Strawberry Fields Forever...

Today we went to Froberg Farms in Alvin, Texas. We met my mom's family there for a Sunday morning of fresh strawberry picking. The weather was nice and the kids all really enjoyed running through the fields and picking strawberries. It smelled like strawberry fruit roll-ups to me when I was standing in the middle of it all. After picking strawberries we shopped in their little outdoor market and bought some other fruits and vegetables grown on the farm. Too bad Brian missed it....we will have to go back on a weekday so that he can enjoy picking strawberries with the kids too. But first, I have to eat the HUGE container of fresh berries that are currently chilling in our refrigerator!

For a complete photo album of our adventure, click here.
To see pictures from my parents house after the strawberry picking, click here.

Let's Go Fly a Kite, Up to the Highest Height...

Scott and Kathleen returned from China on Friday night. Saturday night they came over to the house to spend time with Mike, Chris and the kids. Brian and I were both working and missed out on the fun. Brian and I had bought a new swing set that we were putting together in the back yard. We were interrupted by the rain the other day, so the project was left more than half unfinished. Mike and Chris finished putting the set together for us. The kids spent the afternoon playing in the back yard. Later in the afternoon Scott and Kathleen arrived with presents for the kids from their trip. One of the presents was a new kite. Scott and Kaylyn had lots of fun flying the kites in the neighborhood. To see some pictures I posted a link to Scott's Flickr photo album here.

Scott and Kathleen's Special Day

There were so many great photos from this weekend that I had to post several. The rehearsal dinner was at Denis Seafood. The wedding was at Brenner's Steakhouse. It was beautiful and there were many teary eyes during the event. The weather couldn't have been more beautiful. And it was obvious that everyone had a great time. Jack really enjoyed meeting Kathleen's parents and was caught several times spending time with Kathleen's mom. Kaylyn had a blast playing with Kendall. Kendall's dad, Jared, and his brother Jeff, kept the two girls entertained all evening. Brian's toast was so emotional that he even had the servers holding back tears. The food was excellent and we got to eat Crave cupcakes after dinner. What a great night! Congratulations to Scott and Kathleen as they embark on their new life together. Last night's wedding was a great way to kick it off!

If you want to see pictures from the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, click here.
If you want to see more pictures from the wedding, click here.

Backyard Fun

We let the kids have their first run of the season through the sprinklers today. Kaylyn wore her brand-new bathing suit (which already seems small). Jack wore the swimming trunks that wouldn't fit him last year. They had great fun running and screaming and getting soaked. Now we're about to grill burgers again for a nice dinner outside. I love this time of year.

Spring is here!!!

Brian and I feel very good about our hard work on the front and back yards the past couple of weeks. The front looks alive again and the rose bushes are growing back in nicely. We got a nice, new, BRIGHT garden flag with a ladybug (Kaylyn's favorite) on it. We re-vamped the backyard and now with a new flower bed, bird feeder, and swing, we actually like spending time out there. We had a backyard dinner picnic on Monday. The kids loved it. I love spring!

Happy Easter 2010

Well, this is the first day in weeks that I have truly felt at peace. Jack has recovered quickly from his heart cath procedure last Thursday and is back to his normal self. I took my kids to church for Easter Mass with me and my family today. One thing they were missing was their daddy, who had to work. They also miss their grandpa who is in the Philippines. Today reminded me of how blessed we are. I spent the day watching my children have fun with my family. We are so lucky to have so many loved ones who surround us in our everyday lives. And I was reminded in the last few days of how many loved ones we have that are far away. I hope everyone had a blessed Easter holiday. I think we have much to be thankful for. Happy Easter everyone!

Here are some pictures from the Easter festivities at my Tito Dading and Tita Mai's house.

Update on Jack

In case some of you don't know, Jack has been seeing a Pediatric Cardiologist since we found a new heart murmur at his 2 year old well-child check with his pediatrician. He is seeing Dr. David Sapire with Texas Children's Cardiology. He has since had xrays, EKG's, an echocardiogram and an MRI/MRA to look at his heart. They found a defect called a coronary artery fistula that is causing his coronary arteries to dilate. He is scheduled for a cardiac catheterization procedure this Thursday at Texas Children's Hospital, where I work. To those of you who know what's been going on, thank you for keeping us in your prayers and thoughts. I am hoping that with this procedure on Thursday that they will be able to fix the defect and Jack can just concentrate on recovering. I will be posting updates as they come. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. With love - Charlyn

Pacquiao Fight Night

Spent last Saturday night at my Tito Noning's house to watch the fight with my family. Kids had a great time running around in front of the tv while everyone was watching. It was good food, good fight, good company. Went home around midnight....thought the kids would fall asleep on the way. No such luck!! They were wide awake when I pulled in the garage. At least they slept in on Sunday!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!!!

This week Kaylyn's school was celebrating the birthday of Dr. Seuss. All week they've had special activities such as "silly socks" day, "silly hat" day, and "silly sunglasses" day. Today was the actual birthday party in Dr. Seuss' honor. Students were encouraged to dress like their favorite Dr. Seuss character. I made an emergency run to Hobby Lobby last Tuesday and bought red and white felt squares. I made Kaylyn a cat in the hat costume and I thought it turned out pretty well. Here's a picture of her before heading off to school this morning.

Playing in the Laundry

On many of my nights off, we play a game of hide-and-seek, time-permitting. Brian, Kaylyn and I take turns hiding and finding each other throughout the whole house. Jack mostly helps seek. He is actually a very good seeker, must be due to his line of sight being 2 feet from the ground! One night, the kids found me hiding in a pile of laundry on the bed. They came and joined me in the pile of laundry, then didn't want to get out! Jack was so funny, he would lay back and just lounge in the clean laundry. My kids are so funny....