Texas Andersons

It was an awful week- a client let me know she thought her car was keyed while here at the house/studio; Evan whined constantly; Ben was awful at school, on the bus, and at home; my consultant let me know she was quitting; Evan removed his diaper, tee-teed on the floor, and played around in the mess; the rain ruined some plans; Evan tracked Sophie’s poop through the house after he stepped in it in the backyard.  Plus more!  I swear, this week was the perfect storm for a mental breakdown or a great TV comedy.

But the weekend was wonderful…

We left Saturday to head to Orange Grove for my cousin Lora’s wedding.  Short and sweet ceremony, we were then off to the reception.  I was thrilled to finally take my boys to the Rifle Club.  And they enjoyed it just as much as I thought they would.  They ran around the dance floor, playing with the other kids.  We ate.  We got to visit with family we hadn’t seen in years.  Ben got to participate in his first grand march.    It was so much fun!  Then we drove out to the Pioneer RV Resort in Port A for a much-needed vacation!

Sunday we hit the beach with my parents.  We built a sandcastle, played in the water, walked the shoreline, and looked for treasures.  Our “finds” included the usual seashells, but we also caught shrimp, crabs, sea slugs, and even a rock fish!  Incredible!  After lunch and nap, we then headed to the pool for some fun in the water.  And then (thanks to Granmom and Papa), Nathan and I got to go out for dinner by ourselves!!!  (the fried shrimp at Charlotte Plummer’s were fabulous… all ten of them!!!)

We kept the vacation going today with beach and pool time in the morning.  Then we headed to my grandparents’.  We got to visit with them and Angie, and the boys got to drive around their property, enjoying the mule and checking out all the corn fields.

We had two fun Cub Scouts meetings lately…

Last week, in preparation for Mother’s Day, all the boys put on hair nets and decorated their own little cakes… frosting and sprinkles.  They had so much fun!

And this week, with an “In the Spotlight” theme, the boys put on a magic show.  Ben performed a few coin tricks.  Not only did he do great with the tricks, but he’s also such a fantastic showman!

And in Curington’s bike rodeo, Ben got 2nd place out of all the first grade boys!  First, thanks to the Bicycle Shack, he got lots of points for having his bicycle in good and safe working condition.  And he got more points for performing so well in all the tests.  (he actually had one of the best/slowest times in the one balance test!)

He was awarded his medal on Monday and was so proud!

God won’t ask what kind of car you drove.  He’ll ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transportation.

God won’t ask the square footage of your house.  He’ll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

God won’t ask about the clothes you had in your closet.  He’ll ask how many you helped to clothe.

God won’t ask what your highest salary was.  He’ll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

God won’t ask what your job title was.  He’ll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

God won’t ask how many friends you had.  He’ll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

God won’t ask in what neighborhood you lived.  He’ll ask how you treated your neighbors.

God won’t ask about the color of your skin.  He’ll ask about the content of your character.

I’m not one for getting all caught up in the greeting card holidays.  But I love Mother’s Day.  If they didn’t have a day set aside for us hard-working moms, would we ever be celebrated and appreciated? 

I worked hard all week- walked the neighborhood every morning, ran errands, saw several appointments, worked on clients’ orders, met and talked to two more home builders, worked in the gardens, cleaned house, and mowed… all so I could have today free.

This morning we had sausage and homemade (by Nathan) cranberry scones.  Then it was off to the lake with my parents!  We toughed out the cold and waited on the mist to enjoy a wonderful day of play, canoeing, and a great lunch (thanks to Dad).  We made it home to rest and thaw out for a couple of hours.  I even got a hot bubble bath!  And then we went out to eat at Welfare Cafe.  The weather was perfect to eat outside, the food was delicious, and the animals on the farm were so fun to watch.

And gifts?  Yes, there were gifts!  The boys picked out a package of chocolate-covered apple slices.  And I got a tent!!!  Fingers crossed that we can take it out to the lot in a couple of weekends. 

I’m so lucky to have had such a wonderful day.  And I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family.

10- I love my mom because she reads me a story
9- I love my mom because she helps me do my homework
8- I love my mom when she makes me laugh by telling me and Evan jokes
7- I love my mom because she taught me how to ride a bike
6- I love to hear my mom sing
5- I love my mom because she finds time to let me go to my friends’ houses
4- I know my mom cares because she gives me a bandage
3- I know my mom is smart because she calls me for dinner
2- I love my mom because she works so hard at kids’ pictures
1- I love my mom because she’s the BEST MOM EVER!

Super Mom
Mom does laundry, tucks me into bed, plays with me, buys me toys.  Mom is caring, loving, fun, nice, beautiful, helpful.

Two months late?  Yep.

I was waiting on the right clothes; I’ve been trying to figure out the right location; we’ve been waiting for some free time.

So I put his session on the calendar for last night and we headed out.

A couple of outfit changes, several poses, lots of smiles, and 30 minutes later… voila!  We walked away with a good handful of great images.

 So “Cheers!” to Ben.  And “Happy birthday!” two months late.   

We did it again!  Six years and counting… we walked in the Race for the Cure and helped to raise money for breast cancer research, awareness, and treatment.

The weather was gorgeous.  The crowd was big.

Ben rode his scooter and did great.  And Evan rode in the stroller or on my shoulders or walked all by himself.  (And he was just tickled to do all that walking by himself!)

But Komen’s need is not over.  If anyone would still like to donate in our name in the next few weeks, you can still use this link to our page.

We will end breast cancer!

Since last time… we ran errands, we had fun, we took naps, we bathed Sophie, we cleaned house, I mowed, we walked, we scrubbed my truck.  And…

We met with a home builder!  Exciting and scary, all rolled into one! 

We spent a weekend at Thousand Trails on the Medina Lake with the Cub Scouts… and had a great time!

We had a fun pack meeting, where Ben got to bring his friend Reagan to introduce him to scouting.  (He’s really hoping that Reagan joins.)

The first graders had a field trip to the hike and bike trail, where we looked for the wildflowers that we spread earlier in the spring.  And a second field trip was to the Witte Museum, where Nathan and Ben got to explore, learn, and even dig for dinosaur bones.

We all went to the Movie in the Plaza event Friday night.  We watched Charlotte’s Web in the comfort of our camping chairs, under the stars with friends, all while enjoying snowcones and popcorn.  It was a wonderful evening.

I finally got Ben’s 7-year portraits done this weekend.  Yay!  It took all of 30 minutes, and we came away with several gorgeous images.

We attended KLRN’s Writers Contest celebration.  And although Ben did not win for his grade group, I am very proud of his cute story about Sophie the Pilot. 

My truck hit 100,000 miles!  Other than my marriage, she has been my longest relationship.  And she has been so good to me.  I love my Chevy Silverado!

And, in celebration of Lemonade Day, Ben had his first-ever lemonade stand this afternoon.  From making the sign, to setting up the table, to waving cars over, he did all the work.  In less than 2 hours he had sold three pitchers-full and made $6.75.  He was so excited!!!