N9NE

Not the greatest picture. I could've taken it out of the "frame" and scanned it, but I love that Bryan still has it laying on his nightstand in that broken piece of plastic. The back was broken off a while ago by one of the kids, so it won't stand anymore. The photo was taken on the second day of our honeymoon in Jamaica.

Nine years and 3 kids later, I am such a different girl than the one in the picture. We've moved to different houses in different states, switched jobs and careers, updated furniture, adjusted to living together again after deployment, replaced vehicles, shifted priorities, added children, changed hairstyles and clothing, and learned from experiences. The Sovereign Lord blessed me with a constant through all of it: Bryan. How pitiful it sounds to say, "Thanks for 9 great years, B!" But I am truly thankful for all of it. I love that man more than words can express.

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Ecclesiastes 4:9,10

weekend trip

Bright and early Friday morning, we hit the road.

Everyone was all smiles even though it was 6:30 and no one had been fed.

Our first stop was for donuts. We all enjoyed smelling the chocolate iced donuts we'd enjoy eating once we got to Nana and Poppa's house. Well, all except for the boys. They ate bananas instead. Levi would probably prefer a banana to anything else and Bryan was still attempting to eat healthy...he was successful through lunch, but those puffy tacos got to him at dinner.

We're still smiling even though mom and dad are making us wait to eat our breakfasts.


Levi received Nana's full attention while he ate. (I have a feeling he got that pretty much his entire stay!)

We said goodbye to Poppa and Nana, kissed Levi and loaded back into the van for a 4 hour drive to San Antonio.


Right around Austin, the girls started moaning because I cut off the snacks since we'd be eating lunch in about an hour. Amazingly we made it to the restaurant without anyone dying from starvation. We like to stop at EZ's anytime we're in SA because the one in Dallas disappeared. It was there before we moved to Raleigh, but gone when we returned. Or maybe it just moved locations? Anyone know??

We were a little bored while we waited for our food, so we broke out the camera.

Addi got to take a couple pictures, so, of course, little sister wanted to also. She dropped the camera before she got a chance. My last camera was dropped last summer on the tail-end of a trip to SA and that's when I got this camera. Fortunately, there was no need for a new camera this time, but boy did she pout when I took the camera away to make sure it was still working.



It didn't last long. As soon as I handed it back to her with the strap around her this time, she happily snapped this shot. I was impressed...Libs got us all in and we're even kind of centered.

After lunch, we headed to our friends' home to change into swimsuits and sunscreen up. Joel and Christian came with us to Sea World that afternoon. After a failed attempt to see Diamond (the Budweiser horse my girls have adopted) and a successful dolphin feeding, we spent the rest of the hot afternoon in the water. Joel became King of Entertainment when he invented a game involving knocking the kids off the floating lilypads while Bryan watched from the sidelines and I prayed neither of my girls would have to go to the bathroom again. Our reward was El Chapparal that night and it was worth the 45 minutes we had to wait to sit outside. Yum! Yum!

The next day, Julie was able to join us at Sea World. We left right after we ate Joel's breakfast tacos and watermelon. Bryan's plan to eat healthy while on our trip was completely sabotaged by then!

First stop, after the dolphins, of course, was the Viva show. The girls and I loved this show last time, but Bryan missed it since he was waiting on Levi to finish his nap at the hotel. It was still a great show the second time around.

And, I still got teary watching the baby Beluga whale swim alongside its momma. I think all that started last summer when I had my baby still so close to me with every move I made. The show was closed because the babies were still nursing, as was my baby, but they allowed you to watch the mommas and babies swimming around. A Sea World educator presented some facts about Beluga whales and the one I loved hearing most made me want to fall to my knees and praise God for His awesome creation. The babies are gray while the adults are white. This is so the babies can swim under and to the side of their mothers appearing as her shadow. Cool, huh?! This year the babies are actually involved in the show, but still always close to their mothers.

After the show we headed to cool off in the water. Being a Saturday, the water park was packed, so we only lasted a couple hours before we decided to ride some rides.

After a couple more hours, we left for a treat...fruit cups and corn cups. We'd never had them, but they were tasty! Then it was time to head home for showers and, you guessed it, more eating! We feasted on grilled chicken and steak, potatoes, guacamole and brownies. Basically my stomach hurt the entire weekend from being stuffed to its limits.


The girls enjoyed playing basketball, or football, or soccer, depending on who was talking, with Christian. It was fun for me to see what my kids might play like in the next couple years when Levi's a little older. Christian's a doll and was a good sport about having to watch Cinderella in our car.

The next morning we woke up and loaded the car bound for Austin. My aunt had a delicious brunch waiting on us that we got to enjoy with her, my grandmother, and my 2 cousins. And, because we hadn't had enough of the water already, we went swimming in a chilly spring-fed pool.

About 30 minutes outside of Austin I looked back and saw Addi asleep and Libby barely hanging on.

10 minutes later and both girls were out.

We had such a fun weekend, but it was so good to see Levi walk as fast as his little legs could carry him when he saw us standing at Nana and Poppa's door. He looked like he grew an inch and put on 6 pounds! That couldn't have been from all the homemade chocolate ice cream he ate, could it?!

We're back to swim lessons and organizing this week. Although, I must admit, I've lost some of my fire since I've still got laundry to catch up on and a refrigerator to stock. Am I really expected to wash the clothes, feed the children, and organize our house?

weekly re-cap

I'm supposed to be packing right now. I'm about half-way finished, but can't seem to find the motivation to complete the task. Bryan, the girls and I are headed to Sea World San Antonio early tomorrow morning. Levi is spending the weekend with his Nana and Poppa. Leaving any of my children behind always makes me a little anxious. Oh, I have no doubts in the abilities of Bryan's parents. I do, however, know tomorrow is not promised to me or mine and the control freak in me doesn't want to leave him behind not knowing if I'll see him again. In that line of reasoning, I could just grab the kids and hide under my bed all day every day. :)


We will return on Sunday ready to start another week of swim lessons. We've had swim lessons every afternoon since Monday. Let me tell you, in case you've ever wondered, swim lessons at 2 pm are excrutiatingly HOT! It doesn't help that my time is spent chasing Levi. All he has on his mind the entire 1/2 hour we're there is taking a running leap into the pool. I've brought all manner of distractions only to have to pick them up with one hand while clutching him like a (sweaty, squirming, squealing) football with the other. I've only gotten in 1 workout this week, but I'm counting my time at swim lessons as workouts. I'd be surprised if I don't burn more calories there!


So, between swim lessons in the afternoons and practicing for swim lessons in the mornings, our hair feels like hay. But, our skin has never been more golden. :) The practicing has really reinforced the lessons. Libby, who last summer wouldn't step foot on the splash ground or be in the pool without being physically attached to me, is now swimming under water by herself. Monday she would not put her head under the water and I knew she wouldn't get far without doing that. Tuesday morning, at our practice, she wouldn't listen to me at all. She only wanted to play, but then at the lesson that afternoon, she jumped right in the water and stuck her head under. Yesterday afternoon she turned into a little fish and, at some point while wrestling Levi, I noticed she was swimming under water without help. Addi is working on different strokes (backstroke, breaststoke, freestyle) and diving. It's been fun to see them making improvements every day. I really can't say enough about this swimming program. If you live in or near Frisco, I would highly recommend them.


Some of you noticed Levi got a haircut. About a week ago, Bryan was home and I was talking to him with Levi on my hip. He looked at our little boy, wrinkled his nose in disgust, and said, "That boy needs a haircut. Let me get my clippers after him." I don't know what came over me. I would have been the first to admit he needed a trim. His hair is starting to get thick and his little head was always so sweaty. So, I held down my baby while Bryan buzzed his hair off. Well, not all of his hair. He still has enough to do this:

So, I've also been experimenting with hair products on my son this week! He thinks it is hilarious when he looks in the mirror and, surprisingly, he leaves it alone. I can't say that about Libby. She can't keep her hands off his hair which only irritates him.

I also decided this would be a good couple of weeks to organize each room of this house. I did so well on Monday and Tuesday. Yesterday was a flop because I was supposed to get Levi's room done, but I scheduled way too much to get to it. My only opportunities were during naptime and bedtime and I'm not crazy! I gave myself today off so I could blog facebook pack and then, of course, I won't be working on it this weekend, but it's back to organizing after the weekend. I'll end up having another week because Libby has a dance camp the week after next, so we'll be sticking close to Frisco that week also. Maybe with that extra week, I can actually finish the dresser I started 57 weeks ago. Maybe that's too ambitious. I'll settle for a home full of organized rooms.

Hope you have a fun weekend. I'm sure I'll be back next week with some Sea World pictures.

the opposite of music to this momma's ears

"Mommy, I went poo-poo and I need help wiping, but first I fell in the potty and I need you to clean it up!"
-name withheld, age 3

first watermelon rind

and now a corn cob. :)

it's better than dirt

We celebrated the 4th with my parents. Their street was blocked off with almost all of their neighbors participating in a party. The girls rode their bikes and raced the other kids. We all got a great view of the fireworks. And, Levi discovered his love of watermelon. I lost count of how many slices he devoured. I do mean devoured! He at it all the way to green! I'm sure there's lots of fiber, or something beneficial, in the white part. :)

ww

When Sidewalk Painting Spins Out of Control

Sally can't get seashells from the seashore when she's sick

We had big plans for this week.

Actually, our big plans included stuff we could do anytime, but we can't when we have other stuff scheduled, like we will for the next 3 weeks. So, we were planning on taking advantage of this "free" week to go to the pool and athletic center every day. And, sleep in, if I could talk my kids into it.

Yesterday, we all slept in. We slept so late, in fact, I missed the reservation time my kids had at the athletic center's kids' club. No problem. We'd just spend most of the day at the pool. Except then I heard the thunder and the storms lasted until naptime.

Today, we had a kids' club reservation at 8 am, but Levi didn't sleep well last night and Addi woke up really, really early with a fever. By 7 am, Libby was also awake complaining of ailments and by the time the nurse called me back to schedule the girls' appointments, Levi had woken up covered in yellowish-green snot.

We spent over an hour at the doctor's office and came away with 3 orders for prescriptions. One for strep throat, one for swimmer's ear, and one that's for the possiblity that the cold turns worse over the holiday weekend. Or, you know, in case Levi gets strep from putting his hands in Addi's mouth while I was talking to the doctor about Libby's ears. Either way, we should be covered.

And, I was just thinking to myself the other day how my kids never get sick!

The good news is I have a few unplanned days to clean and organize my house. The bad news is...the same as the good news. :)

a few of my favorite things about Summer

• splashing at the pool with my kids
• corn on the cob
• snacking at the splash ground while my kids run around
• berries
• running errands before 11 am so it's still in the 90s and tolerable
• watermelon
• kids napping in the afternoon so staying in during the heat of the day is an easy choice
• tomatoes
• late bedtimes
• peaches (preferably from a roadside stand or famers' market)
• later wake-up times :)
• plums
• smelling chlorine in my childrens' hair while we snuggle before bed
• planning an entire meal to be grilled
• having all 3 kids home with me every day
  
  

ww - June 2004

Little Addi (19 months) in her baby pool. Look how chubby she was. :) (Don't look at the weeds growing up the back of our house.)

tmi

(Okay, so if you didn't get it from the title, this post contains Too Much Information for some readers. If you are squeamish about bathroom habits, you may want to stop reading right here!)

Addi was much older than Libby is now before we stopped wiping her after she went number 2, but Libby goes number 2 all day long! Seriously. The girl will go, at least, 4 times daily.

Today, after I'd begged her to hurry and eat for the thousandth time so she could get a nap in before Addi's gymnastics class, she announced she had to go to the bathroom. I began to clean up the lunch dishes and she hollered for me to come wipe her. I told her she'd have to wait because (and this is where I'll incriminate myself about my overly zealous hand-washing issues) I didn't want to have to wash my hands, go wipe her, wash my hands again, finish with the dishes, and wash my hands again.

We went back and forth a few times with her reminding me that she needed to be wiped and me reminding her that she needed to wait.

Finally, (and by finally I mean all of 56 seconds) she could take it no longer and issued a threat.

"Fine then. I'll just wipe myself!"

I think I just figured a way to get myself out of 3 of her 4 daily wipings. Now if I could just make Levi mad enough he'd take care of his own poopy diapers. :)

a conversation with my one year old

"Levi, would you like a snack?"
{signing} More!
"Are you also thirsty? Want some water?
{signing} More!
"Would you rather have carrots or a granola bar?"
{signing} More!
"Are you finished now?" {me signing} Finished.
{takes bib off and lays it on the table} "Uhh! Uhh! UHH!"
"Can you sign, 'finished'?" {me signing} Finished.
{picks bib up, sticks it in my face, and lays it back on table} "Uhh! Uhh! UHH!"

swirling thoughts

• I'm enjoying one of my favorite breakfasts, oatmeal made with milk and a smashed banana. Of course, it's better if I can eat it in one 15-minute setting, but I guess I should figure on 30 minutes per meal per child. :) That's why I usually wait until 2 pm (naptime) to eat lunch.
• Apparently my girls are dreaming of snow because they keep coming downstairs in long-sleeves and sweaters. We are going to a picnic today and expecting humid 97 degree weather. Clearly, I made the executive decision to nix the sleeves and wool.
• All 5 of us spent a good 20 minutes in the coat closet Tuesday night. Tornado sirens went off as we were finishing supper. (I'm afraid of tornadoes. I shouldn't be, having spent 28 of my 32 Springs in Texas or Oklahoma, but it's only gotten worse since having children. Or maybe it's gotten worse since living in OK where you also have to worry about gustnadoes. Frisco's so far north, we may as well live in OK, so, to my mind, I have to worry about gustnadoes here also.) My point is we all crammed into the coat closet that was already crammed with gift wrapping paraphernalia, candles, baskets, future gifts, vacuums, dusters, and, naturally, coats to discover it gets no AC. Closet + 5 people + humidity - air conditioning = miserable. The upside is I was able to rethink the organization (or lack) of that closet, especially if it is to be our "safe room". Candles in glass jars on a shelf directly above our heads? Spending 10 minutes emptying enough of the closet to make room for the 5 of us? Of course, it is a coat closet. And a big one with plenty of room for gift wrapping paraphernalia, candles, baskets, future gifts, vacuums, dusters, and, naturally, coats. Here's where I admit all that stuff we pulled out is still in the dining room. I'm hoping it will inspire me to put it back in a more organized manner and maybe find another home for some of it. Maybe literally another home. Anyone need a Dora gift bag?
• If I ever mention to any of you ever again an idea to refinish a piece of furniture, shoot me. I started stripping the paint (apparently about 15 coats of paint) off a dresser that was originally painted for Addison's nursery and then put in Libby's nursery and then (shhh!) put in Levi's closet in his nursery (yes, I left the flower and butterfly pulls on the drawers!) almost 3 weeks ago. It is driving me crazy, but when am I gonna find extra time to work on it? It's not like what I'm doing now isn't priority. :) If I ever finish, I'll post a picture. I don't have a before picture, so if you've never seen it in person, you'll just have to imagine.
• I AM SO HAPPY IT IS SUMMER BREAK! I may never let my children return to school again!
• I made an ill-fated decision to go Krogering yesterday. We have the stickers to prove it. (Does anyone else's children beg for those stickers, never even remove them from the backing and then forget about them and leave them in the car by the time you get home? Mine, too.) Long story, sort-of short...Libby got down for a late-nap, but I woke her up way before she was rested because I'd promised a trip to the library. We made it through our library trip unscathed and headed to Double Dave's for Peproni Rolls. Then while those were being made, we shot over to Kroger, which happens to be in the same shopping center, for 8 things. 8 things means, by myself, I could be in and out in 7 minutes. 8 things with 3 kids means a lot longer. Both girls had to get "little carts" so between us we had 3 carts. For 8 things. I warned them before we got into the store about paying attention so they didn't drive their carts up my legs. I also warned them about racing each other and watching out for others. By the time we'd gotten 30 feet inside the store, Libby had cried twice. She doesn't cry quietly, especially when she's tired and feels she needs to battle her siblings for attention. The second time I grabbed her and tried to put her in my cart. She's a little too tall for me to do that in one swift motion as I'd planned. By the time I got her long legs in the cart with the rest of her body, I was slightly more frustrated. That's when I noticed all the white-coller workers fresh from their days spent without the annoying screeches of young children staring at us. Bryan said it was all in my head and maybe they weren't thinking, They should not allow a stay-at-home mom and her misbehaing brood in Kroger after 5 pm, but it would have made me feel better if they had gone on about their shopping without so much as a glance in our direction. We survived and we made it out of the store without any more tears from me or my children and with all 8 things. We were rewarded with hot Peproni Rolls ready when we returned to Double Dave's, which is a miracle since that place might be more unorganized than my coat closet.
• I made this a few days ago and it is scrumptious. It takes all of my will-power not to finish it off while Bryan's at work during the day. There are only 2 pieces left today. Would he really notice them being gone?
• I'm listening to my 6 year old explain to her 3 year old sister why you would want to break up with your boyfriend. What?! She actually has some good reasons. If you just aren't comfortable with them or they annoy you, you might want to call it off with your boyfriend. She is wise beyond her years.
• I'm ready for the weekend, so I can finish that darn dresser enjoy my family and have a date night with my husband! Have a good one!
  
  

Levi's Top 15

1. Walking is his main source of mobility now. I love his high-stepping march that is surprisingly quick. The kid can get off the floor and across the room in the middle of a diaper change in only the time it takes me to reach out for one more wipe.
   
2. His expressions bring me joy.


3. Levi has finally reached/surpassed the weight and height limit for his infant car seat and we've moved him into Libby's old one. He tipped the scales at 23 pounds which means he gained 4.5 pounds in 3 months!


4. He's too busy for snuggling and hugs and kisses now. Although every once in a while he'll come up behind me, lay his head on my back, pat with his hand and say, "Ahhhhh".


5. If he's awake and not eating, he wants a ball, "BAAA" or a stick of some sort in his hands. He'll use a drumstick, bat, wand, or golf club. Anything he can wrap his fingers around and bang on the windows and furniture will do.


6. He's my first to clean out the cabinets. At least three times a day, I find myself picking up cups and tupperware from different rooms in the house to return them to the kitchen. He does have "his" cabinet which he never opens. So much for that trick. :)


7. He cannot go to sleep without his little white blanket. The few times it's been washing at naptime, he's just cried and cried until I've pulled it out of the washer and taken the sopping wet thing to him. He lays down and goes straight to sleep.


8. Levi is finally getting another tooth. One has broken through and I think 3 more will any day. That will make 6...3 times what he had this weekend.


9. He adores his sisters. Levi is sweet with Addi letting her pick him up and carry him like a baby and he's playful with Libby laughing at her games and clapping with her songs.


10. Zoe is truly becoming his best friend. He longs to be outside with her and will stay out there throwing bouncing dropping her ball and playing in her water well after the girls poop out and beg to come inside. As for Zoe, she acts as if she's just as excited to fetch the balls Levi throws as the ones Bryan does. She shows her appreciation by bathing him with her tongue and it doesn't bother Levi one bit.


11. His hair is getting thicker and lighter and his eyes are still a mystery. Some days they look blue-ish, some days they look gray, but I don't think they'll be brown like the rest of ours.


12. Blackberries and bananas are his favorite foods. He'll eat any fruit, but especially loves those two along with strawberries and blueberries. (We've discovered that his bottom doesn't like the berries as much as his mouth does.) He does well eating veggies if they're soft enough for him to mash in his gums. The only thing I really have trouble getting him to eat is meat unless I puree it, but I'm kind of over doing that...it's time for him to learn to love meat just like every other Texan in this house. :)


13. He's still an easy-going kid. Don't misunderstand me, Levi will throw a fit, but mostly he goes with the flow. Even his fits are not too terribly dramatic.


14. Levi has started rolling cars and making a "vroom, vroom" sound. Where do boys learn this stuff??!


15. I'm crazy about my Little Man. He's taken his place in my heart and that place will always remain his.
    
    
    

IWe made it!

beginning of kindergarten

end of kindergarten with, perhaps, the best teacher in the world :)