Busy, Busy, Busy!

I think that this Saturday was one of the most productive ones that we have had in a long time. Well, my house is still a mess – so it wasn’t that type of productive, but we did a lot of things together today. It was so much fun to do so many things as a family. It really is something that we need to do more often.

It started off early as usual. My boys needed haircuts so we did that right away. I caught a quick shower, and headed over to a neighbors house for a song practice. There is about 5 of us girls who are going to be singing on Sunday. We went over the song a few times, and then I raced back home.

The night before we had tried to get our oil changed at Walmart, but they were closed before we got there. So we decided that we would go first thing in the morning. We would drop off the cars and walk down to the theatres. We figured once the movie was over the cars would be done. So we dropped off the cars by 9 am, and headed on over to watch Ratatouille.

The movie was actually quite entertaining. Caden really loved it. Sydney still needs some time before she will actually sit still for the whole thing. Shawn got a little frustrated because she wasn’t as cooperative, but we were able to stay for the whole thing.

Afterwards the kids were hungry so we stopped at Souper Salad for lunch. It is relatively inexpensive, and the kids are free! You really can’t beat that! Then we walked back to Walmart, did a little shopping, and picked up our cars. Sydney fell asleep while we were shopping. I never get over how beautiful, and peaceful my children look while they are asleep. I think I could stare at them for hours.

When we got back home, Shawn contacted his boss. They had invited us over to go swimming at their house. We hadn’t met them yet so it was a nice opportunity. Shawn really wanted to go so we packed up our things and went over there for a few hours.

It was nice to be able to meet their family. I am thankful that Shawn is finally working with someone that he feels that he can really connect with. Scott is a little bit older, but they really seem to mesh well. His family is nice, and his house is beautiful. We really had a good time.

From there we went over to the Brinton’s for Mason’s 6th Birthday party. I always love going over for Julie and Robbie’s family things. I think that they have one of the coolest families ever. It is fun to catch up on what everyone is up to, and just hang out.

This year Matt, Robbie’s brother (he also shares Mason’s birthday), brought one of those blow up water slides. Caden absolutely loved it. He went on it over and over and over. It makes me want to get something like that, but they are so expensive. At least it was a nice treat for him.

After we ate it was time to open presents and eat cake. Stacie, Julie's sister, made Mason the most awesome cake. Mason loves monster trucks, and so it was made like the arena. She made a treasure chest last year. I need to take some lessons from her because she is fabulous as making them!
Caden was sitting in a chair to watch Mason open his presents. Nanette had asked Caden to sit on the ground so the adults could sit in the chairs. I think that Caden got confused. Instead he followed her, and ended up here. Food really is on this kids brain 24/7!
Sydney found herself a new boyfriend. Usually Sydney can be really clingy and shy when there are lots of people around, but somehow Brian found a way to her heart. Brian is Julie’s younger brother, and he is such a cutie. He really took a liking to Sydney too. They were just chillin while Matt was enjoying one of his new toys – a remote controlled helicopter. I took a few photos of them while they were watching it fly around the room.
Near the end of the evening we were in the kitchen when we heard something hitting up against the window. It turned out to be a huge dragonfly. Mason loves bugs, and actually has a bug board, so Robbie went out to catch it. It did end up getting it, and even put it in a jar, but in the end they decided to let it go. I did manage to get a few pictures of it beforehand. I still can’t believe how big it was.
So as you can see. We had a really long day, but it was full of a lot of fun. I had such a good time doing things with my little family. I hope to have more fun filled days like this. It was so enjoyable. As if I didn't have enough pictures in this post...I thought I would add this last one. We went looking for Caden throughout the night, and at one point I caught him with these! He had taken them into another room so that he could have them all to himself! He is so sneaky sometimes.

A Dream Revived

Tonight I went to Michael's last orchestra concert before he graduates High School. I still can't believe that my baby brother is old enough to graduate. I have tried to get to his concerts over the years, but sometimes didn't know about them until the last moment. I made sure that I was able to go to this one, and I am glad that I did. Michael has worked really hard over the years, and has become a great musician. He is planning on going to college to get a degree in Music Compostion, with a minor in Entrepreneurship. His end goal is to own his own company designing video games, and writing the music to the video games. Michael really has grown into a great person. I am proud to say he is my brother.

As I sat there listening to the performances, I started getting caught up in my own thoughts and memories. They happened to play "Intermezzo" - a song that I had played my Junior year in Regionals. The song is absolutely beautiful. It made me want to run up there grab someones violin, and play along. Whenever I think back to my orchestra days I have so much joy. Being part of an orchestra is such a great experience. I can not begin to describe how it really makes me feel. I love to sit down along with hundreds of other musicians, and create something that is so beautiful.

When I was younger, my dream was to be able to play in an orchestra for a movie. I wanted to be able to go to said movie, and be able to say "that's me --do you hear it!" I obviously never got that far. My violin doesn't get played nearly as often as I would like. When I was sitting there at the concert, the desire came back again. It always does whenever I go. I just love playing in orchestras.

As I drove home I thought about how fulfilling it is for me, and how I don't want that part of my life to completely disappear. I don't know if I can do it right away, but eventually I want to play in an orchestra again. A few years ago I was in the community orchestra, and I might just have to do that again.

Do you have a hobby that you love that can't seem to find the time to do? What is it and do you think you will ever find time to put it back into your life?

My journey for Caden

If you asked me when I was young what I wanted to be when I grew up...I probably would have told you a mother. For as long as I can remember I looked forward to the day when I would be able to have children of my own. I love children, and dote on them whenever I have the opportunity. There is something about a child that brings something alive inside of me. It helps me to have a lighter outlook on life, and just brings me so much joy when I am around them.

Shawn and I had been married about a year and a half (it was fall 2001) when we felt it was time to "start" our family. I was excited of the aspect of having a child, and just couldn't wait! Well, my Heavenly Father had other plans. Month after month of disappointment followed. I didn't understand why I was not pregnant. We had been trying for a whole year, and nothing. I wanted to be pregnant so badly, but was not willing to go to the doctor to find out why we were not pregnant yet. I was so fearful that they would tell me that I would never be able to have children. So instead I tried to do everything to educate myself.

The best book that I have ever read on the subject is Taking Charge of Your Fertility. It helped me to understand how my body works. I was able to arm myself with knowledge in case my worst fear came to. I charted, took temperatures, everything....still nothing happened. I had my beloved yearly coming in February, and came to terms that if I was not pregnant by then...I would talk to my doctor about it. That is when I think I finally gave into my fear, and gave it back to the Lord.

I knew in the end it was in His hands...he knew the timetable. Lo and behold after 15 months of heartache, and tears. I found out I was pregnant! That is when my journey began....

More to follow later!

Memories

Shawn had to go Atlanta, GA today for some SAP (computer stuff) training and he will be gone until Friday :(. We were so bummed because they had tried to get him into the same conference a couple a weeks ago that was being held in Philadelphia. When he called me and told me I got so excited! I jumped on the Internet and found a website that listed tons of kid-friendly things that we could do there. Then he was told that there were no more openings, and they booked him for the training that starts tomorrow in GA. *yuck* Sorry if you are reading this and live in Atlanta. I don't really have anything personal against it. The problem is that the closest airport that my airline flys into is about 3 hours away...plus I don't want to be out of town for a whole week before Shawn and I leave for the cruise. I have too much to do! The sad thing is that Shawn will only get to see our babies for one day before we leave for our cruise! It will be practically 2 weeks away from the kids for him. He was pretty bummed, but he really needs to go to the training. The timing just was bad. (But I now have a new found determination to plan a trip to Philly!)

With that being said...we wanted to do something fun with the kids before he left. So on Friday we hopped in the car and went out to dinner at my old stomping grounds - Organ Stop Pizza. It brought back a ton of memories.

I remember when they first started building the restaurant by our house. I was a Junior in High School. They were originally in a different location that was a 10-15 miles west of the new location. I had never been to the original, but my mom told me about it. I play the violin, piano, and I sing. (My mom is a music education major, and instilled the love of music in me.) The restaurant is unique in itself. It seats over 700 people. Has various different instruments hung from the ceiling & walls. All of it is controlled by the organist that is front and center in the dining area. It is an experience you will never forget. As we saw the progression of the construction...I thought...when it is built, I am going to get a job there. I thought it would be so cool to have a job where I am surrounded by music all day. It finally was completed. I applied, got the job and worked there for many, many years.

It was a great place to be. I bussed tables making a little over minimum wage, but I absolutely loved it. I loved listening to the music, singing to the music, and interacting with the customers that came and went. I made many good friendships with co-workers, that I still have to this day! The management was great. Everything about it was wonderful.

When we walked in all the same feelings came back. It was great. We hadn't been there since Caden was a little baby. He was absolutely mesmerized! It was so fun to watch him and Sydney dance to the songs. At one point, Lew - the organist, play Chattanooga Choo Choo. The awesome thing about this is that when he starts out the song - it sounds exactly like a train. I watched as Caden's eyes grew wide. He looked at me in amazement and said, "Mommy! Its a train!" I loved seeing it through his eyes.

We are going to have to go there more often. If you are ever in Arizona this is a place that you must see! I don't think you will be dissapointed!

Shawn is now gone, and the house is quiet with sleeping children. I will miss my honey, but look forward to the time we will be able to share together soon.