"April Showers Bring May Crawlers"

Friday, May 4, 2012 6:10 AM Posted by Joshua & Mandy 0 comments
“April Showers Bring May Crawlers” 

I love May. While there are 11 other months to choose from, there’s something about May that just speaks LIFE. What other month has a day to celebrate itself? November Day? Lame. February Day? Fail. May Day – YES. It could be the 16 school days remaining. (It IS.) It could be that Dallas has entered a zone of perfection that makes us want to enjoy evenings outside with a margarita on the patio (clarification: margaritaS). It could be baseball is in… wait for the pun… full swing. It could be because some of my favorite people are to be celebrated in May: My brother Mark (who shares a bday with Pope JP II), St. Philip Neri’s feast day (patron saint of pranks), Renee Winkel (future patroness of pranks), Ali Pries, Sara Brauner (cinco de Mayo!!!), Julie Figoni (patroness of pranks gone wrong), and several prayer group friends such as Cynthia Linder, Erin Mueller, and Cristi Asmussen (which I just realized we are halvsies – I’m Nov. 19, you’re May 19 = winning)… that’s pretty much like one cool person a day in May. Then you have Pentecost which is the Birthday of the Church (and you better believe my students are getting cupcakes to celebrate its birthday with little candles as “tongues of fire”).  

God bless Texas and the month of May. 

The blessings continue… Baby Tressan is growing. Here’s the update: 

Favorite Words:
- Baba, Mama, Dada… and boy does he use them. The baby knows how to work the system. I put him down in his crib and two minutes later I can hear him whimpering, Mama, over the monitor – SO manipulative.

- Other than that, he likes to scream. Not angry, he’s just screaming because he can (and he does this all day long). All day. Josh got the full experience when he worked from home with the baby boy two days last month. The babysitter tells me every day when I pick him up, “He’s so LOUD.” Joshua and I should have seen this coming.

- We are working on “Cubs Suck” and “Buenos Dias”

- He is extremely opinionated these days. He shakes his head NO and will holler if he doesn’t want something. This morning he tried to bite me when I was clipping his nails. He only has three teeth (four more are just breaking through), but it doesn’t take many of those tiny teeth to get your point across. And those little teeth cause a lot of drama in his little world. Honestly, I think it’s a horrible design that just when babies are becoming so cute and interactive and fun, the teeth make their debut and turn my sweet little bean into a fussy ear-pulling mess. And it’s x4 right now. All-in-all, he’s pretty tough. 

Favorite Foods:
- What does a 9 month old eat? June bugs, carpet strands – he picks at them until he find a loose one he can eat, dog hair he pulls straight from Lucy’s tail, a sticker he picked off another kid at the gym… you really have to keep up with him. It reminds me of that Reading Rainbow story (there’s an old school reference) about the goat that ate trash (Gregory the Terrible Eater, I believe).

- What doesn’t he eat? Any kind of green vegetable. You’d think if this kid chomps on June bugs he wouldn’t discriminate, but not true. He will gag like a cat on a hairball. Below, Dad tries to give baby broccoli, carrots and cheese.

Favorite Activities:
- “Just Keep Swimming” - Tressan started lessons on Saturday. This baby is a fish, and this fish cries when you take him out of the bath or the pool. He was the best “splasher” in his class. We can’t wait to open up our pool for the summer... which also means more margaritas.
-  “Life is a Highway”… He runs the house in his walker, and poor Lucy falls victim to his maniacal driving all too often. He loves to pin the dog in a corner or up against the furniture. Not only that, but he found he can reach the dirt of our large potted plant in the living room. The first time it was strewn all around the room, and Lucy quickly was punished for the mess. The second time, Josh caught him brown-handed with dirt on his face and on his tray as he was tossing it all over himself. Busted. (See Exhibit A)
- “Moves Like Jagger”… Crawling, Planking, Lurching forward, Sitting up, Trying to pull up, Trying to climb on top of the dog, Trying to pull away from diaper changes, Getting poop on the floor trying to pull away from diaper changes, Trying to eat the drain in the bathtub, Trying to catch water from the faucet, Trying to eat the water faucet, Hunting more crunchy bugs, Slamming hands on the high chair tray to make the food fly à Baby boy is WILD.
WATCH THIS VIDEO UNTIL THE END, HE IS CRACKING HIMSELF UP!!!
The Latest…
- First, there was Easter and Grandma and Grandpa Hahn came in town. Got our first taste of Babe's BBQ and our first trip out on Grandpa Briones' boat. Tressan loved the visit from Aunt Barb's battery-powered Easter Bunny.


- And I got to see Aunt Stephanie and Casey!

- Then Uncle Airplane (Mark) surprised us all by making a quick Dallas visit before he left for Bahrain. God bless Mark and his mission.

- Noah (3) and Sofia (1) celebrated April birthdays!
- And my Godsister, Kennedy, came to play with me!
- We also enjoyed dinner with Adrienne, Raeann, Diedra, Peyton and Coogan at the end of April!
- The Hunger Games phenomenon subsided an has been replaced with Rangers Games fever (especially after the disappointment that was the 3rd book). We went to our first game last week with Grandma and Grandpa Briones, and it felt like home. No feeling can replace that of being at the ballpark on a perfect spring night watching our team kick the pants off the competition. (I'm going to add a plug for the Chik-fil-A spicy chicken sandwich which we had before the game. It was my second time, and I KNOW that sandwich and I are long-lost lovers.) Josh and I are both looking forward to watching the continuing demise of C.J. and Pujols when we play the Angels.
- Josh and I were prom dates last weekend. I love that I’m 30 and still going to prom. Once the students cleared out, Sarah Berry, Melanie Bolling, Annie Smith and I decided we would request our own songs. It was a good idea until we learned the DJ didn't even have "Ice, Ice, Baby," "Country Grammar" or anything Backstreet Boys/NSYNC. Tressan skipped prom and went straight to an after-party at the Gothman’s house.
- At this moment, Dad (Josh) is in Boston for work, as he has been since Monday. So I’ve been dealt the single mom card. Lucy, Tressan and I are eating our emotions (Lucy gets extra treats, and Tressan and I share a little cake). I told Josh he better come home soon before all of us gain 10 pounds. It’s been pretty stable, except for the night I left sprinkler on for two hours while we were running errands, and (on the same errand) when Tressan peed all down the front of my shirt at the store. Then there was the night I left the Pandora bracelet Josh gifted to me at the gym (Josh doesn’t know I did this). Luckily a trainer hunted it down and promised me not to sell it to a pawn shop. But since Josh isn’t home, I have been indulging in sleeping in the middle of the bed – which really is glorious! I also have been known to tune in to “Toddlers and Tiaras” and the sermons of T.D. Jakes on TV (a non-denom pastor at The Potter’s House in Dallas). Note, I’m such a theo nerd and this is totally my secret life. It’s like when people discover you have Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, and "MmmBop" in your “Recently Played” itunes playlist. Shamefully, that might be true for me as well. Can’t wait for Josh to get back tonight. The unnatural feeling of his absence affirms just how "One" we are.
- Stay tuned for the marriage of Theresa Blackwell and Justin Mason (this weekend)!!!!!
 Something to Share…

(This post is "expired" as it applied more to yesterday when I started writing, but read on if you wish.) And, if you are still reading, you get a gold star. Today is the National Day of Prayer. Many of us excuse ourselves from even ten minutes of silence and contemplation. We are busy people. My sophomores were studying monasticism in the early church, and I took them outside for ten minutes of silence. It’s amazing how powerful that time can be when we allow God to work in us. Today, there was a substitute teacher at lunch who was telling us about how some scientists found a gene that they are calling the “God gene” and it predisposes humans to higher level thinking and spiritual/religious thought. In our nature, we are made to search for Him. (I don’t know much about this, but I thought it was fascinating!) 

St. Benedict (shout out) coined a phrase, “Ora et Labora” which means “Pray and Work.” May our work become a prayer. May our work be done for the glory of God. Can I glorify God through grading essays? Can I glorify God through folding the laundry? Can I glorify God through the little things? It doesn’t matter what we do… spreadsheets, phone calls, conferences, physical work, caring for family… as long as we do it so that God may be glorified.  
Earlier this week, I opened a spiral with notes I wrote at a conference a few years back. Clearly, my attention span challenges were not overcome in high school because, at the time of this conference, Joshua and I had recently started dating and there are little scribbles about him throughout. Very sweet. Anyway, Matthew Kelly was giving a talk on Becoming the Best Version of Yourself, and his discourse moved to the direction of work…  
Making money is the secondary outcome .The primary is that we become a better version of ourselves. It doesn’t matter what your job is; what matters is who you are. In every moment of the day we choose between the best and some secondary option. And every time we say yes to something, it affects who we are. The Spirit of the world says the money you have is yours, you earned it, and work is about making your earning. The Spirit of God says the money is a gift, a responsibility, and your work is a contribution. (Paraphrased)
So, when our work becomes a prayer, we stop asking, “What is the least I can do to get by?” and move into the mentality, “What is the most I can do to contribute?” May we “cast our nets into the deep.” 

The priest’s prayer from mass resonated in me this morning, “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, ALWAYS and EVERYWHERE to give you thanks.”

God be glorified in us.
Love,
Mandy

March Madness

Monday, March 26, 2012 11:57 AM Posted by Joshua & Mandy 0 comments


All is well in the Briones House…..and we are gearing up for spring. We have just returned from another whirlwind trip to St. Louis to see Grandma and Grandpa Hahn….Tressan does so well as a little traveler, we as parents sometimes do not. St. Louis was a nice visit, although I had to work for a couple of days while there, it gave us all a chance to visit and for grandparents to enjoy grandchild. Mandy and I got to go out on the town for the evening one night while the grandparents babysat. We dined on some lovely Italian food at Charlie Gitto’s on the Hill. The Hill is the old Italian neighborhood, very well known to the St. Louis locals and there is some great Italian food to be had. Being Friday I had to find some seafood, but we managed. Then it was a great dessert at Cyrano’s, known for their dessert. Mandy and I opted to split the ridiculous chocolate cake. We were chocolate drunk after that. Saturday came time for us to pack up and head back to Texas, but not before Mother Nature unleashed its wrath on St. Louis. Luckily for us we hadn’t boarded a plane yet, as those that had already boarded were stuck on the tarmac for a good 3-4 hours before the lightening let up and they were allowed to taxi. Others had just landed and were not allowed off, as the ramps cannot be used during lightening. Needless to say we were stuck in the airport with Tressan for 5 hours – ish…….at which we thought we may never get out. American was nice enough to rebook us for Sunday at no cost, and given the circumstances, we took our opportunity and didn’t want to risk the possibility of getting out extremely late or not at all as some flights were already being cancelled. Our flight eventually left around 8 that night, but by that time we were back at grandma’s house eating dinner and playing games. Sunday allowed for a while other day of fun for the grandparents, which actually was very pleasant and laid back…..





In prior events……




Mandy ran the cowtown half marathon again this year….this is 6 in a row for her and she did great. Last year she ran while pregnant with Tressan, this year was much easier as Tressan was on the sidelines with me cheering mom on. We opted to stay the night in downtown Ft. Worth since we had a wedding there the night before the cowtown. An old college buddy got married and we got to attend the most extravagant and elegant wedding either of us had even been to, complete with two live bands, multiple full bars, a sushi bar, a setting and flowers fit for a princess, and to top it off (even though we left too early to see) a Michael Jackson Dance Impersonator!!! We had a great time reconnecting with a few friends and former co-workers from San Angelo as well as taking in the wedding of a lifetime. The morning of the race Mandy left extremely early and Tressan and I opted for breakfast in the hotel and a nice stroll through downtown to watch Mandy on mile 9. We then hopped in the car and drove to meet her at the finish line.

Mandy and I have also joined Lifetime Fitness and we.are.loving.it. The childcare is unbelievable and it allows for Mandy and I to get to spend time together working out and going to classes. We really enjoy the Saturday morning Yoga with weights class. It’s quite intense and I usually end up drenched with sweat by the end…….we are complete losers though because truth is that we like to watch some of the ridiculous yoga extraordinaires….especially the guy that does head stands during the “meditation” part and the hops up at the end and says things to me like “Pretty Intense Huh?” and “Looks like you weren’t working hard enough.” Gimme a break “Mr. 125 lb Yoga Nerd!” All in all its fun and we enjoy changing it up a bit. More recently we joined a boot camp which has been fun, we are beginning week 2 and wondering how we will pan out. I can tell Mandy likes it, especially when she’s secretly competition with another girl in the running….she thinks I don’t notice, but she is for sure in a Mega Competition in her head!!!

On March 10 we did our fruit and veggie co-op again, and this is what we got. We love this thing!!! All for $16.50!!


March 13 was our 2nd wedding anniversary, wow how time flies (how cliché of me) but really, cannot believe it has been 2 years since we vowed our lives together….I love her more and more each day. We didn’t do much, as we were going out in St. Louis a few days later, but we enjoyed the evening!!! I am proud to call her my wife and look forward to many many many more years to come. Tressan was definitely the highlight of year 2, and I cannot wait to see what the highlights of year 3 will bring!! Look at us on our wedding day…..we had a blast and I remember every moment of that day….ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE!!

BIG NEWS!!!!

Tressan crawls…..ok well its similar to a crawl, we call it a crawl. I let you judge for yourself, but this guy is on the move. He mostly is attracted to cell phones and remote controls. Although he is not picky about what he goes for!! Sometimes he gets all the way into a plank position to work on his abs…..hes gonna be ripped!!!

Ad maiorem Dei gloriam “For the Greater Glory of God”


Joshua, Mandy and Tressan

Posted in , , ,

"Proud of the House We Built"

(Man in the Mirror?)

(Spring Training, Baby!)

Just like a good New Year’s Resolution or (already for some of us) our Lenten Commitments, blogging has fallen to the wayside. I swear I do plenty of blogging in my head, but alas…

RENOVATIONS…


It seems the biggest venture (in a very literal sense) has been the mass construction in the final wing of the Briones house. It looked like a reality show on HGTV… only it kind of felt more appropriately like “Hell’s Kitchen” in the final days. In spite of our excessive trips to Lowes and Home Depot, we failed to run into the House Crashers (we believe in them like five-year olds believe in the Tooth Fairy). My husband lives for this kind of stuff. Everyone asks me if I am sick of the house projects. To an extent, yes. But at the same time, all this building and creating and designing and constructing is Joshua’s passion. I can’t imagine not supporting him in doing the hobbies he loves. And, as we’ve been saying all along, we are making our house Our Home and I love it.

The granite came first, then the tiling (special thanks to Raul who offered his professional assistance and put up with my lack of professional assistance), then the painting, cabinet work, prepping, more painting, and the antiquing (which involved… more painting). Our house looked like a combo of double-dare and Ghostbusters. If you want the details, ask Josh. He did 85% of the work – he’s amazing like that; I was more of his apprentice. I enjoyed being part of the process and learning how to do it. I did not enjoy the learning involved in painting all the cabinet doors only to discover the next evening how poorly I did them and I needed to re-sand and paint the whole set. I enjoyed spending time with my husband seeing our vision come to fruition. I speak on behalf of my fingernails when I say, I do not enjoy sandpaper and I’d rather spend a lifetime sleeping with a cat in our bed than sand cabinets again. I enjoyed the expulsion of the remaining 1980s motif. Getting rid of popcorn ceilings is like a good cleanse. The 80s had beauty but I would say it came in the form of NKOTB, not home design and décor.

So after a few weeks of the coffee pot in the entry way, the pantry food in the guest bedroom, the microwave in the living room, and the dishes in the dining room, our lives are back to normal. It’s nice to come home from work and relax in the den instead of suiting up to put on a layer of primer. It’s also nice to look around at the work we did and to be proud we did it ourselves. All this was completed in good timing as baby T is now on the move. While he’s not crawling, he can do a good 360. My favorite was witnessing Tressan try to crawl forward only to end up going in reverse. He’s close, folks.

My TOP FIVE KITCHEN FAVS

1. I can reach ALL the cans in the cabinets. This is a big deal when you live with someone who is a whole foot taller than you and doesn’t mind things in the back of the top shelf.
2. Kids can no longer lick the trash can when they come over.
3. Joshua built a mail shelf. A home for mail. YES!
4. Another Pinterest Idea: Hanging measuring spoons and cups. A home for measuring spoons and cups. Yes!
5. The lights Joshua installed under the cabinets. It’s like mood-lighting for dishes. Love.
All = WINNING!


RELATIVES...

Grandma and Grandpa Hahn returned to Dallas the first weekend of February (couldn’t get enough of the little one). And, it was Grandpa’s favorite time of the year – Groundhog’s day. Tressan got a real taste of Texas at the Rodeo in Fort Worth. While everyone enjoyed the bull riding, I still love the part with the 4-H teens running around, throwing themselves at the calves, and trying to pull them into a designated box. Would love to try and pass for 15 just to have a shot at it. We concluded our Fort Worth trip at a new Latin restaurant with fabulous margaritas. The grand finale involved a stop at Sweet Sammie’s (where you can get a custom-made ice cream sandwich!!!) – GENIUS! Those of you in the Metroplex have to put this place on your radar. We saw it on the DFW Foodies network and it exceeded expectations. Would I offend anyone if I said it was the best of Superbowl weekend?

Our pre-Valentine’s Day weekend was eventful. Grandma and Grandpa Briones took good care of T while Joshua and I saw “The Vow” (B rating). Our good friends, the Osterbergers, hosted a lively wine-tasting party out of their home. Let’s just say that every party should be a wine-tasting. Sunday, we celebrated Great Aunt Marie’s 90th Birthday at her church in Lindsay. The church, St. Peter’s, is full of splendor. The stained glass windows, murals, stations – all are so captivating. Really draws you to heaven. Favorite was the huge mural of St. Benedict to the right of the altar portraying his arms raised in prayer before his death. Good choice. Aunt Marie donated so much to the church’s restoration, and it is such a gift. The reception truly honored the gift that SHE is with many of her pictures, mementos and crafts on display. We reaped the blessings too as it gave us time to visit with so many including Grandma Betzen, Aunt Robin, Aunt Diedra, Abby, Valerie and sweet baby Royceton. Tressan made his mark at the reception by peeing on me and then pooping on the changing table before we left. Oh son.
REFLECTIONS...

1. Valentine’s Day: How beautiful is this?... Rose is a sweet, kindly, witty little old receptionist we have at Ursuline. Her husband of a ridiculous number of decades died last summer. On Valentine’s Day, I pulled onto campus behind her. Rose parked her car and got out at the guard station. I watched her hand the security officer a cup of coffee or hot chocolate for Valentine’s Day. Adorbes. Spending Valentine’s Day with around 800 15-18 year old girls is pretty dramatic. They want flowers and candy and baby bundt cakes and notes. Most of these teens like to call it “S.A.D.” (Singles Awareness Day). But the beauty and grace of Rose that morning who had recently lost her husband, really brought to life a Crystalina Evert quote I use in class, “Being single does not mean being alone. Being single means having the opportunity to live for others.” It’s not about what we get but about how we give.

2. Bananas and Pears are entirely underrated for their entertainment value. See video...
.
3. The Healthcare Mandate: I am so proud to be Catholic these days. I am proud of a Church who, rooted in Christ, stands tall behind her teachings. For anyone who thinks the teaching on contraception is outdated (I’ve heard this from many in casual conversation), I am saddened and slightly insulted by that. Joshua and I fully believe in NFP as do so many of our friends. I don’t say this with an uneducated or judgmental perspective; I say it because I believe it proclaims the fullest sense of what love is. The truth does not restrict and confine. The truth gives life and sets us free.

4. Faculty Day of Service: Presidents’ Day. While some were relishing a day off, Ursuline designated a day of service. I spent the day playing BINGO at a nursing facility. It was priceless. Example: I told one little old woman, “I love your glasses,” and she quickly chirped, “Well, I love you.” We were told that 50% of the residents are left at the nursing home and never receive a visitor again. It was so sad to see the men and women and think of how forgotten they are. It was hard for many of them to stay awake (myself included) after 1.5 hours of continuous BINGO (that’s a lot of BINGO), and despite my efforts to entertain her one of the ladies at my table fell asleep. I couldn’t help but notice how much she resembled Tressan when he falls asleep sitting up. I thought of how precious my baby is when he sleeps like that and how precious this woman was. Another just wanted me to hold her hand and walk with her to the dining room. I hope to go back. Totes. And I hope to be a person much like the staff that lives daily by bringing dignity to the least in the kingdom.

5. I’m really sick of that KIA commercial with the gerbils dancing.

We are so BLESSED. Even just watching our little boy laugh so often and so freely reminds me of how good we have it. My heart is swelling and moving me beyond complacency. Makes me want to live radically and to pour myself out. What is the goal? Together, for Joshua and I to increase God’s life and love in the world. What is next? Where is he calling us? I don’t know, but we go on faithfully. I pray we may not belittle His will by our fear, hesitation and excuses. The group that led our inservice following the service project at Ursuline mentioned a Vatican II document. Since then, I’ve been praying about the “gap between existing realities and untried possibilities.” However God calls, our duty is to try. May our 40 Days of Lent be transformative and a gift to the world. To whom much is given, much is to be expected. Thank you, Lord.

More than a Month's Worth....and MORE!!!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012 6:39 PM Posted by Joshua & Mandy 0 comments

Geez..I feel like the worst amateur blogger ever…….you see Mandy and I have been alternating our blogging between one another in order to mitigate the time it takes to write a blog, between work, our lives, and Baby T…..however we have had some extraordinary events over the past month that have placed hurdles in our way……we have leaped, and jumped through hoops…hopefully our lives are back to normal.

I write from St. Louis, we have been here since Sunday for our annual Christmas visit, and it’s been a whirlwind of holiday events with both our families. I will enlighten you more later.
So since our last post here is a rundown of events that have ridiculously affected the Briones House.

Heated Floors turn into a house remodeling project we will never forget. For the month of October Mandy and I could have swore we had heated floors just show up in our Den. I mean deep down inside I knew what was going on…..I tried to justify and hope that it was just a really really hot pipe…or that somehow we did in fact have heated floors that we never knew about. But I really knew it was likely a water leak (slab leak) underneath the slab of our den. One day I walked in to find water seeping through the hardwood floors. Lucky us, we were about to embark on a flooring remodel we would never forget. Wood floors in the den and kitchen had to be completely removed as well as the flooring in the utility room. Since this was going to be a big project anyway, and we wanted all the flooring to match, we decided to extend the project into the main living room, the hall, the office, and the master bedroom. All complete, we laid approx 1200 sq ft of hardwood flooring. It looks amazing and we are glad to have it all done. The baseboards (all but one set of corner round) are all back in place, the carpets and rugs have been purchased and custom made, and we were able to move back into all our rooms before the holidays and even put up the decorations. Dusting on the other hand will take weeks…..



Also, prior to all the craziness with the floors Mandy and I had decided to venture into a kitchen remodel a little at a time. First step was the counters….with a great offer from living social we purchased and chose our granite (believe me, if had known of the floor issues I wouldn’t have done so) so while one company was digging up floors, and plumbers were repairing pipes, I demolished the kitchen counters and backsplash and the granite guys made their debut. The counters look amazing, we chose a beautiful color called Crema Napoli, and it’s awesome. In order to cut down on costs (and since I have a very very talented father who has done kitchens and baths for over 30 years) we opted to do all the backsplash work ourselves (check out my dad’s website and give him a call if you need a remodel, he’s great at what he does http://gemini-remodeling.blogspot.com/ ). He and I did the prep work – mostly building a Niche shelf behind the stove and in the few days that followed Mandy and I tiled and grouted (yes Mandy is a mean tile setter). We had a blast and it looks awesome. Kitchen Phase II begins this month with a cabinet refurb, popcorn ceiling removal, wall paper removal, texturing, and painting. Yes we like to kill ourselves with home projects but we do them together and we definitely can say that we have built OUR HOME together.

BEFORE


AFTER


On Nov 19 Mandy Celebrated 30 years of life. I was so happy to celebrate with her, we had dinner at Boi Na Braza in Grapevine and just enjoyed the evening together while Grandma babysat. We were so tired to say the least that we were home by 9….yes we are getting old. But our time together was a blast. We celebrate with our friends at B-1, hosted by the Everett’s with cake and ice cream. Mandy got lots of shoes as gifts…she’s happy!!



Grandma Hahn went back to St. Louis before Thanksgiving and I played “Stay at Home Dad for a 2 plus weeks….we had a blast together, although he slept often, it was fun. Let’s just say, I don’t know how it….I stay at home parents do don’t ever want to be a stay at home dad and for Mandy’s sake….If she wants to work…more power to her!! It’s exhausting, and after those several days…some adult time and intelligent brain activity was definitely needed. Tressan was a great companion though, we took multiple trips to Home Depot and Lowes (as a result of all the house projects), we decorated for Christmas, made a visit to Aunt Wendy’s, went grocery shopping a few times, and napped a lot. Although, I look back now and wish I would have rested more on my time off, all I did was work around the house. This was the first time ever that I have taken off two weeks of work and not gone anywhere.

Early December we took our second road trip with Tressan – all the way to San Antonio this time for Aunt Stephanie’s graduation from Grad School. He did great…he actually slept all the way til about 20 minutes outside of Austin, which was perfect because we were stopping for lunch with an grad school friend of mine Jennifer. Downside to that 20 minutes was that he decided to cry ridiculously for the entire 20 minutes. We ate lunch with Jennifer at one of her local favorites Cipollina Bistro. It was great… we left, but not before we took Jennifer’s recommendation to grab a cupcake at Delish in downtown Austin. Great suggestion…I could have eaten two. We made our way into San Antonio, met up with another friend from college Jaclyn, our host whilst in San Antonio; she was gracious to let us (with a screaming baby) stay with her for the weekend. We joined the rest of my family down on the riverwalk for dinner. The Christmas decorations were awesome….it was great to have the whole family together. Stephanie walked the stage (she was the first name called) and then we had to sit there for what seemed like eternity. The best part of the graduation was that they had a concession stand. It was entertaining to see our nephew Noah enjoying a giant pretzel….but the most entertaining part was seeing some of the families passing nachos or popcorn back and forth during the ceremony. What the heck? We decided to go ahead and get on the road that day, so we headed out and met up with our friends Tiffany and Eric for dinner outside of Austin at the famous Salt Lick BBQ. Good times with the Chambers and then on our way back home and in our beds by midnight!!!






Other Major events include:

>St Nick visited our house again this year on the Feast of St Nicholas and brought many goodies, a gumdrop tree, and new stockings for the family. Mandy mostly enjoyed the box of Teddy Grahams and the tub of frosting I got her to make her own Dunkaroos.

>B-1 first ever brunch where we all made Pinterest recipes. We had a blast celebrating advent and enjoying one another’s company before all the Christmas Hullaballoo.

>Dinner Party with the Everett’s and the Rasmussen for Game night – thanks Brian and Christy for introducing us to PIT, we have now purchased this as a Briones MUST OWN game!!

>Dinner Party with the Chambers and a great game of Balderdash

>Christmas Eve was spent with my family out in Celina at my parent’s house. We enjoyed a day of eating and just relaxation. The whole Briones crew was there and I think we ate until we couldn’t eat anymore. We went to Christmas Eve Mass out in Pilot Point at my mom’s parish – where she made us arrive 1 hour early. I think we even beat the choir. We were the second family in the church, and I am almost positive that the first family was only there because they through the service started at 4 and not 5…..all in all it was fine, we survived and it did in fact get extremely packed. It was nice to have mass as a family.

>On Christmas Day we woke up and enjoyed a nice relaxed for the morning, tidying up and packing for a trip to STL. We had lunch and gift exchange at Wendy and Matt’s house. Lunch consisted of super awesome tamales, killer enchiladas made by Wendy and a traditional Mexican feast. Noah got nerf guns for Christmas so you can assume what the boys did for most of the afternoon.



After this Stephanie chauffeured us to the Airport for a flight to STL, where upon arrival we were loaded up and went straight out to the Talbott’s (Mandy’s Aunt and Uncle) for Christmas Part Deaux. More eating ensued and a vicious white elephant gift exchange. I did not get to leave the house with the Man Can, which was the best gift ever. It was stolen by the evil and vicious Missy, who was merely a stand in for a cousin that couldn’t be there…but let me tell you, when I did have possession of the Man Can….I indulged in its contents by eating a large handful of the homemade deer jerky. Michael is lucky he had Missy vouching for him, but I will seek revenge next year. We spent the next 4 days in Saint Louis…Uncle Mark got to meet Tressan for the first time. He learned a lot in a few days….1) baby’s require more than 2-3 diapers a day 2) Baby’s do in fact grow out of infancy (he thought that he would still look like a newborn) and 3) Baby’s bowel movements are an interesting feeling whilst holding said baby. We played a lot of games and ate all week….ughhh…..and Grandma and Grandpa Hahn got their time with Tressan. I know they wished our time didn’t have to come to a close there. We ventured back to Texas on Thursday and settled back into our lives.





So…he were are today…both back at work and Tressan at his second real week of babysitter time……our lives keep ticking and we are excited for what the new year may bring. All I know if it’s anything like 2011….I’ll take it, what a blessed year, and I do know this….If we are involved…its sure to be interesting.

Joshua, Mandy and Tressan.

"Too School for Cool"


(I like this picture because it's how most of them turn out when we try to get the dog and baby in one shot!)

“Is it okay if I wait to write my blog after I go back to work?” – A question I asked Joshua about three weeks ago. Funny that I overlooked the reduction in time going back to work would bring. So here I am in study hall trying to eke out a post. I’m using study hall much like I did when I was in high school (avoiding school work) and I can see many of my freshmen are doing the same (too concerned with Justin Bieber news), but at least neither of us is using it to highlight our hair with markers. Yes, we did that. And often.

So my extended summer could not last forever. Thanks be to God for the momentum of second quarter. It’s the shortest of the quarters, and this portion of the curriculum contains some of my favorite lessons. I walked into my junior classes doing a Passover Seder with Chick-fil-A nuggets and hashbrowns. I managed to turn a sophomore lesson into a wildly competitive game of musical chairs (anything for competition). And today we are playing guitar and singing “American Pie” with rewritten lyrics pertaining to salvation history. I had forgotten how much I loved and missed teaching. I like the challenge of trying to surprise and capture the attention of the girls. I like discussing ethics and Judaism and Jesus. I like the camaraderie of my coworkers. I like wearing heels. And my students this year are wonderful. One of my best groups in my seven years here. There is a lot of good to be done, and I am 100% affirmed in prayer that I am supposed to be here.

While teaching is a blessing, I cannot deny that it is what it is… Work. Joshua prefaced my return by warning me how tiring it can be. Tiring? There are days where it simply is Exhausting. I do find satisfaction in pouring myself out tirelessly. It’s nice to lie down at the close of the day and tell God, today was for you and I did my best (and to look at my son and husband and to think the same). But there are many days where I feel pulled and unbalanced and I just have to pray for grace to be the person I want to be.



I joined the club of moms who cry the night before returning to work. Everyone wants to know if I missed him. Isn’t that a given? I mean, if people can miss the McRib like they do (which will baffle me til the day I die), of course I am going to miss the time with my son. But the day I was so nervous about turned out to be peaceful. Dad’s been extra helpful. I couldn't do it without him. And right now, as long as the coffee and the bed are made, I’m good to go. My mom took care of Tressan the first week back. For no rhyme or reason, Tressan decided to give in the day I returned to work and went back to taking a bottle. Prayers answered. Now Aunt Barb is learning the tricks of the trade with the baby… or she’s teaching the baby tricks of the trade. Next step… coaxing him to nap in his crib rather than Kennedy’s swing (his flat little head shows just how determined he is to sleep in that cocoon). But it really is such a relief to know he’s in good hands. The only rule is that he’s not allowed to roll over for the first time without mom or dad present. It’s getting close with T being as active as he has been. If you want to see what I mean, check out the youtube of his affinity for the ceiling fan...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDczXnFOCRM

Other happenings around here:

The night of Game 6 of the World Series I hit a squirrel in my car. Really hit. As in dead (trust me, I went back to check on him). I called Joshua saddened for the poor squirrel who made a very bad decision, and he responded, “Oh no, you killed the rally squirrel.” With my profound respect for the Rangers (and more than slight intimidation), I went into game 6 with cautious hopes. And WOW what a game on both sides. I prayed to go to Game 7 from the get-go, and once we made it I didn’t mind how it ended. While the Cardinals are my first love, the Briones house cheered for the Rangers in Game 7. It was hard to watch, as were all the games. Joshua and I saw Moneyball (two thumbs up) on Sunday when Aunt Barb babysat (two thumbs up). It’s so true that baseball is a romance. I think you become a real fan when you believe your watching the game or not watching the game is actually affecting the game. That’s definitely how we are… and it’s such a guilty feeling when you know YOU jinxed your team. So game 7 didn’t set off fireworks in Texas but one thing’s for sure – neither Joshua nor I want the drama of our AL team and NL team competing in the World Series again. I’m still in awe when I think about what the Cardinals did – it truly was a post-season of champions. I’m also glad Missy and Joe got to Texas just in time to cheer in those final runs with us. (I will add to my gladness, the fact that they brought the top tier of their wedding cake to Dallas to celebrate their one-year anniversary with us.) I can’t wait for the spring and 2012 when the Rangers go for their third attempt (and this time WIN).

Our family and some close friends welcomed Tressan into the church on the day he turned three months old. We truly believe he is a new creation in Christ, we give him back to God, and we hope he will grow to know the special part he has in God’s plan. We are grateful for our parents who blessed us with the beautiful gift of faith. We also thank our heavenly Father for the special role Fr. Alfonse plays in the life of our family, and we are honored to have our best friends, Beth and Chris Everett, as the spiritual parents of baby T. Kennedy and Tressan will grow up as god-siblings. I’m sure they will get into as much trouble as regular siblings.







I have to add, one of my favorite memories of these past weeks was going to Tappy’s with the Everetts after their return from Europe and watching Kennedy be a ham with her sweet grin and silliness. She’s a special little girl. We rejoice in Tressan’s new prayer-group friends, Addison Grace and Elliott Joseph, just born in the past few weeks. We are living the spirit of the holidays with Halloween, All Saints Day, and Thanksgiving on the way. Even got Dad to watch baby so I could go to our annual corn maze outing (in which we were lost for over an hour and had to be guided out by the employees). God is doing great things in our lives.

Instead of Occupy Wall Street... May Heaven Occupy Us.

All our love,

The Brioni

So Much....So Little Time

Monday, October 17, 2011 9:03 AM Posted by Joshua & Mandy 0 comments
There is so much going on in our lives that we tend to not realize how fast time flies……sorry for no update in a while. We are having a blast as a family, living it up each and every day. Mandy and I vowed to each other early in our relationship and marriage that we wouldn’t let kids stop our lives….but rather we would let our kids in on our lives, so that we can do things as a family and one day look back and know that we have a multitude of memories together.

With that we decided to take Tressan to his first baseball game a couple weeks ago. The Texas Rangers were playing Tampa in the playoffs, so we (including my parents) bought tickets and loaded up the little guy for his first game. He was a hit at the game….sporting his Texas Onsie and his Cardinals socks. He did great, slept through a lot of the game…even through the hype and noise.




Last weekend we took him on his first roadtrip. My friend Ryan and Megan were getting married in San Angelo, TX. I was the best man in the wedding, so of course, baby in tow, we weren’t going to miss it. We packed our bags and hit the road early Friday morning for the 4 hour trek to West Texas. He made it 2 hours without a peep before needing a feeding and a changing, so in the lovely Love’s parking lot on the side of I-20 we did just that and continue our journey. We stayed with Miranda and Rob Houser (and Baby Harper Houser) for the weekend. They were generous enough to lend us their new home while they too were out of town for a wedding. We did get to see them for a few hours and visit, not long enough to catch up as we hadn’t seen each other in quite some time. We spent some of Friday afternoon catching up with old colleagues at ASU. Lina, Joe, and WanaDee were ecstatic to see us and……surprised when we brought a little one in the door. Like I said it’s been quite some time since we have seen these people. A quick drive through Dad’s Alma Mater to see all the progress of ASU and our afternoon was up.








The Rehearsal and Wedding were in Ballinger Texas (about 30 minutes), and Tressan was a hit. We had a blast catching up with old college friends and Ryan’s family. Ryan’s mom, Alicia became my San Angelo mother during my 5 years in college, often cooking awesome meals for us, cleaning and helping out when needed. The wedding was Saturday afternoon at 2pm. About 1:40 pm torrential rainfall moved into the San Angelo area and settled…..after months and months with no rain….it couldn’t have been more perfect. It rained the rest of the day and night. The wedding was great, reception and food were perfect, and the cake..well I have to admit…it beat our cake. Ryan and Megan called and asked what our cake was as they wanted to mimic it….well, I have to say their baker did it and did it well….Best Wedding Cake ever, White Chocolate at the Webb/Long wedding. So many people were willing to hold and entertain Tressan so that Mandy and I could a little fun too…..we got our two step on multiple times…..that’s the benefit of a true West Texas wedding dance……no trashy music…just good ole dancin’ music. We ended the night watching the Cardinals win.

As a reward for a job well done last qtr, my office gave many of us and extra two days off, we used one of those days to go the Texas State Fair last Thursday…..Tressan wanted to see Big Tex and all that the fair has to offer. Mandy and I indulged on multiple fried items including fried oreos, fried snickers, fried cookie dough, tornado taters, fried pineapple upside down cake, and for me an original “FLECTHERS CORNY DOG.” We met up with Brad and Cynthia Linder as they were headed to the fair that day also. We spent the majority of our time together in the air conditioning watching the vita-mix presentation.




This weekend as busy with Rangers games and Cardinals games, and our Young Married’s Group on Saturday, and a visit to the pumpkin patch on Sunday. The Rangers won and are headed to the World Series and low and behold the St. Louis Cardinals advanced as well so its head to head this week in the 2011 World Series. I fulfilled a promise to Mandy by purchasing two tickets to the Series….as I promised that if the Rangers and Cardinals ever made it together I would get her tickets……Its worth it….and what 3 month old ever gets to say that he went to the world series!!! More on that next week.




Upcoming Events…..
World Series Game 3 – Texas Rangers Ballpark in Arlignton
Tressan’s Baptism
Mandy Returns to school

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"Luck Be a Baby Tonight" (Go Cards!)

Our baby boy is getting big! Complete with his mid-arm fat lines, some hard-to-clean thigh rolls, and a nice pudge tummy, he is such a squeezable little cherub. We love every ounce of him, especially that pudge tummy. We estimate he’s rockin 13 pounds at this point, and we are looking forward to his 2 month visit on Friday where we’ll get the official score.


He’s definitely growing and definitely changing. He is an active baby – always wanting to be bounced, to be talked to, to look at your face, to look around the room, to hear dad’s fake laugh, to hear mom fake sing, to ride in the stroller, to ride in the car, to kick in the bath… basically, he likes attention (no surprise). And he’s had a lot of it!


The Gothmans, our expert babysitters, watched him again while Joshua and I thankfully got a date night to see The Help (the book is SO much better). Dallas had an unexpected downpour that night (we had forgotten what rain looked like in Texas) just as we were parking which left us soaked as we tried to dry off with napkins from the dine-in theatre. But date nights are treasured regardless! Tressan had his first trip to Celina, TX to see Deion Sanders’ new paint job on his Aladdin-ish mansion and Grandma and Grandpa Briones and the Reimanns, and we got a look at the swingset Grandpa got for the kids as they grow. I see many forts and obstacle courses in the grandkids’ future. We truly enjoyed dinner with the Tripletts, Theresa, and Justin here at the house… something we have been planning since July! Tressan made his rounds at Ursuline. I’ve learned a few things in my years teaching at an all-girls’ high school: you can’t sneak in babies, boys, or cake. It’s like the girls have a sixth sense for these things when they come through the door. Last week T got a playdate invite to the Arboretum. Beth and I drove with Kennedy and Tressan in the backseat (a vision into their dating years?). We got to “play” with the Blackwells, the Thompsons, the Bradys, the Dodges. The kiddos were so cute getting their pictures taken in the piles of pumpkins. Tressan was so tired on the way home and cried when the car stopped. Beth would approach red lights going 2 miles an hour from 40 feet back so as to not stop the car completely (I love the common things parents do to keep baby happy). We also feasted on Omaha Steak cuisine with the Everetts, treats provided by Joshua’s work when baby T was born. We appreciate having our friends as neighbors more and more each day. Finally, Tressan earned his wings as he flew to St. Louis this past weekend.


Some of you know I have an irrational fear of planes since a Honduras flight a few years back and I mentally keep record of every news report of a plane going down. In a way, I actually prefer a 10-hour car ride to the 1.5 hour flight. It’s a control thing, I’m sure. So while the other passengers were busy cramming luggage and gearing up ipods, I gave Tressan a temporary 5-second baptism with my Dasani bottle. You think I’m kidding, but I’m not. Maybe it’s a sign that I studied too much theology to know that can be legit. It’s probably more of a sign that I’m a flying phobic mess. Well, we survived and there wasn’t a minute of turbulence either way. Tressan flew like a champ. You feed him and he is happy. Just like a boy. He also pulls hair. Just like a boy.

It had been almost six weeks since Grandma and Grandpa Hahn had seen him. We wanted to surprise my Dad and couldn’t believe that my Mom actually managed to keep it from him a whole week. He walked in the house and was told that a birthday gift arrived for him – turns out that birthday gift was our 2-month bundle propped up on the couch. Mom said she has never seen him more surprised. The trip seemed like a marathon of visiting beginning with the Brauners who are expecting their little one in February, and also including St. Trinity, Great Aunt Barb, and Grandpa Hahn’s work. I asked Great Aunt Barb if it was weird being a Great Aunt. She said, no she’s always been great! We agree. We have to give special thanks to the Talbott cousins (and Tina) for the lucky Cardinals socks. We call them his happy feet. Our lucky baby has them on again today for the fourth day in a row. Whatever it takes for this Wild Card! (Note lucky socks in picture.)


Other things on the homefront… I got through the fear of starting over and took up running again. It really is a “happy place” for me. Running with the jogging stroller, well the concept is a happy thing but holy guacamole it’s more tough then I would have guessed (this is coming from a girl who finds it difficult to run with keys or a water bottle in my hands). We will get there, one mile at a time. Joshua and I love the new show Up All Night. We also love that our baby is no longer up all night (hitting about 6 hours regularly). The Briones family is celebrating the arrival of Tressan’s 2nd cousin, baby Royceton Llanas, born this afternoon! And lastly, Tressan’s real baptism will be October 29 around 3:30pm at St. Ann Catholic Church in Coppell. We prefer the priest/deacon kind.

I close with four recent thoughts on motherhood…
1. Why do they not tell you how to put a carseat in shopping cart? (Had to call husband for this, thank you internet)
2. I’ve never heard Tressan cry like he did the day the batteries in the swing died. Personal goal: Never let the swing batteries die again.
3. I’m a believer when it comes to Oxyclean.
4. These are the best days of my life. Thanks, Joshua and Tressan!

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