Hannah has learned how to pull up to standing. It's so cute. She's so proud of herself. BUT, it has put a kink in our perfect nap plan. She nurses and falls happily asleep. I get up and lay her down, like we've done for months and months. As soon as she hits the bed, she's rolling over and trying to pull up. I just walk out, like I"ve always done. She pulls up and then screams and screams. I come in, lay her down, walk out. She gets up and pulls up to standing then screams and screams. Isn't this fun??? I always forget these fun little episodes from child to child. Now I just need to remember how we get past this.
She also has learned to clap and cheer. She does it all the time, and she expects everyone around her to do it with her....constantly. It is a all out party around here lately, lol!
Oh, and this is day 21 of our chicken pox exposure, so I guess we didn't get it. Bummer. Now sure would be a great time for chicken pox here.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
We've had a wonderful weekend! Friday we got to go play with some new friends. They have a six and a four year old son and then another that is 7 months. It was fun. Joshua and the boys were having fun but then the beets from our dinner Thursday night kicked in for Leah and ummm, it wasn't pretty. So we took Leah, pantsless, home early. It worked out ok because I got the kids down for naps and got my bible reading done and the house somewhat picked up and dinner going for our guests that night. Speaking of my bible reading, I'm on day 55 of my 90 day read thru the bible. I'm really really enjoying it. It is a different perspective from reading short little sections here and there. Or just a chapter at a time like Robert and I do together at night. Anyway, we had a family from our church over for dinner Friday night, so Robert could help them with some financial stuff. yea Dave Ramsey!!
Saturday we all slept in. It is nice on the rare occasions when our kids sleep in and we can get rest too. Hannah got her morning nap while we got some chores done and then at 12:30, we hit the Strongsville Homecoming Carnival!! It was awesome. We all got ride bands and just hopped on as many as we could. I think I rode the Carousel 5 times. Joshua and Leah had a BLAST. They rode the Dragon Wagon, a little kiddie rollercoaster, at least 10 times. Leah was scared and timid at first, until the first half lap around and then she was allll about riding that rollercoaster. We got some free ice cream and shared a funnel cake, watched some dance performances, ran under cover for some quick showers. It was nice. There weren't alot of crowds because of the rain, so we never got pushed or bumped or really had to wait in line at all. Robert even got to ride the crazy Screamer ride that turns you upside down over and over. Of course, I think those of us on the ground got the real entertainment from his girly screams to tease the little girls on the ride. We took a break from the noise about three and ran and grabbed some Whopper Jr's for everyone for a snack. Then back to the action. We stayed until almost 6:30. It was sooo fun. We are alraedy planning out our day for next year. We were some stinky, dirty tired and very happy campers last night!
Hannah was so happy that she decided to go ahead and party all night too. So this morning, Robert and the big kids headed to church and hannah and I stayed home and slept. We just finished a yummy veggie fritata dinner and now are approaching bed time routine. It's a good life!
Saturday we all slept in. It is nice on the rare occasions when our kids sleep in and we can get rest too. Hannah got her morning nap while we got some chores done and then at 12:30, we hit the Strongsville Homecoming Carnival!! It was awesome. We all got ride bands and just hopped on as many as we could. I think I rode the Carousel 5 times. Joshua and Leah had a BLAST. They rode the Dragon Wagon, a little kiddie rollercoaster, at least 10 times. Leah was scared and timid at first, until the first half lap around and then she was allll about riding that rollercoaster. We got some free ice cream and shared a funnel cake, watched some dance performances, ran under cover for some quick showers. It was nice. There weren't alot of crowds because of the rain, so we never got pushed or bumped or really had to wait in line at all. Robert even got to ride the crazy Screamer ride that turns you upside down over and over. Of course, I think those of us on the ground got the real entertainment from his girly screams to tease the little girls on the ride. We took a break from the noise about three and ran and grabbed some Whopper Jr's for everyone for a snack. Then back to the action. We stayed until almost 6:30. It was sooo fun. We are alraedy planning out our day for next year. We were some stinky, dirty tired and very happy campers last night!
Hannah was so happy that she decided to go ahead and party all night too. So this morning, Robert and the big kids headed to church and hannah and I stayed home and slept. We just finished a yummy veggie fritata dinner and now are approaching bed time routine. It's a good life!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Friday Kid Update
Anyone else think I'm talking about goats here? Really, I should call them children and not kids, but that is so formal....and really, I have a pretty close relationship with these guys. So for now, kids it is. :-)
Joshua- Is really growing up. While we were in Texas, he came up with his own nickname for Leah. Arfer Goochie Lachney! Is that not hysterical???? I have NO IDEA why he chose that or where it came from, but it cracks me up. And it makes me realize he really is becoming is own little person.
Leah- Well, she's Leah. No huge milestones here right now. Oh, she has decided to reveal more of her "I am my Mommies daughter" side. You see, I"m a TINY little bit hard headed. Now don't laugh, I konw that surprises most of you, especially those of you that knew me growing up, but I really can be at times. Leah has decided to see if she can meet me head on. Ha! SOOO not gonna work. You see, I can't let her win EVER. Sadly, she lost this battle from the beginning. She is me, and so I know that if she ever wins, at all, even one tiny little victory then we are all in for a rough rough road. So, this week she has chosen not to eat much. We have a rule in our house that we are grateful for the food the Lord has provided. There are times when none of us are real fond of what the Lord provides for certain meals, but we eat it with a cheerful heart. If we don't, then we get 45 minutes to eat and then we get up and go on with our day. And we get the opportunity to finish that plate at the next meal, when we can eat with a cheerful heart. Well, Leah is hard headed. And we'll just say that Leah is hungry now. She chose to do this with two different meals this week and I'm hoping that she is done now, but sadly, she is her Mother's daughter and she will choose to test that boundary again and again.
Hannah- Here is milestone girl herself right now. She's got 4 chompers in but is still not interested in food. My other two didn't eat much until a year either. BUT, this morning, I walked in her room and she was standing up in her crib. Then later, she pulled up to standing at the play table with her siblings. We are almost thru the really hard part of babyhood for me. Although, she has been the easiest baby ever! And she's so cute, so I think we'll keep her. ;-)
Joshua- Is really growing up. While we were in Texas, he came up with his own nickname for Leah. Arfer Goochie Lachney! Is that not hysterical???? I have NO IDEA why he chose that or where it came from, but it cracks me up. And it makes me realize he really is becoming is own little person.
Leah- Well, she's Leah. No huge milestones here right now. Oh, she has decided to reveal more of her "I am my Mommies daughter" side. You see, I"m a TINY little bit hard headed. Now don't laugh, I konw that surprises most of you, especially those of you that knew me growing up, but I really can be at times. Leah has decided to see if she can meet me head on. Ha! SOOO not gonna work. You see, I can't let her win EVER. Sadly, she lost this battle from the beginning. She is me, and so I know that if she ever wins, at all, even one tiny little victory then we are all in for a rough rough road. So, this week she has chosen not to eat much. We have a rule in our house that we are grateful for the food the Lord has provided. There are times when none of us are real fond of what the Lord provides for certain meals, but we eat it with a cheerful heart. If we don't, then we get 45 minutes to eat and then we get up and go on with our day. And we get the opportunity to finish that plate at the next meal, when we can eat with a cheerful heart. Well, Leah is hard headed. And we'll just say that Leah is hungry now. She chose to do this with two different meals this week and I'm hoping that she is done now, but sadly, she is her Mother's daughter and she will choose to test that boundary again and again.
Hannah- Here is milestone girl herself right now. She's got 4 chompers in but is still not interested in food. My other two didn't eat much until a year either. BUT, this morning, I walked in her room and she was standing up in her crib. Then later, she pulled up to standing at the play table with her siblings. We are almost thru the really hard part of babyhood for me. Although, she has been the easiest baby ever! And she's so cute, so I think we'll keep her. ;-)
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Now we are home and getting settled back in. I need to do some quick kiddo updating.
Hannah cut one tooth in Texas and another since we have returned bringing her grand total to 4 now. She still has no interest in solid food, although she did chew on a cucumber for Daddy the other day, she spit it all out but she liked playing with it, that is a start. She is pulling up to her knees but hasn't figured out standing yet. Still army crawling, gotta work on real crawling. I don't think she'll be thinking about walking any time soon. She is talking though. She learned to say dog in Texas. She has also said cat a few times. She says, hi, ni ni and still says all of our names but Leah's.
Joshua and Leah plugging along. Leah turned three last week. I need to get around to some birthday pics for that girl, maybe next week. This week we are busy. Tonight is the parade here which to me marks our one year anniv. It was our first family outing in Strongsville last year, so we are looking forward to it and the carnival on Saturday. On Friday, we are going to play with some friends we met at the homeschool conference and then having a family from church over for dinner that night! All of that to mean, I really need to be busy cleaning my house!!
Hannah cut one tooth in Texas and another since we have returned bringing her grand total to 4 now. She still has no interest in solid food, although she did chew on a cucumber for Daddy the other day, she spit it all out but she liked playing with it, that is a start. She is pulling up to her knees but hasn't figured out standing yet. Still army crawling, gotta work on real crawling. I don't think she'll be thinking about walking any time soon. She is talking though. She learned to say dog in Texas. She has also said cat a few times. She says, hi, ni ni and still says all of our names but Leah's.
Joshua and Leah plugging along. Leah turned three last week. I need to get around to some birthday pics for that girl, maybe next week. This week we are busy. Tonight is the parade here which to me marks our one year anniv. It was our first family outing in Strongsville last year, so we are looking forward to it and the carnival on Saturday. On Friday, we are going to play with some friends we met at the homeschool conference and then having a family from church over for dinner that night! All of that to mean, I really need to be busy cleaning my house!!
So, we got up early Friday morning and headed for Austin to pick up Robert. We made with just two stops this time, instead of the 5 it took to get there. Robert didn't recognize me at the airport from afar. He thought he saw Joshua but then looked at me and thought it couldn't be Joshua because I was different, lol. We were all so happy to be back together! We headed into Austin to grab some FREEBIRDS for lunch!!! YUM! I wish we had the money to franchise a Freebirds up here. Everyone up here loves Chipotle, but we know that it is just because they've never had a good burrito!
After lunch, we headed east to Fulshear, actually Simonton but really who has ever heard of Simonton! We got to Jake and Rachelle's just in time, Joshua was hollering about poopies again and Rachelle had just arrived home. Rachelle was/is 9-10 months pregnant and so I helped her get ready for Nikki's lingerie party that night. Robert and the kids went to the Fulshear 4th of July parade and then got some pizza. Then Robert, Ted and the kids headed to Lake Conroe to crash. Hannah and I stayed and partied with the girls to kick off the wedding festivities week for Nikki and Julian. It was really fun. I have to say that is such a blessing to be around these girls that are going into marriage pure and holy for their husbands. Their Daddies have done a wonderful job protecting and keeping them and it is a joy to be apart of the joining of a holy union! Hannah made it almost thru the whole party before she finally crashed. We rode home with Grandmommy, and Melanie Golden. It was a fun ride!
Saturday started our hurry thru some friends visits before we joined back up with the wedding headquarters in Fulshear. We had lunch with our friends the Velardes and got to spend some time with them...and start plotting Sarah's next visit to see us. I think she's decided she can't wait until we have another baby, lol. THen we headed over and spent the afternoon at the Woody's. Peggy and I even got some Walmart shopping in, lol. I love me some Southern Walmarts! The Stevens and Brenons came and joined us for dinner and the guys got some harumphing done at the horseshoe pit! After dinner we headed back to Willis to watch the fireworks over the lake from the Seago's and then got the kids to bed while we sat up and visited with Ted and Johnnie.
Sunday was church. It was sooooo nice to be back at Grace! Man, we love those people. Hannah was really tired and fussy (can't imagine why) and so I didn't get to hear any of the message but Robert said it was good. We headed home with the Guthrie's!! Poor Tammy had a migraine and was in bed most of the day, although I did crawl in bed and chat with her for a while. Later in the afternoon, I had a headache come on and so I took a nap with Hannah. You know that you have really good friends when you can just fall back into normalcy that quick! We spent all day and had a yummy dinner with them and then headed back to Willis for more time with the Seago's (you can't get too much Seago time!)
Monday we got up early and headed to Clear Lake to visit Papa B and Granny Sue. Uncle Dave had the day off too. It was a great visit. We played for a while and then headed to Mr Gattis for their buffet. We ended up staying and playing games for over three hours! It was really fun and I have lots of pictures. Monday night, John and Brandy made it in and so we all enjoyed some pina coladas, super yummy! Everyone was getting buzzing about wedding festivities and Brandy's new job with Texas Right to Life, now working for John.
Tuesday was go day. We had lunch with the Frye's and got some good Joshua/Alyssa time in, lol. If those two don't get married, I'll be stunned! Then it was back so Robert could help Ted finish teh candle wall the stated building for the wedding the day before. Once we finished up honeydo's there we headed out to do our wedding errands of the day, which included a stop at the Michelsen's to get Anita to help me finish the namecards for the bridal luncheon. We also got the bonus opportunity to expose our kids to chicken pox....hope they got it, nothing yet. We made it to Davisville by the evening and got the game plan for the rest of the week. We checked into our room #3, Key and Brettney's house.
Wednesday was the bridal luncheon for Hannah and I, while Robert and the kids enjoyed the pool with the other Daddy's and kids. After the lunch, all the girls went for mani's and pedis and I left Hannah with Daddy!!! My poor feet were so awful and needed a pedicure BADLY! Winter months in the cold with boots on all the time will kill any cute feet! We had a good time and everyone caught their breath one last time. That evening we all hit the pool and ordered pizza and really had the best night of the whole trip....ok, second best. Family pizza party in the pool, awesomeness!
Thursday was rehearsal dinner night and all the last minute errands and to dos for the wedding. We did squeeze in some early morning pool time too, of course. The rehearsal dinner was at Papasitos, one of my favorite mexican food places, and it was H-O-T!!!!!! But the food was great and the company was even better so it was miserable, just dripping sweat hot.
Friday was go day. Wedding day, finally!!!! This was so exciting to share in with Kikki. We've been praying for her husband for years and finally the day arrived. They were married in a beautiful place called Rockefeller Hall just out of downtown Houston. It is such a fun place!! I got to help shoot wedding pictures. Robert helped with misc things, including ushering and such. It was perfect. No hitches at all. Nikki was gorgeous, Julian was happy.....super happy as they rode off in the limo, acutally! A wonderful night and a beutiful wedding. Of course, this is Ted and Johnnie's 6th wedding to throw, second one this year, so they are pros. They have this down to a science...three more to go!
Saturday we all met in the hotel lobby and headed out to lunch together and then back to Seagoville. Everyone was soo tired after partying all night. We all napped intermitently...except poor Robert. I was trying to get lots of rest to avoid a headache. Well, he was so run down that by that night when we headed over to the Yount's for our last night, he was sick. I quickly got him to bed and then the kids, and the relaxed and visited with Paul and Millicent. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful friends there!
Sunday was traveling day again. We got up early and I got everyone in the car and drove us back to Austin to fly out. Traveling went really smoothly, and basically our kids rock! We had no melt downs at all, even though we were all EXHAUSTED. Two weeks of vacation will just about do you in.
Even though, I LOVE seeing friends and family in Texas, I vote for our next vacation to be spent lieing on a nice warm beach somewhere quiet!
After lunch, we headed east to Fulshear, actually Simonton but really who has ever heard of Simonton! We got to Jake and Rachelle's just in time, Joshua was hollering about poopies again and Rachelle had just arrived home. Rachelle was/is 9-10 months pregnant and so I helped her get ready for Nikki's lingerie party that night. Robert and the kids went to the Fulshear 4th of July parade and then got some pizza. Then Robert, Ted and the kids headed to Lake Conroe to crash. Hannah and I stayed and partied with the girls to kick off the wedding festivities week for Nikki and Julian. It was really fun. I have to say that is such a blessing to be around these girls that are going into marriage pure and holy for their husbands. Their Daddies have done a wonderful job protecting and keeping them and it is a joy to be apart of the joining of a holy union! Hannah made it almost thru the whole party before she finally crashed. We rode home with Grandmommy, and Melanie Golden. It was a fun ride!
Saturday started our hurry thru some friends visits before we joined back up with the wedding headquarters in Fulshear. We had lunch with our friends the Velardes and got to spend some time with them...and start plotting Sarah's next visit to see us. I think she's decided she can't wait until we have another baby, lol. THen we headed over and spent the afternoon at the Woody's. Peggy and I even got some Walmart shopping in, lol. I love me some Southern Walmarts! The Stevens and Brenons came and joined us for dinner and the guys got some harumphing done at the horseshoe pit! After dinner we headed back to Willis to watch the fireworks over the lake from the Seago's and then got the kids to bed while we sat up and visited with Ted and Johnnie.
Sunday was church. It was sooooo nice to be back at Grace! Man, we love those people. Hannah was really tired and fussy (can't imagine why) and so I didn't get to hear any of the message but Robert said it was good. We headed home with the Guthrie's!! Poor Tammy had a migraine and was in bed most of the day, although I did crawl in bed and chat with her for a while. Later in the afternoon, I had a headache come on and so I took a nap with Hannah. You know that you have really good friends when you can just fall back into normalcy that quick! We spent all day and had a yummy dinner with them and then headed back to Willis for more time with the Seago's (you can't get too much Seago time!)
Monday we got up early and headed to Clear Lake to visit Papa B and Granny Sue. Uncle Dave had the day off too. It was a great visit. We played for a while and then headed to Mr Gattis for their buffet. We ended up staying and playing games for over three hours! It was really fun and I have lots of pictures. Monday night, John and Brandy made it in and so we all enjoyed some pina coladas, super yummy! Everyone was getting buzzing about wedding festivities and Brandy's new job with Texas Right to Life, now working for John.
Tuesday was go day. We had lunch with the Frye's and got some good Joshua/Alyssa time in, lol. If those two don't get married, I'll be stunned! Then it was back so Robert could help Ted finish teh candle wall the stated building for the wedding the day before. Once we finished up honeydo's there we headed out to do our wedding errands of the day, which included a stop at the Michelsen's to get Anita to help me finish the namecards for the bridal luncheon. We also got the bonus opportunity to expose our kids to chicken pox....hope they got it, nothing yet. We made it to Davisville by the evening and got the game plan for the rest of the week. We checked into our room #3, Key and Brettney's house.
Wednesday was the bridal luncheon for Hannah and I, while Robert and the kids enjoyed the pool with the other Daddy's and kids. After the lunch, all the girls went for mani's and pedis and I left Hannah with Daddy!!! My poor feet were so awful and needed a pedicure BADLY! Winter months in the cold with boots on all the time will kill any cute feet! We had a good time and everyone caught their breath one last time. That evening we all hit the pool and ordered pizza and really had the best night of the whole trip....ok, second best. Family pizza party in the pool, awesomeness!
Thursday was rehearsal dinner night and all the last minute errands and to dos for the wedding. We did squeeze in some early morning pool time too, of course. The rehearsal dinner was at Papasitos, one of my favorite mexican food places, and it was H-O-T!!!!!! But the food was great and the company was even better so it was miserable, just dripping sweat hot.
Friday was go day. Wedding day, finally!!!! This was so exciting to share in with Kikki. We've been praying for her husband for years and finally the day arrived. They were married in a beautiful place called Rockefeller Hall just out of downtown Houston. It is such a fun place!! I got to help shoot wedding pictures. Robert helped with misc things, including ushering and such. It was perfect. No hitches at all. Nikki was gorgeous, Julian was happy.....super happy as they rode off in the limo, acutally! A wonderful night and a beutiful wedding. Of course, this is Ted and Johnnie's 6th wedding to throw, second one this year, so they are pros. They have this down to a science...three more to go!
Saturday we all met in the hotel lobby and headed out to lunch together and then back to Seagoville. Everyone was soo tired after partying all night. We all napped intermitently...except poor Robert. I was trying to get lots of rest to avoid a headache. Well, he was so run down that by that night when we headed over to the Yount's for our last night, he was sick. I quickly got him to bed and then the kids, and the relaxed and visited with Paul and Millicent. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful friends there!
Sunday was traveling day again. We got up early and I got everyone in the car and drove us back to Austin to fly out. Traveling went really smoothly, and basically our kids rock! We had no melt downs at all, even though we were all EXHAUSTED. Two weeks of vacation will just about do you in.
Even though, I LOVE seeing friends and family in Texas, I vote for our next vacation to be spent lieing on a nice warm beach somewhere quiet!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Robert has taken the big kids to an Indians game, thank you Sifco, and Hannah is asleep. So, I need to seriously get our trip written out before I forget anymore. It already seems like too long ago....
First, Robert's first homeschool conference and my first official shopping conference was great. We got up early on Friday the 26th and dropped Joshua and Leah off at the Lohnes's and headed out to Columbus. We got there in time to register, potty and nurse Hannah before the exhibit hall opened. We looked over the schedule and somewhat mapped out the sessions we wanted to sit in. I had a list of shopping that we needed to do as well. Robert is in charge of math lessons in our house. I can do math just fine, but I'd rather not. I gritted my teeth thru advanced calculus and I can say I've done it.... since I"m married to a math genius, I'm guessing I'll never have to remember any of that calc! We met a nice couple that happen to live in Medina, and are going to play with them next week! We also will probably start Joshua in their AWANA's in the fall and their VBS in a few weeks! On Saturday, our new friends, the Denney's (whom I haven't blogged about much because I'm super excited that we could be great friends and don't want to scare them off, lol) showed up with their youngest, Judah. We had a great time hanging out with them. We even chose our curriculums for this year. I'll do My Father's World with Joshua and some with Leah. Then Joshua will also do Explode the Code Phonics and Horizon's Math. Fun stuff. I can't wait to get started, but first I have to clean up and organize our school/play/office/ everything else room.
THEN, Monday morning, the 29th, the kids and I flew out to Texas!!!! Robert took us to the airport and helped us get checked in. Things went pretty smoothly. I did have to abandon our breakfast to run us all to the bathroom when Leah yelled she had to poopy. And, it was a false alarm! It really wasn't that hard by myself with the kids. I go around with all three of them by myself all the time, so this was just another day running errands.....around the country, lol! I do wonder how anyone does it without an Ergo baby carrier though! We got on the plane and headed to Houston. Thankfully we were on a 757, so we had lots of room and individual tv's! Not the best kids movies available but we survived. Joshua thought it was grand going to the potty by himself on an airplane, and so he did, over and over and over. Things were a little tight when I would take Leah, with Hannah of course, but it had a "family" restroom, which was almost big enough not to have the toilet paper holder completely up my backside the whole time I helped Leah. We ate our breakfast on the plane fine. I think the stewardess must have liked Joshua because I looked over and he had drank 6 milks. Maybe that explains the bathroom trips after all. Hannah only poured one milk over me, no other messes. I count that a successful flight. We landed in Houston and made it straight onto our flight to Austin. Of course, Leah fell asleep the last 2 minutes of the Austin flight, almost made it.
Once in Austin, I sighed relief to be done with planes for the day and headed to the rental car desk, via the potty of course. We were starving and I contemplated getting us some Mexican food in the airport, but decided against the sit down delay.
After much rangling at the desk with questions about our reservations and lots of gawking at the crazy lady traveling with three kids alone, the reservation guy ran and brought the van to the curb for me. I guess I looked more tired than I thought!
I got the girls carseats installed and all people, luggage, strollers, baby dolls and misc junk loaded in 15 minutes flat!!! What can I say, I'm just that good. ;-)
We hit the road. We made it a full 20 minutes before our first stop, Sonic! Then another 15 minutes before I had to stop and nurse Hannah who was tired of traveling and wanted to make sure I knew it. Leah crashed before we were out of the airport and slept thru these stops. Then, we stopped again in Llano when Joshua yelled he had to poopy, which of course meant I had to wake up the girls. We all trudged into a nasty convience store and suffered thru a smell like someone was dying, but Joshua felt much better afterwards. Everyone back in the car. Oh yeah, Leah peed her pants in her sleep, poor baby was zonked out. Note to self, wash car seat cover at Granny's.
We made it about another 20 minutes and had to stop for Hannah again. Then again in Brady at Walmart to buy a booster for Joshua. So, 12 fast paced hours after leaving home, we pulled into Granny's drive way in Santa Anna....and we brought a rain shower with us! I was shocked at how bad the drought really is around Austin and to home. I've heard people grumbling, but they are farmers, they are always grumbling. It is bad guys, really really bad. Pray for rain!
First, Robert's first homeschool conference and my first official shopping conference was great. We got up early on Friday the 26th and dropped Joshua and Leah off at the Lohnes's and headed out to Columbus. We got there in time to register, potty and nurse Hannah before the exhibit hall opened. We looked over the schedule and somewhat mapped out the sessions we wanted to sit in. I had a list of shopping that we needed to do as well. Robert is in charge of math lessons in our house. I can do math just fine, but I'd rather not. I gritted my teeth thru advanced calculus and I can say I've done it.... since I"m married to a math genius, I'm guessing I'll never have to remember any of that calc! We met a nice couple that happen to live in Medina, and are going to play with them next week! We also will probably start Joshua in their AWANA's in the fall and their VBS in a few weeks! On Saturday, our new friends, the Denney's (whom I haven't blogged about much because I'm super excited that we could be great friends and don't want to scare them off, lol) showed up with their youngest, Judah. We had a great time hanging out with them. We even chose our curriculums for this year. I'll do My Father's World with Joshua and some with Leah. Then Joshua will also do Explode the Code Phonics and Horizon's Math. Fun stuff. I can't wait to get started, but first I have to clean up and organize our school/play/office/ everything else room.
THEN, Monday morning, the 29th, the kids and I flew out to Texas!!!! Robert took us to the airport and helped us get checked in. Things went pretty smoothly. I did have to abandon our breakfast to run us all to the bathroom when Leah yelled she had to poopy. And, it was a false alarm! It really wasn't that hard by myself with the kids. I go around with all three of them by myself all the time, so this was just another day running errands.....around the country, lol! I do wonder how anyone does it without an Ergo baby carrier though! We got on the plane and headed to Houston. Thankfully we were on a 757, so we had lots of room and individual tv's! Not the best kids movies available but we survived. Joshua thought it was grand going to the potty by himself on an airplane, and so he did, over and over and over. Things were a little tight when I would take Leah, with Hannah of course, but it had a "family" restroom, which was almost big enough not to have the toilet paper holder completely up my backside the whole time I helped Leah. We ate our breakfast on the plane fine. I think the stewardess must have liked Joshua because I looked over and he had drank 6 milks. Maybe that explains the bathroom trips after all. Hannah only poured one milk over me, no other messes. I count that a successful flight. We landed in Houston and made it straight onto our flight to Austin. Of course, Leah fell asleep the last 2 minutes of the Austin flight, almost made it.
Once in Austin, I sighed relief to be done with planes for the day and headed to the rental car desk, via the potty of course. We were starving and I contemplated getting us some Mexican food in the airport, but decided against the sit down delay.
After much rangling at the desk with questions about our reservations and lots of gawking at the crazy lady traveling with three kids alone, the reservation guy ran and brought the van to the curb for me. I guess I looked more tired than I thought!
I got the girls carseats installed and all people, luggage, strollers, baby dolls and misc junk loaded in 15 minutes flat!!! What can I say, I'm just that good. ;-)
We hit the road. We made it a full 20 minutes before our first stop, Sonic! Then another 15 minutes before I had to stop and nurse Hannah who was tired of traveling and wanted to make sure I knew it. Leah crashed before we were out of the airport and slept thru these stops. Then, we stopped again in Llano when Joshua yelled he had to poopy, which of course meant I had to wake up the girls. We all trudged into a nasty convience store and suffered thru a smell like someone was dying, but Joshua felt much better afterwards. Everyone back in the car. Oh yeah, Leah peed her pants in her sleep, poor baby was zonked out. Note to self, wash car seat cover at Granny's.
We made it about another 20 minutes and had to stop for Hannah again. Then again in Brady at Walmart to buy a booster for Joshua. So, 12 fast paced hours after leaving home, we pulled into Granny's drive way in Santa Anna....and we brought a rain shower with us! I was shocked at how bad the drought really is around Austin and to home. I've heard people grumbling, but they are farmers, they are always grumbling. It is bad guys, really really bad. Pray for rain!
So we all poured into Granny's house a plopped ourselves down. Amie and Corbin and Mom and Shana and Gigi were all there to meet us. It was so good to see everyone. They cooked us dinner and then I put three very tired kids to bed. Mom and Shana and Gigi and I got to stay up and chat. It was really really nice.
Tuesday we just hung around locally. Had breakfast at the coffee shop with Daddy and everyone. Everyone says I need to come back more often because they three inches of rain that day, first time in a long long long time. That afternoon Amie put on her Stylin Queen hat and set to work. First Joshua and Leah got their hairs cut, then it was my turn. Amie and I had been cooking up a new do for me for a couple of months and now it was time to move. I was nervous, but it turned out really good. It is fun and easy! Actually, it turned out so cute that Shana decided to do hers too! I'm such a trend setter, lol!
Wednesday, the kids and I went and had breakfast with my friend Brian and Vicki. It was so much fun. I can't wait to get all of our kids together again. I love those guys! Then, we headed back to Grannys and squeezed all of us, Shana, Mom, Amie and Corbin into Amie's suburban. Can you say sardines? We headed to Abilene for some real Mexican food!!! YUM! Then back for naps for all of the kids and Blizzards for the grown ups. Uncle John, Aunt Frankie, Lucy, Michael, Crystal and Hope all came to visit that night. And Dadddy brought over some popsicles and watermelons...really good watermelons from the guy on the side of the road!
Thursday, we went and visited Granny. She looked great and was in a great mood. She wasn't even using her oxygen. She got to meet Hannah Cole, her namesake. They loved each other. They sat and just laughed back and forth at each other for about 15 minutes. It was awesome! Made the whole trip worth it. I was glad to see her too, even if she didn't remember us or how to read our names in her book. I didn't feel too bad. She didn't remember her boyfriends name either and it is Billy, just like hers, lol! After Granny's visit, we headed to Pizza Hut and then the fire station. Uncle John showed Joshua and Leah around and let them blow the sirens on the trucks. Then we headed to Grandpa's farm, and Joshua fell in love. I think he'd move to Grandpa's tomorrow is we offered it as an option. We just stayed at the farm for a little while because we were way past nap time and it was showin on the girls. So all the girls headed back to the house for naps and Joshua went with Grandpa and fed the goats, and he got to ride in Grandpa's truck, in the front seat like a big boy. I reckon Daddy didn't mind much either because he didn't come back and tell me that his ears hurt from Joshua talking too much. I think you could have seen Joshua's smile from a mile away when he was riding in the truck with Grandpa. All Daddy had to do was slightly mention goin somewhere and JOshua was in the truck, buckled up and hollering for Daddy to close his door so they could go.
That evening, we headed out to Home Creek and saw lots more animals. Buffalo, roosters, a baby fawn on a leash, wild pigs and sheep. It was so fun, the kids didn't know what to think. I think they'd really be blown away to know that I grew up around that stuff all the time. Someday I hope to help them more understand real life, away from the city. We headed back and packed up. We had to get up early to start our travels for leg two of our trip.
Tuesday we just hung around locally. Had breakfast at the coffee shop with Daddy and everyone. Everyone says I need to come back more often because they three inches of rain that day, first time in a long long long time. That afternoon Amie put on her Stylin Queen hat and set to work. First Joshua and Leah got their hairs cut, then it was my turn. Amie and I had been cooking up a new do for me for a couple of months and now it was time to move. I was nervous, but it turned out really good. It is fun and easy! Actually, it turned out so cute that Shana decided to do hers too! I'm such a trend setter, lol!
Wednesday, the kids and I went and had breakfast with my friend Brian and Vicki. It was so much fun. I can't wait to get all of our kids together again. I love those guys! Then, we headed back to Grannys and squeezed all of us, Shana, Mom, Amie and Corbin into Amie's suburban. Can you say sardines? We headed to Abilene for some real Mexican food!!! YUM! Then back for naps for all of the kids and Blizzards for the grown ups. Uncle John, Aunt Frankie, Lucy, Michael, Crystal and Hope all came to visit that night. And Dadddy brought over some popsicles and watermelons...really good watermelons from the guy on the side of the road!
Thursday, we went and visited Granny. She looked great and was in a great mood. She wasn't even using her oxygen. She got to meet Hannah Cole, her namesake. They loved each other. They sat and just laughed back and forth at each other for about 15 minutes. It was awesome! Made the whole trip worth it. I was glad to see her too, even if she didn't remember us or how to read our names in her book. I didn't feel too bad. She didn't remember her boyfriends name either and it is Billy, just like hers, lol! After Granny's visit, we headed to Pizza Hut and then the fire station. Uncle John showed Joshua and Leah around and let them blow the sirens on the trucks. Then we headed to Grandpa's farm, and Joshua fell in love. I think he'd move to Grandpa's tomorrow is we offered it as an option. We just stayed at the farm for a little while because we were way past nap time and it was showin on the girls. So all the girls headed back to the house for naps and Joshua went with Grandpa and fed the goats, and he got to ride in Grandpa's truck, in the front seat like a big boy. I reckon Daddy didn't mind much either because he didn't come back and tell me that his ears hurt from Joshua talking too much. I think you could have seen Joshua's smile from a mile away when he was riding in the truck with Grandpa. All Daddy had to do was slightly mention goin somewhere and JOshua was in the truck, buckled up and hollering for Daddy to close his door so they could go.
That evening, we headed out to Home Creek and saw lots more animals. Buffalo, roosters, a baby fawn on a leash, wild pigs and sheep. It was so fun, the kids didn't know what to think. I think they'd really be blown away to know that I grew up around that stuff all the time. Someday I hope to help them more understand real life, away from the city. We headed back and packed up. We had to get up early to start our travels for leg two of our trip.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
We are home from vacation. Tired, doing lots and lots of laundry. I have tons to post, it will take me a while to get the whole vacation documented, but it was wonderful. Great time in Santa Anna and Houston.
Today we celebrated Leah's three years on earth. She is so fun. Spunky and feisty and sweet and sassy. She's sooo into dress up right now. So yesterday (did I mention I just returned from a two week vacation) I ran around like crazy putting together a little dress up gift group for her. She is in love with it all! Although before heading to bed tonight, she did tell me that her new high heels hurt her feet when she was catching fireflies. lol! She is so me, but so much better. I think she's more well rounded than I was. She loves dirt and grime and playing rough and tumble boy stuff with Joshua and then wants to come inside and make tea for everyone. She's a little lady. Tonight after we finished cake with our neighbors, the Tomek's and Ms. Diane, Leah politely picked up everyone's plates and forks and put them away. Shortly later, she disappeared. I realized when I put Hannah to bed that she had snuck away to put away her new heart shaped piggy bank, on the shelf where it belongs.
I wan't really ready for her birthday, which isn't my normal MO, but did I mention we just got back from vacation. She ran in this morning and I asked her what she wanted for her birthday breakfast, without any hesitation she said "CAKE". Umm, no go honey, Mommy hadn't thought far enough ahead to have a clue what we were doing about cake. She then happily asked for O's instead. Easy enough, I was going to give in to donuts, but hey, cereal works great too! I did manage to pull together her requested cake. Purple and pink. I found a strawberry cake from scratch and then made some whipped purple icing. It was really yummy, although the cake was a bit more dense than I would have liked. She didn't seem to mind much. We also made it to play at Castle park. Her request and even hit the library too. Hey, and how often does our family eat McDonald's and Pizza Hut??? I think she was thoroughly spoiled. And she loved every bit of it.
Today we celebrated Leah's three years on earth. She is so fun. Spunky and feisty and sweet and sassy. She's sooo into dress up right now. So yesterday (did I mention I just returned from a two week vacation) I ran around like crazy putting together a little dress up gift group for her. She is in love with it all! Although before heading to bed tonight, she did tell me that her new high heels hurt her feet when she was catching fireflies. lol! She is so me, but so much better. I think she's more well rounded than I was. She loves dirt and grime and playing rough and tumble boy stuff with Joshua and then wants to come inside and make tea for everyone. She's a little lady. Tonight after we finished cake with our neighbors, the Tomek's and Ms. Diane, Leah politely picked up everyone's plates and forks and put them away. Shortly later, she disappeared. I realized when I put Hannah to bed that she had snuck away to put away her new heart shaped piggy bank, on the shelf where it belongs.
I wan't really ready for her birthday, which isn't my normal MO, but did I mention we just got back from vacation. She ran in this morning and I asked her what she wanted for her birthday breakfast, without any hesitation she said "CAKE". Umm, no go honey, Mommy hadn't thought far enough ahead to have a clue what we were doing about cake. She then happily asked for O's instead. Easy enough, I was going to give in to donuts, but hey, cereal works great too! I did manage to pull together her requested cake. Purple and pink. I found a strawberry cake from scratch and then made some whipped purple icing. It was really yummy, although the cake was a bit more dense than I would have liked. She didn't seem to mind much. We also made it to play at Castle park. Her request and even hit the library too. Hey, and how often does our family eat McDonald's and Pizza Hut??? I think she was thoroughly spoiled. And she loved every bit of it.
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