Plano Meches

Ethan is now 6 months old!

2010-10-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

Ethan's six month mark came with plenty of time at the pumpkin patch this week. I can't believe he is six months old. It still feels like he is a little tiny baby, except... He is growing to 19 pounds now and is practically out of his little carseat. Not to mention, he is reaching and grabbing everything. He is grasping like crazy and is even inching his little bottom to try and move around. He is too cute. Although, I do have to say, we have developed some bad habits with him being the third kiddo.

We are working on that this month, better sleep at night and getting better at laying him down in the crib. I just want to rock him all of the time.

Kindergarten is really starting to set in for her and I think it is this time that she really begins to settle in. The teacher has already seen her at her most tired time, it can only get better from here. We have been having some more one on one time too and we are digging that since I don't have her home until 3. We made some little ghosties for the tree after school and we are going to do some more crafts after school as some fun time.

Jackson is a talker. He wants to talk about everything. I took him with me to my brother's birthday dinner on Saturday and we had the longest conversations back and forth to the dinner.
I can't hardly hold him now too. He is three and 38 pounds. I think he will definitely take his sister in the next couple of years.

Here are some fun pictures of the kiddos. We have had tons of fun at a couple of pumpkin patches.

What have we been up to?

2010-10-05T07:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I definitely think no matter what stage of life you are in, the fall just gets busy. Everyone feels good after a long, hot summer, when the weather cools down. Pumpkins and hay are all around. A good Baylor football game is on or so we heard about.

Well, we have had birthday parties and trips and visitors all over here. We went to Ville Platte to visit Brandon's family, we had cousin's birthday party and we went to Horseshoe Bay last minute for an ADP trip with our little family. It was a fun, quick trip. These resort hotels are great for little kids; the pools and little beach areas keep them busy for hours and wears them totally out.

Not to mention, Ethan is growing like a weed. He has a little cough we can't get rid of and he is teething big time. We are having our little issues with giving him a bottle and eating baby food, but nothing too bad. He definitely has a little sensitive stomach. I had a big glass of milk the other day and oh, that was bad. He had gas the whole day, poor thing. He just reminds me of why we love to have babies around. They are so happy and fun. He is so sweet.

Kaitlyn and Jackson are as busy bees as ever and just want to learn more and more. I think Brandon and I are having a tough time keeping up. Oh, what have we done? I always think things will slow down, but they haven't yet. When will that happen, I don't know, but sure would like a little break before the holidays come. We are going to Kansas City for Thanksgiving!

Here are some pictures from the month's activities.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=306352667905%3A1950683834&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee

Jackson's Third Bday pics

2010-09-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

Here are pics of Jackson's third birthday. I can't believe how big he is. He has a great sense of humor and has blossomed into a young boy full of energy and life. He just loves everyone and is so kind and thoughtful. We are so blessed to have him.

He loves having a big sister to play with and a little brother to hold. Here are pictures from his birthday, which was on Sept. 1.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?albumId=369252007905&ownerId=38085249805

Labor Day Weekend Trip

2010-09-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

You know how we like our little family vacations. We couldn't go too far this year, but we did plan a last-minute getaway to the Hyatt Hill Country Resort in San Antonio. We just planned to hang out there on there little beach and pool. It was cool! It got pretty packed on the weekend and were glad we made it there before the crowds.

Ethan did amazingly well. He went with the flow and slept pretty well. Kaitlyn and Jackson did pretty well and slept in the same bed. They did great. Jackson loved making faces for the camera. I can't believe he just turned 3! (I will add a post here for him too!) I am just too far behind. Kaitlyn loved exploring and we ended up running into one of her friends from school!

Click on the link below to check out pictures.
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcN3LJq1ctGIa

Photographer

2010-07-30T13:02:00.001-07:00

We made the photographer's blog with some of our pictures. Take a look.

http://pdcphoto.blogspot.com/

Family Pictures

2010-07-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

It is really is so ironic that I am not on this more. I feel like the days are flying and that we are so busy, but at the same time, I feel like I get nothing done. This morning, it took us until about 11 am to finally be ready to do something in the day. Ethan is taking a while to nurse, Kaitlyn and Jackson take a long time to get moving and it just goes on and on. We did work on how to clean a bathroom today and how they can help keep it clean.

It is one of my main goals by the fall to have them doing a chore a day on their own. Jackson is almost all the way potty trained and it is really exciting. That has been huge this past month and kept us busy and at home. It just wasn't going to happen unless we did stay home. Of course, the heat is a killer for little Ethan too, as well as all of us.

Here's to crossing new horizons as school time approaches and we get used to having three kids. The demand is great, but the reward is greater.

We had some family photos taken last week. Not all of them are up yet, but I like this photographer and she is pretty reasonably priced.

http://www.thepolkadotcottagephotography.com/, then click on clients and type in meche.

Attack of the Dinosaur

2010-07-20T06:23:00.001-07:00

Okay, if you still keep up with our blog, you are really going to like this. Brandon made a short little movie of the kids on a rainy day. Just wait for it, but Jackson is absolutely hilarious. His timing is just perfect and I think he has a real future in acting/comedy LOL!

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The goal

2010-06-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

Just so many fun things to do this summer. Ethan is fitting into the family wonderfully and my main goal over the next few weeks is to get him used to his crib. For the life of me, I couldn't get him to sleep in it because of having to be under the photo lights or other things. So finally, we have all of that done and can focus on sleeping in a crib. Right now he is sleeping in it and I am so excited. The only downfall is that we can't go on outings with the older kiddos so he can get used to sleeping in it. Now I have got to take this mothering skill to the next level: managing three kids schedules!

So far we are getting better and better; except I am not finding any time to work out, which I desperately want and need.

For your viewing pleasure, here is Ethan's one month picture from the middle of May. I just got it in the mail. I just have to share.

8 Weeks

2010-06-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

Ethan is 8 weeks and so much more aware of everything. He is very attached to me and it is just as sweet as anything. He is cooing and smiling like crazy and I am doing my best to enjoy and remember these moments. I remember loving Kaitlyn and Jackson, but it just never is enough.

Ethan got his shots this week and a checkup from the doc. He is doing great - 13.3 pounds and over 24 inches long. He is in the 75 to 90 percentile for height and weight. I am not sure if he will be as big as Jackson. He was always over the 97th percentile every time and still is.

Kaitlyn just got a pair of tennis shoes and working on tying her shoes on her own. Jackson is still working on potty training. He went no. 1 and no. 2 this weekend on the potty just to get the prized we had on the mantle for two weeks, but won't be consistent. It would have worked so well if he was ready before Ethan was born. Ah, such is life.

Here are some photos.

Summer is hot and we are full of fun with library time and other fun activities. Lots of pool and swim lesson action. My huge hurdles this month will be to get exercising as I still have a lot to lose compared to my other pregnancies and getting ready for 7-Eleven work again. The kids miss school, but I think they are having fun relaxing too. Kaitlyn and Jackson are two peas in a pod and have had a lot of time to bond and play together.

Ethan is 2 Months

2010-06-14T12:08:00.000-07:00

Well, big news in the Meche household - Jackson went on the potty all by himself. He finally decided he wanted that Buzz Lightyear toy on the mantle and did it. There was a car the next day and he decided he wanted that too. What these kids won't do for a toy? LOL So we got that rolling and hopefully we will get better with that.

Ethan is two months old today and he is going strong. He is sleeping better at night, but I still don't know what to do about the sleep situation since he is in the bedroom downstairs and we all are upstairs. He is smiling and cooing away and starting really smiling right at 7 weeks. He loves mommy. Last night Brandon was trying to put him to sleep, but he didn't have any of it. He calmed down only with me. Love the feeling; but when all three kids want mommy at one time, my little heart is torn.

We had his baptism this past Saturday and it was so nice. We did it at our old church because of scheduling. And then ate and swam at our house. In this heat, that is about all you can do.

Enjoy the pictures.

Ethan's smiling and Kaitlyn is Opening a Restaurant.

2010-06-06T13:05:00.000-07:00

Well, we need to blog and send updates. The last couple of weeks are a fog because little sleep and continuing to take care of the kids has been wild. School is out and I don't have them in a program because we have so many activities we can do for free around here. It is nice to be able to sleep in a little bit and not have to go pick up the kids at a certain time. That has been super great, but last week with them out of school has totally worn me out.

Ethan has started smiling this past week and in the last few days I have noticed eye lashes growing out. So cute!

Jackson loves holding Ethan and asks for him all of the time. He tells Ethan it is okay when he is crying. Kaitlyn will pick up Ethan and sing to him.

Kaitlyn is into cooking up "yummy" concoctions right now. Today she created her own restaurant and served everyone.

Tomorrow is going to be a lot of fun. Ethan has to get a sonogram of his abdomen tomorrow and can't eat 4 hours before it. I don't know how we are going to hold him off. He is still a little yellow and he was negative for Gilbert's disease. So now they are going to do more tests. Everything so far has shown a healthy boy and I really think it may have to do with breastmilk jaundice as it can last a long time.

The Story

2010-04-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

ALERT: Cute video below.

As some of you have followed this blog for forever, there hasn't been much activity lately because of all the craziness with this pregnancy. This third pregnancy has hit me hard from the beginning. But it has been especially challenging in the last three to four weeks.

Let's just say that I am totally pumped for what is ahead of us and to spend tons of time this summer with the kids to make up for all of the time that I had to lay in bed while they were doing other things.

So a couple of weeks ago, I noticed some bumps like abscesses popping up. I got a staph infection. Just before this they started to monitor my blood pressure because it was a little high. I started some antibiotics, but the infection only got a little better and then worse.

By this time, the kids came to know that mommy was tired and they adjusted somewhat, but I think that they certainly were not themselves either.

About a week before the set induction date of 4/14, the doctor thought that I would need IV antibiotics to get this thing under control. I thought this would be the case and my mom came with me to the doctor appointment and I went straight to the hospital. Now in this time period, I also had two false alarms of labor. Can you believe it? I really got to know all of the nurses in L&D. I was quickly put in the isolation room in postpartum for Thursday to Saturday. It certainly wasn't like staying at the Ritz and I only wanted to be home. We hoped that the baby may come early just because we were already there, but I didn't want him to have any health issues either.

Finally, home sweet home and on bedrest. The IV treatment worked and I got to spend some time with the kiddos even if I didn't do too much. I could tell they missed us. Thanks to grandparents they were very happy to have been busy with other things.

Then Tuesday night came and it was time to go back to the hospital for delivery in the morning. I couldn't believe it and I was definitely ready to get this show on the road. Kaitlyn was counting down the days too. She totally knew that a baby was going to be coming soon, but she thought that they were going to open my stomach and pull the baby out and then put a bandaid on me to heal it. Jackson just missed me and didn't know where we were.

Wednesday morning came and I had some sleeping aids so I was totally out of it and couldn't open my eyes hardly. At noon, the doc came and broke my water. So much for the race with my cousin-in-law, Sarah Meche Lafleur, who was delivering her first baby on 4/14 too. She delivered two hours before me.

I had the baby within the hour of my water breaking. The labor pains were the worst, I guess because of the induction. The epidural did not do "jack" for me. Oh well, if that was the worst, it didn't last long. He came out with two pushes and he was big, 8 pounds 15 ounces. He cried with they started touching him and he was just as beautiful as Kaitlyn and Jackson. He is definitely his own little man.

He cried when they put a shirt and diaper on him, but he was fast asleep when they pricked his heel several times. He started nursing immediately and never had a problem. Not that I felt like a pro at this, but I felt okay with it and didn't feel that I had to ask for help. That was good because I was so tired of nurses checking me, etc.

Kaitlyn and Jackson just loved on him and had so much fun coming to visit us in the hospital. They wanted us to come home immediately!

We had lots of visitors and it wore us out, but it was sooo nice to have them, especially since I was still stuck in an isolation room and Ethan had to stay with us too. It was nice to have him always with us, but that meant very little sleep. He just looked so much smaller than Jackson that I really felt that we had a little baby. I just can't believe this healthy baby boy had me going through so much, but it was well worth it and we made it. Now it is recovery time and time for another blog post on the last 11 days of coming home!

Here is video of little Ethan at 9 days old sleeping with his sweet little baby noises.

Welcome Ethan James Meche!

2010-04-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures from the hospital. I will write more soon.

http://www.our365.com/NewbornPortraits/BabyDetail.aspx?birthid=9a863aa8-b03b-48ba-9f22-42d99d4434ba

Here's your Visitor Password: 09941295428786

You might also be asked to enter the first four letters of Mom's last name. (Parents can change their Visitor Password; contact this baby's parents if you can't log in.)

Easter 2010

2010-04-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

I am definitely in the mood to write today. This weekend I was in the hospital for a little bit because of seeing some blood, but everything is all okay. This little guy is still pretty happy staying inside. He is getting huge. I can hardly wear anything, except Brandon's stretchy shorts and t-shirts. It is just lovely. I look like a huge tent. Heeeheee. But not for long, just 9 short days until April 14, the big induction day.

We have tried to prepare but two other kiddos running around, I feel like we will never be ready to go and have this other one. I always think we need another store run, or we need this or that. We have a crib and a carseat, we are good to go.

Now if I could just get around easily and have some energy these next days, these days would go a lot faster.

Yesterday was a nice day. We made it to church in the mass chaos. I was able to sit through church, luckily. And we were able to have some good lunch and an Easter egg hunt for the kids. They looked so cute. Hope your Easter was wonderful! He is Risen! And it just gives us so much to reflect on - New Life.

I am definitely in the mood to write today. This weekend I was in the hospital for a little bit because of seeing some blood, but everything is all okay. This little guy is still pretty happy staying inside. He is getting huge. I can hardly wear anything, except Brandon's stretchy shorts and t-shirts. It is just lovely. I look like a huge tent. Heeeheee. But not for long, just 9 short days until April 14, the big induction day.

We have tried to prepare but two other kiddos running around, I feel like we will never be ready to go and have this other one. I always think we need another store run, or we need this or that. We have a crib and a carseat, we are good to go.

Now if I could just get around easily and have some energy these next days, these days would go a lot faster.

Yesterday was a nice day. We made it to church in the mass chaos. I was able to sit through church, luckily. And we were able to have some good lunch and an Easter egg hunt for the kids. They looked so cute. Hope your Easter was wonderful! He is Risen! And it just gives us so much to reflect on - New Life.

Arboretum Pics

2010-03-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

Oh, it was so much fun this week to go to the Dallas Arboretum. It is our little tradition to go at least once in the spring to see all of the flowers. Plus, they have face painting and a petting zoo for the kids on Mondays.

This was one of the first years that I have been able to go and the kids didn't run away from me and were really good at the Arboretum! We spent four hours there, which was a little too much for me. It took me the rest of the day to recover! It was well worth it and one of our last little outings before the baby.

Anyone there?

2010-03-01T08:21:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in forever. Is anyone still checking?

Well, I got out the camera cause I need to take some momentous pictures of Jackson. I was planning to start potty training with him this weekend, but after a Saturday seminar with Love and Logic Doc Jim Fay, it got me thinking about getting Jackson excited first.

I got excited about going this morning and pulled out all of his fun potty stuff like Buzz Lightyear underwear and Ernie underwear. He also liked the potty seat and pull-ups. He sat on there and it was funny because he was looking to me about how to get up there. He would turn one way and then another. And just looked puzzled, how do I put myself on this thing?

He then sat and looked proud that he did it. We practiced with pulling up underwear, etc. and then watched Potty Power. He was excited. I just wish Kaitlyn (at school) was here to help. I know she is a good example and has been a little mommy to him lately.

We are definitely ready for him to be in the big leagues with Kaitlyn. Of course, it is convenient in the beginning not to have to worry about asking or making sure he goes to the bathroom every 30 minutes, but I am crossing my fingers he will catch on fast since we waited a little longer to make sure he was interested and ready.

Here are some random pics and I will post some more of him on the potty. It is just so cute. Only 8 more weeks or possibly 6 (if induced early) until #3 comes. Just going through all of the baby stuff is so fun, but there is still so much to do before he comes! Do I look huge?

Kaitlyn is 5 Years and Disney World

2010-02-14T05:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have been dead tired lately, but wouldn't give up a chance to go to Disney World with the kiddos before having three!

Kaitlyn loved it and so did Jackson. She loved riding the Runaway train three times! Jackson loved the Winnie The Pooh play area. The Magic Kingdom was the best. They loved the parades and the shows. They couldn't believe that they got to meet the real Mickey, Minnie, Tigger, Woody and Buzz! It was great.

Here are some pics!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=929073658805%3A1014491585

Kaitlyn's Early Birthday Party

2010-01-25T06:48:00.001-08:00

This weekend, we had an early birthday party for Kaitlyn and her friends. Just a little affair at the house with some friends and family. With all of the parents, it looks huge. Kaitlyn had so much fun being the magician with Toybox the Clown. She was pretty cute and had Kaitlyn do everything. Kaitlyn wasn't shy and just did everything Toybox asked. She laughed at herself too which was so cute to see.

She definitely knew what she wanted and was so excited to open the door to all of her friends. She really enjoyed eating cake with everyone and had her friend, Aditi, from school sit with her.

We go to DisneyWorld Sunday and Kaitlyn is already packing a bag with things she wants to bring for her trip. Brandon is super excited and I am super excited to ride the motorized scooter. Yes, I think I am going to need it as this third pregnancy is certainly wearing me out a lot more than any other. Luckily, I feel big, but not as big as I was with Jackson at the same time.

Lots to Catch Up!

2010-01-10T19:18:00.001-08:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged in awhile. I guess about two weeks. It was a wonderful time to stay home this Christmas season as we got to have snow and play in it on Christmas. Christmas Eve was so great to stay home and cozy inside. Brandon even got a little Bailey's to celebrate. Dad had quite a few and I loved seeing him all cozy too. It took a lot to go to Christmas Eve Mass and luckily went at 3 pm before the bad, bad weather. We were almost blown away.

Kaitlyn and Jackson had so much fun waking up in our house for Christmas morning. Kaitlyn kept saying she wanted to wake up first and come jump on our bed. But somehow Jackson knew what was really was going on and woke up at 5:45 am and would not go back to bed. Just around the corner he could see the tree and all that was left by Santa! Kaitlyn woke up about an hour and a half later and was amazed, but she couldn't believe she wasn't first to wake up.

We spent all morning playing with everything and then in the snow. Kaitlyn and Jackson had fun riding her new bike and his new scooter with the neighbor gals. We then spent the next several days just playing games and toys.

The holidays and parties and entertaining wore me out. I feel huge and I am starting to really get all the pregnancy-related health stuff along with getting big. I still can't believe this little guy isn't coming until April!

We are glad to get back into a better routine. We are still out of whack with bedtimes. We let them slide on the holidays and it is definitely hard to get back down on time. Tonight it took about 45 minutes and that is so much better than lately. Jackson did chew through his pacifer over the holidays so he is getting used to going to sleep in a big boy bed and without that. Hopefully, by the time April comes, everything will be working like clockwork.

The Annual Santa Claus Picture

2009-12-23T13:47:00.000-08:00

Kaitlyn was super excited to see Santa this year. Jackson didn't want to go near him; except after Kaitlyn had her picture, then he was okay.

It isn't a party until you dance!

2009-12-16T18:58:00.000-08:00

Some friends came over for a Christmas Book Exchange this past week. It was fun! Macie McKie asked where the party was when she came over. We think she thought we needed to dance and so did the Duggan gals and Meche kiddos. So after doing a fun craft (really the parents) and eating up, the kids were ready for some dancing! Ah, the joy of laughing and bouncing around! Those are the best times!

Christmas Spirit

2009-12-08T19:50:00.000-08:00

Ah, nothing gets you into the Christmas Spirit like making food for friends and family. Today we made some "White Trash Mix" or as I told Kaitlyn, "Holiday Mix." We also put them in pretty boxes. Kaitlyn had as much fun eating it as stuffing boxes.

It Snowed Yesterday

2009-12-03T10:40:00.000-08:00

It snowed yesterday! Wow, what a fun morning for us! We just watched and watched and walked around in it. Then it was all done about an hour later. Ahhhh!

Big Boy Bed Time

2009-11-29T11:49:00.000-08:00

Today we took off the side of Jackson's crib to make it a big-boy, toddler bed. He does know how to get out of the crib, but really hasn't climbed out often. He is a big boy - over 35 pounds, so putting him in the crib was a big chore for me. We probably could have moved him sooner, but he is just so cute in his bed, and after our Kaitlyn experience, we wanted to keep him in as long as possible.

As Brandon took off the side, Jackson got upset. He thought we were breaking his bed. He didn't want to go near his bed. This afternoon, it was time for a nap and he was ready for sleep. He still wouldn't go near his bed and said that it was broken. I then laid his big doggie in it and started to read to him. We talked about how it is still his cozy bed. He then got in and laid on his doggie. He then didn't want his doggie and I read to Jackson. He stayed in his bed and laid down. He got up once because he wanted another book and then stayed in his bed and fell asleep. Yippeee! The first time went well for him to sleep in the toddler bed. I just hope that this begins a good habit of going to sleep in his bed and not getting out all of the time.

With Kaitlyn, we had a rough time getting her to stay in bed and go to sleep. We moved her when she was 27 months old. We went through several different routines to see what worked best. Bedtime is pretty routine now, but it still takes longer with her because she must have a prayer, story and song before falling asleep. When we moved, we got her a new mattress, but Brandon got a very basic low-grade mattress, we finally traded it in and got her the better mattress. And man, it is so comfortable. That surely will do the trick to put her to sleep fast!!

Next up, Jackson! Keep it up, little man!

Here is a pic of him this afternoon sleeping. Don't know if you can see him well. I didn't want to use the flash.

A little bit silly

2009-11-23T14:45:00.000-08:00

We have been focused on wrapping up soccer for Kaitlyn and getting ready for the holidays. Just trying to figure out what to do is crazy. I would love for it to just snow so we could play in it and then get by the fire.

This weekend at the last minute, our neighbor's two high school girls were going to Twilight on Sunday night for the second time and I have been dying to see it so I tagged along. It was great. Even for an evening showing and a small theater, I thought it was packed. They knew a couple of girls who came to the movie and it was their fourth time.

Halloween

2009-11-04T16:07:00.000-08:00

Trick or Treat was the phrase of the night. Kaitlyn and Jackson had no idea going up to houses and saying trick or treat would be so much fun and allow them to get tons of candy. We only went up our street and down the next street around the corner and back. In the process, we met several more neighbors and one neighbor across the street gave us a tour of their house. They remodel homes for a living so it was fun to see.

Well, Jackson followed Kaitlyn's lead and she was so excited to watch all the kids running around the neighborhood. One lady had an open house and we could pick out a toy for the kids and a full size candy bar. Needless to say, we picked something for the parents and the kids could have the toy!

I think they had fun just getting out. We went from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. After that, Kaitlyn gave out the rest of our candy to the kids that came by. It was cute how she put a piece of candy in each bag and all the kids used their manners with her to say thank you. I think they were even being extra sweet with her.

Kaitlyn picked out a Snow White costume and Jackson picked out Broby from Yo Gabba Gabba. I think he just liked the green fur! Kaitlyn liked her dress because she could twirl. Of course, Halloween is one of those weird days, but I always had good memories of trick or treating with mom and dad. We all had fun together.

Baylor Homecoming - 100th Anniversary

2009-10-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, we made a little day trip to BU's homecoming this past Saturday! I had been thinking for awhile that I needed to get my Baylor fix! Originally, I was thinking we could drive down early morning and get to the parade around 9 am as it finally gets to campus. Jackson was fighting a little cold late last week so it would be just me and Kaitlyn. We didn't want to drive down by ourselves so I roped my brother and Amy to go with us. Oma and Papa (my parents) went a little earlier than us.

Kaitlyn and I ended up leaving Flower Mound around 7:15 am. We lucked out with a close parking place and walked onto campus right around 9 am. It was perfect weather and campus looked great! We got a place on the curb and caught some candy and saw the floats. The parade was over by 10:15. It seemed a little short this year. A lot of organizations went in together on floats. ZTA did one with ATO. ATO???

We then went over to the Mayborn Museum that is right there on University Park by the old village and alumni center. The museum was pretty cool! If you have little kids, it was a great outing! We spent over an hour there, and that was being really quick. The gal let us in for free, but normally it is about $5 to get in. Kaitlyn really loved it and even said she wanted to have a party there.

We then went to eat. Stephen was craving a gut pack at Vitek's BBQ so we went over there and it is open on Saturdays now. We also stopped by the Baylor Bookstore, and we got a Baylor Claw and I had to get some BU flip flops! I love them!!

We made it back around 4 pm to DFW. Kaitlyn slept the whole time and I think we had a pretty good little day outing! Ah, Baylor! It helped me to get my Bear fix!!!

LAZY BOY!

2009-10-26T05:57:00.000-07:00

We were able to get another addition to our living room last week. Brandon's "Lazy Boy" chair. He has some competition for it though. Kaitlyn has been lounging in it all week! And Jackson loves having the couch all to himself!

It's Free and Fun-Pumpkin Style

2009-10-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

We went to the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch. They have tons of silly fun for the kids - pumpkins to pick out, cut-outs, a hay-maze, bounce houses and even kettle corn. We had lots of fun with Emilie, Josh and Julie too.

It's A ...

2009-10-14T13:25:00.001-07:00

Well, the latest news with us, besides me feeling ill all the time is that we are having a boy on April 24, 2010. We found out last Friday and we all guessed it may have been a boy, but some thought girl. I knew it when I started craving BBQ.

In other Meche sibling news, Kaitlyn and I went to Mary Poppins. It was a wonderful show and I think Kaitlyn enjoyed it with her friend Kali. Although, Kaitlyn got pretty cranky towards the end. It was a little too long for her, but in the end, Mary flew through the air over the audience and that was fun! Here I am with the kids. This is the best picture I have taken with Jackson. He wanted a picture with me just like Kaitlyn and he smiled on que too. We brought out some toys and things from the attic. The kids have been having a ball with cooking again. We are getting ready for a garage sale Saturday morning! Yikes! These things are a pain, but only if everything doesn't go!!!

Creativity

2009-09-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

They say that a child's mind is the most creative between 3 and 5. Kaitlyn's little mind is working overtime. Today, she pretended to be a bunny all afternoon. She stayed in character and ate carrots and drank water. She made her own bunny-home, hopped like a bunny and didn't talk like a bunny. She then proceeded to make a map to her bunny-home.

She helped me fold laundry this afternoon and I think it was her way to get a little more creative with it. We went up the mountain (stairs) to the sticky forest (her room) and then to the secret cave (drawers) to store her clothes. Pretty fun for a 4-year old!

I love it when she is creative. The creative juices are flowing!

Little Jackson - Turning into a True 2 year old

2009-09-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

Oh, our little man. Oh, how he is two. His little personality is just coming out in spades. Yesterday, for the first time, he told me to go sit on the couch. He said, "Mommy, sit. Go back." And he was pointing. After I picked up my jaw off the floor, I stepped out of the room. He was hiding so he could go number 2. After that, he came to me and said poopoo. I definitely think I am going to be potty training soon. I definitely don't want to rush it as I would love for the potty training process to take less time with him than it did with Kaitlyn.

He did the same thing today too. He is just so cute cause he has a determined look on his face too. At 35 pounds now, I hardly pick him up. He really is our little man. In Kindermusik class today, if you looked around the room, Jackson was a head taller than the other kids; although, I think some of them are young.

As for our little miss, Kaitlyn just can't wait until she is five. She thinks that she can do a lot more than she can do now, like sit in the front seat of the car. Yeah, but she doesn't realize that Texas has a new law that if you are under 4 ft. 9 inches, you have to be in a booster.

Kaitlyn's First Soccer Game

2009-09-21T08:56:00.000-07:00

Calling all sports fans! If you have ever wondered, what 4-year olds look like playing soccer, take a look at some of these pics! We didn't really even know the score until someone asked the ref, but all of the girls had fun chasing and kicking the ball.

I think Kaitlyn loved it because everyone cheered for all the girls and she got to give hugs to the girls on her team when they scored. Brandon had his debut as a soccer coach and I think he was totally nervous. He did great.

We were rushed to find the field because even though we have been in Flower Mound for over 4 months, we just could not find the field or where to park. It was crazy.

The final score was 13 to 12 and Kaitlyn scored five goals. The field is a short little field with a little goal. They play 3 on 3 and there is no goalie.

We decided to try soccer this fall to see if Kaitlyn liked sports. Last year she wasn't too hot on dancing, but she is enjoying kicking the ball around.

Jackson's Birthday Party

2009-09-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

Here are photos from Jackson's Birthday Party. He had such a fun time!! He just loved his Elmo party!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ViewSlideshow.action?&collidparam=38085249805.280172732805.1251831523503

Jackson's Second Birthday

2009-08-31T12:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Jackson!

We can't believe you are TWO! Have a wonderful Day Little Man!!!

We Love You!

Mommy, Daddy and Kaitlyn

Ireland

2009-08-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

It has been a week since we went to Ireland. I still don't think I am caught up on sleep or back on Texas time, but that is okay. Ireland was a beautiful country. We spent four days in Dublin and then as the Irish say, "We hired a car to tour the country."

If you have time here is the link to our photos. I cut them down to about 350. A word of caution: I labeled the photos so they are not in order, but I will give you a quick rundown here and that may help with looking at the photos.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=hhuz2tp.4ixt43x1&x=0&y=f12b4m&localeid=en_US&cm_mmc=site_email-_-site_share-_-core-_-view_photos_album

If you see a letter in front of the description of the photo, that is for the day so I can remember which days we did what - M, T, W, TH, F, S. We arrived in Dublin Monday around lunchtime. Our luggage didn't make it with us so we wore the same clothes to the Guiness Brewery and Storehouse ADP in Dublin that night. It was so nice of the hotel to provide us with tolietries and some clean underwear!

On Tuesday we toured the Wicklow Mountains and Powerscourt Estate. You will see these photos at the end of the slideshow. It shows an old monestary where the vikings roamed and St. Patrick and St. Kevin converted the people to Christianity in the early 12th century. They began using a Celtic Cross - the circle around the cross because the vikings worshiped the moon and sun.

On Wednesday, we took a quick tour of Dublin mostly in the bus of Dublin Castle, Trinity College, Christ Church where they were filming the HBO show, The Tudors. We also went to St. Patrick's Cathedral.

On Thursday, we went took the train north to Howth. This little town on the sea sits just above Dublin on the East coast. It was cute and had a long trail around the cliffs just outside of Howth.

Surprisingly, Dublin is pretty modern and Americanized. We heard lots of American music, and they had lots of different restaurants, including tons of Italian. We had Italian a couple of nights to get away from all of the beef and beef stew. Frankie's Italian Restaurant in Dublin has great food.

The pubs in Dublin are a dime a dozen and all very Irish and very ecclectic. We went with three other couples from the ADP Dallas office and one of them brought their five month old baby.

On Friday, we got a rental car and began the drive through the country. We did rent a GPS. It helped us a lot; however, we were confused by it a lot because the maps of Ireland are not totally up to date and it showed us driving off of the roads a lot. Brandon got the hang of driving on the other side of the road and how narrow the roads were. Everyone was very relaxed and it was okay to drive slow, but most people drove fast it seemed like.

We went to Cashel, which is an old Cathedral and Abbey sitting on top of a hill. You will see most of these castles and ruins have towers. They kept a lot of valuables in it - up top and a lot of people would try to hide in the top if the town was attacked. In Cashel, the townspeople all came to this Cathedral when the town was attacked and about 800 people ended up dying here. It had beautiful views and our tour guide there was so Irish. His name was Seamus.

We then drove through Cork, the second largest city after Dublin, and to our bed and Breakfast. This is where you see the sheep pics and garden pics. It was a nice bed and breakfast owned by a really nice family. They had a pub and restaurant down the road, very Irish country and so nice. We also went to the Blarney Castle and I kissed the Blarney stone. That was a little scary laying on your back upside down holding onto bars, but Brandon wasn't going to do it and one of us had to!

Then Saturday we were up early and drove around the Ring of Kerry down in the south, most of our scenic pictures are from here. The Ring of Kerry is just a scenic route through a penninsula with tons of history and scenic stops in towns.

We then made our was to Shannon and to our next bed and breafast. I didn't have any pics here because there really wasn't anything to see. We then went to the Cliffs of Moher and those were really pretty. The wind was strong and has been known to blow people off of the cliffs. We then wrapped up Saturday at the Durty Nelly pub next to the Bunratty Castle.

We left Sunday morning early and our plane was delayed five hours. We made it home after almost 18 hours of travel at 9:30 pm. We were so happy to be home.

The kids were with both grandparents while we were gone and did pretty well. This week has been tough getting back into a routine and Jackson and Kaitlyn do not want me to leave them for long. He did cry this weekend when he saw all the family as I think he thought we were going to leave. But overall, the reports were great and they were very busy with playing!

Ireland

2009-08-20T00:44:00.000-07:00

Ireland is so cool. The people are really nice and Dublin has a ton to do and see. They like to have a lot of fun too. The pubs are great and we have listened to all of the music and saw some dancing. The Temple Bar area is the place to go.

We are burned out on the Irish beef stew, but believe it or not, we ate at a really good Italian restaurant.

The churches are great and went to Christ Church and St. Patrick's. There are two main Anglican churches and the Catholic churches are hidden away because the Catholics weren't allowed in the early 19th century so it is harder to find those churches. Very interesting history. They were filming an HBO show inside Christ Church and saw some of the setup, but no actors. We got to see where Guinness is made and that is central to Dublin. It has been cloudy, but only rained a little bit at night.

Countdown until Ireland

2009-08-10T12:51:00.000-07:00

It is less than a week until we go to Ireland on Sunday! I can't believe and don't know how we are going to make it being away from Jackson and Kaitlyn for a week. It is going to be crazy! Get ready for a ton of pictures coming soon of Dublin and the south of Ireland.

Soccer time

2009-08-10T12:39:00.000-07:00

So it is that time of year. We signed Kaitlyn up for soccer. The neighbor, Kaitlyn, who is also four and just two days older than our Kaitlyn signed up and they will be on the same team. They needed more coaches so who signed up - Brandon. He has never played soccer, but they are four year olds. How much are they really going to do? They play three on three on a small field.

There is a coach camp this week and my brother and his girlfriend, Amy came over last night to give some pointers. Amy coaches soccer and Stephen has played since he was very young. Amy said Kaitlyn has a good, strong kick.

So practices should be fun. Amy suggested making a lot of games out of teaching them to kick and stop the ball like all the girls kicking the ball to the coach and playing red light, green light. I think it will be a hilarious, fun time for the kids as well as the parents. I see Kaitlyn's competitive side and I think she will like it. Go Pink Panthers! That will be their name.

Brandon, I am sure will have no problem settling into a coach role. Some friends have said that it takes over on Saturdays! I love the fact that it will be a family affair and this is a big sign of growing up. Ah man, she is growing up too fast! And Jackson is about to be TWO? What is that all about?

And just for fun, here is a picture of Kaitlyn and Jackson. If you come by in the fall, we may just dress them up to "greet" trick or treaters. Maybe a ghost and a goblin. Hahaha. Just kidding. But this is a very good hiding place from me inside as they can totally fit into these windows and close the shutters behind them!

Movie Update

2009-07-16T11:49:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update - Kaitlyn had a lot of fun at the movies with daddy. She has been telling everyone since then that he is really funny too. They came home with special 3D glasses from the movie and really liked the squirrel that chases the nut. Brandon even said she laughed at the funny parts and reached out during certain parts because it looked like she could touch it. LOL.

He then took her to the Build The Bear Workshop and she made a bunny she named Sprinkles. What a treat for her. Brandon said he didn't even know that they were going to go there, but he made it part of their special outing. She got it in the special box and that is where Sprinkles sleeps at night.

And while that was going on Jackson has picked up a new trick of jumping up and landing on his bottom, just wherever he is. He thinks it is pretty funny.

Kaitlyn has swimmer's ear and so we have had to stay out of the pool this week. Just in case you ever want to prevent it in the future - just take a cotton ball of alcohol and put that in your ear after you swim. This will help dry out the water in your ears faster. Also, if you get swimmer's ear, the doc said to do half vinegar and half water and put a couple of drops in your ear for two minutes twice a day for 3 to 5 days. If it isn't too bad, it should help to clear it out without ear drops. So cool! The hard part is keeping Kaitlyn down for two minutes!

Around the House

2009-07-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

So just about all you can do around here is lay in the pool. Thank goodness we do have the pool for sure! I was sweating just doing a few errands - in and out of the stores. Not much going on around here, except Jackson talking up a storm and Kaitlyn really doing big girl things.

I feel like I am crossing into a "big kid" parent and I don't know how that came about. We are instructing her more to use her manners and how to act in situations than anything else now. I guess not a real big leap from the instructions of "let's share", etc. of when she was smaller; however, we are talking more about stranger danger, how things work in a store or errands and so on.
Jackson is hilarious. We went to a birthday party at a park yesterday. We about died when we were in the sun. A friend brought her newborn and he was just a doll sleeping in his carrier. At this time, it was still not scorching hot. Jackson walked up to the carrier and just stared at him. Jackson noticed he was sleeping and then began to say "Wake Up!" He kind of yells this in a deeper tone. It is really funny.
We then proceeded to the catch and release pond and feed the fish with bread. Jackson took the bread and ate it and then would tear off maybe one or two pieces for the fish. Kaitlyn meanwhile made best friends with the girls and was headed off to throw in tons of bread.

As I am writing this, Kaitlyn went with Brandon to see Ice Age in 3D. I am sure this will be interesting. Brandon has been dying to see a movie with Kaitlyn lately and since we weren't doing much, it was a good time. We will see if Kaitlyn can sit that long for this movie. We haven't really tested this yet, so we will see.

Movies were treats growing up with my mom and dad and that is what today is because we started the chore chart. Really, just a way to reinforce good habits, but I think it is going to be more work for me to be more disciplined. We included normal stuff like brushing teeth in the morning and only a couple of things, but it is time for more responsibility. I can't wait to see how Kaitlyn is doing in a month. Hopefully, a little less of me reminding, pushing, etc. her and more of her initiating her own routine. We are going to need a whole lot of stickers.

Notice Anything?

2009-07-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

Notice anything different in this picture? Yep, you guessed it, Kaitlyn got a haircut. She was totally pumped to get a pretty new "do."

Cute pics

2009-07-08T14:46:00.000-07:00

I had these taken of Jackson for his 18 month pictures like I did with Kaitlyn; however, I just now got them ordered. We took them right in the middle of moving craziness in April.

There was a field of tons of bluebonnets. Unfortunately, the day we took the pictures, there was a huge wind so you see Jackson squinting in some of them.

We Got Some Visitors Over Here!

2009-07-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

Our visitors have come and gone! Brandon's cousins Ashley and Jeremy and Abby came to stay with us for several days this past weekend! It was so much fun! Kaitlyn and Jackson had a blast playing with them! Jeremy is a super fantastic cook! I didn't have to do a thing in the morning. How thankful I was for that since it is so hard to get going in the morning! Abby took the kids on and they loved following her lead. Ashley was all cute in her maternity clothes and can't believe she still has 20 more weeks to go!

We got some photos of Christy and Ashley together too. Thank goodness we had the pool to cool off in! Grapevine Mills mall was a hit too for its candy store with candied apples!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ViewSlideshow.action?&collidparam=38085249805.421809300805.1246474388095

20th Anniversary Klein Father's Day Bash

2009-06-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

So every Father's Day for the past couple of years I have been lugging Brandon and the kids to Lake Lotawana in Missouri just outside of Kansas City for our annual Klein reunion. The Klein Father's Day Bash started in honor of my grandfather, Andy Klein, and we have been celebrating every year.

This year was an exceptional year for the bash as least for our little family. Traveling to KC was a little bit better since the kids were older. Normally, we have cranky kids that don't sleep or through the night and we do not get to visit with family. This year, the car ride was extra long for us as the kiddos got very restless; however, the weekend was terrific.

We got in on Friday in the afternoon. The kids hated the car the last two hours, but we did okay. Oma and papa/Stephen and Amy all followed us up there too. We all jumped in the boat immediately and tubed. Kaitlyn did great the first time on the tube. Amy learned to waterski. And Brandon and I had just about as much fun as anyone could on the tube. He literally laughed so much, I thought his lungs were going to burst. Our cousin Zach drove the boat and Kaitlyn wanted to be his First Mate and help drive the boat. Jackson fell asleep on the boat with his blankie on his head.

The next day all the cousins arrived and we had a blast playing in the water. Kaitlyn caught over 10 fish and loved her princess fishing rod. Daddy helped put the worms on the hooks and she got really good at reeling them in. Jackson loved splashing in the water the most! Kaitlyn even got on the boat with all of her cousins on her own and got on the tube with her cousins, Drew and Jack.

My Uncle Gary brought home movies of all of us cousins from trips with the family. It was so funny to see everyone so much younger like dad without a big belly and lots of light brown hair and his big hats he would always wear. And mom with a PERM! Little Stephen with his little glasses. And to see me jumping like crazy in the pool. I was shocked to see how I stood in some of the video because I see Kaitlyn doing that all the time now! And in this video I was 8. If I get a copy of it, I will post it. I have an almost mullet looking hairstyle. Ok, it was 1985!

We were sad to leave early on Sunday, but Brandon is closing out the year this week with sales. He hopes to make Falcon, which is an honor for selling over his quota for the year.

Here are some photos from the weekend:

Summer time

2009-06-14T11:04:00.001-07:00

Well, we have made some progress on the house and have been around Flower Mound. The kids started Montessori and Jackson has had some adjustment since this was his first time to go to school.

His teacher, Ms. Anita, says he is doing very well. He loves splash days and he seems to be going along with the schedule. He goes two days a week from 8ish to 12. This is great because it doesn't interfere with his nap schedule. It was always hard on Kaitlyn when she started Mother's Day Out because her naps were interrupted two days a week. Ms. Anita is very sweet and I think Jackson will like her. He is one of the youngest, but I think there are only 6-8 kids in his room and we love that. He has been upset when I drop him off, but his teacher says that he gets into everything pretty quickly.

Kaitlyn's class is a little larger, but her teachers think she is so sweet. She has already made a friend and she goes Monday to Thursday 8 to 12. On the two days they both go, I go to 7-Eleven for project work.

We also started Gymnastics for the summer. Jackson loves bouncing around and I think Kaitlyn is going to turn into a gym monkey. The place is called WinKids and it a great place that I think they are going to like a lot.
It has been nice to see family more often than visits here and there at the new house and we have had several visits from friends already. And they say the drive isn't too far out of the way.
We are going to Kansas City this week for Father's Day Bash with the Kleins. It should be tons of fun! I know the kids will have tons of fun on the boat.

Getting Some Sun in Florida

2009-05-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

We just got back from Florida! Alleluia! We made it! We left Tuesday and got back Saturday. We just went to relax with the kids. No big plans - just played on the beach and in the pool.

Let's just say that this trip has taught me some valuable lessons.

1. Plan for the unexpected. We were told the wrong gate to go to for our flight when we checked in and it made us get to the gate just before the door closed. The flight attendant said we had to wait for the next plane. So Tuesday we didn't get in until late afternoon. The kids did great though and it totally wore us all out. We did get to enjoy an hour on the beach and that was great.

2. Friends on the beach are always fun. My college friend, Shelley and her two kiddos made it to the beach to play with us. Hayley and Kaitlyn had a blast filling up the bucket and looking for seashells. Todd and Jackson were just chill' with us.

3. All you need is a shovel and a floatie. We really didn't need much on the beach. We pretty much used a little shovel to dig with the kids in the sand. And then Kaitlyn loved riding the waves in her round floatie. Of course, I liked having a little umbrella. That was nice when the wind didn't blow it over.

4. It was worth it! Go out to dinner! Since staying in a condo, it does save money on meals - we ate breakfast and lunch there; but going out to dinner was a highlight with the kids. They actually did pretty well too. We went to Yoder's one night. It is a very popular Amish restaurant in Sarasota. (Did you know the Amish go to Siesta Key? Yes, a big community there.) Good, well priced food. We then went to Captain Curt's. The corn fritters were the best and the kids got dinner in keepsake frisbees. And the last one - City Pizza. The pizza was good.

5. Sunsets are wonderfully relaxing with the kids. The kids stayed up a little later and Kaitlyn loved watching the sunsets with us from our porch. The condo was great because we didn't have to be out all the time to enjoy the time there. The screened-in porch allowed us the best views of the beach and sunset!

6. Always make sure you have Children's Tylenol or Motrin. Jackson was teething a ton there, but he didn't let that stop him. I think he could totally be a beach bum. He didn't walk to the ocean his first time, he ran, jumped, played, kicked and laughed!

Here are some of the highlights.

For all of the Florida pics, go here:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=hhuz2tp.5irg6z7l&x=0&y=ajbbh9&localeid=en_US&cm_mmc=site_email-_-site_share-_-core-_-view_photos_album

Play times

2009-05-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

So we have really enjoyed playing in our new backyard and the playset. We have already thought up some fun games like pretending to be sleeping beauty and sleeping prince and coming to kiss them to wake up. We also pretend it is our very own ice cream stand. Kaitlyn makes outstanding chocolate ice cream cones. I have to share these pictures of the kiddos. They were so cute on Thursday when I took some shots.

I don't have any really good stories with this entry but since I am putting our bathroom cabinet on craigslist, I thought I would write an entry. We are leaving for Florida on Tuesday and can't wait! There is a 30 percent chance of rain everyday and are praying that it won't rain on the beach!

Oh, can I say how much Brandon has made himself at home in our new neighborhood? Last night I came back from the store and our neighbor was sitting on the couch with Brandon and Spencer having a brewskie. And that was the case with a different neighbor last weekend. I thought that was pretty funny!

A Case of Stage Fright

2009-05-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

It has been way too long since I blogged, so I am going to open up with a big event from this weekend - Kaitlyn's First Recital!!!!

This little story will tell you exactly where my mind has been lately - in outer space! A couple of weeks ago we went to the dance studio to just take pictures of Kaitlyn with her dance class and of her in costume. I had planned a little playdate in the morning and didn't even thing about the craziness that would create. We did that and then rushed to get everything we needed for Kaitlyn to get dressed up. Meanwhile, Jackson had to be woken up from his nap to get all the way back to Plano from Flower Mound. Both were not happy about the drive, we get there barely in time and rush to get her costume on since we didn't want it to get wrinkled in the carseat.

Then I watched after Jackson as he was running around the studio while Kaitlyn was taking pictures. She came out and we rushed to get her back into regular clothes while Jackson was hanging on me and running around. We got back in the van without her costume. And we just found out it was lost this past Saturday morning when it was time to start getting ready for the recital.

I was worried sick because I didn't want to be "That Mom" that forgot her daughter's costume. Luckily, the dance studio had it in the office after my dad came early to check in.

Well, long story short, this past Saturday, Kaitlyn was ready for her dance recital. She had been in this class since last August once a week. Some weeks she would be excited about it and some weeks it was like pulling teeth to get to the class. So I knew that she wasn't going to be doing back flips, but I thought she would get a kick out of tapping her shoes. Come to find out, it was a super scary experience. She walked out in the studio in front of everyone and was in tears because of everyone looking at her. She does have a shy streak and I can see how it would be scary for a four year old for the first time.

She warmed up after a teacher came and held her hand the rest of the dance and then they were given different props to skip up and down the room. She did well at that and did well holding hands with everyone in the circle. We are so proud of her. She never left the stage and saw that it could be fun. She even received a ballerina doll and medal at the end of the performance.

Here are some photos.

Moving Day!

2009-04-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

It is moving day tomorrow! Take a deep breath for we are out of our first house in Plano and into Flower Mound, of Flower Town as we like to call it, started by Kaitlyn.

As usual, we have piled it on with a hefty schedule tomorrow and hopefully, Internet won't be out too long! I was going to list everything, but the list is just darn long.

Have a wonderful night and weekend! We will see you on the other side! Look for moving cards and house warming party details soon for those of you in town or want to come to celebrate with us. :)

It is coming

2009-04-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

The move-in-day is Friday! Can't believe it is almost here. I have cooked our last meal at 1412 Heidi Drive. It is Lasagna. We have three more days to take a shower. One or two more boxes to pack. The computer stuff to pack. Unload the attic. Confirm a couple of deliveries and we are good to go.

We did a lot of living in our first house. The first house we came home to after we got married. This is where we brought Kaitlyn and Jackson home from the hospital. This is where we had parties with new friends, old friends and family. And lastly this is where I think of as starting my "grown-up" life. But whatever we called it, we are going to have even more memories in our new house as the kids grow, have graduations and make friends.

With every move I have made, there was a little sadness, a little bit of the unknown, like moving from home to college and to an apartment. But I tell ya what, it is exciting and a chance to do new things. Even if we moved up a couple of streets, life would be totally different. Isn't that amazing?

Well, enough pondering and thinking - here are some updated photos of the kids. I got Jackson's outfit for his 18 month photos and Kaitlyn is just being goofy, hehheee.

Dancing Queen

2009-04-20T11:44:00.000-07:00

Our little Dancing Queen and King have fun with daddy playing his guitar and just singing away. We have been doing this a lot since the toys have been packed up - improvising with fun "toys".

Latest Move Info!

2009-04-16T15:44:00.000-07:00

I do apologize for missing more than a few blogs. I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel. Next week is the big move - ready or not. We have half the house packed, maybe more. We are lining things up for the move, ordered a few things and still have a lot to do.

We are pretty excited about one thing. (I didn't think I really cared, but I do.) We got the seller's piano this week. It is perfect - It was already in the house! I can hear the piano being played by Jackson or Kaitlyn very soon! Maybe Brandon and I will get inspired and learn ourselves. I took piano lessons in elementary, but I can't remember.

Jackson has become more and more boy lately. He is driving his little trucks and cars around. And oh, don't put any kind of pile in front of him. He will destroy, destroy and destroy. He has been a great little errand and shopping buddy. He gets all the looks and cute waves from strangers. It is great to get in and out with him since everyone is busy talking to him. Even at the doctor's office today, everyone was trying to play with him. I forgot how little ones are such great conversation starters!

I am so sad for Kaitlyn. She has really gotten into her school and class. She talks about her classmates and her teacher all the time. She is excited to go and I hate to pull her out of that. I hope she likes her new school just as much. She has one more week. I have looked at more than 5 schools in the new area and need to decide what to do. But this next month while she is not in school, we will be busy with her and reading and taking a trip to Florida! It actually turns out to be perfect timing - just when we need a break after we move. Yeah! Roberts family - Here we come! And maybe a day trip to Disney World as Brandon has made efforts for us to stop over.

Dallas Arboretum - Beautiful Day

2009-03-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. Today has been beautiful. So this morning at the last minute, I decided to take the kiddos to the Dallas Arboretum. I figured it would be fun and let's call a friend last minute. It worked out well. We got there before the big, huge crowd and got a few pictures.

We then played on everything. Jackson went one way and Kaitlyn went the other way. It was enough to wear me out totally. But generally, they did pretty well playing on the different play structures.

We also ran into a long line of motor carts. One of them had Laura Bush. They were driving by, but Kaitlyn and Jackson decided to cross the sidewalk to the other play area. Luckily, they stopped and let us go by. It was a packed place! I ended up putting the little monkey backpack with leash on Jackson so he wouldn't go too far.

Here are some photos.

The New House - 1600 Bar Harbor

2009-03-17T13:15:00.001-07:00

So things are pretty much just insane right now. It has been insanity for the last month. We put our house on the market March 6. It sold on March 7. We found a house on March 8 that was only on the market 4 days and already was in negotiations with another buyer. Somehow we got the deal. Then the inspection went well last week. So far we think our inspection went well, still waiting on the full report to come back. And Sunday night, Brandon put some of our furniture that we are not going to take with us on Craigslist. We have pretty much sold almost everything in just a day or so.

We close on both houses on April 24 and then have that weekend to move. Let the packing begin which I am still in denial. How in the world are we going to move all of our stuff???

Here are photos of the new house from when we went during the inspection. The kids were with us so we didn't get to take a ton of photos.

News Travels Fast

2009-03-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

Well, after weeks of stress and hard work, we put our house on the market on Friday. We received five showings on Saturday and two offers. We accepted one. We then on Sunday went to sign the papers and look for another house. We found one in a convenient location in Flower Mound. It has four bedrooms and three baths and a game room as well as a room to make into study or whatever we want. All of it has been updated too so we can move in easily.

We liked it because we didn't have to do anything and has the same great backyard as well as workbench in garage. It is close to a park and the elementary and junior high are around the corner.

Here are some photos.

We are very excited and it happened so fast that I am having lots of anxiety. It is hard to leave the community that Jackson, Kaitlyn and I are in everyday. We are checking the house out again tomorrow for the inspection and I plan to check out the area to get more comfortable. This is a good change as we will be more central to family and work and in a good area as well. We can hop on 121 and see friends easily too.

House Update

2009-03-05T10:53:00.000-08:00

So we went through all of the rig-a-ma-role to get the house ready to sell. We had the maids, photographer and real estate agent. What a crazy time. We should be up and running in the next day or two. The sign is going to be in the yard today! I still have so much to do. I spent all this time just getting cleaned out, but we have a huge mess in the garage and I have stuffed things in every nook and cranny just to get the pictures done. Now it is time to go through that and use more boxes.

We couldn't believe anyone not wanting this house, but of course we are little biased. Our first house holds so many memories and so much sweat put into it. We can't wait to find our new home. We had a long list of what we wanted - cul-de-sac, trees, big yard, media room, three car garage, but all of this has been sucked away. There are two main things we want now - play/area game room and big yard. If we get that, we will be happy.

My problem now is that I keep finding some real dream homes in Allen and well within our budget, but we want to move more west. Darn the luck. Tomorrow Jackson and I will go with the real estate agent to look around in Flower Mound in the morning so we can try and get more looking done.

Falling Down

2009-03-02T06:25:00.001-08:00

I just get a kick out of this age with Jackson. He is loving everything and learning everything. We were playing with towers on Friday and when I said fall down, he would fall down. He also likes to roll over, although, in this video, he didn't roll too much.

Elmo and Cousins

2009-03-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

We ordered tickets for the Sesame Street Elmo's Garden show in December. The show was Friday night at 7 pm. We were able to get the kids down for a late nap and then go to Grand Prairie, an hour from north Plano. We were so excited.

We walked in and Brandon and the kids went straight to the souvenir section. Jackson loved Elmo and says memo for Elmo. Kaitlyn was a little under the weather and took a little bit to warm up. Jackson loved his little Elmo doll and Kaitlyn got a little light.

We had perfect seats before an aisle so they could see perfectly. Jackson danced to the music and Kaitlyn didn't move a bit as she watched all the characters. She wanted to go up on stage and dance with them and give them all hugs. At intermission, two men came out with a huge bundle of Elmo balloons. They made a killing on those because all the parents got their kids a balloon. What are they trying to do to us parents? Luckily, our kids were more interested in looking around than the balloons. The show was still going on when we left around 8:30.

On Saturday, my cousins Andrew and Erin with their two kids - Drew and Ella, came over for dinner. They were in town for some shopping. The kids made themselves at home while we caught up. Drew and Kaitlyn have always liked each other. Kaitlyn laughed as Drew tried to pull her off the couch that kind of stuff. And Jackson had his most laughs watching Kaitlyn and Drew. Ella had so much fun in all of the dress up stuff. She really is so friendly and talkative.

In other news, cousin Shellie is making very small steps in rehab. She took some steps with a cane and can move her left arm a couple of times.

We are putting our house on the market on Wednesday. We cleaning up like crazy.

Take a Deep Breath

2009-02-23T11:59:00.000-08:00

Sooo... Can you feel spring in the air yet? I kind of feel it. Well, of course we have been busy little bees cleaning up so we are definitely in the spring cleaning mode. But this is with a very well-intended purpose - selling our house. Last weekend, I hustled the whole family outside into the backyard to do major cleanup. Jackson and Kaitlyn had more fun jumping in leaves or throwing rocks in the pool than anything else. Kaitlyn was a good helper too with the broom and laying down some mulch.

We have been meeting with a real estate agent and driving around neighborhoods. We are definitely in full swing of looking for a new house. Both Brandon and I feel the pressure to pick a neighborhood and look for houses in a specific area. I think we have now both moved our mindset to more of a central location - Coppell/Flower Mound area. We have really liked our area and didn't realize it until we have started looking around. We love the proximity of shopping and friends. Although, moving to Coppell, may not be as big of a deal since it is so easy to jump on George Bush. Flower Mound is a little tougher to get out of.

We both feel this decision is a big decision for us and we are praying for the patience and guidance to make a good decision for our family. I think this decision is tough because there are so many great areas in DFW and we really want to try and hit all of our priorities. With driving around, we both do agree on one thing, Allen is little far and out of the way. Although, we will be leaving, good schools, a great church and some pretty good housing deals there right now. Yes, it sounds, like I don't want to leave, and I don't, but I think Coppell may have what we are looking for too. We have attended church there and like it a lot. Now the dream house. We want it all, but I think we are realizing that the big reason we are moving is so the kids have more room to play with a playroom and a backyard. We can't wait to get a big playset with swings and slides, etc.

Our official date is March 4 to put the house on the market. Is this really happening is what I keep asking myself!

We had to blow off some steam yesterday after driving around with the kids, so we stopped and took a chance on bowling. Even though they were a little young and we only stayed about 45 minutes, they both loved throwing that ball down the lane.

Here are some pictures of activities with the kids.

Soccer fun with Kaitlyn. She is the next Mia Hamm. She can really chase that ball. She gets really excited when she kicks the ball in the goal and loves the cheers. Jackson has a little gym class, but haven't gotten any photos yet.

A princess pizza birthday party for Caroline. Jackson came and loved playing with the other kiddos.

Birthday Video

2009-02-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

Brandon made this video of Kaitlyn's Birthday. I thought I would share even though for some reason the quality was downgraded when I uploaded it to Photobucket.

Weekend Update

2009-02-08T17:42:00.000-08:00

A couple of updates. Saturday was quite a day. We began with a little birthday painting party for Kaitlyn and her friends. She loved the playground out back. We made a little 4 shirt so she could wear that over her outfit. She loved her Winnie the Pooh cake that she picked out. We also learned that we need to remind her to hold on to the swing when she is swinging on it. She popped out quite unexpectedly, but it was a gentle fall.
We also attended an old friend's wedding on Sunday - Kristen Norton. She grew up with Brandon in Beaumont and we went to Italy together. I volunteered Brandon to video their wedding and I took some quite shots. I don't know why, but my pictures didn't come out like I liked, but they looked great in them! Kristen always asked us if we knew anyone to set her up with, but little did we all know that it would be her hairdresser that set them up.

And an update on my cousin Shellie - It is going to take awhile to recover, a couple of months in a stroke rehab and her left side is coming back a little bit at a time, but time will tell if she will be able walk or use her leg. So many friends and family are helping out and showing support. A lot of the men in the family have decided to shave their heads in support of her. It was so sweet to see the bald heads.

It is Kaitlyn's Birthday! A Poem for Kaitlyn from Mommy

2009-02-04T19:23:00.000-08:00

Kaitlyn Magdalene Meche is 4 Today!

Oh sweet daughter of mine
How you have grown over time
You are curious, funny and sweet
Oh how you have lit up our lives
Being 4 is going to be so neat!

This week we made a little poster - Celebration of Life - for her school. Her school doesn't sing happy birthday, but we make a poster with a picture of every year of life from the time she was born to today celebrating every year of life. She then walks around the school so everyone can celebrate with her. It was so amazing to go through old photos and to say old photos were just three years ago, blows my mind.

On this day, four years ago, I spent 14 hours in labor, 2 and a half pushing like I was running a marathon until she came; So perfect with all her fingers and toes, waiting to greet her mommy and daddy. She didn't come quietly, she made her debut with a loud cry and a soft whisper when she heard her mommy's voice. She was such a happy baby. She was a curious and active toddler and has become an imaginative preschooler.

I could never have imagined having a daughter like her. She is so strong and independent, but so very attached and sweet at the same time. I am stunned by how much she wants to learn. I know I am telling her a great story or telling her something she is interested in when her eyes focus and she has a super thoughtful look.

Today, I gave Kaitlyn a choice of two toys to bring down from the attic to play with since they have been up for awhile. She said, "Hmm, let me think." It was so cute and then she really sat for a minute and thought about what she wanted more.

She is ready to go at a drop of a hat and is always up for an adventure. She will be the first to raise her hand to do something, and the first one to meet friends when they come to our house. Kaitlyn is an animal lover, an artist, peanut-butter enthusiast, a loving sister, book worm and wonderful daughter.

She has brought me more joy than I could have imagined being her mother as well as more worry, because I know I could not be without her.

Happy 4th birthday sweet, beautiful daughter!

Not out of the woods yet

2009-02-03T12:32:00.001-08:00

If you have been keeping up with my posts about my cousin shellie, please keep the prayers going. She had a stroke this morning and is paralyzed on her left side. She is still in ICU and receiving best of care. As of yesterday, she hadn't held her new baby, Peter, yet. Her husband remains optimistic, he is a surgeon. She knows what is going on. She can see, talk and hear and that is good news. We don't know a ton because things are very hectic, but hopefully we will hear more tomorrow. :)

25 Random Things about Sarah Meche

2009-02-02T19:07:00.000-08:00

I thought this was cute. It is going around on Facebook and I finally sat down and wrote some things out. Next up - Brandon, Kaitlyn and Jackson.

Today at 9:04pm | Edit Note | Delete

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. I am a coupon-aholic. I clip coupons out of the Sunday paper every Sunday and save about $15 a week in groceries.

2. My husband and I have a secret code. We can communicate across a crowded room with our secret signs. We also have ESP. Whenever I say something random, he is usually thinking it too. Random!

3. My hair is graying a lot and I am desperately trying to cover it up. Growing old gracefully is not for me. I like my brown hair.

4. I have a secret passion to write a book one day. I would love to author a children's book or teen novel. I used to read Babysitter's Club and Sweet Valley High all the time!

5. I almost didn't make it to Baylor. Finances were tight and the decision wasn't finalized until June when it was time for orientation. Student loans weren't too bad. I loved Baylor and it was one of my best experiences.

6. My passion is snow skiing. Don't get to do it much, but love it when I get a chance. My second ski trip in high school, I went down the wrong trail and accidentally fell off about 15 feet onto a bunny slope. Almost landed it, but it didn't stop me from skiing.

7. The summer of 8th grade I went to Mexico for 13 days with Girl Scouts. It was an eye-opening experience. We saw so much of the culture and a lot of poverty.

8. I am tired of the news. I would like to keep it off all of the time, except for weather and sports to hear about college stuff. I wish I could, but it draws me in.

9. I have tried to live my life without regrets and live for the moment, but I do have some regrets about some of the relationships and friendships I have had. I wish I could meet up with them now for coffee and talk. What a different perspective now.

10. I would do absolutely anything for a friend. If a friend is need of anything, I am there. I am loyal and kind.

11. Navigating being a parent and learning to be a good parent has been my biggest accomplishment and challenge. I like what my dad says - Just love them. Love is all you need. I try to live by this as a parent.

12. I can't live without Mexican food. Absolutely no way!

13. I want to have more children.

14. Such a great saying: Be Kind for you never know what battle someone is fighting. I really like it because you never know what a person has been through.

15. My favorite show of all time is Friends. I have the box set and have watched every episode at least three times. I used to watch in the middle of the night when I nursed Jackson and Kaitlyn. It was good because sometimes we would fall asleep in the chair and it kept me up to pay a little attention.

16. I love to make Kaitlyn and Jackson laugh everyday. I try to come up with little things to be traditions, but I have found they just come on their own like Kaitlyn and I going shopping together or our once a year family trips.

17. I have to have sleep. If I don't get at least 8 hours, I can't function. Although, I have learned to function better on less sleep with kids, but still love it and need it.

18. I have always wondered why people get piercings in weird places. Is it to be cool? Doesn't it hurt? What purpose does it serve?

19. I love to order chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, roll, gravy and green beans if the restaurant has it. It is one of my favorite meals. Who cares if it is 1400 calories? It is finger-licking good!

20. I always wanted to take a trip to New York City, for a while I wanted to move there, even. I couldn't get myself out of Texas. I used to get books on New York City. I am 31 and have only been to NYC for a 24-hour business trip. One of these days, I will make it there!

21. I don't think I can live without a pool now. We have had a pool for 6 years and even though we only use it about 5 months out of the year, those 5 months are the best!

22. One of the best natural wonders of the world that I have seen in my life was in Hawaii. It was a geothermal pool on the Big Island. It was better than a hot tub, it was relaxing and surrounded by beautiful trees. The beach was only a couple of steps away. Only the locals know about it or if you are like us, pick up the Blue Book on Hawaii (Best Hawaii Tourist Books ever).

23. I am not a big drinker, but I am beginning to see how a glass of wine at the end of a long day, it definitely what the doctor ordered.

24. Can I say ditto to my friend Shelley Roberts' 25 random things? I never would have imagined myself with two kids, married and a stay at home mom by the time I was 30.

25. I love being random, spontaneous and excited. I am super independent, but have found that Brandon really does fill in all of the blanks. Ahhhh, hubby!

Update on Shellie

2009-02-01T08:43:00.000-08:00

The 6 kids are staying at Chris’s (husband) mom and dad’s house; Chris is staying at the hospital; Peter (the new baby) is staying at the hospital; and Shellie is probably going to stay at the hospital for another week or so.

All the kids came to visit Shellie (2 at a time) today. She is still a bit foggy from two major surgeries in one day), but able to briefly see and reassure her kids she was ok.

Aunt Mary says, so far so good. Shellie is in a lot of pain… staples in her head (about 6 inch incission) and stitches in her tummy from the c-section, as the anesthesia is wearing off. They shaved only half of her head! (Harrison said he wanted to shave his head too).

Praise God for He is Good

2009-01-31T06:43:00.000-08:00

Shellie was finished with surgery around 10:30 last night and taken to recovery where she is resting. Don't know too much right now, but will update soon. I said a lot of prayers last night and am so thankful that the surgery went okay.

Following Cousin Shellie

2009-01-30T17:27:00.000-08:00

Just got an update on my cousin Shellie. I mentioned her yesterday in my blog. She had a healthy 7 pound baby boy this afternoon. She was just taken to surgery a couple of hours ago to remove the tumor behind her eye.

Apparently, she had been having severe headaches and her eye hurt when she touched it. She was out with some friends who knew someone with a tumor in the same area and same symptoms a week ago and that is when she when to the doctor and realized what she had. We are praying now for a safe surgery and recovery.

What's Happening?

2009-01-29T12:34:00.000-08:00

Well, I feel like a lot is happening today. The kids are taking a nap before Kaitlyn's dance class and I had to write about what is happening lately. Everyday I have been cleaning out a closet to get the house ready to sell. Praying a lot about where we want to raise our family and praying about my project at 7-Eleven. God will take care of things I know. It is just being in the trenches sometimes that is hard.

As for 7-Eleven, I have a laptop now and Margaret just doesn't want to see me go. I have agreed to work from home some and go in for a weekly meeting. We will see how that works out. Now it is just maintaining some content for the website, not a whole lot.

As for the house and metroplex, there are too many options, but we are getting priorities straight and looking at things this weekend.

As for some direction, my weekend church retreat was wonderful in mid-January. I couldn't have needed a spirtual uplift more. I can't wait for Brandon to go for a weekend in March. I know he will enjoy it so much. Thanks St. Jude.

Also in March, we just signed up for Plano's Sweetheart dance for dads and daughters. This is the first year Kaitlyn can go with Brandon. I know he is so excited. They are going to go with our friends The Dickens, Jesse and Ashley.

And as for some sad news today. My cousin, Shellie, who lives in St. Louis and is raising six children and pregnant with her seventh was just diagnosed with a brain tumor. Her husband is a surgeon. The doctors are going to take the baby three weeks early on Feb. 3 and then she will need all her strength for an operation. Please pray for their family this month.

Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall. Psalm 55:22

Goodnight Kisses

2009-01-28T12:15:00.000-08:00

We haven't been sleeping really well over here. Well, who is counting. When Kaitlyn was born, my real good sleep went out the door.

But what makes it harder to sleep is how cute Kaitlyn and Jackson have been lately. Jackson has learned to blow kisses and wave goodbye with his hand. He is just too cute. I would post a video; however, my little camera is in the shop.

Now when I lay him down in his crib, he puts his hand on his mouth to blow me kisses. He then waves goodbye as he gets cozy to go to sleep. When he waves, his whole hand is flying up and down. It really is cute. It is great that he is not fighting sleep right now either. He is showing signs of only needing one nap so we are in a little bit of a transition period right now.

Yesterday for Kaitlyn's nap time, after wrestling around in her bed and trying to fight it, Kaitlyn finally laid down and asked me to tell her a story about Captain Hook. This has become her routine before bed, always a story about Captain Hook. I think Brandon and I have run through just about every kind of story we can think of. She always wants Hook to be mean, but we show her that in the end everyone is nice and learns from their mistakes. In yesterday's story, I told her how she dreamed that she was on the beach in Neverland. She was wearing her bathing suit and building sandcastles. Captain Hook helped her and then asked her to help him count his money. Oh, the story went on, and she was totally into it. She then asked for her purse with some money in it, her bathing suit and blankie. She put them all around her arm to take with her in her dream. She finally fell asleep with them all.

2009-01-22T16:54:00.000-08:00

Here are photos of our park outing today. The kids had a great time! We got to feed the ducks and roam around a lot. Kaitlyn was my little heroine today.

She and Emilie were close to the playground on a little hill of grass. They were playing together and Jackson wondered out there to check them out. He then saw the ducks and started to make a beeline for the creek. Before I even started running after him or could say anything, Kaitlyn had walked in front of him and put her hand out to stop him from going toward the creek. Of course, they were not anywhere near the creek, but he is a pretty fast little critter. Kaitlyn told him that he couldn't go to the creek and to stop. It was wonderful to see her take care of her brother instinctively. I was so proud of her, and excited to see her sisterly love as well as her compassion for her little brother.

Bad Hair Day?

2009-01-11T14:24:00.000-08:00

Talk about a bad hair day!!!

Nothing too important

2009-01-08T12:08:00.000-08:00

Well, spring cleaning has hit here in a big way this week. I hope we can have a lot of stuff cleaned out by the end of the month. If you don't already know, we are hoping to move to a bigger house, still in the DFW area, in the springtime. Of course, we pick a time where home sales in the DFW area have dropped more than 30 percent in the last two months and prices have fallen abotu 12 percent, however, maybe we will get a good deal on a new house too.

And with it taking us forever to clean anything around here, it will take us a couple of months to get this house in tip-top shape, every floor board wiped and every toy put away. Oh man, the toys!

Until this week, I just didn't realize how much we have stuffed in our little house with four small closets. I think Kaitlyn has even gotten into the spirit of cleaning up this week. Jackson knocked all of the DVDs out of the case one morning this week while I was in the kitchen. Kaitlyn picked them all up and put them away. When I came back to the room, everything was nice and neat. Talk about getting into the spirit without mommy even saying a word. Gotta love those moments.

The Holiday

2009-01-05T08:41:00.000-08:00

Before we get back into too much of a routine, here are some photos from Christmas and New Year's. We all had such a nice time with our family this year in Beaumont and in DFW. We rode in a horse-drawn carriage to look at lights with our family in Arlington and had great fun making a little video for our family in Kansas City. And then in Beaumont, Jackson and Kaitlyn kept us totally entertained, as well as cousin Maggie.Big Daddy warmed up the hot tub to play in and Gigi made lots of food. Santa came over and all was merry with tons of presents!

I can't think of one particular story to share, but there are tons of little memories like...

Going for a horse and carriage ride to see the Christmas lights in Plano with family.

Jackson sitting on the stone alligator trying to ride him like a horse.

Kaitlyn making friends with a neighbor on Gigi and Big Daddy's street.

Maggie opening all of the presents.

Jackson warming up slowly to all of his relatives, but totally wondering who all of these people are. He just wanted his mommy.

Kaitlyn performing for all of us with her dance moves.

Kaitlyn looking outside for Santa Claus and then meeting a high school friend of the family dressed up as Santa. Him sticking the cookie Kaitlyn gave him in his boot. He couldn't eat it because of his beard.

Aunt Christy and Uncle Spencer getting Kaitlyn excited for Santa and reading her a book about Christmas.

Brandon and Sarah sneaking out to go see Benjamin Button at the movies for three hours.

And waiting for Jackson and Kaitlyn to wake up Christmas morning. Then seeing Jackson push Kaitlyn out of the way so he could make his way to the blow-up school bus full of balls. Balls are his favorite.

Going to a Mavs game for Brandon's birthday.

Meeting up with friends for a holiday lunch and dinner at Rainforest Cafe and Mariano's.

Having Uncle Stephen and Amy over to play rockband on New Year's eve.

Going to the donut shop with Uncle Stephen and Amy and us for a New Year's Day breakfast.

E.L.F. Makeup

2008-12-22T11:46:00.000-08:00

If you want to stock up on some makeup go to E.L.F. I tried to send an email to everyone I know, but I missed you, I wanted to pass this on to the ladies. A Nordstrom brand of makeup is re-branding itself and is selling all of its old branded makeup for a $1. Just go to: http://www.eyeslipsface.com

When you see your children at Christmas

2008-12-21T18:25:00.000-08:00

When you see your children at Christmas whether it is making cookies, singing in a Christmas recital, opening a gift or just participating in the holiday spirit; it is so touching and so special. Just in this past weekend, Kaitlyn had a school recital, we had a fun Christmas book exchange and Jackson and Kaitlyn went to see Santa.

In this season of many holiday gatherings and present-giving, the readings at church today hit home for me because so much of the planning that I do focuses on our family and our kids, like this weekend. The readings from the Old Testament, Romans and Luke spoke about David and Mary's faith. They followed God's plan for their lives. During this time, it is so easy to fall out of following His will and instead follow what we want. So that is my pre-New Year's Resolution - Follow Him. As mothers, we take on so much and it is time to just take a breath and Follow Him.

Merry Christmas! God Bless and keep you safe during this special holiday season!

Here are some photos from Kaitlyn's recital and seeing Santa. Kaitlyn sang beautifully - We Wish You a Merry Christmas and A Snowman - tune to a little teapot. Jackson wasn't too happy to sit on Santa's lap. Of course, he was really upset with his parents to passing him off to some stranger with a white beard. LOL.

A Precarious Situation

2008-12-19T08:09:00.000-08:00

So Jackson has been exhibiting some new and exciting tricks and behaviors this week. He really wants to try and feed himself with a spoon. He is pretty good at keeping it on his spoon if it is big enough, like cut up pears. Kaitlyn always uses her utensils so I am guessing he has watched long enough so now he wants to join in the action. Oh and did you notice he is using his left hand. He goes back and forth, but he is starting to show a little bit of a preference for his left hand.In addition, to feeding himself, he doesn't seem to get enough on his plate. He acts like he is full so we wash up and get him out of his high chair. Then if Brandon, or Kaitlyn (typically, it is them, because I have learned to eat very quickly or in small chuncks throughout the evening) are still eating or have left anything on their plate, he will grab it. He has a pretty long reach too. He will even want to sit with you to finish what is on your plate. It is great that he likes to eat. He is not as picky as Kaitlyn. We are extremely careful with food around hour kitchen now. What can we do? He has to eat a ton to stay in that 97th percentile for height and weight. I don't think he has ever been below that. Sometimes I wonder if his growth will ever slow down or that I might have a 3rd grader talker than me.

It was very cold this week and we got a dusting of ice and snow. We went in back for a minute just to see how cold it was. We checked out the ice on the chairs and quickly went back in. I am ready to get back in our pool already. Well, we had some friends over yesterday. Actually, a funny story. A couple of months ago we went to the mall to play and ran into a sorority sister from college, Julie Larson McCartney. We haven't seen each other since college and she actually lives a couple of miles north of us in McKinney. She has a girl and a boy the same ages as Kaitlyn and Jackson. Kaitlyn and Emily hit is off right from the start. Of course, Josh and Jackson are just busy hanging out. Yesterday, Kaitlyn and Emily had fun playing playdough and dressing up as little princesses.

My Project at 7-Eleven

2008-12-12T08:21:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a long three and a half months, but finally my first website project at 7-Eleven is complete. (I have been working about 10 to 12 hours a week on this.) You can see what I have been working on at www.7-Eleven.com and go to the products and services section. I helped to create the product descriptions and pulled together all the artwork for this section.

Now we are working on the never-ending process of updating the website as 7-Eleven has so many new products and promotions out every month. I bet you never knew all the little things 7-Eleven has to offer now. They are selling video games, GPS systems, digital frames and even freshly-made pizza in some of the stores.

Where in the World are the Meches?

2008-12-10T18:46:00.000-08:00

So where have the meches been? If you have been wondering, we have traveled to St. Maarten, an island just south of Puerto Rico, completed our Santa shopping, made Christmas yard decorations, created our Christmas cards and managed to put up home decorations.

Here are photos: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=hhuz2tp.5qvkckpl&x=0&y=-y3zprf&localeid=en_US

Wow, it makes my head spin thinking about the last two weeks, but let's get started. Brandon has had a great four months in sales at ADP. And every year, if you reach a certain goal during the first four months of ADP's fiscal year, you get to go on a "SuperStarts" trip. This year it was to St. Maarten. Brandon's parents came up to watch the kids and we were off for a 3 day trip. We were so mellow and chill the whole trip, and if you know us, we usually try to see as much as we can. I think we really focused on sleep this trip because we were just plain worn out. The first night I slept 12 beautiful, wonderful, uninterupted hours. Brandon 11 hours. The next night was 10 and so forth. It was terrific! Brandon had a horrible stomach bug, but he was a real trooper and didn't stop him from enjoying the beach or getting in the steam room. The water is super pretty, but sadly the interior of the island is dotted with shacks and even a house with more than 50 washing machines sitting out front.

We were so happy to get home to Kaitlyn and Jackson. Jackson is in the stage where he is picking up everything you teach him. He is really picking up words, body parts and loves music. Kaitlyn is helping me cook more and is the best helper. She has her side of the kitchen to mop and loves to work that mop. They were doing new tricks for us when we got home. Gigi and Big Daddy had a full weekend with the kiddos - seeing St. Nick, Chuck E Cheese requests from Kaitlyn and lots of playtime.

Before the trip, Brandon decided to make a whole army of yard decorations - everyone from Mickey Mouse to Captain Hook. It took him about 3 days to cut wood, trace and paint these things. Kaitlyn and I helped too. He was so excited. I can't believe how well they turned out! He made it look pretty easy, but I know it was a lot of hard work!

Before that, we ventured out to a couple of the Black Friday sales. It was crazy, but we saved a little bit on gifts from Santa Claus! Yeah.

There are so many little traditions we want to keep and get started. We can't wait. We are starting a few every year as the kiddos get older like celebrating advent with a prayer and advent candles to prepare for baby Jesus. Or like making it an event to go to the Angel tree to shop for another child for Christmas with Kaitlyn and Jackson. And of course, we can't miss driving around and looking at lights! That is the best. But most of all, we hope to be able to see all of our family and friends every holiday season and make the most of this special time.

What traditions do you love and have with your family? Can't wait to read on your blog or email!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T05:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! We are so thankful for the many blessings we have had this year and for all of our family and friends. Here are Jackson and Kaitlyn wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Short and Sweet - Pictures!

2008-11-23T17:41:00.000-08:00

Kaitlyn has now mastered making funny faces. She can even put her legs next to her head while she is making a funny face. Talk about America's Most Talented!

Well, Kaitlyn can now take a shower, in fact, she prefers them. She can almost do this all by herself. Where has our little baby girl gone?

Jackson is going to be rooting for A&M this Thanksgiving. Of course, we had to give daddy a little cheering up, especially after Baylor just killed A&M! Yahooooooooo! (The little scratch on his nose is from falling while trying to walk over his play lawn mower. He fell on his little nose. These little guys sure fall a lot learning to go faster and faster.)

Jackson was smiling up a storm after his first haircut. He can really be a ham! Lately, he has been enjoying turning himself around in a circle, just twisting around and around. Like I have said before, we are really trying to train our kids to be our entertainers, especially since we don't get as much anymore.

5 Cheap Ways to Entertain our Kids

2008-11-14T14:18:00.000-08:00

Here are our Top 10 Cheap Ways to Entertain Our Kids:

5. Library Books and Library Times

4. The famous Couch Tent with flashlights

3. Clipping coupons. Kaitlyn loves helping to cut things now.

2. Rake leaves and jump in the piles.

1. Stay up a little later and have fun outside in the dark looking at the moon and stars. Because they hardly ever do this, it is a fun and exciting treat to play in the dark with a few lights on.

My Conversation with Kaitlyn

2008-11-11T18:59:00.000-08:00

Besides being the 200th post to this blog, my impromptu conversation tonight with Kaitlyn was deep and so sweet. I was putting her to bed tonight and had told her a Captain Hook story as she requests every night before bed. I could tell she still wasn't ready to be left alone.

I told her that I had to go do some work and that I couldn't stay in her room or she wouldn't be able to go to sleep. She kept saying not to leave her and Jackson and that they needed someone to take care of them. I forgot, she associates "work" with me leaving for 7-Eleven. I reassured her and then she wanted me to ring the wind chime hanging in her room. It gives her some comfort sometimes. This little wind chime is a pretty decoration that my grandmother (Gran) bought for me as a wedding present. I told the history and that I had given it to her to keep. Then she inquired about Gran. She had visited Gran several times before Gran past away in late 2006.

Kaitlyn asked where she was and acted like she remembered her. I said that she was in heaven. I could tell Kaitlyn was thinking really hard and wanted to know more. I told her she was with Jesus and that if you looked up in the sky that this is where heaven was. When I was little, this is where I thought heaven was. And she asked if she could see it. I said it was very far away. She put her arms out wide and said, "This far?" I said yes and some more.

It was so cute to have this little conversation. I had to write this down to not forget it. It is amazing how the powers of conversation just open up and spill over.

Handing Us Books and Growing UP

2008-11-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

As much as we all wonder where the time goes, I really wonder how kids change overnight. Jackson is 14 months! He has started dropping things and saying Uh-Oh right after. It is so cute because he says it very softly. He is also loving talking with p sounds and dada, bath and ball. His new favorite thing to do is to hand us a book and climb up on our lap to have us read to him. What Brandon and I really like about this new trick is that he hands us everything. He helped me with laundry just the other day and handed me all the dirty clothes on the ground to put in the washer. He thought it was very fun game.

Favorite toys right now: Balls, Remotes, Phones and Books

He is teething and this time a couple of molars are trying to come through. He has been a little fussy, and he has slowed down on eating. On Thursday, he hardly ate anything. That was huge!! This guy can eat a lot or wants to eat what we have usually.

He is our little copycat too. He loves to copy Kaitlyn when she gives us a strawberry on the cheek. He tries too, but usually not on the cheek.

This week has been crazy with the time change. I asked in Jackson's Kindermusik class if anyone else had this issue and they all said their kids get up at 10 am. Oh man, I was like what time do these kiddos go to sleep. Right now, I just wish mine would stop waking up at 6 am and sleep until 7 or 8 am.

This is the calm before the storm of the holidays. I am definitely trying to take advantage of getting some stuff done early. Maybe it will work. Who knows.

Kaitlyn is about to be 4. Wow! And she is really turning into a little girl. I ask her about what she does at school and she talks about the other kids in the class. She raves about playing tag all of the time. She is even saying things like magic and Presto!

Favorite Things to Do: Color and play games, go to the park

Here are some photos from a little playdate with friends, Ian and Emily. It was tough to get photos of Emily and Jackson as they were running around. Ian and Kaitlyn have been friends since they were babies and definitely miss being in Mother's Day Out together. Emily is four months older than Jackson. Jackson went straight for the pots as he loves to play in dirt.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

Well, we are off to Ville Platte, Louisiana for the weekend, but before we go for a family visit... We stopped in at the Pumpkin patch and are going to a little Halloween party tomorrow.

Hope you have a Happy Halloween! Here are pictures from playing with pumpkins.

A day in the life of a mom...

2008-10-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

From time to time, I have the chance to page through a Dallas Child Magazine. Usually, I can find it at the doctor's office or perhaps a kids' play center and read a few pages when the kids are busy. I like to read the regular feature, "A Day in the Life of an Everyday Mom." It reads like a schedule, except the mom writes in all the activities of the day. I always wonder what other moms do in a day in the life and if it is anything like ours. So here it goes... (And if you feel so inclined to share a typical day in the life, let us know.)

Monday, October 27, 2008

7 AM: This is an unusual morning. I woke up on my own and not with Kaitlyn standing at my side of the bed whispering in my ear.

7:15 AM: Kaitlyn walks in our room and climbs in bed. She wants to watch a little show. So I turn on Einsteins, and I take a quick shower and get dressed.

7:30 AM: Kaitlyn goes to the bathroom and I help her get dressed. Jackson wakes up (finally hear him rustling around) and I get him ready and dressed.

7:45 AM: Get both kiddos in the kitchen and breakfast started. Jackson has some bagel and oatmeal. Kaitlyn has a waffle and milk. Jackson tries Orange Juice for the first time and loves it. He wants more.

8 AM: I run around to dry my hair and get shoes on. I ask Kaitlyn to put on her shoes. We run to the bathroom and get her hair done. Pick up jackets and are out the door at 8:15 am.

8:15 AM: Take Kaitlyn to school and we drop her off. Jackson and I then go to get gas and a carwash.

8:45AM: Arrive home with a cranky baby. He is ready for a morning nap. We read a couple of books and then at 9:15 he finally puts himself to sleep in his crib.

9:30 AM: I fix myself breakfast and sit for a moment to eat. I wasn't really hungry until this moment.

9:45 AM: I get on the computer and check email for work. Sent Margaret at 7-Eleven my updated product descriptions for review. I called the car company about the van. I called the doctor for Jackson and schedule a physical for me. Emailed about a playdate.

10:30 AM: Call mom to talk about van stuff. Started to put photos online. Cleaned up kitchen a bit.

11 AM: Jackson is up and ready to go. I am ready to go again. I get him in the high chair and we have a snack. Normally, we start to fix lunch, but he has Kindermusik class.

11:20 AM: Left for Kindermusik.

11:30 AM: Arrive at Kindermusik class at Ms. Jeanie's home. We start to walk up her steps and I held Jackson. I tripped on a little step and caught myself. I am beginning to wonder if I am losing it or just not paying enough attention. Jackson had fun banging on drums and listening to music.

12:30 AM: Arrive home and fixed lunch. We ate together.

12:50 PM: Jackson and I played a little bit.

1:10 PM: Put Jackson to sleep and read a couple of books. Tried to get him to sleep a little early because we had to pick up Kaitlyn. He is easy when it comes to sleeping.

1:15 PM: Stayed in the kitchen making meals for the week. I made a new dish - Chicken Tetrazzini.

2:30 PM: Woke Jackson up and got in the van to go pick up Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn finished her work, got her jacket and then we were ready to go home.

2:45 PM: Came home and gave the kiddos a snack.

3 PM: Quiet time-K/Playtime - J

3:30 PM: Got ready to go. I forgot that we need to get Jackson his second flu shot so we went to the doctor.

4 PM: We came back home and played.

4:30 PM: Brandon came home early. I started to get dinner ready. Kaitlyn needed a nap and got pretty cranky. Since we went to the doc, she didn't have a chance for a big rest.

5 PM: Fed Jackson dinner as he was starving. Kaitlyn had a snack, not too hungry.

5:15 PM: Brandon took Kaitlyn to Kindermusik.

5:30 PM: Jackson was done with dinner and we went out back and played together.

6 PM: Jackson took a bath.

6:30 PM: Put Jackson to bed as his nap was cut short today. Kaitlyn and Brandon came home.

6:40 PM: We all ate dinner. Normally, we all eat together, but this was a Kindermusik night. Jackson is an early eater.

7 PM: Cleaned up and Brandon and Kaitlyn played a game and got ready for bedtime. I relaxed a little bit.

7:30 PM: Started bedtime with Kaitlyn and put to bed. She was asleep in two minutes.

8 PM: Kids asleep. Got a few things together for tomorrow; write this blog. Sat down with Brandon and watched Heroes and hung out.

9 PM: Read a little bit of The Shack. Great book!!!! I am supposed to be reading it with Rachel and we talk about it, but we both can't put it down now.

10 PM: Watch a little news and weather.

10:30 PM: Go to sleep so I can be ready again for 7 am.

Sea World pics

2008-10-20T13:25:00.000-07:00

Click on the Title below to see the photos from Sea World. Needless to say, we love our new camera!

The Sea World Trip Photos

The Sea World Express

2008-10-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

(More pictures are coming)

So we hopped on the Sea World Express down to San Antonio this past week. We weren't sure what to expect. We headed down at different times, but met up with Oma/Papa and my brother and his girlfriend, Amy. It was a fun time.

Of course, I say this with a big asterick. Aside from the crazy car ride to San Antonio and the ride back, and the lack of sleep for the kids, we all did great.

I don't think we have ever done that much in so little time with both kiddos. The first night we went to Stephanie and Garfield Green's for dinner. Jackson They have Emma, 5, Garfield, 3, and Elizabeth, almost 2. Jackson is even bigger than Elizabeth. The kids had so much fun together on the swing set and playing on the botom bunk. Kaitlyn really had a fit when we left San Antonio and we didn't get to see Emma again.

We then went to the zoo and had so much fun. Jackson loved walking around and the zebra. Kaitlyn loved the monkeys and taking pictures herself. It was a little hot, but not too bad. We then met up with the whole family and went to the Riverwalk for a boat ride, dinner and ice cream. The night went by fast.

Both of these nights we didn't get the kiddos to bed before 9 pm. It was tough, but they managed. Brandon and I played Jackson duty because he didn't sleep well.

On Saturday, we managed a plan to let Jackson take naps and we all got in Sea World time. Shamu was awesome and so was the Baluga whale/dolphin show. We also loved feeding the dolphins. The kids were just mesmerized by all of the animals. I think the key for us was to do Sea World with small children in small chunks. We had our hotel by Sea World so we could go do some shows and then take a nap. Then we went back and did a little more and then back for another nap. It worked out well so we managed to avoid any meltdowns.

The kids' favorite was the kids play area. Kaitlyn loved the Shamu Express ride. She rode it about 10 times. She did as her daddy suggested - ride with her hands up and say woohoo.

Jackson loved the soft, cushy area where he could just crawl and walk around in a safe area.

We are so excited to go back to San Antonio and hopefully, next time we can see more friends next time while we are there.

Accept Diaper Derby Challenge

2008-10-03T09:01:00.000-07:00

Recently, the Zafereos', really little Noah, at www.zafereo.com, sent out a Diaper Derby Challenge. He looked like he had so much fun that Jackson had to try it out too. He loved playing in the box. Kaitlyn, she enjoyed laughing with Jackson and they even jumped into Jackson's toybox.

So Noah, next time we get together, we are ready for a challenge side by side. Hheeeehheee!

Birthdays Side by Side

2008-10-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

I haven't had the time, but have really wanted to put up a side-by-side of Kaitlyn and Jackson at the same ages. They are just so cute to look at the similarities and differences. Here are their first birthday pictures.

Kaitlyn on February 5, 2006 and Jackson on September 1, 2008

A&M Weekend

2008-10-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

We went to A&M last weekend for the game and Brandon's reunion. It was a lot of fun to see old friends and hang out. We also stopped and saw the Bonfire memorial. It was really nice and peaceful.

Brandon had a blast going back, especially since it has been a couple of years. I hope we can stop in and see Baylor this month.

Here is the link: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=hhuz2tp.7zt1wl6t&x=0&y=h762d3&localeid=en_us

Get Your Popcorn, Come Jump and See Balloons

2008-09-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what this title means? Yes, as Saturday turned out, we had a fun family day out at the Plano Balloon Festival and our church carnival at St. Jude. The hot air balloons launched around 7:30 am this morning and since the kids were up, we made our way out there to watch the balloons. I got to try out my new birthday present - a Nikon D60 digitial SLR. I have been waiting for five years to get one as my film SLR is from the stone age now.

Jackson and Kaitlyn loved watching the balloons. And there was a fun free kids tent with tons of activities for Kaitlyn. We got back home in time for Jackson to have a nap and we then went to our church's - St. Jude carnival in the afternoon. Here are pictures from the SLR (first time).

We volunteered to man the bounce house. I took tickets for an hour shift and it was fun to work it with other St. Jude volunteers. Kaitlyn and Jackson got a lot of bounce time. When we stuck Jackson in, there was only another little boy, two more gals came in, and they all jumped in a circle around him. He loved bouncing as Kaitlyn did. She watched out for him and went back to the bounce house two more times. Here is a video.

Recipes for Exchange

2008-09-14T18:09:00.000-07:00

I receive a lot of emails for recipe exchanges. I know it is crazy trying to find something to cook for everyone while little kiddos are running around. I have done my share of looking and have tried several recipes this year that were huge flops!

So I totally get excited when something looks good, is easy to make and actually tastes good. Here are two recipes that I picked up at the Kroeger grocery store. We made them tonight. Brandon thought it was a hit, Jackson thought it was a hit, as well as Kaitlyn and me. I can't scan in the photos because my scanner is not hooked up to my laptop, but they are pretty easy to imagine.

Ravioli Lasagna

10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
15 oz. ricotta cheese, divided (I didn't divide it and it was still good.)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 jar spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce
1 pkg. (23 oz.) frozen cheese ravioli (found at Kroeger)

Preheat oven to 400F. Combine spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella, ricotta cheese, Italian seasoning, egg and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Spread marinara sauce on bottom of 9-ince baking pan. Arrange frozen ravioli in single layer on top. Top with cheese mixture, then ravioli again. Finally top with additional marinara. Top with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Let stand about 15 minutes to cool and set up. Refrigerate any leftovers. Serves 6. (I think the total of this meal for me was around $10-12, and there is plenty for leftovers.)

Spinach-Apple-Bacon Salad

4 Tbsp. water
3 Tbsp. red-wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey
4 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Royal Gala or Granny Smith apple, cut lengthwise into 15 slices
8 cups baby spinach
Sliced red onion
Sliced button mushrooms
2 slices crispy center cut bacon

Combine first 6 ingredients (water through pepper) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place the apple slices in a large bowl. Spoon 2 tablespoons dressing over apples; toss to coat. Add spinach, onions, mushroom and remaining dressing; toss to coat/ Crumble the bacon and spring over the top of salad. Refrigerate any leftovers. (This was a yummy salad and the dressing was yummy too. Brandon even ate this! I think the total cost of making this salad for me was $8.)

Watch Out for Beaumont!

2008-09-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

This week Ike hit southeast Texas and Brandon's parents decided to stay at their house. They got water, filled up their bathtubs and got their generator out to prepare.

The storm did some pretty crazy damage. There were a lot of trees down, fence/roof damage and flooding. Today the water flooded their street and they could not get out. They were able to make it out a little later for gas and there were fights at the gas station.

The power has been out for a couple of days now. Please pray that they are safe in this mess and that electricity comes on soon. Some reports say a couple of weeks.

Our Walking Boy

2008-09-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

Oh man, I have been meaning to update this; however, Kaitlyn has given us a run for our money this week and Jackson is keeping us on our toes with all of his walking around.

I had to add this since we don't get to see Uncle Spencer, Aunt Christy and Cousin Maggie that often. We went to Rainforest cafe and saw the monkeys and elephants moving around in the restaurant.

Kaitlyn no longer needs medicine, but has caught Jackson's cold and is just not herself. This past week, she didn't go to school and we stayed home most of the time to keep her calm because of doctor's orders. She had so much energy she didn't know what to do with it. We went to Kohl's on Thursday to pick up some things for gifts and she was all over that store. She is usually good about staying close, but she wanted Halloween pillows, cups and shoes. None of which were on our list.

I hope this sleeping thing is going to get better soon too. She is still waking up a little bit and not wanting to go to bed, but I think it has been due to the cold more than anything else.

Meanwhile, little dude, little lumberjack, really our big man is taking steps to go everywhere. He had his doctor's appointment last week and he is a whopping 28 pounds and a tall 33 inches. He only gained two pounds since June, but it feels like more. At the doctor's office, he took steps toward the doctor and turned and went back to Brandon. And since Brandon just got Rock Band, we have been playing the guitars. Jackson loves to just dance in front and bounces. He and Kaitlyn start Kindermusik tomorrow and I am sure they will be loving that again.

Here is a video of him today trying to walk in the grass. He plops down twice. It is so funny. He got a little frustrated because he fell.

We were spontaneous and went to the Dallas Zoo today. We didn't stay long, but we got a few photos. They give pony rides and Kaitlyn was dying to ride the horse. Maybe next time. They both liked the kids area and that is a great area for little kids.

Quick update

2008-09-07T09:41:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn is doing great. We are just having a hard time trying to keep her calm and low-key. We are so thankful that everything has gone as well as it has. Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes. It is tough to be on the computer too long right now, but we will get back to you and post more soon.

At home

2008-09-04T19:48:00.001-07:00

Thanks daddy for the earlier post. We were able to take Kaitlyn home today around 2:30 pm. She was a great patient and a very brave little girl. It was hard for us to see her go into the OR without us. I took a minute to compose myself and Brandon felt sorry for me so he went and got me a taquito for breakfast. We waited about 45 minutes and then a volunteer from our church came to pray with us. At that moment, the doctor came in and said everything went well.

I went to see her and she had already started to wake up and was calling for me. She was moaning a lot, but was able to relax a bit and I told her some stories and sang. In the recovery room, we watched Clifford and she slept. She threw up a little due to the medicine and was talking and very alert.

I really think the tour of the hospital the day before gave her some familiarity. Also, thanks to the book from her godmother, Good-bye Tonsils, she was able to understand what was happening a little bit better. Even her doctor wanted to go buy the book.

When we got home, the first thing she asked for was a sandwich and grapes, and she said she wanted a lot of grapes. Of course, Kaitlyn is very definitive in what she wants and when she is hungry. I made her a mushy jelly sandwich with really soft bread and there was no problem eating it. She drank some, but didn't want much. It was tough, but she did take her pain medication. She later this evening asked for another sandwich and at some strawberry ice cream and some marshmellows. And Brandon made some special Jello Jigglers for her.

She stayed in bed and watched movies until she fell asleep in my lap. I hope she is able to sleep through the night. Oma watched Jackson today and he has a little bit of a cold so we are watching that. I think he was sad that he didn't get to be with Kaitlyn. We definitely missed him since we were at the hospital most of the day.

I will be on my own with them tomorrow and hope to plant Kaitlyn on the couch and have Jackson play by her. Hopefully, it won't be too bad. The nurse said that the next day is usually harder because all the stuff from the hospital wears off.

Kaitlyn's surgery update

2008-09-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

All is well with the tough little cookie Kaitlyn! This morning we took her to the hospital at 7:15 to get ready for her tonsils and adnoids to be removed. They gave her some "silly juice" before they took her in to calm her down. The doctor came back later to tell us that everything went great and that she did a very good job with the anesthesia. They found that there was a lot of scarring on her tonsils that made her very prone to infections, and her abnoids were very much blocking her nasal passage, so the decision to have the surgery turned out to be a very good one!

Now, Kaitlyn is just resting in her hospital bed with Sarah by her side while she watches cartoons. We're scheduled to be released at 1:30 today to go home for some good R&R.

Brandon

Happy First Birthday Jackson

2008-09-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

It was a weekend of Happy First Birthday festivities for Jackson. We had a family birthday party on Saturday. Luckily, Brandon's parents from Beaumont, came just in time. There were mandatory evacuations on Saturday and they came up on Friday, before all of the miserable traffic. We were all thankful that they were able to be here with all of the crazy weather going on in southeast Texas and Louisiana. We hope all the family in Louisiana is okay from the wind and rain of the hurricane!

Back to Saturday, we had barb-b-que and ate cake. I found a great little blue punch recipe. I was excited about it because I had a pink punch for Kaitlyn's party. (I am going to post a pic of both Kaitlyn and Jackson on their first birthday. Remind me. I don't have my pictures right now because my PC is dead. A computer guy is taking all of my stuff off to put on an external hard drive. Yuck!)

Jackson dug into his cake and smashed it like crazy! You will see a photo on photobucket here. He loved the cake! He also loved his presents. His favorite were the rocking chair from Oma and Papa, the fun, squishy chair from Gigi and Big Daddy, and his choo-choo train toy chest from his godmother (nanny).

Here is video of him getting into his cake.

On Sunday, we met up with Gigi, Big Daddy and Maggie at the Rainforest Cafe for a little dinner. Jackson loved looking at all of the animals as well as cousin Maggie, who was taking notes for her upcoming birthday. Kaitlyn loved it too and got a big drink holder with a straw. The waiter brought Jackson a little ice cream and sang Happy Birthday. He wanted to dig into it just like the cake.

On Monday, his actual birthday, we had some friends over for a pool party and more cake. He loved smashing the cake. Kaitlyn helped get him started again. He didn't have a problem in front of everyone. Although, he was done in just a couple of minutes. I think all of the festivities have worn the kids out. Jackson has been in bed at 6:30 pm and Kaitlyn in bed asleep at 7:45 pm and waking up around 8 am.

Here are photos from all of the festivities.

One last video, I had to post. Uncle Stephen and his girlfriend Amy are always a ball of fun when they come over and play with us. Uncle Stephen likes to be our fun little goof ball. Here he is trying to jump through three floaties.

Oh the places Jackson will go

2008-08-28T18:38:00.000-07:00

Hello there are double posts here. So first I have to tell you about the kiddos. Jackson is going everywhere. There is just so much going on with him. He now has some special tricks up his sleeves. He can raise his arms up high when we say up or put them down when we say down. He has been doing a little waving.

And our favorite trick is his eye for food or drink. Tonight when Brandon had a big cup in his hand Jackson turned and saw it. He crawled as fast as he could to him, climbed up his leg and had to have a sip. He then laughed hysterically because Brandon was laughing. He frequently does this whenever anyone has food or drink. You would think that we didn't feed him, but when you see him, you know that he eats well.

Here is a picture of him taking a step to Brandon. He took two really good steps to me the other day.

Kaitlyn is so cute. She loves arranging her animals around in her room. She calls her baby her little sister. Don't know if that is a hint. Haha. We are trying to work on counting to 20 and remembering all of the numbers. She is a little fuzzy on 14.

She is loving dance class and went to the dentist today. She was the perfect patient and sat in the chair and followed all of the instructions. We were in and out in 20 minutes.

I recently was called by 7-Eleven to work on a Web project. I am excited to do some work, and am trying to dust off the cobwebs. I am going to be pulling all of the information from 7-Eleven managers to write product descriptions of 7-Eleven's offerings for its website. I get to work with the webmaster and he is hilarious, very dry sense of humor. Not unusual for his department either, I met with him and the other guys that sit by him are pretty crazy too. One guy pulled out a little guitar in the middle of his cube.