Our Week in Review

Just a quick "catch up" post to share what we have been up to lately! :) 

1.) We have spent most of our time watching our favorite little league player on the ball field. In the picture below he is playing first base.  I think he either loves that position or pitcher.  He had some pretty great hits each time he was up to bat as well.  It is "coach pitch" which helps!  We had three games last week.  Tonight we had a practice and we will have three games again this week.  I'm supposed to help run the concession stand for Sundays' games so that will make five days at the little league complex this week!  It is so much fun being a "baseball mom" (I even bought a shirt that I plan to rock at some of the games)! We are a little tired by the weekends though..... it is difficult to fit in dinner, baths and homework which makes for late bedtimes for all of us! 

 2.)  Daddy had to work all last weekend (as in the boys didn't see him on Saturday or Sunday).  We missed him so much!  They loved helping him park the truck in the garage one day last week.  As Grannie reminded me, it won't be long until they are driving themselves!  I am going to hope that time slows down before that. ;)

 3.) I took cupcakes to school to celebrate our six year old!! Note to self:  next time stay away from blue frosting!  The kids had it everywhere!! Also, a must when you are in kindergarten is having a ring on top of the cupcake!  Zander picked out the colors of the frosting and the sports-themed rings on top!

 4.)  Zander had a field trip this past week.  Grammy went as a chaperone since I had a meeting at central office.  I'm so thankful for all the pictures she sent that day.  It felt like I was there as well!

 5.)  Maddox turned 3.5 years old this past week.  I love his sweet smile and the way he greets me when he wakes up in the morning.  Since he is wearing underwear to bed at night, he loves getting up extra early to say he needs to use the bathroom..... usually he doesn't go back to bed so I enjoy a little extra time with my youngest boy!  He also loves following his big brother around, racing cars down a track, scooting around on his balance bike and cuddles before bed!  Before I leave his room (after reading books, saying prayers and singing songs) he will sweetly say "cuddle first".... and, of course, I'm not leaving if that is requested!

 6.)  While daddy was working all weekend..... we helped at our school's "campus clean up" event, attended a birthday party for a friend, had a picnic dinner in a downtown park (where we were able to feed fish and climb rocks), went to church, had our Sunday school cookout and egg hunt and went back to church for Puggles and Sparks!  It was a great weekend, but like I said above, we missed daddy!

 Finally, wrapping up this post, we have already knocked out Monday of a new week.  Zander helped me give blood today through the Red Cross :)  and got some of his homework done before ball practice.  As I mentioned above, we are at the ball field four more days this week so until I write again, just picture me cheering on #21 and chasing around our 3.5 year old!  Its busy but I know I will miss every bit of this when they are all grown up!

Happy Easter and Zander turns SIX!

Dear Zander,

How can you be six years old?!  You keep reminding me that you have to use two hands to show how old you are now! I am in disbelief that this is actually possible!  I am loving your current age and when I look at this first comparison picture (showing one of our first pictures together and our most recent photo together), I cannot believe how far we have come!  We have both learned so much!  You are the boy that made me a mommy six years ago, and I have no doubt that God knew you were meant to be my oldest son!  I was so scared those first few months from watching you in the NICU to figuring out the new normal of nursing and sleeping around your schedule.  I feel like I am still learning every day but I'm no longer scared.  Together we have figured out this whole parenting/child thing.  We have moments that are not our best but we also have moments where things seem to fit so perfectly!  Today has been one of those days.  You were so helpful this morning with your brother as we were trying to get out the door for church.  You have gotten used to helping him get buckled and unbuckled in his car seat.  You proudly told everyone "Happy Easter and It's My Birthday!" as we walked into church.  Throughout the day, you would say just that to everyone you saw.  Daddy asked you on the way home from church what was most important today.  You quickly responded that Easter was more important than your birthday.  When I asked "why?"  You responded, "Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose on the third day.  That is most important."  I am so proud of all you are learning about God and his Son.  I know this is the most important thing you will ever learn and I pray that I daily show you the type of love He has shown us.  I pray that I point you toward him in my words and actions.  Unfortunately, I fall short on a daily basis, but you have the type of forgiveness toward me that God has shown us.  You begin each new day with a fresh start and even when moments might be tense, you bounce back so quickly with your optimism and positivity.  Your smile is so contagious!  Your whole face (including your hazel eyes) lights up when you are happy.  You love baseball, running, soccer, reading, anything with numbers, P.E., recess, your friends, your family, going on trips, staying home, going on walks, riding your bike, helping your brother, taking the lead, giving hugs, talking to people, and bedtime cuddles!  I love how you ask for a bedtime story (lately a fairy tale) every night after we have read books, said prayers and sang a song.  Right now you want to be a meteorologist when you grow up and have shown a fascination with the weather.  You love Hot Wheels cars, race tracks and anything having to do with sports.  This afternoon while Maddox was napping, we were able to go to the nearby middle school.  We played baseball, soccer and went for a couple laps around the track!  You were able to test out your new helicopter after Maddox woke up from his nap too!  I think you have had the best day!  Currently, you are working on your thank you cards while I am typing this.  You make sure to include everyone that got you something for your birthday.  You even made sure to write a card to mommy and daddy (even though I wasn't going to put us on the mental list I had).  You have such a caring heart.  I pray that you will always have compassion for others and the childlike resilience that you possess.  I'm so thankful you are mine!  Happy Birthday Z! :) 

 Last night as a five year old.....

 Maddox always looks up to his brother.....

 Celebrating #6 and Easter at Grammy and Grandpa's!

 We've also had the best week celebrating our risen Savior!  Maddox had an Easter egg hunt at school on Thursday.  We attended a local church's egg hunt that we've been to the last few years.  Grannie and GranDan came to visit to celebrate GranDan and Zander's birthdays.... it worked out that they could attend the egg hunt too!   The boys were surprised by what the Easter bunny left for them (see the baskets loaded down below)!  We ate Easter lunch after church at Grammy and Grandpa's!  The Easter bunny had dropped off more eggs for the three kids to hunt for.

Happy Easter from the Houstons!

6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” - Luke 24: 6-7

April Birthdays

We have a lot of April birthdays in our family! We start with Grammy's birthday.  Then, we have Aunt Lindsey and GranDan's birthdays.  Our big boy will be turning six in a few days.  Granny V's birthday is a couple days after that!  Zander patiently waits while we celebrate his family members and counts down the days until it's his special day.  Grammy picked ChickFila for her birthday dinner (just like a wonderful Grammy to pick a place where the kids can eat their favorite foods and play on an indoor slide afterward)!  We made sure to have cupcakes ready and sing nice and loud!;)

 Grandpa came to read to Zander's class on the Friday before Spring Break.  It was "Family Friday", and the kindergarten classes thought it would be fun to have our male family members come in and read to the classes.  He did such a great job and Zander was so excited to show off his Grandpa to his classmates!

Zander also had his class Easter egg hunt that Friday.  I was so excited to help with the hiding of the eggs and to watch Zander after he had gathered the eggs he found!  This is definitely one of the perks of working at the same school as your children!  We had to move the hunt indoors due to the rainy weather outdoors!

 Then, on Saturday morning, we loaded up our crew and headed to the mountains of Tennessee.  Specifically, we stayed in Sevierville and visited Seymour, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg while we were there!  My family used to take trips to these mountains regularly while I was growing up.  I was SOOOOO excited to introduce my boys to some of the places I loved as a little girl!  It is so crazy to have my own family and to be continuing traditions started thirty years ago!  We opted for no birthday party for our almost six year old this year.  Instead, we told him that this trip (specifically the day at Dollywood) was a way to celebrate his birthday as a family.  He absolutely loved every minute of it!! We will still celebrate our boy a few more times this month so he is definitely extending his birthday celebrations out as long as possible! ;)
First stop:  The Apple Barn..... we had Emerson with us (including Grammy and Grandpa) since Linds and Boom had prom to attend Saturday night.  The cousins loved spending the day together.  Lunch was delicious and walking around the Apple Barn property was just what these three little ones needed after a four hour car ride!

On Sunday, we headed to Seymour to see my mom's best friend.  Ramona has three girls that are the same age as Lindsey and me.  We grew up playing together since we were the age that our own kids are now.  This was the first time that our children met.  It was so fun to watch them playing together like we had done so many years ago!

 On Monday, we went to Dollywood!  Zander got to ride his first few roller coasters.  Maddox even got to ride one or two based on his current height!  We had the best day!!  The "big" kids got to ride some of the larger roller coasters while the little kids got to go on rides that were more kid friendly.  We watched a Birds of Prey show with live birds flying through the audience (mom loves the shows!) and got to eat yummy food throughout the park!  I think everyone had a great time!  We finished off the day with a train ride!

The bird over Dad's head in the picture below is named "Buzz".... how appropriate to take a picture?!;)

 On Tuesday (Lindsey's birthday), we went to Ober Gatlinburg.  I told my parents we had to do the alpine slide while we were in Tennessee!  The boys (including Zack) absolutely loved the alpine slide!  We will definitely be doing this again when we visit!  The boys also loved the tram ride up and down the mountain.  We ate dinner at the Old Mill Restaurant after nap time. 

We also fit in dyeing Easter eggs, a dinner at JT Hannahs, an evening in the hot tub at our house and bath time for the cousins!

We had the best time celebrating our April birthdays and soaking up all the views and experiences of the mountains.  I think I will always be a mountain girl (even if I was born near the beach).  The sight of the mountains against the sky, the sound of a flowing river, the smell of BBQ and the taste of apple fritters will always make me smile!  I hope our kids will love these trips as much as I did growing up!  The memories made this week (and in the past) are unforgettable!

Super Mom!

At the beginning of the year, I admitted that I have been really struggling for awhile.  I just haven't felt like myself and realized I needed to focus on "me" so I could be the best version of myself for my family, friends and co-workers.  I am so excited to share that I have noticed in the last few weeks that I am feeling more like myself lately.  I know there are daily struggles with work and raising two energetic young boys, but overall I have felt like things are going great!  I have felt like I am exactly where I am supposed to be and doing exactly what God has called me to do.  With all that said, I am not saying things are perfect.  I am not saying that I don't lose my patience on a daily basis.  I'm not saying that I still struggling with the expectations I set for myself and others (especially when we fall short of these expectations).  I am just saying that I am loving where I am and who I am with!  So why did I title this blog post "super mom"?  Its because this past week and weekend, I felt like just that!! I bounced back from my strep throat and decided to take on the past week with a lot more energy than the week before.  We had something scheduled every night last week, and we have something scheduled every night this week, but I'm embracing the busy schedule and choosing to enjoy this busy time of life.  Here are some of the fun things we've been up to.....

Zander celebrated his friend, Mia's, birthday.  He picked out a present all by himself and was so excited to give it to her.  They spent the afternoon playing with it while I was leading a meeting.

Zander still loves selfies!  I have decided to embrace the "up the nose" photo shoot he has us do weekly!

We had skate night last Tuesday.  The boys loved it!  Mommy loved it!! Both boys are starting to be more confident skaters which makes it fun for mommy to watch from the sidelines.  Maddox told me he didn't need me to walk around with him anymore.... which kind of broke my heart but also made me so proud at his independence and confidence.

We took Mom to celebrate her birthday a couple days early at Create and Decorate, a local painting studio.  We had a lot of mother-daughter fun and I think it was the perfect way to celebrate one of our favorite people!  Everyone really should have a mom like ours!  She truly is the best!

On Saturday, I ran in my 11th half marathon!  When you add the two full marathons that Lindsey and I completed within the past decade, that makes for a lot of long distance running in the last 10 years!  I am in shock that Linds and I have been running together for a decade now!! Ironically, my most recent five half marathons have been my fastest (all under the two hour mark).  This past Saturday, I had a personal record (1:55:34) with an overall pace of 8:50!  This hilly course felt like my strongest run to date, and I was so excited at the finish line.  I had no idea that I had placed 2nd in my age group until we could check out our placement at a kiosk after the race.  So I'm choosing to think that while I'm getting older, I'm also getting faster!  ;)  It truly does depend on the day if I'm going to have a good run or not! I'm so thankful I felt great going into this run (even with strep throat the week before!)  I continue to feel so blessed to have my sister as my running partner (our Saturday runs are some of my favorite times of the week) and to have family that comes to cheer us on and watch the boys to make these races and training runs possible!

 Grandpa loves his little boys! :)

After lunch, a shower and a quick nap for the boys, we headed to the ball field to watch our favorite baseball player in his first game of the season.  He hit all three times he was up to bat!  He is doing coach pitch this year, and we are so proud of how much he is learning.  He played the positions of pitcher, 1st base and 3rd base in his three-inning game!  We are now looking at three games/practices a week.  These fields will definitely feel like a second home until June!  Daddy is helping coach which is equally fun to watch!

 On Sunday, I continued to rock my "super mom" status.  I went grocery shopping before church, went to church and Sunday school, took Zander to get his baseball pictures and then went to the boys' derby car races.  Zack and the boys worked on cars to compete in their age groups.  Neither boy brought home a trophy but had a blast watching their cars going down the track.  They were such good sports as they encouraged the winners.  We went for ice cream to celebrate after a fun week!  I love how the boys hold hands as we are walking in parking lots.  Hence the random picture at the end :)