Katie Bossy

So I know that I have been blogging a lot about Kason lately. He has had a lot going on that is blog-worthy! But now it is time to catch you all up on our favorite 2 year old, Katie Blair. Katie is Miss Independent and you can definitely tell she has hit her 2’s! She wants to do things by herself and HER way!! She is so cute though, it is hard not to laugh at her! She loves to wear my shoes around the house, play with her dolls, color, and watch Dora the Explorer on TV. She talks so much and her vocabulary is growing each day! We are constantly laughing at words and phrases that she has picked up. For instance, she will be in the living room and say to us, “I need to get something, be back in one second”. Too funny! Last night, GD and I were trying to get her to bed but she was not ready (even though it was past her bedtime). GD said “Come on Katie, let’s go to bed”. Katie said, “Not right now, I have to go to the Doctor.” We have no idea where she came up with that!

Katie is such a girlie-girl and likes to dress up. She also already is soo picky about her shoes! She has a couple pairs of shoes that she will wear. If I try to put different ones on her she cries and says they are “too tight”. Even though I can tell they aren’t. I am scared to think of what her teenage years will be like when she is already dictating to me what shoes she wants to wear!

Oh! And last Saturday Katie pooped on the potty for the first time!! She told GD she had to potty so he sat her up there and she went! We were so excited! However, I am now thinking it was a fluke thing cause she hasn’t wanted to get on the potty since. It’s a start though!

Here are a couple pics of Katie from the past week. One during our visit with Uncle Cary and one with sweet Reid Thomas. I am going to try to upload a video of Katie Blair that I took this week. We cracked up at the part where I am asking her her name and she says “Katie”. And I said Katie what? And she says Katie Bossy. LOL!!! Hope you can view it. (Oh and sorry for the snot and tooting on the video...gotta keep it real! :)

Action-Packed Weekend

OK, so I have another post for today because I had to write about our weekend. We had such a fun-packed weekend that I just have to blog about it. Friday after work and after getting the kids to bed, I went to my friend Laura’s house for a little Girls Night In. We ate junk food, drank martinis, talked, laughed and laughed some more! It was so good to see my girls!! It had been a long time since myself, Allison, Lore, Laura and Donna (aka the CALL’D girls!) got together. We had a great time! I love you girls!! Here is a pic to give you a taste of our night:

Then on Saturday I met my Mom, Oma, Aunt Poos and my very favorite cousin Jamie at the Lavender tea room on the square in McKinney for lunch. We were celebrating Oma’s 84th birthday. It is always good to get together and catch up. And boy did we have a lot to catch up on!! I will have to blog more about that later! J The tea room was really cool and had great food. Here is a pic of all of us after lunch:

Then on Saturday afternoon, my friend Stephanie came over to help me vamp up my blog. (Or at least teach me how so I can do it later). Of course she brought her precious kids, Payton (3yrs) and Payne (2 months). This was the first time I met Baby Payne. He was the sweetest thing! He just let me hold him and was so calm! Almost made me want to have another baby. (Almost, but not quite!) And Payton is the cutest thing. She was shy at first but then started playing with Kason and when it was time to go, she didn’t want to leave! She is too cute and so funny. Steph is gonna have her hands full with her when she gets older. Thanks so much, Steph, for stopping by and helping with my blog. I have made a few changes to it already, but stay posted for more to come! I wish I had some pics of Steph’s visit, but I was not my usual picture-taking self that day!!

Then Saturday night we went to Monty’s and Susanne’s house for Reid’s 3rd birthday party. (For those who don’t know, the afore-mentioned Stephanie is Susanne’s sister. I got to know Stephanie through Susanne. Just some interesting trivia for you. J Anyway, the kids played outside in the water and we ate yummy brisket and chips and dip and cake and ice cream. We all had a great time! Reid got some great gifts and it was so fun to watch all the kids play. The kids were good and worn out by the time we got home.

Sunday was Orange and White Sunday at church. It is a tradition in our church to dress in orange and white (Celina school colors) and have a special service to pray for returning students, teachers and administrators on the Sunday before school starts. Then a hamburger and hotdog lunch is served afterwards and the HS cheerleaders and drill team perform. The kids and I didn’t stay for the lunch but the service was great. The praise band rocked the house and the sermon was about God’s Armor which is one of my very favorite passages in the bible. Later that afternoon, Kason went to a birthday party in Prosper and then we went up to Bobcat field to watch GD play flag football. Another tradition at our church is an annual flag football game of Youth vs Geezers. I actually got talked into playing some too since they needed more girls. But GD was in his element playing football. Everyone kept commenting to me about how fast my husband can run. He did look good out there. I was very proud of him. J It was a fun afternoon. The Geezers ended up winning on a last second TD.

So as you can see we had a very busy weekend, but a fun one as well. Hope you all did too.

Kason's First Day of First Grade

Well, the day has finally come! Today was the first day of school and I cannot believe my baby is a 1st grader! I decided to go in late to work so that I could take Kason to his first day of school. Here he is posing with his new backpack and lunchbox before we left the house.

What a cutie!! So we drove to school and parked the car so that I could walk him to his class. On the way in I asked him if he would hold my hand. He said no cause he would be embarrassed. I said OK, but inside I was thinking “What?!?! I thought you aren’t supposed to be embarrassed of your mom until at least middle school?!?!??” But I held it together for him and asked him if he was nervous and he said yes. After we had walked into the building I remembered that we had forgotten to pray!! (How could I forget something so important!?!?!) So I leaned down and we said a quick prayer in the hallway. Then we put on God’s Armor as we walked the rest of the way to the classroom. We got to his classroom and found a cubby for his lunchbox and backpack. (What kind of mom am I? I forgot to write his name on his backpack and his lunchbox! There were 3 other backpacks just like his!! So writing his name on his stuff is on the To-Do list for tonight!) He sat down at his table and we put on his name tag that was sitting at his spot. Then I snapped a quick picture.

I whispered in his ear that I would be praying for him today and that Nana said she was saying extra prayers for him too. I told him to have a great day. He was so quiet, which is very unlike him. So I know he was nervous.

When I picked him up this afternoon he had a big smile on his face. He didn't give me to much info (its like pulling teeth to get much out of him about his day!) But he said recess was only 25 minutes. He said he liked his teacher. He was worn out from a busy day! Uncle Cary came to visit us today. It was so good to see him! Both Kason and Katie ran to give him a big hug. Katie said "Colorado!!" I think she thinks that is his name, but we reminded her it is "Uncle Cary" not "Colorado". :) She really took to him today and settled down for some cuddle time in his lap. We love you Uncle Cary!

I wrote this yesterday but forgot to post it. Enjoy!

TGIF!! It has been a busy week and will be an even busier weekend! But we are looking forward to seeing family and friends! Last night was Kason’s Meet the Teacher night. We have been anxiously awaiting this night to find out who his new 1st grade teacher is going to be. Our good friends and neighbors, Susanne and Monty Brackeen graciously agreed to keep Katie Blair while we went to the school. Katie was so sleepy when GD picked her up from Tracy’s but when we told her she was going to Susanne’s house, she perked right up! She was so excited to go stay with “San” and “Mo”! :) So we dropped Katie off and off we went to the school. What a madhouse it was!! There were kids and parents everywhere! We ran into friends that we hadn’t seen most of the summer. Kason also had to stop by Mrs. Walden’s room to show her his new front teeth. Mrs. Walden was Kason’s teacher last year and we all loved her. He had been waiting all summer to show her his teeth. And of course we went to Kason’s new class and met his teacher, Mrs. Dobbins. She seemed very nice. Kason knows several kids in his new class and will have the opportunity to make new friends as well. We ran into the secretary at the school and she had high praise for Mrs. Dobbins. She said she is a great teacher who is very nice, but is good at keeping kids in line too. Just what Kason needs!! He seemed happy with her and not too disappointed that he didn’t get Mrs. White. I wondered if he was disappointed that his friends Kyle, Michael, Caroline, or Madeline aren’t in his class, but he didn’t say anything about that so I didn’t either. So all went well at Meet the Teacher and we are all excited about starting the new school year!

Today is Kason’s last day at BBA. I asked him if he will be happy or sad and he said sad. We stopped for donuts this morning on the way in to celebrate the occasion. I told him how much I have enjoyed our mornings together and how much I will miss that once school starts. He said he would miss it too. He was worried that his best friend at BBA, Trey, would not be there today as he has been sick all week. He was afraid he would not be able to tell Trey goodbye. But after I dropped Kason off I spotted Trey walking in with his Mom. So I am glad that Trey is there today and he and Kason will have another day to play and a chance to say goodbye.

On a personal note, I am excited to be starting a fitness program today. A friend of mine, Marilyn Rowe, who I don’t know very well in person but only through Facebook, Twitter, and email, is helping to train me. Marilyn is a rockstar!! I want to be like her when I grow up. (Even though I am sure she would want me to state that she is younger than me). I am hoping having a regular workout routine along with making better food choices will help me feel better about myself and have more energy for my time with the kids in the evenings. I will keep you all posted on my progress!!

Have a great weekend!

I don’t have too much time to write today, but just HAD to blog about what Kason said this morning. He and I were on our way to work/daycare. Which, by the way, has been a great bonding time for us this summer. We say our prayers and put on God’s Armor together every morning. I am really going to miss that time once he starts back to school. This morning, after our prayer and Armor, we were talking about school starting and how 1st grade will be different then Kindergarten. (Kason tells me his 1st grade class will be down a different hallway then the Kindergarten classes. And he really hopes he gets Mrs. White but that he will be good for whoever he gets! :) So then he says, “Mom, how old will I be when I get done with school?” So I tell him that he will be about 18 when he graduates high school and probably about 22 or 23 when he graduates college. Then he says “And then it will be time to get married.” I quickly tell him that God will provide the right girl at the right time, maybe right after college, or maybe a little while after college. (Please God, not before!!! J He thinks about this for a moment then says, “Well, she will have to like ice cream.” I agree that yes, any girl who is worth anything will have to like ice cream. :)

Can’t end this blog without mentioning Katie Blair as well. Kason has been getting a lot of blog time lately. Katie Blair is still doing what she does best – running around non-stop and acting like she owns the place! :) We have several nicknames for her. One of which is “Bossy”. This one fits her well! She loves to boss everyone around, especially Kason. She will say “Bubba, get my blankey”. And of course he does. It is the cutest thing. (Right now, at least!) Another nickname is “Miss Thing”. Which also fits her well. She certainly thinks the world revolves around her. (What!? It doesn’t?!?) She is so glad to be back at Mrs. Tracy’s this week and is having lots of fun playing with Connor, Courtney and her new friend, Ansley. She is still fighting a cold and her nose is running like crazy. Her cough has gotten a little better. Hopefully, she will be at 100% soon! Thank you Jesus, for basically healthy kids!!

Join me in praying for Claire McColloch and Kate McRae. My heart goes out to them and their families
www.caringbridge.org/visit/clairemccolloch
www.prayforkate.com

Happy Monday, Blog-readers!! :) Hope everyone had a great weekend! We sure did!

On Friday, Kason went to spend the night with Nana (my mom), and Katie, GD and I went to our friend Caren’s house for swimming and burgers. We had finished our burgers and were splashing with Katie in the pool when mom called and said Kason wanted to come home. GD and I both spoke with him on the phone and he sounded pretty pitiful. So we packed up and went home, then I met mom in Anna around 9pm and made the Kason-exchange. :) It ended up working out well that Kason came home because he woke up in the middle of the night and threw up twice. I think his stomach was upset because he was coughing so much. So I think the reason he wanted to come home from Nana’s was because he just wasn’t feeling up to par.

Saturday was a great day for us! We got a visit from Uncle Kyle which was great and Grammie came over as well and brought pizza for lunch. The kids enjoyed the visit. Then my mom came over in the late afternoon and stayed for dinner. GD cooked out yummy burgers and hotdogs. It was a great day spent with family! It was also the anniversary of my Dad’s Promotion to Paradise . He has been in my thoughts more than usual the past week or so. It is hard to believe it has been 3 years. We miss him so much! I am so thankful that Kason remembers him and still says “I miss Poppy”. I smile when I think about Dad in heaven with no limp, no ostemy bag, and no need for insulin injections!!! I see him dancing, playing the guitar, fishing, running, and laughing. I am so glad that I will see him again one day and can’t wait to give him a huge hug!!! I love you so much Dad!!

Sunday was a great day too. (Any day with a nap can’t be too bad! :) Katie stayed home with Gary Don while Kason and I went to church and Sunday School. She didn’t seem to be feeling too well that morning. She was fine the rest of the day, although her little nose was running like crazy!! Guess we are all just a little under the weather still…..

This is Kason’s last week at Beary Best Academy before he starts school. BBA has been such a blessing to us! Kason has met lots of new friends and has had a great time going on field trips, swimming and playing. I am amazed and thankful that God continues to provide such awesome childcare for both of my precious babies. PTL!!!

I am so excited that I got to talk to my brother this morning!! We have a hard time catching each other on the phone because of the time difference and the fact that I have two munchkins that make it hard to talk on the phone when they are around!! But Blair called this morning when the kids and I were on the way to work/daycare. We didn’t get to talk as long as we would have liked because I had to get out and get the kids off, but he did tell me a little about his trip to Uganda . Wow! What an experience! I am thanking God for what he is doing in Blair’s life. What an awesome God He is! It sounded like an awesome trip that has made a big impact. Kason and Katie also got to talk to Uncle Rob for a little bit. Kason thought it was so cool that Uncle Rob was in Africa . He asked him if he saw a cheetah. :) Katie Blair said “Hello Uncle Wob”. I’m not sure what else she said, I think she was telling him a little about Dora the Explorer. It was good to hear his voice and know that he is doing well. Hopefully, I will talk to him again next week before he leaves for France . Love you Blair!!

I have been a little under the weather the past couple days, so last night Gary Don and I got the kids bathed and Katie down. Then GD went out to mow the backyard and Kason and I snuggled up in bed and went to sleep around 8 o’clock. I was exhausted and evidently so was Kason. I am still not feeling great, but at least I am a little more rested.

Kason is still doing pretty well with the no thumb sucking thing. We still have to remind him to take it out, but at least he is trying. And I think when he really wants to suck it, he goes to his room and hides under his covers. But I am OK with that, after all, he can’t spend his whole life in his room. And if he only sucks it there then that is a big improvement!! Last night he got to pick a piece of candy from his candy basket as a prize for another day of doing his best NOT to suck his thumb. (You would not believe how much candy we have leftover from Halloween, Easter, birthday parties, etc. Of course I picked out all the good stuff but the rest is still there! :) This morning he told me today is his 6th day of no thumb sucking (I have lost count but am taking his word for it). So this weekend we will go to Walmart and pick out his toy. He is most excited! Oh, and Kason wanted me to make sure and tell everyone that he has his first black eye. It is not much of a black eye, in fact you can hardly see it. There is just a faint bruise under his right eye. (I added a picture for you to see if you can see it!) It happened at his daycare and the facts are a little hazy. From what Kason says, a little boy at his daycare named Micah kicked him in the eye. Or maybe hit him? He’s not sure. So he hit him back in the stomach. It must have not been too much of a fight because his teachers didn’t tell me about it. And Kason says he didn’t do anything to Micah before he hit/kicked him in the eye. But I have my doubts about that….. Anyway, Kason is fine and is still enjoying his summer daycare. So I am hoping this fight with Micah is just water under the bridge now.

On another note, Kason is so excited that his golf clubs came today. Gary Don ordered him some "Kason-sized" clubs. On the way home from daycare, he said "Mom, my golf clubs should be here today." Sure enough, when we got home they were here! He ripped them open and he and Gary Don went out in the back yard to practice. I have attempted to attach a picture of him with his new clubs. Hopefully it will show up....I still haven't figured this whole blog thing out! :)

Katie’s sitter is Tracy and she is wonderful and takes such good care of Katie. Katie loves it at ‘Miss Tracy’s” and we are so thankful for her! But Tracy ’s son has been sick this week, so Katie has been going into work with me and staying at the daycare they have onsite. She calls it her “school”. She loves it there! Yesterday, her take-home sheet said she went pee pee on the potty at school!!! I would have to see that to believe it! She loves to sit on the potty at home, but not once has she actually done anything on it!! She loves to pretend she did something though. She gets toilet paper and puts it in the potty then flushes it. I try to tell her she doesn’t need TP unless she actually needs to wipe, but that doesn’t seem to matter to her. :)

Katie is talking so much and is always cracking us up! Last night she asked what was for dinner, when I told her she enthusiastically said “Great! Wonderful!” Gary Don and I were cracking up! Of course, then Kason asks why we don’t laugh when he says something. We told him he never says that my dinners are Great or Wonderful, but maybe if he did we would laugh. :)

Kason has been doing a great job of not sucking his thumb for the past 3 days. He does forget sometimes and we have to remind him to take it out, but that is to be expected. After all, he has been sucking that thumb his whole life! But he is at least trying, which makes us very proud. We told him that every day that he at least does his very best to try not to suck his thumb, he gets a small treat at night. And if he can do that for a week, he gets a toy from Wal-Mart. He has been doing this for 3 days and so far has gotten a toy at the dollar store, 2 cookies and a snowcone. He is counting down until we can go to WM and pick out a toy.

School starts in less than 2 weeks. It is hard to believe my baby will be a 1st grader!! He says he is ready to go back to school but is worried because as he says “1st grade is hard!” We told him that he is a smart boy and he will do good if he tries. He said he is worried because Kindergartners don’t get in as much trouble as 1st graders do when they go to the principal’s office. I told him he does not need to worry about that as long as he behaves himself. He doesn't seem too sure that he can do that, but we have faith in him!! (Please pray!!!!) :)

Day 1

So I think I am going to give this blog thing a try. I have toyed with the idea of doing this for quite sometime. I guess ever since my friend Stephanie suggested it. But it looked like a lot of work and would take time that I don’t have. Besides that, I debated about weather or not my everyday life is exciting enough to warrant a real blog. Also, what about privacy issues? Do I really want anyone in this world to be able to read about what I am doing day to day? No! So I am going to have to check the settings on this site and make sure that only people that I want to read this can!

OK, so now for the reasons that I have decided to try my hand at blogging… I think this is a wonderful way to document my kids’ early years. I am hoping that they will go back through these entries one day and see what great kids they were and how much they are loved. Another big reason for documenting their lives is so that our family and friends can have more of a glimpse into these precious growing-up years. Although I will just go ahead and say now that we do have some not-so-good days. So I am not promising that every blog is going to be filled with cleverly written anecdotes (actually probably none will)! :) I am going to do my best to keep this real and write down some of the frustrations we have and mistakes we make. What good is a blog if it is all sugar-coated, right?!?! I would love for my family, GD’s family and our friends to laugh and cry along with us at some of the things the kids say and do! They are growing up so fast and I want to preserve as many memories as I can of this precious time! Our lives are so busy, it is not very often that we get to see our nearby family and friends, much less those that live far away! Of course the main person I thought of when I decided to do this blog is my brother, aka Uncle Rob. Rob is in Hong Kong , and is doing great there. I am so happy that he is where he needs to be. But it does make me a little sad that he is missing seeing his niece and nephew grow up. My hope is that this will be a way to hear a little more about what they are doing so that he can know them a little better.

OK, so now that I have given my reasons for writing this blog, I hope that I can follow through and be consistent about updating it! All I can say is that I will do my best. And hopefully at some point, I will be able to figure out how to add pictures and make my blog look pretty! :)