Soccer update

Well, I am happy to report that this week Anna did SO much better than last week. I wish that I had brought my camera with me! She played hard. She ran so fast up and down the field. It was so cute to see the determination on her face. She even had her tongue hanging out! She didn't really make it to the ball but she came close. In her defense, she's got some really fast and more aggressive kids on her team (they are doing so well!). Her Daddy let her do the kick off once so she did get to kick the ball during an actual game.

Of course, she had to goof off too. Once during her break she told me she was going to go down to the end of the field to visit with her friend Faith. When Chris called her to come back in the game she was no where to be found. Our hearts actually stopped for a minute. Faith was missing too. Then, we all looked down at the opposite end of the field and found them both playing around a tree! We are going to have to have a talk about that.

Next, it was time for a kick off and the other team's Coach asked Chris if his players were ready. Chris said, "Yeah". Then the Coach said, "Are you sure about that?" Chris turned around to find Anna and another player lying on the field picking grass. Oh well, at least they are having fun.

Go Tornados!

Dancing fools...

Anna, Jaden, Nicole, and Alex busting a move.

Jaden walking

Jaden actually took his first steps in July. Even though he was born 2 months early (and should have been only 10 months old) Jaden started walking around the same time as his sister who was born full term! This video clip is from August. I just figured out how to transfer the video to a file I could put on my blog. (FYI: when all else fails call a good friend who's smarter than you to remind you to check the instruction manual that came with the camera. There may be a CD that you were supposed to install that does this. Thanks, Dana!). Still, I wanted to share this special milestone with all of our friends and family back east. I know Grandma has been anxious to see this!

Enjoying a Sunday afternoon

Today was just a relaxing day. The weather is finally bearable. We are getting to enjoy being outside again and are taking advantage of our backyard. The kids had fun splashing around in the kiddie pool and being squirted with the hose by Daddy. Once everyone got dried off and dressed, Daddy got Jaden dressed in attire appropriate to watch the football games with him - his Texans football jersey (sorry Steelers fans!). Later, we finished the day by getting ice cream and visiting the duck pond. The kids had fun throwing bread to the ducks. I have a feeling we'll be visiting them a lot. They will probably be very fat ducks and geese before too long!

You may be wondering about the "5 Tyree's"

Since there are only four. It seems that I've forgotten to tell many people that we are going to have another baby. In the midst of trying to get settled in our new place God decided to bless us with another little one. I had "morning" sickness for a number of weeks. It was a struggle just to get the kids cleaned up and fed. I couldn't even think about sharing our good news yet. We were surprised to say the least. Caught very off guard actually.
I was about 6 weeks pregnant before I even started to wonder if it might be a possibility. Before Jaden my cycles were very irregular and it wasn't unusual for them to be any where from 5-7 weeks apart. I took 4 different pregnancy tests over several days before I called the doctor. I just couldn't believe it! We had some difficulty getting pregnant with Jaden. After many months of trying without success I ended up needing the assistance of medication. The doctor told me that if I wanted any more children I would just need to take the medication again. I guess even doctors can be wrong sometimes.
Also, because of the complications I experienced with Jaden and his premature birth we had talked about waiting for a few years to decide whether or not we wanted to have another child. He gave us a really good scare! But, God had other plans for us. He seems to know best. Every time that I try to plan something I learn that it's not really up to me after all. Anna was a complete surprise, we thought Jaden would come right away and he didn't, and we didn't think I would be able to get pregnant on my own this time and here we are!
I am 13 weeks pregnant now and feeling much, much better. We are expecting the baby sometime in March. We'll take any and all prayers you have to offer that this pregnancy goes smoothly and we don't have any more early arrivals! We will gladly wait the entire 40 weeks to meet baby Tyree #3. Oh, and any tips for managing a family with two little ones are always welcome. :)

Anna's (and Daddy's) First Soccer Game

I guess today was just not a good day for soccer. It wasn't the weather. It was a beautiful sunny day with a bit of cloudiness and a breeze to make it comfortable. It wasn't the uniforms. All of the kids looked so cute in their red soccer shirts, new shoes, and shin guards. It wasn't hunger or thirst. Snacks were ready, plenty of water was close at hand. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

This year we decided to sign Anna up for soccer. The teams filled up quickly and she was placed on a waiting list. When Chris spoke to the organizers they told him she could be put on a team if enough children signed up but they often had a hard time finding someone to coach. Chris bravely told them that if there were enough children he would be the coach (even though he had never played soccer!). It wasn't long after that that Chris received his roster. He is the coach of the "Tornados" and has 5 children on his team. They had their first practice this past Thursday. Three children showed up but they all seemed to have a good time. We were all excited about the first game. Anna's excitement apparently wore off fast. To start off, she didn't want to eat any breakfast. I managed to talk her into a banana (and then, 2) before she left. Then it was time to get dressed. Even though she had seen the uniforms and got to pick out her own number (she's number 4) she wasn't too happy about her appearance. She pouted and said "I don't look cute". She wanted to wear her purple dress. We had a little talk about why she couldn't wear the purple dress and everything seemed to be okay. Well, at least until we walked into the bathroom to fix her hair. She was not happy to learn that she could not wear her rainbow barrette in her hair for the game. Hair clips and barrettes are not allowed. It's just the rules. The final blow came when she was not able to ride to the game in Mommy's car because Jaden was sleeping and I had to come a little later. Apparently, there were tears the entire car ride. When Jaden and I got to the game I was surprised to see our friend, Laura, out on the field. I thought "oh, how nice of Laura to help Chris out". Laura is a former soccer player and coaches a team herself. When I got closer I saw that Laura was actually trying to get Anna to play. She held her hand and ran all around the field with her but Anna would not even kick the ball. When Laura had to leave it was all over. She quickly assumed my seat with her brother and sat watching the other kids under a beach umbrella while eating grapes. She reluctantly got in the game one more time but cried the whole time! Maybe next week will be better...

On the road again

The Tyree family has relocated once again this past June. Hopefully, for the last time in a while. Early in the year the company Chris was working for announced that they were selling their plastics division. They had sold the silicones division several months before. With all of the changes that were taking place and the uncertainty of the future we decided to consider other options for employment. Chris was offered a job with Dow Chemical in Texas. We were nervous about moving so far way and were sad about leaving all of our friends and family, AGAIN! But, this seemed like a great opportunity. They have a very big chemical plant here with the possibilty of changing jobs or being promoted without having to move (very appealing for us). Also, Chris's sister and her family live about 1 hour and 15 minutes from us. They may even be moving a little closer in the near future. It's nice to get to see our neice and nephews. We are able to drive up for cookouts or football games. We are really enjoying that and Anna and Jaden are having lots of fun with them too. Jaden has really taken to his cousin Alex and their dog Max. He can't stop giving either of them kisses! It's very sweet.

For any of you who are planning vacations for next year we want you to know we've got room for company and live just 10 minutes or so from several beaches. We are also about 45 minutes from Galvaston (great beaches, yummy restaurants, and lots to do for families). It's a great place to visit!!! We'd love to see you.

The little guy turned "The Big One"

What a wonderful day this was! One year ago I was so worried about my new baby. It didn't seem real that I was even having a baby now. It wasn't supposed to be happening this way. I couldn't believe that I was looking at this precious little life born 8 weeks too early. He was so fragile and delicate. He wasn't able to breathe on his own, he had to be fed through a tube, he couldn't maintain his own body temperature. He simply could not have survived without the special care of the doctors and nurses in the intensive care nursery. Our lives were spent living moment to moment at first, then day to day. As he started making progress we were able to look forward a few weeks to when he might be able to come home with us but we certainly couldn't think about life a year from now.

He is the most incredible little boy. No one would ever be able to tell that he was premature. He is as big now as children several months other than him. He reached all of this developmental milestones around the same time as his sister who was born at full term. He is so active and physical -the opposite of his sister. Anna was content to sit and play. She was cautious and shy with new people and new situations. Jaden takes life by the horns! He never stops moving! He doesn't know a stranger. We've actually had to install childproof locks (that he's managed to open still) and gates. Things we didn't really need with Anna. I find myself often saying "you're so bad". But, I mean that in a good way. I love it! I am quite thrilled that he is so ornery because it lets me know he is a completely normal little boy. We are beyond thankful. Words just cannot describe our feelings.