Spring Biking

Ever since the kids got their new bikes for Christmas, they have really been enjoying all the opportunities for bike rides.

Kaitlynn LOVES her bike. Dirty Baby loves it, too. I'm thankful for the basket to carry my iPhone and garage remote, ha!

So far no complaints about the bike helmets. I wonder how long that will last?

They usually love riding with Jeff, but lately with the spring weather I've been enjoying it myself.

Heading out for an early morning bike ride.

Just the girls this time.

Love the chilly spring mornings!

Don't forget the kiss goodbye!

Recently when the weather finally started to warm up, we began to let Connor ride his bike to school. He had been practicing a while to make sure we were comfortable with his bike safety and understanding the rules to/from school. He picked it up quickly and is now riding everyday when the weather allows. It's only a block or so away from our house, so it's a convenient ride. He gets home in the afternoons much quicker! 



First time riding our bikes to the elementary school.

So much fun!

One day Connor's bike chain fell off on his way home. Luckily it was a quick fix at Academy.

And the very next week, Kaitlynn's bike pedal fell off. We must be wearing out these bikes!

Little Miss Soccer Star

When Connor was younger, we started him out very early with team sports. He played soccer starting at age 3 for a couple of years and then he moved on to his true love, football. It dawned on me earlier this year that Kaitlynn is almost 5 and has never participated in organized team sports. I decided it was well past the time to get her started, so one day I asked her if she'd be interested in playing soccer this spring. She immediately lowered her eyebrows and said "Ewe, soccer? No!" I think she assumed it was a boys' sport. But given some time and a little encouragement from us, she changed her mind fairly quickly and decided that indeed, soccer sounded fun and she was ready to sign up.

The league I enrolled her in is very low-key and not very competitive, but it's a great introduction to a new sport for someone like Kaitlynn who is brand new to it. As the season approached, Jeff worked with Kaitlynn and showed her some of the rules of soccer. I started telling her about her uniform, the soccer cleats, and everything else she'd need.

The practices and games are held on the same day, and we weren't supposed to meet Kaitlynn's coach and teammates until the very first practice. On the morning of the first practice and game, I took the kids with me to the gym and then we drove from there to the soccer field. Well, at some point that morning, a very breezy cold front had blown through and by the time we were unloading at the soccer fields, we were caught completely unprepared dressed in shorts and t-shirts. That on top of not remembering Kaitlynn's new soccer cleats either. Oops! We probably would've had to just go home and miss the game, but thankfully Sweet Daddy showed up with jackets and coats to help warm us up and we just let Kaitlynn wear her old sneakers. Talk about feeling completely out of sorts and unprepared!!

The weather created all kinds of issues that morning, so by the time we got together with Kaitlynn's team and got the kids dressed in their jerseys, they had about 10 minutes of practicing before it was time for their first game. Crazy!

The referees showed up and it was game time before we knew it. I'm not sure if ANY of the kids knew the rules of the game, but when that whistle blew to signal the start of the game, the kids started running and chasing the ball. It was hilarious! I had forgotten how entertaining peewee soccer can be!

As we cheered for Kaitlynn's team, we began to notice that Kaitlynn was ALL OVER that soccer field! She had forgotten all about the weather and her hodgepodge soccer uniform (with tights, a jacket under her jersey, and old sneakers) and she was just out to get that ball! Jeff and I were cracking up and definitely caught off guard. Some of the kids were standing around looking confused, others were off to the side crying and upset; but not Kaitlynn--she was right in the middle of the pack the entire game with a big smile on her face, loving every second. Connor later told us, "I think Kaitlynn is WAY better at soccer than me. Everytime I looked up to find the ball, there was Kaitlynn right next to it." Ha!

Despite the lack of preparation for their first game, Kaitlynn's team actually won their first game. It was such an unexpected fun morning for Kaitlynn (and us!) to learn more about soccer and get a glimpse of how the season would progress.

At the end of the game, the coach huddled all of the players together and awarded the very first team medal for sportsmanship. To our complete surprise and delight, he awarded the medal to Kaitlynn for being "all over that soccer field!" Oh my goodness, did that ever make her day!!

Caught her reaction when she was awarded the very first team medal. Wow, what a fun moment!!

Jeff's favorite part of the soccer experience with Kaitlynn is how, every time she gets a big kick or manages to take the ball away from her opponent, she has to look up towards her Daddy with a huge smile to make sure he noticed her accomplishment. And sometimes she even has to run off the field to give Coach Sweet Daddy, as she calls him, a big hug. Oh my!

For Kaitlynn's 2nd soccer game, we were much more prepared. The weather was great, her soccer uniform and cleats were ready, and we knew what to expect for the short practice followed by the game. We showed up a little early to let Kaitlynn get some practice time, and Connor was more than happy to act as her "coach" and pass along some soccer tips for her. (Ha!)

Action shot -- Kaitlynn running and kicking the ball down the field.

Love this! Coach Connor passing along his "expertise" to little sis. Ha!

She actually listened to his advice. Big kick with a determined smile!

When the tongue is a-wagging, she must be serious!

Assistant Coach Jeff gives the kids a pep talk before their 2nd game.

Lined up and ready to start.

She must've worn herself out BEFORE the game. Here she takes a little break.

Go Tigers!

Kaitlynn, little miss soccer star!

Morning with Mom

Last month, Connor's elementary school hosted their annual Morning with Mom event. Moms, Grandmas, and other special women in the kids' lives are encouraged to join their kiddos before school for a breakfast treat of coffee, juice, doughnuts, and fruit. I remember attending last year when we were still commuting to the school, and I was surprised at the incredible turnout of Moms for such an early morning event. This year was no different -- we had to park a block away despite arriving early! The PTA did such a great job of organizing many of the Dads to help out so that the Moms were able to sit back and relax with their kids.

Arriving at the school for Morning with Mom

I was told that the WoodCreek PTA bought 1700 doughnuts for the event, and by morning's end they were all gone. I know where many of them went!

My little doughnut-lovers!

After breakfast in the cafeteria, we walked with the kids outside to the playground for them to play before school. Unfortunately the weather was dreary and drizzly so we ended up not staying long.

Finishing up our breakfast.

Outside under the awning.

Humidity = Bad Hair Day! At least the kids look cute! ;-)

Bruticus

When Collin stayed with us during his Christmas break a few months ago, he brought along the newest member of the family, his pet chameleon. He bought him sometime last fall and has been quite the caretaker ever since.

I had to ask Collin how to spell his name because I wasn't sure. Collin's reply: "His full name is Bruticus Lord of The Chameleons but it's Bruticus for short." Ha!

Collin with his pet Bruticus.

When Collin travels for an extended period of time, he has to bring Bruticus in his cage along with him. It's quite the elaborate setup, kind of like an aquarium without water. It has a heat lamp that attaches to the cage to keep Bruticus at the right temperature. And every week or so, Collin has to go to the pet store to purchase a bunch of crickets for Bruticus to eat. He just dumps them in the cage and Bruticus takes care of the rest. And we've since learned that there are 2 kinds of crickets: those that chirp and those that do not. I'll let you guess as to which one is preferable for when Bruticus is staying for an extended period in your home.

Baby Bruticus, aww!

Bruticus getting bigger in his cage.

Wonder if this pic was taken after a big meal??

Connor and Kaitlynn are quite fascinated with Bruticus. They love it when Collin takes him out to "play." Bruticus prefers being up high, so if you put him on your hand, he'll immediately crawl up to your shoulder to perch there. In his cage, he can sometimes be so difficult to spot (he IS a chameleon after all), but you can usually find him at the top of the plants in his cage.

Collin gently places Bruticus on Kaitlynn's arm.

Connor looked a litle unsure at first.

Now he's much more relaxed with Bruticus.

Closeup of Bruticus in Collin's hand. I noticed how he started blending with the aqua couch pillows!

Kaitlynn finally got up the nerve to let Bruticus hang out on her shoulder.

Spring Break

We had a very low-key Spring Break this year, but that didn't stop the kids from having lots of fun. We managed to fit in a trip to visit MeMe, Granddaddy, and some of our cousins. And then we came back and had a bit of a staycation for the latter part of the week. I've been neglecting my photo-taking responsibilities lately, so I only have a few pictures to share from our Spring Break.

One of our spring break priorities: some crafty projects for Ben's upcoming wedding. Can't wait!!

Girls day! Enjoying a pedicure with MeMe.

The highlight of my Spring Break -- spending some much-needed time with my bestie cousin Robin.

Cousin Karlie babysat Kaitlynn and Preslee while Robin and I shopped. She is awesome!

Proof of a fun day with cousins: Kaitlynn crawled into bed with Preslee and fell fast asleep before the Mommies were home from shopping. Success!

Back home in Katy, the kids attended a Parents Day Out at their gymnastics place. Later that day, Kaitlynn found out that she had been promoted in her weekly gymnastics class. She was SO excited and proud!

Kaitlynn received her promotion certificate and stood proudly on the presentation podium.

Look at that face! She was SO proud and excited!

Old Man Winter

Living in South Texas, we don't often have complaints about the winter. We get a few cold spells--some nights that dip into the freezing temperatures--but usually Old Man Winter leaves us alone and lets us enjoy our mild winter weather.

Well, NOT this winter!

We should have suspected a cold winter was coming based on the fact that last summer was unusually mild. Isn't that the way it works? So far this winter we've had 2 non-snow "snow" days off from school, and 1 very icy day/night with all kinds of tree damage and power outages. Crazy! It doesn't happen much around here, so when it does, it's definitely blog-worthy!

Everything was so cold and covered in ice, Kaitlynn asked if Princess Elsa (from the movie Frozen) had visited our land. Ha!

Choices

I'll never forget when Connor first started attending the local Christian preschool when he was 3 years old. He had been in public daycare for 3 years, so it was very new for him to come home talking about the Bible stories he had learned and lessons from a Christian perspective. I loved it! Then during his first spring there, he came home talking about Easter and about how Jesus died for everyone to save them from their sins. I remember wondering how this 3-year-old could possibly understand the concept of sin. When I asked him if he knew what a sin was, he replied simply, "A sin is a bad choice."

I'm not sure why that definition was so powerful for me, but I will probably never forget that conversation and the simple words that defined such a profound concept. Maybe I grew up thinking of sin as something so much more complex and hard to describe.

Fast forward 4 years and now I have a 4-year-old daughter that has been struggling with her own bad choices. Jeff and I have known from the time she was a baby that Kaitlynn was not your ordinary strong-willed child. Her defiant nature catches us off-guard at the least expected times. When it comes out, Jeff and I will sometimes look at each other with wide eyes and open mouths trying to figure out the best way to communicate with our daughter-slash-brick-wall.

Now, let me just say, I have known these days were coming for a long time. My mother--my poor, sweet mother--has been telling me about the "child I deserve" for as long as I can remember. There was just no "getting it" until Kaitlynn came along.

Now, I get it.

Kaitlynn's preschool teachers have been working hard to get their kids ready for Kindergarten, and behavior is a key component of their readiness. While Kaitlynn has had a great year in school academically, I would say her biggest lessons continue to be in behavior and discipline. We have been working with her on listening, obeying the first time, and showing respect at all times towards her teachers (and parents). While Kaitlynn is definitely improving, along the way she has had to experience some consequences of her bad choices.

Writing an apology letter to her teachers.

"I will make better choices tomorrow."

Kaitlynn's preschool class has a "clip system" to handle discipline in the classroom. Each child starts out every day on the color green which means "ready to learn," and they get moved up or down in colors based on their behavior that day. Moving up to blue, pink, and purple means that they've had a great day. Moving down to yellow, orange, and finally, red means a report to the parents and sometimes a note home or trip to the Director's office.

Recently there was a week at school when Kaitlynn had several "yellow" days in a row, which means she had to move her clip down for bad choices (not paying attention, not following directions, etc.). On the 3rd day in a row of "yellow", the teacher talked with me about how Kaitlynn and her classmates had not been behaving well and that they (the teachers) were going to have to start implementing some new discipline measures in the classroom. After discussing the situation with the teacher for several minutes, I was feeling very down and disappointed in Kaitlynn's behavior.

Kaitlynn could tell I was upset as we were walking to the car, and so she began nervously talking about random things--anxious chatter to fill the silence. I was very quiet and solemn as we kept walking.

"Momma, why are you so quiet?" Kaitlynn asked.

"I don't feel like talking right now," I replied. "I'm too upset about your behavior report from your teacher, so I need some time to think."

We continued to the car quietly and then we both got into our seats. I picked up my phone and started texting (venting!) to Jeff while we were still parked.

After a few moments, I heard a very quiet and shaky voice say from the back seat, "Do you want a new daughter?"

That got my attention. "What did you say?" I asked, unsure.

"I said, do you want a new daughter?" Kaitlynn responded.

"Why would you ask me that?" I asked, bewildered.

"Because of my bad behavior this week."

I couldn't believe I had heard her correctly, so I put down my phone and turned around to face Kaitlynn in the back seat. Her eyes were tearing up and she looked so small and sad. It just about broke my heart and took everything I could muster to not tear up myself.

I looked her directly in the eyes. "Kaitlynn," I said gently but clearly, "You are MY daughter. God gave you to ME, and I am so lucky for that. Sometimes you make good decisions, which makes me happy. And sometimes you make bad decisions, which makes me sad. But no matter what, good decisions or bad, I will ALWAYS love you. Always. And I would never want another daughter. Only you, because you are mine and I love you so much. No matter what."

"Do you understand that?" I asked, still looking at her directly, trying to control my emotions.

With tears in her eyes and a quivering chin, she nodded her head.

I could barely drive home with all the tears pouring from my eyes. Parenting is so hard.

Another apology letter. She then had to read it to her teachers.

We continue to experiment with the best way to motivate Kaitlynn so that she'll make good choices. I think it's probably like this with most kids, when sometimes we think she's "got it" and other times it feels like we've taken big steps backwards.

Years ago, I attended a MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers) event where the church pastor gave a talk, sympathizing with us young mothers and acknowledging how exhausting and challenging this phase of life can be. But then he went on to say something that I'll never forget: as difficult as this phase of parenting with young children can be, it's not the most difficult phase we'll encounter. I immediately assumed he was talking about how hard it would be with teenagers. (Ha!) But no, he went on to explain his opinion, that by far the hardest phase of his own parenting had been when his kids entered young adulthood--when their choices can have permanent and life-changing consequences. Wow, was that impactful!

As we continue teaching our kids the importance of making good decisions and understanding that poor choices will always have consequences, I am reminded of the overwhelming task that we are raising little humans who will one day be adults that make their own permanent, life-changing decisions. Parenting is just. so. hard!

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:17