Just for the record...

We have had spring break this week and, though the weather took a turn for the worse (cold and rainy everyday?!) the kids and I have had a fun time just hanging out. Our goal was to do one special thing everyday; I love that they are still so young and naive that even little things can be a thrill. Tonight, after dinner and baths, we took a quick pajama-clad trip to the new frozen yogurt place in town. There is nothing like making your kids happy... I can see how it would be so easy--if money were no object!--to buy without regard. Just to watch your child's face! (I guess it's a good thing that we have a tight budget because I also know that as quickly as the kids want one thing, it just as quickly ends up in a drawer with all of their other treasures.)

It is so fun to see each of the kids changing and growing. I thought that 4 was a tough age for Aly, but what a difference a year makes! I truly enjoy her company, love watching her heart and compassion, and am blown away by her imagination. Recently, she has really gotten into sounding out words in books and attempting to spell:

"butterfly", "tomato", "cat", "dog", and "puppy"

Caroline continues to march to the beat of her own drummer, rarely realizing what is going on around her. She loves to make people laugh, makes faces at Jack when he's upset, but still loves to cuddle with me (though her "cuddling" is more of a jump-in-my-lap, strangle-me-hug, hop-back-out). She still has her imaginary friend, Fritz, who is apart of every story she tells. She even pulls a chair up for him at the dinner table!

An in-depth conversation. I just had to catch how "into it" they were.

And Jack is just doing new things by the day. This month he has started waving, kissing, clapping...and getting into everything! He's got a mouth full of teeth and is trying to grow into his huge, buck-tooth smile right now.

I can't believe that an entire month has flown by already; summer will be here before we know it! I hope that everyone has a great weekend--

Spring Resolution

Let me start off by apologizing, mostly to my parents. I'm sorry that I've been so awful about downloading (and taking, for that matter!) pictures of your grandkids. It's not a lazy thing; it's not that we are just so busy that I can't take pictures; it's certainly not that I don't care! I blame it solely and whole-heartedly on our less-than-great Internet service from at&t. I'd chronicle the time and conversations I've had with operators, service-technicians, and my children ("Hang on, Sugar- this person is telling me how to fix our computer...AGAIN!"), but that would be a mixture of boredom and frustration on both of our ends. So I'll just settle for "I'm sorry." With a new modem, new wiring, and a new positive outlook on the Web, I vow to begin this spring with a resolution to capture, download, and send more pictures.

With that said, here are some pictures of the Warner kids over the past several weeks. To be honest, a good majority of them are of Jack because if I were to compare the number of pictures I'd taken of the girls by 13 months to the number I've taken of Jack at the same age, the ratio would be about 10,000 to 3. So, being the guilt-ridden person that I am, I'll make up for it in a single blog post. So, here's to Jack and the girls:

Making cupcakes for Chad's birthday

A little outside art. Too bad Mama left it out in the overnight downpour.

Jack crawled over to a junk pile in the corner of our driveway with the sole purpose of playing with an old, deflated football. Makes his Daddy proud.

See those feet? Caroline was playing 'house' in the cabinet.

Jack playing in his room...

...and under his crib

A little NCAA tournament action for my boys

Our make-shift swing for Jack while we contemplate what to do with the new yard...

Saturday afternoon was a gorgeous, 80-degree day so we (Chad) used the afternoon to clean out the old barn (someday-to-be-playhouse) in our new backyard. The girls were so excited, and spent at least 10-15 minutes sweeping while pretending to be Snow White.

After a fair amount of 'cleaning', we left Chad to the years and years of neglected junk and dust for some fresh air and bike-riding at the school down the street. Here are the girls on their "obstacle course".

Caroline just started riding the 'big-girl bike' about 2 weeks ago and is already a pro. It helps that she does not have a timid or scared bone in her body. (did I mention that she fell down our 10-stair-metal-spiral staircase after church Wednesday night and after just a short crying spell said only, "Ow- my body hurts!")

Life, Love, and Basketball

I suppose that, for a good majority of people, it's hard to imagine that these three things are very similar. Life, love, and basketball. For our family, however, they get so intertwined that the line that connects one to the other gets a little blurry. Basketball is a huge part of our family, as it is present 12 months out of the year. I'm sure that it's sick to even half-jokingly refer to basketball as a family member, but it's our reality. And when we win, it's a reality that we love. Like any member of the family, this member is sometimes more needy and demanding than others. The "off-season" is filled with recruiting, planning, scheduling, conditioning, tutoring, worrying, and counseling; but it knows it's place and sits quietly while other family members take the forefront. But October through March is where this family member gets most of it's attention.

Chad and I got married 9 years ago tonight, and I can't help but look back and laugh at the date we chose; if planning a wedding now, we would never have picked a date that was still in the realm of 'the season'! But 9 years ago, Chad was teaching, this was spring break, and the thought of waiting 6 more months until summer break was out-of-the-question. But now, 9 years later, this needy family member called Basketball sits on the ground--throwing a temper-tantrum that could rival any two-year-old's-- until we, again, give it our full attention.

This was the Hawks' season. When Chad took this job, he refused to kick anyone off the team. So now, 4 years later, this was the first team that Chad had recruited from top to bottom. We've been nationally ranked throughout the year, had the highest number of wins in 40 years, and were just 3 games away from making it to the national tournament in Kansas City. Chad wanted to go so badly that I think he could smell the bbq sauce. But today's game ended, and we lost by 3 points. And I know that most people must have thought that I was foolish as I sat in the emptying coliseum crying. But I couldn't help it because this part of our family, the one that demands so much of our attention for such a big part of the year, broke my heart today.

I know that basketball is not life. I know that- I really do. And thank goodness that it's not love; But tonight--as my Love is hurting and sitting at a banquet for a tournament he is no longer a part of, I'm ready for basketball to take a much-needed back seat for awhile-- just what it deserves.

Daddy's Dates

I still remember exactly what I was wearing when my dad and I went to the Girl Scout father/daughter dance (a pale yellow and white striped shirt with a yellow corduroy skirt). It was a sweet night with a sweet memory.

Chad took Aly and Caroline to their first father/daughter Valentine's dance last night and all three of them savored every minute of it. They have been talking about it and excited about it for two weeks and, since the dance didn't begin until 6:30pm, yesterday was a LOOONG day. But with hair washed and curled, new flower-girl dresses (from a wedding which the flu kept them from attending back in December) and a tulip for each date, Chad and his girls set out for a night that did not disappoint. They danced, dined, and danced some more. Chad said that one of the first songs playing was Tim McGraw's "My Little Girl" and he almost lost it! They walked in the door with stories to tell, dance moves to share, and corsages to show off. I love that, though it was just a few short hours, all three of them will carry a memory that they can hold tight to forever.

Nothing Better...

...than siblings, laughter, and spring weather.

Best Seat in the House

We have just moved to a new house (albeit a house one block away from our other house) . Well, new to us but not new. Pretty old, actually. And with it's age comes the fact that it tends to be a little drafty. There is a heat vent in the living room that is really, really warm and has become the place where the kids all play. And this is how I saw sweet Caroline a few days ago. Sweet, silly, and warm Caroline.

Baby Mine

Everyone always told us that we would just keep finding more love to give as we continued to have kids. That was so hard to imagine with just Aly, as I felt like she carried my entire heart in her little one-year-old self. And then I guess that somehow a photocopy was made of my heart, as Caroline holds it with just as tight (if not a more amusing!) grasp. And then came Jack. Sweet Baby Jack who took us all by surprise but, wow, would this family be so incomplete and strange if he weren't a part of it. I have to say very sincerely that having Jack Warner in our family has been such a thrill, treat, and privilege this past year. I don't know if it's a boy thing, a knowing-he's-the-last-one thing, or just a Jack-thing, but he has captured this heart in a whole new way. I love watching him and seeing Chad 34 years earlier; I love picturing the kind of man that he will grow to be; I love the attachment he has to me; I love that when he gets excited, his little feet move in circles; I love that when he hears his sisters from anywhere in the house he immediately starts laughing and searching; I love that when Chad calls him "champ" he responds with pride. I love him. Completely, strongly, protectively, and proudly. He is my son and I love that that will always be true.






We were able to celebrate twice for Jack's birthday: once on his real birthday and once with a few family and friends. You would think by these pictures that all we did was eat... I guess that as a one-year-old, what else is there to do on your birthday?!

Birthday Breakfast at Panera (our family really should own stock!)

Chad had a game so the girls and I had a mini "first-cake" celebration with a mini cake.
But I don't think there is such thing as too much cake!

"First Cake" part two with a bigger audience

Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy.