updates

Drew update:

He is playing t-ball right now. It is called baseball and under no circumstances should it be referred to as anything but. He loves it and said that his favorite part was when someone throws the ball to him.

He is growing his hair out. He wants it to be long enough to be over his ears. I think it looks pretty cute, but it's much more difficult to maintain.

Last week at the lake he ran to the end of the dock and jumped off without hesitation....but had forgotten how to swim. David had to fish him out of the lake and when he did Drew said, "Oh! It's rained and my life jacket doesn't work anymore!" I have no idea how those two things are related. I'm happy to report that that little incident did nothing to dampen his excitement for the lake and swimming. He was all over the lake yesterday having a wonderful time.

Julianna update:

Julianna is more attached to me at this age than the other two were. Is it personality? The fact that she's the youngest? That I baby her too much? I don't know...but sometimes I need her to be a big girl and she refuses to do so. My brother says that Julianna will be the child that moves back in after college and bolts her furniture to the floor and refuses to leave. I love that she loves me...but I would also love for her to allow Tom to take her out of her booster seat without tears and screams for Mommy.

Her hair has finally reached ponytail status. This is a blessing because when we leave her hair down it becomes a beast by lunch time. She looks so grown up with a big girl ponytail.

She is very sensitive and becomes embarrassed if she gets in trouble in public or if she feels like people are laughing at her. I didn't know that two year olds were so sensitive to this...but I'm sure it's true. She also has a fear that I'm going to leave her. Who knows where this comes from because she's hardly even been to a babysitter. She becomes horror stricken when I say to the other two, "Come on! I'm leaving!" as we're walking out the door to go somewhere. She freezes, cries and screams "DON"T LEAVE MEEEEEE!!!!"

Lily update:

The girl is a collector. She takes after my mom in this department. She came home from Colorado with two bags full of rocks, a bag of rusted tin items from a dump site and a skull to what we think might be a bear. I seriously threw away BAGS AND BAGS of trash out of her room before we moved. However, with every effort made to tame the mess and clutter that follows Lily...it's a lost cause. Within 36 hours of being home from her vacation, we could no longer see the floor to her room...and her mess had spilled out of her room, down the stairs and covered the basement. Complete with an autographed carpet drawing for us all to enjoy.

She has art camp this week. Today was the first day and she was glowing when I picked her up. I've never seen her quite this excited about an art class before. We'll need to stay in touch with this art teacher. It was good for us to have some place to get up and go to this morning. I'm hoping that will help our week go a bit more smoothly than last week. As nice as a day at home relaxing on a summer day sounds, it's a no-go for our family....not that this tangent has anything to do with art camp.

Thankfully, we got some good news from her Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. I mentioned before that the paperwork from her tube surgery stated that she was not allowed to swim in lakes, ponds or rivers; no matter what, period. However, upon calling the doctor, we found out that she can actually swim in the lake as long as she is wearing ear plugs. What a relief! It was traumatic to go out to the lake and tell her to not get in the water. I am so grateful that she can float and swim and dive until her heart's content out there this summer.

Tom update:

He left for the road this morning. What this means is that he is now working and living in the middle of no where. Luckily, this has been put off for two weeks...and this week will not be a full week gone because of some meetings he has to attend. I'm hoping that the trend of being on the road...but still home, too, continues. I am making the best of the situation. I am planning workouts for me to do at home, keeping our schedule booked and hiring a babysitter for some afternoons so I can get some relief.

Taylor update:

Oh how I wish I wouldn't post blogs while I'm emotional and feeling frustrated. How many times have I posted something during a bad mood, angry moment or while I'm generally overly emotional? Too many to count. Although, that was how I was feeling at that moment, and last week was a really hard week, I sometimes wish I wouldn't whine so much on the blog. That said, I have received so much support from friends and family after that post. I definitely felt the love and am very grateful.