Happy 5th Birthday Adeline

Happy birthday to this sweet girl! 5 years old! This will be such a big year starting kindergarten and learning all sorts of new things. She is so dramatic and such a go getter.  She will try anything and is fearless.  I hope she stays that way forever. We had a mermaid party this year and made lots of cute little "under the sea" treats thanks to Pinterest. Adeline, of course, got socked in the eye with the bat while busting the pinata. This was no surprise to anyone.  She is definitely not new to accidents.

No More Training Wheels

Today was the nicest day ever! And my hope is that somewhere in this craziness of our lives, we are supplying our kids with the "training wheels" for life. When we think every day that they're just not getting it, and then, on rare occasions, they show us that they can ride!!

 Baylor and Adeline spent the whole morning outside learning how to ride her bike with no training wheels. They were so excited when they came in and announced that she could do it. I didn't even believe them. Adeline told Adam, "You're going to be so proud when you see!"

I was so proud, to say the least! These days are very few and far between, but proof that there is love between those siblings! Baylor came and asked if I would take him to the store so he could use his allowance money to buy he and Adeline ice cream because she did so well. I could hear pride in his voice that I've never heard before. Yes, yes and yes!!

We all got ready for bed, usual routines, and after things calmed down, I went to check on her. She was nowhere to be found. I found her in Baylor's bed. She was asleep with her pillow, blanket & pillow pet! It was such a proud day, and one that I don't want to forget.

Cousin Visit

We started off this summer with a visit from Uncle John, Aunt Laura, Collin and Katherine! We went to the beach, went crabbing, did lots of swimming, and got to watch the Friday night fireworks in Kemah.  It was a  great weekend.  Looking forward to visiting Dallas in July for Collin's birthday.

In Honor of Father's Day

We have a couple of rotten boards under our eave, and my husband is going nowhere near that! So, I, in all of my "we're-so-poor-because-husband-started-business" glory, have been stalking the how-to internet videos, convincing myself that I can do this.

It's easy to focus on everything my husband does NOT do & it got me thinking about everything he does.

There once was a good chunk of years where I was convinced that MY husband was going to grow into the kind of man I was used to growing up around. The kind of man both my brothers had become, the kind of man my dad and pawpaw are. You know, the ones that work hard and never get bored, and can fix anything, and figure out how to fix it when they don't succeed the first time. The kind who own yard tools and garage tools and work clothes and jumper cables. Those men know where spark plugs are located in vehicles and change their own oil. You know, all of those absurd things! 

I later realized he would not ever grow to be this man. That's not who I married. But luckily so, because we would definitely butt heads. We are the epitome of opposites, and that's such a fabulous thing for us and our children. We balance each other perfectly. My kids have a dad who adds the compassion, laughter, calm, and patience where I lacked. He has taught me to laugh at mistakes, not sweat the small stuff, give people the benefit of the doubt, take risks, and love all all things .

You know, "make lemonade" and all those other "cliche" things. 

Now, I've taught him a couple of things, too, but that's a whole other post!

My kids have a dad who loves their mother. Loves, loves their mother!!

They have a dad who does dishes, does laundry, vacuums, changes diapers, and bathes kids.

They have a dad who cooks breakfast every morning, waits for the bus, and brings them to school.

They have a dad who laughs at pre-teen obnoxiousness when I can't take another minute of it.

They have a dad who's calm heart can instantly put a baby to sleep.

They have a dad who prays for our family, cares about our health, and wants us all to live a better life.

And, they have a dad who wants to give them everything he has. Every part of him  and every thing he will work for.

So, when he still won't fix a couple of rotten boards? I'll let that slide.

Self-Sustained with Squash

Yes, we live in the middle of the city. Yes, I would love to live on a farm somewhere and be self-sustainable, but that is not going to happen anytime soon.  In the meantime, we have squash!
We planted our very first garden this year, and Adam is so impressed with the fact that it actually worked, that he is taking great care of it.  He and Adeline go out every day and harvest the squash, zucchini, and cucumbers.  We are still waiting on the dozens of tomatoes.  Their boots sit outside the back door for when they walk out, and it's just the cutest thing ever! 

Look Who's Sitting Up

Such a cutie!  We went for her six month checkup, and the doctor asked if she was sitting up yet.  I said no, and the Dr. said "yeah, I bet she can sit up." So, of course, we run straight home and try.  Viola!!

Our Little PreK Graduate

It's been such a fun ride with Adeline.  She's spunky, outgoing and steals a room when she walks in!  She has her daddy's clumsiness and athleticism (ironic, I know), and the inquisitiveness and eagerness of any four year old.  We are so proud to be her parents.
She graduated from Kids R Kids pre-k.

 

 

6th Grade Spring Concert

Baylor played in his 6th grade spring band concert.  He plays the trumpet.  He's too cool to pose for pictures or even make it easy on me when snapping pictures, so this is all we got!

Olive

Olive is almost 6 months old.  I can't believe it.  Look at the big, gummy smile!  I can't wait until summer to be off with all three kids. Only two more weeks!

Best Seat in the House

Almost six months in, and this is still Ollie's favorite place to be in the evenings!
Look at all her Mohawk hair in the first picture. Ha!

 

 

Crab Catch

Baylor and his friend, Trenten, go crabbing down by the boat launch in our neighborhood.  They're getting better and better at trapping crabs, so this weekend we boiled some of them. They were delicious!

Something in Small Talk (occasionally)

I'm not a big small talker. If I do chat with people, it's usually very genuine. Sometimes, though, people can say the perfect things at the perfect time. Maybe that's why we need small talk with random people each day. The littlest things. Things that they may not mean anything by, but the receiver is hugely grateful. I try to keep this in mind when I say good things about people to others. I often think to myself, "the person I'm talking about needs to hear this", so I make sure to tell them.

Tonight I didn't want to go to the gym. It's Monday, and I'm tired. I spent most of the day cooking Sunday, but I didn't get as much prepping and cooking done for the week as I'd like. I've been kinda bummed with myself because I can't kick my little chocolate habit right now even though I try to teach my kids about healthy eating. And someone complimented me tonight. Complimented my cooking each week, and that all of our meals are Paleo. Complimented the fact that we have three little kids, but we are here at the gym. And, that I looked like I had it together!! That was the best. The point here is that, boy, did I need to hear that on this day! Say kind words. You may never know who needed to hear them at the time you said them. :)

Olive Fun

Oh no, we may have a thumb sucker  :(

14 Weeks

Fun at the gym!

Rodeo Houston

Had a great time at Houston Rodeo 2014!

Baylor Has Good Stuff to Say!

Olive is 3 Months

Sweet girl! Ollie is working on playing on her tummy. She loves sitting up and talking to us. She will start at daycare with Adeline mid March. Things are going to get busy around here!

Crossfit After Baby

Well, I did go back to Crossfit after baby. I went back at 6 weeks. And, it's been 6 weeks since I started back. And let me admit right now, it is not easy! As a matter fact, it's harder than I ever imagined it would be. I continued crossfitting while I was pregnant, after all!! Shouldn't this be a breeze? That was my intention. Going back post baby has been very humbling. I will go as far as to say that it hurt my pride. Beginners are doing way better than I am! I refuse to say to people, or myself, that "I just had a baby". I'm not going to lie, though, I love when other people say it for me. That way I feel like I have an excuse for this body that does not look or work the way I want it to!
Nothing feels right in the gym.  Things I was really good at before now feel foreign.  My form is off, the weights are heavy, and my endurance is shot. I don't know at what point it will feel better, but it will feel better. I'm sure of that. So what's with the bitch-fest? Surely you're asking yourself that.  Why am I still going to crossfit if it's so horrible? There are a couple of reasons I'm still going.  Number one, I remember how much I loved it before.  Two, I am an example to my family.  Three, my wonderful, encouraging husband is keeping me going. He's being so supportive and offering to keep the baby. Or he comes with me and tells me how awesome I'm doing.  And last, I couldn't be in a better crossfit gym.  It's full of supportive friends, other mommies who are rocking it, and great coaches.  I've talked about Crossfit Bay Area many times on this blog, but I appreciate our crossfit community now more than ever.  They have always been accepting of families with children, and now their support of all the new crossfit babies has been overwhelming.  How can a new mommy not appreciate members who will hold babies, coaches who will find pacis, wear babies, and rock carseats during WODs! 
This is truly a gym family in every sense. To everyone who has been helpful along the way, this mommy is so appreciative!


Coach Troy holding Ollie & snapping a selfie!

Ollie's front row seat to Mommy's workout!

And other CFBA babies, members, and coaches...