Psillos Family Vacay- Part Uno

On Memorial Day Weekend and the following week we were able to to use the Williams lake house for a Psillos family vacation. It was so awesome!! It honestly couldn't have been more perfect. Thank you so much to my wonderful in laws for letting us use their beautiful vacation spot. The upper house is still being worked on so there was 10 adults, 3 kids, 1 baby, and 1 dog in a two bedroom house. But it didn't feel squished and luckily I have great easy going people in my family who don't care about sleeping on mattresses in the living room! It was fun to be all together in the one house because we would have lost people for a few hours at a time if they had some where else to go!

Lots of wall walking by the girls. They love the attention of all their aunts, uncles, and grandparents. My mom had a whole suitcase full of stuff for them that she brought out periodically which kept them quite busy.

Fun sprinkler time for the girls.

Colt spent lots of time with Grandpa. He got lots of being held by everyone and loved it!

Rachel wore this headband all week. It is Hannah's but she adopted it!

Hannie finally lost her front tooth!

Lots of swinging too! The girls spent lots of time on here. One of the swing strings broke while Livy was swinging pretty high, luckily Josh was there to save the day and caught her in the air before she fell.

Eric's way of catching a catfish! He put a bagel in a net and sat there hoping it would swim right in!

Time with Dad.

Time with Grandpa.

Lots of fishing being done too. Everyone spent some time out on the deck either fishing, tracking this large catfish that was hanging out around the deck, or watching the fishermen.

Grammy and Poppy time!

Rich and Erin: Done with FAA training school and now living in CA working as an air traffic controller! Way to go Rich!

Suddenly our family picture looks large, and crazy.

Josh and Katie: Just bought their first house in NY!! How exciting, can't wait to come see all the progress when we get there this summer.

Charlie and Michelle: In NY for the summer working. They have taken over my room and my dog. But they sure take good care of him so I'm glad they're there! My dogs seem to love Charlie. Pebbles was buddies with Charlie this trip. She even stole a few of the fish he caught!

Some of the Psillos kids.

We got to celebrate Dad's 52nd birthday at his favorite TX resturant, Pappasitos. Then their flight was cancelled so we got to spend an extra night with everyone.

Colt and Uncle Josh.

I love that face he makes, that is the "I'm coming to suck on your face" look.

Colt loved the baby swing. I didn't try it out until later in the week so he didn't get much swinging time.

That is the end of part one. I ran out of time. Hopefully I will get some more up soon of the wakeboarding and jet skis! They were so much fun too!

May

Well another month is gone, again. I can't believe how fast it is flying by. These are just some pictures from May that I never got up here. These pictures are from when he was 5 months old. He's now six months already! Yikes! He is such a good, fun, and happy boy. We love having "little buddy" in our family. Although the girls are continually saying we are having a baby girl now. So if they tell you mommy has a baby girl in her belly don't believe them. I promise, there is no baby there. Eric has taken to the little buddy nickname more than anyone else I think. I don't even think he ever calls him Colt now!

Livy found an inchworm on the ground. She told me she wanted to teach it how to swim, then proceeded to dump a bucket of water on it!

I know, so many of basically the same thing but it is so hard to choose exactly which one is best so I just put them all.

Smiling eyes!

Hummus lover. She eats it like crazy which great. About one of the only things this stringbean does eat, besides sweets.

Love to see them playing with him. Livy does the most and he is so into her. He just laughs at her even when she is just walking around.

We started swim lessons in May and are still going. Progress is slow but glad they are starting to learn. Rachel would only swim with the male teacher. Cried hysterically for the female teacher and tried running away from her to any door she could find in pool area. So sad, but pretty funny if you saw it. Glad to say she now loves her teacher Eric and talks about him often. Livy wants her teacher too but is more easy going and I can bribe her to go with the other teacher.

Looks like a big jump doesn't it, only about 4 inches of water, don't worry!

He was laying sucking his thumb and it was so cute. He did it for a few weeks but hasn't done it since then. No thumb, no paci. I am loving this!

I don't know why these pictures are sideways but it is the only one I have of all three of them smiling. They were all laying on the bed before baths one night.

You wear me out, but I love you anyway! That is what Olivia's mom says to her in the Olivia (the pig) books. That pretty much sums it up I think. We all started saying it to one another now and they think it's pretty funny. They say it to me too! Sure do love you three. You keep me busy and happy and loved!

With in just a few weeks he started looking so much older. He's getting so big! We were able to spend a week at the lake house with the Psillos family. It was so much fun. I know I'm late with that post too but it will come.......someday!

Kid pictures

My very talented sister in law April took some pictures of the kids last week. There are up on her blog http://www.photosbyaprilwilliams.blogspot.com/  So go check them out. I love them April! Thanks so much for taking them! You are awesome!

Mother's Day and Motherly Stuff

It was a great Mother's Day. I got to sleep in utnil 9 thanks to my sweet hubby, only to be woken by a hungry baby. Then there was breakfast made for me and cards from the girls. After chruch we went to Eric's parents home for a dinner taken care of by the guys as well as child watching! It turned out to be a great day! Thanks Eric for making it a relaxing day for me. I really loved it. I think it should be once a month instead of once a year!

Tried to get a picture with my kids for Mother's Day but outside the minivan in the church parking lot is not the perfect backdrop! Anyway, here's us. I can't believe I have three kids. Crazy. Amazing. Wonderful. Tiring. I just love being their mom and getting to be the one who knows these three little people like no one else will. So blessed to be a mom, their mom.

Sure missed my mom on Mother's Day. She is the best mom I know and I can only hope to keep getting more like her. She is such a support for me and a voice of encouragement. I'm so happy to have a great relationship with her that keeps growing closer and stronger over the years. I love you Mom!

A few days before Mother's Day I was feeling worn down and not like a great mom at all. I realized that I was being too hard on the girls. They are only three. I need to remember that. They are supposed to be messy, push boundaries, experiment, try things, be independent and many other things that cause more cleaning, work and headaches for me most of the time. But also that brings so much joy and happiness to them and believe it or not to me too! Getting mad at your kid (a still training kid) for peeing on the floor is absurd when you think about it. It was just so frustrating though. I hate getting mad or upset at them. It makes me feel horrible after. And I'm sure it doesn't make them feel loved and happy. So then and there I resolved to speak kinder to them, let more roll off my back and just enjoy this time we have together. I hope they can forgive me and forget, and I can continue to make them feel loved, safe, and happy. I really love them more than anything and more than I could ever express. I am so happy that I get to be with them everyday. Even the days that are challenging. And I am so happy to be their mom and get to experience this relationship we share and the perfect and unconditional love that we have for each other. My friend Tisha came put this poem on her blog that I just loved and was perfect timing for this whole thing. 

A Plea

LaVerne P. Larson

Be kind to me for I am young

And make mistakes, I know…

But in my heart, you’ll find this true,

I always love you so.

Be patient, too, and do not scold

But help me find my way,

That I may walk a happy path,

By kindly words you say.

Teach me the meaning of a prayer,

The value of a song,

Help me to understand all things

And know the right from wrong.

Give me some hours by your side

That we may dream and smile,

And share sweet joys together

For youth lasts just a while.

But most of all, love me please

As only you can do,

For God placed me within your care

And my whole world is you. 

I love it. Rachel, Olivia, and Colt I love you more than I can ever tell you. I love your excitement for life, your sweet spirits, your eager minds, your entertaining thoughts, your funny comments, your wonderful imaginations, and your never ending need and love for mommy! I hope to always be able to make your life exciting and meaningful, and to make sure you know of our love for you, and raise you to be the amazing people our Father in Heaven sent you here to be. I promise to speak kinder and cherish this time that I know won't last forever.

(Livy had fell up in Austin and scraped up her nose)

I love the way you love me:

1. At the lake Rachel found an old key ring. She put it on my finger and very seriously said "I would be pleased for you to wedding me." Then jumping up and down she started shouting "We're getting wedding!" Then Livy wanted to "wedding" me too but Rachel said she had to wait her turn, and daddy had to wait his turn too.

2. After seeing a wedding on tv, Rachel asked me to tell her about weddings. So I started to explain that about when your older, finding some one, go to the temple, live with them, etc.  She wanted nothing to do with it. She said "I don't want to get big, I want to stay with you and daddy forever." Oh, if only it were that simple Rachel!

Livy responded with "I want to go to the temple with you mommy!"

3. And nothing is better than "You're the best mommy ever!"

Boat Ride

These are old pictures that I just found on my camera. It was our boat ride to Carlos n' Charlies. The girls loved it and it was Colt's first ride one day before he was 4 months old!