One Word Wednesday

Since last week was Spring Break down here in Texas, I failed to post a One Word Wednesday. =(
To make up for it, I am posting 2 words this week! =)

(actually, I asked Adaryll to help me with a word and we couldn't choose between these two, so last week's hiatus is my excuse to not have to make a decision)

So, here goes. Once you read the words, choose one (or both) and post the thoughts and feelings you have when you read it.

Today's words are...........................................

bracket

and

knuckles.

Spring Break '09

Funny how you don't really care about spring break unless you are (or have child who is) in school. I remember people asking us for the last few years, "What are you doing for spring break?" I also remember thinking something along the lines of "Huh!? Every week is spring break for us!"

Ah, but life is different now. With Elias in kindergarten now, we have quickly become proud members of the People-Who-Look-Forward-To-Spring-Break Club. So much so, in fact, that we even planned a real vacation this year! Ok- it was only overnight, and we only went an hour and a half away. But we went for the sole purpose of vacationing and we stayed in a hotel!!! I don't think we have done that since our honeymoon. I mean, there have been lots of trips over the years, but they all involved either visiting family, going to a conference, or Adaryll playing sax somewhere. Not just vacation for vacation's sake.

Even more exciting are the awesome deals we got!! We bought Seaworld 2009 tickets for the cost of 1-day tickets! We packed lunches in a cooler and ate dinner on a gift card someone gave me a couple of months ago. Plus we got a voucher for a free hotel night next time we visit. How cool is that?!

So here are some photo highlights of the trip. Elena's favorite thing was the penguin, which should not come as a surprise if you know about her obsession with birds. Elias loved all the shows and the Texas Splashdown. He also got to ride his first roller coaster. Both loved sleeping in roll-away beds pushed up next to each other and giggling for an hour before they finally went to sleep. :)

FinallyFast

Today, as I uploaded pictures from my camera to my computer, Elias said to me, "WOW! Mommy, did you go to FinallyFast.com? Because those pictures are going on there really fast!"

Pictures of our spring break week coming soon...

So, So Stinkin' Funny!

Leslie posted a funny Tim Hawkins video on her blog yesterday- if you haven't seen it, you should check it out. Hilarious. So I thought I would continue the laughs today and share this one.

One Word Wednesday

In case you haven't played before, here is how to play: I will post a word. You will post a comment telling your thoughts and feelings about my word. Feel free to give a definition and use the word in a sentence. You can also comment about what other people have said, so check back to see what people are saying to you.
I have an ever-growing list of words in the newly formed One Word Wednesday vault. I have jotted words down that I have seen or heard out in public, and I have even googled "funny words" (which I highly recommend doing if you ever just need a good laugh). Now I have to make a choice of which word to post, and there are just so many good ones to choose from! I almost chose "Cacahuetes", but I am too afraid of what yall might comment on that one. No, it isn't dirty- it means peanuts in Spanish- but I can already hear what some of you are thinking.
Sooooooo, this week's word is................................

Lost.

Toothless

Elias looks like he got punched in the face. For pictures and further explanation, go to Adaryll's blog. And show him some love- leave a comment!

Fashion Sense

In case you were wondering, I am not the right person to ask for fashion advice. I mean, I like to look cute at all, but not at the same cost others are willing to pay. When I am making a clothing purchase, the main things that I consider are: does it fit right?, is it comfortable?, will it need to be ironed/dry-cleaned?, and THEN is it trendy? See, I'm just not all that into trendy. That is, unless the trend happens to fit and be very comfortable and easy to clean. :) I am more concerned with whether it is in-style enough for me to not look like a complete idiot. To me, that is pretty much as good as trendy. I like to think that I, for the most part, look put-together. Just not in a magazine sort of way. More like in a classic jeans and girly polo with flip-flops sort of way. With my hair in a ponytail and an au-natural face most of the time. It's just who I am.
So, I got a pretty big laugh the other night when Adaryll asked me for advice. You see, Adaryll is at the other end of the spectrum on fashion. He has been known to iron jeans. He is up on the trends and can usually tell me what is hip in L.A. and N.Y. I don't know how he knows all of this, he just does.
So, the other night we were out to dinner and he asks me, out of the blue, "So what shoes do you think I should wear with those new brown pants I just got?"
It's funny that, in every other aspect of life, I am the planner and he is fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants. Not with this. Most days, he has planned in his mind what he would like to wear. I, on the other hand, have no idea until I actually put something on. So, it was hard for me to identify with even thinking about what in the closet would go with what else in the closet without actually standing in the closet.
I started to answer. "Well, I guess if you were wearing a black shirt with the brown pants, then you would wear black shoes. But if you were wearing a baby blue shirt with the brown pants, you could wear brown shoes. Or black ones. Is this a trick? And, really, why are you asking me this anyway? I don't know why you would ask for my opinion anyway when you know that I am fashionally inept."
*both of us stare blankly and then start laughing hard*
He says, "If you really think that I think that, it's only because you just said 'fashionally'."
:)

This is from facebook, but I thought I would post it here. Because if I get on facebook, I will get sucked into cyberspace oblivion. Which means I will spend 2 hours on the computer, instead of 7 minutes. =) Sad, I know.
So, after you read my answers below, ask your kid (even if they are grown!) the questions and post them exactly how they respond. I'd love to hear the answers.

Elias 6, Elena 2 (she obviously didn't get this, but her answers were too funny to leave out)

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Elias- That I did a good job. Well, most of the time.
Elena- Bouncy

2. What makes mom happy?
Elias- When I do the right things.
Elena- Having a fit.

3. What makes mom sad?
Elias- When I disobey.
Elena- Happy?

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Elias- When she makes silly faces and makes silly sounds.
Elena- The hi.

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Elias- Ummm, small and tiny.
Elena- Falling down.

6. How old is your mom?
Elias- 32
Elena- 2

7. How tall is your mom?
Elias- Really tall.
Elena- High. Like this (lays down on her back with her legs straight up in the air).

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Elias- Cooking stuff.
Elena- Go to Costco.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Elias- Go to the Y. Cook dinner.
Elena- Be right back.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Elias- Painting.
Elena- Giving kiss and hugs.

11. What is your mom really good at?
Elias- Being a Mom.
Elena- Hide.

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Elias- Coughing.
Elena- no answer.

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Elias- Be a Mom. That's your job.
Elena- No, no job! No job!

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Elias- Lasagna.
Elena- Dinner

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Elias- When she does the right stuff that a Mom does. Does that make sense?
Elena- Heeheehee. Because I want my Daddy.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Elias- Ummmm. Widget from Wow Wow Wubzy.
Elena- Green. And I will be a blue one.

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Elias- Do crafts sometimes. And we go to school together.
Elena- (hums a song) Go night night. Go to stores.

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Elias- We both have ears.
Elena- I don't know.

19. How are you and your mom different?
Elias- With our skin. Mine is tan and my mom's is pink.
Elena- I don't know. We hide all by ourselves.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Elias- Because she tells me!
Elena- (runs over to me and gets in my lap) Because I am sitting with her!

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Elias- Rudy's.
Elena- Go to school. Go get hotdogs at Costco.

Now it's your turn

Growing Pains

I was asked last summer by our senior pastor's wife if I would be willing to participate in a discipleship/mentoring group with her and 3 other young pastor's wives. Thrilled that she asked, I wholeheartedly jumped into this group having no idea what it would really turn out to be. I think it is one of the best things I have ever done.
First of all, we meet at Starbucks! And there is childcare (at my house!!) for Elena. And I absolutely love each one of these girls. AND we are being led through this amazing material that is growing me in ways I could have never imagined.
The thing is, growing hurts.
The last few weeks, we have been talking about life principles. Things that you believe in your core. Because those are the things that shape how you think, feel, and act. Wow- talk about eye-opening!!! When Cindy first gave us her personal list, I was like "Oh yeah, I totally agree with that. Oh, and that one is really good. And, oh yes, that is so true too..." But then we were asked to just sort of watch ourselves live over the next couple of weeks and evaluate whether or not our feelings, thoughts, and actions actually reflect what her list said.
Did I mention how painful this is?
The next thing we were asked to do was to try to define the lies we believe (so that we can correct them!). You know the, "I'm not as good as other Moms. Everyone else has it all together." and "I am not valuable if I'm not valued by the world's standards." type of statements we sometimes tell ourselves. The thing is, based on your specific personality type, you will tend to wrestle with lies specific to your wiring. So, over the last few weeks, I have been making a list. Wow, again.

1. It's all or nothing. Either everything needs to be perfect or don't bother trying. I have tried to live up to this idea of perfection my whole life. And, really, the only one putting that pressure on me is me. I have always tried to put the blame on someone else, saying that they might not like/love/respect/whatever me if I didn't do everything perfect (or at least make it look that way on the outside). But the truth is that I'm NOT perfect. I'm completely flawed!! So if someone out there is liking me because they think I am perfect, then they aren't really liking me anyway, are they?
2. If I can know enough about something, then I can always "get it right". I love to learn. I always really enjoyed school. If a toy breaks or a clock quits working, you can find me with a screwdriver opening it up to check out its inards. I just like to see how things work! But there is a fine line between that and defining your value by how much you know. Everything in life is not a academic pursuit. You can't read a biography about someone and that alone make you their friend. You can be told how to do something (and completely understand!), and then fail miserably when you actually try. Because knowing and understanding are only part of the equation. Doing is the other part. Getting it right takes practice. And, even when you practice and become proficient, you will still make mistakes sometimes!
3. If I feel threatened, I should put my guard up and push back. I do this a LOT. Especially when I feel like someone is implying that I don't "know" what I am talking about (see #1 and 2!!!). But the truth is, I should always take people at their word and assume good motives.

That is just the tip of the iceberg, folks! Another lie on my list is that "being wrong is the worst thing that could happen". Because if you are wrong, that means that there was something you didn't know, didn't account for in the equation. Which means you must be stupid. (see #3 & 4!!). Which means I must be stupid, because look at all this junk I have allowed to fill my head! It's so discouraging.
So I am reminding myself tonight that it is a blessing to make these discoveries now, at 32, instead of at 42 or 52 or 62.. That God is showing me something grand, and that He has a plan of where He is taking me. That this process of "being in the fire" will slowly refine me. And that, while I am deceived, selfish, and sinful, God loves me more than I can understand. For who I am inside- the real me. The crazy, lie-believin' fool I am.

One Word Wednesday

Allright, people! Here we go with round two of our newest game. I LOVED all the responses last week, so keep up the good work!
As a reminder, here is how to play: I will post a word. You will post a comment telling your thoughts and feelings about my word. Feel free to give a definition and use the word in a sentence. Also, you can comment about what other people have said, so check back and see what people thought of your comment.
This week's word is................................

jiffy.