November 9, 2010

Realizing that some hurts never completely go away. What does the loss of one person plague me so? Praying God will continue to heal.

November 7, 2010

I'm really trying hard not begin my blog with "So,..." I think I always do that. :)

What's new here....

Dylan is finished with soccer. And while he last team never won a game, they improved soooo much! He has started gymnastics. He loves it! His main two goals: Handstand & cartwheel. He also began piano this past week. We can't get him to stop practicing!! He really does love it. He has "mastered" the first song & now he's working on stuff for next week. Our main problem with him is curving his fingers & rushing thru the song. On another note, we've seen some improvement with his focus. But it may be a problem for him for quite some time.

Jasmin has started up with gymnastics again. She starting to really learn some cool things in there. And, of course, she loves preschool.

We've been attending a new church since August. Just starting to feel like we're not visitors. :) No fault of the church, just takes awhile to get into the grove of a new church. Eric is playing his tuba again, in the orchestra. Jasmin & Dylan will be in the Christmas program with the Children's choir. The ladies in charge have done a great job with this program. Dylan "might" get the part of David. We'll see. Either way, he's really enjoying it.

So, the holidays are coming up. We're looking forward to Thanksgiving with friends and then Christmas with Eric's family.

August 30, 2010

So, last week was kind of crazy for us. I got notified via facebook that my stepmother had a stroke. Yes, my sister could learn a little tact, but we love her anyway. That was Wednesday, I believe. Then, the next day, my husband is rear ended. He's still dealing with the insurance issues, but it looks like we'll get a quote for that tomorrow. There's a possibility of his car being "totaled" which means we would have to go car shopping. Saturday, right after lunch, we loaded up my car to go to my son's soccer celebration. Can't get the key into the ignition...... So, we load up the other car (can't open the trunk due to accident). Tight squeeze! Now, my car is at Carmax. It's under warranty, so hopefully they'll get to it tomorrow. No luck today.

Blessings in all this....

1) My stepmother is doing well.
2) My husband wasn't injured & the car is still "functional".
3) My car is under warranty.
4) Between insurance & warranty the towing & rental car should mostly be covered.
5) Get to drive a cool mini van for a couple days. :)

Today, I talked to my son's teacher. It seems God sent just the right teacher for him. He's smart, but unfocused. She is going to be tough on him. Really like her.

My daughter LOVES preschool. She thinks she's so big. But she still wants to be a baby (so she can suck her thumb!)

That's our life. We'll have two rental cars by tomorrow. So funny! I think my husband's hoping for a Mustang!

August 2, 2010

So, I believe I mended things with my dad while on vacation. He even called me on my birthday. I can't remember the last time he did that! But it's been a month & I haven't heard from them. I tried to call several times. All three different numbers. I'm extremely discouraged over this. I hope it's just a mistake. I emailed my younger sister to try to see what's going on. She's the only one he's talking too. Anyway, I am presently attempting not to jump to conclusions. We'll see how long that lasts!

On a happier note, Dylan is doing so well in soccer! He's really learning to work on a team which is great. He shows great promise at defense. He's not so keen on offense. Not a terribly aggressive player. But his coach is a great guy. They lost their first two games and won the last two. So, they're making progress. Dylan told me he doesn't have any talent. Breaks my heart to think that my exceptional little boy, who is presently reading the third book of Harry Potter, thinks he has no talent. I need to get him involved in consistent activities to build up his skill level.

Jasmin start preschool in just two weeks. That's all I can say on the matter. :) She's growing up too fast.

July 10, 2010

Today we celebrated my birthday. It was a great time. We got up early for Dylan's first soccer game of the season. He did a great job. He really thrives at defense, not so much at offense. Must learn to go after the ball! :) We came home, watched a little TV while waiting for my nephews to come over. We were their ride back home.

Lunch was hamburgers, etc. With a peanut butter ice cream cake for dessert. Delicious! And we went to the pool. It was such a great time. Unfortunately, we hit traffic on the way home. Lots of traffic! It took twice as long to get home.

Presently, I'm listening to my sister on a blog radio. Interesting listening. I'm multitasking, so I hope I'm getting all of what she's saying.

I was thinking the other day of how wonderful my kids are! Now, I know I'm bias. But they are such wonderful gifts God has given me. Each one has their own unique awesomeness. Hard to explain. Dylan has a love for fantasy, reading, imagination. He's a dreamer. Jasmin is ferocious. Yet, she loves to snuggle with a blanket. She loves to follow her brother, but also forge her own way. It's so hard to describe how amazing they both are.

Decisions

We recently made a really tough decision about a place we love. My heart is breaking about it right now. I know God has guided us in this. That makes it definite, but not necessarily easier. If I think too much of it, I will cry.

Praying God will have His perfect will in this.

July 4, 2010

I realized I haven't blogged in awhile, so here goes. We just back from a two week vacation in Virginia. It was such a great time, but Eric & I are exhausted. I have managed to get the laundry "mostly" done. I even went to the grocery store! I feel like I should be doing more, but I just can't make myself.

First, the vacation. We had a wonderful time staying with my aunt. We were able to visit the Aquarium, the Air/Space Museum, Jamestown settlement, and a children's museum. The children's was sad because it was being remodeled. But everything else was great!

We were able to go into the pool each day. That's a lot of swimming. I don't think I even tanned. :( The first thing each morning the kids asked for was the pool. And Jasmin asked for ice cream.

We were also able to see lots of family. My two sisters came down from Charlotte to visit. I saw my parents, grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins. I also visited with some high school friends. And Eric was able to meet up with two different friends from college. All in all, good times!

For me, the best part, was just being together. Just the four of us hanging out. We did a lot of that.

We had relatively smooth flights both ways. And two whole days to recover from "vacation". Today, we tried out a new church in Elgin. And then spent the rest of the day hanging out. I did run a couple of errands & do some housework.

When we got home, Eric found that water had been leaking in our master bathroom. So, he is presently up there trying to fix the problem. We also came home to some ants, so he will have to spray tomorrow. That's after we go catch The Last Airbender in the theater tomorrow!

So, Tuesday life resumes as normal. Dylan's even starting soccer practice Tuesday night.

May 3, 2010

Again, I haven't posted in awhile. So an update....

Dylan is doing well in school. He only five weeks left. :) Can't wait for the summer even though it's going to be a short one. Right now we're working on his "big" final project. It's on moray eels. He really enjoys reading. Seems to do well at math, too. His big problem is his handwriting. I don't think he'll ever be "neat". He's really improving in swim class as well. Can't wait to get him into the pool at Aunt Nina's! He swam the whole length of the pool! So proud. He's all signed up for soccer. I believe it starts in the beginning of July.

And Jasmin is doing a gymnastics show in about two weeks. She loves gymnastics! Pretty good at it too. I got Jasmin's preschool paperwork the other day. I actually cried. It's going to be hard to let her go (even two half days a week!). But I know she's going to thrive at it. She is so excited to go to school.

Eric's brother and his family have moved back into the area. Laura & I are getting our girls together to go bowling tomorrow. I'm looking forward to getting to know Laura better. It's been hard being that we've always lived in different states.

So lastly, I've been struggling a little bit lately. I'm terribly insecure, especially in my relationships. I've been claiming the verse: "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Because I constantly fear I'm saying the wrong things, doing the wrong things. I'm thinking of reading Beth Moore's book on the subject. I have to remember that not everyone analyzes each & every word I say.

March 26, 2010

I haven't updated things in awhile.

Jasmin's been doing gymnastics still. She's been doing great with it. She looks forward to it every week. We're enrolling her in preschool in August. She tells me constantly that she's big now, so she should go to preschool. I think she'll really thrive there.

Dylan is doing better with his handwriting. I think we're going to practice this summer. Certain letters he learned how to write incorrectly, so he's going to have to practice the right way. He wants to do soccer this summer.

I'll be watching a little boy this summer. Babysitting job for some extra spending money. He's Dylan's age, so he'll have a playmate for this summer. It will be Monday through Thursday. And this little boy is so sweet natured. Won't be any trouble at all.

We're looking forward to our vacation this summer. Eric & I both need two weeks to get away. But the question is... Do I try to talk to my dad while I'm there? I tried calling again, I left a message. I'm angry. Angry for my kids. Angry at my dad, because if continues he will never really know his grandkids. And I think, how dare he! I was depressed after the call & had to go help out at Dylan's school. I was hoping for paperwork. But I guess, God decided I needed to work with the kids. So, I played Math Wars with them. Actually forgot all about it for awhile. Such a blessing children are.

Feb 2, 2010

Today was a great day. Jasmin & just hung out most of the morning. Sorted thru some hand me downs. Always nice to get clothes for the kids. Then, set aside ones to hand me down. The cycle goes on. :)

It was also Jasmin's very first dentist appointment. I told her if she sat for the dentist, she would get a new toothbrush. She was tooooooo excited. Doesn't take much for her. Actually, she was slightly annoyed that Dylan got to go first. She sat so well! What a big girl. Opened her mouth, very cooperative.

Dylan went first. I was a little worried about how he would do. Last time he freaked out. Well, he tried to negotiate with the dentist.

After the dentist, we had a little time to kill before dinner, so we hit Toyrus. I decided to treat us all to Sweet Tomatoes. My mother in law met us there. Dylan ate & ate & ate. Oh my goodness, that kid ate. But they loved it.

We ended the night with a trip to the mall. The Lego store had their free build going on, so we did that. Ground hog build. Kinda weird looking. Then, I let the kids play in the play area for just a bit before we had to get home for bedtime.

Jan 26, 2010

So, my workout/reading schedule hasn't quite worked out as planned. No more treadmill. We gave it back, so now I'm on my own. Last week was sort of a bust, but I've lost 5 pounds so far. We have another friend who is going to let us try out their elliptical, but we haven't actually got it yet. I have a hard time staying motivating without some sort of machine to go on.

On the home front, Dylan had a run in with the principal. He was cutting his seat sack at school. Why? "I was being silly." He lost ALL of his toys. We even moved some of them into our bedroom. He's gained many of them back by showing us he is responsible. Still no DS or Wii for him, though. Poor kid. On a positive note, he's taking private swim lessons & is doing well. Hopefully, we'll have him ready for our June vacation.


Little Jasmin is taking gymnastics now. She's doing great with it. Loves her class, wants to go everyday. We have just enrolled her for preschool next year. She's going to love it.

Jan 9, 2010

Jasmin gave us quite a scare this past Tuesday. She was playing sweetly with her new pony--dancing around it. Then, we heard a thump & a cry. Eric picked her up. She was bleeding badly. I put a cold wash cloth on it. We both noticed how deep the cut was & decided to take her to the ER. Time to try out the brand new Sherman hospital!

She was such a trooper. She held the washcloth on her face while we got ready to go. She didn't cry when they checked her in. She didn't start crying until halfway thru the numbing process. She cried a lot then. Cried for her mommy. Broke my heart. She ended up with four stitches. She still doesn't like to talk about the doctor except to say that he made her cry.

We brought her home (with McDonald's, of course). She got to watch TV the rest of the day. And went to bed super early. Long day for her.

It make me think how fast something can happen. And how much I have to put my trust in God for the safety of my kids. He loves them more than me. Also, I need to give each kid an extra couple of hugs each day. Very important.

Jan 6, 2010

Today is day 3 on my new schedule. I get up at 6 am & walk on the treadmill for 25 min. While doing this, I read my Bible & have a prayer. Talk about multitasking! The first two days went great. I even seemed to get more done during the day. And I think I handled my kids better. I have also done an extra 15 minutes on the treadmill later on both days.

Today was a little different. I thought the treadmill was making a weird noise. Not sure, I want Eric to listen to it. So, I only worked out 5 min this morning. I decided to take an early shower instead. Still read my Bible a little bit. I plan on working out later today.

I have also began to eat better. I switched to Special K cereal which has way less calories. And my afternoon snack is limited to a fruit or veggie. So far, so good.

I'm doing this mainly because my weight has exceeded what I feel comfortable with. After Jasmin, I was over 200 pounds. I finally got down to 135. Not completely where I wanted, but I could fit into most my clothes. I told myself, I would not get back over 140. Well, now after the holidays, I hit 145. Really completely due to laziness & lack of self control on my part.

I plan to lose 20 pounds by the middle of June which is our summer vacation. I also have a high school reunion then. So, I would like to look better for all of that. We'll see how if goes. I think the weekends will always be the hardest.

Jan 2, 2010

Apparently, I have to get used to writing & typing 2010.

Today, I asked Dylan if he talked to Alyssa anymore. Alyssa was his first girlfriend. He told me no. I asked him why. He said because she broke up with him. I asked him what he said. He said he told her he still loved her.

How sweet!

Jan 1, 2009

Today is the start of a brand new year. One of my "goals" for the first six months is weight loss. I never quite lost all of the weight after I had Dylan (he's only 6!) So, I would like to lose 20 pounds by my June vacation. It's going to take a lot of hard work & discipline. Too things I'm not very good at. :)

With my children I want to be a better teacher. I, also, want to learn more about them. What makes them tick. Why they react the way the do. Why they do the things they do. I want to be more patient. Not to lose my temper so easily, over such unimportant things.

With my husband, I want to be more supportive. Also, notice the little things. Do more "little" things for him.

With God, I would like to be more consistent in reading my Bible. Definitely more consistent in prayer. I want to go to God all the time, not just when I'm desperate.

I don't really believe in New Year's resolutions. Mostly, they're something to do for a little bit & then fail at. I know, very pessimistic. But true for most people & for me. I want to make a permanent change.