Easter 2010

Easter is one of my favorite holidays (Thanksgiving is my all time favorite). You thought I would say Christmas, didn't you? I love everything about Easter, from the new clothes, to the egg hunts and candy, but most importantly the reason we celebrate.

Our Lord and Savior died for us and we use that time to remember and praise his Holy name. The music on Sunday morning is celebratory and inspiring. The message is one of hope and mercy. And while we celebrate Christ's sacrifice and love for us every Sunday, Easter is an amazing, powerful day in the lives of Christians.

So our family remembered the undeserving sacrifice made by the Lamb of God by celebrating at church, having a quiet lunch, and being together all day!

I missed my parents, and aunt and uncle, and sweet cousins since we've had Easter dinner with them for the last few years, but it was great to be home and be a family!

My Crazy monkeys

Our "angels"

Annie Turns 12

Annemarie Campbell Pico "Annie" was born on April 2, 1998 at 6:39 pm after 60 hours of labor. Yes, that would be almost 3 days worth of labor. My labor ended with a c-section and that was the moment our life changed forever.

She was one of the most beautiful babies I had ever seen. She took my breath away. Nurses would come by our room to look at the baby that everyone was talking about.

Those first few days were rough (understatement). We were young parents and boy, could you tell. I'm surprised Annie survived our folly! They handed her to Cam for the first time and he looked at me and said, "what do I do with her?" looking like he was afraid she would break. We found out quickly she wasn't as fragile as we thought.

I think she cried the ENTIRE first year of her life and wouldn't sleep unless she was laying on her dad or I. How could we let our precious angel cry it out (yes, that was dumb and naive)? Being the first grandchild on both sides, she was well loved, spoiled, and was pretty sure the world revolved around her. Didn't it? Everything she did was amazing and brilliant and as her mom, I have been so proud of her since the very first moments of her life.

She continues to make us proud, so we've come up with a top ten list of reasons we love Annie (in no particular order).

1. She loves her family and watches out for her brother and sister.
2. She has a most tender heart.
3. She is disciplined and that is exemplified in all aspects of her life, including her obedience to her Father in Heaven and her parents.
4. She has a very strong sense of right and wrong.
5. She has a sophisticated sense of humor and cracks us up daily.
6. She loves animals.
7. Annie has a flair for drama (something she comes by honestly)
8. She has a growing Christ-like spirit and loves her Lord.
9. Her imagination (one of her cousins says she loves playing with Annie because she makes up the most creative and fun games).
10. There is NO one like her!

As she turns 12, we realize her time as a little girl is coming to an end. Our journey as parents started with her and we have learned SO many lessons from our "bugface. So, thank you, Annie for being one of the most incredible people I have ever met. I am so proud to be your mother and sometimes feel as if I fall short, but you are always there to remind me that you are one of my best achievements.

I look forward to our continued journey together and can't wait to see what wonderful things you will accomplish in life. Keep the Lord at the center of your life and never forget mommy and daddy adore you and support you!

Our little family.

She loves her daddy and he always makes time to make her feel special. She is just like him, which is a good thing, since I love them both.

A passion that comes from the Pico side of the family. Annie has played club soccer for the last 2 years and enjoys it just like she enjoys everything else she does (except piano)!

This is a love we both share. We have such a great time riding together. It keeps us connected, so we plan on doing it for a very long time!

We love you as a daughter, sister, friend, follower in Christ, and an overall fabulous person.

Charlie's 6th Birthday Party

MOM'S 1ST LEGO CAKE
Thanks to other mom's blogs

IS THIS THE BIRTHDAY BOY
OR THE BIRTHDAY MONKEY?

WE GUESSED HOW MANY LEGOS WERE IN THE JAR
AND THE BOYS TOOK HOME SOME GOOD LOOT!

THEY TOOK THEIR LEGO "BUILDING" VERY SERIOUSLY

BEFORE

AFTER

Yes, it is April. Yes, his birthday is in February. Better late than never! We had a blast and I enjoyed this all boy party (our first). I think the birthday boy enjoyed himself, as well.

This Week

WOW! This week has been a week from H-E-L-L. Let me give the top 10 reasons this week makes the "I Definitely Need a Do-Over" list.

Here they are in no particular order:

1. I've had a monster headache for the last 2 days.
2 I started my period, hence the monster headache.
3. I've fought with my husband and been impatient with my kids (see #1 and #2)
4. I'm having a hard time sleeping.
5. I've had to work with the 7th graders.
6. I can't go to Target for the next couple of weeks because we had to pay some unexpected bills.
7. Our neighbors (I don't need to say anymore about that)
8. We have to find homes for our cats (any takers?)
9. I found out my hubby can't take terminal leave, which means I have to be in charge of the move to AZ.
10. And last, but certainly not least, I haven't lost any weight in over 2 weeks (poo).

I understand that people have way worse problems than these and would be willing to trade places with me in a hearbeat. I don't need a lecture about that. Yes, it sounds petty, especially #10, but I don't care. It's my blog and I'll write what I want. I've tried to be grateful for the little things this week, but that's not working out.

So, thankfully we start a new week in a few days and hopefully I can have a renewed attitude or at least not want to kill everyone around me.

TGIF!

Nature Mimics Life

He's my pigeon...

The other morning I was sitting on a patio in Arizona drinking my coffee watching two pigeons on a wall. Suddenly, I realized those pigeons are Cam and I, which made me giggle...

There are certain things hubs is not fond of doing. One of them being moving furniture. Every time we move furniture together, we fight...well, to be more accurate, he moves furniture around the room while I give orders, trying every position in the room. I'm not very good at visualizing, so I have to see the furniture in its place.

He HATES moving furniture and whenever I suggest it, he runs and hides. By the way, it's the cheapest way to redecorate your house. While he is moving furniture around the room, I remind him of that and point to the fact that I am not buying new furniture like I wanted to!

Enters the pigeon couple...
those two pigeons on the wall were definitely a couple (one was bigger than the other. That's how I know). I watched the larger pigeon (let's call it the husband) hop from the wife (smaller one) to a place near a branch with a twig in his mouth several times...can you see where this leading?

She is sitting in one place watching her partner hop around with this twig in his mouth as if he is moving furniture. I can hear him saying, "do you like it here" and her responding "no, let's try it over there". He'd hop back to her with the twig in his mouth and then hop away to a nearby branch and back again. He must have done this a dozen times before he dropped the twig and flew off leaving the "wife" pigeon wondering what happened...

I was cracking up because those two pigeons reminded me of our situation every time I ask Cam to move furniture...he "hops" around the room while I make suggestions eventually leaving me alone in the room exactly the way it was before we started our project. Those were Cam and I's equivalent in the pigeon world.

Of course, I tell Cam about our pigeon "family", which sends him into hysterics because he knows exactly what I'm talking about. Later that day, we were back on the patio watching those same pigeons quiet and "sleeping" next to each other on that same place on the wall. They had made up just like we do every time we move furniture, especially if I can put something on an angle...

Thank you to that pigeon couple for showing me that all species have their "furniture" moving moments...

The Houston Rodeo and the Jonas Bros concert

What a Fun Family Day...
We spent a amazing day recently at the Houston Rodeo (largest in the world) where we had tickets to the Jonas Brothers' concert. I think hubs has recovered from all the screaming going on in Reliant Stadium (sold out).



We started the day with food and carnival rides. I think we scarred Son for life taking him on a roller coaster that was a little scary and fast (he's never been on a roller coaster in his life) What great parents we are...just throwing him in the deep end.



Funnel cakes were a favorite and so was the bull riding. I'm even considering taking barrel racing lessons in the future and no, I'm not too old. And I have to admit I did a little screaming for the Jonas Brothers myself (Love Bug is one of my favs).





This might have been one of the best days our family has spent together. Belle kept saying "thank you" over and over. On more than one occasion, she screamed out "this is THE best day ever". Cam and I felt like kids again going on all the scary rides together.


I look forward to all the fun we will continue to have as a family and feel like the luckiest girl on the planet to have such great kids and a hubs that is SO much fun to live with!

A Phone Call

My mom and I are very close. We talk almost every morning on my way to work. Growing up she was my mom, now she is one of my closest friends. We love to shop together and can be out all day and not even realize time has passed. My dad keeps trying to convince us shopping is not a hobby or a sport. The way my mom and I do it, it is. We talk while we shop and sometimes we have our best talks looking for a great pair of shoes (on sale, of course). I love her tons and can't imagine losing her.

Last night, I got a phone call pretty late from my dad. This alarmed me even before he said "hello" because my parents never call that late as they have usually gone to bed. He told me she was in the ER, couldn't breath, blood pressure was sky high, and was in a lot of pain. His voice was shaky and I knew he was concerned. The very worst thing about the situation is that I was in TX and they were in an ER in AL. All I wanted to do was be with her, no matter what the problem was.

I started thinking about how much I depend on her and how I would never be ready for anything bad to happen to either one of my parents. Being an only child makes us a very tight knit threesome. Sometimes a little too close, but that's another blog. The good news is my mom is fine. She was diagnosed with plurisy (an inflammation/infection of the chest wall lining). She was treated in the ER and sent home, but for a few moments I was looking at plane tickets to see how soon I could be in AL.

I talked to her this morning and she is still in pain, but we are all grateful it wasn't something life threatening. I prayed without ceasing until my dad called with the diagnosis and I knew she wasn't in grave danger. And because I don't tell her nearly enough, thank you mom for loving me and being my biggest fan. I love you, Mom!