aunt Liz's house

After Emory's 6 month appointment, we came up from the border to the SanAntonio area. We were able to visit with PJ's grandmother and then headed to Fredericksburg and stayed at creepy aunt Liz's house. (On PJ's mom's side of the family, creepy is a term of endearment.) The girls were met with new pajamas, their favorite, and enjoyed playing in the girly room with toys, puzzles, and princess paraphernalia. The next morning we headed to visit more family at the 40th Jackson Cousins Reunion. More on that later.

We are so blessed by the family we have and the care they take of us. We treasure time to visit, even if briefly, when we are in Texas.

six months

This week, we celebrated Emory's 6 month birthday on earth. She has grown so big, and we realize daily how blessed we are just to have her here with us. At her appointment, she weighed in at a whopping 14 pounds and is in the 25th percentile for her age. She is wonderful, amazing, perfect in every way. Emory has the most amazing blue eyes and incredible eyelashes. When she smiles, her cheeks squeeze up so tight it looks like her face might explode. She is joyous, easy going, and loves watching her big sisters play. She rolls over and over and over and is already up on all fours trying to crawl...things are about to get a whole lot busier. We are so blessed that she has been sleeping through the night for months.

It is hard to believe where our family was just 6 months ago, praying for God to come through for us on this one. He did and continues to do so everyday. Count your blessings today and think how much things have changed from just 6 months ago. If life is great, praise God for all He has given you. If things aren't so great, remember that though it seeems like an eternity to you, for Him, 6 months are just one breath.

new pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/10022403@N08/sets/72157603740368691/show/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/10022403@N08/sets/72157603832271957/show/

Mr. Mom

PJ is deeply embedded in swimming lessons and I am home (at my parent's in Lockhart) with my angels. The "learning process" is a priceless experience and I am sure at the completion of this week (the last week of lessons) I, dad, will have learned most of what my daughters have been trying to teach me.

I'll begin by saying that I have the most wonderful wife. She has given herself to our family, for our benefit and at her expense. She constantly reads, to gain insight into being a more complete wife and mother, she makes our house in Mexico a home, (hard to do with cinder blocks that are only good for radiating heat) and she makes each of us feel like we are the most important person in the world.

Back to my attempt at being her. Last week I proudly announced as she walked in the door from her 9 and 1/2 hour day, "Well, the house is standing and the kids are alive." To date that is still true. I felt a true sense of accomplishment as I collapsed and wondered what a ride with the EMS would be like. (slight exaggeration for dramatic effect.) As I reflected on my success, I suddenly realized that, when roles are reversed, and I am the one coming home, that the girls are usually alive, the house is standing...but also, it is clean, the clothes are washed and folded, food is ready or cooking, and PJ looks like a supermodel. Needless to say, that aside from the supermodel part, I still have some work to do as Mr. Mom.

Your prayers are appreciated.

ta dah

Micah and Mexican Nieve (ice cream)


Tonight Micah serenaded us with three rounds of “Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star,” “Jesus Loves Me,” and “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.” After each song, she demanded that we clap our hands as she yelled, “ta DAH.” She is growing so fast…So are Trinity and Emory. Trinity has been taking some ballet classes (she is a beautiful dancer) and swimming any minute that she can. Emory is four months old and growing like a weed. She weighed 12 lbs. at her last appointment. Our girls are so special. The joy they bring us is immeasurable.

Nap time for Micah, playtime for these two. Trinity and Emory talked to each other the day this photo was taken for over twenty minutes. It was the most adorable moment. Trinity would ask Emory questions and she would answer. Her mouth would bend and move until she could utter song-like sounds that brought tears to my eyes. You can see in the photo that Trinity got choked up as well. Emory is beginning to take her place in our family. Of course, she always had a spot, but she is growing so much and really letting us know who she is now and what she wants.

School for Trinity is winding down...she has about a month of first grade left and is so looking forward to the summer break and any swimming she can get in. Micah had her two year old well check. We learned all about the things we are doing wrong and working a little harder on not succumbing to her loud requests. She is precious in so many ways and loves copying her big sister's dramatic gestures. Emory is laughing and smiling and changing so much. She will be four months old this week and is trying desperately to roll over though she can only arch her back and look to the side she wants to go. She reached up and hit her toy on her car seat today...on purpose.

Mother's day was wonderful. I was reminded about how blessed I was to have my mom the almost 20 years that I had her and how God continues to bless me by allowing me to have the mother-in-law that I do. My girls and my husband make me feel so special on a daily basis.

blessed

What an amazing month. We have been so blessed. Our miracle baby Micah turned two years old March 30 and Emory completed her 3rd month of life. Who knew we would ever have more than one child? The infertility we experienced after Trinity was born seemed so frustrating and to think we have been blessed for a third time as well!

Our girls continue to bring us so much joy. Trinity is so grown up…asking questions at almost a minutely rate. She is so dramatic about her life and how wonderful or downtrodden it is depending on what emotion she feels at the moment. She has so much life in her. Her favorite things are dancing and practicing cartwheels, wrestling with her dad and talking to her new baby sister. She is so vivacious, artistic, and thoughtful. Any wrongdoing to animals brings her to tears including the thought that the mousetraps set by her dad might actually catch something. Her first grade coursework is slowly coming to a close, and we hope that the new teachers she gets for second grade will be a bit more entertaining. She is currently doing a homeschool on DVD program through a previously recorded satellite broadcast. It has been a wonderful option for our busy family. I can’t express how much I miss her on a daily basis. I am with her the majority of her waking hours, but her independence leaves me longing for the days when she was so tiny and needed me more. It is a hard stage for a mom…seeing the beginning of what you worked so hard to train up a child for—the beginning of her living her own life. Though age 7 is still a few months out, I see her growing and changing and desiring for her own way. I pray that she finds it safely and happily.

Micah is so cute. She makes me smile when she laughs. She makes me smile when she yells. She makes me smile…She is a miniature person. Micah copies everything her big sister does down to the sighs she makes when I tell her it is time to clean up the toys. There is no one like Micah. She loves Elmo and Cinderella. She loves to look at books and talk to the pictures as though they might answer back. Her love of life is amazing to watch. Though just a sweet two year old, she has no problem communicating what she wants, and if she doesn’t get it, she has no problem scolding you for minutes on end with gibberish that only Trinity can make out. Her favorite things are her blanky (which has to be torn away late at night in order to wash), her potty (which she stores wooden fruit in instead of using as it was meant), and money. She loves to collect any coin she can find and put it in random hiding places then come back and ask for “mo money, please.” She is the cutest when she stands in front of the pantry with the door open and one finger on her chin saying, “hmmm, let’s see.” My favorite time of day is when she is tired and still and will let me hold her and cuddle her and rock her. And even though she says, “no like naptime,” she secretly does.

Emory is beautiful. The only girl with blue eyes that might just stay blue. They are crystal like Matt’s..amazing…with the longest eyelashes I have ever seen on a human being. She loves to smile. She looks at me with the most incredible gaze, and I become lost…ready to sit for hours staring back at her. She says so much with her eyes. Like, “thank you for loving me.” “thank you for holding me.” “you are my sweet mommy.” “I will always be your little baby.” “I love it when you snuggle me close.” She LOVES to be held. She can go from a frightful gurgly scream to completely serene within seconds of being picked up. She is the tiniest one…the most helpless, but sometimes I feel that she is the strongest of the three. She has a strong character at her young age. She has endured so much in her short life. I know she will be a great leader someday. Maybe sooner than later. I am convinced she sees my mother. Sometimes when I feel my mom close by, I see Emory staring just above my shoulder, and then she will smile. I know my mother is with me, and I truly feel that it is she who tickles Emory’s chin to make her smile.

And Matt…he quite possible brings me the most joy. He constantly strives to give us a better life…to spend every ounce of time he can with the girls. He is the BEST father. No one can compare. I can’t imagine my life without him. I married him for so many reasons, but number one on my list was that he made me laugh. Sometimes he says, “I didn’t make you laugh today. Do you still love me?” My answer is yes…a thousand times over. The laughter he brings me one day is sufficient to sustain me for years. He is the most amazing gift in my life.

Thank you God for my life. My children. My husband. Forever I will be grateful.

new pics at "sister photos" link (left)