HOBO DAY

Tomorrow the second grade classes will all be dressing up as hobos. I had Mason try on his costume tonight to see if we could pull it off. I'll add some beard stubble in the morning if he will let me. I think he will be the cutest hobo the second grade class has ever seen! I saved most of these things from when my friend Kim dressed him up as a hobo for Halloween when he was 3 years old! I'll have to find the old pictures and post both so you all can see how cute he was then too.

CAROLYN THE PS2 MASTER

My friend Carolyn spent an evening with us last week and Mason convinced her to play the Disney Cars movie racing game with him. I hate to tell on her but she is about as good at video games as I am...that is not saying much. I will say she is a much more patient soul than me with those games. Mason had so much playing with her. Just look at that smile on his face. It looks like she was having a good time to hearing the boys sweet laughter.

She and Mark worked together for about 3 years and Mark quickly saw what a great person she is. I have really enjoyed getting to know Carolyn better this year. She has the biggest heart and a fun personality. The boys absolutely adore her and so do Mark and I. I love how the Lord just puts fabulous people in our lives to bless us and show us how much He loves us. When I think of Carolyn, I think of her generosity, caring nature, and fun spirit. I think if we look at the qualities we love so much in our friends, it shows us a piece of the character of God. Look around your life and stop and think about just how wonderful God is!

MENU MONDAY

I have fluttered along trying to be a "Flybaby" for years. For those of you that do not know what I am talking about it is a home management system by FLYLADY that helps you control your housework and stop letting it control you! By no means do a "soar" but just fluttering a little makes my crazy life much more manageable. By far the most helpful thing Flylady recommends is menu planning. She urges you to plan your menu, then grocery shop one day for everything on your menu. This way you are prepared for the week and the stress of thinking, "What am I going to cook" is not eating you away at 5:30 each night. KIM sent me a cute site where you can link your blog to participate in MENU MONDAYS. Have fun with this. Maybe if we tell each other what we plan to feed our families we will be less likely to settle for Sonic!:-) HERE GOES:

MONDAY - LEFTOVER TACO SALAD

TUESDAY - GARLIC LIME CHICKEN, STEAMED AUTUMN VEGGIES, STEAMED RICE

WEDNESDAY - CHILI WITH KIM

THURSDAY - LUSCIOUS LEFTOVERS

FRIDAY - PIZZA (MOVIE NIGHT)

SATURDAY - CORN DOGS, FUNNEL CAKES, ROASTED CORN...THE BOYS AND I ARE GOING TO CANTON

SUNDAY - TUNA CASSEROLE, SALAD, ROLLS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE MISTER ROO

Well, my baby turned 4 years old this week. He is so cute I could just eat him up! He can't wait to be big and I am OK if he wants to stay little. All week he would wake up and ask me if he was 4 yet. When it finally was his birthday, Thursday morning, he was so happy. He told me all of his clothes I picked out that morning were too small since he was 4 now. He had cupcakes with his little friends at Ronda's and we went to El Chico for dinner. We came home and had a little family party together. Andrew opened his present, a V-Tech laptop and giggled with excitement. He has been playing with it every day since! Today we had a small party at Burger King so he could play with some friends. Mark laughs at me because I love to make birthdays in our family last all week. I just think the people most special to us need more than one day to be celebrated. The birthday boys get to pick things for the family for the week like dinner, movies we watch, games we play. It makes it feel special for longer. Here are a few pictures of these fun days.CUMPLIANOS FELIZ!
I LIKE MY PRESENT, A BIG BOY SHIRT!
WORKING AWAY ON MY NEW COMPUTER
SAY CHEESE EVERYBODY!
MAKE A WISH

This was me last week, NO KIDDING! I was covered from head to toe with hives. I broke out on Wednesday and by Friday I woke up trying to hold back the tears. When I finally went to the doctor it hurt to wear flip flops. I looked ridiculous. My doctor shares an office with her husband who is an OBGYN. You should have seen the looks on the faces of the poor expecting mothers when they got a glimpse of me! I looked like I was being eaten alive by a flesh eating bacteria. My doctor gave me a shot of cortisone and I was halfway to normal within 3 hours. My boys thought I took off my halloween costume!HEHE. I felt like a new woman. OH I thank God for modern medicine. I could not imagine trying to bear through that allergic reaction without medication. I still don't know for sure what caused the reaction. I am hoping it was an a Sulfa medicine I was taking. I pray I NEVER have to go though that again.

SOCCER TIME

Our little town started a soccer league and I have had a ball watching Mason play. Mason's age group is co-ed so it is even cuter to watch. Mason had a hard time getting aggressive with the girls at first. There were a few girls that were pretty good players and he had to figure out it was OK to be tough if he had to be, even with the girls. I'm glad to know he is a gentleman at heart! He is a wonderful player and loves to play. I love seeing him so excited about it and eager to learn new skills. DRIVING IT DOWN FIELD
TURNING IT AROUND
CELEBRATING AFTER HIS FIRST GOAL!

OK, I admit it...I have been a bit of a blog slacker these days. I feel like I have been going non stop since the end of September. I have been behind posting our exciting life HEHE. So look around on the blog, I have added an older post for september of our "cousin reunion" finally.

N'AWLINS

Well, that is how the Louisiana folks say it. I am finishing up my convention in New Orleans today and will be flying home tomorrow. This was my first trip to "The Big Easy". The city is being rebuilt but is still struggling. It has a lot of interesting and beautiful history that I would love to explore sometime like the old plantation homes on river road and the natural beauty of the swamps. There is also a sleazy side to this city that I do not care for at all. Definitely an experience...the best part by far was the FOOD! I know you guys can't believe me talking about food!HEHE. We took some clients to dinner at a FABULOUS restaurant named Tommy's. It was Italian, French and Cajun cuisine. It is a testament to the many cultures of this city. I had a wonderful veal Marsala for dinner and sampled many great desserts. I have also had Oysters Rockefeller, wonderful Cajun shrimp and great gumbo on this trip.In this city I have probably gained five pounds in two days! My cholesterol is probably off the charts. I need my walking partners to come home and get back on the exercise plan with me...on that note, I think I will go exercise before dinner tonight. I won't feel as guilty indulging if I spend some time on the treadmill.

FOREVER FAMILY DAY

The day has finally arrived. Kim and Paul are now united with their baby Max! Enough said...enjoy these sweet photos...they made me cry!
MOMMY AND DADDY FINALLY HAVE THEIR BOY!
A FATHER AND HIS SON
I CAN'T WAIT TO KISS THOSE CHEEKS!

Our close friends Kim and Paul will be united with Max any moment now. I know she is going to wonder why I picked this picture...I love it. It shows the silly side of the couple we have grown to love so much. I am so excited for them! I am just sick not knowing every moment how it is all going. I cannot wait to hear the story from Kim & Paul of those first few moments with their precious son. It has been AMAZING to watch the Lord guide this entire journey...even when things looked uncertain. He has taken care of every detail in such a way that you cannot doubt his sovereignty. Check out Kim's blog and travel site to see what an amazing thing the Lord is doing in their lives.

Just think, this adorable little guy is going to be my neighbor really soon... coming all the way from the other side of the world to be just where God intended. I'm sure you all will see many pictures coming of our boys hanging out with Mr. Max. Hurry home Max, we're waiting for you!