Just a little sidenote: these little boys are pretty wide and chunky looking, which does not look like Liam & Ian at all. lolThis one is a "Mom" one and it is really cute.
My bracelet is about halfway filled now and it's been about a year since they gave it to me so that's not too bad, I just can't wait to have it all filled up so I can enjoy it and not worry about which charm I want next. So we grilled steaks and enjoyed the day with Granny & Poppie which was really nice. The boys had fun and we just relaxed. Friday night we were busy and out at Pappadeaux's for Mark's surprise party which was really nice and enjoyable. Brent and I had so much fun because it's been a while since we went out by ourselves. We came home to an empty house and stayed up talking. I love when we get into those deep conversations and the next thing you know it's been like three hours. They are a part of our relationship and he makes me laugh so much then I cannot be serious which just makes me keep laughing. We went to the crawfish boil Saturday and Liam and his friend pigged out on the crawfish and when we got home a few hours later they were like "we're hungry." Ummm, didn't you already eat? So I threw some pizza rolls in the oven and his little friend said "I've never had pizza rolls out of the oven." Excuse me, how do you eat them? He said "We put 'em in the microwave." WTH? We just died laughing because I have never cooked them in the microwave. He said they are always soggy and gushy so he loved that mine were crunchy. He's too funny.
My friend sent me this text on Mother's Day and I hope you take it to heart like I did. She thought of this on her own and it really echoes my sentiments exactly:
To all mothers: Children are a reflection of our diligent work, the effort to teach them manners, respect & responsibility shows so never give in and always be patient.
Brent really made Mother's Day special and I just wanted to send a little prayer to him today because it's not just what he does for me on Mother's Day but the other 364 days a year that makes my heart go pitter-patter when he walks through the door. Lovin' him more each day of which on June 16th we will be celebrating 19 years of being married. I cannot believe how fast time flies. We are already talking about plans for our 20th anniversary next summer and hopefully it'll be everything we want and more. But I'll be telling everyone about that later.
Lord Jesus, grant that I and my spouse may have a true and understanding love for each other. Grant that we may both be filled with faith and trust. Give us the grace to live with each other in peace and harmony. May we always bear with one another's weaknesses and grow from each other's strengths. Help us to forgive one another's failings and grant us patience, kindness, cheerfulness and the spirit of placing the well-being of one another ahead of self. May the love that brought us together grow and mature with each passing year. Bring us both ever closer to You through our love for each other. Let our love grow to perfection. Amen.
We've been talking a lot lately and we really have some plans for the future that we are excited about and that we want to see come to fruition. It's not just about the materialistic things but the values we want for our family.
Super Duper News: (but of course my family already knows)
Liam is gong to be inducted into the National Honor Society tonight and we are just so proud of him. He kept his word that he'd keep up his grades this year if he got to play his computer games and that child has really been working hard on balancing school and his extracurricular activities and still being into his online gaming. You gotta give the boy his dues. He also received the BullPup Pride Pin which is a big deal at his school about showing character, values, leadership, and academic excellence. It really does show when you make the effort, then they too will make the effort. Hopefully I'll have pictures to post soon after all the award ceremonies for both of them toward the end of the year.
Guess I better run and do my errands before I have to pick up and deliver children all about town today. Excited for Liam's induction tonight and the field trip for Ian this week and spending Wednesday evening with Brent. Ian has two baseball games this week along with practice and batting cages and Liam has two soccer practices and a game on Saturday. Busy, yes!
I read a post today by Amy at The Finer Things In Life (I absolutely LOVE her site) and it really made me think about my absence. I love blogging. I love reading my favorite blogs. But I needed to take a breath and get back to my routine and getting the house in shape. You get on the blogs and think you are only on for about an hour and it's been two and when I only have a limited amount of time to get things done during the day, it was taking up a big chunk of it. I needed to figure out what I wanted my blog to be about ... and I want it to be about whatever I feel like at the moment. Funny family stuff, getting debt free (almost there), couponing, recipes, real mom daily stuff, friendships, family, beliefs and all the stuff my boys drag into my home, be it dead or alive -- like a slug, is what I want to talk about. I won't have the latest crafty ideas but I try to do one with the kids every now and then. Liam is pretty much over that but every now and then I can get him to participate when it doesn't seem quite so cheesy. So I have found a lot of blogs that I enjoy reading. These are smart, sassy women and moms just trying to help out other moms out there in bloggyland and they make me laugh and try and do better on a daily basis. I love being given the information of new ways to deal with new situations that arise in our daily life with the boys. On that note we have had a busy couple of months.
Getting ready for the end of the year school parties and planning our summer which this year, much to their dismay, will include Superkids at Lamar, St. Thomas Reading Academy, and camps for athletics and the Discovery Camp. Liam refuses which is fine but Ian is actually kind of excited.
I've been Facebooking a lot lately and I used to actually hate it, but now I love it. My friends are so funny and people are crazy talking to each other but it makes me laugh.
On a more serious note, I've been doing a prayer book every day and praying for my husband, children, family and my sanity. I know, it's kind of sad, but I need my sanity to be able to handle all the other things in my life. Ian made his First Communion almost two weeks ago and it was so special to us. Since he is our baby, I really tried to relish the moments and remember the details since I will probably never be doing it again. That is sad and it made me cry when he received the Sacrament. I really don't talk about religion with people I'm not close to, but those that know me really know that the Catholic upbringing we are giving to the boys is something that we believe in and try to instill in them on a daily basis. I don't always succeed, WE don't always succeed, but we try, every day. And I love the boys for trying. And I love Brent for that.
So we have a meeting at school the other day and we take over an hour to discuss what the end of the year t-shirts will look like and if the mom shirts are going to look the same or different. Ummm, is it me or does anybody else not care? I care... but to a point. If the children's bodies are covered and it looks halfway decent, are second-graders really going to care? I know all the moms are hard-working and want to plan the best party possible but sometimes it's ok to just let the kids be kids. We did that at Easter and they had a blast. Each child played this horseshoe game made out of carrots and little games like that, then we gave each child a dozen confetti eggs and they had so much fun. Of course, there were a few tears because somebody got some confetti in their hair and someone else's egg didn't break (? wth) but overall, Ian said it was the best time. So no matter how much we plan and plan, it will just take it's own course. That's all I am saying. It will play out on it's own. Of couse I am stoked because summer is almost here and we cannot wait for the freedom that comes along with it.
Let's see what else is new? The boys are doing great in school and Liam grades have been outstanding this year, considering this is the beginning of his 5 year plan and he is awesome in math and science so his teacher and counselor told us that he'll be guided in that direction for his classes and pre-college courses in high school. He could care less but at least he's keeping his grades up. He told me the other day a kid took a zero on a paper because he didn't "feel" like doing it so the teacher said "fine, it's a zero" and the boy said "I knew it would be." Liam was in shock. He was like "Mom, how can you just sit by and take a zero and not even care?" I was actually flabberghasted that he said that, considering he is so calm and laid back, like he doesn't have a care in the world. However, we were talking about it and there are two things he loves and cares about outside of us and it's his school and soccer. That kid is crazy for soccer. Ian, on the other hand, is crazy for baseball. He is actually pretty good. Well, I really dunno because I usually text or play on the internet unless he's batting, but that's what everybody else tells me. I've been TRYING to pay attention, but it's so hard. Just when I think I know the game or the rules, everyone is like no he has to be tagged or no, it doesn't count? Well, why the hell not? Little League rules are so confusing. Brent gets so nervous for him but he's been doing great. His coaches pump him up and he just grins from ear to ear. And soccer, well you can forget that. Liam's been playing for about 6 years and all I know is that when the little ball goes in the net, yeah! I have a lot of pics to download to share with family and friends who "used to" visit my blog, so maybe if I get those uploaded they'll come back! he he Well, hopefully I'll be back with some new and exciting stuff. I'll be back but it probably won't be too exciting. I have a lot of blogs that are really great to refer to for meal planning and keeping me pumped about paying off our house so we can build on our land. Keeping it real....
