Music for Makinna

You may have noticed the link I've had on the side bar of my blog for the past few months to a website dedicated to helping Makinna Sherwood. Makinna is the 2-year-old playmate of Wesley and Anna Kate, and the daughter of Stephanie, one of my very best friends here in Florida. Makinna needs a series of surgeries to obtain hearing, and each of those surgeries will have to take place in California. Although insurance will cover most of the cost of the surgeries themselves, the family is responsible for all travel costs and for the expenses they will incur during their time in California, including extended stays in hotels while Makinna recovers. Last night our church held a benefit dinner and concert for Makinna. Above is a pic of Stephanie with the guest of honor. Our little celebrity was even featured in yesterday's newspaper! (Randal, Paige, Dana, Brad & Eric performing).





The kids had a blast dancing to the music! Kendall and Wesley paired up, of course. Wesley found that hat in the garage today and he proceeded to wear it the rest of the day... even after he took a bath and was just wearing underoos. I missed that photo op, because I was getting Anna Kate dressed. Michael decided against creating another embarrassing photo to make future teenage Wesley cringe, but I'm all. about. it. I'll be there with camera ready next time!





Wes and the ladies... Isabella, Kendall, & Megan.





Wesley took this picture of Beth and me, the preggo mommies. Wes is actually getting halfway decent at framing up a shot, but his finger is almost always over the flash or the lens, which is why there are always fingers to crop out and the lighting is always weird. That's Anna Kate, my appendage of late, hanging on me. She was super-clingy last night and wouldn't let me put her down for a minute. She'd better work this out of her system before the new baby comes!



... and sweet Makinna. We love you!!! (P.S. Had my monthly OB appointment Friday and the baby's heartbeat was much lower. Last month is was a very girly 167, and Friday is was a nearly boyish 154. This baby likes to keep us guessing! We find out this Thursday!).

First Day of School!

This morning was Anna Kate's first day of school ever, and Wesley (the old pro - he started preschool last January) started the school year in the big 4-year-old class in a new school! Both kids are attending Joyful Hearts Preschool, a brand new school formed by some of the most wonderful, spiritual women from Wesley's previous school. This school has been their labor of love, and we are so excited to be a part of the first year! Wesley's previous school had a wonderful curriculum and the teachers were all wonderful with children, and all of those elements will be a part of this new school. The biggest difference for me is that Joyful Hearts has a much more Christ-focused mission and the kids will be doing a lot more praising, worshiping, and learning from God's word. What a blessing! This is Wesley's "hurry up and get this over with so I can go to my new school!" pose. Both kids have been SO excited. The both would have slept with their backpacks if I had let them!





This is what happens when you try to get them to smile by asking them to say something... doesn't exactly work. I think they're yelling, "Happy first day of school" in this pic. Wesley will be in school from 9 to 12 in the morning, 5 days a week. Anna Kate is in the 2-year-old class, which meets from 9 to 12 on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. That means I will have two mornings a week with NO kids!!! This is the first time since I became a mom over 4 years ago that I will have any time to myself at all!





My two big kids! Wesley is so proud that his baby sister is coming to his school. -Below- Wesley finding his spot in Miss Amanda's class. As you can see, he's not exactly all broken up about having to say good-bye to me!





I'm not sure if Anna Kate understood that I was leaving, but once she spotted the toys, there was no time to worry about such things! -Below- Giving me her best "Cheese!" face





Wesley and his buddy Owen, who was in his class last year. Both of Wesley's best buds from his old school are in his new class!





Wesley with Miss Amanda, his new teacher. It's gonna be a fun year!



Happy First Day of School!! Wish I could say I teared up as I left, but if I were a gymnast, I think I would have done a back-flip on my way back to the car! Not to whine or anything, but those that have raised children within a few hours drive of family just do not get it. For 4 years, I have had no family, no help, no sitters, and no options. My only recourse is to call Michael and beg him home from work, but he has a good 45 minute commute. Every time I've been sick, I've had to just tough it out. This respite in my week is sorely needed and incredibly overdue! The new school is literally just around the corner from our neighborhood, so by 9:05 I was sitting in my house wondering where I could find some of my old grown-up music to play while I work in peace! This is seriously such a blessing! I'm sure I'll cry when Wes goes off to a full day away from me in a big scary school, or when it's letting go of my last, but this is like dropping them off at a friend's house down the road for 3 hours in the morning. It's gonna be a great year!

Stealing Kisses

Wesley was so worn out last week that he fell asleep on the couch while watching TV with Daddy. Wes is perhaps the world's heaviest sleeper... the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade could probably march through his bedroom at night and he wouldn't wake up. I've been known to clean out Wesley's closet while he's sleeping a foot away. Anna Kate saw that Wes had fallen asleep and suddenly wanted to snuggle him like a baby doll. She thought this was absolutely hilarious... pretty sure she thought Wes was playing a game.





Giving Wesley big loud kisses! ..."Man, he's good at this game!"

Coming along swimmingly!

Wesley just completed his 3-week swimming boot camp! For the past two years, Wes has camped out on the stairs of swimming pools across the country, and has been hesitant to even let Michael or me carry him into the water. He has made HUGE strides this summer! (This last day of lessons when parents could walk the pool deck and take photos was really just a fun play day, so they wore life jackets much of the time so they could splash and play. He did most of his lessons without a jacket). Now he can go underwater...





... and coming up smiling! I'm so proud! His first day of lessons he was excited, because he is so social and loves anything new. But by the 2nd and 3rd day when they were trying to get him to go underwater, he really got scared and didn't want to go back. But he soon realized how much he could achieve if he tried, and the look of pride on his face when he did something new was priceless!





Getting ready to jump... not even a hesitation! -Below- Showing off his floating techniques (this was probably the most difficult for him... learning to relax and be calm in the water without treading).

And this is the kid that makes me stand by with towel in hand in the event that he gets the slightest drop of water in his eyes while rinsing his hair in the bathtub!

And this is what Anna Kate has done every morning for the past 3 weeks... sat in her stroller and endured the heat with Mommy. What a trooper! The first day she kept taking my head in her hands and repeating, "Mommy, I want to go home." But I started bringing Cheetos with me, and that helped. One day I thought I'd switch it up and bring popcorn, and she was not happy. She climbed out of her stroller and began rummaging through my bag saying, "The chips, Mommy, where are the chips?!" I didn't make that mistake again! -Below- This picture made me laugh... Wesley can be a little enthusiastic. This isn't his regular teacher and I guess he must have caught her off-guard!

Wesley showing off his certificate listing the skills he learned with Miss Melissa. We're so proud of you, bud! Unfortunately, I was in Arkansas on my business trip on this day, but I gave Michael strict instructions to take Wes immediately to Chuck-E-Cheese upon completion of his last lesson. Convenient how that got me out of taking him, but hey, I don't plan these things! (Or DO I??) ;o)

Wesley's Four Year Portraits

My firstborn is FOUR!

Wesley is officially four! His birthday was yesterday, and we had a big party for him on Saturday night. Wesley has been waiting for this party for many, many months. His Bible class teachers inform us that he has been describing his upcoming Wall-E party in great detail to his entire class every Wednesday & Sunday. It's so gratifying to throw big parties at this age, because it leaves a lasting impression... Wes talked about his Incredibles party (his 3rd birthday) all year long. When he started preschool in January, his teachers thought he had just had a birthday because he told them all about his party. So I felt like the pressure was on to make this year memorable as well.





I let Wes look through the bakery book two months ago when we were planning Anna Kate's party and he picked out Wall-E. We also played the movie on a big-screen TV, which Wesley thought was exciting. -Below- Beth and Kelly, my preggo comrades!





So my flight landed in Tampa around 10 p.m. Friday night (I had a business trip in NW Arkansas for MCG). Michael picked me up and we drove the Australian student that sat next to me on the plane to his hotel, & didn't get home until midnight. I was exhausted and dangerously low on sleep, but I immediately started working on the marinade for my taco salad. The next morning we went to Sam's and then I went straight to the building and made 6 bowls of taco salad, finishing with just enough time to run home and retrieve the kids for the party. Allllllll because Stephanie Sherwood wanted taco salad! Now don't you feel loved, Steph?!!





Anna Kate enjoying some quality time with Grandpa. Michael's parents made the long trip down from Georgia just for Wesley's party, and we absolutely could not have pulled everything off without their help! It made all the difference to have someone here to hold down the fort so Michael and I could run around and get things done on Saturday. Then my sweet mother-in-law hand washed every dish I dirtied, and my heroic father-in-law stood guard and rescued small children from the fury of the Nerf pinata bat. Inlaws are birthday party essentials! -Below- Bailey, Kaley, Ellen, and Andria.





Our last birthday as a family of 4! (The new baby will probably come just days before my birthday in January).



The moment he'd been waiting for... Wesley has talked for over a month about how everyone was going to sing happy birthday to him, and then clap and then say, "Yay!" In that order. By the way, gone are the days that I get to pick out cute party clothes for him. Mimi brought this Diego t-shirt and it was not coming off.









Wes with Erin and Katie... never without a friend to help him open a present! ...Giving Kendall (his betrothed) a thank-you hug for the Transformer. -Below- Isabella, Andria, Ellen & Jack





Beth, Kendall, Reese & Sarah. Yes, preggie Beth did go down the slide... I did NOT.





Pooped party planners! I have never been so worn out, but it was all for a good cause. Michael squeezed my feet for an hour when we got home! ...Anna Kate ready to blow this joint!