Galveston Island

Our trip to the beach started a little bumpy! Bailey woke up Sunday morning with her eye swollen shut! Yes, pink eye. After getting some medicine and quickly starting her on the drops we packed up the van and headed out. The trip was really quick and not too many times did I hear "How much longer?" "Are we there almost?" On Monday morning we actually got to sleep in a little bit. Jack and Connor were in our giant room (Jack was actually on a blow up bed in our huge closet) and both of them slept past 7:30, in fact Jack slept later than he has in months. Bailey was sharing a room with bunk beds and she and Emma were up rather early and ready to hit the beach! Jack and Bailey love the beach and we were anxious to see how Connor would react this year. Last year he only slept on the beach!
When we crossed the boardwalk and Connor saw the ocean he ran! I had to drop everything I was carrying and chase him down. He really liked the beach, but not the waves. As soon as one knocked him down and he came up sputtering he decided to play in the sand with Brooke. We were really excited when he ventured back out into the ocean many more times so we know he is going to love the water as much as the other two.

Bailey still feels safer with floaties on! She is doing so much better and has even taken swim lessons again this summer and put her face under water!

Jack is like a little fish in the water. He loves to ride the waves. He is also in swim lessons this summer and we actually put in another session to fine tune his stroke. He wants to be on the swim team and we might let him next summer.

I was so sad I didn't get any pictures of all three of them together on the beach. They all had on matching red, white and blue swimsuits.

All in all the beach was a BIG hit this vacation.

Stay tuned for more...

Where Have We Been???

The last month or so has been so crazy that blogging had become a thing of the past. I have a ton to catch up on so I'll take it slowly. I have to start with my kids Lemonade Stand! What a blast they had selling lemonade. I think I made them 5 pitchers during the 2 1/2 hours they sold. We picked a Saturday where our neighbors had a garage sale so it was busy. Our neighbor Hannah came over to help too.
The sale came up when Jack and Bailey were counting there allowance to see how much money they each had to take on vacation with us. Jack knew we were going to visit NASA on our trip so he wanted to take plenty of money to spend.
At the end of the sale they made a total of $27.50! That was a lot of 50 cent lemonade cups!

A Birthday Celebration... Finally!

We finally celebrated Connor's First Birthday. He was 13 months old this week, but more importantly, he has been fever free for a week now! Connor loves lions so I had planned a big circus bash for his party. When we cancelled it I put all the party supplies away. Mimi decided we had to have a dinner for Connor so he could open all his presents and have cake. I pulled the cake pan back out and made his lion cake yesterday afternoon. It turned out really cute. More than how it looked is how it tasted. Connor loved his cake. He had it all over his face and hands but not anywhere else. Is he going to be my neat kid???

At 13 months Connor now has 8 teeth. He is saying new words everyday. He has a wicked sense of humor! Loves to play tug o' war with Lulu. Cries if he doesn't get to go outside with us. Likes to flirt with little old ladies in the grocery store. Goes to the pantry or fridge and hits it and says more, more for food or milk. Still goes to sleep in his bed at the drop of a hat! I love that one.

My prayer for more than a month now has been to heal my baby, and now my prayers are for thanksgiving for a healthly, happy little boy.

Proud Mommy

I really could use something to cheer me up and leave it to my firstborn to do the job!
After one soccer game and three baseball games we decided to go to Sams and do our shopping and eat lunch all at once. We really like Sam's hot dogs! We were eating and the older two were fighting, which seems to happen a lot lately, and Jack jumps up and runs over to a man who was obviously struggling, and he offers to throw his trash away! This older gentleman was using a cane and having a lot of trouble walking and also carrying his trash. The man lite up and said to me, "You have a boy with real good manners!" Something not many people know about Jack is that he has a special way with older people. He loves to talk to them and he really listens and asks them lots of questions. Needless to say I was one proud mommy today!

Bye, Bye April

Well around our house we were glad to see April go. The month of April was a really rough one around here. We still haven't gotten to celebrate my sweet one year olds birthday or my wonderful husbands birthday, but we will as soon as we can.

Now, it seems like May is starting out a little rocky also!

Connor went 3 weeks without catching anything and just when I was beginning to feel safe...

Yes, he is sick and we went to the Doctor yesterday and he is worried about how far his blood counts dropped in just a few days. I can honestly say I have this constant horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. My adorable Connor has been such a trooper through it all. Fever, shots, blood drawn constantly, people poking on him, temperature taken regularly...

So now we are waiting again. If we still have fever tomorrow we go back in for more tests. The Doctor talked to me yesterday about some Syndrome that he is thinking Connor could have and we will research it further if he doesn't get better soon.

On a happier note, both the older two have started baseball now. Both teams are really good and have won all games played so far. Jack loves it and Bailey tolerates it. She just doesn't get as excited as Jack about baseball. She does love soccer this season and is really much better. She actually scored 3 goals so far this season!

Jack finished Soccer last weekend. We were sorry for that season to end. He had a wonderful coach and learned a lot this season. He really is gifted at soccer and watching him play is exciting. He scored 4 goals in the last game of the season and seeing him running the length of the field with his hands up after a score was priceless.

Greg is just working and working and working...

His partner passed away this last month and his work load doubled. He is coping with the loss the best he can. Darryl was from Australia and he and his wife were all he had here. Greg has been trying to help out where he can. He spoke at the funeral and is helping his wife deal with some cleaning out and paperwork. The bank is suppose to get a new person over next week we are hoping. That will help Greg out a lot.

Bailey and I are finishing up Sunshine School this next week. I am really ready for it to be over. I feel like I need to concentrate on Connor for a while.

Jack is finishing up a wonderful 1st grade year. I can't believe I'll have one in 2nd and one in Kindergarten.

As we head into May around our house we are hoping for a much smoother, calmer, healthier month.

Blessed Assurance

The month of April has been filled with so many things.
Sorrow, joy, fear, anticipation, and many memories.
With all the turmoil this month I have not had the time to blog about my Grandfather.
After many years of failing health and depression his body finally gave out and he is home with God. At his memorial I learned some really fascinating facts that I didn't know about him.
I knew his name was J.W. and that it really only stood for J.W. I knew he was a rancher and a fireman for Dallas. What I didn't know was that he grew up on a pear orchard. People came from Dallas to his farm in Kleberg to buy pears by the bushel. For some odd reason I find that life interesting and I would love to know more. My mom actually remembers it because when she was small they still lived there.
Here are just a few more interesting facts:
*He worked at the first movie theater in Mesquite as a projectionist.
*He ran a Curtis Candy route.
*He was a Dallas Fireman for 28 years.
*He was the mayor of Oak Grove.
*He was married to my Memaw for 62 years!
*He had two children.
*He had 6 grandchildren.
*He had 7 great-grandchildren.
The funeral service was full of fond memories from friends and family. We decided to take Jack and Bailey mainly because they both asked to go and say goodbye to Papa. After the funeral began I was so proud of my two kids. Both sat and listened to the Chaplain talk about Papa. Everything was smooth until they opened the coffin for everyone to pay respects. Bailey started crying and couldn't stop. As she sobbed on me she said, "Mommy, Papa's boo-boos are all better now aren't they?" Out of the mouths of babes. "Yes, Bailey, Papa is with God now so his boo-boos are all better." Jack leans over and says,"That is not Papa anymore Bailey, his old body is still here but he is up in heaven."
On the way to the burial the kids got to ride in the limo with Granny, Mimi and Papa and they loved it. The burial was a true Fireman's funeral. We had bagpipes lead us in and after the tradition was explained a bell was rung to call Papa home to God. It was truly moving.
I could go on and on with my childhood memories of Papa. The farm, bringing me donuts after his shift at the Firehouse, riding horses and motorbikes, fishing in the ponds, riding in his truck early in the morning to check on the cattle, snakes!, Mr. Tom and Miss Kitty, sheep, picking vegetables in the garden, Corky, Duke, King, eating only shrimp no chicken, and on and on.
Grandpa truly blessed my life in so many ways. I will miss you and all your knowledge on just about any subject. As the song Blessed Assurance was sung at the service I felt a sadness and a joy at the same time because I knew I would miss him but I also knew he was now in a much better place.

McDreamy to McNightmare

What began as a "normal" hectic day in our house ended as nothing near normal!
Early Thursday morning Greg and I rushed to get all of us ready for a busy Thursday. Kids fed breakfast, lunches made, dressed, etc... Greg had to leave really early for a meeting so I was taking Jack to school then on to Pre-school for Bailey, Connor and myself. During breakfast was the first sign something was wrong. Connor would not eat, he was really fussy and wouldn't even drink his milk. The fact that he was fussy in the morning was a sure sign of trouble. He is the happiest kid in the morning and can't wait to play and eat. When I took a closer look at him his lips were blue. Not just slightly but very blue. So I became concerned and when I was dressing him I felt like his hands and feet were also rather cold. By then I felt like a call to Papa was in order. He told me I should call the Doctor. So, I rushed Jack to school and called Greg a little panicked and he called the after hours number for our Doctor. The nurse called me back by the time I got home and after I described symptoms and answered many questions she told me to go to the ER immediately. In mommy auto-pilot I grabbed Connor and Bailey and left. Called Greg and Mom and Kristen at school on my way and walked into the really nice Children's ER at Medical City. They got me back to the the triage area quickly and asked more questions and took his vitals and now he wasn't cold he was running 103.9 fever! They immediately decided to admit him to the ER for test and observation. I was still at this point thinking it was nothing and I was being silly, but little did I know...
Greg came while we were in the first ER room and so did Mom to take Bailey home. I am so grateful that Mom came and got Bailey, she did not need to see what happened next. While the first Dr. was evaluating him another nurse ran in and said they needed us out of the room immediately. As we left she told us that room was the Psych room and they had a loud patient waiting with the police to get in the room. Great!
So they finally moved us to the Children's ER room and a new nurse and new Doctor.
Then began the tests and IV and fluids and more tests. The IV and urine sample via catheter were the worst to watch. He really didn't put up much of a fight because he was so sick. He had Motrin and then Tylenol both at the hospital and the fever wasn't coming down. After several hours of waiting the Doctor came back with the first results. He said the chest x-rays and electrolytes were good but the blood work was really low and he thought it had to be lab error so he wanted to rerun them. A nurse came back in and took more blood from my baby. I don't know how he had any blood left they took so much. Then we sat for 2 more hours holding a very hot and sleepy baby.
What happened next is still fuzzy in my mind. The Doctor walked back in and looked really somber and started with, "Well, it wasn't an error the lab work was correct." What he followed that with was truly my biggest nightmare. "With the white blood cells being so low they are almost non-existent, we are looking at a form of Leukemia." After he said the "L" word I shut down. I vaguely remember him saying a specialist would be looking at the blood and we would be checked into the hospital immediately and blah, blah, blah...
The next 25 minutes or so we spent in shock and trying to figure out what to do next and praying constantly. I sat and rocked Connor and just kept saying NO, NO, NO over and over. Greg called both of our parents and told them what we had been told. He called Kristen at Pre-school and told her that the labs were not good but we would know more later. He didn't want to panic anyone until we knew what we were dealing with. I remember the nurse came in and asked me if I was ok and if I needed anything. She was so kind and concerned for Connor. I think and hope after the initial shock I would have been calmer and thinking more clearly but I don't know that for sure. I only knew my sweet baby, whom I prayed every night for a year for, was really sick. God heard all the prayers sent up on Connor's behalf and quickly ended our terror. Dr. McDreamy, as I was calling him before the "L" word, came back in and said,"Good News!" That was all I needed to hear. He told us that the Hematologist/Oncologist had looked at the blood and saw no abnormalities. He thought all the low blood counts was a sign that a 12 month old was just having a lot of trouble fighting off a bad virus. I had since renamed McDreamy as Dr. McNightmare, he apologized for the scare but at that point I was just so happy I didn't care. He said the specialist would be looking at all the lab work still to be done and would help us rule out Leukemia for sure. While we waited for a room they began to run more tests. More blood work, an RSV test, IV anti-biotics and who knows what else. Terry came in about now and kept us company and then Rebecca came with lunch for me and held Connor for me. Greg ran home to pick up Jack and get baseball stuff together for both older kids. He dropped Jack off at the Tamplins and took Bailey her clothes at Mom's and picked up clothes for me because he knew I wouldn't leave the hospital until Connor did. Most importantly he grabbed Connor's Elmo for him to hold onto.
By the time they got us to our room Matt came by to check on Connor and then Aunt Stephanie came to keep my mind off the bad stuff. Connor adores Rebecca and Stephanie so I was so grateful they were there to visit and talk to. They got him settled in and the room was really nice. Both Connor and mommy had beds to sleep in although Connor slept with mommy most of the time. Papa and Aunt Tamara came by to check on Connor too. He really just slept on someone all evening. He didn't eat but I could get him to drink something. The nurses worked hard most of the night to get his fever down. I think around midnight it finally broke and I actually put him down in his own baby bed and he slept until they took his vitals around 5:30. He had this awful monitor hooked up to his big toe and from 2:30 on the alarm on it went off every 15 to 20 minutes so I didn't sleep but he managed to sleep through it.
The next morning they came into redo his CBC around 6 and I could even tell they didn't get enough blood to run a test, but...
needless to say, they came back finally around 10:30 to get more blood.
Also, they lost his RSV test from the day before so they redid it too.
He felt so much better Friday with the fever gone that we got to take him into the really nice playroom to pass the time. We met other families there who were not as lucky as us and it really broke my heart to see what some of these families were going through.
Finally, around 2 the specialist came by to visit and explained all the labs to us. He told us that the counts had gone up from a 1 to a 4 and normal was 8. So, he had a ways to go but was on the right track. I asked him if Leukemia was definitely off the table and he said as for as he was concerned we didn't need to worry about that one. YEA!!! He also told us that we might never know for sure what set this in motion and that he thought it might last 5-7 more days with the fever coming back but he thought the white blood count going up meant he was beginning to fight it better.
So, now we are home and Connor is confined to home away from kids with germs. I am not sure how that works since his brother and sister have plenty of germs. If his fever stays away and his blood count continues to go up we can join the world again later in the week.
How can I ever thank everyone who prayed, consoled, called, emailed or visited us during this nightmare. I can't, but you all mean the world to Greg and I and especially to Connor.
If I didn't realize what wonderful family and friends we have during the ordeal with Greg I do so even more now.
Our family is praying that the rest of 2007 be an uneventful year!

The Birthday Boy!

A tradition in our house is to sneak in early in the morning and take a picture of the birthday kid before they wake up. Today was Connor Reid's first such picture. After I snapped the pic it was all down hill quickly. He looked up and started to cry this pitiful hoarse cry. A cry that continued most of the morning. As soon as I picked him up I knew we would be spending his birthday with our favorite Doctor! He didn't want to open his gifts. Even when he pulled out Elmo he still didn't want to even look at it. His favorite breakfast didn't do the trick either. Well, the rest of us really enjoyed Daddy's homemade French Toast. So, after taking his temp and finding it was a whopping 103 I called the Doctor. Our appointment wasn't until 11:30 so until then he just laid on me and slept or tossed and turned on me until we left. The Doctor quickly told me I had a really sad looking Birthday Boy and that he had an extremely bad ear infection. He put us on a fast working new antibiotic and after two doses he seems already back to himself.

Now for the good stuff!

Here is what makes Connor so special.

1. His wonderful hearty laugh.

2. His beautiful smile.

3. The way he loves to hug his mommy.

4. The way he runs to the front door when daddy comes home.

5. The way he looks all around the house for Jack and Bailey.

6. His cute teeth! Yes, he now has 4 teeth. That is one more than his brother and sister had at one.

7. Watching him dance and shake his head when he hears a song he likes.

8. How he tells Lulu No No and shakes his finger at her.
9.Watching him "play" Jack's gamecube with him.

10. Watching him enjoy his bath time. The whole room is soaked when he is done.

11. Our game-he turns the TV off and mommy turns it back on!

12. His new words- I I (bye, bye), wu wu (Lulu) , Hi, ank ou (thank you), love ou.

And finally I really love his big, wet, sloppy kisses!

Connor Reid,

We are so truly blessed to have you in our family. All four of us thank God for you. I can not believe that one year ago exactly I was finally looking down into your sweet face.

You have made it to one and now we look forward to watching you grow and have many more birthdays for us to celebrate.

The Yuck Week!

What has been going on in our house this week. If I could only put one picture it would be of me standing over Connor at the changing table! Since last week Connor has had some horrible bug with the yucks and a pretty nasty fever. We are going through 12-15 diapers a day! After 5 full days on the 6th day I called the Doctor back and they said come in. Now, we are having his "poop"( I use the term loosely because it is very loose!) tested for some parasite they think he may have. I sent in the sample but over last night he seems to feel somewhat better so hopefully whatever he does have is on the mend. In the meantime my big boy woke up at 4:13 Monday morning throwing up. He has missed two days of school now and I think is feeling a little better today. So, for about a week now I have been wearing my nurses hat!
Connor also got two more teeth in the last week! Now, my sweet baby who had no teeth at 10 1/2 months has 3 at 11 1/2 months. He now has exactly the same amount of teeth the other two had a one year old! My kids are the slowest teethers but all three walked before they had teeth!
I hope Connor is well by Friday, we are suppose to have his one year pictures taken with Stacy Collodi. I am so excited about this he loves Stacy and will do so well in pictures for her. I still can not believe he is almost one! This year has flown by. I guess I better get busy planning a fun first birthday party!

My Beautiful Princess!

Last Wednesday was finally Princess On Ice night. "We" have been looking so forward to going ever since Traci bought the tickets over a month ago. Bailey's poor teacher has had to hear all about Princesses for so long now. Her teacher only has two boys so Bailey is quite a trip for her!
Bailey, her cousin Kamdyn and her friend Kylie all rode the train with their mommies to the A A Center. The train ride was really fun and the girls totally enjoyed it. Kylie brought all three of them princess dolls to carry and play with. The train was actually full of beautiful Princesses all going to the ice show. After the expected stop to buy junk and food we headed to our wonderful seats. The show was actually even better than last years. The costumes were wonderful and the skating was super! I sat next to a man with two little girls who actually talked my ear off for the first half of the show. Bailey had a great time and kept hugging me and telling me I was the best mommy in the world! I will treasure that especially when she is 14 and hates her mommy!

Bailey has the sweetest smile and I love her kind, caring spirit. I was so glad to spend a fun night with my Beautiful Princess!

What a fun day we had at the Arboretum. We took a picnic lunch and ate on the lawn while we listened to music. They played the Sesame Street Theme song and all three kids were dancing. The flowers were beautiful. The tulips were in bloom along with all the other flowers. The kids loved everything but really enjoyed being butterflies!

After the flowers we drove around Swiss Avenue and looked at all the historic homes, then headed to Farmers Market downtown. The kids helped us pick out some fresh fruits and veggies for this week.

Everything we did this past week was great. Jack told me everyday that it was the best day of his life. It was fun for me too, but hearing thank you from my kids was the best!

Fabulous Friday

Early Friday morning we headed out to Krispy Kreme for Shamrock donuts! All three kids loved them. After breakfast we went to Kaufman to see my grandfather. Both Greg and I visited for a few minutes then we got back in the car to head to the Dallas Zoo. This camel was "posing" for the camara.

Connor's favorite is lions. Of course, he was sound asleep by the time we got to them!

I think the zoo is one of my favorite places to visit and my kids already feel the same way. They all three really enjoyed everything. Jack loved the chettahs the best. Bailey liked the elephants and giraffes. And Connor liked everything, especially the ice cream.

There is a new penguin exhibit that was probably my favorite. I have always liked penguins. You could watch them swimming and playing. What fun!

We had a great Spring Break! We really enjoyed everything we did but we were the happiest that daddy could join in the fun for Fabulous Friday!

Fun Times!

Wednesday our Spring Break officially started! We had fun times playing around the lagoon at Fair Park. The weather was cool and damp, but the kids enjoyed being out and running around.

Then it was off to The Natural History Museum. When I told Jack and Bailey where we were going Jack said, "Oh, like in the movie Night at the Museum?" Afterwards he said it was the best day of his life but not as good as the movie! I guess he was disappointed that none of the animals or people came to life. Although, Bailey seemed to think the Alligator was! She would not go near it and actually cried for a while about how scared she was. That's my little scardy cat! In the picture above she was trying to put on a brave face in front of the Mammoth. She wouldn't step a foot inside the dinosaur exhibit. Jack and I had to take her hands and walk(actually she ran) through it. Connor sat in his stroller and took it all in. He seemed to enjoy it.

Today we continued our Spring Break. We went to Grapevine Mills and after they endured a little shopping by mommy we headed to the Rain Forest Cafe for lunch. We sat under one of the jaguars and could see the elephants and all the gorillas. Bailey was a real troooper today. No crying although I thought we wouldn't make it when the gorillas started roaring. Jack came over to me during lunch and hugged me and said I was the best mommy and he was having the best day of his life. It is so nice to be able to "impress" him with a horribly overpriced lunch and a lot of really loud animals! After we got home all three took naps again today. That is two days in a row that mommy has gotten 2 1/2 hours of quiet time! I crawled into bed with the older two and we all laid on each other and rested. It was the best way to spend my day.

Tomorrow we are all 5 heading down to Kaufman to visit my Grandfather in the hospital. He is not doing very well and Greg and I feel like we need to see him soon. After our visit we are going to the Dallas Zoo. I love the zoo and it is Connors first visit to the zoo. I can't wait to see his face when he sees the lions for the first time!

Signs of Spring

We planted two plum trees the spring after we moved into our home. Every year we patiently wait for plums. We wait and wait and wait! And, every year the same, a few tiny plums that the birds or squirrels get to first. Well this year, our trees are full of blossoms and look better than they ever have. Hopefully this means fat juicy plums this year. Spring is here but is it here to stay???

Soccer Saturday

See how the French's spend their Saturdays... Soccer,

Soccer,

And more Soccer!

Our Lazy Days...

This has been a lazy, relaxing sort of week. We have played with friends, cleaned the house and yard, planted flowers, played out back, rode bikes, had soccer games, gone to Teddy Bear Storytime...

I have so enjoyed my two babies that were home this week. Bailey and I have cooked together, cleaned together, planted together, and watched cartoons together. Connor has simply walked around the house and explored places he couldn't go before. He has discovered how much he loves to play outside. (thanks Rebecca for the little climbing slide) I have discovered all these new foods that he likes. I guess it has just been fun to have so much uninterrupted time with Bailey and Connor. I have really enjoyed this time with them.

Next week Jack is off for Spring Break. I will focus on him more then. He will be going to Memaw's and G-Dad's for a few days early in the week so he doesn't have to go to Sunshine School with me. He would be so bored. I took off Thursday and Greg is taking off Friday so we can do some things together as a family. On the agenda is The Zoo, Fossil Rim and the Dino Park, The Wax Museum (Jack and I can't wait for this one), maybe a movie. If the weather isn't as nice as this week then we will be hitting the museums at Fair Park again plus all the other indoor things. Next Saturday morning before soccer begins we are going to go get our favorite donuts and then head down to Farmer's Market to let the kids pick some fresh fruits and veggies. They love to help me pick produce.

On the health front...

Greg had his first check-up to check on how the steroids are working and how Greg's body is handling them. All is great!!! All levels are within the "expected" ranges. He will continue to lower the doses every few months and we pray that his body continues to do this well.

Connor is finally back to normal after the nasty stomach virus he had and the great news is no one else got it.

I am sure that next week I'll have more exciting things to blog about. This week was truly a lazy week and I loved it!

Mommy's Little Speed Demon

Mommy kept Connor entertained, or maybe Connor kept Mommy entertained, during Jack's first soccer game. It was really chilly so Connor and I stayed in the car and watched. He loved driving Mommy around!

Jack played great. He played goalie for one quarter and he didn't let them score!

Go Tornadoes!

A Mom's Worst Fears

This last week on one of the really nice warm days the kids wanted to go out front and ride bikes and shoot basketballs. They absolutely love going out front and I despise it almost as much. I can't keep an eye on them all the time and Connor is inside so it is really hard to feel secure with them out front. Well, I caved this day and sent them out with the understanding of looking out for each other and not riding past our two neighbors driveways. I stayed out with them for a while then headed in to start dinner. I put dinner in the oven, checked on sleeping baby and went back outside. In the 5 minutes I was inside Bailey decided to "make some money". The little 2nd grader that lives next door had a Lemonade Sale the day before and was telling them about all the money she made. So, Bailey being very interested in making more money, decided to "sing for money". She had a box sitting next to her and she yelled at me that she had already made 50 cents! She was so excited. I on the other hand was terrified. Especially when she told me "some man came up and gave me money for singing to him". Neither she nor Jack could tell me who he was or where he lived or where he had gone. I still get nervous and upset just thinking about it. I wish we lived in a world where we didn't have to be suspicious of strangers, especially strangers giving my pretty, young daughter money for singing to them. She has a sweet voice but we do not live in a world where we have the luxury of trusting strange men! All this to say, it was a wake up call for me. I have since gotten on EBay and ordered the DVD The Safe Side- Stranger Safety. We are going to watch it as a family and discuss it. I bring up safety all the time in the car now and quiz them on certain situations. I don't think I will ever get over the sick feeling in my stomach every time I think about that afternoon.

We Have A Tooth!

Finally after 10 1/2 months we have our first tooth. As with everything about this cutie, it hasn't fazed him at all. No fuss, no muss. Now I can add foods to his food experiences.
We have also learned two new words this week. Ay-ee for Bailey and I-I for night, night. We are also walking without holding on for 4 or 5 steps then letting ourselves down gently. He actually walked around me from one side of the toy box to the other. As I've said many times we are so blessed to have this sweet baby in our lives. I thank God everyday for blessing our lives with Connor Reid! These first 10 1/2 months have flown by and we look forward to many more months to come.

Shopping, Basketball, and Sulphur Springs

Friday night Bailey went to spend the night with her Aunt Tamara. She really enjoys her time with her Aunts. So Greg and the boys and I headed to Grapevine Mills to eat some dinner and do some pre-Spring shopping. Jack got to have some ice cream for having a great week at school and mommy got some early spring shopping done for all three kids. Connor was just along for the ride. More and more we realize how lucky we truly are. Connor is such a happy, content baby. He smiles at everyone and laughs all the time. He was dog tired by the time we got home at 9:30 but still smiling until we dropped him into the bed.
Saturday morning started early. Aunt Gretchen picked Connor up at 7:30 and took him to Sulphur Springs. The rest of us were going to head up after Jack's basketball tournament. Since we only had Jack, Greg and I took him to breakfast. It was so fun to spend time with our oldest and really talk about school and friends with no interruptions. Greg and Jack then headed up to watch Garrison play basketball. Jack enjoyed cheering him on. That afternoon Jack had a game. Only 5 players showed up! Greg is his coach and we get really frustrated because no one calls when they are not going to be there. It made for a long game for those 5 tough boys. Needless to say, they lost, but the effort of those boys was amazing. Jack is so much fun to watch. He scored all the points his team made!!! He hustles and is in the other teams face the whole time. I really believe we may have found THAT SPORT. The one he is suppose to play. He loves everything he plays but is really gifted in basketball.
Mimi, Papa, Tamara, Emma, and Terry came to watch him and he was so proud!
Thanks guys for making him feel so special.
As soon as the game was over we headed out to Memaw's and G-Dads. I had missed my Connor all day and couldn't wait to see him. We had a great time as always and the kids enjoy time with Memaw so much. Greg is off Monday and he and Bailey and Connor stayed until Monday night. Jack and mommy headed back this afternoon. It was fun and strange to only have one child. One of the reasons for the trip other than playing with Memaw was for Greg and his dad to build a big media, playroom shelving unit for our playroom. I have been wanting this for a year now. Patience is not my strong suit, just ask Greg! I will post a pic when it is done. I can't wait.
Ok, back to Jack and mommy time. We had a fun ride home. Jack is usually so quiet because he can't get a word in with Bailey around. So it was fun to listen to him talk about sports, school, all the cities we passed, all the signs we passed, what he wanted to eat, friends, and many other things. I don't think we have talked that much in years. After we got home we had to watch the NBA All Star Game. He was hooting and hollering for Dirk and Josh Howard. He is already learning trash talk. He is yelling at the TV "You can't catch us now" "No one will beat the West" "Go... Dirrrrrk..." I loved our time together tonight Jack.