Four Days of Family

Because I worked so many extra days this past summer, my school allowed several teachers to have an extra week off for spring break, so I coordinated with my sister-in-law Lindsey and she was able to make a trip to Texas! She, my brother, and my nephew Nicholas live in Arizona. Nicholas is almost 4 months old and I haven't even gotten to meet him yet! That is...until now!

Robby, Abigail and I woke up at 6 am this past Sunday to get ready for the airport. When we got there, there was only about a 20 minute wait before they came out of the terminal! As SOON as Nicholas saw me, he started smiling and cooing! It was wonderful! I scooped him up immediately, then said hi to Lindsey. Michael is serving our country in Afghanistan, so it was just the two who were able to come visit.

Abby and I took Lindsey and Nick to Tyler (Robby had to work this week), and we stayed for four days. The first thing we did was to take the babies to the hospital to visit my dad. He hadn't seen either one since November. He saw Abigail at Christmas and right before his surgery, but ever since, he's only seen her at a distance. It was nice for him to see his two grandbabies together.

A few times, I watched Abby and Nick while Lindsey either slept in/napped/took a shower. It was good practice for me to have a toddler and an infant at the same time. It wasn't as easy as it looks (and I never thought it looked easy!). It was fun, though. After the second time, it got much easier. I felt myself getting better as the week progressed. :)

I really, really enjoyed my time with Lindsey, Nick, Abigail and my mom.

Because so much happened, I think it would be better to show you our week in pictures:

Uncle Robby meetin Nicholas for the first time!

Sweet, sweet nephew!

Keeping each other company in the car!

Nani and Nicholas

First cereal! 3.8.10

Bath time!

Nani and Abigail

Nicholas's bath!

Caldwell Zoo trip - first time here for both Abigail and Nicholas

He found the visit very relaxing.

Abby feeding the ducks!

She got one!

Look closely - there's a mountain lion! She liked all the lions/tigers/big cats the best!

Trying to persuade a bird to come eat her seeds!

A new word: Bird!

Lindsey enjoying a sno-cone!

Out of her stroller and on the prowl!

Shopping at Babies-R-Us

He wasn't too interested in the shopping trip.

Taking a break from shopping for a little drive!

A High Fivin' Good Time

Last night we spent a little family time with Robby's family. We haven't seen Randi, Chris or Mason in a while, so it was nice to spend time with them. After we ate at Cotton Patch, we went to Baskin Robbins for dessert - where Abigail had to feed herself! - and back to Mimi's so the kids could play together. When we were getting ready to leave, Abigail and Mason gave each other high fives, then gave the parents high fives, then Mimi, then each other again. They were having a blast high fivin'!

Unfortunately, I didn't get many pictures. I'll have to do better in the future because these little ones sure are growing fast!

Mmm...chocolate ice cream!

An Anomaly

Now that TAKS is over, and since it's the start of a new six weeks grading period, I actually got to come home shortly after the time we're allowed to leave! Today was maybe the third time I actually left before 5, when we're allowed to leave at 4:30. I always have students in tutoring or am working on grading.

I got home remarkably fast (less traffic!), so Robby and I decided to take Abigail and Chance to the park near our house. When we got there, we were amazed to see how many people were there! It was so packed, that there was only one parking space left in the WHOLE parking lot after we found a spot! Do this many people really go out for family time on a weekday? It was really odd to me, but I guess I've been so busy at work that I have been missing out on this fun opportunity. I enjoyed the day so much that I plan to leave before 5 every day, especially when Daylight Savings starts and it will stay lighter outside much longer! I love spring!

Love Note

Today was a grueling day at work. It was long, difficult, stressful and we had a faculty meeting to boot - yes, it was a typical "Day before TAKS" school day - the worst day of the year, in my opinion. Everyone's emotions are high and the kids are bonkers.

I was at school for nearly 12 hours today, and when I got in my car, I was exhausted and cranky. That's when I saw it: The Note.

My wonderful, loving, thoughtful husband left me a love note! When I first saw the letter, placed on the steering wheel so it was the first thing I saw, I was taken aback, because it was enclosed in a home-made envelope. To be honest, at this time, I didn't even know there was an actual note inside it - the drawings on the outside were sweet and touching. As a matter of fact, after looking at everything he drew, and the significance of it, I started tearing up (like I said, emotions were high). When I called him to tell him I L.O.V.E. him, he alluded to a note, and that's when the good got even better.

I opened the envelope and tucked inside was a page long letter, written from the heart and for my eyes only. At this point, I really lost it and started boo-hooing right there in my school parking lot. He knew that today was a really stressful day for me and he took the initiative to make sure that I knew everything would be okay. He put it in perspective for me: how loved I am by him, how much he appreciates the love I show him, how he recognizes my effort to be a good teacher, how he adores me when he sees me with our daughter and how he is inspired by my work ethic and my drive to always learn more. I was nearly speechless at his profession of love.

Sometimes there are no words for how I feel about him, but the bond between us is incredibly strong. I cherish each and every moment I have with him and love the time that he gives for our family. I love my husband, my best friend, my soul mate. Without him, I would wither, and I know that I am better because of him. Robby, when you read this, know that you are the most important person in my life, and that I love you beyond belief. I will always hold the letter you wrote me dear to my heart. Thank you for being you and thank you for sharing your life with me.

Although the note is for me only, here are a few pictures of the home-made enevelope!

We took our honeymoon in Jamaica, and always talk about taking a family trip to the beach. In this picture it has our family (Chance included) going for a stroll. He even has a picture of a turtle (my sorority mascot) and some lobsters (the reason behind the lobsterkisses name for this website!)!

Close up to see the detail.

Our wedding anniversary: 6/23/2007
The pirate is for Abigail, whose initials are ARR. When she was born, she only opened one eye at a time, so we called her a pirate. Plus, she speaks pirate (arr!). The pumpkin is because we call her pumpkin head, and the little red guy is Muno, from Abigail's favorite show Yo Gabba Gabba. I love the detail and symbolism in each drawing!

Picnic in the Park

The sun decided to make another appearance today, so we wanted to make the best of the sunny day, especially since it is supposed to rain and get cold again tonight! Robby and I packed a lunch and we headed out to a park to have a picnic with Abigail and Chance in tow.

Instead of going to the dog park, like we did yesterday, we went to a closer park with a much better and more up to date playground. This park has trails, too, so we knew that we'd be able to take Chance for a good walk.

Although we had good intentions, it was too windy (March winds one day early?) to eat outside, so our picnic blanket was unused today as we had to eat in the car to keep everything from blowing away! The day was still a success, though, because as soon as we finished eating, we hopped out to soak up some sun and play.

The first playground was PACKED, so we thought it would be best to take Chance for a walk, then come back to the playground. It was our first time at this park, but we really enjoyed it. There were plenty of picnic tables, horseshoe pits, sand volleyball courts, basketball courts, a fishing pond and a very scenic walking/biking trail. There was a creek that ran through the park and, as we walked around, Robby and I were able to reminisce about the times we spent playing in the creek near our houses when we were younger. After about two-thirds of a mile hike in the woods, we came across ANOTHER playground, and this one even had a specific toddler area!

This playground was still busy, but there weren't that many people on the toddler toys, so we took Abigail out of the stroller to play. The play set was built like a town, with a jail, general store, music shop, and of course SLIDES! There were two side by side slides, so I slid in one while she slid in the other, holding hands. A lady there with her grandkids said, "What a great picture!" but Robby didn't have the camera out at this time! Aw shucks! There were triplets there about 18 months old and Abby liked taking turns (TAKING TURNS! YAY!) playing with the music chimes. It was sweet.

After a while, we headed back to the original playground, where our car was. When we approached the play area, Abby started pointing and squealing, obviously communicating that she wanted to play. I thought she would have been more timid on this playground since it was built for kids 5-12 and there were tons of older children running around, but she held her own and started running up the ramps with Daddy chasing behind her. After playing with the gadgets and sliding down the slide, a little girl, about 5, started playing with her. She held her hands, gave her hugs, protected her from big kids and when Abigail started walking towards Chance, she said, "No! He's a dog! You don't know if he is nice or not!" until Robby said that Chance was her puppy. It was so cute! Abby liked her new play mate, and when I said it was time to go, they hugged each other bye-bye. A lady watching all this said, "Oh, I thought they were sisters!" It made me think, "Hmmm...Sisters? Yeah!" I would love to have another girl someday - a sister for Abby! I know she'll be the best big sister. Robby was even talking about needing to get a double stroller! Haha. This is the best part of being a family, spending time together, without the internet or tv - just being outside and focusing on each other. This has been a memorable weekend!

Yes, a windy day indeed.

I told him to put on his happy face, and this is what I got! I guess it doesn't get any happier than this!

We decided to put Chance to work, pulling the stroller.

Playground #2 - with a toddler playground to the left of it.

On the toddler playground, playing with the music chimes.

On the way back, walking through the woods.

The big playground, packed with kiddos!

The music station on the big playground.

Of course, she had to try the slide! And Daddy is smiling because he is moments away from letting her go down by herself! I ran over there so fast to catch her, that I dropped the camera!

Abby and Chance - all tuckered out from their fun picnic!

Sunshine at the Park!

Wow, what a glorious, sunny day! It seems like it has been forever since we have seen the sun, so in honor of this beautiful day, Robby and I decided to take the family out for fun at the local park. We decided to go to the dog park, since Chance hasn't had much of an opportunity to really stretch his legs lately. This was our first time to a dog park since we moved to Mansfield, and we were really excited to find one so close to our house. It's called Tails & Trails Park and is a HUGE dog park with walking trails around it (hence the name!). Chance really loved playing, and we let him run and meet new friends for nearly an hour.

Abigail and I sat on a bench inside the big dog area, where Chance was playing, and she had a blast looking at all the dogs, especially when one would come near us, which wasn't very often. Everytime Chance would run by she would squeal, point and scream "CHANCEY!" It was fun to sit there with her, name the dogs and colors of dogs, and just enjoy the sunshine.

After Chance slowed down, we hooked him back on his leash and went walking around the trails. Eventually, we came upon a park and playground and let Abigail out of her stroller to have some fun. She had a blast on the slides, and Robby even talked me into letting her go down a slide by herself (after I tested the speed, of course!). The best part was watching her explore the area; she had the most fun not on the toys, but just running around the playground, even though she thought the woodchips were trippy and preferred to walk on the concrete. It was a nice day to be out and let our baby and furry baby have some fun. It was a great family day!

Robby ready to go!

Abigail (and Chance in the back) ready to go!


Putting on her shades!


After Chance had some fun, it was time for Abby's fun!

She LOVES slides!

Sliding by herself!

She could also "pump" the swing by herself! This amazed us, because she doesn't have swings at day care, and we have no idea how or where she learned this!

Exploring

She loved the grass, too.

Fun in the sun!