Houston in March/April...Unexpectedly

Wouldn't it be nice if I updated my blog on a weekly or biweekly basis? Then, I wouldn't have the need to write such LONG posts like this one. Plus, I wouldn't get so behind that my head spins at the thought of trying to catch up. Oh well. Life is busy and so this is how it will have to be...for now...I hope.

From the 28th of March to the 11th of April, Jason had some serious school work to do. He had tests and papers with required page lengths that would make me never want to be in school again. And I love school! We live in a small home (that we are {but not always} very grateful for) and have only one car right now. Those two things seem to make it pretty challenging whenever Jason needs to be studying night and day. Because Jason has such a heart for our family, it is so hard for him to say 'no' to us when he needs to be saying 'yes' to studying. For all of these reasons, he thought it might be a good time for us to get out of the house and visit family in Houston. We literally woke up on Sunday, talked about it and figured out all of the travel arrangements, and then we flew out of Birmingham on Monday morning. It was a whirlwind of a day!

Allison had her first plane ride! I can't believe we haven't flown since she's been born. Jackson flew so many times before he turned 2. We'll be making up for it this year!

The kids were AWESOME on the plane. They were awesome the entire trip! God took great care of me. I was able to curbside check all of my bags, leaving me with two kids, three carry-on bags and two car seats. It sounds like a lot to manage through the airport, but it was so easy and great practice for our flight to Germany (since I will most likely be flying without Jason). Jackson carried his bag, Alli rode on my back in my ERGO, I strapped my camera bag and diaper bag into the car seats, and I pulled the car seats through the airport. It was easy! Jackson was a huge helper! He was so independent about each process. He put his own bag and his own shoes in their own tray as we went through security. After security, while I had to put everything back together, he was so sweet to offer help in any way that he could. I was so proud of him! And Alli? She rode contently on my back the entire way. I was sure she'd fuss and want out so that she could run free.

On the plane, Jackson was thrilled to catch a glimpse of the cockpit. We sat right by the wings, which he was so happy to watch as we took off, flew through the sky, and landed. He loved looking out the window. They got juice, cranberry for Jackson and orange for Allison, and Jackson felt so grown up using his tray.

They were fantastic on the flight! No one complained or cried and they didn't fight with each other. They played with each other and shared a pack of Skittles.

I left Montgomery with a horrible sinus infection. It turned out to be the sickest I've been in our 12 years of marriage. My head and my face hurt so bad that I could barely open my mouth to put food into it. I don't think the plane ride helped either. Jackson was just getting over a cold, so both of us were both in a lot of pain from the pressure. It took forever for our ears to finally pop. I remember trying to help Jackson pop his ears. Nothing was working. Finally, I pinched his nose close and told him to blow his nose. I will never forget the look of surprise on his face. It hurt, but it worked! My dad picked us up from the airport. If it weren't for their neti pot, I don't think I would have survived!! There is no medication that can rival the benefits of a neti pot for a bad sinus infection. If you've never used one, you are totally missing out. :-))

We went to Jason's mom's the first week we were there. When we arrived, we had a little Christmas in March (since we missed Christmas in Houston last year).

We always have a great time at Grandma's house. There are TONS of toys, but the dogs and cats alone could entertain my children all day long. They LOVE dogs and cats. Jackson also loves to play Wii. We got to spend time with Ryan and Megan and Jessica. I am getting terrible about taking pictures. I honestly felt so bad. I was doing good just to take care of my kids (including the one in the womb).

Friday evening, we went shopping with Jessica and Peggy at the outlet mall.

There was a playset outside of the food court. This, of course, was much more fun for Al and Jacks than shopping. Jackson was so precious with Allison. She, of course, is VERY independent and able to climb and slide by herself, but this night she enjoyed being doted on by her big brother. He would slide ahead of her and then get to the bottom and say, "Come on, Alli. I'm right here. I'll catch you." Down she would slide right into his arms! It was one of those moments when your heart just melts as a parent.

Saturday morning, we woke early to go to Megan's last volleyball tournament in Houston. She coaches an 8th grade girls club team. I was so proud of her. Jason and I used to watch her play whenever she was in high school. I LOVED watching her play volleyball. She was a setter for both Cy-Creek and her club team and she was AWESOME. She's was fun to watch too because she's very competitive and never gives up. I miss those days, so this brought back a lot of fun memories!
Coach Megan!

Loving Aunt Jessica!

Hugs for the coach!

A minor fit :-))

Getting volleyball tips from Aunt Megan:

This photo makes it look like he picked it up quickly. He actually gave up after a few tries and played with some of the girls on Megan's team.

While we waited for the next match, Megan and Jessica played a little one-on-one. It was really fun to watch. Better them than me! I surely would have embarrassed the family!

Preparing for her last Houston game as a first year coach:

Later that evening, we went to Ronald and Christy's for a fabulous dinner of butternut squash lasagna and chocolate chip mascarpone cupcakes!! The cupcakes had tiny chocolate chips on top. Allison LOVED them! Jackson completely missed out. He was so exhausted from the day that he fell asleep in the car on the way to their house, slept in their bed the entire time we were there, and then slept on the way home. He did wake up to ask me where we were going. I told him that we were going to Grammie's and PaPa's house. He said that he thought we were going to Uncle Ronald and Aunt Christy's. I told him that we already had. Poor thing! He thought we were still on our way there. Then he said, "I didn't even eat dinner!" So we fed him dinner when we got back and then he want straight to bed.

Trena, my next door neighbor from about 25 years ago, and her daughter Alyssa, who was born only weeks before Ronald, joined us for dinner. It was a wonderful surprise to see them. I miss them so much. They lived across the street from us...both of our houses were on the corner...and on our other side lived the George's. We had a gate connecting our back yard with the George's back yard. We never went to each others front doors. That's how close we all were. Our families did things together all the time. Those were the days!

While my mom and Christy and I were looking at baby stuff in Anna's room, Allison wandered upstairs. I thought she had gone into Ronald and Christy's room. I asked my mom to check. She looked inside, didn't see her, and said that she thought she went downstairs to see my dad. I really thought she had gone in there, but since my mom didn't see her, I thought I'd missed seeing her go down the stairs. A little while later, I realized that I hadn't heard anything out of her. Ronald had been singing and playing his guitar. If Allison had gone downstairs, surely he would have had to stop at some point and say something to her. I never heard him interrupt his singing. I went downstairs to check. No Allison. I ran back upstairs, opened their master bedroom, and there she sat surrounded by prenatal vitamins and evening primrose tablets!! Christy, not having a little one in her home, keeps her prenatals on her nightstand. Allison found them and somehow opened the jar. Thank the Lord they taste awful (I take the same ones). I'm sure Allison put one in her mouth and then quickly took it out. I smelled her breath and checked her teeth. I felt certain she hadn't swallowed anything. I count that experience as a warning and a blessing.

We spent the next week seeing cousins. It was fantastic for my kids. Jackson enjoyed riding his scooter without his helmet that we left in Alabama. I was kind of glad he got to experience the freedom we had as children. I can't imagine how we survived without helmets and car seats!

Miss Madalyn Suzanne!

Allison's camera smile:

Maa-Maa, as Allison calls her, is such a sweetheart. She's 6 inches taller than Allison but only 3.5 months older. They played really well together. And Jackson loves her. He likes to call her Madalyn Suzy. He's always trying to get her to chase him. And she's not quite used to having a rough and tough boy around.

Fun on Glenway Drive!

Diggin' for rocks in the tar:

She is the most precious girly girl!

Walking with Grammie:

Grammie and her granddaughters:

Perfecting his scooter skillz:

Allison LOVES PaPa. She somehow attached herself to him months ago. We have a family photo of my family and Jason's family all together. For a while, she's gone up to that photo, picked out my dad, and said, "PaPa! PaPa!" Whenever I used my phone, she always says, "PaPa?!" She's talked to him a few times, but not much. All of that to say that she hasn't had any more exposure to him than anyone else. She just loves her PaPa. Here she is giving hugs before she's about to mooch off of his plate. She loved sharing his food.

Lying on PaPa while still eating!

Jackson and Grammie building Trio aircraft:

This is one of the three cradles my mom had made for me and my sisters when we were little. Allison loved climbing in it and reading her Bible. This girls loves her Bible! She's even woken in the night and cried out, "Bible! Bible!"

We were finally able to see the Montgomery boys on Wednesday. The wait felt like forever for Jackson. We were going to see them Monday, but Colin had a fever and was vomiting. Aunt Melissa's house is boy bliss. The day was gorgeous. It was in the 70's with a gentle breeze and not a cloud in sight. They boys rode up and down the sidewalk on their scooters. And I should specify that they were two-wheeled scooters because they are all very proud of that fact! From left to right: Landon (3), Colin (4), and Jackson (4):

Jacksonian!

Colinader!

Lando!

While I was snapping photos of the boys, Allison wandered into the garage. I think she was feeling a little left out, don't you?!

So determined!

This is her look of disgust. She's feeling like she needs something to ride that's her own size.

So we took care of that!

They are still doing construction in Jon and Melissa's new neighborhood. This big dirt pile is across from their house. And when excavators and dump trucks aren't fascinating their eyes, they play on the giant dirt hill! I told you. It's boy bliss!

While Landon, Kaiden and Allison napped, Colin and Jackson played outside and Melissa and I enjoyed adult conversation. They were playing so well together. We watched them out the window while we talked. We noticed that they'd started digging a hole in the same area where Colin and Landon like to dig, but we didn't know where their dump site was until we opened the back door. Awesome!

Once they were don, we asked them to transfer the dirt back to the hole. They missed the last part of that memo and transferred it to the grass on the other end of the patio. They were good to give us one more transfer though and return it to the hole. I just made a game of it.

After Dawson got home, they played a few games on the Wii. I love the looks on their faces.

Allison LOVED baby Kaiden. I was so surprised. She isn't around babies very much. She is usually the baby. Whenever I held him, it didn't bother her at all. In fact, she would come up to me and smile and ask to hold him. She was so enamored.

She wanted to buckle and unbuckle him from the bouncy seat. I even saw her trying to undo the buttons on his clothes. She was treating him like a baby doll. It was precious. I'm thinking she'll be a great mommy to her baby brother or sister.

After Wii and dinner, I took the boys outside to play a little longer...all of the boys except Landon who got sick while we were eating dinner with the same thing Colin had. Poor Landon! I tried to keep my kids out because I really didn't want to deal with vomit on my return flight to Alabama. Dawson got out his electric scooter. Jackson was fascinated.

And one more of Colin:

Ryan, Jason's brother, joined us at the playground a couple of times that week. I'm so sad that I didn't take my camera. They love their Uncle Ryan. He is so much fun! Friday, I went to Just Between Friends in Sugar Land with my mother-in-law. We found some pretty good deals. I bought a bicycle to keep in Houston for $19. I was super excited about that buy. Saturday, Jon and Melissa came over with the boys. Allison, was again, in love with the baby.

I didn't take any photos, but all of the boys got in the pool. It was a little chilly, but they didn't care. They raced scooters, Jackson rode the bicycle that I found on Friday, and they chased each other around the house. We had to put out many fires, but it was great, crazy, boy fun! Here they are enjoying lunch:

Dawson is so precious with Allison. He loves her. I wish she'd let him carry her around more but she's too independent.

I caught this tenderhearted sweetheart with a mouthful:

This is one stubborn and strong-willed gift from the Lord! :-)) I don't think they'll ever have to worry about him being a follower!

Kaiden had his lunch too!

I put the kids to bed later that night. When I went in to go to bed, this is what I found. (I moved my phone too quick because I was so surprised at how bright the flash was.)

This is better, but after Alli moved from the flash. Her leg wasn't on top of Jackson anymore.

This is a random photo I got of my dad's favorite thing to do - rock grandkids and his dog in the recliner! (I think the dog likes it better than he does.)

Our last night there, I went to dinner with Jason's siblings. We chose Lupe Tortilla so the kids could play. I think this restaurant is genius! They were so happy and I actually got to enjoy some adult conversation (when I wasn't worried about Allison running off).

Jackson did hit a child over the back with a rake because he didn't want the boy coming into the fort. They little boy was crying and I heard his mom say, "Who hit you?" I immediately popped up because I know my Jackson and figured he was behind it. Sure enough, he was. He has no problem confessing, for which I am thankful, but it was so heartbreaking for me. Why does it always seem like it's my child. :-)) It's so hard being a parent. Trying to train him not to hit just because something doesn't go his way has been a difficult thing. Trying to help him see that the world isn't here to do his will has been equally hard. This is an area I have to give to the Lord daily. And I do feel hope because I know my God!

The next morning, my dad drove us to the airport.

This is how we rolled at the airport (with one more car seat that didn't get in the photo).

We had another great flying experience (except for the descent when I broke out into a cold sweat and felt for sure that I was going to throw up). We met a sweet family traveling with two boys ages 4 and 8 months. Jackson and the little boy Grayden played so well together. They even sat next to each other for half of the flight and colored. It was so fun looking at their artwork because their coloring style was so similar! We were so excited to see Jason. He drove up right as we got our bags off of the belt at baggage claim. He had gifts for everyone, as is his custom, and then we spent some time in Birmingham eating and shopping before returning to Montgomery. It was a great two weeks! And now it's great to be done with this post, which I am typing in Houston! We're here again for two weeks as we await the birth of my brother's first baby.