Party of 5

Breaking the silence

2010-08-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

I know my readers (all three of you) have been wondering if I fell off the planet while trekking across the country. No. I didn't.

But, I have been unpacking an insane amount of brown boxes and wondering why the heck I have some of their contents. Nothing like having a semi and a half pull up in front your house to make you realize that you have far too much stuff.

So, for the past few weeks, I've been unpacking, rearranging, and dreaming of ways to make this new house a home.

Nathan started class and spends most of his 'free time' reading about political and military policy ( I know you are jealous).

The kids are enjoying running around and playing with the neighborhood kids (there's a total of 18 kids in our immediate vicinity). They start school next week. I am one nervous momma.

I have taken exactly zero pics of the new house or the kids. Oops. But, for my three readers (or is it two?) I will do better! I promise!

Here are a few from a photo shoot the girls were in!

photos by: kristinraephotography.blogspot.com

Start the countdown...

2010-06-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

10 days left here in MS. I am sad, excited, nervous, and curious about this move. We will be moving back to VA. We lived there for 6 months almost 6 years ago. We were newlyweds, pregnant, and Nathan was newly commissioned and in school.

This time we will be plus three kids, 3 deployments, and 7 years of marriage.

Alot has changed in the past three years here in MS, and leaving here will be rough. This house was our first real home together. We made some life-changing friendships here. We have seen first days of Kindergarten, first steps, and first missing teeth in this house.

I find myself tearing up as I go about my daily routine and think about what this place has meant to me personally. I can hardly believe it is time to start another adventure!

See you all on the other side (I promise to be better about updating once we settle in!)

Some Recent Projects

2010-05-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

I am on the last leg of my first photography class. It was cheap and only lasted 6 weeks. I was the youngest student by a good 25 years or more. But, I learned a thing or two.

1. I love this stuff!

2. I have a loooong way to go.

Here are a couple of the projects I did for the class.

Life in Death

2010-04-08T19:02:00.000-07:00

My sweet friend Sandy entered Heaven's gates last week. She was one of those people that everyone loved and wanted to emulate. She was classy, sweeter than pie, and had a heart for her Jesus. The stories told at her memorial service testified to the life that sweet woman lived.

Brooklynn has been especially affected by Sandy's death. She has cried more than a few times over the loss of our friend. The amazing thing about it is that she has asked so many questions and has said some very profound things in the past week.

I have a hard time with how much she can understand at her tender age, but we try our best to navigate the questions with Truth. It has been a very eye-opening experience for me as a mother.

The other day we were praying for Tom, Sandy's husband. Brooklynn was crying and looked at me and asked if she could write a letter to Mr. Tom to let him know that she 'is here for him'.

When she was finished with her letter she brought me in to see it.

The note read, "I am here for you. I love you."

The drawing was a huge house and God holding Mrs Sandy like a baby. I was floored. She told me that she drew God really big because....God's just REALLY big!

Preach it sister!

All I Want for Christmas...

2010-03-07T18:08:00.000-08:00

is my two front teeth!

Brooklynn lost the first of two loose teeth tonight! I can't believe she's old enough to be visited by the tooth fairy! Thankfully the tooth fairy had some cash tonight or we'd be in trouble!!! :)

She was eating at the time it came out---she swallowed her tooth along with her poptart! I'm kinda sad we didn't get to put it under her pillow this time, but I know it won't be but a couple of weeks before her sweet little smile has a larger hole!

Regardless, she is one happy camper! She feels so grown up! It happened right before bedtime and the kid was about to burst with excitement. My only saving grace was the promise of the Tooth Fairy's visit.

What's the going rate for a tooth these days?

My Sweet Kylee

2010-02-12T19:09:00.001-08:00

She fell asleep in her dress up clothes...made the perfect dreamy effect!

Recess for Mommy

2010-02-05T19:57:00.000-08:00

I have very quickly discovered that there is a whole sub-culture of Photoshoppers! I am having so much fun playing with my new program. I thought I'd share a couple of treatments I've done on Brooklynn's pic. I am using the same picture over and over again bc, well....she's the only kid I could pin down long enough to take a picture. :)

This is the original photo...

I love this vintage effect...

I love those baby blues...

Such a sweet little face....

I am still learning the whole process, but it's so much fun to play around with! Now if I can just get my kids to sit still long enough to take a few more pics! :)

She may talk too much, but...

2010-02-03T14:26:00.000-08:00

She's pretty dang gorgeous huh!

My super-awesome in-laws gave me a super-awesome camera a couple of weeks ago. I am finally learning a few things about how to actually use it (thanks to P-DUB)! I took this one of Brooklynn yesterday. I can tell that they are going to get sick of me following them around with a camera :)

I played with this one in PS, and I think it turned out pretty well. It doesn't hurt that the model is stinkin' gorgeous!

More to come as I get them uploaded!

Chatty Cathy and Harry Houdini

2010-02-01T13:47:00.000-08:00

So for several days in a row now, Brooklynn has come home with 'sad faces'. This means that she has been in trouble ALOT during the day! The first time it happened, she had a substitute. I thought (okay I hoped) that it was just because the sub was being overly stern in order to keep 24 kids quiet all on her own (there's usually an assistant in the room too). But, no....she's come home with them regularly since then.

I am not a happy momma, I can tell you! We are practicing not talking---she has to sit in her room for a while when she comes home with a sad face. I am praying this will be all it takes for her to learn her lesson!

I hate for my little one to be in trouble!

Speaking of little ones in trouble---

Caleb has a new trick! It's a 'disappearing act'. I only get to see it when he's in trouble. If he sees me with 'the spoon' he makes a run for it. No matter where he is in the house, he will always run to one place. He high-tails it for his bedroom. You see, in his bedroom and nice velvet curtains that make the perfect hiding place!

It's really hard to discipline your child when you are trying to hide your smile!

Now you see him! Now you don't!

The More you Know...

2010-01-10T10:56:00.000-08:00

Brooklynn continues to come home with a wide array of things she's learning in her new class.

In addition to the life lessons I posted about a few days ago, she also learned that:

1. You can't wrestle like bears or jump like frogs in the library.

2. When you sit next to kids named Tommy, he will teach you to make farting noises, and will also bring you presents to school (more on that one Monday).

3. A 'little line' (hyphen) means you need more room.

4. It's always nice to be a bucket filler.*

* Bucket Filling has something to do with being nice, but I'm still working on getting a better understanding of what the heck she's talking about! :)

Learned in Kindergarten

2010-01-06T11:04:00.000-08:00

We have had lots of changes in our family over the past few weeks. One of them is Brooklynn starting Kindergarten at her new school. She is working on her second day there, and so far she is having a blast!

When I picked her up from school yesterday, I promise it was like she had grown up a bit since I dropped her off! It was fun to listen to all her stories on the way home.

I listened to all the things she'd learned in school, and decided to start keeping track of what she says she learns. Should be interesting--here are the first lessons she learned in Kindergarten.

1. Two rows of three makes six.

2. When you wear a Gator hat, no one is supposed to talk to you. (Her teacher wears

one during 'quiet time' when the kids are not supposed to get out of their seats?

--at least that's what I gathered)

3. "One, two, three! Eyes on me!" is really fun to say over and over and over and over!

4. One can't be bothered with eating pasta for lunch when Mom packs cookies and

Cheez-Its too!

I'm anxious to see what she learns today!

In the meantime, here are some pics from her first day!

Christmas in Pictures

2010-01-06T10:44:00.001-08:00

Here are tons of pictures that cover our Christmas vacation in Texas. Enjoy!

I've been warned...

2009-12-20T11:57:00.000-08:00

I've been warned by a dear friend of mine....If I don't update my blog--she's removing my link from her page! LOL

Unfortunately, my camera's USB cable is MIA so I can't upload all my pics. I do, however, have a few of our Christmas pics to share...

Hope you enjoy them!

In other news, we have been busy getting in the Christmas spirit! We just got home from a weekend stay at the Avia Hotel. The hotel has just opened in Market Street (The Woodlands), which has a small town square sort of feel--lots of shops and restaurants, a lawn with a HUGE Christmas tree, and lots of shoppers!

We stayed two nights in the hotel--all 8 of us! We had a blast!

On Saturday, we got the kids all dressed up and went to see Santa. The girls loved it, but Caleb was skeptical! The whole time we were in line, Caleb was saying "HO HO HO!" but as soon as he realized I was about to plop him down in St. Nick's lap, it turned into " NO NO NO!"---the pics turned out cute regardless :)

We also rode in a "one horse open sleigh"! THAT was fun! It was nice and cold so we got bundle up under the fuzzy blankets. We got an extra long ride (thanks to mom's generous tip), and we sang carols the whole way! Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh! HEY!

As of this moment, all three kids are passed out in bed after an action packed weekend! Definitely a great way to start off our Christmas week!

More on the love of lipstick!

2009-10-09T21:12:00.000-07:00

My last post featured my sweet B in her bright pink lipstick. Well, apparently she and her little sister felt it was their sisterly duty to share their passion for pink with....

this little man!

He has, for the past few days, walked around the house with a tube of pretty pink lipgloss. He can open it, load up the brush, and smear it...all by himself! : )

He has painted my lips with gobs of the stuff many times--and he has almost perfect aim...

I asked Brooklynn how he learned about it and she readily admitted to their beauty lessons with their little man. ..has me wondering what the next few years will hold for Caleb! Poor kid's gonna have to suffer through alot with his big sisters! lol

They are on a nail polish kick right now--better lock up all the weapons or he'll have orange and purple toes!

For the Love of lipstick and popsicles and much more

2009-09-02T14:07:00.000-07:00

Two of his favorites...eating and bathing....combined! lol

This was an accidental shot...his face was too funny to delete the picture...

Ole' ?

Brooklynn's love of lipstick...but you gotta love those baby blues!

Her first day of school--working on her reading! She's doing a fantastic job! She loves to read to her Daddy!

Livin' it up at the Hotel....

She's somewhere in there....

Kylee cheesing for the camera in Daddy's cover...

I almost forgot...

2009-07-27T10:01:00.000-07:00

Recently, we joined Netflix so we could get movies without having to buy and store them. The girls love it because they get a mailbox full of fun movies. The most recent mailing was Tinkerbell. They've watched a gazillion times over the past several days.

Brooklynn loves to ask questions and process the movie out loud. It's funny to hear all the things she wonders about as she's watching. I was sitting on the couch with her and she asked why Tink's clothes were made out of leaves. I told her that that's just what fairies wear in this movie. She then asked if we have fairies in OUR world (her way of asking if they were real). I told her that they were just pretend. Her response nearly made me fall off the couch.

She crossed her arms and got very serious. She said, "well, there's at least one!....TOOTH!"

It was too hilarious with her very grown up and serious look on her face.

"oh yes," I told her... "I almost forgot!"

Okay, so as I type this, my little Brooklynn comes in and sees my MIL's phone. Brooklynn, very curiously peeks over the tabletop and says, "You have a RED Berry!!!"

My MIL's phone is a red blackberry. Is that not too funny!

On the Road to Recovery

2009-07-25T16:46:00.001-07:00

Finally, after a very long (and busy) month, I am feeling much better! Whooohooo!

My family has done an amazing job taking care of me, the kids, my house, and ....well, pretty much everything! Praise the Lord for my sweet family!

The girls were very excited to see their cousin Emma--they had a blast for the two days she was here. They had movie nights, princess parties, and giggled only every thirty seconds!

Poor Caleb and Nathan were very, very outnumbered! But, as you can see, they had some 'guy time' too!

Sweet Cousins!

If you look closely, you can see that there are three little beauties piled on the bed! They are enjoying some Disney movie or another! (probably for the 10th time)

Caleb lovin' on his daddy! They're best buds--it's too cute!

Pictures!

2009-07-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

Kylee, right before her third wardrobe change for the day! She wears at least three dresses during the course of a single day!
Brooklynn, snuggling with Daddy while watching a movie.
Caleb, digging through the tupperware. They make great drums!

Back to Blogging!

2009-07-02T23:29:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted! I guess there's been so much going on that I didn't have time to post! Plus, I misplaced my camera charger so pictures were out of the question.

I found my charger yesterday, and it's happily giving my camera a much need jolt of energy.
Speaking of energy... the three amigos are busier than ever.

I stopped working full time before my surgery, so we are all spending some much needed quality time together! Those little ones are such a joy!

I'm still in the recovery phase so we are finding creative ways to play together. Right now, the favorite seems to be movie dates. The girls pile on my bed and we watch movies or play computer games online. We giggle and snuggle and have a grand ol' time.

Caleb's favorite pass time is playing ball. His golf club and ball seem to get the most use. He doesn't actually hit the ball---it's usually his sisters' head! We're learning....

He loves to throw any ball he can get his hands on. He finds one and repeats, "Ball! Ball! Ball!"
He, then proceeds to yell, "BALL!!" and hums it across the room. Everytime!
Unfortunately, I've noticed that he also yells it when he's throwing just about anything! You have a split second to get out of the line of fire when you hear him yelling. He's got an arm, that's for sure!

I love my life!

Circus Clowns

2009-05-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

I knew with three kids that my life was a three-ring circus but this week, it became even more apparent!!!

It was bedtime and the girls were supposed to be cleaning up the markers they'd been coloring with. Kylee runs out with her red little nose and we couldn't stop laughing. While we took her picture, Brooklynn grabbed a marker and ran for the bathroom. She wanted to join the fun!

They have to be the most beautiful circus clowns on the planet, though, right?

Remembering Elliot Skaggs

2009-04-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow marks what would have been the 1st birthday of my dear friend Sara's little boy. He was diagnosed with polycystic kidneys in utero.
Sara and her husband navigated the unspeakable journey of her pregnancy with more bravery and faith than can ever be told. She carried him as long as she could when doctors suggested otherwise. She walked with such an astounding measure of grace--she is truly my hero.

She was told that sweet Elliot would live maybe minutes, if at all. He lived for an hour. His short little life spoke volumes about the Lord's sovereignty.

Please remember the Skaggs and McCain family as you call on the Lord this week.

What's happening

2009-04-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

Things have been a bit crazy around here (as usual). Nathan is hard at work on his masters degree AND training his Seabees for their upcoming gig. He gets very little sleep these days. We are also getting ready to head to his 10 year reunion!!! I can't believe it's been that long since high school!

The kids are doing great! They had their first weekend trip to my mom's over the Easter break, while Nathan and I went to a wedding in Round Top, TX (near Brenham). It was nice to catch up with some Corps buddies and their wives.

Caleb is about to turn 1! So, mommy is busy making/ordering decorations and attempting to be 'crafty'. My little man is a mess! He climbs on everything and is working up the courage to jump off! He is starting to do his little sign language--it's too cute. He mostly does "please" and usually it can be translated as "FEED MY FACE!" He looks like Tarzan when he does it, but we get the idea...

Kylee is LOVING school. She moved up to the 3 year old class and has a brand new teacher. We love Ms. Ginny! Kylee comes home singing new songs and telling us all about her day. It's priceless.

Brooklynn is actually reading!! I am stunned every time she does it! It's crazy! She is quite proud of herself too! Again...priceless!

As for me, I'm still working at the Preschool as Asst Director----always an adventure (to say the least). I stay busy that's for sure!

I will have pics to post next time--Caleb's birthday party is turning out to be quite an event! Stay tuned!

Big Boy! and Tiny Girls

2009-03-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

Our little man is getting so big, we can hardly believe it! He's 10 months old now! He is still the quiet and easy-going baby but.....he's ON THE GO! For the past month he's been taking a couple of steps here and there, but this past week he decided to go for the gusto and start actually walking!! He's so funny to watch (i'll try to get a video). He's constantly following the girls around the house and trying to get in on whatever they are doing. Right now, his favorite is playing in their kitchen. Literally, IN the kitchen. He climbs through the 'oven' door and sits inside it and plays with the dishes. It's too cute!

Brooklynn is such a little mommy! She is constantly informing me of what Caleb is doing and keeps an eagle eye on anything that goes into his mouth. It's always very loud and dramatic because that's just Brooklynn's way of doing things. LOL She is also beginning to read! The first time she sounded out a word, I almost passed out! I was so shocked! It is fun to watch her learning and growing into such a fantastic little lady.

Then, there's Kylee. What a mess our sweet Kylee can be! She flooded the sink in her preschool's bathroom. She stuffed toilet paper into the drain and turned the water on. She, on more than one occasion, has gained the attention of her entire class to 'read' or sing to them. This is a feat that even her teacher has trouble with--there's 12 of them and only one of her! Needless to say, our Kylee can hold her own! She is very into singing and does an amazing job of actually staying on key! Her favorite right now is "God Bless America"

The best part goes like this: GOD BLESS AMEEEERRIKA! LAND THAT I LOV FROM THE MOUNTAINS TO THE TO THE OCEANS WHITE WITH CLEEEEAAANN GOD BLESS AMEEEERIKA FROM THE OCEANS TO THE BERRIES....

It keeps on going because none of her songs ever really end! It's the cutest thing! Anyway, the kids are all doing well and keeping us...on our toes! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

BUILDINGS Our little man is getting so big, we can hardly believe it! He's 10 months old now! He is still the quiet and easy-going baby but.....he's ON THE GO! For the past month he's been taking a couple of steps here and there, but this past week he decided to go for the gusto and start actually walking!! He's so funny to watch (i'll try to get a video). He's constantly following the girls around the house and trying to get in on whatever they are doing. Right now, his favorite is playing in their kitchen. Literally, IN the kitchen. He climbs through the 'oven' door and sits inside it and plays with the dishes. It's too cute!
Brooklynn is such a little mommy! She is constantly informing me of what Caleb is doing and keeps an eagle eye on anything that goes into his mouth. It's always very loud and dramatic because that's just Brooklynn's way of doing things. LOL
She is also beginning to read! The first time she sounded out a word, I almost passed out! I was so shocked! It is fun to watch her learning and growing into such a fantastic little lady.
Then, there's Kylee. What a mess our sweet Kylee can be! She flooded the sink in her preschool's bathroom. She stuffed toilet paper into the drain and turned the water on. She, on more than one occasion, has gained the attention of her entire class to 'read' or sing to them. This is a feat that even her teacher has trouble with--there's 12 of them and only one of her! Needless to say, our Kylee can hold her own! She is very into singing and does an amazing job of actually staying on key! Her favorite right now is "God Bless America"
The best part goes like this:
GOD BLESS AMEEEERRIKA! LAND THAT I LOV
FROM THE MOUNTAINS TO THE
TO THE OCEANS WHITE WITH CLEEEEAAANN
GOD BLESS AMEEEERIKA
FROM THE OCEANS TO THE BERRIES....
It keeps on going because none of her songs ever really end! It's the cutest thing!
Anyway, the kids are all doing well and keeping us...on our toes! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

CALEB LOVES TO EAT!!!!!

Out of the mouths of babes.....

2009-02-08T18:34:00.001-08:00

My sweet little Brook-a-winn has a cough, so she's been snuggled down in her bed all afternoon. I had to drag her out of bed to head to Wal-mart to get some medicine. On the way to the store, we were listening to the radio. The song was How Great Thou Art (sung by Carrie Underwood). At the end, Brooklynn started talking to me about it. These were the words of my tiny little 4 year old.

"Mommy! That's about Jesus! I asked him to be in my heart as my Savior when I was little!" (it was in Sept)

It was the next part that blew me away!

"He gave me the Holy Spirit and He will never take away my gift. I get to keep it forever! He came into my heart and changed me and now I have the Holy Spirit! I am going to love God forever!"

I couldn't believe it! I mean, we've talked about all of that, but for her to talk about it like that....I was blown away! When I was pregnant with her, we prayed (as with all our children) for her to know Jesus. I never imagined it would come so soon. It's amazing to listen to the words of such a tender little heart...

Somebody STOP him!!!

2008-11-25T21:18:00.000-08:00

This kid is growing up way to fast for this momma! I can't believe the things this kid is doing and trying to do! Here are a few snapshots of the past two or three weeks.

This is his favorite thing to play with these days. It's a car that he can push along that has about a thousand buttons and levers to keep him busy. He likes to run over his sisters with it to! I hope that's not a taste of things to come!
The weather is getting cooler here, so we had to go shopping for our little man. Brooklynn picked out this vest-jacket thing. It's adorable on him! I don't know how well it came out in the picture, but let me assure you this kid is over-the-top handsome!

So, he's obviously learned to pull up on things, so it's a common occurance that he stands up in his bed. It's one of those things that just shocks you when you walk in and he's standing up for the first time! He's been doing it for awhile but this is one of the first times I was able to catch it on film. We can't keep Kylee out of his bed--as you can see!

Here's a solo shot! Doesn't he look proud of himself!

The other day, I was folding laundry and turned the basket upside down for him to pull up on. He had a good time using it as a walker and pushing it around the room for a few minutes. Then.....he figured out that if he lifted his little knee up, he could climb on top! I quickly put his leg back down, but Kylee was determined to teach her little man to climb (she's the pro in the house). So, needless to say, this sweet boy is keeping me on my toes!

Where we left off...

2008-11-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since our last post...sorry! We've had one of those, 'oh my gosh, when will this end?", whirlwind kind of months that makes you want to fast forward time.

Caleb, at the ripe ol' age of 6 whole months went into the hospital with pneumonia! My poor little man was a sick little puppy! He spent 4 days with IV's in his head and breathing treatments every 2 hours! It wore us all out to say the very least! But, as you can see from the photo below (taken today) that's he's feeling much better!

While Caleb was in the hospital, both the girls went in to see the doc! Kylee had a sinus infection and looked pitiful. Here she is today, looking much better!

Brooklynn had staph infection on her leg, but it didn't slow her down much. She was even kind enough to ask the nurse for a sucker to take home to Kylee!

This photo is from this afternoon. It's been a little chilly here in the mornings, so she picked out this adorable hat/glove set to keep her cozy. She's been wearing since we left the checkout counter!

In the midst of all of this, we managed a trip to Texas to see the grandparents. The kids went to the Fall Festival. We spent a couple of hours getting their costumes together. They all looked adorable! They went as the three little pigs (the girls) and the Big Bad Wolf (Caleb). We got there and they spent about ten minutes in the costumes--which ended up in the trunk of the car! Oh well--they were cute!

Mommy and Caleb (right about the time his Bhroncitis hit).

The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf (at least half of the costume made it)

So, we are all home now and finally getting healthy! I, for one, am glad it's all over! It was pretty scary to see Caleb so sick! Thank you to 'the moms' who drove from Texas to help take care of my kiddos! Thank you, also, to the BTF friends that fed us, visited us, and prayed for us!

The best way to eat a push up popsicle......

2008-10-19T17:22:00.001-07:00

IN THE BATHTUB!!! So, it's a Sunday night and in order to save time and baby wipes, we decided to enjoy our dessert in the tub! Obviously, the girls loved it!

I'm typing to the sound of the girls slurping up every last drop of sugery goodness! Of course, their favorite treat is one of the messiest! Check out Kylee's mouth--that was from the very first bite! Maybe she thinks it's a giant lipstick???

Gettin' Big...

2008-10-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots we've taken over the last couple of days. Caleb is getting so big, it's scary! He definitely isn't following the curve the girls are on! They are barely hanging onto the growth charts and C Man is near the top! We don't know where those genes came from!

That sweet smile is ALWAYS on his little face--some ladies at church don't even know his real name (they just call him Smiley)! He's a delight and ADORES his big sisters (especially when they have food!)

I am one very blessed mama!

What did you say?

2008-09-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

As we all know, kids can say the darndest things! As of late, my favorite thing is to listen to my kiddos sing. Songs can take on a whole new meaning when they are sung by two oh-so-adorable preschoolers!

Cases in point:

1. The B-I-B-L-E! Yes, that's the book for me!

I UNDERSTAND THE WORD I GOT! (I stand alone on the Word of God)

The B-I-B-L-E!

(As sung by Brooklynn)

2. Over the Mountains and the seas,

YOU NEVER FOLD THIS UP FOR ME! (Your river runs with love for me)

(Again...as sung by Brooklynn)

3. I Love you Lord, and I lift my boice, to worship You
OLD MAN'S SOUL.... (Oh my soul)

(As sung by Brooklynn....are we seeing a pattern here)

Anyway, I love to hear my baby girls sing and love it even more when they add their own flare. I know that one of these days they will sing the songs perfectly and my little heart will long to hear the silly words again.

Sweet Dreams Little Man

2008-09-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

This is how sweet little Caleb fell asleep for his nap this afternoon. Do you think they make eyemasks in his size?? hehehe

Finally on film....

2008-09-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

Caleb has been crawl-scooting for a couple of weeks now, but I finally managed to get a snapshot of his new found talent.
I also managed a shot of him sitting up better too. He is much more steady now, and figured out how to use his hands to keep himself up. He's really starting to explore and engage in his surroundings. If he sees something he wants, you can see the wheels turning as he trys to figure out how to get it. I love it! I know it will mean more work for me soon, but for now I'm enjoying his curiosity!
There's an added bonus pic of Kylee playing with her Cay-yubs. I love the look on his face--he's probably going to have that look a lot over the years! LOL

Sittin' pretty! (He's young enough that I can still call him pretty, right?)
You can see his pacifier in the foreground. He was desperate to get to it!

She LOVES to get as close to him as she can! Her favorite line is "can I touch him?"

There are just no words....

2008-09-06T07:46:00.001-07:00

After a busy week running from Gustav--we went birthday shopping with Brooklynn's birthday money. She very quickly decided on dress up clothes and ended up with a whole basketful of all things pink and shiney. In all, she bought two dresses, two crowns, two purse sets (complete with cell phones, glasses, lipstick, car keys, and other necessities), and a music box make up set (complete with eye shadows, lipsticks, way too many lipglosses!). The girls immediately used up every last drop of lip gloss. Here are the pictures to prove it! Gotta love bein' a girl!

I'm SO proud! ; )

2008-08-25T15:41:00.000-07:00

Caleb discovered a new talent this afternoon! He decided that sucking his thumb was overdone and wanted more of a challenge. So, he moved on to his big toe! He was in his seat on the way home from picking Brooklynn up from school. I snapped a few shots and saw that his little toe is even wrinkled! He must've been sucking on it the whole way home ( I forgot his paci at home!)!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOOK-A-WINN!!!

2008-08-25T08:48:00.000-07:00

We had Brooklynn's birthday party at her gymnastics center on Saturday! It was crazy fun! The kids went crazy on beams, bars, trampolines, and mats! Here are a few snapshots from the day!

Some of the kiddos with Brooklynn on the 'throne'
Yummy Cupcakes with sprinkles!
Get a load of that face! She loved being the Birthday Girl!
Caleb LOVES ice cream! He couldn't get enough!
Emma (cousin) being sassy!

Maybe she'll take the gold like Shawn Johnson!
Emma Lou on the beam! She was a natural!
Flipping on the mats!
Kylee Beth jumping on the Tumble Trak! This kid is so gifted it's scary! Summer Games 2024--she's gonna be there!

Summer Games 2024

2008-08-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

We had our second night of gymnastics yesterday, and it was amazing to watch the girls exploring new activities and talents.

Brooklynn has her class first, and she's doing a great job so far. They do all the expected things for a beginning gymnast: stretches, trampoline, forward rolls, log rolls, etc. Her favorite is the rope swing into the pit (full of foam blocks).

Kylee's class is up next and is basically a 45 minute session of free play around the gym. The kids get to play on whatever catches their attention, and it's been fun to watch Kylee try her hand at several new tricks. She, too, LOVES the rope swing. She's great at the bars for such a little thing. She loves hanging upside down. Last night, however, she shocked us all with her death-defying leaps off the beam into the pit! It was crazy to see her jump from such a high (not to mention tiny) perch!

We can't wait to see what she does next week! I'll have more pics then!

She has a point....

2008-08-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

Today, on our way home from school, Brooklynn was getting a bit sassy with me. I told her she'd better watch her mouth to which she responded, 'but Mommy I can't see my mouth"! SHe was seriously confused--there was no sass in her voice.

It was too funny and I couldn't stop laughing long enough to explain myself. Oh well, maybe next time!

Too cute for words...

2008-08-14T13:33:00.001-07:00

Teachers must live at school!

2008-08-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

So Brooklynn has been in school about a week and a half now. Every morning the same teacher is there to welcome her into class. This teacher, Miss Nicki, also attends our church. On Sunday, Nicki spotted Brooklynn playing and went over to say hello. The conversation went something like this:

Nicki--"Hi, Brooklynn! How are you this morning?"

Brooklynn--"Hi! Who are you?"

Nicki--"Who am I?! I'm Miss Nicki, silly"

Brooklynn---"In a DRESS?!!!"

You see, the teachers at her school all wear these super cute pink scrubs with their name stitched on them. So, clearly, teachers live at school and always wear scrubs!

Roll Overs

2008-08-09T13:47:00.001-07:00

Caleb decided to surprise us all again by rolling from his back to his tummy Thursday! It was super cute because he rolled onto his tummy and got so excited that he accidentally kept right on rollin'!
He is really grabbing at his toys and trying to chew on his teether, toys, and of course, his hands! He absolutely loves his activity center that Coffee and Aunt Ree gave him!

Growing up fast....

2008-08-06T12:18:00.001-07:00

This week was full of firsts in our house! Brooklynn started school this week at our new church. She is having a blast-except when it comes to meal times! It's been so fun to see all her artwork, meet her new friends, and listen to all her stories on the way home!

Showing off her new dress.... Making sure her 'pack pack' was nice and straight.....

Pretending Mommy's not there to pick her up Seeing Kylee at the end of the day

This was her second day of school. She wanted to wear her Marine Corps overalls. She's definitely Daddy's Little Girl!

Kylee also had a 'first' of her own this week! She finally got her first haircut. Mommy did it, and I must say, it isn't very easy to cut hair on a child who won't sit still for a milli-second!!!
Here's her new do!

Of course, Caleb couldn't be left out of the excitement of the week! I was able to snap his first attempt at sitting up...just after this shot--he face planted! Oops!

We have had a jam-packed week this week and have loved every minute of it! We are very blessed and can't wait to see what new adventures are coming around the bend....

Until next time........

Pop Goes the Kylee!

2008-07-31T18:24:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been rough in the area of napping. I mean, seriously rough. One day this week, it took two hours to get the girls to be still and stop getting out of bed! It hasn't been much better when bed time rolls around.
Last night, I was sitting in bed (reading blogs) and heard a small little sound at my doorway. I looked up and saw this....

She's hiding in a tunnel from her playhouse tent. She smiled that, "I'm too cute to get in trouble" smile, turned around and bounced away (still inside the tunnel). The smile worked--I made her come back long enough to take the picture.

I wonder what in the world went through her mind when she decided to get out of bed, find her tunnel, and then sneak around the dark house!?

Another kind of rolling...

2008-07-29T18:38:00.001-07:00

This time it's me rolling on the floor. My kids are 'at that age' when everything they say is amusing. I can hardly stand it sometimes.

The other day, Kylee was singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" but was adding her own little flair (read this as "in the totally wrong tune"). Brooklynn stopped her and with her best 'big sister' tone corrected her by singing it:

Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the strings!
Mary, mary, mary, mary
Like it but its dreams!

Hello! How adorable is that!

On a side note:
Brooklynn is starting to read! We have magnetic letters on the fridge, and she's starting to sound out little words. It's crazy to think about having a child who's old enough to be starting to read--it makes me feel old actually. But, I'm super proud of her! It's inspiring to watch her get so excited about learning something new. We had to call everyone she knew to tell them what she'd done! Priceless!

Happy Wedding Birthday!

2008-07-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

This weekend was our fifth anniversary! I can't believe it's been that long already!

We had a great weekend! It started off when Lolly and Saucy came into town. They kept the kids so Nathan and I could have a date night. I had arranged everything without Nathan knowing a thing! I picked him up from work on Friday afternoon--Les dropped me off. Needless to say, when Nathan saw my sister in the car, he knew something was up. It was great! I was so excited that I'd been able to surprise him!

So, we finally got some time as a couple and went to . When we got back, my mom helped the girls bake a cake, and we had a party (complete with presents and balloons)! The girls sang Happy Wedding Birthday to Mom and Dad--it was priceless!

We are so blessed to have such an amazing family and thankful for an amazing five years together!

Rollin' ....Rollin'...... Rollin'

2008-07-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Today, Caleb hit a fun milestone! He has started rolling over! So far, it's been from his tummy onto his back. It happened so fast, I almost missed it! So fun!

We are still getting over the bug that swept through our house Sunday morning. I think we will survive, but having Mommy and Daddy both sick at the same time is definitely NOT a good thing with two little girls running the show! There was not an inch of floor space left in the living room--and I am now officially out of Kleenex (I just bought a new pack of three on Monday!)!!!

Needless to say, I'm glad it was only a 24 hour bug!

Schools Days....

2008-07-18T06:14:00.000-07:00

We went to visit Brooklynn's new school last night. It's still under construction, so it wasn't a 'grand tour' at all, but it was nice to see where things will be. Everyone was so nice--one guy was literally crawling around the office playing hide and seek with the girls! They LOVE kids at this place! We are super excited about finding this school, after lots of prayer and frustration.

We had all but given up on finding the perfect fit. One afternoon, I happened on an ad for this new school and checked it out online. They are part of a church not far from the house so visited the church the following Sunday. It was great! The school is a ministry of the church--not just a day care. I can't wait to see the wonderful things Brooklynn learns!

One funny little story about our visit last night:

We got to the church to meet the director and as we were walking in, Brooklynn got flustered and said, "MOMMY! I FORGOT MY PACK-PACK!!!" It was so cute! She was ready to go to school right then and there. She even cried when we had to leave. Let me remind you that the school is SERIOUSLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION! Like--no flooring, no toys, no tables, nothing of the sort. Besides the sweet hearts of the director and her husband (the one crawling around the floor) there was nothing to draw Brooklynn in like that. It melted my heart!

Stay tuned for pics from Brooklynn's first day of school!

Is this thing on?

2008-07-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

So, I decided to try setting up a blog for our newly expanded family. I have exactly zero experience with these things, so it might be slow going for awhile. Eventually, though, you will know the chaotic, wonderful life in our home!