Texas Skatium

This past weekend, I took Collin and Caleb to a birthday party at Texas Skatium. Walking into this place gave me more flashbacks than I care to describe. Everything about it looked exactly how I remembered it...the disco ball, the mirrored DJ booth, the 4 corners of the rink numbered for various skating games. Ahhh...good times.
The boys had each been skating one other time. As they put on their skates, they each found me and hung on me. Let me state this, my plan was to go the party and relax as I watched them zoom by on their skates, waving to me (maybe even blow a few kisses my way) as they passed. Within the first 5 minutes of their skates being on, my plan was quickly screeching to a halt. Luckily, for only $4 each (yes, I said $4-we're not getting anything for free, don't worry)I was able to rent each of the boys a PBC pipe contraption that resembled a walker, except it had wheels. This brilliant invention is what gave some hope to my delusion of relaxing. They boys skated their little hearts out once they had these! They were sweaty, stinky boys by the time they had made a few laps around the rink. By the end of the party, they were each ready to try skating without their "helper", and they did a pretty good job! They each had their share of falls, but the smiles never left their faces! I am so glad that there are some things, like roller skating, that haven't changed much since I was little. I love that I was able to share this experience with them. Oh, I should mention that I did not put on skates and give it a go. I'm sure I still have mad skating skills, however, my goal was not to show-off to the other parents. My goal was to be the encouraging mom to my two newest skaters.

Happy 1st Birthday, Olivia!

Happy 1st Birthday, Doodle!
I can hardly believe that you are already one! It seems like just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital. Each and every day you have brought joy beyond measure into my life. I love the sweet way you say, "momma". It is like music to my ears. I promise you that I will never forget the way you say it now. I laugh whenever I hear you say, "meow..." The way you move your mouth is cuter than anything I could begin to describe. I admire your independence, though I know there will be a time when I am not so fond of it. You are always watching your older brothers and sister, eager to be doing whatever it is they're doing. I can see the wheels in you mind turning, as you soak everything in. You are brilliant already, sweet girl. I can only imagine what big things God has in store for you!
For your 1st birthday, we celebrated at home. We had banana cupcakes(your favorite)with cream cheese frosting.I wish I could say you dug in and had cake everywhere, but you did not. You were very lady-like. We decided that you weren't going to take full advantage of your smash cake, so we gave you a cupcake instead. You enjoyed the icing (purple)and were successful in getting that just about everywhere. Daddy was on hand to stick you in the kitchen sink for a quick bath! You received lots of great presents from people that love and adore you. One of your favorite things to play with right now is Little People. You show off your brilliance, yet again, every time you play. Daddy and I got you a Little People's house. You have already figured out that the baby goes in the cradle and you keep putting the people in the beds. (I guess you feel they need a nap?!) You love pushing the button that makes the little doorbell ring, and the button that makes a sound like a toilet flushing. Your little face lights up with these sounds.
You are one special little girl, Olivia. I love you more with every breath that I take. I am so blessed that God chose me to be your mommy.
Thank you for an amazing year. Happy Birthday, Doodle.

Diet...AGH!

Ok, Olivia is 10 months old now. There is only so long I can blame the extra weight I am carrying around on "the baby". I wish I was one of those people that was just naturally skinny, but I am not. Instead, I am one of those people that love mexican food and could eat it for just about every meal. I try to eat it for just about every meal. However, mexican food and losing weight don't mix. Not with my body anyway. So, I am going to diet. For real. I will be grouchy and hungry and in desprate need of mexican food, but I am determined to lose a signifigant amount of weight. I will blog about my journey in hopes that my frustration, along with my happiness of seeing the pounds shed, will inspire others to either do the same, or encourage me along the way!

Life of a teacher

I have only one more day of "freedom".
I love my job. I feel blessed to be a teacher and to have an impact on children daily, but I would do just about anything to not have to go back to work on Friday. I have enjoyed every single minute of my summer. By every single minute, I mean the happy minutes and the pull-out-my-hair, losing my mind minutes, too. There is absolutely nothing better than spending time with my babies and my husband.
So, that being said, I am going to sit and do nothing but soak up every last second I have of my "freedom" before I put on my teacher hat for yet another school year.

Houston

Craig and I took Olivia to Houston for a much needed break. It was one of the best times we have spent together, ever.
The drive down to Houston was actually quite nice. We left early enough for Olivia to go back to sleep, and she slept a little over half the drive. We laughed at all of the Buc-ees billboards with quotes like, "Eat here - Get Gas" and "My overbite is cute". On out way home from Houston we couldn't resist the temptation to stop at this acclaimed rest stop. We would've been crazy to be that close to a bathroom that has made itself into the Restroom Hall of Fame and not stop! Olivia fell in love with a stuffed Buc-ee, so she is now a proud owner of her very own beaver snuggle! Everything in that place had the Buc-ees name on it...drinks, candied jalapenos, gummy worms (which Craig enjoyed), etc. It was marketing genius in that place!
The first night in Houston, we were able to see Craig's brother, Tyler. He came in for the Man U soccer game. It was nice getting to spend some time with him. We walked around the mall in Baytown and saw stores with names like, TT Jewelry. I'm sure they had nice jewelry in there, but I'm not sure I'd be thrilled if Craig came home with a necklace for me from a place with the word TT in it!
Thursday morning Craig's dad surprised us with tickets to NASA. I was super excited! I have always wanted to go to NASA and could hardly wait to get there! The theme at NASA right now is STAR WARS, too! You can't get much better than that in the Stevens' household!
We loved every single minute at NASA! It was so amazing seeing all of the shuttles in person. We went on a tour of where the astronauts actually train, and we were able to see the Saturn V and an actual Apollo capsule! I was in awe of how huge the rockets were and at how small the Apollo was. Pictures do neither justice.
The only side-note I have about NASA is that it was full of Middle Eastern tourists. Not a problem, EXCEPT, they kept touching Olivia! I am not exaggerating, she must have been touched 20 times. They would rub her face, her hands, her hair, commenting on how pretty she is. The woman sitting on the row in front of us on the tram literally turned around in the middle of the tour and started stroking her cheek. They were all polite (despite the fact they kept touching my daughter without asking).
Friday we went to the beach. We knew we were going to the beach. We talked about going to the beach when we were at home, but did we "plan" for the beach? Um...no. No chairs, towels, or even swimsuits for us! So, the beach was not a day long excursion, but it was fun, none the less. We looked for shells and walked along the shore, feeling the sand and water on our feet. Olivia did not like the feel of the sand or the water on her feet! She did like the sea gulls, however. She kicked her feet and squeeled whenever she saw them!
Friday night we had dinner at Craig's cousin, Nicole's, house. His Aunt Carol was there with all of her children and their children. It was a gathering that has needed to take place for quite some time. Craig soaked up every minute he spent with everyone there. I loved meeting people I had heard about, people that I know played a huge part of his childhood.
We can not wait to go back to Houston. The time we spent with Craig's dad and the rest of his family was special and memorable. And, of course, another trip to Buc-ees is always needed!

Burger's Lake

On Wednesday, July 21, we took the kids (minus Olivia, she stayed with Brandie) to Burger's Lake in Ft. Worth. It was a blast!
The drive there was easy, for the most part. It's a straight shot from 80, which becomes 30, and takes you straight into Ft. Worth. Once we made our exit, we had a few minutes of drama, but that was short lived (Craig doesn't like to be lost and my directions weren't clear enough for him). But, we arrived on schedule and our day continued without a hitch!
Burger's Lake is beautiful! It is a spring fed lake with sandy beaches and a sandy bottom. It's the best of both worlds, the lake and the beach, without animals swimming in the water with you! The lifeguards were amazing! There was never a big rescue, but they were diving in the water left and right to help kids and whistles were blowing to warn kids to stop running, etc. The bathrooms were super clean. There was someone assigned to keep the bathrooms hosed out (to wash the sand away), toilet paper filled, and room spray sprayed. I was very impressed!
The kids didn't know what they wanted to do first! They finally agreed on the trapeze. Tay watched them from the comfort of the water below as we took pictures. Craig swung the trapeze bar out, picked up Collin and Caleb, and they grabbed the bar when it swung back towards them. They did fantastic on it! Noah's big enough to grab the bar himself, and he loved it, too! Taylor wanted to try it, but decided she should wait until next year when she's bigger.
After that, we built sand castles, went down water slides, jumped off diving boards, and swam for hours! We buried Noah then Collin in the sand, found shells and special rocks, and watched some of the lifeguards do diving tricks from the high dive.
The kids were exhausted when we left! They were all asleep in the car just a few miles down the road! Burger's Lake is our new annual summer spot! We can not wait to go back next year!

live, laugh, love

We've all heard the familiar saying, "live, laugh, love". I think most of us have some form of the saying hanging around our house, thanks to Kirkland's. Instead of looking at this today and thinking how cute it was, I looked at it today and thought how true it was.
Craig's best friend, Dave's, father passed away suddenly today. The cause of his death is still unknown. My heart is in pieces for his family. He was a wonderful man. He was a huge part of Craig's upbringing.
I can not wrap my mind around the fact that no one was able to tell him goodbye. Not a final goodbye, anyway. I realize that death happend every day. And I realize that many times it is unexpected. This is just the first time that I have sat and really thought about how quick it can happen, and how so many things are left unfinished when it happens that way. The questions and things that will never be answered or said are just there....there's no conclusion to those.
I have no doubt that his family will be at peace with all of this in time. He was a man of God and I know the angels are singing today as they welcome him home. That makes me smile. I hope it makes them smile, as well.
All of my rambling brings me back to my original thought...live, laugh, love. We must live every minute to it's fullest. We must not waste time worrying about petty things, arguing for the sake of being right, and holding grudges because we're too proud to move on. Life is about living for God with the people you love, doing the things that honor HIM and make you happy.
We must laugh. The sound of my children laughing is my favorite sound in the world. It is the sound of happiness. As with all parents, if my children are happy, I am happy. Laughter is a must. Laughter is essential to our well being.
We must love. We must love one another as Christ loves us. We must love our spouse, we must love our friends, we must love our family. We must teach our children how to love through our examples and we must love them with every fiber of our being.
I thank God daily for the many blessings in my life. Today I have had a wake-up call that has reminded me that I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams and that in a second, it can all be taken away. My job is to be the heart of my home. I must see that all members of this home are living, laughing, and loving. My prayer is that I can set an example to each of my children that they will carry with them forever on how to live life to its fullest. When it is my time to go home to Christ, I want everyone that knows me to be able to say I lived, laughed, and loved.