Sad Day

Today is a very sad day for our family here and our church family. We recieved an email earlier this evening, informing us that our minister was "dissmissed" effective immediatly. This was something that we were all unaware of. Our family is so sad and we dont know where to go from here. More updates to come.

Quick Update....Mid June 2009

Here is just a quick note about the lastest happenings.

So we had Jude's birthday party...it was fun and everything went very well. Jude is finally 4. He has changed so much over the last few years. His personality has grown, and he is such an interesting, and talkative little kid. He got lots of dinosaur presents for his party, but the best part was about one week later, when he gave us a present. I am proud to say that Jude is OFFICIALLY potty-trained!!!! Wahooo! It took a while for it to click in his busy brain, but he did it and can poop and pee on the big potty. We do have to take his portable potty seat (made for tiny bums) everywhere we go...but I dont mind. It is WAY better than changing a diaper!!!

Ummm, lets see... tonight Stephan had his "final" final of the semester at the Art Insitute. He still has a way to go...like a year....but we are happy that he has a 3 week break coming up. He is doing really well in the graphic design program there.

Rani will be coming to visit us soon. She is Stephan's little sister for those of you who dont know. She will be turning 17 in July. This will be the 2nd year that she has come to spend some time with us over the summer. The kids really enjoy having her...and I love it cuz I get a bit of a break!!!

I have been cooking alot...and making smoothies and tonight I made a milkshake. I pulled out the ice cream machine last night, read the instructions, and made some vanilla ice cream today. It was the first time, so I did run into a few issues....but nothing I cant learn from. The ice cream turned out so good. I have also been sewing blankets, and baby items. I know that I have a talent, but now I just need to figure out how to use that talent to bring in some cash!

Stephan's brother, Landon and his wife, had their first baby 2 weeks ago today. Her name is Kaitlyn. She definatly is an Abuzeide and resembles Stephan.

I also was able to meet a dear "online" friend over the weekend in Houston. Her name is Kristen, and she is so sweet. We had a great time at Chili's in Pasadena just talking and getting to know each other. It seems surreal, like I dreamed it all...but it really did happen, and I am so glad!

My sister, Hope, will be getting married on the 4th of July in Mississippi. We will be caravaning there on the 1st and all of our family will be involved in the wedding party. I am the matron of honor/train fixer/bouquet holder/bathroom assistant etc. Jude is the ring bearer, Summyr the flower girl, and Stephan an usher. I am making Summyrs dress. I hope to have it finished before the weekend. We just came back Sunday from Houston, after her wedding shower. It was fun and she got some really nice things.

Summyr has been growing like a weed, and will be turning 2 in a few weeks. She is so funny, and is really into the DoodleBops (kids singing group, resemble clowns). She refers to her new sandals as "tap shoes" and walks around dancing. Speaking of her feet...she is only one shoe size behind Jude....YIKES! We think she is going to be very tall, while Jude remains on the petite side still.

It is hot hot hot here in Texas. I am dying...never thought I would say that. I think it is happening with age. I said just the other day to a friend, how I used to love summer time when I was young. The heat never affected me. Now, I dont even want to leave the comfort of my air conditioned house to do simple things like the grocery store and walking the dog. I try to go out in the morning, but as I am typing this, it is still 88 dergrees outside!!!

It has been a month....

since I last posted.

Right now its nap time....but I have a feeling that it will be over soon.

Havent had much to post about. Yesterday was Jude's last day of school. And the reason for the background I put up, is because Jude will be turning 4 next weekend.

We did have a little trip to the hospital again...with Jude of course. Went to visit my parents, just me and the kids, and Jude had a really severe asthma attack that put him in the hospital. He is fine now..on preventative meds....but no more trips to grandma's house until the carpet is gone.

We are planning to have Jude's party at the park by our house. He has chosen a dinosaur theme this year. I even found a dinosaur pinata....T-Rex. He will be devastated when it gets beat up and destroyed with a baseball bat. I dont think he has thought it all the way through....

We are planning the have a cookout this weekend with friends and there are also plans to go to a baseball game, Round Rock Express, for Memorial Day Monday.

And like I predicted...nap time is officialy over. I can hear the kids.

Its Been a While...

I havent posted in a while. There hasnt been much to post about.

I would post about our Easter trip, but since I forgot my camera, I have no pictures to show you. Trying to describe it all would just be too hard for me. We did have fun in Houston, though.

Not much has been going on here. It seems like all I do is sweep, mop, pick up toys, wash, fold, and rotate laundry from the couch to the bed, then back to the washer again....oh, and drive Jude to and from school.

Life is pretty mundane...but hey I am not complaining. I enjoy having life this way. Pretty normal and back on a decent schedule. The kids seem to be happy. Everyone is about as healthy as one can be during a Texas spring.

The house is quiet right now. The kids are in bed for the night. They have been pretty good about sleeping and going to bed on their own. Jude is now sleeping in a twin-sized bed. He was complaining that his firetruck bed was too small. He seems much more comfortable now. I still have Summyr in the crib. I dont trust her enough to put her in a toddler bed, just yet.

So, I will come back when I have more stuff to write about.

I wanted to show everyone pictures and video of Jude's first performance with Austin Kid's Acting. He started in the Young Performers class back in January, and today was their last class. They had put together a couple of skits and little songs....it was so cute! He did really well and he actually remembered his lines....he was the only one that got to have 2 whole lines....:). For those of you who dont know...Jude will be 4 at the end of May.

Jude with his class

We hope to be able to enroll him in another class that starts in the fall. We are very proud of his creativity and skills as a pint sized performer!

Somone loves being on stage WAY too much!

The video quality is not that great....it was taken on my digital camera. You can hear Jude's voice loud and clear over the other kids...no microphones....while singing "Doe a Deer". Jude is holding hands with his good friend Jonathan...who initially invited him to join by coming to a "free"class to try it out. We had Jude signed up and in class the next week after hearing all of the raves from the teachers and director of the school.

Supportive sister

Twilight Update....

I updated my Twilight post, but I figured that this would be seen better.

I finished the series this past Saturday (4 books in 1 week)....and it was one of, if not, the best series of books that I have read in a while.

The author really knows how to draw you in and make you feel like you are a part of the story.

I was sad that night....at 2 a.m., mind you....when I read the last page. I felt like a chapter in my life was ending.

The Twilight series opened my eyes to some things in my life that I really wasnt ready to deal with. More on that later.

Now Stephan is reading them, and is on the third book.

If you have the chance, read the series. If you havent seen the movie, watch it first, before you read. I did it that way, and I am so grateful that I did. I was able to take the characters from the movie, into the books with me, and they made it so much easier on my imagination!

I hope you have the chance to enjoy Twilight for yourself!

Annoying...

You know, some people just really get under my skin.



Sure there are those who don't do it intentionally...well at least I think they don't. For example...my kids. I love them, but after spending 8-10 hours a day (minimum) with them, they (by no fault of their own) start to irritate me.



But then there are those people...you know who I am talking about....who always do something to make you feel like you just want to shake them violently!!! Please tell me that I am not the only one who has ever felt this way! I just don't understand those people. Why do they insist on being annoying?

Back in the good old days, before the Internet, the only way that people could really annoy you was either in person or over the phone. Being annoying over the phone was an easy thing to handle. All you had to do was hang up on them. But now with the Internet and places like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter, people can continue to be annoying and irritating all day and all night if they want to. Sure you say, why not just turn off the computer...like hanging up the phone? Well I say no to that. Talking on the phone is one on one. Being on the computer in my downtime is a privilege for me. Its a place where I can talk to a lot of different people that I don't get to ever see. But why does ONE person have to ruin it for me?

Did your mom ever tell you that saying ,"If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything." or that one that goes, "Mind your own beeswax."? I know I grew up with those two pieces of advice. I also grew up being taught that being annoying and pestering was NOT attractive. I was told it was rude to brag and boast...especially to people who really just don't have any interest.

And PLEASE, I am begging you PLEASE don't air your dirty laundry and your personal business on the Internet!!! Some things were just meant to be kept private. Especially on places like Facebook and Twitter. It is soooooooo obnoxious!!! I don't think there is anything wrong with using a blog as an outlet or a journal, because here, you can choose who gets to read it and who doesn't. But public domains??? Come on people!!! Have some dignity!!! You don't know how many times I have caught myself gagging, rolling my eyes, and even growling at the computer screen after reading something that was so out of place and personal. Have some wisdom. We used to say "think before you speak", but lets bring that term into the new millennium..."think before you type"!!!! If you are having problems at home, no one on Facebook wants to know. Tell a close friend, blog about it..if you are like me and don't have a close friend, or just pray about it. Don't broadcast it for millions of eyes to see! And no, we are NOT interested in your "love life"....its not any ones business...and trust me we DON'T want to know what goes on behind closed doors.

Whew! Deep breath here!

I guess I am just ranting...but that is a good thing. I use this blog as a way to get out some pent up frustrations so that I don't take them out on my poor family. Trust me, they have heard this one before....but everytime I see it happen again....I just have to write.