3 Peanuts

Celebrate!

2012-01-30T10:40:00.001-06:00

There will be lots of photos here. I like to look back and remember the various people and ways we have celebrated Chinese New Year. Saturday night our good friends came over to celebrate Chinese New Year with us. As I mentioned before, Kate was beyond excited. She asked us every single day this week how many more days until Libbie comes over for CNY. She LOVES Libbie. She wants Libbie to be her sister!!! It is so cute.

Kate, Harry and I spent a few afternoons this week decorating the house ...

(yes, we have some overlap with some Valentine's decorations too)

The sun light was shining right on those tulips. If you look closely you an literally see the ray of sunshine!

The minute Libbie walked in the door, Kate handed her a red envelope. She could not wait.

Last year, Dave made some Chinese food but this year we ordered it.

And we ordered WAY too much!!! But it was so good and we had leftovers for dinner last night too:)

Libbie and Hoot tried chopsticks:)

After dinner, Kate, Libbie and Hoot did some art with some Chinese New Year stickers.

Then it was time for the Lion Dance. The Lion or Dragon dance is a Chinese New year tradition. But it scares the bejeezus out of Kate!!! Last year, she literally hid her face in Harry's lap and covered her ears the whole time. So, Kate had a very clever alternative. The other day, I was upstairs doing laundry and Kate made her very own dragon COMPLETELY by herself. I thought it was absolutely delightful. She told me that she wanted us to do our own dragon dance at home. And we did....

(Kate and her Dragon)

Harry did the drumming (and we had some traditiotnal lion dance music on my computer)

Look at that sweet smile of Libbie's!!

I have to insert here how much I LOVE my little girl's ingenuity. I love that she came up with a solution for a way to celebrate a part of her heritage even though she is terribly afraid of the loud public lion dances. It honestly never even dawned on me!

Dave and Steven (the Daddies) were such good sports and I think they might be a tad embarrassed of their participation.

Here is a video of our lion/dragon dance...

After the dance, it was time for fireworks! So at Christmas, Steven and Shelley gifted our boys a pack of firecrackers/works. Let me tell you....my boys LOVED them. They thought it was the greatest gift EVVER! Steven has some connections (all legal) and so he brought us some poppers. And since fireworks are actually a CNY tradition, we did a few poppers and sparklers.

Yup, Harry has matches in his hands. He was supervised.

We had such a nice night with our friends celebrating the culture of our daughters.

Sneak Peek

2012-01-29T15:33:00.000-06:00

I have been a terrible blogger lately. I have not really been on the computer much and I have not really taken any photos this month either. I apologize. I am working on tying up a lot of things in real life and I am exhausted. Today, I literally ache from head to toe but I am not sure what from.

Anyway, we had a GREAT Chinese New Year celebration last night with friends and I am working on a post of it but it might take me a day or two to get it up because I took a ton of photos and I like to really document our CNY celebrations. Here is a shot of Kate I took right before our friends came over...

We had been meaning to do a photo shoot all week in her silks and the weather was bad. Then yesterday the weather was beautiful but we had a lot to do and we forgot until about 10 minutes before our friends were arriving for dinner. We quickly drove to a close park and I snapped a few images. I love this one because Kate is being very "Kate." I cannot describe it but this photo is really her (adorable dimple, dry winter skin and all). She is such a happy go lucky little monkey. More soon.

Harry update and Kate and CNY

2012-01-25T09:22:00.000-06:00

So, I have been trying to put into words what happened at our appointment. And in a way, nothing really happened. I had done SO MUCH research on this disease. I even took a webinar on it last summer from a leading expert at the NIH. So, I knew all of the possibilities of Harry's case. Although I will admit that I was secretly hoping there was something I was missing. It is very complex.

The geneticist came in and asked us if we would be willing to let a hospital photographer photograph Harry (and us) for a brochure during the appointment. It will be used to try to raise money for the clinic. We agreed so Harry might be on the brochure for them which is kind of nice. It is good to help out.

But back to the appointment...she began by saying that she reviewed Harry's lengthy chart (he was had major GI issues wince the day he was born) and that based on everything she has read and seen she felt certain that he did not have NF1. I felt one second of joy.

She took a lengthy family history and talked to us for about an hour and then she examined Harry. And of course, she saw the marks. He has 5 or 6 (one is questionable) cafe au lait spots that meet the diagnostic criteria (size and shape) and axillary freckling (a distinct type of armpit freckling). The diagnostic criteria is 6 or more cafe au lait spots and axillary freckling (OR other symptoms that Harry does not have). She said he was a very "interesting" case because thus far he only has skin involvement in this disease. She vacillated back and forth between saying he probably does not have NF1 to saying he is "borderline." I knew all of that.

This is probably more than anyone is interested in but because I have had a few readers whose children are also going through this and some far away friends that want an update, so I am giving details. Also, at least two Moms e-mailed me that their children have similar skin involvement and our post has prompted them to get it checked out. Plus, I will have it for later reference. The geneticist did think it was worth doing the genetic testing either now or in a few years. We chose now.

If Harry has this disease, so far, the specialist thinks he has a more rare (and hopefully mild) case of it called segmented or mosaic NF1 which means that not all of his cells are involved. The good news is he would probably have a mild case and live a relatively normal life. Although this disease is so unpredictable one never knows. The bad news is that the genetic testing does not pick it up very well because not all the cells have the mutation. So, we could be left not knowing. And we need to know because he pass on the full blown disease to future children. The mosaic form only occurs in spontaneous mutations. If is is genetically passed on, the disease is full force.

So, we wait 6 weeks and in our case a negative test result will not mean he doesn't have it. It will just mean they could not find the mutation in that sample. There is one other very rare disease that causes this hyper-pigmentation as well. If the NF1 test comes back negative, they will run that test as well. So, we wait and see. I have complete peace about it now. In all honesty, I know in my gut he has it. I believe it is a mild segmented case. And I believe he is going to be absolutely fine. But I also think the genetic test will be negative. I have "met" many adults on the NF1 site that have had a false negative genetic test and now have some NF1 tumors. So, I know it happens. Medicine is not an exact science.

Now onto other things. This week is Chinese New Year and Kate is beyond excited. Seriously, it is all she talks about. She has worn her various silks to school every day. They have a uniform at school but her teacher is letting her wear them this week for her cultural heritage and Kate is so proud. We have decorated the house and we are having Hoot and Libbie's family over to celebrate this weekend. Kate is counting down the days. She loves her friend, Libbie.

I went into Kate's class to teach about Chinese New Year on Monday. We read books, made lanterns, brought dumplings and red envelopes with goodies. It was a lot of fun. Kate was confident and excited to share her culture with the class.

Here is a sneak peek of some of our decorations. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that Kate was more excited for Chinese New year than she was for Christmas morning. She loves it.

I have not gotten very good photos of Kate in her Chinese silks as we have had rainy and overcast weather all week. In fact, there are tornado and flash flooding warnings right now for today. I am NOT leaving my house today as I do not want to get stuck like I did last week. And I do not need more damage to my newly repaired car:)

Finally, please keep our friend Emme Jade in your prayers as she has surgery tomorrow to release a tethered spinal cord. I know Di and her whole family would love to be completely covered in prayer.

FYI

2012-01-24T10:34:00.001-06:00

I am working on a post but had to tell you that Kayce Hughes is on The Mini Social Today! I am so excited. I love her clothes but they are pretty pricey. Today, you can get her beautiful classic clothes for great prices. I got that white shirt for Kate (and she can wear it for her uniform) for $12 (it is usually $46)!!!! It is selling out quickly so head over to the Mini Social.

what a week...

2012-01-22T10:34:00.006-06:00

I know people have been checking in for an update on Harry's genetics appointment and I really appreciate the emails and prayers. I just have not had the time or energy to write it all out. And we did not get much new information to share anyway. It has been quite a week...Last week I got stuck (as many people in our city did) in severe flash flooding. There were cars quickly drowned in water. Literally, I saw a car floating down the street. I pulled over for a few minutes in the heavy rain and then all the roads were completely flooded in minutes I was stuck at Old Navy and Target for hours! At one point, I was in Target in the pitch black when all the power went out. It was kinda scary. I could not get home for 5 hours and I had to go through some high water. As a result of that and some other things, I had some big car repairs this week. Then we had Harry's appt. (which I just have not had the time/energy to compose my thoughts on yet but will very soon). I am also doing a cleanse for my health which has been good but somewhat challenging too. And finally, Will got hurt at a trampoline party place and ended up with 11 stitches in his gorgeous face! He is okay. His jaw is kind of swollen and sore but he is fine. He is not allowed to do swim team for a little while though. I guess we have to keep the stitches dry. I know it is vain but I am very concerned about the scarring. Any suggestions to minimize that?

Here are some quick snapshots.

He is getting a hair cut today:)

So, needless to say-- I am a little behind in getting things done around the house. I am going to work through my to do list today and I will try to post an update on Harry within a day or two. I also need to prepare for tomorrow. I am going into Kate's class to do a Chinese New Year lesson/activity. So fun! Happy Sunday!

I am kind of afraid to share this but....

2012-01-18T14:06:00.003-06:00

Last week I thought I was going insane. I was taking Kate to ballet and a woman (who was on the phone) in front of the studio said hello to me in the most warm and friendly way. She used my name and Kate's name and even hugged Kate. I looked at her and she looked familiar but I could not for the LIFE of me recall who she was or how I knew her. Luckily, since was was talking on the phone, I did not have to stop and chat with her. Mere seconds later (inside the studio) another woman who looked vaguely familiar also said hi to me by name. I give her a quick smile and hello before ushering Kate into her class. I immediately ran to the bathroom and locked myself in the stall for what seemed like at least 10 minutes while I tried to place them.

I could not remember who these two women were. I know I knew them but I could not place their names or where I knew them from. I literally had to go through questions like...

Do they go to our church?

Do they live in our neighborhood?

Are they from Kate's former pre-school?

I finally made the connection and they were ironically and coincidentally from the same place (Kate's Montessori school from 2 years ago). But the whole scenario freaked me out. It wasn't that I just could not recall their names...I had NO CLUE HOW I even knew them. I know that stress and not eating well (I had been eating way more carbs than I normally do) can effect memory but this one scared me. I am doing some things right now to try to "feed" my memory better and I will share about that in a later post. But I am wondering if anyone else has had things like this happen to them. I used to have the best memory. It is kinda scary.

Life is all memory except for the one present moment that goes by so quick you can hardly catch it going.

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS

Seek first

2012-01-17T12:53:00.000-06:00

I wanted to show you what Kate does during Mass sometimes.... Usually, she goes to her little Sunday school class but if they don't have class, she comes to Mass with us. And she has always been very well behaved in Church. I bring a composition book and a pencil and she draws and tries to sing all the songs. Often, I think she is not really paying attention to the readings or the homily but this week I was reminded that she does in fact listen. I glanced at her drawings this week and this is what I saw.....

I asked Kate who the little boy in her pictures was and I fully expected her to say "Habu" as he is one of her favorite subjects but instead she said, "Samuel." I repeated, "Samuel?" And she said, "yeah the boy they are talking about today in the book."

Here she drew him as if to be saying, "Speak Lord, your servant is listening."

Sunday's readings and homily were about how God does call each and everyone of us. EVERY single one of us is called by God to greatness. That makes us all so special. But do we hear the call? Do we listen? Do we ignore it?

I know that I sometimes hear whispers but fail to act out of plain fear. In fact, there is something God has been nudging me to do for a very long time now but I keep stalling because I am afraid of failing. My heart is racing right now just thinking about it.

One of the things our minister said this week was the way to hear God's call is to seek FIRST the kingdom of God. That really struck me. I thought about our life. Do we seek God's kingdom first in our daily life? Do I reach for the Bible first when I have time to read or the captivating and engrossing Steve Jobs biography I am devouring? Do I go to Bible study or surf the net? Do I stop to help a stranger in need or rush off to my next important "thing to do"? Am I living my life seeking the kingdom of God first. Probably not as much as I could.

The summer camp my kids attend has a motto First is Third (FIT). They teach the kids that if you put God first, others second and yourself third....you will always come out ahead. I LOVE that principle and my kids embrace it too. Our family needs to put into daily practice.

I am trying to remind myself each morning

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33

Just wondering....

2012-01-16T18:48:00.001-06:00

Why do the days when the kids are in school go by so quickly and these days off go sooooo

S L O W L Y??

Anyone know? Along those same lines...why do I have to wake the kids up for school but on the weekends they wake up on their own? and early too????

I am pouring myself a nice cold glass of ~~whine~~ wine and watching the Bachelor (I know it is terrible TV ...mostly I read my extremely fascinating book and glance up to be amused by the psychological train wrecks). Yup it's been one of those days. I'll be back tomorrow and I promise, I'll be more cheerful:)

What's cooking?

2012-01-13T19:38:00.002-06:00

First, thank you all so much for the prayers and support. It is truly unbelievable. Some of the comments and e-mails brought me to tears. Several people have reached out to us who have a child or a best friend or a relative with NF1 and I am so appreciative. I have not had a chance to get back to y'all but will touch base as soon as I have a chance. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will tell y'all know what the doctors tell us next week too.

So, I get in these cooking ruts. I am probably in one right now. I feel lazy and not much like cooking. And I have not been eating very healthy lately. And boy oh boy is my stomach paying for it today. I was up all night with an upset stomach. One thing I need to do is eat more kale so tonight for dinner I am having some soup and this kale and avacado salad. Mine is a little different but so yummy!

Do you know how good kale is for you? Amazingly good.

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Okay so in case you are in a rut too, here are some recipes I have tried recently and I think are very good (and healthy too). This chicken and rice soup from Two peas and their pod is so easy and so delicious. I LOVED it. The kids liked it too. They don't love soup they way I do but they tolerate it and this one was worth it. I could eat soups and salads everyday if the rest of the family wouldn't whine about it.

This beef and broccoli stir fry was also very easy and everyone really enjoyed it. In fact it got 2 thumbs up from everyone. It was delicious!!! I thought I took a photo of mine but I guess I did not. Kate, Will and Harry said this was better than our local Chinese take-out restaurant!

{I took this just before we served it over jasmine rice}

Last week Dave and I made this Thai Chicken Basil dish (above). It was FABULOUS!!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I added more mushrooms because we all love them and I added orange bell pepper for some extra antioxidant health. Make sure you get Thai basil and use a lot of it (Asian markets carry this). That and the coconut milk make this dish so aromatic. YUM!

(a note-- I am not a big fan of soy sauce as I do not think soy is good for us overall but 3 of these recipes call for it...so we either omit it, use organic gluten free soy sauce, or use reduce the amount. You can also make a soy sauce "substitute" if you are allergic to soy or gluten.)

I would love if you would share a link to a favorite recipe of yours. Let me know in the comments a new dish you have tried recently. I need to get out of my rut and back into a healthy cooking routine. Some of you may not know that I was diagnosed with MS for many, many years. I totally changed my eating habits and ALL of my MS symptoms disappeared. I do not have MS! I still slip into old habits sometimes but I saw this video recently and it was SO inspiring. Take the time to watch this video about health and food....you will be amazed. Food really is medicine.

Harry's illness {Part 2}

2012-01-12T22:41:00.001-06:00

{I just love the way Harry looks in this snapshot taken on Christmas Eve}

I have been living with this mostly under my hat for about 6 months. I did not want to talk to my friends locally about it too much for various reasons. Harry did not want to know much about the disease either. He knows he might have a disease and that these funny freckles/birthmarks are a sign of it but he did not want to know anymore than that. I was okay with that.

So, we did a brain MRI this summer looking for an optic glioma. It was clear. Thank the Lord. Thank you all who prayed. Then we waited to get in with some specialists. See, Harry is on the edge of a clinical diagnosis. He has 5 cafe au lait spots (CALS) that meet the criteria of NF1 and axillary (armpit) freckling. The diagnostic criteria is 6 CALS and armpit freckling or other things (2 of any of them). He is frighteningly close (one cafe au lait spot away basically and we just might not have seen them all yet as some are hard to see without a special light).

Monday, we had an appointment with an ophthalmologist who specializes in NF. He was looking for Lisch nodules which are kind of like freckles on the eye. Harry did not have any Lisch nodules which is GREAT news. The doctor told us that over 90% of kids with NF would have them by this age. Although the published literature claims 50% by his age so I am navigating all this information. Kate has been praying, "Dear God, please let them not find any freckles on Habu's eyes." God heard her sweet little prayers.

We are not out of the woods yet. See, there really are only two explanations for Harry's CAL spots and axillary freckling (migraines are a soft sign of NF too) and the other mutation is very, very rare. It is very likely that Harry has NF1 because of these two hard signs and the migraines and other soft signs. Hopefully, he has a mild case. I am not sure when we will now for sure.

So, next Thursday (1/19) Harry will be poked and prodded once more by a geneticist and some NF specialists. We will not have results for a long time. The NF gene is HUGE and apparently it is a challenge to find mutations. And this test is tricky. Harry's case is somewhat rare in that mostly one side of his body seems to be affected thus far and so the mutation might not be in all the cells, so genetic testing might not be the most accurate for him. If he has a "segmented or mosaic" form of the disease it is more difficult to find in the genetic testing. In other words, we might not have answers for a very, very long time. I have "met" a few people on the NF site who had all negative test results but do in fact have NF and did develop the tumors as young adults. There are a number of people out there like that. So, many people just play a waiting game which is so not easy for a control freak, planner type person like me.

I am posting this because I realized that there is a chance it could help someone else going through something like this. Already I have seen some connections and felt huge support from the first post and I am so grateful for that. I also joined a neurofibromatosis site last summer and I cannot even tell you how much some of the people on that site have helped us navigate these muddy waters. We learn so much from one another's stories and experiences. And not to sound disrespectful-- but the other Moms on that site (not me) know more than some of the doctors we have seen. They have read every single ounce of research there is and they live with this disease.

Also, we certainly could still use some prayers. Although we got great news on Monday about his eyes not being effected thus far, Harry had a very hard day. He cried a lot. He woke up at 3am from a nightmare. The appointment was tough and he is emotional about all this. And he is scared. I think the gravity of it all finally hit him.

I would ask that you specifically pray for Harry. He is terrified of needles and that poor boy has been stuck more in the last 6 months and we are not done yet. Please pray for healing and peace and clear answers. We also need the wisdom and discernment of the doctors. That would be great too. Thank you.

I do want to share one good thing that has already come from this (aside from all the prayer and support). A year or so ago, Harry and I were struggling. I even posted about it. We were in a bit of a rough patch in our relationship. I am not sure how we got in that rough patch in the first place but we have been so much better for a long time. But these last few months, we are even closer. He shares things with me and is vulnerable in a way he has not been for a very long time. He is more affectionate with me too. It is like he knows I have his back. He knows I am fighting for him. Maybe it is none of that and just a phase. Whatever it is, I am so grateful for how close we are right now.

Spring is in the air (shoppes)

2012-01-12T08:40:00.002-06:00

I will be back with Part 2 of Harry's story very soon and thank you for the compassionate comments and prayers thus far. A few of them had me in tears. Y'all are the best.

I have been on the lookout for Spring and Summer clothes at Zulily because Kate has gotten tall and she will need some new ones. Spring and Summer are what it feels like most of the year here! I LOVE what I saw today at Zulily and had to share.

Dresses are from Beary Basics and bathing suit is Marina West (13.99!) and perfect for 4th of July!

Harry's Illness {Part 1}

2012-01-11T15:22:00.001-06:00

{One of my favorite baby pictures of Harry. He was about 5 months old and had just learned to sit up. He was in the process of laughing and falling when she shot this. The Cafe au lait spot is visible there on his back.}

So I have alluded to some serious health issues with Harry. I have asked for your prayers (thank you for them). The other day, Harry gave me permission to share here what has been going on. Last summer, he underwent a ton of testing for stomach issues/food allergies. Ironically, a gastroenterologist noticed a large cafe au lait spot on Harry's back (you can see the spot in the photo above and another too). He asked us if Harry has any more and I quickly said no. I really did not think he had any more. Doctors have always noticed that birth mark and always asked and I always thought that was the only one.

But over the next few days, I noticed that he DID have a few more. And I had this gut feeling that we should ask more about it. I swear the Holy Spirit would not let it go. I just knew that I needed to ask the doctor why he asked about the spots. So, when Harry had some procedures with the gastroenterologist, I had Dave ask him about the spots (I did not want to seem like the crazy worried Mama). The gastroenterologist said, "well as long as he doesn't have any in his armpit or groin, it is not a big deal." I quickly said that Harry did not have any in those areas but Harry lifted his left arm and sure enough there were some in his left armpit. We had no clue. After Harry's procedure, the doctor came out and told Dave and I that we needed to see a neurologist to rule out a genetic disease called Neurofibromatosis 1. We were stunned. We were completely overwhelmed and terrified.

Neurofibromatosis is a genetic mutation. In Harry's case it would have been a spontaneous mutation that occurred while I was pregnant since Dave and I do not have it. There is no cure. There is no treatment. People with NF-1 typically get tumors called neurofibromas. They develop on the nerves. Some can be cancerous (10%). They can be very painful. They can be very disfiguring. They cannot always be removed. And if they are, they often return. This disease can be mild or it can be really, really awful. Actress Gillian Anderson's brother, Aaron died from an NF tumor this summer. He was 30 years old. Children with NF1 are 200-500 times more likely to get leukemia. There is no natural pre-determined course for this disease. Every single case looks different. There are a plethora of health issues that go along with this disease...too many to name.

When I found all of this out, my heart completely shattered. The thought of my sweet, little freckly, funny Habu having this disease about did me in. I was so sad for weeks. I would look at him and wonder what his future would be. I would look at him and wonder how many more pain free, tumor free days he would have as often puberty is when the tumors really develop. I went through all the stages of grief. And I prayed, a lot.

Then I realized that God already knew whether Harry had this disease. No amount of worrying or crying would change that. I suddenly felt more peaceful. Let me say that I did wallow in doubt, fear and pity for a few good long weeks. I have never doubted that God has given Harry some really amazing gifts. In fact, a woman sought me out at Mass last Sunday to tell me what incredible work Harry is doing on an anti-bullying committee at school. She went on to tell me how articulate Harry is and what a good leader he is and how good his ideas are. She looked right at Harry and told him he was special. This is the founder of an anti-bullying organization that met Harry at a meeting at his school. Anyway, I am digressing but I KNOW that God has big plans for Harry. For a while though, I wondered if this disease would change him. I worried it would defeat his spirit. But now I know that whether Harry has this awful disease or not, God will still have big plans for him. In fact, maybe this disease is part of the plan (although I really hope it is not).

To be continued....

I apologize for breaking this up into parts but it was emotionally exhausting to write it all and I need to do it in pieces.

Please pray for Miss Libbie. She had surgery today. I got to be there this morning before they took her back she was so cute and loopy from the meds. That Libbie is a trooper. I am going back up to visit Shelly and Libbie for dinner tonight. Love those girls!

Also, Cami is having surgery this Friday. I so wish I could be there to help them. They could use prayer as well. It is going to be a long haul for them.

Finally, thank you for all the kind comments on my 5 year blog anniversary. I loved reading every one. And I plan to make the rounds visiting all of you who have blogs over the next few weeks. I really appreciate you taking the time to say hello.

FIVE years {and almost 1000 posts!}

2012-01-09T17:47:00.005-06:00

Saturday, January 7th marked my 5th anniversary of blogging (first post here). And while it might seem silly to some of you to even mention it, I am feeling quite nostalgic. You see, I started this little blog just a month before we were referred our precious little Katie Ru. Our ONLY intent back then was to keep family and friends updated while Dave and Will traveled to China. Honestly, no one read 3 peanuts in the early days. I never, ever imagined that so many people would come here every day. I also never imagined that I would make such incredible friends. And I have. I have fabulous "real life" friends who I cherish dearly--- But I have also made some very special friends through the blog. Some of them I talk to several times a week! I see some of them on a regular basis. We have talked, prayed together, vacationed together, cried together and laughed a lot. They are my prayer warriors. They are my girls. They have become some of my best friends in the world. And I truly love them. Who would've thought?! Not me.

I have also made some very special bloggy friends who I will likely never meet but who bring me such joy through their comments and or posts. Of course, this blog has connected me to the most amazing people in the adoption community and that has been such a blessing! However, 3 peanuts has also connected me to amazing interior designers who take the time to say hello and comment graciously. I have heard from young single women who look to our family for things they want in the future. I have connected with talented women who cook and sew and do photography and I learn from ALL of you. I have met people "virtually" that I would have never been blessed to meet otherwise. And for that I am so grateful.

I have been blessed to learn that this little old blog has opened others hearts to adoption as well. A few people over the years have reached out to me to tell me so. How humbling is that? Another reader has reached out to me to tell me that this post and this one (about Harry's prayer table) started a journey for her and her family to go back to church! She has stayed in touch with me and really credits my little Harry with helping them trust the Lord again. How incredible is that?!

One sweet reader has e-mailed me to tell me how much a supplement that I posted about helped her ailing grandmother.

God has used this blog and used our family in ways that I would have never expected and I take no credit for at all. We are humbled to think that we might have helped others along the way because we are a very average family doing the best we can to get along (just like everyone else out in blogland).

So, I wanted to take a moment to THANK YOU....all of you who have read for 5 years or just a few days. Thank you for stopping by. Thank you for your kind comments and encouragement. There are days when it is really hard being a stay at home Mama to 3 peanuts. You know, we don't get a lot of kudos. But this blog has made it all a bit more bearable. I feel like I have a network of other women out there who have my back so to speak. So thank you. I am going to be around for a lot longer.

I would love if you would leave me a comment telling me something about YOU. I know from my stats that I have a lot of readers who never comment (and that is fine) but I would love to get to know more of you. Also, if you have any questions, leave them in the comments and I will answer them later this week (maybe in my 1000th post.)

"Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary."

Margaret Cousins

{P.S. This is my 991st post too (some are saved in draft as they are private). So, I am almost at 1000!!}

Apparently, it is another special anniversary. We adopted our schnoodle, Scout 5 years ago this week too!! Look how little she was! We love you Scout!

cute cute cute

2012-01-07T20:06:00.004-06:00

I had an hour or two to myself the other day and I perused my catalogs that had piled up during the week after Christmas. There are some cute things out there. These jeans from anthropologie look adorable in the catalog. I love a wide leg look. But I will confess, I have never spent that much in my life on a pair of jeans (and I probably never will).

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Wouldn't these loafers from JCrew look cute with those baggy rolled up jeans?

I love the orange but they come in black and a pretty gold too.

Speaking of shoes, I am loving these wedges for Spring....

source

I also spied some very reasonable and cute things at Old Navy.

source (comes in other colors too)

source

As for accessories, I am crushing on this necklace...

source

I am really drawn to orange right now and in fact bought a gorgeous tangerine Michael Kors purse at TJ Maxx the other day. I love it and it was a great deal too. I wish I could find an image for it online because it is gorgeous and I am too tired to photograph mine right now:)

I also just remembered that Pantone's color of 2012 is Tangerine Tango...so maybe that is why I am seeing so much of it out there too...

via pinterest

Buried and Kate's Violin "recital"

2012-01-04T11:01:00.000-06:00

I am fighting a sinus infection or cold that I cannot kick and mountains of paperwork. See last year I had it easy. I only had 2 schools amongst the 3 peanuts and only Kate had a new school. Now, I am buried under applications. Harry is in his last year at his school so we are applying to various middle schools. And Will is about to start high school so we are applying to those schools too. We are VERY lucky to live in a city with some AMAZING public schools. The beauty of it is that we have these great magnet schools and schools for gifted and talented kiddos that are all application only. The bad news is that there is a unique and complicated application process for each school. We are also applying to some all boy Catholic high schools. So, between 2 applicants and lots of options I am going crazy with forms, test dates, teacher recommendations, releases and transcripts. I am copying papers, filling out applications, writing essays (yes parents have to write an essay on why we think the school is a good fit!). Finally, I am hand delivering them to each school to be assured they are processed on time with all the documents. After all this work, I would hate for an application to be missing something and considered void. So, I might be missing around here for a few days. Luckily, I am seeing the light at the end of tunnel and hopefully the boys will have some good options to choose from.

{Note to self--- in 3 short years, Harry will be applying to high school and Will will be getting ready to apply to college...be more organized then!}

In September, Kate joined the strings program at her school. It is not ideal as they have a very large group lesson for about 45 minutes two times per week. I think they spend 20 minutes just getting the group in the right places and holding their equipment but nonetheless, it is good exposure. Also, the lessons take place during the school day so I don't have to drive her anywhere!!! And honestly, we totally drop the ball on practicing. I am so distracted by homework, daily swim team practice, judo, soccer and ballet that I never remember to tell Kate to practice. So, in sum, we are kind of shocked that Kate learned any violin this past semester.

In December, there was a little concert. It was very cute. There were two kind of hyper boys in front of Kate so it was nearly impossible to get a decent shot of her playing....

We videod Kate the day before her concert which was a good thing as we would never have been able to video at the recital...

VERY funny little story. At the end of the group performance, the teacher asked Kate to stand up for her "solo." Dave and I looked at each other in complete panic. We were not aware Kate would play alone. We would have made her practice more (see above!). Anyway, after a few scary moments (for us, not Kate), the teacher realized it was the other Chinese girl (who is NOT named Kate) that was supposed to have the solo. I do think it was funny that she confused the two Chinese girls. There is a lot more I can say about this but I won't.

And in case you were wondering where she gets all this musical talent (he he) from....

P.S. Dave has never played the violin but he plays the guitar and piano. He does help Kate though on the rare occasion she does practice. He might kill me for posting this.

Other options....

2012-01-02T14:58:00.003-06:00

{one of my favorite still life photos I have ever taken}

Last year, when I completed my reading of the Bible in a year...a lot of you were inspired to give it a try. A few of you have recently commented or e-mailed me that you did not make it through last year. That is okay. I get it. I did not read much myself last year. It is HARD to read the whole Bible in a year. I recently read that the hardest thing to do is crack open your Bible. So maybe we should leave them open on the kitchen counter or the bedside table? Anyway, while I know I need a plan (I had no plan last year), I also know that I am not ready to tackle the Old Testament again this year. Numbers about did me in.

So, I found some Bible reading plans that are much more do-able. I am doing a combination of Project 3:45 and Heartlight's plan which is The NT, Psalms and Proverbs. In Project 3:45 you read the entire New Testament in a year. Its name (Project 3:45) comes from the fact that most of the readings take about 3 minutes and 45 seconds to complete. This time varies a little but basically you read one New Testament chapter a day for five days a week. I like that. I think I can better contemplate the readings this way.

I also found the Bible Reading plan for shirkers and slackers. This is a great program for people who want to get through the whole Bible but who get stressed out if they fall behind. I printed that one out for Will and Harry to try. It gives you a suggested reading for various days of the week but there are not dates to feel pressured. You can download a PDF here.

I just wanted to pop in and encourage those of you considering a Bible reading plan to look out there for the one for you. I don't think there is a contest to see how much volume one can consume. Slow and steady wins the race. I think that just letting God's words wash over our hearts on a consistent basis is good. Even if it is only a few words a day. But pick a plan and print it out. Keep it on your bedside table or your kitchen counter. I promise it will change you in a really good way. And let me know how it does:)

Pare Down and Look Up

2011-12-31T12:46:00.001-06:00

I have been reading on a lot of blogs and hearing on the radio people choosing one word for the new year...a word to guide them. I tried really hard to think of one word. I prayed about my word. But you all know by now...I am wordy (see, I need to pare down). These words above kept coming to me. I could not get them out of my head. And it's true. I do need to pare down.

Although one very kind reader asked the other day if I lost weight (thank you Debbie), the truth is that in 2011, I gained 10 pounds. I am a small person and I don't think it is too noticeable. In fact, I was a little surprised at my check-up (we don't own a scale) but I am not happy at this weight/size. I am not sure how that happened but likely when we let gluten back into the house. I have been exercising a lot and I plan to pare back down to my normal weight by getting back to our old healthy eating habits. But that is only the start. I need to pare down everywhere. I need to de-clutter, pare down my spending (yes, you read that correctly, Dave), my activity and commitments, my overall stuff. I need to delete some of the 90 million photos on my computer. I need to simplify. I will be focusing my Lenten sacrifice on paring down again this year and I am so excited. I almost cannot wait for Lent.

The other thing I need to do is Look Up...To God. In 2010, I read the whole Bible. In 2011, I did not read the Bible very much. I noticed a BIG difference in who I was on a daily basis and I did not like it. If I keep my eyes on God, I am so much more focused on what matters in life. I am so much more grounded. I am a kinder Kim. I have a lot of work to do this year to get back on track. I hope you'll join me as I work on these things.

I was going to pick one photo from each month of 2011 and do a retrospect but I could not

"pare down" to just one so I am skipping that. I did find these though from New Years Day last year and I don't think I ever posted them. They are not very flattering photos of me and they are not completely in focus (which is probably why I never posted them) but I love the playfulness behind them. Harry or Will must have taken them for us and I am sure they hated us having a little smooch.

Looking at these photos..I realized that my hair is a lot shorter...maybe that 10 pounds is just my longer hair!? Ha-wishful thinking!!!

Happy New Year to you all. What are your goals for 2012?

You just never know

2011-12-30T12:14:00.002-06:00

how God will bring new friends into your life. This blog has blessed me with some very incredible friends (too many to list really)--- some long distance like Shana and Jen and Di and some locally. I remember when Denise reached out to me in Virginia promising not to be a weird stalker. We met on Halloween Day about 5 years ago. A deep friendship grew. Our families really enjoyed one another and we were so sad moving away from them. Then, a woman in the adoption wait reached out to me here in Texas. We met a few years ago but our friendship has really grown over the last year. And our whole family adores their whole family. Seriously, we feel so BLESSED to know them. Anyway, last night they had us over for a delicious dinner of seafood gumbo, shrimp and grits and a delicious salad. It was the best Southern comfort food you could imagine. And although we have spent a lot of time with Hoot's family, we had not been to their house. They have been to our house a bunch and we even went on a little out of town getaway with them. Can I just say we ALL LOVED their house. You can just feel the warmth and coziness the moment you step in the door. Shelley has this amazing eye for decor. I could not stop taking in every single detail. She has the coolest stuff everywhere. Seriously, as we pulled out of the driveway, every one in our family said how much they loved their home. Even my teenage son!

Hoot, Kate, Harry, Libbie and Will

I love Shelley's garland on her mantle and those nutcrackers!

Kate and Libbie are so cute together. They spent a lot of time drawing. We are all quite smitten with Miss Libbie. This little girl is something special. Nothing keeps her down. You should see her scoot around with that pink cast!

Their tree is gorgeous but the big hit was the train under the tree. It entertained everyone for a long time!

I love the looks on their faces:)

There was some tickling and wresting...

Libbie and Mr Dave

Kate hopped up on Stephen's shoulders...

She messed up his hair and poked his ears and LAUGHED!

Miss Libbie might have gotten a tad possessive and decided to take back her Daddy!!

How cute is she?

Hoot played a few Christmas songs on the piano. I started to sing along (much to everyone's dismay). But I could not help myself. He is really good.

Most of the time he was off building Legos with Will (which is why they are not in as many photos).

Thank you Shelley, Stephen, Hoot and Libbie for your friendship and for a wonderful evening!

Also, yesterday our fabulous nephew, Jamie took Will and Harry out for an afternoon of paintball. Jamie is 22 and in college and I am so glad that he takes the time when he is home to bond with the boys. He is really good to them. While the boys were off paint-balling, Dave and I took Kate out for Vietnamese Pho ( I LOVE it...Dave and Kate tolerated it). Then, we went ice skating. It was really crowded and Kate was less confident than she was this summer (and her first time). We skated for a long time and Kate would have kept going but I was worn out.

It was really crowded and you almost had to skate defensively to avoid the crazy kids. Dave watched and took photos and coached Kate too.

Love this shot:)

I wish there were a close and convenient place to have Kate take ice skating lessons. I also really have no clue how I could work into our bevy of activities but she sure does LOVE to skate.

On Christmas Day

2011-12-27T20:03:00.001-06:00

Again, I know there will be way too many photos in this post (probably even too many for my own Mom) but I love looking back over the years and remembering all of the tidbits.

Surprisingly, I woke up before the kids this year. They actually slept in and I almost woke them up:)

Kate and Harry waiting for Will. Dave made a little sign so nobody would peek in the morning:)

I always take photos of them coming down the stairs.

I LOVE the look of wonder and surprise on Kate's face!

Harry was thrilled with his new bike. He had completely outgrown his.

Santa left Kate one of Prancer's antlers. This is a family tradition. Years ago, Will informed us (on Christmas EVE!) that he would like one of Santa's reindeer's antler. Miraculously, Santa left one. A few years later, Santa left one for Harry (this photo below is Harry from 2006).

This year, it was finally Kate's turn.

Harry had to help her read the letter from Santa.

Mimi sent Kate a little pink shuffle with her favorite songs on it.
She is so cute singing around the house with it.

What Kate really wanted this year was an American Girl Doll...and Santa delivered.

She named her "Katie" and they have been completely inseparable. They are adorable together. The first thing Kate noticed though was that her clothes were "a little boring."

Luckily, Harry got Kate and her American Girl Doll matching leopard print dresses!
She also got some matching PJ's too:)

Harry LOVED his Wayne Rooney official soccer jersey. It came all the way from Manchester, England.

Dave surprised each of us with an original piece of artwork from a local artist when he was in Singapore.

Miss Jen sent Kate this FUN and sparkly bow. Kate could not get over it!!!

Will asked for some hip Ab*ercrombie clothes and these sneakers.

We had a very hard time finding these shoes but a guy named Will from Zappos helped us track down a pair at a different vendor. Love Zappos!

I got him a hamburger ornament as he is always on the search for the best burger in Houston!

Santa left me 3 peanut ornaments...how apropos!

So funny...Dave needed to break a bill at the grocery store so he bought Twinkies for the kids stockings. I would NEVER buy twinkies for them but they were SO thrilled.

Today, Kate said to me, "Mom, can I have my sparkie?" I said, "Your what?" You know that sparkie that Dad put in my stocking? She meant her Twinkie!

Harry got some fingerboard stuff too. He loves fingerboarding!

Will and his "sparkie."

Kate got a "fur real" puppy that is actually quite cute... She named her "Dumpling."

We though Scout would not like Dumpling but she is fine with her new friend.

In the evening Dave's brother and family came over for dinner.

Dave and I cooked beef tenderloin, ham, roasted asparagus with hollandaise sauce, roasted mushrooms with garlic and capers, caesar salad, twice baked potatoes and biscuits. Oh and I made this AMAZING cake from Southern living magazine. It was slightly time consuming (I did it over a few days) and mine is not as pretty as theirs but oh my goodness was it SO GOOD!!!! It was definitely worth the effort.

White hydrangeas and peonies. I did the table-scape in all silver (mercury glass) and white.

Kate and I glittered the place-cards. That was fun!!

So here is the Southern Living cake....

And here is the one Kate and I made.....

We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus.

Had to pose for some family photos:)
The Cousins (above)

It was a GREAT Christmas. I missed my Mom and sisters but got to talk to them. It is hard living far away. I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas. I have been lounging around in sweats watching movies with the kids and eating popcorn and drinking hot chocolate (and eating that cake--I will have some pounds to shed come January!).

I want to take this opportunity (if y'all are still reading) to thank each and every one of you who pops in every day and those of you who leave such kind comments throughout the year. I am very grateful to you all.

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-26T10:44:00.004-06:00

If you are bothered by an onslaught of photos, you might want to click away:) This is my family scrapbook and I document tiny details. We have all these silly little traditions that we do around Christmas Eve and day and I document them like crazy. Having a 9 year age gap between Will and Kate has made me see how fleeting childhood is and it makes me want to hold tightly to each and every moment.

One thing I did not photograph on the 23rd but I want to journal (so that I remember) was our annual "looking at the lights." Last year, it was not good. Kids complained and fought. This year, I had an idea to drive through Chic fil a and get dinner to eat as we drove around looking at the lights. That was a good idea. Kids cannot correct one another and argue when they are eating. Unfortunately, they ate quickly. There is one neighborhood near us that is like nothing you have ever seen. The homes are decorated so beautiful and so uniquely. They are almost all professionally done and it is quite beautiful. I usually bring my camera but this year I did not and I am so sorry I didn't. One man had his miniature shetland ponies out on his lawn and Kate and I went up to see them. Santa was at another home and Harry and Kate were so excited to see him. They hugged him and told him what they wanted for Christmas. Kate was so animated and giddy...I sure wish I had a photo:(

This is the house where Santa was...apparently I took a photo last year even though we did not stop there to visit him!

Okay, onto Christmas Eve... we go to the early mass on Christmas Eve each year. We need to get there an hour early to ensure a seat but my children are so used to it that they are very good about it. Before we leave, I always insist on a few photos.

{Harry likes to take a photo of us too--he is a budding photographer}

Our after Mass tradition used to be pizza since I cook a big breakfast and dinner on Christmas day and we all LOVE pizza. But as you know for many years, we were not allowed to eat pizza...so we changed it up and went out for a very formal meal for a few years and one year we made our own gluten free pizzas (although we all got tummy aches). Well this year, we were given the green light to add pizza back into our diets. Will was very upset as he prefers the fancy dinners out. But I think the rest of us were glad to return to an old tradition.

After dinner, we changed into our Christmas jammies. Our mischievous elf (Happy) took down our stockings and put dishcloths up....

so we had to hang our stockings by the chimney with care...

After stockings, each peanut gets a gift to open.

Kate gets an ornament and this year, she got ballet slippers.

After years of looking on-line and in stores for a Judo nutcraker, I finally found this. Technically, I think it is a Karate one but we are calling it a Judo nutcracker for Harry....

Will likes a TV show (that I do not like) that has to do with hippes...hence his nutcracker this year.

Next up, we read Twas the Night before Christmas and the story of Jesus' birth...

We had some good laughs this year. The kids got a kick out of the way I pronounced "Twas."

Kate looks really interested, huh?

Dave reading the story of the birth of Jesus. He is saying "Hark!" here.

Kate loving on Habu...

Then it is off to bed for the kiddos so Santa can work his magic...

Love these XO tags (West Elm--free!)

There was a lot of sliver glitter in the wrapping this year. I do love glitter:) Will did NOT like it at all. That's a teenage boy for ya.

I will post about Christmas Day soon. Harry wants me to take him shopping---SHOCK! Santa bought him a nice shirt and Harry decided that he needs some new clothes now. So we hope to hit a few sales. He does need clothes. I am just thrilled he wants to wear something that is not a nylon sports jersey!!!

Hope y'all had a fabulous Christmas!

For those of you who followed Karen and Cami's story...you MUST see this...they are HOME! Have tissues ready!

Karen and Cami's homecoming on the news

Our little Sugar Plum Fairy

2011-12-24T08:27:00.001-06:00

The peanuts have already been out of school for a whole week for Christmas break. Kate's little ballet school was offering a Barbie Nutcracker Camp from 9-12 for four days last week and she begged me to sign her up. Knowing that I could use a little of that time for Christmas errands, I agreed. Kate just loves to dance and she loves the nutcracker music...she hums it all day long. The girls had a little performance on Thursday.

Kate is in the all pink dress. Her hair was up in a beautiful bun when I dropped her off but all her dancing around makes for messy hair, I guess:)

We were in the back and there was a large male head in front of me...so I did not get any good shots....

One morning before camp, she was dancing around in front of the tree...

What a goofball!!!

I always feel nostalgic around the holidays but I would give anything to freeze these kids where they are right now. I don't want them to grow up:) I love all the childhood wonder and magic of Christmas. I LOVE Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Be back afterwards to share our annual traditions:)

I hope that you all enjoy the miracle of Christmas with loved ones. Thank you for all of your kindness throughout the year. Even though I blog predominantly to preserve family memories, I love this community and all that each of you has to offer.

The Christmas Cookies

2011-12-23T08:35:00.001-06:00

So this was a big tradition in my family growing up. We made Grandma's butter cookies every year. And while they are not that pretty, they are DELICIOUS!!! We have not made them since 2007 due to the boys food restrictions for all those years but we were able to make them again this year!!!

Here is one of my little bakers all set to go....

Dave hand mixes the dough in that big stainless pot. You have to be strong to mix it!

We use the cookie press my Grandma sent my Mom. It is at least 45 years old....

(I just noticed that I have Kate's bracelet on:)
Someone asked about my nail polish...it is Essie Cocktail Bling. Got it at Target and get tons of compliments on it.

Isn't this platter cute? A friend made it for us a few years ago in Virgina.

My Christmas Decor is below. I am trying to catch up on my blog posting.

Christmas Decor {updated at bottom}

2011-12-22T14:34:00.001-06:00

I have not been a good blogger. I learned something this year. No matter how organized you are--no matter how early you THINK you are getting your cards out and your shopping done-- December will always be CRAZY busy and you will never have time. And then, just when all the shopping and wrapping is complete, your husband will leave a list of gift ideas (for him) on the kitchen counter on December 22nd (even though you asked for this over a month ago)! I am not a December 22nd shopper people! Seriously, I am a little bit sad. I tried so hard to get things accomplished (and I did) so that I could just relax with my family and enjoy life and guess what...it is not happening so much. Anyway, I am SO behind in things I want to post about but here is a peek at our decor this year. I have not photographed it all but here is what I have....

{my office}

{hallway}

Some of my mercury glass collection...

I know mercury glass is all the rage now but I have been collecting it for a very long time. In fact, it kinda bugs me that it is everywhere now.

Oops... how did "happy" the elf sneak in there? Naughty elf riding the camel in our nativity!!!

one of our giant glittered pinecones:)

{family room}

{guest powder room}

I cannot wait to photograph the dining room and table scape for Christmas but I want to wait until I have the fresh flowers for the table. It is still too early for me to buy them. Also, I have some decorations in the kitchen but I did not really photograph it. Hope y'all are enjoying the last few days before Christmas!

Last week I won an antique German grainsack tree skirt from Kym at A Beautiful Mess on the Willow Decor blog. It arrived today and I immediately put in on our tree. LOVE it. Thank you Kym!! And thank you Gina for hosting the giveaway.

Did you see that Kate snuck two on her homemade decorations onto our silver and white tree;)

Teddy Bear Tea 2011

2011-12-20T14:06:00.000-06:00

I took Kate to the Teddy Bear Tea again this year. The children bring a new Teddy Bear to donate to the local area women's shelter. This Tea is such a special holiday tradition. I took Will there when he a a lil chap too. This year we went with our friends, A and E.

The tea is packed with fun for the little ones. First, the Ice Princess greets the guests and gives them crowns and wands (she remembered us from prior events and gave us an extra crown and wand for a special friend.)

The little girls sipped their hot cocoa and ate finger sandwiches while we Moms had tea and sandwiches too.

I love Kate's lil pinky ;)

The girls got their face painted...

There was an old fashioned marionette show of Twas the Night before Christmas....

A teddy bear (that Kate's historically was afraid of) who was dancing around making them laugh...

The girls colored t-shirts, decorated cookies, had a limbo contest and there was a Magic Show.

The Ice Princess adores Kate and chose her and her good friend to have a fun part in the magic show. Our girls had SO MUCH FUN! Look at those laughing faces!!

Miss Kate even took a little bow;)

We had such a nice time.

I really cherish these time with my kids because they grow out of this phase so quickly. I know that Kate and I probably only have another year or two of the Teddy Bear Tea.

A Christmas Party

2011-12-18T17:23:00.004-06:00

Dave and I decided to take a year off from hosting our big Christmas party and I am so glad we did. I honestly cannot imagine if I had added one more thing to my plate this week. However, my friend and neighbor decided to have a party this year and it was last night. We had a great time. It was nice to be the guest and not the hostess. I was not planning on buying a dress (trying to save money and all) but I fell in love with this dress at the last minute. It screamed Jackie O or Audrey Hepburn to me. I had the perfect very pointy black satin heels and a fun ivory cocktail ring. I was feeling very 1960 and very "Chicago-ish."

{Dave wore a navy blue blazer to the party but did not have it on for the photos}

When we got home, I peeked in on Kate to see if she was asleep. She said, "Mama, did your friend say anything?" I said, "Say anything about what Kate?" She said, "Like did she tell you how beautiful your dress and coat were?" I replied, "Oh yes, sweetie she did." Then she asked, "Mama, were you the most beautiful girl at the party?" I could not really answer that as everyone looked beautiful but Kate sure made me feel like the most beautiful mama at that moment in time.

Christmas Card 2011

2011-12-17T08:51:00.000-06:00

Thank you!!!

2011-12-15T16:48:00.001-06:00

Thank you so much to those of you who have gone over to leave Karen an encouraging word or words. I cannot than you enough. My husband also traveled to China without a spouse when we adopted Kate and from what I hear, it is an extremely emotionally and physically draining thing to do. And our circumstances were totally different. Anyway, please continue to visit her blog and leave her some love. I wish I had a moment to post video or photos of all that is going on here but I have not had any time. I was up at school ALL day today. I work tonight and I am up at school all day tomorrow again. I do feel very blessed that I can be at all the school activities this week but I have some major blog post catching up to do this weekend and/or next week:)

I guess I could show you just a few photos. Remember a few weeks ago, I asked y'all for some pine-cones? Well last weekend, we painted them white and silver and glittered them. We have hung some on the tree and placed the others around the house. They turned out SO beautiful!!! Thank you if you sent me some:)

We put on our messiest clothes and it was a good thing we did!!!!

Like our glittered manicures? Maybe we should have worn gloves?

Somehow Kate got silver paint on her face and in her hair!

We had a lot of fun and I love my very sparkly pine-cones. They glisten unbelievably!

A picture is worth a thousand words...

2011-12-14T12:26:00.001-06:00

I only have a second but I wanted to share with you that our friend, Karen has her daughter, Cami!!!! In case, you missed the story, Cami was severely burned as a young toddler and has been an orphan in China for the past seven years. Our amazing friends are adopting Cami and bringing her home where she will have surgery to be able to live a life full of love! This story is one of faith and love and God's grace.

These are the most beautiful photos of pure love.

You can follow Karen's blog here. Please pray for them and go leave them some love in the comments. Karen is traveling by herself and I know she could use some encouragement:)

So crazy {and some Christmas Past}

2011-12-13T10:26:00.001-06:00

I am running around so crazy this week doing things up at Harry and Kate's school. There are concerts, parties and field day! And I volunteered to do an art lesson for Harry's class (which I am very nervous about). I am also posting for my friend Karen while she is in China adopting her daughter, Cami. You can follow her journey here. Please pray for them this week. And thank you for your support of prayer and finances for their family!!!!

Anyway, I don't have time for a full post but I came across these photos from 2007 and they made me smile. I love reading with my kids on Chrsimtas Eve.

Look how little the peanuts were! Look at Kate's chubby lil baby cheeks. This was her 1st Christmas in our family. I promise a real post soon:)

2011-12-09T11:37:00.002-06:00

I was planning on posting a few snappies of our Christmas decor today but I have had killer sinus headaches 3 days this week (today included) so I don't have photos ready. I also have some of my Christmas decorations "visiting" a dear friend whose home is on a Holiday Home Tour this weekend. Her house is amazing! So, I am going to wait and post my stuff next week. If you want to see some great holiday decor though several of my bloggy friends are featured on this virutal holiday home tour.

In the meantime, feel free to read my birthday letter to Harry that I posted last night (last post). We gave him his gifts and went to the 59 diner for dinner and a milkshake. It was such a nice night. The 3 peanuts went off to play some games with quarters and Dave and I looked at them happily skip through the restaurant and we just smiled at each other with that knowing look that Life is Good.

Here is Harry opening his gifts from us.

I found him a judo card...

Kate gave him a ramp (sorry for the blurry photos) it was low light and I was shaky.

LOVE these photos of Harry and Kate together.

We all got him some small finger boarding stuff. I even spent some time on the sites learning more about it and getting him some tiny surprises. He was so overwhelmed with his gifts that he actually shed some tears of joy. It was quite touching.

Happy Birthday Harry!!!

2011-12-08T17:29:00.002-06:00

Dear Harry,

Today you are 11. I am so happy for you but a little sad for me. I love every freckly little bit of you so much right now that I don't want a thing to change. And I know it will. Next year, you will go to middle school and you will not want me to bring you buffalo wings at school for your birthday lunch. You will be too old to have me bring doughnuts for your class and to get a birthday gram delivered to your classroom. In fact, I bet you might even be embarrassed of me in middle school:(

We have had our ups and downs, Harry. We are both middle children so I get you. You were kinda angry at me for a while after we adopted Kate. You had some tough days. Our relationship got a little off track. I shed a lot of tears about that. Then, I worked REALLY hard at getting us back on track. And now we are. I love our relationship. You are my buddy.

You are a lot like your Dad in some wonderful ways. You like to help others. He is a helper too. You were an amazing help when Dad was away for 2 weeks. I really counted on you. You are also very sensitive to how others feel. Today, you were allowed to invite a few boys to eat wings with us and you were very concerned about leaving a friend out or hurting someone's feelings. I love that about you.

You are creative and entrepreneurial. You are always taking up some new hobby (diabolo, skateboarding, finger-boarding, duct tape art, antiquing, etc). You always approach these endeavors with 110% enthusiasm and effort. You learn as much as you can and try as hard as you can. You will do very well in life as an adult. Dad and I have no doubts about that.

You are a fabulous big brother to Kate. You make up all sorts of little games for her to play. You teach her things. You calm her down when none of us can. You even put her to bed when we have a baby sitter. She thinks the absolute world of her "Habu" and I know you will always take care of her.

You are a good friend. I love watching you at school. You are a natural leader and you always include others. One of my proudest moments as a Mom was last year when you got a new boy from Poland in your class. On his first day of school, you invited him to sit with you at lunch and as team captain you picked him first to be on your team at recess. You did not even know if he knew how to play soccer (although he turned out to be quite good). You did not care. You were making him feel welcome. That is exactly the kind of person I hope you will always be!

You have a huge heart for God and that shines through in all you do.

You are special Harry. You touch people. Not a week goes by that a parent, coach or teacher does not tell me how much they like, respect or admire you. That is not normal. One of your teachers said to me once, "He has no idea how truly special he is." And I agree. You have this amazing charisma, compassion and leadership but you are incredibly humble most of the time. I know God has big plans for you!

When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required. Luke 12:48

As I reflect today on your 11th birthday, I feel immense pride to have you as my son. You make me proud every single day by the way you treat others. I love you very much, Harry.

Love,

Mom

{I realize this sounds like I am gushing. And I am. Harry and I are very close right now. I have seen him handle some pretty tough things this year and I have so much respect and love for him.}

A few of my favorite things {part one}

2011-12-07T09:33:00.004-06:00

A couple of times a year, I post about things I really like. And this is gift giving season so I am doing a two part series. Any of these would make lovely Christmas gifts for your loved ones.

I LOVE these colors and this nail polish! It is a bit spendy but the colors are gorgeous and it does not have the harmful chemicals of most polishes. And it is very durable. These are the two colors I have so far and I love them both.

Teddy Girl

Yummy Mummy

If Santa were to bring another color for my stocking (they sell it at Ulta too, Santa --on Richmond and Sage). I am crushing on Lady Muck and Cream Tea! Actually I don't think Santa even reads my blog anymore but I digress....

Okay this next one is a HUGE favorite of mine. I LOVE this Prosecco. Our Whole Foods has it in stock all the time and it is only $10!!!! Put some pretty ribbon on the bottle and you have a great hostess gift. I always have a few bottles in the wine frig for an afternoon happy hour with the girlfriends. It really is my drink of choice if I am imbibing (which I don't do very often). In fact, I am bringing it to a Christmas Party tonight:)

The next thing on my list is these skinny jeans/jeggings type things. Okay, I SWORE I would never wear these as I do not have the best thighs and tush (and I have gained a tiny bit of weight this year). But Old Navy Rock Star jeans/jeggings (hate that word) do ROCK! I love them. They fit well, they flatter and make me look thinner than I really am and they are comfortable too. And the price cannot be beat. I am wearing them here (you can see them best in the last photo with Santa). You can even get them in a pretty deep red or corsica blue which are very on trend right now.

I saw these darling Tory Burch slippers yesterday and they are so cute and comfy. I don't have them but I think they are so cute. It is not cold enough here to wear slippers more than a handful of times a year but if I lived somewhere cold, these would be at the top of my Christmas list. And they come in glittery gold, hot pink and camel!

I cannot usually wear scents. Most scented lotions or perfumes give me a migraine. However, at Thanksgiving my sister in law smelled so good and fresh. She told me that she wears Kiehls Original musk. I was afraid to buy it because of my history with headaches and scents so she gave me the last bit of a bottle she had and I have been wearing it ever since. I need to go buy some this week. It is light and pretty and clean. And I think it smells even better as the day goes on.

I was addicted to this last winter and would run up to my local Starbucks every Monday night to get one. Now I don't have to leave the house. You can buy this at Target and some grocery stores. I think it is best with either warm skim or 2% milk. YUMMY!

And my last favorite thing on this post is cedar garland. I absolutely LOVE it. I sometimes hesitate to get it because I think it makes our allergies worse but I love it so much. I have been searching for faux cedar garland but have not found any. These few holiday images are from pinterest and some I have had on my computer for years.

P.S. I am SO honored and excited that Eddie and Jaithan featured my wreath on the Eddie Ross blog today. The blog world is so neat. People you look up to and admire can treat you so graciously. Thank you Eddie and Jaithan!

Please share with me in the comments one of your favorite things.

The true Spirit of Christmas

2011-12-06T09:13:00.003-06:00

UPDATED:

One of my incredibly generous friends just blew me away with her generosity and donated the remainder of the adoption agency funds needed. I love you friend. You are AMAZING!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!

You can can still donate to help offset medical and travel costs if you wish.

We have some incredible friends and many of them are facing what seems like impossible situations. Each one inspires me in different ways. In fact, I was telling someone about a serious medical issue our family is experiencing yesterday and she commented on how calm and accepting I seemed. I immediately told her "Well, I am surrounded by brave people doing incredible things and that humbles a person quickly."

One incredibly faithful and brave family we know is really following God's call. Karen and my husband, Dave have been friends since high school. They have remained friends for all these years. She was one of the first people he introduced me to when we first started dating. And honestly, I was a little intimidated by her back then. She was a successful, smart and beautiful business woman jet setting around the world. I was a new professor fresh out of grad school. Anyway, I have seen Karen transform. I am no longer intimidated by Karen but I am certainly inspired by her and all that she does.

She is now a believer and married to a wonderful man and she is a mom to 4 almost 5! She is a step Mom to Doug's older children and she and Doug have adopted Becky and Katie from China. They are about to take a 3rd trip to China to bring home a VERY special 9 year old girl. Cami was severely burned and then found in the streets of China with no family. Her burns are so bad that she cannot open and close her mouth to chew properly and the skin under her eyes is tearing. She is badly disfigured from her burns according to her chart. She needs immediate surgery. Most people would be very hesitant to adopt a child with such needs. But Karen and Doug see beyond the burns and the surgeries that Cami needs. God specifically showed them Cami and led them to adopt her. They have a lot on their plates already as their daughter, Katie also has some special needs and many people would walk away. But they are following the call and bringing Cami home to be a part of their family. I cannot tell you what an inspiration they are.

{This is Cami. I cannot wait to see her blossom in their love!}

Karen leaves on Sunday to bring Cami home and they need a little more money to finish the adoption. They are a little over a thousand dollars short of what they need. I get 1500 or more hits a day on this blog and I am thinking if y'all gave just a dollar or a few dollars or whatever you can give...YOU could be a part of this miraculous story. You could help Cami come home to a loving family. This is what Christmas is really about....giving to others as God gave his only son to us.

You can make a donation by going to their site Casa De Alegria and you will see the donate options on the sidebar OR you can go directly to the agency site to make a tax deductible donation.

Regardless of whether you can help with a donation or not, PLEASE pray for Karen as she makes this journey of a lifetime. Please pray for Cami as she adjusts to a new life and multiple surgeries. You can only imagine the emotional scars that run even deeper than her physical scars. Cami's story has taught me that no matter how tough things might seem, there is always hope. You can follow Cami's story here.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philipians 4:13

I finally did it!

2011-12-05T09:30:00.005-06:00

After coveting (really coveting and I know it is a sin) Eddie Ross' vintage ornament wreath for a few years, I finally made my own. Seriously, I had this photo in my files for years and I would look at it all year long. I just loved it. Making the wreath was pretty easy but gathering the materials was not. As soon as I saw this wreath in 2008, I began looking in antique stores (after Christmas) and on-line for just the right vintage balls. In fact, that is how I ended up with my vintage silver tree last year. So after finally buying enough balls on e-bay and in shops, I made my wreath. And I love it!

My dining room table looked like this for a few weeks as the boxes came in and I decided which ornaments to use and which to keep for other things.

I got so excited over each old ball. I love their age, patina and imperfections. I see incredible beauty in each and every one. I think I was driving Dave crazy showing him each one and imagining their story. I would look at them, smell them and imagine the homes they have lived in. I know I am a little whacky, right? Look at them...

Aren't they beautiful?

And here is my wreath....

It was night time and this is in a long hallway so the lighting is not great. If we get some natural light this week, I'll take more photos because honestly these do not do it justice.

If you want to make this wreath, here are my tips:

Search E-bay and Etsy for vintage shiny bright balls. They are most available this time of year but bidding can be fierce. I am not a big e-bayer but I won some auctions by sitting at my computer for the final seconds. I had good luck on Etsy too.

Look at estate sales. That is your best bet for low priced boxes.

Go to antique mall type places that have lots of booths. Prices are high but you can see what you are getting. Some of the ones I got on E-bay were not as good once I saw them in person (size or color).

You MUST hot glue the tops of the balls (see Eddie Ross). Otherwise you will break these very fragile and expensive balls. I only broke one and that was from dropping it. I worked on bubble wrap on my table.

Have a second person (a strong husband works well) and some good clamps or pliers to finish the wreath.

Get thick beautiful ribbon. It makes a difference.

I will show you the rest of our Christmas decor this week.

Happy Monday:)

The Nutcracker {Sunday Snapshot}

2011-12-04T09:13:00.002-06:00

Last June, when the Houston Ballet put the banner for the Nutcracker up downtown, Kate saw it and started campaigning for tickets. Kate would ask to watch the Youtube videos of it. Kate loves ballet but I was waiting for her to really be old enough to appreciate the Nutcracker. This year was the perfect age.

Let me say that this was a day I hope to never forget. Kate wanted to get very dressed up. So we did.

I love my little dumpling SO much!!!

We had fun getting some shots before we left. I really need to learn to make collages on here.

After that, things went a little down hill... We had reservations for brunch downtown before the show but the address of the restaurant on the website was incorrect and Kate and I were circling a very dodgy part of downtown trying to find an address that did not exist. I was getting panicked. Finally, I called Dave and he called the restaurant and guided us there on the phone. GPS was no help. We were a half hour late for our reservation but a mimosa for me and a Shirley Temple for Kate quickly remedied our frenzied state.

Kate LOVED her stuffed french toast.. She is a delightful dining companion. We had such a nice time eating and chatting.

Then we rushed out to the theater....we had awesome seats. Since I bought the tickets in June, I had great options. I chose the first row in the center stage loge box. So we were up a bit and Kate could see everything. I have sat in the orchestra before but you see so much more from up above a little.

So the BEST part of the show was watching Kate and hearing her. She oohed and ahhed the WHOLE time. As each dance number began, she would literally GASP out loud in joy and amazement!!!. She would say repeatedly how beautiful the dancers and costumes were. I had to remind her to use a "whisper voice" as she was so in awe of all the beauty. She was so happy and literally soaked up every second of the beautiful show. I looked around at some other little girls who looked completely bored and felt so lucky that Kate really embraces life and is so expressive. I really don't know how to describe how much she loved this ballet. Her face was glowing the whole time.

In fact, since we were running late with the whole restaurant address debacle, we did not have time to use the restroom before the show. I had to go during the first act but Kate would not leave. She said, "I don't want to miss one second, mama!" She told me to go alone!

At intermission we got to see some of the performers....

I also bought Kate her first Nutcracker to remember the show. She could not put it down all day (and broke a piece of it as a result). She also went right to her room, put on Nutcracker music and began dancing. She wants to try out for the show eventually.

I know these shots are awful but my memories are beautiful from this day and I want to preserve my memories. I am so disappointed in our point and shoot (Nikon coolpix). It it awful. Anyone have one they love?

You can see other Sunday Snaphots here...

Dear Abercrombie and Fitch

2011-12-03T09:11:00.003-06:00

My 14 year old son likes your clothes. And I have to admit that I agree. They are nice and hip. He looks really good in them. But I can barely stand to shop in your store. It gives me a migraine! The music is SO loud that I cannot even hear myself think. Yesterday, I needed to ask your salesperson a question about sizes and I had to SHOUT at her. Even then, she could not really hear my question. I feel sorry for your employees because I have no doubt they will suffer permanent hearing loss as a result of all that ridiculously loud music.

Let's talk about the lighting. It was so dark that I could not see the price tags. Maybe that is why you have it so dark in there but I, for one like to actually SEE what I am buying. One thing that made me grateful for the poor lighting was the very provocative images on the wall. I would have loathed my teenage son to see them but luckily he was not with me and it was so dark you can barely see anything anyway. And finally, the smell...do you pump cologne into the store? The smell was so overwhelming that I wanted to gag. And unfortunately, I smelled like your store all day after shopping there. YUCK!

So, after I finally picked out a few Christmas gifts for my son, I had to wait in line for about 25 minutes (on a weekday morning?) because only one person was working the register while 27 young employees roamed around (looking cute and smelling like cologne). The smells and sounds were making me sicker and sicker by the minute and when I finally got to the register, I had a true headache. I was in such a foul mood that I almost walked out without buying anything. If I did not want a few Christmas gifts for my son, I would have left. In fact, the people behind me did just that.

So, keep in mind that although the people that wear your clothes might like the dark, loud, smelly atmosphere...We parents DO NOT! And guess what...we are the ones who actually BUY the stuff. We are your market too since we actually PAY for the merchandise! I would buy much more in your store if I could stand being in there for more than a few minutes. I literally hold my breath, cover my ears and run right to the section I need hoping to escape as quickly as possible. I am not sure that is what y'all were going for?

I have a GREAT idea.....why don't you host an "oldies" day or morning where we parents could shop with the lights on, no scent and no music. I would LOVE that. And I am not even old. I am kinda hip for a Mom of a teenage son. But seriously, I will NOT come in your store again for a very long time (if ever) based on my experience yesterday. Let me know what you think of my idea. I think it is brilliant!

P.S. I am so afraid my son might need to exchange things and I will have to go back in the store after Christmas. I already told my husband that I cannot do it and he will have to. Maybe you could offer an oldies exchange day too.

Another P.S. To my blog readers---thank you so much for all the kind anniversary wishes. They were lovely.

16 years

2011-12-02T08:38:00.000-06:00

Today is our 16th wedding anniversary. As I have learned from being married and from being a marriage counselor/coach, there is no such thing as a perfect marriage. But I can say that Dave is truly the perfect match for me. Yes, we argue sometimes and yes, we get on each other's nerves sometimes but there is no one else in the world I would rather walk through life with. Dave is an incredible husband. We have this great system of teamwork. We both know what the other is good at and we don't seem to jockey for power.

Love is work. I have blogged about that before. Love is not just a feeling. It is an action. Too many people give up when the feelings go away and that makes me so sad. Dave and I decide to love each other every day. Some days we decide better than other days but we keep on going. We keep on trying. And I can honestly say that although life has thrown us some tough curve balls, it has been pretty easy to decide to love this man everyday. I hope it always is. He is as good as it gets.

Dave often teases me that I see things through rose colored glasses and maybe I do. But I also think that focusing on the good in your marriage and the good in your life and being truly grateful really helps too. I am SO grateful for my life and my family. In fact, sometimes I feel overwhelmed with gratitude.

Happy Anniversary Dave. You make me feel like the luckiest girl in the world!!!!

To see photos of our wedding day click here.

Santa

2011-11-29T19:56:00.002-06:00

If you've been around a while, you know I like to go see Santa the day before Thanksgiving. The kids are off from school. Everyone else is home cooking and cleaning or traveling. We are usually first in line. It is win-win. I despise lines and I detest Christmas crowds so this is all good (you would never catch me in a mall in Black Friday!). Bless Will's heart. He is 14 and he still does not complain about going to see Santa. He told me he will go until college because he knows how much it means to me.

Waiting in line, Kate gets her first peek at the big man in red!

Santa gave Kate a little wave....

Okay, this photo above puts tears in my eyes. There is something so magical about little kids and Santa and it is all so fleeting. Kate was so excited to see him! It really makes me want to freeze time.

Santa really took his time talking to each of the kids....

I love how Harry is listening to Kate's "wishes."

After Santa, we let the kids get one thing at Dylan's Candy Bar. They LOVE that place but we only go once a year. And this year, since we do not have Harry's dietary restrictions, we even ate lunch at the Galleria.

And I always make the kids pose for a few photos in the Galleria. They LOVE that (not really)!

BTW- I thought my outfit was pretty cute but the kids teased me.
Skinny jeans (LOVE these!), boots (new faves), Ralph Lauren blouse and a Ralph Lauren blazer (which I scored at Marshalls!). But the kids told me I looked like a pirate, Austin Powers, and an equestrian. They thought I looked "nice" but kinda funny:) When I wore this one other time Kate told me I looked "very Chicago!" I think she meant "chic" but I am not sure;)

So here are the ones the staff took with Santa...

Dave took video of Kate talking to Santa with my Iphone. When I get rid of my migraine, I will upload it and post it too. It is darling!

And a question...I notice people seem to not comment on blogs anymore and I am wondering if it is because of facebook. It seems like people still read but they don't comment. I am not a big facebooker but I am curious if that has kind of replaced the blogs and commenting.

Sitting on the dock of the Bay

2011-11-28T18:32:00.001-06:00

Dave's brother and his sister both have bay houses on Galveston Island so that is where we spent Thanksgiving this year. I was about to say this was a first but I just recalled one there when Will was a baby too. It was very casual and lots of fun. The kids pretty much fished for two days. I read, took photos, ate and hung out with family.

Kate whistled while she fished:)

We spent a little time on the beach (clearly I had the wrong kind of shoes for this!)

We even brought Scout with us and she had a BLAST (she doesn't get out much;)

Kate had so much fun digging in the sand. I love that you could see the sun rays on her head.

Kate is such a happy little girl. Seriously that girl is full of JOY!

I was COLD!

Did you notice that Will is as tall as me now?

So while I am all budled up in a sweater....

CRAZY Harry skim boards. It was COLD!

Harry is truly crazy...he got soaked!

After a little beach time, it was turkey dinner time. Kate helped Aunt W mash the potatoes...

Then some more fishing....

I think Harry caught this one even though Will is holding it. There are sunken lights in the waterway so night fishing was big. Then the kids started fishing in their pajamas when they woke up too.....

As you can see even Kate caught some little fish:)

One of Harry's friends was down there too so he came over to fish and hang out as well....

The house in the background (across the waterway) was really gutted from hurricane Ike (which happened right when we moved here). Looks like the owners have not repaired it at all yet.

It was a good Thanksgiving! I have so much more to post about but I am trying desperately to get all my Christmas "stuff" done this week (cards addressed and ready to mail, finish shopping, decorating etc). My goal is to have all the Christmas "work" done by December 4th so that I can spend the rest of the season being merry with the family. I just might meet my goal:)

Turkey Bowl 2011

2011-11-24T12:05:00.000-06:00

Since it was such a big hit last year, Harry organized another neighborhood touch football game for Thanksgiving morning.

Kate got in on the action a little bit this year (although I clearly did not dress her to play football! I thought she would stand on the sidelines with me:)

Dave and Will played a good game too.

The doughnuts...that is really why the kids show up;)

I have the most important job as I bring the doughnuts:)

As you can see, we all had a lot of fun....

Now we are off to the beach for Thanksgiving dinner.
Have a blessed day!

Kindergarten Feast and Cotillion Ball

2011-11-23T19:57:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was Kate's school kindergarten feast.

All dressed up in the morning leaving for school (see? it is till dark out!)

They had turkey, ham, rolls, veggies, fruit and pumpkin pie with whipped cream)

All the kids wrote on their placemats what they were thankful for....

Kate's actually says "everybaby" but we're pretty sure she meant "everybody":)

Everybody is hard to spell when you're only 5;)

Kate was so excited that Daddy was there! She is giving him funny face kisses. She calls them "bubble kisses!"

I love the lil turkey hats!

Also, last weekend was Will's Cotillion Holiday Ball. I bought him his first boutonniere last year and wanted to get him another this year. I suppose starting next year (in high school) his future dates will get him the boutonniere!

Parents were invited to come at the end of the ball to waltz with their children.

Will is a good waltzer. Me, not so much:)

Will and Scout.

Today, we did our annual tradition of going to see Santa (lots of photos to come) and we had lunch as a family. It was perfect. I feel so thankful for a loving God, an extraordinary family, wonderful friends and good health.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

A piece of my childhood

2011-11-22T06:34:00.003-06:00

I am very nostalgic. When we were growing up, we had a small silver aluminum tree in our formal living room at Christmas time. My Mom put all of our handmade decorations from school or girl scouts on that tree. I had forgotten all about that little silver tree until the past few years when I started seeing these trees for sale in antique stores or in decorating magazines or blogs. Apparently, they are back in vogue.

Last year, I was reminiscing about our special silver tree with Dave and I could picture my red construction paper stocking stitched with a hole punch and yarn and decorated with silver glitter in my mind. We saw this silver tree in an antique store the week after Christmas and Dave bought it for me.

I have decorated this tree with vintage ornaments because we have had another small tree that have all the kids ornaments and handmade goodies. They put that up every year in the upstairs hall outside their bedrooms.

I LOVE my vintage tree (thank you Dave!) Like me, she shows some signs of age and wear. But I can sit in my office and look at how her branches and the beautiful old glass balls glisten in the sunlight and it makes me smile. I wish I could completely capture the way the light dances through the old and imperfect balls. It is simply beautiful and nothing new could compare.

I also want to tell you about a blessed opportunity. Some of my amazing friends Diana, Lisa and Stef are hosting an incredible month of giveaways to help support the orphans of China. They have fabulous things to giveaway. Please visit any of their blogs to read more about it. The difference this will make is really incredible.

We've been a little lost...

2011-11-18T10:34:00.001-06:00

Dave has been out of the country for the past 2 weeks for business. He spent a week in Israel and a week in Singapore and BOY did we MISS him! I cannot even begin to explain to you how Dave is the absolute glue in our family. He is such a humble and quiet leader. But he supports our family through making lunches, clipping finger and toe nails (I cut Will once as an infant and handed that chore over to him 14 years ago) reading bedtime stories, coaching teams, driving carpool, folding laundry, bathing Kate, tutoring in Algebra, and grocery shopping. He also smoothes over hurt feelings, pulls splinters and bandages boo boos and he makes us all laugh! And this is all on top of a demanding career. I really do not know how he does it. And he is usually in a good mood while doing it all! I do not take him or our marriage for granted for one second.

So, we all missed him immensely. I was blessed to have great friends (Lisa, Amy, Monique, Vi, Cathy and more I might be forgetting) help me while I saw clients, had a 4 hour doctor appt. and needed carpools for sports. It was hard to get kids to swimming, ballet and soccer all at the same time in different parts of town:) This experience gave me great empathy and compassion for single parents and parents who have a spouse deployed. I can only imagine how hard it is to keep up this pace indefinitely. It is easy (well maybe not easy but doable) to have a family like ours when two people give 100% but there are a lot of families out there where both parents either can't or don't. It made me want to be more helpful and mindful of that. It really does take a village. I share this so that perhaps you will offer a ride to a Mom or Dad who needs it or bring someone a meal who is raising a family by themselves. I do not have family here so I rely on my friends and I hope they know they can rely on me:)

{Kate and Harry made a welcome home sign}

Let me tell you that Miss Kate was devastated that her Daddy was leaving. They have never been apart that long. She SOBBED! But we came up with a great little idea. Dave and Kate cut 14 pieces of sticky notes and put them on Kate's bathroom mirror. Each night Kate took one off and moved it to another spot. It really helped her as Dave does the bedtime routine with her so that is often a hard time when he is gone. But she did really well from day 2-14. I will share the story of day one soon;)

So, we will be so happy this weekend to have Dave home!! Hope you all have a great weekend too!

Go Big or Go home!

2011-11-17T08:31:00.003-06:00

According to the Urban Dictionary this is

an expression the speaker says to the listener to encourage the listener to be extravagant, to go all the way, and do whatever you are doing to its fullest - and not flake out.

Well, let me tell you that my little girl goes BIG! I love seeing her dance into her school each morning and say hello to everyone on her way. She is full of confidence and joy! She loves life! Last week, the kindergartners went to the fire station and Kate had a ball.

She was not afraid of this guy at all!

She hopped right in the seat and buckled up...

Then, she jumped right into this firefighter's arms for help getting down:) And BTW, he was quite the handsome firefighter...just sayin!

But the funniest part was when she got to hold the hose. For most kids, the firefighter held it with them and they calmly stood there. Not my girl....

She grabbed that hose and shot it way up in the air!

She even got me and some of the other "paparazzi Moms"a bit wet!

Look at her face. You can tell she loved every second of that!!!!

Also yesterday, their school had a Storybook Parade. Kate and Harry's school has a special literature program that is an intense reading and writing specialty. Yesterday, the whole school (teachers and students) dressed up as favorite storybook characters.

We opted to use our Halloween costumes and be a cupcake from both Pinkaliscious and If you give a Cat a Cupcake. Harry was a hot dog from The Pigeon finds a Hot Dog. The principal even dressed up and led the parade...

Kate strutted in the parade smiling and waving like she was the grand marshall....

Harry loved it too. Only about 1/2 the 5th graders dressed up but Harry had fun with it all. I love his attitude. He goes BIG too!!!

Last year the theme at the boys summer camp was Live out Loud. I am so proud of all 3 of my children because they truly Live Out Loud!

This girl

2011-11-16T07:08:00.002-06:00

is so sweet!!! Last night, we read a book called Owen about a little mouse who has a blankie. His parents try to make him give up his blankie. It is very cute and they come up with a brilliant compromise.

Kate has a blankie. I had a blankie (which I did have to give away). After the book, we started talking and Kate was very nervous that I would make her give up her blankie. SHe LOVES her blankie and lovey. They bring her so much comfort. She sniffs them, rubs them, cuddles with them and sleeps with them (they are only for bed time or sick time). I assured her that she could keep her lovey and blankie forever! Our conversation was so sweet. I grabbed the flip and this is what happened next....

So, that song is completely extemporaneous! Never heard that before:) And Mom, I totally forgive you about my blankie. It's all good. I think it is hysterical that she thought you got her lovey at Home Depot!

My plan for the Thanksgiving and Christmas Season

2011-11-14T10:51:00.000-06:00

This is big y'all. I had a revelation. We always have a VERY busy October-December. First, is Dave's birthday (10/27), then Halloween, then my birthday (11/13), then Thanksgiving, then our anniversary (12/2) and then Harry's birthday (12/8) and then Christmas. I did not even include my sister's, nephew's, two brother in laws' and a sister in law's birthday in that time frames as well. And we usually do a very big (100+people) Christmas party. So every year, I feel quite stressed and overwhelmed during the holidays. I know everyone does but I always feel like I am just trying to make it from one party/occasion to the next. And I realized that is not fun for anyone in our family.

This year, I am doing things differently. I really just want to savor the beauty and miracles of the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons with my family. So I asked myself what 3 things cause me the most aggravation and stress each year. And I came up with: 1) our family Christmas cards (getting the "perfect" photos and choosing the design, etc) 2) cleaning, cooking, decorating and hosting our party and 3) the tree (putting up and taking down---we have TONS of ornaments).

Then, I devised ways to eliminate or reduce the stress. I decided we are not having our party this year. While I love entertaining, it sometimes becomes a huge to do list with little enjoyment. So, we are taking a year off and I am so glad. I might throw an impromptu small happy hour or dinner party but no BIG party.

For our Christmas cards, I am using a photo that my sister took of us at the beach this summer. I usually prefer a more seasonal look but it is a good photo of our whole family (thank you Dawn) and it is done! Minted gave me a nice credit and discount in exchange for using some of my photography on their site. So I chose one of their beautiful cards and I am done. This may not be my favorite or most creative card I have ever sent but it is certainly the most stress-free so far. And Minted has beautiful cards. In the past, I have used Tiny Prints and I love them too!

{I love the simplicity of this tree}

Finally, we are doing something different with our tree. I sort of pre-planned this one last year. When we were packing up the ornaments, I kept a few white and silver ones separate. I plan to decorate our tree very simply with white pine cones and some white and silver balls. It will be simple and beautiful and hopefully about 1/3 of the work. We had a family meeting about the tree because I did not want the kids to be upset. And you know what? They are so excited about my plans! Harry in particular is really looking forward to a simpler, less stressful season. Our plan is to really celebrate Advent (light the candles and pray and do the readings), read more together, watch the Christmas specials, bake holiday cookies. I want us to spend more time focusing on the birth of Christ and less on the "stuff."

I have to tell you that my plan makes me feel so FREE. So, I encourage you to think about what stresses you out about Thanksgiving and Christmas (or Hanukah) and think of a way you can eliminate that stressor. Share with me. What is your biggest holiday stressor?

It's my birthday

2011-11-13T18:13:00.004-06:00

Yup...I am another year older. Kate asked me if I was 24 and I said, "Yes, yes I am, Kate." Truth is I am a bit older than that and while my age does not thrill me, I feel very blessed. I have an incredible husband, fabulous kids, loving family and lots of good friends. Life is very, very good.

Dave, being the sweet husband that he is, hosted a surprise dinner party in the wine room of one of my favorite restaurants a week or two ago. He invited our closest couple friends that we have known for years. We have been going to church with these couples since our babies were born. They are such a special group of friends to me. We had a lot of wine and a lot of good food and laughter.

I don't really like surprises and I really don't like big parties but this was perfect. Absolutely perfect!! In fact, during the dinner one of my friends, Charlie asked what was still on my bucket list. People had been talking about exotic trips and sky diving and gliding and bungee jumping. I told him that I like my feet on the ground and that this dinner is exactly what I love to do...spend time with the people I love. And I mean it. I feel so lucky to be surrounded by good and loving people. There is nothing else I would rather do.

{this one cracks me up because we are all doing the same thing with our hands but I have no clue what we were talking about:)}

My sweet husband also bought me a beautiful watch that I have wanted for a while...

And he sent me flowers...

Today, our good friends took us out for a delicious birthday lunch after church.
It was fun. And tonight we will have cupcakes as a family:)

Thank you Jodee and Janet for the cards you sent. I was touched beyond belief that two sweet bloggers who I have never met would remember my day and send me a card. Y'all are so special. And thank you to all my friends who called, e-mailed and facebooked me sweet wishes:)

My lil snow owl

2011-11-11T08:24:00.002-06:00

It is a little chilly here and my Katie Ru wanted to wear this cute lil hat to school today. I snapped these as she was walking out the door...

I got the hat at a local market but you can find similar ones here, here, and here (for bigger sizes).

Jacket from Zulily.

Wrap it up with a Bow!

2011-11-10T08:21:00.003-06:00

Still running around like crazy and no time for a real post but I thought this was SO cute. I took Kate to a birthday party this weekend where they did the girls hair and nails etc. Look at this adorable hair-do they did on Kate! Unfortunately, I did not see how they did it as I was taking photos of the party for my friend but I am going to try to figure it out or look for a tutorial. (update--I did find a little "how-to" here) It looked darling! Below is the birthday girl with the same style (and a lot of glitter).

Buried

2011-11-08T17:27:00.000-06:00

I am completely buried under middle school applications, high school applications, school tours, photographing families, coaching and counseling other families. Seriously, my house is a total disaster and I do not have one free second. Thank you for the many pine-cone offers. I am so crazy this week but I hope to e-mail some of you and see if you can send me some within a few days. Be back soon:)

Looking for pinecones

2011-11-05T13:03:00.001-05:00

Source: helloneest.com via Sarah on Pinterest

I am working on a project that calls for large and medium pine-cones and unfortunately, even with a pine tree in my front yard, they are not easy to find around these parts. So, if anyone has extra pine cones and they want to send some to us, I will gladly pay you for shipping. Please leave your e-mail in the comments and I will email you. I will not publish your e-mail. Thanks:)

Tee it up!

2011-11-03T10:49:00.001-05:00

Dave grew up golfing and is a really good golfer but as life with 3 kiddos has unfolded, he has not had much golf time for the past several years. Anyway, as luck would have it, for years we belonged to country clubs and our boys had very little interest in golf. I signed them up for lessons and camps but they were half hearted about it all. Now, that we do not belong to a club, all 3 kids want to take it up!

Sunday was a beautiful day here, so we went to a park with a driving range...

Will immediately stepped up to help Kate as it was her first time...

Then Daddy gave her some pointers....

Harry has a great swing. He is a lefty in baseball and golf. And he needs bigger clubs:)

Will is a natural too. He is going to begin lessons and hopes to play golf in high school..

Coach Dad...

And I loved watching Kate watch the boys....

So these 2 little boys were watching Kate golf and they kept asking Dave when it was their turn. We think their parents were eating at a nearby restaurant. Anyway, Dave gave both 5 year old boys a mini lesson and some balls to hit. It was very sweet. Dave is a patient man and a great teacher.

Speaking of Dave, he had a birthday last week. Unfortunately, his beloved Godfather passed away and his funeral (out of town) was on Dave's birthday so we did not have a big celebration. But we did try to celebrate him a bit when he got back. Dave is the most generous and loving Dad. Last Sunday, our sermon was about being a humble servant and our whole family agreed that Dave is a great example of a humble servant. He really is the glue that holds our family together. He is a Dad who makes the lunches everyday, coaches teams, brings bouquets to recitals, tucks children in every night, pampers his wife and works hard all day. He is a shining example of what a husband and father should be. We are so lucky to have him. We love you, Dave! Happy belated Birthday!!!

Halloweenie

2011-11-01T09:45:00.000-05:00

This year, the peanuts were all dressed as junk food:) As you can see, Kate was a cupcake. Will was a slice of pizza (same as last year as we were not sure until the last minute whether he would actually go out---you know teens!). And Harry was a hot dog. However, Kate called him a wiener!

We are laughing here as our neighbor took our photo and he was wearing a Scottish kilt (his costume). And we were all hoping he was wearing something under the kilt!

Will and Harry ran off trick or treating with their friends. Yes, they are too old now to walk the streets of our hood with Mom and Dad. Oh my. Kate trick or treated with her good friend "Rapunzel."

Poor little Kate. She has the worst yucky CRUD. She walks around with the box of tissues and her eyes and nose are constantly running. But she rallied to trick or treat. I even offered to let her stay home from school today but they are visiting the fire station on a field trip and she did not want to miss it.

And my favorite lanterns. I can only use them once a year. This year I discovered the battery candles. They are the BEST. They even flicker but they never blow out!

2011-10-31T16:29:00.001-05:00

Sorry that I have been such a crummy blogger lately. I have had too many other things going on and I always seem to get sick this time of year (and this year is no exception). I feel lousy. Anyway, I have some things to catch up on around the blog and will try to do so this week. In the meantime, we are getting ready for Halloween. Here are a couple quick snappies...

{carving pumpkins...will is getting so tall!}

{Kate and Dave's jack o lantern}

The cake pops at Kate's class party (I did not make them; another Mom did)

{at Kate's class party today. Poor thing...she is feeling sick too. She has a BAD cold and a mosquito bite on her eye. She even told me she might not feel well enough to trick or treat. I sure hope she perks up soon!}

Have a fun and happy Halloween!!!

It's the little things...

2011-10-20T19:55:00.001-05:00

I have been in such a good mood the last few days. I am working a little bit again doing marriage and parenting coaching and I am really enjoying it. But mostly what has put me in a good mood is that it finally feels like FALL here! I have gone on some walks, helped a friend with a fall craft (monogrammed pumpkin) and thoroughly enjoyed the crisp weather!

Also, Kate and I have had fun trying out our fall fashions. We are gaga over our faux fur this year.

{jeans}

I bought Kate's faux fur at Nordtrsom and Zulily. But this one from Old Navy is really cute too

{source}

Use the code ONAUTUMN to get 30% off!

This one from Gap is so cute too!!

And there are some cute ones out there for us Moms too...

{source}

Oh and the boots. I have finally gotten to wear my boots and I LOVE them. I highly recommend Frye. Once I could wiggle my feet in them they feel like they mold around them...so comfy. Zappos had them here in no time (like a day) and exchanged a pair for me quickly and easily when I needed to.

I have been able to just sit on my front porch with my feet up in the sunshine (sun flare all natural).

Harry comes home tomorrow:) Enjoy your Fall weekend!

Habu's turn

2011-10-18T12:37:00.003-05:00

Three years ago, Will got to go to sleep away camp with school. I remember being a nervous wreck. We were new to the school and Will had not gone away for any sleep-away camps yet. Now, it is Harry's turn. Luckily, both boys have spent some more time away at camp so I am more relaxed. This is a great opportunity for the 5th graders as it is through the school and it helps them spread their wings before middle school.

So, this week nature is their classroom. And it is a great week here for that. We FINALLY got a cool front and the weather is fabulous---cool and crisp at night (40's and 50's) with highs in the low 70's during they day (that is as fall-ish as it gets here!)

Kate was NOT happy that her beloved "Habu" was going away for a few days. She does not like when her brothers go away.

Harry is so sweet to Kate. They had some cuddles this morning.

One last hug...It was picture day for Kate so she did not have to wear her uniform.

His plan

2011-10-17T09:39:00.000-05:00

In our very, very long and complicated wait for Kate, I used to wonder why it was God's plan for our children to be spaced so far apart. Will is 9 years older than Kate and he will be in college when she is in 4th grade. But now it is becoming more clear to me why God planned it this way. Kate provides such a ray of sweet cuddly sunshine in my life as I navigate the moody, difficult and extremely trying teenage years for the first time. Five year olds and 14 year olds could NOT be more different.

I am thinking I need to start a support group for Moms of teens. Any takers?

Rub a Dub Dub {favorite photo friday}

2011-10-14T13:14:00.002-05:00

Last Sunday we lost power for the whole day. It was rainy and dark and the boys all went to the movies. After a few games of Candy-land and go fish, I had an idea. I asked Kate if she wanted to play in a bubble bath. We have a huge window over our tub and the light was beautiful as the cloudy day provided a beautiful soft filter. I took a ton of photos and Kate had a blast playing. So here is my favorite from the set....

And then here are all the others that I really love too cause you know me. I can't just post one photo. I have no restraint when it comes to posting photos!

{She is looking in the drain cap as a mirror here and in many of the shots below}

After all that time in the tub, she had pruny hands....

All snug as a bug in a ~~rug~~ towel...

Pumpkin Patch Part 2

2011-10-13T16:36:00.002-05:00

Harry's favorite thing at the pumpkin patch was these pedal cars!

Let me start me saying that Harry is uber-coordinated. He picks up all sorts of athletic-y things very easily (unlike his uber-uncoordinated Mom). However, he could not get the hang of these pedal cars at first...

But when he saw his Dad hop right on and zoom away (another one of those annoyingly coordinated people!), He was determined to figure it out.

{See Harry struggling in the background?}

Harry is like that. He is not one to give up easily. And within a few minutes, he had it down...

These pedal thingies were Harry's favorite thing to do. He loved it and supposedly they are a great workout! He told us he wants one for Christmas. As soon as we walked in the door, he googled them to put on his Christmas list....but as you can see they are quite pricey! Bummer!

Finally, it was time to take the ride out to the pumpkin patch. Due to the drought here (extreme heat in addition to no rain) the pumpkin crop was lost at this farm. So we could not pick the pumpkins off the vine. Instead they put a bunch of pumpkins in a field.

Kate was so excited to find her pumpkin!!

Harry had a blue snow cone (hence the blue teeth and lips:)

{Will was still at Yellowstone but he is back now and settling in. Re-entry is always hard. I guess it is hard to adjust to parents and a family after not having that for a week;)}

Pumpkin Picking Texas Style {Sunday Snapshot}

2011-10-09T21:04:00.000-05:00

You know how much I LOVE Fall and I how much I miss the Northern Autumns that I grew up with but I try to make the best of it here where our fall is just like summer.

A few years ago when we first moved back here from Virginia, I found a place called Dewberry Farms. We spent a day there and picked our own pumpkins off the vine. It is kind of far away and we have not gone back since then but we went this weekend.

This is not just your quaint little country pumpkin patch (although I wish it were).

It had all sorts of things for the peanuts to climb on

And slide down....

And swing from....

Harry was SO sweet with Kate the whole day.
He is an incredible big brother (especially when Will is away).

and ZIP from...

and ride

and jump on...

and shoot

Harry LOVED shooting the corn cob cannon!

They also had a water bottle cannon. He was a great shot.

Okay...we did get pumpkins too but that is going to have to be a part 2 for the next post because I am sick of uploading pictures tonight.

P.S. I used Florabella's new actions (Classic Workflow) on some of these photos. They are the BEST actions (created by one of my best friends)! You can click on the link below to get your own set.

And you can see more Sunday Snapshots here...

Some of my Fall faves

2011-10-07T10:07:00.001-05:00

The temps have dropped a bit here in TX and I am getting in the swing of Fall. Here are a few things I am crushing on right now....

Carry On

A deep romantic burgundy.

I have this on my hands and toes right now. At first glance it can look black but it has a beautiful plummy, eggplant tone to it.

The other color I like (below) is called Sew Psyched. It is described as a "cashmere soft sage pewter." But it is no doubt green. Harry thinks it is "halloween-ish" but I think it is chic and a touch edgy (for me anyway).

Sew Psyched

Image via flickr (not my nails-I wear mine short)

Okay, the other thing I am loving this Fall is my faux fur vest....

I have not been able to wear it yet (still too hot) but I look at in my closet a lot:) And if I find one for a better price, I might exchange mine.

Anthropolgie

When Kate saw my vest she LOVED it and asked if I could find one for her.
I scored a cute one for her just before it sold out.

She actually did wear it one chilly morning to school (it was 87 by the afternoon). It is SO cute! I'll catch a photo next time she wears it:)

And I did get some boots. Again it is too hot to put them on yet but I love them. They are really pretty.

Funny story---I have a high arch and these boots have no zipper so I could NOT get them on. I was SO sad. I was about to return them when I googled it and found a tip. Put your foot in a thin plastic grocery bag to slip it into the boot and then pull (and rip the bag to get it off). The boots are the right size once my foot gets past the shaft and supposedly that part will stretch and I won't need the bag trick after a few wears:)

The other thing I am loving is a fashion blog that I have just found (I must be living under a rock). I kept pinning these images on Pinterest and finally realized it was all the same girl and the same blog. I love this blog..Atlantic-Pacific! Blair has the best sense of personal style. I could not dress like her in my day to day life but I love the looks she puts together.

Here are some of her other looks I adore...

{all images via pinterest and Atlantic-Pacific}

I think she is tres preppy chic:)
I LOVE all of her ensembles--even though I could not pull many of them off myself!

Have a good weekend. Will returns to the nest:)

The Life of Will

2011-10-05T15:57:00.002-05:00

Life has been a bit stressful for me lately. I haven't visited blogs. I have not felt like blogging. Too much else to take care of/worry about. But Will.... Will has had it good. He had the opportunity to spend a week in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons (Jackson Hole, WY). They are also visting Idaho Falls, Salt Lake City and Montana. They are fortunate enough to be staying at Old Faithful Inn and the Mammoth Inn while in Yellowstone, He is there on a school geography/geology trip. He went fly fishing and has seen all sorts of beautiful things that he does not get to see here (being a city boy and all).

Remember when he was in Paris for Spring Break (another school trip) and never called me? Well, he is not calling me this time around either and he has his cell (albeit somewhat spotty serivce). I told him no more trips unless he calls home more;) He has however texted me some photos from his I-phone....

Grand Tetons

Mesa Falls

Snake River

Elk right outside their cabin this morning.

More elk in the town center

A self portrait with the I-phone in front of a canyon/waterfall.

And just like Paris, Dave and I did a trip to Jackson Hole, Yellowstone and Glacier National Park in Montana before we had kids. It is fun to see Will explore some of the places we have been. Maybe I need to dig some of those old pictures out for a flashback. I do remember catching A LOT of fish in Lake Jackson!

I am hoping to catch him in front of Old faithful soon.

"Muffin!"

2011-09-30T08:53:00.001-05:00

A cute little story....

We were walking into school last week and the computer teacher says, "Hi Kate!" He did not say hello to Harry who was also with me.

ME: (surprised) Kate, how does Mr. Computer know your name already? (Harry has been there 3 years and I am not sure he knows his name as Mr. Computer only teaches them occasionally in the ancillary rotation and he is not Mr Friendly.)

HARRY: (before Kate could answer and kinda kidding around). She must have gotten in trouble.

KATE: Cowers behind my leg and gets all teary and says..."I didn't want to tell you."

ME: (we sit down on a bench to talk as she is visibly upset) What happened? You can tell me.

KATE: Well, I said a word.

ME: A word? (thinking OH MY GOSH..what did she say?!)

KATE: Yes. When he was calling out our names to see who was here (attendance) everyone else says here and I wanted to say something else. So when he said Kate, I said "Muffin!"

Me: (Laughing very hard) That is okay Kate. Actually I think it is kind of clever and funny but you should probably follow the rules and just say here like the rest of the kids.

KATE: I'm not in trouble, Mama?

ME: No Kate. You are not in trouble for saying muffin.

Honestly that has been a theme in Kate's overall adjustment to kindergarten. She is not 100% into doing what everyone else does. That is a bit "boring" to use her words. She is far more creative than this Mama. I sure hope it doesn't get her into trouble and more importantly, I hope her creativity doesn't get squashed.

Guess who started Judo last night?

2011-09-27T12:21:00.002-05:00

Kate has been going to Judo with Dave and the boys for years....

{Kate has always been very interested in Judo. I even blogged about it here. This photo is at the boys first promotion in May, 2008}

So I asked Kate if she finally wanted to try it yesterday. And she was SO excited! Our Sensei has wanted Kate to start but it is a 2 hour class and we were not sure she had the attention span at just 5 years old.

I have no clue what this pose is but I don't think it has anything to do with Judo:)

But by all accounts Kate did really well. And she said she loved it. She told us she wants to do it all the time (add that to ballet and violin). Dave snapped a few terrible shots with his phone....

Here she is taking down two big boys with moves she has learned from watching her brothers. That little pig tailed blur is her:) I am hoping Judo will help teach her more confidence, discipline, attention and self defense as it has the boys.

{Laughter}

2011-09-26T12:52:00.000-05:00

This is my Kate. Full of laughter. Full of Joy!

I am taking a creative class/workshop. It is a photography class that encourages us to look at the world differently. It is not about shooting on manual (which I can do) but about capturing the everyday in a creative and interesting way (which I stink at). We have clever assignments each week that I think will really stretch me. I have been feeling in a slump creatively so this was just what the doctor ordered. And of course, I will share some of my shots here and on Flickr. Happy Monday!

Follow-up

2011-09-23T10:38:00.006-05:00

Thank you for the input and perspectives on my last post. I appreciated every single one. They all made me think. I especially thank Gale, the veteran kindergarten teacher for her insight.

Just to update....

~The reason I have not spoken to the girl's Mom is three-fold. First, I do not know the Mom at all. And I am not sure how I could possibly communicate the manipulation that I have observed to someone I do not know. It would be a very uncomfortable conversation for any Mom to hear. And I suspect she kind of knows her daughter's behavior. Several other Mom's have mentioned it to me and it is only the 3rd or 4th week of school.

Secondly, there are "queen bees" everywhere in life. I feel like my time and energy is best spent teaching/modeling for my children (and Kate especially at this point) how to be a good, loving and compassionate friend. We cannot really change others but we can change how we react or deal with others. I am also having play-dates with some boys and girls in the class that treat Kate respectfully (as a few people suggested in comments and e-mails). It is SO hard to squeeze in play-dates with our schedule of homework, sports, music, dance and family time but I am trying.

Finally, if I approach the girl's Mom and she gets really angry and defensive... I still have to interact with her for the next 6 years. I do not want drama. I am trying to teach my kids to avoid drama. She is not going to change her daughter. So at this point, I am not going to talk to her. If things escalate and I feel like it could be productive, I might change my mind.

~ I have not spoken with the teacher yet. I just have not had the appropriate moment to do so. But I will. Also, I can see that the teacher is aware of the situation and working on it in her own way. I am in the classroom working with the kids a few mornings a week and I see that the teacher sees what is going on. She is an incredible teacher.

~Finally, I am not as worried about Kate as I was. She is OBLIVIOUS to what this girl is doing. And she has done more. It goes right over her sweet little head for now.

Most importantly, I got to see Kate's confident friendship skills in action this week.... A new boy from Korea joined the class this week and my sweet Kate took it upon herself to take him under her wing. She was so excited to show him where to put his things and how to do his writing journal. He sits next to her and she told me that she includes him at lunch and at recess. She felt such compassion for him when he was sad the first few days and she tried to make him feel better. I was so proud of her. This is exactly the way I have tried to teach my peanuts to be. Kate has watched Harry welcome new friends from other countries at this school (it is incredibly international) over the years and I am thrilled that she knew just what to do.

I do not care if my kids are the "popular" kids. I just want them to be the nice kids. And they are. Anyone who knows them would tell you that.

Oh and I asked Kate about sitting alone at the lunch table (someone asked if they had assigned seats). Apparently, they walk in to the cafeteria in a line and sit at a table. Once a table is full, they start a new table. Kate had started a new table. She was not being excluded. I did not know that so I am glad I asked her. I totally misinterpreted that situation.

And because I always need to include a photo...I wanted to show you that we have even been able to include Matilda Jane into our uniform rotation. Did you know Matilda Jane made a few "uniform clothes" this summer? These navy ruffles are the softest coziest navy knit. We love them.

{Yes, I started decorating for Fall/Haloween. I had to do it.}

Also, this week was the International Potluck Dinner at Kate and Harry's school. Families bring dinner from their country to share. It was lovely. We brought "American" food but Kate wanted to wear her Chinese clothes. She is very proud of her heritage.

Have a lovely Fall weekend.
I made some yummy fall foods this week and will be back soon to share the recipes/photos/links:)

My Sweet Kindergartner vs. The Queen Bee

2011-09-20T10:17:00.005-05:00

I've debated whether or not to post this...but here goes it. A lot of people have recently asked about my decision to send Kate to kindergarten (since I had considered holding her back and blogged about it) or to give an update about how she is doing.

As far as how we decided to move onto kindergarten.... Lots of the kids in her kindergarten grade are summer birthdays. I was able to find that out. I also talked to the kindergarten teachers, 2nd grade and 5th grade teachers at her school and frankly interviewed them about summer birthday girls. I asked them both how they do academically and socially. But mostly we saw Kate leap ahead in every way this summer. She became more confident, more social and more mature. I also REALLY wanted her to go to school ONE year with one of her brothers. That might seem silly to some but Harry and Kate are SO SO SO close and this is the only year they could ever go to school together. That was certainly a secondary consideration. Mostly, we felt she was ready.

As far as how she is doing....

First and foremost. Kate is happy. She loves her teacher and she is beaming every afternoon when I pick her up. All the kids say hello to her in the hallway. And she and the principal have bonded over fashion;) Even though Kate wears a uniform we have managed to "jazz it up" a bit (as our friend, Lucy would say). She is doing great with the academic work (although that took a few weeks).

There have been a few bumps/adjustments too. The first couple of days Kate was trying to make her friends laugh by making bird call noises and inventing new games. After a couple of warnings from the teacher, she has gotten the gist of things and has not had any color changes. She also thought one of the daily sight words tasks was tres' boring. She had no interest in writing the same word over and over in fill in the blank sentences. We had some chats about how following directions is part of leaning and she is now doing much better.

However, apparently, "mean girl drama" can begin in kindergarten. Just like in most schools... there is a girl who seems to rule the roost. Said girl (I'll call her QUEEN BEE) decides who can play with whom on the playground. She tells girls they cannot play in the kitchen at free center time. She is 6. Kate just turned 5.

The other night Kate asked me what day tomorrow is. I told her Friday. She said , "Oh good, I get to play with "Queen Bee" tomorrow!" I said, "What do you mean?" She proceeded to tell me that Queen Bee decides who gets to play with the girls and all week she has told Kate she can play with the girls on Friday! Are you kidding me?! In kindergarten?

Of course, I had to seize this teachable moment. I told Kate she should choose friends who want to play with her every day. I reminded her of the welcoming, sweet girls in her class and told her to go play with them. I told her that she should surround herself with the people who want to play with her every day and who are kind and inclusive. But apparently, Queen Bee has learned how to divide and conquer. She pulls the girls apart and plays with different ones on different days. And the girls follow her and listen to her.

This situation is the major reason I wanted to hold Kate back. Kate is young and SWEET. That is the word everyone uses to describe her. She is a little naive (in a good way I think--but clearly I am not objective here.) She does not get playground politics. She is not nearly as manipulative and savvy as Queen Bee (and I am not sure I really want her to be). I just don't want her to be a puppy waiting for her turn to play with the "popular" girl. So, I am trying to teach Kate about friendship and assertiveness and including everyone. It is hard.

Yesterday, I popped in the cafeteria to say hello to Kate at lunch and she was sitting alone at a table. It BROKE-MY-HEART. I felt so sad. But Kate was happy. She did not seem sad at all. I went to sit with her for a few minutes and immediately 5 of her classmates said, "Kate's Mom!" and came to sit with us (they probably thought I had treats;). Ironically, Queen Bee sat right next to Kate. I chatted with all the kiddos for a few minutes. Luckily, I know them all as I volunteer in the classroom a bunch. Then I steered the conversation to recess. I looked Queen Bee right in the eye and asked if everyone was being included at recess. She told me "Yes, Kate is my friend." I was very chipper and upbeat and just reminded all the kids that they should make sure everyone gets to play and that no one is left out. I know I did not solve the problem but I did let little Queen Bee know that I was on to her.

The begin of the year planner is called "All About me." I have had a little anxiety about this as there are some sensitive areas that can come up regarding adoption. But I did find some great resources to share with Kate's teacher. I wanted to share Kate's projects for this planner...

First, we made a "me doll." The teacher gave us a template and we were supposed to make it look like them.

For the "All about Me" poster...Kate painted the posterboard pink, chose all the photos, came up with the words (Harry made the wortle on the computer). She cut some of the stuff out but definitely got bored with that!

These projects were definitely supposed to be done with lots of parental help. I normally don't help the kids with these things but these two were supposed to be done as a team.

The teacher had told me that Kate was being very shy in class (which is NOT Kate) but she told me yesterday that Kate completely came out of her shell when presenting her poster. She told me that she was so animated and excited to talk about it. She told me that Kate called her brothers "very handsome" as she talked about them.

So all in all, I think we made the right decision although I know it could be years before we really know. I will be watching carefully all year for any red flags that she needs more time. She can always do two years of kindergarten if we think that is necessary. We gave Will an extra year of pre-school and it was the right choice for him.

PS. As a marriage and parenting coach, I HIGHLY recommend this book. It has been updated to include social networking. I read the old edition but just bought the new one and I will be re-reading it to help teach Kate how to deal with this stuff. If you have girls (any ages really) then you should read this book!

A bit down in the dumps

2011-09-15T21:01:00.003-05:00

It happens every year around this time. You see, I grew up in Pennsylvania and every Autumn my body expects things to cool off. But here in Southeast Texas we are still seeing 100 degree days. And that bums me out. Fall is my favorite season. When we lived in VA, I loved it! I went crazy taking fall photos....

How cute is that lil pumpkin in the middle? Hard to believe that was 5 years ago!
It was Kate's 1st Halloween home:)

But we don't have Fall here. Not really.

So, I created my own little "Fall Wonderland" via Pinterest.

Feel free to revel in the crispy fall-ness...

First, I miss the magnificent beauty Mother Nature provides...

I also miss the gorgeous decor....

;

And the clothes...I just LOVE Fall clothes....

I want cool brown boots so badly this year. But seriously, people wear flip flops in January here. Expensive boots somehow seem wasteful. But oh how I yearn for them.

I would wear my brown boots and my jeans and my orange sweater apple picking if we lived somewhere they had apple picking. But they don't have apple orchards here. It's too HOT! Oh how I miss that too....

{Apple picking in VA--it was warm that day too}

And then there are drinks...the pumpkin spice lattes and the salted caramel hot chocolates.
Again it is really hard to drink these in the 100 degree weather...

I seriously think between my gimpy painful foot (which is seriously limiting my daily activity), my empty nest (which I am enjoying a bit but kind of feel like I need a new path/direction/career) and missing Autumn (which has always been my favorite season), I am feeling kind of sad.
I know I am blessed. I just need a cool spell to snap me out of it.
Is it too early for me to put my Halloween stuff up inside?

fashion crash

2011-09-14T12:15:00.002-05:00

I love fashion (so does Miss Kate) and I love when Target collaborates with high end designers. It is always fun for me to see what they come up with (although I am always disappointed when I see the actual quality/fabric). Still, it is fun for trendy clothes especially when you are buying for kids whose clothes only fit for one season anyway.

So, yesterday was the Missoni debut at Target. And within 45 minutes my whole Target was completely cleaned out!!! Missoni is not exactly my style (all those zigs and zags make me a little motion sick). But I did wander (on my very sore foot) into the store yesterday to see if there was a cute sweater dress for my little fashionista. Nope. Nothing. Nada. There was a lone onesie hanging all by itself on the racks. And there was NOTHING left in the women's section. Not one thing in any size.

Apparently, the launch was so popular that the Target site crashed most of yesterday. You can read about it here.

So while I did not get any Missoni, I did score a deal at The Mini Social yesterday. It is a website like Zuilily. Designer/boutique brands offered in small quantities at discounted prices. I am really buying very little for Kate these days as she wears a uniform to kindergarten. But I did get these....

It's reversible in pink and green....

And this...how darling is this????

and they don't make me motion sick either;)

Tell me. Did anyone score any Missoni yesterday? The bike perhaps?

It is so hard to sit still

2011-09-12T11:43:00.002-05:00

I briefly blogged about my foot injury. Lest you forget, I foolishly decided to start my new exercise regime with 45 minutes on the treadmill (walking and running). Apparently, at my age one cannot jump start their exercise if they have been lazy slug-a-lump all summer long. So, I got a stress fracture. I had been having foot pain for months before though. And now it feels as though someone is jabbing a sharp knife through my heel every time I take a step. So now I have a stress fracture AND plantar fasciitis. I spent a small fortune on ~~orthotics~~ "inserts" for my shoes so that I can hobble the littlest bit (that was a depressing day as I was the only one in the ~~orthotics~~ "insert" store under the age of 65 and without white hair.). But basically, I am supposed to sit and rest my foot for a while because I keep making it worse.

It is SO hard to sit. I look around my messy house and I want to clean. I want to cook. I know you are thinking...be still, Kim...I would LOVE to have to sit and relax. Yes, we all think that when we are going 2000 miles an hour. But forced rest can be quite boring. Trust me.

A few people asked about Harry.... In the spring and summer he had a colonoscopy, endoscopy, barium study, skin prick allergy testing AND skin patch testing and an MRI. It was extremely difficult for him. The results of the skin tests indicated food allergies/sensitivities. However, when they did all the stomach biopsies, everything was completely healthy and normal. The doctors advised us to allow him to eat a normal diet and see how he does. So far, he has done very well. His prior food allergies (dairy, wheat, gluten and soy) had been diagnosed through stomach biopsies as a baby as well. Harry was born with horrendous stomach problems and we are not sure if the years of probiotics, digestive enzymes and a gluten free/ dairy free /mostly organic and unprocessed diet allowed his stomach to heal or what. We really don't know. All we know is that he seems to be thriving on a regular diet. It feels quite odd for us to eat this way. I made this real fettucine alfredo and chicken marsala last week. It was so odd to eat regular pasta. But everyone did okay. We still use mostly gluten free pasta and breads because our bodies are not used to gluten and the gf stuff is generally healthier anyway.

But it is nice to try out some new recipes and resurrect some old ones. Like this cake above. A friend brought it to me 10 years ago when Harry was born and I probably ate the whole cake myself. It is simple but has a unique flavor you will crave. I have not made it in a long time because we could not eat it but here is the recipe. It is so easy.