Top Twelve Updates

It has been nearly two months since I updated our blog and that's just clearly not acceptable! I thought I'd give the 'top twelve' new things/changes in our lives, in no particular order--enjoy the pictures! Drumroll...sorry, not one of them says that we won the lottery...if it did, you'd be getting a blog update from somewhere overseas!

1. Kyle has been LOVING soccer and Makenna loves the social aspect of it of course and wants to play too!
2. Makenna has bangs! She had her first haircut last Tuesday just in time for pictures at school. I decided it was time, whether I was ready or not, because the child simply needed a hairstyle that was easy for Daddy to maintain and easy for the teacher to fix at school--I was probably the only one who could get all her bangs into her pigtails.
3. Kyle's handwriting has come so far in just two months and we LOVE his teacher, Mrs. Sherry--she is AMAZING! He goes every day 9-1.
4. Makenna started preschool in September and goes MWF, 9-1. We all adore her teacher, Mrs. Paula. Makenna is quite the little helper in there and takes care of the other kids and helps Mrs. Paula. Imagine that--Mizz Independent.
5. David is working a new work schedule, getting to his office at 6 am and picking the kids up from preschool at 1. They are loving it--we all are. Then he and I take turns in the afternoon working from home. His meetings are all international so it simply made since given his calls are usually at 6 am with people in India or elsewhere.
6. Makenna had her first ambulance ride on October 3 when we took her to Dell Children's at 1 am with severe wheezing--she had croup. Piggy flu circled through our preschool but our kids missed out on it, fortunately!
7. David continues to play bongos/congos in our church praise band; we have taken a step back from leading a small group in our home.
8. The kids and I braved the rain for the 2009 Autism Speaks: Walk Now for Autism in support of Benji--we had fun in the rain--it was an adventure and Kyle loves all the novelty of doing something different-
9. Women of Faith was awesome in August and I'm going again in November, this time with our church Point of Grace Lutheran and taking my sister Theresa and girlfriend Mary with me--can't wait to go to Sam Moon in Houston if we have time!
10. Kyle and Makenna are both genies for Halloween and can't wait to carve the pumpkin tomorrow!
11. Makenna is potty training on her own; I'm not pursuing it, just letting her do her thing when she feels like it--we're very proud of her!
12. We continue to battle an ant invasion as they no longer live in our yard, but in the walls of our house. I'll try to post how that saga turns out. We discovered that our home is designed for ants/termites to be exterminated through a mechanism that disperses poison through the walls...that's the next step...hopefully there will be a day soon where I don't feel like I'm in an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

Everyone enjoy eating candy this weekend--and remember to set your clocks back on Saturday night!

First Day

Makenna had her very first day of preschool today! Kyle started his second year of preschool yesterday. I was so proud watching her walk down the hall to her room. I couldn't believe my two kids were going to school together. As I watched her, in my mind I could see her as a litle newborn baby. And then there she was, keeping up with Kyle, carrying her own backpack and lunch in. She was ready to brave the big wide world--When she realized I was leaving, she decided she didn't want to be there and threw herself to the ground crying. Kyle quickly came to her aid and was comforting her; I quickly gathered him up and shuffled us out the door so we were out of her sight. After taking Kyle to his room, I crept back around the corner and since I didn't hear any wailing, I knew Makenna had settled in just fine, as I knew she would.

And then this evening was another big first in our family! Kyle went to his first soccer practice! His team, Team Lightning (as in McQueen), will have their first game on September 12! David is the assistant coach, a position I volunteered him for! And he is loving it! They both had on their cleats for practice and David was in his Argentinian soccer jersey. David thanks me for not calling it an outfit. A few weeks ago, I asked when they were having rehearsal and when would we be able to get his outfit. He quickly corrected me, with much exasperation, that it was a PRACTICE and a UNIFORM. All those years of band and sectionals...Kyle was beaming when he came home to tell me all about practice and that he had scored a goal in one of their drills. I can't wait to see them play next weekend! I am most definitely a soccer mom now!

Blessing of the Backpacks

Last Sunday Kyle and Makenna participated in our church's "blessing of the backpacks" day. It was Makenna's first time to go up to Rock Time, the children's message time at Point of Grace. Kyle's an ol' pro by now! All the kids at church through college were prayed over, including our little tykes who raised their hands in prayer, praying the 'old fashioned' way as our Pastor says. They are both so very proud of their new backpacks they get to use this week at preschool. Kyle will be starting his second year of preschool and Makenna is starting her first! I chose to get her a big-girl backpack as opposed to a toddler size backpack like Kyle had last year. It just makes more sense for a girl to have a tote large enough for everything a girl might need, right?

Top Ten Perks of a Colonoscopy

I have debated in my mind whether or not to write this blog post today but at the risk of being offensive, I just have to share the silly dialogue between David and me last week. Yes, I had the great joy of a colonoscopy and to be quite honest, I don't know what all the fuss is about. I can easily say that an epidural, delivering a baby through c-section (while your lungs completely get pressed up into your throat so you literally feel like you're drowning), and then recovering from a c-section is far more dramatic that a little colonoscopy. Yes, I had some suspicious activity which I will not indulge, just know that my results showed nothing and I'm a-okay. I wonder what was wrong with that suspicious week, but I did pray for healing and apparently God granted my request. But yet I marvel and wonder still at whatever caused the suspicious behavior (as does my doctor), and then I'm like, oh, duh, I did pray for healing and all. Good grief--so dense sometimes! And my apologies if you're mortified and offended, but seriously, you're going to laugh and groan and some of you will even be nodding your head in agreement.

So without further ado and since you are sitting in great anticipation, here is my Top Ten List of the things that they never told you would be perks of a colonoscopy. So for all of you who are eagerly approaching 50, hold on tight because there are more perks to this procedure than getting a pedicure or watching the Superbowl...well, maybe that's a stretch...drum roll please...

10. You get a really cool Austin Gastroenteroloy tote bag for your clothes--or as I am tempted to do, to cart my Southern Living At HOME catalogs to parties. That should really help me sell home decor.

9. You can relive your camp days by having a Halflytley Suicide Drink by using all four mix-ins for your prep-drink--pineapple, lime, grape, and cherry. If I didn't know better, I would've thought I was at Bahama Bucks in Lubbock, about to enjoy a slushie.

8. You can have the kids spend the night at Mima and Nana's the night before (since you're leaving so early in the morning) and have a quiet evening at home--we relished it. I was actually looking forward to it--didn't care I had to drink an awful drink!

7. You're actually told not to eat healthy. You have to eliminate fruits and veggies and all wheat--you get to load up on all the bad carbs! How FUN!

6. You're so weak the day before due to fasting that you have the perfect excuse not to work out! And you can drink all the full-sugar sodas you want!

5. If your designated driver is your hubby, you get to drive alone in the peace and quiet and pretend you're on a date. If you're with your best friend, what great girlfriend time!

4. The anethesia just makes you feel pleasantly sleepy afterwards...couldn't be more relaxed! Uh, can I get that stuff over the counter?

3. Since you virtually have no memory of anything and no 'evidence' of a procedure, you can imagine you're in your own own X-Files episode and finally you understand Scully's abduction!

2.You feel ten pounds lighter after fasting and can brag that your colon is cleaner than everyone else's, singing, 'my colon is cleaner than your colon, nanny nanny boo boo!"

1. You get to go on a massive food binge afterwards since you won't have eaten in 36 hours--pancakes at Kerbey Lane are FABULOUS for such an event--OH, and you're still on a date! Enjoy the meal alone!

Cancun was FABULOUS!

A little birdie commented today (wink!) that I was behind on my blogging and yes...it's a little fabulous thing called Southern Living At HOME! It's an amazing 'distraction' from my fun blogging! :) I just need more hours so I can blog my random stories. David and I had the absolute blessing and true gift from Jesus to go on an all-expense paid trip to Cancun, a trip I earned for us as a consultant for Southern Living At HOME. It was really a dream come true. My pictures are super-limited for a simple but unfortunate reason: my water camera was defective! EEK! Word to the wise--when using a water camera, only use Polaroid brand. The Walgreens' guy said that this happens all the time with Target brand cameras. He even advised against the Walgreen's brand and indicated that water cameras are sensitive and the name brand is what you should go with. I learned my lesson the hard way. When I bought the camera, it was right before we left and I was getting all my things organized and Target literally only had one water camera left--theirs. I trust the Target brand in many other areas so I must say it was disappointing to learn there was a hole somewhere inside so every picture was exposed to light. And all our 'action' pics were on that camera--zip line, swimming in a sink hole, the dolphins that we swam with, Isla de Mujeres, playing on the beach, in the ocean, etc...And really, we could've just used our regular digital. Fortunately, our dolphin pics were taken professionally and we bought those--and they are beautiful-- And the rest of our fun experiences will just have to be in our memories...no biggie--we'll be headed to the Atlantis in the Bahamas for next year's SLAH trip so we'll return to the tropics again--we were just so grateful and thankful to all my customers and hostesses and family that have encouraged me and supported me--you are all a rich blessing in our life and are the reason we were able to have this experience. Thank you so very much. And I love our SLAH family--amazing women to work with and share life with. I never thought that my business would bring me so many meaningful relationships and to top it off, relationships with Christian women and their husbands--what an amazing company that loves Jesus.

Makenna is TWO!

Just two years ago, Makenna was less than twelve hours old...hard to believe. And Kyle was just 3 1/2 months older than she is now. That is even harder to believe. We had a little just-the-four-of-us family party tonight. Kyle had picked out gifts and a card for her. We then had super-fun making Chocolate-in-a-Mug cakes. I was able to get them in their aprons by dangling chocolate chips in front of their noses. Makenna's meltdown is due to David not letting her eat the chocolate chips out of the cake batter in her mug. Kyle was very helpful by getting his scissors or his 'tool' to cut into one of her packages. I could tell it made him feel very manly! We've traveled a lot of road in two years and we have their whole childhood ahead of them still. I love the reality of that. A year ago, she was barely toddling. Now she runs, kicks, throws, and tumbles like her big brother. And how she loves her babies. And we so deeply love her. So Happy 2nd Birthday Baby Girl Makenna~


5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well..
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired

Picking Limes

Kyle has been anxiously waiting for our limes to be ripe enough to pick. This morning I let him pull a couple off and of course he wanted to get more. I said no initially but then that was thrown out the window when I decided I had to get 'action shots' on our way to church. So just a few more limes were picked, eight according to Kyle, who told David, "We picked three and then two more and then another three, so now we have eight." Yes, he's adding all that in his head. Makenna's wearing her little Mexican dress we found for her in Cancun. I have some more pictures of us on our trip to Cancun, but I'm still cooking up the tale I'll be sharing since all my adventures require a funny story or two. Gotta spin those yarns...

Pool Fun at Chloe's Birthday Party

We had so much fun at a friend's birthday party yesterday! It was the first time we've all been out to the pool together this 'summer season.' Kyle was thrilled to have his pool noodles he'd been eyeing at wal-mart and Makenna donned her party swimsuit for the first time. She wears boardie shorts and a rash guard shirt when we play in the water here at the house, but yesterday she was miss fashion in her suit! She and Kyle really are water babies--hopefully that'll help next month when Kyle takes swim lessons and 'has to go' in the 'big kid' pool. I predict I might have to hide behind a tree like my Mom did during my swim lessons...

Duck Fun & Memories

From Duck Fun

From Duck Fun

It's summertime and time for picnics and ducks! Kyle enjoyed chasing squirrels up trees (by making volcano shoot out of his finger into the tree). Makenna wanted to eat the tortillas we fed the ducks!

I took the kids on Thursday to my old stompin' grounds, the San Gabriel Park, in Georgetown. I am so grateful now for that park. I had no idea growing up that I was so blessed to live in a town with a beautiful river and natural landscaping. We had our picnic close to the north end of the park and a flood of memories returned...bike rides to the park for summer swimming, swinging from the huge rope out into the middle of the river, algae (ick!), swinging on the swings or picnicing during our lunch break, elementary school field trips, 1986 Sesquentinial celebration (2 years after moving to GPatch), many 4th of July celebrations to follow, and the ducks (a few of their ancestors being kidnapped and released in the eagle gym for a high school pep rally against Taylor), and that's just tapping the surface of what that park truly holds for me.

It was surreal taking Kyle and Makenna there and knowing that it was a privilige to live in a town with old, beautiful trees, and a river that is so worth the swim when it's super-hot (or just cuz you have time on your lunch break, uh, during finals perhaps). It all made me grateful for my parents' decision to move our family to Georgetown in 1984, to provide a smaller-town lifestyle, away from the east austin area that was erroding.

Living in Hutto is humbling and wonderful. There are not many trees. This used to be just a railroad pass-through and acres of farmland. It definitely still is small-town...just would love to have the trees and the river I grew up with. We've been planting trees and know that the people who live in our home if we ever move out will be grateful that we took the time to plan for their future. I'm thankful that river is just twenty minutes up the road.

Outdoor Fun in April

The kids had fun helping Daddy plant my early Mother's Day gift with my pear tree and later in the week enjoyed bubbles--SO fun to watch Kyle blowing the bubbles so Makenna can chase them!

Easter Weekend

We had a full Easter weekend with three family celebrations! It was fun!Makenna was ready to sleep before the hunting even began and as you can see, Kyle and Megan loved playing in an empty box--who needs toys??? Boxes are WAY more fun and imaginative! If you ever need a big box, talk to me--I probably have one!

Point of Grace Easter Celebration Last Sunday

BRRRRR!!! It was cold but fun! Makenna had fun trying to hug Noah while Kyle had a blast on the bouncies! Makenna also loved the fish pond and I grabbed her just in time a few times when she got a little too zealous for reaching that duck across the pond! Wet clothes with temps in the 50s--not good! We have already been practicing hiding/hunting eggs here in our backyard--we'll be reading for all our egg hunts ahead of us this weekend--looking forward to dyeing eggs! And I can not wait for worship on Sunday morning at Point of Grace--I have looked forward to this service all year, since last year's Easter service and I still remember the message--Today is...THE THIRD DAY. Tomorrow is...THE THIRD DAY. What day is it? It's the third day.

Little Hams

Kyle sometimes gets shy in front of the camera, but on his first time to ride his bike, he was too preoccupied to notice me! Makenna obviously loves the camera!

Spring is great for lunchtime picnics! Kyle also thinks it's fun to get into Makenna's swing...then he likes to scale the side of the playscape...he just needs some rope and some caribiners and he's all set for some serious climbing. I also love to swing!

That's it...now you're getting it...

Sometimes I feel like nothing I say is making a difference in my kids' lives and that the things that I do or fail to do are making a bigger difference, for better or for worse. In spite of my failures and shortcomings, prayer is one of the constants in our life and our kids' lives. So I have to share how immediate God is in answering our prayers sometimes. I prayed yesterday in church that we would see evidence of the Holy Spirit in Kyle in a real and visual way, in a way that would compel me to praise Him and give glory to Him.

We have been rewarding Kyle with dollars (pretend money) when he exhibits patience, a good attitude, self-control, obedience, etc. It is very motivating for him and really helps him stay focused and helps him change his behavior when we remind him of the reward when he obeys and practices self-control or shows kindness to us and Makenna. He then saves up the money and goes shopping in my store which has items in it worth $10. It takes several days to save up the money and we also take money away as a consequence to unacceptable behavior.

So last night when I was putting him to bed and we were saying his prayers, he prayed for the first time in thanksgiving for David and me. That just melts away all those undesirable times, you know? Then he thanked Jesus for 'being good and shopping.' What he meant was thanksgiving that he was good and got to go shopping. So I reminded him how Jesus loves it when our hearts want to please him and when we do things that bring joy to him and others. He then said, "I know--that's why I thanked him." Sigh...he's finally getting it. Those are the things that help me grow my compassion for him as I watch him develop the fruits of the Spirit. It is a painstaking process at times. But in those moments, sigh...I see he's really getting it...and something we're saying or doing must be 'working' in spite of ourselves. I'm grateful God works in my kids' lives in spite of me. I can't wait to hear what his heart prays for tonight.

My Little Praying Mantis

One of my terms of endearment for Kyle is bugaboo. Makenna is boo-boo. Sometimes I just call Kyle 'bug,' like 'ok, bug, it's time to go.' Yeah, maybe it sounds strange, but it's cute and he likes it. He knows it's just something I call him. I have also recently discovered he's my praying mantis.

We had our neighbor Mandi babysit the kids Friday night while we went to dinner with friends. When we came home, he had just gone down to bed recently and Mandi said that he did stay in his room (Kyle and I had a good talk about staying in his bed when Mandi put him to bed). He knew he'd get a dollar in his money cup (for shopping in my store) if he stayed in bed for her. She said though that she heard him talking in his room so she went to check on him. She asked him what was wrong. He told her, 'nothing. I'm just talking to God. I'm praying that Mommy and Daddy get home soon and safe.'

I was stunned. I had just been chatting with a friend about Kyle's prayers, how he prays for the lamps and the curtains and his trains and he does name friends too and last night he thanked Jesus for Easter. I loved that. So I was amazed that our little almost-4-year old is starting to pray on his own. I have told him before that when he can't sleep that he can just talk to Jesus becuase he's always with him and will always listen and help him fall asleep. I had no idea he truly was paying attention to what I was saying.

Now to just be a fly on the wall of the room of my little praying mantis...

Not Ready and Ready

I love our high chair. Both our children learned to sit up in this chair. They both ate baby food here and eventually finger foods and on to eating off plates and using little forks and spoons. I have cleaned this chair a couple of thousand times if you consider that I do it three times a day and both children have each used it for a year at least. Makenna would probably love to sit in a 'real chair' at the table. But I'm attached to this high chair for all the memories it holds. As I scrubbed it, trying to get off bits of dried food, ketchup, and grape jelly, I knew the little smidges of food would be there when and if I took out the high chair again for a little one to sit in, whether it was another child for us or a grandchild. And it would remind me of when Makenna was very small and in that high chair herself. And then I knew I wasn't ready yet.

David had brought in the booster seat and we were going to put it at the table and transition Makenna tomorrow. I detailed the high chair, thinking the whole time that this was a milestone that I wasn't ready for. I didn't want to be silly about it, but when I told David it was clean and ready to be packed away, I also told him that I didn't think I was ready yet. He recognized my dilemma and suggested she wasn't ready since she throws her food and her plate onto the floor at nearly every meal. And she hasn't learned yet that we sit at the table the entire meal and don't have free reign to get up throughout the meal. Giving her free access to the entire kitchen table would be oh-no-fun.

And so he came up with a 'good excuse' to keep our beloved high chair there. Maybe she'll move out of it next week or next month. And maybe not. I know she won't go to high school sitting in that high chair. Until then, I'll keep her my baby in the high chair, until the right time comes. And I'll know it's the right time, just like I knew when it was time to transition Kyle to a toddler bed and then a big boy bed and when it was time to get Kyle a 'real haircut' with the razor. I knew when it was time for Makenna to experience a piece of chocolate for the first time. It just felt right when it was time for Kyle to start preschool. And I knew when it was time to wean both of them. You just trust yourself. Somehow you just know these things.

The Best of 2009 Thus Far

I've been having fun catching the kids playing and enjoying the outdoors as we've started having warmer weather! Kyle today was telling me how soon there will be ladybugs everywhere in our yard--yup! We get them in several colors--fun fun! He's already dreaming of all the bugs we'll catch this year...Makenna is mastering the playscape and has been going down the slide at our neighborhood park all by herself. Kyle is an amazing monkey on the playscape there. Kyle is 4 on March 14 and Makenna is 20 months old this weekend. Such big kids!

Kyle Begins His Symposium

I thought I'd collect some of Kyle's latests thoughts/prayers, some of which have been said at bedtime, in the car, at 'random' times, just whenever. I love that this kind of conversation is becoming a visible rhythm in his life. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Jesus lives way up in the sky where the birds are and he could fall out of the sky but then he might crash into a car on the highway. And that wouldn't be good.

2. Jesus went in that volcano but then He made that rock go away and he came out.

3. Thank you for the lamps and the walls and the cars and the ceiling fans and the curtains...

4. And for Kenna and the animals and my friends, for Collin and Levi, for turtles...

5. Jesus lives in my stomach.

6. Where is Jesus? But I can't see him. Where is he? Where? (as he's looking around the car)

7. And from over a year and a half ago...when I told Kyle about we should treat others the way we want to be treated (the Golden Rule aka the second greatest commandment), Kyle said, "no hit Jesus." Yes, no hit Jesus. I didn't even quote scripture directly, but Kyle's spirit within him knew what he was hearing was the very Word of God. So then we tlaked about the two greatest commandments Jesus gave...Kyle was not even 2 1/2 years yet...no hit Jesus. Words to live by.

I feel like there should be 10 things listed here, some top 10 list...but I know I've forgotten things Kyle has said already--sad to say, but I know we all do that. And the great blessing is that the list doesn't end here. I'm sure he'll surprise me tomorrow with something else, some other way of looking at the world.

Fully Trained--WOOHOO!

Kyle has arrived to the wonders of the camode ONLY! His teacher just knew how to work wonders on his second day at school with her. She was willing to go where we weren't willing to go anymore. Kyle had resisted us so much and so much drama always accompanied doing 'serious business' in the potty that we became passive about the whole situation and just 'hoped for the best' one day. And that day arrived at the beginning of January and he just GOT IT right away, as we knew he would, once he experienced success one time. And he never looked back!

I said a year ago that this learning stage for Kyle would not be a 'blip' on the screen of his life but would be something I would totally remember in detail. There are things we forget as we raise kids; I think David and I will always remember the personal growth we had to face as we experienced some of our worst moments as human beings and as parents. And we also found ourselves showing grace at levels we had never experienced.

We praised God for Kyle's achievement. We knew the 'day would come' and I've joined the ranks of women now that sympathetically listen to struggling Moms in this department and found myself 'wisely' saying, "it'll happen when they're ready." How cliche. I have vowed not to say that to any Mom now because it was a frustrating thing to hear before because deep inside, you wonder if there's a medical condition or your child will enter school not trained. I suppose it's a deep desire too for your child to 'fit in.' I had to learn to accept Kyle where he was at, despite the frustrating he saw from me at times. If you told me these words, please don't think I didn't appreciate your kindness and your attempt to console me. I did and I do. But I felt silly telling that to a Mom recently because I felt like I negating her frustration and glossing over how major this truly is for many parents and their resistant and self-paced kidlets.

Here's to all the little boys and girls out there who just are letting Jesus develop their minds and bodies in His own time. I mean, ultimately, that's who is truly in control and it just simply comes down to the child cooperating with their Maker who deeply loves them and is growing him or her exactly as He desires for them. How restful and reassuring. How great is the Father's love for us that we should be called children of God and that is what we are (1 John 3:1).

I Love Quiet

I'm known for being loud and being able to project my voice over a noisy room--having said that, I love the quiet right now. Not much to blog right now, not much time as I need to work. But had to say that my house is so still right now, and I relish it. Kyle was at home from preschool today sick. David has taken him into the doctor as I'm preparing for a party tonight. Makenna is conked out. And it's just silent here. Not a bird chirping, not a dark barking, no train whistles blowing...nothing. Some people think silence like this is deafening. Not me. When it gets this quiet, I really can feel myself alive. I'm not moving so fast, just sitting. Working quietly, having time to just think and feel my heart beating at a normal pace, rather than the high rate I hit during spin class and the rapid pace I probably have throughout my day as I go up and down our stairs dozens of times, get drinks and snacks continually, clean, clean, spill up mess...clean again...dress a child again, load up in the car, fast, quick, move, move move...lower your voice, be quiet, no hit, no scream...time out...let's read a book, give hugs, how I love the smell of my children's hair, let me just watch you play trains, I like seeing you think...I like seeing you feed your baby doll and rock her...as fast as my day moves usually, I like this quiet right now. Right now, it's just really good.