Disney!

There are few experiences in life that live up to or exceed every expectation possible. Especially when it comes to vacations....specifically FAMILY vacations. Our first family trip to Disneyworld this month did just that. Amazing, magical and literally gave me goosebumps and moments of teary eyes as I watched the "Disney magic" unveil in front of Nick's eyes.

Revalations

After "Swiffering" and steam cleaning the travertine tile on my kitchen floor, I still could not get the grime off the damn grout. So, I broke down, grabbed a toothbrush and some cleaner and started scrubbing. What do you know...the grout was slowly but steadily returning to its natural stone color glory. That's when a simple thought popped into my head...sometimes in life there are no short cuts. If you want the outcome, you have to put in the hard work.

Seems pretty obvious, doesn't it? Well, yes and no. We live in a society, a common, almost unconscious conscience, that tells us "there is a faster/easier/quicker way to get this done". And we look for it, we buy it, we assume it.

My little grout-induced "revelation", along with the Bible study I just joined got me thinking about other areas of my life where I may be subconsciously looking for a short-cut when what I really need to do is get busy doing the work.

**BREAK** (Mon. Sept. 20) I started writing this post last week, but had to put it on hold since I was leaving for a retreat with the women's ministry group from Winwood Presbyterian Church. And, no, you did not misread any of the above information....me, Bible study, church retreat, etc. For the last year I have been more actively engaging in my spiritual life. At my core, I believe that a person's sprirtiual life becomes the guiding compass for every other decision in his or her life. Clearly, I want to make decisions I feel proud of; therefore, I needed to really focus on my beliefs.

When I accepted a friend's invitation to a Bible study last year, I did so thinking it would nicely supplement my Catholic faith. While not aligned with many of the Catholic views on women in clergy, birth control, and other minor "rules", I did genuinely think I knew and believed in its core tenants. Namely, Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, became man, suffered,was cruxified by Pontius Pilate, died and rose again on the third day in fulfillment of the Scriptures (sound familiar?). And through doing so, He died for all our sins. By just believing in Him and claiming Him as our Saviour, we would join Him in heaven one day.
To some extent this year of Bible studies and the retreat have deepened and enriched those beliefs immensely. What I did not bargain for was for this experience to rock my faith in Catholicism.
Ugh. I have so much swirling in my head right now, it's hard to put it all down in writing. And, since all three of you faithful readers usually tune in to hear about Nick's zany adventures, I imagine you may be a little confused.
Let's leave it here for now...in the last week, I've made a few important "revalations"....

1. Sometimes, there are no short cuts on the road to enjoying the sweet reward.
2. I do believe, with all my heart, that I am a child of Jesus and that He is the only way. I want very badly, as does Jay, to be incredibly involved in a church and raise Nick with a sense of church community.
3. Even though I am questioning the dogma of the Catholic church, hearing Catholicism being put down, laughed at or insulted immediately lights a feisty spark in me. Some of the best, most faithful people I know are Catholic...and my family.

So, the journey continues. And while it may long and challenging at times, my faith is unwavering.

I'll put in the hard work and believe that eventually, He will guide me and my little family to where we belong and show us what He wants us to do when we get there. But, if you have any suggestions, I'm all ears. That includes you, too, Big Guy.

An ocean of possibilities

Nick chasing waves in Galveston, TX

Once again, our summer has been filled with travel and some fun adventures. Nick and I joined Ronnie and her twin girls, Lexi and Lola, for a couple days of beach fun in Galveston. The kids LOVED running on the beach, chasing waves and each other. After a full day of fun, the kids couldn't even stay awake long enough for pizza:)

Who hit the Summer fast-forward button?

The last 6 weeks seem to have flown by - Jason turned 37 on May 29, Nick and I went to Ohio for Austin's graduation from Ohio U and Jay and I took our 2nd annual vacation to Playa del Carmen with friends in the Dove. Here are a few pics from the last few weeks. Enjoy!

Titi and Papa got Nick a tractor "just like Papas"

Nikki and I helped Austin celebrate his last weekend of college.

Riding Papa's BIG tractor!

Playing with Titi's homemade Play-dough

Riding paddleboats with Daddy on Father's Day

Enjoying vacation in Playa del Carmen, Mexico


Jason's 37th birthday (May 29) complete with Blue Bell sundae bar!

Grandpa Romano stopped by for a visit. He and Nick loved gardening together.

Spring videos

Trying to get a "family picture" on Mother's Day. Hey, we are all looking at the camera...success!

Evening bike rides with Daddy.

I'm loving 2 1/2! What a fun age! Here's a couple videos of Nick from the past few weeks. We love going to the Zoo, and when Tia Nikki visited we took her with us to see all our favorite animals.

Nick loves bike rides with Daddy, and when the next door neighbor outgrew his bike, Nick gladly took ownership. Here he is riding his big boy bike all by himself!

Last fling before Dena gets the ring!

Last weekend a group of about 12-20, depending on the moment, gathered to celebrate Dena's big day and take her out for one last, single-girl fling. Let's be clear - by "fling", I mean fun girls night out....nothing that would later land her on a talk show.
We kicked it off a The Four Seasons, lounging by the pool, sipping on Patron margaritas and enjoying the toddler/kid free relaxation! Truthfully, I could have stayed poolside until they closed the pool, but since we were on a mission, it was off to kick off the party. The limo picked us up and we were off to dinner, drinks and dancing.
It was a fun night, full of old stories and big laughs. I did learn a few lessons and came across some new realizations...
1. You are no longer the "cute young girl" by the pool when you realize you hope your C-section scar isn't showing and worried the salt on the margarita is going to puff ya up.
2. Skirts have gotten shorter and guys cheesier since I left the big top.
3. There's something fabulous about being out at the "hot spots" and realizing that life on the reservation is exactly where I belong...and love. Now, if I could just get that golf cart....


BIG hugs to Dee and Jes on their big day this Friday!

Dear Nick

Dear Nick,
Well, the calendar tells me you are a few days short of being 2 1/2. Really? So much has happened since your arrival. Actually, it all started happening the second God graced us with the knowledge of your existence. Nothing can change a life like the miracle of a new heartbeat. There are so many little moments happening right now that I want to remember, but I am old enough to know that unless I write them down, I may likely forget. Or, as my mom would say, they'll get buried in a sock drawer in my mind...only to be brought out when something makes me open up that drawer. So just in case these memories get buried too far back in the process of living, I thought I'd write down some of my favorite...and maybe not so favorite memories in making happening now. Trust me, you'll thank me. Later. Likely much later.

You are a sweet, sweet boy. Last week when Tia Nikki, was visiting you noticed she had a band-aid on her toe. Without prompting, you announced... "Tia hurt!" Then bent down and kissed her toe.
You love you some Mickey Mouse. You used to love The Wiggles. But, without warning, you apparently broke up with them. Strangely, I miss hearing "Fruit salad, yummy yummy" 82 times a day. Now, we are more into..."If you have ears, say CHEERS" and, Tia Nikki's favorite..."Hot dog dance..hot diggity dog!". In homage though, your downstairs play lounge is still called "The Wiggles Room". All your buddies in the hood know it by this name too.
You still love your music. Now we have a repertoire of songs that you like to sing that include..."Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", "ABCs", "Alligator Pie" and "Jesus loves me". By the way, everytime you see a star you shout "twinkle twinkle"!!
Speaking of music...your current pop favorites are Lady Gaga's "Poker Face", anything by the Black Eyed Peas and "Chicken Fried". Some moms may not enjoy having a toddler get in the car and plead "Mas poker face, Peasssssssss". Good thing you got me, kiddo.
Lately, instead of saying "NO" you've chosen to say "note". Ok. Whatev.
I love that you talk about Titi and Papa like you just saw them last Tuesday. Even though it's been almost 5 or 6 months. Love is funny.
You and your Daddy have a special relationship. You love the new bike seat. Last week you and Daddy went on a bike ride and you watched your first baseball game! By the way, your Daddy is madly in love with you. One day you'll understand how hard he works so that we can have Tuesday mornings at the Zoo.
You love your buddies. Weston and Sarah are your favorite big kids. Aunt Toni and Uncle Wes took you to your first hockey game. Get ready to love some ice, kiddo. Daddy and Uncle Wes have big plans for you and Weston. And we haven't even talked golf yet.
You love your books. You insist on sleeping with a bajillion books in your crib. (Yes, you are still in a crib. Leave it alone.) In the morning, I can hear you "reading" books to your plastic bugs, woobie and stuffed animals. It amazes me you FIT in the crib with all the extras. The book thing makes my heart sing. Your mama loves her a book!
Woobie and di-di, your pacifier are still two of your besties. Sure, we should start the break-up process. But here's the thing kid, I may never spoil you with tons of toys. I will always insist on manners and I will not allow cruelty. But comfort and joy....bueno, mi amor, if these two items still bring that to you, then they are yours. Because when I sneak into your room and see you peacefully sleeping, amid the books, the rubber bugs and snakes, the stuffed animals, clinging to your woobie and happily half-sucking on your di-di....that my sweetness, brings me a comfort and joy that I pray each day you will someday know.
And to think, that's just been the first 2 1/2 years....
Te adoro mi querido,
Your mama

Oh, God...you rascal...

So, this morning Jay calls me to find out if I've called the yard guys yet to find out when they are mulching, planting and aerating even though I have told him a bajillion times it will be sometime in March.
I am highly annoyed that he feels he has the right to hound me about this before I have:
A) found the coffeemaker
B) given the dog his gross medicine or
C) realized I was standing in front of my now-completely bare kitchen window in just a towel (that realization came a few minutes later when someone walking their dog waved at me).

Anyway, the conversation went sour quickly. We agreed we should not talk for a minimum of 2 hours.

I'm leaving Bible study thinking how silly it was to get so annoyed. I called the yard guys, left a message, called Jay told him I had a left a message for yard guys and we agreed we were being stupid. It's just stressful with the house up in chaos right now. Yay, God!

Gets better. I pull up to my house and wouldn't you know it....the yard guys are outside my house mulching and getting ready to plant! Funny God, He knew it all along....:)

On a completely unrelated note, here's some cute pics of Nick playing in the park the other day.

Maybe we should paint a room....

That's how this started. We were going to paint one room - the great room. That turned into, well, we should probably do the entry too....which spilled over into....where do we stop and start since the walls are high? Let's just go all the way up the stairs. Well, might as well do the second floor, now. Uh-oh. Will the kitchen look weird now? And then I saw faux painting. So we decided to do that in the kitchen. Ahh....but wouldn't the main room look nice with a faux glaze? And, well, now you know....if you give a lady a paint brush (budget) for one room, you end up with an entire house project involving retexturizing walls, faux paint and a stained fireplace. Oh, and the dining room may end up with a painted ceiling. Stay tuned!

We are on day 3 of 10-12. It's not comfortable, but I know (hope!) it will all be worth it. In case you are interested, the company we are using is www.itsmagnifico.com. The crew has been super professional and efficient. Great news when dealing with contractors!

Playing catch up...

So, I'm still incredibly excited about the Flip camera and have been taking tons of video, but I'm having a technical difficulty sharing all the fun. In the meantime, I thought I'd catch you up through pictures....enjoy!
Nick currently loves "helping" in the kitchen. He has his own apron and insists Jay and I wear our aprons when cooking.
A favorite time of year in Houston is late February-March....it's Rodeo time in Houston, y'all! The Friday of the BBQ cook-off, which officially kicks off the season, is known as "Go Texan Day". The kids are encouraged to dress up for school. Here's a cute pic of Nick as a little cowboy.



In other news, Jay and I celebrated our 6th year anniversary on February 28th! Without getting too sappy, I can sincerely say we are sweetly enjoying this season of our lives. Watching Nick grow, continuing to grow together....it's a good thing.
But, to every ying, there is a yang.... On our actual anniversary day, we had to rush Elvis to the animal ER. Apparently, he has kidney damage from a presumed infection and a secondary skin infection. We spent some very tense days worrying we may lose him. Currently, he is on treatment and we are cautiously hopeful. He may be only a dog to you, but he was our "first" to Jay and I and we love him beyond measure.

Happy 2010!

Hey, where'd the first decade of the Millennium go? I swear I was just in Cleveland planning an Ohio winter escape. Six months later, I was settling into a new life in Atlanta, then in Miami and finally, truly settling, with a sweet husband and baby in Houston. Who knew? Certainly not that 22/23 year old girl in Cleveland....
I sort of dropped off there for awhile so I posted a "crib sheet" album of our past year. We capped off the year with a family vacation to Cabo San Lucas with our dear friends, the Driskills. Beautiful place....but would have likely been even more enjoyable without a freak tropical storm.
Nick turned 2 and we celebrated on Halloween with a party in the park with almost 100 friends and family! It was a gorgeous day so noone (me) had a nervous breakdown. In Novemeber, we continued on with the year of travel by DRIVING to Ohio for Thanksgiving. Nick was a trooper on the 2-day, 18-hour journey. Since we were already in Ohio, we continued driving up to Chicago for Tansy and Tim's wedding. AMAZING.
This was the first Christmas that Nick had any awareness at all about Santa or "Ho-Ho" as he called the big guy. I have a feeling my love of Christmas is going to go into overdrive in these next precious years with a sweet boy in the house! We rang in the new year playing cards with the Bullards and Paynes. Wonderful, low-key and a lovely way to ring in this new decade and chapter of our lives.

By the way, I received a Flip video camera for Christmas so consider this your warning.....I'm about to go video posting NUTS!

Happy New Year, y'all!

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