Family visits are starting so Summer is definitely here!

Ok you know when Summer is here when you start getting calls from family members that will be coming into town. Here in Florida, we are used to having these yearly visits and I don't know about everyone else but I enjoy them (Nirma, if you are reading this post I will definitely be returning your call, just been a bit busy). I have family members flying in from Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico and I am so excited to see them once again.

I come from a very large family and sometimes it's hard to keep up with each other, but thanks to modern technology, emails, cell phones, blogs, etc. etc. we are able to keep communications with each other on a more frequent basis. My grandparents had 11 children together, there are 38 grandchildren, 41 great grandchildren & 2 great-great grandchildren all together. Now talk about a mini tribe! That makes a grand total of 94 of u (including the grandparents). Whew! Now you can see why it is definitely hard for us to keep tabs on each other, but overall we are pretty tight and try to keep up with all that is going on in this large family of ours.

Here are the lovely grandparents that started it all!

Name some things you are thankful for:

It's not thanksgiving but I figured this was a good prompter and we certainly need to be grateful more than once a year.

I'm thankful for several things:

1. My Life
2. My health
3. My Husband (the best thing that ever happened to me)
4. My Kids (The Joy & pride of my life)
5. Gods provision in my life (I can't thank him enough)
6. My Family (what a crazy one too, but I love them all)
7. My Friends (what a great bunch)
8. Scrapbooking (such a wonderful outlet)
9. TLC (The best Scrapbooking Company out there)
10. MY wonderful TLC team! (Certainly couldn't be where I am without you)
11. My Awesome Upline! (Thanks for teaching me and letting me know TLC was right for me)
12. For CKU and my CKU Buddies!

So what can you think of today, that you can be thankful for?

Cars - This Movie was cute and funny!

WOW! We all had a great time watching this movie, and
we laughed hysterically. Besides Lightning McQueen, Mater was by far one of our favorites.

The little town that the movie focused on called Radiator Springs was a special little place and I couldn't agree more with my friend Jan that everyone needs a little bit of Radiator Springs in their life!

I think I'll buy this movie once it comes out on DVD for sure! It's a must have for our Disney Collection!

By the way telling Azriel we were going to see the movie Cars once the haircut was done worked like a charm! :)

Fun Saturday!!

Cars the new Disney Pixar movie is out in Theatres! My little guy is going bonkers over this movie, so Dad and I are taking him today to view this new Disney Pixar film. I am a bit excited about it myself I must say.

First we plan to take him to his favorite hair cuttery place "Cool Cuts 4Kids" not sure if you have one of these in your area but its a "Salon designed with kids in mind". Kids can choose their favorite movies or play the latest Nintendo Game Cube games while they get a haircut! They even have an enclosed play area set up with Thomas the Train for younger children. It's just awesome, because if anyone knows my Azriel he is simply obsessed with playing video games and so he will play and keep himself busy while he gets his hair cut. What a wonderful combination! Getting him to leave is another story, LOL!!! The best part is that because only kids get their hair done in this Salon, their are no bleach or hair dye scents in the environment, keeping Azriel very calm and happy. Children that live with Autism are very sensitive to certain scents and simply can't cope with them, and Hair dye or bleach scents just don't sit well with him. So we are absolutely thrilled that there is a "Cool Cuts 4Kids" near us! Since getting him to leave is such a challenge we try to plan something exciting for after the haircut (amooth transitioning is very important) so today it's "We're going to see the movie Cars", that will definitely work! I will let you know.

It's the Little Things!

Have you ever played hide and go seek with a 4 yr. old? I tell you they have a way of making you forget the aches, the pains, the fact that your body is indeed getting older. Playing hide and go seek was the call of the day and oh boy did I have fun, especially in our new house since there are so many places to hide now.

As I was hiding from my son, and waiting for him to find me I can hear his little feet running on the carpet from room to room and at times I heard his giggles and excitement of thinking he had found me. (Incredible that with all his challenges in life he still has the ability to understand this simple concept of HIDE & GO SEEK!) I couldn't help but laugh all by myself and at one point I laughed so hard that a giggle noise popped out and I gave away my location, but I just loved playing the game and going back into time sort of speak! It really is a different place in my motherhood experience and one that I intend to enjoy to the fullest!

Being the mom of a 4 yr. old, 15 yr. old, and 18 yr.old bring many happy & special moments but it really is the little things that matter and that you will cherish the most!

Letting our birds fly

Well today my first born son Luis (18 yrs. old) went off to New Jersey for a months vacation. He has been telling me about his plans for some time now, so I did have a chance to get "somewhat" prepared for this. His main purpose for this trip is to visit his girlfriend which lives out in New York and is very soon moving out to P.R. He also has family out in New Jersey and New York that he will be spending time with, and we are very happy about that.

However, as a parent you always feel uncertain that they are ready to fly on their two wings. As a mother you feel the need to shelter them from the worlds dangers and protect them from any harm. Children do grow and before you know it they are chasing their own dreams, pursuing their own goals and creating their own future. It's not easy to accept that I have learned.

My experience so far as a mother of a teenager growing into adulthood has not been a bad one, I certainly have nothing to complain about. He is a great son, a wonderful brother and an excellent friend to his peers. He has done very well in school and graduated from H.S. with a 3.5 GPA. He has certainly made us PROUD to be his parents.

I had a hard time accepting his purpose for the trip, but quietly have prayed that it all works out for good in the end. There are just some things that we must let them learn on their own, and live out in their lives. I too was young once and remember how bold, and persistent and determined I was, and nothing anyone could say would change my outlook on MY LIFE. Not easy for us to stand back as parents and see it all play out, without interfering, is it? There are really just some things you can't change or stop your children from doing. We must teach them how to fly and when the time comes we have to just stand back and allow them to spread those wings and let them fly.