Belleville a Typical Small Texas Town with a very French Name

Translation: 'Beautiful Town'

County Road Trip

Grandma Nakata is visiting us from Utah for a couple of weeks.

She wanted to see 'Texas' so we took her for a little drive in the Texas country side.

During the trip, out of the Blue

Amelie asked: "Grandma, were you in the silver war?"

Mike: "You meen the Civil War?"

Amelie :"Yes that one!"

Grandma Laughing: "Oh, I'm not that old!!!

We sure had a quick out of that comment!

Our Very Own Little Place of Heaven on Earth

I love planting flowers every year!

I love our back yard!

I love eating lunch and reading there...

Oh and did I ever mention I love my dog!

Disturbing House Guest

This week-end Chloe found a couple of disturbing house guests 

hiding in our family room! 

Our very own  cockroaches!

Yeeew!

Justine is the one that diposed of them down the toilet. 

At a cost though!

She had a nightmarish dream about an invasion of them in the sound system!!!

I knew they were common in Houston and had seen a few dead ones 

in homes we had visited while looking for a house before we moved here.

I guess I should count my blessings since this is the first sighting 

in our home in a year and a half!

Needless to say, I have made an appointment for our BugMan 

to come spray the house and yard this coming tuesday!

I knew there was something I had forgotten to do this spring... 
This is a definite reminder!

Ce week-end Chloe a trouve un couple d' invites de maison troublant 
 qui se cachaient dans notre salle de famille.

Nos propres  cafards!

Yeeew!

Justine en a dispose dans les toilettes. 

Mais a un prix! 

Elle a eu un cauchemar d'une invasion and notre system de son!!!

Je sais qu'ils sont commun a Houston j'en ai vu quelques un mort dans des maisons
que nous visitions avant d'acheter la notre. 

Je pense que je doit compter mes benedictions car c'est la premiere foi que nous en voyons
dans notre maison en 1 an et demi! 

Ca va sans dire que le Bugman vient Mardi pour pulveriser la maison et le jardin! 

Je savais que j'avais oublie de faire quelque chose ce printemps... 
Voila un rappel bien claire!

It's Swim Season again!

The end of school is approching so fast! 

It really is feeling like summer now! 

2 more weeks of school. I must say, 

I'm quite excited and looking forward to enjoying
the Woodlands pools, reading and swimming.

I am sitting in the shade at Amelie's first swim meet. 

She is beating all her current times!
They started swim practice after school a couple of weeks ago.

Fun DressUp Collages from Mo-Prom

Photo Update

I found some 'before' pictures of our downstairs. 

I just uploaded them here 

Mother's day

Do I love mother's day?

Well, yes, but I didn't always... On some mother's day I've even wanted to run away.

(I did lock myself in my bedroom a few times, or take the car for a 2 hour drive in the countryside to calm myself down. Don't ask me why, I seam to have completely forgotten? )

Somehow, these seem far tucked back in my memory...

I try to enjoy the day, with not too many expectations.

Today, Justine cooked me dinner, with a little help from me. 

She made me some Couscous! Yummy!

Alexi sent me this sweet quote;
"Mother's love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved"

I do love being a mother.

Yeah, I know, there are some days when I can't stand us to be in the same room, 

or they drive me crazy.

But the little moments of joy outweigh those ones. 

I love seeing the great little people they are becoming.

Have you ever asked your parents, how you were as kids? 

I have. 

Well, we were just perfect kids and teens!

We didn't give them any problems...

They must not remember.
I clearly remember fighting, even biting my brother until he bled, 

or me being mean to my little sister and accidentally breaking her bedroom window 

all because she borrowed a shirt without asking.

There must be a thick veil of forgetfulness that comes with age and time.

We only remember the good moments! 

Isn't it great!!! Or maybe it's just my parents?

Anyhow, see what I have to look forward to?

A few more years and our life with our kids will seam all peachy and beautiful...

I must admit, I think that this veil is starting to slowly apear in my mind...

I saw videos of Justine at the Browns last thanksgiving, and boy was she wild! 

All over the place that one!
 And I look at Justine now, so good and beautiful (well she's always been beautiful! :)

Oh Alexi too, he was even more wild.

Now, so calm, you would not think he was the same kid.

I do also hope that my kids will forget and forgive me all the not so good stuff and mistakes
I have made, and still inflict upon them, in my trying to figure out this parenting thing.
I hope they also remember mainly the good.

I'm glad for the sacred opportunity I have of being a Mom.

With all the good and the not so good. 

Cause in the end it will be all good!

That is, if my theory's correct! ;)

I feel this applies perfectly to Parenting.

 "...however late you think you are, 

however many chances you think you have missed, 

however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, 

or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, 

I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. 

It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.

Whether you are not yet of our faith or were with us once and have not remained, 

there is nothing in either case that you have done that cannot be undone. 

There is no problem which you cannot overcome. 

There is no dream that in the unfolding of time and eternity cannot yet be realized. 

Even if you feel you are the lost and last laborer of the eleventh hour, 

the Lord of the vineyard still stands beckoning. 

“Come boldly [to] the throne of grace,” and fall at the feet of the Holy One of Israel. 

Come and feast “without money and without price” at the table of the Lord."
Jeffry R. Holland . The Laborers in the Vineyard

Temple Tour

A few pictures form Amelie's primary activity:

A tour around the Houston Temple grounds.

I hope Amelie will some day choose to make

 binding eternal covenants with the man she will love...

Just like I did.

I couldn't be happier, to know that my family is forever...

And Ever.

Quelques photos de l'activite pour la primaire autour du temple du Houston.

En marchant autour du temple,
J’espère qu'elle choisira de se sceller pour l'eternite avec l'homme qu'elle aimera...
Comme moi j'ai fait.
Je suis si heureuse de savoir que ma famille, c'est pour toujours...
Et toujours.

Primary Picnic

The Tour was followed by a picnic in the park.

They had a wicked chicken/feta/pasta salad that I am going to get the recipe for.

I ate 3 plates of it, it was so good!

Flat Tire & New book

Today,

After driving all over the place for my kids, 

I stopped at the dog park for Chloe and realized my front tire was totally flat!

I waited for Mike to come rescue me. 

It felt so good to have a good man in my life, especially in those annoying moments.

I am so blessed.

I ended up being there for 3 hours.

But it was ok, I had just downloaded a new book on the Kindle:

Aujourd'hui,
Apres avoir conduit ici et la toute la journee pour les enfants,
En arrivant au park pour Chloe, j'ai realise que mon pneu etait totallement a plat.
J'ai attendu que Mike vienne a mon secours.
Je suis si contente d'avoir un bon homme dans ma vie, surtout dans ces moments ennuiant.
Je suis si benie.
Je suis restee au park pour 3 heure.
Mais c'etait ok car je venais just de charger un nouveaux livre sur le Kindle.

List

Amelie made Mike and I a list of questions during our Stake Conference meeting at church.

(2 hours is a long time to keep quiet for a very energetic 9 year old)
Here is the one I made for Amelie (in it's original spelling).

Favorite Color: Blue, Red, Green
Favorite Sport: Swimming, Diving
Favorite Food: Pizza, Orange Chicken
What do you want? A Horse, a Phone, a toy kinchen
(we left hers behind in the move. I still haven't gotten one, I think she would have outgrown it)
Favorite Hobby: Horse back riding & Tennis
(She's only done each a couple of time, she wishes they were hobbies!)
Favorite Books: Her Evil Twin & Stone Fox
Favorite Movies: Pizza My Heart & The incredable Jorney of the turtle
Favorit game: Sims 3 
Favorite Clothing: Cassul
Favorite Song: All of Selena Gomez
Favorite Artist: Selena Gomez
Favorite family member: Mom (because of yesterday) see here, soon dad 
( it's usually always dad, I guess I need to goof off with Amelie more often)
Favorite Pet: Chloe
Favorite Place: Disney world & Ohio
Favorite TV show: H2o
Favorite Friends: Katie, Reessie, Maddie, Lexi, Arielle
Favorite Girl name: Rikki
Favorite Boy name: Ash
Favorite Vacation: Ohio
Favorite Animal: Horse
Favorite candy: Kitkat & Ressie
How many kids you want: 1

Amelie's Awesome Performance or is it Mom's?

Since I occasionally put stuff on our blog that might be embarrassing to some,
I thought I would for once embarrass myself! "Only fair" would my kids say!
Ps: the fall was real! 

Flowers Everywhere

I Love my forest, my dog & wild flowers.

I brought a bucket to fill it with Blackberries, I was a little too late. 

I did get enough for a delicious fruit smoothie.

It was so good!

Play Ball

Mike got a few tickets to the Astro BaseBall game for his Birthday from a friend.

So Being the good wife that I am, I sacrificed and went with him.

I did bring a book, last time I went to a ball game, years ago, I was bored... not much happened!

Anyhow, this time, we sat at a restaurant and ate a few appetizers, 

I only read a little cause it was kinda fun. 

The Houston Astro's won the game!

Oh and some guy made a wedding proposal on camera in the audience and she said yes!

Un ami a donne a Mike des tickets pour le match de Baseball pour son anniversaire.

Etant la bonne epouse que je suis, J'ai fait un grand sacrifice et suis allee avec lui.

La derniere fois que je suis aller a un match, j'ai pris un livre, 

c'etait enuiyant, pas grand chose se passait. 

Mais cette fois-ci, on c'est assi a un restaurant, on a manger.

Et je n'ai lu qu'un petit peu car c'etait pas mal.

Les Houston Astro's on gagné la soiree.

Decadent Birthday Chocolate cake

Mike finished his evening with a Sinful Chocolate Cake.
"Molten chocolate cake with a mound of ice cream and hard shell chocolate 
and oreo cookies around it."

Sunday stroll in our Neighborhood