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.

Batter up!

Blake started playing t-ball this Fall. We actually felt bad because he's been a HUGE baseball fan for over a year now, and we only told him this summer that he could play. Before that, he thought it was only a professional sport. He has loved his first season, and he's showing some talent for his daddy's favorite sport. He was upset at his first game because his socks weren't long enough to tuck his pants into, like Hunter Pence (one of his favorite Astros players). I love to watch him standing on first just itching for that ball to come his way. I see many, many more ball games in our future, and I'm surprised to say that I'm excited about it.

Even though the pitcher doesn't actually pitch in t-ball (they're supposed to just mime it), Blake gives the full wind-up:

On third, getting a little coaching from Coach Jeff:

Six Flags Fun

Last Saturday, Valero reserved the entire Fiesta Texas park for its employees. It was very cool. No lines, free snacks at every snack stand, and free game tickets for the carnival-type games. We took only Blake and Sydney. The little guys stayed home with Gran and Grandad (thank you guys!). The four of us had so much fun. Andy and Syd are a great match because they're both into the fast rides...all coasters all the time. Blake and I like the slower, closer to the ground kind of rides. I think all four "big kids" really enjoyed the baby free day.