Happy Birthday to ME!!!

**Originally written on 2/26, just now getting around to posting it!!**

Today is my 32nd birthday - not afraid to share that little tidbit of information. I am not one to fret too much about age. I am usually happy right where I am in life.

I woke up this morning to a plate of freshly baked muffins on the table. It is a family tradition to have birthday muffins. Gabe had to leave early this morning so he left the muffins and note for me. So sweet!! When the kids woke up we decided to do something special and have a breakfast picnic in the living room. So fun!!!!


Last weekend Isaac went "shopping" around the house for my birthday gifts from him. He filled no less than 5 or 6 gift bags with toys from his room. He even put his beloved green lego race car in one bag. I asked him if we could keep my "gifts" in his room so we could play with them. He readily agreed!!! He also drew me a sweet picture.....my favorite gift from him!



So far the morning was going spectacular.......dum, dum dummmmmmmmm.... then the spell was broken when we started home school. Some days are better than others. This was a not so great day. Let's just skip the details on this part of my birthday. Moving on...

I tried to salvage the day with the kids by making our own little pizzas for lunch. YUM! Ok, all better now!



With a little food in our bellies and rest time (nap for me!) the day was definitely looking up. Plus, Gabe would be home soon. My day always gets better when he is around.

We spent the rest of the evening eating at Olive Garden, then back home for gifts. Dinner was yummy and the kids were wonderfully behaved - shocker after the day we had. Gabe got me a flash diffuser for my camera and a Dirt Devil Hand Vac. I know you are probably thinking.....what?!!! An appliance for your birthday? Actually I have been wanting (needing) one so it was a great gift. Gabe was afraid he might get in trouble for that one!!! All in all, it was a wonderful birthday. Thank you to all that sent cards, greetings, and calls. I love you all.

Isaac's Story

I wrote a post a few weeks ago about Isaac's story writing. He just finished this story that he has been working on for a little over a week. One sentence a day is enough at this point. I must share his story with you. Directly copied from his writing book.....

The Cat and The Tree
(Ok I helped him with the title)

Cat sa a tree. The tree has a lot of levs. Thn tree and cat wit on a woc. Tree fownd fiv levs. Tha wit hom.

The ind.

Translation: Cat saw a tree. The tree has lots of leaves. Then Tree and Cat went on a walk. Tree found five leaves. They went home.

The end.

At least he has learned that it is "The" and not "Ve". Baby steps!!

Long Lost Sea World Pics

Last August Gabe and I took the kids to Sea World along with Gabe's Mom and Aunts. Not wanting to take our big, nice expensive camera in, we took a disposable camera instead. This little camera has had quite a journey. After our trip to Sea World, I lost the camera around the house and did not find it until November. We then took it to Arkansas thinking we would finish it out. I left the camera there. Betty just now got the pictures on a CD and mailed it to us. Thanks Betty!!! So here are some of the pics from our little Sea World Adventure........6 months ago!!!

Waiting to ride the Steel Eel

The Lazy River with Julia - she LOVED it!

Gabe, Isaac, Peggy, Phyllis, and Julia

Everybody has got to do this at least once in their life!

Waiting in the blistering heat to ride the Shamu Express

He LOVED it!!

Ma taking Julia on the Pinwheel ride

Awww.... aren't we cute?!!!

We spent two glorious days at Sea World, which meant we were in no rush to see and do everything in one day. We were also staying in Aunt Phyllis and Peggy's RV which was parked right outside the gate. We could go back there for lunch, naps, and cool off in the refreshing AC. Now that is the way to do Sea World!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

From Sweet.....

To Silly!!

New Look

In celebration of the 80+ temps outside, I decided to change my blog to a more "springy" look. (is springy a word?) Simply Fabulous has come through yet again!! She has some really great free templates. If you are in the mood to change things up a bit, you should go check it out here. She has tutorials for the less technology inclined. I would know because I definitely fit in that category. Good thing I married a "nerd" who knows all the ins and outs of this techie world.

12 Weeks

Today I am 12 weeks pregnant. YEAH - the early pregnancy symptoms are seemingly starting to pass. I haven't been nauseated for 2 weeks now. All in all, my nausea didn't last as long as many others, but boy it felt like it did. When sick, I was sick all day.... from dawn to dusk. No fun. So glad that has passed. I am still very fatigued in the afternoons and almost always have to have a nap. I will take that any day over nausea!!

I had my 12 week appointment today. It was GREAT!!! I took the kids with me. I want them to be as much a part of this as they can. We were able to hear the very healthy heart beat of our baby . Such a precious sound!!! Isaac was even bouncing to the beat. He sure knows how to make me giggle. Everything checked out great and I even lost a pound. How is that possible with the amount of chocolate I have been eating lately? I am sure I will make up that pound and many more in the months to come.

Last time I updated on the pregnancy, the baby was the size of a raspberry. We have now graduated to a plum......
Which is much better than the prune last week. Who wants to compare their baby with a prune?!

As of now both Isaac and Julia think the baby is a boy. We will see come April if they are right.

Spiritual Leader

This may be one of my favorite pictures and one I will hold dear for many years to come. Often Gabe will be up very early in the morning to spend time with the Lord. Isaac, being the early riser that he is, will wake up to find Gabe sitting on the couch reading his Bible or praying. Graciously, Gabe invites Isaac to join him. They have spent countless sweet moments like this as Gabe lovingly leads our son towards God's Truth. I have heard Isaac on occasion asking Gabe to wake him up early the next morning so they can have "Bible time" together.

Gabe's spiritual leadership does not end there. He lives his faith every day. Christ is central to who he is. Gabe is truly a man after God's own heart. My words are inadequate to express how blessed I feel to be married to a man that seeks God in everything, a man that is completely devoted to our Savior. Gabe gathers our family and gently guides our attention to the One solely deserving of it.

As much as I want to put Gabe up on a pedestal, that is not where he belongs and he would humbly admit the same. To God be the glory in all things. Gabe is who he is by the grace of God and through that we as a family are blessed beyond measure.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Sweet Kisses

Breakfast in Bed - Isaac's idea!

Julia's 5 headed Lego man

Did you know?

Did you know that Tuesdays are Super Hero Day? Bet you didn't. I didn't either until Isaac informed me. For the last few weeks, every Tuesday he turns into Super Isaac. He says that is the only day people call him for help. No other day of the week, just Tuesday. Cute, right?! Here he is.... off to save the world!!


And of course, little sister follows big brother's lead.


I love to watch my children's imaginations at work!!!

Little Scientists

Isaac and Julia enjoyed being scientists last week when we finally (after weeks of Isaac's pleading and begging) made and watched our volcano erupt. To be honest, the volcano was less than impressive, but Isaac and Julia LOVED it!! This is the part of home school that I do enjoy more. Getting our hands dirty, exploring, and just having fun learning together.

BEFORE

AFTER

Valentine's Night Out

Gabe and I got the rare opportunity to get out of the house on Saturday for Valentine's. Thank you Miss Bailey for watching our little ones even though your "plate" was quite full! We headed to Gruene with the intentions of eating at the Gruene River Grill. There was a 2 1/2 hour wait, which meant we wouldn't be seated to eat until well after 9pm. This prego Momma needs to eat long before then. So we checked around to find, not surprisingly, that the wait was enormous everywhere else. So we decided to make the best of it. We drove over to McDonald's (crazy right?!) and got an appetizer....... chocolate milkshake and french fries!!! We took it back to Gruene and just sat in the car and talked. It was actually quite wonderful. Otherwise we wouldn't have spent that much time talking and laughing together. We wandered over to the restaurant after awhile and was almost immediately seated. Perfect!! The 2 1/2 hour wait was in reality 1 1/2 hours. Gruene River Grill was worth the wait. Charming atmosphere and delicious food, which by the way is not too badly priced! It was a great evening. Of course I would have enjoyed eating anywhere as long as I was with my Valentine!!

One more thing..... after 12 marvelous days of surprises from Gabe I finally got to sneak one in on him. Friday afternoon I set this up on our bathroom mirror. On each note I wrote something I love about Gabe. I could have filled the mirror and more with all his wonderful qualities. He is truly a great man!

3 hours!!!

To catch you up a little on the 12 days of Valentines, Gabe has found fun and exciting ways to love on me this past week. Every day he writes me a letter and gives me something that communicates his love for me. Today he got home from work and handed me a letter and it said...

"On the 3rd day of Valentine's my true love gave to me ...... 3 hours of freedom!"

I am officially off duty for 3 whole hours. What am I possibly going to do with myself?!!! It was such a wonderful surprise. I even got tears in my eyes. Of course, I am pregnant and hormonal so that is no big shocker!!! I know I need to take more time for myself and it was so loving of Gabe to see that need and willingly fulfill it without my asking. But as much as I need to get away, I already miss my family. I love to be around Gabe and the kids and I miss them terribly when we are not together.

But three hours of freedom, is THREE HOURS OF FREEDOM!!! So I am off to enjoy a little break. I wonder what Gabe has up his sleeve for the next two days?!!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Dum Da Da Dummmmm............

To the Rescue!!!!

Ve ind

This is just a cute little something that Isaac did today. He has been learning how to make up his own stories and writing the words on his own. Today he wrote (with minimal help from me) a story about a cat and a tree. I walked away to help Julia with something and came back to see that he had ended his story with, "Ve ind". I am sure you can guess he was trying to write, "The End". I so wanted to correct him, but I didn't and just let it be for now. It will be a cute keepsake to look back on in the years to come.

A Day of Rejoicing!!!!!!!

This morning as I sat on the couch with Julia, Isaac walked in from the garage where he had spent the morning with Papa and said these words that I will never forget.....

"Momma, I wanted you to know that I believe Jesus is my Savior!!!!!"

Gabe followed him in, with tears brimming in his eyes. I knew that what he was saying was the truth and today will always and forever be a day I will never forget. A day of REJOICING!!!!!! We came together as a family, we cried happy tears, we prayed, we celebrated!!!!

Gabe had the awesome privilege of being present in this very precious moment. He has told the story that I want to shout from the mountain tops!!! Visit Gabe's blog to read the sweet story of how Isaac became forever God's.

What a way to start the day....

Isaac got up this morning and immediately came to my room to inform me that he was making breakfast and I was to rest a little while longer. He made himself and Julia waffles (the frozen, pop them in the toaster kind) He got out their drinks and the syrup..... he took care of it all. Then he came to me and asked if he could get me anything to eat. I declined, but he insisted. I got a bowl full of cereal brought to me on a tray. Breakfast in bed from my five year old?!! I must be dreaming. Oh, but the dream gets even better. Once finished with breakfast he decides that he will "wash" the dishes. His idea of washing is basically rinsing them off with some warm water, but whatever it's the thought that counts right?! Isaac loves to be independent and take care of those around him. And he is good at it!!! I love that my sweet son has such a giving heart. What a way to start the day!!!!

12 Days of Valentines

There is no doubt in my mind that Gabe cherishes and adores me. Before he left town yesterday he set up a few surprises for me. Shortly after he left, I found an envelope in the kitchen. Inside the note was titled, "On the 12th day of Valentines, My true love gave to me..... twelve moments of bliss!!" He told me to look in the fridge and find those twelve moments of bliss..... a 12 pack of caffeine free Dr. Pepper! What a treat!!!

Then today I get an email from him telling me to look in the piano bench where I found note number two. Today is the 11th day of Valentines and the envelope was filled with 11 candy hearts. He expressed his heart towards me and I feel loved through and through.

He is such a sweetheart to love me in this way. I enjoy the surprises and gifts - I think gift giving is one of my love languages. But he shows me love in other ways too. He is completely devoted to our family, he works hard to provide for us and protect us. In that way, I feel safe with him. Ladies reading this will understand the deep need to feel safe under the "wings" of our husbands. Gabe also loves me through the way he loves our children. He is by far the best Papa. He has a firm but gentle way of dealing with them when the need arises. He loves them for who they are and lets them know that they are important. And to be honest, that is how he loves me the best. He loves me for who I am, faults and all. He lets me be myself. That is huge for me personally.

So I think I am going to get to look forward to 10 more days of Valentines!!!! What fun! I will update you on all the ways Gabe chooses to surprise me with his love. By the way, our first valentines together (2001 - still dating) he handmade a dozen roses and on each he wrote reasons why he loved me. Let's say it together..... awwwwwwww! Such a sweetheart!

This is what one of the roses said. I still have the roses in a keepsake box under my bed.

And while I am at it, my other favorite Valentines day was right after Isaac was born. I got up that morning to find little heart notes all over the house. They were sweet and funny. He had one taped to the light that said, "You light up my life!" I don't deserve the love he so fully gives me. I am truly blessed to be his wife.

Julia's Concept of Time

It is funny to hear little ones try to grasp the concept of time. Here are a few cute examples from Julia....

*Ever since we told Julia about the new baby she has been asking when that baby is going to get here. Kind of hard to explain 9 months to a two year old. She asked the other day if the baby was going to be here tomorrow. Trying to help her understand I said, "The baby will be here after lots and lots of tomorrows." Now she repeats that by saying, "baby comes after lots of morrows, right Momma?!" So cute!!

*The other day we were in a store and Julia asked for something. (can't remember what it was she wanted) I told her that she couldn't have it today but maybe one day. After a few minutes she came back to me and said, "Is it one day today?"

Oh, she brings a smile to my face. Here is Miss Julia showing off her "Princess Leia" hair do!

The sarcasm of a 5 year old

Yesterday I went to Hancock fabrics with Isaac and Julia. I was not in the best of moods (feeling sick, tired and hormonal) Why I ventured on this little errand is beyond me. So we are walking around the store and Isaac manages to knock off an entire roll of fabric. Errr.... given first warning. He keeps being a bit too rambunctious and knocks off another. I lean down and say in my clenched teeth stern voice, "DO NOT touch anything else in this store. Keep your hands to yourself" He looks up all innocently and says, "But there is air in the store and how can I not touch the air?!" He is way too smart for that to have been an innocent comment, he knew he was pushing some buttons. Let's just say we had a "discussion" and he kept his hands ( and mouth) under control after that.

I've Been Tagged

I was tagged by Kelly for the 4folder/4thpicture thing. Here's is what I found........

This is a picture of me when I was about 6 months pregnant with Isaac standing in front of our handmade nursery decor. Little did I know how the adventure was about to begin.

I tag Angela and Pat. (you need to blog Pat - this is me guilting you into it!!!!!)

***Lisa made a comment about how she couldn't believe this was me at 6 months pregnant. This was my first pregnancy. I didn't start showing at all until I was 5 months pregnant. However, when I was 6 months pregnant with Julia certain people (I won't name names) kept asking me if I was pregnant with twins!!! Isn't there a rule book somewhere telling what you can and can not say to a pregnant woman. I think asking if she is pregnant with twins is a definite "NO NO". The thing is, this particular person (again not naming names) was also pregnant at the same time. So please, no matter how big I get this time, don't tell me. Believe me, I already know!***