Growing Up

Baby Girl

18 week ultrasound

22 week belly picture

19 week belly picture

Kids playing babies, practicing for baby sis

BVI Marriage Retreat

In May (which seems like a lifetime ago) we had the opportunity to go on a week-long married couples sailing trip with my parents, sisters, and their husbands. We laughed a lot, ate too much, got a little sea sick, and enjoyed time with each other in the beautiful British Virgin Islands.

For a long time after J and I got married, we wondered who our siblings would chose to spend their lives with, because selfishly we wanted it to be people we thought were awesome. This vacation was such an answer to that prayer. Both of my sisters have been blessed by husbands who balance them so perfectly. Not to mention, they are a lot of fun!

Of course, our parents have been such a strong influence on each of us and our view of Christian marriage. And even though we sometimes still roll our eyes like teenagers when they offer advice (or book suggestions, or podcast suggestions from Focus on the Family), we owe a great deal of credit to them for setting such a strong example of a committed marriage with Christ at the center.

We all looked forward to this trip for a long time, and it didn't disappoint. I can't believe it has already come and gone.

Colorado 2014

A few of my favorite pictures from our family vacation in Colorado this year. The highlight was getting to spend so much time with Harper, and watching the cousins love one another.

Family Picture (number 4 in my tummy)

Anna Kate (in accordance with Cappy's tradition) kissing her first catch!

Cousins - 7 months apart. Little twins.

Uncle Matt really stepped up and played with the kids the entire time. He is officially the new favorite uncle!

The love of my life :)

Wild Ride

This week month has been one for the record books. And we are so glad it is coming to an end. 

At the beginning of August (and really for several weeks prior) J started the acquisition process of a real estate company in Austin. It required a TON of hours of work, which meant lots of time away from us. Around the same time, I started feeling very sick because of this pregnancy. I'm not sure if the sickness has been worse this time around, or if the task of taking care of three littles compounded my symptoms. Either way, it has been rough.

A few weeks after the acquisition, we traveled with this crew to Colorado. We decided to fly so that we would have more time there and less time traveling. While the kids did really well, they are still kids. Wills in particular required a lot of attention to keep him occupied on the two hour flight and in the airport waiting. And, of course, there is no such thing as vacation with little kids ... it was more of an adventure. 

The morning after we got home J left for Miami for a work conference. I woke up to the contents of two large suitcases scattered across the house, three energetic kids, a bunny ... and a lot of nausea! Oh, and homeschooling!

So, that brings us to today. J returned home last night at about 8:30 and departed again this morning at 10 for one of his best buddy's bachelor party weekends in Louisiana. And the miracle of it all is that I woke up with no nausea and have felt pretty great all day! Praise the Lord!

Hopeful that this marks the end of my first trimester and the beginning of the good-feeling second trimester! And I am really looking forward to J coming home on Sunday. We miss him. We need him. It is just better with him around :)

Number 4

That's right! Number 4 is due to arrive in March!

The kids and I wore the shirts (pictured above) to tell my family about the baby. Trip was number one, AK number 2, Wills number 3, and there was a small number 4 on my belly. The puzzle took everyone a little while to figure out. My favorite reaction was from Whitney - who in all fairness I just send the picture of the shirts to. She asked if we were adopting a teenage girl :)

Gigi just thought I was number 4 and J must be number 5. And Cappy didn't notice the shirts for a while.

When we told Timmy, he said, "Oh my goodness, enough already folks!" (Not a surprising reaction from him, but it made us laugh.

We are excited for this new addition to our crazy, wonderful crew. Each of our children have been blessings in our lives and we know the fourth will be the same. We love the little peach (that's how big it is) already!

Trip and Anna Kate practicing for the new baby. I know they will be such big helpers and such loving siblings.

Summer Fun!

Shaving cream fun in the backyard

Boerne Lake

Enjoying a sweet summer evening

A moment of sweetness

These two

Our days during the summer are not a lot different from our days during the spring or fall, but we have been trying to make the most of the extended days and opportunities to be in the water. The temperature has been relatively mild for a South Texas summer. For that we have been grateful!

I am amazed how these three are able to play together as friends (most of the time) and am so excited to see how their relationships will grow as we continue to keep them home for school. They definitely have their moments, as I'm sure even best school friends do. But for the most part, despite their age differences, they play together well. Mr. Wills and Miss Anna Kate seem to have the hardest time getting along, probably because of how close they are in age. Wills seems to have been born with the instinct to terrorize his sister. And her dramatic reaction to his every move only encourages his antics. They are starting to look so close in age and size (both weighing 30 lbs.), and I am sure Wills will pass AK up quickly. He often wins when it comes to tug-of-war over a toy, and she is not shy about letting the world know she is upset! 

We have had no real routine or plans over the summer, so starting school will be a shock for us all. Only a few weeks before we have a kindergartner and get in to the full swing of homeschooling. I am excited for the change! 

Whiskers

Papa Trip with his baby Whiskers. 

The last year on one hand

Trip is 5 (and three months)!!

Height and Weight - 60th percentile

I had another mom tell me the other day that 5 is a big deal because it is the last year you can count on one hand. I thought that was so cute. It seems like Trip has been 5 years old for a while, and I can't believe next year is the official start of school. Since we have decided to home school, that feels like a big step for the whole family!

Trip is such a smart boy. Sometimes I want to keep pushing him to learn more and more, and then I realize that I also need to just let him be a kid. Letters and their sounds and putting them together has come fairly easily, and he can read 3 to 4 letter words. He is also sounding out longer words to write them. Below is my favorite. We were playing a game and I asked him to come up with any word he wanted, and gave him examples like "sun" or "dad". Then I would guess what he had written. 

For his first word, this is what he wrote...

Now, because I know his handwriting and that his U looks like a V sometimes, I immediately guessed it. Duck Dynasty! DUc DiNESTSE. Pretty funny! His dad was proud! And it is sooo typical that he would choose something much more complicated to write. He often comes up with these ideas or inventions that are literally impossible to create. And he doesn't just want some play version of his idea, he wants it to really exist. So when we work hard on creating it and it doesn't live up to his vision, he can get quite frustrated. Like his dad, he has an all or nothing personality. 

(Valestim Da Dad card)

Me with my sweet boy.

This past fall

Big boy playing Tball

On to other things ... five year old things ...

For Trip's birthday his big present was a "truck" from his grandparents. It has been the best toy. The kids drive it all over our lot and the empty lot next door. It is such a weird step for me to be able to trust him not to drive in to the street! Being 5 comes with a lot of new responsibilities!

Trip,

As you grow and mature, you remain our sweet, tender-hearted boy. You lead your brother and sister gently and set such a great example for them. We love you more than words can express. Our prayer is that you will come to know Jesus as your Savior and that His kindness and love will shine through you. We know that great things are in your future.

Our hearts are full and we are so proud of you, sweet Bubba. 

Super Hero Kids

Easter 2014