Wordless Wednesday

 

And then, there were three

I'm "that" person.  The person who says they will NEVER do __________ (fill in the blank) and yet, here I am, admitting that I've gone against my best intentions.

Last night, we had a tumultuous Spring storm hit Central Texas. The girls were a bit nervous, but we prayed with them, tucked them into bed and away to dreamland they went.

Meanwhile downstairs our white fluffy Malti-mutt T.J. was holed up in his bed.  As soon as I sat down on the couch, he comes running to me and jumped into my lap, curls up in the tightest little ball and sits bug eyed with fear. Honestly, I've never known T.J. to be fearful of storms, but last night he was definitely afraid.

So come bedtime, Randy tells T.J. to get in his crate for bedtime and he usually goes without hesitation.  But, last night, he looked at us like we were crazy and followed us up to our bedroom.

As soon as I flipped the light switch off he jumped onto the bed, but Randy immediately told him to get down.  I mean... because really... we aren't the kind of people to have a DOG sleeping in our bed, ya know?

About 10 minutes later, a particularly close lightening bolt and the subsequent thunder roll not only had T.J. up on the bed with us, but he managed to wedge himself smack dab in the middle of us and was trembling with fear.

And don't you know... RANDY of all people calmed him down and allowed him to stay in the bed with us.

So, yes... Randy is not as heartless as he tries to make people think.  And, we allowed our dog to sleep with us in the bed.

We are "those" people now.

Ditched for a Donut

Well, it's over.

On Monday, Elisan's school had a middle school orientation breakfast for the 5th graders.

On the menu?

Donuts.  And lot's of them.

Elisan was sitting by me, shooting daggers at me and I ask her what was wrong.

She says, "I'm tired of this gluten free diet.  I'm tired of having to say no to everything I love.  Pizza, bread, biscuits, rolls and now... DONUTS!"

I told her, "I've said from the beginning, if at any time you want to stop the gluten-free thing, just say the word."

And she did. Then, she marched herself right up to table and helped herself to a big ol' donut. 

After school we discussed the donut and the diet and how she didn't want to do it anymore.  And we told her it was fine with us, because really, it was only an experiment.

The relief that washed over her face was all I needed to see. 

So, pass the donuts.  And, the pizza, please.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Playing catch up!

It's official... only 3 weeks left until school is out for the summer!  I'm excited for several reasons... I'll be happy to have my girls home with me (let the deprogramming begin!) and the busy-ness will nearly come to a screeching halt!

I don't know about you, but these last several weeks have been extremely busy and it's only promising to get busier as school wraps up.

Here's what we've (they've) been up to!  Let's see... Elisan was inducted into the National Elementary Honor Society in April.  We're so proud of her!  Way to go Elisan!

Both girls participated in the school wide Jog-A-Thon.  The Jog-A-Thon is our school's biggest fundraiser.  This is always a fun event for everyone!

 

The girls have been playing lots and lots of soccer!  Only two weeks remain of soccer and then on to select soccer try-outs!  That's when the fun REALLY begins!

 

And finally, the ACAA District Track Meet!  As you know, I volunteered to coach the 5th grade girls and boys.  After the first practice, I was informed that the 6th grade kids did not have a coach, so I volunteered to coach them as well.  In total, I had 28 boys and girls!  A little more than I bargained for, but it worked out great.

For three weeks, I was up at the school every day during their PE classes coaching them in all things track related, from baton passing, long jumps, discus, shot put, hurdles and explosive starts.  I liken it to "herding cats".  (I could not have managed it all by myself!  Here's a shout out to my mom friends Rene, Kellie and Luann who helped me tirelessly!)

The track meet was a lot of fun!  And I'm proud to announce that my 5th and 6th grade girls team won FIRST PLACE overall!  I was shocked... and excited... and so very proud of them.  My 5th and 6th grade boys team placed 5th and I'm very proud of them too.  I'm thankful and blessed to have been able to coach and lead this group of amazing kids!

Here's my girl in her events.  She threw the shot put (10 feet, 3 inches), ran the 800M (4:00.81) and the 1600M in a little over 9 minutes.  I'm so proud of her for getting out there and trying as hard as she did.  We may have a trackster in the family afterall!
 

Y'all... I'm here... barely

Just popping in to say that I'm here, but barely.

I've been busier than a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest these last two weeks and I wish I could stop long enough to write an update, but I'm tired. 

It will have to wait.  Until track season is over.  Or, maybe even when soccer season is over.  Either way... it ain't happening today.

Just call me coach!

Yep, that's right.  You can call me coach.  At least for the next three weeks. I've volunteered to be the 5th grade track coach at school. I'm excited and I know it will be fun. My brother and I were tracksters growing up, so it's definitely a sport I'm familiar with and love.

Why three weeks?  Well, that's because the 5th graders only have ONE track meet and it's on May 1st.  So, I have the opportunity to encourage them and get them excited about track & field before they enter Middle School.

All I can say is, I'm glad I've been doing my own bit of running lately... I'll need to be able to keep up with them!

Shameless Plug

Each year, the girls' school holds it's biggest fundraiser in April! It's called the "Jog-A-Thon" and the proceeds raised from this event go back to the school!  To learn more about the Jog-A-Thon, click here.

What better organization can you think of to donate to, than a Christian school? And... you don't have to buy overpriced cookie dough or popcorn.  You can just donate and know that your money is making a difference in the lives of children. As a family, we're proud to be apart of this school and how it has blessed our children, in addition to the contribution it makes to the surrounding communities.

This year, the school has made it easier than ever to donate to each student's fundraising effort! (And your donation is tax deductible!)

If you would like to donate a dollar... two dollars... five dollars to either one of my girls fundraising effort, follow the below links!  My girls thank you and so do I!

Donate to Elisan
Donate to Kyla

BFF's

  

What you call weeds... we call Red Poppies

The Red Poppy Festival is coming up this month!

It's always a fun festival event in our town.

Parades, Arts and Craft booths, Food, Entertainment...

It's a true small-town "downtown square" event.

 

She chose green?!

Am I really old enough to have a kid in braces?

It's a bullet point kind of day

I feel the need to check in, but I'm not feeling particularly wordy today.  So, bullet points it is...

• I was a proud mama at Monday's Chapel at school.  Kyla led the Bible pledge on stage, Elisan led praise and worship and Kyla's class performed a skit about Moses.

• Both girls played goalie at last weekend's games.  Guess we're training up goalies?  Let me tell you, there ain't anything more stressful than watching your kid play goalie. But, they're pretty darn good at it... Sigh... Valium anyone?

• Last week when we got several inches of rain, TJ decided to cross the ditch full of water to see what was on the other side.  Unfortunately, he wouldn't come back over.  He was mad at me because I would not rescue him. If his barks were translated into words, I'm sure he would have been saying some naughty things to me.

 

• I ran seven miles on Monday.  I was exhausted and felt like garbage the entire day.  I am beginning to think our bodies are just not designed to run more than 3-4 miles at a time.

•  I also have had heartburn and indigestion lately.  What?  Is this what happens when you turn 39 because I'm not sure I like it.

• I just finished booking hotels for our summer vacation.  We're doing the "GO WEST" road trip tour, that will include Big Bend, Carlsbad Caverns, Grand Canyon, Moab and Santa Fe.  I remember this trip from when I was a little girl in our tricked out Ford Conversion Van, complete with 4 Captain's chairs, shag carpet and bed with storage underneath.  

• It's time to freshen up my Spring/Summer wardrobe.  Have I told you how much I hate to shop for clothes for myself?  I loathe it.  Are Nike running shorts appropriate to wear everyday?  Like everywhere?  If that's the case, I'm set! That's all I seem to want to buy and/or wear.

Blog Brain Dump

We're on week five of removing gluten from Elisan's diet. I'm positive I've removed at least 97% of the gluten from her diet, but I'm sure gluten is sneaking in there, in some form or fashion.  (Hidden gluten makes me mad!)  But, I've gotten better at reading labels and making smarter choices for all of us.  What's crazy is that I've always considered our family to be moderately healthy eating family, but I'm quickly discovering that we can be doing better overall. 

Anyway, going back to Elisan...Randy has been a little overzealous in measuring her height.  He measures her every week so see if there has been any change.  Well, I'm happy to report that in ONE WEEK, she grew nearly 1/3 of an inch.  I know, that doesn't seem like a lot, but trust me, it is.  That's the most she has grown in over 4 months.  There might actually be something to this gluten thing afterall.

So, Spring Break was last week and the girls spent their entire break in soccer camp.  The camp began at 8:00 a.m. and lasted until 5:00 p.m.  I was sad that I didn't get to spend more time with them over their break, but they had so much fun! I think they enjoyed the camp more than they would have enjoyed hanging out with me.  (Sigh...)  At the end of each day, they were exhausted to say the least.  But, they were ready to go back the next day! 

I love this picture of the girls.  Look at them both.  Sitting on their knees, while all of the other kids are sitting cross-legged.  Don't they look like twins? 

Randy bought Formula 1 seat options today.  I said "seat options" not tickets!  Oh, you didn't know there was such a thing?  Well, I didn't either!

Apparently, it's like we're now season ticket holders, but without the tickets.  We "own" the rights to the seats, but have to actually purchase the F1 race tickets. But, with the seat option, we have rights to purchase tickets for all venues at the F1 arena in Austin.  Randy is beyond excited.  He called me earlier to tell me that he selected our option seats on the front row at the finish line.  I can see ear plugs in my future. Hopefully, come November 18th, I'll be attending my very first Formula 1 race, which incidentally will also be the debut F1 race in America! Whoohoo!

Spring Pictures

We had such beautiful weather on Saturday, I seized the opportunity to capture my cuties for their Spring pictures. Despite the wind, I was able to get a few that I really love!

Here are my favorite individual pictures.

I love this one of the girls together!

And this captures them perfectly!

And of course, no photo shoot is complete
without a little silliness mixed in!

I'm no expert

Okay Y'all!  Let me be honest... I'm no expert in all things gluten free.  In fact, since we've only been doing the gluten-free diet for Elisan for three weeks, I'd say I'm pretty much a novice, newbie, green behind the ears (whatever that means.)

The last three weeks of GF eating have been okay.  I've experimented with baking breads (in a bread machine) and making pizza dough, cookies and cupcakes from a gluten free mix.  Elisan's biggest complaint is sandwich bread slices.  But, she's content eating fresh deli meat and a cheese stick for lunch, in lieu of a sandwich. 

Elisan is also a BIG snacker.  Not like in the way of eating all day long... more in the way of the quality of snack foods presented to her.  She doesn't like the gluten free crackers and will only eat fruit when it suits her, so I've had to brainstorm a few snack ideas.

This snack is very portable which makes it great for a school snack or after sports practices.  And, Kyla likes it too, which is great, because she has felt "left out" with the gluten free diet... (GO FIGURE!) 

(Disclaimer: I never said it was "healthy" so to speak.  It's just a fun snack to keep around.  And be sure to double check your ingredients for gluten free status.  All the ingredients shown are GF, but do your homework!)

So here it is...

Elisan's Marshmallow Chocolaty Chex Mix
(Gluten Free)

1 cup Chocolate Rice Chex
2 cups Popcorn  (Freshly popped on the stove, with olive oil.  Salt to taste.)
2 packages "Fun Size" M&Ms
1/2 cup of Kraft Mini-Marshmallows
1 small box of Sun-Maid Yogurt Covered Raisins
Optional: Handful of shelled roasted peanuts

Mix prepared ingredients in a large bowl and serve. Serves 2-3

Enjoy!