Happy 34th!

Today is my parents anniversary. I am so lucky to have such good examples of what a healthy and happy marriage is. I have never wondered if my parents loved each other and I am so thankful for that. After 34 years, they are still holding hands!

Thanks for everything, Mom and Dad.

I love you!!!

My 10-year old got a hold of my camera!

"say cheese"

Enough of Miles..... let's get some pictures of me!


Future foamer???

Okay, enough of the trains! Let's get back to me! :)

Honor Choir

Paige is in the Honor Choir for her school district. On Saturday they had an all day music workshop. At the end of the day they had a little concert. The fifth graders sang three songs, and then the older grades performed a few songs. Next time you see Paige, ask her to sing you "Things I Learned From A Cow." It's a really cute song.

After Paige's group performed I had to take Miles out into the foyer, he had been good and quiet for as long as possible for a 19 month old! He found a little friend there. They were so cute together. They followed each other around everywhere, and then when one of them would sit down, the other one would sit down and then scoot over as close as possible. She was adorable with all her curly hair. Miles is already quite the ladies man! :)

Another day in the creek.

All the kids love going down and playing in the creek. And daddy loves it too. He is so happy that his kids don't mind getting a little muddy and would rather be outside doing anything, rather than sitting in the house.

There are these pretty flowers growing all down the sides of the creek. (they could be weeds for all I know, but they're still pretty!) Paige was at her friends softball game and Livee had to run back home for a potty break, but I did manage to get a couple of my kids to sit down and pose for me.

Livee's 1st field trip

So Livee had her 1st field trip so that means she finally got to ride on a school bus. I think she was more excited about that, than the actual field trip. Too bad she fell asleep as soon as the bus took off! What happened to the days when the parents got to ride on the bus with their kids? All of the parents had to get themselves to the zoo. When I was in school one of my favorite things about field trips was getting to ride on the bus with my mom. I'm missing out on that with my kids! Anyways... we went to the Fort Worth Zoo. There were so many parents on this trip that most of them were only responsible for their own child. I just had Livee and her friend Codie.

Our first stop always has to be the flamingos. They look fake in this picture, like yard decorations.
The girls loved the Bat Phones. Livee has a scared look on her face because she had just heard on the phone that there are rattlesnakes in Texas.
Just lookin cute with the little elephant statue.
They had a "moment."

These pictures crack me up! Girls will be girls! I think Livee and Codie had spent a little too much time together that day. Did you notice the little argument and the elbow jab? :)

It was a long day. Once we got to the zoo, and the teachers got us checked in and passed out tickets, we only had about 2 1/2 hours to see everything, and we had to fit lunch in there too. I felt like I was rushing the girls through all the exhibits, just pointing out the animals as we passed through. It was a warm, humid day, so we were all worn out by the end of it. Livee slept through the whole trip home too. So much for the excitement of the bus ride!

I can't wait to do it again!!!

Craig Jr.

Miles is definitely his daddy's boy! He loves to get into Craig's grip and take out his radio and flashlight. He wants to do whatever Daddy is doing.... mowing the yard, installing new plumbing, fixing the sprinklers, taking out the trash. Actually one of his favorite things is throwing away his diapers. After we change him he will take the diaper and say "trash" and then we will take him outside to throw it in the garbage, and he is so happy to do it. I hope he still has that good attitude about it when he is a teenager and it's one of his chores! He is talking a ton now and he loves to tell you the different animal sounds. If you call at the right time you might even get him to talk on the phone for a minute or two. He is such a boy too! Always wants to be outside in the dirt or playing with his Tonka truck. He loves to throw everything, if he can pick it up, watch out 'cause it's gonna be flying through the air in a second! It's funny, I never really knew that I wanted a son until I had him, now I can't imagine not having this little guy in our family. I love my Craig and my little Craig Jr.!

Little Smartie Pants!

Yester-day we had a meeting at the school to figure out what classes Paige will be taking next year at the Jr. High. Her teachers recommended that she be placed in all Pre. AP classes. I was concerned about the amount of homework she might have. I want her to still have time to be a kid! So I talked to all 3 of her teachers and they all said they don't think Paige will have a problem keeping up and that she shouldn't have a ton of homework. So we will see how that goes. She also picked her electives, choir and theater arts. I can't believe she is going to be in Jr. High already!!! I'm a little bit freaking out about it. My little girl is growing up. I am sad about that, but I am so proud of her! Her teacher tells me that she wants to clone her, so that all of her students can be like Paige. I know she will be fine at the new school, I just don't know if I will!

Yuck-O!!!

We had a major yuck in our house today. It involved a 19 month old boy.... We'll call him *Johnny. He had just gotten out of the bath and was streaking around the house when it happened. Let's just say the incident involved the freshly cleaned carpet, and an emergency dash back to the bathtub. I can't give any more details than that! (Way TMI!) I am so glad Daddy was home to help with the aftermath! Thanks to the newest member of our family, Bissell, our carpet looks good as new. After another good scrubbing, Johnny was good as new too. :)

*Name has been changed to protect identity of guilty party.

TMJ?

Zoe has been complaining about an earache but she didn't have a fever and it doesn't hurt all the time. I took her to the Pediatrician and she said her ears looked perfect, no infection. We talked for a little while about what else it could be and the Dr. thinks it is TMJ. She has always been a teeth grinder when she sleeps, and she also clenches her jaw a lot while she's sleeping. I guess a lot of people with TMJ think that it is their ear that is hurting because it is so close to the jaw joint. I made her an appointment with the dentist, so we will just have to wait and see what he says. Right now she needs to sleep with a football type mouth guard, and if she has pain we give her Motrin. It is supposed to work better than Tylenol for this because it is an anti-inflammatory. If anyone has any experience with this please let me know. Thanks.

Update: Zoe's Dentist agreed that it is the TMJ thing. She has to try a new mouth guard to sleep with, and she is not supposed to chew gum, or eat anything that makes her jaws work hard, like well done steak or chewy candies. I need to keep a journal on when she has pain in her jaw, ears, neck, or back. It hasn't bothered her for the last few days, so hopefully she won't have any. She has another check-up in 2 weeks, and then the Dentist will decide if she needs to see a specialist.

Paigee's new invention.

Paige ran in the house yesterday and told me to come quick and look at what she had made. She calls it a "swi-mock" half swing half hammock. Works pretty good for her, I'm just not sure how comfortable it is. :)