Against The Odds

It has been a bumpy and long road for Billy this past school year. He wasn't sure whether he was coming or going sometimes and we were all a little worried about him. There were many times that we all had conversations with him about, well, everything. He forged on and as I sat at the Fort Worth Convention Center to watch Billy be awarded his degree I couldn't have been prouder or happier for him. Its amazing to see him pull it all together and accomplish this feat. I wish him only good things and I cannot wait to see the man he grows in to.
We brought Hawaii to the celebration!!!

Alicia came down!!!!

There's something about graduations that give me an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. Maybe its not that, maybe its fear of knowing that one day my babies are gonna be walking towards a high school degree and into a life all their own.

Forgive the shotty camera action, but you can see/hear how excited we were!!!

Someone push the slow-mo button please!

Friday was the bearer of a huge dose of reality. My baby boy, my little Nikelpoops is no longer going to be spending the majority of his days with me come August. He'll be joining his big sis in elementary school, and I don't even want to think of how quickly she'll be leaving it. Preschool is no longer in our vocabulary and I'm so excited watching him grow, at the same time I wish I could snap my finger and slow time down a little, it all flies by much too fast when you're having fun.

I thought you might like a little peep at the growing keiki!!! What a freakin cutie puhtutie!!!

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Days Like These

Yesterday was a gorgeously cool day, the sky was full of blue and the sun was beaming warmly on Texas. My heart was aching for some time with my boy, so I picked Nikelis up from school and we had a Mommy, Son day. Our spontaneity found us at the Highlands and we ate at the home of the world's best hamburger, Kincaids. Although neither of us ate the hamburger we enjoyed all the same!!! No day like this would be complete without a heaping helping of the bestest ice cream in the WORLD!!! So off we trotted to Cold Stone!!! Nikelis and I sat at the benches in front of the water we always sit at and laughed and frolicked in the sun...

♥ A happy family is but an earlier Heaven ♥

I'm Officially A Grilling Guru!!!

Who says Erik can be the only one to use the grill. I've always been a little intimidated by our Char Broil, but I've been eyeing a recipe that I just had to make. So tonight I fired up the propane and made some mango salsa and grilled tenderloin. It was mouthwateringly delicious!!! Waaaay better than Kua Aina!!! Okay, not really, but it sure came close!!!
Today both my softball games were cancelled so I got a chance to have a lazy Sunday!!! We went for a walk to return a movie from Blockbuster and came home to do a whole lot more of nothing!!! So relaxing and so renewing...by the way...my kids rock and they LOVED dinner, even picky Nikelis!!!

Stockyard Fun...Minus the Swine Flu!!!

I am by no means the "PTA Mom", not that I think there's anything wrong with that, but this is me...I'm not too fond of other people's children. That said, I have never been on a field trip with either of my little poops before, but Kaylah looked at me with those puppy dog eyes and persuaded me to pay another 3 dollars to escort her to the Fort Worth Stockyards this past Friday. Boy, was it an experience! I knew we were surrounded by amazing history out here, but when you come face to face with the wonder it takes you aback. We sat in the very first rodeo arena, where Elvis was paid a whole $50.00 to sing two songs right before he became the king of rock and roll! We stood at the front doors of the hotel that was a hideout for Bonnie and Clyde at one time. We took pictures in the frame of what was once a building to house pigs and cattle but burnt completely to the ground. We posed with statues of memorials and stars in the ground of cowboys and even Wyatt Earp!!! We were in the middle of a real life cattle drive and Kaylah even got to pet a Longhorn. We learned how Bill Pickett originated the sport of bulldogging. We didn't even notice that the few hours we were there was packed with so much knowledge due to all the fun that was had...
The absolute best part of the whole day was that I was with Mikaylah and I lived through her excitement. She ran up and down the street wanting to take pictures of everything and reading all the little facts that lined the sidewalk. She kept telling me she was so happy that I came with her and she proudly held my hand in front of all her little friends. This is a day that will be hard to top...its days like these that I realize how this little girl stole my heart 10 years ago and I don't ever want her to give it back!!!

Tigers Rock!!!

Nikelis and the rest of the Tigers had the honor of playing at the Dr. Pepper field at the Arlington ball park. For those of you that don't know, the ball park is home to the Texas Rangers!!!
That's right, Nikelis got to play on the big field, well not the actual field, but a smaller replica right outside homeplate. All the boys had grins plastered on their faces when their names were called over the PA system, just like in the big leagues!!! Now everyone knows that I don't like Nikelis to be referred to as Nick, so when I was asked to give him a nickname I was perplexed, everything we call him pertains to pooh......hahaha...amazing!!! Well, Coach Scott, awesome as he is, came up with a nickname for the boy: TNT. Why? Because just like dynamite, big things come in little packages!!! The ironic thing is I was given the nickname Dynamite when I played ball as a kid, and for the exact same reason!!! He certainly is my boy, sorry my Love!!! ;-) We did end up spankin some major booteh, not that it matters whether they win or lose...
Anyway, I am so elated because we seriously have a great team, to include the families. We cheer the loudest at every game and we have a great time together at practices as well. There isn't one person I am not proud to know on the team, its pretty obvious that Nikelis feels the same way. I am going to be so sad when we have to leave them behind...for now I'll just engulf myself in the memories we get to make with them.
Our little Nikelpoops did such an awesome job, he made some great plays, got some RBI's and even slid home, not that he needed to or anything, but it was cute all the same. The only thing that stung my heart that day is that Erik had to miss out, but thank goodness for modern day technology, he is never too far away to join in on the excitement!!!
Go Tigers Go...oh and yes, they are still undefeated!!!

Go Rangers!!!

Nikelis has been playing on the same T-Ball team for the past two seasons and I cannot tell you just how awesome the coach, the boys, and all the team parents are. Last night Coach Scott had a Ranger night for our Tigers.

I caught them all with food in their faces!!! LoL...

That margarita was $9.50 but I think they forgot the alcohol!!!

They were recognized on the billboard "Tiger T-Ball"...what what!!

Coach Scott & some of the boys...and they were dancing in the bleachers to try to rid themselves of the sugar coach happily stuffed them with!!!

It's what we do, what we do!!!

Today after the gym and picking up Nikelis I decided forego my normal chores around the house and cut loose with my boy...I re-introduced him to America and the Eagles along with other "must knows"!!!!

He also showed my his dancing skills!!!

What a blast and not to mention I probably burned a few more calories!!! Hahaha....

They're a little dark, sorry.

Before I was a Mom

Before I was a Mom,

I never tripped over toys

or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether

or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind

and my thoughts. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held down a screaming child

so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night

watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held a sleeping baby just because

I didn't want to put her down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces

when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small

could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,

I didn't know the feeling of

having my heart outside my body..

I didn't know how special it could feel

to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond

between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small

could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night

every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth,

the joy,

the love,

the heartache,

the wonderment

or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,

before I was a Mom.

May you always be overwhelmed by the Grace of God rather than by the cares of life

To all the awesome, hardworking ladies out there...

aka...Mom's!!! Have a super happy day!!! We definitely have the toughest yet most rewarding job imaginable. So enjoy a day dedicated to us!!!

Life's grand when you see it through the eyes and feel it through the heart of a child...

Study...Study...Study, that's all I do

But on Thursday I got a package that I've been excitedely anticipating. My super dee duper hubalubbs decided to send one of my Mother's day gifts early. Wahoooo....I'm such a spoiled brat!!! Annie & I couldn't decide which picture I should use, so you are now subjected to my vanity at its finest!!! I can't wait until the next box arrives and the kids are making me my breakfast in bed...hey I already said I'm spoiled alright!!!
This couldn't have come at a better time, though. My brain is literally fried from my midterms but like the little engine that could I'm chugga-lugging right along. I'll be so happy when I'm finally hanging that degree on my wall, only a couple more semesters!
This past week consisted of the same ole grin and bear it routine, but Nikelis' T-ball team did win yet another game!!! He had a few RBI's and made it home!!! I love watching my little guy play his booteh off!!! Us girls are just trying to survive Nikelis' antics which are nothing short of bothersome, at least he keeps us laughing. Mikaylah's grades are continuing to climb and Darrylynne is keeping up with her health regime. Tomorrow and this upcoming week are going to be loads of fun though, we have a packed week ahead of us, let's hope I survive it!!!

...I LOVE BEING A MOMMY...

Happy Cinco de Drinko!!!

How did we celebrate...with a bottle of Jim Beam and some super onolicious Hawaiian food!!!!

Erik doesn't care cause he has beer...

Annie's super dee duper jealous!!!

Pat and Angela are laughing at me....

The kids, Nick, Addy, and I are all enjoying!!!

P.S. I told you I was gonna do it Annie...hahahaha....I love you too!!!!

This blog thing...

I've been blogging for a few months now and my friend P-lish made a good point on his: he wonders who reads his blog and doesn't make themselves known.

...I too wonder who else reads my blog...
...I wonder how you search for people...
...I wonder if anyone knows any other sites that have premade backgrounds for blogspot...
...I wonder if everyone knows there is a spellchecker on here...

I should be doing school work...

But it's movie night and we are enjoying a double feature (as Annie likes to refer to it!!!) Tonight we are filling ourselves with lumpias...yummy yummy in our tummy's and "Hotel for Dogs" and "Nights in Rodanthe" (that one I'll probably end up watching alone...lol). I know just what you're thinking: I took time last night to go and watch the ever so sexy Hugh Jackman float his nekkid booteh down a waterfall, but today is a different day!!! However, I will admit that was quite a sight, thank goodness I covered the kids' eyes in time though.

Anyway, I deserve this mighty relaxing time to push aside my homework and enjoy a little bit of mindless yet gratifying computer time and movies with these things of mine and Darrylynne of course.

This morning Nikelis and the rest of the Tigers stomped yet another team at T-ball. Then Stryker had a rather indulgent day, he went to the doggy spa to hopefully be rid of the skunk smell once and for all. He came home with a manly little bandanna wrapped around his neck, but we can't seem to find where he took it off at. Oh well, at least he is much more pleasant to the nostrils. I even like to pet him now, he's so soft!!! I wonder how long that will last??? Ah man, the kids are completely in love with this oober cute movie, Kaylah even cried!!! What can I say, she gets it from her Momma!!! Damn, I may have to go buy it now.
Today the kids also made information cards for themselves just in case they get lost. They made sure to include their fingerprints...they spared no expense I tell you. Oh and Mikaylah would like everyone to know that she got an award at tutoring. She has a really good time there and the best part is her studies are starting to prove it!!! We so proud of her.

And in case you haven't heard, we had yet another day of torrential rain here and there was a disaster at the Dallas Cowboys training camp. A structure, which is more like a tent, was knocked over and 12 people were hurt. Thank goodness no one was fatally injured and none of the players suffered any injuries either. Whew, my Boys are all alright, this is going to be our season, it has to be!!!

The Road To Health

Darrylynne came to stay with me last week and I thought it only fair to let the rest of the fambam know how she is doing. Tiari and David have done a spectacular job helping her adjust to her new life away from Hawaii and bad habits. I'll be honest, I was quite apprehensive having her come here, I'm mean and she doesn't necessarily take to that. Its been rather eventful since her arrival what with the cocoa fiasco and a few other things, but all in all we are getting by and she is loving the time she gets to spend with the kiddos.
Some of the positive changes she has undergone:

She no longer speaks complete pidgeon.

She has a zest for personal hygiene.

She doesn't shut down when I'm forced to reprimand her.

She takes responsibility for her actions.

She doesn't seem as lonely and introverted as I remember.

I don't hear as many one sided conversations from her.

She loves to exercise.

She has lost about 10 pounds since the last time Tiari weighed her (roughly a couple of weeks before she got here).

I'm so excited to let everyone know that she is happily going to the gym everyday with me and eating much healthier. She is slowly, but most definitely losing that weight that is obviously holding her down. Today her and I had a heart to heart and she is going to commit to telling herself over and over that she won't let her disability hold her back anymore. I'm so proud of her for wanting better for herself, not just with her health, but she is working on her education as well. Everyday Darrylynne, Mikaylah and Nikelis "study" with the workbooks we have and she writes stories to tell the kids. Its exhilarating to see her thriving.

Obviously, the first picture was taken back in December when we were in Utah and the last two are where we are starting our progress reports! As you can see she is already showing improvement. I will keep everyone updated with her successes during her time here. I will try to remember to post something every Friday, she will be overly ecstatic to know that her family is cheering her on!!!