First Day Jitters!

Back to School already! Tucker looks as shocked as I feel! The summer flew by.



Derek is in second grade now. He has glasses now too! I should get a picture of that.



Tucker just started Kindergarten! He was nervous they were going to give him a hard spelling test on the first day. Derek told him that spelling tests don't happen until the second day. What a thoughtful brother.



We had a "notebook" cake to celebrate the start of a new year. There are two "pencils" on top of the notebook in case any of you were wondering. Andy started his semester as well. One more year . . .


Happy Learning everybody!

Sake's Alive - TUCKER IS FIVE!

Tucker had a birthday last week! Poor kid was not well at all. He got pink eye, then an ear infection, then spots on his throat. He was not quite the spunky birthday boy we thought he would be. He tried his hardest to enjoy it, but really just wanted to lay down. You can tell in the picture, he just doesn't look well. We postponed his party until a week later when he felt better.



I got him this bowling set. He loves games and makes up all kinds of games. Reminds me of the Calvin and Hobbes cartoons where they play "Calvin Ball."



Here is his cake on his actual birthday. Notice how Zane is pluggin his ears. Is it our singing?

He wanted an M&M party, so we bought lots and lots of M&Ms. I made M&M beanbags to play with and made M&M pillows as party favors. We played Don't Eat Pete, BINGO, Musical M&Ms (musical chairs) and more M&M party games. We all had so much fun!

As I was making stuff for the party, I gave everyone some M&Ms. Tucker was still sick, but I thought he would still eat them. Nope. He told me he didn't like M&Ms. I was wondering why the heck he told me wanted an M&M party when he didn't like them anymore! As it turns out, he came to his senses and truly does love M&Ms. He enjoyed his party and we have since played all the games over and over again.



Here is his cake on his party day. What a difference! Notice how Zane is still plugging his ears. Are we really that annoying when we sing Happy Birthday?

Happy Birthday, little Tucker-man!

Big Toe, Idaho

There is really no such place as Big Toe, Idaho, but my sister Julie lives in Idaho. When we were growing up, she always, ALWAYS called it Big Toe, Idaho. Now I think it is so appropriate that she lives there! Long story short (too late!), I went to visit her for a birthday surprise last month. Her hubby flew me down and somehow, someway, we were able to keep it a secret from her. Andy took some time off work to watch Derek, Tucker and Zane so that Will and I could go there.


This is Julie with her little girl, Emrie.

When she saw me, we both screamed! Poor Will got caught in between two screaming, squeezing and psycho sisters! He was bawling. We tried fruitlessly to comfort him while we kept hugging each other in excitment. Brad got it all on tape!


These are her two boys, Lukas and Joshua.

I had so much fun hanging out with her and her family! We went shopping, made a quilt top, made a volcano with her kiddos, and mostly talked and laughed. I miss her so much! It was a blast and I hope we get to see each other again soon!

Derek's Jedi Training Party

For his birthday party, we decided to have a Jedi Training Party. Derek was concerned about how we were going to do this since none of us are true Jedi. I told him that Andy & I would take an online course. They believed that we did! So after completing our course of study, we had the boys do light saber training (bouncing a balloon with the saber) and blaster training (nerf guns with targets). Our friend down the street helped us (he, too was trained online in the ways of the Force).




However, our friend and Andy were truly bad guys and there was a small battle where they were defeated by a bunch of energized boys with light sabers and nerf guns!



We had cake and presents. The cake is supposed to be two light sabers crossing. The red saber was chocolate, the blue saber was white cake. Like dark and light. Good and evil. That sort of thing. One of the kids asked, "What's that supposed to be?" I replied, "Cake, now eat it!"



Derek and all the boys had a great time!

Derek is 7

My parents came out and spent the fourth of July with us this year. It was so much fun to see them and the boys were thrilled to have them here! It was extremely HOT - after all, it is Houston in the summertime. But the fireworks were great and Derek had a great birthday!



Each of his brothers got him a present. Tucker stood smiling next to him the whole time he was opening the one from him. He was posing for his picture with Derek.



While my parents were here, my mom and I got to play piano duets which is one of my favorite things to do! I was so glad they came! We live too far away!

Teeth

Hot Topic at our house: TEETH! Some want to lose them, some want to grow them. Take your guess - who wants what?



Derek has lost four teeth with four more wiggling around waiting to come out. I think we have a while though.

Will cut his first tooth today! That's perhaps why he looks slightly grumpy in this picture. It is more fun to get money from the tooth fairy than to have a baby tooth slice through your gum!

This might also explain why he drools and chews on EVERYTHING! It is so funny when he starts chewing on something because it is a whole body experience. He grabs the "chewie" and once it gets to the sweet spot in his mouth, his shoulders hunch over, his legs go up and his toes start to curl. He really gets into it. What a funny baby!

Volcanoes

We wanted to blow things up, so we built a couple volcanoes with some friends and had an eruption party. The results were "explosive."



Little baking soda, lot of vinegar.



I wish we see Zane's face! From the side, he looks thrilled and amazed!



We also experimented with the mentos in a coke bottle. That was really cool! I think Andy and the other dads had more fun than the boys did! We didn't get pictures of this one because it was too fun to watch in person. If you want to find out what it looks like, then try it yourself! Get a 2 liter of Diet Coke and a pack of mentos (extra mentos for munching on). Take the paper wrapper off and leave the foil one on. Drop it in the bottle and run! The mentos that are not dissolved can be used again for a second, less explosive eruption (perfect for the kids that want to drop it in). A few people got a little Coke on themselves, but no one seemed to mind. Andy also got the idea to put the mentos in, put the lid on and turn it upside down and toss it. That was REALLY explosive and you should watch out for people, cars, houses and things. We all survived. The neighbors think we are crazy now. Either that or they wish they would have thought of it themselves!

SCHOOL'S OUT!

HURRAY! Summer here we come!

Tucker's Pre-K Graduation

Tucker reached a milestone yesterday. He graduated from Preschool and is now ready to enter the world of public education. He looked so cute in his cap and gown. I got all sappy and emotional (what is wrong with me?). They sang some cute songs that Tucker has been practicing over and over and over. He really is a very good singer and the boy has rhythm. They gave the kids a rolled up blank piece of paper instead of the real diploma so they wouldn't have the real one all rolled up. So when Tucker was playing graduation later that day with Derek, he said, "Congratulations! Here is your blank piece of paper."



Tucker loved his teachers: Ms. Cheryl and Ms. Janet. (In Texas, you call the women Ms. and whatever their first name is. So I am Ms. Adrienne).

We are very proud of Tucker and how far he has come this year. He has such an eagerness to learn. There is a kid in his class that Tucker thinks is super-duper smart because he can spell "raccoon." So I taught Tucker how to spell "raccoon" so he would feel just as smart. If spelling "raccoon" means you are super-duper smart, I just might rank as a sheer genius!



We love having Tucker in our family and congratulate him on his milestone!

Andy the Snake Man

Andy slaughtered a snake last night. Someone rang our doorbell at nine o'clock last night. It was our neighbor across the street. She told us a big snake was in our yard and she was worried about the our kids and her grandkids coming in contact with it. Andy and I went out armed with a shovel and a camera. Our neighbor's son was there with a shovel as well, but was not willing to make the first move. I don't blame him.




For those of you who know Andy, he is terrified of snakes. However, he took the shovel and whacked that thing about a dozen times. This might seem inhumane, but who knows how long Animal Control would have taken. What if it was poisonous and there are all these kids on the street? I don't want to have a snake slither into my home. Anyway, Derek was supposed to be in bed, but heard all the commotion and came out. I think he is in awe of his Dad. Kudos to Andy for overcoming his fear.

Did I Hear a "Niner" in There?

Andy and I celebrated NINE years of marriage yesterday! We met for lunch at a restaurant appropriately called Niner's Grill. (I love a good theme!) We had to take three of the boys with us, so it wasn't exactly a romantic, secluded event. Tucker was home from school because of the croup and Zane and Will are always tagging along. We hope to go out this weekend and just bring Will.

Here's to nine years of wedded bliss! Love ya Andy!

In a Nut Shell . . .

First off, Derek lost a tooth! He also caught a fish last weekend at a fish rodeo at Andy's work. He was thrilled, but wouldn't touch it. He is also starting to bring things home - live things. Things like caterpillars, snails, and ladybugs. I hope he sticks to tame insects like that instead of snakes.




Tucker scored another soccer goal! It was another slow-mo roll down the field, but it got there and his team won the game.




Zane is just trying to keep up. He goes full throttle all day long and with our current school schedule, he rarely gets a good enough nap. Summer is approaching which hopefully means more rest time for all of us.




Will can turn over! Once he gets there, he doesn't know what to do except suck his thumb. He sleeps through the night all the time now - yea!!! Will is extremely wiggly and wiggles his way through the day. When you talk to him and play with him, he talks back and even wiggles his eyebrows as if he is emphasizing his point. Super cute!



The past two weekends, our friends from Midland have been here. Yesterday we went to a park that has a small splash pad attached to it. We didn't intend on playing in the water, just the park. It was hot and we thought the boys could get their feet wet. That was a great idea, but they all got drenched including myself. I was pushed in by Andy (imagine that).





Zane is a looker in the wet white shirt. Watch out ladies!

SLEEP!

Will slept through the night last night! From 11:00 pm to 8:00 am! Go baby, go! Unfortunately, I still had to get up with Tucker whose nose was totally plugged up from allergies. However, I was up for only two minutes instead of an hour.



Here he is all bright and chipper this afternoon.

Other news in the family:
- Derek's front two teeth are loose - stay tuned.
- Tucker is reading really well and suffering with allergies as previously mentioned.
- Zane is catching up on lost naptime when he can and still obsessing over Lightning McQueen.
- Andy is busy, busy, busy. Work, church, school . . .
- I think we all know what I do: feed people and drive them around.

Also, only seven weeks until school is out! Believe it or not, I am excited!

Houston: One Year Later

It has been a year since we got here. What a year it has been! Words to describe Houston:

HOT and HUMID

That is about all you can say. It is not my favorite climate to live in, but it is what it is.

This Easter weekend, we spent with Nana and Grandpa in Galveston. It was a little chilly and foggy, but we still had fun. We went to the beach and saw dead jellyfish that had washed up. On another beach another day, we saw a dead baby dolphin that had washed up. I guess it was Marine Death weekend, instead of the usual Marine Life that we see at the beach.

The boys had a good Easter though and it was so nice to see our family. Will hadn't met his Grandpa yet, so it was exciting for them both. Will is very smily now and his head kind of wobbles around while he is grinning. Super cute! He is the king of spit bubbles. That has been true since day one. If this keeps up, he might have a hard time getting a date . . .

End of the Rainbow

We wore green:









We had a "rainbow" for dinner (tacos with grapes and blue gatorade). We also ate rainbow cupcakes (they turned out surprisingly well).




No real gold, but we got mini snickers and had a great day!

Lion or Lamb?

So, I can't decide if March came in like a lion or a lamb.

Here's the case for the lion:

1. Crazy schedule with kids in school, a two-year-old who needs naps but rarely gets more than twenty minutes, lots of night meetings for Andy, Andy gone at church every Wednesday and some Saturdays, oh yeah, and a newborn to feed

2. Speaking of a newborn (Will is a month old now!), I had a nursing crisis this week. It is somewhat resolved now, but if anyone can explain the throbbing pain I feel AFTER I nurse, let me know ASAP!! I've decided men doctors aren't helpful when it comes to this. Waste of time and money.

3. Andy sprained his ankle. It is pretty nasty looking and extremely painful for him.





He was playing tennis. Now he has no toes due to the incredible swelling, limps and shuffles around, and can't drive.

The case for the lamb:

1. Will is growing and getting more alert. He slept six hours in a row last night and slept for five in a row the two nights before. Go baby go!




2. Because of my nursing woes, Andy took half a day off to help and hang out with the boys who had been missing him terribly with all those night meetings and such.

3. Because of Andy's sprained ankle, he took Friday off and we helped each other and hung out with our boys who all need more time and attention from us.

So, maybe its a tie between the lion and the lamb. In order to sway it towards the lamb, we went miniature golfing. I got a hole-in-one on Hole 4. Four boys, hole 4 . . . it was cool.




Derek took the picture. I was doing good until Will woke up hungry. And that is how most of my stories end lately, including this one . . .

Hello, Will!

Welcome to baby Will! Born Feb. 1, weighing 7 lbs. 11 oz. (our biggest one) and reaching 20 inches. He has dark hair (our only dark haired baby) and is very sweet! The boys just love him! Thanks to Aunt Mitzi and Nana for helping bring this cutie into the world.

George Washington Carver

Derek is in first grade and was assigned to do a Social Studies report on George Washington Carver. So we researched him and found five interesting facts about him. If you don't know, he was an African-American botanist that came up with all these different uses for peanuts and sweet potatoes. He also helped fortmer slaves become better farmers and improve their lives. He also taught at a University. So he did lots of great things. The last thing that we wrote in his report was that he fell down the stairs and died.

Andy came home and asked him who George Washington Carver was.
His response: "I don't know."
I prompted him with: "Who is your report on?"
Derek: "Oh yeah, George Washington Carver."
Andy then asks: "What did he do?"
Derek says: "He fell down the stairs and died."

All that this great man did and Derek only remembers a guy falling down the stairs!

We have to make a diorama next. I'm going to suggest a peanut farm but I think it might turn out to be a guy falling down the stairs! So sorry Mr. Carver!

Don't Eat Pete!

This game caused great joy in our home this week! We played it after Family Home Evening and lets just say we will play it again for sure! I found it on ldssplash.com and all you need are M&Ms or something similar. You lay out seven or eight M&Ms and someone leaves the room. You designate one of the M&Ms to be "Pete" and don't tell the person who left the room. They come back and eat the M&Ms one by one until they reach for "Pete." Then everyone shouts "DON'T EAT PETE!" Tucker was so excited he was just wiggling with joy! Zane was shouting the whole game which translates to excitement and Derek would have played all night! I want to always remeber the absolute joy in Tucker when we were playing. That memory is truly something special to me and Andy.

New Year, New Rooms!

Andy finished Derek's bedroom and Derek got to sleep there New Year's Day. It was a longer project than we thought, but it is done and Derek loves it. We painted, built a closet, put in a door, and got him a bed. It sounds so simple, and yet . . .



Once Derek moved out of the bunkbed, Zane got to move out of the crib and into the bottom bunk. He was so very excited to sleep in the same room as Tucker. Of course, crib to bed isn't as easy as all that, but he is doing remarkably well and hopefully won't try to reclaim the crib when the baby comes!



Tucker stayed put, but was such a great helper. He helped load people's clothes into boxes and put them away in their drawers. He was thrilled about his new bunkmate. What's more is everyone sleeps in a little later (of course, now that school has started, that isn't such a great thing, but I'll take what I can get).

New Year's Eve

We went to the Aquarium for New Year's Eve and had a great time! Poor Zane was scared for parts of it. It was really dark in the exihibits and they had sound effects like you were inside a creaky boat. I guess that might have had something to do with it. We saw cool animals though!

They have a Shark Train ride where you ride through a tunnel of sharks. Everybody loved that! Tucker said it was his favorite.



There were also White Bengal Tigers that were Derek's favorite. They were beautiful and very large. Zane's little heart was beating very fast and would not let me put him down.



Derek and Tucker also got to ride on the Ferris Wheel for the first time. Zane and I weren't allowed, so we sat and waved to them as they twirled by.

My favorite was the octopus, but you couldn't take flash photos of it. It was spread out over the glass so you got a very good view of all the suction cups on its legs. Andy's favorite was the sea turtle at the large restaurant aquarium. The eel behind was cool too.



Andy and I also touched a stingray and a small shark! The boys were too nervous to touch it. Derek and Zane pet a starfish. It was quite motionless and less "scary." It felt remarkably similar to a rock.




I had great plans for a party with the boys, but everyone was tired and there wasn't much time, so maybe next year. With that, our year ended.






Happy New Year, 2010!