Little prints...

Today we had our Halloween playgroup at Becky's...it was awesome!!  THANKS BECKY!!  She gave out lunch, gift bags and had a lady from Precious Prints come over and take foot and hand prints of our children on different pottery pieces. Thinking of their little prints, and how fast they grow, I was reminded of a poem I heard in a parenting class Kyle and I took two years ago...

A Child is for Molding

I took a piece of plastic clay,

And idly fashioned it one day,

And as my fingers pressed it still,

It bent and yielded to my will.

I came again when days were past, 

The bit of clay was hard at last.

The form I gave it still it bore,

But I could change that form no more.

I took a piece of living clay,

And gently formed it day by day,

A young child's soft and yielded heart.

And molded it with power and art.

I came again when years were gone:

He was a man I looked upon.

The early imprint still he bore,

But I could change him then no more.

Anonymous  

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it"  Proverbs 22:6

Erin's foot prints...

Brooke's...

Kameron's...

When Brooke saw Kyle this morning, she said "You're scaring me dad" and Erin said, "Dad, I like your suit!"...see below.  We went up to Kyle's office to trick or treat and eat pizza...we've done that the last three years and always have so much fun :)

Disco Daddy and Brooke...

Through the night...

I know I said Kameron's an awesome baby...she must have heard me, and wanted to prove again that she REALLY is (she didn't have to!)...drum roll somebody please, Kameron slept 12 STRAIGHT hours last night!!  She is 11 weeks and 1 day old :)

I started nursing her down at 6:30, put her in her bassinet at 7:00 and I'm writing this blog (she's still sleeping :) ) at 7:00 this morning!

She had been creeping towards all night for awhile...8 hours at 8 weeks, like my other girls, sometimes 9 (that was our longest stretch until last night)...and occasionally a set back, just 3-5 hours...but, last night she did it!

Thank you Kameron!!

7:00 pm - 7:00ish am

Yours

As the election approaches, I'm consumed with thoughts of who our next president will be...it's such a critical time in history and the two candidates are taking our country in two very different directions (morally, economically (here and abroad) and culturally...impacting not just Americans, but the rest of the world...

So this song talks about how everything is God's...this election, America...the whole world...this song is AWESOME, SO TRUE and something you can count on for sure!!

Yours, Steven Curtis Chapman: (it's on KSBJ)

I walk the streets of London 

And notice in the faces passing by 

Something that makes me stop and listen

My heart grows heavy with the cry

Where is the hope for London?

You whisper and my heart begins to soar

As I'm reminded

That every street in London is Yours

I walk the dirt roads of Uganda 

I see the scars that war has left behind

Hope like the sun is fading

They're waiting for a cure no one can find

And I hear children's voices singing

Of a God who heals and rescues and restores

And I'm reminded 

That every child in Africa is Yours

And its all Yours, God, Yours, God

Everything is Yours

From the stars in the sky

To the depths of the ocean floor

And it's all Yours, God, Yours, God

Everything is Yours

You're the Maker and Keeper, Father and Ruler of everything

It's all Yours

And I walk the sidewalks of Nashville

Like Singapore, Manila and Shanghai

I rush by the beggar's hand and the wealthy man

And everywhere I look I realize

That just like the streets of London

For every man and woman, boy and girl

All of creation

This is our Father's world...

Kameron...

she's awesome...seriously, the best baby...happy, CONTENT, engaging, snuggles, and sleeps (a lot)...I'm enjoying getting to know her...I tell people she's my wing man, cause she goes everywhere with me...tomorrow she's going to Great Day Houston to do a promotional thing for Junior League...we're headed out at 6:45 am for a 9:00 taping...hope she does well :)!

Okay, well, I hate to admit it, but we just did her 2 month appointment last week...just a little late cause I totally forgot about her appointment...a good friend made me feel better by confirming that I would have never done that with a first child, not even a second, but a third, well things like that sometimes happen....

Here's her stats:

10 lbs, 15 oz (50 %)

23 in 3/4 (75%)...

of PURE perfection!!!

sleeping on my shoulder at the festival today...I love you, baby Kameron!

SonKids Fall Festival

SonKids, the girls' preschool, had a Fall Festival today...it was SO much fun for everyone :) Erin and Brooke, with some exceptions, really enjoyed today...they rode a train, played lots of games in the gym, and ate way too much candy!!  We paid for it this evening...but, it was worth it!!

Erin LOVED the train...

Brooke did not...

Erin and Tyler have the SWEETEST relationship...

and Drew and Brooke are already a little "too cool"...

They all look like they've had a long day, and INDEED they have :)!!

Cupcakes and Costumes....

Cha Cha and the girls...

The girls helped make chocolate cupcakes with their Cha Cha last night. They put orange frosting on their cupcakes and designed pumpkin faces on each one...they had so much fun making the cakes and spending time with their D and Cha Cha.

Wendy and Tinkerbell

Erin and Brooke got to wear their Halloween costumes to school today. They love Peter Pan and had been planning for months to be Wendy and Tinkerbell. Mimi made Erin's Wendy dress...she spent many hours sewing and took so much care to make the dress look and fit perfectly!! Erin loves her dress and fits the part well...she is the mother hen of her sister and cousins just like Wendy is of the lost brothers and Peter Pan. Brooke also plays the part well...she is fiesty just like Tinkerbell :)!! Seeing all the little ones at school today in their costumes was so much fun :)

Pumpkins stink!!

Last year Erin cried while we carved pumpkins...she would gag and say "it's making me throw up"! It's SO funny to hear her say that...she's got a keen sense of smell and has said that phrase on numerous occasions...at the Houston zoo, certain things I cook, and when she walks up to my bed to tell me good morning (morning breath, not so pretty :)  )...I have to digress and quickly mention another funny story about her smeller...recently, we had company over and she gave the person a hug and asked with a curious look on her face "what animal is in your mouth?"...wow, I still laugh really hard when I think of her saying that and the expression on her face as she leaned over to look in the person's mouth...

Back to crying last year and carving pumpkins...even though Erin was all excited about picking out her pumpkin and carving a face on it, the smell was so unbearable to her that she stood inside at the window and watched Kyle carve it from a distance and when I asked her for a picture next to the pumpkin this is what she gave me...

Last Halloween...

What a difference a year can make!! She helped Kyle carve the pumpkins and didn't mention the smell, she even helped pull out all the yucky stuff inside :). Brooke ran around, Kameron slept, Kyle carved the cat, on the left, and I did the witch, to the right.

It's obvious, we used stencils :)

Erin wanted her pumpkin to be a scary witch...

Brooke wanted a cat :)

Hang out with your kids while you can...

The preschool days, before your children are in kindergarten, are HARD work!!...but, my mom says (and I know she's right) that you should hang out with your kids as much as you can while they still want to hang out with you...

So, when I dread cleaning up their messes or think of how I'm too tired to play with them, I hear my mom saying, "enjoy them, it doesn't last long"...it changes my perspective and I instantly feel so incredibly thankful that I get to stay home everyday and spend this precious time with my three girls (while they still want to spend time with me, cause they think I'm the greatest!)...

Kameron sleeping, thankfully she likes to do this a lot :)

Erin and Brooke painting...they later painted the table and it's now a light pink :)

Playgroup at the Pumpkin Patch....

This was our second year to go to the pumpkin patch with our playgroup...it was a good time and the weather was exquisite!! Our babies, I know they're growing up, had fun chasing each other and decorating their pumpkins :) Rachel took some pictures for me...sorry for missing some of you, maybe next year :) Thanks for hosting Jenni and Amber!

The pumpkins....

Kameron and her pumpkin....

Marshall...

Colin...

Drew...

Lawson...

Grayson...

Harper...

Walker...

Brooke...

Jackson...

Sam...

Erin...

Davis...

Tyler...

"Mer Daddy"...

The girls like to say "hug and a kiss" when they're saying their good-byes. Brooke talks so cute and says it a little differently..."mer hugs, mer kisses". Well, we went to Rico's for dinner after several nights without spending much time with Kyle. The girls soak him up like a sponge when they haven't been able to see him...it's the sweetest thing :)

So they start chanting their good-byes and Brooke says to her Daddy, "mer hugs, mer hugs", and they'd hug, "mer kisses, mer kisses", and they'd kiss, and then "mer Daddy, mer Daddy"...I loved it and so did her Daddy :)

Hmm, what happened?

Kyle was out of town this past weekend and Rachel, Rachel, Erika, and I spent 14 hours straight working on the Junior League's Holiday Market.  Between watching our children (6-8 toddlers under the age of 4) and JL, something happened...but, I was too busy and exhausted to notice until Sunday morning at church. Sitting in the pew and relaxing for the first time all weekend, I crossed my hands on my lap and looked down...noticed my ring, and thought to myself, I worked so hard yesterday that my diamonds fell out...

not so pretty without diamonds...

October Tease...

In the 60's...

October is my favorite weather month in Houston :)  7 years ago I moved to "the armpit" and it took years to acclimate to the weather...especially my hair and skin, nothing like teenage acne to help you feel youthful again...then October comes and you get such a drastic change that you forget about the heat and humidity of August and September... 

However, yesterday was just a tease...the girls wore sweatshirts to school and by 10:00 it was HOT, but still a BEAUTIFUL day!  

In case you were wondering what was on Erin's face....

Erin gets cold sores...she's gotten them since she was 15 months old.  The first time she had them she had too many to count...on her tongue, cheeks, gums and lips.  The one she has now is FINALLY healing...Kyle and his mom had expressed concern about how long she had had it and how it looked like it was still festering (Cherrie, in fact, said she thought it was impetigo).  So, we got the diagnosis, impetigo, and now we're treating it with a topical antibiotic... 

Pro Erin, Brooke and Kameron!!

Last night's presidential debate made me sad...when did choice become more important than life. I carried three babies and I KNOW that life begins at conception...I felt my babies move at 14 weeks...and a few weeks later, kick and hiccup...I CANNOT comprehend abortion...

Not easily entertained...

so, you gotta break the rules just to get through the day.

Brooke's naps are short now and that makes for LOOOONG afternoons...after dance lessons, a 90 minute grocery store excursion, chick-fil-a, playing outside, playing in the living room, coloring, more playing outside and watching some TV (okay, a lot of TV, so much so that they both told me no more because it's boring)...we had a dance party on our bed.

Dancing to "How to Save a Life"...not so much a groove song, but they don't care...

Kelley's Wedding...

Kelley and John got married last night...it was THE most glamorous wedding!!  The wedding and reception were at Hotel ZaZa in Houston.  It was an intimate setting with the Watson family and their closest friends. Erin and Brooke stayed home, but Kyle and I (and Kameron!) enjoyed ourselves the entire night.  Pictures say a 1000 words, so I'll let them do just that.

Kelley was a BEAUTIFUL bride.

Kyle and I underneath the arrangement where Kelley and John said their vows.

The reception was INCREDIBLE.

Our table with the Bride and Groom.

Kameron slept half way under the table (and between our seats) the entire night!  She is THE BEST baby!!

 

We had a five course "pairing" dinner!  It was DELICIOUS!!  Click on the picture to see the menu :)

Kyle's cake...

My cake...each guest had a personal cake :)

Kyle played "Rock Band" at the reception :)  He was really good!

I always laugh (a lot!!) when I'm with the Watsons....here's a conversation that I was listening to while sitting between Kyle and his dad last night.  

Kyle: Dad, I could whip you in 5 seconds..

Dennis: Son, you couldn't whip me in five seconds.

Kyle: I'm so mad right now, I almost like it!

Dennis: Son, I don't want to whip you, cause you're my baby, but I might...

Kyle: Yea, dad...

Dennis: I might not last long, but I'll last strong...

Thank you Kelley and John for such an amazing day/evening that will not be forgotton!! Congratulations and God Bless  :)

Talking to Jesus

Erin was in time out for hitting her sister today and she was crying....she said "I need to talk to Jesus" and this wasn't unusual because we've told her that she can always talk to Him and He'll listen when sometimes mom and dad won't (not that we don't listen :) ).  So, I say okay, talk to Jesus.  So she closes her eyes and begins her prayer, "Dear Jesus, please forgive me for my sins and please help me to try and not hit Brooke and please be my friend."   

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."  Matthew 19:14

My prayer, thank you Jesus for the privilege and honor of raising three little girls....I pray that they find You at a young age and that they serve You all the days of their lives.  

Princesses Erin and Brooke

We went to the Skipper's Chick-fil-a in Magnolia yesterday...dressed up as princesses for a promotion they were doing last night.  On the way there, Erin told me this, "when people see Erin, they're going to say, Oh gosh, Erin is the prettiest princess".  She was, but she couldn't stop itching in her "scratchy dress", see picture.  On the way home, Brooke was screaming "POOP"...so I pulled over, but she didn't go...I explained to her what crying wolf means and that mom doesn't want her to sound off false alarms while I'm driving on the highway.

Cinderella and The Woodlands Princess

Family

We had a family reunion in Destin, Florida this year and it was a glimpse of heaven :)  The Tower family came together comprising of the Towers, Neills, Kulps, Watsons, and Honeymans...it was AWESOME!!  We had 21 people...of whom were 11 children, 10 years old and younger.  CRAZY TIMES :)  Erin and Brooke LOVE "the Kulps" and their Uncle Bob.  

The Royal Palace

We had a really large home on the beach...my brother was on the first floor, the Honeymans and the Watsons shared the second, and the Kulps were on the third...nap times were interesting with the Kulps directly above on wood floors...it really sounded like a herd of wild animals running around...

The view from our balcony

Bob still knee deep and way out in the ocean

We loved the ocean...it was shallow for at least 20 yards and you could see the bottom, so the parents could somewhat relax around the water knowing that our 2 and 3 year old children could touch for a good ways...

Getting ready for our professional family pictures

We had a local photographer come out and take a picture of the entire group...there was an amazing sunset that night...we flew kites on the beach which was absolutely breath taking to watch, the kites soared in the beach side wind and we ended a perfect night with yummy, yummy smores...

Kyle playing frisbee

The guys played football and threw frisbees on the beach and really had a great time...and talked and laughed, as only they could, about being married to their crazy wives.

Erin and Kyle

She LOVED the ocean water and swam "just like a mermaid" 

Erin LOVED the ocean...despite being stung by a jelly fish :)  She body surfed, swam like a mermaid, and never lost her smile...SHE LOVED THE OCEAN!!

Brooke strolled the ocean on dad's shoulders

Brooke and dad really hung out this trip...she wanted him with her in the water and he was happy to oblige...

Kameron and I stayed indoors most of the time...

Kyle and Brooke in "bumper/spray your mother-in-law in the face boat"

Mimi and Erin in their bumper boat

All the kids went to play bumper boats...each boat had a "water squirt" button and a "go" button.  Once on board, Mimi, aka, Kyle's mother-in-law, announced "Do not spray the Mimi". Long story short, Erin, in Mimi's boat, sprayed her dad and her dad retaliated by spraying the Mimi directly in the lenses.  She was not too happy...as the water dripped down her glasses and she gave him the infamous look of fury, Kyle couldn't help but recall an Uno game he played with her in our college days...two words, "Draw Four"!