The Mariano Family: July 2009

The GOOD-
OK- so I am trying (apparently not very hard) to cut back on DP in an attempt to lose a few pounds, but tonight I was in SEVERE need of a Dr. Pepper. We were fresh out of them. I had just given the boys a bath and was getting them ready for bed when the craving hit, but I was NOT going to load them in the car at 8:00 for a Sonic run. But I still needed one :) SO....... I texted my "sweet, precious, I knew she was one of my best friends for a reason," to see if she might still be at church (very close to my house), to ask if she'd bring me a DP from the machine there. Well, sweet love!! Not only did she bring a delicious, ice cold can of goodness straight to my doorstep, but she brought a whole case!! Now that, my friends, is true friendship ;) Love you muchas mas KIRA!! And I still would even if you hadn't rushed to my rescue tonight, but I am sure glad you did :)

Kira & Me

The BAD-
*Micah was home for 2 1/2 weeks which was AWESOME!!! He left today for a camp in East Texas and I won't see him til Tuesday....I miss him...this is bad. :(

*I use too much excessive punctuation when I write. I used to be an English teacher. This is bad.

The UGLY-
ME!! As in my attitude....YUCK! Can anyone say, Mommy the GROUCH?!!? Uhhhggghh! I have been so impatient, frustrated, snappy, and grouchy this week. Yeah-the whole week. Little things that aren't usually a big deal to me are driving me nutso, I have very little patience for a certain 3.5 & 2.5 year old, and I am just plain not pleasant :( I don't know what the deal is, but "I do not like it, not one little bit!" It's not fun and I want out of the "funk!" So, for the benefit of my sweet boys and everyone else around me, would you mind just saying a quick prayer for me today? Thanks ;)

*WARNING.....due to the fact that I haven't posted in a month, this post is a little LONG and has LOTS of pictures :) *

Oh man! What a crazy summer we are having!! I thought summer was the season when everyone was supposed to slow down and take it easy and I thought we would settle after our trip to the Philippines, but I feel like we have been busier than EVER! Micah has had a very busy summer, which is great because ministry is what he does, but hard because he has been gone from us for virtually 7 weeks (minus a day here and there between camps)! Strangely enough, its gone by fairly fast and its been easier than the past summers that he's been gone, even though its the most he has traveled! Well, for me anyway. Aiden has NOT been very happy about his daddy being gone so much :( In fact, this weekend, he cried for daddy every night! BROKE my heart!! But no worries now, because DADDY IS HOME!! Well, technically he is at my mom's with us, but he is here and that's all that matters! He has a 2 1/2 week break before he has his last camp of the summer...WHOOHOO!

my handsome boys ;) we went fishing at a...ehemmm... "lake" close to my mom's. It was small to say the least! More to come on that story...

Puzzle time with daddy...that's his knee in the corner...apparently i forgot to get a pic with him in it!

Chillin with daddy in the recliner ;)

Anyway, the boys and I have stayed busy too, swimming, playing, running around, entertaining my little brother (10 yrs old) and doing some traveling of our own! We had a blast with Micah in Brownwood at youth camp! The boys and I loved getting to take a special trip with daddy to an event!
Funny story...I told the boys that we were going to get to go to camp with daddy for a few days and they were so excited, but Seth, the literal child he is, processed it as "camping!" So he thought we were going to sleep in our sleeping bags in a tent and that we were going to fish! It just cracked me up, because he has only been fishing once with Micah 2 summers ago, we didn't even own fishing poles, and we have never been on a camping trip. I am not sure where he learned what camping meant, but boy was he ready :) He was so excited about fishing and was telling everyone that we got to go to the "campout" with daddy and that he was gonna fish!! We are so blessed to have thoughtful and caring parents...Micah's dad, who the boys call "Pan," went to Academy and bought both the boys fishing poles (quite nice ones, might I add!!) Pan gave them to the boys Sunday after church and Seth was so excited he held the package all the way to Brownwood and even fell asleep with it in his hands :)

Thats a straw in his mouth in case you were wondering.....
Aiden was just as excited about his fishing pole, but he was more interested in hitting Seth with it, so I had to take it away for the time being!

THEN, on Monday afternoon after being SO patient, Seth got to go fishing with Micah on the lake at the camp. Unfortunately, Aiden had to have a nap, so he didn't get to go with them :( But he was perfectly happy to hang out with Mommy in the air conditioned room! When Micah was getting the fishing pole ready, you would have thought it was Christmas morning! Seth was absolutely precious because he was so excited he just kept talking and talking and talking about fishing! Micah brought some "sausage"" bait we had left over from lunch at Underwoods BBQ in Brownwood and the perch LOVED it!! Seth caught several and even held one of them before they threw it back in the water :) I am so proud of my little guy and I KNOW his daddy is too :)

getting the fishing pole ready..

Seth with a catch!

proud of that fishing pole

another "getting ready" pic

We left the camp Tuesday morning, spent one night at home, then headed to my mom's house for the rest of the week :) We love hangin out at Mamo's!!

wild man!

sandbox fun :)

yay for cupcakes

wanna bite?

push-ups + cartoons= the best life ever!

sno-cone goodness

look at mine!

hanging out at the pool

is this livin it up or what?

big boy swimmer ;) Maybe next summer we will work on losing those floaties!

Last but not least...MORE FISHING!!
We went to a very small lake about 20 minutes from my mom's house today. When we got there Micah said, "This is a lake? More like a pond.." and my mom said, "You Texans have to have everything big!" HAHA. Yes mom....we do!! So we follow Micah down to the water and IMMEDIATELY two beautiful white geese make their way over to us. I, of course, think they are cute and are just coming over to say hi, but as soon as Micah turned his back, they snuck over and tried to get our bait!! HAHA! So my everso courageous husband gently shoo'd them away and said "those silly geese...tryin to get my bait...haha!" Are you kidding me?? NO HE DID NOT DO THAT!! He yelled, "get out of here," and bowed up to them (as if in a fight with another human being)! When they retreated he called out after them, "that's right suckers!!" Oh man, I was totally cracking up! The beautiful geese scattered off a few feet away, but it wasn't long before they made their way back. BUT this time they B-lined straight for Aiden's little leg!!! The wonderful photographer that I am, I was taking pics and couldn't get there fast enough, but our of the corner of my eye Super-Daddy whacks the goose with a fishing pole! The goose hissed, Micah hissed back, the goose retreated, (for good this time) and Micah, in his moment of goose-defeat glory, shouted another, "whats up sucker...that's right!!" Micah the goose-slayer....my hero!! ;)