Hearing Test

We were disappointed to learn yesterday that Ashley has hearing loss once again in left ear. The hearing test showed that she has mild to moderate her hearing loss on that side due to a fluid buildup. If you remember, Ashley failed her hearing tests before back in June of 05 due to fluid buildup. A few weeks later, her ENT put in tubes and took out her tonsils and adenoids. Since then, Ashley hadn't even had a sick visit to the Dr and passed several hearing tests over the 1 1/2 years.

Screaming, Screaming, Screaming

So I'm sitting outside on the back patio watching Ashley, Daniel, Cameron & Brenna "swim" in the pool. Besides being really cute and having lots of fun splashing around the thing they are doing the most of is SCREAMING! Wow, is that loud! Whether they are fighting over a float toy or yelling for someone to watch them - they cannot talk at a reasonable level. And I'm really tired of refereeing them. Wow, can those kids fight over pool toys. Maybe I should hide them all when guests come over.
Good thing we are only out here while the baby takes her morning nap. Even though it is only 84 degrees out here, it sure feels hot. I'm sweating all over the place.

Soccer Star & Ballerina

Last Saturday, Ashley played her last soccer game of the season and had her first Ballet Recital.

It was Ashley's best game! She was aggressive with the ball, had several shots on goal and scored once. It was too bad she had to leave at halftime for the dance recital. Or, maybe she played so well because she knew she was only playing half the game? At half, we rushed over to the Performing Arts Center for her stage call.

I got her dressed, did her makeup and then had to leave her backstage to go sit in the audience. She was very happy to sit and color with the other girls while they waiting their turn, but I was very hesitant to leave her back there. It's like I wanted to experience the excitement with her or at least see her experience it.

Even though her dance was only 2 minutes long, she was beautiful! I have to say that I teared up watching her. Thoughts of my own dance recitals as a child played through my mind as I watched her - hoping she would love performing as much as I did growing up. We were all so proud of her.

If you weren't able to come to the recital, expect an invitation this summer for our DVD viewing party. Ashley has announced she will wear her costume for you and perform it all over again.

9 Month Well Check

Birdie had her 9 month well check today with Dr. Dickerson. We saw her at her new office decorated in hues of blue with lots of fish and other sea life. Very cute.

Laurie weighed in at 20 lbs 15 oz and was 28 inches long. That puts her in the 75th percentile for weight and 50th for length. The Dr. mentioned she did hear a slight heart murmur today, but was very reassuring that it did not have the sound quality of a harmful murmur. While we were waiting for our appointment, Birdie kept everyone else entertained with her vibrant personality.

BTW, I hadn't mentioned it before, but the Bird now has 6 teeth!

Dance Rehersal

Here is the video I took at the rehersal for Ashley dance recital last night. She was very excited about being on stage. The video isn't very good, but you get a feel for the dance.

The New Pool

Yes, we have a pool in our new backyard! Ashley and Daniel have been swimming a few times already and are loving it. Daniel shows us over and over how he can float for us. Ashley is having a tougher time letting go of float rings. She says it is too deep to swim and she is too old to float. Um, what does the depth of the water have to do with swimming? And what about the fact the pool is 3 1/2 -4 feet deep? She can touch! Good thing they start swim lessons again on Monday.

Laurie hasn't been in the pool yet, but hopefully she and her cousin, Alex, will take their first dip this week.

Guess Who's Finally Unpacked?

I can't figure out how to make the video below go up and down, so I apologize for you having to turn you head or monitor sideways. :-)

Ashley the Ballerina

Here are pictures I took of Ashley today in her costume. I thought we might want to try it on since dress rehersal is in two days and recital this weekend.


To me, Ashley just looks beautiful in her costume. We can't wait to see her on stage Saturday.

She was very good letting me take pictures. I think she is finally getting the hang of standing still. Maybe?

Float Test

Our little fish, Daniel, completed the Goldfish level at Houston Swim Club by passing his "Float Test." Basically, they throw him in the swimming pool in his street clothes, including shoes. He has to float for 5 minutes or get himself out of the pool without any verbal or physical encouragement or assistance. Daniel passed with flying colors - 3 days in a row. Wouldn't you know it, I didn't get to see any of them. We were in the process of moving - Wednesday & Thursday, we had closings and Friday - the movers were here. My mom took him the first day and managed to snap a little video of him. You don't see the beginning when they throw him in, but him floating and swimming to the side. I've had other mothers who were there come up to me saying how great he did, that he didn't falter even for a minute. And that everyone cheered and clapped for him when he finished.

We are very proud of him. He did great. Of course, now he wants to know when he can do his float test in our new pool. Uh, how about no.

Birdie Boo is 9 months

The Birdie turns 9 Months old today. She is still growing like a weed - both in size and personality. Laurie is a cute and funny baby who loves to get attention from her parents, siblings and anyone else who looks her way. She is quick to smile and laugh, but starting to get a little wary of strangers who get too close. Birdie also gets upsets and cries when someone in the house raises their voice - whether it is Mommy yelling (does Mommy really do that?) or Daniel shrieking. We also discovered that Laurie doesn't like the sound of packing tape. Lots of crying this past week in both packing and unpacking boxes.

She can stand on her own for a whole minute, has great balance and has discovered picking up things off the floor and putting them in her mouth. She doesn't show much interest in walking yet, but seems to be able to cruise furniture when she wants.

Since the move, Laurie has discovered the stairs. It only took one time for me to turn around and she was on the third step. Yes, we now keep a gate at the bottom and top.

You might notice in the pictures that Laurie loves her carrots. Yep, she has an orange glow just like her big sissy did at this age. It's not as noticeable in person, but you can really see it in pictures.

We've Moved

We made the move last week. Thursday began as a stressful day as the movers showed up at 8:30 in the morning. Mom came over to help us with the last minute packing and the kids. Daniel and Ashley absolutely loved watching the movers and were fascinated by the big truck. At one point, Daniel sat in his lawn chair on the front lawn and watch them load up. The movers were gone by 2 p.m., which gave us lots of time to run some errands and clean the house. Actually, my mom came through again, by getting started on the cleaning for us while we were at our closing, buying a new fridge and picking up the kids from swim lessons. Talk about a big help. The five of us stayed at the house that night - having a picnic and camping out on the floor. The kids loved it.

The next morning, we got up and out of here to meet the movers over at the new house. Brian and I had a lot of tearful moments leaving the house behind. The two of us walked around the empty rooms talking about great memories. As you know, it was our first house, we had it built - we love that house. As we were pulling out of the driveway for the last time and tearing up, Ashley said not to worry because we would love the new house to. The kids weren't upset about moving, just excited about getting a house with stairs and a pool. How did my kids get to be so well adjusted?

I took pictures of the house as we drove off. I'll have to write later about the move in and the house since then. It's getting late and I'm really tired. :-)

Bad Start to a Busy Week

It's moving week for the Jones'. The time has finally come for us to start a new adventure at a new house. We are all excited and anxious about it. We close on both Wed, the movers come Thurs to load the house and Friday they will unload at the new place. In the midst of all this, the kids have preschool 3 days a week, swim lessons everyday in the afternoon, and soccer & dance for Ashley. What fun!

So, what would make this great week even more fun you say? How about a sick child? Yep, Ashley woke up about midnight Sunday night (how do they know you just turned off your light?) complaining of her ear hurting. Ok, let me rephrase "complain". She was crying. I gave her Tylenol, but there's not much else to do for a hurting ear. She sat up crying most of the night. I let her watch tv in my bed to distract her from 1-2:30 am while I tryed to doze next to her (Brian got sent to the guest room). But we didn't really fall asleep with no crying until 5 am or so. Then we were up by 7. We were at the Dr. by 9 am. (Brian was great and took Daniel to preschool) since she also started running a fever in the morning. I was really disappointed we had to go to the Dr for two reasons, one - the obvious, two - Ashley hasn't had a sick vist to the Dr. in a year and a half. It has been so nice. Well, it was an ear infection. Antibiotics and we were on our way.

I'm upset about the ears because the tube just fell out of that ear (her left) two months ago, and now, its already infected. The right ear still has the tube - going on 2 years in June. Ashley has had so many ear issues over the years, but since the tubes, tonsils & adenoids out in Summer 05, she has been healthy as a horse.

Now, here's the funny part. I went to bed before the kids did tonight. About 7:30 or so, I lost my temper with the kids so I left the room and came and laid down in bed. Fell asleep with my clothes on. I was really that tired. But here's the kicker. I woke up at 11 pm. and now can't get back to sleep.

The good news - the packing is almost finished. Mom is going to come over in the morning to help me finish and start cleaning. Only a couple of more days here.

Birdie Update

I forgot to post an 8 month update on the Birdie and she is soon to be 9 months this next week. So just a quick update with pictures from this weekend. Laurie cut her 5th tooth recently, it is the top tooth to the right of the front ones. Basically, don't stick your finger in her mouth, or let her chew on your shoulder. It will start off friendly, then she bites you! I've got lots of little bruises to show you.

Birdie got her first little sunburn last weekend at the soccer game. It wasn't very bad, but her arms were red for 2 days. I guess she has my skin - my whole face was burned after an hour in the sun.

She plays patty cake, clucks her tongue, makes her gaa gaa sounds and cruises furniture. There are times I swear she signs "more" or "milk" back to me, but I'm not really sure yet. We've even seen her stand for almost a whole minute without holding on. Course, I can't seem to get it on video. She is everywhere and she is fast!


Oh, and in case you can't tell from my pictures, yes, the Birdie still is very bald on top. There is finally a little hair in the back, but nothing on top. Can you say Mullet?

Perfect Moment

So, I'm sitting in my car at the stoplight, waiting to turn on the way to pre-school last Wednesday. The three kids in the back are all happy and bright. We are all listening to my iPod on the radio and singing along. The Best of Both Worlds by Hannah Montana. I turn around and look around the van - Daniel and Ashley are beboping around in their car seats singing, and the Birdie is smiling at them. A revelation hit me - How perfect this moment is - sitting in the car with my kids singing teeney bopper music. This is what life is all about! I think I smiled all day. It still makes me smile just thinking about it.

Our Soccer Star

Ashley shone like a star at her 3rd game of the season on Saturday. Maybe it was because her Daddy was subbing for the coach, because it was such a beautiful day or because she had a great fan club in attendance. Whatever the reason, she scored two goals and really got aggressive with the ball during the second half. It was very exciting and we couldn't have been more proud. It has been tough for her this season. Last Fall, she dominated the field, playing with and against girls much smaller than herself. This Spring, they asked her to play up, to leave PreK soccer and play in the Kindergarten league. We were excited for her, but it has been tough. Suddenly, the girls she is playing with and against are mostly her size and speed. She has met the challenge and is exceeding our expectations. We still have several games left and are excited for her! Go Cheetahs & Go Ashley!!!

Brother & Sister

Daniel and Laurie have been spending some real quality time together lately. In the mornings, I find Daniel in Laurie's crib playing with her. They are very cute together.

Grandmother Jones Birthday

On April 15th, we celebrated Grandmother Jones' 95th Birthday.

Beautiful Sunday

I'm being bad today. It is a beautiful Sunday and I am home, with no husband or kids, doing nothing. Ok, I'm supposed to be packing the house since we have less than 2 weeks till our move. But no. I can't get motivated. Surfing the web, singing very loudly to my iPod (right now, it's SheDaisy), and sometimes dancing around. I feel like at any moment, I could get punished. Someone surely is watching... keeping tabs that I'm productive at every moment of the day - right? Nope, not today. I got a lot packed yesterday, so I want to enjoy myself for a little while today.
Do you have any idea how freeing it is to sing at the top of your lungs with no one around to hear you? If not, you need to try it soon!

At Last

We have a contract on a new house in Sienna, with a close date in early May. Yes, less than 3 weeks to pack, move and close on both houses. I don't think I'm going to have time to be sad or excited about moving. Because the pictures on HAR are so bad of our new house, below are ones I took tonight while there.

This is the butler's pantry between Kitchen and Dining Room

Breakfast room has a door leading out to front porch

From family room into kitchen

From gameroom into family room

Master

Master Bath

Dining Room

Formal Living