Spring Break TWELVE

Spring Break 2012 has come to an end, but we had an amazing break and this Mommy is going to miss her babies when we all head back to work/MDO in the morning.  We did not travel anywhere this year, but I was determined to keep Emma and Gavin busy with fun activities the past 9 days.  Our week was jam packed with lots of laughs, love, adventures and much more:

Twins THIRD Birthday

Emma got 4 inches cut off her hair & begged for more

Play date with Matilda Jane Twins (Lily & Laney)

Gavin's Three Year Old Check up

Children's Theater & Chik Fil A

Rodeo & Livestock Show

Zoo & Lunch

Visit Papa

Swim Shop getting ready for Swim Team

Play date with Brooke and Luke

Sidewalk Chalk

Bought and released 1000 ladybugs

Gavin got a haircut

Splashpad & Creekbed

Park & Flying kits

Buying Gavin's Soccer gear

Arts & Crafts

Shopping for shoes

Playing in the backyard

Visit to the Toy Store

Movies

Fingernail Painting

 Potty Training

We were on the go nonstop and we would not have it any other way.  I am not one for staying at home and neither are the busy little people that live in my house.

We had a blast celebrating our cousins, Brynlee & Chance's 3rd Birthday.  They had an Eric Carle party and their Momma did a great job on their special day.  My kids had a ball and talked about the party for days. These sweet babies are exactly one week younger than Gavin.

One day we went to see, "How I became a Pirate" at the children's theater with our friends Lauren & Tyler and the kids really enjoyed the play.   Gavin squawked like a parrot through half of it and thought the actors were hilarious.

Emma & Lauren have been in Ballet and Jazz together for 2 years and really enjoy each others company.  These girls are silly as can be when they get together.

The littlest buccaneer making his way to his seat before the play got started, he was ready to munch down on his pirate ship cookie.

Emma invited Lauren to go to the Rodeo with us and they had a BIG time.   Lauren had never been to the rodeo or livestock show, so it was really fun to introduce her to all that it had to offer. 

When these two started giggling and screaming, they could not stop.  It was hysterical and I think Curtis got a taste of what life is really going to be like having little girls around.  They were plum goofy to the core, but so sweet and innocent. 

Lauren was a trooper when it came to the animals, you would have never known it was her first time to be around the farm life.

Only my son would climb a fence to see a turkey, fall off backwards and land in a cow's watering troth.  He was soaked from head to toe and had to stay like that for the entire rodeo.

We had a blast going to the zoo with Nana, Aunt Stacey, Hunter, Camryn and Dana.   Afterwards we had lunch at a great mexican restaurant and we had some tired kiddos on our hands.

Camryn loves Gavin to pieces and can not keep her hands off of him when they are around one another.  Gavin thinks she is pretty special too.

It is a little difficult to get a good picture of all four kiddos when they are looking, so here is the best I could do on these geese.

We were so excited to have a play date with Brooke and Luke.  They are getting a swimming pool, so they spent the week in survival swimming lessons and both of them did incredibly well.  So proud of their Mommy for making the commitment to make them safe around the water.  Their pool is going to be beautiful and we are beyond excited for them and more play dates this summer.

Gavin and Emma love anything that crawls, flys, barks and stings.   One day we bought 1000 ladybugs (organic fertilizer), brought them home, watched them become active and eventually released them.  

We decided to release some of the ladybugs near our splashpad/park/outdoor theatre in our neighborhood.  We actually picked up pizza and ate outside at the park one night while we released half of the ladies in red.

We asked Emma to come eat and she said, "Mom, I would rather just watch all these ladybugs, you know I love all bugs and I am very curious about them, so I will just eat later."  The girl thought she was going to have enough time to hand release each one and talk to it before she sent it on its merry way.

After dinner we flew kites that we had bought earlier in the day.  Let me just tell you that Gavin is one heck of a kite flyer.  All of that energy makes for alot of running and high flying kites.  He could literally take off running with the kite on the ground and get it to go up in the air and stay there.  It was so much to watch him fly his Spiderman kite.

The kids enjoyed racing each other while flying their kites high in the sky.  They both did an awesome job considering it was the first time for them to fly kites by their self.

Emma chose a Cinderella kite, of course and she really fell in love with flying her kite and has begged to do it everyday since.

We brought half of the ladybugs back home and released them in our front flowerbeds.  They have hung around and the kids have enjoyed playing with them this week.

Last, but certainly not least Gavin had a SUPER successful week of potty training. When we were at home, he sported his boxer briefs and only had one accident all week long.  We are so proud of our big boy and looking forward to being a diaper free home soon.  We have been buying diapers for 57 months straight!  A smiley face and gold chocolate pirate coin encourages this boy to go everytime.

We also got to visit with Papa this week and the kids even got to see him, because it looks as if he is sleeping.  We are praying that he will meet Jesus soon, he continues to be in Hospice care. 

There were many activities we did not get pictures of this week, but we enjoyed all of our time spent with family and sweet friends.  We are looking forward to upcoming birthday parties, Gavin's first Soccer game Saturday, Emma starting swim team, upcoming dance recital and so much more.

In the meantime, we will continue to pray for the perfect peace over so many people that are dealing with various trials and tribulations.

Our Pirate Boy

To wrap up our little Buccaneer's party, I thought it would only be fitting to document Gavin's HUGE personality at the young age of THREE.

Gavin, these THREE years have flown by so fast with you and you have encouraged us to grow in ways we never knew existed.  You have taught us so much in your short little life and reminded us that the little battles are not worth fighting and we better choose the ones we want to fight wisely.  We have grown so much as parents because of you and that is a good thing!

You are one of the happiest little kids I have ever seen in my entire life and you smile from the second your feet hit the floor in the mornings.  No doubt in my mind that you will use that energy one day to become a strong and decisive leader, God has already prepared you.   

You have added so much joy to our family and there is no way we could imagine our life without you Gavin Thomas.  You give us a reason to laugh and smile daily, all of us. 

Thank you so much for loving us and for allowing us to love you.  Your cuddles, hugs and kisses are a treasure in our house and ones that we will cherish forever. 

Gavin, we love you so much and pray that God continues to use you in a BIG way.  There is not one single thing we would change about you. You are an amazing Son and no doubt God knew exactly what he was doing when he picked us to be your family.  I have so many prayers for you and your future, but most importantly I hope that we have provided you with the foundation to have a lifelong passion for Jesus Christ.

57 Months Old

This little girl is so close to FIVE that it hurts my heart just a little.  Something about the big birthday just makes it seem like she is growing up way too fast.  Perhaps it is the thought of Kindergarten that has me shaking in my boots, not real sure but I am in constant prayer about your future.

Emma, you radiate with JOY everywhere you go and your little life is so precious to so many.   You are a leader and a dreamer, so willing to try new things without hesitation.  You value your family, your friendships and Jesus.   I never knew so many amazing qualities could be wrapped up in such a young child, until I traveled this journey with you.   Your innocence continues to make me smile and hope that this season will last forever.  You are a gift to us all and we are BLESSED to be a part of your life.  Keep dreaming baby girl, you can do all things through Christ that strengthens YOU.  Looking forward to celebrating your 5th birthday with you in a very magical way!

Three Year Old Check Up

Gavin had his 3 year old check up Monday and he was quite the character, like always.  He walked in the pediatrician's office with his hand covering his mouth shouting, "I don't want you to swab my throat" and if he said it once, he said it twenty more times.  Poor kid has had his share of strep throat and is far to familiar with the throat swabbing.  After the receptionist, nurse and Dr. all promised there would be no swabbing he finally settled down.

Gavin came in at a whopping 38.5" and 40 pounds, he is one healthy little boy.  Everything looked great and he passed his eye exam successfully.  They were unsure if he would be able to complete the eye exam and identify all of his shapes.  He was required to cover each eye and identify the following shapes (behind them I will list his responses) because I thought they were so brilliant.

Cup - My Daddy's coffee cup

Star- Twinkle little star

Heart - A Valentine

Circle -  A letter and a circle

Sailboat- Pirate ship

Ear- Ear to hear

There were several more shapes he had to identify, but these are the ones that stuck in my head.  I loved that he was able to elaborate and be so creative with his responses and the nurse was pretty impressed too.

Gavin did decide to "punch" his sister in the belly during his exam with the Dr. because she thought it would be a good idea to whisper in his ear, "you are getting shots today buddy".  I immediately corrected his behavior and asked him to tell Emma he was sorry.  He responded, "nope, she told me I am getting shots, that is not nice Momma".  So maybe the "punch" was deserved, but geez this boy didn't have to do it in front of the Dr.

We have really focused on potty training this Spring Break and it is going well.   Gavin's drawers are filled with boxer briefs and he is well on his way to eliminating diapers completely.  I have learned that for this process to be successful, we MUST stay home and if you know me at all you know I am not one for staying put too long and neither are my kiddos.  When we are at home Gavin is awesome about using the potty. 

Our strategy has been pretty simple.  Timer set for 30 minutes, gold chocolate coins and a smiley face on his sheet for the day.  So far, we have only had ONE sad face this Spring Break and that happened on the tile floor (better than the carpet or furniture, right?). Well, and maybe he got in the bathtub tonight and shouted, "I went tee tee in the bathtub Dad, for real".

Emma has been so encouraging and helpful with Gavin this week and is so PROUD of him when he goes to the potty.  She races to the pantry door to draw the happy face before I get to it.  I think it might have something to do with using a hi lighter, opposed to the normal washable marker she usually has in her hand.

You love to play with the toilet paper, rip it off the roll, tear it into little pieces and flush it down the commode.  Matter of fact you screamed for me to come to the bathroom today and you had torn little pieces up and put them all over your private area.  You were laughing hysterically and you said, "look Momma (pointed to your private area) I have feathers on it, just like the chickens at the Rodeo".  Yep, it really did look like feathers silly boy.

We are so PROUD of you Gavin and know that you are so proud of yourself every time you get another gold coin and happy face.  Keep up the good work and keep the feathers where they belong BIG BOY!

Pirate Grub & Loot

One of my very favorite parts of my kiddos birthday celebrations is singing Happy Birthday to them and watching them blow out their candles.  I love to watch their "what do I do now" faces as they look around at all the folks that have gathered to celebrate another year of their precious little life. 

Gavin had been trying to poke his chubby little fingers in this cake all morning.  Look at how intently he is looking at me hunting for the perfect spot to put his candle.

He could not wait to huff, puff and blow out the THREE red candles Mommy picked out for him. I know I am a little partial, but I just think he has one of the cutest and sweetest faces I have ever laid eyes on.

Time to sing Happy Birthday and Gavin was pleased to lead us and sing right along.  He continued to smile the entire time we/he sang until it was time to blow out his candles.  No way was he gonna let down the 40+ of us that were staring at him. 

He was determined that he could get them blown out and I am almost certain he prearranged for his big sister to assist if he started to struggle.

How do I know you ask?  Look at her puffy little cheeks trying to help him out from a foot away.  Sweet girl, she wanted her brother's wish to come true so she was trying to lend him a hand, I mean hook.

We knew he could do it and would be so proud of himself after he had blown all 1-2-3 of them out.  I knew you would NEVER give up and I hope you always deal with every situation with that determination and attitude.

We were so PROUD of you and celebrated you once again, you were officially a THREE year old.

Time to move on to the loot and you got so many cute things from family and friends.  I had high hopes of you sitting atop ths ottoman while opening your gifts, but that lasted through about 1 present being opened.

You were so super excited about your gifts and could not bear the thought of being perched on that ottoman.

You loved all of your gifts and were so appreciative of everything you received.  Jacob & Papa each gave you a birthday card with $2.00 cash in it.  That $2.00 from Papa means a whole lot more now then it did to me a week ago.

You made everyone feel like their gift was the best of all each time you opened a new one.  You were very appreciative and made Mommy so proud when I ask you to thank everyone for coming to your party.  You stood up like a big boy and said, "thank you for coming to my pirate party and thank you for my presents".  You are a real trooper Gavin and I enjoyed every second of watching you get your "grub & loot on".

Swashbucklin' Mateys

No pirate party is complete without a bunch of little buccaneers running wild on the deck.  It was so nice to have less kiddos running around in our house and backyard this year.

These two know how to have a good time and are going to do it no matter who is around.  Emma seemed to enjoy her brother's party as much as he did.  All week long she talked to Gavin about his party.

Four of the cutest little pirates on board that day.   Kain digging for gold, Miss getting ready for the sword fight, Emma Lou showing off her face paint and sweet Callen smiling and enjoying the fun.

Emma was so excited that Mrs. Jenny (our first Nanny), Tori and David got to join us.  The Foxworth children have grown so much, but they are still the sweetest kids ever.  

Our sweet friend Lauren and Paisley smiling and I am sure exhausted from the long drive in from the country.

Me and the best HS Sophomore in the world.  Ashlyn is one of the greatest and most responsible HS students I have ever come across (and she is beautiful too).

Brynlee and Chance were not interested in becoming a pirate, but Mr. Maddox did not mind wearing his pirate gear at all.  We get to celebrate Brynlee and her twin brother Chance's 3rd birthday tomorrow.

Alana is a sweet girl and I am so glad she got to celebrate Gavin's birthday with us this year.  All the little pirates are swinging in their pirate gear.

Walk the plank Addy & Emma Lou, you guys look great and are concentrating so hard.

Our pirate ship was ready to set sail and we enjoyed it as much as the kiddos.  My BFF from 7th grade who will be joining the "40" club with me this year, she is OLDER therefore she will have a couple months to tell me how it feels!!!

My sweet birthday boy finally dug long enough to find some gold, little does he know he is the real TREASURE!

Ninety Years

Tonight our family struggles to say Good-bye to my ninety year old grandfather, the only grandfather I have ever known.   The grandfather that raised my Mom, walked me 1/2 way down the aisle at my wedding, traveled to see me every week when I was in college, taught me so much about family, was never afraid to cry and has loved our family unconditionally.  There are not enough words to describe the life my Papa has lived.

This comes as a suprise to all of us because Papa has always been so healthy, active and loved life.  The last 4 months he has not been feeling good, but we just credited that to age.  Last week he started sleeping alot at the assisted living home and my Mom became concerened.  After bloodwork, we discovered that his calcium was low and on Friday he was admitted to the hospital.

After many test and IV fluids his calcium level has improved, but his blood is not clotting, he is losing tons of blood, they have found an aneurysm in his aorta, a blood clot in his chest and there is not much that can be done.  He is unable to survive surgery, so the time has come for Papa to meet Jesus face to face and reunite with my Nanny, his three boys, his siblings and his parents.   

I am so heartbroken, but what an incredible legacy he will leave behind through his 2 living daughters, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren.  The man is the most amazing grandfather and father that anyone could ever ask for and  has always put his family and God first.

Oh the things I have learned from this man in my 39 years of life and oh the things I am going to miss about him when he is gone.  For my own selfish reasons I do not want to let go, however I do not want him to suffer.  He has supported me, he has loved me, he has blessed my marriage, he has adored my husband, he has loved my kids and for that I will always be grateful.

This afternoon I went to the hospital and I rubbed his head, played with his hair, held his hand and talked to him as if it might be my last time.  We had a great conversation and we kissed like we always do.  I told him I loved him and he was the best grandfather we could ever ask for. I ask him if he was tired and he said yes.  When I questioned what was on his mind, he told me his grandkids. I asked if he was afraid and he told me yes. I told him that he had lived an amazing life and he was a good father, grandfather and man. I told him I loved him again, he smiled.  I told him not to be scared, that he was in the right place. I talked to him about going home and he assured me he was ready.  I told him I loved him some more. I asked was he ready to see my Nanny and his three boys and he told me yes.  I promised him I would take care of my mother and we would not let her do without anything. I told him I loved him so much. I asked him to smile, he did so proudly.  I showed him the ballerina picture Emma colored and read her sweet message on the back, "I love you Papa, Please get well, Love Frazier 4".  I told him I would come back to see him again, praying I get the opportunity.  I told him it was okay for him to go, that we would all be okay and we were better people for knowing him. I told him I loved him so much and I left.

I left wondering if I would see him again, but at peace that I said everything I wanted him to know and confident he understood every single word. I love this man and I am so happy that I got to see him this evening and got to hold his hand and stroke his head one more time. So grateful for the man that God hand picked to be my grandfather in 1921.  I love him and no doubt, he loves me!