My baby is 5!

Bailey turned five this month, on May 11. He was SO excited to be five! He had a great birthday with several little celebrations. The night before his birthday, his Mimi and Mark took us to dinner and he got to open presents. On his birthday he got a cake and got to open presents. Plus, he got to wear a crown the entire day at school and I brought special snacks for his class. That weekend, he had his birthday party. One of his presents was a new wooden swing set with a fort and a rock wall. He was super excited about it. He and Blake have loved playing on it and I think it will get a lot of use in the years to come.

I have to mention that the balloon you see in this picture, is unfortunately still clinging to life so I haven't be allowed to remove it yet.

Now that school is out for the summer we have big plans to have FUN. It's my last summer before Bailey starts "real" school and I want to savor every second. We purchased pool passes to the local pool and between that, My Gym camp, play dates, our museum and zoo passes I think we will be busy having fun. No sleeping late for this family. As most of you know we are a "go,go,go" family. The kids and I are happiest that way (Daddy, not so much:) ). We like to get up about 7am and get going. In the summer we like to hit the gym first and then go out on our daily adventure. Bailey is really looking forward to the pool opening and I hope to walk away with a good tan!

Last week was the tornado here in DFW. We lost our fence (which Jay is out fixing as we speak), but thankfully that was all. Bailey was so worried about the swing set and our dog (who was in the garage). While the kids were taking cover in their bathtub, Jay and I were taking turns looking out the window. We actually saw a tornado! It was crazy to actually see one. Surreal. It soon passed and we were able to leave our shelter, but the kids were so wound up afterwards that it was 10:00pm before they went to bed.

Blake is turning into such a big boy. I know I say that every time, but it's amazing how much he grows each week. He is putting sentences together and really communicating well. I was worried he would never learn because Bailey wouldn't give him the chance to speak for himself, but he has found his voice. The other day he was throwing a temper tantrum and I told him I was going to spank him if he didn't calm down. His response was "NO, ME SPANK YOU!" Mmmmm, that didn't go over too well with Mommy.

He is a wonderful little boy, though and I have no doubt he has a sweet spirit and more than anything, he idolizes his big brother!

April Fun

Our April was filled with fun, fun, fun!

The boys had their annual check up and it went great! Bailey is still only in the 25%, but he had gained 2 pounds since his tonsillectomy in February so I considered that a huge success! Blake weighs 30 lbs, which means he is back on the charts. If you remember, at his 1 year check up he was 10% overweight, though I still call shenanigans on that. He is in the 60% for weight at 50% for height.




We hosted Easter at our house this year and it turned out so well, I may have to do it every year. It was very nice not to travel anywhere (even though we only go 45 minutes), but got to come back to our house after church and have a fun and relaxing afternoon with family and friends. The kids really enjoyed the Easter egg hunt and Grammy brought fun presents for all 8 kids which were a big hit.

We also went to Sea World this month! We went 2 years ago and it has expanded so much! They just opened Sesame Street Bay of Play and it was really cool. They expanded the water area, have a playground and more rides for the kids. We spent all day Friday there and decided we needed to go back Sunday morning to see the stuff we didn't get a chance to on Friday. Saturday we spend the day in Downtown San Antonio doing all the touristy stuff. We met our good friends from Jay's law school days, Chris and Theresa and their two boys. Everyone knows you have to be careful when choosing friends to vacation with. The Ruckers are the perfect vacation friends! We get along perfectly, their boys are the same exact age as ours, we discipline similarly and our kids love each other. It really makes for the perfect combination. We rented this wonderful 4 bedroom house just minutes from downtown and it was great! We made breakfast each morning, but other than that, Theresa and I were on a cooking strike.

We got the biggest kick out of watching the boys read their Sea World maps!

This is how we spent a good part of our evenings. Don't judge us.

Ready, set, surgery

Last Friday, Bailey had his tonsils and adenoids out. The surgery went well and Bailey has been busy recovering.

He was so brave the day of his surgery and only got teary eyed right before they wheeled him back. We got to the hospital at 8:30am and he was very excited to check in and get his ID bracelet. He got to wear his pj's and bring a blanket and stuffed animal to keep with him during surgery. Once we were checked in, they took us upstairs where he had his blood pressure, temperature and oxygen levels checked. After that a nurse came to talk with us and the child life specialist came and visited with Bailey and brought him some legos. We then had a visit with the anesthesiologist who explained the sedation and breathing tube procedures. We then spent over 2 hours in the playroom. They were running late because of the weather. The playroom was fun, but by this time it is noon and Bailey is starving. Once they get us into a room they bring Bailey the "giggle juice." This helps them feel relaxed so they aren't anxious about leaving their parents. This is when Bailey started crying. He was upset for only 5 minutes or so, just until the medicine kicked in.

After the surgery, we were taken to recovery where Bailey was eating popcicles and charming the nurses...no surprise there! Let me say that Cooks Children's is AMAZING! They make it a priority to make sure the kids feel safe and not scared. They are great to the parent's too! On our way home, he fell asleep and was basically in a coma until 7 the next morning. Saturday, he did amazingly well and even ate a little. Starting Sunday though, he stopped eating and is still eating very little. Maybe a few bites of macaroni for the entire day. We are keeping him full of fluids though. Apparantly, it is a full 7 day recovery, so we will see how that goes.

Some friends of ours said something really sweet about Bailey the other day and I had to share (isn't it a mom's job to brag:) ). They were over for the superbowl with their 4 kids (4 year old triplets and a 2 year old) and I was complaining about how grumpy Bailey had been that day. They said Bailey is the kind of kid everyone wishes their kid was like. I thought that was so nice, and it made me very proud of Bailey. Now, let me just say that their kids are wonderful kids! My kids are crazy about them! How they get 4 kids to behave so well is beyond me!

While Bailey was drugged up on pain meds, Blake got some much needed one on one time with Mommy and Daddy. Rarely, if ever, does he get both of our full attention at the same time. Needless to say, he loved it! Blake will be turning two in just a few short weeks! It's hard to believe! It has gone by too quickly! He is my headstrong, amazingly athletic little boy with the cutest smile and we are so lucky to have him!

So far, January has been a good month for us here at the Newton house. We are staying as busy as ever!

Two weeks ago, my sister went back to work teaching to finish out the school year. A wonderful group of friends and family will be watching her twin girls through May. I am lucky enough to have Wednesdays as my day with the twins. Today was my second day to keep them. They are such little angels! This morning, they were dropped off right before 7:00am...then things turned into high gear as they usually do around here. I had to feed both girls, feed both boys, get the boys dressed and Bailey's lunch made, drop him off at school and then head back to the house. We pick Bailey up from school at 2:00 and then the best part of the day...playing on the playground at school for 2.5 hours. A few of my friends and their kids always stay, so the boys have plenty of playmates. I lay the girls out on a blanket and they soak up the sun for a few hours. They love it! Once we get home (around 4:45) they both get a bath and get ready for their daddy to pick them up. I like to think the girls have fun here:)
Bailey and Blake are doing great! Bailey is reading! He is sounding out words and reading books. He even read a book to his class for show and tell this week. I am so proud of him! Blake is learning new words every day. I am proud of him for getting the confidence to attempt new words.

Last weekend, some dear friends of ours from Jay's (& Chris') law school days came to visit. They have two boys who are almost the exact age as Bailey and Blake. The kids (and adults) had a great time together. It had been two years since we had gotten together and after a wonderful weekend and a vow to never let it be that long again, we have a Sea World trip in the works for this summer. We always have so much fun together. We took the kids to the museum, went out to eat and played Yatzee. In law school a group of 6-8 of us used to have game nights and potlucks all the time. Sometimes I miss those days!