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".)

You're going to be hearing a lot of this...

...you already have...i know, i'm sorry! and you'll probably be seeing a lot of comparison pictures but I just cannot wrap my brain around the size of my baby! This picture of Luke was taken today and the one of Jaden was taken at his 1st birthday party last year. It's the exact same outfit!!! and it's not even a little big on Luke :(

Little fat babies and their toes

These are pictures of Luke and Jaden both at 5 months. I wish they looked a little less scared/surprised/???. It still surprises me just how different they look from each other. I think it's good that they each (well, all) have their own unique qualities. The one thing I've noticed that all of my kids have are crazy long eyelashes. I'll have to get some pics of that. No ones are as think as Anna's but they are all as long. Wonder what happened to mine... Oh, well there will always be Maybelline!

Mommy is my first love

This onesie was Jaden's. I think he was about 8 or 9 months when we bought it but we all know my Luke is a big guy. I used to think it was funny that when I would wear this on Jaden because my friend Dana always said "Mommy may be his first love but Dana is his first crush!" He always had a shy smile and googly eyes for Dana. I think he liked blondes! I think Luke might have the same crush on Dana. When we stopped to visit her and her family in S. Carolina Luke looked at her and smiled at her just like Jaden! These boys are no dummies! They definitely know a pretty girl when they see it :).

I love this picture just because he spit up and it landed right on his little fat ankle!

My baby turned 5 months old this week

I've been working on this but haven't been able to find enough time to sit down and put it all together. Luke turned 5 months old on Monday (8-11-08). In the week plus one day that we had been home from vacation before he turned 5 months he had several "firsts".

• He can roll over both ways!

On this day he was sooo mad because he wanted to get up but he had still had to roll!

• He got a tooth! He's already bit me several times. I hope that I can stop him from doing this or his nursing days are numbered.



• He started eating cereal and a little banana.



• He can sit up! (I just realized this the day he turned 5 months).

We went to the doctor on Wednesday for his checkup. The doctor didn't seem as alarmed by his size as I thought he would be - but he's a really laid back guy. He was pleased that Luke was doing well and gave him a big stamp of "healthy".

Here are his stats:

28 inches long - 96th percentile

• 21 pounds 9 ounces! Greater than 97th percentile



• wearing size 4 or 5 diapers! Just for a point of reference: he was wearing size 2 when we left Texas. By the end of July he was in 4's.



• wearing size 12 months but quickly inching out of those. I am pulling out clothes that Jaden wore only last summer for Luke already!


• Still super cute!!!

Jaden and Anna also got to see the doctor for their 2 year and 5 year well-child check-ups. They both got good reports as well. Little Jaden had to get a shot along with Lukey (who got 3!). I wish that I had taken a pictures of him showing us his "ouchie". He showed anyone who would look his little Wylie E. Coyote band-aid and told them "ouch" - all day!

Jaden was 36 inches tall and 32 pounds.

Anna was 48 inches tall and 54 pounds.

Toe fetish? hmmmm...you decide

Texas birthday

What is a Texas birthday you may ask? Anna did. She thought it was a birthday for everybody! Actually, it was just an opportunity for us to celebrate Jaden's 2nd birthday with Chris and our friends and family in Texas since we were away when he turned 2. And we got to have birthday cake and ice cream!!!

This is probably my favorite birthday cake so far. It's hard to tell from the picture but it was a really cool looking cake. It didn't taste too bad either!

Aww..the birthday boy
Can you tell that he's excited to blow out the candle?
Hold on, not yet...
Okay, go! It took him like 13 tries to actually blow out the candle. You'd have thought he was celebrating number 92 instead of 2!
This is his Texas birthday gift. I had something else in mind entirely but it wasn't available - maybe Santa can get his hands on it. Anyway, this went with the Spiderman theme.

He was sooo tired. He didn't nap at all. (He didn't actually fall asleep until 11 p.m. this night!) He was getting a little delirious at this point but was so excited to ride it. When I took this picture he had actually just run into the garage. He was totally focused on the little red button he had to push and wasn't paying a lick of attention to where he was going. I think he thinks it has an "autopilot" like the car on The Incredibles.