Callie and Jack's Easter Parties

The "trouble" with 3 kiddos happens when they all have their Holiday parties on the same day...I made it to Macie's (seen on previous post), helped with Jack's, and barely made it to Callie's!  At least I got one photo of her!

Macie's Easter Egg Hunt

I love Holiday school parties!  Macie had her Easter Egg Hunt at MDO--so funny to watch a bunch of toddlers chasing after "hidden" eggs and candy.  Then one can hardly get them to pose for a picture because they are all too busy trying to open all of it! 

Jack's First Lost Tooth

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Jack lost his first tooth!!!  We knew it was loose, and it came out while we were at a school function...so then we had to play "don't lose the tooth" for the nxt 2 hours!  He was very excited, and told everyone he could.  At bedtime, he became very thoughtful and quiet, and when it came time to put his tooth under his pillow, I could see the worry on his face.  "What EXACTLY is the Tooth Fairy?", he asked me.  I explained I was not really sure, but that she likes to collect the teeth and leave a prize in return.  "So, someone or something that I don't know will come in to my room while I am sleeping and take something out from under my head?"  Hm.  It does sound a little strange when you spell it out!  So, after some discussion, we decided that the tooth didn't have to be under his head, or even in his room!  We could leave it on the kitchen table, downstairs, and he wrote a note directing the Tooth Fairy/Stranger where to go.  Then there followed a discussion about how could she/it get in the house without setting the alarm off, and if she/it could do that, why couldn't bad people do that...good grief.  Most paranoid child ever! We did make it through the night, and he was pleased with the prize, thank goodness!  This will be an interesting journey!

Easter clothes...Leadership Training for Christ takes up Easter Weekend so we wore our Easter attire the Sunday before...thankful to remember Jesus' victory over death, not just this time of year but everyday!

Hanna Legoland

We postponed Jack's birthday party until after Thanksgiving--that Holiday just gets in the way! :)  We ended up having a fun party with great attendance.  Grandparents, good friends from League City, school and church friends--we are blessed.   Jack chose a Lego theme--he is very into those right now, which is fun.  Until I step on one.  Or find one in a cereal bowl.  Or fish one out of Macie's mouth.  All true stories.  Seems I'll have to find some kind of organizational system! 

Bryan's extended family was graciously invited to spend Thanksgiving morning/lunch in Austin at his cousin, Diane Groggin's house.  She has an absolutely beautiful house in the Hill Country, and served us yummy food.  The kids had such a fun time getting to know some distant cousins as well as play with their closer ones.  Of course we had to leave earlier than anyone else--Aggies played in College Station later that evening against the Longhorns, maybe for the last time, as the Aggies are joining the SEC and will no longer be part of the Big 12.  Yep--when you live with my hubby you know all these things! :)

Little Boy is 6

Well, yet another birthday...Jack turned 6! Time is going so fast! I'm just now used to the idea of him being in Kindergarten, now that the school year is half over. Ahhh, my Jack-Jack. Mommy's have such a special bond with their boys, it's true--so unique, sweet, special. It's true for me and Jack, but it definitely doesn't mean everything is all roses and sunshine! I hear Mom's say all the time, "Boys are so easy"--guess I was skipped on that! While I love him dearly, Jack is BY FAR our most difficult, high-maintenance, frustrating child!! From refusing clothes that have the seam in the wrong place or aren't "a cool color" to insisting on having the VERY LAST WORD in every argument no matter the consequence, he has surely had me at my wits' end on more days than I can count! However--his sweet spirit, laughing eyes, smart wit, and big hugs redeem him on a daily basis. Here are some things I love about Jack:

--runs SO FAST!! All the time, everywhere.

--sweetly thinks of others, comforting classmates and friends when someone is upset

--lets his little sister call him "Jackie"

--is actually almost always right in any argument, whatever the topic

--makes sweet pictures and cards for his teacher, or me, frequently

--loves to play baseball and soccer, and loves it even more when Daddy is his Coach

--his eyes actually sparkle when he laughs

--still scared of the dark and loud noises

--craves a routine, and is so out of sorts when the routine is not followed

--loves Legos, and can follow directions and put together almost anything

--LOVES motorcycles, fast cars, and big trucks (ok, maybe I don't LOVE that he loves motorcycles and fast cars, but his passion is cute!)

--loves to hold and play with babies

--tells me every night after I tuck him in, "have a good nights sleep, Mommy"

--still says "basghetti"

Thank you, God, for my favorite son! What a blessing he is to our family.

Champions Family Retreat

In November we went on a Family Retreat with our church family, Champions Church of Christ. It was sooooo fun!! We stayed in clean dorm-like facilities, we didn't have to cook our meals, and there were lots of fun amenities. Playgrounds, archery, canoing, and...a zip line!!! I'm not sure who was more scared of the zip line, Jack or Bryan!! Probably Bryan. Jack turned around the first time and climbed down, but then changed his mind and went with me later (it was a double line)--and did great! He even turned himself upside down at the end. Callie had fun with her friends, LOVED the zip line and just enjoyed being outside. Macie played hard, napped little, and just turned her personality on. She and Davis Selby are cute together, and she is great friends with little Shannon Harris, who is in her Sunday School classes and MDO class. She and our preacher, Larry Keele, had a "war" of college hand signs--he is a UT fan...It was a fun weekend, and we are blessed to be a part of this church family. And no, grandparents, Jack didn't actually ride that motorcycle, just sat on it for a while!