Living Lockhart

What's in a name?

2012-01-26T14:02:00.005-06:00

Well, it happened.

It was naive of me to think it wouldn't...

...But I wasn't ready. And it hit me like a brick to my forehead.

Tanner called me "Mom".

When he was really little, he called me "Mommai" (rhymes with Bonsai) and then transitioned into "Mommy".... where we've been for more than 7 years.

This past week, he has called me Mom several times, always when there are other kids around. He referred to David as "Dad" today.

I guess it was bound to happen. But it makes me a little bit sad.

Neighbors

2012-01-16T16:49:00.004-06:00

It seems like I have really gotten out of the habit of blogging on a regular basis. It's not for lack of material - my kids seem to be constantly amazing me with their antics... But most days I just can't seem to get it down on "paper".

Today, I'm just feeling really thankful for our neighbors. I love having neighbors who are generous and thoughtful - one recently texted me while I was away from home that my garage door was open and did I want her to come by and close it for me. She did, jumping over the laser thingie and everything!!

The family across the street has 8 kids, with only the youngest being a girl. They range in age from 16 down to the 3 year old girl, with 2 sets of identical twins. They homeschool (don't all large families??) so by the time my kids get home from school those boys are eager for some playtime.

I love that Tanner has boys to hang out with - boys who are kind and respectful - and I've noticed Tanner become more social lately. The 3 he hangs with most frequently are ages 8, 10 and 10. The 10 year olds are very identical...we've decided that freckle density is the tell-tale sign of who is who... though now I have to remember who has the darker freckles...

I know we might not live in this neighborhood forever... and they might not either... And so I'm thankful that God has given me this feeling of contentment.

Jesus through the Bible

2012-01-12T18:10:00.011-06:00

Last spring, we watched an amazing video of a young boy reciting a sort of "Jesus through the Bible"... He had memorized a phrase for each book of the Bible, and that phrase summed up how you can see Jesus moving through history... and we thought it would be a cool thing for our kids to memorize! They all 3 know Psalm 23, and the older 2 also know Ps 139... we thought that memorizing a phrase that sums up each book might help them as they grow and begin to study the Bible on their own someday.

And so began our journey of memorizing. Most evenings we would sit together and work on the ones we already knew, and learn a new one. We started right after school let out in June and 7 months later Tanner and Nora have it all memorized!

Here is a link to Tanner doing the old Testament and Nora doing the New Testament... I think there were a couple of omissions, but they got it for the most part :-)

Because we're the kind of parents who bribe our children, they each got a big reward! Tanner choose a cool Lego set - the Lego Pet Shop... but Nora choose something more unique - she wanted to go with Mommy to a hotel! I think Daddy was quite jealous of all the alone time I got with our wonderful girl :-)

Here are some pics of their rewards:

Tanner was so proud of himself!

Nora and I were on the 12th floor and had a balcony!

No getaway is complete without breakfast in bed!

We are so proud of both Tanner and Nora and are excited to have them memorize more truths from scripture!!

Kateisms

2011-12-12T20:06:00.010-06:00

Glubs: Knit coverings for your hands. "Mommy, my hands are freezing! Can you please get my glubs?"

Commershow: TV advertisements. "Bubbleguppies is over, this is just a commershow."

Robert: someone who steal things. "That bad guy is a Robert!" Not to be confused with Mr. Robert, her favorite firefighter.

Panda Bear Store: aka Build-A-Bear Store. I guess "build-a" sounds a lot like "panda"!

Style: a row of similar items at a store like Target. "Daddy, can we go to the toy style?"

Kate created this hairstyle out of napkins she got at a Christmas party... she didn't really want her picture taken...

...but quickly changed her mind!

Kate frequently wakes up in dress-up clothes...

She rarely has on shoes that match

Kate has her own style and I LOVE it!!

White Rock Marathon (Relay)

2011-12-07T20:25:00.004-06:00

Top 5 reasons why I'll never do a Marathon Relay again:

#5 - The weather might suck and I might freeze my bootie off.

#4 - The last leg runner (me) has to sit and wait for the other runners to run... while the 1st leg runner gets to run and go home to their nice, warm sofa.

#3 - If 2 team members want to quit the day before and 3 want to stick it out, all 5 have to stick it out.

#2 - I'd get a shirt that says "Relay" under the 26.2, telling the world that I'm not as good of a runner as the marathon runners.

#1 - I might be the slowest runner and disappoint my team.

Top 5 Reasons why I'm glad I did the White Rock Marathon Relay:

#5 - I got to train with one of the most awesome ladies I know and I'm so thankful for her friendship!

#4 - I got to cross the finish line, which was really cool!!

#3 - I got to run after my friend Jennifer who is a really good runner - so she made up for my lack of speed!

#2 - I got a really cool medal!

#1 - I ran 5.2 miles, something I had never done before, and I was SO proud of myself!

Tanner's Heart

2011-11-17T14:28:00.008-06:00

Tanner has had countless visits to the Pediatric Cardiologist and finally it occurred to me to document one with my camera.

Thankfully, we won't have another opportunity for 2 YEARS! His amazing doctor feels that he is extremely stable and the likelyhood of a repeat procedure is rare. Praise the Lord!!!

Here are a few pics of my funny boy:

Dr. Tracy Laird (who is annoyingly tiny after having 4 kids in 4 years) was featured in D Magazine as one of the top Pediatric Cardiologists in D/FW. We are beyond thrilled with the care Tanner is given there and are so thankful to live in a city with excellent medical care available!

Tanner's Baptism

2011-10-18T18:14:00.013-05:00

David frequently reminds me of something I said long before we had kids. It was something like, "I hope we have a little boy someday. I want him to have brown hair & blue eyes (like his Daddy) and have freckles across his nose"

Well, what do ya know!

This kid definitely has my heart. Some days I just can't contain my adoration for him and I MUST snuggle with him. Tanner is extremely affectionate, so he never minds... unless it's in the carpool line. Then, I must vaguely acknowledge that he is getting out of the car and quietly mention that he have a good day.

Since becoming a Mom, the most heartfelt prayer I have is that my children would become followers of Jesus Christ. All 3 of them can spout out the words - Jesus died on the cross for my sins - but I want it to be more than that for them. Tanner has matured over the past few months and we have really seen the light bulb come on in his heart. Several months ago, Tanner said that he would like to be baptized! We discussed what baptism means and he understands that it is symbolism and a way to tell those around us what we believe.

Well, yesterday he was baptized and we were so thrilled! Our good friend, George Beach did the honors and we are thankful that he took it seriously. As a sometimes controlling Mom, it was difficult to keep my hands off the situation and just let it happen naturally for Tanner. As much as I would have liked to have rehearsed with him the appropriate things to say, I knew that this was a time for independence... and he did great!!

I was so proud of his poise - the mic might have intimidated him for a moment, but a gentle nod from Mr. Beach was all he needed to then share what he believes.

Amazingly, I didn't loose it like I thought I would! I guess I was just so caught up in the moment I didn't have a chance to cry :-)

After church, we headed home to celebrate. I felt so honored to have such great friends - and my parents of course! - there to celebrate this occasion.

As a side note, our family photos will be taken this coming Friday... I wonder if Kate will be making a face similar to this one in each of them??

Running

2011-10-02T11:21:00.006-05:00

Tyra and me before the race

I've always heard runners say dumb things like, "I haven't always been a runner - I never would have dreamed I could run this far!"

... and I knew they were lying. If someone isn't chasing you with a knife, why are you running??

But last spring, I joined a Boot Camp and the ONLY thing that changed for me over the course of 5 weeks was my running time. So I decided to give it a shot!

I've been run/walking for about 5 months and I'm finally seeing some real results! They aren't visible (jelly rolls are evidence) but I'm seeing great increases in my endurance. Yesterday I ran my first 5k - the MK5k with Tyra Sprabary. Not only did we have a great time, but I actually RAN the whole thing...

...sort of...

I have to admit I walked for a few steps because my hips and knees were killing me. But during those steps I realized they still hurt, so why not get it over with and keep running?!?

I finished in 33 minutes 32 seconds and I can't wait to run another so I can beat my time! And yes, I'll say it: "I never dreamed I could run that far!"

Nora Caroline

2011-09-25T19:02:00.015-05:00

Seven years ago, this little person joined our family, and our lives were immediately changed.
Our son met his best friend...

She was so bald for so long... I used Karo syrup to "glue" bows to her head!

...slowly, her body stretched out and she was no longer our "fat bottom girl"!
She became this amazing little girl who spoke her mind and could sway us with her smile.

I remember once telling my Mom that I hoped my girls want to be Mommies someday. "Are you kidding?" she replied, "Nora will be too busy running the UN to be a Mommy!"

I have no doubt in my mind that Nora will do great things. She is just stubborn enough to be incredibly successful! I love the phases of interest she has gone through: sea creatures, Paris, dragons, skunks... She loves her microscope, x-rays and fingernail polish! You never know what to expect with this girl!

Kate looks up to her big sister in such a sweet way. I love watching their relationship develop as they get older - one of my prayers is that our 3 children grow to value their relationship with their siblings above any other relationship until they get married.
Nora lost her 2 front teeth just a few weeks ago and she couldn't possibly look more like a 7 year old! I love this little girl more and more every day, something that still amazes me after 8 1/2 years of parenting. Our family is so incredibly blessed by this wonderful little masterpiece!

September

2011-09-24T11:14:00.005-05:00

I really need to get back into a blogging groove. I guess we've just been busy with school, kids activities, MOPS, etc. So today, I thought I'd make a list of the things I'm loving about my life right now:

Kate talks with her hands... and she talks a LOT. Some days, I just want her to be QUIET, but then she gets really expressive and I love it. So chat away, little one :-)
Tanner is taking a Lego Robotics class and I love how excited he is about it! Definitely money well spent!
Nora lost her 2 front teeth and her S's and TH's sound a little different. LOVE it!
I've been running for about 5 months now... NOT loving it... yet. I pretty much run every other day, with only the occasional 2 days off. I'm noticing huge increases in my endurance and it's definitely a mental-game at this point.
David is doing a Men's Discipleship Group and I'm so proud of him! He leaves very early in the morning to meet with a group of men and I know that he is focusing his heart on the Lord.

That about sums it up!

Bye, Bye, Summer!

2011-08-23T08:01:00.009-05:00

I have to say. This summer was a killer. The heat... Oh, the heat. Put a fork in me, I am DONE with the heat. And to top it off, most of my Facebook friends were traveling to beautiful, cool places and posting their weather updates all summer.

I've been meaning to clean up my friend list...

We really had a great summer, though. We spent a lot of time hanging out at home (read: We didn't go anywhere fabulous and I'm a little bitter). One week, early in the summer when I still had energy, we made paper mache piggy banks!

I can't believe it was a whole year ago that Nora was going to kindergarten. The time has really flown by! I only have one year left with Kate at home all day, and I know it will go by just as quickly. I love that she gets this special alone-with-Mommy time that the other kids didn't get.

Here are a few pics of Tanner and Nora on their first days of school:
When they got home, Tanner said, "This was the BEST first day of school EVER!" Nora was equally happy with her first day and told us that she made a friend named Hannah. We had ice cream for a 1st day of school snack :)

Hawk Elementry is a really great school. Last year, it was named among the top schools in Texas and I am so thrilled that our children attend such a fabulous school. There are other "schooling" options that we might consider in the future, but for now we couldn't be happier!

A Visit to Oklahoma City

2011-07-29T20:24:00.007-05:00

The other day, I took my first roadtrip with my little girl. Nora and I traveled to Oklahoma City to visit her friend Isabelle who was diagnosed with Leukemia this week.

Nora and Isabelle met last September - on Nora's birthday - while we were on our Carnival Cruise. They hit it off immediately and her Mom and I have encouraged the friendship to continue through letters, ichat, Facebook and a nice visit at McDonald's a few months ago.

When I got a text on Monday night that Isabelle was facing cancer, my heart dropped. I was overwhelmed with fear and concern for this beautiful child. As the days went by, I knew I wanted to try to get Nora up to Oklahoma City to see Isabelle, if at all possible. I knew it would be good for Nora to see this friend who we have suddenly begun praying fervently for... and I hoped it would be good for Isabelle as well.

Well, we were blessed with an opportunity on Friday and we took it! My Mom graciously took care of Tanner and Kate so we could leave first thing in the morning. We arrived around lunchtime and the girls acted as if they had just seen each other yesterday. It was wonderful!!
They spent a lot of time playing on the bed. At first I was really worried that the bed would break while MY kid was pushing the buttons... but then I thought, "Who cares!?!?" They were giggling and that's all that mattered in my book. I figured we'd cross the who's-gonna-pay-for-the-new-bed road when we came to it!

The girls were able to go to a special activities room for "ice cream"... well, it turned out to be regular vanilla yogurt globbed into waffle cones. The girls opted out of the yogurt and just ate the waffle cones...
The girls had a great time - picnic lunch, coloring a poster, going up and down the elevator to the atrium to see the HUGE, beautiful butterflies, and wandering around the gift shop.

They were out & about so much the IV batteries ran out and we had to high-tail it back to the room! Honestly, if it weren't for the IV cart Isabelle had to push around, you would have thought they were just 2 girls on a playdate.

And really, that's what they were! They were carefree, unencumbered by the reality that was facing Isabelle. If that had been 2 adults sharing this moment, it would have been filled with tears and uncertainty. But these precious children were able to just enjoy one another's company.

I've been thinking about that and praying that God would direct my prayers for Isabelle. In addition to praying for a miraculous healing, I'm also praying that God would teach Isabelle about trusting Him. That her heart would be so tuned into Him that she would be able to experience great, inexplicable joy during this time.

If you're reading my blog, please pray for Isabelle and her family. And please ask your friends to do the same!

A match made in... playgroup!

2011-07-18T18:06:00.012-05:00

In late spring of 2003, when Tanner was just a baby, a friend organized a playgroup for several moms in the area who attended Denton Bible church and had recently had babies. All of the babies were less than 6 months old, so there wasn't much 'playing' - it was mostly to provide adult conversation for the Mommies!!

At our first meeting, I met a sweet Mom named Tyra. I had heard her name before, but we had not yet met. Our boys were just 3 days apart, so we instantly had something in common!

Not one to shy away from a new friend, I really enjoyed getting to know Tyra!

Over the months, our little boys enjoyed swapping spit (they'll hate me someday for saying that) as they traded toys...

And eventually they graduated to sharing cake! This was taken when we celebrated their 1st birthdays - Kyle has never had much of a sweet tooth... so he didn't mind the intrusion.

Tyra and I both became pregnant around the same time with our 2nd children, and I was so happy when she said that she, too was having a GIRL! When the Sprabary's came to meet Nora, I just know Kara was in her Mommy's tummy saying 'hi' to her soon-to-be friend.

Tyra and I often took our kids to the park - and I love this photo of our precious boys!

Our girls weren't left out, of course!

Tanner & Kyle and Nora & Kara attended Mother's Day Out together - I'm sure their teachers could tell a few stories...

Nora and Kara had the occasional opportunity to play together without the boys around. Tyra and I often traded kids for a few hours.

As our kids have grown, so has our friendship. Our families have spent many hours eating dinner together at Cristina's and I'm thankful that David really enjoys hanging out with Robert.

Tanner & Kyle are 3 days apart... Nora & Kara are 3 weeks apart... But 3 months after Kate was born, the Sprabary's officially ended the tradition. Kate has always had a bit of a thing for Mr. Robert - she gets really coy and smiley when he's around and I think it's so cute. Recently, we were able to go to his fire station and Kate's affection was cemented further.

Obviously, it's fun to have kids the same ages for convenience sake. However, it's more than that with the Sprabary's. I love that their parenting is very similar to ours. I love that I can pray with their children - and I know they pray with mine, too.

As I think back 8 years, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness to God for blessing us with their friendship. I pray that the Lord will bless us with many more years of friendship in the future!

The Art House

2011-07-18T09:16:00.004-05:00

A few months ago, I bought a Groupon for a party at The Art House. Our kids have taken several classes there and I really love what they do. So I thought it would be fun to have the "party" be just our family!

We invited Mimi and DD along, and though there was a bit of complaining by the men at first, I think they had a great time!

My Mom continues to try to improve my Dad, even after 41 years!
David and Nora hard at work.
Kate really enjoyed using the hairdryer on her canvas. This was one of the tricks Ms. Barbara used to get the paintbrush out of Kate's hands :-)
I love the way they turned out! Kate was given some assistance by Ms. Barbara and Mimi, but she did a good majority of it herself.
In the above photo, Kate kept putting the painting over her face... we kept telling her to put it down so we could see her...
Then we took a photo of us covering our faces and Kate put hers down... Classic Katherine!

My parents let me keep theirs and I'm hoping to find a fun place to display them all.

Momma Bunny

2011-07-06T13:58:00.010-05:00

In early December, 2007 our family was wandering through Northpark Mall and came across a Build-A-Bear Workshop. I thought it would be fun for Tanner and Nora to 'build' a stuffed animal to give their baby sister for her first Christmas.

We chose a sweet bunny and they each kissed the heart before putting it inside.

On Christmas morning, our little 7 month old seemed to love her new bunny and it eventually became known as "Momma Bunny".

I remember finding Kate in her crib with her bunny covering her head more than once, and I'm glad I snapped a photo one of those times:

Over the next 4 years, Kate's bunny collection grew. We have Sister Bunny, Baby Bunny, Tanner Bunny and Little Momma Bunny. Some are from Build-A-Bear, some are not.

...none are loved as much as Momma Bunny.

She plays dress-up, eats breakfast and dries tears. She takes a bath in the washing machine (where she has a really great time!) and occasionally sleeps in her sleeping bag.

Momma Bunny has traveled to Oklahoma, Kansas, and New Mexico 3 times, but on our cruise in the fall of 2010, we decided to leave her at home in bed, and to instead take Little Momma Bunny... just in case...

When Kate had portraits taken, Momma Bunny was definitely involved!

Yesterday, Kate was sent to her room for being naughty. A little while later, she came to me, sobbing saying, "I really miss Momma Bunny and I can't find her!"

It's not uncommon for her to go missing for a moment - but we always find her. Sometimes she's in a laundry basket, other times she's under a bed.

But this time, she was no where to be found.

We looked everywhere.

At one point, I heard Kate say, "I found her!!" I came running around the corner to see her holding Sister Bunny, who looks nothing like Momma Bunny. With red, swollen eyes Kate said, "She has a magic wand and she turned into THIS!"

We kept looking.

And calling friends... and Chick-fil-A... and Cici's... and the church...

Kate told her Daddy, "Momma Bunny is DEAD. I don't love her and she doesn't love me!"

A while later she said, "Momma Bunny is lost in a scary forest." Then she said Little Momma Bunny was Momma Bunny - she just brushed her hair (it's not as matted)...

All of this just broke my heart even more. We decided it would be best to address the situation head-on and told her that the other Bunnies are not Momma Bunny... that she's lost and we'll keep looking for her, but we might not ever find her.

Kate sobbed, again.

We talked about Little Momma Bunny, and that she can love her just as much as she loved Momma Bunny. Kate said, "But her fur isn't curly (matted) like Momma Bunny." So we told her to keep loving her and it would soon look the same.

I suppose it's because of Momma Bunny's history - and her importance in the life of my little girl - that I'm so sad. I'm sad because I assumed we'd have her forever. That she'd eventually be relegated to the cedar box where so many important things are kept.

But, unless a miracle occurs, it doesn't seem like that will happen. I found an Ebay seller with the same Build-A-Bear bunny listed, and I've placed a bid - $9.99... but truth be told, I'd pay a lot more to get the real Momma Bunny back.

I realize it's just a stuffed animal and there are children suffering such greater losses. But to my child, this is the biggest loss she could imagine.

... and it simply makes me sad.

Summertime

2011-07-02T20:49:00.004-05:00

I keep saying that I'm going to commit to blogging at least once a week, but inevitably I get writer's block and can't think of anything to say.

So for today, I'll just sum up our first month of summer vacation!

Tanner & Nora went to VBS at Southmont Baptist Church. They had a really great time - this is where they attend AWANA during the school year. Kate (aka My Constant Companion) spent that time hanging out with me.

The following week, we were home... but not really! We went to a blueberry patch, watched a free movie at Rave, a magic show at the library and rode the train to downtown Dallas and had dinner at Spaghetti Warehouse! Quite the busy week!!

This past week, Tanner & Nora learned some Tennis skills at SportsWorld at Denton Bible Church while Kate attended VBS at Crossroads. All 3 of them had a great week!

I can't believe it's already the 4th of July - we plan to hang out with Mimi and DD, watch the Lake Cities Parade (a certain Boy Scout might ride in the Pack 2008 float!) and see some fireworks.

This coming week might be challenging... the kids have been fighting like crazy lately. I'm not sure if it's because they're all tired (staying up late and not sleeping in late enough) or because they're all sick of each other. Either way, I'm hoping we all survive the upcoming 7 days! If we do, then I'll probably have plenty of fodder for another blog entry. Maybe even photos to show for it!

Beautiful Ballerina

2011-05-28T15:46:00.008-05:00

Nora has taken 2 years of ballet now and I LOVE it. She is so beautiful and graceful, and I'm thankful to have a wonderful, Christian dance studio close by.

This weekend was her first recital - Oh, what a beauty she was!!
Her dance was titled "Dancing Arms" and I've been singing it in my head for months now. For the past few weeks, Ms. Pam has allowed the moms to watch so the girls become accustomed to people watching them. Each week, without fail, I cry.

And today was no different.
Getting ready was half the fun, of course - loads of make-up and hairspray! We told Nora she could choose where we go out to eat and she kept it a secret until that morning. She told David and I not to tell Tanner and Kate... The Donut Shop!

Oh, sweet baby, it's closed at dinner time! The mascara was ruined, my princess was so sad.

We got the make up fixed and told her to think of another wonderful place. Unfortunately, Gattitown is not closed for dinner.

Nora danced beautifully and we were so proud of her! Mimi and DD brought roses to the ballerina and we gave her a charm bracelet and her first charm.

We hadn't been home more than 10 minutes before this photo was taken...

Kate is excited to begin ballet in the fall!!

Looney Bin

2011-05-12T08:10:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, Nora came home from school with a paper she had made. It said, "Sad Face Contest" and had lines for names and scores.

So, at dinner, we busted out our most sad faces.

Tanner suggested we see who could create actual tears! Oh, fun. This should be interesting.

Immediately he and Nora started staring at the wall, sad face and all, trying to be sad, but busting out laughing each time they made eye contact with someone else.

Then, out of the blue, things went awry.

Nora kept looking at David and I and laughing... then trying to look sad... which made David and I laugh even more. Nora HATES to be laughed at, so she got upset and... you guessed it... CRIED!

We started cheering for her because that meant she had won the contest, which made her cry even more... and round and round we went.

I think my Blog needs a new name: LivingintheLockhartLooneybin

Katherine Sophia

2011-05-08T15:54:00.006-05:00

4 years ago today, this precious girl came into our lives!

We didn't find out her gender until she arrived, so we had several names picked out. For a boy: Samuel, Jack and Ryan... for a girl: Katherine, Sophia and Anna.

When she arrived, we started narrowing down the choices. We debated mostly between Sophia and Kate, and decided to go with both: Katherine Sophia, but we'd call her "Kate".

Tanner and Nora were immediately enthralled... or so it would appear.

The reality is, our photographer asked Tanner and Nora to look at her precious, tiny ear. Nora then asked, "Does she have ear wax?"

This beautiful, amazing girl is a blessing to us through her indescribable silliness. Her facial expressions... funny voices... hand gestures... Kate truly completes our family!!

Kate also has the most beautiful hair. We get comments on it regularly. But my sweet girl wishes it were straight. I think it's a result of the movie Tangled, and it make me sad.

I want her to be content with the way God made her. We tell her frequently that God made her hair very special, and He LOVES her curly hair! We tell her that we want to be respectful of His creation by appreciating his masterpiece. I want Kate to see the perfect ringlets that form naturally in her hair and realize that God individually formed them.

And most of all, I want her to know that Creator personally, to walk with Him and to seek Him in all that she does.

We love our Kate so very much!

Tanner Quinn

2011-04-27T16:42:00.018-05:00

Tonight, I kissed my 7 year old boy for the last time.

Oh, my sweet Tanner. How can you possibly be 8 years old?

For my whole life, I wanted my first born to be a boy. Once my brother stopped annoying me (though he's now taken that back as his hobby of choice) I knew I wanted to have a boy first because "everyone needs a big brother".

When we found out we were having a boy, the name came within a few short hours. Here's why:

Mama Tanner was my Great Grandmother (my Dad's maternal Grandmother). She was God-fearing and classy. She would have given her life for her faith... and for the Dallas Cowboys. I was named for her and I wish she could know her 2nd namesake. She died when I was in college.

Quinn is my mom's maiden name. My grandparents were amazing people. My Mama was much like my Great-Grandmother. She also loved the Cowboys and she loved her God. My Papa was Haywood Erwin Quinn. Many people called him "Bud"... but my Mama called him "H.E.Quezie Woozie" occasionally. My Mama's twin sister called him "Quinn". He was an amazing man - a true American Hero, he was the recipient of the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple heart. I am honored to be his Granddaughter.

Tanner Quinn is the boy I always dreamed of having. From his dark hair and blue eyes, to the freckles that dot his nose, to his sweet nature... he is perfect!

I love that he's a Lego nut.
I love that his sister is his best friend.
I love that he has a guilty-conscience. Evidence of the Holy Spirit at work in his heart!
I love that he will cuddle with me... even if he doesn't hug me when I drop him off at school.
I love that he is silly, and kind, and cautious.

Every year, when I think about the days after his birth, I am amazed at how God has blessed us. The moment I heard the Pediatric Cardiologist say, "We're going to take him to Children's", I felt this immediate... distance.

Horrible, right? I had only known my little boy for 20 hours, how could I feel distant??

I remember the very next moment wanting nothing more than to be alone with my baby. My Mom graciously left the room, and the roommate I was unfortunate enough to have also left.

I sat alone with my precious baby and held him. And cried.

So much of the following few hours are a blur.

I remember the Cardiologist kindly explaining the problems and referring to his tiny patient as "Tanner" and not "your baby", which was extremely comforting.
I remember the paramedics sitting in the back of the ambulance, carefully monitoring every breath my baby took.
I remember my brother greeting the ambulance in Dallas with a brown bear for his nephew.
I remember giving vials and vials of blood in case my baby needed a blood transfusion.
After his procedure, with my newborn in Cardiac ICU, I remember feeling guilty, but so incredibly exhausted, when we chose to go home to sleep instead of sleeping in the waiting room.

But a few days later, when we brought him home, my memory is extremely clear. I loved dressing him to bring him home. How adorable is this baby??

He was such an easy baby - almost as if in apology for making such a hubub his first few days!!

And now, as an 8 year old, he is my pride and joy. I adore him. I look at him in amazement and I'm in awe of his Creator.

Bluebonnet Torture

2011-04-21T20:34:00.008-05:00

For most of my life, my brother and I were tortured by our Mom.

She didn't beat us... she didn't yell at us... No, her torture was much worse.

It involved bluebonnets. And we hated it.

Bluebonnets, while beautiful, are a snake hazzard. And they're itchy. And there's nothing worse than sitting in them, trying to look like you love your big brother, wondering if that itchy feeling on your ankle is about to be replaced by a slithering belly crawler.

I suppose it's human nature to do the same horrible things to your own children that were done to you. So I've continued the tradition and the funny thing is, my kids like taking pictures in Bluebonnets!! Here are some pics from this spring.

Butterflies were everywhere - and if you look closely, you can see the yellow one Nora & Kate were chasing.

We definitely hit the Bluebonnets a week late this year. Oh well. I'll get another chance to torture my kids next year.

And the year after that, too!

Writer's Block...

2011-04-13T16:13:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it's been 4 weeks since my last post! I guess the puppy has taken my creative energy.

We've been pretty busy besides the puppy - most recently Kate sang in her preschool Spring Sing. She was adorable and TannerNora were excited to see her perform.

Why "TannerNora", you ask?

That's what Kate calls them..."tannnernora" and I love it!

I hope to blog more often soon...

What is a ZANGO??

2011-03-15T13:29:00.004-05:00

THIS is a Zango!

Last week, David and I came to an agreement about getting a dog - and we began our search. We knew we didn't want something tiny...

or old...

or fancy.

A free Craigslist dog would be perfect! We found someone with Border Collie/Poodle puppies and it was love at first sight. We had 3 boys to choose from and this little guy was not only the most gentle, he also has the cutest markings - that left ear will the thing that keeps me loving him even when he becomes a dog in the near future!

We were considering several names - Marty, Ralphie... and Nora said, "Zanga!" I have no idea where she came up with that... where she comes up with most things for that matter... but Tanner said that sounded like a girl, and changed it to Zango.

Perfect!

The kids are in heaven - and Spring Break was the perfect time for bringing a puppy home. Tanner was up at 7AM playing chase in the backyard!
We have always known that we would get another dog, we were just waiting for the right time, and the right dog.

I think we've found him!

Legomania

2011-03-02T14:00:00.008-06:00

Tanner definitely has some of his Mimi in him! He loves Lego sets that are challenging, so I got him one from their Architecture series.
He gets very focused and even got up 15 minutes early (without me waking him) to have time to work on it before school one morning!!

He was so excited to put the last piece on!

The White House took him a total of about 3 hours to complete.
Nora also likes to put kits together, but Lego does not make many sets for girls... I found this cute Easter basket, though!

I love that our kids are such good Lego builders!

Continued torture...

2011-02-09T17:22:00.006-06:00

As you recall, last fall Tanner got an expander. He has done great with it - he's very responsible and I never have to worry that he'll eat something he shouldn't.

Well, last month at our visit with the orthodontist, we were told that his mouth was looking good, but there was a possibility he would put brackets on Tanner's teeth soon to keep the good progress going.

OK, great. We'll see what happens.

And this is who I brought home from our appointment on Tuesday:

Tanner thinks is very cool to have braces. I think it's crazy. I have always thought braces on really young children is strange and their parents even stranger. I still feel that way, but our dentist felt it was necessary so here we are.

I'm really struggling with the idea that my almost 8 year old, who loves to flip around on the jungle gym and has recently figured out he can almost walk on his hands, has this much metal in his mouth.

But, all I can do is listen to the council of the doctors we trust and go from there.

In the meantime, I'll try to remember that all those other 'crazy' parents are doing the best they can with the information given to them and I'll try to have a bit more grace.

Sparkle

2011-01-19T12:29:00.003-06:00

I knew this day would come.

Before today, cookies 'feld' good, glitter 'farkled' in the sunlight and Kate loved to 'fin' in circles.

A few days ago, Kate said, "Mommy, I can say SP-in! Now I'm a big girl!!"

... yesterday, she told me the vegetable beef soup 'smelled yummy'...

And just now, while digging into a little raisin box, she noticed that the flower tatoo on her hand was 'still sparkley'.

I guess there's nothing more to say...

Banana Peel-Out

2011-01-17T13:32:00.003-06:00

Tanner is in his second year of Cub Scouts and he absolutely loves it. He says he wants to be an Eagle Scout and we will do everything we can to encourage him along the way.

Last week, Tanner and David worked for hours on his Pinewood Derby car - they went to a special workshop and came home with... a banana!! David helped with some of the carving, but Tanner did most of the work and the painting. He even put a Dole sticker on it!!

When we got to the race, Tanner wanted to check out the trophies... They had medals and trophies for best time for each den, but the biggest trophy was for "Most Creative". Well, this was the only thing on Tanner's mind for the entire race.

I reminded him several times that all the other boys had worked really hard on their cars, too and that he might not win! As he stood waiting for the announcement, trembling with anticipation... I prayed that my sweet boy would win.

Is that wrong?

I mean, I know God is not a candy machine that I can make a request and expect the response I want out of him. If that were the case, my little Cub Scout would not need glasses and his heart would not sound like a train wreck.

Yet still I asked. I told God how my little boy could really use a dose of self-confidence and an ego boost. I watched my son, fearful that he was about to get his heart broken, but hopeful.

And he won!

Tanner was so happy he couldn't contain himself! We were so proud of him, we said we'd go anywhere he wanted for dinner. He choose Cici's (yuck) and even got Dr. Pepper to drink! As he shoved cheese pizza into his mouth, he said "This is the best day of my life and I will FOR SURE remember this forever!!"

Oh, my sweet boy. I hope you do. I know I will!

Christmas

2011-01-07T17:43:00.006-06:00

This entry is heavy on photos... so I decided to go the faster route and uploaded smaller images... They're not as good, but you'll get the gist!

We kicked off a month of celebrating with our annual Gingerbread House Decorating Party. Every year my Mom and I invite girls and their moms and it's always such a wonderful combination of old and new friends.

Because our family was going to be away from home on Christmas Day, we let the kids open presents before we left. Tanner gave Nora a whoopie cushion skunk. As you can see, it was a big hit...
The best part about the skunk is that #1 it's not working anymore and #2 it's name is "Sparky"... which means Kate calls it "Farkey". I love it.

When we arrived at our cabin in Taos, New Mexico, our first order of business (after we literally slid on the ice into the driveway, barely escaping with our lives) was to set up a little Christmas tree!
To say there was snow would be an understatement!
On one day, Kate went to KinderKare while Tanner and Nora went to ski school and David and I spent some time skiing by ourselves. It was snowing. And it was cold, the kind of cold Texans don't do well in. So we didn't last too long.

But the big kids did great skiing - they had a fabulous instructor named Bob who apparently used the word 'sweet' alot and now Tanner says it. And I think it's incredibly cute.

On Christmas day, the weather was amazing and my Mom gave us the gift of childcare... so we hit the slopes again while they enjoyed a quiet afternoon of hot chocolate and more games of checkers than my Mom could count.

Mimi and DD were cold... and they looked a bit like terrorists.

We spent a lot of time playing games: Checkers, Spit (a card game) and Trouble just to name a few! If you know my mom, be sure to ask about her now-famous game of Solitare...
On Christmas Eve, the kids were so excited, they could hardly stand it! We had told Santa that we'd be in New Mexico, so we were hopeful that he'd find us...
And of course, he did!

Our family really enjoyed spending Christmas in New Mexico. The cabin was in an amazing location - right on the mountain with fresh animal tracks in the snow every day! We were very thankful to be able to spend Christmas with my parents in such a beautiful place.

Stinky, Sneezy and Sassy

2010-12-18T19:19:00.003-06:00

The other day, there was quite the ruckus upstairs. Kate was screaming, which is common, but Nora was the one who came down to tattle.

"Nora, what's going on up there? Why is Kate screaming??" I said, which is probably my most often spoken sentence. But the response from Nora really tickled me:
"Well... Kate's breath really stinks so I was trying to brush her teeth but she wouldn't let me!!"

Seriously?? Most days I question my sanity.

But I'm now starting question theirs.

Yesterday I took Tanner to the pediatrician because he's had a persistent headache. The slight runny nose confirmed that it was sinus related. While we were chatting with the doctor, Tanner kept wiping his nose on his sleeve.

Dr. Day, being the kind soul that he is, handed my 7 year old boy a tissue.

Tanner then held the tissue in one hand while wiping the snot with the opposite sleeve.

So, apparently I have a stinky-breathed 3 year old, a bossy 6 year old and a snotty 7 year old.

Life is good!

Lego Shirt

2010-12-14T07:54:00.003-06:00

I made this shirt for Nora and I think it turned out really cute!
I used this tutorial and it was super easy... except you have to be really careful about the size of your image in relation to the size of your iron. All you do is cut out an image from a store bag and iron it on, with parchment paper in between the image and the iron.

I snapped this photo of Nora because #1, she looked so darn cute with her matching red Converse shoes and #2, I'm afraid the shirt won't last through a washing!

Tanner's shirt is next - the bag had a large red brick that I think I'll use for his shirt. Let me know if you give it a try!

Who are you??

2010-12-11T12:59:00.002-06:00

My blog has a counter that tells me who is visiting my blog. Frequently, when I check it I see that there are people from other parts of the country - and other countries - viewing my blog and it intrigues me.

So, if you frequent my blog, please leave a comment so I'll know who you are!!

That's all I've got for today - hope you're having a great weekend... whoever you are :-)

Julia

Thanksgiving, etc...

2010-12-03T19:51:00.005-06:00

I've noticed lately that I seem to be neglecting my blog. It's not that we've been without activities and antics, I just haven't felt inspired enough to sit down and write something...

Yet, here I sit...

And I still don't have much to say...

Except that we had a wonderful Thanksgiving - the kids were out of school all week, so the attic gradually "leaked" Christmas decorations. My brother and his family came for the latter part of the week and we had a nice celebration with them and our good friends the Dennings on Thanksgiving day. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures so you'll have to take my word for it!

This past weekend, my Mom and I had our annual Gingerbread House Decorating Party. This marked the 4th year and we look forward to many more! It's so fun to watch Nora learn hostess duties... and to see all the younger girls shove as much candy into their mouths as possible!!

Our Elf on a Shelf joined our family the day after Thanksgiving - Fleo has found some very interesting places to hide!! David and I love seeing our children be children and that is most clearly displayed during Christmastime. I know that Tanner will soon "wise up" to the truth of Santa, but until then I will cherish every moment we have with our precious 'believers'!

... and with that, I promise not to neglect my blog so much!

Modern day torture

2010-11-01T12:54:00.006-05:00

We have decided to follow the dentists advice and get an expander for Tanner. This involved 3 appointments - at the first 2 they made a mold of his mouth, the 3rd was today...

Seriously, I'm wondering if 100 years from now people will look at these pictures and say, "Can you believe they used to do that to sweet, innocent 7 year old kids?"

Theoretically, it will expand his pallet, allowing more space for his grown-up teeth to come in. Tanner also has a crossbite, so we are hoping this fixes that as well. Every day we will have to stick a sharp metal thingie into that space right in the middle and push back, turning the middle portion.

After the appointment today, I let Tanner come back home to chill out for a few minutes and eat lunch with me. We had jello, pudding, kiwi (chopped into tiny pieces) and leftover pasta. He did great, and didn't complain one bit... though his favorite past-time is eating, so I'm not surprised!

... now we have to hope that he figures out how to talk, too!

Brotherly Love

2010-10-23T09:46:00.004-05:00

Lately, I've had a serious case of babyitis. I loved being pregnant, I loved my babies, and I'd love to have more. But only if a nanny and unlimited financial resources were part of the deal. And Tanner would say, only if he got a brother.

My favorite thing as a Mom is watching my kids interactions. Kate is very afraid of 'thunder crackers' and Tanner & Nora have been known to go into her room and comfort her during afternoon storms. Nora thinks her brother hung the moon and gets sad if he neglects to walk with her into school.

The other night, we dropped off Nora at a birthday party. As we were all getting back in the car, Tanner hollered to Nora, "I love you, Nora! Have fun!"

Yep! Those are my kids!

Some might say that expressions of love have been modeled for him. While I agree, I also know that my little boy is very loving, kind and considerate all on his own. Granted, he does have his moments... a phrase I have made taboo from his mouth is, "Stop KATE!" because he says it too often.

But let me tell you, that boy is a lover through and through.

I am so thankful that my girls have such an amazing big brother. I know that they are learning what it means to be loved and cherished by not only their Daddy, but by their brother as well.

And while I wish I could have dozens of kids, including a brother for my boy, I know that our family is perfect just the way it is.

Field Trips

2010-10-23T09:29:00.006-05:00

This past week, I went with Tanner & Nora on their class field trips.

The 2nd grade went to Sharkarosa - a really cool wildlife ranch in Pilot Point.

The kindergarten went to the Ft. Worth Zoo. It is difficult to believe this is is a child from my womb:
...gives me the hibbie-jibbies just looking at this photo!

The field trips were great - though I'm a bit animal'd out!

The drummer

2010-10-12T11:53:00.005-05:00

I have always liked the saying, "she marches to the beat of her own drum". It conjures up a picture of a creative person who is not afraid to go against the crowd.

Nora is definitely that type of person. But she tends to take it a step further and occasionally stops drumming and begins to play the accordion instead... just because she can.

Last Friday, when I was sorting work for Nora's teacher, I noticed that all of the kids had drawn a picture of an elephant. They were all very similar - a Momma elephant drawn from the side, with a baby elephant behind her - his trunk holding her tail. The teacher told me that she had done a 'directed drawing' activity.

When I came to Nora's art work, here's what I found:
Oh, my sweet little drummer-girl.

Cruisin'

2010-10-03T16:04:00.016-05:00

This past week, we did a horrible thing. And I'm overcome with guilt... Sort of.

We decided this summer that we needed to take the kids to a beach. After lots of research, we figured a cruise would be the most economical route to go. And we also decided that taking the kids out of school for a week wouldn't kill them.

I'll be watching the mail for a friendly letter from Denton ISD telling us how we've messed up their funding...

Oh well, what's done is done!

We started our trip off with a day in Galveston. This was their first 'real' experience with the ocean - Tanner's 12 week old toes were dipped in the Pacific ocean, but that doesn't count.

Here's a shot of them all walking into the water for the first time!

We ate dinner at Fisherman's Warf - yummy!!

On board the ship, we got 2 connecting cabins - the kids had 2 twins and a bunk - perfect!

Every day, our collection of towel animals grew. We learned very quickly that they fall apart easily, so it was difficult to keep them looking good... eyes fell off occasionally, but our 'zoo' stayed intact for the most part!
One of the best parts of the trip was Nora turning 6! We got dressed up and went to the dining room for dinner to celebrate.

Our first stop was Progreso, Mexico. We had been told that Progreso doesn't have a great beach. Did we listen? Of course not! To be honest, our kids only had Galveston to compare with, so they were thrilled! As you can see, the seaweed was a hit!

In Cozumel, we opted to just go shopping... not a great choice considering the amazing blue water, but we had a nice time. Tanner said the ocean looked like a Sonic blue-coconut slushie! He was right - the water was the most amazing color of blue, it was un-real!
In the market, we stumbled upon a man with macaws. For $10, he'd let you hold the birds and take pictures! From the moment he put a bird on Tanner's shoulder, my camera was clicking like crazy! He even had the kids say, "give me a kiss" and the bird would put it's beak up to their lips and stick out it's tongue... kind of gross, but they thought it was hilarious!!

The kids spent a couple of hours every day at Camp Carnival, but we also spent a decent amount of time... eating! They had multiple ice cream cones each day and we found this great spot to camp out for many of our meals.
We tried to 'civilize' our kids a bit by taking them to the dining room a few times. I'm not sure it worked - but they had fun!!
The best thing about the Carnival Ecstacy is the water park! They have a small slide perfect for Kate, and 2 larger ones that Tanner & Nora enjoyed. I wish I had had a counter to count how many times they came down those things!

A funny thing happened to Tanner on our trip - he decided he loves wearing a hat! David is thrilled, and we both agree that he is adorable in them.
Nora met Isabelle at Camp Carnival and it was 'friends at first sight'. They giggled and giggled... and danced... and giggled some more! Isabelle has 2 older brothers, so Tanner wasn't 'girl trapped' as he says. Isabelle's family lives in Oklahoma but travels to Dallas occasionally, so Nora is already planning a playdate.
Finally, it was time to go home... but on a cruise ship, that means 'hurry up and wait'.

I'm not sure if the photos do our trip justice. Our kids had an absolute blast - with other kids but more importantly, with each other.

They stayed up late whispering in their room and ate ice cream cones at breakfast. We got dressed up for dinner, dressed way down for breakfast and had pizza for several meals in a row. We (Kate) cried over a dead lobster on Mommy's plate and laughed at the funny towel monkey hanging from the ceiling in our cabin.

So, I guess all of that makes up for the nasty letter I'm bound to receive in the mail about unexcused absences and school funding...

Toothy girl

2010-09-21T19:32:00.006-05:00

Oh, my sweet Nora...
Is it really any wonder that her Daddy used to call her e-NORA-mous? Or that our 'theme song' for her was Queen's Fat Bottom Girl? She was a chubby baby with thighs a cannibal would have drooled over.

In the above photo, can you see those 2 adorable teeth poking out? Well, one of them is gone now! My baby girl is growing up and this is just one more reminder.

As the tooth got wigglier and wigglier, she got more and more excited. Finally, on Sunday morning, it was obvious that the tooth would come out soon. She worked on that thing all day, and that night when she went to bed, she asked me if it would be OK if she came to me in the middle of the night if her tooth came out!

Poor Daddy had left for New York for work, so he missed the whole thing. On Monday at school, she kept wiggling it, but still it didn't come out. So after school, we stopped by Mimi's house and with one slight tug, out it came!

Nora was so excited, she about jumped through the roof!!

Next week, my beautiful girl will be 6 years old and I can't believe it. We will be on a family vacation on her birthday, and I'm so thrilled to know that she will always remember her 6th birthday on the ocean!

Nora has amazed us from the day she was born. From her early vocabulary and self-determination, Nora has exceeded any expectations I might have had for her. She has taught herself to read and her confidence in reading astounds me. I know she is smart, but that does not bear weight in our family. We are growing a person here - not a computer that can spit out knowledge.

While I am thankful that she has an academic advantage right now in kindergarten, I am realistic enough to know that most kids "level out" and she might have years in school that are more challenging. David and I agree that grades are not as important as character!

Over the past few years, Nora has memorized Psalm 23, Psalm 139 & John 3:16. I keep thinking of this kids song that goes, "I'm gonna take God's promises and hide 'em in my heart. So I won't forget I'm gonna hide 'em in my heart..." and that is my motivation behind scripture memorization.

Not so my kid can spout out lines from the Bible like a robot, but so that when her self-esteem is attacked, she will remember that she was fearfully & wonderfully made...

When I think about that Psalm and I look at my amazing, beautiful daughter, my own faith is strengthened.

His works really are wonderful!

Nightly torture

2010-09-06T19:13:00.006-05:00

Every night when I tuck Tanner in bed, he wants me to tickle him.

Not just a light, put-me-to-sleep, tickle my back... I'm talking about a full-on, tickle-me-until-I-scream tickle!

Most nights, it causes a problem... one of his sister's usually wants to know why Tanner is laughing/screaming... one of them usually asks to be tickled, too... and I'm happy to oblige.

Recently, I taught Tanner one of my old tricks: don't laugh while being tickled. He LOVES this. He takes a deep breath, holds it in, and I tickle him until his eyeballs bulge out. When I stop, he lets out the breath and giggles... and asks me to do it again.

And again.

And again.

Until he can't hold it in any longer and he SCREAMS with delight.

I remember my Papa teaching me to not laugh while being tickled. I would lay with my feet in his lap and he would lightly tick them. My parents say that I would get a glazed-over look on my face and it would creep them out!

And I know that every night Tanner asks me to tickle him is one night closer to him not asking me... so I will tickle everyone that asks, even if it delays bedtime by 10 minutes.

School

2010-08-26T14:49:00.011-05:00

Does this baby girl look big enough to go to kindergarten????

What a pair!

From the very beginning, Tanner and Nora have had a special bond. One day, when Nora was just a few days/weeks old, Tanner was dropping plastic animals into the pack-n-play yelling, "Baby!" He was so ready for her to play with him!

And eventually, she did.

Tanner had trouble saying "Nora" at first - he pronounced it "Nura"... and usually he said, "Bobby Nura" instead of baby Nora. To this day, Nora's nickname is "Bobby" or "Bobsie"!!

Nora is such a wonderful kid. She is extremely smart - already reading on at least a first grade level - and I'm amazed at the things she comprehends. Not once have I sat down with her to "teach" her to read, she just figured it out!

Nora is also very independent. After 3 days of school, she insisted that I not walk her in and allow her to be dropped off in the carpool line instead. I told Tanner to make sure she went down the correct hallway... and then I had to just drive away.

And suddenly, it was like I became unnecessary.

And I was reminded of how I felt when Tanner went to kindergarten... my influence on my children has drastically been reduced as they spend more hours per day with their peers than with me.

This is when I have to trust that they are being held by their Father... that they are being given the instruction they need to make wise choices... and that, when they make poor ones, He will guide them (and us) through it.

And so, on August 23, 2010, I became the mommy of 2 elementary age kids.

I now only have one child at home with me... and while I'm excited about the upcoming 2 years alone with Kate, I know that she will soon be standing with backpack on, ready to be dropped off in the carpool line...

The end of summer...

2010-08-16T13:50:00.006-05:00

This summer, the kids have had a lot of sleepovers!

Some with friends, but most of our sleepovers have been within the family. Tanner in Nora's room, Nora in Kate's room, all 3 in Kate's room... Most of them have gone great - with only a short learning curve for Kate. She LOVES having her brother and/or sister sleep in her room, but usually she has to be told to be quiet and go to sleep several times.

I love that they have really enjoyed each other this summer. With Nora heading to kindergarten (sniff, sniff), I have made a conscious effort to encourage her relationship with Kate. While she and Tanner are still "Frick & Frack", I have noticed Nora and Kate buddying-up more recently.

I have even been suggesting that we move them into the same room, which they think would be fabulous! We'll see...

With summertime winding down, I'm trying to make the most of every day. The other day, we had a pie eating contest... which was just ready-whip on a plate, but they loved it!

I told them the plate had to be completely clean! Poor Kate's curls kept getting in her way... she definitely got a bath that night!

This morning, we made yellow, blue and green pancakes.

I do not typically make pancakes for breakfast as I can not seem to find any nutritional value to them, but every now and then you have to break the rules, right??!!

We have exactly 6 days until school starts and I'm feeling a mixture of happy and sad. Happy because our days will return to a good routine, and 2 days a week I will get a break during Mother's Day Out... and sad because my kids seem to really like each other (most days) and I've loved hanging out with them this summer.

Granted, we haven't taken a fancy vacation, but we have been painting, swimming, learning Bible verses (Tanner & Nora can both recite Psalm 139), visiting with cousins and eating breakfast at 8:30.

We traveled to Kansas to celebrate their great-grandmother's 100th birthday, and spent an equal amount of time traveling back and forth to my parents house 10 minutes away to swim and eat pb&j's.

I can not imagine spending the past 10 weeks, 5 days, 2 hours and 23 minutes any other way. Not that I'm counting...

Backflipper & Noseblower

2010-08-08T19:29:00.008-05:00

It seems that our kids are constantly learning new tricks.

Nora has always been pretty cautious in the pool, and her confidence has increased dramatically this summer. She loves to swim with goggles and it's amazing how much better she does with them on. Last night, this is what she began doing on her own, with no guidance from anyone:

Not one to be outdone, Tanner displayed one of his talents for my camera:

And that just about describes these 2 funny kids of mine!

Birdhouses and Rain Splashes

2010-07-27T13:57:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago, we got a ton of rain in the middle of the day. It was one of those days that we had nothing to do, so we got out the rain boots and headed out for some serious splashing!

The whole time they were outside, I kept thinking about the wet rats I would have to allow back into my house!! I had towels ready, sent everyone upstairs to put on dry clothes, and got the wet clothes into the washer. Once everyone was dry and warm, Tanner said, "This was the best day of my WHOLE life!"

I told the kids at the beginning of the summer that we would do lots of fun things... so far, our summer has been pretty boring, which seems to work well for them. I guess I drag them to Target so often, they prefer to be at home!!

I found these little birdhouses at Michael's for $1, and thought they would enjoy painting them. Turns out, I was right!

Daddy's comment to this photo (below) was: "Which is the work of art??!!"

Nora was pretty serious about her painting. She planned out her colors and painted very carefully.
Tanner was also a planner, but he prefers things to be more linear and symmetrical.

I absolutely love how their houses turned out. They are so very different, and suit their personalities so perfectly!
I'm trying hard to not count down the days until school starts. I know that we are more than half way through summer, and most days I'd kill to have everyone go back to school! But, I'm really enjoying our lazy summer... I love these little people so much and I'm thankful to have this time with them.

Summer Fun!

2010-06-30T10:14:00.002-05:00

So far, our summer is shaping up rather nicely...

The kids have enjoyed playing in the sprinkler and I have enjoyed taking photos of them!

4th time's the charm...

2010-06-15T20:58:00.008-05:00

Here's a photo of our sweet boy when he got his first pair of glasses, just after his 3rd birthday.
Prior to that photo, his precious eyes had been operated on a whopping 3 times!

When Tanner was about 8 months old, we noticed (rather his Daddy noticed, Mommy was in denial) his left eye seemed to be "off" at times. We got it checked out and our suspicions were confirmed. Tanner had his first surgery just before his 2nd birthday, and within a year and 1/2, he had 2 more, none of which seemed to work.

Each time, under general anesthesia, his eye muscles were loosened or tightened. And each time, David and I wondered when our little boys eyes would begin to work together.

Finally, after that 3rd surgery when we realized that once again, Tanner's eyes were not working in unison, we opted to try glasses, on the chance that they would help his eyes to develop binocular function. Amazingly, they did! And we've had 4 years of mostly-straight eyes... with the glasses on.

But this past year, we all agreed that it was time to do another surgery. And last week, we did it!

He was super brave, though he refused the "silly juice" at first. Actually, the anesthesiologist said that if he didn't drink it, they would have to squirt medicine up his nose!

Say no more!

After drinking it, he quickly mellowed-out and was taken back to the operating room playing a race-car game on the doc's iphone. We were told that, when they got back there, the anesthesiologist put a mask over his face to knock him out... Tanner, handing the phone back to Dr. Ogg, held his breath to keep from breathing in the medicine! What a little stinker.

Well, it didn't work and he did fall asleep. Dr. Beauchamp only operated on one eye and we are hopeful that this will be his last eye surgery.

Tanner is a bit near-sided, so he will continue to wear glasses, but without the prism. We haven't gotten his new glasses yet, and it has been nice this past week to actually see our boy's face!

And oh, what a face it is!

Tanner's princess

2010-05-31T15:02:00.006-05:00

Nora is convinced that she will marry a prince. And she talks about her "ball" all the time - she asks if she will be able to choose the flowers, the music, her dress... and I think David is getting a bit worried that she's already planning her wedding at age 5!!

Our precious girl brings up this topic frequently, and this morning it came up while our family was in the car. Nora said, "I want to be a grown up so I can have my ball."

I said, "Nora, you don't want to be a grown up quite yet - being a kid is really fun! Besides, when you grow up you won't live with us anymore and you'll have to wash your own clothes and dishes!"

Then Tanner piped up and said, "Well, I won't have to do those things because my princess will do them all for me!"

Oh boy...

Farkels

2010-05-25T21:04:00.005-05:00

Kate cracks me up.

For her birthday, she got a cute little turtle that is made from a glittery pink and green fabric. The other day, she was examining the turtle and said, "Look Mommy, she has farkels!"

Assuming she meant the things I'm covered with, I said, "Yes, she does have freckles!"

"No Mommy, FARKLES!"

Hmmm....

Oh, SPARKLES!

And thus began my obsession with getting her to say sparkles... sprinkles... spot... sprinkler... splash... etc. She's just so darn cute!

Today, I let her use glue and glitter to make a picture, and then we used spray glitter to cover her arms and legs. She was so farkely, she had to call Daddy and tell him!

I love this little girl so much. She brings incredible joy and laughter to our home. Although I have recently said that she got the "terrible two" memo a year late, I know she will come out of her sassy-phase eventually. And I know she will eventually figure out how to say the "sp" combination.

But for now, I'm covering the house in farkel. And enjoying every bit of it!

May babies

2010-05-23T12:49:00.009-05:00

I can't believe my sweet boy is 7 years old! He is quite the Lego-man, so we had a Lego themed party. The boys had fun building space ships and it was an extremely easy party to host!

Since there's not exactly a shortage of Legos in our home, we put out a table cloth on the living room floor and filled it with Legos. The boys gathered around and built their creations. It was fun to see all their personalities come out as they built a space ship and described it to the group!

Of course, no Lego party would be complete without a Lego cake!
And here are the boys with their creations, which they got to take home. What a fun group of kids!!
It's hard to celebrate Tanner without thinking about his good buddy, Kyle. The 2 of them became friends at a mere 6 weeks of age when I met his sweet Mommy, Tyra. Our families have such a great time together - and it's wonderful that our kids are the same age & gender!

They have grown so much in the past 7 years!! It's a very sweet friendship, one that I intend to foster for years to come. I love the idea of my kids having friends that they have known their entire lives. Kyle has a sister that is 3 weeks younger than Nora, so our families are a great fit!

Unfortunately for us, the Sprabary's do not have a 3 year old... but we do!! Kate turned 3 on May 10 and we had a fun celebration for her.
For weeks prior to her party, Kate told me that she wanted a turtle cake... until the day before her party when she announced that she instead wanted a lion cake!! Thinking quick, I called Davis Purity Bakery and asked if they could whip one up for me. They never fail to amaze me!
It should be mentioned that Tanner had this exact same cake for his 3rd birthday... poor Kate rarely gets anything that is "hers"!

Oh, how I love these May babies!!

Panty Raid

2010-05-07T14:15:00.010-05:00

Nora and Kate attend preschool 3 days a week.

Last week, Kate had an accident, but she did not have a change of clothing in her bag. Her teacher, being the smart Mom that she is, got Nora's extra clothes and put them on Kate. Problem solved!!

A few hours later, as the girls were getting in the car, Nora noticed that Kate was wearing her extra clothing... At first Nora was amused, because the clothing didn't quite fit right. But then she said, "Kate, are you wearing my PANTIES, too?"

Kate said, "yes."

Clothing was one thing... UNDER clothing was a whole different matter! Nora was extremely annoyed that her panties would be dirty. The mechanics of the washer & dryer were lost on her. About the time she accepted the fact that her sister was in fact, wearing her panties, and they would eventually be sanitized to her satisfaction, the unthinkable happened:

Kate started humming.

When Kate hums, it's like fingernails on a chalkboard to Tanner and Nora. They can't stand it! I'm sure Kate wasn't trying to annoy her big sister...

Not about to be outdone, Nora began humming louder... and louder, trying to out hum the panty thief.

About the time Nora got her humming volume set to "MAX", Kate stopped humming long enough to push one more button on her sister's annoy-o-meter:

"Nora, I'm wearing your panties."

Bluebonnets

2010-04-28T19:48:00.010-05:00

Every year of my childhood, I dreaded the month of March. My brother and I would anticipate the first signs of blue popping up in the fields, knowing that one day soon, our Mom would make us plop down in the middle of them and pretend that we liked each other.

And every year, I swore I would be a nice Mom who didn't make her kids take pictures in bluebonnets...

Of course I do have a little rebellious child who isn't worried about going to jail for picking bluebonnets!!
I especially love this one - though the houses in the background could use some photoshopping!!

When my Mama (my Mom's Mom) died, my Mom and I picked a bunch of bluebonnets from the side of the highway to give to the florist to put with yellow roses on the casket. In the midst of tremendous sadness, my Mom and I actually had a few laughs, worried a Sheriff would drive by!!

Having lived in Texas my entire life, I have seen my fair share of bluebonnets. I have sat in them... tip-toed over them... smelled them... admired them...

And don't tell my Mom this, but the truth is, I never really minded taking photos in them.

Spontaneity

2010-04-11T13:10:00.011-05:00

This past weekend, we surprised the kids by taking them to see "How to Train Your Dragon" at the movie theater. To top it off, it was in 3D!! The kids looked adorable in their glasses:

Obviously this photo is a reenactment because I didn't have my camera with me at the theater. All 3 of them had so much fun - we even ate popcorn for dinner!

I remember a friend of mine said last summer that she wanted to try to be more of a "yes Mom", meaning she didn't want to constantly be telling her kids "no". I think that's something I can work on, too.

So often, my daily tasks get in the way of me playing with our kids.

Nora wants me to build a puzzle with her...

Tanner wants me to play Batman Legos with him...

Kate wants to play with play-dough...

and the list goes on and on.

And typically, I get the requested item, get the kid settled, then I head off to unload the dishwasher or start some laundry... or go blog-hopping... and many days go by where, at the end of the day, I'm looking in the face of my precious child who never really got my full attention.

I'm starting to really look forward to this summer. Nora will soon be heading off to kindergarten and my hours with her will greatly diminish. I have some things planned to keep us busy, but mostly, I'm looking forward to spending time with my kids.

...and a good time was had by all.

2010-03-18T23:17:00.011-05:00

There are several things that come to mind as I think back on my youth:

At one point my family drove a van painted by a deaf couple (I like to joke that they were blind). It was painted with a HUGE rainbow that spanned the entire van, and came across the hood. Cue the 70's disco music.

We went skiing almost every year and I loved it. I learned to play spades on one of those trips... and we always listened to the Camelot sound track... on our 8-track player, of course.

We once lived in a po-dunk town that rarely had any newsworthy events, so they would report on the social happenings of the townspeople. For example, "The Lockhart and Kimbrough families took a 6 day trip to Ruidoso, New Mexico and a good time was had by all."

That last line was always in there, and it has become a family joke. But sometimes, it's fitting!

This past week, we drove to Ruidoso with David's sister, Sandy, her husband Robert and their kids, Kaylee and Tara. While I'm hesitant to put this on permanent record, in the interest of honesty, I have to admit this: Kate went to to a local church preschool for 2 days while the rest of us went skiing...

Ah, the burden is lifted.

I felt horribly guilty leaving her there... but the rush of cool wind on my face as I sped down the snowy hill made it all better. On our first day of skiing, David and I worked with Tanner & Nora because the ski school was booked up. It was so much fun to watch them!

On the 2nd day, we let Tanner & Nora go to the "Kiddie Koral" while we skied, and then after lunch, we skied together for a few hours. They loved the chair lifts, and thankfully the people behind us were always patient... getting on & off is not easy with a kid who doesn't have much control! Here are some pics from our trip:

This was taken on a walk in the neighborhood where we stayed.

Every now and then, Nora would plop down and make a snow-angel!!
At then end of our 2nd ski day, Tanner and Nora made a snowman while we took a breather. I didn't get a good pic, but he did eventually have eyes (small sticks) and hair (pine needles). So cute!
You can't go to Ruidoso without going to Funtrackers! They have go-karts, a human maze and a bounce house.

We intended to spend the night in Lubbock on the way home, but by Friday morning, we were ready to get to our own beds! Our kids were amazing travelers - which made the 10 hour drive go by relatively painlessly! In fact, we are already talking about our next ski trip, and looking forward to many years of skiing with our kids.

While we didn't listen to the Camelot soundtrack, and our mode of travel wasn't a hippie-mobile, I can say without a doubt that a good time was had by all!

Random

2010-03-02T16:33:00.007-06:00

I have taken quite a hiatus from Blogging lately. My kids have not stopped entertaining us, though. Here are a few examples:

While riding in the car, Nora said to David and I, "On the first day that I am a grown-up, I want to visit your house!" Ohh, how sweet! But it was Kate's response that was the kicker. "When Nora's a grow-up she gonna have big boobies!"

Tanner, frustrated with the constant chatter coming from his sisters, said, "It's like they don't have ears!!

The other day, Kate was determined to put her bed-time diaper on by herself. There's no sight quite like a 2 1/2 year old trying to put a diaper on!!

That's all I've got. Maybe I'll come up with something insightful one of these days. Until then, I'm off to play outside with my 5 year old girl!

Snow

2010-02-16T19:40:00.006-06:00

So I don't feel like a horrible Mom and Blogger, I'm giving in to the snow-blog posting.

Tanner was sure this basket he made would bust up all the snow in the basketball goal...
Tanner and David made a "snow throne"... After I snapped this photo, they made another chair right next to this one. That pile of snow is still there 4 days later!
This one was Friday morning when we woke up to snow so thick we couldn't see our footprints from the day before! I think I heard the total was 12 inches!!
Kate ate snow like it was going out of style...

The snow was amazing! It was a fun opportunity for my little Texans to get to play in some serious snow, rather than the half inch we usually get! Tanner and Nora absolutely loved it - especially the hot chocolate they got every time they came back inside!!

For once, I was glad that Denton ISD closed school!

A precious Heart

2010-02-06T18:27:00.009-06:00

Yesterday morning, I did something I should not have done. And I'm glad I did it.

The evening before, Tanner and I had practiced his spelling words. He got every one right! So the next morning, I told him that, if he got every word right on his spelling test, we would go to Sonic for slushies after school!

I know, I know. Too much pressure, blah, blah, blah. Keep reading.

So when we picked up Tanner from school, I asked him, "How was the spelling test?"

"I missed 2 words."

"Oh, that's ok, sweetie!" I looked at the test and realized that the words he had missed were actually the 2 hardest words. So, I threw caution to the wind and said, "Hey, let's get slushies anyway!"

Everyone was thrilled and we headed to Sonic.

On the way, I asked Tanner, "Were you disappointed when you realized that you missed those words on your test?"

And then, my boy said the sweetest thing:

"I was just worried about Nora and Kate because they wouldn't get slushies and it would be my fault."

At that moment, I was so proud of him. Tanner has always been a tender-hearted boy. He loves deeply and I am so thankful for that quality in him. He is a wonderful big brother - if Nora or Kate are in trouble, he gets upset just knowing that they are being punished!

As I pray for his future wife, I can't help but wonder if her parents are out there, praying for a little boy that loves deeply... feels empathy... and thinks of others before himself.

And I love that their prayers are being answered.

Choices!

2010-02-02T19:10:00.008-06:00

Last night we had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants - Dickey's BBQ! All 3 kids love the turkey and then there's the added bonus of free ice cream!

During dinner, Tanner and Nora were playing a game of "raise your hand if..." and it got annoying. I said, "Ok, no more raising hands!"

Tanner immediately sat quietly.

Nora looked left, then right... then shot her hand up in the air one last time.

Uh-oh. She quickly realized she shouldn't have done that, and David told her that she had made a bad choice and would have to be punished. He talked to her about obeying right away and asked her what she would prefer for her punishment: a spank or no ice cream?

She thought about it for a minute and chose a spank. But, "...could Mommy please be the spanker?" I'll have to tuck that bit of information away for future reference! David told her that he would be the spanker, and she ate the rest of her dinner in peace.

Over the next 10 minutes or so, we ate, talked about our days, and enjoyed each other's company. When the kids were finished eating, David went to get 3 bowls of ice cream. When he came back, he signaled to me that they were OUT OF ICE CREAM! I quietly whispered something like, "Oh, they're out?"

And then, without missing a beat, Nora said, "I changed my mind. I choose no ice cream for my punishment."

What's Best for Us

2010-01-25T19:40:00.009-06:00

Nora has had a few bad dreams lately. She will wake up crying, but very quickly (thank goodness for our 2-way monitor) I can calm her down and she's back to sleep in no time. And for the past few days, she has asked, "Will I have a bad dream tonight?"

Most days, I can calm her fears by saying, "No, I don't think so!" But somedays she doesn't seem convinced.

Tonight, Nora asked me to pray with her that she would not have any bad dreams. I prayed with her, then she said, "Does God always give us what we ask?"

I said, "No, but He gives us what we need, and what is best for us."

Nora replied, "Well, then He won't give me any bad dreams because they are NOT best for me!"

I hated walking out of her room, unable to promise that she would not have a bad dream tonight. I wish I could more fully understand our loving God who, at times, allows my child to have a bad dream.

A bit more hummin'

2010-01-19T15:49:00.005-06:00

Well, Nora's humming has continued. And spread.

When I pick up the girls from preschool, I usually have a sucker for each of them. I think dum dums are sent from heaven and I always have a baggie full! Today was no different - each girl got her sucker upon arrival in the mini-van and off we went.

After just a few licks, Kate did the funniest thing: She held her sucker straight up in the air and began to hum "Twinkle, twinkle little star" very loudly!!

She did this over and over - stopping to take a lick every now and then.

What a funny little girl!!

Call me Mrs. Nowitzki...

2010-01-09T21:04:00.004-06:00

I am quite the proud Mama:

I have to say, this was not the way the entire game went down. Tanner did not dominate, and the other players didn't just stand around the whole time. But for a moment, he was king of the game!

Tanner has shown an interest in basketball, and he's not bad at shooting. He is not as aggressive as a lot of the players, but he's also one of the youngest on the team.

For our first basketball experience, we decided to go with an Upwards league. It's Christian based, meaning they learn a Bible verse, have a devotional at each practice, and the focus is on skill-training and self-confidence building. We could not be happier!

Watch out, Dirk!

A Day Off

2010-01-07T16:15:00.016-06:00

Today, Denton ISD decided to close schools because it was too cold outside. I'm having flashbacks to last spring when another closing lead to a blog post...

But this was different. Lewisville ISD did not close today, so the girls went to preschool and I was able to spend a rare few hours with Tanner! We ran a few errands and I did the unthinkable: I let Tanner ride in the front of the shopping cart, playing his DS, while I shopped in Garden Ridge! We were both happy with the arrangement, so I'll try not to feel too guilty.

It reminded me of a time when we were in San Antonio having brunch together (all 5 of us) in the hotel and we noticed a family of 3 sitting nearby. The parents were engaged in conversation and their young boy was watching a movie on a portable DVD player.

I can't imagine being on a trip with my one and only child and, rather than engaging him in conversation, setting him in front of a DVD player during breakfast. Of course, there is the possibility that this was completely out of the norm for this family... and they eat most every other meal together...

...Or, perhaps this was a glimpse of how our society views parenting. I think there are a lot of children today that are simply growing. They are not raised. The parents are too busy with their own lives, their own schedules, their own priorities, to spend actual time with their kids.

When I was young, parents had the television to babysit their kids. Their freedom existed during the 30 minutes of The Brady Bunch or Scooby-Doo. Now, we have an entire cartoon network and countless other channels focused on entertaining our children. We have a Wii and call it "physical education"... we buy our kids a DS and soon realize that our conversations with them have been reduced to occasional grunts and requests for food.

To be clear, our family is the proud owner of a Wii, 2 Xbox's, a DS, 3 Leapsters and an unlimited supply of tv and movies. So don' t be disillusioned, we are as guilty as the next family.

But I want something more for my kids. I don't want to become the family that sits around a table with each kid engrossed in a video game and the parents barely noticing them. Tanner & Nora love when we do Brain Quest cards during dinner and we enjoy the opportunity to challenge them and it often spurs fun conversations.

I am very thankful to be married to a man who believes that dinnertime is family time. We were both raised in homes where the family prayed and ate together every night. And we are committed wholeheartedly to continue this with our children.

Occasionally, it's fun to do something out of the ordinary - like letting Tanner run around with me, playing his DS for way more than his usual 20 minute allotment, or watching a movie while eating pizza on the living room floor.

But honestly, the time we get with these little people is so short, I want to embrace each and every moment and thank my God for allowing me to raise Tanner, Nora and Katherine.

The Trouble Maker...

2009-12-21T13:07:00.007-06:00

This past weekend while we were celebrating Christmas with my sister-in-law and her family, Nora and I were talking about how much we love their new puppy.

Aunt Sandy, ever the dog-pusher, told Nora that she should have a dog. Nora said, "Oh yes!" and Aunt Sandy said, "What would you name your puppy?"

And that's when I realized - again - how much I adore my little girl...

Nora said, "If it's a boy puppy, I'd name it Tanner!"

I said, "Oh, Nora, we can't name our dog 'Tanner'!"

Nora replied, "Yes! That way, when the puppy poops on the floor and you ask, 'Who pooped on the floor???', I can say, 'Tanner did it!' and the boy-Tanner would get in trouble!!"

Christmas photos

2009-12-15T14:35:00.006-06:00

Why do we torture ourselves by trying to get a good photo of our kids at Christmas time? The photo below pretty much describes how Kate felt about having her picture taken the other day:

As usual, I had delayed doing this because it's torture for everyone involved. Inevitably, someone ends up crying, I break out into a sweat and rarely does a good picture come from it. But, as all the adorable Christmas cards began to roll in from my less-procrastinating friends, I decided to give it a shot.

Right after school we headed to Old Alton Bridge - just around the corner from our house - where supposedly a ghost lives. It's very quaint and we've been meaning to take our kids there for a nature walk.

I was armed and ready: my camera, a clean sweater for Tanner, and Santa Pez dispensers for the kids if they smiled nicely. Tanner and Nora were great - they smiled at the camera and tried their best to make life easy on me. Kate just wanted her Pez...

This one was great in theory, but didn't turn out as well as it could have. I need to work on not chopping their feet off!!
The few that I took on the bridge didn't turn out very good - but I really do love this one!!
And here we have the winner:
I was really happy with how this one turned out. So happy that a mere 24 hours later I have created our Christmas cards and they're stamped, ready to mail!

Some Good Old Fashion Child-Labor

2009-12-07T12:23:00.007-06:00

This past weekend we enjoyed spending time with Aunt Sandy, Uncle Robert, Kaylee and Tara. Our kids always have fun together and I'm so thankful that they have cousins nearby.

Well... it wasn't all fun and games. David had a money-making scheme. Robert gathered mistletoe (which involved exactly 2 minutes of "work") and Sandy and I clumped it and tied bows. Then we got the kids involved. Think "summertime lemonade stand" meets "mistletoe and 45-degrees with a wind chill of -12"...

Here's how it looked:

Tanner rings the doorbell while Tara holds the mistletoe above their heads.
Homeowner answers the door.
Tanner kisses Tara on the cheek.
Both say, "Merry Christmas! Would you like to buy some mistletoe for only $3?"

They did this... um... how many times can I say they did it before Child Labor laws come into play?? Let's just say they earned a combined total of $98 and needed only minimal thawing-out when they got home.

We nick-named Tanner and Tara "the dynamic duo" because most people had a difficult time turning them down! David & I have fairly divided our half between Tanner and Nora and we're teaching them about saving, spending and tithing. And no, we're not using any proceeds to go out to eat!!

Also this weekend, my Mom and I hosted our Annual Gingerbread House Decorating Party!

Nora was thrilled to invite her friends, and thankfully a couple have younger sisters so Kate was not the lone 2 year old! My Mom and I have hosted Gingerbread House parties many times and it's always fun for the girls (and the Mommies!). I look forward to Kate getting a little bigger so she can invite some of her friends, too!

All in all, it was a fun -and profitable- weekend! A great way to start off the Christmas Season!

Kate the blue-nosed-toddler

2009-11-23T20:33:00.009-06:00

Today I was able to visit Tanner's school to help with their Thanksgiving Feast! David has the week off, so he was home with the girls. It was fun to see Tanner with his friends - I am so proud of him!!

When I got home, this is who greeted me:

When I asked David what happened, this is what I was told:

"The girls were eating lunch. I left them for just a minute and when I came back, Kate was blue and Nora was holding the stamper... with a huge smile on her face!"

Isn't it amazing what can happen in 'just a minute'??!!

Creators and their Creations

2009-11-20T13:23:00.004-06:00

I love when my kids get creative!

Tanner made this house for his Lego man. He was so proud of it... I actually took this picture before he put the roof on. But I like this pic best because of his adorable, proud smile in the background!
Nora, who is by the way obsessed with everything related to Paris, made this Lego creation. It's the Eiffel Tower with what she called the "microscope that lets you see it from far away".

Yesterday, Nora was having quiet time in her room while Kate napped. It is not rare for me to find that she was doing something creative with her time. Sometimes she will complete every puzzle in her room, on the floor, all spread out so I can admire each one. But yesterday, she had the tub of Tanner's Bakugan's in her room and she decided to throw a Birthday Party...
"Dragonoid" (the red one) was having a birthday. Nora told me that the other Bakugan's were staring at the cake because they were all thinking that Dragonoid would blow out the candles and actually make more fire!

Isn't it amazing the creativity of a child? Whether it's a perfect box with the perfect-sized man inside, or an Eiffel Tower... or a Bakugan Birthday Party using doll house furniture and a Polly Pocket cake. Each creation is as unique as it's creator.

Sisters

2009-11-03T20:45:00.013-06:00

I am convinced that there is nothing more precious than this:

Yesterday morning, while I was getting myself ready for the day, Nora and Kate were upstairs playing. They were still in their jammies, waiting for me to help. I went upstairs to begin the process, and I walked in on Nora brushing Kate's teeth.

Now, this could have been mass hysteria. Kate is not usually hip on the idea of someone else doing things for her. Had you told me that Nora would be trying to brush her teeth, I would have told you that Kate would be screaming in a tone heard only by wolves.

But the exact opposite was happening. Kate was happy to have her big sister helping her. And my heart melted in a whole new way. Words can not express the way I feel about my girls and their love for each other.

Growing up, I was always envious of my friends who had sisters. I thought it would be so cool to have a sister - younger or older. Don't get me wrong, I thought my brother was cool, but a sister... that would have been really cool.

When Kate was born, I was immediately happy for Nora and for this little person that would become her friend. And now, as I watch that friendship developing, I am very thankful.

The Boy Scout and the Outdoor Girl

2009-10-22T14:32:00.017-05:00

This is my Boy Scout.

Any old lady should be proud to have him help her across the street. He is the most precious boy and I could not be more proud of him.

Lately, I've been feeling like I miss him, even when he's right next to me. It seems like since he started First Grade, he has grown up a lot and I guess I'm missing that baby-side of him. I hate to think about the actual hours he has already spent at school in comparison to number of waking hours spent at home.

The other night we were watching home videos of Tanner when he was about 8 months old. I look at that baby and think, where did he go? The smile is the same... the eyes are the same... but now he has spelling homework.

And while I love this 6 year old... some days I miss that little boy that didn't have much of a life outside of his relationship with me. I could protect him so much easier back then. My worries were simpler. I hate that I have to let him go a bit more and more each day...

This is our outdoor girl.

Nora loves to be outside. She loves worms and is careful to give them lots of dirt to play with.

It's hard to believe this is the same kid that absolutely refused to walk in grass until she was 3 1/2. And I don't just mean she didn't prefer it, I mean she let out a blood-curdling scream if grass touched her leg!

And now my prissy little girl, lip gloss and all, would spend all day outside if she could.

I am so amazed at the changes our kids go through. After only 6 1/2 years as a parent, I'm overwhelmed as I think of how many more changes we will witness.

But I am excited about it and can't wait to see what comes next!!

Arms in my Vacuum

2009-10-19T16:01:00.007-05:00

Last night on Desperate Housewives, Gabby was contemplating her life. She said, "it seems so small sometimes." She said her life is consumed with detergent and groceries. And I can very much relate to her.

Most weeks flow into the next and often I have no idea what the date is. I determine what day of the week it is by what activities we have going on that day. And the days go by... and sometimes my life does seem small.

Somedays, "small" takes on a whole new meaning. This morning, Nora and I were vacuuming. She has her little Hoover, I have my Orek and together we vacuum the entire house. It's fun in an annoying sort of way. She feels like she needs to vacuum right next to me, and I'm always trying to keep my arm from bonking her on my back-swing. But I am well aware of how important she feels when she helps me, so I don't complain.

In the playroom, I accidentally ran over a Lego arm. Those darn things are SO SMALL my eyes can barely see them from almost 6 ft up! But it made me think about the "smallness" of my life. While it is true that most of my days are filled with a bunch of "small" things, I am learning to grasp a God who cares about that small stuff. He wants a relationship with me even though so much of our conversation is about small stuff.

But some days, I feel like I'm a Lego arm. It seems that God is so big, he doesn't see me laying there on the floor, waiting to be picked up and placed in the proper spot. But that is so anti-Scripture. I wish Satan didn't want me to believe this lie.

I wish I could fully grasp how much He sees me... maybe it would be easier then. Maybe not.

I am glad that "Gabby" knows what an honor it is to be a full-time Mommy. She told her husband that she is "honest to God, happy with her life."

And so am I.

SeaWorld, Part III

2009-10-12T14:05:00.016-05:00

Our family spent ANOTHER weekend in San Antonio! We had 2 free nights at the Hilton... Season passes to SeaWorld... and a day off of school, so we headed south.

On Friday night, we rode all the rides we could handle - the Steel Eel, Shamu Express and all the kiddie rides. The kids enjoyed being out WAY past their bedtime, especially because we bought light sabers for them. At one point, a few guys from the Pirates in 3D show passed us and challenged Tanner and Nora... but got chased around the park for a few minutes by my squealing children. It was hilarious!

Of course, we had to meet up with our friend Leslie. Leslie has been a whale trainer at SeaWorld for 12 years. The last time we were there, we got to get close to a whale named Tiki... this time, we got even closer to a whale named Ky!
Wouldn't you know that the chinsey little camera that we take to SeaWorld (in case of splashes, of course!) was not holding a charge... but I did get a few photos. David took video with his phone.

Tanner and Nora had drawn a few pictures for Tiki. Leslie was sweet enough to actually show each of them to her... and the kids thought it was fantastic that she said, "I'll bet you want to eat these, don't you?" to which Tiki nodded her head!! Tanner and Nora absolutely loved that!

Leslie and Jason sat with Ky, who I have trouble calling a "Killer Whale" because he was so incredibly calm. We saw a while later that he's a stubborn little bugger, but for a few minutes, he just sat on his side, letting us pet him.

David took this video with his phone while I tried to take photos...

Although the weather was a bit chilly, it was a great trip. The kids love staying at a hotel, and Sunday morning we were able to have breakfast with Leslie... where we were able to have a conversation without killer whales swimming around!

I have to say, had Nora not developed her fascination with the ocean, we would not have taken 3 trips to SeaWorld in the past 7 months. Nora has such a way of influencing those around her!

Actually, she took an art class this summer that focused on French artists and now she adores the Eiffel Tower. All of her block towers are either the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de' Triumph. Now, I just need to get her to ask Daddy really nicely...

A Very Wormy evening

2009-09-23T07:45:00.010-05:00

The kids were driving me nuts the other evening. They weren't being extraordinarily naughty, just a constant whine coming from everyone.

After dinner, we all went outside. I figured the whining wouldn't be as bad if I could get away from them... so I snuck around to the side to pull some weeds. Nora ran over to me and asked for a worm.

I quickly found a few worms for Tanner and Nora to play with - Kate is not "worm-worthy" yet.

I was AMAZED at how happy they were... the kids, not the worms. Tanner put a small piece of mulch on his worm's back and said, "My worm has a backpack and he's going to school!"

Nora named her worm "Fred".

Tanner left his worm alone for a minute, then Kate found it and very quickly that worm became 2 worms. Everyone was a bit disgusted by that, so we set them all free and went inside.

Then I quietly said a prayer of thankfulness for worms and their ability to turn whiney kids into happy ones!

Chip-Charlie

2009-09-12T09:29:00.005-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, we got a knock on our door. A 20-something girl had this dog and asked if we had some rope so she could tie him to the lamp post on the corner...

Huh?

He had been chasing her car and she didn't want him to get run over. She had called 911 and Animal Control was on their way, but she needed to get to school.

I told her I'd take care of him and find his owners.

After posting a few signs, we thought to take him to a Vet to check for the micro-chip. Amazingly enough, he has been chipped, but the brainiacs who did it didn't register the chip, so it does no good. Of course, those same people let their dog outside with a collar and no tags...

As fate would have it, thunderstorms moved in and "Chip" got moved from the back yard to the garage. But not after chewing up a wooden bench and sandbox... but I digress.

This morning, we decided "Charlie" was a better name and called Animal Control. I think we're the only people on the planet who can love a dog enough to name him AND call Dr. Kavorkian all in the same morning.

He's definitely a Brittany Spaniel and he has a ton of "puppy" left in him. When I took him for a walk, his favorite maneuver was to lay down on his belly, with his legs straight behind him and scooch toward an invisible smell.

Animal Control came and took our beloved Charlie, with assurances that he would find a home before his 10-day stay of execution expired. Our family has returned to it's canine-free state and our commitment to keeping it that way is stronger than ever.

Maybe.

Preschool

2009-09-08T13:55:00.003-05:00

Today was the first day of preschool for Nora and Kate! This is Nora's last year before starting Kindergarten... and Kate's first year of preschool.

They were both thrilled to be going - as we drove up to the school this morning, Kate squealed with delight, "Look! My school!" Nora, being the unique girl that she is, thinks it's cool that there is a water tower close by...

Both girls will attend Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 8:45 - 1:00. I'd hate for anyone to think I'll be eating bon-bon's during that time, though. I will be volunteering in Tanner's classroom on Tuesday mornings, MOPS every-other-Wednesday morning and Bible Study every Thursday. Those hours have quickly become filled with activities!

I do hope to have the opportunity to have lunch with a friend occasionally... do some errands child-free... and get the house organized. Mostly, I'm just thankful to have some time each week to "re-group"!!

Hummin' girl

2009-08-28T13:15:00.003-05:00

Nora is a hummer.

She hums all day long, and I love it. It's the most beautiful noise to me. She rarely hums a recognizable tune - it's always something she's making up in her head. Right now, she's alone at the kitchen table, playing with Play-Do and humming away. I can hear her and it makes me smile... and almost cry.

A few years ago, before the Ocean-Obsession hit, she was in love with musical instruments. She actually asked for a tuba for Christmas while sitting on Santa's lap. Not surprisingly, the elves were not able to grant that request... but Santa did deliver a guitar, which was a huge hit!!

I can't help but associate Nora's humming with her independent, free-spirited nature. I hope the humming never ends.

First day in the First Grade!

2009-08-25T13:06:00.008-05:00

We got Tanner off to a good start with a big breakfast - I think he was too excited to eat, though!

Here's a link to his first day in kindergarten...

Tanner's teacher is Ms. Wilson. She seems very friendly and Tanner was comfortable in the classroom... so comfortable that he practically shooed me out!

I know he will have a great year. He is reading so well and his confidence in both reading and writing have sky-rocketed this summer! Hopefully, that will give him a boost as he begins this new school year.

Nora and Kate seem to be doing pretty well without their big brother today. My Mom came to watch them while I took Tanner to school, and just before I got back home, Kate said to her, "Where Tanner go??" She and Nora both look up to him so much!!

Last year, I was really hoping that the 2 of them would become buddies, but Kate was still so little. This year, I'm thinking they will buddy-up more. There's no question that Nora and Tanner are kindred-spirits, but I think the girls will enjoy each other more and more as time goes passes.

I think this will be a great year for everyone!

The Great Urban Race

2009-08-17T12:45:00.012-05:00

My sister-in-law, Sandy and I went to New York City to participate in The Great Urban Race this past weekend. We stayed with my sorority sister, Scotia and her husband Darren. They live in a brownstone in the upper west side, just off Central Park. It was perfect!

We spent Thursday and Friday exploring the city. We rode the subway and tried to take note of various places in the city, hoping our "research" would pay out. We found a Kinko's close to the start line, so we convinced Robby-the-copy-guy to secure a computer for us!!

On Saturday morning, we had breakfast then flirted a bit with Robby to make sure he had not deflected to another team. He had not, and we also convinced him to hold our extra belongings for us while we raced!

When the race started, we immediately got in front of our Kinko's computer and began solving the clues. With the help of David and my parents, also Googling for us, we quickly developed a plan and grabbed the closest bus south towards Battery Park. As luck would have it, we met several people on that bus that knew exactly where to go for several of the clues - one of them even escorted us to 3 of them!

Here's a photo of Sandy and me with our new friend, Ronnie:

After feeding Sandy a sandwich from a particular bistro, we had our picture taken with a large foot in a series of statues called "The Real World", then we had to find this slide. Ronnie took our photo:

One of our clues was to either: Take a photo of one teammate pumping gas for a non-GUR racer, OR take a photo of both teammates in front of a West Side Story poster... after a wild goose chase looking for a gas station that did not exist, we happened upon a poster shop and VIOLA, a West Side Story poster!

Next, we headed up to Central Park to deliver $5 to representatives from The Damon Runyon Foundation; had our picture taken JUMPING in front of a particular sculpture; completed a workout at a Gym; stopped by Tiffany & Co. for a photo of one teammate proposing to the other; located a bar by only a picture of their logo; found a chess piece in the window of a particular chess shop based on a strange clue...

In between each task, we were running, taking busses and subways, all the while trying to make sure we were going in the right direction!

Thankfully, we took an unnecessary subway ride to Harlem AFTER the race and not during!!

One task was to find a particular bar, receive a package of bubble tape, chew it all then have our photo taken blowing a bubble. Here's a photo:

Whew! We were tired and ready for the finish line! We came in 35th out of 450 teams - not our goal of top 25, but considering half of our team is not a physical fitness guru, we did ok!!

Here's a photo of us with our buddy, Robby at Kinko's. If you're in need of a copy center near 6th Ave and 20th St., Robby is your man!

Sandy and I had a really good time in The Big Apple and I'm thankful to have a husband who encouraged me to go!

Attack of the KILLER....

2009-08-03T17:04:00.012-05:00

Fly.

Yes, Kate thinks flies are not only from the devil, but they are one of the major plagues and are sent to do her harm. If one comes near her (and by "near her", I mean within 20 feet), she kicks, screams, yells, flails, whatever she feels is necessary to express her terror.

If the fly happens to land on, say, her arm, you'd think it was peeling her skin off.

Slowly.

Sometimes, the fly is smart enough to get away from her. But occasionally, they are curious. Almost becoming enchanted by her screams. As if they hear her saying, "Please, dear fly, land on my skin and buzz closely to my face."

By this point, our neighbors are usually calling 9-1-1 because someone has pulled the fingernails off of an innocent child.

The other day, after encountering a fly while alone with Daddy, she sobbed through the phone to me, "Mommy. Fly. Hurt. Me."

I guess God knew what He was doing when he put her precious soul in New Testament times, rather than during the plagues on Egypt...

Sibling Affection

2009-07-21T17:06:00.009-05:00

As I sit down to type this entry, my older 2 are fighting like crazy. I asked Tanner to turn off the TV, but Nora didn't hear me and turned it off before Tanner had a chance to. This infuriated Tanner and he hollered some insult, to which Nora replied, "I want to trade you for a different boy."

And Tanner came back with, "Well... then I'll trade YOU for a different girl!"

But the funny thing is, the above photo was taken just a short time before the blow-up. They were happily watching Word World on my bed.

23 minutes later, they were posting ads on Craig's list for a free brother/sister.

30 years ago, I would done the same thing. I remember thinking my brother's sole purpose on this planet was to annoy me. He got huge thrills out of torturing me... and I might have pestered him a time or two.

And every time we argued my Mom, an only child, would go into this annoying diatribe about how she had always wished for a brother or sister... we should be so thankful to have each other... blah, blah, blah, eyes rolling...

I remember being most thankful when he went to college because I only saw him on A&M football weekends, and his friends were very cute in their Corps of Cadets uniforms... And then 3 years later, as an Aggie freshman, he became useful to me. We ate lunch together on Thursdays, and I always thought I was really cool to be hanging with my brother in the Corps dining hall, with Michael in his Senior boots.

And then before I knew it, we were friends. I love and respect my brother immensely. He is a very talented writer, speaker and people really listen to him. He and his wife have 3 great kids and my kids love them!

Most days, my kids really like each other. The love is a given, but the like comes and goes. Usually, Kate thinks her brother hung the moon. Here's proof:

Some day, I will use this video against them. When they argue - and I know they will - I will show them this video and tell them how lucky they are to have one another... and they will roll their eyes...

San Antonio

2009-07-08T22:08:00.008-05:00

From day 1, our precious Nora has had an amazing influence on our family.

And, for the past year, she has had an unwavering passion for ocean animals. On a daily basis, she asks us to guess what kind of fish she is going to be for the day. She can draw whales amazingly well and she has managed to give the rest of our family a love for ocean animals.

That being said, we went back to SeaWorld this past week. I say "back" because we were just there in March and now 3 months later, we made the 5 hour trek again. I am certain we would not have gone at all had it not been for Nora's love for whales, dolphins, etc.

But it's a fun place to go and we had passes for the year, so we decided to go again. This time, we spent 3 nights in San Antonio and went to SeaWorld 4 days in a row!!

Tanner and Nora were interested to see which rides they were tall enough to ride on. They had absolutely ZERO intention of actually riding on those rides, but boy were they sure of which ones were permitted!!

Tanner's favorite ride was the Shamu Express. In March, I convinced him to ride the Steel Eel with me, but he hated every minute of it. Nora loved this egg-ferris wheel!!
On Tuesday, we decided to head into San Antonio to see the Alamo and Riverwalk. It was perfect - just enough shade and the kids enjoyed the beautiful courtyards of The Alamo.
On Tuesday afternoon, we went back to SeaWorld for a 2nd Shamu show. This time we opted for the Splash-free zone... we learned our lesson on Monday that when they say "Splash zone" they really mean "you will get drenched and you will feel gross the rest of the day".

After the show, we hooked up with a friend who is one of the whale trainers. She let us get close to the window and this amazing whale named Tiki came to check us out. It was the highlight of Tanner and Nora's SeaWorld experience, for sure. Nora has renamed her stuffed killer whale "Tiki"!!

Here's a video:

Nora has said in the past that she wants to be an Oceanographer when she grows up. This week, she said she wants to be a whale trainer. I can't help but wonder if this will be a life-long passion for her. Right now, it's hard to think of Nora without thinking about whales and dolphins!!

It was a great trip, one that we would do again in a heartbeat! And I have a feeling we will be convinced to make a return trip before the end of the year!

Wonderful Stink

2009-06-23T18:30:00.004-05:00

Oh, there is something about 6 year old boys. Not just regular boys, though. Sweaty, stinky, tired, 6 year old boys that have just experienced a day of sports camp.

They are adorable.

And they love Slushies from Sonic.

Especially when they turn their tongues funny colors.

I was truly taken aback at the stench coming from the back seat. It's hard to believe that people so little can smell so badly.

Tanner had the opportunity to attend a sports camp at Denton Bible Church. It was a fun week for the kids and I think Tanner enjoyed learning about basketball. And his Mommy got to smell that wonderfully-disgusting smell of dirty 6-year old boys!!

Blue and blue!

2009-06-19T21:20:00.006-05:00

I am in favor of teaching our children to be independent. I love that 6 & 4 year olds can go to the bathroom, brush their teeth and get dressed without assistance.

Nora frequently gets herself dressed in wild outfits that make us laugh hysterically. She never wears 2 flip-flops of the same color - and I enjoy the smiles she receives from strangers as we walk through Target!

Most days, I chose outfits for the kids to wear and they get themselves dressed. But on this particular day, Tanner was eager to get the day started, so he didn't wait for me. Thankfully, I was able to intervene before he left the house in this:

If you are a man reading this, I'm sure you have no idea what could possibly be wrong with this outfit. Other than the obvious stripes/plaid combo, there's the issue of color. As I tried to explain this to my son, he got the same glazed-over look I remember getting from David 12 years ago when I first explained duvet-covers to him.

When I was finished with my fashion lesson, he looked me straight in the face and said, "No Mommy, they match. See? Blue and blue!"

That's when I realized that the red & white stripped shirt had a faint blue line running through it. And the brown & white shorts also have a tiny blue line running through the plaid.

Golly gee, was I wrong!

Katherine Sophia

2009-06-09T15:13:00.009-05:00

Kate is such a character! Yesterday, she decided the trampoline should be used to further her future career in the circus. She hooks one leg up on the handle then raises the other.

Kate likes to do things her own way. She often gets herself into this position in her chair to eat, but then can't get herself back into a regular sitting position. There is usually screaming involved.

As our 3rd and final child, I was determined to get the pacifier out of Kate's mouth as soon as possible. We followed the pediatrician's guidelines this time and got rid of it before she turned 18 months. I must say, it's nice to hear actual speaking rather than the annoying talk-through-the-pacifier that we had with Tanner and Nora!!

Kate has her own agenda, though.

She found this baby that has a plastic pacifier attached to it's clothing! She was so adorable, but I did feel a bit sorry for her!! It's been more than 9 months since she's had one, but I guess she has fond memories...

Kate is potty training WAY earlier than our other 2 kids. We're on day 3 with only a few accidents!! She'll do just about anything for a mini-M&M, and when she gets one she says, "mulumulum SO YUMMY!"

Oh, how I love my Kate.

What is the singular for "ear wax"??

2009-05-25T11:38:00.016-05:00

Nora, while looking into her Daddy's ear: "That is not cool, Daddy!"
Daddy: "What?"
Nora: "You have ear whack!"
Mommy: "Nora, I think you mean 'ear-wax'."
Nora: "No, there's just one."

That girl never ceases to amaze us! She recited the Pledge of Allegiance at 29 months of age (after listening to Tanner practice it for a few weeks) and did the same with Psalm 23 before she turned 3. I wish we had the ability to immerse her in another language - I feel certain she would learn quickly.

I love to think about the person Nora will become - she is feisty, independent and very sensitive (although she tries very hard to hide it). She plays by herself amazingly well and loves to pretend. Most days, I wish I could get inside her head for a while so that I could understand her. She is very complex... and oh, so wonderful!!

I think the world is a better place with Nora in it. And I am privileged to be her Mommy.

Summer plans...

2009-05-18T18:44:00.005-05:00

David and I are trying to make plans for a trip with the kids. We've talked about going back to SeaWorld - maybe staying at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort. But today, I got a funny e-mail from my hubby and I had to share:

Julia,

This place looks like fun...It's just like Sea World without:

that amazing mexican restaurant or
comfy beds or
fish or
dolphins or
rides or
cable tv
insert anything "nice"` here _________

I believe we should expect:

skinned knees and
to grow sick of grilled food (see 3 to last bullet) and
sunburns and
tears and
ant bites and
half-cooked food and
wi-fi and
more tears and
bad naps and
giggling children and
at least one (probably 2) impromptu trip(s) to the closest McDonalds and
at least one ridiculous argument caused by unusual circumstances and
tons of great memories!

I know we would make fantastic family memories if we went for a weekend!!

http://www.koa.com/where/tx/43166/photogallery/1.htm

As I looked at the site, I kept hearing the lines from National Lampoon's Vacation... Chevy Chase standing at the front desk talking to the camp ground owner, who is eating watermelon and spitting the seeds into a bandana... Definitely one of my all-time favorite movies!!

I think David has a good idea, though! Assuming everyone sleeps OK (which they would not) and the facility is as nice as it looks in the photos (which it probably is not) I think we'd have a blast!

Who needs a top-rated resort in the Hill Country with multiple restaurants, a 4 acre water park, lazy river and full spa services??

Don't get any bigger...

2009-05-06T22:48:00.008-05:00

Well, we're back to school tomorrow! I'm thankful that Denton ISD got a backbone and admitted that this was, perhaps, a knee-jerk reaction. Nora's preschool has also decided to return to school tomorrow. We've had a good week, though. Nora has slept until 8:00 most days and Tanner has enjoyed snuggle-time before breakfast with Mommy. While I'm ready to get back into our normal routine, it was nice to have a few days off.

Kate loves to dance. And she loves to be without her clothing.

So, when Daddy turned on the dance music, and Mommy stripped her down to her pull-up, she was thrilled! We all watched her dance around the living room, laughing and clapping with her.

But in the middle of the laughter, I noticed that Tanner was sitting on the couch, sobbing. I pulled him close to me and asked him, "what's wrong?" The response was the most precious thing I've heard in a long time:

"I just love Kate so much... and she's so cute...I don't want her to get bigger."

Oh, sweet boy. I know what you mean! I have felt that same way about each of my kids so many times.

This morning, when I went to pick up Kate from the nursery at MOPS, 2 other toddlers were standing at the door. When Kate saw me, she squealled with delight, then proceeded to shove those boys out of the way saying, "No! Mine, Mommy!" I love that she is becoming so verbal with her feelings.

Nora, the future oceanographer, has developed a precious game for us to play. She has about a hundred fish - plastic, paper and stuffed. She has us hold a string that has a loop in the bottom. We throw the string over the side of the couch and say something like, "Boy, I hope I can catch a good fish today! Maybe I'll catch a WHALE or a DOLPHIN!!"

Nora then attaches one of her animals to the loop and we pull the string up to reveal the catch! The reaction by Nora is astounding - her face lights up in a way that makes me melt.

Nora is a very complicated girl at times. But when we play her fishing game, she becomes simple. And innocent. And I want that to never change.

Sometimes, the constant requests for me to play with them can be overwhelming. I get tired... and selfish... and sometimes even a tad annoyed. But when I see the look on Nora's face when I exclaim, with much delight, "Oh, I was hoping to catch a shark!" It makes my day.

And every day, at some point, I think to myself, Oh, please don't get any bigger than this.

Piggie-flu

2009-05-03T21:28:00.003-05:00

Well, it looks like we'll be spending a fun week together since Denton ISD has closed schools for the week. Such a waste of tax-payer money. 5 days of education that we have paid for that will not happen. I could go on for hours about my annoyance on this topic...

But I am not with out a plan!!

Monday: ballet and a play date

Tuesday: Portrait Innovations and canvas painting. I've wanted to have them work together to paint on a canvas for a while now. Here's my opportunity! If it turns out pretty, I have a spot in my kitchen for it. If it's hideous, it'll go in my closet!

Wednesday: MOPS (thank goodness Crossroads is trying to find a way for us to meet!) and karate

Thursday: Hopefully another playdate...

Friday: hmmmm.... by Friday I might be in the looney bin, so I'll have to leave that day open.

I'll post later in the week with updates on my sanity.

Headaches and Prayers

2009-04-27T19:20:00.009-05:00

My brain is about to explode.

Our oven has decided to make this annoying little double-beep every 8 seconds. It also won't turn on. I finally decided to just turn off the power to the oven at the circuit breaker. Thankfully, the good people at Snuffer's were happy to feed our family tonight.

But the incessant beeping, coupled with Kate's whining has made me want to bury my head in the ground.

Our youngest is having a potty-problem. I thought it was a urinary tract infection, but the doctor seems to think she is trying to hold in her pee. He told me to start more consistent potty training and hopefully, her discomfort will go away. But in the meantime, she is very uncomfortable and has cried most of the day. I feel so badly for her. I bought the mini-M&M's that were recommended by my favorite Potty Master and I think she'll be more motivated to "go" if she knows she'll get one.

Our sweet children pray together every night at bedtime. Nora is pretty consistent. She always thanks God for "mountains, slippery; the rainbow, colorful; clouds, floating..." We're not sure why she prays this way, but it's adorable! She usually throws in gratitude for her curtains or the ceiling fan, and almost always thanks God for her brother and sister.

Kate always squeezes her eyes closed and clasps her hands together. When prompted, she will say, "Thank you, Jesus."

Tanner prayed that Kate would feel better... and "please help me to like Mommy's jewelry and make-up". I just loved that one!!

Although it's been a relatively horrible day, listening to my children pray for each other makes it all better... that and a glass of wine!!

Playing Hookie

2009-04-17T11:24:00.011-05:00

My son has totally duped me. This morning, he said his throat hurt when he swallowed and he really wanted to stay home. Then he looked up at me with his messy hair and said, "I love you, Mommy."

I totally caved.

It appears to have been a temporary sore throat because it vanished once he was certain he wasn't going to school.

Since it's pouring outside, I figure it's a perfect day for playing hookie and snuggling my almost-6 year old. I can't believe he's almost finished with kindergarten... almost 6 years old...

When Tanner was born, he gave us quite the scare. The on-call pediatrician detected a heart murmer and he was transported to Children's Medical Center. At a mere 24 hours old, an amazing pediatric cardiac surgeon performed a valvuloplasty on his pulmonary valve and fixed the problem.

I was a zombie through the majority of the weekend, but the thing I remember the most is that we were told that if the murmer had not been detected, he would have died within a few days or possibly a few weeks. He was being kept alive by a valve that works in-utero, but becomes unnecessary after birth. As this "PDA" valve stops working, the pulmonary valve takes over. Tanner's valve was not functional at all and needed immediate attention.

And now, here he is. A perfectly healthy, almost 6 year old... with a heartbeat that sounds like a trainwreck. And a mommy who's a total sucker.

So, occasionally, I think I will let kids play hookie. Not when an important test is at stake... and not if I'm being manipulated. But every now and then, it's good to take a day off and be thankful for every minute we have together.

The last word

2009-04-06T20:01:00.007-05:00

My kids are brilliant, of course, but every now and then they say things incorrectly. And I love it. And I don't want it to change.

Tanner says "laser beans" and I think it's absolutely adorable. Tonight, he made a fabulous space station for all of us to live in out of Tinkertoys. Listening to him describe all the many functions (including many laser beans), with his slight 5-missing-teeth lisp made me fall in love with that boy even more.

Nora occasionally spills things, but it's always an "askident". When she was little, she loved the color "lellow"... and "butterblies"... and "Kolkadots". But, much to my dismay, most of those baby-words have been replaced with the real thing. Which breaks my heart.

Kate has her own dictionary. Tanner has been "tootee" for quite a while, and she has refused to say "Nora". But the other day, she started saying, "Nora" plain as day! She will also say "Tanner" if you ask her to, but she still calls him "tootee".

Our favorite Kateism is "moomee"... actually, the most often spoken phrase by our youngest is "melmo moomee?" If you need a translation, what she means to say is, "Can we please watch an Elmo movie?"

OOOH, I love my kids. And their imperfect speech. It's such a tangible reminder of how quickly they are growing.

Job Security

2009-03-30T12:40:00.006-05:00

As I was leaving Wal-Mart today, I noticed a gentleman wearing all black. Johnny Cash black. And his car was black. But upon closer inspection, this is what really caught my eye:

I couldn't help but snap a photo. I'm guessing this guy loves his job. A Lot. I'm sure he wouldn't kill for it, though. Or maybe...

But he is in a fantastic field. He has total job security, regardless of the economy. I'm guessing he's not worried about lay-offs and cutbacks either.

Mommy, come quick!

2009-03-10T15:30:00.011-05:00

This past weekend, David went to Bryan to visit his Mom. The kids and I opted to stay home and have a relaxing weekend.

After a few hours of "relaxing", the kids were in major need of an activity. We got out the glue, construction paper and scissors and they went to town. As you can see, they worked hard cutting, gluing and coloring.

They enjoyed making crafts and got along well - Tanner made the heart with a butterfly face for Nora and wrote "flutter" (kid spelling = FLUDR).

With the bigger kids occupied and Kate reading books in the living room, I took a few minutes to check my e-mail. It's amazing what can happen in a "few minutes"! Tanner ran into the office and said, "Mommy, come quick! Nora cut her hair!"

Uh oh.

She didn't just snip a bit off the ends... she CUT HER HAIR! Her messy, afternoon hair was in her eyes and, rather than bother Mommy by asking for a rubberband, she took matters into her own hands. She cut straight across the front of her hair, just above her eyebrows!

After a frantic phone call to my friend Lisa (a hair stylist) and David, we cleaned up the hair and had a serious conversation about who is allowed to cut hair and who is not. She was a tad embarrassed, but pleased with her ability to solve her own problem... very typical of Nora!

On Sunday, Lisa came and evened out Nora's new bangs. Although she has a totally different look now, I must say it's cute and suits her fine. In the photo below, the back of her hair is pulled back for ballet.

I must say, I think I lucked out in comparison to what most children do to their hair with scissors. My niece whacked her hair - and her toddler sister's hair - very short. They were adorable with their pixie-do's, but my sister-in-law was not thrilled!!

I really love this girl... bangs and all! While I would prefer for her to not have bangs, I love her independent nature that drives her to fix things in her world that are not going according to her plan. We know that God created in her a strong will, and we are thankful every day for our precious Nora.