First of all, my apologies for not updating my blog in a while and a HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!!!! Life has been full of chaos since the holidays. I have so much to update you all about.

Our first big news is WE ARE EXPECTING!!! We found out at my sister, Tammy's house on Christmas Eve. Talk about a huge suprise. Most of you know we lost a beautiful baby boy this past June. It had taken us 7 years to concieve him and we were all devestated. I think his passing was a way of alerting us to a number of problems I had. Thankfully, the doctors were able to help and we were told that we could start trying in October of last year. They told us it could take up to a year to concieve so imagine our suprise when we got pregnant the 2nd month! I am now 12 weeks along and are feeling wonderful. The baby looks very healthy and everything is going well. I am diabetic so that has presented it's own little challenge but I have some great doctors and they are taking very good care of me. I ask you all for your prayers. I feel so blessed that God has chosen me to carry this child but at the same time, I'm terrified of loosing this child like I lost Parker. I have offered my fears up to God and asked him to calm my heart and soul. This pregnancy will not be without complications I know. In a few weeks they will be putting sutures in the cervix. Apparently I have an imcompetent cervix, however our doctor said it is common and an easy procedure. Chris and I just look forward to the day we can hold this precious child in our arms!

Our other big news is we are finally all moved into our new house and we love it! The boys new some kids in the neighborhood so they had instant friends. We have become the local hangout too. I have the local boys eating dinner with us at least 2-3 times a week! We are the only ones in the neighborhood with a Wii and Guitar Hero 3 so everyone gathers to play. I"m oddly comforted by the noise of all the boys (I could do without the smell of sweaty feet though). Chris and I feel so blessed that God led us to this area. The boys are having a blast and I love the quiet and laid back feel of living in the country. It was very strange to know just a couple of years ago, I was a diehard city girl and would have hated living in the country. It's funny to see how much your life and your thinking changes. Just last week, Chris and I were sitting on the front porch watching the kids play flag football in the field across the street. It was such a relaxing time.

Well, I suppose that is the meat of our big news. I hope you all had a great holiday and are enjoying your new year!!

The 12 Days of Homeschool
To the tune of "Twelve Days of Christmas.

On the first day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Can you homeschool legally?"

On the second day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"

On the third day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"

On the fourth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "What about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"

On the fifth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "YOU ARE SO STRANGE! What about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"

On the sixth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "How long will you homeschool, YOU ARE S0 STRANGE, what about P.E. , do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"

On the seventh day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Look at what they're missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE!, what about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, do you homeschool legally?"

On the eighth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE, what about P.E. do you give them tests, are they socialized, do you homeschool legally?"

On the ninth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "They'll miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE!, what about P.E. do you give them tests, are they socialized, do you homeschool legally?"

On the tenth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "What about graduation, they'll miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE!, what about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"

On the eleventh day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "I could never do that, what about graduation, they'll miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE, what about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"

On the twelfth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Can they go to college, I could never do that, what about graduation, they'll miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE, What about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"

On the thirteenth day of homeschool I thoughtfully replied: "They Can go to college, yes you can do this, they can have graduation, we don't like the prom, we do it cuz we like it, they are missing nothing, we'll homeschool forever, WE ARE NOT STRANGE!, We give them P.E., and we give them tests, they are socialized, AND WE HOMESCHOOL LEGALLY!

On the fourteenth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "How can I get started, why didn't you tell me, where do I buy curriculum, when is the next conference, WILL PEOPLE THINK WE'RE STRANGE? I think we can do this, if you will help us, can we join P.E. and we'll homeschool legally."

This weather is absolutly crazy! I just can't wrap my head around a muggy Christmas. Oh how I want it to be cold, hot chocolate weather!! I want it to be snuggle in bed and don't get out of your pajamas cold but alas, it is warm and muggy. The boys and Chris marched in the Christmas parade and got SUN BURNED!! In the middle of December. Is it just me or is anyone else confused about this. I guess the thought never occured to me to put sun screen on the guys in December! OOPS!! We went out to Santa's Wonderland last night to take a hayride through the lights and it was odd seeing all these Christmas lights and singing carols on the hayride dressed in shorts and a tank top.

I promise I didn't get on today to just complain. God has a reason for the weather and I have faith that he will let it get cold eventually in his own time. Perhaps I should pray for patience today. We did have a great time out at Santa's Wonderland. I have posted some pics of the lights. Mind you, these lights are the reason Chris won't do lights at our house anymore. He helped hang the over 2.5 MILLION Christmas lights out here. Starting in August and running till they opened on Nov 16th. I tried to explain that he had already done 2.5 million lights..another couple of thousand wouldn't kill him but he failed to see it my way!

Chris is loving his new job. He's working at Texas A&M University in the College of Medicine. He's their Tech Geek or something ( I think he has a fancier title but it slips my mind at the moment). I do know that he has his own office with a great view of the city and he told me I could decorate his office. Poor man doesn't realize you should never say that to a woman. I"m trying to keep in mind it's a manly office so I can't put flowers and angels everywhere. The boys think dad needs a plasma tv in his office. He agrees...our checking account doesn't. Any suggestions ya'll can offer would be great. Other than a picture of dogs playing poker I don't know what to put in there.

Well I have a kitchen that is calling my name to be cleaned. I wish you all a happy Advent Season and here's to hoping it gets cold soon! Enjoy the pics from Santa's Wonderland!!

I was tagged not once but twice for this. It sounds like something fun to do. I was tagged by my sister over at:Tammy's Blog and by my friend Christine at: Christine's Blog

7 Weird Things about Me!!

1. I have a massive pet peeve about putting shoes on a bed. It's absolutly disgusting. I don't know where someone's nasty shoes have been walking or what they have been stepping in and I dont' want to roll around in that at night.

2. I have a mild case of OCD. I can't stand to see things out of place. I stack all my dishes color coordinated then by size. I alphabatize the dvd's and cd's. I color coordinate my closet as well. Everything has a specific place and is very organized and clean. If it gets put out of place I have to stop what I'm doing and go fix it or I can't concentrate. (My husband says I'm one step away from opening / closing doors 5 times before I can go outside haha)

3. I am a germ-a-phobic. Seriously. I can't use public restrooms. I carry Purell in my purse at all times and am constantly cleaning my hands. I just counted and we have 8 large bottles of Purell in our house. One in each room and one in each car too so 10 total. I have been known to be sick to my stomach if forced to use a public restroom. A lot of times I will clean my hands without realizing it. I will completely coat the handles of a shopping cart with purell and clean with a napkin before I will touch it. It's emberassing but hey, there are worse phobias right??

4. Like my sister, I don't like bridges. I break out into a cold sweat and have to close my eyes. My husband and kids don't help as when we do go over they start screaming that we are going to crash! (Lovely family I know but in our family, that is entirely normal behavior)

5. I don't have the patience many people think I do. I hide my irritation very well. I am very patient with children (even my own amazingly) but when it comes to other people, ecspecially people with less than average intelligence I have been known to show my Irish temper. I always feel bad but I just can't help it.

6. Those of you that know me may not find this weird but I am extremely stubborn and opinionated. I will say exactly how I feel at any time and love to be right! (I'm a girl though so that's kinda normal I think). I love to hear other peoples opinions and respect them if they differ but I will always share mine. It's an annyoing habit my hubby tells me.(hehe only because he's not usually right)

7. Unlike my friend Christine, I can't STAND to be barefoot. I live in flip flops. They are my shoe choice. I have been known to go outside in 15 degree weather (yes it got that cold in texas once or twice) in long johns, sweater, jeans, jacket, hat, scarf, gloves and FLIP FLOPS!! My feet never get cold. It's very strange.

These are the weird facts about me. I am tagging:

Christine www.homeschoolblogger.com/fabfive

Tammy www.homeschoolblogger.com/mom45angels

Denise http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/boogaloo/

AzMomma http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/azmommaof6/

Christian http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/baseballfanintexas

A couple of weekends ago, I was lucky enough to find myself with a whole weekend to myself. Chris had taken the boys on a cub / boy scout camping trip. I thought I would share some of the scrapbook pages I did.

Here is Dustin's baseball page from last season. Notice he's Yankee's and all the embellishments are Yankee's as well. (sorry about my camera strap getting in the way)

Here is last year's daycare confetti egg smash! (man I miss my daycare kids)

Finally, here is a 2 page layout I did of Christian in the bluebonnets

I am hoping to do some more pages but we'll see how my time goes. It's starting to get busy. Good news is we are ahead a bit in school so we are taking all of December off. No school work just lots of work on learning more about Advent.

We started out last week on a quiet note. The boys got their work done with little to no argument. Life was good. Then Wednesday comes. This is our go non-stop day. We have errands to run, lunch with Chris, Spanish lessons and CCD. At CCD they had a family mass. This is an opportunity to attend a mass catered to children. It was so sad to see these kids (some as young as 1st grade) dropped off by their parents. The parents wouldn't even stay to attend mass with their children. For many, it seemed like this was one of the few times they had even been to church. Our diocese has passed a rule that children must have two years prior religious education before being allowed to participate in 1st Communion, Confirmation or in the hispanic culture, they must take 2 consecutive years in order to have a Quiensenera. While I applaud this and think it is a wonderful idea, it also means children are being taken out of obligation to reach a goal, rather than out of love of learning about our Savior Jesus Christ. I pray for these families, that they will find the Love of Christ.

Thursday was an answer to a prayer. After much prayer and frustration, Chris began looking for another job about a month ago. He has long since been miserable at his job but was toughing it out in order to provide for his family. I have wanted to move back to Houston for a long time so he started looking in the Houston area. He also sent one resume out to Texas A&M here locally but wasn't hopeful since he has been trying to get a job at A&M for almost 8 years now. Well, on Thursday, Chris recieved a call from a job in Houston AND a the job at Texas A&M. They were both wanting to offer him a position. He asked if he could pray and think about it. I was so excited at the thought of moving back to Houston. I've really been very, very unhappy living here and was looking forward to the change and getting back to friends and family. It seems, though that God wants us to stay here. After reviewing the two offers, Texas A&M was offering him better hours, better benefits, higher wages and the chance for promotions and frequent raises. It just felt like taking the job here was what God wanted us to do. I must admit I was disappointed and a little upset. God softened my heart though when we told our friends and family here that we were not moving. There was such an outpouring of joy. Turns out they didn't want us to move and were upset that we might have moved. I really felt ashamed at my behavior then. It didn't matter how much I disliked living in this town, having friends and family like we have is such a blessing it makes my petty dislikes seem childish. We are so blessed to have friends and family in both cities. I must admit though, there is a tiny part of me that is glad I don't have to leave my homeschool group. We have made the most amazing friends!

We are still left with the problem of not having anywhere to live. Our lease is up Dec. 31st in our current house. It was sold and the new owners are moving in the week after our lease is up so there isn't the option to stay month to month until we find something. I had been putting off looking for a house because I wasn't sure what town we would be moving to (he had put out for jobs in Houston, Austin, Dallas and here). Now that I know where we will be I have begun looking for a house. The only catch is that I'm moving us away from the city. I have realized it's the college students and areas of town within our budget that I don't like. Because we live in a college town the rent for a 3 bedroom in a decent part of town is starting at $1500 a month. This is because they can get 3-4 students in there to split the bills. This leaves struggling families like ours out in the dust. The parts of town that are in our price range are riddled with crime, drugs and gang activity. I cannot in good faith keep my family in those areas of town. Ecspecially with me being home all day by myself with 2 boys. To change this, we have started looking for houses outside in the country that are in our price range. I want to live where it's quiet, I don't have drunk college students throwing up on my front yard, the boys can run around and explore or ride bikes. I want my kids to be kids and not have to worry about the neighbors around them. Please pray for us. We are asking God to guide us to the right house. I'm worried that we are running out of time and will end up having to put our belongings into storage and either move in with my parents or with friends or the shelter. I've been asking God to take my worry and stress and show us the way. I know he will guide us!

OK so I somehow ended up with several hours on Saturday with free time! I had forgotten what free time was like. I almost panicked, wondering what I was going to do, then I remembered.."Hey. I could actually get some scrapbooking done!!" Well out come all my supplies (and I have tons of stuff) and I happily spent some time relaxing with my creativity. Here are pics of two pages I did. I'm trying to catch up on our activities from this year. These were from our trip to the beach.

What is even better is that Chris, Dustin and Christian are all going on a boy scout / Webelos camping trip. I'll have the house to myself Friday evening until Sunday afternoon!! You have NO idea how long it's been since I had the house to myself..BY MYSELF for longer than a few hours at a time. I'm so excited but at the same time nervous. Chris and I have only spent two nights apart since we got married and that was when he had to fly to Orlando for work. Even then, though, I had Christian with me. I don't relish the thought of sleeping by myself and the utter quiet. I'm sure it will be good for a few hours but...well I may suprise myself. I plan on scrapbooking the whole weekend. I may invite a couple of friends over to scrapbook with me. I really need to get Parker's album done. I finally got the pictures from his funeral and gravestone developed. His gravestone was installed 2 weeks ago and I LOVE it! The company we used, Choate Monument Company, did a wonderful job on it. I've posted a picture of it as well. We had Blessing of the Graves at Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery on Sunday and several friends joined my parents and us there. Msgr. McCaffrey came over and blessed Parker's grave. Everyone was commenting on how lovely his stone turned out.

Here's to hoping I can get all of my pictures scrapbooked this weekend. I know my scrapbooking tools have felt neglected since it's been several months since I did anything other than put together a quick card here and there. Well, at least I'll have the cats to keep me company!!

Here are the scrapbook pages I did over the weekend and Parker's gravestone. I really love the work they did on it and the detail on the lamb was amazing (We have since added flowers to it as well)

Here are the pages I worked on this weekend.

This is a big time in our house. We started it off on Saturday. The alter server coordinator, Tom Rike and his wife Stacy hold a HUGE (I'm talking HUGE over 150 people huge) party at thier house every year. Our priest, Msgr. McCaffrey showed up in costume as...A Priest. (His little joke to everyone). The boys were skeletons, I was a Renaissance Lady and Chris went as himself (scary indeed). He had just gotten off of work at Santa's Wonderland and didn't have time to do a costume. There were joy jumps galore, candy, food and 3 pinatas. There was pina colada's and wine for the adults and lots of goodies for the kids. Unfortunatly, I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes last week and didn't get to partake in much food or pina colada / wine, however I happily drank my diet free, caffine free, taste free Coke. The night finished off around 10:30 for us. A great time was had by all!

Monday night was a pretty quiet night. Dustin had boy scouts so Christian and I hung out at the house and played card games. Tuesday, Christian had a Cub scout pack meeting. The theme was On the Farm so he dressed up as a farmer. It was really cute to see all the kids dressed up. Everyone enjoyed pizza (except me..still gettinge used to this bland diabetic diet thing) and Christian was awarded his Bobcat patch! Tonight we are going to All Saint's Day service at 5:30 then will take the boys out trick or treating afterwards. We have an employee meeting at Santa's Wonderland tommorow evening so aren't going to be able to make the masses then. Tommorow morning is an All Saint's Day celebration at St. Thomas Aquinas so the boys are dressing up as their favorite saints (Saints Isidore and Sebastian). I can't wait to see all the kids dressed up!

We have been studying Halloween and All Saint's Day. We've touched on Dia de Muertos and other topics. The boys were suprised to learn there were so many Christian / Catholic ties to the holiday. They had thought it was just a day to dress up and eat to much refiened sugar. It was ecspecially nice to hear them telling my in laws about all the religious background. If you want to know more about this go to www.catholicculture.com

The rest of the week should be fairly laid back. School as usual tommorow and Friday. Saturday is going to be crazy. We have a birthday party, the Coalition for Life is winding down their 40 days for Life so we are going to spend a couple of hours in prayer at Planned Parenthood. I promised a friend I'd come over and help her organize her computer room and I need to get my house cleaned and do some laundry. Since Chris has to work, I'll be doing all the running around myself. We also have a new couple we are sponsoring through Marriage Sponsors and they are coming over Saturday evening for dinner and our first meeting. Busy Busy weekend indeed. Well I must be off. I have two boys that need to get to a Spanish Lesson. I hope everyone has a Blessed day!

Tuesday was close to perfect. Let me say that first. We went to School day at the Texas Renaissance Festival. We were given a wonderful curriculum guide to use. We met my sister, her family and their friends Denise, Simon, Denise's mom and their children. The boys played and played and played. We watched the Mud Show, Cast in Bronze, Bird's of Prey, Juggling and MORE! We ate until we couldn't eat anymore. (Yummmm turkey legs) Us ladies shopped until we almost dropped. The costumes were amazing and I have decided I will wear mine next year. We learned about Beefeaters, King Henry VIII, all of his wives and their families. We learned about the types of food and clothing they had in the renaissance era. We have been to the Renaissance Festival many times but never have we gone with the intent of learning. I must say this was the most enjoyable visit we have had yet. I'm already looking forward to next year!! God even blessed us with amazing weather! Here are some pictures of our trip to the Texas Renaissance Festival. Our next field trip will be November 17th at Liendo Plantation for the Civil War Reenactment.

"My God, I thank you for this wonderful day, the beautiful weather and a peaceful house."

Today has been a glorious day.....so far. Chris got up bright and early to go work out at Santa's Wonderland, Dustin is spending the weekend visiting his mom and Christian stayed the night with his Aunt Nancy. This mean't I was able to sleep in!!!!!! I slept until 9:00 a.m. this morning. It was amazing. I never get to do that. I had a warm comfy bed with 3 cats all snuggled up next to me. I woke up, made a quick breakfast, did some dishes, vacuumed then sat down and played on the computer for 2 hours uninterrupted! That is unhead of. Christian finally came home then went next door to mow the neighbors yard then we had a late lunch and sat down to watch a movie. I love lazy days like this!

This has just not been our week. We have had not one but TWO family pets pass away this week and the boys are not taking it well (although in all honestly I cried worse than both of them). Let me share our adventures.

Those that know me, know that Chris and I have struggled for years with smoking. ACK!! I know it's a horrible habit. We both had done very very good but after we lost the baby in June, it was just to much and we picked up the habit again. After much prayer we finally felt strong enough emotionally and spiritually to put it down and quit for good. So, on go the patches, in goes the nicorette gum and out come the claws and cranky tempers. Honestly we were cranky for about a day but it hasn't been to bad. We will be trying to get pregnant soon and knew we needed to do it for the baby, our kids and our own health. (A nice prayer for us would be wonderful if you can)

Ok to make a long, long, long story just a tad shorter, we picked a really bad week to stop. Monday the boys had a baseball game that started 30 minutes late which made us late for boy scouts and we both hate being late for anything. Tuesday, about an hour before cub scouts, I told the boys to go outside and feed / water the dogs. Christian comes tearing back into the house in tears because Scooter, my beloved Shih'Tzu is dead. Honestly, Scooter hasn't been in the best of health. He was blind in both eyes, he suffered from a blood disease that was slowly causing his body to shut down. I couldn't manage emotionally to put him down so the vet told us a few weeks ago to take him home, make him comfortable and he would pass peacefully. Well I had let him outside a couple of hours before so he could use the restroom and get some fresh air. He always LOVED being outside, playing with our older dog, Sam. Well I suppose that is where he felt most comfortable because he curled up under his favorite tree in the shade and passed on. Needless to say I was distraught and there was no going to cub scouts. Instead my dear Chris went outside and dug a grave for 2 hours in the backyard then we had what could only amount to a full blown burial service in the yard. Complete with the boys reading from the bible. It really was lovely. Chris then cuddled on the couch with me and watched Steel Magnolias. It is my favorite movie and any girl will know, if your depressed or upset, it will make you laugh and laugh then make you cry even worse than when you put it in. Wonderful therapy!

Wednesday went off without much happening. It is a busy day for us so we ran around as usual. Thursday was much of the same. Rather relaxing actually. Then came today.

The boys have a pet rat named Snoball. I was so against getting a rat as a pet but the boys insisted and then Chris got in on it so I became outvoted. Well 3 years ago I drag myself and the boys to the pet store and scowled at the cage of rats. That is until the saleslady took this little white rat and put him in my arms. He curled up against my chest and went sound asleep. Needless to say my heart melted and I said SOLD! Turns out, Sno-ball is one of the funnest pets we have ever had. He chased the cats and the dogs!! They were scared of him. He used to love to make tunnels under our comforter, snooze on the couch while we watched movies or sit on my shoulder while I did dishes or played on the computer. He had a liking for peanut butter, dried bananas and of course sliced cheese. He was one spoiled rat. Unfortunatly, they only have a 2-3 year lifespan. We knew a couple of months ago that his time was coming to a close. He wasn't moving as fast, he had difficulty breathing after going up and down the stairs in his cage, he wasn't eating as much, etc.. Well this morning about 7:30, I go in to wake up the boys and I always bring Snoball a treat. I went to his cage and immediatly knew he was gone. The boys were upset but honestly I think Chris and I were the ones most upset.

So goes the circle of life I suppose. The boys are handling it well but are obviously upset and are wondering if Scooter and Snoball are in Heaven with their brother. I know the answer is NO, and I think they know deep down that isn't the case but with everything that has happened these past few months, if thinking that keeps them happy, well, I'm not going to be the one that breaks their heart. I think in another few months we will sit down and explain the truth but for now I am just not saying anything. Meanwhile, Snoball and Scooter are resting side by side under the big oak tree in our backyard.

It was rather ironic that they both passed the week of St. Francis of Asissi's Feast Day. He is the Patron Saint of pets and animals. I am comforted by the thought that he was with them, holding them in his arms when they passed. I sure am going to miss them but they brought so much love, laughter and all around joy to our family.

Here is Scooter with his binky. Yes he sucked a binky..don't ask I don't know why haha (I told you he was a character)

Here is our precious Snoball. He was such a cutiepie. I don't think we will ever be able to find another rat as cool as he was.

This lovely announcement at 7:30 this morning is the first thing I heard come out of Christian's mouth. This was immediatly followed by Dustin screaming back "I only did it because he threw a pillow at my head." Mind you, they hadn't even gotten out of bed yet. Oh, what a day this will be I'm sure.

Here I am, sitting several hours later and the fighting between them has only gotten worse. I think it has finally sunk in that Dustin is here to stay and for Christian (and Dustin) that has come with some HUGE changes in their lives. Before, they were "brothers" on the weekends but during the week, Christian had the room to himself, the games to himself and mommy to himself. Not that he is spoiled and selfish, it's simply the way his life has been since Chris and I got married. Then in the span of 24 hours, Dustin is with us full time. Chris and I are overjoyed that he is here and he's been wonderful, however I think the boys are having to adjust. Today it's been a constant, "He took my pencil..he us using the spelling book and I need it....he called me a name....He...He....He.." This is from BOTH of them. This has been a life altering adjustment for everyone (in a glorious way) but I think for the boys, they have been with eachother just long enough for them to be irritated with the other.

I believe the best thing is for the boys to have some alone time. I'm going to stay here tonight with Dustin while Chris takes Christian to Cub Scouts and then Thursday I'll stay with Christian while Chris takes Dustin to a Boy Scout function. Perhaps those few hours of alone time will give them the break from eachother that they need. God grant us patience and strength.

'Oh, Lord, grant our family Patience and Peace during this time of change and adjustment.'

I know that change is hard for most kids, ecspecially one this huge. Please pray for us and for the boys as we adjust and they see just what a blessing and joy they each are to us, their parents and to one another. If that doesn't work..I'll just send them outside with some boxing gloves and let them work it out the hard way *LOL*

We started our weekend off with the boys having a sleepover. Oh the lovely sound of having the boys out of the house at the same time! We joined our friends Christin and her husband Clay (the wonderful couple who put up with the boys Friday night) for dinner. I might mention that Christin is a Pampered Chef consultant so I just "HAD" to go in there and help her prepare dinner and use all the cool new gadgets that just came out a few months ago. Dinner and visiting was lovely and Chris and I finally departed around 12:30am with the boys still up playing video games!!

Saturday we get up early for my father in law's company picnic at Lake Bryan. As I'm shuffling around the house, I go to start a load of clothes in the washer. I put them in..add the soap...turn the knob...push the button and NOTHING. Uh Oh..this isn't good. I say a quick prayer to God (while wondering if there is a patron saint of washing machines), give the machine a nice "tap" with my foot and try it again...still NOTHING. I yell at Chris to come look at it and he discovers that there is something wrong with some thing-a-ma-bobber in the little engine thingie (really technical I know). Very frustrated I stomp off to find something else to wear to this picnic. Because we spent to much time looking at the thing-a-ma-bob on the washing machine, I didn't have enough time to shave my legs so I was stuck wearing jeans on a lovely hot and humid day!

We have a fantastic time at the picnic. The boys played and played and played. Dustin even came in 2nd in the potato sack races!! His cousin from Odessa sent him a Flat Stanley to have an adventure with, take a picture then send back. Dustin took a picture holding Flat Stanley while he was hopping down the course of the potato sack races. It was a great picture. We then make a quick dash to the Outdoor store and pick up some items the boys needed for Boy Scouts / Cub Scouts. The kids all went back to my in-laws while Chris and I ran up to Gander Mountain to look a few items the boys needed for an upcoming camping trip to Enchanted Rock. (Before you ask..No I'm not going camping. I'm allergic to the outdoors..literally, take shots and all..so I'm going to have a nice relaxing girls weekend while they are playing in the dirt and building bonfires).

We then join my in laws for dinner at Golden Corral (LOVE that place) then mosey our way on home. I needed to wash a couple of things (and this is where God's sense of humor comes in), so I washed a few items in the sink and throw them into the dryer to dry..Turn the knob....Push the button....NOTHING. Yep..the Dryer won't start either. At this point, Chris is pretty upset and I"m asking God why..why couldn't you let them die when they were still under warrenty..at least let them die after I've done a load of much needed laundry. Well, I figure God has a reason so I sit down and put out a plea to the homeschooling community. "Is there anyone out there that might have a used washer / dryer that we might buy off them?" I explained the situation. By this time I'm accepting that the timing is pretty funny when lo and behold, I get an email from an angel (Who knew they had the net up in Heaven!!??) She had a used washer and dryer that she was giving away FREE and wanted to know if we would be interested. Thank God! He always provides.

We started off this week on a much better note. I have a job interview  on Wednesday for a placed called Santa's Wonderland. It will be from November 1st till the day after Christmas. I will be answering phones for them and the best thing is I can do it from home. They will forward the phones to our house from 12p to 6p M-F and for a few hours on Saturday. We were wondering how we were going to handle Christmas this year and God answered. They have already checked all my refrences and called today to set up a second interview for Wednesday. Praise Him!! This job is the answer to our prayers. God does indeed work in mysterious ways and God does indeed have a remarkable sense of humor!

I'm sitting here writing to you from the comfort of my own, quiet, child free house. Yes, you heard me right. CHILD FREE!! One of my best friends (and fellow homeschool mom), Christin swung by the house to drop off some tomato soup for Christian. (Long story..he wanted tomato soup and I found him in the kitchen trying to make it with garlic flavored tomato sauce and milk..ewww So Christin graciously volunteered to pick him up some soup since she was already at the store) So Chris and I had planned to join Christin and her husband Clay at their house for dinner tonight and the boys were going to spend the night with their son Patrick. Well, dear Christin comes by with soup in hand and says. "Well if your done for the day, how about I take the kids home with me now so they can play with Patrick and ya'll can just come over later." I just about hugged her on the spot. I promptly told the boys to get their shoes on and give me 2 minutes to pack their bag (haha not like I was eager for some alone time or anything).

So now I sit here in a quiet house, listening to the kitten play with a glue stick somewhere near me. I cherish my boys being home, I really do, but every once in a while you want to be alone, curl up on the couch with a gallon of coffee (or tea) and read a good book without being interrupted by kids arguing or running through the house chasing said kitten. I suppose I could throw a load of clothes in the wash or clean the few dishes in my sink left over from lunch, paint my nails or even give myself a facial but you know..I think that coffee and book sounds wonderful! I"m reading a book called Piercing the Darkness. It's wonderful. It is about Angels of God and the Demons of Hell battling on earth for the souls of humankind. It has some uplifting messages in it, namely how the power of continual prayer for others can do amazing things. I recommend it if you can. There is also another in the series called This Present Darkness but I haven't read that one yet.

Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm off to start that coffee and curl up with my book and enjoy the few hours I have alone until Chris comes home. I hope everyone has a Blessed, Fun Filled weekend!

We have the two funniest boys alive. I thought I would share some "Dustinism's and Christianisms with you all today"

Daddy (Chris) - "I volunteered to be the assistant den leader for your Webelo's den Christian."

Christian - "Cool Daddy, do you get a uniform like mine?"

Daddy (Chris) - "Yes,  I get a uniform."

Dustin - "Neat Dad. You know women always love a man in uniform"

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Mommy - "So what are you made of Dustin?" (me trying to be smart and teach him about the different systems in our body)

Dustin - "Well I think I"m 99% Country Boy...1%  Smelly Gas"

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Mommy - (trying to explain that Mercury has 1 day for every 59 earth days) "Living on Mercury, you would Age 59 days for every 1 day on Mercury. That would be like a 10 year old boy being almost 40!"

Christian - "Wow mom, You'd be like 80 years old on Mercury. Cool, you can finally use the handicap parking spaces!!"

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Just found this picture while I was trying to clean up my picture folders and thought I would share. This is one of the rare times that I"m in the actual picture (I'm usually the one behind the camera) and a rare picture where one of the boys isn't making a really goofy face. Now you have a face to put with the blogger!! This is my husband Chris, myself, our Priest, Msgr. John McCaffery, Dustin and Christian. This was taking at our marriage blessing last year. (And yes..that is my husband's meager attempt at smiling. I can't ever get him to smile in pictures)

of US! I was sitting here trying to think of what to write when I decided to check out my sisters blog. My sister, for those that don't know is also a homeschooler. Her blog is great so please check it out. Here's the link. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mom45angels

Here is a typical day for us:

6:30 Rise and Shine for mom..this is my quiet alone time, unless you count the cats in my lap or next to me as soon as my feet hit the hard wood floor.

7:30 Boys up, dressed, beds made and down at the breakfast table

8:00 Our day starts. We do a morning rosary, prayer intentions, learn about our Saint of the Day, do our bible verse and go over our religion assignment for the day. This week we are discussing Sin. This has actually been a very interesting topic. We have discused Original Sin, Actual Sin (Mortal and Venial). This is somewhat of a review from when the boys did 1st Reconciliation but we are going more indepth and they have been very curious as to the different types of sin. In fact I heard Christian telling his brother Dustin that he was committing a sin if he snuck in the kitchen and took another Oatmeal Cream Pie after I had told him he had reached the Cream Pie limit for the day.

9:00 From here we begin studies. I have all their worksheets copied and ready to go. They have these wonderful planners (Thanks to my sister Tammy for showing me where to get them) All their lessons for the day are written in and they go to work. That is one good thing about homeschooling older boys, they are independent workers. This allows me to get some work done that I need to focus on and be there when they need me. (Hence the reason you could eat off my floors. I have time to keep them spotless and hey, my husband loves having a clean house..who knew?? haha) We have spelling, vocabulary, english, math, phonics, history and astronomy. History and Astronomy are by far the favorites because they are the most hands on. We are using the history book "How America Began" this year. It's wonderful. It starts off with the beginning of the American Revolution. We are really looking forward to going to Liendo Plantation in November for the Civil War Renactment as it will coincide the same week we begin the Civil War..How cool is that?? We are making a HUGE timeline that will cover one whole wall of our school room with specific dates and events in America's history. The boys are really enjoying that. With Astronomy, we are using "Apologia: Exploring Creation with Astronomy" This I must say is the most AWESOME book!! Our neighbors probably think we are weird because we are outside at 9pm with our star charts and telescope just having a blast. The boys are making a notebook along with this that they keep interesting facts in and illustrate. That has been a kick to see them do as well.

We are usually done with our schoolwork by around lunch time then the boys go off to read for 30 minutes and can then play for a while or watch a movie (*gasp* we don't have cable or local channels and we don't mind either!!*) On Monday's we have Baseball at 6pm, Boy Scouts at 7pm. Tuesday we have Forensics from 3:30 to 5:00, Baseball at 6pm, Cub Scouts at 7pm. Wednesday is Spanish from 2:30 to 3:30pm, CCD from 6 to 7, Baseball again on Thursday and Friday. (Yeah, whoever coined the term STAY at home mom was off their rocker)

Well that sums it up. We are busier than ever but couldn't be happier. It's great to walk in the schoolroom, fresh pot of coffee in hand (Thank you Phillipe, our friend from Bogota who ships us pure Columbian coffee every month) and hear their little brains grinding away. Then 5 minutes later you hear "MOM..Dustin's touching my pencil" or "MOM..Christian's watching me write and I can't concentrate". My little peaceful homeschool dreamworld was nice for a few minutes haha *

**On a side note. I needed to brag on homeschoolers really quick. We were at the first Pack Meeting for Cub Scouts tonight and all the kids were running wild. Well, our two boys were sitting there nicely and quietly talking with their cousin. One of the moms sitting next to me commented on how well the boys were behaving (I was shocked..I had to actually turn and make sure it was still my boys sitting next to me hehe j/k). She asked what school they went to and I proudly said they were homeschooled. She smiled and replied, "Well that explains their lovely behavior. You sure have done a great job." I was so proud of the boys. I know I've seen a change in their behavior since we started homeschooling but it was nice to have someone else recognize it as well.**

Why oh Why is there a never ending list of fun things my kids want to do..There is 28 hours worth of stuff in a 24 hour day. Since making the decision to homeschool we have gone from occasionally busy with sports / church to constantly busy with sports / church and everything else!! This is a typical week..

Monday - "Quiet "day of school followed by Mom's Night Out!! (Oh how I love Mom's Night Out) Baseball practice (we play 3 seasons a year, fall, spring and summer all-stars) Also, 2nd Monday of the month is the Smoothing the Way meeting

Tuesday - Morning mass at 8:am Little less "quiet" day of school followed by Forensics from 3-5 for the boys and baseball game or practice and boy scouts.

Wednesday - Morning Mass at 8am, 1 hour of Perpetual Adoration, Fun school day (we do brain teasers, maps, games and more) Spanish from 2:30 to 3:30, CCD at 6pm

Thursday - "not nearly as quiet" schoolday, baseball game or practice

Friday - YES the weekend cometh. Test day then fun games, computer lessons, typing, etc..Family game night / Movie night..occasionally I have Scrapbook Night, Bunco Night..

The weekends are even more hectic since Chris is home, we do all kinds of running around, cleaning, etc..Then wash, rinse, repeat. How anyone can think Stay at home mom's are ever at home is beyond me! Homeschooling has definatly changed our lives but Oh I am so glad it did!!

Let me begin my acceptance speech now...*begins to clear her throat*

I would like to thank all those that made this first week of homeschool a success....I would like, however, to exclude the cats, dog and all those non homeschool friends who found it fun to call right in the middle of a major math explanation!

In all seriousness, we had a blast. All my anal retentive planning flew right out the window and we just enjoyed class. God saw fit to have it rain everyday so going outside to enjoy the weather was a no no (ecspecially on my newly mopped / waxed floors!) So we decided to invent things to do. Thanks to my dear dear friend Christin, we dissected scorpions that she found at her place and lovingly placed in ziploc bags and put in my mailbox! I found a great diagram page on the net (oh the things you can find on the net) so the boys could make sure they were looking at a scorpion heart and not a right foot! We played games, and even managed to get every bit of schoolwork I had planned with little to no complaining. (Hey in our house..that is HUGE) We also managed to knock out the 10 yr old's birthday and my 30th *gulp* birthday. My dear mother in law actually got me a gift certificate to the spa so I can go get a facial , mani/pedi and a massage..God bless her!

We had another wonderful blessing. My stepson, Dustin decided he wanted to come live with us and be homeschool and his mother actually agreed! We picked him up last Monday and started school with him on Tuesday. Thanks also to you wonderful friends that helped me get him some books at the last minute!! He is having a great time being here and doing work. (Yes, I said he was actually having a good time doing work..Who Knew??)

I dont' know why I was so nervous. Going into our second week, I'm excited. God has shown us the way to a fun family relationship. I'm getting to know the boys all over again. Even my DH Chris is excited. He's put together a computer programming lesson for them and can't wait until I can get them started on it. He's LOVING having his son with us full time. What a blessing that has been. Praise be to God!

I look forward to the weeks and months ahead. I look forward to the cooler weather so that we can get outside and have class. I even look forward to the stares I get when I have my kids out and about with me during "public school hours". It's great hearing my boys tell people. God wanted us to homeschool and we've already finished our classes today! Ok. Enough rambling. I have two boys that need to get to a forensics class and I have to go dig my shoes out from under the bed somewhere. I pray everyone has a wonderful year. I know ours is turning out pretty darn good!