Wish Us Luck...

Norah gets tubes put in tomorrow morning.  We have to be at the surgicenter at 6:45 and if all goes well we will be home around 9:30.  Short and quick and will hopefully provide her with some much needed relief.  Please pray that everything goes well!

Conversations with Kids

Kids say the funniest things!

Last night I took Braden to basketball practice. I sat along the sidelines looking through my new cookbook and chatting with some of the other moms.  After Braden ran up to me, jumped in my lap and said quite loudly, "I"m so hot I have water in my butt."  And there you have it friends... an honest child. :)

Today we are having a quiet day at home.  It's wonderful and much needed.  Olivia and I were playing Cariboo and I was telling her how smart she is.  We started talking about next year and how she will learn so much when she is in junior kindergarten at McKinley which started a conversation about that she will be there with Braden.  There wasn't anything particularly silly or that stands out that she said it was the fact that I had probably a full 10-15 minute conversation with my little sweetie about what she is excited about, who her friends are and such.  It was the most engaging, focused conversation we've had. I love that she shares her world with me and is excited about life.

Back to Texas!

Crazy as it may be since I have never before set foot in Texas, I just couldn't get enough of the place and traveled back last weekend!  My mom and I planned a trip (with Emily too but she is uber prego so couldn't come this time) to visit my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Harry.  They winter there and have a beautiful home in Alamo.  Alamo is SOUTH Texas!  

We spent one day traveling to Mexico.  We had a great lunch, margaritas in the middle of the day (isn't that required when you are in Mexico?) and bought goodies to bring home.

That afternoon I test drove Harry's golf cart.  They live right on a golf course so I drove while he played.  I had visions of Steve and I retiring somewhere and relaxing ... someday!

Yes, more margaritas!  Harry was adamant that we drink them again. :)  Just kidding but hey... when in Mexico (or close to it) drink margaritas.  We went to South Padre Island for the day and this was our lunch stop.

Sisters!  It was so nice to spend time with Nancy and Harry. I miss them a lot.  Nancy is the only aunt I have and I love her, and have always loved her dearly.

We had to stick our feet in the water - it was freezing.  My mom thought she might get in but changed her mind when she felt the temps.  We walked a bit and saw a group touring on horseback.  It was nice to be warm in the sun albeit the strong winds.

Before heading back we went to a bird watching/nature preserve center.  We walked the boardwalk and saw an alligator, turtle, many fish and beautiful birds.  Did I say that?  Hehe.  Those of you who know me well know that I don't care for birds but they were pretty.  There were some large herons standing tall on their long, thin legs.  

It was a wonderful trip and went way too fast as they usually do.  I missed Steve and the kids terribly but as everyone says, "Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder." Thanks Nancy and Harry for your wonderful hospitality.

The Invisible Mother

I got this through an email but had to share it.  I think it has so many amazing points and really makes me think about my job raising Braden, Olivia and Norah.

The Invisible Mother

  It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the   

  way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and   

  ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on 

  the phone?'

  Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or         

  sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no

  one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am   

  only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this?   

  Can you open this??

  Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a     

  clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What   

  number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30,   

  please.'

  Some days I'm a crystal ball; 'Where's my other sock?, Where's my phone?,

  What's for dinner?'

  I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes

  that studied history, music and literature -but now, they had disappeared

  into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going,

  she's gone!

  One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a 

  friend from England. She had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and   

  she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting     

  there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard

  not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, 

  when she turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I   

  brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I     

  wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her             

  inscription: 'With admiration for the greatness of what you are building 

  when no one sees.'

  In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would       

  discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which

  I could pattern my work: 1) No one can say who built the great cathedrals

  - we have no record of their names. 2) These builders gave their whole   

  lives for a work they would never see finished. 3) They made great       

  sacrifices and expected no credit. 4) The passion of their building was   

  fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

  A story of legend in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the   

  cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny   

  bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are 

  you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be     

  covered by the roof, No one will ever see it And the workman replied,     

  'Because God sees.'

  I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was     

  Almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the         

  sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does.

  No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake     

  you've baked, no Cub Scout meeting, no last minute errand is too small   

  for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but 

  you can't see right now what it will become.

  I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one

  of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to 

  work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the     

  book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our 

  lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that     

  degree.

  When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's

  bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the 

  morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3 

  hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd     

  built a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And     

  then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, he'd say, 'You're   

  gonna love it there...'

  As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're 

  doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will     

  marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been   

  added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible mothers. 

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Norah and Chocolate

January & February Update

I cannot believe that it is already the middle of February.  We've had a very exciting month and a half in the Dupee household.  Here's a snapshot of what's been happening in the bitter cold depths of winter!

Braden started basketball.  He is very slow to warm with new activities but I think we're headed in the right direction.  He is awesome on defense and is getting better and better at dribbling.

Braden and Olivia made their own chocolate ice cream!  We rolled the pink ball around the living room for about 45 minutes while watching a movie.  It was really fun but a lot of work.... if I had to do that everytime maybe I wouldn't consume so much. :)  

Steve and I were fortunate enough to go to the Superbowl this year.  We were guests of the NFL network.  It was an incredible trip. I feel so fortunate to have been able to experience not only a Superbowl game but one where the Packers played... and won!  

We had a wonderful time and relished in the fact that we had some alone time.  My mom graciously watched the kids for us.  We owe her big time!  She did a great job - they are all in tact and didn't want to leave her!

This was taken while waiting in line for the NFL tailgate - and what a tailgate it was.

And this was of course just after we won!  The two guys in front of us (here in this picture) were Steelers fans. :(  It was amazing, a trip I will never forget.

Braden celebrated the 100th day of school!  He counted out 100 plastic animals to bring in for a collection and took in a box of Honey Comb cereal to make a 100 day trailmix with his class.

Judy is turning 70 so we had a weekend celebration in Milwaukee.  Some of us went to Disney on Ice on Friday night.

Olivia and Norah enjoyed sharing their toys with darling Lola.  Oh what fun we are going to have as these girls get older.  

We went out to dinner at Bucca and sat at the Popes Table.  This is Judy, Darrell and their three kiddos.  

A very proud grandma!  And great-grandma to baby Lola.  

The whole gang!  We had a terrific time and are amazed that Judy is so vivacious, positive, active, and lovely as she turns 70 years old.  We love her so much and are very fortunate to have her in our lives.  We hope that she is as proud of what she's done in her 70 years as we are.  

So busy, busy, busy as usual around here!  I hope to not be away so long and will someday find a routine that provides time for me to do things like this! :)