Other Happenings this month

Ok, I admit it, I am just a bit partial to the baby and his birthday this month. Well, he and our trip to Disney aren't the only fun things happening at the F-Troop ranch...

Weekend before last, the kids all participated in a Demo at our church festival. This is the second year that they were involved in this, and this year, the pressure was on. Having only about 8 hours of practice to learn the whole Demo and execute it well wasn't enough of a hurdle for these kids. They also had to do all of this on the same weekend as Homecoming! This was Bean's first "dance" and we wanted it to be a special time for her. The rules she had to follow are listed below. But back to the demo... The kids also had the knowledge that another TKD school was going to be there, so their Demo had to be 100% on! I personally would have crawled in a hole to die with that much weighing on me, but not the kids. Nope. They are made of stronger stuff than I!

They pulled off an almost flawless performance. A few board breaks were missed, but even those looked good!!

That night, as I mentioned above, was the homecoming dance at one of the local high schools. Though Bean is home-schooled, she does enjoy the company of some really great girls that attend our public high schools. Bean's Dad and I decided that though we'd truly like to keep her locked in her room until she gets married, we'd go ahead and let her attend the dance with the following rules in mind.
1. Do not speak to any boys.
2. Do not look at any boys.
3. Do not give your number, address, email address, etc. to any boys.
4. Do not let your friends give out your number, address, email address, etc., to any boys.
5. Do not dance with any boys.
6. Stand against the wall and watch your friends dance, but don't even think about it.
7. Have a great time!

Ok, so we are a bit overprotective. Did I ever mention that we are thinking of letting her date...ON HER HONEYMOON??!!

I mean really, how much contact with the opposite sex does a future nun really need??

All kidding aside, Bean had a great time. She even stayed away from the boys and enjoyed dancing the night away with her girlfriends. It was a joy to watch her transform from her Black Belt TKD, kick-bootie self into a beautiful, elegant young lady... that is NOT allowed to talk to boys!! (ok, future priests are allowed to speak to her, if they pass our interrigation)



Did I also mention that there is another homecoming this weekend at the other high school in our town? I don't know if her father and I can take it...

Another highlight this month was this past weekend. Lem and Bean attended a open TKD tournament. This was a first for them as we have only been to our former association's tournaments. I was a bit nervous about letting them go, but figured it would be a great learning experience for them. Their Aunt Mickey Miss and Mr. M picked Bean, Foo, and Lem up early Saturday morning (after a late night of watching a local production of "The Odyssey") and they headed to the tournament. A few hours later, I received a call to let me know that my sweet little Lem had taken First Place in Forms. Shortly after that, Bean called to tell me that she had placed Third in Forms. And a bit after that, Lem called to tell me that she had won First place in Sparring. Foo did not compete this time, but he was wishing he had by the end of the day! As you can see, the trophies are a bit on the tall side. Obviously a mother was not on the trophy planning committee. I mean seriously, where does one keep these things???

We are very proud of the girls and their accomplishments. I only hope they know how much we love them.

How Boo became a Booberry

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We had a great opportunity this past Sunday to celebrate Boo's life and his sweet personality.

With our wonderful extended family and Boo's God Family present, we enjoyed a night of Chili, fritos, cake, and ice cream.

Funny how the more children we have, the less extravagant the parties, yet the more memorable they seem to be...

Here's is a nice pose of Boo and his Godmommy...

Happy Birthday, Boo Part II

Happy Birthday, Boo!

October 17, 2005 Happy Birthday!



First Days at Home, October 2005



Hugs from Biggest Brother Rule! November 2005




Christmas 2005




January 2006
You want to put powder where???





February 2006



I can't believe that just a year ago I was wondering if I could truly manage caring for another little one, as I do right before all of my children are born. Yet, here you are today and I can't imagine my life without you.

The blessings that your life has given to our family are innumerable. Our family would not be what it is today without you!

I love you little Boo, more than anyone ever could...

Children too are a gift from the LORD, the fruit of the womb, a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children born in one's youth.
Blessed are they whose quivers are full. They will never be shamed contending with foes at the gate. Psalm 127:3-5 NAB

Joefishism

On the way back from Disney, we had the opportunity to stop off and see the USS Alabama. It was quite an experience for all of us, though trying to convince a 15 year old girl that she was having fun on the big old battleship was a bit tough at times, we learned much about how these little towns which float on water actually run.

The digital camera was full, so we had to resort to using an old-fashioned disposable camera which has yet to be developed. I hope to get that done soon and post some of our pictures.

The younger kids enjoyed sitting and directing the turrets.

Today Fish came to me with a wonderful Lego creation and informed me that he just made the Bala Ama to fight off the bad guys...

I've missed these wonderful Joe Fishisms!!!

4 New Saints

Pope Benedict XVI has cannonized 4 new saints. For an indepth article on each of them, please visit A Catholic Life: Canonization of Mother Guerin and three others!

Will we remember?

Boo taking his first steps with a "Goofy" puppy?





Cousins CAN be best friends?



The Seniors make us feel so all feel so special?







Dreams really do come true?



Aunts rule? (and Theo does too!)






Hugs will always be this special?


I know I will...

And we're back!

Don't we look like a bunch of tourists?!
We arrived safely home on Sunday evening and it has taken me a few days to get back into the swing of things around here. Disney was fabulous. For some wonderful reviews and great pictures, you can visit Mickey Miss's blog.

I can't recall the last time I felt so relaxed. Last year, at the first Shine event, we had such a wonderful time, but the relaxation factor wasn't very high as I was 36 weeks pregnant and came home to a bit of a panicky situation with Hurricane Rita heading our way.

This year, I enjoyed the true meaning of vacation. Relaxing, no worries, enjoying the company of my wonderful family. What more could anyone possibly want, except more? I suppose that's why vacations are so great... they only happen occasionally and for short periods of time.

I'll post over the next few days some of the events and photos of our trip, but tonight, I wanted to share one of the most meaningful experiences that I had while on vacation.

On Tuesday night, we all had the opportunity to dine at O'Hana's in the Polynesian Resort. 18 of us showed up wearing our SHINE T-Shirts ready to eat and enjoy each other's company.

Towards the end of our evening, the Chef came to visit our table. He inquired as to what exactly "SHINE" meant. I was somewhat stumped. It was one of those moments that one knows something in their heart, but can't quite put it into words. SHINE is one of those things that SHOULD be put into words. So I thought about this long and hard the rest of our trip. My beloved Brother in-law, Deo, stated that in his view, SHINE represented our family's ability/willingness to come together, putting aside any differences that we may have and just loving one another. Beautiful. And how blessed we are to have that opportunity. I don't know many families that would be able to do something that sounds so simple. I don't know many extended families that could or would ever want to spend 8 days together in the same house doing everything they possibly could together without getting into some sort of scuffle about something. How truly grateful I feel to be a part of such a family.

Don't get me wrong. We are far from perfect, but one thing is for sure, we love one another. More than words can say. We are honest with one another, sometimes too honest, but we always love each other. This family is the one I married into, and is the one I have always dreamed to one day be a part of. How blessed am I to be a member of this clan. The term, "in-laws" I find offensive. These folks truly are my brothers and sisters.

Whilst thinking about what SHINE means to me, I had to elaborate a bit on what Deo stated.

What exactly is SHINE?

We put all differences aside and share our love with one another. Why? We do it to glorify God and all of His goodness that is represented by the familial bond. We do this because He asks us to.

As a member of this family, it is important that we find good works to do as a family so that others can see His mercy, kindness, and glory.

We strive to continuously honor and thank Him for all that is good, just, and right.

We SHINE for Him!

For me to have the ability to call these people "my family" is one of my greatest blessings of all.