Little Blessings Abound

Summer Fun in a Flash

2010-08-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

Since we started school this week, our summer is officially over. It seems like it flew by, of course life seems to be flying by these days.

I'll try to cover the summer in a few posts. I'll start with June...

The kiddos started taking gymnastics at the Little Gym. They both loved it and A and I had a good time watching them and playing in the lobby. Bear loved running wild and he even did great doing rolls and walking on the beam. Although, he did like it much better when Sweet Pea was in his class (they went to a couple of make-up classes together). Sweet Pea also loved running around and she did pretty well on the beam and bars, too. And most weeks we would go out to eat as a family and Pappy would join us! I'm already missing "nastics nights".

In the middle of June I ventured out and took all three kids to the Children's museum. It isn't anything special, but the kids had a blast. I think their favorite activity was playing with the parachute man and the pulley. We ended up getting an annual membership, so I am guessing me and the boys will be frequenting the museum this fall.

The following weekend we went to see Toy Story 3 (opening weekend). I think that is the most excited I have ever been about a movie coming out. Bear and Sweet Pea had been talking about it for a year, so they were obviously beside themselves with excitement! We met Pappy at the theater for the second showing of the morning. And I should add that we were not disappointed - it was fabulous! And I even cried at the end when Andy talked about each of his toys.

The following week Sweet Pea and I went to Sea World with one of her friends and her momma. We had the best time! We watched a few shows, rode the Shamu coaster, played in the splash park and swam in the lazy river at the water park. The girls giggled and smiled all day which made my heart happy! I love spending time with my Sweet Pea and getting to see her precious personality.

Fun in May... Part 2

2010-08-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

We finished off May with a bang! My sweet baby boy had his last day of school (first year in MDO) and my sweet baby girl graduated from preschool, after 3 years of MDO, as she heads off to kindergarten.

Bear had a great year. It started out a little rough with a few tears each morning at drop-off, but he always ended the day having fun. And he has learned a lot about playing with others, following instructions, being respectful and maybe even a few "school things". He also loved going to school with Sweet Pea and playing on the rocks with her afterwards.

Here he is on the first day of school:

And here he is on the last day, with each of his teachers

Sweet Pea's graduation was full of emotion. We were so excited for her to celebrate finishing the year, but it was obviously hard to say good-bye to this season of her life. She has been such a joy to watch grow up. Every one of her firsts, is also our first. The school put together a nice little graduation ceremony.

Here is our little Sweet Pea on her very first day of school in 2007:

And here are some pics from her last day and the graduation ceremony:

Fun in May

2010-08-03T05:31:00.001-07:00

May was very busy month - We started out on a big trip through East Texas. We spent a couple of nights in D'ville with Pappy. We had fun playing at the park (which I can remember being built when I was in jr high), shopping for our fishing trip and visiting GiGi's grave. I wasn't sure how we would handle the questions, but I think it went very well. Sweet Pea asked A LOT of questions! But, as we pulled up to the area where her grave is, I told them "we are here". And Bear asked, "Mommy, are we in heaven"? My heart just melted.

I am so glad we got that visit in because that would be the last time we would go to my childhood home. My dad sold his house a month later. I am sooo happy to have Pappy so close, but I am also sad to say goodbye to the house I was "born" in and the house where I held my mom's hand as she took her last breaths. I just keep telling myself the memories I have in my heart will last forever:)

Our next stop was my aunt and uncle's lake house in E. Texas. We had an amazing time fishing and just hanging out amongst the beautiful scenery. Both kids caught their first fish! Bear was a natural and Sweet Pea was... well, she very pretty in her fishing gear.

Here's Bear with one of his first fish that he caught on the boat with Daddy and Pappy:

And Sweet Pea and Bear taking a ride in the cart with Pappy - they went exploring:

Here's Sweet Pea in her fishing gear and with her 1st fish:

Bear reeling in a fish all by himself and Daddy helping him get it off the hook:

The kids with Aunt P and Uncle J and all of us on the cart:

Our final stop was to visit N's grandparents in (further) E.Texas. We had a wonderful visit and the kids loved playing with their E.Tx cousins.

The following weekend was Sweet Pea's dance recital. Her class danced to "What a Wonderful World", which is the song my mom chose for the groom/mother-in-law dance at our wedding. I am pretty sure she chose it for Sweet Pea's first dance recital, too. She did wonderful. Although she did keep crossing her legs as she did the dance moves. After the show, I asked her why and she said, "Because I had to tee tee".

And here's the encore... a dance with Daddy

A Jumping Good Time

2010-06-16T11:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged since April and I have so much to catch up on. I'll start with Sweet Pea and Bear's joint birthday party. So, we booked "the jump house place" for a Saturday afternoon between their birthdays. The kids jumped, slid, ran, and giggled for an hour and a half with their friends. Then we had cake and opened presents. It was a great time!

Here are the birthday girl and birthday boy and baby brother having fun with daddy:

The birthday cupcake cakes:

And these... with her arm around him and him kissing her... it's just too much!

And here are some group shots... such great friends!

Little Brother had a blast, too!

This is how I knew they had a great time...

Our Lil' Bear is 3!

2010-04-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

Our last birthday of the season was Bear's. He is now 3! His (and Sweet Pea's) party was the week before his actual birthday and he celebrated in his MDO class with a cookie cake the day before his birthday. He was so excited to have his friends sing Happy Birthday to him both times. For the big day, we went to a family picnic at their school and Chuck E. Cheese's that evening.

Oh, and when we woke up the morning of his birthday, this is what we found in the yard. Thanks MeMe!

He is so proud to be 3 now. It's been so fun to watch him progress over the past year. He is speaking more clearly, putting thoughts together, playing with bugs, jumping on and off of everything, loving Buzz Lightyear, liking Max and Ruby, throwing, kicking and bouncing anything round, casting a fishing rod (better than I ever could) every chance he gets, and snuggling so sweetly! He is all boy, but he has the most tender heart. My favorite words out of his mouth so far are "Mommy, you are my best in my world". Of course "Mommy, I love you co much" (he hasn't quite mastered his s's yet) and "Mommy, you are gorgeous" are right up there, too.

I am learning so much about little boys and I am loving every minute of it!!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy! I love you to infinity and beyond!

Sweet Pea is 5!

2010-04-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

Our first little blessing is growing up so fast! I really can't believe she is 5. It's a big milestone, right? She is really changing from a preschooler into a young lady. I am so proud of her - she is writing, reading a few words, adding, solving everyday problems, getting along with her brothers and she loves learning Bible stories. But, on the flipside she is dealing with conflict and girl drama at school. She is doing a good job dealing with it, but I can see her struggling with being sweet, while still standing up for herself. I know it's inevitable, so I am praying and making sure I spend extra time with her now, while she is still young enough to listen to this old lady. Her daddy is also doing a great job with her - they go on dates fairly often and he recently took her to a daddy- daughter dance. They both had a fabulous time and I hope it will become a tradition.

Here's a pic before they left:

And here's a pic at the dance - do you see the smile on N's face? I LOVE this pic!

So, on her birthday, she had a cookie cake at school and we went to Chuck E Cheese's for dinner. She was excited to get lots of phone calls from family and friends, too! She has such a feisty personality AND the most tender heart - the little signs of love mean sooo much to her. Here are some pics from the big day...

Sharing some birthday love with Bear:

Sweet Pea was so excited to ride with lil' bro:

Chuck E. brought a birthday cake out:

Sweet Pea playing air hockey with Bear:

Celebrating Jesus

2010-04-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

"I can't wait for Easter, so we can celebrate Jesus". Yes, my little Sweet Pea said this a couple of days before Easter Sunday. I was so proud of her. I was proud of her for knowing that Easter is about Jesus and not just an oversized bunny that hops from house to house (seriously, how can we tell our kids this silliness? Isn't it an insult to their intelligence?). Of course we had the conversation about how we should celebrate what Jesus did for us everyday, not just Easter. She has actually been asking to hear stories about Jesus a lot lately. She even told me the story about when Jesus healed the 'blond' man and when Jesus fed thousands after he prayed over just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. But, last night she asked me to read James chapter 3. I asked her why she chose that one and she said, "It's about how our tongues can get us in trouble." Sure enough, I opened her Bible to James 3 and the heading said "Taming the Tongue". Apparently she is getting a lot out of Chapel time at school. I love it!

So, the kids had a school-wide egg hunt at their school, they each had a hunt with their class, and we went to an egg hunt at our church. So, by the time Easter morning came around, they were good at hunting. Although, we did have to give Bear a few hints to help him find the last few.

After all of the morning fun, we dressed the kids in their Easter clothes. As soon as Bear saw his clothes he said, "I am not wearing that - Pink is for girls" N and I were cracking up, but Bear was serious. N decided to take this chance to teach him a lesson - "You will do what the woman in your life asks you to do". I think the struggle was worth it - the kids looked pretty cute :).

So, then we headed to church. The service was AMAZING! I think I got the chills about a dozen times from the music. Easter is by far my favorite holiday. I can remember watching the Passion Play every year when I was younger and just being in awe. I mean, Jesus loves us so much that he suffered and died for us! I always get emotional when I think about it.

Here are some more pics

Andy isn't a big fan of Sunday School...

Afterwards, he was just fine...

Our Lil' All Star is One!

2010-04-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

Baby A hit the one year mark and we celebrated! On his birthday we took pictures in the morning and had cake with the family and MeMe that night. You'll notice that he stayed clean all three times that he had cake. The boy would not dive into the mound of fluffy goodness, no matter how hard I tried to get him to. The first time that he touched the icing he started crying and shook his hand to get it off. I finally had to get a spoon and feed the inside of the cake to him before he would even try it. After a while of convincing, he eventually decided that he likes cake... just not the mess.

On Saturday we had some friends and family over to celebrate. The theme was sports. We were so excited that Pappy, Nana and Poppy were able to make it! He had a great time chasing the older kids around, eating a little cake and opening presents. Somehow, I didn't take too many pictures, but here are some that I did take...

See, he was not very impressed with the sugary treat sitting before him...

Here's the cake (with his name blurred, of course)...

He loved the slinky from a goodie bag...

He loves his new ride from Grandma A and family...

Posing with Daddy...

with Nana and Poppy...

with Pappy...

with MeMe...

Some of the kids taking a break from swimming to enjoy some cake...

At one year he is 21 lbs and 29 inches long

You've come a long way, sweet boy. We have enjoyed watching you grow and we look forward to watching you become the man God has intended.

We Love You Bubs (Gus)!

Life's Been Good

2010-02-24T13:48:00.001-08:00

We've been keeping busy the past few months. Here's what we've been up to:

Eating new things (he loves shaved turkey and fresh fruit):

Crawling around, chasing big brother and sister:

Having fun in the bath tub:

Pulling up and cruising around:

Having fun at Valentine's Parties:

Humoring Mommy by taking silly V-Day pictures:

Here's my littleist Valentine (his first):

Bear, showing off his favorite shirt ;) (he wasn't feeling well, at all)

Having fun at Kiddie Acres with friends:

Having fun bowling with friends:

Playing after school (the kids love to play on the rocks after school - I love that all they need is a little nature and a few friends to have a blast!)

Playing with Daddy:

Dressing up and pretending to cook:

Playing in the snow at Pappy's:

The expression on his face is priceless!

Sweet Pea LOVED the snow! She played in it for hours - even after making snow angels and getting her clothes wet!

Bear wasn't a big fan of the cold, but he couldn't pass up the chance to help with the snowmen and to play with sticks!

Daddy took the kids for a ride in his new bike trailor on Sunday (then we all went swimming in the hot tub):

And here's our back yard on Tuesday:

Poor baby A - Mommy made him take a lot of pictures in the cold snow:

After all of that playing, we all need a little rest :)...

10 Months

2010-02-04T13:47:00.000-08:00

My sweet baby boy is 10 months already! I took him to get pictures taken on the special day. He did great, as always.

He is still a dream baby, for the most part. But, he has finally shown a flaw - he has recently decided that it is not very fun to sleep. He doesn't like to nap and he doesn't like to sleep at night. (I have to admit, it may not be entirely his fault - our glider completely disintegrated, so we haven't had a way to rock him to sleep). N was out of town the other night and A decided to wake up from 12:30 to 2 and then he woke up, for good, at 6. I guess I can't complain, I had some great snuggle time :). But, otherwise he is still a doll.

He is crawling (military style) all over the place, he loves to pull himself up to a stand, he can walk behind his walker, he loves to clap and to grab your hands and make you clap, he giggles at almost anything, he loves playing with all of his toys and he is babbling a lot - and after hours and hours of practicing, he can now say "Ma Ma"! Oh, how it melts my heart to hear those sounds. He is also enjoying Sweet Pea and Bear and they are enjoying him, as well.

At his nine month appt, he measured 50th percentile in height, 25th in weight, and 95th in head circumference! We are trying to cherish every second with our sweet baby. We know all too well how fast they grow up! I can't believe it's already time to plan his first birthday!!!

Baby A is Eight Months

2010-01-04T14:13:00.000-08:00

I'm over a month late, but I couldn't skip it...

We had family pictures taken just in time for me to double up with his milestone. I started with Sweet Pea and have continued the tradition of taking pics of the kids every two months until one year. It's a little tougher when there are two other kiddos running around!

Our friend Kathie took the pictures and I have to add that Baby A was in a bit of a mood. He was hungry and tired, but still such a sweetheart!

Here he is with his big sis'. She is always loving on him like this:

I think this is just a preview of the years to come:

To Infinity and Beyond...

2009-10-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

I had been searching for the Toy Story DVD (thinking that Bear might love it, and in turn, love the characters at Disney World), but I couldn't find it anywhere. So, when I found out it was because they were showing it in 3D at the theaters, we thought it would be a fun family outing. Sweet Pea has seen 2 movies, but we had never taken the boys. Needless to say, we were a little nervous...

Well, the kids did great! The boys fell asleep 1/2 way through Toy Story 2, but Sweet Pea lasted through both and even asked if they were going to show a third! And N and I were just excited to go see a movie! I think we have seen 4 in the past 5 years. Who would've thought that the more kids we have, the easier it would get? Have I mentioned what a good baby, Baby A is? Does this mean a fourth would raise itself???

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch... Twice

2009-10-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I took Sweet Pea and Bear to the pumpkin patch with a group of friends. It was organized as a field trip, so the kids got to do a lot of fun things in a short amount of time (they went on a hayride, went through a corn maze, had wagon races, painted pumpkins, fed goats, ate homeade ice cream and picked flowers). They had a blast!

Then we decided to go back as a family to pick out our pumpkin. Daddy found a good one...

And we tried to get a good pic of the kids, but Baby A was tired and Sweet Pea and Bear were preoccupied with finding the biggest pumpkin (thanks Daddy ;) ). But we had lots of fun and Bear even fed the donkeys.

Little Mia... Or maybe not?

2009-10-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

I had one of those "love burst" moments a few weeks ago (I have had SOOO many of them lately)...

It was a Saturday morning and Sweet Pea was running around in the grass chasing after a soccer ball on the soccer field. I don't think she actually touched it, but it didn't matter, my little girl was playing soccer. If you know me, you know I am crazy competitive. But ever since I had kids, everything has changed, especially since my kids are usually on the sidelines when I play. Anyways, there isn't a competetive bone in my body when those 4 year-olds take the field. I cheer when they run towards the ball! I honestly don't care if she ever plays again, I'll never forget the times she did!

She has played in 3 games now and she gets better and more interested each week. She is so proud when she kicks it and she looks so cute doing it! This past Saturday a parent from the other team told me her dancing on the field was the best part of the game :). I wish I had more pictures, but it's impossible for me to take them since I am running around the field with them. And Daddy is pretty busy with the boys.

Here she is with her "after game treat".

I have to add that I am growing so attached to other kids on the team. They are so fun and adorable!!!

Has it Been 6 Months Already?

2009-10-02T14:28:00.001-07:00

Baby A had his half birthday last Friday. There isn't much I can say about this angel baby that I haven't already said. He continues to be an unbelievably fabulous baby. At his 6 month check-up, he weighed 17.5 lbs and he was 26.5 inches tall (and that's from exclusively nursing for 6 months). Here's how much he has grown:

We fed him rice cereal for the first time last night and he gobbled it down! Sweet Pea and Bear were so excited to feed him, he had two spoons in his mouth a few times :). At one point he was even feeding himself!

I read in his 6 month check-up papers that he shouldn't need a feeding in the middle of the night, so I am guessing he doesn't need 2. We are going to try to get him to make it through the night without eating ~ we'll see how that goes...

A friend of ours came to our house and took a few pictures on his actual half birthday:

I love the look on his face in this one:

Almost Heaven...

2009-09-28T07:13:00.000-07:00

We finally decided to brave an Aggie game with all of the kids. We started taking Sweet Pea when she was 5 months, but we knew Bear couldn't do it the past couple of years. We would take him with us to College Station (aka Aggieland), but one of us would walk around campus with him while the other took Sweet Pea to the game. He's grown up so much the past few months, that when we started planning for the first Aggie game, I just knew he would LOVE the whole experience (it helps that we have 4 tickets this year :) ) And Bubs is such a great baby, we knew he wouldn't be a problem at all.

So, we took off for CS and everyone was excited. We practiced the Fightin' Texas Aggie War Hymn and slept a lot on the way there.

As soon as we drove onto campus, I felt like I was home. I have sooo many great memories of that place. I mean 6 years is a long time to live in one area :). And that is where I met my soul mate and we had so many good times there. It also is nice to see maroon everywhere, rather than orange ;). And everyone is so friendly.

Well, we all had a great time at the game. Bear and Bubs loved it! And of course, Sweet Pea loved it, too. They won, which always makes the trip a little better.

Then, on our way home we stopped by Freebird's. I think N and I ate there atleast 3 times a week in college! For some reason, the burritos taste so much better in Aggieland?!?

Two weeks later, we took Pappy to the game with us. We watched the band before the game and walked around campus and took some great pics. Again, I felt like I was home. Although, walking around campus makes me feel soooo old. I swear those college kids keep getting younger and younger.

This is Quackers, the class pet from Sweet Pea's school. It was her weekend to show her a good time and I think she succeeded :).

I was glad to get some picture of the kids and my dad. There's no pressure, BUT, if any of them decide to go to A&M, they would be 4th generation Aggies. My grandpa was class of '43, my dad was class of '64 and I was class of '98. N's dad played football there for a year and N was class of '99 and his brother E was class of '98. Needless to say, there are a lot of Aggies in the family. I love how Sweet Pea is so proud to tell all of the longhorns around here that she is an Aggie. She's excited to know that people are longhorns, too.

And I know Bear has already been brainwashed because as we were watching the Cowboys' game, he kept saying, "Gig 'Em Cowboys". Man, I love that boy!

And lastly... Here's a picture of our family in front of the century tree. This is where it all began when N proposed 8 years ago, tomorrow. (It's a tradition for men to propose under the tree).

Another First

2009-09-23T08:17:00.000-07:00

The first day of school was bittersweet this year. Sweet Pea was excited to go back (after not wanting to go for the first two months last year). She has six of her friends in her class and she has two great teachers. On the other hand, it is her last year of pre-school :(. While I am relishing in the fact that I have one more year with my sweet baby girl before she goes to kindergarten, I am sad that I only have one more year.

To make matters worse, it was Bear's first (ever) day of school. Sometimes I forget that he is only 2. He's not the family baby anymore, so I tend to think of him as older. But, when it came time to send him to school, I quickly realized that he is growing up. My first sad moment came when we went to "Meet the teachers". His sweet teacher wanted to take his picture, so he said "cheese" and did his picture dance. He always does the same little dance when he poses for a picture - it's just Bear and I love it. His teacher didn't appreciate it as much and said "stand still, like a statue". All of sudden, I felt sad. I realized that he would no longer be the carefree and always silly little boy. Someone else would be influencing his personality. So the next few days I contemplated keeping him home. But, the fact that he is going to a Christian school with sweet Christian teachers and will be learning to play with kids his age, makes it worth all of the emotional mom stuff.

So, the first day of school went off without a hitch. Daddy stayed home to go with us (I made him take Bear in to class) and MeMe came over to go with us. Sweet Pea was so excited to go see her friends. Bear cried when Daddy left, but he was fine five minutes later when we checked on him. And he was doing great when I called to check on him halfway through the day :).

The best part of the day (and every school day) is when I get to pick them up! They are so happy to see me and they tell me all about the fun they had at school.

Here's my little boy, after his first day of school...

Happy 5 Months!

2009-09-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

Baby A turned 5 months on August 25th. My youngest baby is growing and thriving. I know I have said it before, but really, he is a perfect baby. Maybe it's because our first two were a little, ummm, challenging.
He smiles, laughs, rolls over both ways, sits up with help, grabs things with both hands and can even bring things to his mouth. He loves bath time and swimming - he kicks and splashes the water while laughing. He hugs, walks in his walker, and he loves to be in the mix with his brother and sister.
We have decided to wait until after his six month check up to feed him cereal. He's still waking up once or twice every night, but I love that snuggle time with him, I really do. He has moved to his crib - this is a picture of him as he's taking his first nap in his crib...

I am trying to cherish every minute of each of my babies' lives, I know I will miss this season. But, isn't it amazing how God makes each day special in it's own way? Every time I turn around one of these sweet blessings does something that makes my heart smile.

Girls' Night

2009-09-12T21:19:00.000-07:00

Sweet Pea started dance recently. This girly stuff is all new to me. Sure, I took dance when I was 5 and 6, but I haven't seen a tap shoe since. She is adorable in her dance "uniform". And on dance night, we have made it a tradition to have girls night. Sweet Pea, MeMe and I go out to dinner after dance class with Sweet Pea's friend and her momma (and baby A usually gets to crash the party ~ on account of his milk dependence). I look forward to it each week and I love that special time with my baby girl. I treasure the sweet memories we are making.

The "Bubs" is 4 Months!

2009-09-02T07:38:00.000-07:00

Yeah, this is a little late, but I couldn't skip his big milestone.

After four months, Baby A is a big, healthy, happy and super sweet boy! He is very mild tempered, he doesn't cry much at all, he smiles a lot, he eats a lot, and he is loved A LOT! He is still waking up two and sometimes three times a night to eat, but he is so darn good, I can't complain.

The day after he turned four months, he rolled over for the first time. I was able to take a picture of it, but I didn't get the video camera until the second time.

You may want to turn your volume down for this one...

I, of course, took him to have pictures taken and I brought big brother along, too. (Sweet Pea and Daddy had a movie date to see "Up" ~ fyi, they gave it two thumbs up) The pics turned out cute, if you can get past the Pepto Bismal Blue blanket! Yes, it is hideous. I am going to take the pictures back and get a tint added. But, until then, here they are:

Cross Country Trip

2009-08-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

Our next trip was Baby A's first airplane ride, well, make that his first 5 airplane rides. They don't offer non-stop from Texas to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan! We were headed north for my cousin's wedding.

I was a little nervous about the flights, but I had no idea what was in store for us. The night before we left I was up until 3AM making sure we had everything we needed, where we needed it. I wanted to be prepared for every minute of the two flights, 2 hour layover in Chicago and 2 hour drive to the U.P. Two hours later, our adventure began. After all was said and done, we ended up spending 6 hours in the Austin airport, 3 hours in the Chicago airport and then 2 and half hours in the car from Marquette to the U.P. As bad as it sounds now, it was actually a lot of fun. The kids did GREAT and N and I just sat back and laughed about it all. Luckily we invested in these carseat-to-stroller converters. They made the layovers so much easier!

Killing Time in ATX

He did great on the plane!

When did my baby grow up???

Bear crashed while at the playground at O'Hare

This baby couldn't be any sweeter

We were there for 5 days. We spent our time at the rehearsal dinner/party, the beautiful wedding, my cousin's lake house/beach, and my aunt's house. We couldn't have had a better time with my mom's family. There are so many cousins, second cousins and even third cousins! The kids had sooo much fun with everyone. We can't wait to go back!

Sweet Pea and sweet cousin L

Baby A and my mom's brother
My kids' generation of cousins

Baby A slept through most of the dancing

Can you see the joy in her face? I love this smile

Bear was a dancin' fool... Paci and all

We discovered banana boats - All I can say is YUMMY!

Baby A and my mom's older sister

Oh, and the few days in between our trips, N's cousin, his wife and their baby girl came for a couple of days. Baby A had fun with his sweet cousin.

Lounging in the pool

Lounging on the chair

Road Trip

2009-08-26T11:58:00.001-07:00

The following weekend we ventured out on our first of two back-to-back trips. This one was our first long road trip with the three munchkins. What is important enough to make us drive with a two year-old, four year-old and a three month-old in a car for 6 hours, you ask? N's yearly family reunion. We've never missed it, so why would we miss it this year?

One of our pit stops:

So, we drove to East Texas to see N's grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, sister, and nephews. The kids did great in the car (both ways) and they had a blast playing with their cousins. Of the little cousins, there were 10 boys (9 of which, were 6 and under)... and Sweet Pea. Needless to say there was a lot of wrestling and a lot of mud. Sweet Pea was a spectator for the wrestling, but she was right in the middle of the dirt pile. It was a quick trip, but it was good to see N's family. And we were able to snap a photo of the boys with their dad, granddad and great-granddad.

4th of July

2009-08-25T08:00:00.001-07:00

The next weekend was the Fourth of July. I just love this holiday. When I was little, we would always watch (or usually ride in) the local city's parade, go to the city carnival and then hang out in the pool and watch fireworks (and light a few of our own). My mom was always very patriotic and festive, so I have a lot of good memories of the fourth.

Since we had just moved into our new house and we had two big trips coming up, we decided to hang low for the holiday. On the third, we watched the local golf course's fireworks from our big lounge chair in the back yard. We had a terrific view and the kids LOVED the show!

The next morning, we picked up donuts and went to the local parade. The kids loved seeing all of the floats and catching the candy. I loved watching them have fun and remembering how much my mom LOVED parades (I can't even count how many floats she designed and helped make for our soccer, gymnastics and cheerleading teams). The rest of the day we swam and cooked out. It really was the perfect weekend!

Our favorite "float":

Summer Post #1

2009-08-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

I have so much to catch up on! Instead of posting a long, sporadic post to cover our summer adventures, my goal is to post a short entry, each day, covering ONE topic.

My last post was June 25th, which was a big day for us. Our baby boy turned three months and we closed on our new house. I LOVE new beginnings! The closing process was painless. And we celebrated by going to the house and swimming in our new pool with Pappy! It was a GREAT day.

Baby A at 3 months~

Pappy and his grandsons~

The next day, we moved in (we didn't waste any time - we couldn't wait to get out of the rent house). Thankfully, we had lots of help. MeMe and Pappy helped pack up and they helped with the kids during the move and that evening, Nana and Poppy came to town for the weekend. Then on Sunday, some friends stopped by on their way home from San Antonio. It was a lot of work, but with all of the company, it sure was fun! We even took some time to play:

On Monday, Oma and cousin N came to visit for a couple of days.

My Momma

2009-06-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

Sweet Pea has her freckles, light skin, and her spunky additude. Bear has her smile, laugh, and general expressions. Bubba has her nose, eyes and sweet disposition. I am so thankful for God's miracles, these constant reminders of my mom. It's hard to believe it's been seven years (yesterday). While I know there's no place on earth she would rather be than with her grandbabies, I know where she is, is far better than anything I could imagine here.

I miss her SO much. When she first passed, I was a little relieved for her. She was no longer suffering and she was "home" with our King and both of her parents. But once I had kids, I became selfish and wished they could meet her and experience her love, which is like no other. Everyday they do something that makes me want to call her, then I realize, she already knows :). I find myself doing things with and for them, just as she did with and for me. That makes me smile - her legacy lives on.

Mom - I love you more than ever and I am so thankful for your life, your love and your spirit. You were the most amazing woman I've ever known. Your grandbabies will know your love and everything about you - I will pass that on.

Until We Meet Again...

Summer Fun

2009-06-11T13:38:00.000-07:00

This summer is starting out to be a great one (which is very comforting since the last 9 months have been such an adjustment)! The morning of May 23rd we found out that our offer on a house had been "accepted" and we are scheduled to close at the end of this month. It's been fun to shop for the house and to think about how we are going to decorate it (although we are leaving the major decisions up to the experts). We are looking forward to moving into OUR house. It has been a little difficult to live in a rent house with three little kids (knowing we would only be here for a year or less). Especially since I am still nesting and really needing to decorate their rooms. And the best part of the new house is the back yard and the hole filled with water! I cannot wait to spend my days by/in the pool! And we hope we have lots of company - you are all invited!!

On the 25th, we went to a barbeque hosted by some friends. It was a fun Memorial Day and the kids had a blast playing in the sprinklers. And that night N and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary by shopping for a new refrigerator and eating at Wings-n-More. Very romantic, I know, but the wings were delicious!

Here is Sweet Pea and her friend K playing in the sprinklers:

A soaked lil' boy taking a break from the sprinkler to give his baby brother a kiss:

As we wait for the big move, we are spending our time at the neighborhood pool and park by our rent house, riding bikes and taking walks. The kids are loving it and they are getting so comfortable in the water. And I am really enjoying spending quality time with them! Bubba has been such a trooper - I guess the world doesn't stop for the third child like it did for the 1st and 2nd. Here are some pics of our recent fun:

Here's Little Brother hanging by the pool while we swim...

And here he is again hanging out while we swim (have I mentioned how sweet and laid back he is?)....

And our little bike riders:

Baby A is Two Months!

2009-06-02T21:45:00.000-07:00

Baby A turned two months last Monday. He does all of the normal baby things: smiles, coos, looks around in amazement and he has his whole family completely head over heels in love with him. Sweet Pea can't hug on him enough and Bear gives him a kiss on the head every chance he gets. He loves bath time, sitting outside in the drive way while the other kids ride their bikes, eating, swinging, bouncing and shopping (okay, maybe he doesn't actually like shopping, but he doesn't complain which makes this momma very happy). I just love that kid, my little buddy.

I took the little bambino to get his two month pictures last weekend. We ended up being a little late and had to wait over an hour for them to fit us in. After two hours of sitting in a carrier, my other two babies would have been fussy and not so happy about posing in front of a camera. But not Baby A. He was as sweet as can be through the entire 3 hour process.

I promised N I would only buy a few pictures since I just had his pics taken a month ago, but that was before I saw my sweet baby's face on that screen :). I am a SUCKER when it comes to pictures of my munchkins.

Here are some of my favorites:

Oh, the baby bottom. I could just pinch it!

And I love me some baby tootsies...

Bear is Two

2009-04-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

In case you are wondering why I have been blogging so much lately, it's because I am STILL on a sugar high! We have hosted birthday parties the past two weekends, and we have been to 6 parties in the past month. And I LOVE the cake (well frosting, really)!

My oldest baby boy turned two last week. I can't believe he is two already!! And all of a sudden he is little boy now (and not a baby anymore). He is saying sentences now, he loves to go on the potty, he is tall (and thick) and really coming into his own personality (both sweet and feisty).

We had pizza and cupcakes with our family, Pappy and MeMe the day of his birthday. Bear had fun with the blue icing!

Then we invited a few friends to meet us at a local hamburger joint that has a great playscape on Saturday. We had burgers, cupcakes and lots of fun!

Bear was worn out from all of the excitement :).

Sweet Pea is 4!

2009-04-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

My baby girl turned 4 earlier this month. It's been a crazy month, so I was afraid we would not get to celebrate her birthday. And she kept talking about how her cousins and Dallas friends were at her last birthday party, so I was so nervous that she would be disappointed that they wouldn't make it this year (my mother-in-law just had back surgery so the cousins couldn't make the trip and her friend Lily wasn't able to come either :( ) We lucked out that my Aunt and Uncle from Minnesota were here for her actual birthday. She helped "Grandma Cheryl" make the cake and we grilled out for dinner. It turned out to be a special celebration. (And our families from Dallas and FW called to wish her a happy day, which made her smile)

Then, since I wouldn't be up to entertaining after having a baby, we decided to host her party at a local hair salon. It was so fun to watch her and her friends dress up and just be girly for 2 hours! (I do have to add that she mentioned that her cousins were at her party LAST year) We are blessed to have met some really neat people here. And Sweet Pea has met some really sweet friends.

Baby brother slept through the entire party (and it got REALLY loud) and through lunch afterwards! I love this baby!!!

Prayer Requests and a Praise

2009-04-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

I am always amazed by God's goodness and by the power of prayer. It seems like there are a lot of people in need of prayer these days so I thought it would be a good idea to ask you to add them to your prayer list:

1. My sister-in-law and her family - Her husband is deploying to Iraq in a few weeks. Please pray for his safety and for my SIL and their three boys as they serve our country as a military family.

2. My mother-in-law - she has had chronic back pain for many years. She has tried surgery and countless "procedures" to no avail and just recently had surgery again. Please pray for a quick and smooth recovery as well as elimination of pain.

3. My bff - this is a prayer request and a praise - they are adopting twin boys from China. The boys are an answer to countless prayers for so many years!! I can't even explain how much their journey is a testament to the faithfulness of God. Please pray for them as they prepare to get the boys and as they all adjust. What a precious family!

4. Our neighbor's baby (6 months) grandaughter has a heart condition that will require surgery soon. It is a very invasive surgery. Please pray for her, the doctors and her entire family.

5. Our friends K&B - they are having their third baby any day now. Please pray for a healthy baby and momma :).

If you have a prayer request, please let me know. I feel like that is my calling right now, since I am pretty much homebound with a newborn :). It's my little way of serving.

Baby Love

2009-04-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

The newest love of my life arrived last week! March 25, 2009 at 10:24 to be exact. He is just perfect. Somehow my heart grows every time we have a baby and this time was no different. Somehow I love him, Sweet Pea and Bear more than I could have imagined. We are very blessed and I can't thank God enough for the miracles in our life...

We traveled to Dallas for his birth - I just couldn't bare the thought of him being born anywhere but Dallas (I absolutely adore my doctor and hospital there). The kids got to spend some time with Nana and Poppy (and Daddy at night) while I stayed in the hospital with their new little brother. They came to visit a couple of times and loved holding "Bubba". We stayed in Rockwall a couple of nights after we left the hospital and made the trip home on Monday. Bubba (I'll call him that until he gets an official nickname) was quiet the entire trip. Now that we are home, my mom's younger sister is here to help out, so we are doing fantastic! I even get to nap during the day! (But I do get called a baby hog A LOT)

In his first eight days he has slept, smiled, eaten, filled his diapers, cried (very little), and he has stolen all of our hearts. We are all bursting with love!!!

Zoo Trip to Remember

2009-03-17T07:48:00.001-07:00

I don't know why I am blogging when I have SOOO much to do, but I had the funniest day yesterday. It was a complete day of comedy of errors - So crazy.

Since it's Spring Break and we didn't have a nanny yesterday, I decided to take a mommy day with the kids since I won't be able to do that much in the near future. I thought the zoo would be a great adventure and we hadn't been since we moved. Now, I had heard (through a fellow blogger who was kind enough to share some Austin area tips) that the zoo wasn't even worth the gas to get there, but I thought, "my kids are young enough to appreciate anything more than a dog and cat, and really, how bad could it be"? I mean everyone says the Dallas zoo is bad and I happen to love it. I should also mention that I had a hour or so worth of consistent contractions Sunday night, so I figured I should stay close to home. So off we went to the Austin zoo... until we pulled into the rocky parking lot adjacent to the trailer home they call the entrance. I wish I would have taken a picture, you can't even imagine how bad it was - it looked like a farm with a petting zoo. I was SOOO disappointed. But, I knew Sweet Pea and Bear would be even more disappointed if we didn't go to the zoo like I had promised. So being the rational, 9-month pregnant mom of two that I am, I drove straight to the exit and changed my GPS destination to the San Antonio zoo. 96 miles to go, she said. And off we went :).

The actual zoo experience was great. We saw the rhinos, lions, tigers, jaguars (up close), black leopards, zebras, black bears, monkeys, etc. The kids loved it (especially Bear). Just when I started to appreciate the ease of the trip, Sweet Pea said she needed to tee-tee. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal (even though I CANNOT stand public restrooms, before kids I wouldn't dare use one), we would hurry in, she would do her business, we would wash our hands, and get out. But, lately Bear has been asking to "tee-tee" on the potty three or four times a day and this happened to be one of them. So, here I am in this small public restroom stall with a 3 year-old and 22 month old and we were all taking turns using the potty, passing the backpack around and not touching ANYTHING (and cheering with every little squirt that Bear let out :) ). In the midst of the chaos, my friend Kerry called. I was so tempted to answer just so I could laugh about it with someone who would understand! Oh, and this was my first experience with a little boy going potty in a public restroom. I held him up at an angle, like the olympic snow ski jumpers, next to the potty (I still need to ask N if that is the right way to do it?!?). Thankfully we made it out safely (and all clean).
I did take a few pictures with my cell phone during the day:

We made it home safe and sound and I know this will be a trip I will remember for a long time. And I can only hope Sweet Pea and Bear do too!

Hello Again

2009-03-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last post so I thought I would try to do a quick post before the big event.

Last weekend a friend took pictures of the kids at a local park. I think they turned out pretty well. I haven't ordered any yet to post, so I'll post the link in case you would like to take a look: http://www.pixiedustphoto.com/ If you click on gallery at the top, then click on our last name, the password is the mascot of our college (let me know if you need help with that one :) ). We'll be taking pics again once the baby boy gets here, but I thought it was good idea to get the outdoor pics taken now.

Hmmm, so what else has been keeping us so busy? We have finally found a church, I have joined a MOPS group at the same church, the kids started gymnastics, we have taken advantage of having MeMe close by going out on dates while we still can :), and I have been catching up with some old college soccer buddies for a night out every now and then.

Sweet Pea has also had some fun dress up days at school - crazy hat and socks day and cowgirl day (I never thought I would see my daughter dressed up like a cowgirl - I guess we're not in Dallas anymore). Here are some pics:

We are getting ready for baby #3 while still trying to settle in to this (rent) house. We have a week and a half to buy a new car (we're thinking we should get a car that will fit all 3 of our kids), wash all of Bear's old clothes, wash all of the baby stuff (carseat cover, bassinet cover, swing cover, burp cloths, blankets, etc), clean out the nursery, put the nursery together, and buy the last minute items that we are still missing. Oh, and we have to pack for the trip, the hospital and clean the house. And I keep forgetting - we have to come up with a name!! The other two were no-brainers, but we are having a hard time with this one!

When God Comforts Us

2009-02-06T15:42:00.000-08:00

I don't get many chances to listen to the radio - I'm usually listening to kid songs in the car. It's funny, because even when I am alone, I forget to turn the cd player off and I'll find myself singing "This little light of mine" as I walk through Target alone (which I don't get to do very often). Anyways, the other day I was on my way to pick up Sweet Pea (after just having great lunch with N where we talked about God's plan for our family) and I was listening to the radio and this song was playing. I know I must have heard it a million times, but this time it really hit home and gave me a peace I haven't felt in a while. Funny how God does that, huh?

If You Want Me To
Artist(Band):Ginny Owens

The pathway is broken
And The signs are unclear
And I don't know the reason why You brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If You want me to

Chorus: Cause I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise
You're not through with me yet
so if all of these trials bring me closer to you
Then I will walk through the fire If You want me to

It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my home
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone
ya oh oh no
So When the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear You answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering Your love put You through
And I go through the valley
If You want me to

So, while we continue to search for the pathway God has for us, I will be singing this song and remembering that He is ALWAYS with us (and we are blessed to have each other). God is good.

Our Lil' Man

2009-01-26T11:48:00.000-08:00

The curls are gone! Well, most of them anyways. We were out of town this past weekend and when I woke up Saturday morning, Bear's hair had formed five dreadlocks in the back. I had finally had it. So, we took him to Sharkey's that evening and had the beautiful curls cut off. (Although, when the hairstylist was able to comb the dreadlocks out, I was VERY tempted to grab my baby and run!!!) The good news is, his short hair is very wavy, so I have hope that the curls will return. And in case anyone is wondering - his Daddy and I did fine. Bear's new look is taking a little getting used to, but I think he's still as cute as a bug and maybe even a little more handsome :-).

Before (you can see the knots in the second pic):

I took several pictures during the process. He didn't get upset until the lady kept pulling on his hair while combing it.

Here's his "Mommy can't you help me" look:

See, the curls are still there!!

Big Sister also had her nails done after helping little brother through his first hair cut!

I Think We Are Ready

2009-01-14T19:34:00.001-08:00

I think the time has come...

We had planned a couple of trips to the barber shop over the past month, but each time something came up (such as vomitting and trips to the doctor and hospital). I think it was God's way of telling me that I wasn't quite ready to see the curls go. But, the past few days have prepared my motherly heart for the inevitable. You see the air has been, as the newscasters call it, "BONE DRY". While the dry air has done wonders for my straight hair "do", my poor son has looked a little ridiculous. I will try to post a pic soon, but really, the straight, long hair has convinced us it's time for our baby's first hair cut! It will happen in the next day or two, so stay tuned for the new Bear look! And say a quick prayer for this emotional mom :).

Here is the most recent picture of his crazy, semi-curly hair:

Oh, and just for fun, I will post a picture of my dear daughter and her recent great find:

Yes, she walked in from the back yard with this!!! When we go on walks she loves to pick up small sticks and carry them as wands, but this takes the cake!

A New Start

2009-01-10T13:32:00.001-08:00

After two years on another blogging site, I am finally joining the blogging empire that is blogspot! I thought it would be a good time since we have recently moved and we are adding to our family in a few months. I like fresh starts :)!

I hope to learn from all of my expert blogging buddies how to make this thing more presentable. And now I can leave comments on all of your blogs! YEA! I love keeping up with them.

Oh, and if you have a blog and don't mind me listing it in the left pane, let me know. I like to get permission first!