Having fun making memories

All I can really say is I'm Blessed!  Saturday Mike and I went out for my birthday while little Miss Abigail deftly took care of the little boys for us.  We perused some art at my favorite world-class art museum.  Then we downed plates of delicious Cuban/Mexican food.  The rice was full of black beans and reminded me so much of my week in Nicaragua.  Man that country stole my heart.  Church yesterday was wonderful!  Carter is part of the worship band now and you can't imagine what it feels like to see your teenage son up on stage playing and singing.  Then I snoozed 2 hours on the couch, while the lame Cowboys played!!  After I woke up, we decided "Why not?"  and we tore off the butcher block laminate back splash.  Truly, the place looks brighter already.  We have big plans of installing subway tiles ourselves.  

Tonight we carved a pumpkin.  Mike is a great carver.  The boys loved watching.  We baked the seeds.

To top off our fun, I pulled Hudson's first tooth.  The four front teeth are porcelain caps because he joined our family with severe baby bottle rot.  That cap was tenacious and has been a work in progress for about 2 months.  Mike was adamant we not pull it out until school pics were done.  They were done this morning.  So, dental floss and a yank...it flew.  Hudson is running around the house in his underwear saying "I'm SO happy!!!"

I'm just so stinkin' blessed.  My home is full of noises and laughter and "firsts", like loosing a tooth, for many years to come. Nana gave the kids Halloween treats that I've been stealing the past 2 days!  Our family is healthy and happy.  What a sweet miracle.

Need a spark

Go to work
Do my schoolwork
Study
Clean
Wash clothes
Take children to school
Pick children up from school
Take children to activities
Take pics of my children doing activities
Go to church
Pay bills
Eat fast food...feel guilty...run a mile to counter act the fat
Plan a simple menu for the fam
And on and on and on

I'm becoming a middle-aged bore who feels tired all the time and goes through the routine

I need a spark....a creative impetus to light a fire

I  need to get out of myself and the "I" world in which we live here in suburbia (the one that is nauseatingly self-indulgent and centers around making our children's lives the most ahhh-inspiring Pinterest-worthy picture of childhood).  Lord help me, the holidays are about here!!  I'm feeling my inner Grinch starting to surface. My biggest hatred of all---blow up Harley motorcycles with Santas riding them were spotted in Lowe's last week.
Serving others...that is the only cure for this feeling about to overtake me.  Must....Step...Out...of....Comfort....Zone!!!
I ran in to a friend's father at a local restaurant.  She is in South Sudan delivering babies for women with  no access to medical care.  Now THAT sparks my interest.

Don't worry, I'm not about to jump ship and do something weird.  But, a little crazy is how Mike and I like to function :)

Big honor at Homecoming

We are so proud of Carter.  He was one of 3 boys in his grade to be  nominated for Mr. T**.  The students were instructed to vote for the person who best imitated Christ at school, worked for unity in the student body, and had kind speech.  He is a super duper young man and we are so thankful for him.  And lets not forget, super handsome!

  . Thank you to grandparents and aunts/uncles who came to watch.  It was a precious night that I'll treasure in my heart. Oh, and thanks goes to my sisters and friends who helped me borrow clothes and jewelry.

Isn't it funny how the ugly soon blends in?

Our house reno stalled out long ago.  We pretty much have zero funds to do any renovations/updating.  And, we have little time nor energy for such projects.  I find it really amusing how the hideous stuff we wanted to fix right away has now become the norm.  Not just the norm, but we don't even notice it really!  Can you relate?  For example, the kitchen is a concoction of cheap and dated golden oak wood(or wood-like products) coupled with popcorn ceiling, a large recessed fluorescent light and old appliances.  It was one of the things we wanted to update pretty quickly.  Truthfully, unless we are having company (which is rare), I don't even notice it anymore. Then there is the "game closet." It seems that homes built in 1983 needed much less storage for all the junk that 2013 parents buy for their kids.  We lost a good bit of closet space when we moved.  So, since April 25th, there have been 2 large boxes on the floor of the master bedroom containing family games. Heck, I even vacuumed around those boxes today!!!  UGH.  I'm not a clutter or junky person.  I keep a minimalist style home.  But, 2 large boxes are now part of my bedroom furniture.  We have grand ideas of building a long walk in closet for linens and games.  Let's see, that takes money, time, know-how, money, more time, more money...you get the picture.  Maybe we the kids move out and are self-sustaining we will renovate our house?

He can see clearly now

Is this not the cutest face you've EVER seen???  I know, really he is.  Little Hud got some spectacles today.  The school nurse suspected a slight problem back in PreK and suggested we wait til kindergarten to go for a full exam.  We have noticed a slight turning in of the left eye.  Well, actually Tina (hey friend) gently suggested that he needed to have the left eye checked close to 2 years ago.  Anyway, nothing like some great laid back parenting style (especially for mom to be a nurse--FNP in training even) to put things off a bit.  Today was the big day.  His left eye has astigmatism and the right eye is overcompensating. You should have seen this kid.  He totally schmoozed over all the office workers and dr.  They were eating out of his hand.  And let me make a side remark here....Asian faces are very discriminated against in the eyeglasses world.  Hudson really has no nose bridge so finding a pair that won't slide down constantly was challenging.  In the end, little star in the making selected preppy Guess black frames.  He can't wait to attach a strap to them.  Um, anyone want to inform him how dorky that actually is?? Nah, me either.