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

EIGHTY FIVE

The other day, the boys and I were outside cleaning my car out when I heard one of the neighborhood ducks. I looked up and he was running at us full force! I asked him if he wanted some bread and then opened the door to run in and get some...he actually tried to follow me in the house! So, we brought some bread outside and a bowl of water and he enjoyed a snack and a drink before he waddled off (not before thanking us with a loud quack). Ever since then, almost daily, he has been coming to our house around 3:30 in the afternoon and quacking until we come outside and feed him! The kids get a huge kick out if this...the dogs,not so much.

"Not the cry, but the flight of the wild duck leads the flock to fly and follow."~Chinese Proverb

EIGHTY FOUR

Spring is here! We have been outside nearly every day! There is a short period of time here in Kay/Houston where we can be outside without melting or being in a body of water, so we are taking in all we can!

Boys are so funny to me. You give them something with wheels or an action figure out of a Happy Meal box and they are happy for hours! On this beautiful day, Kai took his little green matchbox car and drove it all around the yard (making sure to stop in the sandbox)! I guess it's in their chemical make-up because I don't recall Amaya ever really caring about one little toy for any length of time. She was, and always has been more content to draw or play house or school. Kalan is the same as Kai...give him something with wheels and he's happy! Perhaps this is why everywhere we go we see little boys with trains/cars/spiderman hanging out of their pockets!

"A treasure to a little boy does not consist of money, gems or jewelry. He will find far greater pleasure in the wonder of a rock, pebble, stick or beatle."~Unknown

EIGHTY THREE

I was folding laundry in my room when Kalan came to join me...lugging along his dinosaur, a baby and a Lady & the Tramp book. While I sat and folded, he sat his baby and dinosaur beside him and "read" them the book....even beginning with "Once upon a time..."

CUTENESS OVERLOAD!

"Babies are such a nice way to start people"~Don Herrold

EIGHTY TWO

I am so irritated right now! A while back, Adam bought me this nifty new camera phone that takes great pictures (for a phone) because he knew I was doing this project and lugging my bigger camera and 3 children places was kind of a hasell. So, usually when I take a picture, I just forward it over to my tmobile album and I can resize it there and save it. Well...the tmobile website link is broken and so I can only save my pics as a tiny thumbnail and so when I resize it, the pics are blurry and out of focus. So, that's why the quality of these next few pictures is less than stellar!

Okay, off my soapbox, lol! Here is my sweetie asleep with his dinosaur. When Amaya was this age, she was already potty trained and in a big girl bed. I waited until Kai was 3 to move him (I enjoy sleeping, so knowing they are still in a crib lets me rest more peacefully :)) and I am pretty sure we will wait until Kalan is 3 to move him as well. He seems to be growing up so quickly that there are some things I try to hold him back on so he'll be my baby for a while longer. (Notice the pacifier I still don't have the heart to take from him..it's his BFF) With your first kid(s) you are just so amazed at every milestone they hit, so you are anxious for the next and you can't wait for them to do more things. Before you know it they are 6 1/2 and you hardly remember them being a baby (though time seemed to slowly tread by at that time)...Kai is about to be 4 next week now. I found some pictures yesterday in a box of mine of when Amaya was 3 and Kai was 1...and it seemed like it was a million years ago! I guess God blessed me with a 3rd child so that I would finally learn to slow down and enjoy his babyhood!

"If I had my child to raise over again

I'd build self esteem first, and the house later.

I'd finger paint more, and point the finger less.

I would do less correcting and more connecting.

I'd take my eyes off my watch and watch with my eyes.

I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.

I'd stop playing serious and seriously play.

I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.

I'd do more hugging and less tugging."~Diane Loomans

EIGHTY ONE

I love having a girl!! Amaya finally has enough hair (and patience) to let me style it different ways. Though most mornings we are in a rush to get dressed and have breakfast before the bus gets here, we do occasionally have a couple of extra minutes for me to braid or twist her hair. I just love Amaya, she is beautiful inside and out and makes me so proud to be her mother!

"A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart."~unknown

EIGHTY

Okay, so this picture needs an explanation.

I feel like in my journey as a mother to three young children, it is my obligation to show them how to be respectful and moral individuals. So, I cooked up this idea and presented it to the jury...my kids. Each week, we will have one virtue to work on. This week, patience was chosen because so often I find us yelling at eachother out of frustration and irritation. So, Amaya and I made 6 signs that said "Patience"on them and hung them around the house as reminders to work on this throughout the week. At the end of the week, if we feel like we have become better balanced (not perfect) we will treat ourselves to ice cream (the main reason my kids agreed so readily to do this with me), and will move on to the next. My main goal is that we will find a happy balance where we can all learn to express ourselves in a more positive and mature way. Have you ever tried to teach patience to a 2 or 3 year old? Wish me luck!!

"Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need." James 1:4

SEVENTY NINE

Kalan found this hat and thouroughly enjoyed puting in on & taking it off for quite a while! Give a kid a hat...he's happy for hours! I just love his little gap tooth smile :)

"In childhood, we press our noses to the pane, looking out. In memories of childhood, we press our noses to the pane, looking in."~Robert Brault

SEVENTY EIGHT

We spent this beautiful morning at the park with friends. It was Jackson's (far left) 4th birthday and so we went to the park and McDonald's with him and a few other friends....which makes for a perfect day in my kid's eyes!

SEVENTY SEVEN

Seriously, one of our funnest days ever! My friend Amy has 2 horses and she graciously hosted some seperate playdates so that small groups of kids could have the chance to learn about horses and ride on one. She has a larger (but not too big) horse named Joker who is BEAUTIFUL and so patient. He was so wonderful letting the kids ride around on him. Amaya even did so well, she got to hold the reigns and lead her by herself, with Miss Amy's guidance. Amy's daughter, Meagan, has this cute little miniature horse named Bonnie and she was just precious. She let all of the kids brush her and let Amaya lead her around the field for a while. It was seriously so cute, I wanted to go buy one for myself! Who am I kidding though? I know squat about having a horse, and I'm thinking our HOA wouldn't like farm animals in our backyard. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to enjoy Amy's babies!!

"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man."~Winston Churchill

SEVENTY SIX

I actually had a really great shot from this day, but it is on my phone and Tmobile.com is not letting me upload, so instead of throwing the computer out the window, I will introduce you to "Nemo"/"Goldie"/"Dorothy". This is Kai's fish. When he had his surgery in October (was it really only in October?! Seems so long ago now!) My Mother-in-Law was in town and bought Kai some fish and a tank. I think now we have been through a total of around 10 fish (rest their souls) before I mastered how to keep a goldfish alive. I don't know if this fish is just more reslient or if I am doing better, but this one has been with us for a few months now! Now if only I could train him to keep his tank clean!

SEVENTY FIVE

There is one thing that I have accomplished in the kitchen..I can make a nice alfredo sauce. Amaya would eat fettuccini alfredo every night if we would make it for her! Adam taught me how to make the sauce a couple of years ago and since then I have toyed with it and come up with my own version. To Adam, that's the fun thing about making sauces and entrees...you can toy with it until you like it. This honestly scared me to death until I got brave enough to just try it. Now that I feel more secure, I really have fun trying to learn more on cooking and reaching outside of the recipe. Adam told me the other night that my sauce was the best he's had...that was one of the best compliments he has ever given me (since he has been trained in Italian cuisine)! Seriously, made my day! Miss Amaya never lets me down, she eats like a bottomless pit whenever this is what is made for dinner!

"When baking, go by directions, when cooking, go by your own taste."~Laiko Bahrs

SEVENTY THREE

Okay, I totally did not take this picture! But you should know...this is what I dream about! It's a mousse cake. My current goal it to attempt to make one of these beauties (will post a pic of that attempt when I do). Adam is a wonderful cook, but does not enjoy baking, so I figure if I fill that gap, we will have all of the bases covered in the kitchen!

"I have this theory that chocolate slows down the aging process...it may not be true, but do I dare take the chance?" ~Unknown

SEVENTY TWO

Saturday we spent the afternoon at Westwood Gymnastics for our friend Jackson's 4th birthday! Unfortunatly I erased all of my pictures off of my phone (thinking I had sent them to the computer first) so I am using a picture taken of me and some of my girlfriends at the party! It's birthday season in our group of friends, and along with spring and sunshine, it makes for alot of fun!

SEVENTY ONE

FINALLY! My boys have been needing haircuts for the longest time! On Friday we finally did it. Kalan was such a good boy. He just sits still and listens to the hum of the clippers and waits patiently for the haircut to be done so he can have a sucker! Kai is a whole other story, lol! Sometimes he does really well...one time we even had a lady take 45 minutes to sit and meticulously cut his hair...really? 45 minutes to cut a 3 year old boy's hair? Yep, and he did so good. This time, only bribery kept him (somewhat) still, and a few minutes later, my handsome little men were done (and looking much older) and with dum-dums in hand, we were headed out to complete our to-do list!

"Between the innocence of babyhood and the dignity of manhood, we find a delightful creature of a boy."~unknown

SEVENTY

I feel like spring has finally come, hopefully to stay! It was warm and beautiful on Thursday, so after Amaya got out of school we headed to the park! Hooray for sunshine and warmth!

"No matter how long winter is, spring is sure to follow."~Proverb

SIXTY NINE

A candle vigil for Layla Grace. I never met this little girl, nor do I know her family personally, but I was touched by her story as I began following the blog about this little girl as she battled for her life against cancer. I have friends in common with the family and so as she battled and we were updated, all of us shared the pain in her struggle together. Sadly, she lost her battle with neuroblastoma and went to be with the Lord last week. Just from her blog and facebook page you can see how her story has touched people all around the world and made those of us with healthy kids even more aware and thankful for that blessing. May you rest in peace, beautiful Layla as you now are free from pain and have a beautiful pair of angel wings in it's place.

But Jesus called to them saying, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God." Luke 18:16

SIXTY EIGHT

This morning we went to a birthday party for Princess Roxy, who turned 2. My kids love going over to their house because of the playroom. I swear everything is so much cooler if it is somewhere else, lol! Kai loves that Roxy's big brother Matthew is a big Toy Story fan and so he naturally gravitates to all of Matthew's toys. As you can see, a Buzz Lightyear "doll"..I mean "action figure" can hold a little boys attention for quite a while!

"To infinity and beyond!"~Buzz Lightyear

SIXTY SEVEN

I feel like we hit the rodeo jackpot this year! As we were leaving the Jonas Brothers concert, Adam called and told me someone gave him tickets to see Tim McGraw the next night. Have I mentioned I LOVE TIM?! Always have! It was my turn to be a giggly girl at the concert...and believe me, I wasn't the only one! Adam and I had a great time watching a little bull riding, barrell racing, and then a little Tim...doesn't get much better than that!!

SIXTY SIX

On Sunday afternoon, Amaya & I got invited to go to the Jonas Brother's concert at the Rodeo with our friends. We had so much fun! Amaya and I hardly get to do much together, just us girls, so we spent the afternoon and evening having some girl time! I must admit...I know little about the Jonas Brothers, other than the stuff that comes on the Disney Channel, that I can hear in the background as I am tending to the house. Amaya knew who they were though from seeing a couple of their movies and seeing a concert of theirs on TV. I was pleasantly surprised with the concert! SO MANY SCREAMING GIRLS made my friend and I giggle throughout the whole time at the concert! The JoBros put on a great show and seem like really great role models for the kids, so it was a great time for all. Amaya and Maddie were so cute waiving their hands in the air along with the song, just like the big girls did!

"It doesn't matter if the world is pulling you down, with Christ you have everything"~Nick Jonas

SIXTY FIVE

Yeah, I didn't take a picture today... Kai woke up sick and so we spent the day lounging around the house while I did laundry. Doesn't sound like it would've been an interesting pic anyway, does it?!

SIXTY FOUR

Kalan's first cheeseburger! I have no idea why this is so cute to me, I guess it's just because he seemed so big when he was ordering it. We went to McDonald's (as a reward for behaving while grocery shopping...yes....I bribe) and instead of the usual chicken nuggets, he decided he wanted to try his very own cheeseburger. He just looked so cute eating it like a big boy and stuffing his cheeks full!

"A boy is Truth with dirt on its face,

Beauty with a cut on its finger,

Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair,

and the Hope of a future with a frog in its pocket."~Unknown

SIXTY THREE

Today we went to the Houston Livestock Fair & Rodeo. We pulled Amaya out of school to go with us, since Adam had the day off. I know...I am sure she will NEVER catch up from that one day she missed of Kindergarten...but I guess we'll just put her in tutoring ;)

One of the perks of Adam's job is making relationships with all kinds of people in every field of work and he recieved free concert tickets for us to see Kenny Chesney, so we used the tickets and all got in for free for the fair and exhibits this morning. I really had no idea that it was so kid friendly! We were pleasantly surprised. Aside from all the kids carnival/petting zoo/etc. outside, they had an exhibition hall full of educational stuff for the kids. We got to see baby chicks as they hatched. We got to see baby cows and pigs (some that were born this morning), rabbits, goats, chickens, longhorns...we even watched them milk a cow and learned how it goes from the cow to our refridgerator! The best part was the petting zoo. The animals were seriously cute and they even had deer and a wallaby or two in there. The kids got to help bottle feed two new baby goats, it was just precious! We could've spent all day there, but we have a full day planned and needed to get back, so the kids chose one ride and they all 3 wanted to do the pony ride. I thought at least one of them might get scared, but each of them grinned the whole ride. Kalan said, "LOOK AT ME!!!" I think I had just as much fun as the kids today...what a great family day!! Looking forward to some hubby-time tonight when we return to listen to Kenny Chesney sing for bit. I am sure we won't stay the whole time...we just aren't that young or cool anymore, lol, but it will be fun to get out together and maybe see some of the rodeo too!

I realize people who aren't from Texas think that this is how we all live our lives daily, lol...but most of us only see these animals (up close) when things like the Rodeo come to town :)

"Our task must be to free ourselves...by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and it's beauty." ~Albert Einstein

SIXTY TWO

I came downstairs and found this...how sweet is this?! See...they must like eachother and just don't want me to catch on!

"Boys are beyond the range of anyones sure understanding, at least when they are between the ages of 18 months and 90 years."~James Thurber

SIXTY ONE

This was our first outing after being cooped up all weekend being sickly. I needed to run to the store, so I bribed the boys with pancakes. They were good, so after the store, we went and had chocoloate chip pancakes at Denny's. They were so good and just sat and drew on the menus while we waited and then scarfed up their pancakes when they came as though I never feed them. I even had an elderly couple who was sitting across from us stop on their way out and praise the boys on how well behaved they were. I was SO PROUD. Any mother who ventures to take more than one kid out at once in public lives in fear of total meltdown mode which is embarrasing to say the least. Today was not that day and I am so proud of my little gentlemen and their behavior on our brunch date :)

"A little boy is the only thing God can use to make a man." ~Unknown

SIXTY

Thankfully I was released from death's grip and able to function a bit on Monday. Daddy's day off-hooray!

I got to spend most of the day disinfecting the house, which I am not sure worked, judging by the amount of snot occuring currently around here! It's worth a shot though, I can handle the kids having colds...but keep the flu away!!

Before bed, Adam read Amaya her chapter in her newest book. We have already completed "Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing" and "Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great" and now we have moved on to book 3 in the "Fudge" series: "Superfudge". We all really look forward to our chapter each night together!

"Each of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or be limited by the fear of it."~ Judy Blume

FIFTY NINE

"Second verse, same as the first...."

Hey, I said I was sick all weekend! I did get a different mug though, lol!

I thought mom's don't get sick? Well, they do, apparently. While I lay in my death bed for the second day, abandoned by everyone for the next 7 hours (seemingly 7 years) I put my 6 year old in charge. Who puts a 6 year old in charge?!! Yeah, that was me. In this time, every toy that has ever been brought through the threshold of the front door was brought out and thrown around, in no particular kind of order, just kind of a "bombing" of toys seemed to occur . Crayons were used to decorate the walls on the stairway (in all honesty, they were a bit boring) and cereal, fruit snacks and juice pouches kept my 3 monkeys alive for the day...until pizza was delivered at night.

That night was when Amaya started crying that her ear hurt. HOW RUDE...doesn't she know I'm sick?! None of my kids (knock on wood) have ever had an ear infection...I have no idea why not...pure luck, I guess...so I was really at a loss of what to do, except give her Tylenol and cry with her as each of her sobs made my headache pulse. Eventually she felt better and they continued to destroy until bedtime (which was early for the boys since they can't tell time)!

FIFTY EIGHT

I spent all weekend with the flu. YUCK! I had it all...hot/cold flashes, fever, nausea, sore throat, muscle weakness, my ears even were hurting! Have not been that sick in a LONG time...at least since before I had kids. So, the death bug waited until I had 3 to knock me totally on my booty! If you are wondering...Theraflu is about the worst tasting stuff ever invented (even in a good flavor) and I have to gag it down (mind over matter), but it helps so much it is worth it!

"If evolution really works, how come mothers only have 2 hands?" ~Milton Berle

FIFTY SEVEN

It was "Rodeo Day" at school. It was early in the morning, so I wasn't awake enough to attempt a better picture, lol! I knew I better take the picture before school though, because after school let's just say she doesn't look so "well put-together"! I french braided her hair and she wore her little western shirt/belt/denim skirt...no boots b/c they aren't allowed in PE (okay with me...saved me the money!). She is a cute little "cowgirl" though :)

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."~Eleanor Roosevelt