Thursday, January 31, 2008

Delayed Blog due to time with Important People

Sorry it has been over two weeks since I last blogged. It has been a very busy two weeks. I have seen my family every weekend it seems for the last month and I love every minute of it! They are such an awesome group of people that I can't thank God enough for blessing my son and I with them. Also, this week Ashley and I have been taking turns keeping Karen's son for the week. Ashley watches him during the day and T and I keep him in the evenings. It has been SO much fun! T loves to have a baby around. He is always entertaining and being a big helper when I or the baby needs anything. His Dad and Step-Mother are expecting a baby in August and I can't help but think that he will be an attentive helper and an awesome big brother. T usually has Jim's two kids over one night during the week for some play time together. I usually tutor on the other nights after I get off work and then T and I spend time together practicing his school stuff or playing Games on Starfall.com or FisherPrice.com. He has more intellect than I expected at this point. By that, I mean he seems to have a way of teaching things to himself and he is very good at being creative. He loves to take any object and turn it into a story full of adventure. One of the days I will get him on tape so I can show him when he gets older how creative and imaginative he is at this age. But, when I try to tape him, he stops until I put the camera away again. He is so smart!

Ok, so now the happenings of the last two weeks:

I spent some time with my family two weekends ago and my Dad helped me make a play area for T on his top bunk (instead of a second bed that we never used) while Mom and I changed out the dresser that is now in his room. He gets up in his play area every day. I put a few pictures below so you can see what his room looks like now. I also put some pictures of T and his cousins I took that last week when they came over to play. They play so well together. All three were in T's play area playing his V-Smile for quite some time. I am glad they live so close and that they are growing up together.





This last weekend was Karen's 26th Birthday! T and I went down to visit her in Fort Stockton, but before we could leave, T wanted to get "his KK" a cake from HEB since it has her favorite icing of all time on it. He was very proud of the cake he picked out.


This week we have had my nephew visiting us. T goes to school, I drop my nephew off with Ashley and the kids for a day of fun, then I got to work. When I get off, I pick up Karen's son and head home for fun with two very handsome boys. We sing, play peek-a-boo, we listen to music and just enjoy having a baby around. Hearing the giggles of two little boys really makes my days so much more enjoyable. I took a couple of pictures of my nephew while T and I sang to him and while T was telling him he loves him (as he said "just like My KK does to him and me").


Tuesday, January 15, 2008

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you!

We are all so blessed with each other and the bond we have, I don't think that I could ask for a better family or group of people to be related to.

For those of you who have not seen any of us in a while, here are a few recent pictures of My Wonderful Family.

Our Awesome Parents:

The Honea Kids:

Jim, His Wife Ashley and their Family:

T and Me:

Karenrose, her son and T:

The Two Girls and Our Boys:

My Beautiful Sister, Karenrose and her son:


I can't forget the picture of the Cutest Grandkids ever....

Forgetful Me....

I was talking to a good friend today and was reminded that even though my Son is my inspiration for making and keeping up with this website that I don't have any pictures of me on it thus far.

Considering that I am usually the one behind the camera, I don't have many pictures. But, I do have a few pictures of Tristan and Me that we took this summer.

**These are by far my favorite pictures of the two of us.**


Sunday, January 13, 2008

Monster Truck Rally



It is amazing the things that kids/people get excited about. Last night I took T to the Monster Truck Rally here in San Angelo. We almost didn't go, but luckily I had a very nice lady help us out and was able to get some "cheap seat tickets" after all. He Never stopped smiling. He also didn't sit still because he liked it so much.

I remember when Mom, Dad, Jim, Karen and I went to the truck shows when we were kids. We loved the excitement and the trucks and the atmosphere the adrenaline created around us. I have not felt that way in a long time. So, needless to say when I took T last night to the show, I ended up having just as much fun as he did, if not more. I was concerned about the noise, but with the ear plugs in, it was not bad at all. T never quit smiling!! I mean it, he loved it and has already asked if we can go again this summer. It was so fun to watch him smile, clap, cheer and enjoy our time together. If it is one thing he and I know how to do, it is to have fun together....

The yellow truck, Monster Moose, was driven by a woman. She was more aggressive in her execution than the men were. She was great! So much that T said when we left "Mommy you can do that too!" The other trucks pictured below are Public Disturbance, Reptoid, and of course Big Foot!








If you have not had the pleasure of going to one of these shows, I suggest you take a couple of hours out of your day and take a child. You will enjoy it as much as they do!

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Tips for an Exceptional NEW YEAR

A good friend of mine at work sent this to me and I thought that a lot of them make perfect sense. I enjoyed it, I hope you will too!

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you must.

3. Buy a TiVo (DVR), tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement,

"My purpose is to___________ today."

5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

6. Watch more movies, play more games and read more books than you did in 2007.

7. Make time to practice meditation and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat fewer foods that are not manufactured in plants.

11. Drink plenty of water.

12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13. Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.

18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

24. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy underwear cause today IS special.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Forgive everyone for everything.

28. What other people think of you is none of your business.

29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.

30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

32. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

33. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

34. The best is yet to come.

35. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

36. Do the right thing!

37. Call your family often.

38. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:

"I am thankful for __________."

Today I accomplished _________.

39. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

40. Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

My Newest Crafting Hobby...Scrapbook Purses

Some of you have seen my newest crafting hobby, but for those of you who have not, check this out!


I saw one of these and decided I had to "Have" one for myself, but I didn't want to pay the "big bucks" this Woman I saw with it told me she paid for hers....so, after a quick 5 minute look over...I had my newest hobby planned out in my head.


I had originally only planned to make me one, but I have created a few purses for close family and friends and have a few Orders "in the works" just because people have loved what they have seen.


If anyone it interested in one, let me know. You chose the theme and pictures to be used and I do the rest. Of course they can be made for an inexpensive price, since I purely do this for the fun of it and to keep me busy in the evenings. Below are a few of the ones I have made:






















Monday, January 7, 2008

2007 in Review

I hope this post finds you all doing well and as blessed as Tristan and I have been over the last year. There have been a lot of changes in our lives since Tristan was born in 2003. Time sure flies and runs short when you are busy raising a little boy by yourself. Well, in order to remedy my oversight in keeping everyone up to date, I decided to let him help me with it. So, the pictures you see of him were designated to be important times by him.

This year started out a little tough for us. I was in and out of the hospital with problems of an unknown source. In the end, the doctors decided to perform a Hysterectomy. Thank God! I have had NO (and I am knocking on wood right now) medical problems since. This has been the first year I have gone without health problems for as long as I can remember. It is a total blessing from God and I thank him every day for it. My family came up to help me with Tristan and I thank them for that too! It would have been a long hard road without them.

I had been working for an Oral Surgeon and loved my job for the last year and a half when my brother decided to recruit and recommend me to Multi-Chem; the company he works for. I have been working there since Nov 29th and love every part of it! I am an Accounts Payable Clerk. Even though it is a change from being in the Dental field for the last seven years, it is just as interesting and challenging.

This year has really flown by quick. Tristan has continued to grow like a weed. Every time I turned around, he had learned something new . We have spent a lot of this year doing “firsts”….He learned to bowl...

...He learned to Ride a “Big boy Bike” and a Battery Powered Four Wheeler...

...He got his first set of roller skates and with them came a few bumps and bruises...

… We took our first trip to the zoo with good friends. We found out Flamingos are his favorite......

… he went to the Circus for the first time and rode an Elephant (with me) . He also got his face painted like Spiderman...



...he also learned how to play soccer, tennis and baseball.

Those were his favorites to do this summer with his Cousins (Ryann and Cullen) when they came over to play.


He even rode on an airplane (before I have even had a chance to) when he went to Dallas with his Grandmother for a week to visit family on his Father’s side.


Tristan turned 4 this Summer on June 3rd. He had discovered Spiderman earlier this year and, of course, has had to have everything that has a Spiderman logo or anything that deals with the Spiderman character. Naturally, we had a Spiderman Birthday party too.

Halloween was even a blast since he got to wear his costume several times before Halloween and has practically worn it out since then.

Because of all of this, we are still very happy and blessed each and every day by God. Looking over the past year and at all that has happened in both our lives, we wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.


Until next time… May God bless you and yours each and every day!