life is beautiful

friday fun day…

cousins, firsts, kids

last friday was quite a big day… we started off with mass at mama’s old school.   it was the eighth graders last school mass.  this eighth grade class was super special to me because it was my first class to teach!   i have so many memories with them.   seeing them again was so great!  they hadn’t changed one bit!  they just got a little bit taller.   oh how i wish i could have gotten pictures with them, but for now that day is etched in my memory.  they were my first babies before these babies.   i couldn’t have asked for a more special morning.

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after visiting with all my old students we headed out to bc.  the boys could not wait!  we added a new addition to the boys toys…

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samuel, this was the first time you got the hang of your four wheeler (aka joey).  you had a blast.

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sam didn’t stay still too long. 🙂  we will be back out soon again to play!

xxoo

blessed indeed….

celebrations, kids

 

 and spoiled!  oh you boys had nothing but treats for me this weekend.  balloons, flowers and food, food, food.    i think we all gained a few pounds but it was oh so yummy!  the best part of this mothers day was just watching you boys work with daddy in the kitchen.   jack you were thrilled to say the least, to help out in the kitchen.  you get to giggling so hard when you are working on something you are excited about.

2014-05-11 08.40.36{complete with a lovely dinosaur stamp on your forehead}

2014-05-11 09.10.01you guys worked hard  on some pretty amazing french toast…  for the record i could only eat one slice.  i think it expanded in my stomach after i ate it.  oh it was so good!  we quickly got ready for mass.  we made it on time and you boys were pretty good.  pretty entertaining at times but good overall.   🙂

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we enjoyed a trip to sonic and a late afternoon nap.  that evening  we got a little play time  outside before helping daddy in the kitchen again.   daddy  made us a yummy 🙂  italian dish and i requested that he help you boys create your own pizza.  oh you had so much fun!  samuel, we were quiet impressed you followed directions (after trying to spoon the sauce in your mouth).  you both did an awesome job and jack you were so proud to eat a pizza you made!

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DSC_1032i can’t say it enough,  i am so very blessed that god chose me to be your mama.  i’m also so blessed to have such a wonderful mama as an example.  she raised me to fully appreciate this vocation of motherhood.  there isn’t anyone else i’d rather spend my days and nights with than my babies!

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thank you for another wonderful weekend!

xxoo

lucas is o n e :)

celebrations, cousins

little cousin lucas turned  o n e  this last week!   we had so much fun at his first birthday party.   too much cuteness with 4 boys, 3 and under 🙂

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thank you for letting us share in this special celebration!

happy birthday sweet boy!  excited for your year ahead!

xxoo

all done!!

dada

another exciting milestone to document…  daddy is finished with his classes!   samuel it is all you’ve ever known!   he started taking night classes the fall you arrived in our arms.   a new job, a new baby and school!?  why not?   i always told daddy if he was going to do it, do it while you boys are babies.  richard you amaze me at all you can handle!   though some days were long you pushed through and made some very impressive grades 🙂   we are so excited for this summer to have more time with you.  we couldn’t be more proud of all you have accomplished and provided for us!

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so so proud of you!  we love you!

xxoo

eighteen months { and one week}

kids

samuel fulton

you hear your full name a lot.  because well i’m still in love with it anddddd you are a little rascal.   your glasses have totally brought out your personality in a whole new way.   it is a sneaky, confident, inquisitive and determined personality.   if you want it, you will get it somehow.  no matter how messy or dangerous the obstacle course to get there is.   oh how much i love you and how much i love what you add to our days.  its never a dull moment.  we are either cuddling or chasing each other.

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you are really attached to “bevo” and your blanket.  you have gone as far as to drag the blanket outside like linus.   you still communicate with many grunts.   you will say “mama” “dada” “yack”  and “Mmmah!” for a kiss.  “yah!” for yes and “uh oh” when dropping something.   you sign “please,” “more,” and point like crazy.  you and jack started saying “uh uh!” to each other recently.  it sounds a lot like “no way!”  the other day bailey got you to finally make the “ba” sound!  we were super excited!   you love to tell us that a cow says “muhhhh”  oh and sometimes so does a cowboy. 🙂

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you still love “thomas the train.”  today at target you grunted and pointed until i saw and picked up the “thomas the train” swimming trunks.  you smiled so big.  you really enjoy giggling with jack.  especially outside.  we can maybe make it an hour inside in the morning before you want to go outside.  you play in any puddle you can find and ask for more and more water.  i’m struggling to make you understand that maudies water bowl is NOT to play in.

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i cannot believe the little boy you have become in the last few months.  you are so precious samuel.   i love getting you each morning and i really miss you when i lay you down at night.  you are a special one 🙂  what a fun summer we are going to have ahead of us!

xxoo

 

we can do this!

firsts, sisters

we did it!

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 erika and dana encouraged me to run a 5k with them.   i really didn’t run until the last two weeks before this event.  barely.   erika kept informing me she would skip the whole thing.  although i worried a lot about being able to do it.   we did it!   granted we walked then ran most of the time… we still signed up and we did it!   what great memories we made that night.  thank you dana and erika for challenging me and richard for encouraging me to do something i’ve never done.   maybe i’ll do it again sometime. 😉

xxoo

“Be Not Afraid”

celebrations, sisters

 

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a  phrase that st. john paul II was known to share!  one that my sister and i remember especially.  we took a pilgrimage to rome  for pentecost in 1998.  “be not afraid” was on the back of our t-shirts when we made yet another pilgrimage to new york city.   we created so many memories on those trips.    i was beyond excited to know that she was taking her oldest to rome this easter to celebrate his canonization.   from a few of her text i could tell she was experiencing the beauty of the church all over again.  this time the magnitude of it all!  a lot like what i experienced at world youth day in germany my senior year of college.   i had to share her instagram picture and quote.   she said it so beautifully!

“Words can’t explain the ora of it all.  To have millions from all over the world be so reverent and all participating in the Mass as one body was so beautiful and unforgettable!  We were all surprised the canonization took all of 2 minutes … but then reflected on it realizing, these men were instruments.  They brought Christ to  others all the glory goes to Him! The Mass was the most important part!  The focus was on Christ.  It was powerful!”

so, so happy that her and gabrielle made the pilgrimage there!  also so happy she is back!  i’ve missed our coffee/phone dates 🙂

st. john paul II and st. john XXIII  pray for us!

xxoo

spring festival 2014

kids

spring festival at our church this last sunday was a hit!  we tried about every kind of food there was…

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of course corn dogs for the win!

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oh and marshmallows on the ground from the little marshmallow guns…. this was a new experience they are always a pain when you step on them but you, samuel, wanted to eat them all!  you two had a great time playing around in the bouncy houses.

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oh and i was super excited to find a headboard for 7 dollars!!! i wish it could have had a foot board.  these pieces are so hard to find… i’ve been looking!

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i have no clue when and where i get to use it but it’s easy to store 😉

we came home and you boys still played hard… outside of course.   it’s where you are both the happiest.

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xxoo

 

 

everyone loves a texas girl

cousins

 

 

especially our girls 🙂

well i think we did it all!

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whataburger – check

good mexican food- check

gramps’ bbq – check

blue bell ice cream – check

thank you so much chad and mendy for letting taylor come “home” for her senior year spring break.   i know the girls created great memories!  it was a really, really busy week but just knowing she was here and happy made me so happy!   you don’t realize how much you miss them till they move away.  i can’t believe she’s getting ready for college.

my first babies are growing up so fast!  growing up beautifully!

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i love you so much taylor,  i’m posting this exhausted picture of me.   next time let’s not wait till last minute to get a picture together!  talk about baggage claim under my eyes ha!

  so excited for your adventures ahead sweet girl!

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xxoo

 

backyard barbeque

friends

there is nothing else like it!  richard recently got in touch with friends of ours and worked on getting us all back together.  it has been quite a few years since we have all been together.

technically 10 kids ago 🙂

it was so much fun to catch up and watch these kids play!  i really regret not stopping all of us to get a picture together.  but i guess that means we just need to make this happen again…

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i think the kids would have no problem playing together again 😉

xxoo