December 30, 2016

Things have been up and down these past two weeks. There were amazing moments, and some that have been down right rough.

I did go to Disney with my mother and sisters the weekend before Christmas. It was a very fun trip. My mom had to be gone for the middle two days to be in the electoral college in Austin, but was with us Saturday and Tuesday. My sisters and I watched her be elected chair (read President) of the Electoral College in Texas while in line for the Peter Pan ride. I was able to find the college live streaming. We were so excited that we told the people in front of us, but they didn't speak English. Mom got to announce to the world, that Texas put Trump over the top with electoral votes and that he would indeed be the next president of the United States. That made her top news story on every network and Good Morning America. No matter what your political views may be, you have to admit, that's a pretty cool experience. Danielle, Christian and I ate amazing food at the drive in diner, Be our Guest and the restaurant in Norway that I can't pronounce. We had pictures with a bunch of Princesses and Characters. We rode all the rides we wanted thanks in large part to Danielle's amazing fast Pass skills. We even rode the new Frozen ride (twice) and enjoyed it immensely.

Back in Plano, Francis, his mom and the kids went to church (where William was a shepherd in the Sunday morning Nativity), visited ICE, went to the Dallas Aquarium, Chuck E Cheese and a number of other places. It's safe to say they didn't miss me much, especially because we were able to Skype and see each other anytime.

The morning after we got home, my mom called and said that Pop (my dad's dad) had had a stroke and was not doing well. Mom Noble and Pop would not be at Christmas for the first time ever.  On top of that my mom ended up coming down with the Flu. After spending another couple days with my in-laws (including another trip to Chuck E Cheese), we went to my parents house. My mom stayed secluded, and other than William having an allergic reaction to something and throwing up, everyone was healthy. It was a quiet and enjoyable couple of days, but the absence of family members was keenly felt. Since mom was sick, my sisters and I made lunch Christmas eve and did a decent job. It's hard to full Mom and Mom Noble's shoes. Then we Skyped Mom Noble and Aunt Camille on Christmas Eve and that helped a little with missing them. We had a quiet service at the house and opened presents. The kids loved all they got (as did I) and the present I got Francis was s hit. It was an amazing sound bar to go under the TV. He is thrilled and will be mounting it and the TV to the wall tomorrow. It was fun to see all the cousins together too. William and Robert drove around the twins and Hannah in the gator and truck. Laughing was heard through out the yard and house. I'm so thankful for that laughter.

Christmas day I rode with the kids and my in-laws to Cyndy's house while Francis dropped off our stuff and the dogs in College station before meeting us there. We opened gifts that afternoon and had a delicious dinner that evening. More cousin time (this time with Abby) was what the doctor ordered. The only dark spot there was the concussion I gave myself when we arrived. I was carrying Hannah and plopped down on their couch, but caught my head on the overhanging counter of the kitchen. I nearly blacked out when it happened and spent the rest of the day/evening holding back tears. It is still a little sore but doing much better. I'm just glad it was me and not Hannah!

This week we have been home putting the house back together and playing with Francis who is home his week. We've been to a movie, been clearance Christmas shopping (we found the Santa projector William has been wanting on sale for $30!), to Bahama Bucks for Shaved Ice (it's been very warm), and running errands. We've been trying to soak in all the family time. I had to say goodbye to Pop over the phone on Tuesday. He's not doing well. He's been unconscious and not eating or drinking for days now. If you could keep us and him in your prayers as he goes to meet Jesus, I would appreciate it. I oscillate between being so thankful for him and where he's going to being so sad he's leaving. I love him very much and I know he loves me. He also loves Jesus so I know I'll see him again. that makes it easier.

I want to end on a happier note, so I would like to say Hannah is doing great with potty training. She's only doing one accident a day at most and it's usually #2. William and Robert and doing great also. I couldn't ask for better, more compassionate kiddos. They've been hugging and loving on me even more than usual. Thank you God for sweet kids, husbands and family.

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

December 15, 2016

Last weekend all 5 of us traveled up to Dallas for a wonderful weekend. After celebrating my Dad's birthday Friday night with the whole family (including my Aunt Camille) at Uncle Julio's, we headed back to my parents' house and opened presents and had cake. Saturday we all (the 5 of us, my parents, Christian and her family, Danielle, Kevin, Aunt Camille, and Francis's parents) all went to see Gift of Christmas at Prestonwood. I have always been in the show, so seeing it from front of house was exciting. Hannah was able to go to the nursery, but the boys watched in wonder as the amazing sounds and sight of Christmas came to life on stage. Their was santa flying in his sleigh, all manner of dancing and singing toys, a winter wonderland, black light displays, cool special effects, and of course, the Christmas story. The last was my favorite. They had flying angels, wise men with their entourage of people and animals, and a cast of so many carrying candles into the auditorium. All of this for one purpose, to see the newborn king. It was powerful. Thank you Lord for sending salvation. thank you for loving us.

Sunday was a long day as we left after church and yet still had to get back for AWANAS. I think it was worth it though. We've been trying to keep it low key this week since the next 10 days starting tomorrow will be nuts. Tuesday we stayed home until the afternoon and then went to the Library. Laura met us there and helped the boys make gifts for me (they were having a craft/gift making event) while I helped Hannah make a couple of things. the sweet boys have been begging to get me something for Christmas without me seeing it. They are super excited to have stuff under the tree from them to me that's a surprise (I help them with making their other gifts). Thanks Laura for giving them that opportunity! The kids and I met up with Francis and our small group at Rudy's for dinner and then toured the lights at Central Park as a group. It was so fun and I'm so glad we were able to do it.

Yesterday I awoke with a terrible headache. The kids and I managed to stay in our pajamas all day. By the evening I was feeling somewhat better, so Francis took us out to look at Christmas lights. I told the kids to go get ready and they all returned in full costume (Pikachu, Transformer, and Elsa respectively). It was kind of adorable and we weren't getting out of the car, so we loaded in the car and went out. That's what I call making memories.

Today we have been preparing to head out for Christmas. I got the car washed/waxed/vacuumed and we are mostly packed. I am also attempting to get the house in a state where I won't curse myself when I get back. So far, so good. You like;y won't hear from me until after Christmas. My mother, sisters and I are taking a long weekend trip to Disney World and then Christmas will be nearly upon us.

So, Merry Christmas! May his joy fill your spirit with gladness. If you don't know Jesus and want to know why I call him my Savior, I would love to talk to you. Just let me know.

Till next time!

December 8, 2016

It's been a busy week. This past weekend m-laws came here, despite the nasty weather and took the kids' little F150 truck to my parents house so the kids can use it when we are in Dallas. It wasn't getting much use here, and they love driving around on Papa's land. I'm thankful Francis's parents made the drive. we were having a hard time finding a way to transport it.

Tuesday was our last Classical Conversations class of 2016. The moms brought treats for the kids to enjoy after lunch and a special table was set up where the kids could eat. William's tutor (teacher) gave him a bag of goodies for Christmas and he got her a gift in return. It had been a good semester. I am excited when we start back up in January!

I've been wrapping presents, shopping, mailing Christmas cards, and basically trying to wrap up all the "housecleaning" type things associated with Christmas. Although these things are good, I much more enjoy the time with family, laughing around the Christmas tree, the food, and the actual giving and receiving of gifts. Nowadays I find I most like the reading of the Christmas story and worship time Christmas Eve. I tear up even thinking about it. This is a season of Joy. May we spread His joy throughout this season and all year long.

Hannah decided Sunday that she is going to start potty training. Sunday morning she grabbed the potty seat, climbed on and peed on the potty. That afternoon she did the same only pooped. I can take a hint. She's had one accident per day since we started training Sunday, and it's usually when I forget or am unable to take her. I just hope all the travelling in the coming weeks doesn't undo all her hard work! Her hair is getting longer. I can now put it up into mini pony or pig tails. It is super adorable. Hannah is also talking so much more! She parrots words back at me all the time and uses words appropriately that I didn't know she knew. She is following simple directions, sharing (most of the time), and playing nicely (also most of the time). Her two new favorite things to do are sit at the table and eat from a toddler plate (not the high chair tray in the highchair), and dance when music is playing. While I do wish she were still eating in her high chair with a tray, the latter it adorable. Since Robert loves to dance continuously also, they are making quite the dynamic duo. I'll have to get  a video next time.

Robert has been growing again. He is fully in 3T pants with only a couple being too long/wide for him. He is getting even better at his joke telling and comedic timing. He gets sweeter everyday. He is forming his own opinion about things much to William's chagrin. Sometimes he now tells William "no". It's nuts. He is getting much better at discerning truth from fiction and is striving to be honest as much as he can. This is music to my ears. Robert is also so smart. He knows all the history sentences, Latin, and English even though he wasn't in class with William this semester. He picked up solely from the CD and hearing us talk. I'm so impressed by his memory. He's already learned so much!

William has been diligent with his school work and we are still on track to finish in April. He asks tough questions, connects ideas like you wouldn't believe and always wants to know more. He is also a master of all his memory work from this semester. When he hears something, like someone mention Russia, he immediately says, "I know Russia, it has Moscow! I also know a sentence about the history of Russia..." and then he recites it. I like to see him learning, but on occasion I have to make him wait so whatever is going on can finish. He's learning to wait, yet another life skill.

Well, rest time has prematurely come to an end. Till next time!

December 2, 2016

Been 2+ weeks since I was last able to post. A lot has happened. We dealt with the flooding issue in our house. It was the shower drain seal. We have yet to replace the floor padding, but at least we are dry.

We had my niece and nephew's 1st birthday party two weeks ago today. It was fun to play with them and spend time with the whole family including Japapa. We spent most of the week in Dallas. I attended a wedding shower for a childhood friend of mine: Jordan Schultz. My birthday was the Tuesday. After visiting many malls that week ( including one to get my birthday present which was a new iPhone 7, woo hoo!), we went to yet another mall to get a small crack fixed on my phone face. We had pizza that night at the house and an amazing red velvet bundt cake at my parents' house. Ashley even came over! We then played games and talked. It was a good time.

Thanksgiving was good. Francis, the kids and I drove up to Aunt Bup's house. My parents, Aunt Bup, Uncle Don, my cousin Linsey and her family, and Tom's mother were the sum total of our Thanksgiving this year. It was a cozy gathering and I won't complain about that. We were able to watch the cowboys win before Francis, the kids and I packed up and drove straight to San Antonio. It was a long drive and we got in just before midnight. The next morning we walked along the river walk and had lunch before my in-laws, and Cyndy, Chris and Abby arrived. We had an exciting time watching the Riverwalk parade. The following morning we took family pictures and went to Sea World. We enjoyed Christmas lights, shows and dinner with Santa. The kids know Santa isn't real, but they enjoyed the food and story time.

Once we got home on Sunday, we put up all the Christmas decorations and re-discovered all we bought on clearance last year. We got some neat stuff and the house looks festive. I love celebrating the coming of Jesus!

This week we have started to wrap up our fall activities. We have one more Tuesday of  CC school, but we've already had our last MOMs yesterday. It all went so fast! I've been wrapping presents and getting gifts. I am almost done with both and look forward to relaxing and soaking in the true meaning of Christmas so that I may share the love of Christ with the world.

Thursday evening we had Night in Bethlehem at Church. The kids enjoyed talking to Mary and Joseph, petting animals, decorating cookies, wrapping flowers, making ornaments, shopping at the market and reading the book they got about Jesus when we got home. I was especially amazed at how fully Hannah was able to participate in everything. She knew what was going on, followed directions and complete the tasks. She's growing up so much!

Well, Hannah is up from her (short) nap, so I guess that's it for now. The kids are doing great. They are learning like crazy and make me smile with how kind they are to one another.

November 17, 2016

This week has been a whirlwind. I'll be brief.

We have had a plumbing issue this week. I found water in our house and with a number of people in and out of here (including one scam artist that God thankfully allowed us to stop before he ripped into our walls...), we have yet to find the problem. The leak detection unit comes out tomorrow. Whatever they find I pray it is easily fixable. So far the damage was not as extensive as it could have been and we are not out too much money. We will see after tomorrow if that still holds true.

The kids have been great through all of this. Everything is off (our schedule, our water, where we have been sleeping), but they have been troopers. I thank God for them. I am exhausted, but I can see His hand in this and I will continue to try to look up and see Him when my heart sinks. Some positive things that have come from this: 1. I am being forced not to sweat the small stuff as we being this holiday season. 2. Francis will never doubt my sense of smell again (it's super sensitive and I could smell the water before we found it) 3. I have an ever growing respect for those without running water. You are seriously amazing. I have been filling up pitchers each morning as we turn on water for showers and then turning it off for the day. That's challenging enough. 4. I am getting the opportunity to show my children grace under trials. I haven't been doing the best job all of the time, but with His help, I am able to come back from the edge of my sanity and show love. 5. I am seeing God's hand in a way I would not have otherwise.

That's all for now. This mess has seriously consumed the week and I have so much to catch up on!

November 10, 2016

It's been busy around here.
Friday was the last Junction (Parent's night out) of 2016. Francis and I miraculously made it to Dinner at Red Lobster and to see Dr. Strange in Theaters (even after the first place we went was sold out!) Were it not for the previews and us leaving without seeing the extra scenes, we would have missed the beginning of the movie and picked up our kids late. We literally had 2 minutes to spare for each. Good times. It was a blast though, and I enjoy adventures with Francis.

This weekend we attended a party for two of the kids' friends. It was carnival themed and oh so cute! Sunday we got back into our Church/short break/AWANAs routine. Time change seemed to have no effect in our house because the kids were up so late Friday that we just let them stay off. Usually it's the end of the world. It's the small things that make the most difference!

Monday we did the grocery store, Tuesday was CC. It has finally gotten cooler but the temperature drop has brought with it the rain. For the most part the rain hasn't messed up our schedule too much, but thankfully it seems to have let up today in favor of sunshine. Wednesday I told the boys the elections results as we had been talking about the election the night before, and William wanted to know who to add to his Presidents Song (he has the presidents memorized in order). William was happy that all the maps were so red (his favorite color). I gave him a lesson on the branches of government and what would happen in January. He was very interested. Also Wednesday the boys got haircuts and then we went to story time at the library. The Brazos Valley Bombers were there with their mascot Kaboom (a baseball). The kids had fun hugging and high fiving him after hearing some books. Today we went to Hobby Lobby, Toys R Us and our friend Jude's 3rd Birthday party. It was lunch at a local Mexican food restaurant, and the kids had fun on the playground both before and after food.

I've been trying to get as much stuff done as possible for Christmas before I leave for Thanksgiving week. Why? It makes me enjoy December instead of stressing. I say every year that gift giving is not my love language, but I do my best to make sure my love is shown through what I give. I'm hoping to be mostly done with gifts by December 1st so I can soak in this time of year and so my kids and I can spend time loving each other, learning about the true meaning of Christmas and serving our community. Hopefully. I'll let you know how well that goes.

Hannah had her 15 month check-up last Friday. She is still tall, lean and growing perfectly. She is talking more all the time and comes up with new words or phrases at least every couple of days. She asked, "Dada? Wha (where) dada?" on the way back to the house just now. I told her he was at work but would be home later. I think she understood, and it was super cute!

Robert  and William are also well. Robert is doing better about lying (as far as I know). He still will tell me something that isn't true, but he will correct himself before I get onto him. Our fruit of the spirit this week is Patience. William is very good at reminding his siblings of this fact, but not as eager when it applies to him. Can't say I blame him.

I love these kids. They are not perfect (neither am I), but they are each a delight to my heart.

November 3, 2016

November is my birthday month, and this month is shaping up to be a busy one! We didn't even do everything I had planned, and it was still pretty full.

Last Friday we went to the community trunk or treat in Wolf Pen Creek. The kids got candy from local businesses, did bounce houses and the petting zoo and rode a barrel train. It was fun but overwhelming as there were so many people! Hannah was Belle, William was "William the conqueror" and Robert was Batman. All were adorable!

Saturday Francis was able to enjoy his birthday present with his dad, Gershom and Dave: going to the A&M football game. My in-laws came in early and we had lunch with them and played with them in the afternoon. My mother-in-law and I made a trip to Toy R Us and managed to get some costumes on clearance. William was particularly excited about the Pikachu costume we found for him. It was missing the hat so we made one and he is getting a new hat in the mail. Robert got a transformer costume and Hannah got both Minnie mouse and Elsa costumes. Everyone was overjoyed and insisted on wearing their costumes that evening. when the men left for the game around 5, My mother-in-law and I took the kids to Chuck E Cheese (in costume) where we met up with Audrey (who is amazing and helped it be man to man coverage!). Turns out Chuck E cheese was giving away free tickets to kids in costume, which was an added bonus. Woot! We had pizza and played games until we were tired and all headed back to the house. After putting the kids to bed, the three of us ladies watched A Royal Night Out on Netflix. Super cute movie! And a great night!

Sunday we went to church, had a brief break and then headed back to church in costume (as pikachu, Optimus Prime and Belle) for Fall Fest. More bounce houses, games, candy, food and snow cones filled our night and fun was had by all. Francis and I had to split up and take turns with Hannah because she knew what she wanted to do (play games and eat candy) and the boys just want to do things like ride the mechanical bull. All in a great night!

Monday was Halloween/ Reformation day. We have recently studied the reformation in CC and were able to watch a cartoon about Martin Luther on Amazon Prime (called Torchlighter's Heroes of the Faith). It was informative and interesting, and possibly a little over the kids' heads. But they liked it and seemed to understand at least some of it. I learned a lot too! One of our neighbors rented a bounce house and had hot dogs for whoever wanted them, so we walked that evening (Pikachu, optimus prime and Minnie Mouse) to their house and bounced and played games in their front yard. We hadn't met them before, but it was fun to meet many of our neighbors! On our way back, our kids got candy from anyone sitting out in front of their house. Even with just those few houses, their buckets were full! And so many families were out. It was fun to greet and laugh with those around us. We got back to the house early enough I even passed out some candy too.

Tuesday was CC field trip day. We made the hour drive to Dewberry Farms. Almost all of William's class was there and many kids from the other classes both from our campus and the other 2 campuses in Bryan/ College Station. We rode the hay ride, did zip lines, rode race cars, played in the hay and playground, picked out pumpkins, and did so much more! It started to rain around lunch, so after eating in the covered pavillion we headed home. All three kids fell asleep on the way back. It was a CC miracle!

Yesterday we were going to go to the Renaissance Festival for their special school days, but plans fell through. We ended up going to Walmart and Story time at the Library which more than filled our morning. On the way home every car in front of me was turning into vote. I was so glad I already had last week! Today was MOMs day. We had a speaker on Random Acts of Kindness. Very inspiring.

School is still going well. William is reading at least one book at bedtime each night. We've been checking out the early readers from the library and he is only needing a little help here and there with them. Robert has just as much of a thirst for knowledge as William and will not let me skip his "school work". A more dedicated 3-year-old you are not likely to meet.  His vocabulary is more expansive than many kids his age. Sometimes it takes me three or more tries to figure out what he's saying because he picks words that I didn't even know he knew. Hannah's personality comes out a little more every day. She got her first little pony tail this morning thanks to her teachers and she was strutting her stuff when I picked her up. She says "yeah" or "no" when you ask her is she wants something and yells "more more" from the back seat if she runs out of snack while I'm driving. I love her to pieces and it's fun to see her grow.

Aaand Hannah's up from nap. Until next time!