EASTER!!!

We had a great Easter Sunday! I love this time of year and for once it was completely beautiful outside and warm! I also love that we focus so much on Jesus. It is a great time to really spend time teaching the kids and talking to them. We always sit down as a family and use the resurrection eggs to tell the story of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. Thank you Aunt Tammy for this special gift you gave us several years ago. The kids get so excited to pull out the eggs and Samara even joined in the fun.

I was in charge of Children's Church since Roberta was still away getting married! We had an easter egg hunt (NYC style!) That is always something to try and pull off. I have absolutely no pictures but it was lots of fun.





We spent Sunday afternoon at our Pastor's house. We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs! It was delicious. The kids had a blast playing with bubbles and anything else they could get into. Overall it was a wonderful day!

Where has the month gone??

I am sooo behind! But...I do have reasons. First our computer crashed, then we all got sick, and finally our home phone and internet service went out. So that was our month in a nutshell! No, not really! We did so much more! So I'm going to try and catch up with the next several posts because I know I'm going to have something very exciting to post next week!

We started off the month of April by going on a trip to Syracuse. Our state youth convention is the Thursday thru Saturday before Easter every year in Syracuse. Our friends and youth pastors thought they had better things to do, like go to Hawaii to see family and officiate their sisters wedding! (Congratulations Nelson and Roberta!!!) So Dustin and I, our kids, 5 other sponsors, and our youth group traveled to Syracuse for a fun filled weekend.
We went bowling, swimming, shopping, ate and ate some more, attended some amazing services, and had a fun time together. 4 of the youth gave their lives to Jesus for the first time! What a great way to spend the Easter weekend! I'm thankful for all the great sponsors we had. It was a very successful trip....all except for the stomach virus that attacked a couple of our sponsors. Our family escaped it during the trip but we weren't so lucky later on.

To say we were tired when we arrived home Saturday night would be an understatement. Unfortunately there was not much time for rest. Sunday morning was Easter and there was much to celebrate!

Hello Sunshine!

Last weekend we had a huge rainstorm. I have never seen it rain and the wind blow as hard as it did. Lots of people were without power and dealing with flooding or leaks. We were safe with power and electricity. We decided to take the kids shoe shopping and then to Chuck E Cheese to play. The kids had a blast but just getting from the car to the store was a chore! We didn't get any pics at Chuck E Cheese (we were too busy staying up with all 3 kids!) but here is a pic Dustin got of Samara kissin herself in the mirror while we were at the shoe store!

One of the reasons I love living in New York City is the diversity that is celebrated. I love that there are so many different races and ethnic groups and that each one is celebrated throughout the year. Whether it be the Chinese New Year, a Jewish holiday, Three Kings Day, or a Greek festival there is so much to learn about others! It amazes me how important nationality is to many that live here. New York City is truly the melting pot of the world. I am always stopped and asked if I'm Irish. I always answer that I'm just pure mutt - a little mix of everything!

Saint Patrick's Day is a great celebration for the Irish who live here! The city has a large parade on 5th Ave. Stores sell corned beef and cabbage and green beer (but I know nothing of that!) Everyone is decked in green in some fashion or another because of course no one wants to be pinched! We joined in the fun. Here are some picks of the kids decked in their Irish green!

Samara seems to be saying...it is way to early for pictures!

Thankfully the yucky, cold, snowy, rainy weather gave way to some beautiful spring weather. We were more than ready! Actually temps here are about 20 degrees above normal... we will definitely take it! We spent several afternoons at the large park that is behind our apartment. It is a huge park. It has multile play areas, walking trails, ball fields, etc. The other side of the park (which is past walking distance) faces the Long Island Sound and has a beach called Orchard Beach. I can't wait to take the kids swimming there this summer!

Taking a rest!

The warm weather is exciting because Samara is old enough to play outside and have fun. It is interesting to watch her. She is so different from Dalton and Lyric. She is very timid, requires much coaching to do something new, and absolutely hates the swings! Hopefully she will warm up to it as she grows!

Unfortunately the day I took my camera, Dalton wasn't with us. He was having problems remembering to bring home his homework so he had to stay home :(

Thursday night the kids had their academic fair. They were able to show off their projects. Dalton's was on the State of Oklahoma. His teacher said he did outstanding when he gave his presentation. Lyric's was on seeds and plants. Thankfully our praying worked and her seed did grow and did not die before the fair!

We are looking forward to a fun weekend. The warm temps are supposed to last through Sunday! Woohoo!!!!

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.