Middle of the week surprise

Last night when Mikayla and I got home from work/school I was deciding about what to cook for dinner.....she was looking out the kitchen window and said oh I wish we could go for a walk.  I said, well lets go!!!!

 

So we headed out.  The picture below is Katie's street!!!  Isn't that cool!  So I texted her and said we're out walking and I see your street!!!

 

 

Well technically I said we're down in the bayou, what are you up to?  she said "cooking, boo!" then asked if I could see her neighborhood and what on earth was I doing because didn't I have to cook dinner too.

 

I said yes, I have to cook but I'm avoiding it so we're going to the park first.

 

Then she said, we'll come see y'all in about 5 minutes....so M and I hung around on our side of the bayou for a little bit.

 

OHHHH there they are...do you see them coming?

 

 

WOO HOO!!  Our first trip to the bayou as neighbors...  so we were shouting over the bayou to each other!

 

 

So we both came down the cement embankments on our respective sides...the kids were FIRED UP!!!!

 

 

 

well look.... there is sort of a walk way.......

 

 

The cement is FAR apart...I really don't think I could walk it and be dry once I got to the other side!!

 

 

 

AND they made it to our side (mostly dry), all four of us plus doggie Abbie made it to the park, they played HARD...even Abbie got to run around in the dog park for awhile.  She loved it!!!  Even as skittish as she is...I think she thoroughly enjoyed herself.

 

Katie and Tyler going back after our park fun.

 

 

 

And then my poor mother in  law sent me the picture below this morning.......She got over 12 inches of heavy/wet snow.... ACK!

 

Another really big one.....

It has been SO hectic and tense and worrisome at my house.

 

We have so many things coming up... and the biggest one right now is the next First Communion test at school.

 

I think we both (Mikayla and I) felt resigned that it wasn't going to go well because we haven't been able to either mentally or realistically dedicate enough study time....

 

So the nerves were HIGH!

 

One day we were driving home from work/school, talking about how to get everything done that we needed/wanted to get done and not necessarily knowing how to fit it in.

 

Mikayla was working herself up into a frenzy about this darn oral test that she needed to do.  Huge.alligator.tears.  actually almost more like rivers of tears her whole entire eye wide versus just alligator tears. 

 

She's.so.nervous.scared.depressed.worried.avoiding.dreading this test.

 

But while we were driving...she looked out and saw the rainbow......

 

 

So that led us into the conversation about God's promise.

 

 

 

So we were both feeling a LOT better about things, we knew it would be OK..... not like we forget but this "sign" really brought it to the forefront of our minds and conversation.  So we got  home feeling a lot better about things. 

 

I was able to carve out some time for her to really really study.  We got home from Little Flowers a little after 9:00 Friday night and I told her if she can give me her all Saturday morning - we're going to pass that test!  So we both held tight to the hope that we'd be able to work it out.

 

Granted it was the same day as the test - it's the best I could do because really - by 8:00 pm after school she's spent and can't realistically do more/memorize more...it's unfair to expect more.  I myself don't want to do more.

 

So Saturday morning - we hit the books at 7:30 am.....
by 9:00 she knew all the answers for the test and we wrote and memorized two prayers....

by 9:30 we were ready to go......
and by 10:30 she'd PASSED her test!!!!!!

 

WOW!!!  (I did tear up a few times during the test but I think I did really good especially compared to what a mess I was last time!)

 

Motherhood really is amazing.  The winning, the defeats, the tears, the praise, the memories....

 

and do you know what she said to me as we left school.  She said "Thanks Mommy, thanks for helping me study so I could pass"...... and SHE teared up because it meant a lot to her.  She repeatedly thanked me!  Sooooo nice to hear thank you!!!!

 

Phew.... it was a big one.  It is a good one... It is an amazing one....

 

Little flower time :)

PHEW - seriously such a hectic time right now and I'm not entirely sure but it just seems that there's been a lot of homework

lot of studying

lot of running around

lot of whining

I mean a lot of happy times

just a lot.... ya know what I mean?

 

So when we got to Little Flowers, we both just breathed a sigh of relief!

 

 

Mikayla has really enjoyed this year - I have too.... A LOT!

 

 

 

It's a really great group, the kids are great, it's a more relaxed format so it doesn't add to the already frantic frantic.... so it's all good!!!

 

A little Karate

Some Karate insturctors came to school and gave the kids some instruction!  Mikayla loved it! 

 

 

Isn't that fun!!! 

 

She said it was good but they all kept yelling HA.... hee hee....  She enjoyed it but I'm not sure that she'll be begging to take classes. 

 

Just where I want to be!

We were able to finally get down to the boat to try to get the winter all washed off!  Mikayla and I worked inside and Michael worked outside.  It was SO nice to be there and just be getting her ready to go for the season, we thawed the freezer, cleaned, wiped up, polished, waxed, washed and even had fun doing it!!

 

 

Who knew bowls of ice from the freezer that had been broken off would be so much fun?  seriously entertaining!!

 

 

 

 

Ahhhhhhhhh it was SOOOOOO nice to spend the day here.  We haven't been able to come much because of the cold (it's all relative, it was very cold for Houston this year) seriously, this is probably the longest we've gone without boating in about 15 years... so we missed it!

 

 

 

And we ran into some people that wintered down here.... they turned into skeletons....

 

 

actually they were dressing up for the boat parade... but it sounded funny!  LOL

 

Ahhhhh I can't wait for more time down here!!  I still have a few things to do on the boat but the bulk of the winter is officially washed off!!!

 

Now to get the air conditioner fixed..... always something....

I don't think I showed these

It was brought to my attention that I haven't posted Mikayla's 8 year old pictures.  So here are precious girl's 8 year old pictures.  Oh how I can't believe she's getting so big and so grown up.  She is SO smart and funny and huggable and well just all around a great kid.  I am so thankful for her. 

 

 

 

seriously.... 8 years old..... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love my goof ball!

 

 

 

 

 

I just took these out in the front yard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How fast the time goes.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

There were many years I was not a fan of Valentine's Day but oh how the tides have turned. 

 

16 years ago my first dream came true and my boyfriend at the time asked me to marry him.  I think that was my official switch "on" to loving Valentine's Day.

 

I LOVE IT!!!

 

We started the week by making Mikayla's Valentine box.  I don't think I go overboard with it but I've been told that I do LOL!  Isn't she CUTE!!!  (the hole is in the top and then Mikayla can just untie the bow in the back and separate the lid from the box to see what goodies are in there)

 

 

 

 

Anyway.  I have been working really hard this week, I don't know exactly why I was so short on time but it was hectic for sure.  I made this little beauty from scratch for Mikayla....   she's not perfect but she will be loved!  My first attempt at a stuffed animal. 

 

 

 

Then I got her table of goodies all set up.  I was SO happy doing this last night.  This child has been OBSESSED with the table and if she was going to get one...and if I remembered her animal and goodies and stuff...but she just cared about her table set up and the animal.  I wasn't even going to get an animal this year (note to self...don't ever think that) so in my anti-animal thoughts I remembered that at Christmas time, we bought the panel for the animal above so I decided I'd see if I could make it and I had two days to make it happen and I'd know if I couldn't do it and had time to buy one. 

 

So Here is her "table".... complete with rose petals and flameless candles....

 

 

 

I woke her up this morning to the song "I'll love you for a thousand years"  good song.... (and the music video she had thousands of candles - which made my candles neat)  - see....total Valentine dork...but that's OK :)

 

See....first thing she saw was the bear.... and then she got tears in her eyes when she realized I made it for her.

 

 

 

 

Of course on the first hug - she says "uh oh...did something pop"  so I have a feeling that I'll be constantly stitching this little gem right back up but that's ok, I loved making it!  She hugged her soooo tight!!  awww brings me tears too.

 

 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!