Kindergarten Awards Ceremony

Rachel's Kindergarten Award Ceremony was held on May 25, 2012. Unfortunately I missed most of the performance. I caught about 20 seconds of the last song they sang. The principal turned me away at the door since I had Ian with me - lame! Luckily Andy was able to go and take video and Rachel wasn't really bothered that I wasn't there. By the time I ran Ian to a friend's house and got back, she was happy enough to show me around her classroom. Here's Rachel with her class as they sang the songs they had learned:

 

Here's Rachel with Miss Nemeroff:

 

Rachel loved Miss Nemeroff and we couldn't have asked for a better teacher for Rachel. They were a great fit. Miss Nemeroff even took Rachel to see a movie at the movie theater back in January. It's something she does to reward good behavior. Rachel thought it was pretty cool to go to the movies with her teacher!

Here we are with Rachel:

Rachel sharing her awards and journal with me:

Rachel standing in front of an art project:

Rachel's kindergarten year was fantastic! She met all expectations and even exceeded some. She's above the reading level she needs to be at to enter 1st grade. Her reading and writing have just taken off this year! It's been so much fun to watch her learn and grow. I have loved the random little facts she'd come home and tell me by saying, "Miss Nemeroff told us today that....". And then, "Did you know that, Mom?". She was pretty floored when I knew whatever she had learned. :) Rachel has decided that she will most likely always be the smallest in her class and I keep on reassuring her that that's a good thing for a girl! The only disappoint for Rachel this year was that she didn't lose a tooth. I guess she'll have to hope it happens in 1st grade... We are so pleased with Rachel and how much she loves to learn. We're anxious to continue to watch and help her through the rest of her school career. She can't believe she has at least 16 more years to go before she graduates from college. Here's to hoping she'll continue to love it! 

Daddy Time

In the month of May the girls enjoyed some time with their daddy. We all enjoyed having him around more often.

On Saturday, May 12th, Andy took Rachel to a Skeeters baseball game (a Sugar Land minor league baseball team). Rachel loved it! Andy thought she might last 4-5 innings, but she ended up lasting the whole game. It was a late night for them! I was asleep by the time they got home around 11 PM... Sorry Astros, but I don't think we'll be paying to go to any of your games anymore. Not that we were ever huge fans, but this is just so much more convenient and it's pretty much impossible to get bad seats. I'm sure we'll enjoy some games in the future as an entire family.

 On Mother's Day the girls enjoyed helping Andy make cheesecake for dessert:

On Saturday, May 19th, Audrey and Andy headed out for their special date. They went to the park, where Audrey had Andy push her on the swing (her most favorite thing) and then they went to Jamba Juice to enjoy a smoothie. I think Audrey's most favorite part of the date was the fancy doors at the Marriott hotel that they went around in a couple of times. So easy to please! Here's a picture I took of them before they went out on their date:

  

Ian and I got to enjoy a special date at home, since Rachel was playing with a friend that evening. So, it was a win, win situation for everyone. Our girls sure are lucky to have the dad they do. He's great at spending time with them and they adore him. It doesn't matter what he's doing, they are more than willing to help with whatever. I love watching our girls with him and see the special relationship they each have with him, just like I have with my dad. There's something special between dads and daughters... 

Art Car Parade

A few Saturdays ago we went to the Houston Art Car Parade with the Mackays. We got there early to secure a shady spot. We enjoyed lunch in our shady spot and then once the parade started we realized it wasn't such a good spot. Oh well! We still enjoyed spending time with family and checking out the cars we were able to see.

Audrey's favorite:

Rachel's favorite:

4 months

Ian is 4 months old today! He's 14 pounds, 6 ounces and 26 inches tall. Sometimes I feel like I'm a broken record because I'm constantly saying, "He's such a good boy". We have been so blessed to have him join our family and for the personality he has. I've decided that he's decided he doesn't want to be at the bottom of the heap. So, he's being a really good baby so I might consider another. But the prospect of stopping on a good one is just as tempting. :) Ian gives out smiles so freely and gets so much attention because of his big, beautiful eyes and dimples. At our last doctor's appointment, our pediatrician kept on trying to talk to me and finally just had to look down at Ian and smile back at him saying, "He's so distracting". We certainly love our smiley boy! We have discovered his ticklish spots as well, and it's fun to get him laughing.

Ian is still sleeping well at night. If he does get up, it's only once. He's had a bad cold this past week, but it doesn't phase him. He's still happy and easy to take care of. We are debating getting rid of the woombie since he often rolls on to his tummy while he's sleeping. And sleeping on your tummy isn't too comfortable when your arms are trapped. So, one day I'll get brave enough! He usually takes 3 naps a day. A short one in the morning, a long one in the early afternoon, and then another short one around dinner. Ian has figured out how to roll from his tummy to his back. He's not rolling across the room, but he's definitely figured out how to roll when he wants to.

This little guy has some volume. He's quite a chatter and that cute chatter of his keeps getting louder and louder. There are times at church that I wish he'd take a pacifier, because I just need something to quiet him. It's happy sounds, but they're distracting. We love how chatty he is though. He probably figures he has to be since he has 2 sisters to keep up with. Ian is definitely an oral explorer. Anything and everything goes in his mouth, including his toes. He's turned into quite the slobbery baby. It makes you wonder if he's teething, but he's still a bit young for that.

We are so in love with our little man!

Birthday Party

Rachel had her friend birthday party today. And can I just say that I'm grateful it's over! It may sound horrible that I say that, but I just don't live for these kind of days... I do it because my kids love it, but I'm not a huge fan. Anyhow, Rachel did enjoy her party today and so did her friends, and that's really all that matters!

We decided to have her party right after school on Friday since we had plans for Saturday. And luckily she had a good turn out. It was a Fancy Nancy themed party. We had a little tea party, the girls got to make some jewelry, we played some games, opened presents, and then had cupcakes and ice cream.

Everyone busy making a bracelet or necklace:

No one has bothered to let Audrey know that she's not 6 years old... She was right in the middle participating with everyone else.

Opening presents:

 

 

Ready for some cupcakes:

 

She blew them all out this time!

Rachel enjoyed her friend party. It was nice for me to be able to get to know some of the moms better. I think we are going to be busy this summer getting together with friends.

My Birthday

Well, on to the next birthday girl! I turned 32 today. Sometimes it just hits me that I'm 32 and I'm responsible for 3 human beings, I have a house and 2 cars, and lots of adult stuff. When did this all happen??? It's crazy how life just sneaks up on you. And honestly, I wouldn't change thing so far. I've had a very blessed 32 years. And hope and pray that the next 32 will be just as fabulous.

My favorite birthday gift this year was Andy's client filing and him getting home around 3:30 on my birthday. Wahoo! Another fabulous gift was Ian consistently sleeping through the night. In the past week he's slept through the night 5 times. I'll take it! 

Today was a pretty low-key day. Audrey went to Joy School, I ran errands with Ian, and then we all got to take naps. We went out to Mexican food for dinner - yum, yum! And then came home for dessert. But it was really just to be able to blow out candles and let the girls eat their frosting off of their cupcake. We were pretty full from dinner. I was spoiled by my family with a few tangible gifts - new summer pajamas, exercise shoes, and a hairbrush. I was also spoiled by others who sent gifts, cards, and money. I definitely felt loved!

Rachel's Birthday

Rachel turned 6 today! And she was so excited for her birthday this year. I've decided it's fun having my birthday the day after hers because then I'm able to relive some of the childish excitement that is long gone. :) Rachel was very specific on what she wanted for her birthday this year - she wanted a locket that opened and a microphone. And of course the lucky girl got both... Here are some pictures of her day:

Rachel was up bright and early today. I was in feeding Ian around 5:15 AM. And I have a habit of checking on the girls while I'm up. So I peeked in on them and Rachel was laying in bed with her eyes wide open. I gave her a kiss and told her to go back to sleep. I don't think that happened... Audrey and her bounded into our room around 6:30... So, we started the day.

Rachel's first present was from Audrey and it was a big box of Lucky Charms (a cereal we don't normally buy):

Audrey, Ian, and I also had lunch with Rachel at school. (I forgot the camera in the car.) Rachel requested a grilled cheese sandwich from Sonic, so that's what she got. I did take a picture of her after school in her crown and with her stickers. She was so excited to know that her birthday would be announced on the announcements and she would get to go down to the front office for her sticker.

For Rachel's birthday dinner we went to Olive Garden for macaroni and cheese. It's her favorite! :) We met Andy there. Rachel was so anxious to open her presents that I let her bring her present from us to Olive Garden. She was very excited to open it and get her locket that could open.

We then went home to open presents and enjoy cupcakes and ice cream. Natalie, Chase, and Landon were able to come over and help celebrate. Here's a few pictures of Rachel opening her presents:

Definitely excited about the microphone:

Butterflies - Rachel's favorite:

I love this picture of Chase willing to get in with the girls and start styling some hair:

Making a a birthday wish:

I think Rachel enjoyed her 6th birthday. We are so blessed to have this girl in our family. She brings so much joy to us. She's such a pleaser - sometimes it worries me. I don't want her to feel too much pressure or feel like she has to please everyone - that's impossible. She loves her younger siblings and protects them. Rachel accidentally startled Ian about a month ago and she was in tears as soon as he was. She felt horrible. She has very tender heart. Rachel loves to play with Audrey, which I'm so grateful for. It's going to be sad day when she grows up and doesn't want to play so much make believe with Audrey.

Rachel loves anything girly. She loves painting her toenails and then she lets me paint her fingernails. She is already asking to go with me sometime to get a pedicure... :) She loves playing dress-up and putting make-up on. And even though she can acts like such a big girl; she still loves to snuggle, get sung to at night, and freely gives kisses. She loves playing board games and playing on the computer as well. Rachel absolutely adores her daddy. She talks his ear off when he walks her to school.

Rachel loves school. She's liked by so many and has so many friends. She loves her teacher and loves learning. She's really gotten so she enjoys math (which makes me happy since that was always my favorite subject). It's been fun to watch her progress as a reader this past year. She had several birthday cards to open this year and she was able to read most everything without any help.  

Thank you to all those who spoiled Rachel with gifts, phone calls, emails, and cards. She definitely felt loved on her special day.

First Swim

Today we enjoyed our first venture to the swimming pool. Unfortunately Andy had to work, so he wasn't able to join us. I was a bit nervous about taking the 3 kids to the pool by myself, but I have to get used to doing so if we are going to survive the summer. So, after Ian's morning nap, we headed to our favorite pool. A new pool in our community had it's grand opening today and we decided to avoid it since it would probably be busy. Hopefully one Saturday when Daddy doesn't have to work we'll try out the new pool.

Anyhow, here's Ian in his baby float, which he enjoyed for about 30 minutes. After that he wanted to be held and then he fell asleep. Luckily it was cool enough that I didn't feel too bad having him take a nap in the stroller while the girls continued to have fun in the pool.

The slides weren't working, but since it had been so long since we had been to the pool, the girls were happy to just play. We also ran into some friends, which is always a plus. Here are some pictures of the girls enjoying the water:

We are looking forward to spending more time this summer at the pool. We usually go at least 3 times a week. We'll see how it works out with having a baby. I've never had to juggle a baby at the pool before, but we'll figure it out...

Ear Tubes

Rachel had some minor surgery done today and everything went well. The past couple of months Rachel started asking "what?" quite frequently and oftentimes wouldn't even respond when being called or talked to. She wasn't being difficult; she just couldn't hear. In the middle of April I took her into the doctor to see what was going on. Her pediatrician noticed some fluid in her ears, but wasn't all that concerned. They went ahead and did a hearing test, which Rachel failed. So, we then proceeded to the ENT doctor. They did very thorough tests on her and luckily it was discovered that she had temporary hearing loss, nothing permanent. So, we tried some meds for about 2 weeks, which didn't solve anything. She was still failing her hearing tests and her ears were still full of fluids. So, we decided the best route would be having the fluid drained and ear tubes put in. Kind of unexpected, since to our knowledge, Rachel has never had an ear infection. The fluid build-up was most likely due to a rough couple months of colds and horrible allergies.

So, Andy and Rachel were off to the surgical hospital this morning. It was strange not being the one taking her, but Ian's schedule is unpredictable. By all the reports I received, she did great. The doctor said there was a lot of fluid to drain, so it's no wonder she couldn't hear. I guess for Rachel though, it's something that has happened gradually so she hasn't necessarily noticed the change. The doctor did say she will be sensitive to sound for a few days since she hasn't been able to hear.  And other than needing a good nap today, she should recover just fine.

Anyhow, here are a few pictures of our brave girl before her surgery:

 And then recovering with a popsicle:

We are definitely grateful that this is something we could fix and are grateful for modern medicine. She heads back to the doctor in 2 weeks and I have a feeling she is going to ace her hearing tests! :)

Crazy Girls

So this past Sunday the girls were happily playing together. I love it when they do that! And they asked if they could put some make-up on. I said sure, got the make-up out that I let them play with, and let them be. Well, a few minutes later I was actually quite surprised at their make-up. They usually stick with the pinks, but this time they did mostly black. I hope they weren't trying to look like me... I wonder if this has anything to do with us not going to the Children's Museum for quite awhile. They usually would do face painting there and this looks more like face painting. Andy and I have decided that they could pass for Beetlejuice's children.... :)

New Favorite

Ian loves playing with his feet! Pretty much any time he's playing on the floor, you will find him playing with his feet. And the picture is blurry, because he never holds still. I think it's pretty funny when I go to pick him up and he still holds on to his feet for a few more seconds until he decides it's not very comfortable being held and holding his feet at the same time.... We sure are enjoying watching this little guy discover his world. :)