Woo Hoo for William

Well, my sweet William, you reached a fabulous milestone today. You were riding your bike without training wheels, and doing it quite beautifully.

You have had the training wheels off for a couple of weeks now, but today was the first time I really saw you riding up and down the street, riding like the wind, without those training wheels. I am so proud of you - you looked so great.

It is so exciting to see you get so excited about such things. I love watching your confidence build and your enthusiasm grow.

Be sure to thank your sister, because Victoria was quite instrumental in this undertaking. Daddy was the one who took off the wheels at your request, but Victoria has been the diligent cheerleader, by your side, holding your seat, pushing you off to go - go - GO ! She has been wonderful and I truly do hope you remember her role in this milestone. Aren't big sisters great?

So congrats to William on riding like the wind - woo hoo.

Love ya -MOM

Growing Family

So, today - at the suggestion of daddy - we drove out to Pearland, which is about an hour from here, and eagerly adopted two six week old male kittens.

James - I am amazed at how gentle you are with these little bitty kitties. You are just a baby yourself, but it's like you have a natural instinct on how to deal with them. You seemed genuinely excited to see these little kitties in our midst.

Thomas - you were not entirely sure you wanted to have new kittens. You have been very concerned about allergies and sneezing. So I told you to just keep an open mind. After we got our new little felines, and had them in the car ... you shouted out to me "my mind is open mama, my mind is open, and I'm not sneezing". You are too cute.

William - you were so shy at the lady's house where we got the kittens. You did not want to hold them or play with them. However; when we got into the car - your face lit up. You had a nice blanket in your lap - and snuggled a kitty right away. You only took a break from kitty-sitting to eat your kids meal from Wendy's.

Victoria - you are the ring leader of enthusiasm whenever animals are involved. You and I named them, kind of together. Their names are Treble and Clef - since our family is so music-inclined these days. You have taken on kitty responsibilities in full force. I will sweetly remind you of your enthusiasm for these duties when it comes time to change the litter box.

So these two new cute little grey and white kitties are adorable and definitely a pleasant addition to our busy little family.

James - are you a dog lover?

Dear James ... you are such a precious baby to me. I absolutely love watching you learn, grow and explore.

Today, in particular, I really enjoyed watching how you played and interacted with our dogs. Nicholas, is a small rat terrier - and Zak is our big old Lab. Both of these animals are so kind and gentle (and tolerant) of you and your attention.

You were petting Nicholas on the tummy and rubbing his tail, and Nicholas was licking your face and making you laugh.

Zak might as well have been your pillow today as you laid your sweet little head down on his belly right in the middle of my living room floor. Zak never even moved a muscle - he just let you lay there.

I think you must be following in your siblings' footsteps - in the fact that you surely must be a dog lover.

I need to remind myself of this fact when I get frustrated by the dog hair everywhere and the muddy paw prints on my newly mopped floor :)

I appreciate you

Dear Victoria ... just a note of gratitude to let you know how very much I appreciate you and how you love to help out - - and how you inspire me. Just the other day you were encouraging me to try and pursue writing professionally.

I love your ideas and creativity. I love listening to your dreams and schemes.

You are very precious to me.

Love, Mom

This-n-That

Dear Kids:

It is a beautiful brisk and cool morning today. I love this cooler weather. Every now and again I kind of miss snow - but really, not so much. I do love a cool crisp Autumn day though. I actually had to search out some jackets this morning.

James - - you are a mess. You are at that ripe old age of approximately 16 months, climbing and running and into everything. If you can't reach it - you build a tower to give yourself a boost. It is about near impossible to baby-proof this house with hurricane James in our midst. But we love it - you are so cute; and oh so smart. You amaze me daily with the things you figure out. I bought you an incredibly noisy and annoying frog animal thingy yesterday. You love it. Maybe you'll get more noisy and annoying toys for Christmas.

Thomas - - you are eternally sweet; yet eternally blunt. You say exactly what you are thinking; the very moment you are thinking it. Maybe that is the beauty of being four. You told Victoria her breath stinks. I said that was kind of rude and then you replied "well, okay - your breath doesn't smell so good". Too funny. Yesterday you told me I was beautiful and gave me the sweetest kiss. Ten minutes later you told me my hair was too curly. A couple of days ago you asked me why my 'boobies' were squishy. That's just weird on so many levels. But we love you and your cuddly nature and animated antics.

William - - you are my deep thinker and the private soul. You don't like to share what you're thinking, but are more than willing to throw a fit when things don't go quite your way. I do love how you are starting to blossom though; and become a bit more social. You have made friends with the kids on our street and play so beautifully with them all. At night, when I put you to bed, you talk to me intimately and say the sweetest things (but you'll only do this in private). You are doing so great in Kindergarten. Your teacher says you are a joy to have in class. You take your time with your work - you are so thorough. You remind me a lot of your father, and I love every inch of you.

Victoria - - oh my sweet and precious girl at the rocky age of 13. Welcome to your teen years. We've already had more drama than we really need ... but I suppose it's all part of the package. I love your passion and talent for music. You amaze me on that piano. I enjoy the artistic and creative nature you have. I enjoy your talent for cooking. However; I don't enjoy your need to have the last word and your eternal debating of irrelevant points; but hey - it's part of who you are - - and I do love who you are. All of you.

So at this point in time - it is now just back to our own family in our household. We do not have anymore foreign exchange students and I am not working with AYUSA right now. Your father and I just want to focus on our family, enjoy each other and have an amazing adventure within our 60 toe team.

Sorry I've been absent from this...

So sorry I have been absent from this blog. So much going on - I could try to explain it all - but alas, I will not.

I will just say that I got this message on Facebook today and I love it - because it fits well with some issues that are going on with our family. It is a nice reminder.

On this day, God wants you to know...

... that it's your heart that knows who loves you, not your ears or eyes. Listen to the words, and you can be fooled. Look at the actions, and you can be fooled. Feel deeply into your heart, and then you will know the truth. Who makes your heart soar now? Well, what are you waiting for?

Life Lesson

Life Lesson Number 229 - or whatever random number you wish to assign !

***By Changing Your Thinking***
Author Unknown

By Changing Your Thinking,
You change your beliefs;
When you change your beliefs,
You change your expectations;
When you change your expectations,
You change your attitude;
When you change your attitude,
You change your behavior;
When you change your behavior,
You change your performance;
When you change your performance;
You Change Your Life!

HOT !

Dear Kids ...

It is HOT here in Texas. I know that you know that already - but let me tell you - it is HOT. I normally like to walk around the neighborhood with you all, push the baby stroller - go to parks and play on playgrounds .... but not this week. This week, it's been inside at the YMCA or outside at the pool for our fun.

Today - we did have Aunt Danyelle and her crew come over and play. I must say you spent most of the time indoors. We do enjoy when you get to socialize with your cousins. It is so nice to have them living nearby.

Meanwhile, we had a bit of blood to deal with today. James, in your attempt to perfect your walking skills - fell down. You busted your lip. Lots of blood. And Thomas - you seem to get a lot of nose bleeds. Not sure why - but tonight's nose bleed was the worst one yet. Hopefully no other children will be bleeding tonight.

Today was a big day in the news - not that you all care much about news - but two famous people died today ... Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. I am sure you don't even know who those people are; but mommy and daddy do. It is kind of weird to have two VERY famous people die on the same day for totally unrelated reasons.

Anway - it's been a day - a HOT day at that. And then God sprinkled us with a little evening shower just now. Nothing major, no storm - just a couple of clouds a bit of mist from the sky. It was welcomed, believe me.

Thanks for being great kids.

Love You - MAMA

A lot has been happening

Dear Kids...

A lot has been happening! For starters, my baby James - you have been sick! You had the croup. It was really scary. You could hardly breathe and you had fevers ! Daddy took you to the doctor and got you some meds and a shot. You showed them - when the doctor gave you a shot - you pooped all over the table. Yikes. You seem a bit better now; but still pretty needy and clingy; and wanting to be held a lot. I figure you're entitled.

Today is Father's day. We have been trying to spoil daddy a little bit. Even though - he did make us breakfast; because it is his specialty! Well, and dinner too for that matter. We gave him a pack of sunflower seeds to plant as well as a nice hat to do his gardening with - it has UPF protection. We also all went out as a family and bought a banana tree for planting! It was SO hot, we were all drenched in sweat.

Yesterday - we had fun at Brazos Bend State Park. The whole family went for a walk on a nature trail. It was a short walk - but plenty long considering the heat. We saw things like baby ducks, a baby Alligator, turtles and such. It was rather exciting if you ask me. Then William and Thomas - you did great playing on the playground. Victoria - my little monkey - you climbed trees and vines like I've never seen! It was awesome. I even took pictures.

I also had fun yesterday evening with you Victoria and William and Thomas - as we went to the pool at the YMCA. The weather was perfect and I got in tons of exercising swimming after you all and having fun.

Speaking of fun in the water - last week, we had our first family beach day of the season. Of course, James - it was your first ever. James - you are so fond of water, it is amazing. I think you're part fish. You loved the sand, but you liked the water even better. William - you were pretty fearless, you wanted to go out deeper into the water than mama was comfortable with. Victoria is a body surfing goddess I am sure! Thomas - you are a bit cautious. There does seem to be a spark of interest on your part - but you would NOT go out into the water unless I was carrying you!

We have also had some fun adventures like going to Chuck-E-Cheese at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday for no good reason, other than to play :) I liked going in the morning because nobody was there it seemed. We also had fun going to a movie (UP) in Katy. It was a great movie - and we all seemed to enjoy it quite a bit.

Well, if you want to see uploaded pictures - go here: http://60toeteam.shutterfly.com/

I love you all - and I am really enjoying our summer so far (except for the being sick part).

Mama feels restless

Okay - kids - mama is feeling restless today. I don't want to be the responsible adult that I am suppose to be. I don't want to do laundry and tackle the mountain forming in my bedroom closet. I don't want to clean out the crock pot that seriously needs to be cleaned out. I am not all that excited about changing diapers at this moment. I am not too thrilled about the sticky syrup that Sir Thomas spread all over my newly mopped floor.

I want to play. I want to swim. I want to do something. I just can't quite figure out what exactly it is that I want to do. It's like when you're craving something - - but nothing seems to satisfy. It's an odd feeling and yes grownups get to experience feelings of restlessness just like kids do.

It is about 10 o'clock in the morning. I have many things that I need to accomplish today. I have some phone calls to make -and some business stuff to tend to. Dishes need attention and baby James needs a bath like nobody's business.

Yet - somehow - regardless of my growing "to do" list, and my collection of responsibilities; I will make time to have fun. I will make time today to make a memory. We will laugh. We will squeal. We will run. We will dance. We will eat. We will makes messes; and we will clean them up. Just like we do most every day.

An Astro's Game

Dear William and Thomas ....

Daddy and I had so much fun with you last night at Minute Maid Park in Houston - watching the Astro's play baseball. Yes, they lost the game - but that's okay. The seats were awesome and the weather was great ... and you boys really seemed to enjoy the whole adventure.

I was a bit worried in the morning because it seemed like neither one of you were very excited about the idea of going to a major league baseball game. I soon realized it's because you have no vivid memory of ever going before (you were much smaller when we went in the past). So I had to talk it up by promising Burger King for dinner on the way; and cotton candy once we got there. Somehow that seemed to spark interest. Then it was all I heard about - all day long.

So it was time to go - Daddy was home - and we were all in the car buckled up. Ten seconds later I hear - are we there yet? Typical - so classic of small children.

Once we arrived - it was so cute to watch you boys stand in perfect silence and put your hands on your hearts for the national anthem. I just loved that image of you ... it is one that will be etched in my brain, for sure.

You boys got so messy with your cotton candy - and were so excited by all the commotion and the atmosphere. There was a playground park area that also needed our time and attention. You loved posing for the pictures. Every time music would play - Thomas; you would just start dancing. It was precious. In the hallway, on the way while we were walking - you were dancing and some strange guy just started dancing with you. It was priceless.

Thomas - you kept chatting up the old ladies sitting behind us. You talked to them just about the whole game - and they thought you were so adorable and so cute. Of course - William - you put your foot in your mouth. One of those ladies was eating peanuts and throwing her shells on the ground - and you said quite loudly "HEY MAMA, that old lady is throwing her peanuts on the floor!". Luckily - she was gracious and did not seem too offended.

The main thing you wanted from our baseball experience were the foam fingers. FOR the longest time, I could not find any. Then, finally - after we were on our way out - we decided to check out the Club area because we had passes. Alas - we found the foam fingers. You boys were quite thrilled at the purchase of such silly things!

My favorite part - though - was in the car - on the way home. Out of the blue, without prompting, William says "Thank you mama for taking us to the game". Then Thomas followed so sweetly with "Thank you Mama for taking us to Astros". Then you two fell asleep. It was so sweet. I loved that one of your last thoughts before passing out was to make sure you thanked us for the evening.

I love you boys - I'm glad we got to enjoy a baseball game together.

Frustrated sometimes

So far I guess I've been writing about all these fun and wonderful things that we do together and all of the wonderful details I love about you all. Yes, it's all warm and fuzzy and friendly and makes me smile to think about all of our adventures, all of your good qualities and all of the ways you make me happy.

But I would be a fraud if I gave the illusion that it is always fun and games and our life is always one big harmonious moment after another. Sometimes you all downright frustrate me. Sometimes I wonder if aliens have invaded your bodies and snatched up your brains. Sometimes I am so exhausted I can barely think straight and I let you eat junk food even though I know you shouldn't - because I have no energy to contest the pleas of begging children. Don't worry - it won't happen often!

It's also challenging to have a baby in the house. Yes, it's wonderful - and it's a miracle -and we adore all the cute little milestones and coos and babbles and smiles. But it's also a LOT of work having a baby in the house. James - you keep putting EVERYTHING in your mouth. It's a constant effort to make sure you're not eating something that can kill you. You also are quite a tall baby - and you can reach a lot of things - and your little hands are creating chaos all over the place. I know this is how you learn and you're suppose to explore your world - and I love that you do - but sometimes I just want you to sit still and stop grabbing my laptop :)

William and Thomas - you bring new meaning to the term "sibling rivalry" ... I love how you love your baby brother James - but sometimes I wish you'd show the same love and courtesy to each other; or your sister. It is awesome how sometimes you are so helpful and so sweet and so kind! Everyone boasts about my sweet little gentlemen and how wonderful you two are. Sometimes, though, I wish you would refrain from whopping each other on the head or refusing to pick up your toys - or sneaking something that you know you shouldn't touch.

Victoria - you are so talented and so beautiful and so creative and SO very fun - yet right now - you have a mouth on you that annoys me to no end. What is with the attitude lately? Everything you say just seems to be whiney or a gripe or a sigh of frustration. One of these days you will surely realize that your mouth gets you into more trouble than anything else. Yes, I know you're 12. Yes, I know you're a pre-teen and this too shall pass. I still love you and adore you - just wish you'd learn to control your tongue now and then.

So what can I say - it's been a day! Just one of many in our wonderful adventure of a life. Not every day is peaceful and easy going. Some days - - I feel like I'm just in survival mode. Perhaps my perspective is a bit off as well because I broke a tooth and I don't feel very well. Maybe I'm not being as patient as I should. Maybe I'm not being as tolerant as I should. And maybe, just maybe - you should give mom a break now and then! :)

Don't ever forget how much I love you all. I pray for each and every one of you by name, every day and night.

Pool Adventure

Dear Kids - I had so much fun with you at the pool today. God Bless the YMCA; especially the one in Katy - I just love their pool. William and Thomas - you guys are so big this year. You don't even need floaties. You are so brave and so excited. James, I believe you are part fish. You were intentionally putting your face into the water and splashing around - and squealing with joy. I just loved looking at the happy expression of excitement on your face. Victoria - you are looking more and more like a little lady these days. Boys look your way. I'm not sure if I am ready for that :) You are making friends with lifeguards and pretty much anyone in your path. I am not sure you ever meet a stranger. I really love being at the pool with the whole entire family. What a great way to spend an afternoon together. As long as we have sunscreen and some towels - - and swimmies for James - we are in business!

William graduated pre-school

Oh William - last night was one of those precious memories that will be etched in my brain forever. You wore the cutest little red cap-n-gown and graduated from Pecan Grove Baptist Pre-school. You were such a little gentleman. You looked so big ... and it warmed my heart to see you up on stage. The part I truly loved was how you told your teacher that you want to be a scientist when you grow - the kind of scientist who turns things into other things. I thought that was so cute. You were the only one out of everybody who said you wanted to be a scientist. I bet you could do that if you wanted to - you certainly have the brain for it!

Kindergarten Tour

So, William, yesterday you got to go on a tour of the elementary school where you will start Kindergarten in August. It was an exciting event. Of course, baby James and Victoria had to tag along - - and James was not happy to be confined to a stroller; and the boys kept checking out Victoria and her old teachers kept saying HI ... but all in all, it was a good thing.

I was surprised at how very quiet you were during the whole thing. You seemed like you were a little overwhelmed. You kept both of your hands in your front pockets the entire time, never smiled and never said a word. When it was over, you said you liked it very much - but during the tour - you were just so serious!

Oh, I can't wait for you to start Kindergarten, William. These are exciting times. I also love that you will be able to walk to school. And despite your objections, you know I will be walking with you. I'm not quite ready for you to walk there by yourself yet!

A walk around the block

Oh my precious children, what a precious day. The breeze is blowing, ever so slightly - the air is cool, not hot - the sun is bright - the sky is blue - - and this makes for perfect walking weather. So we packed up baby James in the stroller, put on our walking shoes - and headed out the door.

First along our adventure, we briefly said "HI" to Blain, one of our little boy neighbors that we all adore. We walked by Malyn's house, and commented about how we wish she hadn't moved in with her mom, so far away. Now, we hardly see her. Maybe she will be around more this summer.

So then conversation turned towards fire hydrants and why some have green tops and why some are red and some are yellow. Part of the sidewalk curved around to make room for a fire hydrant, and this was quite fascinating to Thomas.

William - I loved the way you walked so close to me, hanging onto the stroller. You are such a good big brother and you love James so much.

James - well, it is obvious that you just love being outside! You were sitting up straight, almost leaning forward - looking at anything and everything. William just stayed close to us, walking by our side. And James - you just kept clapping your hands. One of your new favorite tricks.

Thomas, on the other hand - you are wild. You run way far ahead - and then see something interesting, pick it up, steal a rock, break a stick or chase a cat - and end up lagging behind. You are never by my side. Of course; you also love to stop right in front of the stroller and nearly get hit sometimes.

Victoria, my sweet observant child - and good conversationalist ... (Did I spell that right?) ... you like to look at the yards and their landscaping, and talk about fences and trees and flowers. You talk about bricks on the houses and you love to ask a lot of of questions. Don't ever stop, please.

And then we saw one of our friends from Church driving by. Danel stopped by to say Hi, she had been at a phone store - trying to get a new phone. She doesn't live far from us - and we should make time to visit with her more often. She has four children, just like me.

Oh - and then we had some noisy trucks along our path. It seems someone was installing an in-ground pool and these trucks were running all sorts of hoses and digging equipment and making quite a mess. Thomas, you just kept holding your ears and saying "those trucks are too loud". William, you proceeded to tell me that you felt sure we needed a pool in our own backyard because then we'd never have to give the dogs water again. Yikes, I don't think so. Victoria proceeded to simply question how expensive something like that is. My observant daughter commented that such an undertaking cannot be cheap. (and yes, Victoria, you're right, it's not)

So, thank you kids - for walking with me and talking with me. I always love walking arouond the block with you all. You just never know what we'll find, who we'll see or what can be discovered.

Missed you kids

Missed you Kiddos!

Well, your father and I went away for the weekend without any children. Aunt Danyelle was kind and wonderful - - and agreed to watch you while we were gone.We spent the first night in Victoria, TX at a fabulous hotel. It was a nice hot tub spa that we got to soak in for a bit. The bed was probably the most comfy and luxurious bed I have ever slept in. It was right across the parking lot from a Red Lobster - and we used a gift card to have lunch there. It was oh so yummy. Quite enjoyable.

Saturday we drove to San Antonio - and it rained the whole way there. It then proceeded to rain all afternoon and into the evening some. We took in a movie and drove around the city. We had a nice dinner at a place called EZ's I think. It was a nice time, just spending time together and talking and connecting.

Sunday we had the very amazing pleasure of SLEEPING IN. Then we went to Government Canyon State Park - I think that's the name of it. We had a nice one hour hike. It was in the woods and on a rocky trail. The scenery was beautiful. Afterwards, we had lunch at a very cool place called Bill Miller's BBQ - and I had the best Fried Chicken I have had in years. Next stop was another state park, and I have no idea what the name of it was - but we took ourselves on another one hour hike in the woods (partially). Again, lovely scenery and very relaxing. The second park was almost empty - very few people - and incredibly quiet. I just loved that. Me, my husband, God and nature. We even managed to get a bit sunburned along the way.So, yes dear children - we missed you terribly - but it was a much needed rest and retreat for me and your father to focus on each other and our marriage.

A New Park, etc.

Oh kids - we had a wonderful time at a new park today. Your Aunt Danyelle told me about it and so we decided to check it out. It is "Sugar Lakes Park" off Hwy 90 near the old Sugar Mill. It is nice - the playground equipment looks kind of like a ship. There are also swings - even baby swings for James. There is a volleyball net with ample area to play - lots of green grass and even a sidewalk walking trail that surrounds the park. I was told by a gentleman there that if you walk the outside perimeter 4 times it equals a mile.

And speaking of Aunt Danyelle - she and your Uncle Matt have graciously offered to let you kids stay there at their home from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon. Talk about a big fat slumber party - my four kids plus her three kids plus Pedro ! Wow. What prompted this event? Well, your father and I are going on a much needed weekend get-away to spend some private time alone together. One of the best things we can do as parents is to take care of our marriage, so thank you for understanding. :)

Thank you, sweet kids

Thank you, kids, for the beautiful arrangement of backyard flowers that you all gathered for me (as a team). It is lovely. Mother's day is not my favorite day - but you helped make it special for me yesterday.

Thank you William and Thomas for the creative creations you made for me at pre-school. I will cherish them always.

Thank you Victoria for moving in with us 8 years ago today. I've always told you that you turned a crappy day into a happy day - and that is true. May 11th is the anniversary of my mother's death - but now it is also the anniversary of when you moved in with us and we met you for the very first time. You've been a treasure and I love you very much.

I know, I know - - been too long

Dear Kids ...

I know I have been neglecting my initiative of writing in this "Letters" blog. Please forgive me. What can I say -- - I am busy taking care of you all, and not taking much time to write about it. But oh it has been such fun around here lately. So much fun indeed.

Tonight, you all are planning a slumber party together in our living room. Victoria is blowing up the air mattress. William wants to sleep in some weird bed thing we bought at a yard sale. Thomas will be sleeping on the couch probably - but we all know the truth - that he will end up back upstairs because he hates the weird noises he hears downstairs in the night. James of course is not participating in this sleepover - and he remains in his crib.

The other day -we had an enormous amount of fun as we went to the Blue Bell Ice Cream factory, put on Easter clothes - - took pictures in a field of Blue Bonnets - drove around Texas A&M - visited a state park - etc. It was an exciting day.

Daddy has been busy, as he finishes up these last weeks in his semester of grad school. He tries hard to balance work, family and college - and I am so proud that he does a good job.

I started homeschooling Victoria - and that has been an adventure all by itself. We go back and forth about the type of curriculum to choose; and so far I've just been doing it on my own. Time will tell how it all ends up. But so far so good... all is well.

Pedro is in the home stretch of his stay here in America ... he departs back to Brazil on May 26th and I can hardly believe it has been about 10 months already. You guys are going to miss him big time when he leaves - - but he is talking about returning for college; so maybe we'll see him in the not so distant future.

Meanwhile; we have accepted a foreign exchange student from Germany who will arrive in August. Her name is Merle and we have been communicating through email. She seems ideally suited for our family. She plays the flute, loves to draw, likes kids, etc. She'll be arriving just as Marie is leaving from her summer visit here.

Grandma and Grandpa Larry from VA will be visiting us the third week in June. Before that, we are hoping to make a trip to Wisconsin to visit Grammy and Grand-Dad. So much fun and excitement in the air. I can hardly wait.

Right now, classical music is playing on the television via the X-BOX ... and I can't believe how much you all like it.

Goodnight my sweets. ta ta until next time. MAMA loves ya !

Cousin Mania

Dear Children: You are enjoying the company of your dear sweet cousins. Aunt Jennifer and her eight children are visiting us from Indiana. It has been quite the adventure having everyone here. Everyone is getting along very well; and I am so pleased with how this has turned out.

Dear Sons

Oh my boys - my precious boys - you are all so cute together. Yes, I am even including James in this statement. I love how William and Thomas can sit on the floor and let James sit with you two, playing blocks or working with Lincoln Logs. You two older boys are SO good with James and including him in a lot of your play time. You have only complained so far about him ripping pages in a book - which is a valid complaint if you ask me. I must say that this morning I was rather surprised that you gave your baby brother a blueberry pop tart. I must say also that sweet baby James enjoyed that pop tart rather well. He was a big sloppy mess. Of course this happened as I was trying to get you all ready to get out the door and off to pre-school. Lots of wipeys and a wet rag took care of that problem.

And William - you had a good idea tonight. You found a neat white wire basket and told me you thought it would be a good place to organize and keep all of the baby toys in it - since they are especially for James. Things like his rattles and such fit in there nicely. It was a great idea my sweet son. I love how you're looking out for him.

And Thomas - you were so cute tonight as you were enjoying your new color wonder book; being extra careful that James did not get the markers or tops anywhere near his mouth. You are really good about looking out for choking hazards. I love that.

Good night my sweet sons. It is time to turn in. I almost hate to tell you it's bed time. You are playing so nicely together. Ah, but alas, if I do not get you to bed on time; I surely will regret it.

Dear Daughter

I am so sorry that you are sick today. You have strep throat. No Fun at all. We were looking forward to going to the YMCA today and taking a Yoga class together at 4:30; but we could not go. I had to go and get you from school around 1pm. No Yoga for You my sweet girl. Just rest, drugs and TLC.

I have been enjoying exercising with you and going to the YMCA together. I like taking different classes with you. I never would have tried that crazy AB LAB class on Saturday, but you encouraged me to do it and so I did. I was sore and felt like a silly old goat, but I hung in there. I liked having you in there with me.

The next thing we'll try together is the Latin Dance at the YMCA. I can't wait to do that one. I'm sure I'll still look like a silly old goat; but if you don't mind, neither will I.

Get better soon my sweet.

An Apology

Dear Kids ... I'm so sorry I have not been keeping up with this blog the way I intended to do. I think I have been in a funk lately. Largely due to health problems; but a "funk" nonetheless.

So many cool things have happened. For starters, we celebrated Thomas turning FOUR years old. Woo Hoo. How cool is that?

We have watched baby James do amazing things like learn to crawl and grow two teeth. We even moved his pack-n-play crib into the boys' room. Major milestone. It is kind of nice to have such sweet brothers sharing a room.

Carrie moved out of our house. No more Dutch girl for us. She is still living in the neighborhood though; so we will still see her I am sure.

We are still enjoying having Pedro here from Brazil. He took over Carrie's room when she moved out; which made room for baby James in the boys' room. Lots of moving around going on. We even re-arranged the living room furniture because baby James is crawling around so much.

We bought a piano - mainly for Victoria - but I am interested in it as well. I was so pleased tonight as I was listening to Victoria play the keys and try to teach herself the piano via the book I bought from Amazon. Victoria - my dear - you are SO talented, you amaze me.

William, my precious William, you have become quite a good helper to mama. I love the way you are trying to help clean up every day; and help with the Kitchen. You take such pride in doing a good job - and I just love that. You had a horrible tooth ache this week and you had to endure a kiddy root canal. Yuck. You were such a brave trooper though. The Dentist said she had never seen such a brave kid. Now you are taking liquid medicine every day to help fight the infection; and you take it like a champ. You even remind me when it's time to do it. I love how responsible you are becoming. Now, if you could just work on that little temper of yours :)

So anyway - my precious children - sorry I have not been blogging here quite the way that I thought I was going to. I will try to do better. That's all I can promise. I think I am starting to become more like my old self now. I went back to the YMCA today for the 1st time in many weeks. We had a wonderful family walk around the neighborhood with daddy. The weather was perfect for such.

Good night my angels. It is nearly 10:30 in the night; and this mama is tired. The house is so quiet. All kids are asleep. I plan to be next.

Thinking about my mom

Dear Precious Children: I have been thinking about my own mother lately. Maybe it is because so many of my high school friends have found me on "Facebook" and that is a unqiue group of souls who actually knew and remember my mom. I lost my mom to heart disease towards the end of my senior year in high school. It is interesting to me the things people remember about my mom, as well as what I recall. Many folks remember that my house was the "place to be". It was the fun house. My parents were always cool. I was not one of those teenagers that was embarassed to be around my parents. My mom was funny and creative and always interested in what I was doing. She could be blunt in telling the truth. I loved that about her. I am often the same way. She was so innovative. She could make something out of nothing. She liked to work in the yard. When I see a purple iris or an orange tiger lilly, I think fo her. She even had a rock garden, and would paint rocks with little faces. She was an artist. She could draw amazing pictures. I wish I had that talent, but I do not. She could sew like nobody's business. She made many of my clothes for most of my childhood. She could cut hair. She could make fudge, and it was so delicious. She did not drive a car. She also had a strong fear of music concerts. She never wanted me to go to one. She also wouldn't let me out of the house on New Year's Eve for fear of the crazy drunk people. She smoked cigarettes until she was 40 years old. She had false teeth since she was in her twenties I think. She was a middle child - an older brother and sister, and a younger brother and sister. Her birthday was January 4, 1942. She use to comment that her birthday seemed "not so special" because it was so close after Christmas.

Anyway, I could go on and on about my mom. I miss her so much. I realize I have been alive longer without her than I was alive with her, and I hate that I am raising my kids and enjoying marriage while she is in Heaven. I know people say she is "looking down on us", but it is not quite the same as being able to call her up and ask for a recipe, etc. I do thank the Good Lord for awesome moms-in-laws. God gave me two, and they are both precious to the bone. But I miss my mom. Still. Always. Sometimes now, more than when I was younger.

Of course, maybe I'm thinking about my mom a lot lately because I'm sick. I swear it doesn't matter how old you are, you still wish your had your mom to cuddle with when you don't feel good. Dad is good too, but he isn't exactly nearby.

So, I wonder what you kids will remember about me. What silly stories will you tell? What strange things will come to your mind when you think about me and your childhoods? What kind of legacy will I leave behind. Don't worry, I'm not planning on going anywhere any time soon.

25 Random Things

1. I became a Christian on 8/29/82.
2. I love lima beans.
3. My mother died when I was 17 years old.
4. I love to write poetry and short stories. I've even had a few things published.
5. I once worked for the FBI.
6. I love bridges.
7. I love silly, cute or decorative socks.
8. I hate flip flops.
9. I don't like pizza.
10. I have lived in many cities and four different states.
11. I've never tried an illegal drug of any kind.......or smoked a cig.
12. I hate random shopping carts in parking lots, I will go out of my way to push them to where they belong.
13. I don't like litter and get annoyed by people throwing trash or cigs out of their car windows.
14. My favorite color is purple.
15. One of my favorite quotes: "Character is who you are when nobody but GOD is watching!"
16. I love to travel and have been places like Japan, Canada, Mexico, London, Hawaii, etc.
17. My favorite perfume is Obsession by Calvin Klein.
18. I love and enjoy all of my inlaws - and I have a lot.
19. I love any and all music by Amy Grant.
20. The only bone I have ever broken was my right arm, when I was seven years old.
21. When I was five years old, I spent Valentine's Day in the hospital in an oxygen tent because I had double Pneumonia.
22. I pray for each of my children by name - daily.
23. I love any and all music by Billy Joel.
24. I love my job because I am passionate about foreign exchange students. We have hosted many students from countries including Germany, Russia, Brazil, Holland, France, etc.
25. I love my husband and enjoy our marriage - and cherish our family that we've created together.

Sorry you're sick

Dear Victoria - so sorry you are sick today. Yesterday, I got the lovely call from the school nurse that asked me to come and retrieve you. It is no surprise really that you have ended up ill, after all - Kayla was ill all weekend, and she was with us on our road trip.

You say to me that the computer is your best friend when you're sick. That's funny, I always thought that MOM should be your best friend when you're sick. I guess that is probably still true, given the fact you and your 12 year old body crawled up into my lap this morning and sat there for a nice long while.

Get better soon my love. I pray for you every day.

Missed You Boys

Dear James, Thomas and William ... I took off for a two day adventure with your big sister. We had a very long road trip and some much-needed time together.

Just for the record, I missed you three boys very much. I felt a little strange stopping at gas stations and not needing to worry about who is watching "the baby". I got to go to the bathroom without company. I got to spoil my daughter a little bit and not worry if someone else is going to be jealous.

Don't get me wrong ... I don't mind company in the bathroom or making sure the baby is "watched". I love all of the things that go along with having little children. I love you all so much. And I did miss you so very much. More than can be imagined.

Funny Kids

Dear William, you crack me up. I asked you who the cutest baby in the world is. You said "mama". I replied with "but I am not a baby, James is the baby". And you said with a big fat smile ... "but you'll always be a baby to Grandpa".

Dear Thomas, your obsession with fruit is hilarious. For some reason, you took it upon yourselves to become the PEAR Police today. You went through the bowl of fruit on the counter and picked out the pears that did not look quite right to you - mainly because they were Red instead of green ... and decided they needed to be hidden in the refrigerator. You had your mind made up that red pairs from the counter were going to turn green in the fridge.

Dear Victoria, what is up with your words these days? It seems you need to add "Ness" to the end of everything. Pedro made Varsity Tennis, and you exclaim "awesomeness". You walk in the door and greet me as "Ms. Mommyness". Thomas asks where Daddy is tonight. Your answer is "Schoolness". This is just a phase, right? :-)

Dear James, you fell asleep with your finger in your mouth today. Such a simple thing - completely adorable, very funny to say the least. I did not have the heart to disturb you. You looked so peaceful and calm. Pointer finger firmly planted between gums and lips. I suppose it's better than sucking your thumb, for sure.

I love having funny kids. I love having adorable kids. I love hilarious moments that can make us laugh until we cry. Sometimes its a simple smile or a wink in the kitchen. Nonetheless, I need to remind myself that these amazing and precious children make me laugh and smile far more than they make me want to pull my hair out.

Thank you

Dear Victoria, thank you for cooking dinner tonight. You know how I hate to brown ground beef, and you are so good at it. You're making sloppy joes and it is greatly appreciated. Your cooking talents never cease to amaze me.

Dear William, thank you for helping clean up today ... you were so helpful to me. I didn't even ask you to do it, and you just did it without prompting. I was amazed at how you noticed I was having a stressful morning today with the overflowing trash and empty ice trays and crazy dishwasher, and you just jumped in to help. Good job.

Dear Thomas, thank you for playing with baby James this morning while I took a shower. You are so good at making him laugh and entertaining him. I love the way you light up when you do your peek-a-boo or coooochie coo. You are so animated and so funny, a natural born charmer.

Dear James, thank you for sleeping through the night last night. Yes, it is noted and appreciated. How about a repeat performance tonight? :-)

It's a Holiday

Hey kids, it's a holiday. It's Martin Luther King day. He was before my time, but I know who he is. I know he was important. I love that this holiday falls immediately before the innauguration of Obama. Yes, he's our new President. Another moment in history. Victoria is probably the only one of you who will remember this event. My dear sweet boys, I am sure you could not care less. Not today anyway. But you will. Someday. I just know it. I'm not really intending for my "Letters to Kids" to be political, but it is a rather historical and definitely political event. I am sure you kids will ask me one day if I voted for him. If you know me at all you will know the answer.

So tomorrow is a new day. A new era perhaps. I am more concerned with the immediate "here and now". I start a new Bible Study tomorrow at Church. I am very excited about this. I'll have a leader I've never had before. I'm sure she's awesome. The boys will enjoy Sonshine classes. Yes, I love Tuesday mornings. So I'll get a new leader for Bible Study and a new leader for my country. I guess time will tell which I enjoy more.

Also - worthy of note - Mark moves out tomorrow. We love him dearly, but he is a foreign exchange student from Russia who has been staying with us for about a week or so. He was "homeless" so to speak, and it will be nice to get him and his belongings to a perm. place. I'm sure he will be happy too. My good friend Andrea is taking him for the remainder of the school year. So one less person to feed is okay with me :) But he's a great kid, so we've enjoyed his visit. I'm sure he will do well at Andrea's house. We also had another temporary visitor, Philipp. He is now settled in Arizona. He was an exchange student from Germany. I wonder what memories you kids will have of all these various foreign exchange students who come in and out of our lives. I hope you remember their positive impact. I hope we are raising you to embrace diversity.

So while the nation prepares for a major milestone this week, we are just waiting for baby James to crawl. Yes, you are SO close. You are almost there.

I am excited that Sir Thomas is no longer afraid to poop in the potty. Yes, your fear of falling in the toilet is now GONE.

I am thrilled that Prince William picks out his own clothes and dresses himself without help or hesitation. You don't even throw your clothes all over the floor anymore. WhooHoo. Now, if you'd just stop coloring on the walls, we'd be even happier.

Last but never least, Queen Victoria is our eternal artist. Presently, you are in the midst of negotiations with your father trying to gain permission to paint your own room. I think you both have comprised somewhat (for the moment). You tell me that you hate to be "put in a box". Yet, being the ever witty and clever girl that you are, you closed with the remark .... "but if you throw some crayons in my box, I'll be okay!"

And on that note, I'll say goodnight.