Easter Pics

Mom & Dad gave the kids their Easter outfits. All I have to say is . . . FABULOUS.
William's was a pink monogrammed dress shirt. Sooo cute.
Maddie & SoSo's 'princess' dresses were adorned with beads and beautiful handwork. Scalloped lace edges. Total artwork.
We had Wendy from 'Always Remember' come out to the house and take their pics in their outfits. She did a fabulous job. Here are some highlights.

"Good"

Good Friday. Good? I'd say so. I remember as a child asking my mother why we called 'Good Friday' good. I still remember the point of her explanation - that without Jesus' death on the cross, there would have not been an Resurrection Easter Sunday.
A couple years ago, Brad & I had the discussion and came to the conclusion that we would like to take Good Friday and make the day a special family day. Regardless of what the schools are doing (which I heard our county had 60% absentee rate), we'd like to celebrate the day that is the center of our faith.
So, we did. We took the kids to the park and played and had a picnic. The weather was incredible. It was quiet. We really enjoyed the time. William said, "There's nothing in the sky."

W enjoying his relaxing picnic time.

Then we ended the day with the Good Friday service. We didn't have, or maybe we just didn't attend, a service on Good Friday growing up. But I have come to really treasure it. Our church has been doing a worship service on Good Friday for 5+ years.
It really gets my heart centered and mind focused on the weekend. It is truly my favorite holiday. And the worship service on Friday night gets me headed in the right direction.

6 months already

I can't believe that my daughter is 6 months old already. I can't believe that just a few months ago I was giving birth to her and holding her for the first time. I can't believe how I have fallen in love with this baby.
I had a dear friend (who doesn't have children of her own) ask me a couple weeks ago, "Do you love her as much as you do William?" and "Do you love him the same now that she is here?". Two very reasonable questions, if you don't have multiple children. I asked that question to myself so many times when I was pregnant with M. And my answer to her was a surprising, "Yes!". And it's true. I do love her as much as I do him, yet I don't love him any less. How does that work?
Me being a 'numbers' girl, it just doesn't add up. If you have 100% love to offer to your offspring, and you have one. You give him 100% of that love. Now when subsequent children come along, how do you divey it up? 50-50? 70-30? 100-0? or 0-100? How is it that parents can do 100-100? Where did that other love come from? Why wasn't it being used on the first child if it was available. Do you grow an additional 100% while the child is in utero? Then where does the dad get it from? See what I mean - it doesn't add up.
I've taken a big step and decided not to try to figure it out. I love him completely. I love her completely. I just accept it.
On a bigger subject, how does God do that? How does He love ALL of us? There's one question I'd like to ask Him in heaven. In the mean time, the same will have to apply. I just accept it.

Here are some pics of Maddie last week on her 6 month birthday.

That is her death grip on her baby food bowl.
At the beginning of the meal, she grabbed a hold so aggressively and flipped the bowl over and it's content onto the chair and in her lap. She was so aggressive, you'd think we were starving her. But anyone who has seen her knows she is well fed.
She would just like more and more 5 minutes ago.

Disney, again

We played at Disney again last week. It was so beautiful - but busy. So much busier than 7 days before. It is obvious that spring breakers have arrived to sunny Florida.
Mom, Steph, and SoSo joined us this week. 3adults:3kids is MUCH easier than 1adult:2kids.
I felt inappropriately dressed because I wasn't wearing theeee color. The first ride we went on, 3 out of 4 people were dressed in green. It was so wierd. Then it hit me, ahhhh . . . it's St. Patrick's Day! Kids were wearing green head wear, families in coordinating green shirts, couples in matching green shirts.
Maddie and W weren't in green, neither was I. Didn't you get pinched in school on Saint Patrick's Day if you weren't wearing green? Well, if that was the case, we didn't get pinched.
Here are some pics from the day.

On the carousel again.

Mom with her grandbabies.
Notice SoSo - she is LOVING on Maddie. She says, "Maddie, Maddie, Maddie. Aaawwww"

Me with my pretty girl.

Remember, boys don't do things 'normal'.
Yet another example. Girls would run through this playground area and try to avoid getting sprayed. Boys, including mine, sought out the spray and would wait at a drain until the water sprayed up and soaked them.

What they hear

Brad & I often wonder if we get through to William. If we are doing a good job filling his 'love tank'.
We're taking a parenting class and we've been talking about affirming our children . . . building them up. So we have tried to be intentional in affirming him lately. But does he know that he is special? That we think he is great. That God thinks he's special. Does he hear it when we say it?
So often, I don't think he's listening. He sees our mouths moving. He hears noise. But it goes in one ear and out the other.
This is evident when we tell him to do something and then say, "Do It!". His response, "Yes." He didn't listen. He heard noise, but it never made it to his little brain. He has no idea what we've told him to do. We could have said, "Get in the car, we're going to see Mickey." And if he was in "the zone", he has no clue what we just said. Too bad there's not a light on top of his head - you know, like on a taxi - that says, "With ya" or "Brain is on a break".
Then . . . the sweetest thing happened. I was getting him out of the car. I leaned down to straighten his clothes. He proceeded to wrap his precious hands around my cheeks and hold my face and then said in a sweet loving voice, "Mom, you are Special."
Isn't that the best!

Month 5

This month with Madelyn has been amazing. She has blossomed and come alive.

This month she has learned to hold her own bottle for an entire feeding. She started the month reaching for things like GiGi's necklace, toys on the exercauser, and her teething rings. She has gotten a hold of the dogs' ears on a couple occasions.
She has been eating cereal and baby food for a couple weeks. Now she is reaching for her food - we can't get it in her fast enough. I think I can thank my mother for this - I caught her sneaking M Wright's cake. Last week I discovered she has 2 teeth that have broken through her gums.
She is rolling over (FINALLY) on a regular basis, though she does not like being on her tummy. We've come in to get her out of her bed several times and she is laying on her stomach - and is pisssssssed.
She can sit up by herself for a good 10 seconds now.

It amazes me how quickly she is growing. I sit in the rocking chair holding her and think back to when we brought her home from the hospital. And then I think back, or at least try to think back, to Wm when he was the same age. I just can't remember. It's very unfortunate. Did I cherish the time with him? I do with her. I look at him now and can't believe how verbal and smart and fun he is. How gorgeous his smile is. But did I cherish him and each milestone that he reached? I'll never know. But I do know that I am reveling in every moment with both of them now. I don't want to miss anything!

Do you see that smile?! It is mischievous and beauty and fun all wrapped up in one look!

My dad and M

See, I told you . . . holding her own bottle at 5 months and 8 days.

$3.15

How much do you spend at Disney in a morning? What is the smallest amount you've spent?
Yesterday was a prize winning day if there were a prize to be won for the least amount of money spent at Magic Kingdom. Though, I'm pretty certain that Disney won't be issuing the award.
AND the $3.15, well, I bought gummy treats for W. Which I brought home for little rewards when W has obedient good behavior.
I took W & M to Disney for the 'morning' by myself - if you can call 11am to 3pm the 'morning'. We had a great time. It was do-able. I did break down and use the kiddie harnish on W. But with a double stroller, I was able to do it.

This is the first time I've taken Wm on the carousel.

Why is it boys don't do it the typical, "normal" way?

They jump instead of walk down stairs.
They don't avoid a puddle of water - they search the puddles out to walk through them.
They don't go down the slide feet first, but head first.
And . . . why use a doorway when they can squeeze through the window.

It is beyond me . . . but I do find it oh so cute.

William pooped out after running pretty hard at Pooh's play area. Here he is taking a rest in the window sill.

Shiny things boys love

We visited Brad's cousin's auto shop in Orlando. William loved checking out the cool old shiny cars. Cousin Merrill actually let William sit in this 1960ish corvette. It was beautiful. He didn't want to get out.

Once we did get him out -- he couldn't understand why he couldn't get into cousin Merrill's race car. Brad is now motivated to take William to see his cousin race.

I find it funny how a boys' love for cars starts so early in life.