A Momentous Day

Do you remember, when you were growing up, there was this milestone that you desperately wanted to pass as quickly as possible that marked growing up? It's funny, but I think that when you pass that mark, there's always another one looming on the horizon. It maybe wearing makeup, shaving your legs, your first pair of high heels.

Having never been a boy, I would have no real idea what those markers would be, for a boy, but I'm sure they have something to do with bodily functions and are gross.

Well, in our house, there has been one milestone that Gi-Gi has been working on for the entire school year. She's been working and working and working to reach the point where she can finally...



Yes, you guessed it. Writing in cursive!!!

Can we all let out a scream of girly delight! Now all of her dreams of writing "fancy" have come true. ~Sigh~ We are now content.

But wait... Before I get too comfortable, others want to get into the act, too!



Isn't that the most bee-yoo-tea-ful T?



Bubba and Ya-Ya got to practice their letters with a plate of rice. This picture was taken mere seconds before the whole plate of rice was dumped on the floor.

Huzzah! I love being a homeschool Mama!

A Lesson from a Kite

I am a Mama. Let's compact this with the fact that I'm a home school Mama. That means I am big into lessons. And I mean BIG!

Now, I would love to think that I'm the one teaching the lessons. I feel like living thirty years on this earth has earned me some wisdom. Wisdom that I am more than willing to share with others around me. Maybe too willing at times. Well, I don't always get to be the teacher. Other times, I'm more the reluctant student. Hmph!

Tonight, I was the student. Again. We had a lovely impromptu picnic at the neighborhood park with some great friends. To many who live in other parts of the country, it would seem as if a slight breeze was blowing. To us Arizona people, it was downright windy. The perfect kind of day for kite flying.

When we got to the park, a lovely family from our street was already there, you guessed it, flying their kites. Our children, sad to say, are kite deprived. For some unknown reason, I've just never bought them. So, when they see kites being flown, they want to join in.

As this family was leaving, they offered one of our children the oppurtunity to borrow the kite for the afternoon. All went well until it was time to leave. The kite's string had been wound up after use. Well, it kind of got tangled up quite severely because one of our children was being irresponsible with it. Unfortunately, it was past saving. I mean way past saving. It would have taken me a month to get these knots out.

Me being me, I wanted to use this oppurtunity to teach a lesson in responsibility. Money being saved up is now going to be spent replacing a Spider Man kite. Heartbreak Hotel around here, let me tell you.

However, when time came to let these neighbors know what had happened, I balked. Long story short (I think it's too late for that), I was embarrassed. We had had an issue several months ago with kids, which had to be apologized for from this same child. What would these people think about me? was my first thought.

Yes, in my embarrassment, I turned this issue into one about me. I tried to think of any out I could. Maybe Hubby would go over and explain, maybe we could just go and replace it without explaining what had happened, maybe I could spend all night trying to get the knot out. Whatever I had to do to save face.

And then I realized. Was I going to miss out on teaching my child something important because I was afraid of being embarrassed? The Lord has called me to a higher purpose. I can't sacrifice the teachable moments with me child because they're uncomfortable for me.

And so, I girded up my loins, held my child's hand and crossed the street. The family was exceedingly gracious, which I knew they would be. They offered to forget about it, as I thought they might. However, I tried to subtly convey the fact that we're learning a lesson here, so please let us replace it. By subtly, I mean that I tried to wink in a slow, non-flirtatious way. Unfortunately, it was the husband that answered. I don't think he got the wrong idea. I hope.

That being said, tomorrow will find us buying a spider man kite and walking it across the street. I will take my child's hand as we cross, and that thank the Lord that He reminded me that I, too, still have many lessons to learn.

Happy Birthday, Gi-Gi!

Monday was the eighth anniversary of when I became a mama. Or, in other words, it was Gi-Gi's eighth birthday. Has it really been eight years? Apparently it has. I won't go into the cliche, "It feels like yesterday...", even though it does. Or the, "It goes by so quickly...", even though it does. Hold on, a moment please to wipe away the tears.

Please pardon a sappy, sentimental Mama. Okay, ready now.

Monday was all about celebrating my girl and her special day! I realize that some of you may not know my sweet Gi-Gi, so permit me a few moments to brag on her, under the pretext of introducing you to her, of course.

Being the eldest is hard sometimes, according to Gi-Gi. Being the eldest in my family, I completely sympathize! She lives up to the responsibility well, however. She is one of the most compassionate people I know. There is no one better to have around when you're sick. She would make an incredible nurse. She is so very anxious to help.


Gi-Gi is girl to the core! She came out that way, I swear. Dresses, skirts, hairbows... You name it, she had to have it on. This is one of the precious things we love about her. I do see big time budget increases in the clothing category as she gets older. Good thing I'm learning to sew! She's a great example to her little sister on all things girly-fied.

Gi-Gi is full of plans. Ever since she was teeny-tiny, she has been full of ideas of things she wants to do, go, and be when she grows up. For a very long time, the plan was to be a mermaid. Well, thankfully, we've gotten out of that stage! Even now, she wants to own a horse ranch, be an astronaut, house homeless people and be a missionary all at the same time. Is the world ready for this girl?



Gi-Gi loves, loves, loves to read! (Yay!) It's a family trait, I think. Really, I am constantly catching her with her nose down in a book. Part of this stems from a huge desire to learn. Library trips find us laden down with at least thirty books checked out at once and about twenty of those are hers. She will read just about anything she can get her hands (or eyes) on.

Some of you may remember me saying that Gi-Gi has the gift of getting freebies! I don't know how or why, but people have always wanted to give her stuff! Free food, toys, books... Okay, now that you're warned, don't look straight into her eyes! You may be inexplicably compelled to give her whatever you have on hand! Don't look! Well, unless it's diamonds or gold. Then, feel completely free!

Another thing we love about Gi-Gi is that she wants to snuggle almost all of the time. Daddy, Mama, Hauntie, Grandma, Nonnie, Papa... All of us are frequently hugged, kissed or just jumped on!

The most important thing we admire and love about Gi-Gi is her love for her Heavenly Father. She really strives to learn and obey His will for her. From a very young age, she has loved Jesus and been so sensitive to His words. Many times in church, I'll look over and there are tears in her eyes, sometimes from the music, sometimes the prayers. Her baptism last year was one of the most emotional times we've experienced in her life.


Our girl on her eighth birthday!

We are so very blessed and thankful to have this beautiful girl in our lives. Our family just wouldn't be complete without her.

Sharing = Caring

Every mother loves it when her children share. Right? It brings smiles to our hearts and faces. Right? We give ourselves a mental pat on the back for being such excellent parents to raise such delightful, compassionate children. Right?

Wrong!

Well, sometimes wrong. This would be one of those times. Our older children accidentally "shared" cold germs with Baby Ju-Ju several weeks ago. While they have blissfully skipped off and recovered (which I'm happy about), Ju-Ju's immune system isn't as developed as their's and so he has not skipped off any where, fully recovered (which I'm not happy about).

My happy, mellow, go-with-the-flow baby hasn't made an appearance in a couple of weeks. I miss him! Let me make clear, however, he's not crying like he's colicky, but the crying whenever I have to put him down is starting to wear on many nerves around here. I've seen a lot of fingers stuffed into ears as far as they can go. Mine included.

And really, who doesn't want to held, snuggled and taken care of when they're sick? There's part of me that gets a perverse kind of satisfaction that when he cries, he wants me. Funny ole, crummy ole me. Daddy and even grandparents or Hauntie is good for a period of time, but it always comes back to me.

Here's the part that makes me okay with all of this, though. My kids gave him these germs by loving on him. By hugging, kissing, wanting to snuggle. No bioterrorism, here. These germs came packaged with love. Also, it's only a cold. In a few weeks, it will be gone and forgotten and happiness and peace (well, of a sort) will reign again.

Hallelujah! I am a blessed woman.

THE WEDDING!

Finally, a moment to get these posted! Our weekend and already the beginning of this week have flown by with craziness around every corner.

However, we ARE survivors and are telling all who listen about it!

What a fun experience this wedding was for our family. Not only did we see Hubby's handsome nephew marry his beautiful sweetheart, but our family got to play a very active role in whole shin-dig. I have to say how blessed we were, as parents, to be asked several months ago to have our children involved.

Of course, as a mother, I am proud (as I'm sure y'all have noticed! Really, you haven't?), but I love that they are seeing the beginning of a marriage. We see too many "ends", that we need to celebrate the beginnings we do see, and be encouraged that people are still wanting to take that wonderful step into a lifetime together!

Okay, delicately stepping off of my soapbox am I, and on to pictures and running commentary (oooo, my favorite part).


We managed to corral them for a few seconds to snap this picture. Let me tell you, no easy to task to keep three children clean, not damaging wedding clothing and out of guests way, all while trying to nurse a newborn. I am woman, hear me roar! Maybe it would be more accurate to say, "I am Mama, hear me roar!" Please, notice the cheeseball in the middle. He's not mine. He was dropped on our doorstep by a group of crazy babboons. ~Sigh~


Can you see this hair?! And thankfully, no clowns were needed to entertain them. All done in the presence of a gorgeous bride and her bridesmaids. My girls were absolutely glued to their seats, probably picturing themselves a few years down... Oh, wait, so not going there right now. Sniff, sniff.


Here they come, my trio of wonderful beauty and handsomeness. Thank you, thank you. Yes, I do take credit in giving birth to all of these gorgeous people. Oh, and their Daddy had something to do with it as well. They were perfect! No panicked look at Mama, no tears or running away. Huge relief! Hubby is in the back, guarding the rear exit, ready to rescue anyone who needed it. No takers, thank goodness. Also, notice Ya-Ya watching her big sis for direction in how to throw flower petals. Nothing like on the job training!


Ya-Ya's got that look on her face like, "Here I come Mama!" And sure enough the next second, she was climbing in my lap. Was this surprising? Not in the least. Was it welcome? Always. Nap had not been taken, so a potential meltdown was only a breath away. I didn't breathe for the rest of the ceremony.


And then there was my son, who was like a statue during the entire ceremony. That is when he wasn't chewing on the ring pillow. Why on earth... Can't explain the allure in that, but then, he's only three. Thankfully, Cousin Micah had Tic-Tacs in his pocket as a bribe to keep him still. Good work, Micah Buddy!


Everyone is celebrating David and Annie! What gorgeous people and what a gorgeous setting. Perfect day for all of us to remember.


Another shot with our lovely bride and her incredible dress! She's about a size 2. It's sick, sick I tell you! I thought on such a windy day, she would just float away. Thankfully, she didn't and the celebration could go on as planned.


One of our first family pictures since Ju-Ju was born. It's so different to have everyone all dressed up at the same time (besides church and Sunday mornings don't usually lend themselves to a lot of picture taking. Is that just at my house?).


I just had to snap a picture of these way cute table settings. You just have to smile when you see them. Yuuummm, the strawberry tux was so good, too. Uh, yeah, I actually ate it. Wouldn't you?


Okay, so I'm not sure what exactly happened with this picture and my camera, but I thought it was so fun and different I would include it. I can't even tell you what's going on, but I know we're having a great time! It was an amazing evening in a beautiful setting with some good friends and family. Romance was in the air with lots of snuggling, hand-holding and smooching going on ~ and not just the bride and groom! Hey, my hubby and I are unapologetically still on our honeymoon. Are you jealous or is it the same for you?

Thank you for humoring me and letting me post and comment on my seemingly endless pictures. I know our kids are going to remember this night for the rest of their lives. Well, at least three of them will. One just slept through all of the excitement. Some people just aren't any fun. :) We forgive you, Ju-Ju!

Tonight is the big night! Forget about the bride and groom; it's my children's debut as flower girls and a ring tiger ~ he doesn't want to be ring "bear", so tiger it is. (By the way, I really do know it's David and Annie's day. Can I help it if my children are the cutest in the world? Seriously.)

So, being the proud Mama that I am, I'm sharing with you some of our fun moments from last night. Aren't you lucky?


He takes his job very seriously.


Do they make a flower mama shirt?



Listening so intently


Listening not so intently


Listening, yeah, not so much


If only every day was like this...

I promise I'll share more than pics of just my kids when I post the wedding pictures. Although why anyone would want to see anyone else is beyond me. Okay, I know I'm hopeless. Hopelessly proud of my little monkeys.

Midweek Musings from a SAHM

It is Midweek Madness at our house today! It's not looking to improve anytime soon, either. This week really has been "hecticity" itself.

So, that being said, here's just some random thoughts bouncing around in my head, pretty much drivin' me crazy until I blog about them. They are in no order, just bursting forth.

~This Friday is a fun family wedding. Weddings are always exciting, but this one in particular because it has my three older ninos practicing their abilities at walking down an aisle. Three kids, three wedding outfits complete with shoes, two girls hair-do's. Oh, dear. This is either an oppurtunity for sheer chaos or a well-timed miracle.




We're praying for the miracle, which would include, but not be limited to:
1) No more yucky colds for Ya-Ya and JuJu (and Mama while we're at it)
2) No hair emergencies. Prayerfully, Ya-Ya will hold still long enough for me to do it. Maybe if we got clowns to entertain her while I'm braiding. Good idea? Hmmm...
3) No one noticing the horrible job I did hemming Bubba's pants all in the interest of saving money and time. Again, good idea? Hmmmm...
4) The little ones actually following Gi-Gi's example and walking down the aisle with no major mishaps. This being the sixth time Gi-Gi's been a flower girl (seriously), she's a professional!
5) No arguing or fighting while in front a boatload of people. I don't think this would happen, but I have my "evil-eye" ready, just in case.

~Because of the wedding, we have family coming in from out of town. COUSINS!, my kids yell at the top of their young lungs. Yup, they get into town tonight and it will be non-stop cousin fun for the rest of the week. We're all so excited to see them. It's been way too long. I can't wait to get some good pictures of all of them. They'll probably all be action shots, since they won't want to sit down the whole time.

~Easter weekend. What a time of rememberance of what my Savior did for me all those many years ago. I have to admit, it's gotten a little forgotten this year because of new baby and wedding, so I'm trying to find ways to re-focus myself and my family. I never want an oppurtunity of relishing in the love and forgiveness of Christ because of appointments on a calendar.


My lone Easter decoration in my house. It's lonely, but cute.

~I read a fascinating article the other day about feminism v. femininity. I would love to delve into it here, but I am almost too passionate about it. It talks about how with the rise of feminism, we women have lost the essence of what it is to be a woman, suppressing what God has created us all to be and therefore many become depressed. Let me say, I LOVE being a girl! It hasn't always been that way, but my heart has come around to understanding the positions and desires God has for me, as a woman, one of His prized creations. To read this article, go to:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035497/posts

Some things that make me happy I'm a girl!

My favorite red shoes


My favorite perfume bottle, from Paris

~One more thing, I promise. I made these this week for my favorite oldest daughter, Gi-Gi. It's so fun for me to attempt to be crafty! They are easy to make, cheap, and you can make them to match any outfit. I'll be making about 50 pair to sell at our homeschool group's used curriculum and craft fair in June. Yikes! My fingers will be tired! Anyway, I was so proud of myself, I wanted to share with y'all.



They were cute before, but painted red toenails make them even cuter! (Or as Ya-Ya would say, "They're so toot!"

The Eternal Question

Okay, okay, so it's not really the eternal question. It's not on the same priority level as say, oh, peace in the Middle East or countering bio-terrorism. However, it's down to less than 24 hours before a decision has to be made. The clock is ticking and the pressure is on.

I don't think I realized before how much I hate making decisions like this. Really, it's so minute and stupid (uh, oh. I forgot that's potty talk). Why do have so much trouble making this decision? I wrestle with it over and over and I'm never quite satisfied.

What is this issue of highest priority? What can I possibly be talking about? Hair. There it is, right out there. I do this before every hair appointment. My poor beautician. She has a sign that says, "I'm a beautician, not a magician. Oh, if she only was.

So here's the deal. Next week is a big family wedding. Usually these things aren't a cause of internal beauty panic attacks, but with just having a baby... Do you see where I'm going with this? Not quite into my regular clothes, but maternity clothes not fitting quite right, I desperately want something on me to look good. You know, hubba-hubba~ish. There's only so much I can do in a week with a post-c-section body. It would take way longer than a week to recover from liposuction. Hmmmm... Well, that's where the hair cut comes into play.

Now to some of you, my hair may seem already short enough. I haven't had really long hair since I was a senior in high school. Yeah, it just doesn't work for me. So, the choices are go back to somewhat spikey short or layered bob. I love it being short, but I always worry I'm going to poke someone's eye out when I hug them. The plus side though is it only takes three minutes to blow dry and uses a lot less shampoo. A bob is so soft and feminine. But with my thick and heavy hair it takes a long time to dry and I don't know if I have the time. AAAARRRGGGHHH! I am so indecisive!

Bless Sandy, my hair lady, who has put up with me now for over ten years hemming and hawing at every appointment. Why should tomorrow's be any different?

So what's the decision you ask? I don't know. I guess we'll have to see what I feel like in the morning. This could be really good or really bad.


This would be the really bad.


This would be really good. I think the beautician would have to be a magician to pull this one off, though!