10

she raced to 10.
Aunt Mary gave her a brick to put on her head to keep her small.
It didn't work.
She grew.
and grew.
and grew.

into this beautiful young lady.
just waiting to show the world what she knows.
what she loves.
what she can do.

what she dreams.
what she will be.... wonder what the next 10 years will bring??
what an amazing girl.

zoom!

almost passing me..
coming to a halt to hug me..
love this boy!

Princess A

what you say:
peeeeas
oct'pu
shoe
no! go! mine!
cack!
daw
eeat!
oh no!!!!

what you do:
draw on your legs
eat paper
pretend everything is a cell phone
steal everyone's shoes
push your siblings on the swing
look under water
bite
hide face when you are in trouble
holds babydolls
pretends to read

pray. pray hard

I have faith.
Sometimes that is all it takes.
faith.
Faith in family.
Faith in Friends.
Faith in God.
My good friend, Tisha, is a gentle soul. The kind of person you definitely want on your side... especially when it comes to faith. She has asked me to pray....
I am now asking you to pray.
Pray.
Pray Hard!
A sweet babe, Claire, needs your prayers.
The beginning of summer is supposed to be joyous. carefree. splendid even.
There are times when all is good in one person's life and there are others going through a time when God asks them to carry a cross..
This cross is being carried by a little girl named, Claire, her 2 sisters, her mama and her daddy.
Please pray and ask God to take this burden from this family...
Have faith.
Continue to pray...

crossing guard

a note came home asking if we wanted Lady G to be part of a group at school. the teachers chose a number of students who show responsiblity.. this young lady definitely does.
We are so very proud of her and her sensitivity toward others. She is one in a million..
I totally missed getting a picture of her with her stop sign at the front door... perhaps this week :)

welcome home

my brother came home from yet another deployment.
My little guy loves to wave a flag and see airplanes.. plus he missed his uncle who he often misnames.. go figure...
He had a great big smile and a cute little shirt that read "CELEBRATE!"
Indeed my family has since he has come home!!
Thanks for your service...
my little one will likely not remember so hopefully these pics will remind him that one of his family gave his time to service of our country.

Crowning of Mary

As a child I remember crowning Mary at St. Agnes and how it was such an honor for the girl who got to do it. It was no different for my girls being asked to be a part of this ceremony at our church.
Queen V carried the crown with another little girl.
Lady G was asked to crown Mary in the Marion Garden this year. She was so honored to be asked to be a part of this. She brought her Rosary we gave her at her First Holy Communion and held it proudly as she prayed with some of the women of our church.

breathe.love.pray.

I went on a retreat my good friend Kim created. This mama wakes every morning at 5am, puts on a pot of coffee and says the Rosary every morning! Her house is quiet and she takes this opportunity to reflect on the daily readings and then blogs when she gets a chance for a clear thought.

I felt compelled to write as the 2 speakers discussed motherhood, kids, husbands, and our faith. I had slips of paper in my pockets, in my camera bag and even one written on a "hello my name is..." lol! This one I peeled apart and stuck on a magnet on my fridge. Perhaps, I will get to blog about that one later.
The first part of the retreat was about motherhood - we laughed, cried and listened intently- trying to be in the moment of it all. The second part was about the mysteries of the Rosary. You would think since I grew up going to a Catholic school and being a cradle Catholic I would know all of this?? For what ever reason I am so glad I got to go and grow!

growing up

how on earth did this happen?
I could have sworn her Aunt M put a brick on her head to keep her little..
what happened??

Beach Time!

it was all about climbing dunes to see a little further...

digging in the sand and knowing when to duck so it didn't get in our eyes...
spending time with Daddy exploring our big world...
and sharing firsts... oh how I love firsts...

dream big, little one!

love how little my girl's hand is with this candy... all with little saying that mean so much!!

quiet time

My sweetie calls to me, "you gotta come see this!"

I peek around the corner and Princess A is reading to herself!

Yep, one of her favorites right now- Olivia!

I love that she has the desire to read... all my girls do.. Mr. T is so busy it's hard to know when he is actually listening to the story.

I got to snap a few before she even realized I was in the room with her...

Sacrifice

As I was in Mass on Saturday I was asking God to help lead me where I need to be right now. One word appeared in my head over and over but loud and clear

SACRIFICE

I have been offered a few opportunities lately that I am not sure I can pass up but at the same time it will affect my family.

So I ask God... which way do I sacrifice?

What is important right now for us?

How will this affect our future?

oh decisions and discernment...

So what to do?? Pray some more, organize and simplify my life so such decisions are not quite so slippery like this mud our youngest tip-toed through.

feeding the baby

Mr. T found it most entertaining to feed Princess A. She got a kick out of it too!
It was a messy job but full of smiles and giggles.
By the end of it actually more got in her mouth than just on her face!! Fully tummy makes for a happy baby!

my girl.. enjoying the snow

catch it on your tongue!

one last snowfall for 2009... oh, how I love how silent the world seems then...

Autumn Memories

As a kid I remember playing soccer in the autumn.. it was always a little cool but when that sun came out it was awesome..
this afternoon reminded me of my own childhood...
short evening
golden glow
soccer
kids
fun
homework was finished quickly just so we could go out and play... it was just too nice to be inside...

man, I got a good lookin' family!!!

Well, we didn't get to the pumpkin patch on my birthday or out of town like I wanted..
we waited till the rains subsided.. at least for 30 minutes..
got everyone together
in long sleeves
and grabbed a shot!!
Thanks to the older lady who mesmerized my kids while the timer went off on my camera..
I never use the thing and had to figure out where it was- LOL!
My sweetie met us at the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch and we got a few shots, jumped in bounce houses and played in all the pumpkins!! They were so big!!!
There were no whines or tears that afternoon.. it was a perfect family outing..
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Fort Worth Stockyards

I just so happened to be at the Stockyards the same time Lady G was there with her class... my friend taught me how to do this..
I am not responsible for others.
I am an extra set of eyes just in case.
I can bring other munchkins.
I get to see what my other school kids are doing.
I can leave if needed.
I can stay longer since I have other kids with me...
it is such a win win situation for me and the kids...

Some day I will be able to give 100% but some days it doesn't work out... soon it will as the Princess A will be able to hang out with others and know she is safe. For now I am the safe haven for her and it's just fine.

lessons learned

so there were lessons learned today...

Mr. T thought that he could hide choc'ates in the potty... my sweetie is STILL plunging... lol

Princess A..

she is another story all together.. being mobile she as the WHOLE WORLD at her fingertips...

new rules applied to her today.. things I thought I would NEVER say...

RULE #1: don't eat dead worms (notice the dirt around her mouth???)

RULE #2: don't bite the toilet seat

yep, these rules apply to my lovely daughter.. think she'll remember???