Date night with Chan

My sweet Channing and I had an impromptu date on Saturday night.

I finished at the salon fairly early so I headed over to my mom's to swim with her, my kids and my nephews.  She was having a boy's night: she invited her three grandsons over to have a slumber party.  They had a blast too!

Chayce was at a friend's birthday party so that got me to thinking that Chan and I should have a date.

We went to dinner at Taco Cabana where my pickiest eater tried the chicken flautas and brisket tacos.  She realized that she liked them both.  BONUS!  We had mango tea, and chips with queso and talked about babies.  She even asked me to please have another.  I told her (for the millionth time) that I can't have anymore babies because my tubes are tied.  Her suggestion?  "Get them untied!"  Umm, I'm good...thanks though!

We then moved on to dessert...CULVER'S!  Double yum, I hadn't been there in so long that I forgot how delicious it is.  The lady at the counter got both mine and Channing's order wrong...we got her's fixed and I didn't realize mine was wrong until I started eating it.  Wrong, but still delicious.

After our dessert, we hit up Payless Shoes just to see if they might have some school shoes for her.  We walked in the door and we were handed a coupon for $5 off 2 pairs of shoes or $10 off 3 pairs of shoes...BONUS AGAIN!  We ended up finding two pairs of cute shoes, a ballet flat for $8 and a pair of slip on tennis shoes for $9.  We walked out of Payless with two pairs of shoes that I paid a total of $12.99 for!  Happy Channing, Happy Mom!!            

We then went to Ross to see if they had any shoes...we found a pair of super cute Skechers light up tennis shoes for $24.99.  This was an awesome deal as well because Skechers are kind of pricey in my opinion.

We had such a fun time eating and visiting and shopping together.  I don't get much one on one time with my kids and it seems Chan is always down the street at a friends house or playing outside.  I had so much fun connecting and sharing some great quality time with her.

I know you will read this Chan...I love you so much and I had the best day with you!!  I love your beautiful smile and your silly laughter.  Both brighten my day so much...you are a beautiful blessing to me!  I love you Bing!! 

Alot on my mind

For some reason I am feeling worn down.  In a funk, a dark cloud looming over my head, rain that won't cease, a Debbie Downer.  I even had the vision of myself tied down with a single drop of water slowly dripping onto my forehead in the exact same spot...what is that?  Some sort of water torture?

Torture...not a good thought.  It seems as though something is eating at me around every corner.  I have 5 millions thoughts running through my head constantly...groceries are low, water the grass, let the dog out, break up the fight between two kids, listen to Chayce's desires for a car she won't even be of age to get for another two years, laundry, dishes, cook dinner, make the bed, take the kids to do something fun on your day off...I could continue but I won't.

Hmmm, I should have named this post 'Venting part 2.'

This is the time of year that James works alot and I'm beginning to think there's a pattern to my madness here...he is gone and I am here...alone, 3 kids, all responsibilities left to me.

I feel like life is beating me up right now and crying REALLY helps but it's not enough.

I have been so grouchy, angry, impatient and irritable for about a solid week now.  (I really have, just ask my family.)  I'm tired of hearing myself so I can imagine how James and the kids must feel.  I feel like I'm having one giant pity party but I also feel like I have legitimate reasons for how I'm feeling.

I battled depression for a few years a while back, I remember feeling overwhelmed and weepy quite often.  I was treated for depression with medication off and on during those years.  I would start to feel better and think "I can do this, I can stop taking the medication now!"  It was not a fun time period in my life and I hope to never be that woman again.  I would get off the medication and then need it just a month or so later.  After about two or three years of that see-saw I was finally 'normal' again.  Well, 'my' version of normal anyway.  I have God to thank for that...my Redeemer!!

I need you God, I need to feel you near.  I want to feel your presence and I want to know that you are fighting for me, pushing all this wordly chaos aside so that I can be still in You.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed or hopeless?  Is there something that helped you move past it?

I would love to hear a scripture that has helped you in a time where you felt helpless.

Click on the link below...I cry happy tears everytime I watch this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA&feature=player_embedded

Date Night/ Venting Post

My love and I don't get many date nights...not much alone time either, with three kids and a lack of babysitters it's kinda hard to get away.

I have been dreaming all week of a date night with James and was very hopeful of it actually happening.  Camden was supposed to go stay the night with my mom and Chayce was going to babysit Chan for us.

While at work today I texted James to ask him to see what movies were showing around 8:00 or 8:30.  I get home and find out that there is nothing showing around that time except Transformers....uhhhhh, that's a big fat NO!

With all the chaos of having a teenager and trying to work around her 'busy' schedule, I was already flustered before I even got home from work.  It seems that EVERY SINGLE TIME James and I plan a date night, some sort of something happens that either causes us not to go or we end up bickering and it puts both of us in a bad mood.  Today was no exception. 

I have horrible guilt about asking Chayce to babysit for us because she's at her dad's every other weekend and I feel like she deserves to get to do fun things on her weekends home.  This is something I struggle with so much...having a perfectly capable and responsible live-in babysitter yet I feel guilty at the thought of even asking her.

She has reassured me twice in the last month that she doesn't mind watching the kids so that James and I could have a date night.  I found out today that  wasn't necessarily a true statement.  She was invited to go somewhere so she called me and asked if she could go, if James and I didn't end up going on our date.  I told her yes...the yes was a tentative yes but I guess in her teenage mind she was hopeful that we would not actually go through with our date.

While at work, I get a text from my mom asking me what Chayce wants and I honestly didn't know so I called Chayce.  Chayce said that she was going to ask my mom if she would watch Channing so she could go hang out with her friend and James and I could still go on our date. No bueno...

Day three of my bad mood kicks in.  I have been in a terrible mood most of the week because I would like a break from being mom and just want to hang out with my husband.  I don't think this is an unreasonable request.

I REAAAAALLY wanted to go to a movie, but couldn't so that made me crabby and I thought we should just cancel our date after all.  How much fun could I possibly be with a crappy attitude?  We decided on dinner...a steak dinner.

Once we got to the restaurant, I began to relax and have a nice time.  We shared a blackberry colada and both loved it so much that James took a picture of the menu so we could make them on our vacation next month.  Our food was fabulous, the service was awesome and we were actually alone.

Thank you Jesus!  I am hoping that our next date will be sooner (our last date night alone was in February) and hopefully completely STRESS FREE.

          

Camden the t-ball/baseball man!

I took this photo with my iphone using the instagram app!

It is Camden's baseball glove inside of James'.

Camden has really come into his own with the whole sports thing.  It is safe to say that he is his Daddy's son!  He finished up his 2nd season of t-ball and really made an amazing transformation.  You could truly see his growth and maturity from last season to this year.  He fully understands most everything about the game. 

This has carried over into him becoming the Texas Ranger's biggest fan.  Since he understands the game he thoroughly enjoys watching it.  We attended a Frisco Rough Riders game a while back with his t-ball team and he was in awe!  He is MORE than ready to attend a Rangers game now.

Camden spends much of his time playing "baseball" in the living room.  He will take the pillows off the couches and use them as bases.  He will throw the ball up and pretend that it was hit to him and he will 'get an out' or 'tag someone out at the base'.   

       

Whether it's Josh Hamilton hitting a home run, Adrian Beltre on 2nd, or David Murphy hitting a double, Camden can tell you what's going on at any given moment.  If we aren't in the room with him, he will come find us to give us a play-by-play or a score update.  He's like a tiny little sportscaster!

This is such a fun chapter in our lives, watching our kids being active and participate in team sports!

    

My big girl gets baptized...

Chayce has been wanting to get baptized for years.  She is 14 and I can tell you for over half her life she has wanted to be baptized but I wanted her to wait until she completely understood the importance of it. 

Yesterday was her big day.  A couple of her friends were being baptized and she wanted to join them.  I have to say my heart was happy and a little sad.  I had wanted our whole family to be baptized together, or at least most of us but Chayce said she didn't want to wait any longer.  I completely understand...it would be a neat memory for her that she and her friends did something that special together.  It bonded them together in a way.  After we arrived, I was told that one of her friends would not be able to be baptized because her parents wouldn't let her.  This made me sad too.

Chayce telling everyone why she wanted to be baptized.

To Chayce's sweet little friend:  God knows your heart, He sees who you are and knows that you seek a deeper relationship with him.  Do not be discouraged, your time will come.  God makes everything work together for our good.  Romans 8:28     

My big girl about to go under

Washed by the water

Channing has been asking about being baptized lately, when she heard that Chayce was being baptized, she wanted to join in.  I told her she could wait, I want to talk with her more about it and have her do it at our church.  The pastor who baptized Chayce knows Chayce because she has attended his church with friends many times.  I feel like Channing needs to be baptized at our church, not to mention I have wanted to get baptized again, as an adult.  I was baptized in 7th grade and at the time in my life it had major importance, I was no-where near where I am today.  I'm still a work in progress but my walk with God has grown tremendously over the last few years. 

So Channing and I will be talking about God, her relationship with him and what baptism truly means.  Exciting times in our house!!!!        

Back into the swing of blogging...hopefully!?

I don't see how people do it!  I mean, three kids, a job, housework, cooking dinner AND a blog???  You can obviously tell what has been neglected here since I haven't blogged since February.
Much has happened my friends, much has happened...

At the end of year awards for school, Channing was one of three students out of all of 2nd grade to receive the Art award!! 

Our girls got out of school for the summer.  Our teenage daughter turned another year older, went to cheer camp and lived to tell about it. 

Camden forgot that he learned how to swim last summer but then quickly remembered after about two weeks of swimming this summer.

 I graduated to an iphone, thanks to my hubby, it was a Mother's Day gift for me...love it!  Business has picked up for me at the salon, in part because my clientele is still growing and also due to the fact of one of my suite mates breaking her wrist so she has sent some of her clients over to me until she can start doing hair again. It breaks my heart because she's a single mom and needs her income desperately, it has been a financial blessing for our family but at her family's expense. 

My children have been having LOTS of slumber parties...with each other, it really is the sweetest thing ever! 

Lots of swimming, mainly at the pool and a couple of times at the lake with my parents.    

 James and I celebrated 10 years of marriage...not an easy task for today's marriages.  More and more you hear about people just leaving and walking away.  Although we've had our ups and downs I know the best is yet to come and I am so thankful for James and the hard working, family man that he is.  I couldn't imagine my life without him.

    

And a few more pics for your viewing pleasure....