It doesn't feel like Fall!!!!

Today I got out our Fall/Halloween decorations. It is really hard to get into the spirit of any holiday around here since it is HOT all year round! It was 88 today, and the only bright spot is that it has been nice in the mornings. In the evenings it is nice out, but thanks to Ike we have mosquitoes the size of mockingbirds attacking us as soon as the sun goes down. Even so, tomorrow it will be October and it still feels like summer. As others are taking out coats, watching leaves change, and enjoying the cool air we are still frying in Texas. I found myself wondering what it would be like to be somewhere with actual seasons.......

First Baseball Tournament of the Season

The Avengers had their first tournament this weekend. Thanks to Ike, we missed 2 scheduled tournaments. Nicholas and Dylan were so excited. This is a new team, so we didn't really know how they would do. The won 1 game, lost 2. But, they had a great time. Both boys made some excellent plays and batted well. Too bad we didn't get more games in.....maybe next time!

Is life really supposed to be this complicated???

Some recent events have had me wondering lately if life is really supposed to be this complicated. It seems to me, life should be simpler. As I struggle with how to handle things sometimes, it makes me wonder why people aren't kinder to one another. It made me think of one of my favorite poems. As I teach my kids life's lessons, it certainly brings me back to the basics. If only we could just concentrate on the basics instead of all the complications!!!

All I Ever Really Needed to Know
I Learned in Kindergarten"
Robert Fulgham

Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in Kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.

These are the things I learned..

Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life.

Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup? The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup - they all die. So do we.

And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere.
The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and sane living.

Think of what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nation and other nations to always put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

Our Hurrication is Finally Over

It was confirmed today that our kids are going back to school tomorrow. Not that we haven't enjoyed the time off....but it could have been put to much better use than hanging out here. If we would have only known we'd have this much time off we could have hopped in the car and had a real vacation in Colorado or somewhere much more fun than Cypress, TX. I am hoping the poor kids aren't going to have to make up these days off....7 total. It really wasn't our fault that Ike decided to hit us!

Nutcracker Auditions

As some of you know, Emma switched dance studios this year. She made the decision to study ballet only, in a more serious fashion. The new studio she attends puts on a performance of the Nutcracker each year in Tomball. We had the opportunity to see it a few years ago, and we decided we wouldn't go downtown anymore when we could see such a quality performance so close to home.

Anyhow, Emma had auditions this morning and was very excited. This will be her first "real" ballet to be in. I think every little ballerina dreams of being in the Nutcracker someday. She will be a party child, in the long opening sequence of Act I. The performance is Dec 5-7. We aren't sure if she will be in all 5 shows, or just some of them. We should know in the next few weeks and I will let everyone know.

Ike Update!

Praise God....we survived Ike with no major damage. We've had a few inconveniences, but nothing like many in our area. Please pray for all those affected that power is restored, as well as life getting back to normal at some point. We definitely feel blessed that we are all ok!

We definitely have had some fun before the storm and after. We had our fun with our frozen hurricanes and virgin pinas. We decided to make homemade pizza with the kids, and then have a Wii tournament. By the way, I AM THE CHAMPION!!!! (Just in case anyone was wondering!) The storm passed overnight, and we didn't lose power until we had all gone to bed. We did our best the next day to keep the kids busy playing games and stuff until the rain and wind subsided. They were awesome during the whole event, even during the scary parts. At one point we had 2 adults, 3 kids, and 2 dogs in our bed.

After, we had some cleanup to do! We only had landscaping damage and a pool full of stuff. My next door neighbor, however, lost 2 big trees. That is the photo above of one of his. The kids were very helpful, even though it was very wet, hot, and sticky!!!! We had no power for about 42 hours, so that wasn't too fun. We finally decided to leave on Sunday morning for my parents' ranch in Brenham, where they had power and AIR! We were looking forward to kicking back, drinking a beer, and watching football. However, TV here has turned into all Ike, all the time, so no Sunday football for us :( Our power came back on Sunday evening, so Marcelo and I came home to tend to some things, while the kids fished and hung out with my folks at the ranch.

It seems like we have had an ongoing block party since the storm ended. The kids are out of school through Wednesday. Emma had a few friends show up on their bikes yesterday afternoon. They were still without power, so we had to take in Kylie and Carlie for the night! They did get power back last night at their houses so I'm told though, so they will be relieved when they get home. They put on a Grease show and played and played. I am attaching a video which I'm sure Emma will kill me for :)! 10 yr old girls are fun......Marcelo says we might need a bigger house. The air guitar is courtesy of our cute little 5 yr old neighbor Grayson. At least we are making memories in the midst of all of this.

All in all we are just grateful that we came through the storm as well as we did. We are praying that the recovery effort will be successful and rapid for those who didn't fare as well as us.

Ike.....

We have had many calls today.....Ike is definitely on the way. We left a few years ago for Rita and spent 4 hours in the car for a 1 hour drive to Brenham, only to have the storm turn at the last minute and we barely got a thunderstorm. So, we are taking them seriously when they say to shelter in place. We have frozen hurricanes in the margarita machine, along with virgin pina coladas for the kids. We did put all the patio furniture away, and stocked up. Hopefully the power will stay on! I hope everyone stays safe during this storm and we are praying that it will pass as peacefully as possible. Blessings to all!

Before and After

Before

After

Nicholas told me this morning that the Tooth Fairy must be getting tired of coming to our house. I told him that the Conde boys need to quit knocking loose teeth that aren't ready to come out. He sure is cute toothless though! He was very brave and the dentist pulled them very quickly....with the help of a little laughing gas, of course. He is definitely ready for his visit from the Tooth Fairy though since his brother got 2 visits last week.

Splash Day at Community of Faith

Yesterday they had a Splash Day at our church for the kids. It was a ton of fun. Emma brought her friend Kylie and the kids all had a blast. Here are some cute photos I wanted to share.

Dylan's other tooth

After his tooth nearly hanging out last night, Dylan let me pull the 2nd loose one. Here's a really funny picture of him afterwards. His sister tried to pull it with no success....but it was pretty funny. Both Emma and Nicholas held his hand while I pulled it out. It was a sweet moment!

Our Summer in Breckenridge, Colorado

We spent 5 weeks this summer in Breckenridge, Co. at my parents' house - thanks Dad and Susan! Let me rephrase that.....the kids and I spent 5 weeks there, and Marcelo had to come back and forth when he could get away from work. We love him for letting us go - what an awesome husband and Dad he is to give us up for so long!

The weather was fantastic - low 70's in the day, high 40's-low 50's at night. It was a wonderful change from the Texas summer heat! Even though I was recovering from my double hernia surgery, I managed to get out and about more than I thought I would. No hiking 14ers for me this summer though! We did do some smaller hikes, camping, rafting, kayaking, biking, and fishing. The kids got to play in the snow a bit when we hiked high enough. It is pretty cool for kids from Texas to see snow in July! We visited a few new places in Colorado such as Glenwood Springs to visit the caves, hot springs, and raft as well as visiting some places in Denver and Boulder. It was a fantastic summer. We all cried when we had to come home. Now if we could only talk Marcelo into commuting full time......

Back to School

Here is a cute photo of Emma, Nicholas, and Dylan on their first day of school. They have been back for a week and a half now, and we are all still getting adjusted to our new schedules. Between baseball, dance, and school we are all pretty exhausted! It is hard to believe how grown up they have gotten. Emma is a 5th grader now, and is so independent it is scary. The boys are in 2nd, and are too grown up as well. Dylan lost his first tooth on Tuesday, thanks to knocking it on his brother's head over the weekend. Here is a cute photo of him right after. Nicholas has to get his two front ones pulled on Monday. He stopped his bike with his teeth in Colorado biking down Vail Pass. I will post some photos once they are out. Either way, it is amazing to me how time flies. It seems like they were all babies just yesterday. I really miss having little ones around, but it is so cool to see what neat kids they have turned into!