Enjoying the Final Days of Summer

Okay, so in reality we have another month or so of summer weather, but I'm going to pretend that since the calendar says it's after September 22nd, it's autumn. We had some unprecedented but EXTREMELY welcome cooler weather last week. It was so chilly I pulled out a long sleeve shirt from my winter clothes box! The girls got to dress in jeans and Jameson had a blanket over his little legs in his carseat. But after the miserable summer we endured, we deserve some cooler weather finally! But alas, all good things must come to an end and the temperatures are creeping back up into the 90s once more. This prompted Richard to break out the blow-up pool that we have used all of three times since we got it. The girls got into their bathing suits and splashed around in the pool. Okay, technically Serena was standing OUTSIDE of the pool playing with the water, but who cares. So she threw a fit when Calli poured water on her head...it's still progress from how she used to be around the water.

Serena is going to get in the pool!

No, maybe she'll just hang out around it and work on her tan
Serena was putting water on Calli with her shovel

Love love LOVE this picture of my sweet girls

Serena taking a break - she stole Daddy's chair!

Hey Calli, put your nose in the hose!

Yes, we are THOSE parents who torture our kids for our amusement ;) Hey, she was laughing!

Every time Serena got water on her face she would come over and grab the towel to wipe her eyes

Now it's Serena's turn to play with the hose! I adore this picture too - and the look on Calli's face is priceless!

Out of the pool and all bundled up!

Serena, What Are You Doing?

I think Serena may miss being the baby, what do you think?

In his carseat

In the swing
Playing in his bumbo toy

Jumping in the jumperoo

And she's at it again!! Those clothes are a little boyish, don't you think, Serena?

September26

Here are some snippets from Calli's soccer game today. As you can see Richard is not quite the video recorder that I am. But it's better than nothing!

Coming Out of Her Shell

Serena has been a complete surprise to me these last few months. Since about the time she has been crawling she has been pretty clingy. When she started walking it got even worse. She didn't like to go places without either Richard or me (mostly Richard since she was a huge Daddy's girl!). I remember we'd be at Sea World and I would take her in a little area for small kids and she would just sit there quietly on my lap. In our own home we couldn't get her to sit still, but take her out in public and she was stuck on us like glue. As the months passed and I got farther along in my pregnancy I really started to worry. How would she react to the new baby? How would she react to not having all the attention she was used to? How would she react to us holding another baby? When she was about thirteen months old things slowly started to change. With a little coaxing she would play on her own at the play places we went to. I started to tell Richard not to hold her all the time when he got home from work because she was going to have to get used to being by herself a little bit. Even though she was getting better, she still had some clinginess and I was still nervous how she would react to another little one invading her space. She was obviously used to sharing toys and space with an older sibling, but bringing someone new and smaller into the mix was a whole different scenario.

As it turned out I shouldn't have spent one second worrying. When we first brought Jameson home from the hospital Serena mostly ignored him, but I was perfectly happy with that. Better her ignore his presence than hit, kick or bite him. Over time she started to get used to the idea that her little brother wasn't going anywhere. She started to pay attention to him and they developed a little relationship. Nowadays, she loves him to bits. When I bring the girls downstairs in the morning, the first thing Serena does is look around for Jameson. Once she spots him, she runs over and gives him hugs and kisses. That baby never gets anything but hugs and kisses from his big sister Serena. Sure, there have been times where she might have been a little rough, but I can't think of one instance where she has been flat out mean on purpose. She is his biggest protector and a real helper to me. If she sees that he has spit up, she will run and grab a burp rag and wipe his face. If he starts to get fussy she will bring his bottle or paci and try to put it in his mouth. And the love between them is mutual. Jameson's face lights up whenever he sees her. Just this afternoon when Jameson was sitting in his carseat Serena was playing with him and making him laugh.

One day a few weeks ago I had just gotten Jameson's bottle ready and put it on the couch. By the time I went to grab him, Serena had hopped up there and had the bottle in her hands. I thought "why not" and put the baby in her lap where she proceeded to feed him. It was the funniest sight because Jameson is nearly as big as her at just three months old! She had to be reminded several times to keep the bottle in his mouth and her attention was easily distracted, but she sat there for a good five minutes giving him his bottle and just loving on him. It was the sweetest sight and just brought tears to my eyes. It wasn't that long ago that we were bringing Serena home from the hospital as a newborn and Calli was feeding her for the first time in that same spot. Now it was her turn to feed her little sibling and she was such a proud big sister.

The girls may fight like cats and dogs some days, but I know that we are truly blessed to have three beautiful, healthy kids who love each other so much. I am happy that they get to grow up together and hope that they will continue to have these special bonds for the rest of their lives.

Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet. ~ Vietnamese Proverb

Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there. ~ Amy Li

Calli's Little Friend

Calli has been enjoying going to preschool. Every day she comes home full of information and stories (I suppose I should enjoy these while they last as I'll have to pull teeth to get information in her teenage years). Lately her stories have all been full of a boy named Javier, or Javi, as she calls him. It started when she came home and told us she was going to marry a boy in her class. Now these two seem inseparable at school and she tells me all the things they do: play mommy and daddy, get married, eat lunch together, etc. I think Calli has her very first boyfriend ;). It makes sense as she is a beautiful, smart, friendly little girl, but I think we were hoping that she might wait awhile to take an interest in boys. Boys or girls, I think it is always a fun thing to see your kid making friends and who knows? Maybe they really will get married someday!

The Girls' Halloween Costumes

Here is a sneak peek of Calli and Serena's Halloween costumes. Calli is going to be a witch (she still needs some fishnet tights, black shoes and a broom!) and Serena is going to be a pumpkin. This is the costume that Calli was when she was one-year-old; I think every toddler should be a pumpkin at some point! She just needs a black shirt, black tights and black shoes to complete her little outfit. We are going to have the cutest little trick-or-treaters!

Serena the pumpkin!

Calli the witch!
Both girls

Rolling Baby!

Jameson is on the move! I think I mentioned he has rolled belly to back a few times and now he is rolling from his back to his belly. He does this a lot now and is getting so big! I would guess he has to be seventeen pounds now. He is three and a half months old now. Where does the time go?

Soccer Time, Go Lightning!

Calli and I had our first soccer game today! It was supposed to be the first last weekend but it got postponed due to rain. So this morning we both got dressed in our uniforms and headed to the field to make our 10am game. I was a little nervous to coach a game for the first time and Calli was really excited to play again. I had all ten kids there and the game went great. They actually play two 3v3 games side by side. My assistant coaches one field with five kids and I coach the other. The kids all had a great time and they did so well, I was so proud! It was fun to see them in the game because they all did so great. I was surprised by a few of the players who seem to hold back in practices, but were aggressive and scoring goals in the games. Calli did score quite a few goals herself and I found that I liked the 3v3 format. The kids get more playing time and more touches on the ball. We are looking forward to our next game in a week!

Calli and I outside getting ready to leave for the game

We were happy that my dad got to be here for Calli's first game in the ACYSO. I think he enjoyed watching her play.
Calli took a photo of us - not too bad!

She's Wearing What?

It appears I should still be shopping for Serena in the 3-6 month clothing section...

Going to the Big D

Last weekend we loaded up the car with luggage and kids to head to North Texas for a few days. Our main objective was to meet with a realtor and look at homes, but we also wanted to do a few fun things for the kids as well and I think we accomplished both feats very nicely!

We hit the road Saturday morning at 9:30am, which was perfect because we decided we wanted to leave between 9:00am and 10:00am. We moved Serena's carseat to the very back so her and Calli were sitting together and Richard sat in the empty middle seat next to Jameson while I drove. The kids did really well on the drive up, we hardly heard a peep from Jameson unless he was hungry! Calli was engrossed in her movies the whole time (thank you built-in DVD player!!) and even Serena was content most of the ride. As always, we stopped at a McDonalds just outside of Austin for lunch and to let everyone stretch their legs a bit in the play area. We made it to our hotel in Plano at 3:30pm. Our hotel was really great! It had a small kitchen and living room and then two bedrooms, both with doors. The girls shared one room, Calli in the queen bed (spoiled!) and Serena in the pack n play and Richard and I shared the other room with Jameson. We let the kids run around the hotel for a bit before heading out to get something to eat. We ate at a really cool restaurant called Blue Mesa Grill. They have an extremely extensive tequila bar and Richard and I both enjoyed BLUE margaritas. After that we headed to Safeway (known as Tom Thumb in the area) to pick up a few items I forgot. As always, it was nice to shop in a grocery store not called HEB ;).

The next day was Sunday and we were meeting with the realtor at 11:00am. We all got into our car and he showed us around Frisco. We got to walk through three houses that I had found and liked online. None of them lived up to the expectations so that is a lesson to me not to get too carried away over a home I haven't seen in person! One of them was just my favorite from the photos I had seen online, but it turned out to be not as nice. We drove through a lot of neighborhoods and it was really great to have the realtor by our side telling us exactly what areas were the best and others to stay away from. All of Frisco is nice and any neighborhood would be great, but for resale value there are some better than others. The very last neighborhood he took us to was a new construction neighborhood where they were still building; he wanted us to walk a model home. Now, I was thinking in my head "we don't want to build again so this is a waste of time, but what the heck, let's just look". Isn't that always what happens? You find your favorite in the place you least expect it! This subdivision was actually in McKinney but with Frisco schools so it is really close to Frisco. The builder is really great and the neighborhood is great. Besides the realtor's recommendations I have done a little of my own research and have only found good things about it. They had an exemplary elementary school in the neighborhood as well as (I believe) a middle and high school. In addition to the schools there is a pool and splash park for the little ones and a real park.

So we walk into the home and I think immediately we were in love. The floorplan was just awesome downstairs! And upstairs it got even better as we passed the media room on the way to the bedrooms. I came back down and told the realtor and salesperson "okay, we'll take it!". It was just a really beautiful home and our dream home. All together it has four bedrooms, a game room, a study and a media room. And then a beautiful kitchen and family room and just a dining room. There is NO formal living room, which is a big plus. We were told that they have a house almost identical to the model in their inventory that would be in our price range (hardwood floors, granite in the kitchen, extended patio outside, beautiful fireplace, wrought iron stairs, media room and I can't even think what else!). Unfortunately we are not ready to move quite yet! My biggest disappointment I think is the lot sizes overall. I know that builders are trying to get as many houses they can on their property, but it sure would be nice if they could give us bigger yards. But I have come to the realization we will be living INSIDE our house, not in the backyard. As long as there is a little room for a play structure and bbq and patio furniture, that should be good. Most subdivisions nowadays have pools and parks and fun things so we'll just utilize those. I know we would probably have this issue anywhere we decided to move, not just this town.

So now I have a love/hate relationship with our realtor. I love that he showed us this amazing home, but hate that we aren't ready to move and can't do anything yet. I know whatever is meant to be will happen and we will get the house we are supposed to have when we are ready. This experience has just taught me not to settle for something I kind of like. Let's find something we love, since we will be spending a lot of years in it. If you would like to view our dream home you can go here.

Overall, we were really happy and excited about the area. We love the idea of suburban living again. I especially love the idea of not having to get on a freeway when I want to go to the grocery store! And I will love not having a freeway in my backyard. There are (I think) two that run through Frisco, so if I need them they are there, but I can also take back roads around. Frisco, Plano and McKinney are all really pretty with lots of things to do and very family oriented. The schools in Frisco are top notch, which is the most important thing to me. They also have a Major League Soccer team that plays in Frisco, as well as a minor league baseball team and the Dallas Stars hockey practice rink there.

Well, enough about that! Once that adventure was over, we wanted to do something fun for the kids. Again, they did amazing in the car all day. We decided to go to a four-story mall called the Galleria. We let the kids play in the playscape for a bit and then headed to the indoor ice rink on the bottom level. Calli and I went ice skating and she loved it! She is such a pro now, I was amazed! At first she held one hand onto the railing and the other onto me, but after a few laps she just stopped holding the rails and held my hand. She kept her balance so well and decided that she was going to be MY teacher now. That was pretty funny. But it was really cool to go ice skating in the summer!! I can only imagine how crowded that place probably is in the winter.

The next morning we checked out of the hotel and decided to head to the Dallas World Aquarium. This place is pretty much one of the neatest places I have been! It is set up with tons of greenery and you feel like you are walking through a rain forest viewing all the animals in their natural states. It has a big waterfall in the middle and you start at the top of the place and make your way down (it is all indoors by the way). Serena absolutely loved everything! Calli's trip can be summed up in two phrases: "Is it time to eat yet?" and "I want to look at the TV!". At each exhibit there were little TVs you could interact with that told you facts about the animals. She was obsessed! But at least Serena had fun (Calli did too I think!). Jameson was great as usual and just sat in his new stroller the whole time.

After the Aquarium we had lunch at the Spaghetti Warehouse and headed back home. The kids did pretty well on this car ride, but toward the end they were getting pretty antsy. Who could blame them? They spent a lot of time in the car the last three days. We were all happy to get out. Now I think we are just anxious for the days to pass so we can get serious about moving.

How do you keep the kids entertained on a five hour car ride? Give them Mom and Dad's cell phones!

Calli and Mommy in the hotel room
Richard thinks he is going to get some homework done. This is also the perfect picture of sisterly love!

We didn't have a booster seat in the hotel room so we had to improvise

Jameson just hanging out in his stroller

The girls playing in the mall

Serena is such a good big sister and helper!

Calli and Mommy ice skating

What did I tell you? She looks like a pro!

A lion (?) inside the mall near the playscape

Richard and the girls walking into the Aquarium

Just starting our adventure! The kids in front of the waterfall

Serena and the birds

This gives you an idea of what the Aquarium looks like all around you

The biggest crocodile ever!

The kids with Mommy, taking a break!

Calli and her TV!

Thank you to the lady who said to Richard "why don't you hop in the photo too". Everyone knows how much I love my family pictures!!

The kids and Mommy in front of the waterfall (at the bottom)

I just thought these next two shots turned out really cool. These are the penguins

and this is the milipede (I think)

Calli and Serena with the jaguar (we had a debate about this before we came. We couldn't remember if it was a tiger, jaguar, leopard or panther!)

Had to get a photo of each of us at lunch!