A Spontaneous Road Trip

Our family photo op, taken in Kemah this afternoon.

You should overlook my hair poking out to the side - it was rather windy on the bay :)

This would be Morgann, waiting excitedly in line with me to purchase tickets for the ferris wheel - one that we ride with each visit to Kemah. We make the hour and a half drive at least twice a spring/summer, but this is about the only thing she ever remembers about this place!

Here you can see the men of my house looking at the 'scary beast'; they are all too scared to ride the ferris wheel with Morgann & I! Actually, 2 of them are too scared; one cannot go in circles without getting really sick! You can decide who is who :)

This would be Morgann & I, fearlessly riding the ferris wheel and enjoying the sights from above!

This is a pic of the kiddos entering the spray ground! They were all a little timid at first...

...but as you can see, that didn't last long. This was a lucky pic taken at the exact moment water shot out of the ground, right up Alex's shorts...

The kids found a puddle off to the side to splash around in for a while, but then...

...decided they were a bit chilly (even though it was 80 degrees today)! This is my giant goose-bump, Alex :)

We had a wonderful day! Hope your Sunday was just a wonderful...

But, I don't want to die, daddy!

This is an excerpt of a conversation that my husband Michael had with our daughter Morgann on Easter Sunday night, as he was putting her to bed:

Michael: Morgann, you know Jesus loves you right? It's Easter Sunday so this is the day He rose from the dead to forgive us for our sins.

Morgann: Mostly blank look on her face.

Michael: Jesus loves you Morgann and wants to live in your heart. Did you know that?

Morgann: Again, mostly blank look on her face. But she sort of seems to nod her head like she might understand what I'm saying.

Michael: Jesus wants to live in your heart and all you have to do is ask Him. Do you want to ask Him to live in your heart?

Morgann: Ummmm......

Michael: If Jesus lives in your heart, that means you can go to heaven.

Morgann: You mean like Mommy's friend and Mommy's mommy went to heaven?

Michael: Yes, just like that. They went to heaven because they had Jesus living in their heart.

Morgann: Ok

Michael: Do you want to go to heaven?

Morgann: Um, no.

Michael: What!?!? What do you mean no?? Of course you want to go to heaven silly girl!!

Morgann: No I don't.

Michael: I don't mean you have to go to heaven right now. I meant you can go to heaven when you die. (Thinking in my head the second I spoke that's just how it must sound to a 4 year old).

Morgann: But I don't want to die daddy! (Getting a bit teary by this point)

Michael: I don't mean you'll die right now... (uh... how do I get out of this one???) I mean when you die like 100 years from now.

Morgann: But I don't want to die.

Michael: I know silly girl and you're not going to die right now. I mean you'll die in 100 years... ok, never mind. Forget about that. You do want to go to heaven though right?

Morgann: No

Michael: Not right now, later. You want to go to heaven later don't you? I mean, you DO want to go to heaven later. I'm now telling you that you want to go to heaven later OK.

Morgann: But I don't want to go to heaven now.

Me: OK... go to sleep. I'm tired. We'll try this again in about 3 years.

Only in Texas...

This pic was received via email and was not taken by anyone I know - I don't think! Anyway, this was the strangest Easter I can ever remember - temps in the 30's & 40's with snow falling in areas all around us!

For those that don't know, the bluebonnet is our state flower and only blooms for a short time at the beginning of spring. If you have kids, it is a must that you drive to a field to get the coveted 'kids sitting in the middle of the bluebonnets' picture each year! I wish I knew where this was taken because I'd be making the drive! Take a look at that tree - I think it's just one anyway. It appears to be a huge Oak tree, and it's not unusual to find them like this in areas that are open and un-touched - or at universities around the state where they have been preserved!

Happy Resurrection Day!

Totally Clueless!

I'm at my wit's end with my youngest and am at a total loss with how to 'handle' him anymore! His tirades and fits are beyond my ability to control. Spankings don't do anything except make him angrier; time-outs simply give him a chance to throw a bigger tantrum behind closed doors - apparently it doesn't matter to him whether or not he has an audience. I cannot reason with this child no matter how calmly I speak, how much I whisper into his ear, and no matter how loud I yell. He's not fazed in the slightest by my demands or pleas.

Does that mean he's won?!? Is it possible for a 2 1/2 year old to out-wit a 34 year old? Can it be that he really does rule the roost? Does that mean that I'm about as lousy a parent as I feel most of the time????

Someone please tell me that even though he's winning right now, I can somehow win the war! I have, after all, raised two other fairly well-behaved kiddos with absolutely no tendencies to aggression or anger. Why did this have to happen with the last one? I should be a pro by now, right?

He's such a sweet kid when around other people. It's just around me & daddy that his temper flairs. He's aggressive and demonstrative. He makes his distaste for our rules very known. He's stubborn and won't take NO for an answer, no matter what. He's determined to get his way...at all costs.

And now? He's taken to skipping his nap...

Can I get a do-over????