Day 133

My mom had to bring Chloe with her to watch my sister's kids this afternoon and when Alyssa saw what Chloe was wearing she ran upstairs to change. When I got there to pick Chloe up Alyssa proudly announced that Chloe was her twin. Aren't they adorable?

(PS - Chloe has strep, but started antibiotics this morning and is feeling MUCH better!)

Day 132

Chloe started running a fever Tuesday night and had to stay home today. She was asleep when I got home from class, but she was running a temp of 103.7 - into the tub she went. We were nearly out of ibuprofen, and she needs a cocktail of meds to keep her fevers down. Mike went to the store to find some, but they were completely sold out. None at HEB, CVS, or Kroger. He took a picture:


There has been some sort of recall on the name brand stuff, and I guess folks panicked and made a run for the store brands, too. Hopefully I'll be able to find some tomorrow or borrow some from a friend. I don't need her to start having seizures again. She will have to go to the doctor tomorrow - hopefully it's something they can treat and not a random virus.

Here's to another night without sleep. Feel better, Chloe baby.

Day 131

My oleanders are finally blooming! I was worried that they wouldn't make it - they looked quite dead after this winter and it took them a long time to green up this spring. But, now they are covered with their gorgeous flowers and the back yard smells heavily of their lovely scent.

Day 130

The kids love watching the hummingbirds as much as I do. I would guess we probably have about 25 or so of them in the back yard right now and they are always chasing each other away from the feeders. (I need to put some more out there so they don't kill each other.) You would think they kids would get tired of them by now, but they don't. This morning they were done getting ready for school and they just hung out there watching them while I finished getting ready. It was sweet how they were sharing the chair and not fighting - usually I worry about THEM chasing each other!

Day 129

Just a few years ago I ached to have days like this. I prayed, longed, and wished to finally be blessed with children. I thank God (almost) every day for these two precious darlings. I know every mom thinks her kids are the cutest - but, really - mine are pretty dang cute.

They called me into the room, had me close my eyes, and then screamed, "Happy Mother's Day," and jumped aside to reveal their picture for me.




I'm trapped in the tower, but Chloe promises they'll rescue me before the dragon eats me for lunch. Now THAT is a Mother's Day gift.

Day 128

I borrow my sister's dog, Bella, today for a school project I'm doing on operant conditioning. Her 3-month old shih tzu needed to learn some basic commands and a few cute tricks. My kids were thrilled that they got to play with her and she's even going to spend the night. This is the kind of dog we need to get. Tiny teeth.

Anyone have any puppies available?

Day 127

This little guy (actually, I think it might be a female ruby throat) guards the hummingbird feeder closest to the porch. Any other hummer that comes close gets chased away with a loud, angry cheep. This is one of our dead palms, though, and it will probably come down next weekend. We're going to have to put another good-sized tree here or she'll have no perch from which to survey the land.

Day 126

Just when we thought poor Chloe's luck couldn't possibly get any worse (what with her dog bite, first zit, and seasonal allergies) - she caught ringworm. On her neck. I probably brought it home from school (we have a kiddo who seems to have it constantly) on my clothes. Well, she can't have it exposed at school, so we put the medicine on and covered it with a bandage. Which, turns out, she's also allergic to. Just like her Mama.

We are having a rough Spring.

Day 125

Psalms 92:12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Some of our palms did not survive the horrible winter, but this one sure did - she is having babies. I'll have to transplant them soon so they have more room to grow.

Day 124

When I was a little girl I actually had the Little Pony Castle (I wonder if it's in the attic, too). But, Chloe does fine making her own castles and kingdoms. She will spend a good hour setting up a scene precisely the way she wants it. She worked on this one all afternoon.

This is Pony Land - where (according to Chloe) "all the ponies are smart and pretty and know where to stand." Yes, that's my girl!

Day 123

I promised Bradley a bubble gun if only he would wear his horrible recital costumes - and he did. So, today I took the kids out on the patio after dinner to play for a while Pretty much the most fun you can have under $3!!

Day 122

Robin's Dance Studio Recital 2010 was a huge success! The kids danced beautifully and a great time was had by everyone. In our family we had Chloe and Bradley and their cousins: Alexis, Alec, and Meghan dancing. Chloe had 3 Girl Scout sisters and two neighborhood friends there dancing, too. Not very many routines went by that didn't have someone we knew in it - so it was a ton of fun. We celebrated at Chili's, of course since it's the kids' second favorite restaurant (after Rain Forest Cafe). I'm exhausted! Now we can rest until summer dance classes start!

Day 121

Today in the wicked, bad, humid heat we had soccer pictures. After individual pictures, the kids had to sit on this bench until everyone was done and ready for the group picture. So, I snapped a few of my own while we were waiting. Hopefully Bradley puts on a better face for recital tomorrow!

Day 120

This might be Bradley's favorite thing about soccer practice - collecting little sticks and flowers before practice starts. If we ever go camping, he will be the kindle king. He looks so bitty near that huge tree. We helped him climb it - his first time to climb a tree. He had fun, but was a bit scared since the tree is just so big. He told me later, "I will climb another tree. A smaller tree. A tree that won't eat me." Good plan, son.

Day 119

Tonight we had rehearsal for recital (this Sunday!) and the kids were really patient through all the waiting. Katie said that if rehearsal is rough, recital will be smooth - so we are in for a perfect recital show!

Bradley had his two dances right at the beginning of the evening, so he got to hang out until everyone else was done. He stayed right by Alyssa the entire time and told me he would "always protect her." From what? "Dinosaurs, lions, and bugs with 14 legs." That's love, I tell you.

Day 115

Today our Daisy troop used their cookie money to work on their service project. Each girl got to make a bear at Build-a-bear Workshop, but instead of keeping them they are donating them to the kids at our local Ronald McDonald House. Their troop leader made a bear for them to rotate every two weeks (and they'll earn the GSSJC badge "share a bear"). Aren't they adorable?

The folks at BAB are wonderful! They really worked well with the girls and each girl got a BAB patch for her Daisy vest. Most importantly, they learned how to work hard and share their rewards with those less fortunate. Chloe exclaimed, "Can't we buy a bear for every sick child in the whole entire hospital?" She even offered to give her own bears from home away. She's a precious child - her spirit is so giving. We are really blessed.

Day 112

Matthew 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and puts forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh.

My baby fig tree didn't die! I planted it from a teeny little sprout a couple of years ago and I was worried it wouldn't survive the horrible Winter of Doom we had. But, here it is - all green and ready for a hot, humid summer! What a great way to celebrate Earth Day!

Day 111

I am so glad we live in a neighborhood that has a lot of natural areas untouched by earth movers. This is actually the view we get to see when we drive through the pharmacy in our subdivision. God really did bless Texas, y'all!

Day 110

It's finally warming enough for my gorgeous irises to bloom! The first one peeked out this morning and I had to get a picture since I knew we'd be home late tonight. I'm sure this one will get picked as soon as Chloe sees it. Hopefully I can coax them into flowering again later in the summer like I did last year!

Day 109

The kids all had a make-up dance class tonight, so Alec came home with us when we were done since my sister and Alexis still had to practice the Mother/Daughter dance. After my kids got ready for bed, Alec volunteered to read to them.

It was just as sweet as could be. My darling nephew has dyslexia and a reading disability and really struggles with reading. But, he was patient and read to his cousins sweetly. He stumbled over some words and Chloe was confused because it's actually a book she can read fluently. But she didn't say a word - just smiled at him and listened. It was a precious moment and I am so glad they are all so close in age. I know they will all be good friends through school.

Day 108

I'm in the very long process of cleaning out the attic at the townhouse and I found several boxes of toys from when I was little and my kids are enthralled. Bradley is very confused as to why this club house looks very different from the club house he watches on Disney. I wish I could find the rest of the pieces - I'm sure they are in another box somewhere. I found my old Micro Machines, too, which have him amazed. (I was a well-rounded girl child.)

Chloe is excited about all kinds of old t-shirts she can wear. Oh, and she's been carrying my Rainbow Bright doll around all day. I wish I could find my Charmkins. I had a ton of them. She is also wearing my rad charm necklace. I'm going to have to get a picture of 80s Chloe. First I need to find some scrunchie socks in bright green.

Day 107

This afternoon we took a long drive together trying to find some good fields to take some bluebonnet pictures, but the grass was really overgrown and it was hard to find them sticking out over the other wildflowers and grasses. Last year we were lucky enough to find a lovely patch not 10 minutes from our house, but no such luck this year.

This year the kids were both kind of grumpy and not wanting to sit among the flowers. Chloe was very concerned about "damaging the state flower" and informed me that we absolutely could not touch any of them because if the flower dies they won't grow back. Bradley didn't want to get dirty. Despite the weather, my little activist, and my obsessive I got a few nice shots. :)



Why would anyone want to live anywhere other than Texas?

Day 105

Chloe has been blessed with so many people praying for her and sending her well wishes with cards and gifts. She looks at the cards every day and just loves them. She is doing much, much better - but still has some bruising and it still hurts, of course. I'm not sure what I thought it would look like by now, but to me it just looks awful. I keep praying for complete healing and restoration and I know it will take time, but God will continue to touch her. I know it was a complete miracle that her eye did not get damaged, and she is covered and protected. It's just hard for her Mama to see her with those big ol' scars.

Day 101

Today Chloe's Daisy Girl Scout troop took a trip to the KPRC station - Houston's Channel 2 news. Khambrel Marshall led the tour for the girls and they all had a great time. He showed them how he analyzes the various computer models to determine his weather forecast and showed them how he makes the report on the computer for use on the blue screen. They got to sit at the anchor desk and explore the set. It was just incredibly cute! I wish Chloe's face wasn't a strange bluish tint in this picture, though!! It's like she got into some of that Wonka gum!

Day 100

Today was supposed to be Bradley's first soccer game and we were glad it was going to be overcast and cloudy rather than blazing hot. But, those clouds decided to have a party and drench everyone. Our parade was canceled and we started our pre-game practice in the rain. We would have played through the rain and mud, but then it started thundering (turns out I have a couple of kids on my team who are terrified of thunder) and lightning and it just wasn't safe to play. We'll make up the game this week in better weather. Despite being pretty wet, Bradley sure looks cute, huh?

Day 99

The bruising seems to be calming and she's not nearly as swollen anymore - but still in pain. And, to make it worse, now she's itchy. Poor thing! We go back to the plastic surgeon tomorrow and hopefully he will clear her to have fun again. Tonight she went to dance, but just watched from the sidelines. It was cute because she was doing all the moves, but from her seat. What an ordeal this has been! I hope we have a very, very boring summer.

Day 97

Chloe got Sea Monkeys from the Easter Bunny and today we finally had the chance to add the "eggs" to the purified water. The kids are excited and can't wait to feed them. They are pretty disgusting little creatures. (The sea monkeys, not my kids.) Hopefully we won't kill them right off, or spill them. Yuck.

Day 96

Isn't she the cutest little red-headed baby ever? Alyssa will be three in August and she is a complete doll. Like her mama and Titi she talks constantly and says the most hilarious things. The other day she announced, "Well, I died." When my sister asked her what she meant she said, "We played the game and I died. " My sister let her know that she was, indeed, still breathing and alive and Alyssa exclaimed, "I'm alive? ALIVE!!!! I like to be alive."

(That dress, by the way, was Chloe's when she was four!)

Day 95

After all the happy Easter stuff from yesterday we had a whole lot of trouble. Chloe was getting ready to feed Zeke around 5:45pm and he just snapped - he turned and bit her. Mike was right there and started screaming for me - I ran over, saw all the blood and grabbed a kitchen towel, put it on her face, and carried her to the foyer. There was so much blood. I told Bradley to get me the phone so I could call 911. I also had him get a blanket because she was shaking uncontrollably and I was worried about shock. He was a trooper and obeyed without question. After I got off the phone with them I called my sister and told her to come over immediately.

Erin, the EMTs, and the police all arrived at the same time. Chloe was stabilized and they said we could transport her to the ER or they could take her. Erin, Matthew (my brother), and I decided to take her ourselves. Mike waited behind to talk to the police and for my mom to watch Bradley.

We were at the emergency room until nearly midnight - and they couldn't close the wounds. They gave Chloe some Demerol and flushed the wounds out, packed them with antibiotic cream, and covered them. She had to start on an antibiotic before they could be closed because of the fear of infection from the dog's mouth (turns out they are NOT cleaner than ours). They also wanted plastics to work on her, and not just the ER doc.

This morning we went to the plastic surgeon's office and got her wounds flushed again. At 1pm she went in for plastic surgery. The surgery lasted about 30 minutes and she did beautifully. She has some external stitches and some subcutaneous ones. The smaller wound was glued and the other was left open. She was an angel for the nurses and only got mildly ill from the anesthesia. The anesthesiologist actually said he was interested in taking Zeke (because Lord knows I cannot keep him after this).

After I got Chloe back home, my sister stayed with her so I could take Zeke to Animal Control for his mandatory rabies test and behavior assessment. He was a complete angel the whole time, showed everyone all of his tricks, and stayed right next to me. They couldn't understand why I didn't want such a great dog.

Check out the 35 stitches on my daughter's face.

Chloe will miss all of this week from school (including her much anticipated kindergarten field trip to the zoo). Please keep her in your prayers and praise God that her eye is okay - there is actually a small puncture on her eyelid and those other ones right there next to it. It's a miracle that she is okay. She is very upset that we are getting rid of Zeke. She told me, "Jesus says to forgive and I forgive him. He made a bad choice, but you should forgive him."

Sorry, baby, but he has to go to Puppy Jail.

Day 94

Happy Easter, everyone!

The kids had a great time finding eggs this morning and now we are off to church. We'll have dinner at my sister's house this year. Can't wait to relax and not have it at my house! Earlier Bradley told me, "Mama, don't be sad. Jesus DIES." I told him I know and he said, "But don't worry, every Easter He comes back to life!" Ah, theology for the very young.

Remember, He is risen! Hallelujah!

Day 93

Poor Zeke has outgrown even our big garden tub, so now he has to take showers instead of baths! He does really well, though, and likes to try to catch the water spray in his mouth. Tonight he rolled around in goodness knows what and he needed freshening up - badly!

Day 92

It's soccer season in the Cross house! Bradley had his first practice this evening and it was pretty cute. I'm coaching and there are 8 players on my team: 2 girls (one who has Down's Syndrome), 6 boys (3 who are really good, and 3 (including Bradley) who would rather spin and pick flowers than kick the ball. It's going to be a long, but really fun eight weeks!

Day 91

When we got Bradley's recital costumes last week he let me know right away that he did not approve of the sparkle and shimmer. In fact, he threw them on the ground and declared he would NOT be wearing them. So, I had to bribe use positive reinforcement to get him to wear them. I was prepared to offer a cool (but $20) remote control race car he had expressed interest in a few weeks ago, but then he said he would only wear the horrible costumes if I bought him a bubble gun. Yep, a $3.50 bubble gun from Target. Woot!

I told him he had to wear the costumes only 4 times: once to try them on, once for pictures, once for dress rehearsal, and once for recital. Today was picture day. Let me tell you, the pictures are stinking precious! (You can see all of the proofs HERE or by checking out my photos on FB.)

Since he's the only boy, all the moms of the girls in his groups wanted to take his picture with their daughters. It was just adorable, and he finally started smiling towards the end (after the hundredth person had proclaimed his cuteness). I can't wait for recital!

Day 90

"When the summer comes there will be curtains and fountains of roses! ...Now the Spring has begun - perhaps, perhaps..."
Mary Lennox, The Secret Garden


The Spring really has begun here in Houston. We did lose several trees and plants - the cherry tree, three palms, the hibiscus... I need to start searching for what we will replace them with. But, the roses survived and they are absolutely lovely. The irises also survived and should start blooming in the next couple of weeks. I adore gardening!

Day 89

Dressing up - it's not just for special occasions. Today when I was making dinner, the kids were playing in their playroom. When I called them down Bradley announced, "Here comes her royal hieney - Princess Chloe!" And, just as he said, there was Chloe all decked out in her royal regalia. I think her ladies-in-waiting need to invest in an iron, though!

Day 88

We dropped some berries off at my sister's house this evening and we heard a familiar knocking. Woody (our local woodpecker) is back in action ready for Spring! This telephone pole is right in front of my sister's house and you can hear Woody pecking away at it from all over the neighborhood. He must have a lady bird near by, as they are monogamous. He is a Pileated Woodpecker and must be working on a new nest. The kids enjoy watching him work and do his drumming on the poles. It's really nice to live in an area so filled with wildlife.

Day 87

Today for their Daisy meeting, our girl scouts got to dye eggs and have an egg hunt together. We talked about all the different uses for crushed egg shells (fertilizer, snail and slug deterrent, garbage disposal cleaner, you can even make chalk with them). They had a great time and are really in the mood for Easter!

Day 86

This morning we all got up early to go strawberry picking! The haul was fantastic and I've got strawberry crisp in the oven as I type this. We pick blueberries every June, so we were expecting a lot of hot, sweaty work. But this was completely easy - the farm is extremely ordering and neat (two of my favorite qualities in a working farm, you know) and the picking is simple. The kids had just a few rules: stay next to mommy and daddy, don't pick the green ones, and don't pick the blooms.



They did great and we finished so quickly that they didn't have time to get bored. The farm also has a lovely little market with locally grown produce (and oh my gosh - AMAZING pickles!). They also have the most delectable fruit pies you have ever tasted - hot out of the oven.
Next door is a little store that processes meat and sells smoked sausage and such. The kids shared a sausage on a stick and couldn't wait to get home and eat some berries.

I think we'll go again in a couple of weeks!

Day 85

Can you believe this puppy isn't even 9-months old yet? (He'll be 9-months on April 1st.) He weighs 90 pounds and is still growing. He's up to 3.5 cups of food in the morning and again in the evening. We split it 1/2 puppy, 1/2 adult and he gobbles down every last crumb. I don't remember Barrett eating that much!! I'll be glad when the weather is nice enough to take him out to the dog park so he can play with some dogs his size.

Day 84

This was at the door today. Mike was like, "Do you have something you need to tell me?" Um, heck no! No clue why I would get this in the mail, but I'm going to bring it to someone at the kids' dance studio who just had a baby! Mercy - what is the mailman thinking?!

Day 83

Chloe decided that the walls needed more Easter cheer, so she set to making a slew of decorations. This one is my favorite, though. Isn't the bunny adorable? She loves raiding my craft room for her supplies, so it's a good thing I always have a ton of card stock available. I like having all those things on hand - from glue and glitter to buttons and bows. The kids also have a large collection of markers, crayons, and colored pencils. Lately Chloe has been wanting to cut everything else, but I keep the scissors out of reach since I still haven't quite gotten over when she cut her own hair a couple of years ago!

We are starting to feel better, and I'm glad I don't have class tonight or I would be miserable. Somehow Bradley is still perfectly healthy (praise God!) and the rest of us are on the mend. Let's hope we stay that way!

Day 82

Sorry, there is just no picture today because I have a fever of 103. Just pretend there is a picture of me and Chloe curled up in a heap of pitiful.

Day 81

Wow. That's just about all I can say. Wow.

Chloe, Mike, and I all have strep. We started feeling a bit run down yesterday (and Chloe ran a fever) - but overnight we were smacked with misery. We all tested positive today, so it looks like we'll have to shield Bradley from the cooties. I need to go back to bed now. What a great way to start the first week back to work after Spring Break. Ugh.

Day 80

Nothing beats capturing the bad dinosaurs and making them clean up their room, huh? Bradley really started getting interested in dinos this summer and we are growing quite a collection of toys and books related to them. We've always like the books in the "How does your Dinosaur..." series and our dinos always seem to do all those very bad things. So, we keep putting them in jail. No wonder they are extinct!

Day 79

Today we went to a bridal shower for my sister's husband's brother's future bride. She'll be Lexi's new Aunt, and Erin helped host the shower. Lexi looked so precious in her springy new outfit. I cannot believe how she is changing recently - looking more like a young lady and less like a little girl. It kills me! She'll be in middle school next year, which is just mind-boggling. I don't know how the years went by so darn quickly! Today she was wearing heels and walking just fine in them and as I watched her I recalled pictures of her trying to toddle around in dress-up shoes. (Those hard plastic pink shoes that every little girl wants, but struggles to walk in.) Here she is looking tweenish, but still just as sweet. Such a blessed girl who brought so much change to her mama. Lexi was the unexpected miracle who really set my sister's life on the right track. We are completely blessed to have this child in our family. I know she will do incredible things as she gets older. I just don't want her doing them so soon!

Day 78

Today Katie came over to do a homework project for her photography class (imagine that!) and needed to use Chloe as her model. She was quite willing to comply. Is it cheating that I didn't take this picture? It WAS taken with my camera, though, so it's not really cheating. Let's stick with that, okay?

In this photo she was playing with depth of field and I think she did a good job - except for the tree that looks like it's coming out of Chloe's head! Hopefully she'll get a good grade because she had to do a lot of work!! I always wanted to take a photography class - maybe some day I'll take a continuing ed class at the junior college. Like, some day when I'm not coaching, teaching, in grad school, chasing a puppy, and wrangling a 4 and 5 year old. Yeah, then.

Day 77

I mentioned that we took Zeke to the vet yesterday because he needed a vaccine and a general check up. Turns out our little guy weighs 86 pounds. Crazy, huh? He is looking great - his heart sounds fine and he's growing at a good pace so he's not straining his bones. The vet said he probably won't be done growing until he's almost 3 years old. He's only 8 months old, folks. That's a lot of growing left to do! The vet also said we could feed him 1/2 puppy food and 1/2 adult food. He gets 4 cups in the morning and 4 in the evening and still acts like he's hungry. How much do you think he'll eat by the time he's full grown? Perhaps we should buy stock in our dog food company?