EKJCLFortner

Jack, Our Big Guy!!

2011-10-24T21:10:00.004-05:00

Dear Jack - You turned 8 yesterday....I think I'm still in shock :). You have definitely "grown up" this past year! You are listening to the same music as Mom now, you love to watch sports on TV with Dad and even asked me to put on ESPN the other day! And, you're fixing your own hair and it makes you look like such a big guy :). You're still into playing all sports...but you started Tackle football and you can't stop talking about it! (Dad is in Heaven). You still love school and now are more mathematically advanced than your Mom! You love Cade and we could not ask for a better role model for him. You adore Lila and thanks to you (and Dad and Cade) she's one spoiled girl!! You're VERY sweet...always have been :). We couldn't LOVE you any more!!! You are Our Big Guy!

XOXO, Mom and Dad
pa. pictures to follow soon :)

CADE is 6!!!

2011-08-22T08:32:00.006-05:00

Can't believe this guys is 6!!!
Dear Cade - You are one cute 6 yr old!! You are so super sweet and love your family very much! You love to hang with your bro, but also love to fight too :) You play house and kitchen with Lila all the time and she loves it! You love to cook and want to make something sweet everyday...you're going to make us fat! You also love to swim, play ALL sports, dance and sing! You are still so sweet and innocent even though you're 6, I'm not ready for you to be public schoolized. You started school today and I'm sure you're thrilled to be out in the "real world"! All I gotta say is Watch Out World, cuz here you come!!!
Love you soooooooo much, Mom and Dad

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY CADE!!!!

The day before his bday we hit Hawaiian Falls. It was really fun, but REALLY HOT!! The kids loved it and even ran into some friends to play with so E and I could chill poolside for awhile!

The next day we celebrated at home...

Oh and today, my big bad 6 yr old started kindergarten :( :( :(
He was MORE than excited!!
(and J started 2nd)

Summer CRAZIness!!

2011-07-26T11:28:00.005-05:00

Summer has been GREAT!! I can't believe it's almost August and in just a few short weeks, everyone goes back to school :( It's gone sooooooo fast this year! I know it's been awhile so I'm going to give the quick rundown of what we've done...

First...Father's Day!!!

E's stats according to Mr. Cade

Picture of Dad...looks just like him :)

Happy Father's Day, DAD XOXO

And of course you too...Papa Larry!

Then
We've been potty training!!!

Oh, and soooooo important, Cade lost his 1st tooth :)

And in July we took a 2 week vacay!! E and I spent our 10 yr anniversary in Vegas and it was AWESOME!!! 3 days, 2 nights, no kids...well, what happens in Vegas stays right?!! It was our 1st real kid free vacay since Jack was born! Thanks MOM!!!!

Ok...are you sick of pics of us 2, now?!...it was just sooooooo great :)

Then spent the rest of the time at the lake with the fam!! LOVE summers at TRL!!!

One more Mother's Day surprise

2011-05-10T11:20:00.003-05:00

I can't believe I forgot to mention I got these flowers from a very special someone:)

My kids (and hubby) ROCK

2011-05-10T10:03:00.004-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to me!

I got...

This SUPER cute (and completely honest) card and apron from Cade

This FABULOUS hat from all the kids...and Eric ;)

Half day at the spa where I got a massage, facial and this pedi

But most importantly I got to spend the day with the 4 people I luv the MOST

Spring Time :)

2011-04-25T12:51:00.005-05:00

Spring has sprung!

We've been busy...

with soccer and baseball

playin outside

cuddling :)

recovering :(

inside easter egg hunts

hangin with Mema

and even swimmin a couple of times (brrrrrr!!)

Oh and we had a very Happy Easter!

And last but not least...we bought a new boat. Yay!!!! Bring on Summer...

Happy Birthday Lila Grace!!!!

2011-03-17T20:56:00.006-05:00

Ok, so this is ONLY 6 days late...but she IS our 3rd...what can I say??

Lila is 2!!!

Dear Lila,
You absolutely couldn't be any sweeter or cuter! You are so cautious and so reserved...Dad and I are not sure what to do with you:) Everyone thinks you don't talk, but you talk ALL the time to us. You also dance, laugh and sing AND when you watch your favorite shows Dora or Barney...you answer all the questions! You are girly, but you also LOVE to play in the mud with your brothers or go fishing with the guys. You also always want to ride bikes and play ball. You are cute as a button with your blonde hair (you finally have some!). You are one spoiled baby girl and we couldn't love you any more!!!!
Love, Mom and Dad

We actually celebrated her bday a day early, b/c on Saturday we headed to Great Wolf Lodge with my girlfriend and her 2 boys, for Spring Break. The boys LOVED it, but Lila...not so much. She was good, but she didn't want to swim or even do the lazy river with Dad. She actually took a 4 hour nap!...which Mom and Dad REALLY
appreciated!!

And then we headed to Papa Larry's for some good old outdoor FUN...

MARDI GRAS

2011-03-11T14:22:00.004-06:00

We had a FAB-U-LOUS time in NO at Mardi Gras with my sis and bro-n-law!!

Artist in the House!!!

2011-03-11T14:09:00.003-06:00

Remember the Art award Jack won last year?

(http://ekjclfortner.blogspot.com/2010/02/birthday-x-2-and-our-little-picasso.html)

...Well, he won it again!!! We are one proud family!

birthday birthday birthday birthday...

2011-02-26T11:51:00.009-06:00

I feel like we had the eternal celebration week this year for our Birthdays!! Here's how it ALL unfolded...

Last Friday I thru a HUGE Surprise Birthday Celebration for My Man!! And Yes, it was a HUGE surprise! I invited family, neighbors, friends, and work people and almost everyone I invited showed up! We had beer and wings (E's Favs) and even a round of birthday shots. It was really FUN!!!

My parents came to the party and they then stayed the weekend so we celebrated with them on Saturday!

Then Monday, it was MY BIRTHDAY!!! The kids were all home for President's Day and so E decided to take the day off, too! We went to lunch and had a fun-filled family day. But...then night rolled around and I kept waiting and waiting for my cake and card...but nothing - no cake, no card, no singing, no pictures:(
Soooooo, I went to bed early feeling VERY sorry for myself and when E came to bed I gave him the major cold shoulder!!!
And guess what?! He got the message!! The next night I had cake, a card and singing:)....so here's the pictures of my post Birthday night.
Oh and I got these beautiful Birthday flowers and a sweet homemade card from Jack.

And then Wednesday was E's real Birthday...

Thanks for all the Birthday treats!!! As always we feel VERY loved!! XOXO

7 days of CRAZIness

2011-02-09T19:35:00.007-06:00

In the last seven days we've had the CRAZiest weather for Texans...

And sooooo we've done and seen some pretty CRAZY things...

Here's our top 10

10. We've had ice, snow, rain and ice some more...all creating CRAZY weather conditions, CRAZY roads and CRAZIER drivers!!

9. The boys and Lila have had FIVE snow days off school...TX may be BIGGER and BETTER than everyone, but they sure can't handle the snow!!

8. Mom got paid for four days of non-working! First time EVER...I've always worked contract, or just not worked :)

7. We played our new PS3 ALL DAY LONG one day...and YES this does make us CRAZY!!!

6. We sled down our driveway.

5. We made a homemade hot tub. (Don't tell Jack you saw this picture...when I took it, he made me "promise to not put it on facebook!")

4. We've become ADDICTED to hot chocolate!!

3. We wrestled and wrestled some more...driving Mom CRAZY!!

2. We slept with Dad (this wasn't CRAZY...just CUTE)

1. We've had some CRAZY fun...but if we don't get back to our normal schedule Mom will GO CRAZY!!!

My Big Man and My Lil' Man

2011-01-29T20:21:00.004-06:00

My Big Man ran his 1st 5K a week ago and we are so so so so so proud of him!!! He's been running for over a year now and decided to finally take it on. He REALLY wanted to run a 1/2 marathon in 2010, but as soon as he started training he realized his mind was a little ahead of his body. He underestimated his age :) He could only run 3-5 miles without his knee hurting badly. So I told him, "ya know, even if you run a few miles, a few times a week, that's just fine" (and WAY more than me, I'm soooo not a runner!) Anyway, after New Year's he said he was doin a 5K and HE DID IT!!! Of course, we are on day 7 now and he says his body STILL hurts...today he told me he had to eat left handed, b/c it hurt too much to eat with the right! AND...he's been applying Bengay every night...I told him nothing says old like Bengay!!!

My Lil' Man got his hair cut:(...I was really upset about this, but he's been asking/begging for over a year, so I finally gave in. AND, you know what?...it looks really good!! It makes his baby blues look sooooo BIG and he really is sooooo CUTE no matter how he wears his hair!! I keep telling E, he is our lil Rico Suave...he LOVES to fix his hair, pick out his clothes, plan what he's wearing the next day and change his outfit 5 times per day! Oh and all this hard work pays off, the ladies LOVE him! We've already gotten several love notes in the backpack...and we're only in PreK!!

Here's some before and after pics...

Pictures!!!!

2011-01-17T17:35:00.006-06:00

I got a new camera for Christmas (thanks Mom!!!) so I've been trying to figure it out. I really want to learn how to take really good close up shots and also action shots (i.e., sports!). Here are some of the shots I've gotten so far (still not the best, but I'm learnin)...

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA...

2011-01-03T12:17:00.003-06:00

That's me exhaling!!!

We've had a very BUSY Fall and Winter break!!! I never realized how busy part time work with 3 kids would make me feel...maybe it's b/c I'm in my 30s and no longer in my 20s! BUT...I love it all!! My job is perfect, great hours, great place to work, and great kids. I also love all the activity here at home, too! Basically we've been busy with sports, CCD (I'm teaching Cade's class), weekend trips to Papa Larry's and Carthage, Christmas and vacations...and throw in school and you can see why it's busy, right?! It's been a fabulous 2010!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

Since it is 2011, I promise as my New Year's Resolution to blog more. Spring always seems a little less chaotic so I promise to take time to fill you in on our happenings. After all, we do have a BIG year coming up for us. Lila turns 2 (I CAN'T BELIEVE IT), Eric and I's 10 year anniversary (REALLY CAN'T BELIEVE IT), Cade starts kindergarten and Jack (MAY) start tackle football (can you tell I'm not ready for that?!). I WILL keep you all up to date!!

Here are some pictures of us starting out 2011...

Month of Firsts

2010-09-14T20:11:00.005-05:00

OK...So I said It would be awhile, but FINALLY an update!!

We've had a month firsts! First days of school, first t-ball game of season, first football experience, first time back to work in awhile, first time at daycare, first words, first temper tantrums...All this = 1 tired Momma :)

BUT I must say it's all shaping up pretty nicely. The 1st week had me VERY frazzled and E told me, "it's not worth it, just stay home!" But he knew I would adjust (and I did) and I really wanted to work at least a little. The boys are of course doing great. It's just Miss Priss...still hates being dropped off at daycare...and we're on week 4!! I do really like my job and Lila is liking it more and more each day (after drop off!).

So here's the rundown of the rest of the firsts...

Cade
Started transitional kindergarten. We did decide to hold him back and he's doing great!! We feel confident that he's in exactly the right place. He loves his class and has already made several friends. He also started T-ball (for the season). We've played T-ball several times before:) Cade actually got placed on the team b/c Mom and Dad like the parents! He really didn't have a choice! He also like Jack, takes after Dad and is SUPER athletic and one of the best on the team...But, I am his Mom...what do you expect me to say??! Oh and he recently told me he wanted us to change his name to "handsome" and when I asked why, he said, "duh Mom, b/c I am handsome!" Ohhhh

Jack
Jack started first grade and is doing very well as usual! He's a great student, super listener and a people pleaser so he's always a star student! He also started football...for the first time...and OMG it's psycho!!!! All those things you hear about Texas football, it's TRUE!!!!! It's SUPER intense, SUPER competitive and SUPER aggressive...right up Jack's alley!! If you know Jack he weighs heavily in All 3 of these areas. Dad of course couldn't be more proud! We had our first game last weekend and it was really fun! I'll post some clips soon...

Lila
First temper tantrum...enough said! Even my neighbor said..."I've never seen her act like that!" Ha! Here we go again for the 3rd time! Terrible 2's!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!
But...she's also using a lot of first words and it is sooooooo cute!

I've Got News

2010-08-16T20:15:00.006-05:00

No...I'm not pregnant, I actually got a JOB!!!
My first day is tomorrow and I'm excited, scared, nervous and anxious! But, I'm sure it will be fine and I will love it. I'm just working part-time so I can hopefully still handle my crazy family life ;)! I've been off for 2 school years and am ready to go back! Unfortunately, I will have less time to blog...but I promise to keep doing it! How could I not?..I have the cutest and funniest kids (and husband) in the world and they are so blogworthy :)

BUT...More IMPORTANT for sure...
Guess which cutie is turning 5 TOMORROW!!!

Yep, our crazy Cade! (I can't believe it!!!)
He just fixed his hair like this tonight and was so proud! He said, "Mom, I have to look handsome for my Birthday tomorrow!...especially if Leah's coming!" HA...we're soooooo in for it!!

We've already celebrated some. My Mom took him to Build a Bear and then out to eat Mexican. Papa Larry's coming tomorrow and we'll have cake. And then he's got a BIG magic party on Saturday with all his friends. Can we say SPOILED!!! But, you do only turn 5 once, right??

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY CADE!!!!!!
XOXO Mom and Dad, Jack, Lila and Lola

Update

2010-08-04T13:48:00.007-05:00

Hi All - We've been up to noooo good here...and by that I mean, we've had all fun and no work lately (well, for me and kiddos, at least!). We're trying to enjoy our last few weeks of Summer before all the craziness starts.

We did make it to the Higley Reunion. It was Fun Fun Fun as always! It was really nice to hang with the younger crowd (you know who you are), this year. And nice to see all the aunts and uncles, too! And Grandma - I know you weren't feeling like yourself, but it's ok. After several years of talking, laughing, giving gifts, playing with the kids and hanging out...you deserved some time off! I am sure glad I got to see you and Grandpa! Can't wait to see you again soon!

Since we've been back, we've been swimming a lot, fishing at Papa Larry's, playing in the a/c a lot, shooting beebe's in the backyard (E's trying to kill a rabbit that's ruining our grass!) and just having some good 'ole fun!! CANNOT believe Summer is almost over :(

New BFF

2010-07-19T16:47:00.002-05:00

MO Vacation

2010-07-08T13:40:00.004-05:00

We just made it back from our 10 day trip to MO...well, actually we've been back but you try blogging with 3 at home, mountains of laundry and a dirty house!! Luckily today the boys went to kids camp and Lila's taking a long nap so I have time to blog...

We had a great 4th of July trip, as always!! The boys had a ball and Cade cried for the 1st 20 minutes after we left b/c he DID NOT want to leave!

Here are the highlights:

-Jack and Cade jumped off the point 25 cliff (it's a BIG deal...trust me)

-Jack actually did a flip (only b/c some drunk highschoolers floating in the water near us were chanting, "flip, flip, flip") And, yes I was scared out of my mind, but he landed ok on that one! DAD let him do it again later and the landing was not so nice...face flop...OUCH!!! No more flips for Jack...probably ever!!!

-Lila is my only one before the age of 2 who did not try any chance she got to jump off the dock (she does wear a life jacket at all time, just in case). She was a good little girl and just walked around the whole time. There sure is a gender difference!!!

-Eric was Cornhole King...b/c it was his game and he's the only one who knew how to play! But everyone loved it!

-We went to Steal Your Dollar City. It was really fun! The boys rode rollercoasters and got to do most of the big rides.

-Eric and I got to celebrate our 9th Anniversary with one whole night kid free!!! It was awesome and much needed. Eric surprised me with a "couples retreat" at a near by hotel. I got my 1st ever massage...it was fabulous!!!

We had a GREAT time!! I have some pictures, but not a lot, b/c my battery died and I forgot the charger...oh well...

Daddy Dearest

2010-06-24T13:45:00.003-05:00

I know it's been a few days since Father's Day, but here's my blog dedicated to the BEST Dad around.

Seriously, Eric needs no props! His actions and words speak for them self! He is one heck of a father...1 of the 2 best I know :). His children are his pride and joy and he truly believes fatherhood is one of his best accomplishments (and it is!). He recently gave me this letter he wrote to our baby girl and I think it shows you all just how loving he really is.

**Caution** Be prepared to get teary!!!

Dear Lila:

It’s hard to think that it’s almost been a year since your surgery. It continues to be a struggle looking back and reflecting on the day we were told about your heart. I never truly understood what the meaning of a ‘Fathers Love’ meant, until that day. It’s so easy to take for granted the blessing that we all have in our lives. Then to hear, that someone so small and precious would have to endure such an obstacle. No words can describe the worry that we felt during this time. Your mother didn’t sleep a wink leading up to your operation. She ran up and down the stairs every hour checking on you throughout the night. For three weeks! Lola even camped out in your room during the entire ordeal. I guess she figured that your mother kept getting up to play; she must have grown tired of climbing all of those stairs with her.

It’s incredible how much love you have between your mother, brother, father, friends and family. They were all such a great support system for you!

You have proven to be the Strongest Girl we have ever known! The things that you do are truly remarkable to us and everyone that knows you. You light up the room in just one little smile and giggle. And to watch you keep up with your brothers is amazing.

Your mother, brothers and I couldn’t be anymore blessed than we are! You were truly the missing piece to our family.

Love,
Dad

Summer Vacation

2010-06-17T20:19:00.007-05:00

Summer's been going Grrrreat so far...

We went on a mini-vacation last weekend. We spent a few days in New Braunfels with old friends and then headed down to the TX beach with some friends. We spent lots of time chatting, catching up, eating good food, letting the kids go crazy and drinking adult beverages. I don't know who had more fun...us or the kids?!

In New Braunfels we took the fam to Schlitterbahn. The boys LOVED it!! Jack couldn't get enough of the lazy river.

Down at the beach the kids (E included) spent two straight days trying to perfect the sand castle. Lila liked the sand, too! They also boogied boarded in the waves and swam lots at the resort pool. Jack actually told me today, "Mom, I sure did like our beach vacation!"...we ALL did!!!

Oh...and remember when I talked (a long time ago) about my dining room and how it really was the most put together room in my house...all I needed was curtains. Well, I finally found a steal on REALLY long curtains and they look fantastic!! I'm so excited...one completed room...lots to go :)

Tooth Fairy Eric

2010-06-03T08:11:00.003-05:00

Jack lost his 1st tooth yesterday...FINALLY!! We almost made it all the way thru kindergarten WITHOUT a lost tooth! Jack said he was the only one in his class who hadn't lost a tooth and if you know Jack, you know this was VERY upseting for him! He was so excited about his lost tooth, he talked about his tooth and the tooth fairy all night long. After him and Cade went to bed, I gave E the money (b/c he usually stays up longer than me) and went to bed myself.

Well...Cute little Tooth Fairy Eric worked his magic!!!

Jack had left a note asking, "Where do you live?"

And Eric responded this...

"Jack,
I live in tooth fairy land hidden away up in the sky. I'm going to use your tooth to build my magic castle. I will come back to get the rest of your teeth when they fall out. Don't worry I put magic potion in your mouth so others will grow back. But, be sure that you and Cade brush your teeth every night. Tell Cade hi for me. I will come to get his teeth, too. Be Good!
The Tooth Fairy, Bernice"

Helloooo

2010-06-01T08:23:00.004-05:00

It's been awhile...I know, but here's all we've been doin! End of school year/start of Summer is ALWAYS crazy!!

Muffins for Moms

Donuts for Dads (Cade made this Super Cute frame for E)

End of year Soccer Party for Jack's team

And the rest of from the Schmidt Family Reunion we just got back from...

My Bro and Sis-n-law

My future sis-n-law (in the middle). We are soooooo excited to have her!!

Most of my cuties...not sure where Cade was?! Oh wait...he's snoozin in the stroller...

And...My big FAT family. Love them ALL!!!!

Houston...We have some hair!!!

2010-05-13T12:11:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I had to put massive amounts of gel in it just to make it show up in the pictures. I figured I'd better post some pics b/c I've been telling all my peeps (Mom and sis) about LGs hair. And I'm pretty sure I was so excited about it that they were envisioning long luxurious locks...nope...just sprouts! BUT, we DO have hair!! At this rate we'll be doing ponies at 14!! Oh and by the way, her hair is whiter than white...she's pretty much a blue hair.

Mom's Day

2010-05-11T11:55:00.004-05:00

Other highlights included homemade lasagna by Eric and Cade, flowers, 2 really sweet cards and one very relaxing day thanks to the 3 little people (and 1 big) that I love the most in this world!!

And Soccer 2

2010-05-04T14:42:00.003-05:00

SOCCER 2
Cade's team...well...it's a whole different ball game! I signd E up to coach and it's a 3 to 5 yr old co-ed team. I just want to start by saying it's probably the cutest thing EVER! But, 3 yr olds can be VERY tough to coach and all little ones tend to shed many tears when they don't score, when they do score, when they trip and fall, when they're tired, cold, hungry, angry...you name it!! And yes, this includes my own little booger Cade. I MUST attend all practices b/c my own little lovely doesn't always do what he's told and I have to fetch him from the nearest playground equiptment...sometimes more than once per practice!!! My good friend's daughters on the team and after the last game (at 11 a.m.) she said your husbands gonna need a beer after this. And oh he did...and several, too! But I will say he's handled it very well, kept his cool and is very positive with all the kids. Once again...he's a GRRReat coach! Cade is actually pretty good, too...when he does participate. He's been "practicing" with Jack's team for awhile now so he is a little a head of the game. It's all really fun and I love all the excitment of it!!

Soccer 1

2010-05-04T08:38:00.006-05:00

SOCCER 1
Soccer season is in full swing!! Eric is coaching Jack's team and Cade's. It's pretty crazy, but we love it! Jack's team is the same one from the past few seasons and they are pretty good. Jack is pretty athletic, has a strong kick and good ball control and does whatever his Dad says (b/c he is a people pleaser) and because of all this he is a really good soccer player. Eric's a great coach and I know he loves it, too...even though ever season he says the same thing, "why am I coaching soccer, I don't even like it?!"

Just Pictures...

2010-04-27T19:52:00.004-05:00

Another Cadeism...

2010-04-12T12:35:00.003-05:00

Cade told me this morning, "Mom, Lila has no eyebrowns! But, it's ok she's going to be just fine! I didn't get eyebrowns till at least four!"

Happy Easter!!

2010-04-06T11:27:00.006-05:00

Happy Easter from my 3 little bunnies...

We had a really good Easter visit back in MO. All the cousins came! Here they are waiting to hunt for eggs...

And Cade gave us an Easter Surprise of his own...He learned to ride a two-wheeler!!! Yay Cade!!!

We're Back...

2010-03-22T14:20:00.005-05:00

We're back from our spring break vacay in sunny CO!! It was FAB-U-LOUS!! Ok, 90% fab, 10% fab-not!! First off, the skiing was awesome! E and I skied for 2 days all alone (probably the 1st and last time that will ever happen!). The boys took ski school for 2 days and Miss Lila was in daycare for 3. Jack learned to ski and by the last day was talking about "moving there" so he could ski "everyday!!". Cade learned to ski and did very well, but was sick the 3rd day when he skiied with us. He did go down with us once, but then E and I took turns going up and down with Jack while we sat with Cade at the bottom.

So...here's the fab-not... All 3 kids got sick! Jack had it the first few days, was completely energy less, but still functioned thru ski school...a real trooper!! Cade got it the last day and moaned and groaned and kept telling me he "was dying". Needless to say all that time sitting at the bottom of the mountain with Cade, I did help myself to the nearest bar...several times...
And then, Lila woke up at 3:30 am the day we were supposed to fly out with a 103.2 fever. She got it, too! We did make it home, but I am currently still dealing with 2 sickies (Lila and Cade). We did hit the Dr this morning and apparently it's a virus...some virus!! All should be well soon!! Here's some pics and Jack's skills...

Birthday Girl!!

2010-03-12T13:57:00.006-06:00

Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday Miss Lila
Happy Birthday to You

Dear Lila,
Today you are 1!! I can't believe it!! You are so sweet and so strong! You recovered from open heart surgery in half the time the Dr said, you crawled before you sat up and you walked at 9 months (AND walked well at 9 months, 1 week!). You are very happy and active and love all the activity (aka...your fam) you were born into. You love when Cade plays/torments you. You love when Jack chases you. You love when Dad walks thru the door after work. Your latest thing is dancing and when you dance the whole family dances with you! You ARE spoiled rotten and we couldn't love you any more!
Happy 1st!
Love, Mom Dad Jack and Cade

Busy Week

2010-03-07T18:28:00.004-06:00

Hi All! It's been a busy week here! I got to spend some time with my Mom (and Dad) but it's tax season, so "Dad" time was very brief. The kids and I went for an extended weekend to celebrate mine and Lila's B-days. We got there Friday and I told my Mom we were leaving Monday afternoon and she said, "You can't leave, you MUST stay till Wednesday. I've got stuff planned!" And I said, "Mother, I'm 31, I'll leave whenever I want!" Ok...so I didn't say that...I said, "how bout Tuesday?" So anyway, the kids and I stayed till Tuesday and we had a really good time.

Lila got to have her first B-day cupcake. Her B-day is actually this coming Friday...I CAN'T believe it!!!

I got to hang with my Carthage BFFs!

And then when we came back, Lila went in to get tubes put in her ears. She's had chronic ear infections and I've been asking for tubes for a while now, but my pediatrician didn't want to put her thru another surgery before she was a year old. But, then she had her EIGHTH ear infection in ONE year!!! Since we were so close to a year, the Dr. said go ahead. She did really well. And...all of you that talk to me regularly know she is the world's worst sleeper (never sleeping thru the night!!), BUT since tubes she's slept every night!! YAY for us (and her)!!!!

Also, here was E's big suprise present. It's actually all the kids at 10 months old in their Cowboy gear and then I had it professionally framed at Michaels. It turned out really good.

Birthday X 2 and our Little Picasso

2010-02-25T20:28:00.008-06:00

Eric and I had good Birthdays again this year! Thank you to all who sent cards, emails, fb posts, gifts and money! We both felt very loved on our special days! I actually had a few good things happen to me for my Birthday. First off, I got to go out to a Wine Bar that I've been really wanting to go to. I actually drank an $80 bottle of wine!!! I'm glad I actually did it, but I must say I couldn't tell much difference between that and my $10 Kroger wine! Then...the next day (my actual bday) I got to take a nap...and that NEVER happens!! And, that night I had a dream that the Ellen show came to town and they chose me to model bikinis on their show. I said, "I can't do that, I've got 3 kids and have things that can't be seen in a bikini!" and they said, "Don't worry, we'll fix them!" Perfect Bday dream!
I'm pretty sure Eric had a Great day, too! I actually got him a very cool present, BUT it won't be ready for 10 - 14 days! So stay tuned and I'll post it soon...

Also, this week and definitely more important!! We have a little artist in the family! Jack's art work got selected to be displayed at a district wide art show. We got to go tonight and see his art work. He got a certificate from his art teacher and she said only 65 kids' art pieces out of 750 got selected! He was more than thrilled and we are so proud of him! Believe it or not he gets that artistic ability from his Daddy, Eric is actually a good artist...and so is Papa Larry. Here's Jack at the art show and his masterpiece...

A Tooty-Ta

2010-02-19T15:49:00.005-06:00

Look what our little booger learned at Catholic Preschool...

NECKLACE!!!

2010-02-15T11:01:00.002-06:00

I got the necklace! I had a feeling I'd get it early...neither E or I can keep secrets so as soon as he got home I had to tell him I found the receipt right after he asked if I wanted to open my Vday gift! I love love love it. It's totally not what I was thinking he'd pick out (or what I picked out the million times I was in the Jewelry store), but I really really like it! Here's some pictures of it. It's all 3 kids birthstones and the charm is a little nest with 3 eggs (so cute!). The pictures are not that great, but you can kinda see it...

Also, we had a GREAT Valentines Day! Thanks for all the cards and money for the kids. They bought a new Wii game they were saving for. Here's pictures of all my valentines...

Eric, My Main Squeeze, the one who got me the necklace I really wanted! (like he had a choice! ha!) I totally love him more today than I did yesterday!!!

And...my 3 little love bugs!! So cute and so special...I love them all very much!!

Confessions of a stay at home Mom

2010-02-11T12:23:00.004-06:00

Ok so I've got 2 confessions to make. Here goes...

So you all know how I mentioned previously that it's super busy crazy time in Hartford America. Well, Eric's been out of town...ALOT lately. And you know kids don't ever say, "good dinner!" or "the house looks clean!" or "you look nice!", so I've been feeling really overworked and under appreciated.

So here's my first confession...I bought myself some really sassy boots today! I know I shouldn't have with my birthday so close, but I've been eyeing these for awhile and today when I got up I thought...today's the day! So, Cade and Lila and I went to the Mall today and got them. I'm so excited and can't wait to wear them out. Here they are..LOVE THEM!!!!!

Second confession...

I've mentioned I really want this necklace from Eric. Well, I totally found the receipt!!!! And no, I wasn't snooping, I just came across it. Honestly, he didn't put in a good hiding spot. But, you can bet once I found the receipt, I went hunting for that necklace. I am way to excited to wait for my birthday!!!! However I could not find it! I'm wondering now if he planted the receipt to brighten my very lonely week?! If so, smart move, buddy...it totally worked! So maybe I'll get it for Valentines Day instead... I hope so, I've got exactly 9 more days till my B-day...I don't know if I can wait that long!

ps. If you read this in the next few days don't mention to E...it usually take him awhile to check the blog!

Lover Boys

2010-02-03T20:50:00.002-06:00

I guess boys will always be boys...

Jack's 1st crush!
The other night Jack was watching TV and all of a sudden I hear him singing along to a song on Nick...it's a Demi Lovato song (very teeny bopperish). I guess it took me by surprise b/c I was like, "how do you know that song?!", in my mind he should still be singing I'm a little teapot or something like that. Anyway, he gets all red in the face and Cade chimes in and says, "Jack likes her, he wants to kiss her!" Eric and I look at each other fondly and realize our baby has his first crush!

Cade's girlfriend
On the way to preschool the other day Cade says, "Mom, I've got something to tell you." I'm like Oh, what's that? He says he has a girlfriend. I say oh, that's nice, thinking about the fact that he has several girlfriends at preschool...all the girls LOVE him. He says, It's JoAnna...his cousin! I just laugh and say ok. He then says, "well, Mema says you can't marry your cousin or your blood will turn purple, but I really wanna marry Jo." I just tell him, trust me, by the time you can get married, it won't be an issue, so for now if you want to marry Jo...go for it!!

Update Blog

2010-01-27T11:51:00.007-06:00

Got a call from my mother yesterday telling me I really needed to update my blog! Sorry for the delay...actually I didn't even know I was behind...but life has been pretty busy around here lately! First off, here's a new video of Lila walking. She's pretty much already running...CRAZY, huh?? I guess she is trying to keep up with those brothers after all. Everyone always says the same thing...she looks too little to walk! And I always reply saying, "she's SUPER active and I'm definitely going to have to keep up with her!" But, everyone knows my boys are very active, too so she just fits right in! I was hopin for 1 calm child...guess God thought differently.

Anyway, if you're wondering why she's super fussy in the video it's b/c about an hour after this I found out she had a bad ear infection at the Dr. AND she really wants the wine cork I'm using to get her to walk to me!

Jack just started basketball and it's really funny. At his age, no one really knows whats going on and it really is a big cluster you know what, moving up and down the court. But, he loves it and it is fun to watch.

Cade, well he's been Cade! He's really into Scooby-do and yesterday we had a very heated discussion about why we didn't name Lila, Velma and him, Shaggy! Thank God we didn't let him pick names, right? And, if Lola could talk she'd be sayin, "No, I don't want a scooby snack and no I don't wanna find monsters!"

Eric's still been working hard training for the 1/2 marathon. Only he got some kind of runner's knee and it's delayed his training a bit. Long runs are hard on the knee. I just told him even if you run 3 or 4 miles a few times a week, that's still better than my walking 30 mins on the treadmill...I wish I was a runner. He's still planning on doing the marathon as of now. Also, it's super busy crazy time in Hartford America right now, so that hasn't help his running either. And I am not a Happy Mama when he comes home late and then says he's got to run!!! Sorry E...I promise to work on that!

I've been doing ok, with my New Years stuff...I'm on book #3, the kids haven't really been eating ALL home-made food, but I haven't bought CK nuggets since New Year's (well, not grocery ones, still have to buy McDs when we travel!) and I'm working on a volunteer oppurtunity at a homeless shelter here in McKinney.

We just spent last weekend with some old friends from San Antonio and had a blast!

Lila's cool new tricks

2010-01-11T10:02:00.002-06:00

Update

2010-01-08T14:32:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to say I've been doing pretty well with my New Years resolutions. The other night I made home made chicken nuggets that were really good and the kids even liked them! Today I'm making chili...for the first time (Eric always makes it!). We'll see how good it is...aka how much E critiques it...he's a control freak in the kitchen.

Also, funny story...or maybe not. Those who know me know I've always said Cade is wise beyond his years. He is always curious, asking questions and very aware of the whole boys vs. girls anatomy stuff. He already knows way more than Jack does (and probably ever will!). He's just one of those kids! Well today playing Guess Who, his 1st question to me was, "Does yours have boobs?"

SERIOUSLY?!?!...We are so in for it.....

New Year, New resolutions!

2010-01-04T09:46:00.003-06:00

It was a year ago that I started blogging (I can't believe I've stuck with it!). I never thought of myself as a suburban stay at home Mom who loves to blog and craft. But, that's me...only I don't craft...but want to start! Anyway, one of my first blogs was what we were going to try and accomplish for 2009. Mainly what I said was eat healthy, be healthier and be a better Mom and yes I think I've worked on these and made improvements and will continue to do so...aren't all of these a work in progress?!? So this year I decided to pick more specific resolutions for myself. But first, I found Eric's written on paper in our office so I thought I'd share, so we can all hold him accountable, too. They are very Ericish...

1. Lose 20 lbs...blah
(fyi...weight loss goals should be realistic...how about 10...maybe even 5)

2. Save more...double blah

3. Run 2, 1/2 marathons
This ones pretty good and he's already training. He's talked about this before, but I think this may actually be the year. He's got one booked for Feb. so I'll keep you posted...

4. Contribute more money to our church
Good, but boring (is that wrong to say that?)

5. Buy my wife the necklace she really wants for her Birthday.
Ok, he didn't actually write this one down, but he should have!!! I really want that necklace!!!

Here are mine...

1. Read more
This includes reading more books to my children and reading more books for myself. I used to read a lot when I had 2, but since LG was born I haven't read at all. I started the 3rd Twilight book before her birth and am STILL reading it!

2. Make more home made food.
I feel like my children only like processed food (Ck nuggets and boxed mac n cheese). I can make these home made...right? How hard can it be to slap some bread crumbs on ck and bake in the oven? I hope I stick to this and don't take the easy way out...

3. Serve others.
Not sure specifically what I want to do, but have lots of possibilities including volunteering more at the kids schools or our church. I'll let you know what I decide.

Hope we can accomplish all our goals for 2010! Happy New Years Everyone!!!

A few of our favorite things...

2010-01-01T11:11:00.004-06:00

We had a fabulous Christmas again! Every year we pretty much do a roadtrip for Christmas and it's great. I love all the time with family! The kids love it too! Once again we were all spoiled rotten. In the words of Jack after seeing his and Cades' presents on Christmas morning, "Mom, we must have been really good this year!" We all ended up getting so many nice things I thought I would just show some of our favs.

My favorite is my new Dyson. It's the super duper animal hair sucker upper! And it works awesome!!! Several people gave money to support my Dyson fund...thank you all...I'm in vacuum cleaner heaven!

Eric's fav is his new Le Creuset Dutch Oven. He asked me for it, but after pricing it (I'm pretty sure Le Creuset is french for really freakin expensive!), decided to go with a nice sweater instead. I told him he better ask Santa for that one. And Santa came thru (aka Mema). Thanks Mom!

Jack's fav is his new very own laptop. He really wanted it and was absolutely thrilled when he saw it. And thank goodness we got it for him b/c all the older cousins got laptops too and it really made him feel cool! It was a very nice gift for a 6 year old and I told E at this rate we will be buying him an Iphone next Christmas (ha...NOT!!)

Cade's fav was his new scooter. He sat on Santa's lap and asked for a Nintendo DS and so he got a DS. However he barely plays with and could really care less. He was so so so so excited about his $30 scooter. I guess Santa got burned on that one! Anyways he love his new scooter and drove Mema crazy riding it around her house all Christmas day.

Lila got one gift and thank goodness she liked it! Poor thing didn't get much, b/c this will probably be the only year she has no idea! But, she does love her new princess ride on!

We had a great Christmas! Hope you all did, too!!!

WHO DAT?!?!

2009-12-22T08:47:00.004-06:00

Ok, that game in New Orleans, ROCKED!!!!! Cowboys won and it made Eric's year...best Christmas present he could've ever gotten! We have been to several away games, but I must say this one had to be the most crazy! You'd think there would be at least a few Cowboy fans there...NOPE...pretty much just Me, Eric and Chet (our buddy from New Braunfels that goes to one game a year with us). I did not wear Cowboys gear for obvious reasons, but Eric and Chet were decked out. We got soooooooo much heckling from NO fans on the way in it was ridiculous...and SCARY. And if I had a quarter for every time I heard, "who dat say dat gonna beat dem Saints? who dat?" I would be rich! But all I gotta say now is...WHO DAT!!!! Great game, great time and great memories. Oh and on the way out I figured Eric and Chet would not make it out alive, but seriously I think all of NO was in shock, b/c not many people heckled on the way out! Here's some pictures of all of us at the game. Eric's old collage buddies took us to the game and showed us a good time! My sis and B-in-law went, too and also let us all crash at thier place...thanks guys!!

Oh and I opened my Williams Sonoma present and I really need to eat my words. It was this pancake fill pan that I had seen in the catalog a long time ago and told E I wanted it...so sweet he remembered! You can make all kinds of cool stuff, like pigs in a blanket, biscuits, pancakes, cinnamon rolls and lots more. E made some yummy cinnamon rolls this morning. I may never actually cook with it, but E will, and I will definitely enjoy it!!!!

Let the festivites begin...

2009-12-15T09:22:00.002-06:00

Christmas is HERE!!!! Well, it is for us. Last night we had Cade's Christmas program at preschool and that pretty much kicks off our fun-filled Holiday Season. The program was so so cute. I've been listening to the songs oh about 8 million times a day, so I knew exactly what the show entailed. He looked very handsome (they had to wear church clothes) and he did a fantastic job...only at home he was WAY more animated and often times added his own little version to the songs. I guess he had a little bit of stage fright! Maybe I can catch a video of him "performing" at home and post it on the blog.

This Thursday we leave for New Orleans to hang with my sister and her fam for the weekend. We are celebrating her girls B-days and going to the Cowboys Saints game. The Cowboys are so gonna kick thier ass! Ha ha ha! Eric says they can still lose this game and win out the rest of the season and make it all the way...is he a die hard fan or what??? We (definitely Eric) will always cheer for the Cowboys, but I must say it will be fun to watch a really good team play! Oh and we plan to go out on Bourbon St after the game, so it should be a good time! Can't wait!

After that we come home for a few days and have Christmas dinner and open presents to each other before we head out to Missouri. Papa Larry is coming for Christmas dinner and the boys can't wait to open presents. I can't wait either. Only, I asked for a necklace. I told E the exact one and where to get it (and it's really affodable!). So, the other day we get a big package and I call E at work to ask what it is before I open it. He says don't open it, it's for you. Well...it's waaaaay to big to be a necklace AND it's from Williams Sonoma AND I don't cook!! Hum?!?! It's a mystery gift. I'll keep you posted. Knowing him it's some rib rub/rack that he really thought I wanted, but he really wanted. Is it bad to buy myself the necklace after Christmas???

Anyway, I can't wait to start traveling and spend lots of time with family and friends! Have a good one...

POed

2009-12-02T12:03:00.002-06:00

Just so you know the blog I wrote/organized did not look like that when I pressed the publish button! If someone could please let me know how in the heck to post pics with captions (right under them!!!) that would be oh so helpful. Thanks!

What we're thankful for...

2009-12-02T11:22:00.005-06:00

We had a GREAT time in east TX for Thanksgiving!! We are so thankful for...

Papa Larry

cousins

Uncle Jerod's yummy fried turkey

Fortner genes, b/c are kids are so cute (see, it's not just my lil fortners that look just like thier Daddy!)

my new "fauxhawk"

Playin catch with the boys

Papa Larry's back yard full of dirt so we can dig holes and bury carrots (and brothers) to catch rabbits

And, Especially Family!!

Ketchup Blog

2009-11-24T14:50:00.010-06:00

Hey all! We've been running around crazy here for the last month so here's a re-cap of what's been happenin...

Cade finished his T-ball season and FINALLY got his trophy. He's been talkin about ALL SEASON long! At this age it's not a "best hitter" or "most catches" trophy. It's just a "good job playin in the dirt and lookin cute" trophy. He is so thrilled!

(Where do we store/display all those cheesy trophies...we're up to 6 already?!)

Jack and Eric finished up soccer, too! E was the coach and the team did really well. I'm sure he coached a little like he manages...all practices ran in 8 minute drills, with a short period of a fun activity at the end, "to build team relationships and keep it fun and interesting". He also knew everyone's strengths and weaknesses and every saturday talked (to me!) about how they could use them to benefit the whole team during the game. I really think he enjoyed it even though soccer's not really his thing! And he was really thrilled at the end of the season, one of our team players Dad gave him a mini keg as a present! Jack did great, too! Eric said he has the strongest leg on the team, but needs to work on ball control.

I just spent several days in New Orleans at my sisters house. I had a CEU convention there so I got to go get CEUs and hang out with her and her fam. Luckily my Mom went with me and watched Lila. The boys stayed home with Dad. It was really nice to hang out my sis and the convention rocked too! I think the boys had fun w/o me and E got a good dose of "motherhood"! I will say I missed them and they missed me!

My b-n-law Dan ordered this right after we said we were pickin up the tab!

My cute neices

Me My Mom and My Sis

One last picture of Lila Grace, b/c it is too cute! She's doing great...crawling everywhere. We had to put up a gate, b/c she was not only doing stairs, she had MASTERED stairs with a little help from her bro Cade. I came around the corner the other day and I see LG climbing the stairs with Cade at the top saying, "Come to Papa!"

We are headed out tomorrow to East TX to have Thanksgiving with the Fortners! Can't wait to see everyone and eat a lot of food! Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Christmas wishes

2009-11-08T13:20:00.007-06:00

My boys are addicted to the toy adds we've been getting. Especially the extra large Target Toy Book and the Toys R Us Toy Book!! They make me save them and when Dad goes on his cleaning rampages (like he does a lot!) he tosses it and we have two very upset little boys. We currently have 1 in each car, 1 in the kitchen, 1 in the living room and several in the bathroom! Any down time, they're looking at toys! I've heard a lot of different things they want, but the main ones are a Nintendo DS for Cade and a computer (of his own) for Jack. Only Cade changes his mind daily and I have to keep reminding him of what he wants...it gets really hard when you have to buy them what they actually ask Santa for!

Also, wanted to add Eric and I headed to CT last weekend and we had a blast! Lucky for us my parents came and watched the older 2 and we took Lila Grace with us. We got to hang out with all our old friends and kind of let loose for the weekend (1 feels like none, once you have 3!). We stayed with our good friends Megan and Rick! Thank you so much! Unfortunately, I didn't take near enough pictures but here are a couple. My other friend Meg had a baby right before me so it was really fun to visit and let the babies play.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-04T11:15:00.003-06:00

Halloween Throwback

2009-10-28T19:20:00.007-05:00

The other day I was going thru some old photos and found this one of Eric and I. It was our 1st Halloween together and E made us dress up as KISS. Yup, that's us! It's funny what I'll do for my man...I can't even name a KISS song!

Here's some cute photos of the boys from previous years, too...

Happy 6th Birthday Jack!!!!

2009-10-23T10:48:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear sweet sincere and oh so cute Jack
Happy Birthday to you

Dear Jack,
Today you're turning 6. Dad and I both woke up saying the same thing..."we can't believe we have a big 6 year old!". You haven't "played" with my hair in a long time (and yes I'm a little sad about that!). You are so very grown-up...all in the past few months, too! You love kindergarten. You're favorite thing about it is the bus! You don't even want Mom to come to the bus stop to pick you up. You want to walk home by yourself! You're playing Soccer right now, but you love all sports! The big toy at home is Legos and you could NEVER have enough. You also still love the Wii, DS and computer! You're a VERY sweet older brother to Cade and Lila Grace. You talk to Cade every night when you go to be so he won't be scared and you hug and kiss on Lila Grace all the time. Dad and I are so lucky to have you as our oldest and couldn't be more proud. Today at school you got the star student and we all went to watch. You will always be our star!!! Happy 6th, Buddy!
Love, MOM

2 more down...

2009-10-15T16:34:00.006-05:00

Well, this is one house that will not be getting the H1N1 vaccine! Why?? Because, all 3 kids have had it!

This weeks been crazy! Cade came home last Friday very tired and spiked his fever Saturday and was feeling better Monday, but then regressed again Tuesday. Come to find out he got a secondary infection of pneumonia (not bad, though) and is still feeling sick. He is on antibiotics so he should be back to normal feeling by tomorrow...I hope...and pray...fingers crossed!!! Oh by the way...he HATES the medicine! E and I have to chase him down, pin him down, stick the squirter down his throat and hold his mouth shut (sounds horrible, I know!). THEN...he throws it up 10-20 mins later. SO, tomorrow at our follow up appt, if he's not better, I'm asking for a shot!

Lila Grace spiked her fever Tuesday night and went on the tamaflu Wednesday and is doing much much better. Thanks goodness, b/c as much as I've complained about having "older" sick kids its EVEN harder to have a sick baby. Poor thing was just plain irritable and could not relax enough to sleep and I felt like I held her for 12 hrs straight! At least the older ones could just lay on the couch and moan every now and again! As soon as she went on the tamaflu she started getting better.

Luckily, I feel like we are all on the mend! It has been horrible, but I must say I'm glad we've been thru it, b/c once you get it you can't get it again!!!!!

Here are some pictures of my 2 sickies...

Canton, Pumpkin Patch and One Badass Phone!

2009-10-06T08:44:00.012-05:00

We've had a lot happen these past 7 days...

First off, I went to Canton last Friday with my Mom. I didn't think I'd like it (I'm not a big shopper), but I did! I found some really great things. Here's 2 of my favs...a super cute white shelf for the baby's room and these vintage superhero wall hangings for the boys room.

Yesterday I got to go on a field trip with Jack's class (and all the other kinder classes) to the pumpkin patch. It was really cute! Oh and Lila Grace got to go to...

And last, but definitely most exciting I got the IPhone. I've wanted one for several months now, but E kept saying, "why do you need to be accessible at all times, you don't even work!" Ha! Well, anyways he came home with it the other day and I was SO SO SO EXCITED!!! I do have a new number and here it is 214-991-0990.

Cade's Breakfast Special

2009-09-29T08:54:00.004-05:00

This morning Cade told me he wanted a plate of pancakes with an egg on top and syrup. Of course, we argued for 30 minutes about how he would not like it and how Mom knows best! But, I finally caved and said I would make it, but he MUST eat it or NO SNACKS!!!

Well.....he liked it! He told me, "Mom, Can you make this yummy breakfast for lunch, too!"

I'm Goin Out!

2009-09-25T13:20:00.005-05:00

Well, maybe, hopefully if all goes well...

Eric and I are hoping to make it out on the town tonight. First time since Lila Grace was born and it is much needed!!!

However I still have one sort of, kind of sick child. He's actually feeling good, but still running a very low grade fever.

And...I'm hoping to put the baby to bed and head out after that. Lucky for us Papa Larry volunteered (ok, maybe I begged him!) to watch all 3. But, considering the baby is only happy with me in her sight I figure I'll help him out and put her down before we go.

So anyways...I have this super cute outfit! The shirt is actually a Miley Cyrus find from Wal-mart. I saw it about a month ago and really liked it, but thought, "I can't buy a Miley Cyrus shirt!" But then, I saw it in People Magazine as a Hot Fall Fashion Find...soooo I went and bought it and I really like it! The jeans were clearance Gap jeans that my neighbor helped me get at a steal (she gave me a super good coupon). The hot shoes are from my sis. They're called Volitile. She said they're hot in LA (that's Louisiana) right now. I really like them and they look great with long jeans (which mine usually are, b/c I'm shorter). She sent them as a baby gift. Best baby gift ever!!!

Well, hopefully I'll make it out, but if not I'll be having cocktails on my back patio in my super cute outfit...with Eric and Papa Larry!

Sick day...or week!!

2009-09-22T11:33:00.005-05:00

Jack is sick. Actually, he's not really that sick but he's been home from school for 2 days now. He spiked a fever over the weekend and has been running a low grade fever ever since. We did go to the Dr on Monday and she said he had a virus, but he didn't look sick enough to run a flu test on him. She said he's probably on the down hill side. However, when I emailed the teacher she responded that 13 (of 20) kids are out sick with the swine flu! And if diagnosed with it, he really shouldn't return for 5 days! Sooooo, I'm assuming we have a mild version of the swine flu. It's really not that bad...what was all the hype?

Hopefully Lila Grace and Cade won't get it, but it sounds pretty contagious! When Jack and I left the Dr I said, "see you in a couple days" b/c I'm sure it's coming!

AND...E's out of town so it makes this sick week one LONG week! He's actually working near where we used to live in New Braunfels and supposed to hang out with some good friends tonight....don't like him very much right now!

Anyways, here's us on our sick day...

Sister Loves Her Food!!!

2009-09-17T08:44:00.003-05:00

Lila Grace loves food! She eats anything and everything and gets very excited when I put her in the highchair! Just thought I'd share a pic of her smiling, since the last ones didn't show many smiles. She'll always smile for food!

Lila Grace is 6 mos old!!!

2009-09-12T17:36:00.005-05:00

6 months old today! Here are some cute pictures of her. She is a very active baby....almost crawling!! She isn't sitting yet, but will soon. She loves her walker and has just started to appreciate the jumparoo. She started baby food and is a big fan. She still doesn't eat a lot of milk, but does eat enough. She is finally sleeping really well again at night...goes to bed by 8 pm and sleeps 12-13 hours. However, she DOES NOT take long naps during the day (which drives me crazy!). She is pretty easy going as long as she's with Mom...she's super attached! She's also super cute! She gets lots of looks, I think b/c she's still pretty small. I heard one little girl at church say, "she has the smallest head on her I've ever seen!" And it's true...she has a teeny tiny head! Still looks EXACTLY like Daddy...good thing he's cute! I'm soooo looking forward to seeing her "hair"!

Summer's Officially Over!

2009-09-09T12:03:00.005-05:00

Cade went back to school today, so our Summer's over! Today was his 1st day back at preschool...not sure if I'm happy or sad?! I'm happy for him b/c these last few weeks have been tough with Jack gone all day (for him having no one to play with and me having to play with him a lot!). But also sad b/c I'll miss my little buddy on MWF! Hopefully he'll like it...he was a little upset when I dropped him off. Poor kid doesn't understand why, "he can't go to Kindergarten and ride the bus, like Jack!" And yes, I've heard this EVERY single day since Jack's been going!

We've had a really good Summer (besides the obvious). We ended up going on several little mini trips and the boys had a lot of fun. Luckily, Lila Grace is a good car rider! By the way, for those needing an update, she's doing really well, too! She turns 6 mos in a few days so I'll post more then. Here's a pic of her. You can see her scar. It looks really good.

I'm really looking forward to Fall...It's my favorite time of year!

Tears for Fears

2009-08-28T08:48:00.004-05:00

Ok...last night we did see some tears about Kindergarten (1st time all week, though!). I really thought we were in the clear since every day he wakes up early w/o complaining, is excited to go, comes home excited and has had no issues. However last night he said school was too long, "feels like 10 hours instead of 7!", his class is "way to loud" and "nobody listens to the teacher". I tried to give him the whole "we're so proud of you, you're already so much smarter" speech but he was not buying it! When exactly should I break it to him that school is no longer an option!? He's got many many many more years of this!

Anyways, I sent Eric up to save the day and bribery works like a charm! E promised him he could rent not 1, but 2 Wii games after school tonight...

I just want to add that I am soooooooo sick of playing the Wii with Cade now that Jack is gone!

I really think Jack was just super tired. Here's him in the bath this morning...

Kindergarten!!

2009-08-24T08:37:00.007-05:00

Today is Jack's first day of school. Why is this so hard for me? I'm really really sad! Is it because he's my first? Is it because he's so sweet and innocent and that's sure to change after his first year at public school? Is it because he's always been a "Mama's boy"? Or is it just that it makes me feel really really old (selfish, I know!)? But I will say, E really put this one in perspective when he told me, "Just think. When Lila Grace starts kinder, I'll be 41". That's old! He always makes me feel so much better!

I really think he's just getting to be a "big" kid and no longer my baby. I really noticed things were changing when we went school shopping. First, he informed me he no longer wants to wear undies with "things" on them. They must be, "the plain ones, like Dad wears". Then when we went to get shoes, I was looking at the cute little skechers or even Nikes. He picked out these total skater shoes with bloody skeleton heads on them! I told him absolutely not! There's no way I can send him to kindergarten with those shoes on! We agreed on some skater looking Nikes (w/o skeleton heads!).

Anyways, he was more than excited to go. He said he can't wait to learn to read. He was especially excited about the bus and absolutely could not understand why I had to take him to school and he didn't get to ride the bus! I'm like please give your Mom a break already...this is tough enough!

It's 9:09...am I going to make it till 3:15 when he gets off the bus??? And then what about tomorrow....

ps. Cade's already complaining he has nobody to play with!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CADE!!!

2009-08-17T08:37:00.006-05:00

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear sweet cute CRAZY Cade
Happy Birthday to you

Dear Cade,
Today you turn 4 years old!! You're Dad and I are so excited for you. Especially because we are out of your TER-RI-BLE 3s! You turned the corner and are a joy to be around! You are so fun and funny. You love a crowd and the crowd usually loves you! You love to tell stories, joke around and trick people. You also love to sing and dance. You have your own rendition of nursery rhyme songs that you sing to Lila Grace and it's so sweet and so funny! You love playing legos and the Wii with Jack and you really look up to him. I can't believe you're turning 4! You're getting so big too fast! Keep making Mom and Dad laugh, Lila Grace smile and Jack "lighten up" when he gets too serious! We love you so much!

Love, Mom XOXO

ps. You also have the best hair of any 4 yr old I know!!!

Here's some pictures of Cade over the years and today....

Cade at 1

at 2

Bumper Baby

2009-08-08T09:11:00.005-05:00

Do not try this at home!

Wedding Weekend

2009-08-03T13:04:00.011-05:00

After our fun filled week with Ella Kate we all loaded into the car again and headed to my cousin Lana's wedding in Hays, KS. Hays is a small town in western KS where my Dad grew up. It was about 8 1/2 hours from McKinney. On the way there we stopped in Wichita to break up our trip. We let the kids swim and ate hibachi and krispy kreme donuts (yum!). The kids were really good in the car...Thank God!!!

We made it to Hays on Friday early enough to swim at the pool with the big blue slide. It's so funny b/c Hays has this one hotel with a HUGE blue slide that twists you around and around and then dumps you in the water. The kids absolutely LOVE it. We've stayed there a lot. I believe in the times we've stayed it's been a Days Inn, a Holiday Inn and now its a Ramada. The rooms aren't exceptionally nice, but they do have poolside rooms and they do let adults drink around the pool (woohoo!)...works great for us!! Between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning the kids swam a total of about 12 hours. They had a blast swimming with all the cousins! Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the blue tube...I think I was having too much fun hanging out poolside!

The wedding was really fun! Schmidt weddings are always fun and I'm sad to say this is probably the last one (boohoo!). Lana looked fabulous! We are so happy for her and Kyle. We had a great time at the dance !

Isn't she pretty?!

Aren't we cute?!

All the cousins!

If she only knew how good those donuts were!

The kids eating hibachi. Cade actually caught a flying shrimp! We are so proud!

2 cuties doin the cha cha slide!

Lake Time

2009-07-27T13:30:00.009-05:00

We made it to the lake! Last Thursday, Lila Grace had a post op check-up at her pediatric cardiologist. They did an echo cardiogram and an EKG and the doc said, "everything looks great...we'll see ya in a year". They took her off the only med she was still on and she was cleared for swimming...so we stuck her in the car and headed straight for the lake!! We spent an extended weekend there and it was HEAVEN! E and I so missed our lake time (are we spoiled or what?). And there is nothing like boatin and floatin for 2 1/2 days straight!

The kids loved it too, of course. It was the Higley reunion weekend so all cousins made it. Some of the highlights included Lila Grace's first boat ride and swim (loved it!), Jack learning to ski (kind of!) and Cade, well he's just the highlight of the party himself!

We brought my niece home with us for the week (Ella Kate) and I've already learned that boys are so different from girls and I should be expecting a completely different experience with Lila Grace! Ella Kate LOVES to talk and talks to me all the time, she's picky about her clothing (and feels its optional!), has her very own vocabulary (a boys private is a "tootsie roll" and it's disgusting that Lila Grace eats from my "booba") and if she's mad at you, you will not be invited to her birthday party!!! (which by the way isn't until December!) The boys are loving her here and so far they've all been really good.

Here are some pictures from the lake and Ella Kate too (does anyone remember Ramona Cleary?)

Summer Fun!

2009-07-17T15:32:00.012-05:00

Okay, we've had a REALLY crazy summer so far and I can't believe it's July 15th and I've yet to post anything the boys have done! I thought my first summer with 3 was going to be REALLY tough, but it's actually been ok (besides the obvious!). I signed the boys up for a few little mini camps and have also set up various playdates so we seem to have stayed pretty busy.

Jack loves his weekly playdates with his buddy Diego. They are both Wii obsessed...I call them wii-ners (not to their face!HA!). They both can play for multiple hours. They are super competitive but don't seem to fight over the games. We have a lot of teamwork games so I think that helps. Right now the fav is StarWars Lego...it's really cute! He could really care less about "camps" but does go and seems to like it when he goes. He's also really into allowance. He wants to earn money for a Lego set that costs $100. I told him he could have $1 a week, but E said $5. He told me he like Dad's idea better b/c it would only take him 20 weeks to earn the money vs. 100...What 5 year old knows that stuff!!!...only a little Eric!

Cade LOVES camp! Everything I've signed him up for he is completely excited about and comes home with lots of new dances, songs, chants and stories. They've been in VBS this week and the other night I could hear him laying in bed chanting, "God is powerful...Fear Not!" Cade loves to swim and gets better and better every time he goes. He still doesn't want to leave the floaties, but seriously I would let him wear them to 15 yrs old if he wanted. Do you know how hard it is to watch two active boys at the pool???

Both the boys went to the lake for the 4th. E and I were so jealous! We've only missed 1 other 4th at the lake...and that was our honeymoon...and we've always regretted that! Just kidding!! We get to go in 6 days from now and we are counting down the days. So looking forward to it! Here's some pictures of us at the lake in previous years...

Lila Grace is doing really great too!! She has been back to her normal happy self now that she's on that reflux medicine. She's smiling laughing giggling rolling over and grabbing for everything. She still doesn't sleep near as much as she did pre-surgery, but she has more energy since she isn't working so hard to breathe! The other really great news is she is now taking the bottle. The doctor said we needed to start supplementing calorie loaded bottles into her diet, b/c she needs to gain some more weight. She is taking 2 extra bottles a day and Mama is so so so happy!!

I'm back...

2009-07-14T09:22:00.004-05:00

Apparently I've been slackin on the bloggin, b/c E informed yesterday that several people have asked for an update...Sorry!!!

First of all, Lila Grace came home and continued to have a speedy recovery. Of course, we were really nervous, but she did so well! She really was a trooper thru the whole ordeal and amazed not only us, but her doctors as well. Since she's been home, her coloring is so much better, she is breathing easier and her heart doesn't feel like its beating out of her chest anymore. It's now 12 days after coming home and her steri strips are falling off and some of her stitches have dissolved already. The incision is even starting to clear in places and looks really good.
I want to mention again how thankful we are for so many thoughts and prayers. Even this week I've heard from a few people who said, "we prayed for you all in church or at prayer service." It's amazing how word gets around and all the prayers start coming in! Please pass the word that she is recovering super and all the praying was successful.

Now, here's why I haven't had time to blog...sister came home a different baby! In the first few days she just didn't sleep much, but I figured she would get back into her routine soon enough. Then she started being fussy (I'm sure b/c she was exhausted!), then she started not wanting to eat as much and by a week after surgery I had her in the pediatricians office thinking she had an ear infection or something that was causing her to be so uncomfortable. They said she was fine and sent us home. Talking to E, he said she was, "just being a girl!" But then, we had a very difficult night with her screaming and you could tell she was in pain. We both felt sooo bad for her as there was nothing we could do to calm her down. The next morning she had a regularly scheduled appt for her 4 month well visit. When I took her in I pretty much said I'm not leaving until you tell me what is wrong!!! The doctor checked her out and said she has reflux, which makes sense with the not sleeping, not eating and screaming in pain. Apparently this can be common after surgery b/c they disrupt the organs when they are in there and that can cause problems. Anyways, she's now on medicine, started yesterday and is doing SO MUCH BETTER! She actually went to bed last night at 8 and slept till 7:30 this morning, waking up once to eat, but went right back to sleep.

Around 9 last night I sat on the couch with a glass of wine watching TV with all 3 kids tucked into bed and thought, "this is the life!"

We are going home!!!

2009-07-02T10:03:00.003-05:00

Our Cardiologist came by early this morning and told us she is ok to be discharged! She's doing great. She slept well, is eating well, happy, laughing and smiling. Hard to believe she just had open heart surgery on Monday! Our only discharge instructions are not to pick her up under the arms for 4-6 weeks and follow up with our cardiologist in 10 days, but other than that we can resume life as normal. We'll still be a little nervous for awhile, but are extremely thankful this is over! We are so thankful for a speedy recovery. She is truly amazing!

We should be leaving a little later today. Thanks to all for all the prayers, thoughts, support, emails, visitors and help! We have a great support system.

Major progress

2009-07-01T14:12:00.006-05:00

It's day 3 and Lila Grace has made major progress!! She has exceeded all expectations. The drs said she would be on the ventilator for 1-2 days and she was off before E and I even saw her. They said they would bring in the OT to get her to "latch on" to the bottle and she has latched on and taken several bottles...and still wants more. They said she would be in the PICU until tomorrow and we have moved already. She is amazing (and Dr. Mendeloff, too)!

Here are some really great things that have happened today...

-they removed all but 3 of the 15 "lines" attached to her

-most importantly they removed the oxygen this afternoon (she hated that in her nose!)
-we've moved out of ICU into a pediatric floor

-we got to hold her

-SHE SMILED!! First smile since Monday morning!

-We heard a rumor that we have between 48 and 72 hours on this floor, so we may be out by Friday or Saturday

Update

2009-06-30T17:46:00.002-05:00

Sister is takin the bottle...It's a MIRACLE!!! She took one of pedialyte (the yucky non flavored type too!) and 3 more breast milk bottles. The doctor actually came in and cut her off...don't want to overload her. She was actually upset when I took it away. She must be absolutely starving.
I feel like slipping the nurse some bills!

Perfect Heart

2009-06-30T08:43:00.004-05:00

Lila Grace came out of surgery yesterday around 1 in the afternoon. Everything went really well and she now has a perfect heart! She actually was already off the ventilator by the time E and I got to see her...which was a BIG deal b/c they told us she could be on it for a couple days. The nurse said she was active and alert enough to pull at it and so they let her try to breathe on her own and she did! She continues to be on several monitors, ivs and drains but is doing super well, per all the nurses and doctors. She had a good night, rested most of it and today they moved her to a different room (where she shares a nurse with another patient, which is good, b/c she is no longer in need of 1 to 1 care). Today they will focus on keeping her comfortable and getting her to eat. She is acting like she really wants to eat, but did not latch on to the bottle yet. She must eat from a bottle before they let her nurse and E and I have yet to get her to take one! The nurse has assured me she will. We won't be able to hold her till tomorrow, but are so looking forward to it! She is a trooper and seems to be recovering rapidly. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers...it's working!!!

Pre op

2009-06-26T21:16:00.003-05:00

Eric and I and Lila Grace went for Pre op today. I personally thought it was really helpful and relieved a lot of anxiety, E is still a little nervous. I feel much better about the surgery and recovery and confident we have not only one of the best congenital heart defect surgeons, but also a very competent team of professionals that deal with this everyday. The nurse gave us the scoop on the surgeon, Dr. Mendeloff trained with one of the "top tiered" surgeons in the world (Iguess there's only 5-10 of those) and then worked for him and now works independently...we are so fortunate!!! We did consult with him and he was very thorough in his description of the surgery, answered all our questions and a very nice guy. He said he does 400-500 congenital heart defect surgeries per year, but about 15 TAPVR repairs. We seriously got information overload today, but here are some of the main details.

-surgery is at 6 am on Monday
-surgery will last roughly 6 hours
-Lila Grace will spend the first night in ICU (while on the ventilator)
-when she's ready (probably day 2) they will take her off the vent and move us to a room on a floor with a round the clock Cardiologist
-she will be here 2-3 days, hopefully getting stronger every day
-then they will move us to a recovery room, where she should be almost completely recovered, but will be monitored for a couple more days
-hospital stay could range from 5-9 days, all depending on how fast she recovers
-Once home she will see the cardiologist in 10-14 days. She then can resume normal activity and is good to go!!!

Thank you all for your constant thoughts and prayers. Keep them up as Monday will probably be our hardest day and then it should be uphill from there!

Pictures!!

2009-06-23T10:12:00.004-05:00

We had some pictures taken and they turned out really really good. Thought I'd share...

Here's one for Eric!

2009-06-19T12:22:00.004-05:00

Yesterday in the car Jack said, "I like Dad." I said, "Well, I like Dad, too!" And Cade said, "Yeah! He's handsome!"

Here's a picture of our handsome fella...

Illustrator: Jack Fortner

Happy Father's Day, E!!! Your Kids and your wife think you're HOT!!

Paranoia has set in...

2009-06-16T20:47:00.006-05:00

Ok, If I make it thru the next 2 weeks without losing my mind, it will be a miracle!

Yesterday, Lila Grace had cold like symptoms so I took her right to the doctor b/c they said she can't get sick. Jack had a pretty bad cold, too, so I drug him along as well (w/o making an appt. for him, so I got 2 for 1...is that wrong??) Anyways, I knew they both just had colds, but in light of the situation, figured I better make sure. Sure enough, the Doc said both were "just fine". The doctor said to watch Lila Grace for poor sleeping, poor feeding, irritability and blue around the lips.

So...today she was VERY fussy, acting funny when she ate, her coloring looked off and she didn't sleep well last night. I waited until about 3 and then called the neighbor over to see if I was just being paranoid. She said, No she is definitely fussy and she does look a little different. So I took her in. The Doc said she looked "dusky" and checked her stats. She had the same oxygen saturation as before, ok heart rate, low fever and a goopy eye. Come to find out....poor thing has an ear infection which causes "poor sleeping, poor feeding and irritability"!

So the doctor prescribed meds to treat the ear infection and I really wanted to say, "Can you hook me up too...b/c I AM losing it!!!" Seriously, Can I get a break here?!?!

It's official...She's a Catholic

2009-06-15T09:39:00.008-05:00

HA!! Like she had a choice!
Lila Grace was baptized on Saturday. She did really well. She slept thru most of it, until they dumped water her head. Then she pooped and was fussy for the last few minutes. Sister does not like to sit in her own mess!
The weekend was really great. We had lots of family in town and were going to have a big bash with friends as well, but decided to scale it down once we found out about her heart. Her doctor told us we could still have the baptism, though. Eric and I were really thankful b/c we definitely wanted to share this with family and also all the excitement took our minds off things. We had Eric and Christi and the fam, Brian and Michelle and the boys, Gma and Gpa Higley, Mema and Poppy, Uncle Tim and Ed, Lexie and Papa Larry. The only ones missing from my family were Em and Dan and Ella Kate...we sure missed you guys!!
My siblings and their kids all stayed here at our house. So if any of you neighbors are wondering how many can sleep in a media room...we had 10 comfortably sleeping kiddos!!
Everything went great and we are so happy for Lila Grace. Her Godparents are Uncle Brian and Aunt Christi. I know Christi will provide lots of religious guidance for her...but have my doubts about Brian...JUST KIDDING! We are very happy they accepted!

Sister Rules

2009-06-10T14:26:00.003-05:00

I was doing laundry yesterday and I walked into our living room and the boys had made this "castle" for Lila Grace. They were kneeling outside of the castle saying, "All hail the Queen!" So funny how one little person can change the whole dynamic of the family. I've officially been dethroned...

Sister slept thru the night!!!

2009-06-06T08:13:00.002-05:00

Sister slept from 10 pm to 6 am last night! Woohoo! Of course in light of recent events E and I were up there like every hour checking on her.

Also, wanted to let everyone know (b/c I know my Mom gave the link to my blog to several people) she is doing great! In fact she's the same as she was before we got the diagnosis. Like I mentioned previously, you would never know her heart wasn't working properly. She still eats well and sleeps well (yay!!!) and smiles all the time. The doctor keeps referring to her as a "blue baby", b/c she isn't circulating enough oxygen thru her entire body, but she looks pretty as a peach to us! The doctor told us to watch for certain signs or symptoms of respiratory distress...but we've seen nothing! Thank God! Now we will just anxiously await the surgery. Seriously uncool that they scheduled it 3 WEEKS OUT! She's sleeping thru the night...but E and I will not...for 3 more weeks!!! Thanks for all the prayers and support.

Lila Grace News

2009-06-05T14:35:00.004-05:00

Eric and I found out yesterday that Lila Grace has a congenital heart defect. It's called Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return. It's really hard to explain exactly what it is...I'm still really confused. Here's a link talking about it www.cincinnatichildrens.org/health/heart-encyclopedia/anomalies/tapvr.htm. Basically her heart is not functioning correctly to provide enough oxygen for her body. She can't live with this condition and is in need of surgery soon. If it went undetected and un repaired she could have congestive heart failure. Please know she is not in any immediate danger. They put her on 2 medicines to help her in the mean time. Eric and I had no idea as she is a happy healthy baby. Our pediatrician detected a heart murmur at some of her appointments and suggested we see a specialist, but she thought it was, "no big deal". So you can imagine our shock after seeing the specialist. The pediatric cardiologist said it's a very rare condition.
The silver lining in this is after Lila Grace has the surgery she will be "fixed" for the rest of her life. Her surgery has been scheduled for June 29th. It is open heart surgery. She will undergo 6 hours of surgery and then spend a week in ICU. Please keep her and us in your thoughts and prayers.

A Jackism

2009-06-01T13:55:00.002-05:00

Today I was running errands with the kids in the car and we passed a Walgreens and CVS (b/c you know how they are always together) and Jack said, "Hey Mom, I know how to spell Walgreens...C-V-S!"

Are we kinder ready or what????

Singing Brother, Talking Sister and Some Teeth

2009-05-29T15:12:00.010-05:00

Lots of info in this blog!!

First off, Lila Grace is talking up a storm. She coos all the time! It is the cutest thing ever! I've even heard her cooing to the music in the car. My other 2 did not do this. She talks the most to the boys when they get right in her face, but also to Dad in the morning when he's up and getting ready for work and telling her how pretty she is (about 50 times in a row!) I keep telling him I'd coo like that too, if he told me that every morning!
Here's her talking...

Secondly, Cade performed this song at school for Donuts for Dads Day. I caught him performing it at home for his sister. I keep telling E Cade is going to be our performer, maybe a singer or dancer or even an actor...E says, "he can do that in the off season!" Ha!
Here's the next American Idol...

Finally, wanted to let everyone know, Lila Grace is cutting teeth. I can't believe it!!! You can actually see the teeth coming thru on the bottom...and I think it's two! I think God is punishing me...she won't take the bottle and NOW she's getting teeth (very early!) I've never nursed a baby with teeth...OUCH!!!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-26T10:23:00.007-05:00

To kick off the summer we went on our first of many trips. We have a lot planned for the summer so my blog will probably be about all our travels. For Memorial Day weekend we went to Lake Fork Texas. Es dad just moved there. To me it's pretty much the middle of nowhere, but to all people who LOVE to fish...it's a "little slice of heaven!" It's northeast of here, about 2 hours from us. As Papa Larry says, "we're neighbors now!" Anyways so we spent the weekend there. Es bro Jerod and his wife Sybil and thier new baby Abby came,too. It was really fun. The guys took the boat out and fished a lot. We also cooked fish, ate fish, went out to AJs Fish House and talked about who caught the biggest fish...it was a big fish-loving weekend!! But we also sat around the camp fire most nights talking and hanging out (which is more my style...don't like to catch, look at, smell or eat fish!). Everyone had a blast. The boys smothered Abby with love...Lila Grace got a break for once! We all did a lot and were usually exhausted by the end of the day. Here are some cute pics from the weekend...and also a funny video of Cade...

2 Months Old

2009-05-12T09:19:00.003-05:00

Lila Grace is 2 months old!!! She is doing great. She is really really good all day long and has a short fussy spell in the evening...but even that's getting better! She is particular (aren't most girls!). She still won't take the bottle or the binkie and definitely prefers her Mama! I'm officially joining the Mom of the Year Club, because anyone who nurses for a year is MOM OF THE YEAR!!!! She does smile really big for Dad and the boys. Jack wants to hold, touch and love on her at all times. Cade wants to trade her for the neighbors 1 year old, Emma, because "Emma can play with him!". All in all she is a really happy (and very cute) baby and we love her very much!

Sweet Rewards

2009-05-08T10:35:00.006-05:00

Ok, being a Mom is hard and being a Mom of three can be really hard at times. There are days when E comes home and I say, "I want to work!", I want to go somewhere where they're going to give rewards or feedback for the job I'm doing. I want to get impressive reviews and annual bonuses...something that says, "You're doing Great!!!"

Well, today I got those rewards! I spent the morning at the boys school having a tea party with Cade and Muffins for Moms with Jack. They both made gifts for me that are soooooo cute! Cade made the yellow poster and the stylish little bag. Jack made the pink poster, the beaded cross and the Mom portrait of me (that looks just like me!) I love love love them all! These personalized gifts from my kids mean more to me than any words of praise a boss could give. These are the sweet rewards of being a Mom....

More Rainy Day Fun

2009-05-04T09:38:00.003-05:00

Rainy Day Fun

2009-05-02T20:19:00.004-05:00

Undie dance...

Cutie Patuties!

2009-04-25T12:02:00.003-05:00

My new lamps

2009-04-23T13:22:00.007-05:00

Today I was really in need of some "me" time, BUT...that's not possible right now so I went shopping instead...to Wal-mart (with Cade and Lila Gace, too.) I am feeling a little overwhelmed b/c my lovely new baby girl will not take the binkie or the bottle. We are working on that!!! Anyways, my sister had told me about these buffet lamps several weeks ago at Wal-mart. She said they were really cute and not that expensive. I haven't had much time to shop yet, so I decided today was the day to go look and shop AND buy something for ME! Low and behold the lamps were on SALE!!! Two buffet lamps for $15!! I was sooooooo excited! This really made my day! Everyone who knows me well, knows I only buy bargains or sale items. I know now God made me this way for a reason...someone, not naming names, has very expensive taste and will only buy the best of the best!! Their can't be 2 of those in one house!

Here are some pics of my new lamps and also our dining room. I am most proud of my dining room. It's the best looking room in my house! I still need curtains...

A Cadeism

2009-04-17T10:59:00.004-05:00

Funny story...

Yesterday Cade had a playdate with a little neighbor buddy. Apparently for two silly 3 yr olds the word of the day was "butt"! In our house this is a bad word, but the two of them were playing so well I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. Also, if you tell Cade a word is bad, you're going to hear it 500 times in the next 24 hours! So they were playing in the toy room and I was putting away laundry, listening to them talk and play Starwars Wii. All of a sudden Cade's buddy says, "Butt Crack". I just start giggling to myself, b/c I know Cade has never heard this word and I can only imagine what was going through his little head.

Fast forward about 6 hours, Eric is home and we are all watching some tube before bed. Cade brings up "the word". He says, So and So said "Butt Crack". I look at Eric who is about to laugh and try to fill him in on the story before he laughs, b/c if Cade knows it's funny, he's going to say it 500 times in the next 24 hours! Anyways so I said, well Cade what do you think that means? He looked at me and said, "It means my butt is on crack!"...and yes, I burst out laughing!!!

For all you parents out there...What is worse for a 3 yr old, knowing what the space between the cheeks is called or saying your bum is doing an illegal substance????

Crazy Week!!!!

2009-04-16T11:05:00.005-05:00

Here's a look at my new life of 3 kiddos!!! It's been really crazy this past week....

First of all, we went to Carthage for Easter and it was great! The boys had a blast with their cousins and Eric and I got to converse with adults (which you really look forward to after having so many 3 and 5 year old conversations!). The boys got to do many things. Their favorite was finding "pet" snakes at Mema's (luckily they "ran away" b/c they wanted to bring them home!!). They also painted eggs, hunted for eggs and got Easter baskets. Of course Lila Grace got lots of attention. Many people held her (thanks for the break!) and loved on her. And she looked cute as a button in her Easter dress.

Then we came home...here's where it gets crazy...

Starting Monday night Jack and Lila Grace got colds. Lila Grace spent all Monday night sniffling and coughing on drainage and Jack woke up Tuesday and said his throat hurt. I called the Dr and got right in at 10. Cade went to the neighbors (thank goodness!!). Anyways, we spent 3 HOURS at the Dr. Apparently they were very busy! Jack was a trooper and Lila Grace slept most the time (b/c she'd been up all night!). Come to find out Jack had allergies and Lila Grace had a bad cold. So I spent another hour at CVS filling prescriptions and buying OTC meds. Luckily E came home early and went grocery shopping for me (we were out of everything and I couldn't take two sick kids and Cade to the store). By the time I looked at the clock it was time for T-ball and it takes roughly 45 mins to dress 2 kids for a game!!! So I got the boys ready and sent them to T-ball with Dad and then walked the floors with a sick fussy baby...looking forward to Wednesday.

Then on Wednesday, the boys went to school (yeah for me!) and I took Lila Grace for a follow up at the Drs and come to find our she had developed an ear infection. Poor thing! I can't believe it's already started at 5 weeks. Then I spent more time at CVS buying meds, picked up kids from school, came home, got ready for T-ball (yes, again) and this time I went to the game and E watched the baby. At T-ball (when I had a minute to think) I was thinking about the glass of wine I was going to drink that night! When I got home and got all kids ready for bed and sat down to rock Lila Grace, got very sleepy, and looked at the clock and realized sleep was looking way better than my wine!!

So anyways...this is our crazy life lately. Jack is feeling lots better and the baby is better, too! Do you think my life will getter any less busy? I'm thinking not in the near future! Here are some really cute pictures of Easter.

Just me and my bros

2009-04-09T09:20:00.004-05:00

Little Sluggers

2009-04-01T15:54:00.008-05:00

Cade and Jack started T-ball and are on the same team. They both love it and have a great time. Several of thier friends from school are on the same team, so it makes it more fun for them. This is Jack's 3rd time playing and him and his buddy Riley are the best 2 on the team. Jack plays pitcher and catches the ball and throws to Riley who plays 1st. They do really well! This is Cade's 1st time playing...any organized sport! It's pretty funny! He has a friend named Matthew who he loves and the whole game they talk to each other, dance, give each other five, play in the dirt, etc. They only pay attention for about the 1st half and then the next half they spend being very silly. Here's a video of Cade's first time at bat...you can tell he has no idea what to do!!! It was really funny! I've also attached a silly picture of him and his friend Matthew.

Super Sandwich

2009-03-30T12:14:00.004-05:00

So now that we have 3 kids it's no longer one to one (if you know what I mean!). The other day, I was feeding the baby and Eric was working outside. Jack said he was hungry and wanted a sandwich. I told him to wait until the baby was done and I would fix a peanut butter sandwich for him. He told me he would just make it himself and I said "GREAT!!!". We need somebody to start being more self-sufficient! Apparently he was really hungry, because he made a HUGE sandwich...4 pieces of bread with 3 peanut butter fillings! He told me it was a Super Sandwich and it's what Scooby-do eats! Here's a picture of Jack and his Super Sandwich (and he did eat almost the entire thing!).

First 2 Weeks

2009-03-25T17:18:00.005-05:00

The first 2 weeks with Lila Grace have been great!!! She's still really good, so sweet and goes with the flow...if she would just work on sleeping better at night! Here's a look at what we've done with her...

We've played with her (or at least around her!)

We've hid from her (When I asked Cade what he was doing he said, "hiding from the baby!")

We've dressed the dog up in her things...thanks for loaning us the boppy - Lisa!!

We've introduced her to her other sister...Lola.

We've loved on her!!!

and loved on her some more!!!

And we've dressed her in all her cute clothes (you can see she doesn't always like it!!)

She's a Fortner!!!

2009-03-16T13:04:00.007-05:00

Lila Grace Fortner made her appearance at 1:15 am on March 12th. Labor and delivery were very uneventful and she did great. She is now 4 days old and has been really good so far! She eats well, doesn't cry much and seems to be very content most of the time. She sleeps pretty well, but Mom would LOVE for her to sleep better. The boys (including Eric) are all fascinated with her. She is very sweet!

She's definitely a Fortner! Right when she came out I could tell she looked exactly like Jack as a baby. Most people agree she is very Fortner! I can't complain...my other two are very cute...and look nothing like their Mama!! Anyways here are some pictures of Jack, Cade, Eric and I as babies so you can decide exactly who does she look like????

Kristal
Eric

Jack

Cade

Lila Grace

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This is the day...Let us rejoice and be glad!!

2009-03-11T12:22:00.005-05:00

Hallelujah!! Sister is coming out tonight!! My induction was changed to 5pm today. Hopefully she'll make her debut before midnight, but we'll see. I've been having contractions for 2 days so I'm hoping to have made enough progress, to get in there and just go. We are more than excited! I'm packed and ready to go, E is "working" from home, I think he was too excited to go into the office, Jack wanted to be picked up early b/c he can hardly contain his excitement and Cade did not want to do anything I told him to do this morning (every time we make a big change in his world he is not very good...poor Cade...no longer the baby!) Anyways soon enough we will be a happy family of five!!! Here's one last look at just the four of us.........(and Lola)

Sister is stubborn!!!!

2009-03-04T11:38:00.004-06:00

Well, I'm 38 weeks and sister is still "way up there" and I'm only dilated to a 1!!! If I hear the Dr say she's still "way up there" one more time, I'm going to lose it! The end is the worst and I think its even worse for me because its my 3rd. I've been so moody and irritable this past week...my poor family! I had an appointment yesterday and when E came home from work and asked how it went and I told him no progress towards delivery, he said, "should the kids and I move out for 2 weeks?!" I'm so sorry family!!! At this point I'm just wanting my non swollen, non gassy, non heartburn, non achy body back!!!

Ok, enough venting! There is an end in sight...induction is set for March 16th at 5 a.m. Yay!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited and know that it's all worth it in the end.

Eric turns 35!!

2009-02-24T19:05:00.004-06:00

Here's a video of E's bday celebration...I think you can see his 2 biggest accomplishments at 35!!

30 years down...

2009-02-22T10:11:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was my 30th and it wasn't soooo bad. The day before I was really thinking I would have a hard time, but I didn't! First of all I want to say thanks thanks thanks for all the money, presents, cards, emails, calls and postings on facebook. I feel very loved! My day was pretty eventful. However, my b-day seemed more about my kids than me, but thats ok, it was all fun! Cade had a fun birthday party to go to and then we went to Medieval times dinner and tournament in downtown Dallas. The boys absolutely loved it. The food was ok. Everything was HUGE!! We ate huge turkey legs and potatoes. The lady in front of me had a HUGE margarita (that I drooled over the whole 2 hrs.) All in all it was a good time. When we got home we had cake. E got me a Barbie cake...not sure what the significance of Barbie was. I'm gonna go with, "I think you're as hot as Barbie" vs. "I miss your more Barbie-like figure, right now". Here are some pictures of our day. For our birthdays E and I got a treadmill...you can see in some of the pics why!!!

I must say I feel very blessed to have such a great life at 30 years old. I have a wonderful family (immediate and extended), who I love very much, and a baby girl on the way!! I also have lots of wonderful friends!! Thanks again for making my day so special!