So, we made it to Texas! Of course I could leave it at that, but I must give the details. Trust me, they are good! On Thursday we went to Andrew's school play. It was so simple and cute.

After his play we headed home and finished loading the car. We picked Merci up at 12:30 and headed out. About an hour out of San Diego things got interesting.

Fibi, our ten year old chihuahua got car sick. On my leg. Yu

ck, gross, ewww. I changed quickly in the car and we went on. Sophia did great. For those who know Sophia, you know she hates car rides with a passion. Hates them. She did not cry one time. We kept Barney on and around 9:30pm she fell asleep and slept all night. Merci and Andrew slept off and on but didn't

get any solid sleep. At 3am we were terrified when Merci and Andrew started screaming. Cody, our three year old Brussels Griffon pottied. Yes, on Merci's leg. I laughed so hard I cried. That is what sleep deprivation does, it takes something gross and makes it hilarious. I couldn't help it. We made it to Odessa by 7:30am. Juan took a nap and we hung out. My brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew came in Friday night. I have missed Finley and Atticus so much. It was heaven seeing them:)

While playing ball with his Uncle, Andrew got a nice little shiner on his eye:

The kids played and played:

We are in Angleton now and having a good time. I am looking forward to time with my mom and seeing my friends and family in Bryan!

Crafting

So, I got a sewing machine for my birthday several months ago and love it. I had never used one and now I am really getting the hang of it. I love, love, love looking up different things to make for the kids and stay up late trying to master it. I went to Joann's and got some really cute fabric. However, I am still nervous to use the "good" stuff so I have just been playing around with little scraps and such. I have tried to add ruffles to Sophia's jeans and I get them on but I am not happy with how they look. It will take time but I am so excited that I have found something I love doing. And I do love it, a lot. It makes me want to have about then more kids just so I can keep making the cute baby stuff...I am so kidding. I will make it for other kids:)

We are so close to Texas time it isn't even funny!!!! I have most clothes for the kids picked out and just need to throw in a suitcase. I need to pack me and the hubby and get stuff for the actual car ride together. It sounds like a lot but I am a pro at this.

I got an email from Merci's soccer coach that she was one of the girls he nominated for all stars. Yay!! I think I am way more excited than she is. She is incredibly nervous about trying out. She goes Wednesday evening and they will do have an hour of soccer skills and an hour long scrimmage. I think she is most nervous about that part. If she makes it they will play a tournament in January! I am so excited for her!!! And so proud!!!!

Andrew is doing great, just being Andrew. He has convinced himself he is already a professional t-ball player and is going to make it big one day. We shall see...

Sophia is doing great, too. She is doing great on the toilet training process and loves to spend her days swinging. She also loves to watch Elmo sing the ABC's. She is at such a cute age, but the temper tantrums have made their way through our door and we are trying to calmly deal with them. When she is throwing herself on the floor after I told her no to a piece of candy at 6:30am, I tell myself this too shall pass. And it does for a moment. She is such a joy.

My kids rock, hands down. Each one brings such a sense of wonderfulness to my life.

Bittersweet...

Well, the kids had their last soccer games today. Unfortunatley it worked out to where they were both playing at the same time. I dropped Andrew, Juan and Sophia off at Andrew's game at 8:40. I then took Merci to hers and unloaded the snacks. Then I rushed back to Andrew's game. He did amazing. He made three goals within minutes and he just did awesome. Every game he improves. I am glad he is wanting to try out other sports but sad he isn't doing soccer in the spring. After his half time I left Juan there with him and went over to Merci's game with Sophia. When I got there the score was 0-0. It was a few minutes before half time and the girls looked tired. The ending score was

So, the past few days have gone over pretty smoothly. Actually, not so much. It started on Tuesday when I went in for what I thought was a simple dental cleaning. I am terrible about going to the dentist because I am petrified. Like, I would much rather drill a hole in each toe than go to the dentist. Ok, maybe not to that extreme, but I am scared. So instead of going to my six month cleanings, I whiten my teeth with white strips. This makes me feel better because white teeth mean healthy teeth, right? Wrong! So I get to the dentist and they let me know they need to do a deep cleaning that requires my mouth to be numbed. Eeeek. They start off with just putting a gel on top that is supposed to do the trick without the needle. Did not work. I endured the pain. I was sweating, heart racing, kicking my feet around. So she decided the shot was necessary for the bottom. She numbed me good, so good I could not swallow and was convinced my throat was closing in. I panicked. Big, big time. Finally, I was able to swallow, I was sweating so bad, tears streaming down my face. Was I seriously acting this way? After two long hours I was done. I could not talk because my mouth was so numb but they kept asking me questions. I was convinced they were doing that so they could get a laugh. I got home and Juan was able to get in a few "roll on the floors laughing" moments. Glad I could make someone's day! That night I went for a manicure and pedicure to get ready for the Marine Corps Ball on Wednesday...

On Wednesday I had a hair appointment at 1:00. We were leaving at 4:30 for the ball. Juan's brother was going to babysit. I had my dress. Everything was going so smoothly. I had convinced myself I would have a great time even though dressing up is NOT my thing. I was at my hair appointment until about 4:15 and my phone had died so I rushed home so I could do my makeup. I run in, up the stairs, and tear open my makeup. I am slopping it on when Juan walks in and says "babe, we have a problem". Great, what now?! He went on to tell me that he was ironing his pants when he noticed the iron left something black on them. Simple solution, wash them. So he did. When he took them out he could tell something was not right. They had shrunk, a lot. There are certain rules to where the bottom of your pants have to fall over your shoes. His were way off. But we didn't give up. We pulled them down and safety pinned them to his undies. Perfect solution. Not really. He was sagging so bad. His jacket did not cover it. He told me there was no way we could go. Really?!? I looked semi good with my hair curled and tons of makeup on. Ugh. His brother got there and he got a good laugh at his brother washing 100% wool pants. Juan and I decided to go to dinner since I was dressed up and we had a sitter. We went to Yardhouse and had a great time. I think everything happens for a reason so we just decided to laugh at the situation.

The kids had yesterday and today off from school. Yesterday me and Merci went through clothes and junk to take to Goodwill. I had an appointment at 2:30 and Andrew had speech at 4:00. We rushed him to soccer practice at 4:30, I left there at 5:30 to get Sophia her flu shot, and Juan took the Merci to her practice. When I got to the doctor's office there was a boy screaming "I don't want a shot, I don't want to die". He screamed over and over. It reminded me of my dentist appointment. Sophia walked in and sat down. I pulled her pants down, they poked her and she said "wahhhh". It was so fake. I asked her if she wanted a sticker and she got up and that was it. I am so lucky when it comes to my kids getting shots. They have always been awesome. Today I am taking her into the doctor because I suspect she has a UTI. I hope not but taking her in just incase. Tomorrow are the kids last soccer games. Bittersweet. We are leaving for Texas in less than a week and I am ecstatic!!!

Just Another Day...

Last night we decided we would take advantage of the kid's school family fun night. It benefits the PTA and was extremely cheap and fun. We ate hot dogs and watched How to Train A Dragon outside under the stars. We took chairs and blankets. All of this fun for only five bucks, total. And since we brought in canned food we got free popcorn! Sounds like the perfect family night, right? Wrong! Well, it wasn't terrible but Sophia was freaked out by the huge blow up screen and screamed, loud. So I took her to Sonic to get a drink and we sat in the car watching Toy Story. I talked to my mom and dad for a while on the phone so it passed time. Merci and Andrew had a blast and Juan enjoyed the movie, so overall a good night. This morning Merci had a game at 9:30 and unfortunatley her team lost. They had one goal and the other team had five, or six...maybe seven? I stopped counting after four...But the girls had fun so that is what counts...

Andrew played at 11:00 and I really do not know what has gotten into that kid but he has been on fire at his games. He stays so focused now and is really starting to understand the game. He played against two boys who were on his team last year and they had a good time. This age they are really good sports. Andrew did not score but played really good defense. Next weekend is the end of the season. I am sad. I look forward to going to their games, cheering them on. But next season will be here before we know it. Now the Texas A&M game is on so I am sure I will not be seeing my husband for a few hours...

A Few More Andrew-isms....

Ok, I looked over some old posts and wanted to "document" a couple of funny things Andrew said in the past....

I had forgotten about this one until I read it again. About a year ago Andrew was playing with toys as I was playing with Sophia. All of a sudden he looked over at her and then me and said "they grow up so fast." It was really funny coming from a then four year old.

Andrew had to get a TB test for preschool, along with a few shots. I took him in and they did the test, told him it was a TB test and to come back in a few days so they could check it. When we left he was eerily quiet. I thought it was probably because he had so many needles poked into him. Finally I asked him what was wrong. Here is is response "well, mom, I know they need to do that TV test and, well, I am really worried because I watch a lot of TV, do you think that will show up?" I almost had to pull over, it was really cute.

That is a couple of things, I need to scroll down my facebook posts so I can share more.

Merci and Andrew both have games tomorrow. Right now Merci's team is in 7th place, out of 9....winning tomorrow's game isn't going to make a huge difference but will help their pride:) We are so proud of how far she has came, her coach is even putting her on the list to try out for allstars!!!

Laughter Keeps Me Young

Ok, if you read my blog, (and I have no idea if you do) you know that my kids are funny, especially Andrew. God gives us all special gifts, what I like to think of as our tools for life. One of Andrew's is his sense of humor. He puts no effort into trying to make us laugh, it is all natural. I am going to start making special posts that are just about the funny things my kids say and do. Let's face it, this world is spiraling down hill. Laughing and smiling is what keeps me going.

Last night we were watching a lady sing "God Bless America" on t.v (a baseball game). The camera is showing people in the audience and it closes in on George and Laura Bush. Andrew got the most puzzled look on his face and said "hey what are Mammow and Gary doing at that baseball game?" It was so funny, really. I called my mom right away because I knew she would get a great laugh out of that. Andrew came in and heard I was telling her and he said "wow she's a cutie". See, he is a mess.

Today when I picked him up from school he said "mom, I got chased by girls again, third day in a row, can't I get a day off?"

There are so many funny things he has said and done. I need to go over all of my old facebook statuses to remember some things he has said. I love my kids, I love my life;)

November, Really?

Wow, I seriously cannot believe it is November. This time last year Juan was deployed and I was not excited about spending Thanksgiving in California away from my Texas family. I remember taking the kids to pick out a toy that morning and they were so excited. I was glad to be able to sway their minds away from being away from their daddy and Texas family. But inside my heart was breaking. I remember talking to my mom that day and family was there, when we hung up all I could do was cry. It was the first holiday I had ever spent away from family. Of course the kids kept my spirits up but it was still different. BUT this year we are getting ready for our road trip to Texas and I am super excited. We are taking the kids out of school for an extra week and we are going to have a blast!!

The kids had a great weekend. They were so excited to wear their costumes to school on Friday. Merci was a candy corn witch, Andrew was Buzz, and Sophia was a pirate. I went to Andrew's Halloween party Friday morning but after 10 minutes ended up in the car with Sophia. She was terrified of the teachers dressed up as crayons. She. Freaked. Out. Like she was shaking. I felt sorry for her because she was so scared and sorry for Andrew because I couldn't stay with him. But he still had a blast. Friday evening Merci went to her friends Halloween party and stayed the night. We signed Andrew up for t-ball. He was beyond excited. He was sure to tell the ladies his dad knows everything about baseball. So cute. I will miss watching him play soccer but so excited that he is wanting to try new things. Merci is doing soccer again, she really likes it.

Saturday morning Andrew had a game at 9. However, it was raining pretty hard at 7:30 and still at 8:30 but the game was not cancelled. When we got to the fields it had let up a lot but there was hardly anyone there. Four of our players showed up and we combined some boys from other teams so they got to play and did great. Andrew made two goals and loved getting dirty.

By the time Merci's game came along at 1:15, it was perfect weather. They played a team they beat before and the girls were certain they would beat them again. Nope. The team got revenge and won 3-0. Ouch. The girls were upset and surprised. But that isn't the worst part of the game. Sophia was running to the field and when I picked her up she screamed. Not just a regular mad scream. But a horrific, painful scream. Why? Because a bee stung her ear. It was terrible. Parents came running to her while I held her. They got the stinger out and we put ice on it. As soon as a mom offered her M&M's she was so over it. Her ear swelled up pretty big and was bright red. She is fine now, thank goodness.

Yesterday we went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. Andrew and Merci were pros but it took Sophia a while to warm up. But once she did, she was on fire. They had a blast and good memories were made. So glad Juan is home so we can share the memories together. I can't imagine what he felt last year going through all of the holidays without us. Pray for all of our troops sacrificing for our country. What wonderful men and women.