Happy Easter

With a family of 5, it's nearly impossible to get a good picture where everyone is:

clean

looking in the same direction

wearing nice clothes (I'm happy with decent)

not crying (smiling is an added bonus)

This is close...

And this is even better!

I am so glad that we took the time to take pictures on Easter!

Saying Goodbye

When Ashley and I were newlyweds, eager to establish our little family, we went out and got a puppy. I remember meeting the breeder half way between Chapin (where we lived at the time) and the upstate (where she lived). She brought two Rottweiler puppies for us to chose from and I remember it being hard to make a decision. They were both so cute. In the end, we chose the one that seemed most interested in us and she became our first baby.

I emailed our families announcing our new addition and we spent hours doting on her. We read books about training Rottweilers and bought her lots of toys and treats. Sweet little Lou. She could fit in the floor board of the front seat.

Not long after adopting Lou we moved to a house downtown. It had a sun room for her but she mostly had the run of the house. She grew and grew and played with Fudge (our neighbor's spaniel) at the park across the street.

We adopted a kitten and Lou accepted her into our family. Later we got another dog so that Lou could have a better companion. Then we moved from our downtown house to an "adult" house in Irmo. We found a place with a big yard for the dogs and built Lou and Sammie (our second dog) a fence so that they could run. The four of us went for boat rides and went swimming in the lake.

We made them stay outside when we moved. Lou never complained.

Then we had twins. We threw the ball less and less. Still, she never complained.

Next came Wyatt...and with the third child came the weekly, "did you remember to feed the dogs?" But, sweet Lou still loved us and was happy with the attention she got. Sammie followed her around like her shadow so she had constant company. The years went by. The old girl started to limp a bit and her face aged with time. She still loved to play ball.

Finally we moved to Lexington and this time got an underground fence. Such a smart girl: it only took her a couple of days to learn the limits of her new yard. She slowed down even more. Little did we know, cancer was taking over her bones.

Finally the day came when we had to let her go. April 11th.

Almost 2 weeks ago.

It's taken me this long to write about it. I do not think Ashley or I realized how truly brutal it would be. Saying goodbye is so hard.

Rest in peace, Loudie. We all love and miss you.

5 year olds

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDY AND JOHN!!!

April 10th Andrew and John turned FIVE! They are getting so big and changing so much!

Fewer mispronunciations.

More independence.

Stronger opinions.

Bigger vocabularies.

I had all these thoughts and fears that five year olds were big boys...not toddlers anymore. I feared that the boys would go through an overnight change marked by the need for privacy and that they would be too cool for mama all of the sudden. Thankfully, I was wrong! The changes that are taking place in the boys have been slow and steady. They still hold my hand crossing the parking lot, still give me kisses goodnight, and still hug me in front of their friends.

The boys had a big birthday weekend! Friday night and Saturday morning they played tee ball games, then Saturday afternoon we went to Frankie's with some of their friends from school; it was a little over the top for Ashley and I, but the kids had a ball. Granny Meg and Pop took us all for a birthday dinner and then Sunday the boys had their end of the season soccer party (on their actual birthday) and got trophies! I brought cup cakes and their team had a little birthday celebration for the special boys.

Our sweet boys have come so far in 5 years! It still amazes me when I stop to think about the way our family has been blessed by those two...and how strong they have been- right from the beginning.

Ash and John riding go carts

Nana and Jack ridingFour silly boys- Andy, Jonathan, John and Jack!

Bedtime Prayers

Tonight at bedtime Wyatt said, "I say my prayers."

We both folded our hands and closed our eyes and he prayed:

"Lord, I am phankful for Andrew, and John, and chips, and Mama, and Daddy and cereal. Amen."

Ashley and I may rank below chips, but at least he is praying!

It's been a long time...

Wow. It has been so long since I have blogged that I think the look and feel of the site is different. And I had to stop and think of what my password is. So much for my online baby book/memory book for the boys. It seems like the older that they get, the busier we get and I have not taken the time to stop and write about what we are doing.
I have thought about it numerous times, but was too lazy to go upstairs and get my laptop. Tonight I had the energy, but then got so annoyed with the speed (lack of) of my lap top, that I almost gave up. Thankfully Ashley got his MacBook for me and I am back in business...but I digress.

A major part of the aging thing that I wanted to share is that our sweet "baby" Pizzie turned three. Our happy go lucky, laid back little bear has definitely found his voice. He is quick to say "NO" these days, but that is part of being three, right?!? And hey, you gotta respect someone who knows what they want!

On February 18th, we celebrated our sweet P's third birthday. It fell on a Friday this year, which meant that John and Andrew had soccer practice that night. After practice we went out for a celebratory dinner at the restaurant of Wyatt's choice. He picked "Buffalo Wild Wings", his favorite because of the many TV's and delicious mac n' cheese. Those two things are definitely at the top of Wyatt's current Top 10 list.

The next day we had a few of Wyatt's friends over for a Buzz Lightyear party. Buzz and Woody are also high on the Top 10 list currently. The idea originally was that the boys would all dress up. They were all game in the beginning. As it turned out, John dressed as Handy "Mandy" (LOL!!) and I dressed as Jessie (think Jeans, boots, sheriff badge and cowboy hat) and everyone else came as themselves. The day was gorgeous and we were able to stay outside for the party (you never know in February what the weather will be) much to Wyatt's dismay. Spending time outdoors is not one of his favorite things to do. He prefers the comfort of the couch when possible.

After the party, Wyatt retired to the den to catch one of his favorite movies and then took a nap on the couch. That was the perfect finish to his birthday.

The next day we started potty training. Ashley and I had been talking it up for weeks and Wyatt promised that after he had his Buzz Lightyear party, he'd be ready. He kept his promise and has done really well. Unfortunately, he did break the lid off of the upstairs potty, so we effectively have a urinal in our hall bath.

All you can do is laugh.

Wyatt definitely keeps us laughing. That child says the funniest thing! Some recent Wyatt-isms include:

• "Look at me, I'm extracising" as he moves his chunky thighs back and forth as if he is doing calf raises
• "Let's watch Harryel" (meaning Ariel)
• "I'm Bafiki"...or "Bufasa" (Lion King characters)
• Don't Double Dip (talking to his brothers when they share cheese dip)

There are so many other things that I could go on and on. I can not wait to see how our little P bear will change over the next year. It seems like going from two years old to four years old is really the transition from baby to little boy...which is a little bittersweet for me. Of course I am excited to experience the next stage of parenting my little pumpkin.

Check him out!!

Registration

Last Name, First Name, Middle Name
Address
Social Security Number
Gender
Emergency Contact

Skills Assessment
Use this space to tell us about your child:
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________

-----------------------------------------------------

My boys will go to kindergarten next year. How could I ever describe these two amazing boys on 5 lines? Do I start with a plea not to let anything happen to my precious sons? I could begin by describing my boys as strong-willed, but the person reading would have no idea just had strong they are. As their mother I guess I will always go back to those first days and how my little scrapers proved everyone who said that there would be setbacks wrong.

After completing their registration forms, I realized that I had made no mention of their prematurity anywhere on the forms. I've got to let it go and move on. They have.

Instead I stuck to the relevant facts about their academic progress in the small space provided for comments...even though there was just enough room for me to ask if I could still call every day.

I left the school with a few fliers that gave some hints like "read to your child this summer" and "take a trip to the public library". But alas, no hand out for how to face the fact that your child is growing up (and you're not getting any younger). Hopefully by the time Wyatt enrolls at Midway, that will be available. I am definitely going to need it.

Birthday Boy

Happy birthday wonderful husband, great dad, and best friend!! Thanks for all you do for our family! You mean the world to me and I'm so happy to be kicking off 2011 celebrating your birthday. I'm looking forward to spending the next 35 with you (and more)!!

Happy 35th Birthday, Ash!!

We all love you so much!