UPDATE

Wow! Has it seriously been 4 months since I last journaled? This summer was so crazy and it seemed to just sort of carry on into the fall. I really felt like we were only home a few days out of the whole summer. I know that's not true, but it just left like we were gone a LOT. Of course doing fun things, so no complaints.
First we headed to West Palm Beach with Jimmy's family. It was a bittersweet change from Marco Island. It was nice to experience the waves and sand of the east coast, but I think we all were missing our familiar Marco. We had a great time, though and the kids did SO good.

From there we headed straight to Anna Maria Island to spend a week with the Gordon family. I always look so much forward to spending time with my family (ALL packed into ONE house). Let's just say we have lots of memories. Ha. It is also so neat to see J.D. and Mady with their cousins. We get to see them a lot, but it's a totally different thing living with them for a week. We had such a good time and made memories we'll never forget.

Lastly, we decided to do one last trip to Orlando to take the kids to Disney. They had never been, and we actually vowed to not take them until they were bigger. However, someone gave us some tickets, so of course off we went. And I'm SO glad we did. I wasn't sure how they were going to do, but they did amazing. They were a little overwhelmed at first, not sure what to think of everything and probably not sure why Jimmy & I were so excited?! But after awhile, they warmed up and then it was no stopping them. We had planned to go half a day, take naps and then come back, but they were having such a good time, and attitudes were good, so we pressed on. They did fall asleep in the stroller, which gave them energy to last through the night parade (at 12:00). It was a great day and it exceeded ALL of our expectations. J.D. keeps asking when we are going to take him to drive the cars again, and Mady keeps telling us that she "misses the princesses". All in all, a GREAT summer!!

Since then, it has just been busy, busy, busy. J.D. went back to preschool. It's a long story, but after some last minute decision making on our part, we decided to hold him back because of his summer birthday. Being a few months ahead, we definitely think it was the right decision. He is doing so good and can tell he is more confident. He is such a good boy and is so sweet with Mady. He really is a great big brother and she's a lucky girl to have him.

Mady is still crazy Mady. I started her in a mommy & me gymnastics class. There's not much instruction, but she loves to just run around and jump on the trampoline. At the second class, she told me to go sit down, "I do by self!!" Guess she didn't realize it was a MOMMY & ME class?? The coaches have commented on how coordinated she is and that she's ready for a "real" class. We also just celebrated her birthday. I can NOT believe she is 3! Although, we say that it feels like she should be older than three...it's been a long 3yrs! Ha. Just kidding, it's been a wonderful ride. She keeps us laughing and keeps us on our toes. We had a strawberry shortcake birthday party (which was the 3rd theme she had picked in 2wks) and she is already talking about what she wants next year. Ha.

We have also been trying to sell our house the last two months. No offers yet, but we'll just keep trying. Well, I'm sure I'm missing some amazing story, but I'm getting tired of typing. Hopefully I'll be a little better about updating??

CRAZY MADY STORY

I have told this story to several people, but I must write it down so that I don't forget it 20yrs from now.
So, it was a rare outing where I only had Mady with me. It was a Saturday and Jimmy took J.D. golfing. We had just gotten Mady her big-girl bed and I needed sheets to put on it. So off to the store we go. She also was needing some more panties (because she likes to change them several times a day and I can't keep up with the laundry), so we first went to the kids section and I let her pick out which ones she wanted. Of course she picked the Elmo ones - her fave. Next we headed over to the sheet aisle, where there happened to be a futon at the end of the aisle. So I'm busy looking at the sheets and she is sitting nicely (or so I thought) on the futon. I can see her out of the corner of my eye, but I'm not really paying attention to what she is doing (which I should know by now is NEVER a good idea). A few minutes go by and I hear, "TaDa!!" I turn around and she has her arms out striking a pose like she is so proud of herself. She is completely naked all but a pair of her new Elmo undies...she apparently sat on that futon, proceeded to take off every bit of her clothes, open the package of panties and put them on. Meanwhile, who knows how many people walked by and saw this happening and didn't say anything?? "They" will tell me 20 times in one day that she should sit down in the shopping cart (I'm tempted to hand her over to the next person that says that and challenge them to deal with her) , but she's totally naked and no one says a word. Now of course I have another problem, because I know she is not going to want to take these off, so naturally a tantrum ensues when I try to take them off and put her clothes back on. Finally she agreed after I told her we would not be purchasing the new Elmo undies if she did not take them off.
Whew!! She is such a crazy kid, and sometimes I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry. She sure keeps life entertaining and I know one day when she's older I will long for these days again. (or will I????) ha.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY J.D.

Today my little baby boy turned FIVE!!! I can't believe it, where did five years go??? In ways it seems like just yesterday we brought him home from the hospital, yet in some ways we can't even remember life before him.
I'm going to try not to cry as I'm writing this, but he really is just the best boy in the entire world. When the ultrasound tech said "it's a boy", I never imagined what a great little man we would have and how much I would love him. He was such a good baby and is growing into a boy that I am so very proud of. He brings such joy to my heart and makes me smile each and every day. Here are some facts about J.D.'s life right now:
*he is finishing up preschool which has been so great for him.
*he is still so tenderhearted and so sweet
*he is the best big brother to Mady. He is so gentle and sweet with her and she looks up to him so much and wants to do everything that he does.
*his favorite food right now is "chinese soup", aka wonton soup
*he loves anything having to do with trains, trucks or boats.
*the highlight of his week is when the "bug man" comes at night to spray for mosquitoes
*he loves to hear the story about when he was born - he asks for it about 4x/week.
*he has the best smile; it lights up his whole face and is just beautiful.
*of course I think he is the most handsome boy I've ever seen :)

Well, I'm sure there's tons more, but that's just a few things.
I am so fortunate to be his mom and I thank the Lord every day for choosing him for me. He really is such a precious boy and I know that the Lord has great things in store for him. I love him more than he will ever know and so proud of who he is, what's in his heart and who he is becoming.

I love you J.D. more than anything,
Mommy

POTTY TRAINING...DONE!!

I would rather gouge something in my eye than potty train (and since I've actually done that, that's saying alot). OK, not really, but I have been dreading this so very much. J.D. actually did fine with it, but it just takes so much patience and right now it takes ALL of my patience just to handle Mady on a day-to-day basis...my patience is tapped out. However, as usual with Mady, she decided it was time and there was no turning back. I don't know why I expected anything else, since she is "miss independent", but still I was shocked.
So one night she went on the potty before bath time (which I was not impressed with since a lot of kids do it then), however, she also wanted to go the next morning, and DID!! So, I buckled myself in and went on the crazy ride. Actually, it wasn't too crazy. She did amazing. It was just a few days/week maybe of accidents and going in the pull-up, but then it just happened and she hasn't looked back. She has done such a great job and has even gone so far as to train herself to not go at night either. She has not gone in her diaper at night not even once. She either calls me to go or she just gets up and goes by herself. Again, miss independent wants NO help at all. "No help, ME DO IT!!" (of course I still assist with #2). The sad part is I really can't take much credit for it...she decided she was ready and that was that!! Lord help me when she decides she wants a tattoo!! ha!!

"ALL ABOUT MY MOM"

J.D. came home from preschool yesterday with a gift for me for Mother's Day. It was a picture of him that they had taken and a letter titled, "All about my mom". Apparently the teacher asked him a few questions about his mom and she recorded his answers. They are hysterical and I just had to record them in case I lose this paper some where down the road. Here it goes:

1. My mom is: 15 yrs old
2. My mom's favorite food is: Broccoli, chicken, rice, soup, salad, macaroni
3. My mom's favorite color is: Green (that's really HIS favorite color)
4. My mom's job is to: Works with babies and listens to their hearts at the hospital (I was actually pretty impressed by that answer)
5. My mom likes to : ride her bike, go to Busch Gardens (this was funny because I only got a
bike a week ago and haven't ridden it yet)
6. My mom makes me feel special when: she plays outside with me and rides the Shamu roller coaster.

Anyway, it was just cute to see what he really thinks about things and I thought it was so precious.

MY FIRST OUTFIT

For my birthday Jimmy got me a sewing machine. I've been wanting one for awhile, so I was so thrilled when I got one. However, I do not know the first thing about sewing. I did make a dress when I was sixteen, but my mom did everything, I just basically pressed the pedal. ha. So, I got out the manual and started reading. It was really intimidating, but I kept pressing on and finally was able to at least thread the thing (which is the hardest part). I figured out enough to make Mady's halloween costume, but that was so easy it didn't really count as sewing. So, I found a skirt tutorial online and dove in. I picked something really easy to start with and I used fabric from the dollar bin at Walmart in case I screwed it up. However, I was pretty impressed with myself at how it came out. Now, if you look closely you will see plenty of mistakes and flaws, but just to look at it on her, it looks cute. I'm pretty proud of myself that I figured it out on my own and I can't wait to try other things. Here is my first EVER outfit:

FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL

Oh, where to begin with this story...I'll try to give the short version. So, last summer we were unsure of what we wanted to do regarding preschool for J.D. I actually enrolled him at one, but as the day drew closer, I just could not get peace about sending him. He had absolutely NO interest in going (in fact cried and hid behind my leg during the tour of the school), and to say I was not thrilled about the idea is an understatement. My theory was that he is going to have to be in school for the next 12yrs of his life and I just wasn't ready to give up my time with him for "voluntary" preschool. Of course I know there are wonderful benefits of it, I just didn't feel it was right for us.

Fast forward to October, and we started noticing that J.D. was becoming more and more shy and introverted. Now he's always been shy, so that wasn't new, but it was becoming almost paralyzing. Jimmy and I knew this was much more than being shy and were worried how it might affect him if we let it continue. So after MUCH talking, praying (and crying on my part), I agreed that preschool might be a good choice for him after all. We went to look at his school, and I immediately fell in love and had total peace about it. They were so nice and SO flexible with the hours and I just felt like it was the perfect fit. And five days later...he had his first day!!

First day comes and I am expecting total meltdown. Oh how I was surprised...he couldn't WAIT and was genuinely excited. He looked so handsome all dressed up with his Lightning McQueen lunchbox in hand. Meemaw came over and stayed with Mady so I could take him by myself. All the way there we talked about how much fun he was going to have and how proud I was of him for being such a big boy. I parked the car, got him out of his seat and we prayed together and asked God to give him a wonderful day and to help him be so brave and make lots of new friends. He held my hand so tight as we walked up to the class, but still excited and with a smile on his face. Upon entering the classroom, he was welcomed by a big sign that said "Welcome J.D.!" That was so sweet and just touched my heart that they did that for him. I led him to his seat, gave him a big hug and kiss, and turned around to leave. At this point, I'm fighting back tears so hard it hurts. As I turned around for one last goodbye before I leave, I witnessed something that I will remember for the rest of my life. He waved goodbye, smiled and was simultaneously picking up a crayon and starting to color. The look on his face is ingrained in my mind and I will treasure it always. Now, I realize picking up a crayon is not rocket science, but for him that was HUGE - totally out of character. He will usually take a long period of time to "warm up" and scope everything out before engaging in any sort of activity. And for me, that was all I needed to let me know that he was going to be alright and this was a good decision (however, doesn't mean I didn't ball like a baby all the way home).

That day seemed like an eternity...I must've checked the clock 20 times and even arrived at the school 30minutes early because I just couldn't wait any longer. When he got in the car, he was so excited and said he had such a great time. He also said, "Mom, thanks for taking me to school, it was so much fun". Sniff.

We did have just a few tears on the second day, but after promising him a Slurpee after school if he didn't cry, that hasn't happened since. He absolutely loves school and is excited when the day comes. We've also seen a huge difference socially. Again, he's still our normal J.D., but he seems much more open to talking to people, open to trying things on his own, and we haven't had any more of the "episodes".

So all in all, I'm so sad that I don't have my little buddy with me two days a week and I miss him like crazy, but I know in my heart it was the right decision and I know we did the right thing. He is so precious and I want nothing more than to do what's best for him.

J.D. - I'm so very proud of you, more than words can say. You are my precious boy and it breaks my heart to let you go even just for a little bit. I love you so very much.

OK, I better stop before I send myself into a depression...Lord help me when he goes off to college!! :)