Trip to the Woodlands on Memorial Day

We took a little trip to the Woodlands on Memorial Day to our favorite little aquatic park.  But, it was thundering and raining! So we ended up going to the mall and made a great day of it! :)

And on Memorial Day we especially remembered Grandpa Harold as we always do on National holidays. Grandpa fought in World War II but was never comfortable talking about the war, or having attention about being a soldier. Nevertheless I always think of him when we honor the military, and his love of family, faith and country. We pray today for the safety of all men and women who serve our country and defend our freedom, and may we never take it for granted.

Dominic's third grade artwork

This is the batch that came home this week....hoping to chronicle more as I find the time :)

Milo's kindergarten artwork

There's nothing like kindergarten artwork! :) I'm going to try to go back now and do this for Dominic and hopefully I'll have my act together in time for Jonas, and hopefully will do a better photo shoot too :)

Summer yums, a graduation, a date "knight" and Mother's day

This post is basically a photo blast from the past week, so if it seems random, it's because it totally is!

This is what I'm going to start calling the "out of the blue" salad, because I whipped it together out of whatever I could find.  Spinach leaves, bacon, chopped apples, walnuts, feta cheese and a small touch of Briana's poppy seed dressing.  I'm not sure how healthy a salad becomes once you add bacon, but MMmmMmmmmM!!!!!!!

                                           

I enjoyed a fun, albeit chaotic,  Mother & Son date "knight" at Chick Fila with my three guys:  the dark knight, the jedi knight, and the knight in shining armor.  It was the safest place to be in town that night!

                               

Snack worthy alert! I found a yummy greek yogurt onion dip that tastes scrumptious with rice crackers. Guiltlessly good! Now to learn how to make yogurt onion dip myself!

                             

I took my friend for coffee for her birthday. We love supporting this local coffee shop which never forgets to feature "froth" art!

                        

I enjoyed getting to hear Dominic's Living Museum presentation. I pushed his red button and he gave a short oration on insects. It was so cute to go around and hear from all the kids!

                                     

Just an old picture of me and my Mama in Milan, Italy about twenty years ago (gasp!) I dug it up for Mother's day :)  Happy Mother's day to my Mama!

                         

                              And me with my three loves on Mother's Day after Mass. 

                    Our sweet babysitter Kristen. So thankful she will be around for one more year!

                        

My brother's graduation from the M.B.A. program at Texas A&M University. So proud of his hard work, and praying over his future that he will make an even greater difference in the world with his gifts!

                              

                          

                This is my family hanging out inside a giant Aggie ring. Definitely a first, for me! :)

Seriously Jule, stop taking pics now! 

Five Faves: A bouquet of little things in the first week of May

It has been awhile since I collected the favorites of my week like a small bouquet of wildflowers, it's all in the remembering! But I'm making an effort again because it's soul-pleasing to look for joy in the little things.  Thank you to Rhodes Log for hosting on Hallie's behalf!

1) Good perspective to keep front and center!

2) I am reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn for the first time, to kick off my summer reading list with my book club. I am only half way through, but I consider it already to be one of the most important books I've ever read. 

3) We bought this super fun game for our 6 year old's birthday. The whole family is fighting over who gets to play with it! 

4) Meyer's Rosemary hand soap, a new scent! Also, everyone fighting over it in the bathroom so I went back to buy another bottle. Would love to learn how to make some myself!

5) Jab We Met -  Bollywood Love Story. I'm super picky about love stories, and this one makes the cut. If you are not Indian, you will still enjoy it, I promise.  They do not sing and dance the WHOLE time, if that's not your favorite, but it wouldn't be Bollywood without some pizazz! :) It is a story of guarding virtue, which is a theme that I treasure in Indian films with the traditional values of respecting families, following traditions, honoring rituals, and guarding one's virtue.  This unlikely pair becomes friends in a very unexpected way and then take turns helping each other to believe in the beauty of love. You can find it on Netflix if you like!

And this does not count as a favorite, but this is what I wrote about spiritual motherhood for ACNM today, if you would like to read! :)

Thank you for visiting, and I look forward to hearing about your favorites too!

Family date downtown

We took the boys to downtown Bryan to see their first Vizagogo show. It was a fun family date!

Milo

Happy 6th Birthday, Milo!

I brought a puppy themed cookie cake to Milo's kindergarten class (and a little brother came along, too).  Milo was all smiles! He was looking forward to this moment all year!

      Milo with the wonderful ladies who taught him this year.  

    And per his request, he was given a special Chuck E Cheese birthday party. Playing video games with his friends, his brothers, and having pizza?  Yeah.  He was pretty psyched!

He thought the ticket blaster booth was awesome! :) 

Pup cakes made by Noeline of FranBakes :)

Things went so fast we barely got to take any pictures but we managed to snap one with Grandma and Papa. We were so thankful they were able to come up for the day to help our boy feel so special!

Mom and Dad's 40th Anniversary

What a beautiful day Sunday April 27, 2014 was this year. My parents 40th anniversary fell on Divine Mercy Sunday and the day of the canonization of two popes! Epic!

I'm so thankful for my parents who have taught me to treasure my faith, to cherish family life, to never stop reading and learning, to strive for a heart of service, and to always keep singing and never lose my sense of humor! :)