His and Hernandez

Saturday, June 4, 2011

ROADTRIP!

My dad has always been one of my heroes. I didn't have any brothers and when my dad wanted to teach someone how to use a power tool, or tell them some nifty tidbit about a movie or music group, I was more than happy to be that person. So, when I needed to get from Houston to Chicago (actually Racine Wisconsin) I called my dad to see if he wanted to be the one to drive with me. :) It turned out to be a GREAT idea.

They did VERY well in the car. Here is a video of the kids just laughing and playing.

It was also very exhausting as you can see from this video... (hee hee)

I was very nervous about how my kids would behave, both in the car, and while my dad and I were doing all the things I had planned, particularly during our stop in Memphis. A Memphis stop over was kinda my ploy to getting my dad to agree to this crazy adventure. My dad is a HUGE music buff. Growing up he taught me how to identify each one of the Beatles by the sound of their voice and WHY. (I'm still pretty proud of that. :) ) A friend of mine who was raised in Memphis gave me some tips on places to eat and things to see and do while there. Being a musician himself, he strongly suggested that we take some time over at Sou lsville USA, and the former Staxx records recording studio... the birthplace of Soul!! I didn't know just how much I loved Soul music until then. But I'm a fan! He also asked his good friend Kirk Whalum to come down and say hi. It was really neat to meet him. As my dad would say Kirk is "at the very top of a very short list of really good saxophone players" It was an honor to get to meet him and a real treat to get to see the Soulsville Charter school as well, a school that specializes in music.

Me, my dad, the kids and KIRK WHALUM!

We also got to sample some REAL Memphis BBQ at a place called the Rendezvous (which is mentioned in one of my dad's "Memphis Songs" so he got a real kick out of that.) Davey enjoyed the ribs so much that there were legitimate tears when I had to take it from him when we had to leave.

very excited to try my huge plate of food. (I shared with the kids... I swear)

Close up of the boy and his rib... tears followed shortly after.

One of the sweetest things we did in Memphis was get to go as see the ducks at the Peabody Hotel. Basically for the last 70 years they have had ducks living in their lobby's fountain. Every day at 11 o'clock the duck master rolls out the red carpet and then brings the trained ducks down from their penthouse on the roof to spend their day in the fountain, and then everyday at 5, they do the same thing in reverse. Its super cute, and Lori LOVED it.

Peabody Penthouse

I swear the mallard duck stopped and posed for this picture.

Watchin' the ducks swim in the fountain

The kids and the Duck Master!

The view from our hotel room. Pretty sweet huh?

The very cool trolley system of downtown.

Happy girl on a trolley car!

The following are just some of my favorite pictures of my dad and my kids.

I feel so blessed to have had this time with my dad. It is truly a memory that I will cherish for ever. Memphis is one of my new favorite cities and I will definitely be going back, and hopefully I'll be able to convince my dad to come with me. :)

We left Memphis and headed to St. Louis, which was gonna be our second stop. It was pretty much uneventful, accept for the tornado warnings and CRAZY wind! We were able to make it all the way to Chicago and we only ended up using the DVD player ONCE, during a horrendous rain storm that we drove through to get to St. Louis.

We got to Chicago and picked up Jorge from the airport. After that we went to Navy Pier for a few hours and got some GARRETT'S POPCORN. Something I had my first trip to Chicago almost 10 years ago, and had been dreaming about since, but wasn't able to get until then. It lived up to the memory it had burned on my brain. Then we dropped my dad off at an L station so he could take it to the airport and we headed up to Racine WI for the wedding festivities! I was really sad to see my dad go. I had really loved spending some one on one (plus two) time with him. I will treasure it in my heart forever.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Easter/Birthday!

Today is Easter, it is also Lori's 3rd Birthday. I didn't want to make a HUGE deal over the fact that it was her birthday cause I kinda wanted her focus to be on, well you know, the whole Jesus raising from the dead part. Seems a LITTLE bit more important, however, we wanted her to feel a little special.
Basically, we did the usual Easter stuff. I sang this morning in our worship choir and then we had an AMAZING breakfast provided by the church. (I swear, I know Jesus rose from the dead to conquer our sins and allow us to have eternal life with him in Heaven, but I also think that these biscuits could have had something to do with it.) On a more serious note, I was kinda finding it hard to get through the worship songs today. I was really hurting over the loss of our loved ones this past year. I kept thinking about how it is BECAUSE Jesus died, that they are not really gone. I think I usually think of death as being the end. Being the final chapter. But in all actuality all that we are living is just the prolog, isn't it. I had a whole new prespective on Easter this year. I know I should have probably came to this conclusion long ago, but I don't know, it just hit me. I realized that if Jesus hadn't died for our sins, and raised from the dead, conquering death, then my loved ones, Brian, Kimberly and Mike, would cease to exist. The would be dead. But now, because of what Jesus did, and their willingness to accept that gift, they will live forever in Heaven. And I will see them again.

Kisses for my Birthday Girl!

Kids runnin amuck. Glad they feel so at home at church!

Family shot in front of the flower cross.

More of the crazies...

After church we went home to rest for a bit, and then off to our friends' house for a get together, potluck lunch/dinner thing. We started doing this 5 years ago and there were only 4 kids. Today there was 14. All under 7. It was intense. FUN, but intense During our time at home Lori opened some gifts from her Grammy and Papa (my parents) and we called them and they said "Happy Birthday!" to which she said "and Happy Easter!" That made me happy. (She also said "Thank you" when people would said "Happy Birthday" which also made me proud)

EGG HUNT!

Then is was time to celebrate Lori. She walked in to the kitchen of our host and politely said, "Its my Birthday time now." She got a piece of Cherry Cordial cake (made by our friend Sara Kinsey) and we sang her Happy Birthday. As you can see by the look on her face, it was quite a magical moment.

And now some pictures of David...

Happy as can be! Apparently when you are 15 months old everything is funny. He was cracking up while crawling up the stairs.

And finally, one last family shot. :) All in all it was a great day! I can't wait to celebrate Lori again at her party in a few weeks. She really is a joy and we love her to pieces!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Happy Birthday David Issac!! (Better late han never!)

It has been a LONG time since I posted anything, and a lot has happened. We had another death in the family, and I think after that I got tired of posting things about the loss we'd been experiancing, (3 deaths in 2010) and so I just took a break. Sadly, that meant that Davey's Birthday post was delayed... but better late than never I suppose. In the midst of all the sadness, I need to remember all the "Joy and Laughter" that God has placed in our lives. (Lori's middle name is Joy and David's in Isaac, which means Laughter) I LOVE my kids. I love my Davey man. (aren't the nicknames that end up sticking so silly) David is one of the happiest and most wonderful boys I've ever met! He makes me smile DAILY! Thank you David (and Lori too) for giving your Daddy and I something to get out of bed for, even if it's way earlier than we'd like on a daily basis. Thank you for reminding us that life is to be lived, to the fullest, everyday! We love you!