Fun Friday

We went to our friend's house last night for the first time and had a super fun time. The boys had fun playing together and us adults sat around their kitchen table and talked for like 4 hours. Beth is due any day with their 3rd child and we cant wait to meet their new addition. I'm still a little angry at how cute she looks even at 9 months pregnant! Hehe

Trike-a-Thon 2012

  

Today was the Trike-a-Thon at Alexander's school. He can't really ride his trike anymore because his knees hit the handlebars but he attempts it at home anyway. So, we took his big bike which he seems to have ridden for years by how great he does on it. You can see from the pics that his bike is one of the biggest (just like him). There are only 2 other boys in his class that come close to being his size. He's certainly growing up really super fast!!! They took a tally of the laps because we are trying to raise money for some of his school's programs. Good thing no one donated "per lap". He went 19 laps which blew everyone away! Of course, you can see from the pics that Ricardo was giving him a "coach's talk" before he started but you can't hear me yelling, GO GO GO the entire time. Ya, we're a bit competitive! Ricardo and I both ended up helping the other kids get around the gym and had a ton of fun as well!

$2 coat!

One of my employees and buddy is addicted to the sale days at JC Penny. She found this coat for Alexander for $2 and it was originally $80. Can you believe that?!!! Anyway she bought a 5/6. Um, it almost fits him now. My child is most certainly going to be a giant!

Training for something better

I guess Alexander's karate training starts with cleaning the karate school. Note that he's barefoot! Not sure if his stylish shirt and jeans are standard cleaning attire.

Happy Birthday Aunt Cha Chi

Summer Camp

Alexander got his first summer camp shirt today from the Y. We're sending him to two day camps this summer for the first time. One is Little Artists and the other is Down on the Farm. He might even go on field trips. He's totally stoked!

You know your husband is a real athlete when they get mail from the US Anti Doping Agency.

I don't Facebook but I can sure Blog some stuff...

No, I don't FB but I can use my little personal blog to spout off about stuff so I'm gonna...the person this is about will never see it, read it, or even care if they did but by golly...I feel better saying it!

Does treating people bad make you feel big? Does it help you feel more like a man? I hope you know how you make people feel, I hope you know that sending your crappy emails doesn’t make you look good. It doesn’t make anyone think you’re important or smart or bigger than us. It makes you look hopeless. It makes me pity you because you’re obviously so caught up in the world that you live that you can’t think outside the box and look at how your anger, your tirades, your telephone tough guy attitude hurts people. It’s SAD, pathetic, and lonely! Does it matter to you that people sit around and talk about how awful you are? Does it matter that no one is afraid of you? In the end, I hope your mindless attempts to belittle help you feel good about yourself because in my world, you don’t matter! You look like a monster! If you want to be a real man…someone that’s respected, you’d man up. Start showing compassion to people around you because right now no one respects you!

Saying of the day

I saw this today and thought it was the best saying ever!

What I love best about my home is who I share it with!!!

My child the eater!

We went to Texas Roadhouse Friday night...my child ate an entire 6 ounce sirloin, fries, bread, peanuts, and 2 Sprites. NEAT!

Shodan Academy's first Brown Belt!

Nicole passed her brown belt test on Saturday. We're super proud of her hard work. My advice to her was to make a name for herself now. Time to show the competition how tough she really is!!!

Look at those shoes!

New shoes

Alexander got his new shoes in the mail today. Now, him and daddy have matching shoes!

I haven't posted too much this month so I figured I better get caught up ASAP! So, I celebrated my 37th birthday last Saturday which was a lot of fun. We had an entire day of spending time with friends and family which is really special for us no matter what the occasion. We have definately started our church journey this month at Community Church of Greenwood which as been a super fun experience. We're really enjoying each sermon and getting to know everyone. Alexander is loving "church school" (that's what he calls it) and with a little help from us, has learned his first Bible verse too. He came home yesterday singing "BIELE" which we figured was  his translation of "The Bible, yes that's the book for me" children's song. I say, whatever works!

I also thought that it might be fun this year to post from time to time, the fun Alexanderisms that have regularly popped up as Alexander gets older. He really comes up with some doozies! So, last week I made fettucinni alfredo (low fat of course with broccoli) and when he asked me if the pasta was done I said yes but I need to put it together. The kid turns around, looks at me and says...It's not a puzzle! I nearly fell over laughing. I said well technically that's true, it's not a puzzle, but it still has to be put together. He reminds us everyday with his antics of how much trouble we are in as he continues to grow. I say he's 1 kid that equals 3!

And finally some Alexander statistics. My kid is a giant...he's now wearing a size 11-11.5 shoe, 5T pants, and size 5/6 shirts. I haven't weighed him for a few weeks but my guess is he's well over 40 pounds. He may not be as tall as an average 6 year old but he's as big body structure wise. What are we going to do when he gets older? Anybody for some charitable contributions to our grocery fund??!!! :)

There's nothing better than sitting on the couch sharing popcorn in a Mickey Mouse popcorn bucket with your child while snuggled under a blanket that Grammy made. The simple things in life make all the difference!

Happy New Year!

Well, it's 2012 already. I can hardly believe it honestly! I remember when it was 1988, 1993, even 2001 but 2012...that's totally crazy. With every passing year I always find myself amazed at what the world is like now compared to when I was a child and all the things that have occurred in my own life over these many years and how I can continue to improve. I am not much on resolutions because lets be honest, very few of us EVER keep them. I am big on personal growth and reflecting on the past year to try and avoid the same mistakes. This coming year Ricardo and I have vowed to pay off more debt, save more money, try to purchase a larger home, and most importantly of all GO TO CHURCH REGULARLY! Starting next Sunday we will begin attending the late morning service at a very nice church here on the southside for the benefit of our entire family. The coming year is sure to bring a lot of wonderful things our way. Looking for a new home and selling our current home will be stressful and probably somewhat sad but it's a great move for our family. My parents will be moving to Indy in a few short months and we cannot wait. Alexander loves his Grammy and P and cannot spend enough time with them. Ricardo is continuing his competition season in February and will compete in a lot of tournaments including the North American Cup, the Pan Am Championships and possibly a very big tournament in Paris. Along with our very active little man and running a successful business we will be very busy people for sure. I am hopeful and prayerful that God will continue to watch over us and bless us and our friends and family over the next new year. 2012 will be a great year!

Christmas 2011

We had a great Christmas as always this year. Alexander really got into Santa this year...we even had a runway for his reindeer and sleigh in the back yard. Totally awesome! Santa left Alexander a cookie that looked like him, a huge stocking FULL of presents, cars, tractors, and even his very first Bible. We made sure Alexander was aware that yesterday was Baby Jesus' Birthday and when Mamaw quizzed him yesterday evening about it he answered her right away that today was Baby Jesus' Birthday. :)

 

But, he still loved hearing about Santa and was so excited that he couldn't go to sleep. He spent the entire weekend trying to drill things and saw things open with his new tool kit. Ricardo was excited about his Carlos shirt. Santa Aunt Mary and Santa Uncle Rick brought me an awesome new tool cabinet and tools which made my year. I was so excited...I actually screamed and jumped up and down!  We ate way too much, laughed a great deal, and as always were very thankful that we were able to spend the whole weekend with our family(s).  Alexander has the best time with his Grammy and P and of course his Aunts and Uncles. We're very thankful and blessed to have them in our lives.

Happy Hanukkah

I wanted to send a small tribute to our good friend Auntie Trish during her Jewish Holiday Hanukkah. Trish is actually my only Jewish friend (that I know of) and we just love her kindness, generosity, and her uniqueness. Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights, it's an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days The Christian Bible refers to Jesus being at the Jerusalem Temple during "the feast of the dedication and it was winter" in John 10:22-23.I thought it was a good time during this festive season to write about the importance of respecting one another and remembering that regardless of whether our religions are different, we are all God's children. Many people, my family included, celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus during this time and remember that our faith is wrapped around his life and promise to us for all enternity. But, many people do not have the same belief system but are still very Godly people. I think during this time we need to remember our friends and loved ones that might celebrate the love of God differently than we do and relish their place in our lives and thank them for the diversity that their beliefs bring to us. And, more importantly thank them for showing us that although we may have very different religious views, our common love of life, humanity, and God brings us very close together. I thank God through my appreciation that I have friends that are Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, and Christian. I am thankful that my Muslim friend, although she doesn't celebrate Christmas, loves God and even brought me a Holiday Gift to show her appreciation for our friendship. I believe that God has a place in all generations and in all lives and that if we just take a moment to remember that we are human and God, in whatever form, made us to be like him we can truly make this world a better place.


Happy Holidays to all my friends and family! God Bless!