The Three Little Petri's

Birthdays!

2011-06-20T13:47:00.000-05:00

Will turned 3 years old last Wednesday and Claire turns 1 this Wednesday! We had a cowboy/cowgirl party on Saturday to celebrate. All the cousins were there and Nathan's parents even came up from San Antonio to celebrate with us and to have her dedicated at church on Sunday. We had such a wonderful weekend celebrating these special kiddos! Katherine went home with my in-laws for a special week with her grandparents, too! Fun times!

Cow Anyone?

2011-05-18T13:42:00.000-05:00

My son wants a cow for his 3rd birthday next month. "A real one, Mama, to live in our backyard..." We are even having a farm-themed birthday party for him and Claire. He obviously can't have a real cow, but does anyone have a cow we can come see/pet/feed?

Bye Bye Blog?

2011-05-16T16:08:00.000-05:00

I haven't decided yet for sure, but I think I'm going to discontinue blogging. Or at least drastically decrease the frequency. I originally started the blog after Will was born as a way to share pictures and funny stories or updates with out of town family, but it hasn't exactly turned out that way since few (if any) out of town relatives actually read the blog... I have lots on my mind and lots to say, but probably not much that anyone else cares to read. I am going to start writing about our homeschool adventures in a journal instead. So... thanks to the faithful few these past 2-3 years. I'll probably keep uploading pics to Facebook though, so look for me there if you want. I think my FB profile is set to private, so if you can't find me, email me and I'll "friend" you!

Much love,

Kristen

My Babies

2011-05-16T15:08:00.002-05:00

I just thought I'd share a picture of my babies from Mother's Day last week. I'm so thankful that God chose me to be their Mom! I am truly blessed!

New Book - I Love Dirt!

2011-05-09T13:47:00.002-05:00

I just got a new book called I Love Dirt!by Jennifer Ward. I'm writing this post mainly to hold me accountable to complete all 52 lessons this year. It's a great little book that gives you ideas to help you engage your children in the outdoors with specific ideas for each season. Most days, we just go outside and play, dig, explore, and are completely unstructured. These ideas seem to provide a little more guidance for kids (or parents) who don't know what to do when they go outside or are bored after 5 minutes because they don't know what to do if they aren't sitting in front of some kind of screen...

My kids don't have that issue (they built a roly poly habitat in Will's water table on Saturday complete with dirt, water, grass, tree bark and more), but the activities add an additional educational element to the outdoor time. For example, the first Spring activity is to look for signs of Spring - buds on a tree, flowers, new growth, etc. It also reminds me to point out textures like the soft blades of grass under our feet, and to do somersaults on the grass or roll down a hill. All are fun ideas that my kiddos will love while learning more about the great outdoors.

We plan to do the first activity this afternoon after naptime - I'll keep you posted on our favorite ideas!

Easter 2011

2011-05-02T13:24:00.000-05:00

Our family on Easter - Claire's first Easter

Daddy and Will

Mama and girls - notice Claire's 1 shoe

Girls full of hot air...

Katherine at the duck pond in my mom's neighborhood

Mama and Claire

My precious boy

Will and Bennett (just a few weeks apart) talking about how their boo boos are getting better. It was so cute to see them having a real conversation!

Josh and his boys

Will throwing bread to the ducks and turtles

He was so excited to see them come get the bread!

San Antonio Zoo - April 2011

2011-04-28T17:15:00.001-05:00

This was the only bear out at the zoo that day - Claire Bear

Will and Aunt Katy (She turned 16 the week before our visit - crazy that she was 3 at our wedding!)

Daddy and Will

Katherine

Katherine and Will (I can't believe her hair used to be straight)

An Okapi (it looks like a zebra bottom and giraffe head - so strange)

Aunt Katy, Will and Me-me

Pops talking to Claire chillin' in the stroller

Pretzel break

Six...

2011-04-27T19:59:00.000-05:00

My first baby boy turned 6 years old today. I haven't seen him in over 2 1/2 years... nearly half his life. I'm thankful for his life and how he impacted mine in such a dramatic way. I just wish it could have been for longer... like forever. If you have no idea what I'm talking about you can read more here, here, and here.

Dilemma

2011-04-26T17:44:00.000-05:00

I've got a dilemma. I HATE moving. I especially hate moving after having kids. I also love my house. But, my kids LOVE playing outside. At my in-laws last week in the Hill Country, Katherine and Will played outside ALL DAY. Literally, they went outside after breakfast and didn't even want to come inside to eat lunch or dinner. Will wouldn't even come inside to use the restroom (Nathan taught him how he didn't have to - thanks, Babe). On Friday, we were going to the San Antonio Zoo and Will cried and cried because he just wanted to play outside at Pops and Meme's house. It was so cute to see them playing together and exploring. They cracked open rocks to find crystals inside, played on the swing set, played in the dirt, pet the dogs and cats, and even used a measuring tape to measure the circumference of all the trees around the deck! Here's the problem. I do love my house and love that we live in a small town, but we managed to buy a house in one of the only real neighborhoods in our town of less than 3,000 people. We love our floorplan and all the extras this house has, but it's on a lot the size of a postage stamp...

I want my kids to be able to safely explore nature and not just from our sidewalk or within our little backyard. But, I don't want to add a huge amount to our current mortgage either. There is a GORGEOUS 3 acre wooded lot across the street from Nathan's parents (sorry, Mom) but I just don't see a move to the Hill Country in our future... There are many communities within 20 minutes of here that have 1-3 acre lots, but to buy a lot and then build a house that I'd be happy in would be significantly more money than what we owe now. What to do... what to do...

10 Months

2011-04-25T20:27:00.000-05:00

Miss Claire Olivia was 10 months old last Friday. Here are a few pictures I took of her on Easter morning.

Too Much On My Mind...

2011-04-14T23:59:00.000-05:00

It's been a little while since I last posted. It's not that I don't have anything to say, in fact it's quite the opposite. I've been meaning to post about Katherine's schooling since we've been at this for 6 weeks now. Last week, I just wanted to post about how I was sad that I don't get to talk to my Dad anymore (because it was his birthday last Monday), but what good does it do to whine about it? You can't make someone love you, so I'll just suck it up and deal... well, grieve quietly not in front of the blog world.
We have been very busy with school. I've been struggling to find a balance between not enough school in a day and way too much. I asked my homeschool mom's group a couple weeks ago how many hours a day their 4-5th graders spend on school and was shocked to hear an average of 4 hours. Gee - the 8-9 that Katherine is spending is too much??? I think I've only been giving her about 6 hours worth of work but she S T R E T C H E S it into 9. But, I've reduced her workload even more so that her first year of homeschooling will be a pleasant one as we both figure this thing out.

Right now, we are learning about North America. We spent a couple weeks learning about the US and now we are on our second week learning about Mexico. We are working on learning some basic Spanish words, reading about the geography and history of the country and are even reading about a missionary, Cameron Townsend. By the way, a couple months ago, Katherine's dream was to become a famous moviestar but she started saying a couple weeks ago that she might want to become a missionary instead. SAY WHAT? Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The fact that her worldview is expanding is incredible and proof that for now, this is the right plan for her. Tomorrow we are going to make homemade tortillas for lunch and we'll probably go to a Mexican restaurant on Saturday to conclude our 2 week study of Mexico and Central America. Next week we begin a 2 week study of Canada, then Brazil, then on to Europe! And, she gets to stamp her "passport" as she travels into each country with a sticker of that country's flag.

I have been extremely impressed with My Father's World Exploring Countries & Cultures and am fairly certain we will move on to Creation to the Greeks in the fall. I haven't seen anything else that provides this much structure and great lesson plans to me while utilizing great books in a Charlotte Mason/classical education approach. Nathan and I are going to a HUGE book fair in 3 weeks, so I hope that we'll settle on our 5th grade curriculum then. Katherine is still really struggling in math and I'm considering switching to Teaching Textbooks since it might appeal more to her learning style. We'll see.

Well, next week should be a fun, educational vacation. We are taking a trip to tour the state capitol in Austin then heading to visit my in-laws for a few days. We'll all be visiting the Alamo and the riverwalk. The Capitol and Alamo are particularly interesting right now because Katherine was studying Texas history in public school this year.

Pics and Prayer Request

2011-03-29T17:06:00.001-05:00

Claire had her 9 month appointment with her pediatrician today and she hasn't gained any weight since her 6 month appt. I know it's because she's SO busy and active, so she burns too many calories, but I'm still worried about her. The pediatrician said her skin is beautiful and she's ahead developmentally, so she's not too worried about about her weight. But, she would like to see her gain some weight by her 1 year appt in June. Please pray that she continues to eat solid foods well and will finally take a bottle!

Oh yeah... she weighed in at 13 pounds and 7 ounces - less than 99.9% of all baby girls her age. :(

Will in Claire's new car seat (in my foyer)

Showing off his tiger mask that Katherine made him

Littlest Munchins

2011-03-26T22:54:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been so busy with Katherine that I haven't posted about the 2 little ones in awhile. My precious boy is going to be 3 YEARS OLD in less than 3 months. I can't even believe it! I always heard that little boys have a special place in their Mama's hearts, but never quite grasped how true it is until my sweet, sweet boy (I had a feeling it was true with Christian but always had a little wall built to protect myself since I wasn't sure we'd get to adopt him). Will loves to play with his trucks, toy dinosaurs and farm animals, his letters (cards, letter puzzle pieces, and foam bathtub letters), jigsaw puzzles, coloring, reading, and most importantly his sisters. Without a question, his favorite book is his Toddler Bible. We read it cover to cover every 2-3 days. I bought him the new Beginner's Bible on Friday and we've already read at least 200 pages of it!

He is such a ham. Nathan and I are constantly cracking up about something he's doing or saying. He is in preschool 2 mornings a week at the FUMC here in our town. He loves his teachers and friends. I actually had to have a talk with him last Monday because he kissed a cute little girl on the cheek while they were on the playground! He told me that he likes Addison - she's his friend! I'm pretty sure he understands that he is only supposed to kiss Mommy and Daddy now, but I guess we'll see. :)
My boy loves to learn! We only spend about 15 minutes a day doing "school" but he constantly asks questions and I'm teaching him without realizing it. It seems weird how much he knows at his age, but if he wants to learn how to read now, why not teach him? Other than reading countless books, here's what we are doing right now.

Scriptures he has memorized in the last month
1. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good.
2. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth.
3. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
4. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant or rude. (we are working on this one right now, but still have more to go)

Words he can spell from memory (he can sound out just about any words with short vowel sounds and no blends like SH, CH, etc)
1. Will
2. Stop (he tells the kids at preschool to "S-T-O-P STOP!" when they are trying to take a toy from him. Sometimes he tells me to "S-T-O-P STOP!" when I'm walking towards him to put him in time out)
3. Go
4. Cat
5. Dog
6. Red
7. Yellow
8. Pop
9. Mama
10. Dad
11. Nana
12. Will
13. No
14. Daddy

Counting - he finally got past 20 last weeks while counting the holes in his tool bench. He counted up to 29, then said 2010, 2011, 2012. It was pretty cute, but I was pleased since he discovered the pattern in counting.

This boy is such a joyful, happy little guy. I feel so incredibly blessed that God chose me to be his Mom.

Claire Bear

My sweet pea is now 9 months old! It's fun to finally begin to see her spunky little personality emerge. Although she has been my most challenging baby yet, she is such a sweetheart. Girlfriend has a set of lungs on her that can rival ANYONE, but she is also a snuggly little pumpkin. Claire is definitely a Mama's Girl and has little interest in anyone except me most of the time. It's pretty exhausting, but I am attempting to enjoy it because I know how differently she will feel in about 15 years... Will is getting to the point that he can make her laugh while they are in the backseat which is an answer to prayer since we have a long drive to just about anywhere we want to go. When Daddy gets home from work, she squeals and says, "Dada, Dada" until he picks her up.

She's still extremely petite. We have an appointment at the pediatrician on Tuesday for her 9-month appointment, but I think she weighs about 15 pounds. Will weighed that at around 3 or 4 months, I think. It's pretty funny to see this tiny little girl standing up and taking steps while holding onto furniture or your hand.

I will add some more pictures soon...

One Week Down - Eighteen Years To Go

2011-03-11T21:31:00.001-06:00

I have to say that I think this was a fabulous first full week of homeschooling. Since I didn't receive most of our curriculum until last Thursday night, last week was pretty much just Spring Break for Katherine. We did tons of math review, practiced handwriting, did daily devotions, and memorized Bible verses. This week we really got down to business. I'm pretty sure that I challenge Katherine more than any teacher she's had since beginning kindergarten, but I'm also confident she is going to learn more too. Gone are the days of coasting through school - this Mama is gonna make her work... hard! :-)

As I mentioned last week, our main focus this year is geography. We will be spending a tremendous amount of time learning all the continents, oceans, countries, states, capitals, etc. Not only will we learn about the locations of the various countries, but we are also studying each country's religions. It will be a great year of exposing her to tons of info and will provide a good foundation for all that she will learn in Social Studies over the next several years. Nathan has enjoyed all the books so much that he comes home after being gone for 12+ hours and wants to read all the Bible, history, and science lessons from that day so he stays caught up. Nathan and I decided that I should be on Jeopardy in a few years since I'm relearning so much!

Here's a recap from this week:

Bible - reviewed this week's memory verse John 3:16 (she already had this memorized), read about missionaries throughout the world and how to pray for them, the first ecosystem - the Garden of Eden, the need for Bible translation throughout the world (the Bible has only been translated into about 450 languages but there are over 7,000).

English - Handwriting, created an outline, wrote 1 fairytale, retold 2 stories to me, and a memorized poem.

Spelling - no official spelling this week (I didn't receive my materials until last night), but she did have 2 vocabulary words from geography that she memorized.

Writing - Worked on sentence structures and following directions... Hmmm - still working at that part!

Math Drills - 15 minutes/day on addition, subtraction, multiplication or division

Math - 5 lessons and a test (she's completed 15 lessons and 2 tests in the last 2 weeks)

Geography - Pretest of the all the countries in the world (disappointing results - thanks public school), we learned about globes, maps, hemispheres, directions, etc, worked on memorizing continents and even learned a silly continent song to the tune of Yankee Doodle. I truly believe that simply memorizing locations of countries won't help her retain this knowledge long-term. This curriculum should work because we dive deep into studying each country, really learn about the people, and then read biographies of missionaries in those various countries. Katherine seems to learn best when she can relate what she is learning back to people (Miss Social).

Science - Ecosystems, environments, nature walk (backyard habitat), and niches. We planted basil, mint, rosemary, lavender, and morning glory seeds yesterday. Today we went to the Dallas Arboretum.

Music/Art - listened to CD of songs from all over the world in many different languages, created John 3:16 art poster, and decorated covers of Language Arts and Geography binders. I'm considering piano lessons also.

Reading - She started reading Caddie Woodlawn on Wednesday for her daily assigned reading and her personal reading selection for this week is Sophie's Secret by Nancy Rue. She has already read the Lily series at least 3 times, so I was excited when I found out the Frisco library has all the Sophie and Lucy series too. These are great books written by a Christian author that deal with real issues that tween/early teen girls face. I highly recommend them! She also checked out 5 books from the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne. She had stopped this series after book #35 or so when we moved from the Frisco area and our local library doesn't have any books beyond 30. Since we are now making a biweekly trip to the most amazing library on the planet, she can resume reading that series also.

Well, that about wraps up this week. I'm pretty sure that no one really cares to read all this info, but this is more so I can record this new journey for our little family of 5.

First Field Trip

2011-03-11T20:37:00.002-06:00

The Petri Homeschool (school "name" possibly to follow in a later post) had our first official field trip today. We went to the Dallas Arboretum with 2 of my best friends Jill and DeAnn, our 6 six kids, and De's mom. It was so fun to spend time with my friends and watch our kids play together. De's mom joked how our conversations have changed dramatically from what they were 10 years ago... It was also pretty cool that Katherine and I could work harder earlier in the week to get the week's work done and take today off to enjoy the BEAUTIFUL weather and God's creation!

Ellie (Jill's youngest - age 3), Katherine (mine - 11), Claire (8.5 months), Noah (De's only - 8 months), Garrett (Jill's oldest - 6.5) and Will (mine - almost 3)

Claire Bear - not sure what to think of sitting in the grass

Claire and Noah

Wanting to play together

Will playing Hide and Seek

Sweet Ellie hiding

Katherine

Ellie wasn't too sure about the ladybug on her sweater

Will smelling the tulips

The big boys looking for orange tulips... Will thought Garrett was super cool!

Here are the kids checking out a ladybug in the grass

Overall, it was a great day and I can't wait to continue to explore this great world with my sweet kiddos!

Lent/Ash Wednesday

2011-03-09T18:48:00.000-06:00

I am not Catholic and don't know a ton amount about many Catholic traditions. Easter has always been an extremely important holiday ("Holy Day") for my family and I remember being taught about the true meaning of Easter (Jesus' death and Resurrection not the bunny) from as young as I can remember.

This year, we are adding a new tradition to our Easter celebration. Lent. All I ever knew of lent was that people I worked with went out and got really drunk on Fat Tuesday and then some of them gave something up on Wednesday. Three people also came to work each Ash Wednesday with ashes on their forehead. I think I was 21 the first time I saw this, and actually went up to a lady I worked with and told her she had something on her forehead... I was beyond mortified! Anyway, our church recognizes/commemorates Ash Wednesday/Lent by giving up something for the 40+ days leading up to Easter.

1. Sacrifice: I am giving up Facebook. For those you who don't use Facebook, this probably seems silly. But, for me, it is the ultimate time-sucker. Because I'm at home most of time with the kiddos (and now homeschooling Katherine), it's my main connection to the outside world. I'm planning to use the time studying my Bible, praying, and playing with my kids.

2. New Life: The kids and I are planting several herbs and flowers this week to symbolize new life.

3. Resurrection Cookies: I heard about these cookies last year, but didn't get to make them. We will definitely make them this year.

What traditions does your family have for the Easter season?

Reading Tree

2011-03-08T16:03:00.002-06:00

I found this AMAZING reading tree at this blog and SOOO want to make one for our playroom/schoolroom. Anyone feeling creative and want to come help me?

Homeschooling Mama!

2011-03-01T22:05:00.002-06:00

It sounds so weird to even say it, but it's official! I emailed her teachers and sent the withdrawal letter yesterday. For the last year or so, I've seriously considered homeschooling Will when he gets older but have never really thought about it for Katherine. It's not because I haven't wanted to, but I really thought public school was best for her and we definitely want to do what is best for each of our children. She is SO social and loves being around her friends... too much... so much that she would rather talk to her friends than do her work or even daydream about getting to talk to her friends at lunch and recess than pay attention to what her teacher was teaching.

Really... I must be crazy. I have an 8 month old who has slept through the night 2 times in her life and doesn't nap well consistently. Oh - did I mention she has separation anxiety and won't go to anyone except Nathan? Even then, if she can see me, she reaches for me... I also have a VERY busy 2 1/2 year old who is into everything. SO. BUSY. He is also begging me all day to do puzzles or read to him, or to "teach me read, Mama." In some ways this is going to take time from Will and Claire, but it will also be great for Katherine to spend some wonderful quality time with the babies that she would have missed out on otherwise (she has been doing homework from 3:30 to 9:00 EVERY night for the last 1-2 months). She'll be able to work on her fluency while reading out loud to Will and/or Claire. She can work on remembering her reading rules (which will hopefully help her spelling) while helping Will sound out words. I have grand ideas of how it's all going to play out. :)

Yes, I know she's going to miss seeing her friends at school but the leader/director of the homeschool co-op I joined told me last week that Katherine needs to learn/realize that the people living in the four walls of our home are the most important relationships she will ever have (except for her future husband and kids, of course). That really hit home with me. She will still get to see friends 3 times each week at church and the homeschool co-op has "Friday School" each Friday morning (9 other girls her age). We will also have so many opportunities to go on field trips, travel to visit family, take learning vacations (i.e. Alamo & Sea World with in-laws this summer), etc.

I've read more than 10 books about homeschooling in the past several weeks, but the one that influenced my perspective the most was The Well-Trained Mind. It really talks about the benefits of homeschooling using a Classical approach (back to the basics of learning, lots of real books, lots of writing, lots of real life experiences). I highly recommend it!

For family members who want to know more details, here you go.
For the rest of 4th grade, we'll be doing Saxon Math, My Father's World Exploring Countries & Cultures for Bible, Social Studies (Geography & International Cultures), Science, Music, and Art, Mind Benders workbooks for logic, and a couple other programs for grammar, writing, and spelling. There is a huge homeschool book fair in DFW in May that Nathan and I will attend to look for curriculum for 5th grade. I'm hopeful that My Father's World works well for Katherine because I am really excited about next year's

time period from Creation to the Greeks. Here is their 5-year cycle for upper elementary to middle school.

Year One Geography: Exploring Countries and Cultures

Year Two History: Creation to the Greeks

Year Three History: Rome to the Reformation

Year Four U.S./World History: Exploration to 1850

Year Five U.S./World History: 1850 to Modern Times

That's it! I'm extremely excited and so is Katherine. Since we are waiting for the last of our curriculum to arrive, this week is Spring Break and we'll hit the ground running next week. Wish us luck and say a prayer for us. Supportive comments, please!

Valentine's Day

2011-02-18T10:00:00.000-06:00

Oops - I just realized I never posted these Valentine's from my kiddos.

Happy Valentine's Day from the Petri family!

ELEVEN!!!

2011-02-18T09:55:00.000-06:00

I still can't believe I have an 11 year old... It's absolutely crazy to think that Katherine is the same age I was when I met my husband! Katherine's birthday was on February 3rd. We planned to have my niece Braeden spend the night the weekend before, but Katherine was sick. :( Instead, we had a small birthday party with my brother, mom, and step-dad the following weekend. I am still hoping to have B spend the night within the next couple of weeks.

This was on the evening of her actual birthday. It was a snow day at school, so it was a nice relaxing birthday... Blueberry pancakes for breakfast and her favorite meal (called stuffed bread) for dinner.

This was the Saturday after our birthdays when my family came over to celebrate.

She had a sock hop at school last Friday night. She looks so grown up.

Her hair is finally long enough to put in a ponytail. She is so excited and feels very mature. :)

In our school district, middle school starts in 5th grade. So, unless I decide to homeschool her (although I'm seriously considering it, we will probably stick with public school for her), she will go to middle school next year. Crazy!

MCP Project 52 - week 6 "Words"

2011-02-07T17:38:00.000-06:00

My cousin, Suzanne, is participating in MCP Actions' Project 52. You just submit 1 themed photo a week to their Flickr site so others can view and comment on your photo. I've had my camera for over 2 years, but haven't really had the time to devote to really learning it until recently. Nathan thinks I'm crazy that all I wanted for my birthday were photography books, but that's what I wanted. I can't imagine anything better than to beautifully capture important family memories and milestones.

This week's theme is "words." I can't imagine anything better than my precious boy reading THE WORD "just like Daddy." Nathan studies on weekday mornings at 5:30AM before anyone else wakes up, but Will loves to crawl up on his lap on Saturday and Sunday mornings while Daddy reads his Bible. It's so sweet...

7 Months!!! (in a few days)

2011-01-19T16:11:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I haven't posted in 3 months about my littlest Petri. She honestly hasn't grown much (she's only 25 inches and 13 pounds 10 ounces), but wow has she changed! At 6 months she started crawling and last week she started climbing up and standing in her crib, standing up against furniture, climbing, etc. She is one strong girl! I'm a little worried she might be too much like her mommy... maybe a little strong-willed. :-) I guess we'll see. Our goal is provide a loving environment where she can grow into the little girl (and someday woman) that God wants her to be!

5 1/2 months

6 months - so happy because she got Will's toys! Will always says, "No Claire Bear. No touch my toys."

Loving her new kitchen she got for Christmas from Nana and Grampy

Eating a banana through the mesh bag - she loves bananas and blueberries best!

She learned how to stand up in her crib and is obviously quite proud

the Petri dimples

So... it's been awhile

2011-01-19T15:51:00.000-06:00

I know... I know... It's been too long since I've updated my blog. I usually post pictures to Facebook, but that's as much time as I have. I don't even know if there is anyone who reads this thing that's not on Facebook, but oh well.

I'll try to do several posts this week, but I'll start with the snow. On Sunday, January 9th we had a beautiful 4-6 inches of snow here. Will was sick during last year's snow and didn't get to play in it, so this was the first time he got to play in the snow. He loved it as much as Katherine does! Here are some pics of

the kiddos.

He was a little unsure at first...

This is my favorite picture - he was trying to catch the snowflakes!

The snow is super bright, but they are trying to build a snowman.

Hello from Katherine! (Isn't she getting so big? I can't believe she'll be 11 in 2 weeks!)

I like this picture too because you can see how much Will just adores her!

Claire Bear is 4 Months Old!

2010-10-26T14:51:00.000-05:00

Claire was 4 months old last Friday. When we took her to the pediatrician, she weighed in at a whopping 11 pounds, 5 ounces and is 24 inches long. She's a sweet lil' punkin!

GO RANGERS!

Katherine's Baptism

2010-10-26T14:14:00.000-05:00

Katherine made the big decision a few months ago that she wanted to be baptised, and our church had a baptism service on Sunday night. We never pushed the issue, but waited for her to ask to be baptised to make sure she was ready. We've been talking about it for the last few months and she definitely understands what it's all about. It was a very exciting day for Katherine and for us. Fortunately, because of all the people cheering and me taking pictures, I didn't start bawling like I thought I would. :-) My mom, Nolan, my brother Josh and his kids were there to celebrate with us. What a special day!

Katherine before the baptism

Katherine and her cousin Braeden (Josh's oldest)

Will and Nana (my mom)

Bennett and Josh

Pastor John explaining baptism

AFTER! So happy!

What do you think? Me or Will?

2010-10-08T17:02:00.000-05:00

My mom thinks Claire looks just like me as a baby. Below are pics to compare. What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Here is Will's baby picture. Does she look more like him?

One Word

2010-10-07T17:40:00.000-05:00

Eyelashes...

Singing

2010-10-07T14:43:00.000-05:00

So, Will LOVES to sing. No matter what the song is, he thinks he knows the words and wants to sing along (hmmm, that sounds like my oldest daughter too).

Here he is (sitting on the potty) singing B-I-B-L-E.

Singing his ABCs.

Punkinheads

2010-10-07T14:30:00.000-05:00

This morning we went to the Pumpkin Patch with my MOPS group. Of course, Will wanted to run everywhere and Mama was exhausted. When we arrived, we were able to take pictures in their fall display, chase Will, play on their playground, chase Will, Will ran around like a wild man while the lady explained the different kinds of pumpkins, chase Will, go through a maze, chase Will, look at farm animals, chase Will, chase Will, get tired up chasing Will and give up and go home... Overall it was a good time, though. He was super excited to see all the animals. Our next outing is going to be to the zoo or a petting zoo. Here are some pictures of our Pumpkin Patch experience!

Sitting on a HUGE pumpkin

Peeking out of the play house

Here he is trying to figure out how to open the gate, so he could get inside to the the chickens.

He REALLY wanted to pet the goats!

Petting Grace the goat

Here is the ONLY picture I was able to take of the two of them since he doesn't sit still very long...

She was HOT and tired by this point. It's also very difficult to hold up a baby and

take a picture at the same time... Maybe we can go with Nathan and Katherine later in the month.

Poor baby was worn out and slept the entire way home. Yay!

First Complete Sentence...

2010-10-01T09:11:00.000-05:00

So Will said his first almost complete sentence yesterday... "Claire down please, Mama. Hold Will." While I was proud of his developing communication skills, I was sad for his little heart. Poor little fella.

3 MONTHS

2010-09-22T08:30:00.000-05:00

My sweet baby girl is 3 MONTHS OLD today... I can hardly believe how quickly the time has gone by. It seems like just yesterday that she was born. Well, it actually was yesterday that I posted about it. Better late than never, right? Anyway, she is such a precious, little girl. I thought that since she was my third that I wouldn't hold her as much. WRONG! It turns old that if you know that it's your last baby, you want to hold them all. the. time. Granted, I have a 2 year old so it doesn't always work that way, but I just love snuggling with this girl.

Claire is extremely alert and loves to smile and coo! She started rolling over about a month ago and just recently started grabbing toys on her baby gym. She loves her big sister and big brother, and Will cannot get enough of her. He's constantly trying to kiss her, shove (ummm... I mean gently place) her pacifier in her mouth, or tell her, "Ok, Claire Bear... Ok..." When she's crying or screaming, he tells me "Claire crying." Thanks, Buddy. I hadn't noticed.

Without further ado, here are some recent pics of our littlest Petri. It's very hard to get a picture of her smiling since she gets the deer-in-the-headlights look whenever I bust out the big, black camera. Oh well.

Claire Olivia Petri - June 22, 2010

2010-09-21T13:44:00.000-05:00

So, I'm nearly 3 months late but I thought I'd post a few pictures from Miss Claire's arrival. Because of my emergency c-section with Will, I was scheduled to have another c-section on Wednesday, June 23rd. I wanted to attempt a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), but it was only an option if I went into labor on my own before the c-section date (not likely but I was praying that it would happen). I had contractions sporadically for the 2 weeks before my due date, but no labor.

On Monday the 21st, I was just feeling kind of strange all day. Not any major contractions just uncomfortable. I had more contractions throughout the evening. At about 9pm, I went to Brookshire's (grocery store in Anna) to return a movie we had rented and to walk around a little since walking helps labor to progress. I finished packing all my last minute things for the hospital (camera, toiletries, etc) just in case I did go into labor. Although I was having contractions, they weren't unbearable. I went to bed about 10. At 10:30 I got up because they were bad enough that I couldn't sleep. At this point, I didn't want to call my midwife since I still didn't know that I was in labor. Keep in mind that I was induced with Will, so the Pitocin contractions were SO much stronger than what I was experiencing at this point. I was trying to pass the time, so I played Solitaire on the computer from about 11pm until 2am when I couldn't focus on the game anymore and knew I needed to time my contractions better. I finally called my mom about 4:15am to tell her to head this way (a 45 minute drive from her house to mine). When she arrived at 5:30, I was pacing saying "We gotta go... we gotta go..." over and over. At this point my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and were intense! We arrived at Centennial Medical Center in Frisco just after 6am. My poor midwife, Jeanean, had just delivered another baby and had been there all night. She checked me and I was dilated to a 6. She also recommended that I get an epidural since I had been up all night, so I did. Oh my goodness!!! I do not even remember why I thought natural childbirth was such a great idea with Will. Granted, I was able to handle the pain but it certainly wasn't a pleasant experience. With the exception of the insertion of the needle, the numbness of my legs, and how itchy it made me - it was the most wonderful thing ever!

Anyway, my midwife checked me again at around noon and said I was fully dilated and ready to push. Since I was unable to deliver Will after 4 hours of pushing, we decided that I would push for 1 hour and then decide how we wanted to proceed (i.e. c-section or continue pushing). At 1:26pm, my precious baby girl was born. I simply wept and praised God for His goodness. Not only to have been given a beautiful little girl, but also for the way she came. It was a huge gift for me that somewhat redeemed the way I felt after Will's traumatic birth.

Here were her stats:

Claire Olivia Petri
6/22/10 at 1:26PM
6 pounds 7 ounces
19 1/2 inches long

I just got my epidural and was trying to sleep... no such luck.

Although grubby, this still looks just like her!

Daddy and Claire

Nana (my mom), Katherine & Will with Claire

The Petri family (this is in the evening and I'm beat)

Precious girl

This was the celebration dinner provided to us by the hospital. The caramel cheesecake was AWESOME!

My midwife, Jeanean, holding Claire

Mommy and baby

Nice and comfy before getting ready to head home. It was pouring when we left the

hospital so there are no pictures of that...

More Birthday Pics

2010-06-16T13:47:00.000-05:00

Here are a few more pictures from last weekend that I couldn't get to upload yesterday.

Will's dog cake (I know it's cheesy and not very good but I'm 9 months pregnant and tired - he liked it)

The family (I forgot I wasn't wearing makeup - yuck!)

Mama and Will

We actually had to light the candle 4 times because he kept saying, "More... More..." each time he blew it out.

He actually asked for a fork... crazy kid...

He finally decided his hands were more efficient than his fork

Checking out his new water/splash table - this is a MUST HAVE for a two year old!

He was so drenched after playing with this! He will definitely be wearing his swim trunks

while playing with this in the future.

Nana and Grampy bought him a new "bike!"

Happy Birthday Will!

2010-06-15T15:40:00.002-05:00

Two years ago today my precious little boy was born. It was Father's Day in 2008 that we first met our little angel. I know every parent says this, but it's so hard to believe how fast time has gone by, how much he has grown, how independent he has become, and what an amazing personality he has developed. I can't even begin to express how thankful Nathan and I are to be his parents. He has brought so much joy, love, and laughter into our home. It is so fun to watch him learn new things, figure out how things work, and just to spend time with him.

Because we weren't exactly sure when Miss Claire Olivia will be joining us, we didn't plan a big party this year. We did, however, go to Hawaiian Falls water park with my mom, step dad, brother & his kids, and Nathan's older brother and his family. Will had an awesome time! He kept wanting to go down the slides with Nana (since it was a little hard on Mama). He'd say, "More... More..." as soon as they finished and run to the steps to go again. All of kids (and adults) had a super fun time. We'll definitely have to do this again!

Will

Katherine, Uncle Josh & Garrett

Aunt Kalyane and Jaxen

Josh's youngest Bennett sliding with NO FEAR!

Nana and Will - mid-splash on the slide

Will & Nana

Garrett turned 6 on the 14th and Will turned 2 on the 15th (ignore the baby belly in the background please)

I LOVE CAKE!

Braeden & Katherine enjoying their cupcakes

Daddy & Will

Mama, Daddy & Will

Last weekend I made him a cake (he specifically asked for a white dog cake), so we had birthday cake and presents at our house with Nana and Grampy. He got his first BIKE (tricycle actually), a water table, lots of puzzles, cars, art stuff, and other fun toys. This kid had a ball!

This morning when he woke up and I told him Happy Birthday, he said "I two" followed by "Dog... cake..." :-)

I'm going to have to post the other pictures separately because they aren't downloading correctly...

The Nursery is Complete (almost)

2010-05-14T08:24:00.007-05:00

Well, little Miss Claire Olivia's nursery is finally done (except for the mobile I'm making - I will post a picture when it's finally done if I like it and decide to use it). I'm very pleased with the results and think it will transition very easily to a big girl room. It seems like everyone always asks why we have a bed in our baby's rooms and it's mainly there for Mama once they move to their rooms at 3-4 months for the middle of the night feedings... But, it will also come in handy during the first 3-4 months if Daddy ever needs to get a full night's sleep away from a newborn!

I hate the fan, but it's a must-have in Texas!

This is the door hanger we will use at the hospital and then can hang back in her bedroom as a keepsake.

Here's my sweet baby boy who was "helping" me take pictures of Baby Sister's room. I can't believe Will is going to be 2 years old one month from tomorrow... Seriously, time goes by too quickly when you have children.

I am still alive... I promise...

2010-04-26T20:31:00.004-05:00

So, I have obviously been a terrible blogger. Life has been pretty busy for the last few months with 2 kiddos, being pregnant, and I've been working full-time since January (fortunately, only 10-15 hours a week I have to go into the office)...

Will is absolutely a mess! He's into EVERYTHING and I mean everything. Last week I was on the phone my new HR person and during the 15 minutes I was on the phone, I had to help him out of the drawer he had managed to get his feet stuck in (the drawer of the end table managed to close while he was standing IN the drawer, so he was laying with his back on the floor with his feet stuck in the drawer - really!), he had climbed from the back of the couch to the counter top in the kitchen and was trying to turn on the faucet, and he pulled all his books out of one of the shelves of his bookshelf and climbed in it! Seriously, in 15 minutes while I was watching him! He LOVES letters! He knows all his capital letters, though he still gets a little confused thinking N's are M's and keeps confusing V's with other letters but other than that, he's got them all down! He points out letters at the store, in books, on TV, everywhere. He would rather play with his alphabet letters than almost anything (other than Legos). I can't believe my little man is going to be 2 in just 7 weeks... Where has the time gone? Before I know it he'll be going into kindergarten.

Speaking of kindergarten, Christian, our previous foster son turns 5 YEARS OLD tomorrow. It's so hard to believe he's been gone for 3 1/2 years and he'll be starting kindergarten this fall. CRAZY! I still miss him so much, but I'm truly thankful for the brief year and a half I was able to be his mom. In my heart, he'll be my son forever.

I guess lots has changed with Miss Prestyn Katherine since I last posted. About 3 months ago, she decided that she did not like having a boys name and was finally ready to start going by her middle name (something we suggested when her adoption was finalized in 2006 but she wasn't ready for). It took a 2 or 3 weeks for us to get the hang of calling her Katherine all the time, but now we are all used to the change and it really seems to fit her. Even her cousins have made the transition fairly easily. She is doing great in 3rd grade and is enjoying the "small town" school environment. She has TAKS this week, so she's a bit stressed but we think she'll do great! She's worked really hard this spring and is ready. As always, her favorite things to do are read and draw. She's read every chapter book she owns (50+ books) at least twice!

Well, that's all I can really think of for now. I'm getting close to be done with Claire's nursery, so I'll post pictures once it's done. Only 8 weeks left until she's here!

I fell in love again yesterday…

2009-12-18T07:15:00.005-06:00

It was my fifth time to fall in love… I first fell in love with my sweet, wonderful husband back when I was just 16 years old. I still remember it vividly and am still head over heels in love with my man! I fell in love with our daughter Prestyn and foster son Christian back in 2005. This was different and took a little longer because of the situation – not knowing if they’d be with us for only a week or forever. But, it didn’t take long before they had stolen our hearts and we were in love. The fourth time I fell in love was completely different than the other 3 – it was instantaneous! I’m sure it was because it took 5 years to conceive and he is our miracle baby, but I was instantly and completely in love with William the moment I found out I was pregnant. I was very nervous my entire pregnancy, but felt overwhelming love for him beginning from conception.

This pregnancy is unique from my pregnancy with Will. It’s probably because we conceived this baby so quickly. I guess I felt that somehow it was too good to be true. I had already received two amazing miracles – adopting Prestyn and having Will. Surely I didn’t deserve a third. Now don’t get me wrong, I have been genuinely excited and beyond thankful for this baby. I’ve been reading every day in my pregnancy journal exactly how the baby is developing and growing each day. I’ve been planning for the birth, after the baby arrives, etc. I did have pretty significant morning sickness with this pregnancy which was actually good for me; as long as I was sick as a dog, I knew I was still pregnant and everything was progressing. About 3 weeks ago, my morning sickness ended (Praise the Lord!) but the anxiety began increasing. By this time in my pregnancy with Will, I had already had 2 sonograms and heard his heartbeat – I hadn’t had any of that with this pregnancy until yesterday…

All that what to say, I had built a wall around my heart. After losing Christian, I just feel like I couldn’t lose another child and stay sane (I’m sure I would because God is so good and faithful, but I didn’t want to open myself up to that again). But, yesterday… oh yesterday I saw my precious, perfect, beautiful baby. I saw his/her fingers and toes. I saw his/her adorable little profile and how ACTIVE he/she is. I saw my baby turn it back to get away from the sonogram-thingy – it was pretty funny. I saw and heard my baby’s heart beating. And the wall around my heart came crashing down... That’s it, folks, I am completely and totally in love again.

Here are some pictures of Baby #3 at 12 weeks and 3 days. We have no clue about the gender and won't until our next sonogram in mid-February but who cares?! :-)

Fall Festival

2009-11-02T10:32:00.005-06:00

Our church's fall festival was Saturday afternoon. It was a really fun time for the kiddos and a nice chance to visit with friends. Nana joined us too which was SO helpful since Will was running around like crazy and Nathan was working a booth. Dr. Prestyn was too warm to wear her hat thing or her white doctor coat thing. Will wore his puppy "hat" and "mittens" for most of the afternoon...

Nathan, Dr. Prestyn and the Puppy Will

His little tail would wag when he walked!

Nana and the very thirsty puppy

Dr. P!

What a cute doctor!

Will's first bounce house experience - he wasn't sure what to think at first. Prestyn was very careful with him and tried to help him figure it out. It didn't take him long!

He decided the cones didn't need to be around the firetruck. He carried them all to one spot and was so proud of himself for collecting them.

Of all the things Will could do, his absolute favorite place to be was right in front of the speaker! He would stand in front of it and dance. I kept carrying him away telling him it was too loud, but he'd run right back... This boy LOVES music. Meanwhile, Prestyn & Nana were busy making beaded bracelets!

I took many pictures of Will & Prestyn on the firetruck, but unfortunately this is the only one where either of them were even looking at the camera. It's hard enough to get two kids to look at a camera - how in the world is going to work with a new one next year?! :-)

Good times!

Exciting News in the Petri Family

2009-10-30T12:35:00.003-05:00

Well, I never thought I’d get to make this announcement once in my life let alone twice in just two years. Nathan and I found out a couple weeks ago that we are having another baby! I am almost 6 weeks pregnant and the baby is due on June 28, 2010. Prestyn will be 10 and Will’s 2nd birthday is a couple weeks before the due date. I have my first doctor's appointment mid-November.

We are very excited and feel incredibly blessed that God has allowed us to be parents to a 3rd little miracle! We can’t wait to find out if the baby will be Evan Joseph Petri or Claire Olivia Petri (95% sure of our girl name – still subject to change if it’s a girl).

Much love,

Nathan, Kristen, Prestyn & Will

Much Needed Rest

2009-10-08T11:52:00.007-05:00

I just got back on Monday from 4 1/2 wonderful days in paradise! I had such a great time with my 3 closest friends and look forward to vacationing with them again at least every couple of years. Three of us have already turned 30 this year and DeAnn will turn 30 in December - this was our birthday celebration! We saw some cute ladies in their 50's or 60's on a girls' trip and think it will be fun to continue doing this for the rest of our lives!

Jill and I left on Thursday to meet DeAnn and Christina who were flying in from Tucson and CA. We spent 4 nights at the NH Riviera Cancun and it seriously could not have been more beautiful. We pretty much just read by the pool, ate, and relaxed the entire time - can't get better than that!

We all missed our sweet husbands and kiddos, so we were anxious to get home on Monday. Although it was pretty hard on me to leave, it was definitely worth it and I'm so glad my honey watched our precious children in order to give me a break. I was able to spend quite a bit of time thinking and praying during my trip, and God truly answered some prayers for me this weekend. I am so appreciative for the time I got to be by myself, with my girlies, and with God!

Kristen, Christina, Jill & De after a dinner at the Hibachi

Mine and De's room

The view of the infinity pool and ocean from our lounge chairs

De and Jill

30th birthdays - woo hoo!
The ocean from our balcony

15 Things About My 15 Month Old!

2009-09-15T11:03:00.005-05:00

15 Things About My 15 Month Old!

My sweet boy is 15 months old today and is doing all sorts of fun things that I wanted to share.

1. I love that Will understands almost everything I say and nods yes or no.
Are you hungry?
Do you want some milk?
Do you want to go outside? (by the way, the answer is ALWAYS an emphatic yes to this question)
Are you ready to go night-night?
Do you want to take a bath?
2. When he hears a car outside, he runs to the window in the playroom to see if Daddy’s home.
3. I love that he gets so excited and starts clapping when Prestyn walks into the room. He LOVES playing with his big sister.
4. When he hears people clapping and cheering on TV or the radio, he starts clapping and cheering.
5. I love that I can say, “Let’s go change your diaper” and he runs to the door, so we can go to his room and change his diaper.
6 I love/hate that every time we walk by the front or back door he starts pointing at the door and nodding his head YES with a big smile on his face! How do you tell him no? You can’t… He is an outdoor boy!
7. His 2 favorite books are Big Red Barn and Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. He would read them 100 times a day if I was willing.
8. He sees cats (either in person, on TV, or in books) and starts meowing. SO CUTE!
9. When we went outside yesterday, I put his tennis shoes on (since the ground was wet and it was sprinkling). When we came in, I took them off. He went and picked them up and spent the next 5 minutes trying to get them back on. He loves his shoes!
10. He knows how to turn on the TV – I did not teach him. He can turn on the dish and the TV! We have to hide the remote…
11. He LOVES music – nods his head, dances, and even “sings” when he really likes the music. He almost always sings with Elmo.
12. I am biased but I think he has the MOST beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen!
13. I’m so thankful that he’s becoming more snuggly as he gets older. He gives great hugs and Eskimo kisses.
14. He makes the funniest fish face whenever he sees a fish in a book – he kind of sucks on his bottom lip. He’s so adorable.
15. I love that he’s ours forever! (We are coming up on the 3 year anniversary since we lost Christian)

We are so thankful for our precious little boy. He adds so much life and humor to our home!

Somebody learned how to climb into the window and stand up!

I'm so funny!

So... he took my headband (it's lovely, I know) off my head and wanted to wear it. He looks like he belongs on a Saturday Night Live skit.

He took it off and is now trying to put it back on.

See #12 above...

First PB & J sandwich using Memaw's homemade peach jelly. Mmmm!

My sweet kiddos hanging out on the back porch

Good News & Bad News - Church Update

2009-09-13T20:29:00.005-05:00

Well, I have some good news and some bad news (bad for us, probably not anyone else). As you know, we moved to Van Alstyne at the end of July. When we moved, we COMPLETELY thought we were going to continue to make the 40 minute drive to Hope Fellowship where we have been members for the past 5 1/2 years. But, after trying it for a few weeks, having a life group meeting in Frisco, and not being able to take Prestyn on Wednesday nights, we decided we needed to find something closer. We really want to find a church home that is within 10 minutes, has children's classes on Wednesdays, good worship, solid teaching, and a great children's ministry... That's not too much to ask, is it? Except for the drive we've had that at Hope; surely we can find it again.

I LOVE the Internet! During our online church hunt, we have reviewed countless doctrine statements, scoured websites, and listened to hours of teaching to try to narrow it down. Three weeks ago, we attended 2 churches in one day. Both were good, but just didn't feel right. I don't know how to necessarily quantify the feeling, but there were also 2 issues: 1. I didn't feel comfortable leaving Will in the nursery because it was too crowded (10+ toddlers and only 2 caregivers). 2. Prestyn didn't like it at all. She's pretty easy-going but she felt overwhelmed and extremely uncomfortable. She asked if we could please go back to Hope. :-(

But, I am pretty certain that we have found our new church home. I have listened to the pastor's last 4 messages and Nathan has listened to the past 3 months worth. He is spot-on in his teaching, he doesn't shy away from difficult subjects and he talks about JESUS! Maybe that sounds like a given, but if you've visited any churches lately, you'd be surprised to hear how many are more self-help than gospel-centered... The worship leader is very talented (great voice and good song selections). But we are SO going to miss Aubrey and Jen - you guys are honestly the best worship pastors/leaders I have EVER had to privilege of worshipping with. Seriously, better than Chris Tomlin. Prestyn LOVED the children's service and can't wait to go on Wednesday night. When I told her today that we think we found our new church, she was actually excited! Yay! I'm going to a women's "cooking boot camp" tomorrow night to meet some of the ladies and Nathan is going to go to a Men's breakfast on Saturday morning. And... it's only 6 minutes from our house! Even when we lived in Frisco, the drive to Hope was at least 20! We are stoked about the drive.

Anyway, Hopers, we are SO very sad to leave Hope Fellowship. You have all been such a huge part of our lives for the past several years (through the infertility, losing Christian 3 years ago, Prestyn's adoption, the miracle of having Will, etc). We love you all so very much and are so thankful for all you have imparted into our lives. But, there's always email and Facebook (gotta love FB!). Please, stay in touch. People always say that, but I really mean it!

Love ya!

Kristen

Thoughts...

2009-09-13T20:18:00.002-05:00

So, I was giving Will a bath this afternoon and had an interesting revelation/thought. Usually, when I put him in the bathtub, he is FILTHY (right after dinner, of course). He usually has meat, cheese, or some other tasty treat smushed into his hair, ears, and anywhere else it might stick. A little warm water, some wonderful Burt's Bees soap, and he's as clean and delicious smelling as ever (LOVE me some Burt's Bees)!

It got me thinking about how Jesus' blood is like a bath. We're all stinky, full of imperfections, and just plain nasty. But THEN Jesus' blood takes away all our sins and washes us white as snow. We sometimes get into the mindset that we need to do good works or somehow earn our salvation, but there's NOTHING we could do to earn what He did for us or to "bathe" ourselves. There is nothing but the blood of Jesus! Praise the Lord for his precious blood!

"Oh, the blood of Jesus! Oh, the blood of Jesus!
Oh, the blood of Jesus! It washes white as snow.

What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh, the blood of Jesus! Oh, the blood of Jesus!
Oh, the blood of Jesus! It washes white as snow."

New Pet?

2009-08-31T10:26:00.004-05:00

So, we had a new friend wander into our lives over the weekend. He was a VERY hungry, VERY skinny, VERY sweet cat. I don't really like cats, but I was outnumbered because the rest of my family LOVES them!!! Nathan went out to buy him some cat food immediately and boy, did he eat it up! Poor little kitty.

Prestyn spent over 2 hours on Saturday and Sunday petting him, talking to him, and playing with him. Every time Will looks out the window and sees him sleeping on the chair, he squeals and starts clapping. He still has an infatuation with dogs but now kitties are on the list too!

Moses (named by Daddy and Prestyn)

Moses relaxing with Prestyn

Slender little kitty

Prestyn built an amazing, very intricate tower yesterday out of magnets. She even drew us tickets for admission to see the castle/tower. She worked very hard on it and was very proud!

The Tower/Castle

Cheese!

New School Year - New Beginnings

2009-08-26T11:53:00.008-05:00

So, I've been terrible about updating this blog. Life has just been too busy with work, 2 kids at home, a new house, etc... Here's a brief update.

Prestyn started school on Monday and absolutely loves her teacher and her new school. I have been SUPER impressed with everyone that I've met at the school so far. They really seem to have it together and are providing an excellent educational experience. Prestyn has already made a few friends and one girl even introduced Prestyn to her other friends as her "new best friend." I can't tell you how excited my girl was to hear that! If you know anything about Prestyn, you know how much having people like her and want to hang out with her means to her. She doesn't even seem nervous about school anymore which is a tremendous blessing.

Not only is Nathan closer to work, but I think the move was good for Prestyn too. From the community pool we visit at least twice a week, to having Daddy home earlier each night, to the small town elementary school - it was a good move for us! Here are a couple pictures from my big third grader's first day of school on Monday!

Jordan Patricia Connell

2009-08-23T09:53:00.004-05:00

Nathan's cousin Jaime Connell and her husband Randy lost their precious 9 week old daughter, Jordan Patricia Connell on Friday. She died from/of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Please pray for God's peace and comfort during this tragic, horrific time...

Big brother Chase and baby Jordan

The Connell Family

Randy, Chase, Jordan and Jaime

(taken last Saturday)

We're In!

2009-08-07T20:42:00.008-05:00

Sorry for the delay in getting this posted, but we moved into the new house last Thursday and were 99% unpacked by Sunday. The bad news is that I've only unpacked 1 box this entire week (been busy working and planning a girls' trip to Cancun!!!)... BUT - I only have 3 to go, so I guess it's not too bad. I will get those done this weekend.

We are all loving the new house and it's definitely feeling like home already. We received the access card for the swimming pool today, so we will be taking the kiddos to the pool tomorrow. Prestyn has been asking practically everyday when we'll be going! Hopefully she'll meet some of the kids in the neighborhood. Meet the Teacher Night is on the 20th and schools starts on the 24th! The summer has flown by for me! Email me if you need our new address and phone number!

Not even a 4' x 4' splat mat is big enough for my messy boy!!!

After many requests, here are a few pictures of the house.

My office

I need your advice on this entry area... The niche is curved so I can't really hang anything on this massive wall. I'm thinking about doing some cool decorative paint technique - maybe leather or something - then put up vinyl lettering with a scripture like Jeremiah 29:11. Do you have any other suggestions or ideas?

http://www.vinylattraction.com/shop/product.php?productid=4482&cat=102&page=4

It's Official! We are moving - next week!

2009-07-22T08:20:00.003-05:00

We listed our house with Brandon (friend from church) on Saturday July 11th. It went onto MLS and Realtor.com at midnight. We had one showing on Sunday, 2 on Monday night, then had 2 offers Monday evening (which also happened to be Nathan's 32nd birthday). Selling our house so quickly was about the best birthday present he could ask for...

So... we are moving to Van Alstyne on Thursday, July 30th - only one week from tomorrow. Fortunately, I work for the best moving company around so I'm not really worried about our stuff... just getting packed and ready before they get here Thursday morning. I will send out our new address and phone number after we move, but if you want it, just send me an email...

I probably won't have internet from 7/30-8/3... What will I do?

Adoption Tax Credit Set to Expire 1/1/2011

2009-07-12T23:28:00.001-05:00

Planning on using the tax credit for adoption? Help petition your representatives for their support of The Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2009 so that the adoption credit is available for you and others that are in the process of adoption.The Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2009 (Bill HR 213) was introduced in the House January 6, 2009 and has now been referred to the Committee on Ways and Means. By repealing the designated termination of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, the Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2009 would make permanent a tax credit of up to $10,000 for expenses relating to certain domestic and international adoptions. Under current law, the credit will expire January 1, 2011.

It only takes a few minutes to write, call, or email your government representatives asking for their support of The Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2009. Let them know how much you and other families rely on this credit when giving the hope of a family and home to a child. Visit the following websites to find your representative/senator and where to contact them. Mailed submissions (with a live signature) tend to have more impact than electronic or verbal petitions, although any action is helpful!

Contact your Representative: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
Contact your Senator: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Moving...

2009-07-09T21:12:00.002-05:00

As most of you know, Nathan has been working in Sherman at American Bank of Texas for nearly 2 years. The commute is 50 miles each way and takes a minimum of an hour. He absolutely LOVES his job, his boss and co-workers, and the company he works for, so looking for another job was not an option. We LOVE our home and the lot it's on, so we have tried to ignore his drive for as long as we could. He now has additional responsibilities that are keeping him at the office even later and neither of us could stand the thought of him being gone from 6am to 7pm everyday. Two or 3 days last week, Will had to go to bed before Nathan even got home from work. If we move, he will save an hour and 20 minutes per day or 7 HOURS a week! Time together as a family is precious and if we have to give up our dream house, then that's what we'll do!

We decided to move to Van Alstyne, TX. We found a beautiful home that is just the right size for us. There is a community pool and the elementary school is in our neighborhood. It's a very small school district, so we are hoping that Prestyn (and eventually Will) will be able to have even more support than in a large school. Also, it's only 30 minutes from Frisco so we'll be able to stay at Hope Fellowship and not be too far away from friends and family.

Please pray that God orders all of our steps through the next few weeks since it's going to be a whirlwind! We will probably be moving the first week of August, so we'll have time to get Prestyn settled before school starts on 8/24. Our house is currently For Sale By Owner, but we'll be listing it with our friend, Brandon Stribling if it doesn't sell in the next few days. If you know anyone interested, send them the link to our house blog at www.dovecreekhouse.blogspot.com. Thanks!!!

One Year and Family Pictures

2009-06-24T20:16:00.005-05:00

We had family pictures and Will's one year pictures taken today. Here are some of our favorites.

Where Oh Where Did My Baby Go?

2009-06-15T13:15:00.010-05:00

Our sweet baby Will is turning one today! Last night I was remembering the night before Will was born, wondering how labor was going to be, wondering what my little baby would look like, if he would be healthy, if he would have Down's Syndrome (I knew from tests during the pregnancy that it was a possibility). Labor definitely did not go as I planned or hoped - after 15 hours of natural childbirth, I ended up with an emergency c-section. But - I also ended up with the most beautiful, perfect baby boy! A year ago, I thought I was completely in love with my little guy, but I guess having kids is like marriage - your love continues to grow with each passing day. In the beginning, you love your child because they are your child, because they depend on you, because we have an instinct to protect them and care for them, because they are so beautiful and innocent, even though we don't even "know" them yet. But, as they grow, we love them for who they are and you truly enjoy spending time with them and enjoy their company. One year ago, though I was completely in love with my new baby, I would have never dreamed how much I would love him now! I can only begin to imagine how much more I will love and enjoy spending time with my beautiful children years from now. Children truly are a heritage from the Lord (Psalm 127:3).

On Saturday, we had Will's first birthday party at our house. We had lots of family (and the Wade's who might as well be family :-)) over for a barbecue to celebrate Will! My mom and I made Will's birthday cake the day before and I must say, I am SO proud of myself! I found a picture online and I think I did a pretty good job of duplicating it though it certainly doesn't look professional. I probably won't make all their cakes in the future, but it was really important to me to make his first one. Prestyn also asks me to make her birthday cakes/cupcakes each year... Maybe I'll take a cake decorating class with Jill and my mom within the next couple of months.

"Mod Monkey" cake for our monkey party!

Cupcakes with Runts bananas on top

Will's cake
Will playing with Uncle Josh & Prestyn (Who is that big boy - where'd my baby go?)

Garrett thought this was a fun toy

Bennett LOVES Garrett's new Nascar bear

Jill and her sweet daughter Ellie

Ellie and Will were sharing their goldfish and Cheerios Me and my sister-in-law Kalyane and ourboys, Will and Jaxen (4 months)

Sweet Ellie playing with my mom and Will's caterpillar

Uncle Josh and Will

Opening presents

Grampy and Bennett

Opening some more presents

I wonder if Nathan and Alycia can figure out how to open these packages...

Both of them look quite perplexed!

"I REALLY like this present! Can you open it now please?!"

Our niece and nephew (Katelyn and Jaxen) and their pretty mama Kalyane

Will and Mama

Jill, my nephew Bennett and her son, Garrett

Prestyn and Braeden

About to eat cake (whoever put the candle on put it on backwards for the camera, but it was correct facing Will :-) )

"I've never had cake (or dessert) before! Let me try it out..."

"TASTY! You've been holding out on me, Mom!"

This was his first time to get a bath in the sink, but I had to rinse off all the cake and frosting. He really enjoyed it though, as you can tell. He was "helping" me by shaking the sprayer.

Aunt Alycia and Will

The Garretts

Kenny is tired after a long day...

The Petri boys, Will & Jaxen (they are 8 months apart and wear almost the same size!)

"CHEESE! Thanks for coming to my party - it was so much fun and very special!"

Garrett's 5th Birthday

2009-06-15T09:09:00.008-05:00

My sweet little nephew, Garrett, turned 5 years old yesterday! His birthday is the day before Will's... He is such a delightful, joyful, sweet little boy. Nathan and I were talking last night about how good-natured he is and how much he enjoys life! He is ALL boy! We just love him so much and are so thankful they are back in Texas!!!

For his birthday, we went over to my mom's house to celebrate. He gave her a very specific request for his birthday cake - cherry cake with Lightning McQueen on top. She made a red velvet cake with cherries in between the layers and I think it was super cute. He really liked it!

Garrett's Lightning McQueen cake Will was having fun dancing with Grampy and Aunt Lyc

The Birthday Boy!!!
The 3 baby raccoons wanted to come to Garrett's party too...

Garrett reading his card that Prestyn made him

SO excited to get the Wall-E movie!

SUCH an adorable little guy - LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!!

The little boys usually share very well, but neither of them wanted to share Garrett's new soccer ball. Bennett had the advantage because he would just pick up the ball and walk away. Will would start crying like "Are you going to let him just take the ball away from me? I can't hold the ball and crawl at the same time." It was pretty funny to see them so passionate about a toy.

Mommy and WillWhat a cute little present!

Bennett got his turn too!

Here are 2 of the baby raccoons eating the bird seed...

They are orphans, thanks to Grampy... :-)

They heard me take the picture and went scurrying away.

Summer is here!

2009-06-04T09:52:00.009-05:00

Memorial weekend was so much fun. Friday afternoon, Prestyn had fun in the pool and on the slip n' slide with her friends on our street. We went to church and to dinner with good friends, went to the Frisco Rough Riders game with my brother Josh, Alycia, and the kids, and had a fun barbecue with all the neighbors from our part of our street. It was a very busy weekend, but we had a blast!

Will watching and listening to the girls swim and scream over at Sidney's house
We set up this little pool on our back porch last Sunday. Will kept chasing his little ball around the pool and had a hard time catching it at the beginning since the water kept carrying it away just as he was about to grab it. It was pretty funny, but he figured it out in no time!

"I got it! Next I'm going to throw it out of the pool so Daddy can chase it!"

Will loved to splash and then stick his face in the water!
So funny to put my face under the water and watch Mommy dive to sit me back up!

Prestyn relaxing in the COLD water!

We were trying to get him to look at the camera, but this was a close at we could get. He was much too busy...

Prestyn and Will

Prestyn and her friends on the last day of 2nd grade
Click here to see them on the first day of school!

Last Day of 2nd Grade

I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by and how much she has grown!

A Walk in the Park

2009-05-18T10:36:00.003-05:00

Will & I went to the park with Jill, Garrett, and Ellie Tsion last week. Garrett was busy running around but the little ones had fun swinging...

My Little Boy's Birthday

2009-04-27T07:54:00.004-05:00

Well, today is my little boy's birthday. No, not Will's... Christian's. I can't believe he's 4 years old today! In some ways it feels like just yesterday he was running around here with the remote on his ear saying "LO! (for hello since he thought it was a phone). Or telling himself "No.... No...." while he was doing something he knew he shouldn't. Or putting himself in time out afterwards (really, he started doing that at about 15 months!) Or listening to him sing, laugh, and babble while he played in his crib when he woke up every day. Or snuggling in my arms and stroking my face while I fed him his bottle. So many wonderful memories. I'm so sad that I won't get to make new ones of my boys playing together, or him and Prestyn sitting in the chair together watching cartoons like they used to.

I can't believe he's been gone for 2 1/2 years. I miss him so much that I can't even begin to put the feelings into words to share here. But, overall, I'm in a good place. I'm not a sobbing basketcase like I was last year on this day. I'm just a sad Mama who wishes she could hold her little boy today and wish him a happy birthday. I wish I could be there as he makes his wish and blows out his candles. But, although he will always be my baby boy, I am no longer his Mama. He is happy and healthy and thoroughly enjoying life with his family. Not ours...

Happy Birthday, my sweet Christian! Although you are not in our arms, you will ALWAYS be in our hearts.

What A Week!

2009-04-22T19:53:00.006-05:00

The week of Easter started off GREAT! My brother Josh’s 34th birthday was the day before Easter, so we spent the day at my mom’s celebrating his birthday and Easter. We had a delicious meal followed by an Easter egg hunt for the big kids, cake and ice cream. What a great day! There are pictures of the kids at the egg hunt below. My camera battery died during the day, so I don't have many pictures after the egg hunt.

The next day was EASTER which happens to be my favorite holiday. Not because of the stupid bunny, but because I am SO thankful for what my Savior did for each one of us! My church, Hope Fellowship, had an amazing presentation titled, “Beautiful.” It was truly amazing – the music, the message, everything.

Let me start off my saying the children's ministry, including babies, is WONDERFUL! I feel totally at ease with the caregivers, the cleanliness of the classrooms, etc! Truly - we are blessed with fabulous children's pastors and the children's ministry is truly a reflection of them! That being said, here's my story... Will went to the church nursery for his 2nd time on Easter. I was a little nervous about taking him to nursery since he hasn’t been sick once in his 10 months, but everyone assured me I was being paranoid. When I dropped him off in the nursery, I saw a little boy crying and the ladies kept wiping his snotty nose. I considered backing out of the room very slowly hoping no one would notice, but I was afraid of being that mom – you know, the overly-paranoid mom who thinks if a sick kid looks at her child, he might get sick. Just then Nathan walked in from dropping Prestyn off and I knew my chance had passed. I was going to have to suck it up because surely he wouldn’t get sick. Surely, the child with the snotty nose only had a snotty nose because he had been crying, and he wasn’t crying because he was sick. Surely, no parent would take their child to the church nursery knowing they might be sick and expose other babies to the same illness. (Daycare I can understand – when you gotta work, you gotta work, but church???) I left him and went into the sanctuary to enjoy the service, but had anxiety most of the service.

Anyway, Will was fine Sunday and all day Monday. During the middle of the night on Monday, Will woke up moaning – maybe more of a whimper. It sounded so pathetic… I went upstairs to check on him and he was burning up! The kid had never had a fever, so panic kind of set in because I haven’t had a child with a fever since Christian was a baby (about 3 years ago). What temperature is too high? Should I use Tylenol? Is he even old enough for Motrin? All these things you normally worry about when you have a teeny baby, but this was his first cold… Last Thursday he woke up from his nap with a temperature of 104.6! Well, it’s now nearly a week and a half later and we’ve had maybe one day without a fever. Even tonight as I put him to bed – it was almost 100… Our pediatrician said it’s probably viral and I don’t need to bring him in as long as the fever continues to respond to the Tylenol and Motrin. He can finally breathe a little better, I only have to wipe his nose about 100 times a day, he doesn’t wake up with his eyes all crusty and sealed shut anymore, and he has a killer cough. I really think he’s on the tail end though. Oh, I forgot to mention that Nathan, Prestyn, and I all got it too! Nathan even missed 2 days of work and Nathan NEVER misses work!

My friend and co-worker Liz’s husband graduates from Dallas Theological Seminary in two weeks and he got a fantastic job as a director at a Christian camp in California . So, she’s leaving in 2 weeks and life at work is going to be crazy after that. I honestly don’t know what we’ll do without her… Liz – you will be missed! Both as a friend and as an awesome HR person!

What else? Prestyn… school… enough said…

OH! The most exciting and wonderful thing – my best friend Jill is in Ethiopia right now!!! She and her husband Kenny are adopting (I guess already have) a beautiful little girl named Ellie Tsion who is almost 15 months old. They will be home from Africa on Sunday and I can NOT wait to meet that precious little girl. I am just praying she’s not too overwhelmed by everyone at the airport on Sunday…

My baby boy is 10 months old. I just can’t believe it. Seriously, where does the time go? I can’t believe that I’m planning his 1st birthday and it seems like he just came home from the hospital. He was climbing up the side of the couch this evening to get to me and I just sat in awe because it really hasn’t been very long since he couldn’t even hold his head up. Now he’s talking, walking (while holding onto furniture, our hands, etc), and tonight he loved tilapia and broccoli!

My other baby, Christian, turns 4 years old on Monday! I’ve been trying to get in contact with his uncle to see if Will and I could go visit him, but I haven’t heard back from him yet. I guess I haven’t really worried about it since we’ve been sick, but I’d really love to see him soon. It’s been way too long. I’ll post some pictures of him if/when I get to go visit him.

My brother and sister-in-law, Josh and Alycia

Garrett, Prestyn & Braeden - Can we start collecting eggs already? Enough pictures!

Prestyn & Braeden (my dad and step-mom has a similar picture of me
and my cousin Andrea when we were about this age - fun!)

Prestyn running to collect some eggs!

Notice all the pink and purple eggs on the ground. At this point, Garrett thought he could pick up blue, green, or yellow eggs. Boys do not like pink!

He soon realized he wasn't going to get very much candy if he didn't

relax his rule about "No Pink or Purple Eggs."

The kids just discovered there were a few more hidden by the house!
Red-faced little Garrett after an hour at the park and then egg hunt.

Braeden with her eggs (Prestyn went inside to get a drink - she was tired and

thirsty from the park!)

Aunt Alycia and Will

Will looking out the window in our living room while Daddy was outside pulling weeds on Sunday

Sick little boy... so sad...

Spring has Sprung! (is that correct grammar?)

2009-04-05T19:23:00.004-05:00

Nathan & I took the kids to a park yesterday to take pictures of them in their Easter clothes. Some of them turned out pretty cute but I was disappointed because there weren't any flowers and the grass wasn't even green. I was scoping out the area and we noticed some pretty flowers on the way home from dinner (Mmmm... Babe's) at the entrance to our neighborhood. So, we stopped the car and took some impromptu shots that turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself!

Enjoy the pictures! Happy Easter!

Guess who has 4 (almost 6) teeth now?

Experimenting

2009-03-20T10:45:00.005-05:00

So, Prestyn and I were trying to get Will to pose for some pictures this morning while I experimented with different settings on my camera. One thing is for sure - this kid will NOT sit still. Nine month pictures will be posted if/when I can get some!

Cheese!

How you doin'? (must use the Joey voice inflection)

The flash is too bright for my eyes!

Seriously, it's way too bright, Mommy!

He finally said it!!!

2009-03-10T07:37:00.003-05:00

Ok, it's official. My little boy finally said it yesterday. He's been saying it for awhile, but more when he cried or was whining. You didn't know for sure if he knew what he was saying or the importance of the word. But, yesterday... Will was "playing" in his exersaucer (actually, he wanted out because he's so done being confined when there's a big world out there to explore) when he looked right at me with a huge smile on his face and clear as a bell said "Mama." I jumped off the couch and leaped towards him and he said it again. And just in case no one believed me, he said it about 50 more times yesterday. And he was either looking at me or crying for me when he was saying it.

My little boy knows that I am Mama!!! What a wonderful feeling!

Birthday Post

2009-03-06T23:07:00.002-06:00

There is a new post called Birthday Girl about Prestyn's 9th birthday, but it's showing all the way down on February 2nd (since that's when I started the post).

February Travels, Birthdays, etc.

2009-03-06T22:08:00.008-06:00

Sorry that it's been so long since I've updated. Things have been pretty hectic between Prestyn's school, work, traveling, and a teething baby...

What? He definitely doesn't have enough toys!

Prestyn made this "kite" out of a Magnolia leaf from our back yard.
Here she is running around the yard "flying the kite."

Will does not want to eat his cereal!
REALLY - He refuses to eat!!!

The last weekend in February was my great-grandmother's 100th birthday, so my mom, brother, Will and I went to Wichita to see my mom's family and my great-grandmother (on my Dad's side). It was a long drive, but Will did really well. He slept and ate well, and even stayed in a pretty good mood considering he was away from home, his bed, and normal schedule for 3 days... We had a wonderful time visiting with all of our family, but it sure was great to get home. Will and I missed Daddy and Prestyn very much!

My Aunt Leigh (Dad's sister), Will, and my brother Josh at Grandma's party

My grandma passed away nearly 20 years ago, but these are her 3 sisters and her mother

This is my great-grandma. He is absolutely amazing!!! She barely looks 75 - definitely not 100!

Here she is holding her great-great-grandson.

Will grabbing Uncle Josh's face - he LOVES faces!

My grandfather's (Mom's dad) wife's birthday was also that weekend, so we had a big party for her too.

Here is my mom (Nana) and Will. Grandpa and Joan are in the background.

Grandpa and Joan - so sweet

Mommy and Will after a LONG day and weekend. We were both so tired...

Welcome Baby Jaxen

2009-02-07T16:52:00.006-06:00

Welcome to the world, Baby Jaxen. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law (Justin & Kalyane) welcomed little Jaxen Quinn Petri to the world yesterday! He is absolutely beautiful and perfectly healthy. What a joy! I can't wait to watch him as he grows and learns over the years. I'm quite certain that he and Will are going to have so much fun and get into SO much trouble over the coming years!

Mama admiring her precious boy

Prestyn trying on Daddy's sunglasses in the hospital room

My two beautiful babies

Big sister Katelyn and Jaxen

Pretty mama

Nathan and the kids -

Prestyn and Will both think their new cousin is pretty cute. Will can't wait to wrestle with him and beat him up like his uncle used to do to his daddy. Paybacks, Uncle Justin... Who's bigger now?

Kalyane's sister, mom, daughter, and little boy!

Grandma holding Jaxen - he was NOT letting go of that pacifier!

LOVE that sweet face!

So Creative

2009-02-02T15:42:00.004-06:00

At school last week the kids were supposed to dress up as what they want to be when they grow up. Prestyn wants to be an artist because she loves to draw and paint, and because you don't necessarily have to go to college (nice - she's only in 2nd grade and already doesn't want to go to college). :-) We made her smock and her artist's palette.

Nathan's parents bought her an easy bake oven for Christmas. Here is her first creation. She gave me half - so tasty!

Birthday Girl

2009-02-02T15:39:00.009-06:00

I just can't believe my little girl is 9 years old!!! In some ways it doesn't seem like 4 years ago that Prestyn came to live with us. She was SO tiny - she had just turned 5 but looked much younger! In some ways (and in others NO WAY would I go through the pain of losing Christian again), I wish we could go back to that time and do it over. Life was so insane then. We went from no kids to a 5 year old and CRANKY, malnourished newborn at one time... while both of us worked full-time. Needless to say, it was a big transition for all of us!

We celebrated her birthday the last weekend in January at GattiTown and she had a great time with her best friends and family. Below are some pictures.

Taylor, Sidney, Braeden and Prestyn

Garrett Joshua and Garrett Patrick (both 4)

Making a wish!

Will LOVES his cousin Garrett

Bennett was having a good ol' time!

Wish I could have heard what they were talking about!!! Girls!

Birthday Girl

Dear friends - Kenny, Jill and Garrett (their sweet baby Ellie will be home from Africa in about a month)

Opening gifts

What a wonderful day Prestyn had. Thank you to our thoughtful friends and family for making it such a special day for Prestyn!

Are You Kidding Me?

2009-02-02T06:46:00.003-06:00

So... Will is teething (and has been for like 2 weeks - come on already), so he's been waking up at night again. Last night he woke up at around 2 - I fed him and put him back in his crib. I knew he was pretty cranky and would probably wake up again in the next couple of hours, so I just went back to sleep in the bed in his room instead of going downstairs to my room. So at 4AM, he woke up again and was just kind of wimpering so I just ignored him and stayed in bed. He must have heard me and knew I was there and was ignoring him. The next thing I know he's standing up holding onto the side of the crib and bouncing trying to get my attention. "Seriously? Dude, do you know you are only 7 months old? Get back down on the mattress and act like a baby!"

Needless to say, his little stunt worked. I jumped out of bed to go get him. I guess I need to lower his mattress today before he starts flipping out of his crib like his mama did when she was a baby!

More Christmas and 7 Month Pics

2009-01-25T10:21:00.008-06:00

Nathan, Prestyn, Will and I went to visit my dad and step-mom in Oklahoma the weekend after Christmas. It was REALLY cold on Saturday, but warmed up significantly on Sunday. As always, Prestyn spent 90% of her waking hours outside playing with the animals, helping with chores (gathering eggs, putting up the chickens, feeding animals, etc), swinging on the swingset, and just exploring... Below are some pictures.

Will got to meet Santa (aka Papaw)

Mammy (my step-mom) and Will

Will was getting really hungry while we were eating dinner, so he started sucking on Mammy's face and chin. It always cracks me up when he does that.

Mammy, who is also an amazing kindergarten teacher, has a fabulous collection of books and reads lots of books to Prestyn during our visits.

Here is Will trying to listen to the story too!

Although it was freezing, Will was enjoying the sunshine on Mammy's lap on the front porch.

Prestyn was actually cleaning these rocks with a toothbrush - she was looking for fossils and thought they might be hiding under the surface.

Henry doesn't really care what Prestyn is doing. He thought a nice, wet rock was the perfect place to rest. Prestyn was quite irritated with him.

She found this piece of ice in the bird bath and thought it made a lovely frame.

My honey

Sweet girl

Prestyn and Mammy

So back in October, I showed a picture of the pizza oven that my dad was building. Well, he finished it and the pizza was AMAZING!!! I am NOT exagerating - it was THE... BEST... PIZZA I have EVER eaten!!!! He made us each our own individual pizzas and we could choose the toppings - the one pictured here was Nathan's. Yum - I'm drooling just thinking about it (well, not really) but I do need to plan another trip up there soon! :-)

Will was being silly rolling around on our bed after we got home from church last Saturday night. He's cracking up after "wrestling" with Daddy.

You may not be able to see them very well, but we've got two teeth that should be making their grand appearance in the next week or two...

My friend Whitney has been taking pictures of her baby each month in the same chair and it's been crazy to see how much he's grown and changed. I thought I'd start with Will, even though I missed the first 6 months...

7 Months Old

Will LOVES Phoebe and Phoebe loves Will. Actually, Phoebe loves to lick Will. He is already learning to chase her around the living room and pull her hair. Poor Phoebe... I don't know if she remembers when Christian chased her or not, but I have a feeling Will isn't going to be as gentle as Christian. By the way, I refuse to post the picture that followed this one of Phoebe attempting to lick INSIDE of his mouth. YUCK! Guess I should have been protecting my baby instead of taking pictures. Oh well - maybe it's helping his immune system.

"I am SO cute and I know it!"

Misc Christmas Photos

2009-01-22T09:11:00.008-06:00

Prestyn and Will playing

Will's first sippy cup - 12/24/08 - He really just chewed on it instead of drinking out of it.

Our niece Katelyn (14 years)

Aunt Kalyane and Prestyn

Morgan, Chast, Katelyn and Kalyane (and Jaxen in Mama's tummy)

The 3 Petri boys - Nathan, Justin and Aaron

Prestyn opening her stocking on Christmas morning

Pops, Will and Prestyn

Morgan (16 years) and her boyfriend Chast

My sister-in-law Katy (almost 14)

Prestyn and Will

Daddy and the kids

Will "opening" his first gift
Prestyn was SO excited about her guitar. Now she just needs someone to teach her to play!

More pictures to come later... sorry - I gotta catch up!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T13:27:00.006-06:00

We spent Thanksgiving at my mom's house and we had a FULL house (for us anyway). My mom, step-dad, brother, sister-in-law, their 3 kids, Nathan's older brother, his wife and daughter, Nathan's younger brother, Nolan's brother and his daughter, and Nolan's parents and grandmother. Oh - and the 4 of us. We had a lot of good food and a lot of laughs! :-)

I'm kicking myself that I didn't take any candid shots, but oh well. Below are some family pictures we took outside my mom's house.

Nathan's little brother Aaron, sister-in-law Kalyane, older brother Justin, our niece

Katelyn, and the 4 of us.My brother Josh and nephew Garrett, sister-in-law Alycia and niece Braeden, my mom and nephew Bennett, my step-dad, and the 4 of us.

Check Me Out!

2008-11-17T15:36:00.003-06:00

Isn't he such a big boy?

What a Night!

2008-11-03T16:13:00.006-06:00

Taylor, Prestyn and Sidney getting ready to head out with the group last Friday evening. We had 6 2nd grade girls, 2 4 years olds, 1 3 year old, 2 2 year olds and Will (4 1/2 months). It was quite a group and we spent most of the evening trying to keep up with the big girls who were sprinting house to house.

All 6 2nd graders

They were worn out and taking a break after trick-or-treating for over an hour.
It was nearly 80 degrees so Will didn't get to wear his furry skunk costume, but I did find this little outfit at Target. I still think he looks pretty cute!

Here's the little stinker in his skunk costume.

He kept trying to eat the fur, so it didn't stay on long.

Fall Festival, First Cereal & Softball

2008-10-27T08:21:00.005-05:00

Will had rice cereal for the first time Saturday morning. He definitely liked the taste and enjoyed eating it; however, his little tummy didn't feel the same way. After he finished about 10 bites, he spit up everything he had just eaten. We'll probably wait about 2 weeks until we try it again.
Here is Prestyn with her biggest fan, Garrett. They may be 4 years apart but they are two peas in a pod! Thanks for coming, Miss Jill and Garrett.

Uncle Justin and Will at Prestyn's game. We are so glad you were able to make it!

Introducing Sharpay from High School Musical!!!!

I personally think she's even cuter without the wig...

Our church put on another wonderful Fall Festival this year. They had giant blowup slides, multiple bounce houses, games, a rock wall, popcorn, cotton candy, and of course - lots of candy! They did a great job and the kids (and parents) had a wonderful time. Thank you, Hope Fellowship!

It was SO hot, so Will couldn't wear his furry skunk costume. Hopefully, it will be much cooler on Friday evening. He's looks too cute to not wear it!

Sweet little Garrett was Lightning McQueen's driver (or whatever race car drivers are called). He did NOT want to wear his helmet!

Our niece, Braeden, was Gisselle from the movie Enchanted. But, it was too hot and would have been very difficult to play in her costume. I think she was also embarrassed because most of the kids there decided not to wear their costumes.

You were supposed to stand at the back of the "room" and throw the baseball through the hole in the catcher's mitt. Garrett figured out he could get it in if he ran to the back and then threw it. He made it!

Here are Prestyn and Braeden climbing the rock wall - it was really high!

She got all the way to the top, pushed the buzzer, and... it didn't work. Kind of a let down, but she was SO proud of herself!

Overall, it was a very busy weekend, but we had a great time with friends and family.

4 Months Old Already???

2008-10-22T13:50:00.002-05:00

Will had his 4 month appointment this morning with our Oh-So-Fabulous pediatrician. If you need a great one in Frisco - let me know! Despite the 2 vaccinations :-(, he still had fun and smiled at everyone he saw! He's still growing like a weed. Here's the latest stats:

Length - 26 1/2 inches - 91% percentile
Weight - 14 lbs. 12 oz - 41%
Head - 17 inches - 70%

At this rate, he'll be taller than our teeny Prestyn by age 5! (OK - maybe 8 or 10)

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-18T22:21:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pictures of my lil' punkinheads!

First Trip to the Farm (for Will)

2008-10-15T20:40:00.007-05:00

Last weekend we took Will and Prestyn to my Dad and step-mom's farm outside of Tulsa. I think it's Prestyn favorite place in the world. She loves to explore, carry around the cats, and "help" Mammy with chores like collecting eggs not cleaning out the barn.

Here is Prestyn brushing one of her favorite cats.

Mmmm... tasty pears fresh from the tree. (Prestyn would never have even tasted that pear if it wasn't for Mammy. Gayle can get that girl to try anything!Prestyn and Mammy feeding pears to the Alpacas.
Papa and Will hanging out, enjoying the beautiful fall weather.

Mammy and Will checking out all the animals and noises.

Prestyn and her cat waiting for use to roast marshmallows after dinner Saturday night. Yummy!

She was such a great helper and gathered quite a stack of wood for our fire.

Check this out - My dad is building a pizza oven. He can use it to make pizzas, homemade bread and all sorts of other things. I can't wait to taste all of his yummy creations the next time we visit!

Overall, it was a wonderful, relaxing trip. Will traveled very well, took great naps, and slept well at night. He loved both his Papa and Mammy, and I think he really enjoyed the time we spent outside there. I just know that he'll love exploring and playing as much as Prestyn does someday.

All In A Year's Time

2008-10-09T22:46:00.004-05:00

It's hard to believe how much my life has changed in just one year. October 5, 2007 was the one year anniversary of Christian (our foster son) leaving to go live with his dad's family. Needless to say, I was quite a basket-case for several days before and after the anniversary last year.

Just 5 days later on October 10th, the most unexpected, surprising, amazing thing happened - I actually found out that after 5 LONG years of trying to conceive, I was indeed pregnant. I can still feel the shock when I actually saw the + on the pregnancy test. In 57 months (who's counting?) I had never seen that. During the couple of minutes that you wait with each test, I'd dream about how excited I'd be if it would ever be positive. Of course, it never was... until that wonderful day 1 year ago tomorrow. The sheer joy and amazement is still indescribable. I had cried myself to sleep the night before wondering why God would let my precious Christian leave me and not bless us with another child. That morning, immediately after seeing a positive result, I thought of Psalm 30:5, "Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning." It sure did for me!

Just a few days before when I was so sad about missing Christian and upset about not being able to conceive, Will was already growing inside me! Now, here we are a year later, and my little angel is fast asleep across the hall. I didn't even realize until Tuesday that I had missed the 2 year anniversary of Christian leaving (it was Sunday). Not that I don't think about it all the time and miss him every second of every day, but I honestly felt such relief to know that I'm healing. With time, God's grace, and 2 beautiful children, Nathan and I are healing.

Giving Report Card for Candidates

2008-10-09T11:59:00.002-05:00

I stole this from Aaron Alexander's blog - thought it was good information to share...

USA Today reports that the Biden family has given $3,690 to charity over the last decade, an average of $369 per year, on "modest" income that has ranged from a low of $210,797 in 1999 to a high of over $320,000 in 2005. Last year, they gave $995 on income of $319,853 (0.3%), their highest giving rate of the decade.A 2005 study of households with incomes from $200,000 to $500,000 per year shows average charitable giving of $40,746 per year.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-09-12-biden-financial_N.htm?csp=34

He's mobile!

2008-10-08T12:42:00.008-05:00

That's right, at not even 4 months old my little man is learning to crawl! I thought I had at least 2 more months of stationary bliss.

Yesterday during tummy time, Will decided he wanted the toy that was about a foot in front of him on the blanket. Instead of wimpering at me to get it for him, he tucked both feet underneath him and then PUSHED them out behind him HARD - boom, he propelled himself forward 6 inches. It's more of a scoot, but I'm sure the full-blown crawl isn't far away. Needless to say, he was off the blanket and onto the carpet in about a minute.

This video was taken after I had watched him and teased him (by continuously moving his toys further away from him) for about 10 minutes. He's tired and getting mad at me, but you can still see some of the leg action though I'm pretty sure he never actually moves in this video... I'll try to capture another video when he's more alert and "fresh."

Crazy Hair!

2008-10-03T07:36:00.003-05:00

Today was Crazy Hair Day at school. The pictures say it all...

She was quite pleased with the finished product.

Will's Dedication

2008-09-29T16:42:00.004-05:00

Will was dedicated at church on Saturday night. Mom, Nolan, Josh, Alycia and the kids, Jill, Justin and Kalyane were all able to attend. It truly meant so much to have you all there.

I think of Hannah & Elkanah (the prophet Samuel's parents) who waited SO long for God to fulfill His promise by giving them a son. Hannah and Elkanah took Samuel to the Tabernacle and she asked the priest, "Sir, do you remember me? I am the woman who stood here several years ago praying to the LORD. I asked the LORD to give me this child, and He has given me my request. Now I am giving him to the LORD, and he will belong to the LORD his whole life." 1 Samuel 1:25-28

Here is our pastor praying for Will and for us

Our pastor almost dropped Will! Here he is holding him with both hands after "the incident!"Our handsome little guy on the screen

The four of us after the service

Uncle Justin & Will

Aunt Kalyane is 19 weeks pregnant here. It won't be too long until Justin & Kalyane's little boy is here!!!

Will was very tired (look at his eyes) but very happy when we got home from church that night! He was just talking and squealing!

I caught Prestyn reading this book to Will the next morning. He was VERY interested and actually looking at the pictures as she read it. It was very sweet! She's a great big sister.

"I wonder if I can somehow fit BOTH feet in my mouth at the same time..."

Softball Girl

2008-09-29T15:07:00.005-05:00

Prestyn's team lost by one point last Friday night. I really thought they were going to lose by more, but they ended up making a huge comeback in the last inning. If they would have had a few more minutes, they probably would have won.

Prestyn didn't get a base hit (or even hit the ball), but she sure tried hard AND looked very cute doing it! There were 2 hits to the outfield that she ran after and threw back in. Once she got the ball and ran all the way from the outfield with the ball. All the while, Nathan was yelling "Just throw the ball, Prestyn. Stop running! Stop running and just throw the ball." Pretty funny... She's learning!

Here she is "waiting for the ball" but is really looking at the dirt... maybe she'll find a rock!

After the ball came to her once, I guess she decided she better pay attention.

The little cutie getting ready to bat. I don't know how she even sees the ball coming towards her while wearing that helmet!

"Star" Athlete

2008-09-24T07:25:00.003-05:00

Prestyn is playing softball for the first time on the Little Elm Stars this fall!!! They had their first game on Saturday afternoon. It's machine-pitch, so she was a little intimidated at first but ended up getting more comfortable by her second turn to bat. She didn't get a base hit, but she did foul it 3 times. As far as I'm concerned, at least hitting the ball is a SUPER start! She didn't have her full uniform but she will at this Friday night's game, so I'll post some pictures of the little cutie over the weekend. Go Stars!!!

Family Pics

2008-09-23T09:07:00.006-05:00

We went over to my Mom's house on Sunday to hang out. Here are a few pictures.

Here are Bennett (4.5 months) and Will (3 months)

My brother Josh, Garrett, Bennett, and Alycia

Garrett, Nana & Will

The girls (Prestyn & Braeden) are ALWAYS upstairs playing and watching movies - we only see them for dinner and DESSERT! So, no pictures AGAIN. :-) I'll make sure I get some of them together next time.

Ignore Nathan's goofy laugh - it's what makes Will crack up!

New pics and video

2008-09-08T07:48:00.008-05:00

Oh, Will was so upset that he couldn't fit his entire hand into his mouth...

The 3 oldest grandchildren with Grampy on his birthday

Annie in her bee costume - she didn't really like the antennae.

I know this isn't the best video quality (because most of the lights were off in the room), but I still thought it was cute.

Christian

2008-09-03T15:21:00.008-05:00

Nathan, Will and I went to see Christian today (our foster son from the time he was 2 weeks old until he was 18 months). He's almost 3 1/2 which is absolutely insane to me, but he'll always be my little baby boy.

This picture of my two little boys makes my heart both so happy and so sad. I had taken one picture of Will and Christian together, then Christian asked me if he could take another picture with his brother... ??? How does he even know that we consider them brothers? It broke my heart. He's so precious to me.

Can't you tell just from looking at him how happy he is? He's such a ham!

He kept acting silly and telling us how funny and silly he is. Here's a video of him laughing.

Family Reunion

2008-09-02T16:35:00.009-05:00

This weekend we had our annual family reunion in San Antonio. The home we went to is absolutely gorgeous and they have the most amazing yard - over an acre of the softest green grass, huge oak trees, pool, spa, and tons of the most fabulous misters to keep you cool. Prestyn had a great time swimming and playing with her cousin Allia (pronounced Ollie-uh) who is also 8.

Here is a picture of her with my in-law's precious Shih Tzu named Bella. She's 13 weeks old and reminds me so much of our little Phoebe when she was a puppy.

Will was the only infant there, so he was passed around from person to person. This was our first road trip with him and he did remarkably well. He slept the entire 5 hour drive down there and about half of the drive home - not too bad! We also stayed in a hotel and he even slept well while not at home. Overall, he was much crankier than normal and wasn't awake very much. The long car rides really took their toll on him. Here are some cute pics to remember the first time he met most of the Petri family.

Here he is with Nathan's 86 year old Memaw. He is her 10th great-grandchild.

The little man in his daddy's Ranger's cap - so cute!

Nathan's Dad "Pops" with his first grandson

Nathan's step-mom "Me-Me" with Will

Changed My Mind

2008-08-25T07:45:00.005-05:00

OK - so I don't have time to write posts anymore (probably), but I'll at least post some pictures. Today's were too cute not to!

Prestyn's first day of 2nd grade

Prestyn, Sidney and Taylor (her two best friends who live on our street)

All 5 2nd grade girls who live on our street (aren't we lucky to have so many girls?)

Goodbye Blog

2008-08-21T11:52:00.002-05:00

I think I'm going to say goodbye to the blog... Now that I'm working again, I really don't even have 20 minutes a week to spend on this. And, the main reason I created this was for grandparents that don't see the kids very often,but they don't read it anyway...

It's been fun!

Kristen

Pottery Painting

2008-08-21T11:44:00.004-05:00

Jill and Garrett took Prestyn to paint pottery on Tuesday at Color Me Mine in Frisco.
She always loves spending time with Miss Jill and her little buddy Garrett - as close as they are, you'd never know they were over 4 years apart! I think it's honestly more like a brother/sister relationship for them. They are pretty cute together!

Here is Prestyn before she started painting her very special dolphin. She's so selfless that she usually wants to make stuff for other people. Before she went that morning she told me she wanted to make a present for Grampy since his birthday is next week. I told her that was very sweet but sometimes it's ok to make and keep special things for yourself.

Finally Home in Texas!

2008-08-13T12:42:00.010-05:00

After living in cold Colorado for the past 4 years, my brother and his family are finally home in the great state of Texas!!! When they moved away, our niece Braeden was 4 years old and our nephew Garrett was almost 3 months. Now, Braeden is 8, Garrett is 4, and Bennett is 3 months.

Bennett is 6 weeks older than Will. Oh - he's so cuddly and sweet. I know these sweet boys are going to be a handful soon though!

Cousins

Garrett wanted to lay down next to "Baby Will." He even told us when he was leaving that Baby Will was going to come home with him. So sweet!

Garrett & "Baby Will"

Uncle Nathan & Garrett

My brother Josh and Bennett

Our niece Braeden