Fall Fest 09 and Family Fun

Saturday I attended a Writer's Bar Camp, the first for our city, and given that it was downtown, Bronius was able to take the kids to the Fall Fest while I was attending workshops. I love my husband!!!! Bar camp was amazing, and I wish I could have stayed the whole day to soak up more information and network with writers. I'm really looking forward to next year! We met for lunch and went home together, and all lived happily ever after for the rest of the day! Looks like the kids got to do all sorts of fun things while Mommy was not around - jump from high places, play with shaving cream, pet snakes and play around the a/c vent. :) Dominic wanted to make frankenstein treats since he is obsessed with our neighbor's Frankenstein mannequin, so we made some spooky brownies. On Sunday we had the Grandparents and Greatgrandma over for pumpkin-painting and dinner. What a full, happy weekend. Love my family, love my life, thank you Jesus!

Around the house moments

In this issue...swingin' boys, Dominic's homemade robot, sneaky hiders, Dominic's first minor head injury, Dominic's art on the computer and a sunny lunch on the porch.

Quality of Life

Our quality of life has changed in the last month. Fortunately, all for the best. However not in the way that most would expect. Bronius lost his job at the end of September, a government job which we always imagined would be stable. On the same day and actually within the same hour, I was ecstatic to find out I was hired to write part-time for a local newspaper publication. Neither of us knew about each others news though, so we had an interesting conversation that Friday night that was full of mixed joy and sorrow.

After the initial shock, confusion, anxiety and excitement wore off, we got to work on figuring out how this new chapter of our life was going to shape up. After several sleepless nights and plenty of yard work to sort through his thoughts and feelings, Bronius determined this was a strong sign that he should take time off to build his web business like he always had dreamed of doing. This was an idea we always regarded as an unattainable dream, because we felt this would cause too much uncertainty for our family. But now that the choice was made FOR us, we could not be more happy. It is amazing to see the way God works through what seems to be the most unthinkable situations. Bronius and I both work from home now, and our quality of life is what we always prayed it might be one day. We are eating healthier, we are getting more exercise, more sleep, more quality family time - our spiritual life has grown by leaps and bounds as a result of this turn of events. Our relationships have improved. We have to put family plans on hold until health care gets settled, and this lifestyle also requires financial sacrifice from us, but that seems like a small price to pay for the jackpot we've received in return!

Bronius has been blessed with a fantastic contract position for the time being, and we will be praying that blessings will continue to flow from the good work which he does and the good people with whom he works. Praise God for refreshing our memories and opening up our eyes to show us how to be grateful for our blessings and what we are truly striving for as a family.

Family game night, weekend quartet, pumpkin hunting

Five Things Food Poisoning Taught Me About Motherhood

1) My children love it when I lay on the couch! Course this couldn't work every day....or could it......

2) It's not the end of the world when I don't have a perfectly picked-up house at the end of the night. Before this was unacceptable to me.

3) My children think their toys are the COOLEST when I am sitting on the floor with them.

4) I may not be as accomplished as I usually am, but I feel much more peaceful, in doing less.

5) I still hate cleaning the bathrooms but triply recognize its importance now.

I'm writing these down so that I remember them. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through our experiences, and this was a timely message for me. On that note, Praise Jesus that I am feeling better. I would prefer natural labor every day for eternity to what I felt the last 2 days! I'm shocked by how debilitated I feel, still, it will be awhile before I'm back to my zestful self.

On the road again (and back)

What a bloggy weekend! We went to Houston to see my family and unprecedented ever before, we had a sleepover at my sister's apartment downtown. Aunt Les decorated for the season and pumpkins and fun decorations where everywhere. The kids loved having Howie the shih tzu all to themselves. We loved getting to stay up late eating pizza and watching Netflix movies on demand. Ahhhhh.....the single life, I remember it well! We went to the Natural History & Science museum since it was a rainy weekend, and then after a short nap, went to the Family Fest at Lesley's church. Then we went to Mass at 5 pm (don't recommend that time with small children, by the way, especially in a big city where the cry room is packed full and true to its name) Then we stopped at Mom and Dad's again for dinner and baths before hitting the road. We missed you Steve this time around but we'll be camping at your new (ancient) house next time, gadget. Now we're home, bags unpacked (again), Mom's group and soccer tomorrow, grocery shopping....and the list goes on. Thank you family for all your hospitality and love and Lord Jesus thank you for our Beata Vita! Please bless us this week with endurance, patience and gratefulness!

Congratulations to the new journalist to - be... me! :)

I am so happy to report that I will be writing for a local publication called About Town Press - check us out!!! This is exactly the opportunity for which I have been praying and hoping. I will probably be scaling back on my cooking blog and maybe even this blog, because adjusting to juggling a new ball in the act will take a little time for me I think! I am really excited about embarking on this new adventure, and I will keep you posted about how things go. I hope you'll look for my articles and give me honest feedback!

Dallas

Bronius had a 3 day training in Dallas and we decided to tag along! It would have been much easier to stay at home, but I was in the mood for adventure, and Bronius was gracious enough to sacrifice his alone time to let us come along! :)

We spun Milo's car seat around on this road trip and he loves being forward-facing! It made the trip much easier too. We started by going to the Plano Hot Air Balloonfest. The last time we went, we arrived in the morning and that's the best way to beat the heat and the crowds. We arrived just in time to have a little fun and eat some festival food before the balloons launched, and it was SO EXCITING to watch it!!! It was like watching a dream, it's just so magical (stop laughing at me!)

We stayed in the Sheraton Suites Market Center in Dallas and it was super close to all things downtown. It was right next door to Medieval Times but we never got to go to a show because the timings were not working for us. I was the most bummed about that. However, I am super proud of myself for driving the kids around all by myself - and NOT GETTING LOST, calling Bronius repeatedly or hyperventilating on the side of the road. I've only been to Dallas a few times, none of which were downtown trips, and none of which where I was driving. So, 5 gold stars for me! Thanks to my handy palm pre, I was able to navigate while driving and find a few parks, grocery stores, libraries and other child-friendly places for us to go to.

I took the kids to the zoo single-handedly and it went surprisingly well! I rented a little wagon to cart the kids around when they got tired, and they hopped in and out at their leisure depending on their interest in certain exhibits. The Dallas Zoo has an awesome Children's Zoo within the zoo, and we honestly could have spent all day at the zoo. I didn't realize we had only seen half the zoo until I got back to the hotel and opened up the map all the way - doh! I wish I could have taken more pictures, but I was doing good just to keep the kids by my side and not swinging with the monkeys from tree branches! It rained most of the time we were there, which put us in the mood for hot, comforting Vietnamese food and we found a lovely bistro that played Duran Duran and Depeche Mode and U2 and if that wasn't good enough for me, they made the most delicious noodles and lemon grass chicken that I've ever had! MMMMMM!

Now we're back and settling into the home routine again. I'm trying to put the house back together and start pulling out winter clothes since we're having a little cold snap here! :) I'm so happy that Fall is here, there is so much to love about Fall. Happy Fall wishes to you all!

G family visits

We were blessed with a visit from the Gutierrez family today. Did I ever document how crushed I was when they left for Boston? Well I was! Not sure I ever recovered, honestly. This visit felt like the OLD DAYS which I miss SO MUCH. Thanks for coming, guys. Can't wait to see you on your turf soon.

I love how my kids are the ones with the red eyes! :) This was the best I could get of all four squirmers :)

Bits and pieces update - gymnastics, rainy weekend, a visit to Senele's and my new cooking blog

In this issue....

A beyond adorable picture of a proud Dominic posing with a canvas which he and Bronius stretched and assembled together on a rainy day in the garage (in his superman jammies which he has clearly outgrown but refuses to wear the new set we have bought him). Dominic wears this getup A LOT. I don't mind it. :)

Bronius got to take Dominic to gymnastics on Labor Day since he had a day off work. He got some pictures of our budding gymnast.

Some cute shots of Milo eating a ginger snap at Senele's house and Dominic analyzing bug specimens. They get to do the coolest things at their Grandparent's homes!

And I've started a cooking blog. Inspired from seeing the film "Julie and Julia," I decided to blog about new recipes, whether they are a smashing success or go badly wrong. I'm also going to file away my favorites and some family favorites also, on this site. I'd love for you to visit it when you are blog floating! Eating Out of House and Home.

More videos and updated family photos to come soon! Happy Fall to all!

Back to school and Milo's 16 mths

Fall is here! We have even been blessed with slightly cooler weather to welcome the season in. Yesterday, Milo turned 16 months! I think I am going to start rolling his monthly updates into the family monthly update, since I'm quite frankly amazed that I have kept up with monthly updates for him up until this point. :) Poor baby has a fever this morning, and he is actually taking a morning nap. Hence my opportunity to blog! Milo is starting to say a few words, he'll say mama, dada, baba (not sure what that is, but it's cute). He makes sounds for a puppy and a monkey. He makes up his own signs for things which are super cute, I have to remember to film those. He is definitely becoming his "own" person. He gets frustrated when things go a certain way, namely, HIS way. His little fits are very short-lived though, I am grateful for that! :) He is a cuddly baby. He wants to get down and explore, but he still enjoys being held and ported around. He loves hugs and kisses, and if you sit on the floor, you are designating yourself to be a jungle gym. He uses me (or anyone) to climb on to the sofa or whatever furniture is close by. Milo still does not enjoy swimming very much...I suppose it depends on the pool. He does wonderfully at the pool by Senele's house, but nowhere else really. Dominic loves the pool and has been more bold about swimming.

Milo is fascinated by everything big brother does. They are finally getting to the age where they can play together. Dominic still struggles with the sharing, but has made great progress. Going back to school has been great for Dominic too! The drop-offs were a little rough (just picture the classic clinging to mommy's leg and running out of the school-house) but he's so happy when I come pick him up. He has so much fun at school. He blows me away by what he is learning. However, trying to get information out of him is like squeezing water from a rock, so I have to do a lot of guess work to learn about what happens at school. He told me yesterday they were mixing concrete. They are working on their gardens at school and I love it when Dominic comes home and wants to water the grass and plants in our backyard. In fact, that's Milo and Dominic's favorite activity to do together. Dominic's REALLY into music these days, he is so curious about lyrics and instruments! He loves his Hermie cds, literally listens to them morning, noon and night. I love that he is memorizing scripture and enjoying it so much! He's taken a liking to Van Morrison, Stevie Wonder, Bollywood music and 80's music this summer as well, and the classics of course, always the classics. I adore the age of 4. We have a little bit of sass and back talk happening, but on the whole, it has been such a fun age.



I hope to have more pictures soon to share. I borrowed some of these from B's flickr blog!