Endurance

We had an extremely busy weekend this weekend. A birthday party Friday night and Saturday morning, then we escaped to Galveston for the afternoon (we thought) and ended up staying the night. I'll have to post pictures of the parties and the beach later, what we witnessed Sunday morning takes precedence over everything!

My brother Charlie, has a back disease. Its pretty painful, and he has lived with the pain for almost 10 years. He has always been in good shape, playing basketball, basically anything that included alot of sweat and "fun" with the guys. But, last year, he went for a checkup, and the doctor said it was time for Charlie to have surgery on his back. Well, this isn't just any surgery, its surgery that has you flat out on your back for 8 weeks, then is a long recovery, and pretty much, he won't get to be active again in a sporty sense. So, Charlie decided he would start training for the marathon in Houston on January 13th. He thought (I am assuming) that he would give it all he had before having to go through with the surgery. The marathon was a 26 mile run. Did you read that right? 26 miles!!! He completed it, and has done a few more since (I think he is addicted, but don't tell him I said that!). So, this weekend, he did a triathalon. I learned alot about them, but basicall what he did is called the 1/4 Ironman. He swam for .6 miles, biked for 26 miles, and then ran for 6 point something miles (I am sure when you are running that "something" is very important).

I honestly have never been a part of something so exciting. I am not kidding. It was at Moody Gardens, so there were a lot of places we could see him along the race. It was so fun! We raced around trying to get a glimpse of him every where we could. We cheered loudly, screamed, jumped, anything you could imagine. It was thrilling. I was worried the kids would be bored, but Sullivan was SOOOOO into it. He couldn't handle waiting to see Charlie again. It was really cute to watch him run as fast as he could to the next spot, worried he might miss out on the chance to scream for his Uncle. He was really ticked that people were cheering for others because he really wanted his Uncle to win.

Sophie waiting to cheer on Unkie Charlie!
The biking wait was about an hour, so Sullivan busted out the leapster to keep him occupied. We all cheered for other people, but he would have no part of that- his Uncle Charlie was the ONLY person he wanted to win.

This video is Sullivan running as fast as he can to the next "spot".
Dad getting the "perfect" shot.
Charlie JUST after he crossed the finished line. It looks like he is thinking "Remind me why I did that again?"

I could not be more proud of you Charlie! I can't imagine having the endurance to finish!

Sewing Machine

That's right guys, I have turned into a sewing machine. I am having SEW much fun (had to do it). The kids are getting old enough to play with each other, which I am just loving, so I decided to try a new hobby. Here are a few of my projects:

On the note of LOVE, can I tell you a few things that I just LOVE?

Well, if you said no, then close your explorer page, if you said yes, read on:

- I LOVE listening to 4 year old jokes that I have heard 10 times. They never get funnier, but they seem to crack me up every time! What did the train say when he sneezed? Achoo choo! :)

- I LOVE seeing Sophie's shy head bury its way into my leg when someone new greets her.

- I LOVE seeing Sophie's face light up when you can tell she is figuring something new out- this morning, you should have seen how excited she was by a simple elevator!

-I LOVE hearing pitter patter of tiny feet. Sophie had a playdate with her little friend Blake this morning, and it was the sweetest thing ever to hear their little feet chase each other on the wood floor!

- I LOVE watching Sullivan's mind grow and expand. He is learning so much every day, and soaking in so much. We have been learning about "when two vowels go a walking, the first one does the talking." Its so fun to remember all of the fun little tricks to reading!

- I LOVE babies. I really do. I don't want any more, but I just love them! I got to hold Blake's twin baby brothers this morning, and I think they are just perfect. Nothing makes me happier than making a baby laugh. Nothing brings more joy than seeing the innocence of a sweet little perfectly round baby head and hearing that little laugh. Oh man, Gini, I need to come back over!

-I LOVE thinking about growing old with one man. The thought of growing from young kids who got married, to parents, and maybe one day grandparents is just exciting!

Ok, can you tell I am having a wierd day? Here's my last love-

Sophie has decided you can not put anything in her hair. I still try. So, usually, she has pigtails with bows. She pulls them out pretty fast, but her hair is left looking CRAZY. Here she is this morning with bed head. I LOVE it! And, btw I know she has red eyes, but the red eye reduction made her look like Satan, so she kept the red!

Puzzled

This is Sullivan showing you his new tattoos (courtesy of McDonalds thinking pirate tatoos for a four year old are cool) and his very first pair of boxer shorts. I don't know why I haven't gotten him any before, because he is soooooo stinkin cute in them!

This is Sophie looking like a "clown", as her daddy says because "even when we are just going to Walmart, she has to be all dolled up." That's right darn it. I earned the right to have a little girl and doll her up. I earned the right to put huge bows in her head, match her clothes and shoes, and kiss all over her. And, let me tell you, I am enjoying every minute of it. And, mom, notice her outfit is NOT pink, thank you very much! And, for your viewing pleasure, my little doll being a pirate!

Puzzles- this is Sullivan's new obsession, but not the kind you are thinking. Word puzzles. Everything is a puzzle. "Mom, I want something to eat, but you have to figure out what it is from these clues : it's square and has holes all over it." "Ok, buddy, I need more clues." "You eat it." "Right, I got that when you told me it was something you wanted to eat, more clues please...." "Ok, its brown, sometimes." "Ummmmmm....." "Fine, you put syrup on it." "Waffles!" "right!"

"Mom, do you know how to make a gun? Like, the puzzle way?"

"Nope, but I would imagine you have to get some metal to start with."

Cracking up laughing, "NOPE, that's ALL wrong mom. Try again."

"Maybe some plastic?"

"No, mom, its a puzzle! You make an L with your fingers and turn them upside down!"

"Mom, what number is bigger than 8? Remember this is a puzzle!"

"Ummm.... Nine?"

"No mom, it has two fours."

"44?"

"That's the answer!"

And I leave you with a final puzzle of your own. This is half of the hair that I cut off yesterday. HALF. I will show you the actual doooo when I figure out how to style it ;)

Little Miss Personality

Well, Sophie's personality is really coming out now. I totally forgot about this age- exploring the world, finding out just what makes them unique. I am LOVING it. She is into laughing any time she hears someone laughing. Its hillarious to watch her watch a movie with Sullivan- anytime he laughs, she pretends to know what is funny and laughs along. She keeps watching him for approval to be sure its still ok to laugh. She loves walking up on you in a room and shouting "Boo." I think its her favorite word. She is quite a talker, and yesterday she said something that sounded as much like hamburger as you can imagine. Although, Sullivan says she would never say that because she doesn't like ham, she only likes to eat cheeseburgers.

So, Aaron and I had gotten them some fun stuff for Easter thanks to a big sale at Toysrus. Well, we could wait to give it to them, and let me tell you, I have found the perfect toy for little ones. This fisher price singing stage in the video. From the second Sophie opened it, she has sung and danced, clapped, kissed the baby in the mirror. It is by far my favorite toy she has ever had. And for your viewing pleasure, anyone like ravioli?

My Man

Oh how I love my little man! Sometimes I forget it, it's easy to do with his attitude. But, so often, I remember how wonderful he is. If he does not become a comedian, he is sure to be a lawyer (which are one and the same sometimes). Anyways, here are a few of my favorite stories from the last few weeks that are sure to keep you on birth control ;)

-He is into races. He has to beat you at everything. Who has the longer name, who gets dressed faster, who pees the longest, who buckles in the car faster, etc. While eating dinner with my parents last weekend, I told him he needed to get busy eating or I would beat him. He replied (while we all tried not to pee in our pants): "Mom, life isn't a competition."

-We were eating dinner at CiCi's pizza the other night with Aaron. Aaron asked Sullivan if he needed to go teetee to which he replied: "Oh Aawon, you know that's a potty word. We do not use trash can words or potty words at the table. Shame on you."

-We were playing in the playground at McDonalds when Sullivan ran over to me with a disgusted look on his face. "What's wrong?" He says (in a grossed out manner about to throwup): "If that little boy's booty smelled any worse, you could call him a toilet."

Cancer

Two weeks ago, we got a call from my mother in law, Stephanie that my father in law, Larry, had gone to the doctor because he was having some pain. While there, they did an ultrasound and found what appeared to be cancer in his liver and in his lymph nodes surrounding the liver. The next day, they saw an oncologist, who ordered a battery of tests. After all of the tests, they returned to the oncologist, who said that it was cancer in the liver and lymph nodes, but it was also in the esophogous and stomach. He had a central line put in this week to administer the chemo easily, but is waiting to hear from MD Anderson whether he could be included in any of their tests. This news is very hard to hear, and we are dealing with it as best we can. Please pray for Larry as he battles this disease and the pain that is associated with it. Please pray for Stephanie as she loves him through it all. Please pray for his kids (three sons Ben, Adam, and Aaron) as they cope with all of this as well.

Larry has worked as a state police for 30 years now in Louisiana, rarely missing a day. He has built up quite a number of vacation days, and is shceduled to retire at the end of September. Please pray that he will win this fight with cancer and be able to enjoy his retirement that he has worked so hard for.

I finked enough already

"Go get in timeout and think about knocking your sister down with a bucket, and then lying about it."Twenty seconds later : "I finked enough already!"

Well, we just got back from an amazing weekend! Lots of crazy stuff happened, but my kids were their wonderful selves and enjoyed every minute of being spoiled rotten by nanny and pawpaw. Sophie loved making my mom laugh, and thought it was her duty to be sure that her nanny gave her undivided attention.
Sullivan was old enough to really enjoy the plane ride, while Sophie was old enough to know that a landing plane made her stomach feel sick. Sick in my family equates to throwing up. HOORAY! But, we had a lovely visit, and got to see lots of family and friends. My grandpa looks absolutely amazing, better than he has in a long time. I secretly think its all of the extra TLC everyone is giving him (and of course the love of his LONG time wife, my Nanny!). We had a wonderful visit with them, got to go to my favorite Chinese restaurant, and got to just hang out.

I will say that after a LOOOONG weekend in New Orleans, I had to come home in elastic pants!

Young love! Maybe this is an indication of things to come? Kate accepted the kiss from her new best friend, Sullivan (which she said exceptionally well for a two year old!). This is Kate, her mom Jamie and I have been best friends since early in college. We lived together for a while. It was neat getting to see Kate and Sullivan get to really play- everytime we see each other, its in a stressful, quick visit. But they got to hang out at the airport, and then play in the mall playground. The above picture is Kate and Sullivan trying to wrangle their uncooperative sisters (Sophie and Reese). Reese is equally as wonderful as her big sister, and I can only imagine she will be as sweet, but a little more rough!
Sullivan and Nanny enjoy the street car, check out the cool guy in the row behind them. Yeah, he IS New Orleans.
Sophie enjoys street cars too (once she gets to eat some fruit loops).
A three way mirror made for quite a few friends for Sophie to enjoy talking to.
Do you think my bow is too big? Sophie showing off her daredevil ways- yes she climbs to the top of large slides and then goes down head first!

I am not tired

Sullivan was not tired tonight when he went to bed. That's why, when I told him that I would be right back after checking on Sophie, I never imagined I would find him asleep in his clothes looking like a zombie. Good thing he wasn't tired.

I really think I am in for trouble in my future years. Sullivan asked me if he could watch a movie today, I told him he had already seen it 100 times, and that he needed to pick a new one- "Well did you ever think I might want to see it 101 times mom?" AHHHHHHHH... And, he is into making "tricky" letters. For instance, did you know that if you write an N and turn it sideways, you get a tricky Z? Or, if you write a V, put a little line in the middle, and turn it upside down, you make a tricky A? His life's mission is to find all of the tricky letters out there. And, he wants to know how to spell everything. He can sound out alot of words, but some have "hidden" letters, and he HATES those. He sounded out pelican all by himself, and was all proud, when he decided to try House. Man, that word is hard! Its so cute, because when he spells a word, he will say, "I can spell cat- uppercase C, lowercase a, lowercase t. " He cracks me up (sometimes).

And, if he isn't enough, Sophie has decided that she will only wear this skirt. A friend of ours made her a black and red toole skirt so that she could be a lady bug. Sophie wore it for two weeks straight (she cried to take it off for the bath). So, I decided to make her a pink one since most of her clothes are not red and black. She stands in front of the mirror looking at herself so proud. She has gotten quite proficient at the LARGE slide that my parents got them. She climbs up and heads face first down it all the while yelling "whhhheeeee" in her baby voice. Sometimes I wonder if she really was that tiny newborn I brought home just over a year ago.

I LOVE pink and brown. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! This is my favorite of Sophie's diapers matched with my favorite of her babylegs!

And, for your viewing pleasure- Grace and Noah enjoy fresh water- no water from a bowl for these spoiled cats.

Picture Time Picture Time