tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306657492011-11-20T20:33:27.546-05:00ginnynoreply@blogger.comBlogger6621100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-5534247757167858122011-11-20T20:14:00.001-05:002011-11-20T20:33:27.581-05:00

My little boy tells me at least five times a week that he's going to marry me.  It is one of the sweetest things he says to me.  Having two baby girls before him, I was familiar with being told I would one day have to share my husband and I never imagined then that the most handsome little boy I have ever laid eyes on would want me for his wife.  Me?  His old, nagging mother who tells him NO

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-21519519866708445172011-09-19T12:40:00.000-05:002011-09-19T12:40:04.998-05:00

One of Levi's favorite things to do is move all the chairs away from our kitchen table to play trains.  He happily reenacts daring rescues from Misty Island or Hero of the Rails sans tracks. Other times, he lines trains up with their tenders grouping them according to their "families".  I bet you didn't realize that James is a Mommy and his her daughter is Emily.  Do little boys without

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-26108763731647286802011-08-25T10:14:00.000-05:002011-08-25T10:14:28.249-05:00

The girls started school on Monday.  Addison is in 3rd grade and Libby is in 1st grade.  Amazing!  Where did the time go??!  They both love their new teachers and are getting to know new friends. Homework hasn't really started, so we'll see if they change their tunes once that gets going :) Of course, I couldn't snap pics of the girls without Brother jumping in front of the camera!  Levi will

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-90210120404383236992011-08-13T01:08:00.000-05:002011-08-13T01:08:59.848-05:00

Pappa: Ethan tell me about that plane ride! Ethan: You were on it! Pappa: Levi did you shave this morning? Levi: No I didn't! I just don't have mustaches! [I wasn't there, but I would bet he had both his arms out to the side with his palms facing up as he was saying this!] Libby: I wanna ride on a miracle round! Levi: Don't tell anyone that we're having snakes for breakfast!  [Can't remember

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-46662355430379929342011-08-11T14:14:00.000-05:002011-08-11T14:14:27.273-05:00

We've been home from CA less than 2 weeks and I'm ready to move there :)  The weather was amazing!  I was wearing a jacket 90% of the time.  And, sometimes I was still shivering! I think Texans like to pretend the heat really isn't all that oppressive.  At least, we pretend for non-Texans who always find out you're from Texas and automatically talk about the uglinessflatness, the lack of trees

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-28894802144112913122011-07-22T12:55:00.000-05:002011-07-22T12:55:37.911-05:00

(more icky boy-stuff...or maybe this is kid-stuff, 'cause while this incident did not occur exactly the same way with the girls, similar ones did) Set-up:  Since I have a ton of things to accomplish today, I decided I'd waste a little time rearranging my dining room.  Levi walked in and I asked him if he liked the [table] lamp where I'd moved it. (Just like a boy, he looked up at the ceiling

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-76594168486442481522011-07-13T23:28:00.000-05:002011-07-13T23:28:42.994-05:00

When I am out with my 3, I cannot tell you how often I'm asked if I have already noticed a difference in boys and girls.  Aside from the obvious gender differences noticeable from birth, we didn't notice any thing for a while.  I mean, a baby's a baby.  Especially, newborn babies.  Within the first half-year of Levi's life and the onset of his personality, we noticed behaviors not exhibited by

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-26694322108182695092011-07-01T01:41:00.000-05:002011-07-01T01:41:20.625-05:00

I'm going to attempt to get back to this blogging-thing again.  No promises.  I've wanted to for a while, but I think my pride's been keeping me away.  What if I make the claim that I'm back and then I fail?!  Then I realized that anyone who ever read this blog has given up all hope that I'll ever return, so I'm only really letting myself down if I don't keep the blogging up :) I was going to

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-29673843387022571872011-05-02T15:55:00.000-05:002011-05-02T15:55:19.501-05:00

{a paraphase of a conversation from a couple weeks back about Halloween and between all 5 of us} Libby  I want to be a princess for Halloween this year.  Or a fairy! Addi  You always want to be a princess or a fairy! Levi [jumping in place and yelling - his normal method of communication]  I want to be a nice and shiny armor! me  What??! Bryan  [laughing 'cause he got it] Levi [at the same time

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-61279853662760776552011-04-20T14:00:00.000-05:002011-04-20T14:00:27.214-05:00

Miss Libby was given a "You Sparkle" award at school this week.  Her teacher nominated her because "she is always there to be a friend".  We will be at the assembly this week to watch her walk up on stage in recognition for her award and Bryan and I couldn't be prouder of her! Here's our little Sparkler perfecting her latest goofy face.  She was delighted that I caught her crossed eyes after

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-24732447008266176382011-04-18T13:12:00.000-05:002011-04-18T13:12:17.871-05:00

*So, I really had intentions of turning this whole blog-pause around.  I have a million excuses as to why posting is not happening (who doesn't?), but why bore you with everyday details?  Instead I'll just write down a somewhat worrisome conversation I had a few minutes ago with my little boy.  Background first - he'd begged me all morning to set up this race track that Libby got for her

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-14261018051130599392011-03-04T15:32:00.000-05:002011-03-04T15:32:14.884-05:00

Levi is two for about 25 more hours.  Unless God has some other plans, this will be the last 25 hours of a two year old living in my home.  It makes me sad.  He's growing into a little boy more and more each day. I love that he communicates so well, except when he won't stop talking for even 30 seconds!  I love that he is potty trained, except for when he sleeps and apparently wouldn't wake up (

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-16642550558441092082011-03-03T11:13:00.001-05:002011-03-03T11:17:32.763-05:00

I wish I had a great excuse for not posting in almost 4 months, but I really don't.  Thankfully, we are all fine.  We haven't moved or gotten pregnant or given birth or changed jobs or experienced any other major life event that might keep me from posting.  We've just been experiencing life.  I'm actually probably, on average,  busier now than I was in the last 4 months.  But, I would like to do

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-13277422984777667222010-11-04T14:40:00.000-05:002010-11-04T14:40:30.363-05:00

Oklahoma gets a bad rap,  I think.  Sure, it can be windy and dusty and HOT and COLD and full of red dirt and flat.  (Hey, sounds almost just like North Texas :)  But, there are parts of OK that are, well, okay.  Better than okay, really.  There are beautiful parts of Oklahoma.  We lived in Lawton when Bryan was stationed at Ft. Sill.  Now, Lawton is an Army town.  While it's the only military

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-24703216282040106382010-10-07T09:11:00.000-05:002010-10-07T09:11:21.883-05:00

Potty training and I are not friends!  I used to say it was the worst thing I'd had to deal with in parenting up until now.  I'm not sure that's true anymore.  (I think sending my babies off to school and missing them so much for so much of the day is way worse than potty training.  But, of course, I used to make that oh-so-wise statement before I had any school-aged children.) I don't know if

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-58000546317009527442010-09-24T11:30:00.000-05:002010-09-24T11:30:37.579-05:00

See the purple paper on our fridge?  It's new there.  Addi met me with a huge smile on her face yesterday afternoon and a hushed, "I have something to tell you, but I'm not sayin' until we get home!" About 5 steps later she broke down and told me she'd earned a You Sparkle!  She'd picked to surprise me after school rather than let the vice principal call me during the day.  It's been super-busy

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-84607061473842910972010-09-23T13:02:00.005-05:002010-09-23T14:08:24.904-05:00

One HOT day this summer, the 3 and I met Ethan, Rachel and Aunt Lisa at the Museum of Science and History in Fort Worth. The kids had never been before and it had been many years since I'd been. While it's a little expensive, it was a great experience. Thankfully, Levi was free and we were able to use 2 of the Aunt Lisa's passes, so I only had to buy 1 admission. We also bought tickets for a

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-81112758533071475112010-09-16T09:10:00.003-05:002010-09-16T10:08:16.332-05:00

My sweet Addison left me a surprise on the first day of school. After I got home from dropping the girls off, I found this note she'd snuck by my coffee. I love, love, love my seven year old!Things to notice (aka things that make me smile since I get to be her mom): the correct date written in the correct formthe comma between "Dear" and "Mommy"the transposal of letters in "shcool"and, of course

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-66425046957873187612010-09-14T10:24:00.019-05:002010-09-14T13:44:04.918-05:00

Since I can't seem to post anything these days, I thought I'd start with a babystep. This morning, I actually uploaded pics from my camera to my computer. Wow! That was a tad overwhelming. I'd completely forgotten about things we did this summer I've yet to blog. So, this will be the first of whoknowshowmany posts devoted to catching up. I haven't decided the order: chronological from most recent

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-89865606626543479532010-09-09T08:36:00.007-05:002010-09-09T10:02:31.753-05:00

and we're surviving. Here's the breakdown:Addi(son) is still her name, but this year she has another Addison in her class, so she goes by Addi at school. In the past, about half her friends and teachers called her Addi anyway. She was created to go to school...always wanting to please, always trying her best, always disappointed if she didn't do as well as she'd hoped, obedient, thoughtful,

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-26083943735631924342010-08-27T09:36:00.003-05:002010-08-27T09:51:17.297-05:00

Both my sweet girls went off to school this year! Libby was so excited to begin kindergarten and Addi's a big 2nd grader. I keep reminding her 2nd grade was my favorite grade to teach.Levi (and I) feel a little lost without the girls around most of the day. He's starting to remember that as soon as naptime is over, we go pick his sisters up. The last couple days he's woken up saying, "It time go

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-25391747817197071602010-08-20T11:54:00.000-05:002010-08-20T16:31:45.782-05:00

Dear Reagan Elizabeth,It seems you are growing far faster than I ever believed possible! Was it really 5 years ago that I was swaddling your little 7 pound body up and tucking you under my chin to snuggle? I blinked and now you're heading to kindergarten in 3 days! It's almost too much for this momma's heart to handle.This past year your father and I have seen you mature and develop in ways

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-90754635436278139772010-08-12T12:15:00.003-05:002010-08-12T12:37:06.842-05:00

background: Eating supper with our family after returning from a shopping trip with her Nana for birthday clothes. Somehow she talked Nana into allowing her to bring home all her new clothes.me: Libby, you understand you won't have a present to open from Nana and Poppa at your birthday party since you brought home all your birthday clothes.her: That's okay (then, in a whisper) because I didn't

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-8376047951049309942010-08-02T11:48:00.003-05:002010-08-09T11:53:39.818-05:00

Staying up late while watching a movie in the playroom has become a favorite activity this summer. The downside (for me) is one of the 3 inevitably wakes up at the crack of dawn and proceeds to wake his/her siblings. Then I deal with 3 cranky kids for the rest of the day. Or, at least until after lunch, when I make all 3 take a nap. :)

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-16040534958853276302010-07-25T16:06:00.002-05:002010-07-25T16:21:00.487-05:00

A few weeks ago, we met some good friends at a petting zoo. We had a fun time with only one child traumatized by a hungry deer. (Apparently Libby's shirt smelled a little too much like deer food.) It was nothing a little ChickFilA couldn't fix. :) (ChickFilA for the tears, not the deer)

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-72089370723163868012010-07-23T16:21:00.006-05:002010-07-23T16:48:10.546-05:00

One day in the last month of school, Addi was home feeling crummy. By mid-afternoon she started feeling better, so we got out some paper and made a list of all the activities we wanted to do this summer. While Bryan was in Houston last week, we checked two more off the list. First we stopped at the Dallas Farmers Market. I packed our lunches, but I think we could've filled up on all the

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-58366444757857130372010-07-22T07:13:00.002-05:002010-07-22T08:12:02.168-05:00

Okay, so I've totally dropped the ball this summer. And, I uploaded these pictures in reverse order from when they actually occurred, but! I'm posting today!!We had some wonderful friends visit a couple weeks ago. We knew them in Raleigh and we used to have a little babysitting swap back when both families were complete with 2 girls. I wonder if they would still swap with us now that we've

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-28974917794924486332010-07-15T21:02:00.003-05:002010-07-16T09:41:20.474-05:00

Bryan showed up at the front door with this hand-picked (meaning he picked-out each stem, not literally picked from the side of the road or someone's garden) bouquet in a silver vase and a card. I had just gotten on the phone and the doorbell rang. I never answer the door if I'm not expecting someone. :) I do look out the peep hole though, just in case someone wanted to surprise me with a fun

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-631346719145381962010-07-08T23:22:00.008-05:002010-07-14T20:41:10.771-05:00

A few weeks ago, Bryan and I left the 3 with Nana and Poppa while we spent about 4 days at the glorious Camelback Inn in Scottsdale, AZ. It was fun and beautiful and relaxing and wonderful. I want to go back!We'd planned on eating lots of yummy food and I'd planned on taking pictures of all the yummy food. We succeeded in our first goal, but I failed miserably on the second mission. Below is the

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-12916606390984724562010-06-29T00:13:00.005-05:002010-06-29T00:21:58.970-05:00

Details to follow...

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-74745985599745032602010-06-04T16:21:00.003-05:002010-06-04T16:36:41.631-05:00

We all climbed into the car with the oldest one shouting, "I can't believe I'm a 2nd grader!" This confused the younger one. She questioned whether that made her a kindergartener. Personally, I didn't want to think about one of my dear ones being in the 2nd grade and I certainly didn't want to think about the still-4-year-old being a kindergartener. (Weren't we just bringing them home from

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-62407217178495513512010-06-01T13:29:00.004-05:002010-06-04T16:21:42.231-05:00

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-50015545073190134402010-05-27T19:48:00.002-05:002010-05-27T19:53:13.659-05:00

Reagan's end of the year pizza party was today. She normally acts as if she could care less that I'm at one of her parties. Today was really no different, however, out of the blue this afternoon, she hugged me and said, "I was so happy to see you at my pizza party today!" I was so happy to see you at your pizza party today, my Sweet Girl!

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-25361335566798611522010-05-26T08:54:00.000-05:002010-05-26T08:54:00.468-05:00

Addison's Field Day was a few weeks ago. It was supposed to be on a Friday, but, at the last minute, was moved to the following Tuesday for fear of thunderstorms. That meant, I was late and had to leave early. I was late since I had to drop Libby off at preschool and I had to leave early because Levi has to eat lunch and get a good nap in before 1:30 on Tuesdays. We leave at 1:40 to pick

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-50945881160231458352010-05-25T12:48:00.003-05:002010-05-25T13:22:01.673-05:00

Libby in Bryan's pajama pants...I caught her right before she attempted to walk down the stairs in those things!

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-54346531189613766212010-05-19T08:24:00.002-05:002010-05-19T08:53:16.502-05:00

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-32008948553567497412010-05-18T17:46:00.002-05:002010-05-18T17:53:19.620-05:00

No time for pictures or many words today.I just opened our front door and a little boy, probably about 4, was standing near his bike parked on the sidewalk across the street. His mom told him to get back on and start pedaling, but he yelled, "First I have to scare the rabbit! "It made me laugh. I might have ignored it or even felt sorry for the poor rabbit before I had Levi. But, now, I'm that

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-68272934459333156872010-05-07T18:09:00.003-05:002010-05-07T18:13:17.038-05:00

REP, May 2006

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-9671218473277089302010-04-30T08:39:00.010-05:002010-05-06T17:29:35.502-05:00

We've just been really busy lately and I neglected posting about our fun weekend trip to College Station. It's been almost 2 weekends ago now - oops! Anyway, Bryan was in Houston most of the week, so the kids and I drove to College Station on Saturday morning. But, first we stopped (and met Grandpa and Uncle Brett) in Levi, TX. I wanted to get a picture of the "Levi, Population 50" sign.

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-59473327447481949092010-04-29T13:18:00.001-05:002010-04-29T16:03:38.892-05:00

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-28099564336463116802010-04-28T22:16:00.004-05:002010-04-28T22:22:46.373-05:00

We had a great time this past weekend and when I get a chance I'm going to sit down and devote a post or two to our activities. For now, I'll just leave you with this hint. :)

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-40399199195570118092010-04-26T21:26:00.004-05:002010-04-26T22:08:41.356-05:00

my little boy & me

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-62368456543715985372010-04-26T10:26:00.002-05:002010-04-26T10:31:06.619-05:00

Libby's prayer at breakfast this morning:Dear God,Thank you for healing the boy that got runned over.Thank you for healing the people in Haiti.And if you haven't healed them, please heal them.Lord God, thank you for all my blessings and my food.And thank you for my family.Amen.

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-10197915704336700122010-04-21T16:34:00.003-05:002010-04-21T16:43:12.152-05:00

I couldn't resist disprupting this sweetness the other night when the 3 were all snug in a chair reading a bible story. And disrupt it, I did. After the last picture, the younger 2 were off the chair and in my lap with pleas of "I want to see! I want to see !" Should've left well enough alone. :)

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-12902991337842728172010-04-20T19:31:00.000-05:002010-04-20T19:32:16.081-05:00

Untitled from ginny parker on Vimeo.

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-19530267517204705102010-04-19T21:16:00.002-05:002010-04-19T21:34:00.348-05:00

Last Thursday was Rodeo Day at preschool! Libby declared it "the most fun day at preschool ever!" Her class had just ended a Texas unit. Another reason I love being back here...my kids are learning about their home state starting in preschool!She got to rope a rocking horse. And, after she had her picture taken while sitting in a saddle, she chose this picture of a longhorn to color. I tried

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-30686024490626580212010-04-14T18:12:00.000-05:002010-04-14T18:13:29.419-05:00

happy bday poppa from ginny parker on Vimeo.

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-85765078702352646022010-04-12T19:57:00.003-05:002010-04-12T19:59:59.809-05:00

Sleeping Beauties

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-70566958423317314672010-04-05T16:22:00.004-05:002010-04-05T20:35:37.485-05:00

I'm swamped! I got exactly 1 thing finished on my to-do list for today: take the kids to the dentist. Then I had to take Addi and Levi to the pediatrician. We are quickly losing control over Addi's allergies and needed new prescriptions for those and Levi has an ear infection. In both ears. Poor little guy. (Oh, and Libby has a headache. She's really hitting her stride as a middle child and made

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-67869168311921771352010-04-02T19:18:00.002-05:002010-04-02T20:17:13.124-05:00

Untitled from ginny parker on Vimeo.Happy Birthday, GRANDPA! We love you!Addi is missing, I didn't get the video done before she left for her sleep over, but she called to wish him a happy birthday earlier. She'll be mad when she finds out she was left out. :)

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-84171576117216243252010-04-01T12:48:00.003-05:002010-04-01T13:03:02.715-05:00

Here she is...in Addi's old Easter dress. She was thrilled to lay it out with her Easter basket last night. :)

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-61370536081512945572010-03-31T22:38:00.003-05:002010-03-31T22:55:23.189-05:00

Reagan loves pretty things. Most girls do, I suppose. Her older sister certainly does and I do, but her enjoyment of pretty things is on a whole other level from Addi's and mine. She's been so excited about wearing her Easter dress this year. She had planned on wearing it to preschool tomorrow, but I just couldn't let her. That girl is messy! There's rarely a day she doesn't walk out of her

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-14249451384201929212010-03-30T17:40:00.005-05:002010-03-30T20:56:04.187-05:00

I spent way too much time today prepping bribing begging coaxing Levi to perform for the video camera. After all that investment, I couldn't let the vidoes sit on my camera until later in the week, so I spent even more time uploading them to the computer and them embedding them into this post. I mean a really absurd amount of time. I should be embarrassed. Instead, I'll just spend a little more

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-54330068474122500192010-03-28T21:12:00.000-05:002010-03-28T21:44:45.826-05:00

Think of this as a Beforeand After, if you will. Bryan strategically packs for trips. He will spend hours loading the van just right the day before we leave for vacation. We're only allowed to use certain bags for clothing because they've passed his test for optimal conformity in our luggage carrier.Normally I pack and am finishing with packing while he loads. However, we decided to leave a day

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-89293026692084569202010-03-26T00:25:00.002-05:002010-03-26T00:25:00.277-05:00

These are photos of our second hiking trip. We decided the kids did so well the day before, we'd challenge ourselves a little more on this day. It started out pretty easy. In fact, we began with one of the girls leading us on a little trail. The weather was beautiful, just a little warmer than we thought, so we stopped to shed a few layers and drink a some water. Of course, with just a

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-80032741334149097152010-03-25T00:23:00.001-05:002010-03-25T00:23:00.260-05:00

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-1283733983622226312010-03-23T22:49:00.007-05:002010-03-24T00:20:03.625-05:00

Last week was Spring Break for us. We ended the week with a camping trip to Oklahoma, or Hokihoma as Libby says. Addi was thrilled to finally see her birth city. We moved when she was 1 and hadn't been back since last week. The wildlife refuge in the Wichita Mountains is pretty neat. Bryan and I hiked and camped there before we had children. Soon after arriving we saw a herd of wild longhorn

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-91325097153764481292010-03-23T12:23:00.004-05:002010-03-23T12:37:44.209-05:00

Loaded up and ready to go!

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-87417103432329012932010-03-19T07:45:00.001-05:002010-03-20T10:48:14.587-05:00

March 2004She wasn't even two yet, but Addison Grace has always loved Zoe. The same is true for the reverse. A few days home from the hospital with my first wee one, I was sitting on the floor with my back propped against the couch. I'm not sure why I was down there, especially since I was holding baby Addi. But, Zoe came over to sit near me (meaning, her body pressed up against any part of me,

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-91270267252761562712010-03-18T09:38:00.001-05:002010-03-18T09:38:00.194-05:00

This is the best part of baking to the kids! They licked everything clean. :)

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-86718701792128146752010-03-17T11:05:00.000-05:002010-03-17T11:05:00.243-05:00

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-67927564926599541512010-03-16T07:44:00.000-05:002010-03-16T07:44:00.384-05:00

Child Labor :)

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-6942961242295990632010-03-15T07:49:00.001-05:002010-03-15T07:49:00.520-05:00

We celebrated Levi's 2nd birthday on Saturday. I cooked lunch: brisket, potatoes, and beans. Kroger baked and decorated cupcakes. Bryan provided the most obnoxious Elmo balloon ever created. It's bigger than Levi and plays Elmo singing Happy Birthday to You every time it's touched. By lunchtime on Sunday, Libby, who has quite a tolerance for all things obnoxious, requested the balloon be

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-77795756401196612462010-03-12T10:43:00.000-05:002010-03-12T10:43:00.734-05:00

Levi's a copycat. He sat and copied each face Bryan made one night.

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-16775651480825857862010-03-11T10:35:00.002-05:002010-03-12T08:18:12.122-05:00

Addi's first trophy! She was so excited and has it proudly displayed on her dresser. :) Update: The trophy is for completion of the first level of her gymnastics program. Honestly, I'm impressed because I saw some of the things she had to do and I know I couldn't do them! And, plus, I think every trophy I ever got was for participation in something. :) Sorry, I wasn't trying to keep you in

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-78938454890695030882010-03-09T16:16:00.003-05:002010-03-10T10:58:16.079-05:00

My former blogger-self was able to blog just about everyday, take care of my 2 kids and watch another baby during the day, get supper on the table, do housework, deliver and pick up kids at preschool, teach at preschool, and run errands. I'm not sure what happened to her. I would've never not gotten around to posting pics and a sweet message to one of my little dears on their birthday. But, if

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-66407678858168620242010-03-03T22:54:00.000-05:002010-03-04T01:08:11.203-05:00

This is my sweet boy a year ago on his first birthday. Tomorrow he'll be 2! Libby has been so excited today telling him, "Levi, your birfday is tomorrow!" At bedtime I told him, "I know someone who has a birthday tomorrow!" And he said, "ME!" It was so cute. :)

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-85438043797057005802010-03-02T16:32:00.003-05:002010-03-02T16:48:47.963-05:00

Reagan and Levi have both been fighting a cold. On the day she was feeling her worst, I let her lay on the couch watching movie after movie after movie. While she wasn't her usual twirling-spinning-jumping-running self, she was able to find a way to be Busy. She built a "box" with pillows. Sometimes she would even watch her movie while being completely enclosed in the box. I guess she got

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-19330839064754380732010-03-01T21:21:00.002-05:002010-03-01T22:03:20.279-05:00

Watchin' it snow

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-56579830093335329642010-02-26T14:47:00.003-05:002010-02-26T15:22:16.262-05:00

It's been 16 days since my last post! SixTeen Days! That's more than 2 weeks and you know what happens in more than 2 weeks? A lot! So, I've been avoiding you. Really, don't take it personally. I'm not really avoiding you. It's just every day that I don't post something (and remember how I wasn't going to feel bad for dropping the ball about this...yeah, well, I totally feel guilty) is one more

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-9827097116001753952010-02-10T12:25:00.010-05:002010-02-10T14:28:32.604-05:00

bound for New York in just 2 days! So, I'm blogging. It's not like I have anything else to do! I know it makes no sense, I don't blog for week(s) and then decide to write a catch-up post when I should be packing, cleaning, cooking, etc., etc., etc. I work well under the pressure of a deadline. At least, that's what I tell myself. :) Since I last posted, we've been busy. Levi has had lots of

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-59770441030188027712010-02-01T16:53:00.003-05:002010-02-01T17:05:42.310-05:00

The Masterpiece Addi finished her (2nd) mountain easily enough. She even added a waterfall! We decided to turn it in "soft" and unpainted. But, the snow adds a nice touch, don't you think?!

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-12219181946986392232010-01-27T15:24:00.004-05:002010-01-27T16:46:35.395-05:00

This week, while flying by, is not going as smoothly as I'd hoped. We have a lot on our plates and I thought I could get it all done. Addi has a school project due tomorrow. She almost finished her mountain, complete with cave and hibernating bear, this weekend. The clay just needed to harden so she could paint her bear and add snow to the mountain. This morning I noticed the clay was still super

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-26218325241967400372010-01-22T09:44:00.005-05:002010-01-22T15:06:09.666-05:00

This is a first! Never, before yesterday, had one of my babies fallen asleep at the table. I've heard tales of this phenomenon and even witnessed it from other children on occasion. Of course, it happened at the most inconvenient time. I gave Levi a snack and began fixing our lunch. (Mothering 101 taught me that when I wait too long to start a meal, I must quiet my screaming child with a snack!)

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-34871327243937708782010-01-21T11:19:00.000-05:002010-01-21T11:19:00.657-05:00

How about these?...Do you know which babies these are?

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-24272135434773692272010-01-20T11:51:00.000-05:002010-01-20T11:51:00.165-05:00

Do you know who this is? Ten bucks Bryan won't know. :)

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-19230973813093220622010-01-19T21:41:00.002-05:002010-01-19T21:51:13.509-05:00

We've been enjoying bike riding weather!

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-43067018021082430962010-01-15T16:29:00.002-05:002010-01-15T16:40:40.990-05:00

Addi's taken to shutting her door while she's at school. She's also added handwritten signs requesting "No boys except Daddy! And especially no baby boys!" I bet you can guess why. So, I was quite surprised to be greeted by the one and only Hannah Montana the other day when I walked in her room to deliver clean clothes. :)

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-5907579625811790782010-01-14T11:58:00.000-05:002010-01-14T11:58:00.129-05:00

Levi loves hats. Any kind of hat. He found one of my hats and has begged to wear it around the house, especially during naptime, ever since. This is the last picture I'll post for a while that he'll want to kill me for later. :)

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-81756247388406899372010-01-13T16:39:00.001-05:002010-01-13T16:39:00.173-05:00

I mentioned this here. Addi has been teaching Libby all kinds of new tricks. :)

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-20762906703899758422010-01-12T23:56:00.004-05:002010-01-13T00:38:53.259-05:00

The Saga of the Cartwheel Addi had the hardest time learning to cartwheel. She started gymnastics at the end of last school-year and worked diligently all summer on her cartwheeling skills. At one point, she even had my mom over here working with her since Grammy used to be a gymnast in high school.I could show her my cartwheels and explain to her what I was doing, trying to slow down my

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-18738644036785540052010-01-11T18:17:00.003-05:002010-01-11T18:25:46.719-05:00

They're back!It's been so cold lately and Libby's been on such restrictions that the kids haven't had any trampoline time in quite a while. Well, even though Libby was supposed to stay off the trampoline until tomorrow, I sent them out doors today after Addi got home. They have had so much energy lately that just about the time I start to cook supper, they start to drive me crazy! (Just being

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-25632413909626866892010-01-08T22:37:00.003-05:002010-01-08T23:38:22.428-05:00

Ever seen Chopped on The Food Network? We happen to watch it every once in a while. I guess Addi saw it one time and decided she'd stage her own version. If you haven't ever seen it, the show has several chefs and they have to cook a meal with a secret ingredient in a certain amount of time and then the judges kick one off for each course, they get chopped. Well, Addi's version only had 2

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-27914297704339837412010-01-07T12:07:00.002-05:002010-01-07T12:07:00.312-05:00

Addison's devotion to her sister knew no bounds on the day Libby had surgery. She stayed by her side, only leaving at Libby's request of something not found in my room, like refilling her "canteen" (as Libs dubbed the thermos Grammy brought her). I even caught her feeding Libby : ) *Libby kept complaining of her legs sweating. (Maybe a side effect of the anesthesia??) If you live in her world

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-20343537770987659122010-01-06T16:11:00.007-05:002010-01-07T08:55:31.762-05:00

UPDATE: I got my wish, sort of. My sweet husband always leaves for work a while before I need to get out of bed, so he always sets his alarm clock for me (even though I have my own alarm clock that I never set) and kisses me goodbye before he feeds Zoe and heads to work. Not long after he left this morning our ringing phone woke me. It was Bryan telling me Addison's school was closed today,

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-33710009893004516922009-12-29T21:10:00.003-05:002009-12-29T22:45:13.702-05:00

Sweet Libby was feeling a little silly in this picture. The medicine was kicking in and she was having trouble sitting up or talking. She kept staring at Bryan and asking him why he had 3 eyes! - "How did you get that other eye, Daddy?", "Who put your 3 eyes on?" Not long after this picture was taken they wheeled her away and we didn't see her for a couple hours. She was still pretty out of

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-90383476812072043422009-12-26T12:55:00.003-05:002009-12-26T13:14:26.455-05:00

Much to Bryan's dismay, this is bound to happen when you're a little boy who adores your 2 older sisters. My parents brought over some hand-me-downs from their sweet neighbors who have 2 daughters a little older than our girls. In the bag, was a "real pair of high heels" that fit Libby...her Christmas wish was granted a little early. :) However, her little brother also fell in love with the

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-39472848113341378922009-12-25T14:11:00.004-05:002009-12-25T14:17:57.302-05:00

Merry Christmas

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-91160581051380342542009-12-24T00:00:00.001-05:002009-12-24T00:00:04.460-05:00

I overheard Libby while she was on the potty a few days ago.(think B-I-N-G-O)There is a Savior We all knowAnd Jesus is His name-O!S-U-S-U-SS-U-S-U-SS-U-S-U-SAnd Jesus is His name-O!

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-47755251372381532952009-12-22T10:01:00.003-05:002009-12-22T21:48:33.775-05:00

For the last 4 years, 4 months and 4 days our sweet Reagan Elizabeth has had a tumor growing in her left ear.I obscurely referred to the congenital cholesteatoma here and have been meaning to explain that post, but have had trouble putting this whole thing into words. I called a few people (grandparents, of course, and some prayer warriors) on the day we found out. Just a few days ago, I finally

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-86274451578901399302009-12-13T21:07:00.002-05:002009-12-13T21:21:37.186-05:00

What's missing?Our microwave quit working on Friday night. I didn't realize how much I relied on it until I didn't have it as an option. What a pain!

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-9832792852400410452009-12-12T17:29:00.005-05:002009-12-12T18:22:08.345-05:00

Okay, so I'm cheating, a little. You and I both know it, so I'll just be upfront and admit it. We've had a crazy week. Crazy doesn't really do our week justice, but I don't think I have the words to elaborate at the moment. The crazy isn't over and most of you already know what's going on (the rest of you will as soon I as can find a way to record my thoughts) and there are still some people I'd

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-75121244750339064802009-12-08T22:53:00.004-05:002009-12-08T23:42:52.737-05:00

A few days ago I was fiddlin' with my camera trying to position it to take a self-timer picture of all 5 of us. Levi saw me and naturally thought I wanted him to sit and say, "Cheese!" When I reviewed the pictures I almost deleted it and then I noticed he looked so old. He'll be two in 3 months. My Little Man is certainly not a baby anymore. At 21 months, he wears 18-24 month sized clothes and

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-25499197174677131502009-12-07T13:28:00.003-05:002009-12-07T13:35:31.306-05:00

{libby and her cousin, ethan coloring at the kitchen table}libby: We need to be careful with these markers and not get them on the table. I think it's a very special table.ethan: No, it's a very old table.libby: No, it's not! It is not old!ethan: Yes, it is! Look at that big crack down the middle of it!FYI, there are actually 2 "big cracks" where the leaf meets the table. :) And, the table is far

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-35522254992207918522009-12-06T15:58:00.003-05:002009-12-06T16:04:33.884-05:00

We love you and are praying for you, Nana!

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-20905077385134154942009-12-06T09:22:00.000-05:002009-12-06T09:22:00.443-05:00

Slidin'

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-91605683013181610302009-12-05T08:46:00.007-05:002009-12-05T16:35:17.227-05:00

I'm lookin' for the positives here, People!I took this picture knowing I would post it yesterday. I even uploaded to my computer. But, I fell asleep on the couch snuggling with my best snuggler (REP, if you're not sure...she's always warm, still has enough baby-fat left to be squishy, and is amazingly still when she wants to snuggle.) after our Family Night movie.Yesterday afternoon, the 3 were

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-28331353421197051222009-12-03T17:03:00.004-05:002009-12-03T17:11:43.981-05:00

You can see Addison's wearing her nightgown. Actually, they're all still in their pajamas. As soon as I saw it was snowing I ran upstairs and yelled, "Wake up! It's snowing! Get your shoes and jackets on! I have no idea how long it will last!" A few minutes later, the kids were delightfully cold. I'm glad I'm a tried and true Texan who suspected the snow would be long gone by 9 am, but,

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-41157184960315829052009-12-02T13:13:00.000-05:002009-12-02T13:13:00.656-05:00

Addi with sweet Baby Beckham. She would've sat still for hours holding him and couldn't describe him in enough detail to Bryan. Libby, on the other hand, couldn't wait to hold him and then could only stay still for a few minutes. But, she came home and insisted on re-naming Levi. "His first name is Beckham and his middle name is Levi, but we will call him Beckham!" Levi said, "Bee-bee" a few

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665749.post-8307073305515184032009-12-01T14:49:00.000-05:002009-12-01T14:49:00.222-05:00

Big, Medium, Small

ginnynoreply@blogger.com0