The new and the old...

Well, I am going to refrain from posting new stuff for a while. I have been bribed by a friend to start a food blog so I am going to whip it up today and trip to post weekly! We will see how it goes. Thanks for reading and take care!

Sleep? Who needs SLEEP???

So lately I have been a bit of a night owl. If it is not work it is school, if it is not school it is board duties, if it is not board duties well then it is just plain old life! The summer is turning out to be pretty busy. I promised Jeff that I would not plan any "house" projects this summer but our social calendar has been a bit crazy! It has been good to spend time with friends and family!

I am MOST excited about Bryce playing football for the first time!!! I am counting down the days! He has been in Jujitsu for two years now but team sports are so much fun for parents! I remember his first soccer game, I went nuts! But after scoring more points for the OTHER team the whole season we decided it was not his game. I think I took him out too soon though. Have you ever given up before you really should? Even on your kids? I did the same thing with Bryce and piano. However he does rock out on the acoustic guitar now so maybe I am being too hard on myself??? He recently wrote his on diddy for the first time and I have to say it was pretty good. I want to get the twins in sports so this summer so we started them in dance. Elyse is in tap and Tryston is in gymnastics. It is a hoot watching them! Maybe soccer in the spring?

On a crazy note, I am getting ready to start a 20 week roll of math in school! I did not mean to plan it this way, but it is what it is! If I go MIA until March, I am here...just trying to survive!

Have a wonderful summer!!! C-Ya!

Floridians, for 4 days!

This past weekend Jeff and I took the twins for their long awaited vacation to Florida. I spent 4 days packing and preparing and by Thursday when it was time to leave I was already exhausted! This was our first real vacation with the twins and I was determined it was going to be awesome. From the moment we left the house in the limo the kids were full of questions and great anticipation of what was to come.

When we got to the airport the check-in was smooth and the TSA crew that took us through security were the BOMB! (sorry that is the only time that I could ever say bomb around the name TSA) They were exceedingly nice and helpful and even talked to the kids about why they were checking everyone.

The flight was just o.k. as the airline stewardess was totally clueless about what a peanut allergy even was so that was quite annoying, btw, I do really despise Delta airlines! But, once we got to Palm Beach, Fl and walked outside to feel the oh so lovely heat and thick humidity we knew we were officially on vacation!

We went swimming every day! We went to the beach and played and decided the pool was much more fun with 2 four year olds! LOL We even took a quick trip to Sawgrass Mills and did a little post birthday shopping for a well deserving Mommy! :) We went on an amphibious vehicle/boat trip which was lots of fun! My most enjoyable moment was at a place called Guanna Bannas! It was this amazing outdoor restaurant that was covered in shade by trees and nature. It was carved into an inlet and was absolutely beautiful!

Coming home, well that was a nightmare due to a stretch of a 10 hour trip home from FL to NY to IN and with toddlers who refused to nap! We had a few full blown melt downs and oh yes, Tryston learning that is hard to pee straight on a bumpy plane ride...poor guy who had to see it all! Ugh!

As crazy as all of the 4 days were, I had a smashing time with my twins. Even enjoyed some laughs with my husband as we did our favorite thing, people watch. As we arrived home Bryce was waiting eagerly to greet us! And after hearing some of the craziness was very thankful he stayed home for this first trip!

I saw a whole new side to my kids on this trip, we really did have fun and enjoy what God has created around us! He really does create all things for his pleasure! Have a great week!!!

The birds and bees, life as I now know it...and catching up!

I can tell you right now that I am finally catching my breath after a crazy 3 months! I am not even sure where to begin...

I had my tonsils out in March I think...I was sick and desperate to get come relief! And relief is NOT how I would explain having your tonsils out as an adult. It was horrible and painful...but that is exactly what the Dr. told me to expect. But I am better now! So that is all that matters.

Bryce turned 11 in March and the twins turned 4. That alone is still hard for me to swallow. I now have a pre-teen!!! :}

But with that said...comes the birds and the bees. This past April we sat Bryce down to explain the birds and bees...surprisingly he immediately told us that he knew what he needed to know from Yogi Bear...Um huh? You can imagine the look Jeff and I shared at that moment! Here nor there we got through 1st base and left it at there. We will pick the talk up before he heads to pre-teen camp this July. He is also starting football in the fall and we are all excited about that!! He will be a linebacker!

Bryce and I were able to share a week together in FL for his 5th grade trip to Melborne beach! It was a blast and we learned so much about each other. For a mom it was a dream come true! I too got some alone time to just hang at the beach and yes...I had my laptop with me working! I also became closer with a friend that was a nice treat!

As for the twins, Elyse is starting tap class in June and Tryston is starting gymnastics too! They are both excited! I think they are even ready for soccer in the fall...but with me in school I am not sure if we will be able to handle all of the chaos! We will see!

As for the practical yet romantic side of my life I took 5 weeks off school to sorta reconnect with my life. Working full time, school, and family really took its toll on me along with my surgeries. I am excited to report I have lost 91 lbs and still have about 40 more to go. It has not been easy but seeing how great I feel makes it all worth it!

I can tell you all that these last 3 months of my life have been a good deep soul searching for what is important in life. I am so blessed to have my husband as my best friend and those around us who love and support us. This has been a difficult time too with my mom falling ill and the uncertainty of her condition. But as always, God it good!

I promise to be more inspiring next time but sometimes life is just real and ugly! So there it is! :)

Those Three Little Words...

It is true that every February we are reminded just how much somebody loves us. I for one think a day all about love is quite fantastic. But I think that if that is the only day you show some love then maybe you should just not bother.

You see, for me love is a spiritual thing. It is more than a feeling or emotion. It is made with sugar and spice, but it has some flour and eggs to make it strong and fluffy! On this day of love I am particularly reminded just how much love means to me.

I have been in love maybe 3 times in my life. My first was in high school my junior year. Met this crazy guy and fell head over heels for him. He was a freshman and we will just name him Mr. B. He made me laugh and that is why I fell in love with him. He was different than all the other guys in school, not weird but different.

Next was after I graduated high school. It was in July and I met this guy we will call Mr. X, while playing volley ball at church. We went and watched fireworks…and sat and talked for a good part of the night. I fell in love with him because he was older and more mature. No, not years older, but he was in college and I was looking for stability.

And then there is Jeff. When I met Jeff I did NOT fall in love with him. In fact, I thought he was the biggest jerk ever! Seriously! I thought he was arrogant, rude and his silence and awkwardness about killed me. In fact I still remember the first time we actually held a conversation..I felt guilty for how harshly I had judged him; he was actually a nice guy and quite shy. We met at work and he was in management so he could not ask me out on a date. So I asked him out…in a roundabout way. I asked him “If a girl like me were to ask you out on a date, where would you take her?” He replied, “I would take her anywhere to get a first date.” Um, he had me at “I”…

We dated for a few months when one day I heard from my boss that Jeff had resigned from his job. I semi FREAKED because we were not really supposed to be dating…but we were. I will NEVER forget how ticked off I was at him for not telling me he was leaving. You see, he lived in Virginia and I lived in Indy so the ONLY time we saw each other is when he came out on business trips, which was about every 2 weeks. That night on the phone I remember just letting him have it! I was so hurt! I did not even let him get a word in edge wise! And after I was done there was silence. He then asked if I was “done” with all of my ranting. I said yes and he then began to explain that in order to tell me something that he had been wanting to say for quite some time he had to leave his job. In the next breath he told me that he loved me! I did indeed drop the phone.

You see, we had been dating for about 4 months and those were words I was not sure I would ever want to hear again…but when he uttered them my heart just melted.

I am not sure at that point in my life if I believed in the term soul mate. I had heard the term thrown around, but I was so bitter from things in my past that I thought hearing those words would usher in feelings of regret and chaos. But instead those three words to me were peaceful, kind, loving and gentle. They were words that came at the right time and for the right reason. Having a long distance relationship is hard enough, but it helped me take the physical aspect out of a relationship. He loved me for who I really was.

As the story goes, there is no real happily ever after in any real relationship that I know of. You have bad times and you both learn from them. You have good times and you cherish them. I think that overall I am a better person for Jeff loving me. Actually, I am a better person for falling in love with those that I have loved. I think that your walk in life can take you down interesting roads and it is your choice to embrace and learn from those experiences. I choose to embrace life! I choose to love and be loved by those in my life.

I challenge you to look at the people in your life and begin to understand why you first fell in love with them. I think you will see them in a new light! Cheers!

Beautiful Blessings!!!

I cannot believe this day has actually come and now gone for us as a family. Tryston has passed both of his food trials and we can now go and live like a normal family. We are blessed beyond measure! I am still in shock from the events the last few months. I know God has his hand on our family and for that I am so thankful. Next year when he turns 5 we will be tested for peanuts…so stay posted!

When we were walking out of Riley today I asked Tryston what is the first place he want to go…he said Red Robin! HA! We eat there already once a month and that was a very big treat for him. They accommodate food allergies unlike any restaurant!!! But then he came to his senses and like any four year old said he wanted to go to Bouncer Town! So next Monday I promised to take him and his brother and sister there to celebrate!!!

Thank you for all of the heart-felt prayers. We feel your prayers and warm wishes…you have truly blessed us! We are elated by this miracle in our lives! I always say that my kids ARE a gift from God, but being able to fully enjoy them everywhere is also a gift! When I think of all the places we can go now I am just beside myself! I am SURE we will see you around town SOMEWHERE now!

Thanks and God Bless!!!

BTW, Dr. Leickly has started a blog! Ha! He is too cool! Here is his site…
http://leicklystory.wordpress.com/

A bit boring....sorry...

I am not looking forward to next week. In fact…if I could just call in sick from work, school, and being a Mommy to Elyse, Tryston, and Bryce that would be grand! It is not that I do not enjoy all of these things, in fact I really do! But Monday begins a 10 week session where I need to go to school 2 nights a week. I am trying not to grunt and grumble as I pulled out my first homework assignment that is DUE on Monday…but I am and I DID!

So the next 10 weeks are going to be fun! Jeff is traveling more too…so that makes life even more fun! But, I have to stay focused…keep my head up and my eyes toward heaven and I know God will get me through all of this…well maybe some Starbucks too!!!

Tryston’s egg challenge is at Riley on Monday from 8am-noon…please pray that all goes well and we will only be left with a peanut allergy!!! He is such a sweet little man!

Bryce has an orthodontic appointment next week for spacers to be placed for his braces…and yes, I have NOT told him yet!

And Elyse has her final dance class with her BFF next week too!

At work we are embracing PANO and the fun that we can have with VMWare when they are used together? Never a dull moment in our office!

Oh, and today I hit my 50 lb weight loss goal! That was a bit exciting too! So there is some good in the world! And thanks to Milydia and Amy I had some much needed sushi and shopping! Thank girls!

OK, sorry this is so boring! I am looking forward to V-Day! J Jeff has a surprise cooked up…Have a great week!!!

Quick Update!!!

Today I went to St. V's to get my first fill in my lap band! I am quite excited! I have lost 46 lbs! Almost 1/2 way to my goal and I am 7 weeks out!!! The Dr. was quite pleased! I am too! Jeff also surprised me with a diamond bracelet a few months back...and today I wore it for the first time! That was icing on the cake! I hear my Valentines gift matches??? :)

As for Tryston...his egg challenge is this coming Monday so please keep us in your prayers! If he passes this he requested fried rice from his Lola Emily! HA!

It is hard to believe that IF he passes this test (which I am pretty sure he will) we can go on family vacations, out to eat with friends and family and can go anywhere without boundaries! That is very exciting to our family!!!

We have so much to be excited for! Praise the Lord!!1 Just had to share!!!

What was I thinking?

There are many times I pose this question…do you? Like when I take my kids to Chuckie Cheese, or brave a store with all THREE…or only buy one of something when I know I need three to prevent WW3 breaking out in the Espiritu home.

But today I sit and realize that my kids are not longer babies! What was I thinking having three kids…knowing that they will just grow-up and leave one day. I am so attached to them it kills me to think about one more birthday sneaking up on me! The twins will be 4 tomorrow…and just a few weeks later Bryce will be 11! Where did the time go?

This weekend Elyse and I pulled out some albums of when I was in high school and as we were looking at the pictures she kept asking me who all of these people were. There were several pictures of me going to dances and she would ask “Is that Daddy with you there?” I had to explain who each person was and why I was with them. But we got to one picture in the past and she asked me if I still had the dress. I told her that I had since given it away…and she asked “what were you thinking?” She thought the dress was just beautiful!

Granted I am not a sentimental person when it comes to things. In fact I am very unattached to things at this time in my life. Past experiences left me numb to what money can buy. It is true that money can’t but you love…but it can bring you the illusion of love if you feel empty inside. Should things that are old bring you joy? My grandfather Fred’s bible brings warmth from the word of God to soul. My mother’s ironing board brings me laughter of how my husband proposed to me…That is what things should bring to you.

One day, when I am gone I do not want my children or grandchildren to wonder, “what was she thinking”…I want them to know that every thought and every move I made in life had purpose and meaning.

Psalm 33:11But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

In AWE of a MIRACLE!

To say that Tryston and Elyse are a miracle is just one thing, because they truly are! But to say that God turned around and HEALED Tryston is TOTALLY AWESOME!

Tryston has been anaphylactic to dairy, eggs and peanuts since he was 9 months old...TODAY our own Dr. Leicky wrote in his chart NO REACTION TO DAIRY...DAIRY IS CLEAR! I am just beside myself in total amazement!! I cried when I had to sign a waver this morning regarding just how serious this food trial was...even the Dr. hesitated for a moment when he saw my reaction to the form. It basically said if he died that it was MY fault. He almost died at 9 months from an anaphylactic reaction so this was a big thing!

TODAY after eating 8 bowls of dairy we walked out of there with NO dairy allergy and a date for an egg food trial!!!

Jeff and I sincerely thank everyone for your prayers and well wishes! Feb 9th is the BIG date for the next hurdle! Praise the Lord with us! And keep us on your calendar for Feb 9th!!!