fish she says that’s why I have Kip so he can remind me to come up to the surface and breathe, what insight she has.

24. My favorite color is orange… I have loved having an orange dining room in my past homes. We have a yellow/gold/orange entry way here and an orange stripe in Maddox’s room.

25. Man, this has been tough! I think you know everything about me now! I hope you will share too!

Tagged...

I have been tagged by my friend Amy:)

Here are the rules:
1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer.
2) Select the 4th picture in the folder.
3) Explain the picture.
4) Tag 4 people to do the same. No cheating (cropping, editing, etc.)

And here it is!




This was taken in 2004 at a Christmas party. I'm obviously pregnant with Myla and Kip is lookin' pretty yummy! Sweet Mason is about to turn 3, what a cutie in his sweater vest.

I'm tagging Kristen Sunna, Sammi Ferguson, Julie Hart, and Andi Stubblefield

Happy Birthday Mason!

My baby is 7! We love you MASON!

The View from here

Seeing: Well, I can’t help but notice that my sweet family is growing. The new family picture helped me stop and take notice that each one of the kids are really blooming. Mason is 7 next month! He excels at school and especially loves math (word problems, geometry, it is amazing what he can do already!) and spelling. At home I would say his favorite hobbies are jump roping and paper crafts?. I don’t know what else to call them, but for a while he was really into dot to dots, and then there was a paper airplane phrase, and now he is into cutting out snowflakes… He tells me that jumping rope is a great exercise for the whole body, so he works out often. Then we have Myla. She is my sweet girl with some mean looks. We are really working on smiling at new people instead of staring them down. She loves playing with Maddox. Dressing him up in her princess skirts and forcing him into closets to play with flash lights are some of her games. He doesn’t mind too much. Lil bubba's nickname is Mad Max. He is really turning into a toddler. He understands when I ask him to find his blanket or cup. He is a mess and will literally open drawers and pull everything out. Take a look and see what I see.

Hearing: The other day when Maddox was pulling everything out of my drawer and the other two were chasing eachother through the house I turned on my Christmas Mix and Mindy Smith was singing. Her music helped calm the chaos. So I’m listening to her a lot lately.

Tasting: I eat sandwiches everyday usually and when winter comes I crave soup. This year I have treated myself to homemade instead of canned. I just make a batch on Monday and heat it up everyday. My favorite has been White Chili with navy beans and chicken. The recipe is super easy and on the back of cans of Busch’s Navy Beans. My batch only lasted 3 days it was so good. Yum!

Smelling: This one was hard. Besides, my soup and the new scented trash bags I bought I can’t think of much. My favorite smell this time of year is the fireplace and cinnamon. I love those cinnamon pinecones. And I love walking Mason home from the bus when it’s cold and smelling the fireplaces burning.

Touching: These hands are usually bathing, tickling, cleaning up after, wiping noses, changing diapers, doing laundry, claening ect! This last weekend Kip and I got to stay in a hotel for the first time in over 2 years. He had his work party downtown and we got a room in the hotel. We stayed up late, drank a little, ate really good free food, talked with adults, and slept in a cozy bed until almost 10 in the morning! (Betcha thought I was gonna get graphic) It was amazing.

Faith: I’m listening to Matt Chandler’s Ecclesiastes series. He says that faith is our sixth sense and our world without it is meaningless. I love the possibility that this sense may actually grow stronger as I age even though the others are sure to weaken. Yet since my entire view on life hinges on this; the future is very bright. Most of all I love that I can’t mess it up and that it’s very existence in me depends on someone else’s work which is complete.

Just for Fun

Anyone up for blogging a survey? Here's mine...

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Yes, my mom’s best friend Angie, but I didn’t inherit the “e”
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Yesterday, not yet today, but there is still time…
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Boar’s Head Maple Glazed Honey Turkey
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Oh yes
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Sure I would
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Sometimes
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Never!
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Granola
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Strong willed maybe and sometimes that effects my physical strength
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? It has to be soy, but I love Brownie Fudge
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their countenance
15. RED OR PINK? RED
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I’m too critical
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Amy P!
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? I hope they blog it!
19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Asics
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Pasta for Lunch
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? A little girl that should be napping yelling “mommie”
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? A cool shade of blue
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Cinnamon and fresh flowers
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My mom
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Love her!
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Are reality shows a sport? Football I guess?
27. HAIR COLOR? Brown (has gotten darker with each child, I’ve thought about going blonde so I look like my kids)
28. EYE COLOR? Bright Blue
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yep
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Chocolate
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? happy endings
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Baby Mama, too funny!
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Navy Blue
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Can't wait until summer now that we have a pool
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Yum, I love them both!
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Chocolate Cake
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? ???
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? ???
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Om Paradise Drive by David Brooks
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I don’t have one
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Amazing Race and My Own Worst Enemy 42. FAVORITE SOUND? That rolling laugh that when the kids get really tickled
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME??? Antigua
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I can talk in a weird squeaky voice (is that a talent?)
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Dallas, Texas
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? everyone's

Shopping!

Ok, since Stacy said I "looked cute" in her comment (Angi looking half way stylish is not the norm so please see her comment on the last post to confirm) I have to tell you about a new place I found to shop! Maybe it's not new to you guys (if so, then why hasn't anyone told me about it?) but I love PAPAYA! It has really cute clothes that are super cheap! T-shirts are 4 or 5 dollars and jackets are 20 to 30 dollars! The store is arranged with like colors together which makes for easy shopping even if you're not a shopper! AND if you find a style of shirt you like you can get one in every color! Is that something only I do? Best of all the one in the Galleria is right next to the play area which is great bribing material! So I don't sound like a commercial, I will say the t-shirts fit a little tight (just go a size up) and some of the clothes may be a little more teenage than mom style (what is mom style anyways?). Give it a try and call me so I can go too!

4 Things

For lack of anything else to say I'm posting this! Post it on your blog if you're surfing through :)

1) Four places I go to over and over:
Mason’s School
Walmart
Church
Target

2) Four people who e-mail me (regularly):
Tarrah
Red Envelope
Loudene from our homeowners board
Mother in Law

3) Four places I would rather be right now:
Curled up in bed asleep with Kip
Laughing with good friends
Driving in California with a Starbucks and my man
On vacation with my family (maybe Disney World)

4) Four people I think will respond:
Tarrah
Amy
Kris
Julie

5) Tv shows that I watch over and over:
American Idol
Big Brother
Battlestar Galactica (husband's fault, but I have to say it is a great show!)
Office

Girl Crush!

Should I explain girl crush? I guess it’s just a girl that I wish I knew and respect from a far! Nothing sexual or anything, ha ha! I think my last one was Stepheinie from survivor season 10 and the other one was Jennifer Gardner from Alias. So cool, athletic, confident... Should I be embarrassed I’m not sure, oh well I never said I didn’t have issues! Anyways, I have a new one! My friend Tarrah introduced me to her this morning, she is writer and singer Tara Leigh Cobble. On her blog she said God was really using Matt Chandler from the Village to change her life! Tarrah even wrote her and she wrote back! Isn’t that cool!? So I decided to listen to her music and I love it! Go to her site and listen and read the song Somehow Stay! I could have written that song, I love it!!!

Deceptively Delicious

Cookbooks are not something that I usually read or care for, but I love this one! In case you haven't heard the gist of the book is that you steam and puree vegetables and then hide them in ordinary foods from muffins to tacos! I've decided pureeing is actually an art form, my mom let me borrow her cusinart and oh there is no turning back! The other day I fit an entire butternut squash in that sweet machine and it gave me all kinds of thrills, scary! Well, I love vegetables and my family doesn't so this is the perfect idea for us. I get to nibble on all sorts of fresh veggies (steamed cauliflower, yum!) while I puree and my family gets their nutrients without even knowing it! They turn their nose up at what Maddox is eating, little do they know! The rebel in me loves to hide crazy vegetables from my them, epecially my husband :)! He has no idea what he's eating! No, if he asks I tell him, well usually...

Here's my favorite recipe Tacos, the crushed tomatoes and vegetable puree make them thick and rich (I also put leftovers inside soft tortillas and make quesdillas)

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 Tbl olive oil
• 1 lb lean turkey (I use half lean and half extra lean)
• 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes with juice
• 1/2 cup sweet potato, carrot, or butternut squash puree (you could just throw a sweet potato in the microwave for 10 minutes and then puree in the food processor)
• 1/2 (1.25 ounce) packet of taco seasoning
• 1 package taco shells
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese

I also puree canned black beans and salsa as an additional filling, no need to cook before hand.

1. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and set over med-high heat. When skillet is hot, add oil. Add meat, breaking it up with a spoon. Brown for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in tomatoes and their juice, vegggie puree, and seasoning mix. Reduce heat to low and simmer until meat is no longer pink and the mixture begins to thicken, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
3. Preheat the oven to 325 F. (I preheat my shells a little) Then I put fill with my black bean mixture and then meat mixture and finally sprinkle with cheese. Stand the shells in a baking dish and bake until the cheese melts, 5 to 10 minutes. Add your favorite toppings!

MY MAN!

My sweet lover, there are so many things I treasure about Kip! I decided to just list twenty! Happy Valentine’s Kip!

1. He’s so funny, he always has everyone laughing
2. He sings! That voice gets me every time!
3. The way he chases Myla until she will kiss him
4. He’s a little boy in a man’s body (this can be annoying, but it’s also really cute)
5. The way he plays with Mason (see above)
6. He makes Maddox laugh and practices saying “dada” with him
7. There’s a lot I don’t understand so he explains things to me (he makes up an answer if he doesn’t know)
8. He’s really smart!
9. I love it when he’s excited and his whole face smiles
10. He’s sensitive, we both cry at sad movies
11. He protects me and the kids and turns into a bear if we are threatened
12. He’s a great negotiator
13. His kisses send me off to far away places :0
14. He always wants to open gifts early
15. He works hard and those that he works with respect him
16. I tend to be uptight and he has a way of relaxing the mood
17. He’s loyal and devoted to whatever he does
18. He’s a natural giver
19. He’s a musician, can play songs on the guitar just by hearing them
20. He’s MINE!!!