Blue and Gold 2011

Saturday evening was the Blue and Gold Banquet for Cub Scouts.  It was a "Texas Barbeque" theme so everyone was encouraged to wear boots & cowboy hats. 

It looks like Joshua is throwing gang signs, but those are supposed to be his "guns."



The event also included a "Dad & Lad" cake decorating contest.  I had the idea to bake a cake in my batter bowl and they could decorate it like a volcano.  I got a small set of dinosaurs to place around it.  The boys loved it.  They were pretty proud of their creation.  They didn't win, but it was still fun!

The boys also earned their Tiger badges.  Nathan went on stage for the face painting ceremony and to pin their badges on them.  They worked so hard for these and I'm so proud of them and Nathan for all of their hard work during the past few months. 

Den 4

Joshua's impression of a Tiger.  Um...yeah.

Happy Toothless Jaron Tiger

Congratulations to my Tiger Cubs!  Mommy loves you and is so proud of you!

BIG Changes Part 2

We went to Liberty Hill on Saturday to visit Brian and Crystal and to see the corner of land they had picked out for us.  We are truly blessed to have met the Hudsons and we're so thankful for their friendship.  God truly has a plan and the Hudsons are a part of ours. 

I wanted to share a few pictures of the property where we'll live.  It's so beautiful there and I can't wait to sit out on our front "porch" and watch the kids play and roam all over those 6 acres!

 

The boys had a blast on the go-kart with Nick!



I just love this tree-filled lot!

Now it's time for "Operation: Everything Must Go!"  I must get motivated to start clearing out and purging.  We want to sell as much as possible and store as little as possible.  There are a few pieces of furniture I wish to keep because they were built by family, but everything else is fair game as far as I'm concerned.  I also need to organize any photos (prints) into boxes or albums and pack up framed photos, dishes & china that will go into storage.  We have our work cut out for us, but I cannot express how excited I am and how relieved I will be when it's all over!

Want to see more pictures of the RV?  View our Picasa Web Album: https://picasaweb.google.com/gourmetmommy/RV?authkey=Gv1sRgCL3Aqoq7zOzBvgE&feat=directlink

BIG Changes!

I've been holding off on any posts regarding our big plans for 2011, mainly because we haven't really had all the details ironed out. We've had an idea in our heads for quite some time about down-sizing, simplifying, and getting down to what's really important. Everyone has their own idea of what's important in life and what is needed to achieve a certain comfort-level. Over time, I think that idea evolves and changes. I often think about my younger self...what she planned for her life, where she thought she'd see herself in ten years. Of course, we couldn't wait to get married and make a lot of money, buy our first house, go on vacations, start a family... We didn't think about all the real life grown-up stuff that happens in-between the "ups." We didn't know about the "downs." In all reality, would we have stepped into marriage and agreed to "life" together, if we did? I'd like to think so. But what I've realized is those "downs" have been character-building experiences. Life lessons. Teachable moments as they say. If we'd known then what we know now, we may not have had those experiences, but I guess we wouldn't be who we are today and we may not have the appreciation for the little things that we have today.

Are we crazy? Probably. Definitely. I'm sure many will read this and pretty much think we're certifiably insane. I used to worry what people would think...in fact, I admit that I lost a little bit of sleep over it, thinking I would be judged by friends and family. But I guess I've finally decided that I don't care. Actually, more than anything, the mere thought of purging the overabundance of stuff in our lives is exhilarating! ...and as my wonderful Mom told me last night, "well, I don't suppose it's really anybody's business."

"So...is she saying...??"

Yep. Pretty much for the next two months, Casa de Guajardo will be preparing to enter an epic chapter in our lives. Nathan posted on facebook a while back about visiting friends and what will soon be our "new home." No one had any idea we'd be calling this lovely 5th wheel RV home. We'll be renting from our dear, sweet friends and parking it right on their 6 acres of land in Liberty Hill. They're kind enough to have us do this with no strings attached. If we're done in 6 mos, that's ok. If we're done in an year, that's ok too.

Our living expenses will be a fraction of what we're paying now and we can put difference toward savings and paying off debt! There will be wide-open spaces for the kids to run and play, they'll have their own "bunk room" at the back of the RV and we'll have our own "master suite" at the front. We'll be equipped with flat screen TVs and DVD players, a full kitchen and lots more freedom (and savings). Our friends have kids to play with, so our boys will never be bored.

No, I'm sure we won't be able to do this forever, nor do we plan to. We have goals to work toward and we'll be able to meet those goals so much faster than if we keep doing what we're doing. I will quote my friend Crystal as saying "It's a short-term sacrifice for a long-term benefit."

I know...three kids. Three kids in an RV. Well, that will be tough. But guess what? They're kids! This is an adventure for them. This is their dream! Full-time camping in an RV?! What could be better? This is the best time to do something like this... while they're still small. Besides, like I said, this thing is huge and we'll be out in the country. Anytime I start to have reservations, I look at that monthly check I write and I look at the going rate for any other house/apartment/townhome, etc in the area and cringe. This makes sense for us at this point in our lives. Hopefully, when we're on the other side of this adventure, we'll be able to say "look what we've accomplished and we'd do it again in a heartbeat."

This is our dream for now. This is all we need at this moment to achieve that "certain comfort-level" I mentioned before.

...and I simply cannot wait.

Snow 2011

I didn't really get too many photos of the snow this year. This was taken eeearly in the morning, around 7am. Joshua's surgery was originally scheduled for that day, so Nathan and I were up having our coffee and starting to get ready when we got the call that it was cancelled. So, change of plans. Nathan made a make-shift sled out of some rope and a diaper box. He woke the kids up just after the sun came up to get ready to go play.

At first, it was frustrating that Joshua's original surgery date was rescheduled, but I'm so glad he got to play in the snow. He didn't waste a single moment of playtime in the snow that day.

19 Months Old

Eliana turned 19 months old on the 6th. I decided to try this dress on her. I absolutely love it. It's a hand-me-down that I'd love to use as her Easter dress this year if it still fits by then. I'm not sure if she has two month's worth of room to grow, but we'll see. At the very least, I hope she can wear it on a warm day to church.

Anyways, since she had on a pretty dress, I decided to try to get some cute shots. She hammed it up for me a little bit before she got tired of me flashing the camera in her face! Here are a few of my favorites.

Can't believe our little baby girl will be 2 in less than 6 months!

What happens when your baby thinks it's time to give up naps?

...she falls asleep in her highchair, covered in mac & cheese.

In Recovery

I mentioned a couple weeks ago how Joshua has been sick way too often this school year. Well, really since he started kindergarten, but first grade has been particularly tough. The ENT recommended we have Joshua's tonsils and adenoids removed and insert a second set of tubes in his ears. So, this past Monday was his surgery date. The surgery went very quickly -- maybe 20 minutes. He spent about another half hour in recovery before we could see him. When I walked in, he was sitting up, drinking juice and he looked great.

Here is a picture of him in recovery. He was telling us about his dream of flying up into space while he was "asleep" during surgery. He's holding up his finger with the heart rate/oxygen monitor and they let him keep the mask he used to breathe in the gas. The staff at Northwest Surgery center was wonderful with him. He wasn't the least bit nervous or scared going in and they just made it fun for him right up until he fell asleep. I was so relieved at how awesome they were with him.

It's been a pretty rough week. He's on pain meds every four hours around the clock. Nathan and I have been setting our alarms to wake up to give him meds at night too. If we miss the 4-hour mark, his pain is intolerable for him and he just cries. It's also been pretty hard to get him to drink. I know it hurts him to swallow, but it's important for him to drink to help with the healing process. We can't let the area dry out and crack. Then he'd be in even more pain and it could start bleeding, which we're trying to avoid. He's not eating much at all, which is understandable, but it's even difficult to entice him with ice cream or milkshakes.

Joshua is taking it easy on the couch with an ice pack on his cheek. Just today he's started complaining of his cheek and jaw aching.

I keep telling him once he's healed, it will all be worth it. I don't think he's buying it just yet. Poor thing -- the doctor told us his adenoids were huge, even bigger than his tonsils were. It's a wonder he could hear anything at all with all the gunk he had in his eardrums. I have a feeling once he's recovered, he's going to be a completely different child.