Monday, December 27, 2010

Christmas

Well, it's been a fun and busy few months around here! The kids are staying busy with school and are loving every minute of it! They really keep me on my toes. Bailey is such a little man. His teachers tell me he will be on the debate team one day. He has a logical reason for everything he does-good or bad. Blake is my high spirited child. He is very strong willed which I know will serve him well one day.He has been working a little on expanding his vocabulary. He says shoe, hat, back, backpack, no, yes, mamma, dadda. I am sure there are others I can't think of right now. He seems shy about trying to say new words so we are trying to build his confidence in this area. Poor kid doesn't get much of a vocal chance living in the same house as Bailey. I weighed the boys the other day and Bailey was 32.5 lbs and Blake was 27.5 lbs! Blake loves sports and we see it more each day. The boys love, love, love to play together! They are the best of friends and the worst of enemies:)


Last month, my sister had her twin girls. They are very sweet and adorable! I feel very fortunate to spend so much time with them. Jill and the girls even had a sleep over one night while the guys were hunting. It's been a while since I have had to do midnight feedings, but I was happy to be able to help out!
When my sister goes back to work in a few weeks I will start keeping the girls one day each week. I am sure it will be challenging with four kids here, but I am excited to spend time with the girls and for the boys to spend time with them. Bailey is CRAZY about them! Blake is still thinking about it.

Our Christmas was a little different this year. Half of my mom's side of the family started throwing up Christmas Eve night, so plans were up in the air. In the end, we ended up postpoing Christmas with them until this weekend. We still wanted to see the twins on Christmas, so we went over to Jill and Jarod's house with my mom, Mark and Grandmother. Thankfully, Jarod's parents and sister were in town at their Weatherford house and had made a huge feast. They were gracious enough to bring it over and share. It ended up being a great evening. It was also Jay's 31st birthday. I think he had a great day and best of all, the four of us were together! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and have a fun, safe New Year's 2010 has been a great year and I can't wait to see what 2011 brings!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

October

Well, I am pretty sure no one reads this blog anymore since I have gotten so bad at updating. I have gotten worse at taking pictures too. At least if I keep up the blogging, I will have a record of what the kids are doing at each stage.

Tonight, Bailey was in our room watching a TV show and Jay and I were watching the Rangers. Bailey didn't realize that Blake had woken up and was out of bed. Bailey came into the living room and said "Mommy, Daddy, actually, there's a baby on the loose" We started cracking up! Bailey has also become quite the negotiator! If I get on to him for trying to discipline Blake, his answer is always the same. "Mommy, I'm just trying to learn how to be a daddy." His teacher tells me he's highly intelligent. And she should know, she was a public school teacher and after that was a school librarian for 20 years. So, I guess it's true, he's a genius:)

He really loves school this year and is learning so much. So far, they have learned the pledge of allegiance, the Texas pledge, all about senses, Christopher Columbus, about Authors, Illustrators, Titles, front covers & back covers of books. They have even learned not to 'dog ear' the page, but to use a book mark. He even looks forward to his weekly homework. I hope he always likes school this much!

Blake is doing well too, but I think he may be a carjacker when he gets older. Any time we walk by a parked car he tries to open the door. He will walk right up to it and pull on the handle. He is also still Mr. Independent. He is the only one at gymnastics that doesn't want his mommy's help during circle time. So, I am the only mommy in the circle doing the songs and motions without a kid on her lap! Blake and I just sit side by side. But, he is very happy that way and I enjoy seeing him having fun doing it by himself.

He is starting to talk a little more. His newest word is shoe. He says, ball, more, bubble, no, uh oh and I am sure there are more I can't think of right now. He is going to start attending school twice a week instead of his current one day. Starting next week, he will add Tuesdays to his school week. The reason for this is I was offered the job of music teacher at their school. They wanted someone with a music and education background and they thought of me. I think it will be a fun experience. I will teach on Thursdays, so I would be losing my one day to myself which is why Blake will start adding Tuesdays. I was just not willing to give up my day. It's my most productive day of the week!

We have so many Halloween activities to attend (we've already had two), so I will post pictures once they are all done with.

Happy Halloween!

Monday, September 06, 2010

Is Summer Really Over?

It's so hard to believe that the boys start school this week! Bailey will be going to Pre-K three days a week and Blake will be in the toddler class one day a week. Bailey is so excited to be back at school with all of his friends. Tomorrow is his first day. He has two wonderful teachers that I am so excited about! I know Bailey will learn so much from them! One of his teachers was a librarian for 20 years so she obviously has a passion for books and literacy! How perfect for a Pre-K teacher!

We have been super busy doing I have NO IDEA what the past two months! Where does the time go? We are still loving the house and feel all settled in. The kids love, love, love, the backyard and the playroom. I am so excited that they get to grow up in this house.

Last week we had something interesting happen to us. I was buckling the kids in their carseats at about 8:30am and didn't realize that Blake was playing with my keyless entry remote. I got them both strapped in and closed their doors and suddenly realized that the car was locked! I felt terrible! I was on the phone with my mom at the time and I think I just kept saying "oh no! oh no!" She snapped me back into reality and said "hang up, call 911"...thanks mom! The fire department came and it took them about 30 minutes to get the car unlocked (apparantly on the newer model Tahoes if you lock with the keyless it's very difficult to unlock). The boys were DRENCHED in sweat and Blake was screaming by about 15 minutes into it. They had said if it had been any hotter they would have only tried for about 5 minutes before breaking the window. Even though the boys were very hot and sweaty, it was still cool enough outside for them to take their time and try to avoid breaking the window. They (all four of them) arrived very quickly! We are very lucky that about a month ago a brand new fire station opened about 1/4 a mile from our house. After they got the boys out I took Blake inside to get water and cool off and they took Bailey for a ride around the neighborhood in the fire truck. He was so excited! You can see how sweaty he is if you look closely:)

They invited us down to the station house for a tour! So later that day we baked brownies and brought them to the firemen. Both boys loved the stations house and didn't want to leave. I have to admit, it was really nice! Not a bad place to work. They let Bailey spray the hose and the boys got to try their hats on.
Blake really took to that particular fireman! He didn't want him to put him down. Luckily, the guy didn't seem to mind.

We spent Labor day weekend in Lubbock for the first Tech game of the season. It was also Alumni Band Day. The boys had a great time and Bailey was really into getting to yell "go tech" and learn all about where Mommy and Daddy went to college. The brain washing has officially begun! Before the game we were able to tailgate with a Tri Delt friend of mine and her husband. It was great to get to see people we went to college with!
I love Tech! It is such a beautiful campus. Gorgeous flowers everywhere, fountains, trees, so much land in between the buildings. Makes for a long, speedy walk when you are rushing between classes, but it's so pretty it's impossible not to enjoy the view!

Friday, August 06, 2010

Home Sweet Home


We are home!! We have been here 6 wonderful weeks! Until tonight, without TV or internet, but they have still been 6 wonderful weeks! We are loving everything about our new house. Today we got neighbors! They moved in across the street. They also sold the lot next to ours (the other side of our house will not be built on-it's greenbelt and a beautiful view) and should start building soon.


We have been busy little bees the past several weeks. We are completely moved in. Let me tell you, without tv you can get A LOT of work done! By the second week I was parking in the garage. I love that we have had all of our boxes unpacked and everything organized for 4 weeks! It has made living here even nicer. The kids have adjusted well. They love the house and love their play room!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

My life is almost normal again!

I will have to post pictures later (hopefully tomorrow), but we are on the countown for our move! We are scheduled to close on June 28th and move on July 2nd! It's hard to believe we are almost in our new house! Part of us will miss being in Weatherford-I have gotten to see my sister a lot more, my mother-in-law has been a big help with the boys, etc., but I am ready to kiss that LONG drive goodbye!

In other news- VBS is over! It went great! We had over 275 kids and 150 volunteers and I have been stopped by numerous parents to tell me how much their child(ren) loved the week! That certainly makes the months of hard work worth it! I had a great time last week too! I loved every second of VBS-walking around and experiencing what the kids were experiencing. Seeing the smiles on their faces in recreation and their excitement in music. They also had science, arts and crafts, storytelling and snack. Every aspect came together to create a meaningful week. Or, as our curriculum said: "A cosmic adventure of praising God!" The space theme was a big hit and I think we all enjoyed ourselves. It was rejuvinating to say the least! I can't wait to post some pictures from the week.















Saturday, May 29, 2010

I'm A Horrible Blogger!


But I have a good excuse! Well, several actually. It's been so long I am not sure I have any readers anymore! My first excuse begins with our living situation. At Jay's parent's house the computer is in the office in the very back of the house. When I am in this room I can't see or hear the kids. This leaves me very few opportunities to come back here. When I do, it's usually to run in and check my email very quickly.

My second excuse is that we are hardly ever home! With all of the boys' activities taking place an hour away we spend most of our "free" time in the car. I would like to say this will change now that school is over, but it won't. And that brings me to my third excuse.

I am the director for VBS this year. A HUGE undertaking at a church of 3,000+ members! Now all our time for the next 2 1/2 weeks will be spent at the church preparing. I had been using their school time to be at church working, but now things are in high gear with VBS around the corner. Begining June 2 we have many work days running 6 hours a day. Of course, I will need to be there to oversee/answer questions/WORK! I fully anticipate once we move getting back into a regular blogging routine!

Now that I am done with excuses I will catch you up. Bailey turned 4 on the 11th! It's hard to believe he is so old. In 15 months he will be starting kindergarten. I don't know what to think of that! I am going to send him to preschool 3 days a week next year to hopefully make the transition easier. He has been going 2 days, but seems excited to get to go even more. Blake is...well, all over the place! He is our little destructor. He is not scared of anything and thinks he is as old as his big brother! He will stand up and fight for what he wants! He is very strong-willed and has quite the temper! He only has a handful of words, so I am hoping once his vocabulary increases his temper will settle down. He is so sweet though! Not the cuddler Bailey is, but has the greatest smile and loves to laugh!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

I Can't Believe It's March!

I can't believe it's March and that it's been almost 2 months since I have posted. So much has happened! We sold our house at the beginning of February. We are building a new house very close to our old one. It will not be ready until July so we have moved in with Jay's parents in Weatherford. It is a long drive to Hurst everyday, but we are making it work. We are very happy that we sold our house so quickly (22 days) especially since there were at least 15 other houses in our neighborhood for sale. Because of that we expected to have to come down on our asking price, but the first offer we got was for our asking price! We took it and ran:)!

On February 20 Blake turned one! We had a nice family party and Blake ate almost his ENTIRE cake! It was shocking! I will post pictures when I can, but I am on my in-laws computer and all the pictures are on my computer so I have to figure that out. Blake is 30.5 inches and 23lbs. He is walking very well and at times tries to run! He tries to say "cat" and "dog". He is not as interested in talking as Bailey was at this age. Probably because even if we wanted to talk, Bailey doesn't stop talking long enough for anyone else to say anything.

Bailey is my little academic! At school, when they quiz the kids with flash cards the teachers told me that before they show the card they say "Bailey, don't answer" They said if no one else knows the answer they will tell Bailey "okay, you can answer". Every day, on the way to school Bailey wants to talk about what the letter will be that day, what the month, season and weather will be. After school he tells me all about it. He also loves chapel time. He loves to tell me the story that they learned.

I will try to figure out how to get my pictures uploaded on here.

Friday, January 15, 2010

First Haircut



Blake had his first haircut this week. I was surprised at how well he sat still since he isn't even 11 months! It was a much needed haircut. His hair was in his eyes and longer than his ears! He looks like such a little boy now. Baby days are over! I think this picture does a good job of showing how crazy his hair was! His hair looks so much better now!

The boys are both doing great! They love to horseplay and wrestle! I can only imagine what life will be like in a few years! Luckily, our new house will have a big playroom where they can roll around 'till their hearts content.


On the house front, it's been on the market since Tuesday. A realtor came by today and wants to show the house to her clients tomorrow. Hopefully all will go well!

Bailey is doing some stretches here. He is still loving his classes at the My Gym. In fact, he has long ago decided that's where he wants his birthday party this year!

Monday, January 11, 2010

I'm Back

I feel like I have fallen off the blogger planet. Things have stayed so busy here the past several weeks! The kids started back at school last week and I think we were all happy about that!

I think most everyone has heard that we are putting our house on the market. Tomorrow if fact. This is my first time to sell a house and I really hope it's my last. We haven't even put the sign in the front yard and I am super stressed and cleaning non stop! I am not sure how long I can keep that up! Between picking up after the kids, laundry, cooking and trying to keep the house spotless I am halfway to crazy. Jay says the house isn't even on the market yet so don't worry about it, but I think it's good to start practicing. We are going to do it by appt. only, so hopefully that will help. If anyone has any house selling advice, send it my way!

We met with the architect for the new house last night and it was a bit overwhelming. So many decisions and we have barely gotten started. I guess our next step will be to approve the plans the architect designs and then we have to pick our brick and rock immediately so they can start building. Later, we will meet with the interior designer to select our tile, hardwood floor, appliances, and so much more. My brain can't even wrap itself around all of the decisions. Luckily, Jill and Jarod have built 2 houses so they let us pick their brains and offer us lots of suggestions and tells us which questions to ask.

Main thing...SELL THIS HOUSE!! Say a really big prayer please!

I will post pictures of the kids later. I haven't uploaded them to the computer yet.