Gymnastics and a few updates

Okay, sorry I have not posted in a while. We have a lot going on here. Christian is in gymnastics and had his first competition this past weekend. I am hoping to get some video loaded of him soon so you can see some of his performances. He has only been doing gymnastics around 4-5 months and went from never taking to being asked to compete on the team. He does struggle with it as it wears hm out. He takes 3 days a week for 3 hours. His class is Mon, Tues, and Thurs from 4-7. He is beat!! We drove to Dallas for the meet. It was 4 hours long but it was worth it. It was great to watch him and how much improvement he has made. He won a metal for overall. Some of these teams were FANTASTIC and you could tell that they ate, slept, and breathed gymnastics. Keep checking the video links at the top right for added footage of his performances. It takes a while to load them.

Clara is growing way too fast. She is getting braver about walking but still prefers crawling. She is starting to eat off of a plate without throwing it all over the floor. We discovered she likes broccoli and teriyaki chicken. Tonight she ate cucumber (likes on and off), grapes, cheese, and cheesy chicken macaroni casserole. I am so proud of the little toddler she is becoming. There are just some days that I want to push the pause button. My kiddoes are just growing up way too fast. I fixed her hair this evening and I am throwing in a shot of the finished product. She sat in her seat that attaches to the table. We don't use a high chair anymore. It is an Eddie Bauer seat and is really handy. It works great and I can reach the lower back of her hair and work my way up. She will eat snacks, watch Blue's Clues, and play with some toys. She is just the most patient little thing for the most part....believe me she has her moments of being impatient though....LOL (like her mamma!!). In this shot she is half laughing and half ticked off because daddy was not giving her anymore casserole.

This is a shot of Clara taking a few steps after her daddy and brothers made it home from gymnastics tonight. She was happy to be out of the "hair chair". You can get another view of her hair here too. I still struggle with the parts. She does absolutely fantastic sitting still.

We have been busy looking at houses here lately. We are wanting to get a bigger house and a home that has some acerage. We want our children to have room to roam, explore, play, and make some great memories. We thought we had found the one but we just though it through and did not feel right about it. We are looking for a second time this weekend at another home we like. We LOVE the outside of the house and property but the inside of the house is not exactly what we would want. We will see how it goes. Please pray that God will guide us in the right direction in this decision. It is fun looking but when it starts to come down to the bottom line the pressure starts in. So, Saturday we have a very busy day. We will meet at the house at 11 and then we are off to Meemaw and Pawpaw's to celebrate my newest Sister-In-Law's, Candy, birthday!! =) HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY CANDY!!!

More to come.....

Monumental steps for a monumental day!!!

Yesterday Clara started walking. She is still not walking all the time but it will be no time yet!! She started taking some steps on her own and I did not have the camera. She just started and took like 4 steps to the chair all on her own accord!! It was awesome but of course I did not have the camera right there. I ran to get the camera and we then started bribing her with chocolate! =o Yes, I have 3 kids and I know what works....just kidding!! Clay had picked up Christian from gymnastics and picked up our favorite french fries from Wing Stop and then he picked up our favorite truffles as a treat. This is rare! So she was getting to eat her share of chocolate but we were using it as incentive...=) Notice Christian's new tunic in the video. This is his gym attire and he will have his first gym meet this weekend!! You can view the video of Clara walking if you click on it at the top right sidebar under tidbits of our life in video!!

I also wanted to just say that I thought yesterday was a tremendous day in history and was so thankful I could share the day with my children watching the inauguration activities!! Clara obviously knew that big things were to happen that day thus her taking off with her walking!! We will always remember that our baby girl took off walking by herself on the day that the first black man was sworn into the oval office to be President of the United States!! How awesome is that!!! WooHoo!!! I am linking a post from a friend of mine because honestly I could not have put my feelings into such an eloquent piece of writing!! Here you go.....Enjoy....I could not have written it more beautifully! http://sophiaoreilly.wordpress.com/2009/01/19/i-have-a-dream-too/

Homemade Yogurt

The other day I made homemade yogurt. The kids really love it!! It turned out too runny...so I thought. The boys like it better this way because when you add a tablespoon or so of preserves (we use strawberry) it is almost like drinking a smoothie. What is best about making your own yogurt you say.....Well, it is MUCH cheaper!! For the price of half a gallon of milk and a small tub of plain yogurt with active cultures you have two large containers of yogurt!! I also know what is in it!!! It tastes so much fresher too!! MMM, mmmm good! Here is the link if you are interested in giving it a go! http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html

Homemade Gatorade recipe!!

I was reading my blogs this morning and ran across this Gatorade recipe!! The boys really like it and it is easy and CHEAP!! http://forfood.rezimo.com/?p=782 I hope the link works. If not I will come back and give you the recipe.

Birthday parties and haircuts!!

Sunday we had Cullen's flag football party. We really enjoyed every one's company and had a great time. Here are some pictures of the day. Cullen enjoyed himself very much and enjoyed playing football with his friends and family. I cannot believe my guy is 9 years old!! He is a fantastic boy full of spunk. Some days are a challenge because he is stubborn like his momma but as I know all too well that stubbornness will be a blessing one day. He is smart, funny, and full of character and personality!! I am honored to be his mom and thankful that God blessed me with him!!

Today, I gave Clara a haircut. I hated cutting her beautiful curls but as a friend pointed out I would want my hair to be all even. So.....unwillingly I did it. My heart would not let me cut it any shorter but it does look better but I miss her beautiful long curls on top. I know soon enough they will be back!! Here are some shots of her first haircut!!

Football cupcakes continued

Football cupcakes
Originally uploaded by miksadie

Here are the other cupcakes I made for him. The flavors are chocolate with buttercream and cookies and cream with buttercream....hopefuly will post some party pics soon!!

Cullen's Cupcakes for tomorrow

EAgles football cupcakes
Originally uploaded by miksadie

Here is a sneak peak of Cullen's cupcakes for his birthday party tomorrow. He wanted Philadelphia cupcakes. I was pleased with how my Eagle logo came out. I will try and post more pics tomorrow of the big party. He is having another flag football party....the boy LOVES football!!

getaway

getaway
Originally uploaded by MJ~

And the couple making the great escape to the Dominican Republic!! I am so thankful these two tied the knot!! I love them both dearly. My baby brother a husband....=) Maybe one day a daddy!!! Where are the nieces and/or nephews!!

candyland

candyland
Originally uploaded by MJ~

And.....why every kid (big or little) wants every wedding to be like Matt & Candy's wedding!!! TA DAAA...the candy bar!!

yum

yum
Originally uploaded by MJ~

It all looks too good to be true!! Great weddng for 2 great people!!

the guys

the guys
Originally uploaded by MJ~

Here is a shot of all the guys!! I love the bottom right pic!! I think it might be my favorite of all!

Jump (more like 'spaz') !

Jump (more like 'spaz') !
Originally uploaded by MJ~

I love this photo!! Michelle is the link at the top right with Picture This! She is absolutely fantastic. I had to show his photo to you guys!! I will probably be blogging a few more to show. Stay tuned!! This was Matt & Candy's wedding in October. We were ALL in it, me, Clay, Christian, Cullen, and Clara!! It was fantastic!!

Pics of Clara's wall & Cullen's 9th Birthday

It took a while but here are some pics of Clara's walls in her room. They now have the beautiful artwork hanging up that was given to her by Aunt Candy and Uncle Matt for her birthday. If I remember right Taffy (Clay's mom) and Papa (Clay's dad) gave her the little pink dress one. We hung that one above the changing table/dresser. Candy, if I am wrong let me know. She loves looking at the letters and crosses, and dress on her wall.

Thanks guys!!! We love them!! You all know I need all the help I can get with decorating.

Cullen's 9th birthday was Tuesday, January 6th. My kids are just growing way too fast. He loves pizza and wanted pizza for his birthday. We waited until after 7 because Christian had gymnastics until then. We then met Meemaw and Pawpaw at the pizza place and Cullen chowed down. He ate 20 pieces of pizza!! He kept count and felt like the winner of some pizza eating contest that we did not know about. That's my boy!! We will be having his birthday party Sunday and enjoy playing flag football with everyone. He wants me to make Philadelphia Eagles cupcakes...we will see how that goes.

I do have a prayer request. While at the pizza place I met a young lady who confided in us. Since our family does not blend too well people feel free to comment, ask questions, and share with us as they see fit. For 99% of the time it is all wonderful! We have met and had some wonderful conversations with many people. This young lady realized we had obviously adopted Clara. She was so quiet. She worked there. She was at the salad bar refilling as I was fixing my plate. She said how cute Clara was and asked about us adopting her. She then shared with me that she had given her son up for adoption. I had to give her a HUGE hug as the feelings that goes with adoption are so strong and vivid. It takes a strong woman to choose life for her child and then to also give up the opportunity of raising them for the child's betterment. She then shared that she was pregnant again! Her friends were trying to convince her to get an abortion and I just shared all the info I had with her. I told her what a blessing and honor it was to have Clara and that there were many families out there that would love to adopt her blessing. I threw in that Clay and I had talked about it before (not saying it will happen but you never know what God has in store for us). We talked for quite some time and I felt her struggle and pain. I remember being 18 and pregnant....terrifying!! She also has a scholarship for choir at the moment and the baby would be due right when her college career would be taking off in August. Just pray for God's peace over her and His wisdom. Pray that like with choosing life for her son she can leave a legacy with this child and be able to live with that other than trying to live with the decision of killing her unborn child. Please pray safety and health over this unborn child. I gave her all of my information so that she can call for anything!! I sure remember crying a lot when I was pregnant at 18. It was nice to have shoulders to cry on. My heart so aches for her and the life-changing decisions she will be facing in the future.

Until next time.....

Christmas 2008!!

This post will probably take me quite some time. I struggle posting because it takes so stinking long to download all the pictures. I am trying to find an easier way. I think the interesting things in a Blog are the pictures!! They tell so much without me having to say much and I KNOW all of you want to see pictures of my precious kiddoes!! ;)

At first we had Christmas over at Clint and Cindy's house (Clay's brother). It is our second year of having Christmas over there. We had it on Christmas Eve, Eve this time. It is a nice time but just goes by too fast. Kathy (Taffy-grandma) got these great bags years ago and just keeps adding more bags as the grandkid population grows! =)

Clara's favorite part of opening gifts is the tissue paper.....yummy!
Papa Dave helping Christian open up his bag full of gifts!

Taffy and Papa Dave always manage to get a "yucky" Christmas present every year. One year the kids got a poopin' moose and this year they got gross balls filled with little roaches or rats...YUCK!! The kids thought they were neat though as you can tell by the look on Cullen's face.Here is a pic of Clara in the cute PJs Taffy got her.

The boys got these neat riding carts from Taffy and Papa. Clara gave them a whirl and loved them just as much too. I have video of the grownups and Clara having a blast on them. I will have to get it uploaded soon. Just watch the video links at the upper right corner of the blog.The next stop was Meemaw and Pawpaw's for our traditional Christmas. We have been having Christmas the same way for as long as I can remember. When I was young we celebrated Christmas by spending Christmas Eve at my grandparents house (GG's house; my dad's (pawpaw) mom & dad). We would wait forever to open our PJ's for Christmas Eve and that was the only present we could open up before Christmas morning. We would then play cards, eat, hang out, and enjoy families together. Christmas morning, up bright and early, we would wait to be surprised at our "walk out" to see what was left under the tree for us. We focused a bit more on Santa as kids but we just have it as surprises and do not do Santa now. We want the focus to be on Christ's birth and the life He gave for us. So no Santa photos here.....sorry! =) We would rush out and there would be a blur of wrapping paper, oohs, awws, and excitement filled the air. It is very much like that today but we now spend the night at my parents house. We play cards and open our Christmas PJs like all the years before and I pray many more to come. The difference was that PJ time came late this year as the newly married couple, Matt & Candy, have many Christmases and arrived after midnight. Clara could not wait that long and got her own special time to open her PJ package. Here is my treasure sporting her Christmas PJs.

Here Clara is cuddled up and goofing off with Pawpaw as usual. Does she look like she is ready for bed?? She ended up waking back up later that night and hanging out with us for quite a while.

I hate that Clara went to bed early and missed the group open of PJs. Here we are in ours....yes the grown kids still get their PJs and we VERY HAPPILY look forward to it each year!! Who doesn't want new PJs??

We played our usual cards and had a blast. Pawpaw changed things up this year and made 2 different tables. We had a tournament of sorts. We played golf. The winners of one table moved to the next and had a play off. Here is a shot of all of us playing cards. The next shot is of Cullen as the winner of the award for the Double Loser (notice the 2 L's on his forehead). He lost at the loser's table.....=) Cullen is quite like his daddy and can be quite cocky while playing cards....it bit him in the butt this time. =) It was a BLAST!! Time you can never have again!

By the way...I belong at this table too. Somebody has to take the pictures!

Then, we all went to bed way too late...something like 1 I think. Candy and Matt made it safe and sound. The kids cannnot see the living/dining room presents until the "walk-in" so they are protected away from there until time to walk in. Here is a shot of Clara's first "walk-in" with the boys!!

This was Clara's stocking present. She picked it out herself at the store but don't remind her...=)

The big present this year was a laptop. We needed one (wanted one) for the schoolroom. The boys have other ideas for it but I really could use it in the schoolroom. So now we finally have our schoolroom and a computer in there to top it off. God is good!!

I have the sweetest boys God ever made. They went to a football game with Meemaw and Pawpaw and Uncle Jerry. They did some Christmas shopping after the game. The boys wanted to pick something out just for Clara. They picked out a GREAT hippo ball pit! Clara just LOVES it!! They are so thoughtful and caring and it does not hurt that they are head over hills in love with their sister!! Makes my heart feel great!!

My Cullen already eating his stocking candy before it is over....that is my boy!

After playing with Clara inside we moved the hippo and balls outside and watched a great game fo Christmas football!!

We put Clara's stocking stuffer together and brought it out for her. She got the hang of it pretty good. It has a place up front for her to carry her babies.

Christian got to try on Tanner's (next door neighbor; great friend) waders on. He loved them and I got a great picture of him in them.

Here is a picture of the spread before it got demolished!!

Okay...after this post I realize I take WAY TOO MANY pictures but I cannot stop myself. I just LOVE to take them. I wish I would have taken more when the boys were little. We spent some time New Year's Eve at mom and dad's (Meemaw & Pawpaw) playing cards and looking at old photos. Life is just a glimpse, a whisp of time that passes so quickly. I like to document each moment on film. Here are a few more shots then I am quitting on this post. I hope to post sooner next time.

Okay, okay....one more picture. But I did not take this one. I stole it from my new sister-in-law, Candy. I use the term "new" loosely because Candy has been around as long as Clay and I have been married if not longer. But it was so nice to have her at Christmas morning with us and she actually spent the night at mom and dad's and as she put it in her blog....got to sleep in the same bed as Matt finally! See....being married is a good thing! Okay, I could not resist stealing this picture and sharing it with you guys. (Don't worry, Candy steals my pics often too). Candy got a new camera for Christmas and is now a picture-taking-fool like I am. When you have a good camera it is very difficult not to see life in little snapshots that can be saved forever. Okay, get ready...How cute is this?? My Treasure and the best hubby ever!! God is GREAT!!