My Adorable Kids

My friend, Leslie, tagged me to share ten things about my kids. So here goes…

1. We named Rex after his grandfathers. Tim’s dad is Rex, and my dad is Phillip. I love family names, and Rex Phillip seems the perfect name for our son. Of course, it is not without some downfalls…such as when the pharmacy gets confused about which Rex is filling a prescription. Once my dad heard me say, “Rex Phillip” to Rex when he was misbehaving. My Dad’s comment was, “Great! Rex only gets to hear my name when he is getting in trouble.” What can I say? It’s an imperfect world.

2. On the other hand, Mara is not a family name. Many people assume that her name is a reference to the Mara of the Bible, but that was not the inspiration. “Mara Jade” is a character in a Star Wars book by Timothy Zahn. She is a Jedi who ultimately marries Luke Skywalker…Very Geeky…I know, but we love the name.

3. Rex is very dramatic and loves to pretend. He has a box of costumes, and constantly wants to dress up in the different outfits. In September we took him to see his first musical, “The Lion King”. He loved it, and ever since he has wanted to star as Simba in the show. He wears his lion costume and belts out the songs when he watches the video…I don’t have the heart to tell him that he is probably too pale to ever be cast in that role, but who knows, maybe Broadway is in his future.

4. Mara is our little cover girl. She was featured in a recent issue of the “Rite Up”. This is a periodical that Scottish Rite hospital publishes to update its patrons and patients of hospital news. The hospital has recently created a center for clubfoot research, and used Mara’s story to help publicize the event. Mara was born with unilateral clubfoot. (Her right foot was curved in and rotated over…resembling a golf club). The Ponseti method was used to correct her foot. She wore a series of plaster casts for the first two months after birth, and since then, she has worn a brace to maintain the correction. She continues to wear her brace each night, and her foot looks great!

5. Rex is extremely social (much like his daddy). He loves to go and do. He especially enjoys our weekly small group Bible study because he gets the chance to play with some of his best friends.

6. Mara is my independent child. She is only two-years-old, but thinks she can and should be allowed to do everything that her six-year-old brother can do. She likes to do things her way, and often gets upset if I try to assist her. She wants to do it herself!

7. Rex is my little fish. He loves to swim! He is a natural swimmer, and has enjoyed the water ever since he was a baby. I am eager for summer so he can frequent the pool and lake once again.

8. Mara loves to sing. She especially enjoys Christmas carols. “Deck the Halls” is her favorite, but “Jingle Bells” and “Rudolph” are tops too. She also likes to sing songs from her Cradle Roll Bible class as well as songs that she has heard on her favorite Noggin TV shows.

9. Rex and Mara both love spending time with their grandparents. Grandma & Grandpa live close to us, so the kids get to see them on a very regular basis. Mara goes to their house to play almost every Wednesday, and sometimes the kids get to spend the night there while Tim and I have a date. It’s wonderful! Rex and Mara usually visit Grana & Papa for longer stretches since it is about a four-hour drive to their home. Rex especially loves to spend weeks at Grana & Papa’s house because they have such a nice, big yard, and Rex loves to play outside. Weeks at their home are usually filled with lots of fun activities plus playtime with the cousins.

10. Rex and Mara currently share a room. Before Mara was born, I decided that it would be good for the kids to sleep in the same bedroom so that our extra room could be used as a playroom. This sleeping arrangement has worked out perfectly. Luckily, Rex is a sound sleeper because Mara can really snore! I believe that the combined sleeping space has contributed to the wonderful friendship that Rex and Mara have. However, I do plan to convert the playroom into Rex’s big boy room later this year.

Tag...Meriann...Your turn!

Tagged

I’ve been tagged twice! Two of my blog friends have challenged me to reveal more about myself with posting lists on my blog. I am going to start with the “Meme List” that Kelly first tagged me to do. So here goes…

Complete the phrase with the 1st thought in your head:

I know.... I still have a lot to learn.

I believe... that Jesus is the Son of God, and that he died on the cross to save me from my sins.

I fought.... a lot with my sister when we were kids, but now we are great friends.

I am angered.... when insurance companies that profit billions of dollars each year deny claims for necessary medical care!

I love.... my family and my friends!

I need.... dates with my husband on a regular basis.

I take.... Rex to school every morning by simply walking across the street. It’s great to be so close to his school!

I hear.... Mara saying new things almost daily. You never know what is going to pop out of my two-year-old’s mouth.

I drink.... Caffeine-Free Diet Dr. Pepper.

I hate.... paying almost $3/gallon for gasoline!

I use.... E85 (Ethanol) fuel in my van whenever possible. It is cheaper and better for the environment.

I want.... to extensively travel the world someday, and learn to speak Spanish.

I like.... almost all foods with the exceptions of liver, ham, green peas, peanut butter, radishes, beets, and a few others.

I feel....happy when I think that spring is just around the corner.

I wear.... jeans and tennis shoes as often as possible. I like to be low maintenance and comfortable when it comes to clothes.

I left.... Texas A&M too quickly. I wish I had taken a little more time to enjoy my college years. I loved being a student in College Station, and those four years went by so fast.

I do.... volunteer work at Rex’s school.

I hope.... that my cousin, Ramona, will be cured of her cancer.

I dream.... that my children will grow up to be happy and healthy.

I drive.... a black 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan Minivan just like the stereotypical soccer mom. It is a great family car. It has a built-in car seat, and uses flex fuel, has 150,000+ miles, and the best feature of all is that it’s paid off!

I listen.... to all different types of music (Contemporary Christian, Top 40, Light Rock, Classic Rock, & Country)

I type… a lot of emails and posts on my blog.

I am ... excited about our upcoming vacation to Isla Mujeres!

I wish.... all my family and friends were joining us on our trip.

I regret.... some of the less-than-brilliant financial decisions I have made in the past.

I care.... for children with special needs. I feel that working with the special needs population is what God has called me to do, and I plan to return to teaching Special Ed. when I go back to working full time.

I should.... go to the gym more often.

I am.... 32 years old, but feel just like I did when I was 21. It’s strange to realize this phenomenon of feeling younger than your actual age, but I guess it is better than the alternative of feeling older than you actually are. I pray that never happens to me.

I say.... “settle down” and “stop running in the house” numerous times each day to my kids. Sometimes I’m like a broken record.

I wonder.... what my children will be like as teens and as adults?

I changed.... my mind about becoming a teacher. I use to say that I would never teach school, but I discovered that it was a good career for me after all.

I cry.... when I get angry or during sentimental movies.

I lose.... my keys in my house all the time because I don’t always put them in the same place when I come home. I really need to improve on this.

I leave.... too much housework undone. (Another area that needs improvement.)

Yea! Finally finished with this task. Believe it or not, completing this list was harder than I expected. My turn to tag, and I choose Leslie and Meriann.

Back to Isla Mujeres!!!

I am so excited that we are planning a return trip to Isla Mujeres in June! I booked our airfare this week, and we got an amazing deal from vivaaerobus.com. This is a new charter with daily flights from Austin to Cancun starting in May. I am now trying to decide which hotel I want to stay in. There are many good options on the island. We stayed at the beautiful Avalon Reef Club last summer courtesy of my parent's timeshare membership, but will be at a different hotel this time. I think that planning the trip is almost half the fun of the whole experience. Looking forward to spending time in the warm Caribbean will certainly brighten my mood on these remaining cold winter days. Feel free to join us in paradise. We want all our friends and family to feel welcome to experience this wonderful island destination with us. Let me know if you are interested, and I'll give you more details.