Late Bloomer

I have come to the realization that I must just be a late bloomer. I swear, one of these days, when I am older and wiser, I will wake up and have it all together: laundry done, kitchen clean with a nice dinner prepared, child scrubbed and home organized. I can't figure out moms who do it all! I feel like I meet myself coming and going on a good day.... let's not even consider the bad ones. I'm sure if I reduced the amount of "fluff" I am involved in, life would be simpler... boring, but simple. I am glad we are gaining an hour tonight so that I have another hour to use to get organized. (Riiiiiiight.) I will just rest comfortably in the thought that I am just coming into myself. That organized, "take-on-the-world' woman is waiting just under the surface to come out.

So much for that..... Here's a fun photo I found while organizing the office. It's taken at the moment I figured out that Travis was proposing to me. We look so young.

Off to celebrate Halloween. We are taking our "regular fairy" out for some trick or treating in our neighborhood. She was too excited to take a nap, so I am sure we are in for an evening of endless fun.

Have a spooktacular Halloween friends!

A Good Read

I recently finished reading The Kite Runner and can't say enough good things about it. It is really haunting, but a story that will stay with you in a good way forever. I have all of these things I want to type about it, but don't want to give anything away. Perception, love, self-worth... all themes woven throughout the story. If you are looking for a good book to read, please consider The Kite Runner. Here's the trailer to the movie:

Alaska Trip... Day 1

Travis had to make his way up to Kenai, AK for work and I decided to tag along. We were able to take an AMAZING Flyout fishing trip on the south fork of the Big River for Silver Salmon on our first day. It was honestly one of the top ten coolest things I have ever done in my life. We flew out taking off from the water and landed first on a very small stream/river to drop off a group of fishermen. Our wingtips barely cleared the bush on either side of the stream. Then we took off again and landed a second time at our destination- Big Lakes. It was a stunning experience with views and planes reminesent of "Indiana Jones." I will definitely make the trek back to Alaska more than a few times in my life.

The salmon we fished were Silver Salmon and they begin silver, but after spawning, their jaws/faces begin to become disfigured, and their bodies become fire engine red. According to Tony, our guide, the Salmon begin dying a slow death once the redness sets in.

So, we didn't catch any red ones... but aimed for some nice silver ones to haul home. They are STRONG fish and put up a fight. It was quite the workout, but the spoils were well worth the effort! I caught the first fish of the boat, and eventually the biggest catch of the boat. To seal the deal, I sampled some eggs directly from the biggest salmon I caught- now I am truly "one with the fish!" LOL! Intense :)

Absolutely one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had.... here are some pictures:

Evyn's Little Story

Evyn snuck in the m&m bag while I was checking my email. She came into the office looking like this and I asked her what was all over her face and she said, "A beautiful smile...."


Hilarious!!!

Drops Like Stars

I had to privilege to read a fantastic book this summer by Rob Bell.... his newest book, Drops Like Stars. It is an interesting look at Creativity and Suffering. I highly recommend it and enjoyed that is was a short, yet thought-provoking read. I was introduced to Rob Bell's material through our church and Aunt Sherry suggested I read his newest publication. Just as Rob's past work, Drops Like Stars encourages one to consider the simplest of stories, occurances, and situations in a new light. Not everything has "a Hollywood ending."

Some of my favorite thought provoking quotes:

-"I've heard people trying in to be helpful in the midst of a tragedy or accident or death by saying, "That's just how God planned it," while I thinking, "the god who planned THAT is not a god I want anything to do with." Others with far more wisdom and experience than me have tackled the "Why" questions of suffering... I'm interested in another question- Not "why this?" But "What now?"

-"That's often what happens when we suffer. We had things well planned out. We knew what meant what. We had all of our boxes properly organized and labeled. But all of that was disrupted when we began to suffer. So there's "out of the box" which is often merely a varation of the same thing. And then there are those who think and feel and live and create from a different place. They've had their boxes smashed and their insulators dismantled until... They had no other option but to imagine a totally new tomorrow."

-"Imagine being at a public event like a movie or game or play or religious service and before it starts, someone says to the crowd, " Please stand if you have been affected by cancer." What would you feel? Compassion? Empathy? Solidarity? Connection? Love? A setting of strangers and you mention cancer- a specific suffering- and there's instantly a bond. If someone said

"Please stand ... if you've been to Hawaii" or

"Please stand... if you've had to fire your interior decorator" or

"Please stand... if you drive a station wagon"

It just wouldn't have the same effect, would it?

But suffering, suffering unites."

I hope that you have a chance to read some of Rob Bell's books, or watch some of his DVDs.

www.robbell.com

Back to Work

Summer has come and gone without a blogpost from me, I am sorry to say :) We had a nice, albeit busy, summer and I am sad to see it end. Evyn begins a new journey next week in the Primary world, graduating from her toddler class to the "big-kid class" of 3, 4, and 5 year olds. She has made such tremendous progress while at Lakewood Montessori in Ms. Seema's class that I can't help but be a little sad that she is moving on. Here is a look at what she can do- and she's not even three yet!!

That looks faint, but I have decided to leave it, because I am so proud of my baby's work at writing her name.

As for Travis and I, Trav accompanied the CFCC youth to the Christ in Youth conference in Missouri for a week, and had lots of fun. I spent the summer teaching a Developmental summer school class for four weeks and remembered why I love teaching special needs children so much. Now, tomorrow, I will begin at a new school continuing to work as a Diagnostician and Case Manager. I am looking forward to new challenges and the opportunity to make some new friends as well.

Here's to a great Fall 09 for the Slagle Clan- Evyn especially. Please keep our transitions in your prayers :)

How do you measure a year...

I would like to say I measured my past year with the happy moments like the ones I have blogged about here. But in reality, my year has been measured in miscarriages, and waiting. This past year has been by far the most challenging one I have lived thus far. I never thought when Travis and I decided that we wanted to add another baby to our family, I would endure two miscarriages, and one ruptured ectopic, including the loss of my left tube- and all in a time frame just shy nine months. Time passes so slowly when your heart is hurting, and desiring something that continuously seems just out of reach. I have tried to remember the words of a friend of mine, and, "Praise Him in this storm," but some days are just harder than others. I am tired of hearing the phrase, "At least you can get pregnant," from Doctors and people who don't seem to understand the level of loss we feel each time a pregnancy doesn't work out. We are now once again in the waiting after having suffered our third loss just last week. When the wait is over, we will have reached exactly one year since we started trying to add another baby to our family. It has been my "year of infinite sadness." I am hoping we may see the light soon, and then I won't feel like I need to make a mental effort to put on my happy face each morning as I leave the house.

Through all of this, I have learned that everyone has some sort of pain that they do not share. They may look fine, and smile... attend events, celebrate happy times, and are even grateful for good things in their life. Doing all of these things, they still hurt. Knowing this, I have become much more understanding and willing to meet people where they are at. I have begun assuming people are hurting, and treat each person as such- which a little extra dose of kindness and patience. I have also learned that you really don't know what is going on with someone unless you take the time to ask. I now take that time....

So we will see what the Plan is. I think everyday about whether we should continue on this quest for another baby, or if we should just stop and celebrate the time we have with our real little miracle. That question will remain for another day and we will just continue doing what we have become so good at.... waiting.

A Big but Rough Night

Tonight was a big night for our Sweet Evyn Rose... tonight was this night she gave up her Pacifier (aka "Pappi" rhyming with "crappy"). We made it a VERY big deal, talking about it all afternoon, going over the steps of collecting the pacies, dropping them in a bag upstairs, and wishing hard for her hearts deepest wish... a Purple Princess Dress!!! So, we wrote "P. Fairy" a note asking for, "A clean, purple dress," and requesting that all of our pacies go to Baby Hunter because he has "only one."
Things went fine, until the lights went out.... and then the crying began. She cried and cried, begging for "only one pappi, for my bed!!!!!" Then she cried about her "boo-boo" and that her finger wouldn't fit into her belly button, etc, etc, etc. Forty-five minutes later, she did it!!! She fell asleep without her paci and will be richly rewarded tomorrow morning with her heart's desire: a Purple Fairy Princess Dress, matching purple "Gellies" (remember those?! hehe...) and a purple pair of Tinkerbelle sunglasses. To tie it all together, P.Fairy left her a note in return, expressing her deepest congratulations on a job well done, and awarding Evyn the new name, "Fairy Evyn Rose." She also reminded Evyn not to cry for her old pacies anymore, because they have a good new home with a tiny baby. (Plus, P. Fairy will be returning now-and-then to check on Evyn and be sure she is not crying for those pacies!!!)

I snapped photos of the whole experience, and will post as soon as I get a chance to upload them.

Update on Evyn

I know that it has been a while since I have posted... and I am feeling a little guilty. I have a TON of pictures to sort through and upload onto the blog, and time is not on my side these days! Between Jazzercise, work, various home improvement projects, and well, life my calendar is booked up!

Evyn has grown so much, learning so many wonderful new things each day. She is loving her gymnastics class on Fridays, and can successfully complete a sommersault on her own. She loves the balance beams and the trampolines as well. She is doing great in school, and Travis and I had the absolute pleasure of visiting with her teacher for the second parent-teacher conference. Evyn can recite the continent she lives on, the state she lives in and the capital of our state. She also knows all of the continents if you give her a hint like, "Which continent is the baby continent?" She will respond, "Australia!" She is writing her name, and knows her alphabet. We are SO proud of our smart little girl :)

Last week held another big milestone in a little girl's life: Evyn moved to a "big girl bed!" She thinks it is quite novel that she doesn't need mommy or daddy to lift her into her bed... nor does she have to call for us to get her out. Thursday morning, I awoke to a little face looking directly at mine from the side of my bed. She proudly announced, "I sleep in 'ur' bed, mommy?" She is just getting so big.

Travis and I have lots of things on the calendar for the next couple of months, including a visit from Gigi Slagle (Travis' grandmother) from the panhandle. We have talked often of having her come visit, and finally decided it was time to get her a ticket, and enjoy a long weekend with her at our home. To make the weekend even more fun, Travis' younger sister, Priscila, is coming to visit the same weekend from Aguascalientes, MX. I imagine we will have all sorts of fun stories and pictures to post after that weekend is over :)

Pictures to follow shortly!!!

Walt Disney World

Ahh! I just typed this huge entry, and lost it. Nothing makes me madder!!!!

So the Slagles braved our first family vacation.... ok so we called in "the troops" a.k.a. our moms, to enjoy the trip, and to help out when needed. When Travis and I were engaged, he tried to suggest we should go to WDW for our honeymoon, and I practically scoffed at him. I wanted a place where I could sit on the beach, and get lost in a pink drink with a little umbrella. Turns out, you can do that at WDW!!! Who would have guessed?!? It was one of the very best vacations I have ever been on. Evyn was in *heaven* getting to meet her favorite princesses, and dressed everyday in a different gown get-up, basking in the "ooos" and "awwws" of people as we passed. Mom and Elaine were great roomies. They both love to shop, drink good wine, and sit by the pool. Travis even got off easy, moving luggage only a minimum since Disney does all of it for you :) Pictures are posted on Facebook, but here are some of the high points:

On another note, I taught my first class all by myself on Monday. I had six whole students, and we had a blast. I am so glad things went smoothly, and that I really feel "official" after all of my hard work.

Travis and I are headed to Dallas for a wedding this weekend, and hope to have a great mommy and daddy weekend.

Welcome Baby Hunter!

My niece Nicole welcomed a beautiful, healthy baby boy into the world a couple of weeks ago. After lots and lots of waiting, we were able to go hold and cuddle him at the hospital the day after his arrival. Nicole looks great, and is an excellent mom- growing into her newfound role more and more day by day. I've included some pictures of our visit, and of Evyn holding her first "tiny baby."

As a side note, Evyn has decided she has a baby in her tummy too- and has named her "Sara." Just yesterday she was eating fruit snacks and requested another pack. I told her she could have only one more, and then we would wait for dinner. A little while later she came to me and asked for more for "Sara, not me Mommy, more for Sara!" What a silly goose!

Here's how much fun Evyn had:

It's been a while...

I often do not post because I don't have a photo to accompany my blurb- but have decided to get over it and post without a photo!

This weekend, I passed Audition and completed Workshop to become a certified Jazzercise Instructor. I was blessed to meet some really amazing women who absolutely love what they do! I am so glad to have made such wonderful new friends.
The process was long, and, at times, very tiring. Six weeks ago, I began the journey, and am discovering daily how much work goes into being an excellent instructor. I am so glad to have many excellent instructors at my center to follow.

All said, I do have my graduation photo on my phone, and will figure out a way to get it here soon.

Thank you all for you encouragement these last few weeks!

Jazzercise and the Houston Rockets

On January 17th, my mom and I joined over 250 other Jazzercisers in the Houston area to perform at the Rockets Half time show. We had an absolute blast- never imagining we would be part of something so huge! It was fun to see people of all ages moving to the music! We danced to a mix of current top 40 music, including Madonna/Justin Timberlake's 4 minutes. I have included a video.... we are at the half court line fourth row from the front. We spelled "HOPE" at the end in honor of those fighting and who have fought Breast Cancer. I am on the curve of the "P."

Hawaii for 2009!

Travis was sent to work on Oahu for the second time, and invited me to go along. It coincided with our 6th wedding anniversary- and I jumped at the chance! We had a blast and here are some of the highlights. I left out the photos of my cute, beachy cocktails- but they were really amazing too!

Hanauma Bay, Oahu



Snorkeling Heaven for $6.00

Those crazy Hawaiians.... they have a trolley to take you up and down this huge hill. 50 cents for the ride down and $1.00 for the way up. The Slagles walked, of course.... we're in a recession, you know.

Facebook shot

Hawaiian Crab- he was the lucky one.

Waiamea Bay

Our hotel- a shot from a little further down Waikiki

A busy January day on Waikiki. Travis and I paddled an Outrigger canoe a few moments after this and saw a big, beautiful sea turtle swim directly under our boat. So much fun!

The view from my sunning spot :)

Enjoying the sunny weather!

Just out front of our hotel- early on our first day



Pearl Harbor- USS Arizona Memorial. Over 900 men still lay in the ship, which is still visible through about eight feet of water directly below the memorial.


Oil Leakage still seeps from the ship. The US Navy and Families of the fallen have decided to leave the oil in the ship. Many familes consider it the tears of the fallen.

Memorial Wall- very touching.

Happy New Year!!

Our good friend Jack threw a New Year's Eve Afternoon luncheon. We counted down to noon and shared in some sweet spirits (sparkling apple cidar- otherwise known as "wine").

Cheers to a happy new year!!

Here's Evyn enjoying her sparkly beverage and her party hat. When she heard we were going to a party, she ran upstairs to get her "party hat." Funny enough, it's a birthday hat- so she's worn it to every important party she can recall :)

We love our fun friends!!!

Evyn's Growing up!

All fixed up!

Our little princess- dressed as Cinderella, sitting in her throne, playing with a Cinderella doll and, of course, watching Cinderella the movie.

I think she's "studying up" for Disney World in March.... this little girl knows more Disney trivia than you can imagine. Who knew Sleeping Beauty's real name was Aurora- but her fairy god mothers called her "Briar Rose"- Evyn knows!

Shouting "Go Longhorns!!"

Evyn in mommy's shoes and "jazz-is-cise" clothes!

NOVEMBER 2008

To catch up the last couple of busy months, I have included some pictures of Randi and Cody's wedding, Trimming the house for Christmas, and various other odds and ends...

Hope you enjoy!

Molly and Evyn (Matron of Honor and Flower Girl)

November 15, 2008

Here's a group shot. It was totally freezing outside and we were ready to get inside and "live it up!"

The wedding was beautiful and we couldn't be more happy that Randi and Cody found one another. They are now working on their home in The Woodlands, and have a very bright future ahead of them!

DECEMBER 2008


Travis was really in the Christmas spirit this year, and granted my Christmas wish of trimming our new home in lights. He really went all out, and I have photos to prove it!

And yes folks, you too could decorate your house with Christmas lights while wearing shorts- if only you lived in south east Texas!

Here's Evyn- ever so stylish while engaged in any task! (Those horns are only down because the hat is still a little big!)

And last, but certainly not least...... The Money Shot!