This is a cool video - I wish I was that flexible!

I married a good daddy

The late nights and long hours of football season began officially this week for Matt. He called me at 9:30 last night to say he was on his way home. He said he was starving because he didn't have time to eat lunch and hadn't eaten dinner either. Right before he was due home, I heated up his dinner of pork chops, stuffing, and baked beans so it would be ready when he got home. I set out his plate on the island and went upstairs to calm #1 who was crying hysterically.

While I was upstairs holding #1, I heard the door open downstairs and knew Matt was home. He came upstairs and asked what was wrong. When I told him about #1's recent night terrors, Matt laid down next to him in bed. #1 almost immediately went back to sleep.

Knowing that he hadn't eaten in nearly 14 hours, I was amazed and humbled to be married to a man who was such a good daddy that he would rather lay beside his son to calm him back to sleep before eating a steaming hot plate of food.

I received this from a friend and loved it so I'm passing it along...enjoy!

BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTER
By Maya Angelou

'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ
That a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean living,'
I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say....... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say.. 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success..
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain......
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!

Pretty is as Pretty does... But beautiful is just plain beautiful!
TODAY IS BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTERS DAY- TAG; YOU'RE IT!
I'm supposed to send this to BEAUTIFUL WOMEN, and you are one of them!!!
If you share this with other women, you will boost another woman's self esteem

My boyfriend's back!

While the boys were away at Mimi's house this week, Matt and I got to enjoy some alone time. We went on several dates, and instead of taking a trip we did Priceline for a five star hotel in the Galleria area of Houston for one night. We ate a lot, shopped a lot, and watched movies a LOT! We went to see three different movies this weekend. We don't have the opportunity to do these things together much, and it was so much fun! It was just like when we were dating - my boyfriend's back!

Taking a break

My kids are spending the week at "Camp Mimi" so I am taking a little break from blogging.

Although I miss them, it is also nice to come home from work and not have any housework or laundry that needs to be done.

I have cleaned out my closet (which has been sorely needed), and just piddled around the house.

I'll pick up my blogging again next week. In the word of the SNL airline flight attendant, "Bubbbye now!"

I only thought I was getting ahead of the game...

Last night I made spaghetti, and decided to brown some hamburger meat that was about to expire if I didn't cook it or freeze it. I have heard that you can brown hamburger meat and freeze it, and when you are ready to use it, it doesn't take as much time to make your meal since it is already cooked.

So...thinking I would get ahead of the game and freeze the fully cooked meat, I browned it. Once it was done, I let it sit out on the cooktop so that it could cool down.

While it was cooling, I finished dinner, we ate, then it was play time, bath time, potty time, prayer time, night night time, no-get-back-in-bed time, ok-one-more-kiss-time, now-it's-really-time-to-get-in-bed time, if-you-get-out-of-bed-again-you-will-get-a-spanking time, etc.

When they finally went to bed, I went downstairs and started working on my computer, only to fall asleeep on the couch until I heard #1 crying in the middle of the night. I went upstairs and calmed him down, but then #3 woke up and wanted me to lay down with him. Ok, but only for a few minutes.......

Fast forward to this morning. Guess what was awaiting me when I came downstairs with the boys ready to go to school?

Yup, you guessed it. Ug! I hate wasted food, and I especially hate my foiled plans to get ahead of the game!!!

Mr. Baseball

#2 loves to play baseball. No, really, he LOOOOOOOOOOOVES to play baseball. Every day after school, when we arrive home, he immediately goes out and hits about 100 baseballs off of the tee. The video is a little dark, but see for yourself!

Shower surprise

The hot water heater that feeds the shower in our bathroom is out, so until we can get around to getting it repaired I have been taking a shower in the guest bathroom at night. The guest bathroom is right next to the boys' rooms so I have to shower before they go to bed in order to avoid waking them.

Last night while showering I heard the door open, a little giggle, and then the lights went out.

Surprise!

Proverbs 31

This is an inspiring passage to me about a wife of noble character. She works tirelessly for her family, and her efforts do not go unnoticed, but not because she is rambling on and on about how much she does.

Sometimes I can get into a mode where I don't think anyone notices or appreciates how hard I work for my family, and I stomp around the house picking up things, unloading the dishwasher, folding, clothes, paying bills, feeling like a servant for the kings of the castle who leave stuff everywhere. I need to get a grip and realize that I need to be more like the Proverbs 31 woman. See what I mean below:

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

10 [c] A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.

14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.

15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.

16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.

19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.

21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

31 Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Confessions of a real mom

I got to see Oprah while home on Friday, and they had an episode that had confessions of real moms of everyday shortcuts they take, etc. For example, one mom said she was on a trip by herself with the kids and they were asleep in their car seats but she was desperate to use the restroom. She didn't want to wake them up, so she pulled over to the side of the road, pulled out a diaper, and peed on it. I guess when you've gotta go, you've gotta go!

I can't say my confession is as bad as that, but I do have my own confession to make.

Our cable freezes up every now and then when we are watching tv for a few seconds or so. The kids are used to seeing the TV freeze up for a couple of seconds every now and then. That said, here is my confession:

Every morning when the first child wakes up, I let him watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Sesame Street from the DVR on my bed while I finish getting ready. By that time, the others are usually awake and on my bed watchig the show, so I get them dressed and then it's time to leave. This works well for me having them in one room rather than all over the house, so the morning TV is a great "corraler" and helps them to wake up.

In the past, I have turned off the TV when the show was not yet over and it caused some major tantrums, so I have adapted a new way of getting them out the door. If it is time to go but the show is not yet over, I have on occasion grabbed the remote and done a quick fast foward a few minutes until the end and let them watch the last two minutes. When the credits start to roll, I say, "OK guys, the show is over, time to go" and everyone troops downstairs with no tantrums. They have not yet caught on to my scheme. Hee! Hee!

Ode to Paige

Paige is my sweet cousin who is so fun-loving and sweet. I am always amazed at how full her social life is. She runs circles around my social calendar! I could never keep up with as many people as she does and remember as many details about all of those relationships as she does. The is truly amazing! She talks and thinks at warp speed, and I love her very much!

I'm still trying to locate those pictures of us from our "Talent Show" from our junior high days, but until then, here's a few pics of Paige-O!

Breathing

One of #1's autistic qualities is that he thrives on routine and schedule. When his schedule is thrown off for an extended period of time, it is hard for him and he gets overly tired and won't sleep. We went on vacation for a week to New Braunfels and stayed in a river house with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. We had a great time, but the change in routine, sleeping in a different bed, and the general noise level from so many people was hard for him. We had a great time, but by the end of the week #1 was just plain exhausted and irritable from staying up late and not napping.

Yesterday, when I picked up the boys from school, #1 was asleep in the floor. He hadn't slept during nap time and had just run out of steam. I picked him up and carried him to the car, while the other boys walked beside me. He slept all the way home and I put him in bed, thinking he would sleep for about an hour or so.

He woke up at 10 pm crying, so I went upstairs to try to coax him back to sleep. I laid down with him in his bed and he clung to me for dear life. Knowing that I was going to slide out of bed as soon as he drifted off to sleep, I tried to remove his death grip so that I wouldn't wake him when I left, but he clung even more tightly. His face was just above mine and each time he breathed I felt his exhale blow lightly on my face.

Hearing and feeling him breathe reminded me of the time in the NICU when both he and his twin brother couldn't breathe on his own and ventilator machines had to do his breathing for him. If you have ever read the poem "Footprints in the Sand," that time in my life was my footprints moment when I knew God was carrying me. Suddenly, I didn't mind the death grip hug and I was still listening to his breaths, thankful to God for every inhale and exhale.