I realize it has been a while since we've had a toddler in the house, but Chloe is so much fun! There are those moments when she can be demanding but mostly she has been quite entertaining. None of the boys really spoke until at least two years old but everyday Chloe is adding words to her vocabulary and I am so impressed with how much she understands. The whole family is really enjoying all that she is learning to do. Not only is she smart, but she is talented. Check this out...
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Aches and pains
I had my 26 week check-up the other day and it seems my weight gain is already at 27 pounds! Chloe weighs 27 pounds and you know she is not a dainty thing. This explains a lot...
My pregnancy with Chloe I only gained about 25 pounds, so I have already passed that point. With Gabe I gained about 50 pounds (though I was about 20 pounds underweight at the time), and I gained between 35-40 pounds with Jacob and Matthew. It is fun (some of the differences, not so much) to see how different things are with each pregnancy. I look forward to seeing this little babe and to see how the kids, especially Chloe, react to a new little sibling.
My pregnancy with Chloe I only gained about 25 pounds, so I have already passed that point. With Gabe I gained about 50 pounds (though I was about 20 pounds underweight at the time), and I gained between 35-40 pounds with Jacob and Matthew. It is fun (some of the differences, not so much) to see how different things are with each pregnancy. I look forward to seeing this little babe and to see how the kids, especially Chloe, react to a new little sibling.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Do you like her hair?
Chloe has never been that interested in having anything in her hair (I hear from other mommas that you should start early-I didn't) but when I picked her up from her little friend's house yesterday she was sporting this 'do. And she didn't touch it. It was fun to see her looking so girly. She brought me the hair ties this morning but immediately took them out. She's a stinker!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Now that Louis is home every weekend and actually gets to see the children and what they're up to, I haven't been very good about keeping up with this.
Here are some happenings in the house.
Chloe has finally realized she can move the kitchen chairs around to get what she wants
(here-playing in the sink).
Here are some happenings in the house.
Chloe has finally realized she can move the kitchen chairs around to get what she wants
(here-playing in the sink).
When Gabe was the only kid around he seemed to be the ideal toddler. He never did any typical "toddler" things. When Jacob was Chloe's age he was such a handful, always getting into something. I used to joke that Gabe didn't hit the 'terrible twos' until three so Jacob was making up for it and starting at one. If I recall correctly I think Matthew was a pretty sedate toddler also. Chloe...some days I think the 'terrible twos' is starting early for her also. Maybe it skips children so #5 should be laid-back, right? Gabe took this picture when he babysat for us one evening. After drawing all over herself, she ran to the front door screaming for my return.
I do believe Matthew is our only child to have lost three teeth in a row. You really have to feel for the kid. It is not easy eating with that many teeth missing. He usually finds a way around it though.
Here is Chloe as 'Pebbles' for Halloween. She actually walked up to a few doors with Matthew and would even help herself to extra candy if the kind person held the bowl low enough for her to reach. Already...
This picture was taken during one of Matthew's soccer games. Her nose is crinkled because of the sun, but in the last week she has started making this face quite often. I'm not sure what it means, but it does look as though she is totally dissatisfied with something.
Other happenings:- Matthew is finishing up his third season playing soccer with Kingwood Alliance Soccer. He absolutely loves it and does seem to have a talent for it. This was the first time he played with an all-boy team and they play really well together; the coach is hoping we can keep the boys together for the Spring season also.
- Chloe has started to fold her arms during prayer, is increasing her vocabulary every day, and will now tell me when she has a stinky (usually, which comes in handy).
- Gabe will turn 15 in May and has already begun talking about driving. Driving! When he was a newborn we would receive so many "time flies" comments and I found them quite annoying. I was a sleep-deprived new mother. I was naive. Time does fly and I cannot believe we now have a kid who could potentially be driving soon. Very unreal, not to mention frightening.
- Jacob is back in school, after a brief attempt at homeschooling. I think he is finally coming to terms with that and seems to be making some progress. He will turn 12 in April and still enjoys it if I come eat lunch with him at school and will even hug me in front of his friends (which I find impressive).
- I am now 23 weeks pregnant and look as though I should be closer to my due date. I am preparing myself for the comments I should be receiving in the near future: "are you sure you're not having twins?", "you look like you're going to pop", "you haven't had that baby yet". Let the fun begin...
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Looking for something to do
with your kiddos? This website has a lot of cool ideas; I'm not sure which ones we've actually done, but maybe one day:The Crafty Crow.
And this is the blog with the good crock pot recipes (I've tried a couple that were tasty and my friend Laura says she uses these recipes often- her Apple, Cheddar, and Turkey Meatballs recipe came from this site): A Year of CrockPotting.
And this is the blog with the good crock pot recipes (I've tried a couple that were tasty and my friend Laura says she uses these recipes often- her Apple, Cheddar, and Turkey Meatballs recipe came from this site): A Year of CrockPotting.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Gabe
is a great help with Chloe (honestly, all of the boys are, I'd be lost without them). He kindly offered to babysit Chloe last night so I could take Matthew to soccer practice on my own. There was something a little off when I came home though...
Saturday, September 27, 2008
It's been so long,
I don't really know where to start.
Louis made it home from New York around August 12. It is hard to believe eleven months had passed so quickly (of course, there were those days that would never end). We were all so thrilled to have him back. He spent two weeks just hanging out with us. There was a chance that the Army would send him to Fort Hood, TX, but we didn't hear from the Army and so he got back to the medical center. Hermann was very happy to have him back and even offered him some new opportunities. I was skeptical (as far as the Army gig) and I had every right to be. Monday evening (September 8) we checked the mail only to find orders for Louis to report to Fort Hood on September 10th. Fortunately, my skepticism had kept me somewhat prepared. When Louis was in the military early in our marriage we were stationed at Fort Hood and lived in Copperas Cove, a nearby town. We have fond memories of this time and have found a few reasons to go back in the last 8 years. So, we loaded up the kids and headed to Fort Hood on Wednesday to get him settled. (In case you're wondering, we are planning on seeing one another on the weekends. We tried the house-selling thing last time and we're not sure we want to go there again. In our book, every weekend sure beats every two-and-a-half months.) Anyway, one of Louis' good friends was recently stationed there with his family and we were able to spend time with them. The kids and I headed back to Houston that evening and every one was off to school Thursday. I hadn't paid much attention to Ike, and honestly I wasn't that concerned. I have spent my whole life here and until Katrina people didn't freak out quite as much. Louis' parents and Louis (after seeing some of the news) felt concerned for us and against my better wishes we loaded up the van and headed back to central Texas.
Okay, I really feel I can't finish all of my thoughts on the hurricane experience (not that I have that much to share-our home is safe and we are safe- life is good), otherwise this will never get done. We are home now and trying to get back to a normal life. What I have come to realize again in my life is that I am okay with 'normal', with monotonous. Life is so much simpler that way.
Louis made it home from New York around August 12. It is hard to believe eleven months had passed so quickly (of course, there were those days that would never end). We were all so thrilled to have him back. He spent two weeks just hanging out with us. There was a chance that the Army would send him to Fort Hood, TX, but we didn't hear from the Army and so he got back to the medical center. Hermann was very happy to have him back and even offered him some new opportunities. I was skeptical (as far as the Army gig) and I had every right to be. Monday evening (September 8) we checked the mail only to find orders for Louis to report to Fort Hood on September 10th. Fortunately, my skepticism had kept me somewhat prepared. When Louis was in the military early in our marriage we were stationed at Fort Hood and lived in Copperas Cove, a nearby town. We have fond memories of this time and have found a few reasons to go back in the last 8 years. So, we loaded up the kids and headed to Fort Hood on Wednesday to get him settled. (In case you're wondering, we are planning on seeing one another on the weekends. We tried the house-selling thing last time and we're not sure we want to go there again. In our book, every weekend sure beats every two-and-a-half months.) Anyway, one of Louis' good friends was recently stationed there with his family and we were able to spend time with them. The kids and I headed back to Houston that evening and every one was off to school Thursday. I hadn't paid much attention to Ike, and honestly I wasn't that concerned. I have spent my whole life here and until Katrina people didn't freak out quite as much. Louis' parents and Louis (after seeing some of the news) felt concerned for us and against my better wishes we loaded up the van and headed back to central Texas.
Okay, I really feel I can't finish all of my thoughts on the hurricane experience (not that I have that much to share-our home is safe and we are safe- life is good), otherwise this will never get done. We are home now and trying to get back to a normal life. What I have come to realize again in my life is that I am okay with 'normal', with monotonous. Life is so much simpler that way.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Woohoo!
I've had PSE for a little while now and haven't had much time to use it and when I try, I can't figure anything out. I found a tutorial and was able to make my banner. Yeah! It's not perfect, but it's a start. I am so happy to finally have an idea of what to do. Yeah! (I'm excited, can you tell?) By the way, the life isn't always sweet, but it went with the photo.
Disappointed
My oven started having some issues recently and I figured I would try to fix it myself. Not only do I enjoy saving money on labor, but also I get a great sense of satisfaction out of completing a task of that nature. I once disassembled my dryer to replace the belt and I fixed my mailbox a while back. Well, after finding my oven online and ordering the parts I thought would fix it, I opened it up only to realize I ordered the wrong parts and it requires more electrical work than I am capable of doing. Bummer!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Ice cream cone
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
I'm back
Between the malfunctioning camera, my honey's return, and the absence of school, life has been busy.
There are many things I hope to get to, but first I'd like to start with a fun blog with nothing but good ideas for kids: The Crafty Crow. I hope to get to many of these activities this summer. I hope some of you can enjoy them also.
We had a wonderful time while Louis was here. We had him to ourselves for two whole weeks! Wow. We had a blast and look forward to his return; he should be home Labor Day weekend. Yeah! We decided while Louis was here we would do a family trip and fulfill any of our family traditions that fall during this time of year. We headed to central Texas for a few days. Our first stop was the Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham. This is our fifth year to take the tour, which hasn't changed at all, but it is fun to have that time to look forward to. We next headed to a little rest area on the way to Austin that has a creek area that we have also enjoyed for many years.
There are many things I hope to get to, but first I'd like to start with a fun blog with nothing but good ideas for kids: The Crafty Crow. I hope to get to many of these activities this summer. I hope some of you can enjoy them also.
We had a wonderful time while Louis was here. We had him to ourselves for two whole weeks! Wow. We had a blast and look forward to his return; he should be home Labor Day weekend. Yeah! We decided while Louis was here we would do a family trip and fulfill any of our family traditions that fall during this time of year. We headed to central Texas for a few days. Our first stop was the Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham. This is our fifth year to take the tour, which hasn't changed at all, but it is fun to have that time to look forward to. We next headed to a little rest area on the way to Austin that has a creek area that we have also enjoyed for many years.
Matthew on one of the rocks at the rest stop.
Our next stop was our cabin. It was basically an efficiency apartment with no stove. It was very cozy (small), but we mostly used it for sleeping so it was fine. We enjoyed one day on Canyon Lake and the next we headed for Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels. Considering I'm a native Texan I'm surprised we have never gone. It was a lot of fun even with a one year old in our midst. I would definitely like to go again either when Chloe is staying somewhere or a few years older. It would also have been easy to spend two days there in order to check everything out. Our last big outing was to Natural Bridge Caverns and The Alamo.
Our next stop was our cabin. It was basically an efficiency apartment with no stove. It was very cozy (small), but we mostly used it for sleeping so it was fine. We enjoyed one day on Canyon Lake and the next we headed for Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels. Considering I'm a native Texan I'm surprised we have never gone. It was a lot of fun even with a one year old in our midst. I would definitely like to go again either when Chloe is staying somewhere or a few years older. It would also have been easy to spend two days there in order to check everything out. Our last big outing was to Natural Bridge Caverns and The Alamo.
Gabe had a miserable sunburn and was not very happy about this last day out.
If you have ever traveled down I-10 toward San Antonio you have seen Buc-ee's. Gabe first went to this gas station during a scouting trip and talked quite a bit about it. We now enjoy a stop there when we're near. And come on, who can resist some 'Beaver Nuggets'? They have the funniest billboards around too. I googled Buc-ee's and found they have a blog filled with fan letters and such. Only in America.
Here are a few pictures. Enjoy!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Up late...
for no real reason. I came across this quiz. I am 80% Dixie. I was raised in Texas with a Yankee momma.
Voice
When Matthew was born my midwives could not get over how deep his voice sounded. Family and strangers alike that would hear him cry for the first time or 'talk' (once he started) would comment on how deep his voice was. My niece, just a few days older than Matthew, had a distinctly high-pitched voice, almost bird-like. When I found out I was having a daughter all sorts of questions flooded my mind and naturally, one was: 'I wonder what she'll sound like?'. Mostly, she has sounded like any other little babe. But when she wants to...
Okay
"Growing Pains": not quite as funny as it was before, but it was fun to see it again, I even remembered a couple of episodes.
I wonder how many of you may remember the film Red Dawn. It came out when actors like Patrick Swayze and C. Thomas Howell were a big deal (well, kind of), just after The Outsiders was a big hit. (Hey, Erin, no comments on how you probably weren't even born yet!) Anyway, in one of the early scenes the kids are in class when they hear helicopters landing around their schoolyard; they go to the window and see foreign troops invading the country. That scene has had more impact on my thoughts than any other movie scene I can recall. Till this day if I hear Lifeflight or some other helicopter or plane flying too close to my house, I am momentarily struck with fear.
Curse you Red Dawn!
Moving on...
Yes, this is my girl with the smallest little clip in her hair. You all know how girly I am, but these little clips are cute. And they are tiny enough to justify them being on her little head with little hair.
I wonder how many of you may remember the film Red Dawn. It came out when actors like Patrick Swayze and C. Thomas Howell were a big deal (well, kind of), just after The Outsiders was a big hit. (Hey, Erin, no comments on how you probably weren't even born yet!) Anyway, in one of the early scenes the kids are in class when they hear helicopters landing around their schoolyard; they go to the window and see foreign troops invading the country. That scene has had more impact on my thoughts than any other movie scene I can recall. Till this day if I hear Lifeflight or some other helicopter or plane flying too close to my house, I am momentarily struck with fear.
Curse you Red Dawn!
Moving on...
Yes, this is my girl with the smallest little clip in her hair. You all know how girly I am, but these little clips are cute. And they are tiny enough to justify them being on her little head with little hair.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Growing Pains
Are there any of you that remember ? Or watched it? Or had a crush on Kirk Cameron? Come on, admit it. I remember having posters of him from magazines up on my wall. Yes, it's true (sorry Louis). Anyway, I'm curious to see what the show is like now that I am so mature. I was Jacob's age when I started watching it (23 years ago!). I requested the first disc of season one from Netflix. It should arrive tomorrow. I love Netflix and the ability to watch just about anything imaginable. Maybe I'll get Doogie Howser or Silver Spoons or Life Goes On next. I could go on and on, Netflix seems to have them all. It will be fun to take a look at these shows after all these years.
Friday, May 9, 2008
It's official...
she's a walker now. Chloe had been trying it out here and there, but mostly kept up with the crawling. As of yesterday, she has said good-bye to the crawling and is very content (almost giddy with pride) to strut around the house. She still stumbles quite a bit, but she picks herself right up and keeps on moving. Go Chloe!
Here are a few pictures from the last couple of weeks that are pretty cute.
This little duckie has become her favorite little thing to have. When I go into her room in the morning she is holding it and she carried it with her all day today.
Obligatory 'eating her birthday cake' picture.
I love the way she is looking at Matthew. She adores her brothers so much. They seem to like her too.
What is there to say? These two are quite handsome.
Update on Louis and Gabe: they will be coming in on June 7th. We are going on a little family vacation (yeah) and Louis will be around until the 22nd. Gabe will stick around here (since we are not moving) and prepare for high school and seminary! Louis is expected to return permanently at the end of August or early September. I cannot wait!
Here are a few pictures from the last couple of weeks that are pretty cute.
This little duckie has become her favorite little thing to have. When I go into her room in the morning she is holding it and she carried it with her all day today.
Obligatory 'eating her birthday cake' picture.
I love the way she is looking at Matthew. She adores her brothers so much. They seem to like her too.
What is there to say? These two are quite handsome.
Update on Louis and Gabe: they will be coming in on June 7th. We are going on a little family vacation (yeah) and Louis will be around until the 22nd. Gabe will stick around here (since we are not moving) and prepare for high school and seminary! Louis is expected to return permanently at the end of August or early September. I cannot wait!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)