The Best Time of Our Lives

I wish this were an April Fool's joke

2011-04-10T18:42:00.001-05:00

The plumber had to come out on April Fool's day because of an "issue" with the kids toilet. Some little boy apparently flushed something down the toilet that wasn't supposed to go there. Anna had said that Luke flushed a spatula but I just couldn't believe it would even go down. Its kinda big and its hard plastic. Chris tried to snake it. He even double bagged his arm up to his arm pit and stuck his arm down in there to see if he could feel anything. Despite his efforts he couldn't feel or find anything. So I had to call in a professional. Fortunately, this guy was very good and cleared the toilet in like two minutes. And here is what he found:

A little more to work on

2011-04-10T18:35:00.000-05:00

Guess Dad's got another skill to work on with Jaden. Yesterday at the game (the 3rd or 4th one of the season so far) when Jaden was up to bat he did a great job hitting the ball then took off running....to third base!!! It was so funny. Not sure what he was thinking. But it was cute :)

Jaden's first tee ball game

2011-04-10T18:33:00.000-05:00

Jaden has been so excited to get to play tee ball. This year he is on the Astros. He has been working hard out in the backyard with his daddy practicing hitting the ball and catching. We are so proud of him!

Opening day ceremonies: Daddy was asked to be the Asst. Coach. Of course he said, Yes!!

First time up to bat

Instead of running to first base he had to make sure he picked up the tee and set it back where it was ;)

Covering third base.

My little model

2011-03-08T20:51:00.001-06:00

Anna and I went out a little early before her Girl Scouts meeting to the mall. She picked out this cute dress and hat. Then we went down to this cute spot I found with an old "walking tree" (a tree that growns across the ground so you can sit on it, or walk on it).

She is so easy to photograph and is always so beautiful, but I'm biased!!

November 24, 2010

2011-03-08T20:39:00.000-06:00

Anna's turkey day treat!

Watch out! There's another turkey who's gonna try to steal it. Swiper no swiping, Swiper no swiping...

Jaden's turn

2011-03-08T20:36:00.000-06:00

A rare occasion - Jaden let me take his picture for practice ;)

He's rockin the batman attire with a little Superman figure thrown in!

(Sometimes I think my boys would get along great with Hugh Hefner - they are always in their pajamas!)

A snapshot

2011-03-08T20:33:00.000-06:00

This is definitely not "portrait" quality but I think its sweet. It's very "Luke" and also documents a terrible little accident he had so we can remember to make sure it NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN!

I needed him to stand there and let me take some pictures so I could practice with my new lights - that's why the step up doesn't really match :)
I love that he's wearing his "muscle" spider man and his buzz light year shoes - huge favs! and the best part is the pudding! That boy can eat his weight in junk food - poor thing, takes after his mom and dad :(
Unfortunately, that's not just pudding on his face. He's got a little burn on his chin and neck from an accident he got from goofing off with his brother. Those two are so ornery when they get together sometimes. They are giving me grey hairs!!

At least he's supporting the Steelers...

2011-03-08T20:22:00.000-06:00

Even if he's got his jersey on backwards...

The funny thing is that his pants are on backwards too! Guess the rest of us didn't get the memo that it was "backwards day". Or maybe Jaden is just a trendsetter :)

Lukey just being cute in his buzz lightyear costume (always some costume) playing with Jaden's leapster.

Anna's 8th Birthday

2011-03-08T20:16:00.000-06:00

Yeah - I know, I am waaaaaayyyy behind! Her birthday was over two months ago!! We did celebrate though :)
Nana came to Texas for the holidays and extended her stay a few days so that she could be here for Anna's birthday. She was so excited! We are always very happy to have our family with us but especially on special occasions like this. It was a real treat!
As per our tradition, we all went out to eat at the "fire" restaurant (aka - hibachi). We have been lucky to get a hibachi restaurant here in Lake Jackson so we don't have to go too far.

The boys

japanese chicken ;)

Onion volcano

The birthday girl at 6:43 pm - the time she was born :)

Luke trying to show me his age with his fingers :)

There we go! hahahaha!

Make a wish :)

More celebrating back at home. Have to have birthday cake!!!

A nature photographer I am not

2011-01-27T14:31:00.000-06:00

in fact, I don't really even like birds that much!
But today while I was sitting outside watching the kids play, I heard this "rat-tat-tat-tat" sound like a little machine gun. The first thing I did was look to try and find the little critter that was making all that noise. The next thing I did was think of these beautiful pictures my friend, Anissa, had posted on facebook of local birds. I ran to grab my camera. I thought, "why not? I'll give it a shot". It will be fun to show the kids. Maybe we can all learn a little something about the woodpecker before his home is gone. (because we may have to cut the tree down since it is dead and he seesms to enjoy making holes in it and we don't want huge chunks to fall on anyone - there have been some close calls!)

He's really just a tiny little thing.

An unwelcome visitor

2010-11-14T11:29:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure why but our neighbors don't seem to have the same complaints as we do about unsavory house guests? We have become MVP customers of Killum Pest Control since we've moved to Texas. Thank goodness for them!
It seems like the recent construction on the lot right next to our house and the other right across the street has caused all the little critters to make a bee line straight for our house! It is NOT a good thing!
A couple of months ago the pest control guys did a great job of making our home very un-welcoming for all the enormous tree roaches that tried to sneak in. We haven't see a single one (and no traces of them either!)
Then, a month or so ago as I was about to get into the shower I tossed a towel in to the bathtub and a little critter started running and jumping around! I high tailed my naked self out of there and frantically called Chris. Think I must have called about 23 times before I finally got him. I convinced him to come home and get this creature out of the house so I could get ready for my appointment.
But when he went into the bathroom my little friend was gone. He did leave traces of his presence behind but he got away!
Then, it was pretty quiet. No more mouse.
Chris and I had a dinner a few weeks ago and my sister-in-law watched the kids for us. When we got home she told us she saw something little and quick run out from the kitchen to the laundry room. All the kids went to look but he had escaped again! Oh no - our visitor wasn't gone after all....
But then things were quiet again. No signs of anything.
About a week ago as I was cleaning out my pantry to make room for all the groceries I bought I discovered that our visitor had definitely NOT gone away. There was plenty of evidence that he had been making our home his new home.
Time for an intervention.
I did not want to set out mouse traps and kills the little guy but I definitely wanted him out of my house! So, Chris found this little humane trap that catches them but doesn't kill them.
One morning this week (very early, thanks to daylight savings time) everyone was up and at 'em. Chris opened the pantry and announced that the trap was closed. Could we have caught something??
He was in the kitchen and we were all in the living room when we heard the shrillest, most high-pitched scream. It was Chris! Then there was a little black mouse high tailing it across my living room.
The little guy was tiny so Chris didn't feel anything in the trap. But when he opened it to look in he didn't see anything either. Then, little mousy jumped out toward his face and took off.
Armed with an open door, a bucket, and a broom we all went on a search to catch the mouse! Chris found him in our linen closet.
After blocking off all the other doors with towels he opened up the door and pulled out a blanket. Nothing.
So, he pulled out another blanket. Nothing.
Where did he go?
After about the 4th blanket he ran out in the pile of blankets and was jumping around. He finally managed to get out and ran across Chris' foot toward the door. But he missed the door and hit the step where the kids were all standing and screaming. He ricocheted himself off the step and out the door! Hooray!
But, he wasn't out for long...or he had a friend. The next day Chris caught another in the trap but wisely didn't open it until he was far away from the house in a field out near the plant.
Unfortunately, I found more evidence of visitors under my sink and had to make the call to Killum. I hated to kill them but they cannot live here! The nice Killum man did his job and hopefully we won't have any more unwelcome visitors again!!!!

A productive Saturday

2010-10-24T21:19:00.000-05:00

Our lives have gotten so hectic lately that it seems like there is always something that has to be done and never enough time to finish or actually get it done! But, we made a little of progress this weekend.
Chris took Jaden and Luke to Jaden's soccer game. I wanted to go but thought that they less of an "audience" he had the better he might do. He has been so upset at even the mention of soccer lately that I didn't want to push it. He had to at least make an appearance today because it was his turn to bring the snacks ;)
Dad "convinced" him to go ahead and get his soccer uniform on (Luke wore Anna's old soccer socks, his soccer shoes, and a red shirt to support Jaden's team) by allowing him to sample the treats I had bought for his team. Thank goodness I chose the oreo cakesters! Apparently, they did the trick!
Since the other team didn't show up Jaden's team was split up and they played themselves. Jaden actually got out on the field, kicked the ball, almost scored and had lots of fun! Luke even got a chance to get out there and kick a few. But I was told that mostly he guarded the snacks :)
Jaden was so excited to tell me about his game. He said he had so much fun! Later, he asked Chris to play soccer with him outside. He didn't take his uniform off until we went to the Harvest Festival in the evening.
After lunch Chris and the kids washed the cars. Luke did an awesome job washing my driver's side door! When I came out he was really seruious about it and seemed to be putting some muscle behind it! Chris said he pretty much stayed in that one spot the whole time! I'm just happy he wasn't throwing rocks at it....or his brother or sister...

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-24T20:57:00.001-05:00

I have been to the pumpkin patch three different times already since the day after it opened. I was able to take many beautiful photos of lots of cutie patooties and their families but wasn't able to get my family over there! For some reason, Luke decided it was a good time to start taking a nap! I can guarantee he would not have made that choice if I had been home with him. Maybe Chris had something to do with that...

But today right after Church, we headed directly to the pumpkin patch. I wasn't even sure if they would stil be open or how many pumpkins would be left. We were lucky that they were still open and there were lots of very cool pumpkins left! We borrowed some for a few pictures and the kids each picked out one to take home to carve this week.

The proceeds go toward supporting several different programs that benefit the church and community.

It's a great cause and a fantastic pumpkin patch!

Craft Day with Luke

2010-09-26T21:36:00.000-05:00

One day while I was out shopping I happend upon some discounted little craft sets. I picked them up thinking it would be good to have some things to do on rainy or really boring days when the kids needed something to get into that would not involve destroying my house!
Today, Jaden was out school and Luke brought the box to me. I was surprised at how well he was able to do the crafts all by himself. We actually made a little wooden frog that he colored and I glued (it was drying and I forgot to get a picture) and this little caterpiller.

Good thing I took these pictures because this caterpillar didn't last long. Jaden seemed to think it was more fun to take it apart! Luke put it somewhat back together only to have it taken apart again. Poor caterpillar :(

Oh and this is a sneek peek at part of Luke's halloween costume...at the moment. Who knows what he'll want to "be" by then. But, for now he's "Optimus Prime".

Jaden's first day of school

2010-09-15T20:15:00.000-05:00

The little man just started 4 year old preschool! He loved it so much last year that we were excited about him getting to go back this year. He has been super excited about his new "blue camo" backpack. Finally he got to use it!

He looks so excited! He even smiled for a picture! So far so good. Woke up in a good mood, got dressed with zero problems, had a big smile on his face getting out of the car and walking up to the school...and then...

A cling-on took over my Jaden when we got to his classroom! I don't know what happened?

He just would not let go of Chris. I took Luke and went ahead outside. He already had enough of an audience. I felt so bad for Jaden and his teacher...and all the little kids sitting quietly at the table most likely thinking "what the heck is up with this kid?" by the looks on their faces.
I suggested to Chris that he somehow detach Jaden from his body and quickly leave so they could try to get on with their day. I know how hard this can be. Poor Chris felt so bad leaving him. We had to stand outside the school (getting eaten my mosquitos) so he could listen for him to calm down. He didn't :(. The director assured me that she would call if she needed to for me to come back.

Fortunately, she didn't have to. He calmed down and had a great morning. Chris felt so guilty thinking it was somehow his fault for going with us and upsetting Jaden because he had to leave (since its a special treat to have Dad there). When he got home he asked Jaden how his day was. Jaden said "I was crying because I wanted Mama". hahahahahaha!

Its that time again!

2010-08-23T08:30:00.000-05:00

Chris and I are still finding it a little hard to believe that we have a SECOND grader! Though I'm sure we'll be saying something similiar for the rest of our lives..."I can't believe our little girl is in high school", "I can't believe our little girl is getting married"...
It all goes by way to fast. Everyone tells you that and you definitely are very aware of it but it's still hard to grasp.
We are so proud of her - she is a fantastic little lady! We are so excited for this new year and all the exciting things she is going to do and learn!
Love you Sweetheart!

The Johns'

2010-08-01T15:22:00.004-05:00

Is it Johns' or Johns's? It think it's Johns'. I always get confused about possessives for names that end in "s". Regardless, we love this family and are soooo going to miss them since they are leaving the great state of Texas! Laura and Jay moved here a few months before we did. Even though I hadn't really met them before we moved in (though Laura did make a brief appearance at Granny's one time when all the Tyree's were there) I felt like I knew Laura. She was good friends with Chris' sister Kelli and I had heard many stories with Laura in them. All good, of course! It was nice to have an excuse to cook out some Bobby Flay burgers and drink some alcoholic beverages!!! Plus, I got to have an insanely beautiful little girl running around my house. Little Miss Zoey (Zoey Bee - is what I call her) is a walking machine and she's not even 11 months old yet! I could just eat her and her big blue eyes right up! She is fantastic!
I'm definitely going to have to make some visits to WV to visit. I'll have to look into the Dow shuttle...

The 4th of July in WV

2010-07-06T16:40:00.008-05:00

This year even though Grandma and Aunt Megan had to work and couldn't join in the festivities we had lots of fun with Aunt Kellie and Uncle Kicky and their family and friends. We had lots of yummy food and the kids got to play with waterballoons and sprinkers. Afterwards we went to Wellsburg to watch the parade. My kids don't see many parades so this was something different for them. They were surprised to have people throwing candy at them! It was sooo hot even though it didn't start until 7pm.
After the parade we met my friends, Rich and Angie and their sweet little girl from Parkersburg. It was nice to catch up but I always wish I had more time with them. At least we'll get to visit with Angie and Allison once more before we leave!

My sweet niece, Zaylee - she is such a cutie. She is already the little model. As soon as I said her name she would look at me with a smile. She is easy -breezy! I love kids that let me take their pictures :)

Hayden :)

Helping Kicky get the smoke bombs lined up. I was sooo excited about these (can you feel the sarcasm??)

"Maybe a few pop-its will liven up the fun of the smoke bombs?"

The kids love those pop-it things that you throw down and they explode. I don't think my kids have ever had them before.

Luke had to step on his pop-its :)

Kicky set off something that made a really loud sound.

Our own fireworks after the Wellsburg fireworks in Grandma's backyard. They were really cool. Thanks Uncle Kicky and Aunt Kellie (with the red hair - my kids have 2 "Aunt Kelli's - one with an "e" and one with an "i" and one with red hair and one with blonde). It was a lot of fun!

Sparklers!!! I am opposed to kids with sparklers but Kicky was very good at making them take turns one at a time and holding it for the little ones. No one was burned :) My kids have never had these either. Lots of "firsts" this visit.

They are so sweet...when they are sleeping...

2010-07-04T08:38:00.002-05:00

June 10, 2010: Luke was being exceptionally crabby today. I have no idea what his problem was but he would not listen to reason so I simply walked away after changing his pants. It wasn't long before the screaming stopped and it was too quiet. When I went in to check on him this is what I found:

Wouldn't it have been easier to just tell me you were tired or lay down and go to sleep? Why all of the screaming and crying that gives me gray hairs and a huge headache??

2010-07-04T08:29:00.002-05:00

So,after we left to go to WV for our "summer va-ca" Chris had a little mini-vacation of his own. He went out fishing (and got stung by jelly fish), did some golfing, spent some time with Kelli, Mike and the kiddos THEN broke car and his foot!!! He dropped a 50 lb. weight on his foot and gave himself a good ol' crush fracture! The break is in his big toe right below the first joint. If you look real close you can see it in the x-ray. That bought him a week off from the doctor excuse. I think he really just didn't want to clean up the house ;)

Galveston

2010-06-10T15:56:00.008-05:00

Way back in February, I was able to attend the annual TXABA (Texas Association for Behavior Analysis) conference in Galveston. It was so fantastic to walk out of a talk to see huge windows with unobstructed views of the Gulf. And the water was b-l-u-e instead of the brown then blue a ways out like it is closer to our home (thanks to the Brazos river). It was gorgeous.

The second day of the conference Chris drove out with the kids to meet me and hang out with the kids on the beach. Here are some pictures he took while he was waiting for me to get done.

This is Luke hanging out "putting out the vibe" near the seawall. The drawings on the wall were very cool. So neat to see the renderings of such talented people.

*Anna*

*Jaden* - with his gun, of course. What? You don't bring your gun with you to the beach?

Maybe Chris knew something we didn't about the re-make of the Karate Kid movie?

Then, I got done and we all walked back down to the beach. As soon as we got down there Luke let us know he needed something....

yep....Chris took care of this one for me since he forgot to bring me comfortable shoes and I couldn't walk all the way back to the car carrying Luke with high heels.

*The water*

Luke - 2 years old!

2010-06-05T16:13:00.005-05:00

Even though most people don't believe me - on March 11, 2010 - my little Lukie turned 2 years old! He is a ball of fire and most certainly a "mama's boy".
When he is by himself he can be the sweetest little thing. Very loving and cute. But when he gets together with his older brother, Jaden - watch out! Those two are T-R-O-U-B-L-E! They are absolutely, 100% BOY! They have to run, throw, climb, tackle, shoot - you name it, they do it!
Jaden was always so hard to photograph - especially for his 2nd birthday. But Luke was just perfect. Of course, his big brother was in school so he was very cooperative ;). I think these pictures capture exactly who he is right now. He's definitely got a bit of a coy nature and can be very "serious". He's often caught sticking his tongue out a little when he's being shy. He's a beautiful little guy - even if he's trying to make his mama crazy :).

Did we move to a farm?

2010-06-05T16:06:00.003-05:00

So, the other night Anna fell asleep in my bed and I decided to just crash beside her. Surprisingly, we both slept pretty well. This is surprising -I should explain - because anyone who has ever slept with Anna can attest that she is a maniac and bed hog!

There I was sleeping soundly and enjoying the peace when I was awoken by a rooster! The rooster just happened to be in my bed! I took my sleep mask off to find Anna crowing beside me. "What - are - you - doing?", I asked. "Oh", she said, "I didn't know it was you".

Then, we had to have a talk about how she should NOT be crowing in the morning. Just because she is up doesn't mean we ALL have to be up.

Apparently, her instinct might be as ingrained as an actual rooster's because I heard her crowing again the next morning waking up her brother...

My Sweet Jaden

2010-05-28T17:55:00.006-05:00

I am taking pictures this weekend for a wedding that will be held mid-day in the hot, hot Texas sun so I needed to get in a little practice before hand. Ideally, this is not the "best" time to take pictures for many reasons but here are a few - it's REALLY bright, people squint, its REALLY hot, people sweat, I sweat, and yucky shadows :( Normally people think about needing to use their flash when it's dark or there isn't enough light but this is another circumstance where flash can help a lot. I'm just not used to using flash because I like to use the "natural" light.

Fortunately, Jaden was more than happy to cooperate with me and let me take his picture. He was such a big helper and I looove the pictures that I got of him. He is so handsome. Just wish I knew who he looked like...

Making a gingerbread house

2010-05-26T08:18:00.003-05:00

Actual Date of these pictures - December 24, 2009
Grandma bought this gingerbread house I don't even know when. We've had it for a while! Finally, we got our stuff together and got to decorate it. It was sooo much fun!!
Of course, many of the little candies were eaten before they ever made it to the house (and then some even once they did make it to the house) - thanks mostly to Luke. But the kids had a good time.
It was the prettiest little gingerbread house I've ever seen!

December 25, 2009

2010-05-26T08:13:00.002-05:00

I am waaayy behind on updating our blog so, I'm going to try very hard to bring everything up to date.
I'm not sure what I was doing at the time, but for some reason I found pictures on one of our other cameras and this was on there. Daddy took some pictures and they are sooo cute! I'm so glad that I found them. Good job Daddy at capturing this moment.
How fun to wear Christmas stockings on your feet! Great idea Jaden :) You are so sweet!

What have I been up to?

2010-03-31T08:03:00.008-05:00

Taking pictures!!

During the week I am busy taking care of these three munchkins but on the weekends I've had the privilege of taking pictures for people. I am finally getting started with my own little business. It is wonderful! I am so happy!

I have much to learn since I am definitely NOT a business woman. But the picture taking part I love.

I've been fortunate to get my baby fix by spending a few hours on the weekends with some of the most gorgeous babies on the planet!! And I've also gotten to capture a very important life transition for some gorgeous teenagers as they prepare to graduate from High School.

This profession suits me well. I am able to be home with my children most of the time and escape for a few hours on the weekends to capture precious memories for others. It's perfect for me.

You can see more at my website: www.julietyreephoto.com :)

A little more help

2010-03-04T10:35:00.002-06:00

Last June Jaden was evaluated by the school system to see if he qualified for speech services. He had been receiving speech therapy (with a WONDERFUL therapist) from BACH. But, BACH only provides services to children under 3. The good news was that the school personnel who conducted the evaluations did not feel that Jaden needed the extra help at that time.

They did make sure to tell me that even though they don't qualify at this time doesn't mean that they won't later. We were very happy at the progress he had made to that point and felt that starting preschool in the fall would help to move things along a little more "naturally". We thought that the interaction with the other children and the desire to communicate to play with them, etc... would encourage him to continue to develop his language skills.

While Jaden is pretty vocal and interactive at home turns out he is very shy and quiet at school. He isn't really exhibiting the kind of behavior we had hoped for. He needs to actually talk in order for his speech to be reinforced, corrected, etc... Fortunately, a speech therapist came to the school to do evaluations. I was not surprised when I got a phone call about my little Jaden. She felt that he would benefit from some extra help - particularly on his articulation.

So, he had another evaluation. The good news is that his language and comprehension are actually a little above his age level (3 years 10 mos.) but his articulation is WAY below (2 years 4 mos.) The speech therapist believes he has something called apraxia. He is going to speech therapy two days a week now. We are hoping that we can give him the support he needs now so that by the time he starts school his speech skills will be indiscernible from his peers. In just two sessions he's already mastered the "d" sound. Now, we'll be building on that and practicing lots at home. He's going to need to work really hard but we know he will be great!

I will be anxious to post updates on his progress. But I'll admit I'll be a little sad when the day comes that he doesn't say "all-wight" anymore :)

Sweet & Sassy

2010-02-11T11:02:00.005-06:00

This year we celebrated at Sweet & Sassy. This is the girliest of all "girl" stores. A little girl's dream! Anna was talking about it for weeks before her birthday. She was so excited about sending out invitations and getting dolled up.
So, I was looking forward to watching her have a great time. When we got there the young ladies who worked there took the girls behind the curtain to pick out their dresses. Jessica came out first - looking so cute and full of smiles. Then came Anna. What a transformation - no smile. In fact, a pout. I have no idea what happened. One minute things were going good then next - this ->

Nicole getting her hair done.
Ari's turn - hair and nails all at once!

Jessica getting her hair done with her make up already applied. Beautiful!

The finished product! Her hair looked so cool. I wish I could do this for her :)

Lots and lots of glitter today. Here is is all over her hands!

Little Miss Nicole - she's a regular at getting glammed up!

Next, they took the girls back behind the curtain again and this time they all came out on the stage to sing and dance...except Anna....

Hey, at least the girls had a good time!

We moved into the cake room to have some pizza, special cupcakes, and open presents. Anna's smile came back :)

-I think she was just overwhelmed by everything. It was a lot to take in when we got there. Many things happening at once and lots of people around and music, lights, etc... She was better in the smaller room after her belly was filled :)

Seven!

2010-02-11T10:42:00.007-06:00

I know that I am very late at posting these. But, finally here they are - Pictures from my little photo shoot with my SEVEN year old little girl!!! When I look at these pictures I have a hard time believing she is SEVEN! She looks so much older but seems so much younger in my mind. I think I have her frozen forever as the little baby I used to rock in my arms not so long ago...

2009-12-27T19:48:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

2009-12-27T19:40:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

2009-12-27T17:41:00.000-06:00

2009-12-27T15:11:00.000-06:00

2009-12-27T13:28:00.003-06:00

There really weren't any "great" ones of us with everyone looking at the camera and forget everyone smiling. It's just very hard at this age for everyone to cooperate - especially when cousins Justin and Alex were being so silly. We had a lot of fun trying though and I'm grateful to Aunt Kelli for taking these for us. We'll work on getting some more this year.
But, these were probably the best of the bunch.

Merry Christmas from the Tyree's!

Jaden's Christmas Program

2009-12-27T13:20:00.002-06:00

We were so excited this year to get to go to Jaden's school and watch him in his first Christmas program. He was a donkey in the manger scene and he was soooo cute! He stood up there very bravely and participated with his class. They sang "Silent Night" and "Happy Birthday Jesus!" and a couple of other songs. Afterward, we all got to munch on some yummy cookies and pink lemonade.

A rare picture of me with my braces...

Me and my boys!!

The fam...minus Anna (she was still in school)

Splish Splash!

2009-12-27T13:12:00.002-06:00

We've got two of the silliest little boys! But they can be so much fun. Lately they've been finding new things to play with in the tub. On this day it was swimming goggles. At least they are appropriate for the water (I can't say that everything they choose is!). I can't believe they kept them on. If I wanted them to wear them of course they would be screaming and hollering and rolling on the floor :)

December 19, 2009 - at the beach!

2009-12-19T20:12:00.005-06:00

We went out to the beach today to get out of the house for a bit. I didn't expect it to be as beautiful as it was. In the summer time the beach can be kinda nasty - the water is usually more of a "brown". But today it was gorgeous. It was a very clear, sunny day in the mid-60's. The kids had a lot of fun playing around in the sand up near the dunes. Usually we can't get them away from the water.

I know our friends and family up north are all bundled up with lots and lots of snow outside. I've seen many of my friend's blog and facebook posts of snowmen and snow angels. Here's our version: The Sand Angel...

Happy Holidays!

Stay warm!

2009-12-17T11:21:00.005-06:00

I have been so busy the past few weeks getting ready for Christmas and trying to start up a little photography business (check out my website: http://www.julietyreephoto.com/ -this has taken a LOT of time as well). But I have been taking notes and pictures that I hope to post soon to update every one on what we've been up to down south :)

Yesterday, I got this note from Jaden (given to him from Anna):
In case you can't read it, the note says "Jaden poopt". She sent him in to tell me he needed his diaper changed.

I asked him if he did and he nodded. LOL!

It's so funny what she's coming up with now that she's reading and writing :)

What am I gonna do now?

2009-11-29T13:16:00.003-06:00

So, Luke has learned how to get out of the crib and out of his room. I'm not happy about this at all! I hoped he would stay in his crib at least until 3. Oh well, time to change the game plan...
Yesterday morning, I heard him wake up (no crying or hollering for one of us - this is unusual). He got out of his crib, turned off the humidifier, turned off the noise maker, then walked out of his room and shut his door. Next, he came in to Anna's room (where I was sleeping), grabbed something from her desk and shut the door. I couldn't believe he didn't jump in bed with me or holler at me to get up! Next I heard him go into the bathroom and flush the toilet...then, shut the door. After that he went to see Chris and the kids who were already up watching cartoons. I just chuckled to myself and went back to sleep!
Then, in the afternoon while he was napping I jumped in the shower. After I got out I thought I had better check on him because I knew he had been sleeping for a while. As I was walking toward his room I noticed the front door cracked open. I thought "hmmm....that's weird - why didn't Chris shut the door before he left?". So, I went to close it and noticed a little boy on the front porch digging into the the Christmas decorations. Guess he knows how to open that door too! Time to lock the doors 24/7!
Now, it's time for bed. He easily takes his bottle, tells everyone "night-night", and walks back to his room. Chris predicts he'll last 20 minutes. So, I turn on his noise maker and then humidifier and lay him in his crib. As soon as I lay him down he is up and starting to climb out. I bite my lip and quietly chuckle some more as I watch him do his thing. He climbs over the crib and slides down between the crib and the wall (I expected him to go over the other side - seems much easier). Then, he walked over to the noise maker and turned it off. Next, was the humidifier. Then, he was off down the hall back to the living room.
I do not know what I'm going to do about this. I really, really enjoyed putting him in his crib and having him just go to sleep. It was comforting to know he was safe in his crib. Now, Mr. Independent is going to make me have to re-evaluate my whole game plan. Wish me luck!

Trick or Treat?

2009-11-07T09:53:00.004-06:00

I'm not a huge fan of Halloween so, I was hoping to just avoid it this year by going to Sea World instead. Unfortunately, I started getting sick on Tuesday. Since I didn't feel well I knew I wouldn't last long on a trip we decided to just stay home and do the trick or treat thing.

I hadn't planned on being here I had to scramble to get some halloween candy and find some costumes for the kids. Anna was pretty easy. I had already spent $150.00 on dance costumes earlier this year and she loves them so she was a ballerina :). It's wonderful to get a little more use out of them since she only wore them once. We threw in a fun mask to mix things up. She's always one for a little extra drama!

Luke and Jaden were a little trickier. I happen to have lots of little dress up things around but we just had to decide on something. Luke went as Woody from Toy Story. I think he looked pretty cute :)

And Jaden was a construction worker. He wore Chris' old hardhat from his Chemical Response Team days. It was so cute and even had Tyree on it! He loved his little tool belt.

"If you were a hot dog, would you eat yourself"

2009-10-24T10:27:00.005-05:00

This quote may be lost on some people but it always cracks Chris and I up. It's from a skit that Will Ferrell did on Saturday Night Live where he played Harry Caray. Jaden wearing my sunglasses with the lenses popped out remind us of that skit. (Click on the link and watch it - it's hilarious!) He thinks they make him look like a different Harry....Harry Potter. As soon as he got his hot little hands on those glasses he ran and got his "broom" (a.k.a Nimbus 2000) went outside to do his Harry Potter impression. Luckily, my camera was very close by and I got some pictures to share. Enjoy...

Leapin Lizards!

2009-10-24T10:13:00.003-05:00

We are being taken over by critters down here! Thank goodness the roaches are staying away for now but we've been noticing lots more bees and crazy little lizards. I didn't realize that these ugly things actually change colors. Just another way to freak me out even more when I see something move that I didn't expect!
But of course the boys are fascinated. They followed this little guy around for a good 15 minutes. They would get brave and move in a little closer, then a little more. Then they would grab whatever stick or bat or ball happened to be laying close by and whack the table then hurry up and run away as the lizard scurried around. It was great entertainment ;)

Yuck!

Mood Swings...

2009-10-05T13:41:00.001-05:00

Happy-go-lucky

Moments later... Not so much

My 18-month-old baby, I mean toddler

2009-10-05T08:49:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe this little guy is 18 months old already! He's such an active little guy. He and his brother wreak havoc for me all day long. I try to stay one step ahead of them but often find that they have outsmarted me again. They are definitely partners in crime!
He runs, jumps, tries to skip. He climbs, throwns, swings anything that might be suitable as a baseball bat or golf club at whatever is near.... We are working hard at developing his talking. He is a bit behind here. Guess he's been spending more of his energy perfecting his fine and gross motor skills :) But, we spend lots and lots of time looking at books and reading. He'll sit for extended periods of time with a book. He points to the pictures over and over and we practice saying the words. I am so happy that this weekend I've gotten him to say "duck", 'choo-choo", "ba-ba" (bottle), and "da-da" (more frequently-he had said this once in a while before). He also tells me when he goes #2 - he says "I poo" and pulls at his diaper in the back. Hey, it's a start!
I decided to pick up a new potty while I was out getting diapers. It was a big hit! I think I'm actually gonna need to get another one. It's shaped like a frog and is much more suitable for little boys than the one I have. Luke sat on it immediately when he saw it. After I got a chance to put away some of my groceries I took off his diaper and let him give it a go! He sat there for about 10 minutes until he peed! He was very proud. He brought me Jaden's potty book which has sticker rewards in the back. I gave him a sticker and he took off running to their bedroom to put his sticker on the calendar. Then, he clapped for himself! This is the second time that he has peed in the potty by himself. He is very encouraged by Jaden. Now, I'm hoping Jaden will be more encouraged by Luke! Jaden can totally do it - it's just a matter of will at this point.

Here are my sweet Cowboy's stats from his doctor appointment:

Height: 35 1/2 inches tall (above 95th%)

Weight: 30 lbs. 14 ounces (90-95th%)

Doc says "he's a big boy" ;) But, fortunately he is doing well and is healthy. We are so thankful for this gift.

The Kissing Bandit

2009-09-16T19:33:00.003-05:00

We have been very lucky that Luke has been such a good sleeper. Well, luck and "On Becoming Baby wise" (I highly recommend this book! It worked like a charm and we didn't even start it until he was 5 months old - very late!) are what I credit with his good sleep habits. But, there are rare occasions- usually unknown and not the typical teething, illness- when he just cries and cries and won't go to sleep. On these occasions I indulge myself and let him sleep with me. I let Anna and Jaden sleep with me way too much because I love having them there but Luke just sleeps much better by himself. In this new situation he takes a little to wind himself down to go to sleep. I do the usual and read some books then it's lights out. He wiggles and squirms for a bit before knocking out. He also showers me with lots and lots of kisses. It's so cute - he feels around for me and then my face in the dark before planting one on me. It goes on and on. I try so hard to be quiet and not giggle. I can't even bribe him to give me kisses during the day- though he'll readily give them to Jaden, Sissy, Daddy....Leo (the dog). But in the darkness, fighting going to sleep he makes up for it!

He woke up when I was taking pictures of Ava. Not wanting to be outdone or miss an opportunity for Mom's attention he actually was happy to sit still for me and let me take his picture. I love this ornery but sweet expression - looks like "I didn't do it..."

Some more baby pics

2009-09-16T19:08:00.006-05:00

I didn't have much luck with the lighting on this day. Just one of those things that happens sometimes. Still, this little 10-day old beauty is just too pretty not to share. She's an itty bitty too - just about 5 lbs. 11 oz!

I love that she still has her umbilical cord and you can see it in this picture.

This gorgeous little thing is 5 1/2 months and all of about 14 pounds full of non-stop energy! She is into everything. I have no doubt that she will be crawling and wreaking all sorts of havov for her parents in the next couple of weeks! I just love her!

Isn't she lovely

2009-09-09T18:52:00.009-05:00

~One day old~

I had the privilege of getting to snap some pictures of my friend's gorgeous and oh-so-tiny newborn baby. She was an itty bitty 5lbs. 9 oz. when she was born and widdled down to an even ittier bittier 4 lbs. 14 oz. by the time she went home! But, she's in the positive now and gaining those precious ounces! I look forward to sharing more beautiful photos as she grows and changes. Can't wait to see those chubby cheeks and fat little baby thighs :)

~Five Days Old~

I am thankful to live close by so I can get lots of practice taking pictures of babies and hopefully get some wonderful photos to share with her family :)

Our Newest Preschooler!

2009-09-03T09:15:00.004-05:00

Jaden officially started preschool this week. He has been soo excited to go to his "Big School". He even asked today if he could ride to school in "Sissy's seat" since he's a big boy now too. Unfortunately, I had to squash his sweet request because he is still required to be strapped in to his car seat. He handled it well. He continued to smile the whole way there.

It has been a much easier transition than it was with Anna. It really helps that he has been looking forward to going to school for such a long time. Seeing him so excited makes us even more excited for him. Also, we've known that it would also be tremendously beneficial for him to be around the other children to encourage his speech. It was too hard for me to do before he started talking. I was worried that he would be scared and wouldn't be able to express it or that he couldn't ask the teacher to help. There was too much uncertainty. Plus, since I didn't know anyone I wasn't comfortable leaving him somewhere that I could not be at least very close by. But, in the past 6 months he has made huge strides physically and verbally. We are so proud of how far he has come.

When I look at this picture I can't help but think in my mind "Trouble and Double Trouble". These brothers are so darn cute and so darn ornery!! They are definitely giving me a run for my money and it's only the beginning!!!

I'm interested to see how Luke does with this time that we will have alone together. It's never really been just he and I. I think we will be spending a lot of time working on developing his speech. He is behind as well. Good thing I've got lots of practice in knowing what to do with Jaden. Still, he may need some extra help as well.

Jaden and his Mommy on his first day of preschool.

Just three short years ago, we lived hour to hour then day to day. It seems like just recently we've really been able to relax and breathe again. When he was born we had no idea what the future had in store for him. It is more wonderful than words can describe to see him so happy, so healthy, and so full of life. He is truly a blessing. We hope that he has an incredible year at preschool growing and learning about God, making new friends, becoming more independent, and developing a love of learning. We are so excited about his new chapter!! We love you soo much Jaden, our Big Boy!!

My "Bat-men"

2009-08-28T21:52:00.002-05:00

Who's that masked man?

It's just Luke :)
Jaden is very independent. He's often heard saying "Me do-d it". Tonight he insisted on dressing himself for bed. Instead of standing over him supervising and fighting my urges to help I just left. Soon after I heard "Julie, come look at Jaden". Instead he came to me and fortunately my camera was right next to me. I did such a good job not laughing so he would work with me to take his picture. I told him to "show me his Batman face". Apparently Batman is in a very good mood :)

Here's a closer look at his pants...

So cute! He was very proud :)

Meet the teacher day

2009-08-28T21:31:00.006-05:00

Jaden has been sooooooo excited about going to school. He has been talking about it and talking about it. He has to get dressed in the morning "like Sissy", and put socks and shoes on "like Sissy", and brush his teeth, etc... "like Sissy". He has even been wearing his SpiderMan backpack every day, all day since Monday morning. I am afraid that he is going to be disappointed that he will only be going two days a week for 3 hours. I really hope that school lives up to all of his expectations!

Finally, this Thursday we got to go to the school to see his classroom and meet his teacher. He was such a big boy who behaved well and spoke to his teacher when she asked him questions. I was very relieved. Especially, considering the events immediately preceeding our departure from home...
I was very proud of myself for getting myself dressed, makeup on, toes painted. Then, I got the boys changed and dressed, teeth brushed, hair brushed - all on time! They were clean, they looked cute. Score! I had just a few minutes to spare so I ran into my bathroom to put my shoes on and apply a quick coat of clear nail polish. Soon after the boys came into my bathroom (we're never apart more than 2 minutes) and Luke's face, hair, some of his shirt had been colored with yellow marker and Jaden was carrying the evidence! Oh my gosh! I hurried up and washed him up as fast as I could and threw them in the car. It was then that I noticed that the marker drawing was not confined to just his face! It was all over his arms and legs. Then to make things better in the daylight I realized I didn't do that great of a job getting the marker off of his face either! Nice first impression...

After surviving meet the teacher day - just barely - I rewarded the boys with Shipley do-nuts!!! Really, it was just an excuse for me to satisfy my cravings. It has been a long time since we've indulged ourselves so it was a nice treat for all of us.

The woman who waited on us asked us if we were going to stay or get them to go. We were going to stay but I figured we'd have some leftover so I'd take them in a to-go box. I bought 6 do-nuts and 1 dozen donut holes. I had nothing to take home. They devoured the tasty treats!!!

Do-nut number one. The best - the "bulls-eye"- yummm!

Luke at pretty much all of the do-nut holes. These are sort of "his thing". He always gets these plus another do-nut.

Do-nut #2: Strawberry Iced. Seriously, if you are ever near a Shipley's do-nuts you've got to stop in and try some. They are sooo good!

Next thing I knew Jaden had gone ahead and helped himself to a few more do-nuts...

Sugar high coming on....

Now I need to find another excuse to go back to Shipley's...

We've got a first grader!!

2009-08-28T21:06:00.005-05:00

Well, I'm happy to report that Anna made it through her first week of school! It was a little touch-and-go there the week before. When I asked her if she was excited about going back to school she quicky replied "NO!" Then, "I want to rub my hands in poison ivy and go to the doctor so I don't have to go to school!" First of all, the girl has never had poison ivy in her life. If she had she would realize what an incredibly STUPID wish this is because there are not many things more miserable than having poison ivy - including going to school! Second of all, she HATES going to the doctor so she must be really serious.
Personally, I think this strong reaction to going back to school is just a reaction to the impending Disney channel withdrawl...

Good morning Sunshine!

Fortunately, the Froot Loops and OJ were enough to put her in a good mood for the start of school. She was even completely cooperative with having her picture taken.

Chris stayed around long enough for us all to walk Anna to school - our first day of school tradition. We love being able to walk. It reminds me of my chilhood when I walked to my elementary school.

Ready to learn!

Kindergarten year memories

2009-08-28T14:31:00.001-05:00

I like to do beginning and end of year interviews with Anna. This year she was just not cooperative so this was all that I got:

My teacher this year was: Mrs. Burns
My favorite subject was: Art
What was your least favorite subject: No answer!!
Tell me one thing you learned this year:

A. "About frogs"

Q. What about them?

A. "First they are in eggs, then they crack out of the eggs and turn into something like a fish. They're just tiny like this (she shows me). They live under water. In a couple of days they get this big (she shows me)..." Guess she needs a refresher. I can't believe she is done with her first year of school. I didn't think I'd make it through her first day. You can read my thoughts and feelings from her first day here: Kindergarten post

What a difference a year makes! She was still my baby when she first stepped through those doors and now she is my beautiful little girl, growing up a little more every day. To say that I'm proud of her doesn't seem like enough.

Super Tangle Update:

2009-08-21T21:27:00.003-05:00

Maybe it was my mistake for asking my 6 1/2 year old daughter to brush her own hair? When I walked back to the bathroom and found her with that comb all tangled up in her hair I was so mad. Surprisingly, she was laughing about it. I think she was a little proud of herself. For what I have no idea. It wasn't so funny after I started trying to untangle it. It looked like it should have been easy at first but she somehow wrapped her crazy, long hair around and around all of those little teeth on that comb. It was really a mess.
I managed to get the comb untangled from Anna's hair with lots of detangler spray, a little patience (surprised myself that I had any left by Friday afternoon...) and a whole lot of luck - without having to resort to scissors. I did have visions of how in the heck I was going to manage to eek out enough hair to cut bangs. I am very thankful that I didn't have to cut it. We've done bangs before and it just didn't work. Anna's got such a little face that the bangs were overwhelming and they grew so fast I was always having to trim them. Plus, growing out bangs is no fun. Alas, we are good to go until the next crisis...

Wish me luck...

2009-08-21T15:16:00.001-05:00

Jaden's turn for swimming lessons: Jaden swimming with some help from Daddy

2009-08-06T15:01:00.000-05:00

2009-08-06T15:00:00.001-05:00

2009-08-06T14:59:00.001-05:00

Anna's underwater doggie paddle

2009-08-06T13:15:00.002-05:00

Washable markers???

2009-08-05T15:54:00.003-05:00

Luke sort of "tatoo-ed" himself with the markers he was supposed to be coloring with. You can't see all the artwork down his arms as well plus what got transferred to me when I picked him up. Don't ask what his parents were doing while he committed this act...
But "washable" or not it still took a lot of scrubbing to get this off!

My "green" tips

2009-07-30T15:03:00.012-05:00

I call it a "journey" because it's a process. As I go along I learn new things and make changes here and there. I'm not 100% green by any means but I'm working at becoming more aware and more responsible with the choices I make and resources I use.
Whenever I quit work and had a little more time to read I happened across a magazine called "Organic Style". Unfortunately, they don't make it anymore but I loved it! I learned so much. That's when I started replacing my "conventional" cleaners with ones that were "natural" or home made. The best thing about using natural, homemade cleaners aside from saving money and avoiding exposure to unnecessary chemicals is the safety around children. There is no need to worry about calling poison control because your child got into your cleaners. Vinegar, water, and baking soda aren't poisonous! My children often want to "help" me clean - sometimes even when I am doing something else and don't know they are "helping"- but I don't have to worry because they can't hurt themselves or any of my furniture. The cleaners are safe, effective, and gentle.
Inspired by some recent posts by my friend Dana over at Thoughts on Life and Dirty Diapers I decided to share my "green" arsenal. (She pretty regularly posts really great "green" tips - definitely worth the time to stop by and check out.)

The main staples here at the Tyree house are:

white vinegar
baking soda
borax
a new product I love (its actually been around a long time): Dr. Bronners castile soap
microfiber washcloths (I just buy them in the automotive sections - you get more for a better price). It's a good idea to have a stack of these. You can even cut them in half because they are kinda big. They help to cut down on the use of paper towels. Its easy to toss them in the wash and reuse. Because of the microfibers you don't even need any cleaner - plain old water will do. The germs and bacteria will be "trapped" in the microfibers.
polishing cloths (find in automotive section too). these are great to use with the "all purpose cleaner" (described below) for cleaning glass, mirrors, granite counter tops.
spray bottles
essential oils

My go to all-purpose cleaner is simply filtered water + vinegar + a few drops of liquid soap (or Dr. Bronner's) in a spray bottle and my microfiber cloth. You can also add a few drops of an essential oil if you prefer another smell or cut down on the vinegar smell. But, if you add a little Dr. Bronner's they are scented. I like the peppermint. Its a nice refreshing "clean" smell.

To clean floors a little Dr. Bronner's in a bucket with a mop is great. I also have a steam mop that uses only a microfiber (re-usable) pad and water.

To clean bathtubs, showers, sinks you can use the all-purpose spray but I like to have a little scrub. I mix borax or baking soda with liquid soap (usually dish soap). Adjust the amounts of baking soda/borax and soap until you get a consistency like frosting. It works great! Note: if you use borax it tends to be "sudsy". Baking soda is a little less abrasive as well.

A simple air freshener can be made with filtered water + your favorite essential oil(s) in a spray bottle. My personal fav is lavender + sweet orange. Ahhhh....relaxation!

Toilets: sprinkle baking soda into the basin then pour vinegar. It will make a really cool "fizz". Scrub with your toilet brush - easy as that.

If you have an extra downy ball its a good idea to add white vinegar in the ball with a load of laundry so that when it reaches the rinse cycle the vinegar will be released. The vinegar helps to get rid of the residue that can be left behind from the detergent. I do with with whites and towels.

Borax is also a natural booster for your detergent - you can just add a scoop with the detergent. You can also pre-soak extra stinky or stained clothes in it before you wash. There are lots of tips on the box for its many, many uses.

I've recently been having some issues with my dishes not getting clean in the dishwasher or coming out with a residue. Thanks to Dana (post on cleaning dishwasher) I've started adding some baking soda into the open slot each time I wash a load. Its been great. Vinegar added to the bottom during the rinse cycle also helps to make the dishes shine and keep the dish washer clean.

There are things I will buy from the store because I don't use them that often and either haven't found an equivalent I can make or I just don't want to like furniture polish and granite cleaner. For these I use Method brand (can be found at Target). Seventh generation, Mrs. Meyers, and Folex (great for carpet and upholstry stains) are a couple of others I've used and liked. I'm especially concerned about chemicals that are in things like baby shampoos and lotions. For these I use California Baby and Burt's Bees. California baby also has a wonderful calendula cream that is great for scratches, bug bites, pretty much any minor skin irritation. I use it for myself as well.

I know there are lots more out there. I just haven't gotten around to trying them just yet.

Speaking of....if you stop by Ms. Dana's blog that I've talked so much about you can leave her a comment or become a follower (but be one of mine too!) or both and earn some chances to win some free natural cleaning products from Eco Store USA. She's tried a few of their products and reported her results (they were good by the way!). I'm gonna get some extra entries to try to win them myself by making this post!!

2009-07-27T21:35:00.002-05:00

Jaden was sooo excited to get a new "big boy" bike for his birthday. He did so well riding it - we were really impressed. He rode that thing for about 2 straight hours! I'm not even kidding. He mostly did circles around our cul-de-sac but we also took a ride around the neighborhood. Well, I walked and Chris rode his bike pulling Anna and Luke in the little attachment thing-a-ma-bob that they can sit in. Jaden got to call all the shots as far as where we would turn. He was so cute. He can be seen out riding any chance he gets. I'm sure he'll be wearing it out as soon as the weather gets a little more bearable. It's still pretty darn hot for most of the day.
I don't know if you can see in the picture but this is a Tony Hawk bike and it's got pegs on the front wheels. I just think that's hilarious that a bike made for a little one with training wheels would actually be equipped for tricks. Who knows? He is always surprising us. Maybe one day you'll find a post with pictures of Jaden getting fancy with his new wheels.

Beach dinner

2009-07-20T21:21:00.001-05:00

I've been trying very hard to mix things up and find things to do. I've found that the key to keeping them from turning on each other and subsequently making me want to pull my hair out is to keep them busy. They just cannot be in this house for very long. It gets really ugly.

When I was growing up summer meant children being outside all day running, playing, and riding bikes. We can't really do that because it is insanely hot! We just cook outside.

So one day Anna helped me make some cupcakes, we threw in some pizzas, and put together a little picnic. When Chris got home we loaded up the car and had dinner at the beach. It was a lot of fun! The beach had a picnic area with tables and restrooms.

After eating and cleaning up we headed down to the beach. This wasn't a warning we were happy to see. Anna has a new fear of jelly fish. She was afraid to take a bath for a long time because she thought they were going to end up in the tub or come out of the shower. We were having to wipe her down while she was standing up in the inch of water screaming. Not so fun! If we actually saw a jelly fish it could really set us back.

Hmmm... I don't even know what to say about this...

Everything you need for the beach:

Great big stick - check

Dog leash (no dog, just leash) - check

Before leaving I walked into the kitchen to ice the cupcakes, I noticed some little bites taken out of several of the cupcakes...

Then Jaden walked into the room. I asked him if who was eating the cupcakes and he just said "No". Guess he forgot to wipe the crumbs off of his face...

Verdict-Guilty.

Leaps and bounds

2009-07-20T20:26:00.000-05:00

Jaden and Lela. He decided he would rather play the leapster at this last visit. I think it was his way of dealing with Lela leaving. He was trying to be "tough". He did eventually come around but he was definitely more guarded than he normally is. Bless his heart.

When Jaden was about 22 months old he was evaluated by the Early Intervention Services (BACH - down here) and began receiving speech therapy. Many people told me he would be fine and that I didn't need to worry. I completely understand that. Many children are sort of "slow to start" with things like talking and then just take off and are fine. I've personally known children like this myself. Something just didn't seem right with Jaden though. I didn't realize just how abnormal he was until Luke was old enough to start to eat. First of all, Jaden was super active. He never really stopped long enough to look at anyone and see how they were talking. He wanted to run and jump and throw and hit - all the time. Also, he threw up a lot! We got used to it. We never let him eat with anyone else. One of us was always near him in case he choked or threw up. I felt like his mouth was "lazy" or something. That was the main thing that worried me and made me think he needed extra help.

When he started he had less than 10 words. Probably less than 5. Most "words" were just a repetition of sounds "mama", "baba", "dada", "bebe". Our therapist (and life saver) was Lela. She initially came twice a month. By the fall I was starting to get frustrated because he would make a little progress then, slide back. I have come to learn that this is normal. We talked about it and decided to changed the visits to once a week. In January we started to see some improvement. By March there was a HUGE improvement. It felt like "all of a sudden" there were these words and sentences. It was amazing. It re-affirmed my concern that even with all of that therapy it still took a whole year to really hear him talking at an age-appropriate level. I think the extra trained help was necessary.

We were soooo fortunate to get such a gifted therapist. I think one of the first things Jaden actually said was "Lela". She taught us about how emotions can effect language. Children may be more likely to say words that are connected to an emotional reaction (e.g., something they really like or really want, or if they are excited, mad, etc.). It was easy to see how much Jaden liked Lela when he could say "Lela" before about anything else. It is sad that she won't be coming to our home any more Jaden talked about her coming for days before appointments. We feel blessed to have had her share her gifts with our sweet boy and are excited for the next family that crosses her path. We're sure she will continue to be a blessing to every child (and family)she works with.

Hope to see you at some of the BACH functions Lela! Thank you!!!!!!!

Anyone need help saving a buck?

2009-07-20T09:36:00.002-05:00

or many????
Since I'm not very good at compiling all of this sort of information and explaining it so someone else can understand I'd like to refer any one who's interested in learning more about coupons and saving some money to my friend Dana's blog. She recently made a post with excellent information about finding coupons that match up with your store's sale items. It helped me save at least 55.o0 so far. Click here for the link to her blog: Dana

A lazy day at the beach...

2009-07-13T21:02:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful afternoon at the beach. We finally met someone who could show us where the "sea weed free" beaches were. The kids had a great time with Heath and Emily's little girls - I'm pretty sure that all six little ones were tuckered out by the ride home. I know ours were!

They all played and played and played in the water. Luke was finally so tired he just laid down on the sand with his bottle. It was so sweet. He couldn't wait for me to take him to lay down he just did it himself. We moved him over under the shade and he just fell asleep. The sound of the water, the warm air, nice breeze...

The back flap on his life vest even sort of acted as a pillow.Home grown watermelon....Yum!

I'm not much for swimming in the ocean. I'll take a nice, clean (well, sort of) pool where you can easily see the bottom and there are NO living things waiting to nip your toes, brush up against you, or sting you! I have no idea why anyone would want to see what was hanging out in the Gulf but apparently she did.

Just thought this was so funny!

The girls decided to dig up the sand and make themselves a little wading area. It kept them busy for a looong time. They were little scavengers - they found two hermit crabs and a little fish. I was the lucky one who spotted the first jellyfish floating along in the water - luckily he didn't bump into anyone. Then, he was the unlucky one as his little swim was put to an end...

Opinions welcome, requested even

2009-07-13T12:01:00.002-05:00

I was just wondering which you like better - the black and white or the color?

Three years old already

2009-07-09T16:41:00.010-05:00

How did that happen? How can Jaden be three years old already? Wow!

Growing up I always thought my birthday was the most important day of the year. I would start the countdown a month before. Now, I can't even remember how old I am and need to be reminded when it's my birthday. But my excitement has transferred to Jaden's birthday. Each year is an accomplishment and a reminder of how very lucky and blessed we are. In a letter to Jaden Chris wrote "it took you about 10 seconds to take your first breath and it felt like 10 minutes and it probably took 10 years off of my life". It was definitely a difficult time for us.

Although it's hard for me to do it's also a little bit therapeutic for me to recount this story. It's my version of "exposure therapy". The more I can actually let myself remember the details and experience them the less scary it is for me. It was a pretty traumatic time for all of us. Thankfully this story has a very happy ending :)

For those of you who haven't heard this before this is my recollection of the day Jaden was born, and a few days prior.

At the time we were living in Parkersburg, WV and I had taken Anna up to my Mom's for a few days for a visit. Chris came up on July 1st to meet us. We took a ride up to IKEA to look for a few things for our new home (we were closing on our first home in just a week) while Anna stayed with Grandma. Before shopping we had a nice lunch (grown-ups only) with a couple of my friends from college. It was a really nice day. Later, when we returned my Mom was having a birthday party for my sister who just turned 16. While we were visiting with everyone I noticed that I wasn't feeling well. I thought that maybe I had just had too many Coke's with lunch and the carbonation was bothering me. I tried to hang around but I just didn't feel well so, I excused myself to go lay down.

The next thing I remember is waking up around 5 a.m. feeling a little wet. I got up to go to the bathroom and was very nervous. I felt too wet. It just didn't feel right. I thought my water had broken. I totally expected to see amniotic fluid but was completely surprised to see bright red blood and lots of it. I immediately yelled for my Mother and we quickly headed to the hospital.

My Mom is a labor and delivery nurse - this is both good and bad. Good because she is very well trained and knows what to expect, bad because she is very well trained and knows what to expect. It was comforting to be able to go to the hospital where she worked because I was familiar with it and many people knew me already. But, it was completely terrifying at the same time. How could this be happening? I was just shy of 32 weeks. It was still too early to be having a baby. And then with all the bleeding I knew that couldn't be good but I still wasn't sure what was wrong. They were able to determine that my amniotic sac had not ruptured but it seemed as though I was experiencing a placental abruption. (This is when the placenta begins to tear. There is a lot of bleeding and results in a loss of blood to both the mother and the baby and also possibly a loss of oxygen to the baby. Not good.)

They kept me long enough to stabilize me and make arrangements to transport me to a hospital in Pittsburgh that was better equipped to handle a premature baby. The idea was to try to put me on bed rest and slow the bleeding to try to keep me pregnant for as long as possible. I laid in the bed all day praying things would calm down but I continued to have contractions. They had me on some different medications that made me sort of "loopy" and made it hard for me to see. It was sort of an "outer body" experience. I still could not believe this was happening. Soon a resident came in to talk to me about what could be expected with a 32 week baby - rate of mortality, possibilities of complications, etc... Although I had accepted the reality and appreciated her thoroughness in informing me it was really hard to hear. I mean, I had been to all of my prenatal doctor's visits, I took my vitamins, I thought I had done everything I was supposed to - I had NO risk factors for an abruption! - why was this happening?

There wasn't too much time to contemplate this because around 10 p.m. the damn sort of broke loose. I felt the blood coming pretty fast. The resident who was in the room at the time tried to reassure me that it was just "old blood". No way. I knew better. There was way too much. That's when things got really crazy and I sort of lost track of time. I started having contractions really bad and there was no break in between. It really hurt and made me nauseous. This turned out to be a good thing because they gave me Phenergan. Even though I felt okay by the time they got me the medicine I gladly took it knowing that it would make me a little loopy. I was very scared and was grateful for the opportunity to have my reality slightly out of focus. It seemed like everything was in fast forward but Jaden wasn't actually born until about 1:30 a.m. on July 3rd so, I'm not quite sure what happened during those few hours in between.

I remember hearing people talking around me, I remember talking to myself and wondering if anyone could hear me and if they thought I was weird, and I remember being very, very cold and shaking badly. I was grateful for this as well. It took my focus off of Jaden because there was nothing I could do and it was the beginning of my accepting that I had to trust in God and the doctors and nurses who were there to take care of him. It is awful to feel so helpless.

I was told that he was very white when he was born because he had lost so much blood. I believe he did cry at least once but was quickly put on a ventilator.

I was taken back to the room and given lots of warm blankets. At some point I was able to finally rest. I don't remember when or how long it had been but I was woken up and taken to see Jaden in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. I thought I was scared before - it was nothing compared to what I was about to experience. I don't think I can even put my feelings into words. There he was - my sweet baby boy - so tiny and hooked up to lots of wires and machines, there were lights and beeps - it was hard to take it all in.

I at least knew somewhat of what to expect because my sister had been born 12 weeks prematurely and I was 15 years old at the time. But, it's much harder when it is your baby. It was a touch and go kind of week. He ended up needing to be on the ventilator the whole week. He just didn't do well on his own when they tried to take him off. By the end of the week they realized he had developed a staph infection. Once he began receiving treatment for that he began to improve slowly. He was one week old before I was able to hold him for the first time. He stayed in the hospital for a month before we were able to take him home.

Despite such a rough start we have been remarkably blessed in how well he has done. He has been very healthy and has developed completely normally. The only area that he's experienced difficulty in has been speech. He was diagnosed with a speech delay and began receiving services at 22 months old. But one year later and he's doing great. We are thankful everyday.

Got streaks from sunless tanner?

2009-07-07T09:38:00.004-05:00

Nail polish remover really does help! I can say from experience :(

I really messed up this weekend with my sunless tanner application. I was trying out a new one for my body (I usually just stick to the aerosol for my face - works great!). This one is a lotion and its wonderfully creamy but unfortunately it's not tinted. I rubbed and rubbed to make sure it was on evenly. Or so I thought....
See, it took a looong time to "tan". I didn't even realize it until I was getting dressed yesterday (about 24 hours later). I looked down and noticed an insane streak on the back of my leg. It's just too hot to wear pants out so I had to come up with something. I remembered reading somewhere about using nail polish remover to "fix" sunless tanner streaks but had never tried it. I just did and it did a pretty good job. My streaks are much less noticeable. I could probably stand a little more but I've run out of nail polish remover.
Although it works well I'm sure it's not a great thing to have ingested through your skin so I will need to be much more careful with my application in the future. It's nice to know at least that there is a fix if I need one.

This is what happens when you eat cupcakes for lunch

2009-07-05T22:34:00.005-05:00

Jaden didn't just have a birthday -he had a birthday weekend. We started the party on Thursday with cupcakes. I had to stop by the store and order his birthday cake and the cupcakes looked so good we just couldn't resist. When we got home to eat lunch nobody was interested in anything but those delicious cupcakes. How could I deny them? It was his birthday after all...well, close enough.

(stay tuned for the rest of the birthday celebration!)

Luke seems to be trying out a "cupcake facial".

She passed!

2009-07-05T22:16:00.003-05:00

Anna just finished her first "real" round of swimming lessons. We had taken her once before when we lived in NY but she was very little and the class was mostly just an introduction to the water. We wanted to get her started to help her (and us) be more confident in the water. Also, she has some big shoes to fill seeing as her Mother still has bragging rights for a high school swimming record from like 1993! (I really do still hold a record but she certainly doesn't have to fill my shoes. I only want her to fill her own with whatever tickles her fancy.)

I was so proud to watch her during the lessons. She really paid attention. She was very serious about it. At the end of the lesson each day they would do something fun with the kids like letting them go down the water slides. At first Anna joined in with the other kids. But after a few days she preferred to stay in the water and practice her new skills. I have to say I was surprised. If it were me I'd be first in line for the water slide!

The teacher said that she did very well and that she had acquired all of the skills to move on to Level II.

20 questions

2009-07-01T12:51:00.003-05:00

well, probably way more than that.

I remember other Moms talking about how inquisitive their toddler children were. It seemed like the children had been saving up all of these questions about things they were thinking until they were finally able to talk. They reported feeling a little annoyed over time at all the questions. There didn't seem to be a single answer that would satisfy the curious little mind and put the brakes on the questions. Anna didn't really ask too many questions. She is, rather - was, the quiet type. She asked enough to let me know that her little mind was turning but it was never "excessive".

The other day on the way to the gym Jaden had a LOT of questions on his mind. I smiled and my heart was so happy as I answered every single one - many more than once...

"Where we going?, Where Daddy at?, What me going to do?, What Sissy going to do?, What your name is?, What my name is?, What Lukie's name is?, Me going to the gym?, Me going to play with the kids?..."

I could have answered his questions all day long! It makes me wonder what he must have been thinking all of those months when he couldn't verbalize what he was thinking or what he wanted to know. I wonder if I should have been more communicative to him about what was happening and why. I took it for granted because he didn't talk. I took a lot of things for granted. Having a "normal" pregnancy, having a "healthy" baby, hearing a child call you "Mommy", hearing a child tell you "I love you too", having a home and a comfortable bed, having a husband who wants to be home and spend time with his family, and many, many more. I certainly don't anymore. I know there are many people who are wishing for a bigger house, faster car, designer clothes, European vacations. Not me. Every night before I close my eyes I remember to thank God for being so generous with me as I lay in my bed with my husband and all my little babies safely tucked away asleep (lately right beside me :). It is all that I really want and everything I could ask for.

Luke's first swimming lessons

2009-06-26T13:34:00.009-05:00

In order to help relieve some of my anxiety over the water we've enrolled the kids in swimming lessons. Anna's started this week and so did Luke's. Jaden's isn't for another month.

I have never had a fear of the water myself but I am scared to death about my children anywhere near the water. I have nightmares about it. I'm not really sure how many lessons they are going to have to endure until I can relax but I know this is just the start!Luke did so great at his lessons! He loves the water and had lots of fun. The Parent-Tot class isn't as much "lessons" as it is playtime and getting used to the water but it was still nice to do. Baby steps...

One, two... (he's smiling even though he knows what's about to happen)

Three! (this still makes my heart stop every time I look at it)

The weirdest thing for me what that he didn't fight or wiggle or anything. Then, when he came up he didn't cough or cry or really make any kind of sound. It just bothered me.

He seems okay :)

He actually never cried until he decided that he wanted me in the water instead of Dada. I didn't bring my suit...just my camera! I felt really bad. He wouldn't finish the rest of the lesson. He sat on the side with me getting me all wet!

We are so thankful that Jaden can finally tell us what he thinks...we think...

2009-06-23T17:57:00.003-05:00

Just joking! We think it is wonderful. It makes us ridiculously happy when he tells us what is on his mind even if it isn't what we want to hear. After all, we've waited a really long time for it and had to work really hard to get this far!

Here's the conversation from dinner tonight:
Chris sets Jaden's food down in front of him. When Jaden takes the time to actually look at it he shoots me a glare and says:
Jaden: "Why you give me that for?" Obviously he wasn't happy. He looked at me like I just asked him to eat dog poop.
Me: "What do you mean? It's chicken pot pie. It has everything in it that you like. Just try it."
Jaden: "I don't want it. I don't like it."
Chris: "Did you try it?"
Jaden: "No, I ddn't (his sort of slur of didn't)"

A few months ago he would probably have just pushed the bowl away and might have cried and fussed. It's nice that he can tell us exactly what he thinks and we can try to reason with him in a conversation. I'm sure there will be many, many more to come. One day I'll probably ask myself "why did I want him to hurry up and talk already?" Nah!

Just because he's so darn cute :)

2009-06-20T21:50:00.002-05:00

A water park in our backyard

2009-06-20T21:16:00.005-05:00

Uncle Mike made a special delivery today. It was just what the kids needed to beat the heat!
It's like we've got our own backyard water park.
It's hard for us to take them swimming very often because Luke is so little and Jaden is a wild man (well, they both are). It takes both of us and the boys require all of our attention and concentration. But, man is it hot down here! It's pretty steadily about 96-98 degrees and next week they are calling for our first 100 degree day - Yay! It has actually already reached 100+ with the heat index. So, water fun is just what the doctor ordered to keep everyone cool.This slide is great because it's not too high and the water isn't too deep. Everyone can play. We love this. Chris and I can actually relax a little. A very little, but a little still. That just doesn't happen any time water is involved.

The kids had a blast!

15 month check up

2009-06-17T20:47:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it but it was time for Luke's 15-month check up. I can't believe that he is that old already. Wow. Time sure does fly, doesn't it?

He is officially 33 inches tall and 29 pounds 2 ounces. If you don't know what any of this means it means he is growing wonderfully and he is really big! He's healthy and happy and right on track. Except for the talking thing... He doesn't really say any words yet. Well, at least we know what to do if his repertoire doesn't pick up. Jaden has us very familiar with that :)

He falls in the top 5% of 15 month old boys or said a different way: he's bigger than 95% of 15 month old boys! I thought for sure that he is much bigger than Jaden was at his age. I know that Jaden was in the top percentiles as well but I just don't remember him being so big. The doctor was curious and looked back through their records. Jaden was actually 34 inches long at 16 months and 27 pounds. So, he was a little taller and thinner but still pretty darn big. Luke his just a little more on the "stockier" side. Hence, his new nickname courtesy of Dad: "Tank". I like to call him "twinkle toes" because of how fast he moves his little fat legs when he's trying to run. I know those nicknames yield very different images but I like to think of them both as fitting. He's multifaceted :)

-A funny face-

Road rash

2009-06-17T20:41:00.003-05:00

Poor Jaden...he had a fight with the drive way and he lost! He was riding Anna's princess scooter (sorry! we really need to get him a more masculine one) with a little too much gusto, apparently, and wiped out. We knew that he had a busted lip and we saw a little scratch on his nose. Just a little one, I swear. Then, later on that day all those crazy scabs came out. We were so surprised. He did not look like that when he fell. I wonder what people are thinking when they see us out. It doesn't look good!

Potato chips

2009-06-17T20:27:00.005-05:00

Luke is such a stinker! He makes the funniest faces and I love when I catch them with my camera.

This day he was eating potato chips. In between eating them he would smash some and also put them in his hair!

Dance Recital

2009-06-16T14:03:00.005-05:00

Here's our little ballerina in her first costume. I wasn't able to get pictures in all of her costumes because I wasn't able to get backstage between each of her numbers because of her little brothers (Chris and I each had one). I actually paid a teenager to help her out. It was great! I hope to get her dressed up again and get some proper pictures.
These pictures below are from rehearsal. I was able to actually use my camera without a little one attached to my hip or leg. She did really great. I was so proud of her for even remembering to smile during the recital!

Some how we managed to make it through a whole year of dance lessons. There were many times when I didn't think we would make it. For some reason Anna did not want to go to dance class whenever Friday rolled around. It got worse after January. Even though it was difficult we made her finish. For one, I paid for it ( and the costumes, shoes, etc...) and for another we don't want to teach our kids to give up. It's important to finish what you start.

at the end of the recital the teacher gave out medals to all of the girls and the ones who had been there at least 3 years received a trophy. Once she saw the girls receiving a trophy she started telling me she wanted to keep taking dance lessons. We'll see how she feels when September rolls around...

It is hard for me to understand because I always loved dance class. Even though my teacher was so mean it just made me try harder. She had this policy -which I'll never understand- that if your parent was late even one month throughout the year you weren't eligible to be student-of-the-year (and be awarded a trophy bigger than yourself!). how in the world is that fair? the child has nothing to do with paying the bill. it was just awful! At the beginning of the month she reliably posted the names of the children whose parents were late with their payment on a huge bulletin board right at the top of the stairs in big, black letters. And just as reliably every month I found my name on that list. Still, I believed year after year that she would recognize my talent and hard work and reward me with that trophy. how sad? But, it never happened. what a witch!

I tell this story because of the ridiculous irony that followed...in high school I worked some times at my father's print shop after school. I mostly paid his bills and made deposits, etc... As I was going through the books I happened upon a check from my old dance teacher. These checks came every month. I thought it was weird. He hadn't done her recital programs for years as far as I knew (and I probably would know because it was a huge job and we were all recruited to help compile them). Turns out she still owed him money. She owed him so much money that she was still making monthly payments! He should have posted her name on a big sign on Main Street for everyone to see. My Mom was never that late!

2009-06-11T00:30:00.000-05:00

Mud puddles...

2009-06-10T16:35:00.005-05:00

Note to self: It's probably not a bad idea to get the kids some rain boots. They're drawn to mud puddles like magnets.

With that aside, I have to admit that I love to watch them as they play in them. What a wonderful childish indulgence to jump (splash, sit, lay - whatever the case may be) in a mud puddle! So simple. Such joy!

2nd note to self: Try playing in a mud puddle yourself the next time you spot one. It just might be as much fun as it looks! It's always good to lighten up a little ;)

Jaden's cell phone

2009-05-31T21:53:00.003-05:00

Chris happened to bring out a go phone I bought when I broke my phone during the hurricane. I had given it to him to use since he let me get a new phone with his upgrade. Anna was very interested in the phone. She is 6 going on 16, I swear. I'm not sure who she thinks she's going to be able to call (she's never gotten a friend's phone number) but she wants to make calls and text - the whole bit. Well, that ain't gonna happen. So, if she needs to call 9-1-1 she can but that's about it for now.
In typical first-born, older-and-more-privileged-than-you fashion she proceeded to "rub it in" to Jaden and it wasn't long before the fights and crying started over the phone (we've had that phone since September - I don't know why he even got it out). Luckily, when we stopped in Big Lots the next day we happened upon a display of refurbished cell phones for like 8 bucks! So, now Jaden has his own cell phone. I can't give you his number so you can call him because there isn't a plan on this phone either.
I have no idea how old these phones are but I don't know why anyone would buy them to use for real. They suck! But they make a great "fake" real cell phone.
He is sooo happy about it. He carried it around non-stop for like 4 days. He and Anna just sort of wandered around "talking" on their phones. It was very cute. One day Anna woke up early and took both of their phones for some reason. When Jaden came out his first words were "where my cell phone at?"

The baby bottles just aren't enough

2009-05-31T21:47:00.002-05:00

hee, hee!

This was an empty bottle. Of all the indulgences I do give them I promise this wasn't one of them. I didn't let him down Diet Dr. Pepper! Maybe a sip here and there...

I made the mistake of letting Anna and Jaden drink the last little bit out of the Sprite bottle earlier and he paid attention. He may not say a lot but he sure doesn't miss a beat!

A mini-adventure in a simple walk around the block. Who knew?

2009-05-23T13:17:00.006-05:00

We've been trying to get out a little more often for walks - especially since Leo is getting sooo fat!

Luke ususally decides that it is his turn to walk the dog and takes this responsibility very seriously...

Until, we come to the mailboxes! As soon as he spots the mailboxes all bets are off and the leash is quickly tossed to the ground while his fat little legs move as fast as he can make them toward the beautiful, metal treasure.

I am tempted to one day just sit and see how long he can occupy himself at the mailboxes. He gets such a kick out of them!

After, I coax him away from the mailboxes with the hopes of maybe seeing some cows I realize that the sunblock is missing. Hmmm....where could it have gone to? Oh, yeah, the mailboxes! I run over and get the sunblock of out the package box and we're back on track. Until Luke spots a pipe sticking out of the ground....

He tried to stick the sunblock can in there but I guess it didn't fit.

A little further down the road he finds a stick! It is for this reason that Chris has nick-named him "little Judy" after my mother. It seems like where ever she goes (and I do mean WHERE-ever) she finds treasures, a.k.a "junk" that she has to pick up.

Just a wee bit farther down the road and they spot a fire hydrant! Yay! Down goes the stick while they explore.
Ok, so, they're done with the fire hydrant (nothing to open and close or twist or stick stuff into)... and he's got the stick back! Hmmm....how am I going to get rid of this thing!

Oooo...more mailboxes. Good opportunity to "lose" the stick.
What is so fun about mailboxes? Even Jaden is interested.
Ahh...puddles! What is better than a puddle of water?
The end :)

The baby pool: naked babies, sibling torture, and future blackmail

2009-05-14T18:39:00.003-05:00

Why bother with swim trunks or swim diapers when you're in your own backyard?

Insert evil laugh here.

(Jaden is spraying his sister in the behind with the hose set on "jet". This does not feel good as far as I can tell).

I was loving having my camera all ready to catch this sweet moment when thought Jaden was gonna squeeze Lukie's chubby cheeks and give him a kiss...

Then, I caught this and realized he was probably actually wanting to poke him in the eye. I'm getting nervous about all the enjoyment Jaden seems to be having at causing harm to his siblings. I hope it's just a phase.

And finally, the future blackmail photo. I will be saving this picture somewhere very safe for the day when my sweet baby graduates from High School so, I can share with all his friends and girlfriends how very, very adorable he looked with his super cute naked butt showing out the back of a Strawberry Shortcake beach chair.
I love naked babies :)

Boys will be boys, so I'm learning

2009-05-13T11:35:00.005-05:00

The heat is officially here in Texas! High 80's to 90's are a regular occurrence now and the heat index has already been at 100 degrees! Our focus (well, mostly MY focus) now is on how to keep everyone cool and occupied. There will certainly be days when it is just too hot to be outside for long or the mosquitoes will be too vicious but today was a nice day and I decided to break out the sprinkler. I don't even want to try to estimate what my water bill will be this summer - Jaden has learned how to turn on the spicket himself :) - but whatever it is it will surely be less than the cost of me losing my sanity. When they are cooped up in the house too long the boys become destructive. They have way too much energy and need a release. They start jumping on the furniture, throwing anything and everything, and literally bouncing off the walls (and into them). Fortunately, we have a bonus room with lots of toys that will be our retreat on the too hot to be outside days if we don't have another air conditioned space to go to but until at least Friday that is a problem. The air conditioner is broken up there and there is just one little window that faces the direct sun in the afternoon so it gets really, really hot!
I can't blame the kids for breaking it at least :)

Thank goodness for water sprinklers and baby pools!
Jaden is figuring out how this thing works. He's got his hand on Blue's ear and it doesn't take him long to figure out he can direct the flow of the water...

Poor Luke! He's at Jaden's mercy. I have to be on constant watch of those two. It can wear a person out! Good thing Luke is pretty resilient. He was very uncomfortable last night and I thought he might be getting an ear infection. Maybe he just had water in his ear...

All that little brother tormenting can make a kid thirsty!

My silly Jaden

2009-05-05T21:48:00.003-05:00

This is play doh. He was putting it on his nose - not "in"his nose as this looks! It just cracked him up :)

Baby "g"

2009-05-04T22:08:00.005-05:00

Finally - Luke's one year pics!

2009-04-21T20:35:00.007-05:00

Warning: there are a lot of pictures here. I loved them all and had to share.

I also wanted to make a note of his stats at one year:

He is 32 1/2 inches tall (above the 95th percentile).

He is 28 pounds 7 ounces (above the 95th percentile).

And for what it's worth his head is 50 cm.

One more thing...He is awesome! He is a beautiful, beautiful little boy :)

More sweet baby pics

2009-04-21T20:30:00.001-05:00

Night time activities

2009-04-20T18:05:00.004-05:00

Chris and I must be heavier sleepers than we think. This is twice now that we've woken up in the morning and thought that the other helped one of the kids with something during the night. It's strange because both of these nights Chris and I have both been up and down at different times during the night. It's hard to believe that we missed something.

The first time, Chris woke up in the morning and found the kitchen chair over at the counter in front of the dishwasher. He thought that was weird. Why would the chair be over there? Then, when he turned around he noticed the soda bottle on the kitchen table and some spilled all over the table, chair, and floor. "Ahhh"....he thought, "someone was thirsty and decided to help themselves".

So, we got a little nervous and installed alarms on the doors just in case the night wanderer got an urge to explore out of doors.

This morning when I woke up Chris and Jaden were in the kitchen eating breakfast and talking about eating pizza. Since Jaden fell asleep really early last night and missed supper I figured he woke up during the night and he and Chris ate some pizza. (I had fallen asleep in Anna's room after reading some books - we were a tired group!)

It came up again when I spoke to Chris on the phone. I was wondering what time Jaden actually woke up to eat. Chris told me he thought I had given Jaden pizza and was a little annoyed that I let him eat it in bed with him because he woke up with sausage in his hair!

I didn't give him pizza! Luke woke up during the night and when I went in to calm him down I feel asleep in there. He's got a noise maker and humidifier running so I didn't hear anything.

Apparently, the little guy went into the kitchen and got Anna's plate off of the table from dinner and helped himself to some leftover pizza that was sitting on the stove and took it back to eat in bed with Chris. I don't know whether to be proud of him for being so self-sufficient or scared to death that he is up doing these things and we haven't even noticed!

I swear all of the nights that we wake up for some reason (to use the restroom, get a drink of water, which is often) and we check on him he is knocked out. He and Anna are ususally cuddled up to each other.

Maybe we need to set up some booby-traps as a back up.

The progression of a sugar high (in pictures)

2009-04-19T16:01:00.006-05:00

I didn't manage to get any Easter pictures but I was in the mood to play around with the camera while they were stuffing their faces with chocolate. It's funny how happy they seem while they are eating it and then how fast they turn in to raging monsters or a heaping pile of tears after. Huh? So, why do I keep buying it??? Note to self: quit buying so much candy. Next year I think I'll tell the Easter bunny to bring books and crafts.

There was even sharing...

Life is good...

Want some?

There it is! The meltdown. Didn't take too long did it?

What?

Chris working on his retirement plan

2009-04-15T22:15:00.003-05:00

These pictures were actually taken 2-8-09. It surprised me how different Luke looks. He seems to have gotten a lot more hair in just two months!
Chris is a sports guy. Kelli once said she thought Chris would have all girls. I sort of thought the same thing. It just works like that sometimes. At the time, Kelli had all boys and wanted a girl and Chris had a girl and wanted a boy. Then, Jaden came...and Luke came. Boys all over the place! Fortunately (for Chris), they both seem to enjoy sports as well. Of course, if we had all girls he would teach them how to play sports too! Anna's already had a round of soccer with Dad as the coach ;) She seems more interested in dancing and singing but she's not bad at golf and she was good at soccer the moment or two that she actually was interested.
Chris likes to joke that the boys are his retirement package. That might not be a bad idea with the way the economy is looking right now...
He's spent a lot of time with Jaden and Jaden actually does pretty good. Today was Luke's turn. He had a lot of fun!
As I was watching them I couldn't help but wonder who is going to break the first window?????

Swingin'

2009-04-15T22:13:00.001-05:00

What a sweet little guy!

Lunch

2009-04-15T21:18:00.009-05:00

Lunch is a time when we can ususally sit down and relax a little. The rest of the day they usually don't stop. Someone is always on the move.

Despite his little fat body you might be surprised to know that Luke doesn't really eat that well. For some reason, he's been on a yogurt kick. Yogurt is a fun food - good to eat and smear all over your body, the table, the dog!

He's also very into using utensils. He does pretty well. I'm surprised. Not so long ago, I distinctly remeber talking to the doctor about my frustration with him because he would not eat anything that was presented on a fork or spoon. I would have to take it off and give it to him with my fingers and sometimes he would take it. One day Luke will have to explain himself to me. I can't figure him out.

Since they are sitting at the table it's also a good time for me to play around with the camera. Here are some pictures I took one day of our lunch :)

I love the faces Jaden makes! He is such an expressive little guy. He really seems to be enjoying a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Who knew?

Baby Ava

2009-04-15T15:58:00.005-05:00

I am lucky enough to have a friend willing to let me get my baby fix and practice my photography skills with her sweet, brand new baby girl! For any one who doesn't know, I love, love, love babies! I didn't have this camera until Luke was about 2 months old so, I didn't get to use it for these kinds pictures. I needed to try it out. I still need lots of practice so anyone who has a baby and is close by give me a call!

One week old

Oh so tired!
I love little baby parts. How sweet is this little hand?

Two weeks old

I just love the little wrinkles on her shoulder.

I got her the head band she is wearing and diaper cover that has her name embroidered on it but she didn't want to look at me when she was on her belly. She was in charge so we just went with it!

More baby parts. I can't get enough of little baby feet either!
Don't you wish you looked as cute in a pink tutu?

To sum up my life these days...

2009-04-15T15:09:00.004-05:00

This is me. Look at that woman. Now imagine her with dark brown hair. I've even got that double stroller with two ornary little boys! LOL.
I know this is a topic many people don't like to discuss but I can't help it. This comic is sooooo how I would feel if I actually had a reason to see a Psychologist (which I probably actually do) and take a Rorschach test (that is the inkblot test for anyone I might have lost).
I don't know what is wrong with them but my boys do #2 all the time. I actually asked the doctor about it at Luke's check up recently. I know it must have sounded strange from someone with 3 kids but it just doesn't seem normal. I swear most days I'm lucky if I have at least one diaper that is just #1. I'm not even joking. I know you don't believe me but it's true. I'd love for you to spend the day at my house changing them so you can see for yourself. I promise you will be scratching your head saying "No! I don't believe there's another one".
So, the other day when I went into the dry cleaners to drop off a few things I noticed this comic. I immediately started laughing and asked the girl if I could have it. She was a little surprised by request but said it was fine. She asked what it was about and when I tried to explain why I thought it was so funny she gave me the "Ah...o-k crazy lady" look. But she let me have it so I don't care! Maybe she doesn't have kids. Or maybe her kids don't have dirty diapers all day long...

Luke in the very early stages of "dancing"

2009-03-25T11:46:00.005-05:00

I finally downloaded this off of my camera. It is from 11-24-08. My! How things have changed! He used to sort of bounce up and down whenever we sang the ABC song. He still likes to dance and he still sort of bounces but it's less "gyrating" and more bouncing. I think he would really like to be able to jump and that's probably what he's trying to do :).

Also, within a day or two of this video he was able to climb up the stairs. You can see him in this one working to get his knee up the first step. It didn't take him long at all to figure it out. Once it got one up the rest was history!

Jaden update

2009-03-24T15:11:00.005-05:00

I just wanted to make a note of how wonderful Jaden has been doing talking. I feel like it's important to sort of keep track on how he's doing because it can be easy to forget in the midst of all that goes on during the day.
He has made leaps and bounds since just the beginning of the year. It is sooo nice! I can't even tell you how wonderful it feels to notice how "normal" his talking is becoming. When your child develops normally you might not even notice these sorts of things. I'll try to explain what I mean - before we had to really look and really listen for each word that he was able to say. We've gotten used to really tuning into every approximation and praising the heck out of each little bit he gets closer to the actual word and really enunciating our words with him. Kinda like our everyday language turned up a notch. Eventually, he began to say more and more individual words. Then, he started saying maybe two words together. One might have been a little clearer than the other but it was better. Then, we started to hear more endings on words. A big step in and of itself. Now, things are coming together so well that he is able to express thoughts (tell us when his sister does something to him!) and ask questions about things he wants to know with sentences instead of just using the words that got him something that he wanted (food or toys). He also will self-correct if he says something and it doesn't come out sounding right or if he notices that it sounds a little different from what he said when we respond back to him. He's using sentences now!
I think we still have a way to go but today I am so much more hopeful.
Just an example of his progress: Today the battery on my car was dead. I left a light on apparently. Chris came home to fix it. Jaden was asking "What daddy doing?" It wasn't a question that I asked for him to repeat. It was something that he just wanted to know. It was so good to hear. He also said, "I go help Daddy".