10 years later...

I taped this huge sign to my mom's garage real late the night before Deven graduated.

Most of you know I am the oldest of 4. We are all 5 years apart. The order goes Me, Dane, Deven & Haylee. These next series of pictures are from my little brother Deven's high school Graduation. He graduated from Bowie High School, just like I did. He graduated EXACTLY 10 years after me. My Mom figured out years and years back, that the years that we all were going to Graduate and we have always thought it was pretty cool. Me {1999}, Dane {2003}, Deven {2009} and Haylee will be {2013}. See the pattern...isn't that cool!! It goes even further than that... Deven and I were both born on Wednesday's and Haylee & Dane both on Tuesday's. My mom claims that Deven & I are alike and that Dane & Haylee are alike. Isn't that so weird?!?! Well I have always thought so...

Anyway, I'm very proud of my little brother. He will be going to college in the fall, and my parents bought him a car. I can't believe how old he has gotten. Little devi doo is all grown up now...

Congratulations Deven!

The Graduate

Devi Doo & Haylee Bug

Deven & Mom

and another

aka... Southside Legends

The Cousins

The Dad with the sons (yeah, my dad always has that "deer in headlight" look on his face in pictures..HA HA!)

Leaving the Erwin Center

Here is a pic of Deven & I in 2002, we were in Destin, FL.

Carlos turned 35!

For Carlos' 35th birthday he got to have his very FIRST birthday party!! His Aunt, Uncle and Cousins & I all did our parts to make it a special day for him. I think he had a lot of fun! It was all family and we had the party in San Antonio. There was a moonwalk, pinata, slide show, DJ, games with awesome prizes, bbq catered & 2 cakes! Here are a few of the pics from that night! 

matthew & carlos dancing

matthew headed into the moonwalk

Mel & Shannon got Carlos this awesome mask & realistic light saber

the yoda pinata his mom got in mexico

the birthday boy with the pinata

a game that mel & shannon made

mel & shannon had this paddle painted for carlos

the banner I made

rosemary, eddie & i hung stars and old star wars pics that I cut out.

the r2d2 cake i made

the r2d2 cake and a cupcake cake in the background that mel & shannon bought along with candy in a star wars bowl

the 35 sucks tin I made

We had to say good bye to Carlos' Escape

So after we were first told that it was being fixed, we got the call saying it was being deemed a total loss! Now this was devastating news, not only because we really liked that car but because we had just bought it for him 2 months before the accident!!! We had a rental car the whole time we thought it was going to be fixed but once it was deemed a loss we had to return the rental. They told us that once they started to take the car apart that they found so much more damage. When we went to retrieve our personal items we got to take a look at the damage that they found. It wasn't good! So, just like that we were back to a one car family. No fun! After a week though Carlos found something that sparked his interest. Needless to say 3 days later it was his! We bought him a 2004 Jeep Cherokee! We are all enjoying it, but we do miss the escape. Carlos and I thought it was really neat that we had a his and hers Escape. An old and new model. We tried to find him another one but we just couldn't find one that was up to par with our standards.

Here is a pic of his new Jeep Grand Cherokee.

so i am a little (or maybe a lot) behind...

We were in that car accident the beginning of May and our life has been so hectic ever since. That was a really scary/ crappy end to the day. Most of you know the story, but I will touch on it a tad. Basically, I was able to get home a few minutes early from work that day just in time to meet Carlos & Matthew before they left for baseball practice. As the 3 of us walked out of the house I said to Carlos "we are going in my car right?" He said "no all the gear is already in my car and we don't have time to move it." Well, it is very rare that we all go in Carlos' car if we are all together. We were expecting to go in 2 cars because normally I wouldn't be home in time to ride with them. So we all piled in Carlos' car and headed toward dick nichols park for practice. We got on to Davis Lane and were stopped at the stoplight. We were at the very top of the hill and carlos & I were just chit chatting about our days. He was looking at his ipod to change the song and I was looking down at my phone when all of the sudden BANG! we didn't even know what had happened. We had been hit full force from the back, shoved into the car in front of us and then pushed off the road, just barely missing a tree head on. Carlos and I both immediately whipped around to check on Matthew. He wasn't hurt thank god, just VERY scared. Carlos got him out of the car and was comforting him. I was shaking so bad I didn't know what to do next. Carlos told me to call the police and I did, with in seconds a cop was at the scene and once he saw the accident he called the EMS. I was the only one seen by EMS because my big toe was bleeding, it was cut in 2 directions and I lost half of the nail. (It was nasty.) They told me that I probably needed stitches but that if I didn't get them I would be fine. Well anyone that knows me knows I have seizures when a needle is headed my way so I opted no for the stitches. However, now I think it might have been a better idea. My damn toe bleed for weeks because the cut wouldn't stay closed.  It is a lot better now, my nail is growing and the cut has completely shut. After the police finished with us Carlos said his leg was hurting and when I looked down it looked as though it was filling with blood. So my Mom & Dad (who Carlos had called and showed up right away) took Matthew home with them and I took Carlos to minor emergency. He had a hematoma. For the next few weeks he had some awful bruising! 

Here are some pics of the car and carlos' bruises. I won't show you my toe because it was pretty nasty looking. I only posted 2 of each. I mean I have a ton of both but you get the picture. I also forgot to mention that we were hit so hard that carlos and my seat broke! Completely broke, I included a picture of that. 

Madee's 7th Birthday

This is a picture just 2 weeks before she was taken from me...

Today is my baby girls 7th Birthday. It's so hard to believe that it has been 7 years since I was in the hospital holding my Madee. I think about her every single day, and I miss her more than anything. I wonder all the time what who she'd be today. I have thought all week long about what kind of birthday party she would have wanted this year. I have watched the Hannah Montana movie previews over and over and thought how I should have a seven year old little girl begging me to take her to see that movie....

I love you Madee... Happy Birthday...love Mommee

What I wouldn't give

To have you in my arms again,

Breathe your scent

And snuggle close to you.

I want to watch you sleep,

See your chest rise and fall

In peaceful slumber.

Let me lay my hand 

Over your heart,

So I can

Feel it beating 

Beneath my touch.

I want to be 

Lulled to sleep

By its rhythm. 

Easter

We had easter lunch at our house this year. Carlos made brisket, sausage & ribs. We all ate then had three different kinds of cake for my Mom & Amber's birthday. My Mom's birthday was the next day and Amber's the day after that. Then we went and hunted eggs at the park we always go to. We had lots of fun as usual. Everyone left with confetti all over them except my granny. No one would dare smash one on her...lol. Anyway, here are some of the pictures...

Oh and the quote from the day was from Aiden as he opened the eggs Granny gave him (some had candy & some had money) "Candy & Cash"....well I guess you had to be there to hear how he said it, because it was hilarious. :)

I got this in an email...I thought it was some good advise...

The highlighted ones are the ones I should practice.

An Angel says, 'Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.'

1. Pray

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and unclutter your life.

7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)

8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.

16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.

17. Get enough rest.

18. Eat right.

19. Get organized so everything has its place.

20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.

21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.

22. Every day, find time to be alone.

23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.

24. Make friends with Godly people.

25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.

26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good 'Thank you Jesus .'

27. Laugh.

28. Laugh some more!

29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.

30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).

31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

32. Sit on your ego.

33. Talk less; listen more.

34. Slow down.

35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.

Easter treat for Matthew's Teachers

Matthew's class had an Easter egg hunt on Thursday. I made these carrots and filled them with candy for his teachers. :)

Yum!

So a couple weeks ago Carlos suprised me with a new set of three mixing bowls! The one in the picture is the medium size one. When you turn them over they look like ladybugs! I was so excited when I saw how cute they were! However I just washed them and put them away, until last night. Of course the first thing I made in them needed to be for him, since he got them for me and all! So when he got home I was in the process of making him brownies...but not just any old brownie. Brownies I saw on another blog! Brownies with cookies inside! All I have to say is...omg...mmmmm...

Here is a pic of the brownies...they kinda look well done but they aren't they are really moist!

Birthday Gifts!

Last week was Kendall's 1st birthday (Kendall is my friend Lisa's little girl.) I made her a few things here are some pictures of the items.

Handpainted canvas banner

Clippee or Bow holder

Placemat

Sippy Cup

Birthday Party Hat

Here are the pics of the birthday girl...

and matthew...

Yep he broke out in hives and we had to leave as soon as cake was done. We don't know what it was from, we think maybe it was from the cat they had...but we don't know for sure what it was. By the time we got home both of his eyes were bloodshot and he had hives in his throat. Yikes! I followed him around the house with his epi pen and wouldn't let him fall asleep for a little while. The 2 benedryl finally started helping and by morning he was fine. 

Last year for Mother's Day...

I made these cupcake pops last year for Mother's day for my mom. I didn't realize until earlier this week that I didn't have a blog then and I didn't share the pictures with many peeps. Laura is the one who sent me the recipe and we both made them for mother's day. We both thought they looked fairly easy and cute as can be...well we were texting and calling each other through out the process. NOT as easy as they look! We aren't sure that it was exactly fun..but the end result was very cute and they tasted wonderful! We spent hours on them so dang it they better have tasted good!
Once I had them all made I was trying to think of what I could put them in to give them to my mom and I looked over and saw the frosting tub in the sink! I washed it out covered it with some cute paper and voila! My mom loved them...my sister's face lit up when she saw them! It's been almost a year and talking about them makes me want to try them again...but I have to make sure I have a few hours set aside for them...maybe I will make them boyish and make them for matthew's baseball team when it's my turn to bring snacks!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Carlos gave me a festive tattoo for today and I decided to do it Brittany style on my wrist...I have to say I kinda like it there! Anyway, hope everyone has a green day!

My Etsy Store

Well I finally got some items added to my etsy store, so I thought I'd share the link...

www.holleeshobbees.etsy.com

Check back soon I will be adding more!

Annual Kite Fest!

I have taken Matthew to the Annual Kite Festival every year since he could walk. Carlos hasn't been able to come since the very first year, so this was exciting. We made it there around 3 and the parking was awful! I haven't ever had to park on the side of mopac like we did today, nut we didn't let it get us down. We hiked our way to the crowd. Once we were in the middle of everyone Matthew was so excited he could barely stand waiting for us to set up our stuff. It was nice having Carlos to carry all the heavy stuff this year. :) We got the kites out and went to flying or attempting to anyway. The wind was up and down. When we had a gust of wind we got the kites in the air as high as we could before it died down. Matthew had the best time a few times he laughed so hard he fell to the ground. He took a break once and sat in the chair just smiling from ear to ear as he watched all the different kites in the air. Carlos and Matthew even played catch for a little while. This is definitely one of our favorite family events.

Our kite, with a sea of others in the background.