Cousins, cousins, cousins

Since moving to the San Antonio area, we have been so blessed to reconnect (or in some cases connect for the first time) with family. Technically, the people we have now come to rely on so heavily and love so dearly are my mother's cousins and aunt and uncle. When introduced at church, none of us have figured out how we're really related other than to call each other "cousin". The Hassmann clan are the most amazing family, and I am so proud to be even a small part of it. Kevin and Cindy let us practically move in with them for several days (sometimes when they weren't even in town) while we were house-hunting. Their children have taken to our kids, and we are so blessed to have Whitney, Delaney, Nathan and Jackson around as frequently as we can. Steve and Susan take every opportunity to introduce us to the nearest warm body (these two know no strangers), and their kids have made us chuckle. John Howard, Lucy and Harry are creative, fun kids whom we genuinely look forward to seeing every Sunday. Aunt Norma and Uncle Johnny (I think everyone now calls him John, but growing up, he was always Uncle Johnny) housed Mom and Dad (and our four adorable children) during our house hunt and made themselves available to help out whenever possible. What amazing parents they must be to have produced such incredible kids (who in turn, have produced incredible kids). We have yet to spend any time with Jeff and Jennifer, but look forward to seeing them and their sweet little Henry soon. This family truly personifies hospitality, and I'm so grateful for their example and their friendship.


So the Tuesday before Christmas, my mom and I got this wild idea to have the whole clan over to reconnect. So all the people listed above (minus Jeff and Jennifer), Grandma and Grandpa, and Brian and Carla all came for fun and chaos. We had a ball. There were kids EVERYWHERE, all of them playing and having a great time. The boys donned jackets and were outside playing well after dark. Every once in a while, one of them would surface, shove a bunch of cookies in his jacket to share with the others, and disappear again into the night. The girls, greatly outnumbered, spent a lot of the evening hanging out in Syd's room, just being girls. I thank God for sweet Whitney, who spent a lot of the evening catering to Harry and Brady, both of whom are in love with her.


My cousin, Teri, and her clan (from Coloorado) came for our little shindig. It was great to see them. The boys blended right in with the rest of the posse and Bonnie, Sydney and Delaney picked up right where they left off.




We had the privilege of having Bonnie for a night while her family was in town. Sydney and Bonnie are kindred spirits, and they had a ball talking late into the night, crocheting, making up plays, concocting matching outfits, and posing for a photo shoot. We would claim Bonnie as a Moreland in a heartbeat. She's pure gold, and Teri and Christopher have done a wonderful job raising a sweet little lady.

My kid has cuter hair than me

I am completely in love with this little girl, and with her love for the "cute" factor. She's been growing her hair out forever, in order to donate to Locks of Love, and today, she just couldn't take it anymore. I'm not sure we have a complete ten inches to donate, but I know that she is VERY happy with the "new" hair. It's sassy, isn't it? I caught her more than once this evening checking herself out in the mirror. There's a fine line between appreciation and vanity, and I'm pretty sure she spent the bulk of the evening on the vanity side of the fence. But I'm thrilled that she loves her cut and that not a single tear was shed on the first drastic haircut of her young life. And now that she has cuter hair than me, I'm thinking I might do the Locks of Love thing myself. Stay tuned for pics of that adventure.

I'd like to say that I'm great at keeping New Years' resolutions, but in truth, I've never made one that I actually kept (that I can recall). So I'm thinking that making them is kind of useless. However, the things that I would like to improve upon this year include blogging, photography, and the annual move toward overall fitness (physical, emotional and spiritual). That being said, I'm going to try to make this blogging thing happen at least twice a week. I'm shooting for Monday through Friday, so I'm thinking I might make a day or two each week. We'll see...

In random news, Brady is STILL obsessed with Diego. Will the madness never end? I am not kidding when I say that he breathes and dreams Diego. He LOVES him, and each and every conversation comes back to Diego eventually. For instance, as we're leaving the furniture store today, Blake and Sydney are asking to go to the mall. And Brady says, "Ooooo, can we go to the field journal store and get a Diego field journal with stickers about animals?" For the record, he asked for a field journal for Christmas, and Santa just couldn't find one anywhere. He thought about making one, but didn't have the time and energy to be that crafty. So you crafty people, if you want to make something for Brady's birthday that he will love for all eternity, figure out how to make him a darned field journal. Brady continues to be hilarious, yet maddening. Tonight, we were looking through his favorite animal book (which he is convinced is just like one Diego has), and he found a donkey. When asked what that donkey said, he replied, "KEE-honk, KEE-honk." Cute, right? Then Max reached over to turn the page and Brady screamed "NOOOOO MAX" and slammed the book on Max's fingers. Cute moment over. Screaming everywhere. Such is life with two toddlers.

I smile because you're my sister...

...I laugh because there's nothing you can do about it.

I saw that quote somewhere, and loved it.

As children, my sisters and I couldn't have been more different. We fought. We drove each other crazy with our "s" sounds. We skipped out on each other when it was our turn to do the dishes. We annoyed the heck out of each other. But even then, we loved and protected one another.

As grown women, wives and mothers, we have more in common than we ever did as children. I have the utmost respect for both of them, and I'm so grateful for their friendship.

I sometimes mourn the fact that Sydney has no sisters. She's missing out, and I hate that.

I turned 35 this year, and my life is once again in complete transition. The move to San Antonio a few months ago has left me loving my new home, yet missing my old one. I miss my girlfriends most of all. I've spent so many hours talking to God about how much I need a girlfriend, and He consistently tells me He is enough. It has been a lonely time. Yet it has been a time of a growing friendship with my Lord.

So on my birthday, my doorbell rang around 7:30 am. And my sisters stood on my front porch with a video camera. I cried for joy (and embarassment because I hadn't even put on a bra yet). The next 48 hours were the highlight of my year. On Friday, we shopped and ate and talked. Andy stayed home with the boys on Saturday while we girls did more shopping, eating and talking. On Saturday evening, I had a blissful night out with my husband, knowing that my children were well-cared for by two of the best mothers I know.

My little guys each picked a favorite aunt. Max loved snuggling with Aunt Erin, and Brady kept insisting that he wanted to stay with "that girl" (Aunt Amanda). Such precious memories.

I'm crying just thinking about the sacrifices made for that little bit of time we had together. Each sister had to fly a long way and spend significant cash to do it. Each sister's husband stayed home with all of their children, and did it joyfully. Thank you Jeff and Jimmy. I am so humbled and grateful.

Thank you, Erin and Amanda. It was the best birthday gift you could have possibly given me.

Let's do it again sometime, girls. That sister weekend was WAY overdue.

A REAL vacation

I love it when I hear someone say they're taking a Disney vacation. As far as I'm concerned, that's a complete oxymoron. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Disneyworld, but it is NOT a vacation. Vacation is a beach and a book with no schedule and no responsibility. It's doing whatever you want whenever you want without having to take into consideration if the restaurant serves mac-n-cheese or if you remembered the emergency pacifier, wipes and sippy cups. In my book, vacation really doesn't include kids...at least, not my kids.

Andy had business in San Diego in September, and I was blessed to get to tag along while my mom came to keep the kids (thanks, Mom!). It was awesome. The hotel was beautiful, the beach was close by, and I actually had the luxury of using the bathroom ALONE more than once.:) Have I said that it was awesome? Each morning, I got up and either laid around by the pool with a good book, roamed the quaint little shopping area in La Jolla, or went to the spa for a treatment (or two). Sometimes, I'd meet Andy for lunch, and we always had dinner together.

One evening, we walked down to the beach from the hotel. It wasn't technically a hike, but it was a very steep, paved road. It was more of a workout than either of us anticipated.

We also took a drive up to Mt. Soledad...gorgeous view.

We also had dinner downtown La Jolla at a quaint little Italian place, overlooking the beach. Good times.

If you're ever in San Diego, I highly recommend the Estancia La Jolla. Beautiful decor, incredible service, and the food wasn't bad either. We were scheduled to leave late on a Saturday, so we checked out of the hotel and headed to the world famous San Diego zoo. It's a gorgeous zoo, and we thoroughly enjoyed the pandas and the gorillas. As our plane touched down in San Antonio, I was anxious to see the kids, but I think I could have stood another day or two of REAL vacation.

It was four days of shear luxury, and I want to go back tomorrow. Maybe next year...

She's not a little girl anymore

So Sydney turned NINE last month. She's only a year away from double digits. Where did that decade go? There's no more princess parties or doll tea parties (although she still loves her American Girl doll). There's no more dress up and dresses that "twirl". Getting her to wear a hairbow is a battle these days. And while I miss the little girl that she was, I'm thoroughly enjoying the big girl that she is. So, here are just ten reasons I adore her, in no particular order:

1. She looks like me. I don't think I'm all that beautiful, but I do enjoy it when people tell me she looks just like me.

2. She's a natural nurturer. Anyone who spends 5 minutes with the kid knows this. And praise God that she is, because I need all the help I can get with the little guys.:)

3. She loves a stage and a microphone. That girl loves her some attention, and she belts her favorite tunes at the top of her lungs.

4. She loves bling on her clothing. As I folded her laundry last week, I realized that nearly every long sleeved shirt she owns has some form of glitter.

5. She loves all the same shows I loved as a child: Cosby Show, Little House, etc.

6. She loves arts and crafts of any kind. Give her some pipe cleaners, and she can keep herself busy for hours.

7. She adores her brothers. Even though they make her crazy sometimes, she takes great joy in reading to them, playing with them, and teaching them new things.

8. She loves to climb trees.

9. She loves to read mysteries.

10. When she's disappointed in herself, she just wants me to sit and hold her while she cries.

This year, she wanted a karaoke party, and she wanted to do it at home. So we set up a little stage, hooked up the speakers and microphones, cleared out the living room and let a bunch of little girls jam their hearts out. It really was a lot of fun, but if I never hear "Breaking Free" from High School Musical again, that'd be okay with me.

Halloween

Yes, I know I'm very behind. But I'm trying to catch up...again. On Halloween, we weren't quite sure what to expect, being new in the neighborhood and all. We were invited to trick-or-treat with some neighbors on the other side of the neighborhood. Kids were EVERYWHERE, and it was like the whole neighborhood was having a big party. The kids loved it. Syd and Blake opted for the Star Wars route. No matter how hard they tried to convince Brady to be Darth Vader, he refused. Of course, he wanted to be Diego. And he wanted Max to be Rescue Pack. He screamed every time I told him that Max would be sleeping during trick-or-treating and I had no intention of dressing him up. He really, REALLY wanted Max to be Rescue Pack. Max was a farmer because he just happened to be wearing a John Deere "future farmer" t-shirt that day. Good enough.:) We lasted a little over an hour trick-or-treating before Blake announced he was finished. Next year, we may just make friends with someone with a golf cart (great idea, Sara).

This is just a fraction of the kids living in our neighborhood. This place is crawling with kids!

Sydney's always in protective big sis mode in a crowd.

It's 63 Degrees...

...and my kids feel the need to drag out the hats and scarves. They would NEVER survive a real winter.