duckin' and divin' and still livin'

Well hellllllooooo lil neglected blog o mine!  Oh, how I have missed you!?! 

There have been many happenings going on since I last touched base.  Life continues to throw blows my way, so I just keep duckin' and divin'.....and of course, I keep on jivin'!  hehe.

Sit back, relax and grab a cup o da good stuff.  I am playing catch up on my life via pictures.

Granted.  Lots of stuff happened between each of the next few pictures, but these are the highlights.

{Annual Bluebonnet Picture ~ 2013}

 

{like mentioned above, lots of silly stuff in between!}

 

What stands out the most is how quickly my baby is turning into a little girl.  A very sweet, lovable, and funny little girl.  Life is a continuous beautiful cycle...though not always easy to understand.  She helps me stay focused on the positive, not feed into the negative.

 

Speaking of this continuous beautiful cycle of life...I recently met my most precious nephew, Brylan.

 

{nothing beats a newborn's feet}



 

And my spunky niece is thrilled to be a big sister now.  Something Layla still keeps asking to be...

{silly and smart!! she's got it all.}

 

As most of you know, Texas gets hot quick, we rarely have a "winter."  So we have already found the time to sneak in a beach visit and say a friendly hello to the Galveston Pleasure Pier, which is ahhh-ma-zing!  Love it, ready to go back. 

 

 

 

{Mother's Day 2013 ~ both decked out in Matilda Jane}

 

And if the proof isn't in the pudding, aka my pictures, to prove how fast Layla is growing up....I present to you....

 

 

Layla ~ the Kindergarten Graduate

 

Yeah, crazy!!!!  I have a first grader on my hands. 

 

I hope you all have a wonderful beginning to your summer.  I am planning to be 'round more often.  So, stop on by.

 

A child educated only at school is an uneducated child. 

 

~ George Santayana

Meli Monday - update on my pops

Instead of my normal, semi-not-regular Manic Monday posts, I decided to do a Meli Monday post to update on my daddy.

{via}

His surgery was postponed last month because he developed kidney stones and an infection that he had to get rid of prior to surgery.  He passed the kidney stones, which are mind numbing-ly painful. He just finished up his antibiotics.  Tomorrow is surgery day. 

I really wanted to be with my mom while he was in surgery but I took off two days last month to be with them only for the surgery to get cancelled last minute.  And now....here I sit at work.  Work being insanely insane.  I cannot be with her...

...and that is killing me. 

{via}

Comfort.  Comfort for me, holding her hand.  Comfort for her.  Holding my hand.  Why is life so tough?  I know I will beat myself on a regular basis for not being there.....

{via}

Can you spare a prayer?  Good thoughts?  Light and love?  

This Manic Monday calls for a Meli Monday

Here I am.  Just another Manic Monday.  Ohhhh ohhh....I wish it were Sunday.  'Cause that's my funday.  {had to.}

So anyway....I don't come 'round these here parts very often anymore.  In case you noticed.  In case anyone is still reading.  {hello?  anyone...}

While I still have a whole lot going on...I don't have much free time.  Here's a picture breakdown for you...because pictures speak a thousand words {or so they say} and I just can't find the time.  {This Meli Monday is brought to you via GiGi's suggestion.}

{first there was this.  Layla turned 5!}

So this Five-Year-Old Family celebrated the best way we knew how.  And now are damn near broke because of the extravagance.  Worth it?  You betcha!

{momma and her girl}

{THE five year old!}

{daddy and his girl}

And then came this...

Yes, that is my car.  With a very broken driver side window.  Thank you asshat.  Some people suck.  Real bad-like. 

But not enough to keep us from taking our girl to see The Lion King Off Broadway. 

{She loved it.}

{And so did we.}

She is rocking at gymnastics...and we will soon have to find her a new gym to train and continue learning.  Sad about this one...

And I can't recall...did I mention she is F.I.V.E. now!?!

Oh I did!?!  Isn't she special?

I think so!  And I can't believe she is five freakin' years old already...I wish she would just STOP!  {ha!  get it?}

But I know she won't.  And she also won't stop loving ladybugs and acorns any.time.soon!

Oh so true....we register her for Kindergarten tomorrow!

Momma is soooo not ready for all this!

Manic Monday - 07.09.12

If some people didn't tell you,

you'd never know they'd been away on a vacation.

~ Kin Hubbard

for all the mommas and those like em....

While I started typing up this post on Thursday before Mother's Day, it just never received that "publish" botton.  I hope you all had a glorious weekend full of love, hugs, kisses and more.

Now I want to share this with you....The Love of a Mother Poem...

A Mother's love is something

that no on can explain,

It is made of deep devotion

and of sacrifice and pain


{via}

It is endless and unselfish

and enduring come what may

For nothing can destroy it

or take that love away


{via}

It is patient and forgiving

when all others are forsaking,

And it never fails or falters

even though the heart is breaking


{via}

It believes beyond believing

when the world around condemns,

And it glows with all the beauty

of the rarest, brightest gems


{via}

It is far beyond defining,

it defies all explanation,

And it still remains a secret

like the mysteries of creation

A many splendor miracle

man cannot understand

And another wondrous evidence

of God's tender guiding hand.

{via}

Manic Monday - 05.14.12

Well, me don't swim too tough

so me don't go in the water too deep.

~ Bob Marley

*She took her 1st swim of the season yeaterday.

our Easter...

...consisted of family, friends, eggs, dye, the Easter Bunny and such. 

Saturday we headed out to The Dominion to snap some pics with the uber cool Easter Bunny.  This was the first year Layla has not been completely freaked out by him...so I'd say that was a winning day!

Of course, my niece, Paige, was the reason she went up to him in the first place...

Did you notice something about the above picture? 

If you said Paige's bangs, then you win the Golden Egg!!!  Say hello to 3/4" of bangs ala Paige, herself.

{nice tat, huh?}

Layla has some leftover face paint to go with that tat!

{we keep it classy!}

Moving on....to dye!

Speaking of...Layla recently asked me to dye her hair!!!!!  WTH!?!  Um, hell to the no.  Back to the dyed eggs.

And Miss Paige's lovely eggs...they had a blast and every single one of their eggs HAD to be glittered!  But of course...

And then on Easter Sunday, Layla showed this face x hundred because of all the special treats the Easter Bunny, and mommy and daddy, and MiMi and Popo and NaNa and PaPa present to her!  This has, by far, been the mmost fun year of celebrations yet!!!  She was so into it....and thus, so were we!!!! 

Happy Easter baby girl....we love you so!

At the end of Easter Sunday, my friend, Juny - and all of the other loved ones that have passed on...gave me a beautiful display of sun rays to let me know they are still with us...smiling down on us always!  Thank you for that....I treasure those moments.

Peace be with you all. 

MY sunshine!!!!

Everytime I am feeling glum and yearn for a lil more shine in my life.....I just have to think of my baby!  Layla, you are MY sunshine!  And when I sing this song, I think of YOU!  And I immediately smile.  Thank you for that, baby girl.  I don't know if you will ever understand how important you are to me...I love you. 

YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE

MY ONLY SUNSHINE

YOU MAKE ME HAPPY

WHEN SKIES ARE GRAY

YOU'LL NEVER KNOW DEAR

HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU

SO PLEASE DON'T TAKE MY SUNSHINE AWAY!!!