Sympathy

Today was a busy day, Ella went to Canada with Grandma and Grandpa for a weeks vacation. She is a very excited little girl. However Christopher and Jack do not share her sentiments. They miss her terribly and wanted to go as well. Jack got the yuckiest stomach bug and has been sleeping or throwing up all day so his emotions are delayed a little till he can keep something down.

Christopher who was missing his very best friends decided that enough was enough he wanted Jack out of bed. Well poor Jack was very sick and didn't want to move. Christopher persuaded and won so we made a little bed for Jack on the couch and Christopher climbed up beside him and chatted and played with his toys on him all while Jack dozed on and off.

Here are the brothers - Christopher giving Jack a cuddle to help him feel better. Sweet boys.

Sam goes shopping...

This brought back the best memories for me. Growing up with a dog I took her everywhere. She would ride in the bike basket. I would dress her and make her play all kinds of crazy things. So when Christopher and Ella took Sam grocery shopping I thought it was too cute - you have to have done this as a kid to understand....

Dylans Party

Here are some pictures of the kids at Dylan's 6th birthday. We went glow in the dark mini golfing and I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun the kids had. I knew Ella would enjoy it since she has mini golfed before but the boys loved it... They are at such a fun age.... Speaking of age I can't believe Dylan is 6. We have been to his second, third, fourth, fifth and now his sixth party. It just makes me so sad to see them move. Jennifer is not replaceable and Owen is in my bad books!

I typically pay tribute to Jack and Ella because they say funny things. Well Christopher has joined their ranks as My funny guy. He is so cute. His personality is really emerging and he is actually very kind, gentle and quieter than anticipated. When I pick them up from school today Christopher sees Ella and practically runs her over hugging her. He then makes his way to me and is just chatting it up, he says "Mommy I bang my head and Miss Annie give me boo bear, I say oh Christopher are you OK, did the boo bear make it better? No Mom, (he's the only one that calls me mom vs mommy) I get better because Jack kiss me. Part of his charm is his expression and hand movement when he talks.

Another Christopher moment was yesterday when we were running out the door and I started to put my hair up in a ponytail and he stares at me very intently and puts his hand up and says NO MOM STOP. I say whats wrong Christopher, I no like your hair up, put it down and he starts to stroke my hair. Quite the boy that one!

Just like Jesus

I wanted to quickly write down a funny comment Miss Ella Grace said today...
We were at dinner and she says "did you know that Jesus was the only person who never made a mistake? I say yes, and she says "I don't make many mistakes, I am just like Jesus!"

So cute!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

I love Valentines Day. I actually love all holidays. Any excuse for yummy treats or a party for the kids. Nothing lights my kids faces up as having their friends over for cupcakes. Sometimes we have no occasion but its so great when we do. Today John got up with the kids and he tells Ella - its valentines day. "The Real one daddy?" she says. We have been celebrating this all week so no surprise she wasn't exactly sure of it real date. I was awakened by the most yummy hot tea and toast with honey, some gummy vitamins and soy milk in a lightening mcqueen cup. I mean it was perfect - exactly what each one of them picked out for me. Jack drank the soy milk, Christopher ate the vitamins, everyone had toast and I was nervous that the tea would be knocked off the tray that I moved it and found it hours later in my bathroom... However the excitement on their most adorable faces at 7 in the morning singing happy valentines day was just perfect. We went to Lowes to make yet another jewelry box, you can't have too many I guess. They wanted to, so why not. Then to Lupes with the Engelmans for a yummy fajita lunch and they gave us girls roses. Fun. Home for naps... Then we cut out hearts and decorated valentines and treats came by from our neighbors and then a cupcake party with the Engelmans and the Webbs. It was very impromptu as most are. I made hair bows for the girls, korker bows with hearts and Alexia bought the girls the cutest crocheted hair bows....

The boys got balls and Cara made cute animals with lollipops - I think the moms had as much fun as the kids. The dads enjoyed numerous cupcakes. Here are some pics... I declared the first 2 weeks Valentines day everyday so the kids got treats or we made crafts, I bought them the cutest mail box from Pottery barn kids. SOOO CUTE, anyways I have decided I haven't done all I wanted to by my decree the rest of month is Valentines at our house....

PUPPET SHOW

STICKER UPDATE

Ella's teacher thinks that breastfeeding twins has sucked all the intelligence out of my brain. If that's the case good thing I didn't keep that up for long! Today I went into school and the teachers say to me, "Did you think you had to supply stickers for the WHOLE class?" I say No, I just wanted her to have options. I mean who wants a boring box with the same heart stickers all over it. She got plenty of different kinds. I had also bought her some rhinestone jewels to pretty it up. Hands down it was cute but I did get a lot of stickers back which I donated to Jack and Christopher's class so they could have some - share the wealth I say!
Anyways the teachers laughed that I took it so seriously and wanted to make sure it was decorated appropriately. You know different textures, colours, and proportion.

Jack is so funny and I say funny lightly because I know sometime soon I will laugh but he really is ingenious or lazy maybe but I am in the kitchen cooking and they are putting on a play in the living room so I can see them and hear them but am not completely focused. I hear Ella saying Jack NOOOOOO and although that is a common statement in our house, I think it has a little more intensity than usual so I look over to see Jacks underwear down around his ankles and he is peeing in the fire hat!!!!!!!!!!!! NICE. Of course it was Christopher's hat. So either he was lazy and didn't want to walk to the bathroom or ingenious since why walk to the bathroom when your brothers hat is a perfect little pot. The funniest thing about this is I have a similar Jack story everyday. He keeps it from becoming monotonous.

LOVE

Tomorrow is the kids Valentines Day party at school so I am making cupcakes and signing Valentines and co ordinating the party. Ella needed stickers to decorate her shoe box that we covered. Well actually the whole thing seemed to go right over my head. They sent home a note saying please send in a shoe box covered in white paper - they will decorate them the day of the party. So I with my tired out brain did as they said and that was it - or so I thought. Well as I am loading the kids into the car this morning Ella says "wheres my stickers? Pardon me? What stickers. "My valentines stickers that I have to bring to school today for my table to decorate our boxes." WHAT I am so confused. I scan my brain and think nope I am sure the letter didn't say bring in supplies. Surely that's what I pay the supply fee every semester for.... So I get them to school on time, so far never late. YEAH. Yes its true she needs stickers for her box and the class I think - wait I am still not sure about that. Anyways I digress... The boys and I do grocery shopping which they were so fantastic about. They scoured HEB with me for an hour and sat so lovely. I can't pass up the opportunity to praise them for that. I look for stickers and no nothing really there so I know that Walmart had boxes of foam hearts and the like so we go there. AND THEY ARE OUT!!!! AHHH I really didn't want to drive to Michaels so after we pick up Ella we go to Target where we buy the little individual sheets $1.99 each and somehow we walk out with $23 in STICKERS. I am telling you this is going to be some good looking box. I will have to fight my urge to toss it... I wish I had a more sentimental gene in me - oh well. I will post photos of the valentine box tomorrow - stay tuned its going to be a beauty! I actually think I paid less for the shoes that came in the box. In the end if she enjoys her party... all worth it.

Ballet Bag

Ella just had to have a ballet bag for her ballet shoes. So I made her the bag she is holding. Naturally Ashley needed one too so I made her one as well. The most amazing part was I did it prior to ballet class in yes you are reading correctly 17 minutes. Now not a big feat for the pro but the amateur crafty person that I am - HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT. My mother always my cheerleader says "Will it last past the first class." Thanks mom!

GRACE

We had James today and Erin had sent his cupcakes so we wrangled some other strays and sang our hearts out. Here is the birthday boy with his buddies!

Each night before dinner who ever is the line leader of the day prays. Well it doesn't matter to Christopher if he is the line leader or not because he always wants a turn to pray. His prayer always goes as follows.

"Dear Jesus, help my ouchies go away and help the polar express. Amen"

Well tonight he says. "Dear Jesus, please help the temperature in my armpit to go away and help the polar express." I say Christopher where is your temperature? He says, "Its at the pospapul (hospital)" He's so cute.

By the way, there is nothing wrong with the Polar Express, he just wants it to run all year, not just at Christmas time.

STAR STUDENT

On Saturday we went to Home Depot with our friends to make heart trinket boxes. They are so cute. On Saturday night Cara and the kids came over and they painted them. So cute.

Ella is STAR STUDENT this week so we had to make a poster of her and her family. I don't print out pictures very much they all are on my computer so John and I were taking them out of frames last night. I think she is the star student because she is so kind and caring and gentle and sensitive and shares well with her friends and brothers and tells me all the time that God is #1. Also, shes brilliant. I am completely unbiased of course!

This has been a crazy time lately - actually I guess its always crazy but we have had friends preparing to move, everyone has had some sort of bug, Brian has been going through treatment and Christopher in the hospital well our friend Erin "Tooley" as we call her sold her house and is preparing to move to NYC. So this week my mom says "It looks like things are turning around" So yesterday was James birthday party and a couple hours earlier Alexia calls to tell us that its cancelled since James grandmother, Tooley's mom is in the hospital. She had a brain aneurysm and is having brain surgery as I write this. She and her family covet your prayers right now. So we get to have James for the day and hopefully celebrate a bit of a birthday with him. Life is crazy sometimes. I was telling John its amazing how a moment changes everything.

BRAVEHEART

Jack loves to be left unattended with markers. I happen to catch him before he was completely covered. He's all boy!

ELLA BALLERINA

Ella had her first ballet class today and she was so excited. She was in her outfit about 3 hours prior to the class just practicing! I stayed to watch her first class and she was smiling the whole time. She never took her eyes off the Teacher - Miss Hannah. She was so pleased with herself and I was so happy watching her knowing that she was thoroughly enjoying herself. She came home and showed John her new moves. Christopher and Jack are all caught up and want their own shoes to dance with. Ella tells them you have to be 4. Maybe by then we will have them in Football, Texas style!

GROUNDHOG DAY

Happy Groundhog Day and a Happy birthday Tammy. My high school friends birthday falls on this day so I never forget to give her a call. Today I told the kids all about Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania and how if he sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter. In Texas that doesn't really effect us to much but it was really fun. Katrina came over today and we made our own groundhogs and put him in his den and decorated his house and then we would sing this song..

I see a little ground hog, furry and brown
He's popping up to look around
If he sees his shadow
down he'll go
six more weeks of winter - OH NO
(sung to I'm a little teapot)

Well they thought this was fun and had such a great time making their groundhog pop up and see his shadow! Holidays were invented for kids!

ARBOR DAY

Ella and Jack LOVE pudding and I make banana pudding with bananas and vanilla wafers and they devour it. Well I always make the pudding with soy milk which has to be made differently because of the consistency - you use less soy milk which then means you have less pudding and i have to buy the organic wafers since the other ones have milk. It never fails I make this pudding and Christopher in the last 2 years has NEVER EVER eaten a bite. I mean NEVER, he always turns it down. So tonight I say FORGET IT. I make regular pudding with milk and non organic wafers and I give Christopher some milk free organic oreos. He looks at me in disbelief and says I WANT PUDDING TOO! Are you kidding me???? So what a push over I am. I make him pudding. Lesson learned, he will only want it when i don't offer it.

On Friday we had Katrina for the day and after lunch all 4 kids took a nap for me. Pretty amazing feat. The 3 little kids woke up first so we all went in Ella's room to wake her up. Christopher was so sweet he started stroking her face and hair saying Ella Ella wake up. It was so precious so I ran downstairs to get my camera but naturally by the time I got there they had stopped and she was awake. Just imagine how cute... Very cute!

Saturday was Arbor day in the Woodlands so we took the kids and they had balloon artists, clowns, mascots, bounce houses, a petting zoo etc.... Christopher and Ella stayed in the bounce houses and since Jack wasn't as keen we went to see the Fire Truck with Dylan and Michael. Tomball High School had their mascots which Jack thought was awesome since they are cats! He kept waving to them. So we basically stalked them. Just walked behind them so he could wave. He didn't want to get to close. Everytime they would come to give him a hug or high five he hid behind my leg. So no photo but they were definitely his highlight.