Happy 40th Marcelo

Happy 40th Birthday to my wonderful husband! He turned 40 yesterday. We are having a big party for him tonight. He deserves to be the center of attention for the night - even though he is a little uncomfortable with it :) I am so happy to get to share my life with Marcelo. He is the best husband and father anyone could ask for. Happy Birthday baby!!!!

Nutcracker Week

It is Emma's (and our) favorite week of the year. She is in Nutcracker all weekend. She is an angel and a soldier this year. She is exhausted and busy all week with late nights of rehearsals, but is SO excited for performing. She is particularly excited because this is the first time she will get to be onstage on pointe. I will post some pics when Marcelo gets them off his camera. We are only allowed photos during dress rehearsals. Can't wait to see her perform!!!

A Couple of Things....

Better late than never.....unfortunately I have no pics of Emma because she went to a friend's house for Halloween :( She was an angel.....isn't she always?

It's a Sad World

http://cbs11tv.com/local/Sandra.Bentley.Curtis.2.1264912.html

Here is a link to a really sad story. The man that did this is someone that Marcelo and his brother Dennis had worked with in their industry. They liked him, respected him, and are headed to the funerals tomorrow. As we start our new business, this was a man they were hoping to work with. Dennis had sent him an email last week introducing our new company and was wondering why he hadn't heard back from him. Now he knows.

Reading a story like this, it makes you wonder how people tick. I always say that you never know what goes on in people's private lives. No matter how many things you hear about though, I cannot even fathom what could make someone snap like this. They have five children - please pray for them as they struggle through this. I'm not sure how you go on from something as awful as this.

It makes me realize that it is really a sad world out there. My heart breaks that things like this can happen. I'm always trying to find the bright spot in things, or even the one saying that everything happens for a reason. But, I cannot possibly imagine what could come out of this.

Happiness Is......

According to my kids, Spaghetti and Meatballs is happiness. That warms a mom's heart :)

Colorado Dreamin'

Better late than never - here are some pics from our recent trip to Breck. We had a lot of fun - flyfishing, hiking, drinking beer on the deck, and enjoying the cooler weather!!!

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

I ran across this today while looking for something to make for Bible Study. This is our most favorite Pumpkin Bread recipe ever. It goes with the season.....or what Fall is everywhere but Texas :) I thought I'd share it - it is one of the few recipes I actually have written down!!!

Pumpkin Bread

4 eggs

3 cups sugar

1 can cooked pumpkin

1 cup oil

3 1/2 cups flour

3 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2/3 cup water

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Beat together eggs and sugar. Add pumpkin and oil. Sift dry ingredients together and add to pumpkin mixture. Alternate with water. Beat well. Fold in pecans. Bake at 350 for about an hour in greased loaf pans. Makes 2 large or 3 smaller loaves.

First Day of School Pics

I hate the first day of school. Especially the first day of middle school :)! The kids are all SO big and it makes me sad that another year is going by. It goes by way too fast. They were all happy, excited, and ready to go though. I guess that is a good thing!!!

Overwhelmed

My days of DENIAL are over. I took Emma and her friend Courtney to orientation at Goodson Middle School today. We got their class schedules, PE Uniforms, LOCKERS!!!!, and books. I can't imagine how they feel if I feel this overwhelmed! Actually, Emma seems very excited, and very READY. Who knew?

Overwhelmingly, I just feel old. How did I get old enough to have a middle schooler?????

Weekend Randomness

Some random things about our weekend:

• Marcelo and I caught up on Entourage. This is one of my favorite shows....why is it only a half hour and why do they wait SO long in between seasons???
• We decided to cut down the jungle in our back yard - it was extremely overgrown due to a lot of neglect during this hideously hot summer we are having. It took all weekend! Then, for some strange reason Marcelo decided to trim our huge oak trees out front. Aren't we supposed to do this in November?
• Emma had her 2nd official babysitting job. It brings tears to my eyes - she is growing up TOO fast. It is nice for her to make her own money. She is starting slow - their parents have been around both times but needed someone to watch the kids. That gives me some comfort. However, she is more responsible than me, I think, so I shouldn't ever have a worry!
• I am missing Breckenridge so much. I hate that I let the kids pick an alternate vacation this summer. Although we had a blast, I haven't had my fill of the awesome Colorado summer. I think I like it even more there in the summer than the winter. I haven't hiked anything in a year - except the escalator in the mall - does that count?
• School starts in a week. We are not ready around here. No one is a morning person to begin with, but Emma has to get up even earlier for middle school. And I am stressed over the school bus. Since we walk to elementary, this will be a new experience for me, oh yeah - and for Emma. I am going to miss the kids. Summer just flies by. I hate that. So do the years. When did they all get so big?
• My dog Oliver, the St. Bernard, is getting skinny. He loses weight in the summer. Why doesn't that happen to me? I sit still, just like he does, and I only get fatter.
• I don't think I can take the Houston heat much longer. It is like a pressure cooker. I am totally miserable and wondering why the climate here sucks so badly. Maybe if I didn't spend all weekend working in the sun I wouldn't be so miserable - but then again, maybe I would!
  

It's a Mom Thing

Ok....I have to brag a little.....it's a Mom thing. Emma let me know today that she was 1 of only 2 girls from her ballet class were invited to join the Houston Repertoire Ballet. There were about 16 girls in her class last year. We are so proud of her, and it is awesome to see how far she has come in this last year with the proper training. It is also incredible to see her talents recognized. She is an amazing ballerina now - it is past the cute stage. I cannot wait to see what she will do as a part of the ballet company!!!

A Few Vacation Pics

A Few More Weekend Pics

Nicholas will hate me one day for that last one....but he is definitely a good sport when the girls want to dress him up :)!!

Congratulations Emma!!!!!

In the mail today, Emma received a letter she has been wishing, hoping, and dreaming to arrive. She was invited to join the Houston Repertoire Ballet as a junior company member. This is the ballet company run out of her dance studio. It is a big deal - you must be invited to join - there are no tryouts. We are so proud of her and excited for her!!!! I'm sure this is the first of many big steps she will take in her dance career.

Wow.....What Fun We Are Having!

So, I have been a single "mom" to 6 kids since Wednesday night. So far, so good. Marcelo kept getting "stuck" in Dallas for work. Convenient, huh? Leila keeps asking me if he got unstuck yet :) The rain has not been our friend the last 2 days. It has kept everyone in close quarters. However, we have made the best of it. Marcelo called a bit ago and said he was an hour away. We'll see if he really shows up.....

If he doesn't, we will still have fun. However, not much is clean around here. But, the kids are all fed, clean, and having fun! They are definitely making memories.

6 Kids, 2 Dogs, No Husband

We are watching my nieces and nephew for a few days while their mom and dad are in Vegas. I picked them up last night. I had to giggle when Marcelo called me yesterday afternoon because he was "stuck" in Dallas for an extra night :) Seriously, I know he really did get stuck, but it was awfully convenient timing! In all reality, we are having a blast. I managed to take all 6 to dinner last night at Willies. They were so good! I did get quite a few stares though. They all slept in the media room last night and there has been a lot of giggling. Emma has her shadow following her - my adorable little 3 year old niece Leila. We call her Emma's Mini-Me.

I am so tickled to have them all together. It is fun to watch them interact. So far, no fights have broken out except between my 3! Next week, my kids get to go stay over there while we take our turn out of town for a grown up weekend. We can't wait and neither can the kids. I'm so glad they get to have this time with their cousins!!!

We're Back....

We are back from vacation and having a hard time getting caught up around here. The kids enjoyed seeing friends and family in North and South Carolina. I will post pics at some point - if I ever get them downloaded! Summer is flying by......hope yours is going great!

World Series Week

The boys start their World Series this week. They had a parade, BBQ, and pin trading last night. It was hot, but fun. They played their first pool play game today and won 22-7. Go Warriors!!!! Hopefully it will be a good week for both of them. Jimmy Wynn threw out the first pitch and the boys got his autograph. They thought that was pretty cool. Hopefully it will stay cooler than it was for the state tournament. I will post their results as they play.

The Cutest Desserts Ever

Emma and I made these cupcake bites yesterday. They are cuter in person than in the pictures though. I thought they turned out really cute, and really tasty :)

Go Warriors!!!

The boys had a hot (did I mention unbelievably HOT????), but fun weekend. Their team (new to us!), did very well at the state championship. They came in 4th place out of 20 teams. Not bad!!! Dylan played shortstop all weekend, and Pudge moved to 2nd base and did an awesome job at a new position for him. We are all recovering from heat exhaustion, but had a fun weekend. We are looking forward to the World Series. At least we have a week to regroup :)

Could It Be Any Hotter???

I'm pretty sure this is why I hate Houston so much......summers here SUCK! I let the kids take an egg out and crack it on the sidewalk. It took 7 minutes to fry. Not bad for June. Did I mention at 10:15 last night it was still 90 degrees out? The State baseball tournament in La Porte should be lots of fun this weekend. We drew games in the worst heat of the day, at 3 and 4:30. Pray the kids don't pass out!

Summer

It is hot.
Incredibly freaking hot.
Oppressively hot, absurdly hot.
I LOATHE TEXAS SUMMERS!

Please Pray for Laura

Unfortunately, we missed church last week. However, we went today and found out some news that hit Marcelo and myself like a mack truck. Our pastor's wife, Laura Shook, was diagnosed with Stage III colorectal cancer. Please pray for her during this difficult time. She will begin radiation and chemo this week. She is an awesome woman - a quiet force of nature that can fight this if anyone can. Here is a link to her blog....keep up with her journey and pray diligently for her. I know she is grateful to have people all over the world praying for her as she fights this fight.

www.laurashook.com


I HATE CANCER!!!!!

School's Out

Wow. I cannot believe summer is officially here! Emma had her 5th grade walk yesterday - I cried. They play loud music and have the 5th graders walk the hall for the last time. The other grades line up in the halls and high five them as they walk through. I'm so sad her time in elementary is over, but I know she is ready for middle school.

The boys are already bored :) They get to go to baseball camp next week, so they can't wait until Monday. They are obsessed with baseball. We left the team they are on and are looking for another right now, so that isn't helping. I'm sure a week at Miracles will do the trick. They will be so tired from 6 hours of baseball a day that they won't be bored!!!

Emma starts her Summer Intensive at dance on Monday as well. She goes for 6 hours a day for 2 weeks. This will be interesting. She gets to study with some professionals that her studio brings in. She is very excited about mixing in a little modern and jazz with the ballet and pointe. I know she is going to be in some serious pain from doing pointe every day for 2 weeks though. I know she will tough it out though.

I hope everyone has a wonderful summer. I am so glad they are out of school and to be on a little less of a schedule. Until Monday, that is. I really didn't plan on everyone being gone next week already. That makes me kind of sad.

My 5th Grade Graduate

Isn't she pretty??

5th Grade Pool Party and Recital

It has been CRAZY around here for the last week, especially for me and Emma! We had the 5th grade pool party on Friday. I have been working all week with the other moms to help get ready. They got to miss 4 hours of school to go to the pool and celebrate. There was an awesome DJ, food, games, and a whole lot of dancing! The kids had a fantastic time. It makes me so sad that this is coming to an end, but they are definitely ready for middle school!


And then yesterday, Emma had her first Ballet Center of Houston recital. This was a definite change for us. It was a no-costume recital (they do costumes every other year). She also had 1 dance instead of her usual 7 or 8 she had at her last studio. Now that she is studying ballet only, it is a big change. However, she has come so far in her ballet in only a year. She was the most beautiful one (our unbiased opinion), and really stood out on stage. Her teacher told me she has been such a great addition to their class and really has given the girls a lot of competition this year! It brought tears to my eyes to see her. She has gone from being a really good ballerina to being GREAT!!!!

Wax Museum

Today at school the 5th graders had a Wax Museum. They each dressed up like a president (or their wife, daughter, etc.) and made a poster about their president. They had a push button on it, so when you walked down the hall and you found one you wanted information on, you pressed it and they gave a speech. It was pretty awesome. Emma had FDR, so she was Eleanor Roosevelt. Gosh I'm going to miss elementary school with her!!!!

Fishing Fun....

We took a much needed day of rest yesterday and headed out to PawPaw and Nana's ranch in Brenham. Everyone had fun fishing....except me :( Thanks again for putting a scum frog on for me, Dad. I guess I need to stick with a bobber and worm!!!

Happy Birthday Nicholas and Dylan

My sweet, sweet boys have grown too much. I cannot believe they are 8 today. Seems like just yesterday they were sharing a bassinet. Happy Birthday to my favorite boys on the planet. I love you!!!!