training wheels no more!

aaaaand....we have a bike rider!!  luci has been anxious to get rid of her training wheels for over a year now but her dad & i just didn't think she was quite ready.  part of the issue was the size of her bike...it's a good, quality bike, but it is a larger scale (16 inch I think?) and it was difficult for her to handle it well enough to figure out the balance part.

in fact, those training wheels have caused us so much angst that when we decided to get G his big boy bike we went for a pedal-less balance bike.  training wheels actually provide negative training and we didn't really want to go through all that again.  it turned out to be a great decision - g loves his balance bike, the 'lil rock't', & it only took him about a week to get the balance part down.  

AND more importantly to this post, someone else loved it too...his big sissy.  g's bike was small enough that she could get a good handle on it & work on the balance part.  after less than a month of begging gus to ride his bike on a daily basis, she's now mastered HER bike WITH pedals WITHOUT training wheels, thanks to lots of patience on dad's part and sharing on g's part.  

it's hard to get photos of a girl on the move!

i literally get dizzy watching her ride in circles on the driveway!

 WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU BIG GIRL!!

next up?

working on the brakes so we can tackle the hills we'll face as soon as we leave the driveway!

as for g?

he's taken to 'off-roading'.

i see lots of mountain biking with Dad in his future.

boots, belts, bikes, & brows

my little man...

he's all about being a 'worker man'.

or a 'big daddy'.

or a 'super hero with super powders'.

he pretty much never leaves home without his boots that are three sizes too small.

and the latest addition?  his belt.  it's "like uncle ben's.  and daddy's."

when given a choice of activity he'll pick his bike pretty much every time.

yes, he was posing for this photo.  

the girl smiles & tries to look pretty.  

the little man?  he tries to look as manly and tough as possible.

and his brows are rarely un-furrowed these days.

his voice is always stern & gruff.

i'm pretty sure he's in 'big man' character most of the time.  

i have the most difficult time writing about him.  he's complex.  
so eager to be a big man, yet so sensitive & loving at the same time.

he is, without question, my biggest challenge right now.  he's turning into such his own little person, and so quickly.  i feel like i can't keep up.  he gave up his paci on 9/11 to his newborn friend baby Eliza.  our 'newly' big boy was rewarded with a big boy bike.  a week later he decided to start wearing underpants.  and has had less than a handful of accidents since.  he's decided napping isn't necessary, nor is falling asleep before 10p.

if left to his own devices for long, he literally climbs under the kitchen table & starts taking it apart.  bolts, nuts, washers & all.  

to that end, he starts pre-school next week.  

he will be the youngest, but i'm pretty sure he won't be the least mature.

this one...

is into every.thing.

but mama is still his favorite thing.  if mama is within reach, he's reach-in.
and mama is not complain-in.

i know i'm her mama

but isn't she stunning?

my lu

time to play catch up a bit.  to say the last 6 months have been busy ones would be an understatement...but i really don't have much of an excuse anymore, other than i'm out of the habit of blogging.  

my lu is turning into quite the young little lady.  she no long resembles a toddler or preschooler in anyway.  she's wearing size 6 slim jeans and size small or even medium girls shirts (6/7).  although she is still a big fan of 12-24 month socks...the girl has a hard time with socks.

she's doing really well at kindergarten.  we leave about 8:15 each day, and walk the 7-10 minutes to school.  at 8:30a she goes in, and at 11:35a she comes back out, usually with a big smile on her face.  last week she came home & informed us she had 'the most mountain lion roars.'  the meadow view elementary school mascot is the mountain lion, and r(esect)o(n-task)a(chieve)r(esponsible) is the acronym that details the positive behavior support matrix.  and apparently her behavior is quite positive!!  she came home with a rubber/plastic little bracelet that said ROAR and a free kids meal coupon from chick-fil-a.  have i mentioned we are doing our part to support chick-fil-a & the hoblob lately?!?!  (as if i need yet another a reason.)

luci has been invited to several birthday parties and seems to be doing well making friends.  blythe, lily, tenley & grace seem to be the names mentioned most frequently.  the monkey bars are THE.IT.THING. to do at recess.  back in september we got a call from her school letting us know there had been an accident & she had fallen onto her face whilst playing on said monkey bars.  a quick trip to the er confirmed we were just dealing with two black eyes, a bruised nose and a cut lip.  more to come on that story later.  but she was fine.  at the er she informed us that just the day before she had made it ALL.THE.WAY. across said monkey bars.  clay & i were skeptical as we'd seen little evidence that she was capable of such a feat, but sure enough we saw it with our own eyes tonight.  you go girl!!!

in her free time the girl is a drawing & coloring fool.  she gets homework sent home on tuesday & thursday...she sits right down at the counter & takes care of her business...then usually asks for more.  she draws 20-30 pictures a day...and i'm not exaggerating.  she's forever asking, 'what should i draw next?'  she's quite the little artist. and thanks to aunt krista the great, she's also a budding photographer.  

she's incredibly helpful with hugh & gus.  her face seriously lights up when she spies them in the pick-up crowd after school.  and when the boys' wake up from their afternoon naps she genuinely seems to have missed them.  

she still has a few sensory issues.  socks continue to be a challenge.  jeans are all right provided they have no tags & the little internal belt thing is cinched tight & tucked back into itself. 

she's a great eater...she likes her veggies, fruit, protein & grandpa bread.  as well as a good treat!  never seen her turn down a baked good...just like her mama.

overall she's a joy.  kind, a little spunky, and big-hearted.  her mama & dad are very proud of the young lady she is becoming :)

showing hugh the map...

 awesome shot courtesy of aunt krista the great...

ouch.  those monkey bars can gItcha.

 we helped Grandma celebrate 70 wonderful years...just a few days late :)

 new boots...a birthday gift from Aunt Baylee!

 working on her camera skills...lots of self portraits...

well green lantern is fun

scene:  5 minutes prior we said good-bye to Uncle Sunidh, Asher & Lila.  sitting at kitchen table eating breakfast.

luci:  [big, sad sigh]
mama:  what's wrong lu?
luci:  i miss asher. 
mama:  i know.  you guys had tons of fun, didn't you?  he's a good friend and cousin.  was it nice to have someone to play in the basement with?
luci:  [sad nod yes of the head]
gus (wearing a green lantern costume):  well green lantern is fun.  green lantern can play in the basement with you sissy.
mama:  yes, sissy, green lantern is fun, isn't he?
luci:  [a patronizing slight nod of the head yes, as in, i guess.]

what's he gonna do with that waffle?

said Clay one morning.  In my absent minded attempt at multi-tasking I mistakenly left an entire, in tact, toasted waffle on Hugh's tray.  I said, "Huh?  Um, looks like he's gonna eat it!"  Unfortunately for our third born, that's pretty much how I roll these days...I discover he's ready for new things either a- by accident, or b-at an attempt to appease him (aka get him to stop screeching).  Method a has brought on blueberries, cheerios, cheese, and Goldfish...btw...all things he found on the floor courtesy of Gus' lunch.  Method b includes a giant pretzel from the Target concession area, pizza, french toast, and french fries.  I know you're all impressed by my clean floors & nutritional values.  Go ahead & judge...just keep it to yourself thankyouverymuch.  ;)

cutest baby since...

gus, i think ;)

these photos are over a month old but i still wanted to document them.  isn't he adorable?  people comment on his bright blue eyes almost everywhere we go.  and see that little curl?  certainly don't want to forget about that! 

the glamour girl

sporting her birthday panda shirt from uncle keith & aunt lee, as well as an angry bird birthday band-aid from grandma & grandpa.  no, she didn't really have a boo-boo there.  till we ripped the band-aid off, that is.

su-per, su-per, su-per-man!

"you need saving, mama?"  he takes his super hero duties seriously.

the littlest pea

isn't he precious?  a bit messy, but precious nonetheless!

we have a kindergartner!!

and we have a kindergartner!  where, oh where, did the last five years go.  my sweet baby girl.  i remember almost five years ago exactly thinking if i could just get through the next five years i'd be 'home free' as she went off to kindergarten.  ha...if i had only known that i would love her more & more each day, and that meeting her emotional needs as a growing young lady would be a much bigger & more challenging job than meeting a baby's physical needs i would have cried.  but i'm tellin ya, with each passing day the importance of my job is more & more obvious.  and i'm scared for those tween & teen years.  it's hard when such a large portion of your heart walks around outside of your body.  i love you more than you know sweet girl...spunk, quirks, & all.

dad helping with her helmet

never a dull moment as gus starts to jump out & melt...

on the way!

my girl & her dad looking for the bike rack

lining up on the playground to go inside

taking care of business & making sure she doesn't lose the boy with the spiderman backpack in front of her!

gus was mad.

she rocked it!!!

.  

kindergarten roundup

sportin the jean jacket she requested (and received) for her fifth birthday.

  

she came up with the poses on her own!

the lu drew this before roundup.  she said it was her (with the sad face), being greeted by her teacher, and me  (purple) smiling & telling her she was going to have fun.  art therapy anyone?!?!?

my girl had kindergarten roundup on thursday of this last week. just an hour long and the entire family went. i was in tears about it on & off the entire day. i was super worried i was going to be a sobbing mess but our 8 month & 2 1/2 year old worked wonders keeping me distracted. we sat in the gym & listened to the teachers & principal & pto volunteers & whatnot. there are 2 morning classes and 1 afternoon class - not more than 80 kindergartners total. everything was very low key and it was just a very, very different experience than we would have had in the bubble. in a good, much lower key, real world kinda way. just the lu & i go on tuesday to drop off her supplies & spend a bit more time with her teacher, Mrs. P. Mrs. P taught in the bubble for 17 years before moving here to CO (yes, our same bubble).  she is incredibly kind & even remembered us from our tour of the school back in the spring.  she was very glad that lu is in her class. as were we :) her first day is on wednesday!

still here...

hoping my hiatus is over.   we are in colorado, our belongings are in colorado, clay's heart has always been in colorado, and mine is getting more & more comfortable here each day.


things i love:
-the weather.  everyone keeps talking about how hot it is.  ha!  it's gorgeous.  even on the crazy hot days i can be comfortable in the shade.  i love not breaking a sweat just getting the kids in the car.  
-the lack of bugs.  there are lots of flies, but far fewer mosquitoes.  i'll take the flies.  
-living in a smaller town next to smaller big city.  castle rock's population is just under 50,000, whereas the woodlands was just under 100,000.  denver is around 620,000 whereas houston was 2.1 million.  so far this has meant better access to amenities.  our lowe's is very nice.  and full of helpful workers...who actually have time to help.  the zoo is a nice but low key affair.  
-having family near by.  my uncle todd & aunt krista are an hour or so north of us.  we've already seen them twice & they were able to come to lu's birthday party (another post to come)...it's awesome & something i haven't had since living in dc.
-living next to a fabulous outlet mall!
-living next to a huge park...with live music every wednesday night in the summer.  talk about picturesque family fun...families with dogs, dads & kids playing frisbee & football...kids running a muck playing pickup kickball...

mixed blessings:
-our house.  we love its potential.  but everywhere i look i see $$$.  we thought we'd get to spend most of our budget on pretty, but are having to spend it on function.  we already spent a small fortune on having the floors refinished & putting in carpet upstairs.  then we got here.  and realized every.thing.we.touch.is.broken.  every faucet leaks.  we had to get a new dishwasher.  the trash disposal leaks.  the ice maker in the freezer doesn't work.  the stove is missing a knob.  the fancy (and only) air filter system needs new lamps.  the heavily textured walls have been seriously damaged in places.  then onto the pretty...the paint colors are so.not.us. (and that includes the painted ceilings).  and we are in some serious need of window treatments.  and a proper guest suite.  and the black & white back-splash that is such a focal point of our kitchen/family room stops just short of making my skin crawl.  and the kitchen island has a counter top that isn't attached.  not to mention the big hole that exists cause we took out the trash compactor that wouldn't open.  the list goes on & on....but i did get a new screen for the kitchen sink faucet today for under $3, so that was a win!

not so great:
-i could use a girlfriend or 4.  but i might actually have to leave my house to make this happen, and i've been doing nothing but feverishly trying to get settled.
-the kids could use some friends.
-grocery stores. they stink.  i miss HEB...where everything really is better.
-direct tv has nothing on u-verse.  i hope u-verse heads this way soon.
-our poor savings account.
-clay is commuting back to houston until september.  we really wanted to move before luci started school (august 8th) so we came before he could be based here (sept was the earliest possible).  so that adds stress and takes away valuable time he could be spending with us.  it's only temporary, but it stinks for now.


and i need to hit the sack.  but i'll sign off with some seriously over due photos of my beloved.  i've got tons of posts that need writing.  hugh is 7 & 8 months.  (did i even post about 6 months?!?!).  the lu turned 5 on wednesday.  


oh, and i need to send a serious thank you out to both my mom & my mother in law.  


my mom came to houston before the move, flew the kids out here to colorado with me, and then stayed for a week with us while we waited for clay to join us.  without furniture.  in a dirty house.  with a grumpy daughter.  she mothered me through the emotional part of the move, and once again illustrated to me the kind of mother i want to be.  thank you.


and then my mother in law picked up where my mom left off.  she came out the day our belongings arrived and stayed with the kids & me while clay was off with the navy.  tireless as always she watched the kids, baked home made goodies, encouraged me to press on with the organizing & unpacking (and helped with it) when all i wanted to do was curl up in a ball, and provided loving companionship during a time that would otherwise have been very lonely and frustrating (alone with 3 kids & tons of boxes & no friends).  the house (and our family) is functional because of her help.  thank you.


oh!  and both of them tended to hugh at night.  so i've actually been sleeping!  what a treat!  


i am one seriously blessed daughter/daughter-in-law.


and with that, here are some recent photos of my peas.  more to come, i promise.