Happy Halloween, From our "No Place Like Home" to Yours!

What fun day and night! I got to go to both boys' classes today to take pictures of their Halloween activities.

When I found out that I was going to have a girl after two boys, I remember thinking, "One of these days, we can do a Wizard of Oz theme for Halloween!" This year was finally the year. Everyone was very excited about their costumes. Matthew was initially skeptical. "I don't want to wear a FUNNEL on my head!" Once I told him that I would smear silver makeup on him and if he went along with this, he could be whatever he wanted next year even if it involved blood, he came around! He thought he looked hilarious, and he did! Mary Beth is now insisting that everyone call her "Dorsy" (remember she can't say her /th/ sound). Thomas, literal as always, really believed last night that he could scare crows!

Anyway, after school, it was time to get them costumed up and ready for Trunk or Treat at church. It was a beautiful night, and we all enjoyed eating hotdogs and watching the kids have a blast! I love the picture of Mary Beth eating cotton candy with a full plate of real food ready to eat! Only on Halloween, right? After that, we made a short stop to take pictures with Matthew's teacher and then it was off to our neighborhood for some finaly trick or treating. We enjoyed having Lauren, Josh, and James trick or treat with us as well. James was Toto, but trying to take a picture of all four of them proved to be too much! I love Halloween!

I love this picture of Matthew! He dunked several of our ministers numerous times!

My Pumpkins in the pumpkins

We finally got our annual pumpkin pictures today. I must say that this is one of the first years that I have left pumpkin pictures without sweating! It is nice to be able to take pictures of three kids without worrying about bad moods and running off! Happy Fall, Ya'll!

What a week!

Wow! I feel like I have been running a marathon this week! Both the boys had their end of the season soccer parties this week. I am laying off the pizza for a while....

Tuesday, I worked during Mother's Day Out and then drove Mary Beth half way to Conroe to meet my mother-in-law. Mimi and Big Mack wanted a little time with her and it was so helpful because I am leaving tonight for a professional conference in Dallas. Mary Beth always loves getting to spend some time with her girl cousins and grandparents.

Bryon is meeting my in laws in College Station on Friday to pick up our little girl. They are all going to spend the night at Bryon's Aunt Bernie's farm on Friday night before heading home on Saturday. It was strange but also fun with just the boys the past two days. Bryon and I took them on a Starbucks date last night after church. They are getting so big and so much fun!

Before heading out of town tonight, I am dropping to boys off with Bryon for basketball tryouts! One sport to the next...

I am looking forward to a few days in Dallas. I get to stay with my sister-in-law and brother. I am hoping to get some shopping done, eat at some good restaurants, and learn a little to help my patients!

See ya Monday!

Girly Girl

After church today, my mother asked Mary Beth to come to her house and play with the new doll house that Mom bought. When we got home, we asked Mary Beth to go get dressed for Nana's house. This is what she came up with on her own: garter in the hair, Barbie wedding dress, pink tutu underneath the dress, tights, Princess slippers, and a feather boa!

Before I go one, I must say that Mary Beth has only one speech mispronounciation. She pronounces "th" as "z". This makes her sound very French. i.e. "Mommy, the boys are bozzering me!"

Anyway, we told her that her outfit might not be the best for going to Nana's. She then sighed and said, "OK, I will take my feazzers (feathers) off!"

She had a great time at Nana's even without her feazzers!

Butterfly Hunter

With the mild weather we have been having, my flowers are blooming strong and we have a gazillion butterflies in the garden at any one time!

Mary Beth and I love to sit out and watch them. If we are quiet and still, we can hear their wings flapping. Of course, my spunky 3 year old doesn't stay quiet and still for long, so she runs to the plants and does her best to catch butterflies!

She has become quite successful in her butterfly catching abilities! She grabs them, we count to three, and she lets them go. A little while ago, I found her watching TV with one in her hand. Maybe we need to go over the whole catch and release philosophy again! The butterflies are let go and seem no worse for the wear. I love the smile on her face during her "hunt" and how she loves the "BEEEEEEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLIES!"

Bryon

Karen tagged me!

Who is your man? Bryon

How long have you been together? 12 1/2 years. We have known each other for over 14 years.
How long dated? 14 months from first date to wedding day.
How old is your man? Bryon turned 36 in April.
Who eats more? It's a toss up. Probably me!
Who said "I love you" first? Bryon
Who is taller? Bryon is about 6'3", I am 5'6" .
Who sings better? I do. Bryon and I both get a good laugh every now and then at his singing abilities!
Who is smarter? We are smart in different ways.
Whose temper is worse? Me
Who does the laundry? Bryon
Who takes out the garbage? Bryon
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do.
Who pays the bills? Me
Who is better with the computer? Definitely me. Bryon just started really using email this year!
Who mows the lawn? Bryon
Who cooks dinner? me
Who drives when you are together? It's a toss up. Bryon usually likes me driving on weekends.
Who pays when you go out? Bryon
Who is most stubborn? I say Bryon, he says me! ;)
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? me
Whose parents do you see the most? Mine. We live in the same town. We used to see Bryon's more than we do now thanks to weekend sports for the kids!

Who kissed who first? Bryon did after going to a Texas Rangers game.
Who asked who out? Bryon asked me to go to a local cafeteria with his best friend, Kevin after church one Sunday. Then he asked me out for a real date one week later.
Who proposed? Bryon did on November 4, 1995
Who is more sensitive? Neither one of us is too sensitive.
Who has more friends? I do. He doesn't keep up with old friends as much as I do. Plus he works hard and wants to hang out with the kids and me during his free time.
Who has more siblings? We both have a younger sister and a younger brother.

Who wears the pants in the family? I think we are a pretty good team and share the pant wearing responsibility!

New Post!

This one is for my mother who has been threatening me if I didn't post something!

Since school started, we have really hit the ground running. Last Wednesday was the first day since the beginning of school that I stayed home all day! Sort of throws out the whole notion of a stay at home mom!

Here is what I have been up to:

*Lots of fun room mother things. Taking pictures of all the kids, grandparents day project, teddy bear picnic, and getting ready for our fall festival. Boy was that an undertaking! I am happy to report that it was a blast and it is over until next year!

*Working during MDO. I only had a few patients this summer, but have gradually added a few more since school started. I am so thankful that I am able to fit it all in when ME is in school!

*Ladies class. I stopped Ladies Class when I had Mary Beth, but just started it up again this year. We are doing The Patriarch by Beth Moore.

*Reading a ton. We are searching for a great book to do for book club and I have read a lot in preparation for that. The last few I read were duds. I have four on my night stand ready for reading!

*Soccer, soccer, soccer. This is the story of our Saturdays. This weekend, Lauren was able to come for the first time, as well and Aunt Jilinda and Uncle Michael. Both boys scored two goals which is always fun to watch. While I will be sad to say goodbye to soccer at the end of the month, I will be happy to say hello to relaxing Saturdays again!

What the kids have been up to:

*Matthew

2nd grade had been wonderful for Matthew. He has been such a joy to be with! I love his teacher and love that he is starting to have more challenging work to do. He is also enjoying piano with his new teacher. I don't have to beg him to practice anymore!

*Thomas

Thomas is loving being a kindergartner. He has such a sweet teacher and adorable kids in his class. Last week, he got his first sickness of the year. They are exposed to so many new and different germs in kindergarten! He had bronchitis last week and stayed home with ME and me for 1 1/2 days. It was nice having him home again during the day even for a short time!

*Mary Beth

Mary Beth started ballet and tap this year. What a fun thing to witness! Last week, she learned how to stand on her toes. She also has a new best friend whom she adores. She and Whitney have been in church class with each other since they were babies, but only recently have they become inseparable. They get to see each other every day of the week for some event or another and her mother and I have enjoyed watching the budding friendship! They love seeing each other and usually walk shoulder to shoulder everywhere they go.

Well, I think that about sums up the last few weeks!

Heard around our house this week...

Thomas:

"Dear God, thank you for the Earth, thank you for the countries, thank you for the states, and thank you for the cities. But thank you most of all for the planet so astronauts can have a place to land."


ME before church yesterday:

"Mommy, put on your shoes!"
"In just a minute, honey. Let me do my hair first."
"Mommy, I didn't know you had hair on your feet!"


Matthew sitting next to me at church holding up a dime:

"Mommy, I really want to give God my tive (tithe)." He is really learning a lot in Bible class!

Taking one for the team.

One of the most fun things about having a child who is super intense/highly competitive/a bottomless pit of energy, is that he is a lot of fun to watch play sports! Well, lots of fun and slightly terrifying for me! You see, Matthew is so focused on his task, that he cares very little what physical damage could result from his actions. Take today for example. Matthew plays goalie for half of each game. They were playing a team that was bigger then them. Every time the opposing team broke away and started barrelling down the field in Matthew's direction, his entire demeanor changed and he was ready for them. He dove for as many balls as he could no matter that his head was very near the ball that the opposing player was trying to beam into the goal! Here are a few examples. I was unable to take pictures of the time that Matthew dove for the ball as three very large players tried their hardest to kick the ball out from underneath Matthew, because I stood in stunned silence hoping and praying that he made it out of the encounter with all of his teeth accounted for. Fortunately for us, Matthew didn't let a single ball get past him and his teeth are all present and survived to serve him another day!

BTW-Matthew was diagnosed this week with asthma and severe allergies. His tree and grass allergies were off the charts. Rolling around in the grass as he did this morning probably wasn't the best thing for him!

Also, my sweet little T-man scored 2 goals as well. It was a great day on the soccer fields today!

Road trip...by myself!

I had a wonderful and unusual weekend. Friday afternoon, I dropped the kids off with Bryon and my in laws and headed to my professional conference in San Antonio. My inlaws were in town to celebrate Grandparent's Day at the boys' school. Since it is nearly impossible for the entire family to leave on the weekend (soccer games, teaching Sunday school), I went by myself.

I really enjoyed the time. Don't get me wrong, nothing makes me happier than being with my family, but I do crave quiet, alone time to recharge my system. I had a wonderful drive to the conference. I took the longer scenic route to avoid Austin in Friday night rush hour, and found a great radio station that played a lot of songs that reminded me of my early high school days in Abilene. Without the kids in the car and belting out The Cure, R.E.M, Depeche Mode, and U2 really made me nostaligic for those days!

I was able to read a lot in the hotel and meet wonderful therapists from all over the country. I befriended 4 ladies from California, Georgia, North Dakota, and Ohio. I think they enjoyed me being around, because as often as I have been in San Antonio these past few months, I could be a tour guide! The weather was beautiful and I was proud to show off our beautiful state to these ladies, who were in awe of the giant oak and cypress trees as well as the vibe of the city. I learned a lot at my conference and can't wait to use the knowlege with my patients.

Before I knew it, it was time to come home. I spent half the drive talking to Bryon and the kids about the boys soccer games, the Baylor game, and the Bama game. The boys both scored goals and it KILLED my to not be there. Thomas has really learned a lot in soccer this year and seems much more aggressive on the field. He has scored goals in both of his last 2 games! Matthew spends half of his time at goalie, and the other half either at forward or full back. I love watching him dive for the ball and seeing the intensity on his face. So proud of those boys!

I enjoyed coming home last night to be greeted by my three bouncing kids and Bryon. I think it is good every now and then for all of us to get the opportunity to miss each other. I loved my weekend, but there is no place like home!

I don't know if I will get the opportunity to blog again this week. We have practices, a doctor's appointment for Matthew's allergies, 2 parent orientations, work, and church activities. What a busy week!

This week

I have been having the worst blogger block this week and am forcing my way out of it! Here are a few pics from the week:

1. The first one is my Dad and Mary Elizabeth during the first Alabama game. I ordered it on ESPN game plan and the three of us enjoyed us some Bama football! (My three boys were still in Ft. Worth watching our beloved Baylor Bears being shut out by TCU.) Dad is always so sweet with Mary Beth. He was enjoying every second of the game, but never thought twice about helping Mary Beth choose the colors to color her princesses in her coloring book! She was very concerned that he like her every choice. She has him wrapped around her little finger!
2. The second picture is Mary Beth's first day of Mother's Day Out. She has moved to a new hall this year! Mary Beth is so excited about her teacher, Miss Amber, who is one of Lauren's good friends. Every time the boys were asked who their teachers were, Mary Beth would interject, "Miss Amber!" We are looking forward to a great year.
3. The third and fourth pictures are from last weekend. We headed to Keller on Friday night to enjoy some time with our good friends, the O'Quinns. The reason for coming was the fantasy football draft that was to take place at their house on Saturday morning. All my boys have been looking forward to this for a long time! Saturday morning, Matthew stayed with the guys to help put names on the draft board, and Kristen and I took the rest of the kids to the Ft. Worth museum of natural history. It is always so much fun to hang out with the O'Quinns! Kristen and I have been friends since we were teenagers and Bryon and Kevin have been best buds since elementary school. Friends like these are priceless!
4. Another fun thing I did this week was meet the authors of Same Kind of Different As Me. I enjoyed hearing both of them speak and then they signed my book. What an amazing story!
5. Matthew started piano this week. He is taking from a new lady who lives down the street from us. Matthew and I are both incredibly excited that Matthew can ride his bike to lessons! ;)


So there. I think I am pretty much caught up. For some strange reason, I really thought I would have more time once the boys were in school! Maybe next week?

An experience I have been fearing for 32 years.

I would love to say that we have spent the last two days relaxing at home, but we haven't stopped since the boys went to school!

After a day of running errands yesterday, Mary Beth and I went to pick up the boys. Thomas looked adorable sitting in the kindergarten line. Matthew was with him, and floods of memories of Matthew sitting in the same kindergarten line came back to me!

Matthew got in the car and said, "I just love 2nd grade! It is so different from 1st grade!"

I asked Thomas what he thought of kindergarten...

"Great!"

Anytime I would pry for more information, Thomas would either say, "I'll tell you tomorrow." or "I forgot."

I was complaining to my brother about this and he said he remembers getting annoyed with the question, "So, how was your day?" when Mom would ask him! I guess it's a guy thing.

This morning, I headed out to eat breakfast with friends and then had an appointment that I have been dreading for 32 years....

I had to have dental work done. Turns out, I have cavities for the first time.

Not one...
Not two....
Not three....
Not four.....

FIVE CAVITIES!

I nearly passed out when I heard this three weeks ago. I have never had a problem with my teeth, but started having tooth pain when I was pregnant with ME. The dentist has been watching spots for while, and it was finally time to bit the bullet and get them filled.

I was fairly brave during the ordeal, but I am feeling a little like the old gray mare ain't what she used to be. I am decaying.

Thank you to Lauren for watching Mary Beth. I don't feel like I was emotionally equipped to handle her during my first cavitiy experience!

Somehow, these past 7 hours have melted away again. Time to get the boys!

First day!

Well, we have a kindergartener and 2nd grader! I felt much better after a good cry last night. Thomas woke me up at 5:30 and said, "Only 2 more hours until school!" Yes, that boy was ready! The whole family went to drop off the boys. Thomas walked right into his class, put his backpack up, and sat down to work. We kissed him goodbye and then dropped Matthew off at his class. No tears this morning, just excitement that the day was finally here.

Mary Beth and I dropped Bryon back at the house before heading to Starbucks with moms from my neighborhood. After Bryon got out of the car, she said, "Now it's just Mommy and Emmy!" I thought she would be sad saying goodbye to the boys, but I think she has been excited about having me all to herself!

After Starbucks, we headed to the doctor for ME's 3 year appointment. She has shot up to the 50% for height and weight! She has always been a little peanut, but I guess she has hit a growth spurt.

After the doctor, we went shoe shopping, then stopped by a chinese restaurant for lunch. We have had a fun girly day. These 7 hours have gone by in a hurry! I can't wait to pick up the boys and see how their first days went!

The night before kindergarten

It's the night before kindergarten and I just tucked my little sweeties into bed. I was just looking through old pictures and found this one of Thomas just a few days before Mary Beth was born. He was 2 1/2.

You would think that sending the second one to school would be old hat, but I think in a few ways it is harder. I am very aware now of how little time we will have during the week just to hang out. Plus, I look at first and last day pictures of Matthew in kindergarten and marvel at how much he changed. I am not ready for my little Thomas to be a big kid! I will miss sending Matthew to school and holding my little T with his bed head and pajamas on.

Tears fill my eyes tonight as I think about what a complete and utter joy he has been to me. Life with Thomas has been sweet, innocent, joyful, kind, and full of tons of hugs and kisses. Being a good and kind person has always seemed so easy for Thomas. He is always finding ways to serve his friends, brother, sister, and family. I will miss him dearly, but send him off to kindergarten to be a blessing to his teacher and classmates. I am so excited to get to experience kindergarten again! It truly is a magical year.

Thank you God for my sweet Thomas.