Friday, November 2, 2012

Fall Fun

Home Sweet Home.  After living in an apartment for two weeks, followed by a short stent in a hotel, followed by another 12 days in a short term home rental....we are home!  I forgot how comfortable our bed is!  I don't even mind the cat jumping on my head in the middle of the night!  Life is finally starting to slow down a bit as we are recovering from our Canadian adventures.
We have really enjoyed getting together with friends now that we've returned.  The kids and I visited a couple of Pumpkin Patches nearby.  It was hard to find any available clothes for the Texas weather since I packed up almost all of our summer clothing!



Julia loved the princesses!


Isaac's alter ego...Bamm Bamm!  Also his halloween costume!

Kai being a scarecrow




Our sweet friends having a van/picnic!

As close to getting all 3 in a picture as possible this day!





















Okay...I'll try to limit the pictures!  I just know that if I don't "record" them somewhere they will never get out of my computer file.  That's what I like about this blog....I'm able to capture some memories so I don't forget them all years down the line!

Kai has been doing well and enjoying his new teachers and classmates at preschool.  We decided to split the twins up for preschool this year after some prompting from the preschool director.  This has been a huge struggle for me since I think the kids find comfort in each other.  After watching them in their separate classes the past few weeks though, I see that it is only Mom who needs comforting!  I've even suggested to them that they would enjoy being in the same classroom, but they both say, "No, my own class!"  Although, the teachers have told me that whenever they cross paths at preschool, they run to each other and give hugs and kisses.  They also say often that they are each other's best friends.  That makes Mom's heart happy!  Kai has been receiving speech therapy services twice a week at the local elementary school.  He will start receiving physical therapy weekly next week through a private clinic.  Our main concern lately is his speech delay/articulation.  He has difficulty putting the endings on his words, which makes him very hard to understand.  One phrase that he says very clearly (and often) is, "I love my mommy!"  He is definitely my tenderhearted child!

Kai enjoying the petting zoo this week at preschool...also Halloween party day!

Julia has already made quick friends at school.  She also has started taking dance classes twice a month by a teenage aged girl from our church.  Here is a clip following their first practice:




She is very verbal, which is a good thing or bad thing depending on the day!  She can be very sweet at times and very sassy at times.  It makes me appreciate my mom more (with three daughters) all the time!  I really do enjoy the moments when she shares with me her thoughts and prays out loud at night.

Isaac is 19 months now and really thinks he is three.  He is so athletic, that he is actually able to do most things that the twins can do.  Jared and I had discussed that Isaac isn't quite ready for "chores" besides putting toys away, and then he surprised us last week by climbing out of his booster chair at the dinner table when he was finished eating and picking up his empty plate and then taking it to the sink.  He was so proud when we clapped for him that he ran up to Kai and gave him a big bear hug!  We have now added his name to the "chore chart!"


Jared has been busy with his job and has recently been named the US Operations Manager.  He has proven to be very valuable in the short time that he has been in the company.  That position will include some travel to Midland/Houston.  We have decided that we could handle 1-2 days of travel a week for a short while in return for staying in the Dallas area and not moving to Midland or Houston!!  We have experienced a lot of ups and downs that I'm sure are common with most start up companies. 
We have loved reconnecting with our Village Church home group family.  The kids love having our home group members to our house weekly and getting a lot of hugs & kisses from friends who have become family to us.  My days are filled with my mommy duties.   One day I'll be able to handle more and will take on some hobbies!  Although I look forward to the day when I can take the kids outside without needing a bath afterwards, being able to sit for more than 10 minutes at a time (w/o putting the kids in front of the TV!) and going an hour without having to discipline the kids,.....I also will miss this lovely stage of toddler-hood!


Bamm Bamm, Pirate, & Mermaid!