School Starts - Mama Stops

I am extremely behind on posting - I have some great pictures and stories to tell, but it has been quite an adjustment since school started. So I will catch up when I can. The kids were sick with a really gross stomach/intestinal virus the first week of school, and we have been very busy selling popcorn for the boys scouts since Aug 12th.
Last Wednesday, we hosted a pool party for Dallas's cub scout bear den which I am leading this year. It was a huge success! The boys earned their swimming belt loop, and I am so sad that I forgot to take pictures :-( I had the camera there but was so busy with doing this or that with one baby or the other on my hip and keeping an eye on the boys in the pool that it just plain slipped my mind. It was a joy to see all those boys having fun, and I am so glad that I took on this new role no matter how much hard work it is! I hope everyone had a wonderful summer (even though we have not seen the hottest temperatures yet in this neck of the woods, or hills, rather)! Pictures below are from today, just before we went to one of Noah's fellow Wolf scout's birthday party.
TTFN - Carrie

Public Service Announcement - this is what might happen when you have 4 kids:

There is a lotta love, and there are also a lotta messes!!!

Nani Dances Hallelujah!

Savanna is dancing to the end credits of the movie "Because of Winn Dixie." It was so cute, I had to run upstairs and get my camera and then rewind it (thanks to DVR), so she would do it again. She is not getting down quite as much as she did the first time, but it is still pretty darn cute in the video: "Nani Dances Hallelujah!" I think she must be feeling the Spirit because at one point she closes her eyes and look to the heavens as she dances. We should all get up and dance like the babes - so innocent and free...

Addendum: Ha Ha! I just viewed the video myself for about the 5th time, and I noticed something new. I was wondering why she kept falling "down" a few times in the middle. She was listening to the lyrics, apparently, and playing like she does for "Ring Around the Rosies" when it goes "we all fall down." This song was saying "lay my burdens down." Savanna cracks me up sometimes! :-) Silly Nani!! ;-)

Scout Night at Dell Diamond - August 1, 2006

We took the kids to a ball game, the first time I ever sat this close to a field. Since I am from Houston, home of the Astros, I only ever sat in the nosebleed seats in the Astrodome! (Hey, I am totally off topic, but Dan's dad did the plumbing for the Reliant Stadium, where the Astros play now and also where Dan and I saw Bon Jovi in February with Monica, Albert and our friends Chris and Erin.) Back on topic: The Round Rock Express is the minor league team for the Astros, so it is pretty cool to see these players since the Astros have been doing pretty well lately. In fact, often times they will put on a huge fire works show that rivals the 4th of July show after the Express win an important game. We can see these fireworks from our back porch or from an upstairs room. Pretty cool, huh? Our dog, Chelsea, is not too keen on it though; she hides behind the couch when they are shooting the fireworks. There were no fireworks at this game, but it was still a fun family night. Here are some photos from the game:

Savanna was "Keeper of the Cup." No one could have a drink unless they knew the secret code word AND she was in a gracious mood.

Dan, Bub, and Dallas:

Noah, Bailey (fingers always in mouth), and me:

This is when Cody Ransom hit a home run for a grand slam - that was cool to see!

Dallas cheering at the end when the Express won the game:

What was cool about tonight's game was that afterwards, the scouts got to stay and do some fun things like swimming and rock climbing, and they brought in pizza and played a movie on the scoreboard, "8 Below". The kids thought it was the greatest thing and want to go do it again whenever they can although Dan, having to work the next day, found it extremely difficult to sleep, what with all the trains going by and with some kids up until after 2am in the morning running around the field. here is a pic of the field covered with sleeping bags:

I think Dan might have to do this again next year - poor Dan!! TTFN - Carrie
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Bailey Sits Up - No, Stands up!!

I have been meaning to post these images for a while from late July, the 25th to be exact. Bailey started sitting up that day (without falling over!!!) Now, he had already been scoot-crawling before then, so he was able to get just about anywhere he wanted to be. This was perplexing as we get his pictures taken by a phenomenal photographer who takes pictures in stages, the 6-7 month stage being the sitting up stage. Well, since he started "crawling" before sitting, we had to postpone his appointment. If you have seen the results she gets from Savanna, then you would understand why you wait for the "6 month" pictures for the baby to be sitting up. We went in yesterday, the 9th, for his 6th month pictures, even though he is technically 8 months today because of the sitting up milestone. Well, Bailey just wanted to crawl all over the place so it was extremely difficult to keep him still. But Lesley is an artist (pronounced with a bit of a french twist), so I am sure she will get plenty of beautiful photos that I will be sad I cannot afford to buy. But I bought the baby plan already where I get to have 1 photo each from each milestone (3, 6, 9, 12 mths) - that is soooo worth what I paid for it. I have the same layout for Savanna, and it is priceless. When Dallas and Noah were babies, I was all up in Sears, JCPenney, and Wal-Mart, getting pictures of them above and beyond the 3 month markers, but being the mom of 4 kids now, I just do not have the time (or patience) to go get individual photos taken - and forget about family pictures - I think the last one we did was December 2003 when I was pregnant with Savanna! It is sad, but I have not gotten pictures of Savanna since her 1 year pictures, and she is past 2 already. I meant to, really, but I do not feel too guilty since I have this digital camera and take so many more pictures than I ever took of Dallas and Noah when they were babies. We have lots of pictures of her growing up. So I am hoping it will all even out, and they won't feel like I doted on one any more than the other.


Look, what is this thing? A football?


Hey, I knew it was a football, you silly! I was just testing you! Hook 'Em Horns!!!

Anyway, so the Bub started sitting up a couple of weeks ago, and lo and behold, he is standing up already! Yes, he stood up for the first time yesterday which I documented in this video, The Bub Stands Up. Bubby is 8 months today, so this is an omen, I am afraid. Noah started walking by 9 months from sheer will and determination to follow his brother Dallas on his adventures. Bailey has 3 siblings he is modeling after!! They grow way too fast - why can't my last one just stay a baby???
TTFN - Carrie