TROUBLE!!!

We've been dealing with cabin fever after a couple of snow days, a long winter break, followed by another snow after just 3 days of school. We have all gone a little crazy! NYC has had over 50 inches of snow this winter. We are more than ready for sunshine, fresh air, and the outdoors!

While being holed up in our warm cozy apartment this past week we saw a new side to Samara! Our sweet innocent 19 month old became better known as "Trouble"!

I'm sure you are thinking....Not this sweet little girl.

But let me assure you... this child's wild side made a grand appearance!

Of course, she looks so innocent. She's just using the laundry basket to reach the fridgerator ........

And play in the water!!!

Who knows how all those scribbles got on the walls?

Definitely not by the same one found here playing in the toilet with a whole roll of toilet paper!

Definitely not!

After a few long days at home...we escaped for a much needed shopping trip. We also got to go to church on Sunday! That's always a highlight to our week. Samara gets to meet up with her partner in crime... and it becomes Trouble x's 2!

My Oldest

I have been so proud of Dalton this past year. Of all the changes that has taken place this past year, Dalton has had to deal with the most as he is the oldest. He understands more of what takes place and he has more emotional attachments to places and people. Even though he was my first nephew and as an aunt I thought I would never love another niece/nephew as much, my relationship with him as "mom" has at times been difficult. It is not his fault...he has been through a lot emotionally and has dealt with so much at an early age that the word "confused" probably does not even begin to expain how he has felt at times.

Dalton is definitely our "sensitive" child. He is small for his age but has a huge heart. He can perceive my mood and always comes up behind me and gives me a neck massage when I am stressed or tells me he loves me when I need it most. He takes what people say to heart and he tries so hard to fit in with others. He loves to hang out and play video games with Dustin and where he used to always want to go with me shopping, etc now he prefers to stay with Dustin. Dalton does not handle criticism well and can be just as stubborn as me! He is a worrier and I can tell that he really thinks about things. His teachers all say he is a sweetheart. The way he plays with his sisters and takes care of Samara melts my heart. He is a very good big brother and his sisters are so blessed to have him on their side!

As he is the oldest, we have to face new hurdles and challenges with Dalton first. I'm finding that this can be a trial and error process and honestly sometimes I'm not sure what to do. Take for example the other day when I was getting on to him for something at a church function and in front of everyone he yelled at me, "You are not my mom!" I knew these words would come from him and Lyric one day but I was sooo not ready. And even though I knew they were said out of frustration they stung none the less. Thankfully I kept my mouth shut and let the moment pass. Note....I am not always this calm and understanding I have done my fair share of reacting without thinking it through. In a world that has been nothing but turbulent, I realize more and more that my reactions to his behaviour can either add fuel to the fury or can provide peace and comfort. It's not easy and I definitely have to ask for patience and help from God on a daily basis but the neat thing is I see great changes taking place in Dalton's life. He is growing up, he's thinking about his decisions, and he knows who to go to when he is in need. As I put Dalton to bed a couple of nights ago, he had a fever and was not feeling well at all. He turned to me and even though we pray every night he said, "Mom, could you please pray that Jesus will help me feel better?"

My friends that took Dalton to the Bronx Zoo with their two boys e-mailed me some pics. Here are the 3 boys being goofy!

Too cute!

Explorers on the look out!

*

It's a bear!

And another!

















Dalton had a great day with his friends!

Winter Break Getaway and More

Here in New York the kids have a February winter break. It is like an early spring break and at the particular school Dustin and the kids are at they have 7 school days off. Before you get jealous let me remind you that school is not out for the year here until the end of June. The break was extended further when school was closed 2 days prior to the break due to a snowstorm. Thankfully about a month ago Dustin and I planned to take the kids on a 3 day getaway at an indoor waterpark upstate New York during the winterbreak. We definitely had cabin fever and could not wait to get away and into a warmer climate even if it was indoors.

So we left on a Sunday and we even took the kids favorite "sitter" with us. We had a fabulous trip. We stayed at the hotel/indoor waterpark almost the entire time. It was perfect because we were able to go to the room and take naps or rest when needed. All the Looney Tunes were there and the kids loved dancing with them at the Valentines party and bedtime stories. Dalton and Lyric definitely love the water. They had a blast and went down every waterslide they could! Samara is much more timid. It amazes me how different her personality is. It took her a long time to warm up to the water and even then she was very cautious. We finally got her to go down the baby slide and I think she enjoyed it. Of course I forgot my camera...so there are no picures. On the last day we played in the water until noon. Then we cleaned up and had lunch and took the kids to an indoor moon bounce place. We let them burn off any extra energy before we headed home. Thankfully they were tired and slept most of the way home because it was snowing again and the drive home was a long one.

I had to return to work the next day and I was tired. But I am so blessed! Every day that week I came home to 3 happy kids and a wonderful husband who finished all our laundry and kept our house clean. He even helped Dalton finish his school project.

Dalton got to go to the Bronx zoo one day with some friends. He said he had lots of fun! I asked him if he was cold but I think he was just glad to be away from the girls!

The kids all had dentist appointments during their break. Dalton did great as usual. Lyric was such a big girl and actually let the dentist clean her teeth for the first time. I think it had to do with the Dora tv she watched while they cleaned her teeth and the ice cream I bribed her with! It was Samara's first dental visit and as expected she didn't like anyone looking at her teeth. But she survived and even told the dentist "Thank you" on our way out. Most important no one had cavities!

Dalton started running a fever this past Sunday. Thankfully he was better by Monday night and was able to go to school today. I think everyone was glad to get back to a normal routine today, especially Dustin. He does not like staying at home a lot but he has been wonderful!

I'm really getting ready for Spring. I noticed yesterday that our days are already getting longer. In the dead of winter here..it can be dark as early as 4:30 in the afternoon. Sunday was a beautiful sunny day and it did not get dark until almost 6:00 p.m. Unfortunately it has been cloudy and rainy since then and we are expecting another snow storm in just a couple of days. We have been watching the Olympics and helping the kids with their Academic Fair projects. Unfortunately Lyric's project requires that we grow a plant from a seed. We haven't seen anything come up yet but we are praying for this plant to grow! Lyric asks me daily if it has grown. I'm not so sure it will!

30

So I hit the big 30 during the month of January. I was not really that excited about turning 30 but since then I have already learned to appreciate being in my 30's! As they say with age comes wisdom! So hopefully I'm getting a little bit wiser!





I was blessed to have my mom, Richard, and nephew Kuper visit for my birthday. We really enjoyed spending time together. We didn't do any sightseeing as they have done most of that already. We did however go to the mall on the day of my birthday. We took the kids to Robot Galaxy where Dalton built a robot and to Build A Bear Workshop where Lyric built a Hello Kitty and Kuper and Samara both built puppies. We also took the kids to see the new Chipmunk movie. They loved it! We did some shopping and after a long day we met with several friends at the Fire and Ice Grill for dinner. Oh I almost forgot my husband showered me with gifts as well. I received a beautiful bouquet of roses before leaving the house that morning along with a gift certificate to my favorite hair and nail salon. Dustin also surprised me by having the cutest cake made for our dinner that evening. I couldn't have asked for a better day!

I didn't take hardly any pictures the entire weekend. This is actually the only one I took and I forgot to download the pictures Richard took. So here is Mamaw with 3 of her grandbabies. I don't know where Dalton was. I have learned so much from my mom. She is a great source of strength to me. I love her so much and as I get older and face situations with my own children I am aware more and more of the struggles she faces as a mother and of the sacrifices she has made for me. I hope that I am as good of a mother to my children as she was and is to me. I am so thankful that she was able to be with me on my 30th. There are days when I miss her so much...like today.

Drama Queen

My little drama queen has been keeping me busy! Last week I had a parent teacher conference with Lyric's teacher. She told me that Lyric was a bright child but that she could be a little manipulative. "What? Not my Lyric!" I said. According to the teacher Lyric refused to say her alphabet or even identify basic shapes such as a circle and then Lyric proceeded to tell her teacher with great drama and tears, her momma NEVER lets her practice her letters or her shapes and that was why she didn't know them. How could I respond to that! I really just had to laugh. Especially since I know Lyric knows all her letters and her shapes. In fact we had just practiced them all with flash cards and her Dora Shape book. Fortunately Lyric's teacher was well aware that Lyric knew her alphabet and shapes but I still felt the need to explain and justify myself. I guess we are going to have to work on telling the truth a little more than on our letters and shapes!

Lyric still gets some of her words confused. Particularly when this situation occurs. "Lyric did you hit Dalton?" Looking at me with big earnest eyes. "I did it on purpose mommy". Trying not to laugh, "Lyric do you mean you did it on accident?" "No, I did it on purpose, I didn't mean to" LOL....sometimes all I can do is just laugh.

The other night we were going to eat out and Lyric informed me that she did not want to eat any Mexicans! I expained to her that we don't eat people! I guess she is tired of the Spanish food around the corner from the church. I on the other hand love it!

Lyric has become the little mommy to Samara and Samara eats it up. They play house together. Lyric holds Samara, dresses her up, and pushes her around in the baby stroller (until it broke!). I love watching them play together and to see the bond they are developing.

Lyric is still the most energetic one in the house. Some days I am tired just watching her but I would not trade her for anything. No one in the world does my hair and makeup like Lyric!

18 Months and going Potty...What's next?

I'm a total crybaby when I think about Samara growing up. I never thought I would be this way but everytime she does something new or outgrows something I get so sentimental. So even though most parents would be thrilled if their child decided to potty train themselves...I am a little sad that over the past month that is exactly what Samara decided to do.

We bought Samara a little potty and put it in the bathroom. I had no intention of potty training her until she turned two this summer but I thought it might be a good thing if she was used to it. I never tried to make her sit on it or even asked her if she wanted to go peepee. But one day about a week after Christmas she came into the bathroom and pointed at her little potty. I asked her if she needed to go peepee and she shook her head yes. So I took off her diaper and let her sit on it. I was not even really paying attention when all of a sudden the potty started singing! Apparently we bought the musical potty! Samara went peepee the first time she sat on her potty. She continued to go into the bathroom over the next week at various times and go peepee. I never made her go or pushed her to go. It was just something she wanted to do and has continued to do.

So at this point Samara wears a diaper at night. She goes peepee first thing in the morning and then I put a diaper back on her. When she gets to school her teacher puts her in big girl panties and she wears them all day. She does have accidents but overall is doing great! She even went #2 in the potty last week! I continue to put her in diapers when we are going to be away from home or school. I'm definitely not ready to take her to a public restroom and she is still so little.

My baby girl is growing up more and more every day. She had her 18 month check up last week. She weighs 23 lbs and is in the 78th percentile for height. She is totally healthy and continues to be off of all medications. She is saying more and more words every day. I love that she is learning to pray and ends her prayers by saying "MAN!" as loud as she can. From time to time she gives us a good glimpse of her wild side in the form of miniature tantrums. But they are usually very short lived and she usually goes to find Dalton or Lyric for sympathy. It is too cute! Oh...she also does this really cheesy but cute smile where she shows her front teeth when I take her picture.

PaPa and NaNa

As I mentioned in my earlier post...PaPa and NaNa were supposed to arrive on Christmas day but due to a crazy Oklahoma bizzard they were not able to leave until the Monday after Christmas. So I was definitely a little sad on Christmas day but glad that we had kept it a surprise and the kids had no idea what they were missing. In fact we didn't tell the kids that NaNa and PaPa were coming at all and Monday evening when we went to pick them up at the airport, they actually thought we were flying somewhere and Lyric couldn't understand why we didn't take any bags! I thought I would die from anticipation when we were waiting for them to get off the plane. The kids were so surprised they didn't even recognize them at first!

Here is NaNa and her girls! I'm sure she will love me posting this one!We took NaNa and PaPa sight seeing despite the freezing cold temperatures. You can't go sightseeing in New York City without experiencing the subway! Dalton and Lyric are becoming pros! The kids loved playing on the BIG piano at FAO Swartz on 5th Ave.

One day the kids stayed home with the sitter and we went out for some more sight seeing. Here is PaPa trying on some NY gangsta bling while we were in China town.

We took a trip on the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. The sight never gets old to me. I'm so thankful to live in America and to have the freedoms we have everyday.

We did more sightseeing in two days than I have done in a long time. From Central Park, Time Square, St. Patricks Cathedral, the Statue of Liberty, to China Town. Sightseeing is not all we did though. We definitely ate some good food! Dad had to try out the steaks at Ruths Chris Steakhouse and I don't think he was dissapointed. One evening we went with friends to Ninja NewYork. Dad heard about it on the Food Network and it was definitely an experience. I was proud of myself for trying food that I normally would never try. We had lots of fun!

Here is Samara and PaPa the day they left. Like the other grandbabies...she has learned that PaPa knows how to spoil with candy and backrubs!

We sent PaPa and NaNa home on a full stomach by taking them to Katz Deli and Veniero's Bakery just before taking them to the airport. We had so much fun and are so thankful that they came to visit. We are truly blessed to have them in our life!