Happy Halloween

Tonight, Abby (Cinderella) and I went over to the Parker's to trick or treat. Jacob (who was supposed to be a frog) did not want to wear a costume or go trick or treating. He stayed home with Blake and Dad and passed out candy. The weather was cold and they had a fire burning when we got home. Blake carved a football pumpkin that looked really cool! Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!!!!

Our Weekend

Well, we made it through another week. My boss retired after 30 years of civil service, so I was busy most of the week with that. Steve has one more week of classes and he will be done!!!! I started my first week of Accounting II (it has already been challenging).

Friday night Blake went to the hockey game with some friends. Steve and I stayed home and carved pumpkins with Abby and Jacob. We have not put them out on the porch because we have a "gang" of pumpkin smashers running around in the neighborhood. Blake carved his pumpkin yesterday after we did some shopping and had lunch at McAlister's.

The biggest news of the week is Jacob is pretty much potty trained!!! He slept all night with big boy underwear on and he did not have an accident. Steve and I are very excited (and I am a bit sad) to have our little man out of diapers.

Today, Steve and Blake are out 4-wheelin' with some of the guys from work. Abby, Jacob and I have been playing and cleaning. I'll post some more pics on Halloween! (P.S. Blake wanted to make sure I said he was being goofy when I took this picture... I am sure he did not want me to post it at all.)

4-wheelin'

Before and after pictures of Blake on his adventure.

Blake & Steve went 4-wheeling today with Travis, Jillian and Steve (a friend from work). They went out on the Red River. They had a blast until Steve got his 4-wheeler stuck. Luckily, another person came by and helped him get out.

Dylan & Patrick went 4-wheeling today, too. Dylan wasn't paying attention and ran into a tree. He was going slow and was not hurt. His 4-wheeler just has a few scrapes.

Abby's birthday pictures

Master Jacob enjoying his "not my birthday" present.

Here is princess Abby at Chuck E. Cheeses on her 4th birthday!!!

Abby's 4 years old!

It is hard for me to believe my baby girl is four years old. Four years ago today had to be one of the greatest days of my life! To celebrate, we had a party for Abby and her friends at Chuck E. Cheese's. They had lots of fun eating, dancing, and playing. Abby received lots of nice gifts; a tea set from Blake and Dylan, a bunch of Dora stuff, clothes, princess dress-up clothes, art supplies, beads, new Crocs, the list goes on and on. The funniest thing of the day was when I told Abby happy birthday when she woke up and she said "Are you kidding or is it really my birthday?" I said "It's your birthday" and she said "I'm am four right now?" It was so cute. For the rest of the day she has told me I can't tell her what to do because she is four years old.

Jacob did pretty well today. He didn't quite understand it was not his birthday. Steve and I got him a race car and some books to ease his confusion. He really enjoyed playing at Chuck E. Cheeses and screamed when Blake trapped him as he was coming down the slide when it was time to go.

Tomorrow (Sunday) is Dylan's 12th birthday and he is having a spend the night party tonight. He doesn't know it yet, but his mom and step-dad, Patrick, got him a 4-wheeler. Meanwhile, Blake and Steve just got 4-wheelers, too. So all four of them (Steve, Blake, Dylan, and Patrick) now have 4-wheelers. Between golf, football, and 4-wheelers I am not sure when I will see Blake and Steve on the weekends.

Blake and Dylan are both doing very well in school. Both of them just got their report cards and we are happy to say they both have all A's!!! Dylan just earned his yellow belt in karate. Blake has been working on writing a play in his theater arts class. We are so proud of all of them.

Steve and I are doing well. I just finished my Accounting 1 class and begin Accounting 2 Monday. Steve is taking his last classes right now (whoo hoo).

Abby's Allergist Appointment

Finally, we had Abby's allergist appointment. She did such a great job. Usually when we go to the doctor she is very nervous and clingy. Today, she was such a big girl. She spoke to everyone in a very clear voice and answered all of their questions. The doctor gave us five prescriptions for her and ran a blood test. He said her eczema is severe (no kidding) and that we need to "attack" it with everything we've got. We have a follow-up appointment 1 November. I finally feel like we have found a doctor who wants to help Abby. At the appointment on the 1st we should have some answers as to what sort of allergies she has and continue treatment based on the findings.

We had to go to another hospital to get Abby's blood drawn. It was a terrible experience and they were hardly able to draw enough blood (the doctor said they would try to run the tests with what was drawn). Steve held Abby and as soon as she saw the elastic they wrap around your arm she freaked out. She was screaming at the top of her lungs saying "No, it is going to be too tight, please no." It was so sad and I was on the verge of tears. They had a really hard time getting any blood because when you are nervous/tense the blood does not flow very freely. In between screams she would say things like "Guys, please stop" and "Girls, girls I don't like it, are we done yet?" It was cute, but very hard for Steve and I to see her in so much pain.

Other than the blood experience, we had a nice day. Steve and I both took the day off because her appointment was in Oklahoma. We went to the BX at Fort Sill and had lunch at the Atlanta Bread Company. It was nice to spend some time alone with Abby. She is so smart. She uses words like "actually," "of course," and "usually." It is just cute to hear her use such grown up words.

Jacob is doing really well. He has started to identify numbers and finally colors. For the longest time I thought he may be color blind, but thank goodness I was just over reacting. Tonight, Abby was standing on the couch (and not listening to me telling her to get off) and for some reason she fell off and landed on her head. I jumped up and picked her up kissing her and asking her if she was ok. Jacob then climbed on the couch, made sure Blake and I were watching him, and proceeded to fall off and "cry." It was hilarious... Blake picked him up and made a big deal out of him getting hurt, too!

Blake is doing great. He and I spent the entire evening working on a play he had to write for school. We had a good time tossing around ideas and incorporating some ideas he got from his mom. We ordered pizza because we did not have time to cook anything. He is flying to S.C. for the long weekend. I know he will have a good time visiting and taking some time off from the craziness of our lives.

Steve and I are doing ok. Steve is finishing up his last classes and I think he is ready to graduate. I have my accounting final next week. Tomorrow I am going to the spa with my friend who just returned from Iraq. I am looking forward to relaxing and helping my friend unwind.

My camera is still broken and I am hoping to have it fixed before Abby's birthday party. I know you are all anxious for some pictures.

Still no camera to take any pictures and I had some great opportunities this week. We took Abby & Jacob to the fair. They got to see a kangaroo, a monkey, sheep, ponies, and all sorts of other animals. Of course, Abby was a little scared of the animals and the clowns! The one thing Abby was not afraid of was the rides. We rode one of those spinning rides (that make me sick), the carousel with Jacob and Dad, and she rode a car ride all by herself. She rode the car ride about three times... she thought she was something blowing the horn and steering. She ran into a friend from school and they took a spin together.

Blake did not go to the fair with us. He went to a football game with his friend Chris. Yesterday, the five of us went to the Friendship Festival. We took the kids in a wagon and walked around for a little while. It was hot and we really did not like many of the vendors. Blake ended up with a new school t-shirt. We ended up leaving and going to Sonic for some cool drinks!

Jacob has been doing somersault everywhere. When I picked him up from school the other day he did somersault all the way from his room to Abby's room. Before each flip he would say "Look at me Mommy!" It was so cute. He is such a big boy!

Abby FINALLY has her allergist appointment on 4 Oct. I am anxious to hear what the doctor will say. She is constantly scratching and it breaks my heart that I don't know how to make her better. Right now she has a cold, too so that doesn't make it any easier on any of us.

Dylan is doing well. He has all A's in school and we are all very proud of him. I think he is adjusting well to living in SC. Abby still asks about him all the time and always includes him whenever we are talking about family members. She can't wait until Christmas when Dylan, Grandma and Santa come!

Catching Up

It seems like time just gets away from me and before I know it weeks have passed by and I have not written in my blog. I apologize for not having any pictures to post. I dropped my camera and have to get it fixed... along with my iPod that I dropped. Steve said I am not allowed to touch the laptop, ha ha.

We went up to Arkansas over Labor Day weekend to visit Meemaw, Grandpa and Uncle Dustin. We had a very nice visit. Blake, Steve, Grandpa and Dustin went fishing Saturday morning and each caught about 15 fish. Meemaw, Abby, Jacob and I went shopping at Kohl's and Sam's. The kids enjoyed spending time with everyone. Abby and Jacob especially love running around in their backyard. Here in Texas we have stickers ("hurt stickers" as Abby calls them) in our yard so we don't spend too much time out there. Meemaw bought Jacob an Elmo dvd that he loves... it is called "Elmo's Potty Time." We have been working with Jacob on potty training. He is not as enthusiastic as Abby was at his age, but we know we will get there.

Blake is doing great. He has been keeping up his good grades and we are so proud of him. He is such a great help. He always impresses me with his willingness to help. Today, we are having pork tenderloin for dinner that I made in the crockpot. Usually when he gets home he turns it down to "keep warm" but today he was going to a friend's house. Before he went over there he stopped by the house to turn down the crockpot. I just thought that was great of him to remember.

Dylan is doing well in South Carolina. He is keeping his grades up and his mom is working on him with his organizational skills. Abby and Jacob miss him very much. Abby always asks where he is and what he is doing. It is sweet. We have such special kids!

This week

I received an e-mail last week from one of Blake's friend's mother telling me that Blake's science teacher is not very good and her son had many problems with him last year. Apparently, he is not very hands-on and does not really teach the kids. Blake came home and we discussed his problem and I called the school. After numerous phone calls and playing phone tag, Blake's class was changed. So, he is very happy about that. He was also chosen as a BMS (Burk Middle School) Ambassador. This is a program where he meets students that are new to the school. He shows them the ropes, eats lunch with them and helps them get comfortable with their new surroundings. Blake is such a great young man and we are proud of his accomplishments.

Abby is doing well. Her eczema is still acting up but we are taking her to an allergist soon. Blake, Steve and I have been working on her alphabet with her and she is doing very well. Last night Blake taught her the two sounds of "A". She is getting to be such a big girl.

Jacob is great. He's such a clown and cracks us up everyday. He has been working on potty training and hopefully he will be out of diapers before too long.

Steve and I both started fall classes yesterday. We are going to be so busy, but we are up to the challenge!!!

Blake is Home!

Blake came home last Monday. Abby and Jacob were SOOOO excited. Blake went with Steve to pick them up from school and Jacob was surprised and Abby screamed "Blakey!" When I got home from work Blake was playing Dora Candyland with Abby. They still have not gotten over having him home and Jacob wonders everyday when we pick him up "where is Blake?" Abby misses Dylan and every now and then will say "Dylan will be home at Christmas."

Steve and I took a few days off to hang out with Blake. The three of us went to see "Click" and Blake and I went to see "World Trade Center." Blake liked "WTC" and we were able to talk about 9/11 and I think he learned a lot. Blake also started his golf lessons last week. The instructor said he did a really good job. Steve has taken him to the driving range a few times so he can practice. His next lesson is this Saturday. He'll now be able to go golfing when Granddaddy Jim and Granola come to visit. Steve is really looking forward to having a new golf partner!

Blake started school Monday. He is in a Peer Leadership program which is a mentoring program that he had to apply for and he mentors younger students in his school and the elementary school. He really wanted to do this and we know he will enjoy it. Today is the second day of school and Blake is exhausted. It will take him a while to get used to school again. It is hard to believe he is in the 8th grade. He has been doing some babysitting for us and making a little money (he got his first pre-pay debit card in the mail yesterday). The other night Steve and I had a work function to go to and Blake stayed home with the kiddos. He did a really good job and even ordered pizza. We are signing him up for babysitting classes this fall. He really doesn't need the class, but I want to get him certified in child CPR. He has had CPR classes, but I want him to be 100% confident!

Other than that, not too much is going on. Steve just finished up his summer semester classes and we both begin fall classes next week. Abby and Jacob are doing well. Abby's eczema has really been acting up. We are going to take her to the doctor and see if there are any other options we have not explored. Jacob is talking up a storm and he is such a hoot! We enjoy the kids so much. Dylan is doing well at his new school in S.C. He has been busy building a model home. We miss him very much.

Sorry this is so long... I will try to be better about updating this!

Fly Through the Sky

Abby and I took a trip to New Hampshire last week. She was very excited to get on an airplane and "Fly Through the Sky" like the Wiggles song. At the security checkpoint she took off her shoes and put everything in the bins to go through the x-ray machine. She was such a big girl. Once it was time to get on the plane everything changes. She started to scream "I don't want to get on the plane." She was crying and would not get in her seat. The flight attendant tried unsuccessfully to calm her down. After a few minutes, the flight attendant came back and said to me "If you don't get her buckled in her seat you are going to have to get off of the aircraft. We are waiting for you so we can shut the door." So, the pressure was on and I forced her in her seat despite her screams! Five minutes later after singing and book reading, she was calm. She did very well with the take-off as long as I was singing a song to her. Luckily, she did even better on our connecting flight with NO crying.

We had a great time visiting in New Hampshire. We went to an amusement park called Story Land where all of the rides were Abby size. She rode everything from the roller coaster to all of the dizzy rides that I didn't dare ride. She also had an opportunity during the trip to go to the lake and ride on a ski boat... she loved it. We went up there to celebrate Grammie and Grampie Earl's 65th wedding anniversary and for some reason, Abby was very shy around them. Besides her shyness, we had a wonderful time.

Meanwhile, Steve and Jacob were left back in Texas. They had lots of fun being guys. They re-finished my dining room chairs (Dad did the chairs while Jacob rode his scooter and played on his slide) and went out for lunch and dinner since Mom wasn't here.

Abby did great on our return trip. She got to meet the pilots (she calls them "pirates") on each flight. Everytime we had turbulence, she would say "I want more bumps" and would yell "Go faster pirate!" We were very excited to come home and see Dad and Jacob.

Blake comes home tomorrow and Abby is so excited. She still gets a bit confused when we tell her Dylan is not coming home. He starts school in SC next week. We will miss him here!

Bowling

We had a squadron function Friday at the bowling alley. I took Abby up there for her first bowling experience. She insisted on the eight pound ball because it was pink. She pretty much dropped the balls about one foot from the lane and it took five minutes for it to get down to the pins. Each time she knocked down some pins she jumped up and down with joy! After her ball got stuck on the lane twice, the lady who had to retrieve it got mad at me because the ball was too heavy for Abby. Needless to say, she and I had a wonderful time bowling with our co-workers and their kids.

We took Abby and Jacob swimming again last night. It was cool out with temps in the high 90s. Abby really had a great time, but Jacob decided he was tired, so we just sat in a lounge chair relaxing.

Things here are going well. Abby and I are heading up to New England for a few days. She is nervous and excited to fly on an airplane. Steve is looking forward to having some one on one time with Jacob. They plan on going out to eat, swimming and doing some guy stuff. We hope all is well with everyone and we will write after our trip.

Beating the Heat

We have had some very high temperatures over the last few weeks. On Sunday, all of us were tired of sitting at home in the air conditioning, but it was too hot to do anything outside (about 110 degrees at noon). So, we took Abby and Jacob to their first movie, "Cars." We went to an early show and had the theater all to ourselves. Jacob enjoyed the stadium seating and we made about ten trips up and down the stairs. They both liked the popcorn, too. Jacob was thrilled with the big screen and could not stop pointing at everything with lots of "oohs" and "look at that, Mommy." Abby, on the otherhand, was nervous and held her ears from the loud noise. They were very well behaved and lasted an hour (Abby was apprehensive about the whole ordeal). After the first hour Jacob asked to go bye-bye so we left.

Later that afternoon it was still hot (102 at 6pm) so we decided to meet the Parker's at one of the base pools. Abby and Jacob strapped on their life jackets and we hit the water. With their fair skin we really don't get out in the sun (or pool) to often. They both did a very good job. Each of them went down the slide. Jacob really liked the slide and couldn't get enough of it. We are looking into some swimming lessons later this summer, but we were very proud of them. I think we will try to go to the pool again this weekend.

Blake and Dylan are doing very well. Dylan had his middle school orientation today. He seems very excited to be a 6th grader and is looking forward to his Mythology class. Blake and his mom are heading to NYC next week for a school trip. We are very excited for him and know he will have a blast on his first trip to the Big Apple.

We hope everyone is doing well and I'll post some pictures soon.

Learning to read

Our Abby is becoming such a big girl. I was wearing an Old Navy t-shirt the other day and she saw the "a" and the "y" and said "That says Abby." So, I showed her each letter and what it said. By the end of the day, she was identifying the magnet letters on the fridge and on magazines. She makes a few mistakes, but it is amazing. She thinks an "S" is a "5" and tells me I am wrong when I correct her. So smart!!!!

Jacob is our wild and crazy little man. We put Blake's mattress in the playroom because Jacob's been having problems sleeping through the night, so he's been sleeping out there with Dad. Now he does flips on the mattress everyday. Sometimes he forgets he isn't on the mattress and does the flips on the floor, cracking his head in the process. We also moved him into Dylan's room, so now he and Abby have their own rooms. He was so excited about his new room that he brought every toy he owns (and some of Sissy's) into his new room. He nearly cleared out the playroom. He has been spending lots of time exploring his new digs.

Happy 4th of July

We have had a nice weekend. Steve and I both had to work four hours, but other than that we were able to spend lots of time with the kiddos. Abby went to a birthday party Sunday where she built a bear (Suzy). We also went to Chuck E. Cheese over the weekend where Abby and Jacob were able to run their little legs off. Today, the Parker's came over and we grilled chicken and mushrooms (hot dogs for the kiddos)and had a yummy (low-fat) pineapple angel food cake! We enjoyed spending time with our "military" family. We really will be lost next year when we move somewhere else and don't have the Parker's with us. I have been stationed with Travis most of my career.

Abby and Jacob got guitars over the weekend. Jacob really loves his and last night he woke up fussy. As I was getting him calmed down, he looked up at me and said "I want my guitar." It was hilarious... it had to be about two in the morning. Abby is still acting up a bit. Today she told me she did not like my attitude. Not so funny at the time, but cute now that she's in bed.

We want to wish everyone a happy 4th of July. Please remember those who are celebrating our independence in Iraq and overseas.

A day at the park

We had a nice weekend and spent one evening at the park. We fed the ducks and both Abby and Jacob enjoyed themselves. Abby liked to eat the bread, too! They both called to the ducks "Here duckies, over here duckies." Other than that, we had a relaxing weekend around the house.

Blake and Dylan are at Disney World this week. Abby and Jacob still look for them each day. The other night Abby was mad at me and Steve and said she wanted Blake. It was sad, but cute. She now counts the family members here in Texas and her brothers in South Carolina (We have one brother here and two in "Outh" Carolina).

We hope everyone is enjoying their summer.

Bye Bye Blake and Dylan

As most of you know, Blake and Dylan left this morning to go to their mom's in South Carolina. Dylan will be staying with Traci and Blake will return after summer. We spent most of last night packing and Dylan would have crated up his room and taken it with him if he could have. Steve took them to the Wichita Falls airport bright and early this morning to catch a 7:00 flight. Abby, Jacob and I got ready and rushed to get there so they could tell their big brothers good-bye. By the time we arrived, they were already back in the waiting area. I asked the security guard to have them come to the window so Abby and Jacob could see them. They waved and watched them until they were on the plane. Once they were on the plane we waited until take-off. While we were waiting, Abby wondered why the airline workers were wearing gloves. I gave her a typical mommy answer like "So, they can work on the plane." A few minutes later Abby looked up at me and said "MOMMY... I know why they are wearing gloves. They think they work at the dentist." It was so funny!!! Both Abby and Jacob enjoyed watching the airplane and Jacob was shaking as he watched the propellers start.

We sure will miss Blake and Dylan, but know they are going to have a super summer in South Carolina. They are going to Disney World and Busch Gardens. Blake has a school trip to NYC. They are doing more this summer than some kids ever do. Steve and I have tried to make sure they know how lucky they are.