WordFUL Wednesday - Sitting

Will is SITTING!!!!

As of about a week ago, he has been sitting. At first, it was just for about 20-30 seconds, and mostly leaning forward and balancing with his two hands out front. But, since yesterday, he has sat for more than a few minutes, and occasionally will sit up straight with no support!

I am so proud of my little monkey, but at the same time, a little place in my heart hurts as this means he is growing up way too fast and before I know it, he will be crawling, pulling up, and then walking!

I just want to press pause and soak it all in!

For more Wordful Wednesdays, visit Seven Clown Circus and Parenting by Dummies

More Sweets

I just wanted to share this awesome invitation that was done by Megan at Expressions Paperie for Cate's 4th birthday party. I also had little matching address labels and thank you cards done that had a lollipop and the words, "Sweet Thanks", underneath. I was sooooo impressed with her work and customer service that I just had to give a shout out to them.

In return, she is offering a 20% discount to my readers. Just enter the code shoppe20 when you place an order.

I hope you'll pop on over and check out her amazing selection of invites, announcements, and note cards. They even offer to work with you to custom make something if you don't see what you are looking for! Now, that is service!

Scrap 'til you drop!

Even though I am pretty current and caught up on my blog, that is not the case with my kids' scrapbooks. Max has books up to his 3rd birthday (he is now 7) and Cate's has up until her Baptism when she was 5 weeks old (she just turned 4). I haven't even begun to think about Will's book yet! So, needless to say, I had some catching up to do.

A friend and fellow school mom emailed me a couple of weeks ago to see if I would be interested in coming to scrapbooking weekend at a retreat about 45 minutes north of me. I jumped on the opportunity after checking with the hubby to make sure he would be around and not mind keeping all three for 2 days solo! After it was confirmed, I found out that several of my fellow moms and friends were also going.

Let me just tell you that this was truly a retreat! We went to a place called The Sister's Hideaway. We each got a bed in one of the four beautifully appointed bedrooms, each named after what I am assuming are family members. You get a towel and washcloth and shampoo/conditioner/body wash are also provided.

They provide your meals in the cost. We got a wonderful dinner on both Friday and Saturday evenings, breakfast and lunch on Saturday and brunch on Sunday morning. My favorite was the little "basket lunch" on Saturday, so cute and fun.

We each also had a 5 foot table to work on with our own trash bin, cup holder and elevated shelf to put supplies on. They have a fun selection of movies and music to choose from and the workroom had 2 large flat screen TVs and sound system.

I got there on Friday during dinner and worked until 2:45am. I was the last scrapper standing (or sitting in my case) that night. I was up and ready to go at 8:30am the next morning and didn't stop (except for meals) until 1:45am. I actually never got out of my pjs that day. So, on Sunday morning, I slept until 9:45, then showered and dressed to prove that I did actually pack clothes. I worked until about 2pm and packed up and left around 2:50pm (check out is 3pm).

We trimmed, stamped, glued, punched, die cut, and cropped to our little hearts content, all the while laughing, talking and enjoying our fellowship with friends. I learned new techniques and used tools I had never heard of (several of which I plan to buy). I finished 26 pages (13 double page spreads). I still have a lot of catching up to do, but I think I was very productive, nonetheless.

By the end of the weekend, we have already planned our next one in June! I can't wait!

The Monkey Report

He is now 5 1/2 months and doing really great. He is a happy baby and really only gets upset when he has to go in the carseat (which, unfortunately is a lot since he has to be in it on multiple carpools a day). He is now close to 14 lbs. and is considered our "big" baby since he has higher percentages than the older two in weight and height. He is a pretty good eater. He has now had green beans, peas, and sweet potatoes and in true monkey fashion, LOVED bananas. He can sit on his own for about 30 seconds at a time and has discovered his feet and hands as great chew toys. He can almost hold his own bottle and he loves to grab at the spoon when being fed solids.

He is still adored by his siblings. They love to make him smile and often get distracted in the morning while trying to get ready because they just want to sit and talk to him during his feeding. And he is absolutely amazed by them. He just stares at them with the biggest smiles and looks of interest when they are anywhere around.

We spoke to his craniofacial surgeon today and have scheduled his cleft palate repair for Friday, June 24th. It will be done at Children's at Medical City of Dallas by Dr. Jeffrey Fearon, one of the nation's leading craniofacial surgeons. It should be only one overnight stay after the surgery and he is very optimistic that he will be back to eating normally hours after surgery. What they will be doing is forming his soft palate in the roof of his mouth by stretching tissue from the palate surrounding the gumline. From what we hear, it isn't a complicated procedure so we hope that everything will run smoothly that day. I am sure we will have a few more consultations prior to surgery day.

Please continue to keep our little guy in your prayers especially on that day!

Just wanted to give everyone an update since I have had so many inquiries on when the surgery will take place.

The Sweet Spot

We have a sweet little 4 year old and it was only fitting to have a "sweet" party for her.

The theme was Candy Land. The kids played a "life-size" version throughout our house following the rainbow path.

So, come with me as we take a photographic journey through Candy Land, exactly as the kids experienced it.

Welcome to a scrumptious journey through Candy Land. We will enjoy the magical landscape as we see where the rainbow path leads us.

The friendly Gingerbread Plum Tree welcomes us as we begin along the colorful way. Here we must pop all the plums in order to continue. Ready, set, POP!

Now, we have entered Peppermint Forest. Imagine....giant red and white peppermint sticks as tall as trees. But, Mr. Mint has chopped down too many and we must grow some more trees. Let's see how fast we can wrap these 3 volunteers into candy cane trees!

Here we are at Gramma Nut's house in Peanut Acres. She is full of surprises. It looks like she left some peanuts for us. Everyone must throw a peanut into the bushel to continue on our journey.

Look ahead! There is Gumdrop Mountain. To get over, we must drop a gumdrop from the peak into the valley below, then slide down the mountain to the other side. Good luck and be safe!

We have now arrived at Lollipop Woods. Princess Lolly would like to create some new flavors. Use the crayons to make your best looking lollipop.

The Chocolate Swamp is just around the bend. Here we find everyone's sticky, gooey friend, Gloppy. Let us plop right down in the warm, smooth cocoa to play a game. It is like hot potato, only with a chocolate bar. Pass around the candy bar while the magical tunes play, but watch out! If the music stops while you are holding it, you're out. Be quick, we don't want the chocolate to melt!

What's that? We're almost to King Kandy's castle? Why yes, here we are. You did it! Now, let's pose with the birthday girl at our final destination...the turrets of the castle.

Now that our adventure has ended, let's go enjoy some sweet treats of our own and sing Happy Birthday to Cate!

She had a fantastic day and almost 4 days later is still talking about the party and thanking me. I treasure these moments. It is chaotic and a lot of work, but it is all worth it to see their joy sharing in the fun with their friends.

Special thanks goes to Jennifer @ if you're happy and you know it for the inspiration and large decorations to make this party possible. You rock!

WW - Baby's First Christmas

This Christmas marked the first for little monkey! He seemed to enjoy all the snuggles from loved ones and, of course, all the new things to chew/drool on! He got a Twilight Turtle from Santa that shines constellations onto his ceiling at night.

I tried to soak in all the memories as I could since he is the last of my babies to have a "first Christmas"! I can't wait for next year, though, as he will be toddling around and really getting into the wrapping paper and fun of the holiday!

For more WordFUL Wednesdays, visit Seven Clown Circus and Parenting by Dummies

Fantastic Four!

Cate,

May this be the best year yet! I can hardly believe that you are four years old. It seems like just yesterday you turned three. You think it is a very special birthday since you are four on January 4th!

This year has been full of milestones for you. You had your first dance recital, you became a big sister, you played on your first soccer team, you started 3K, you got your first pedicure, you had your first trip to the dentist, played in the snow for the first time, and you are potty trained (even at night)! There are tons more, but these were sure the highlights. So, as you embark on yet another year as a big girl, may your adventures only get more fantastic and exciting!

I love your spunk, your grin, your spontaneous hugs and affirmations. You are such an amazing little girl!

Love,

Mommy

Tea for Three

Cate loved the Mother/Daughter Tea we were invited to last year. We were invited to another one this year and luckily it fell on the same weekend that my mom was here. So, not only was it a mother/daughter tea for me and Cate, but also for me and my mom! She had so much fun, dawwwling, drinking with her pinky up and enjoying a lovely time with her friends.

Trains - A Holiday Tradition

We're headed on down the track...choo, choo!

For the past three years, we have taken the kids to the Trains at Northpark (TM), benefiting the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas. It is an elaborate exhibit of model trains set up to mimic different locales in the USA. The first year we went, Max was very much into trains. We actually went several times that year. He was in absolute awe of the miniature engines and could have spent hours in there if had let him. All year, he kept asking when we could go back to see the trains. They are only displayed at Christmastime, so it was a long wait until the next year. After we went the second year, it has now become a family tradition to go see them! This year, amongst the chaos of the holidays, his birthday, the new baby, and planning for Christmas in New Jersey, I kinda forgot about the train exhibit. Plus, over the last year or so, I thought he had lost his keen interest in trains. But, to my surprise, about a week and a half before Christmas, he caught me off guard and asked when we were going to see the trains! So, that weekend, we headed down to Dallas and met my brother there.

This year, they changed it up a bit. It was a larger venue with lots more walking room. It is a very popular exhibit among the children and can get pretty congested. This year, they also had a little gift shop at the end (a parent's worst nightmare). Luckily, we were able to get out of there without a purchase.

It actually warmed my heart a little to see that even though Max doesn't seem to be into trains as much as Star Wars these days, he still gets excited to see those little engines chug chug along the tracks!