October 25, 2013

I can't believe October is almost over. Even in my sleep deprived state, I feel like this month has flown by.

Last Friday night, my sister Danielle and her boyfriend Kevin came in for the weekend to attend a wedding. Danielle got in after William was asleep, but shortly after she arrived, William woke up needing to go to the bathroom. Danielle was already heading upstairs so she went ahead and took him. When he got up the next morning, I could tell he thought it was a dream, especially when we went downstairs to make breakfast and no Danielle was in sight. Imagine his joy when Danielle came down the stairs for breakfast. He squealed and ran to her. It was adorable! I am so glad William loves his family.

After breakfast, Francis, Robert, William and I headed toward Houston to spend time with my in-laws (Francis's parents and sister's family) and celebrate october birthdays at a pumkin patch. The one we originally planned to attend was rained out, so we ended up at Blessington Farm and it was well named. It was a perfect afternoon filled with family and beautiful weather. William and Abby had a blast. They played with each other and enjoyed the slides, train ride, hay maze, pedal tractors, and pumpkins. I think Francis and Chris had almost as much fun as the kids. Cyndy got some awesome pictures too so we are able to remember this day always. After having dinner together, we parted ways.

This is where the perfect day ends and a much sadder tale ensues. On our way home, the fall sun set quickly and we were driving in the countryside in the dark for a while. I was in the back seat with the kids trying to keep everyone entertained. All of a sudden we hit something. Francis looked and saw a hint of a headlight reflect back at him on the side of the road and quickly pulled over with a great fear taking hold of him. He ran back with a flashlight and his fear was confirmed. There was a motorcycle on the side of the road. Francis tried to see if the thing in the road was the driver, but he couldn't tell and there was too much traffic (every car was hitting the object) to get a good look. Thankfully other drivers circled around and come to help Francis while he called 911. They found the driver in the ditch by the road. Apparently he had hit a deer (which is what we hit also) and was thrown clear of the road. He was in full protective gear, but had lost his helmet in the crash and his face was pretty banged up. Francis said he was breathing but that's about all he could tell. Francis waited until the EMS arrived to take him, and finally came back to tell me what had happened. The boys and I were too far away to see anything, and William never knew what had happened. The whole thing had Francis pretty shaken up and thankful that we were all alive and well. We pray the cyclist will be well soon, though we have no way of knowing his status.

Sunday after church we had lunch with Danielle and Kevin before they headed back to their respective cities. I am sad we didn't get to spend more time with them, but I know they had a good time anyway. Monday, as the boys and I were all feeling crummy, we made a trip to the doctor's office. She said it was just allergies ( not what I wanted to hear...I wanted MEDS!), and we would just have to tough it out. Monday afternoon, I made my first solo trip to the grocery store with both kids. It went really well...it was almost too easy. I'm hoping that trend will continue. Tuesday we had The Little Gym. Really not much to report there.

Wednesday I was very ambitious. After my first time taking both boys to storytime at Barnes and Noble (William did awesome!!!), I took William to get a haircut. As a reward for being so good all morning, we three went to Chick-fil-a for lunch. This was a potential mine-field, but it went really well. I'm starting to feel like super-mom. I better not let it go to my head. Thursday after bible study where we had an awesome speaker about communication between the genders, we had a second day of Chick-fil-a, but this time with Arlene and Caitlyn. It was so fun and I treasure her friendship!

Today I have made a vow to take it easy, so we have not left the house. We've played in the driveway most of the morning, while I cleaned out my car and part of the garage. Surprisingly this was rather relaxing. William and I also played golf and I chased him around as he drove his hot wheels truck up and down the sidewalk. He is now officially tall enough to push the pedals by himself. Watch out world!!!

Updates on my boys:
Robert is becoming a pro at tracking objects with his eyes and can now turn his head consistently toward an object or person he wants to see. He is getting increasing control of his neck and back so that the days of a squishy newborn slowly becoming just a memory. He can now also hold and shake objects as well as aim at and hit objects in his field of view. He smiles at me, Francis and William at least once a day and really enjoys tummy time when William gets down there to play with him. Robert had his first real nap in his bassinet (he's started putting himself to sleep) this week and slept for a 5 or more hour stretch twice. He's growing so fast!

William is becoming more verbal all the time. He told his first joke this week to me. (Knock knock, who's there, Boo, boo who?, don't cry!) It was adorable. He is also learning to use his senses. He tells me to listen, look and touch things and then describes them to me if I ask him questions. Oh! And he can now recognize when I spell aloud or write down mom, dad, William, boy, girl and Robert, but can only spell mom and dad himself. He's such a smart kid!

That's all for now!