Marley

Sweet sweet Marley!

During our week in Kansas, Marley started saying "I yan go potty" So, I let him sit on the pot. He was so excited to sit, wipe, flush, and clap for himself. Anytime Gracie went to the bathroom, he would too. I was so surprised but happy to let him make this step on his own. He didn't actually go potty until we were in San Antonio at the hotel. We were getting ready for swimming and he got this worried look on his face and asked to go potty as he ran to the bathroom. And then....Success!! He actually pooped! It was so exciting and he loved our reactions. We clapped and cheered and he felt very proud of his little poop. He hasn't done it since, but he still loves to sit on the potty and we're hoping that he continues to move forward toward potty training.

Whoo hoo! That would be awesome!

Now if we could just get through the next week without his pacifier. Yesterday Marley had his first dentist appointment and Dr. Izzard said we needed to throw away the pacifier and stop cold turkey because it was causing an overbite. So, we've had a few rough nap times and some big fits, but we're holding strong. We'll see how it goes. If you hear a child throwing a huge fit, don't worry, it's probably Marley screaming for his "nigh-night".

We made our second journey to Kansas for the summer. We had it planned before we found out about Mom's cancer, so it fell at the perfect time and we were able to spend some time with the Grandparents before the Mom's chemo treatments started. Douglas had his annual D-Day paintball week in Wyandotte, OK, so he dropped us off in Oklahoma City at my sister Maria's house. We had so much fun playing with cousins and swimming before Grandpa picked us up and we headed to Kansas. My niece Sadie came with us and helped play with the kids and made doll clothes with Grandma. We had such a fun week of shopping, swimming at the YMCA waterpark, reading with Grandma, wrestling with Grandpa, watching movies and having lots of quality time. There is a school right behind their house and the kids loved playing on the playground.
The fields around Mom and Dad's house were full of golden winter wheat ready to harvest and they were very beautiful. We saw quite a few pheasants on the side of the road and we passed a lot of Amish families in their horse drawn carriages. The area has it's own beauty and charm.

When Douglas finished his testosterone filled paintball week, he joined us in Kansas and told us many stories of his paintball games, leading battles, using his night vision to annihilate his unsuspecting enemy, playing miles gear with real M-4's, M-16's, and AK-47's, and finally being beaten by the German's in the final battle. Grrrrrr! I'll let him tell you all the details, but it sounded like a whole lot of fun.

We said goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa and headed back to Oklahoma City to Maria and Chuck's home. We had a Bar-b-q and enjoyed spending time with their family. The kids had so much fun playing in the back yard on the trampoline and in the kiddie pool. Gracie and Brigham started "baptising" each other in the pool. Unfortunately Marley got in the pool and got "baptised" by Gracie. (More like pushed under the water) Douglas ran out and jumped in the pool and pulled a very scared, panicking Marley. Thank goodness Sadie was watching and told him! Everything turned out just fine and Douglas had a good talk with Gracie and she felt horrible. It was a good learning experience and we're glad he's okay. Whew! Being a parent is very hard and scary sometimes! The rest of our visit was pleasantly calm and we loved being with our cousins. My only regret is that I didn't take more pictures of the adults. Next time I'll get everybody.

On the way home we stopped in Dallas and ate our favorite Sushi place and did a little shopping.
It was nice to come home and sleep in our own beds. It took the rest of the week for Douglas to get through his paintball withdrawals, and he's already planning for next year. We're happy to be home...at least for a few days.

Marley and Lydia happy to be playing together.

Gracie taking a break from the pool to have a snack.

Marley and Lydia making a lot of noise in the back seat.

A car packed full of kids.

Playing Grandma's piano.

Marley looks like he's about to play a sonata.

So sweet

Grandma helping Marley play baseball.

What are you doing Gracie? Filling up my shoes with rocks of course.

Having so much fun reading with Grandma

Running through the sprinklers for the first time ever.

It was a hit with Gracie. Marley, not so much.

So happy!

Father's Day

We couldn't get them to smile at the same time,

but they were VERY happy to stick out their tongues.

Awwww they do love each other!

Happy Father's Day to Douglas! He is such an amazing father.

The kids just adore him and so do I. We are blessed to have such a talented man in our lives who has such passion for life. Douglas is great at playing with the kids and teaching them all about life and how to how fun. For part of his gift we had these pictures taken. I really love the picture with him and the kids. So cute!

Douglas, I hope that you know that we love you and appreciate everything you do for our family.

Love, Anita, Gracie and Marley

Part 4- Weekend Getaway in Dallas- No Doubt!!!!

A night out on the town

So excited to be at the concert! It was hot!

Sweet opening!!

Gwen, Tom and Tony- They were amazing performers!

Gwen had some really cute outfits!

Last song....sniff, sniff.


Douglas and I have had this weekend planned since No Doubt tickets went on sale a couple months ago. It came at the end of a crazy week, but it was perfect timing to get away. Driving for 4 hours was amazing! Just the 2 of us. No dvd player, sippy cups, screaming or interuptions. It was so quiet. Douglas and I had 4 uninterupted hours to talk and laugh and sing. It was awesome! I love our kids so much and having time away from them is such a nice refresher!

We arrived at our hotel and got an upgrade to a suite, very nice! Then we headed to the Dallas temple. It is such a beautiful temple especially at night. We finished the whole session unlike last time we were there, and it was so nice to be there and leave all our daily stress behind. Afterwards we ate at Wingstop. We miss it and it is so delicious! Then we drove around down town Dallas and took in all the city lights. Dallas has a really great look at night. So many tall buildings with bright lights. (A little bit different from San Angelo)

The next day was the day of the concert, so we slept in, did some shopping at a real mall and discovered the most amazing sushi place we have ever been to. It even topped Kyoto in Salt Lake which has been our favorite for 8 years. It's called Kazi if you're ever in the Dallas area and need some good sushi. The Sushi was heavenly and the people were so nice. They even sent extra sushi for us to sample. Yum!!!

Then it was time for the concert. Whoo!!!! I wore the outfit Douglas bought for me for Mother's Day and spent extra time on my hair and makeup. I'm a dork I know, but I've been waiting to see No Doubt in concert for a long time! We headed to the concert and got caught in the worst traffic. Of course I cried and threw a little fit, but Douglas figured out a way to get around traffic and we found ourselves in a pretty scary neighborhood. Thank goodness for GPS and Douglas because we finally got to the concert! Hallelujah! We could hear Paramore playing so we knew No Doubt wasn't on stage yet. Happy Day because my heart was pounding and I was on the verge of tears again. It's sounds crazy, but I was just so excited and I didn't want to miss it.

We bought our t-shirts and poster and headed to our seats. Waiting, waiting, waiting for Paramore to finish and the stage to be set...... and then there they were behind the white curtain.

Lots of screaming!!!! They started out with the song Spider Webs and they were even better than I imagined. There was so much energy in the place and it was so loud!! The band was amazing live and Gwen looked so stylin! They played all of their best songs minus 2 (Oi to the world and Hey You, in case you were wondering:) and had really great videos behind them. Douglas and I both had so much fun and Douglas took all the awesome pictures and videos so I could just enjoy it. So sweet! I would go see them again in a heart beat! It was amazing. The only thing I'd like more would be to meet them. I can dream right?

The next morning we got a late check out and slept in. Then we packed our bags, headed to Kazi for Sushi one more time and then drove home. It was an amazing weekend to spend with my best friend and see my favorite band. Thank you Douglas for spoiling me and being such a great spouse. I am so lucky! It was so nice to have time all to ourselves. Thanks to my in laws, Darlene and Riley for watching our sweet, crazy kids all weekend. They can be a handfull!

It was nice to come home and see our beautiful kids and now we are all trying to recover and get back on our schedule. Gracie was so excited for us because we got to see Gwen. Both the kids loved our pictures and have been singing No Doubt songs for the past 3 days.

I'm so blessed to have such a great husband, two beautiful kids and a great life. It was a great weekend to start out fresh!

Part 3- Visit to Kansas

We stopped at a cool rest stop to eat and stretch our legs.

So cute!

Grandma and Gracie reading.

The 3 bandits. Lydia, Harper and Marley spent the whole time

stealing each others pacifiers and sippy cups.

Celeste painting Ella's hand.

We painted the office to surprise Mom. I say we but I really mean my siblings:) The kids put their hand prints on the cabinets to remind Grandma and Grandpa that they love them.

For the babies, we did foot prints instead of hands.

Ethan's just along for the ride.

I love this picture!

Charley is jumping to Ben before they hit the road for a 15 hour drive.

Ella's funny face.

Cute baby cousins!

Colette, Ethan and Brooklyn

I love how Colette and Ethan are holding hands!

Gracie loves her Grandpa Sessions!


Before we went camping (previous post)my Mom called to tell me that she was going in for surgery to remove a tumor. She was very calm and said it was not a huge deal and they would keep us posted. I got a call from my Dad the next day saying that the 2 tumors that they removed from her ovaries were cancer. Needless to say I had a tough time sleeping that night. It doesn't matter how old you are your Mom is still your Mom.

So we came home from camping a day early and prepared to drive to Kansas. All of my siblings were there except for Dan who was in Iraq. But he got a temporary leave for 2 weeks and is now home with his wife and beautiful girls. He is a huge help to my mom because this is his area of expertise. So it's nice to have someone to answer all our questions. We have a lot of them!

Our stay in Kansas was bitter sweet. There were a lot of tears, but we really enjoyed seeing each other and feeling the extra love and support. The kids loved playing together and Gracie is constantly asking to see her cousins.

We pray that things go smoothly as Mom undergoes chemo therapy this summer. She has a great attitude and she's feeling optimistic. As usual she is more concerned about her family than herself. She's a wonderful Mom and Grandma and we hope to be a support to her. The kids and I are looking forward to visiting again next week while Douglas is at his paintball D-day. We'll keep everyone posted and ask you to keep her in your prayers.

Part 2- Camping

Marley driving- Douglas looks nervous!

Gracie driving

Happy to be out of her seat and up front

Cute glasses!

Playing at the river

Gracie caught her first fish with her brand new princess fishing pole.

Thanks to Uncle Leroy for the pole and the fishing lessons!

All the guys on the river were envious of Gracie's catch!

Having fun in the dune buggy

Awesome fireworks!

I love this picture with the fireworks and the illuminated river rocks.

Nice picture Douglas!

There were so many big bugs and beautiful butterflies.

After Gracie's graduation we packed to go camping. On friday morning we drove to Pandale, TX on the Pecos river. Riley, my father in law was invited by his good friend, Jim to join them camping over memorial day weekend. I say camping, but we were actually in air conditioned cabins with electricity and running water. So we were a little spoiled. It was so beautiful! We met some new friends(especially Gracie),we played in the river, went canoeing, fishing, had BBQ, homeade ice cream and watched some incredible fireworks! Riley's friend, Jim sells fireworks and supplies us with them every 4th of July and New Years. He put on an amazing show and even Marley loved it, but only from the safety of the car.

The kids loved running free and having freedom to play all day. They loved driving on the dirt roads and playing in the river. We had a great time!

Part 1 - Joy School Graduation

The last 2 weeks have been very crazy and so I'm playing catch up with blogging.

Last week Gracie graduated from Joy School. She had such a fun year and made so many new friends. There were 9 kids in the class, so it was pretty chaotic some times, but it was fun to teach and Gracie loved it. Her imagination has soared and she has learned so much. Thanks to all the teachers and kids. It has been a great year. Now on to pre-k!

For graduation the kids wore graduation caps and recieved diplomas. So cute!