The Countdown to EVERYTHING!!!

The countdown is officially on. Seems like we are counting down so many exciting milestones this month...Josh is finally DONE with residency, my last day at work, Luc's last day at daycare, and Alex's second birthday all fall in the same week. In addition, we have graduation events, a trip to the beach, a baby shower, and TONS of other fun stuff planned. Oh, and not to mention a baby due at the end of the summer!

I have more pics to upload of events lately, but no time to get them from the camera to the computer. I have had so much TO DO lately. And my list just keeps on growing. Thank goodness for my Iphone--I can multitask while at work. Latest good news is that Lucas is now fully registered for Pre-K in the fall and I no longer have to stress about WHERE my child will be going to school. It was a looooong disappointing process for me, but I am finally happy with the resolution, despite my bank account being a lot lighter :( Lucas is really excited about me pulling him out of daycare to spend the summer with me at home--and I have to say I am pretty pumped about it myself. I have tons of things I want to do--summer fun activities that I have been saving out of magazines and off websites for months now--things I NEVER thought we would have the time to do but only hoped we could someday...and now that day is almost here. Hard to believe.

Alex is getting so verbal. He just continues to blossom each day and he is such a happy little dude all the time. I am leaving him in daycare this summer, mainly because his program is so beneficial to him with all the therapy he is provided. We can tell it is making a huge impact and I want to keep that momentum going. But we will do some special activities too so he doesn't feel left out!

Stay tuned for updates on all of our big events....

Mommy's special day

I read somewhere (and my husband has echoed this sentiment) that EVERY day is mother's day and that all mom's should feel privileged and special just to have such wonderful interactions with their children. That may be true. But it is certainly nice to have a whole day devoted to mom once a year. I think mothers around the globe would agree--we've earned it. Just like father's earn their day. Being a parent is hard work; it's also extremely rewarding. I still have people laugh at me when they realize I am a mother--Christy, the queen of cynicism and negativity. I don't see myself that way at all anymore, and when I look at my children I think nice positive, enriching, Disneyesque thoughts (as long as the kids aren't coloring on the walls or smearing Oreo cookies all over my furniture...then I see a wall of red). Here they are on Mother's day, reminding me why I love them with their sweet looks. Alex's eyes look really brown in this picture...seems like they fluctuate between golden and brown.

Our Mother's day was pleasant. We met my parents and Scott and Jenn in Arkadelphia at the restaurant in the Degray Lodge and had a pretty yummy buffet lunch and a nice visit. The sun made an appearance just in time for the drive home and we all took fat naps after lunch. The boys presented me with a homemade "hand" bouquet and a card with this message inside:

Mommy

Today is your day

And we'd like to say,

"Let us wait on you if we may."

With all these hands, we hope you feel

All the love put into planning a meal.

Your favorites we sure hope
(for if not daddy will feel like a dope!)

So let us say,

We love you mommy,

and Happy Mother's Day!

Love, Lucas, Alex, and Daddy

Here is the bouquet of hands (Lucas cut his own hands out so they are a little jagged):

And here is the front of the card (Lucas says that is Optimus Prime on the cover...my Mother's Day wouldn't have been complete without a little love from the Transformers). For dinner they did make all my favs: Rice Crispy chicken, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, crescent rolls, and fudge chocolate cake for dessert. Yummy!

Change is in the air...

I haven't taken tons of pictures of the kids lately, so this weekend I got out the camera to just document how much bigger they both look. Alex will be two in a little over a month and I swear he grows every time I look at him. He is starting to look much less like a baby and more like a little man. His explosion of growth continues--he has started using sentences ("I want drink"--stuff like that) and has new words every day. He is also more active and it is funny to watch him interact with "Ucas" aka Lucas. They love to play and tussle on the floor and in general be silly. He cracks me up when he talks in what I call his "red rum" voice (from "The Shining") and says "Whatzzzz up?" He also really digs brushing his teeth lately (seen below) and pretty much anything he can do to imitate big brother.

Lucas is also growing in leaps and bounds. Despite what the countdown clock to the right sayes, he will be five in the fall. (gotta find the time to change the clock!!) He is so TALL and lanky--just like his daddy was as a boy. He also inherited Josh's snore, his hair (gosh--what to do with that hair!!), and his happy go lucky nature. Lucas doesn't take very much seriously...unless it's tornadoes ripping through the state. He still won't stop asking questions daily about the weather.

I have trouble actually getting decent pictures of either child these days. Alex won't hold still and Lucas wants to make the WORST faces ever for the camera. He is so precious and cute to me in his natural looks, but as soon as I pick up the camera he turns on the ham and just wants to make what I call "Joker" smiles. These two were the only shots of him that were real--the one in the tub I just happened to catch when he was laughing at Alex (who peed in the tub...yuck). And below he was looking out the window at lizards and just happened to look over at me. We talk a lot lately about all the change that is about to take place in our lives...new home, new school, new baby, new schedule....Lucas seems very open and excited about all of it. Here's crossing our fingers that it stays that way...