Prom, Flu and the Tummy Bug..

Prom, Flu and the Tummy Bug.. 

Yes all in two weeks and my bank acct really showed it. But this momma is oh so thankful my baby girl is better, after missing one week of school and testing positive for not one but two types of flu had her pretty sick, and as most of you moms know when your babies are sick there is no sleeping.

It has been quite the emotional couple of weeks, and at one point I remember being in  front of the potty and asking (begging, pleading) to God for more strength and just to be able to sleep..

During my time recovering from the tummy bug I started watching Netflix (courtesy of Ciera and Vijay) and I came across season one of Army wives. I have watched all of them before and watching them again was still pure greatness. I was already emotional from just being tired, and looking at the Boys prom pictures so any kind of good bye on Army wives had me bawling. When the boys got home from school Cameron started watching it with me (don’t tell his friends) and at one point there was a graduation ceremony and he saw that I was tearing up and he said

 “Gosh mom I can already see how you are going to be when we graduate and leave for college, what are you going to do when we leave?”

Yes start the tears here.. Thanks Son!

Cameron took a selfie on my phone

Don’t get me wrong..

I am so proud and excited about my boys’ future, I am proud of all their accomplishments; I am overwhelmed with joy in every single thing they do. And yes I am gonna be a mess when it all goes down. But I don’t dread it. Not one bit.

After all We are having a blast!

Prom went perfectly..

We had the privilege in helping decorate where Prom was being held. It came out so nice and I was so excited for all the Juniors and Seniors to see it.

I kept it together, had already seen the boys in their tuxes I was so proud and doing so good. 

But when they posed for their first picture at my house with Aaron’s girlfriend it hit me. I had to dab my eyes and bite my lip to keep it in control. 

They looked so dang handsome, so grown, where did these nice looking young men come from? 

They were all such good sports and we met at the picture place, and they all five posed for me and smiled and had a good time without complaining. And we took part of the red carpet event where the parents got to be the paparazzi, Aaron put on a good show, took several poses for us. Made us all laugh.

Best part of the night.. Having Aaron, Cameron and Kear bust into my room when they got back and laughing and telling us all about how amazing their night was.

That right there is making memories that will last a lifetime for this momma..

P.S. Just wanted to send a shout out to the ones who called, texted and left bananas, sprite and chocolate on my front door during our time of need. God has put some amazing people in our family’s life. And for that I am grateful.

Our Little One...

My Lil Buddy

We have a little one in the house again..

We have the privilege of helping Ci’s lovely and beautiful boyfriend out as they work and Ci goes to school full time.

So the ones who know me well must know how ecstatic I must be..

Not just me but my hubby and  teenagers too.

Within the last couple of wks., we have spent more time outside.

We have dusted off the swing set, cleaned up the yard, and have spent a couple of evenings just sitting outside and enjoying the nice big piece of land that we have. 

We forgot what it is like to have a little one that gets excited about everything! 

How she is thankful for everything, and cheers us on. How she yells our names as she walks in our door ready to greet us and let us know she is there. She brings such joy and more laughter to our home.

We now see and hear every choochoo train that goes by, and took for granted the beauty of living in the country. I now notice the pretty flowers (weeds), Cows,  Horsies, and the Acorn (aka Long Horns) that are along the drive home. 

I have been reminded how to have patience each morning and night as she has to hug and kiss everyone before bed and when we leave for work each day, yes everyone including all the animals in the house.  

She is 2 years old and has more compassion and the biggest heart than most adults I know. 

This little one has helped heal this bitter heart, and I know this is giving me just a small taste of what is to come..

 It is making the upcoming prom for my Boys more doable, and the fact that my babies are going to be Seniors and an 8^th grader.  YIKES!!

My Precious Family

It is helping me to open my eyes and get excited for what God is doing and has planned for their lives instead of dreading it and wishing time will slow down..

And for that, I am oh so grateful..

Life in HammettVille

Last night as I was losing feeling in my fingers and kept wiping my nose from drip age because it was so darn cold, I kept going back and forth in my head which season I disliked the most Track Season or Cross Country Season.. Don’t get me wrong, I love love love watching my kids run, but gosh it is a long day and absolutely miserable if it is too hot or too cold.. But I can gripe as much as I want, I still will be there cheering them on..

After my rant on fb the other day about boys being boring for prom, I am happy to say that not only is my Cameron going with a date, but they agreed to take pictures where I wanted.. whoohoo!

I am getting a sweet taste of what it will be like to have grandchildren..

 And one thing is I am losing my desire to have more children of my own, because this Nana thing is so much sweeter.. Heehee

Trav is loving his new job, it is amazing how much a person’s entire outlook and attitude on life changes when he is working somewhere that brings him joy. No more long drive to DFW in traffic, and no more on call 24 hours a day and getting those 2 am phone calls because his co-workers were clueless on how to do trouble shoot on their own..

My boys are 17.. Let me say that again.. My boys are 17!!!! Nope I still cringe when I say that out loud.. sigh

My baby girl made the Cheer leading Squad for 8^th grade. We are so proud of her.. Cookie Dough sales coming soon.

Had some blood test and MRI on my cabeza, good news is there were no blockages or tumors..

Bad news is I have migraines more frequently and no known cause.. Boo

We bought a Jetta for those boys of ours. It reminds me of how nervous I used to be when Ciera started driving on her own.. We gave it to them the day before their birthday. We surprised them after the track meet, it was so exciting and I was so emotional. Have to say that Jazz and I have too much room in the SUV, so I am thinking a Audi Convertible in our near future.

Trav and I have been using the snow ball thingie on paying off debt. I am happy to say that in the last 5 months we have paid off 4 major bills. Woot Woot

Did I mention my twin fellas turned 17?! We decided no party this year since we had the big bang for the 16^th birthday. But what was supposed to be having a couple of friends turned into having a house full.. Which brought me pure joy that the boys have some good friends like that. Making memories that will last a life time..

My Passion??

My mind seems to wander a lot more lately since I have gotten off my numbing meds.

Life is constantly playing in my mind.

I overthink everything. Just ask my hubby and kids.

This last couple of weeks my mind seems to be over thinking the passion people have for certain things in life.

 I wonder why I don’t have that passion for certain things like others. For instance people who want to be Missionaries. A friend of mine is going to move her family to the other side of the world. And they are so excited and passionate about it. I personally don’t get it. But I saw it coming. The love for those Nepal kids was in her eyes the moment I saw her on her trip and especially after her trip. I admire that kind of passion. You Go Girl! We will be praying for you and your lovely family!!

Then there are people who are passionate about working out and eating healthy, yes not anywhere close to being Missionaries, but Gosh it takes dedication to do that every single day of your life. They post about it on fb, about working out, about the things they eat. I read about it as I am sipping my Coke and munching on my M&M’s.

Just does not give me the desire to jump up and get on a tread mill..

I know that God puts things on your heart, I know that I have desires to do so many things, but I found myself wondering where in the heck is my passion for “That Something..”!!!

I mean I am a wife and momma, that is what I do. I drive my hubby and kids crazy by over doing it.

By taking care of all those details and wanting everything just right. I am told I expect too much from my kids. I feel bad that others actually think that. But I feel my “job” as a mom is to prepare my kids for “Real Life”.. I don’t want them to leave my house absolutely clueless on how to do certain things. I have babied them in some areas, but I think I keep it pretty healthy. My boys are Juniors this year. When they go to college, you better dang well guarantee that they will know how to take care of themselves and their dorms. They can cook, clean, do laundry etc. And yes, we expect high grades, I know they are capable of being the best.  I feel as long as they know momma is expecting it, then they will always work hard at giving it to me. And so far it has worked.

They all know that half way don’t cut it. They won’t need to depend on anyone for any of those things, and that makes me proud.

Last night, I was pondering that..

I asked God “Is that it? Being a mom and wife is what my passion is?”

Then I woke up this morning, and all that was on my mind and in my heart was babies.. 

For those that know me, know I love me some babies, and you know I get to help with all the nurseries at church. And it occurred to me, why in the world did I doubt that I had a passion for something.? 

 I love what I do at church, I love being able to minister and to love on those itty bitty people.

I love being able to give the mommas at church peace of mind that their babies will be cared for. 

  I love giving my friends on the wkends or during the wk on occasion some alone time when I babysit for them. 

 I do it for my sis in law too. It’s just what I do..

My hubby and kids give me a hard time about this. But you know, it’s my passion.  I am proud of it. 

And I am thankful that God has given it to me..

So I may not be a Missionary, I may not be MS Fitness Queen, but we all are different, and God created us that way. 

My kids may call me the creepy baby lady.. 

But, you can just call me “The Baby Queen”..  HeeHee

P.S. Sorry some pictures are side ways, could not figure out how to turn them around.. 

Permission to Brag..

SO much I want to shout and brag about in my life, but trying my best to bring it down a notch..
But, I have permission to share this tad bit..
I just love being a momma. I am getting to see what years of being on my knees and praying, (maybe some begging and crying was included). As I talked with God about so many worries I had for my babies. Thankful for some good friends in my life during that time, that would tell me to be patient, to keep praying and have faith that God would take care of those babies of mine. (shout out to my gorgeous friend Crystil, who was my biggest encourager)

 I have watched my baby get hurt over and over, and for the life of me I did not understand why?
She is a dang good girl, with a huge heart, and so darn passionate. Yes feisty chick, but overall I call it being passionate about right and wrong. Not to mention drop dead gorgeous.. There were a couple of times, I thought I was going to have to get bailed out of jail because I wanted to take care of things on my own. But I don’t look good in orange. heehee

And now, I am seeing it all come together.
My girl is finally seeing all the things her daddy and I have told her about. A guy in her life that treats her like the princess she deserves to be treated like. My girl has her smile back. She is glowing with happiness and it makes this momma’s heart so happy..
So I encourage the momma’s out there, not to lose hope and to keep standing on your faith.

He hears your cries, hears your prayers, and he Loves you and your babies more than you can even imagine.. Always remind yourself of that..
Psalms 40:3
He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed.They will put their trust in the Lord.

Whoa Kiddos... Slow Down...

My itty bitty baby girl celebrated her 13th birthday this month at Main Event with some of her best friends.

This year for her gift I bought her the make-up bag, the make-up and face cleaning stuff.
Although her brothers frown upon her wearing this stuff already. I figured it was time.
Her big sister came over to give her tips and lessons on how and how not to put make up on..
So I am sitting in my bed and listening to these girls of mine giggle and talk and I am just in awe of this wonderful thing called being a momma.

I always knew growing up I was going to be a mom, and if I had my way we would have 6 kids total.
I have many memories stored away in photo albums and in my head. I can list many all-time favorite moments with each of my babies. And even though I am having a blast with them at this moment, my heart is aching for what is to come. I know I will always be mom to them, but I also know that being needed is getting smaller and smaller..
And I am proud that my kids are independent and can take care of things on their own, but I still find great pleasure in the times that they do come to me to help them.

My Ci is living on her own in the real world and I am watching her bloom and find herself again. She is realizing how amazing she is, and how much she deserves to be treated and loved. And it just melts this momma’s heart..

My fellas are getting letters from colleges, after taking that PSAT. They are talking about where they want to go and what kind of big people job they want to have. They have so many plans, and are getting so excited about the next 2 years. They are finishing up basketball season, and I enjoyed watching them play with confidence this year.
They have high expectations for track and cross country this year and I know they will meet all the goals set before them.. And Aaron is just moments away from getting his Drivers License. Yes that has been quite the excitement. lol

And then my baby girl.. A freaking teenager! Seriously… But I am so proud of her go getter attitude. She applies herself in everything put before her, and always goes above and beyond what is expected. She keeps us busy with games and practices and therapy for her leg,.. Her loving smile and love that she has for people is going to take her far in her life. And I am super excited to see what God has in store for her.

Again I say being a mom has been and continues to be a complete joy in my life.
But this momma wants her babies to slow it down a bit and let me enjoy this season for a little bit longer..

It's Christmas Time..

Christmas is here! Christmas is here!
Here I am at work, counting down the hours till I punch out and we get this party started.
The last week I have been going non stop. Have spent lots of time going over the list of things to be done, and of all things I am greeted with a lovely migraine today. Thinking times like this is when my body is saying "Slow down Amanda, and enjoy the right now!"

So,I am not going to whine and complain about how cruddy this 2013 has been for me and my loved ones. Because trust me the list could go on and on.
But I am going to Thank God for getting us thru the many trials that we have faced head on.
Because I know none of it could be done without HIM..
I am so grateful that the outcome of different things have been nothing but good.
Family members are healed and on the road to recovery.
Relationships have been restored.
I have special ladies in my life who pray for me and with me.
I am surrounded with many people who do love and support me and mine.
We have jobs that we enjoy and love going to each and every day.
I am surrounded with precious little people.
My Dallas Cowboys are going into the play-offs and winning the Super Bowl.. (HeeHee)
My hubby and children are healthy, happy, and loved.
What more could this momma ask for, right?!

So a big and happy Good bye to 2013.. And here is to the best year yet 2014!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours, from me and mine!