Exploring a little bit of TX

T.C. was able to take off on Friday. After some research, we found a neat place that we wanted to explore. It is called Sea Center in Lake Jackson, and is only about 45 minutes from here. http://www.texasexplorer.com/SeaCenterTexas.htm It is a fish hatchery and has a great exhibit on local fish, touch tank, salt marsh, etc. (the best part is that it is FREE...nothing is free anymore!) Anyway, the kids really enjoyed it and we will definitely be going back again. Clark was a little unsure about sticking his hand in the touch tank...though he loved looking at all the crabs, etc. He did get brave enough to touch a hermit crab that Ali was holding. We were talking yesterday about how before we brought him home, Clark had most likely never even seen a fish...much less be expected to stick his hand in some tank...haha. Wonder what he was thinking?

Well, our big job for the weekend is making a schoolroom change. YUCK! Since we moved into this house, Ali and I have done school in our dining room. However, now I would like our dining room to be JUST that...our dining room. I am a little tired of walking through our front door and seeing school books. So...we have decided to move our schoolroom upstairs. We have a rather large bedroom and it is pretty much wasted space. We have decided to divide our bedroom up and use half for school. We are going to use bookshelves as our divider...pretty clever, thanks to T.C. for coming up with that idea. We are going to our favorite store today to get Ali a new desk and bookshelves. You just gotta love Target...$30 for bookshelves...SWEET!! However, I am not looking forward to emptying the shelves that we currently have so that we can move them. Oh well, it will be nice when it is complete.

Oh yes, I will explain the picture of Clark vacuuming...he has a fit when he sees me vacuuming...so sometimes I give him a turn. Well, he LOVES it. What can I say? Our upstairs vacuum is very light so he is able to push it easily. Why would we extinguish that desire?

Here are pictures from Friday...

Sea Center, TX

Clark never ceases to make us laugh...

Well, I don't have anything real exciting to write about...so I will tell a couple of Clark funnies! Yesterday T.C. was holding his hands and letting him flip around over and over and over and over...he absolutely loves to do this, and we can't for the life of us believe his little body is that strong. Anyway, T.C. was talking to me and said "I wonder if he could do the iron cross" (he was kidding) and Clark overheard and jumped down and did the sign of the cross on his chest. We do the sign of the cross a couple of times during the worship service at our church,and have been teaching Clark how to do it. Well, buddy he heard cross and wanted us to know that yes, in fact he COULD do it!! Too funny. Also, we have been teaching Clark "The Lord's Prayer" before bed. He knows about half of it and now we are working on the second half, which is taking longer with more difficult words to say. Anyway, the other night we were working on the second half and got to "Give us this day our.." and Clark blurted out "PRESENTS"!!! It was so funny but actually I think he was thinking of the next line "trespasses" and couldn't say it. I guess presents sounded good enough to him. Oh the boy makes us laugh!

Remember I mentioned a couple weeks ago that Clark was bothering one of the girls in gymnastics and she was making mad faces at him. Well, this week he was so proud after gym and he told me "girl no mad face." Guess he actually quit following her around and making her upset.

Happy Easter

What a glorious day as we have celebrated the resurrection of our Lord! We started our day with our daughter serving our breakfast at church. She had a fun time (mainly goofing around with her friends) helping this morning. We then had a beautiful church service.

This afternoon the kiddos dyed their Easter eggs. Ali then dressed up like the bunny, rang the doorbell, and Clark answered the door. We can't figure out if he ever figured out that it was Ali. Too funny!

A few pictures from our day....

Easter

Easter came early around here....

Don't tell Clark, but the Easter Bunny came early at our house! My parents came on Thursday, but had to leave tonight(Sat.)...so we decided to have Easter early around here. They wanted to see Clark get his first Easter basket. Let me tell you just how cute that was! He was so excited he just didn't know what to think of it all. The kids woke up to find their baskets, then we headed off to Easter Jubilation at our church. It was an Easter extravaganza for the children. The Easter Bunny was in attendance, crafts galore, singing, the presentation of the Easter story, snacks...and to top it all off it ended with an egg hunt outside. The weather was wonderful! The kids had a great day. After returning home, we cooked a nice dinner and then my parents had to head home. T.C. actually has tomorrow off, which will be very nice. Tonight is his last night for this flight and it will be back to normal hours on Monday...hip hip hooray!! Ali's age group at church is helping to cook breakfast tomorrow for the entire church. She will pull an hour and a half shift. That is right up her alley, as she LOVES to cook. It should be fun for her.

It was so cute...Ali decided to have her own egg hunt for Clark this evening. She stuffed some eggs and hid them outside...then told him the bunny left them. It was hilarious...he came equipped with keys attached to his pants and his toy cell phone hanging from his wrist. At one point he said "wait"...and proceeded to stop, answer his phone, and then finally got back to the business at hand. Oh boy!!

Here are photos from our day...

Easter came early!!

Oh the things we endure!!!!

I hope our kids know just how much we love them. We ENDURED the spring break crowd (just about every spot was taken in the HUGE parking lot) at Space Center Houston so that Ali could attend a "High School Musical 2 Dance Party" and Clark could see Diego in costume....and my only words are OH MY GOODNESS! Well, anyway...it was all worth it when we caught parents joining in on the dance lessons. We even caught some on tape...it is wrong, I know...to video people without them knowing...I should feel more guilty. However, just watch the videos and have a good laugh. The parents were trying to dance their way to a free poster for their kids....well, my wonderful husband leans over to his precious daughter and says "I will just buy you a poster"...and she responded "good idea." Haha! Man, these men deserved SO much more than a poster.

We hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend with their families. We are looking forward to the first Easter with our son home...what a blessing! May we all marvel at the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.

Space Center Houston

Story-time, a ride on a horse, and a whole lot of water!

Well, with T.C. working the space shuttle mission that is up right now...that means he is working weird hours. (go in late in the afternoon/early evening and works until the middle of the night)With those hours means he is here with us some of the day. He was able to attend story-time this week and see how well Clark is interacting. Today we went to a children's program at one of the local malls. They had horse rides, a magic show, a clown making balloon animals, etc. He loved riding the big horse...he looked so tiny on that big thing! He really enjoyed watching the clown make the animals also. He also got to wave at the Easter Bunny. (that sure brought a huge smile to his face!)Then, after we ate dinner the kids wanted to play with the water table...and boy did they!! They were drenched...head to toe! They had the best time...they really prefer to just throw the water on each other. Ha! After getting soaked they slid around on the trampoline. They love that trampoline...one of the things they really enjoy doing together.

Clark is going to be evaluated by a speech pathologist on April 1st to see if he needs any speech therapy. His speech is really coming along...but we would rather be proactive than wish later on down the road that we HAD done something.

Here are just a few pictures from this week.

library, horse, water table

Soapbox.....

I am going to get on a soapbox for a few minutes and vent about a show T.C. and I ran across the other night. I admit...we do a little channel flipping in the evening...generally landing on my favorite show "House Hunters" (etc. etc.). However, this particular night we turned to TLC and found a show called "The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom." http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/soccer-moms/soccer-moms.html To try and explain this relatively quickly, it started off with a stay at home mom that "gave up her career or dream to stay home with her children." Blah blah blah! Now she will be given the opportunity to see what she gave up and in the end she will have to decide whether or not to follow the dream...or remain home. The show we happen to watch caused many comments and much irritation with T.C. and me. We couldn't believe this gal was actually crying because she gave up her dream of being a chef. When did being a stay at home mom become second best? Why is it that people like this give those of us that don't feel that way a bad rep? I mean, isn't it totally acceptable to feel like you wouldn't change being at home with any career in the entire world? Oh my goodness...if I had a chance to be with my children day in and day out or be a world renowned surgeon...you better believe beyond a shadow of a doubt I would choose my children. I have the best job ever! I get hugs when I want them, I get to guide them, watch them explore their world, discover new things, kiss their boo-boos, and be the constant in their lives all day every day. I get a first hand seat watching our daughter blossom into a lovely young lady (and try to see past the hormone cloud that occasionally looms above)right before my very eyes on a daily...minute by minute...hour by hour basis. I am the one that gets to talk her through the grumpies, guide her when I see her not reaching her potential, and kiss her just because. I am the one that gets to rejoice over our son speaking more clearly, learning a new word or short sentence, guide him through his new whiny stage, and relish in the fact that God chose this amazing little boy to be our son...all day every day! No, it isn't easy...mothering isn't for the faint of heart. It is a tough job. I am not here to say that you can't be a working mom...give me a break...my mother was a working mom and did a great job juggling everything that she had to juggle...and I am definitely no worse for the wear. I am just here to say that it is disheartening that society puts some sort of second rate take on being at home with our children....like we all gave up these amazing dreams when we decided to be at home. Can't this be our dream? To see up close and personal as our children grow and develop...to be their encourager all the while? Well anyway...just had to give my 2 cents...any comments?

Coming to a magazine near you...

Ok, maybe not...but we sure think they are pretty darn cute! I decided to be cheap this year and take our own Easter pictures. They turned out pretty well...though it did take a while. Clark lasts like 2 seconds when it comes to being still. You will see a shot of him pouting because I wouldn't stop taking pictures. (heehee) Then there is the one of Clark laughing and Ali about to choke him...aaah, the joys of siblings. She really does love him. Ok, and you can't miss the video clip of Clark dancing....who said white boys can't dance? He is dancing to some Ukrainian pop music that our facilitator gave to T.C. before he left Ukraine. Pretty funny stuff...enjoy. Oh goodness, Clark had gymnastics this morning and we had to have a talk afterward about leaving the girls alone! The other boy that is in the class wasn't there today...so it was just Clark and 3 girls. One girl hates when he comes up and sits RIGHT next to her...he doesn't know the personal space rule yet. Ha! (he did come from Eastern Europe...there is NO such thing as that over there) Anyway, he did it again today and she was getting so mad...she would get up and scoot over and he would get up and move by her again...over and over and over this happened. He finally had to take a turn on the mat and left her alone. We got in the car and started having a discussion about leaving this girl alone and he all of a sudden said "girl had mad face like this (and he showed me the face she made)" it was priceless and I did have to laugh!

Easter pictures

First Easter egg hunt!

Well, another first for the little Clark man. He attended his first egg hunt this morning at our community Health and Nutrition Fair. It was held at the high school football field. It was a cold start to the day...40 and windy when we left home. It began with a "parade" around the track following behind the marching band and dressed up characters. Then, it was followed by the egg hunt. (we cheated and put him in the age group below so that I could go on the field with him...only 2 and under could have a parent...his height has advantages at times..ha!)Anyway, since he had NO clue about egg hunts we figured he needed a little guidance. Boy was I completely WRONG! All I said was "see all the eggs, just picked them up and put them in your basket"...and off he ran...overflowing his basket. It was so cute. They announced that there were 2 golden eggs in each age group and the finders would win a bike! Well, I spotted the egg in the middle and point him in the right direction and off he ran...........right past it. So needless to say he didn't win the bike...I couldn't bring myself to be the mom that grabbed the eggs for my kid. However, after he finished gathering eggs we went down to watch Ali's age group and low and behold Ali started sprinting towards the golden egg and got it. She won a beautiful new bike and she was so thrilled. She outgrew hers, so it couldn't have been better timing! Her long legs are to her advantage sometimes. Let me tell you, nothing or NO ONE was coming between her and a free new bike! She is my child...free is a wonderful word! After some inflatable bouncy houses and a little train ride...we were off to check out the firetrucks. Clark was in heaven, as you can see by the pictures. He loved being inside the truck...he sat down proudly and quickly reached over and put on his seat belt. It was so funny...the fireman got a huge kick out it. He said "at least he knows how to put his seat belt on!" Then we checked out some helicopters and actually watched a life flight helicopter land right in front of us. All the kids loved watching that and sitting in them all. Ali's friend, Sierra, spent the night and joined us today. All I can say is.....GIRLS...and preteen girls at that. WEW...the giggling never stops and neither does the talk of all the boy bands that are out. I am including a picture of Ali's bedroom door...JONAS BROTHERS. For those of you with kids this age, you know who I am talking about. Ali loves their music...but claims she doesn't think they are cute. Ha, I am not buying it...but whatever!

Well, enjoy the pictures and have a great weekend...I am going to enjoy the rest of ours.

Dickinson egg hunt

Easter preview...

I just wanted to post some pictures of Clark in his Easter outfit. Isn't it cute? Thanks to his Aunt Paula and Uncle Jay...they spoiled him with that cute outfit. He was a riot when I was trying to get a few pictures...he would pose this way and that wanting me to take his picture. I am going to take Ali and Clark to a nice park soon for Easter pictures. I thought about going to the mall, then thought, heck I will just take them myself. Ali didn't want an Easter dress this year...she is growing up. She hates dressing up...she prefers to wear simple skirts to church. So that is what she chose...a skirt and top...not even Easter looking, but that's ok!

This weekend in our community there is a huge Easter extravaganza of sorts. There are craft booths, Easter egg hunt, the bunny will be there for pictures, inflatable things to jump in, a firetruck will be there along with the EMS and a SWAT team. Clark will love all that stuff and Ali is just glad the egg hunt goes up to age 12! Ha! She hates getting left out of getting free candy...heehee! Should be fun for them and I sure hope the weather is nice.

We found out yesterday that Clark still has giardia. I did a little research digging on my own and discovered the pharmacy gave him the wrong medicine last time. Long story...we were traveling and the order was called into a pharmacy in Indiana. I think there must have been a mix up along the way. Anyway, he didn't end up taking the correct medicine and therefore still has giardia. I am going to pick up the CORRECT medicine today and please pray that this gets rid of it once and for all. Another prayer request at the moment is that we are able to get him into the preschool at the school right down the street from us (for the fall). It is only available to children with English as a second language and he has to take some language test to be accepted. I explained to the teacher that his language is definitely behind and she said that she can test him in April. I hope he gets accepted. It is free (and free is always GREAT) and would be so good for him! It is for kids just moving to the states from other countries and are behind with language. I also have been in contact with the speech department for the school district. They are going to evaluate him and see if he might need speech therapy. They don't have any appointments available right now, but said it shouldn't be that long.

Well, that is about it right now. Enjoy the photos..we think he is pretty much too cute for words! The photos of the eggs are beautiful hand painted eggs from Ukraine. You can get them made out of wood or actual real eggs blown out. I only brought home one real egg as I didn't know how they would travel. However, the painting is gorgeous on them all. We love to have things out during the holidays to remind us of Clark's birth country.

Easter preview

Our weekend...

We loaded up the van late Friday afternoon and headed to Nona and Poppy's house. Clark had been asking for them for days...so we gave in! My brother and his family joined us all for lunch on Sat., then we took the kids to a park on the lake. They all had a great time. I can't believe it, but I actually forgot the camera! (I take the camera EVERYWHERE..ugh!!) Uncle Jay, Aunt Paula, and Abby gave Clark his baptismal gift...which was a darling backpack with his name on it. It is his "things to keep him busy during church" bag! He is so proud of it. He HAD to wear it into church, after church, around the house...he LOVES it. It will be perfect for preschool in the fall. Well, Clark has been asking to "go play at Nona and Poppy's house" all day long...oh and all the way home last night. He doesn't get that we just can't pop over there. One night just wasn't enough time for him...we keep telling him that they will be here for Easter.

Well, round 4 (I think, but I have lost count) of vaccinations has proven to be just as hard on his system as the other rounds were. He becomes a whiny, puny, mouthy terror...ummm, did I just write that? I mean well, ummm well...I don't know what I mean. Vaccinations make him so grumpy and whiny. Let us hope it doesn't last all that long.

I hope everyone has a great week. We went around to several garden centers today trying to decide what we want to plant in our backyard. It is a blank slate right now. We took pen and paper with us to add it all up...OUCH...trees are NOT cheap.

new backpack

We have a heavy weight in the house.......

Clark had to go to the doctor for 3 vaccinations this morning. He is finally caught up for his age! He told me when we got home that he was mad at the doctor and that his leg hurt. Ha! The best part, however, is that he has finally gained and grown!! YEAH!! He is now 28.8 lbs. (ok, so he did have on heavy jeans and long sleeve shirt) and he was 36 1/2 inches tall. He came here weighing 27 lbs. and was 34 1/2 inches tall. (Aug.) So in 6 months he has grown 2 inches and I am so excited. Maybe he will actually be ON the growth chart soon. I thought his jeans were getting a little shorter on him. (ok, so they are size 2T...it's about time, right?)

Both kids are fighting colds at the moment. Ali has felt the worst by far, and Clark is the one that gave it to her. I am not sure where he caught it...maybe church or gym class? You never really know.

Big sister got a hold of him....

Last night Clark comes downstairs with a marker beard on his face. What a hoot! Ali decided to give him a beard and a photo shoot...a total riot. T.C. and I have books called "Capture His/Her Heart" and Ali grabbed T.C.'s book and had Clark hold it. OH MY GOODNESS! We cracked up. The poor little guy has no idea that now I am placing his cute mug on the WORLD WIDE WEB.....what kind of mother am I? One that thought others might get a little laugh also. Ali also made a sign for him to hold (she meant I'm available...but put "I'm open"...which is so funny!!)

Not much news around here...just wanted to post pictures. We found another park this weekend that we hadn't visited yet. The kids loved it and are ready to go back. It is called "Challenger Park" and has walking trails, playgrounds, etc. Clark slipped in some gross looking water and about lost it. He was so upset. Both feet got soaked, as did part of his pants....but he recovered and continued playing. He sure loves playgrounds...Ali did too at that age. His new word as of this weekend is "everything." Really funny when not used correctly.

We are finally going to have a little vacation after several years...Ukraine didn't count. The stress level was TOOOOO high to count. However, we are finally going back to Florida. We haven't been back since we moved from there in '99 when Ali was 2 1/2 years old. We hope everything works out...I mean you never really know. It is still almost 3 months away....but we are counting down the days already. Ha! We will go the middle of May. We will be staying right on the beach, so the kids will really LOVE that. Ali will get to see one of her little playmates while we are there. I will rephrase that...they were little at the time...they won't recognize each other now. Ha! Most of our friends from that time were military and thus have moved away.

Enjoy the silly photos!

Challenger Park

Just a little trampoline picnic

I look out of our bedroom window this afternoon...and this is what I found...the kids were having a little mini picnic on the trampoline. It was so incredibly cute that I had to grab the camera and run outside. Don't get me wrong, they can do their fair share of bickering...but it is moments like these that I truly know they DO love each other. Ali packed up a few little snacks and grabbed Clark for a trip out to the trampoline. A funny little side note, when I get outside I notice them staring at the trampoline net and they informed me that there was a spider on the net that neither of them would kill. Daddy had to go out and save the day!

So we discovered the other day, though we already suspected it, that we have a little Ukrainian PLAY-AH (player) on our hands. T.C., Clark, and I had to do a little Target shopping while Ali was at swim practice the other night. We were loading the van up with our bags when I notice that Clark is STARING intently at something in front of us. I look up to see what it is and I find a young blonde getting into a little red sports car. I die out laughing and T.C. joins in the laughter. I lean over and ask Clark if he thinks she is pretty and he smiles and says "yes." I then ask if he wanted to give her a kiss and he smiled yet again and said "YES." I then begin to tell him that he can't kiss girls he doesn't know, and without missing a beat he smiles and says "she kiss me." Ha....oh what have we gotten ourselves into? The proud Papa added "the objects of his affection are always easy on the eyes." At least the boy has standards. Teeheehee!

Clark has had a good week and that is always a blessing. The fits have calmed down now that we are back on his normal schedule. The trip up north was difficult on him...being out of his normal routine, etc.

I will close with a few pictures of their picnic.

trampoline picnic

Tagged.........

Ok, for starters I NEVER fill these out...but here it goes!

A- Attached or Single: Attached, married for almost 12 years

B- Best Friend: oh goodness...best friend would be my husband...but many friends spread from Hawaii to Kentucky!

C- Cake or Pie: PIE most likely KEY LIME...yum, yum!

D- Day of Choice: Saturday and Sunday... time to be able to spend as a family

E- Essential Item (s): can't think of something I just "have to have" on a day to day basis except for my family!! (and going to the beach...good for the soul)

F- Favorite Color: depends on what for...on the walls in a house...sage green...clothing perhaps red or a shade of blue

G- Gummi Bears or Worms: worms...the sour ones!

H- Hometown: Tallulah, Lousiana

I- Indulgence (s): pedicures in the summer...haha

J- January or July: oh definitely July...I am not a huge fan of cold weather...though the July heat here is pretty bad also!

K- Kids: Alexandra Paige-11 (a preteen and VERY good at it...just kidding(sort of)...a fun kid that is quite artistic! Samuel Clark-4 (and again...very good at it)he is the one that keeps us laughing...100% boy 100% of the time...on go every second of the day except while he is asleep!

M- Marriage Date: April 26, 1996

N- Number of Siblings: 1 older brother...it is a wonder we made it to adulthood with the fighting that used to go on..haha

O- Oranges or Apples: apples...crisp ones...with caramel for extra yumminess (not a word, I know)

P- Phobias or Fears: bugs...YUCK! oh, and heights! Also something happening to my husband or children!

Q- Quote(s): "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." Psalm 91:4 (really I love the whole chapter)

R- Reason to Smile: we have our 2 healthy children and are finally settled down with a job my husband LOVES!

S- Season: spring

T- Tag: anyone that would like to join in

U- Unknown Fact About Me: I can't think of anything exciting...except maybe for the fact that I can't seem to finish a book these days...I have about 5 or more books going that I flip through but never finish...ugh! Also, let me think...T.C. and I have moved 7 times in our marriage...crazy huh? Some of those were within the same town. Hopefully we are done for YEARS to come!

V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: definitely NOT a vegetarian....gotta have meat!

W-Worst Habit: not always being the most patient Mom...working on that!

X-X-rays or Ultrasounds: Have had both...ultrasound was amazing when I was pregnant with Ali...getting to see your baby! Hopefully won't be needing any X-Rays (or ultrasounds for that matter..haha)

Y-Your Favorite Food: Mexican! (or my mom's turkey and dressing on the holidays)

Z- Zodiac: taurus

Just a lazy Sunday afternoon at the beach.....

Yesterday we decided to load up the ole' sand pails and shovels and head down to Galveston. I think the kids could hang out on the beach for hours on end. They had a great time and the weather was glorious! Of course we had to make our usual ice cream stop on the way home. We made the mistake of telling Clark Sat. evening of our beach plans and he repeated it I think a thousand times prior to getting into bed that night..."beach and eat ice cream." Too funny. I will explain the picture of the shirtless fellow with his cowboy hat and running pants. You see, we love going to Galveston...however, you NEVER really know what you are going to see. Yesterday that was our find. Redneck at its finest. Ha! (ok, so that was a little mean...sorry...that poor guy had NO idea he was being photographed and would end up on the web)

Clark had gymnastics again today. As the teacher put it oh so nicely "he didn't listen as well today." Ha...YOU THINK? He moves at 100 miles per hour...it is really stretching him to actually sit still long enough to listen to instruction. Ha! However, both teachers told me they thought that he was born for this. They kept talking about what a natural he is....ok, if they can just figure out a way to get him to pay attention. Good luck girls!!! They do have their work cut out for them. Ok, to be totally honest...he is doing pretty well. He doesn't totally understand everything in English yet...he has only been home 6 months as of Saturday. I will cut him some slack.

Well, not much to say...really just wanted to post the pictures. Clark's new favorite words are honey, maybe, and tomorrow. He will use them at the totally wrong time. For instance "maybe this is too hot"...or "can we eat that tomorrow (like instead of later)"...the honey he uses correctly which is really funny. He picked that up from me. I always call the 3 of them honey...so now he started that. "now honey"

beach

Valentine's Day

Well, last night was fun! We were able to go out to dinner with friends...WITHOUT KIDS! Some friends of ours (with 4 kids of their own) told us about a Parent's Night Out at a church close to us. We all took advantage and signed the kids up. They had fun eating pizza, watching movies, and playing basketball in the church gym. When we were tucking Clark into bed last night I started asking him about his evening. He told us he had fun and played with a boy and a girl. I said "oh, a girl...was she cute" and he replied "yes, I kiss her." Ha! Watch out world.

It was so funny when we made it to the restaurant...we joked that we were going to take a moment of silence and enjoy the quiet! We were saying...look...no fighting...no he said she said...he did she did...aaahhh. But, we were glad to see the kids when we picked them up....as always! It is just nice to have an evening to ourselves every once in a while. It doesn't happen very often.

Clark has had a great couple of days...which makes life a whole lot nicer.

I am including some photos from yesterday. The kids enjoyed opening their gifts from us and grandparents. Ali made Valentine cupcakes and did a great job. She loves to help cook.

Valentine's Day

Here I sit...exhausted...with nothing exciting to say

Now how is that for a title? Extremely exciting stuff or what? But how true it is. It is almost 11:30pm and I am exhausted, burned out, and need to be in bed. I haven't much to say either...so I really should save this for another day. Ha! But figured I would go ahead and bore you now.

You know it occurred to me the other day that I often get these emails "getting to know your friends" or some similar title about little facts about your friends that you may not have known. I enjoy reading them, but NEVER take the time to respond. Then I started thinking about it and realized there were things I wondered about others. For instance......what do you guys keep in your vehicle at any given time? For me...I looked around and saw that I ALWAYS (seriously...always!)have swim gear in our van. (Hyundai Entourage by the way and LOVE IT!) Swim gear....2 bags of the stuff. She has to have a "wet bag" as they call it...mesh bag that holds all the gear that gets wet (goggles, caps, kick board, flippers) and a "dry" bag that holds towels, clothing, etc. There they sit...slap dap in the middle of the van waiting on the next swim practice. At first we held the position of "you put those bags in the back every day so it doesn't junk up the van"...yeah right...that lasted a total of a week maybe! Ha! Now that we have a little one around again I always have a tub of wet wipes under the seat, hot wheels cars rolling around everywhere, and random other toys! What happened to my obsession of having a clean car? Oh yeah, I had kids!!! Then there is my purse...I always loved purses...like LOVED them...still do...only now the love takes on a whole new meaning....how much crap can I cram in ONE. Like seriously...how much stuff can a purse really hold? There is anti bacterial gel (a must have 'cause kids are just always dirty!), cell phone, wallet, usually a toy, a random treat in case the little one gets cranky, etc. My purse is always overflowing! What about you guys?

Well, Ali had another swim meet this past weekend. Want to know when we found out she was swimming in it......Friday night....and we were supposed to be there at 7:30am the following morning...and it was a 30 minute drive. She was having company that night...a friend from swimming. The friend also found out that night that she was to swim...so a quick change of plans, called the girls mom, and the reality hit me that I was taking 3 kids to a swim meet with no help from T.C. BOOHOO! T.C. has been working since Sat. morning going in a little after 4am since there is a space shuttle mission up. Wew...it was a long day at the meet! Ha. Ali did well...she improved on all her times from the previous meet. Ok, so she might not be headed to the Olympics just yet...but she loves it. She has only been on the team since Sept. or Oct. She truly loves it and is really improving.

Clark has had better days. I will just start by saying...we love him...we really do...and thank goodness he is cute. Just kidding! He has been a little trying these days (ok, maybe a lot trying). We are having a little problem with his temper/anger and the fact that he doesn't like that we have authority over him. However, we are trying to be very consistent with consequences and not letting him get away with the whining and crying fits. For now it is one step forward and 2 steps back at times. However, we know he is a sweet boy and has such potential. For those of you out there with boys........tell us the tricks of the trade! We are used to having a girl. (and they are OH SO very different by the way)

This was a very funny observation from the 11 year old in our home. We were heading out of the house this morning to take Clark to storytime at the library. We recently got new neighbors on one side of us and the husband works 3 weeks on and 3 weeks off. He happened to be out in the yard this morning as we were leaving. We get in the van and Ali chimes in with a really funny look on her face "that lady at that house must be the one to work 'cause that man is out in the yard killing ants (we have fire ants down here in TX)...I was a little confused and asked what she meant. She explained that the husband was putting ant killer on ant beds and that his wife must be the one that worked. I explained that he works for several weeks and then is off. It was just cute to me that since I stay home and T.C. works that she thought it odd the possibly that it might be reversed in their home. SO yes Ali....some gals DO work outside the home. I just happen to be one of the crazy ones that wonders how in the world they do it. At the end of my days of schooling, laundry, housework, cooking, chasing a little one, heading off to swimming...when would there be time? Shew, I am tired just thinking about it.

I have to hit the sack...this is a totally random post...I know...it is late, what can I say?

Our trip in a nutshell

Well we are back home after visiting 2 states, many friends and family, stayed in 5 different houses, endured several meltdowns (Clark...not me...though I wanted to), enjoyed an awesome get together at our old church, delayed 5 hours trying to get back home, and the list could go on!

That is right, we were gone 8 days and stayed in 5 different houses along the way. We were trying to see so many people in Louisville that we ended up staying with a different family all 3 nights while we were there. It was so good to see everyone. The first night was spent with another homeschooling family that we got to know during our time in Louisville. They have 2 girls and we would get together for outings and such and the girls took dance together. They had a terrific time playing and just generally acting goofy as girls are good at doing. Clark enjoyed all their many toys as they set up a huge train set for him in their living room. He loved that. They also have a classic car that they let Clark climb around in. The next day we went to visit some friends of ours from seminary that recently adopted a toddler boy from Vietnam. We took the kids to a fun place called Gattiland to play and get our fill of pizza! They also have a 9 1/2 year old son that Ali used to play with quite a bit. They live in the same complex where we used to live. Later that afternoon we headed over to our fomer pastor's home...their son, Micah, and Ali were great friends. We visited with them a while before heading over to the church for a dinner in our honor. It was awesome to see everyeone again!! If any of you are reading this...we SO miss our family at New Cut Road Baptist Church! Then, after the dinner we spent the night at our former pastor's home. The next day, Pamela and I just took it easy and visited all day...it was fabulous! Micah played hooky from school and he and Ali played outside a lot of the day...when they weren't having light saber fights. Clark was content to play with all the boys toys they had since they DO have 3 boys! Late that afternoon the kids and I headed to yet another house for our final night in Louisville. We stayed with another homeschooling family...Eb and Ali took gymnastics together at one time and became fast friends. They enjoyed catching up and playing until LATE into the evening. The next day we returned our rental car and my mother in law picked us up and we headed up to Seymour, IN for 3 nights. On Saturday, there was a little get together so that some family and friends could meet Clark. On Monday, Suzi (Mimi) took us up to Indianapolis to stay with T.C.'s sister and her family for 2 nights. Our boys had never met, so they had a good time getting to know each other. With 1,3,4, and 11 year olds in the house...it was anything but quiet! Haha! They watched movies, played and played and played, we went for a walk, a trip to McDonald's to play, etc. Wed. we started our journey home...only to be diverted from the Chicago airport to Kansas City. After spending over an hour in a ticket counter line...we got new tickets to route us through Tulsa on into Houston. We finally made it into Houston around 10pm only to find out that our luggage did not arrive. However, it did get delivered Thursday morning...so it could have been worse. Trust me, you don't want to stand in an hour line...sit at a gate for 3+ hours with kids that had not eaten dinner...it isn't pleasant...haha! Clark had a slight meltdown when I wouldn't let him climb around on the floor and crawl under the chairs...that was fun! I think I have decided that our flying days are over for a while.

Well, we are off to swim practice in a few minutes so I better sign off for now. Ali is having company spend the night...so I better mentally prepare myself for girly giggling late into the night.

Kentucky and Indiana

And we are off again.........

We returned LATE Sat. night from Louisiana...and the kids and I leave again tomorrow morning for KY/IN. WEW! Still trying to get the laundry done and repack. Ok, so I haven't actually packed a single thing yet...had errands to run this morning, teach school, and get Clark to gymnastics. It is now 1:00 and not a single thing has yet to reach the suitcases. Yikes!

Ali has already informed me that she is just too excited to sleep tonight. We will see how that pans out! It will be so good to see friends and family that we haven't seen in so long.

This weekend was very difficult. It is never easy to try and say good-bye to someone that you loved so much. However, I just imagine my uncle dancing with the angels and not being in any pain...ever again. Our selfish side just still wants him here with us, yet we know he is in a much better place. Aside from the sadness, it was so wonderful to see members of my family that I had not seen in quite some time! Some had not met Clark...so he tried his best to not get caught and kissed by everyone that walked by him! Heehee! He was a mess and FULL of energy the entire time. We were a little nervous that he wouldn't make it through the funeral "with his quiet voice"...but he did...to our surprise. However, the graveside service was a little different. I do recall during one prayer a certain someone repeating over and over "what...what...what." (and I believe T.C. may have mentioned to that certain someone to "be nice"...and that certain someone said quite loudly.."you be nice"...ok, so that was kind of funny!!)

The theme in our house as of late is "BECAUSE I SAID SO." It seems our dear son has become quite fond of the word WHY! I mean...it gets repeated at least 100 times a day. I have gotten a little tired of explaining myself and have resulted to just saying "because Mama said so." Lame...I know! However, I just seem to run out of explanations!

Clark had his second gymnastics class today. There were more oooohhh's and aaaaaahhhh's from the teachers again this week. They can't believe how strong he is for being so little. They were working on cartwheels today and he just leaned over and went from standing to a handstand all by himself. Pretty incredible! We will never have any money at this rate.....everything will be going to swimming or gymnastics...we will be eating beans! Ha!

Well, I am off to begin packing! I will try and update while we are out of town. I am posting a few pictures from this weekend.

Shreveport