Oh my, I cannot believe it has been so long. Well, Christmas was wonderful. The kids got all that they wanted and more. We have just been busy. We celebrated my Dad's 61st birthday, hosted a baby shower for the arrival of my niece Maddie, attended a baby shower for Maddie as well and celebrated the M girls 3rd birthday!

M girl turned three yesterday. She had a princess party with all of our family and close friends on Saturday at the children's museum. It was princess themed. I will have to post pictures of her and the cake, beautiful. Let's see a few things about M at three, she is 38 1/2 inches tall and weighs 39.9 lbs. She is almost as tall as the Z man. She can count, knows her ABC's and is just a pure delight. I seriously have to stop and remind myself that she is only three. She is loud, I never realized that girls were so loud. I think that she only has one level at which to speak. She is also very girly! She loves clothes and shoes and hates to get dirty. She loves to play with her brother, the current favorites are Star Wars, Mary and Joseph and house. I know an odd combination. She loves to try and mother her sister, she attempts to carry her around! She finally loves going to school. So, a day late, Happy Third Birthday!

Baby S went for a check up as well this week, she is 9 months. She is 28 1/2 inches and 19 lbs 12 oz. She is definitely built more like her brother and has the personality of Robert. She is so laid back. She is definitely the baby that everyone wants. She had an ear infection in her right ear again and she is anemic, M way's too. No worries. She can walk along everything and will just stand straight up in the middle of a room for a period. I am guessing that any day now she will take off and walk. I am not ready for that!

Z Man is 5 1/2 loves school and playing Star Wars. He truly misses living in our old neighborhood. He loved playing with his friends the K girls and just having that freedom to play outside on the street. In our current situation it is to dangerous to play out front much, just because of the college students. He is very interested in having a play date. He will have his first official play date tomorrow. He will get picked up from school by his friends mom and get to play at there house for a bit.

We have been cleaning all of the baby things out and passing some along for Maddie to use. It is bittersweet, I am glad that Maddie will get to use them, but at the same time sad to see that part of my life gone. No more babies of our own! I will just have to hold and spoil Maddie as much as possible and then give her back and let Adam and Gretchen deal with those sleepless nights! The kids are very excited about her coming, they can't wait to meet her. Z Man just wishes for a boy. He is going to be surrounded by girls, two sisters and one girl cousin on my side.

We have a few more birthday's coming and then the arrival of Maddie, I can't to meet her and hold a tiny baby again. You truly forget how small they are and just how fast they grow. I still cannot believe that the M girl is three!

Christmas Time

It amazes me how much my children change their minds. We have tried and tried to explain that you must give Santa a list of what you would like for Christmas, so that way he has time to make it in his workshop. Well, if you asked Z Man a month ago what he wanted it would have been Fisher Price Imaginext, it is like a fire station and such. But, now it is all Star Wars. We had pretty much everything bought for him, but then on Saturday he tells Robert that he just wished for the really big ship, $139.00 mind you. So, now what to do take a few of the smaller things back and attempt to find the big ship?

The M girl is a little easier, we were at the mall the other day and walked past Santa, "Hello Santa. I want an Ice Cream Shop. Have a good day." That is her entire conversation with him, it was yelled to him from probably 15 feet away, because she would never think of sitting on Santa's lap!

Baby S well, I really do not think that she cares one way or the other. But she is in to everything! She went from nothing to crawling, sitting up and pulling up all within the matter of a week. I feel like she will probably be walking before too long. I am very sad about this, since I know that she is my last "baby" I did not want her to do anything, basically I wanted her to be slow at it all!

I am off to make some sausage balls for work before the day starts . . .

The tooth, the ear and the arm

Well, it all started about two weekends ago, well make that about three and a half now. I started this post a week and half ago. OK now, seriously a month ago. Baby S got her second bottom tooth, bottom left on October 18. She proceeded to get a really bad ear infection, in her right ear. I took her too the doctor a total of three times for the ear in the past three weeks. We went today for a late six month check up and they are supposedly "all cleared" up. We will see as she is still pulling on the ear. So at 6 1/2 months, we are 18 lbs 2 oz and 26 1/2 inches long. We had to get 5 shots, not a happy girl. On November the 12th Sophia started crawling and sitting up on her own. She has also started baby food and has tried sweet potatoes, squash and bananas. She is allergic to bananas. She prefers to have what we are eating a french fry, soup with noodles, etc. She loves to suck her thumb and all things that have a chenille type feel.

The Z Man, well he broke his arm. On Tuesday, October 28, we were playing outside and he feel catching a football on the driveway. He ran inside and held his arm tight and complained about it till bed. I did not think that anything was wrong, so at 11 pm I am calling my Mom, Dad and Robert in Houston trying to figure out the logistics of taking him to the ER. Looking back it was comical. Three weeks in a cast and now we are almost as good as new. We are supposed to be taking it easy, ha! Obviously this doctor does not know my 5 year old!

The M girl started school and thinks that it is okay, she really does not understand why she cannot go to Z's school with him. I think the realization of being a middle child and turning three in two months has hit. Yesterday out of the blue she bit Baby S on the leg! Not happy with her at all. She is doing okay on the potty training and has good days and bad. My goal is completely potty trained by the end of Christmas break.

We had a great visit from our Dallas friends and enjoyed some time with them. Robert took the older two to see Bolt, they apparently liked it and we enjoyed some retail therapy at Target, we each both spent about $29, not bad. Except that it was about my fourth trip this past week. I think I need a job at Target instead of my current one it may save me some money. We hope to make it to Dallas over the holidays to spend some time as well. We have also been to Austin to see Robert's family. The kids enjoyed seeing their cousins.

It is only a few days before Thanksgiving and I am so excited about the shopping. I love the thrill of getting the item that I want for a great price and there are some good deals this year.

School Day's

Today was the day! The M Girl started school! I thought that I would cry, but I held it together, it was great that my Dad was able to go with us. I appreciate my parents so much and the fact that they are involved with the children. My Dad and M are very close. She is with my Mom as well, but her and my Dad have a very special bond and I love it. When we arrived she was a little nervous, shaking a bit, but I quickly got her settled, gave her a kiss and hit the road. We will see how she does. I am going to pick her up after lunch today.

The Z Man went on the first field trip of the year with his school today, the are learning about cotton. They went to a cotton field and gin today, so much fun!

So, it is just Baby S and I. We have had some breakfast and I am about to get dressed to go to pick up the children and go to work. Not much down time, but I know it is so worth it for them.

A New Phase

We went today to enroll the M Girl in school. We found out on Friday that we made it to the top of the wait list and had a spot. The only catch we had to decide by Monday. So, I called yesterday and told them that we were interested in would be in today for a visit. M has been so excited since I told her. My Mom took her shopping for a back pack and lunch kit and a few new clothes. She really looks so grown up. It makes me sadder to think about her going to school then it did the Z Man.

So, anyway we went to check out the room today, meet the teacher and see the other children. She was very excited, at first a little nervous, but she warmed up right away. She will start next Thursday, October 2. She will go two days a week for part of the day. I hope that she really enjoys her first experience with school.

What's New

I cannot believe that it has been almost a month since I posted. We have moved in to the new house. We moved in on August 28, the same day that we physically closed on the old house. Kind of sad. We have been in the new house about three weeks now and finally got the Internet hooked back up. I have been dying without it. I think that I am more hooked on it then the cell phone, well maybe the same. We still have a few boxes to unpack and are adjusting to sleeping in a queen bed again instead of a king, yuck!

Z Man started school and is loving it. Most of his friends from the past years are in the other kindergarten class, but they do so much together. There are 10 children in each room with two teachers. I am so excited for him and can't wait to see all that he will learn. He has gotten many compliments from the teacher, such as; being a good friend, a good helper and this is the one that got us all how patient he is? Do they have the right child, c'mon my child is not patient, but you know what they say they are different around other people. Z has had a bit of a hard time adjusting to his new room, we have allowed him to sleep with us to help, but the bed is just too small, so I usually end up sleeping on the couch. We got each of them a sleeping bag on Monday and is allowed to bring his sleeping bag in our room and sleep on the floor if he is scared and then we will slowly wean that off as well.

M is so ready to go to school, unfortunately we are wait listed at every school known to man kind. I try every few days to check, but to no avail we must continue to wait. M decided that my phone needed a bath, so she took my less than a month old phone and put it in the washer for me. No insurance, just lovely. I am off to the phone store tomorrow to negotiate on the possibility of a new phone. Other than that she loves to sing and put on a show for anyone who will listen. She performed at Target on Tuesday, love it!

Baby S is still wonderful, content and sweet, but rolling everywhere. I think that she is in the beginning stages of teething. She is seriously me best baby yet, I love all of my children, but she is so calm!

Robert still likes his job and we have gotten so spoiled with having him at home with us. With the move and the holiday weekend, then he had the next Friday off, then with Ike coming through they closed for a few days. Next week will be very long with him being gone all week, not looking forward to that!

We are very excited that we will be having a new niece or nephew soon. My brother and his wife are expecting there first child in March. Z and M are very excited and we talk about what is growing in Aunt Gretchen's belly, M says a girl and Z says a boy, only time will tell.

Jill stopped by for a visit a few weeks back and the children were excited to see her and show her there new house, they really miss her as I know that she misses them. I hope that she finds a good job soon! We are lucky enough to have another good friends sister two days a week, we get to borrow Aunt Neen. It was so funny at first Z was not to sure about her, he wanted his Jill back, but he has really warmed up to her. He even named one of his new fish after her and loves to sing her songs! Thanks to A and R for letting us borrow your Neen. I hope that Big and Little A are enjoying having there Jill Pill back, because we are missing her, thanks for letting us borrow Jill Pill for two great years. M has warmed up well to Andrea, the new MWF sitter, Z is not so sure and says that he wants Janeen or Jill not Andrea. We decided that he is a lot slower to warm up to people and you really have to win his trust. I am trying hard to make Andrea feel welcome, but it is hard because I was so comfortable with Jill and I am with Janeen as well, I know in time it will be fine. Janeen is also helping with my grandmother and I think enjoying it, I think that she has some funny stories to tell.

Work is good for me as well busy, busy and on that note I better go to sleep tomorrow is an early day.

Things the are a changing

We have sold our house and on the way out. We will be moving out this weekend, to where you may ask, my answer "who knows". Just when I think that I have it figured out something else occurs. Change one!

We have two new babysitters that are taking Jill's position, boy do we miss her! We are adapting well to Janeen, who has been so gracious and willing to help us in a tough situation and secondly Andrea will start next week. The kids are adjusting well, but saying good-bye to Jill was so hard! Change two!

Z Man will be starting kindergarten, I really thought that I was ready, but now not so sure. I feel good that he will stay at his small school. The M girl really wants to go to school so badly, but she is too young to go to the school that Z Man attends, I am on the hunt for a school for her maybe one day a week. Baby S has learned to roll and suck her thumb, she started rolling tummy to back on Sunday, August 10th (date reminder for mom) and then from back to tummy on Sunday, August 17th (again date for mom) so no more leaving her unattended on the bed. She is getting big too fast. She has also become a very good sleeper. She usually goes down between 9 and 10 and will sleep until 4 or 5, love that! Changes three, four and five!

I got a promotion at work, I have not figured out what exactly it will initial, but you guessed it more change!

In summary, have you figured out my theme I do not like change! But, I am going to deal and it will all work out!