Aggie Football Kick-of '08

Aggie football began Saturday! Of course, football season in our world is as much, if not more, about the Aggie Band as it is about football!

The boys with Uncle Kason's drum!

G is scared of the cannon...he always preps himself!

Fun with the fan!

Brother helping with the cannon preping!

Mommy and her ballerina...

Uncle Justin's phone is VERY interesting...

The drool hit Daddy in the face!

They were fighting again...over who was going to get to hold Avery.

G with the fan!

First Yell 2008

Friday while Eric and the boys were scouting high school football games, Ballerina, G and I tagged along with the some others in our family for First Yell!

It was LATE and G and Ballerina were SUPER tired, but we had a good time!

The shoes of the JUNIORs!

The drummer fish...

Yell Leaders...G was terrified of the fire!

KK and G...like KK's overalls? Yea, I had to help him paint those suckers! Carla and I worked a LONG time! :)

You cannot really tell, but they are fighting over who gets to sit in the stroller...that is how tired they were!

Ballerina and K-Dan...

Little Princess

We love playing dress up.
It just might be our new favorite playtime activity!

Welcome Zachary Joseph

It brings me great joy to welcome the newest addition to our always growing family...
Zachary Joseph

Parents, Cambrey and Joe, are doing well, and big brother Adam will meet his little brother soon!

I so wish I could be there in person with him, but we are sending all our love.

Our Little Olympian

I must admit, I am somewhat sad the Olympics will end tomorrow. However, as disappointed as I might be, G is devastated! He did nothing today but talk about why they had to end tomorrow. We have heard all sorts of stories today about G and his Olympic plans...of course, he is planning a trip to London in 2012, we discuss his practice schedules in the various sports he has decided he would like to participate, etc.

Yet, as much as G has talked during these Olympic games, he has watched them with interest even more. Pick an event and he can present you with stats about it! :) Yet, perhaps his greatest interest has been in Michael Phelps. We even let him stay up late into the night to view the medal ceremonies!

One evening he talked that if he could do anything in the Olympics, he would be a swimmer, but then followed his comment with: "...but I cannot even swim, so, crunch, I do not think that I can do that!"

True! He has not been able to swim! We have struggled with his swimming this summer. In fact, frustrating to Eric and myself, when compared to last summer, he has even regressed!

Yet, this evening we decided to go for an evening swim...G says, "Hey Mommy, say 'go!'" I speak the words to begin his race, he jumps in and then swims the entire length of the pool! And, his freestyle was perfect!

He gets out at the opposite end and says, "Mom, I think I can race Michael Phelps...I watched him and learned how to swim!

Eric and I were flabbergasted! Who knew one could learn to swim from watching Olympic races on television!?!?!? But to then top it off, he "begins" his next race...Eric and I look at him funny because his precious little freestyle is not looking quite right. I was puzzled, but Eric starts clapping and laughing...and then he says, "That is awesome butterfly G!"

Sure enough...he was doing butterfly! And, when he got across the pool he said, "I think butterfly might be my favorite! I am pretty good at it!"

This evening I learned a great deal about G. I knew he was determined, but I came to understand that determination on a completely different level. He CAN do anything he wants to do!

Until next time...

Making Plans Part II

We have talked many times before about G...his determination, his strong will, his stubbornness, his persistence...I am constantly amazed by him (notice I used the word "amazed," I debated using the combination "ticked off," but...)

To the story...

We have been following the Olympics dutifully in our house since they started. We greatly appreciate the athletes, their talent and the representation they have had of our great nation. Thus, it is our hope that our children might view the games in the same light and with the same appreciation as we do, and as we have followed the games, we have seized any possible moment to teach our children about the world, its people and the talents and uniqueness that each possess.

During the opening ceremony we discussed with G that this event was in China. We then got out a map talked about where we lived, pointed out China and tried to relay how far away the the two countries are from each other.

I wrote lsat time about G's plans to stay the night with anyone but us on Sunday...Well, tonight he believes when he wakes up in the morning we are going to China to "watch the runners race and get crunch." (Yea, I do not know what his deal is with the word "crunch," but it does humor me.)

While it would be a dream come true for us to have the opportunity to see the Olympics as a family, no, we will not be going to Beijing tomorrow! Yet, before he went to sleep tonight, he packed his backpack, made tickets to the "races," told me where I would be taking him tomorrow so we could get on the airplane, attempted to make phone calls to make arrangements for someone to pick us up once we get to China, etc. He even came and told me that we needed to "stop by Wal-Mart and get (his) medicine before we leave because (he) is almost out."

Anyway, I am off...we are all supposed to have school tomorrow, but if G has his way, we will be in Beijing tomorrow! Oh, G and his plans... :)

Making Plans

Today we were excited to be able to spend the afternoon with Datra, Jeni and their little ones. It is always good to spend time with friends. I sometimes think that we just do not do it enough!

However, they left, and we took off took off on our evening adventures...

In the car, G says, "Oh, crunch! Mom, we forgot my backpack!"

"We do not need your backpack G."

"Oh, Mommy, yes we do...we are taking me to spend the night."

He clearly has an agenda, and I am not wanting to argue with him...so I choose to ignore him.

5 minutes later...

"Mom, where are we going?...This is not the way to Molly's house (because he knows how to get to Molly's house...)"

"What are you talking about G."

"Crunch Mom! I have plans to spend the night there with her tonight!"Where does he come up with this? I told him that this was not going to happen tonight, and he was so disappointed. Yet, he was not deterred...He just began to make plan to stay the night with others...Gigi and K-Dan, Grandma Beck and Papa, Aunt Emily, Cousin Adam, Garner, Vincent...the list went on. He was CONVINCED that he was to stay the night ANYWHERE but with us!

Funny...Daddy and I win! He is now fast asleep in his bed. Until tomorrow...when we take on G and the schedule he has created for himself!

Boys v. Girls

When I was a little girl, I dreamed of having three little boys. I swore that I wanted nothing do do with girls! Nothing!

And then I was blessed with those three boys those I had always dreamed of having...When I was pregnant, I refused to truly believe that Ballerina was a girl. I was not in any way disappointed, but it just did not seem like something that would really be true...

We did boys in our house...soccer balls, footballs, trucks, blue...You know, boy stuff! Things were always high speed, loud...and some would say, difficult. Pink was not something with which I felt comfortable, and the sheer thought of dolls, ribbons and things of the like all but freaked me out.

Then along came Ballerina.

To say she is a different breed would be somewhat of an understatement. She definitely a "girl" in every way, and has forced Eric and I to to see things as parents in an entirely new light. We now play "babies,"embrace pink and love her "pretties" (bows that even Eric knows how to do)!

Her differences from the boys are so apparent...

For one, she decides when she is tired, asks to go to sleep, and will sometimes even go into her room, make herself a little bed, and go to sleep.Yea, G still does not do this! Nope! And, while the older two are great at getting in bed when they are told to do such, they are not super at setting their own bed times like Ballerina!

She also loves to color.This morning, she sat in her chair at the bar for over an hour creating artwork. All three of the boys appreciate art in different ways, but none of them are interested (even today) in sitting for over an hour creating anything! And to think...this little 13 month old does...it is just so very bizarre to me! It is just not what we have come to accept as normal in our world.

I feel amazingly blessed to have my dream come true...We really love our little boys, but there is just something special, something different, something precious about our little girl!

Back to School '08

While Eric and I have been back at school/work for some days now, the two youngest kids officially started back to school today. In our minds, summer is not really over until the kids return to their schools. I guess we just find it different leaving our kids with their other parent for the day rather than at their little daycare!

It is funny...The first day back is never easy for me. It is still as if I am leaving them for the first time.

I will say that I found comfort today in the fact that Eric was able to be with me when we took them to school. For the past three years he was never able to take the kids to school...it was all me! However, now that we are both in the same district again, sharing in the responsibility or being together will be the norm! Yea!

This is a picture from the first day last year!

Those below are from today!

Ballerina walking into school...not without her breakfast.

She refused to let go of her lunchbox from the Quin girls.

G waiting to leave with his backpack...

Ballerina waiting with her backpack!

From his mouth...

Tonight I was on the elliptical machine attempting to get my 30 minutes in (things for myself rarely get done), and this is the conversation I engaged in with my 3 year old...

G: "Mom, why do you do that all of the time?...get on that machine?"

Me: Because I have too much fat, and I need to do some exercise so I will not be fat anymore."

G: Yea, I get it.

Jerk, I thought! He could have said, "Mommy you are not fat. You are so pretty, Mommy and I love you just the way you are," but he doesn't...instead he agrees with me!

He sits there watching television while I continue on the machine not saying a word, and then suddenly he looks at me, has a look of panic and then gets up and runs out of the room.

He comes back with a glass of water.

G: "Mommy, I am worried that you are going to get too hot and die on that machine."

Out of breath I say, "No, G, Mommy is fine...I want to get my heart going so I burn more!"

G: "Oh, Mommy..." he says...as if I am the dumbest person in the entire world. And, then he gets up and leaves the room again.

I finish my time and am standing there when I hear Eric tell him to quit rummaging through the drawer in the kitchen and to come and tell me to come to dinner. G responds to Eric, "Not yet Daddy, I have to find the fire starter so I can burn Mommy. She needs to get her heart on fire because she is way fat." Eric is laughing as G continues, "I am just going to go burn that fat right off...I really need to go and do it before she dies on the machine!"

Oh, he is a mess. What a monster we have created!

Cleaning the Pool?

Last weekend the "neighborhood" was partying in our backyard. Not a big deal...we often trade yards, and I was glad they were playing with the hose! Shoot, the yard needed to be watered anyway! Yet, when another neighbor game to join the group in the yard, I discovered there was more than water involved...MUD was being slung ALL over the place! It was wild! The boys were all covered from head to toe in the stuff! It was like a danger zone! (We have nearly 1/2 an acre in our backyard, and there is a good chunk of it that has not yet been sodded...the mud came from here!)

Yet, they were having a blast, and I was not going to ruin their party!

However, today the three boys learned of the ramifications associated with letting a party at your house get out of control! Yep, they had to clean the MUD from EVERYWHERE in the backyard!

I will always allow the neighborhood parties, but they needed to know that Daddy and I were not going to clean up after them! :) However, I am not so sure they learned this lesson the lard way...I think they were having a little too much fun cleaning the pool!

Do you like the innocent bystander in wagon? Ha!