Week in Review

It's been a good week. Sadly, I have no pictures to document it. On Will's trip to NY/Boston, the camera lost it's point and shoot button, so the camera has been sent to the "camera hospital," and will be returned brand new. Something to look forward to...
1. JACK: We are so happy to see Jack really enjoying swim lessons. After a full summer last year of standing on the steps or floating, he is jumping in, going under to fetch rings and really working well on his kicking and stroke. This proud mama beamed when, on Thursday, he kept asking his teacher, "Can I try it myself please?" Role play also continues to be important to his days. This week his favorite costume was that of a train conductor, and he loved telling us "all aboard!"
2. JOSIE: I thought Jo would love watching Jack's lessons. On the contrary, she was bored and continually begged to get in the water too. This seemingly shy girl has really surprised us with her courage....swimming, jumping into the pool, and going down slides at the water park are a few of her brave moves. Her sweetest moment this week was during music class, when she raised her hand to pray and thanked God for His many blessings. Her prayer sounded like this:
"Thank you God for this day. Thank you for Mommy, Daddy, Jack, Josie, and Kate. And thank you for Jesus. We love you. Amen."
3. KATE: Our baby girl might have the funniest giggle I have ever heard. This week what made her laugh the most was Josie jumping up and down. Kate was a trooper at swim lessons, absolutely loves the sprinklers at the water park, and has started nodding her head again to answer "yes." She got to bond with her Dad today while J/J went to a birthday party, and slept for two and a half hours while we were gone!
I hope I never forget these funny, tiring, long, sweet, summer days with my kids.

TENacious Kate

At ten months, our Kate is outgoing, curious and determined.
She is a black and white kind of girl...all the way happy, or all the way sad.
We love how she fits into the family and makes herself known. She is standing, trying to cruise and crawling unbelievably fast with purpose. She enjoys pulling things out of cabinets, playing with the dishwasher door, chewing on shoes, and splashing in the water.
She is almost 20 pounds and carries most of it in her thighs and cheeks! I love her little cherub face and stringy black hair. Her high energy personality lends to great sleeping and eating and we are thankful. She is still breastfed and is loving her farm fresh veggies, along with finger foods like Cheerios, cheese, peas, avocado and banana.
"Mamamamama" is still her favorite person but she shows no sign of stranger danger yet. She craves and demands attention from everyone around her and we give it to her. Happy 10 months, Katherine Joy.

Birthday Message

Happy 33rd to Will and Sam from Minnie Mouse Princess and Cowboy Jack!

Two for Two

I have the privilege of knowing two of the best fathers around!

To Will - you are amazing. You are compassionate, funny, and our hero. If you ever wonder about your impact here on Earth, you need only to look at your children. They adore you and you are planting seeds in them that will outlive you and leave a Godly legacy. Thank you for being who you are and being the best teammate and friend in this life.

To my Dad - I smile when I think about you. I picture you in your Aggie baseball cap, working hard on the farm. You have given me much through the years - but I think your greatest gift is your unconditional love and support, as well as your love to and for my Mom. I love to see you with my kids, who talk about their Doc daily. Every day is not enough to thank you for being my Dad and my friend.
I hope and pray you both feel loved and appreciated today. I don't deserve it, but as far as fathers go, I am two for two!

at 33 months

Josie is 33 months today. I just love getting to know her. When people are around her, they fall in love, and this is why.
She is a happy, free-spirited child. She is still afraid of loud sounds like the vacuum cleaner and Will's lawn tools. She is the perfect middle child - a nurturer to Kate, and Jack's biggest fan and cheerleader. She is physically so strong and tough, yet she is our biggest cuddler. She loves her left thumb, balloons, and dressing up like Belle. Her sunkissed hair is so soft, and looks mighty cute in a big bow! She has a tender heart and wants to please. She is also very independent and can now dress herself, make her bed, go potty and wash her hands! She loves to eat - faves include Life cereal, nectarines, hot dogs, and anything with butter. She has an endearing laugh as she scrunches up her nose and moves her sweet face side-to-side. She knows her full name, how to count to 20, and how to pick a bow to match her outfit. She is not afraid to laugh at herself for an occasional "two legs in one pant hole" incident, and still asks to be carried downstairs every single morning. What would we do without our JoJo? Well, we would certainly laugh and smile less. This 33 month-old is full of life, and I look forward to seeing how God directs her path.

mommies make mistakes, too

Dear Jack, Josie and Kate,
You are beginning to figure this one out, but I am not perfect.
I will make mistakes, and will probably hurt your feelings at some point.
The other day I raised my voice at you BIG TIME because you slammed your bedroom door (still don't know who did it) and broke a frame off the wall.
I was so upset, and then you became upset. Seeing you cry hurt me much worse that seeing the cracked frame.
I asked for your forgiveness and you said ok.
You still should not have slammed your door, and I said that too.
You guys have to work on treating each other better, and treating our things better too. I need to work on my response to you in these inevitable times.
I am trying to be the best Mommy I can be, but I will make lots of mistakes.
And each of you will make mistakes. But we are a family that forgives.
I love you dearly and fully,
Mom, Mama, Mommy

A Helper I Will Be

One of the chores we are learning to do is make beds.
A certain 4-year old is very good at it, but groans as he is doing it.


A certain 2-year old is working on it, and does it so cheerfully.


I think I need to let go of my perfectionistic ways.

get lost!

Since our roof was damaged in the recent hail storm, our insurance paid for it to be replaced. Praise the Lord for insurance! Our roofer said they would be here Monday and that it would take all day for them to complete. He also said that there would be no place to hide and that we might want to "get lost."
He was right. At 6:30 am, Josie ran into our bedroom, and said, "Mommy, do you hear that sumpin'?" There was no way to avoid it, and everyone was awake. So we took his advice and had a fun day with our friends, the Starrs. We spent the morning at the Ft. Worth Zoo, ate a picnic lunch there, then went back to their house for "naps." I put this in quotations because we are certain the boys never slept a wink! Their giggles were priceless, though, and they stayed in Ethan's room for two hours, so we really didn't mind. I don't remember the last time Lisa and I were able to just sit on the couch and talk....whaddya think, L, maybe circa 2003?
To round out the day we ate dinner at the new McDonalds with an awesome playground, then drove home to our new roof. Thanks, Starrs, for helping us get lost and for a great day to start the summer.

Simple Things of Summer

If you know me, you know I get ready for summer way ahead of time.
I think I ordered the kids UPF+50 swimsuits in March. We got passes to Hawaiian Falls last month before it opened last week. I ordered the kids special Mustela sensitive skin sunscreen last month from drugstore.com. I researched hip carriers for Kate so I could be hands-free at the water park, and found "the one" at onestepahead.com.
But let's be honest. My kids are happiest in the backyard, playing in the sprinkler, eating a "popstick," and dancing around with umbrellas. And Kate is happy as a clam in her pack and play (plus a bug net!) playing with toys and trying to stand up. Kids are simple, and they can make simple afternoons in the backyard into extraordinary moments. I hope you all have unforgettable summers and enjoy the simple things.