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As I was doing my 15 minutes of morning yoga, I was reflecting on my day yesterday and recalling everything that needed to be done today. (Wait a minute - in yoga you're supposed to have a clear head, aren't you?) I said a short prayer to God that He send me something I needed to hear. (I subscribe to daily e-mail devotionals through the Upper Room.)

Today's scripture:
Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

I would definitely say that was an answer to a prayer, and a quick one at that!!! What a blessing it is to be a child of God!

no pics, just news

Bethany and I spent the morning running errands - after leaving the bike rodeo and dropping Anna at preschool, we had to shop for new shoes, pick up paperwork at Pediatrician's office, pick up photos at Walgreen's - then we had Mom & Me Music class. Somewhere in there we found time for lunch, then came straight home for a good afternoon nap. (btw - she's been more prone to potty accidents when we're running errands, but none today!) Cute story: on our way to the doctor's office, when we turned on the street where the office is located, she said and signed "fish". I looked around and didn't see anything of the sort, but acknowledged her observation anyway. Silly me, I should've known... when we walked into the doctor's office, she ran straight for the aquarium. She remembered the fish before when even got there - just from being on the street!

Anna was up bright and early - it was "V" day at preschool and they were going to visit the veterinarian's office. She took a favorite stuffed animal with her - her Webkinz cat. She usually comes home pretty worn out on Thursday afternoons and today was the same. She had some quiet play time and watched a little t.v. After dinner was the big event - Kindergarten Round-Up at the school. We went and listened to a presentation and met the principal and some of the teachers. She's very excited, and a little anxious. I have to admit that my heart does a little extra pitter-patter when I think about dropping her off that first day. I know she'll do great!

Katie, amidst all of her talent show preparations, chose to participate in the bike rodeo at school this morning. Some San Antonio Police Officers came and spoke to the students a week ago about bicycle safety, and today they got to test out their skills. After school, we helped with a bit of the stage decorations for the talent show next week. The dress rehearsal is tomorrow - yes, she's a bit nervous, but also very excited. (seems to be a theme here)

Oh, who are the people in your neighborhood?

Oh a fireman is brave it's said,
his engine is a shiny red,
if there's a fire anywhere about,
well he'll be there to put it out.

The fireman is a person in your neighborhood,
in your neighborhood,
in your neighborhood.
The fireman is a person in your neighborhood.
He's a person that you meet,
when you're walking down the street.
He's a person that you meet each day.

What do you do when the weather is bad and the kids are home for Spring Break? You go visit your friendly fireman and the neighborhood fire station. (We have some connections - Mr. Jesse is a special friend, and thanks to Miss Charity for setting this up for us!)

Bethany has been intrigued by firetrucks for the last few months, so I thought this would be a fun outing. She chose a fire truck ride-on toy for her birthday after test driving several others (princess, Dora, etc.). She gets very excited whenever we see a truck en route, or even hear a siren.

Bethany behind the wheel...

testing out some of the equipment...

looking at the blinking lights...


Thanks Station 40 and Fireman Jesse! We had a blast!

I tried to find the original clip of the People in your Neighborhood song, but couldn't find the one with the fireman. This is the next best one (from 1971 - gosh, Bob looks so young!)...

Easter

We made a quick trip to the mall last week to visit the E.B. Bethany ran right up to him, but froze once she was on his lap. Katie leaned in, unprompted, so you can't see the huge scab on her face. Anna's just caught up in the magic and mystery of it all.

We were camping the latter half of last week and were fortunate enough to have a visit from the E.B. We didn't actually see him, but he did leave a nice little scattering of colored eggs.

Sunday morning, the girls found one large basket with goodies for each - chocolate bunnies, marshmallows peeps, and jelly beans. The E.B. read my mind! They also got a ginormous coloring book, some outdoorsy toys, and pretty little pink purses to match their dresses. We were in a hurry to get to church, so they had Rice Krispy treat and bananas for breakfast. (don't you love the mismatch pajamas!?)

Last but not least, the egg hunt at church. Katie is now too old to participate, but she had fun helping Bethany. Anna was excited to hunt with the big kids this year. I think I heard that there were 1000+ eggs, so we weren't hurtin' for loot. Bethany got really upset when Shayne wouldn't let her have a Bit O'Honey or Tootsie Roll though! Too hard to chew for those little teeth! Let's stick to chocolate!!! One last sit with E.B....

perfect for camping

We went camping a few weekends ago at Pedernales Falls State Park with Shayne's parents. The weather was awesome and the park wasn't too crowded, so we had a really nice time. Shayne's brother and his family even joined us for a few hours on Saturday. The girls love being outside - even though we brought a bunch of toys to play with, you can see that they were most amused by the empty water bottles, egg carton, and dirt.

We're heading out again this weekend, finishing off our Spring Break with some time at Dinosaur Valley State Park. We think it's going to be an exciting adventure!

battle wounds

Katie got into a wrestling match last weekend with the swing set (and lost).

Here's how it happened...

she was swinging on her belly,

lost her balance,

went face down into the dirt,

got her legs tangled in the swing,

then flipped herself over to get loose


Here's the result...


It looks much worse in person... she thinks it looks cool!

St. Patty's day

I've always had an affinity for St. Patrick's Day. #1 it falls close to my birthday so I've always associated it with fun! #2 my name is Irish #3 I think four leaf clovers are cool! The girls and I all happened to be wearing green yesterday, so I had Shayne snap a picture for today. We're all wearing green again today - the girls each have on whatever combinations of greens they could find in their closet (I'm glad we're not going anywhere because I might have to make them change).

And for your amusement... the West Family dancers!

dum dum da dum

March 15th will forever be doubly joyful. Not only is it my own birthday, but now it will be the anniversary of our good friends - Mark & Tamra.
They have both been so special to us over the past few years. Miss Tamra is our Children's Minister and now former neighbor. The girls love her (and so do we!). Mark and Shayne spend a lot of time together doing guy stuff - lunchin', huntin', fishin', etc., and he has introduced us to lots of food that we might not have had the opportunity to try otherwise - all of which he has caught and/or killed with his own hands.

I remember when I first heard that they were "hanging out" together... I remember one night we were eating at his house for dinner and she showed up - Katie was a little surprised to see them side by side on the couch holding hands... I remember his birthday dinner and going back to his house for cake and gifts - the best gift was a big surprise! It's been wonderful to see their love bloom.


What an awesome day for a wedding! I'm so glad our family was able to be a part of it. I'll certainly never forget their anniversary!

thirty-seven?

I always call my mom on my birthday and ask her if she feels old. Well, this year, she's here with me... Mom, do you feel old today?My dad was in the Army in Germany, so we were to join him as soon as possible. I believe this was our passport photo.

p.s. love the wig!

roller coaster

We did the first trek of the season to Six Flags Fiesta Texas last weekend. We thoroughly enjoyed our season passes last year, so decided to do it again. I've been pleasantly surprised at all the things for the kiddos to do, and it's not just concentrated in one area. We can enjoy the whole park. Come summer, we especially enjoy the water park!!!
Can you imagine your mother and your child on a roller coaster - an upside-down backwards roller coaster? Well, here are mine...
Mom is second from the top in the red shirt and Katie is next to her. I think Anna will take after Shayne in her hesitation of thrill rides, but Bethany got a thrill just from watching. She screamed and had her arms up in the air just like she was on it herself!

Speaking of roller coasters... o.k., I have a confession. I think I've mentioned before that sometimes I forget that Radio Disney is playing when the kids aren't in the car. Well, sometimes I actually flip to it on my own. I've always had a thing for bubblegum pop music. Oh well, now you know. Anyway, here's one of the fun songs that the girls and I have enjoyed recently.

happy scouting!

March 12th was the 95th anniversary of Girl Scouts in the U.S. We decided to have our own little celebration to honor the occasion. We played some games, made our own party hats, and of course, had cake and ice cream.
I have been a Troop Leader for almost 4 years now and WOW what an experience. It was very overwhelming at first because you are so inundated with information, and of course dealing with the parents is SO much fun. The girls are wonderful and I've seen them grow so much. Four of the current eleven have been with me since Kindergarten! I've loved having these special times with Katie. There were times that I wanted to quit, but then I realized I might be missing an opportunity to minister to children who might not have good mentors elsewhere. We've camped in freezing temperatures, been to ballgames in the rain, had science experiments blow up in our faces, and sold thousands of boxes of cookies. Can I say WOW again! I'll be handing the leadership of the troop over to my friend Charity this summer so I can start up a new troop for Anna. The journey will begin again. I've promised the girls that I'll stick with it as long as they want to stay involved.

camel?

Bethany's vocabulary continues to explode. She points and names anything and everything she can. She and I were walking out of the gas station this morning and she said "camel". I looked, and sure enough, there was a picture of a camel on the door - Camel cigarettes that is. Ugh!

poo poo flowers

Anna thinks it's quite funny that Bethany says "poo poo" instead of "purple". We've had a good giggle over that more than once.

I took these pictures (with my camera phone) outside the library last week. I'm not very good at identifying flowers and trees, but I think it's a Mountain Laurel. It was very sunny and very windy, hence the squinty eyes and messy hair.