Sunday, February 27, 2011

Happy birthday to me!

Another Birthday came.  As much as I hate that they keep coming, they still do.  J was out of town for the day but the kids made sure I still had a special day.  Chocolate covered strawberries . . . my favorite . . . smart kids.
 They sang to me and everything.  Then we dipped the berries and added whip cream.
It was so yummy,  but even better was the time with my kiddos. 
 
 I just love this face.  Jumba is my precious.  He got mad at me the other night and broke my heart.  "I hate you mommy!"  I know he didn't mean it but it still broke my heart to hear it. 
 Jason came home but Pooker had to work.  We took the whole crowd out to dinner to celebrate.  The Tobias family came with us.  It was so nice to have Jason and Larry both making sure I felt special.  I had a drink and cake.  It was fun. We decided to eat where Pooker works so that we were all together.  

 All the kiddos were squeezed into a little booth.  Each one getting their own drinks and needing to run to rest room constantly.
 My boys.  I love each of them and it fun to watch them interact.  They are very different from the girls.
 Even Mr. Troy was hanging with the big boys.

 Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear meeeeee, happy birthday to me.
 Pooker even made her peers come and sing to me.




It might be sad to think that I am a year older but the cake made it all better. 

Monday, February 14, 2011

Mr. D headed to UNT

Our friend Mr. D found out that after two years of working hard at Lone Star Community College soaking up credits that he will headed to the University of North Texas in the Dallas area (Denton, TX) next fall.
We waited for even Jumba to join the crowd and we pulled out some sparkling juice.
It might not have been a proper toast, as I am sure his mom and dad gave him. We did enjoy celebrating with him.
Congrats Mr. D. We are very happy for you. We will miss your random visits and will look forward to seeing you over your breaks.

"To Mr. D, Here, Here! Congrats man!"

Valentine Play 2-14

What does your family do for Valentine's Day? My hubby always goes out with the boys and gets each girl a special flower. He tells them that their hearts belong to their daddy until they are much much older. I always get some flowers as well. This year I also got some chocolate! Yummy.
The other treat of the day came from the kiddos. Possible planned an entire production with the help of Sugar, Princess and Bagel. They also employed the acting skills of Pickle and Jumba.
We were issued our tickets and snack vouchers earlier in the weekend. We were instructed not to misplace the tickets and we didn't.
Pickle was a secondary actor. He was such a honey but not a lead role.
Here comes the star of my heart but not really of the production. Jumba was the cutest cowboy (boyfriend) of the main character. When he road up on his horse (bike with training wheels) wearing his boots and his hat, my heart melted. What a cutie our little Jumba is!
The audience was ready. Poor Mr. D or lucky depending on how you felt about the production. He is without many younger siblings (Just one sister a few years his junior) so this was probably his first experience watching a show.
Princess was a main character for sure. In the production we discover that she is a homeless girl that befriends Bagel's character.
Sugar and Possible kept this moving. They were there to remind others of their lines and hand on props and such, Possible had minor roles and did a wonderful job.
In this scene Pickle is playing the role of a clothes rack and Possible is a sales clerk. They are so versatile.
The honey of the show was this adorable Cowboy. My heart is still going pitter patter.
He is not afraid to be on the stage and act out his part.
I am thinking that Bear is now worried that Jumba is better actor. We all enjoyed remembering the many plays that the oldest 3 would put on when we lived in St. Louis. The night was spent in giggles as we tried to explain to Mr. D about the play about the weather. Bear cried through the entire thing but their Aunt KeeKee cheered them all on.
Mr. D loved the time with the kiddos and they loved that he enjoyed their acting.

This really was a wonderful way to end a day about love. We were with family and friends and enjoyed some wonderful entertainment. (It wasn't costly either!)


Bravo to my Texas T Valentine Actors. I love each of you more than you will every know.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Teens with Jesus

Tonight's talk was on true love. Valentine Day was the very next day. Some were out that night making sure they had the perfect gift for their loved ones. Not the Lifeteen kiddos at our parish.

Instead it was planned to surprise the kiddos with a little time with the example of perfect love.
Our God, made man, died for us so that we could enter heaven. Tonight He humbled himself to the form of bread so that these teens could love on Him and just be with Him.
The pictures can not do justice. When 230 teens open their eyes to our Lord and their hearts open the world is a better place. When we learn to love like this all will be right in the world.

The teens were not forced to pray but allowed to. It was a wonderful evening and I felt so blessed to be a part of it. John Paul II often spoke of the power of prayer from the young people. I could feel it this night with all of them surrounding me offering to our Lord and Savior all their pains, delights, desires and prayers.

Soda Shoppe + Neighborhood = Valentines

Here the kids are once again at the Neighborhood Soda Shoppe. This is a neighborhood Valentine tradition. I don't know when it started but my kiddos have been every year since we moved to Houston years ago.







These are my special Valentines. Pooker had to work and dad wasn't feeling well. This is a tradition that they love. They come home with stories of Cookies and Ice Cream Floats.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Home to Texas (Vacation post 8)

This was a great visit and really made me look forward to our trip next summer. I loved the time with my family. I miss them so much. It was also a good trip in that I realized how different we are from our two St. Louis families. J and I are not worried about being politically correct and we do value our faith on levels that make us stand out. I used to get upset that our families were not on the same page. This trip I really did learn to let go of that. I love our families so much for just who they are not who I want them to be. If they can not accept who we are then that is on them, but they all seam to love us just the same. I know that is simple and a very long time coming but it was very uplifting. As much as I am tired of living in Houston and long for a new adventure, I am so glad that we have had this time to grow as a family and as individuals. I like who I am and I love who J is.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Neen's Family Time (Vacation post 7)

My mom, Mimi and her sister, my MamiBit have always been close. My aunt is about 10 years older than my mom. They have a brother between them, Uncle Marc. I love his family but we are not as close as we are with MamiBit's. My aunt's youngest and I (Mimi's oldest) are just five years apart. We spent so much time together when we were younger that we didn't know we were just cousins. I grew up close to them, all of them. I miss my aunt, my cousins and their children as much as I miss my mom, sister and brother. The plan was we would leave early the next morning. This was my last night in St. Louis. My cousins all made it over with KeeKee and JoeJoe. So many of my loved ones in one place. I had a wonderful time. I am so thankful to all of these loved ones.

























































I really am very blessed to have such a great family. Fr. Tom was also with us to visiting. He brought Katie and Brendan so the March For Life crowd was reunited. This crazy little crowd played spoons for hours.






The party ended and it was time to head home.