Must see video!!

I have all kinds of adorable videos of the twins that I captured on my iphone but I have not been able to get them on the blog.  Tonight J and I were out shopping for tomorrow's big meet and Goobers got this video with her ipod.  I was able to upload the video to You Tube which then allows me to share here.  Please let me know if you can't see it.  I really want the share how much fun we have watching the twins interact.  It is so cool.  While in these jump ups they hold hands, swing, get together and give each other kisses, but not this time.  This is just lots and lots of jumping and twisting.  They are so cute.  Adorable on left in pink and Beautiful in green on right.  Enjoy my little jumpers.

Pooker has a Real Job

After working several part time jobs Pooker got her first full time job recently.  We are so excited for her and very proud of her.  She knows that she will end up as a nurse and so she has pursued a hospital job for a little while now.  We hear that they are actually hard to get .  She had several interviews and back ground checks.  I know that they are lucky to have her.  

She will be in school for nursing as well as working.  She will be pushing herself for sure but she is so happy doing it.  We see a very happy young woman and loving the parking spot from the employee garage.  Even better we love having her around on the weekends.  Congrats Pooker!

Old Year Old Play

We took some various shots as presents came in to share with the gift givers.  These babies are spoiled rotten.  They are so much fun.

Beautiful - Adorable

Adorable - Beautiful

Adorable- Beautiful

Tribute

We got to talking and started remembering memorial day a few years back (2009).  Before going to the table for our big BBQ meal I realized that we were no longer pregnant.  I wrote about the loss then (click here to visit.)

This is an old loss but as we talked about it Jumba got very upset.  When it happened he was to young to remember but now he just realized how much fun it would have been to have a baby brother.  He struggled with the sadness and wanted to do something.  The girls decided they would all make birthday cards for David with Jumba.  The cards were placed in the family Bible where David can see it.  

I never know what God has in store for us.  That was a painful loss and yet a beautiful time in our lives.  God bless all my children - the 11 on here on earth with me and the 2 in Heaven.

More Cuda Bubbles were eaten!

VS

Our second meet of the year was against the Coles Crossing Crocs.  They were a formidable team but again the Cudas were triumphant.  I am sure it is that wonderful Coach Goobers and all those wonderful             Jr. Coaches.  The win was fun.  All of the Texas T's swim times were not as good as the week before.  I think the kiddos were all fighting a cold.  

Time Trials and the first meet we are all on cloud nine but then the honeymoon wears off.  We hear other kids and their parents making rude comments about beating us in the lanes.  ( I am not talking about the other team but some highly competitive individuals that apparently have been a little upset that their year round swimmers were not beating my summer only swimmers.  It is always such a temptation for me to get wrapped up in that "My swimmer is better than your swimmer" crap.  But it is just that CRAP.  It means that J and I have to disengage a little.  Our personalities are way too competitive and find that we might suffer from caring a little too much. We will not spend the week coming up with a plan on how to beat so-in-so and were disgusted to realize that our child's name was used all week to motivate another child.)

In the end our goal is for the kids to have fun, learn a little about the sport, try their hardest and to always remain Christian and kind in winning or losing.  In that respect we had a successful week.

We all hope one of us is fast enough to break a team record and get the family name on the record board - but if it doesn't happen we will live.  The great news is that the Cudas won, we enjoyed time with some wonderful friends, and we celebrated our kids working real hard.
GO CUDAS!

Lots and lots of Laundry

This happens every so many weeks, I become overwhelmed with the laundry.  It takes so much work to keep up with laundry much less catch up.  I had enough  and I packed the laundry into 14 of those huge buckets and I headed to a laundromat.

 On average we wash about 4 loads a day, but that means I need to have time and the machines need to be working properly.

 Then I met my new best friends.  These machines hold 7 loads per cycle.  I want one for my home!  I also need some of the heavy duty dryers.

We got pizza and got everyone involved in sorting, folding and putting away the 44 loads that I washed and dried that afternoon.

 Sugar tried to hide from all the work and dad fell asleep with the twins.

I  would love to say that the laundry is done, but who am I kidding . . .with 11 kiddos it will never even get close.  My dreams are now include a very large washing machine and two industrial dryers.

"The Leave My Phone Alone" Game

When something belongs to mom is comes with a target on it.  Mom's soda/water is available for anyone and everyone.  Mom's phone begs for pictures to be taken and new screen savers to be added.  It is often a surprise to me when I look at my phone and find someone has left me a present.  

Everyone agrees that Sugar wins the game after leaving this as my screen saver.  This stupid dog got loose last week while J was out of town, attacked a neighbor not one time but two times.  She is harmless but huge.  The lady actually hurt herself by over reacting but J promised to train the dog when it came into the house.  After seven years my frustration with these two HUGE UN-TRAINED dogs I lost it after their last escape while J was out of town.  When everything settled down and I found this last picture on my phone I wanted to get rid of Sugar not the dog.