TRICK-OR-TREAT

'Twilight Zone' Kind of Morning

This morning the alarm went off and it felt like the morning came way too soon. Soowan got up to take a shower and I briefly fell back to sleep. I popped up looked at the clock and it read 6:47 , and I thought to myself... "Micah didn't set his alarm last night." He normally gets up at 6:45. I get up, get Micah up. I try to let Abbie (our dog) out to use the restroom but she didn't need to go, so she stayed inside. I start the coffee, Micah gets himself a bowl of cereal and I turn on the computer to check my emails. The computer comes on and I notice the clock reads 4:57. I start to think there is something wrong with the computer. The coffee pot beeps and I go to the kitchen to get myself a cup of coffee. I look at the clock on the oven and microwave and they both read 4:58. My cell phone is on the kitchen counter... I check it, and it reads 4:58 too.



I go into our bathroom, and Soowan is shaving. I show him the time on my cellphone. He looks at the phone and then back at me in an odd way. He then starts to walk around the house and notices that all the clocks in the house say it is almost 5:00 AM, but our bedroom clock says it is almost 7:00 AM. It took us a while to figure out what was going on, and for a minute there I thought I was trapped in an old black and white episode of the 'Twilight Zone'.



Long story short... Yesterday our power went out for a couple of hours. I had reset all the clocks in the house, except the one in our bedroom. I wont say who set our clock, but I'm sure you might already know who did. ;0)

Micah finished his bowl of cereal and I sent him back to bed. Poor kid never fell back to sleep. Instead he got ready for school and listened to the radio in his room for an hour in a half. I hope he makes it through school, because we let him stay up an hour past his bedtime last night. To top it off he has three tests to take today. YIKES!

Of course I fell back to sleep about 10 minutes before the alarm went off for the second time this morning. Sigh. I hope my little, Miss Amanda will take a nap today, because the past two days she has decided she doesn't need one. FUN! FUN! FUN! I have a feeling this is going to be a looonnnggg day... sigh.

Pumpkin Carving Party

This evening we had some friends over to carve pumpkins. We've been doing this for the past 4 years, and it has been a fun time for both the parents and the kids. The boys always pick out which design they would like to have carved onto their pumpkins, and the Dads get stuck with doing the actual carving. Then the boys go hog-wild crazy in the backyard until it's time to eat. Once they are fed, they return to going hog-wild crazy until it is time to show off their jack-o-lanterns. Us Mom's... We stay inside, eat pumpkin cheesecake and wait to see which one of our kids will sustain the first injury. With 9 boys, someone ALWAYS gets hurt. This year it was my son. Yep! Micah has a nice shiner on his left cheek. Oh well... At least it will go well with his costume for Halloween.

Yes... I'm still here.

It's been a while since I've posted anything on my blog. There is a lot going on currently, with nothing really happening at the same time. I know that makes no sense... but trust me. There are some possible changes that may be occurring for our family soon, but I'm not at liberty to share those changes on a public blog at this time. But when I am able to share, believe me I'll be writing about it.

Currently Soowan and Amanda have a nasty stomach bug and I'm trying really, really hard to keep it away from Micah and myself. I've been in major cleaning mode these past 24 hours. Soowan feels a bit better this morning, but Amanda is still producing some rather nasty diapers for me. Poor girl.

Micah's been doing good in school and all his other extra curricular activities. We have parent teacher conferences next week and report cards come out next Thursday as well. With that said, his homework load has been rather heavy with reports, projects and tons of tests to study for to wrap up the first 9 weeks of school. For those of you who don't know Micah very well, he LOVES this stuff. He's always up to the challenge and doesn't become overwhelmed with it all. He has already learned how to pace himself and get projects done early, so they are not being done the last minute. Obviously he gets his study skills from his Dad, because I was (and still am) the great procrastinator. I barely need to help Micah with his homework anymore. He's always been my independent kid, (heck he more or less potty trained himself) so I'm not too surprised.

This past Saturday Micah's soccer team played a GREAT GAME! They did lose 2-1 but it was an exciting game. They went up against the other undefeated team in their league and boy were they good! The other team took advantage of scoring off of two corner kicks, which is one skill our team could be better at defending and executing themselves. Other than that the kids played an awesome game! We look forward to playing this team again at the end of the season tournament. We did bring our camera, but I forgot to put the media chip back into the camera after getting some prints done last week. OOPS! Oh well!

Amanda is sweet and sassy as ever and it's hard to believe she'll be two years old in 3 weeks! I love the age she is at... So full of wonder and discovery. I love seeing the world through a toddler's eyes. I honestly forgot how much fun it is! Amanda really enjoys music and loves to get her little groove on when she hears a catchy, little tune. TOO CUTE! She has a blast at the toddler music and reading time at our local library, and I love it because it's FREE! ;0)

Like every year, these next few months are already looking full on my calendar. I'm trying no to feel overwhelmed but it is hard when your children's birthdays are a week apart and then the next week is Thanksgiving. Life then gets even more crazy between Thanksgiving and the New Year, as it does with most families. To top it all off if the possible changes I mentioned above do take place, life as I know it will become nothing less than CHAOTIC. I'm trying hard to not put the cart in front of the horse and concentrate on what's happening in the present. Easier said than done, but doing my best to not feel the pressure of the situation.

To clarify, this possible change is a good thing just not an easy/convenient one. But one thing I've learned is that life is NOT convenient, and decisions should NOT be made on the basis of convenience. Sure it's easier to chose the more convenient route, but that's usually not the route God is leading one to.

A Day At the Gardens... Oh! I Meant The State Fair

Here in North Texas most schools have what is called 'Fair Day'! This means there is NO school that day, and the students are given a free ticket to attend the Texas State Fair! I love the fair! The sights, the sounds, the food, the indigestion. Ahh... but so worth it. Our family managed to scarf down nachos, turkey legs, corny dogs, corn on the cob, ice cream, funnel cake and Soowan and I enjoyed ourselves a nice frozen margarita and mojito. They kids didn't have a sip, so don't worry!

Yesterday was also the first day of the fair, and we have decided we will go to the fair on the first day from now on. There is plenty of parking, NO crowds, NO lines (even for the Mouse Trap ride) and people are genuinely happy, which makes the day a lot more enjoyable!

By these pictures you might think we went to the Arboretum or to some garden. That's my fault. Each year we take the kids to the garden exhibits first so I can take pictures of them before they get all sticky from the food and sweaty from walking around in the sun all day. By doing this, the battery on my camera started running low while at the butterfly garden, so I mostly got garden shots. OOPS! But I did manage to get a good shot of 'BIG TEX' on our way in to prove we were at the fair this year. =0)

Fun Times With The Cagle Family

This weekend we were able to spend time with our friends Josh and Amber Cagle, along with their two boys Caleb and Cayden. It's cool how God puts people in your life, and even though the each person goes through several seasons in life, God is the glue that keeps them together.

I have known Amber since my freshman year in high school, way before either one of us became Christians. We were both on dance team together and have many fond (and not so fond) memories of our time in high school. After high school ended we saw one another on occasion while attending College, then we lost touch for a while after our time there over.

Soowan knew Josh from our church in California, Christ Church of the Valley. The two of them lived together at the 'Pink Panther' for a short time while they were in college (before I ever came into the picture). You may be wondering 'What the heck is the Pink Panther?'... Long story short, it was a pink house (and I mean PINK!) in Covina, CA that many college aged guys from our church rented.

A couple of years after I became a Christian, Amber gave her life to the Lord and started attending the same church I went to. Soowan and I noticed that Amber and Josh were getting close, but never said/pushed anything. A few months later, Josh and Amber attended our wedding as a couple!!! During our reception they told us they were dating. What a wonderful wedding present! Knowing that two people, whom both Soowan and I loved and cared for very much, were A COUPLE!!! A year and two months later we attended THEIR wedding!!! =0)

In the past 10 years God has moved in the Cagle's life in a tremendous ways, and it has been awesome to see all that He has done through their family. I know I'm leaving a lot out (like 10 years worth), but I'm excited to say that God has MOVED THEIR FAMILY TO TEXAS!!! YEEEE-HAW!!!! Josh will be starting a plant church in the Austin, TX area. A short, 3 1/2 hour drive from Dallas! If you want to check out their ministry click here... The Round Rock Project

As a couple Josh and Amber SHINE! Are they not only so darn cute together and have two GORGEOUS boys, they SHINE for the Lord in all that they do! I'm not kidding! We've seen it throughout their friendships, marriage, and ministry. They are an amazing couple!

This weekend we were finally able to get together with the Cagle Family since their move to Texas! They drove up to Dallas on Friday and we all went to the Angels vs Rangers game! Both our families are HUGE Angels fans! On Saturday we got up, ate breakfast and were off to Micah's first soccer game of the season! Our team won 2-1, and I will shamelessly brag that Micah scored both goals! That's my boy! =0)

The Cagle's had to get on the road and head back down to Austin shortly after the game, but the boys did have some time to jump around on the trampoline and share lots of giggles. =0)

Thank you Josh, Amber, Caleb and Cayden for an enjoyable time and we look forward to seeing ya'll more often now that you're official Texans. Well, maybe not yet... you need to get rid of those California plates on your car! =0)

Toddler + Puppy = EXHAUSTION

Needless to say life's been busy lately with these two! They keep me on my toes and have many surprises for me everyday. Some days they work together and other days they go solo with their little shenanigans. Either way I'm one tired Mommy!

Meet Abigail!

For a couple of weeks now we've been talking about getting another dog. Without a dog our house felt exactly that, a house. Not a home. Our home has always had a dog or two, a cat or two, and/or a fish or two. We even had a giant millipede as a pet at one time as well. As you can tell we are an animal loving family, and we were ready to add a new fur-baby to our home after the passing of our beloved Jethro a few months ago. :0(

With that said... We have a new family member to introduce you to... Abigail! She is a cute, four month old, German Shepherd/Pointer mix puppy (aka: mutt). We brought her home from the local animal shelter yesterday. Abbie is a sweet puppy, who is already house trained, walks well on a leash and understands a few simple commands. The animal shelter offers puppy training at a reasonably good price, so we will be taking her to obedience training starting next week.

Abbie did really well sleeping in her crate last night with only a few whimpers at first. Soowan took her out around 4:30 AM to let her relieve herself, and she went right back into her crate with no complaints! So far so good! The kids are having a blast with their new puppy, but our two cats are less than thrilled. Oh well... our finicky felines will have to get use to Abbie because she is here to stay!