Happy

I am embarking on a silly venture.....look to the right hand side of the blog for daily twitter updates....hints and tips on staying happy. Enjoy!!!!! : )

It might sound a little goofy, but it works for me and thought I'd share!!!! ; P

Monday Menu Plan

Here's the plan for the week!

Sunday - snack till you drop

Monday - cereal

Carnitas and beans tacos

Tuesday - Eggs and toast

Okra, tomato, chicken, sausage gumbo on brown rice

Wednesday - French toast

Sloppy Jotatoes

Thursday - Smoothies

Posole

Friday - cereal

Toasty sandwiches, possibly Cubans or Rubens (ha! I'm a poet!!)

Oliv's 10th birthday cake

Ten Years!!!

Today, we are celebrating 10 years of Olivia's life. In her own words, she is now a decade! HAHA! She is so funny.

Ten years ago, I was in labor for 26 hours (yes, you read it right!) and gave birth to my first born in the middle of a Dallas vs. Denver football game. I mention this because between contractions, Dr. C., DH, and 2 L & D nurses were watching the game while I was in and out of wakefulness.

I spent every moment of those early months gazing into Olivia's beautiful face. I took her everywhere, we never stayed home. We did all sorts of things that a family with only one child has the freedom to do. All I did was try to make her smile and laugh and coo, then ate up every bit of reaction she gave me! (you know I got nothing done besides that!!!)

From a very early time, Olivia showed signs of being incredibly smart, creative, and funny. Before the age of one, she would take a crayon and draw circles, saying "trkl, trkl." (How cute is that???) She loved to eat grapefruit or ice cream. When she could sit up, she would take a book and "read" it, speaking jibberish like she knew what she was talking about!

When her sister was born, she was an awesome big sister - helping Mommy with anything that needed to be done, especially entertaining the little monkey, joining me in doing everything I could to get little Sophia to laugh and smile and coo....

As her brother came, she stated to the nurses that she was going to teach him how to run and sing the Scooby Doo theme song. (of all things!!!)

Olivia has had a few funny nick names over the years...Livers, Yaya (Sophia gave her that one when she couldn't say Olivia), Oliv, and The Nutty Professor (TNP). She rightfully earned TNP because she spends every waking moment (from the time she started thinking, trust me) inventing, creating, concocting, making up games, drawing, painting, building, singing songs, and so on.

She is bright, funny, very silly, compassionate, loving, loyal, sensitive, goofy, interesting, talkative, athletic, not girlie, intense, generous, (bossy), and she loves Jesus. And I love her.

Big Questions

Every night, when Danny Jr and I get our last cuddles in, I tuck him in to his bed, climb into mine, and wait. Never fails, he says something like this, "Mommy, I just have to say one more thing before you go to sleep. How does voice come out?" or...."How is concrete made?" or...."How do bones stick together?" He always comes up with a very serious question that needs a well thought out (or researched) answer before bed. Why is that? I think it's to make me smile before I doze off.

Gratituesday (on Monday!)

Well, ain't that a kick in the head! I don't want to spend this blog complaining, because this one is to journal my gratitude. However, my negative feelings at this moment are actually a segue to the things I am most grateful for.

*******edited to remove the complaining part*********

I am so thankful for the life I live. We live in a small, humble home. Two bedrooms for 5 people. I love it. We are all so close to eachother. We share every moment together, and when someone needs a little privacy, we can find a quiet corner and get it. My DH and I love each other so deeply and fiercely. He is present in our lives. He spends time with his children. He works a legitimate job and works hard. We both have friends that we can go unwind with to keep us sane. I feel like I want for nothing. I am so thankful for my three beautiful children, and that they are spaced enough that they can help each other and entertain each other, but still have their own individual interests and activities. I am thankful that we have food on our table and clothes on our backs. I am thankful for Jesus Christ living in me, who I know will help me work through forgiveness. I am thankful that I can pray and let my feelings out and be understood and loved, and then encouraged to do the right thing, regardless of my own selfish feelings. I am thankful that we have the peace of God in our home, that drama doesn't crack us because we have Him. I am thankful that, over the years, God has worked on my attitude and my patience with my husband and children. I am thankful that I realize that I am a work in progress and still have a ways to go. I am thankful that whether I am happy or sad, angry or glad, full of joy or full of pain, I have God's love. And that is all I need.

Menu Plan Monday

OK, Kids, here you have it. I hit a road block in the planning phase, but my dear friend Trx inspired me. : ) (see Thurs.)
Breakfast in green.
Sunday - as always, leftovers and snack foods
Monday - scrambled eggs and toast, apple juice
Honey Mustard Grilled chicken breast, zucchini ribbons, rice pilaf
Tuesday - French Toast
Ground beef, beans, fideo, home made tortillas
Wednesday - Breakfast tacos
Toasty sandwiches, vegetable soup
Thursday - cereal
Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn
Friday - bananas and milk
Taking Olivia and one friend out for dinner and a movie for her b'day, Sophia has Girl Scouts so Dad's taking them for a jumbo jack.
Saturday - Olivia's actual birthday - anything she chooses! : ) (not planned yet)