the way we are

happy birthday buggas!

2011-05-16T08:29:00.003-05:00

this weekend we celebrated #7 and #5. i can't believe my children are at these ages. i just can't. part of me wants to hit the pause button and stay at this stage forever. of course i said that when they were 2 and 4 also. but another part of me wants to keep going so i can see what their little minds are going to come up with and explore and become. they are amazing. they have changed my life in so many ways and i'm so thankful to be a mom to my jake and my ella. truly the best. sure i want to throw them across the room sometimes....but overall, they lighten my life like nothing else.

thursday was jake's day. he chose chocolate muffins for breakfast, a bologna lunchable for lunch, and pizza and breadsticks for dinner. he got a trip to the lego store and i'm pretty sure he was pleased with his day.

saturday was ella's day as well as the party. she chose cinnamon rolls and bacon for breakfast, an egg for lunch and taco bueno for dinner. she got her fingernails and toenails painted (one of her favorite things) and i'm pretty sure she was pleased as well.

the party took place at redpin bowling (if you're in the okc area and need a place for a party, go here!! it was great!!) they had so much fun bowling, eating cake, playing with their friends and running around the riverwalk. i couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day.

so here we go, moving forward to 8 and 6. those numbers seem to big to me. so for now i'll enjoy 5 and 7. many great things in store, i'm certain!!

mom, mommy, momma, mother, hey you

2011-05-09T09:33:00.004-05:00

i've only been a mom for seven years. well almost seven years...this thursday. and in these seven years being a mom has come to mean so many different things to me. things i never thought i could think and things i never thought i could feel.

i would honestly kill for my kids. be it right or wrong, that is the way i feel. they are my heart, my smile, my song. they keep me going, they make me laugh, they make me cry, they have ways to get under my skin, they sometimes make me want to retire from being a mother (already). but they are greatness. and i wouldn't trade the opportunity of being a mom for anything.

i'm not perfect. i don't try to be. i'm me. and that's all i can give. and i feel pretty good about that. sometimes i yell, sometimes i scream, sometimes i cry. but i also love, and hug and teach and encourage and pray and live.

balance. that is key in my vocabulary.
dont' sweat the small the stuff. LITERALLY. don't sweat it. life is too short. and that stained new dress or ruined piece of furniture, you can't take it with you. what you can take is a feeling of satisfaction, that your kids felt loved and supported and had fun with life. i don't want my kids to remember getting in trouble, (although there is plenty of that, that comes with life) i want them to remember learning and growing and again, having fun.

this is my ode to motherhood. this is my journey. and these are the reasons i get to be celebrated and celebrate. (old pic, jake almost 3, ella almost 1..turning 5 and 7 this week)

and this woman is the reason i was brought into the world and get to experience motherhood. my mom. i love you. i miss you. you will never be forgotten and live every day in the hearts of your children and grandchildren. i hope you get to peek down from heaven and watch them every once in a while. you would be proud.

twas a great saturday

2011-04-19T09:39:00.003-05:00

the weather was perfect. nothing was planned. relaxing and laughing was on the agenda. i love these times with my family.
the day started off with a run in the park, followed by a walk around the neighborhood while the kids rode their bikes. gorgeous weather. did i say that already?
i had the urge to watch baseball movies so after we played a few rounds of hot potato with the kids outside, we grilled some dogs and burgers and enjoyed the "sandlot" and "field of dreams". two of my faves.
it was perfect. and i loved the whole day. the end.

addendum to birthday post

2011-04-14T11:32:00.002-05:00

although this is going to seem quite comical, there were a few highlights i forgot to mention about my birthday. and since i'm claiming it was the best one yet, i figured i should give proper justice. just a quirk of mine i guess and the fact that i was extremely tired when i wrote yesterday and might have forgotten a couple of details that played great importance in the success of my birthday....

first of all, after my wonderful pedicure with ella i was treated to lunch by my fantastic friend amy at one of my favorite places, saturn grill. our time together is always great but this time was even greater b/c of the conversation...one i will treasure and remember. so i have to give props where props are due.

next, i forgot to give a million thanks to my older sis and my husband for the parts they played in making my birthday celebration magnificent. the secrets they kept and the planning that happened played the most significant role in making my birthday the greatness that it was. they both took very good care of me (and the kids) and made my birthday even more amazing.

so to them i say thank you. and to everyone who made my weekend amazing...you know who you are. now there, whew. i'm glad i did this. if not for the reader then for just myself. and since it's my blog and i'm 35 now, i can do what i want!!

probably my greatest birthday ever

2011-04-13T18:32:00.003-05:00

who knew turning 35 would be so great! i had my weekend planned. date night with my hubs on friday night and girls night with my girls on saturday. little did i know....

that these two lovelies were coming in to surprise me for my birthday. i was overwhelmed. and so friday afternoon began our 5 day extravaganza. there are many more pictures to be shared but i will only post a few and spare you every detail.
friday before ella headed to school, i treated the two of us to pedicures. we had fun!
friday night we went to mcnellies, the okc memorial, and then to kaiser's for some ice cream. a fabulous night.

on saturday my lovelies took me for a manicure. i never get those so that was a nice treat. we stayed out most of the day taking the lovely beth around to various places in our city b/c she's NEVER BEEN TO OKLAHOMA! crazy right?

on saturday night i went out with my girls. appetizers at rococo's, dinner at sauced, then back to my friend nickel's house for some drinks and cupcakes. delish and such a fun time, singing my guts out to old school songs and dancing with my sister even though i'm not good at all. oh the memories. loved every minute!!

sunday was church and a barbeque with friends then hanging out with the family that evening.

monday we went to the red earth museum and then took beth out to pops and the big red barn. we had a most excellent time. she loved pops and we were given a special VIP tour of the big red barn by sam. again, more good memories. we ended the evening with eischen's fried chicken, simply the best!

tuesday we headed to anadarko, oklahoma where i had hoped to show beth indian city usa, which unfortunately shut down last summer. would have been nice to know that BUT we did find this great street in anadarko. pretty cool right? ended up showing beth the plaza district (which i love) and ate at big truck tacos. delish!!

our last stop on tuesday was the oklahoma state capitol building. i had never been and shame on me for that. it is actually quite a cool place to tour and we enjoyed it immensely. i even took the kids out of school that day for our adventures and they loved it!

my lovelies left today to head back to california. can't wait for another adventure with them.

by far the best birthday i've had.....can't wait for next year!!

spring break

2011-03-21T17:48:00.002-05:00

i loved you. you were so much fun. so relaxing. i didn't want you to end. you've made me ready for summertime. these last couple of months of school better go by fast....

would you believe i got one picture over spring break. oh well, the memories are embedded deep into my heart...who needs pictures (ha ha ha)

for real though, spring break week was pretty much perfection for me and my family.

monday was a dreary cold day. no worries though, i did housework and got my laundry done for the week. we stayed in, the kids played and watched movies...it was a good day.

tuesday we went to pops for the first time and it is really cool! the food was great and it's just all around fun atmosphere.

wednesday we headed to the zoo...along with the rest of oklahoma city's population. by the time we got there, we had sat in a line for ten minutes without moving...and that was just to park. we decided it was a no go and headed back to pops to try out their dessert. yum-o and the kids loved it yet again.

thursday we packed up the car and headed to texas for the rest of the week. we saw friends and family and enjoyed being away from home and not really having an agenda. i think the kids favorite part was staying in a hotel. i still love to do it so i understand the excitement. i have no complaints about the trip other than i didn't want to come home.

but here it is monday and today was a really great day. God is good. i know amazing things are on the horizon for me and my family and i can't wait to see what they are. i'm so blessed, for no other reason than God loves me, and that feeling is indescribable.

and that's all i have to say about that.

too....many.....days.....

2011-03-15T18:29:00.002-05:00

i've been meaning to update for a while now but alas, time escapes me. sometimes i wonder where it goes, but nonetheless it's gone. so here i am, halfway through march trying to figure out what needs to be said.

the season of lent began last week. i love this time of year. i've grown to love celebrating and participating in lent. it's meant something different to me every year and this year will not disappoint. i'm quite certain.

spring break is this week. so far so good. monday was quite dreery so we stayed in doors. the kids watched movies and i did 4 loads of laundry, cleaned the kitchen and changed the sheets. whew. productive day.
today we went to pops for the first time. it's a very cool gas station/restaurant. they have $2 tuesdays (burgers) and soda pop galore. the kids and i went with some friends and had a great time. they especially enjoyed getting to drink a big bottle of pop all by themselves with no sharing and no watered down taste (that's right, i still water down the sugary drinks)
tomorrow looks to be a beautiful day so i think we'll head to the zoo and see the elephants who have been in tulsa for quite some time. they have a new home and it sounds like it's pretty impressive.
then on thursday we are headed to texas to stay for a few days to do whatever the heck we want to do. we have a few things "planned" but mostly we are just relaxing and enjoying being away for a while. can't wait for that!!
so that does it for the ven's right now. ready for school to be out and see what the summer has in store.

my girl

2011-02-25T09:57:00.004-06:00

when i was younger, i wanted to be a mom and have a boy and a girl. however, when jakob was born, i changed my mind and decided i wanted all boys. God had different plans for me and i guess decided to stick with my original desire...He gave me ella.
i'll be honest, when i first heard i was having a girl, i wasn't excited. and ella has given me a run for my money.
but man oh man, i could not imagine my life without her. she brings so much joy to my life. she makes me laugh constantly and when she is in one of her crazy moods, our laughs go on forever. she is dependent, but extremely independent. she has a mind of her own, but likes to have encouragement for her choices. she's a snuggle bug, loves to play dress up, already has a shoe fetish and is boy crazy. yes that's right, at the age of 4 we already have a boy crazed little girl on our hands. just this morning she woke up smiling because she had a dream about two little boys in her class. good times for all. and dad was NOT amused. i, however, think it's cute.
she had a conversation with her brother the other day that deserves to be saved. and here's how it went.

ella: bring me my juice.

jakob: you don't just say "bring me my juice ella". we aren't your servants, you're not a queen.

ella: yes i am.

jakob: no you're not.

ella: well i feel like one.

and that is her attitude. and at times it drives me crazy. but with that tenacity, she'll be unstoppable.

so i say to my precious ball of sunshine who popped into my life and turned my world into crazy girly-ness.....

you grab that scepter and go for it!!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T10:23:00.002-06:00

...if i give everything i own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but i don't love, i've gotten nowhere. so no matter what i say, what i believe and what i do, i'm bankrupt without love.
love never gives up.
love cares MORE for OTHERS than for SELF.
love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
love doesn't strut. doesn't have a swelled head, doesn't force itself on others, isn't always me first. doesn't fly off the handle. doesn't keep score of the sins of others. doesn't revel when others grovel.
love takes pleasure in the flowering of TRUTH.
love puts up with ANYTHING.
trusts God always.
always looks for the best.
never looks back but keeps going to the end.
love never dies.

Trust steadily in God
hope unswervingly
love extravagantly.

and the best of these 3 is LOVE.

snow, snow, snow, snow, SNOW

2011-02-08T09:42:00.003-06:00

i love it. i love being snowed in with my family, by the fire, baking cookies, watching movies. love it. i do get weary after about 3 days of going no where, but overall, it's mucho funno.
last weekend we had a trip planned to see b's brother in east oklahoma, unfortunately we headed out and had to turn back. a second (unexpected to us) snow storm hit oklahoma and made it pretty scary and pretty impossible. we were bummed so decided to head to tulsa. i'm really glad we did. we got to see friends and have fun in their snow, which was a little thicker than ours.
the kids got to play and go sledding and just had a great weekend.
and now we're getting ready for round two. not sure what to expect, sometimes the weather men are right on, sometimes, not so much. so we shall see. i'm stocked with baking supplies, firewood and movies so bring it on (whatever it may be) bring....it....on.....

one thing

2011-01-24T13:54:00.003-06:00

i went for a run this afternoon. something i haven't done in about a month and a half. it felt good. call me crazy if you wish but i missed smelling the outdoors, the sun in my face, the sweat...yep that's right, the sweat and i also missed my music.
as i was running, one of my favorite songs came on. the words that ring in my head every time i hear are
"all of my life, in every season, You are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship"
it's repetitive and as the song was going on, i began to think about my mom. no matter what was going on during her 7 years of cancer, she worshiped. with all of her heart. yes she had days of exhaustion, yes she had days where she didn't want to get out of bed, and even walk, but i remember sundays and how she would never miss. i remember her prayer time and as far as i know, she was faithful. no matter what her pain was, no matter what her body told her, she knew the ONE thing she could do if nothing else, was to praise His holy name! and that she did!! what a testimony!
so i began to cry, while i was running, just thinking about how i've recently let my circumstances dictate my attitude and even my health. it's easy to let day to day creep in and tear you apart, but we can't let that happen my friend!! we MUST in spite of everything else, we MUST worship!!
worship (much like exercise in my opinion) is invigorating to your soul. it releases all the junk from your day and gives you such a feeling of "i can do this!!"
this is not "new" news...i know you know this, but sometimes it's good to be reminded.

WORSHIP!!

2011

2011-01-11T10:38:00.002-06:00

those numbers are foreign to me. i'm not the only one saying, "i can't believe it's 2011" but i really can't.
in a conversation the other day among friends, doing some calculating, realizing i have been friends with someone for over half my life. i guess it's not that unreal, i just didn't realize it. and now we're looking at the middle of january in the next few days....time DOES go by so fast.
this holiday season was good. i remain blessed. although i've had better, i do not want to sound like i'm complaining, but it wasn't what i expected at all.
the beginnning of december began with sickness for ella, followed by jake, followed by brandon, and a small cold for myself. nothing to write home about, i am extremely thankful it was nothing worse (for everyone) but i was ready for december to come to an end and that's not normal for me.
my sister came in town 3 days late due to weather...SUCKFEST and unfortunately, a close friend and a one i've been reunited with, both experienced death this december. one at the beginning of december and one the day after christmas.
i was ready for the month to be over and the new year to begin.
but this year i didn't have any resolutions. something i've tried to do every year for a while now.
all i want to do is live my life, live for the Lord, enjoy my family each and EVERY day, appreciate the small (and big) blessings, keep learning to trust in the One who holds all things and give more.
i guess you could say that is a resolution of sorts, but these are constants.
i'm learning more and more, i like a routine (i'm all for unexpected fun-ness and surprises) but i function better with my routine. that's a good quality i think, but i need not let my life become messy when the routine is broken. i need to learn to roll with it.....
so this blog is random, i felt it was time to update and maybe jot some things down that i can reflect on later.
i continue to learn from everyone around me daily and i am certainly blessed more than i deserve and more than i realize.
i want 2011 to be a monumental year.
so here's to 2011 and january being halfway over. i heard a friend say, "doesn't the beginning of january feel like a continuous monday?" i have to whole-heartedly agree. but we're well on our way.

Never Give Up

2010-12-18T07:53:00.002-06:00

i've been contemplating writing about this...for one i'm not even sure if people read this anymore. secondly, it's personal...and while i feel i've exposed myself to some degree in my blogs, this entry is a bit more personal than most.

b and i have been through alot in the last six months. some people know a little about it, others have no idea. we're not afraid of sharing our struggles, in fact, i would hope that what we go through could encourage others and lift them up.

i lost my job back in june and when it ended i felt total peace. my idea of what was going to happen was a lot different than what did happen. that's not out of the ordinary though. i think most of the time our solutions to problems are different than God's. it's hard to get over and comprehend that my way isn't the best, i mean come on, my solution works so perfectly in my head...why would it not make sense in real life. (note the sarcasm)

nevertheless, God had different things in mind. we have struggled financially. digging deep into God and trying to hold on with all our might to His promises and His provision has not been easy. it has stretched our faith beyond anything i can comprehend...and we still have a long ways to go. but we kept fighting and got to a point of being willing to lose everything....no exaggeration. and that is a very scary yet liberating place to be.

and as we continued to hold on and press on and trust God and pray for that miracle to come. it happened. coming from somewhere completely unexpected, from someONE completely unexpected, and just like that, it was taken care of. we don't have to lose everything, we don't have to walk down a path we were welcoming and dreading at the same time, just like that, God took it, fixed it and will continue to work it out. i'm convinced.

alot has happened to try and distract me from this miracle. but i'm not going to let earthly circumstances and daily happenings take me away from what God is doing and will continue to do, as long as i abide in Him.

so i say all that to say, never give up. your miracle is coming. in a way you never imagined and can't even dream about....it's coming.

i read this little blurb in an email b received a few days ago...i think it helps sum up my thoughts as well.

When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you trust God to do what's best, and wait on HIS time, sooner or later, you will get it, or something better.

You Are For Me

2010-11-30T14:03:00.002-06:00

This is one of my favorite songs by Kari Jobe. I listen to it alot. On some days it just reminds me of the One I have backing me and other days it pushes me to keep going. Its comfort. Thank you Jesus, for being "for me."

So faithful
So constant
So loving and so true
So powerful in all you do
You fill me
You see me
You know my every move
You love for me to sing to you

I know that you are for me
I know that you are for me
I know that you will never forsake me in my weakness
I know that you have come down
Even if to write upon my heart
To remind me who you are

So patient
So gracious
So wonderful in all you do
You fill me
You see me
You know my every move
You love for me to sing to you

I know that you are for me
I know that you are for me
I know that you will never forsake me in my weakness
I know that you have come down
Even if to write upon my heart
To remind me that

I know that you are for me
I know that you are for me
I know that you will never forsake me in my weakness
I know that you have come down
Even if to write upon my heart
To remind me who you are

Still Thankful

2010-11-25T08:56:00.002-06:00

1- I'm so thankful for Jesus and the relationship I'm able to have with Him. It's the most important thing in my life and every day only brings me closer to the truth, of not being able to make it without Him.
2- Thankful for His word-that guides and teaches me and encourages my life.
3- Thankful for the freedom I have in prayer.
4- Thankful for my Jake, Ella and Brandon. They are my heart and my life-I am so blessed.
5- Thankful for my friends and that God takes interest in blessing me with encouragement.
6- Thankful for my dad and my sisters. I have been blessed with an amazing, supportive and loving family!
7- Thankful for constant provision that comes from God.
8- Thankful for my abilities that God has blessed me with- thank you for trusting me Lord.
9- I'm thankful for life lessons- even though they hurt, they help make me stronger and plant my faith deeper in the Lord.
10- Thankful for my body- that is healthy and strong and works great!!
11- Thankful for vision, not just to see every day but to really take notice of the beauty God has given us in creation.
12- I'm thankful for Love that is so perfect, it leaves me speechless.
13- I'm thankful for my relationship with Brandon. It's unique and crazy fun. I wouldn't want to go through life without him.
14- Thankful for shelter- I would much rather live in this house than be without.
15- Thankful for Joy that always shows itself no matter the circumstances.
16- Thankful for being able to wake up every morning and start fresh-thankful for new.
17- I'm thankful for the Holy Spirit that to me provides a deeper love and connection with God. Thankful for guidance.
18- I'm thankful I can call out to God for a peace that doesn't make sense and it always comes.
19- I'm thankful for forgiveness that never ends and makes a way for an eternity with God.
20- Even though my mom is gone, I'm thankful for the 29 years I had with her- I pray she knew how much I loved her.
21- I'm thankful for hope in Jesus-He's the strongest foundation, never wavering.
22- I'm thankful for Christmas-to me it has many meanings, but without Jesus it doesn't have worth.
23- I'm thankful for the Orchard and finding a family that fits. May we grow and welcome more!!
24- I"m thankful for laughter, for the release it brings and for real Joy that comes from sharing it. I'm thankful my family is good at it!
25- I'm thankful for the opportunity and blessing of being a mom. I can only pray my grace and love are a true extension of Jesus.

This was my 25 days of thankfulness list. I'm blessed beyond words.
Happy Thanksgiving!!

thankful

2010-11-10T10:18:00.003-06:00

taken from "crazy love"

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your grace.
Your forgiveness is SO good that I struggle with believing it at times.
Thank you for rescuing me from myself and giving me Your Holy Spirit.
Your love is better than life!

life is good

2010-10-29T10:23:00.003-05:00

we've been busy but such is life when school gets rolling and activities start happening and the holidays come peeking around the corner. i love love love this time of year. LOVE! so i'll just post a couple of pics from our recent happenings....we had our family pics taken by a wonderful friend of mine who is extremely talented and then last night we went to haunt the zoo.

the venable's are doing good. we are blessed by the Lord. so blessed that i'm often without words to express my thankfulness. of course there are things we are working on and things that i pray will get better, but overall, i have to say, the Lord has blessed us abundantly.

Colossians 2:6-7 (the message)
My counsel for you is simple and straight forward: just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus the Master; now live Him. You're deeply rooted in Him. You're well constructed upon Him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it. And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.

love it!

an accomplishment

2010-10-17T10:00:00.003-05:00

well, it's a silly one, but one for me that's worth mentioning.

i have another addiction and it is cereal. i love cereal and would eat it 24/7 if i could. i'm not sure my family would appreciate the movement from solid healthy food to only cereal, but it's a thought.

my all time favorite cereal is count chocula. i'm pretty sure i had it every day when i was a kid. and through the years they have changed my cereal, it's shape and texture, but it still remains chocolatey goodness. they don't keep it on the shelves year round though, they have started to release the cereal at halloween. quite fitting. so about two weeks ago, now going on three, i bought two boxes of the chocolatey goodness...and i'm proud to report, we still have one box going in the venable home.

now you might be thinking....two boxes to last you two weeks, why is that so great? well, b/c honestly, i could polish off one box in two days if i let myself....no exaggeration there. i would eat it for meals and as a snack if i could.....I LOVE IT!!

so i wanted to share my accomplishment with my readers : ) and say hey, go buy yourself a box. and if chocolate is not your "thing" try frankenberry or booberry. equally as wonderful for the fruity flavored lovers!

happy eating!!

not a lot to say

2010-10-05T13:32:00.003-05:00

odd for me, i know. we've been busy. so for now, i will just post a couple of pictures. and say boomer sooner!

conversations with jakob

2010-09-22T10:19:00.002-05:00

from out of the blue...

jake: mom, when i get to be a man and have a boy and a girl of my own, i never knew what i was going to name my girl. but now i do. have you ever heard of the book called "chrysanthemum"?

me: no i have never read that book.

jake: well the girl in the book, her name is chrysanthemum and she's named after a flower. so that's what i'm going to name my girl. and i promise you this mom, my boy will be named bumble bee.

me: (much much laughter) bumble bee and chrysanthemum, those are great names jake.

jake: bumble bee is a cool name mom. and i'm going to buy him all transformer t-shirts and jeans.
----------------------------------
seriously, i want to dive into his mind and hang out there for a while. oh what fun i would have!

gaining more perspective

2010-09-15T09:45:00.003-05:00

sometimes i like to grow, sometimes i don't. usually the pains that come with it are realistic and harsh. i'm not really a fan of that second word.

the last month has opened my eyes to how blessed my life really is, how much i truly have to be thankful for and how many times i need to check myself before i grumble. and believe me, i can grumble with the best of them.

i blogged a few weeks ago about a dear friend from college who passed away unexpectedly leaving her husband and three young daughters behind. and another life long friend of mine who has recently had to spend the last two months in the children's hospital with her 18 month old who has been diagnosed with cancer. and here i sit and grumble b/c our finances are tight or our house hasn't sold yet...almost letting these things affect me to a point of affecting those around me.

i know God is just as concerned with my needs as He is with those i mentioned above...but what i'm learning through this is how MY attitude needs to be changed and how MY heart needs to be humbled.

i've been reading matthew this week, particularly chapters 5, 6, 7 and 8. and although i've read these chapters several times and the particular verse i'm getting ready to share a million times, it speaks to me differently every time i read it and really think about what the Lord is trying to show me.

chapter 6:31-33 (the message)
"what i'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way He works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how He works. Steep your life in GOD REALITY, GOD INITIATIVE, GOD PROVISIONS. don't worry about missing out. you'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

enough said.

something i could never do

2010-09-07T15:33:00.003-05:00

i'm alot different from my mom. anyone who knew her and knows me, knows this. a good example would be sofa pillows. my mom did NOT like anyone laying on her sofa pillows (except my husband, he was always excluded from the rules and could do pretty much whatever he wanted...but that's for another blog) she even bought extra pillows so if we wanted to snooze on the sofa, we could rest our weary head on a "less fancy" pillow. she was funny that way, and i loved her for it.

this is what i let my kids do with my pillows...

they refer to this as "monster pillow." they gather pretty much every pillow in our house, form a huge pile and dive into them. they LOVE it. it makes me laugh b/c they love it so much and makes me laugh even harder b/c i can hear my mom's voice and her concern over "monster pillow."

however...i'm quite certain, nonna would've let her grandkids do some form of monster pillow. even if it meant she spent money on "less fancy" pillows...she would've given into their pleas. she was just cool like that.

perspective

2010-08-31T09:22:00.002-05:00

i've had a lot to contemplate the last few days. i've not experienced anything like it since my mom passed away. it's not fun, it hurts and honestly i don't think people should have to go through it.

but it's a part of life, as sucky as it is, and we end up learning from it, gaining our own insights and perspectives and if we're open to it, growing from the process.

death.

let's just be honest. it completely blows goats. that's right, BLOWS!! but it happens. and although on the other side of it awaits pure bliss, it's not easy to handle when you're the one left behind.

a few days ago i found out a friend of mine had a seizure, went into cardiac arrest and was found unconscious in her home, by her mother. my friend was 35 years old, married and has three girls, 3, 5 and 8. not a good combination. my heart was torn and i hurt for about 48 hours straight. friends from everywhere came together and prayed for her healing. prayed until it hurt, prayed so hard i was exhausted at the end of the day. BUT i felt God. i know He heard every word prayed on her behalf. i felt Him deep in my heart and i knew He was listening.

everyone, everywhere was believing for a miracle. these girls should not have to live without their momma. i'm much older than they, i know what it feels like, i miss my mom every single day.....this is too much hurt for them to go through without understanding. Guy should not have to be without his wife. their relationship was pure, they were good for each other. a perfect match in my opinion. he should be able to celebrate his 50 year anniversary with this woman.

but God saw things differently. He wanted her with Him.

and so now a man is left without his wife and three precious girls are left without their mom. it's not fair. it doesn't make sense. to be blunt and perfectly honest....it's bullsh*t.

and then i read and reflect and pray. b/c if i'm hurting this much, i know from experience her family is hurting double.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (the message)
"I don't think the way you think.
The way you work isn't the way I work."
God's Decree.
"For as the sky soars high above earth,
so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
and the way I think is beyond the way you think.

Isaiah 54:10 (the message)
Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,"

i could go on forever but these two scriptures spoke to me the most over the last couple of days. God sees so much more than we can begin to imagine. He's still got a plan for Guy, he's still got a plan for their three precious girls.

and He's got a plan for all of us.
to love. no matter what.

Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

first day

2010-08-20T17:08:00.006-05:00

i really didn't think it would affect me. i was excited about the "quiet" time i would be having for 2 1/2 hours each day....but when i dropped jake off for his first day of 1st grade, i ALMOST cried. i was honestly trying to keep it together b/c i knew if i did jake would ask a load of questions to which i didn't have acceptable (to him) answers. so we said a short prayer together, which almost started the water works and out he jumped (yes the car was stopped). he was really excited!

when i got back home to ella, we were honestly kind of bored. she's a talker too BUT not quite as talkative as her brother and she usually perfectly content with being right by my side. so i did some bill paying on my computer while the news was on and we sat for about an hour or so. she kept asking when she would get to go to school, i kept repeating myself (after lunch) and finally the time arrived and off we went. she was VERY excited, even more so than jake.

upon picking them up, they were both beaming and couldn't wait to share their stories. jakob said "it was alot of fun mom" and ella said "i got to eat a cookie" both wonderful testaments to a great first day. i couldn't be happier and i'm ready to get back into a routine. so here's to a great first day of school (but according to jake is his 3rd day of school b/c his first was his first day of pre-k) oh how i love him!

last weekend

2010-08-12T16:41:00.004-05:00

was busy. full. fun. exciting. tiring. lovely.hot. but wonderful.

my dad got married to a wonderful woman named liz. it was a lovely wedding, very small but beautiful. we had a great time. at the end, they eventually did kiss BUT first, made us all laugh by doing the handshake that is somewhat depicted above. it was quite comical.

these two came in for the wedding and were here from friday until monday. we had great times, as we always do. ate a lot of food, had some drinks, enjoyed one anothers company and had a grand time. hate to see them go when the visit ends. already looking forward to Christmas!!

so that was my weekend in a picture nutshell.
next week school starts.
i'm excited. but i know i'll get bored. what oh what am i going to do with two hours to myself every day......oh the possibilities

conversations with jakob

2010-08-02T10:06:00.002-05:00

this particular conversation took place with his dad but it's a good one to share...actually an excellent one to share. he blows my mind with what comes out of his mouth. keeps me in stitches all the live long day.

jakob was looking through b's harley davidson book. he flips through the pages and comes to a knucklehead from 1930....

jakob:holy cheeze-its, this is awesome! was 1930 before or after nonna died.

b: 1930 was about 80 years ago so it was before she died.

jakob: (long pause) whoa, that just blew my mind.

you know what blows my mind? you jakob. you blow my mind! love love love you!

Happy Birthday

2010-07-26T15:06:00.004-05:00

today is my mom's birthday. honestly, i don't usually think about it until before or after the fact. but today when i heard the date on the news, i said aloud "today's my mom's birthday." i didn't expect anyone to say anything it was just me thinking out loud, but jakob spoke up and said...

"today is nonna's birthday?"

"yes jake"

"even though she died, can we still have cake?"

i laughed to myself and said no, but then got to thinking, why not let them be a part of her birthday celebration, which they never got to see. so we talked it over and decided to go get two red flowers and place them by her grave. they actually enjoyed this and asked lots of questions, some humorous, some serious but totally get that she's in heaven with Jesus and they think that is really cool.

next i told them, to celebrate her life, we would have ice cream! they loved the idea and it gave me an excuse to have a cheat day on an otherwise boring monday. (smiley faces all around) ice cream was my mom's favorite and although none of us paid homage to her favorite (a banana shake from sonic) we went to braum's and each got a waffle cone.

they asked me some questions about her. things like "are her bones under the ground?" "what's she doing with God?" "can we see her?" all good questions in my opinion. but one of my favorite things and quite humorous to me at the time was this...

ella: (who by the way never got the chance to meet my mom) i love nonna.

me: me too ella. she was a lot of fun.

jakob: yeah, until she died.

very true jakob, very true. death does not usually make someone stay fun. ha ha ha. i got a good laugh at it and it made the mood light hearted. i just try to imagine all the fun my mom would've had with jake and ella. how we would've visited her today and brought her goodies and pictures and all sorts of things to make her day special. but i think she would've enjoyed spending time with her grandkids more than anything. i miss her ALOT. and there probably won't be a time when i don't...so this day was special to me. and it wasn't sad at all, my kids made me remember with a happy heart that my mom was awesome, she lives with Jesus and we get to see her again.

what a great monday!
happy birthday momma!!

Living a Better Life

2010-07-19T10:12:00.003-05:00

www.donmilleris.com/conference

Living a Better Story Seminar from All Things Converge Podcast on Vimeo.

When I read "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" by Donald Miller (who's writing I absolutely LOVE) I realized we were well on our way to living a better story.....

My husband and I are "normal." We have normal jobs, 2 kids and a dog, and are living in a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home in Yukon, Oklahoma. We've always been involved in church, helping out in areas that needed volunteers and considered ourselves to be "doing what God had called us to do."

Three years ago our world started getting rocked. We became uncomfortable in the things we were doing. At first we thought about becoming more involved in church, perhaps stretching ourselves into different areas, but that didn't help. We opted to change churches, maybe another one out there would offer us what we were looking for....not to be found. We considered moving to a different area, a different part of Oklahoma or maybe even a different state....no can do. We felt stuck and didn't know what to do, other than pray, so that's what we did.

On a random, not so memorable day in February of 2007, my husband was at his wits end and basically in his own way, laid it all on the line with God. He was given a vision of community, right here where we lived, in downtown OKC. Within the next two weeks he was filling out paperwork and moving forward in obtaining a 501-C3 to start a non-profit, The Center Post, to provide an establishment that will impact the community and improve quality of life for those who inhabit it.
1. A community based outreach touching lower income families where they live by bringing food, clothing and friendship to their homes.
2. Instructing the community on how one can cultivate staple crops such as corn, beans, tomatoes and other kinds of vegetables and fruits in the back yards and open areas of land throughout Oklahoma City thus relieving some of the economic strain.
3. Preparing survival packages to those without a home. Basic needs such as socks, scarves, drinking water and insoles.
4. A venue that will bring awareness to the community with music and art as well as bring social and economic integration.
5. A facility that aids in the education of urban youth, giving them a safe haven after school to study and grow.
6. An outreach directed towards the children of local hospitals in an effort to bring hope and laughter to terminally ill children and their families.

It has been a long process and we have had many obstacles throughout the last 3 years come against us. It's big and scary and exciting and sometimes we sit back and ask if we know what we're getting ourselves into...and then our heartbeat gets stronger and the need to make a difference overwhelms us and so we persist.

We are still waiting on the 501-C3, but we know it will come at the right time. In the meantime we are continuing to plan and dream big about what God wants us to do. We are involved in a church plant and believe we are going to be able to reach even more communities once our non-profit status come through, the possibilities are endless. we are helping the needy as best we can with what we have, volunteering at a food pantry, giving our own clothes, bed, household items to families we come across who are in need, volunteering our time to help the elderly with home upkeep, doing what we can with what we have until we can do more and do it full time.

I'm writing this blog with hopes of winning a trip to attend a seminar on "Living a Better Life." After reading Donald Millers book, I think the seminar will help prepare Brandon and I for our future and non-profit status and perhaps we'll even get the opportunity to sit down with Donald Miller and shoot the breeze about his own nonprofit and get tips and advice and council on how to run our own. Who knows, it's worth a shot, right?

a couple of nuggets

2010-07-14T09:11:00.003-05:00

i love it that my kids are growing up. i love watching them experience new things and seeing this big huge crazy world through their eyes. but sometimes i don't like it...b/c that means they are one year or one day further away from being my "little ones". they are one moment further away from saying crazy things that make them sound like they're 35 years old. one moment, further away from still crawling into my lap for a hug.

but for now they're still like that. and sometimes the things that come out of their mouths makes me laugh....pretty hard. so here are a couple of things that were said recently that made me smile and wish they could be little forever.

set-up: we just had a new roof put on our home. it was quite noisy. we weren't home the entire time which was helpful but while we were home, the kids did great and not much complaining at all. until dinnertime....

jakob: mom, when are the roof people going to done. i would like to eat my dinner in peace and quiet without all the loud banging going on. (good times, he already sounds like an old man)

set-up: jakob had just spilled some water on the floor. here comes ella to the rescue. she grabs a towel off the counter and says...

ella: don't worry mom, it's cool. i've got it. i've got it. i'll clean it up mom, it's cool. (thanks for being "cool" ella bug)

and there you have it. not much but they're mine. and i love them and need to remember these moments so when i want to chunk them across the room.....i won't. (big smile here, not evil at all)

in due time

2010-07-06T09:59:00.004-05:00

i am a pusher. i will admit it. it can be good and it can be bad. sometimes i can encourage people in a healthy manner, other times i push to hard. i'm okay with this. i'm trying to learn balance. and it's something i MUST do, especially when it comes to my kids. i love them with all my heart and want the very best for them, who doesn't, right? but sometimes i push too hard. and there are some things they must experience and learn at their own pace, no matter how much i push or even how good my teaching skills are, how much patience i have (which is usually not alot) there are times when they will take their sweet time. and that's ok. b/c when they learn what you're trying to teach them, when they realize they are unstoppable....they will in fact be.....UNSTOPPABLE.

and that is the bottom line. the most important thing i will try to instill in my children, they can do ANYTHING they set their mind to.

and jakob did just that.

for the past two weeks we have been in swimming lessons. he's not been very adventurous and didn't want to try "swimming" at all. he was having ALOT of fun going underwater but would not, for anything, swim. his report card from swim lessons said he was not ready to advance to the next class.

until the day after swimming lessons.
and something clicked. and he did EVERYTHING he was taught. i'm not sure what it was. maybe the pressure was gone b/c he was by himself, not with a class, no teacher. maybe it was the goggles he got from his poppa, providing him with some sort of security......not sure at all. but the boy swam. and i cried. he jumped from the side of the pool. something we've been trying all summer long WITH an inner tube and he would not budge. mr. i can do it all by myself, jumped from the side, withOUT a flotation device.

i am one proud momma.

and have taken from this...he will get it. everything you're teaching him (and her) they will get, in due time. keep loving, keep correcting and never give up.

july...are you kidding me?

2010-07-01T20:10:00.002-05:00

i can't believe it's already july. the summer is flying by. we HAVE been busy but seriously, only one more month of summer vacation then back to school? can't believe it. alot has been going on in and around the venable house...so i'll try to sum up. i realize some of these topics will have to be expounded on...all in due time.

-my job ended at the church i was working for. they decided to redistribute my responsibilities to the school of ministry students in order to prepare them for their future. i was shocked but felt total peace about it. seriously, total and complete peace. it was almost scary but i knew it was b/c God was with me and will provide. i'm excited for what's to come.

-we have our house up for sale. we are trying to move to bethany, oklahoma. we will be helping some friends of ours with their church plant. we are so very excited and totally know this is of God. it's been amazing to watch things pan out. again, excited for what's to come.

-my dad is getting married. august 7th. we are very excited and happy for him. he has found a wonderful woman of God, she's going to be a great friend and is already a wonderful grammy to the kids. they love her (and so do we)

-jakob will be in the 1st grade and ella will start pre-k. two kids in school. can't believe it, but i'm VERY excited. we've done lots of fun things this summer so far, including watching too many movies and playing too many video games. but hey, it's summer time......

lots of great things to come. the Lord continues to bless us daily, provide for us and shower us with grace. He's truly an amazing God and i'm surrounded by His love.

sometimes a change of plans is the best plan

2010-06-19T16:41:00.003-05:00

we had our 11 year anniversary extravaganza planned. a trip to springfield to see an old friend, visit his improv club, stay at a bed and breakfast, a weekend WITHOUT children, what could be finer?

and then your babysitter calls and has come down with an extreme sinus/ear infection. NO GOOD! for us or for our sweet nicki. (she's doing better now by the way)

so we had to revise our plans last minute.
early reservation at rococo's. love love love that place.
impromptu meeting of friends at cafe do brazil downtown. drinks and music. and WOW a surprise dedication song to the happy couple which included a dance from my hubs...in front of strangers....and i even got a kiss....in front of strangers! (this is huge for the hubs, it was greatness and i couldn't stop smiling)
then a stroll over to mcnellies for some late night chips and queso and a couple of complimentary shots for the lovers of the night (that would be me and the hubs).

what started as a disappointment to our weekend, ended up being the best night out we've had in a long while. love you change of plans. you're cool like that.

the view from cafe do brazil.
and love you hubs. you're greatness. you make me smile and i'm forever thankful for your friendship and love. you're an amazing dad and husband. thanks for all you do for us!

ella bug

2010-06-15T20:41:00.002-05:00

her color coordination and creativity speaks volumes

need i say more.

thanks for the test God....NOT

2010-06-09T16:02:00.002-05:00

i pray. every day. and usually on the top of my prayer list, are my wonderful children. praying for their health, their strength, to wake up feeling refreshed and even their attitudes. for them to play nice with each other and have fun during the day. for me to be a good example and show them how to behave and treat other people. for God to help me show them grace and mercy like He shows to us. to show them rules and direction with love. (italics my emphasis)

and then we go to the grocery store.

and so i have to wake up tomorrow and pray the exact same thing.

and also ask for forgiveness for the mean looks i gave them in the grocery store and for the scratchy throat i got b/c i yelled so loudly in the car on the way home from the grocery store.

cuss you grocery store.

crazy may

2010-06-04T13:51:00.004-05:00

it's over and we're into june and i can't believe it. i am now the mom to a 1st grader and a pre-k-er. time flies people. so rather than be wordy and boring, i'll post a few pics from our may. it was crazy busy fun, we were out almost every weekend in may. june looks to be a little more calm but things change every day....we shall see. needless to say our first few days of summer have been lots of fun. looks promising to be a good one. and a very HOT one.

kindergarten graduation, jakob and iriana showing off their certificates, ella not paying attention, sounds about right.

jakob and ella were in another wedding. b's niece got married in texas and they were ring bearer and flower girl. how totally cute do they look. i was proud!

we went to tulsa last weekend and got to visit the aquarium in jenks. it was so cool. the kids loved it. this is us in a shark cage. oooooo scary.

i believe this is a shark egg the kids are touching. well, chloe and jake are touching it, ella was happy to watch. they got to feed stingrays, touch them too, touch small sharks, feed turtles, lots of different things to do at the aquarium. it was fun!!

and that's our may in a nutshell.

i'm an addict

2010-05-17T09:17:00.004-05:00

i've always known this. i have accepted my problem. i try hard to get over it. but this makes it very hard.

i have it with toast, raspberries, strawberries, bananas, a spoon.
this is serious people. i need a support group. i honestly think i could level off a container of this in a day if i didn't stop myself.

why must my tooth be so sweet. why could it not crave veggies as it does cocoa. i must gain control.

four and six

2010-05-16T15:03:00.005-05:00

that's what i have now. a four year old and a six year old. last week brought me closer to having two kids in school at the same time, more independence and honestly, a little more heartache. i never would have thought it would happen to me or i would be the one to feel that way but as i watch them grow.....my heart gets a little sad b/c they are no longer babies, they are becoming little people, big boy, big girl, however you want to name it. i will try to hold back the tears as i type.

so last week was fast and furious as we were celebrating two birthdays in the same week, two days apart.

jake turned 6 on wednesday. he woke up to presents, his choice of meals throughout the day and ended the night with a trip to the golf course with his dad to hit some balls before the rain came. he enjoyed his day.

on friday miss ella bug celebrated birthday number 4. she is a big girl now and is so excited that she's four and not three. (these are her words) ella woke up to presents, meals she wanted for the day and got to get a pedicure AND got her ears pierced. she loved every minute and can't quit looking at her ears in the mirror. love that girl!

so on saturday we had the big dual birthday party. we chose a place called "unpluggits" in edmond. it's a place where you can play, paint, create....you name it, they have it. we had about 12 kids there, pizza, cookie cake and lots of presents. the kids enjoyed their party immensely and i have to admit i had fun myself.

a very full, fun week. much worth the tiredness my body felt on saturday evening and into sunday. but i'm recouped now and ready to tackle the last full week of school. my how time is flying. i'm gonna have a 1st grader and a pre-k-er. crazy.

time does fly. sometimes too fast, sometimes not fast enough. i'm going to enjoy every moment and try to capture those extra special ones in my memories, forever. sheesh, how sappy and velveeta-y do i sound......?

i'm ok with it though. i'm a mom, it's what i do.

Did you know?

2010-05-12T11:03:00.002-05:00

i'm healthy. or at least i try to be about 98% of the time. the other 2% you'll find me eating chocolate...whether it be cake, cookies or brownies. i can't seem to say no. oh and those darn hershey miniatures...they get me every time.

i digress.

i try not to eat fast food at all b/c i try not to eat a lot of processed food b/c i don't know everything these franchises do to their food...and frankly knowing even a little, grosses me out. so when i do eat out, i like to think i'm being somewhat healthy and making good choices. (although there is the occasional stop at taco bueno....98% of the time people, that's my goal)

i digress....again.

one of my favorite sandwich places is city bites. i love love love their california club. i order it on everything wheat bread (the best they have in my opinion) turkey breast, avocado, sprouts, lettuce, tomato, and bacon. it also comes with mayo which i occasionally keep on the "wich" and their "own blended oils". i was craving a sandwich today and decided to look up the nutritional info on my fave....whoa. 690 calories. dang it. i began to dig further.

BAM. the blended oils they put on their otherwise nutritious sandwich are a whopping 250 calories. the sodium content is a little over what i'd like to have but with bacon..it's gonna happen.

so all i have to do is nix the oil (which i usually do) and i've got myself a decent lunch. a little higher in calories than i normally have but overall, not bad.

so why am i posting this? research your food people. find out what you're putting in your body. God gave it to you, so treat it with respect. don't go overboard just b/c it tastes good. i can be frank b/c well, this is my blog and b/c i've been down the "eat whatever i want road" too.

be healthy. it's not hard. and you'll feel better and live longer. i promise.

ps, i'd stay away from the spuds at city bites. all spuds begin at about 1000 calories and go up from there. that's over half of your calorie intake for the day. YIKES!

i am blessed

2010-05-10T09:26:00.003-05:00

mother's day was good. i'm blessed to be a mom. and i want to thank a few people b/c without them, i wouldn't be one.

without this beautiful lady giving birth to me, there's no way i would be able to experience the joys of being a mother. she was truly a woman of beauty and grace. i love her and miss her and am thankful for the legacy she leaves behind. i know she would love her grandkids and spoil them like craziness. we miss you mom, thanks for all you did to make it possible for me to be a mom! (and thanks to my dad too, he DID contribute in making me too but let's face it, enduring labor entitles you to more thanks! wink wink daddy, love you more than you know)

this guy. who is amazing. thanks for doing your thang and giving me the opportunity to me a mom. i am who i am b/c you walk beside me, support me, and let me be me. you're a great daddy too. we make a pretty great team if i do say so myself.

and of course, these two. the word would not exist in my vocabulary had the Lord not blessed me with your existence. sure labor with you was hard, and of course i want to throw you across the room several times a day, but my life is blessed b/c of you. you both have amazing spirits. i pray i can be the best mom ever for you. thanks for making my life never boring and full of laughs. i love you like crazies.

back and settling

2010-04-29T10:44:00.004-05:00

or at least i thought i would be by the end of the week but not so. i wish i was still there, celebrating, running around like crazy, having so much fun. the newlyweds, i'm sure do not feel the same as i, for they are whisping their cares away on a romantical trip in costa rica. but the wedding was THAT good. and the reception was even better. something i will truly never forget. it could not have been more perfect, weather and all. God smiled on two families and a load of friends that day and gave us a perfect experience.

all of my pics are on facebook which i'm sure most of my readers belong to so feel free to browse and look at a link on my page from "portray life photography"...they are amazing.

so i'll leave you with a few of my faves and say, i hope i get back into the swing of things soon, or i just might have to swing somewhere else.

the bridesmaids...sneakin one before the ceremony. yum-o

me and my sweetie. ain't he cute. and yes i love the facial hair.

the happy couple. deandra happily in charge, jeff acknowledging it.

the sisters in huntington gardens. a bee-u-ti-ful place.

me and the bride. so much fun.

my sweet cutie pie.

In 3 days

2010-04-16T10:14:00.004-05:00

we will be off for a week of adventure.

we will be sharing one of the most exciting events that can happen to a person.

there is not one more deserving than the happiness that awaits her....

they are made for each other and are about to have, what i am certain will be, the greatest adventure of their lives. april 24th, 2010.

thanks for letting us share it with you. can't wait to see you!

who knew

2010-04-12T09:25:00.004-05:00

i really wish i had pictures for this post. to prove that i'm not lying. to show you the humor in what i'm about to tell you. but i don't. so just use your imagination.

let's see, it's been 8 days since Easter. which means yes, there are still plastic eggs laying around my house. most of them empty by now, i want to trash them all but i'll have to do it while the munchkins are asleep. they claim they want to "play" with them....i have yet to see this.

however, they have been used by a thoughtful little girl, a girl i've come to know and love with all my heart and who pushes me to my limits every single day.

i came home after the evening Easter service last Sunday and was told the kids had chicken nuggets for dinner, they ate well so they got to enjoy some Easter candy. good for them.

the next morning i see an Easter egg under the table, i pick it up, shake it, there's something left in it, let's see what it is.....oh, well that's gross, it's a piece of chicken nugget. i laugh a little to myself, i know who the culprit is and toss it in the trash.

another day passes, i'm looking through Easter eggs that are still in the Easter baskets and upon shaking one, realize there's something still in it. i open it and find....yep, you guessed it, another piece of chicken nugget. i laugh, a smaller amount this time, and toss it in the trash.

and yet another day passes and i see some lone Easter eggs near the back of the counter. one is a bigger egg and a smaller egg sits next to it. i open them and what do you think i find. about 4 more pieces of chicken nugget. someone did NOT eat all their dinner, someone MADE daddy believe they did. someone got candy and is laughing inside b/c she fooled us.

so it seems that i've got a little trickster on my hands. who is now, it seems, constantly trying to get one past mom and dad.

pray people....she's only 3 (well almost 4 but still). i'm sooooooooo in for it.

shoes and teeth

2010-04-02T14:43:00.003-05:00

what a day, what a day.

first of all, i will never take my son shoe shopping again. sheesh. he's worse than his dad. granted he's only 5 (almost 6) but man i loved getting new shoes when i was young. at least i think i did. and i certainly love getting them now. ella enjoys any kind of shopping, lucky me. it's fun for now, but i think i'm gonna pay for it (in more ways than one) when i'm older.

anyhoo, my sweet little jake was an absolute bear. i didn't think we were EVER going to decide on shoes. plus he had to use it, plus he was hungry, plus the kid hates to shop anyways. adding those elements together made this trip to the mall, icky to say the least.

he finally made his selection and it was time to go home for lunch. this is where the teeth part comes in.

jake has had two loose teeth for quite a while. he's been messing with them, pushing them, pulling on them and keeping us up to date on the status. today while driving home he informs me that one of them is "coming off my gums." whoa, here we go. i wasn't quite sure how he (or me for that matter) was going to handle this.

we got home, planted ourselves on the bathroom counter and i told him to hold onto my arm and if it hurt, squeeze. i grabbed a washcloth, put it around the loosest of the teeth and pulled down.......and what do you know, BOTH LOOSE TEETH POPPED OUT. we were freakin! jake was freakin cause of the blood, i was freakin b/c i just pulled two teeth out and ella was freakin b/c jake was freakin. it was great. once we all calmed down a bit we snapped a shot of our first "loss"

he did so good. i'm a pretty proud mom right now. a few tears were shed but nothing like i thought it might be. and he loved being able to swoosh water around in his mouth and spit it uncontrollably in the sink. boys.

way to be jake, i hope the tooth fairy brings you something snazzy!

reasons why

2010-03-19T10:08:00.004-05:00

there are several reasons why i love going to los angeles..

-my sister and her hobo
-the shopping
-wahoo's
-LPQ
-melrose
-venice beach
-a random taco stand
-santa monica
-kingshead
-the weather
-breakfast in a bowling alley
-riding the bus
-trader joes

and if that's not enough, there's one more reason...

of all the styles i see that i hope trickle to the midwest...this would NOT be one of them.

if you currently wear dark socks with your sandals...please don't be offended....oh wait....DO!

and for the love of all things pretty, stop doing it.

st.patty's day

2010-03-18T19:07:00.003-05:00

i love this holiday. i wish there were more of a celebration...although i know in some parts they do it up right. perhaps one of these years we'll get around to celebrating like we want to but for now, the kids enjoy the fact that it's all about green.

so i indulge and this year we had green apple juice and green popsicles. yum-o.

i am by the way, probably about 1/18 (is that even a real percentage?)irish. or something small like that. my great-grandpa was 1/8 i think...so what's smaller than that. maybe he was more, who knows. but i like saying i am.

so i hope you had a good st.patty's day. hope you participated and didn't get pinched. or maybe you wanted to get pinched. hee hee hee.

Operation Bridal Shower

2010-03-15T15:06:00.005-05:00

i wish i could've typed out all the events and conversations leading up to this post, but i could not. for the bridal shower attendance was a surprise for my little sis. and in my family, we love surprises.

back in january, plans were being made by my sister's maid of honor, to throw her the most magnificent bridal shower in the world (or at least that i've been to) and my mind began to race as to how i could get there seeing as how we already have another trip planned in april for the actual wedding.

fear not my readers, super dad (quite possibly the greatest dad in the universe) arrived on the scene and bought me and my sister, dalycia plane tickets to surprise deandra for her bridal shower. so the countdown began.

march 11th 4am: i wake up from a sort of good night's rest, adrenaline pumping, not knowing if i'm going to be able to handle the plane rides that are ahead of me. i'm being whisked away to LA and will have 3 full days of girl time with my sisters. i can hardly stand the wait.

6:25am-we depart OKC airport on time. nice! and arrive in denver, only to trek across half the airport, use the restroom, buy another high priced bottle of water and board our plane to LA.

9:30am-we land in LA about 20 minutes early. make a phone call telling my soon to be bro-in-law we have arrived. he picks us up and we are on our way. i have to "go" real bad, but am refraining from thinking about it. traffic isn't too bad and they don't live far from the airport.

aprox.10:20am-we walk into the house where my sister is....

and thus began our weekend of uninterrupted fun. shopping, shopping, eating, shopping shopping eating, shopping shopping, eating. that about sums it up.

on saturday the long awaited festivity arrived and we had such a wonderful time. these pictures don't do justice...but i'll give you a little taste.

we had a henna artist, belly dancer, indian food and a special video presentation for deandra. and at the end of the evening, we all sat around deandra and prayed for her future with jeff. it was a beautiful time and i'm so honored and ecstatic that i got to be a part of it.

and now i can't wait for april.

mini me

2010-03-06T09:20:00.005-06:00

or at least that's what i've been told.

i'm speaking of my 5 ALMOST 6 year old (sheesh) mr. jakob.

perhaps it's b/c of his "to the shoulder length hair" (gasp) or perhaps his personality traits that seem to mirror mine as days go by...or better yet, perhaps it's b/c i birthed him. none the less, i've been told he's a mini me. and i don't mind that at all.

last night was more of a confirmation to the whole "he's your clone" accusation....as we sat there watching E.T., for he and ella, it was their first time.

and then it happened.

the part where you think E.T. has breathed his last breath....we hear sniffles....the movie plays on...we hear more sniffles....i look down at jake....and he's crying. not hard, or baby-like, but sad that E.T. might be gone forever.

yep, he's mine.

for i too, remember watching that movie for the first time...although my sobs were probably a bit more uncontrollable than his....never the less, crying b/c beloved E.T. looked to be on death's door.

so he crawled up in my lap and we watched as E.T. came back to life and got to go live in his extra terrestrial home forever. and the movie ended with smiles and laughs and a big sigh of relief.

he's mine. and he's genius!

can i just say

2010-02-26T09:48:00.003-06:00

i am very happy with my life. i am blessed. i am taken care of. i am provided for. i am loved.

but sometimes, dang it, i wish money was no object.

with my sister's wedding in full blown plan and prepare mode i have been "forced" to shop around the clock. looking for bridesmaids dresses, flower girl dresses and ring bearer duds for my cool jake the snake.

we have been very fortunate (and blessed b/c yes i think God helps us find good buys) to not have spent outlandish amounts of money on the items we have purchased thus far.

mind you i am not against spending large amounts of money on items that will last a long time and bring me years of pleasure BUT i am not in a position to do this as much as i'd like, i'm okay with that...

you see, spending BIG to me is splurging and paying $50 for a pair of shoes. i'm a sale shopper people, i don't like spending over $30 on anything if i don't have to. and i like being that way.

until i found these.

you might be thinking to yourself..."eh, those are ok but check out these jimmy choo's" you keep your choo's....these are legit.

and i want them.

and now i'm done.

two words

2010-02-24T10:30:00.002-06:00

taken from "the via crucis"

Lord, hear my cry.
This world is full of false accusers
and those who are indifferent to You.
Daily I battle with doubts, fears and trials.
And if that was not enough,
there is an enemy that battles for my soul.
What am I to do?

Child, hear my declaration:
If your accusers surround you and speak wounding lies,
know that I AM your justice.
When you battle with your doubts and fears cloud your mind,
know that I AM your courage
As you walk through trials of any degree,
know that I AM your strength
And if the enemy comes against you like a flood,
know that I AM your shield.
I AM your Savior. I AM the Christ. I AM that I AM

Lord, I believe. Take away my unbelief.

wwwhat a wwwonderful wwweekend

2010-02-23T11:15:00.003-06:00

just felt like accenting the "w's".

we did have a great weekend though.
-friday after a big tadoo of plans changing and rearranging and falling through, my sweet friend nickel ended up coming over for some hang time. always love when "aunt cole" comes over.
-saturday we headed down to big D to spend some time with b's family. his niece who will be getting married in may was having a wedding shower and pretty much the whole family was there. we were glad we got to come down for it and we're looking forward to the wedding. especially ella, she gets to dress like a princess for the occasion. i hope i will be able to get the dress off of her after it's over. she loves it so much.
-saturday evening we got to have dinner with some great friends. we really enjoy our time with them. it's not as much as we'd like it to be but every time we're together we pick up where we left off. don't you just love friends like that?
-sunday morning we headed back to OKC for my beloved fine arts practice and crashed the rest of the day sunday. we were all pooped.

now it's back to the daily grind.
i kind of like it that way.
always good for a little break but always good to come back home.

Ash Wednesday

2010-02-17T10:46:00.007-06:00

it's that time again. last year b and i participated in Lent and both thought it was a very cool and amazing experience. some of our dear friends from dallas participate as a congregation at their church. nope, they're not catholic and neither are we....but to me it's a very cool tradition, something you can learn from, gain a new experience from and definitely benefit from.

if you've never done it, i would encourage you to. if you think it's weird, that's ok too. if you don't know what it is, well....take a listen (or read).

Lent is forty days long (not counting sunday) leading up to Easter and representing the time Jesus spent in the desert. "The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer — through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial."

So traditionally one is supposed to give something up during the 40 days. And in it's place (according to some beliefs) replace it with something that will enhance your relationship with Christ.

this year i've decided to give up facebook for 40 days (along with a couple of food items). facebook sounds trivial you might say....well, it's actually my "go to" for down time and sometimes...dare i say....a time waster. something that will be a little difficult for me to break myself from b/c it HAS become a habit.

so here we go.

another thing b and i do during these 40 days is follow along a daily devotional taken from a book entitled "via cruces." it contains a short blurb for each day of Lent. it's a very cool experience and can really open your heart and mind in new ways to what Jesus went through, for us, so many years ago.

so perhaps you want to join the Lent journey...maybe just for fun or maybe to regain control in an area of your life that has gone awry. whatever the reason...the season is upon us to reflect on the biggest gift we were ever given. eternal life through death.

(if you're interested in the daily devotions from "via cruces" go to ibclent.com)

we make this look good.

2010-02-15T10:13:00.002-06:00

that's right. we do.

our valentine's date was friday. we ate at cheever's cafe (great food) and we went to see avatar (you must experience this in the theater) let me tell you, i had no desire to see the movie. probably b/c of all the hype around it...and the blue people had me laughing a little. so i was no more inclined to see the movie than i am to get a flu shot.

but we got some free movie passes and decided to proceed.

we loved it.

a great date with the valentine of my dreams. no seriously, he is.

a proud momma

2010-02-04T10:24:00.002-06:00

that's me. almost every day. i say almost b/c well, let's be honest, there are those days when you want to hurl your child across the living room into a non-cushioned area. i mean, er uh, did i just say that?

anyhoo, today (or actually last night) i experienced one of those proud momma moments. it's the little things ya know?

ella learned to write her name. with no prompting from me. i think mostly from watching her brother write his letters and through hours of making scribbles herself, it popped out on the paper. E-l-l-a.

i think i almost cried

oh snow

2010-01-29T19:20:00.004-06:00

and ice.

WE SURVIVED ICE STORM....2010. (to be said in a very boomy voice)

i love it. and it has graced our presence once again. how lucky am i? what i don't love is not having the kind of vehicle to get around in it. one of our cars does ok, (the pacifica which b so lovingly refers to as the "pimpcifica")but my jeep, unfortunately is rear wheel drive. NOT GOOD.

so we sit.

it's been good though. the past two days we have...

-done all the laundry
-vacuumed the house
-dusted
-cleaned the kitchen (hubs did this)
-played some games
-played in the snow
-baked some cookies
-watched..in no particular order, beauty and the beast, wall-e, transformers, bee movie, all three jurassic park movies, UP, 101 dalmatians and i'm sure there's more to come.
-and cleaned up toys several times

i love being "in" with the family. tomorrow i AM hoping we get out some. the roads aren't too great but maybe i can talk b into driving me around. at least to browse SOMEwhere.

and also, it's going to be february in two days. i knew it would go by fast but man. there are so many things i'm looking forward to in the next few months, i can hardly keep my mind from wandering constantly.

so here's to the snow.

and by the way...i love these kids. how could you not?

fresh

2010-01-18T10:29:00.003-06:00

i've become a big fan of starting fresh. for some reason, today feels like one of those days to do this. not sure why...there's nothing really that i need to "start fresh" from or for, it just feels all bloomy. i like this feeling. when you feel like you're starting to fall into sync with everything. i need that sync. i like that sync. so here's to monday and sync.

our weekend was a busy one. a different one. i enjoyed it. b and i had separate things to do on friday evening. i got to enjoy a wonderful girls reunion of sorts with some wonderful ladies i went to school with and some i had never met. it was a very refreshing night and i really enjoyed it. hoping to be seeing some of these girls a lot more.

on saturday, we again had separate things to do and did sort of a tag team day. he left, i watched the kids, he got back and i left, then i got back and he left again. whew. enough of that. he returned around 6pm and we enjoyed dinner and a nice evening together.

sunday was a good day, sort of. the cowboys lost and are out of the play-offs so that's a bummer. i think i'm gonna pull for the vikings til the end. and i was ever so lucky to get my toes done by the infamous "ella boutique."

don't be too jealous of my magnificent pedicure. i'm sure she'll do yours at no charge. aren't they lovely? her daddy was lucky enough to get one, in a more masculine color of green, of course. but he was not happy with the outcome of the picture so you'll have to use your imagination.

on another note, God is good. and continues to show me His goodness in even the tiniest of ways. the more i "draw unto Him" oddly enough, He "comes near to me" and i find such freedom in our relationship. i'm so thankful for the new places He's taking me and the things He's teaching me, even though some of them are uncomfortable and difficult, i know they are for my good.

so, i choose joy on this monday. to revel in the things i understand and even in the things i don't.

a lesson for me by ella

2010-01-11T10:02:00.004-06:00

this girl and me...we have a long way to go. she is a little spitfire with so much personality and so much gumption...yes she is only 3, but wow, is she 3. she makes me smile and is my precious little cuddle bug. even when she's doing something she shouldn't be doing, half the time she makes me laugh and the looks she can give, be it sweet or menacing...let's just say b and i are in trouble. BIG trouble. i love this girl.

on friday we set out to run some errands and before it began the fit throwing started. we had a relatively uneventful morning so i thought we'd get out of the house successful. not so. it started with her stocking cap and not being able to find the right one. after 15 minutes of looking, we were running late and had to go. thus began the screaming. the so intense screaming that she nearly made herself puke. yep, that's right, gagging, crying, screaming...she seriously became the devil at that moment. i honestly wanted to reach back and throw her...i didn't, but man the urge was there. just bein honest.

we got through the fit, everyone was settled and as our trek to our destination continued, she started talking to me. saying yes mom and no mom and being so sweet. i'm still fuming of course and there she is, in the backseat, carrying on as if nothing happened. i would answer her, and try to be "normal" but i was not happy. so i thought to myself "how in the world can she act like nothing is wrong. she almost puked on herself and she doesn't even remember? she nearly popped my ear drums with her piercing screams and she acts as though all is well with the world? can you believe the nerve of this little girl?"

and then, as i continue to listen to her talk, i almost start crying, seriously. and started thinking, how many times do i act like that with God. how many times do i throw a fit and question why and then pick up where i left off and act like that outburst didn't happen. my answer is, probably daily. and you know why i can do that? b/c God's grace and mercy flow so freely, all i have to do is recognize my short-coming, ask the Lord to help me with it and move on. do i practice this much grace and mercy with my kids? or do i wallow in their shortcomings and learning curves and make them continuously "earn" my grace.

while it's true, children have to be taught appropriate behavior, we're the ones responsible for teaching our children right from wrong. but do i keep making them pay for the wrong they did? or can i get past it in order to ALSO teach them grace and mercy.....

i know it struck me and it's hard, but teaching them forgiveness is just as important if not more so than teaching them when to scream and when not to.

just something to chew on i guess. thanks ella. always helping me grow!

whew

2010-01-09T10:45:00.002-06:00

this has been one crazy, not so great week. not my typical ideal way of starting off the new year, but i have refused to get discouraged. nothing major has happened that would result in a major setback but there are a few things i've already learned in this first full week of january....

-i need to stick to my routine. waking up early, spending time with God, working out...it all makes sense to my mind and my body and when i do things differently my life is out of whack. and the affects of this out of whackness is unfortunately felt by my precious family...this will not happen again. my order and habit is my obsession and necessity.

-i continue to learn about "not sweating the small stuff" for example, a random rash on my 3 year olds body that is unexplainable, the washer going out, my 3 year olds attitude, my 5 year olds attitude, growing pains, living, learning and loving. it's all a part of life, as long as i continue to roll with it...all is well. it's when i try to figure out and fix it all at once that everything starts crumbling.

-God continues to be in control of everything. every good and perfect thing comes from God. confusion, loneliness, depression, inadequacy, these things DO NOT come from God, therefore they are not a part of my life. bam.

-i am blessed beyond comprehension. and as long as i continue to look at what i have and not at what i don't have, the blessings keep coming. they will never cease.

-oh AND i love my new coat that i got for Christmas from my sweetie. love it.

so there you have it. one week down, 51 more to go. this is going to be a great year. more learning, more loving more blessing, i'm excited! hope your first week in 2010 was successful and blessed.

here's to many more to come!!

welcome 2010

2009-12-31T09:39:00.004-06:00

although i am not exactly ready to have this set of holiday's leave, i have to say i'm very excited about 2010 and all the amazing things i believe it will hold. so for my last post of the year, i will list a few of my favorite moments in 2009. it was a year of blessings of which i do not deserve, but am most thankful for the hand of my heavenly Father that has never left me or my family.

-i participated in lent this year for the first time. it really was a life-changing, eye opening experience and will most definitely participate in 2010.

-jakob started kindergarten. he's smart and i hope i can keep up with him in the years to come.

-brandon and i celebrated 10 years of marriage. we are having a blast and God has blessed our relationship in amazing ways. i'm ready for the next 10...and 20 and 30 and you get the idea.

-we took our first family vacation and drove out to california. it was an amazing trip and the kids did SO good. we will most definitely do it again. and this time we WILL go to disneyland!

-my sister got engaged and i am thrilled beyond what descriptive words can say. can't wait til April!

-we had a WHITE christmas. it was magical, the kids loved it, i loved it, it was the greatest gift of all in my opinion. not a fan of driving in it BUT i loved it!

we had our share of ups and we had our share of downs....but in the end, as always, the Lord provided and pulled us through. i will forever be thankful for my relationship with Him and pray it continues to grow.

i hope your year was successful and full of joy and pray your outlook on 2010 is positive and expectant.

if you want something you've never had, do something you've never done!

ssssllllllooooowwwwwwlllllyyyyyy

2009-12-21T11:45:00.005-06:00

that's my attempt at hoping the week goes by slowly. i'm so not wanting christmas to end. this year it has seemed to zip by, like most every year, but this year has been one of the best ones yet. so, i don't really want it to be over.

we enjoyed a family night on friday. we went to see "a christmas carol" and yes we took the kids. parts of it were a little scary but neither of mine seemed bothered by it so it ended up being enjoyable for all. after our movie we took the kids to see santa. both were very excited to talk to him and had no trouble explaining what they wanted. my cuties.

we had another party to go to on saturday night which was a reunion of sorts. ended up being rather small but it was fun nonetheless. sunday we went to see our friends baby girl get dedicated and it was such a great experience. we took communion together and re-visited a church we used to go to. it was an amazing service. so glad we got to be a part of that day.

this week is going to be nothing less than wonderful. my sis gets in tonight and we shall let the merriment continue and get bigger! just a few more pics i wanted to share. i decorated my porch differently this year. no one cares but me really, but i'm proud of the outcome....

and last but not least...i thought i would show one more of our family pics that was taken for us by our good friend! we are just loving the outcome of those as well.

so that's about it for now. it's going to be a busy week but a most extraordinarily fun one! i can't wait and i hope it pokes by.

love to you and yours and hope your holidays are extremely blessed by our saviour's goodness!

for your viewing pleasure

2009-12-16T20:52:00.001-06:00

go here

www.thehobosoul.com

click on blog

then read "hobo love"

it's greatness

11 days

2009-12-14T16:09:00.003-06:00

i can't believe it's only 11 days til christmas! it's going by so very quickly. i love it but i hate it. i really want the week of christmas to get here.....BUT i want that week to go by very slowly.

we had a very fun filled weekend. went to an irish pub on friday night, new to us, called sean cummings. it was sooooooooooo much fun. dudes with guitars and a violin singing irish songs. seriously, now our favorite place. we went with our neighbors then had a couple more friends join us before the evening was over. such a great friday night!

saturday was greatness too. spent relaxing, then cleaning, then relaxing then a nice dinner prepared by my honey, steak, potatoes and salad. we had some friends come over who just moved into town and had a great evening.

sunday was great. great service. followed by an afternoon of relaxing, football and family pics. can't wait to share them.

and then to top the evening and weekend off, b watched "it's a wonderful life" with me. it's one of my faves and he's not seen it in it's entirety until now. yay for christmas!

so one more week until the week of absolute fun begins. this has been an incredible season. i will be sorry to see it go but i can't help but be excited for all that is to come in 2010!

a sneak peek at our family pics.....thank you vernon!

are you a slave?

2009-12-11T10:21:00.002-06:00

i know sometimes we all might feel like one, especially mom's. it's usually a negative word and not something people strive for. who wants to be a slave?

-a person who is the property of and wholly subject to another; a bond servant
-a person entirely under the domination of some influence or person
-a drudge

these defintions are not quite what i have in mind when i make goals for myself. i have been reading romans and when i came to chapter 8, i had an enlightening moment, thus the reason for my entry today. romans 8:18 says "you are made free from sin and now you are slaves to goodness." (ncv) i stopped there. slave to goodness?

i think there's a challenge for me there. am i really a slave to goodness? is that what i sow? i know the answer for myself is "not always" but it's something i should desire and strive for in my life. Surrendering my life to goodness, living for goodness, and doing everything goodness wants me to do. is my life showing goodness? b/c in essence, living for goodness is in fact, living for God, b/c all good comes from God, God himself is in fact, good.

so i will now try to be the "property" of goodness, subject to goodness, under the domination and influence of goodness....

Be a slave to goodness, my desire and a new goal.....goodness.

oh so thankful

2009-11-29T19:35:00.003-06:00

i am so blessed. i could stop right there and sum up my life. i'm blessed beyond what i can comprehend and what i can express. God is so good to me, every day, no matter what, His mercies are never-ending. He has blessed me beyond expectation. my family is amazing. no truly, they are amazing, despite the differences in opinion, the sometimes little scuffs we have, we come together, under the blanket of God's love, and celebrate thankfulness together. my thanks goes to God, not just now but every day for making my life worth living. just wow.

so we had a great holiday, followed by a great weekend. very busy oddly enough. but great. and now onto christmas and the joy and wonder it brings. i love this time of year, as everyone does, there's just something about it.....i will treasure the weeks to come b/c i always hate to say good-bye to it.

and so now i post a couple of pics from our turkey day....lots of fun!

the cousins...amelie, iriana, jakob and ella- cuties!

me and amelie doin the "hi, i'm chubby" bit. i know...we're cute.

hope your turkey days were splendid and hope your tree is up and decorated by now. if not, get on it and spread some christmas cheer!

overjoyed, enraptured, entranced

2009-11-24T10:31:00.003-06:00

a line from willy wonka, but nonetheless how i feel today.

my baby sis is getting married. it was made official last night with what was, i'm sure, an amazingly cool proposal. it was a total surprise to her, we, her family knew everything....and it was glorious.

so i won't ramble on about how proud i am of her (and jeff) or how excited i am, or how i can't wait to start planning things with her...i will just leave you with what has become one of my favorite pics of them.

congrats to one of the most perfectly made for each other couples i truly have ever seen. i'm excited for your future together. i love you both!

caution: good times ahead

2009-11-22T13:23:00.003-06:00

that's just how i feel. it's been low key at the venable house the past couple of weeks and weekends. nothing big going on, which i'm okay with because next week and the weeks to follow will be pretty full and i love it.

so last weekend, here's what we did....

too soon? nope not for us! i always hate taking down the decorations b/c i want this time of year to last longer, so we decided to decorate earlier this year. and the kids were so excited about it, how can you say no? we put up the house lights this weekend but will refrain from turning them on until after thanksgiving......you're welcome.

this week looks to be alot of fun. getting together with family, eating, playing games etc. etc. i might even brave the after thanksgiving day sales...who knows. but it will be fun!

tomorrow marks the 4 year anniversary of my mom's passing. i'm doing better this year than i was last year....remembering her with fondness. it gets better every year, never easier, but better. she's still constantly on my mind and i guess that will never change. i don't think i ever want it to either. i still so deeply wish she could be here for her grandkids, especially ella. they would be buddies to the extreme. but i like to think my mom looks down on her and smiles. and probably fills her head with thoughts of girly-ness and shopping. (stop it mother!) hee hee hee! but even though i miss her and wish she was here, i'm so thankful for the time i had with her and thankful for the joy she brought into my life. i love you mom! enjoy your turkey with Jesus!

my turkies

2009-11-11T12:56:00.004-06:00

weekend was good. fun on friday, fun, fun on saturday and sunday was cloudy, relaxing and football friendly, so the weekend....a good one for the ven's.

on monday night i went to a girl's movie night, had some pumpkin spice latte and watched "elf"..can i just say, lovin the holidays...lovin! so while i was out, i got out a crafty type project for the kids to do. they had such a great time with dad and did such a great job, i had to show them off.

the turkey on the left is ella's with a little help from dad. the turkey on the right is jakob's with no help from anyone. such creative monsters i have!

i'm about ready to start decorating for Christmas. i know the rule has always been to wait until after thanksgiving but we'll be out of town, sooooooo why not now? the kids are certainly ready for it. and before i hear the flack, let me just say....no i'm not skipping over thanksgiving. in fact, this season of turkey day has me more thankful than i've ever been, or at least it feels that way.

the Lord has given me such joy and such a new breath of life that i'm in thankful mode nearly every day. it's been amazing to FEEL Him working in me. i LOVE it! saying thankful and making a list really doesn't do justice to the blessings i've been given.

so skipping the holiday? i think not, in fact, i'm determined to have this thankful heart last all year long...i know it will be hard.....but just bet me that i won't do it. what's that you say?

it's on!

happy

2009-11-02T09:29:00.004-06:00

i'm just so happy and i know the joy i have comes from God. it's a great feeling. i love it. and i love Him for giving it to me and blessing me the way He does. He'll never know how thankful i am for His never ending love and grace. He sees my heart but i'm hoping my life will reflect my thankfulness. this is the month for it right? let's live it!

we had a great and busy week. monday we headed the the zoo to trick or treat. we try to do it every year, the kids like it a lot and of course, they get candy galore. (not my favorite part of halloween) but this is for them! so here's couple of pics from the zoo.....

ella as snow white right before we left for the zoo. i knew i would not be able to get a shot this cute for the rest of the week and i was right....she's the cutest snow white EVER!

jake is luke skywalker and did not want his picture taken very much but i managed to bribe him couple of times...cuties inside the zoo!

gettin some candy.....b was the best dad and carried ella pretty much the whole time. it was chilly and she was cold, poor dad was sweating but a trooper he was!

on thursday night we were invited to a halloween party which of course the kids were pumped about. everyone was invited to dress up and i was contemplating when jake said to me, "mom, i want you to dress up like a pirate." so i raided his toy box and obliged!

arrrrgggghhhhhh!

then finally on friday night, we went to the fall festival at church. another fun night for the kiddos. saturday night we just hung with the neighbors and watched football. this year we got enough trick or treating in to last us until next year. maybe next time we'll venture out in the neighborhood....but they had a great time and that's what matters!

cousins! luke skywalker, supergirl, snow white and tinkerbell! cuties!

so we had a great week and weekend and it's NOVEMBER! we're getting so excited for the holidays! only three weeks until thanksgiving and i'm sooooo excited. b and i are trying to figure out when to start the Christmas movies. we think a month is too short and two months is too long....hmmmm, when to begin. such decisions.

i so LOVE this time of year!

another one comes

2009-10-26T12:52:00.003-05:00

and is gone.

it's the weekend i'm referring to. i'm sitting here, in almost a whirlwind state, and just realized it was monday again. i mean, i knew it was monday but ya know when you're thinking back, remembering events and then something just hits you....wow, it's monday. that was a fast weekend. (said me to myself)

we didn't have anything planned this weekend but ended up doing stuff. go figure. it proved to be a great one again. we spent friday evening with our great friends, the deas. it's always a fun time spending time with them. how we love them so! had some yummy chili on a nice fall evening and of course, some scrumptious dessert my friend always fixes up. a wonderful friday evening!

saturday was spent doing saturday stuff. a family day of sorts, filled with football pretty much all day. i didn't mind, there were some good games going on.

sunday was an unexpected turn of events, fun ones none the less. church was great and after we ended up eating some good mexican food at a hole in the wall place we'd never been to with some friends of ours from church. we just kept chatting it up so they invited us over for the afternoon and we obliged. which then ended up turning into an evening excursion for the adults....which was a complete surprise and total blast! yay for unplanned fun!

and now we sit, monday again. the last monday of october might i add which i am completely shocked by. usually october is one of the slow months for me, i don't mind it being that way, but this time it seemed to fly by. i'm liking the time flying b/c that means the holidays are here quicker....i just hope time slows when the holidays get here so i can enjoy them longer. i know, i know, wishful thinking....but one can hope, as i always do.

the holidays are gonna be amazingly fun this year.

and our week of halloween fun begins tonight! oooooooo spooky!

and i thought i'd leave a few more pics from last weekend with tanta and jeff.

kung fu jake.

jeff found a worm. with much prompting, jake finally held it.

um, ella.....not so much. love the look of discust on her face!

and this is turning out to be one of my fave pics! love it!

just a few.....not enough.

2009-10-23T16:22:00.002-05:00

aren't they the cutest? sis and the hobo

and we're pretty cute too!

and they're the cutest of all. being silly at the sam noble museum

my cuties. love them!

i'll eat you up, i love you so

2009-10-23T08:54:00.003-05:00

i'm trying to summarize what last weekend and this week has been and fun does not do it justice. in order to not get too wordy, i will make a list of what went on in the venable home the past few days. i'll post a few pics later on today...

-last thursday we headed to tulsa for b to play in youth convention and us to attend a birthday party on friday. we had an amazing time. we also got to see "where the wild things are" and it's an incredible movie. incredible! go see it and read the book! we're extra proud b/c the hobo (jeff stone) worked on the film as an assistant editor. we even got a picture of his name on the screen....how cool is that!

-saturday my sis and her hobo came to see us. we had such an amazing time with them! amazing i tell you. 5 days was not long enough.

-sunday was church together then we headed to mcnellies for some adult play time. don't think dirty here, we just got to to out without the kids. it was greatness!

-monday we took a trip to the sam noble natural history museum. what a nice little treasure we have here in oklahoma. the kids LOVED it! we'll go again for sure

-tuesday was back to work (and school for the kids) and sis and her hobo visited turner falls. they went hiking and exploring. they had a wonderful day. that night we took them to experience some Eischen's chicken. yum-o!

-sadly wednesday was our last day together and we just ran errands that day and hung out. it was a rainy day but not too gloomy b/c they were here, but gloomy b/c they had to leave.

we've been getting back to our normal routine, a little reluctantly, but trying. we're looking forward to christmas when we'll see the sis again.

i'm so thankful for my family, near and far. i realize how blessed i am in that not everyone has great experiences with their families. of course there's been ups and downs, there always is, but for the most part, our family has been solid. and b/c of that, i could not want anything more, except that other families be able to feel the closeness and joy that i've felt my entire life. and if you do feel it, don't forget to be so thankful for it.

family, it's where it's at!

these days

2009-10-14T13:56:00.002-05:00

things have been going wonderfully well. nothing big has happened. nothing life changing.

i've been waking up earlier (i know, ugh!) and making God my priority first thing in the a.m.

whoa, stop the presses. i know what you're thinking...."this is not a new concept, dorynda."

i know, right?!?

but for me it is. for some strange reason i have waited 33 years to make my quiet alone time with God the first thing i do. i just want to slap myself upside the head and say "duh!" i know i was lazy before, not wanting to wake up a second too soon. most days i would wait until nap time to have some alone, quiet time...which worked until naps started becoming less of a priority (not for me but for the little boogers i call jake and ella) and oh yeah, that thing called life that constantly pushes and pulls me a million different directions.

so why not START the day with the ONE constant thing in my life. the ONE thing that NEVER changes, not ONE bit.

it's AMAZING what my days are like now when i BEGIN them with the big man. imagine that, your day going smoother, finding joy in the littlest of nothings, and having this feeling in your heart of utter jubilation for NO reason.

crazy, i know.

i honestly had to ask the Lord to forgive me for not making this change sooner. and we've had lots of fun, my Lord and i, getting to know each other on a much different level then ever before.

isn't God just cool like that......

what a weekend!

2009-10-12T09:15:00.005-05:00

this post will mostly be about me.....b/c i got to have the most amazing saturday evah!

on saturday morning, i once again joined the race for the cure and enjoyed it immensely! my neighbor joined the race with me and ran, we made great time considering we had to walk a bit at the beginning in order to spread out and get ourselves going. it was a very chilly morning but we had so much fun. my sis and her friend also joined the cause.

me and my sis at the beginning of the race....in walking action! before i "took off!"

at the starting line. so many people. i believe it was over 5,ooo.

starting line.

finish line! woooooo hoooooo! i took this while jogging, i know, so talented! ha!

my sis's friend ashley, sis dalycia, me and my neighbor candace!

this race means alot to me and i only wish i could've been involved while my mom was alive. i wish one year we could've crossed the finish line together...i know one day we will! so until then, i'll cross it by myself in her honor and all those who have been lost to the horrible disease. and maybe with prayer and this support, one day breast cancer will have a cure and women will not have to suffer ever again!

if that wasn't a great enough event for the day, i got two free tickets to the ou vs. baylor game on saturday and took my dad with me. we had such a great time. i hadn't been to a game in a really long time so it was such a treat. we had great seats and had a great time. and hey, the sooners won! a woooooo hooooooo!

the pride of oklahoma! greatness!

me and my cute dad! love him!

so that was my weekend. i was plum pooped by saturday night. had a great service on sunday and a relaxing afternoon of football, golf, extreme home make-over, and more football. gotta love sundays!

and now for the week at hand, well, i could not be more excited! fall break is this week so jake only has school for three days. on thursday night we're headed to tulsa, friday we're seeing "where the wild things are" and friday night we're off to a birthday party, then saturday the lil sis and her hobo come into town. it's gonna be an exciting week!

and might i just add, God is so good and so faithful. i mean wow, i just can't get over the joy and peace in my heart. thanks Lord, you're pretty freakin cool that way!

in honor

2009-10-09T11:32:00.004-05:00

of this cold weather....

i used my snuggie this morning. such greatness.

AND, the kids kept telling me they were cold.

so what's a mom to do.

i HAD to turn the heater on.

i love you fall and winter!

Does Jesus hate halloween?

2009-10-07T19:36:00.003-05:00

hmmmmm....this really has me going right now.

i just read a post on facebook that someone was proud of their daughter for telling a girl at school that Jesus HATES halloween. has anyone ever read that before? and i'm serious here although it might seem my tone is a little cynical. if this is in the Bible somewhere, i would like to know where...honest.

it did strike a chord with me though and not a very good one.

isn't this the type of mentality that turns people off from christians? to be that blatant about something that's not true.

should i tell my unsaved friends, who don't worship satan and just like to dress up and get candy that Jesus hates that they are celebrating halloween?

this reminds me of people with picket signs that say "God hates fags" and "God hates black people", maybe i'm taking it too personally OR maybe someone should ask them to show a little love. yes even to the satan worshipper. isn't this the greatest commandment, to do everything in love? and if you don't have love, you have nothing?

and by the way, does Jesus HATE anything? (except for sin, of course)

maybe this is just a "vent" for me, who knows. if anyone has insight, i would sincerely like to know.

old and new

2009-10-06T18:10:00.003-05:00

so i'm finally getting around to posting a couple of the golf tournament pics...nothing special, just my boy showing off his talents!

nice chip shot!

me and the jakester. pretty much rode around in the golf cart for 5 hours. good times!

now for last weekend. pretty uneventful, but fun. i love those kinds of weekends. friday night was family night and we watched 3 disney movies in a row. bedtime stories, bug's life and monsters inc. whew....and we built a huge tent under the table (which we moved to the living room) and had popcorn. we had lots of fun together!

saturday was pretty normal. cleaning, laundry all the fun stuff. the kids and i got out the potato heads and had a little fun. i decided to take a picture b/c we did so well with our potatoes.

ella's is the first one, followed by jake then me. aren't we cute!

sunday was a great relaxing day. wonderful sermon at church, then lots of football and wonderful fall weather, it doesn't get much better than that.

monday was my big sis's bday and we had a mini surprise party for her. i'm pretty sure she enjoyed her evening! happy bday sis!

now i'm counting down...............

this saturday is race for the cure. it looks to be my coldest race yet. but i'm excited. it's always a wonderful experience!

next week is full of excitement. we are headed to tulsa for youth convention (the drive band from our church is doing worship) we have a birthday party up there on friday night. we are ALSO going to see "where the wild things are" on friday afternoon (of which i am so excited i can hardly stand it) and saturday we'll head back home to pick up my lil sis and her hobo from the airport! woooooooooooooooo hoooooooooooooooo!

i'm a little excited!

still growing....

2009-10-04T18:57:00.003-05:00

dang it!

sometimes i want him to stop and other times i can't wait to see what's next.

jakob got glasses this week. and yes, it makes him look more grown up. he says he's smarter....and he's quite possibly talking even more. i know, can you imagine?

nonetheless, my firstborn continues to sprout up before my eyes. with the glasses and the learning to read.....not sure how much my heart can handle!

be strong!

spiritually vs. physically

2009-10-01T09:49:00.002-05:00

in shape.

that's a goal for me. in all areas of my life, it's what i want to be.

but lately, i'll be honest, i feel like maybe i'm putting more emphasis in places i shouldn't be as concerned with...

i will always be a food natzi (sorry if that term offends you, but alas, that's what i am)

i will always pick the healthier option for myself and my family regardless of ridicule.

i will always work out, as long as i'm physically able.

i will always push myself in these areas to become better, the best i can be.

so my question to myself is:

am i pushing myself as much spiritually as i do physically?

not lately, not at all.

i need to become as hardcore spiritually as i am physically. to me it's easier physically and i'm not even sure why, but i know that's not right, at least not for me. i need to constantly be challenging myself to learn more about God, get to know Him in a deeper way, feel for people and love the way He loves. spending time with Him needs to be the priority in my routine more so than working out and eating right. i think all can go hand in hand.

so i've decided to develop a new schedule. even if it means making myself uncomfortable for a while, i'm going to do it.

i'm waking up earlier.

spending my time with the Lord FIRST

which is what i should've been doing long before now.

why am i sharing this? not sure, maybe so i can keep myself accountable.

but nonetheless, here i go.......

what the.....

2009-09-30T13:47:00.002-05:00

not a great phrase....especially when constantly repeated by your five and three year old...a little humorous but not great. didn't realize how much b and i said this but oh well, such is life.

this is what i've been saying the past few days tho....i've been....sick? yes, that is a question mark. i've had no symptoms really. a sore throat, a few body aches and that's it. yep, you read right. no fever, no congestion (chest or head), no sinus pain or pressure just a dumb ole sore throat and a few body aches. so to that i say...what the.....?!? it's been frustrating more than anything. i'm feeling better now that's it's WEDNESDAY and i've missed 3 days of working out, 3 days of laundry, 3 days of house work....ridiculous i say!

BUT, things could be worse, and i'm on the mend. i know the Lord has touched me and will continue to make me whole! sick bugs, you stay OUT of my house!!! there!

our weekend was good. friday was spent with some friends, we had the kids come with, to play with their kids, i think EVERYONE had a great time, especially the kids. we will have to do that again!

saturday was the golf tournament at church. i go to this every year to help and to drive jakob around the golf course for some practice. he absolutely loves it and cannot get enough of it. i have pics which i will post later. he got to drive, pitch and putt. and got alot of practice in the the putting greens. i hope he sticks with this. it's one thing he's determined at doing and does it well. doesn't mind practicing and listens to advice to get better.....we might have something here.

sunday was a beautiful day. minus that stupid sore throat thing that started.

so all in all a good weekend. not so much of a great week but hey, it's hump day and the weekend is almost here.

i'm FINALLY getting out my pumpkins and scarecrows. YES!!!

it's early

2009-09-24T18:13:00.003-05:00

i know this background is early.

especially since it's not october yet.

but i'm getting my fall decorations out and the thought of pumpkins and fall and all things thanksgiving gets me really excited, happy, thrilled, overjoyed, raptured, giddy, (insert your own happy comment here) you get the picture.

so enjoy it with me...it'll be around for a while.

and go buy a pumpkin. it'll make you smile!

busy, busy, busy

2009-09-22T22:10:00.004-05:00

we had a great weekend. filled with much activity. and much fun.

friday night b and i went out with a group of friends for a "surprise" birthday party. which ended up not being a total surprise but it was still lots of fun. love you amy! hope your 30th was wonderfully amazing (and i know it was cause she already told me) ha!

saturday we went to the fair for some fun and got to see the ice capades as well. the kids absolutely enjoyed themselves! they loved every minute! here are just a few pics....

me and ella being silly during the ice capades

the cars were my favorite part of the show!

ella and amelie "driving" their cars. soooooo cute!

jake and iriana ridin the bumble bees!

we had such a great time! thanks poppa (my dad) for making that such a great day for all of us!

on sunday we headed to tulsa for the foundations church celebration. once again, we had such a great time being with our friends. we miss them so much! today ella was wondering when she would be able to play with charli and chloe again..b/c "they are her friends", so sweet! here's a couple of shots with our friends!

all four, sharing popcorn. they had fun together!

this pic just cracked me up. chloe and jake shared their popcorn and both gave me the same kind of smile when i asked for a "cheese." too funny!

so there you go in a quick nutshell. we had a great weekend.

the weather is amazing this week so far and i'm ready to get out my fall decorations! the kids are excited about it too. they both want scarecrows in their rooms. we shall see! i can't believe next week is october. seriously time is zooming by....no......seriously!

all rained out

2009-09-15T18:13:00.003-05:00

well, not really, but part of our weekend was. it was still a good one.

friday night, we spent the evening at home. a family night. we ate pizza and watched remember the titans. i love that movie but during football season it's even better. jakob got into some of it which was fun, ella not so much, but she wore her cheerleader outfit around for a bit so that was cute!

i know it, i'm in trouble : )

on saturday we spent the day doing saturday stuff and then went to a great baby shower for some of our friends. it was one of the greatest showers i have ever been to. nothing out of the ordinary happened but when you see two people blessed with a baby and their dreams of becoming parents are finally coming true, it makes the occasion that much more joyous. it was great!

sunday we were supposed to go to tulsa for the great big anniversary celebration of our friend's church but alas, that is the event that got rained out. soooooooo we waited and will visit our friends this sunday for the rescheduled extravaganza!

so the weekend was spent mostly inside, watching movies, golf and football. i enjoyed it immensely. and this weekend proves to be full of fun as well.

hope your week is going magnificently! it's almost hump day, wooooooo hooooooo!

labor day

2009-09-11T08:34:00.003-05:00

guess i better update this thing before another weekend comes and goes. we had a good weekend over labor day, filled with lots of things to do...some here, some there...really does feel like we went everywhere. hey look, i'm dr.seuss! ha ha!

sooooo, friday night we hung out at home, had our neighbors over and enjoyed a game of train (dominos) i don't think b and i have played dominos since my mom died...almost 4 years. i forgot how much fun it was and how much i miss her all at the same time! we had a great night tho.

on saturday morning we got up and headed to b's brothers house in northeast texas. some of b's family was there and we had a really fun day. they bought jake and ella a "speed boat" for their pond and they had a great time racing it. they always have a wonderful time out there.

jakob taking his turn at steering the boat..very intense.

now let's REALLY talk about intense...get a load of ella's intense look. she is really concentrating on that boat. she kills me!

and just a great shot of my cuties. love em!

on sunday we just laid around and recouped from our trip then back over to our neighbors house that night for another round of dominos....we had a great time!

monday we went over to my sisters house to enjoy a nice lunch with my dad and a friend of his. it was a nice relaxing day.

nothing big happened this week...it felt like a long week considering it was a holiday week but i'm glad the weekend is here again and we're off on more adventures. tomorrow we're headed to a baby shower for some of our friends who were blessed with the gift of adoption unexpectedly yet so ordained it's crazy, then sunday we're headed to tulsa to help our friends celebrate the one year anniversary of their church plant!

PLUS football season has begun, love me some football!

jakob is learning to read and it's been quite the amazing experience. every time he learns a new word then puts them together in a sentence, it's the coolest thing. i never thought being with sometime when they learn to read would be this cool, but it is. he's actually reading sentences from books...real books. so crazy! so proud!

conversations with Jakob-golf and a family

2009-09-03T13:47:00.002-05:00

since the weather has been nicer, we are going outside more and more. i'm loving it.

one of jakob's favorite things to do is go in the backyard (or front) with his dad and hit golf balls. so a couple of weeks ago, they are hitting some golf balls and jake starts telling his dad about another family he has that lives in the tree, the tree in our backyard.

i wasn't out there so i can't relay this in "normal" conversation mode but i am told, he has a wife, a son and a daughter. his son's name is john, his daughter is clara bell (not entirely sure where he got that) and his wife did not have a name at the moment. apparently they like to watch him play golf, but he has to tell them to "settle down" and wait to cheer for him AFTER he hits his golf shot. well duh, second family! i knew that!

i really wish my mom was alive when this kind of stuff happens with jake (and b's mom too) b/c honestly, i don't think my imagination was that crazy. maybe it was and my mom just never told me about it....but wow, i would love to be inside his mind.....i wouldn't stay to long though, it would sooooooo wear me smooth out! he goes non-stop.

another cute little jake story was the other night, i think it was sunday night. jake said he was going to write a song and the song was called "Jesus lives alive" (i'm so glad He does!) so jake went to writing....scribbles of course (now this i remember doing b/c i liked to pretend i could write really fast in cursive) and then got his toy laptop, which transformed into a piano and there you go....song written. he didn't get much of a tune out, but the words, you guessed it, were Jesus lives alive, over and over again. b had his guitar out and was "playing" along. ella decided to join in with her laptop/keyboard too. it was priceless.

these kids keep me going i tell ya. sometimes i think my nerves have been shot by their constant questioning, arguing and tattle telling. but alas, they steel my heart within seconds and i realize how much i've been blessed by the chance to be their mother.

full

2009-08-31T09:41:00.002-05:00

that describes this weekend. but it was a good full.

b and i got out on friday night to see a movie. inglourious basterds. can i just say amazing. best tarantino flick i've ever seen. seriously his finest work yet. we thoroughly enjoyed our night out.

on saturday i got to get out for a couple of hours by myself and do a little shopping and by little i mean, i didn't find anything at all, except a cute little shirt for myself, on sale, so that's always nice. but in my search for shoes for the kiddos, i'm falling short unless i want to spend $30 on shoes....which i don't. oh well, the search continues.

saturday night we went to our neighbors house again for UFC fight night. didn't do much watching of the fight but we had a great time, just hanging out. so glad we met our neighbors. such great people. we've even met their family and hang out with them too. good times.

sunday was a great sermon on compassion. and the rest of sunday was spent doing absolutely nothing which my body needed....

this week is just another normal one and then for the weekend we're off to see uncle benny and aunt tricia. a trip the kids always enjoy! i gotta say, i love it myself. and more of b's family is supposed to come up for the weekend too so it should be a good one.

i've got some good jake stories i've been saving up....i'll post some this week. make it a good one!

going crazy

2009-08-28T08:25:00.002-05:00

not literally, but my mind has been heading that direction this week. so many thoughts of so many things, i've had a hard time keeping myself focused on one thing this week. not sure why.

it's been a good week, nothing major to report.

i finally got my camera battery charger in the mail so whoooop whoooop, i'll be posting more pictures! that's a reason to celebrate right?

good weekend ahead. going to a movie tonight with the hubs and then over to our neighbors house on saturday for some UFC.....yeah baby. not really a UFC fan but it's always fun to get together with friends and fighting is always fun to watch, right?

then we even have plans this sunday night....wow, busy filled weekend but it's sure to be a fun one.

i think i'm going to buy some nutella today. it's so yummy.

sometimes nothing is everything

2009-08-23T14:05:00.003-05:00

and i mean the title in so many different ways. but for this post, it's about our weekend. one full of nothing. something we don't do very often. we had no errands to run, no place to go, just us and whatever we wanted to do. pure wonderfulness.

friday night we grilled burgers and hung out at home. it was very nice and very relaxing.

saturday was pretty much the same. b and i did some "duty" chores around the house in the am, which left the pm for pretty much anything. it was soooooooooooo nice outside we decided to act on it. b and jake went out in the backyard to hit some golf balls, that's weird, they NEVER do that....and then we took jake to the front to let him get some practice in on his bicycle. he has ridden around the backyard a little but we've never "gotten out" yet. it was so much fun. he was having the BEST time. so when ella woke up from her nap we decided to pile us and the bikes in the jeep and head up to the church parking lot. wide open. they had a great time riding around and making up their own adventures....jake more so than ella, but she'll get there.

jakob "on the go" this turned into a motorcycle adventure...the cops were chasing him.

chatting away before another "ride"

and of course precious one on her tricycle. not quite as fast as brother yet but she had fun!

that night we watched a flick and ate dinner. another great evening! i like to get out and all that fun stuff but i gotta tell ya, the nights in with my sweet little family are the best.

this mornings sermon was great. a message on giving. something the Lord has been dealing with me on and something that i'm learning more about. learning to have more faith and trust more than ever before. i'm loving it actually. it's quite liberating.

b's out playing golf this afternoon and then another nice night in before the big "new" schedule starts next week.

thank you Lord for your blessings that are new each day and arrive in so many different "packages." YOU make life worth living!

first day of big K

2009-08-22T13:04:00.003-05:00

jake's first day of kindergarten went great!

the morning started with him waking up and telling me everything he was going to do that day.

jake: hey mom, guess who gets to play in centers today? guess who gets to have recess today?guess who gets to play games today? me, cause i'm going to kindergarten today!

the entire morning was filled with "is it time to go yet?" "is my teacher there yet?" "can we go now?"

so after the much anticipated lunch hour, we headed out.

here's my big bad kindergarten boy ready to tackle his first day!

and one with ella of course...always wanting her picture taken.

and here's jake waiting as patiently as he could in the car before getting out.

i didn't get very emotional, more excited for him. this pick-up and drop-off line is much different from pre-k. the kids have to get out of the cars on their own...open and shut the door by themselves. another step in growing up i guess. he was excited to do it. as we said good-bye, my words were "have fun today bud, i love you." jake's response "love you too mom." and shuts the door....then opens it back up quickly and says.."see you later mom." it was cute. he looked all grown up walking up the steps by himself and looked back once to wave. i love that guy!

ella was wondering why she couldn't go to school yet. just one more year sweetheart, let me enjoy it will ya? she's as excited as jake is.

after picking him up, he said he had a good day. it was fun. but he didn't like the game they played in p.e. so he said he got upset. i'm so happy for his honesty, but one thing jake has a hard time doing, at times is trying something new....so we'll work on this. i always tell him, if he tries it once and doesn't like it, he doesn't have to "do it" or "eat it" and the result is usually positive. i'm sure it was just combined with first day "jitters" although he seemed more excited than anything.....we shall see. it was also very cool b/c jake has one of his classmates from his pre-k class in kindergarten with him. he was so excited when he told me about it. and he said, "mom, logan wanted me to ask you one question, can i go over to his house." so cute.

so all in all, a great day. and he understands this year that there is no school on saturday and sunday but kept making me reassure him that he could go back on monday. too funny!

he's growing up. he makes me smile!

it's coming

2009-08-21T09:05:00.004-05:00

maybe not as quickly as i would like for it to but....

fall is slowly approaching.

i did my cardio outside today. just took a run around the neighborhood. it felt like october.

i almost went back inside to put a hoody on.

but i decided to not act that prematurely....b/c unfortunately the sun will get hotter and the humidity will set in and my grumpiness will return.

but.....it's coming!!!

one more for the weekend

2009-08-17T09:54:00.002-05:00

still no pictures. still no charger. but one is on the way...i just hope it gets here soon.

we had a good weekend. b and i went out on friday night with some of his friends from work. went to mcnellies, always love going there.

saturday was spent at home, doing just about nothing. a little dusting, a little laundry but mostly relaxing. loved it. had a nice little mexican dinner and my dear friend nickel came over to join us. she brought "enchanted" for the kids to watch, which they liked, especially ella and then brought "the producers" over for the big kids to watch, which was very funny, but i kind of liked seeing it live. i think the audience's reaction adds to the performance. it was good tho.

sunday was a great service at church followed by another relaxing afternoon. enjoyed watching golf with my hubs.

this week school starts and i'm sort of ready to start that schedule but sort of not. praying for a good year tho. i know jakob needs something more to do. his mind is constantly going and man, it can wear you out. i love him tho, he amazes me every day.

hope you have a great week!

it's the little things...again

2009-08-12T10:38:00.002-05:00

so this blog is going to be about "poopie" as one of my friends calls it. sorry if that grosses you out, the bulk of the story is much sweeter than poopie so if you can stick it out, please do. if not, i apologize for talking about poopie.

ella has a hard time going poopie. we have to give her miralax ever other day to keep things running smoothly. she's a crazy good eater (fruits and veggies) and everything else works fine, just the poo that we have trouble with. so now that she's potty trained, she goes by herself. sometimes i've had to be in there and i can tell it's hurting her so i will pray for her. might sound silly but it helps her.

so yesterday, she was in the bathroom and i went in to check on her.

me: you doin okay ella?

ella: yeah, Jesus is helpin me go poop.

me: ok

(time passes and she is successful)

me: that wasn't too bad was it?

ella: no Jesus helped me.

me: did you tell Him thank you?

ella: thank you Jesus. now He's going back up to heaven mom! Bye Jesus, thanks for helping me to poop. Now He's going back up to the clouds mom!

i ask you how precious is that. i almost cried. such faith. even if it has to do with poopie.

uh-mazing

2009-08-10T08:31:00.003-05:00

this weekend was so fantastical!

for one of my birthday presents, my friends and my sis surprised me with tickets to see "wicked." it was the most amazing musical i've ever seen. seriously, i absolutely loved it. if you're a fan of "the wizard of oz" this musical might become your new favorite. incredible. i would watch it over and over again if i could.

here's an illegal picture i took....but isn't it so cool? love it love it love it!

here's all of us with the girl who played the part of elphaba. she was amazing and my favorite character! and she's hugging me. i'm giddy!

before the show we went to eat some yummy mexican food, followed by a nice refreshing coffee drink. it was a great night and a birthday present that was definitely worth the wait. i wish i could rewind and do it all over again. thanks girls for an amazing night and gift! best one ever!

so on saturday, b and the kids drove up to tulsa and we spent the rest of the weekend there with our great friends! we had a great time. the kids got to go swimming and b got to play golf. it was so much fun just chatting the day away. on sunday we got to visit their church and we enjoy it so much every time we're there. if you're in the tulsa area and you're looking for an amazing church to be a part of, go to foundations church....fctulsa.tv, you will not be disappointed!

sunday afternoon after another round of chatting, we drove home and just relaxed the rest of the evening.

this week is pretty packed of random activities which i'm looking forward to and then next week we're back in the saddle of the school year. i can't believe it. jake will be starting kindergarten. so crazy!

thanks for your blessings Lord, they are evident every day!

cool

2009-08-06T08:41:00.003-05:00

this week has been a good one, a busy one, but a good one.

i thoroughly enjoyed "the producers." it's a great show. if you ever get the chance to see it, do it. you will not be disappointed!

so tomorrow is the long anticipated night of "wicked." i'm looking forward to getting away with some girls and having some fun. it should be a great weekend.

on another note, God is cool.

the skies were dark this morning, looking stormy. there was thunder, lightening and a cool breeze. i decided to do run outside this morning instead of on a treadmill, so i took a run around the neighborhood to enjoy the scenery God gave me.

i'm always in awe of His power. always amazed at all He's done and continues to do. but this morning, i just thought He was especially cool. not that He's ever NOT cool, b/c let's face it, He's cool all the time. but the skies this morning spoke of His greatness and creativity. reassuring me in a very cool way, that He is who He is and that's all I need.

i'm so thankful for that.

be aware of His coolness!

the rest of it

2009-08-03T10:42:00.003-05:00

sunday was a nice, relaxing great day.

the service sunday morning was really great. got some good nuggets from God.

sunday lunch was leftovers, but mexican leftovers. yum-oh

sunday afternoon was napping and golf. i enjoy both.

sunday night was a movie with the girls. "the ugly truth" was very funny. and i love me some gerard butler. yum-oh.

this week is pretty full and pretty fun.

tuesday night i get to see "the producers" with my sis.

friday night we go to tulsa to see "wicked" for my birthday. (yes i'm aware my bday was in april)

saturday b and the kids drive up to tulsa and we spend the rest of the weekend with our great friends.

gonna be a great week. hope yours is too.

ps. i haven't had pictures up since california (except from my phone) b/c i lost my camera charger. not sure how it happened but i'm flustered and have looked everywhere twice. i've dreamed about it and both dreams ended in me finding it....i need it by the weekend. arrrggghhh!

so far soooooo good

2009-08-01T20:34:00.002-05:00

well so far this weekend has proved to be a great one.

as i mentioned last week, b and i had dinner with our neighbors for the first time and we decided to do it again this weekend. they really are the coolest, nicest people. we've been having a great time getting to know them! they are both from very small towns which b and i can relate to and they don't get out and meet new people much, which we also relate to. we are so "stuck" basically in only meeting people from church. which is not a bad thing, we enjoy that too. but we've never gone outside our comfort zone and made ourselves available. i know, it's kinda sad and stinks that it's taken us this long to do it, but we're so glad we did. we feel like the Lord has opened this door and we're hoping our friendship with them just continues to grow.

we also invited a couple of b's co-workers over to join us. b knows them well b/c he sees them every day. i've only met them a couple of times and they are so great too. we had such a wonderful night. my face hurt from laughing so much, seriously, i was having to massage it! ha!

so friday night was great!

today we helped my dad move my grandma's stuff into her new apartment. it went great, the kids did great and it didn't take long at all honestly. we ended the day with a nice take home meal from louie's and "remember the titans". gets me soooooo ready for football season! love that movie! we're pooped but hey, it was worth it!

so, so far so good. this has been an excellent weekend. love you weekends. thanks for many happy returns!

and now for the weekend

2009-07-28T12:04:00.003-05:00

we had a great weekend! we actually did a couple of new things and new is always good. at least i think it is anyways.

on friday, b got to enjoy and round of golf so i thought i would treat the kids and myself to a round of.....BOWLING! ha ha ha! we had a lot of fun! jake more than ella but i think the bigger she gets, it can be a nice family outing for all of us. jake was very much interested in the way everything worked and would become quite frustrated when he could not knock all the pins down or make the ball go as fast as he wanted. he did a pretty good job though for it being his first time.

on friday night my dad came over and enjoyed the evening with us, along with my good friend nickel. we just ate and watched some movies. all in all, a great friday.

on saturday we spent the day cleaning, normal saturday routine and the kids were surprised and got to go swimming with my cousin and her daughter. they, of course, enjoyed themselves immensely. and yes, ella did fine being in the pool again. not scared at all from what i heard.

on saturday night we were invited over to our next door neighbors house for dinner. we had SUCH a great time. we had been talking to them (b more than me) for quite a while and they asked if we'd be interested in having dinner. we, of course, said yes and now i believe the budding of a new friendship is in the works. i know, sounds pretty cheesy. but b and i have never had "random" friends like this so it was nice and new.

so that's our weekend in a nutshell.

on monday we were surprised by our great friends from tulsa who came over to play for a bit. we always love seeing charli and chloe (and casey of course). the kids had such a great time. i'm glad we'll be seeing them again in a couple of weeks!

so on to another great week!

true love

2009-07-27T09:07:00.004-05:00

nope, i'm not gonna be talking about me and b, although we ARE in loooooovvvvvveeeeee!

i'm talkin about the love b has for our kids. i know it's big and i know it measures beyond anything, but sometimes he surprises me and goes above and beyond.

just a little background...b loves his yard. he works on it alot and even though we don't have the money to spend on it he would like, he does the best he can with what we have. sets the blade at just the right height, waters almost every day, applies fertilizer and weed control, all the good stuff that makes a yard look nice.

on another note, jake is very much into golf. yes his dad taught him but the interest lingers and continues to grow. one of jake's most favorite things to do is go outside and hit golf balls. not as hard and as far as he'd like, but he still has a good time. recently, b has been working with jake on pitching and chipping.

so yesterday afternoon, i hear the lawn mower going....weird, b just mowed about a day ago, i know it hasn't grown that much in a day. i walk outside and this is what i see....

i hope you can tell from the picture, but b has mowed a "putting green" into our FRONT lawn. scalped the yard for his boy. again, you might not understand the BIGNESS to this but this is HUGE. he scalped his yard on purpose so his son could have a spot to chip to and putt in. it just made me smile.

here's the opposite side of the drive-way where jake's "t-box" is. he had the most fun yesterday.

isn't it amazing, a father's love for his children......goes both ways huh.....

happy birthday my love

2009-07-20T09:04:00.003-05:00

friday was b's birthday. he's not much into birthdays but i try to get him to do something every year and this year he chose to eat at pearl's crabtown then over to our friends house for more birthday fun. overall i think he enjoyed his evening and was pleasantly surprised by his gift. for some reason he didn't think he was getting anything.....but of course he did and the kids and i got him some toms. he loved em! so yay for another great birthday!

friday was free day at the zoo so we decided to brave it and go. we met up with some friends and it actually wasn't too bad. the worst part was the parking so overall it was another great visit. kids crack me up b/c they act like they're seeing some of the animals for the first time, so it's always fun. here's the only picture i got (i cannot find my camera charger so all i had was my phone) however, jake is not at all upset when i don't take pictures and ella asked to take one with the "cat family" this time. it was pretty cute. she couldn't decide if she wanted to sit on top of it or stand beside it. so i got her "talking" to it. she's so funny!

saturday was pretty normal. cleaning, mowing, the normal saturday routine. saturday night was a little more eventful than i'd like but hey, what's life without a little adventure right? we went to a couples get together with people from church on saturday night. the house we went to had a pool and i knew the kids would want to get in....and so they did. ella, surprisingly enough stayed in more than jake did. near the end of the evening she was jumping up and down in the pool going under then jumping back up, swishing her hair around, acting silly. b was outside with her and i was inside chatting with the ladies. as b was watching her he noticed her jump up, then go back down and saw half of her face come back up out of the water....he waited and saw her face again, then saw her hands go up......

worst nightmare i think...."watching" your child nearly drown. when he reached her, she was floating face down. beyond scary, i know. at first i had wished i was outside but after hearing the story, was glad b was out there to handle it. he jerked her from the water and praise the Lord she was conscious but wasn't breathing. her eyes were wide and scared. b said he bent her over his knee and started hitting her back and all at once out came the water. she puked water two more times.

jake had come in and told me "ella went under water." i thought that was odd and said "by herself?" he said "yeah and now she's throwing up." i thought to myself how strange that sounded but jake usually tells it like it is so i jumped up to see what was going on. when i got outside, ella was standing there with her daddy looking so scared and even smaller than she is, wrapped in a big towel. i just sat there with her to get her to calm down. we ended up leaving the party shortly there after. we were contemplating whether or not to take her to the ER to get her checked out....she was breathing a little different than normal so after we called a doctor friend of ours, decided to take her in.

she checked out completely normal, nothing in her chest and her breathing was almost 100% perfect. the doctor told us what to watch for during the night, and so we left. that night was a bit rough. she would cough every time she took a deep breath and had a hard time getting relaxed (as did mom and dad) i decided to go ahead and sleep with her that night. after about 3am, she coughed one last time and drifted off to sleep.

woke up sunday morning back to her normal self.

WOW! thank you Jesus for keeping your hand on ella and for giving brandon strength and peace as he took care of her. he stayed so calm the entire time, exactly what the situation called for.

sunday we just rested at home. watched some videos together and relaxed from the weekend.

all is well. God is good.

catching up

2009-07-15T16:27:00.003-05:00

the weekend was restful yet eventful. we spent most of it watching movies and sleeping on and off, recouping from our trip...

on friday was my niece iriana's birthday party at jump zone. the kids LOVED it and were so adventurous! i was quite proud. i didn't know how ella would react to the big jump toys and slides but she followed jake everywhere he went and when it was time to go...of course they didn't want to leave.

on saturday i went to see my sister in "the music man." it was really good. i've seen the movie a million times and i always love going to see the shows if i've seen the movies. i really enjoyed it. great job sis!

sunday we actually took the WHOLE day off. we ran a few errands but for the most part we were at home resting. i'm pretty sure we're all back to normal now as far as schedules go. it's starting to feel pretty normal anyways.

i took the kids to see ice age:dawn of the dinosaurs on monday and they enjoyed it alot. they love going to the movies and when we have the extra cash, i don't mind taking them, a nice treat for all (and dad gets a little jealous i think) ha ha!

on a side note, b has been watering the lawn at night to try and keep it alive and as green as possible in this heat. it's looks pretty darn good considering the lack of "stuff" he's been able to put on it such as fertilizer etc. so last night, the kids decided they would take full advantage of the sprinkler and just jumped right in...clothes and all. they had a blast and were making me laugh pretty hard! i just love em to pieces!

picture time

2009-07-12T14:24:00.005-05:00

only a few of my faves....

one of my favorite pics...super dad!

man day spent golfing and a red sox pub

the kids in front of the chinese theater

our surprise on the 4th of july....beach house

in venice to spend the day in

angels game...very cool stadium and yes they won!

the four of us on fourth of july on venice beach

jake and ella covered in sand, they loved it!

on the beach for the first time!

girl day of shopping..ella is an excellent shopper

and...we're back

2009-07-10T10:21:00.002-05:00

what an amazing trip we had. i would almost venture to say the best we've taken so far out to california. i always love going out there, and this time was no exception. i think the weather played a BIG factor in our trip. the 100 degree weather left us and we were greeted with 70 degree weather the entire time. i had to wear a sweater at night.....LOVING that!

the kids did amazingly well on our road trip. i wasn't sure how they would handle being in the car that long but with every movie you could imagine and a bag full of colors and books, they did great. we did "break the law" during part of our drive and push the seats down so they could lay down and relax. they sleep very well in the car when it's like that so we do it. of course by the last two hours of the trip everyone is ready to get there, so it's a little rough, but overall i have no complaints, except that every time i go, i always want to stay longer.

we packed our six days full of things to do and everyone loved every minute!

-on friday, the girls went to beverly hills and shopped on melrose. shopping on melrose is my FAVORITE part. great shops, great scenery, love it.

-the boys played golf and went to a red sox pub. as far as i know, they enjoyed themselves!

-saturday we went to the beach and were pleasantly surprised by getting to spend the entire day in an amazing beach house. my sister's boyfriend was house-sitting and was kind enough to let us use the house as our hang-out spot for the day. so we took a walk down venice beach (oh so much to see) and then grilled at the beach house later that night. the kids LOVED the beach!

-sunday we went to an angels game which was a lot of fun. i'm not a huge baseball fan but i do love watching the games at the stadium. i think if i got to do that more often, i'd be more of a fan. we had lots of fun and later that night went back to the beach house for more grilling! i've got to get me one of those!

-monday we spent the day in santa monica where's there's more fun shopping and the pier. the kids enjoyed that too, they got to ride a couple of rides and play a game. another of my favorites....pretty much go there every time we're in town.

-tuesday we took our time getting ready then headed out to meet lil sis downtown where she works. b stayed at her apt with the kiddos and nicki (my cousin) and i rode the bus to meet her for lunch and a little more shopping. i love riding the bus. it's a very interesting experience and very hassle free! after lunch and a few shops we met b and the kids and headed to the tarpits. jake thought this was pretty cool but insisted they did NOT find bones in the tar, only in sand. it took quite a bit convincing for him to believe us. our last stop on tuesday was hollywood. the chinese theater, the stars on hollywood blvd., i was excited to see michael jackson's star which i'd seen before but of course means a little more now that he's gone. there was a huge line waiting to get pics with his star, i snuck in from behind and captured a few. it was cool.

-wednesday we headed home. i'm always sad to go. yes i shed a few tears and even jake didn't want to leave....we'll be back soon. more sooner than later i hope.

thank you sis and jeff for the greatest summer vacation! the kids had a blast and so did we! can't wait to see you again!

pics coming soon!