Some pictures of #3

#1 and #2

I'm working on getting a picture of #3...

Getting back to normal

Chris actually didn't have to go into work today so I've got some help at home. It's really nice to have him here and have someone to talk with - not that the little ones aren't nice to talk to but you know what I mean...
While he was playing with Anna and Jaden I got to steal Luke away and take some pictures. I am trying out a new photo editing program that I'm thinking of buying. I like the different looks you can give to photos. I still think the basic color (who doesn't love that creamy baby skin, the beautiful color of their eyes, and all the wonderful colors nature give us) and black & whites but its fun to change it up once in a while too!

Ike spared us

Can't say the same for the little lime tree...

I think my Mom might have "discovered" this tree on one of her walks when we first moved down here. Or maybe it was Chris? Anyway, this little tree became a special symbol of Texas to my family - especially extended family. So, I'm sure they will be sad when they see this picture. It was fun to look for limes when we were out on walks. I used them to make salsa, Chris liked to add them to lemonade to make "lemon-lime-ade", my Mom and Aunt took a whole bagful back to my Uncle this summer.This tree fell on our neighbor's house. This was one of the homes we had considered when we were on our house hunting trip. At first I thought they were lucky that the tree was just lying on the roof but later when we talked to the owner we learned he actually has a hole in the roof! That stinks!
This is a tree and a street sign (if you can see that it's sort of laid out flat). They are on the corner right by Anna's school. There were a bunch of trees down on the side of her school next to the road. A bunch of trees were also down on the other side of the street as well. I'm wondering if maybe a tornado headed down this path. It looks like more than wind. The trees down aren't little and several are completely uprooted.

And here's our backyard... Our main problem came from a stupid old tree on the other side of our privacy fence. It fell on the playhouse and busted up the fence a bit. This is the 2nd time we've had a problem because of that tree! The trampoline is another story. I think the wind must have gotten that. Chris had tied it to one of our trees and the rope is still there but there are parts of the trampoline all over the yard. The actual trampoline ended up on the other side of our fence. It looked a mess but Chris thinks it can be put back together. We'll have to see. We'll definitely need a new safety net.

There are sooo many people in this area without power. There are so many people with serious damages to their homes and many lost their homes. Our power was restored within 24 hours, we were able to return home with all of our normal comforts, we are so lucky. We do not understand why we were spared while so many around us have suffered but we are thankful for our blessing. We hope that we can be a blessing to others who were not as fortunate. Please continue to pray for those affected by Hurricane Ike. It has caused serious damage to this area of Texas. We are reminded of it daily. You cannot turn on the TV without seeing images of the damages and hearing about where to get aid or gas or how many people still do not have power. The crews seem to be doing such a great job. It's just such a HUGE job to do. We saw a truck today from Kent, OH (for electricity or tree trimming/removal). Thank God for these people!

We've made it so far

Last night was scary to say the least and we were pretty far from the coast. My brother-in-law said that the winds had gotten up to around 80 mph! I was worried because the wind was blowing really hard and it was raining and it sounded like the windows might break. My brother-in-law said during one time when he checked the windows on the back side of the house he actually saw the glass bow a little in the middle. Then, around 3:45 a.m. we lost power. This didn't turn out to be as bad as I had thought. It did start to get a little warm around 11:00 a.m. The Tilston's were well prepared. We had flashlights ready to go, propane lanterns with several extra tanks of propane, and the best was a little battery-powered TV. It was color and everything! We were able to tune into the news to see what was going on. Note to self: I definitely need to get some propane lanterns + tanks and a battery powered color TV.

This is going to sound weird, I know, but the best part was lunch because we were able to eat spaghetti with meat sauce and the kids had macaroni and cheese! I completely forgot that they had a gas stove and we could still use it! We were also very lucky that we didn't have to go without water. The power came back on around 12 or so.

We still aren't sure what things are like down in our neck of the woods. We've heard reports that the damage isn't too bad - no flooding anyway. I think some of the neighboring towns may not have been so lucky. Houston and Galveston certainly weren't. Our power went out around 6:40 p.m. and I'm guessing it isn't back up yet. We still aren't allowed to go back home. We'll be watching for reports to give us the green light. I'll be sure to report what we find.

Chris has been staying in a shelter in Brenham, TX. They never lost power so that was good. But I think he is anxious to get home and back to work. I'm sure he's got lots of work ahead of him. And I know he's been worried about us. I can't even imagine being away from these kiddos (even as crazy as they have made me the past few days) during a natural disaster like this. He's been strong because he knows its just what he's got to do right now. I hope his company knows what a great employee they have in him.

Luke is 6 months old!

My little Angel In the midst of all this hurricane madness my little Luke turned 6 months old. It's been hard to take pictures because our world has sort of been knocked off kilter the past few days and we are all adjusting to being away from home. This is particularly hard for Luke and Jaden. I haven't been able to get Jaden to take a nap and both he and Luke were up all through the night (which means so was Mommy!) We are all tired and suffering from a little cabin fever.
He's been doing wonderful this month. We are exploring new foods. He seems kinda picky when it comes to eating. I wouldn't have expected that from such a fat baby! He tends to eat a little better for Dad than Mom. He loooooves bananas and tends to prefer the green veggies to the yellow/orange. Maybe he won't end up looking yellow like his big Sis. She has something called carotenemia - no big deal - it just means the skin turns yellow from eating too many yellow veggies like carrots. She doesn't actually eat many carrots but eats more than her weight in ketchup and spaghetti with tomato sauce, OJ, etc... I think this will be getting better because she has been eating more broccolli, some cauliflower, corn, and is developing quite a taste for peas!
He is pushing himself back onto his knees some while he's lying on the floor. (a precursor to crawling) He can get his belly up off the floor pretty well. Everyday he's getting stronger. I'm afraid it won't be too long before he figures out how to get those knees moving. It will be time to get out the baby gates once more.
We've been focusing more on healthy sleep habits for Luke and then, maybe for Mom. I finally read "On becoming Babywise" (almost too late) with a fire lit under me. I was on the verge of becoming delerious from not getting enough sleep. About two weeks ago I took him to the doctor to see if he had an ear infection. He not been sleeping well and was crying what felt like "all the time". I had seriously seen every hour on the clock for a couple of days. My friend Dana called me and as I was listening to her message I could not place the voice. This is someone I talk to about every day and for those of you who know Dana- she's got a strong Southern accent (she's from Alabama). Later, my eyes started playing tricks on me. I was getting to be a safety hazard. So, anyway, we went to the doctor. I was so embarrassed when we got the diagnosis. Dx: teething! How embarrassing! How could I have missed that? I must have been through at least 30 teeth coming through between Anna and Jaden! You can see why getting this under control became top priority. He actually responded very well. They said to give it 4-5 days focusing on the day time routine for the late starters (eat, waketime, sleep pretty much) and sure enough about the 3rd or 4th day he slept pretty well through the night. I didn't know what to do with myself. I was still waking up! Then, Ike started becoming more prominent and caused us to be uprooted. You know how that can throw a wrench in things. But, I think we'll get it back in sync soon. I'm going to keep on trucking with it like I would be if we were at home. Luke has been doing okay sleeping during the day in his pack and play so, I have hope :).

These are some really cute t's I found last night for the boys -

Jaden actually just fell asleep sitting up next to me as I started typing this post-

A rare moment caught on film - Jaden loving his brother. He really fought me hard to be able to hold the baby and when I got my camera to take their picture he gave me the biggest smile! Luke wasn't as into it... Hurricane update: not much has changed as far as I know. They are still expecting Ike to make land tomorrow night as at least a category 3 storm. And so far it's still got a good chance of hitting the Freeport area. We'll be keeping a close eye.

The evacuation

Chris and I woke up bright and early this morning to get a start on getting things ready to go. Things sure do change fast when a hurricane is on its way we are learning. When we went to bed everyone was talking about where Ike might be heading but still talked with a lot of uncertainty then, this morning schools were closed in our county until Monday and there was a voluntary evacuation. A little while later there was a mandatory evacuation for some of the towns right on the coast. Rather than wait for the crowd Chris and I decided that I should leave as soon as we could get everything together. The thought of being stuck in traffic with 3 little ones and 2 dogs was just not appealing. I left around 12:30pm. On my way to my brother and sister-in-law's home (about 1 hour 15 min. away) I got a call from Chris that they had issued a mandatory evacuation for our town. Good thing we left when we did!
So far, they are thinking Ike will be up to a Category 4 storm when it makes land and unfortunately that is still predicted to be uncomfortably close to our neck of woods. I guess even it if doesn't hit us directly but falls in the area a little further down the coast things could still be pretty bad for us since we'd be on the "dirty" side of the storm - not sure I understand exactly what this means but I'm pretty sure I'd rather not find out! Things change a little every time I watch the news so we'll see what they have to say in the morning. For now we are all safe and sound (and dry!). We are thankful to have a comfortable place to stay and hope this will all be over soon. Please pray for Chris who is a "necessary" staff and also part of the hurricane crew. I'm sure the company will take all the precautions to ensure everyone is safe but I'd still rather him be here with us. We'll give you another update tomorrow :)
Oh and "Happy Birthday Mom!" Wish we were there. Really!

Getting ready for Ike

It still isn't certain where exactly Ike will hit but we are getting ourselves prepared nonetheless. We're still very new to this whole "hurricane" business so, I'll have to post more as I learn. Right now we've gathered all of our non-perishable foods and water. I'm working on making sure I have enough: baby food, formula, diapers, wipes, blankets, pillows, things to keep the kids occupied, clothes, towels, toiletries, important papers and things I don't want to leave behind - just in case- and the list goes on. Thank goodness I've got a mini-van! Not only do I have all of these things plus me and the kiddos to fit in the van but I can't forget Leo and I'm taking care of our friends' dog, Scout. Chris has to stay behind to take care of his duties at the plant so, I'm on my own. If we have to leave I pray everyone will be in good spirits. At least I know my two canine boys will be! Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I'll take all the prayers that I maintain my sanity that I can get!
I will try to update my blog as much as I can to keep everyone posted. I'm sure everything will be fine. It's just that the uncertain is so scary. A few more seasons of this and we'll be veterans and probably won't even flinch at the news of a storm. Right now, I'm a little freaked out.

Isn't he so pretty?

Lukie-Wookis

This is the nickname Anna came up with for Luke. She worked on it for a long time. She kept calling him "Luke Tilston" for a nickname and couldn't understand why that wasn't a good one. I tried to explain that if someone heard her call him that they would think he was Aunt Kelli and Uncle Mike's baby instead of ours. But, she finally came up with a good one.Teething...gotta rub those gums on everything he can get in his mouth!

Just having a little fun.

Wondered what it would be like to put Luke in the back of this toy dump truck. It was cute. He sat there and played with some toy keys for a little while. And then...

And just a little Jaden thrown in...

Kindergarten update

We made it through the first week of Kindergarten. All of us! Here's a little run through of a few of the highlights from this week:
Monday: She tried to talk me into letting her walk to school by herself. Her argument involved something about learning how to find her way home???
She was so sweet when she first got home. She told me how much she liked school and said that Kindergarten was fun. She waited until Daddy got home for supper to tell us both all the details of her day. She wanted to know what we did while she was at school and if Jaden and Luke missed her. She assured them it was okay and she would be home soon. Then, I don't know how things changed but we were sitting in the living room and she told me she wanted a girl. I told her I was sorry but we had two boys and we weren't going to have any more babies. Besides, even if I did have another baby I told her we wouldn't get a guarantee it would be a girl. She kept repeating that she wanted a girl. I just said, "sorry".
Then she told me she was going to drop Lukey and break him so she could get a girl. Guess who won't be left alone around her brothers - especially Luke???
Tuesday: Today she kept asking me why she couldn't go to the Boys and igrls club? (the Boys and Girls club is an after school program.) I think she likes being at school and isn't too upset to be away from me.
Another disturbing incident: I laid down for a little while and sometime while Chris was occupied for a minute she managed to scratch Jaden all down the side of his face. We aren't really sure about why she did this but it looked bad!
Friday: We got the "notebook". This contains all the information we need from the teacher to communicate back and forth- meetings, behavior reports, homework, etc... Anna had excellent behavior all week with a wee bit of trouble today. Guess she's warmed up now. She got a mark for "excessive talking" (hmmm...brings back some memories) and "not keeping her hands to herself". I'm not advocating misbehavior but I'm a little concerned that we may see more because all of the material they will be working on this first nine weeks she has known for a while (the 4 basic shapes, counting to 25, recognizing and writing her name, 11 colors). I'm worried she may be a little bored. We'll just have to see.

Oh, and she learned the "Eagle walk" (I think that's their school mascot and it entails walking in a straight line, lips closed, and hands to yourself) and this "handshake":

Then, you're supposed to say, "Dude You're Awesome!" and give "thumbs up".

I now know why God made Lukey so big...

I think this picture says it better than I can say with words.

The big day

well, one of the first. My baby (they all will always be my babies!) started Kindergarten today. I have been thinking about and crying about this day for a while now. And today it was finally here. Can she really be old enough to go to school? Am I ready to let her leave me? Wasn't it just yesterday that I was rocking her in her beautiful pink nursery amazed at how much of my arm she had filled out as I held her? When did she become a "big girl" ready to go to Kindergarten? The Preparations:
I guess we've been preparing her for this for a while but we still wonder if we have done enough. We've read millions of books. We've practiced ABC's and 123's. We taught her colors and shapes. We taught her how to say "please" and "thank you". She learned to share and take turns - this one took a while! We've tried to get her used to being away from us a little at a time so it would be easier for her to transition by sending her to Mother's Day Out and Preschool. I think we forgot to prepare ourselves for the transition.
Over the past few weeks we've been busy buying school supplies. I bought all the basics from the list the teacher gave us. Anna found the perfect "Hannah Montana" backpack. We found a "first day of school" outfit that she loved because it had horses on it. There was even a matching pony tail holder and socks- the icing on the cake!

This weekend she and I got to go out - just the girls- to get the last few things: a lunch box, manila paper, and dance shoes. Unfortunately, I waited too long and all the Hannah Montana lunch boxes were gone. I thought she would be soo upset. She handled it very well and simply chose the next best thing - Disney Princesses. It was so nice to have this time with her. I love that she still wants to hold my hand, she doesn't care that I have an ugly pimple on my face, and had to have her purse with her just like me. She would ask me "do you have your purse? Okay, I have mine too". Today we all got up early. Dad was in the shower so I got to go in to wake her up. I was so excited to get this moment to myself. Dad got to read her books about going to Kindergarten last night and put her to sleep so this was my turn! When I opened the door she was sound asleep. I said "Hey, Kindergartner, time to wake up! It's the first day of school". She stirred a little. Then, I said "Gotta wake up - it's time to learn!" She smiled, opened her eyes, and said "Mama!". She got right up out of bed and walked to the kitchen to eat her "good breakfast". I was amazed. Some days waking her up for preschool was like waking up a hibernating bear. I think she was ready. I don't think we are.
All morning I've been thinking/wondering/worrying:
*Is she going to ask to use the bathroom if she needs to?

*Is she going to have enough to eat? Is one juice box enough? Did I put enough ketchup on her turkey sandwich? Is her teacher going to judge "what kind of parent I am" by what I pack in her lunch?

*Are her new shoes going to make her feet hurt? I rubbed some blister block on first to make sure.

*Will she remember the name of her new teacher? When we asked her this morning she said "Mrs. Tree". It's Mrs. Burns. :)

*Will she feel scared? Will she need comforted and wish I was there?

*Will the people at the school be kind to her? Will they know how special she is? Will they take extra good care of my baby?

Daddy went in to work late today so that we all could walk her to school. It was such a wonderful morning - even with all the crazy mosquitoes!! She smiled for pictures for me and let me take as many as I needed to. She even suggested a good spot for me to take her picture on the way because the sun wasn't in her eyes :) (this is the same girl that only scowled when she saw the camera once upon a time)

The only glitch came when the school personnel who met us at the front door weren't going to let us walk her back to her classroom. I think they sensed it might get ugly from the expression on my face and decided to give us a name tag and let us walk her back. We went to "Meet the Teacher Day" on Friday but they didn't let us go to her classroom so she has never even seen it. It turned out that there were plenty of other parents there too and the teacher even make a little "Survival Kit" for us. She included this little note along with a tissue, cotton ball, Hershey "hug", and tea bag:
Dear Parent,
Here is a little "gift" for you as you leave your precious one with me on the first day of school. As you hold this cotton ball in your hand, the softness will help you to remember the gentle spirit of your child. Dry your tears with this tissue, and go home and make yourself a hot cup of tea. Here's a hug to get you through until your child meets you after school. Put up your feet and relax. Remember, together you and I will work for your child to be the best he/she can be.
Thank you for entrusting your child to me for the coming school year. I will do my very best every day to be your child's guide in learning and exploring this bright, new world they've just stepped into.
Anna was so brave. There were no tears or anxious behavior. She walked in very confident and poised. She easily took her seat and gave me a hug and kiss. After, I let Chris go in to say good bye. As we were walking home I noticed him making these little funny sounds. When I looked at him I could see that he wanted to tell me something but was trying not to cry. He said that when she kissed him good bye it was like she was saying "It's okay. I'm going to be fine". He kept repeating that she was going to have fun and this was a good thing. We both know that it's true but still need to keep reminding ourselves so it doesn't hurt so much.
It's been pretty quiet today without her here - with the exception of Luke's crying (he's having difficulty sleeping and we're "crying it out" - but that's another post). It's only been a few hours but I already miss her dancing around, singing, talking to her imaginary boyfriend "Nicholas", or playing dress up and pretending "something romantic" (a recent response we over hear her saying) - oh, and fighting with Jaden! She's been away from me before and I know she'll be back (and very soon - about an hour or so) but I guess this time is different because I know she will be gone everyday and I can't just go and get her or keep her home because I want some more time with her. I am so proud of her. I hope she knows that. I know she's going to learn so much this year. I know that we will too!
(Make sure you listen to the new song I added to the playlist - it should be playing as you are reading this but just incase you have your volume turned off. It's called "Anna".)