Saturday, July 17, 2010
Tutu Cute on the Beach
When I heard we were going to be at the beach for 4th of July I knew I had to make a red, white and blue tutu for pictures on the beach. She was so excited to put it on AND to get to play in the water with it! I am having so much fun having a little girl and playing dress up (especially since she usually likes playing along) and even more fun trying to learn my camera (even though I have had it for a couple of years now).
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Prissy Smile
I always say Mady has a prissy smile. Her Daddy agrees. As we were looking at photos from vacation I came across this one:
I wonder where she gets it from?
I wonder where she gets it from?
Karma
For the past two years, Caleb has talked a lot about wanting his brothers to get stung by jellyfish so he could pee on them. Well, karma has a way of coming and biting you in your....in his case it was stinging him on his arm, leg and stomach!! He got out of the canal and we didn't even believe him at first, but then he started having red welts come up. As he was walking out of the water he kept saying "noone is peeing on me!!!"
Of course, we were not prepared for jellyfish stings. We had none of the things that you hear work. Uncle Sean quickly chugged a bottle of water and peed in it for him. In the meantime, we had gone to the owners house (the owners of the houses we were in lived in the house between the two we had). They had told us the jellyfish were in there, but that you would not know it was there until it had got you. So, we went to see the owners who happened to have some stuff called Jellyfish Squish. IT WORKED!!! It quickly quit stinging and hurting.
That was Monday. Tuesday when we went to the beach his cousin Corran got stung twice and Caleb got stung again. This time when Caleb got stung, he calmly walked out of the water asking for the Jellyfish Squish and as soon as the pain went away he went and got back in.
One of the few times I went out into the water at the beach I was standing where Andrew was playing and Mads was standing with us. I look down right next to Andrew and there was a jellyfish. Paul quickly grabbed Andrew and a net, I grabbed Mads and Daddy rescued them by getting rid of the jellyfish!
Last Day on the Beach
Thursday I got kinda bummed when I woke up and realized that we were having a tropical depression. Last year when we were at the beach we never got any family pictures, so this year it was a MUST!! But, we were leaving Friday morning, so I was pretty sure we were going to have another year with no family pictures on the beach!
Well, Friday we got up and it was sunny!! So, we packed up the car and the trailer and went to the beach for some family pictures. Boy were we surprised when we pulled in and realized there was NO beach left. It had flooded so bad that the beach was completely under water. This put a damper on my picture taking spirit!! AND, you can imagine what is going through my mind. It is bad enough trying to take pictures of five kids on dry land. Can you imagine have five kids dressed for pictures and then trying to take them while standing in and surrounded by water. The nightmare I envisioned more or less happened exactly as I figured. We were constantly telling boys to get out of the waves, kids were falling down in water, boys playing with wet sand, etc. You will see in some of these pictures that Andrew is in his speedo (or really, his underwear). His denim shorts were too heavy to stay up and the white shirt was pretty pointless!! So much for noone getting wet (all of the clothes were packed and not easy to get too). I gave up and let them all play in the water for a while before we headed out.
Well, Friday we got up and it was sunny!! So, we packed up the car and the trailer and went to the beach for some family pictures. Boy were we surprised when we pulled in and realized there was NO beach left. It had flooded so bad that the beach was completely under water. This put a damper on my picture taking spirit!! AND, you can imagine what is going through my mind. It is bad enough trying to take pictures of five kids on dry land. Can you imagine have five kids dressed for pictures and then trying to take them while standing in and surrounded by water. The nightmare I envisioned more or less happened exactly as I figured. We were constantly telling boys to get out of the waves, kids were falling down in water, boys playing with wet sand, etc. You will see in some of these pictures that Andrew is in his speedo (or really, his underwear). His denim shorts were too heavy to stay up and the white shirt was pretty pointless!! So much for noone getting wet (all of the clothes were packed and not easy to get too). I gave up and let them all play in the water for a while before we headed out.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Duck Whisperer
Daddy enjoyed taking Mady and Andrew out in the kayak. Andrew would go with anyone that would take him! Mady wasn't too sure about it, but quickly warmed up to it, especially when Dad started chasing the ducks and the ducks started chasing them!!
Paul kayaked a few houses down and when I looked down the canal I saw this. The pictures did not come out, I guess I had it set wrong :( It appeared that Mady became a duck whisperer (she kept watching them, pointing and whispering at them when she got back down by the house). She now thinks EVERY bird is a "du" (duck).
Paul kayaked a few houses down and when I looked down the canal I saw this. The pictures did not come out, I guess I had it set wrong :( It appeared that Mady became a duck whisperer (she kept watching them, pointing and whispering at them when she got back down by the house). She now thinks EVERY bird is a "du" (duck).
Tropical Depression
Thursday we got hit by a Tropical Depression. I knew nothing about it until Thursday morning. Guess you should watch or listen or read the news....even on vacation! It was quite interesting watching the water rise on the canal. All the houses have their own dock and boat ramp and we watched the water go from being no where near touching the bottom of the docks to flooding over the docks and up the seawalls.
We did not let that stop us from having fun, though. Just added to the excitement that we already experience when doing things with our brood! Paul and I and the kids went to check out the aquarium and some other "tourist attractions". A lot of the time was actually spent outside, oddly enough. But, we had a lot of fun. The aquarium was nothing to write home about. We did go see the Big Tree. It measured something like 89 feet across, 44 feet tall and 35 foot circumfrence and is over 1000 years old.
This stop went something like this: We get out of the car and wake up two sleeping kids to go look at the tree. Once we are all out we realize that there are CLOUDS of mosquitos all around. We QUICKLY go to the tree. You will notice in the pictures with Paul the boys are all scratching and slapping and rubbing their legs, but all smiling. After I snapped a couple of pics (QUICKLY), I said lets go, but Paul wanted pictures of ME with the kids. I say "Stop scratching and smile real quick so we can go!" Of course, this starts buckets of tears from two of them! So, when Dad is satisfied, we all take off RUNNING to the car. Then we have to jump in the car and try to get rid of the swarm of mosquitos that followed us!! Of course, I get the picture of the kids mad!!
We did not let that stop us from having fun, though. Just added to the excitement that we already experience when doing things with our brood! Paul and I and the kids went to check out the aquarium and some other "tourist attractions". A lot of the time was actually spent outside, oddly enough. But, we had a lot of fun. The aquarium was nothing to write home about. We did go see the Big Tree. It measured something like 89 feet across, 44 feet tall and 35 foot circumfrence and is over 1000 years old.
This stop went something like this: We get out of the car and wake up two sleeping kids to go look at the tree. Once we are all out we realize that there are CLOUDS of mosquitos all around. We QUICKLY go to the tree. You will notice in the pictures with Paul the boys are all scratching and slapping and rubbing their legs, but all smiling. After I snapped a couple of pics (QUICKLY), I said lets go, but Paul wanted pictures of ME with the kids. I say "Stop scratching and smile real quick so we can go!" Of course, this starts buckets of tears from two of them! So, when Dad is satisfied, we all take off RUNNING to the car. Then we have to jump in the car and try to get rid of the swarm of mosquitos that followed us!! Of course, I get the picture of the kids mad!!
Day at the Beach Vacation 2010
Tuesday we spent on the beach. Because there were some pretty good sunburns going around, it was the only day we really spent on the beach. Wednesday we stayed in more to give sunburns time to heal. Little did we know that Thursday was not going to be a good weather day!! But, we had so much fun on the beach
Vacation 2010
We spent last week at the Texas coast. My parents got two houses on the bay and we had a family reunion. My family and the families of my three siblings, and my parents (that is 8 adults and 11 kids). We had a blast and I took a LOT of pictures. Because there is SO much to remember and so many pictures, this is going to HAVE to be split up in lots of post! So, just be expecting lots of vacation post!! In this post I am going to put lots of pictures from around the house.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Lead Me
Sometimes you see or hear something that kind of puts things in perspective in your life. Sometimes it can be something you hear or see ALL the time, but all of a sudden it hits you in a different way. I had a moment like that this week. I heard a song I have heard over and over, but this week I really HEARD the song.
Sanctus Real - “Lead Me"
I look around and see my wonderful life
Almost perfect from the outside
In picture frames I see my beautiful wife
Always smiling
But on the inside, I can hear her saying...
“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?
Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”
I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes
They're just children from the outside
I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine
They're independent
But on the inside, I can hear them saying...
“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, but what about us?
Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”
So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I'm called to be
Oh, Father, show me the way
To lead them
Won't You lead me?
To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can't
Don't want to leave them hungry for love,
Chasing things that I could give up
I'll show them I'm willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this our home
Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone
Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone
It is easy to see this in a Husband/Father role, but it is so much more than that. I do need my husband to be the leader of the family. But, HE can't do it alone either! There are times that I get so exhausted, stressed. frustrated and just want to give up. I need him there to pick me up, encourage me and help me. At the same time, there are times he gets exhausted, stressed, frustrated and wants to give up. Doesn't he deserve to have someone there to pick him up, encourage him and help him?
I also look at this from a parent/child role. They need someone to lead them and it cannot all fall on the father. Sometimes I wonder if I do enough. As a stay at home mom I am always here with them, but am I really HERE? Or do I spend too much time just trying to make it through another day? Do I REALLY hear what they are saying? Do I really take an interest in what they are doing? When they ask to do something with me do I too frequently say "some other time?"
I can really relate to this song because of the number of years my husband was gone traveling for work so often. I many times have said those words and wondered what it was all for. As hard as it was to pack up our family and move to Louisiana, I KNOW without a doubt it was the right choice. It was our way of fighting for our family and showing our children that the chase is not worth it if we are not ALL in it together and that their happiness is important and that we want them to feel loved.
So, all I can do is pray! Pray that the Lord will lead me to be the wife I am supposed to be. To help me never let my husband wonder if he is the love of my life. To actually LIVE our life, instead of just going through the motions of life. Help me let him know without a doubt that I can be his rock as much as I need him to be mine.
And that I can also be the mother I am supposed to be. To always let my children know that they are wanted, loved and worthy of my time and attention. Help me show them that they never have to look for that love or attention somewhere else. Open my ears more and my mouth less. Help me realize and remember that sometimes they don't want or need a solution, but just someone to talk to and be understanding of what they are going through.
I know I will make mistakes. I just pray that they will forgive me and that I can forgive myself and learn from them.
Mostly, I just pray that the Lord will lead me with HIS strong hands and make me the best person I can be for my family so that my children can grow up and be the best people they can be. Sometimes it can be really hard, but it is a fight worth fighting!
Sanctus Real - “Lead Me"
I look around and see my wonderful life
Almost perfect from the outside
In picture frames I see my beautiful wife
Always smiling
But on the inside, I can hear her saying...
“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?
Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”
I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes
They're just children from the outside
I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine
They're independent
But on the inside, I can hear them saying...
“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, but what about us?
Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”
So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I'm called to be
Oh, Father, show me the way
To lead them
Won't You lead me?
To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can't
Don't want to leave them hungry for love,
Chasing things that I could give up
I'll show them I'm willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this our home
Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone
Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone
It is easy to see this in a Husband/Father role, but it is so much more than that. I do need my husband to be the leader of the family. But, HE can't do it alone either! There are times that I get so exhausted, stressed. frustrated and just want to give up. I need him there to pick me up, encourage me and help me. At the same time, there are times he gets exhausted, stressed, frustrated and wants to give up. Doesn't he deserve to have someone there to pick him up, encourage him and help him?
I also look at this from a parent/child role. They need someone to lead them and it cannot all fall on the father. Sometimes I wonder if I do enough. As a stay at home mom I am always here with them, but am I really HERE? Or do I spend too much time just trying to make it through another day? Do I REALLY hear what they are saying? Do I really take an interest in what they are doing? When they ask to do something with me do I too frequently say "some other time?"
I can really relate to this song because of the number of years my husband was gone traveling for work so often. I many times have said those words and wondered what it was all for. As hard as it was to pack up our family and move to Louisiana, I KNOW without a doubt it was the right choice. It was our way of fighting for our family and showing our children that the chase is not worth it if we are not ALL in it together and that their happiness is important and that we want them to feel loved.
So, all I can do is pray! Pray that the Lord will lead me to be the wife I am supposed to be. To help me never let my husband wonder if he is the love of my life. To actually LIVE our life, instead of just going through the motions of life. Help me let him know without a doubt that I can be his rock as much as I need him to be mine.
And that I can also be the mother I am supposed to be. To always let my children know that they are wanted, loved and worthy of my time and attention. Help me show them that they never have to look for that love or attention somewhere else. Open my ears more and my mouth less. Help me realize and remember that sometimes they don't want or need a solution, but just someone to talk to and be understanding of what they are going through.
I know I will make mistakes. I just pray that they will forgive me and that I can forgive myself and learn from them.
Mostly, I just pray that the Lord will lead me with HIS strong hands and make me the best person I can be for my family so that my children can grow up and be the best people they can be. Sometimes it can be really hard, but it is a fight worth fighting!
Golf Camp
As previously posted (I think), when Isaac was in Texas visiting Nana and Grandpa Jim, they got him a private golf lesson. I knew he would like it but I had no clue how much he would love it! He even watched the US Open on tv when he was at their house. While he was there he was given some jr golf clubs which he anxiously awaited the arrival of after he got home (the clubs were sent fedex instead of trying to get them on an airplane).
Golf is a good sport for Isaac for many reasons. For one, he is ADD (no hyperactivity, just has a really hard time concentrating). He is on medicine right now and it is working great. He only gets the medicine when he is really needing to concentrate on something (like school). After 6-8 hours it is completely out of his system. However, I do not want him to forever be dependent on medicine to be able to concentrate. Golf is a game of focus and concentration (not that I know much about the game). I am hoping that through playing the game he will learn to focus and concentrate without medicine.
Secondly, Isaac's self esteem took a HUGE hit this past school year, as did his confidence. I want him to find something that is "his". Something that he can excel at, at his own pace, without having brothers to compare himself to or compete with. Anything that makes him feel better about himself.
It seems we may have found that something.
This week he is doing a golf camp. It is through First Tee. The First Tee is an organization that teaches life skills through the game of golf. They golf, but they also do mind-stimulating games, teach and encourage self confidence and build self-esteem. When I was talking to the man that is in charge of the program I was telling him some of Isaac's struggles and what we were looking for and he said I had just described their program.
His camp has about 15 kids and probably about 8 coaches. The coaches look like they are college aged. The kids have to be 9 by the end of the year to be able to be in the camp. Isaac just barely squeezed in (his birthday is December 20). He is the youngest child there, although "the boss" as Isaac was calling him until I told him his name, said that really he and Isaac were the only two that knew he was only 8 because he is the same size as everyone else.
When I dropped him off the first morning I asked the guy to look at Isaac's clubs and make sure they would work. After he looked at them, he said they were fine but might be a little small. They had some jr clubs for sale and for the clubs and a bag with the built in stand it was $75. Before I had a chance to say anything the guy said he had some clubs they had gotten with a grant and not everyone that signed up for whatever they were gotten for had shown up. So he had some clubs he could give Isaac. Isaac got a $75 set of clubs for free (second set of free clubs in a two week period)!
On his first day, right before I got there to pick him up at 4, he managed to sit in an ant pile. He had taken his shoes off to get sand out of them and when he sat down to put them back on he sat in ants. Somehow, before he even realized he was in ants he was COVERED in ants. When I walked in to get him the instructor was kneeling in front of Isaac rubbing alcohol all over his legs to make the burning stop.
Between golfing in the heat, getting eaten alive by ants and then the benadryl I gave him when he got home, I was SURE he would pass out from exhaustion. Nope. Dad got home from work and as normal, before Dad even got the door closed Isaac was asking if they could go golf. And they did. And he does every evening after dinner.
I have talked to the head of the program several times when I was picking Isaac up and asked what he thought of how Isaac was doing. He said that he was keeping up with the best of the group and working hard. He said he was very respectful (which has never been a problem with him) and seemed to truly love the game. He also said that he asked a lot of questions. The only problem he had noticed was that Isaac was getting hot easily (which he always has) and needed a couple of more breaks than the other kids, but after he took a very short break, he was ready to go again.
Most of the kids in the camp have been golfing for a while. They come decked out in their Callaway golf attire, have their wheeled bag caddys (whatever they are called), etc. Isaac does not let that discourage him. He says that there are several that are REALLY good, but his coaches have told him that they are a little older and they ALL started where Isaac is at. So instead of it discouraging him, he is looking at it more like "If I work hard, that is where I can be"
It is so exciting for his Dad and I to see our very mellow, laid back child become so happy and passionate about something. He keeps asking me to buy him things like the golf shoes, the bag caddy, etc and I keep telling him we have to wait and see if he is going to stick with it. To be completely honest, I do not see this going away any time soon. Even when he comes home tired he still wants to play more. He even wants to take his clubs on vacation with him. I swear if he thought he could get away with it he would sleep with them!
I was once told when I was younger that I would know when I was in love when he was the first thing I thought about when I opened my eyes in the morning and the last thing I thought of when I closed my eyes at night and in between those times he was always on my mind. And that, even when it hurt you still wanted more.
I think Isaac just found his first love!!
Golf is a good sport for Isaac for many reasons. For one, he is ADD (no hyperactivity, just has a really hard time concentrating). He is on medicine right now and it is working great. He only gets the medicine when he is really needing to concentrate on something (like school). After 6-8 hours it is completely out of his system. However, I do not want him to forever be dependent on medicine to be able to concentrate. Golf is a game of focus and concentration (not that I know much about the game). I am hoping that through playing the game he will learn to focus and concentrate without medicine.
Secondly, Isaac's self esteem took a HUGE hit this past school year, as did his confidence. I want him to find something that is "his". Something that he can excel at, at his own pace, without having brothers to compare himself to or compete with. Anything that makes him feel better about himself.
It seems we may have found that something.
This week he is doing a golf camp. It is through First Tee. The First Tee is an organization that teaches life skills through the game of golf. They golf, but they also do mind-stimulating games, teach and encourage self confidence and build self-esteem. When I was talking to the man that is in charge of the program I was telling him some of Isaac's struggles and what we were looking for and he said I had just described their program.
His camp has about 15 kids and probably about 8 coaches. The coaches look like they are college aged. The kids have to be 9 by the end of the year to be able to be in the camp. Isaac just barely squeezed in (his birthday is December 20). He is the youngest child there, although "the boss" as Isaac was calling him until I told him his name, said that really he and Isaac were the only two that knew he was only 8 because he is the same size as everyone else.
When I dropped him off the first morning I asked the guy to look at Isaac's clubs and make sure they would work. After he looked at them, he said they were fine but might be a little small. They had some jr clubs for sale and for the clubs and a bag with the built in stand it was $75. Before I had a chance to say anything the guy said he had some clubs they had gotten with a grant and not everyone that signed up for whatever they were gotten for had shown up. So he had some clubs he could give Isaac. Isaac got a $75 set of clubs for free (second set of free clubs in a two week period)!
On his first day, right before I got there to pick him up at 4, he managed to sit in an ant pile. He had taken his shoes off to get sand out of them and when he sat down to put them back on he sat in ants. Somehow, before he even realized he was in ants he was COVERED in ants. When I walked in to get him the instructor was kneeling in front of Isaac rubbing alcohol all over his legs to make the burning stop.
Between golfing in the heat, getting eaten alive by ants and then the benadryl I gave him when he got home, I was SURE he would pass out from exhaustion. Nope. Dad got home from work and as normal, before Dad even got the door closed Isaac was asking if they could go golf. And they did. And he does every evening after dinner.
I have talked to the head of the program several times when I was picking Isaac up and asked what he thought of how Isaac was doing. He said that he was keeping up with the best of the group and working hard. He said he was very respectful (which has never been a problem with him) and seemed to truly love the game. He also said that he asked a lot of questions. The only problem he had noticed was that Isaac was getting hot easily (which he always has) and needed a couple of more breaks than the other kids, but after he took a very short break, he was ready to go again.
Most of the kids in the camp have been golfing for a while. They come decked out in their Callaway golf attire, have their wheeled bag caddys (whatever they are called), etc. Isaac does not let that discourage him. He says that there are several that are REALLY good, but his coaches have told him that they are a little older and they ALL started where Isaac is at. So instead of it discouraging him, he is looking at it more like "If I work hard, that is where I can be"
It is so exciting for his Dad and I to see our very mellow, laid back child become so happy and passionate about something. He keeps asking me to buy him things like the golf shoes, the bag caddy, etc and I keep telling him we have to wait and see if he is going to stick with it. To be completely honest, I do not see this going away any time soon. Even when he comes home tired he still wants to play more. He even wants to take his clubs on vacation with him. I swear if he thought he could get away with it he would sleep with them!
I was once told when I was younger that I would know when I was in love when he was the first thing I thought about when I opened my eyes in the morning and the last thing I thought of when I closed my eyes at night and in between those times he was always on my mind. And that, even when it hurt you still wanted more.
I think Isaac just found his first love!!
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