Random update and musings

My mom flies in tomorrow from Phoenix to help me drive out for our Thanksgiving trip. As you may have gathered, I am rather excited about this trip. It feels as though we are at a bit of a crossroads right now. On one hand, we can stay here in Texas and finish our masters degrees, or we can take advantage of this small break and move back to Arizona to be closer to my family. Oh my, decisions, decisions...

On one hand, I LOVE it out here. This is our home. When I think of "home" I think of our little house in Commerce. I think of spending my summer evenings at the pool with my children, followed by a sweet snow cone treat. I picture Saturday soccer games with Collin running an offense, Cameron debating with me whether he should run out on the field, and Caitlyn wanting to hop on the field so bad, she's literally shaking. I see my children running in the green grass of the park, surrounded by old, proud, leafy green trees. I see them throwing our monstrously huge acorns at each other- and the large bruises and broken windows they are known to cause. I see them excelling in school, making friends, and learning Southern manners and customs. I see wintry Saturdays spent at the Y in Greenville. I see Wednesday evenings spent in class with my fellow graduate students. I see a small town with small town values, but with wonderful proximity to the culture and certain delights that only living near a thriving metropolis can provide.

But, there's also my home- complete with the many loving aunts and uncles, grandparents and great grandparents. My mind's eye remembers the snow-covered mountains, the delicious smell of creosote bushes dampened by the summer monsoon rains, the clear crisp summer mornings, its sunrises and sunsets. Mi Casa tortillas, Green Chili burros from La Casita, and thick, ice-cold horchata from Los Jilibertos. In my mind I can hear the back and forth chatter of the silver-haired viejetas at Thriftee as they choose their tomatillos and chilis. And I miss it.

I guess whatever happens, happens. I know we were led here, and I know that if it is time to move on, we will be led to that as well. After this coming week, I feel like we will know which way our path will lead. And I look forward to seeing where we are going.

Yum, yum!

Tonight is International Night at the kids' school. We went last year and it was so fun! Basically, it's a huge school-wide potluck where you bring an item that represents your family's culture. I was thinking about what to bring, and I decided to bring brownies made from scratch. A big, huge pan of them. Caitlyn helped me make them, and they turned out wonderfully. A little too wonderfully, if you know what I mean. Now mama's gonna have to find something else to bring, y'all. Sorry. It started out with just one teeny tiny corner. One small square. A rectangle. A tad bit more. And ended with about 20 "just one more bites". Sorry kids. Mama has absolutely no willpower when chocolate is involved. Better luck next time. Here's the recipe just in case you want to torture yourself with a bit of chocolatey goodness: I found it by google-ing "scratch brownies". Google is a mom's best friend, you know that, right?

Scratch Brownies

• 1 cup butter or margarine (melted)
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla flavoring
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup cocoa
• 2 cups plain flour
• optional - nuts, raisins, chocolate chunks, caramel pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream margarine and sugar. This works well with a mixer, but you can do it by hand.
3. After the creaming stage, do switch to a spoon for mixing. Brownies tend to get tough if worked too much.
4. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix just until smooth.
5. Pour in cocoa and flour. Again, mix until smooth and lumps are broken up. But, don't go to wild on the mixing.
6. If you want to add extras, just fold those in easily.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes in 2 pans size 8 inches by 8 inches. You can use a larger pan like the 9 x 9 and cook for a little longer-25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. If you use a single pan, then the Scratch Brownies are thicker.

The batter is VERY thick. You have to smoosh it into the pan. I use a 9x13 pan and bake for 15ish minutes. For that extra "oomph" sprinkle a handful or two of chocolate chips on top before you bake it. You can thank me later.

In other news, we are leaving in 3 days for our Thanksgiving get a way. I. CAN'T. WAIT!!!

The Trip!!!

This morning I sat the kids down and we talked about what we want to do while we are in Arizona. Here is what they said. I wrote it down as we talked about it, and didn't edit... enjoy!

See Bears!!- Caitlyn
Go to Sea World (in San Antonio)- Cameron (he insists San Antonio is in AZ...)
Go Hiking- Cameron & Collin
Go Crawdad fishing- Cameron
Go hunting for bears- Caitlyn
Go Camping- Cameron & Collin
Go fishing- Cameron & Collin
Bring my Bakugon- Collin
See Grampa and Nanny!!!- Everyone!!!
Go to Great Grandma Rhodes' house and pick fruit- Collin
See TyTy and Brandon- Cameron and Collin
Go swimming on the mountain- Collin
"I want to survive- like survivorman- with Grandpa Rhodes"- Cameron
Eat Turkey- Everyone
Eat Deermeat- Cameron
"Kill animals w/Grandpa Rhodes!!!"- Cameron (I asked him what he meant, and he said he wanted to "help kill chickens and turkeys like that one story [I] told [him]"-- I'm still laughing about this one because he was so excited! aww...mommy's little psychopath... ;o) )

I think I'll take the kids out of school early on Friday, but I'm not totally sure. We are getting really super duper excited!

Here's a tentative timeline for our trip out:

20th (Th)- Mom flies in
21st (F)- leave for AZ
22nd (Sat)- Arrive/ Rest up/ hang out
23rd (Sun)-
24th (Mon)- Get together with "old" friends from town
25th (Tues)-
26th (Wed)-
27th (Thurs)- Thanksgiving- Morning at Mom's; Afternoon at Dad's??? vice versa???
28th (Fri)-
29th (Sat)-Leave either afternoon/ early evening for TX
30th (Sun)- Arrive in TX/ Rest up/ restart real life

What's everyone doing? Any suggestions? Anyone want to claim a day? Leave me a comment and let me know =o)

Quick update

This was such a fun weekend, and a new one is almost here! The kids and I spent Saturday at the park. It was beautiful outside. We took a pic nic lunch and spent a fun day together. The 3 big kids played, played, played. They get along so well when they are outdoors. It's so heartwarming. In the evening we went and spent some time with Erin and Jesse. The boys worship the ground their cousin Jesse walks on, so it's always fun to see all of them play together.

On Sunday, John took the 3 big kids to the park while I stayed home and worked on my Virology presentation. I was feeling a little picked upon because nobody called me Sunday afternoon. I decided I would call everyone, so I picked up the phone and realized that it was dead. I guess that just might have contributed to our lack of Sunday afternoon calls ;) I felt just a bit stupid... After I let the phone charge a bit, one of our friends called and invited us over to celebrate her husband's birthday. It was so fun to get together and let all of our kids play while we grownups visited. All of our kids get along great and all of the grownups do too. We have a fun little group!

Monday was rainy weather. It was a bit of a bummer because Saturday was so beautiful, but we survived. Barely. I did a lot of laundry and the kids did a lot of homework. It ended up being a rather productive day.

Tuesday was rainy. Again. Bummer. We crashed and burned on Tuesday. We couldn't get going at all. We went and visited some friends in the evening, and stopped by Erin's too. Caitlyn played with Craig (Erin's husband) for a long time. She is such a tease- she kept taking his chair, and tricking him! When we got home, I stayed up and worked on my presentation a bit more. It was one of those projects where it seemed like the closer I got to being through, the more I found to do. I gave up on it about 4:00 this morning, and decided it would wait for me to sleep.

Today, Caitlyn got to watch all her favorite shows- 4 million times each- while I finished my presentation. I was able to finish right at 3:00- right in time for playgroup. The kids had a fun time at the museum today. Cam gets to go back on Friday with his Kindergarten class. I think the girls and I might sneak over and see if we can play with him for a bit ;o) My presentation went relatively well. I always stutter through them, but it lasted exactly 30 minutes, and I think (hope!) I covered all that I intended to cover. I just hope I did well enough to maintain my 4.0.

While I was working on my presentation (have I mentioned it yet...it was 30 minutes long...), I couldn't help but laugh at my idiotic spelling abilities. It never fails to amaze me that I can spell pathophysiology, immunohistochemistry, or gastroenteritis without thinking twice, but I have to slow down or check the spell-checker to spell tomorrow, tennis, or definitely. Does that make me an official science nerd? =o)

Before I go to sleep, I have a favor to ask. Some of our good friends are going through a hard time right now. Their father passed away earlier today, and they are heading out of town to attend his funeral. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Our "New" Table =o)

After John's Mom passed away, we inherited her kitchen table. There's nothing fancy about it, but it was bigger than our old one, and had more chairs, so we LOVE it! Plus, it was HERS, so we want to keep it for as long as we can! The only bad thing about it was my kids kept coloring on it with marker, so it looked horrible. We went to our friends' house, and I fell in LOVE with her table. When I asked her where she got it, she told me she took her old one and painted it. Well, I'm not that crafty, so I was a little nervous, but I decided to give it a try. I painted the table, two chairs, and the bench black, and let each of the kids pick the color for their chair. Check it out:

Here's what it looked like during painting: I'm so glad we don't have an HOA- we would have definitely been the white trash neighbors!




Collin picked Gold

Caitlyn picked Pink (hers isn't flipped- I'll fix it later!)

Cam picked Red (Cam's isn't either- I'll fix it later =o) )

Here's what it looks like in the dining area.

We love it!

Oh, and I have to add some pictures of Caleigh Bug in her new outfit. Don't you just LOVE the 4 month stage?

A little wisdom for Sponge Bob.

It's the end of the semester, and I feel like this. It's about 10 minutes long, but so true. If you are a procrastinator like me, you will relate!

Today is much better than yesterday. I'll write more later- after the kiddos go to bed. I have a fun project done for the house, and I can't wait to show it off =o)

Also, Chance's parents updated- he is doing GREAT! God is good! Prayer works!

What a day =o)

Wow! I feel totally, utterly, and absolutely drained today. I can't wait for my trip to Arizona. Only two more weeks! I think being around my family will be just what the doctor ordered. I always feel so recharged after a visit home.

It seemed like the kids were extra needy today. Caleigh is teething, so she comfort nursed nearly the entire day. Caitlyn felt slighted by my neglect, so her wall and furniture coloring impulses kicked into overdrive. I have so much painting to do when we move. Thanks Cait! Really. Thanks. The boys fought, fought, fought then fought whined and screamed all afternoon and evening. Loved it. By the time 6:00 rolled around (aka the third hour of WWIII), I had grown so embarrassingly crabby with them that I just wanted close myself in my bedroom and cry. I hate when I get crabby and spiteful toward them. Everyone was finally asleep and I thought I was going to be able to spend some time recollecting myself before I went to bed, but Caleigh woke up. Again. Poor little girlie. I want her to feel better. Maybe she'll stay asleep this go 'round.

I guess I filled my gripe quota for the day. I'm sure a little sleep will make it all better. Nighty night =o)

Prayers Needed

Everyone, please keep Chance in your prayers today and tomorrow. He is Collin's friend from baseball who was diagnosed with ALL (a type of cancer) toward the end of last baseball season. He goes back to Children's in Dallas in the morning, and they are hoping his ANC counts will be high enough for him to continue his chemo regimen.

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On a lighter note, yesterday I noticed Cameron gathering a bunch of his books together and putting them in a bag. I became concerned because I didn't want him to throw them away, so I asked him what he was doing. "Mom," he told me "some kids at school are so poor, they don't have any books to read at their house. I'm taking these to my class so Mrs. Kilgore can give them to the kids who don't have any books!" My Cam is so sweet =)

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This morning, I asked the boys if they knew who won the election:
"John McCain!!!" they answered.
"Nope," I replied, "Barack Obama!"
"NO! John McCain!!!"
"Why do you boys like John McCain so much?"
"Because his name is John, like Dada!"
Silly me, I should have seen that one coming =o)

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Caitlyn Calls Barack Obama "Rock-A-Bama"

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I LOVE my kids =o)

Change has Come!

I know you haven't been living under a rock this morning, so you are well aware of yesterday's happenings. I am sooo excited about the outcome of this election. Actually, I would have been excited either way! We could have either ended up having a woman one missed heart beat away from the presidency (awesome!!!!!!!) or we could have ended up with our first black president. What a great time to be alive. What a great time to live in the United States of America.

Here is his party nomination acceptance speech.

Here is the first part of his presidential acceptance speech. There is a link on it to watch the rest of it.

I cried when I listened to it. Bawled. Really. It made me think of my boys. What an inspiration! To go from the son of a single teenage mother to President of the United States- it restores my faith in our country. Just think, in less than 50 years, we have gone from Jim Crow to a black family in the White House.

Here are some of the things I love about him:
1. He is such an eloquent speaker- that will be a nice change ;o)
2. He will reunite our military families.
3. His wife is unafraid to keep him in his place (love that!)
4. He gives me hope.
5. He has injected some much needed energy into politics.
6. He writes his own speeches.
7. His childhood story is very inspiring.

Sure, there are plenty of things that I don't like about him, but that's not my focus today.

God Bless America!!!

"The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly." -John McCain

It's election day- VOTE!!!

and read this

and take a couple minutes to remind yourself about this

and don't forget to thank God you live in the USA- where you are more likely to die of obesity-related illnesses than starvation.

AZ Trip

My mom booked her plane ticket this morning! She's flying in on the 20th, and we'll head out either the 21st or 22nd. Arizona here we come!!!

2 down, 8 to go

We have a bit of a mouse problem this year. I was in denial for quite a while, but after one of those cute little things ran out to say "hi" during the middle of the day, while we were all sitting in the front room watching TV, I decided it was time to take action! The kids and I went to Big Box Mart and purchased some lovely sticky traps. We placed them at strategic locales throughout the house and promptly caught a 60 pounder! Well, it was Cam...oops! I unstuck him and we were back in business!

This morning, John woke the kids up and showed them the mouse we caught during the night. They thought it was really cute. I didn't. I took it outside, filled up a container with hose water, and promptly dispatched our new little friend. The kids were livid! "Can't we keep him as a pet?!" they pleaded. "NO!" I began, making the lie up as I went, "the glue is too sticky, so if we try and free him, we'll pull off his legs. This is the nicest thing we can do to him!"

He is now waiting on the curb for the garbage man to take him to his eternal resting place. The kids are at school. I am home with my conscience... I am a murderer and liar all in one day. Two down, 8 to go.

******edited to clarify Two COMMANDMENTS- lying and murder- 8 to go, not two MICE 8 to go =o) *******

Happy Halloween!

Wow! Was Halloween fun or what? What?! That's what I thought!!

Well, we had a busy and enjoyable week. John took the week off to finish up some projects for school and to recharge a bit before finals. It was nice to have him home. He has spoiled me rotten all week. He cooked breakfast and dinner several times, loaded the dishwasher, and helped out a lot with the kids. It's been nice to have him around. You know, a girl could get used of this! Wow!

Thursday, we finally traded in our vehicles on a new one. I am sooo glad we finally did this! Our poor van has been on its last (borrowed, very borrowed) leg for some time now and our Jeep is too small to fit all of us legally (yikes!!!! Do you know how big of a ticket that is?!). Since we have loans on both (stupid, stupid- I know!), and were upside down on both loans, we weren't sure if we would be able to get into anything. Luckily, we went during a "sale" and worked with a really awesome salesman. He was able to get us into a brand new Dodge Grand Caravan for much less than the payment for both our "old" cars, plus our interest rate is incredible!! So without further adieu, let me introduce Reddy, the newest member of the Bryant household:


See how much room he has?


We LOVE his captain chairs! See Caleigh's foot? And the top of Cam's head?


I'm one HOT soccer mama when I drive this thing! (Sorry, no picture of me- I'm just way too hot!

For Halloween, we went to the town square and trick or treated. The kids enjoyed it.



After that, we went to the church and did some chili eating and more trick or treating. Now my teeth feel like they have fuzzy slippers on them and my head feels just a bit funny... maybe we had a bit too much sugar =)

After we came home, the university was having their Homecoming bonfire. They shoot off fireworks every year, and we watch it from the Wal Mart parking lot.


Cam LOVED it!


Now the Holiday season has officially begun!!! Yipee!