Constant Beginnings

You spent the day at school then had fun with friends at your workout group after school.  Mya wanted to bring donuts as her treat for classmates.  Oh my girl, you are officially 9 years old! Your last single digit year. Hard to believe we are here already. I've spent some time looking back at old pictures recently. You've spent the last 8 years living overseas and now are getting ready to leave everything you've ever really known to move to the USA. We are all excited about Texas but this will be a huge change. You are the one kiddo that is really riding the fence on whether this will be good or not. We talk about the fun things that are available in Texas and you come back to leaving your friends. I know good things will come. You'll even be able to reconnect with your old bestie-Asa. That conversation brought a smile to your face. I think you needed the social connection. You are finishing up 3rd grade. You've mastered your multiplication facts and are pushing t...

Happy Birthday, Gavin. You are officially 4 years old. I suppose it will always feel like this, but it seems you've grown in the blink of an eye. You are such a big kid now. You care about your outfits, always wanting to look cool. You choose your own snacks--preferred snack is a chocolate granola bar. You are finally toilet trained. It felt like this took such a long time, but I am partially to blame as I knew you'd not go to school in diapers and it was simply easier to tote around diapers than stop life as we knew it to run you to a bathroom. Anyway, you proudly wear your batman underwear and declare that you can stand up to go potty like your daddy. You have a streak of stubbornness, but a sweetness to you as well. You love your Momma and thankfully, insist on kissing my lips and cheek everyday I drop you off at Natalie's. I must admit, this is a favorite event of mine. I love looking at you and remembering the baby you once were. Though I truly love this phase of life...

We are slowly wrapping up our "must see" travels for our time in Europe. Scotland and Ireland were our destinations for spring break. We flew (Aer Lingus) from Frankfurt to Dublin late Friday night. Side story---Claire's 2nd grade teacher is of Irish decent. She shared her love of Ireland with Claire who later that year wrote a report about Ireland. Ms. Luckie, her sweet teacher, saved that report and pulls it out every year to show her students. As luck would have it, Ms. Luckie was on our flight to Dublin! It was a great surprise to have her share our arrival to her love. We stayed at Maldron Hotel near the airport after picking up our rental. Saturday morning we enjoyed breakfast and we were off--navigating the world from the left side of the road and right side of the car. Chris was a tad stressed to say the least, but handled it like a pro! We drove to the other side of Ireland to County Clare where we took in the amazingly beautiful Cliffs of Moher. This stop was a...

My dearest Claire. 10 years ago we became a sweet little family. I can't believe 10 years have already passed. It seems in the blink of an eye, you will be out the door and on your way to college. Gosh. That thought alone makes me tear up. I love you so much. You are an amazing girl, sassy, sweet and pretty smart. You just finished the fourth grade and all four quarters were on the A honor roll--actually earning Highest Achievement awards each one. Pretty impressive. You love to read, but were less dedicated to earning points for the Reading Counts process. Your BFF is Kylee. Thankfully she lives around the corner from us so you can ride bikes, scooters and hang out whenever we are free. She is alot like you as well-smart, sweet, and innocent. I hope that innocence never changes, but I'm not naive. I'll just savor these days to their fullest. Claire you are stepping up your soccer game. You typically play striker, dominating with your speed and footwork. You began playi...

Oh my girl, you are 8 years old! What a year you've had! As I think back to year's past, I am realizing this has been one of maturity and growth for you. You are truly coming into your own, finding your own way, figuring out what YOU enjoy, how you want to dress, who you will become. For the first time since I can remember, when asked what you want to be when you get older, you no longer respond "A commissary payer" or "worker at the CDC." You are now saying "a teacher" or "maybe a veterinarian." While I am pleased that you are adjusting your aspirations to those that may mean more financial stability, I am slightly saddened at the loss of my littlest girl. This growth is a true indication that you are older and so much wiser than your younger self. Mya your spirit is contagious. You have a sincere zest for life. You love each day, laugh each day and love to spend your time with people. Drawing has become your passion along with gymnast...

We are tackling our untraveled countries. This time...Hungary. We spent the long weekend in Budapest. It was beautiful. A nice mix of sight seeing, relaxing, good food, lots of walking and good quality family time. The highlights: We flew wiz air. Tickets were 30 euro each. Stayed at luxury apartments. Paid 200 euro for 3 nights. Great location but club next door. They party hard in Budapest :) Enjoyed dinner w live piano at Seasons Bistro-walking distance from hotel. Enjoyed Rosa Gelato-make your scoops into roses! Got a 48 hour pass for Big Bus hop on hop off bus for the price of 24. Checked out the great market-- closed on sundays. Good place for souvenirs. Enjoyed TGIF, Hard Rock Cafe--kids all got a shirt or something they wanted. Also enjoyed Sir Lancelots restaurant. Food was a bit over cooked, but atmosphere was great. They have a show nightly after 8:30--sword fight, fire eating, dancing. Took a cruise on the Danube. Amazing views of parliament at night! Free w our bu...

Dearest Gavin, You are such a bright spot in our lives. You light up a room with your smile, your attempt at jokes (Mom, Guess what? Me: What? You: CHICKEN!!--followed with lots of laughter), your car noises and overall excitement for life. We love you so much Gavin. God knew exactly what he was doing when he let us become your family. You are a snuggly, loving boy. You often tell us  "I wuv you." It melts our hearts every time. You love baseball, cars, teenage mutant ninja turtles, jumping on the trampoline, riding bike, Paw Patrol, Spiderman and Captain America. We bought you Spiderman shoes and Captain America crocs. YOU LOVE THEM!! :) You love Luna and your sisters. Boy, do you love your sisters. You have them wrapped around your fingers. They will stop what they are doing and do whatever you need at nearly any moment. Before bed, you lay in our bed with Daddy and I. It is such a dear time for us. We let you choose a show to watch and tickle, snuggle and soak it all in....