Baby S Is 2!

Today marks the second birthday of Baby S. I guess that she is not really a baby anymore and I will have to refer to her as S. Things that she does at two, wow her vocabulary has grown so much. Her favorite thing to say is Bob Bill, a story for another time. But, if you see her ask her about Bob Bill and she will be sure to tell you. She is happy almost 99% of the time, quiet, snugly and loving. She has to have a nite nite at all times and a baby. To make it even more interesting she loves things in two's.

She does fight mostly with M and does like to hit, we are working on that. She loves the Z Man. She also loves to visit with her cousin Maddie. She and Maddie are almost a year apart and I think that S thinks that she can dote on Maddie.

We will celebrate this weekend with family and friends, so for now I leave you with this adorable picture, that truly describes her.

99 Things I ought to Have Done . . .

99 Things I Ought to Have Done...

Found this interesting from another friend and thought I would give it a try.

Instructions:
Copy the list, bold the ones you've done (with explanations if needed), share with friends.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyworld
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a thunder and lightning storm (I live in TX. 'Nuff said)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (if those caricatures count)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (Broke my hip in 8th grade)
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee (in the ear)

I have a lot to do. Better get busy.

The M Girl

M turned four on Monday. Wow 4! Where has the time gone? We had a Pinkalicious party for her on Saturday at the Children's Museum. She had a great time seeing all of her friends, school friends, Dallas friends and old neighborhood friends. My brother, sister in law and Rob's parents, sister in law and niece's and nephew also made the trip. We were also fortunate to have my aunt as well. A Pinkalicious time was had by all! Check out the beautiful picture on the invitation that was taken by my super talented friend Allison. Just love it!




















At 4 M is a true girly girl, does not hesitate to speak her mind. She is a good friend to others as well. She is definitely not the typical middle child, M makes sure that she is heard. M is very into American Girls right now as well as jewelry and purses, my it starts young. Happy 4th Birthday M! We love you!

Hello, Strangers!

I know that it has been about 4 months since I blogged. I honestly do not even know where the time has gone.

Robert came home from Singapore, we vacationed with our good friends the Vestal's and the Hallberg's at Rosemary Beach in Florida. Had a blast! Z Man turned six and we had a pool party for him with all of our friends including my good friends from Dallas, Jennifer and Allison and their respective families. School started, Z is repeating Kindergarten and I can tell a huge difference! M walked into the first day of school and has never looked back, she loves it. No crying like last year! S is enjoying some alone time at home with me or a sitter. Robert turned 36 and Gretchen turned 30, we celebrated in our usual fashion with a meal and dessert, you get your choice, so we had two. My grandmother continues to be in and out of the hospital, we hope and pray for some sort of recovery. Z Man is playing flag football, we have only had four games due to all of the rain. That is the condensed version of four months of life.

This weekend Adam will celebrate his 31st birthday, but we will not have a party until the following weekend. We are looking forward to Halloween, Z will be a vampire, M a clown and S a ladybug. I am looking forward to a girl's weekend on the 7th to celebrate the impending arrival of Allison's new baby girl. After that I can't wait for Black Friday shopping.

Happy Friday!

Where are the Monkeys?

We have been busy, doing what, I do not know!

Z and S both finished out the years at there respective schools. M will move to the same school as Z next year and she is so excited. Z will stay at his existing school and there is some debate as to whether we repeat Kindergarten or go on to First Grade. Z will not even turn 6 until school is about to start, so . . . the debate continues.

Baby S is just cruising around, she definitely tries to make more sounds since the ear surgery, but no real new words.

This past weekend we were supposed to go tot the coast with my parents for a long weekend. Unfortunately, my grandmother got into a bad car wreck. She was being driven by one of the girls that helps with her as well as the kids. Another college girl ran two stop signs and hit them totaling both cars. My grandmother is doing OK, except that she has a broken neck, ankle and a fractured knee. Her spirits are down and she will not eat. I am a little worried. We visit daily, hope and pray for a full recovery. So, no trip to the beach. Since my parents were busy and Rob is still away we took a trip to the zoo. We met up with Jen and her crew at the zoo, Janeen was nice enough to come along for the ride. We thought that Allison may be able to join us, but it just did not work out. We had so much fun looking at the animals, having a picnic and playing at the ghetto park, I mean spray park. Fun was had by all and it was a good break.

Even though there were no monkeys at the zoo, we definitely had some with us at the zoo!

Girls Gone Wild

OK, it really was not girls gone wild, but it was a lot of fun!

This weekend we had our first annual girls trip, Allison, Jennifer and I. Allison and Jennifer came to CS on Friday night and we had dinner and visited. It was so nice! Saturday morning we took off for Austin. Much to our dismay it was raining when we arrived, but that could not stop our fun, we just adjusted our plans. We shopped, ate, talked, laughed, swam, talked, ate, shopped and talked some more. It was wonderful! We also ran into one of Allison's friends and a fellow blogger, Amy. It was so cool to put a blog and a face together. She was also there with a friend having a girls weekend. We have decided that this will be an annual thing and we are going to try to go somewhere big on the five year mark! I can't wait!

While I was gone my parents were nice enough to keep the two older children since Rob is still in Singapore. I cannot thank them enough. I came back feeling so refreshed.

Allison also took some really cool pictures of Baby S that I can't wait to see, you will have to check her blog for a post as well as a pic of us at the Round Rock outlet mall.

Thanks to two of my best friends for such a wonderful time and to my parents for watching Z and M. This is a weekend that I will not soon forget!

Week One

We have made it through our first week. There have been good times and there have been bad times.

Baby S had her surgery on Thursday and all was well. The doctor said that he has no idea how she was so happy as her ears were so stopped up and had a significant amount of fluid and puss in them. Everything probably seemed muted to her. She has been fine. Thursday she was a little groggy, but Friday all was well.

Friday night we went and spent time in our old hood and hung out with the Vestal's. It was nice to have an adult conversation and let the kids just play. Saturday we headed to the pool and the older two swam. Sunday my parents were nice enough to take the older two for a bit. I played with Baby S and did laundry and changed sheets. I am fortunate to have the cleaning lady back for a bit!

I am looking forward to the girl trip that I have planned for next weekend with my friends from Dallas. We will be headed to Austin child free, well with the exception of Baby S who will tag along. I so need a weekend to hang out with friends. I really miss that. We have decided that we should make this an annual trip, now if we can all just hold to this. The one good thing is that I think we are all almost past the baby stage of life and will have a little free time on our hands. Not that we do not all love a new baby!

We also got a call from a very special person, Jill Pill. The children were so excited to hear from her. She will always hold a special place in there hearts as well as mine! We are also sad that Janeen is going to leave us for nursing school, we are extremely happy for her, but sad to see her go. I know the kids will miss her as well. It is funny that they associate certain things with each of them, Jill was there first real babysitter, so to them everyone just needs a Jill for all the things that she does and teaches. There are so many little things that they still say like remember when Jill . . . Now with Janeen, I think that she will be remembered as the project girl, gum and mint girl and the one that takes them to feed the ducks. The still tell me when we pass by there is Jill's house or turn that way to go to Janeen's. Kids are so funny! So here is to two wonderful babysitters and friends that each hold a special place in our hearts and mean more to our family than words can ever describe. I am now left with Andrea and a new girl for the summer Sarah, both great girls, but not a Jill Pill or a Neen.

I have two really old friends one from middle school, Natalie and one from college, Sandy that I do a so, so job of keeping up with. I am really sad tonight that I am not better at keeping up with them. It is so hard to make time for it all. I wish there were more hours in the day to balance all that life gives you. It is interesting that some friends pass in and out of your life, I have had a few and some stay a lifetime, I am glad that I have several of those, you know who you are. You also get to make a few new ones along the way. So my last thought of the night is friends, near and far, dear and new I cherish the fact that I have gotten to know you all and for all that you have brought to my life to help make me the person I am.

Alright, I know I have been random and sappy, but that is what a lack of sleep does.