It's My Birthday!

I had a great birthday weekend celebration. Saturday our family went to Bull Creek and had a picnic and waded through the creek and Alex spotted a water snake and we saw fish. It ended abruptly when Campbell announced she needed to USE the restroom. We packed up quick and headed home!

Saturday evening we took the kids for their first sushi experience. Conleigh & Alex both liked the miso soup. Alex loved the dumplings and even ate more than one bite of sushi. Campbell ate white rice. I'm glad we took them though. Conleigh was all dressed up. We called her Lady Conleigh a la Lady Gaga. She wore these fingerless gloves and had drawn blue teardrops under her eyes and long lines out of the corner of her eyes.
The kids made me some cute art for gifts. I also received some certificates from Peter for cleaning the garage, making dinner and one left blank, so I can fill.it.in. A Conleigh Classic
Campbell loves to draw flowers, AND she loves to spell MOM.
On Sunday morning, my actual birthday, Peter made green eggs & ham for breakfast. Yes, he added green food coloring to the eggs.
We headed off to church and then the kids & I started karate classes at the YMCA Sunday afternoon. All three kids and me. Conleigh & Alex stayed attentive...not sure if Campbell will make it. We have 6 classes in the pipeline and we'll see how it goes.
I'm looking forward to making it a great year!

Week One Done

School is Cool!

Alex is loving Kindergarten. It is really fun to see how excited he is to talk about what they did and what he learned. He also decided this week that he likes to wear collared shirts. Okay. I love that too.
Conleigh is much more interested in her clothes these days. We bought her some skinny jeans. She looked so cute in them, but the day came to wear them to school and she was all complaints. "They hurt my legs. I look fat. They're too tight." It reminds me of my middle school years when I wanted this pair of Espirit peddle pushers. They were white with a red stripe down the side. I wanted those pants. Mom bought them, I put them on and was so unsure ofthem, that I walked to the bus stop and then ran back home and changed. I don't remember if I ever wore them to school. Conleigh did end up wearing the skinny jeans, and she was still complaining at the end of the day.
Alex has met a couple of new friends in his class. He came home with a bracelet yesterday that said, "I cooperate well with others." Then he told us the whole color coding system for the class:
Purple: you are so good
Green: you are pretty good
Yellow: you are a little bad
Red: you are really bad
I know Conleigh had something similar in Kinder, but we never heard about it. Leave it to the boy to know the system during the first week. Thankfully, he ended the week on purple. Sounds like there are some trouble makers in the class. Should be interesting.
We haven't heard so much from Conleigh about her class. All I hear is when I ask a question.
While Conleigh & Alex were at school on Friday, Peter & I both had busy days at work. My mom drove in from Houston to hang out with Campbell. I think they had a good day together. They did an iron-on shirt for Campbell. She loves it! Here they are making hummingbird feeder food. Thanks for your help Mom. It was really great to have you here.

So far, So good!

Campbell leading us across the field to school.

First day of school went off without a hitch. A few tissues for mommy, but Conleigh ran into the school leaving us in the dust. Alex walked independently to his classroom as well. I was tearful as I hugged him goodbye, and he covered my eyes, and said, "don't cry mom." There were so many parents in the hall I couldn't see him all the way to his classroom. I'm proud of him for going on his own which is what the teachers encourage.
After school, Conleigh found Alex in the Kinder waiting area, and they came together and met Campbell & me at the bike racks. It worked perfectly. Conleigh was holding Alex's hand. I could tell that he was uncomfortable and really didn't want to be doing that. Pretty funny.
Campbell looks ready to go to school too. She is missing having Alex at home with her. I can tell & it has only been two days.
Conleigh in her new dress & knee highs. This was her pick for first day outfit.

Both kids had good reports for their first day. Conleigh said, "Second grade rocks!" Then, she got in the car and added, "well, it doesn't rock yet, but it will soon."
Alex liked having a tour of the school, and he told me about how the principal's name is Mrs. June, like Campbell's birthday month.
Today they went to the after school program. I think Alex was a little nervous and unsure of how it all worked but he was smiling and engrossed in coloring when I picked them up.
Tomorrow they will both buy lunch at school. I told them they have to agree to buy on the same days because I'm not going to make lunch for one one day and the other another day. Everyone takes lunch or the kitchen is closed. :)
Campbell has another week before school starts for her. Oh, please, let's get it going. She & I are both ready.
Peter was home today with a sore throat. Thankfully, it is not strep throat but he isn't feeling too good.

Slow Down Time!

Tonight as I layed beside my five year old boy to say prayers, we both got a little teary. I tried to pray an original prayer. Not one of the two that we usually say. I thanked God for the summer with my children and asked him to please watch over them as they go to school tomorrow. I was teary just saying those few words. Alex added to the prayer, "please God, don't let mom put a brick on my head." Lately I've been saying that to Campbell....just playing and telling her I don't want her to keep growing.
Then Alex hugged my neck and with tears said, "I'm scared. I want to stay with you." This was the first time I saw emotion besides enthusiasm about the big adventure of kindergarten that begins tomorrow. I know it is just the unknown that is unnerving him a bit tonight. Instantly, I had to turn on my 'you can do it, you're gonna love it' tune. I know he will.
He did wonderful during the orientation today. There were enough familiar faces in the room that he was fine. He thought the room was big and enjoyed seeing his name written in various places. His teacher is very warm and calm. It will be a wonderful year for him. I have no doubts.
I just cannot believe that the sweet, chubby bouncing baby boy that we've been lucky enough to parent for the past five and half years is starting school tomorrow. I am thankful that I got to be home with him part-time during these preschool years. I will treasure the adventures we experienced. I love how he holds my hand and asks me questions and tells me he loves me over and over. I love that boy and I just can't explain it.

Try-It ~ You'll Like It

The Brownie in our house is hot on the trail of doing her "try-its". We have a book full of opportunities for Conleigh to try. She earns a badge each time she completes four of the six listed ideas. Yesterday on our way to pick up Campbell & Alex from Granny, she spent time looking at her Try-It book. She decided to focus on the ~Make It, Eat It~ badge.
So...tonight we ate Sloppy Joes and baked apples for dinner. She & Peter got cookin' on the sloppy Joe's. When Alex said he didn't like it (before he even tried it), Conleigh announced to him that that hurt her feelings because she made this meal. Peter & I brought that comment to her attention, so she may remember down the road when she tells us about how horrible some meal is that WE make.
Conleigh & I got the apples cored and filled with brown sugar & butter. Those cooked while we ate our meal. Conleigh & Alex liked those too. It was a great meal, and Conleigh was very proud.
She has completed two of the four items she needs to do. Next up, she'll work on Brownie Soup & Fruit Fizz drink.

Here Comes the 1970's flowergirl

Back in the 70's, I got to be a flower girl. Now in 2010, my four year old fits perfectly into the dress I wore for my debut as flower girl. Campbell LOVED wearing the dress. It couldn't have fit her any better. Thanks Mom for giving her the dress. She has worn it around our house and is really enjoying it.

Breathe

For Valentines Day, Peter gave me a gift card for a massage. I finally took advantage of it tonight. It was wonderful. Quiet time. My mind wandered to work but when I realized that, I focused on thinking of other things. I want to concentrate on what is next.
In our Sunday school class, we are in the midst of an intense marriage study. It is really good. It is very serious and the guy doesn't pull any punches on the expectations of marriage. One of the things he said that really stuck with Peter was "I don't want to upset you, but when you die, most people won't remember you. A generation after your death, most people in your own family won't know much about you." Peter was really touched by this and has said, "I want to have made a difference. I want to matter." I feel the same.
It is a deep thought and a question that most of us should indeed think about. I don't want my legacy to my kids to be that their mom sat with a computer all the time. I spoke with a work friend yesterday who missed the recent sales meeting. She said only one person had reached out to see where she was. She's been with the company about 10 years and she misses a meeting and no one noticed. Sad but true. Why is it surprising? I guess it shouldn't be.
What do I want to do that will make a difference? I have an interest in going on a mission trip. It isn't something I foresee in the next year, but I'd like to start investigating the opportunity. Our church was recently looking for a children's mission coordinator. It isn't a huge volunteer job, but it is one that I think I can do. I'll organize four month long mission drives this upcoming school year. The kids can help me with the counting and doing the bulletin boards.
I've also volunteered to take on the school supply coordinator role for the elementary school. I'm a spectator this year seeing how it works and next year I'll be more involved in the whole thing. Neither of these two volunteer roles will be my legacy either, but I want to think about what I enjoy doing and aim to work in the direction of doing those things sooner rather than later.

Tour de Houston

On our way to Houston, we stopped for a tour of the little creamery in Brenham. In our almost eleven years in Austin, we have never done that. It was a good hours worth of fun. Campbell exclaimed, "it is an ice cream wonderland!"
After we saw the ice cream being cartoned (is that a word?), they scooped some for each of us. Here are the choices we each selected:
Conleigh: Cookie dough
Alex: Rainbow Sherbet
Campbell: Krazy Kookie Dough (this was all the kids fave)
Mom: Caramel Kettle Crunch - a new flavor and delicious
Conleigh has become quite the Blue Bell fan. When Grandma had some off-brand, Conleigh asked, "why didn't you get Blue Bell?"

On Thursday, Peter took his mom to MD Anderson for her last chemo treatment - yay! While she was there, we picked him up and went to the Children's Museum. It was great! The kids had a blast. Conleigh really enjoyed being behind the scenes and running the cameras for some TV news shows. Campbell & Alex liked an obstacle course. It was a great museum and a really fun family day.


Peter headed back to Austin to work on Friday. The rest of us stuck around in Houston and had a low key birthday celebration for Bepaw on Friday. Saturday morn we headed home to Austin.

Campbell

She is so cute I can barely stand it! The girl can do her own ponytails and she sits at her vanity daily (about 4 times) and puts in different color ponytail holders. So dang cute!

Neighborhood Night Out

We all had a great time this evening at the National Neighborhood Night out. Alex almost won the limbo contest. He got second and was very proud of that. Conleigh fluttered around and tried the limbo and the hula hoop contest. Daddy even participated in the Dad's canonball contest. Daddy's splash(above)! And Daddy's fan club below.

Emergency vehicles were also there for the kids to check out. It was so funny when the fireman told Alex to push a button and the loud sirens started going. Alex's face said it all. He was surprised and scared at the same time. Then he thought it was great. Campbell taking her turn in the driver's seat.
Checking out the ambulance. It was great to see all our neighbors and hang out poolside.