More conversations with a 2 year old.....

Paxton is putting Channing to bed, and I just came out of Jaxson's room.  Here's how it goes down.... I am rocking him, telling him about God, he wants to talk about Santa Claus, then I ask him some random questions:
"Jaxson, how old are you?"
He responds "5".
"No you're not.... you're 2. Sissy is 5."
"No she's not!" he yells, "Daddy is 5!".
"No Jaxson, Sissy is the only one who is 5.  You are 2."
"Oh", he replies.  Then he bumps something in the dark and cries.  I ask what is wrong.  He screams that he hurt his shoulder as he rubs his knee.  I explain that his shoulders are "up here.  That is your knee".  "No it's not!" he yells.
Finally I get him into bed, and I think I am making my escape.  He says "Oh, I gotta go poop real bad!".  Darn!  He didn't care about bodily functions when he was going "tee tee" all over his chair tonight at the table.  But since I am giving potty training a try, gotta give in.  So there we go.... he sits and grins at me for at least 5 minutes or so.  Not even a push or a grunt.  He has played me..... again.

Chann's 5th B-day Party!!!!

I can't believe my little pumpkin is turning 5 tomorrow, and we had such a fun party this weekend!  I think maybe last year I said I would never have a morning party again because you wake up and run, run, run... but what I LOVE about a morning party is that a.) we are all morning people in this house and get up at the crack of dawn.... except maybe Paxton, and b.) you don't spend the entire day anticipating the party and trying to keep the house picked up.  So it really is a great way for us to go.  And since Paige and Jade were here, we had great help and the kids were entertained.  Channing and Jade of course were pre-occupied with their new pet frogs.... poor little frogs, I think the girls tried to "teach them tricks" using the Barbie swimming pool.  Anyway, my good friends DJ and Codi supplied Channing's party outfit... a cute tank top with her name, #5, and an ice cream sundae (the theme of the party), and DJ supplied the adorable matching shoes and bow!  I loved all of it.  We had about 25 kids or so here, so it was crazy and messy and exciting all at the same time.  Our party favors went with the sundae them PERFECTLY, and of course we made actual ice cream sundaes at the party.  The kids loved piling on the gummy bears, m&m's, whip cream, chocolate syrup, etc.... it was cute to watch, and boy were those kids messy when they were finished!  We were so thankful to all of our good friends for coming and being there for Channing on her big day!  Between the cupcakes, sundaes, and pinata candy, they were all on a sugar high when they left (sorry to their parents)!  Channing loved the party, having all of her friends here, and was obviously excited about all of her new, "super cool" gifts!   I enjoyed all of the chaos this year, realizing that in a few years, she will be too "cool" to get really excited and not care about the cupcake smeared all over her face, or to rip into gifts with such enthusiasm.  Time to enjoy those precious things!

  

Channing's 5th B-day Party Prep!

I am separating Chann's party into "preparation" and the actual party because both parts were so fun this year!  Her cousin/ best friend, Jade, came in from Dallas to celebrate, and Paige (her mom and our cousin/friend) was a HUGE help..... don't know if I could have pulled it off without her!  Anyway, I started Friday morning making sausage roll, pigs in blankets, cupcakes... etc.... and then drove to San Antonio to get them from the airport.  When we got home the girls played (collecting frogs was their activity of choice for most of their time together!), and then we all put the party favors together.  We put colorful washcloths into little glass parfait dishes and stuck a cherry on top.  They turned out really cute.... although it took a few minutes for us to figure out how to make the cloth fit, and make it all look realistic.  Paxton went to work on "Jaxson patrol" and got the yard and patio cleaned up. Because we had a Sat. 10:30 am party, we woke up that morning and it was pretty much work from the start.  But it all went wonderfully!

  

The Kids are Back!

We met M&M with the babies at the Oasis on Lake Travis Saturday.  We were SOOOO happy and excited to see them.... it felt like Christmas all the way there!  We had a great dinner overlooking the beautiful lake.  The ride home was nice with Channing and Jaxson both grinning the entire way.  I have enjoyed giving them my undivided attention over the past couple of days.... but whew.... I am getting tired.  I don't get my 2 hour naps anymore :)!  

My fun day of shopping!

I met Ali and Laurie for a relaxing day of shopping in Fredericksburg yesterday.  Those girls are good for my soul... love seeing them every time!  We didn't really have a particular mission, although I had been thinking about doing a little updating to Chann's room while she is gone.  Nothing major since we've only been in this house a year, but she has been asking for new bedding for a while.  I had my heart set on adding some black into the pink she already has, and found the perfect quilt, but they didn't have her size.  After we left Fredericksburg, I stopped off at the TJ Max home store at the Rim, and I was SO HAPPY.  Love that store!  I didn't find black, but ended up finding an adorable quilt for a 1/4 of the price I would have spent on the other, 2 lamps, a vase, a rug, etc.....  so basically, it is not a whole new look and still traditional and girly, but a little more fun and bright with a touch of contemporary added to give it a little more of a "big girl" feel.  I hope she likes it!

Last Week's LONG Road Trip.... Shamrock and Abilene in 48 Hours!

I have been wanting to see my family so badly, and especially my grandparents, so we decided to quit putting it off, and took off Friday for Shamrock, located up in the panhandle near Amarillo (about 8 or 9 hours from here).  I am SO PROUD of how well the kids did... I think we stopped once to eat, and once to get gas and use the potty.  Channing NEVER slept!  Anyway, the long drive was worth it because we got to see my grandparents, Dad and Deb, Kristin and Sean, and Chloe and Caden.  Molly was with her mom. The kids had a BLAST playing in the yard, and Chloe and Channing did cart wheels galore!  Caden is such a sweet boy, and loved seeing Channing and Jaxson as well.  They still think of Jaxson as the baby and love to hold him and love on him.  And Jax acts kind of like... "Don't hold me.  I'm a Big Boy!".  The next day (yes.... after driving for 9 hours we left the next day!), we headed to Abilene to see my Nana, Pappy, Aunt Jan, Uncle Gary, and Megan and Gracie.  I was shocked at how much Megan and Gracie have changed since we saw them at Christmas... both just so tall and BEAUTIFUL, and Channing thinks they are the coolest girls EVER.   Jaxson cried for Gracie for at least 30 minutes before bed.  We were excited to get to see Gracie play baseball.... she is awesome and on such a great team.  By the time I got my camera out Sunday morning, Megan was with friends and I didn't want to embarrass her by making her pose for the camera, but I got a couple of Gracie in action!  Also, Jaxson was smitten with Nana.... sharing her snow cones and making her mud pies, and he gave Pappy a big kiss first thing.  The next day (Sunday) we met Mack and Mary Ann for lunch and they picked up the kids for the week.  Thank you M&M.... you are wonderful grandparents and lifesavers!

chann, chloe, and sadie

sadie chasing jax

chloe, jax, caden, chann

kristin and caden

time for gymnastics!

nanny deb with grandkids

my beautiful grandmother

my favorite guys!  

chann watching the game

jax in his shades

my sweet Nana with kids

Aunt Jan with Channing

Gracie getting ready to slam it!  

Dear Channing, Jaxson, and Baby Hurst.....

It's only been 2 days and already I am counting the minutes until you get home from Mimi and Papaw's, and I am also counting the minutes until our new little Baby Hurst is born!  I needed the break.... I have been feeling so sick and so tired, and wanted you to have the chance to get away so you could have fun,  swim, and do some new things before the end of summer.  I know you have a blast  there, and it is a blessing for us all, because it just makes me realize how precious my time with you really is, and how fast all of this is actually going by.  Lately I cry when I hear songs about babies getting older, and leaving home, going to college, getting married, etc......  and although all of those times will be happy and wonderful, they will be hard too, because I just want to keep you with me, even thought that is selfish and I never would.  I pray that you will always know that Daddy and I are here to guide, comfort, support, and protect you, even when we also have to discipline you and let you learn lessons on your own.  I pray that I will be the kind of parent that will not always be giving advice and judging your decisions, but a parent that you will want to seek guidance and advice from when you need it.  I pray, Channing, that you will see me as your friend, even though there will be times when I know you will see me as the enemy.  Just know that I will always be looking out for what is best.  Jaxson, I pray that someday you can be the kind of father and husband that your Dad is to you, and you all will find the happiness in your own families that we have found together.  Baby Hurst, I heard your sweet heartbeat today, and I just pray that you will get here safely and in perfect health, and know that we are all here to love and welcome you with open arms and hearts.  Thank you all for the happiness you give me everyday, and Lord, please help me to realize these things on the days when it is not so easy to do!
Love,
Mommy

Channing is turning 5!!!!

I cannot believe I was looking down at her, crying my eyes out because she was so perfect, and just almost looking forward to her cries at night so I could see her again.....  all that almost 5 years ago!  So much has happened in such a short amount of time, and now she's such an awesome big sister, such a funny daughter and friend, and just an amazing little person overall.  She told me the other day... "Mom, sometimes Jaxson gets confused and thinks I'm his mom".   I think she may be right.  They are both gone all week, and as much I need to rest and catch up around the house, I miss them and can't wait to hear their little voices in the morning again!   We took these pics last week so I could work on them this week....  and I am happy with how well they cooperated!  That doesn't always happen!

Chann at VBS/ Fun with Paint

I just realized that I hadn't posted any pictures from Channing's time at the Cowboy Fellowship VBS a couple of weeks ago, and also I had some AWESOME pics of the "kids" (paxton included) painting themselves on the back porch.  Yes.... there is a reason why dads are more fun!!!  Channing had a GREAT time at VBS... I was so thankful that Abby took her and picked her up each day... especially since it was later in the evening.  She really got into it at the presentation, singing all the songs and doing all the moves. As we speak she is listening to the CD from that week and dancing around the living room!