FIFTY SIX

"I not a baby, I a BIG BOY!" so says Kalan. HMPH. He's still my baby whether he likes it or not! Lately as I pick the kids stray toys up and try to find places to put them I think, "I really should go through these toys and get rid of what they have outgrown"...but that leaves me with the realization that baby toys are no longer needed around the house. I will probably do as friends suggest and keep a few for the babies that come for playdates...but that still means getting rid of ALOT. I had a hard time getting rid of Amaya's baby clothes too...in fact I still have bins of some of them that I ran across the other day. Kai wasn't hard because his clothes go directly to Kalan...but getting rid of Kalan's things are hard. I know it sounds cliche, but kids really do grow up in the blink of an eye. Part of me feels like they have been around forever, and part of me feels like they were all just born. Though I am enjoying the fun things we are starting to get to do with older kids, without worrying about having a baby in tow, I guess it just hits me harder sometimes to realize that they will never be small again. People used to tell me this all the time when Amaya was first born and screamed for most of her days/nights, but at that point I just couldn't imagine her ever letting us sleep again! Here we are 2 more kids later and we have been through the newborn/baby phase 3 times and we have survived and grown so much from it. Each baby brought his/her own challenges (NONE of them were easy babies...I got NO slack there) but each has been a complete joy all the same and I would do it all over again...every sleepless night and every 3am feeding...happily, just to know that we would end up with 3 of the most amazing children God created. I realize every parent says that about their child....and I hope every parent thinks it's true. I hope my parents feel the same about me. It's our jobs as parents to make sure our kids know that we think they are just perfect for us!

"You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around-and why his parents will always wave back."~William Tammeus

FIFTY FIVE

What is that I see? The sun peeking through the trees!! Haha, I should be a poet :)

We have lived in Houston now for 2 1/2 years, and barely have needed a jacket to get us through the few chilly days between December and February...but this year it has come hard! Not as hard as people up north, I admit, but they expect snow...we do not! I am one of the few people who is NOT a fan of cold weather...I prefer tee shirts and flip flops and days at the pool! This winter has brought snow days and endless rain with it! But alas, the sun peeked out and made my day!! I hear more rain is heading our way, but I am sure in a few weeks we will enjoy our warm Houston weather again!

FIFTY FOUR

Poor Amaya has had a cough since Christmas it seems! This morning she woke up and said her throat didn't feel so great. Since she has only missed one day of school so far, I let her crawl back in bed (as I happily did as well). A couple hours later she was up and laughing with her brothers, so I asked if she wanted to go to school and she said "yeah" so luckily she only missed about an hour and a half of her day and it didn't even get counted as an absence. When she got home though, you could tell she was tired from being up a bit last night. I can see it in her eyes when she doesn't feel so great, and she happily even went to bed early tonight when the boys went down. Hopefully her cough will be completely gone by summer, I think we have all passed it around our house endlessly...hmmm...maybe I should stock up on Lysol!!

"Jesus and germs are everywhere, so say your prayers and wash your hands."~unknown

FIFTY THREE

For school, Amaya had to make a "person" out of a vegetable. We (along with most everybody else) chose a potato because it's just easier to work with. She enjoyed so much making a little skirt for her potato girl and painting the macaroni for her red hair. I felt bad telling Amaya that we had to throw it out when she brought it home because potatoes just don't have that long of a lifespan and will soon turn to stinky mush! Oh well, she was fun while she lasted :)

"Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all of the paint on it you can."~Danny Kaye

FIFTY TWO

What's a sibling good for if they're not good for a tackle..or two? Kai and Amaya have spent the past 4 hours without fighting and have been playing nicely together the whole time! What a great day! Sundays always refresh me because, for one, I LOVE my church and always leave there feeling spiritually renewed and ready to have a wonderful day and week ahead! Kalan even took a little bit longer of a nap, so I actually got to relax myself for a while this afternoon. What a great way to start the week!

"If you want to know how a girl will treat you after marriage, just listen to how she talks to her little brother."~Sam Levenson

FIFTY ONE

After the baby shower today, I kept the momentum going and took Amaya to a birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese for a little boy in her class. Ummmm...have any of you ever been to the Katy Chuck-E-Cheese on a Saturday? OH MY GOODNESS-the madness! Amaya had fun though and thinks it's cool to see some of her friends when not in school. She even smiled pretty with her friend Emily to let me take this snapshot before rushing off to spend her tokens! I am so glad I didn't take the boys with me, I'm not sure I could've kept up with all 3 of them...no, scratch that...I would have NEVER been able to keep up with all 3 of them in that crazy place!!

"There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it."~Chinese Proverb

FIFTY

Today I made a mini-diaper cake with a little card holder pin for my friend Amber's baby shower. I am loving being all crafty! This picture is a little funky, but the cake turned out really cute...and a creative way to give someone some much needed diapers with a newborn about to arrive!

"Laughter is like changing a baby's diaper. It doesn't permanently solve any problems, but it makes things more acceptable for a while!"~unknown

FORTY NINE

We had to get out and enjoy the sunshine! I took the boys to the park to play after we left they gym. Although sometimes, I admit, I don't really want to go to the park when I agree to go, I always end up having a great time. You know what I love about little kids? They will make friends with anyone..they don't care about what someone's wearing, how their hair looks, the color of skin, or what the other kid's mom drives. They are just interested in who is going to go chasing grasshoppers with them and who can find the coolest leaf (aka: "the secret treasure"). It's days like these that are peaking through the rain and cloud-filled skies that have been lurking here lately that make me think I might actually make it until spring without going nuts! Call me crazy, but I will take 110 degrees in the blistering heat for 5-6 months a year than a few weeks of yucky rainy cold weather here (side note: in my opinion, anything below 70 degrees is "chilly", below 60 and it's "freezing") lol! So, bring it on spring and summer, we're ready for ya!!

"Boy, n.: a noise with dirt on it"~Not Your Average Dictionary

FORTY EIGHT

Today starts Lent. Though I am not Catholic by denomination, I still like the idea of giving up something I love through discipline to prepare myself for prayer and self renewal. So, goodbye soda! My beloved Dr. Pepper will be greatly missed, but we had some great years together I will cherish. I also joined a gym and so, while working on cleansing my body and mind, I am sure giving up soda will help me achieve better results! I am pretty notorious for having zero willpower when it comes to watching what I eat and drink, so I am hoping this is a turning point in my life and that willpower will pop out from where it has been hiding!!

"Will is character in action"~William McDougall

FORTY SEVEN

This picture totally makes me laugh! Amaya was goofing around and put on her Daddy's glasses, I told her she actually looks pretty cute :)

I also laugh at this picture because ever since she started going to school she has picked up on different facial expressions and such from the kids there. Her new thing is talking and smiling with her lips tucked under like this. I laugh because I totally remember when my sister when through an odd-smile phase around the same age. I probably did too...I pretty much wrote the book on the awkward phase when I was younger lol! Plus, it was the 80's, so that didn't help!

She told me tonight that she can't wait until she's 8. "Why 8?" I asked. "I don't know...sounds like a good age!" she replies. I don't see much difference in being 6 and 8...but I like her just where she's at!

"We've had bad luck with our kids...they've all grown up."~Christopher Morley

FORTY SIX

I told you I have really been slacking with the pictures! I had 2 to choose from this day, and this was the least blurry of the two :)

Kai is growing so big. He is finally learning to draw things that are recognizable and is learning to cut with his scissors...well...his form is a bit "off", but he'll get it!

He loved making and getting Valentine's from his friends this year..and he loved the candy with them too, of course!

I have to brag on my honey for a bit. Adam has really been racking up the points lately in the husband category..first a new car, then he brought another gift home, then he went and got me a cool new phone and took my old one for himself...and then after working Valentine's day, he brought home (what can only be described as "heaven" on a plate) a white choc mousse cake with hardened dark choc shaped like a heart over it, complete with my favorite, choc. covered strawberries, a box of divine chocolates and a card he actually wrote in instead of saying "love, Adam" at the bottom. MANY KUDOS to him...I feel very spoiled lately! I really have been trying to think of something special to do for him, but men, in general, I think are harder to buy for! All I have heard him say he wants lately is a new pair of black socks for work...not very romantic!! I would love to hear some ideas on what you get the men in your life when you want them to feel special!

FORTY FIVE-Crafty crafty!!

FORTY FOUR

I already posted this picture to Facebook, but it is the only picture I took yesterday, so it is my 365 as well! For a while I have been toying with the idea in my head to make some custom things in Kai's "surf themed" room. Since we started making these blocks, I decided to make some handpainted blocks for his dresser to match. I am really so happy with how they turned out, unfortunatly I have found that none of these wooden blocks look as cute in the picture as they do in real life! I had so much fun making these because I felt like it was a unique project that is personalized just exactly how I want! I am looking forward to now making some for Kalan's "Nautical" room. Yes, I love the ocean if you can't tell, lol! Plus, I figured if the boys ever wanted to share a room, their decor would be somewhat compatible! When I was pregnant with Kai, I knew I wanted a "surf" room, but things were so hard to find for his nursery! Now, the theme has become much more popular and I don't have to pay to order decor from stores on ebay...or pay anyone at all, now that I can make my own! I am really loving having an artistic outlet and hope to get more and more into painting custom items for children's rooms!

"Just as the wave cannot exist for itself, but it is ever a part of the heaving surface of the ocean, so must I never live my life for itself, but always in the experience which is growing around me." ~Albert Schweitzer

FORTY THREE

Ummm...I said "smile!" not "roar!"

Looks like this is the best "sibling" picture I am going to get of my 3 cupids in their Valentine attire! At least Amaya understands "smile!"

Today Amaya had her Valentine party at school and the boys and I went to a playdate Valentine party. Well, they played, I hovered over the delicious spread of food and ate for a few hours while chatting with some girlfriends :)

"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them."~Desmond Tutu

FORTY TWO

Last night, some friends and I went to the movies to see Dear John. Like "The Lovely Bones," we read it first and then whoever was available, went to the movie together. I have to say that the ending to the movie of Dear John is MUCH better than the book, so we were pleasantly surprised. We had a blast giggling like little girls at Channing Taytum on the big screen (reason enough to go see the movie) and chatting and eating candy and popcorn. Thanks for a fun night girls!! Looking forward to our next book & movie!!

"And when her lips met mine, I knew that I could live to be a hundred and visit every country in the world, but nothing would ever compare to that single moment when I first kissed the girl of my dreams and knew that my love would last forever."~quote from Dear John, by Nicholas Sparks

FORTY ONE

A few girlfriends of mine started having a craft night one time a month and we would make seasonal crafts and talk and giggle. During our last one, we made these letter blocks. They turned out so cute we decided to start taking custom orders and selling them. What stay-at-home mom wouldn't enjoy a little extra income? :)

If you would like to see our assortment, you can check out some we've made at http://hauteshoppe.webs.com/ If you would like me to make you some, just shoot me an email of what you want and what colors! I have a few more things cooking in my brain, so stay tuned for more ideas soon to come!

FORTY

One would think (by looking at my 365) that I only have 2 children, Amaya & Kalan. Kai does live with us, but IS NOT a fan of the camera. It's a shame because he is really pretty photogenic (at trait he gets from his Dad), but being 3 a year old...well, enough said. I am going to try my hardest to sneak a picture of him tomorrow!

This one is a picture of Amaya with a book we just finished reading together. I remember at a young age, my teacher read us "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" by Judy Blume. It was then that my love of books, and Judy Blume started. I decided that I would start reading a chapter a night to Amaya after the boys went to bed, and that would be "our thing". She loved this idea and we breezed through the book. She related well, because it's a story about a pesky little brother, lol! I am looking forward to going to the book store tomorrow to get us a new book to read together, and to pick a book up for myself as well.

I am so glad that Amaya and I have started doing this together, I means a lot to her, and that means the world to me.

"The art of mothering is to teach the art of living to children."~ Elaine Heffner

THIRTY NINE

Why is right before bed always the time the kids find something to play with that they just can't put down? All day long I beg them to go play with their abundance of toys around the house, but they can just never find anything to do! Then, right as I am trying to walk out the door or get them in bed, a train or a puppy mask all of a sudden becomes the greatest thing ever! Well, at least it made for a cute photo :)

"There are three ways to get something done: do it yourself, employ someone, or forbid your children to do it."~Monta Crane

THIRTY EIGHT

Sunday was a lazy day. We all stayed in our pj's and tried to rest since all 3 of the kids have colds. Amaya and I spent most of the weekend making valentines for her class. That was right up her ally...glitter? Yes Please!

We got a special treat and Adam took the evening off and we enjoyed the Superbowl and family time together. I got a recipe from a friend on making pulled pork in the crock pot and it turned out delicious...even to my husband who (being from North Carolina) is the resident advisor for pulled pork..and sweet tea!

"Your children become what you are, so be what you want them to be."~David Bly

THIRTY SEVEN

My request for sun was received and we enjoyed a sun-filled day yesterday! I spent the afternoon sanding wood blocks for some crafts and the kids ran around the front yard. Kalan enjoyed picking all the dead grass and feeding his dinosaur. We have to keep the T-Rex fed so he doesn't go biting the kids!

Unfortunately with all the weather ups and downs, all 3 of my kids have developed runny noses and coughs. Amaya seems to have had hers since Christmas, so if we're not better by Monday, it's off to the doctor we go!

"Keep your face always towards the sunshine- and shadows will fall behind you." ~Walt Whitman

THIRTY SIX

Tonight we went to a carnival at Amaya's school. Even though the halls were skinny and it got more and more crowded, we had a great time! The boys think it's neat to go see where Amaya spends her days and they loved all the games at the little booths. Amaya's friend Travis spent most of the night trying to win her a stuffed animal, he was so determined, it was really so sweet! She is the proud new owner of a Koala bear Webkin :) What I enjoyed the most was seeing how kind she is to everyone in her class and how they all want to be around her. I have tried to instill in her the importance of being kind to EVERYONE even if you don't want to be their best friend, and she seems to be doing such a great job at it. Her other "boyfriend" Ryan was also there. He has lost 4 teeth so far this year, and Amaya is so excited to loose one too (though we have no prospects yet). Each day she comes home and tells me who lost a tooth and how many! Just think how excited she'll be when I tell her there's a tooth fairy who leaves money for you when you loose a tooth...wait, maybe I won't tell her and save a little cash, lol!

In this picture she had just gotten her face painted and was getting her hair sprayed purple. When she said she wanted to get her hair sprayed by color I turned into "that mom" and wrinkled my nose and said "Really?" as I saw kids walk by with green stripes in their hair. Then I remembered, she is 6 and this will just thrill her, so we stood in line and she ended up with purple sparkly hair which actually was pretty cute on her...and it washed out easily...double bonus!!

"A daughter is your greatest source of pride and your greatest hope for the future. The happiest moment of your life was the day she was introduced into the world."~ Bettie Meschler

THIRTY FIVE

Rain rain, go AWAY! Seriously...be gone! We are so tired of all the rain, but we had to trek to the grocery store today in it if we wanted to continue eating. Before we stopped there we ran into the mall...to let the boys run around and get some energy out. Energetic boys + grocery store = nightmare! It worked, they made it through our shopping trip and we made it home, soaked, but stocked up on groceries! I can't wait to be able to go out and enjoy some warm sunshine again! If this project 365 has taught me anything, it is why photographers prefer natural light...it photographs so much better! Sun, please come and see us again soon!!

"You don't raise heroes, you raise sons. If you treat them like sons, they turn out to be heroes, even if it's just in your own eyes."~unknown

THIRTY FOUR

When Amaya was born she had dark wavy hair. Around 6 months it all fell out and slowly grew back blonde. The key word here being slowly. At 2 years old her other friends her age had hair halfway down their backs and she had little itty bitty pigtails, that we were thrilled to finally be able to show off! Her hair has some beautiful natural curl to it, but her favorite thing is for me to straighten it so she can have longer hair sometimes. I wanted to take this picture to document that finally, after 6 years Amaya actually has some length to her hair :) I will admit though, that for a while I kept it short in hopes it would thicken up a bit, but we finally grew it out and...ta da!!

The funny thing is, that both of my boys were also born with heads full of hair that never fell out and we actually had to cut at a young age to keep them from looking like little mops...but with our girl it takes forever to grow hair...go figure!

"Little girls are precious gifts like birds and brooks and streams, their hair is tied up in ribbons and bows and their hearts are tied up with dreams."~ Patsy Gaut

THIRTY THREE

So, I have been wanting a bigger car ever since we got pregnant with number 3. We loved having no car payments though and so we held on to that as long as we could. The time finally came when we needed to buy a new car, so mama finally got a bigger ride! Hooray! Thanks Adam, I love it! I actually have room for all of us, plus some!

"A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after." ~Peter De Vries

THIRTY TWO

Isn't this picture precious? Kalan did have a chicken nugget in his mouth, but it's still cute all the same. I love my "babies". Kalan often repeats me when I tell Adam "bye baby" when he leaves for work. It is so cute to hear his little voice say "bye bye baby!" Even though he is leaving his babyhood quickly behind and tells me "I a big boy!" I know he'll always be my baby, no matter what he says.

"A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty." ~unknown

THIRTY ONE

It was so sweet when I went to check on the kids. They were being quiet, so I was worried. When I found them, they were all crowded in Amaya's room over her little table working a puzzle together. She was patiently...yes, patiently...helping her brothers with each piece. Seriously, just melted my heart right there. Some days are rough, and I wonder if they even like eachother, then I see things like this and remember that even though they don't like eachother sometimes, they always love eachother.

"Siblings are people who we practice on, the people who teach us about fairness, cooperation, and kindness and caring-quite often the hard way." ~Pamela Dugdale

THIRTY

Amaya went to her first birthday party for her friend from school, Travis. It was fun getting to know other mother's of kids she spends her days with. I finally got to meet the mother of Amaya's "boyfriend," Ryan. She laughed and said that he talks about Amaya endlessly and comes home every day with pictures she has drawn for him. Amaya told me the other day that Ryan said "he loved her". I said, "what did you say?" She replied, "DUH! I told him I love him too, I've told you I do like a million times!" Complete with a roll of the eyes. Kindergarten romances are hot this year! What would I do without my beautiful little girl?!

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." ~anonymous child

TWENTY NINE

Mom's Night Out-woo hoo!! As I mentioned in a previous post, a group of my girlfriends and I read "The Lovely Bones" and then we all met up to see the movie together. Ummmmm.....I cried, I mean, wept...the WHOLE WAY through the movie. I would have been embarrassed except for I noticed I was not the only one! Let's just say, as it usually is, the book was better than the movie. I enjoyed getting out to a movie with the girls, but I hope our next pick "Dear John" is a better choice. Even though I know how that one ends too! We have decided that our next choice will have a happy ending!

"These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections-sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent-that happened after I was gone. And I began to see things that in a way that let me hold the world without me in it. The events that my death wrought were merely the bones of a body that would become whole at some unpredictable time in the future. The price of what I came to see as this miraculous body that had been my life."~Susie Salmon in "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold.

TWENTY EIGHT

Adam bought the kids Cocoa Puffs when he went to the store for me. You would have thought we hit the lottery with them! I never even imagined they would like these, in my opinion, yucky little chocolate puffs, but WOW do they! Then, as I was eating my Raisin Bran...thinking I was being "oh so healthy," I read the box and realized that Cocoa Puffs have less fat, calories, and sugar in them than my "healthy cereal"! Guess I won't try to be healthy next time, since apparently I am no good at it, lol!

"Children think not of what is past, or what is to come, but enjoy the present time, which few of us do." ~Jean DeLa Bruyere

TWENTY SEVEN

Okay, I totally slacked with the picture-taking on the 27th, and I didn't have much to choose from at all except for a few pics I snapped when Kalan woke up early with me and wanted to sit on the counter top for our morning "chat". Even when he wakes up earlier than I would like, once I walk into his room, he is forgiven. He just smiles and chats and gives the best hugs. Sometimes when I go to get him he is sitting up in his bed with his blanket covering his head and I can hear him giggling underneath. This, of course, leads me to ask "where is Kalan?" More giggles. I just love him, and his ratty blanket that has become his best friend!

"The first child is made of glass, the second of porcelain, the rest of rubber, steele and granite." ~Richard J. Needham

TWENTY SIX

Another nice day! We enjoyed playing outside again. Kalan LOVES blowing bubbles, but can't quite get the hang of it. He blows the air through his two top teeth and gets upset when no bubbles are made! Oh to be 2, and the biggest problem in your world is how to blow a bubble!

"Chilren arrive so fresh from Heaven, they are born with angel wings. If we love them completely, they are able to fly." ~ Emilie Ahern

TWENTY FIVE

I'm back!!! Did ya miss me? Well, on the 25th day of January our computer died. I apparently, in trying to do the RIGHT thing, did the WRONG thing and uploaded a virus protector that turned out to be a virus...a really bad one. The man at the repair shop said he had never seen a computer wtih so many viruses on it. But, the good news is, it's out of the "hospital" and as good as new!

I actually took a picture every day though, so bear with me as I upload each one!

It makes me a little sad to see this pic from just about a week ago. We spent the afternoon at the park and enjoyed the beautiful weather! For the last few days it has been cold and rainy, so I can't wait for the rain to go away so we can return to the park! Yes, I know...Kai isn't wearing any shoes....he loves to run around on the rubber tire "floor" at the park without them, and it just wasn't worth the fight to get him to leave them on!

"You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance." ~ Franklin P. Jones