Year Two

I know I am a little late in getting this posted but I finally have Cody's second year scrapbook finished. Here is a link to take a look at his second year...what fun we have had!
Year Two: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/project/8BbNmrFo1Zsfe/landing

Here is a copy of his first year if you want to start from the beginning!
Year One: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/project/8BbNmrFo1Zsf8/landing

A 'Great' Birthday Girl

Today was a 'Great' day.... Dell's Grandmother will be celebrating another birthday this week. Dell's parents and sister picked her up on their way from Ft. Worth and delivered the birthday girl right here to our house. The adults took a seat (in the shade...under the fan!) and watched the kids swim.
As soon as they walked in the house Cody found Grandad and grabbed his hand....that is the only reason he came in Cody's eye's....to be at his beck and call. Not sure who enjoys it more...Grandad or Cody. He is so patient with Cody...he will hold him up to the light switch and let him turn it on and off for much longer then I would. That ended up being one of Cody's first words...lie-light.
We finished up the day with pizza, presents and of course birthday cake!
Happy Birthday Great Grandmother!

A 'Great' Birthday

Super Dad to the rescue!

I joking told Dell on Father's Day he needed to spend the whole day 'bonding' with his children....alone! I spend everyday 'bonding' with them and I thought that time would do him good....hehe.
Well, he did just that....without twisting his arm! What a great dad. He took the girls to ride Go-Karts and for a few games of bowling. Cody stayed home with me and took a nice long nap. Maybe he will join in on the fun in a few years...right now he doesn't know what he is missing!
I sent Ashlyn with her camera to capture the day....looks like they all had a ton of fun and memories to last them a lifetime!

What a life...

This is how I usually find our little (well not so little) Kinlee relaxing. I really hope she learns to relax and make herself at home. Poor kitty needs to take it easy.

Is it choice A or choice B?

Sometimes it takes the smallest (and cheapest) toys to keep kids entertained. Cody found the top to the sunscreen the other day and played with it for at least an hour. There are two thoughts what he was doing....

A) Preparing for the Lord's Supper OR

B) Practicing tequila shots

Grab your life jacket and lets go....

Yesterday was my mom's birthday and we had our 2nd annual boat party. Nothing says 'Lake Party' like a good 'ol fish fry. No need in eating healthy so if you can fry it....we ate it. Fried catfish, fried hush puppies and fried okra.....and it was yummy!

Barry lives down on the lake and has a great yard, so everyone (7 adults and 5 kids) brought their dogs.....6 in all! Amazingly enough everyone including the dogs all got along! hehe

After a small boat part delay it was out to the lake. Life jacket-ed up and we were off! I was not real sure how Cody would do having to wear his life jacket but I'm thinking he might be a natural born boater. He sat back, took it all in and never fussed. Easy as Pie!

Now it was time for the tube.....

Ashlyn of course likes to go as fast as she can....at all times. She likes to go in nothing but circles. She is my little daredevil.

Aubrey is more my speed....a little slower. She prefers to go in a straight line....that's my girl.

Now it was mine and Dell's turn.... Barry said he was only going 15mph but I may have to get that verified, it felt more like 85mph. Top that off going in tight circles hitting every wave...over and over again. I'm not sure if we made him mad but he was sure letting us have it! ..........Jump ahead 12 hours............I am one sore puppy! Thanks Barry for a great time!
Finally got back on dry land and had a little birthday dessert and off to bed! Fun times had by all! Happy Birthday Memom! We love you!

Memom's Birthday Party!

Ashlyn's Last Day!

Aubrey's Last Day

School's out...Scream and Shout!

Thursday was the last day of school.....no sadness here. The girls are ready to have a little down time and I'm looking forward to not always being 'on the go'!
We started the morning off with awards....Aubrey was crowned with 'Ravenous Reader' and Ashlyn (with no surprise) received the 'Mad scientist' award!
Aubrey's last day they enjoyed some fun activities OUTSIDE!!! Whew......it was hot! Everything from a sack race to a sponge relay. Fun times had by all.
Ashlyn being to 'big man' on campus was able to do something a little different. All the 5th graders loaded up on the bus and headed over to WOGA Gymnastics. There were no scheduled activities just run and have fun...and that they did!
This being our first year at this school we were able to experience something very special. Throughout the day the rest of the grades (K-4th grade) made posters for the 5th graders, congratulating them for their achievements in Elementary school and good luck in middle school. At 2:45 all the grades went out in the hall with their posters and cheered on the 5th graders as they took their 'last' walk through the halls. To hear all the voices echoing through the halls....'Lets Go Gators...Lets Go...Lets Go Gators....Lets Go' was very heartwarming. I stood down in the 3rd grade hall with Aubrey and watched for Ashlyn to pass by. All the kids were smiling (excited to move on) and then the teachers...O the teachers...not one with a dry eye! I did fine until I saw the emotions of them......
Once Ashlyn passed by with her ear to ear smile I headed to the front of the building where all the parents then watched all the 5th graders exit the building for the last time and officially become 6th graders.
Such bitter sweet....

Meet Layla

Puppy Love

If you have been reading my blog for a while you know that the girls (especially Ashlyn) had a slight touch of puppy fever. In the back of my head I would love to have another puppy....they are so much fun (and work!) and it would bring a little life back to Chloe. It wasn't just me resisting but Dell had no desire of adding another furry friend to the family. The girls stopped with their 'asking' and we moved on.

Then one day, Dell mentioned in passing that he may might want another friend. DONE! That is all the girls had to hear and they were off on their search.
Last Saturday we went to 'look' (you know you can never just look :) ) at a 11 week only Golden Doodle (Golden Retriever and Poodle). We walked out with our new little one....

meet Layla.

Sink or Swim

Cody is now in his 4th week of swim lessons and probably has one or two more to go. It has completely consumed our mornings. She lives about 20 minutes away and the lessons are 4 days a week for 10 minutes. It definitely is a commitment. I'll give you a little background on this type of swim lessons...This is a survival swim versus a mommy and me swim class. Babies are not able to lift there head above the water to take a breath like a older child can. They teach them to roll over and float on their backs to catch their breath then turn back over swim towards the side, roll back over and float. *Swim*Float*Swim* If you have never seen this type of lessons, check out the link.
http://www.infantaquatics.com/whatisia.htm

Sounds like a piece of cake......well not so much. The first few days the teacher puts them in the water to let him know cause and effect...you go underwater.....you cannot breath. They don't throw them in but she lets them know what would happen in a second or two. It is very hard to watch but you have to know why you are here.....only to protect them around water. When Aubrey was 3 we did this same approach and I will tell you it was the BEST investment we ever made. Truly a life skill they MUST learn. Since we have a pool, Cody had no choice but to take the lessons.

Let me take you back to week one..... Our first day we walked in and he was ALL smiles. I handed him off to the teacher and it was all good....for about 30 seconds. She had him swim towards the step about 2 feet away. Not what he was thinking 'fun swim lessons' would be. I'm not sure how much water he drank but it didn't sit well in his tummy. O I guess I should say he ate a FULL breakfast of his famous green eggs and yogurt.....is that clear enough? His teacher very nicely asked me to be careful with what I feed him before lessons. YUCK!

The only time he was not screaming was when she would have him 'swim' towards the step....aka...his face was in the water. He would come up and cry (plead) for me to get him out. I held strong and sat on the side cheering him on. Floating was not going so well either. They have to relax and trust the teacher and themselves to be able to float. Neither was happening! The next 2 weeks were exactly the same.

By week 3 it clicked! He got in the pool and swallowed water not from crying but because he was smiling so big! He was not only happy but turning over somewhat on his own with little help from the teacher. WOW! He not only goes in happy but stays happy. I know he will not be 'water safe' but we are on our way to knowing what to do if he were to fall in the pool.

Happy Birthday Cody!

Happy (and sad) Birthday to Cody!

I guess when you are a third baby your birthday takes second stage...at least until you actually know! Since Cody is only two and had NO idea that it was his birthday we carried on as usual. We headed off to Ashlyn's last volleyball game that morning and then for a quick bite to eat. He is absolutely the worst diner so our eating out trips are not as fun as they use to be. After that we came home and let him open up his one gift...again no sense going overboard.....he doesn't even know what this day is all about! We got him a basketball goal thinking he wouldn't know what to do with it but completely shocked us.... slam dunking the first ball. Daddy was pretty proud. The girls were all about bubbles....they loaded him up with a ton of different bubble toys!
Then it was off for a nap before the next activity. He must of figured out that it was his birthday because he had no intention of sleeping. After two hours playing in his bed we let him out. Then it was off to Ashlyn's soccer/pool party. We told him that the party for all for him.....again he didn't know! After a full afternoon of swimming and NO nap we headed home for some birthday cake. The NO nap was becoming evident. He was not crabby but seemed to trip and fall over everything. The good news was my kisses seem to make it all better. When he gets hurt he will come to me and show me EXACTLY where to kiss. If you do not get the EXACT spot you have to keep kissing. Then when you get it...you are golden and he is all better. As soon as we pulled into the house he stepped out of the car and for whatever reason touched the car tailpipe. You know how much and LONG burns hurt! That pretty much put a damper on his day. He was in so much pain and all my kisses could not make it feel better. He wanted to play but would come to me every few minutes for a kiss....hoping that would help and make it all go away. We put numbing spray on it and then I realized that my lips were numb from all the kisses. We managed to get him happy for the birthday cake then he was past-ready for bed. It ended up being a early night for him. Poor little guy wanted to just get in bed but his little hand was hurting so bad he just wanted me to hold him. I did take advantage of this and held and rocked him before bed. It makes me so sad to see any of my children in pain but I did enjoy some sweet lovin' out of it.
Happy Birthday Cody! We love you!

Deal or Dud?

The end of summer last year, I was walking down the clearance isle at Wal-Mart (my favorite isle) and came across this fun looking pool toy. The Splash and Spin. The picture on the box showed two kids smiling and effortlessly spinning the wheel (kind of like the tea cups at Walt Disney World). I thought my girls would love it....I double checked the weight limit and it said 120lbs. It would be close but I knew it would work. The kids on the box looked about the same age as the girls. Since we were about to move I bought it and packed it away in a box. SOLD!

FAST FORWARD 7 MONTHS AND A HUGE GROWTH SPURT...... Ashlyn is almost as tall as me and Aubrey has grown leaps and bounds.

Well, we pulled it out a few days ago and I immediately thought to myself...hmmm.... looks a little small. Blew it up and passed it off to the girls. I could tell by the way they were looking at it they were thinking the same thing. It was almost comical to watch Ashlyn (11 years old and over 70 lbs) and Aubrey (9 years old and about 60 lbs.) climb and squish into this toy. They eventually made it but with their long legs all wrapped around the steering wheel they could not make it do what it was supposed to....spin. We rate this a big DUD!





















Just to keep up with the theme from the last post......Cody is still having trouble keeping up his shorts.

Baby's got his blue jeans on....kind of

Going.......


















Going.....



















Gone!









Poor guy just cannot seem to keep his jeans on. At first he would run to me as soon as they would start to droop but now he just goes on about his business. If you are in the need of a plumber in say twenty years I think I may know someone!

TaG YoUr iT!

I was tagged from my sweet friend Nancy weeks ago. If you think you know me...read this and see if you're right! :) Here goes....

4 JOBS I'VE HAD:
1) Nursery Assistant coordinator at our church.
2) Graphic Designer for a direct mail company
3) Graphic Designer for a Optical
4) Michael's or MJDesign as it was called years ago.

4 SHOWS I WATCH
1) Lost! That is my all-time favorite show. It is so confusing but Dell and I love to get in bed after the kids are down and watch it. Just when you think you have it figured out it changes.
2) Survivor! I've yet to miss a season. Never seems to get old.
3) The Office! Not sure why but that humor is right up my alley. I can watch the same episode over and over and laugh just as much each time. Love it!
4) The Apprentice! Love it.

4 BLOGS I READ REGULARLY
1) Nancy S. - Her blogs are so inspiring....she lives for the moment and doesn't miss the small things in life. Keep them coming!
2) Angie Smith - although this is someone I have never meet and probably will never meet but have been engulfed in her life. If you ever have time to read through her blog, start from the beginning and be ready to be encouraged and lifted. They have been through so much pain over the last few months but her love of God is amazing. http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/
3) Colleen S. Her pictures are priceless!
4) Tracy K. - Just found out she has a blog! I think the world of her and her family and will miss them when they move.

4 FAVORITE FOODS:
1) Any kind of Mexican food. Not sure if I like the food or the Margaritas better! :)
2) Pizza. My kids are not huge pizza fans....so sad.
3) Ice Cream.
4) Babes Fried Chicken. We only go a few times a year because it is just so bad for you...but o so good! I'm in trouble when they make it here to Frisco and it is only a few minutes away.

4 PLACES I'D RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:
1) Nail Salon. I only make it there 3-4 times a year. So, when I go I take it all in.
2) Vacation. Somewhere and anywhere just as long as I don't have to cook and clean.
3) Dinner out with friends....without the kids or maybe I should say without Cody! (Love ya Cody but you are not much fun out at restaurants!)
4) The Movies. Dell and I LOVE to see movies at the THEATER but I think we actually get to do that maybe one time a year. Miss those days.

4 FRIENDS LIKELY TO RESPOND: (THIS MEANS YOU'VE BEEN TAGGED BY ME)
1) Tracy K.
2) Colleen S.
3) Amy B.
4) Sarah S.

4 THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO THIS YEAR:
1) Watching Ashlyn take that leap from Elementary school to Middle school.
2) Sleeping in (ha) this summer!
3) Not having the hustle and bustle of school and enjoying the summer.
4) Hopefully slowing down and not missing the little things in my kids lives that makes our wonderful memories. Life gets so crazy and hectic that I tend to miss the fun and simple days.

A day at the park....

I hate to admit that Cody has only been to the park a time or two in his sweet little life. This past Sunday Aubrey was at a soccer game and Ashlyn was begging to go to the park. One hand I was all for it but on the other hand it sounded like a lot of work. You know….chasing Cody, helping him up the steps, pushing the never ending swing and so on. But, after all the begging I gave in and we headed to Friendship Park here in Frisco. As soon as we walked in Cody’s little face was all smiles. It was priceless. Ashlyn was so kind in giving him a tour of the park…..showed him all the slides, the swings, all the ladders and how to climb up them. After the tour he felt right at home and was soon telling her where to go next. He would grab a hold of her leg and push/direct her where to go next. He is a bold little guy! It turned out to be a great experience for me…..um I mean him! We will definitely be going back…..but only if I have the girls to help!

Willy Wonka a.k.a. Cody

Busted!

When I am getting ready in the mornings Cody keeps himself busy while I am showering and all. Totally unsupervised I might add....but he has earned his stripes/freedom over time by showing me that he can be 'good'. He rarely gets into anything that he isn't supposed to......rarely! This morning I had gotten Cody up and he wasn't acting too hungry so I thought I would go ahead and shower before I made him breakfast. As I was getting ready, listening to my radio in the bathroom I was enjoying the calmness of the morning. It was all good. Calmness......yes calmness.....o no! I peaked in the bedroom hoping to see Cody quietly watching Sesame Street but there was no Cody to be found. Then I noticed Chloe was gone....o no not a good combo at all! When I walked in the kitchen I find Cody and Chloe (or Chlody to cover them both) in the kitchen digging into the candy drawer. We have had this drawer full of candy for MONTHS and he has never really showed much attention to it...until today. Chloe was thanking him for all the candy he was giving her....wrappers and all. She could hardly keep up. I'm really not sure how much either of them ate.
Later that morning when I was making his favorite green eggs (eggs with puree spinach, wheat germ and flax seed) for some reason he didn't want very much...hmmm wonder why!

Ashlyn's plea

Ashlyn is totally and completely obsessed with animals and she is back on the dog bandwagon to get another dog. Just so you don't think I am a big 'ol meanie for not buying into another dog, let me remind you.......we have one HUGE 100 pound dog and 2 cats! Top that off with 3 kids....and can I add one is a pre-teen and one is a toddler! Are you following me here?
Here is the good news (from her perspective).... she told me that she wasn't thinking about getting one anytime soon...... no earlier then June! Whew....that was a relief! haha
She wants to be able to bond with it over the summer!
So, in Ashlyn's world she is ready anytime.....my world.....a big fat nope!

Here is the e-mail plea from Ashlyn....not edited.....enjoy...

I relay want a dog and me and Aubrey are ready for one. We are very responsible and this can be a simple thank you for doing all that baby sitting. Remember I will babysit for free for YOU and YOU only!!! And help out by doing chores. We will clean up any mess this puppy will make.(or will try relay hard) It can sleep in me and Aubrey's room so you don't half to mess with it at night. We will still give Kinlee, Kylee and Chloe ton of action remember animals need homes that's one thing we can do to help. I think God is telling me to keep trying because every one is getting one around me. I know your not ready but you will be. Check out theses puppies if its not the one for us then we will keep trying!! Please I love you. Ashlyn
http://www.terrificpets.com/dogs_for_sale/viewad.asp?adid=76895

Chores
1. Clean the bath room
2. The dishes
3. The litter box
4. Make our beds
5. Brush all the animals
6. Scoop Chloe’s poop
7. Feed all the animals
8. Vacuum any room
9. Clean the house
10. Put shoes away
11. Less computer time and TV
12. Homework
13. Put away toys
14. Help Cody

You have to give it to her for trying...I'm thinking debate club is in her future!

Sandbox full of fun

We have had a sandbox for months now but Cody has showed zero interest in it. He has touched the sand a time or two but would always come to me and say 'mess' and want me to wipe his hands off......he isn't the typical boy that likes to play in the mud....yet! But this past Sunday Ashlyn showed him how to scoop the sand, fill up a bucket and 'play' in the sand. You could see his little wheels turning in his head. Concentration at its best! It was so sweet from my perspective to sit back and watch Ashlyn and him bond. He loved it, and I think Ashlyn loved it just as much and enjoyed spending that time with him. I am so thankful that the girls are so in love with him. It isn't always easy having a toddler around and they never (well I will not go that far.....rarely) complain about him. They are usually more then happy to have 'Cody Duty' as we call it and help me out with him. I know they are held back a little because of him but the love they have for him is amazing! He is one lucky little boy!

Game Hopping

We just hop from one game to another on Saturday! Here are a few pictures of our past Saturday.

Ashlyn just picked up volleyball and had her first game. She left full of smiles.... she LOVED it! I think this may be her new gig. For only practicing a few times she had a awesome game. She has a nice arm and an amazing serve! Wow - it was super fun to watch. After that game we were off to soccer. Ashlyn had another great game....6 goals!!!! Aubrey is playing on a pre-select team so she plays Saturday and Sunday. Sunday's game she was playing defense but was able to get up to the goal on a corner kick a 'toe pocked' a ball in for a goal. Our weekends are FULL of games (usually 4 in all) but we always look forward to going out and cheering them on.

Very sad day.......

I had a very sad day yesterday..............

Let me give you some background..............

As I have mentioned before Cody has always been my wonderful sleeper and a great napper. I love him to pieces but I am more then happy to give him a kiss, put him in his bed and know that he is safe and happy. During nap time that is my ONLY alone time all day, and I use that time to clean (rarely), check e-mails, do church work or absolutely NOTHING. Sometimes when he wakes up from his nap, if I am not ready to be blessed by him, I can leave him in his crib for another 30-45 minutes and he will play contently until I get him. I need that time to recharge because once the girls come home my day gets crazy.

Well.............Yesterday I put him in his bed with his sippy cup of water and his Mamma dog. He sleeps with this 'Mamma Dog' that is almost as big as he is. She even went on vacation with us......she is huge! I was sitting in the study playing around on the computer when I was scared out of my mind. Cody was standing behind me and very calmly said 'HI' like is was no big deal! Yep, he can officially climb out of his bed. My thought was he used Mamma dog to help him escape. So no more mamma dog for him at nap time. I guess during his escape he scratched his face pretty good. When Dell got in last night he asked what happened to his face.... I told him it was a escape wound.

It was such a sad day for me. So far today I have put him back in his bed twice. Now I have to decide to put him in a toddler bed or just let him keep getting out of bed. I'm keep you posted on what we do.......Little stinker!