A Storm Is Brewing

Picture this. It's 2:05PM, you're driving down the highway on your way home from a hard day at work and suddenly there's an interruption on the radio channel you're listening to. The topic of conversation...a TORNADO headed straight for your area.

Yes, my friends, this happened to me last week. I was on my way home, at 75 and Mockingbird in Dallas. The sun was shining and it was hot. Suddenly there's a Public Service Announcement regarding a tornado warning heading straight for Waxahachie. I ,like any other calm, collected person, panic. I pick up the phone and call my husband, who's at home with our daughter. He answers and sounds as if all is right with the world. I inform him of my findings and we hang up. It's now 2:15pm and the tornado is due at 2:45. I am 35-40 minutes away. Please keep in mind, our precious Ethan and Corbin get released from school at 2:50...right when the tornado is due to strike. I am hauling booty down the highway, trying everything I can to get my boys and home before 2:45.

Ya see, Corbin hates thunderstorms. It will thunder and lightening and he asks if a tornado is coming, all the while trying to hold back tears. Now, this time, a tornado IS coming and he and big brother are AT SCHOOL, not with mommy and daddy. My heart was breaking. How scared they must be.

I get a call from my darling husband asking me where I am. He also notifies me that he is outside and that it looks WICKED. NOT what you want to hear.

I drive faster and faster. I get on 35 with just a bit of sprinkles. It's now 2:35. I have 10 minutes. I have no idea what the heck happened but as soon as I hit Red Oak Rd the flood/hail gates opened. I was terrified. Never in my life have I driven through rain that hard. Much less hail. Much less knowing I have mere minutes to get home. The people on the road were moving at snails pace. Probably a smart thing considering the circumstances. Not me, my adrenalin was pumping and I didn't care. I needed to get home. As I exit the highway, it's 2:42pm. I have 3 minutes. It's raining so hard now that trying to get the boys from school is impossible. I get home, run in and thank God I made it. Looking back, I'm really not sure how I got home. Just know I did. That gratefulness was immediately halted when I realize my boys still aren't here and the tornado is due to strike NOW.

Our stinking' satellite isn't working, so I have to get Tots radio to hear the news alerts. I was in tears. Heartbroken. Scared to death.

The boys are due to get out at 2:50 but with the weather like it was, we(Matt)decided the safest place for them was at school as the structure is better. Not safe in the car at all. I am still terrified.

We get a call on our phones at 3pm(WISD has alerts sent anytime something important needs to be passed along), 10 minutes after the boys are due out. The little ladies voice on the other end of the line lets us know that due to the gravity of the situation, the school has been put in LOCKDOWN. No one going in and most definitely no one coming out. They will call again when the kids are released. I start to cry even harder at this point. I am a basket case. I call my mom hysterical and ask her to pray.

2:45 comes and goes and the tornado either went around us or above us. We weren't touched. No signs of anything other than rain, hail and heavy winds. We were spared.

We get the call at 3:45, almost an hour after the boys were due home. They have been in the hallways of the school, on their knees, hands over heads and on lockdown for over an hour. How scared they must be.

Matt gets the boys and heads home. By this time, I'm talking to my brother on the phone who lives in CT. The front door opens and there stands my 2 perfect boys. I tell my brother I will call him back...I think, I have just hung up. I grab them both, hug them, and start to cry again. I ask Corbin(the one I was sure was horrified) if he was scared. He simply looks at me and says "No mamma, I didn't even know there was a tornado." He turned and walked off to play. I then ask Ethan if he was scared. He looks at me and says "No, I was scared for ya'll...and uncle Brian and Nikki." I laughed, he smiled and was off to join his brother. Ya see, the funny thing with him being scared for Brian and Nikki is the fact that they live in CT, 3000 miles away and safe from the tornado. He didn't know I had been talking to him as he walked thru the door. His sweet little soul was just thinking of them.

So, after almost 2 HOURS or hell, tears and panic, our boys were home, safe and sound...right where they belong. And for that, my friends, I am thankful:-)

Again, I say, hug and kiss your kids as much as you can and cherish EVERY moment. Even the stressful ones. They could be gone all too soon.

I love them boys...they bring us all so much joy. WE ARE BLESSED!!!

A Defining Moment As A Parent

Let me just start with this.


As crazy as it may sound, I find myself questioning my parenting skills on a daily basis. How will the decisions I make today affect my children tomorrow? Am I doing the right thing? Do I show them enough how much I love them? Do they know how proud I am of them? These and many, many more overtake my mind...all the time.

Well, my precious Corbin. What can I say about this little gem of a son? Besides being the cutest blonde haired, blue-eyed little man, he has a heart of gold. He is always asking what he can do around the house to help. Unloading the dishwasher, folding laundry, vacuuming, cleaning the bathrooms and on and on. I must add that after(sometimes before) these "helpful moments", he will ask "Are you gonna pay me mamma?" Yes, he is definitely my child.


I stayed home from work on Monday. The boys are early birds and are awake before the roosters crow. As I walk out to get them ready for school, I turn the corner and see both my precious boys in the dining room floor, fully clothed-shoes and all-getting their backpacks ready for their day. All the while, just as happy as can be and chatting it up as only brothers can.

Here comes my defining moment. I ask them if they are ready and did they have breakfast, Corbin replies with "I made our lunches mamma." No joke, PB and J sandwiches, chips, a snack and a drink, all out-fitted with the proper ice packs. I noticed grape jelly drippings on the counter but was too taken back by the fact that my 7 yr old made lunch, all on his own for him and his brother, that I simply wiped up the jelly and we were off to school.


In the moment of jelly-wiping, tears in my eyes, I then realized, "Yes Amy, you ARE doing a good job as a parent and the decisions you DO make are noticed by your kids." I thank God each and everyday for my babies and chance to mother them. I have been given 3 perfect little gifts that I sometimes take for granted. Something as simple as lunch-making opened my eyes to see the positive affects of my mothering. There's nothing better than that and I couldn't ask for anything more.

Family Vacay

For Spring Break this year, we took a well needed and well deserved to trip to Houston, Galveston and the best of all Kemah. We had a blast. I wish all our days as a family could be so great. Talking, laughing, playing, running, biking...just quality family time.

Fun at the Kemah Boardwalk...



The kids loved this playground...it was really neat.



Me and the kids were flyin' high.


All 3 wishin' for a better world.




Daddy and Tot takin' a ride on the Dolphin.


The craziness that may be...Ethan and I rode this roller coaster, the Boardwalk Bullet. Now, this wasn't quite as big as the Texas Giant, but it was most definitely twice the speed. Had I know how fast in insane this ride was, I would not have gotten on, much less put my precious Ethan on it. Lets' just say i was clenching my sunglasses so tight, I had to buy a new pair when we returned safely to the ground. Ethan was such a trooper, as he always is...he lives for adventure.



Chillaxin' on the train.


The Battleship Texas.



The Houston Space Center...Pray for those in space now.




Fun on the beach...Galveston Island



It was an amazing trip and the best is yet to come...we are so blessed:-)

The Most Unbreakable Bond

I have to admit it... I under estimated the bond between a mommy and a daughter. I always knew the bond was strong between my mom and I, but being on the "mommy" side of it is something stronger than I could have ever imagined.

Don't get me wrong, I love my boys, my husband, my parents, my brother and my niece more than anything but Taya is the single best thing that has ever happened to me. She makes me want to be better. Better at everything. I guess it's because I want to show her how to be the best little girl, lady and woman she can be. Our moments spent together are so precious. I long for the weekends so we can nap together on Saturday and Sunday. We sing together, she rubs me, I rub her...and she tells me "Momma, hold you". So she turns her back to me, I hold her close and we dream off peacefully...together.



The older she gets, the better it gets. We now go get pedicures together, shop together, and just enjoy being together no matter what it is we may be doing, whether it be simple or full of energy. It has gotten to the point that now anytime she and I leave the house alone together, she asks me, "We go paint toes" which means "Are we going to get pedicures?" Anytime we go to Target she says "Get Choc-it" which means "I want a Caramel Frapaccino".

Taya is a sweet spirited little thing. If she is sad because something has upset her, she says "I sad" and if she is scared because someone is being loud, she says "I scared", but the best has to be when something makes her happy, she says "Oh, Make-a me so haaapy". We now spend our time trying to do and say stuff that will prompt her to say this. Sooo, I devised a plan. Now instead of her saying it, I say to her "Taya, you make-a mommy so happy". This is followed by her saying "Aww, yeah" accompanied by this face"



I love her more than all the stars in the sky and with her, I have the most fun. I can't wait to watch her grow and become a beautiful young lady. At the same time it makes me so sad. I cherish every moment and every memory with her. We have the most unbreakable bond and I love her so very much.

The Love of a Daddy

Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a daddy. That's exactly what my brother, Brian, is. An Awesome daddy.

How many single dads do you know that would drop everything, load up a Uhaul...clothes, furniture, personal belongs and all, quit their job and move half way across country to be near their child. Brian did just that...for Nikki. He did this all the while knowing that the road ahead is going to be the most steep, curving, un-nerving, torturous one he has traveled yet. There are a couple people and a few key factors that play into the unsettling road yet traveled. It's gonna be a fight to the finish and a battle of the courts. I know that CT is a temporary home and he will be back, but it seems so far away. In the words of Carrie Underwood-"This is our temporary home, it's not where we belong, These windows and rooms that we're passing through, this is just a stop on the way to where we're going, I'm not afraid because I know, this is our temporary home."
I always knew that the bond between siblings was great, whether it be brothers, sisters or a brother and a sister. I see it everyday in the lives of my children, however, I never experienced it first hand like I did Friday night when I had to say goodbye to my brother while loading up his things. It was honestly one of the hardest things I have ever done. I didn't want to do this and I didn't think I could. Here I was in tears and my brother, being the one leaving everything he knows behind, was so strong. Not sure if that's because the rest of the family was falling apart and he was trying to keep it together or because he is so determined to get his daughter back. Whatever it was, he was strong. As we left, I hear my daughter in the back seat say "Corbin kying, Corbin kying", Ethan then turned and said "Corbin is crying". I asked what was wrong and between breaths he says " I'm gonna miss Uncle Brian", so then I start to cry even more. Then, this morning as I tell Taya we are leaving she says "we go see mema, pepa, Biiian" which brought tears to my eyes yet again. Their uncle has brought them so much joy and so much love, I can hardly imagine the love his daughter feels for him.
We have always been close but I didn't realize how close until he left. We talk every once in awhile and see each other a couple times a month but I now see I wish I had made more of an effort to do it more. I have called him 3 times already and he hasn't been gone 24 hours yet. I feel very blessed to have such a wonderful uncle for my children, a brother-in-law to my husband and a brother to me.

I know that God does everything for a reason. Just seeing what those reasons are sometimes feels impossible. I believe in God, I have faith and I pray constantly but I often wonder if the power of prayer is enough. Is it? I feel so hopeless not being able to do anything to make the road easier. All I can do is pray. I hope it's enough.
I just want to tell Brain, to keep your head up, keep the faith and keep praying. Always know that you have a devoted family back home that will go to great lengths to see things work out.
"And through time as life changes, always know of his love, in his arms he will guide you, it will always be enough. He will give you special strength when those hard times come, just close your eyes and know he's there giving you his love"-Michael Bridges
In the perfect words of Brian-This isn't a period, it's just a comma in the story book of life.

Is It Child Labor If They Wanna Help?

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves on this one. Anything he can do to be just like dad. He is DEFINITELY Mini Matt.

Please note: This was NOT EVEN 24 HOURS AFTER the "dresser to face" fiasco...tuff kid, nuff said.





There's nothing better than being his parent. What an awesome kid we have:-)

Good Thing He's Beautiful

God knew exactly what he was doing when he gave us Ethan and made him so beautiful. See, the month after Ethan turned 5(This was May 18th, 2006)he flipped backwards off the swingset and busted his forehead open which ended up in a multitude of stitches and a mommy being MORE protective. Things went well for 7 MONTHS, then on New Years day 2007, he was rough housin' with his brother in our living room and somehow managed to trip and/or fall into our wooden end table and the corner went THREW his lip. When I say went through, I mean had a nice HOLE through his top lip. This again ended up in another multitude of stitches and an EVEN MORE protective mom. Again, things have gone well for 3 years...UNTIL Friday night. Ya see, the boys are lazy at times. They have a tall dresser in their room that I ALWAYS have to tell them to shut the drawers. I do have reasoning with my insanity here. It it because it looks better shut and for SAFETY REASONS! Matt was gone to get dinner, Corbin was in the shower, Taya was playing in the boys room, Ethan was in his room and I was in the kitchen cleaning up a bit. All of a sudden Ethan started to cry a bit. Actually, it was more like whining because some one made him mad. It was in no way a scream of sheer pain and terror. I even thought to myself "What is he whining about now" BIG MISTAKE! I decided to see what had happened and to my surprise and heartbreak, I turned the corner to see blood dripping from my son's face. We rushed to the bathroom. Ethan was freaked out due to the blood, Taya was freaked out due to Ethan being freaked out, Matt was still gone, Corbin was just getting out of the shower and I was TRYING to keep my composure. I just kept telling Ethan to breathe, not to mention telling myself the same thing. There was so much blood coming from his head, I couldn't see where the stinkin' blood was coming from. It was coming from his forehead, the side of his nose and his nostril itself. Thankfully, somehow none of these injuries were deep enough to need stitches. In the end, he ended up with a nice gash in the center of his forehead, an ugly scrape down the right side of his nose and a chunk of skin is missing from his right nostril. Poor kid...


Even with the beat up face, he still manages to smile and laugh through it all.



I have learned no matter how protective you are, things are going to happen and that's just a fact of life. We must live with it and move on. In the end, it only makes the kids stronger, not to mention us as parents, as is the case with Ethan. As small as he is, his heart is HUGE and he could conquer the world if he wanted to. We are so very blessed, lucky and honored to have him as our son. He is our sweet, innocent, precious, perfect little brusier and we could never love him anymore than we do right now. EVERYDAY is a gift NO matter how crazy it may be. Kiss your babies endless amounts and let them know just how awesome they are:-)