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