Show Me Your Team Spirit

Today was yet another game for our squad. It was team picture day so everyone was looking top notch.







The girls did great and even performed a few new cheers. Upward is a great program and we are so glad Mattea can be a part of it. I think all the girls look absolutely adorable.

My Days

There are days when the sun is out
and
there are days the clouds overshadow.

There are days when I wake up on time
and
there are days that I simply don't even acknowledge the alarm clock.

There are days when I cook a super nutritious breakfast
and
there are days when a pop tart is all that I can conjure up.

There are days when I brew a pot of coffee and sit down with my Bible to read
and
there are days that I read from the kids Bible for nap time and call it good.

There are days when I meet the day with a smile
and
there are days in which I don't even remember how to smile.

There are days where I am showered, shaved, clothed, and presentable by 7 am
and
there are days that I don't shower at all.

There are days in which I play with my kids from sun up to sun down
and
there are days in which Dora plays with my kids from sun up to sun down.

There are days when I am happy
and
there are days when I am sad.

There are days when I am motivated to prepare a great meal for my family
and
there are days when Ronald McDonald does it for me.

There are days when I am productive
and
there are days where I seem to sit around and do absolutely nothing.

There are days when I am positive
and
there are days when I am negative.

There are days when I am a good wife
and
there are days where I am a bad wife.

There are days I never want to forget
and
there are days I would rather erase.

The wonderful and amazing thing, though, is no matter what kind of day I'm having - Jesus is by my side from the moment I awake to the moment I resign. He supports me through the good and comforts me through the bad. He sees my smile and wipes my tears. He watches over me and loves me through it all.

As for today - it was a good day!

Wordless Wednesday

Guess Who's "Toofless"

The day FINALLY arrived. After being informed of her very first tooth being loose almost 6 weeks ago, we were finally able to yank it out the other night. I say "we" but really mean "Dave." I hate wiggly, bloody, half rooted teeth. This is the one area of child rearing that I'm using my "Get Out of Jail Free" card. In fact, Dave tried to extract it a couple of weeks ago and it made him sick to his stomach. But, I told him (in a very nice way of course) to man up and yank the sucker out so the Tooth Fairy can come and the anticipation can finally end.



Both are still smiling after the incident so it couldn't have been that bad. I ran to the other room.....



and grabbed my photo later. It was a big day and there was a lot of excitement. I tried so hard to be excited for her but felt very bad about lying to her about some tiny little fairy flying around delivering treasure for a bloody old tooth. We have not lied about a jolly old guy delivering gifts or a giant bunny hopping around delivering eggs. But we are choosing to down right lie about the tooth fairy. I feel blatantly bad about breaking one of the ten commandments but there has to be a clause when it comes to your kids right??? Round 2 will be occurring soon as that very night, Mattea discovered another loose tooth located right next to the new hole. Great.

Wordless Wednesday

"Your looking a little droopy"

Oh the numerous ways I could start off this blog post.........

Actually, I will keep it clean and clarify that that particular statement is one that I use when I am talking to my very best philodendron. Yes, I have a very special plant that I love watering, nurturing, and talking to. It sits in my kitchen and thrives off the sunlight streaming in from my kitchen windows. When I left Albuquerque, I was forced to leave some of my very best plants behind - why? Well, Dave drove here with two dogs, a vacuum cleaner, and some necessities. No room for plants. And me, I jumped on an airplane with a carry on, two car seats, a stroller and two toddlers. No room for plants. Saddened and heart broken, I entrusted my plants to some good friends.

But that was kind of a turning point, I started anew here. Finding new pots, new soil, the right plants. I replanted and started fresh. But I'm not always successful in my plant potting ventures. I've killed many a plant in my day. Every 6 or so I get lucky, manage to keep one alive long enough to establish roots, and thrive if given the bare necessities. Well, I looked up yesterday to my dear plant only to find that I hadn't watered it since arriving back from Christmas vacation - she was looking a little droopy. Goodness, can't imagine why I haven't been paying more attention to that. I only have 2 school age kids, a husband, 2 dogs, a home, a job, a church, friends, and laundry to keep track of. I couldn't for the life of me remember why I hadn't penciled in time to take care of my plant.

Nonetheless, I dropped everything, grabbed the watering can and gave my sweet plant a drink. I waited. I waited some more. 10 min had gone by and it still looked droopy. 2 hours had gone by and it still looked droopy. I then got busy and once again forgot about my plant, until this morning. Eating breakfast with the girls I looked up and saw that my plant had perked up. It looked greener, healthier, vibrant. The leaves were pointing up and I was happy. Yahoo, a little water saved the day. And then I got to thinking.......

How much are our lives and our children's lives much like my plant. Think for a moment about the relationship with your spouse. If you don't take the time and energy to "water" their spirit or "fertilize" their soul, what is that person going to start looking like. Yes, I know that we get busy and time can get away from us, but our spouse will continue to need those basic essentials to continue on in a healthy & happy relationship. Think about the results that can occur if we put all things aside and provide a little TLC. We may not see results immediately but given a bit of time, we will see a thriving, healthy, happy looking person.

Same concept applies to our children. How often do we get caught up in the daily grind, thinking about the next thing on our to do list or the next load of laundry to be folded. We don't stop to provide that little bit of TLC. Our children may not hear an "I love you" or an "I am proud of you" or "Good job." They began to wither, droop if you must. They begin to take on an unpleasant appearance. But all it takes is a bit of intention on our part and voila!!!! - transformation occurs. If you think I'm joking, I challenge you to put aside all negativity and shower your spouse or child with nothing but compliments and see what happens. The child you once thought was becoming a discipline problem will be transformed into a healthier and happier individual. BUT, it does take a bit of work and grooming on our part. Although at times it is not convenient to stop what we are doing, grab the watering can, grab the chair, climb up on the counter and give the plant some water - it is well worth it in the end when you have a beautiful flowering plant. Same thing with the relationships in our lives. It is not always convenient to stop what we are doing, provide praise and encouragement, dish out compliments, listen, and love intentionally. BUT it is well worth it in the end when we have a beautiful flowering individual. Think about it for a moment......

I know that I have killed plenty of plants in my lifetime, and I probably will kill a few more. But, it is definitely time to start taking care of the ones I have living right now!

Let's Go Upward - Let's Go!

Well here we are - the first week of cheerleading is now complete. The girls had their very first practice on Thursday evening and an all morning cheer clinic on Sat. And, surprisingly enough, everyone survived. I won't lie and say that there wasn't a little bit of anxiety involved going into this week. But, I think our squad is made up of a great group of girls whom I am excited to get to know better.

After a total underestimation of our squad, the girls proved us wrong and went out on Saturday putting on a stellar performance for the parents. Great job girls, lets see where the season leads us....

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl

Well, as promised, a few pictures of Paloma's big day. Or should I say big week, or perhaps big month. Man, it seems as if we have been celebrating P's birthday for the last month. As you all may know, she is my New Years Eve baby. And because we were gone for Christmas, we literally celebrated Christmas and her "real birthday" within a 24 hour period. Then she celebrated at school with her class in which she got some fancy shmancy cupcakes. Then, 4 days later she celebrates with friends at her birthday party. I'm thinking I'll adapt her methods next year and have a week long celebration.
Nonetheless, it was fun. We decided to invite a few friends over to the community center and make stuffed animals. I had found a woman at a community event this summer that comes to your home and literally has a "build a bear" party similar to that at the Build a Bear store. I decided to try her out and allow Paloma and all her little friends to pick out, stuff, and name their own animal.

But before all the fun festivities could occur, we enjoyed lunch and cupcakes.

Let the stuffing begin.....

The girls were all given a star in which they made a wish and stuffed in their animals. Then the adults helped seal them up.

A group shot of the girls and their animals. How sweet are they?

My Baby Turns 4

Well, as much as I look forward to ringing in the New Year each year, I am always a bit saddened as well. It not only means the ending of year but the fresh new beginning of another. It also means that my sweet baby girl - Paloma - turns 1 year older. This year, my sweet child turned 4.

What a bright and funny little girl she has blossomed into. She has come such a long way in these past few years. Her dad and I are very proud of her. Currently, she is enrolled in preschool at the Children's Academy. It was a rough start but I think now she is loving it. She has made a very special friend named Jessie, whom she absolutely adores. She loves her teachers - Mrs. Mayer and Miss Barbara. She loves the learning and the craft time. She has begun writing her name, sounding our words from her sister's reading books, and memorizing scripture.

This year's celebration including recovering from an extended stay in San Francisco's airport, a very special breakfast, lots of presents, and a movie with the family.



Paloma is a very lucky little girl and is surrounded by people who love and adore her. She received so many presents from family that she is not quite sure who or what to begin playing with first. So far, she is loving all over her new American Girl Doll - Kirsten, and coloring all of the crafts she got from Grandma T. Since she informed us that she wanted to start reading, we purchased her the Leap From Tag system which she is enjoying as well. Paloma will celebrate her birthday with all of her friends this upcoming Friday (which of course there will be pictures to follow.)

Happy Birthday sweet girl. You are such a blessing and a joy. You keep your daddy and I on our toes. You challenge us, defy us, and even hit us (as was the case last night when she thought she was giving me a love pat but rather ended up giving me a left hook.) You fill our days with laughter and joy and we simply can't imagine life without you. You entered our lives with a bang and quite frankly child, you haven't stopped making that sweet music. We are in awe of your beauty (and of course those cute little curls you have.) God's miracle is before us. We love you to pieces and wish you the best in the upcoming year. Many kisses.
Love, Mom & Dad

Sea World

The highlight for this trip (although there are many wonderful memories) is sure to be the day we spent as Sea World. The weather was nice, the people were few, and the smiles were many. We arrived very early and walked right in - way different experience than Legoland. We were greeted by some very friendly animals....



After enjoying some photo ops, we meandered our way through the park. It was so enjoyable and fun. We had plenty of time before our first show started, so we leisurely made our way around the exhibits.



Can you sense the excitement in the air?





First stop - the Blue Horizons Dolphin show. Definitely a great experience. The girls enjoyed watching the dolphins swim, jump, dance. It was a good show. We made sure to stay away from the "soak zone." Those dolphins can produce a pretty big splash.





A nice visit with some of our special friends from Sesame Street. Paloma made sure she got a personal hug from every last one of them.



It wasn't long until we were able to head over to the big stadium for the show that the girls had been waiting for. They wanted to see Shamu. They had been watching him on the 24 hour camera that Sea World's website has set up. Both girls giggled as this massive animal came swimming out (along with some friends) for an absolutely amazing performance. This show was incredible to say the least.



We were amazed and dumbfounded. Again, good thing we stayed out of the "soak zone." Shamu has one big tail which produced some pretty big splashes.



We had a wonderful day as a family and would definitely recommend Sea World to anyone headed out to San Diego. I'm sure the girls would go back in a heartbeat.

This Girl Can Rock It

No Words Needed

California Christmas Vacation - Day 1

What an adventitious day our family had yesterday. After an uneventful flight over to California, we settled into Dave's company condo for the night, only to awaken bright and early (darn time change) and make our way down to Legoland. The kids were excited and so it didn't take much to get them fed, dressed, and loaded into the car for the drive down. We arrived at our destination in good time but found ourselves waiting in the car for over an hour and a half just to get into the park. We were lucky that nobody had to go to the bathroom and nobody had a temper tantrum. Once we were finally parked and able to exit the vehicle, things quickly became apparent of what we were getting ourselves into. We would later learn from another woman who had visited the park over 50 times that yesterday was the busiest she had ever seen it.

Hmmmm, good planning on our part? Oh well, we didn't let the ginormous crowds of people get to us. Although we were not able to ride hardly any rides, the girls had fun walking around, touching everything, staring at people, and of course enjoying some good food.

If this photo doesn't just scream FUN!!!



I love this picture. Paloma's face is priceless.





As you can see by the photos, there were smiles all around. As closing time quickly neared, we were able to make our way over to the aquarium. The girls enjoyed that as well until one of the sharks swam right up to Paloma's face and scared the living daylights out of her. I truly think she had believed she had seen JAWS. Poor baby, I thought she was going to wet her pants. We quickly made our way to the exit, piled into the car and headed home. The girls were exhausted. The parents were exhausted but man was it a good time.

I love seeing the smiles on my girls' faces. They are so excited to be here. We are having a nice vacation and can't wait for the upcoming days. Today is Christmas Eve. We are laying low for now, sitting back and resting. We will be heading out to Christmas Eve service tonight to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus.

Wordless Wednesday

Lesson #1

"We paint on the paper honey, not on our faces...."

She's Got Talent (or not)

Mattea is definitely taking this cheerleading thing seriously. She is already practicing her moves.

Wordless Wednesday

(take notice of what exactly is stuck in her and then ask yourself how in the world she got it stuck there?)