Long time, no post...

Wow...it's been a while since I've updated here. Since I am almost always on Facebook, I just don't get to this blog much. We are all doing good. Praise the Lord we have our health, and we are keeping busy. I just love the change to Autumn! The cooler weather is perfect for open windows. The State Fair is upon us. I am in patient await of the changing colors! We get these wonderful spider webs all around our house that are spun by these beautiful garden spiders...aka writing spider, banana spider, or orb weaver...see photo. I call them all "Charlotte," because they remind me of "Charlotte's Web."

Well, I apologize for the short post. I just wanted to let you all know that we are doing well and will hopefully soon post a detailed update w/ some new pix! If you are on Facebook, look me up...Kimberly Ort Bynum. I have lots of photos on there, and regular status updates!

Until next time....

Hugs and Happy Autumn!

Happy 11th Birthday Mal! We had her 1st real sleepover...6 girls total...& it was a blast. We went 4-wheeler riding, they jumped on the trampoline, we ate pizza & cake, they played "ding-dong ditch" where they ran away after knocking on doors (all neighbors are family, so we gave a heads-up & the girls got a little scare), they played with makeup & played Disney Scene-It, & wound the evening down w/ some movies. Did I mention eating? Those girls ate a ton of candy & chips. The next morning I made Beignets for breakfast, which the girls said tasted like eating funnel cakes for breakfast! I told them, "don't tell your moms I fed you funnel cakes for breakfast!" It was fun!

Viva Mexico!

Our "Elegant" night family photo.



Towel Monkey made by our cabin steward,
Conrad.



On the far left is the Carnival Ecstasy out of
Galveston, TX, next is our ship, the Carnival
Fantasy, then the small vessel in the center is
a Mexican cargo ship, & on the far right is the
Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas.




Some boats & one of the Fury catamarans in the
beautiful water of Cozumel.




Our boarding photo on our snorkeling/beach
party excursion in Cozumel. That is the actual
view of our ship behind us.


Wow! Quite a bit of time has passed since my last post w/ pictures.
School has ended & summer is in full swing. Baseball came
& went. Our most recent endeavor was our vacation....a cruise
to Mexico! It started w/ a drive to New Orleans where we
boarded the Carnival Fantasy. We spent a day at sea and then
had our first port-of-call in Progreso, Yucatan, Mexico, where
we visited the Dzibilchaltun Ruins site. It was H-O-T out there!
We had a really fun tour guide named Cesar, and at least the
bus ride to and from the pier was an air-conditioned charter
type bus! The ruins were pretty interesting. I have to say,
looking at a bunch of piles of rubble from ancient buildings
wasn't the highlight of our trip, but it was interesting enough,
& somewhat educational. Like I said, Cesar was great! He even
sang us the USA's National Anthem on our ride back to the pier.

The next day our port-of-call was Cozumel, Mexico, where we
took a catamaran trip out to snorkel & then to a private beach
for fun in the sun! The snorkeling was so amazing. The kids
absolutely LOVED it. They were sad when that part ended.
But, when we arrived at the beach, where there was a blow-up
water slide, a blow-up iceberg to climb up, and 2 trampolines in
the water, they had a blast there, too. Next we had another day
at sea, then sadly our cruise came to an end.

One of the other really fun things was dinner each evening. The
kids really enjoyed having that fancy dinner and ordering new
things. We were so proud of Jonah, the picky one, for trying
several new things. Our waitstaff soon learned that he could eat...
alot. After the first night they called us by name & knew what our
drink preferences were. Each night they entertained all the dining
guests with a little song or dance. One night they danced to...
get this... "Apple Bottom Jeans!" It was GREAT! Our guys,
Beda & Johnny, had some great moves and were really able
to get low, low, low!

Another cool thing was the attention to our stateroom. As soon as
we were out of there in the mornings, they got in there and made
the beds & cleaned up the room. And in the evenings when we left
for dinner, they came in and turned down the beds, put chocolates
on the bed, & cleaned up again. Our cabin steward, Conrad, was a
sweetheart. He made the most wonderful towel creations. The kids
loved that part, too.

The ship was so big, and there was so much to see and do. The
shows were just like Vegas-style shows and were really fun to
watch. We really had a wonderful time. We were all sad to have to
get off the ship on Thursday morning.

When we got off the ship, we drove around New Orleans for a little
while, taking a look at Bourbon Street and the French Quarter. We
made a stop at Cafe Du Monde for some beignets...they were GOOD!
Then we walked around for a while and had lunch at Bubba Gump's
Shrimp Co. We are a Forrest Gump-lovin' family, so we just had to
eat there! The food was FABULOUS! And the atmosphere was cool!
We all got 100% on our Forrest Gump quiz! LOL!

There is so much more to say, but I just don't have the time or
space to put it all down, and, of course, there are almost 300
pictures of this trip. If you are my facebook friend, I have put
about 78 pics in an album on my facebook page. For the blog,
I've only uploaded a few pics, the main one of us snorkeling is the
blog title. I would love to share all of them, but it would just take
TOO long to upload them all.

I hope you enjoy the few posted here & the album on facebook.

Until next time....Bon Voyage!


Outside Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans...the
beignets were fab!



In Cozumel with our ship, the Carnival Fantasy,
in the background.



At the top of a pyramid at the Dzibilchaltun Ruins
in Progreso.



Walking a wall of a pyramid at the Dzibilchaltun
Ruins in Progreso.



Entrance sign to the Dzibilchaltun Ruins.

Mallory's Singing Debut

Happy Mother's Day!

From a Mom's Perspective:

A little blue line...a queasy stomach...a moment (or two or fifty) of puking mid-meal & going back to finish...a growing belly...a flutter of movement (is that gas?)...a growing belly...a lot of kicks (is there a little football player in there?)...a few moments of tightness in the uterus (is it time?)...a little bit of pain...NO, A LOT of PAIN, sweat, & tears...a welcome cry...a sigh of relief...a new little life in your arms...first pee, first poo...first bath...first smile...first laugh...first word...first haircut...first steps...first boo boo...first bandaid...now it talks, now it walks...uses many bandaids...first pee, first poo in the potty...first day of kindergarten...no more scheduled naps...elementary years fly by...first one's first year of middle school...second one's last year of elementary school...

That's where I am.

My mom used to tell me the story of my birth every year on my birthday...she still does it sometimes, or at least, she'll start the story with the same words & we'll have a chuckle. But as a Mom, it is a story whose details stick with you the rest of forever. It's a story of blood, sweat, & tears. For some it's a story of patience for the day the phone rings and she drops to her knees thanking God that she gets to get on a plane & go get her baby from some other point on the globe. For some it's fostering a sweet little baby that one day legally becomes your own. However it happens, it is a story of unfathomable, unconditional, love. It is a heart-wrenching, gut-stabbing, life-changing love. Whether there is one child or 18, that love is enough. Mom's love IS enough. Mom's love IS enough for the rest of Mom's years, and beyond...when she leaves this earth, her love continues in her children's memories. I can NOT imagine my life without the experiences that these little people bring me. Some days it seems like I want to pull my hair out strand by strand, but when they day is over and we've said our night-time prayers and I peek in their rooms to get that one last look at them sleeping, I am so thankful that God allowed me to be a Mom.

On the other side of things:

She took the pain to bring me into the world...she loved me...she held me...she fed me...she changed me...she loved me...she got up in the night with me...she rocked me....she soothed me...she loved me...she picked me up when I fell...she wiped me off...she kissed the boo boo...she rubbed my tummy when it hurt...she loved me...she read to me...she helped me learn to read...she helped me through school...she loved me...she let me yell, scream, & spout off...she loved me...she let me learn to drive...she let me have fun...she let me cry when he broke my heart...she loved me...she watched me graduate...she moved me to college...she moved me back home...she let me take some chances, make some mistakes...she loved me...she watched me find the love of my life...she watched me say "I do."...she loved me...she watched me bury my firstborn baby girl...she cried with me...she watched me have my baby boy...she cried with me...she watched me graduate college...she loved me...she watched me have another baby girl...she cried with me...she loved me...she watched me as they grew before our eyes...she let me whine & gripe when things were bad, sad, scary, or crazy...she loved me...she watched me send them to school...she cried too...she watched me be a sports mom...she watched me work, play, juggle, & struggle...she loved me...

That's where I am.

All through the years from the moment she held me the first time, my Momma has loved me. Through every moment of every thing, she's been there. Nothing good or bad has happened in my life that my Momma wasn't there for me. I can't imagine all those moments without her. She loved me & she LOVES me. Happy Mother's Day, Momma. I love you.

Another Point-Of-View:

Some that I know do not have their Moms anymore. Whether it be illness or other tragedy, Mom is gone. I know days like Mother's Day are difficult when she's not here to be honored. But, she IS honored on Mother's Day...honored for being a Mom...honored for loving her kids...honored for all the same moments that you spent with her when she was here...honored for all the same moments that she spent with you when she was here...honored for all those things that she went through with you when she was here...from your beginning to her end...she loved you...and you love her...& we still say Happy Mother's Day.

Spring Break came & went...

Hello again! I just wanted to make a quick post. We made a little trip to Blanchard Springs Caverns over spring break. It was a great time. We went on the perfect day (weather-wise), and we enjoyed our time w/ some of our family. It was a nice get-away from the routine. The kids are now on the down-hill side of the school year. It won't be long and they'll be on summer break! They are doing well and are happy w/ the change in schools that they made this year. Anyway, all is well in our household as I pray it is in yours. Until the next post....Kim

Looking for the sun....

January?!? Good grief! It's been since January 1st?!? I just have not made time to update, so I am taking this moment to apologize and to let you know that as soon as possible, I will upload pics and update w/ a new post! In the meantime, please send up prayers for many in my circle. There are many issues going on with people around me...people I know and love, people I don't even know, but have been asked to pray for. Hurt, heartache, uncertainty, illness, loss, and more are the issues at hand. Please say prayers for peace, comfort, guidance, conviction, salvation, steadiness, patience, healing....for the sun to shine through the clouds again....

in these people's lives. I won't say the names, but God knows them, and He will answer according to His will, we can count on that...and I thank Him now for His answers, and I thank you, my prayer warrior friends and family!

Until the next one......God Bless!

Happy New Year!

The Family Toast...



We started the evening off with a birthday dinner
for Jonah @ Crazy Hibachi. We were joined by our
"deer widow" friend, Karen, & her baby, Owen.
After that we went back home for Brownie Sundaes
& played Rock Band on the PS2. At about 11:30
we turned on Dick Clark's special, and we rung in
the New Year with our sparkling grape juice and
some hugs & kisses.


My Three Babies...
I promise they aren't choking the dog.




A cool pic of our glasses of sparking grape juice...



We wish you a Happy New Year, and pray that
you & yours are blessed beyond measure in 2009.
If nothing else, resolve to give God the time He
deserves.

We love you all!

Happy New Year from the Bynum's!