The Rowland Crew

Amazing Love

2012-01-22T18:49:00.000-08:00

I am not a very musical person. Songs do not usually impact me like I know they do some people. Being married to Randy does make me more aware of music though, and every once in a while it does touch me. This happened to me tonight at church. I want to remember these lyrics, so I thought I would write them down. I have heard this song numerous times before. Not sure why it was different tonight. Hmmm.....

Amazing Love by Chris Tomlin

I'm forgiven because You are forsaken,

I'm accepted, You were condemned.

I am alive and well, Your spirit is within me

Because You died and rose again.

Amazing love,

How can it be

That You, my King, should die for me?

Amazing love, I know it's true.

It's my joy to honor You,

In all I do, I honor You.

Of course the lyrics are so much better if you actually hear the song. If music keeps speaking to me, I might actually have to use my iPod at some point. Randy and the kids will be shocked.

Adventures with an exacto knife

2012-01-20T04:39:00.000-08:00

A week ago Tuesday Seth wanted to cut something out of foam board. Being the good mother that I am, I sent him out to the garage to do the cutting - wouldn't want him to accidentally cut into countertop or flooring inside the house, you know.

Instead he cut off the tip of his finger out in the garage.

Oh my goodness, can you feel my light headedness as I re-live it in my mind?

I was doing homework with Levi when he came in and said he had cut himself. He grabbed a napkin and put it over his finger, but I quickly realized just how badly it was bleeding. Then I took a look at it. And told him I thought we needed to go the emergency room.

Randy was in California, so fortunately a neighbor was able to keep Abigail and Levi. We headed off to First Choice Emergency Room. We have had great experiences there - they handled my appendicitis and Abigail's toe stitches really well. And they did a great job with Seth, too.

He cut off the top side of the finger tip, so instead of being rounded it is now sort of diagonal and missing some of the fingernail. They said it will grow back pretty well, but there may be nerve damage for quite some time. The biggest challenge was to stop the bleeding since there was nothing to stitch shut.

11 days later it is healing up very nicely. But the kids at school have requested he keep it covered still for a while. They don't like looking at it.

Here he is in his sling on day 2. He wore the sling for a while so he wouldn't bump it and so it would stay elevated (to help with throbbing). He only asked for pain meds twice, and once it was just advil. Tough kid. I am very proud of how he handled the whole thing.

She cracks me up

2012-01-19T04:22:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas I went to a party and we had a gift exchange. I went home with a bath set - robe, towel wrap, hair towel, body scrubber, and a cover for your eyes when you sleep.

Abigail asked me if she could have the scrubber and the eye cover, so I gave them to her. One night not long after that, I went up to check on the kids before I went to bed. This is what I found.

Sleeping beauty. She cracks me up.

I can always tell....

2012-01-18T12:26:00.001-08:00

I can always tell when Randy gets really busy (and therefore distracted) because things like this happen.

I opened the cabinet to get out a coffee mug just now, and I found the creamer. Lol!

Of course I can't talk too much. One morning I meant to reheat my coffee in the microwave, and realized after I finished that I had just heated the mustard I had out for making lunches. ~Sigh~

December Fun

2011-12-31T06:41:00.001-08:00

Randy and the kids took me to dinner to celebrate my birthday. Outside the restaurant we took a few pictures. What a fun night!

Before Christmas we decorated a gingerbread train with Grammy, Aunt Mary, and Aunt Christy. The train was a lot of fun since each of the kids had a car to do. Usually we do a gingerbread house, but we thought we would mix it up a little this year.

Our Christmas card picture this year

Christmas Trip

2011-12-31T06:04:00.000-08:00

This year for Christmas we all decided to go to Steamboat Springs, CO for Christmas instead of Austin. It was a really great trip!

In the airport

Grandma Gini was leaving around the same time for Montana. We took the rail to see her for a minute.

The kids love riding the rail.

The first day we had lessons. Seth, Abigail and I had a lesson together, and Levi had a lesson on his own. Daddy stayed with Levi all day because he was nervous after our last trip. His lessons didn't go very well last time, so we were hoping if he had a dedicated lesson he would catch up to the rest of us and we could ski together. Jackpot! It worked! After the first day we could ski as a family - one of Randy's life goals. Woohoo!

Levi kept telling us he liked to ski FAST. After the first day we had to caution him to slow down some times, and we also had to remind him to look straight ahead while he skied. He thought it was fun to watch whatever family member was behind him. Skiing without looking is a bad idea, but I think we finally got that across to him. He had a blast this trip.

Abigail is a cautious and competent skier. We did not have to worry about her at all. She was very happy to stay on greens with Mommy, but I imagine if she has another lesson the next time we go she will be more than ready to conquer the blues.

The first day Seth only made it through half of the day. Unfortunately this trip the altitude seemed to bother him. But he was ready to go the 2nd and 3rd days. He enjoyed skiing with the rest of us, but he was ready to try out blues. He and Daddy went on some long runs and had a lot of fun together.

On the shuttle one morning ready to hit the slopes

Levi coming off the ski lift for the first time with his instructor.

About to get on the lift

The kids thought hot chocolate was great when they needed to rest. I lost track of how much hot chocolate they drank. :-)

Waiting on Christmas day for Grammy, Uncle A.J., and Ms. Annie to ride up the gondola for lunch.

After eating lunch, we all had our picture made. Since it was Christmas Santa joined us in the picture.

Grammy and Grandpa and the grandchildren

Seth and Grammy

We took one day off from skiing. Uncle A.J. took Seth on a snow mobile trip. They had so much fun!

Resting their sore, tired bodies in the hot tub on the balcony of our condo.

I have a few more pictures to add. Coming soon....

Anecdotes for the year

2011-12-23T04:12:00.000-08:00

Before the year ended I wanted to record some of the things my kids have said in 2011. If you are friends with me on Facebook, most of this is old news to you. As usual, most of them are from Levi because of his age.

Emily: Abigail, you lost one of the sparkles on your shirts.

Abigail: It's ok. We have the be-twinkle thing to add another one.

Levi: We should leave jelly cookies out for Santa. He really likes jelly. That's why he is so fat. (Well, that explains the belly like a bowl full of jelly, doesn't it.)

Levi as I tucked him in to bed, "I am so tired. I am tired as a pig.". Where does he come up with this stuff???

Listening to Levi sing in the shower makes me smile. And he loves to sing in the shower. The problem is I can't ever get a sound recording of it because he stops as soon as he knows I am in the bathroom.

Abigail: Do you know why mommy knows what your are thinking so well?
Levi: Yes. She is a mind reader and sometimes that gets annoying.

Levi:We won't have eyes in heaven because it is just our skulls floating around.

Maybe I should explain to him that his teacher was saying souls not skulls. Ha!

Levi while trying to put Harry's leash on: "Mommy, I need help. Harry isn't concentrating." :)

Seth said something to Levi that wasn't very nice. Levi said, "Oh, yeah? Well I'm gonna kick you in the chin.". I just stared at him, so he changed it to, "I'm gonna kick you in the foot.". I continued to stare at him, and he smiled his best innocent smile at me and added "softly". I am going to have to keep my eye on those two. Can't you feel the brotherly love and affection???

Randy asked Seth is he was sore today (on Sunday he had a golf lesson and yesterday he learned to cross the wake behind the boat and even do some small hops - we are "stay-cationing" right now). Seth's very serious response: "Only when I move.". Ha!

Levi has to chose a community helper to dress up as and tell about at school. He wants to be a doctor. When I asked why he told me because doctors help kids not have cancer anymore. That answer makes me happy and sad at the same time - happy in his case it is true, sad that he has to be aware of cancer at his age.

Anybody else's child ever manage to ruin a pair of shoes before even leaving the shoe store? Ugh!

Levi: I want some salad on my sandwich

Levi: The dog's name is Stealer (aka Bandit).

Abigail: New York is the big chicken, right?

Levi: Apple pie is gooder for me because it has apples and they are healthy.

Levi: All you can eat is fish and chips? (after seeing a menu option of all-you-can-eat fish and chips).

Seth says apparently all the time. And Abigail's word is seriously.

Levi: I wish I had two tongues. Hmmmm......

Levi busted out singing "boom shaka yaka" one day. :-)

Levi: I am getting aggarated. (aka aggravated)

We can always tell when Seth knows a word from reading rather than from conversation because the pronunciation is wrong. Some examples written phonetically: Guess-turing, habit-u-ally, du-plu-city.

Christmas Programs

2011-12-11T05:44:00.000-08:00

We had a busy week with Christmas programs on 3 nights. They were so much fun to watch.

Levi's program was for 1st and 2nd graders, and was mostly singing. He loved singing all the songs, and it was fun to watch him because with a couple of songs that had a faster beat, he would subconsciously start to move to the music. So cute!

Abigail's program included acting and singing. It was about Christmas through the ages, and she was a 70's kid.

Seth was in the middle school and high school band concert. It has been wonderful to see him work hard at learning his songs. He is really enjoying band, and we are very proud of the effort he is putting into it.

It was a fun week, and now we are looking forward to a more relaxed last week of school before the break.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-05T04:00:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving we had a week off of school. It was so nice to get a break. Saturday started with the ladies on my dad's side of the family getting together for lunch. We went to a tea room in Denton. Here we are, all except Aunt Christy who was taking the picture.

While the girls were at lunch, Randy and the boys went Uncle Jon and Aunt Emily's house to pick up Aunt LeeAnn, Maddie, and Si. They stayed with us until we all left for East Texas on Wednesday. We had so much fun having little ones in the house again.

We went to Stonebriar Mall one day to ride the carousel and had lunch. Seth is old enough now to help with the stroller. He loved that.

Somehow I did not get any pictures of Abigail with her cousins, which is really a wonder since she is such a helper with the kids. She especially loves helping her little girl cousins have tea parties and dress up.

Here the kids are on Thanksgiving at Grandma Gini's house. They love spending time with their cousins and Randy's cousin's children every year when we are in East Texas.

I used to try to get a family picture of us sometime during the Thanksgiving holiday, but I have given up on that. So this year I got a picture of the kids, and another one of Randy and I. Sometimes it just isn't worth the effort to work on a group pic.

Masterpieces being made one morning before we even made it out of our pajamas.

Uncle Randy loves his nieces and nephews.

So does Aunt Emily.

Seth with Ryan.

These two cousins, Si and Ryan, are only a couple of months apart. I love to think of all the mischief they will be getting into in future years.

See - they are already thinking about wrestling around with each other. Ha!

Randy's grandmother had a rough time a few months ago with pneumonia. She lost so much strength during it that she is unable to walk anymore. The kids loved visiting her. Here was an attempt at a picture with them all.

Abigail had a soft spot for visiting her great-grandma, and she wanted her picture taken with her.

All the cousins

What a wonderful week!

Catching up - again

2011-11-12T05:03:00.000-08:00

I just looked through my posts for this year. They are much fewer in number, and I realized this is my 4th "catching up" post of 2011. I guess it has been that kind of year. But I want to try to do a quick highlight of some things since I print this each year as a family journal of sorts.

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Homecoming week at Liberty was so much fun. Every day had a different theme and the kids could wear theme clothes instead of their uniforms.

Camo day

Decade day

Mismatch day

The 6th grade football players gave their cheerleaders mums, and it was so sweet when the girls gave the players mums, too. Here is Seth with his first mum ever.

I didn't get pictures for class color day or navy and gray day, but those were fun, too.

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This fall Levi played soccer for the Fireballs again. Here he is in action. Excuse the sad cell phone picture. We saw a lot of progress in his game and in his endurance this year. It was good season for him.

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Seth played on the Liberty 6th grade tackle football team. We were so proud of him. He joined the team only to find out most of the boys had been playing tackle football for at least 2 years already, some of them more. Despite being less experienced, he stuck with it all season and worked as hard as he could.

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In September the 6th graders took a trip to Sky Ranch. Randy was able to go with them. What a great experience for Seth! And an eye opening experience for Randy to be in a cabin with fifteen 11 and 12 year old boys - ha! It was a blessing to have that trip come some close to the beginning of the new school year so Seth could get to know lots of the kids better.

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Levi's class took a field trip in October. They had a blast, and I realized how much he loves animals.

holding a chicken

on the hay ride

feeding hay to a calf

giving a baby goat a hug

He also milked a cow, laid on the ground next to a calf who was resting and hugged its head (and made mom cringe the whole time but I let him do it and kept my mouth shut), petted a baby pig, baby rabbit, and chicks, also caught a turkey, and more. It was a really fun day for him. He has decided we need goats in our back yard. I am sure that would go over really well with the HOA.

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As we got ready for the Light the Night Walk this year Seth, Abigail, and Levi decided they wanted to raise money to donate. So they made signs and we baked cookies. They had a great time, and I was proud of them for taking the initiative to do this. It was all their idea.

Here is our team for the walk. It seemed like a bad weekend for lots of people who wanted to walk, so our team was small this year. But we had a wonderful time and appreciated all of those who could walk with us. Team Mighty raised almost $6500 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It was a wonderful way to celebrate Cured, and we appreciate every person who donated.

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Halloween was a blast this year for the kids in our new neighborhood. It was so much fun to have the houses closer together and so many friends to trick-or-treat with. I am glad we had this year because I am not sure how much longer I will have 3 trick-or-treaters. Seth had fun going, but he had lots of fun handing out candy when he got home, too.

I decided this year to make the kids come up with costumes out of what we already had, since we have drawers full of old costumes. They weren't initially thrilled with that, but it worked out. Abigail wore a costume we had put together for dance and Levi decided to be a gangster. Seth had more trouble figuring out what to be, and at the last minute he ran up and put his suit on. He said he and Levi were mafia. He was a little frustrated when several people asked him if he was dressed as a lawyer. :-)

One of our neighbors had the best idea. He and she dressed as Santa and Mrs. Claus. They put up Christmas lights early, played Christmas music in the background, let the kids take pictures with them, and handed out candy canes. So here is our picture with Santa for the year.

The weekend before Halloween our neighborhood had an event called The Monster Mile. Addison and Aubrey went with us - so did Ryan but I think he slept the whole time.

It has been a fun and eventful few months. Now we are really looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hard to believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

Girls Night Out

2011-10-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

Abigail and I had a girls night out recently. We went to the Taylor Swift concert and had a great time together. I am so glad to have a daughter to do things like this with.

A couple of her friends from school also had tickets, so we met for dinner before the concert.

Couldn't pass up this photo op.

October 15

2011-10-17T06:39:00.000-07:00

My update from facebook on Saturday is below. I think it sums things up:
While we ate dinner we talked about our memories of Levi's journey through leukemia. Today he has been cancer free for 5 years and is considered cured! Thanking God today for Levi's life, remembering the lessons of the past, and looking forward to many wonderful times in the future. Love him so much. Seth and Abigail were amazing through the journey as well - more empathetic and loving than we could ever have hoped for as they walked through the past years beside him. So thankful also for all the wonderful people in our lives who helped us through the hard times. Much to remember and celebrate.

On Friday Levi's teacher wanted to celebrate. He loved this, and we appreciated her letting him plan this. The best part of his party was when his class sat in a circle and prayed for him. His sweet classmates thanked God for him and prayed he would never get cancer again. It was a really sweet time - brought tears to my eyes. He is blessed to have these children and his teacher in his life.

Here are a few pictures.

with his class

with his teacher

Cheesin' it up with mom and dad

Abigail was allowed to come to the party for a few minutes. Seth was taking 9 weeks exams, so he could not come.

CURED is coming!

2011-09-20T03:23:00.001-07:00

I just added this post to Levi's caring bridge site last night:

I could not believe it today when I logged on to update Levi's journal and saw how long it has been since my last update. Life is moving quickly these days! Levi has started 1st grade, and he is thriving. He is also loving soccer again this year. It is wonderful to see him enjoy all the "normal" things of being a 7 year old.

October 15 is a HUGE day for Levi. On October 15, 2009 he took his last dose of chemotherapy. This October 15 will be his 5 year milestone. He will be declared CURED. It brings tears to my eyes to type those words. I remember when he was just a baby of 2 and going through so much. There were days I didn't know how we would ever make it to this day, and here it is. Amazing! We are so thankful. Thankful God watched over him during his treatment, and thankful He gave men the minds to do research to continuously discover ways to battle cancer. We are also so thankful for every one of you, for your prayers and for all the ways your supported us through this journey.

To celebrate CURED we have decided to walk in the Light the Night Walk again to support The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We wanted to do something to help all the children still going through treatment and all the children who will be diagnosed in the future. Team Mighty will be walking in the Plano walk on October 22. We would be honored to have you walk with us if you are interested. If you would like to participate through donations, we would also greatly appreciate your support for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The link for Team Mighty's page is http://pages.lightthenight.org/ntxok/Plano11/TeamMighty. If you have any questions, my email address is emily_rowland@hotmail.com.

The name Team Mighty came from a nickname Randy gave Levi long before he was diagnosed. He called him Mighty Vite. Little did we know how applicable Mighty would be for Levi's nickname. He was mighty in his fight, and we are overjoyed to be reaching this milestone.

Change

2011-09-03T06:30:00.001-07:00

From Data Return employee #72 in 1999, to Divine, back to Data Return, to Terremark, Randy has been with the same company under several different names for the past 12 years. He has been blessed to work with many talented people and with them create some great things. Earlier this year Terremark was bought out by Verizon. Randy has decided it is time to take a different path now. He resigned in mid-August, and his last day was Wednesday.

We are not sure what is next. He is working on it. Change is in store. It is bittersweet, as change often is.

Here's a little walk down memory lane. Most of the pictures look like all he did was take trips and have fun, but as his partner through the past 12 years I can tell you MUCH work went into every day. He worked hard, and he was given several opportunities to play hard as well, for which we were very grateful. I don't have any pictures of him hard at work because those wouldn't be very entertaining to look at. :-)

His first Data Return logo wear just to the left of Seth's head.

New Cousins

2011-09-01T04:36:00.000-07:00

We have two new cousins! On May 17 Josiah James was born. Sadly we have not met him yet since they live in Montana, but we really look forward to meeting him as soon as we can. Congratulations Aunt LeeAnn, Uncle Jeff, and Madeline!

On August 18 Ryan David was born. Congratulations Uncle Jon, Aunt Emily, Addison, and Aubrey! Since they live in Mansfield we were able to go visit.

Back to School

2011-09-01T04:19:00.001-07:00

Monday the 22nd was the first day of school. After considering it for quite some time, we decided to enroll our children in Liberty Christian School. They are loving it, and we love the focus on faith as well as on education.

Seth is in 6th grade and is exploring the world of middle school. Abigail is in 4th grade and Levi is in 1st grade.

something that made me think

2011-08-30T11:44:00.001-07:00

I know I haven't blogged consistently in forever. I keep thinking I will get re-started, and it just hasn't happened yet. There has been much change for The Rowland Crew, with more on it's way in the coming weeks. Someday things will settle down and I will catch up.

But.......

I just came across this, and it was meaningful to me. I want to remember it, so I am blogging.

"Some people look for a beautiful place. Others make a place beautiful."

I would like to remember in the coming weeks to strive to be a person who makes a place beautiful. And while I love to decorate my home, I don't think home decor is what this is supposed to be about. My guess is this is about the attitude we chose to have as we do life.

So off I go to the rest of my crazy day, hoping to stay focused on making it beautiful, no matter what it has in store.

This weekend

2011-08-08T04:58:00.000-07:00

I just can't keep up with blogging this summer. Instead of trying to catch up now, I am going to post about this weekend. I will worry about catching up later.

Grandma Gini came to visit this weekend, and Uncle Jon and Aunt Emily came over with Addison and Aubrey. We didn't get many pictures, but at least we remembered to take a few this time.

Thanks for making our weekend fun!

Bu the way, Aunt Emily is going to be having their 3rd baby any time now. We are so excited about that!

Swim Team

2011-07-13T04:43:00.000-07:00

When we bought our house in April I put the kids on the neighborhood swim team. I thought they would be excited about it as they love to swim and have always enjoyed taking lessons. Additionally I knew we were going to be putting a pool into our back yard, and I wanted to have full confidence in their swimming before it was finished. The confidence in swimming really was more about Levi, but a little extra practice never hurt anyone.

With great expectations for lots of fun times, I was sad when the kids were less than thrilled about the team. Naively I thought they would be ready for it because of their lessons each summer. I soon learned swimming in lessons and swimming on a team are two very different things. Seth and Abigail struggled to keep up - they were starting at ages 9 and 11, and most kids they were swimming with had been on the team since age 5 or 6. Levi was more on target with his age group, but he wasn't so sure about having to swim all the way across the pool.

Randy and I discussed the turn of events, and we told the kids they needed to stay on the team for the season. We decided this would be a good learning experience for them - they would have to work hard at something they weren't naturally excelling in. We told them it would be character building. Although I don't think they really believed what we were saying, we held our ground.

We enrolled Seth and Abigail in two weeks of stroke clinic with one of the coaches, and that helped their technique tremendously. We could see immediate results in their strokes. Levi built up his stamina and could soon make it across the pool very well. His speed improved and his competitive side came out. At his last meet I think he missed winning his heat in freestyle by tenths of a second. All three worked hard and improved, and they also learned they can't give up on something just because they aren't excelling at it. A good lesson since there will be plenty of things in life they will have to do even if they aren't as good at it as someone else.

Seth, Abigail, and Levi - we are proud of you!

Here are a few pictures at the last meet. I didn't get good ones of Seth because he seemed to be busy every time I had the camera out, and he isn't so much into posed pictures these days when friends are around. And I am pretty sure he would not be very happy if I asked him to put his suit and team shirt back on for a picture now. Ha!

Seth in the water

Abigail about to dive in - she has the black swim cap on

Levi

Happy Birthday Randy!

2011-07-13T04:35:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Randy's birthday on the 4th since he had to work on the 5th. True to form for recent months, I am behind in blogging about it.

Happy birthday, Daddy! You provide for us, lead us, and love us. We are thankful for you every day.

Levi is 7

2011-07-11T04:37:00.000-07:00

My baby is seven. Can you feel the disbelief I feel when I see that in writing?

But he loves being seven, so I will be happy for him.

The weekend before his birthday Grammy and Grandpa were here, so they celebrated with him early. He loved getting some attention at dinner and having the huge sombrero put on his head.

Poor guy, though. We went out on the lake that day, and forgetful mom did not reapply sunscreen after the first couple of hours. Ouch! But he never complained so he is either tough or it looked worse than it felt. Probably a little of both.

Here he is on his actual birthday. We took him and a couple of buddies to see a movie and then home for pizza and cake. They had a blast.

Happy Birthday, Levi! You are so special to our family. We love you and are thankful to have you in our lives!

Abigail's Dance Recital

2011-06-14T05:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Abigail's recital. It is so much fun to watch her each year. She has now been dancing for 6 years. Wow! It has been quite a transformation as she has developed more as a dancer.

Jazz dance: Get Up

Ballet dance: Aladdin

She had several visitors come to watch her dance. Her wonderful teacher took the time to come, which was very meaningful to Abigail.

She was also glad to have Aunt Mary and Grammy and Grandpa in the audience to share her special night.

5th Grade Graduation

2011-06-14T05:12:00.000-07:00

The school did a nice ceremony for 5th Grade Graduation. I can't believe Seth is finished with elementary school. I know I sound like a broken record, but the years fly by so quickly. We are really proud of him, of how he has matured and become his own person with his own unique characteristics, and we look forward to seeing what middle school holds for him.

With his tremendous teacher, Mrs. Seavey.

Receiving his diploma from Dr. Carrico.

After graduation

End of another school year

2011-06-14T05:01:00.000-07:00

The last days of school are always fun. One thing our school did was have crazy hair day. I love that each of my kids had their own ideas about how to have crazy hair. We used red and black spray in their hair, although the black is hard to see in the pictures.

Levi had a great year of kindergarten. Hard to believe it is finished. Here he is with his best buddy from class. They are going to sorely miss each other next year as we will be switching schools.

Levi with Ms. Shuster

Abigail with Mrs. Ciaccio. She had such a good year!

Crazy hat day. I think this is the biggest sombrero I have ever seen.

Miami

2011-06-14T04:46:00.000-07:00

In May Randy and I went to Miami for a long weekend. There was a celebration party to mark the history of the company as well as the recent events which led to the company being bought. It was a nice chance for Randy and I to get away during a very hectic season. We enjoyed our time together as well as the event we went to. Here is a picture from it - not good because it was taken with our cell phone, but the best I have.

Catching up, part 2

2011-06-14T04:37:00.000-07:00

Wish Night 2011 took place in May. It is MAke-A-Wish Foundation's big fund raiser every year. Again this year Levi performed with other wish children.

The kids with my parents at Wish Night.

Last winter Levi was asked to be part of the photo shoot for the Wish Night invitations and literature. He was Governor Gumdrop. This year's theme was The Sweetest Wish. They used some of the photos from the photo shoot to make life-sized cutouts for Wish Night. Here is a picture of Levi's cut out. We thought it was really cute.

The funniest part about it is that my dad requested to have the cut out when Wish Night was over. Evidently there is some competitive grandparenting going on at his office among all the professors and staff who are grandparents. He is pretty certain hanging a life sized cut out of Levi in his office is going to take the cake for a while anyway. I already predict he is going to try to figure out how to have them made of Seth and Abigail as well. Hope he has lots of wall space in his office. Ha!

Catching up

2011-06-14T04:29:00.001-07:00

After a long break I am going to try to catch up on blogging some.

Levi had community helper day at school. He was supposed to pick a profession, dress up, and make a poster about it. He chose to be a doctor. When I asked him why he told me "Because doctor's help kids not have leukemia anymore". Melted my heart. That is exactly what he put on his poster.

Levi also had his end of the season soccer party. Seth's season ended for flag football, but somehow I ended up without any pictures.

Levi's team

with Coach Wes

with Coach David

Levi loves soccer and can't wait to play again next year. I am so thankful he was placed on a team with good coaches and sweet boys. That makes such a difference.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-26T05:13:00.000-07:00

I love celebrating Easter with my children. Each year they better grasp the meaning of Christ's death and His resurrection. One of the things they enjoy is making Easter cookies, which are meringue cookies. Each ingredient represents a part of the crucifixion story, then you put them in the oven overnight and "seal" the oven. On Easter morning when you unseal the oven, the cookies are hollow and empty inside, just as the tomb was empty on Easter morning. What a wonderful visual.

On a side note, one of the reasons we have been absent from blogging as much in the past couple of months is we have been busy trying to sell our house and find a new one. We closed on our new home on Friday. We are very excited! Let the moving commence!

How sweet it is

2011-04-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

Seth picked this rose and brought it in to me. Melted my heart!

When Seth was little, he used to pick flowers for me. After he stopped, Abigail started picking them for me. Then she stopped and Levi started. As he got older I realized he would soon stop picking flowers for me, too. And there were no more children coming to pick flowers for their mommy. Sniff. Every once in a while Levi still brings me a flower in from outside, and I have started drying them in waxed paper. Sentimental I know, but now I will always have a least a couple of flowers my children picked.

Sooo.... when Seth brought a rose in for me, it made me a little gushy. I took a picture to remember it and the growing boy who gave it to me.

Madeline's visit

2011-04-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Aunt LeeAnn and Madeline came to visit. We had a great time with them. Madeline is a year and a half, and she is at a really fun age. While they were here we also got to see the rest of Randy's Texas family. It was great to watch all the cousins play together. We can't wait until June and August when we have two more cousins, boys this time. Our boys enjoy their girl cousins, but the are also really happy to think about boy cousins.

Sadly I hardly took any pictures. Aunt LeeAnn is a much better photographer, so I l didn't get our camera out much. And then I forgot to get her pictures from her before she left. Here is the best of what I had.

Sweet Madeline Mae

Addison and Aubrey putting their bling on.

This picture cracks me up. You can see Seth and Abigail's influences in it - dress up with weapons. Ha!

Madeline, we look forward to the next time we get to see you!

Catching up - birthdays

2011-04-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

After a blogging hiatus, I am going to try to catch up some.

We have celebrated two birthdays in our house in the recent weeks. Seth turned 11 and Abigail turned 9. Just today I heard someone say "the days are long, but the years are short." How true that is, especially relative to raising children.

Seth and Abigail, you are uniquely you, and we love you for all you bring to our family. May God bless you both with good health, great joy, and peace in your growing knowledge of Him as you grow another year older and learn more about life. We can't wait to see what this year holds and to experience it along side you both.

The Man in the Mirror

2011-04-02T03:54:00.000-07:00

Seth is playing flag football with the same coach from the fall. Then it was Upwards, now it is through YMCA. I am very thankful he was placed with Coach Carter and has been able to stay with him. Coach is wonderful with all the boys, and he is interested not only in their ability on the field, but also their character. Last night Coach Carter gave the boys copies of the poem in a frame.

The Man in the Mirror

If you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you kind for a day
Then go to the mirror and look for yourself
And see what that man has to say

For it isn't a man's father, mother, or wife
Whose judgement upon him must pass
The fellow whose verdict counts most in life
Is the man staring back from the looking glass

He's the fellow to please, never mind the rest
For he's with you clear up to the end
And you've passed the most dangerous, difficult test
If the man in the glass is your friend

You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you've cheated the man in the glass.

How great is that! I think there are times in a child's life when they hear things their parents are trying to instill in them from someone else, and they might hear it more clearly from that other person. That is why coaches, teachers, etc are so important. I am thankful Coach Carter has been put in Seth's life, because he is a positive role model and leader for him. Sure he wants to win today's football game, but he is teaching the boys more than just how to win a game.

Spring Break

2011-03-23T05:57:00.001-07:00

Last week was spring break for the kids. We took them to Colorado for their first experience with skiing. We had a wonderful time!

How sweet is this picture?!? Seth was watching over Levi as we rode the tram from one terminal to another in the airport.

Mom and Dad need a picture, too.

While we were waiting to board our plane, I ran into a little shop to buy some water. I saw these for sale, and I thought Seth would get a kick out of them so I called him in to look. Little did I know he would actually want them. Yes, he did eat them - Salt 'n Vinegar dried Crickettes in cases you can't see the box in the picture.

The kids loved the giant tiger and cub in our condo.

This is where we went - Beaver Creek. But this picture was taken the second morning. We woke up to 8 to 10 inches of fresh snow. It was an overcast, gray day but very nice to have more snow since it was 58 the day before and the snow was turning into slush.

The kids on the shuttle the first morning - ready to try this out!

After skiing the first day - we were all tired and needed a carb rich dinner so we went out for pizza. Yum!

Day 2 - here we come!

After ski school on the 2nd day, we took the kids to the tubing hill. It was fun, but Levi was worn out and chose to snuggle with Daddy some. He struggled the most with the altitude, which made him very tired and he also ran a low-grade temp one day. Hopefully this will get better as he gets older.

Day 3 was beautiful! All the fresh snow was still on the ground, but it was sunny. The mountains looked amazing. Seth, Abigail, Randy and I took a family lesson the last day so that we could ski together. It was really fun to watch them ski. We wished Levi could be with us, but his first day of lessons was a bust. We switched him to a different type of lesson the second day so that he would not be placed with the really little ones who didn't do much. But he was not far enough along to take the family lesson. Maybe next time we will get to ski together all 5 of us. This picture is at the top of the mountain. There were green runs at the very top, so we rode the lifts up there with our instructor.

On Saturday our flight did not leave until 5 pm. So Grandpa and Ms. Gerry drove to visit us. Thanks for making the drive! We were really happy we got to see them for a little while.

We went to a little town called Minturn - an old mining town - to eat and visit. This was Seth's meal of choice. He is growing up so much, and so are his appetite and taste buds.

This was outside the cafe. The kids thought it was hilarious.

After Grandpa and Ms. Gerry left, we still had a couple of hours. We decided to drive to Vail since it was only 10 miles away and we had time to spare. It was fun to see, much bigger than Beaver Creek with a very different vibe to it.

So, that was our trip in a nutshell. Randy has been talking about skiing with our kids before we even had kids. I think our first trip was a success, and now we have to skiing bug.

Recent Events

2011-01-18T09:21:00.000-08:00

As soon as Randy heard the Aggies were playing in the Cotton Bowl, he wanted to take Seth. He was able to get tickets, and they had a blast. I think Seth will remember going with Randy for a long, long time. I just love it when you know you memories are being made.

The kids' school held their 2nd Annual Father-Daughter dance. Abigail loved it! She danced with Daddy and with her friends. Randy showed me a video he took on his phone - lots of excited, dancing, singing girls!

We were contacted before Christmas by the person who is helping to put together this year's Wish Night for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. They wanted Levi to participate in photo shoot with a few other kids so they would have pictures for the invitations, advertising, etc. This year's theme is candy related (I can't remember exactly what it is), so he was Governor Gumdrop. They made it very fun for the kids.

Governor Gumdrop in costume

I don't think he knew quite what to make of it when he was being prepped for pictures.

He loves Dots candy. Instead of actual gumdrops, they glued Dots to his hat. I think it was all he could do not to eat them. ha!

If anyone would like to attend Wish Night this year, it will be lots of fun. You will get to see Wish Kids perform, and they are really cute. Wish Night is the annual fundraiser our local Make-A-Wish branch does so that more kids can be granted their wishes. All children who are granted wishes are facing or have faced life-threatening illnesses. I can't say enough for the joy and magic our family was blessed with through Levi's wish to go to Disney World. As I said then, it will always be remembered as a highlight during his 3 years of treatment. We have met many families who have great memories as we do, and we have met other families who cherish the memories even more because they were given the gift of family time outside of the hospital setting before their child lost their battle with their life-threatening illness.

2011-01-17T08:14:00.000-08:00

Today marks 13 years of marriage. Happy Anniversary, Randy! I love you more as each year passes and we live life together. I am so thankful to be married to you.

Last night we went out on a date. We relived some of our last years together - we laughed, and of course I teared up some because that is just what I do. It is good to take time to remember.

Here is a little walk down memory lane.

We were looking forward to a quiet evening when....

2011-01-15T04:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Randy got home from a week of traveling. He took Abigail to a father-daughter dance, and they had a wonderful time. We got all the kids to bed, and we were both really tired. We were looking forward to a quiet evening together.

But the dog was sitting next to Randy, and he was shaking badly. We couldn't figure out what was wrong. My first thought, "Harry, what did you do that you knew was wrong, and now you are nervous about getting in trouble?". So I picked him up and walked all over the house, expecting to find some mischief he had gotten into. But no sign of any problem. So I wonder if he needs to go outside. I open the back door to let him out, and I hear water gushing.

I run in to tell Randy, and we both jump up and get shoes on. The backyard is full of water, and it is pitch black and hard to see anything. Randy rushes to get the water turned off at the street. It turns out that we had a pipe break. I watered our yard recently because it was so dry, and I did not turn the sprinklers off at the street before the hard freeze we just had. Since they were full of water, a pipe that comes above ground for the sprinkler system had burst. We aren't sure yet if we have other problems - will have to explore that today in the daylight.

Anyway, I left Harry in the house, and I went though the back gate to talk to Randy in the front yard. After getting the water turned off, we went in through the garage and completely forgot the gate was still open. Because I am a glutton for punishment, I decide to go in the backyard with a flashlight to try to see how much water was everywhere. We think today was the first day it got above freezing long enough for the pipe to defrost, so the pipe probably only started gushing sometime this afternoon, but as of now we have no idea how much water was wasted (or how big the next bill is going to be - ugh!). I let Harry go out with me as I checked things out. I look around for a while and then go back in.

Lightbulb moment - Harry wasn't with me anymore when I went back into the house. Then I remember the gate I left standing wide open. And I realize the solid black, small, curious dog is now running free in our pitch black neighborhood. And all I can think about is how I am going to tell our children the next day that I left the gate open, he got out, and he is either missing or dead.

Randy takes off in our car to drive around to look for him. And I stew over my own stupidity - first with the sprinklers and then with the open gate.

And then the phone rings. Some teenager was out jogging and found Harry. Thank heavens for his tag with our phone number on it. I almost cry in relief and tell him I will call Randy and he will be right there to get him. If I was his mother I probably would have lectured him about being out jogging so late at night, but I was so thankful he was out and found our cute little dog.

So, an hour or so later, with a soaked backyard and a dog who got to go on a great (albeit short) adventure sitting between us, we sat down to relax.

Whew.

And Harry gets some kudos. We wonder if he was shaking because when the house got quiet after the kids went to bed he was able to hear the water gushing and knew there was a problem. If I had not let him out last night, we would just now be discovering the problem. I don't even want to think about what that water bill would have been.

Christmas

2011-01-07T06:01:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas in Austin with my family. We had a great time, but I didn't get many pictures. My brother has become the family photographer now, and I didn't get the pics from him before we left. Hopefully I will get more to add later.

Since we have gone to Austin for the last three years, the kids have gotten used to Christmas at our house before we travel. Seth was so excited he got up at 5:30 am. Love his energy and enthusiasm, although coffee was needed that early in the morning. :-)

Christmas Eve

Presents are fun, but I try to keep the kids focused on the true meaning of Christmas. We made sure we read the Christmas story to the kids earlier in the season, and we had been teaching them the words to some of the beautiful, classic Christmas hymns that they had heard but not really learned all the words to. Abigail also learned to play Silent Night on the piano this year which was beautiful to listen to. On Christmas Eve we sat with them and had them take turns re-telling us the Christmas story. It was wonderful to hear them tell it in their own words instead of just reading it.

Christmas morning - this time Seth was told presents would not be opened until 8 am. So here we are at 8:01. Ha!

Decorating Galore

2011-01-06T09:02:00.001-08:00

The kids and I have been decorating a gingerbread house every Christmas for several years now. It is something we all look forward to, and this year I was really impressed with what they came up with. Unfortunately some of the details did not show up in the pictures.

My Aunt Christy has become quite the queen of cookie and cake decorating. She shared all of her know-how and supplies with us, and we spent 6 hours rolling, cutting, baking, and decorating cookies on the Tuesday before Christmas. So much fun! My Aunt Mary, my cousin's wife Christine, and their daughters Katelyn and Julia were also part of the fun. I couldn't believe how long all the kids stuck with it.

Aunt Christy with Katelyn, Julia, Seth, Abigail, and Levi - about to get started

Ready to decorate

That's a LOT of cookies!

I think we have a new holiday tradition

2010-12-20T17:25:00.000-08:00

It is so fun to have an 8 year old daughter! I think Abigail and Mom have started a new holiday tradition.

Red, white, and blue last July

Red and green here, but the green didn't show up very well in the picture

I am thinking red and white for Valentine's Day, green for St. Patrick's Day, pastels for Easter, orange and black for Halloween....

Christmas Parade

2010-12-14T13:42:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago we decided along with Randy's brother and his wife, that we would have our kids do a "cousins activity" every year at Christmas time instead of exchanging gifts. We figure they will remember this tradition more than they will remember receiving a toy each year. Since we all live in the same area, this is an option for us.

So, this year we all went to the Children's Parade. It was great for all ages, 18 months to adults!

A few pictures before the parade with the clowns.

What happens when:

2010-12-14T10:52:00.000-08:00

What happens when you decide to make Almond Roca toffee candy,

and despite your best efforts and stirring the mixture constantly as instructed,

you realize as you are pouring it that a bit has burned on the bottom of the pan.

1) Your whole house begins to smell.

2) You throw away a big batch of candy, because even though it looks really pretty it tastes just awful.

3) You decide you will never again attempt to make candy.

4) You think, "Why in the world didn't I just go buy the stuff labeled Almond Roca at the store?".

5) You decide to blog about it, so in a couple of years when your burned almond roca has faded from memory you will have a way to remember you should never, ever again attempt to make candy.

6) You decide the next time you find a recipe on The Pioneer Woman website that is labeled intermediate in difficulty, you will remember that is exceeds your ability level.

Sometimes you just have to walk away

2010-12-10T14:15:00.000-08:00

I have a problem.

I like things to be neat. A place for everything and everything in its place.

The problem: if I live by this motto all the time it stifles my children. Kids need to be kids and be creative, aka messy, sometimes.

Abigail and Levi have been into "science experiments". They learned a few months ago at a friend's house that if you dip markers into water, all kinds of wonderful things happen. They did lots of "experiments" this summer. And then they lost interest.

But the other night they remembered their wonderful experiments. And this was the scene in their bathroom, complete with multiple wet towels, water on the floor and all over the countertops, and "potions" dripped across the kitchen as one ran to show another a wonderful creation.

So I took a very deep breath, and I walked away. And I was glad I did. They had a blast together!

"My 1st Trophy"

2010-12-08T19:51:00.000-08:00

Levi played soccer this fall, and he LOVED it. He was one of two new boys on a team who had been together for several seasons already, and he was very fortunate in his placement. He has a wonderful coach. He learned a lot this past season, and we are excited for him to stay with this team this spring.

A couple of weeks ago the team had their end of the year party. Here's Levi getting his trophy from Coach Wes.

And here he is proudly displaying his trophy. He was so excited.

We did not realize how meaningful this would be for him. After getting his trophy and taking it back to the table, he called out to us across the area in a very happy voice, "Look! My 1st trophy EVER!". Of course everyone laughed and thought he was cute. But all I could think about was that most of these boys already had several trophies. This was Levi's first because he had been unable to play sports until now. And my heart was full of thankfulness and joy for my son's experience. Thankful he was getting to experience something so normal and happy as a first trophy. Levi, may it be the first of many for you! And I pray we never take any of them for granted.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-02T05:16:00.000-08:00

Before school was out, Levi's class had a Thanksgiving feast. Man, I wanted to eat too. Those kindergarteners know how to feast!

Grammy was here and went to the party, too.

I think Levi was done taking pictures here. What do you think?

Randy's sister, LeeAnn, and her family flew from Montana into Dallas on Tuesday. We spent the afternoon with them before they left for Longview. Seth, Abigail, and Levi were so excited to see their cousin Madeline. We had not see her since March. She is precious and has changed so much.

The kids decorated a big box we had to make a playhouse for her. Good times!

We had a great time in Longview with Randy's family. It is so fun to see the kids enjoy each other's company and play together.

Before and After

2010-11-30T13:54:00.000-08:00

I am finally getting around to posting before and after pictures of our bathrooms for anyone who is interested. We love having bathrooms not stuck in the 80's anymore!

The guest bathroom:

The master bathroom:

The tub problem worked out really well in the end. They cut a piece of marble to set on top of the hole that was too big. They finished the edges of it, and if we had asked for that detail in the beginning it probably would have cost quite a bit. So a problem turned into a bonus for us in the end. We are still working on the leak. We think we figured out where the water was coming from, but we are just going to have to watch it over time to make sure.

Good Luck, Uncle A.J.

2010-11-24T05:05:00.000-08:00

My brother moved last weekend to Redmond, Washington. While we are a bit sad he will be so far away, we are very excited about his opportunity there. On Friday night we got together with all our family who lives in the area so he could visit with them before he left. It is always nice to see everyone.

Do you ever see a picture and wish you could jump into the moment because it looks like fun? I love seeing people laugh.

The kids had a blast playing NBA Jam. I am sure they wish Uncle A.J. happiness and success, but they were so over all the talking and visiting. Ha!

Good Luck A.J.!

A couple of crafts and a visitor

2010-11-17T09:52:00.000-08:00

While waiting for our bathrooms to be done (yes, this means they are still not finished) I have been doing a few things around the house. I saw pictures on a blog of a coffee filter wreath, so Abigail and I decided to make one for her door.

We had lots of fun. It only took about an hour. This is about 175 coffee filters. If you decide to try it, I would get a smaller wreath than you think you want. They "grow" substantially as you make them. But we are very happy with the results.

I was in need of a new lamp for our repainted guest room. Again I saw on decorating blogs (maybe I spend too much time reading decorating blogs?) the great idea of getting lamps at thrift stores and then painting them. I found a ceramic one for $5. I hope the spray paint adheres well over time. I guess if it doesn't I am only out $5 for the lamp and $3 for the paint, so it is a low risk situation.

Before picture. I loved the shape because it is not a run of the mill round lamp, but the color and flowers were not my favorite.

After picture. I think the lamp shade needs some trim, but that will have to wait for now.

We have had a few of these visit our house lately. Maybe it is the cooler weather? I don't think the picture does this justice. I should have put a quarter on the floor so you could see how big this was. I think the legs spanned at least 2 inches. The good thing about big spiders - they can't get away from you very fast so they are pretty easy to kill. Anyone know how to keep these dudes out of the house?

Trying....

2010-11-12T08:28:00.000-08:00

I am trying to be thankful right now.

Thankful that while I was loading everything back into our closet and bathroom (the bathrooms are finished except for a couple of new doors we are waiting on coming in) I found mold on the back wall of the closet and the wood in the back corner of the vanity, and subsequently realized the carpet was damp.

Thankful that through this work I had reason to take everything out, which lead to finding a leak before it got really bad. There is a crack all the way up the outside wall, through bricks and all, which we think was allowing water to slowly get in.

I want to be thankful, but I really just feel disappointed that we can't settle back into the bathroom and closet until we get all this straightened out. Looks like we will be headed into week 4 of this project now, unless all of this can be resolved today.

These are the moments I remind myself that this is an inconvenience, not a hardship.

Working on my attitude and perspective at the moment.....

5th grade camp

2010-11-11T05:57:00.000-08:00

This is Seth so excited and all ready for 5th grade camp. They left yesterday morning and will return Friday afternoon. It is very strange in our house without him. As happy as we are for him because we know how much fun he is having, we are in shock that he is old enough to be going. The 5th graders do this every year, and of course the kids look forward to it all through elementary school - like a rite of passage.

What happens when.....

2010-11-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

What happens when the hole in the marble for the bathtub is cut too big for the tub?

I don't know either. I guess we are about to find out.

Adventures in remodeling.

Halloween pictures

2010-11-04T06:25:00.000-07:00

A few pictures from Halloween. We had Optimus Prime, a cowgirl, and a scary dude. (Seth's mask was of a character from some movie, but it was a scary movie and I don't watch those. So I can't remember who he was supposed to be. I know, such a wimp. But I don't like having trouble sleeping at night, and I guess I don't separate movie fiction from reality very well. Scary movies make my imagination wander to places I don't like to go. Maybe someday I will be a grown-up and be able to watch these movies, but I kind of doubt it.)

Anyway...... the kids had lots of fun!

Carving our pumpkin. We got one of those kits this year with all the fancy patterns and tools in them. The kids were very happy, but the pattern they chose made Randy a little crazy. He was a good sport about it though.

Hope you all had a fun halloween, too!

Progress

2010-11-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

There has been progress in the bathrooms, although it may not look like much in the pictures.

The guest bath, with texture and paint.

The master bath, with texture and paint.

The bathtub is still covered up. The workmen's guess: a frog. I don't really care what it is (although a frog sounds better than some other things I could imagine), as long as it stays underneath the plywood. Ha!

Today's agenda: new grout and tile, new accent tile, and shower doors installed. We found out we couldn't go frameless because of one of the angles we were working with, but anything is a vast improvement over what we had. Tomorrow is supposed to be countertops, and hopefully all the little details to get things finished up. I am still hoping for Friday, but it very possibly could be Monday for them to be finished. Either way, an end is in site!

There were supposed to be pictures, but....

2010-11-01T05:51:00.000-07:00

So I was headed into the bathroom to take a few pictures this morning. I heard a noise and out of the corner of my eye I saw something move in the bathtub hole.

Leapin' Lizards! That gave me the willies, the heebie jeebies, the jitters, and any other number of unpleasant reactions!

There is a hole in our foundation under the spot where the old tub was. Randy tells me he has seen that in other homes, so that must be normal. The workmen didn't mention it as a problem when they tore the tub out. Anyway, I guess something came up through the ground into that hole, and what I saw was "it" jumping back into the hole.

Fortunately Randy was home. He covered the hole with particle board (hence no pictures of it, plus I am not really wanting to go back in there right at this moment).

Now I am just hoping nothing else came up through the hole over the weekend and got into our house. I guess the good thing about a dog is that I should know if there is something in the house. Of course, the bad thing is that whatever "it" is doesn't have to be too big and "it" will be bigger than Harry.

Maybe there will be pictures tomorrow....

The current state of affairs

2010-10-28T05:45:00.000-07:00

First of all, Harry would like to remind everyone that it is only 3 days until Halloween! (Cheesy - yes. But my kids love it, so I don't care.)

Here is what the bathrooms look like as of this morning.

The wall paper in here is really giving the contractors fits. We knew there were two layers on the walls, but it turns out there are three.

The cabinet sitting in the middle of the master bath is actually waiting to be installed in the hall bath.

The hall bath is textured and ready for paint now. I had a few moments of concern last night when I looked in there and realized the toilet was gone. I looked outside to see if they had moved it there. No toilet. So I thought they assumed since it was older, replacing it was part of the remodel and they had hauled it away. A new toilet is not in the plans because even though it is not new it still works fine. However, I finally realized it was sitting in here:

That would be the shower, in case you can't tell from the picture. So no over-budget new toilet. Yea!

And here is how we are living right now. I tried to empty most everything from our closet, and everything also had to come out of the bathrooms. I learned from the kitchen that there will be more dust than I anticipate, so this time I am covering some things every morning with plastic sheets.

Where chaos reigns

2010-10-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

I think we like chaos in our house. We seem to bring in upon ourselves. We are once again in a state of disarray, but this time around it is much less consuming than in January when we redid our kitchen.

Because I like going back sometimes and looking at that process, I have decided to record these changes here as well.

Feel free to ignore it completely.

As of 8:30 this morning we are taking the master and hall bathrooms out of the 80's and attempting to bring them up to date. While a total gut job was not do-able at this time, we are hoping we can update parts of the bathrooms and make it all look current and cohesive.

We will know in about two weeks. Keep you fingers crossed - we are.

Here is the master as of last night.

The cabinets are staying. We had hoped to put new door and drawer fronts on them, but they suffered a loss when we realized we would have to buy 2 slabs of marble because of the area around the bathtub. So the door fronts will be touched up with paint and live to see another day. In case you were ever wondering, if you opt for marble over granite, marble slabs are smaller than granite ones. But we love the marble we chose, so it was worth it to us to buy two slabs and compromise on some other things.

If you look closely, you will see that the closet doors were never painted. The previous owners had full glass closet doors. Because I didn't wish to see myself from quite so many angles and in quite so much detail, we removed the glass doors when we moved in. We hung these doors ourselves, and painting them never made it to the top of my to-do list. They are going to be replaced and will actually be painted this time.

The lovely stained glass window is staying for now, but I am planning to try to paint the flowers a different color. If the glass paint does not turn out, I will hang heavy shears to tone the window down. The bathtub is going to be replaced. I think this tub was one of the original jacuzzi tubs. (I don't actually know how long jacuzzi bathtubs have been in use, but this one seemed ancient.) It was so full of mildew in the jets, that no matter what I tried to clean it, and I tried quite a few things, I never could get it completely clean. This time around we will have a soaker tub only - no more mildew.

Here is the hall bathroom.

The lovely mushroom vanity is going away. It was very strange - an odd shape and too deep for the space. Because we needed 2 slabs of marble for the master, there was enough left over to redo the countertop in here. So we are putting in a new cabinet base which will not be as deep, but it will be longer. Even though in square inches it will be bigger, we think the bathroom will actually feel larger with the new narrower cabinet and countertop. All the dark wallpaper is going away, too.

Although I was not really fond of the wallpaper in these bathrooms, when I saw what was underneath them today as they removed the paper, I found myself thankful that we had what we had to live with for the past two years. It's all relative....

In two weeks we should be finished. Very exciting!

A 10-10-10 Wedding

2010-10-21T07:22:00.000-07:00

On 10-10-10 Randy's cousin Mason got married. What a great anniversary - I don't think he can ever get in trouble for forgetting that one. Ha!

Because it isn't often that we all get dressed up, I had to take a few pictures. I love seeing my kids dressed nicely every once in a while.

There were quite a few kids there. Here are some of Randy's cousins' kids. What would that make them? Our children's second cousins? I never know how all that works. Whatever they are to each other, they had lots of fun dancing and playing together.

Our view of Uncle Jon and Aunt Emily during the ceremony. Jon worked on Saturday, so he and Emily drove to Longview and home all on Sunday. They thought that might be too much driving for the girls, so they came alone. We missed seeing the girls, but we had to agree with their logic. The added bonus, it was like a whole day date for them.

A few of us.

Congratulations Mason and Shelley!

That is not entertainment!

2010-10-19T18:40:00.001-07:00

Today Seth saw Randy on the computer going over our budgeting software. All of our transactions get categorized so we know what we are spending money on in order to stick to our budget. Seth saw a category called entertainment, and two of the subcategories in it were "Randy's spending cash" and "Emily's spending cash". We each have a certain amount of money we can spend each month on whatever we chose. Seth asked me what I spend my entertainment money on. I told him I usually spend it on projects I am working on and decorating our house. His exact words in response, "That is NOT entertainment.". Randy and I got a good laugh out of that. I guess I don't lead a very exciting life in Seth's eyes. :-)

Really Proud of Seth

2010-10-18T18:43:00.001-07:00

Seth has a good friend at school. His name is William. They have discovered talking on the phone, and they now like to talk for a little while in the afternoons if they can. At dinner tonight Seth told us he and William had been talking about what they thought heaven would be like. And he also told us that he had talked to William about how you know you are going to heaven - that you have to believe in God and know about and believe in Jesus. I am really proud of Seth for sharing his faith.

Fall Goodness

2010-10-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

I love afternoons when we don't have to go anywhere because we can do things like make candy apples. Yum!

This was our first attempt at caramel apples. They were good, and they were a mess. I don't know if I did something wrong, or if the kids were so excited to eat them that they didn't give them enough time to set. I don't think they really cared, though.

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Have you noticed....

2010-10-11T19:08:00.001-07:00

So, does anyone else read any blogs of ladies who are currently pregnant? There are a couple I read, and I am noticing this trend of doing a weekly pregnancy update. In the update they put how much weight they have gained. I have mixed thoughts when I see that.

First, I wonder if they are all completely honest - ha!

Then I wonder why we didn't think of that back when I was pregnant. You know - in the dark ages 7 to 10 years ago. :-)

Of course blogs weren't so popular then.

But if they were, and if I had felt inclined to post my weight gain, maybe I would have been more like my mother who only gained like 15 pounds every pregnancy and then delivered 10 pound babies.

I can tell you though that I gained a lot more than 15 pounds.

But I am not going to post how much. Just not feeling like sharing that much on the blog tonight.... :-)

Kids say the darndest things

2010-10-06T05:58:00.000-07:00

Is darndest a word? It keeps showing up on spell check. Hmmmm......

ANYway, here is another post of a list of things my kids have said lately that crack me up. I don't want to forget them. As usual, most are from Levi and Abigail - they are at that age.

Levi: I like riding the crazy river. (lazy river - hehe!)

Abigail: Seth reads like an inchworm. (bookworm)

Levi: Daddy, when it is your birthday maybe you can have a friend over for a sleepover and then take you friend on the lake and get some big air. (Big air means high jumps on the wakeboard. I guess going out to eat for daddy's birthday is a boring way to celebrate. We need sleepovers, man!)

Levi: Seth's toots smell like Harry's food. (Poor Harry!)

Levi (after tooting one day): Ohhhh, I feel soooo much better!

(Sorry for including bodily functions in the post. What can I say. Abigail and I are surround by three males and one male dog. Poor us!)

Abigail's pronunciations: an-ti-cue and la kwin-ta and mass-ij (antique and La Quinta and massage)

Seth's pronunciations: yo-se-might (yosemite)

Abigail after I was trying to send Randy a text saying "I love you" and instead I accidentally sent it to AT&T: Maybe they will give us a discount since you sent them a nice text.

Abigail: Are you going to wake me up at 6:30? I have a big day tomorrow and I need my beauty sleep. (Where did she learn that phrase? Ha!)

A conversation between Levi and I after Harry jumped up on the sofa where I was trying to have my toast and coffee one morning (the breakfast of champions!).
Me: Harry needs to settle down and not ruin my breakfast.
Levi: He was thinking about that while you were gone. (to take my now ruined toast to the kitchen)
Me: He was? What was he thinking?
Levi: He was thinking if he should have done that or not.
Me: Oh, really? What did he decide?
Levi: That he should have not done that.

Abigail: I learned about the Heimlich Na-meuver today.

Levi (on someone feeling sad): That crumpled his heart. (kids express emotion so well sometimes)

Levi as we discussed with Seth what instrument he might like to play in band next year: I am going to pick the wand. (Ha! He isn't going to play an instrument, he wants to direct the band.)

Abigail (as Randy and Seth discussed which football team they were rooting for while watching a game): I decide who should win by which cheerleaders I like the best.

Levi (singing): Bapa, Bapa-razzi

I LOVE my kids. Life is so fun right now. They keep my laughing and on my toes.

India

2010-09-27T06:08:00.000-07:00

Randy went to India last week on a business trip.

It was exhausting, and interesting, and eye-opening, among other things.

He had hoped the pictures he had seen and stories he had heard would prove to be exaggerations. But they weren't. And he was in one of the big cities, not in the poor, rural areas of the country.

Here are a few pictures, although they do not do justice to what he saw.

There are not many cars. Most everyone gets around on bikes like these. Couples ride together on them, and women sit "side-saddle" we are guessing because of their clothing. Children sit in front of parents when they have to go somewhere. No seat belts or car seats, just on the seat in front of their mom or dad.

A couple of sights in the city:

This pictures really don't do anything justice. The poverty is extreme. The average family in India lives on less than $1500 per year, if we have our facts straight. Yet Randy felt like most of the people were genuinely peaceful and kind. And he is usually pretty intuitive about these things.

After what Randy saw first-hand and shared with me, it makes it hard to begrudge them the fact that some jobs are moving over there. They really, really need them. And maybe next time I take a phone call that I can tell is coming out of India, I will be more patient with the person on the other end. Maybe I can step out of my American tunnel vision perspective and see a country in need. Hopefully his trip will help our family of 5 have a more global perspective.

not too old yet

2010-09-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

I am so glad Abigail and Levi aren't too old yet to think it is fun to run around in their mom and dad's shoes.

Kindergarten wisdom

2010-09-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

Levi had big news when we sat down to dinner tonight.

A boy and a girl in his class had broken up.

Excuse me? In KINDERGARTEN?

So I decide to find out more and ask a few questions.

What happened when they broke up?
Apparently the boy broke up with the girl. It was "an event" that got attention today. (At least at recess anyway.)

So, what did they do before they broke up.
They chased each other on the playground. Sounds about right.

And evidently Levi has already broken up with someone this year.
I guess that is what happens when you are chasing each other on the playground and you can't remember her name.
Randy's advice: it is important to remember her name.

And we found out these "couples" love each other.
Um, we might have to discuss the meaning of love.

Just in case you were wondering, nothing was ever mentioned about boyfriends, girlfriends, going together (remember that term?), relationships, etc.

Just chasing each other on the playground, love, and breaking up.

Oh my!

BTW, Seth had his first "girlfriend" in 1st grade. At the beginning of the year she asked him to be her boyfriend. At the time he told us he liked her "because she laughs at my jokes.". He has always been a smart dude.

All of this is pretty funny right now. However, they are getting older. Some day discussions about this topic will give me gray hair instead of make me chuckle.

For as long as possible though, I intend to keep on chuckling.

What do you do with....

2010-09-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

What do you do with the child who can't ever remember to put his dirty clothes in the hamper when he showers?

One time of finding his dirty clothes next to his pillow on his bed, and it is amazing how well he remembers to put them in the hamper after that.

Now if only I had thought of this sooner. I would have saved myself a lot of frustration.

Grandpa comes to visit

2010-09-13T14:27:00.000-07:00

Over Labor Day weekend, Grandpa Rowland came for a visit from Colorado. We were happy to see him! Uncle Jon and Aunt Emily came over with the girls, too. We always look forward to time with them and Addison and Aubrey.

Grandpa with all of his grandkids except Madeline. We wish you could have been there also, Maddie Mae!!

Some other pictures from the weekend.

Harry got lots of attention from Ms. Gerry.

Thanks for coming to visit! Come again soon!

Are you ready for some football (and soccer)?

2010-09-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Seth had his first flag football game and Levi had his first soccer game. It was so much fun! As they get older, their games get more exciting to watch.

This is the only picture we get of Seth. You can't see his face, but he is in the green with the 3 on his back catching the ball.

He scored a touchdown in the game. He was so happy (and so were we)!

Here is Levi at Seth's game, ready to head over to his game. His first soccer game ever!

He may not have played before, but he is a determined player. Every once in a while he gets distracted by a bug or something on the field - pretty typical for a 6 year old. He is the youngest on the team and the only one who is new to playing this season. Overall he stays very focused. Just look at the expressions on his face.

He scored a goal in the game. It is good he is so young, or the cheering on the sidelines from his parents may have embarrassed him. Here he is getting some props from the coach after scoring.

We look forward to the rest of the season after such a great start! Yeah Seth and Levi!!

Grandma's Specialty

2010-09-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

I just made my Grandma's specialty for lunch.

I went to visit her for a week every summer from the time I was in junior high on. We had so much fun together - visiting, shopping, swimming, going to tea rooms, eating lots of sweets, playing games, seeing movies. Cooking wasn't high on the priority list for either one of us, but since you can only go to so many tea rooms she would make these hot open-faced sandwiches for dinner sometimes. They are cheddar cheese and tomato, but what made them uniquely hers was the mustard. I would never have thought of using mustard, but it was actually very good. We would eat them with a salad (usually lettuce, red onions and strawberries with a vinaigrette dressing - yum!). Perfect girl dinner, followed of course by dessert. My grandma and I both had a big sweet tooth.

So, today's lunch was a trip down memory lane. The only thing that would have made it better is if my grandma were here still alive to share it with. I really miss her sometimes.

Watching your child struggle is hard to do

2010-08-30T20:03:00.001-07:00

Levi is struggling.

He isn't so sure about this kindergarten thing.

And I am caught completely off guard by it.

I just knew he was ready to start: ready for the long day, ready for a bigger class, ready for new friends and challenges and learning new things.

But I am discovering this change is difficult for Levi. He tells me 8 hours is too long to be at school. And 6:15 is too early to get up. And a 5 day week is too many days at school and not enough at home. And he misses me and doesn't want to leave me because he thinks I might be lonely.

So sweet of him to worry about me, and so hard at the same time. It would be easier I think if he was loving school and not giving ol' mom a second thought.

I know Levi will make friends and adjust to the longer day and end up liking school. He just isn't there yet, but he will get there. The hard part is knowing how much to cuddle and help him now, and how much to let him work out on his own.

He didn't cry today, so that was progress. And he has learned when and where to watch for Seth and Abigail at school. Just knowing where they are sometimes helps. And I promised him tonight I would hold his hand until he was at the door of the school bus every morning, and let go just when he climbs up the steps to get on. That seemed to help.

Together we will figure this out and he will adjust.

Maybe this is normal for the baby of the family - the child who got to spend time at home without younger siblings around before starting school, the child who had more of mom's undivided attention. Maybe this is a result of the number of hours I spent helping him through treatment at home, in the hospital, at appointments - the bond we formed because of that. It is a different type of bond than I had with my other two children at that age. If I think about it, he didn't start sleeping through the night in his own bed without issue (or parties during the night compliments of steroids 1 week out of every 4) until last November or so, a month or more after chemo and steroids ended. He was five years old then. Not your average child's life experience. So I am sure that factors in as well. And it could be that struggling with change is just part of Levi's personality.

I guess it really doesn't matter what is causing this. We will figure out how to support and encourage him; how to help him adjust to kindergarten. And we do it with confidence that eventually he will love going to school each day.

5th, 3rd, K

2010-08-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

5th, 3rd, K

The grades my kids are in.

Not sure how that happened, but they went to those classes today so I know it really did.

I know they are all going to have a wonderful year.

Seth didn't really need us there this morning. I think he was glad we took them to school, but he didn't need us. He headed down the hall ahead of us, ready to get to class. sniff sniff

Here are a few pictures from before school this morning. I love this one.

If you break it apart I think it says something different about each of my children.

Here is Seth, the cool 5th grader with the backpack slung over only one shoulder and the slightly exasperated "I am doing this only because you are making me" smile. Really Mom, I don't know why we have to take pictures on the first day of school.

And here is Abigail, 8 going on 15 or 16 I think. She picked the outfit out at the store all by herself. I couldn't believe she chose brown, although it is a good color for her. I knew pink was out, but now I know brown is in.

And here is Levi with the "very excited eager beaver ready to go to the school my older brother and sister go" look.

Of course we have to have the annual 1st day of school picture by the front door.

When they got off the school bus this afternoon Levi yelled to us, "My new big school is AWESOME!". They all had a wonderful day. Can't wait to see all the new and exciting things kindergarten, 3rd grade, and 5th grade will hold.

New Phase

2010-08-17T05:27:00.000-07:00

Today is Tuesday, and in 6 days I will enter into a new phase of life. I am thinking over other life changing phases. Here are a few:

December 1974 - I was born - biggest life change - ha!
July 1979 - new title: big sister
August 1980 - started formal schooling with kindergarten
December 1987 - new title: teenager
December 1990 - phase of independence with drivers license
August 1993 - moved away from home and went to college
January 1998 - new title: wife
March 2000 - new title: MOTHER

I know that is a brief summary of the past 35 years, and this whole thing might seem a little dramatic to some of you. But what is going to happen on August 23, 2010 feels very dramatic to me. For the first time in 10 years I will not have a child at home with me. All three of my children will spend more hours of their days with other people than at home with me.

This is definitely a new phase for me. And many questions run through my head right now. The biggest is how can it be that my time at home with my babies before they start school is over? And, did I enjoy it enough?

But rather than dwell on if I enjoyed it enough, I am going to try to focus on how to enjoy this next phase as much as humanly possible.

It is my heart's desire to enjoy each phase of life with my children, rather than to wish back a previous phase.

And now I am signing off to go figure out who I am and what I am going to do with myself starting next week....

(Get a part time job? Do lots of volunteer work? Sit around and eat bonbons and watch worthless television? The possibilities are endless.)

P.S. As much as I struggle to watch my youngest go to school, I thank God he is with us and able to start school. With each phase Levi begins (and all of my children - but it all comes to the surface more with him) I am thankful. Through the tears I am sure to shed next week, some will be tears of sadness but many will be tears of joy and thankfulness at the same time.

More than I wanted to see

2010-08-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

Last night my phone dinged at me, which I thought was interesting because that meant I had a text message. Pretty much the only person who I trade text messages with is Randy, and it was Friday evening and he was at home. So I checked my phone.

Someone had texted me a photograph.

I wasn't exactly sure what I was looking at, but I was pretty sure it was a close up of something I didn't really want to be seeing.

So I show it to Randy: "I am not sure what this is, but I don't think it is very nice."

As I am showing him, another photo is texted to me. This time I know for sure I don't want to be seeing these pictures. I saw way more of someone's body than I would have liked.

I was pretty disgusted by it all.

It wasn't pretty, people.

So I deleted the texts. I am hoping this was a one time event - somebody was trying to send these messages to someone else and typed the number wrong.

If it happens again, I guess I will see if AT&T can block this number from my phone. I don't know if they do that, but I am assuming I they will.

(Just a side note: I still am not completely sure what the first picture was of. I think the photographer needs to work on their picture taking skills. I just hope I am not the recipient of any more of their photos.)

Please exit the building.

2010-08-10T05:04:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to find the 2nd largest spider I have ever seen crawling around our den AND a lizard in our kitchen sink.

What't the deal? Is it the heat driving these critters in?

Memo to all insects and lizards hiding in the Rowland House: Please exit the building.

The spider was so big I thought about taking a picture of it. But I was more worried about it getting away before I could take care of it, so I nixed the picture idea. I would never again have sat comfortably on our sofa without worrying that the spider was going to crawl over the back and onto me if I had not killed it.

Slightly neurotic, I know.

And scrubbing down counters, putting all towels in the wash, and sterilizing sponges was not what I envisioned myself doing as soon as I got out of bed. But, that is what took place once the lizard was removed.

I have issues, I know. I was always a bit on the clean side. But once we had a cancer patient in the house, I believe Randy thought I went over to the paranoid-ally clean side. Antibacterial soap and hand sanitizer are my friends. Maybe some day I will return to normal.

(And Just for the record, I think I have lightened up a lot in the past months.)

But no matter how normal I become some day, I really hope I never see another lizard in my kitchen sink..

What have we been up to?

2010-08-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

What have we been up to this week?

A lot of this:

Notice there are only 2 places set at the table. That is because the kids have been in Austin with Grammy and Grandpa. They went for the first time two summers ago right after we moved so that I could spend a week unpacking. Everyone enjoyed it so much that it has become an annual event. The grandparents love it, the kids have a blast, and the parents get some time together. A win-win-win situation.

However, I am ready for my kids to come home tomorrow!!

When they were younger and so dependent, I really craved time to myself without anyone needing me or hanging on me. But now that they are bigger, I just love being with them.

Don't get me wrong - it has been nice to have time with Randy in our house and going on dates a couple of evenings. And it has been nice to do a little shopping, run errands, get a few projects done without interruptions.

But the house is soooooo quiet. We can't imagine what it will be like when the kids grow up and move out. Since we don't have to worry about that for a few years, though, we will just enjoy the time. And so will the kids. And so will the grandparents.

And tomorrow will be very happy for this mama!

Stay-cation

2010-07-25T20:36:00.000-07:00

We decided a "stay-cation" was in order this summer, so Randy took last week off. We had an incredible 9 days together. So thankful for awesome time with our crew. We went out on the lake 4 times with the kids, and once with our college friends who live in the area. We also took Seth, Abigail and Levi to a water park one day. Randy and the boys played golf once while Abigail and I had her hair cut (she chose to go short again) and then did a little shopping. It was very full, and Randy and I felt old because we spent much of the break very sore from all the physical activity - ha! We loved time together, and we loved time at home, too.

Our challenge tonight is making sure we are happy the past week happened instead of sad that it is over. Working on it.

Here are a few pictures.

Levi learned to use the knee board, although he did it on his stomach instead of on his knees. We were very proud of him for trying something new.

Seth and Abigail tried out knee boarding side by side.

It's no wonder Randy was sore. He did stuff like this.

What a goof ball with his "stache". It doesn't show up really well in the picture - look closely.

Hanging out on the boat.

Dinner with the adults after some time on the lake. These guys all lived together at some point or another in college, and we all became good friends. Can't believe how many years ago college has been for us now...

Getting ready to play golf.

Abigail's short hair.

Another goofy pic of Levi at dinner one night. Since it was vacation we ate out several times - can't cook every night of vacation after all!

Worn out after hours at the water park.

Great memories from a great week!!!

Spoiled Rotten

2010-07-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

You don't think this dog is spoiled rotten, do you?

He is cute and funny, too. This is how he likes to lay when he is hot from being outside. The kids call it his superman pose.

Just about the funniest thing he does, though, is run around the backyard with a football in his mouth. He still only weighs 9 pounds, so the football is almost as big as he is. I haven't been able to get a picture of it yet. Working on it.

The kids love him. We are really happy we got him. Now we tease Randy about getting more dogs. We need a David so we can have Harry and David. Or Harry is close to Larry, and we could get two more and have Harry, Curly and Moe. Randy isn't buying it, and in all honesty neither am I. Wouldn't want too much of a good thing. But the kids have fun teasing daddy about it.

Now if I could just teach Harry to sleep past 6 o'clock during vacation week.... Can't have everything I guess.

4th

2010-07-12T05:33:00.000-07:00

A late blog on the 4th - I always think I will have lots of time in the summer to do things like blog, but I am always surprised to feel so busy with all the things the kids and I want to accomplish in the short time.

Anyway, we went to Austin for the 4th of July weekend. Casey and Annie came in from Georgia, and A.J. came from Plano. It is always great to be together with my whole family, and it does not happen very often anymore.

The kids and I went on Thursday, and Randy joined us on Saturday. The first night we were there we were headed out to take a walk. Just as we walked outside it started to rain. It was a nice, steady rain without thunder or lightening so we let the kids play in it. they had so much fun!

Grammy and Uncle Casey watched from the garage.

On the evening of the 3rd, we enjoyed barbecue together with my Aunt Frieda, Uncle Clarence, cousin Adam and his wife Dana. They had tickets along with my parents and brothers to go to Willie Nelson on the 4th. (Randy and the kids and I went to dinner for Randy's birthday rather than going to the concert). Some pictures from the evening.

On the morning of the 4th, we took the kids to my parents' neighborhood parade. It was fun to go to since I have so many memories of walking in this parade when we were kids. We decorated scooters and we all had a great time.

Abigail decided we should paint our nails patriotically, so they were red, blue and silver. So fun to have a daughter to do these things with! Grammy painted hers too, but we didn't get a picture.

A birthday tribute

2010-07-08T11:41:00.000-07:00

Monday was Randy's birthday. Happy Birthday Randy!!!

Since I looked at the kids through the years, I thought this would be a good time to post you through some of our times together, too.

We met about 14 years ago, and married 12 years ago. One of the happiest days of my life!

The days our children were born were also several of the greatest days! You are such an amazing father, and you were from the moment Seth was born.

Our children love the time they get to spend with you.

You have taught the kids so much and they love all the stuff they get to do with you.

All things boat and lake.

Daddy's putting school

canoeing

The first time you took Seth skeet shooting

Chess lessons

You are a good sport when they play practical jokes on you.

You and I have had lots of really special times together, too.

So this year on your birthday we celebrated you. But Seth, Abigail, Levi and I celebrate every day because you are in our lives. We love you and we are so thankful for you!!

It's a good thing....

2010-06-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

It's a good thing I like the dog.

Makes it much easier to not be overly upset when he acts like a puppy

And does things like put a hole in the new tile in the kitchen floor

And forgets that he is supposed to tinkle outside rather than in Abigail's room

And leaves me apologizing to the babysitter that she had to spend more time

Dealing with his issues than watching our children as we had led her to believe was her job.

(And if you were wondering if I really still like the dog after all that, I have proof I do. When I got home from running errands without children (hence the babysitter), I still gave him the new dog bed I bought while I was out and he was getting into so much mischief. Cute pictures to follow - too tired to download them tonight.)

Levi is 6

2010-06-17T05:43:00.000-07:00

Six years ago today Levi Stephen entered our lives.

What a beautiful blessing! All four of us were in love with him. He completed our family, made us officially "The Rowland Crew" according to his daddy. Levi brought us joy and laughter with his loving, expressive, fun-loving nature.

One year old

His second birthday

Then the world seemingly turned upside down. Less than two months after his second birthday, we heard the word cancer for the first time. Suddenly the future for our youngest son didn't seem so certain.

During his first hospital stay

A couple of weeks into treatment

At the end of his first month. After 4 miserable weeks of chemo and steroids, going from a 2T to a 4T in that short time, one of many outward signs of the battle his body was waging, he was still able to smile.

We discovered his nickname "Mighty Vite" (Vite was short for Levite) was more appropriate than we could have known when we first called him by it. For all he had been through, when the worst of the beginning of treatment was over he would again smile, play, laugh; his wonderful personality would resurface. This video shows one of the first glimpses of his returning spark. It made us laugh and cry at the same time.

The time from his second to his third birthday revealed Levi was strong and courageous, a cancer fighter. We were so thankful for that. His third birthday was very special. Here he is at his birthday party.

Levi spent his 4th birthday in the hospital. Fortunately for him, he was still unaware that this was far from most children's life experience. He took it all in stride, and he loved being the center of attention when his nurses and the child life specialists threw him a little party in his room complete with cake and presents.

For his fifth birthday we had a party for him early, which he LOVED. It was wonderful to watch him run and play and laugh with his friends.

And then he spent his actual 5th birthday undergoing a spinal tap complete with anesthesia and chemotherapy administered into his spinal fluid as well as into his port.

Again, he would take it all in stride. In true Levi fashion, by the end of the day he was smiling and showing off some of his presents.

This past year has brought many changes for Levi. For the first time since he was two, he is not taking daily chemotherapy. He is not getting spinal taps. His port has been removed so we don't have to rush to the hospital every time there is a fever. He has grown a couple of inches since ending treatment, and visible signs of chemo and steroids have disappeared. He is changing and maturing, and it brings us joy to watch.

At a little party we had for him last Friday.

Levi, you have courage and strength far beyond your 6 years. You face life with a smile, a little mischief, a twinkle in your eyes. You have endured much, and you have not allowed it to change you in any way other than to make you better. Four years ago we did not know what today would be like, but we learned to enjoy and value the days, months, and years as they go by. You have changed our family, brought us joy. You are our third child, making us "the crew". We are thankful for your life and thankful for all your bring to our family. We look forward to seeing what your future holds.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

A Busy Weekend, part 2

2010-06-16T04:32:00.001-07:00

On Saturday morning we went out on Lake Lewisville with Grammy and Grandpa and Uncle A.J. When we got to the ramp we were the only boat there. We had to wonder if everyone else knew something about the weather that we had missed. It was a little choppy, and we did get sprinkled on a bit, but we had a wonderful time.

Grammy and Grandpa and all their grandkids. Happiness!

Seth was able to get outside the wake for the first time on the kneeboard. He was VERY excited!

A Busy Weekend, part 1

2010-06-15T06:12:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday Abigail had her dance recital. We were very proud of her. She worked hard all year, and was focused and joyful through a week of tech and dress rehearsals. Here are a few pictures:

Ballet

This year she was old enough for jazz class as well. She really enjoyed jazz.

Her studio is very strict - costumes worn behind the scenes only. So we could not take group pictures in costume. Grammy and Grandpa and Uncle Jon and Aunt Emily were able to come. We were so glad they could. Recital is usually on the weekend, but was during the week this year, making it harder for some people to make it.

This was Abigail's 5th year of dance. I thought it would be fun to look at her through the years.

Here first day of dance, fall 2005

May 2006

May 2007

June 2008

June 2009

June 2010

Bad tooth fairy

2010-06-15T05:28:00.000-07:00

Conversation in our kitchen just now:

Abigail: Levi, the tooth fairy didn't come last night.

Levi: That is what happened to Seth, too. Maybe she will come tonight.

Abigail: But I wanted her to come last night. I don't want to lose my tooth for nothing.

Are you seeing a trend here? Bad, bad tooth fairy!

Summer fun begins

2010-06-09T07:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went out on the lake and spent lots of time helping the kids with water sports. We have learned they need time without distractions to learn. Seth got up on the wakeboard a couple of times at the end of last summer, but we see lots of fun and improvement this summer. Abigail has never tried anything, but she decided to try kneeboarding this time. She was able to get started on it. She wasn't comfortable enough to go all the way up, but we were so proud of her for her effort and the progress she made in just one day.

I know many of you aren't really interested in these videos, but for the grandparents and other family members, here they are.

And some pics

On Memorial Day weekend Grandma Gini, Uncle Jon, Addison and Aubrey went out with us. Here are a few pictures of the fun we had.

Addison helping Uncle Randy drive

Addison and Uncle Jon tubing

Aubrey was hot and tired so she took a little nap.

Zebra Stripes

2010-06-01T05:51:00.000-07:00

What happens when

You don't know squat about using a 360 degree turn riding lawnmower
(the two handle steering kind, not the tractor kind).

And you decide after mowing the front yard once with your husbands guidance

That you are experienced enough to mow the whole yard when he is not home?

When your husband gets home he asks you if you had a little trouble with the mower.

You get a bit offended and give him a loving and endearing look

because you thought you had done a good job.

And darn it, it was a little intimidating but you stuck with it.

So, later you say to your husband, "Honey, why does the grass look that way?".

And then your realize why he asked you if you had a little trouble.

Because this is what the yard looked like when you finished.

(See the resemblance to zebra stripes?)

The stripes are there because I was so busy

Trying to control the dad-blasted mower with two handles
(Which is nothing like driving with a steering wheel)

That I didn't notice one wheel of the mower was flat.

Ugh!

I may be fired from future mowing.....

But at least I didn't take out any walls or door frames when I drove the mower out of and back into the shed.

It's a tight fit there people.

shocking

2010-05-28T16:35:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to say

I am a bit shocked to discover

I like Harry.

I am not just enduring him for my children. I actually like the dog.

Meet Harry

2010-05-26T05:39:00.000-07:00

Meet Harry - our new schnauzer puppy.

When Sadie bottomed out and could not handle being around children anymore, we returned her to the organization we adopted her from. They found her a home without children. She just couldn't handle their playing and activity, and we decided it was better to try to get her into a different home than give her prozac for the rest of her life. Anyway, at that time we promised the kids a puppy. So here he is.

He weighs 5 lbs, and he is really cute. The kids LOVE him. Levi can't figure out why Harry tries to teeth on him, so we are working on that. Otherwise he has done beautifully. The second night he cried for 2 hours in his crate, but even that has subsided to about 5 or 10 minutes of crying.

We got Harry on Saturday. We were supposed to be going to see some 2 day old puppies and put a deposit down to reserve one, but they saw Harry and that was that.

He is so funny. When he wakes up and has lots of energy, he sort of hops around. I am hoping to catch that on video.

Seth and Abigail voted on Harry out of a long list of possible names we came up with. Levi wanted to name him Rock Star Red Hot. He is so funny! We don't know where he came up with that name, and it was definitely in that order and NOT Red Hot Rock Star. Needless to say he was outvoted.

The kids are helping with him so much and can't wait to see him each morning and after school. I am glad school is almost out and they will have all summer with him.

He is solid black except for a tiny patch of white under his neck and on one foot. Even his eyes are black, so it is hard to get a picture of him that shows his face. These are the best I have so far.

The cute eyes award

2010-05-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

Today was Levi's end of the year award's ceremony. (So many lasts for us with preschool right now. Last week was the last preschool performanceI will go to for our kids, and today was the last award's ceremony. I have been to 9 award's ceremonies between Seth, Abigail, and Levi, and I have lost count of the number of performances. But I will save the sniffles and lamentations over this for another day.)

At the ceremony the teachers give each child an award, usually one their teacher came up with. Levi's teacher decided to stir things up a little this year and let the kids have input into each other's awards. So Levi received the cute eyes award - how funny is that?!!! His award was also for being funny, caring and compassionate. I was touched by his award. I pray that he will be able to keep these qualities all through life, even as he gets older and more hardened by the world so to speak. I believe if he can view life with humor and treat others with compassion, he will do well in this world and find peace and happiness with his life.

So I went this morning expecting to smile big and clap loudly for my son, and I left with something to contemplate. I am hoping to take lessons from Levi and learn to laugh more and care deeply.

You never know when a life lesson will come your way.

On a much lighter note, one of our neighbors called this weekend. They were cleaning out their garage. Their youngest son is 7, so they had no need for this anymore and offered it to Levi.

Oh my goodness, he loves this! We never got motorized toys for our kids in our last house because we didn't have room to store them. By the time we moved here, they were so big we didn't really ever think about it. But we are happy for Levi that he was given this. Seth and Abigail have ridden some, too. They think it is fun, but they are so big the excitement wears off quickly. But not for Levi. He rides all over the place. And the last two days when they mail was delivered he rode out to the mailbox, got it out and put it in the scoop, and brought it to me. He was so pleased with himself when he did this. Too cute!

Wish Night

2010-05-10T05:38:00.000-07:00

Saturday night was Wish Night, the wonderful fundraiser Make-A-Wish does in the Dallas area. It is an annual black tie event at the Anatole. Levi had the fantastic and fun opportunity to perform in it this year, so we all went to watch him and participate. It was a good learning experience for the kids to realize that people attend events like this and donate money so that wishes can be granted. They didn't really grasp that when Levi was given his Disney trip even though we tried to tell them how grateful we were for being given such a great trip. We met some really amazing wish families, several who take part in this every year even though their wish child is no longer with them. What strength and courage that must take. I especially admire those families. That alone to me shows how much families appreciate the wishes granted their children. As I have said before, Levi's Disney trip truly stands out as a highlight during his 3+ years of treatment. It brought such joy to our family.

While the event was black tie, many of the wish families chose not to dress quite that much. Our boys and Randy wore suits, and Abigail and I wore nice dresses. They were great sports about dressing up, and of course I needed lots of pictures. I don't get to see our family dressed so nicely very often, so I have to document it. :)

The them for the night:

The wish families were not seated at the dinner, so we stood along the sides to watch the kids perform. Here we are waiting for the performance so start.

Abigail and Levi in the dining room before the doors were opened.

Levi and one of his wish friends. Aren't they cute! They wanted their picture taken together but it was hard to get. They kept looking at each other, holding hands, and walking around in a circle. It was almost like they were dancing together. So sweet!

Levi was lion for most of the performance, and a horse in the opener.

Levi and all the fillies.

Most of the wish kids waiting to go on.

What a wonderful night! Randy and I couldn't believe how quickly our children are growing up. It brought us joy to see them looking so wonderful and participating in something like this, but it also put lumps in our throats. A glimpse into the future since they seemed so mature that night.

Las Vegas

2010-05-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

Last week Randy had a conference in Las Vegas. I flew in Wednesday night, and he finished on Thursday so we had a long weekend together. It was really interesting. I had never been, so I didn't really know what to expect. It was fun to walk down the strip and to go in the hotels. They were all so different. We gambled a little - or Randy gambled a little and I watched. He won some money, but I preferred to spend money shopping - guaranteed to walk away with something that way. I know - very boring, but gambling just didn't appeal to me. I walked around and shopped on Thursday while Randy was busy, and we went together on Friday. We also went to a show and ate a couple of really good dinners.

Us before dinner two nights. I think I embarrassed Randy by asking people to take our picture, but we don't get to do things like this very often and I wanted pictures.

I loved the inside of the Bellagio. We didn't stay there, but we ate dinner there one night and walked through it. They had these great flower beds that were so whimsical.

Here is the strip and Randy outside one hotel - I can't remember which one.

One of the most unique things we were able to do was go to a place called The Ice Box. It is in The Hotel at Mandalay Bay which is where we stayed. It is a small square room that is kept at 5 degrees. You can rent a "locker" in it, which is actually a locked shelf, and keep whatever liquor you like. If you have a locker you can go in and take shots of the very cold alcohol. One of the men Randy works with has a cousin whose business keeps a locker. Randy and his friends from work went in one night before I got there. I think they had a much livelier time than we had. :-) The night I arrived Randy's friend took Randy and I in. They give you fur coats and hats to wear so you stay warm. I had a shot of orange rum, which I had never tasted (the cousin works for a rum company so all the liquor in the locker we had access to was rum) and Randy had pear rum and something else. It was fun to do, and we appreciated getting to do something that was not run of the mill.

Vegas was fun, and Randy and I really enjoyed our time together. I am not sure if we are planning a vacation in the future that I would chose to go there again, but if Randy attends another conference there and I have the chance to join him for a weekend I would be interested in going again. We didn't see nearly everything there is to see (we chose to spend Saturday relaxing by the pool instead of sight seeing).

Thank you Grammy and Grandpa for keeping the kids for us so we could have a weekend get-away!

I love my boys!

2010-05-06T19:02:00.001-07:00

I love my boys. I love their energy and their personalities. They have lots of fun together even though they are very different.

Seth has been reading Harry Potter again. He received the 6th book for Christmas, but he wanted to re-read the first 5 so they would be fresh in his mind when he read the 6th. This afternoon he was explaining Quidditch to Abigail and Levi, a sport played in the books. Next thing I know he had all of them outside "playing Quidditch" on the trampoline. They were having so much fun. Seth's imagination is great!

Tonight Levi was sitting on the sofa next to Randy. Randy was working on something, so he was not really focused for a few minutes. All of the sudden he realized Levi was singing, so he started listening to was Levi was saying. "I am so ha-a-and-some and I love God and Jesus." I guess we have a good looking 5 year old who knows God is important in his life. He cracks us up!

Bluebonnets

2010-04-27T18:15:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I ran into a neighbor who told me about a great field of bluebonnets she took her granddaughter to for pictures on Sunday. Since my children are 10, 8, and 5 and I have never taken their picture in bluebonnets, I decided today was the day.

So after school I had them all put on white shirts and we headed out. I thought they would think taking bluebonnet pics was dumb, but they were actually kind of excited about it. And, I bribed them with stopping at a convenience store and getting candy afterwards if they cooperated. I am not above bribery. It definitely comes in handy sometimes.

So we went to the field, and the bluebonnets were gone. It was freshly mowed. I thought that was illegal, but who knows. After driving around for a few minutes, I spotted one little patch left. So we did the best we could. I think they turned out pretty well, and with cropping you can't tell in the pictures how few bluebonnets there were.

The kids really cooperated with having their picture made even though little bugs were making them itch. So we stopped on the way home to get the promised candy. It was so funny - Seth chose candy, and Abigail and Levi decided they wanted gum instead. They picked out packs of bubblegum, but then they realized if they chose sugarless gum they would get 15 pieces instead of 5. So rather than candy they each got a pack of sugarless gum, and they were so excited that they could have their own packs of gum to chew whenever they wanted it. :-)

How to make police officers nervous....

2010-04-23T15:39:00.001-07:00

Today I thought I would try to be a fun mom and take the kids for ice cream after school. Yum!

After getting ice cream, we headed home. We were driving along in moderate traffic, talking and listening to music. All the sudden I realize red and blue lights are flashing behind me. But they aren't lights sitting on top of a car. They are two small lights at the top of the windshield, coming from inside the car above the driver's head - like where the sun visor would be if it was pulled down. Since I can't for the life on me figure out why a police office would be behind me with lights on (I was sitting at a light after driving along with the flow of traffic so there is no way I was speeding) and all I can see is a dark car with these two little flashing lights, I think maybe it is those lights some people like to decorate their cars with.

Probably should have known better - those are usually neon purple or pink or green. But I have never seen lights like this on a police car. I am just confused at this point.

Then I start driving forward when the light changes, and I see the headlights are flashing as well. But there is no siren. I say to the kids, "Is that a police officer? Why would I be getting pulled over?".

Like they know the answer to that....

I drive a little ways trying to see the side of the car. Since it is driving behind me I can't see anything but a black car.

So I decide to pull of into a parking lot. I am still thinking there is no way I am being pulled over. I haven't done anything wrong. I figure the car will just pass me and go on it's way with it's fancy flashing lights.

Nope. It follows me into the parking lot. When it turns in behind me I can finally see "Police" on the side of the black car, in dark yellow or green. Really not very noticeable here people.

So I pull into a parking spot. I am still so confused about why I could be getting pulled over. So I do what you are never supposed to do.

I get out of my car and walk up to the police car.

Not my best idea ever.

I ask the officer if there is a problem and apologize for not pulling over sooner.

She tells me to get back into my car.

So I walk back to my car and get in. But then I make mistake number 2. I didn't shut my door. She comes up to the door and tells me to shut it and roll down the window.

Ok. I do those things. That's when she tells me she pulled me over for expired license tags.

Are you serious? While I was driving along she noticed my tags were expired and decided to pull me over?? Just my opinion here (no loner unbiased because I just got pulled over), but I think the Highland Village Police Department might need more to do if that is how they spend their time. Evidently she was sitting in the parking lot of a dentist office, saw my tags as I drove by and pulled me over. I wasn't speeding, I wasn't driving too fast or on my cell phone in a school zone. I wasn't driving after drinking too much. I wasn't cutting anyone off or dodging in and out of traffic or texting or putting makeup on while driving or doing anything dangerous or illegal. I was just driving along with my kids after getting ice cream on a Friday afternoon.

She asked me if I had a hard time seeing her lights. I said I saw them in my rearview mirror, but they were so small and there was no siren so it took me a while to figure out she was a police officer. Especially since I wasn't aware I was doing anything wrong.

Much to her disappointment (interject sarcastic tones here), I had my license tag sticker in my glove box. My windshield has a crack in it. I keep thinking I am going to get it replaced, so I didn't want to put the new tags on and then have to go through the hassle of getting them replaced once we have a new windshield. I explain this to her. She reviews my insurance card, driver's license, and stickers. Then she writes me a warning.

Yes, I know I am supposed to show my current stickers, so I am in the wrong here. But it just seems like there might be better uses of police officer's time than watching cars drive by looking for expired tags.

Guess I'll be putting the new stickers on tonight. And I will remember not to get out of my car or open my door if I ever get pulled over again. Probably not wise to make police officers nervous.

Whew - I think I needed to get all that off my chest. I feel much better now after venting a little bit.

They keep me guessing (and entertained)

2010-04-20T05:27:00.000-07:00

Time for another post about all the funny things my kids say. I want to remember these cute tidbits. As usual, most of them are Levi's since he is at the perfect age for this. How is wish I had this blog when Seth and Abigail were little. I wrote a few of their things down, but not as many.

Seth reads a lot. I can always tell when he has read a word instead of heard it in conversation because he misses on the pronunciation. Recent examples:
pig stee (pig sty)
ah-mo (ammo)
re-tina (retina)
g-in-ee (Ginny)
thigh-land(Thailand)
Love it! Sometimes I tell him how it is supposed to be said, sometimes I don't. Sometimes he doesn't believe me anyway. Ginny is a character in Harry Potter. He still says her name with a hard "g" instead of a "j" at the beginning.

Levi-isms
On Seth's birthday:
Levi: I am going to buy you a birthday present.
Seth: (sounding hopeful) Really? Do you have money to buy me a present?
Levi: No, but you have money in your allowance envelope I can use.
Classic. Levi was going to use Seth's allowance to buy Seth a present. Seth didn't think that was such a good idea.

Mentioning Christmas songs:
Randolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

One morning Levi sneezed twice.
Me: Bless you.
Levi: You should have said bless you, bless you because I sneezed twice.
Me: Ok. Bless you, bless you.
Levi: No. You already said bless you once. You only needed to say it one more time, not two.
*Sigh* Some days I just can't get it right.

Levi to me on the way to school one morning.
Levi: Did you know dogs and cats can get married?
Me: They can?
Levi: Yes. The don't wear dresses or anything. But they lick. On the lips. That means they are married.
Who knew???

Levi to me another day in the car.
Levi: Hey mommy. You know the cup Jesus had?
Me: What cup, sweetie?
Levi: The cup he shared with everyone. You know at the fiesta. The cup with his blood. Was it real blood?
Lightbulb for mommy. This was right after Easter, and the fiesta was the Last Supper.

Levi: Mommy, did you know I am afraid of heights?
Me: Really? Since when?
Levi: Since an hour and fifteen minutes ago.
I guess if he has to have a phobia, it is good to know when it began. Ha!

While putting together the new trampoline the kids got for birthdays, Levi told me it was a good thing we had a dad to do those things because it would have taken a mom forever to do it without the dad. Unfortunately he was right. Randy was much better at the assembly. I just assisted.

Levi, realizing it was Seth's birthday:
Levi: He's 10? Right now? Today?
Me: Yes, he's 10 today.
Levi: (sounding perplexed) He doesn't look bigger.
Ha! Guess we need to explain to him you get bigger slowly, not overnight before your birthday.

Levi: Mommy, can I sleep in my closet tonight?
Me: Not tonight.
Levi: Garn, garn, garn.
That is Levi for Darn, darn, darn. Ha!

Levi: I think we should call shampoo "shamp" because poo is a bad word.
Where does he come up with this stuff?!?

I scribbled down a note about something Abigail said, but now I can't read my writing. So there are no Abigail stories today.

The Cole's come to visit

2010-04-19T05:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend my college roommate came to visit with her two sons. We had lots of fun - so much fun we forgot to take pictures most of the time. Here is the one pic we managed to get of the two of us.

Erin and I spent lots of time visiting, and our kids got along beautifully. Friday evening we had them all watch a movie while we had a little girls night with two other college friends, Lori Bryant and Ann White. I was so excited about having an excuse to put together "girl food" that I took a picture of it. Sad thing though is that once Lori and Ann arrived, we forgot to get a picture of all 4 of us.

Let's not draw conclusions about my priorities from the fact that I have a picture of the food and not of the people.... *Sigh*

Erin's sons are Paxson (almost 5) and Preston (3). I tried to get a picture of all 5 kids on Saturday evening before they went to bed. What a challenge! This was the best I could do.

Thanks Erin, Paxson and Preston for coming to visit. We look forward to your next visit already!

Easter Weekend pictures

2010-04-06T16:21:00.001-07:00

Easter weekend started out with Abigail's birthday on Good Friday. While she would tell you she didn't want to go to school on her birthday, she enjoyed the attention she got there. A friend on mine makes these t-shirts. Abigail's says "8 Rocks". I am too cheap to buy the ones that say "happy birthday" on them because they only wear them once. But this one was really cute, and she can wear it all year.

Friday evening we went to Uncle Jon and Aunt Emily's house for Aubrey's 1st birthday party. It was lots of fun, and they were so sweet and made a little cake for Abigail, too since the party was on her birthday. Aubrey's actual birthday is April 3. I forgot my camera that night, so no pictures.

On Saturday we had an egg hunt in our backyard with Grammy and Grandpa, and then we dyed eggs. Fun!

Dressed up for church. I had to take a picture of Seth, Abigail, and Levi with their baskets because I figure by next year one or more of them will refuse to hold them for a picture.

On Easter morning we had delicious brunch with Grammy, Grandpa, and Uncle A.J., and we celebrated Uncle A.J.'s birthday. Again, no camera...

Happy Easter a little belatedly! Hope yours was blessed as we remembered the death and resurrection of our Savior. He is Risen!

It's a little sad...

2010-04-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

I think it is a little sad and embarrassing that one of the things I look forward to about spring and summer is.....

I do fewer loads of laundry.

'Cause let's be honest here - I spend a lot of my time doing laundry. Gathering. Sorting. Looking for stains that need treating. Loading the washing machine. Loading the dryer. Hanging up and folding it all. Putting it all away.

And shorts and short-sleeved shirts take up less room in the washer and dryer. So I find it a little exciting how many things I can fit into one load. Hence the sad and embarrassing part here.

Of course the fact that I can fit more in the machine is probably cancelled out right now by the extra laundry we are doing because of all the pollen and green dust. Seriously people, I don't remember it being this bad last year. If we walk outside, our shoes turn green. Our cars are green. Bikes, trampolines, chairs, trees, bushes, plants, everything is green from the pollen dust. So I figure our clothes are green too. And I have us all change them after spending time outside to try to keep it out of the house as much as possible. And those clothing changes mean more laundry.

But I don't mind.

I love that our corner of the world is bursting with new growth.

And I love how many articles of clothing I can fit in one load.

Sad, but true.

Happy Birthday Abigail!

2010-04-02T05:38:00.001-07:00

The last week in March and first week in April are fun-filled for the Rowland Crew with 2 birthdays. Today is Abigail's 8th birthday. I wonder if we will ever celebrate a birthday without wondering how our children are getting so big.

Abigail is growing up so quickly. She is our beautiful daughter, inside and out. She loves to giggle and laugh. She enjoys dancing very much, both in her dance classes and at home. She is cheerful, fun, caring, and works so diligently at anything she sets her mind to. She brings us great joy.

About 1 month

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

4 years old -I couldn't pick just one

5 years old

6 years old

7 years old

8 years old