I'm officially in the 30 club...Now that I'm 31, I'm no longer just a newbie, I'm officially making my way to 35 err 40. I'm not sure how this happened so fast, one day you're in your 20's just getting along with all the new changes, marraige, babies, dreams coming to fruition and then BAM! Suddenly, you're the age your mom was when you remember thinking how OLD she was and how that was eons away and truly, you're invensible and that probably won't every happen to you anyway. So here I am, 31, with a soon to be first grader and a soon to be SEVENTH GRADER, going on 9 years of marraige. Wow. I remember being a kid wondering why it had to take sooo looong for that next birthday to arrive...now they just sneak up on me and before I know I'm ANOTHER year older. Time flies when you're having fun I suppose.
Well, the kids are on their first official day of summer break. Yesterday was an interesting experience. I drove Alex to his last day of Kindergarten, his last day with the most precious teacher on the face of the earth, and the last day for me to ever have a kindergartener. I was reflecting back to the first day of Kinder and remembering how uncertain I was that this was the right thing to do. It was probably the hardest day of school I had all year. I did so well, dropped him off virtually tear free...and then I hit the doors leading out of the school and BAM, the emotions took over like a storm and that was all she wrote. The floodgates opened and I felt like I'd just left my soul in that Kinder room with a bunch of complete strangers.
Ironically, the ride to school yesterday was quite similar. Emotions were in full swing, but this time it wasn't momma, it was my little pumpkin. He fought back tears the whole way to school and eventually he lost the battle and wept for his Kindergarten year coming to an end. It touched me to see how special this year has been to him, and to know that I did make the right choice by sending him to public school. He had an incredible kindergarten experience that I know has set the foundation for so much that is yet to come.
Miss Ash, well, as thankful as she is that she can temporarily shut off her alarm clock, she's as equally forlorn that she'll be missing her buddies...girls AND boys. She's changed so much this year, so much that sometimes it's hard to tell if this really is the same little girl I sent off to sixth grade some 9 months ago. I'm so proud of all she has accomplished, despite how hard it is to let go of this little girl. I went to her awards ceremony, where she received awards for all A honor roll, UIL Spelling, and UIL Math. She's an amazing growing girl and I'm still trying to figure out how to hold on to what I know I must begin to let go of. I would like to hold on to this time and refuse to let go, because I can clearly see what's on the horizon, and quite frankly, it scares me to think of what comes next. It feels like our grip is slowly releasing, and as normal as I know this is, it's much harder than I ever imagined it would be.
Since I started this post a day has passed, the kids are now in Florida with Nana ready for their Disney trip at the Animal Kingdom Resort. Mark and I have a week to ourselves. I think we've spent more time asking each other what we should do with ourselves than we have actually DOING something with ourselves. We went to Burger Tex, off Airport for lunch, the burgers were certainly not what I had anticipated, dehidrated beef is really what we ate, next time we'll go with what we know is good and just make the trip to Top Notch...but we were alone and that's what matters, right? We made a trip to Target to pick out a book, since the one I just started just wasn't working for me. I found a book on my "To Read" list, The Bell Jar, by Slyvia Plath. I've spent the last hour or so sipping a rita and reading my book out on the back porch in a lounge chair with the soothing sound of my dripping water fountain settting the mood. Mark's in the livingroom listening to Lyle Lovett and Bonnie Rait live. It's only 8:30 on our first of 7 nights alone.
That's all for now, I'll update with more of our kidless week soon.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
...The Brave.
This morning Alex woke up with a mission. He came to me and said that he wanted to learn the National Anthem. I'm not sure where this came from, despite all of my inqiries, and I suppose it doesn't really matter. He asked if I would print out the lyrics so he could practice. I did; he did; and therefore, we were a little late to school, but that's ok, because now my son has a new dream. He took the lyrics to school and is going to ask his Kindergarten teacher if he can sing it to the class, and then his plan is to convince the principal to let him sing it during the morning announcements. From there he plans to practice enough to be invited to sing at a baseball game.
Where did this child COME from? His genetic path has wandered off course a bit. For that, I am thankful.
Where did this child COME from? His genetic path has wandered off course a bit. For that, I am thankful.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Pitter Patter
After playing X-box, darts and pool alone with his daddy this afternoon, Alex was on cloud nine. Seriously. Later, I took him outside so he could ride his bike, and that happy twinkle in his eye was still present. While riding his bike he tells me "Wow, daddy and I haven't had this much boy time in a looong time!"
Nothing makes me more happy. Absolutely, nothing.
Nothing makes me more happy. Absolutely, nothing.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Therapy at my fingertips
To complete my incredibly exciting (sarcasm) semester of college Algebra I will now *DELETE* my most unfavorite favorites folder entitled "Jamie Algebra"...not to be confused with "Ashley Pre-Algebra".
For future reference, because really, I will probably need these links once again when Ashley develops a matching mommy bald spot from pulling her hair out with Algebra, here are the links that I'm tired of looking at in the left hand column of my screen:
Quadradic Solver...awesome site
I don't remember what was so good about this one, but it must be helpful since I did save it
Why Purple?
Lots of good stuff that I hope to never see again
For future reference, because really, I will probably need these links once again when Ashley develops a matching mommy bald spot from pulling her hair out with Algebra, here are the links that I'm tired of looking at in the left hand column of my screen:
Quadradic Solver...awesome site
I don't remember what was so good about this one, but it must be helpful since I did save it
Why Purple?
Lots of good stuff that I hope to never see again
Speechless once again
Last night we sat down to read, as we do most everynight. This night, Alex picked an Aurthur book to read to me. Aurthur and his buddy take a bus to swim lessons and end up getting lost after falling asleep and missing their stop. After realizing that they're lost, and don't have a clue where they are, the following dialogue went on between the 6 year old and I:
Mom: "Awww, Aurthur's poor momma...she must be so worried about her little boy! I would be so worried if that were you!"
Alex: "OH-COME-ON momma, it's obviously JUST a book...I mean they're talking dogs and rabbits dressed up in CLOTHES!"
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Ticky tacky
Recently, I had a conversation with an older child of mine about my choice to "thrift". You see, said older child of mine is growing up, and while she's enjoying the added bonuses of freedom, she's had a bit of a struggle lately. Confession: I BUY USED CLOTHES. Yeah, so it's out there whooptey doo. I don't see the hang up, and why it's so important that I buy a neatly hung, chemical filled garment, that will look just like the one down the street at the xxxx thrift shop in two washes. So, back to the struggle. It seems we have kiddos that are extremely fixated on "where" Ashley gets her clothes. Keep in mind, she goes to school each day looking just like everyone else, the name brands, the stylish outfits, the accessories, you name it. She's happy with her selection of some 60 shirts and countless pants, capris and shorts. The problem: she hates lying. When someone asks her where she gets a particular outfit, she gets uncomfortable. She doesn't want to lie, but she also doesn't want to confess. Sure there are ways around the questions, "my mom bought it", "it CAME from xxxx", whatever. But why oh why is it so imporant to these kids that she bought something at a particular overpriced store? What I would love is for her to respond truthfully and tell them to suck it if they don't like it, but that's not reality. Reality is that she's growing up in a time when stupid crap like this matters.
So how do you teach a child not care what everyone else thinks, and to do their own thing, without other little bratty children shafting their self esteem? I don't know. All I could do was tell her that what she's feeling is normal and that while she doesn't need to care what people might think, it's ok to feel the way she's feeling. And mind you, this is not a little girl that is struggling to make friends, in fact, I believe most of her friends look up to her. I also gently reminded her that I'd be happy to forego the used clothes if it mattered that much to her, but I did tell her to kiss the name brands goodbye. Get use to Wal Mart and Target, because this momma is not going to get sucked in paying top dollar for clothes, just so you can look like everyone else. She stopped me and said no, no, no, she doesn't want me to stop, she loves the things I buy, she's just torn between wanting to be that little girl with no worries, yet at the same time wanting to grow up...which brings on a whole new set of worries. She hates caring what everyone else thinks. And for that I am GLAD. I'm glad she's going through the process of sorting out what's really important to her and what's not. It sucks that she has to struggle, but really, if she wasn't uncomfortable caring what people think, I think we'd have a bigger problem.
My poor sweetie, how do you tell her that this is just the beginning, but that someday, all of this will seem so, so trivial. I hope it will, because that will mean she's grown in to a confident young woman whose comfortable in her own skin and take on anything that comes her way.
If anyone has any pre-teen words of wisdom on the subject, I'd love to hear it.
Adolescence is when girls experience social pressure to put aside their authentic selves and to display only a small portion of their gifts. -Mary Pipher
So how do you teach a child not care what everyone else thinks, and to do their own thing, without other little bratty children shafting their self esteem? I don't know. All I could do was tell her that what she's feeling is normal and that while she doesn't need to care what people might think, it's ok to feel the way she's feeling. And mind you, this is not a little girl that is struggling to make friends, in fact, I believe most of her friends look up to her. I also gently reminded her that I'd be happy to forego the used clothes if it mattered that much to her, but I did tell her to kiss the name brands goodbye. Get use to Wal Mart and Target, because this momma is not going to get sucked in paying top dollar for clothes, just so you can look like everyone else. She stopped me and said no, no, no, she doesn't want me to stop, she loves the things I buy, she's just torn between wanting to be that little girl with no worries, yet at the same time wanting to grow up...which brings on a whole new set of worries. She hates caring what everyone else thinks. And for that I am GLAD. I'm glad she's going through the process of sorting out what's really important to her and what's not. It sucks that she has to struggle, but really, if she wasn't uncomfortable caring what people think, I think we'd have a bigger problem. My poor sweetie, how do you tell her that this is just the beginning, but that someday, all of this will seem so, so trivial. I hope it will, because that will mean she's grown in to a confident young woman whose comfortable in her own skin and take on anything that comes her way.
If anyone has any pre-teen words of wisdom on the subject, I'd love to hear it.
Adolescence is when girls experience social pressure to put aside their authentic selves and to display only a small portion of their gifts. -Mary Pipher
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Happy Mother's Day to meee
And my gift to myself, this handy dandy wall fountain, that I just couldn't live without. $189.95 here....but for me, $35 on Craigslist. *brand new* teehee!
Back in Black
So, now that school is over, and I have time on my hands, I decided to tackle the master bath cabinets. It's funny, our bathroom remodel has been complete for quite some time now, but in our minds it hasn't been 'complete'. It's incredible what a little bit of paint can do. Our cabinets were all 80's and the rest of the bathroom up to date. Something had to be done. Sooo, after half a quart of Sherwin Williams Black, a nice little sanding block to antique a few edges here and there, and some bronzy spray paint to cover the ugly 1984 brassy handles, we have a kick ass bathroom. Next is the powder room cabinets and then I'm on to the kitchen. Somebody stop me!!!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Happy Mother's Day
I hope everyone had a fantastical-icious Mother's Day!
I wanted to share my special gifts from the kiddos.
Alex made me several masterpieces at school, one of which is a tie dyed butterfly magnet that reads:
Butterfly hover
near my mother.
Tell her that
I really LOVE her.
This already has a special place on the fridge and has done it's job of warming my heart time and time again.
Another handmade gift from my sweetness is hand print lilys with a sweet poem and a picture of the handsome little man himself.
And the most precious of all his hand made gifts, a card, written by Alex:
My mom does not have a job
but she still works hard.
Moms are special. I love you.
Moms are sweet because they give hugs.
I love my mom because you sometimes
let me sleep with you.
Love,
Alex
And sweet Ashley wrote me a letter that I have to share. This one had me completely choked up.
Mothers are a special gift.
When you're sad, moms let you cry
but make you feel better,
Moms will always laugh at your jokes even when they're bad.
Even though at times they don't like it,
moms watch you grow up.
Moms cook you wonderful meals.
Moms are there when you get home.
Sometimes moms hit a bump in the road
but moms NEVER give up.
Moms are your worst enemy,
and your best friend.
Moms have big jobs
and even bigger hearts.
But most importantly they'll always love you.
Love,
Sissy
These are the best mother's day gifts a mom could EVER ask for, and I feel so, so fortunate to have two of the best kids around to share my life with.
I wanted to share my special gifts from the kiddos.
Alex made me several masterpieces at school, one of which is a tie dyed butterfly magnet that reads:
Butterfly hover
near my mother.
Tell her that
I really LOVE her.
This already has a special place on the fridge and has done it's job of warming my heart time and time again.
Another handmade gift from my sweetness is hand print lilys with a sweet poem and a picture of the handsome little man himself.
And the most precious of all his hand made gifts, a card, written by Alex:
My mom does not have a job
but she still works hard.
Moms are special. I love you.
Moms are sweet because they give hugs.
I love my mom because you sometimes
let me sleep with you.
Love,
Alex
And sweet Ashley wrote me a letter that I have to share. This one had me completely choked up.
Mothers are a special gift.
When you're sad, moms let you cry
but make you feel better,
Moms will always laugh at your jokes even when they're bad.
Even though at times they don't like it,
moms watch you grow up.
Moms cook you wonderful meals.
Moms are there when you get home.
Sometimes moms hit a bump in the road
but moms NEVER give up.
Moms are your worst enemy,
and your best friend.
Moms have big jobs
and even bigger hearts.
But most importantly they'll always love you.
Love,
Sissy
These are the best mother's day gifts a mom could EVER ask for, and I feel so, so fortunate to have two of the best kids around to share my life with.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
How it's hangin
So, it's been a while. Not a lot has changed around here since my last "real" update. It's hard to update when, honestly, not a lot has changed. Mark is still job hunting, I'm still searching for that perfect part time, work from home job, and the kids are still rapidly growing and changing.
I've tried and tried to post a semi-interesting update, but really, I just don't have it in me. I'm feeling a little disconnected lately, not only from the world around me, but also from myself. I'm really counting on some positive changes over the summer with the kids and I being out of school and spending some quality time together. Things will turn around, I'm convinced....and when they do I know I'll get back in to the swing of things.
I've tried and tried to post a semi-interesting update, but really, I just don't have it in me. I'm feeling a little disconnected lately, not only from the world around me, but also from myself. I'm really counting on some positive changes over the summer with the kids and I being out of school and spending some quality time together. Things will turn around, I'm convinced....and when they do I know I'll get back in to the swing of things.
B is for DAMN IT
Just checked my grades...got a B on the final and a B for the class. Wah. I was really, really hoping to pull off an A, but hey, I did it, I didn't give up, and it's OVER!
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Alive and well...alive
Despite the fact that I haven't blogged in ages, we are all still alive and well.
Tonight is my LAST Algebra class, thank jebus. Today I'm cramming for my final in disjoint intervals. Ha ha. Waaayyy to much algebra on the mind.
My days of sitting in PJ's at the table diciphering algebra equations is AL..MOST OVER. At some point I'll actually be able to take the time to process pictures from the past 4 months and post them for the diminishing lurkers that check my blog. This school stuff really gets in the way of life, I gotta tell ya. My social life is suffering...severely!
Anywho, just wanted to check in with the ol' boggysphere and let everyone know that I haven't forgoten my blog, and will get back to my old ways soon.
Ciao
Tonight is my LAST Algebra class, thank jebus. Today I'm cramming for my final in disjoint intervals. Ha ha. Waaayyy to much algebra on the mind.
My days of sitting in PJ's at the table diciphering algebra equations is AL..MOST OVER. At some point I'll actually be able to take the time to process pictures from the past 4 months and post them for the diminishing lurkers that check my blog. This school stuff really gets in the way of life, I gotta tell ya. My social life is suffering...severely!
Anywho, just wanted to check in with the ol' boggysphere and let everyone know that I haven't forgoten my blog, and will get back to my old ways soon.
Ciao
Friday, April 04, 2008
Puppy meets Puddle
Mark, I'm saving this one for YOU to clean up. I don't care if I have to wait 3 days!
I left this little puddle jumper out to potty for 10 minutes! And this is what I get...can't you just see the look of "am I in trouble?" on her face??
These pictures don't even show the full extent of the damage.
I left this little puddle jumper out to potty for 10 minutes! And this is what I get...can't you just see the look of "am I in trouble?" on her face??
These pictures don't even show the full extent of the damage.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Little mathmatician
Alex is LOVE, LOVE LOVING his GT class, in fact on the mornings that he goes to GT he pops out of bed, gets ready for school as fast as he can and talks about how excited he is the rest of the morning. I'm so, so happy we had him tested. He's enjoying the reading GT class, but math is his favorite right now.
This week in his GT Math class, he's adding and subtracting 4 digit numbers like a pro! I'm just amazed that they're doing this at a kinder level. It really shows me that they're in tune with the kids on an individual level and progress accordingly. His love of math is really shining through.. On the way to school this morning he was multiplying numbers out loud just for the heck of it (no prompting by me) and out of no where he throws in "35 plus 35 is seventy". I asked him how he figured it out and he says "well, 30 plus 30 is 60, and 5 and 5 make 10, so that's 70, so that means 35 times 2 is seventy!" I'm just so proud of him and how much he's really grasping these math concepts, not to mention the FUN he's having figuring it all out.
This week in his GT Math class, he's adding and subtracting 4 digit numbers like a pro! I'm just amazed that they're doing this at a kinder level. It really shows me that they're in tune with the kids on an individual level and progress accordingly. His love of math is really shining through.. On the way to school this morning he was multiplying numbers out loud just for the heck of it (no prompting by me) and out of no where he throws in "35 plus 35 is seventy". I asked him how he figured it out and he says "well, 30 plus 30 is 60, and 5 and 5 make 10, so that's 70, so that means 35 times 2 is seventy!" I'm just so proud of him and how much he's really grasping these math concepts, not to mention the FUN he's having figuring it all out.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Mollie K. Photography
Ok, I can hardly believe it has taken me this long to post about my BFF and her incredible talent. Mollie's work continues to amaze me...just when I think I've seen her best, she throws another curve ball and does something even more amazing. If you haven't checked out her site, you're missing out. If you need a photographer, email her, you will certainly have no regrets. She spends an incredible amount of time with each photo perfecting what I believe to already BE perfection. You really couldn't ask for more in a photographer. Anywho, here's her site, check it out, have fun, and preserve some memories with her: Mollie K. Photography
This message is not approved by Mollie, but I don't give a rats patootie.
This message is not approved by Mollie, but I don't give a rats patootie.
One week down, one to go
I can hardly believe it has only been ONE week without the hubster, it certainly seems like it has been much longer.
Since flying solo we've had entirely way too much going on for it to have only been one week...Four basketball games, two basketball practices, one FIRST PLACE BASKETBALL TROPHY (woohooo), two basketball meetings, one softball game, one soccer practice, one massively successful Cooper's Troopers benefit, three College Algebra classes...and the list goes on. Mark and I have joked over the phone that with all that has gone on this past week, he is fully expecting to return only to find that Alex has grown chest hair.
We miss our Marky and can't wait to see him. ONE-MORE-WEEK!
Since flying solo we've had entirely way too much going on for it to have only been one week...Four basketball games, two basketball practices, one FIRST PLACE BASKETBALL TROPHY (woohooo), two basketball meetings, one softball game, one soccer practice, one massively successful Cooper's Troopers benefit, three College Algebra classes...and the list goes on. Mark and I have joked over the phone that with all that has gone on this past week, he is fully expecting to return only to find that Alex has grown chest hair.
We miss our Marky and can't wait to see him. ONE-MORE-WEEK!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Rains, pours
After being gone from work for a week, I came back to find that several people were let go. This is not a good time for the land surveying world. Fortunately, I didn't get "let go", however, I will no long have regular employment. They will be using me on an "as needed" basis. Who knows what that means. It's already Friday, and I haven't been needed yet, so really, this could mean anything. I'm still contemplating what to do...with Mark still being out of work, I'm feeling a little antsy about just waiting for them to call me. I've put word out to the environmental firm, but apparently they're fairly slow right now too. I feel like I'm at a crossroad right now, and I'm not exactly sure which way to go. On one hand, this timing is absolutely horrible, on the other hand, I had intended on taking the summer off to be with the kids anyway (providing Mark found a job). And with Mark being in Alabama for two weeks, I really wasn't quite sure how I was going to do it all, work, school, basketball, etc. on my own. So I'm a little uncertain as to what I'm feeling right now. My mind is ok, but sensitive tummy is reminding me that there are decisions to be made.
Yes, this is a rough time, and it when it rains, it does seem to pour. However, lets not forget what happens AFTER the rain. I remind myself that rain brings life, and blooms and helps to cleanse. The outcome will be positive, I am convinced, and can't wait to see where this road leads us.
Yes, this is a rough time, and it when it rains, it does seem to pour. However, lets not forget what happens AFTER the rain. I remind myself that rain brings life, and blooms and helps to cleanse. The outcome will be positive, I am convinced, and can't wait to see where this road leads us.
Bama 08
So, I typed up this long elaborate post updating about our trip to Alabama over Spring Break last week...but decided against posting it. I was having one of those "deep thoughts with Jamie" moments and later decided it was a little mushy. That bugs me a bit. I use to blog as if no one were watching (well, almost) but lately I'm a little hung up on whether or not some topics are too personal for the likes of the bloggosphere, which seems to be VERY counter-bloggy.
I'm still sorting this one out.
What a week this Urben family has had. We made the trip to Alabama for the kiddos spring break last Saturday. The drive was fairly uneventful. Dogs and children behaved, and once again we are dumbstruck trying to figure out how four dogs and two kids can travel 13 hours in such a small space and not drive our sanity completely out the window. Knock on wood.
We arrived in Alabama just in time to watch the magic of Spring unfold. As we left home, and headed North, it was as if we were winding back the clock and actually watching the progression of Spring occur. At home, the trees had already bloomed, and moved on to budding new leaves, however, by the time we arrived in Alabama, we discovered that the blooming had just occurred. Wild pear trees, with their full white blooms covered the rolling hills and decorated the path to Granny Frannies, almost as if they paved the trail just for us. They were gorgeous scattered amongst the deep green pines. Just gorgeous.
And the birds! They were JUST amazing! Grannie Frannie and Papa Jack love, love, love their birds. They have several different types of bird feeders, filled with all sorts of yummy bird treats. I'll tell ya, if I were a bird, this would be my heaven. Their feathers looked as though mother nature had painted an entirely new fresh coat of birdie feather paint just to compliment the growth of the new season. I don't know a lot about birds but I assume their bright feathers are new growth and somehow serve them during mating season. Speaking of mating season, the ducks were also in full swing, busy as ever, poor females! The males are RUTHLESS I tell ya, RUTHLESS! On more than one day, Papa Jack took the kiddos hunting for duck eggs throughout the property, where they found enough eggs to feed an army. This made for great Easter conversation on our drive home.
Despite our three trips to Urgent Care to treat a non-broken toe, two fractured ribs and upper respiratory virus, we all really, really enjoyed our time in Alabama. We were thankful to be able to spend a little time with Mark's grandma, who isn't doing well, and is showing signs of the end stages of Alzheimers. Watching Mark spend time with his grandma was so, so special to me, as I'm sure it was for him as well. And because of Mark's current work situation, we decided that he should stay behind to help his mom care for his grandma for a few weeks. She has her hands full, and could certainly use the help, not to mention the emotional support.
Our week in Alabama was incredibly relaxing and we were no where near ready to leave come Saturday morning.
I will update with pictures as soon as humany possible.
I'm still sorting this one out.
What a week this Urben family has had. We made the trip to Alabama for the kiddos spring break last Saturday. The drive was fairly uneventful. Dogs and children behaved, and once again we are dumbstruck trying to figure out how four dogs and two kids can travel 13 hours in such a small space and not drive our sanity completely out the window. Knock on wood.
We arrived in Alabama just in time to watch the magic of Spring unfold. As we left home, and headed North, it was as if we were winding back the clock and actually watching the progression of Spring occur. At home, the trees had already bloomed, and moved on to budding new leaves, however, by the time we arrived in Alabama, we discovered that the blooming had just occurred. Wild pear trees, with their full white blooms covered the rolling hills and decorated the path to Granny Frannies, almost as if they paved the trail just for us. They were gorgeous scattered amongst the deep green pines. Just gorgeous.
And the birds! They were JUST amazing! Grannie Frannie and Papa Jack love, love, love their birds. They have several different types of bird feeders, filled with all sorts of yummy bird treats. I'll tell ya, if I were a bird, this would be my heaven. Their feathers looked as though mother nature had painted an entirely new fresh coat of birdie feather paint just to compliment the growth of the new season. I don't know a lot about birds but I assume their bright feathers are new growth and somehow serve them during mating season. Speaking of mating season, the ducks were also in full swing, busy as ever, poor females! The males are RUTHLESS I tell ya, RUTHLESS! On more than one day, Papa Jack took the kiddos hunting for duck eggs throughout the property, where they found enough eggs to feed an army. This made for great Easter conversation on our drive home.
Despite our three trips to Urgent Care to treat a non-broken toe, two fractured ribs and upper respiratory virus, we all really, really enjoyed our time in Alabama. We were thankful to be able to spend a little time with Mark's grandma, who isn't doing well, and is showing signs of the end stages of Alzheimers. Watching Mark spend time with his grandma was so, so special to me, as I'm sure it was for him as well. And because of Mark's current work situation, we decided that he should stay behind to help his mom care for his grandma for a few weeks. She has her hands full, and could certainly use the help, not to mention the emotional support.
Our week in Alabama was incredibly relaxing and we were no where near ready to leave come Saturday morning.
I will update with pictures as soon as humany possible.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
She did it AGAIN
Holy cow, I really didn't expect that she would make BOTH theams, but she did! Not only will she be on the Club team, she will also be on the League All Star Team!!! There were at least 25 girls that tried out for the All Star team and Ashley was one of 12 to make it!!! She doesn't know yet, I can't wait for her to get home so I can tell her!!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
She did it!!!!
We just found out this afternoon that Ashley made the select team!!!! I can't even begin to describe how excited we all are...especially the Ash herself. I'll update when I know more, but for now all I know is that this is a club team that travels to different tournaments in central-ish Texas. I'm so EXCITED!!!!!!
Snippet from their website:
Snippet from their website:
Home to Georgetown, FURY Basketball is a non-Profit 501(c)3 Basketball Club. Our mission is to complement school programs by providing student athletes an affordable off-season competitive program designed to enhance and further their basketball careers. Check out the growing list of FURY Alumni who have taken their games to the college level.
FURY Basketball is able to offer players and parents an outstanding value in competitive club ball through the generosity of our sponsors, coaches and volunteers, as well as the club's extensive fundraising activities including annually hosting the FURY Invitational and FURY Golf Classic.
History
FURY started in 1999 as a single 13U team, earning their first trip to AAU Nationals in 2001.
2004 was a banner year as the 17U team advanced to the Sweet 16 at AAU Nationals in Orlando and Lindsay Fields, the first FURY player to graduate from the program, earned a D1 scholarship to play for the University of Missouri at Kansas City. The fall of 2004 also marked the creation of the FURY Basketball Club as it operates today, a program that has grown to a projected 16-teams ranging in age from 10U thru Varsity High School. Check out our prior years' results.
Rock on!
Some pictures of my latest project designed to prevent runoff from washing my beds away...and hopefully once I add plants will be asthetically appealing as well.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Algebra Update!
Yahoooo! I've been checking to see if my latest test score has posted everyday since Wednesday, and finally, it was just posted!
These are the two tests I've taken so far, and the average grade column is the average test score of the entire class.
It's so strange posting about MY school grades and not the kiddos, but as much time as I've put in to this, and as much as I've neglected just about everyone, I decided I have some braggin' rights! ;)
Click to see full view
These are the two tests I've taken so far, and the average grade column is the average test score of the entire class.
It's so strange posting about MY school grades and not the kiddos, but as much time as I've put in to this, and as much as I've neglected just about everyone, I decided I have some braggin' rights! ;)
Click to see full view
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Cooper's Troopers
Cooper's daddy, Tol, is in charge of the Dad's Club at Alex's elementary, which Mark is a member of. The first time Mark and I saw Tol at school on open house night back in August of last year, we knew this was a friendly face, but we just couldn't place him. After racking our brains for a short time, we recalled that he was the incredibly friendly man that helped us rent a Uhaul truck on more than one occasion since moving to Georgetown. After our experience with him, we swore we'd never go anywhere else. As silly as it may sound, he really made an impact on both Mark and I, and we discussed how happy we were to be in this amazing little town full of such happy-go-lucky people serving the public. To us, Tol was the perfect example of what a warm feeling Georgetown gives us. You know how it is when, on that rare occasion, you get outstanding customer service, the kind that feels genuine and real, as if the person actually CARED about people, well this guy was it. And after seeing him up at the school volunteering his time with Dad's Club, PTA, and so many other projects, we knew our assumptions about what a wonderful man he must be, were proven to be correct. Among the many moms walking the halls each day, you are almost certain to see Tol, baby in his arms, and Kindergartener in tow, on their way to class. You see him opening car doors on Friday mornings, helping with fundraisers, and talking with EVERYONE he sees walking down the halls. You'll see him making the rounds picking up teachers recycle bins, helping out in more ways than I probably even know. Everyone knows Tol, not because his baby is sick, but because he's an amazing dad, and human being that shines on all of us. I still remember him telling me how good it feels to walk down the halls and know the kids of the school, and how good it feels when they know you. Those were his words at the beginning of the year, to me, a new parent at Carver, who he knew might feel apprehensive about this new place with all these new faces. Here we are months later, and this precious family has received a major, major blow. Here is the flyer that's going around Georgetown right now. Please click on the image to read his family's, and Cooper's story. This is going to be a HUGE event, with some 275+ volunteers. Mark and I have signed up to work the event, and we would so, so appreciate it if all of our friends and family could help us spread the word. Come out, grab some BBQ, have some fun, and be a part of something amazing.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Gifted and Talented Boy
After days of testing and evaluation, Friday, were were given notice that Alex has qualified for the GT program. Testing was intense, in fact, Alex came home on more than one occasion telling us about how kids were crying during testing because it was so difficult. Thankfully, he wasn't nearly as stressed out as most of the kids; otherwise, we'd have skipped it all together. I must say, there were times when I had second thoughts about having him tested because of some of the stories I was hearing. However, now that I'm seeing the results, I feel much more comfortable about our decision. His scores are incredible. The kids were given a test called the Stanford Achievement Test where they're tested on a wide range of subjects, namely Reading, Mathmatics, Vocabulary, Comprehension, Geography, Political Science etc. The test included verbal and non-verbal elements. Out of the 220 possible correct answers, he answered 207 correct.
We are so proud of him!
We are so proud of him!
Basketball weekend
Wow, what an amazing weekend this was for the Ash. Their team finished the season in first place and had their end of season tournament this weekend. The Championship game was Sunday where so many wonderful friends and families crammed the bleachers to cheer on their amazing girls. We were honered to have our own little cheering section for Miss Ash...Ashley's best friend Kelly, and her dad Brian were there, along with our good friends and neighbors Peg and Dan, and of course Grams and Pops. The game was INTENSE, to say the least. Our girls played their hearts out and lead the game up until the last quarter, when in the last few minutes their opponents pulled ahead by 2. The last few minutes were loud and intense, exactly the way it should have been. Unfortunately, we weren't able to come back, and ended up loosing by 2 points, to place 2nd in the tournament. I have to say, this has been the best basketball season yet, and that's due to the amazing coaches and incredible group of girls we were so fortunate to have. We were so, so lucky to have been a part of such an amazing group of girls. They developed a very close bond, and we're all sad to see the season come to an end. Most of the girls on our team (including Ashley) will be trying out for All Stars, as well as a select team, so we're hoping they'll be able to stick together a little while longer.
Thanks to all of our wonderful friends for coming out to the game, your support means so much to us. We'll keep you updated on how the tryouts go.
Thanks to all of our wonderful friends for coming out to the game, your support means so much to us. We'll keep you updated on how the tryouts go.
Friday, February 29, 2008
I can finally laugh!
"I can finally laugh!" -Alex Urben
The sicko is finally on the mend. I knew yesterday was going to be different when he came in to our room at 4am, laid his head next to mine, and said,
"Momma, how was thread invented?" Yes, thread. As in fibers. Clothes. Blankets.
Dumbstruck momma, lay in complete silence contemplating the answer with a slight grin peeking out from the corners of her mouth. "uhhh...duhhhh...."
"Well momma, I think we should go check out a book from the library and find out tomorrow." Oh the wonder of that sweet boy.
Do I even need to take his temperature at this point? Nah! We have our boy back, no doubt about it.
And lastnight at dinner he discovered his laugh was back, and proceeded to giggle throughout the entire meal, at mostly nothing. :)
And here is a little You Tube that sums up how we're feeling today. (I LOVE this clip!)
The sicko is finally on the mend. I knew yesterday was going to be different when he came in to our room at 4am, laid his head next to mine, and said,
"Momma, how was thread invented?" Yes, thread. As in fibers. Clothes. Blankets.
Dumbstruck momma, lay in complete silence contemplating the answer with a slight grin peeking out from the corners of her mouth. "uhhh...duhhhh...."
"Well momma, I think we should go check out a book from the library and find out tomorrow." Oh the wonder of that sweet boy.
Do I even need to take his temperature at this point? Nah! We have our boy back, no doubt about it.
And lastnight at dinner he discovered his laugh was back, and proceeded to giggle throughout the entire meal, at mostly nothing. :)
And here is a little You Tube that sums up how we're feeling today. (I LOVE this clip!)
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Sicko
As of today, Alex has been sick for an entire week. I took him in Monday, and got him on antibiotics for 2 ear infections and some chesty stuff that could possibly be infection as well. The doctor seemed pretty convinced that he also has the flu, however, since we're paying out of pocket for this visit, I opted not to get the test. No point really. So here we are one week and three days of antibiotics later and he wakes up with a 103° fever, screaming with pain in his ears. I'm worried that one might have perforated, or ruptured, but according to everything I've read all that can be done is have him on antibiotics and pain meds. So, for now, I'm going to forego taking him back in and hold out until tomorrow. If the antibiotics haven't made a dent by then, we'll be on our way back to the dr. He recommended that we come back after a few days if the antibiotics don't seem to be doing the trick, for some chest x-rays.
Poor kiddo. There is a permanent impression of his little body on the couch. He is just a mess.
Poor kiddo. There is a permanent impression of his little body on the couch. He is just a mess.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Up to our eyeballs in dogs, life
New changes in the Urben household this week. For starters, we have "aquired" a new family member, Abby. Abby is a 5 month old, 30 pound Golden Retriever, White Lab mix. Abby and her sister Ally (formerly Lily and Lisa) were surrendered to a local shelter by their owner, who was moving in to an apartment and could no longer keep these two precious sisters. It just so happens that our good friends, the Fords, have been looking for a golden for quite some time and jumped at the chance to get these girls. However, their interest in a golden stopped at 1. They adopted them both, with the plan that they could convince the Urben suckers to take on one and the sisters would not be entirely separated afterall. And now we officially have "sucker" tatooed on our foreheads, and a sweet little-big Abby to prove it. ;) Do they know us well or WHAT?
She's gettig along well with the other dogs and making progress with crate training. She is just the sweetest most precious little pup. Now that I have found my battery charger for my camera, I can take some pictures of her to post.
Let the crazy dog people comments begin!
As far as the human Urbens go, we are all doing well; Mark is enjoying his freedom from the big "D" and keeping busy with laundry, housework, golf, lunches with friends and some occasional handyman work. He's done some work for Joe and Bill, and just this week he put up a mailbox for Nana and Big Daddy's rent house, which led to another neighbors request to fix theirs as well. So far, Mark seems to be enjoying his new found freedom and working with his hands has proved to be very theraputic.
My new job is going well; I just completed my first project, and look forward to more work next week. Finding the time to fit in the new job has gone fairly smooth so far. I feel much more at ease now that I've let the cat out of the bag and informed my other boss of my new job. He was very supportive and appreciated me letting him know.
I just took my first test at school, which I'm pretty positive about. Algebra is much more interesting this time around, I'm actually ENJOYING it. I suppose growing up has helped a bit.
We're hoping to make a trip out to Nana and Big Daddy's next weekend, since the kiddos have off from school the following Monday. (yes, we're inviting ourselves Dad and Ruthie!)
I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but that's all I have time for right now. I'll update with pictures at some point.
Grannie Franny....in case you're wondering and haven't spoke to Mark yet, Abby was named in memory of your sweet girl by Miss Ashley. The name fits her well.
She's gettig along well with the other dogs and making progress with crate training. She is just the sweetest most precious little pup. Now that I have found my battery charger for my camera, I can take some pictures of her to post.
Let the crazy dog people comments begin!
As far as the human Urbens go, we are all doing well; Mark is enjoying his freedom from the big "D" and keeping busy with laundry, housework, golf, lunches with friends and some occasional handyman work. He's done some work for Joe and Bill, and just this week he put up a mailbox for Nana and Big Daddy's rent house, which led to another neighbors request to fix theirs as well. So far, Mark seems to be enjoying his new found freedom and working with his hands has proved to be very theraputic.
My new job is going well; I just completed my first project, and look forward to more work next week. Finding the time to fit in the new job has gone fairly smooth so far. I feel much more at ease now that I've let the cat out of the bag and informed my other boss of my new job. He was very supportive and appreciated me letting him know.
I just took my first test at school, which I'm pretty positive about. Algebra is much more interesting this time around, I'm actually ENJOYING it. I suppose growing up has helped a bit.
We're hoping to make a trip out to Nana and Big Daddy's next weekend, since the kiddos have off from school the following Monday. (yes, we're inviting ourselves Dad and Ruthie!)
I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but that's all I have time for right now. I'll update with pictures at some point.
Grannie Franny....in case you're wondering and haven't spoke to Mark yet, Abby was named in memory of your sweet girl by Miss Ashley. The name fits her well.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Book Recommendation: If You Decide to Go to the Moon
Alex and I just finished reading one of our library books, If You Decide to Go to the Moon, By Faith McNulty. What an incredible book! We go through a LOT of library books each week, and it's very rare that I find one that I believe is worthy of purchase, but this one will most certainly be on the shelf soon.
It's official
Holy guacamole! Yesterday, the environmental firm that I mentioned previously, sent me job offer, which I oh so promptly accepted. I will continue working at my current job and squeeze in some time here and there for the new one. It's less than 10 hours a week, 100% from home. You just CAN'T pass up such an opportunity.
Less than 24 hours later I have already received my first assignment. I'm a little nervous about how well I can hold it all together, but I've already decided that if I get too overwhelmed with my schedule I will have to taper off the volunteering a little...JUST a little.
At some point I will find the time to post some pictures of Ashley and Mark from their special day this past Friday, which was spent playing around at a few museums in San Antonio. Soon. Very soon.
Less than 24 hours later I have already received my first assignment. I'm a little nervous about how well I can hold it all together, but I've already decided that if I get too overwhelmed with my schedule I will have to taper off the volunteering a little...JUST a little.
At some point I will find the time to post some pictures of Ashley and Mark from their special day this past Friday, which was spent playing around at a few museums in San Antonio. Soon. Very soon.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
A wee little bump in the road
Had I created this post four days ago, I'm sure the tone would have been much less positive; but here we are four days calmer, four days wiser.
On Tuesday, after being with Dell for over 10 years, Mark was laid off. While the initial shock of it was a tough blow in so many ways, each day since has been better than the last. In fact, this has been one of the best weeks in a very long time. Mark is consistently happier than I've seen him in so, so long. While he is obviously concerned about what the future holds, he is coming to accept this new road before him with an open mind.
I really believe that he has been given a gift. Mark is an amazingly dedicated man, and worked hard to provide for his family despite being completely unfulfilled at the end of each day. I know that this is EXACTLY what he needed. This is the kick in the toukus he desperatley needed to seek out more...from life and from his career. What may come of it, I don't know, but I do know that this experience will be nothing but positive for our family, and I have no doubts that we will be just fine. We have ALL learned so much from his hard work and dedication, and will in turn continue learning in the weeks and months ahead.
On Tuesday, after being with Dell for over 10 years, Mark was laid off. While the initial shock of it was a tough blow in so many ways, each day since has been better than the last. In fact, this has been one of the best weeks in a very long time. Mark is consistently happier than I've seen him in so, so long. While he is obviously concerned about what the future holds, he is coming to accept this new road before him with an open mind.
I really believe that he has been given a gift. Mark is an amazingly dedicated man, and worked hard to provide for his family despite being completely unfulfilled at the end of each day. I know that this is EXACTLY what he needed. This is the kick in the toukus he desperatley needed to seek out more...from life and from his career. What may come of it, I don't know, but I do know that this experience will be nothing but positive for our family, and I have no doubts that we will be just fine. We have ALL learned so much from his hard work and dedication, and will in turn continue learning in the weeks and months ahead.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Week in Review
This week has been a busy one. Each time I sit down to blog the happenings, another item on the "to do" list prevails. It's finally Sunday, the day when I allow myself to push that list out of my mind for a few hours in the morning and just BE.
I started the weekend off with this from my sweetie Alex (ALL by himself!):
A well balanced breakfast for mom, complete with can opener, knife AND spoon. Ok, maybe a little fruity, but healthy none the less. What a sweetheart I have.
Mark and I tag teamed and were able to get both kids to their basketball games. Ashley had a double header, and played better than I've ever seen her play AND she even scored 4 points in the second game.
Alex's allergies are doing a LOT better now that he have Alegra and Flonase. I can't believe it has taken me this long to learn that allergy medicine needs to be changed up every few months. I had no idea that the body worked up a resistance to the allergy meds. I've never had to worry about it because we only give Alex meds seasonally. This allergy season has just been an exceptionally long one.
The kids (and I!) were off on Monday thanks to MLK, Jr. We had a nice relaxing morning together, follwed by an afternoon at Mollie's house where we watched Ratatoullie with Alex's buddies.
Afterwards, we went to Targe' and bought our little mailboxes that I was SO excited about. (Thanks Renae!!!)
By the way, if you have kiddos and I haven't already talked your ear off about this precious idea.
See this post over at Planting Seeds . We bought 4 little mailboxes, decorated them with our names and have been actively sending letters (and goodies) back and forth all week. It has been so FUN!!!
School is going well for me. I'm feeling very confident that I can handle all that I have on my plate and will not have a problem tackling this class.
I was contacted by an Environmental firm (a PTA acquaintance's company) that is interested in me doing some overflow CAD work for them periodically.
They have one tech that needs to be able to take vacations and on occasion has more work than she can handle.
It is so, so hard to say no to such an offer even with the already full plate that I have.
And I didn't.
I sent them my qualifications along with details about how much time I can commit. I have to admit that because of my already hectic schedule, part of me was hoping they would make this an easy decision for me and just tell me that they need someone who can work more hours, however, after reading my requirements, they now want me to come in and talk.
We'll see.
I'm definitely going to hold my ground on the amount of time that I'm willing to commit, but I can't help but think that this might be a really good opportunity.
If I'm able to work from home, this would enable me to take the summer off of my current job, yet still keep a little money coming in.
The dynamics of me taking the summer off have been on my mind a lot lately, so this could possibly be the solution I was looking for.
And how exciting to work in an entirely new field of Geologists and Environmentalists!
Friday, Ashley attended the grand finale for Cotillion. The Ball. Good grief, the lengths that some of these parents went to, to get these girls ready is mind boggling to me. There were multiple girls that took off half the day of school to make it to hair and nail appointments. As you may guess this prompted Ashley's insistance on doing the same. Yeah RIGHT. After a LOT of not so convincing pre-pubescent conversation, I ended up rushing Ashley home from school throwing some curlers in her hair and giving her a french manicure (which I already had the supplies to do). She looked beautiful. We were in such a rush that I didn't have the time to take pictures of the "do" before the humidity got to it. I'm a little bummed about that, but she looked gorgeous and might have learned a little frugal lesson in the process. We met up with at least 10 other kiddos and their moms at Chili's, where we had dinner and piled the kids in to a handful of vehicles. Ashley had the pleasure of riding in Nicole's Hummer, major score. The ball was held way out at Austin Country Club and I was OH SO THANKFUL to Nicole for offering her chauffer services up. She ended up getting home after midnight full of chatter about the evening. Nicole took some pictures at the Ball that I will post as soon as I get ahold of them.
Last weekend Mark started his latest project: tiling window sills. He is doing a BEAUTIFUL job!
And why would he want to do that? Well, ourhorses dogs have little friends, or rather, friends they wouldn't mind eating (cats, squirels, armadillos etc.) that like to tantalize them from outside. Every window sill within reach looks similar to this:
I started the weekend off with this from my sweetie Alex (ALL by himself!):
A well balanced breakfast for mom, complete with can opener, knife AND spoon. Ok, maybe a little fruity, but healthy none the less. What a sweetheart I have. Mark and I tag teamed and were able to get both kids to their basketball games. Ashley had a double header, and played better than I've ever seen her play AND she even scored 4 points in the second game.
Alex's allergies are doing a LOT better now that he have Alegra and Flonase. I can't believe it has taken me this long to learn that allergy medicine needs to be changed up every few months. I had no idea that the body worked up a resistance to the allergy meds. I've never had to worry about it because we only give Alex meds seasonally. This allergy season has just been an exceptionally long one.
The kids (and I!) were off on Monday thanks to MLK, Jr. We had a nice relaxing morning together, follwed by an afternoon at Mollie's house where we watched Ratatoullie with Alex's buddies.
Afterwards, we went to Targe' and bought our little mailboxes that I was SO excited about. (Thanks Renae!!!)
By the way, if you have kiddos and I haven't already talked your ear off about this precious idea.
See this post over at Planting Seeds . We bought 4 little mailboxes, decorated them with our names and have been actively sending letters (and goodies) back and forth all week. It has been so FUN!!!
School is going well for me. I'm feeling very confident that I can handle all that I have on my plate and will not have a problem tackling this class.
I was contacted by an Environmental firm (a PTA acquaintance's company) that is interested in me doing some overflow CAD work for them periodically.
They have one tech that needs to be able to take vacations and on occasion has more work than she can handle.
It is so, so hard to say no to such an offer even with the already full plate that I have.
And I didn't.
I sent them my qualifications along with details about how much time I can commit. I have to admit that because of my already hectic schedule, part of me was hoping they would make this an easy decision for me and just tell me that they need someone who can work more hours, however, after reading my requirements, they now want me to come in and talk.
We'll see.
I'm definitely going to hold my ground on the amount of time that I'm willing to commit, but I can't help but think that this might be a really good opportunity.
If I'm able to work from home, this would enable me to take the summer off of my current job, yet still keep a little money coming in.
The dynamics of me taking the summer off have been on my mind a lot lately, so this could possibly be the solution I was looking for.
And how exciting to work in an entirely new field of Geologists and Environmentalists!
Friday, Ashley attended the grand finale for Cotillion. The Ball. Good grief, the lengths that some of these parents went to, to get these girls ready is mind boggling to me. There were multiple girls that took off half the day of school to make it to hair and nail appointments. As you may guess this prompted Ashley's insistance on doing the same. Yeah RIGHT. After a LOT of not so convincing pre-pubescent conversation, I ended up rushing Ashley home from school throwing some curlers in her hair and giving her a french manicure (which I already had the supplies to do). She looked beautiful. We were in such a rush that I didn't have the time to take pictures of the "do" before the humidity got to it. I'm a little bummed about that, but she looked gorgeous and might have learned a little frugal lesson in the process. We met up with at least 10 other kiddos and their moms at Chili's, where we had dinner and piled the kids in to a handful of vehicles. Ashley had the pleasure of riding in Nicole's Hummer, major score. The ball was held way out at Austin Country Club and I was OH SO THANKFUL to Nicole for offering her chauffer services up. She ended up getting home after midnight full of chatter about the evening. Nicole took some pictures at the Ball that I will post as soon as I get ahold of them.
Last weekend Mark started his latest project: tiling window sills. He is doing a BEAUTIFUL job!
And why would he want to do that? Well, our
Monday, January 21, 2008
Google has done it again!
If you haven't checked out Google Calendar, DO IT! I'm just amazed. You can export your info from Outlook Calendar, or your PDA (via GooSync) and set up a Google calendar. What's so special about that? Well, for one, you can give family and friends access so they can keep up with your schedule (kids games etc.) AND, if they create their own calendar, there is an option to view their calendar within yours and it's as easy as clicking theirs off and on. Another bonus that I just found is the ability to add other public calendars such as US Holidays, the Netflix new realse schedule, or a Obama's tour schedule. It's all fairly new, so I'm sure in the future we'll have access to all kinds of public calendars. How cool would it be if meetup had the option to put your "yes" rsvps on your google calendar. Now that would be sweet.
Ok, free advertisement for google is over. If any of my family or friends wants access to my calendar, let me know and I'll add you to the list.
Update: After emailing Chris (see comment below) I now have the upgraded version of GooSyc. SCORE! Can't wait to what other cool stuff I can do now! Thanks Chris!
Ok, free advertisement for google is over. If any of my family or friends wants access to my calendar, let me know and I'll add you to the list.
Update: After emailing Chris (see comment below) I now have the upgraded version of GooSyc. SCORE! Can't wait to what other cool stuff I can do now! Thanks Chris!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Sorry Folks
Momma always said...if it sounds too good to be true...
CBC Story
The makers of the Q-Ray Ionized Bracelet have been ordered to turn over $16 million US in profits, to be paid out in refunds to consumers for false advertising, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said Monday.
CBC Story
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Toof-less Grin
Alex lost his first toofer!
He was laying in my bed trying to get a few bonus minutes of sleep while I got ready for work when I hear his screetch from across the room. "Momma!! Momma!!!! It finally came out!!!!" Apparently he was sucking on his loose tooth when it unexpectedly popped out and in to his mouth. No blood, no pain. The perfect way to loose a first tooth. He was soooo anxious to go to bed so he could speed up the tooth fairy process. The next morning he woke up to a whopping $3 under his pillow, which he carried around ALLLL day long.
And here is the toof-less grin
He was laying in my bed trying to get a few bonus minutes of sleep while I got ready for work when I hear his screetch from across the room. "Momma!! Momma!!!! It finally came out!!!!" Apparently he was sucking on his loose tooth when it unexpectedly popped out and in to his mouth. No blood, no pain. The perfect way to loose a first tooth. He was soooo anxious to go to bed so he could speed up the tooth fairy process. The next morning he woke up to a whopping $3 under his pillow, which he carried around ALLLL day long.
And here is the toof-less grin
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Revin' up the engine for 2008
The first step in making progress of any kind is to set goals. Here goes.
In 2007 I began reading regularly...something I've always wanted to do, but never believed I could. I set some goals, and followed through with those goals. This past year I read 21 books and picked up a very fulfilling pastime.
Goal #1
In 2008, I will read at LEAST 21 books. I have other goals that will more than likely interfere with my reading, so I don't want to set that goal to an unachieveable height.
This past year has also been a time of self discovery. I've discovered that I want more out of this life than I have allowed myself to believe I'm capable of. I have limited myself and had not realized this until I really sat back and listened to what I was teaching my children. I want them to believe that they can do anything they want, and that there are no walls, or ceilings in this life. There is NOTHING they can't do.
Ding dong.
Gradually, after hearing these words come out of my mouth time after time, they finally echoed back to me. I realized that I'm teaching this, but I don't live this, nor did I believe it to be true for myself. It's not as though I've ever told myself that I CAN'T do something, I've just never allowed my mind to grasp that I CAN.
I'm not exactly sure why that is, but I really don't believe that it's beneficial to me to expand on that thought.
All I know is that something has sparked inside me and I know that I'm ready to do whatever it is that will make me happy. What this equates to is getting an education, finishing school and allowing myself to dictate my future. I want to teach. Why can't I teach?
Well, I think that everytime the thought entered my brain I refused to allow it to process, because I KNOW that in order to teach, I must have a bachelors degree and for some reason I had sold myself short and decided that this goal was unattainable. I've finally allowed myself to realize that I CAN DO THIS!
I WANT this!
I'm 30 years old and don't have a degree. At 30 I'm finally realizing that there is nothing standing in the way of what I want out of this life. Which leads me to my next goal for this year:
Goal #2
This year, I will tackle the most challenging classes first and not allow the fear of them to hold me back.
I registered for College Algebra yesterday and start in two weeks!
I will take at least one class each semester of 2008.
I will also continue to believe that I too, can do whatever I want in this life, and by doing this, I am in turn teaching my children far more than than I ever could with words.
I tend to do things a little backwards, but somehow in doing this, things tend to work out far better than I could ever imagine.
Goal #3
In order to get the best results out of the previous goals, I must be healthy and strong. I will make better food choices and put forth my best efforts to excercise EACH WEEK. I have really not given adequate attention to my body lately and in turn feel the results physically AS WELL AS mentally. I have a gym membership that I will use each week.
I have many more personal goals relating to friends and family, but I thought I would document just a few to get me started.
I challenge ALL of my friends and family to set some of their own goals, without the thought that this is some sort of cliche' attempt at doing what everyone else does at this time of year. I challenge you to set goals that matter to you, that you genuinely believe that you can and will follow through with.
If you have a blog, consider this a meme that I'm passing on to you, just DO IT! :)
Happy New Year everyone!
In 2007 I began reading regularly...something I've always wanted to do, but never believed I could. I set some goals, and followed through with those goals. This past year I read 21 books and picked up a very fulfilling pastime.
Goal #1
In 2008, I will read at LEAST 21 books. I have other goals that will more than likely interfere with my reading, so I don't want to set that goal to an unachieveable height.
This past year has also been a time of self discovery. I've discovered that I want more out of this life than I have allowed myself to believe I'm capable of. I have limited myself and had not realized this until I really sat back and listened to what I was teaching my children. I want them to believe that they can do anything they want, and that there are no walls, or ceilings in this life. There is NOTHING they can't do.
Ding dong.
Gradually, after hearing these words come out of my mouth time after time, they finally echoed back to me. I realized that I'm teaching this, but I don't live this, nor did I believe it to be true for myself. It's not as though I've ever told myself that I CAN'T do something, I've just never allowed my mind to grasp that I CAN.
I'm not exactly sure why that is, but I really don't believe that it's beneficial to me to expand on that thought.
All I know is that something has sparked inside me and I know that I'm ready to do whatever it is that will make me happy. What this equates to is getting an education, finishing school and allowing myself to dictate my future. I want to teach. Why can't I teach?
Well, I think that everytime the thought entered my brain I refused to allow it to process, because I KNOW that in order to teach, I must have a bachelors degree and for some reason I had sold myself short and decided that this goal was unattainable. I've finally allowed myself to realize that I CAN DO THIS!
I WANT this!
I'm 30 years old and don't have a degree. At 30 I'm finally realizing that there is nothing standing in the way of what I want out of this life. Which leads me to my next goal for this year:
Goal #2
This year, I will tackle the most challenging classes first and not allow the fear of them to hold me back.
I registered for College Algebra yesterday and start in two weeks!
I will take at least one class each semester of 2008.
I will also continue to believe that I too, can do whatever I want in this life, and by doing this, I am in turn teaching my children far more than than I ever could with words.
I tend to do things a little backwards, but somehow in doing this, things tend to work out far better than I could ever imagine.
Goal #3
In order to get the best results out of the previous goals, I must be healthy and strong. I will make better food choices and put forth my best efforts to excercise EACH WEEK. I have really not given adequate attention to my body lately and in turn feel the results physically AS WELL AS mentally. I have a gym membership that I will use each week.
I have many more personal goals relating to friends and family, but I thought I would document just a few to get me started.
I challenge ALL of my friends and family to set some of their own goals, without the thought that this is some sort of cliche' attempt at doing what everyone else does at this time of year. I challenge you to set goals that matter to you, that you genuinely believe that you can and will follow through with.
If you have a blog, consider this a meme that I'm passing on to you, just DO IT! :)
Happy New Year everyone!
Monday, December 31, 2007
2007 in review
This time last year I was a stay at home mom working from home on contract here and there. Alex was home with me, and we were attending 2-3 playdates each week, and Ashley was finishing up her elementary years. Life was GREAT! Here we are facing the new year and I'm just overwhelmed with how each year is better than the last. We have grown so much this past year. We had some major milestones and made so many wonderful memories....here's a little piece of my entries from the past year.
January 12 - Ally (our adopted dog) went back home to Joe. This year we have been fortunate enough to have several opportunities to have her back for visits.
January 16 - It SNOWED! Remember that?
January 19 - Ashley and I started a Taekwando class together. We only did the 6 week class, but had a ton of fun together.
February 2 - Mark and Ashley played hookie and celebrated the 2nd anniversary of the "official" adoption.
February 14 - I made Pink Mashed taters and heart shaped meatloaf.
March 28 - Mark constructed our Rain Barrel, which turned out GREAT and got PLENTY of use! I hope to talk Mark in to doing another for the back yard this spring.
April 5 - Dad, Ruthie, and the Urbens travel to Port Aransas for Sand Fest, where we met up with the Kendalls, the Keas and the Woodworths.
April 30 - Dad and Ruthie gave me my early birthday present...my Nikon D40, which I have yet to put down.
May 21 - The Urbens go camping at Inks Lake.
May 27 - I officially said goodbye to my 20's.
June 10 - The Urbens travel to Plano to celebrate Keller's first Birthday!
June 13 - The Urbens discover the Wii world.
June 15 - Camp Urben kick off with Ashley, Kelly, Savannah, and Emily.
June 28 - The bottom fell out and central Texas recorded over 30 inches of rain...and more was on the way. The San Gabriel River flooded and warnings were sent out to neighbors to evacuate.
July 13 - The Urbens travel to Fredricksburg, VA to visit the Steele's. Nana tears down a complete strangers door after getting locked out. Hehe.
July 27 - The Urbens travel to Florence, AL to visit Granny Frannie, Papa Jack and Mamaw.
August 15 - Momma and Daddy spend all weekend doing a surprise makeover in Ashley's room while she's in Alabama.
August 23 - Day 1 of our bathroom remodeling. If we ONLY knew it would be nowhere close to 2 weeks...
August 27 - Alex had his first day of Kindergarten and Ashley had her first day of middle school.
September 10 - My first day of work!
October 1 - Moms weekend in Canton with the girls. What a BLAST!
November - 12 Weeks later the bathroom remodel is finally COMPLETE!
November 16 - The Urben's find Mandy on the way to sofball and aquire pet number 4. We miss our Mandy girl.
The rest is a few pages back...the kids are ready to play, gotta run.
January 12 - Ally (our adopted dog) went back home to Joe. This year we have been fortunate enough to have several opportunities to have her back for visits.
January 16 - It SNOWED! Remember that?
January 19 - Ashley and I started a Taekwando class together. We only did the 6 week class, but had a ton of fun together.
February 2 - Mark and Ashley played hookie and celebrated the 2nd anniversary of the "official" adoption.
February 14 - I made Pink Mashed taters and heart shaped meatloaf.
March 28 - Mark constructed our Rain Barrel, which turned out GREAT and got PLENTY of use! I hope to talk Mark in to doing another for the back yard this spring.
April 5 - Dad, Ruthie, and the Urbens travel to Port Aransas for Sand Fest, where we met up with the Kendalls, the Keas and the Woodworths.
April 30 - Dad and Ruthie gave me my early birthday present...my Nikon D40, which I have yet to put down.
May 21 - The Urbens go camping at Inks Lake.
May 27 - I officially said goodbye to my 20's.
June 10 - The Urbens travel to Plano to celebrate Keller's first Birthday!
June 13 - The Urbens discover the Wii world.
June 15 - Camp Urben kick off with Ashley, Kelly, Savannah, and Emily.
June 28 - The bottom fell out and central Texas recorded over 30 inches of rain...and more was on the way. The San Gabriel River flooded and warnings were sent out to neighbors to evacuate.
July 13 - The Urbens travel to Fredricksburg, VA to visit the Steele's. Nana tears down a complete strangers door after getting locked out. Hehe.
July 27 - The Urbens travel to Florence, AL to visit Granny Frannie, Papa Jack and Mamaw.
August 15 - Momma and Daddy spend all weekend doing a surprise makeover in Ashley's room while she's in Alabama.
August 23 - Day 1 of our bathroom remodeling. If we ONLY knew it would be nowhere close to 2 weeks...
August 27 - Alex had his first day of Kindergarten and Ashley had her first day of middle school.
September 10 - My first day of work!
October 1 - Moms weekend in Canton with the girls. What a BLAST!
November - 12 Weeks later the bathroom remodel is finally COMPLETE!
November 16 - The Urben's find Mandy on the way to sofball and aquire pet number 4. We miss our Mandy girl.
The rest is a few pages back...the kids are ready to play, gotta run.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Things that make ya go hmmmmmm
Why is it, you ask, that mom is NEVER in any family snapshots? Well, here's your answer....
Yep, that's one blurry picture....
heyyyy now, what were you thinking I was gonna say???
Yep, that's one blurry picture....
heyyyy now, what were you thinking I was gonna say???
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Christmas Day with the Urbens
I woke up just before 7:45 to a VERY quiet house. I came down the stairs only to hear Nana preparing our traditional Christmas breakfast....cream chip beef on biscuits. Nana is ALWAYS the first to wake up on Christmas, she has this internal clock that refuses to let her know what it's like to sleep in, which honestly, REALLY works out well, because the rest of us are just the opposite.
So I make my way downstairs, and carefully tread through heaps of presents to turn on the tree lights. It's very obvious that Santa has been here, and these kiddos MUST have been very, very good this year. I get a pot of coffee brewing and get my camera ready, because I know the kiddos will be up and minute now. To my surprise, I was able to enjoy a cup of coffee, take a dozen or so photos and become slightly over-anxious before the kids ever got up.
Finally, just after 8:30, I hear Ashley's voice from downstairs, giving me the cue to escort them upstairs. This is a known rule in the Urben household. NO ONE sees the tree until AFTER mom takes her first thing in the morning pictures and prepares for the entrance. Now that I'm actually typing this it does seem a bit silly, but this is the way we did it when I was growing up and by golly that must be the only way, right?
The kids bum rushed the living room, faces glowing with excitement, paws writhing with anticipation, as they reluctantly passed up the tree and headed straight for the filled stockings...stockings MUST come first. That's just the way it is. The rest of the morning was spent taking turns opening gifts, which I was extremely impressed with. This is the first year that Alex was a bit more on the human side when it came to patience. He definitely surprised me when he shared in everyone Else's joy as they opened their gifts.
I was almost in tears when dad and Eddie Faye showed up...Alex stopped opening his gifts and ran to the tree searching for something and when he found what he was looking for he ran up to Eddie Faye and patiently waited while she greeted the rest of the family. Finally, once all the hugs were taken care of he handed her a gift with the biggest smile on his face, and watched as she opened the chocolate covered cherries that Santa brings everyone each year. Our self absorbed Alex is growing up, and somewhere inside that little creature is a boy with a caring heart. It was the best Christmas present ever to see what sweet boy he's turning in to. For Ashley, this was definitely a landmark Christmas. Aside from a few silly stocking stuffers, this was the first year that Ashley did not ask for nor receive a single toy. Instead, all 5 foot 2 inches of her sat with her long legs criss crossed in front of her while calmly opening earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and electronics. Later on that morning, she would intermittently appear dressed in something new, with matching accessories and new hair dos showing off her new look. From fairytales to fashion all in the blink of an eye.
The kids really raked it in this year. Each gift has recieved a great deal of attention, and I don't think they've watched a bit of TV in the two days since Christmas. The toys are all over the place and will be until I can't take it anymore.
Ashley has spent a lot of time in her furry faux Uggs, and has already decorated her room with her new picture frames, and hung up her jewelry box slash photo collage, and she's already bugging me to take her to use her gift cards and cash. I bought her a package photo paper and an ink cartridge of her own, so she can use my photo printer without me bugging her not waste paper. She'll have a ton of fun filling all of her new frames. Her mp3 docking station is getting a LOT of good use as well.
As for Alex, he's played non-stop with just about every gift he received, including his hyper dash, hyper slide, Nerf dart toys (of which he has PLENTY), remote control cars, and his eyeclops. It's funny watching him use his eyeclops.
Basically, it's a magnifier that plugs in to the TV and magnifies 200x. To watch him wretch and turn his face from the TV when he sees anything relating to the body up close reminds me that he's definitely his fathers son. Although, it is slightly on the creepy side to be able to see hair follicles and skin cells. I can't WAIT to get ahold of this toy when I don't have to compete for turns. I must mention the #1 played with toy so far. What else but the cheapest gift under the tree....the dollar store cap gun. He has already gone through an entire package of caps...which is about 10 boxes of caps. He gets so excited watching the sparks and smoke that he creates...he really can't quite figure out why it's ok for him to be playing with this dangerous toy. He has told me multiple times, in a slightly concerned tone that he can make sparks and it almost looks like fire. I think there's a small part of him that's double checking that he's safe. It's precious.And me! I have to share the ME gifts. After opening one of my gifts from Mark, I momentarily lost my ability to read and speak, and had to read the box at least 3 times before I allowed myself to believe what I was actually getting.
My darling thoughtful husband surprised me with a 200mm lens for my camera. Shocked is a very conservative way to describe my reaction once I believed what I was reading on the box. My elation lasted a good 24 hours, and in fact I still can't believe he got it. He wrapped the lens in a huge box to throw me off, and in the box were 6 or so matching frames, to go with the other 4 frames I had already opened. He's been bugging me about framing some of my pictures for months now, and this was definitely the kick in the patootie I needed. He also got me an AWESOME wireless keyboard and mouse. It's a Logitech MX 3200 and it's SWWWEEETTT!
I had no idea they made such capable mice! This thing can do just about everything but turn the computer on! I can zoom, scroll up, down, left, right, go back a page, and if I highlight text on a webpage and click a button, it automatically takes me to google with search results relating to my highlighted text! Very cool! He really out did himself this year. I also got some incredibly cozy leather isotoner gloves and matchin cloth napkins from dad. All items that I was definitely in need of. I'm so excited to have leather gloves, but I'm a little worried that my fixation on the leather smell might attract a little unwanted attention. I'm beginning to look a lot like Mary Katherine Gallagher (Molly Shannon) from Saturday Night live. All I need is the plaid skirt.
As for the man of the house, he was a little less surprised opening his pre-selected 100 gig hard drive and Zune docking station, both of which were highly anticipated, but pre-selecting definitely comes with it's drawbacks.
(I'm sure he'd disagree) I also threw in a few small fun things...a coffee grinder, a metal sign for his "man space" downstairs and some goodies for his stocking. So far he has spent most of the hours following Christmas morning playing with each of the above pre-selected gifts. As tradition would have it, Mom and Andy came over in the late afternoon and we munched on tamales, left over lasagna, Paula's jalapeno jelly with cream cheese and crackers, pops' spinich artichoke dip and all of the yummy treats that Nana brought over. The kiddos opened their gifts and afterwards we spent a couple of hours playing with all of the Christmas toys and sharing stories from the mornin. Eventually, we made our way down to the basement where I whipped a few Shwiff's at Ping Pong, and ended up GETTING whipped by one overgrown Urben. (And yes dear, that WAS the first time in years, I don't care what you remember ;} We ended the night with a little Dance Dance Revolution and said goodbye after 10:00 sometime. We had a LOT of fun hanging out with Mom and Andy and are anxious for another ping pong tournament in the near future.
We certainly missed quite a few people this Christmas. David, Cara and Keller had their first Christmas at their home with Keller. While I totally get that need, I missed them dearly. And Jason was also unable to make this year as well. Christmas without my brothers definitely feels different, but we made the best of it and are so thankful that despite the distance, we are all in good health. We have so, so much to be thankful for.
I hope that all of our families and friends had wonderful holiday season with the ones they love and that the next year brings many, many new and precious memories to cherish. Merry Christmas everyone!
Pictures will follow asap.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Pre-Christmas with the Urbens
This year our family celebrated Christmas just as we do each and every year. The festivities begin long before the 25th with baking and spending quality time together, which for us, is what it's all about. This year we didn't do the full baking day like we do every year, although we did to a few little goodies here and there, like Raspberry fudge and peppermint bark. We also do the traditional chocolate Advent Calendar to countdown to the big day. As I mentioned in a previous post, we make the trek to the Big Christmas Tree in Austin and make the 5mph stroll through the neighborhoods OOOOing and Awwwing over Christmas lights while listing to festive music.
By the time Christmas Eve arrives, the kids (and I) are just giddy with excitement and can tell you approximately how many hours there are until the big day at any given moment. Nana-clause arrives in the evening with her car loaded with gifts and goodies and whatever she's whipped up for dinner...this year she brought her famous homemade lasagna, tamales and a plate full of all the goodies that we neglected to bake this year...fudge, peanut butter candy, molasses cookies, and seven layer bars. It was like seeing an old friend when she brought out the goodies...I was sure I would miss them this year, but good ol Nana brought us together and I'm pretty sure I let out a small screetch of excitement when I saw the shiny plastic wrap covering the sugary goodness. After dinner we all hopped in the car and went on a successful light hunt with the kiddos and even managed a Mars sighting after a phone call from Big Daddy. Alex fell asleep in the car on the way back, but was awake and ready for more excitement once he discovered he'd dozed off.
We managed to work in a movie (A Christmas Story...what Else??) and some egg nog before reading The Night before Christmas and setting out our cookies and milk for good ol Santa, after which the kiddos retired to the basement where I'm certain they giggled and fought off sleep, in effort to catch a glimpse, or a jingle of the old fat man. Eventually, their eyes and minds must rest and they doze off for the last time before the big day.
Friday, December 21, 2007
"THE" Tree
(Click to see full size pics.)
Yesterday, we made our trip to the Christmas Tree at Zilker. Once again we outsmarted the masses, which are oh so proud of. We picked up dinner on the way and were able to park and walk up before dark, with no line and no parking fee. SCORE. (Did you know sunset is around 5:30 these days???? I didn't realize that until we started making these plans. That's SO EARLY!) Showing up early has many benefits...like getting to watch the worker with the big crane truck unload the massive logs in to the fire pit. That was amazing...and something I've never had the opportunity to experience, but was always just a tad curious about.
Alex and Ashley got along unusually well and spent most of the evening running around playing games together. They'd disappear for a bit and we'd find them hand in hand under the tree spinning together, or playing tag in the trees. Love was definitely in the air that night. Mark and I were reminiscing back to Alex's first trip to the tree and how he just laid in his stroller bundled up sleeping while we took turns spinning around with 5 year old Ashley. And then back to the first year we were sans stroller, and how FREE we felt. Wow, the years just seem to be flying by so fast! That must mean that we're having loads of fun, right?? Someday, I'm hoping the kiddos can reflect back with smiles and warm heats like Mark and I do.
The kettle corn and funnel cake were awesome as usual and the weather was just right. Cool enough to have to make frequent trips back to the fire pit to warm up a bit, but not so cold that we were miserable. We left around 7:30 only to find the line to get in was backed up all the way down Mopac. A perfect opportunity to show the kids just how smart their mom and dad are. ;)
Today we're just enjoying being at home together. Mark is working from home, but his presence certainly makes it feel like a holiday. I think the kids and I will do a little baking today and just enjoy our time together.
I'm working on the pictures right now, and will post a slideshow shortly.
Yesterday, we made our trip to the Christmas Tree at Zilker. Once again we outsmarted the masses, which are oh so proud of. We picked up dinner on the way and were able to park and walk up before dark, with no line and no parking fee. SCORE. (Did you know sunset is around 5:30 these days???? I didn't realize that until we started making these plans. That's SO EARLY!) Showing up early has many benefits...like getting to watch the worker with the big crane truck unload the massive logs in to the fire pit. That was amazing...and something I've never had the opportunity to experience, but was always just a tad curious about.
Alex and Ashley got along unusually well and spent most of the evening running around playing games together. They'd disappear for a bit and we'd find them hand in hand under the tree spinning together, or playing tag in the trees. Love was definitely in the air that night. Mark and I were reminiscing back to Alex's first trip to the tree and how he just laid in his stroller bundled up sleeping while we took turns spinning around with 5 year old Ashley. And then back to the first year we were sans stroller, and how FREE we felt. Wow, the years just seem to be flying by so fast! That must mean that we're having loads of fun, right?? Someday, I'm hoping the kiddos can reflect back with smiles and warm heats like Mark and I do.
The kettle corn and funnel cake were awesome as usual and the weather was just right. Cool enough to have to make frequent trips back to the fire pit to warm up a bit, but not so cold that we were miserable. We left around 7:30 only to find the line to get in was backed up all the way down Mopac. A perfect opportunity to show the kids just how smart their mom and dad are. ;)
Today we're just enjoying being at home together. Mark is working from home, but his presence certainly makes it feel like a holiday. I think the kids and I will do a little baking today and just enjoy our time together.
I'm working on the pictures right now, and will post a slideshow shortly.
We made it!
The kids had their last day of school on Wednesday. Up until today, it seems like we've been sprinting to some imaginary finish line, and somehow we've finally made it!
After years of hearing about Ashley's class parties and wishing he could be a part of them, Alex was finally able to experience the excitement and anticipation that being in school at Christmas time brings. Ironically, this was Ashley's first year to NOT have that experience. Middle School comes with it's privelages, but also has its drawbacks. She did give out little gifts to all of her friends and recieved many herself, so that made the week a little more festive, but I still think she missed elementary a lot this week.
Alex had so much going on at school this week it was hard to keep up with what to bring, and where to be. On Tuesday his class made Gingerbread houses in the morning and in the afternoon they had their class party where they made scarves, snowflakes and handprint wreaths. Periodically, one of the kids would break out a Christmas song and before long the whole class was singing and working on their creations. It was so fun to be a part of it all. Mrs. Ayala made it so special for the kids. It's so obvious how much she loves her children. She has the patience of a saint and the biggest heart you can imagine. She's been teaching Kindergarten for over 20 years and it's obvious that she brings the experience of all those years to school with her each day. This week was all about FUN. She made sure of that. There was no rushing, and she made her best effort to keep the day as open as possible so the kids could just enjoy. They spent well over an hour making their little gingerbread houses and she was right there encouraging them to eat their candy and lick their fingers and just have fun. She is so awesome!
Wednesday was pajama day and OF COURSE sweet Mrs. Ayala was dressed in her Christmas P.J.'s and houseshoes to boot!
The Dad's Club opened car doors in Santa Hats:
After years of hearing about Ashley's class parties and wishing he could be a part of them, Alex was finally able to experience the excitement and anticipation that being in school at Christmas time brings. Ironically, this was Ashley's first year to NOT have that experience. Middle School comes with it's privelages, but also has its drawbacks. She did give out little gifts to all of her friends and recieved many herself, so that made the week a little more festive, but I still think she missed elementary a lot this week.
Alex had so much going on at school this week it was hard to keep up with what to bring, and where to be. On Tuesday his class made Gingerbread houses in the morning and in the afternoon they had their class party where they made scarves, snowflakes and handprint wreaths. Periodically, one of the kids would break out a Christmas song and before long the whole class was singing and working on their creations. It was so fun to be a part of it all. Mrs. Ayala made it so special for the kids. It's so obvious how much she loves her children. She has the patience of a saint and the biggest heart you can imagine. She's been teaching Kindergarten for over 20 years and it's obvious that she brings the experience of all those years to school with her each day. This week was all about FUN. She made sure of that. There was no rushing, and she made her best effort to keep the day as open as possible so the kids could just enjoy. They spent well over an hour making their little gingerbread houses and she was right there encouraging them to eat their candy and lick their fingers and just have fun. She is so awesome!Wednesday was pajama day and OF COURSE sweet Mrs. Ayala was dressed in her Christmas P.J.'s and houseshoes to boot!
The Dad's Club opened car doors in Santa Hats:
Friday, December 07, 2007
Doggie Heaven
Sweet Mandy went in to be spayed and to have her cherry eye surgery this morning. Unfortunately, she didn't make it through her surgery. She left us and went to doggie heaven. From day 1 she had our hearts and she always will. She will be missed dearly.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Fa la la la la, la la la la
When I was a kid, Christmas was so, so special to me. That feeling of togetherness, and family was something I cherished, and Christmas was a time when we, as siblings were able come together and appreciate what we had together. We could put our squabbles aside and just enjoy being together. Now, sometimes our bonding wasn't exactly pure in spirit, but it was bonding nonetheless. Laughing at the Meme gifts, and watching Jason sneak the "adult" egg nog to name a few. Now that I'm a mom and watching my own children celebrate this special time of year I'm learning to appreciate the little things that my parents did for us when we were kids. And I'm learning that those little things are not necessarily "little things".
For example, putting up Christmas Lights - Dad, holy crap, now I know why you cussed like a sailor and heaved such large ridiculous sighs when I begged you to put up lights. WHAT A ROYAL PAIN IN MY BUTT. So far I have spent approximately 7 hours on this task and I'm not even done. I have cut myself on broken glass, shocked myself twice, had at least one near death experience while atop the ladder...while pondering how if I do fall, how on earth I will ever be found considering Mark is out of town and the kids are not home. I have been tangled up, chewed up and spit out by these demon lights and continue to ask myself WHY, oh WHY am I doing this!!!???
And then I remember.
Hearing Alex tell me how this is so "special to him" and reflecting back to how special it was to me is all it takes. And I remember with a smile.
Annnnnd I keep going...attempting to find that one damn light bulb that's messing up the entire chain of my 5 to 6 strans of lights...which are now beginning to smell like smoke...or is that a neigbors fire place burning because it is so damn cold out here?
So I've had my "lightbulb moment" (haha) and can now thank you, Dad, for all those years of putting up lights. Now if I can just figure out how to get them as straight as you always did!
For example, putting up Christmas Lights - Dad, holy crap, now I know why you cussed like a sailor and heaved such large ridiculous sighs when I begged you to put up lights. WHAT A ROYAL PAIN IN MY BUTT. So far I have spent approximately 7 hours on this task and I'm not even done. I have cut myself on broken glass, shocked myself twice, had at least one near death experience while atop the ladder...while pondering how if I do fall, how on earth I will ever be found considering Mark is out of town and the kids are not home. I have been tangled up, chewed up and spit out by these demon lights and continue to ask myself WHY, oh WHY am I doing this!!!???
And then I remember.
Hearing Alex tell me how this is so "special to him" and reflecting back to how special it was to me is all it takes. And I remember with a smile.
Annnnnd I keep going...attempting to find that one damn light bulb that's messing up the entire chain of my 5 to 6 strans of lights...which are now beginning to smell like smoke...or is that a neigbors fire place burning because it is so damn cold out here?
So I've had my "lightbulb moment" (haha) and can now thank you, Dad, for all those years of putting up lights. Now if I can just figure out how to get them as straight as you always did!
Sunday, December 02, 2007
I want a Charlie toilet seat NOW DADDY!
Anybody happen to be in the market for a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Toilet Seat? I know someone has to have the matching shower curtain and toothbrush holder....riiiiight
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Meet Mandy
Hi, my name is Mandy, and I'm a young Cocker Spainiel with big floppy ears, and fluffy little feet that don't make so much as a sound as I glide across the floor in my new house. My new family found me on a cold, dark night on their way to a softball game that happens to be right next to an animal shelter. My new family tried to find my owners and even left their phone numbers at the shelter, but no one has called for me. They're pretty sure that the people I lived with before decided they didn't want me. You see, I'm not perfect on the outside, because I have Cherry Eye, but on the inside, I'm just as fluffy and sweet as can be. I'm so, so excited because now that I've been in this warm cozy home for over a week, they've decided I can stay! So far, I have done pretty well with my new family, even though I'm still sort of a puppy and can drive my four legged family members crazy. When they finally give in and play with me we have soooo much fun and that's when I know they like having me around. We went to another house this weekend, where I met my new cousin Wendel. OH BOY! Me and that Wendel, we're like two peas in a pod! We both like to play and that's pretty much allll we did for FOUR days straight! Now that we're back home, I'm missing my new cousin, but I know we'll be together again soon.
So that's me in a nutshell. I can't wait to meet all of my new extended family and friends, and I know my new mom an dad can't wait to show me off.
Chow Ciao!
So that's me in a nutshell. I can't wait to meet all of my new extended family and friends, and I know my new mom an dad can't wait to show me off.
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