Kindergarten Event

This morning we went to Kindergarten Round-Up at R's future school.  It was an informational meeting for parents and a time when the kids could look around the school, do a craft (they made a stick horse) and have a snack together.  Rhett said they had Chex Mix and Cactus Punch. He told me that he normally didn't like Chex Mix, but he decided to try it since it was for Kindergarten.  Maybe he'll turn over a new leaf when he starts school!?  Perhaps he'll even eat a vegetable!?

It was nice to see several people that I knew from church and the kids' current MDO program. Surely he'll have at least one familiar face in his class (I think there are 8 K-classes).  There was a lot of information presented:  kids need to have two chicken pox shots now, kids should be able to tie their shoes, call the transportation line before 1:45 if there's a change in your child's afternoon pick-up arrangements, the PTA meets on the first Thursday of every other month, please help your child memorize their student ID#, there will be field trips to the pumpkin patch, children's theater, zoo, etc. etc.  There will be an ice cream social at the end of the summer where the kids will get to find out who their teacher will be--that should be fun!  I pray that God will place R exactly where he needs to be.  

Below:  Garret, Lawson and Rhett.  These three boys have been playing together since the fall of 2004, I think.  I met their moms through a neighborhood Pokeno group not long after Rhett was born, and we became good friends and started having weekly play-dates.  It's hard to believe they are all starting school!  They're growing up too fast.

Tutus and yardwork

Yesterday Alexee tried out the new monogrammed tutu that I bought at the Inviting Co. warehouse sale on Friday (for $1!). I think she liked it. She wanted me to re-paint her toe nails, and we tried to do her fingers but she moved around a lot. She loves to try on shoes, but I guess most girls do! She's a mess, but she is so much fun!


After church today Rhett and I attempted to trim some of the landscaping in the back yard. We didn't get far before both Alexee and Crosby woke up from their (short) naps. Rhett worked hard though, and his little face was so red. It seems like marking things off the to-do list isn't something that happens often with three kids...not for me at least. We start lots of projects but rarely finish anything. Rhett recommended making "orange punch" (Tang) when we came inside. We did that after giving Bogart a bath (he was covered in pollen from head to toe).

Tonight we went to McAlister's for dinner. When L got home from studying at 5:25 (not that I was watching the clock) I had the kids strapped into their car seats ready to go!

New neighbor

Check out our new neighbor!

Thursday

Lately I've been buying fresh pineapples--their flavor is so much better than the canned fruit. (I don't know if I'm really cutting them correctly--there's probably a better way.) This was part of breakfast yesterday morning. The kids will usually eat a lot of it too, which I love. Every time I slice a pineapple I think of Hawaii. We've had the opportunity to go twice, once for our honeymoon and once again before Rhett was born. One of my MANY favorite things about Hawaii was the breakfast buffet at our hotel and the delicious pineapple served there!
There was a brief period of time yesterday when A and C were both napping, so Rhett and I got to play a game of Candyland together. I've always liked board games...Pictionary is my all-time favorite.Then yesterday afternoon Lane took R & A to Warren (his hometown) with him for the night. They spent the night with Grammy & Bobba and had a great time. Lane had a dentist appointment there this morning, then they played on the playground and had lunch at Molly's. Crosby and I have had fun hanging out together, but this house seems so STILL and QUIET! I'm missing the chaos...one night was enough relaxation time--I'm ready for everyone to get back this afternoon!

Since it was just me and C yesterday evening, we took advantage of that simplicity and went out. We went to Fresh Market and bought flowers for the kitchen...for no specific reason other than they're pretty and enjoyable!
Then we went to pick up my take out order at Trio's...a Peck's Special Salad and...
my very own slice of key lime pie! If we ever order dessert there Lane and I always share it, but tonight I ate every last bite myself (well, Bogart got to lick the graham cracker crumbs from the container). :)

4 weeks old today

4 weeks old and doing great! A super sweet boy!

Chocolate covered strawberries

There was a knock at the door yesterday, and it was a delivery from Edible Arrangements! I've always wanted one of these--they looked so neat and yummy! Thank you, Heather, for the pleasant surprise--we're enjoying it!
I don't think the delivery truck was even out of the driveway before Rhett, Alexee and I were eating strawberries.
How cute is this of Alexee relaxing by Lane on the couch!?

Bird watching

It seems like such a small thing--maybe too small to pray about--but I have to admit that I've sent up a little prayer for a bluebird to come and live in R's new bird house (see previous two posts).  I know my Mom prayed for the same thing.  She said that we might have to buy a parakeet to put in the house, but I told her that there's no way we could trick Rhett...he'd know from his Arkansas Game and Fish bird book that parakeets are not native to the area.  :)  

So it's not official yet--I didn't see the bird going in or out of the house--BUT, we did see a male bluebird sitting on the fence just yards from the new house this afternoon when we were playing outside.  Hopefully he is going to move in very soon!  He flew from the fence and landed in the tree closest to the house, just across the fence in the neighbor's yard.  It looks promising.  

Sunday

Before church this morning:

They wanted to take turns holding him.


This afternoon my sister and her family came to visit (thanks, Mic!).  Crosby slept most of the time, and she held him.
Mario kept the older kids busy with bubbles, baseball, frisbee, etc.

Poor Rhett...I REALLY hope a bluebird makes its home in our new bluebird house.  He's watched all day, hoping to see something.  He put a chair in front of it this afternoon to watch. It will have to be a bluebird that doesn't mind being close to kids.  He's asked a million times today if he could get the screwdriver so he could unscrew the side of the house and peek in.  I told him that Granddad said we needed to give the birds a few days to find it and get settled before we bothered them.  :)
It was cute that Jeryn wanted to hold his new baby cousin.  Jeryn will be two in May.  I think he was calling him "bobby" instead of "baby".  He actually seemed more interested in the baby than Jaiden.  We laughed because Jaiden did take a look at him while we were playing outside and said something like, "Oh, he's cute!  Is he a boy or a girl?"  :)

Saturday with Grandparents

I was super excited that my parents came to visit today!  I knew that Lane was going to have to study all day, so I was honestly kind-of dreading a long, lonely Saturday.  I asked Mom and Dad if they might come down for the day...I was so happy when they said they would!  They got here right at noon, and we all went to Olive Garden for lunch. Then we went by a great garden center near our house and bought two flats of petunias to plant in the pots on the front porch and an impatien plant for R's Earth Day celebration/planting event at school this coming week.  It started raining about that time, so we didn't actually get to plant the flowers, but Rhett and I can work on that project when the sunshine returns.  We came home and Mom put Alexee down for her nap and I fed Crosby then I went to the grocery store while they kept the kids.  I'd been needing to go for days, but I just haven't had a good opportunity.  So I was glad to get that chore done.

I think Mom liked holding C the whole time I was gone:

Dad recently built several nice bluebird houses in his shop, and he brought Rhett one today. R loved it and went to the garage to get the tools needed to hang it in our back yard.  They tried to wait until the rain stopped, but it never did, so I think they took the umbrella out while I was at the store.  Hopefully a pretty bluebird will find it soon and make a home there.  (Nicole, if you're reading this, note the pink screwdriver from the "she-tools kit" that I had in college...still comes in handy!)  :)

Mo, Granddad and Garner Grandkids:

THANKS FOR COMING TO VISIT!!!

Family accomplishments

Today was the last official class day for Lane!  It's unbelievable that two years of school are finished.  It seems like last week the we (Rhett, Alexee and I) dropped him off on campus on the first day of orientation.  The Curious George Movie was playing in the Tahoe, and I still think of that day every time I pop that DVD in and hear the opening song. (I doubt if many of the 23 year old med students had Curious George playing in their cars that day!?  It's a slightly different road for our family, but we see God's hand in it, and for that we are so thankful!) Four years of school seemed like such a very long time then, and now here we are at the half-way point.  L starts rotations in the hospital on July 6th, which will be a new, exciting phase for him. 

We're so proud of you, L!

(on the way out the door this a.m.)

Another accomplishment today:  my first trip to the park with all three kiddos!  We (I) had major cabin fever...R & A have been sick (coughs/colds) so they missed school on Wednesday. We stayed home all day yesterday too, so I was ready for a change of scenery this morning.  We were finally able to make it out the door by about 10:30.  We went through the Chick-fil-A drive-thru and took our lunch to the park because it was such a beautiful, sunny day.  The kids were too excited about playing to eat much, but I ate every bite of my chicken sandwich. 

Rhett's wearing my sunglasses because he said the sun was too bright no matter what direction he turned.  Poor kid, I think he's been inside watching way too many cartoons for the last three weeks--he can't take a little sunlight!  I gave him my sunglasses and told him to "quit griping!".

Alexee didn't seem bothered by the sun:
Neither did Crosby...he slept through lunch:
She enjoyed the swings today.  I love to hear her laugh.
And I loved that Rhett wanted to push her.  She thought this was great!

This afternoon R's friend Garret came over to play.  They had fun with Moon Sand, water balloons, leftover Easter eggs, sidewalk chalk, the sprinkler, etc.  It was good for Rhett to have someone to play with--I was really glad G came over.  I think they both had fun.

On an unrelated note, I got a flyer from The Container Store in the mail today.  I love that store, and truly wish I could get my life THIS organized.  Does anyone's playroom REALLY look like this?  Though totally unrealistic, it makes me smile to look at this neatness!

3 weeks old

Crosby was three weeks old yesterday!  This has been the fastest three weeks of my life.  This is the first time I've had a chance to sit down at the computer for more than 2 minutes at a time...I've missed blogging and reading others' blogs, but it is a zoo around here every minute of every day!  

He's such a sweet baby!  He's sleeping more in his crib now...he took two naps in his crib today and slept there most of the night last night (until about 5 a.m.--then he decided he'd only sleep if he was held).  Rhett and Alexee love him and they're very sweet to him.  Alexee acts a little jealous sometimes when she wakes up from her nap and wants to be held for a while.  I try to hold her every chance I get so she doesn't feel left out.  She likes to help get diapers, wipes, etc. so I include her in that as much as possible.  She calls him "Croshbys", which we think is so cute.  :)  Rhett told me one night recently, "Mom, when he was still in your tummy I didn't know if I'd like him, but now that I've seen him I KNOW I love him." 

Neither Rhett or Alexee would take a pacifier even though we offered it to them.  A few days ago we tried one with Crosby.  I'm not sure he's going to love it either, but we thought it was worth a try.