Buildin' Forts

RAIN, RAIN!

After four consecutive months of less than an inch of rain, there's finally a downpour outside! Hurrah!


I've jealously listened to my friends as they've reported freak ten-minute storms in their neighborhoods, but we haven't been so lucky. But finally, this morning, the rain poured down, giving my poor roses and oleanders a much needed gulp of water.


My sons' first priority was of course having as much hilarious fun playing in the rain as they possibly could (while it lasted).




Great way to start the morning. Now we're all shivering cold and deep under warm blankets watching a movie. Mmmmmm.

(And by the way, who is thirdfavorite1.blogspot.com and why can't I read YOUR blog?!)

David Plays T-ball!

I promised David that he could start T-ball in the spring. He was incredibly excited about it. Then I promptly forgot about the whole thing and consequently, missed spring sign-ups.

My punishment? He's now enrolled in t-ball for the summer session....with Friday practices.....at 7pm. The heat alone has chastened me enough into already setting a cell-phone alarm for spring sign-ups next year.

But all complaining aside, David really loves it. He's definitely our aggressive kid, so I think team sports are a good fit for him. He had no bones whatsoever about, say, pushing the pitcher out of the way in order to be the first one to scoop up the ball and sling it at first base.


Steve was out there the entire time with David--showing him how to throw, run the bases, etc...


We lucked out to have a little boy from David's preschool on his team. Yay Seth!


Steven captured a live action shot of David hitting his very first ball at our first game.


Hopefully this will help to focus some of that wild animal aggression into a more appropriate outlet. GO SLUGGERS!

Blue Star Jazz

Steven and I performed with a Jazz group Saturday night at the Houston Yacht Club. It was a fun little ensemble. I had a good time singing jazz standards like "Summertime," and "Cry Me a River," and Steven played jazz guitar with the band on songs like like "Green Onions," and "Watermelon Man."

Mag Diel on drums...

Fernando soloing on trumpet

The lovely Cami on bass

Brian (who plays alto sax) mugging to the camera, with Steven & Ben behind him

Steven was an absolute rock star for performing. He was feeling really sick and had even run a low-grade fever earlier in the day. But he came through like a champ, like always.

I had a great time. I've missed the camaraderie you get from performing in an ensemble (where you can laugh together about all the little bumps and snags in the performance). And we got free dinner too! It was almost like a date.

David's Preschool Graduation Celebration

David had his preschool graduation celebration last Tuesday. We had originally scheduled it to be at our friend Shauna's pool. But unfortunately, mother nature decided to PRETEND to rain for about a half hour, enough to close all the pools due to the one or two claps of thunder we heard.

So we headed to the Splash Pad and still had a great time. We even had a feast of cupcakes and goldfish to round things off. Afterward, we had a mini graduation presentation (which was mainly a photo opp for the parents--but we had great models).

Blegh.

My new calling is a lot trickier than I thought it would be.

I have to do the part of my old calling that I hated most---calling people and begging them to perform--even when they didn't want to. I don't even get the fun part of participating in (or sometimes even hearing) the finished performances. Just the begging.

Oh well.

Maybe the Lord thinks I need better managing skills? Maybe He was worried about my swollen head. Or maybe I seemed over-relaxed. At any rate, this calling is helping with all of those things.

Mother's Day Rose

I walked outside this morning to see this little beauty. Steven plants me a new rose bush every Mother's Day. I can't believe it's managed to bloom despite this awful drought. Sure, it's a little worn around the edges, but so am I.

Things That Cheer Me Up

1.) Counting my blessings---when I'm in a mindset to do so, that is. Remembering that when I can put things in the world context, I really live a very charmed, ridiculously free and easy life. Sometimes I can remember that my children are never in want, my husband has work, and I am safe. But because my funks are often selfish indulgences, I'll put up mental roadblocks and forget.

2.) This man.


3.) Sometimes when I'm blue, we'll have a social engagement and I just can't bring myself to go. I'll tell Steven, "Forget it, I can't face anyone today." And he'll say, "Yes, you can. We're going." And so I go. And then I'll have an outstandingly hilarious time that makes me forget why I was blue in the first place. It's funny how friends can do that.

4.)These little maniacs


5.) A night of relaxation with my family---where we order pizza so I don't have to cook, watch a fun movie and just horse around. Those are always a good pick-me-up.

6.) Time.

Kindergarten Graduation Celebration

Today was Stevie's last day of Kindergarten. We all went to his classroom for the graduation celebration. The kids performed two songs for us: "Welcome to School," and "You Are My Sunshine." As I watched Stevie sing and do movements for that last song, my eyes filled with tears. What a precious memory!--watching my little boy with bright eyes and the biggest smile sing this song I've loved since childhood. It made me realize how quickly time is slipping through my fingers. I'm so glad I'll have that memory forever in my mind.

Stevie was awarded a certificate for completing Kindergarten


We gave Mrs. Travis a little pot of flowers. We stuck a picture of Stevie inside it with the words, "Thank you for helping me grow!" (Thanks to my friend Shani, for the idea!)


After the certificates, the kiddos were treated to pizza and cupcakes and general kid hilarity.



Here's Stevie with his friend Cameron.


I can't tell you how proud I am of this kid. During our end of the year conference, Mrs. Travis told us that Stevie was reading at a level 16, and in order to give us a reference, she told us that they were only allowed to test students up to a level 18 during elementary school. She said he's doing very well in math, too, and that she likes the way his mind works outside of the box. She told us that socially he's just a normal little boy, and gets along well with the other kiddos. She told us she personally loved him and though he was the sweetest little boy. I'm so glad he had such a wonderful teacher, and that his first year was such a successful one.



Way to go, Stevie! We love you!