Memorial Day 2009 - TONS of Pictures

I took the time to actually make sure the pictures are loaded in order of their happening.

Descriptions under pictures.

Garzas on Rocks! Enough said - the Garza family understands and will appreciate this picture.

After the creek and the pouring rain that happened while there the kids came back to Cecelias and Ava got out of her wet clothes and put a nightgown on. This was around 4:00. She played outside for about 6 more hours. Hence the dirty, dirty look she is showing. If this isn't a white trash kid, I don't know what is. Barefoot, dirty, nightgown, scraped up from falling into a barbed wire fence, and eating a cup of ice. Lord help me! (edited to add - yes, she had a bath after this and no, she didn't sleep in this nightgown.)

The Peterson Siblings. My mom and her brothers. L-R: Oren, David, Merlin, Mary (my mom - Merlin is her twin brother), Eddie and Dale.

Ok, I normally am way to vain to post a crappy picture of me but this just shows how much I love my Uncle Dave. I had my hair all pulled back because I DID get wet during the rain (just not AS wet as others) and I was a hot, sweaty mess. His arm is in a sling due to blood clots that formed after they put the port for his chemo treatments. He was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer (never smoked). BUT...we serve a Living God who is the great Physician and can heal my Uncle and that is what I'm clinging to and praying for. Please pray for Dave and my aunt Barb as they face the treatments and healing.

The kiddos walking the railroad tracks heading to the cemetary on Memorial Day.

Dialycia standing at her Veterans grave.

Ava showing the utmost respect to this former soldier and decided to sit on the stone. ggrrrrr - She was in a bad mood because she was so stinkin' tired and I was trying to tell her why it was not respectful to sit or stand on the tombstone. She had open ears the entire time. Yeah, right. She also is mad because she only has one flower to lay on the grave. She wanted a bunch.

Ok, I've now *found* (aka stolen) another flower for her but she is once again mad because there are "leaves" on it. Oh, and she decided she didn't like the previous grave she was at so we moved....once again.

Here she is after she layed her flowers down (notice the leaves off of the peony that Super Mom pulled off for her darling daughter????).

21 Gun salute. My kids just LOVE this part. The entire cemetary is silent after the first shots are fired and then you hear Ava cry out "Mommy, that is too loud and it scares me. Followed by her sobbing".

Isabella with Cecelia trying to be brave and not hold her ears during the gun salute.

Standing during the playing of Taps.

My Uncle Dave and Aunt Barb have goats on the farm to help with the weeds.

What is this??? BOTH girls looking at the camera and no one crying???

Ava, Isabella and Dialycia petting a 3 day old baby goat. I am sure there is a farming word for baby goat but I've already admitted school was a social experiment for me and not a learning possibility.

Two of the greatest people around - My uncle Dave and aunt Barb.

Ava is thrilled to have her picture taken once again.

Grammy and Ava

Dialycia feeding a 6 month old goat.

Ava feeding a goat.

Isabella feeding the goats.

Ava was given a branch with some leaves on it (these leaves she apparently likes and is ok with) and the Mommy goat would take bites of the leaves until they were all gone. Ava would giggle after each bite.

The Things I Learned.....

Following is a list of the top 15 things I learned this weekend.

1. Crick and Creek are the same thing.
2. Warsher and washer are also the same.
3. If you get the same set of cards again the deck was apparently not "shifted" very well.
4. If you don't want to play certain cards in a game you can slush off instead of slough off.
5. Kids receive more joy from playing in the barn, searching for toads, stomping in mud puddles, throwing rocks in storm drains, playing fetch with a dog and swimming in a creek than watching cartoons or playing video games.
6. If it's raining and you ask someone who is getting soaked to look for an umbrella - they WILL be annoyed. Asking if there happened to be a tarp in the truck by chance will also provoke the same reaction.
7. I would last on the game of Survivor for probably 5 minutes.
8. I apparently love my brother more than he loves me.
9. Some of the most amazing people in the world are in my family.
10. One of the best feelings is laughing so hard at a home video that you almost pee yourself. Especially when it is at the expense of someone other than you.
11. I tasted the best cupcake EVER this weekend.
12. My child can possibly get dirtier than I ever imagined - and I loved every minute of it.
13. If you are going to arrive 5 minutes late to a Memorial Day service at church, don't wear flip flops that alert the entire congregation of your late arrival. (For clarification - I was the one wearing the flip flops).
14. I suck at the following games: euchre, corn hole, pass the trash and Screw Your Neighbor.
15. I could pretty much guarantee my Uncle Eddie was going to pass me a 2 when I traded cards with him - but yet I was a sucker and continued to trade with him. See #14.

And we're off!!!!!!

In a few hours we will be off for the weekend. We are going to Isabella's soccer game at noon and then heading straight out to travel to spend the weekend with my moms side of the family in Ohio. Small town of maybe 100 people - no cell phone coverage (apparently AT&T hasn't felt the need to put towers around the area). The kids play in the barn, catch frogs/toads, swim in the creek and lots of other great fun things. My city girls LOVE this weekend and look forward to it every year.

The adults play cards until wee hours in the morning. Have cook outs, talk, take pictures and play corn hole. Minimal money is spent and the focus is just family, family, family and lots of fun. On Monday we always go to the church and have a memorial day service and then go to the local cemetary and have a playing of taps, 21 gun salute and then we place flowers on the graves of all the men and women who served this great country! It's awesome.

Steve is hanging back here at the Casa and going to the Indy 500 on Sunday. We've lived here for 2 years but this will be the first time he has gone. A vendor of his at work gave him 2 tickets. I told him to root for Jeff Gordan to see if he knew Jeff was a Nascar driver vs Indy driver - he did. My man is so smart. LOL

Then.....we leave Thursday evening to spend the week at the BEACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are taking the kids to Disney and they don't have a clue. We are going to surprise them the morning we head to the Park. Thanks for the awesome hook-up from our neighbor JD!! I in all truthfulness don't want to go to Disney but the kids will be so excited. We are planning a big trip next year and plan to spend about 7 days at Disney so this is just an appetizer until the main course next year!

Have a great weekend!

He forgot....

AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Isabella and the tooth fairy struck a deal this afternoon because he forgot to leave this morning as well as after school. He's giving her $20 and calling it a done deal for all remaining teeth to come out. She made out on the deal because she doesn't have that many teeth left to fall out I don't think.

Dear Mr. Tooth Fairy

Please remember to make an appearance this evening under Isabella's pillow. Please do not forget like the last tooth a couple of weeks ago that ended up costing you $10. The Garza tooth fairy family has been following Dave Ramsey and we really need to start paying a more normal rate for a lost tooth. Your $10 a tooth (to pay interest or whatever for missing like last time) or your continued variance between $5 and $10 is too much. I really, really think Mr. Ramsey would agree with me. I think $2 for a big front tooth (like the one lost today) sounds reasonable and $1 for all other remaining dinky teeth.

Kindest regards,
Your wife

P.S. - I have lots to say, my list keeps getting longer and longer. Just need to find time to sit down and make a post! Will add to the list of to do's for tomorrow.

A Better Day

Lord knows it has to be better than yesterday.

Recap:
Breakfast - 2 ice cream sandwiches
Lunch - bowl of Rocky Road ice cream
Supper - 1 ice cream sandwich and a small portion of pasta with chicken

Today:
Breakfast - Blackberry, raspberry protein shake.

Already off to a better start.

My surgery recovery is a slow process and I'm trying not to overdue it so I've spent lots of time watching movies with Ava. Yesterday we watched Kung Foo Panda 3 times (although we both napped a bit the during the 2nd showing).

Another blonde surgery moment - I called my BFF from high school to update her on my surgery. I apparently forgot I called her - and proceeded to call her not once, not twice - but 3 times. Boy - I'm a sharp one aren't I? LOL

Huge props to Kris and Amy for playing Mommy role this weekend. The kids spent the night with Amy on Saturday and came home Sunday late afternoon. Kris had the girls on Friday night. Also, I had to call Amy (and wake her up mind you) to drive Isabella to school on MOnday because as we were walking to the bus stop - the bus was pulling away. So, she got up and drove Isabella to school for me. I love my neighbors - Kris and Amy are far, far, far more than neighbors - they are best friends for life! BFFL!~LOL

Life is So Good

There isn't any other words that would work for the title of this post. Life is just really, really good right now. I have many days where it's hard to want to put my feet on the floor and want to really face what the day has to offer - but the last couple of weeks have just been super. Nothing monumental has even happened - just savoring the greatness of the warm weather, bathing the kids after a full day of playing outside (that requires me to also clean the tub each evening from the ring of dirt they leave behind), the smell of fresh cut grass, planting flowers, reading outside in a lawn chair while the kids play, drawing with sidewalk chalk, kicking the soccer ball, long walks in the neighborhood - the list just goes on and on.

I'm so motivated when the weather is nice. I tackle cleaning projects with joy, work out with excitement and don't even get stressed when Steve has to work late, work on his day off or go into work early. You get my drift.

Today after I took Isabella to school I did 2 loads of laundry, washed the entry way rugs for all of the doors and then Ava and I went to the library. Stopped at Subway and got us each a sandwich and then spread a blanket down in the front yard and had a picnic with Ava (this just warms my heart to no end remembering that moment). Then for some crazy reason I decided to clean out the garage. And by clean out - that meant moving EVERYTHING out of it, sweeping it, getting the hose and spraying it down, using the squeegee to clear the water out, sprayed down all the shelving units, garden tool holder thing, threw tons and tons of stuff away and then organized 90% of it. I only partially messed with the cabinet that has all the yard chemicals and fertilizer stuff and didn't do much to Steves work bench. I had 5 people driving by stop to ask if I was having a yard sale because I had it all pulled out in the yard and driveway. LOL

Then, finished the day with a long, hot bubble bath and did a glycolic acid peel on my face. My face just looks so fresh after those peels - it hurts like a dickens but the end result is worth it.

Steve and I have spent the last 3 days planting flowers and he finished up his garden. The flowers are going to look amazing if I may brag for a bit. I'm really happy with our selections and placement of everything. I'll post pictures once we get mulch delivered and spread. We spend so, so much time outside during the summer and early fall that we really appreciate the flowers. Plus, if anyone knows my Mom and her yard/flowers - you know I get the desire honestly.

Then, add to the mix the fabulous fantastic neighbors and life just can't get much better. Last night me, Steve, Mark and Amy and Pam were all sitting on Pams back porch relaxing (me after taking a Flexeral that I got from Amy because I pulled a muscle trying to use a shovel for the first time - LOL). Mark volunteered to mow the yard for me the next couple weeks because I'm having a little surgery on Friday and will be out of mowing capacity for a couple weeks (I geniunely like mowing the yard because its an hour of cardio that doesn't involve me being on a treadmill or elliptical). Bless his heart - he even knows we like our lawn mowed at a higher level than most. Then, when he realized Pam pays for a company to mow her yard he insisted on her cancelling them and he would just mow her yard as well. Don't you all wish you lived in my neighborhood??? Mark and Amy are so generous and just awesome friends to Steve and I - we are so, so blessed. Plus, Mark has a riding lawn mower so he can zip around the yard in no time at all.

Oh, remembering the sidewalk chalk - a cute thing Isabella did was write Pams name on the end of her driveway - I guess to remind her where she lived so she wouldn't drive past it. LOL The girls love Pam to pieces!

So, to end this fabulous day I'm going to go relax and watch American Idol and The Biggest Loser (I'm not really an American Idol fan but Amy is so I watch it so I know who she is talking about when she mentions the show - see what a great friend I am. hahahahaha)

Slow News Week

In the Garza household. A post with no pictures.

The week was spent working in the yard and flower beds tilling up the soil, pulling weeds and getting ready to plant.

Most know my love for CVS - you can get just about anything free there with a little research and coupon clipping. Well, I've had to take Ava with me for the last couple of CVS runs. I always buy her some candy at the end of the trip because I'm just a great mom. She loves Tic Tacs. After she eats them all she always asks "Can we go back to PVS Kids and get some more?" "When are we going to PVS Kids again". She plays games on PBSKIDS.org on the computer all the time so I guess she assumes I shop at a similar store. LOL

We are counting down the days until the end of school - not to much longer. Loving the beautiful weather so I can hang outside with the greatest friends in the neighborhood - Amy and Kris. They are helping me out big time next week! They are the best!

Today is soccer games and then I think we'll head to the library. Nothing major.