Friday, January 28, 2011

Enjoying A Nice Afternoon!


With the warmer temperatures we enjoyed some family time out in the yard. So blessed to be their Mommy!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Haircuts and Doctors


I know...kind of a weird combination, but this week was a week of haircuts and doctors appointments for Joshua. As with the other kids we tackled the haircut at home. He did great and seemed very comfortable with the electric clippers. In fact, when I showed them to him he kind of nodded and pointed to his hair like “oh yea, of course, it’s time to cut my hair!” One thing I’ve noticed is that his hair grows very fast and I love the tight almost buzz cut on him. This summer we’ll probably even go a little shorter.

The next task for the week was his first visit to our pediatrician. He did great, seemed quite confident and recovered quickly from the shots. Caroline came along for moral support. She even packed a little bag for him that included stickers, colors, goldfish, and a few of his favorite small toys. She was so sweet and tender with him.

A couple of days later Caroline, Joshua and I headed down to Houston for Josh’s consultation at Shriners Hospital. We had a great experience with the staff (particularly the family life specialist!) and I left feeling very comfortable with continuing Joshua’s care there. The only down side was the long wait we had (due to some complications with patience ahead of us) that carried us over lunch. So by the time the doctor actually came in Josh was emotionally spent, hungry and tired. Not a good place to be when you can’t understand what’s about to go on and you’re are about to have your mouth wedged open (think dentist plastic thingies that pull your lips away from your teeth and gums and hold your mouth wide open) and poked at! Poor little guy. I felt so bad for him knowing that he was just tired and hungry. He was down right mad when the doctor got through with him. He just sat there and whimpered. Shortly after that we were in the car headed to find some lunch and he was asleep before we even got out of the parking garage! He was so wiped out! But all in all a very successful appointment and a very good experience for all of us.

Here are a few pics of the haircut before and after and of C and J with the fun toys they were given by the family life specialist. Did I already mention...she was amazing!!!










Friday, January 21, 2011

Chinese Yo-Yo

It’s clear Josh has played with one of these before! I love moments like this when I am given a small glimpse into his past. There are not many details provided, no conversations about how he learned to yo-yo, no remarks about how we’re “yo-yoing” ALL WRONG!, just a simple act of playing...with such knowledge, form and focus! Love it!


Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Special Time with These Two


It’s not often that the big two and I get to break away from the littles, but when we do I cherish the time. At age 6 and 8 we are able to have “real” conversations. I get a glimpse into their hearts...their dreams, their fears, and their joys. It’s such a different dynamic just hanging with the two of them. I loved just sitting back and listening to them talk. But as we sat at Starbucks enjoying our cup of hot chocolate, I couldn’t help but think about the fact that the last time it was just the two of them in the house they were 2 and 4 years old! So much has happened over the past 4 years. So much life change. So much transition. So much growth. So much challenge. So much joy. These two are awesome kids. They share a such sweet friendship with one another (filled with laughter and annoyances). As I look at them now...at 6 and 8, I wonder what the next 4 years will hold and I can’t even imagine sharing this moment with them at 10 and 12...is 10 and 12 REALLY just FOUR years away!?! I am so blessed to be their mommy and look forward to the next special time I have with them!


SNOW...okay, really ICE...


...but in Texas you can’t be picky about these types of things! Not much to say here...the kids had fun and it was cold! By day two we did get a little bit of snow and Daniel and Caroline went to town scraping together every bit of snow they could find to build a snowman. It’s kind of a dirty, creepy, skinny looking snowman, but it’s a snowman, none the less! And they had a BLAST doing it COMPLETELY BY THEMSELVES!













Saturday, January 8, 2011

My Rockin' Birthday Cake


This year my husband planned a fabulous day for my birthday!...one that will be hard to top in years to come unless perfectly replicated! :) It started with a leisurely morning of sleeping in, coffee and bagels. Then a scheduled hour long massage. Followed by the day wide open just for me! I enjoyed lunch at pei-wei, then headed to the mall to spend a couple of gift certificates I’d received for Christmas, then to Starbucks to meet up with a friend - uninterrupted conversation is amazing, then home for dinner and cake prepared by the family! David made a rockin cake! I love my family dearly. They are such an amazing gift. I love the blessing of staying home with my kids and being so involved in every aspect of their lives, but I have to admit the “day off” was so refreshing. I’m definitely thankful for my husband who looks out for me, is fearless when it comes to taking on the kids for the day, and takes the effort to give me this type of alone time. I am truly blessed!

The last picture is of Caroline with the cute little Lego somethinganother she built for my birthday present! Sweet girl...I could kiss her up!






 


Thursday, January 6, 2011

Park Playtime


I’ve had a big bag of dinner rolls sitting on the kitchen counter for about two weeks now. They were starting to mold, so rather than toss them I grabbed the bag on the way out the door to pick Daniel up from school. Then we headed to the park to feed the ducks. It’s okay to feed ducks slightly molding bread, right? I promise there wasn’t much...just enough to keep me from trying to feed it to my kids! :)

It was a chilly but beautiful day, so we stayed an played for a while. What a refreshing break from the norm. Enjoy the pics. They are from my iphone so may not be the best quality, but they sure are cute.