Answered Prayer

Dear God,

Wow! You are amazing! And your timing? Well, always perfect, right? I know that and I believe that, but You sure did make us worry!

The News--Clayton got into a Magnet School TODAY! I'm still in shock; good shock and so so excited! It's an empowerment school with an emphasis on math and science through technology. Totally up Clay's alley. This was our first choice for second grade way back in January, but it's all done by random lottery and we hadn't made the cut. So to get the call today...TODAY?! Amazing! Amazing after all that we have gone through since March trying to move to get zoned for a better school. Amazing after we just submitted an offer on a house TODAY. Amazing.

So God, thank you. Thank you for providing the perfect place for Clay. How do I know it's perfect? Well, You picked it out. And You, like your timing, are never wrong. (You must just chuckle at all the fretting I've done....even today!!) So now, if You would help us make a good decision that honors You in terms of a potential move. Are you closing that door by providing the school or are all the quality of life improvements that we've been seeking for four years now still reason enough to take the leap of faith? Guide us, please. It's my heart's sincerest desire to honor You in all that we do.

With a grateful heart,
Carrie

Shades of Summer

Happy Monday! We are still celebrating that it was only 95 degrees yesterday! (Yes, that feels cool here!) We sat outside for dinner--in the clouds and even got sprinkled on from time to time--sheer bliss!!

Moving--not yet--and Videos

Blogging....what? I have been so terrible this summer. Sorry to all of you who are interested in keeping up with us. My only excuse is that we've been busy. Aside from the usual daily life with three young ones which is in itself, busy; we've been looking at houses in an attempt to move to be zoned for a better public school for Clay. He's been attending a private school since Kindergarten, but we were very disappointed with it last year, so we're making a change for the fall. So far, we haven't found that perfect spot for our crew. It's a great time to buy a house here because of how under-valued the market is, but it is also very competitive with the nice houses gone in less than a week. Lots of details which will all sound like blah, blah, blah to you, so I won't waste my time. Suffice it to say, we've been busy, frustrated, disappointed....but remain confident that God has a good plan and that He has the perfect school already picked out for Clayton next year....well, later this month! Crazy; how time flies. Crazy; how we're still here when we "should have" left two years ago when none of our children were even school age.

I promise I'll get back to posting about our trip one of these days, but in the meantime, these videos are way more fun and exciting! Both are from yesterday. That four-year old on the bike sans training wheels, he's ours! He's so proud of his very recent accomplishment (just last week) and so are we!

Part II--The Wedding

So we've been home for 10 days now and I'm just getting to my second post about the trip! I've had an unfortunate distraction as my poor sweet baby girl has impacted bowels. We've made two trips to the doctor and one to the ER and I think we're finally getting somewhere. I was pretty angry that it even got to this point because I brought up my concerns with the doctor last week at her nine-month check-up and instead of tending to that, the ridiculous (nicest word I can come up with) doctor made a big fuss out of her not cruising, being small for her age, and even being pale! What?! Sorry, my children are not pale! I looked around the room to see if there were any other kids around and didn't see any, but clearly, we weren't talking about the same child! And since when was cruising a requirement at nine months? Pretty sure crawling is the norm for this age and we're all good there. Anyway....like I said, I think we're making progress. I've never seen any of my kiddos in such pain though. It's been awful.

Back to the trip....the wedding was beautiful! It was one of Ronnie's cousins who got married. He and his new bride are a beautiful couple. Thomas was set to be the "banner boy." Ronnie's aunt made this beautiful banner that Thomas was to carry down the aisle right before the bride that says, "Here Comes the Bride." On the back, after the ceremony, it says "Mr. and Mrs. Zach Ramirez." It was so pretty and I'm sure it took her quite some time to make. Well, at the rehearsal, the priest decided he was not going to allow the banner. Apparently, this had been agreed to by the priest prior to the making and then at the last minute, was not allowed. Frustrating. Thomas was fine though. He still walked in with the "kiddie entourage" just behind the ring bearers.

The boys looked so handsome! I told Thomas as he was getting dressed that if I was four, I'd want to marry him! Clayton was equally as sharp! And Gaby was as pretty as a picture (just like always!) We did get a really good family photo, but I'm not going to share it just in case it ends up getting used for a Christmas card! :)

Thomas did hold the banner as the new couple was introduced at the reception and he had a fine time! We let him change into a t-shirt and shorts though because it was an outdoor reception and nearly 100 degrees!

Recap (Part I)

Here we go!

We started our trip in San Antonio; a city that Ronnie and I really enjoyed way back when we lived in Del Rio, practically a lifetime ago. Since the wedding was in Ronnie's hometown of San Angelo, it was convenient to fly into San Anton and spend a couple nights there. It was super hot and super humid! We're certainly used to the heat having spent five summers here already, but the humidity makes you feel so awful when you're not accustomed to it. Anyway, we slept in (always a good way to start a vacation) and then headed down to the Riverwalk. We did the boat cruise along the San Antonio River which was really fun with the kids.


Can you tell the little one is hot?!


We all are!

After the cruise, we headed in to the mall food court for some lunch and more importantly, some freezing cold air conditioning! Afterward, we decided we had enough steam to walk down to the Tower of the Americas. Ronnie took a really cool photo of the boys in front of the tower with his phone, but I don't have it on the computer, so you'll have to wait on that one. Gaby fell asleep in the Baby Ergo on the way there, so she was able to get a needed nap. (Side note: The Baby Ergo is by FAR the best baby carrier I have EVER used! Love it! And it sure did make the trip much easier!)


Couple photos along the way to the tower.



We took the elevator to the top where the boys were able to look out at San Antonio with the use of telescopes.





After we were done exploring, we headed back to the car. Luckily, there were some great fountains along the sidewalk and Thomas had a blast running through them. Clay decided he didn't want to be wet for the walk back. (More photos on Ronnie's phone.)

When we got back to the hotel, we all went to the pool to cool off. It was Gaby's first time in a pool and she LOVED it! Lots of splashing and smiling!



It was a great day!

Important Update

I forgot to mention earlier some big news!

While on our trip, Miss Gab cut her first tiny tooth (so cute!) AND started crawling (army-style) all on the same day....which just happened to be our 11th wedding anniversary as well. Quite a big day for that little sweetheart!

Currently, she is about to embark on hour four of her morning nap! You think she's catching up on some sleep?!

Refreshed

Wow! It's been a long time! Ronnie, Gab, and I just returned on Sunday from two and a half weeks of vacation. The boys are really getting a great deal, spending two extra weeks on the east coast with both sets of grandparents. To say I had a hard time leaving them would be an understatement! Thank goodness for web cams! I was so glad to "see" them yesterday. And I know they are being well-cared for and loved tremendously (if a little spoiled!)

I have bunches of memories and photos to share. I will try to post a bit each day. It's a lot to recap all at once. I will tell you for now that the kids were amazing travelers....amazing!! We headed to Texas first to attend a wedding of one of Ronnie's cousins that Thomas was in. We ended up traveling to three different cities in just six days. It was wonderful to see so much of Ronnie's family, some of whom had never met any of the kids, and to have some fun time just ourselves as well, but it was busy and tiring for little people. They were such troopers! We then headed to the east coast to spend time with our parents and my brothers. Wonderful time spent with all of them! We had lots of fun and managed to relax after the exhausting pace of the last six months.

So today, Ronnie returned to work. He actually just sent me an e-mail saying he's "back in the saddle." He has a new position after finishing Weapons School. I'm certain he will be challenged and busy with two squadrons to care for as their Weapons Officer. Also certain, he's up to the challenge. I already have a long list of projects that have been neglected for too long around the house and we're hoping to do some room-shuffling/remodeling before the boys get home as well.

One last note before I sign off for now, I'm so sorry to my dear east coast friends who I didn't get to see (again!). Please know it's not for lack of desire, just lack of time. Two weeks feels like forever until you realize how many people want your time. We always do the best we can, but it never seems to be quite enough. I'm sorry. We're still hoping we'll make it back to the east coast to live one day and I will cherish being able to drive to visit family and friends.

Love you all! Thanks for an amazing couple weeks!