Spain here I come!!!

 "There is no obstacle too great, no challenge too difficult, that we cannot meet with faith." Gordon B. Hinckley


I'm headed off to Spain today! I'm so stinkin excited.  I love the world and exploring everything in it. And this is one place I have not been.  We will be going to Rome as well. My Mom is here in TX watching my precious children.  I am so grateful.  


So in ten days I'm sure I will have some fun adventures to share.


Until then. 

Fun. Some Nights. Corbin style

I confess... we love the song Some Nights, by Fun.  Maybe a little too much... my son has now memorized the words and sings them everywhere we go.  I had a video on my phone but couldn't figure out how to get it here.. so I just put it on Youtube.. just click on the link below to see.  

   http://youtu.be/tzIN650PIrQ

Becca this one's for you :)

A Little Boy's Courage

This actually happened a couple weeks ago, but I hadn't had a chance to share it.  I shared it in a talk that I gave here...

The other day I took my kids on a bike ride to the Veloway.  Being new to Austin I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.  Corbin has just learned to ride a bike without training wheels so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for him to practice where no cars could get in the way.  I figured it would be hot so I filled a camelback with water and we set out on our way.  It got hot very quickly and the kids were grateful I had brought water.  Not knowing exactly how long our journey would be I decided not to drink any of the water myself to make sure there was sufficient for my kids.  Not knowing what it was we passed the first short cut point where we could have turned around.  The kids were now getting very hot and drinking the water even faster.  What seemed like forever, we finally reached the next turn around point, but by this point I realized that our water was all gone.  I saw how red the kids faces were and knew that they were already tired and started to panic as I thought of the long journey we still had ahead of us.  We took every break that we could in the shade to recoup and regain strength.  Seeing their cute little faces so exhausted I said a prayer in my heart.  I plead with the Lord to protect them in this heat.  To help me get them home safely.  Kayla, my daughter, began crying and said that her legs were too tired to ride her bike anymore.  Corbin was begging me for more water.  I got off my bike and walking my bike with one hand I pushed Kayla and her bike with the other, encouraging Corbin to be our leader.  With no water and in the intense heat I knew we could not stop now, we had to keep moving forward.  The next point of shade I looked at both of my kids barely able to move at this point.  My heart was breaking for them.  I knew I couldn’t carry both children and three bikes the rest of the way home.  I knew I had to do something.  I decided to sit in the shade and tell them a story that I remembered my Dad telling me many years back.  To take their minds off things.  I didn’t remember the version that my Dad had told me, so I made up my own.  I told them how a man who was journeying through the forest went out to find food one evening.  He searched and searched but never found any food.  It was now dark and he began searching for his camp.  It was freezing cold and very dark.  He searched for what felt like forever, but couldn’t find his camp.  He gave up the search and lay in the cold night and died.  The next morning his friends woke up and realized he was not there.  They began searching for him, only to find him 10 yards away from there camp, dead from the cold night.  They couldn’t figure out why he had stopped when he was so close to camp..

I told my kids that if he had only gone just a little farther he would have made it.  When things in this life seem almost unbearable, we can’t give up.  We have to push on. 

With new strength both my kids jumped back on their bikes ready to make it home.  As I was pushing Kayla, I could hear Corbin in the lead saying something.  As I caught up to him to see what he was saying, I realized that he was crying.. Big tears.  He looked at me with his lip quivering and said, “Mom, I’m so tired, my legs hurt, I’m hot, and I want water… but I won’t give up.  I'm going to push on.” 

His courage humbled me.  Tears of pride filled my eyes as I too pushed on.  Soon after, cars appeared and we made it home safe... thirsty and exhausted, but safe. 

Kayla cut her hair!!!!

We spent the weekend with Davina and her family in Corpus Christi.  It was so fun.  Davina was a gourmet chef.. It was better than eating at a restaurant.  They have a pool and it was so fun because after watching Diego (Davina's son) swim all over the pool, Corbin built up the courage to do it too.  He has been reserved going swimming in the deep end, and now he was like a fish all over the place.  Let me tell you the comfort that gave me.  I know,I know, I still have to be so careful, but it still was a relief.  Kayla is also doing well swimming.  Actually I think she could swim all over the pool too, but mentally she blocks herself.  When I'm with her she will swim all over the place.  

While we were there Kayla happened upon a pair of scissors, and decided to give herself a new do.  So sad because Kayla's hair is the slowest growing hair known to man.  Me being a hair dresser this was a tragic moment.  I just stared at her trying not to cry and figure out what to do.  Here are some pics of a cut that I decided would best fit.  I pulled the bangs forward to try and hide the buzzed front bangs, which go back two inches into her head.  Not bad right?  

I guess what goes around comes around because I think I cut my own hair as a little girl like three times... not to mention my brothers and my dog and anything else I could get my hands on.  I now know how my poor mother felt.  

 Look in the mirror and you can see the back. :)

We are blessed with a gift of nature right outside our back door.  We have watched a mother bird build her nest and lay eggs.  Now the eggs have hatched and we get to watch the process of them growing!  It's amazing!!  They are red cardinal babies.  The father is a beautiful red and the mother is not.  Why are male birds so much prettier than female birds?  I don't get it.  Anyways here are some fun pics... look closely and you'll see the babies reaching up for food.  Look how close she built the nest to our back door! So cool!

Everyone says it's so hot in Texas.. which I totally believe them.  However we have had so much rain that it has been cool!
This is a river that formed in our backyard that Corbin couldn't resist playing in.  We have a garbage can that filled up twice in one of the rain storms.  Which is about a 3 ft. tall can.  Crazy!

4th of July

Imagine the silhouette of those buildings being the silhouette of your son!!  Yeah that's what happened this 4th of July.  We met a group of friends at a park for good food and company.  It was so fun we talked and the kids played until it was dark enough for fireworks.  Someone from the area came over to the park to light his huge fireworks.. The big kind that launch into the sky and explode with lots of color.  The kids were loving it.  Corbin took his chair and stationed it about 15 yards in front of us to get a better view.  The launching pad was still about 50 yards in front of him, so we didn't think anything of it.  Kayla was scared of the big explosions and decided it was best to stick with mommy.  Everyone was enjoying our personal show until the rocket launcher fell over right before the firework was to take off.  The firework shot off in three directions.  One of them being right at Corbin.  From where I was sitting it looked like the firework exploded right in Corbin's face.  My heart fell, I dropped everything and JP was already on his way to get Corbin.  All I could hear was Corbin screaming.  My body shaking and my heart aching I too made it to Corbin.  He was untouched!  He was still terrified and wanted far away from the fireworks at this point.  It was very hectic for a moment.  Because the firework had started three fires, and Corbin was screaming. Immediately everyone went to work to get the fires out and check on Corbin.  As I held Corbin and calmed his shaking body he told me, "Mom when my brain was shocked two thoughts came to my mind... God would always protect me, and that angels were protecting me."
I told him that I believed angels were indeed protecting him.  We were incredibly grateful that Corbin was not hurt.  A very memorable 4th of July for the Giles family.