Three, D, and Me

First Day 2009

2009-08-24T08:59:00.003-05:00

I know I'm skipping over about 5 months of blogging and I'm hoping to catch up on all of my summer events soon, but for now, here are my sweeties on their first day of school 2009:

Will outside of his classroom. We weren't allowed in. And... when I went for the goodbye kiss (on top of the head - I know better than to kiss his sweet face in public), I got ducked. Sad mommy. He was very excited this morning. Got up early and was all dressed and ready to go. He's also excited that his new teacher, Mrs. Youngblood, just bought the house two doors down from us in our cul-de-sac. Saturday, he asked me, "Mommy, can we clean the entire house tomorrow and invite Mrs. Youngblood over?"

His annual "holding up the fingers" picture. We discussed this morning how he was going to have to hold his fingers when Mommy is taking his picture outside KHS in the 11th grade.

Molly at her new desk in Mrs. Putscher's class. She seemed a little nervous but was excited too. Mrs. Putscher called the house yesterday just to talk with Molly. She thought that was very cool!

Daddy's little girl. He prayed for them as we left the school. I may be the one crying, but I know he's a big ole' softy too!

My first grader with Allie, the school mascot.

Hope everyone has a great first day!!!

A New Day

2009-03-07T10:50:00.002-06:00

I thought I would update my blog for those of you that don't talk to us on a daily basis. This Monday, Dave was laid off from Falk Photography after over 10 years of service. While I'm fairly certain most folks are never thrilled to find themselves without a paycheck they can bank on, the lay off has brought us the opportunity for Dave to pursue his own photography business full time. On Wednesday, we looked at some studio space at 107 W 1st St. in Humble. It was the right price and was the only space we've looked at that allowed us to go month-to-month rather than signing a scary 5-year lease or 2-year lease at a higher rate. This week, we will be knocking down a wall, rebuilding another, painting, reflooring (hmmm, seems we were doing a lot of this last year at this time!), and setting up shop. I can't wait to post pics of the finished product. We feel very blessed both to have this opportunity and for the amazing kindness, support, and love of our friends and family. I'll look forward to updating you as our business grows! Visit www.studiobennett.net if you haven't before.

Busy, busy boy...

2009-02-18T10:43:00.003-06:00

Jack keeps me on my toes. He is forever doing weird things and getting into everything. Dave likes to think that our other children weren't this nuts during the "terrible twos." I'm convinced he is in denial. But, I do agree that Jack is much more, um, creative in his antics... and, I'll admit I find him quite fun.

Jack finds a new way to have fun with the DVD jackets. I didn't see a warning on the covers that said, "Warning, do not allow children to put on their heads," so I'm wondering if I should sue.

He didn't have nearly as much fun when I made him take it off. I'm sure the fact that I took the time to take pictures of all of this says something less than wonderful about my parenthood.

And, finally, a little story from last night... We had to buy raisins for one of Molly's school projects. I normally don't do many raisins because I hear that the kids need to brush their teeth every time they eat them because they cause tooth decay. But, Molly needed 100 raisins for her school project, so Dave bought the big box. Apparently, the kids really like raisins since they don't get them often because they were all about the raisins when they got home from school. Over the course of a few hours, the box of raisins was spilled on the floor three times. Well, the last time, Jack proceeded to start eating as many as he could before I threw them away. As he grabbed the last one, my mom started to yell, "NO!" and reach for his mouth. Too late, the "raisin" was gone. Turns out, it was no raisin. It was a spider. Nice. I'm going to have spiderbaby nightmares for a month.

My Boy Scout

2009-02-16T09:33:00.003-06:00

Since I included some pics of my Daisy Girl Scout yesterday, I had to upload some pics of my Cub Scout too. William is really enjoying Scouts this year and has his Blue and Gold Banquet this Friday, where he will be receiving his Bear badge.

They made masks and musical instuments, wrote a song about scouts to the tune of "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" and performed for the group.

Will participated in the Pinewood Derby. I do believe he may have been to only kid to make his car all on his own. I was very proud of him and he won "Most Colorful Car."

Pic Overload (Including Fearless Molly pictures)

2009-02-15T17:03:00.011-06:00

I've been pretty busy lately so I'm finally uploading pics from the last two months. Hopefully, I can manage to get them in order this time!

Just a good morning smile from my happy boy.

We had our 2nd annual Wii New Year's Eve party. They are playing Rayman Ravin Rabbids TV Party - the dance minigame. Dave has skills!

Happy New Year! If you've never tried sparkling pink lemonade, it is some good stuff!

We went on Grandview Fellowship's marriage retreat and had a great time. This is the view from our room at South Shore Harbor Conference Center.

My girls on the Amazing Grace.

And the boys too.

Dave and I. The Bogars have a beautiful boat (and home too!)

This is Dave learning to ballroom dance. I really must upload this video. It is great. But, I worry that he'll take revenge by uploading mine. As I mentioned, he has skills. I do not.

Molly is a Daisy Girl Scout. We just finished our cookie sale. This was our first field trip to the plant nursery. She's planting a flower and practicing saying, "photosynthesis."

The girls on the plant walk, smelling all of the herbs, or as we learned to call them, "pizza plants," since there was plenty of basil and oregano.

The daisies, troup 5675.

Molly loved the monarch caterpillars.

This weekend, we went to visit our friends, the Newton's, at Camp Tejas. It was Ben's birthday and the first time we've been to visit them at camp. We had a blast. Jack wanted to wear his "hat" and climb the wall too!

He also enjoyed driving the tractor. He particularly loved turning the blinker on over and over. He kept telling me, "key, Mommy, KEY!"

The hay ride.

This is about a 50-foot tower. Notice how little all the people are. My baby girl (and her daddy) were about to jump off of it.

Dave gets clipped in as Molly watches. I still thought she might chicken out at this point.

Obviously, she didn't.

Daddy and Molly finish the zip line and swing down together.

My brave girl. I hope she was half as proud of herself as her mommy was of her!

It's been a fun January and February!

A Small Glimpse

2009-02-01T23:20:00.002-06:00

Tonight, I can't sleep. I have these nights every once in a while and one of the things that I love to do rather than lay in my bed tossing and turning and feeling frustrated is to go upstairs and climb into bed next to each of my children for a few minutes and listen to them breathe and admire them and then cover them back up with the covers they've all inevitably kicked off, kiss them, and head back downstairs. Usually when I do this, Molly will be so sound asleep that she doesn't stir at all, Jack will move a bit but not wake, and William will wake just enough to give me a half smile with his eyes still closed and throw his arms around my neck. I love that. Tonight, I got the response from each child that I have come to expect. But, while Will was giving me his twilight hug, I thought about the beautiful gift that he gave to me the day he was born. As children, we know the love of our parents but we don't understand it from their perspective, only from our own. We grow to love them because they first loved us and because they care for us, which is how I also think about my love for God. When we grow up and meet the person with whom we will build our lives together, we are drawn to them first by their personality and physical appearance, but then fall in love with those things that make up their character. As we know them more, we fall more in love with them. Again, that is how I think of my love for God. But, when we have our first child, we discover a new love. It isn't grown. It exists deeply and unbreakably immediately. Our love for our children has nothing to do with what they've done for us. Indeed we love them before we even know them, before they've revealed who they are to us, before they even know who they are themselves. And that is how I view God's love toward me. What a precious gift to us that He can give us just a glimpse of His great love. He loves us not because of what we've done. He loves us before we've made any acknowledgment of Him. He loves us before we understand who we are ourselves, if we ever do. There is nothing that could separate my children from my love and there is nothing that can separate me from the love of my Father in heaven. What a beautiful picture it is and what a beautiful reminder as I lay beside my child, admiring him. He may not have picked up his room today. He may have given me attitude or been unkind to his sister. But, none of that floats in my mind as I delight in him. To me, he is beautiful. To me, he is joy. To me, he is my greatest accomplishment. Wow, that my Father would think the same of me.

Granddad

2009-01-13T09:59:00.003-06:00

Last Friday evening, Dave received a call from his mom that his grandfather had passed away. It was less than a year ago that we all got together to celebrate his 90th birthday and we were all together just a few weeks ago at Christmas, celebrating with him at Dave's parents with all of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was a man who loved his family. He sent us birthday cards and Christmas cards every year that always encouraged us and told us we were doing a great job with our beautiful family. Somehow, his approval meant the world. He adored his wife in a way that gives me great inspiration and hope for my future with Dave. Their love was beautiful. Meme passed away about nine years ago when I was pregnant with William. There was never a time that we visited Granddad that we didn't hear stories about Meme. He used to make coffee for her every morning and they would sit in bed and have their coffee and talk before they started their day. Their gorgeous Victorian home was decorated with artwork designed and made by Meme and he loved to take them off of the wall and show them to you and tell their story. She loved butterflies and butterflies still greet you throughout the house. Her perfume bottles are still out and her handmade dresses still hang in the antique wardrobes. Oftentimes, when we would all visit, I would see him watching the family and catch his eyes welling up with tears. I guessed that he felt a mixture of feelings of great joy while he watched his great-grandchildren play and of sadness that he wished Meme could be sitting next to him as they watched together. I imagine that the moment he greeted her in Heaven was glorious. But, the time he continued to live without her on earth was not spent only in grief. He continued to give back to his community by serving with the Bread Partners and with the Historical Society. He supported a local theatre and still had notecards for tours of their house sitting in all the rooms. In fact, when he passed, he was on the back porch, dressed up, waiting for his friends to pick him up for a Historical Society meeting. That seemed to fit him, dignified and peaceful, delivered into the arms of his Creator.

We love you, Granddad, and look forward to the day when we will all be worshipping together in the presence of Jesus.

If you'd like to read more about Granddad, you can click on the links of Dave's sisters' blogs to the right.

Christmas 2008: The Season in Pictures

2008-12-29T10:12:00.007-06:00

For some reason, I am completely incapable of uploading photos in the correct order in blogspot. I'm working on the problem, but in the meantime, please enjoy these Christmas photos, quite obviously in no particular order...

Will shows off the Erector Set be built with Daddy...
or more accurately, he watched Daddy build.

Will wearing his new Night Vision goggles. They are very cool.
Mommy and Daddy have been playing too.

Will opens his iPod from Mommy and Daddy.
It was this or a Nintendo DS and we're just not quite
ready to give up on the video game time suck fight
quite yet.

Molly got Will an I-Cy (a Penguin speaker that dances with the iPod)
and Will was obviously very thankful.

Will loves Bionicles so he was happy he got THREE from
Mema and Poppy.

All three of the kids love Tom and Jerry so they were thrilled
with Will's Tom and Jerry's Greatest Hits DVD.

Molly with Molly, American Girl, in the matching PJs
that Nanny made for them.

The church had snow "blown in" after the Christmas Eve service.
The kids were trying to figure out what to do with it.

Jack decided it was a tasty treat.

Will and Molly decided it was fun to pelt people with.
Fake snow doesn't make soft snowballs very well,
but instead nice, hard iceballs.

Molly and Daddy went on their annual Nutcracker ballet
date early this December. Daddy surprised Molly with
a real nutcracker. She loves it.

Molly was Mary in the live nativity during one of the
Christmas Eve services. She was checking herself out
before the service. I think she thought she was as cute
as her mommy did.

Will bought Molly an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas.
He was so proud to pick it out himself.

Every little girl loves a new, pink dress.

All dressed up for the Nutcracker Ballet date.

Molly hasn't taken off her new Croc boots for days.

Molly meets Molly, American Girl.

Jack has one show he REALLY loves, Word World.
He was excited to get "Cow."

Jack takes a picture of Mommy with Molly's new camera.

We got Jack Elmo's Restaurant for his birthday.
We were hoping he'd leave Molly's kitchen alone now.
He does. He loves his restaurant. Mostly, he loves
pulling the doors off.

Jack was lugging his choo-choo to Daddy to open.
Whew, that was hard work!

Mema gave Jack a bunch of little monsters and books
about them. He was NOT a fan of this one!

This is how I found Jack when I came back downstairs
after cleaning up all of the new toys.
My own personal Jack in the Box.

Jack rides his favorite new choo-choo.

Our family on Christmas Eve.

Christmas with the Bennetts... and Lowerys...
and Edneys... and Brumbelows.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Love you!

Accountability in Our Children

2008-12-18T20:29:00.005-06:00

I am angry. I am very angry. I am disappointed in the disrespectful, criminal behavior of some of our youth. And, I am disappointed in our Police Department and their failure to require accountability from those who break the law, regardless of their perceived seriousness of the event.

Tonight, while driving to the store to pick up some things for Molly's Christmas party at school tomorrow, I was startled by several loud noises on the passenger side of my car. When I turned to the right, I saw an old model gold Honda Accord with four teen-aged boys throwing things at my car from the backseat. When they saw me startle and turn toward them, they began laughing and joking with each other. This is the second time I have had something thrown at my car while driving this year. The first time caused damage to the car. If anyone had been around me at the time, I likely would have been in an accident because I swerved into the other lane. This time, I decided I would not just angrily go on my way. I was not looking to have some mischievous kids thrown in jail. But a call to a parent or a visit to the front door from an officer would've illustrated the principle that there are consequences to all of our actions. I dialed the police and mouthed to the teenagers that I was doing so. They pulled into a store parking lot and I followed and read the license plate number. I continued to follow the car as I talked with the police. They asked if the young men were still throwing things at the car. I said no, as they were aware at this point that I was contacting the police and knew their license plate number. The sergeant directed me to stop following the car and drive to the nearest police location and file a report. The police station was only about two blocks away so I drove straight there. I told the officer the information and he said he would go write up the report and return with the case number. I sat in the station waiting an hour, with only one other person in the station who chose to leave because his situation was taking so long. When the officer returned, he told me that the sergeant had directed me to file the wrong report (a road rage event). He then stated that this wasn't criminal mischief either and said all he could do was write it up as a traffic offense. I asked why this was not criminal mischief. He said it was not criminal mischief because there was not monetary damage to my car. So, I asked, "You are telling me that a young man can intend to throw things at my car while I am driving and because it happened to not cause physical damage, he cannot be held accountable for that reckless behavior?" He laughed and said, "Well, I can intend to rob a bank but unless I do it, nothing is going to happen to me." I said, "But, you didn't actually rob the bank, they actually did throw objects at a moving vehicle." He then said sarcastically, "Well, I could pull them all in here for a line up for you. Could you point them out in a line up?" I said, "I could point out the driver." He said, "Well, you told me yourself that the driver didn't throw anything." I said, "So, no one is going to find out who owns this car and atleast talk to them?" He said, "I don't know. I just write up the initial report and whatever happens after that is out of my hands." I said, "Is there any way for me to find out what has happened with the case?" He said, "I don't know." At this point, I threw up my arms and walked out of the police station.

It is not surprising to me that we are raising a generation of disrespectful youth. When a car full of teen-aged boys can throw things at a moving vehicle with the intent to scare the driver or possibly cause damage and/or an accident and then laugh hysterically when they see that they have succeeded and then not so much as have a talking-to from a well-meaning officer or have his parents contacted about the incident, I believe we have failed in a large way to teach accountability and ought not be surprised when our youth have none.

I will be writing a letter to our local paper and contacting the police department to file a complaint.

Pics from the Weekend

2008-12-18T16:57:00.001-06:00

Molly had a recital and had the worst cold she's ever had, but she was a trooper and made it through beautifully. It was her first tap. I was so proud!

Texas Snow Part 2

2008-12-11T09:59:00.002-06:00

After the kids went to bed last night, I peeked out the window and the snow had been continuing to come down. So, I changed from my pajamas to some warm clothes and Dave and I headed outside with the camera. Now, my Texas man appreciates the beauty of the snow but looked at me as though I was a little nuts when I suggested we make snow angels and have a snow ball fight. But, despite his dislike of cold, wet clothes, he took one for the team and landed on his back in the snow. There is a reason I love this man...

The view from our front door...

Our house with its pretty blanket of snow.

Snow covered plants. Yes, we took pictures of everything.

This was after some neighborhood kids stole most of the snow
from our mailbox. But, I still made Dave take a picture.

Last but not least, one of our snow angels. So much cold, wet fun!

Texas Snow

2008-12-10T19:18:00.002-06:00

It's a rarity but it sure is fun! My browser is set to come up to the weather when I open it. This afternoon, I went online and as I was about to click on a bookmark and shoot myself off into internet oblivion, I noticed something strange. The thumbnail pics lined up across the top of the screen that show a tiny little snapshot of the weather over the next five days were begun by one I hadn't seen before. It had these oddly symmetrical white shapes floating on it. Wait, I've seen those somewhere before. Could they be... snowflakes!? YAY! I anticipated the rest of the day until Dave called around 5 to report that indeed there were flurries at his office. Several hours later, though I think the word "flurries" is a bit of a stretch, I went outside and willed myself into believing that the tiny ice pellets were snowflakes. It accumulates, it is cold and white, and you can make a ball out of it, so that is all that matters as far as I am concerned!

Here is our 2008 snowy photo op:

The first (and quite possibly only) snowball of the season...

Jack needs a bigger coat (I do have one but this was close). Sorry little man.
Your nose will thaw out soon...

Will named our snowman, "Snowy." He's sort of melancholy, don't you think.
He's contemplating the reality that too quickly his end is drawing near.

Molly is sporting her new coat from Nanny today. Quite precious.
The boys used the nap mat to sled off the car after the picture.

And a comparison of snowman 2004 - the last time it snowed in Houston - on Christmas Eve.
I think I'm closer to mastering the art of miniature snowman making.

Merry Christmas!!!

Fall Fun Pics

2008-11-24T13:38:00.003-06:00

Here are some of the pictures from some of our Fall outings. My camera went nuts at the Fall Festival, so I need to get copies of my mom's pictures to upload.

We went to Dewberry Farm and this is the kids on a big tractor wheel.

"Seriously?" This is Jack at a friend's birthday party with his signature face.

Dewberry Farm Corn Train

Will posing at the Farm. My beautiful boy.

Molly right before she rolled down the hill in this giant pipe.

Jack and Mommy rolling down the slide.

Jack loved the little chicks.

We went to a ranch and Will got on the horse. Not too fond of riding him though!

Molly loved her horsey ride.

Molly participated in the bike rodeo at school. Will did also for Cub Scout points.

Jack at the pumpkin patch.

All of us at the pumpkin patch. $18 for a pumpkin!? Huh!?

Just One Pic... Until I Can Find 5 Minutes for More!

2008-11-10T16:59:00.003-06:00

October and November (so far) have been a blast for us. We've had more "family fun" days in the last two months than we have in a long time. I have a million pictures to sort through and will no doubt be posting them soon, but in the two minutes I have right now, I am going to do something unexpected... post a picture of myself instead of my beautiful children...

Here's me driving (not riding, driving) a 90 hp tractor. I'm proud, can you tell? It was way fun. My next job... a ranch hand.

Ike Update...

2008-09-23T15:07:00.003-05:00

We are still out of power, but are at Dave's parents' home enjoying theirs. Dave updated his blog while here, so visit the following link for some pics and info...

http://superdave91.wordpress.com

Have I Mentioned Jack Can Escape From Baby Jail (aka the crib)?

2008-08-26T10:49:00.002-05:00

Last night, I had a meeting for work at 7:00. When I got home, Dave had already bathed the boys and put Jack to bed and Molly was in the tub. I sat down to eat but heard a Molly scream immediately followed by Dave yelling, "Tarrraa!" I came upstairs to find this. Does this look like Molly in the bathtub!?

"What? I'm just playing with my boat?"

"You think you can get me out of here, huh!?"

"Nah nah nah nah nah nah... I'm in the tub!"

"Mmmm... toothpaste for dessert."

"Woah... this diaper is FULL!"

Update on Molly's First Day

2008-08-25T14:11:00.003-05:00

No more sad face. In fact, she apparently missed me so much that when I picked her up, she wanted to know why she couldn't stay as long as William and why she couldn't go to Kids R Kids (an after school daycare program). She also told me that Mrs. Gray gave her a smiley face in her folder and said "I think I'll be good EVERY day!" That would be nice... guess mommy needs to start giving out smiley faces! ;)

First Day

2008-08-25T10:09:00.003-05:00

I am officially the mom of two elementary school students. Today is the first day for Will and Molly at Greentree Elementary, the first school I attended in Kingwood too many years ago! Molly was very, very excited about Kindergarten and Will was a little less than excited about his new school when they got up this morning. Molly stumbled downstairs half asleep with her clothes picked out in her arms, ready to start her day. Dave had to wake Will and Will said he didn't care what Dave picked out for him to wear. But, by the time we got to school, he looked a little happier and ready to go. The difference in drop-offs was quite hilarious. When dropping off Will, the teacher met us at the door, and told us thank you and goodbye. He found his way to his desk and gave me a wave and a smile, as I secretly longed for him to run back and tell me he loved me and give me a big kiss. When dropping off Molly, every student had at least one parent, if not both, smothering them with hugs and kisses, taking 85 pictures, and admiring their brightly colored pencil boxes. I was very pleased to see that Molly did indeed have a pink one. She became a little more timid as she sat at her table and watched the busyness swirling around her. I had been fine, but lost composure a little as I had to leave my little girl looking a little scared. Needless to say, I can't wait until 1:50 rolls around, and then 3:20 so that I can hear all about their day!

Here's Will in his traditional first day pose... looking alot like Nixon (plus one finger)

In front of the Greentree mascot... Allie Gator

And my big Kindergartener with Allie

At her desk (with her pink pencil box!)

Her table spot

And the sad face that made me cry right before we left. :(

Fun Weekend!

2008-08-04T13:18:00.003-05:00

We had a great weekend. We celebrated the marriage of Dave's younger brother, Brandon to his beautiful bride, Emily. We are so excited to have her as part of the family! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Bennett! Molly was a flower girl in the wedding and looked beautiful in her dress. She did a very good job. She's a spunky girl so I was a little concerned that she would take her "job" seriously, but she did great. I'm a proud momma. Saturday, we took Jack to get his first haircut. As my last baby, this was not something I was looking forward to, especially since he had the most adorable little curls in the back. But, he was looking pretty scruffy, so we took the plunge. He hated the haircut, but was a good little boy, sitting still and letting her cut while crying his sweet little eyes out. He looks very handsome now. And, to my delight, a little younger! Then, we went to see Will and Molly play in my mom's pool with their new bumper boats. They are really cool and Jack loved sitting in them as well.

So, we're looking forward to an exciting week. We are closing on both homes and starting the move on Thursday. We rented a truck to hopefully finish up on Friday. Of course, right now we are stressing out, having not heard from the underwriter on either the loan for the people buying our house, or the loan for the house we're buying. This part of the process is so fun! ;) Hopefully, in a few days, I'll be posting that it all did indeed work out and we are in our new home!

Molly and The Newlyweds!

Walking down the aisle...

Will in his bumper boat...

And Molly in hers...

And Jack enjoying the ride...

But, not so much enjoying this. Poor kiddo!

As Promised... Picture Overload

2008-07-08T14:03:00.004-05:00

The inspection went well. As expected, we have pages and pages of little things to work on. Our major concerns are the water heater and the furnace, so we will be discussing those with the seller. Here are some better pics of the house.

The entryway. We'd like to replace all the carpet with wood in this house too, so matching this hardwood may prove a little difficult. It's pretty though.

Standing in the living room, looking up at the stairs.

Standing in the door to the dining room, looking into the kitchen.

The half bath. I like the pedestal sink. ;)

The den in the back of the house... and my fantastic helper, G.G.

The master.

The master bath.

One of two walk in closets in the master bath.

Standing at the back corner of the back yard.

The koi pond. Otherwise known by me as "all the hazards of a pool with none of the fun." ;)

And, because I have to throw in some pics of my beautiful children on the Fourth...
Here's Will...

Molly-Moo...

and Jack-Jack...

3714 Wood Dale

2008-07-07T16:33:00.003-05:00

Tentatively, it appears we will be residents of Greentree Village in Kingwood. I say "tentatively" because we have our inspection tomorrow morning at 9:00 am. We are praying that all goes well and that we will be closing on both our "old" home and our "new" home on August 7. I find it a bit funny that our "old home" has been in existence for 9 years, while our "new" home was built in 1980, just a few years before I arrived in Kingwood when I was 7. The kids will be attending the first elementary school I went to in Kingwood, along with the same middle school and the same high school. Will tells me he will also be going to the "Bevo School," but I'll give him a few more years to decide before I lock him into that choice. ;) We drove them by the school the other day and everyone was very excited to see the climbing wall on the playground. I think that climbing wall, along with the fact that the house is a TWO story, sold them on this house immediately. Fortunately, they have agreed on who gets which bedroom. Will gets the largest one. Molly gets the one with the desk. And, poor Jack gets stuck with the small one that has no built-ins. The perils of only being able to say ten words. I'll attach a few pics from the realty website below. They are small, but you can get an idea what the house looks like. Dave is going to have fun mowing our huge yard. You will all have to come over to take a ride on his riding mower! ;) I'll take some more of my own pics tomorrow at the inspection. Pray all goes well!!!

Moving On...

2008-06-18T13:51:00.002-05:00

We accepted an offer on our house today. I'm going to sign the contract in just a little while and we have an inspection scheduled for tomorrow at 6:00 pm. So, the search for a new house will begin. I am VERY excited. I am THRILLED for this part of our journey to be over. But, I tear up thinking about the moment when I will exit this house for the last time. This is the house that I walked into for the first time with my new husband and we laid on the carpet in the living room, staring at the pristine white ceiling, marveling at being homeowners. We laughed when we got up because we were each covered in little grey carpet fibers. This is the house I brought three beautiful babies home, where they had their first real baths, their first boo-boos, where I tuck them in every night, and where I fell in love with them. Will lost his first tooth here, and I got Molly ready for her first recital here. This house will hold a lot of beautiful memories for me. And, yet I know, there will be more loose teeth, more recitals, more firsts. Firsts I can't even begin to imagine yet, like first days of high school, and first dates, and first cars. So, as you can tell, I'm feeling very nostalgic. But, I'm also feeling very grateful for the next season and all the beauty it will no doubt hold as well.

We love you guys and thank you for your prayers during this time!

And We Have a Lucy!

2008-06-13T07:43:00.003-05:00

Luciana Isabelle Brumbelow
Born 13 June 2008 at 2:58 am. 8.0 lb, 20 1/4 inches

We got a call last night around midnight from Dave's parents that they were headed to the hospital in Arkansas with Holly because her contractions were five minutes apart. Yesterday was Holly's due date and she was ready, ready, ready to have baby Lucy. A little after 3:00 am, we got the next call that Lucy had arrived. Good job Holly! As I'm sure anyone who knows me very well knows, it is killing me not to be there to hold that beautiful baby and give that beautiful Momma (and Daddy) a congratulatory kiss!

CONGRATULATIONS BRUMBELOWS!

It's Been TOO LONG!

2008-05-16T08:12:00.005-05:00

It has been so long since I've posted that I actually forgot my own password and username. My email address has changed and it took me 15 minutes to log in. But, now that I am here, I may owe you an explanation. Over the last two months, we have been preparing to put our house on the market. That meant ripping up every inch of flooring in the house, laying wood laminate and tile throughout, painting virtually every wall, replacing boards and painting parts of the outside of the house (praise God for Hardiplank!), and putting toys, books, toys, knicknacks, toys, extra furniture, and toys in storage. So, we are officially on the market and have had a whopping four showings in 2 1/2 weeks. Anybody want to buy a little house in Texas!?

If I had posted during this time, my posts would have gone something like this...
Day 1... Jack learned how to unlock the dishwasher today while we were doing the floor and walked into the bedroom banging together two steak knives.
Day 2... Jack decided it's fun to open the oven, climb on top of the door and play with the stove burners today.
Day 3... Had to call Poison Control today because Jack decided he thoroughly likes the taste of mineral spirits. By the way, childproof lids may not come off, but they definitely may leak... a lot!

You get the idea. It is a VERY good thing that we are done because I rather like having my Jack-Jack around! The thing I like about having completed this process is that my kids are forced to play outside every day because most of their inside toys are packed. I used to have to beg them to go into the back yard. Now they ask me to go. They are even looking a little tanned this year.

Now for the fun stuff...

Molly had her fifth birthday. I can't believe my baby is five and starting Kindergarten! We had a girls' day with her this year. My mom and I took her to Kemah for the day. She ate lobster at the Aquarium restaurant, she shopped, she rode all the rides, she pet the stingrays, and she got new earrings, a purse, and matching dresses for herself and her doll, Jillian. I forgot the digital camera, so I need to scan the pics we took with a disposable camera. She had a fantastic day and it was a good start to her next year as a big girl!

I chaperoned Will's field trip to the Main Street Theatre to see James and the Giant Peach. It was a lot of fun. My timid boy was not found of the girl in the rhino suit but after the loud rhino noises were over, he enjoyed the show. After it was over, he raised his hand and asked one of the actors, "Is it fun to be an actor!?" The guy laughed, assured Will that it was, but mentioned that he still needs to go to college if he wants to be one. Next Tuesday, he has his debut in a class play in which he plays a frog about to lose his rainforest home. He has two lines. In the past, he has never wanted to play a part with lines. So, I think the play really made an impact.

We took a family camping trip with our friends and Bible study classmates the first weekend the house was on the market. We had a great time. Will and Molly went out with me on the boat and LOVED tubing. I wish I had video of their faces! I think everyone will be replaying a scene for me over the next few years in which I ran, arms flailing, toward the men at the barbecue pit, screaming "BABY BY THE FIRE! BABY BY THE FIRE!" I'm sure you can guess which baby it was (see Days 1 through 3 above). Apparently, I look pretty hilarious when in panicked attempt to save my children from burning embers. Come to think of it, I also apparently look pretty hilarious when in panicked attempt to save my children from drowning in the pool (I jumped in fully clothed), running out into the street (also a full run with flailing arms and screaming), and falling down the stairs (I dove over the handrail almost knocking it down and bruising the heck out of my arm). I'm quite the saver, I tell you. I won't mention it was a baby pool, she was 50 yards from the street, or that my mom was holding on to the back belt loop of her outfit at the top of the stairs. I win the Overactor trophy. Funny stuff.

And, finally, we celebrated Dave's grandfather's 90th birthday party. All of the cousins were there (even the one in Aunt Holly's belly). It was wonderful to see everyone and we got good pictures. Happy Birthday Grandad!!!

The cousins at the party.

Jack and Molly camping.

Our hard work... Did I ask if anyone wanted to buy a house!? ;)

Pierced Ears and Piercing Screams!

2008-03-14T14:01:00.002-05:00

Molly has been asking to get her ears pierced for months. We told her that she could get them pierced for her fifth birthday. In the meantime, she got some earring tattoos and would tell us, "Look! I'm five yeaws old! I weally am! See, I have weal eawwings!" It was very cute. So, I set up a girl's day with my mom for her birthday to go get her ears pierced and do a little shopping. But, then, I started thinking. Scenario 1: She has no problem getting her ears pierced and we have a fantastic estrogen-filled day. Scenario 2: She freaks out after the first one. I have to hold her down for the second one. She's massively traumatized and won't stop crying long enough to pick out a new hairband or a pretty bracelet and we all go home sobbing. My bet was on Scenario 2, so I decided to take her to get them done early so she can enjoy her girl's day out pain free. Why I decided that doing it early would involve me taking her by myself to the mall with both Will and Jack in tow is beyond me. Apparently, I can only make one intelligent decision at a time! While Scenario 2 was not completely accurate, I was dead on thinking she would freak out after the first earring went through. Poor child. After one hour, loads of talk involving the sentence, "I CANNOT take you home to Daddy with only one ear pierced," a failed attempt at the hold down (how I could keep her still for multiple IVs five months ago and yet not for an ear piercing is beyond me), and $50 worth of bribery jewelry, she settled down enough to complete her set. She was crying a bit in my arms and muttering something over and over. After a few minutes, I realized she was saying, "Biggg Bruddder! Biggg Bruddder!" I called Will over, who had been hiding in the corner, sheltering himself from the cries and playing with the lone monster truck on sale at Claire's. When he got there and held her hand, she climbed out of my lap and into his arms. Suddenly, all was well. And, then I heard the sounds of my third born who had been completely ignored in his stroller for the last sixty minutes. A short walk, and three sugar cookies later, we were showing everyone who would look (and getting very upset at those who wouldn't) our sparkly new earrings!

We'll be taking Easter pics soon, so pics of her earlobes are sure to follow.

My Fellow Americans...

2008-03-04T22:27:00.004-06:00

Well, I figure I need to bone up on my political rhetoric and firm handshakes because... Dave and I are delegates for our precinct to the State Senatorial Republican Convention being held at the end of March. Delegates will be elected then to go to the state convention and then from there to the national convention. As first timers, I'm sure we won't get that far, but I'm beyond excited to go be a part of the process and use my voice (I can hear myself now... "Aye, Nay, Aye, Nay"). So, Friends, Houstonians, Countrymen, if you have an issue you believe should be brought before the Convention, we are at your service!

Wait... Who's that pulling up to the White House?
That truck looks so familiar.

New Friends, Good Times, and an Anniversary Celebration

2008-03-03T11:22:00.006-06:00

Dave and I were finally able to celebrate our anniversary a few months late. We went to Austin for the weekend and had a wonderful time. We went to our favorite restaurants (Kerby Lane and Vinny's), spent four hours touring the new Texas History Museum, climbed up Mt. Bonnel to see the sunset, and wandered around campus. There were many changes. The road I used to take off of MLK to get to my dorm is no longer a road, but a building. You almost can't park on campus on the weekends anymore because you need permits for almost all of the spots 7 days a week now. And, sadly, our Chili's is no longer a Chili's. I almost cried. Now, I know that we've all moved on to better and brighter things, but as long as our Chili's was still there, I always felt that I could walk right in and all of our old friends would be there, Dave could go behind the bar and ask me, "Do you have your ticket?" and I could get a chicken caesar salad for half price. Apparently, instead of getting your fill of food there, you can get your fill of Scripture - since it's a CHURCH! Here are a few pics of our trip...

Ron Paul was having a rally on campus and brought along the Ten Commandments.

The beautiful scenery (oh, and the view of the river too.)

Our goofy self portrait.

On Valentine's Weekend, our friends from Bible study held a dinner in their home. It was very sweet, fun, and the food was delicious, especially my chocolate cheesecake!

My silly boys playing at home.

Will gets a hug for being such a great big brother!

I frequent an online group called Babycenter. Last week, I met one of the moms and her little boy at the mall for the first time. We had a great time. Here's Jack and Tristen playing. Oh, and they are both sick now. Gotta love those Play Place germs!

EOBs

2008-02-11T21:18:00.000-06:00

Today we received the full summary from the insurance company of all of Molly's care for her osteomyelitis (staph infection of her hip), from the first trip to Dr. Smith when we were sent to the ER to the last blood culture after they took out her PICC line. There are times I get very upset about our $2000 per person deductible. And then a statement comes in like the one I saw today and then I feel very blessed that I actually have some sort of health insurance. I don't think we could have swung $75,646.69. And, I also praise God for his promise to care for us. You see, just a few short months before Molly got sick, we almost dropped our policy with Dave's boss because we can barely swing the premiums and the deductibles to go with a personal policy that would have capped our hospital coverage at $50,000. According the salesman, 98% of hospital stays do not exceed $30,000. So, as long as you aren't in that 2%, it's a good policy. Thankfully, God provided us with an honest salesman who counseled us to stick with our current policy if we could at all afford it. We followed that advice and it saved us $25,000. Thank you, Lord! You are sovereign and you are praiseworthy! And, thank you even more that our little girl is happily running around and dancing her heart out!

Molly Moo and Her New Do

2008-02-09T14:49:00.000-06:00

Several months ago, Molly trimmed her own hair, creating some really nice "layers." Every little girl has to do it atleast once, right!? Well, today was haircut day. I cut Dave, Will, and Molly's hair myself. So, I decided to even up all of her layers and let it grow out all one length. She ended up with a cute little bob. I think it's adorable. Molly really liked it. Dave saw the four inch long hair on the kitchen floor, looked at his baby, and I'm pretty sure is off crying somewhere. Poor daddy. She modeled her new do a bit for me...

I Have an Eight Year Old!

2008-02-04T14:05:00.001-06:00

I remember when Will was really little, around two and three, we would go to birthday parties or the Fall Festival, and he would stand outside the bouncy houses smiling at the kids inside. I would ask him, "Do you want to go inside? Mommy will go inside with you." He would shake his head no and say he was scared. He was very timid of a lot of things... bouncy houses, water at the beach, stickers, ice cream! Here we are, just a few years later, and we had his eighth birthday party at a rock gym. I can't believe how big my boy is. I'm so proud of him for trying new things, "getting back on the horse" when he falls off, and growing to be such a sweet, amazing boy. Here are a few pictures of his big day...

"The Volcano"

Rapelling down

"I'm the first to get to the handprint, mommy!"

All three boys bouldering on the same wall.

Jack joins in the fun.

I gotta throw this one in just because his smile melts my heart.

A Dose of Good Ol' Fashioned Reality

2008-01-23T19:22:00.000-06:00

So, sometimes when I update my blog, I get a few really nice e-mails about how someone enjoyed the post, about how much they can tell I love my children, noting how happy my sweet babies seem to be. So, in the interest of full disclosure, I feel the need to post an honest description of my evening...

My daughter is in her room and has been screaming for hours (literally hours) because she doesn't want to clean. My oldest son is in his room and has been screaming for hours (literally hours) because a) his sister has been screaming for hours so why not? and b) he doesn't want to be punished for "play" slapping his baby brother on the face so hard that it left a red hand print and made him cry and then ten minutes later throwing his pencil across the room and leaving a puncture wound two millimeters from his baby brother's right eye. Of course, he "didn't mean for it to hit Jack!" Ummm, I'm the only thing sitting next to him. Did you mean to hit ME!? And my younger son? Wandering around, also screaming, because, well, he's been slapped in the face, stabbed in the eye, scared to death from the sound of mommy completely losing control of her faculties, and because a chorus of three screamers sounds so much better than one.

I'm off to read my previous post. I love being a mom. I love being a mom. I love being a mom.

Late Night Moments

2008-01-06T23:51:00.000-06:00

Tonight, I had one of those special moments when I am reminded that God knows my intimate thoughts and loves me enough to respond to them sometimes in a gentle, comforting way. Our house has been full of colds, fevers, and the flu for what seems like months now. Today was a particularly difficult day. My husband, who usually sports an iron-clad immune system, has been sick enough to have him popping pills, an occurance I rarely see. Jack traded in his smile and dimples for puffy eyes and cheeks, chapped and red from a constantly draining nose and fever. He napped for a total of six hours today and still was yawning and curling up with his blanket when I placed him in his crib at eight o'clock. Everyone went to bed early. After I tucked Will and Molly in, Dave suggested we curl up in bed and watch TV but was snoring within minutes. I watched TV myself for awhile and decided to try to join my slumberers. But, I'm prone to worrying about life late at night. Particularly when my husband, best friend, and long suffering ear lender is already unconscious. So, I got up, wandered out to the couch, and pressed buttons on the remote for an hour. I watched some PBS, a little trash TV, but mostly worried. "I hope everyone is feeling better tomorrow. What if we are all still sick when our anniversary weekend comes up at the end of the month? How much money can we responsibly spend on the trip without causing any problems? What is it going to be like when our job situations change? Will we make enough? What will we do if we don't? How are Will and Molly going to do in school next year? Which school will they go to?" And, the questions I always seem to come around to... "Am I a good mom? Do my children know how much they are utterly adored? Do they know how much my heart hurts when I worry that I'm not doing everything perfectly? Will they grow up with happy memories of their childhood?" Sometimes the burdens of motherhood feel heavy. And then a moment happens where God steps in and lifts my burden and restores my joy. He reminds me of the amazing blessings I have and of the promise He has made to care for me and those I love. As I flipped through the channels, I came across Ed Young, our church's head pastor. I stopped for a second, thinking this would really be better late night entertainment than TMZ. Then, the verse across the bottom of the screen caught my eye. Matthew 6:34: Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Thank you, Lord. Oh, how glorious are the moments when your heart knows He is speaking to it. I continued to watch as Dr. Young talked about being fully present in the moments of your life. It was a sermon I needed to hear tonight. I sat there committing to being fully present with my family tomorrow. If they are still sick, I will care for them with joy. If they are well, we will play games, maybe read some books. When they speak to me tomorrow, they will see my eyes looking back at them. They won't see them glassed over with worry about the million things tomorrow might bring. They will see them fully focused on the wonderful blessings today brings. At almost the end of the sermon, Molly came out of her room. Usually when I have finally gotten her to stay in bed for the night after countless requests for water, stories, hugs and kisses, I don't see her again until morning. But, God decided to bless me a little bit more with a late night visit from my precious girl. She climbed up into my lap and wrapped her light little arms around my neck. She was sleepy eyed and beautiful. She told me that she needed to go potty and needed a drink of water. I said okay and told her I loved her, that she was my sunshine. I often sing "You Are My Sunshine" to her. It's the special song I have just for her. She said, "Daddy is your sunshine too?' I said, "Yes, I love Daddy with all my heart." She said, "And Will and Jackson?" I said, "Yes." She said, "This morning, I told Daddy I love him. Then I told him I love him 1 million, six hundred and ten." So, tonight, I resolve not to worry. Tonight, I will focus on the fact that I am loved by a little girl 1 million, six hundred and ten. And, judging from the peace He gave me tonight, I'm guessing I'm loved even more by the God who created me.

Ten Years Ago Today...

2008-01-03T08:39:00.001-06:00

Happy Anniversary to the Love of My Life!

Happy New Year!

2007-12-27T14:04:00.000-06:00

Don't send a lame Holiday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

A Happy Day for Daddy

2007-12-23T22:45:00.001-06:00

Now that Jackson is one year old, he can ride in the bicycle seat. Up until today, he's ridden in the bike trailer that I pull behind my bike. But, today, we strapped on his little helmet for the first time, and Daddy rode around the neighborhood. Jack thought it was way cooler than the trailer. As soon as Dave rode off, Jack started laughing. The next time Dave rode by me, Jack was on back singing. It was very cute. I'm sure mountain biker Daddy is very proud that his second little man seems to enjoy the foot-powered vehicle as much as the first one does.

"This helmet feels a little funny, Mommy."

"Oh, wow, who cares about the helmet!? This is FUN!"

Happy Birthday Jack

2007-12-20T20:52:00.001-06:00

We spent our day visiting Molly's school for her program and party, going to the park, and visiting Daddy at the studio for a mini Christmas party, where he had a birthday cupcake. Happy birthday sweet boy!

Two Smiles and a Scream!

2007-12-19T22:41:00.000-06:00

He wasn't so fond of Santa! Poor little man. Cracks me up how Santa smiles so consistently with a screaming, wriggling baby in his lap. I wonder if he's deaf (or atleast has a little ringing in the ears at the end of the day.)

Weekend of Fun, Installment 3: Jack's 1st Birthday Party

2007-12-17T13:14:00.000-06:00

On Sunday, we had Jack's Star Wars birthday party. It was a great time. Mommy spent a loonnng time making an R2D2 cake and a little Yoda cake for Jack. The kids all wore their Star Wars costumes and Dave broke out his old original Star Wars toys to decorate and play with. It was a good time. Jack was exhausted by bed time. After I dropped off Molly at school this morning, I couldn't wait to get home for Jack to get to play with his toys uninterrupted. They were all a huge hit. He's sitting behind me right now in between the ball popper and the drum having a blast.

Jack looks at his book from Nannie and GG.

Jack tries to climb in his Cars ride-on before Mema can get it out of the box.

He stares at the candle flame while we sing Happy Birthday.

Getting green with the Yoda cake.

Watch us sing "Happy Birthday!"

Weekend of Fun, Installment 2: Molly's Recital

2007-12-17T13:00:00.001-06:00

On Saturday morning, Mommy, Daddy, Will, Jack, Nannie, GG, Grandad, Mema, and our friends, the Hairstons, came to watch Molly dance. She did a fantastic job! She was so cute and all of her ballerina friends looked adorable in their pink tutus. During rehearsals, she would spend a good amount of time playing with her skirt, smiling at mommy, and giggling with her friends, so we weren't sure how the recital would go. But, I think she knew she had lots of people coming to see her and she really tried hard to watch her teachers and dance the steps. We were very proud. When we were through, she received beautiful flowers from Grandad and Mema, and had juice and cookies with her class. Then, we all went out to lunch. It was a fun morning!

The ballerinas show off their tutus! (Molly is second from the right.)

Picture perfect ballerina.

Posing with her flowers.

Molly's dances...

Weekend of Fun, Installment 1: The Nutcracker

2007-12-14T19:32:00.000-06:00

Well, I just watched Dave and Molly leave for their Nutcracker date and they made a beautiful pair. Even though I'm not going along, Molly and I had a great time preparing for it. I told her she was receiving the full spa treatment. She started with a bath at 4:30. Afterwards, she got a mani/pedi, complete with sparkling glitter nail and toe polish. Then, we did her hair. She was amazing at staying still for her extremely long encounter with the curling iron. After her hair was finished, we put on her stick-on "diamond" earrings and she borrowed a necklace from mommy. She also included her princess ring, of course. We finished up with a spritz of mommy's perfume and a little bit of lipstick. She thought it was very cool that she got to use some of mommy's things and she kept saying, "Daddy is going to be soooooo suprised!" And, indeed he was. When he opened the door, she ran to him and he told her how fancy her hair was and how beautiful she was. She was very proud to be daddy's date. The boys and I are staying in for an evening of pizza and Christmas movies. I still love the sound of that... "the boys." I love my two little men! I digress as usual! I took a thousand pictures of Dave and Molly and I could only narrow it down to these four. Here's my precious couple...

Big Weekend Coming Up

2007-12-12T15:06:00.000-06:00

This weekend, we have so many things planned. On Friday, Dave will take Molly to The Nutcracker for her third annual Christmas Date with Daddy night. She loves to get dressed up in her prettiest Christmas dress and have her hair done every year to go see The Nutcracker with Daddy. Her Daddy is a very proud (and handsome!) date. On Saturday, she will have her very first recital, with a ballet dance to "Shine Your Light" and a jazz dance to some really cute song I can't remember the name of. Mommy got teary-eyed at the dress rehearsal, so I'm sure we'll all be crying through the real thing! Then, on Sunday, we will have Jack's first birthday party. I'm very excited to be celebrating this fun moment in my little guy's life. Somehow, the years always pass to fast and yet every new milestone is exciting. Next week should bring an update with lots of pictures and video of the dance, but here's a sneak peek...

Dress Rehearsal

He's getting so big!

Surprising Results

2007-12-12T14:35:00.000-06:00

I've always thought my kiddos looked just like their daddy. I wasn't surprised that this Look-Alike Meter thought Molly was the closest resemblance to him, but I was very surprised that it thought Will looked more like me! I'm sure it's all highly scientific, you know!?

Home Movies

2007-12-01T23:55:00.000-06:00

Well, we discovered that one our digital cameras has the capability to take video so here are a few of our latest captures...

First, we have our new little walker. Mommy thinks he's pretty cute. And, his big brother and sister are obviously very proud! He seems a little proud of himself too since you'll see him clap for himself at the end. He mostly enjoys walking between two people he loves, but he is getting more brave each day and starting to venture out for a few steps here and there between the furniture. Most of all, I adore the hugs I get after he's accomplished his little stroll!

And, then we have Molly, our interpretive dance student. She cracks me up. Here she is with the "Pokie Wokie Nightgown Dance." Every dance she does has a name and every name starts with "Pokie Wokie." She truly does keep me on my toes. Every day is a new day with her. One day this week, while I was trying to tell her something, she said to me, "Mom, you tell me that all the time... blah, blah, blah!" Isn't she supposed to be at least 13 before I get that kind of lip!? But, then the next day, I asked her to clean her room. She said, "Okay, Mom!" Then, while she was in there cleaning (and she did a great job), she was singing and the song went a little something like this... "I love my mommy. Cause she says nice things to me. And she's funny. I love everybody. Except bad people. I don't love bad people. But, I do love my mommy!" So, here's my little entertainer...

Feeling poetic as we near Jack's birthday...

2007-11-21T21:36:00.000-06:00

To Jackson:

On the day Will was born, I looked at him
And my heart nearly broke from the weight
Of all the joy that filled it up.
Oh, that powerful love is great.

As my belly grew full with Molly,
Worried I couldn't love another as much,
All my fears were pushed aside,
With that first soft, lingering touch.

A family of four, the perfect size,
A boy and a girl, then we're through.
But I didn't know that perfection could grow
Until we added you.

Little brother, sweet son, precious child,
I've watched you grow strong for a year,
And every day I see your bright smile
Is a day I will always hold dear.

To describe the blessings you are,
The words seem to little to start.
You three children who fill my lap
Also fill to overflowing my heart.

Thought I May Never Get to Blog Again!

2007-11-07T11:06:00.001-06:00

It has been a crazy couple of months for the Bennett Family!

As most of you know, Molly was admitted to Texas Children's Hospital for ten days for a staph infection in her hip joint, bone, and muscle. She is doing well at home now. She has a PICC line (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter) through which Dave and I give her IV antibiotics three times a day. She will have this for a total of six weeks, after which she will have two to three months of oral antibiotics. Then, we should be DONE! Yea!! She has been such a little trooper. Our most difficult times were when she kept blowing her IVs in the hospital and would have to get "pokes" over and over again. Mommy is likely going to be traumatized much longer than poor Molly! Yesterday, we discovered that her surgery incision is infected at the surface so we are applying lots of Neosporin, changing the dressing three times a day, and keeping an eye on it. Hopefully, it will clear back up soon! The nurse will be coming this afternoon (as she does once a week) to change the dressing on the PICC and take some labwork. I'll ask her how Molly's labs from last week were and keep everyone updated. We thank you for all of your prayers, gifts, support... everything! We have truly seen the generosity and love of our friends and family through this time!

In other news, Dave had a fun birthday and is now officially closer to 40 than 30! ;) Jackson had his first trip to IHOP for blueberry pancakes, and the kiddos had a fun time at the Fall Festival. We split up so that Will could jump on the inflatables and Molly could play the little games. Being the feisty girl she is, I thought she'd fight me, but she was plenty happy to hang out in the stroller and get lots of candy!

Jack-Jack makes me think he is going to start walking every day, but still prefers the security of the ground! He will pop out a word every once in a while and then never say it again... "cracker," "Papa," "nana." But by far, his favorite is, of course, "Dada." As for "Mama," I only get smiles. Unless you count "mamamamamamamamamamamamama!"

"MMMMMM... these blueberry pancakes are GOOOOOD!"

"I don't know which is weirder... Daddy's big purple hat... or those really loud men!"

The whole family. This is when we still thought Molly's hip infection was viral
and I was carrying her around because she could barely walk.

Molly's hospital bed with all her new friends. Taken with my mom's phone.

Molly with her walker on the day we went home. She's getting around great now.

Molly finally gets out and has some fun for awhile!
This was the day of the Fall Festival and she was EXHAUSTED by bedtime!
A few days later, she went to bed at 4:30 and slept 15 hours!
She's catching up from all that great hospital sleep!

My Star Wars Fans at the Fall Festival

I mentioned a while ago that I'd post Jack's first teeth. Well, here's all five of them!

Tugging at My Heart Strings

2007-10-05T22:08:00.001-05:00

Tonight, Dave is at a men's campout with our Bible study class. While I was putting Jack to bed, I asked Will and Molly to go play quietly in Molly's room. After I was through, I came in to Molly's room and Will was reading bedtime stories to Molly all cuddled up in her bed. I had planned on putting them to bed right after Jack so I could go read a book and relax for a while. But, they were so adorable, I couldn't ask them to stop. Will asked if they could have a sleepover. I said, "Sure. When you are done reading, just turn out the light and go to sleep." I kissed them and said goodnight. A little while later, they both asked for some water. So, I got it for them and then as I was leaving her room, I turned out the light. Molly started to say, "It's too dark!" But, I heard Will telling her, "It's okay. I'm here." I came into my room to finish up some work. When I was done, I decided to go check on them to see if they ever went to sleep and this is how I found them...

Could they be any sweeter? I just wanted to curl up right there with them!

Wedding Plans

2007-10-03T16:26:00.000-05:00

Well, I should announce that Molly is getting married. Yesterday, she was "writing" on some construction paper. When I asked what she was doing, she said she was making invitations to her wedding. She's going to wear a lavender satin skirt, a yellow and lavender satin shirt, and some silver heels with big pink metallic hearts. Oh, and she's marrying a FIVE year old! This is the first time that she's told me that she is marrying someone other than Will or Daddy. I know their hearts are going to be broken. I asked who this lucky five year old was. She thought for a moment and then told me his name is "Kingo." Then she told me when they have a baby, it is going to be a girl baby. A bit later, she had changed her mind. She decided she didn't want to be a mommy at all. A little saddened at the thought of not having any Molly grandbabies to hold, I asked her why. She told me that she didn't want anyone to cut her tummy open to take the baby out. I wasn't sure which was worse: her envisioning herself cut in half, or telling her how babies are normally born, which would, without so much as a doubt in my mind, result in her telling everyone she knows, with descriptive gestures I'm sure, how babies are born. I went with, "Oh, honey, I don't think you need to worry about that right now!" That seemed to do the trick because she just went on to tell me how she is going to be a ballerina instead.

This afternoon, she dressed up and stood on the "stage" in the living room and gave Jack and I a "show." She sang, she danced, and my favorite, she told some jokes. They were jokes like this: "The bear chased the unicorn across the room. Ha Ha ha haaaaaaaaaa." It was hilarious. My absolute favorite part: the show elicited Jack's first real clap! Go Molly. You must have what it takes!

Bragging Rights

2007-09-29T22:29:00.000-05:00

It's every Momma's right to brag about her progeny! I plan to exercise my right tonight! William brought home his very first "real" progress report this week. He received 3 "100"s, 1 "99", 3 "E"s (excellent), and one "S" (satisfactory). The "S" is in penmanship and if you were reading a handwritten letter as opposed to my typewriting, you would know that the apple does not fall far from the tree in that regard. He also finished his first real chapter book this week. When he finished the 16th chapter, he was so proud of himself. There is nothing better than seeing the dimples on that kid when he's beaming with pride. Have I mentioned I love my children?

Molly is doing great in preschool as well. I imagined that my biggest obstacle with her would be either a)she would decide to be the class clown and come home on "red" everyday, b)she would decide to disrobe during class and run around naked, causing the school to call CPS on us, or c)she would steal all of the other girls' cute clothes and accessories and be sent to alternative preschool. However, she is about to get her first trip to the treasure box for having so many "green" days. She's also doing really well learning the sounds that go with her letters and her writing has already gotten so much better. A funny Molly story: I did some logo work for a girl that just opened a bow boutique. She paid me in bows for Molly. When she sent them, she also sent Molly a note from "The Bow Fairy." Molly was ecstatic about getting the note. Last night, she asked my mom, "Mema, do you know where I got this skirt? From The Skirt Fairy!" Apparently, everything has a fairy now.

Jack is cruising around on everything and will stand for a second or two if he doesn't realize he is. He thinks about walking, but then decides he likes his knees much better, unless he is on a really hard floor, in which case, he prefers to crawl on hands and toes. And, he's perfecting that wave. Occasionally, it is accompanied by a "Baa-Baa."

In my world, Dave and I both got a new client this week. He hired Kim and I first to design an insert into the Houston Chronicle for the boutique he is opening downtown. It's called Ritzee Accessories. So, in a few weeks, 75,000 homes will be viewing my work. In addition, Dave was hired to shoot his inventory for the insert and for the Christmas ad we will be doing. Exciting stuff! We'll be putting a byline on the insert so it would be great if it drummed up some more business.

Well, I'm off. Seems we need a visit from The Grocery Fairy.

Oops. Forgot one...

2007-09-12T22:10:00.000-05:00

The cute wave. Hello camera!

I LOVE my Photographer Husband!

2007-09-12T21:38:00.000-05:00

School has been going great. We're crazy busy, but the kids are enjoying second grade, preschool, dance lessons, church, and more! Will and Molly have been really enjoying homework time now that they can sit together and do it. This was an added bonus to preschool I did not expect! So far, Will has gotten all 100s in class. This is exciting because we did not have number grades the last two years. He was very excited and has been showing everyone his latest spelling test when they come to the house. Molly is having a lot of "green days" in school and looking forward to the "treasure chest" when she completes "green day" number 5! And, Jack is cute as a button. He waves at everyone now... and everything. Hello Mommy. Hello Will. Hello car driving by. Hello bottle. Hello couch. It's pretty darn funny!

We went to the studio this week because I wanted to get an "angel" picture of Jack just like the one we have of Will in the house. Molly had wings as a baby too... but she was a butterfly. And, I wanted to get some ballerina pictures of Moo too. The following picture overload is from the shoot. I just couldn't decide! Dave is sooooo good! ;)

Momma's sweet angel.

I think he could get into Harvard now with that charm, don't you think!?

He's thinking, "Harvard mommy? Maybe Yale. Definitely not A&M." Hee hee.

Mom was there to help us with the kids. The extra hands were wonderful.
So, we had to get some pics with Mema too!

Mema and her babies (minus the four in Maryland - we miss you guys!)

Molly Amelia, Prima Ballerina

Impressed yet? I am. My inner thigh hurts just lookin' at her!

Thanks Aunt Holly for the tiara. She's perfect in it, don't you think!?

Nanny's homemade tutu!

My favorite one. I love this kid!

And, I had to throw in this one because, well, it is definitely my Molly Moo!

An angel and a ballerina. Well, we had to have a karate master too!

And the man behind the lens.
Well, except for this time... the man in front of the lens, in his favorite spot, his saddle.

So, feel free to call us to schedule your shoot! ;)

Sob, Sob, Sob, Blow, Sniffle, Sob, Sob

2007-08-29T23:59:00.000-05:00

You've been waiting for it. I know. As of one minute ago, it is Thursday morning, a full four days after the first day of school, and yet... no blog. No pictures of my gorgeous children. No witty commentary on the joys and frustrations of getting children out the door to school. No shameless bragging about how amazing the little buggers are. Well, I've kept you waiting for the element of suspense. Okay, not really. I was just busy. As I'm sure you were too. But, humor me for a few more minutes because the witty (or not so witty) commentary is about to commence.

So, here it is, the theme of my week. *Sobbing begins here.* My children are growing up. If you don't believe me (though I'm not sure why you wouldn't unless you're suffering from parent self-preservation induced denial and fully believe that time has stopped since you gave birth - which I often prefer to do), you can just take a look at my big kids below. William is in... sniffle... second grade and... sniffle again... would not allow me to kiss him goodbye after I walked him into class. I said, "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot," and stood next to his desk staring at him with a goofy grin, feeling like I'd just been rejected by the cutest boy in school (well, really I was rejected by the cutest boy in school... told you there would be bragging). So far, he's had a great week. His homework tonight? A blank sheet of paper with the question: What is mathematics? Explain using words or pictures. I'm fairly certain I could spend all night thinking about the question and still not get it right. Will's answer: Math is everywhere. Math is numbers. I can add and subtract. Pretty good answer, I'd say. Certainly better than Mommy would have done.

Molly had "Meet the Teacher" today. She was thrilled last night when she found out that she'd have the same teacher she had last year. Ms. Shannon looked just as happy to see her. I was happy that my little girl was happy. They are hoping to build some emergent readers by the end of the year. The thought that in 12 months I will be sending her to Kindergarten... sorry I have to stop and take a breather here... nope can't go on... did I mention she's in dance class? That I can handle!

And, just so I leave no one out. At the preschool, all the teachers commented on how much difference a summer can make when it comes to a baby. Jack is probably twice as big as when they saw him. He couldn't sit up without some support, and now he is crawling, standing, and trying very hard to make Mommy help him figure out how to walk. Oh, and three more teeth are pushing their way through his swollen little gums. Poor guy. Gotta love that chub, though. I love me some chunky baby thigh! On that happy, yummy note...

Here's the big second grader.

She had to put on her new school clothes to see her teacher.
In the next picture, she held up the "MB" magnets for her initials. Genius.

He wanted to get out of the sun. I left my windows down so the car wouldn't get hot. It didn't get hot. It got soaked. Mommy didn't listen to the weather this morning. Silly mommy!

Oh, and this one if for Aunt Holly and Uncle Dawson, who visited a few weeks ago. Apparently, Uncle Dawson is a climbing structure... a very gracious climbing structure. But, he's rewarded with lots of love!

How He's Grown...

2007-08-23T22:53:00.000-05:00

Beautiful Little Ballerina

2007-08-23T10:49:00.001-05:00

Molly had a first of her own this week. Dance lessons. She has been so excited all summer, knowing that when school rolled around again, it would be time for her to start "Ballerina School." She has been asking all summer when she would get to start. Tuesday, I was finally able to tell her, "TODAY!" She was beaming as she walked into class in her adorable ballet outfit, compliments of Nanny and Aunt Holly. I was so proud of her. She followed all of the instructor's directions like a little pro, helped put things away, and danced her little heart out. It was quite cute! What was also very cute was the line of big brothers peeking in the windows watching their little sisters. Since public school hasn't started yet, they all got to watch their sister's first lesson. Both William and another little boy stood at the window the whole time, camera lenses placed against the glass, snapping pictures proudly. William said to me as class was ending, "I wish she could come after school, Mommy, so I could see her dance." I can't wait to see her at recital time. I'm sure you'll be blessed with many, many pictures! Here are a few from this week. We had to take them through darkened glass, so the quality isn't the greatest, but you can still see Molly Amelia, the Ballerina, in action!

Practicing balance at the beginning of class.

Look at those toes. That's my girl!
(She's actually trying to see the pictures of the Disney princesses on the wall.)

She was thrilled that they provided tiaras... so long as she got the purple one!

Practicing a tea party dance.

Stretching and kissing her knee.

Jack still added few more firsts again this week. Two days ago, as he bit down on my finger, I felt something a little sharp. Upon further investigation, I discovered that he's sprouted his first tooth! Then, yesterday, my mom took the kids out school shopping (pics of them in their cute new clothes on the first day of school to come next week!). While in one of the stores, I kept noticing that Jack would lift his arm high in the air and open and close his fist. At first, I thought he was just playing. Then, I noticed him doing it in my mom's direction as she walked behind me. I was still skeptical. But, about twenty minutes later, I walked around the corner toward him and he looked right at me, smiled, and lifted his pudgy little arm and WAVED at me! I could've cried. Well, they say, "It takes a crowd of people to entertain a baby, but only one baby to entertain a crowd." And, I must admit, I am nothing in my life if not entertained!

The Weekend in Review

2007-08-19T19:24:00.000-05:00

We had a very fun weekend this weekend. Jack is still under the weather, so on Saturday, my parents and I took Will and Molly to Museum District Day while Dave stayed at home resting and taking care of Jack's runny nose. Fittingly, our first stop was the Houston Center for Photography. As a student of photography myself, it should've occured to me that there may very well be a particular brand of art photography unsuitable for children (read: nudes) in the gallery. Fortunately, there was only one such image. But (and I know that this is going to surprise you), little Miss Molly found it and began giggling and pointing out a woman on the beach with a bare bottom. We moved quickly on and found the room in which they were having a children's activity. The idea was to take digital images of everyone in your family, then display them on the wall on a white sheet of paper on which the children trace the images. The result is really interesting. I think I'll be keeping this bit of artwork for a long time! Next, we moved on to the The Museum of Natural Science. The dinosaurs were a huge hit, as always, and the kids loved the stuffed snake and turtle that Mema and Poppy bought them at the gift shop. Molly slept with Rainbow and Will slept with Sparkle last night when they passed out from our long day. We finished the museum day at the Children's Museum, where the current changing exhibit is the Invention Convention. Both kids had fun building their own "bug catchers" and then using them to catch butterflies made of tissue paper that were blown in the air by a big hairdryer-like contraption. Finally, we had supper and ice cream at the 59 Diner and headed home to SLEEP!

Today, Will worked with Daddy in the garage. Recently, our friends, the Willifords, took Will to the shop class at Lowe's, where Will got an apron and came home with several extra projects. So, today, he built the truck. He really is adorable using his big boy tools and he's so very proud of himself!

And, this weekend also marked Jack's first trip in the baby backpack. Granted, it was just around the house, but he enjoyed it none-the-less. When he gets better, we'll venture down to Jesse Jones Park to take him on a real hike!

Good thing there are no naked people here... only naked dinosaurs.

Waiting in line for the Shuttle bus to the next museum. What is it about kids and public transportation? They love it!

Drawing Mommy and Molly at the Photography Center.

My little woodworker.

"Look at me mom! Check out this cool contraption. I can throw up on Daddy's BACK now too!!"

A Week of Firsts and Picture Overload!

2007-08-15T20:17:00.001-05:00

This week, Jack has decided to break his poor mommy's heart and become a big boy! As my last child, I am enjoying each milestone, but wishing just a little that he would take just a bit longer to reach them. So, in the last week, we have had our first real crawl, we have begun pulling up on everything in sight (which unfortunately has resulted on the first bumps on the noggin), we have begun holding our own bottle for the first time, and we now have our first real "Mommy, I hope you brought plenty of tissues cause I plan on using the whole box in the next fifteen minutes" cold, which I fear (as all mommies do, you know) may be turning into his first ear infection. I must say, though, that the dear child has the cutest sneezes you've ever seen and there is just nothing better than when your little wiggly worm decides he needs to take a time out and rest nuzzled up into your neck. Snotty shirt or not, it is so worth it! Now that I've got you all geared up to see all these firsts, you should know that the picture overload is totally unrelated.

And now for something completely different (c'mon you know you're a closet Python fan, or maybe a not-so-closet Python fan)...

Last night, Mema, Molly, and I dressed up in our sixties gear, ratted up our bouffants, and went to go see Hairspray with a big group of women from our church. We had a blast! Molly was very excited to dress up with her friends and enjoyed the musical immensely (almost as much as she enjoyed the tootsie roll pop that was passed out to everyone in honor of "Penny" (a character in the movie). The movie is a lot of fun. Side note: It's filled with innuendo that fortunately passes over a four-year-olds head, but there is one "cover her ears" moment in case you are considering taking a child). Here is a picture of our big group. Can you find us?!

Today, the kids and I rode with G.G. (Dave's dad) to see Grandad (Dave's grandad) in Brenham. As always, we had a great time and the kids enjoyed hunting in the attic and touring the big beautiful house in search of butterflies. We haven't seen Grandad in a while but my kids don't seem to mind a bit. They take no time to warm up. Within seconds, Will is breaking out the marbles because Grandad first taught him how to play and Molly is climbing into his lap. It's really very sweet. So, here are a few pictures of our adventure...

Jack with Grandad's friend, Betty. No stranger anxiety anywhere in sight. He loved her!

Elevator Rides! Wow, Grandad's house is COOL!

Any architects out there? I can't remember the name of this part of the house but the kids asked to go out there as soon as we stepped foot inside.

Big smiles.

Add G.G. in there too.

We have a picture almost exactly like this of Dave and his dad when Dave was little, so I'm loving this one.

When we got home, the kids were playing when I made dinner.

And, Jack was all smiles with his favorite toy... a spoon. He's easily amused.

Thanks for reading. Pics of the firsts to come soon. I promise!

I Can't Believe I Find Time for This Nonsense!

2007-08-13T23:29:00.000-05:00

Some time ago, I found a site online where you could transform your family into M&Ms. I had a lot of fun doing this...

Then, tonight, I found a site where I could transform us into Simpsons characters (www.simpsonizeme.com)...

Yes, this is why my home didn't get cleaned tonight. Somebody stop me!

Jack, My Big Boy

2007-08-09T17:56:00.000-05:00

Hmmm, you think I can do this?

I am SO cool!

Yes mommy?

A Break from all the Kiddo Talk

2007-08-09T15:56:00.000-05:00

So, today I'm diverting from my usual blogging about my sweet kiddos to blog instead about my sweet husband. In January, we will have been married for ten years. While we were engaged, I worked with an architecture/engineering group. One of the guys joked once, "Just wait until you are married ten years and have some kids. You will think very differently about getting married!" I wish I remembered the gentleman's name because I'd like to call him and tell him that he married the wrong girl, or more likely, his wife married the wrong man! After almost ten years of marriage, and almost fourteen years with David, I can truly say that I am every bit as in love with him today as I was then, and watching him grow into the loving, striving father and husband that he is has deepened my affection for him ten-fold. A couple of days ago, he woke me up with a present. When we were first dating, he had made me a "mix tape" of many different songs. He'd put it together on his Mini-disc player, which hasn't worked for a long time, so it's been a long time since I've been able to listen to it. Well, he'd found his list of songs when we organized a few weeks ago, and put it all together on my ipod for me. So, I've been spending time listening to the songs and reminiscing about our early years together. The words to one of the songs (Nowhere Else, the 77s):

There is nowhere else I'd rather be
Than in your heart
There is nowhere else I wanna be
But in your eyes
In your arms

The moon blew through the valley
Carried away the clouds
The stars seem so much brighter this night
Orion's belt is shinin'
The big dipper's upside down
Over us it's pourin' out it's light

You slip your arms around me
Draw me to your side
The full moon's shinin' so clear
Is that music in the distance?
For a moment of time
There is nowhere else but here

There is nowhere else I'd rather be
Than in your heart
There is nowhere else I wanna be
But in your eyes
In your arms

I could walk across the desert
Build my own oasis
Where the palm trees shade me from the sun
I could swim across the ocean
Find a desert island
But your arms would always draw me back home

There is nowhere else I'd rather be
Than in your heart
There is nowhere else I wanna be
But in your eyes
In your arms

My sweet husband of almost ten years, there is certainly nowhere else I wanna be than in your arms with the beautiful children we've been blessed with in mine. And, in the words of "Toad the Wet Sprocket," I will not take these things for granted.

I love you!

Welcome Toben!!!

2007-07-30T22:51:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the newest extended family member! This morning, Dave called us from work to let us know that he had just heard from his mom that his sister, Anitra, was about to give birth to her latest baby boy, Toben Keen Edney. I couldn't wait to meet the little man so the kids and I grabbed our things and loaded into the car to head to Bryan. It was quite an adventure as I was distracted somehow and missed the giant sign saying "HWY 6 to Bryan/College Station." Now, I've seen this sign on each of the five thousand trips I took to and from Austin while I lived there and yet I still managed to get all the way to Brenham before realizing I had passed it up. I must have been handing out french fries to the back seat at the time. Either that, or I was sandwiched between two eighteen-wheelers while being blinded by the sun making its way down to the horizon. I'm fairly certain it wasn't just because I was dangerously scatterbrained and daydreaming with three precious children in the car. So, after getting further instructions from Kevin about how to go down a few farm roads to get back on track, I misunderstood him to say, "It'll take fifteen minutes to go down Farm Road 50," rather than, "It'll take FIFTY minutes to go down Farm Road 50." Two minutes onto 50, my gas light turned on. I didn't fret because I figured I only had about 13 miles to go until hitting the bigger town. 35 miles later, I started to get very concerned that I was about to be stranded in the middle of "Aggie Farmland" in 95 degree heat with three children and no gas. At this moment, I decided it was time for a little prayer, "Dear Lord, please let my last one-tenth of a gallon mysteriously carry me down the road the next twenty miles to a gas station." Well, he pulled through because soon after I came to Farm Road 60 and the best-looking gas station I've ever seen. It was like a mirage in the desert... but, praise God, it wasn't a mirage! So, we finally made it... now on to the info you really want to hear. Toben is 7 pounds and 5 ounces of cute! He looked around and smiled and it was great to hold another little bundle. I'm thrilled that Dave has two more siblings that are yet to have kids. I figure I have at least ten more years of babies to come. Will and Molly thought he was great. Will was sad that we couldn't "keep him" and wanted to know if we could have another baby. He's quick to forget that just a week ago, he told me that being a big brother, in regards to Molly, was "Great," but in regards to Jack, "not so much." When I asked why, he said, "Well, I DON'T like the crying, but I love HIM!" He's such a sweet kid with a wonderful "soft side." He loved holding Toben. Molly wanted to also, but I told her we'd wait until Toben was home and I could cuddle up on the couch next to her and help her. We're all very proud of Aunt Anitra who is such a great mom and does a fantastic job bringing her babies into the world! Proud brothers and sister are Cade Sullivan, Hutton Caleb, and Callaway Lucy-Marie. Congrats Edneys!!!

Let's All Jump Around Like Fools at the Rodeo!

2007-07-26T15:55:00.000-05:00

Yeehaw! What a week this has been. It is VBS week at our church and the theme is "RoundUp." Several months ago, when we first registered, we were given a RoundUp CD to listen to in the car. It has become my kids' favorite music. They particularly enjoy the first track, the RoundUp theme song, mostly because of the last line: "Let's all jump around like fools at the rodeo." At that point, my car begins hopping around the road because my kids have started bouncing around like a rubber ball inside a glass box. When this occurs, I assume it's either time to go to VBS or time to pull in to the closest hospital to have them treated for Shaken Baby Syndrome. But this week, it finally arrived. And let me tell you, if I thought two kids bouncing around my car was fun to watch, you should see about 500 of them react to that song! It's just plain crazy! Needless to say, the kids are having a blast. We've come home with hats, vests, concho key chains, western picture frames, and a purple clay cactus with spaghetti needles. Tomorrow will be my favorite craft: 400 stick horses which took about 20 women two days to assemble because they are just too darn difficult to ask a four-year-old kid to put together. I'm on the craft team and my friend Christi likes to laugh at me because I make very sure that my little girl comes home with a respectable looking craft. No stars and fringe in the wrong place for me! The funny thing is that I stuck some green clay in my pocket all morning long until I had Molly's class for Crafts because my child was not going to have some crazy neon cactus. I mean, c'mon, who's ever seen a neon pink cactus in the wild!? But, did you notice I said earlier that we came home with a PURPLE cactus? Yup, that's my girl, she's just too creative for her mommy's green cactus. Now don't go saying I should start letting her put her dollhouse furniture in the wrong rooms too! The toilet does not belong in the living room, people! But, I digress. We've also had a friend of Will's come home with us in the afternoons. Will has been so worn out that the other evening, he went down for the night at 5:30 and still asked me for a nap on the way to VBS the next morning. On to what you really want to see... the pictures of my little cowkids!

Deputies Will and Molly at your service!

"The Big Show..." not your momma's VBS!

The kids excited about a picture with a real celebrity.

Jumping Jack at home with his craft from the day.
I'm not sure where to put a GIANT kitchen tile but it sure is cute!

A Rainy, But Full Day

2007-07-21T11:19:00.001-05:00

It's a good thing that we have rainbows to remind us that God has promised not to flood the whole earth again, because I might be a little scared otherwise! I cannot believe what a rainy summer we have had. On the bright side, the rain has kept the heat under control, so the house isn't as hard to keep cool. Yesterday, we had an eventful day. In my attempt to keep the TV watching at a minimum, we had lots of projects. We painted with water colors and squeezable paints. We picked out someone we love and made cards for them. Will chose Benjamin Newton (because he knows Ben LOVES Spider Man!) and Molly chose Granddad. We turned the radio on and Will and I danced a little around the living room, and we made a pie (one that consists of peaches, cherries, and bananas since we didn't have enough of each one to make a whole pie) When Daddy got home, it was time for "Mommy and Son Date Night". Will chose to go to Whataburger and then to Half Price Books. We had a great time. He was so sweet because he kept picking out books for other people. "I think Molly would like this Hello Kitty Book. Do you think Jackson would like this book? Look, it's really soft. Oooh, Mommy, it's a Star Wars book for Daddy!" I told him we'd shop another day for everyone else, but today was his special day. We did get Molly two books that were too cheap to pass up, but Will settled on a dinosaur book, a NASCAR book, and a Transformers book. Afterwards, Poppy had a surprise for him, so we stopped by their house. Poppy gave him his telescope - not just any telescope, but one with an 8 inch mirror, several eyepieces, a camera mount and camera that works with it, and many other neat things that we haven't figured out how to work yet. So, if it ever does stop raining, you are all invited over for Astronomy Night!

Will decides on his next subject.

Jack prefers more organic substances to paint with... like peas and carrots.

Picasso takes a bath after his masterpiece is finished.

Will and Molly pose with their cards. Molly even signed her name... "Moyll."
Good thing we aren't Jewish or that would be pretty scary for Will!

Jack is trying to figure out how to crawl and loves to get himself into strange places.

Back to the Hello Kitty Nightmares

2007-07-19T20:23:00.001-05:00

Perhaps I should have had a dream about this guy... (If you don't know what I'm talking about, see the Hellocousinitkitty post below).

First Crushes

2007-07-17T13:05:00.001-05:00

I remember vividly my first crush. I was in Mrs. Plunkett's Kindergarten class and his name was Steven Faulkner. He was really cute with brown eyes and brown hair. My parents even took me to his house once for a play date. But, then he got the chicken pox. Apparently, I was easily freaked out by infectious diseases and the crush ended right there. I'm fairly certain that there were other crushes along the way, but I don't remember another boy until I was a teenager.

So, that brings me to today's post. William may very well be the object of a first crush. Her name is Aubry and she lives next door to my parents. She is an adorable little girl. On my mom's birthday, she came over to swim and play with the kids. They swam in the pool and played in the playroom all day, ate dinner with us and then watched TV for a little while before Aubry went home. This week, Aubry went to my mom's and asked her to set up a get-together to play with William again. Later, my mom talked to Aubry's dad, who said she had come home the other day with a starry-eyed look saying that she was "so happy" and that William was her boyfriend. So, William is over swimming today and my mom took this picture of them. You'll notice that I will only admit that William is the object of a first crush. And while I remember mine being in Kindergarten, I'm quite happy believing that he is just too young to be sweet on anyone other than his mommy! When he's sixteen, you may be allowed to try to convince me otherwise, but for now... ignorance is bliss!

A Week's Worth of Vacation in One Day

2007-07-12T22:07:00.001-05:00

The kids are in bed and the sand is scrubbed off, so I am ready to blog... and then promptly go to bed! Last week, I said that we were going to Dinosaur Valley for a few days of our mini-vacation. Well, two things caused us to change our plans. First, the dinosaur tracks are on the riverbed and the riverbed is currently overflowing with river from all the rain. Secondly, as I mentioned yesterday, Dave's two-day theory was disproven and we ran out of time to be gone for several days. So, we decided to change our plans to Galveston for the day and we all had a blast! We started out at Moody Gardens, where we went to the Aquarium and then experienced all of the dinosaur attractions. Will and Molly both went into the "RideFilm," "IMAX 3D," and the "Special FX 4D Theatre" with a great fear of the unknown. It took some handholding and a lot of "Don't worry, it's all pretend and Mommy is right here" whispered in the ear, but they ended up enjoying everything and asking to go again. Nothing like a giant T-Rex growling its big gnarly teeth at you from what appears to be two inches from your face. I have to say that I was pretty impressed that they didn't just run screaming from the theaters! My babies are indeed growing up. After Moody Gardens, we went to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner, the highlight of which was the "Volcano" dessert. Will asked for it every two minutes through the entire meal. When it came, all twelve dollars and ninety-five cents of it, he promptly took three bites and declared that he was just too full! After dinner, we walked across the street to the beach and played in the sand and water. The kids really enjoyed watching the hermit crab we caught try to venture out of his shell. Jack passed out in about one minute after returning to the car. Will put up a good fight but eventually gave in to the exhaustion but Molly was still going strong when we got home. Mommy, however, is off to give in herself right about now...

Watching the fish and keeping an eye out for the shark!

This giant guy was much less scary than the one on the 3D screen.

The only picture of me I may ever post. ;)

The "VOLCANO!"

"I am so about to pelt you with this sand."

Jack Meets the Ocean

Princess Dirtypants

Seriously. Just look at 'em. That's all I gotta say.

And, my man. Sweaty and dirty, but he's still hot! ;)

Goodbye Floaties! Hello Confidence!

2007-07-11T22:08:00.001-05:00

What a day! After taking a bit of a break from our week of organizing and cleaning (Dave's two-day theory was disproven, by the way), we visited Nanny and GG and went swimming this evening. Will and Molly got brave and started to jump from the diving board using the foam noodles and kick board. One time, the kick board slipped and Will started to swim after it. His arms kept pushing the kick board farther away from him. Before he knew it, he had made his way across the pool. From that point on, he began jumping without any flotation device and swimming around the pool! Go Will! I'm very proud! Molly is fearless and will probably not be far behind. Jack enjoyed the boat for a while but decided he'd much rather be in Mommy's arms enjoying a bottle. What a fun time - it's great having access to a private pool. Thanks Nanny and GG!

"Look Mom! I'm doing it!!!"

"Me too! Me too!"

My Sweet Swimmers

"Mom, I know I take great pictures. But, I'm a little perplexed. Can you get me out of this thing so I can contemplate the meaning of life over a bottle of warm milk, please?"

"I'm gorgeous. And, my daddy's a photographer. "

"Can I try out for the Olympics now?"

Memories of My First Baby Boy

2007-07-11T14:02:00.000-05:00

Having Jackson is wonderful for many reasons. First, he's his own little man. It's hard to imagine our family without him, which seems odd since we'd only ever planned on having two children. Even as an infant, you can sense the different little nuances each child has in their personality and it's exciting to watch them bloom into the little people they become. I'm soaking up every moment my of last child and enjoying it so much. Secondly, watching Jack, I'm constantly remembering fun times with my first baby boy. I'll see an expression that reminds me of Will or the sight of Jack's chubby thigh will remind me of how Will would giggle when we would tickle the inside of his. It's hard to believe that seven and a half years have passed since I laid eyes on and fell in love with that gorgeous child. Five million kisses later, I'm completely in love with two more. I can hardly wrap my head around all the blessings I have. So, I guess I'll have to wrap my arms around them instead.

My first little man in his walker.

My newest little man in his walker.

Jackson enjoying some fresh fruit.

Backyard Fun!

2007-07-08T19:12:00.000-05:00

It has been so rainy here for weeks and the kids are exploding with energy and ready to be through with "inside" time, so we braved the 100% humidity today and ventured into the backyard. Dave fixed the baby swing, so this was Jack's first time to swing with the big kids.

All My Babies Swinging Together

Will Swings High

Molly Flashes a Smile

Jack Isn't So Sure

Daddy Makes it Fun!

Will Pushes Molly

Mommy Gets Some Slobber Kisses

Daddy Kisses Away that Pouty Lip

My Links and Technology Today

2007-07-07T09:43:00.000-05:00

Good Saturday Morning! We're at home nursing Will back to health this morning after he began vomiting while my parents were babysitting last night. Thanks guys - sorry you were in the trenches of grandparenthood last night while we were out watching Optimus Prime kick some Decepticon rear end. We enjoyed getting a trip back to our childhood during our date though before our vivid (and stinky) reminder that we are indeed the parents of three children.

So, I wanted to point out a new link today. You will see "Parenting Solved" listed under my links. This is actually the blog of Dr. Bryan Vartabedian, Jack's Pediatric Gastroenterologist. He was also the doctor that helped Will grow from a "failure to thrive" baby to the strapping young lad he is today. I have found it endlessly fascinating to read his blog, both because of its content and because I've found this to be a cool new dynamic to the doctor/patient relationship. How often do we get beyond where our doctors went to med school or what kind of bedside manner they have? I think it is interesting that there has historically been such a disconnect between doctors and their patients that it can actually feel like you're bordering on the voyeuristic just by reading a blog. So, you may want to check it out. And, while you are at it, maybe you can come up with a reason to help him talk his wife into buying him an iphone.

Have a great weekend!

Hellocousinitkitty

2007-07-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I'm going to preface this by saying that if you subscribed to my blog to get information about my adorable kids, you will not be disappointed. But, rarely (very rarely, I promise), you may have to listen to me share something completely off topic. Such as in this case. I can justify it though with two reasons. First, it's hysterically funny (well, okay, to me anyway). Second, it may not be COMPLETELY off topic, since I'm fairly certain that I would never be having dreams containing Hello Kitty if I didn't have a three-foot-tall Hello Kitty Fan Club President under my roof. So, here goes. Right before Dave woke me up this morning, I was having a TERRIFYING dream, a dream involving half-human, half-Helly Kitty ghost creatures. We had gone up to some caves and were warned of stirring up the creatures. But, we pressed on anyway, and lo and behold, we woke them up and they came after us. We ran crazy fast and screaming through the caves and breathed a giant sigh of relief when we came out into the warm, bright sun. Safe at last, as we drove home the old gold Volvo that we had borrowed from Jack's GI doctor (weird side note, don't know where that came from, pretty sure the man drives something better than an old Volvo). Anyway, we get back to the dorms we are staying at and nervously laugh about our close call. We walk to the community bathrooms to take a shower and open the door. Standing at the mirror is a girl with long, long blond hair covering her entire face. Weird. But, then we notice IT. The hair-covered head is WEIRDLY OBLONG and there are bright white Helly Kitty EARS sticking out from underneath. AAAAAAHHHHHHH! Hellocousinitkitty has followed us!!!!!!!! (*wake up here*) For those of you that are visual learners, I've included a picture of just how frightening this dream was.

Oh, the ways in which we are changed by our children.

Fireworks Afterall

2007-07-05T10:10:00.000-05:00

Well, we ended up watching some fireworks last night. Our neighbors, the Willifords, had some friends over and invited us for burgers and a great firework display. By the time we blew them up, Jack and Molly had already asked to go to bed. So, Will joined us outside. He loved them... until... one fell sideways and started shooting big balls of light into our other neighbors yard, setting off his car alarm. He got over that and decided it would be okay to hold a sparkler. But, then Connor's sparkler got to close to his hand and apparently burned him. So, Will threw down the sparkler and refused to participate any more! This picture is Will before "the incident." You can see from the look on his face that he isn't very pleased with the whole idea to begin with.

So, I know you want some pics now...

2007-07-04T17:09:00.001-05:00

So, I'll indulge. Jack is starting his first solids. Here's what he thinks of them...

Mmm, this new stuff is pretty good.

Okay, maybe not.

And, here is William representing TeamKid soccer in our Fourth of July parade at the church.

He was a good sport - we were there practicing for SIX HOURS on Saturday! When it was time for the actual parade, he was very excited. He thought it was very cool when Poppy got to stand up during the procession of the flag representing the Navy. Afterwards, there was a veteran's reception, then we all ate chicken sandwiches while listening to live blue grass, jumped in a bouncy obstacle course, and watched the fireworks. Molly still isn't a big fan, but Jack stared at them in awe. And, Will, being a boy, likes to watch things blow up with his daddy!

The Pressure Was Too Much

2007-07-04T15:28:00.000-05:00

Well, the pressure got to me. After visiting theedneyfamily.com, davebennettphoto/blogspot.com, and theloweryblog.com, I realized that there has to be one for the Bennett family as well (well, one that contains information about the kiddos, not just fascinating information about mountain bikes, along with the occasional sweet nod to the wife - thanks honey, you're my best friend too), So, here it is. Long awaited and much anticipated, I'm sure. What better day to start than the birthday of our nation! I'd like to tell you that we are all dressed in red, white, and blue, with sparklers in hand, on our way to some exciting display of gunpowder blasts and talented renditions of the Star Spangled Banner, but we did that over the weekend. Today, were relaxing at home, taking naps, wrestling in bed (with the kiddos, nudge, nudge, wink, wink), and playing Cars, the video game. I should be using the free time to begin cleaning, but I'm procrastinating since Dave is taking the week off next week to help me with my list of things to get done in the home. He's sure it will take just two days to clean and organize every room in the house, down to the baseboards, recaulk the bathrooms, shampoo the carpets, get caught up on my babybooks, do the yardwork, powerwash the house, and get rid of the army of fireants planning the next assualt on humankind from my backyard (by the way, they are allying with the wasps, so watch out!) I'll let you know how his two-day theory goes. After that, we are off to dinosaur valley to walk in the dinosaur tracks. That should provide some fun pics to post. The more pictures and the less rambling from me is all the better! Thanks for reading. Enjoy your fourth!