Happy 3rd Birthday, Beckett!

My littlest man turned three just a few short weeks ago. Here are some photos from his special day...

Each of my boys has celebrated their 3rd birthdays at Chuck E. Cheese. This photo turned out over-exposed but I still had to include it; he doesn't look like a baby anymore. :(

What do they say about boys always love their mommies?!

This child is passionate about a few things...Thomas the Train, GeoTrax and Cars. He hit the jackpot on this birthday in all three departments. He was one happy child. :)

The baby of the family. He truly relished this moment when all eyes were on him. ;)

Blowing out the candles on Year 2 and hello Year 3.

One of the loving nicknames we use for our boys is, "monkeys", as in, "The monkeys are awake for the day," or "Okay monkeys, it's time for dinner." Not exactly sure how that came about or why, but it has definitely stuck. About a month before B's birthday, as I was looking through cake decorating magazines for inspiration, I jokingly said, "I think I'll make you a monkey cake, you little monkey!" Well he thought it was hilarious and began talking about his monkey cake to anyone who would listen. I had no choice at that point...a monkey it was. Then I just had to figure out how.

This was my second time playing with fondant after the Lego man on Thatcher's cake.
It was so much fun! It's just like playing with play dough.

The idea was that the monkey was supposed to be holding a banana in one hand and a birthday cake in the other. It was a lot easier than trying to form some sort of monkey hand for sure!

Happy Birthday, my sweet Beckett.

P.S. Don't forget to become a follower of SSA and leave a comment on this post before midnight on 7/13/09 to enter my very first giveaway! :)

Happy 8th Birthday!

I am waaaay behind on blogging but before Beckett turns three next week I wanted to be sure I posted pictures of Thatcher's 8th birthday two weeks ago. Can my baby really be eight?

We had his party at the Lego store as Star Wars Legos are our new passion! The store is BRIGHT yellow so the lighting on most of the pictures isn't too great. :( One of the ways that Thatcher's autism affects him is that it is *really* hard to get him to look at a camera. The whole eye contact thing really eats our lunch here. About half the pictures we have of this sweet boy are of him looking off somewhere. But don't you just love the gaps in that grin?! ;)

Getting ready to build the set he picked: The Clone Walker Battle Pack!

I tell him that even though his is a big eight year old, he will always be my baby! :)

Getting ready for everyone to sing "Happy Birthday!" and clutching the Clone Walker he just built. That toy was in his hands for the next week non-stop.

Opening presents!


The Lego cake! This one was really fun to make.

Life in Progress

I am in the middle of so much right now I can hardly keep it all straight. It is unusual for me to be engaged in so many things at one time as I prefer to finish one book/project/job completely before moving on to the next. Right now that is not to be. ;)

My bookshelf is often a microcosm of what is going on in my life - what I am learning, where I am growing, my struggles and joys and right now that is most definitely true. Typically I am working on one book at a time, but again, that's not life right now. God seems to be stretching me in many directions at once. Here is what I am currently reading:

Daily Reading Bible: Through the Bible in a Year (ESV)

The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome by Tony Attwood

Social Skills Training for Children and Adolescents with Asperger's and Social-Communications Problems by Ted Baker
along with The Social Skills Picture Book by Ted Baker


Grace Based Parenting by Ted Kimmel

Home Education, Volume 6 by Charlotte Mason

As for life in general, we finally had a new roof put on our home after Hurricane Ike did some significant damage to ours back in September. We've had sick kids, cars to get fixed, errands to run, waaaay overdue haircuts and all sorts of other distractions. In addition, dh is on a fourteen week "Wellness Program" with our doctor and is required to eat six times a day. Very few processed foods are permitted which means I have been cooking tons more than normal - and I already cooked quite a bit! It's all worth it as he has lost 2o pounds in six weeks. Yahoo!!! I've had friends in the past who said to me, "We just had so much to do that we didn't get to school this week." I would always shake my head and think, "Hmmm. How exactly does that happen?" Well now I know! This past two weeks has found us outside the classroom more than in it.

It has not all been drudgery though. We've been strawberry picking and started a butterfly garden in the middle of all this busyness! Life is good, even when it is sometimes hard. Does that even make sense? ;)

Happy Easter

Hope your Easter was wonderful! Here are just a few snapshots of our day in between the rain spurts. ;)

Merry Christmas!

Here is the Christmas card we are sending out this year (with a few modifications for anonymity's sake!). In the past we had friends who were professionals do all this for us...this year we did it by ourselves - or to be more fair, dh did it all by himself as he spent the better part of yesterday retouching photos, designing our card and ordering! Thank you dh!!!

May your days be merry and bright...
from Smooth Stones Academy!

Thank You

Thank you for all the thoughtful comments and emails. Even though I have been quiet (in a blogging sense) this week, they have been a great source of comfort and encouragement. My body is healing; my heart is taking longer. I know only time will truly mend that, but there has been much to be thankful for in the midst of our sadness, too: my wonderful dh, my three beautiful boys, amazing friends who have showered me with love and care beyond measure, a church body who has grieved with us and so many more. Thanks to each of you who are a part of that sweet blessing. Sometimes it's in times of great sadness that you see joy so clearly.

This song was playing in the car when dh left the doctor's office after our sad news. It's from Ray Lamontagne's new CD called Gossip in the Grain. Later that night he hugged me tight and told me, "This is my heart for you," as I listened for the first time. I have listened again and again since then. It's amazing how when someone puts your experience to words it can be so comforting - even if it's in a sad sort of way. I thought I would share it with you, too. (Not a great video but it's a new song so there are not too many options on YouTube yet!)

Let It Be Me

There comes a time,
A time in everyone's life
When nothing seems to go your way,
When nothing seems to turn out right

There may come a time,
You just can't seem to find your place
For every door you open,
Seems like you get two slammed in your face

That's when you need someone,
Someone that you, you can call.
When all your faith is gone,
It feels like you can't go on

Let it be me
Let it be me
If it's a friend that you need
Let it be me
Let it be me

Feels like you're always comin' up last
Pockets full of nothin' ain't got no cash
No matter where you turn
You ain't got no place to stand
You reach out for somethin' and they slap your hand

I remember all too well
Just how it feels to be all alone
To feel like you'd give anything
For just a little place you can call your own

That's when you need someone,
Someone that you, you can call
When all your faith is gone
It feels like you can't go on

Let it be me
Let it be me
If it's a friend you need,
Let it be me
Let it be me

Let it be me
Let it be me
If it's a friend you need,
Let it be me
Let it be me
Let it be me

My Heart is Sad

Today we took the boys to my 16 week OB appointment to find out if the baby was a girl or a boy. There was no heartbeat. This is my third miscarriage and the second one to happen out of the first trimester. We are at home needing to make some decisions about our next steps. I would covet your prayers. My heart is broken today.

Introducing the Newest Members of our Family

This adorable guy's name is Wrigley. He is an eight month old Golden Retriever puppy who came to us five weeks ago. We had been contemplating getting a dog for quite some time now but were unable to decide on a breed. Each breed we looked at seemed to have some strike against it: not suited for our climate, too expensive/rare, not good with very young children... I finally decided that a Golden Retriever is what we needed with three energetic boys. Not 24 hours later an email entered my husband's inbox from a family who owned this precious guy but was no longer able to care for him. They were looking to give him away to a loving family for free, and they agreed to allow us a two week trial to be certain we were ready for the added responsibility and that he would indeed be a good fit for our family. Well the two weeks passed and we couldn't imagine giving him back. He is a complete joy and a wonderful addition to our crew!

Here is the second new addition to our family. We are expecting Baby #4 to make his/her arrival sometime around the end of March!!! I am now 12 weeks and feeling the full effects of first trimester exhaustion and sickness (although the sickness hasn't been nearly as bad as in previous pregnancies). We should know at my next appointment whether we are to be adding pink to our home or more blue. Our guess is blue since dh's family has not seen a girl in six generations - yes you read that right... six generations!!!

Soon I will be back to homeschool topics after quite a break from anything homeschool related! I have almost completed my Teacher Notebook for this year and I need to post our first Weekly Report (to actually cover the first 6 weeks!).

Life on the Gulf Coast

I wish I could paint an accurate picture of what is like around here post-Ike. It is just sad. So many have lost everything, even some of my closest friends. I cannot get into their homes to help with demolition due to health issues I have right now. Instead I spend my days coordinating meals and childcare for families so they can spend their days at the shell they once called home - homes that are now coated with raw sewage and the dredges of the ocean. I am collecting clothes, books and toys for one homeschool family who lost everything they owned other than five outfits per person and one small bag of toys that they took when they evacuated. Saturday I cooked meals for four families. Everyone here is exhausted because there are just so many needs and so little time. The race is against toxic black mold (a huge problem in Texas) which is already starting to grow in most flooded homes due to the lovely Houston heat and humidity.

Galveston Island (30 min south of my home and where we go several times a month to play on the beach or visit a museum) is still closed and most people haven't been able to get back and see their homes. A friend of mine was able to tour the island because her husband is a firefighter there. She said that you can start to smell the stench before you even reach the causeway (huge bride that connects Galveston to the mainland). So many thousands haven't been back home and power has been out for ten days now. Everyone has food rotting in refrigerators, not to mention restaurants and grocery stores. Also there are dead animals everywhere because so many didn't take pets with them when they left two weeks ago and they died in the storm. They won't let you onto the island without getting a tetanus shot and giving you a special mask to protect from mold and the horrible smell.

Yet there is an upside to all this. It is an amazing thing is to see how people pull together in times like these. Disaster creates community and the community has been incredible. People are driving through neighborhoods (or what's left of them) and dropping off hundreds of lunches to families and volunteers. People everywhere are jumping in to help people they have never met. I saw a man buying ten generators (and those are not cheap!) to deliver to complete strangers who still do not have power. The stories that will come out of Ike will be incredible.

Here is a portion of my dh's blog post about Ike and I couldn't say it any better:

This won't be a quick story with a short ending. We will have work that will last months, some maybe even more than a year. But I'm reminded of Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 16:9, "...for a wide door for effective work has opened to me..."; I am very encouraged at the fact that I think a great door to the Gospel has been opened by the violent hands of Ike. Self-security and presumption have been trumped by 110 mph winds of an eyewall that went, literally, through my neighborhood...and the neighborhood of those I believe God has called us to reach through our local church. This may sound funny to say, but I'm excited about the future. I'm excited to see how wide the door will open for the grace of God in Christ in the Bay Area. I'm excited at how many people will decide to become Followers of Jesus or recommit to their followship of the Lord. I'm excited I get to be a part of it all by the grace of God.

And what's even better is that I believe I have an entire church that's feels the same way!

Thanks Ike.

I put on my sidebar a button you can click if you would like to donate to help victims of Ike. It is set up through my church and 100% of the money will go directly to those who need it most - not one dime to administrative costs.

Home Sweet Home

We are back home again! We left last Thursday at 3:00 am to avoid traffic, brought another family with us and headed out of town. We just returned today after learning our area had power and a clean water supply. Our home survived the storm with minimal damage: about 50 shingles off our roof and a section of fence down. We are very, very blessed. The debris line in my yard shows how close we came to having water in our home. Thankfully, the storm surge was only 10 feet instead of the predicted 20+. Just on the other side of the main road where we live is almost complete devastation - five or more feet of water in most homes. We even have friends who returned to find their refrigerator floating in their kitchen. My life will be back to normal in a few days once I get my home cleaned, the last of the evacuation tubs unpacked and my fridge filled with groceries but for so many in my area their lives will not return to normal for many months. Yet God is still good and we still praise Him.

Thank you for all the sweet emails and messages and please pray for those who suffered damage and great loss due to Ike.

Same Song...Second Verse

Ike is heading for the Texas Coast and we are right in his path. We are officially evacuating this time. There are too many unknowns with this storm. Even the experts are saying this is a highly unpredictable storm and they really can't be certain where it will hit nor how strong it will be when it makes landfall. The best guess is somewhere between Corpus Christi, Texas and Houston, Texas and anywhere from a Category 2 to a Category 4. A Category 4 direct hit on Galveston (Houston) would put my house deep underwater. So once again we are packing to leave but this time we really, really are! We are heading for the Texas Hill Country and hoping we have a house to come back to after this storm hits on Saturday.

If you are the praying sort, please pray for safe travel. This news is coming so late that the roads are already jam-packed. It is very possible our five our trip could be double that or more. Three young, busy boys and 10-15 hours in a car = no fun. Hopefully that won't be the case though. I am not really worried about my house or anything in it; insurance will replace all that. I just want my family out of harm's way.

Blessings,

Oops! Nevermind!!!

Well, we started packing. I had two Rubbermaid tubs full of photo albums and photos and three more full of this year's school materials. Laundry was done and ready to be loaded into yet another tub and then it all changed. The three models that previously showed the possibility of Gustav coming to Houston changed and all agreed that New Orleans was the for sure target of the storm. We left the albums packed and ready to go; there are two more hurricanes behind Gustav we will need to watch. Still, we are safe and dry and thankfully Gustav slowed down and only hit land as a Category 2 hurricane. What a blessing!!! Hope you all had a fantastic Labor Day Holiday!

Outta Here!

Most of the computer models show Gustav heading straight for New Orleans. There are a few models that show this monster taking a late western turn...and that's us, west of New Orleans. We know the chance of this storm hitting us are extremely slim at this moment, yet with three young boys we don't want to take any chances. If the hurricane shifts tomorrow and starts heading our way, all of Houston will decide to evacuate. We will risk sitting in traffic for hours and hours on end (lesson learned by many of our dear friends who sat on the freeway for 24 hours to get to San Antonio - a three hour trip - during Hurricane Rita three years ago!). We are heading for the Texas Hill Country with photo albums, this years' school materials and enough clothes to last a week or two. We will be offline until Tuesday when we return, the storm having hopefully missed us.

To all our friends who are in the current path of Gustav, we are praying for you.

Life on Hold

Hi! Life is on hold around here while we watch and wait to see what Gustav is going to do. Right now he is heading for the Louisiana coast but we won't trust any reports until Sunday night. There is just too much uncertainty until then.

While we are waiting, we've gotten the oil changed in the Suburban and filled it with gas. I've paid all our bills through the end of September...just in case. Filled and picked up all our prescriptions and checked to be sure all current insurance policies, immunization records, birth certificates and the like are in one place ready to be grabbed. Ahhh, the joys of living on the coast.

What We've Been Up To: Part Three

And now pictures from Beckett's second birthday. We did a frog themed party and we had a ball. Unfortunately dh was bit by a nasty, nasty tummy bug in the middle of the night before the big day so the party moved outdoors (It was late May in Houston and already over 90 degrees and 90% humidity. Ick!) and Daddy had to miss the festivities.

Cheese!

Opening his favorite presents - figures from the Cars movie!

Signing, "Thank you!" for all his gifts.

This face just cracked me up! Look at those blue eyes. Wow!


And yet another silly cake! :)

What We've Been Up To: Part Two

Now for more Mommy brags! Here are a few pictures of Haddon's first t-ball season. He has been in love with balls since he was eighth months old and talked about playing baseball since he was two. It was a joy to see him enjoy his first season so much.

It took me until the last game to be able to capture both him swinging and the ball in the same frame!

Playing in the dirt is always so much more fun ;)

Ready to bat!

I made it to first base.

I love t-ball!