Sunday!

Sunday we woke up knowing we were heading home that day.

I got up and fed the children while Michael got dressed and started putting our stuff back in the car. They just did cheerios and fresh orange slices. Then I dressed the kids and got dressed myself, and we all made it to church in time for Bible class!

Gabriel looked really apprehensive and tried to fight his way back into my arms, but Emerald ran into her class and didn't look back! Amber couldn't make it to Bible class, so I took notes for her--we were discussing Hebrews chapter....13, I think. I would have to check the notes, lol.

Service went well--Emerald kept telling me she was hungry, probably because she didn't eat good breakfast, but Gabriel fell right asleep. The problem was, he had the rankest gas, and he kept shifting and tooting all through service. Michael blamed me. -sigh-

I really love going to church, but my church is by far my favorite. I know most of the people there, and it's just so happy and fun!

After church, we all but ran to the car and drove to the only restaurant in Argyle--a little Mexican food place called Papi's to have lunch with Dad's parents. The waiter was so smiley and had a fun accent, but he was probably so nice because he was going to grat the heck out of us.

I got tilapia tacos on corn tortillas that were pretty good--I had never had them before, and they really weren't bad. They were grilled and had lettuce and cheese and lime juice and maybe pico on them?? I thought they would be really good if they had cabbage instead of lettuce, and no tomatoes. The charro beans were so delicious, they remind me of going to Mi Ranchito's when we were little--they had an appetizer with every meal of Charro Bean soup, which was so good that's usually all me and Amber ate. It also "had" (read--I stole from Emerald's plate) rice covered in queso, which made me and Amber freak out for Panchos. We like Mexican food a lot in my family.

Michael got nachos, but did not take his lactose pill -sad- he liked it until he started feeling terrible!! Luckily, I packed all the preventative pills and symptom fixer pills, so he started feeling better on the ride home. Emerald got taquitos with cheesy dip and Gabriel got quesadillas, but they split both meals.

Emerald was super friendly and chatty--she sat right next to Pat and talked to her about everything. Afterwards, she turned to me and told me that Grandma Pat said she could have ice cream (the naughty little fibber!!). Mostly she liked looking at the horse shaped pinata over her head.

Gabriel was quiet and well behaved for most of the meal--the best part was when Pawpaw was talking and Gabriel was watching him....Gabe just started laughing very loudly, when got everyone else laughing. I think he thought Pawpaw was telling a joke or something!!

The car ride home was pretty uneventful. I was a lot more restless than on the ride down, but that's probably because I wasn't ready to go home. I don't spend enough time with my family as it is. But overall, not awful. I just drank too much tea and most of the ride was uncomfortable, anyway. We didn't get home too late and I was able to put away all the gifts and luggage, since I worked so very very hard to get it clean before we left.

As it is, these two posts have kept me from cleaning up the house again, but I should probably get to it -sigh-Maybe soon I will write the final post about Christmas--with Rhonda's side of the family :)

~Andie~

Emerald at Papi's :)

Saturday Afternoon

Slowly but surely, I am making it!

Amber and Jud were not at Christmas morning, so we decided to do the big dinner instead of big lunch. For lunch, we did sandwiches. As I said, Michael hadn't eaten in almost a full day, so I made a huge roast beef sandwich for him and chips and queso, then I took the kids to eat. Gabriel--and who knew?--LOVES eating cherry tomatoes. I was thinking that might be a good addition to his lunches or whatever because they are pretty cheap and good for him.

By the afternoon, we were pooped, so Gabriel and I went upstairs and took a nap. Emerald was too wired to sleep, so I held off for her. It was nice getting to snuggle Gabriel and get some rest--the holidays always take a lot out of me.

Post-nap, we put on Toy Story 3 for the kids to watch--they really enjoyed that, and it gave us a bit of time to rest and relax and breathe.

This past June, my Great Grandmother--Barbara, my Papa's mother--passed away. We were all really close to her, she was a wonderful woman. Well, this was the first time that I saw my family since July (sad--I want to see them more), so this was the first chance that we had to go through the things that Grandma left us. That's why the candy dish that morning had made me cry--it was marked "From Mom and Grandma". I was confused--I never call Granny "Grandma"...I call her Granny, so I looked at Mom and she told me it was from Grandma Hill. When I opened it, it was a pretty little clear crystal candy dish with a little butterfly on top....Grandma loved butterflies and had them all over her house. I got a little emotional seeing it....Mom picked it out for me because it is going to be hard for the kids to smash, lol.

My Grandmother collected dolls for as long as I knew her, since Papa was little as far as I can gather, so she left a lot of dolls for all of us. Granny got all the ones intended for this side of the family, and so she laid them all out on the table, as well as some vases and ceramic lady heads, and (going in age order), we picked two each. At least 6 of us were crying. Because there were so many, I ended up getting three the first time for me (two were a set), then one for each of my kids, then one extra one, plus a dress that Grandma had sewn herself. I am going to print that pretty copy of her from Amber's wedding and put it and the dress in a shadow box, I think.

I will take good care of them and eventually give them, plus the miniature ceramic lady heads and book collection when she was still alive.

As expected, that got everyone pretty emotional, so we moved on from that to cooking dinner. Michael took Emerald upstairs and I helped downstairs with the food.

Now, since almost everyone has diabetes or blood pressure problems, you would think that our diets would suffer, but everything was still quite fabulous. We had fried wild turkey for an appetizer, then ham and roast, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes that were made with fresh grated nutmeg (incredible), sweet potato casserole, rolls, salad, homemade creamed spinach with mushrooms and cheese then baked (also really good), gravy....it was sooooo good. My Uncle Ted is a fabulous cook, and he was telling me about how if an adult consumes an entire nutmeg, it has hallucinogenic effects. Which...is kinda cool, really. There were also lemon bars, and fresh brownies, and a birthday cake for Jesus (Emerald asked for it, lol), and pumpkin and pecan and apple pies.

Since we had church the next day, we all took baths in that well water that makes you feel like you aren't getting all the soap off your body (darned hard Lubbock water!) and turned in early =)

~Andie~

Saturday Morning--Third Christmas

I guess it really is time to finish these Christmas posts, seeing as it is almost New Years.

Before I even start, please forgive me if I don't remember exactly everything that everyone got. Michael and Emerald were across the room where I couldn't even see them, and with all the chaos I lost track of even what I was opening for me and Gabriel. BUT I will do my best and see what I come up with :)

Christmas morning started late for my family this year--out of respect for Michael, they bumped it back to 6 a.m. At Granny's and Pat's, usually we get up at 4.30 or 5 to do presents, but Michael is not a big fan of that, lol.

Gabriel did NOT want to get up. Emerald was excited and sunny and wanting to run down the stairs, but Gabriel was clinging to me and fussing a lot. Which is actually pretty backwards for them--normally, Gabriel is our early morning riser. But neither of them had slept well the night before, so he was especially cranky.

I sat up camp on the leather sofa next to Granny's tree, where Gabriel and I were partially obscured, and Michael nabbed a chair right in the center of the room with Emerald.

There seemed to have been a little confusion at Santa's workshop, because my kids got a big pile of presents from him, lol. Emerald got a big Snoopy stuffed animal with a little portable radio with it, plus a Santa Paws (Buddy) DVD, and a Disney Princess portable game thing. In her stocking, she got a cute puppy with a pink bandanna around her neck named Skye, plus Disney Princess play dough that smells berry-ish, a Santa Pez dispenser, and I think a coloring book.

Gabriel was really crabby throughout opening presents, so he sat in the corner and ate a banana and watched me open presents. Santa brought him Toy Story 3, a walking, roaring Rex toy, a big Tonka dump truck, and a giant Smurf with two finger puppet smurfs. In his stocking, he got a handmade ornament, a stuffed puppy dog, four hot wheels, and a blue race car that had candy inside it.

Then the real havoc began--present time :)

As far as I can remember, Gabriel got a Chuck portable fire station toy, a V-Tech giraffe ride on video game thing that I really need to set up, a Little People fire truck that makes fire truck noises, a giraffe that sings the ABC's, a pair of pajamas, and a How to Train Your Dinosaur dinosaur plush.

Emerald got Chutes and Ladders and Candy Land, a Caucasian family doll house (story behind that, I'll write about that later!), a Strawberry short cake doll with all these hair accessories, three my little ponies, a pink laptop, a Fur Real polar bear that groans and wiggles, a Disney princess sleeping bag, push light, night light, and decorations for her walls, and a gigantic gingerbread man coloring book.

*Note: I am really thinking I should have written this a few days ago, when I remembered everything and hadn't unpacked it all!!*

Michael got a Fry Daddy, a charge pad, and a gift card to Chipotle.

I got a big beautiful picture for my living room, new silverware, a new blender, a Rachael Ray cookbook, a beautiful heart necklace, and a crystal candy dish that made me cry. More on that later.

After we opened all the presents, I had Michael pack them in the car except for the stocking and Santa presents--it keeps things from getting to spread out. While he did that, I set the kids up playing with their cousins and aunts and uncles and went and helped Mom and Granny make breakfast. Well, I sorta helped. Mom is so used to cooking for a crowd that she was able to whip up sausage patties and bacon and eggs before I even finished getting out the English muffins, bagels, and cereal and make the orange juice. It was nice to have a real breakfast--usually, mine consists of unsweetened, milk-less hot tea and toast with jam.

After cleaning up breakfast, I notice Michael looking quite miserable and I realize that he was so worried about not keeping an eye on the kids that he hadn't eaten since McDonald's at lunch the day before.

-siiiiigh-

Next post should be Lunch through dinner Saturday night!

~Andie~

Christmas Eve at Gigi and Papa's

Friday morning, we left to go to my grandparent's house for Christmas. Friday was Christmas Eve--we only got the three days off to be with my side of the family.

Scoggin-Dickey was really nice--our jeep is not in the greatest condition, and was in the shop as it was when we needed to leave (as if it would have made it all the way six hours away in the condition its in anyway)--so they let us borrow a rental traverse. Normally, you have to work there for 8-10 years before they let you borrow a car :) I am pleased Michael works there.

Before we left, Michael brought home Josie's carne asada and cheese breakfast burritos.

Anways, we left about 9.30. We both hate long car rides, but the kids had really good travel bags packed (if I do say so myself)--they slept about half the way and played with quiet toys the rest of the time. We stopped at Sonic and got drinks for the road, plus sliced apples for the kids. At lunch time, we stopped and got McDonald's, but I didn't eat...McDonald's is gross.

I read aloud to Michael from "Wizard and Glass" by Stephen King, and we listened to A ChrisSims Carol on War Rocket Ajax (I just had to google that podcast name, lol). It was pretty funny--I am a big fan of Matt Fraction, who was on the episode. Very easy ride--we got to Granny and Papa's about 4.30 or so...can't remember exactly.

The whole ride, Emerald talked about how she was going to go see and ride the horses...but it was cold and rainy and drizzly, not good weather to be go harassing the poor horses at Papa's house.

Jarrod, Julia, Andrew, Mom, and Dad were all ready there, as well as Uncle Robbie and Aunt Alice and Aunt Cindy and Uncle Ted and all the cousins. Amber and Jud were taking Grayson to Abilene for Christmas morning, and Royce and Stella had to work so they kept Brian and Dominic in Tyler.

For dinner, we did Taco Soup, plus lots of snacky food--homemade venison summer sausage with cheddar and jalopenos; homemade vension peppercorn sausage; cheese cubes; veggies--tomatoes, olives, carrots, celery, cauliflower; queso; and chips and crackers of all sorts.

It was really nice to catch up with my family--I don't get to see them anywhere enough, and I missed Thanksgiving this year. And the kids just loved playing with their cousins. We had to worry a lot about them on the stairs--I didn't want either of them upstairs without someone keeping an eye on them, and Gabriel can't get down the stairs as well as I would like.

We turned in early, since Michael and I were exhausted, but the kids slept horribly. But everyone in my family are early risers, so we knew Christmas the next morning would start no later than 6 a.m.....but that's another post :)

~Andie~

Thursday: 1st Christmas

I have a bit of "free" (read, neglecting what I SHOULD be doing) time on my hands, so I figured I would start the Christmas posts!

Friday through Sunday, we were with my family in DFW, so Thursday before we left we had Christmas with Michael's parents and brother.

So, Thursday, the kids and I got up and cleaned the bedrooms--packed bags, separated laundry, and picked up things from the floor. Their toys got put into three piles--keep, trash, and donate. There is still too much stuff for their little rooms to handle, but at least it is better.

After Michael got off of work, we headed over there and had queso for dinner--a personal favorite of both Michael and Emerald. The kids wore the new Christmas outfits that I got them for super cheap at wal-mart. I like the outfits because they are toasty warm and casual fun :)

Don't they look so sweet?? Gabriel looks so handsome in blue :)

Anyways, while Ken and Rhonda distracted the kids, "Santa" came and tediously set up an Tinkerbell and Friends Adventure Hut for Emerald and Imaginarium wooden blocks for Gabriel. As hoped (and expected, because Michael is really great at picking out stuff for the kids), Emerald and Gabriel loved them.

Then we opened the rest of the presents from everyone. Presents as follows (as best I can remember off the top of my head--forgive me if I forget something!!):

Gabriel got a Little People's wheelies car ramp thing that is as tall as he is; two cute new outfits--one yellow sports shirt and lounge pants, and one toy story shirt and jeans; a green John Deer tractor that you push a button and it shakes and makes noise and drives away; a barrel of monkeys he doesn't have to share with Emerald; a inflatable punching bag (which he will love when I actually get around to blowing it up); a pickup truck that supports the armed forces; and plastic quiet time cars. Rhonda also bought him a new Mickey Mouse ornament for the Christmas tree. 

Emerald got a book reader and 7 books--Dora, 3 Toy Storys, Finding Nemo, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and....one other that I am not remembering. She loves this toy--she had it read to her all the way down to my grandparents house. She also got a bumblebee pillow/stuffed animal that we named Marty Bumble after an episode of Veggie Tales; an inflatable punching bag and a barrel of monkeys she doesn't have to share with Gabriel; and two new outfits--one jeans and pink sweater, and one red lounge outfit. Rhonda also bought her a new Cinderella ornament for the Christmas tree. 

Andie (I) got a blue snowman sweater, a two-tone pink hoodie sweater, a new purse with my name on it, a giftcard to Barnes and Noble and a giftcard to Olive Garden; a Coffee Mate Ice Tea maker; a sweet cinnamon pumpkin candle, cocoa dusted truffles; and Caribbean Escape hand soap. 

Michael got a new pair of work shoes, three new button up shirts, two new work belts, and giftcards to Game Stop, Barnes and Noble, Sonic, and Burger King. 

I THINK that is all...I should have written it Thursday night, but we came home and put the kids to bed before I put everything away and loaded up the car to leave early the next day.

Ken got the kids a gift for Glo and Pawpaw Wearden's house--a copy of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" that has a recording of Ken reading the story aloud. Emerald was very interested, but it was hard to get Gabriel to sit still at all.

Tune in next time when I regale you with the stories of Wearden Christmas--Friday through Sunday :)

~Andie~

Christmas Update Coming Soon

Don't worry--I haven't forgotten my duties as a mama blogger. I am just dragging quite noticeably after the holiday season, and need some time to recoup. Please check back soon for a festive retelling of the last several days!

Monday

We are leaving at the end of the week for Christmas, so I get it into my head that I want the house to be spotless clean for the holidays.

Slight problem is, we don't have a washing machine or a vacuum right now. Both of ours are out of commission at the moment, which makes the "completely spotless clean" more difficult.

We borrowed Rhonda's vacuum, and I had Andrew come over this morning--he watched and entertained the kids (took them outside to play on the swing set, run around, etc) while I cleaned the kitchen. The one room took me nearly 3 hours!! Well, technically the kitchen, dining room, and front entry hallway. But still. That's a lot of cleaning. 

The good news is that now it is clean. The bad news is, you can barely tell--you look at it and think "that's the way it's supposed to look", which is perfectly correct. I guess the reason it took me so long is that I sanitized everything--cabinets, walls, floor, appliances...plus, I cleaned and organized the pantry, fridge, freezer, and front hall closet, as well as moving the fridge and curio and cleaning under both. 

After that, pretty exhausted, I had Emerald help me make lunch (burritos and tostadas), and we all three crashed for much needed naps.

Last night, the kids had gone to bed and Michael and I were just turning in when we hear Emerald sobbing in terror. As best we can tell, she had a nightmare last night that really shook her up. When I got to her, she was trembling from head to toe, and was only calm when I was holding her. I went and laid down with her for a bit, but anytime I moved away from her, she started shaking again and then would start wailing. Unfortunately, I don't sleep well when with her. She kicks, her room is chilly, and too brightly lit. But that's how she likes it, so....anyways, I got a very poor night's rest, with her checking to make sure I was still there at least every half hour. Then, at 6.30, she decided she was up for good and wanted to go watch t.v. At least I finally got to crawl in next to Michael...for a half hour, ugh. 

After nap, I took the children back outside to play--Gabriel and I pretended we were on the Spaceship Wearden, and he was Commander Gaby that would save us all. Emerald and I pretended she was hang-gliding over the rain forest of Mexico, and she told me about all the "animals in trouble" she saw, before she would speed off on her tricycle to save them. 

After they started getting bored with that, we took out the fingerpaints Oma got Emerald for her birthday and we fingerpainted some pictures for Daddy. Gabriel mostly liked the feeling of the paint on his fingers, but Emerald told me all about her pictures:

"I drawing Grannymom and Dad-Dad" 

"It's Glo and Pawpaws--they hugging"

"I is a superhero!" (really? What are your powers?) "All of them"

Unfortunately, I said the B-word (bath) and Gabriel heard, so he ran off to the house wanting to get clean. Luckily, them bathing so sweetly gave me a chance to straighten up the bathroom just a little. Since it is a small bathroom, I can always keep an eye on what they are doing. 

Now we are eating Kettle Corn and watching "Hercules" and snuggling. They are both as worn out as I feel, and the house still looks terrible since I haven't done the living room yet. -sigh-

~Andie~

Emerald

Continuing with the "getting to know the babies better" posts, here is Emerald!

Emerald is a 3 year old dancing, singing, artistic diva :)
Nicknames: Emmie, Emmie-Lou Darling, Em

Favorites:
Toys:

Emerald loves all thing country--horses, cowboys, farms...so it was understandable that she loves Jessie the Cowgirl from Toy Story 2 & 3. For her last birthday, we got her a Jessie doll that has a pull-string to make her talk, and she fell in love. She is still very fond of Jessie, as she is of all her stuffed animals. Every day she takes a stuffed to school. She is also really fond of all things Disney Princess, likes hosting her little tea parties, and play pretending to be Mom--sweeping, cooking, taking care of babies.

Books:


Emerald loves reading--given the choice, she would have me read to her all day long, every day. I should go ahead and start teaching her how to read so I can get a break once in a while!! As it is, she is very fond of "Where the Wild Things Are", "Let's Go Home, Little Bear", and "Going to Sleep on the Farm". These are books we read generally pretty close to bedtime, since they are "wind down" books. But really, anything I will read to her, she will listen. One thing that both her and Gabriel just love doing is bringing me my big Cookbook full of recipes meant for kids ("The Cooking for Kids Bible") and have me turn the pages and tell them about the food! My babies are good eaters, lol.

Songs: One word: "Twinkle".
Our bedtime routine is Michael bathes the kids while I set up beds and get out pajamas, set out medicines, find pacifiers, whatever. Once they get out, they get lotion rubs, we dress them, and then it's song time. Every night we have this conversation:
Me: "What song do you want to sing, Emerald?"
Emerald: "Twinkle!"
Me: "You sure? There's not perhaps another song--any other song--you would like to sing, just this one night?"
Emerald: "TWINKLE!"
Some nights, we go ahead and sing "Jesus Loves Me", another favorite of hers.

Movie:
  
Barbie Thumbelina.
Now ask me where that DVD is. -facepalm-
She also adores "Meet the Robinsons" but I have never bought it yet. I probably should get around to it, lol.

Food: Emerald loves pepperoni pizza (she no longer tolerates any pizza with vegetables, lol), hot dogs/corn dogs, and fruit snacks. Those are things she asks for pretty much every day. She loves dipping things, and everything goes with ranch to that kid. She is not the healthiest eater--she will half-heartedly tolerate fruit, but isn't big on the vegetables. She is really starting to exert her independence over what she eats. But I have an ace up my sleeve--if she helps makes it, she will generally eat it. Whole wheat toast has recently been added to her list of what she will eat, as long as I let her put it in the toaster, push the button, and then butter the bread.

TV shows:
 
Emerald likes "Go Diego Go" because of the animals, and I tolerate it because it is much less annoying than Dora the Explorer.
She also loves Barney, though Gabriel really hates it. Veggie Tales is a big hit for her, she is losing interest in The Wiggles (as is the rest of America, lol), and she likes Hello Kitty.
What really surprises me is that she has been a big fan of the old cartoons, especially the Christmas cartoons, like "The Shanty Where Santy Claus Lives" and "Christmas Comes But Once a Year".

Activities: Emmie really loves playing outside, running, jumping, and playing basketball/baseball/soccer/football. She chases the dog--she adores animals--and throws the stick for her. She does her little chores around the house, like picking up her toys and books, holding the door open for Daddy, and wiping off the table. She will dance and sing until she is physically exhausted.

Games: Her favorite game is probably "Ring Around the Rosie", as she will have me and Gabriel do that as long as we will tolerate it.

Emerald is heart and soul a Daddy's girl. She seems to feel most comfortable around men more so than women--she adores Pawpaw and Grandpop. Her very best friend right now (so she tells me) is Maya from daycare. But she has an uncanny bond with Gigi--my Granny; she is definitely a Granny's girl too!!

Gabriel

I thought it might be a good idea to tell some current stats on the children so that I can remember them as they come along. Favorites, likes, dislikes, things of that sort.

First is Mr Gabriel.

Gabriel, at 22 months, is tons of fun!
Nicknames: Gabe, Gaby Baby, Goo-Boo (Good Boy), Goob (Goo-Boo shorted, lol), GableGobbles

Favorites:
Toys:
 
Gabriel is a little engineer--he likes to build things, see how things work and move. He likes dynamic toys--things he can manipulate. Aunt Julia and Uncle Jarrod bought Emerald a set of pink and white Mega Bloks for her 2nd birthday and Gabriel will play with them for hours and hours on end.
In a stroke of genius, Michael bought a $3 bead maze from garanimals from Wal-Mart....by far, one of the best investments ever made. Seriously, Gabriel gets endless enjoyment out of it, which is great for long car rides, doctor's office visits, and time at the restaurant before the food comes.

Books:
 
Gaby likes books with ridiculous sounds and a rhyming tempo. The first time I read "Mr Brown Can Moo" to him, he laughed sooooo hard. It was ridiculously adorable. I need to buy him a new copy--he has loved (and chewed) his copy into unreadability.
He also really likes "There's a Wocket in My Pocket" and "Where the Wild Things Are"--in the first, he probably likes the ridiculous words; in the second, he loves the monsters. To be honest, any Dr. Seuss is a big hit with both of the kids.

Songs: Gabriel tolerates me singing to him occasionally...but not too often. There is a song from Barney that he loves--it's about a train and goes "chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga--choo choo!" He loves the sounds. He also really loves "The Sausage Man Song", which is a big favorite of the Wagner clan :)
For cuddly times, I sing "You Are My Sunshine" and he really seems to like it. Maybe he is just used to it, lol.

Movie:

He loves Toy Story. Won't sit still for most movies, but this one is a big hit for him--the 2nd one as well. He also likes "Monster's Inc" and "Princess and the Frog".

Food: Goob loves vegetables and fruits, but ONLY if you give him variety. He loves Clementines and grapes and apples and pretty much whatever you give him IF you really mix it up. You can't give him the same thing two days in a row and expect him to be happy. He is not as big on meat or breads, but he likes tortillas and ham, so he is still getting them in.

TV Shows:

He likes the dancing veggies, about as much as he likes eating them, lol.

Activities: Gabriel will play on the swing-set out back for HOURS. He will sit in the swing and let me push him until my arms give out, just looking over the world and taking everything in. At school, his teachers tell me that he likes to watch the other kids run, lol. He doesn't run, he just watches everyone else.

Games: He cannot get enough 'Buzz Went the Bee'--he is super ticklish everywhere, especially on his collarbone, ribs, and thighs, so this game makes him laugh so hard. He really likes 'Patty Cake' too, especially if you throw his name in there. He is not very good at, but enjoys, hide and go seek, but I figure he will grow into it :)

Gabriel is a mama's boy, and likes nothing more than to be cuddled by a female family member while he pulls their hair. He is definitely a little man that prefers the ladies--he likes to rough house and play males, but likes his cuddles to be with Oma, Glo, or one of his aunts :)

Saturday

I haven't written in a few days, so I figured I may go ahead and post an update.

Emerald and Gabriel are being really really sweet, which is a nice change since they have been so very, very exhausting the last few days. Since it snowed (briefly) yesterday and it has been chilly the last few days, I haven't wanted to take the kids outside. They both have runny noses, and Emerald's has recently changed colors making me worry she has a sinus infection--bleh. But it is hard keeping those kids entertained inside all day long!

Yesterday, we watched a show about birds--they taught Emerald about how birds pick up things with their beaks and feet to make nests, and they fly around and eat seed....anyways, after that was over, she and I made a "nest" on the couch of blankets and sheets and couch cushions. When Gabriel crawled into the nest, Emerald "flew" around tweeting and and bringing things to her "baby bird" brother, like snacks, toys, books...he loved it, and it was super sweet.

We usually do story time and snack time simultaneously, out in the backyard, but because of the cold, we built a small fort behind the couch and ate animal crackers and read "You Are Special"  by Max Lucado. Andrew came over for a bit to see us, which was nice--he brought us a chocolate pie.

At lunch, Gabriel had an ECI Speech therapy session, so they played blocks and we talked about things that would be motivating enough for him to actually want to communicate, how he did in school on Monday, etc. They actually went right to sleep at naptime, which was nice because Mama needed a nap too.

After nap, we kind of flitted around all afternoon--we watched some veggie tales, played in their room--Emerald pretended to be a cowgirl, which was really cute. When Michael got home, we had a nice evening at home, just us :)

Today started off on a bad note because...my friend Robyn tries and saves the dogs that are going to be euthanized from the pound. She does a really good job--she finds most of them homes--but she posts on facebook, which means I see lots of pleas to help these dogs, to find them homes, to take them in. I share a lot of her posts. Normally, I want the dogs and bother Michael about them a bit, but not sincerely--I know we have a bit of a full house.

Well today, Robyn posted a small blue Dachshund named Wilbur:

Wilbur is a 3 month old puppy that has a crooked spine--a congenital defect--so if they don't find him a home in three days, he will be put to sleep. And he's only just a baby :-(

I started crying because the story made me so sad, and he's such a sweet little puppy...Emerald came up to me and said, "Don't cry, Mama. Why you crying?"

I told her that I was sad because of a puppy, and asked if she would like Santa to bring her a puppy for Christmas.

She replied, "A puppy? No...I want snow for Christmas." She is so funny and sweet, it cheered me up a bit. 

Gabriel was playing in his room and I went to go check on him...but he wasn't there. I start looking through the rooms, increasingly panicking and calling his name, when I hear a muffled giggle. The toot had hidden under the blankets on my bed and was hiding from me!! 

I have some very sweet babies. 

<3 ~Andie~

Last Day of Daycare

Today was the kid's last day of daycare at Bright Horizons for the semester, which meant 1) pajama day; 2) pictures with Santa day; and 3) Christmas party!

Gabriel got Chic-Fil-A nuggets, fruit, veggies, and juice. He accidentally closed his hand in the door of his classroom, so they called me and I got an "Accident Report" but it didn't even bruise. Totally a non-issue.
Last year, Emerald was in the Monkey class like Gabriel is this year; she had the same teachers--their gift was a really pretty ceramic decorative thing with Emerald's name and hand prints. So I was kind of hoping that I would get one from Gabriel this year so that I would have the matching pair. No such luck, but I did get pretty ornaments that smell sweet for our Christmas tree =) He wore the pajama's Holly got him for Christmas last year that has robot stuff all over it.

Emerald wore pretty blue pajamas and matching headband, and her class had a pizza party. She made us a glass green and red ornament that I really love--it's beautiful. Her day was rather uneventful--they didn't really tell us anything!

Now, I actually had a very weird day for me!

This morning, even though I had less to do than normal, I was really frazzled. I felt like I was running horribly behind when I was doing just fine. On the walk to daycare, Rhonda passed us and gave us a ride, and then I walked back home.

When I got there, the big wooden door was just standing open.

I freaked out, and called Michael at work. He told me to walk through every room of the house and stay on the phone with him. LUCKILY, it was just me being a gigantic airhead and leaving the door open for the first time ever, but I was worried that someone was in the house.

I do the dishes, straighten the living room, and settle down in my recliner with some heavy blankets to read. I hadn't gotten very far when the door is thrown open and I hear Michael bellow, "ANDIE?!?!". He turns the corner and sees me just sitting here reading, and I his face is rage itself.

Now it makes me laugh, but I saw him and thought he was just really really ticked off that I had left the door open on accident and that I was calling him so much at work and he was getting in trouble. Apparently, he had called me to check-in after the scare earlier, and I hadn't answered....so he called back 14 more times.

I swear, I NEVER heard it ring once, and I didn't even have any missed calls listed. But he walks in scared out of his mind, and I am sitting there calmly reading my book with my phone right next to me like it always is...I can only assume that he thought I was ignoring him! Well, he tore into me--chewed me out, probably because he was upset and scared, and I was scared....Anyways, big ordeal, I will never leave the door open again!

When the kids got home, Beth came over and brought them their Christmas present of the entire Narnia series , which was really cool, and me a sewing kit =)

I took them outside and we played on the swing set while Michael made our pizza party dinner! Hurrah! Now we are sitting down to watch Teen Titans with our pizza--good end to a weird day!

Afternoon Outside

Since my post this morning (kinda), we did a lot.

When the kids got up from their nap, they were awfully fussy, so I decided they probably needed some fresh air and exercise.

At first, we lay down a blanket on the ground and had clementines cuties and gatorade for snack, while I read my favorite book of the kid's "Wednesday Is Spaghetti Day" to the kids. They really liked their snack and story time being combined, and it was such a lovely day.

Well, when I was growing up, my grandfather Papa would give us four hard manual labor (specifically moving rocks from one place to another) so we would tire ourselves out and sleep through the night when we spent the night at his house. So I decide that we should probably clean up the backyard--maybe if we gather them, we can jump in leaf piles!

Emerald I set to sweeping, which she had a lot of fun with. Gabriel mostly just ran around, but I did get him picking up some trash and put it in the trashcan.

After we did a while of cleaning, we played on the swing set and slides =) I really need to buy some WD40 for that squeaky swingset!!

Emerald was in a really good mood, but she is so very pale!! Her hair is getting so so long, and she seems to be thinning out, just getting taller and taller. 

Gabriel was in a really great mood because he needed the fresh air. That boy never seems quite as happy as he is when he is outside. Don't you just love how brown his beautiful eyes are?? Of course, that is probably narcissism talking--they inherited my eye color, lol. Although Gabriel's is a bit darker than mine. 

We came inside and cleaned up our bedrooms and took a bath, and now they are helping me make tacos for supper--yum!! 

=) ~Andie~

Decorating For Christmas

So, technically this was last week or so BUT I just got the pictures on my computer, so I thought I would share!

Emerald, Gabriel, and I baked Christmas sugar cookies and decorated the tree together while Mike was at work. We would have waited for him, but we wanted to surprise him with holiday cheer! 

We used pictures of the children to decorate the table. =)

And finally, here is the Christmas tree all up and decorated! Doesn't it make my maroon carpet just a little more festive??? The tree is lovely with the lights on =) 

It's Been a Long Time

To be honest, I haven't even THOUGHT about this blog in a long time. I have gotten more technologically advanced, which means that I can keep people updated on the kids from a mixture of texts and picture messages easier than I can keep up with a blog. But now that Ken is travelling for work more and not getting to see the children as often, I figured it was time to start the blog back up again so that everyone can be kept up-to-date on the little details of our lives!

Today is Tuesday, which means 1 thing: Speech therapy.

Last March (maybe?), Emerald was still having a lot of trouble with her communication. She knew signs, but for the most part, only Rhonda and I could really understand her conversation most of the time. Even Michael and her teachers at school were clueless as to what she was saying. So, we contacted Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) to come evaluate her.

ECI has turned out to be a Godsend. Emerald's speech has improved DRASTICALLY since she started in speech therapy, and we have started getting her anxiety (due to auditory stress--loud or excessive noises tend to stress her out) under control.

Since she has turned 3, she has been going to Speech at Bowie elementary once a week with Ms. Amy. Emerald adores Ms. Amy, and her communication is improving even more rapidly. The best part of the speech, though, is that it gives me and Gabriel about an hour once a week, every week to go to Bowie park and play.

I love Bowie park. Most people prefer Maxie, but Maxie (is that how it is spelled??) is always swarming with people, no matter the season. At Bowie, every day it is just me and Gabriel. During the summer when I take both the kids, there may be one other family there occasionally, but it is still usually just us three.

Gabriel, needless to say, adores this time. He is practically fearless as he jumps off the playground equipment into my arms, swings on the big swings all by himself, or barrels down the slide face first. He runs and jumps and laughs and plays, and it makes him so very very happy.

Today was especially nice because despite being December, it was a lovely day. Not too hot, not too cold. Just lovely.

Emerald was so excited to see Ms. Amy that she ran up and gave her a great big hug, then started tugging on her hand so they could go get started :)

On the way home, we had a snack of sour cream and chive crackers and lemonade. Tuesday always wears the kids out, and since Mike works late, we have a late lunch, which means late nap, but all in all, it is one of the kid's favorite days.

At lunch, Emerald stole an Andy's Hot Fry from Michael's plate, but after two bites she decided that she did NOT like Andy's Hot Fries, lol.

I will update more later, hopefully!!

Love love ~Andie~