Thankful

Listen In: Blissful Silence!

Dinner: Pasta I thought we would try out of the freezer section. I thought it was discusting...the girls loved it! Who knew?

Beauty in the common things: Baby's dressed for church

Prayer Needs: I need peace with what has befallen my mom. I know that in no way am I responsible or do I need to be the one to save her...but, I am heart weary anyway. I know she has to pull herself up from her bootstraps and make a new start. Many of those I know and love have to do the same thing. I pray for the girls to continue to be blessed at school. They both love their teachers and are excited about each new day. I know that is no small feat! I pray for self control in all the area's that I need it. The Lord knows what those are. I pray for DH to excell at work and to find that position he will love. If that means we move...so be it. I pray for wisdom in seeing the opportunity that presents itself and not all the obsticles in the way. I pray for all the Ike victims...may they see the Rainbow at the end of the storm and feel blessings come in some way.

Today is Sunday. We spent the morning at church. The Baby B spent the morning in the nursery, where I am assured he was never put down. He seemed to thrive on all of the attention. The girls went with MiMi to eat lunch at Chili's and to see Sleeping Beauty at Casa Manana. This is their "thing" they do with Mimi...and they love it! I love that I am not the one that has to sit for two hours with them : ) Although, I too have had my fair share of filling in for MiMi when life has gotten two busy for her to take them. I don' think they have missed one show in several years!

There are a couple of things I want to be sure and do this year...I seem to always have a list and never do it! So, I am writing down my list for this year now:

1.) Attend the King Tut exhibit in Dallas, and the Jehesbut one in Fort Worth. I am completlety intrigued by Egyptian History. I find it facinating! I hope to see them with DD7...the little one is not as into history as the big girl! She is much like her mama.

2.) Go to the Fort Worth Civil war museum. I think that would be sooo cool!

3.) Take the girls fossil hunting by Lake Worth...again. Last time we found a geological marker and saw a Horned Toad laying eggs. Very cool.

4.) Go to the FlowerMound pumbkin patch with the whole family and take fall pictures.

5.) See the Wizard of Oz on the big screen in Dallas

6.) Take the girls to a drive in: High School Musical 3 in Ennis

....to be continued!

Should be busy....

Listen in: sports on the news (Yuk!) and the washer running

Plans for the night: laundry and a straighting around the house

View out the window: Dark

Dinner plans: made the girls eat yogurt and I had a handful of chips... (won't be winning the mom of the year award this year)

What we did today: DD5 had to dance at Wild West Fest, DD7 could have danced...had she been going to class. She thought she wanted to quit. Changed her mind. No class no Dance in public. I bet she won't be skipping class again. I went to the half price sale at the JBF sale. Got some good stuff. I wish I had more money to spend...I could have went wild in there! Then we went to church. Baby Boy went to the church nursery for the first time. I almost cried. Not that I don't trust our Nursery people...I completely do. It's just that means he is already getting too big! He started screaming about 1/2 thru service and they paged me. So, I took him into church with me. DD7 was singing on stage with the elementary kids tonight and he got to hear them in the end. Of course, he went to sleep and looked all sweet and cuddly. No one believes that he screams for hours on end. HE DOES! He also loves Grey's Anatomy! He was screaming tonight until I turned on my recorded episode from Thursday night. I have been meaning to watch it. Anyway, he went straight to sleep and didn't make a peep! The girls, however, did not watch it. They spent the evening watching the food network. I hope this means DD7 will someday cook dinner every night! That would be awesome! Until then... Guess I need to get busy!

Kids are sooo funny!

My DD7 is so funny! This morning she and her daddy had the funniest little conversation. I am still tickled at her! It went something like this...

Daddy "You know if you save your money now...in your 30's you could be a millionaire"

DD7 "I don't want to be a millionaire, Daddy. The question's are too hard!"

Isn't that funny? It was a cute wasy to start the day. Our afternoon ended with DS getting his first round of shots! He wieghs 11lbs 12oz and is 24inches long! Chunky Monkey! He laughed on Wednesday. So sweet! I love my family!!!!

San Leon after Ike- through my eyes a small idea...so much more.....

Aftermath of Ike

Beauty in the common things: Friends who love me

Listen in: a Train in the distance ( I love that I can hear them sometimes)

I am sitting here tonight feeling helpless. I need to be there to help my mom. By all accounts...she lost everything. Her house is standing but that is the best thing I can say from the pictures I have. Monica went over there for me and sent a few pictures to prepare me for what I will see. I have been a basket case since Friday. The news media coverage of San Leon is crap. Plain and simple. I and many, many other people have been communicating via online blogs and forums. Thank God for the internet. Many people are missing loved ones...many more are missing their entire (and I mean entire) houses. They are just gone. My mom was lucky in that she found her house there. But, I think it might have been better if it had been wiped off entirely. The antique piano floated over to the front door and you can't get it open. As a result the house is full of mud. My mom said there is nothing to salvage but I can't beleive that there is absolutly nothing. She doesn't want me to come because she donesn't think I can emotionally handle it. But, for my own piece of mind...I have to. Beyond the fact that she doesn't have anyone at all helping her...I need to go home. My home...which is more than that house...has by all accounts been destroyed and I need to see that in order to come to terms with it. I plan to take pictures of some of the homes and send them to those that are begging for information via the internet and also to try and find something for my mom. I have friends here watching my kids for me and I will only be there for two days. I hope I can get a lot done in that amount of time. I hope to figure out what my mom is going to do. She didn't have any insurance and she doesn't even know where to begin to start. Thankfully she already filed with FEMA.

I just am having so much trouble wrapping my mind around what has happened. I know so many people must have lost their life. The numbers don't add up. I think the media is keeping it hush, hush. I pray for the families that are out there just waiting to hear about their homes, friends, and family. Lord give me strength to do what I need to do and to make it through this strong enough to shoulder the burden for my mom. Amen!

Advise from my Dad at 10:30 pm

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things I can...
and the Wisdom to know the difference.

Early rise

Beauty in the common things: Baby Boy loving his swing that moves side to side

Listen In: Houston Channel 11 News playing on the digital antenna of DH's swanky tv

Plans for the day: DD7 is dancing at the mall later today and honestly: watching more coverage of this horrible hurricane.

Dinner Plans: I have no idea...something easy???

Prayer Needs for the day: My mom: she is possbibly going to wake up to find her home destroyed; My Family: I have several family memebers who are just now getting the brunt of the storm and they are scared; My friends in the Galveston/Houston area: same thing as mom and family; Baby Boy: that the reflux medicine really does work...had a good day yesterday; DH: that he finds happiness and financal peace with his work; myself: that I can figure out how balance it all and not leave anyone out.

So, it is 5:18 am according to my laptop...for those that may not know it...I DO NOT getup this early. But, I can't sleep. I am so worried about things I cannot do anything about. I have been able to watch almost continous coverage of what's going on down there, because Channel 11 from Houston is simalcasting up here on DH's fancy tv. I know you might say that constant watching only makes it worse. But, not for me. I actually have more peace knowing what is currently going on. Not a peace by any stretch of the imagination but I feel more in control. Not that I am...but I feel a sense of the control you get from information. By all account's this is a very bad storm and the outcome will Not be good. I want to know WHY in the HELL (sorry) people would want to stay home? WHY WHY WHY???? Why would people stay with their children??? WHY WHY WHY? I am angry at these unknown people. IF they want to play russian roulet with their own lives...so be it. But, why would they do it to their kids? I just don't get it?! The people that live across the street, well catycorner from my mom, stayed in San Leon. They are thinking they will be ok to ride out the storm because they have a warehouse building with a store onthe bottom and the home on the top. The weather service was estimating a 20 foot storm surge..on top of high tide. This is crazy! The ditches there flood if it rains! My mom's house is only 6 feet above sea level. Yesterday morning the water was at the bulk head at 8am, at 1pm or so...there was a foot of water in her house. That was the estimate from the crazy friends that did not leave. So, now it is 5:33 am and the second half of the storm is over San Leon, water is neck high in Galveston, and 82 mile an hour gusts in downtown Houston. Pray. For those people that stayed put!

Ike

So, I am sitting on the living room floor, watching the Houston news. Somehow I am able to see it on the HD channels. Anyway, I am trying to wrap my brain around the fact that San Leon may not make it through this storm. It is mind boggling and scary. I am very glad my mom decided to leave. I am hoping that everyone I care about had the common sense to leave. Just sitting here waiting.....to see how bad Ike will be. Pray for Galveston and the surrounding coastal areas.

Meet Baby B~ 6 weeks old

I am sooo tired....

Tonight I feel defeated. My house is a wreck, my homework isn't done, I am exhusted. DH went back to work last week and I have progressively gone downhill since. The girls are both back in school now and I have picked up some much needed hours at work, and I am taking one class two days a week at school; oh, and the girls have dance....

I know I do too much and usually I can do it with out feeling this way. Baby Boy sleeps every few nights well...but, several nights a week he screams. and screams, and screams. It is on these nights that I feel defeated. I am tired and DH is in bed for work at night. He has a CRAZY schedule and so...at night I am it. Tonight, the kids and I went to church, came home, and I started getting things together for dinner...Baby boy started fussing and that progressed to screaming for three hours. In this time, I still need to make dinner, straighted my house, mother my girls, and get laundry done. I finally put baby boy down to scream in his bed while I finished dinner. (Red Beans and rice-yum!) When I picked him up this time...he allowed me to rock him to sleep. The girls finally got to eat dinner at 10 pm and I should be doing other stuff. But, I am sitting here feeling lonely, exhusted, and asking how am I going to make it?? A great song is on the radio Mountain of God by Third Day. I need to rewind that and listen to it again!
I know this pitty party is largely due to the stress of other things and the fact that DH has been home for several weeks. I got used to having him around to lean on. It will get better. I am going to let the house go and go to bed. I need sleep!