A Day out with Thomas

We had fun this past weekend.

On Saturday afternoon, we drove up to Tyler, TX to spend the night at Angie's house. Angie is Phillip's sister and it is both a blessing and a treat that she lives so close to us (it's almost a 3 hour drive). Gabe LOVES going to his Na-Nan's house to spend time with her and his cousins, Brigg and Elise. On this particular visit, we had something very important to do and that was to go to Rusk, TX on Sunday to spend the day with Thomas!

Thanks to my older brother, James, Gabe now has a massive collection of Thomas the Tank Engine tracks, engines, cars etc. It all started when James bought a starter kit for him. For the past 3 years at least, we've been slowly gathering pieces to the set.

Gabe not only loves Thomas, but has shown quite an interest in all trains. For some time now, I've wanted to take him to the Texas State Railroad Museum in Rusk and this was the perfect weekend to do it. Gabe and his little friend, Marissa, had the best time and we even got to take a ride on Thomas' train.

Report Card time

I am happy to report that Gabe got his very first Report Card today and his conduct from earlier this semester has not hurt him. I mentioned that he's a talker, and he was having some trouble adjusting to the rules, but I think he's past that now. Ever since the day he was sent to the Vice Principal's office and got In-School-Suspension, he's been an Angel. (We warned him, but he had to find out for himself)

He also got good grades in basic kindergarten skills, and his teacher says that he's a pleasure to have in class and that he's a very eager learner. She wasn't singing that song a month ago!!!

There were no "Unsatisfactory" marks on his card so, do you think maybe we should reward him? Just joking. Of course, we will.

And now, I shall introduce...

Exactly eight years ago today, Phillip and I became Two (or if you will, we became one). On October 30, 1999 I truly did marry my best friend and I have absolutely no regrets. I knew from our first date that he was special and would be in my life for a very long time. I just never imagined that he'd be crazy enough to marry little ol' me.

Let me tell you about him. First off, we were both born and raised in South Louisiana. Phillip's last name is of Spanish origin; his father's family has been traced back to Grenada, Spain. Phillip's dream has always been to fly. He started flying fixed wing aircraft while in highschool, and now flies the huge and impressive CH-47 Chinook helicopter for the U.S. Army. (I NEVER thought I would end up outside of the confines of small town LA, or become a military wife; life is definitely more interesting these days!). The word Pilot does not completely define him. After all, he is a wonderful husband. There are times that I could kill him and tell God he died, but I am not perfect and living with me takes a strong man. He has loads of patience (I know, I've tested it) and the determination of....well, I can't give you a good example, but you get my point. I can't think of anyone else to raise a family with. He is an excellent father, enjoys every minute of it and I would be proud to grow up and say that I had a father like him (don't take this the wrong way, I have a wonderful father of my own). Gabe and I are very lucky to have him in our lives.

I'm Janet. My mom's side of the family has been traced back to La Rochelle, France (I really wish I knew exactly where Dad's family comes from). I am a Surgical Technologist and I thoroughly enjoy what I do. For now, I am a stay-at-home mom as we are expecting the late winter arrival of a baby girl! My plan is to take care of myself and my little family for a while (Phillip will be deployed again sometime next year), and then who knows...I may go back to school for a nursing degree just to broaden my horizons. I am a busybee. I tend to be anxious about nothing at times, and I'm the type of person that always has to have something to look forward to.

On April 20, 2002, we became Three. I can't imagine life without our son. I realized the moment I got a good look at him, that my purpose in life was right there in front of me. I love being a mother, as I live at times vicariously through him. I'm a kid again, thanks to him. I thank God everyday for the privilege of being Jean Gabriel's mother. He is a happy and healthy five year old; talks too much at times, but hey, it could be worse! He is 100% pure entertainment. Gabe loves to be active and enjoys soccer. He is a child that thrives on lots of hugs and kisses (he's quite sensitive) and praise. He loves helping out (doing the dishes can be fun!) and will not hesitate to let you know what's on his mind. He is also very excited to be a big brother and doesn't mind at all that he'll have a sister, instead of a brother.

Our little family is eagerly anticipating the arrival of the fourth member. Sarah Evangeline is due in late February. She will be the first girl in twelve years on Phillip's side of the family and the first grand-daughter on my side. For now, the only thing I can tell you about her is that she is a kicker! She has me craving fresh fruit, and I drink so much water with crushed ice in it that I tend to make myself sick. I have a 4-D ultrasound scheduled before Christmas, and I cannot wait to see what she looks like (I'm cheating, I know I should just wait for the birth).

I've been fortunate with both pregnancies, morning sickness was never really an issue, but incubating a baby sure does drain ALL of the energy out of me.

As time goes on, you will learn more and more about us. As I've mentioned before, we keep busy so check back often for pics and news. You never know what I might write about...

And I hope this post finds everyone safe, happy and healthy.

As requested...

The conversation with Beth went something like this:

Beth: Why don't you blog anymore? I liked reading your old one.
Janet: I don't know. It kinda gave me the creeps that some people were reading, but not commenting. I'm not sure if I want to share "us" with anyone else. Why should I share my private thoughts etc. with the public?
Beth: Well, don't share your private thoughts, share your public thoughts.

And in my mind, I thought, okay smart@$$, I guess you're right!

So, after putting more thought to it, here's what I came up with....I know that at least certain members of my family liked visiting my old blog so that they could see more into our daily life. And I know that friends would also stop by for the same reasons. It's nice to post pictures and spread the news; I'm just not quite sure how interesting some things may be to other people. Again, I think to myself "do I really want to let others into our day to day lives?". I guess, the answer is yes. Because, over here at Casa de Lopez, the house is full of love and good times, and we work very hard to keep it that way. Why would I not want to share it with you, the reader?

We are a military family. We live a busy life. We love to travel and explore. We take lots of pictures and we make lots of memories. Sometimes, it's hard for our loved ones to keep up with us; this I know. Hopefully, this will be a good way to "keep in touch".

My goal is to inform and entertain. I will use this blog to be outright and honest. But most of all, I intend to have fun with this....
I guess I'll give this blogging thing another shot. But, I'm shy and still a little hesitant; if I get little or no feedback from you, I will consider terminating the project again.

So here you go, Beth (and everyone else). I hope you enjoy!