A little behind...

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I wrote. I was doing this so I would be better about it, and ..... Well, it is May, and that always keeps us BUSY as we wrap up the end of the year! What has happened this month??

Alyssa wrapped up her softball season. She played all positions, and she definitely improved throughout the season. I think she really enjoyed playing. I am very proud of her, and how hard she tries while playing. We attended Chad's end of year baseball party....Alyssa had a blast playing there in the sand! And, Alyssa finished Kindergarten! OMG!!! She is now a first grader! Where did this year go??? She had an awards assembly the other day. She got an award for 'Terrific Writer Award for Excellent Handwriting.' I am so proud of her for getting all 'smiley' faces all year too! She has definitely come out of her shell some, and she will surely miss her teacher and friends! She is truly helpful...when she wants to be. She loves being a big sister. There is no doubt she loves Austin more than us! I hope that never changes!! She is definitely going through a stage of talking back and always wanting her way. Some days I think there is some switch that she turns on or off the moment I pick her up or when we walk through the door of the house! Again, I must work on my patience with this because I don't do very well with it. HOW do elementary teachers do it all day long every day???? I need some of that patience!

Austin is doing well since he got his tubes. Of course, he was already a pretty happy guy before them. The major change since then is that he does sleep through the night more often. We still have some nights where he wakes up around 2 am wanting a bottle. I can deal with it since he usually goes back to sleep. His follow up went well with the doctor also. He is definitely interested in standing up by himself. He does this quite a bit now. He even took one step at daycare on 5/27. He also started clapping for us this week. I think he does it at daycare. Missie says he also waves bye bye to people, but I have not yet seen him do it. You can see a finger or two move. He definitely likes to shake his head no when he does not want anymore food or drink. He is eating more table food these days, but I struggle often in the evenings with it. I think he is too exhausted at times to mess with it. However, he went to town with the spaghetti and corn the other night! He has the cutest giggles and smile. He does need a haircut right now though...it is getting long by his ears and in the back. AND, he even has Chad's same little 'ducktail' in the back! I love the mornings when he wakes up so happy and is all smiles!

We also recently celebrated our friend Ryan's first birthday, but we unfortunately missed Coleton's first birthday party today. :( Chad and I had to report to graduation duties today. I ventured out and took the kiddos to some softball this evening, and watched our Cougarettes win the Regional Finals to advance to the state tournament for the second year in a row! That was AWESOME! So great to see such excitement in kids and your peers. One of the things that makes this job so rewarding.

And, Chad and I also witnessed another year of graduation ceremonies. 11 years here in NB. 12 overall for me. 13 overall for Chad. WOW! Even though there are some tough days, it is so awesome to witness these kids on this special day. So neat to think about what lies ahead for so many of them! I was honored to be chosen for a special banquet honoring the Top 15 graduates. That banquet was about 2 weeks ago, and I attended with a VERY special young lady...Courtney! WOW...a rare find in teaching...she has truly touched my life. I hope someday Alyssa will display so many of her amazing qualities as a young person with high goals and morals.

Prayer...something that has definitely taken a priority in my life. Monday was a rough day as dad got back biopsy with results we didn't want to hear. He has lung cancer, and right now we are waiting for the scan results to find out more info. So, I pray that God gives my dad, and mom, the strength to fight through this. I pray that God helps guide the doctors and nurses that will be working with my dad. And, so many more prayers....

I am daily reminded of how precious life is, to never take anything for granted, and to remember how blessed I am. Through following students in accidents and pulling through it all, reading about someone who had premature twins and what little miracles they are, and hearing so many stories from others.....I give so many thanks for everything I have. I pray that I will learn to slow down, appreciate and savor the moments, become a stronger person, and become a 'better' person.

Alyssa, Austin & Chad...I love you so much and I thank you for your love and support everyday.

Tubes and Getting Sick

Okay, I have a bit of catching up to do. We went on April 21 to see the ENT, and of course, he decided Austin would need to get tubes. So, we scheduled them for the following Friday.

The next day, I went with Alyssa's class to the zoo! That was a lot of fun. She and I hung out with two of her friends, and another mom. We enjoyed walking around and seeing all of the animals. She wanted to see a zebra, but we did not. Funny story that cracked me up, that I must record for one day! We were watching the monkeys play, and she loudly yells out..."EWWW...you can see its booty and its tee-tee!" Stacy & I just cracked up laughing. The innocence! Apparently all but one kid from her class fell asleep on the bus ride back to NB! She even had a softball game that evening.

Over the weekend we hung out outside, and even enjoyed a trip out to Gruene to walk around. And, Austin had his 9 month pics taken at JC Penney. He did great, and I think they turned out PRECIOUS!

And, then the CRAZY week of TAKS began. Well, Monday was crazy, and the afternoon didn't get better as I got a phone call about Austin having a fever and not feeling well. His fever lasted from Mon afternoon through Thursday afternoon! Chad stayed home two days, and I stayed home two days. After two doctor visits, they said he had a throat viral infection. He was just very lethargic and had a high fever. The first couple of days he couldn't really sleep unless you held him. One night his fever got up to 105...but he was sleeping on my chest in the recliner. The fever had us worried because he was schedule to get the tubes. HOWEVER, by Friday morning it was gone. So, we got up early and they did the 'quick' surgery. He came home and took a while to get to a nap, but then he was much better!

We even watched a little bit of daddy's last baseball game to end the day. Sad for daddy that his season ended with no playoffs, but it has been a ROUGH year. Hopefully next year will be better!

And, actually, Austin & Alyssa are spending time away right now. Alyssa is with her cousins, and Austin is with his Momo. They took the kids so we could have a date night, and a night of uninterrupted sleep! THANKS! However, I, of course, was up at 7:15 AM this morning! SERIOUSLY??!! All the things I wanted to get done today were on the brain, and I couldn't get back to sleep! It was weird though walking down the hallway and seeing empty kids rooms. :(

I do look forward to picking you guys up this afternoon. Only 4 more weeks 'til summer my babies! We are looking forward to so many things!

Alyssa....I can't believe you will soon be a first grader! You love to play school with your babies when we get home! You were so proud to read a 60 page Dr. Seuss book yesterday! (So was I!) You are an AMAZING secret keeper! You are a picky eater and don't want to try new stuff! (wonder where you get that from!) You enjoy being outside on the swing and trampoline! You are not interested in wearing dresses right now, and you ONLY want to wear flip-flops! You LOVE to make Austin laugh!

Austin...I can't believe in less than 3 months you will be ONE! You LOVE to be outside! You enjoy chillin' in your swing! You love your pacifiers! I crack up at that 'sly' grin that hides behind your pacifier! You LOVE your big sister! You don't really want to be held to be put to sleep! We have to put you in the bed, you usually throw out your pacifier & cry a bit, we pick you up, you wiggle around, and then we put you back in the bed so you will go to sleep! Sometimes that cycle occurs a few times! You still sometimes gag on the '3' foods, so we are slowly adding those in! I am pretty sure the first time you said 'Mama' was the other day when you were sick, I walked out the door as you spent the day at home with daddy! Broke my heart...it was on my birthday!

I love you both so much, even though I seem to lose my patience so much! I am daily asking God to help me with that...it is one of my biggest weaknesses! So, Alyssa, even when I am so short with you, please know I love you to the moon and back a bazillion times! Austin...love you too sweet boy!

Austin is 9 months old!

I can't believe Austin is already 9 months old! It really caught me off guard today when my mom laid him down for a nap, and I just looked at how 'big' he was! Ugh...time flies way too fast. This week I took Austin in for his 9 month checkup and a follow-up for his ears. He was 19 lbs 15 oz (40% percentile) and he was just over the average with a length of 28' 3/4". His well check went well. Although he DID NOT like having his finger pricked for a hematocrit (sp?) test! That was awful, and then he still had to get his round two of H1N1 flu shots. As for the ears....:( I have already called the ENT for an appointment. She said the ears looked better, but there was still fluid. So, not looking forward to the possibility of tubes. Otherwise he is doing great! He slept through the night two times this past week....of course then Alyssa woke up for whatever reason. The doctor says its time for me to let him cry himself back to sleep - no need to feed. Ugh...not ready for that battle. Seems easier to just stop the crying with a bottle and get him back to sleep even though I am exhausted. Austin is becoming very verbal with his 'dadada' babble, his yelling, and his grunting! It is quite funny.

Momo came into town yesterday so mom & dad could go to a wedding. I think both of the kiddos REALLY enjoyed having her. SO DID I! I hope that one day I will be as patient and helpful as she is! Thanks for doing all the laundry Momo! YOU ARE THE BEST!

Alyssa had softball practice today. On Sundays dad takes her and helps coach as well. He said Alyssa had a meltdown because she wanted to be at third and someone else went there. She does a good job of going after hit balls and trying to catch them. However, she really struggled with hitting today. Poor thing...dad said you could tell she was getting frustrated at the end. HOWEVER....I write about this because this is where we were proud. When she got home she wanted to play outside while dad grilled. She went and got the tee out and was practicing off the tee on her own! I hope that persistence will always continue!

Love you both so much my precious babies! Alyssa....looking forward to the field trip to the zoo this week. Austin...I hope we all have some restful nights this week! :)

Catching up...

Trying to think of some highlights I want to point out:

Easter Weekend was GREAT! We headed home to see the family on Friday and stayed through Sunday. Friday evening Alyssa went fishing with her dad, popo, uncle and cousins. I think they had an awesome time. Saturday was time with both grandparents and even great granny. Sunday was a long day but included time for church, 3 easter egg hunts, and time spent with all of the kiddos aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. What an amazing day! Alyssa had a great time hunting for eggs....she really enjoyed the ones with money since she is not a fan of candy. Lucky for us...and for my students! I usually share the candy with them. Austin of course did not do much. He does not like to sit in the grass. So, he sat on blankets and just tried to eat the eggs!

This past week has been super busy! It has included 3 baseball games for daddy's team, one for alyssa's team, picture day for softball, and daddy's birthday and birthday dinner!!!! We went out to eat a day early and the kids were GREAT! Even Austin! He got a little loud....he was just having too much fun playing peek a boo at the restaurant. He gets very loud when he is excited, and when he is mad. Hard to tell the difference.

Alyssa....couple sidenotes about you! You have a VERY sensitive nose, and you do not like certain smells. You can't stand when we have peppermints or gum in our mouth. SILLY GIRL! You also don't like candy - except M&M's. BUT you sure LOVE your sweets. You want dessert at every meal, if possible. I found out that you buy ice cream almost every day for lunch at school. And, then you still ask for dessert at supper. I think I am going to have to limit your amount of times at school! You are getting better with softball. You are the youngest on your team. Last time you played first base. Also....funny story for the books if I didn't already write it. I asked you why you didn't want to be the 'pitcher' for your team. You told me you didn't want to put on all the stuff and be behind the batter. Bless your little heart....you were confused...thinking the pitcher was the catcher. Once I cleared that up...you were very eager to be the pitcher. You have figured out to ask your coach to play the positions where the ball will go to! :)

Austin....you are still waking up 1-2 times in the night. :( You are quickly on the move, and stand up all the time. You love the toys that make any sort of noise....you start to do your own little bouncing dance. All this while hanging onto that wub-a-nub pacifier! AND, bathtime is quite a mess these days. There is water everywhere with all your splashing. Can't wait to take you to the beach.

Almost forgot....took Alyssa to the doctor this week for a follow up on her ears. Looks like the ear infection with drainage may have actually been a good thing. Looks like the hole on her left ear has closed about 60-70%, so hopefully all will heal on its own. The doctor said the inflammation may have helped that hole close up. So, as of now, we will follow up again in a couple of months and currently no plans for surgery to patch it up. We will just have to put a plug in her left ear when swimming!

Okay...I will close for now. Must get a few things done before I take Alyssa to watch some dance and cheer performances at school.

Love you to the moon and back ms. alyssa & mr. austin!

Not a winner at Bunco...

So, I went to Bunco tonight...and I lost. :( Is it maybe because the prizes were beautiful pots of plants???? So, see Austin has already broken one other pretty pot I won at Bunco. And, on Saturday morning we were only up early for about 15 minutes before he headed straight for one plant that he pulled over and spilled the dirt everywhere! He is ALL about getting into the plants, trashcans and fans!!! And, the funniest thing is when he gets mad or doesn't like something he sits there and grunts with his fists clenched tightly. This makes Chad & I laugh. Austin has gotten his three rounds of shots...not sure there is honestly much of a change. We go back mid-April for his 9 month check up, and they will check the ears out then. So, we shall wait and see. Austin is VERY busy, and he wants to pull up on everything!

Alyssa is cracking me up a lot these days. The latest is the 'SERIES' of questions I get every morning on the way to school. The other morning was the loads of questions about the 12 year old who took who parents truck and drove on the interstate. She was very curious how the police could find his parents. :) This morning was something else...but the long day has kept me from remembering. And, the best part of her Monday was playing 'pretend boyfriends' with her best friend 'A' after school. But I was rest assured when she told me there was NO kissing!

Ear Infections Stink!

Dear Austin,
Well, your sixth tooth broke through on Wednesday, March 24. One of the top right ones. You were sleeping through the night last week, but this week has been not been so good. You are waking up about midnight and 5 am. Yesterday we went back to the doctor for another checkup. Your ears were still red and bulging. It lead the doctors to give you the first day of shots. Boo! We had to go back today for round two. The doctor said they looked better, so that is good, but there was still some redness. You did sleep through the night last night! You cried just a bit today, and then you were good. So strong....'atta boy! Sad news...we go back tomorrow for the third day of shots. :( Hopefully they will be better. If not...we go back in two weeks, and the doctors could tell us to get tubes put in. So, we will see!

On the bright side...before your doctor's appointment we had an awesome morning! You were VERY proud of yourself this morning. I was grading papers on the couch and you pulled yourself up to stand there. Oh, the grin that was behind that pacifier! You are all about trying to pull up and stand right now. And, you want in every trash can and fan in the house! Then, we packed up and headed to the park. We played, and you even did some slides with alyssa, and you LOVED the swings. You had fun watching a squirrel, and then we had a picnic in the park. You were soooo good. After that, we headed over to ride the train. Alyssa loves to ride the train, and you seemed to enjoy it just as much! You were smiling and very excited through the whole ride. And, the weather was just gorgeous for us as well!

Now you are napping while Alyssa plays, and I am off to grade more papers. :( Before I forget....baths have become very exciting for you. I have to close the curtains some because you splash water EVERYWHERE as you get very excited. It is pretty funny. I love seeing you so happy about so many things. Keep that spirit forever.

And, Alyssa....I hope that you and your brother will continue to have the relationship you have now. You two love one another so much, and you take such good care of him. He won't be able to get away with much having you around!!!

I love you both....Mom

I love Spring Break!

What a WONDERFUL day it was today!!!
Yesterday we did not do too much exciting....I dropped Austin off at school, while Alyssa & I went to work in my room and go to the grocery store. Then we headed home to unload & reload to go set up for our casino party! Then it was back home to get ready & meet the sitter! Chad and I had an AWESOME time at our casino night....good times & laughs with many dear friends! AND....I want to go gambling SO bad! I love me some blackjack....and I even picked up learning how to play some Craps tonight! And, Chad....well....he does NOT enjoy gambling! He would rather hang on to the money! :)
Today was AMAZING! We woke up early. I was a 'fool' and scheduled Alyssa's dentist appointment early.

Alyssa my dear....how you DISLIKE the dentist (and any doctors). I feel so bad because you get yourself worked up in tears so quickly. :( We did actually get you to lay on the table this time so the lady could clean & floss your teeth. (Last time you stayed in my lap...baby steps...) We still have not gotten to take pictures of your teeth - that is the goal for the next visit. The doctors have commented on how tight your teeth are and have told me both times that braces will be in the future - more so sooner than later :(. Ugh...poor thing. I 'DREAD' those days and pray that you will overcome most of your anxiety issues by then!
After the appointment we went to meet Meghan and the kiddos! We all headed to SA to watch Pinkalicious at the Magic Theatre. You seemed to LOVE the show. You got to run around with your friends on the awesome playground before and after the show. We also enjoyed a sack lunch picnic there after the show. Then we headed to Sonic for 'happy hour' before going on to the Witte Museum. We went through the dinosaur exhibit, and I was impressed that you were not scared of the dinosaurs in there! You had a blast playing in the Science Treehouse. Had some cool things in there. After that we loaded up, and we did a little shopping in Old Navy. You helped me pick out Austin's swim trunks. So cute!!!! Then we met four of my college girlfriends for dinner. I didn't think you were going to make it (or myself) but you ate a bit and then it was time to call it a day!!! You were out in no time on the way home. Austin spent the day at his daycare, and hanging out at the baseball field with Dad. THANK YOU for a great time today Alyssa - I had a blast! I look forward to so many more memories with you. I love you my sweetie! And a major thanks to Kinley's mom for planning most of this great day!!