What a lovely day..

Although the calendar technically said the first day of spring was earlier this month, someone forgot to tell Mother Nature here in Texas that. We have went from wearing shorts and short sleeve shirts to sweatpants all in the same day.

But today on this Good Friday, I have a feeling of unlimited blessings. Today the weather is gorgeous, the sun is shining and mild, perfect spring weather. We plan on taking the kids to a movie tomorrow and lunch, and we have some of the kids friends over here at the house playing, shooting nerf bullets at each other and having a good time. It's always nice to hear the giggles of kiddos playing together.

We are running here and there, both kids are involved with baseball this year, so it's practices till late and eating dinner late. We are adjusting to our new normal without our dear friend Belinda here. I know she is in an infinite better place and will always be with us.

Here are some random pictures of my sweet kiddos...

Miss Emma's fearless fashion sense

Emma getting her practice in

Landon relaxing at Aunt Kellie & Uncle Derrell's during spring break

Landon conquering a rock climbing wall at the playground

Wordless Wednesday

Playing at the optometrist while waiting on Daddy

Goodbye Until We Meet Again...

After returning home from vacation, we received some very upsetting news. My children's babysitter, Belinda, whom we all called Gaga passed away Thursday morning, March 14, 2013. She has watched my children since Landon was one and a half, and has been with Miss Emma since she was a baby. My heart hurts for my babies because they have lost a dear, loving influence in their lives, and I have lost a friend. I will miss her calling me, telling her how my day went while I was picking up the kids, her taking the kids with her no matter where she was going during the summer. She was an absolutely dear, wonderful woman who was a great friend and ally for me. She wasn't just a babysitter, she was another grandma to my kids. She was their teacher, their friend, their confidant, and she loved them like they were her own.  She and I loved big, gaudy jewelry, and huge purses. We both loved colorful clothes, and I loved how she was never afraid to speak her mind.

Oh my friend, I will miss you. My prayers and thoughts are with your sweet daughters and grandsons, and your husband as they try to navigate their lives without you with them. I know you are happy where you are and know that we will love you always!!

Vacation

Today we are headed back home from visiting some family for a few days. Here's some pics of the trip




























































Follow the way, the truth & the life,

Harmony

School days

Last night we had open house at Landon's school. We had fun!! They had a recording on a QR code of the kids talking about the rainforest, and they had studied China, so they all wrote their name in Chinese. The last pic is of Damon tickling Emma while we were getting ready to go. "Crazy family!!"

A little learning..

A few weeks ago I was blessed to receive a scholarship to SXSWEdu in Austin which is a technology education conference. After attending the conference, I have received a shot of inspiration. I have learned several things. Including that you can walk out of a boring conference that has no relevance to what you need to know, Twitter is an awesome tool for communicating with others, you get out of a conference what you put in. I could go to two sessions and walk away and go shopping. But I pretty much was busy from 9am to 5:30 pm today. There were several sessions that I found myself learning a lot, and some, not so much. I loved the Keynote Speaker of Asenath Andrews.  If you ever have a chance to hear her speak, I sooo recommend it! She had several one liners that inspired me, and you can see on my Twitter feed at @HISD_TECHHD . That is one smart lady.

I have been inspired to do a few things at my own job. I also love Austin. I am a country girl, but Austin holds a special place in my heart. I have gone and ate alone at a couple of restaurants. Which may not be a big deal to some others, but it is to me. I have learned its fine if I'm alone and honestly I'm one of those people that have to have alone time for my sanity.

So I've learned many things these past two days that are relevant to my career, as well as some things that I've done through soul searching while alone. I've missed my family and can't wait till I see them tomorrow, but I've had fun these past few days.