A Nice Weekend with a Bi g Surprise

We had a nice, brief trip to the lake for Memorial Day. We left Sunday after church and got there about 3:30. We hung around that afternoon and evening with nothing too eventful. The next morning it was thundering, lightning and then came the down pour. We kind of take for granted that when we go to the lake house that it might not be perfect weather! After the rain cleared off then the deer came up to the porch for their breakfast. Several baby (and I mean NEW) fawns were accompanying their mamas. It was so sweet.

Everything we do at the lake is just "good clean fun!" The kids run, get DIRTY, swim, study bugs, feed the deer, go fishing, boat riding, swing, run some more. It's so great to be away from the phone and TV. Chris pulled out the canoe this time and took Benjamin on a tour around the lake. Then he came back and picked up me and Cait. Unfortunately, I forgot my parasol at home or else it would have been the perfect boat ride!

That afternoon we went to the Lintelman's lake house (that is my parent's pastor and his wife, also my sister's in-laws). We had a fish fry and they made homemade ice cream. The kids swam, did slip-and-slide and also went fishing off the pier. It was perfect fishing for a 4 year-old. Every time you dropped your worm in the water, you had a fish within 10 seconds...no lie!! Benjamin caught at least 15-20 fish alone! I told Chris later that I hope that experience wouldn't make him an impatient fisherman in the future! We'll worry about that another day, but what fun it was in the moment! There off the dock all the guys went swimming. They were jumping off the pier and attempting to catch a ball in mid air. Such boys!!

Ryan, my brother-in-law



My husband!!!



Benjamin "pushing" uncle RyRy in the lake.
It was aunt D's idea!

The most memorable part of the trip however was when my sister showed us a roll of their most recent pictures. The very last picture was this one...



YAY!!!!! I have another niece or nephew on the way!!! She found out when she was 10 1/2 weeks, so she's already 12 weeks now! She wondered why she was feeling so sick and tired. Just FYI, the first test that she took weeks ago was negative! But is was wrong!!! Take note of that little detail. YAY! YAY! December 17th is her due date!

Princesses and Squires

For any of you who have children I would like to recommend two books. One is for little girls called, The Princess and the Kiss: A Story of God's Gift of Purity. The other is for little boys called, The Squire and the Scroll: A Tale of the Rewards of a Pure Heart. My friend Ann told me about these books and so Chris and I gave them to our children for Christmas. So sweet!

Since having the books I've seen a neat guide/study that goes along with the book. I thought you might want to check out their neat idea for a ceremony where you bestow a "special gift" on your daughter or son. Go here to read more about the book as well as the guide and ceremony.

Trip Report

Well, the disaster plan turned out ok. *sigh*

Sunday morning we woke up at 4:15 and left our house by 5:15 for San Antonio. The kids woke up pretty much right when we put them in the car. We made it all the way to south Dallas until Chris had to stop to get some grub. After we were back on the road, 10 minutes later Cait said she had to potty (our fault for not taking her when we had an opportunity). We stopped at a nice truck stop and went potty as well as dressed the kids. It was here that I realized that I had packed Cait a pair of pink boots (for dinner on the town) and white sandals. Only problem...problem #1: they were the right shoe from two DIFFERENT pairs of white sandals! I must have been really out of it when I packed the night before! So poor Cait had to spend the whole weekend in either her water shoes or pink boots. We carried her a lot out of pity, so I say she got the good end of the deal!
At 10:30 we arrived at Sea World. My parents met us there and had already bought our tickets and were ready to dive right into my well-planned day. Problem #2: the schedule that my friend Jenni gave me of the shows...remember that? Yeah well...the show schedule was different for the day we were there! SCHEDULE foiled!!! It was similar enough though that we had only a few alterations and because of all that planning, I had the map of Sea World memorized. I led everyone around from one event to the next. We saw SO many cool shows! Shamu was my favorite as well as my kids. I think the mere size of the whales is what was most impressive to them.

Our brave boy holding a BIG snake! I can't believe he did it!

Honestly, Sea World is the only amusement park I've ever been to where I felt like you got your money's worth of entertainment. I recommend Sea World (when it is not scorching temperatures outside though).
At approx 4:30 we left Sea World and drove to our hotel in Market Square. Danyel and Ryan were waiting on us there. We all cleaned up and went to a restaurant nearby called La Margarita's. Live mariachi music, lights, neat atmosphere and yummy food. It was a good choice in my book.

Here are some pictures taken in Market Square

The newly mobile Eli trying to keep up with his cousins. They smother him, poor thing, with LOTS of love!

miss priss showing off

After a goodnight's rest we traveled to another nearby restaurant called the Guenther House. It is the home of Carl Guenther, who founded the Pioneer Baking company. His beautiful home sat at the base of the mill. They served a yummy breakfast in the quaint atmosphere of this old home. There were several rooms that you could tour and a gift shop where you could purchase their sweet cream waffle mix! I got several bags to bring home.

From there we went to the riverwalk. We took the boat tour and then eventually ate a super late lunch on the riverwalk.

Here are some pictures from the riverwalk

Remember the Alamo!

Last but not least, we went to go visit my great-grandmother (Benjamin and Cait's great-great-grandmother) and her husband. She is home bound, so we hadn't seen her in 4 years. Chris actually got to meet her for the very first time on this trip. (She's been holding a grudge against him for years that he has not come to see her!)
We left their house at about 5:30 and headed home to Dallas. We arrived safely at 10:30pm.
*sswhew*

It makes me tired just telling you all that.
Anyway, thanks to everyone for your many suggestions and encouraging words. We had a great time and I'm really glad the trip worked out like it did!
I better go start one of our many loads of laundry from the trip!!!

Major Boo-Boo

Have you ever done anything SO incredibly stupid that you just wanted to crawl under a piece of furniture and hide from all the endless repercussions of that mistake? Have you ever had to deliver the news of your VERY silly mistake to someone that it directly affected? Have you cringed as you said the words...as if cringing would protect you from the blast of disapproval you were expecting to receive in return? Have you ever wondered why...WHY do some things happen the way they do?
Well, I bet you're thinking that I must have made some sort of major flub-up. I bet you're thinking that you're about to get a good laugh at my expense. Well, you're right! I did make a major boo-boo, flub-up, screw-up, mistake, crucial error...

Chris and I decided that we really wanted to take out kids to Sea World this summer. We decided it would be a lot more fun if we invited my sister, her husband and baby, plus my parents (grandparents can be such a huge help when corralling small children through an overly crowded amusement park). So, several months ago we set the plans in motion. I checked on-line to get the details of the park, hotels, etc.

We made our plan:

Leave Sunday right after church.
Arrive in San Antonio. Visit great-grandmother and grandfather.
Eat on riverwalk.
Stay at Radison Suites in downtown.
Get up, eat free breakfast, go to Sea World (thanks to Jenni, who went last week, I have the whole day mapped out from which shows we will go to at which time to where we will eat, to what time we will leave. This plan is to minimize too much exercise of going from one side of the park to the other and back again. And of course avoiding those pesky, alluring and money-sucking games for ridiculously over-sized prizes.)
Leave San Antonio after dinner and head home.

This WAS the plan.

However, today I called the hotel to confirm reservations...check!
Got on Sea World website to confirm hours of operation for the park...EEERRRRRCK!
There it was in huge bold letters for anyone and everyone to see
PARK CLOSED

What??????? Park Closed? We have NON-REFUNDABLE hotel reservations! We have 9 people dependent on my plan! We have a small window of off time from work! We are on a budget!!! WHAT?? WHAT?? WHAT????????????

So, thus begins my afternoon.
This glorious news followed by "THE CALLS" to my "much-in-need-of-a-stress-free-vacation" husband, my "I don't like kink in the plans" sister and my "I've been talking and day-dreaming about this trip for weeks" mom. These calls consisted of much begging of forgiveness, cringing, sighing, shrugging and several phrases like, "I'm SO stupid! How could I have made this mistake!"

I have no idea how all this is going to work out. Sea World is open on Sunday, the day we planned to arrive. Ryan, however is preaching in Tomball that morning and they won't be able to get to San Antonio until dinner-time. We cannot not go to Sea World now, because we already told our kids about it. We have been talking about it day and night trying to prepare them for the fish and animals they will see there. They talk about the whale together and discuss whether or not he will splash them.
The cut-off day to transfer or cancel our hotel was today at 2:00. That's right about the time I discovered the issue. Bummer! Foiled!

I have to believe though, that God had a plan for this weekend. It obviously did NOT include Sea World on Monday. It is so hard when we make a plan for our life and it proves true that that is not the plan God had for us. We get so angry and want it our way. But maybe...just maybe God's plan will prove to be better that ours! Maybe? Of course it will be better! And I'm NOT just saying that to make everyone overlook my big boo-boo!!!!

You know you're a MOM when...

You know you're a mom when...

• You count the sprinkles on the cupcakes, just to make sure they're even.
  
• You can catch vomit
• Someone else's kid throws up at a party. You keep eating.
  
• You have no sick days included in your job description
• You never go anywhere without wipies, snacks and sippy cups
  
• The best resturaunts to you are the ones with indoor play areas
• You have either spit-up, playdough or snot on your clothes at all times
• You no longer carry a purse. You resorted to keys, wallet and sunglasses only, stuck in the diaper bag.
• You hide in the bathroom to be alone. And everytime one of "them" tries to enter you yell, "Give me some privacy, please!!!"
• You cling to the high moral ground on toy weapons; your child chews his toast into the shape of a gun.
  
• You hope ketchup is a vegetable, since it's the only one your child eats.
  
• You stop criticizing the way your mother raised you.
  
• You hire a sitter because you haven't been out with your husband in ages, then spend half the night checking on the kids.
• You use your own saliva to clean your child's face.
• You can't bear to give away baby clothes - it's so final.
• You tell your child that Toys-R-Us is a museum, not a store.

We have such important jobs as mommies! Happy Mother's Day to all of you tired moms out there!!

We had a super fun, out-of -the-ordinary night last night. The kids both took super long naps, so after dinner we put pj's on, popped some popcorn, filled up the sippys and headed upstairs for a little movie night. The kids grabbed their pillows and camped in front of our portable DVD player to watch Sleeping Beauty. They've started to figure out that mom can skip over parts of the movie with her handy-dandy remote. I hate the part of the movie with the evil fairy and especially when she turns into a dragon! Anyway, they watched the flick and I sat right beside them on the computer. I got SO much done! I did all my lesson plans for next week, corresponded with parents inquiring about Kindermusik and I even posted a blog entry!
You know me (from my personality analysis) that I LOVE to get things done! That's why Thursdays are my favorite day of the week. I am home all day and I get so much done!
Sad and true.
We are thrilled, because Sunday night we are having company come!!! D, RyRy and baby Eli are coming for a 2-night stay. Eli and Danyel are coming to my Kindermusik class on Tuesday morning. I am super pumped about that. I wish they could be in my classes regularly. I will admit that it would be hard not to be partial to Eli though! Can you imagine? He always gets to explore the instrument first...he always has the most brilliant response to any activity we do...Think the other mommies would catch on? HA!
Anyway, it'll be fun to have them there when I can!

Have a great weekend everyone! Don't forget to enjoy your husbands' company this weekend. Think about how grateful you are to have him as your partner and committed friend!
Until next time...

Weekend Report

Chris and I were so blessed to be able to attend this year's Family Life conference in Grapevine. The conference was held at the Gaylord Resort and Convention Center. Because it was such a swanky hotel and the thought of spending $400 in lodging for one weekend was sickening to us, we stayed, instead, at the very nice Hyatt Hotel at the airport.

We left home Friday at 3:00. The kids were in the wonderful and gracious care of my sweet mom. Many conference sessions, a date night and 6 consecutive meals with no children in need of their food being cut into bite-size pieces or sippy cups in need of being replenished, we were flying high!
It was such a needed weekend for Chris and I. We have not made "date nights" a priority like we should. Instead, we let busyness and family time take front seat. But THIS weekend, we had each other all to ourselves. It was awesome!
I must say that the Family Life Conference has a wonderful ministry. They minister to the ground floor of the family...the marriage. There were 4,000 people at this particular conference so they were meeting needs on so many different levels. I'm sure there were marriages that were on the brink of divorce, marriages that just needed a little refreshing, and then marriages that had not even yet begun. There were several couples that were newlyweds. One couple had been married only 5 days at the start of the conference. Then there was also a couple there that had been married over 50 years! But I mean, come on! If you haven't figured it out in 50 years, I'm not sure there's much hope for you from here on!

But honestly...the speakers did not say one mind-blowing or life-altering, or even original thing to us the whole weekend. We anticipated that going in, actually. But that was so not the point! The point is, that we had this weekend where we went away together and we were intentional about our marriage. After being refreshed on the basic thoughts about marriage, communication, differences in the sexes, intimacy, roles of husbands, wives, moms and dads...then we took those newly refreshed thoughts and completed assigned projects together. We used those projects as a springboard to really discuss the cob-webbed corners of our union. To remember that ..."You are not the same as when I first married you. You have changed, and I have to keep up with that!" We used that time to pray together, sometimes cry together and always laugh together.
All in all, it was a perfect weekend with my best friend, Chris. I thank God for the blessing of my husband! Thank you for going with me this last weekend, Chris and for using your precious vacation time for just me! That speaks volumes to me, your helpmate. I love you!

For Mindy again (finally)

Mindy and I discussed her personality type several weeks ago and decided that she needed to re-take the test. She did and it came out that she was an:

ISTJ: The Duty Filler
About you:

• People of this type tend to be: cautious, conservative, and quiet; literal, realistic and practical; careful and precise; logical, honest, and matter of fact; resistant to change and comfortable with routine; hard working and responsible.
• The most important thing to ISTJ's is being of service, working hard, and being responsible.

How to Spot ISTJ's:

• quiet, careful, and private
• cautious, focused, and hardworking
• serious, meticulous and very literal
• neat, conservative, modest dressers

Tips for communicating with ISTJ's:

• Be prepared and present ideas sequentially
• Give them plenty of time to adapt to changes
• Stress the practical benefits

Mindy, this does sound a lot more like you than the original personality type.
Regardless of what your type is...you're the most loyal and precious friend anyone could ask for! I love you! (and miss you too!)

Happy (belated) Birthday
to my sweet friend
Amber Smith!




Amber, we miss you living right here near us, but we will always have that bond that keeps us as close as sister...and that is the Lord Jesus! Thanks for being one of the most sincere and encouraging friends I've ever had. You are genuine to the core and you spur me on to good deeds.

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
Prov 27:17

This is what your are to me. Every conversation I've ever had with you and every blog or e-mail I've read from you... I am so encouraged! Your life points right back to your Savior.
Thank you for being my friend and encouraging me in the Lord by your example!

A Weekend Away

Chris and I are about to leave for a little weekend get-away! Yahoo! We are attending the Family Life Conference in Grapevine this weekend...a first for us. We are so excited! Please pray for us as we're away this weekend. We want this to truly be a Weekend to Remember!

May 4th

May the 4th be with you!

Only day of the year you can say that!

Funny Stuff 2

We teach Benjamin a new memory verse every week. He has picked a few, however, that he applies in his every day life. It's kinda funny.
For example, one day while we were driving in the car I overheard him talking to his sister. He was saying something to her with a low voice. I listened closely to understand.
He said, "Cait, you need to give me that book. Caaaiit. Don't you know what the Bible says? It says, 'Don't neglect to do good and to share what you have!' Now I think you should give me that book."
Wow! Talk about using scripture to your own advantage!

Another time, I told Cait that it was time to go upstairs to read books and then rest. She proceeded to show me her displeasure of what I was asking her to do. I sat down beside her and was preparing to correct her behavior. Benjamin chimed in and said, "Cait! You know what the Bible says! 'Do all things without arguing or throwing fits!' (should be "complaining") I had to laugh, but he's right!

Today, I was in the bedroom with my kids putting away clothes as they were playing. I saw that they both had their hands on a book, tugging back and forth. I was about to pour out correction on them both when I noticed that they were both smiling.
Hmmm... What was going on?
I listened and they were acting something out...saying
"I had it first!"
"No! I had it first!"
Both were tugging gently back and forth.
Then Benjamin said..."Hey guys! You know what the Bible says. 'Do unto others as you would have them do to you.'"

Then I realized what was going on! Do any of you have Steve Green's "Hide Em' In Your Heart" CD's? Well, one of the songs is based on this verse. Before the song they have these kids fighting over something and then another child comes in and reminds them of this verse. They were reenacting what they heard! SO FUNNY!

Boy Toys

I know...this isn't quite "tomorrow" like I promised I would write about Boy Toys. A lot of friends out there that read this blog have younger boys than I do, but that doesn't mean that you don't already have great ideas for the kinds of things you want to give your little guy to play with.

What I Want to Teach my Son(s)
Chris and I want to teach our boy to one day be a man of God. We want him to love the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind and strength. We also want him to be brave, bold, gentle, kind, resourceful, to have specific skills that will help him through life and ultimately save him money. We want to instill in him a hard work ethic; educate him by example primarily, of how to raise and train up children in the way they should go. We want our sons to be leaders. We want our boy(s) to know how to hunt, fish, play sports, take things apart and put things together (just so long as it's not my toaster or vacuum), fix cars, etc., etc!

What a list! And honestly, I was just getting started and saw myself getting carried away...so I stopped myself.

So what toys can aid in accomplishing these goals?
Here is a list of REAL BOY TOYS that Chris and I have thought of separately or together. Please post your ideas too.

• blocks, Legos, etc.
• art supplies
• armor, complete with sword and shield (Benjamin has 2 sets. One is red for the "bad" guy, one is blue for the "good" guy. They are made out of durable foam and almost impossible to cause injury)
• Books about knights, cowboys, missionaries, hero's...
• a pair of cowboy boots and a hat
• a book to teach him how to tie knots
• camping gear to go exploring and sleep under the stars with dad
• fishing pole, tackle box...and someone to take the time to teach him how to fish and love it.
• sling shot and bag of jumbo marshmallows
• a ball for all sports: basketball, soccer ball and goal, baseball, bat and glove (2 gloves really. One for him and one for dad...or when desperate...mom!) football, etc.
• a bug catcher
• a microscope and telescope
  
• One day...far, far away...maybe a pocket knife. Ya know, for when he's like...35!

So many other things I want my son to learn are things that he will have to learn by watching someone (like his dad, uncles, or grandpas). Fixing and maintaining a car, building something with wood, learning computers...all of these are things that he will probably just learn along the way as someone takes the time to invest in him.

What did I forget? What is important to you to teach your son? I want to know to make sure I don't leave anything out!

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate."
Psalm 127:3