The Henrys

Last Week and Halloween!

2011-10-31T20:35:00.005-05:00

Last week, Madeline had her first Honor Roll Awards ceremony. Her school waits to start this until 1st grade. Here she is on the stage after getting her Principal's List ribbon for making all A's in the first quarter. Of course she is talking with a friend:)
Oh, and the kids at our school are not always so color-coordinated, it was Red Ribbon Week and they were supposed to wear red on this day.
Then, they announced all of the 1st graders who had earned 5 or more Accelerated Reader points. Once again, Madeline is visiting with a friend:)
They then announced that Madeline had the most in the whole grade!!! She had 12 more points than the next child. We are so proud of her hard work and glad that she is already such an avid reader.

We also had our church's Trunk or Treat last Wednesday. Nathan and I had to work a booth, so we did not get any pictures on my camera. If I can ever figure out how to download my i-phone pictures to my computer, I could post a few:)
Last night, I did some cookie decorating for Will's preschool Halloween party. I decided to go with spider webs and candy corn. I thought they looked really cute!

Here are the snacks the moms set up. Everything was a big hit and I was especially grateful to Larry's Pizza who had an employee come in early to make sure our pizza was ready to pick up by 10:15! They were so nice about it!

Tonight, I tried a new picture taking technique. . . I let them do funny poses first in the hopes that they would be willing to take a nice picture afterward.

Will has been making this face all day! He says it's his "monster face." This was the first year we let him pick out his own costume. It was hard for this planning mommy, and it is not the costume I wanted, but it was worth it. He was so proud to wear this "Mater" costume:)
This is Madeline's standard funny face:) We used mostly items she already had to make a cute witch costume. She enjoyed it! It is a lot harder to find an appropriate girl's costume now that she is getting older:(
Guess what? The funny face pictures worked!!! The final picture turned out to be so cute! They have grown up so much in the last year:)

2010

2011

I hope everyone had a great Halloween! We had a good time trick-or-treating with some friends and the kids are already planning their costumes for next year:)

The Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-23T16:37:00.004-05:00

This past week, I was able to go with Will's preschool class to a Pumpkin Patch at a local church. They were supposed to go on Tuesday, but all of the rain that moved through caused it to be canceled and rescheduled for the next day. So, on Wednesday, we headed out into the cold weather! First, they went and had their faces painted. Will choose a ghost. He did pretty well even though he is very ticklish on his face:)

Then, they went on a hayride through the forest behind the church. Will really enjoyed riding with his friends!

Next, it was time to pick out his pumpkin! He and his good friend, Ashlyn, looked around for awhile to find the perfect one.
Here he is making his choice!

They had a little station set up with stickers to decorate the pumpkins. Here is Will with his friends Macy and Cooper. He did such a good job following directions and really enjoyed decorating his pumpkin.
Here is the finished product! You can see that he is still not really into having his picture taken:) What a cute boy and a cute pumpkin!
They also had a jumping castle and a really fun inflatable maze. That was Will's favorite part, but I couldn't catch a good picture because he was moving way too fast! I can't wait to go back again next year!

Homecoming Parade (and some other random stuff)

2011-10-16T14:39:00.005-05:00

This past week was Homecoming week in our town. It is fun to live in a smaller town with only one high school because things like Homecoming get so much attention.

Before I get into Homecoming, I wanted to show my latest project. Now that I am a SAHM, I have gotten mildly addicted to Pinterest! I wanted to make an inexpensive wreath for our door and saw some cute ideas. So, here is the finished product. I reused an old wreath and repainted the H from another wreath as well. I only bought the leaves and flowers at Walmart and together, the whole project cost me about $8! I like how it looks on our door, but took a picture of it on our dark couch because the details showed up much better.

This week, Madeline went to a local pumpkin patch with her class. Due to some scheduling issues, I was not able to go:( So there are no pictures. Will's class goes on Tuesday morning and I will be able to go with them!

On Friday, Will and I met up with Nathan at his office to watch the Homecoming Parade! Madeline was able to be on her school's float this year, thanks to Nathan volunteering to help build it:)
Here are the ROTC kids starting off the parade. Nathan works at our District's central office, so we were watching with our superintendent and got lots of waves and shout-outs because of him:)

Here is Madeline's school float. The theme had something to do with Hollywood. I was told yesterday that our float tied with another for first place! We were at the end of the parade route, so the kids had been on the float for a long time and it was really hot! It is hard to get in the football spirit when it is 94 degrees! I had to laugh at how tired Madeline looks here.
All of the high school classes had their own floats. The junior float was my favorite. They had a lot of spirit and I like their t-shirts the best too:) It is so fun to hear all of Nathan's former students yell out to him.

And, you can't end a parade without the usual horses! Will liked this part best because there were also police cars behind them. Considering how sound sensitive he is, he did well. Some of the larger floats were pulled by semi-trucks and their honks were really loud. He just covered his ears but did not get upset or ask to leave:) I was proud of him!
It is a little sad that we have lived here for 5 years and had not gone to the parade before. I think we will always go from now on!
The rest of our weekend has been nice and relaxing. Madeline went to a big sleepover on Friday night. She had a blast but has been tired and grouchy since:) Hopefully she will recover before school on Monday!

Happy Birthday Nathan!

2011-10-09T14:31:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, Nathan celebrated his 34th birthday. I thank God for bringing this man into my world everyday.
We were supposed to spend the weekend in Conway with Nathan's family, but Friday morning, Madeline woke up with a fever. It has continued all weekend and we are pretty sure it is strep again! I am fearful that she will have to have her tonsils out after having it so many times in just a few months.
We had a relaxing day at home, just letting Nathan relax. That night, we got ready to watch the Razorback game with a little 4 Layer Delight (Nathan's request instead of a cake). I have not made it in years and it was so delicious!

In honor of Nathan's birthday, my mom put aside her strong Texas Longhorn loyalty and sent Nathan a few gifts. . .
. . . a platter for dips and some Razorback Tervis Tumblers! We are excited to use them:)

Due to Madeline's illness, we were not able to do what we had originally planned, but Nathan said it was still a wonderful day. Happy Birthday Nathan!!!

The weekend in review

2011-10-03T20:25:00.002-05:00

We had a really nice weekend! Our high school cheerleaders do a fundraiser clinic every year for K -6th graders. The girls practiced 3 times during the week and were then able to perform at the game on Friday night. This was Madeline's 2nd time to perform and she was so excited! Here she is with her friend, Carson, before the performance. They are just too cute!

They stretched out before performing. . . .

. . .and then did a chant, cheer, and dance. It was hard to get good pictures because they were down on the track, but she did such a good job! I am so glad that she enjoys doing these kinds of activities because I love watching her:)
The rest of our weekend was very relaxed. We are enjoying the break in the heat and have spent a lot more time outside. The kids have really loved riding their bikes. Madeline needs all the practice she can get before Nathan decides the training wheels need to go:)
We also decided Will is ready for a "real" bike and are trying to decide whether to wait for Christmas or not. It is such nice weather for riding right now and will probably be too cold in December.

What I forgot to blog about in Sept.

2011-10-02T17:48:00.004-05:00

I was looking through a bunch of pictures and realized I missed a couple of things that the kids did in September.
A few weeks into 4 year old preschool, Will was assigned his first project. He had to turn a white paper doll into a person that looked like him. Here is Will with the finished product. Nathan and I did a lot of the work but we did find several things that Will was able to do as well:) He was very proud!
When I took Will's picture, Madeline wanted me to take one of her in the new outfit her Nana had sent in the mail. We sure love Nana's care packages! She may be far away, but she is so good about spoiling her grand kids anyway:)

On the same day as Madeline's birthday, Will had his first school field trip. The Union County Fair was going on and his class went to check out the animals. It was so nice to be able to sign up to help drive the kids. We had Will's friend Zoe ride with us.
First, we checked out the chickens and rabbits. Will thought this was pretty neat!

Then, we went into the main building where the larger animals like cows, goats, sheep, and pigs were. Unfortunately, they had very large fans running for circulation and cooling. Those fans put Will's sensitive ears on overload. He liked seeing those animals but this is what he did with his hands for the entire time we were in there, poor guy!
We ended the trip with a stop at the snow cone booth. Here is everyone enjoying a strawberry snow cone. It cracks me up that Will somehow ended up sitting by all of the girls!
I am truly loving getting to be more available for all of these smaller events in my kids' lives! I am also loving having more time to blog about it:)

Celebrating Madeline!

2011-09-30T15:17:00.004-05:00

On September 22, my baby girl turned 7 years old! I can hardly believe it. It just sounds way too old:(

She talked about her birthday for weeks and the build up was really cute. Her birthday fell on a Thursday and she asked me to make peace sign and tie-dye cookies. I think they turned out pretty well and the class said they were delicious!

That night, we had brownies instead of a traditional cake because we were having cake at her birthday party in a few days.

Then, with the help of all her friends, she and her birthday buddy, Haley, had a fun-filled gymnastics party! Even Uncle Robbie, Uncle John, Aunt Lindsey and Emma came into town for the party. The turnout was huge and they all enjoyed playing in the gym, eating cake, and opening some fun and thoughtful gifts.
I feel so blessed that she has so many good friends here and that they were all willing to take time away from watching the Razorback game to come have fun together!

Dear Madeline,

Seven years sounds like such a short time, but it has gone by so quickly. Time sure flies when you are having fun with such an amazing little girl.

You are now in 1st grade and are an amazing student. Your teacher says you are really responsible, friendly, and an amazing reader! You are very sweet to your friends and have such a good heart. You don't like to see others left out and view everyone as a friend. You have a strong sense of right and wrong and are such an honest girl. When you do something wrong, you can't stand waiting to come clean about it. You come to me immediately to confess, a personality trait I hope will stay with you in your teenage years:) You love to play pretend: dress up, babies, Barbies, and school. You love to turn on Disney Channel songs to learn the words and make up dances. You are very goal-oriented and like to get things done rather than putting it off. You are getting much better about cleaning up after yourself and doing things to help around the house. You love to help take care of Will and anyone, really. You say you can't wait to be a Mommy and I take that as a compliment because I must make it look like so much fun:) Right now, you want to be either a doctor, nurse, or veterinarian when you grow up. You love dance and gymnastics even more than ever and show quite a bit of talent in those areas. You are working hard to master your standing back hand spring, and I am impressed by how brave you are! This year has been so fun for us! I love my big girl and how my job as a parent changes as you grow. I can't wait to see what this next year holds for us. I love you so, so, so much!!!

My Mema

2011-09-29T15:11:00.002-05:00

I mentioned in my Labor Day post that my Mema had a medical emergency which caused my parents to rush to Texarkana. Without giving too many personal details, she has been sick off and on for the last 5 years. It has been a hard fight for her and on Thursday, September15, God granted her peace from her suffering and she passed away. It was not an unexpected outcome for our family, but difficult just the same. I just wanted to write a post about my Mema, who has always been such an important person in my life.

I was my Mema's first granddaughter. After having 3 boys and only 1 girl, I am told she was very excited about my arrival:) She and I always had a special relationship. She always knew how to make me feel special. I used to love to go visit her and my Pepa for a week, all by myself and they made me feel like a queen.
My Mema was the epitome of a gracious southern woman. I remember her giving me Emily Post's guide to Etiquette as a High School graduation gift:) She was a very involved grandmother and great grandmother to us all. She was always described as the rudder of our family's ship and I know it will be hard for us all to adjust to her absence. She and my Pepa had a wonderful marriage of 57 years and are definitely one of Nathan and I's greatest role models in our own marriage.
Here are a few pictures of her that I wanted to share. I sure loved that wonderful woman and will miss her greatly!

Labor Day Fun!

2011-09-25T20:29:00.004-05:00

We were so excited about Labor Day this year because we knew it would be a great chance to see family. Nana and Pawpaw decided to make a trip from Spokane to see everyone and we couldn't wait! After making a quick stop in Texarkana to check on the Pesek family, they came on Sunday to spend a few days with us. We met up at church and then just hung out afterward. Both kids taught their grandparents a thing or two on the i-pad and they were impressed!

Pawpaw even took a new family picture for us. We are so bad about remembering to take them and are enjoying the new picture.
Later we grilled out and discussed our plans to get together with some friends and my brothers the next day.

Unfortunately, my Mema had a major medical emergency that night and my parents had to rush back to be with the family.
We decided to cancel most of our Labor Day plans with my Mema in such critical condition but Robbie and Emma still came for the day so that the cousins could enjoy playing together. Madeline and Emma especially had a great time together! They sure love each other lots:)

On a side note, I decided to make fun summer cookies because I always look at Labor Day as a final celebration of summer. I thought the lemons and limes were a cute summer theme and my first big attempt at wet on wet decorating with Royal Icing. Even though the BBQ didn't happen for our family, we still enjoyed sharing them with family and friends and they were delicious!

The First Day of School!

2011-09-13T13:25:00.003-05:00

You know, I thought when I started staying at home, I would be better about blogging. I guess I am still adjusting to figuring out how to best use my time. I feel like I have this long list of things I want to do and am still trying to figure out the best way to develop a routine that incorporates all of it.
So, here's my attempt to keep catching up the blog:

Will had his first day of 4 year old preschool on August 15. He was excited to go to school and is getting a little better about taking pictures. He goes every morning from 8:00 to 11:30. He has the option to bring his lunch and stay until 12:00. I decided to leave this up to him, and so far, he has wanted to eat lunch with his friends (as he says it) instead of at home. I love that he is becoming more social! Social skills and his developmental therapy are the main reasons we decided to keep him in preschool even though I am at home and capable of teaching him myself. I do wish we had a 3 day a week preschool, but none exists in our town:( We do enjoy our afternoons together, just the two of us:)

Then, on August 16, Madeline had her first day of 1st grade! She has been very excited about this new grade and so have I, as this is the grade I have taught for the longest and it is so close to my heart:) We had gone to registration the week before and she was excited to find out that she got the teacher she wanted, Mrs. Spriggs! She is a good friend of mine and I taught her daughter last year, so it seemed fitting for her to teach mine this year:) I love knowing she is in such good hands now that I am not at the school to check on her:)

She loves that she now has a desk instead of a table and is more interested in bringing her lunch instead of getting a cafeteria tray this year. She had a bit of an adjustment period at first because she said it is a lot more work and less play in first grade:)
She has adjusted and says that she likes it much better now. We had her first parent teacher conference last week and we found out that she is doing amazingly well. Her teacher told us she was the best reader in the class! She is very into Accelerated Reader and I love that it is really challenging her as a reader. I can't wait to see more progress and feel so blessed that she is such a great student.
She has also started taking another year of ballet, tap, and gymnastics. She decided to add jazz and says it is now her favorite class:)

I am still enjoying decorating cookies and decided to make some apple cookies as a back to school gift for the kids teachers. I put them in the type of tub that I liked to use in my own classroom so that they could re-purpose them when the cookies were gone. I love useful gifts!

It has been such a blessing to get to experience all of the Back to School traditions as a mom instead of always trying to juggle being a mom and a teacher. I almost cried with joy when I was able to walk Madeline to her class on the first day, an event I missed when she started kindergarten:( I feel like my kids have adjusted much more easily now that I am home as well. We have not had tears at drop off like we have in past years and I just feel like we are all much more relaxed and able to spend more quality time together. I cannot say enough how much being at home is such an amazing blessing for our family!!!

Celebrating Will!

2011-08-16T13:15:00.009-05:00

I have been putting off writing this blog post, for a few weeks and I wasn't really sure why. Then, when I sat down to do it tonight, I found tears welling up in my eyes and it took me a while to realize why.
I don't have very many that read my blog, so it is mostly a simple record of our family's life. For some reason, I feel that it is important to remember the feelings in my heart right now so that I know that this was a true reflection of our life, and not just a sunshiny version. That way, when my children have children of their own and are struggling, I can look back and show them that I know exactly how they feel and that sometimes being a parent can be hard even when it is the most wonderful part of your life.
I love to read the blogs of my friends. They are such a wonderful way to keep up with their families as they grow and change. I love the birthday posts where they list their child's developmental progress and am always so impressed with how advanced they all seem. But, I wish they all knew how hard that is for a mom whose child is often falling behind on all of those milestones their children are so easily achieving. It's not that I am jealous or mad. In fact, I love celebrating the successes of their children. It's just hard not to feel that your child might be questioned or judged and viewed as lacking. I know that what others say and think does not matter, but I think we all have our moments where it still stings and makes you worry about what your child may face in the future or that others might feel that we are not correctly dealing with his issues.

Will turning 4 is especially hard for me with his developmental delays. When he was 3, people didn't seem to really be bothered by the differences much, but now that he is 4, the comments and comparisons have increased. I thought that getting the delays diagnosed and planning for treatment would make all of that easier for me, but it is still really hard. It is hard to go to a playground and watch children much younger than your own do so much more than he can do. It is sad to see him try to climb up something and fail time after time, when everyone else around him is scaling it with ease. All along, I have just gone over and helped him up, but now, he is starting to realize that he should not need my help and seems defeated. He has gotten to where he thinks he can't do things without my help and won't try, even with encouragement. It seems to be less socially acceptable for a boy to not be strong, agile, and daring. He is shy, quiet, and cautious around those he does not know well, and many don't seem to understand that. Many people will say things like, "I'm sure he will grow out of it." and I am confused by that. What if he doesn't? How will you treat him? He has been shy, quiet, and cautious from birth. That is how God made him. Those (and many others) are the traits that make him who he is. Why is that not okay to some?
Those who read this: Please don't think I am having a pity party or am upset or angry. As I said before, I think it is very important to remember these feelings. I want others who may read this to know that I understand what it is like to have a child who struggles.
I am so thankful that we have therapists to help us and a wonderful little boy who makes us proud everyday with the things he learns and can do. I just wanted to explain why this post is somewhat hard for me to write tonight.

Now, I just want to focus on the joy of this day!

This summer, on July 27, we celebrated Will's 4th birthday. We were very excited about this day! I have been studying a few cookie decorating blogs for awhile and decided to take the plunge and attempt some myself. This was the end result, and I was pretty proud!

I even used a few to decorate his cake. Here is the birthday boy admiring his cake!
He specifically asked for chocolate cake with white icing and the birthday boy got just what he asked for:) He really enjoyed it!

So did his sister!
Then it was time to get to his presents. He really did a great job with the unwrapping this year!

He loved the toolbox his Great Grandma and Grandpa Taylor gave him.

Here he is playing with the parking garage from Nana and Pawpaw. His Thomas tent is in the background and is loved as well (even by our dog, Chloe, who uses it like a dog house).

His Granny Henry sent him some money in the mail for his birthday. He was so excited to go to Walmart and pick out a toy. He did such a good job of really looking at all the choices in his price range and choosing the toy he liked best. He even went right up to the cashier, handed her the money, and put the change in his pocket. I think it was so special to him that he was able to get over some of his shyness and do such a grown-up thing! I just love him!
This is the airplane he chose.
It was so wonderful to watch the joy on his face after he saw what each gift was. It does my heart a lot of good to see what a grateful heart he has. That is a trait that is so important to Nathan and I. We never want our children to feel entitled or greedy and that is not an easy feat in our society! I love that he is this excited over a box of matchbox cars from his Nana:)
I tell you, she always knows just what this boy likes:)
Will,
Your 3 year old year has been so special and fun. You started it out by getting potty trained and adjusting to a new classroom at school. You are now interacting more with friends at school, especially once you get more comfortable with them. You have such a sweet and kind heart and worry when someone is upset or sad.
You still have a great love for trains and cars. You now also love building with Legos and can make some amazing structures. You are very mechanical and curious about how things work. Maybe you will be an engineer one day!
You have recently showed an interest in coloring even though it is hard for you. You are able to color on the object and have started changing colors to add details. You are also wanting to draw some basic shapes and letters.

You have gotten so tall (forgive me for not having your height handy) and weigh 38 lbs. You mostly wear 4t and 5t clothes. You wear a size 10 shoe. You also passed your milk trial in June and are allowed to have all dairy products now!
You are looking much more grown up, but Mommy is so glad you have kept your sweet dimples. You give the best hugs and kisses and it makes my heart smile when you tell me you love me. You and your sister get along well (most of the time). You miss her when she is at sleepovers and are always so happy to see her when she gets home from school. You are sweet and will play dolls and Barbies with her. In return, she will play Legos and trains with you! You did such a good job of being sweet to our foster babies and I can't wait to see you interact with more:)
You have a mischievous side too! You love to make people laugh. You say some of the funniest things and have an amazing vocabulary. You are such a sponge of information lately. I explain something to you one time and you will remember it and explain it to me when we see or do it again. You are warming up to others faster and love to play at different friend's houses. You also love for people to come play at our house and are good about sharing your toys and snacks:)

I am so thankful to be your Mommy! God knew you were the perfect little boy for our family! I am so thankful for your laid-back personality. You work hard when you need to, but you never forget to just have fun too! I think you will spend a lot of your teenage years telling your mom to stop stressing and just relax:)

I am so excited to see what your 4 year old year holds! I thank God everyday that I am able to stay at home and spend so much more time with you. We will have so many wonderful adventures together this year!
Thank you for being you. I love you more than I can ever say in words!!!!!!
-Love, Mommy

You know you're not a professional blogger when. . .

2011-08-16T12:56:00.008-05:00

. . .you have so many pictures like these filling up your hard drive:)
In an effort to keep it real around this blog, I thought I would show some funny pictures made in an attempt to get some cute blog-worthy and picture frame worthy pictures.

I have a nice camera, but I am not the best user of said camera. I also do not like to edit pictures, so what I take, is what you see. Lighting is often an issue for me:)
Easter marked one of the longest photo sessions with my kids yet.
I'm guessing I picked the wrong place here. Sorry kids, I did not intend to blind you with the sun:)

Nathan wanted a more recent picture of Madeline for his new office. I asked her to just relax and be herself. I'm not sure, but I think she misunderstood my directions (or maybe this is just who she is:)

The 4th of July brought yet another example of Will's reluctance. We just tell Madeline to keep smiling and keep clicking to catch Will not looking like he is being tortured. I guess that didn't happen here:)
I actually have started to enjoy these "outtakes." It helps me remember the occasion even better than the perfect smiling pictures. They also really make me laugh!

Spring Catch Up

2011-08-16T10:21:00.005-05:00

Here is an update of Spring 2011 in pictures!

Will finished his preschool year with a program of songs about Jesus. Here he is before with his teacher, Miss Serena. Don't let this picture fool you, he loved his teacher this year, he just doesn't really like having his picture taken these days:) She has been such a great teacher for him and has really been helpful in the process of diagnosing his developmental delays. He has learned to say and identify all the letters in the alphabet, counting to 20 and sometimes past, identifying all shapes and colors too! He is also reaching a lot of his P.T. and O.T. goals. We are very proud of his hard work.

Even though Will can be shy, he has always loved performing in his school programs. They sang such cute Christian songs with lots of movements and he did so well! He knew all of the words and motions and was so cute!

Madeline's Sunday school class did a program in which they performed some of the Bible stories they learned this year. Madeline played Mary in the story where Mary visits Elizabeth. Her lines were quite long and I was so impressed with how well she knew them. She did such a great job!
At the end of her kindergarten year, Madeline had a blast at Field Day. I was not able to get pictures of the actual event, as I was with my own class, but she had the best time and can't wait to do it again next year!
Then, it was time for Kindergarten Graduation. Here is Madeline with her wonderful teacher, Mrs. Ponder. She has been such a great teacher for Madeline. My little girl amazes me with how much she has learned and how much she truly loves school! She had straight A's all year and has even qualified for the Gifted Program for 1st grade! We are so proud of her!

The Kindergartners did a cute program all about Arkansas. They each had a line and memorized many songs. As a Kindergarten teacher at this school, I can assure you that it took a lot of practice and hard work and it was so good!
Madeline received her diploma. . .
and celebrated with her friends afterward:)

We had such a fun a busy Spring! Nathan and I both wrapped up our last year as classroom teachers as well. Nathan was offered the Instructional Technology Director position for our school district, which came with a salary increase that now allows me to finally stay at home! I am so excited:) I don't know how long we will be able to do it, but feel blessed by any time I can enjoy at home. We plan to reevaluate our finances at the end of each school year to decide my working status one year at a time.

Dance Recital 2011

2011-05-21T10:23:00.005-05:00

Last weekend marked the end of Madeline's 3rd year of dance and gymnastics. She has really learned a lot this year and has made huge progress in all three classes. Our studio splits the routines into 3 different recitals, so it makes for a very busy weekend! First, on Saturday afternoon, we had her gymnastics recital. Her class performed to a fun song called, "Cha-cha Heels." She has learned to do a back-walk-over and has improved on all of her other skills. Her next step will be a back-handspring! Here she is with her good friend, Sydney.
Madeline and her friend, Carson, who wasn't in the same class but also had a very cute performance!
Here she is posing before getting on stage. She loved how the fringe skirt shook when she danced:)
Saturday night, she had her tap recital. Last year we were lucky and were number 2. This year, not so much:( Her routine was number 37! She dance to the song, "If They Could See Me Now" from the musical, "Sweet Charity." She did a great job and made us proud!
Finally, on Sunday afternoon, she had her ballet recital. Her costume was the same for tap and ballet. It just had pants for tap and a tutu for ballet. I loved her routine! It was to "World of Imagination" from Willy Wonka and was just sweet and beautiful. I have been so pleased that ballet is Madeline's favorite and she pays special attention to her foot and arm positions.

We were glad to be done, although Madeline already tells me how much she misses dance and can't wait to start back next year.
Here she is posing with her friends, Lynley and Macy after the ballet recital.

Will watched all 3 of her performances and seemed to enjoy all of the excitement and costumes:) This look on his face makes me think he is thinking, "Please tell me we are done with all of this now!"
He was checking out Maddie's recital gift here.

Posing with his buddy, Kelsey, who was enjoying her first recital. Aren't they cute!
I love watching Madeline and all of her friends perform. I also love watching the older classes and look forward to watching Madeline learn and grow more each year!

Easter Weekend 2011

2011-05-21T09:57:00.004-05:00

Better late than never! We had a nice Easter weekend. We went to several different egg hunts but I only remembered to bring my camera to one:( Madeline had one with her Campfire group at her friend Hope's house. They did such a good job and had so many fun activities for the girls to do. Here is Madeline after pinning her egg in the Easter basket.

They hid a lot of eggs. Here is Madeline with her good friend, Sydney taking a break from hunting to take a quick picture.

Madeline took this very seriously!
The next day, the kids were excited to wake up and find their filled Easter baskets.

Then, it was time to get some pictures! Will is a little hard to work with right now, when it comes to taking pictures but we managed to get a few. I have never attempted to use the timer on my camera, so a whole family picture was not in the cards. So, we did manage to get a picture of Nathan and I each with the kids. This one of Madeline and Will was the best we could get. I hate that Madeline is not looking at the camera but think it is sweet that she is looking at Will.

It was a little sad that we were not able to spend Easter with my parents, but we were excited that John and Lindsey came to celebrate with us!
Nothing is better than celebrating our Savior rising! Our church service was wonderful and it was a blessed day!

March and April Update

2011-04-22T19:35:00.003-05:00

Our March and April were very busy this year! We had many things going on at all of our schools. Here is Madeline on the morning of "Crazy Hat Day." She had fun doing all of the themes like silly socks and Wildcat clothes.
Nathan and I spent a lot of time getting our students ready for their annual State Testing. It is one of our least favorite parts of teaching but our students worked hard and we are all glad they are over:)
We had Will tested due to his developmental delays and he was diagnosed with low muscle tone throughout his body. We are not sure why he has this but are fortunate that it is a mild form of the issue. He has started physical and occupational therapy and is making a lot of progress. This diagnosis explains so many things about Will from birth and we are glad he is getting what he needs to help him. He also has a hypersensitive vestibular system that causes him to be sensitive to sudden movements of others, loud/sudden noises, and being upside down, spun around, etc. Again, it is mild and easily helped with both kinds of therapy. Will enjoys seeing Mrs. Kristi and Mr. Sam as well as his developmental therapist, Mrs. Jackie. He is doing well in school and has learned all of his letters and numbers to 20. He is also really doing well socially! He has lots of friends and enjoys playing with them.

Now, this is Easter weekend, so here are some customary Easter Egg dying pictures:)
The anticipation was written all over their faces!

Maddie doing a little art with the wax crayon.
The finished product. Our small, inexpensive kit did not include stickers, so Maddie improvised with some of her own.
Nathan and I thoroughly enjoyed a Good Friday service at church this afternoon and look forward to reflecting on Christ's sacrifice for us and the joy of His Resurrection this Sunday!

Father and Daughter Dance

2011-03-05T22:49:00.003-06:00

Now that Madeline is in Kindergarten, she is able to be a member of a local Campfire Girls group. One of her first big activities happened on the Friday evening after Valentine's Day. They had a Father and Daughter Dance! We were so excited! Nana went shopping and found her the perfect dress. I curled her hair and let her wear a tiny bit of make-up.
Here is a more close up picture of her hair and the necklace Nana got her for Valentine's Day. I think I still have a lot to learn in the hair department. Madeline already says she wants her curls pulled up next year, so I'd better practice:)

She was so excited to have her first corsage! Here is her "date" putting it on.
The florist did a good job of matching it to the colors in her dress. I am still a little shocked at how much this tiny arrangement costs! Maybe I should brush up on my flower arranging skills too:)!
Here is Madeline and Daddy. Nathan said they had such a good time together. The dinner was a big hit and Madeline spent most of the dance wanting to dance with her daddy, unlike most of her little friends who wanted to dance together.
I know this will be a special tradition they will look forward to and enjoy every year. Will and I also enjoyed our time together and got his favorite, Taco Bell, for dinner. Then we hung out, watched "the letters" (Wheel of Fortune-his current favorite show), and played with trains and cars until bedtime. It was nice to get some special time with just my boy and I.

Sorry about the lack of blogging. I have been spending a lot of time and energy trying to make some important decisions about my work status, moving, and foster parenting. It seems like every time I mention changes in my life on this blog, there ends up being a change to those plans too. I want to make sure we are more firm in our decisions before explaining them. I think our poor family and friends get worn out with all of the back and forth of this:) Thanks for your patience!

More Snow Days!

2011-02-09T17:59:00.003-06:00

I would not have believed anyone who told me that by Feb. 9, we would have taken 4 snow days so far this school year! But, here we are, at home again! It is getting to the point where us teachers, who usually enjoy a good snow day, are ready for Spring. We live so far south that we have no built-in snow days in our calendar. That means we will be adding almost a whole week on at the end of May:(
I posted about our first snow day (Jan. 10th), which actually turned into 2 days as we were out that Tuesday as well. The 3rd snow day happened on Feb. 4, to our surprise. We woke up to a slightly snow-covered lawn but assumed we would go to school. Apparently not all of the roads were as clear as our own because they did cancel. We were excited about going out to play again when it started raining and ruined the snow before we could play in it:( So, we spent the day inside, starting our weekend a day early. One of the good things about the snow days is that Madeline and Will have really been playing so well together. That Friday, I was doing some housework in our bedroom and Nathan was on his computer. We noticed that we had not heard from the kids and went to the living room to see what they were up to. This is what we found:

Madeline wanted to fix someones hair and Will went right along with it. He thought he was pretty funny too!
Now, less than a week later, we have had our 4th snow day! We were told yesterday that they might cancel school even before anything fell, and they really did. It started sleeting around 8:00. We were afraid that we might not get much snow, like the last 2 times. So, as soon as some flakes started falling, we ran outside to check it out. Madeline caught a few flakes on her gloves.
Will was so excited to feel the snow!
Then, they wanted to catch snow on their tongues:

Finally, around 3:00, we had enough accumulation to go play outside. Here is the view down our street.
It is amazing just how much fell in a few hours.
This is the best snow Will has ever gotten to play with. He was amazed by it on his gloves:)
The snow was pretty dry and did not pack very well. But, we were determined to build a snowman this time, no matter how tiny it was:)
I hope everyone else enjoyed their snow day too. Our whole state got quite a bit of snow. We are now just waiting to see if we will go to school tomorrow. I think I am ready for Spring now!

Another Sick Day

2011-01-22T18:12:00.002-06:00

I guess my title makes it sound like I have taken a lot of sick days this year, but that is not really true when I compare this year to last. I think I took 9 days last year and have only taken 3 so far this year. I hope I haven't jinxed myself by saying that:) Sick days are hard for a teacher because there is so much to do to prepare for a substitute.
Anyway, Madeline was sick for 2 days this week and I stayed home the second day. Nathan and I try to trade off so that neither of our classes is left with a substitute more than one day at a time. Even though I hated that Madeline was sick, I truly enjoyed my day at home. Luckily, she started feeling much better by about noon and was able to have fun herself. At one point, she came out of her room, got down the play dough, and entertained herself for a good 45 min. That was my first sign she was all better:)
I enjoyed getting caught up on laundry!

When she got bored with the play dough, she wanted to get down a Hello Kitty scrapbook set a friend had given her for her birthday. I had been saving it for a day that she needed something new and fun, and this seemed like a perfect time. At first, I was going to sit down and help her do each page, but then I realized that she really wanted to do it herself. So, I gave her a few pictures, showed her the basic way to set up a page, and let her go to town. It totally made her day! She was so proud of her pages and so was I. She even spelled out titles with stickers all on her own! I'm so glad I decided to let go and let her be more independent with it.
We sent Will to preschool that day but it was so nice to pick him up at noon instead of him staying for day care. He was very happy and spent lots of time playing. He loves to get his trains all set up and then lay down when he plays so that he can see the action close-up.
He sure loves these adventures and plays contentedly for a long time:)
Madeline was glad to be all well and go back to school the next day. It was just in time as she was invited to 2 different birthday parties this weekend! We have had a busy and fun Saturday and are looking forward to a restful Sunday! I can't wait to be a SAHM next school year. I hope to have many pleasant days at home without having a sick child to make it possible:)

Yay! A Snow Day!

2011-01-10T09:50:00.004-06:00

We have been excited all week because we had a chance of winter weather on Sunday. You see, we live in South Arkansas and very rarely see any winter precipitation. So, on Sunday morning, as we were getting ready for church, we heard the tapping of sleet hitting our windows. The kids were so excited! We were supposed to get a lot of snow too, but, as you can see in these pictures, we mostly got ice. Still, it was a pretty scene the next morning, especially because school got canceled! Here is the view across the street:
Here is our house:
The kids couldn't wait to get out and play. They kept asking if they could build a snowman but we had to explain that the ice and small amount of snow would not make that possible:( The first thing Madeline did was to scoop some up and taste it!
Will didn't know what to think and at first was very cautious about walking around on the crunchy ground.
Madeline was thrilled and wasn't cautious at all!
There were quite a few icicles around, especially on my van and the plants.
Here is Nathan checking out the frozen street. We sure are glad they canceled school because I would not have wanted to drive on this!
Will kept picking up handfuls of the snow/ice and throwing it:)
He decided this was a lot of fun!
Madeline had broken off and icicle and was checking it out.
Since we live so far south, we feel no need to invest in a sled, especially when a trash can lid will do the trick!

I love this shot of Will. We were worried that the sliding might scare him, but he loved it!
As expected, our more daring child had so much fun in icy driveway!
I am so glad we decided to go out early today because there were already signs of thawing. This doesn't surprise me because it got up to 52 degrees on Saturday and I'm sure the ground is not as cold as the below freezing temps we are having. I still can't believe we had almost continuous precipitation all day Sunday! We plan to stay in and enjoy the extra day at home, a real bonus in a 2 teacher family! I assume we will be back to school tomorrow. I hope everyone else enjoys their winter weather!

2010 in Review

2011-01-08T22:21:00.006-06:00

Well, as usual, I have gotten very behind on my blogging. That is because our fall and winter 2010 have been so busy! So, as I did last year, I will just catch up with a 2010 recap, starting where I left off at the beginning of August.

On August 19, the whole family began a new school year. Nathan went off to teach 8th grade English for the 4th year and I started teaching Kindergarten for the first time.
Will began another year at his preschool by moving up to the "older 2's" room. He was excited to have a new backpack and lunchbox! He has transitioned well and is learning a lot. He is also now fully potty trained with the exception of night time.
Madeline reached a huge milestone by starting kindergarten this year! I really can't believe she is already in big school. She was nervous and excited all at the same time and Mommy and Daddy were a little teary. Her Nana offered to walk her in for her first day as I had a group of my own kindergarten students to greet.

Madeline was very excited to see so many of her friends from preschool! Here she is with her friend Miriam. She had a great first day and really loves school. Her grades are good and she is really reading well already!
On the night of the 1st day of school, just as I was collapsing into bed, we got our first foster care placement call. So, very late that night, we took in a 4 month old baby boy. It turned out to be an unexpectedly emergency over-night placement, so we didn't get a picture of him.
One week later, we got our next call, this time for a 4 month old baby girl. We thought she would be here to stay for a while, but she ended up leaving after one week. We were so sad to see her go but enjoyed the time we had with her.
One week later, we were asked to take a newborn baby boy. We knew this one would only be temporary, as he really needed a placement with one stay-at-home parent. We took care of him for 2 weeks and Madeline really enjoyed having a baby that was so easy to hold!
During that time in September, our precious girl turned 6 years old. She was most excited to have her name announced on the school intercom as they do for all students on their birthdays!
She had a fun day at school and even brought Popsicles for her class to share as a birthday treat. Here she is with her favorite gift, Bitty Twins from her Nana and Paw-paw. Later that weekend, she had a joint party with her best friend, Haley, at an indoor swimming pool with all of her friends from school. It was a blast!
At the end of September, we got our 4th foster placement. A 9 month old baby boy. He stayed with us for one month before going to live with another family member. At this point, he is the last placement we have taken. After 4 very quick placements, we realized that being foster parents was too much for us with 2 young kids and 2 jobs. We plan to continue again when I stop teaching after this school year. We have really worked the Dave Ramsey plan and are finally ready to take the one-income plunge. I am excited at what the future will bring to our family!
Both kids really enjoyed Halloween this year. Madeline knew right away that she wanted to be a black cat and Will got great use out of the costumes he got for his birthday!
Some friends invited us to join them on a trick-or-treating hay-ride and the kids had such a good time with their friends. Here is Madeline checking out Miriam's costume.
Will was excited to ride with his friend, Clara Beth.
Sadly, I did not take any picture of Thanksgiving. We spent the holiday with Nathan's family and it was wonderful!
Finally, we celebrated Christmas! We had a great time setting up the decorations and buying gifts for children on the Angel Tree. Now that my parents have moved so far away, we were on our own this year. So, we had a nice small family Christmas. Here are Madeline and Will all dressed and ready for Christmas Eve mass.
Madeline insisted on a funny face picture and this is what I got. Will does this a lot when he gets overcome with shyness.
Nathan took over my dad's tradition of reading "The Night Before Christmas" before the kids went to bed.
Then, in the morning, the kids were so excited to see what Santa brought!
Here are Will's gifts.
Here are Madeline's:
The bikes were a big hit and they had to try them out right away! We later exchanged Will's helmet for a bigger one:)

After a few turns, they were ready to open some more presents. As always, our family gave them so many thoughtful and fun gifts. Here is Will in his latest dress up outfit, a Disney race car driver outfit!

We always celebrate with Nathan's family the weekend after Christmas and were able to also do a dual New Year's Eve celebration. As usual, I forgot to take any pictures as I enjoyed all the fun!
Happy New Year to everyone! It was pretty eventful for us and I am excited about the coming changes for our family. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us in 2011!!!

Will is 3!!!

2010-08-04T09:29:00.006-05:00

I am having to play catch up a little because I have been so busy enjoying the last of my summer vacation and getting my classroom ready for the start of the school.
So, first, I have some news regarding this precious little boy! He turned 3 on July 27. This is him when he first woke up. We had planned to give him his present from us in the morning because it was something he has waited for and wanted for a long time.

He loves Toy Story but most especially, Buzz Lightyear. He has a small Buzz action figure but has wanted "the real Buzz" for some time. He was so excited when he opened his gift and found him in there. He had to check out all of Buzz's gear and try all the buttons. This toy provided so much fun all day!
We usually have a big 1st birthday party for our kids but then wait until they turn 4 to have a big friend party. We opt for simple parties at home with family instead. So, later that night Nana, Paw-paw, Uncle John, and Aunt Lindsey came over to watch Will open his presents and enjoy some cupcakes. Of course this big sister was in on all the action too!
Last year, we had a hard time getting Will to want to open his presents or look at his cards, but this year, he was great about it. I can't believe there is a rare picture of me posted on this blog:)

Uncle John and Aunt Lindsey got him the "real Woody" to go with his Buzz. You can see he felt a lot of joy about this:) Look at that sweet dimple!
He also got several books that he loves so much, one must go to bed with him every night!
Let me preface this picture with the fact that Will loves to play dress up. But, with an older sister, most of our dress up things are very girly. He doesn't really mind but, this year, Nana and Paw-paw decided to fix the problem by getting him his very own Buzz Lightyear costume! The wings even light up!
Uncle Robbie and Aunt Gina thought that was a great idea and added a Woody costume to the mix!
Madeline is never one to turn down a good dress up session, so she joined in right away!
His Granny Henry added to the Toy Story gift theme by getting him the first 2 movies on DVD. Up to this point, he had been watching an old VHS version that Nathan had from college:)

Now that Will can have eggs, it was a little easier to make his cupcakes this year. They still had to be dairy free, but it was much easier. I went with chocolate cupcakes and decorated them with Toy Story characters and a few number 3's. Will looked impressed:)
He was very focused on that lit candle!
With a little help from Daddy, he blew it out. I hope all his wishes come true!
I would say that these pictures prove the cupcakes were a success!

Will, the past 3 years with you have been a joy and a blessing! God knew we needed a little boy just like you!
This year you have really developed a voice of your own. You are still pretty laid back and calm but speak up when you really need to. You went from talking very little when you turned 2 to speaking in full sentences now! You had a good year of 2 year old preschool and started really making some friends. You are so content to just play with any toy put in front of you but really love any car, truck, or action figure. You can sit for a long time just looking at books and talking about the pictures and love being read to anytime. You have a sweet nurturing side but can also be a rough and tough boy when you are in the mood:) This summer you have really enjoyed playing in the water and digging in the dirt. You have become a pickier eater but are willing to try a few bites of almost anything, especially if a dessert it waiting:) You are starting to try to identify shapes, colors, letters, and numbers. You know and like to recite or sing a couple of songs and prayers. You decided during this year that you don't really like or need a nap but are willing to quietly lay and read books during rest time. You are an amazing sleeper at night and even play quietly in your room if you wake up before Mommy and Daddy.
I love my little boy with all of my heart! You are so different from your sister and I love that! It is such an adventure watching you both grow in your own ways:) I can't wait to see how you change and grow this next year!

A Nice Day at Home

2010-08-02T22:20:00.004-05:00

Today marks the last week of my wonderful summer vacation. I have so enjoyed this special time with my family and feel so blessed that I am able to do this every year. A week from today, I will start 8 days of professional development in preparation for a new classroom full of precious kindergartners. I have already been working on my classroom and plan to post before and after pictures when I get finished.
So, to help us fully enjoy our last week together, we purposefully did not schedule any activities and even turned off T.V. and computers for the whole day. We started off by pulling out our painting gear and made some nice pictures. My kids really love to paint and did it so neatly, with no mess for the first time!

Next, we realized that we had some ripe bananas and decided to make some dairy-free banana bread. This is the first time I have really included Will on a baking project and he loved it! Madeline has been my helper many times before and amazed me with the complicated things she can help with. I was so busy that I only caught this one picture of my little chefs while the batter was being finished by the Kitchen Aid mixer.
The bread took 50 minutes to bake, so I wanted to come up with a fun activity to make the wait go by quickly for them. So, out came the old king-sized sheets to make 2 tents! They loved this so much! Madeline was upset when we finally took them down right before bedtime. They had so much fun that I even managed to clean our master bathroom before the bread was done:)
After a nice lunch together, the kids couldn't wait to try dessert: our finished banana bread! They both loved it and were so proud of themselves!
There was nothing fancy, expensive, or even that creative about our day (which finished up with rest time, board games, and some free play time) but we all ended the day feeling so content and happy with everything! I'm so thankful God blessed me with my favorite job, being a mother!!!

Fun at the Water Park!

2010-07-06T19:44:00.004-05:00

Today, we were blessed to get to meet up with one of my friends I have know since 7th grade. Rachel and her 2 adorable kids, Meredith and Russ, met us in Arkadelphia where they have a small, very kid-friendly water park. Rachel and I had a good time catching up as it has been many, many years since we've seen each other. We both agreed that we love the blog world because it was easier to talk after keeping up with each other by reading our blogs.
Here is Russ, who loved going down the slide on his belly:
He is a cute little dare devil who wanted to do everything!
Madeline has really learned to swim this summer and felt very grown up because she could have a little more freedom as a result. This back shot makes her look so grown up!
Meredith was great in the water too. I thought she looked like such a pro in her swim shirt and goggles!
Madeline and Meredith got along right away and had a good time playing together.
Will really splashed around and enjoyed the day a lot!
The frog slide was a big hit with all of the kids. I love how the camera caught all of the water drops!
The park was so perfect! It even had some shaded areas that were still in the water. We had not been there in 2 years but definitely need to come back more often!
Thanks Lipsey family for meeting us! It was such a wonderful day!

Happy 4th of July (a day early)

2010-07-03T21:37:00.006-05:00

Before I get to the 4th of July activities, I thought I would share some of the things we have been up to this week.
We were blessed to have 2 play dates with our good friends Haley and Ashlyn. They both happen to be the same ages as both of my children, so they get along great and have so much fun! Madeline and Haley never get together without spending some time playing dress-up!

Ashlyn got in on the action too and made a great Wonder Woman!
In other news, we were officially opened as a foster care home on Tuesday. We haven't gotten a call yet but will be excited to welcome a little visitor into our home when we do! With all of the talk of getting a foster child, Madeline and Will have been practicing their baby care (sorry for the blurriness of these few pictures. I am still getting used to my camera).
Are you as worried as I am about Will being in charge of a stroller? I think I will stay in control of this particular chore:)
Madeline took the liner out of her baby carrier and created sort of a sling to carry her baby around.

Today, we went to our town's annual 4th of July carnival. Madeline spent the night with her Nana and Pawpaw so she could have extra time with her cousin Emma while she was visiting them, so Will had Nathan and I all to himself. We started with a tour through the car show. Will enjoyed seeing them a lot more than last year. He is such a boy!I like the background of this picture and the look of pure concentration as Will takes everything in:

They had a little section with games for kids. Will's favorite was definitely this bubble pool with wands that made huge bubbles. I think he would have stayed at this one for several hours!

There was also a bean bag toss where kids were supposed to stand behind a line to throw. Apparently, Will did not agree with the placement of the line and found his own way to be successful at this game.

Then, it was on to face painting. Last year, he was not interested at all. This year, he was still a little shy and apprehensive (as he is with almost anything new) but willing to cooperate with some help from Daddy.

Here is the finished product and also my favorite picture taken with my new camera!

Just as we were getting a little too hot and had seen everything there was to see, my parents showed up with Madeline and Emma. So, we stayed for a little while longer and did some shopping. There were lots of cute booths with fun bows, shirts, and dresses. I got Madeline some really cute stuff. I will try to take pictures and post them later. I love homemade/etsy stuff!
Here are Madeline and Emma:

They also played all of the games and had their faces painted too. They went with a much more simple design: just a star!

I love how serious and involved Madeline looked while getting her face painted as opposed to Will who looked like he was being mildly tortured:) It's amazing how different they are!

This is my second favorite picture so far. It's not as artistic looking as the one of Will but I just think Madeline looks so beautiful! I just love those blue eyes and sweet smile!

Tomorrow, we plan to go to a BBQ at a friend's house and maybe see if there is a fireworks display to watch. I don't think I'm really ready to get some small fireworks of our own but Nathan is trying to change my mind! I hope everyone else has a great 4th. God has truly blessed America!

I can't believe June is almost over!

2010-06-26T22:48:00.005-05:00

This post is a big gathering of pictures from this month. As a teacher, I think of time in certain increments. The 2 months I have off in the summer represent a special part of my year where I get to enjoy being a SAHM. I love being a teacher and know that it is God's plan for me at this time but I am so blessed to have this time with my kids.

June 2010 will probably go down as the "Potty Training" month. We used the 3 day method and by the time we hit Day 4, things were looking really great. But, after 3 days of success, Will decided he was done with it. We have spent the last several weeks trying different ways to encourage him to try again and are making progress. As a result of this, we have stayed home a lot more than we usually do during this month. This is also in part due to the crazy hot weather we have been having. At one point, I got in my car and it said it was 114 degrees outside!

I am usually a mother who likes her kids to look put together and neat but all of this staying home has made me more relaxed about their attire, producing some interesting looks:

Here is Will in his new-found treasure: some hand-me-down cowboy boots from our friend Jack.

We are not really country people but I will say that nothing says "I am an Arkansan," like a little boy wearing a Razorback T-shirt, Lightning McQueen underwear, and cowboy boots:)
Madeline prefers to stay in her P.J.'s as long as possible in the morning. Today, she decided to add a backpack and skates.
Last Tuesday, I took Will for his milk allergy food trial in Little Rock and we had to make arrangements for Madeline because the appointment was so early and Nathan still had to teach summer school. Our good friend Mrs. Rhonda came to the rescue and invited her to sleep over that night with her daughter Lynley. Madeline was so excited and proud! She did well but told us she missed us some:) Here she is getting ready to leave with her overnight bag. Can anyone tell me how it is possible that I have a daughter old enough to go to a sleepover:)
Here she is with her friend Lynley the week before when she and her sister, Kelsey, came over to our house for the morning. I feel so blessed that Madeline has made so many good friends who we enjoy spending time with!
Will had a good time playing with Kelsey that day as well. Unfortunately, later that week, he did not pass his food trial, so no milk for another year:( At least he passed the egg trial in May.

Have I mentioned how hot it is in South Arkansas right now? About the only way we can stand being outside for any length of time is to be in the water! Madeline and Will don't mind:)

Sorry if the post seems choppy. It would probably be easier to do posts more often:) In other news, after praying for a year since Nathan changed his mind about being foster parents, he has decided to try one placement. After going through all the steps last year, Nathan started to have doubts about whether we would be a good foster family because we both work. So, we decided to wait to be opened. I was sad about this decision because I truly believe that it is a calling for me. I just kept praying for Nathan's heart to change or for me to find peace about his decision. Amazingly, out of the blue, we were called by DHS to see if we would reconsider and God helped everything to fall into place so easily. We hope to be officially opened in the next few days which will hopefully be followed by a child being placed in our home very soon! God never ceases to amaze me with His grace and plans for our family!

More Potty Training Info.

2010-06-10T09:37:00.006-05:00

We have made it to Day 4 of potty training. As you can see, Will thought it was pretty funny at this point. Day 1 resulted in 12 pairs of underwear used, Day 2 used 10 pairs, and finally, Day 3 used only 4 pairs. He has had one accident this morning but he did ask to go, he just didn't make it in time. It has required so much patience and was very different than my experience with Madeline who took the lead more with her training. I know that we are no where near claiming to be potty trained, but each time he had a success yesterday, he asked to go instead of us just taking him. We are feeling like we can take him out of the house for short outings or errands and it helps my sanity to know we can get out of the house! Will likes that too. I am so proud of all the progress he has made and am hopeful that it will continue and improve daily.

During the "Great Clean out" last week, we started to decorate our playroom. One of our purchases was a new bed for Molly and Chloe. They are getting older and prefer to spend a lot of their day lounging around, so they were very pleased with the purchase.
We also ordered beanbags for Madeline and Will to use when watching movies or reading books. We used Walmart's Site to Store free shipping and they are coming one at a time for some reason:( We got Will's blue one yesterday and he was very generous in sharing the excitement with his sister.

I am really enjoying having all this time to post. I hope everyone is enjoying getting a chance to catch up with our family.
By the way, I wrote about Nathan being up for an award and he did in fact win! It was so exciting and he really deserved it!

Lazy Summer Days!

2010-06-08T17:49:00.004-05:00

Last week, Madeline and Will spent time at Granny's house in Conway. I used the week without kids to completely clean out and and get our house organized while Nathan painted the playroom and did a few other projects around the house and outside.
Now that they are back, we decided to conquer our next big project, potty training Will. We are using a version of the 3 day method because he is almost 3 and has shown no interest or readiness at all. We decided to just go for it now that we are on summer vacation and can be more devoted to it than his preschool was.
Here he is on day one with his big boy underwear on. He picked out 2 packages at Walmart and was very excited about them. I know a lot of methods say to go bare-bottom at home, but Will does not easily adjust to change, so we thought it would be better to start with what he would need to wear right away rather than have him get used to not wearing anything and then expect him to understand how to handle underwear.
Day 1 started with him holding it for several hours and having a lot of fear about going on the potty. By the end of the day, he was more comfortable and even went a few times. We did go through 12 pairs of underwear but it was worth it to see him start to understand.
Day one also involved some jealousy from this girl who said Will was getting all the attention. Such drama! We explained to her that she had our undivided attention when she was training and tried to let her do special projects and help with the process. Unfortunately, sometimes her version of helping is a little too bossy for Will. Here she is after asking why I only took a picture of Will that morning. She wanted to world to see her with her banana:)
Today is Day 2 and it has gone okay. We've had some successes and still a lot of accidents. He has had some BM in the potty and he even told us the 2nd time before he started. It is frustrating for us today because it feels like it has been one step forward only to take one step backward 10 min. later. He never goes to the potty or tries to pull his underwear down to do it himself but he will tell us sometimes when he needs to go and we can help him. I know we just have to keep going and not let the frustration get to us. Will still thinks it's pretty funny a lot of the time though:)

I know one day, I'll look back and remember how funny it all was but tonight, I am just tired and worried that we won't see more progress tomorrow. If anyone has any good advice or tricks that might help, just let me know.

Memorial Day Fun!

2010-06-08T10:35:00.006-05:00

We spent Memorial Day weekend in Conway with Nathan's family. It started off really well when we spent a few hours at Children's finding out that Will is no longer allergic to eggs! He is now getting used to eating things like scrambled eggs, mayonnaise, and certain pasta dishes.

Then, in honor of the holiday and Poppa Henry's 60th birthday, we had a huge BBQ with family and friends. To entertain the kids, Uncle Jason brought a slip-and-slide. After working out some problems like going off the side and sliding on the wrong side, Cousin Neill and Madeline were experts!

Will didn't want to slide at first and just had a great time running through the part that shot up water to keep the slide wet.
Madeline took a break from sliding to strike a diva pose for the camera.
After they were done, we all hung out and enjoyed getting to visit with family. We even met some new family members. Here is Natalie who Madeline enjoyed playing with.
Here is brave Neill with his sword looking very tough:)
Carly was a big help in keeping all the younger kids occupied so the adults could relax and visit. Here she is entertaining them with sidewalk chalk.
Here is Aunt Jennifer and Katelyn with their sweet dog Chloe.
Jay enjoyed some time playing with his DS in the shade of the umbrella.
I was too busy eating amazing BBQ later to remember to take any more pictures but let me just tell you that the food was awesome and everyone had more than enough to enjoy and take home later. Thanks Henry family for the great time!

Can you tell I'm starting my summer break?

2010-05-24T17:53:00.007-05:00

Now, I finally have time to write a post. Also, now we have our camera problems behind us and have started taking more pictures!
It would be a little hard to catch up on everything we have been up to but here are a few more recent pictures.
What has Madeline been up to? She is playing T-ball for the first time!
She loves to hit the ball but is not so into the fielding aspect of the game. She doesn't play around in the field, but she doesn't go after any balls either:) But she does a great job of looking really cute in that uniform!

2 weeks ago, she had her second dance/gym recital. Here she is in the beginning pose of her tap dance, Pinkawonderous.

Her ballet dance was beautiful. It was a song about candles in the window that I think is on the Home Alone sound track. She amazes me with how graceful she is!

They even danced with little candles at one point, too cute!

I did not get a great gymnastics picture as I am still trying to learn to take action photos. But she did a standing back bend on her own and a front walkover. She has learned a lot for a 5 year old!

Will has been busy finishing up his time in the 2 year old preschool class. He is talking up a storm and getting over some of the things he has been so cautious about, like climbing stairs.

He is also getting really good at looking cute and mischievous all at the same time:)

Here is his more serious pose where his sweet cheeks and big brown eyes melt me:)

He is really getting into trains and keeps several set up at all times in his room.

He is also an avid "reader". His recent favorites are David books and Little Critter books.

We had to read this one several times a day until Nathan and I had it memorized and so did he!

Nathan and I go for our last day of school tomorrow, a teacher work day. I am busy moving classrooms because I am moving to kindergarten. I am very excited! Nathan is a little nervous about tomorrow because we have our end of year assembly where they announce the winners of the Teacher of Excellence Awards. It is only his 3rd year of teaching and he is one of 3 finalists for 5th through 8th grade in our whole district. I am so proud whether he wins or not!

Hopefully I can better document our summer fun now that all the camera kinks are worked out. Thanks for not giving up on me!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T15:27:00.005-06:00

I love that Valentine's Day fell on a Sunday this year because we didn't have to rush through our festivities before heading off to school.
In honor of the day, I made a delicious Cinnamon loaf with lots of yummy icing on top.

Now, poor Will cannot eat this, so he had one of his favorites, oatmeal! He really does like this a lot and Mommy knows just how to sweeten it for her boy!

Here he is between bites. He's going without a bib most of the time but he can be really messy with oatmeal and it's kind of hard to wipe off his shirt, so he is wearing one here.
Madeline loved her cinnamon bread. I love her cute bed-head! Oh, and she doesn't have anything coming out of her nose, ha! She scratched it on a table at school Friday.

After breakfast, we had a little gift-exchange. Here are the kids with their gifts. Nathan always picks out Maddie's and I get Will's.

Will couldn't wait to get into his, but as soon as he saw me getting ready to take a picture, he had to stop to say, "cheese!".

He is very into all things "Thomas" and got Harold the Helicopter and Toby the Tram. He also got a new Thomas DVD. He has been playing with them all day!

Nathan got Maddie and chihuahua Web Kinz (spelling?) She named it Lilly.

Later, they got online and Nathan set her up. She loved all of the interactive things they could do with her dog and had to take Lilly with her to church, of course!

I hope everyone who reads this had a wonderful day as well. It is nice that it was on a Sunday because who is more loving than our God! We did Children's Liturgy at church and did a whole lesson about loving your neighbor and God's love for everyone. It was great! Happy Valentine's Day!

A Typical Sunday

2010-01-31T18:03:00.003-06:00

Now that I have a working camera, I'm going to try to blog more. I still love looking back on old posts and realized that I have gotten worse and worse about posting lately. I do this to preserve our memories and want to make sure I keep up.
This is my old digital camera, so the pictures are not quite as good in quality as my other camera. As I've said before, the old card reader and rechargeable battery on my regular one went out and, because we are doing the Dave Ramsey plan, I just can't justify replacing them when my old camera will do just fine. Oh, by the way, because of the plan, we now own Nathan's education! Just 2 more pieces of debt (besides our home) to go!

I thought it might be fun to show what goes on in our house on a typical Sunday. First, of course, we go to church, then come home and eat lunch. Then we all take naps (Nathan only sometimes). Maddie especially likes this as she and I take a nap together in the "big bed" which is a special treat because she and Will do not sleep with us in our bed any other time.
After the naps, we try to truly have a peaceful relaxing day of rest as God intended. We try not to schedule anything.
Here I am after a stroll around the neighborhood. Notice, I am growing out my hair. I was originally going for the angled bob but am enjoying having some length after so many years and think I might like to let it grow more and get some long layers. It's kind of hard to see what it really looks like because I pulled back the front for my walk due to the windy weather.
Nathan did not really want me to document his Sunday, as he is kind of camera shy when he is wearing his glasses. Here he is loading the dishwasher. He is such a good husband. When I went back to teaching we agreed to split the housework more evenly. He took the dishes and I do all the laundry. It's a pretty fair trade and he is good about it. We cook more on the weekend so it's hard for the poor guy to take a break from the dishes on Sunday. I had to sneak this picture:)

A little bit later, I snuck this picture of him taking a rest on the couch. He was not happy, poor guy is so mistreated:)

Madeline likes to just play freely with her toys on Sunday. Here she is in her room with all of her baby stuff spread out all around her. She is such a nurturer. Excuse the hair. We also don't worry too much about such things on our day of rest:) This is how it looked when we woke up from our nap, and this is how it stayed:)

Will broke the day of rest by sporting his Handy Manny gear and doing some home improvement projects in the living room.

Notice the Spray N' Wash in the background. Laundry is the one chore I do on Sunday. With 2 busy adults and 2 busy kids, there is just no way around it:)

I am so thankful for Sunday's with my family. I can't think of anything better than spending the morning worshiping God and the afternoon enjoying His blessing of a day of rest. It's always just what I need to prepare my self for the week ahead.

A 2009 Recap. . . Sort of

2010-01-02T20:14:00.002-06:00

Okay, I've noticed that many bloggers are doing a recap of their year. Now, mine will be a little different. I'm just finally catching up on pictures considering I haven't posted any since Will's birthday in July. I decided to do them in separate posts based on the holiday or event. They go backwards because that was the easiest way to do it. You may notice that I am missing Thanksgiving and that is because Blogger is having trouble uploading those pictures. I have no idea why it could upload all of the other ones, but I will try again some other time. My dad has not uploaded Christmas pictures yet, so those will come later too. I have hyjacked my old camera from Nathan's classroom to use until we have room in the budget to get a new battery charger and card reader for my current camera. So, hopefully my blog will stay more updated.

Maybe one of my resolutions needs to be having a more organized and updated blog, ha!
Happy New Year!

Christmas Program 2009

2010-01-02T18:45:00.005-06:00

The kids' preschool does a great job of putting on a Christmas Program every year. Both kids really enjoy it and, I am proud to say, don't get stage fright at all. They were so excited to be up there!

Here is Will singing his little heart out! "Jesus Loves Me" was the song and this is the first time we have seen him really sing during the program since entering daycare.

They had the kids wear pajamas and Madeline's group also wore Santa hats.

Will's class also sang, "Jingle Bells" and rang their own bells. When Will saw us, I was terrified he would start crying like some of the other kids in his class were doing. But, not our Will. He just waved and yelled, "Cheese" like always and kept singing away!

Here he is singing, "Twinkle, Twinkle" with his own little star.

Madeline's favorite song was, "Jesus, What a Wonderful Child" and we all know it well as she practiced it often during the month of December. She did such a great job of singing. She knew where we were sitting but would not look directly at us. She was so focused. This year was the first time she had to memorize and say several lines. We thought she might get nervous, but she said them perfectly and made us so proud!

Even though I would prefer to stay at home with my children, I am thankful that they go to a wonderful, Christian school where Jesus was the focus of the season instead of all the more secular things. We do celebrate Christmas with Santa and gifts but still focus more on the birth of Christ and all that God has done for us.

We also focus on giving and adopted a family whose father has been laid off and is really struggling. Madeline and Will had a good time picking out clothes, toys, and food for the family. It meant so much to see how happy that father was when we pulled up with everything. He had tears in his eyes and said we were an answered prayer at a time when he was about to give up hope! That was one of my favorite memories this year!

Halloween 2009

2010-01-02T18:35:00.003-06:00

It was so fun to have both kids really get into Halloween this year. Last year, they were Dorothy and the scarecrow and Will was not into it at all. I'm not sure how to link to old posts, but if you are curious about those pictures, feel free to check Oct. 2008.
Madeline received a fairy costume from her Uncle Robbie, Aunt Gina, and Emma and decided it would make a good costume. I went to Goodwill and found all the pieces needed to make Will into a precious pirate. He also had a pirate hat but would not wear it.
I love this picture because, if you look on the left side, they are holding hands. Will was excited every time we put the costume on and just kept saying, "Cheese!" when we took his picture. Again, this was a nice change from last year!
This next shot actually caught him saying, "Cheese" with his little lisp. It also showcases his sword that I am still amazed he kept tucked into his belt at all times.

Here's Maddie showing off her beautiful wings. She was a little upset that she had to wear a sweater due to cool temperatures. I still think she looked adorable!

Again, just adorable!!!

Here's a full shot of Will. This may be one of the most practical and cute costumes I have ever put together, yet so simple and inexpensive!

They loved doing some quick trick-or-treating and enjoyed their parties at school as well. We are already planning our costumes for next year!

Madeline's 5th birthday and party

2010-01-02T18:29:00.004-06:00

My sweet girl, Madeline, turned 5 on September 22. I still can't believe that she is already 5! It sounds a lot older and now, when people ask her how old she is, they also ask if she is in kindergarten. I really feel like time has just flown by and my baby girl will be starting kindergarten next year!
Unfortunately, she woke up the morning of her birthday with a fever, so I stayed home from work with her, thinking it was just one of the 24 hour fever viruses my children are prone to catching.
Luckily, she perked up enough by that evening to open some presents. One of her favorites was a cute pink stroller for her baby dolls that she loves to play with.

I also kept Will home, so he was all smiles about his day off from school and enjoyed the extra "Mommy time." Here he is showing off his very handsome smile. It just melts my heart!

Even though she was going to have a birthday cake at her party the following Saturday, I made her some cupcakes to celebrate the day she was born. This picture, for those who know her well, shows just how poorly she was feeling by this point.

The next morning, her fever got very high and she was diagnosed with swine flu! Later that day, Will started coming down with the same symptoms and was also diagnosed with swine flu. Their daddy kept calling it "Razorback Fever." We were so worried that she would not be well in time for her party with her friends on Saturday but, thanks to Tamaflu, she was back to normal by Saturday.
Her best friend, Haley, happens to have a birthday on the 26th. So, we decided to have their party together since they would be inviting all the same people. We had it at Madeline's gymnastics/dance studio and the kids had a blast. I enjoyed the fact that the staff does all the planning. We just had to show up:)
The trampoline was a big hit! Here is Maddie in the pink and her friend Katelyn. I'm not sure who the little boy is. They also played some games and generally just ran around on the springboard floor and played on all the different equipment.

Haley and Madeline shared a princess cake and had lots of fun opening all the wonderful gifts from friends and family. It was such a nice way to celebrate these special girls! Thank you to all who came and helped us make it such a special time.

Labor Day

2010-01-02T18:20:00.003-06:00

We celebrated Labor Day at my parents' house and were excited when Aunt Gina and cousin Emma made the trip down from Little Rock for the day. Even though our South AR heat was intense, the kids still wanted to play outside a lot especially with Will's t-ball set his Aunt Lindsey and Uncle John got for his 2nd birthday.

Here is Will retrieving his hit (unfortunately it is still very close to the tee).
Madeline and Emma decided to take a quick break in the shade and watch Will and his Daddy play in the yard.

Madeline took to this game right away and made us start thinking about signing her up for a league next spring since she enjoyed it so much.

Emma also loved taking a turn with the tee. Hmmm. . . this might be a good gift idea!

As usual, we grilled out and had a great time enjoying a day off with family. Thanks mom and dad for the wonderful day!

Surprise, surprise!

2009-11-29T08:13:00.002-06:00

No, there is not any major news in our home but I'm sure it was a great surprise to my followers to see that I have finally updated my blog after many, many months. In my defense, my card reader quit, then my hard drive on my computer crashed, and finally, my special camera battery stopped charging up! It has not been a good few months in technology around our home:( We are currently working on Dave Ramsey's plan to get completely debt free so we are following a strict budget. It is going pretty well but with the holidays coming, there is not room in the budget to replace everything yet. Oh well, I will get caught up eventually. Luckily, my dad is good about taking pictures at all the family gatherings, so I will try to get to their house and upload some pictures when I get a chance.

So, here is an update on all of us for those who haven't' completely given up on reading my blog:

Nathan and I are very busy at work but having good years. He has 2 extended classes, which means he gets 1 1/2 hours with those kids instead of the usually 50 min. He likes getting to do more in depth work with them. He is still doing a great job of being a mentor to boys in the school's Gentlemen's Club. He has now taken charge and is doing wonderfully teaching these boys good behaviors and manners. I have a very smart group of kids who have wonderful and involved parents. It is so nice to know they will continue the work we do in class at home. Their children's performance shows their hard work! I have not always been so lucky in my teaching career to have so much support from parents.

Madeline is in her last year of preschool and is loving it. She is a very social little girl and loves being with her friends. She is learning to read and has really come far in her handwriting. She is also taking dance and gymnastics and is doing very well. She turned 5 on September 22, the same day she came down with the dreaded H1N1 virus. She gave it to Will as well but Nathan and I managed not to get it. Luckily, she got better in time for her birthday party that Saturday. I still can't believe I have a 5 year old who will be starting kindergarten next year!

Will has been growing and changing rapidly. He had a bit of a tough transition back to school but he got into a routine pretty quickly and now loves to go and see his friends and teachers. He is a homebody at heart but I am glad he has the opportunity to be social while he is at school. He is really starting to talk a lot. For some reason, he loves to say, "chicken samich" and "chicken spice." He is using more sentences and communicating more clearly everyday. He is still very sweet and affectionate. Unfortunately, he had his first emergency room trip last Friday after hitting the bricks on our hearth with his head. Maddie was trying to pick him up and they fell backwards. He split his forehead and had to have 3 stitches. Luckily, his Uncle Robbie the pediatrician, was in town for Thanksgiving and took his stitches out for him. It healed nicely and I don't think the scar will be too bad.

Well, that's all I have for now. I will work on pictures when I get a moment. Thanks for your patience everyone:)

Update from the past few weeks

2009-08-08T19:23:00.004-05:00

Since coming back from vacation, we have been very busy. I have been carving out some time to get my classroom ready and Nathan has been doing the same.
During all of this business, our precious baby boy turned 2! I guess I can't really call him a baby anymore because 2 sounds so much older than 1:) His birthday was on July 27 and we had a simple celebration at home. I made him special milk/egg/peanut-free cupcakes with icing, which he devoured. The rest of us thought they were pretty good; different but good.
All of our family that could not be present sent him some wonderful gifts. He was not that into opening gifts because he was so interested in the first one he opened and just wanted to play with it. After much coaxing and a little help from Madeline, he opened everything.
Will loves to pretend to cook, so his Uncle Robbie, Aunt Gina, and cousin Emma sent him this neat food set that you can pretend to cut. It is a big hit with both kids.

Maddie picked out a Handy Manny tool belt and visor as her gift to Will. He loves to wear the outfit and the visor must face backward (like his Daddy).

We gave him another Sesame Street stuffed animal. He loves his Cookie Monster but also has a great love for Elmo. He was so excited and just kept saying Elmo, Elmo over and over again when he realized what it was.

Here he is showing off his Handy Manny accessories.

Madeline enjoyed the festivities but said she is ready for her turn. September 22 can't come soon enough!

Speaking of Madeline, here is one of her new favorite past times. She gets dressed up and then climbs in the tub with all of her baby dolls. When I asked her what she was doing, she said, "My babies kept asking me to come in here!"

We had a wonderful visit with Susan and Setler right after Will's birthday. They stayed for almost 3 days and we had a great time! Will and Setler were getting ready to watch a movie in the playroom in this picture. Thanks for coming! You guys are welcome anytime.

My big 2 year old also has something new he enjoys doing. He loves to get all of his cars and line them up on the back and arms of the couch. He drives them around and it is just so cute and boyish to me!

In honor of your birthday, I wanted to record some of my many thought about by precious boy:

Will,

These first 2 years we have spent with you have been wonderful. You are so special and unique to us, with your laid back attitude and your sweet affectionate nature. You are such a boy but also have such a kind and tender heart. You love to give big bear hugs and wet kisses and Daddy and I just can't get enough of them. Your favorite toy right now is a silver and pink mini-van with a little family sitting inside. You love to drive it around like it is a race car but are so sweet when you make sure all the family members are in their seats. You are talking more and more although we're not always sure how to translate. You like telling the dogs no by saying, "No Coldie (aka Chloe)!" even if its Molly. You have the cutest run because you really pick up your feet when you do it. You have gotten picky about eating but are so good with a fork and spoon. You love to have your Cookie, Elmo, and Chloe animals in bed even though you show them affection by chewing on their faces. You like your big boy bed but think it means you don't have to take a nap. I have loved watching you change and develop this year and can't wait to see what I have to say when you turn 3!

I am very happy and blessed to have you in my life. God is so good!!!

Ft. Morgan, Alabama

2009-07-22T17:38:00.005-05:00

We just got back from a trip to the beach. We are normally Destin people, but decided to try something new and went to Ft. Morgan, AL. It is about 20 min. from Gulf Shores. Nathan's sister did a great job of planning and found us all a great beach house that had beautiful views and plenty of space. Thank you Jennifer!
I posted these first 2 pictures because I was so amazed at how well Maddie and Will handled the trip down. They were happy and just sort of hung out even when we got stuck in traffic for 2 hours in Gulf Shores!
Here's Madeline with her twin babies, Allie and Annie.

Here's Will with his trusty side-kicks, Chloe (named after our black dog) and Cookie Monster.

Here are all of the girls that came to the beach. Nathan's sister Jennifer, her daughter Carly, Nathan's mom Donna, me, Madeline, and Nathan's brother's wife Mary Martha. We were all dressed up to go to dinner.

Here are all the cousins on the Henry side, lined up by height: Will, Madeline, Neill, Jay, Carly, and Nicholas. We missed the oldest cousin, Katelyn, but understand that she had some important stuff going on at home in Fayetteville.

Here is Nathan with his parents and brother and sister. It is rare to get their family together for a picture and I thought this one turned out pretty well.

This was both kids first time at the beach. We weren't sure how they would like the ocean and sand but they loved it! Nathan had fun burying Maddie in the sand to create a mermaid look. The tail lacked detail because Maddie, much like her Mama, has some claustrophobic issues and couldn't stand to buried for that long:)

Neill was much more tolerant:) Nathan first dug a hole in the sand that was deep enough for him to stand up in and then buried him up to his neck. It was so fun and cute!

My kids did so well at the beach, that I got some great sunning time and even read the 1st 2 Twilight Books in 3 days!

Nathan and his fair skin was the only one to get any kind of sun burn, so he did less sunning and more playing with the kids in the ocean and sand. Here he is under the trustly umbrella.

For some reason, some of my pictures turned out hazy and I am no Photoshop pro, so sorry! Will was entertained by the most random things on this trip. This day, he played with a snorkel for a long time and was happy as a clam!

Madeline did not want to go to far into the ocean but was so content to play at the edge. She could not get enough of this!

Here is another fun random beach toy: A bungee cord and the pole of the umbrella. This occupied Will for about 45 min. I love the background of this picture and how precious he looks!

Overall, it was a fantastic trip and we really enjoyed getting to spend more time with Nathan's family. I can't wait to take the kids back again, now that we know how much they love it:)

Will Has Big Boy Hair!

2009-07-10T09:27:00.004-05:00

Will has not had any kind of a haircut since he was born. He will be 2 on July 27. This is strange for us as Madeline has always had a lot of hair and had her first haircut at 6 months! In the past six months or so, he has grown some beautiful curls that we really enjoyed. But, the curls are starting to get out of control, especially in our South Arkansas humidity and heat!
Here is the side view of the curls:

Here is the back view. If he was a girl, he would probably have beautiful ringlets:)

So, yesterday, we took him to my salon and had our friend, Michelle, give him his first haircut. He was not into it at all. He had to sit in my lap and needed a sucker just to get through.
After getting the sucker, he did pretty well until she pulled out the clippers to trim up the sides and back. At that point, Nathan had to just hold his head still and let him cry. But, it was over quickly and I could not believe how much older he looked!
Here is the side view:

and here is the back view. I miss the pretty curls but also think the big boy look is just adorable! I may be biased, but I just think he is the most handsome little boy:)

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T12:32:00.002-05:00

I love my country and want to teach my children to do the same. Nathan let me sleep in this morning as I have been getting up early to exercise before it gets so hot. When I came into the family room, Madeline told me all about what the 4th of July celebrated and it was so cute to hear her version.
Later, we headed to our high school football stadium where a cute little festival was set up. It was typical for a small southern town: an antique car show, a few jewelry booths, snow cones, a patriotic pet show, and a few booths with games. Maddie and Will played a fishing game and this was Will's chosen prize. I'm sure it will provide lots of fun around our house for the next few days. I love the look on his face here. It is so typical of the "Mine!" toddler phase he is in.

Next, we hit the face painting booth. Will will not let someone paint on his face, so we gave Maddie her dollar and she went up to the booth. She was a little undecided about what to get.
Our local Camp Fire girls were the painters and they were so sweet and really took their time to make it look cute. Maddie did a great job of being really still.

Here is the final product. Red, White, and Blue stars for the occasion.

They also had a great time jumping on one of those jumping castles. It was Will's first time and we weren't sure what he would think, but he loved it and we had a hard time getting him off once their time was up. I tried to get a good picture but my camera does not do well with action shots. I'll have to see if my dad's camera did any better.

We left after about an hour because it was getting pretty hot and headed home. But these happy faces show just how much fun they had celebrating!

Happy Anniversary (a little early)!

2009-06-28T21:38:00.009-05:00

Almost 7 years ago (June 29, 2002), Nathan and I were married in a beautiful ceremony at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Conway, AR.
We met during my sophomore year in college at the Sig Ep house on campus. We were friends for a few months and started dating in January of 2000. Our relationship was pretty calm and loving with no dramatic fights or break-ups along the way. We were so happy to be together and it just felt right. Almost 2 years after we started dating, Nathan proposed to me in front of my whole sorority in what was a very sweet, surprise proposal. It was funny to see all of my friends, in the video my parents insisted he have someone make when he called to ask for their blessing (they lived in Atlanta, GA at the time), with tears streaming down their faces because of the amazing way he proposed. I knew they were so happy for me.
So, that following June, we were married. Neither of us were nervous as we felt so blessed by God to have found each other. Once again, it just felt right.

We ended up moving to Atlanta, GA six months after we got married, where I started my elementary teaching career and Nathan entered the corporate world with Home Depot. We bought our first house and quickly became pregnant with our first child, Madeline. Before she was born, we took a trip to Destin, FL for our 2nd anniversary.

My love for Nathan grew as I watched him become a father. He couldn't wait for Madeline to be born and I will never forget the look on his face when he finally got to meet her in September of 2004.

After she was born, we enjoyed adjusting to our life as new parents although it was definitely hard, at times. We missed our family back in Arkansas and Nathan was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with corporate life. He did not like the long hours working and commuting and wanted to find a career that had more meaning. So, in late November of 2005, we moved to Helena, AR to run a group home for teen girls. It was a challenging job but one that we felt was important. Unfortunately, the company we worked for made some decisions that we could not support and we felt our family life was being compromised. We had visited my parents in their new town in South Arkansas and decided to move there when Nathan found the ideal graduate program that would allow him to get his Masters and become a certified teacher. So, we settled into our 2nd home and in July 2007, we welcomed our 2nd child, William.Shortly after Will was born, Nathan started his 1st teaching job and proved that he had found his ideal career. I stayed at home for Will's first 6 months and then returned back to the classroom in January 2008. We have been enjoying being the parents of 2 while both being teachers and have learned a lot along the way.

So, for those who stuck it out, that is the short version of our last 7 years together. It has been an amazing ride full of joy, laughter, excitement, fear, frustration, and lots of love. I know that God truly blessed me when Nathan came into my life. I look forward to many wonderful years with him and all of the blessings that will come into the next years our lives together.

(Hey, before you know it, we will have a child who is old enough to take a picture of us without having to look up:)

Another Fun Snack and some Water Play

2009-06-09T19:07:00.005-05:00

Last week's trip to Whole Foods also brought Will his first taste of yogurt today. I was really unsure of how this would go over because it is so different from anything he has had before.
Madeline had her Dora yogurt and was acting silly, wanting me to take her picture. Sorry about the darkness of this picture. My camera is really tempermental (or at least that is what I claim, it might just be user-related).

Will made a funny face after his first taste but ended up really liking it. I think he would have licked the bowl if I had let him:) By the way, all of a sudden, he has gotten really good with a spoon and insists on feeding himself at all times. This is a big step for a child who preferred to eat the fast way, shoving the food into his mouth with his hands!

This afternoon, Nathan went to buy a new wading pool for the kids. He set up our slide so that they could slide into the water and they played happily for over an hour before dinner. Here's Will showing off his farmer's tan. His lower arms and legs look so much darker than his chest:)

Madeline really loved the slide and did all sorts of tricks on it. This is her favorite bathing suit because it shows her belly. Her Daddy is not sure what to think of this:)

Will had the best time with this big bubble wand. But, I had to pry it out of his hands when he started flinging the soap everywhere:) Notice his most recent injury. He took a spill on his Granny's deck last weekend. He is a little clumsy (like his Mommy) and doesn't always pay attention to where he is going. Nathan said he was playing the guitar and Will was just dancing away when he fell (that he might get more from Nathan:).

Maddie kept trying to "wash" Will's hair and he was not into that! I does look like he's laughing here but I believe he was screaming at her and she just acted like she didn't even hear him!

I promised more pictures of Madeline's new haircut. I took this yesterday when she wanted a picture of the card she made. Good luck to the recipient of this card. I hope they are good at reading the fine print! The haircut is so cute on her, despite the pained look. She is always trying to pose and this one went wrong, I think:)

I'm really loving my break. I can't believe I actually posted 2 days in a row! June may be a record Blogging month for me:)

Summer Fun!

2009-06-08T19:44:00.003-05:00

Well, we've been off of school for 2 weeks now and we are getting down to some summer fun! Nathan spent the first week demolishing our kitchen and the next week putting in the new stuff while I completely cleaned and reorganized our whole house. Now, we have more time to enjoy each other. Nathan is teaching summer school in the morning, so the kids and I are keeping busy. Today, we went to story time at the library and had some nice play time at home. One fun thing that happened involved this:

Madeline watched, feeling slightly like we were doing something wrong. . . .

. . . as Will ate pudding for the first time!!!

Last Tuesday, he went for his milk food trial but, sadly, did not pass. He got hives around his mouth and they stopped after only about 1 or 2 ounces. They say that he must be getting close because that was the only reaction and it cleared up quickly. So, feeling sorry for my little boy who misses out on some fun treats, my mom and I went to Whole Foods and found some good milk, egg, and peanut free foods for him to eat. He seemed a little weirded out by the texture at first, but loved it and actually cried when it was all gone.

We also had a little crafting time this morning. Will is not overly interested in this but did color for a little while.

Note: He is sitting on our new kitchen floor but I still don't plan to post any more pictures until everything is done:)

Maddie loves to craft. She sat at our table with paper, markers, scissors, and glue for a while. She said she was making cards for people.

Do you like her new haircut? We decided that her long hair was looking more and more rough the longer it got and we missed her with the cute bob style. I'll try to find some better shots of it another time.

I hope everyone else is enjoying their summer!

Random Catch Up Pictures

2009-05-30T13:35:00.006-05:00

I'm sitting here at my parent's house because I could not stand another afternoon of trying to keep Maddie and Will out of the way while my kitchen is being worked on! The old kitchen was completely torn out and the new cabinets and appliances are in the process of being installed. I'll do another post about it when there are some pretty after pictures.

So, I thought I'd do some catching up with pictures my Dad has taken.

In March, something big happened in our house. Maddie decided, on her own, that she wanted to give up her night-night and sucking her thumb. She asked that, if she did, could she get her ears pierced. After a week of sleeping night-night free, we took her to get the job done and she was so excited!

However, no amount of excitement could change the fact that it does indeed hurt to have your ears pierced.

After lots of comfort and a trip to our favorite bakery, she was feeling great about the earrings!

Soon after, Madeline and I took a trip down to Texas with my parents to visit her Great Grandma and Grandpa Taylor. Their neighbors have a beautiful yard and my Dad took some great pictures. He took lots of picture while she played and caught this great shoot of her spinning around. She says that she was pretending to be Thumbalina.

This picture was my favorite because it is a common expression of hers when she looks up at me.

Here are my 2 brothers and I after John's law school graduation. Can you see the family resemblance? I'm so proud of my brothers and all they've achieved. Robbie is a pediatrician and is about to move to Tampa, FL to do a fellowship in Allergy/Immunology. I will hate having him and his family so far away! John and his wife Lindsey both graduated and are studying for the bar. They will be moving here to persue clerking jobs with 2 different judges in the area.

Here is Robbie and Gina's precious daughter, Emma. She is 2 1/2 and is very smart and fun to play with. I love when she has these cute pigtails in!

Here is a sweet picture of Will when he is not trying to attack the camera. I wish you could see the back of his hair. It has gotten so curly! Also, he wanted me to tell you that he has big news of his own! He has given up his paci and now sleeps in a big boy bed. Sigh! Where did my babies go?

My dad has an incredible camera with several great lenses, so he was able to get some good action shots at Maddie's recital.

I love this one of her going into a cartwheel!

Don't you think she has a pretty arabesque?

Now, I will keep saving so that one day, I will have a camera that takes wonderful pictures like these!

Traveling With and Without Children

2009-05-20T20:34:00.002-05:00

My baby brother graduated from Law School last weekend, so we all headed up to Central and Northwest Arkansas to join the celebration. We had made the decision that, since the trip to Fayetteville is about 5 1/2 hours away, we would drop Madeline and Will at Granny's house in Conway instead. This was a mere 2 1/2 hour trip, surely that would be easy and fun, right?
Look how entertained Will is by this driving toy (excuse the blurry picture, we so need a new camera!).
Madeline is enjoying watching Enchanted for the 1000th time. She's even smiling because she is enjoying the ride, right?

Let me just say that these pictures were taken while I was leisurely riding along during the first 30 min. of the trip. Now, please notice that there are no more pictures of the rest of that drive because I was too busy trying to hand Will new toys/books to entertain him, only to have the thrown back a me! Madeline got tired of the movie and opted to entertain herself by whining and asking how much longer. We survived somewhat precariously by playing a Kidz Bop (sp?) CD found in a Happy Meal several times and bringing out the snacks, slowly, until we were close to Conway.

After getting both kids settled with Granny, we were on our way, kid-free. Now, please know that I love and adore my children, but Nathan and I RARELY ever go anywhere or do anything without at least one of them! So, this was so nice in contrast to the 1st part of the drive. We had such wonderful conversation and enjoyed the beautiful scenery on the way to Fayetteville.

We even stopped in a little town called, Alma so that Nathan could get some German Chocolate Ice Cream at Braums.

Then, when I went into a gas station to get a can of Dr. Pepper to pour over my wonderful Sonic ice that was left from my first drink stop in Conway (you just can't let it go to waste!), I found something amazing! The biggest can of Dr. Pepper I had ever seen. Now, for those who don't know, I LOVE Dr. Pepper!!! I even give it up every year for Lent because it is a BIG sacrifice for me. I wonder if I will ever find a can like this again?

The rest of the trip was wonderful. So wonderful, in fact, that I forgot to take anymore pictures. Oh well. I'm really trying to improve!

My Growing Guy

2009-05-14T21:50:00.002-05:00

My last post was all about Madeline, so I thought I'd give a good update on Will. He is now 22 months old. Let me tell you, it has flown by for me. I feel like he was this little guy just yesterday with almost no hair and still looking small in his highchair (this is him at about 8 months old).
Now, he has always been a big guy, coming into this world 2 weeks early at 9lbs 5oz! But, all of a sudden, my sweet baby boy is turning into a very cute but grown-up looking little boy. He is in the 75-95 percentile in height and weight! Here he is in his cute Easter sweater vest. When you see him next to Maddie, it looks like he will be the same height in no time, even with the 3 year age difference. He already weighs as much, even on his ultra-healthy food allergy diet. He has still not had to have a haircut but there is a cute cluster of curls at the back of his head. Nathan says we have to be careful not to let them turn into a mullet. We may live in South Arkansas but no mullets are allowed in this family!

I think he still looks a lot like Nathan, but people do tell me he looks like me from time to time. He does have my darker complexion and my brown eyes, which is nice considering Madeline is a mini, female version of Nathan.

Please excuse the stained bib. Most of you already know I have issues with the slobber. I just can't stand for him to wear a soaked shirt but refuse to buy new bibs because I just keep thinking it has got to stop sometime soon. He's almost 2! I did find some measure of comfort in my trusty Parenting magazine who said it is still normal at this age. Whew! Now I'll just have to find something else to worry about.

Speaking of worrying about Will, we are having to do less and less of it. He was a very late walker, but is starting to run around and climb a lot. My P.T. friends should be pleased with all of that gross-motor progress. He is also talking a lot more, something that was becoming a concern about 6 months ago. He says a lot of words, repeats almost anything, and is starting to use a few short sentences. His favorites are: "I go outside" and "I sing ABC". He does love to play outside but we now have a big poison ivy problem in the backyard, so it is a little harder to do. If anyone has a full-proven way to get rid of it safely, please speak up!

He is much more shy than Maddie ever thought about being but warms up to most people pretty quickly.

He loves being in the toddler class at his school after being in the baby room for so long.

Lately, I just love watching him play and interact with Madeline. It makes me so glad that they have each other!

We also had good/bad news in the food allergy department. At his latest check-up, he still tested positive for milk and eggs and has now added peanuts on the skin scratch test. But, his blood work all came up negative!!! That means that he is eligible for a food trial. We will start with milk, when we can get an appointment. The trial has to be done at the hospital, just in case. Please pray that the milk trial works. It is so hard to find foods with absolutely no dairy in them at all, especially in this more rural area. It would open up a whole new world of food for him as well. I'll update when the food trial happens!

Madeline is a Star!

2009-05-10T21:18:00.003-05:00

This year was Madeline's first year to take dance and gymnastics. We debated about whether to start earlier, but her recital this weekend made us glad we waited. She really learned a lot a knew her dances well. She made me so proud with the mature way she stood on that stage and was not intimidated at all. She was just beautiful.

Our dance studio decided a while ago to split the performances into 3 different recitals as it was lasting until midnight when they did them all together.
So, Saturday afternoon was gymnastics. Maddie's class theme was Wonder Woman. It was so fun to see these little 3 and 4 year olds in these cute costumes. She had such a great straddle roll, cartwheel, back bend, and toe-touch. We had to tape the boots to the tights on her little bitty legs but they held!

Saturday night was the tap/clogging/jazz recital. Maddie's class danced to a cute song about eggs and Easter. They were precious in their yellow dresses. We were worried about the hat (not pictured here) but it also held with some creative bobby-pinning. This was her favorite dance and she sang the song and did all her steps just right. She was especially excited about having her hair curled!

Today was the ballet/lyrical/point recital. Maddie's class did a dance to a really sweet song about nightlights and going to sleep. They even had their own battery nightlights that they danced with. This was my favorite dance and it made me tear up just watching how sweet they were. She looked so grown up with her hair in a bun and she was so graceful!
We did video tape each performance but didn't want to upload all of that right now. Also, I prefer to watch the actual performance instead of spending it behind a camera snapping pictures so we don't have any pictures of the performance on my camera. My dad did come and take some great pictures during her dress rehearsal. I will try to upload them the next time we head out to their new house in the country:)

Maddie left each recital excited about what the big girls did and learning those things herself someday. I'm so glad she has found an activity that she enjoys so much. She did not complain one bit even with all the waiting and watching. She just soaked it all in and loved it! I'm just so proud:)

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T17:27:00.002-05:00

I have always loved Mother's Day. Even before we had children, Nathan would give me gifts from our dogs. I am very close to my own mother and love getting a special chance to show my appreciation to her.
I have seen a lot of really great posts from the various "Mommy Blogs" that I follow and felt that I needed to add one of my own. So here I go. . . .

I have had to make some big decisions about what kind of mommy I am able to be recently. We all know the labels: SAHM, Work at Home Mom, and Work Out of the Home Mom. In the blogs I follow, most are SAHMs who would not have it any other way. One (that I love to read still) even said that this Mother's Day was more special now that she gets to SAH full time because, before, her babysitter did most of her child's raising. This post made me happy for her but sad that some view WOHMs as ones who have less meaning in their child's upbringing. I have actually had all 3 mommy labels in the past and know, from this experience, that I have been just as involved in my children's' lives regardless of the label. There are 14 children in Madeline's preschool class, who all have the same teacher, but are remarkably different. That is because they all have different mommies and daddies who are raising them. Even though they are in daycare during the work week, their parents' impact is huge. Time does not always mean more impact.
As all who read this blog know, we have been trying to put me in the SAHM job for a while because it is what I would love to do. I would love to be there for every minute but circumstances dictate that I will work, for the time being. So, I am thankful to the wonderful people who care for my children when I am not able to. Most of those wonderful people are working mothers, like me, who miss their own children but are having to serve their families in other ways.
This all probably seems like a lot of rambling and I am not really trying to start some kind of debate. I just want everyone out there to know that, no matter what your mommy label is, you are a wonderful gift to your children whether you spend every moment with them or every morning, evening, and weekend. Thank you to those who help mothers as well, we could not do it without you!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

A Decision Has Been Made

2009-04-21T20:53:00.002-05:00

Well, after a lot of prayers and many serious discussions between Nathan and I, we have decided that I will keep working. We are not sure how long, but I do feel at peace with this decision. It is hard to explain all the reasoning but basically, we are just not prepared to live on his income. Those who know us best know that we already live a pretty frugal life. There is just not much we can cut out and leave enough for all of the little "extra" surprises that seem to pop up each month.

I have had a little bit of a hard time moving on, but I know that God will direct me in the path I need to go and , for now, this is what He would have me do. I feel a peace that I never felt when I was juggling how we were going to make it work on Nathan's income and I know that is because it was not the right decision. Nathan has been wonderful in all of this and reminds me daily of what a truly wonderful man I married.

So, with that decision made, we had to move on to the other one. We are not going to start foster care right now. I want to be able to be the best possible foster parents we can be and don't feel that we would be able to serve our desired age group as well if I am working full time. It is something that we will re-visit each year and feel that we will do it sometime in the future.

Now, we go on and live a life that I hope makes God very proud. I will still throw myself into motherhood and wifehood (is that even a word?) with everything that I have while making sure that I also continue to work to be the person God wants me to be. I look forward to another year in the wonderful world of 1st grade and hope that God will use me to do His work in this part of my life. I will keep reminding myself that there are many wonderful and amazing mothers in this world who work outside the home (my mom included) and that there is no perfect and exacting prescription for raising children the "right" way. I will turn to God when I am faced with people who think this choice is somehow selfish and materialistic and know that this was a difficult decision that was made carefully and with love.

Thank you to those who I talk to more often in "real life" for your support and listening ears.

I will try to find time in this busy time of year to post more pictures. Both kids are growing and changing so fast right now and I can't wait to spend this summer with them!!!

God Bless!

I'm finally back!

2009-03-27T13:40:00.003-05:00

Okay, I've been on a blogging hiatus for almost 3 months. It has not been intentional. First, I was just busy after going back to work after Christmas Break. Then, we looked like we would have a change in the plans I posted about last time and I just felt weird and kind of sad posting about the changes. But, I'm back. I've kept up with everyone else and hope you haven't given up on me.

Now, for some updating. After taking the steps to become a SAHM, our heater went out. Then, other expenses started to creep up on us and we were really feeling the pressure. Also, everyone at work kept telling me how terrible it was that I was leaving because they thought I was such a good teacher and would really be missed. One of my co-workers, whose daughter will be in 1st next year, even started trying to talk me into teaching for just one more year so that she could have me. Then we realized that, if I do stay at home, Maddie will have to sit out of preschool because it is super expensive and there is not a more cost-effective alternative. All of this combined made me start to have 2nd thoughts. Can we afford such a change? Am I wasting my teaching talent? Is it okay for Maddie to miss a year of preschool before kindergarten? Can I teach her as well at home? So, I told my boss and Nathan that I felt that I would need to keep working and thought that was that. I would keep working, we would put off foster parenting, and just wait for a time that we could better afford this lifestyle change.

Well, then we got a call from DHS to set up our first in-home meeting. We had been waiting and waiting and then just planned to tell them never mind, we are not ready. Then, I started thinking that we could still be foster parents, the babies will just have to go to daycare. The DHS person came and met with us and BOOM!!! All of my feelings about wanting to stay at home with my own children and a foster child came flooding back. I felt like I had made a rushed decision to keep working in fear, feeling all the pressure of the expectations of everyone around me.

I still have not made a decision one way or the other. I'm glad that I still have plenty of time to change my mind and really pray and think things through. I just need to look to God and really weigh the outcome more carefully. Needless to say, Nathan is a little put out with the roller coaster of my decisions and just wants to be settled one way or the other. He tends to lean toward me working because of financial concerns but is willing to support the decision for me to stay at home.

Now, if you have had enough patience to actually read all of this, I would love to hear your advice. I know that I follow blogs who are very diverse and would love to hear everyone's perspective. Is the financial worry of letting go of half our income worth it? Thank you in advance for reading and for any advice you have!

Here are a few pictures too:

Madeline had dance pictures a few weeks ago, and we sponge-rolled her hair for the first time. I thought she just looked precious walking around in the rollers that I had to catch it. I had planned to have a cute after picture, but we made the mistake of not drying her thick hair more before putting in the rollers and the curls did not hold because it was still pretty damp. We had to go to plan B and use a curling iron when we got there. Live and learn!

They also recently had a day for parents to come watch and I enjoyed every minute of it. I had to take a 1/2 day of work since her dance is at 1:30 but it was so worth it. I need to crop and zoom in better on this but thought it was tool cute not to share before. Madeline is the 2nd from the left in the bright pink.

Well, we took the plunge!

2009-01-09T19:50:00.004-06:00

I told my principal that Nathan and I had been doing a lot of soul searching and financial planning and I will most likely not be back next year. I won't turn my official resignation to the school district until spring but felt I needed to be honest so that she can find a great replacement for next school year.

I can't believe that I am going to be a SAHM for the first time, as we treated my time at home after having Will as more of an unpaid maternity leave. If all goes well, I will stay at home until Will starts school.

It has been a real lifestyle change but I think that we have been smart by living a more simple lifestyle while we still have my income. Its made it possible for us to pay some things off and really begin piling up our savings. It has been a walk of faith for me and I feel that my relationship with God is really becoming stronger. Before, I wanted to control every aspect of my life very carefully and now I'm relying on Him more and more and I feel such a peace at letting go.

We are also looking into becoming foster parents to babies. We are just starting the preliminary paperwork and seeing about getting into the classes. It will probably take a long time but is something that has been on our hearts since we stopped running the group home. We would plan to only have one at a time as our car will not support more than 3 small children and a mini-van is definitely not in the new budget anytime soon.

I'm sure that some who are close to me will not think that we are making a wise decision. Someone asked me recently, when talking about our choice, why we were making any changes when our kids seem to be happy, well-adjusted kids already. I was a little stumped at first, but then all of a sudden the Good Lord put the right words in my mouth. I told this person that I could have the material luxuries that my job provides or the luxury of more time with my children. When put that way, it was an easy decision for me. This person understood completely and was accepting of our decision. I'm not so sure we will be as lucky with other people in our lives but know in our hearts what is best for us.
Please keep us in your prayers as we embark on very uncharted territory for us. It is wonderful and scary all at the same time. I'm sure that through prayer and faith in Him, it will become even more wonderful and less scary everyday.

And, just for fun, here are a few pictures of the kids from last weekend. We have a dear friend who was sick in a very plain and ugly hospital room. We decided to create some artwork to brighten it up. So, please add our friend, Jo, to your prayers. She is having a hard time getting over her pneumonia.

Oh, and in new news, Will is really walking a lot now! He does still crawl some, when it is more convenient, but walks a lot. He has the funniest gait, like Charlie Chaplin and, you can tell he was in the cruising phase for a long time because sometimes I'll catch him side-stepping when he could just go forward. Too cute!

Not Me Monday (a day early)

2009-01-04T21:59:00.003-06:00

Okay, I've only done Not Me Monday one other time before but thought I would give it another try.

1. I did not find myself so lazy that I did not feel up to figuring out how to link my Not Me Monday to MckMama's blog. I am very computer savvy and never feel intimidated by others' blogging abilities.
2. I did not get the giggles when I was uploading pictures and found this slightly blurry picture of our dog Molly looking as if she is casting some kind of spell with her eyes. I am a very mature woman who deletes such nonsense and would never go so far as to actually post it on her blog for anyone to see.
3. I did not, out of laziness, decide to try giving my food obsessed 17 month old a whole half of a banana instead of cutting it up into small pieces. I know my child very well and would have stopped myself, realizing that. . . . .

. . . he would decide to shove as much of it as possible into his mouth at one time! I am a very responsible parent who takes chocking hazards very seriously.4. I did not get so relaxed during my holiday from work that I let my children's play room get to this point. I am a wonderful housekeeper and would never use my children's nap time to read a book instead of organizing such a mess. My children's play room would never look like this one.

5. I did not have as much fun as my children playing with all of the new Christmas toys. I most certainly did not have fun organizing all of the new Little People toys into a little village after my kids went to bed at night. I spend that time cleaning up and reorganizing, not playing with the toys of a 1 and 4 year old!

I hope everyone has a great Monday!

Now for the Good Pictures!

2009-01-01T17:46:00.003-06:00

On Christmas Day, Madeline got a bathrobe from her Great Mema and modeled it for everyone. Can you tell Nathan is her Daddy? I guess I was purely responsible for birthing her:)
Will was more into collecting wrapping paper than actually finishing opening gifts or playing with what was inside them. He was really cute trying to fit as much paper in his hands as he could.

My parents refurbished an older family bike for Maddie to learn on. She took it for its first spin right in their living and dining room.

Right after my parents got settled into their new house, they decided to get a new dog. They adopted this puppy from a rescue shelter and named her Macy. She is supposed to be a shitzo (sp?) beagle mix. We will all be interested to see what she looks like full grown but she sure is a cute puppy.

Oh, and just a quick side note. I also celebrated my 29th birthday on Dec. 28th. It was a quiet celebration but nice. I am not unhappy about turning 30 next year because I know what blessed life I have had and just feel grateful for each and every year.

Happy New Year everyone!

Merry Christmas Update

2008-12-30T15:01:00.004-06:00

I will do my best to update you all on everything without making this too long of a post.

Christmas came to our house and was a lot of fun! Will's main gift was this really cute Little People car garage. He also got the Little People airport from Aunt Gina and Uncle Robbie and it is too cute.
Madeline's big gift was this dollhouse. Other family members got her different rooms and a mini-van to go with the house and family. She has already spent a lot of time playing with this and I think it will be fun for her for several years.

We spent lots of time with both sides of the family. Will really enjoyed getting to interact with everyone and was walking around a lot. He still likes to crawl but really wanted to be like the big kids and walk around. He also gave everyone lots of his good snuggles. I caught him hanging out with Poppa Henry in his chair.

Right before we went on Christmas Break, the kids school had a program. Will's class came in riding in their 6 seater buggy. They rang (or some chewed on) their jingle bells to the music. Will was not shy at all. He just kept looking around and started smiling. He really enjoyed himself. For those of you who don't know, he's the one on the right on the 2nd row wearing green and white pajamas.

Maddie's class sang. . . . you guessed it, Go Tell it on the Mountain. She sang with all her heart but looked a little nervous standing up there. It was fun to see everyone in their pajamas and Maddie was excited to wear her new Christmas p.j.'s and Hello Kitty house shoes.

I have really been enjoying spending so much extra time with the kids. It just reinforces our convictions that the kids need me at home and we are working even more diligently to make that happen after this school year. God has been so good to us and I pray that we are taking the path He would want.

Here is a close-up of my beautiful girl. This picture doesn't do her beautiful light blue eyes justice. I sometimes feel like I blinked and she went from a cute, chubby baby/toddler, to this very grown-up looking preschooler.

Speaking of growing up fast, this little man is getting so tall. He got lots of new winter clothes for Christmas because he is outgrowing everything so quickly. He melts my heart daily with his sweet smiles and affectionate nature.

I will say that the slobber is out of control! I can't believe I didn't have a bib on him and recall that this shirt was quite soaked shortly after this was taken. When will it ever stop????

Maddie asked me to take the next picture as she feels she is 4 going on 13. She loves all things "girl" and parades around in jackets with purses and fancy shoes all the time. Please don't grow up too fast sweet girl!

My dad took many more Christmas pictures with this nicer camera and I plan to post them when I can get over to use their computer.

By the way, what do you all think of my new layout. I like the background but wonder if it looks to Christmasy (sp?) and I should change it soon. Let me know what you think:)

Prepare to be Shocked!

2008-12-12T20:48:00.004-06:00

I actually figured out how to get a video clip from my camera onto my blog with minimal help from Nathan!

Let me say that there is a lot going on in this video. I was actually taking still pictures of the kids and Will was walking around by himself. So, I thought I would brilliantly capture it on the camera instead of the camcorder. You will see that this plan did not work so I had Maddie perform her program song to entertain us while Will decided to keep rearranging the refrigerator magnets. I love how he decided to chime in on the song partway through while having the pink paper fall on his face. This is very representative of free time in our house.

For those of you who might not have noticed by my voice and Maddie's. . . yes, we're definitely from the South:)

But, didn't Maddie do a great job with her song. More to come on that Monday night after their program. I will also keep trying to catch Will walking for everyone.

I have such a wonderful husband!

2008-12-12T12:31:00.003-06:00

Okay, for some reason, blogger uploaded this picture first and I don't know how to switch things around. So, let's all take a moment to smile and admire this handsome little man's "funny" face. I mean, I may be a little biased, but isn't he just one of the cutest babies you have every seen:)

Now, back to business. . .
If the time is posted on this particular blog, you might be wondering what I am doing at home at this time on a weekday. Well, I'm spending the day with my poor sick little girl.

Apparently, she was throwing up all night.

My wonderful husband woke me up around 11:00 to say that Maddie wasn't feeling well and he was going to lay with her for just a little bit to make sure she was okay. I was fine with that because I was pretty tired and had been asleep since 9:30. I woke up in the morning and thought he just feel asleep in Maddie's room because I hadn't heard anything during the night and I'm a notoriously light sleeper. But, I found the infamous bowl in Maddie's room and a very tired Daddy that told me she had been sick all night. I told him that he should take a sick day and stay home and rest with Maddie but he had already taken a day with Will earlier in the week (pink eye). So, it was my turn to take a sick day and I felt just awful that Nathan had to go teach all day after such a hard night. I still can't believe that he didn't even wake me up! That's just the kind of dad and husband he is.

Maddie is doing well now and has been able to keep everything down. We even decided to pick Will up at 11:00. We had decided to send him to baby school until we felt Maddie was doing better.

So, I've really been enjoying my day doing all of the things I love, spending time with the kids, catching up on laundry, reading all my favorite blogs, and, most importantly, having some time to be with God and my thoughts. It's kind of sad that my life is so hurried that it takes a day off for me to really focus on the One who should always come first. I really need to work on that. God is always so good to me and he is helping me see more clearly that which He would have me do. Now, I just need to work on strengthening my faith to truly carry out His plans for me and not let my own fears and worries get in the way.

Sorry!

2008-12-11T20:13:00.002-06:00

Okay, for those of you who have not given up on even checking on my blog, I apologize for taking so long to update. We have just been crazy busy and I'm so tired by the time I get both kids down and get my list of things done that I just fall asleep. I have managed to find a little time to read other's updates and am glad everyone is doing so well.
There is not really anything too new going on in our house. Just the usual business associated with the holidays. My students are about ready to bust from excitement whenever Christmas is mentioned and we have all been counting down the days until Winter Break:) Madeline and Will are getting ready for their school's Christmas program on Monday. Maddie has been singing "Go Tell It On the Mountain" for about a month solid and has it down! Will has been working as hard as a laid-back guy like him can, to get this walking thing down in time to walk in and see his presents on Christmas morning. He is walking more and more and getting faster everyday. He still prefers crawling and cruising but is using walking more and more to get to things.
We are really trying to downplay the gift thing more this year and are trying to talk more about Jesus and the Holy Family. Going to mass on Christmas Day will take priority and we have not gone overboard with presents. Now, whether either Grandma has, remains to be seen:) We are going to be buying a family in our own church some clothes and toys and hope Maddie will understand how important giving is instead of always focusing on receiving.
I hope everyone else is enjoying the holiday season. I will try to post some pictures next time.
God Bless and Good Night!

Almost There!

2008-11-09T15:44:00.004-06:00

Madeline "almost" had me centered in this picture she took on Halloween. She loves taking pictures and it was a hard debate to decide whether or not to get her the kid digital camera or the doll house she wants for Christmas. We decided on the doll house because she is only 4 and has plenty of time to develop her photography skills.
Now, don't think you eyes might be tricking you. Will is actually standing without holding on to something anchored to the ground! After this picture, he took about 8 steps to Nathan. Thanks to Susan for the tip on giving him something to hold on to in order to "trick" him. It worked like a charm. I wouldn't say he is walking but is taking steps and that is progress!
In "Not Me Monday" fashion, a day early, (which I haven't officially done yet because the directions seem long and intimidating) I thought I would pick out a few things that are "not happening" in this picture.

Will is not wearing only one shoe. Only an irresponsible parent would not put the shoe back on when her child is learning to walk because she was afraid of aggravating his toddler temper by stopping him to put it back on. That would be very wimpy of me and my kids know who is boss.

Will is not playing with a Eucerin sample. I would never give my child something that is not even remotely child-proof in the hopes that he would get really distracted and walk on his own. My child's safety is always my first priority.

That is not my living room in the background. Living rooms are only for living in my house and being filled with toys would be foolish as we do have a playroom.

Will is not wearing a bib. I do not have slobber issues that make me put my 15 month old in a bib when we are at home because I cannot stand him to have a soaked shirt and then take it off in public so everyone can see his cute outfit. I am much more laid back than that.

There, that is my first attempt a Not Me Monday. How did I do?

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T20:44:00.005-05:00

We have had a lot of fun preparing for Halloween this year. Each year, as our kids get older, Halloween gets more and more fun.
Thursday night, we carved/painted our pumpkins so they would still be fresh on Halloween night. Will would only try to eat the acrylic paint, so he had to hang out on the sidelines. He was pretty interested and just cruised around to observe.
He is still so happy to crawl that he may not decide to walk anytime soon. But, if he is this happy and precious, who cares! I just love those big brown eyes!

Nathan, once again, did a great job carving our big pumpkin. Maddie said she wanted a scary pumpkin this year, so he did his best.

Maddie was very into painting her pumpkin and ended up painting every surface. She gave special attention to the stem.

Here is Madeline's finished pumpkin.

And, here is the finished family pumpkin. How scary!

Since acrylic paint is not known for being good to eat, I painted Will's pumpkin for him. He was the artistic inspiration, though.

Today, we woke up extra early and Maddie kept saying, "I'm just so excited today!" She would say this at random times with such enthusiasm that Nathan and I cheered up and got excited with her (even though Halloween is not as fun for teachers). She dressed up as Dorothy this year and Will was her sidekick, the Scarecrow. I think she really looked the part. Excuse the crazy eyes. The red eye removal on my Paint Shop program leaves something to be desired (or I just haven't figured out the right way to use it. . . which is entirely possible).

Will is officially at the age where getting a good picture is impossible! He didn't want to stand or sit, so we did the best we could to capture his scarecrow cuteness. The costume included a really cute hat with a crow on top, but he wouldn't wear it.

When I chose to dress them as Dorothy and the Scarecrow, I had wonderful visions of all the cute pictures we could take.

Well, this was the best we got. Maddie tried her best, but Will was not having any of this posing stuff!

They wore their costumes to school and changed after the school carnival. They were both given really cute Halloween shirts and I wanted to show them off.

Thanks Karen and Gina for the shirts!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween just as much. We only had three trick-or-treaters, which is probably good because Will started crying every time the door bell rang! He ended up going to bed before 8:00.

After we went trick-or-treating, Maddie and Nathan changed and headed out to the high school football game. Go Wildcats!

Oh, What a Busy Life!

2008-10-27T20:00:00.002-05:00

You can tell how busy we have been by my lack of posting. I manage enough time to catch up on all of your blogs but leave little time to upload pictures and write for myself. So, for those of you who faithfully check, despite my lack of posts, I will try to do better.
We have all been busy doing the usual. Nathan and I stay very busy during this fall at school. We will definitely be ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas break when they get here! My class has been studying pumpkins and the solar system. We have made cute flip books (I will try to take a picture of the bulletin board where they are posted) and a really neat solar system book out of paper bags. I'm quite proud of our craftiness!
Will is still studying the act of walking. It is amazing what he can do while touching a table with one finger or holding on to one finger of his caretaker! But, the second he realizes he is not holding on to something, he sits down and starts to crawl. Oh well, I had hoped he would walk by Halloween but we may be looking at Thanksgiving as well. You all know just how much he loves food. Maybe the Thanksgiving spread will inspire him.
He does appear to like the taste of grape, sparkly lip gloss as well as most kinds of food and his sister was gracious enough to leave some just where he could get it.
A purple goatee is just what he was going for, I'm sure:)

Madeline is still loving preschool and learning lots. Today, they had a Red Ribbon Parade downtown at the square. Their school puts the babies in the big red buggies and the preschoolers in red wagons and joins the parade. They both had a blast, although Nathan and I were sad we did not get to see it. She is also very into dance and gymnastics. I hope to take a 1/2 day some afternoon and watch her in action.
In other important Madeline news: A week ago, she woke up to the sound of rain, music to the ears of a little girl who has been waiting over a month to wear her new Hello Kitty rain boots and use her Ariel umbrella!

She made quite the statement with her dress and jean jacket, don't you think. Nathan laughingly said we might need some cowboy boots because she does look pretty cute in a dress and boots (for those of you who don't know us well, this is pretty funny as we don't do anything countrified, despite living in Arkansas).

In other important October news, Nathan had a birthday!
How old is this handsome man who keeps those biceps oh so strong by bench pressing his kids?

Don't worry, his candles won't give it away. . .

Nathan is now 31 years old!!! We had a nice, simple birthday celebration and went out to eat. He requested an ice cream cake and we all really enjoyed it. I just bought a premade one but the cake decorator was nice enough to take it out and decorate it for him. Happy Birthday Nathan!

Other than all of that, we have just been having a nice October and are enjoying the fall weather we are finally getting down here in the South.

A Cute Diaper-Clad Baby and Other Pictures

2008-10-06T20:12:00.002-05:00

I love taking and having lots of pictures of my family. Our camera is not always the easiest to work with but is small and portable for all occasions.
Here are a few snapshots from this weekend.
Will had just majorly messed up his clothes after a snack of soy peanut butter and crackers. When I was changing him, I noticed that he was hot and sweaty as it had warmed up to about 80 degrees since I had dressed him that morning. So, I decided to let him cool off and he was as happy as a clam. He even did a little light reading with his faithful sippy cup nearby just in case he needed to check for anymore juice, later.
Maddie loves to listen to Laurie Berkner songs in the playroom. When the Boots Song came on, she ran into the living room, and said, "Mama, I have to get my boots on right now!" She just got these Hello Kitty Rain Boots from her Nana and we have not had a drop of rain since. She was itching to get a chance to use them and decided this song was good enough. I had a hard time capturing a good shot of her dancing and bouncing but you get the general idea.
The boots in all their glory!!!
Now, I'm not one to dress my family in matching outfits but little did I know that Nathan is. On Sunday, he got Will dressed for church and then came out later wearing the same outfit. Everyone at church assumed this was my doing, but Nathan owned up to his part in the planning. It was too cute to resist a quick picture.
Maddie was feeling left out so Nathan got this picture of "the girls." It made me realize how rarely I am in pictures with my kids. I'm usually the one taking the pictures. I love this picture of my sweet girl and I!

Corduroy Visits!

2008-10-05T21:44:00.005-05:00

Madeline's class has a little bear that looks just like the book character, Corduroy. They each get to take a turn to have him over for the weekend and this weekend was Maddie's turn. He has a whole bag full of clothes, books, and a toothbrush. We are supposed to help her write a journal entry with pictures to pass along in the bag too.
Madeline actually asked to go to bed around 6:30 on Friday night because she was so excited about getting him in his pajamas and brushing his teeth. Humm. . . maybe Corduroy should come over more often!
Nathan finally got around to putting Maddie's new doll bed together on Saturday and Corduroy was the first to have the honor of using it.
Side note: Can you believe it is October and Maddie is still having to wear shirts and tank tops!!! Come on fall weather!
Corduroy also got to accompany Maddie to church today and enjoyed mass.
After a good nap, he came with us to Jacob's fourth birthday party at a local park where fun was had by all.
Another side note: Maddie photograpy is coming along nicely. She took this next picture with no help from me. She thought the girls smashing the play-dough into the concrete, while they were supposed to be watching Jacob open his presents, was funny.

My "Teacher" Side

2008-10-02T19:56:00.004-05:00

Today, as I was contemplating what to blog about, I realized that I usually blog about my family life. Now, that is a very important part of my life, but I also spend 8+ hours of each day M-F doing something else. For those who don't know, I am a first grade teacher. This will be my sixth year of teaching and most of that time has been spent teaching first grade. It is my favorite grade by far! Many think it is one of the harder grades, but it suits me to a tee. I have come to realize that teachers are truly "called" to a certain area in education. Nathan is also a teacher but chooses to teach 8th grade English and could not fathom doing my job. We jokingly compare our jobs and compete to decide who has it the hardest. We have come to the conclusion that both jobs are hard for different reasons and no wonder there is always a teacher shortage!
Now, in the spirit of being very positive about my job, which I do love despite a strong desire to apply for the SAHM job in my own household, I thought I would tell some of my "secrets" that many teachers have and the outer world may not know about:

1. I do love what I do despite the pay, long hours, and bureaucrats that make mandates for teachers without spending at least a day in our shoes (okay, that got a little negative!).
2. I spend hours and hours of unpaid time getting my room ready during the summer so that it is just perfect and makes parents and kids feel lucky to be there on registration day.
3. I probably have more teaching-related dreams at night than ones related to family life. The teacher side of my brain must have more trouble turning off.
4. I love new school supplies! I love the smell, organizing them in my classroom, and getting out brand new ones part way through the year just to surprise my students after theirs get dingy.
5. I often find myself tearing up when I see a child finally get a concept they struggle with. I also tear up when they are truly sad about something, when they admit something they did wrong and are upset, and when parents write me nice notes.
6. I get really nervous about the 1st day of school even though I have been there and done that 6 times!
7. Teachers hope for snow days even more than their students and I often stay up late, watching the Weather Channel for any glimmer of hope (especially when I live in a part of AR that never sees snow!). For those of you who wonder why: There is a wasteland of the school year that happens around the middle of January and doesn't let up until we are within 2 weeks of Spring Break. There are no breaks in sight and students get antsy and distracted and we all just need a snow day to relax:)
8. There have been quite a few times in my career that I didn't want to put a child on the bus or in the car and instead wanted to take them home with me and keep them safe and loved.
9. I really don't like standardized tests! It's like trying to fit square pegs in round holes and it is not fair! (okay, sorry, a little negative too)
10. I'm always proud to tell someone I am a teacher and love answering questions about what I do. It is a great job!
So there, my secrets are out! I'm not sure if anyone really reads this blog very often but if you are a teacher, feel free to add your secrets in the comments section.
Good Night!

Madeline the Photographer!

2008-09-29T20:52:00.004-05:00

Well, the weekend is over and it went really well. The kids and I enjoyed our time together and Nathan had a great time in Austin (even around all of those pesky Longhorn fans). I'm really glad that he got the chance to go as he wasn't sure he would get a chance to see the Razorbacks this year.
One my achievements was getting us all ready on time for church on Sunday. My mom actually told me on the phone Saturday night, "Don't worry about going to church on Sunday if it's too stressful to get everyone ready on time." Well, I just saw that as a challenge and was determined to rise up to the occasion. We were actually ready early and took a few quick pictures.
Will was a little tired from no morning nap and was not willing to pose standing up but did show off his new fall church shoes.
Madeline, of course, had to pose and we tried several before she settled on this one. Watch out Vanna!
Maddie decided we needed a picture of me too. Without Nathan there, she played photographer and took a picture of my top. . .
and bottom.
(Notice the basket beside me. Nathan got tired of always taking shoes back to bedrooms and started piling them up in the basket. When it overflows, we carry the basket to the bedrooms and distribute them.)

I've survived so far!

2008-09-27T21:33:00.003-05:00

I am a blessed woman, because I have a husband who is very present in our lives. He doesn't have any hobbies that take him away from home, but instead, chooses to do things that can be done at home or can include the family. Therefore, I have not had a lot of experience going it alone with my 2 kids. The first time Nathan went out of town was when I was on maternity leave and he went to New York for 5 days. Will was 4 months old and Madeline was still going through a hard time adjusting to a new sibling. It was hard for me, and I'm afraid I had a pretty negative and resentful attitude about the whole thing. Since, I have dreaded the next time he would have to go out of town.
So, on Tuesday, when Nathan told me he had a great offer of a ticket to the Texas/Arkansas game in Austin, I paused for a moment, the resentful and negative feels welling up inside. But, I did not let them out because I am working so hard on being a more positive person overall. Now, I don't just ignore my feelings, but try to reason through them and find a positive and happy way to look at the situation. Therefore, I was determined that this time would be different. I made a point to be positive and enjoy this time alone with my 2 kids.
Believe me, the positive attitude has really been tested starting with Will being sick, having a report on a horrible substitute, having to take Madeline to a birthday party right in the middle of our usual nap time, Will getting extremely fussy and crying the entire way across town after the party, Madeline having a huge melt-down over cleaning up her mess in the playroom, and Will's new phase of separation anxiety that makes him hard to get down at night. Whew!!! In spite of all this, I managed to stay calm and handle each situation very positively and I really have enjoyed this time with my kids. Here are a few pictures I managed to catch today:

Madeline was really enjoying dress up right before lunch and I just had to capture the ensemble!

She was excited when the post-man brought her a belated birthday present from her Great Mema and Pepa Pesek. It was a beautiful dress and cardigan. I really can't wait for fall weather to start here so that we can enjoy the wonderful new fall clothes!
Will didn't want to be left out and claimed the bow on the package as his own accessory.

Another sick day!

2008-09-26T22:34:00.003-05:00

For those of you who don't know, last year, I went back to teaching in late January when Will was almost 6 mos. old. Because I only taught for half of that school year, I was granted only half the regular amount of sick leave. Well, between the flu, stomach viruses, and respiratory issues, I used up all of my days and then some taking care of my kids. Nathan also used his and even got a negative comment on his end-of-the-year evaluation because his principal thought he was missing too many days.

We were proud that we got through that time and thought that this year, our kids immune systems were better developed after all of the sickness last year.

That is what we get for thinking! I have been back for 6 weeks and have taken 2 1/2 sick days and Nathan has taken 2.

I started off this morning thinking about how this was going to be the first week in awhile that I was there all week. But, by 9:30 I had a call from the daycare that Will was running a high fever, even after having Tylenol. So, the school had to rush to get me a sub. so that I could leave and go get him as the rest of my family was about to leave for the Texas/Arkansas game. Apparently, the sub. they got was horrible and the rest of the school staff had to go in and get control of things for the rest of the afternoon.

This is one of the things I really dislike about being a working mom! I don't really like that my kids get sick so much while in daycare or that it feels like an inconvenience to take off work to care for them. My kids come first, but when you are a teacher, 22 little lives are affected every time you have to leave. It's a constant war in my head. I love being there for my kids but cried out of frustration when I found out how badly things went with the sub. at work.

I found myself sitting at my desk today, while Will was sleeping, trying to figure out a way to balance our budget so that I don't have to work next year. Don't get me wrong, I love teaching and think I might be pretty good at it. But, I love my kids way more and wish that I could be with them full-time. With a husband who is also a teacher and a world where even our pretty basic way of life is getting more and more expensive everyday, it will not be easy to have what we need without going into debt for it. I strongly believe that going into debt to be a SAHM is not the right option. I'm not about trying to live outside my means to have the life I want. I know my kids are well-cared for and are very happy in the current situation but still pray to find a way to be at home full-time.

So, please pray that Will gets over this fever virus and that I find a positive and constructive way to deal with this problem! I am really working on backing off of the worring and letting God take over. He knows better than I what is best for myself and my family and I have faith that He will reveal it when the time is right.

Will's passion

2008-09-25T19:38:00.002-05:00

My son has an addiction! It is food. He is willing to eat at all times and almost anything. When his meal is over, he usually cries as if he has lost a loved one. I always have to remind people of this when they keep him because they might worry that something is wrong or feed him more than he needs. I forgot to tell someone once, and they were baffled and panicked trying to figure out what was wrong. Because of this passion, I worry that he will overeat and get sick or learn bad habits that could cause him to have a weight problem later. I know, I worry about crazy things and my mother and mother-in-law think I should just feed him whenever he acts hungry. I have just never seen a baby quite like this. If you know one, let me know so that I don't feel so alone in this paranoia.
Also, when you give him a cup, he never just sips. He drains it in one sitting and then keeps trying over and over again to get more out. You cannot pry the cup out of his hands until he feels he has checked it enough. He is very well hydrated but apparently feels he needs much more!

Maybe he has been so late to walk because all of the time other kids spend trying to figure out walking, Will is scheming on how to get more food and drink! :)

Just some thoughts. . .

2008-09-24T20:19:00.003-05:00

I'm going to try to start putting my thoughts on this blog because I really enjoy looking back and reading things that I forgot. Several bloggers that I follow do a good job of recording their kids thoughts as well as their own and I'm going to try to do the same.

Yesterday, as we were driving home, Maddie and I got on the subject of the tooth fairy and she was talking about it very excitedly. Then, we started talking about the paci fairy that was going to come and get Will's pacies when he gives them up. I decided to take advantage of the subject and mention that there is also a night-night fairy that could come visit her if she is ready. Since she was about a year old, she has held one of many receiving blankets to her nose and sucked her thumb to fall asleep. We have not been very brave in getting her to give it up but have talked about it some. When this subject came up, my excited and talkative girl completely changed. The car got very quiet and finally I asked her if she wanted to talk about it. I mentioned that the night-night fairy would bring her a special big-girl gift in return for all of the night-nights and she started to cry and said, "But I won't ever be able to sleep again!" Very dramatic! If anyone has any suggestions to nudge this process along, let me know! Here she is sucking her thumb at about 5 months without a night-night yet. At the time, it seemed so great that she started sucking her thumb. She couldn't lose it and she started sleeping through the night. Now, we are worried she may never give it up!

Picture Catch Up

2008-09-23T20:51:00.002-05:00

I have finally cleared all of the pictures that have been sitting on my camera since school started and thought I would share a few cute ones.

Here is Maddie on her first day of 4 year old preschool. She was so excited about her new lunchbox that she wanted it to be in the picture too.
Will was also excited and didn't seem to mind waking up early. He was all smiles!
Lately, as Will is more mobile (although still not walking yet), he has been getting into more and more. In the background, you can see the diapers he pulled out of the package and in the foreground, the roll of trash bags he unrolled. He did all of this in a very short period of time, while I was a few feet away in the kitchen.
Doesn't this shirt tell it all! "Large and in Charge!" It was a birthday gift from the Long family.
But, how can you get too upset when he gives you this look. "What mess mom?"
His other new favorite past-time is crawling to the entryway and looking out the glass door. He will stand there for awhile, just looking around. This particular time, the dogs decided to join him. It was such a cute little scene, that I had to grab the camera. Boys and their dogs!!

I will try to be better about taking pictures and updating more. I hope you all have not given up on checking the blog!

Madeline is 4!

2008-09-22T20:20:00.003-05:00

Today, my beautiful baby girl turned 4. I still can't believe that it has been 4 years since I met this wonderful little creature that would change my life forever. Your first child always has a special place because he/she made you a mother. Your subsequent children also have special places for various reasons but your first is who truly changes the direction of the rest of your life.

So, for a trip down memory lane. . .

Madeline was born at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, GA at 3:39 pm. She weighed 7 lbs 9oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. She had a personality right from the start and was very alert and aware from the start. This is still her to this day!
At first, we thought we might have a strawberry blonde on our hands but is has since darkened into a light brown with a few blond highlights. Here is Maddie just a month before turning one. Like Will, she was late to walk and was still crawling at this point. When I look at this picture, I realize just how much she and Will look alike!
We moved back to AR a little before Madeline turned 2 and this is really the only home she remembers. Here she is at the age of 2 playing in our favorite park. She is now so big, she goes on the big swings. Sniff, sniff!
At the age of three, she had a very big change in her life. She got a baby brother. Here she is at about 3 1/2 hanging out with him during snack time (Will is behind me. She was making faces at him and I was trying to catch her. Look how she still had to pose!)
Finally, here she is tonight, blowing out her candles and looking older and older everyday. The past 4 years have been such a pleasure and such and education. Maddie keeps us on our toes, makes us laugh, gives us great hugs, has an amazing imagination, wows us with how smart she is, and even frustrates us with her strong personality. She is a joy and I wouldn't change anything about the last 4 years.

We love you Maddie x x x x o o o o

Back to School

2008-09-07T12:14:00.003-05:00

Well, you can tell the school year has started because I haven't posted anything in weeks! We have all been busy getting back into the swing of things after a relaxing summer.

Maddie and Will have adjusted pretty well to their daycare and like being around the other kids. They both have such great teachers that it was not a hard transition. Madeline is already learning so much and shares amazing information everyday when we pick her up. Friday, she sang this cute little song about the letter "M" and then listed off about 15 different things that started with the letter "M." She also started dance on Thursday. She takes a combo ballet and tap class and then an hour of gymnastics. She is loving it and can't wait to go back next week. Will is the big guy in his class but has fun playing with the other babies. When he starts walking, they will probably move him from the baby room to the toddler room. He's working on eating with a spoon and is starting to say more words everyday. He's growing up so fast!

Nathan has had a good start to the year. Having a year of experience under his belt has made his job much easier this year. I can tell that he is such a great teacher when we see his students around town and they all stop and talk. You can tell they really like and respect him.

I am back to teaching 1st grade and am enjoying being back in the classroom. I have a really great group of kids and really enjoy the people I work with. It is tough to juggle everything in my life but I am really happy that I have a job that really makes a difference and I enjoy making the most of my quality time with Maddie and Will in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings.

I will try to post some pictures later but think I am going to enjoy a Sunday afternoon nap before my kids wake up from theirs:)

New Haircut

2008-08-09T14:31:00.003-05:00

Madeline and Will will be starting back to school one week from Monday, so we are getting ready. One of the things on the list was to get Maddie's hair cut short. We let it grow long over the summer so that we can do ponytails and braids but usually cut it short for the fall. It is just too cute that way and I don't have to worry about whether anyone at her school has time to re-fix it after nap. It looks good all the time.
Here is the before picture. I can't believe how long it had gotten!
Here is the after picture at the beauty shop. It looks even cuter with a cute bow, headband, or barrette.

Random Stuff

2008-08-08T22:49:00.005-05:00

Okay, I decided to clear out my camera and found some random pictures that I had missed blogging about.
Will is discovering how to open everything! He likes to clean out the "kid" cabinet and spread it out. He is really cute when he gets a hold of something new. He examines each part, turning it over and over in his hands like he is trying to figure out what all it can do. He may have a future as an engineer.
This is a little old, but a big milestone! This is a picture of Will having his last bottle. I was feeling very nostalgic and had Nathan take a picture. Will might possibly be my last baby, so I wanted to commemorate the moment. How cute is Maddie with her baby in her lap!
Last weekend, we went to Conway for a visit. We were lucky enough to get a chance to see Susan and Seth's beautiful new house. Later, Susan brought Setler by to see his friend, Will. Setler is precious and very busy. The 2 month difference between he and Will seemed much bigger because Setler does so much more than Will can do! I've decided to rest up because in 2 months, Will be much busier!
Our primary reason for visiting was to take Will to his allergy appointment at Children's Hospital. We were hoping to find out that his milk and egg allergies were diminishing. His scratch tests were much smaller reactions but they needed blood work to be willing to do a food trial. The nurse tried and tried to get a sample but Will and his veins were not cooperating. So, 6 more months of completely avoiding anything with milk or egg products and they will try again.
Will was very worn out from the whole experience and needed a little TLC. Here he is taking a nice nap with his Daddy on Tuesday. Look how long he is! At his 1 year check-up, he was almost 32 inches long (95%) and weighed 23lbs 10oz (50-75%). He is such a big boy!

I have also forgotten 2 important birthdays in the excitement of getting ready for Will's so. . .

On July 20, Uncle John turned 25. I can't believe my baby brother is a quarter of a century old! Some of the family got together in Little Rock to celebrate. We got to see him a few days later at Will's party.

On July 24, my dad, Paw-paw, turned 52. We grilled out at our house and enjoyed a quiet celebration.

The same bakery that made Will's cool cake also made Dad's. It was really neat looking and delicious.

I think this is it!

2008-08-02T20:14:00.003-05:00

Okay, this is the last of the pictures.
For party favors, the kids got hard hats and tool belts.
Our friend, Julie, held Will while he posed wearing his
Julie's son, Jack, also modeled the tool belt for everyone. She told me that he even insisted on wearing the hat to church that Sunday. The favors were a hit!