An Amnesty Blog Post

Yes, yes, I know. I did it again. It has been brought to my attention, on more than one occasion, that I have been woefully neglectful of our family blog. So, I am declaring an amnesty blog, a catch-up of sorts in a single blog post. Our last blog post came back in January when we posted Hailey’s 9-month pictures. Since then, we celebrated my 35th birthday, our 5th wedding anniversary, Valentine’s Day, both mothers-in-law’s birthdays and a sister-in-law's birthday. This month we will celebrate Hailey’s first birthday and Brenda’s birthday.

I have stayed very busy with work, including lots of travel. So far this year, I have traveled to Iowa, Arizona, Louisiana and Oregon. I am tentatively scheduled to add trips to Virginia, Minnesota and return trips to Iowa and Oregon before the summer. It is very hard to be away from my girls, but I do really enjoy my job, including the travel.

Grace just finished her first Spring Break, a definite taste of things to come. Brenda and I are extremely pleased with our decision to send Grace to a 3-day per week preschool. She has really opened up and come out of her shell with all the social interaction she gets now. She loves her school and is looking forward to going all 5 days each week next year. Next week, we have our first Daddy/Daughter dance at her school. She and I are both looking forward to it!

Hailey is “this close” to walking. I was actually afraid she might get up and take off while I was away in Oregon. She will stand up in the middle of the floor, and she walks well with the assistance of a steady hand, chair or a walker. She is such a fun and happy little girl. We definitely detect a stubborn streak that will serve her well as she competes for attention with her sister. She doesn’t have the early vocabulary that Grace had at her age, but she has this studious contemplation about her that leads me to believe she will end up being dumb like a fox. Nothing escapes her!

Brenda is the anchor of our busy household. I don’t know how she does it, but she keeps up with the girls and she keeps me in line. It is a full-time job just keeping up with the many, many directions my mind takes us, but she manages to do so almost effortlessly as well as managing the girls, the house and her own job.

Brenda reminded me that we have pictures still on our camera going back to Christmas. Looks like an “Amnesty Photo Album” will be coming soon as well!

I hope everyone has a fantastic Easter, and has a moment to reflect on the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior and the glorious miracle of the resurrection. Oh, and don’t eat too many Peeps and chocolate bunnies.

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Grace's Birthday pictures

Count Brenda and I into the category of fans of Portrait Innovations! Leading up to Grace's first birthday we took her to have her picture taken at Sears every 3 months so that we could watch her grow. Each time it was a difficult experience. Nobody at Sears seemed to be able to get Grace to interact at all. It usually came down to Brenda and I deciding on 1 decent picture out of the set to use. For Grace's 2 year old picture, we decided to try someplace different. We went to Portrait Innovations. Talk about a great experience. Just like in the previous times, Grace was fussy and not at all interested in having her picture taken. The difference was that this time, the photographer took her time to draw Grace in and make her feel more comfortable. We took some family shots and used lots of different props to keep Grace engaged. It also helped that they took a ton of pictures! Not only did they take lots of pictures, we used 2 different studio rooms and several diffe...

I can do it!

Today was our second class at Young Chefs Academy in Round Rock. Grace was very excited to be going back this morning. We have talked a lot about our class over the last couple of weeks. Grace already has plenty of enthusiasm for spending time in a kitchen, which is something we have been instilling in her at home for some time now. This week, even though this was just our second time in our class, it was a joy to see her confidence grow. When we walked in the door, Grace was still a bit timid, clinging to my leg. She was happy to be there, but she just still needed a few minutes to warm up. By the time Miss Lesley Ann got us into the kitchen, and I got Grace's jacket off, she was already starting to warm up. This was familiar now. Miss Lesley Ann helped her get her apron on, and then it was off to wash our hands. Unlike last week though, I didn't have to take her. She had confidence in where she was, and what the routine was. Miss Lesley Ann was no longer a stranger and the on...

C'mon Mom, it's just PB and J!

When Mommy makes Grace a sandwich, she takes lots of time to cut the sandwich in small, manageable pieces for Grace. Mommy also has a thing for clean fingers, clean hair and hopefully clean ears. There is certainly nothing wrong with this approach. I applaud her enthusiasm for Grace's manners. However, sometimes... well, come on... really. It is just peanut butter and jelly. At this point, I should probably take a moment to thank the sponsors of this particular blog entry, Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Gramma's Strawberry Preserves. Gramma's Strawberry Preserves and Peach Butter is only available at a small pantry in Tyler, TX. She doesn't advertise, she doesn't sell her products online, heck, she doesn't even sell her products period... But those in the know, know where to go to get their jelly fix. Since I am down to my last jar of Strawberry Preserves, and I am completely out of Peach Butter, it must be about time for another journey to East Texas. Since Gramm...

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