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!