A day with the mouse

Okay, so you were thinking Disney right? FOR SHAME! I don't believe in Disney. ;) Today was Jude's birthday celebration (his actual bday will be Wednesday the 2nd) at Chuckie Cheese, for the 2nd year. We have made this a new tradition (traditions excite me SO much that I am starting all kinds for my kids, because I didn't have them growing up). My Momma and Sissy were able to come out and join us there too, just like last year! It was SOOO much fun!!!!!! I hope you guys all had fun too! It was a bit hectic at times, with so many parties scheduled today,.. all the person on the loud speaker crap, the birthday dance crap that I could die a happy woman tomorrow having never heard it again! We don't do the 'party reservation' thingy. We just go, eat pizza, play games and buy cheesy ( no pun intended) stuff that's not worth the tickets lol. But the kids have a blast, the adults too and it's a lot of fun all around! Rye did not appreciate the noise and lights, and honestly seemed just downright scared.. so he was held a lot when he wasn't napping. So strange to think about this time just last year, being 4-5 mos pregnant with him at the time.

I had an idea to dress us all in the same color so we would be easy to spot, should some little midget slip away as they tend to do.. oh and make finding Chris easier too.. as he likes to run off and turn into a boy now and again.

My orange gang minus one (the one being DIFFICULT and having a tantrum)



Classic picture taking fun with toddlers (preschoolers, infants and preteens?)







I gave up again




2 of my orange men and littlest lady



My momma holdin' da baby



Rye yackin' away to my sissy




Emma stuck in the cage hehe



Again, Thank you SO much to my family for coming out. Thanks to Gina who got right off of her plane and came straight over, and for my Momma for driving them both. And thank you for all the cute clothes for the kids!! I love you.

How do you love?

I've reached a point in my life where I reflect back often, on the years of my life up until now, and alot about the future (before I get so depressed about it, I make myself stop). I have always felt I've loved hard. I've often been told I am 'too nice' to people. I have been walked on, taken advantage of, and my heart bruised too many times to count. Do I still love hard? Yep. Do I change how I act toward those that I love that have hurt me? No. And my love never changes either. Despite the circumstance, despite the years, it is unwavering. It would seem that would be a good thing, a good quality, a human quality and one every person on this earth could use. But where has it gotten me? It never stops hurting me. It hurts more to see all the people that can't or won't do this, whether it be in return or to others in this world. It is disappointing to look around and feel you don't belong here, that you think too much and too deep for the world you live in and the people that live in your own. I think I think too much. I think I take everything more serious than it should be. I know more people that act like life is just a comical temporary existence and don't look for the deeper meaning in anything. I've never been that way, ever since I was a child. I've also been told I am 'too serious'. But I guess that goes along with everything I just stated I am and why.

The only good thing that has come of being who I am, feeling how I feel, and loving like I do is that I feel like I'm a good person for it. As cliche as that sounds. I might say some bad words on occasion, I might lose my patience, I might yell a lot when I've lost my patience and no one seems to hear me! I might not go to church and even believe in 'religion'. But I believe there is a God. I might have my own mind and do what I know is best despite what someone tells me it is. I might love without bounds and fall hard and do it again. But, at the end of the day I still feel like a good person, because of what's at the core. And I think your core, is what makes everything. If the core of you is no good, what does it matter how you 'appear' to other people? What is it all even for?

That verse in the bible about love has always stuck with me, and been one of my favorite things to read. If you take it apart word for word and really look at the meaning of it, how many people do you know that love this way? And how simple things could be if we all could. The only person I have ever felt loved this way, are my children. I think all people start out this way, and somewhere along the lines of growing up, relearn it all while getting screwed up through different experiences and become selfish. It must be a rare and lucky few of us, that can forgive, see the reality in situations, and keep loving despite them. Maybe if I could live where others loved this way, I would feel it too.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

Orange juice?

Okay well maybe not today, or tomorrow.. or 6 months from now, ..or in a year from now, but maybe one day I hope! This is our new tree friend, you guessed it- an orange tree! This was given to us by my friend Lisa who is doing some additions to her house, and this little bugger needed to go away. It's a bit beat up from being ripped out of the ground and put into a truck with a backhoe, so we need to paint it's bare patches of bark and give it some extra tlc for awhile. I really hope it makes it. Emma and Chris took off as much fruit as they could get to, to try to get it to concentrate on rooting. As you can see, it's in a state of shock which is apparently normal from what I've read. I hope it will start thriving one day soon, and I can post pics of when it looks nice and green again! It also makes the most awesome oranges I've ever had! So, hopefully in time it will fruit again too. I'm excited!

While I was photographing that one I also took a pic of our little Pin Oak that was just a scrawny, baby twig when we moved here ( 2 yrs ago). My how it has taken off!! We can see it over the top of the house from the front yard.

1 year (and one baby) later

I'm bringing this blog back to life, what ya know. Why you may ask, but you're so boring, nothing really happens in your life that anyone wants to hear about, much less read about. Well, the answer to that is, for my own benefit. And if there is a single person out there that cares enough about me, they will be interested, that's why. ;) And because I've discovered at times, little moments I have where my identity is revealed to me. The identity of ME, rather than the Mom I am 24 hrs of every day. I love that role, I revel in it, I would never change it for anything the world could offer me. But sometimes, when I'm all alone with my thoughts , I get flashbacks of what it felt like to know Kristina and to be be someone besides always having thoughts for everyone else in my life. I like to think back like that sometimes, because it gives my ever so overfilled brain with a little reprieve for a moment. I can breathe a new breath for a moment and feel a little lifted, if that makes any sense. To any moms reading, I'm sure you can understand completely. I think in order to truly spend any real amount of time on myself, I'd have to relearn that, and now with children, my identity has forever changed and I won't get that opportunity, which is fine by me. So, even if I try, I find it impossible to stay on the task of thinking about me in regards to anything. I'm sure I'll do a lot of talking about my kids, because they are the only things that truly matter. Not everything will be important. I just like to have a place to type out my thoughts and ramble as I please. I don't really have anyone, I feel like that cares to hear all the unimportant details of me. So, I'll talk to the computer who won't respond (as I'm quite used to), but it helps nonetheless.

Now, on with it.