Back on Facebook!

One of the reasons I'm behind on my blog again (besides you know, three kiddos etc) --I'm on Facebook again after a years-long absence!  FB is cool!  And addictive.  And weird.  But I'm back!  For now, lol.  I will update my blog sometime after James has taken his PE.  It'll be nice to one day actually blog regularly again.  And I mean really blog.  Not just do big ole photo dumps to pseudo catch up images-wise.  I miss the days of sitting down at the computer with a cup of coffee and all of the interesting and amusing life stories fresh on my mind ready to spill out of my fingertips.  There is nothing like blogging.  And as this one does not have a big readership and is very my-family-centric, it truly is just a loving history for my kids to enjoy one day.

Catching Up on Photo-Sharing!

Going back in time some, above is an example of the fun hairstyles Wendy used to allow me to do before school.  She has since become "plainer" in her preferences and will barely allow me to brush it!

Owlet M'toe, on the other hand, didn't realize her mama had affixed this here bow atop her noggin!  But that obliviousness lasted just long enough for me to snap this pic.  And then the bow was on the floor.

 Above, another style.  Below, the typical scene right before we leave for a weekend trip!

 Aunt Tiffany giving and getting some lovins!

 Above, at Sea World!

 Valentine's Day!

 All together at Walker and Missy's for Bethie's baptism and Maggie's first communion!

 Above, evidence of Wendy's growth spurts!

 Below, some pics from Alice's 1st and Linc's 5th joint party!  Linc had been sick and had had to cancel his party back in December. 

I know...my shamrocks looked like palm trees!

 St. Patrick's Day party at the Kemper's!

 Surprise party for Jennifer!

Wendy being creative as always!

 Alice and Mary Katherine, both born on St. Pat's Day!

 Egg hunt at Linc's school

 Easter at my folks'!

 Linc and Alice are super close..

 Above --Funny true story.  At Forest Ridge, this author came and signed books for kids who purchased them.  Wendy dropped hers into the tub during a bath!  I was so bummed!  I contacted the author and explained to a woman who works for him what had happened.  I paid for another and behold what was mailed!

 Missy's amazing birthday party!  They had karaoke and a bar!

Wendy's beautiful haircut.  But..she then wanted "more" bangs "over her eye," and the result was not a look her daddy or I liked.  So since then, we've gotten her bangs trimmed above her beautiful brows, which now show.  But she doesn't like it.  At least she'll have better under-water vision for swim lessons!  And we can grow it back out in the Fall.

 Ears pierced!!!!!!!!  She is 8.  I had to wait until I was 16.

 Getting a filling---boo.

My father is now doing better, praise be to God!  It was so so hard, but I am thankful I could be there for the first few days, with my mom.  His anesthesiologist prayed with us, which was so wonderful, as did their pastor, David, who came and got us breakfast the morning of.  Prayer was all around him, all around us.  A young man died in the ICU, and his very large Hispanic family and friends all filled the waiting room.  I prayed with a young, pregnant woman named Wendy! and gifted her unborn baby girl with a white angel bear from the gift shop.  It was a moment I am thankful to have shared with her.  My Bible study leader, Marilyn, had told me to USE my experiences rather than just react to them.  I'm also thankful for Marilyn!
(Now today is the 10th--I'm just adding a bit to this blog post because I was rushed yesterday).  In other news, Wendy did well on the Staar test, first time to have to take it, and actually is advanced in both reading and math areas!  I know I (may) have done well on the language part but no way could I ever have gotten "advanced" in math.  Evah!  She also made straight As every report card.  Pretty cool.  I hope homeschooling goes well and that I do a good job of challenging her appropriately! 
Speaking of homeschooling for the first time this Fall, there are other changes in action right now.  James and I met with a man to get started on the path to becoming Hermann Sons agents!  We need additional income, and it's something I could do from home.
And I'm co-chair for our church VBS and James is leading construction (mountains galore!), so he and I have been busy-busy working on tons.  Emily is leading VBS and she is just amazing and I am honored to be her helper!  Please pray it goes well! 
Another something new--Just signed Wendy up to do Troupe theater in Bryan this Summer!  She has a script, a CD and is hot-working on it.  Try-outs may fall on the 17th or so and she's interested in trying out for the part of Gertrude.  We'll see.  Her cousin, Eva Rose, just NAILED it as Captain Hook in their theater production of Peter Pan!  And of course Cousin Wesley is a very talented actor in theater in Houston!  Mimi was a star actress in theater as a child.  So I guess her talent has truly been passed down!
Lincoln is still astonishing us with his math abilities, all of which he does in his head on the spot.  Adds, subtracts, multiplies and totally gets money!  He's getting his tonsils out tomorrow!  I'm waiting for the call to know when to take him in.  Mimi's coming in today.
Kids have attended parties out the ying-yang lately, not all of which I've photographed, boo, and are having play dates with friends over here or at pools to fill up the hot Summer days.  They play Beanie Boos together when other kids aren't over, and Linc plays with Alice all the time. 
Alice is still receiving physical therapy and yesterday did pretty well outside in her play kitchen, cruising around for her therapist! 
Okay, I guess that's all for now.  Next news will be a new blog post!

Wendy's End of School Year Talent Show Performance!

Until James helps me attach this a better way, copy and paste the below line into the website line and it should work!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8qz9hniiqf572wc/00058.MTS?dl=0

From Missy's 80s Themed Birthday Party!

Like Wendy, Like Alice

Y'all get the idear!  Now, I have to hurry up and squeeze Alice into all of the OTHER saved Wendy dresses ASAP!  These four were taken "on time," but the others, ahem, may not fit quite the same, if you know what I mean (I procrastinated), but it doesn't really matter much.  They're built so differently.  Wendy had these super long baby legs and Alice has a longer head!  They just look different!  Beauties in their own way!

Kids Update!

Wendy---
Ok, so our 8-year-old Wendy is at this very moment, taking the STAAR test at school!  Because she is anxious, like me, and because her teachers emphasized the importance of a good night's sleep before testing, she had difficulty falling asleep and awakened with a nightmare!  Predictably.  BUT!  She was cheerful and ready to go this morning!  She asked me to write a note in her lunch.  Of course I did!  And I filled it with goofy lettering and a fun picture of her blowing a bubble (because they get snacks and GUM during test days!)  Thursday will be fun for her as it's a camp-in day at school.  They get to bring a stuffed animal, blanket, pillow and books and relax after their test!
She is into, and when I say into, I mean INTO fairies!  She is a magical thinker and believes that they are real...and believes she is really one of them.  It's fun to see her creations around this house, all having to do with her fairy fantasy world.  There are drawings and stapled books complete with fairy lifestyle details.  It's really quite sweet.
She's such a reader, she of course asked us Sunday to go by the Half Price bookstore to get new chapter books for after she completes test sections this week.  She got about three Diary of a Wimpy Kid books..and a prank book, which when she used the key to unlock it and read it, got red glitter all over her hand, which she thought was just PERFECT!  Yesterday, our bedroom was rearranged, object-wise, with toilet paper wrapping my lampshade beside the bed, etc.  A prank for which she recruited Linc's help, and which "tricked" us parents!
Lately everyone comments on her height!  "Wendy is TALL!," they say!  It's true!  Thanks to James' grandmother and great aunt's genes!  Tall German women!
She just got her hair cut, and I allowed her to tell the stylist what she wanted!  She got "edgy" layered bangs that hang over her eye intentionally.  I asked to keep the length of the rest of her hair though, as it's thick and pretty!  So now she's really looking like a young Jody Foster to me.  It's dark blonde and she comes in all sweaty from the trampoline and with these wild layers over her eye!  (I kinda wanna clip it back!  AH!)
Lincoln, a few days ago when we reviewed them, had about 5-6 letters left to recognize.  We have worked on his letters, off and on, taking 6 month breaks when he had NO interest earlier on, since he was three.  Wendy picked them up freakishly early and so read early, but Linc is not wired to identify his letters with ease, for some reason.  But.  BUT!!!  The boy understands math. 
Just this morning, he asks, "Mom, how many 2s are in 10?"  I answer, "5."  He goes, "So 20 times five is 100!"  A little while back he looked deep in thought in the car one day and he declares, "29 plus 5 is 34, RIGHT?!"  Another time he asks if 8 plus 8 is 16, and then he goes, "so 4 times 4 is 16!"  We don't know how he does it, but he does it in his head.  I don't think he could write it.  So along with this math mind, he's into Settlers of Catan, and after James explained it to him, he got it.  He enjoys board games, like his dad.
He's a good boy.  He's a dream boy.  He hugs EVERY woman we see out and about, if the opportunity presents!  He also hugs his little friends, both genders, at Sonshine school, speech and Power Sports, and he's popular among these little people!  Joshua's mom says he asks her if it's going to be a "Lincoln day?" and Carter, at Linc's party, said to me, "I'm Lincoln's BEST buddy!," while hugging him.  Soooooo sweet.
Alice, aka Ally Boo, aka Owlet M'toe.  She is still just super fond of other kids' attention, her brother and sister's in particular!  Linc loves to hold her and they snuggle their foreheads together and cuddle!  She crawls over to me if I'm sitting in a chair and kisses my leg!  If I'm also on the floor, sitting, she crawls over and lowers her forehead into my hands, as a little bow of love.  As I taxi her around on my hip, she spontaneously kisses my shoulder.  Daddy comes home, and she says, "Hi!" 
Her physical therapy is twice a month, and we work with her here at home, but it's slow going.  She's made progress though!  Since that first assessment, she learned how to get into a sitting position and learned to crawl properly.  I have seen her pull up to stand maybe twice, but it was very shaky! 
She is a RED HEAD!!!  More and more I get that confirmation from strangers who comment randomly, "Oh a ginger!"  "Look at that red hair!"  I.  love.  it.  So special she was born on St. Patrick's day and has this red hair!  Wow!
Well, I'm taking my little ginger with me to Aerofit here in a second, so I must pack my diaper bag and be gone! 
I'm so behind on posting recent pics from recent events so I'll try to catch up at some point, ah me, I have three kids and a lot going on all of the time!
James and I have become super involved with church (Sundays are full!), and it's a joy, and then I'm co-chair for VBS, trying to plan for homeschooling Wendy for 4th, and waiting to train to become Hermann Sons insurance agents!  And then there are other things going on as well.  We wait to hear the date of my dad's heart surgery, my folks continue to clean out Suzon's apartment and tie up her loose ends, and things are happening with James' job, and on and on and on! 
Doctor appointments are a big focus in recent times...I had to do lots for my nephrologist (2 24-hour collections, labs again, ultrasound, nutritionist, etc) and I hope to find out if lithotripsy damaged the vasculature of my kidney, causing my high blood pressure, which is what I just know happened.  If so, God's will, but it's been hard for me to get over it.  I need to know for sure.  Is my kidney making too much renin?  I think that's what I'll ask to test, if it hasn't been checked yet.  Ok, rabbit trail!  I am the worst!  MOM ADD!
Signing off for now, before this stream of consciousness goes all psychedelic on ya!

Baby Girls

This first shot is one I took of a friend's beautiful newborn.  Sigh...right?!

 The rest are of Alice wearing a dress and a bubble suit that Wendy wore!