Change takes time

Today was another rough morning.  Brody woke up with a "tummy ache" this morning and said he didn't want to go to school.  {We made sure NOT to tell him that Mike was off work and that Mike and Barrett were going to Cabela's with Caleb and Axton later!} We talked about how fun school is and then I rode bikes (pulling Barrett in the bike trailer) with Brody and Trey up to the school.  Brody didn't say much until we got into the cafeteria.  It was a minute or so before the bell rang so the kids were waiting to be released to their classrooms. 

I told Brody that I thought he should walk to his class with his friends today (there were only a few moms in the cafeteria with the kids...most of the kids were now going to class by themselves) and he looked up at me with red rimmed eyes and tears ready to spill over.  He reminded me that I'm allowed to walk him to class one more day and then he threw his arms around my legs and started bawling.  He cried all the way to his class..."I don't wanna go!  I don't like school!!!" 

When we got to the kindergarten hall, Mrs. Giese had to pull Brody away from me (just like yesterday).  She started talking to him about all the fun things they are going to do today and then pulled him towards the classroom.  As much as I wanted to just pick him up and leave....I didn't.  Instead I walked down the hall (Barrett on my hip) and walked out the door. 

I know it'll get easier...and I know that Brody will come to LOVE school....but the current reality is a hard one!  When Brody got home from school yesterday he crawled up in my lap and hugged on me for almost a half hour.  He said, "I can't wait for this holiday weekend.  I get to spend 3 days all day every day with you!"

Trendsetter

Barrett found a stuffed lamb in the closet the other day. It was given to me when I was born by Daddy Steve's former boss. Barrett LOVES it and I think the biggest reason is because you can wind it up and it plays Mary Had a Little Lamb. Barrett loves music (he's always singing or humming). He's been carrying around this little lamb (nicknamed Lambie) the past few days. Today he had me strap it to the handle bars of his bike so he could take it for a ride. Who knows? Maybe this is a style that'll catch on.

Secret Hideout

Today Barrett was disappointed to find out that Nate was gone for the day (Brody was at school). So he decided to build a fort in my office at work. After he built it, he asked me to make some signs to tape to the fort. He had me write word for word exactly what he wanted on the signs. Then he hid inside (when Namaw got home) and yelled, "Na nana na na! You can't find me!" Them he told us that we weren't allowed to get in his hideout because the sign said "Barrett Only". I don't think he had to worry because there's no way we would've fit!!!

Dear Friends & Family,

I would like to make a public apology.  The other day we learned something from our sweet 4 year old that shocked us...and has possibly affected you or your home negatively.

Barrett went to the bathroom (I knew he had to go #2) and came back to the living room fairly quickly.  I asked him, "Did you wipe?"  He responded in the affirmative.  I said, "Are you sure...because that was really fast!"  He said, "Yes.  I even checked to make sure it was clean!"  I said, "Huh?  How did you check?"

"Well..." replied Barrett, "You wipe once.  Then you sit down on the tile floor by the potty.  If there's any brown on the floor when you stand up then you sit back on the potty and wipe again.  If there's not any brown on the floor then you're good!"

OH. MY. GOODNESS!  Mike and I stared at each other horrified!  Where in the world did he learn that?!?  We quickly instructed him on the proper bathroom hygiene.

So....I'm sorry if you have ever walked into your bathroom after we have come to visit and have found a small brown streak on your tile floor.  Rest assured that it was just our youngest son trying to make sure he wiped 'til he was clean.

Officially a Kindergartner

 

 

#48 - Write with chalk on the driveway

We started the tradition last year...making a list of 50 things to do over the summer.  Last year we ended up with 51...so now it is tradition in Brody's mind to make a list of 51 things to do over the summer.  Yesterday we did #48...."write with chalk on the driveway".  The boys liked when I climbed up on an 8 foot ladder to take a picture of them on our waterfall :)  I think the pictures turned out super cute!!! 

 

 

Here's our list.  We did all but 6...pretty good!  We'll go to the Great Wolf Lodge soon (we have a free night from Mike's work) and we didn't get to go to Legoland because Barrett (after stopping sucking his thumb) has suddenly picked up sucking his finger.  Arg.  We'll also work in a sleep over at Tyler and Ann's...and babysitting Luke...we just haven't had time yet! 

We sure had a fun summer.  Stay tuned for pictures of Brody's first day of Kindergarten tomorrow!  *tear*

 

 

"I couldn't find you!"

Barrett came into our room at 4:30 this morning.  I think it's been a while since he's come in during the middle of the night because I was shocked at how tall he was standing beside my bed when I opened my eyes.  When I asked him what was wrong he said, "I had a bad dream!"

I pulled him up into bed with us and cuddled with him for a few minutes.  I said, "What we you dreaming about?"  He replied, "I couldn't find you!"  He said it in such a sad voice and it broke my heart!  He wasn't dreaming about monsters or bad guys....in his mind this was way worse.  He was in a world where he couldn't find his momma. 

I cuddled him for a few more minutes and then took him back to his room and tucked him in....promising him that I'd always be there for him.  I love that boy so much!!

Can we sleep in our fort?

Mike and I had doubts that the boys would be able to fall asleep in the "fort" they constructed out of the cushions from one of our couches.  It made a small bed (for 2 people) and they were giddy with excitement!

 

I was shocked to walk in a half hour later to find this.....

 

Notice how Barrett is holding onto Brody's arm?  So sweet!!!!  (No, they were not sleeping with the light now....that's how powerful my flash is...and it was aimed at the ceiling!  Awesome!!)

Goodbye Hawaiian Falls!

 

We had so much fun with the season passes Daddy Steve & Namaw got the boys for their birthdays.  This is really a great family waterpark.  It's also small enough that we ran into people we knew every trip.  Today we ran into Mrs. Ryann (the children's minister at our church...who I have known since 4th grade!) and her boys (Brock, Braxton, and Bryson).  We did a few rides with them celebrating together the last days of summer 2012. The boys were sad that today was our last time to go to Hawaiian Falls until next summer.  This was definitely a birthday present they'll remember!

Almost time!

Tonight was Meet the Teacher at Brody's school.  We were excited to find out that Brody's teacher is the same teacher that Audria student taught under!  Audria said she's a really good teacher...so that eases my mind a lot.  Brody was also excited to see that there were 2 kids from his preschool in his kindergarten class. 

We've been getting up early all week (well...the boys have...I'm still just getting up at my normal time...5 am! lol).  Brody's alarm goes off at 6:30 am (a full 2 hrs earlier than they normally wake up) and the boys get up, do their chores, get dressed, and then we have breakfast together as a family.  We're also making time for a short morning devo before we hop on our bikes and practice riding to school. 

Tomorrow will be a new beginning for me too (and our whole family).  My first graduate class starts tomorrow night.  I'm pretty nervous.  I have no idea what to expect!  It's gonna be a loooooong process (I have to take 54 hrs in order to be eligible to sit for the CPA exam)....most likely it'll be 4-5 years before I have my MPA (Master of Professional Accounting).  I'm already ready to be done...so I guess I'm going in the right direction.  I'll never be done if I don't start! lol

Look who we met for ice cream....

{pictures taken with my phone}

 

Angela, Grammy, Jayden, & Laney were in the metroplex for the day to run some errands.  We met them at a Chick-fil-a in Ft. Worth for a late lunch (for them) and ice cream (for us)!  The kids had fun playing together on the playground.  It was a short visit...but such a treat to get to see them!

Star Trek

The boys found a mini Starship Enterprise at Daddy Steve and Namaw's house today. Over lunch, they asked Daddy Steve "how in the world does this work?"...so he pulled up an episode of Star Trek to show them. I didn't realize this was going on and was shocked to hear the Star Trek theme song blaring. This is what I found when I walked into Daddy Steve's office...

Tim & Kristin - Maternity Portraits

Wednesday, August 8, 2012
This morning I was privileged to take maternity portraits for Tim and Kristin.  Tim works with Mike and I got to know both Tim & Kristin while playing softball for Snap Fitness.  They are such a sweet couple and are going to be great parents.  I can't wait to meet McKenna...and I know that they are excited about her upcoming birth!  Here are just a few of the pictures from our session today.  We had so much fun...and since we met early it wasn't too hot (we just had to fight the mosquitoes!)

 

 

 

 

Brody's 6th Birthday Party

Saturday, August 4, 2012

We had Brody's birthday a little early this year because we're getting ready to leave for Colorado for vacation.  We'll be in Colorado on Brody's actual birthday....and we haven't decided for sure when we're coming home...so we figured we should do the party before we leave!

 

Does the cake look familiar?  Yes, it's the same one Brody had for his 4th birthday.  He didn't seem to care that we'd already made this cake for a birthday of his...he just knew that he wanted the Texas Rangers logo for his birthday cake...and he like the one that we made in the past.  Easy enough for me!

We took the simple approach this year and ordered pizza from Palio's.  Delicious!!!!  After dinner it was present time.  I was most excited for Brody to open the gift pictured below.  I spent a lot of time creating a baseball card notebook for Brody.  I made the cover and then made picture dividers for each team in the MLB.  We ordered a few 2012 team sets to get him started on his collection and the boys were eager to look at each card.  We were glad to see that he loved the present! 

 

 

 

Coming Soon...

Don't worry....I'm still alive!  It's been a busy few weeks at our house.  We had Brody's birthday party (we have SIX year old now!!), then I did a maternity shoot for some friends from our softball team, then we went to Colorado for over a week, and now I'm trying to get registered for graduate school (which starts THURSDAY)!  Oh...and did I mention that Brody starts Kindergarten on Monday and baseball practice is in full swing?  So.....I promise there are some amazing posts coming soon....I just can't promise when they'll show up on my blog...so keep checkin' in!

Bible Presentation

 

Tonight was the pre-k graduation at church.  We got to see a sample of what class will be like for the kindergartners (starting next Sunday) and each child was given a Bible.  There were over 20 kids there and Mrs. Kim said this was only 1/3 of the kindergartners at our church.  Wow!  Here's Brody standing next to one of his best friends at church, Braxton. {picture taken with my phone}

 

Starting next week, Mike and I will move from teaching the 3 year olds to the kindergartners, so we'll be making the big transition along with all these kids!  It's gonna be fun!!

Make up = Pretty??

Brody - "Momma, you look really pretty."
Staci - "Thanks!"
Brody - "Do you still have your make up on?"
Staci - "Yes"
Brody - "Oh.  That's probably why you look pretty....but I think you have too much make up on."
Staci - "Why?"
Brody - "Because you look really really pretty.  Seriously.  I'm being serious." 

How am I so blessed?  I never knew that having little boys would make me feel like a princess :)

13 AMAZING Years!!!

 

Mike & Staci

honeymoon on South Padre Island -August 1999 (yes...we really were that tan!)

Today marks 13 years since I married my best friend.  In some ways it seems like it was just yesterday....yet at the same time it's hard to remember what life was like without Mike! 

We had only known each other for 2 months when Mike asked me to marry him.  Many of our friends were shocked at how fast our relationship progressed, yet we had no doubts.  We knew that God brought us together...and we knew that we couldn't imagine life without each other!

I could write a book on all that we've experienced together in the last 13 years.....the places we've gone, the people we've met, the trials and joys we've experienced together.  I couldn't have dreamt a better life than what I have experienced with Mike.

God blessed me with an amazing man when he put Mike in my life.  Not only is he a godly husband and father...he is my best friend.  He is the one with whom I can confide my deepest secrets.  He is the one who keeps me grounded.  He is the one that I dream with.  He is the one who protects and provides for me.  He shares his joys and struggles with me and opens his heart to me.  Every single day I am assured that he loves me and cherishes me.  He sets an example for me at work (by being a leader who puts his team before himself) and at home (by sacrificing his time to do things for me and the boys).  He points me back to the Word when I go astray...yet does so in a loving way.  He is a man of character and integrity and I can only pray that our boys will grow up to be men just like their daddy.  I am beyond blessed to be able to say that "My beloved is mine, and I am his".

I look forward to spending every day of the rest of my life with my best friend, my rock, and my lover. 

________________________________

Since this will go in our blog book, I wanted to add the post Mike sent me on FB today:

"Happy 13th Anniversary to the most beautiful woman ever. Such a talented mother, a heart of unfailing Love, the best friend anyone could have, and an amazing wife that enjoys living life to the fullest each and every day!"

Lap Desk

I though GG would enjoy seeing that Brody is putting to use one of the lap desks that Grandpa made. He was using it today to do a double digit addition worksheet.

A Moment in Time

The boys watched a movie this afternoon....well...Brody watched a movie and Barrett slept on the couch. Brody and I were talking about how cute Barrett looked sleeping and Brody immediately said, "Where's your phone?" He found the phone and then took this picture of his little brother! I love how he wants to capture moments in time on film...just like me :)

Meeting Michael Kirkman with FOUR boys in tow!

Today my friend, Laura, asked me to watch her 2 boys (Trey & Nate).  Since our boys play together practically all day every day (they live across the street from Daddy Steve & Namaw), it wasn't really a strain on my schedule.  In fact, I had a really fun day in mind for the 4 boys (ages 4, 4, 5, and 9). 

First on the list was the last Texas Rangers appearance of the summer.  Trey and Nate had never met a TX Rangers player in person and were super excited to get their baseball signed by Michael Kirkman (pitcher).  The boys waited patiently in line (we got there an hour before Kirkman arrived).  They spent most of the time playing War!

disclaimer:  Pictures are all taken with my iPhone.  Please excuse the poor quality!  I was preserving memories....and any quality of picture works to preserve a memory ;) 

Kirkman was so nice to the boys.  Barrett walked up to hand him his ball and said, "Why aren't you wearing any pants?!?"  He just laughed and said, "It's HOT outside!  I like wearing shorts when it's this hot unless I'm actually playing baseball...then I'll wear my baseball pants."

Since the boys were so good waiting in line (no fighting or arguing or complaining!), we headed straight to Hawaiian Falls.  We ate our lunch of sandwiches and other goodies and then spent the rest of the 106 degree day staying cool in the lazy river, wave pool, and on water slides!

Since Barrett and Nate are still too short to ride the big rides, I got them a treat (I had a coupon for a free cotton candy) while Brody and Trey went down a few big slides.  I think this helped ease the "this is unfair" attitude of the little boys.

It was a fun day!  I'm sure everyone will sleep great tonight (me included)!