Cousins

Okay, I might be stealing some of my mom's christmas card thunder here, but I had to post these pictures of all of her grandkids. I love them- both the pictures and the kids! I love having pics of all of them together because it reminds me of how truly blessed Collin and Sarah Kate are to having such loving families to support them. And all of these kids are so precious to me personally. I remember each of their births, and love all of the little oddities that make each one special.

Haleigh and Bret were born when I was still in high school, so they have always been so special and so spoiled by all of us. Haleigh is driving now, and Bret is getting so big that I don't even recognize his voice anymore. They are also two of the most polite, loving teenagers I have ever been around. Hats off to my brother and his wife on raising respectful kids!

And Taylor and Chandler were the first "pair" of the family. These two have been so fun to watch grow up together. Chandler with her boundless enthusiasm, and Taylor with her genuine sweetness. I love them both so much, and appreciate their willingness to let their dorky aunt sit in on their High School Musical parties and go to the American Girl store with them. (Love HSM by the way- and have a t-shirt to prove it!)

Colton and Patton were the next pair and what I love so much about these two right now is how great they are with Collin. They make him feel like he's a real "big kid" and always let him tag along. Colton is constantly giving Collin his toys!

Lexi, as she says, doesn't have a partner like most of her other cousins, which suits her perfectly. She definitely makes a statement on her own! She is the funniest little girl EVER, and keeps us on our toes all the time!

Parker, sweet Parker! He was a royal pain while Brittany was pregnant, but has been proving everyone wrong since. He's another geuninely sweet little boy- he's one of the only three-year-olds I know that will give hugs and kisses on demand.

Then there's Hank- whata sweet boy he is too! He and Collin are going to have so much fun growing up together, and from what I can tell so far, they may get into some trouble along the way too.

Just wanted to jot down a couple of things about these kids- they are such a huge blessing to our family, especially Collin and Sarah Kate. They have brought so much joy to my life, and gave me the opportunity to test out some of my parenting theories before I actually had kids of my own! I love you all SO very much!

Why I'm not a doctor, and Collin's prayers

After you have your first child, you kind of begin to think that you're getting things figured out- or at least I did. Sarah Kate had what I thought was a stomach bug last week- no big deal, right? Then, the fever lingered over the weekend, so we ended up taking her in on Saturday to an urgent care place by our house. I was sure she had an ear infection or something else like that, and that the stomach bug was pretty much gone. This is the first point at which I should have reminded myself that I'm not a doctor. The doctor we saw declared that her ears were clear, I began to pack up the diaper bag, and then he announced (after several minutes of taking her pulse and playing with her skin) that he was sending us to the ER because she was dehydrated. Proof: I am NOT a doctor. More than that, I felt like an awful parent! She didn't cry a single tear the entire time we were at the ER. Very, very sad. So they fixed her up, sent us home, and we thought all was well. Some of the tests later showed that she had an infection. Again, no big deal. Proof again: I am NOT a doctor. We went in to our pediatrician's office the next day for what I thought was a simple you-were-in-the-ER-so-I-have-to-see-you visit, but as it turns out, little SK needs some more tests run next week. I really think everything will be fine, but it has been an interesting ride. I usually think that I run to the doctor too quickly for little things, so this has been completely out of character. Anyway, we'll know more next week. Keep us in your prayers.

As for Collin, he has really been enjoying bedtime prayers and songs. Lately, his prayers are absolutely adorable. I promised myself I would start writing some of them down so that I could remember them.

- "thank you for Mommy taking me to class" (the gym)

- "thank you for that guy, and that guy, and that guy" (the sports figures in the pictures on his wall)

- "help me to stop hitting" (admirable, and also a prayer of mine)

- "my tricycle"

- "thank you for Santa bringing me a saw" (counting his chickens before they hatch I suppose)

Here are some recent pictures...

First Game!

Here are a few belated pictures of Collin and Sarah Kate's first baseball game! We went to Houston to see David's parents for the weekend and had an awesome time. The game was great! Lots of hitting, 2 homers, and a farewell salute to Craig Biggio. I also thoroughly enjoyed the air conditioned stadium! Check out our little fans...

And another picture from the weekend of little Sarah Kate. She is so precious!