The Shots

We've been anxious all week, waiting for those "gotta have 'em before we start kindergarten shots." I lied through my teeth just trying to get Beau to the doctor. I had bribes in my bag, I told him we would eat Sonic for lunch AND have a Dr. Pepper, and I told him they were soft shots (pulled that one out of the air).....I basically did whatever I could just to get him to the event. And low and behold........he got all of them that he needed last year!

"No shots, Mommy. I don't need any shots" as he shakes his hands in the air back and forth. "No shots for me!" All that anxiety for nothing! Whew! Crisis averted. Bribes back in the bag.

Brenley did get her 6 month shots so we are set on both of them until flu season.

The kids are getting big. Brenley is 16 pounds - right at the average for her age. And our preemie Beau, barely on the charts through age 2 is now in the 75th percentile for weight and 90th in height. Doc said he was tall and skinny. We would agree.

Tomorrow is Beau's last day with his K4 (pre-school)teacher. Tonight was Meet the Teacher night. He is sooo excited about Kindergarten and the "bug lady" which his teacher is known as. Should be a fun year! He already informed me I don't have to sound out sight words. And I get schooled on "blends" at least once a week. How in the heck does his know this stuff already! :)

The Birthday Party!!

We planned Beau's family and friend Birthday party for August 9th. We hit the bowling alley for the second year in a row, but this time it wasn't in Perry, OK, but the big city of Wichita where several kids decided to have their party too! It was a bit chaotic, but we managed just great.


We had family over both in the morning and the evening at our house, but we all met up at the bowling alley, along with a few friends from school. We had a really fun time, and it was nice to have the cousins together so they can run and play (thank goodness for our empty basement)!

Here are a few pictures from the party!

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And other items in the news............

• Me Ma (my Mama) still has not had her surgery. We hope to know something this week. Please keep her in your prayers


• Travis and Julee (my brother and SIL) are expecting their third child, due in January. Please keep them in your prayers for a healthy baby.


• Kyle and Kate (Brian's brother and SIL) are due anytime now. Doctor thinks two more weeks. But the soon to be new Mom and Dad seem to be ready for anytime! Please keep them in your prayers for a safe delivery and healthy baby.


• This is Beau's last week of daycare, and then he moves to the full fledged Kindergarten room, which has so many kids enrolled, they are moving it to a Portable classroom right outside the building. It's full day, with latch key care before 8:00 AM and then after school until we pick him up. It's still at the same school he attends now, but it's full on kindergarten. He's ready for it (he got to know his teacher well this summer during one of her enrichment programs and she is super cool and has tons of cool animals - quote, unquote), but I'm not sure I am ready for him to start. It's a bit sad for me to see him and his friends start to go in different directions - most are starting public school kindergarten, or are moving away - others will be in his private kindergarten this year. But he is handling it like a champ. Just way too many changes for Mom to process. And now shedding a few more tears.........

Next post will be the "first day of school" which will be August 18th! Until then........

The Birthday Kids

My babies are getting older! Beau turned 5 years old on Wednesday, August 6th, and sister Brenley turned 6 months old. Gotta admit, I shed a tear. I cannot believe how fast the time has went. I can remember the day Beau was born like it was only yesterday. Those memories (while I was heavily drugged) will be forever etched in my mind. And now my handsome Beau is 5 years old! It's funny how even in a year how much he has changed. He looks the same, but has really filled out. We go to the doctor for his check up next week, but I think he has put on about 10 pounds this year and I can't wait to see how much taller he has gotten. And last year he had a Thomas the Tank Engine BD party and this year he wanted Transformers. He asked for Power Rangers and Transformers for presents, (and of course anything having to do with sports and NASCAR) and he loves anything rough and tough. He is pure 100% BOY! And now his Dad is secretly excited that all his favorite kid toys are back in the marketplace and he gets to play with them all over again!

And our baby girl is already 6 months old! What? Time slow down, please! She now has two teeth. The second one came in the last week in July. So now she has her two bottom teeth. She isn't a fan of rolling over or sitting up unsupported, but loves to play with her toys, talk, and snuggle. And has become quite the fan of her cereal and veggies. Her and her brother are just the most amazing people. Brian and I count our blessings each and every day.

Beau had a great BD with his ole Mom and Dad. We took BD treats to school, we opened presents at home that evening, and then the staff at Old Chicago stood him on a chair and had the restaurant sing Happy Birthday! That would make even an adult blush, but he did really well! Got a little bashful in the end, but we were so proud - as we always are.

The Race

As an early BD present to Beau, on August 5th, Brian took Beau to watch race cars run on a track just north of our house. And as an added bonus, two older NASCAR drivers were racing. It was a great surprise for him, and he is now an official fan of Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace. He got home at 10:30 and he was wiped out. To say it was "awesome" is quite the understatement.

Our "vacation"

We set out for our mini family "vacation" last Friday, August 1st. But we wanted to make a stop in Oklahoma to see Me Ma and Pa Pa. Me Ma broke her knee cap earlier in the week. She was scheduled for surgery to repair it on Friday, but her blood levels weren't where they needed to be. So to date, she continues to wait. Hopefully we will find out this week.

So with Me Ma and Pa Pa resting at home in Garber, we ventured down the road to Texas. Staying at a hotel with a swimming pool was Beau's most looked forward too event. I mean, where else do parents let their children jump freely on beds! The kids were troopers in the car as we drove down in the OK/TX heat. The rental car helped too as Mom wasn't as stressed when chocolate or roll-ups melted on the seats or floorboards!

We arrived in Arlington Saturday afternoon and headed straight to the pool. It was Miss Brenley's first time in the pool and the first time this summer for Beau (good grief, where did the summer go?). So we enjoyed that immensely.

The next day we got up to hit the mall, where we met the Texas Crew (Tyler, Brooke and kids), and I was able to collect on all kinds of deals for the kids. Then it was back to the hotel to get ready for the Ranger baseball game (really the reason behind the road trip). We sat in suite boxes courtesy of Justin Brands. And really, with a 6 month old and 110 degree heat, I'm not sure how else we would have watched the game. But the ultimate highlight of the game (for me, anyway) was when our Birthday Boy Beau Charlie was announced on the jumbo-tron in big lights.........Happy Birthday Beau. Now this picture isn't the best, but if you see the shadow leaning.......it was Beau trying to get a peak of himself on the jumbo tron, but the darn camera man was right in his face! It was too funny, and as the camera panned off.......he was sure to give his famous winning NASCAR fist pump in the air! Victory! :)

The game was great (Rangers played the Blue Jays), Beau was happy with his freebie BD treats and was able to stuff himself with hot dogs and ice cream. And since it doesn't get much better than that, we headed home on Sunday - safe and sound.

Mom's Birthday

I celebrated my birthday on Friday. It was a great day all around. I was fortunate enough to be showered by birthday cards, treats, and flowers - and lots of love from my family. A girl can't ask for more than that! My parents were able to come up for the evening, as well as my brother and his family happened to be driving through town on the way home from their Colorado vacation. So we went out to dinner and enjoyed each other's company. It really was a very nice birthday.

But now we are gearing up for Beau's 5th birthday which is right around the corner! The invitations are out for a bowling BD party with family and friends in two weeks. He is very excited. Transformers are our theme - let's hope that just sticks for two more weeks! He likes a LOT of different things. But he is super excited and was ready for Mom's BD to be over with because he knew his was next. Crazy to think that 5 years ago on my birthday I was put on bed rest and in not even two weeks later, I had the sweetest, most handsome little boy join our lives.

We got both Beau and Brenley's picture taken this weekend. When I was changing the pictures on the wall, I got to reflect how much he has changed. Even from last year to this year, he has filled out so much. His questions are still non-stop. He is always learning. And to let you know how sweet he is........we got balloons yesterday at the restaurant where we ate lunch. He wanted to let his go, so we got outside, and he began praying to God. "Dear God, please accept this pretty balloon into the sky and enjoy the pink color as it is my Mommy's favorite color and it is to celebrate her birthday. We love you, Amen." Ahhhh...........

Brenley got her first tooth on July 19th. She started working on it a few days before, but it finally came through on that Saturday. She doesn't roll over yet, or sit up unassisted, but she has her first tooth! It's unreal. I want this "baby time" to slow down. It's going too fast.

We are headed on our family "vacation" next Thursday evening. Headed to Texas for a few days of family fun. Beau cannot wait for vacation, hotels, and a baseball game. I just hope Brian and I are as ready as he is! I'm sure I'll have lots to talk about in my next entry!

4th of July!

It was a nice family weekend celebrating the 4th! Beau and his Dad played ball, we shot off fireworks (although it took some convincing on Brian's part to keep Beau outside), but a few sparklers later, he was totally into it. Brenley was unfazed. She slept through it in my arms, while we watched the neighbors put on quite an illegal fireworks display. Guess she is used to all the noise from her brother, because it didn't bother her a bit.











Then Beau had two birthday parties to attend this weekend. He got to be a superhero at one party and a race car driver at another. He even road a roller coster! Needless to say he is spent tonight.







Other than that, T-Ball ended this past week. It was time. Holes were showing up in the knees of his pants from all his dynamic slides into home. The shirt was a looking a little faded from all the washing, but even with that, Beau was not ready for it to end. So every night we still play catch in the house or we take BP in the front yard. He loves his ball, and Dad loves that too!




Brenley May is 5 months old today. She is a ray of sunshine. Brother continues to dote on her, and she takes every bit of it. We've started a bit of rice cereal as her appetite has really picked up. I love the rolls she is getting on her legs!







Brian and I will celebrate our 7th anniversary tomorrow. It's been a wonderful 7 years and we have two very precious people to show for it. Until next time.......