oh the places you'll go...

so my dad has been here since tuesday
and we have had the best time.
we've been chillin and grillin, and going everywhere too.
every time my parents come i realize they have way more energy than me.
i am exhausted but happy that my kids had a fun fall break.

in the last 48 hours we've been to:
red robin
target
lowes
home depot
lowes again
target
the mall
the outside mall
chick-fil-a
the movies
the fresh market

on a wing and a prayer.

i love the feeling of relief
when things are starting to
get checked off the to-do list...
when you realize that
it wasn't all such a big deal after all.
i've spent the last few days "spring cleaning"
and trying to recover from the craziness of the
first 9 weeks of school and working way more than normal.
it's paying off and i'm feeling regrouped.

i really love having the kids home from school for fall break.
except for the fighting...words can't say how crazy it makes me.
grandpa dan is coming this afternoon and i think i'm going to
ask him to have a "come to jesus" talk with the boys.
and alexandria's pre-teen-must have the last word-
sassy attitude is also very fun...
seriously i was way better at mothering
before they could talk back
or get into smackdowns with each other.

they're just keeping it real i guess.
we'll laugh about it one day.

leisure.

a dozen years

of marital bliss.

carlos+holly
4-ever

it just keeps getting better.

tina fey outdid herself.
again.

come my children and i will teach you the secrets of the universe...

or at least what foods pair well with latin american coffees.

for what it's worth...

i'm really impressed with this shampoo.
and the corresponding conditioner.

sky falls, you feel like It's a beautiful day

it almost feels like fall here.
in the mornings it's quite chilly
and that lovely crisp clean fall smell is the air.
soon the leaves will start changing....
there are many trees
on our street that turn
day-glow orange and yellow.
it's beautiful.

the kids have fall break during the second week of oct.
and i think we're just going to take it easy.

current pursuits:
i want a good camera and to learn photography
and i'm thinking about trade school...
massage therapy or something holistic in nature.

heroes=zeroes

everyone is so excited that heroes is starting tonight
not me
i'll be watching Dancing With The Stars.

dont judge me.

how he loves. the way i see it.

how he loves
by john mark mcmillan
is an amazing song
with an amazing story behind it.
seriously
you should find a way to hear it.
my brother james plays a solo that might make you
envision yourself dancing in a field of wildflowers
or at least shed a few tears like i usually do.
my issue is...
churches are changing the lyrics
and the way i see it
if we're already comparing God to a hurricane
and ourselves to a tree
why not go ahead and say "sloppy wet kiss"

it's john mark's song
and if we're going to sing it
we shouldn't change it.

music man

so i had to work during abraham's violin recital
but carlos took some pictures.

i am aware that he needs a haircut
just in case you were wondering.

one in a million.

i had a conference with abraham's
teacher yesterday and well,
she loves him!

she told me that abraham
is such a special child
"one in a million" she said.
"he excels academically and he is kind to others."

this teacher is an older woman
with 3 grown kids
i could right away she is nurturing.
and i love that for abraham.

a little birdie (alexandria)
told me that she treats the kids like babies
and i do realize that she is teaching the 3rd grade
but 8 & 9 year old kids
especially boys still need a lot of mothering.

she said something about how other teachers get
aggravated at her for helping the kids open their snacks at lunch
and being too helpful...
that made me sad.
i tried to encourage her that it means a lot
to me and mothers like me that the kids are being cared for
and watched over
not just managed.

her love for teaching shines through and
i left feeling uplifted and very proud of my boy.