Oh Jada...

When I take Jada somewhere by herself (the babysitter, the store, to practice) she covers her head like this. I have asked her not to mess up her hair and she always says, "I won't."

This particular time I asked her to uncover her hair so she didn't mess it up and she snapped at me, "Then how am I supposed to have my me time?"

I almost drove off the road laughing...

That's my girl

Jada wanted to show off her new hat and boots... :o)

Not quite broken

My poor baby Alyssa got hurt in soccer. It isn't broken, but it was pretty banged up so the doctor put a half cast on it to keep her from moving it. She goes to the sports medicine doctor next week to check it out again...

New Widget

Check out my new little widget on my sidebar. That's my baby! Amazing...

Prayers please...

Please pray for Garrett. He is a little boy with a walnut size mass behind his eye. The doctors are not as concerned as his mom is, and we all know how that feels...
Please keep this little 11 year old in your prayers!

God

Is it just me or do the rest of you feel like God talks to you through nature?

On my drive to work in the morning I often feel the presence of God through the beauty of his creations. I will see the colors of the sunrise, or the majesty of the mountains with a light mist emanating from them, or the way the clouds literally blanket the valley, and I get the distinct impression that God is saying good morning to me. I always find myself smiling and saying good morning right back to him.

Today was one of those days. I left for work and the moon was still shining brightly. It was hiding behind a very small section of clouds and the colors coming from the glow of the moon were amazing. I smiled and said good morning. Then I thought to myself that no one in this world could duplicate that picture. Artists have tried for centuries to create nature pictures, and although they are beautiful, they never fully capture God's magnificense.

Today the picture was inspiring. I kept looking over there because it was almost unbelieveably beautiful.

As I began my desent down the mountain, the moon began to lower and as it fully removed itself from the very small section of clouds, it began to appear bigger and brighter. It seriously was the biggest, brightest, closest moon I have ever witnessed. I smiled and thought to myself, "Ok God, now you're just showing off." Then I began to wonder how that ginormous moon fit behind the small scattering of clouds.

There was no answer. Of course. It's God! Who am I to understand?

But isn't that just the great mystery of faith. Embrace it. Enjoy it. Recognize God in all things. But when it comes to questioning how its done, um, perhaps we shouldn't...

Does it rob us of the beauty when we begin to pick it apart?

I don't have the answer. I just witnessed God. I don't think I'm going to question it anymore.

I think I'll just enjoy it...

So thankful its Friday. I have had many blessings this week: my students have shared their tragic lives with me; my own children have taken on daddy's last name; sports are back in full swing, so I have the priveledge of watching my kids play; I have felt the presence of the Lord...

So much to be thankful for...

But right now, I'm just thankful it's Friday!

New Blessings

I have begun a new year with new little (big) blessings. These kids have already shared some of the tradegies of their lives, pregnancies, jailed parents, abuse, death... I'm so humbled that God has brought these students into my life this year, and I am blessed to be able to teach/reach them.

Please God, let me be effective...

Blessings~

Summer

Our summer is in full swing. We are busy with soccer still. Alyssa's team is still kicking butt. And we have spent lots of time at gramma's house. So thankful she has that gorgeous pool!

No I didn't...

My Alyssa stepped on an earring. Of course I immediately took the earring out of her foot instead of grabbing my camera! Duh, what kind of mom would take a picture before relieving their child of agony?

Slacker

Wow... I have sure been a slacker... I'm about to pick Ally up from soccer practice, then pick up Jacob from football practice, and then finish my Zumba tape that I have started like three times today.............. and then I will post. :o)

I can't wait...

Dearest Grandma

Dear Grammi,

I just wanted to let you know that you are no longer able to give me gum. Today you graciously gave me a piece of gum and I loved it. But on the way home I laughed too hard and the gum fell out of my mouth into my beautiful straight hair. My mommy got really mad. I'm sorry that I wasted the gum but I was laughing really hard.

My mommy is pretty mad, so you might want to stay out of her way. She will calm down after her bath!

Love,
Jada

PS If momma tells you she is gonna come over there and get you, she means it! :o)



Notice my sad face gramma...

Jada-ism #499

Today Jada was talking in the backseat of the car. She has been jabbering the entire hour-long car ride, so I had tuned her out.

All of a sudden I heard her say, "I was talking to myself. I said something impressive!"

I started cracking up! It was the funniest thing... :o)

Tooth!

So let me tell you a little story...

Last week my hubby took me on a cruise. We left Sunday without our children. Remember we just took them ALL in June. We headed out and the trip began gloriously. We lounged around, worked-out, enjoyed the sauna, got massages... We especially enjoyed just being together without interruptions.

On Tuesday my back tooth freaked out. I don't know what the heck happened, but it just woke up and I thought I was going to die. I started taking Motrin. It helped a little, but I had to take it very often in order to be able to function.

On Wednesday we went into Puerto Vallarta and got some more medicine, at a Wal-Mart of course.

On Thursday we went into Mazatlan and got more medicine...

On Friday we went into Cabo San Lucas and got even more medicine. I even contemplated having it pulled. In Mexico! My tooth was really just flipping out.

By Saturday I wanted to throw myself off the ship. I considered my options and bid farewell to my husband. He gently urged me to reconsider. He took me to the ship doctor instead. He said I had an absess and gave me antibiotics and more pain medicine. I went to bed so I wouldn't throw myself overboard.

On Sunday I cried, sobbed, and begged for them to let me off the ship first! They were really nice to us and let us get off as soon as we cleared customs.

My dentist couldn't see me so he sent in a prescription for more pain medicine and a different antibiotic. I'm a lightweight when it comes to medicine. I take children's Benedryl to go to sleep, but let me tell you--- I was taking Percocet and Vicodin every three hours. And in between I was pacing the floor, crying my eyes out!!

I was a mess. I finally got my tooth fixed, a root canal, and the dentist decided to let the absess clear up by itself. So back to bed I went for 4 more days!! I started to get better slowly and was finally up and about by the weekend. I went back to the dentist yesterday and he saw that I was still swollen so he finally decided to drain the absess. OMG it was amazing... I felt so much better after that. He spent a full 15 minutes just squeezing extra blood out of my face!! Weird!

So I said all that to say that I'm doing ok... Thanks for the well-wishes via facebook. I'm actually back at work, after two weeks off!! My husband was amazing during this entire ordeal and I never would have survived the cruise without him, because I would have jumped into the shark infested water!! Thanks honey bear. I owe you big time!

Jada-isms # 349

The other day Jada woke up wet. (She still sleeps in a pull-up). Her pull up had leaked all over my bed because she may have been sleeping with me. I was headed to Starbucks so I didn't clean her up right away. I just threw some clean clothes on her, deciding to hold off on the bath until I had my coffee.

So we headed out to the garage and Jada refused to walk on the garage floor without shoes on. I told her like three times to just come on because I knew she was going to have a bath as soon as we got home. But she refused to step into the garage because she didn't have shoes on and didn't want to get her feet dirty.

So I said to her, "Jada!!! Come on. You can walk out here. You just peed on yourself and you don't care about that, so who cares about your feet?"

And my sweet genius child replied to me, "But mom, I didn't pee on my feet!"

And she was right! :o)

Soccer super star

My daughter's soccer team has only lost two games in the last seven months. They are really really good, and they are all super nice girls. Here are a few pictures of the last tournament they were in.

They are headed to state in a few weeks! Wooo Hooo!

My not so baby, baby girl...

My baby girl is growing up. I took Alyssa to the hair salon for her first "salon cut." She got layers and she looks so grown up. I just adore this girl. She is on an amazing soccer team, she is working so hard on her grades, and she is becoming such a big helper at home.

Isn't she gorgeous??

A girl and her daddy

Yesterday after work I said to my sweet Jada. "Jada. Mommy doesn't like it when I come home and have to pick up after you. I don't like that you left your lunchable trash for me."

I was hoping that she would say sorry and pick it up. Or at least get the point of what I was saying.

Instead, that sweet girl said to me. "Mommy. I didn't leave it for you to pick up. I left it for daddy!"

How could I be mad at that??

:o)

Madea

Yesterday my beautiful husband took me to see the play, "Madea's Happy Family." It was playing at the Kodak theater and Tyler Perry was in it. It was fabulous!! I recommend that every human being on the planet go see it. It was funny, but it really delivered a positive message. I felt lighter after leaving the play.

Thank you honey love! And don't worry, Tyler Perry ain't got nothin on you! :o)

Snow update...

*** Update #2 5:38***
Um is this my palm tree??


My grass is under there somewhere...


Snow update so the hubs can tell its time to come home...


Honey!!!!!!!!!!! COME HOME!!!!!

It has begun...

We checked the weather reports...

Rain...


Tons of rain...


But no snow on the forecast...


Um...

Again...

Our trampoline...


flipped our house...


again...

Tap Out

We ran into the guy from Tap Out. He was as nice as can be and even posed for a picture with us!

My Allie Sweetie Pie~

My baby's team did it again! They won another tournament. Her team is undefeated for the season and have won two tournaments back to back. I am so proud of my baby and her team~

Guess what?

Guess what my daddy did?


He won an award...


My daddy is a great police officer...


In fact, he is the officer of the year!


Congratulations daddy. Mommy and I (and my brothers and sisters) are so proud of you.

Yup~

We got a trampoline... :o)

Oh ya baby...

Guess what I we got for Christmas?

Somebody had a birthday!

Somebody headed to Disneyland...


Somebody has never been here before...


Somebody got a birthday call from Goofy...


And saw some friends...






Somebody hung out with mom and dad...



And saw magic...


And got mouse ears...


And had enough fun to last her for years...


And well... if that picture could speak words I think you get the picture. Happy 4th Birthday my sweet Jada!