Adios Kara

Fun Aunt Kara is our world traveling family member. So far, she has lived in Spain, Honduras, El Salvador, Greece, and Switzerland. Whew! But for most of this year, Kara has lived in Dallas close to us. It has been so fun to have her around to talk to in person instead of just on Skype! She has been a great sister, aunt, and babysitter to have around!

This past week, Kara packed up and headed back to Spain. She moved back to Madrid, where she will begin a Master's program at a university there. We will miss her so much!

We all went to the airport to tell her goodbye, and she and Anna Lee got some great shots together ( I think this last one was making sad faces about her leaving). Anna Lee and J.D. will miss having her around...but will be looking really forward to a few days at Christmas when they will get to see her again!

J.D. at 4 Months

I was always really good about getting Anna Lee's portraits made. I'm already behind on J.D. I like having them made every 3 months because it gives me a very visible way to mark time. I like seeing the different baby stages and how they change so much so quickly. Because of Anna Lee's hard recovery from her tonsillectomy, J.D.'s 3 month mark came and went. So I decided to grab some quick portraits at Target the other day just to have a few nicer pictures of what he looked like at this stage.
(Please excuse the spit-up...but it definitely goes with who he is right now.)

I have tried for weeks to get a good picture of J.D.'s dimple. He has a cute little dimple on his right side, kind of on his smile line. I was so excited the girl caught a shot where you can see it.

At four months right now, J.D. is a joy. He is changing so much everyday. At his last appointment, he was in the 75% bracket for weight and the 95% for height. Not surprising given his 6' 5" daddy. J.D. is as laid back as they come. He is a happy little dude, except if he has dairy. He is beginning to be much more physically active, starting to grab toys, playing in his excersaucer, and rolling over from his tummy to his back. He loves to be held and especially loves to be cuddled and rocked. He also loves to be outside. Rocking him outside is his absolute favorite. His favorite person by far is Anna Lee. He watches her all day, and she loves to play with him. J.D. slept in the swing for months because of his reflux and the need to be upright, and has just recently transitioned to his bed. We made him cry it out several nights this week, and he will now mostly sleep from 9 pm to 5 am. It has been a nice change. He still loves being in the swing, and would stay there for hours if I let him.

When we found out we were having a boy, I couldn't imagine my life with a son. Now I can't imagine my life without the sweet one we have.

First Day of School

Today is Anna Lee's first day back to school. She started this year at a new pre-school, and we are really excited about the year that is ahead. We went last night to a parent meeting where Anna Lee got to meet her teacher, Mrs. Carrie, and the other kids in her class. It took us forever to get her to leave. She loved it!

Last night as I was getting Anna Lee ready for bed, we were talking about how she would get to go back to school again today. She said, "I am so excited! I am going to have so much fun!"

One of the treats for Anna Lee getting to go to school this year is riding with Daddy. Jim will be taking Anna Lee in the mornings and I will be picking her up in the afternoons. She seems to love this idea. She and Jim picked out cds last night that they would listen to on the way, and this morning, Veggie Tales was on full blast as they were leaving. As she and Jim drove off this morning, Anna Lee waved and told me, "Have fun at home today, Mommy!"

Jim said that when they got to school this morning, Anna Lee was so happy and marched right in. He said the teachers asked Anna Lee if she was ready to come in for school she said, "YES!"

Such a big girl.

I have to say, there is a little part of me that is selfishly excited about Anna Lee starting school again. I am looking forward to running errands with the single stoller instead of the double, going and having a much calmer lunch with friends or Jim, going to the grocery store without someone who will accidentally pull pickle jars off of the shelves...it has happened...

But what I will look forward to most is seeing that sweet smiling face today at 2:00!

Life Lately

Life has been much happier lately. With the combination of J.D.'s milk allergy, a million trips, and Anna Lee's tonsillectomy, things have felt a little crazy the past 4 months. But we are finally back in a groove! Anna Lee is a super happy girl. She is such a joy. She is 2 and a half now and as girly as they come. She starts at a new school next Monday, and I am really excited about the year she is going to have. J.D. just turned 4 months old. My how time flies! He is growing like a weed, and is such a laid back little guy. He sits and watches Anna Lee runs circles around him, and puts up with way too much princess talk. These past two months, he has been so much happier than the first two.

Anna Lee is quite the little mommy. She takes such good care of J.D. as well as all of her little dolls. She hasn't had a single moment of jealousy with J.D. , which I have been so thankful for. She loves to read him books, hug on him, and tell me what he "needs." Lately, she has decided that J.D.'s swing is not only his, but her baby doll's. Everytime I go to put J.D. in his swing, her doll is in it in this exact position. Every time. Little pillow behind its head, covered up with one of her old burp cloths. Every time.

The other day I came in to Anna Lee's room and I found her reading J.D. books. It was so sweet. He was just sitting and staring at her as she "read" story after story to him.

My grandmother gave us this great new double walking stroller. We haven't used it a lot lately because it has been so hot, even at night. This was a picture of the kids on their first ride in it together. They both seemed to enjoy it for different reasons. J.D. just liked being outside and Anna Lee just liked being next to J.D.

This is typical. Poor little guy having to study a picture of Ariel.

Watching a Praise Baby video together.

So glad life is slowing down a bit. As our fun summer is ending, I am looking forward to the routine of the Fall!

Rewind to the Ranch

The weekend before Anna Lee had her surgery, my family met up at a beautiful ranch near Kerville in the hill country of Texas. Thanks to the generosity of one of our sweet family friends, we were able to enjoy a wonderful, relaxing weekend in an incredibly beautiful place. It was a true "get-away" for all of us, especially since our cell phones and emails didn't work. You forget how much you use your phone! It was nice to spend time together swimming, fishing, playing cards, playing volleyball in the pool, watching for deer, rocking on the porch, reading, eating, etc. Here are a few of the pictures we caught over the weekend.

This is the ranch house where we stayed.

And this is the pond where we all went fishing. It was all so beautiful and peaceful.

Anna Lee loved fishing. She now says "That's where I caught the fish" everytime we pass any creek or lake in Dallas. She wasn't afraid of the fish at all. She grabbed each one after she caught them.

Going on a walk to see the llama with Grandad

The little fisherman

Looking for deer early in the morning

On Sunday, we had a neat worship time with my family. My mom is amazing. She had brought costumes and props to tell the story of Moses. It is one of Anna Lee's favorites. My mom and Anna Lee dressed up and acted out the story. Anna Lee was ready to go put the basket in the real river outside. The other day when I asked her where they put Moses, she said, "Kerville."

J.D. enjoyed being outside so much. You can see him here taking a relaxing nap with Grandad.

We were so glad to have such a fun time together! Kara leaves again for Spain in just a few short weeks to start a Masters program in Madrid. We were glad to get family and sister time together before she leaves. We will miss her!

Justin and Jim were on the trip too, but for some reason they didn't make it into any pictures. We love you guys too!

It was such a fun trip!

The Little Trooper

What a week! Anna Lee's surgery went very well on Wednesday. Thank you all for your prayers, calls, emails, etc. Anna Lee has been quite the little trooper through everything. At the hospital on Wednesday, she did a great job. She particularly didn't like having to wear the hospital bracelet or getting her blood pressure taken with the cuff around her arm. She said we needed to take it off because it was "too small" as it constricted around her arm. :0) Jim and I were both very thankful for the "Goofy Juice" she received before surgery. We had to wait a little longer than planned in the playroom before taking her back, so Anna Lee was getting a little anxious....and hungry and thirsty. She hadn't been allowed to have anything that morning, and they didn't take her back until after noon. Once she got the Goofy Juice, though, things were much easier. She was quite funny. We left her being wheeled into surgery with a big grin on her face and waving saying, "Bye, Mommy!" (with slurred speech).

Waking up from the anesthesia was kind of hard, but she did a great job. We got to sit and rock her in the recovery room for almost an hour while they monitored her. They had told us to be prepared to stay overnight, but she did such a great job, we got to bring her home that night. We were so glad!

The rest of the week has been a little tough at times, but she has done a great job. You can tell she really hurts, mainly when she wakes up from sleeping. She has not wanted to talk or swallow at those times, but her medicines have really been helping...as have the Disney princess "surprises" she has gotten along the way. She has had several fun visitors come by, and that has seemed to lift her spirits. My mom has been such a great help this week, and has even slept by her in bed each night to make sure she was ok. We have all had our yearly fill of Disney movies in the past several days!

One of the main things I was a little surprised by was the change in her voice. I knew it would help later on with her speech (which was one of the reasons we did the surgery), but I didn't realize the drastic change that would immediately happen in her voice. I have been reassured that the change is only temporary, so it has helped me (as the speech pathologist mom) see it as a little funny and cute instead of stressful and worrisome. Her voice is now higher, squeekier, and MUCH more nasal. She is just not used to so much air being able to come through her nose! She sounds a little like Alvin and the Chipmunks at times. We are loving it! Here is a quick sample of her telling about her surgery.

So Long Tonsils

If you have a minute, say a quick prayer for Anna Lee tomorrow. We visited the ENT a couple of weeks ago, and for many reasons (including the fact that she snores louder than most grown men), it was decided that it is finally time for her to have her tonsils and adenoids removed. So tomorrow is the day. I don't think she has any clue what is coming, as much as we have tried to prepare her for the experience. She knows that she will get to wear a special gown (she asked if it would have princesses on it), and that she will get to drink some "Goofy Juice," as they call it, to make her feel better. (She thinks this "Goofy" refers to the Goofy we watch on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.) We have told her that her throat will hurt later and that she will get to eat popsicles and watch movies this week. Anna Lee is having her surgery in Medical City Hospital instead of a surgery center like they normally would do it in, since she is so young. They have told us to be prepared for her to have to spend the night in the hospital. This will be a little tricky, since I am still up in the middle of the night feeding our other child. My mom is going to help us take care of J.D. during the day (and part of the night) tomorrow.

So say a little prayer for Anna Lee tomorrow if you think about it...and for us too. Even though it is a very common and apparently easy surgery, it still makes us nervous to think about our little one going into the operating room.