Happy Birthday Nana!!

Today is birthday of the best mother-in-law/nana ever!!! Happy birthday from all of us!

Last night we were blessed to have dinner for the September birthdays on the Tilt side of the family. We all went to Chris and Tim's house for a wonderful dinner and dessert. We enjoyed visiting and of course presents! Aaron made a new friend out of Justin. Not only is he a great talker but has a really funny sense of humor for his age! Mikey got toys, a shirt, and books. He was excited about his new alarm clock. Good thinking, Nana! Derek got an alarm clock as well. The cool feature on that one is he can hook it up to his Ipod! I got a scrapbooking kit- there were some AWESOME treasures in there! I also recieved a camping kettle and outside lights! Thank you! Nana got some new kitchen toys to go in her newly updated kitchen.

We closed the night by finally loading up the hutch Aaron and the kids gave me for my birthday. (Tim did a beautiful job making it!) With lots of hugs and kisses we said good-nite. Love you guys!!

I'm finally able to sit with a clear mind as I write today. My mind as been completely been taken over by every aspect of our daily life. Because of this I have felt overloaded yet, life goes on. So much that each day before dinner time I have just had to take a small nap. My poor body just can't do it all sometimes. Today I finally feel refreshed. Not really sure why except we all need time to get caught up.

I started today differently. I made cinnamon rolls and we had breakfast out on the porch. It felt wonderful. We went to the grocery store and got a couple nuts and bolts that hold our meals together. Then around 9:00 we started our school day. Usually we start with Bible and move onto Math. Today we started with Science and Bible together. They are using their lapbooks. Lapbooks are an interactive way to answer review questions as I read the chapter to them. We are studying the planets and more specifically today, the sun.

After Science the kids did Spelling and then we moved on to Language/English. Math was next. JD is converting fractions and Georgia has just begun the basics of long division. It went really smoothly and I was thankful that the kids got along today.

I was able to get a lot done today after school. I graded papers, caught up on laundry, cleaned my bathroom and dresser, got ready for a meeting at church tonight and so on.

I am thankful that I was able to take advantage of a good productive day. I try really hard to take advantage of them because sometimes we have bad days. It does me no good to wallow about how far behind I am.

This last week went by with in a blurr. Wednesday was exciting due to Derek's permit and we also have an estimated date to get the braces off!! Hooray!! Dr. says they should be off before the holidays. What a great gift!

Thursday was a marked day of school. I don't usually tell the kids about field trips until the week of the trip. This prevents the constent questions and also prevents major upsets when a field trip doesn't work out. We reserved that day for the Homeschool Day at Sea World! The kids were looking forward to it all week. We read all about the whales and dolphins and all kinds of other sea animals. So that day was all about seeing it in person! I was so excited and quite proud of myself. I was super prepared. I printed out all the confirmation email forms and activities, packed our lunches and snacks, packed umbrellas because it was supposed to rain, packed the camera AND extra batteries to be really prepared. With everyone properly dressed for the occasion and good breakfast what could go wrong?! Well......The first animals we set out to see were the dolphins. The kids could purchase fish to feed them and pet them-I remembered cash for that:)!- so, as Georgia is leaning in to feed them, a beautiful dolphin came right up to her. I aimed perfectly to take the picture and click. My camera gave me very bad news...no memory card. I left it in the computer after putting Derek's permit picture in it. Major Boo! JD and Georgia were completely occupied by those cute creatures. They didn't see the slight panic attack I was having as I texted Aaron. He encouraged me to calm down and take the pictures with my blackberry and he would help me get them on the computer. So, I took pictures that day with my phone. They are not the same but it wasn't the end of the world. Sea World was amazing and I felt so blessed to enjoy it with them.

BUT my day was not over. I had a much needed meeting at church at 3:30, then Derek's game at 5:00, then bell choir at 6:00, 7:00 I picked Derek up and dropped him off at his bible study.- His youth leader was wonderful to bring him home so I could be sure JD and Georgia got to bed on time.

Saturday we all went with the youth and volunteered at the San Antonio Food Bank. We helped pack up 1,000 lbs. of food. That was from 8-1, I got about an hour nap, and then did parking lot driving lessons with Derek for an hour and a half, and then did concessions at a varsity game from 6-I came home at 11ish.

WHEW!!!!!

I relied on the Lord for strength and energy, and good timing to get it all done. I fell in Aaron's arms for comfort for my heart and my feet( I got a wonderful foot rub). And I still feel blessed to be a part of all of this for my kids, my husband and most of all, my Lord.

Smiling in the DPS office:)

Last night I made the last double check of all the bazillion forms the state requires for a learner's permit. This morning was nice and pleasant. This was definitely a morning that Derek was sweet as pie! Today was the BIG day!!!

Going to the DPS office is something I dread. It drives me crazy! I was excited but wanted to be as prepared as possible. I packed up plenty of school work for JD and Georgia to stay busy. The office is always so busy and crowded. Long lines and very interesting people, and germs are the first thing to greet you. Thankfully we got there just as they opened. We were number 45. I prayed that God would allow things to go very smoothly and we wouldn't have any problems with paperwork AND that he would do well on the test. He had lots of reports that the test was easy and he did practice however, he also had a couple of kids tell him what they failed on too. In the end, after much worrying on my part, he did great! He passed the test missing 4 out of 30. After he completed the test he had to get back in line to complete the whole thing. You should have seen him trying to hid how good he felt. HELLO! He still had to look cool. So with a muffled smile, he strutted out of the office after his first personal experience with the DPS!

Of course when we walked out he looked at me and asked if he could drive. I said, "No way!". Lessons start in the parking lot! One thing at a time Buddy! I love this part of being a parent. I get to watch him grow and learn right in front of my very eyes! This was a happy day indeed!

Happy Birthday to Derek!

My oldest son turned 15 yesterday! Crazy! It feels older than last year- yes I know that is because he is older..ha. But, really I feel like it is a jump up. He started his weekend at a friend's house on Friday night and had a great time! Sunday we went to church as usual. That is the best day for your birthday to fall on. To begin the day praising the Father who made you, who knew you before you were born. Perfect.

Then we went to lunch at a restraunt of Derek's choice. Sam's Burger Joint has amazing burgers! We filled our tummies and watched the first half of the Cowboys game- which they later lost. Then we went home.

When the Cowboys game was over Aaron and I left to buy Derek's gift. If you read my earlier blogs or saw my facebook you would see we had NO time to get it sooner. Aaron and Derek had gone looking for guitars a few weeks ago and they had one picked out. It was just a matter of going and getting it. When we got home with it Derek was super excited!!

BUT, no time to hang around with it. Youth group/ CLASH was starting set up at 4:30. I don't exactly remember what CLASH stands for but it is a youth event once a month. It is brand new and that was the kick off night. The new praise band was to play. Derek played the drums. It was fun and instead of having a huge party at our house we compromised and I brought pizza to share at CLASH. It was alot of fun!

Soon he will have his permit and next year it will be his license. Only 3 years till he his 18 and gone for college. :( i'm already sad....everyone knows I don't have time to be sad. I need to pull myself together! HeeHee. I'm very proud of the son God has given me and I am continually blessed by him all the time.

Happy Birthday Derek!

Happy 80th Birthday, Grandma!

Last Wednesday was my grandma's 80th birthday! She had no idea at that time what was planned for the weekend! Secretly for months her children have been planning a great surprise. They arranged for some relatives to come in for the occasion. The first surprise was a visit from my aunt Elaine. She flew in from Indiana and just showed up on Grandma's porch. Grandma had no idea she was coming! The next surprise came from her niece Karen and her nephew and his wife Bill and Yolanda who came in town. They were revealed at a special dinner held at my aunt Cathy's house. Saturday was full of visiting with family. Tons of fun. We went to dinner at Salsalito's. That was alot of fun. To just hang out and be goofy with family is the best! The final surprise was actually a friendly joke. She has mentioned before that she doesn't not enjoy bagpipes. Of course, that was an invitation for Aaron. So when we all got back to the house after supper, he got out the pipes and surprised her on the front porch! She was shocked! BUT, she took the joke well and laughed. She did however, wonder why he didn't wear his kilt. We told her he would when she turned 90...lol.
We all ended the evening with cake and ice cream. Happy Birthday Grandma!!!

More Poteet Fun!

We went to Poteet this weekend to celebrate Daniel's 30th birthday. Jenna organized a wonderful surprise party! Good food and Daniel got some funny presents. It's hard to believe we are all growing up. It was great to hear stories.

It was opening day for dove season. With our bags packed, we headed out. It poured rain on the way out there and was still raining when we arrived. The party was fun and the kids had a blast! All the kids really have a good time when we are all together. They have all known each other since they were in diapers. Now they play in the hay, run around, pretend to be bird dogs, ride on the 4 wheeler, and play video games. The bonus this time was that Jenna and Cliff had a go cart! Staying the night is an extra treat. So a kid sleepover was definitely in order.

Jenna is the cake expert. She made Daniel's birthday cake. It was camo and had little hunters on it. She even made tiny little birds in the grass next to the hunters feet. The part of the cake that blew everyone away was the hunting belt. It was made completely out of fondant icing. It looked like a leather belt loaded with shotgun shells. That is just one of the amazing cakes that she has done. I really think she needs to run a cake business.

We stayed the night. The guys got up nice and early to hunt. I woke up to hear shots fired outside. They were a safe distance from the house but it is still loud and clear. At least I knew they were nearby! Once everyone was awake Daniel made his homemade pancakes for everyone. They are pretty yummy!

We always have a great time when we go out to Poteet! Great friends! Great fun! Great memories!