Sunday, April 22, 2012

Spring Time Catch Up

It's Spring!
I love everything about the spring!!!
  
Okay, scratch that... I can't stand OAK POLLEN!  
It does terrible things to my allergies.  
I could see it taunting me from our bedroom window as it grew and dangled from the trees just outside.  
Finally it snowed... Oak Pollen.  
Everything was yellow.  My black Suburban now a dingy color of mustard.  Lovely! 
The sidewalk, patio, flower beds, the front and back yard... all covered.  
I knew the weeks to follow I would be in a hazy cloud of continual pollen.  

Oh well, that is over now.  My allergies are back on track and I can focus on the beauty of blooming flowers, green trees and new life. 

To welcome spring and great weather the boys and I had a lunch date at the river.  
Downtown Boerne is undergoing a fabulous makeover.  They are adding a new walking trail all along the river.  There are new tables and benches for lunching and ledges to go fishing off of.  
And lets not forget the ducks. 
 Dozens of ducks and turtles make their home in and along the Boerne river.  

My mom met us there and we enjoyed chicken left over from Easter dinner.  
I also cleaned my pantry out of all the stale bread I had intentionally left in there waiting for the perfect opportunity to be feed the ducks.  

I have compassion for the ugly ducks

"Show me your teeth"  ...only way to get them smiling simultaneously

Ducks... and turtles BEWARE OF FLYING ROCKS!

...and whole wheat tortillas.  I pray no animal died of consumption 
Love the geese in the background.  Their brown detailing is beautiful.  
Memories From the River:
1.  Eli threw a rock into the river and accidently nailed a turtle on the shell.  It sank immediately.  Thankfully it came back up.  We think!

2.  Cullen's serious wind up and not so wonderful throw to the ducks.  He had such enthusiasm.  Although half of his attempts landed in the grass along the river, C still enjoyed himself.  

3.  The attack of the ducks!!
I promise, there is a gang of ducks around the Boerne and we were witness to one of the attacks.  
An unsuspecting goose was minding his business eating the bread and out of nowhere three ducks began their attack.  
They pecked his head, climbed on his back, pushed him under water, pecked at his body
... It was absolutely bizarre.  
Without thinking I told my mom "Those ducks are trying to kill that goose, or else this is a very strange way or mating." 
 Eli overheard and was immediately intrigued and concerned.  "Why are they gonna kill that duck mom?"  "Did they kill that duck?"  "Aww poor ducky" "We will be sad if that duck is killed".  
Cullen chimed in as well, "bla bla kill that duck?" in a very concerned voice.  

 Thank goodness the goose was smart and once it was pushed under the water again it swam underneath a few yards, came back up and made its escape.  
Phew!!, no gruesome finale to explain to the boys ;-) 

4. Whole wheat tortillas.  We learned at the river that not only does my family not like whole wheat tortillas, but ducks turn their beaks up to them as well.  It was only after they sponged up in the water that the turtles would half heartedly peck at them.  Oh well!

5.  This is a not so funny one.  
It was time to go home so E, C and I headed to load into the car.  
I turned to Cullen and told him "DO NOT GO INTO THE STREET!!" 
He heard and understood me... right?! 
Wrong!
As soon as I opened the doors and set the icebox inside I looked up to see Eli in the car but no cullen.  
Not only was he not climbing into the car... he wasn't on the sidewalk at all.   
In the split second I took my eyes off of him he had run to the other side of the road, into river road. 
I yelled out his name, dashed around the back of the car to see him running back in my direction while shouting "Car!" 
... Imagine the pounding of my heart and images running through my mind...

Once I had my arms around him I scolded him and instantly burst into tears.  
I was overwhelmed with gratefulness for God's protection over Cullen.  I was disappointed in my lapse in judgement.  I was so grateful that no car hit my child and that even though we were both distraught, he was with me.  Ugh! Not a fun moment but a lesson learned and a story of how God showed up big.  

It took a while for me to calm down.  It's crazy the love you have for your children and the emotions you go through when they are in danger.  Eli, being the precious tender hearted little boy he is consoled me on our drive home by telling me Cullen was okay.    

My mom called me to tell me she saw the entire thing.  
She was looking out her side view mirror to pull out on to River Road when she saw out of no where Cullen had run out from behind the car and into the street.  
She helped ease my mind by telling me that the cars saw him and slowed immediately;   
Cullen attempted to open the door to the suburban, realized he couldn't do it, noticed the cars and turned to run back to the other side... into my I'm never gonna let go embrace.  Drama over.  Thank goodness! 

So... Great trip to the river and we will absolutely do it again, but the next time E AND C go into the car before the icebox!

So glad both my boys are with me and healthy!



Monday, April 9, 2012

A Wedding

March was full of celebrations.  
One I enjoyed celebrating most was the marriage of Leah and Marshall. 
Finally!!! 
 These two were high school sweethearts and had their ups and downs but made it through and are now happily married.  
Both Leah and Marshall truly care about others and love the Lord and because of this I know that they will do great things together.   

I had the pleasure of being invited to the bridal luncheon and nail party before the big day.  
We had lunch at Z Tejas, a restaurant with great southwestern food.  Our friend Jamie made it and brought her sweet brand new baby boy Jaxson to party with us.  

A joke between Jaclyn, Leah and me is a "Pregnancy Pact"  We made a pact to all get pregnant around the same time so that we would have big baby bellies together.  
Jaclyn, although she wasn't planning on it, is following the plan nicely being that she is due August 27, 2012!!  
As for Leah... we shall see ;-)  She looks pretty natural holding a wee little one.

Oh, and then there is me, I'm not quite following the pact for now either.  

Leah and baby Jax.  
Rehearsal dinner was basically a high school reunion.  Many old friends were gathered to honor and celebrate Leah and Marshall.  The toasting was a special time.  Friends and family shared nothing but positive, encouraging words and memories.  The one statement that was repeated over and over was that Leah and Marshall have a heart for others and are two of the most genuine people they knew.

Matt and I are grateful to Mimi and Pa for watching E and C so that we could be a part of that rehearsal.  

Baby Fix
Soon soon soon they will be holding their little one.  
Matt wouldn't do a booty shot with me.  
attempting to reign me in. 
 We all grew up and had ourselves a significant other!  Funny thing is is that most of us stuck with the Boerneites.  It was great catching up with old friends.  

I would say that God has his hand upon us and that we are all really blessed.  

Matt and I are to the left and Brooke and her boyfriend Chance are to the right.  



Loren and Hunter Granstaff are to the left and Jaclyn, Taylor and baby Yarbrough are to the right. 




My beautiful high school friend Jamie and her precious daughter are on the left.  
...sorry Jamie if you don't like the photo... I didn't have another one and Cam is just too cute! 

My best friend Jaclyn is on the right with me.  I love her to pieces and I am so happy for her and her pregnancy!  What a fantastic mommy she will be!  

Love
 WEDDING DAY


Bride with her Matron and Maid of Honor 
Pregnant Beautiful and Sassy
Leah wanted for me and our friend Taylor to play a song together during the ceremony.  It had been forever since we had played together, 9 years, and I was more than thrilled to do that for them.  
We chose the song by Brandon Heath titled "Love Never Fails". 
 It is a beautiful song with a great message.  

I was nervous to sing when the wedding day finally rolled around.  Marshall and Leah have lots of friends which meant lots of eyes would be watching... 
  Thankfully I was singing for Leah and she would love it no matter what. 
 Once the first note was out, in tune and I sang the correct word it was easy.   

Leah was a knockout.  She was so beautiful in her lace gown and beaming smile!  Everyone knew she was marrying the man of her dreams.  

beaming smile... and I look like an amazonian woman...
After the wedding we headed to Pat O'Breins, a large Irish pub in downtown San Antonio.  

To get to the party you had to walk up a large flight of stairs that ushered you into an old warehouse like room.  Everything from the flowers to the interior architecture of the building made for a  beautiful, romantic atmosphere.  
My favorite statement piece was the old bar and the flowers that accentuated it.  

We were all ready for a party!  Dancing, eating, laughing and reconnecting with friends carried on the rest of the night.  

The wedding was wonderful.  Matt and I had ourselves a great date celebrating a precious couple.   

Jaclyn and her pretty momma 
Belly Shot 
My best accessory of the night!  
I just want to give a shout out first to my mom and dad for watching the boys on the day of the wedding and keeping them over night.  We love you!

also... lame yes, but 
my dress ... A Rachel Roy design found at Macys.  So lovely!  Thanks for your creative abilities Rachel Roy ;-)   

With that said... 
Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Fischer!