An update on the "frog hugging..."

So...

the frogs FINALLY stopped "hugging"! It took them over 24 hours to FINISH their "huggging"...but they finally quit.

Well.....

Not to long after that stopped, the eggs began to appear and there were a whole bunch!...I mean there were a slew of eggs...(I'm not exactly sure how much a slew is...but, in this case, a slew is A-LOT!" There were, according to my research, about 500 eggs. Yep, I said five-hundred.

So of course my kids wanted to know what all the "black things" were on the bottom of the frog tank...so we told them they were baby frogs. They are so excited! They could not believe how many baby frogs we were going to have...oops...maybe Paul and I should have discussed how many we were going to keep before we told the kids that the black things were baby frogs...so we learn for next time...

So of course I then go and do some more research about how to keep these baby frogs. I have a little experience because we grew the two frogs that we have now (that started this whole mess) from tadpoles. My mom got these tadpoles from a website called growafrog.com. Yep...growafrog.com. She got them for the boys for Christmas 2006. So really this whole thing is her fault...in a good way, of course! Thanks mom...love you.

Short side note...if you have little ones...this is a REALLY fun project! My kids absolutely loved watching the tadpole grow into a frog...and now we get to do it again...with a bunch more!

So we now have the eggs in the proper containers and water and food and they are beginning to hatch. They are miniscule...no bigger than this ~ seriously...that's how big they are.

It's been really fun to talk about God's creation and how God created the frogs and how He thought through the whole process of the frogs beginning as tadpoles and growing and adapting into frogs...amazing...truly.

I'll let you know what happens. I know you will all be waiting on the edge of your seat with baded breath to hear the next installment of the frog story...I promise not to disappoint!

When Daddy goes to the Spurs game...

So the Spurs are in the playoffs...in case you don't live in San Antonio and in case you are not aware of the fact that Spurs-mania is occuring in the Southern part of Texas...well it is...

And my point...

Paul is at the game tonight. He told one of our youth on Sunday that he would love to go...so...the youth invited Paul to go along and to top it all off...they upgraded their tickets to the lower level. So as I speak/type he is sitting 27 rows behind the Lakers bench...which is who they are playing by the way.

I wanted to share what happens when daddy gets to go do something really cool...Well I make the best of our time at home "pretending" to see daddy on the tv in the midst of the other 20 some odd thousand people who are also at the game.

So, of course I think it is only fitting that we get to sleep on the pull out couch all together...of course...we don't all FIT on the pull out couch. So Caleb (the eternal peacemaker) made the sacrifice and chose to sleep on the couch RIGHT next to me...except on the other couch...Thanks, buddy.

The dishes...ARE NOT done...because if you know me AT ALL...I do not do dishes...With Paul at the game...I guess they will get done tomorrow!

I also came home to a really intriguing sight tonight...our frogs..."hugging"...well at least that's what I told my kids they were doing. So far...let's see...they were "hooked together" (according to Caleb) before we got home at 8pm and when I checked again later and took the pics it was 10:15pm...whoa...That's a whole lot of "hanging on to each other" (according to Jacob)

I'm not exactly ready for the S-E-X talk...(I'll spell it in case any kiddos happen their eyes upon the blog...I jest) So for now our frogs will hug, hang on and hook together because they are really good friends and they love each other. Lord help me.

And not to mention...what am I going to do with frog eggs? Enjoy the pics!

For I know your Name...Amen

So the other day we were driving somewhere...I forget where, I'm sure it's super important...anyway...

We were driving somewhere and out of the blue Jacob started praying...this is not out of the ordinary because we really strive to teach our kids to pray anywhere, anytime, about anything...not just at dinner and bedtime...ANYWAY

Jacob was praying about something. He has really just "learned" how to pray like Paul and I do and he has been using some of the same words. Super cute to listen to! When He got to the end of his prayer he said, "For I know your Name, Amen" instead of "In your name I pray, Amen". It was really cute! I absolutely LOVE experiencing Jesus through my kids...it is SO refreshing. Thank you God for my AMAZING kids!

On a separate note, be praying for Jacob...He is beginning to reach the point where He is ready to ask Jesus to be His Savior. Paul and I are really excited about this and we selfishly want to be with him when he does...however...if it happens in VBS or Sunday School we would be equally as excited! We are also trying to make sure that this is HIS decision. We want God to touch his life in a special way to cause him to realize his need for a Savior. So...if you have a minute I would appreciate a prayer for Jacob!

Some random sayings that I've heard

So I have heard some random and hilarious things over the past few days from various sources and I think they are worth sharing:

Source: my son Caleb
Caleb: Mommy, mommy! I want to hear the Turtle song!
Mommy: What "turtle" song???
Caleb: the TURTLE song...please mommy?
Mommy: son I would love to play you the Turtle song...but I have NO IDEA which one you are talking about! Can you sing it to me so I know which one?
Caleb: (singing)
Get up Get up
Get up and tell the world
Get up Get up
Get up and tell the world
That Jesus paid the price
So we could have TURTLE life

OH MY SOUL did I laugh so hard...of course the word is supposed to be ETERNAL...but TURTLE works just as well!

Source: again...my son Caleb
Caleb: Mommy I'm afraid of dying and I really like to sing in a microphone.

He is the King of random statements...and yes we did address the "afraid of dying" part.

Source: A friend of Jacob's at school
Friend: (while sitting in the grass outside) "I'm ELECTRIC to grass."
Me: You're what?!?!?
Friend: I'm ELECTRIC to grass...It makes me itchy.

Again with the laughing...because, of course, he meant ALLERGIC...and no he's not really allergic to the grass...he just didn't want to sit down.

Source: Jacob after a swimming party regarding the Blisters on his feet

Jacob: Mommy my toes are really hurting.
Mommy: Why son?
Jacob: Becuase I have "Blinners" all over them
Mommy: Son? What are "blinners"
Jacob: These little bubbles on the bottom of my toes
Mommy: Oh...you mean BLISTERS!

Thanks for listening/reading!

An Update...

Well here's an update on the last blog.

No I did not get a good cry out...it just wouldn't happen for me. I'm sure it will come at the most inopportune time...you know...Jacob's t-ball party, in the middle of "fer-nastics" (that's "gymnastics" for those of you who don't speak Caleb's language!)or at youth small group on Wednesday...you know some REAL appropriate time.

Anyway...back to what I'm supposed to be blogging about. Last night Beau and Magan came over to drop off their son so he could spend the night with us. We had a great time of prayer with each other for today. They went to the hospital this morning and began the process of enducing her labor. She delivered her baby girl stillborn at 3:00pm. They named her Ryann Michelle (I'm not sure if the spelling is right) she was 7 inches long and 3 1/2 ounces. Beau and Magan got to have a special time with her and Magan is doing really well. She had a few days to cry and be sad over the weekend and she said that helped her to be "in the moment" when she delivered little Ryann. There were no complications with the delivery and now they are doing some testing on both mom and baby to see if they can get some answers as to why Magan hasn't been able to carry a baby full term in almost 2 years. She said the experience was as "good" as it could be. The doctor and nurses were all compassionate and understanding and they could not have asked for a "better" time...considering the circumstances.

I tell you what...God answers prayers...selfish ones too. We very specifically prayed last night for compassionate nurses and a quick delivery. Once the medicine took affect, Magan delivered in about 3 hours...can't really ask for faster than that! I am so thankful for a COMPASSIONATE God. A God who cares about how we feel and is willing to answer selfish prayers in accordance with His will to help us through the toughest of situations. Praise Him. Magan's quote on her myspace is so appropriate and so I share it with you:

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will CHOOSE to say
Lord, blessed be Your NAME!

Amen.

I need a good wallerin' ya'll...

Uuuuuuugggggghhhhhhhh.

Yeah, I said "wallerin"...I know classy. But seriously, I think as soon as this blog is written, I'm going into my bathroom, drawing a nice hot bath, getting in and I'm going to cry for a minute. Ladies, you understand right? There are just times when desperate times call for a good cry.

What are these, "desperate" times you may ask? Well, if you read my blog on a regular basis (all both of you;). Then you know of my dear friends who's daughter took her own life a couple of weeks ago. Well when we got back from her funeral we found out the one of our current youth's dad also committed suicide while we were gone, so we did that funeral. Another one of our youth's grandmother died and in the same week the youth tried to runaway...so we dealt with that.

Then...my best friend Magan lost her baby this week. She was 17 weeks pregnant. According to my friend Georgia it's a "fetal demise" and my dear friend will have to give birth to her baby on Monday.

It's been a hard few weeks ya'll.

I just need to cry and let it out and cry out to the Father, tell Him how I feel, ask Him why and then rest in the fact that I don't need to know why...I only need to know Him.

The sadness is indirect to me, and yet so overwhelming. When will it end. It's to HIS glory though, and if this is all I have to endure...I can do it. One of my favorite lines from MercyMe is in their fairly new song All That is Within Me...

Such a tiny offering
Compared to Calvary
But Nevertheless
I lay it at your feet

It's all I got...in other words. Pray for us. We are walking through this with our dear, dear friends and it's uncharted territory. We are sad...real sad. Hopefully I'll have better things to blog about next time.

A little disconnected...

For a few days now, I have just been feeling disconnected. It's just been hit and miss here lately. Paul and I seem to be on different pages...not all the time...just enough to cause miscommunication. I am also struggling to hear God's voice right now. Granted I am not making a tremendous effort, and I am aware of that....and working on that. It's just frustrating when everything is not firing at the same rate, when the gears are not turning at the same pace...and things are off.
I feel like I should just "snap" out of it...after all I am wasting valuable play time by feeling this way. At the same time, I don't want to just "snap" out of it, I want to learn something. I want God to teach me during this time to rely on Him when it's me who is disconnected...because it's certainly not Him who is disconnected. Hopefully, prayerfully, Things will fall back into sync soon. There's to much going on in our lives here towards the end of school and I want to be working all together to make the best of the next few months and the summer.

Mother's Day

I just want everyone to know that I had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. To top it all off...I just read Paul's blog about it...I want to share it with you...not to toot my own horn, but because I have the greatest husband ever!

Saturday, May 10, 2008
Mother's Day
So this weekend is mother’s day... I am so excited that my kids have such an awesome mom. Tanya is the type of mother who will stop her whole day to make super hero costumes complete with masks and capes. I never know what I will come into when I come home from the office. So this is the weekend where we tip our hats to the ones that make scraped knees heal instantly, make a plain old sandwich into a gourmet meal. I am blessed to have Tanya in my life and my kids life as well!

Thanks so much, Paul...love you!

Now more from me...
At church on Sunday our pastor was doing the typical Mother's Day thing giving roses to the oldest mothers and the newest mothers and I sat there thinking of all the other mothers who really deserve a rose to...here are a few examples:

1. Mothers of Kindergartners...we taught our children to READ this year...I feel victorious!
2. Mothers of Seniors...they have been through all the years of school, all the science projects, book reports, boyfriends and girlfriends, bad teachers, lost ball games...etc...the list goes on.
3. Mothers of new babies...oh the sleepless nights
4. Mothers of soldiers...oh the uncertainty
5. Mothers of preschoolers...need I say more?!?!
6. Mothers of college grads...oh the lack of cash...
7. Mothers of special needs children...again, need I say more?!!?
8. Mothers of teenagers...YIKES!
9. Mothers of 16 year olds just chomping at the bit to get their license!
10.Mothers...all shapes, all sizes, all of them...

Pics from Field Day 2008

Field Day 2008

Ok...so today was Field Day! Can I just say that you know it's going to be a crazy day when all 800 students PK-4th grade descend upon the playgrounds and parking lot for a day of fun! What you don't expect is the grown women who flirt with the high school boys...there to help, mind you, and spray them with water and chase them around the parking lot! No I am not kidding! There was a lady who was next to me and she was supposed to be running a game. Yeah right...now let me say first of all this lady was neither young nor cute nor small...I'll repent later for my judgement....but seriously. She was "in charge" of the water hose...not because the PE teacher put her in charge...but because she did not want to "eat what she was dishing out!"

She then proceeded to flirt...I'm not even kidding...full on flirting with the high school boys...you know spraying them with water, chasing after them with the hose and then the kids would get in on the "action" and dump the water buckets...that were supposed to be used for the game...on the high schoolers heads...and so on and so on.

All in all, we had a good time and Jacob had fun...if it hadn't been for that crazy lady next to me it would have been a great day!

So back to the 800 kids playing the games...Needless to say...it's San Antonio and it topped about 96 degrees today...so the water games were a hit. The kids were SOAKING WET! I mean all the way down to their underwear. So then ALL of them descended upon the bathrooms to change from their soaking clothes into their dry ones...Have you ever been in a place where 140 Kindergartners were trying to take off wet clothes and put on dry ones...and then why...I ask you WHY do parents send the hardest dry clothes in the history of all changes of clothes!

I, (being mother of the year) sent an easy pair of elastic waisted shorts and a t-shirt...simple...no fuss...and I was there to help.

Others.....sent jeans and boots and belts and snaps and all the clothes that THEY hate putting on so they thought the teachers and the parent helpers would love to help the kiddos! What!?!?!!?!

So after the clothes changing fiasco we finally got ready to eat lunch...it's already, because of field day, about 1 hour past their normal lunch time. We walk down to the cafeteria and the line is OUT THE DOOR! Other classes were late, on top of the fact that the lunch ladies were not moving very fast AND their computer that the kids punch their numbers into was broken! So she was having to write EVERYONES number down and what they bought for lunch! One word...CRAZY! So Jacob's teacher and I are standing in the hall with the class singing every song we can think of to occupy the kids while we wait almost 20 minutes to get our food!

We finally eat, and get on with the rest of our day...movie, rest, recess...tough...I know.

Now here I sit smelling like dried sweat and I feel as though I have the grime of 20 Kindergartners all over me...I think I'll go take a shower.

Remember Rachel...according to her momma...

This is what Rachel's momma wrote in tribute to her precious daughter. We celebrated her life on Friday afternoon, she was WELL LOVED! The over 500 people at her funeral are proof of that! It was a privilege for Paul and I to sing at the service. I did ok too! I got all the way to the very last line of the last song before I started crying. I hope that Chris and Georgia (Rachel's parents) were pleased with the service. Anyway...I can think of no better way to pay tribute to Rachel than through her momma's words. If you would like to see some BEAUTIFUL pictures of Rachel click on the "fellow blogger", Georgia. Truly a beautiful girl. We will always love her.


Rachel, remember...
To all the lives Rachel touched We as a family would like to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the outpouring of love you have shown this week. We know that you are hurting just as we are and trying to make some sense of it. I am not sure we will ever make sense of it… Even we have to keep reminding ourselves to quit trying to make sense of it; it is not going to happen. We sometimes have to remind ourselves every minute. We may not ever know why… Just try to remember… Remember… Rachel as the vibrant young girl blossoming quickly into a young woman who loved everything about life. Remember not how she took her life but how she chose to live it. She was vibrant, always smiling, bubbly, funny, and goofy, laughing, remember how she lit up a room when she walked in. Remember her fierce protection of her friends and her loyalty to them. Remember her love of life- she loved so much and so hard that she lived full steam and when she finally ran out of gas she crashed for hours and nothing could wake her. She was even passionate about her sleep, the girl LOVED her sleep. You should have seen her bed when she got up, it had to be completely remade, and you might even find her sideways or at the foot of the bed. It was a mess. Remember… how she loved you as friends. She loved each and every one of you (guys & girls) in a very special way; and yes, even when you got on each other's nerves. She loved you intensely and with every ounce of her being. She loved being goofy and hanging out, being mischievous, sleep over's, going to the movies, she loved to lay out and attempt to get a tan even though she rarely turned more than one shade darker and she loved "TP-ing" houses. She loved IM-ing, talking on the phone (sort of), singing, playing on her dance pad and listening to her Walkman MP3. She loved SIMS and both Father of the Bride movies. She loved shoppi
ng trips, Wal-Mart scavenger hunts and dares and of course mani-pedi's. No matter the circumstance she loved you!!! Remember… She loved life She loved her family and pets She loved her friends fiercely, intensely and passionately She loved her school and everything about it She loved her teachers and her coaches- she was furious that many of you were leaving; however she was beginning to understand that is the life of a coach but she did say that if even one more chose to leave she said she was going to Tom Bean She loved learning, reading and yes even homework She loved to travel and was able to go many places this past year… Richmond, Virginia, Williamsburg, Washington DC, Missouri, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina She loved UT and OU, can I even write that in the same sentence??? Yes she loved life, but most of all she loved Jesus! Remember… the good times spent laughing and cutting up in the halls and in the lunch room at "your" lunch table, on the bus for whatever occasion, slumber parties, football games, movies (sitting on the front the row at the Odeum), track meets, volleyball games, softball games, classes together, youth group activities, shopping, working in the concession stand, getting your nails done together. Remember her witty sense of humor, she loved to laugh and be goofy. Remember her passionate and intense love of life, family and friends. Remember… To thank Him for the blessing of 15 awesome years with her. Thank Him for the gift of her precious life and how she touched each and every one of us in some very special way. Remember… Most of all remember her love of Jesus! We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she loved Jesus & that her last breathe on earth was her first breathe in heaven. Now she is rejoicing in heaven with Jesus and probably making him laugh too! Remember… written by her momma