Big Day!

Yesterday was a very BIG day in the Conde household. Our new niece has arrived, and not in the "usual" way! Cathy and Leo are in China picking up Olivia, their newly adopted daughter. She is 2 1/2 and precious. We are so happy and blessed to have her join our family.

Also, Emma, Nicholas, and Dylan had their first day of school. Emma is in 7th grade and the boys are in 4th. It makes me feel really old to see how fast they are growing up. Time flies!

Summer Fun

I'm writing this post from beautiful Breckenridge, CO. We got here late last week and have been relaxing, enjoying the break from the awful Texas heat, and enjoying some quality family time. We took an amazing hike through McCullogh Gulch yesterday. We hiked up to a glacial lake between Mt. Quandary and Pacific Peak. Even Oliver joined us for the trek - he was amazing!! This morning I sent my man off fly fishing, which is a passion for him he doesn't get to pursue in Texas. It is a rare treat for him, and it makes me so happy that he can take some time to do it here. And, he looks so cute in his fly fishing outfit!!! We are getting ready to leave tomorrow for a few days of camping in Rocky Mountain National Park. The kids are so excited. Tent camping is not something we can do in Texas, so it will be a great experience for everyone. I'm truly excited about visiting the park - it is one stop in Colorado we haven't made yet. I can't wait to see the elk, moose, bighorn sheep, and whatever else we might see. We plan to do some fishing, hiking, and relaxing. I am so grateful for this time we have together, away from everything else. I will post pictures when I can.

World Series

The whole family had a blast at the boys' World Series in Sulphur, LA. The Warriors fell short at the end, but Nicholas and Dylan played some amazing baseball. It is amazing what they can do at 9 years old. The love they have for the game is something special. They had so much fun hanging out with their friends for the week at the hotel and the fields. Emma had fun with her friends too. I think she had one of the little girls on her lap for the entire time!! I'm almost sad that baseball is over for about 6 weeks, but we all need a break.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the most amazing father and husband anyone could ask for. Marcelo, you are the best!!!! We are so blessed by your love, generosity, and strength for all of us. We all love you more than you know.

Kid Pitch

This weekend the Warriors played in a kid pitch tournament for the first time. Prior to now it has been coach pitch. It was definitely a new experience! Nicholas got to pitch the 1st inning on Saturday, and the last inning and a half on Sunday. Dylan got in two-thirds of an inning in our last game on Saturday.

I have to say it is nervewracking to a whole new level to watch your child pitch! They lost all 3 games, but did very well for being a full year under everyone.

Can't wait until next year!!!!

Fun Weekend!

We traveled to Austin last weekend with the Warriors for a tournament. We had so much fun - it was a fantastic way to kick off the summer. The kids were so excited to be out of school, and even more excited to get away for the weekend. The team played well, but didn't advance very far :( However, we had a blast hanging out with all our Warrior friends. We took in a Round Rock Express game, which was a treat. Go Johnny!!!! We can't wait for the next out of town tourney in Louisiana. We are blessed to have a great team and a great group of families to spend so much time with.

Kamanawanaplaya

Here are some fun pics from Kamanawanaplaya (basically 6th grade Field Day). This was an extremely hot, but fun day. The kids got so wet and muddy that they were required to leave school in a trash bag :) They had a blast and it was fun to watch them all get messy and wet. I really enjoyed hanging with my tennis friends that also have 6th graders. It was a fun day for all. Emma is SO tired out!

Happy 9th Birthday to my babies.....

How Did This Happen???

Happy 12th Birthday to my sweet Emma. I cannot believe she is doing this to me! This makes me feel very, very, very old.

My how time flies......How did we go from this....



To this?

Second to None....

Ok....maybe they actually were second to another team :), but they are first in my heart! They were the runners up for their 8U Open league. Unfortunately, they lost the championship game on Thursday night, but they stil came home with some hardware, which is always a plus. We are definitely running out of room for all of these trophies!!

Also....Happy Jackie Robinson Day!

This is what Dylan told me as he left for school. All major league players wear 42 today in honor of Jackie Robinson. 42 is Dylan's number for that very same reason. He is very excited to wear it since Jackie's number was retired. Anyhow, Happy Jackie Robinson Day!!!

My Beautiful Kids....

Emma's Big Weekend

Emma had her Spring performance this weekend - she was Sneezy in Storybook and a flower for the garland dance in Sleeping Beauty. We think she should have been sleeping beauty.....but I guess we'll have to wait for that one! Anyhow, she had fun and we really enjoyed watching her!

Three in a Row!

I guess these are days for celebrating! Praise God - my mom has her last day of radiation on Wednesday! I am so grateful that her breast cancer is gone and that she is healed. God is good!!!

We are having a celebration tonight with family to say goodbye to her cancer. I am so happy and relieved. Losing one mother was enough - I am so grateful and blessed to have Susan recover and be healthy. My heart is full and overflowing with gratitude!

Congratulations to Susan on finishing out this chapter!

Happy Opening Day

It is back to back holiday fun in the Conde household. We celebrate Opening Day of the MLB every year in our house with a fun-filled, nutritious dinner. We have hot dogs, peanuts, cracker jacks, cotton candy, and popcorn for dinner. We are sitting here watching the Astros right now. Let's pray they have a better year :)!! It is cute to see how excited the kids get over traditions that have evolved around here. Happy Opening Day to everyone - hope your team won today!!!

He is Risen!

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace”- Ephesians 1:7

I hope everyone has a happy and blessed Easter! Take time out today to remember the sacrifice He made for us. We are looking forward to a day of celebration with family! Here is a sneak peak of the adorable Easter cupcakes we made.

Priceless

Bag of peanuts and bubblegum for the baseball park - $3.59

Shout Stain Stick to clean white baseball pants - $2.39

Coming from behind in the 6th inning to win the tournament and bring home the trophy - priceless!!!

Pudge Does it Again

Last night, Pudge hit his 2nd homerun in a game. This time it was a line drive he crushed and it went WAY over!!! To make it sweeter, the boy before him had just hit a grand slam, so it was back-to-back homeruns for the Warriors. Too fun!

He is starting his collection of homerun balls. Maybe they will be worth a lot on eBay one day after he goes pro :)

College Baseball Classic

We headed out yesterday afternoon to meet some friends from the Warriors to watch the College Baseball Classic at Minute Maid Park. We caught the tail end of the UH/Missouri game and then watched the UT/Rice game. We are a house divided - the boys donned their Rice apparel while Emma had her UT stuff on :) UT won 2-1 in the end though. The kids all had a great time hanging out and cheering on their teams.

Did I mention what awesome kids we have on our baseball team this year? And adults too. We end up spending so much time with families from the baseball team since they boys play so often. It has been a huge blessing to finally land on a team where we genuinely all enjoy spending time together and even choose to when we don't have to!

Wish the boys luck this weekend at our tournament. We play 2 games tonight and hopefully all day tomorrow :)

Another Prayer Request

A kindergarten teacher at the boys' school, Katrina Yang, has been diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia. Her husband has set up a blog to keep people informed of her progress. This has been a quick week for her as she was diagnosed this week and started chemo yesterday. Please say a prayer for healing and for minimal side effects as she begins treatment.

http://www.prayingforkatrina.blogspot.com/

Thankful Thursday

Today I have an overwhelming feeling of thankfulness. I am thankful for my family, and for our health. If you haven't done so yet, please check out Layla's journey and pray for her family. Short of a miracle, her time is dwindling. You will hug your kids tighter tonight!

http://laylagrace.org

I am thankful for my awesome husband and our marriage. I am truly blessed to be married to my best friend. So many around us are struggling with their marriages and it breaks my heart to see the end of these families.

I am thankful for the opportunities we have for our business. Although progress is slower than I would like, I know that we have success in our future. God will put it together for us in His timing, not mine!

I am thankful for each day, and for knowing that God has me in His hands. It is truly a gift.

Please Pray for Layla

http://laylagrace.org/

You can read about her journey here. Many of my friends know this family well. I've been following her journey for awhile now - time is running out. Please pray for a miracle!

The First of Many.....

My sweet, beautiful ballerina Emma got her first acceptance into a summer program yesterday. She had an audition with Joffrey Ballet. She was accepted into both their short and long summer program. Additionally, she received a merit scholarship to help out with the costs. We are so proud of this accomplishment.

We have decided to wait a year or two before sending her off for such a long time. However, it was an amazing accomplishment for her to even be accepted at such a young age. She did better than anyone else from her level at her studio, and really shined at her audition. Congratulations Emma!!!!

A Love Story

The boys had a baseball tournament this weekend. We sat through the freezing cold yesterday, but had a good day of baseball. For several weeks now, Nicholas has been SO close to hitting a homerun out of the park. I have been so afraid to miss a minute of a game, knowing full well that if I did he would finally hit one over.

Anyhow, last night he told me he was going to hit me a homerun for Valentine's Day. How sweet is that? He reminded me again this morning. And lo and behold - he did. I was so excited and proud - his first out of the park homer is a HUGE deal. He ran the bases, had his teammates waiting for him as he crossed home, came into the dugout with a wonderful smile and looked at me and said, see- I told you I'd hit you one! I love you Mommy!

I think this is the absolute best Valentine's Day present I ever have had. Perhaps Dylan can hit me one for St. Patrick's Day :)

Update on the kids

Emma - She is 11.5 now, going on 14! She loves to paint her nails, curl her hair, shop, dance, dream......what happened to our LITTLE girl??? She is extremely talkative, funny, vibrant, and intelligent. She is beautiful, on the inside and out. No one has a heart like our Emma. She is doing so well in middle school, both academically and socially. She is becoming the most beautiful ballerina, and really stands out in her class and in HRB.

Nicholas - What can I say about Pudge?? He is loving, cuddly (still - PTL!), inquistive, worries a lot. What happpened to our laid back boy? He is growing fast - he has about an inch on his brother. It is an incredible thing to see him play 1st base. He catches everything that comes near him and digs balls out of the dirt while chewing gum and watching games on other fields. You would think he wasn't paying attention if you didn't know any better. He still loves to eat, but it is a joy to cook for a boy who will eat anything - I mean anything. He is doing so well at school and baseball. And he still loves the ladies....but only the older ones. He is sure to be cougar prey one day :) He loves the cologne he got for Christmas - maybe a little too much!!!

Dylan - If he doesn't end up as a shortstop in the MLB he has a definite career as a stand up comic. This boy is just funny! We have no idea where he gets it from, but he has us laughing and laughing every day. He LOVES an audience. He still loves to read and does very well at school. He makes playing shortstop look like an easy task - it isn't! He played 3rd base for awhile yesterday and caught an amazing line drive - he just loves baseball! He is still obsessed with any sporting event he can catch on TV. Maybe he'll be an ESPN analyst if his first two careers don't pan out. He has no interest in girls, but they are going to love him!!!

Isn't She Awesome?

Happy New Year

We are back from our annual Christmas trip to Breckenridge to ski. As usual, it is hard coming home. It is our "happy" place, and I am so sad every time I have to leave. I will post pics from our trip when I get caught up!

In the spirit of the New Year, I want to share something.

Proverbs 4:25-27
"Look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; then stick to the path and stay safe. Don't get side tracked, keep your feet from evil."

I think as we enter the New Year, we all have goals and consider it a clean slate - a new start. My personal resolution this year is to take my decisions to God. I have to remember, no matter how much control I think I have, I am not in charge! I think, only with His help, can we keep a straight path. We all face decisions, forks in the road. I think we make things more complicated than they are. In my quiet time with God, I am trying harder to listen for guidance and stick to the straight path He has laid out for me. I am also reminded that so many trivial things make our paths crooked. We have so many blessings, and so much good in our lives, and we need to fix our eyes on Jesus as so not to get distracted.

I pray for all of you to have a blessed, happy New Year. Each day we get a new chance, a new opportunity at life. Take advantage of it. Life is precious and short, and only with His guidance can we live a fulfilled life.