August 31, 2016

If I wrote everything I want to for the past three weeks, I'd be here all day. As I don't have the time I will try to hit as many highlights as I can. I may have to break it up into two posts.

August 13 we had William's 5th and Robert's 3rd birthday parties combined. The theme was star Wars. It was amazing. We had more then 50 people which was stretching the capacity of my house a bit, but the love that abounded more than made up for the lack of space. We even had a full size R2D2 balloon and a Darth Vader pinata, both of which were a big hit. The boys got so many wonderful toys, including superhero items, star wars items, legos, a bike (Robert), ice skates (William), battling robots, remote control cars and so much more. We have been opening them slowly since we got back from Dallas so the newness will last as long as possible! My heart was so full that day. I tear up thinking about how wonderful it was. One of the highlights was singing to the boys in front of their amazing two tier star wars cake with light up Millennium Falcon. Their faces were priceless. We have left up the decorations so that Robert can enjoy them on his actual birthday, so I feel like I've gotten my money's worth out of them. Win win!

That Sunday evening we had William's "Big Kid Celebration" where the celebrate all of the kids graduating from the preschool into the Children's ministry at church. They had it set up so cute and each kid got to say their name and where they are going to school next year. William said he will be homeschooled and took his little goodie bag with great interest. I cried happy tears and tried to soak in the moment. He's getting so big so fast!!!

Monday we left for Dallas in order to catch our extremely early flight Tuesday morning to Montreal. Tuesday morning at 3 am, we (Francis, his dad, the kids and I) piled into the van and headed to the airport. We had plenty of time to get to our plane and even played a little Pokemon Go while we waited. All in all our trip there was uneventful. We even got to skip the extra long customs line and go through a shorter one because we had small children with us. We made it to St Lazare before dinner and were welcomed by Nana Phillips (Francis's grandmother), Aunt Melo, Uncle Vic, Uncle Jim, cousin Sarah and her husband Jeremy and Cousin Matthew and his wife Laura. Cyndy and Abby joined us shortly having had a bigger adventure at the airport than us and we all had an enjoyble evening eating, laughing and catching up. The kids all loved the house and especially the Foosball, air hockey and ping pong tables in the basement. They wanted to play there whenever possible.

Wednesday after a good breakfast with Nana Phillips, Cyndy, Francis, his dad, the kids and I all headed to Ottawa. We visited the Air and Space Museum there. It was so cool to see all the old planes and the boys could not get enough information about space. the kids all got to participate in the "space program" there. They dressed up in space suits and "traveled" to a distant planet, were they camped out in tents, planted and "ate" food, encountered and collected aliens and conducted experiments in an amazing self contained unit. They had a blast! We also got to have a Star Trek experience. We got to try out each position in star trek and even complete the Kubiashi Maru (sp?). I failed miserable and wastold I'd make a great communications officer. I was not shocked. William liked beaming himself up and Robert like shooting the targets. Hannah loved being able to run around and touch everything. Fun was had by all. By this time it was getting late in the afternoon, so after a poutine snack break, we headed to the hotel in Ottawa. We planned on taking a short nap, but all fell asleep until 6:30 pm. This ended up being a good thing. We got up, had dinner at St. Huberts and then rushed to Parliament Hill to see the light show they were putting on. Were it not for the delay due to a fireworks show nearby, we wouldn't have made it on time, but we walked up just as it started. It was truly amazing! It would give Disney a run for it's money and was educational to boot. Cyndy and Abby got up really close and said the view was even more impressive. Such a fun night!

Thursday we headed back to Parliament Hill and again made it just in time to see the changing of the guards. Francis's father did this in his youth and his pleasure at all of us experience it was palpable, making the whole scene extra memorable. We got a picture with one of the guards afterward and the kids thought that was pretty cool too. We all then drove over to Mt. Tremblant for the afternoon after a Tim Horton's donut snack. Because out rental was a van and the kids were loving cousin time, all four kids were in our car (with Cyndy and her dad in the other car) the whole trip. They were so good! The whole trip the kids were amazing in fact. They made the trip more enjoyable for their great attitude and fortitude. On the mountain everyone but Hannah and me went luge-ing down. We all rode the gondola up to the top and looked out at the view. The kids couldn't wrap their mind around how high they were, but the lake below had shrunk considerably. We had dinner half way down the mountain and had "beaver tail" (a sweet dessert) before going back to St. Lazare.

I guess that's it for now. Kiddos need me!

Stay tuned for part two soon.

August 11, 2016

I have a 5 year old! There I said it. It still doesn't seem real. 5 years ago today I became a mom for the first time. I'd been in the hospital 3 days in labor, but it was all worth it when they handed me him. My sweet William. Happy birthday, buddy! He is articulate, doing first grade math, nearly a month into kindergarten, is reading many words, and has enough questions to fill a library of books. He's tall and strong and loves most everything. I love him so much!

This week has been busy. I've been cleaning the house and packing for Canada in addition to everything else going on. Tuesday we went to Toys R' Us for William to get his birthday balloon, crown and announcement at the store. He then used his R Us dollars to buy a small toy. Robert brought along some money for himself and picked out a small Batman car. Fun was had by all, but I was pooped by the end. My boys take their time when making decisions! Hannah didn't care. She walked up and down ever aisle grabbing, picking up and carrying everything in sight.

Wednesday we went to the Children's Museum. It was fun and Hannah even tried to help a little boy older than her learn how to walk. It's getting harder and harder to keep track of all three kids, so I'm glad that I can generally keep all three kids in sight while there.

Today the birthday boy chose Chuck E Cheese for the morning's activity. Google was wrong about the time they opened, so we ended up eating cookies in the mall until they actually opened. It only cost me $10 for an hour and a half of fun, and the kids got 450 tickets. They used it to get 16 mini snakes and a plastic hopping frog. So...my house is now infested, lol. We will be going out for dinner tonight to Olive Garden, and then the boys' birthday party (they are having a combined party) is on Saturday. They are having a Star Wars party and we are expecting a fun crowd of people. We can hardly wait!

This week we have also been watching the Olympics. The kids were less than impressed with the opening ceremonies because they wanted to see people compete, but since then they can't get enough. William is learning a bunch of the countries' flags and will be a great announcer as he gives me everyone's places and scores as they come up on the screen. He's even learned some of the athletes names and gets excited when they come on the screen. Robert loves trying to replicate what is going on (especially the gymnastics) and yells "go USA" and "we won" pretty consistently. He gets really excited when we actually win. It's super cute. Hannah is just happy everyone else is happy and joins in the fray whenever she can. I'm happy to be passing on my love of the Olympics to the next generation.

That's all for now.

August 5, 2016

The Batman dynasty has ended it's unchallenged reign. Thanks to an influx of cute clothing from Nana as well as pulling out all of William's old 3T clothing, Robert has managed not to wear batman shirts 3 whole days this week. He still prefers batman (even batman socks, shoes and underwear if he can swing it), but he has softened a bit and chosen other things to wear. To say I'm relived is an understatement. I like that he wants to wear Batman, but I don't miss the meltdowns that were occuring once he had worn all of his Batman clothes. It's the beginning of a new era.

It's been a busy week. Last Saturday after running morning errands, Francis, the kids and I decided to check out a local public pool called Adamson Lagoon. They have a large pool with lily pads you can jump across, a few slides and a kid area with a shallow pool. It was so fun! Even when applying sunscreen more than once, we all got burned. But the kids had too much fun to care. Robert would not go down one of the slides, so I sent him down kicking and screaming. After a big show at the bottom of what a horrible mom I am, he was begging to go on it again less than 5 minutes later. He went on it non-stop for the next hour. Go figure. At the end of the day I said to Francis, "I'm glad we got our money's worth, because it will be a while before we get to come back." God must have laughed right then and there.

At church the next day in the bulletin was an announcement that that evening the church was hosting a free event at Adamson Lagoon. Sooo... since the kids all took a nap, we went! It was later than we were normally out, but it was so fun and I'm glad we went. The kids sure love the water!

Monday was grocer shopping day. We are still doing school in the afternoons and some days run more smoothly than others. Tuesday we went to the Library for a "Dough Show" sponsored by dominoes. I thought it would be an educational event, and it was at first. The lady talked about the ingredients in dough and how they prepare it, then she started kneading the dough in front of her and tossing it. Without much warning she smiled and said, "oops!" and tossed it into the audiesce. The next 30 minutes consisted of her and others tossing pizza dough into the audience for the kids to play with. Then they took volunteers and let them try their hand at pizza throwing. William was chosen and at the end he threw his dough to Robert. Both were very pleased. Hannah wandered all over, but had a great time also. At the end, everyone was served fresh pizza. It was very good. Overall a successful day! Tuesday was also Francis and my 8th anniversary. To say we are not gift givers (as in it is not our love language) is putting it mildly, BUT Francis actually got me a gift before our anniversary for the first time ever. I got him a gift too, in fact. We might be getting better at this anniversary thing. I got a new carpet cleaner! Yeah, we needed it. We did get each other cards and we went out with the kids to Paolo's for an Italian dinner. 8 years have gone so fast, and I am so thankful for the man that I get to call my husband. I love you, Francis!

Wednesday and Thursday I let each of the boys choose what to do as this is our "off" week. Wednesday Robert chose to "stay home" except for going to the library to check out new books. It was a nice quiet, relazing day. William on the other hand chose the Children's museum. Shortly after we arrived, William says, "Mommy, I think that's a huge baseball." I turn around and sure enough there is "Kaboom" the Brazon Valley Bombers Baseball team mascot along with two of the team players. They hosted story time and both the boys were so excited to have the players read to them, get their autographs and take a picture with Kaboom. Kaboom stuck around to play with the kids and William and Robert enjoyed a game of tag with him. Super cute! Just as we were about to leave, they make an announcement that their are snakes and lizards in the red room if anyone wants to hold them. The boys and Hannah go running and spent the next hour holding and petting all sorts of snakes and lizards. Hannah was more interested in watching, but the boys held everything they could.

Thursday afternoon Francis came home to watch the kids so I could go to two doctor's appointments in peace. It was nice to have an afternoon that was quiet, and to make some progress on what's been going on with me lately. Thank you Francis. You are a keeper!

Today we went out a splash pad with the Jones girls and their mom Robin. Now that Hannah is walking more, I was able to stand in the shade and not follow her around constantly. That was nice.

That's all for now!

July 29, 2016

It's official! I have a 1 year old in this house.

Last weekend my in-laws graciously brought us their extra window unit as our a/c was out for nearly a week (it was finally fixed on Tuesday!). We took a trip with them to Toys R' Us, Chick-fil-a and even to Waller, Texas to meet up with Cyndy, Chris and Abby for dinner. Cyndy had the boys' birthday shirts, which she gave me, and they are adorable!!!!! We all ate dinner and even made our first trip to Bucee's (a store/gas station like no other) before heading home. It was such a good day!

I woke up Sunday and sang happy birthday to Hannah. Even though I had an extra day before she turned one (dues to the leap year), I was still not ready for her to turn one. Don't get me wrong, I love that she's growing up. It is just her turning a year marks the end of a year that included so much change. It passed so fast and we saw God's hand so clearly. I am thankful for that year. Happy birthday Hannah! We had breakfast and went to church. Hannah "picked" BJs for lunch and then those of us who were able took a nap. After that we set up Hannah's birthday present from Francis and me. It was a castle tent! Hannah loved it and so did the boys. With the boys' tent and tunnel, we were able to connect the two tents via tunnel and have had hours of entertainment this week. The boys love being knights and playing with "Princess Hannah". I even get to be "Queen Mommy". So fun! Anyway, I made delicious Lasagna for dinner and we sang and ate cookie cake which everyone enjoyed immensely. It was such an enjoyable day and weekend that I feel like it flew by!

Wednesday we did pictures at Robin's house for all three kiddos. While they were less than cooperative at times, the rain held off long enough for us to have enough light inside and I think we got at least a couple of good ones. Hannah loved her cake smash and thoroughly annihilated said cake. I am thankful for Robin that she opened her home and took pictures of my kiddos. She is such a blessing!!!

Hannah is walking everywhere. She has also developed a bit of an opinion now that she is one. She was always assertive, but she's taken it up a notch. Thursday was the last Preschool Funday of the summer at church. Hannah and I have been dropping the boys off and heading to the mall to play and shop in relative peace. Yesterday while dropping off the boys, Hannah decided she wanted to walk. It took us 15 minutes to leave church. Then we got to the mall. Hannah wanted to walk again. I kept putting her in the stroller to get somewhere, but she would yell at me and insist I let her out. It was seriously the slowest mall trip ever. I'm glad there was nothing I HAD to get or it would have driven me crazy. Instead, I let her have some independence and enjoyed watching her grow. At lunch she climbed out of the stroller while I was ordering and walked away. I took my tray and stroller, parking both at a nearby table. I then went back to Hannah and she tried to walk away, so I scooped her up and brought her to her chair. The ladies at the next table laughed hysterically. They had seen me pull up with the stroller but no baby and were so confused. It made their day to remind them of what it's like to have little ones. Hannah insisted on feeding herself at lunch. I let her, and she did a decent job even if the spoon ended up on the ground a couple of times. She was so hungry that she ate nearly half my food. She's growing!

Yesterday afternoon Hannah had her 1 year check up. We had a different doctor this time and I love her a lot! I think we've finally found "our" doctor for the kids. It took a year but God provided in His times. Hannah is healthy and a whopping 30.25 inches (98 percentile) and nearly 20lbs (scale teetered between that and 19.8lbs-50 percentile). She is healthy and met or exceeded all the benchmarks for her age. What else is there to say? I'm just so thankful for her!!

This post has been a little Hannah-centric but she did turn one after all, lol. The boys are doing great. We are now nearly done with week 2 of homeschooling for William and Robert is doing some "school" of his own when not napping. Robert is also honing his negotiating skills (which William had more than mastered), which is mostly to my advantage because now I can reason with him and generally avoid most fits.

That's all I have for now. Till next time!

July 21, 2016

It's been a busy week. Summer is in full swing. I had to do my grocery shopping Sunday afternoon because Monday morning the kids and I went with a  bunch of friend to take a tour of Blue Baker (a restaurant in town). The kids were all able to see the ingredients, see bread being mixed, kneeded, pulled, and baked, take a look in the freezer, and then they got to make their own bread. William and Robert had slightly different techniques (mean mommy didn't let Hannah make one and eat the raw dough). Robert put in a couple of the toppings in his bread (they were raisins, cranberries and two types of chocolate chips), and then he would eat a couple...place a few more in and then eat a few. William dumped all of the toppings in and kneaded them in as much as he could. When some still wouldn't fit, I told him to each them and he reluctantly did. It was fun to watch. Blue Baker baked the bread that afternoon and Francis picked it up on his way home. It was DELICIOUS! Those boys can bake for me any time!

In addition to Bible Study on Tuesday, library Wednesday and Preschool camp today (where Hannah and I got some girl time), I have been working on getting William's school ready. I am pretty much done and very proud of the result. God's provision is amazing. When we bought this house I wondered why it had such a huge laundry room (seriously, you could fit a bed in there and still have room to walk), including a huge built in table on which to fold clothes. I have now converted the table area into a desk and classroom for William. And it's perfect. Even with it all set up I still have plenty of room to do laundry, and if I need to, we don't have to put everything away each day like we would at the dinner table. God knew my need beforehand. It so amazing to see His hand at work. The curriculum came in Monday night and Tuesday. Upon seeing it, William immediately wanted to start. Sooo...we did. We are now on day three of Kindergarten. I figure it will allow us to go slower if we need to or to take more time off around Thanksgiving/Christmas or I guess we'll finish early. We'll see! William is loving his school work so far and Hannah and Robert have cooperated thus far. It makes me excited!

Hannah's birthday is Sunday. I have used the decorations from her party to decorate the house here. I try to embrace every moment of her babyhood because she is quickly becoming a toddler. She walks everywhere now with rare exception. She gets into everything and it enjoying the "discover and  demolish" method of exploration. I love her so much and her smile is worth so much to me. She's a tough cookie too! We went to family movie night at church on Friday. At the end of the movie, I looked at Hannah (who I had been sitting on the floor with and letting her play) had both a  black eye and a chipped tooth! She didn't cry and neither I nor anyone around me knew what happened. If I had to guess, I'd say she fell onto one of the chair legs around us, but who knows? Crazy!

Robert has grown over the past couple of weeks again. Every time I turn around, he seems to be taller, more articulate and more inventive. He still always has that same smile, and it is so heart warming when it's directed my way. He still wants to be held or be touching me all the time so some things don't change quite so quickly. I probably miss it when they do though. He's been loving on his sister a lot lately, and it is fun to see their relationship grow. There's a lot of hugging in this house, but none more than when Francis gets home. When we hear that door, we all run for the door to see who can get there first and we all catch him up in one huge family hug. Even Hannah races for the door and calls for dada until she arrives. I am thankful for this (now) tradition and hope it continues for a long time. I love it!

I think that's all for now.

July 14, 2016

The first two weeks of July are some of my favorite of the whole year. Within the first 10 days of july I have independence day, Danielle's birthday and my mother-in-law's birthday. As an added bonus, this year included Hannah's first birthday party! The time is usually spent surrounded by family and lifelong friends. My heart leaves for home overflowing. This year was no exception.

We (Francis, the kids and I) headed up to Dallas on July 1 in time for dinner and swimming at my in-laws' house where were stayed. The kids were so excited to swim and we found out that Hannah will stay happily in the "baby boat" flotation device and kick herself around the pool. It's adorable.

Saturday morning the whole Phillips clan (including the Boergers who also arrived the night before) completed tasks including shoes buying for all the kids and making our traditional trip to chick-fil-a. The men took the kids to Home Depot for a craft and I went shopping with my mother-in-law for party supplies. All in all a good morning! My in-laws had a vow renewal to attend that evening, so Cyndy, Chris, Abby, Francis, the kids and I joined up with Dani and my parents at my parent's house for Pizza, swimming, driving the gator around, playing on the playscape, and "toddler fireworks" (sparklers and things that light up but don't make much noise).  Then there was a real fireworks show off in the distance. The kids were all so excited!!! I couldn't have asked for a better ending to the day.

Sunday we all went to church and Cyndy, Chris and Abby even joined us at Prestonwood. Abby and William were in the same class which was an extra treat. After lunch at cowboy chicken, we brought the kids home for a nap and Cyndy, my mother-in-law and I went to Lakeshore Learning to get the stuff I wanted/needed for my classroom next year. I got what I needed (I'm so excited!) and left feeling more prepared for homeschooling next year. woo hoo! More swimming that evening and Pei Wei for dinner. Yum!

Monday was 4th of July. We got up quickly and headed to get our spot on the parade route. My whole family was there, both in-laws and blood, and I got some cute cousin pictures of all of them in their matching shirts. My mother was in the parade and Robert and William cheered loudly when they saw her. Afterward everyone headed to my parents' house for brisket and swimming. Ashley, Brandon and Bethany joined us. Including Brandon and Ashley, we had six out of the twelve members of our bridal party present. Talk about a happy/fun time!!! After swimming the whole family went to see the fireworks, eating pizza in the parking lot as usual. The fireworks did not disappoint. Hannah watched with wonder and occasionally jumped around in excitement. I'm glad she share my enthusiasm for pretty pictures in the sky.

Tuesday was Danielle's birthday. Cyndy needed to catch up on work (Francis and Chris headed back to work already), so I happily took Abby and my 3 to see Finding Dory with Danielle, my mom, and Nikki at the Studio Movie Grill. The kids were great and Hannah slept through it for a second time. Made my life a ton easier. That the kids and I joined Christian and her clan, my parents, Danielle and Nikki for dinner and then cake back at my parents' house. We love our Danielle!!!! Happy birthday!

Wednesday for "cousin camp" we went to the Mall with Cyndy, Abby, my mom, Danielle and Nikki. the kids rode the Carousel and took a walk through the Disney store and Lego Store. That evening we all went out to Hawaiian Falls water park and had a blast at the kid's area, wave pool and lazy river. Everyone left exhausted but happy.

Thursday for "cousin camp" we did Legoland and the Grapevine aquarium. Talk about a full day!!! The Abby, William, Robert and Hannah wore matching "cousins make the best friends" shirts that Cyndy had made. A woman loved them so much she tracked down Cyndy and asked for a card. They were pretty cute! That evening we brough dinner back to the house and ate with Fankie's mom and Ashley. After putting the kids to bed, we had a girls' game night of playing Dutch Blitz (it's so calm with 4 ladies playing!) and I actually won!!! By one point, but I won none the less.

Frankie's mom took off work on Friday and we went out to Denny's for Breakfast, then shopping and had lunch at the house. That evening we went to Medieval Times for Dinner and a show. Francis was able to join us in time, but his father had to stay home as the A/C was being fixed (it had been a hot week at the Phillips' house).  We got a birthday announcement for Frankie's mom and had it be from her "loyal subjects Abby, William, Robert and Hannah". It was cute and the kids loved hearing the Herald say their names! Abby was chosen by our (red) knight to be his queen and she loved that. I even got a flower! That evening after putting the kids to bed, we played a rousing game of Dutch Blitz with the six adults in the house (Chris, Francis, his dad, cyndy, Frankie's mom, and me). I won twice! I need to go to Vegas before my luck runs out!!

Saturday was party day. I got the cake and balloons and headed up to my parents' house. My family helped me Doctorate and the place looked adorable if I do say so myself. Francis showed up with the kids, the rest of the Phillips clan and the Boergers at party time. Ashley and Josh came too! Hannah got a castle, suitcase, microphone (thanks Christian!, I'll return the favor), cute clothes, an airplane, stuffed animals, and a little computer. She was pleased as punch and Abby, William and Robert wanted her to open all her toys right that second. A couple were opened and fun was had. We then did cake. Hannah was tentative at first, but dove in with both hands when she realized the gold mine she had. By the end the cake was obliterated and the high chair and Hannah were dyed purple and pink (the theme of the party was purple and pink butterflies). We washed Hannah off in my parents' tub and nearly managed to dye it pink also. whew! The kids and some of the adults went swimming before Cyndy, Chris,  Abby, Ashley and Josh had to head home. It had been fun seeing all of them throughout the week. It's probably the first time I've seen Ashley three times in the same week since I've been married. It few my soul in ways I can't describe. It was wonderful to spend time with Abby and Cyndy also. I think cousin camp 2016 was a success!! The kids are already asking when they get to see Abby again! Christian and Chad headed out with the twins shortly after as a storm was looming overhead. I'm glda I got to see them also. My kids love these cousins also, and Hannah had an extra fun time sharing her new toys witht hte twins before they left. Before dinner, those that were left played a game on the TV using our smart phones. Just as they announced the winner, the power went out. The storm cleared very shortly after and we headed to Abuelo's for dinner. We are so blessed to have a family that all gets along. I realize that is more rare than it should be. Dinner was delightful. Hannah was celebrated all day and I couldn't have asked for more.

Sunday we went to Prestonwood and then met my in-laws for lunch at Saltgrass Steakhouse. It was my mother-in-law's birthday and the boys sang to her before we ate. Super cute! Happy birthday!! It was a nice birthday lunch and afterwards the kids, dog and I headed home with Francis not far behind in his own car. Such a good week. It had hiccups, but who can complain when their was so much joy and love about?!


This week we've been getting back in the groove. We did grocery store and laundry Monday, Bible study Tuesday and the library Wednesday. Today the boys had their first day of Preschool camp. They had a blast! Hannah and I went shopping and got me some new clothes, did her "birthday celebration" at Toys R Us, bought the boy's birthday presents, went shopping at the mall and and even had lunch together. It was fun to have some mommy/Hannah time and I think she liked it too. As a side note, I had a wonderful experience at the mall today. I imagine it is how Christ wants us to be toward each other all the time, but we so seldom are. Everyone I ran into regardless of age, race or sex, was so kind, polite and, well, joyful. Everyone was smiling, waving at strangers and wishing them a good day, asking how you are doing (and expecting a real answer not just "good"). I was already happy and this lifted my spirits even more. A little girl ran ahead of me just to hold the door open. The janitor passed by our table and smiled saying how cute Hannah was. I thanked him for what he does (as I do most janitors, especially in Malls), and his face just lit up. He passed by twice more and looked at me with the biggest grin.  A genuine smile is contagious, let me tell you!  I then had to change Hannah's diaper, but they were closing the restroom as I got there. The man and woman working smiled and waited for me to change Hannah before sealing it off. They knew the next closet bathroom was far and that a little patience on their part would save me a lot of trouble. Thank you so much! I have at least a half dozen other stories of kindnesses paid to me during that couple of hours, but I'll treasure them up in my heart instead. Thanks, people of the mall, for the little slice of heaven today.

There is so much more to write! Hannah is growing so fast. She got all four of her molars last week and had not been sleeping well (even for her) this past week and a bit. Francis has been kind and letting me sleep in a little in the morning while he holds down the fort. She's worth it, but I'm tired! Hannah is starting to prefer walking to crawling around the house. It's fun to see her little mind work to figure out how to get around.

Robert is loving Battle Bots right now. FYI everything is a robot or can be turned into a robot. He battles or is talking about battling robots at least once every hour. He's turned into a regular little chatter box where this is concerned. We have been watching the competition as a family and it's been fun to see the boys' imaginations run wild with building and scheming a bot they want to make and enter into the competition. Francis likes it too. If the show is still around in a few years, you can bet you'll be seeing my crew on there!

I finally ordered the Math and Reading/writing curriculum for William for next year. I feel at peace with my decision and had William place tested for the math so that I would get the right one. He's all signed up for the "big kid celebration" at church in August as he will graduate to the Children's area then. How did he get so big?! Oh! funny story. My brother-in-law Chad was telling William that he was attacking him at the 4th of July parade. William turns around and says, "I'm impervious to attack!" He then went on throughout the day to say all of the other things he was impervious to: being squirted by water, being dunked, etc. He's my kid, vocabulary and all!

Well, I think that's it for now! Till next time!

June 30, 2016

I can't believe it's the last day of June already. Tomorrow it will be Hannah's birthday month. How did this happen!?! She's getting so big. Last night she ventured out from holding onto the couch and walked across the living room and into the dining room unassisted. If you saw how long our living room is, you would know what I feat that is for little legs. She was so proud of herself. She just hangs out standing around these days and tries to do whatever her brothers are doing. For the most part, they love it, unless she is destroying something they built. William has gotten good at picking up Hannah and moving her safely to a new location. Robert moves his stuff away when he sees her coming. General rule of thumb, if you don't want Hannah to touch it, play at the kitchen table. This will only work until she figures out how to climb up in the dining chairs!

Last weekend was amazing. Saturday morning we all went to the Homeschool Expo in College Station. I learned a lot about what the community has to offer homeschoolers and generally got a better grasp of what is going on in the homeschool world. It was good. The five of us then went up and had lunch by campus. This is something we would never do regularly, but since school is out for the summer, we thought we would try it and had a lot of fun. Then we went out to the local airport where they were having a plane show of WWII aircraft. That was by far the coolest thing we did. They allowed you to go inside the planes (they looked different on the inside than I expected), and the boys even got to sit in the cockpit of one. William spent about 15 minutes in the cockpit studing all the controls and asking someone (who was with the show and standing on the wing), how everything worked. Before we left, we got to see the planes take off. Hannah LOVED that as did the boys. Francis, in his love for aviation, bought the kids four small metal planes for them to remember their adventure. We then went to the mall. I only mention this because we were redeeming the kids' free cookie certificates for the summer reading club when out of no where a girl (college age I'm guessing) hand Robert $5 and walks away without a word. I looked at her and she just waved and smiled. Robert thought he his the jackpot. He sang all the way down the mall about his five dollars and put it in his piggy bank when he got home. At home that evening, Francis told the boys everything they wanted to know about their new airplane toys and even looked up interesting stories about the types of planes to tell at bedtime. Francis was beyond excited to share his love of aerospace with his kids and they received it with open arms. It was, in short, beautiful.

Sunday after church I was able to go to a storage unit of a retiring teacher and buy a bunch of her old (though some of it had never been opened because she had duplicates) stuff. I spent $15 but had my arms completely full. I figure I got about $100 worth of stuff and much of it had never been used or only used gently. I'm getting closer and closer to Phillips' Academy being ready, and I'm excited!

This week has gone by so fast. I've been packing and cleaning. We went to the grocery store Monday. Robert has been wearing Batman shirts with capes every day (except Sunday, but even that's a battle), and Monday all of his shirts with capes were in the laundry. The batman shirts without capes were no good. So, I dug out a cape from the play clothes and let him wear it with a non-cape batman shirt. He was finally happy and I was able to get to the grocery store. He got so many compliments and comments about how cute he was and how safe everyone felt with a super hero around. He enjoyed every minute of it. You only get to be 2 once. Might as well do it while wearing a cape!

We did Bible Study, the library, and the children's museum on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday respectively. We leave tomorrow for our 4th of July adventure, cousin camp, and Hannah's first birthday party. Looking forward to some family time!!!!

Till next time.