Sleepovers

We have entered the age of sleepovers in the Lambert House. These are days I remember very well! The boys have only slept at home 3 times in the last week, and one time was with another boy. I must say I love this! Bill and I lay in bed, after telling them to stay quiet for the 5th time, and just listen to them giggle. How many nights did my parents do this same thing?
The other side, the best side if you ask me, is the fact that Bill and I have been able to spend time together that is not necessarily considered a date. You see I never even knew such a time existed. Prior to this our dates would have to be carefully scheduled and compact. Those of you with small children understan. You must accomplish as much as you can until the kids come back. These "sleep overs" create a whole new date night, the unplanned date night. Sunday night the boys were gone and Bill and I sat around staring at reruns on the TV. Finally I said I am going to go get the mail, he jumped up and said he would come with me. WHAT?!?! Remember I said it was Sunday? We went outside anyway! HA! You can see we are still new at this.
We have learned, yet again, that our boys are growing up. So far I am enjoying every stage just a little more than the last. Bill and I are looking forward to being bored together again tonight!

Dreams

I have not added a post in a long time. Trust me it is not because there have been a lack of things to blog about, just a lack of time to gather my thoughts and add them, without interruption. Emphasis on the interruption part!
Moving on...
Have you ever had one of those dreams that last all night and you wake up thinking about it? Well, last night I dreamt that Bill had a girlfriend. WHAT!!??!! It was so vivid and lasted what seemed to be all night long. This morning when I heard him get out of bed I was so mad at him. I am having to fight off the anger right now. Isn't that crazy? The poor guy has done nothing wrong and I can not shake this bad mood. Dreams are crazy like that! I am sure that some of you can analyze the meaning of my dream, if it is not good don't tell me! I do not need any other reasons to be upset! HA!
Love you guys!

Rainy Summer Days

Today was the second rainy day of the week. This really hurts the Lambert Family Motto for the summer (see earlier blog). Today they decided to entertain themselves by preparing a puppet show for Bill and I to watch after dinner. Of course I loved this idea, it occupied about two hours of their time. AMAZING! They made posters to advertise, tickets, seat names and numbers, props, and play money. The only thing they forgot was to write their lines to the play! (LOL) Regardless, it was a hoot! I have tried to summarize it with a photo show. I wonder if this is how Scorsese got his start!?!

Fort Worth Zoo

We had such a blast at the zoo yesterday! My original plan did not work out, but the day turned out awesome all the same. I had planned to ride the train to Fort Worth and the transfer to the zoo. Apparently that is not a very popular route, because after all of the transfers it would have taken us 3 hours to get to the zoo and 3 hours to get home. (never mind!) My attempt to save gas and go green was trumped by my ADD and need to get there and more importantly get home when I am tired! So we packed a picnic lunch and headed out in my car to Fort Worth, it only took us an hour to get there. (much better) However, we almost got a speeding ticket on the way. Did I tell you Bill went with us! Yes, the cop had his radar gun out and the car in front of us slammed on his brakes, Bill sped up to pass him and then saw the cop. OOPS! You know that feeling??? The cop immediately put the radar gun away and got in his car. GREAT! I am thinking three hours on the bus will be less that a speeding ticket on the highway. So we slow down and move to the far right lane, knowing that the cop will surely pull up right behind us. No Cop! We go ahead and pull off the freeway, still convinced that he will pull up behind us. As we pull into the nearest gas station I see the cop coming down the ramp. GREAT! He comes down to the light and I am thinking...Go Go Gadget Invisibility! He turns, away from us! WOO HOO! I think we effectively evaded the law! I am sure our picture is posted in Grand Prairie somewhere as a most wanted, but really how often do we go there? The boys were asking 900 questions as all of this happened. Travis is terrified of the police so he was shaking in the backseat. Tyler reached over and held his hand! HA! We had a good nervous giggle as we drove the speed limit to the zoo!

Summer in Full Swing

The boys and I are 5 days into this summer and so far so good. I created a list of chores and expectations (rules) that Super Nanny would be proud of. I think these have saved me! The boys are trying very hard to stay "green" (yes, we have a color chart at home, too). We have set a summer motto that we are living by : SWIM AND GYM! I said that in passing one night and both of the boys are holding me to it! They told me on Monday if we did not go to the gym we would be breaking one of our rules. HA! We also have a song for the summer, any guesses??? It is from my favorite movie HSM2 the song is What Time is It? Of course it talks about summer vacation!
I have always said that I have the best of both worlds, I get to go to work 190 days and stay home for 2 months. I have always thought the 2 months is harder than the 190 days. That is, until this year. We have been able to move and groove as much as we want to. I think I could get used to this...Unfortunately, my bank account suffers greatly when I am on summer vacation. There are just so many great places to spend your money at! (Shhh! don't tell Bill!)
This is a boring blog, I know, but I wanted to have it on record that the system we set up worked for at least 5 days. It could all change in an instant!
Tomorrow we are going on the train to the Fort Worth Zoo! Yep, riding the real train to Fort Worth! I am sure there will be lots to share after that!

10 Years of Wedded Bliss

Bill and I have been married for 10 years today. This seems like a long time to be married, but it has gone by so fast! When I think about all of the things that have happened in the last 10 years, it amazes me. I thought I would share some pictures of our life together. We have been married 10 years, but have actually been together for 17 years. Looking through these pictures made me laugh. I have found notes that I wrote him in high school and letters that we exchanged in college. Tyler was amazed that we actually wrote to each other. In his mind he thought e-mail would be so much easier.

This is our first picture together. We were on a Mission Trip to Colorado. He was my Missions Leader. That is a Hyper-Color shirt he has on, remember those??

In this picture I am 15 years old. Oh-My!

Bill proposed after Christmas Eve Candlelight Service in 1997.

We were married in El Paso surrounded by all of our friends on June 6, 1998. It was an absolutely amazing night!

Our life together has been tremendously blessed. I knew I had found a treasure the moment I met him. He is the best Daddy and my very best friend!

I got this in an e-mail yesterday and just had to share it with you!

Live your life in such a way

that when your feet hit the floor in the morning,

satan shudders & says...

"Oh no....she's awake!!"

Proud Momma

Yesterday we attended a small awards ceremony for Tyler's 2nd grade. Each kid was honored by their teacher for something, the awards varied from best smile to best athlete, best reader to class clown. Being a teacher I know the struggles that go through picking an award for each kid. There are some that come easy, and others that I would agonize over for days. How do you give an award for making it to the principals office more than any other 4th grader in a way that sounds politically correct? As the teachers called out awards I fretted over what type of award he would deserve this year. Best Handwritting, NOT, Most Athletic, NOT, Class Clown, Not really, Best Smile, maybe (cop out award if you ask me!) Well, he received Most Caring Student in his 2nd grade class. I was filled with joy! He recieved an award last year for the same thing. I would love for Tyler to make straight A's, be at school every day, win at every sport he played, and have the best smile, but really I would trade all of that for him to be considered a caring person. That my friends is something that will help him be a better MAN and that is my goal as a parent! So it is with tears in my eyes that I say, I am so proud of the young man I have in my house. Tomorrow he ends the 2nd grade, where has the time gone!

Casualties of Field Day

Today was the big day that the kids look forward to all year... Field Day! I will admit as a teacher I also looked forward to it. It was a time to just play and be a big kid and it was ok. It also allowed for my competitive personality to come out just a bit. (LeRay?) This year I was not able to go play with my boys, but that did not slow them down. As you can tell from the pictures, Field Day was a success!

I am sure they have great stories to tell, but they fell asleep so fast I have not even heard any of them. More to come with this story I am sure!

Funny Things

Happy Memorial Day!
I wish we could say that we have spent this weekend doing all of the fun "summer" things that you are supposed to do on Memorial Day. Not so much! This year we are remembering the fact that we started school late in August and therefore still have 8 more days of school. This year seems to be dragging on. Will summer ever get here?
Ok, enough whining!
We have had a great weekend with family and friends!
Yesterday was Sunday so we were off to church. The boys are at an age now where we have tried to get them to pay attention to the sermon, rather than coloring and just being quiet. I will say this is a struggle each week, but we are making progress. Our pastor uses an outline for each sermon and the points are projected on the big screen. (I am sure most of you know the drill.) Bill and I use this outline to help the boys stay focused on the sermon. Each boy picks their favorite pen and listens/watches for the next phrase or word to be mentioned. Well, being the good Baptist preacher that he is, he normally has three points with some sort of alliteration or rhyme to start with. Tyler has picked up on this and can sometimes predict what the next point will be. It is a bit of a game. Hey, at least he is paying attention! What we did not know is how close Travis has paid attention to the pattern of the outline. Yesterday, we hand each boy a sermon outline and Travis says, "WHAT?! There are four points on this outline!" HA! The people behind us giggled and Bill and I could hardly contain it! How could a good baptist preacher add four points to his outline? Doesn't he know we need to be out of church before the Methodists or the lines will be too long at Luby's?
Needless to say we had a good laugh, thanks to Travis, AGAIN!

Needed: New Recipes

Do you ever go through a slump where you feel like you are making the same seven things for dinner every week? Not that I cook seven times a week, lordy no! I just feel like I am in a cooking slump. I make tacos, spaghetti, chicken, pork chops, etc... over and over again. Tyler asked me yesterday if we were going to have chicken and broccoli or chicken and corn. WOW! What a variety I provide!
I need some new ideas, and this is where my blog buddies come in. Please share your favorite recipe with me. I will then post my favorites, too.
My family will thank you!

Happy Mother's Day

Dear Lord, it's such a hectic day,

With little time to stop and pray,

For life's been anything but calm,

Since you called on me to be a mom.

Running errands, matching socks,

Building dreams with building blocks.

Cooking, cleaning, and finding shoes,

And other stuff that children lose.

Fitting lids on bottled bugs,

Wiping tears and giving hugs.

A stack of last week's mail to read,

So where's the quiet time I need?

Yet when I steal a minute Lord,

Just at the sink or ironing board,

To ask the blessings of your grace,

I see them in my small one's face,
That you have blessed me all the while,

As I stop to kiss that precious smile.

Pictures

Absolutely Amazing Weekend!

Well, it is official I am "30 something!" Don't get me wrong it really does not bother me too much. Turning 30 was a milestone, 31 not so much! I have realized lately that I am getting older. You see I always hung out with older people, therefore making me the one that know one could believe I was only... I was also one of the young teachers, young moms, and young married couple. Just recently I noticed that I am a "seasoned teacher" a "school-aged mom" and an "over the hump married couple." Where does time go?
Ok to the point!
Bill planned a wonderful weekend for just the two of us to celebrate my birthday. If you do not know me I like to celebrate in "weekends" not "days." It is all about stretching it out if you ask me!
Our weekend started off with dropping the boys off at his mom's house on Saturday afternoon. We spent the next few hours walking around the mall enjoying the beautiful day. (one of my most favorite things to do!) We then headed off to Downtown Dallas where we would stay for the evening. Bill had booked a room at the Magnolia hotel. For those of you familiar with the Dallas skyline it is the building with the Pegasus on top. It was built in 1905 and had amazing architecture. Bill and I ate dinner on the 3rd floor balcony of a restaurant called the Iron Cactus. Mexican food of course! They had New Mexican green chilies and not poblano peppers, hot dog, felt like home!! We had a great time watching the locals walk their dogs around the "concrete park" and then sit down to dinner with the dog in the chair. : ) not kidding! We had to be sure and be back at our hotel before 10, not because we are old, but because our hotel offered a cookies and milk bar from 8-10. Yummo!
Sunday morning we were off and running. We walked around the Farmers Market, which we planned another trip back to very soon! No time to linger too long we had reservations for Brunch at the House of Blues. They have a gospel brunch every Sunday. I would highly recommend this to everyone, it was so much fun!
Bill and I then took in more shopping and movie! I told you it was the best weekend ever! And I am still not done.
After our movie we had tickets to the Stars Game 6 Playoff Game! I was so excited for this game. The Stars had won 3 games and only needed one more win to move on to round two. I had not so secretly wished for them to lose game 4 and 5 so that I could get a chance to go to game 6. It worked! We had seats on row 7, awesome! The game ended up going into 4 overtimes! Yes, I said 4 over times! It finally ended at 1:30 AM! After the weekend we had, I was so exhausted! We picked the boys up and fell into bed at almost 3 AM! Guess I am not that old after all!
As I laid in bed preparing for a good night's sleep I thanked God for the best friend He has given me in Bill! Thanks, Honey!

When I was Younger...

As I walked through a classroom today I observed a teacher who was doing a writing lesson on the topic. "When I was younger..." This did make me laugh because none of the kids in our building are older than 10. However, it got me thinking about the past 30 years of my life and I can not get it out of my head. Which to all you bloggers out there you know what that means...I must blog about it. This is my therapy!
So here goes...
When I was younger I could run to my friend's house two blocks away to see if she could play outside. Now I call my friend to see if we can plan a "play day" so we can talk, and it might happen in the next two weeks.
When I was younger I could talk on the phone to my boyfriend for hours, now we are lucky to talk to each other over dinner. (I hear that changes when the kids grow up, still waiting!)
When I was younger I could wear what I wanted, eat what I wanted, and not worry about a thing! Now...not so much! I am at the point where shopping must answer these questions does it make me look too young? does it make me look to old? does it make me look fat? is it on sale? does is it so on sale everyone has it? BLAH!!
When I was younger I thought I knew it all! NOT!!
When I was younger I could sleep until noon! I miss those days!
BUT...
When I was younger I did not know what true friends were, I do now!! Thanks for being my friends!

"I'm Two Hands Now!"

Yes, it is official we are no longer one-handed in this house. confused yet? None of us can count our age on one hand. Travis is now six! Where does time go? I remember being a new mom and people saying to cherish these moments because they do not last long. At the time I thought, are you sure each day drags on forever. : ) Now I am the person saying, "I remember those days..." Travis has become such a little man since starting school. He is very responsible and has more common sense then a lot of the 4th graders I taught. He has a huge heart and is tough as nails! Travis is the kid that wants everyone to get along so that we can all play together. The key is to play and he doesn't care if it is with girls or boys, just together. I am so proud of both my big guys! Here are some pictures of the first few days of Travis. He was named after the strong most God center man Bill and I have ever know, Travis "Grandy" Sykes. Travis is now 90 1/2! He has beat many illnesses and stared death in the face more than once. God is not finished with him yet! I can not wait for my Travis to understand what an awesome namesake he has. This picture is to show exactly how HUGE this kid was. This picture is taken the first night in the hospital. He is not even one day old! Notice the cheeks...my word!

Happy Birthday my little man!

Little Things in Life

Do you ever sit back and notice the little things around you? Those little things that we ignore all the time. I sat in my car today and watched two butterflies swirl around in the wind. Now normally I would have thought, "Slacker stop procrastinating and get out of the car!" Not today it was so nice to be reminded of the small blessings that are so often overlooked. My life can be so busy that I rarely stop to enjoy the small things. In college I had a professor that would make us stop and name five of "God's Little Extras" in our life. I wish I did this more...Here are my five little extras today.

1. The sound of children laughing.

2. The sound of Tyler and Travis saying they love each other.

3. Butterflies

4. Wild Flowers

5. Doves that sing to me every morning in the window of my shower.

What are your Little Extras?

It's Just Great!

As I read through my comments and the comments left on our bible study I realize why satan had his grips on me yesterday. "When two or more are gathered in MY name, I am there!" Guess what HE is here! We have succeeded in starting a bible study that reaches out at any hour, anywhere. I have a smile on my face that I can not explain other than GOD! There is something wonderful planned through this bible study, I just know it!

What a difference a day makes!

So you had a Bad Day...

Can you hear that song? That was my day. It started the moment the alarm went off this morning! I cannot even explain why. It was Monday, it was a pretty day, I was training today, none of which should have made me dread the day. Apparently it was obvious to Bill that I was cranky! Not Good!
Long story short, I continued my bad day, with a scowl on my face I am sure. I finally decided that I needed to get out of this! I sat down to do my bible reading for today (see new site) and it clicked. Our God is so awesome that he can speak one word and bring the world to life. Awesome is all that can describe it! Satan however, was there to try to destroy the most amazing days so far. If he can interfere in a time that had so few distractions what can he (Satan) do in a day like today. I'll tell you... he can make you in a bad mood from the moment you wake up! Well, guess what Satan??? I win... today is not yours, God is Awesome! We have sisters in Christ reading about the story of creation and sharing it with others through a blog site. These sisters are strong in their faith and they span the world! Today I woke up cranky, but I will go to bed smiling because I have friends that share my joy! The joy that God's creation is amazing!

The New site is ready...

Our study starts Monday, April 7.

Here is the new blog site we have set up :
http://biblebloggingsisters.blogspot.com/