My baby

My baby isn't such a baby anymore :( He's 2 1/2 and every bit a boy! But he is such a pleaser and loves to sing his ABC's and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to get a smile and a round of applause. He's full of hugs and squeals and likes to try his hand at being the boss (doesn't work out so well). I can't believe how fast he is growing! His big eyes and toothy grin just melt my heart!

Afternoon Date with Kai

This afternoon while Kalan napped and Amaya was at school, Kai and I had an afternoon "date". We went up to daddy's restaurant and had a delicious slice of mousse cake and then went to the mall together. Kai and I never get to do stuff together just he and I because he's the middle child so someone else is always around. I had such a nice time with him! He is a bundle of energy, and that is hard to deal with sometimes, but really all he wants is a little attention and someone to tell him what a good boy he is. I am so proud of what a sweet soul he is. Most days we drive eachother crazy, but theres not a day where I would trade him for the world (no matter what I say) :)

1st Day of School

Yesterday was Amaya's 1st day of 1st grade! She loves school and counted downt the summer days until it would begin again! This year we got Mrs. Bray who is an older "grandmotherly" type who is known to be a bit more strict, but a great teacher as well. I can see that 1st grade is quite the transition from Kindergarten. The teachers have higher expectations of them and the kids aren't "babied" as much. Luckily, this is fine with Amaya. I love that I really don't have to worry about her. Though she is shy sometimes, she is so eager to please that all teachers love having her in their classroom. I know it may get old that I brag about Amaya :).... but I just can't help it...she is in an evironment (at school) where she shines and makes me so proud to be her Mama!

What else is happening around here? Hmmm...this year I am starting college courses again to work towards becoming an RN. Luckily, my first go round in college got me most of my basic course hours out of the way. Now I need to have an Anatomy & Physiology course done before I can begin applying to nursing programs. I am taking this course with a good friend of mine, so I am hoping that we can really help eachother through! My SIL and BIL are both nurses, so they can help me on my path as well! My ultimate goal (as of now) is to work in Labor and Delivery, but what I love about nursing is that there are so many different routes you can take! Though it will take me a few years to get this done (2 years after I get accepted into a program)...I figure that I will be ready to work just about the time Kalan goes into Kindergarten, so the timing is working out perfectly!

In the meantime, I have been busy working on a small home business. It took off pretty successfully and through friends, friends-of-friends and blog hits, I have been getting orders! I didn't want anything that would take up too much time since I still have small children, so painting really allows me the flexibility to still be with them, while earning a little bit of extra income on the side! If you haven't checked it out yet, my business blog is http://buttercupwhimsy.blogspot.com/ and you can also find me on Facebook by searching Buttercup Whimsy!! Thanks for all the love and support I have recieved through family, friends and even strangers that I have allowed me to have an artistic outlet!

I'm baaaaaaaack!!

Okay, can you tell I have been slacking???!!! I have had a few complaints on me giving up on my 365 so I decided to come back and work on things. I can't promise a picture a day, but I can promise I will try harder!! I just "re-vamped" my page, so check back tomorrow and I'll post some pictures!!

Goodnight, see ya tomorrow!!
xoxoxo

Kai's "man" bug hat!

Mickey D's after Tball

Hula Hoop!

Amaya's Kindergarten Program

Okay, so I have REALLY been slacking on my 365, and my blogging. So much to do, so little time when you have 3 kiddos running around! I have decided to be more realistic so that this can continue to be fun for me, instead of a chore :) I may not blog about each picture, but I love them all. They not be amazing photographs, but they are memories...our special memories of days that we will never get back. Though I may not capture 365 separate days of photgraphs, I will capture many events that I will always hold a special place for me in my heart.

"Photographers deal in things that are continually vanishing, and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again."~Henri Cartier-Bresson

ONE HUNDRED EIGHT

I just love it when Kalan is still and will lounge around with me for a while before taking off to conquer the world. Amaya took this pic of me and Kalan sitting on my couch watching cartoons :)

ONE HUNDRED SEVEN

Kai's first tball game. Hmmm....where to begin? This was one of those days that you think "someday we will look back and laugh....." but at the moment it is far from funny. I must take some blame myself because the night before I had agreed to let Kai sleep with Amaya in her room since it was the weekend. NOTE TO SELF: DO NOT LET KAI SLEEP IN AMAYA'S ROOM....THEY DON'T GO TO SLEEP. So, around 10:00 pm I finally made Kai go get in his own bed. The next morning, not only did we have our first game, but team pictures as well. NOT a good idea for a group of 4 year old boys. They do not have that much of an attention span. They did really well at pictures, but then it was game time. Kai started off the game raring to go (see pic on right)....but soon melted (pic on left). Because the kids are young and this is through the Y...parents can stand in the outfield with the kids to help coach them alone. I wouldn't say Adam got a chance to coach him along anything during this game. Kai pretty much sat himself in the outfield and wanted nothing to do with any of it. I was mortified. Seriously. Mortified. We had been so pumped all week about our first game...Nana, Papa, Me, Daddy, Amaya & Kalan were all ready and excited...to watch Kai sit in the outfield. Boy, that was fun. Then, when I got scared that he was gonna get in the way, I put him in a chair beside me and listened to him cry through the rest of the game. Cry so hard he was making himself gag. WOW. If I never have that experience again in my whole entire life it will be too soon. By the time we left, mine and Adam's nerves were shot. We got home and Kai went to bed...and slept for 4 hours (he normally doesn't nap at all). OOPS....lesson learned on no sleepovers the night before a tball game!

ONE HUNDRED SIX

Kalan thought it was HILARIOUS when he stuck his head into an empty cereal box! Know what is even funnier to a 2 year old? When I open the other end and take a picture of my sweet boy's giggling face ;)

ONE HUNDRED FIVE

Every morning when I open the front door for Amaya to get on her bus, this mama bird flies off of her little nest she has made on top of the light outside our garage. She is determined to throw me off the track so I won't notice her little nest. Well, too late for her, I did and I can't wait to see little baby birds peeping out of the top of it!

ONE HUNDRED FOUR

A little bit of Play Doh and painting on a rainy afternoon! Love my little creative kiddos!

ONE HUNDRED THREE

I made this little frame for Kalan's one year picture. It matches his little room full of sailboats and nautical things :)

ONE HUNDRED TWO

Kalan is just contagious. Everything about him. If he's sad, you're sad, if he's excited, you're excited...if he's giggling...everyone is giggling. He's learning he has a voice in this family...and even tries to assert some input sometimes...though he's usually overruled, he gets an "A" for effort, at least. He has learning to tattle, which Amaya proudly boasts he got from her, and sometimes abuses this ability just for attention. It is not uncommon to see him with his pouty eyes looking sad "What's the matter?" I say. "Kai hit me, make me sad," he replies. Ummmm....Kai is nowhere in site and Kalan needs attention is really what's going on. Oh brother...please tell me this is the worst thing he will ever try to pull to gain attention!

ONE HUNDRED ONE

Kai is so many things in one. He is relentless in his question asking (sometimes I wonder if I have gone deaf if he stops talking), he is sensitive (see post on first tball game), he is imaginitive in his dragon flying and pirate fighting abilites, and he is a miracle (how many kids do you know that only have 1/2 of a heart?). Oh Kai...you wear me out daily...and there are times I am just not sure if either of us will make it through these tough preschool years. Right when I feel like I want to run away, you give me this grin and tell me you love me and wrap you little arms around me. I wouldn't trade you for the world (even if I consider it). I love you more than words could ever describe.

ONE HUNDRED!!

My Dad built this toy organizer (it has baskets for toys that fit into it) when Amaya turned 1. It has been PERFECT for what we use it for. I took it and fancied it up a bit too to match her room:)

NINETY NINE

I have been wanting to start painting and selling kids furniture for a while now and so I decided to take a practice run on Amaya's room. It took a bit more time than I planned, but I am grateful for the practice and thrilled with the results! I took some patterns off of her comforter and painted them onto her little wooden table and chairs. It turned out bright and playful and hopefully she will continue to enjoy it for years to come! If you are interested at all in me painting anything for you...just email me at lindsaydp2005@hotmail.com :)

NINETY EIGHT

I'm just a girl from a small town in central Texas...just north of Austin. Who would've thought that quite a few girlies from my high school would end up living so close to me 12 years later?! I had a reunion dinner with some old friends and had a great time catching up!! Thanks girls for such a fun evening..and Jennie, hope you had a happy birthday!

NINETY SEVEN

This year starts t-ball. We decided to do it through the Y since I have a friend who did it last year and is on our team this year. Let's just say the Y is VERY recreational. Pretty much a free-for-all...bless the coaches hearts! It is great for learning the basics though. I guess I took it for granted and assumed that little boys innately know to run to first base (and so on) after hitting a ball. NOPE..they must be taught everything :)

All day long on Wednesdays (practice day) Kai talks about t-ball and "When is practice?" "Is it time to go to practice?" "Can we leave now?" I mean ALL DAY. Then when 6 o'clock finally rolls around, Kai and I show up at practice, me lugging our chairs, water, equipment, etc. all the way to the field. We get there, Kai cries and sits down. Ummmm really?!!! It's a new thing we're trying out...turn 4 and cry about things. I have never had a problem with Kai going places, like to his Sunday School class, his class at the gym...anywhere...2 weeks ago and before he walked right in after waving goodbye happily to me. Then all of a sudden he is screaming, wrapping himself around my legs and acting like I am handing him over to Freddy Kruger! Let me just say...nothing has happened to torture him in any way at any of these places...he has a blast once I leave and the tears dry up (I go sneak a peak and check on him)..it is just one of those lovely phases he is going through, and I am just hoping we all make it through in one piece. I guess I feel kind of bad for not really feeling that bad..does that make sense?! I know that he is going to have fun and nothing is wrong, so it is just a wee bit annoying (yes, I said it) when I am trying to make it to my class at the gym and he is crying about nothing, or when he cries at t-ball and I am right there with him. Ahhh...deep breath...I love the kid dearly...you all know that. 3 and 4 years old is just HARD! The good news is at t-ball, as soon as his friend Jackson gets there, Kai gets up out of his chair, minds the coach and loves every second of it (until he gets bored standing on 3rd base waiting to catch a ball and decides to come sit in his chair instead)! I must say I am a little relieved that this is normal behavior and quite a few of the other kids (even the coach's) are criers throughout the whole game...at least our tears only last 2 minutes or so :) So, here's to another phase of childhood! May we all make it through and come out on the other side with our sanity still in tact!!

NINETY SIX

God made a world out of His dreams

of magic mountains, oceans, and streams, praries and plains and wooden land.

Then paused and thought:

I need someone to stand, on top of the mountains, to conquer the seas, explore the plains and climb the trees;

someone to start out small and grow, sturdy and strong like a tree and so, He created boys, full of spirit and fun, to explore and conquer, to romp and run. With dirty faces and banged up chins, with courageous hearts and boyish grins. And when he had completed the task He'd begun, He surely said, "that's a job well done."~unknown

We love you Kai!!!

NINETY FIVE

Ahoy Matey!! For Kai's 4th Birthday, we rented out a section of Clay's restaurant and we had a WONDERFUL evening with family and friends. We had a treasure hunt in the sand box, fed all the animals and then had yummy food..complete with cupcakes with personalized pirate ship toppers for each kid made by Yours Truly :) Thanks again to all the people who came out to celebrate with us! Could not have asked for a more perfect evening. It was even pretty relaxing (considering we had a bunch of kids ranging from 18 months to 9 years old!)


"Life's pretty good, and why wouldn't it be? I'm a pirate, after all!" ~unknown

NINETY FOUR

This is what happens when you send a tired kiddo to time-out.

Poor Kai has had a rough week. He started running fever, and then when I would schedule an appointment for the doctor, it would go away for a couple of days so I would think he was better (though still a bit whiny). I learned my lesson this time! After his fever spiked again, and he didn't seem to be hearing well all of a sudden, Adam and I got worried and took him to the ER. He had double ear infections, poor kid! I guess it never crossed my mind because (knock on wood) NONE of my kids have ever had an ear infection. I have always found this strange since most kids I know get them often, so I have always been thankful for this stroke of luck. We got Kai on antibiotics and he seems good as new...just in time for his 4th birthday festivities!

"Of all of the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable"~Plato

NINETY THREE

"I wanna poo poo on my potty!"

Are there any more glorious words to a mother from her 2 year old?! So, Kalan sits down on his potty...and sits...and sits...

"Nuffin come out!" were his next words.

So, we decided he just needed a little reading material. I have decided over my years that newsprint has a laxative effect on men, so I tried it out on Kalan....worked like a charm :)

"The quickest way for a parent to get a child's attention is to sit down and look comfortable."~Lane Olinghouse

NINETY TWO

Told ya we're ready for summer around here!! The temperature got in the high 80's, so Amaya (whose been wearing her swimsuit around the house for days now) decided she needed to break it in and have a run in the sprinkler! Kalan thought the idea was fun, but when we ran in it, he came out and said, "It gets me all wet?!" and stayed away from the water for the duration of the afternoon!

"A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows."~St. Francis of Assisi

NINETY ONE

Aren't Drumsticks the best on a warm day? And when you eat them in your backyard, two messy little boys can be undressed while eating them and then cleaned up with a waterhose. That's the good thing about kids...they're washable :) Amaya, however, has no problem devouring hers before a drip can even dribble down the side of the cone! Bring on summer, we're ready!!

"Even when freshly washed and relieved of all obvious confections, children tend to be sticky."~Fran Lebowitz

NINETY

Amaya brought a friend home from school with her today! I am just thankful it is not another mouth to feed or diaper to change, lol! Isn't he handsome? She is so proud of him and takes good care of him...with 5 squirts (not 6) of water a day.

"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend."~Albert Camus

EIGHTY NINE

Spring arrived in Katy and the weather has been breathtakingly FABULOUS!! We have been outside as much as possible soaking up a few rays and enjoying the warm breezes.

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we sometimes did not taste adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."~Anne Bradstreet

EIGHTY EIGHT

I have no idea what hunting plastic Easter eggs with candy in them has to do with the real meaning of Easter (the resurrection of Christ) but hey, the kids love it and who doesn't need more candy?! The boys and I joined some friends at the park to let our kids gather eggs and beg to eat all the candy in them...before they eat lunch...good times :)

EIGHTY SEVEN

Getting ready for an Easter egg hunt in the morning! Kalan knows there is candy in these...he just needs a little time to figure out how to get to it!

"Anyone who uses the phrase 'easy as taking candy from a baby' has never tried taking candy from a baby."~unknown

EIGHTY SIX

Poor Kai bear caught the flu that has been going around our house :( I feel so bad for him because I know how badly he feels, since I just recovered from it myself! He does well with ibuprofin in him though and seems to actually be happy and playful when he has medicine in him, but when it wears off, he crashes! Out of all the kids, I hate it the most when Kai is sick. I just feel that the poor guy has been through so much in his life, he shouldn't have to suffer common illnesses like the cold and flu!

Oh well, day by day! It is definately going around. Hopfully it will run it's course so he can be well for our Easter Egg hunt with friends on Monday!

"Love is staying up all night with a sick child..."~David Frost