Operation De-clutter and Christmas Clean Up

What better way to start out the new year than with a cleaned up home. I try to take the time during the summer and Christmas breaks to go through things. I usually start with the kids rooms and go from there. Sometimes I can have the kids with me but most of the time I sneak it in while they are gone. Fortunately for me, Georgia was super cooperative this time and we did it together on our girl day. JD just needed some help from a fairy while he was gone. I usually find all kinds of treasures! Trash, broken toys, unwanted toys, and such. Today, I found a tooth! Yikes, I guess I owe him some tooth fairy money. Mostly his room just needs some extra help organizing his legos. But, I must be careful not to interrupt any battle scenes. I usually find some sort of weird art made of silverware or shoes. I always find a science experiment in Georgia's room. It is neat to come across memories and that tends to slow me down. BUT, I must move on.

I accomplished quite a bit! 2 bedrooms, a closet that has been screaming for help for quite awhile, took down Christmas decorations, laundry, and the normal dishes then dinner and then dishes again. Whew! I am tired. I have one more day until 2012! I hope to have everything done and ready to go. What peace I look forward to January 1st!!

I can't wait see my dear friends in Poteet to ring in the New Year!! I hope you have a great New Years! - Don't forget your black-eyed peas!!!

Christmas 2011 Summary

Every year Christmas is a big deal. It has been since the birth of our dear Savior, Jesus Christ! Praise the Lord! We kicked off our Christmas celebrations by praising his name in music. JD, Georgia, and I all play the handbells in our church handbell choir. We begin practicing our pieces in September. This year both the adult and childrens' choir did a piece together. What a blessing to worship together!!

 

Christmas Eve was spent with Aaron's parents Tim and Chris. We all gathered at their house for a great turkey dinner and shared gifts with each other. Georgia was super excited about her new hair dryer and Bop It game. JD loved his new lego set. Derek was super excited about his new memory foam pillow. Aaron and I recieved some much needed kitchen items.  Aaron got a really cool irish t-shirt and I got a much needed laptop case! Tim got some travel accessories and a sweater vest (which I later found out was made in Peru!) Chris got jammies and a new yoga mat. We had a great time and are in enjoying our new gifts! Thank you!!
After a wonderful time, we headed out to our Christmas Eve Candlelight service. What a beautiful service it was!! Full of singing and a great sermon! The service ended with each person (710 people!) holding candles and singing traditional songs as a reflection of our dear Savior's birth.
 Christmas morning awoke with great suprises!! Both JD and Georgia recieved Ipod 4Gs and Derek recieved a netbook from Santa. Aaron and I finally took the plunge and got a new TV!  After our gift exchange we got ready for church. After all, it is Jesus's birthday!! Aaron preached a great sermon that morning!

We then went to my mom's house and exchanged gifts. Alyssa and Marley got their very first Build-a-Bears. We (except Aaron) got Fiesta Texas season passes!! Aaron got a much desired chronilogical bible. Melissa blessed me with a minstry wives devotional and other well recieved goodies! It was super exciting to spend time with everyone and enjoy Alyssa and Marley's first Christmas!

  

Rambo and Ram-z

Well, if you don't know those names it is because you have not had the pleasure of meeting them and/or seeing them in action. I am sooo proud of them. Derek is Rambo and Matt is Ram-z. They are the Marshall Rams!! Football season is here and so is all the excitement that comes along with it. Sitting in the bleachers you can hear the band play songs that just want to make you boogie! The dance team and pep squad put on a great show. And the cheerleaders lead us all in school spirit. Our football team seems to be fighting pretty hard however has yet to produce a win. I know they can do it.

So, I get asked (as well as Derek), how do they do that in the costume when it is sooooo stink'n hot?? Well, they don't stay in the suit for long. They take breaks. They also wear a water pack on their backs and wear ice packs as well. They stay really hydrated.

Last week, they were able to get in the stands and hug lots of children and jam out with the fans. Rambo got carried away and knocked over a trash can! Oh well. It was really cute to see the little kids just run up and give him so much love. It was also Alyssa's first football game. He stopped to take a quick picture.

I am so proud of him. This is not just putting on a costume and goofing around. These guys come up with new skits every week. New material, props, and new presentation. A lot of time and effort goes into this. I am really proud of them and how hard they work, together.

So, apparently I ate squirrel. As we were talking to some good friends of ours, Aaron casually mentions a time when he and some buddies of his tricked me and my girl friends into eating squirrel. Jenna and I went into town to do some shopping. He and the guys decided that since there weren't any dove flying to shoot, they would shoot some squirrels. Poor things... They cooked them and presented them as dove. We all ate them not knowing. Once we were done, he says they told us. I do NOT remember being told.

I had no idea!! Gross!!! I could go on and on about how grossed out I am. I have since learned that it is not uncommon. I poured out my woes to my grandpa. He assured me that I would be okay. He said, " Amy, it has been two years and you have not turned into a squirrel." Thanks gramps.

I will definitely be raising an eyebrow every time those boys cook up some meat to share. I will never look at a squirrel the same.... the shame...heehee.

Fresh Start

This week marked a new start for us as a family and individually. I started my new job as a childcare worker for our daycare. I help take care of the 18mos through 24 mos. They are truly adorable. I am blessed to only work 8 to noon. I get a few hours to myself before the kids get out of school.

The night before school was when the real excitement began. Showers done, uniforms layed out, and back packs ready. Georgia talked me into allowing her to paint her fingernails blue. She needed to put her fashion in there some how. They got to bed on time with out any objections. I was surprised that Georgia slept through the night. Thank goodness she got a good night's rest.

6:00 a.m. came bright and early. I admit to hitting the snooze button at least once. I got the kids up while Aaron began preparing a wonderful breakfast. Georgia needed me to straighten her hair for her first day. Once they were completely ready I was able to get myself ready. Aaron called us to the table for a feast of home made french toast, eggs, bacon, and orange juice. Boy, did we feel special!!

Off we went. The parking lot was packed. There were plenty of parents there to take pictures and see their kids off to their classes. Georgia was plenty nervous. She knew a few kids so she just followed their lead. JD (:/ Justin) jumped right into a game with the other boys and made new friends. They did great and were very excited to tell us all about it. Georgia even came home with a little homework:).

I was on pins and needles waiting to pick them up to hear about their day. Thankfully they were glad to share. This will be a great year.!!! God has really blessed them with a great school, excellent teachers, and new friends. Thank you God!!

Alyssa Marie

I finally have been able to sit down and blog a little about Alyssa. Of course she decided to arrive not only early but while I was at summer camp with Derek. Not just out of town but I couldn't even be contacted. I was able to message through Facebook a little in between hikes. While she was being born, I was repelling. Crazy!!!

As soon as I got back I raced up to the hospital to see the little angel. Melissa looked beautiful and tired all at the same time. Ian was in awe and taking as many pictures as he could. Alyssa is so small. I held her and I couldn't stop staring. Her little fingers wrapped around mine. I love watching baby expressions while they sleep. I always wonder what they see.

We love you Alyssa!!!

Melissa's Little Alyssa

This weekend Georgia and I had the pleasure of hosting a baby shower for Melissa and Alyssa! Baby showers are always so much fun. She was still officially 33 weeks-too soon for Alyssa to arrive. Even though Alyssa seems to be in a hurry to see us all, Melissa was able to hold it off a little longer. You see, Melissa was no longer with child at her last shower. Ian decided to be there with her.

The day before the shower Melissa came with me while I got the last minute items. We had a great time together. I did question her when I was completely at the other end of an isle and she hadn't quite caught up.She would still be huffing and puffing, who knows how long I was talking to myself...lol. Contractions! But not regular enough to be concerned yet. Whew! Good.

Saturday, Georgia was ready to jump into action. She decorated the cake and I decorated and prepared for the games. The games were fun and the kids enjoyed jumping in to play. Mom made a beautiful diaper cake! They were quite blessed with many things. All the basics were covered. Ian told me today he even received a few gifts. I said,"really?". Yes, he explained that all the kitchen items are his because he is responsible for cleaning the kitchen. Heehee, Melissa, he officially volunteered to clean bottles!!

Alyssa's name means, kind, noble, and cheerful. We can wait to meet you Alyssa!!!!!

Swimmers Take Your Mark!

As the whistle blew the excitement began. I love watching them dive into the water and swim as fast as they can. This year they really got the picture about being competitive and that there times count for more than there own ribbon. It can be complicated to figure out when the kids need to be they wrote on the kids arms so they could keep up with it too. We will find out tomorrow how well they did but we had many victories to be proud of. They each have their own talents and favorite strokes but did well in all of them.

Georgia placed 1st in every race she did. 5 Total.
JD placed 1st in 3 and 2nd in 2.
Ian placed 2nd in 2 and 1 in 1. - He did super well because was swimming with older kids. So he did great!!

Melissa and I were so proud of them!!!

Cheer Camp

Cheer kinda runs in our family now. I had fun with it when I was younger and now my kids are loving it! Georgia has had some experience with it here and there. Gymnastics was a big deal too for awhile.

I saw the cheer camp on the calendar that Derek brought home. The cheerleaders were leading a cheer camp for little girls. We asked if Georgia could come. I fully expected a registration of some sort. They got her in for free (special connections for Derek's sister;). Awesome!! She learned alot and even got to learn to stunt. She got to be the flyer in the stunts. She did so great!!

At the end of the camp they did a performance for all the parents and football players. They danced to a Justin Beiber song and did a couple of cheers. They looked sooo cute!! (she even got a free t-shirt out of it)

Thank you to the coach that allowed her to participate and thank you to the Marshall cheerleaders!!

Road Trip Through Past and Future

I finally got to get settled back home and reflect on my road trip to Tennessee. I was super blessed to travel with my mom. It was the first time we have traveled alone together in many years. We talked literally the whole way up to Tennessee and all the way back. It was very strange because we are typically quiet and shy people. (sike!)We had no shortage of topics. I was reminded that mom has heated discussions with other drivers on the road...lol. And, we had to make many many stops for me to use the bathroom. We got to know her GPS pretty well and she even told us several times to "stay on highlighted route!" We went off roading in a field and mom proved she can drive her little car like a truck...lol. Her car was very comfortable and as far as I know we decided we were good travel partners!!I had soo much fun!

Our first stop in the past was an old cemetery (I don't remember the town). Mom was able to confirm information in her genealogy research and discover a new family member that didn't even have a name. Must not have lived long. One of the tombstones was tipped and halfway buried. We were able to clear out enough dirt to get dates. We decided we should purchase garden gloves and a spade in case we needed it next time. ( I recommended digging them up for an interview but mom didn't really like that idea- Trish look).

We then continued our trip to give our blessings to the future. We joyfully celebrated the wedding of Madison and Jeremy! The rehearsal was really festive and interesting to see a Mexican party since we are from San Antonio. Felt like home:) The bride and groom proudly wore there sombreros. The whole family was staying in the same hotel. I had so much fun visiting with everyone and catching up. I truly wish we all lived closer. The wedding was beautiful. I especially loved the vows! Makes me tear up every time. Our best wishes Madison and Jeremy!!! After the wedding we traveled to Brad and Mindy's and loved the time we got to spend with them. Although it was short we were blessed!

We concluded our trip with a stop at another cemetery. This was a bigger cemetery and thankfully was well kept. We were looking for the Scrimshires. There was no directory so we split up and began looking one row at a time. Mom found some before me, finally I found them!! It was pretty neat. Mom was soo excited!! She discovered what she was looking for which made the trip a success!!

We quickly raced home to get me home to a life that just doesn't slow down. After a 9 hour trip I was off to a softball party. While Aaron had to get to the church for a meeting.

Thank you Mom for an awesome trip and a much needed break. I love you and I will cherish this trip forever!!!

Summer Time is Here!!!

Our summer officially started Saturday. The kids last day of school was on Friday. Boy were they ready to be done and so was I. Ian came and joined us which made it perfect. We absolutely had to be at the pool. This is our summer, the pool, Fiesta Texas, and we will be able to go to the beach this year. Here are some pictures of our fun in the water!!!