Blessed day for #3

We took our time having Alex baptized compared to his sister and brother!!! Chris would point the finger at me on that one :) Luckily we were able to fit it in when Nana and Papi were in town, so it was well worth the wait. They made the trip in from FL to celebrate Halloween with us this year. For months Chris kept teasing me saying that "the kid is going to be able to walk himself down the aisle"...and that is exactly what he did! He still takes a short morning nap and he happened to do it just before our 9am service. A little way into service he woke up and was ready to run around. When it was time to go to the alter he wanted down so that is what I let him do, walk himself to God. He refused to let us hold him during the first two-thirds of the presentation. He screamed and threw himself backward and ended up doing circles around us. What was so precious was that when the water graced his head he instantly mellowed. Peace of the Lord truly came over him. We were surrounded by family and that made it even more awesome! On top of Nana and Papi being with us, my mom, Lisa (my sister-in-law, and Alex's godmother), Brayden (my nephew), and Kim (one of my mom's best friends) were all able to come in from New Braunfels. It was a great celebration.

As for Halloween, the kids had a blast. They had a fall party at school during the day, gymnastics after school, dress up time when they got home and trick-or-treating once dusk hit. And they loved being able to share it with their grandparents. Bella was Merida from Brave, Zach was a triceratops, Alex was Mickey at home with Daddy passing out candy, and Papi & Nana were clowns! (I'm only going to embarrass Papi with the picture below.)

Before that we got to celebrate Trunk or Treat at Church. The kids loved the games and bounce castle. I love that Halloween was a week worth of fun this year with Halloween being a Thursday. It gave us extra days to dress up.

The kids are all still doing very well in school. I've met with everyone's teachers for conferences and each is going great. Right where they need to be for their age. Bella's teachers even suggested that we have her tested in the spring for gifted and talented upon entering kindergarten. She also passed all of the state vision and hearing testing. The speech pathologist did suggest that she have a little work though...not surprising! We also need to work on skipping and hopping on one foot to hone her gross motor skills. On a super awesome note, the pediatric surgeon did not feel she is in need of surgery right now. He asked that we up her fiber intake to keep her even more flushed out. Apparently the number one complaint of girls from 4-9 is abdominal pain do to some form of constipation. Of course with her bowel history and hernia, she is already very sensitive in that area. So we've added fiber gummies, prune juice, and flaxseed to her already intense vegetable/fruit and laxative induced daily regimen as well as cut out a large portion of dairy and bread. We haven't heard any large outbursts of crying or complaints of pain.

Someone being a daredevil....and Zach at his first concert!

We hope you all are enjoying the beginning of your holiday season. Many blessings to you all :)

Festival Season

Happy fall everyone! The weather change, the rain, and the endless fun events around town (and out) keep this family in high spirits.

All three kids are loving school...

Alex, in the last week, has even stopped crying as I drop him off and diving for me as I pick him up. Must say, this is a little disappointing! I could handle him no longer crying as I leave in the mornings because what child crying doesn't break a momma's heart just a wee bit. But I loved the way he would reach for me in the afternoons. My baby is gradually becoming a little man and this mommy is ever so slightly sad. He is walking every where now with ease and climbing on everything he can like a little spider; even trying to climb over the couch.

Bella is doing awesome interacting with her classmates. It has helped tremendously to be back around kids her own age. She talks about her friends all the time and even draws pictures of them and their adventures. She has artist genes from both sides of her family so I am curious to see where this goes. We give her a sketch pad along with colored pencils all the time and let her go to work. I'm fairly impressed by what her imagination comes up with and the details she creates. This makes my heart happy given that her dexterity and fine motor skills have always drug a little behind. Now she seems to be catching up centimeter by centimeter. Which is fabulous!!!

Zach, as always, is our loving, energetic, rascal! He has gotten in trouble a few times at school for hitting. We are doing our best to discipline him in a way that encourages him not to be so aggressive. I always get a kick out of observing his artwork compared to his classmates when it is posted on the wall outside his classroom. My boy always tends to "draw a little outside the lines", going in his own direction and thought pattern, and it is reflected in this work. As much of a handful as he is, I LOVE this about him. He is all about dinosaurs right now and building his imagination around them. I thoroughly enjoy watching him talk to his dinosaur family and have each one play together. We made it over to the Sugarland branch of the Natural History Museum a few weeks ago and he was ecstatic. They had T-Rex and Triceratops...his 2 favorites.

On a medical note, please keep Bella in your prayers if possible. Her hernia along her incision from her bowel surgery while in the NICU appears to be bothering her. We will see the pediatric surgeon this week to confirm what is going on in that area. Based on preliminary review by her pediatrician, it looks like the surgery might be necessary sooner rather than later. We always take her for annual check-ups and in the past the thought was to delay the surgery as long as possible, preferably until she is closer to 8. But like so many other things with our preemie miracle, you constantly have to monitor health/behaviors and take action when required.

Peace be with you, enjoy the pictures!