This Week

We started off the week by spending family night buying supplies for our Halloween costumes this year. We've gotten almost everything :)

Thursday we kept the kids home from school and Rob took the day off work. We went to the pumpkin patch with Susie and Drew and then had lunch/dinner at Braums. I had to work that night, so Rob and the kids hung out and watched tv. Our original plan was to go to the state fair, but I wouldn't have been able to make it and absolutely wouldn't have been able to make it to work afterwards, so we changed our plans to something more low key.

For the first time in a while, we didn't have a baby to put in the pot and take a photo of. Susie and Drew didn't fit in the pot, but we got a picture anyway. 

We got snowcones for everyone as it was almost 90* outside. We discovered that Laura is now old enough that she notices color and does not like snowcones that are white (we got her pina colada). She traded with Rob for his lime snowcone. 

We had a wonderful time!

I know most of you will have no idea what I'm talking about, but Thursday night was the last night of the most recent "phase 1" of the LifeSTAR program I run groups through. Phase 1 is a six weeks - once a week for 3 hours each week. This phase 1 was different as Mark let me redo the material we present so it was 50/50 for addicts and their spouses. It had been primarily geared towards understanding the addiction. It took a lot of work, but was really rewarding. I LOVE my job. I love getting to watch while people change their lives.

Saturday was super busy. I woke up before everyone else and headed off to the LoneSTAR Coalition Against Pornography. LifeSTAR was one of the sponsors for the event, so we had a booth there. I loved getting to talk to people about LifeSTAR and getting to listen to the speakers. Mark was one of them and the night before the conference, he asked me for feedback on his presentation. I've worked with him now for almost 18 months and it still is so amazing to me that I get to be part of what he does. As he talked, I knew the stories he told. He included several things we had talked about the night before. I got all the jokes. He even included a silly comment he had made during our conversation on Friday which I had dared him to include.

If I could have hand picked a life to live, this would have been it. Getting to be married to my very best friend, having our six amazing children, getting to work with one of the people I admire most in the world and getting to be good friends with him as well, getting to be a therapist and use the things I've learned to help other people feel hope and reach for better lives. All I would change would be my health and I wish we had a little bit more money so we could go on nice vacations and buy our dream home. That's it. Life is amazing and we are so blessed :)

Saturday night, Susie and Drew watched the kids so Rob and I could go out. One of Rob's favorite performers was in Dallas (Rodrigo y Gabriela). We went out for dinner at a Brazilian restaurant first, then had a wonderful time listening to their performance.

I was completely spent by the time the concert was over, so I've stayed in bed all day today and Rob and the kids have taken care of me.

October Photos

Eva learned to write her name. Not quite sure where she learned it. It wasn't me or Rob. We asked Eva who taught her and she says she figured it out on her own.

Took this completely un-posed shot on the way home from picking up the kids at school one day. It is one of my favorite pictures ever. 

Laura and I at the chiropractor's office. Love her little grin! 

Family night at a park with Susie, Drew, and Kiki. 

Rob took charge of pushing Eva and Laura on the swings. As Kala put it, daddies play with their children differently then mommies do . . . 

September Photos

I've fallen behind again with my posts. Life has been busy.

It's cooled down enough that we can't go swimming any more, but we are still trying to do family nights every Monday. The kids picked Cabela's one night and we had a lot of fun checking out the animals.

Susie, Drew, and Christy joined us towards the end of the evening. We wrapped up the night with salt water taffy and gummi worms. 

The kids are doing well in school and enjoying it. They all really like their teachers this year. Megan loves the electives she picked - art and consumer science (like home ec with a business twist). I work Tuesdays through Fridays each week. Drew (and Susie when she's available) watch the kids every Tuesday and Kala watches them Wednesday - Friday. Rob gets home around 4:30, so he gets to spend every evening with them. He does an amazing job! He spends one on one time talking with them, watches tv shows (like Phineas and Ferb and Star Trek - yes, he is turning my children into Trekkies *sigh*), and is teaching them to cook.

I don't do much other than work. I can't do very much physical activity, but at least I can contribute financially now. We are so grateful that I picked a job that is physically possible for me to do.

Other highlights from the month - 

Megan made me a beautiful vase to display the flowers the kids pick for me. 

Jack lost his first (and then second) tooth!

I've started doing lunches with Jojo again about every other week. 

Megan and Beth built a puppet theater out of two chairs and a bunch of blankets and created marionettes out of dolls, yarn, and pencils. Laura and Eva thought it was super cool and tried being part of the puppet show. 

We gave away our infant carseat. We bought it when Kylie was born and took 5 of our 6 children home from the hospital in it. It's bittersweet to know that part of our lives is over.