College Station Trip

We like to visit M & M when we get the chance so we decided we would drive to College Station when R got out of school on Friday, March 27th.  Their Friday night eat spot is Lupe Tortilla's so we met them there for dinner.  Lupe's has a playground for the kids so the adults can talk.  It's great, except for the fact that it's a sand playground....not my fav but oh well.  The kids have a blast and we adults get to chat a while.  After dinner we headed back to their house and put the kids to bed since it was way past their bedtime and the adults did some exercising.  Mandy and I did a home workout that she had recorded and B & Marcus went for a run.  I enjoyed working out with M.  She pushes herself which motivates me to push myself and I like that in a workout partner.  I wish we lived closer.

Saturday morning after breakfast, we went to Ethan's first soccer game followed by video games back at the house.  Since it was March, it was a little too cold for swimming or I'm sure a dip in the pool would have happened.  Ethan had a second soccer game that we went to after lunch, but the weather was great so it wasn't a problem being outside for 2 games.  M & M's neighborhood was having an Easter Festival in the afternoon so we walked there.  There was an egg hunt for the kids, face painting, a rock climbing wall, a petting zoo, and a train ride.  Our kids had a blast and they even sat with an Easter Bunny for a picture.  Ell's face painting was the cutest and she was so proud of the finished product.

We need to leave around dinner time so we could get home and get the kids bathed and a good night's sleep for early church the next morning.  We grabbed dinner at Chick-fil-a with M & M before hitting the road.  We always enjoy our time with M & M and wish we could see them more.  

Potty Training E

The week after Easter, the boys went to MS with my mom and we just brought the girls back with us.  I decided I would attempt to potty train E since R would be in school all day.  I wasn't confident that it would go well since she was a month shy of 2 and the other 3 I trained after they turned 2, but this was the ONLY time I would have E all alone without other kids.  We started Tuesday because Monday we were dealing with rental car issues (another post) but Tuesday morning I put her in panties and let the training begin.  I sat her at the table coloring and doing puzzles since I didn't want her on the carpet.  I think in the first 30 minutes, she peed in 4 different panties and I was getting discouraged.  By nap time, she's gone through all of her panties (about 10 pairs) so we were done for the day.  I just put her in a diaper and did a load of laundry.

Wednesday went much better.  She only had a couple of accidents in her panties before nap time, and after nap time, I put her back in panties and she did great.  I still wasn't brave enough to leave the house, so we didn't go anywhere.  Thursday morning she stayed dry all morning, so we went to R's school for our Thursday lunch date.  I took her pee pee before we left, once at R's school and as soon as we got home, and she stayed dry.  I felt like she was finally getting it.  So Thursday night, we went to the Y for an hour and she went potty for Ms. A (our favorite) and got a treat.  From Thursday on, she was good to go.  I'm not saying she didn't have any accidents, because she has had some, but overall, she's potty trained.  She even made a trip to Beaumont and back to pick up the boys, staying dry both ways.  We are so proud of her, but we shouldn't be surprised because she has hit many milestones earlier than the other 3.  Most people just say it's because she has 3 examples to watch, and while I agree, I think it follows in line with her personality of being independent and smart....but I guess I'm biased right?

Wes turns 4!

W's birthday was the first thing for us to celebrate at our new house.  Since it was a Wednesday, B & R had to go to work and school, but they did wish W a HB before leaving and we let him open his gift from the family.  We got W a TMNT digital watch and he LOVES it.  That's the only thing he asked for and we found one that's perfect for him.  Later that morning, we face-timed with others and he opened gifts from the grandparents and AC.   He was very excited about his special day and did not get tired of hearing "happy birthday".  We had a normal day that did not include MOPs (although it was a Wednesday), so we played games and rode scooters in the cul-de-sac.  We had to pick up R from school then we went to the YMCA before Bible study at church.  At the Y, Ms. A (our favorite) gave W balloons and a Spiderman bubble toy.  The balloons were a big hit because he's never received balloons for a birthday before.  In fact, we've never gotten any of our kids balloons, except for maybe R.  You know, that first kid gets all the good stuff.  Poor Ell...haha. At Bible study, we were just having a prayer meeting with dinner and all the kids to help get to know each other's families.  I ordered TMNT cupcakes from Wal-Mart and brought those for dessert.  Dinner was yummy and I enjoyed the kids being with us. 

 I took W to the pediatrician for his 4 year wellness check and he's very proportional said the doctor.  He's around 38 lbs and 37 inches which puts him in the 70th percentile for both weight and height.  He's a little above average, but the same percentage.  We knew he wasn't small, so it's good to know that he's proportional.  He got his school shots and he took them like a champ.  He only cried on the last one and he received four of them.  I think 3 out of 4 is pretty good.  He was so good at the doctor during his vision and hearing test and he showed how smart he is too.  While Dr. Turner was talking to me, her tablet shut off.  When she swiped it and put her code in, W watched her and he was able to repeat her code back to her.  "Gotta watch this boy" she said, "he's a smart one".  I already know that Dr. Turner.  He's very smart! 

Easter Bunny Pictures

 Our tradition has always been to take picture with the Easter Bunny.  Just because we lived in Texas didn't mean we would change our plan, so we found a mall bunny at First Colony Mall in Sugar Land.  I was a little worried about E, but she followed the lead of her siblings and gave the bunny a big hug before the picture.  We haven't actually tied the Easter Bunny into Christ's Resurrection, but we will try to do that eventually.  Our kids know that the reason we celebrate Easter is because that's when Jesus was raised from the dead.  They also know it's the time for bunnies and egg hunts....but not sure if they relate the two together or just think about them as separate things.  Sometime we will need to be more intentional about addressing next season, during Lent leading up to Easter. 

Spring Break 2015

Our spring break was a bit earlier than we usually have it in NC, but we welcomed the break.  We had a full week planned and it started Friday, March 6th, when my parents came over for a visit.  They were coming to watch a soccer game and go to Sea World.

Saturday was the kids' last soccer game.  The boys played at 8:00 and R played at 11:00.  Between the 2 games, we went to McDonald's for breakfast and playtime.  B and I left the kids with my parents so we could watch Cherry and clean her out for our drive to San Antonio.  Both soccer games ended well and the kids very much enjoyed their first soccer experience.  We ran home just quick enough to load up the car and grab a quick drink before getting on the road to San Antonio.  We arrived at the hotel and checked in first, before going right back out to downtown to the Riverwalk. Granddad wanted to do a River Boat tour and eat Mexican for dinner so we were going to make that happen.  It did happen, but maybe not the way we all thought it would happen.  The boat tour was fun, except it started raining at the very end and got cold.  The kids were all fine though.  Dinner was next but all the restaurants had LONG waits, so we ended up leaving and finding a Taco Cabana down the highway a few exits.  Dinner was good except A didn't eat any of his cheese quesadilla.  We knew he was hungry, but didn't make him eat so he drank his lemonade instead.  Why is that important?  Oh, because it is!

We made it back to the hotel, but did not swim because it was nearly 10 pm.  It was jammie and bedtime for everyone especially because the clocks were going to spring forward.  Our goal was to eat breakfast at the hotel before going to Sea World the next morning, but getting there right as they opened.  Yeah, nice goal.  Around 3 in the morning, A started crying and moaning because his stomach hurt.  Of course it hurt!  He hadn't eaten anything since lunch the previous day.  B was so good and got up with him, took him to the bathroom, and took a long shower with him.  I think A dry-heaved a few times, but we just figured his stomach was so empty, that it was getting upset.  I think the boys got back to sleep around 5:00 am and A just got in our bed.  No one got much sleep that night, on top of the time, change we already were scheduled to have.  I got up at 6 am and we to the fitness room for a while.  When I got back to the room, it was still dark and everyone was still sleeping, which is a good thing.  I laid down in A's spot, next to W and fell back asleep for 30 minutes or so.  I think we all go up around 8:00 and showered/got dressed and headed down for breakfast.  We let A eat cereal without milk, and an apple just to be on the safe side.  We took our ice bucket with us in the van, just to be on the safe side and I'm thankful we did.  He lost his breakfast on the way to Sea World, and it sure enough was gross.  He managed to keep it all in the ice bucket, but then the smell just lingered until we were able to clean it out.  After he puked, he said he felt all better.  Poor boy....I guess he had the stomach bug.  We were not changing our plans and he was just gonna have to puke on a bush if he felt the urge again.  We were an hour later than planned, but after the sleepless night we all just had, no one cared.  The weather wasn't pretty at all.  Rainy and chilly, so Sea World was not crowded.  We got there and our first stop was Pets Ahoy, a cute show with dogs, cats, fish, birds, and even a mouse.  The kids loved it and wanted to watch it again.  It wasn't a bad idea seeing how it was a dry auditorium.  But we ventured out into the Sesame Street Bay of Play and let the kids do some kiddie rides before going to see another show.  I can't remember all the shows we saw, but we pretty much saw them all.  Between the 2 days we were there, we saw/did just about everything we could that did not involve getting wet.  We did not sit in the splash zone at any of the shows, and we did not do the Atlantis ride because of the water.  We will do those things when we go back and we will definitely go back.  The weather may not have bee nice, but the crowd-less park was a great exchange for wet shoes and socks.  We spent an entire 2 days at Sea World and loved it all. 

Monday night we got back home around 9 pm and put all the kids to bed.  Lorenzo had been house sitting for us and taking care of Cooper while we were gone.  B had to go to work Tuesday and my parents got up and drove home too.  The kids and I went and had lunch with B, then met the Marshes at IKEA for food.  Kids eat free on Tuesday so that's always a nice treat.  We let our kids 'play' in the little area next to the cafeteria for a while and then I looked at my watch and it was 2 pm.  I needed to get E in bed for a nap so we all left and I made it home by 2:45.  E went down for a nap, but I let the big kids watch TV.  It was a fun Tuesday together.

B took off Wednesday also, because we were headed to the Houston Rodeo and Livestock show.  We were told the rodeo had a carnival for kids, so that's mainly what we focused on.  We did go into the arena and look at baby animals, watch a cow milking demonstration, look at rabbits, and learn about bees.  It was so crowded in the Agventure, that we didn't stay very long.  We ate some fair food and then used our tickets for the rides.  We decided to go on  Value Wednesday because it was cheaper to get in, and all the rides were 4 tickets instead of 5, 6 or 7 like normal.  We got a good deal with our tickets and food vouchers.  We finally left around 5 pm and our kids (and us) were exhausted.  I can see the rodeo being so much fun when the kids are a little older and all of them can ride the bigger rides.  Poor E, was only able to ride the carousel. 

Reading about ants

Thursday, I took the kids to Sugar Creek's playscape and we met the Marshes again.  We ate lunch with B before going, so we just played for a couple of hours.  Avery was great with E, so I had a chance to just chat with Anna.  It's always nice when we hang out with the cousins and my kids get so excited.  I, of course, enjoy having adult conversation with my sis-in-law too. Thursday night we went to the YMCA and I had a chance to take my aerobics class that I like so much. 

Friday we had planned to take the kids to the Houston Children's Museum, but we were so tired of just the busy week that we had a chill out family day.  Since B is home with us, we just went to the Y, ate lunch out (somewhere, but I can't remember), and all took an afternoon nap.  We wrapped our week up with the kids winter soccer season awards ceremony and party on Saturday.  The kids had fun playing soccer for the first time and we enjoyed watching them play too.  Sunday after church we met the Marsh family for lunch to sort of celebrate the end of Spring break.

Our first spring break in Texas was a ton of fun and we can't wait to go to Sea World again!

Famous Couples ABF Party

Our Sunday School Class, or as Sugar Creek calls them, ABF classes (Adult Bible Fellowship) had it's ABF childcare night back in March.  B and I went to the Christmas party ABF night and we had fun getting to know more people in the class.  This childcare night had a theme of Famous Couples.  The only instructions were to dress as a famous couple.  The couple could be real, fictional, biblical, pop-culture artist, or athlete.  B and I talked a lot about who we could dress up as that was easy to be, recognizable, and wouldn't require purchasing a lot of stuff.  Finally we settled on...

Did you recognize us?  I had to do some convincing, but then I just made the decision and B went along with it.  We had a blast and the costumes were not that hard to make.  And now, we are ready for Halloween.  We actually own best costume of the night and we both got a gift card to Berry Hill.