It's all in a name...

Look who wrote his name all by himself?!?

I am one proud momma. :)

We had worked on writing letters a few months ago, but he was totally not into it, so I laid off. Then, his MDO teachers got him chalk for a end-of-year gift and he LOVED them.

We were all sitting outside last night when he proudly announced, "Look, I drew an 'L'"!

I said, "Oh, honey that is great! Why don't you add two more lines to make an 'E'", and then I turned back to Chris and our conversation. I turned again to look at him and he had made his "E" and drawn another "L" right next to it. My mouth dropped and Chris stopped talking then ran to get the camera.

:)

Last Day of School

Today was the last day of MDO for the semester!

Eli and Ileigh just LOVE going to "school".

It helps that they have great teachers.

Here is Eli with his teachers.

(Funny side note- I went to Beach Reach with the girl in the pink. Crazy small world....even crazier that she remembered and recognized me!)

Here are Ileigh's teachers. She ADORES these two. I am nervous about the fall and changing of teachers. She has Ms. Terry and Ms. Doris for MDO, Sunday School and Wednesday morning and night. She likes Ms. Doris more than me most days.

These were the teachers' gifts I put together in the back of my car- it was crazy and very messy! 

After school we celebrated with a little swim!

Then Eli pretended to be a firefighter and "rescued" Ileigh from the tower.

Eli's Musical Debut!

I am one proud momma. Last week was Eli's last Wednesday night music and mission class. He loves those ladies and they are so good with him! When a song they sing comes on one of our CDs at home he stops everything he is doing and breaks out in the biggest smile. Heart-melting!

Here is their little show they put on last week. The 3 year olds are in the front and 4 year olds are in the back- I can't wait to see him perform at 4. I was so happy that he wasn't scared to perform! And, I was really proud of the awesome rhythm he has! Do we have a musician on our hands?!?

If you get bored, make sure you hang on until "If you are Happy and You Know it."

Adorable!

Ears, Gymnastics, water and a fire suit

It has been crazy here; but then again, when is it not?

I am caught up on photo edits for the moment- until tomorrow, when we have our next shoot, this weekend our big "photo weekend" for the month and then we are taking photos for our church for Mother's Day. The next weekend is a wedding and then a Sunday full of photo shoots. May is crazy. June might be crazier. :)

About 4 or 5 weeks ago, I had a sinus infection and it somehow blocked the drainage to my ear, so I have a sort of muffled hearing on my right side. I hope it clears up soon. I need to call the doctor back, but I haven't.

Eli finished up his gymnastics class and everything at church on Wednesday nights is coming to a close this week. I am a little sad about that. I find myself happier...and my kiddos happier with a good schedule and lots of activities planned. Maybe I will try to be more proactive and have at least one fun, different thing for us to do a week. I know I will miss these days of care-free summers when  they are gone!

Here are some pictures from his last "watch day". I can't believe how much he loves gymnastics now. The first class he left saying he didn't want to go back ever again. It broke my heart, but we had already paid from Jan-May, so we decided to make this a learning experience. It also helped that we bribed him to go with cookies...:). But after the first month or so, each week got easier and we didn't even have to use cookies! Now I really think he is going to miss it. His favorite activities are the balance beam (he now balances on every curb he can find) and the trampoline.

We have had some gorgeous weather! I finally got out the little splash pad that we bought Eli when he was Ileigh's age. Eli happened to see it in the garage a few weeks ago and has been begging to get in the water. After MDO last week I surprised them both with a little water fun.
Ileigh was a little shy at first, but after some convincing from brother, she was all in. :)

Just had to share a funny story too-

Last weekend we went to a small car show here in Amarillo. It was put on by a local charity, where Chris serves on the board. My parents came along because my dad would never miss a chance to take Eli to a car show. :)

Anyway, Eli insisted that he wear his full fire fighter gear- who cares if it was 90 degrees outside? He had so many people talk to him and shake his hand. Makes this momma happy. Sometimes I hesitate to let him dress himself or wear construction hats or shorts and cowboy boots, but those are the days I catch so many older moms stare with a smile thinking back to their kiddos early years. This will only last a short, short time. And all those people who think I am crazy for letting him go out in public like that just flat out miss the beauty of childhood. :)

Here is a picture of my parents, Chris and the kiddos in line for lunch after the car show.

THE 15 month check-up

So for months I have been concerned about it- Ileigh's 15 month checkup. The one that our doctor doesn't normally do, and every single person that I came into contact with in the office felt they needed to share that obscurity with me. Every single time her records were pulled.
Yeah, that one.

Ileigh is perfect. Not to my surprise, but to my relief. I am glad we don't have to deal with that weight anymore. I have no idea why the doctor wanted to see Ileigh nor did she share that information with me. I almost brought up the need for some staff training, but I kept my mouth shut. Mostly because Ileigh was screaming the entire time- I can't blame her, I don't like going to the doctor either. They did keep asking me if she ever went to a nursery at church or a babysitter; she was glued to my side the entire time. "Yes, she loves the church nursery and all of our sitters." I informed them, "She only acts this way here- I guess you all should feel extra special." :)

And she didn't pass out this time from the shots- I say it was a fabulous trip.

This month, we added "bird" "shoes" and "cup" to your vocab.
Your favorite place to be is still outside. You LOVE to climb on brother's swingset; Eli is always here to help and encourage you. I am there to tell you, "Sit on your bottom, and come down, you are too high!"
You played in the sprinkler for the first time and you love to play chase with Eli and daddy.
You also like to try to push us over and tackle us on the ground.

Someday we will take some pictures! :)



Ileigh, you are amazing.
I really think you are crazy smart. Ekkk...I don't know if I can handle another child smarter than me!
You are very brave and bold and I love it. I pray that you will not be shy and will use your gifts to their fullest potential, never shying away because you are afraid.