Memories

This is for my friend Candice. On her blog, she does "On This Day In Our History" and posts memorable things from the past. Click here for yesterday's post, where she was playing catch up and entered several dates. One of them was July 24, 1992 or '93 (we're having a hard time remembering if it was before Jr. year or Sr. year). We went to Little Rock, AR to visit my uncle and aunt. What a fun time! You'll have to read her story about the waterpark. I also remembered a man we nicknamed "Speedo Man." I'm guessing that needs no explanation. It seemed he popped up everywhere we were. I was cleaning out my closet today and came across this picture. I knew I had to scan it and post it! It's of Candice and me standing beside the broken-down Jeep on the side of the road each holding a "little rock." Again, no explanation needed. We were quite witty. In my defense, the wind is blowing. My hair was not that poofy.


And while scanning, I couldn't resist this picture! It was taken on May 28, 1993. School had just let out, so we were officially SENIORS! I had such good friends. I know Jaime and Vivian read my blog occasionally, so hope you guys enjoy the picture!

Candice, Jaime, Dale, Amanda, Vivian, Harry'O, Jay

We're All Gettin' Better

Coleman has been feeling a lot better today. Luckily he loves to take medicine. He takes Singulair for his allergies, and when we get to the last few pills in the bottle he says, "When they're gone I'll be all better?" No, he just starts a new bottle. But he loves to take them, so it's no big deal. And as for me, I had some blood work done at my last check up and was told that there was a problem with my thyroid. I shouldn't be surprised. This runs in my family. I'll start my medication tomorrow. I just have to say that my family is so blessed to be able to go to the doctor and get the medicine that we need. Thanks for your prayers for Coleman!

A Pain in the Ear

Oh dear, Coleman developed an ear ache and cried from about 5:00 to 7:30 tonight. This affects Spence also because he cannot handle Mommy having to comfort someone else.

But good news - there's an after-hours pediatric clinic close to our house. This isn't really good news for Spence though.

Oh dear, Coleman has an ear infection. At least I think that's what I heard the doctor say over the deafening sobs coming from my child.

But good news - the doctor gave him a prescription (and it's not that good-for-nothing amoxicillin).

Oh dear, Coleman's prescriptions have been running us over $100.

But good news - we've got new insurance! The antibiotic and ear drops were only $15 and $10!

Oh dear, it's 9:15 and I hear Coleman crying.

But good news - Daddy is on his way up to check on him.

Please say a prayer for Coleman that he will start feeling better soon. It breaks my heart when he's hurting and I can't do anything for him. And also, I've never had an ear infection, so I don't know what he's feeling.

Pananio and the Bathing Elephant

Coleman has an alter ego. His name is Pananio Patinki and I believe he's a race car driver. I don't know where he came up with this name, but I thought it was hilarious! Sometimes I'll ask him about Pananio (pronounced Puh-nah-nee-o) and he'll say, "No, I'm Coleman now."

Friday we went to the zoo with some friends. This was our third trip this summer, and we always see some different animals and make sure to visit our favorites. I can't wait to go when the weather gets cooler! Here are a few pictures. I didn't take too many since we have so many from our first two trips.

It's hard to see, but this is a picture of one of the elephants getting a bath. The kids could have stayed and watched this for hours.

Coleman, EK, and Spence watching the elephant take a bath

Spence brushing the goat

Spence has found a way to reach his cookies!

Also, Rita asked about the chocolate chip pizza from Double Daves. It's a thin crust topped with cookie dough, chocolate chips, and icing. I know you couldn't eat it Rita, but here's a picture:

Spence Makes the Fridge!

A Fun Field Trip

The last two Wednesdays while the boys have been at school, I've gotten Jason's Deli for lunch. They have this wrap called the Ranchero that is the best. Mmmmm, grilled chicken, jalapeños, cheese, pico de gallo, Ranch dressing, all wrapped up in a veggie tortilla. The only problem is that I get depressed when it's time to eat lunch on Thursday. This week I'm easing back into sub par food. We stopped at Chick-Fil-A on our way back from the Railroad Museum. I'll tell that story in a minute. Sometimes my mind works in crazy ways. I was thinking how much I love that Ranchero wrap, and other foods I love. I started putting together the all time best meal. So if I'm ever wrongly accused of a crime, convicted, and placed on death row, I've come up with the perfect last meal. I would request a Ranchero wrap from Jason's Deli, a chocolate chip pizza from Double Dave's, and a Coke from Whataburger. And also, I wouldn't have to worry about a depressing lunch the next day!

OK, now that you think I'm completely insane, I'll share our trip to the Railroad Museum. I was feeling a little shut in today with all the rain from the hurricane. I was looking for something indoor to do with the boys. I found several cool places, but decided to do the Rosenberg Railroad Museum. The boys will probably enjoy it more when they're older, but they had a good time and so did I! They saw lots of old railroad stuff (yeah, I was listening really well), a caboose, a safety video, a model train set that filled a room, and an old fire truck. Here are a few pictures.

Coleman loved the model train.

They didn't have room to set up the entire set.

There was so much detail!

We love fire engines!

The Trouble With Girls

On the way home from school today, Coleman was playing with one of his Transformers. He kept asking me about the Transformer, and I kept telling him I didn't know. I think he finally got a little frustrated.

Coleman: Why don't you know about Transformers?
Mommy: Because I'm a girl.
Coleman: That's a boy question?
Mommy: Yes.
Coleman: Sorry. Daddy's not here, so I'm asking you.

I guess that's the trouble with girls. We can't give you good answers to your Transformer questions. It's also a problem for Coleman that I don't spot every tow truck, dump truck, or motorcycle as we drive down the road. I'll have to work on these things.

A Collection of Happenings and Observations

When I don't post for a while, I get all these ideas about what to write swirling around in my mind, and then I can't decide what to say. So I'm taking some things from the past few days and writing a little about each one.

Dear God, help that mean girl be nice.

We were leaving the gym this morning and Coleman told me that there was a little girl who was "fighting over him and Spence." I'm pretty sure he meant she was fighting with them. Anyway, she wasn't being nice and wasn't sharing with them, according to Coleman. Coleman said, "Spence grabbed her shirt and pushed her!" Well, don't mess with Spence. I told Coleman to make sure he told the gym lady if someone wasn't being nice and that it wasn't OK for Spence to push. We got in the car and started home. Coleman said, "Mommy, can we pray for that little girl that wasn't nice?" I said, "Of course. That's a good idea," thinking we'd pray for her when we ate lunch or at bedtime. After a moment, Coleman asked, "When are you going to do it?" He wanted me to pray right then. What a great reminder that we can stop and talk to God anytime, anywhere. I'm so proud of Coleman!

You're too old to play at McDonald's playground...

if you have to ask your mom to hold your cell phone. Seriously! She was probably about 10 or 11. Oh, what an age. To be young enough to be happy and carefree on the McDonald's playground, but tied down by technology and the demand to stay connected.

A Kitchen Update

The update is that we're almost done! There are only a few cabinet doors to put back up and one spot on the wall to retexture. The window still needs to be finished and I have a few decorative decisions to make, but I think it's presentable! Brian worked so hard, and he did an awesome job! Here are a few pictures.

Hooray for cabinets with unpainted hinges!


This was the first piece of furniture Brian and I bought after we got married. It was a hideous puke green with flower etched glass, but we saw the potential. Brian started stripping it, but that was a nightmare. He stripped some of it, then he painted the rest white. I decided it was time for an update, so I painted the white parts red and the top inside the same color as the cabinets. I'm not sure if I'm going to leave the wood parts, or paint them red also. I think I like it like this for now.

Check out the new towel ring!


And I'm working really hard to keep these plants alive. It's a complicated procedure, you know, watering them.

What to do with this wall. I was thinking of doing a plate display, but I've got some plates I'm going to hang above the hutch. So maybe some framed artwork or a metal piece. Still looking around. Also looking for a new table. Not loving the wicker chairs (especially the one with the bottom busted out), and all the crevices in the table make for quite a mess with toddlers.

Things They Won't Pick Up

I just got reprimanded by the garbage man. Who does this happen to?!? Apparently you are not supposed to set out old sliding glass doors with your trash. It broke and went all over the street. He told me that the driver swept it to the curb but we would have to clean it up. Who knew? We are allowed to put out heavy trash with our garbage, but I now know that glass doors are a no no. I've also informed Brian of this new information. You know it's all his fault anyway. He puts it out there, and I get griped out! Fortunately, we have no more sliding glass doors to dispose of. This makes me think... Tell me about a time you got in trouble for something and you had no clue you'd done anything wrong.

Footnote: I have no hard feelings toward the garbage men. They have very important jobs and without them we'd be drowning in piles of our own trash! We will work hard to follow all the requirements for disposing of our unwanted items from now on.

How To Install a Window

Installing a window is as easy as 1 - 2 - 3.

First, you must decide that the old window (or sliding glass door, circa 1979) is disgusting and you can no longer live with it.


Then, you rip it out and put the new window in. Of course the new window is not the same size as the old door, so you must build a partial wall.


Make sure to insulate the new wall adequately.


As long as the elements (and critters) are barred from entering, the trim, texture, and paint can wait for, oh I'd say another month or so.


Then it's goodbye bright yellow paint!!!

My Apologies

I must apologize, either to all of you, or to the blog itself, for being so neglectful. We've been so busy with house stuff that I haven't been on the computer much this past week. Brian and Dad replaced the sliding glass door in our bedroom with a window. That required a partial wall to be built. Silly me, I thought you needed to hire contractors and carpenters to do this kind of stuff. What do I know? They did a great job! Of course there's just drywall under the window, but we'll choose a new color to paint soon and get it finished. Brian wants to put sconces on either side of the bed before we do though. Ah, another project. The kitchen is my main project now. We took all the bottom cabinet doors off and I painted them. Hopefully we'll get those back up this week. If we don't I might go insane trying to keep Spence out of the exposed cabinets! I have to give a big "thank you" to my mom, who entertained the boys this weekend. Without her, nothing would have gotten done! I mean, building a wall and painting cabinet doors is near impossible with two little boys roaming the house.

Weekend Renovations

Brian busied himself this weekend putting in new windows! Has he ever put in windows before, you may be asking? No. Did that tiny detail stop him? No. And he did an excellent job! Here are a few pictures.

Here is the old master bathroom window. Brian had already taken the trim off.

And here is the new window!

The old kitchen window.

We hung these old sheets to keep glass and dust out of the house.

The new window! If you click on it, you'll notice there's already peanut buttery fingerprints on it!

And from the inside. We have to decide what color to stain or paint it. Here's the difference between a man and a woman: A man just snaps the picture. A woman would clean off the table first.

Happy 4th of July!

Hope you had a happy 4th of July! We did! We headed out a little before 9:00 tonight to watch our city's fire works display. The boys enjoyed it. Coleman wanted to know all about how the fire works worked, and Spence was just mesmerized. He would occasionally say, "Boom." Not very enthusiastically, but he was a little tired considering he's usually in bed by 8:30.

We just watched the coolest fire works!

Earlier in the day Brian recorded the boys performing to "This Land Is Your Land." I put some motions to the song and did it this week with my music classes. They had so much fun that I decided to teach it to the boys. I'll clue you in to the motions they are doing, so you can be informed before you watch it.

This land is your land (point to someone)
This land is my land (point to yourself)
From California (pretend to surf)
To the New York island (pretend to be the Statue of Liberty)
From the redwood forest (pretend to be a tree)
To the Gulf stream waters (wave your arm like flowing water)
This land was made for you (point) and me (point to yourself)

Remember to be thankful for all those who have fought for our freedom and for those who are fighting for us now! We love our soldiers!

A Short Conversation

I overheard this conversation as we were getting in the car yesterday.

Spencer: Hot! Hot! Hot!
Coleman: You are correct, Spencer!

A Lesson in Humility

Today I'm a little irritated with myself. This humanness can be quite annoying at times. I was sitting at the table just now doing my Bible study when I was told what my problem was. Maybe in the written words of Priscilla Shirer, but the revelation was given by Someone else. Humility. Do I honestly put others above myself? Sometimes. But that's not good enough. I was taking Coleman to school this morning, and although we left pretty much on time (right when it was time to go, my little champion pottier informed me he needed to go poo poo) we were 20 minutes late. Twenty minutes filled with people cutting across lanes and going straight from the left turn lane so they didn't have to wait in the line of cars that I was at the end of. Twenty minutes filled with stopped trains blocking the road where I needed to cross. Twenty minutes filled with finding an alternate route, only to find a police car and fire truck blocking the road because a car had wrecked and overturned. Twenty minutes filled with taking a second detour through a neighborhood that I wasn't too familiar with, only to end up about a block away from the wreck. We finally made it to school. Of course those extra twenty minutes were filled with "look at that jerk" and "who does he think he is" and "oh I know that train isn't stopped across the road" and luckily a "Lord please protect those people who just had a wreck." But that last statement doesn't make up for all those that proceeded it. And Coleman and Spence heard them all. My time and my life is no more important that anyone else's. If anything, I should be of the opinion that others are more important than myself and treat them as though they are just that. Isn't that how we all want to be treated? Humility. What a lesson. And of course the events of this morning aren't the only things going on in my life that tell me I need a lesson in humility. I only write this because maybe, just maybe, someone else is dealing with the same things today. You're not alone!

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 1 Peter 5:5

For kicks I just looked that verse up in The Message and the last part says, "Wise living gets rewarded with honor; stupid living gets the booby prize." Yikes! Not sure what that is, but I don't want the booby prize! Occasionally the person who does the scripture reading at church uses The Message. I'd love to hear this one from the pulpit! I think some of the sleepers might wake up!

Return of the Tomato

Last night we ate at Whataburger, and guess what. The tomato is back! Have you had one yet? I like tomatoes, but they are no where near as important as the dearly loved pickle, so it wasn't as if I was falling into a deep depression while they were gone. I suppose they've just become a common vegetable (or are they a fruit? that one's always baffled me.) to put on a burger, chicken sandwich, or salad. Now, my dad does not like to be referenced on my blog, but I have to share something. Sorry Dad. He and Mom came to stay with us for a few days and they brought their own tomatoes (since they are a staple in his diet) that were homegrown by a friend. Before we left for Whataburger, Mom sliced one for his burger, put it in a baggie, and took it with us! I found this pretty funny. It was like Christmas day when we got our burgers and found that they had tomatoes once again. Tomato jackpot!

OK, but in all seriousness, the boys had a great time with Nana and Poppa. We walked down to the lake and went fishing. Nana caught the biggest fish, and then Nana, Coleman, and Spence working as a team caught a turtle. Of course we threw everything back. The fish probably enjoyed our trip to the lake more than we did. They had a feast of hot dog wienies, since I didn't have any worms laying around.

Ready to Fish!

And here he is fishing!

It takes a village to catch a fish.

Coleman and his 4

Coleman was playing with legos and said, "Look! I made a 4." Then he told me it was my birthday, which actually is correct. My birthday is November 4th. He started singing "Happy Birthday" to me. Then he dropped the 4 and it broke apart. He said, "I can fix anything for you," and put it back together. Then he walked around the house acting like he was straight out of Sesame Street. It was pretty cute.

Spence says, "I may not have made that cool 4 for you, but take my picture too!"

And he continued to try and impress. It worked!

No Thunder Means...

Coleman had swim lessons today! He loved it. Parents have to stay back behind a certain line so we don't interfere with the lessons, so I didn't get great pictures today, but I got a few worth sharing. Coleman is the youngest one in his class. From what I could hear, they had to tell him to stay in the pool and stop jumping in! His class stayed in the 3 foot water for most of the time, so he was able to touch. He would jump up and down and bob around while he was waiting on his turn with the instructor. Then at the end of the lesson, they went to the deep end and jumped off the diving board. He couldn't wait for his turn. I think he cut in line in front of a kid in his class, who looks like he's about 7 years old by the way, and the boy pushed him. He fell off the bottom step of the diving board onto the concrete, but he just got back up and was fine. Later we put a bandaid on his arm. I was pretty far away, so click each picture to get a better view.

Coleman with his class

Walking around the pool listening to instructions

Holding on to the edge

Days of Thunder

When I don't post for a few days, it either means so much has been going on that I've been too busy, nothing has been going on so I've had nothing to blog about, or I've just been lazy. That last one is rarely the case. I better be truthful or I might get struck by lightning! We've had enough of it around here. In the last week we've been kicked out of the pool three times due to inclement weather. The thunder had no mercy on us today, even though it was Coleman's first day of swim lessons. What a bummer! Hopefully tomorrow it can hold off until the afternoon so he can start learning to swim! I've been trying to hype this up for some time now. He usually says, "I don't want to go to swim lessons because I don't know how to swim!" I've tried to explain that that's the point. I think the concept might be lost on him. In regards to all the thunderstorms, I have to say we're very grateful for the rain, and if getting booted from the pool is the worst of it, we're quite blessed. I know parts of the country are dealing with major storms and my prayers go out to them.

Little did he know, his trunks wouldn't even get wet today.

Remember, it's a swim lesson towel, not a beach towel.

Spence and his kiddie cone at McDonald's

Unfortunately, Coleman's friend Keller and his family did not get to come this past weekend. He woke up with an ear infection Saturday morning. Feel better Keller! We did, however, get to celebrate a week's worth of successful pottying by going to Incredible Pizza Company. Coleman really wanted to go here because they have go karts. He and Daddy won the race, but the pictures didn't turn out very well. Here are a few pictures that did capture the fun.

Cheering on Daddy as he shoots baskets!

Yeehaw!

Conductor Coleman

Oh, another exciting thing happened this weekend. Our neighbor across the street was elected Mayor of Sugar Land! For some reason I feel a little more powerful than I did last week. I'm sure he's dying to hear all my ideas.

And congrats go out to Brian! Sunday night our church had Bunco and Banana Splits. If you don't know, Bunco is a dice game. I overheard one of the older ladies say, "I can't believe this is a Baptist church." Ha! I think towards the end of the night she caught on and might have even enjoyed herself. Back to Brian though, out of about 70 people there, he won a prize for the male with the least amount of wins! Love ya Brian! Ask him about his sweet potato gun some time.

Coleman's Funny Sayings

The other night we got some rain. Brian told Coleman, "Let's thank God for the rain." Coleman said, "Thank you God for the rain!" Then he waited a moment and said, "He didn't say 'You're welcome.' "

Some friends are coming to visit this weekend! Thursday I told Coleman, "Keller is coming to see us on Saturday!" Wanting Keller to come as soon as possible, Coleman replied, "How do you get to Saturday?"

This morning Coleman informed me that there was no Katie in his Bible school class. I said, "Does every class have to have a Katie?" He said, "Every class needs a Katie."

Coleman has been doing GREAT with going potty. He hasn't had an accident since last weekend! Today he was going pee pee and looked down and pushed his belly button. He said, "I push this button and it makes my potty come out."

Since We Last Spoke...

... We've been busy with VBS! Let me think what's been happening. I took a few pictures of Brian and the boys on Father's Day. Of course we did not take them when everyone was dressed nice and clean before church. I remembered it about 7:00 that night. By that time Spence was down to a diaper.

Daddy and his boys on Father's Day

I forgot about the little storm that came through last week and blew one of our trees down. Actually, the storm wasn't that bad, the tree had rotted roots. I still can't get used to it being gone. It provided quite a bit of shade.

The tree that is no more

And this picture is for Jeani. Thank you for sending Coleman this Spider Man costume at Christmas. He likes to wear it around the house, and has even asked to wear it to church. Maybe when it gets cooler. We'll see.

Spider Man doing the, um, zombie walk?

And finally, some news about VBS. I'm teaching 2nd grade and am having a good time. It's just exhausting. Coleman has been having a blast! The first morning he was up in my room with me while I was getting last minute things ready. All of a sudden he says, "I've got to go poop!" We hurried to the bathroom and he went. He pooped again the next morning and earned his reward: Buzz Lightyear!

Posing with Buzz before going to VBS

Hello from Outrigger Island!

This afternoon we left Spence at school and Coleman and I went to lunch and a few stores. I told Coleman I'd let him pick out a beach towel to take to swim lessons next week. (I didn't want him to be the little boy with the pink Piglet towel.) When we got to the store, I said, "Let's go pick out a beach towel." He said, "I don't want a beach towel. I want a swim lesson towel." Gee kid, don't take things so literally. Ha! And in case you're wondering, he chose the Nemo towel over the Spider Man and Lightning McQueen towels. I was shocked! He did, however, just watch Finding Nemo last week. We joined NetFlix. We're in the middle of Bee Movie right now. It's great!

A visit from the cow at Chic-Fil-A today