Catch Up... A little of Everything

We went to a restaurant a week or so ago to meet my Mom and Dad for dinner. Corbett had to work late this evening, so I was going into the restaurant by myself with the kids.  As I had my three little ducklings lined up to go  through the door, the gentleman so kindly holding it for us said, "Man, you have your hands full!"  My response to him was, "Yes, sir - I sure do... full of blessings, too!"  This was not the first time I had ever heard these words.  In fact - following that exchange Maggie said - "Why do people always tell you that?  And why do you answer like that?"

My plate is rather full right now, but my cup does runneth over with blessings!  It has been a while since I have updated with our goings on, so I thought I would do that.  Between work, kids, full-time graduate student (again), extra curricular activities, etc.  Yes, it is busy... but I've been thinking lately and telling myself that just as my hands are full of blessings, my business is merely opportunity!  Opportunity to work in a wonderful place, opportunity to be with my blessings, opportunity to further my education, opportunity to spend time with my blessings, etc.  And I am MOST thankful for my full hands, my business, and my wonderful family this Thanksgiving!

So, here goes the catch up....
Maggie:
Maggie recently lost her 5th tooth, so she can legitimately sing the song... "All I Want for Christmas is my two front teeth!" She is doing fabulous in second grade at Eagle Heights, and is really shining!  Her strongest classes are Math and Science! For the first part of the school year, she was in Upward Soccer - with me as her coach. She is now in Upward Cheer - once again, with me as her coach.  It really has been great working along side of her in these areas, and I look forward to helping her grow in these areas, too! She is doing a fabulous job in horseback riding, and just last week cantered in the large arena for the first time.  She still has a heart of gold, and is really trying to find herself socially.  I love her to bits and pieces and am so proud of her!  She and I are going to enjoy a Mother/Daughter date this Friday to see The Nutcracker, and I can't wait!  She still LOVES to sing, cheer, and can make some pretty awesome creations with lego.  She loves nature, too!

Chap:
You know the saying, "You've lost your marbles!"  Well, in Chap's case... He's gained all of his marbles!  Marbles have been a huge part of Chap's life recently, and it has really opened his world a little!  Chap is still my most bashful and shy child, but he has come out of his shell a great deal since this summer. I purposefully put he and Whit in separate activities this summer, and it started out a bit rough.  We came up with a system that if he swam and did his sports class (and any other social event) without crying or clinging to me, then he earned a marble.  When his marble jar was full - he got to go pick out something at the store.  And boy, did we throw a huge party when that jar was full!  We have been able to put the marbles away, and he is still poking his head out a little further each day. He is in a soccer program at Eagle Heights, and on the first day when I picked him up - he wrinkled his little nose and mouthed to me through the car window as I was driving up to pick him up... "This was fun!!"  That was the best expression from him, and I treasure it!  We have really worked hard to get there!  He is doing fantastic at Eagle Heights, and his teacher loves him!  He is beginning to read sight words and sound out letters to make words.  He is also a rockstar when it comes to adding single digits.  He, like his big sister, has a love for singing and music - although he only shares it with us most of the time.  He is still our little hunter and animal lover - although he is expanding his "likes" to space and astronauts as well as Batman! :)

Whit:
My little man, Whit, has come a long way!  The Rise School has definitely fit him.  He is shining there, and is proving he can be a leader!  Although he is just a little behind fine motor wise, he has made soooo many gains in that area.  Just recently, he sat down at our kitchen table while Maggie and Chap were doing their homework.  Well, Maggie was doing her homework and Chap was doing his "homework," if you know what I mean.  So, Whit decided he'd do some, too (which we used to have to pull him kicking and screaming to pick up a piece of paper and pencil!)  Maggie was writing her spelling words and practicing cursive.  Chap was writing his numbers 1-100.  And Whit wrote P O S T!  When he finished, Maggie and Chap got so excited, as this was the first time they'd seen him do it!  His smile at me and comment, "Maggie and Chap like it!" was priceless!  He has gained an enormous amount of confidence with these types of things, and I am extremely proud of him!  He is loving school, and everyone there loves him, too!  He is still doing swimming, and has had a hard time with one skill.  Once he masters this skill, he'll be able to promote to the next level.  It is rolling from his back to his tummy in the water.  This last week, he had a private lesson - and did this once!!  I can't wait to see how he does this week in his regular session!  He's doing awesome!  He still loves John Deere tractors, bulldozers, etc!

Oh, and by the way... the boys just turned 5!!

Happy Thanksgiving, and may your Christmas be full of blessings and opportunities!

All Dressed Up

My Little Pumpkins at the Pumpkin Patch

3 Minutes

3 minutes doesn't seem that long, does it.  Until you are asked to float on your back as a child with mild cerebral palsy.  Last spring, we decided to drop physical therapy and let Whit take a break from that for a while. So, we put him in a swim program for aquatic therapy. As a part of this program, he has to take a float test, in which he floats for 3 minutes or until he reaches the side of the pool - fully clothed and shoed. (I know... shoed is probably not really a word).  This video is a final float test that he completed on Tuesday - and he was rewarded with a bell and a t-shirt. If you listen closely, you can hear bells ring and applause as he reaches the side.  He is very proud of his bell, and we are all very proud of him.  I love what Chap says at the end of this vide... "He made it!"  He and Maggie watched intently the entire 3 minutes... such proud brother and sister! This was a long process, and took lots and lots of practice this summer to accomplish this!

First Days

The kids all had a great first week of school!

Maggie (2nd grade) and Chap (Pre-Kindergarten) started at Eagle Heights Christian Academy on Monday.

The final weeks leading up to the end of the summer went fast and furious.  Maggie had moments of excitement as well as moments of nervousness about 2nd grade.  She was worried it would be too hard. However, the nervousness was dampened a bit with excitement about the first days of school. She met her teacher, Mrs. Belek the Thursday before school started, and that excited her even more.  Monday "finally!" came, and she woke up ready to face 2nd grade!  She was adorned with her pink western/horse backpack and lunch bag, with her pink dress!  Any guesses on her favorite color?  She had a very successful week.  The best part of her day is lunch, she says.  Although, when she got in the car each day, she talked a lot about PE and the new teacher!

All summer, Chap would honestly tell you... "I'm not ready for school."  Anytime someone asked him if he was ready, he politely shook his head in disagreement.  He met his teacher, Mrs. Baker at Meet the Teacher night during the week before school, too. He handled it with poise and pride.  He knows Mrs. Baker from early morning care last year, as she is the preschool director at Eagle Heights.  So, the transition was a little easier.  The Sunday night before school started, he had a rough night.  He was scared, didn't want to go to school, afraid it would be too hard, what if friends didn't like him, what if he did something wrong... everything in the book - his 4-year old mind thought of.  He had a really hard time falling asleep.  He woke up on Monday morning, with NO tears and ready to face the day.  His tummy was hurting, but he fought through the pain and the drop off was as smooth as I could ask for! He was so big going into his prekindergarten class, and ready to learn with his elephant backpack and elephant lunch bag.  He gets into the car each day with lots of stories, and fun things about his day!

Whit (Preschool II)  started his first day at The Rise School of Houston on Thursday (after Maggie and Chap started on Monday).  He was giddy with excitement all night Wednesday and on Thursday getting ready for the day.  By the time we dropped off Maggie and Chap in Pearland, and sat through Houston traffic - his excitement diminished a bit as we drove into the parking lot of the new school. He was most proud of his John Deere tractor shirt, John Deere tractor backpack, and John Deere tractor lunch bag. He went in with no problems (he'd been there a few times with me during the summer, and had met his teachers).  I passed one of the teacher assistants during the day, and she said, "Your son is having a BLAST!" He LOVES it here, and is truly having a blast. He is doing great!!  His favorite part of his day is when they go to the "Sunshine Room" (an indoor gross motor room).  He also told his daddy and Pops and Bibs about the therapist (me) that came into his classroom on Friday.  Here, at Rise, he gets all of his therapies integrated into his classroom - Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Music Therapy, and Language Therapy.  Music Therapy is on Monday - Wednesday, OT is on Thursdays, PT is on Mondays, and Language is on Fridays.  As my mom said, "I can't wait to see him SOAR!"

 (His brother and sister were proud to see him off to school!)

Lemonade Entrepreneurs with Hearts of Gold

On July 17th, a sweet little 14 year old girl (Amanda) that goes to our church suffered a severe asthma attack. She was in a medically induced coma for several days, and in the process of waking up, she woke up in the arms of Jesus on July 24th. Her Facebook status reads, "chillin' with Jesus." She was a precious young lady, with such a sincere heart, and always very kind and genuine to Maggie!  She was Maggie's cheer coach, and often chatted with Maggie on Wednesday night suppers at church. Maggie will be a jewel if she continues to want to be like Amanda.  Amanda loved Jesus, and showed it in all she did!

It has been tough for Maggie to comprehend all that has happened, and wrap her mind around it.  Well, really for all of us! She listens to some of Amanda's favorite songs, looks at her pictures, and just talks about how sweet Amanda was. On Tuesday night, Maggie was making a craft.  She brought a water bottle out to us, and asked Corbett to cut a slit in the lid so that money could fit through.  She walked past me, cut her eyes over at me, and with a smile said, "I'm gonna raise money for Amanda's family!"  She went around the house collecting change.  Chap and Whit donated to the cause from their banks, too.

Then, she came out with this sign, and announced - "I want to have a lemonade stand to make money for them!"

We couldn't do it Wednesday morning, but it was her mission to do it today!  She organized everything!  And had great helpers in her brothers!  Overall, they sold a little more than 15 glasses of lemonade - on a Thursday morning, just by standing at the corner of our neighborhood by our pool.  Several people donated more than the 20 cents, and that made Maggie proud.  

So, today - my three miracles were working to bless others, and in turn blessed me even more!

Classic Conversation

Following is a conversation between Maggie ...

and Chap

 (Out of the mouths of babes!!) 

This conversation occurred while Maggie and Chap were playing together... in a room all by themselves (Whit was outside with Corbett), and I had the pleasure of overhearing this...

Chap:  Whit is the youngest.

Maggie: No, you were born at the same time.  You were both in Mommy's tummy together.

Chap:  Yes, because we're twins.

Chap:  But I'm bigger than Whit, and you are bigger than me!?

Maggie:  You were both born early.  You were supposed to be born in January, but you were born in November. Whit got sick, and his heart stopped beating and he was dying.

Chap: Was I?

Maggie: No, just Whit. You had to be born because he had to be born. The doctors told mommy and daddy that he wasn't supposed to live. Then, when he was one or something he would be a vegetable if he lived.  But, he is not a vegetable!  Isn't that crazy!

Chap: Yes!  That is crazy!  He is NOT a vegetable!!

Oh, the innocence in that conversation was classic, and priceless. 

These Are A Few of OUR favorite Things

These are a few of our favorite things that we've done this summer (so far)...

We just love being silly!

We LOVE swimming!  All three passed their American Red Cross swimming lessons...

Maggie sliding... (on her last day of lessons)

Chap swimming...

Whit jumping...

We have really enjoyed our Kindermusik class this summer!

(pretending to be trees in the forest)

(pretending to look in a hole, and see a SKUNK!)

And, Maggie has loved her riding lessons... (the boys were 'best buddies' on this day as they watched her)

 She cantered for the first time! (On an old horse that does not like to move very fast (Making Maggie work, and was not sound).

And, they've had lots of time outside doing some outdoor-type things... with a swim not long after, of course - to combat the heat!

Celebration Galore!

Maggie celebrated her birthday last weekend.  It was a fun-filled time.  Corbett, Maggie, my Mom and I all went to Dallas to take her to The American Girl store for her birthday.  She chose this over a party this year. She has been saving and saving her money in preparation for this trip, and did a fantastic job choosing a few items!  Below is a little scrapbook/slideshow of some of the pictures from her special trip!

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Then, on Sunday - her actual birthday, our family got together to honor her on her 7th birthday.  She is well-loved, and we are grateful for everyone and their love and support for her!  She loves each and every one of you SOOOO much!!  

This free digital scrapbook created with Smilebox