Oh good! It's Friday!

So, the story of my life... I've been busy. The girls have been busy. We've all been busy.

This past weekend, my BFF Cyndi and kids came for a quick visit. I just love her and her family and I'm so glad our kids get along. While she was here, Cyndi and I decided that it would be okay for Elisan and Joey to maintain a long-distance boyfriend/girlfriend relationship when they reach an appropriate age... say 15-16? That way, they will rarely get to see one another and when they do, it will be when we (or they) come for a visit. Yep... we're conspiring against them... I mean, for them. I can totally get on board with a long distance relationship. Less stress at home.

On Wednesday, I chaperoned and carpooled a group of girls to the Alamo in San Antonio for a school field trip. It was Elisan's first trip to the Alamo. If you've never been to the Alamo, let me just say... the Alamo is very tiny.

I mean, the story of the Alamo is HUGE... "Remember the Alamo" and all of that... But, the physical size of the Alamo is teeny. It's almost shocking how small it is. But, once you step through the mission doors and read about all of the lives that were lost, defending our great nation of Texas... well, it is a great reminder that the story of the Alamo is HUGE and is not to be forgotten. I love Texas and I'm so proud to be a Texan.


So, after researching the affects that gluten can have on growth development alone, Randy and I decided it was time to eliminate gluten from Elisan's diet for about 6 months. We're not expecting her to shoot up like a weed in 6 months time,... however, we do want to test to see if there are positive effects from the removal of gluten from her diet. She's TOTALLY on board with it and is excited about the prospect of gluten being the culprit in her lack of growth.

We did warn her that gluten may not be the cause of her delayed growth and she's okay with that too. But, like I mentioned to her... if we can eliminate certain foods from your diet that can maybe help you... then WHY NOT?

Yesterday marked the first full day of gluten free eating. So far so good. I just need to be educated and find a good resource/book on the subject.

We're not going so far as to "cross-contamination" and all of that. We're just going to be more mindful about her options and stick to a gluten free diet as close as possible. Other than the height issue, she is not suffering any other effects - like stomach problems, delayed speech/learning, etc. So, we're just going to "test" it out and see what comes of it.

If anyone knows of any spectacular resources regarding gluten free eating, I'd love to hear about them.

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Quartz Parchment Shears

One our new favorite shows to watch with the kids is "The Regular Show" on Cartoon Network. Now... let me preface this by saying... this is a show geared for OLDER kids... And by that I mean, they use the word "suck" a lot.

A LOT.

But, it's funny and for the most part, we haven't had to shield our kids away from any inappropriate content.

(Sidenote: I've had to shield my kids away from inappropriate language while watching the Biggest Loser lately. What's up with that?)

Anyway, I have to admit, I put up much resistance to the girls watching "The Regular Show" because I just didn't see any real redeeming "take away" messages from it.

(They weren't getting any redeeming "take away" messages from "The A-Team" either, but at least "The Regular Show" is only 7 minutes long vs. 50 minutes long... but I digress.)

That is, until I saw the episode entitled "First Day" and essentially, the two main characters (Mordecai and Rigby) are playing an endless game of "Rock, Paper and Scissors" when one of the fellow characters (Pops, who is a lollipop and is like reallllly old) referred to the game as "Quartz Parchment Shears".

I know, I know... not hilarious stuff... but it was funny and I still laugh about that episode.

So, set your DVR and after you put the kids to bed, take a peek at "The Regular Show". It's really kinda funny.

It's worth the trip!

I entered a blog giveaway two weeks ago and look what I won!(Compliments of Mandy at "Home with Mandy" and Dunkin' Donuts.)

I happened upon Mandy's blog "Home with Mandy" recently doing research on an inexpensive alternative to Le Creuset cast iron cookware. She blogged about H-E-B's new line of cookware called Cocinaware. And would you know it? It IS a beautiful and inexpensive alternative to the more expensive Le Creuset version. So, anyway, I quickly discovered that she's located right here in Austin and she is a foodie! Her website has a lot of unique recipes with a Southwestern flair.

So, pop on over to Mandy's blog and be sure to check out her printable recipe section!

V-day Recap

These three people make me the happiest wife/mother on the planet!

(And yes, that is a phone that Elisan is holding. We figured it was time she had a way to communicate with us in the event she is not with us or if there is an emergency. It's a pay-per-minute BOOST phone. My baby is growing up!)

Kyla had a sweet V-day party at school!
So thankful to be able to attend these special events!

Kyla's teacher, Mrs. Engelbrecht (or Mrs. E), is an amazing woman. She is a strong woman of God. She is also a recent breast cancer survivor, which makes her even more amazing! She is kind and loving and truly loves her students. I'm thankful for her.

We've been celebrating for a couple of days now.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here are a few pictures of us in the midst of celebrating Vday. A good friend of Kyla and Elisan's brought them Valentine donuts to school yesterday so they could have them for breakfast today! As you can tell, they had to sneak a taste yesterday!

Randy sent me roses! Have I told you how blessed I am to be his wife?

And the girls worked diligently on their cards and treats to pass out to friends today. They each designed their own - Elisan a foldover goodie bag tag and Kyla a card. (Such creative little girls!)

Oh, and here's TJ getting his Vday lovin' from the girls.

Reality Check

How's this for a reality check?

I glanced at the "Last Day of School" ticker at the right hand side of my blog just now and today marks:

"3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days
until the Last Day of School"

Huh?  Already?

Oh, and it's 75+ degrees right now on this first day of February.

I kinda like the old "cold in winter" and "hot in summer" season thing.

Wonder why we don't get that here?