11 Things I Love About You

Good grief, buddy! How in the world did we get to 11 so quickly? It just doesn't seem possible that in two short years you'll be a teenager already. I am so proud of you because you've had the kind of year we adults would call a "character building year" and you came through it with very few scars. It sounds very fancy, but character building usually isn't any fun at all.

Your Top 11:

11. You started off your 10th year with all 3 inner ear bones in place. After a good catch by Dr. McClintock and great work by Dr. Chang, you now have Titanium in your head after the removal of an incredibly large cholesteatoma. Believe me when I tell you that this has provided you with a great party story.

10. Your first solo trip on a plane this last summer to California to visit Grandma and PaPa. I was so worried that you'd be incredibly homesick and you weren't.....at all. Not even a little bit. You went panning for gold, ziplining, the theater, rode a train, went to museums, and visited Old Town Sacramento. You loved seeing the Governator's office and thanks to Grandma's green thumb, you can identify about 5 different fresh spices on smell alone. The one downside to all this? You gave up your seat on your way home and got to ride first class on your new flight.....this has ruined you for life. You have been exposed to all the mysteries that take place behind the blue curtain.......flying coach will never be the same again.

9. You finally topped the 5 foot mark......you are 5'1" on your way to 6 feet plus. Won't be long until you are eating a box of cereal out of a mixing bowl with a ladle.....just like your 6'8" Uncle used to do. Lord have mercy on our grocery bill!

8. You rightly earned the nickname "The Kenyan" from your baseball coach. I have never, ever met a child that loves to run more than you do......and you are very fast. The fact that you feel the need to run without shoes on all the time about makes me crazy and seals the deal on the nickname.

7. You wrote your first "I would like to get to know you better" note and boldly left it in a girl's desk at school. The adorable factor in this story is staggering, but even more I love that you are willing to put your heart on the line for someone despite what others may think. You've done that before for a little girl, and I'm sure you'll do it again. I am working on keeping my Mama Bear instincts in check and allowing you to experience life as you, and not as a mini-me.

6. After hours and hours of diagnostic testing we learned how differently your brain works from other kids. Your Dad and I enjoyed the time we've spent with you and Dr. Tarnow just figuring how what makes you tick and how we can parent you in the way you deserve. That coupled with shear determination on your part, had you finishing your 4th grade year a straight A student and starting off 5th grade a Meritorious Scholar......a HUGE accomplishment!

5. I can honestly say that you mastered the skim board at the beach this summer. You were determined to get it down and you did. You stuck to it for hours and hours and are officially addicted.

4. You have fallen in love with your guitar. I smile every time I send you upstairs for something and then hear you strumming your guitar. It just calls out to you, doesn't it? It's like you just can't help yourself.

3. We had to say good-bye to Barnes this year. Telling you that he had died was hands down the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I have never watched you mourn like you did for him. In all of that, you were so happy Barnes got to go camping with us this year over Spring Break. Me too, buddy......me too.

2. When your dad was out of work earlier this year, you took the money you earned watering Mr. Keith and Miss Honey's plants and immediately gave it to us because you wanted to be a part in helping our family. There are no words.......

1. Just yesterday I was having a conversation with you about what it means to have or be a Mentor. You listened to me intently and then asked me why I needed someone else to be my Mentor.......shouldn't God be the only Mentor I need? I am so thankful that you see Him that way.....not as a mean God, not as a distant God, but as a God that wants to walk alongside us and coach us through life. My prayer is that you, Garrett, will have a heart for Him.

Whew!! What a year! Your dad and I are super proud of you and very honored that out of all the parents in the world, we got picked to love you. I can not wait for all the adventures we have waiting for us this year!

I love you!

Mom

Thanks A Lot!

There is something surreal about entering into a holiday season that has been a norm my entire lifetime and realizing that next year we will be living in a country that won't even pause for Thanksgiving Day. Realizing that fact has been very sobering for me. Just like going to my husband's Christmas party Saturday night and knowing we won't be there next year or wanting to spend an inordinate amount of money putting lights up on our house because we won't have a house for several years to come.

I have to wonder what kind of things I will be thankful for next year? Obviously, those that are most important to me......God and His Son, my husband and boys.....those will remain the same. It's the other stuff I wonder about. I hope I can be thankful for new friends. I shudder to think I may be thankful for fried octopus. It's unlikely I'll be thankful for neighbors that are just a wall away.

My prayer is for contentment. Happy to know that God has given us an amazing opportunity and being grateful for that. My prayer is that I don't spend so much time looking back at what we've left behind that we miss what God has in store for us in the future.

I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and can honestly look at where God has placed you right now and be thankful for it. Asking God to allow you joy in your current circumstance knowing that He is sovereign and loves us so very much that nothing in our lives is without purpose.

As for me and my boys? We are going to have a house full of Aggie/Longhorn/Cowboy loving fans with a spread that includes tamales, red and green chile, and loads of dessserts....much like last year. It will be loud and unorganized....the house will stay a mess for days on end and I'm going to enjoy every single second of it knowing that next year will hold something brand new for us.

I'm In Love

Ahhhhhh.......the weekend. How I do love Saturdays and Sundays. Of course it does help that I survived speaking at MOPS yesterday morning (more on that later), had a wonderful time at our church's Holiday Dinner last night, and a glorious morning of sleeping in. Yep, I am officially in love with the weekend.

I was a bundle of nerves yesterday, but absolutely loved the time I got to spend with our MOPS group. I did cry during my talk, which is unfortunate, but other than that I made it through sharing with those sweet moms what I felt like God wanted me to share. The great news is that I get to do it again next Friday. Maybe I'll do a better job keeping my emotions in check this time around because there is nothing more uncomfortable than watching someone who is speaking try to keep from launching into the ugly cry.

Our Holiday Dinner last night was located at a wonderful facility that has a stadium for local football games along with banquet rooms and an indoor arena. So while I was enjoying time with 600 of my closest friends from church, my boys were at the high school playoff game happening at the same location. When our banquet was over, I high heeled it over to the game to catch the last 6 minutes. There is nothing more inconspicuous than a 6 foot tall woman in black pants and glittery jacket, rhinestone earrings and smoky eye make-up making an appearance at a high school football game where khakis would have been considered dressed up. And nothing more painful for those high heeled feet than walking up and down ramps to get to our seats..........should have remembered to bring my flip flops!

Scot leaves again today for a whirlwind trip to Asia - gone only a week this time so he can be home for his company's CHRISTMAS PARTY next Saturday. That's right, next Saturday, before Thanksgiving.......Christmas party. Wonder if they'll serve us turkey, stuffing, gravy and pumpkin pie at the party.........

I hope all of you fall in love with your weekend too!

Oh, one more thing, if you are looking for an incredible way to teach your kids about money management, check out my wonderful and creative friend's post. I love, love, love her idea!

Top Nine

Nine years old......how is it even possible that you are nine years old? I have spent the morning taking a walk down memory lane looking at a ton of old pictures of you. I want to cry for how much I miss the "little you", and yet I am so excited to be a part of the "bigger you".

It has not been a dull year so I am going to try my hardest to pick some of the Top Nine about the past 12 months.

9. For the first time (that I know of) you had a little girl writing "I love Nathan" in her notebook. Lord help me, I am quite certain it won't be the last.

8. Your official record for "controlling your emotions" was about 3 days. We will keep that little item on our To Do list.

7. You took a nose dive off your razor and ended up with some awesome looking injuries to your face. I think you milked that one for all the attention you could get out of it! You then learned how to ride a Ripstick and I pray every day you don't kill yourself on that thing!

6. You scored your first touchdown and got your first mohawk!

5. You went to your very first concert with Aunt Cyndi and me. I loved watching you wave your arms in the air , sing along to the songs, and covering your ears when things got a little too loud!

4. You were so engrossed in a book series this summer (when you weren't burying your brother in the sand) that you were actually in a full out funk when it was over. Oh, how I can relate to that!! I envy you all the reading adventures you have waiting for you.....

3. You took your first helicopter ride without thinking twice about doing it.

2. You were elected to represent your class for student council and I must say that your speech really rocked! I wish you had actually done the whole thing for your class, but I totally get how nerves can get in the way of a well rehearsed speech. I loved working on it with you and I LOVED when you stood on the kitchen chair and practiced your speech so emphatically.

1. I had the honor of sitting next to you while you told Pastor Thomas exactly why you want to be baptized. The simplicity and honesty of your answers to his questions brought me to tears (big surprise) and I was once again astounded at how pure your love for God and His Son is.

This next year promises to be a big one. Our little family is getting ready to embark on a huge adventure! I am so excited for all you will see and experience in the coming year.

I love you so much I don't think my heart can hold it all. Happy Birthday Buddy!!! I am honored to be able to Do Life with you.......

Just a Note

Tonight Scot and I celebrated our anniversary, which was actually on Wednesday, at Chuys. A restaurant we frequent often with friends and our kids......most definitely not a romantic night out. I had all sorts of aspirations of writing an amazing post about our marriage in honor of our anniversary, but I never got around to it.

We've been too busy Doing Life.

Our anniversary was spent at the ballpark watching G play. We have a birthday celebration tomorrow in honor of N turning 9 that promises to be all kinds of interesting. Scot leaves again next week and I am speaking the next 2 Fridays to our MOPS group at church.

Whew!! Life can be exhausting lately I have found myself more and more not wanting to do the work I am supposed to be doing because it's all just....well......exhausting.

I will say, in honor of 14 years of marriage to my incredible husband, there is no one else on this planet I would rather be negotiating the twists and turns of this life with. NOONE. We fully get how intense this past year was and we most certainly have patted ourselves on the back for surviving, but the reality is that we have chosen, together, to Do Life with our eyes constantly on the One who holds all the answers. It is the only way to survive!!

Now I am rushing off to bed to fully enjoy a night's sleep and the gift of not having to be anywhere until 11:00 tomorrow morning! YIPPEE!!! That makes this tired girl very happy!

I'm Grounded

Remember this?

Not a staged picture much to the disbelief of some of my friends. In fact, it really looked much worse in reality!

I am proud to say that I finally have an after picture:

I went upstairs to get this picture and almost picked up all the army men that were in perfect formation on the floor. I find it funny that my boys are so thrilled to have a playroom they can walk in and army men all in one place and not mixed in with Legos, plastic goody bag junk, and random puzzle pieces, that they actually sat down and played!

As to why I didn't have them clean up the disaster? I would not have ended up with 2 bags of trash. Instead we would have uncovered all kinds of toys that hadn't seen the light of day in YEARS that my boys just "couldn't live without". And yes, they are very good at going through their stuff to give toys to charity, but this particular task required a determined mom with no emotional attachment to one Power Ranger glove or a matchbox car with missing wheels.

It is amazing the things I can get done when I have grounded myself from Facebook on my home computer Monday thru Friday. After reading this, I realized that reading about everyone else's life instead of living my own was becoming a problem.

I am sure most people are much better at balancing their chores, paperwork, and cleaning with computer and TV time......I guess I am just not one of those. But before you all become the Facebook police, I am still checking out what all of you are doing on my phone in Facebook world while in car line or sitting at a long practice.

I'm not that crazy!!!

From Ahhhhhh to AWWWWWW

My day yesterday included time at my favorite spa here in Houston - The Trellis. And by my favorite, I mean out of the 2-3 I've ever been to I like this one the best! It was a couple of hours of pure wonderfulness......time in the tranquility room, water with fruit floating in it, hot stone massage, and pedicure followed by dinner out with friends.

My day ended like this:

Clocked going 67 in a 50. My first speeding ticket in 15 years.

That's what you get when you give a mom the dad's car for the day. It's ok because I was so relaxed and happy when I met nice Officer Busby that I actually thanked him for the work he does and flat out told him I deserved the ticket.

Poor guy.....he didn't know what to do with me and honestly looked like an afternoon at The Trellis would have been good for him, too!