And Visions of Sugar Plums Danced in their heads...

Well maybe not Sugar Plums...

Maybe Visions of the Big Yellow Bus

Tomorrow school starts.

Everyone has their new outfits ready..

Backpacks are packed

and

The Back to School Brownies are baked...

Now just waiting for the alarm clock.

Davo will leave at 6:30 and won't be home until almost six with FOOLSBALL practice.

Quentonius will be gone by 7:30, home at 4:00 and then back to his Foolsball from 6:30-8:30 two or three nights a week.

Alice will be dropped off by 8:30 and home by about 3:45, she's going to take Dance this year and not do Art --I'm happy she'll be at Mrs. Carols, but I'll miss her art show

The Boys will squeeze in Boy Scouts and youth meetings at church.

Alice will have Girl Scouts and her activities at church.

The best part of their schedules is that each person gets up and leaves before the next person gets up.

Nobody will be breathing too loud at the breakfast table.

Nobody will be brushing their teeth too long.

Nobody will be using all the hot water.

This will be a dream year.

Thanks Crosby for having so many schools-

And thank you Joely for staying home with me one more year..

This time next year, find me in the fetal position, or lobbying Robert for Home School!

Sunrise/Sunset

This is the most excited David could look Monday night, on his way to
MIDDLE SCHOOL ORIENTATION

I tried to not get weepy, but it's hard.

I know I've blogged about this before but every first thing with David is hard on me!

I can't beleive it's been almost 13 years since he first came into this world,

and now my little guy is going to Middle School.

He has athletics first period and football after school, he'll have fun in his theater arts class and science. I am sure his English class will be filled with fun books, the summer reading assignment was great, (David, Robert and I all enjoyed it) and he's always good in Math. This year Crosby decided to do a two hour block for math, way to go Crosby, No Math Student Left Behind!

I know it will be a great year for him, but each year gets him that much closer to college, his mission and then just coming home for a weekend visit here and there.

Perhaps I'm being dramatic.

This is David doing his best Lucas Mason interpretation of Cool.

I took him on Tuesday to get his Equipment checked out.

This picture is actually deep inside the boys locker room.

My first visit in the boys locker room.
Scratch that from my bucket list!

They gave the boys their football gear and a locker. David's combo was wrong, but I couldn't help myself, I had to help a bunch of other boys I knew from Quentin's football team or Boy Scouts. None of them knew how to do a combination.

And they were all sooo nervous.

David, however, knew very well, it was just they gave him the wrong numbers

On the way home I asked him if he was embarrassed that I was helping the other kids.

And he said, "Mom that's just you being you, I can't stop you from being you"

He CRACKS me up.

I can't wait to sit in the cougar bleachers with all my bling bling, rooting him on and also his teammates, that I helped on that first day.

And if you wonder why it's hard for me to cut the cord

at the mean streets of Crosby Middle School,

it's because I think of him like these above pictures, somewhere between two and three.

A Week at Surfside

Heaven on Earth!

We spent a delightful week hanging out at the beach. It was amazing.

The weather was perfect and our little town home was perfect.

Pictured above is the view from one of the four balconies.
We had our own private walkover to the beach and at the end was another deck.

Sometimes I have genius ideas, this was one of them.

We only took flip flops.

6 people 6 flip flops.
It was easy to keep up with everything.

Another genius idea,(robert's) no phones and no schedule!

Robert's work was wonderful, no calls or texts.

I loved the little clock, it really expresses our sentiments.

On Wednesday, we stayed inside during the day, we slept late, ate a late breakfast and played a bunch of board games, ate a late lunch and then hit the beach.

We finally broke out Settlers of Cataan. But imagine my dismay when the instructions were taken out and not put back in!

Fortunately, I had my phone, with Internet access and we found an online tutorial.

We are hooked. Sadly I didn't take any pictures during the games, as it's too competitive.

Bathing Beauty! This is on the deck.

The other favorite activity-

Creating sand civilizations.

We had enough time, that we didn't need to just stop with castles.

This was Rob's favorite part.

Watching the moonrise, on the back porch while sitting in the rocker.

It was sooo peaceful.

And the moon was full all week.

One night it looked like Cosmo's moon, but I couldn't capture it, It's just in my memory bank.

Robert wasn't homesick at all, because there was a laundry room.

We only had six towels too, so we'd rinse the towels and suits and dry them.

It was nice to keep the sand away. Not pictured is the below deck showers. WONDERFUL

After the beach, everyone showered off the sun and salt.

No sand was allowed at the house.

Another one of my brilliant ideas! We each had only one cup, each a different color.

Couple that with paper plates and utensils and we weren't spending much time in the kitchen

David and Quentin enjoying some beach time.

Everyone had a hat, but not everyone wore theirs.

Hands down everyone loved Boogie boarding.

Nobody was sunburnt.

And contrary to popular belief, when we got back the boys were able to play their video games just fine, they didn't forget how.

I can't wait for next year's vacation.

I'm thinking this needs to be a family tradition.

Mason Combine 2011

In order to keep up the momentum of Aggie Camp

We hired the boys a personal trainer

Lucas Mason

Lucas is kind of a hero around here-

He plays High school football, and if you listen to Quentin and David, you'll beleive that he is the BEST PLAYER THE CROSBY COUGARS HAVE EVER SEEN.

He's also a baseball star.

And he's also one of my three favorite Seminary Students.

So to have him over a couple of hours a day is FANTASTIC

He's working on strength, agility and football skills and drills.

When they are through, Quentin always feels like he's going to puke.

Job Well Done Coach Mason

He's done' so good that they were able to crack this cinder block in three pieces. INCREDIBLE.

I hope they aren't juicing.

Lucas also has all the cool equipment too, pictured above the shake weight.

"It really hurts"

Each work out ends in a quick run to Newport Elementary and back, about 1.5 miles and then he rewards their efforts by playing a little Xbox 360 with them. He's the master on the Xbox too, he's legendary on EVERYTHING-

They've taken to calling him Chuck, as in Chuck Norris, because Like Chuck Norris, when Coach Mason does push ups, he doesn't push himself up, he pushes the world down.

Also, Coach Mason has already been to Mars, that's why there are no signs of life there .

Additionally like Chuck Norris, Coach Mason, doesn't sleep, he waits.

And he doesn't mow his grass, he stands outside and dares it to grow.

One more thing, like Chuck Norris, he has beat Halo 3 on legendary, with a guitar hero controller,

But I digress.

It's been a fun few days working out with the famous Lucas "chuck" Mason.

It will be a sad cruel day when he goes to California for his summer vacay, but until then the boys are hanging on his every word and doing EVERYTHING he says.

And for me, I'm thrilled they look up to him and that they are happy to be his minions.

Building Champions

On Sunday we skipped church and headed to

The University of Texas...

in College Station Texas

The great and powerful

Texas A&M University.

Not to be confused with the lesser t.u. found in Austin.

I digress.

We were taking the boys to Football Camp at the legendary home of

Quentin Coryatt, (remember him Ty Detmer?)

Dat Nguyen (original wrecking Crew)

More Recently the Second Overall Draft Pick and Butkus award Winner

Von Miller

And of course lesser known Twelfth Man

Robert Lee Mullens (check him out on facebook)

Here is the money shot- Future Wrecking Crew Nose Guard

Quentin -- he's putting on his cleats in the TINY Dorm Room,

This is the locker room, David is hanging in Reveille's locker space-

She's the mascot, and she's awesome!

Lore has it that if she's in your classroom and falls asleep,

the professor has to cancel the class.

Joely is ready to go home, she' can't walk anymore, she's tired, hungry and thirsty.

Joely was finally cooling off from our walking tour of campus and stroll down memory lane. She decided to chillax in the locker space of "JUDIE" we'll be watching for him on the field next year. GIGGEM

This is where we were engaged! Now look at us some 15 years later, with 4 kids a dog, a rat and a

mortgage!

This is the Poly Sci building, that was right by our engagement tree. Robert says he'd sit there and dream about the life he'd have with a wonderful wife and children.

I ask him, "What happens when your real life exceeds your dreams?"

And he just smiles.

Here is the 2011 season, look whose on the bottom? That's where they belong.

It's not really a road trip unless we eat at Chuy's.

Alice opted to stay with her grandma and grandpa Mullens.

Engaged. The boys are on electronics and Joely is coloring.

Peace.

I'll admit it was hard to leave them there.

But I KNOW they'll have fun .

I go pick them up in a few hours and I can't wait to hear how they did.

Their first stop?

They want to go to grandma's hot tub.

Funny how it's never grandpa's house or grandpa's things, it's always grandma's house!

Village Creek State Park

We finally went camping again as a family!

We've done the divide and conquer many times, either me or Robert with the Scouts

or all of us camping except Joely stays with Grandma

Or Me with the Girls Scouts-

Or on two ocassions with the cub scouts, the boys got sick and since I was already signed up as a leader, I took the girls with me!

CRAZY

But it's been well all of Joely's life time since we all camped together.

It was a blast!

We took 5 boy scouts with us (two were David and Quentin)

and they did all the cooking!

The boys stumbled upon a geocache and it was so exciting! They can't wait to find more.

The best part of Boy Scouts is they let you bring the "me toos"

And those two were delightful

The highlights were of course the leisure hike (1.13 miles) to the swimming hole and back. The Creek was low so it wasn't scary or dangerous. Just refreshing!

On Saturday Evening Dad and the girls went on an "Ice Run" that ended at Sonic for them.

The scouts and I ate spaghetti cooked by travis (david's brother from another mother)

and Chicken and Rice, cooked by David.

Ok So I didn't get any pictures of the whole family, and you have to look close to see Quentin, he's in the greenish shirt.

It was a lot of fun.

We plan to go to Livingston this summer and also camp in Galveston State Park.

I prefer the state parks because their bathrooms have flush toilets. I can handle a lot of things if the toilets flush!

They also have showers.

Quentin was the only scout who showered, he now has a testimony of showering at camp LOL.

Our next trip is less primitive, we are staying at Surfside Beach for a week in a rental house.

The Park is located in the National Thicket, so it was wooded and relativly cool.
As Robert kept saying, "It could be a whole lot worse" LOL

We spend an evening reminiscing about camping trips as kids.

I took for granted that camping was a normal part of family life.

I had no idea the preparation and work that went into it.

A big thanks to mom and dad.

Also I remember always being cold, we were in the Pacific Northwest and everything is frigid.

Even though we were cold it was always fun.

I remember one week where we stayed and it rained most of the time, but dad read to us from his novel, "jaws" LOL

We would camp for a week, how on earth mom and dad got provisions for our family in the car I'll never know.
Miracle Workers!

I will gladly take the bugs and the heat of Texas and enjoy swimming in warm refreshing water.

Zombies, the New Vampires

If you know me, you are quite aware of my absolute lack

of parental styles.

You can't really guess how I'm going to act or react to any given situation that requires

a repsonsible adult to give input, punish or establish order.

However, I'm happy to indulge in the obsessions of my children.

To that end I will explain to you in Cliff Notes form the many lessons

David Mullens has taught us about his obsession with

upcoming and inevitable,
ZOMBIE APOCOLYPSE

It's unclear, when he realized that it's not a question of if but when for the zombie apocolpse, but it was some time in this school year.

I beleive the inception was the little knows faction of the Nazi army that

employed Zombies as killing machines.

The problem with Zombies is that they infect 100% of the people they bite.

The incubation period is very short so it can wipe out nations really quick.

Fortunatly an elite group of Black Ops anihilated the Zombie Corp back in WW2.

But the disease called the Solanum Virus was not wiped out, and David is waiting for another outbreak.

Apparently there are evidences of Zombie outbreaks in ancient Egypt.

So now with the Groundbreaking Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks,

David is ready now more than ever for the impending Doom.

I'm happy to be in his family, as my survival goes up exponentially.

He now wants a crossbow, machete, scythe and a few good shovels.

Sure, he'll explain, Guns are effective, but they aren't silent.

And we all know that zombies are attracted to noise.

Each of his weapons of choice are 100% effective , if you can get rid of the head.

Also you don't need more ammo, they are all reusable.

Sure you may evenutally need more arrows, but you can always recycle them.

Another tip is to not be the slowest.

Perhaps that's why Davo can run three miles so readily.

Zombies have no need for oxygen and therefore they can survive underwater.

They can also climb, so trees won't help.

You need to be barricaded.

In addition you need to be constantly vigilant, sure you may become paranoid, but when the undead are seeking to consume your brains, a little paranoia is just what the doctor ordered, if survival is on your agenda.

David has a quick reference poster in his room that I beleive he will have committed to memory by Friday and he's half way through his survival book, that he received last night.

By summers end, I think he'll be able to quote it.

Happy Easter Happy Spring

Here in the south, Easter Celebrations begin on Good Friday.

Since I was raised in the Godless North I don't recall anything special that day or even being off of school, but here in the south we celebrate Christian Holidays.

As is the now custom, We had an EGGSTRAVAGANZA at

Ari's House. Her mom "aunt Connie" and Myriam are

quintesential hostesses. Being from Monterey Mexico means the party is

OVER THE TOP!!!

Well technically Connie was born and raised in Houston-

but was we say in Brazil. "com vivencia"

A delicious lunch, awesome punch and desserts

and then the HUNT!

I lost count of all the kiddos and older brothers and sisters but there were a lot.

Alice was doing a make up day for art with Alex, but we brought her home some eggs.

Saturday was glamour shots day (pictures to follow) but check out

Manti Photography (on my links to the left) for some of their magic!

Here is David hiding eggs at Grandma Dorothy's house on Easter Sunday.

He doesn't look like the sullen tweener that he's become, after all he heard

there was cold hard cash in some of the eggs.

And here is Joely finding all the loot.

Great Aunt Lisa looted the dollar store and Target and

"hid" all the goodies in the yard.

There were fairy wings, slippers, play dough, chocolate bubbles, bad teeth

kites, jewelry etc.

Anything that could be hung in trees, shoved in a bush or placed in a fence slat was purchased.

Alice in her over the top glam shades.

Joely and the bubbles, she declared,
"I got everything I ever wanted"

And so did Robert and I.

It was a wonderful day.

Again the family only asked us to bring drinks and we came home with

a brisket and a ham, plus desserts.

Being the only one with kids, I guess makes us look pathetic-

I know I won't be cooking today, tomorrow or probably until next Sunday!

Stripling Young Warriors

Farewell my Stripling Warrior Del Parsons

One of my favorite histories in the Book of Mormon is about the mothers of 2000 Stripling Warriors. This year for Mother's Day our little primary is singing a song about

the testimonies of their mothers,

It's called I am a Stripling Warrior

and it's made me very weepy and close to the spirit.

The story of the 2000 warriors is amazing. Their parents had been viscous and delighted in bloodshed, however when they learned the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ they accepted and changed their lives. They literally buried their weapons and made a promise to God that they would join with His Church and NEVER use their weapons of war again.

They promised to never fight or kill.

Because of the truth they changed the way they had lived their whole life.

However peace didn't stay in their land.

Once again their lives were being threatened and they considered joining the fight but that would mean they would break their promise to God.

Instead they did something even more unthinkable.

They allowed their young boys, roughly 2000 of them, ages 8-15 go off to battle.

Their sons had not made the same promise as their parents.

They could battle for their God, land, their families and their church.

But they were so young, how could they go forth and fight the enemy?

Because their mothers taught them to have faith.

And that's the great message of the stripling warriors

Their mother's taught them to have faith.

They were led by a man named Helaman, and he loved them, he described them as his sons.

In the Book of Alma in the Book of Mormon, the fifty sixth chapter verses 46-48 teaches us

46. For as I have ever called them my sons (for all of them were very young) even said unto me, "Father behold our God is with us, and he will notsufer that we should fall; then let us go forth...

47. Now they had never fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers, than they did upon their lives, they had

TAUGHT BY THEIR MOTHERS

if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

48. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt, our mothers knew it."

And those boys did go into battle and they were succesful and not ONE fo the 2000 boys were killed.

This story is speaking to me on so many levels.

First and foremost. The mothers had lived their lives in such a manner that their children beleived everything they said. They were examples of faith and righteousness. They had taught their children to be selfless because they were only thinking of their families and their peace when they volunteered to join the army.

Second their children grew up with faith. They didn't doubt what was taught them. Their mothers undoubtedly pointed out the many tender mercies of the Lord that occured daily in their lives. Their mothers taught them the gospel.

They did not fear.

Each day I send my children out to fight a "war." It's not as literal as the stripling young warriors. It's more figurative and that war is between good and evil. Each day they have to choose

between good and evil.

I hope that because of what I've taught them and how I conduct my life they always choose God and Jesus Christ and that they can say, "my mother knew it."

I hope and pray they have the courage to overcome peer pressure and only choose worthy friends. I hope they will be bold and serve missions for the Lord, each one of them.

I hope they can be like the warriors and think first about the benefit of the group rather than their own needs and wants.

I'm so greatful that my mother taught me the truth and where to turn to in times of need. I'm glad her mother taught her, and that my grandmother was taught by her mother and so on.

I'm part of a legacy of great mothers and I hope that the legacy continues with my daughters and that my boys find wives that will continue our legacy.

On another level, this story is speaking to me in my calling as a seminary teacher.

I feel like Helaman did when he called them his sons.

Clearly he loved them so much and was probably amazed by all they could accomplish.

I love each of the boys in my class and have a motherly concern for their welfare.

I'm so greatful that they are raised by wonderful mothers who have taught them the truth.

I'm greatful that they love their mothers enough that they come to class almost every day.

I'm amazed by the great things they do.

Whether it's Dyllan handing out pamphlets at Crosby High School on For the Strengthy of Youth

https://beta.lds.org/youth/for-the-strength-of-youth?locale=eng and always strives to do better,

Or Jace and his peaceful and thoughtful spirit who is always excited about church and the youth program

Or Lucas who simply does everything that is asked of him,

They each make me so proud to be a part of their lives.

I'm so greatful for the fact that my boys look up to them and that my daughters love them too.

So for this week and this month and I'm hoping this year

I'm greatful to be a mother, I'm greatful to the examples of great mothers and I'm greatful for my husband who allows me to be the kind of mother I need to be and who picks up my slack.

Mostly I'm greatful for the young warriors in my charge.

Alice's Baptism February 19th 2011

This is Alice in her special dress for her special day.

She was very nervous and excited.

Grandma and Grandpa Barnes came to share in the exciting day.

In our church we believe that when a child is eight they reach the age of accountability and can make their own choices. We wait until this age to baptize the children.

Still it's their choice.

She was interviewed by our Bishop, Gerald Love, and was found ready to take this step.

We beleive literally in the teaching of the Savior that " a man (or in this case a cute girl) must be born of the water and the spirit to enter into the kingdom of God"

She was baptized by immersion and then received the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

We also believe that the ordinances must be performed by someone with the authority to do so.

The Priesthood of Aaron was restored to the earth and has the authority to baptize.

This is Alice with Lucas Mason, a young man from my seminary class that holds the office of the priest in the Aaronic Priesthood, he baptized Alice. We were very pleased that Lucas was willing to do this for Alice. He's a wonderful young man and it's an honor to be asoociated with him.

After her baptism Grandpa Barnes (who holds the office of a high priest in the Melchizedek priesthood) confirmed her a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and by the laying on of hands she received the Gift of the Holy Ghost. She loves her Grandpa very much and was glad he was able to come to confirm her.

As long as she keeps the commandments, prays and repents she will have the Holy Ghost with her as a companion to help keep her safe and make good choices.

This special cake was made by Holly Carraway, it says
"And Alice was baptized and there was much rejoicing in the land"

She's also wearing a special hair piece that Galadriel Hutchings made her to wear on her wrist when she was blessed as an infant.

She'll put the hair piece in her wedding boquet.

We love Alice very much and are thrilled with her decision.