Standing Tall

Was making the bed this morning and put Aby in her cradle to play.  Look what she did....I had to take a double take!  

Her Own Style...

She has her own style, but she can move!

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All Tied Up

While on a family outing to the park today, Wil split his chin.  He and Claira were struggling to get the see-saw going so Daddy decided to give them a little bounce.  Well, as Nana and Papa would say "its all fun and games till someone gets hurt".  They were bouncing and giggling and Wil hit his chin on the handles and that was the end.  Instead of returning home to BBQ as planned, we returned home and decided that the butterfly bandaid was just not going to do the job.  So the boys set off to find the ER and see what the Dr had to say.  

The Dr. took a look, put some numbing gel on it, and as Wil says "Tied him up". 

Here he is in his new sunglasses and his 3 stitches

So True...

I found this old quote while unpacking and sorting through my boxes of teaching stuff.  I found that though it is meant "Between Teacher and Child" it still holds a lot of truth between Parent and Child.

Between Teacher and Child

"I have come to the frightening conclusion.  I am the decisive element in the classroom.  It is my personal approach that creates the climate.  It is my daily mood that makes the weather.  As a teacher, I possess tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous.  I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration.  I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.  In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child humanized or dehumanized.  This awesome realization must govern my daily conduct if I am to be the best that I can be."

-Dr. Haim Ginott  

Happy Easter

Easter was a quite family weekend around the house.

On Saturday we did the normal stuff like dyed eggs...

and went on a community Easter egg hunt. Wil was very excited about the hunt. Here he is on the count down!

It was a very crowded and fun event.

All three kids had fun,


though Aby spent most of the time just chewing on her little Easter bucket.

Come Sunday morning the kids woke up early and were so excited to see if the Easter Bunny ate its carrots. They were even more excited when they saw that it had not only munched on their carrots but had dropped them off some goodies. Wil is still amazed that the Easter Bunny brought him Water Guns...What was that bunny thinking?

Claira got some very cool paints and bubbles

And that sneaky bunny left me a bird feeder, I love it!
After our little hunt we played with our new treasures, then had popcorn and movie day since a storm rolled through, it was crazy storm that thankfully rolled through in about 2 hours. We spent the rest of the day outside enjoying the spring sun.

We visited the splash pad, went on a long walk around the neighborhood, and had a backyard BBQ.

Gotta squeeze it all in before the summer humid heat kicks in :)

Making Our House a Home

We have arrived at our new house in Texas and are settling in quite well.
And thank goodness we're almost unpacked I am tired of the boxes, though William has loved making forts with them.

The girls have enjoyed their new tubs.


And I am enjoying my new garden, though I think there might be a bit too much shade for my tomatoes :(

We've managed to park two cars in the garage, meet our new neighbors, make some friends, start soccer, speech and a little bit of school. 

Besides Wil's new school and his soccer team he loves all the new things...
At the grocery store I have tried to let them try everything they want. There is so much more fresh produce and they actually have a butcher!  One Saturday afternoon this is what we had for lunch...

He was not too sure about the crab, but he sure enjoyed the claw (I found it a few days later in the playroom, EWWWW!)
Food is not the only new things in Texas that we have been exploring, there seems to be a park on every block! Here is the splash pad just down the street from our house :)

Besides trying new things, the kids have been hitting all kinds of milestones. Aby is eating food and loves almost everything she has tried.  She is almost crawling (scoots, rolls and can pull up to her knees) so she is into everything.

Claira has decided to drop her naps, and they are sorely missed come 4pm.  I have tried the 'rest time' but this is what I tend to find at the end of 30 minutes...

It takes me longer to clean up then she was in there 'resting'!

William has been trying to ride his bike without his training wheels but so far no luck...a good lesson in Never Giving Up!

And in case you haven't been to Texas things really are 'BIGGER in Texas'!

But some things are the same, or at least just as good in Texas as they we're in Mississippi...
For example rain is just as big and the mud balls are just as good. 

We have just as much fun being silly 

And playing together

But the best part about being is Texas is getting to spend so much time with Grandpa & Grandma

We miss you Mississippi and we hope to keep in touch.
(Wil talking to Mr. Tim and Ms. Cecilia on the phone, xoxo)

Bye Bye Mississippi

Four years ago we packed up our little condo near San Fransisco and headed east to South Mississippi. I had no idea how much I would find that little southern town home.

This was Wil and I taking our first dip in the Gulf on Front Beach. Man Oh Man did that boy grow since this picture. As you can see he was not too sure about the beach at first but he came to love that beach.  We spent many afternoons there.  We enjoyed digging, fishing, chasing birds, and flying kites. Not only did William grow up a lot, our family grew too.

We left our little southern town with two little Mississippi girls in tow.  The memories and friends we have made are irreplaceable.  I am hoping we make our Texas house a home soon. We love you Ocean Springs and miss you dearly.