ConGRADulations ELI!!!

Eli graduated from Kindergarten this afternoon. The graduation was adorable. The kids read a few lines and sang a few songs. Eli recited the Christian Pledge at the mic. He was so excited to have Pawpaw, Mommy, Daddy, and Jaxon there to see him in his cap and gown. Eli is fiercely independent and more than a little stubborn. Jax spends a lot of time cuddling and hamming it up everyday, but Eli usually prefers a quick hug and then he entertains himself. When you get him in front of an audience though…Eli is such a ham! I have NO IDEA where he gets that from.

Grammy choked up a bit when it got time to talk about Eli and again at the closing. The real story here is how far Eli has come in a year. I know I’ve mentioned to anyone who will listen how well he can read (on a first grade level), but he can do so much more. He writes his numbers to 100 and can add and subtract. He kept a journal in class. He is also “graduating” from speech therapy.

Since his birthday isn’t until November, he starts kinder late. We put him in mom’s class a year early knowing he would start Kindergarten at our neighborhood school this coming fall. I wanted to make sure he had a great foundation. I know my mom at times got irritated with Brian and myself for not working with Eli as much as we should, but he was learning so fast I didn’t see any need to push him. His poor teacher next year is going to have her work cut out for her.

Also, Eli has a tooth growing in. We still haven’t lost a baby tooth yet, but I’m pretty certain that is just around the corner. Anyway, today was a great day and I was so proud of Eli.

Take me out to the ballgame!

The boys have started tball. I was a bit concerned about how long it would take them to pick up the game, but they have taken to it like ducks to water! They LOVE it! It is adorable to watch! Eli's team has kids on it that have been playing for 3 seasons now and they are really good! Jaxon's team is all new, but they are having a great time. I absolutely love watching them on the field with their baseball cap, glove, and cute little pants... SO FREAKIN CUTE!

This past weekend we took the boys to Waco to celebrate Christian, Kendra, and Kyle's graduations. The boys had a blast playing with the cousins. They don't know how lucky they are to have so many people ready to wrestle with them in nice clothes.

I'm now 14 weeks pregnant. We told people very early with each pregnancy, but this one may have been the earliest. I'm hoping to find out if it is a boy or a girl late next month. Hopefully that will help Brian and me come up with a name for this kiddo. Brian really wants to name the baby Trace mainly because it sounds like "tres" (3 in spanish). Okay, I'll admit it's a little funny.

Eli and Jaxon are wrapping up the school year. Eli is reading like crazy (on a 1st grade mid year level). His speech teacher and classroom teacher are both in agreement that he is more than ready for kidergarten. I'm so happy he won't be taken out of class for speech. They are completely blown away by his reading.

Jaxon is so creative it boggles my mind. The kid can build stuff with legos that actually resemble what he is trying to build. He is very excited about his birthday coming up. I've already been instructed that we are taking snacks to his class AND he wants to go with me to the store to pick out a birthday cake (apparently that sounded better than one of my homemade cakes).

Baby Number 3!

Brian and I finally started telling people our exciting news. We are expecting baby number three in November! I’m finding out that the third pregnancy is so much different from my first two. How to explain? First pregnancy: The idea is so exciting. I spent hours a day on the internet trying to find out exactly what you should or shouldn’t eat for each week of development. I worried a ton about everything to do with the baby, but I figured if I could just have a healthy baby the worry would all go away and we’d continue on to our happy ever after. I had grand ideas of the amazing parent I would be. I was completely in awe of the miracle of creating a life and all the changes going on in my body…. And oh I guess I was a little sick, but it was sooo worth it. Second Pregnancy: I’m sorry what?! I’m pregnant… really… huh… wow… WOW… I think I’m going to be sick. I’m already not the amazing parent I imagined with the first baby… now I’m going to be responsible for two!?!?! Eli will love having a sibling. We were always planning on having one pretty close in age anyway. Oh gosh! I have to go through nursing again?! Wow… WOW… Deep breaths… we can do this… we can do this… I feel sick again. Build in some hysterical laughter. Well, at least I hadn’t put away all my maternity clothes. Third pregnancy: Sigh… here we go again. I’m tired, I’m sick. Yes, I want another baby, but why in the world haven’t we found a way for men to bear children yet? There are new ideas for what you should and shouldn’t do?! Go away, I’ve done this twice with decent results. The old rules are fine. Yes, I’m excited, but I’ll be more excited when this stupid morning sickness goes away. Seriously, why doesn’t my husband have to be sick too?! I’m so tired. The other strange phenomenon is probably more with me than the rest of the world. It seems everyone around us is hoping for a girl. Brian is definitely hoping for a boy (I think he wants his own basketball team). I truly don’t have an opinion of if this baby should be a boy or girl. I did want a boy both times before, but this time around I’ll be happy either way. Everyone seems to think I should be dying for a girl, but I’m really not. I spent so many years teaching girls of all ages, dressing them up in pageants, and I guess I have just enough tomboy in me that I just don’t feel a burning need to play doll house with a little girl. I guess I’ve now got experience with both and I’m okay with whatever lays ahead. I’m definitely praying for a healthy baby. Jax had a short but scary stint in NICU and we have good friends going through their own stint in NICU. We have other friends that have fertility issues and can’t get pregnant. Honestly, it feels kinda greedy to ask for 3 healthy children, but here I am. More to come on the developing story. I’m fairly certain I’ll have a post on names coming soon. Brian and I have a really hard time coming up with names. He likes unique and sometimes very strange names, and I usually like more traditional names. We’ve compromised in the past by having a traditional name with a twist in the spelling. I know we would like to come up with a five letter name that the first three letters can be a nickname… Elias “Eli” and Jaxon “Jax”.

Ready, Set, GO!

It is March already! I'm finally starting to get a grasp on the upcoming year. Aaron and Elizabeth set a wedding date (October 22nd). Brian and I are starting to make plans for an anniversary trip! Paul and Marylyn and cruising with Kristin. My parents are still chasing after my granddads, and the kids are playing soccer again (sort of). We had our second soccer game this past weekend. At least they don't keep score at this age : )

The boys are keeping us busy... this is why Brian and I always seem worn out:

• On Saturday morning, right before we left for the soccer game, Eli cut his hair. Eli played the entire game looking like he had a bald spot right where one should be if he were 50 years older. It wasn't until after the game we took both boys to get their hair basically shaved off. Jaxon has been complaining that his hair is too short to twirl (he twirls it when he is tired). They both look like little boys from the 50s.
• Then on Sunday, Jaxon decided to break into the medicine cabinet and drink some (not sure how much) Children's Tylenol. We caught him in the act, but weren't sure how much medicine was in the bottle when he started. The poison control people really want actual amounts consumed. The woman was quite frustrated with me when I told her that the most he could have had was 2 oz, but I wasn't sure how much the bottle had in it when he started. Apparently that was enough for her to determine that he would live. My mom had a great idea to mark bottles of medicine in case this happens in the future. REALLY?! Is this really something I have to look forward to repeating?!?!?!

I'm positive my boys were goats in a previous life. They will eat anything (meat, fruit, veggies, dog food, etc). We made Star Wars cookies and had the flour out. We saw Jaxon thinking about eating flour (plain flour). Brian and I both told him that he wouldn't like it. He tasted it and decided it was good. So we had to keep pushing him away after that. The cookies tasted great, but didn't look quite right since we rushed through the preparation.

I spoke with both boys teachers recently. Jaxon's teacher thinks he hung the moon. Apparently his chatter is charming to the teachers. I forget that most kids his age don't necessarily speak as well as he does. Eli's teacher said that he is doing very well. She apparently isn't holding his latest incident against him (a little boy pushed Eli and Eli gave the kid a bloody nose). I still think it was a lucky hit on Eli's part. He isn't usually very aggressive and I've never seen him actually throw a punch - Jaxon yes, Eli no. Anyway, Eli is reading everything from menus to signs to anything he can find. Our days of spelling things are coming to an end...

Grammy and Pawpaw unintentionally have gotten the boys into a new routine. Eli loves spending the night at their house and so for 2 or 3 weeks in a row they were able to spend Saturday night with the grandparents and go to church with them on Sunday morning. I'm pretty sure Grammy and Pawpaw are getting tired of this routine, but I'm lovin it!

This month is going to be wild and crazy, BUT there will be a break in the middle (at least for Brian and me). The boys are going to visit GrandBunny and Granddaddy in Lubbock! The kids are excited and so are we!!!!

Christmas, New Year's, Engagement, Weather, and More

So I haven’t been very good at blogging lately. I have really good excuses though. This will be a catch up post.

December was full of Christmas fun. We celebrated all over Texas. I really hope Eli and Jax remember this Christmas. Their gifts included an Xbox360 with Kinnect for Grammy’s house, bikes, ipads, a floor keyboard like in the Tom Hanks movie, and books, games, and movies galore. Santa brought Eli a Pokemon movie and Jaxon a Lego movie just as they requested (I guess that means he thinks they were good). We had so much fun celebrating with both sides of the family. It is very clear that our little family is extremely blessed. First we celebrated with my family in Dallas, then went to Houston for Brian’s side.

While we were in Houston, the family held one more ceremony for Doris. It is clear that although some time has passed, her memory isn’t fading at all. We also got to have some fun while attending the Baylor bowl game! The kids really enjoyed getting to be around the whole family.

We went home on New Year’s Eve just in time to celebrate at Master Grill. I don’t know who had more fun eating Papaw or the kids. Massive quantities of food were consumed. Then the boys got to spend the night with Grammy and Pawpaw (and their new Xbox).

Usually January is a quiet month... not so much this year. We knew in early January that Aaron would be proposing to Elizabeth by the end of the month. Of course, I have started to plan for the upcoming year (which I continue to take heat for). Marylyn and Paul booked a cruise. Brian and I have been enjoying some free time thanks to Grammy and Pawpaw keeping the kids quite a bit.

Aaron proposed to Elizabeth on January 30th at her apartment. There were approximately 10 dozen red roses, 24 candles, 8 photos, a poem, and a ring. She was an hour or two late getting home which is funny because I was late getting home when Brian proposed. Marylyn and Paul threw an engagement party that night for the happy couple.
The weather in February has been wild. We had 2 inches of ice and 6 inches of snow last week. We ended up putting the kids in a laundry basket and shooting them down our driveway. It was really fun. The kids got Tuesday through Friday off school. I can’t remember that ever happening in my school days. Eli and Jax are too young to truly appreciate school being out, but they had a good time playing outside anyway. I’m traveling with Papaw to Denver this weekend and couldn’t be more excited about it. Papaw has been quite anxious and causing some mayhem. Yesterday he tried to suck spider venom out of his arm with a nasal aspirator. This trip should be memorable! Actually, I think he’ll do great once we get going. I am really excited to see everyone.

Eli is now reading on a 1st grade level. His speech is getting better too. His Plano Kindergarten Orientation is next month. It is hard to believe he is old enough to officially attend school. Jaxon is turning into a fun little boy. He is very grown up and can do most of the things his brother can. We just signed him up for Grammy’s Kindergarten next year. Ugh!!! I say it over and over because words don’t adequately describe my amazement at how fast they grow and learn. I had a moment a couple of weeks ago when a friend introduced me to her 13 year old son that was taller than I am, when I realized that my babies will be towering over me in just a handful of years. wow…

God Bless Grandparents

If there is one thing that parents and kids agree on it is the greatness of grandparents. My grandparents saved me from certain death at the hands of my parents more than once. Thank goodness my parents feel the need to pass this kindness forward by frequently saving me and my children from each other.

I have a few things that I'd like to get done tonight and so I asked my mother AKA "Grammy" to keep the kids for a while. The kids are happy, grammy is happy, and I'm happy! PawPaw, my dad, just sent me the following email about a phone conversation he just had:

PawPaw: Hello
Grammy: Hi dear. I just picked up the boys. They got out of school early. We are going to the popcorn store.
PawPaw: So you are going to make at least one of them happy.
Grammy: Yes, but I’m thirsty so first we are going to McDonald’s.
PawPaw: uh
Eli: I want ice cream.
Grammy: Eli if you get ice cream you can’t have Rocky Road when you get to the house.
Eli: (unintelligible)
Grammy: You can’t have both.
Me: So, you know you are going to end up giving in on both, right?
Grammy: Okay, I’ll talk to you later.....

I know this conversation would be enough to send Brian into orbit, but I can live with it. I remember my grandparents doing the same. We just visted Brian's granddad this weekend where we were spoiled so rotton, Eli got up at 1 AM the night we got home to come and tell me that he was ready to go back to Houston (and I completely agreed with him).

In other news, my kids can expect more spoiling because Brian's parents get in to town tomorrow!

God Bless Grandparents!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELI!!!!!!!

Eli turns 5 today!!! I recently read a book that said, “The days are long, but the months and years are short.” That is so true. It feels like the years have flown by, but the days themselves are very long. We get up earlier, go to bed later, and are a lot busier during the day than before kids.

Eli is now reading! He has homework every night. He reads a few books to us, we sing songs, and work on flashcards. The kid is crazy smart. He is a sponge just soaking up all the information people will give him. Eli is also good about teaching his brother how to read books. He likes to help Jaxon through the flashcards too! Their favorite songs right now are: Themes to Indiana Jones and Star Wars, I Wanna Be a Dog, Yech!, and The Marriage of Figaro (probably in that order). Eli is officially 60 pounds and 49 inches tall which is roughly the size of the normal 7 or 8 year old. He has scored 5 goals in soccer this season (we still have 3 games left). Jaxon doesn’t have any goals, but he has managed to get in the mix and kick the ball in the right direction a few times. I’m just guessing, but I think Eli is going to favor science in school.

My 5 year old is a fantastic big brother. He teaches Jaxon everything he needs to know and a lot of things he doesn’t! They stick to each other like glue. Jaxon’s teacher even took a picture of them playing with each other through a window (Eli’s class was outside and Jaxon’s class was inside). Mrs. Arthur had Eli last year and has Jaxon this year. She said that last year Eli called his brother “My Jaxon” and now Jaxon does the same “My Eli”. I think Jaxon got scared in bed the other night. It wasn’t until the next morning that the boys told us that Jaxon slept in Eli’s bed. We are ready to let them sleep in the same room if they will actually sleep and not stay up all night playing.

Tonight should be fun. Grammy, Papaw, Papaw, and the four of us are going to celebrate! Eli has requested his favorite Mexican Food restaurant for dinner. I am not at all in the mood for Mexican. I tried to get him to change his mind to Chuck E Cheese, but he wasn’t going to have it. Ojeda’s here we come!

Here are a few of pictures from Halloween. Uncle Aaron and Aunt Elizabeth helped the kids carve pumpkins. The kids were Anakin Skywalker (Eli) and Darth Vader (Jaxon). They were very particular about their costumes. They wanted to wear the masks, gloves, and carry light sabers until it was time for candy. At that point they ditched all non essential costume pieces, grabbed their buckets, and ran for the door.