Kickin' the habit

We finally did it.  Her faithful companion, her pappi, said good-bye.

 Naps have been the hardest...that's when she cries for it.  A couple of days she even would yell at me "Daddy said give me my pappi!".  But she's getting better.

 Car rides and sickness will be other times we really miss the pappi...

But, she's been really big about it...she has to check her cup (where we kept them) every night before bed but then she says "Pappi's all gone!" and is okay with it!

Her last night with pappi...but none of us knew it at the time!

Pretty sure I'm having a harder time or at least as hard of a time...she was so snuggly when she had her pappi.  *sigh* Growing up is hard to do...

The day we took it away, I texted Keri the exciting news & we talked about her sweetie & his pappi too...and that her older boy (that's now 6) used to suck his thumb, that she worried about getting him to stop & he did-completely.  But, her biggest regret-was that she was continually taking his thumb out of his mouth for pictures and how now she wishes she had more of that sweet little baby thing.  I thought I had tons of pics of Ava with the pappi but this was about all I found...time changes your perspective.

Speaking of tucking in

Sometime between finishing homework and falling asleep, Macy found time to get Brooke ready for bed. I came in after she fell asleep and just bust out laughing because it was so unexpected.  Brooke was so casual about it all.

project 52: 38 - wonder

"Mommy!  I hear wonder!!"  


I just love Lily's speech...she gets things so cutely wrong.  But when she came running around the corner today to "see" the wonder (thunder), I was inspired.  Boy, do I wonder...I wonder things of this world right along with my kids and I wonder if I am doing the best job possible.  I wonder if there is a better/quicker/easier way and if there is a more meaningful way to get a point across.  I wonder what the future holds for each of my kids...but one thing I do not wonder about is that God will be with us all the way.

project 52:37 - tuck me in

"Mommy!  Tuck me in!"  Every night, every kid...you have to tell them good night, kiss them & pull the covers up-no matter the temperature or if other parent has already done it.  I love tucking them in, but the requests and the questions and the "wait mommy!'s" get long...they just love being with us, right?  I don't know about that...but the sweetest part is after they fall asleep.  No matter what kind of day, no matter their age, they are so peaceful, so lovable, so angelic when they sleep.  Ahhh... 

She waits

She waits patiently for her "people" to come home from school, enjoying the warmth of the sunshine.



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Ava's birthday

Right in the middle of summer we celebrated Ava turning two.  

It was hot.  And windy.  But we had Icee Pops and Capri Suns...and kids just don't seem to care.  As I've mentioned before, in an effort to be positive about our suffering summer, at least we didn't have any bugs to deal with!

Aren't big brothers helpful?  Cannon is always eager to help anyone blow out their candles, and as you can see Jack is too!  Pretty cute.

The sea of humanity swarming Mr. Ryan wanting their candy!!

Ava Patrice and Ava Maria

These two stinkers!  Everything they do together is a hoot, even when they are mad at each other.  On this day, maybe because it was her birthday,  they were best of friends.

She loved, loved, loved her balloons-ALL of them.  There was no handing them out, no sharing, even with siblings.  They were hers and hers alone.

One of her gifts were fuzzy duck feet...she was fascinated with them!

How's your day?

So, Lily comes out of the bathroom from washing her hands and says "Momma, Ava washed HER hands in the potty."

Happy Thursday people.


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project 52:36 - making the call

Two peas in a pod.  Partners in crime.  Frienemies.  Sisters.  The fun and the trouble these two can get into...


When it was just Macy, heck even when Jack came along, we had never called Poison Control.  It wasn't that I was that much better at knowing where they were at all times, it was just that neither of them ever put something into their mouths that was deadly or poisonous.  But along comes these two...and they are sneaky and quiet and like to go hide and eat things as fast as they can.  And they don't work alone (most of the time).  


So, that brings us to this past weekend where the two of them in about 5 minutes time coordinated and cooperated to get the lids off of Grandma Dovie's vitamins and try them.  And we were once again faced with the question of making the call-do we or do we not call poison control?  After lengthy interrogations of both suspects, I decided the vitamins were nasty to taste & had been tried and spit out (evidence was found).  We monitored them closely for signs of distress (anyone who's called Poison Control knows this is the "lingo") and cleaned them up.  And moved the vitamins to a higher location.


Between the two of them they have eaten Miracle Grow, a tube of toothpaste, a couple of different medicines, face lotion, and some other things I have blocked out of my memory.  It's hard to make that call auh-gain because I feel like a bad parent but some kids are just sneaky (& maybe deprived of some weird nutrients?).  Just like when they are sick, you have to know your kids and follow your gut-make the call or not & just monitor closely for signs of distress.

Labor Day 2011

For the past 7 or 8 years, every Labor Day we say good-bye to Summer (officially only because we do live in Texas and Summer can continue for a good two months) by heading up to our mountains, either camping or staying in a cabin.  It's a trip I really look forward to and love.

This year, my husband proposed a different trip.  Spurred by his recent interest in family ancestry, he thought we should visit his grandmother and when we realized it had been 3 years since we'd traveled that way, it became a plan.

Photo by Grandpa

So...the mountains and cool air we look forward to...well, they took on a different look but were still there for us all the same.  And, it was a wonderful trip.  We had such a good time with Grandma Dovie ("Lovie Dovie" as Ava affectionately was calling her by the end of the day) and Grandpa was there too.

My husband's family farm, where his dad grew up

We drove out to the cemetery and finally recorded names and dates and who belongs with whom.  It was amazing to me to connect the dots and to hear the hardships and amazing stories of these families.  Dovie is incredible in her knowledge of both sides of that family.

We also got to see some of our extended family...we felt privileged that Aunt Jana & Uncle Danny took time to drive 30 min just to come see us for a bit.  And, Uncle Dan (my husband's great uncle) stopped in as well.  It was hard to leave that evening, heading out we wished we would have planned differently and stayed another day. But, we packed a lot into the day and look forward to going back.

project 52:35 - keeping it real

Not only do we want to record and remember our childrens' lives, we also need to take the time to learn our family stories.  To keep them real, to keep them alive.  We are learning (thanks to my husband's initiative) about where we come from, who we come from, their stories (which are fascinating) and their deaths.  Their legacy is only kept alive if the next generation takes a Saturday afternoon here and there and disconnects from the world to learn about their world.  You have to ask questions and listen and make connections and record (because it's so hard to remember!).   It's a beautiful way to connect with your grandparents... 

Maybe fixed?

I *think* I figured out what has been wrong with the blog!  I'm hoping anyway!  So, here's to posting again...I'll try to catch up soon.