Let the Games begin

It is a current favorite of Austin’s.  He learned from the best (Jeff) and he now beats me almost every time. 

Little sis is now in training and she did manage to beat him a few times…all on her own.

Big brother giving her a little help.

Oh yeah, connect four!!

Just as happy to play all by herself

Silly faces in the bath

I let them make a silly face for every “pretty”face they gave me.

Hard to believe these two beauties are all mine.  And even harder to believe that this one will be 2 years old next week!

Cousins will be here soon!

The kid’s first cousins – Baby Abby and Baby Lily will be here soon.
Leslie hit 35 weeks on Friday, a feat considering she has spent the last 11 weeks on bed rest.  We had our last restaurant experience as a table of 8, soon it will be a table for 10! (our 5, their 4, and Grandma) 
Ella wanted to know what the babies were wearing at the moment.  She was shocked that everyone is born without clothes

I was too busy trying to keep this one happy to get many other pictures.  She does love her chips and hot sauce though.
She has become quite clingy lately.  She wants to be held constantly!  Depending upon my mood I either love the snuggles or let’s just say I don’t.  It probably is my fault and I am trying to be better about telling her no.  Jeff said it is picking the lesser of two evils – do everything one handed while I hold her or having to listen to her scream because she isn’t being held.
I am hoping next Sunday when she turns 2 will be a magic moment and the whining will stop.  (A girl can dream can’t she)
Good thing she is cute!

Reese’s 1st haircut

She will be 2, two weeks from tomorrow, so we decided it was time the mullet finally got a trim.

Jeff was with Austin, so it was just me and the girls.  Reese did not want to sit by herself, so I had to capture the occasion as best I could with her in my lap.

We just went to the place down the street, so I brought the iPad to keep her entertained.

After (I forgot to take the before)

Happy girl with her lollipop.  We are still trying to figure out where her blond hair and curls came from - not from Jeff or myself.

Austin’s 1st trim, 11 months old.

Ella’s 1st trim, 21 months old.  (That would be Reese in my big belly)

Valentine’s Day 2012

It was a Tuesday, and it was crazy, but it was full of love.  These three valentines made me a cake.

A sweetheart breakfast at school with the girls and a Late, Quiet dinner with my other Valentine. 

And I write this last part, so that years from now these kids know how happy their mom and dad are/were.  Hopefully they know this from how we treat each other on a daily basis, but just in case... it does take a lot of work, but we are lucky and we do love each other, so, so much!   

Austin at School–2nd semester of 1st grade

We are lucky that so far school and learning is coming fairly easily for Austin.  He is striving to get straight 100’s and all E’s for his conduct on his next report card.  So far he is pretty close. 

Really, as long as he is learning, trying, and is happy…then I am happy.  The other day he was reading at home and Ella asked what he was doing.  He said, "reading."  She asked why and he said "because I like reading." 
I LOVED reading as a kid and still do whenever I get the time.  So although he still does resist his required reading everyday, it seems he is beginning to enjoy it a little more!
We had a student led parent conference last week.  Austin walked us through many of the things they have been working on and part of the meeting was to have the parents write a short note to their child.

 

On Valentine’s Day, I snuck away from work and met Austin for lunch. 

A rare treat for both of us to have lunch together and so fun to see him interact with his friends.  Here are his buddies Josh, Mathew, Dylan, and Austin.

Basketball Winter 2012

Yep, I don’t think we had it together to order the team picture, but a friend took a shot at the same time with her iPhone

The boys are doing a great job this season and Austin now says he wants to be a basketball player when he grows up.  I say go for it!

The fans in the stand.

Our three players, Drew, Austin, and Tripp.

Great grandma and her girls.

Adios training wheels!

This parenting thing is a continuous lesson in life.  One of the lessons we have learned is that something has to be Austin’s idea in order for him to embrace it.  He loves sports now, but his first season of Soccer didn’t start off too well.  He hated water when he was a baby, but when he turned 4 a switch flipped and he is a little fish now.
Same thing with riding his bike.  It has been somewhat of a battle for a few years now, but this past weekend he decided he was ready.  Off the training wheels went and 30 minutes later he was a pro!  It didn’t hurt that he had the best teacher there is.

A few words of encouragement from Dad.

And he is off!

Proud of you bud!

Ella was riding her bike too, but decided to take the big wheel for a spin as well. 

It is starting to stay late a little longer now and we were able to get out tonight after dinner and practice again.  Austin riding free on his bike, Ella on her princess bike with training wheels and Reese in her trike that I can push.  We met our neighbors who live just a few houses down and neither of us knew the other was there.  They also have little ones and in no time the kids were trading bikes and riding around.  As we were walking inside, Austin told me, with a big grin on his face, that they had complimented him on how he rode without his training wheels. 
It is awesome to see these little ones grow and learn and to experience pride…it makes me one happy mama!