conquering fear

after a full day of learning. evening game. all boy. then the sunset and no lights came on. Mr. T was asked to be goalie. He had played goalie in our backyard but never for a game. I was all excited hollering for him to get the ball when it came down to him... forgetting his fear of the dark. and it got dark. and he was waiting for his teammates to come back towards him- even if they were trying to get the ball past him, at least he had people by him. After the game when we were safe at home he told me of his fear and how he didn't like being back there. all by himself. Put the big L on my forehead for LOSER! oh man. I felt awful.

soccer season has begun!

love this toothless grin!

Each time one of my kiddo's tries a sport I get a little tickled inside. I know the anticipation of trying something new and the courage it takes to step out as an athlete is huge!

 I have to remember I am NOT the one playing but the one cheering them on, hoping they find the joy in the sport they have chosen.  I love seeing my kids look over at me with a HUGE grin on their face and wind blowing in their hair- that is priceless for sure!

be kind to each other today.

I found this on FaceBook today and thought it was totally worth sharing and reading: A sweet lesson on patience. 

A NYC Taxi driver wrote:

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard
box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive
through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly..

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired.Let's go now'.
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut.It was the sound of the closing of a life..

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day,I could hardly talk.What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

Girls on the Run Practice Race

Girls on the RUN! My girls have once again been training for a 5K and they are ready to rock it! I'm so proud of my girls for taking charge of their lives in this way!

after getting bibs on they were ready to stretch with teammates and get ready to run their hearts out.

All the different running shoes really showed how unique each of the girls were. 

They both ran their hearts out for the practice and are really ready to set their "personal best" on race day!! I am so excited to see how much they have grown to handle situations that arise as they become young ladies.

Sweet V

my kids love that I love to learn. They get excited to see me excited about learning new things, failing, picking myself back up, dusting off and trying again.
I have a lot to learn and from them mostly. yep. they are the greatest teachers that teach me not to give up and continue trying- even after taking a breather and trying to find my direction or path that God is pointing me to at that time.
Well, I follow a great photographer from down under, Sue Bryce- she really knows how to teach and inspire!  I found her via Creative Live where I have learned so much about photography and myself. I am grateful for the moments I have gotten to spend a quite moment just for myself- although while learning I am always thinking of how it can apply to a friend and her or his business.

chin.shoulder.eyes.
each person is beautiful in their own way.
I think Queen V is beautiful and have since I saw her for the first time.
She takes my breath away.

love in the midst of a shoot

messy summer hair
comfy clothes
warm sunshine
unconditional love
yep, that just about sums up this moment in time lovely, isn't it??
Princess A has no clue I am there watching and loves with all of her heart while Queen V sees me and pastes on a quick smile.... they played for hours together this hot summer day under this pecan tree
I still have the buckets, cars and shovels under the tree to remind me of this moment while I ran around getting pictures for a client and her moving cards. All in the midst of my trying to get a little work done there is love of my children that pulls at my heart. I think I will leave the buckets only for the girls to have a moment under our pecan tree again when the weather gets a little cooler.

boyfriends and girlfriends

I have a best friend.
He has a girl friend.
She likes me more than she likes him.
So she sits next to me during lunch.

and yet they are still best friends....
gotta love this logic of kindergarten boys. wonder if his best friend knows all this?

tactile learners

So we need to learn again.. Mr. T is now in school... I can't believe it. I am doing some research to understand where he is and where he needs to go. We already knew he was a boy on the go. He even told us so. "Dad, I just like to go and do." Out of the mouths of babes, right? He knew and told us. Why don't we listen more to our children?? Makes me wake up when I hear it again from an adult. Anyway, so this post is about learning a new way- tactile or kinesthetic. Here goes what I have found so far. I am sure there will be more.

Micheal Farris: some children retain their strong tendency toward learning through their sense of touch. These children are known as kinesthetic, or tactile, learners.

If your child is a kinesthetic learner, he is active and hands-on about everything, including learning. He is probably very athletic, energetic, and uses lots of gestures when talking. Of all your children, he's the one that just can't seem to sit still. He's in perpetual motion and touches almost everything he sees.

Your kinesthetic learner may be your greatest teaching challenge, simply because most traditional curriculum isn't designed for him. Workbooks provide visual learners with things to see, and storybooks give auditory learners things to hear, but you're going to have to be creative in giving your kinesthetic learner things to touch. Use real pennies or an abacus in teaching math. Don't just tell him about evaporation; put some water on to boil and let him feel it!

http://child-1st.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/02/kinesthetic-tactile-learner.html

First Day of School for Mr. T

My heart skips a beat with my little man stepping into the world. Did I teach him enough? Will he be polite, make friends, smile and have fun? Will everyone be kind to him and know he is so very lovable?  He got a little scared this morning, crawled into my lap and reminded me how little he still is.  I so love my little guy and hope that all the world sees how absolutely wonderful he is and what he has to offer others.

 After putting away all the supplies he ran into the room to get right to work on his play dough.  He looked at me asking me to stay. He was scared not knowing how it would all work out at the end of the day.

Queen V and 3rd grade

 a bigger step into being the big kid. she is now the oldest Z kid in school here. she feels the pressure.. she puts it on herself. She prayed hard for the teachers she got and was thrilled to see them with open arms ready to teach her, fill her mind, push her curiosity further than it had been pushed...

3rd grade is going to be a great year for you, Queen V!!

Colorful Queen V

Queen V in a moment in time this summer... I love how I found her just looking so pretty.
It's like a vision of what is to come in the future...
confidence
colorful
standing out among the rest
love my Queen V

curiosity

I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity.
~Eleanor Roosevelt

Field Day for Queen V

My favorite part about field day this year was being with Sadie. She is very, very funny. She makes me laugh.
Tug-of-war was my favorite sport. We won second place!!!
I got ribbons for tug-of-war, hippity hop, and golf ball search!
-Queen V.

Latin Mass at St. Mary's

I am what is called a cradle Catholic. I was Baptised as an infant- like only 3 weeks old- and have gone to Mass every weekend since that time. I have missed only a handful of times since I received that sacrament. The only times I have missed have been when I had major surgery due to endometriosis or the birth of my 4 kids. I take pride in knowing that even when I didn't "feel" like going I went. If Jesus could go into the garden hours before he knew he was going to be crucified I can give one hour of my week to Him to thank him for the gifts and graces I have received. It is how I feel and what I teach my children...

Even though I have gone to Mass every weekend I had never attended a Latin Mass. The order of the Mass changed before I remember anything going on... my oldest brother and his son offer their services up to the Lord by helping with Latin Mass at St. Mary the Assumption on Magnolia in Fort Worth. I went when my nephew was confirmed. It was quite different than how I attend Mass. I will have to go again with my brother so he can explain it all to me. My mom, of course, knew it all since this is how she celebrated Mass all through her childhood and young adulthood. It was very reverant and I can't wait for my brother to explain more to me since he understood so much more than I did.

Good Friday

I took my girls out of school today... so that they may learn about our faith, about our Lord who gave his life for them.
They were not too happy about it- they wanted to be with their freinds. I understood but asked them... Do you know what was happening to Jesus at this hour?? Do you know what happened to Jesus as we were having our breakfast?
And then started the story of our day and how we went so casually about it. I ran a timeline of our day versus what happened to Jesus on that Good Friday.. the first Good Friday. Lady G sank a little in her seat, listening intently, Queen V asked more detailed questions, Mr. T was busy checking out his new toy car that Queen V brought home from Junk Day and Princess A listened more than I thought she would... answering with "oh, no!" or a "gross!" It was an interesting ride to church to say the least but I wanted to impress upon them that the world is bigger than them.. bigger than their school where their friends are- where the fun was so they thought. This day is not about fun but about reflection. A reflection of our lives, as Jesus' life and how ours are so intertwined and it is GOOD to stop and reflect how important this day is to us, to our family, to our faith.


What do you pray as you go about the Stations of the Cross? What do you say to Jesus? My kids, still being kids, are looking for guidance as to what to say to Jesus...
This was the last prayer we said before leaving the silent church:

Behold, O kind and most sweet Jesus,
I cast myself upon my knees in Your sight,
and with the most fervent desire of my soul
I pray and beseech You
that You would impress upon my heart lively sentiments
of Faith, Hope and Charity,
true repentance for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment,
while with deep affection and grief of soul
I ponder within myself and mentally contemplate Your five most precious wounds, having before my eyes that which
David spoke in prophecy of You, O good Jesus:
they have pierced my hands and feet,
they have numbered all my bones.

Holy Thursday

and Jesus went into the garden to pray all night..

Learning Christ
Teach me,
my Lord,
to be sweet and gentle
In all the events of life-
in disappointments,
in the thoughtlessness of others,
in the insincerity of those I trusted,
in the unfaithfulness of those on whom I relied.

Let me put myself aside,
to think of the happiness of others,
to hide my little pains and heartaches,
so that I may be the only one to suffer from them.

Teach me to profit by the suffering that comes across my path.
Let me so use it that is may mellow me, not harden nor embitter me;
That it may make me patient, not irritable.
That is may make me broad in
My forgiveness, not narrow, haughty and overbearing.

May no one be less good for having come within my influence.
No one less pure,
Less true, less kind, less noble for having been a fellow-traveler in our journey
Toward ETERNAL LIFE.

As I go my rounds from one distraction to another,
let me whisper from time to time,
A word of love to Thee.
May my life be lived in the super-natural,
full of power for Good,
and strong in its purpose of sanctity.

Girls on the Run!

Queen V and Lady G have been training for a 5K. Yep, a 5K. Amazing, isn't it?? It's not just about the running though. This training that they have done has prepared them for so much- finding and setting and keeping goals- who doesn't need that? Perseverance... big word for such little girls but with the world ahead of them this is not just a good thing, but a great thing!
Completion- to find, set and complete goals- long term and short term.
Friendships- who runs, who helps, who cheers another on.. even for the little things
Family- to stick together.. find comfort in family, to confide in one another

They had their cousins as running buddies... from playing at Gran's to being able to hang out with each other as they get older.. I hope they stay close!

You bring back memories...

Little guy, you crack me up. I see so much of your granddaddy in you at times. You never met him but you put your hands in your pocket like he did to find your coins. You love to have coins in your pocket. Your grandaddy always had coins in his pockets.

You are quick with a smile... even when you are being bad.. especially when you are being bad.. you so have my number. When you know something like a smile will get what you are wanting. I am on to you, too, though!

simple times

May the sun shine, all day long,
everything go right, and nothing wrong.
May those you love bring love back to you,
and may all the wishes you wish come true!
~Irish Blessing

red, white and a whole-lotta blue!

under a Chinaberry tree we found the most lovely patch of bluebonnets. It was a dream with the fence, the two barns and lots of shade... I could have had an entire day spent here with Princess A. This was the day to teach her how to walk in the bluebonnets so they wouldn't get trampled....
very carefully she stepped through them. There was a perfect patch here and there to allow for little feet to step through and pause just long enough for me to catch a few photos.