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Tuesday, September 02, 2014

Visit with cousins

In mid-June Amy, Mike, Mason and Eva drove in from California to spend a few weeks visiting family.  We were able to hang out with them quite a bit and do some fun things together like bowling, swimming, eating some meals together and even watching fireworks on the 4th.  We had a lot of fun with them and we were sad to see them go!
cousins eating at Zoe's kitchen

Jud liked to push his ball by himself
Scott was helping him on this one
helping Kendall push her ball down the ramp
Scott and Kendall
Avery did pretty well without a ramp bowling in the traditional way
watching her ball go down
"Mom, I don't want my picture taken!"

Dallas World Aquarium and random June events

 The weekend after school got out, my parents and I took the kids to the Dallas World Aquarium while Scott was still in Ecuador.  It was a really neat place and we saw lots of cool animals up close. 
The kids and I near the entrance to the Aquarium.  There were all kinds of birds along the walkway leading up to it.
We were able to watch them feed the turtles from a bridge above their pond.
There were some penguins outside, but no matter how hard everyone tried, no one could coax them off their little island in the middle of the exhibit
Avery looking at us through one of the big fish tanks. They had all kinds of fish, sharks, seahorses, jelly fish- basically every sea creature imaginable.
The kids had a lot of fun seeing this manatee up close.  It stayed right by the glass for quite awhile.
There were also monkeys, birds, sloths, and other rainforest animals. The girls really liked this little baby monkey.
They had a neat area for viewing otters.  We got to see them jump, play, swim and eat.   
One night our neighbors across the street came over and said we had better come outside.  Turned out there was a big rat snake crawling up the stone on the front of our house!  With a little help from our neighbor, Scott managed to knock it down and chop it's head off with an axe.
In June, Judson finally gave up his pacifier.  It was a much easier transition than we thought it would be and we were really proud of our big boy!
One of Scott's patients had given him a gift card to Trulucks, so we went out on a special date to celebrate a belated Mother's Day and Father's Day.

End of school

The last week of school was very busy this year with class parties, Kindergarten graduation, and other actvities.  To top it off, Scott was in Ecuador on a mission trip all week.  But we made it through and had a fun ending to a great school year.  Both of the girls had ice cream parties for the end of the year.  Not sure if I forgot to bring my camera to Avery's or if I was just too busy helping to take pictures.  Here are a few from Kendall's party.
Kendall and her BFF Libby
the girls!
Kendall's class.  Ms. Schindler said this was one of the best classes she had ever had in 22 years of teaching kindergarten.
silly picture!
 Kendall also had Kindergarten graduation and awards.  They sang some really cute little songs and then their teachers presented them with awards.  Kendall received "Hats Off" for hard work and dedication, "Lucky Horseshoe" for Wrangler spirit, and "Walk the Line" for outstanding citizenship.  Great job
Kendall!
the kindergarteners filling the risers and getting ready to sing
The kindergarten class of 2014
Kendall getting her awards and a hug from Ms. Schindler
Kendall's class
Kendall and Judson in the reading center in her classroom
She was all smiles that day
Kendall and Ms. Schindler
after graduation
At Avery's awards ceremony, she received the "Golden Lasso" for straight A's, "Hats Off" for hard work and dedication, and "Walk the Line" for outstanding citizenship.  Great job Avery!
Avery and Miss Henderson

Avery and Judson after her awards
Jud wanted to be in all the pictures too
After we got home on the last day, I told the girls I wanted to take some pictures.  These were the poses they came up with for a "Hooray!  School's out for summer!" theme.



Monday, August 25, 2014

To Judson on Your 3rd Birthday


Our big 3 year old on the way to church with his new chore money jar
 Dear Judson,

Happy 3rd Birthday!  It is so hard sometimes seeing you grow up since you are my baby, but it is so fun as well and I am extremely proud of the little boy you have become!  You are sweet and loving, funny, full of energy, friendly and outgoing, and such a joy to be around.  You have a really good memory, a great sense of direction, and a tender heart that shines through under all that rough, tough boy exterior. You absolutely adore your sisters, especially Avery, and love it when they play with you. You love toys and play so well, but your favorites are probably your cars, blocks, balls, swords, dinosaurs, superhero stuff and animals.  You also love to read books, especially ones about superheroes. You like to watch PBS and Disney shows on the iPad as well as videos on YouTube like Sidewalk Cops and things with superheroes. 
This year you started a new preschool (Southlake Christian Preschool), became potty trained, moved from a crib to a big boy bed, stopped using a pacifier, no longer use a booster seat at the table, learned how to spell your name and recognize a few letters, learned your shapes, began coloring purposefully, began playing pretend really well, began to count objects and can count from 1-10, learned to jump on a trampoline, can ride your big wheel by yourself, and started going to Bible class upstairs.  You also started saying prayers this year and they are so sweet and such a window into your precious heart.  They started out as a memorized prayer that you picked up at school:  "Thank you for God to pray in Jesus name, Amen." But now your prayers consist of very specific requests for the sick and for some of the homeless people we have met and helped around the church, along with the occasional specific prayer of thanksgiving.  Daddy and I truly feel that with your God-given abilities and traits you will do wonderful things for His kingdom one day.
Right now with it being summer you go to bed around 9:00, get up around 7:00, and nap about 3 or 4 days a week for about 1.5 hrs.  You love to eat "pampakes" and turkey sausage for breakfast with an occasional smoothie, cinnamon roll, or muffin mixed in there.  Speaking of smoothies, this past year you became a smoothie-holic!  Smoothie King is right on our way home from preschool and almost every time we drive by you ask for a "smoovie".  In fact, for awhile I even used smoothies as a bribe to try to get you to take a nap or at least lie still on your nap mat at school.  That was definitely not your strong point at school, but your teachers sure did love your outgoing, funny, loving personality.  Your other favorite foods include cheese pizza, chicken nuggets, pork chops and pork tenderloin, steak and chicken, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cheese, fruit snacks, applesauce, yogurt, fresh berries, and vanilla shakes from Braums (actually any ice cream!).  You also had some favorite songs this year which included "Beat It," "Gangnam Style," and "What Does the Fox Say".  People would always crack up at you singing these songs and dancing to them.  At your 3 year check up you were in the 90th percentile for height and weight, which is nothing new.  You always have been and continue to be a big boy for your age!  Everyone always says you look more like you're 4 instead of 3 and that you seem to have grown every time they see you.  You say the funniest and sweetest things that just melt my heart.  One day you told me that you were going to marry me and then later said that you were going to marry Avery because you couldn't "handle anybody else." Ha! You also began telling me regularly this year, "I wuv you Mommy."
You complete our family and make life so much more interesting and fun, Judson.  You are such a precious boy, inside and out, and we love you tremendously! Happy Birthday big 3 year old!

Thursday, August 07, 2014

Judson's Spiderman Party

Our big 3 year old!
For Judson's 3rd birthday, we had a Spiderman party at the house with family.  Mimi, Poppi, Memaw, Dedaw, Uncle Mike, and great uncle Jerry and great aunt Carol all came over to help us celebrate.  Scott made a spider web on the living room ceiling with streamers and Mimi and Poppi brought over a big blow-up Spiderman which was holding a bunch of red and blue balloons. I covered some cans of silly string with a printout from Pinterest that said "Web Shooters" and Scott and the kids had a great time shooting their 'webs" at each other and also at Poppi.  Our other main form of party entertainment was the trampoline since it is still fairly new.  Even I took a turn showing off some of my old gymnastics skills! Scott grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner and then it was time for Judson to open his presents.  He got a little plastic pool with a slide from Scott and I, a soccer ball from Memaw and Dedaw, a spiderman playset from Aunt Amy and Uncle Chris, and a giant Spiderman figure, a Spiderman costume, and Spiderman pajamas from Mimi and Poppi.  After presents Scott said a blessing over Judson and we sang "Happy Birthday."  For the birthday dessert we had chocolate cupcakes with blue icing and Spiderman decorations on top.  Once he finished his cupcake, Judson put on his new Spiderman costume and wore it for the rest of the evening, including when we walked to the neighbors' houses to share some leftover cupcakes with them.  It turned out to be a really good thing that he had gotten Spiderman pj's as a present or else I think he would have slept in his costume!  Judson finished up his fun night by showing Spiderman everything out of the game room windows and then putting Spiderman to bed on the floor right beside him.
the birthday boy with his blow up Spiderman and balloon bouquet
Judson really liked the spider web Scott made with streamers
This was as close to a smile as we got from Judson without him doing something silly.  The boy cannot take a normal picture!
Case in point
I stand corrected.  Apparently he CAN take a normal picture for Mimi and Poppi.
Web shooters (aka silly string) fight!
Scott and Avery's faces crack me up!
Poppi fell victim to the web shooters
Showing off my skills
Not bad for a 36 year old if I do say so myself!

Everyone relaxing on the patio
getting in a jump time before dinner
Avery and Kendall with the birthday boy
Judson with his blue Spiderman cupcakes he requested
silly face!
Judson loves to play with his Uncle Mike
Opening his big Spiderman from Mimi and Poppi
No peeking Spiderman!
Checking him out
a blue soccer ball just his size!
He loves his Spiderman playset from Aunt Amy and Uncle Chris
Scott and Avery have been working on playing and singing the song," I Can Only Imagine" and they performed the part they had down so far.  So sweet!
Scott gave Judson a birthday blessing at his party just like we do for all the kids in our small group.  It was very meaningful and special.
I think Judson felt a little uncomfortable, but he knew that his Daddy was saying good things about him and that we all love him.
Blowing out his #3 candle!
Cupcake time!
This icing is delicious Mimi!
Kendall and Spiderman! This picture just cracks me up.
Playing super heroes together
We walked across the street to share some cupcakes with our neighbors since we had so many left over.
Enjoying some trampoline time with Daddy.
They love it when Scott bounces them.
Daddy was gettin' some air!
Before bed Judson showed Spiderman the view out the game room windows upstairs. Pretty cute :)
The next morning Spiderman guarded the door when Judson and I walked the girls down to school.