The Wetherells

Kids in the Woods

2011-12-28T19:25:00.000-08:00

We tried to get some pics of the kids to send to my parents for Christmas and were faced with the realization that Graham has no idea how to smile for the camera. He used to have it down but maybe you forget these things when you turn 4. After MANY shots, this is what we got. I love these folks.

The outtakes...

And a random one taken by Aunt Corey at the Christmas Pageant

It's official - I'm a soccer mom!

2011-12-28T18:31:00.000-08:00

Jeremy and I both sighed a big sigh of relief when soccer ended, but we were glad that the kids got to do it this year. When I signed them up, I somehow didn't realize that I would be juggling 2 games each Saturday and didn't foresee how Jeremy being an assistant coach on both teams could be problematic. But, my bad planning aside, it was fun and I enjoyed getting to see a new side of my kids. I got to see Marin's athleticism come out as she was one of the best on her team. She would run and run and run until she had absolutely nothing left to give. Graham on the other hand liked soccer only because he got to hang out with dad and get a snack after the games. Poor guy was the smallest boy on his team so he didn't stand a chance to begin with, but he was a trooper nonetheless. Jeremy said that he cried at his first practice (which made me cry) but that after much encouragement, he did great from there on out. I am sad that I don't have any pictures of him actually playing.

Halloween Fun

2011-11-18T13:29:00.000-08:00

There's just something exciting about getting all dressed up and running around the neighborhood looking for free candy. Graham was oober excited to be a pirate and to get to "sword" (stab) people. Mariana took them to the neighborhood parade, during which Super Woman nearly vomited, but after a little water and candy, she felt much better!

I know you're wondering where Levi is. Well, I did actually try on his skunk costume and sadly this was the best picture I got. The second picture is representative of all the rest.

I discovered this year that it's a good idea to hit up Target for the post Halloween sale. $1.80 buys "Luke, I am your father"

Before I Forget...

2011-10-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

There are so many things that I just know I'll forget and many that I've already forgotten. But I want to remember...

How Graham eagerly hopes that when he gets big he'll have hair all over his body like dad.

How when Laura Spaulding asked Marin what she liked best about school, Marin replied, "I like morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack." Classic.

A Fancy Nancy Birthday

2011-10-09T18:49:00.000-07:00

Don't tell the blog police that I'm just now posting pics from Marin's 5th birthday party in January. Hey, she hasn't turned 6 yet!

We fancied up the house and got our ice cream sundae treats ready - it was actually really fun. Let's just say there were a lot of feather boas involved. I still think my favorite thing about the party was the invite...7 bucks on etsy, can't be beat.

The girls made pearl bracelets...

And got their nails painted with polish that dries in 50 seconds - love that stuff.

Kory Jane and Kelsey read us a Fancy Nancy book about ice cream sundaes and the girls LOVED it. It was so cute.

And the credits...many thanks to my helpers, Laura, Corey, Mariana and Madalyn

LeeLee - For you Grammy

2011-10-09T18:12:00.000-07:00

Mom, these aren't all super recent, but oh well. I love the one of Rin and Lee - I have it framed in my house.

Graham's Birthday!

2011-09-16T18:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe he's 4 already! I am so thankful for this little man. He's fun and lively (although he is starting to give me some 4 year old attitude!) and perfect for our family. That's what I say to the kids. Marin is the perfect little girl for our family, Graham is the perfect little boy for our family and LeeLee is the perfect little baby for our family.

He was my baby and now he's 4 - how does that happen? He's turned into quite the rough and tumble, watch how fast I can run, sword fighting, couch jumping, daddy loving little man. I pray that God would use his life to do great things for the kingdom and that Graham would love nothing in this world like he loves the Lord. Lord help him to live in the grace you provide and not in his own strength and ability and bless him with your nearness.

Pool party fun...

Graham's First Day

2011-09-06T13:54:00.000-07:00

I am so excited for Graham to get to go to preschool this year. Today was his first day and I snagged a picture of him with Ms. Ann and Ms. Ginette before class started - he looks so grown up!

When I went to pick him up Ms. Ann told me that she had taken Graham to the bathroom but it was locked. She told him that he was going to have to hold it while she found the janitor to unlock the door and he told her that it wasn't a problem because he could just pee in the grass. "My daddy lets me pee in the grass," He said. I'm so glad to have made such a good first impression with his teachers (we all laughed about it and I tried to explain that Jeremy let Graham pee in the backyard a few times and Graham thought it was super cool). I think that my disclaimer may have made it worse. Now we're "that" family. So babe, this one's for you!

Disney!

2011-08-25T12:24:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics from our Disneyland trip this summer. Jeremy and I were determined (and I mean determined) to have fun and not let anything cause an argument while we were there. Let's be frank, maneuvering the insane crowds, waiting in super long lines and trying not to melt from the heat can make one cranky in a hurry (talking about the adults here). So, with good attitudes in tow, we had a fun day with our kids and I am so glad that we got to go. They thought it was the greatest thing ever. I'll never do it again in the summer, but I do hope to go back. Maybe in November next time!

We debated staying for the fireworks show but Graham fell asleep in the stroller at 7:30 and we knew our time was through. Here he is asleep on the tram.

First Day of Kindergarten

2011-08-23T19:01:00.000-07:00

"I only did fun things at school. I didn't have to do any work at all!"

She made it very clear to me that she LOVED her first day of school. Let's face it, summer is fun, but it gets boring after awhile and this little one needs stimulation. I knew she would love going to school and I'm glad that it's finally here. Trinity is such a sweet school. I love how they start their day with prayer and hymns and all things God focused. And I love how we as parents get to be so involved in every part of the school. I am thankful for this extra time with my girl.

We did our first day of home school today which was a little rough because of the many interruptions from the brothers, but not too bad. Once Graham starts preschool I should have a much more focused morning with her.

Here she is in her uniform (so cute!) and sitting with some classmates at morning assembly.

"Mom, the boat was SO cool, SO SO cool, SO SO SO SO COOL!"

2011-07-10T21:14:00.000-07:00

We went to Jasper a few weeks ago to visit Andy and Corey and even though we were only there a few days, we had tons of fun. It is so beautiful there. Trees and hills everywhere, Ahhhh. I'm not much of a country girl, but I do enjoy an occasional visit. The kids got to go on a pontoon boat and Graham couldn't stop talking about how cool it was. They were so excited. I have to say that I'll take the lake beach over the real beach any day - no salt water, no waves, just right. And Levi, well, he just went along with us...no fuss...no hassle. He even slept through the night for the first time while we were there. And we gave the kids Dramamine so this time there was no barfing in the car! Thank you Andy and Corey for being great hosts. I am thankful to God for a time of relaxation and fun for our family!

Yes, Levi was there too.

Our trusty skippers.

Last Day of School

2011-06-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

Here are a few end of the year pictures. Bye bye turtle class. Bye bye Ms. Christi and Ms. Lori.

This pic has nothing to do with the end of the year. It's just Marin's cute new do.

You guessed it...more Levi pics

2011-06-27T20:56:00.001-07:00

Two chins and lots of love...

Swim Lessons

2011-06-03T19:38:00.001-07:00

Marin, who wouldn't even get in the water at half-lappers last year, has turned into a little fish this year. We're now jumping off the diving board by ourselves and swimming like crazy. Graham "thinks" he can swim and knows just enough to be dangerous, let's leave it at that. They were adorable at swim lessons and even though Graham cried the first few days, he grew some bravery and did great the rest of the time. Yay Graham! I was so proud of him. I loved his teacher, Mr. Rudy, who had the patience of Job.

This picture is in here only because Graham's hair looks super cool.

Before I Hit the Hay...Some Pics for Grammy... Again

2011-06-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

You know he really is a good baby. Smiles a lot. Naps well. Makes me laugh with his 10 chins. What more could you ask for?

For you Grammy

2011-05-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

Grammy, here's the little Levi. He's just busy growing and being precious!

Voila!

2011-04-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

Well, it wasn't magic but the yard finally got done! So, we started here...

(does anyone know why my pics would be clear on my computer but blurry when i put them on blogspot?)

Did some tweaking - some big tweaking...
made it to here...

recruited some help here...

and here...

and finally got here! Ahhh...

yes there's a "plant tent", also affectionately called our "homeless shelter", in the flowerbed. Necessity is the mother of invention (that's for you mom).

For you Grammy

2011-04-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

My mom sent me a text saying that she and grandma wanted pictures of the baby NOW! So here you go Grammy. These were all taken in the last 2 weeks, except the swaddled picture. He's such a little Wetherell. Marin says he's the perfect little Levi for our family. Agreed.

Baby Levi is Here!

2011-03-12T18:05:00.000-08:00

So...we weren't really prepared to be having a baby at 36 weeks and 3 days (and hadn't decided on a name) but nonetheless he showed up on March 6th! It just never occurred to me that I could have a baby so early. I was working on his baby room last Saturday and noticed that I was having regular contractions so I decided to take it easy, being sure that the contractions would go away. Hours passed, then some more hours, and I realized that not only were they not going away, but they had been 3 minutes apart for about 6 hours. Still in denial, I even tried to go to bed that night, but around 1am I started bleeding and knew it was time to head to the hospital. He was born that Sunday morning at 7:12. He is doing great and is a good size for being so early. We are so thankful that everything went well and that while I was on the verge of having a C-section, it was narrowly avoided.
Levi has the same "Wetherell" look that his brother and sister had and I can't wait to see if his hair and eyes stay dark like Marin's or if he turns into a blondie like Graham.
Either way, he's a keeper! We are thankful to God for bringing another little one into our family...

And 19 inches long

Galveston

2010-12-25T19:03:00.000-08:00

My sweet mom took us to Galveston in October, which we discovered is the absolute perfect time for a trip. Beautiful weather and no people - couldn't be better! I have a bad taste in my mouth about Galveston because I'm pretty much miserable every time we go, but I realized weather changes everything. If you're not sweating and about to die of heat stroke, it's really rather pleasant. Here are my cuties having a blast.

Funny Sayings

2010-11-19T13:44:00.000-08:00

I was just thinking about some funny things that have been said lately...

Randomly while driving in the car, Marin says, with all sincerity," Mommy did you know that a kid can be a kid at Chuck E Cheese's?"

Giving Graham some pearls of wisdom she said,"The dinosaurs just got extinct Graham - that's just how life goes. Sometimes you just get extinct."

And after a fine lesson from mom about how the Bible says the first shall be last and the last shall be first, Graham replies, " Jesus says I go first!"

Life Goes On

2010-09-10T12:12:00.000-07:00

For the last month we've been living at Andy and Corey's because of our flood repair nightmares and I've been in a coma because I've been feeling so sick from the pregnancy. Life is just now kind of returning to normal and I am so thankful. I'm sad to have failed so miserably at keeping a record of life for the last few months, especially since the memories leave my mind so quickly. New experiences replace the old ones and they are forgotten. Things I don't want to forget...

All the heart to hearts Marin and I have. How she can be so disrespectful one minute and genuinely remorseful the next. How she measured between her fingers how impatient I was with her tonight. How she uses (wastes) all my tape to create anything and everything with her toys/yard debris. How Graham earnestly promises that he won't do x, y or z again, but when he says promise (pwomith) with that lisp it's just too unbearably cute. How he loves to play rough with his dad. How he sings/talks to himself for at least 30 minutes before falling sleep at night.

Marin started pre-k this week and it made me think about the parent-teacher conference I had at the end of the last school year. "Marin just does her own thing and doesn't care if anyone joins her," her teacher remarked. "She is loving but very independent." I'm so curious if she is the same way this year or not. I'm going to try to post some random pics from the summer...let's see what I have.

California

2010-07-16T19:41:00.001-07:00

I know my trip to CA was in May, but July seems just as good a time as any to post pictures, right? I learned that my kids get motion sickness, as evidenced by the barfing on the plane. But barfing aside, we had a great time. It fell in the middle of a very stressful season so it was like a much needed break from life. So here's to family, weddings, playing outside and all manner of goofiness...

Easter

2010-04-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

We had our best Easter to date, or at least I did! I went to our church's Maundy Thursday service which was worshipful and slow and really prepared my own heart for Easter. Then on Friday we made our tomb, stone and pipe cleaner characters so we could reenact Jesus' betrayal and death. He was sealed up in the tomb with pipe cleaner guards and all. Then the waiting... waiting.... and on Sunday morning we reenacted the women coming to the tomb, the angels, all of it. He's alive!
Marin really got into it this year, which was so neat to see. I think it's amazing how kids don't get it all yet (we surely don't get it all as adults either) but little by little their understanding grows and they are able to grasp more and more of the divine. We are in process and they are too, just on totally different levels.
In keeping with the tradition I started last year, I got the kids a faith encouraging present for Easter. Well, I didn't order it on time, so it got here late. Details shmeetails. We've had fun listening to our new Word and Song Children's Bible CDs that read through the major Bible stories chronologically and have songs to go along. It's a 5 CD set and I really like it, in case anyone is interested.
And on a not-so-spiritual note...easter egg hunts, chocolate and presents. Can I just say that I love dying eggs? It's kinda magical and fun for 4 year olds and 29 year olds. Just make sure your 2 year old is asleep when you do it, which I didn't.
Here's Easter/Steph's birthday at grandma and grandpa's house.

Ode to Spring Break

2010-03-20T16:42:00.000-07:00

So, we're exhausted after 2 days of garage sales at the Wetherell home (well really 1 1/2 days because it started pouring rain at 10:30 this morning). We made good money, but it was a lot of work. I have to say though that garage sales make for great people watching/studying. There are those who are looking for something specific and quickly leave if they don't find it. There are those who won't spend more than a dollar for anything and think you should just give your stuff away. There are the negotiators and surprising, those who pay full price. There are those whose money is eating a hole in their pocket and they just want to leave with something, anything. And then there are the addicts. I can spot them from a mile away. I want to say, "Just leave now, go back to your families and spend no more!" What can I say, it just makes me sad. So with that behind us, here's a picture of Marin getting ready for the sale. She's all into picking anything that grows and making stuff out of it. So here's a "nest" for her dog made out of grass/weeds with a "tent" pinned overhead for protection. She recently made a similar nest on her nightstand and put a note from her teacher inside.

Tyler, our neighbor, came over afterward and rough-housed with the kids, as usual.

So lots of things happened this week, including the kids' first trip to the dentist. They both loved it and don't have a clue that the dentist's office is a place many people dread. They got multiple treats but most exciting of all...a new toothbrush! Why go to the zoo when you can go to the dentist?

Yes this train was there too.

And last but not least, we went to Clay's Restaurant where you can feed yourself and some animals too. It's a very "Texas" kinda place.

Farewell spring break.

Yee Haw

2010-03-03T18:49:00.000-08:00

You know how it goes...Christmas, Valentine's, Rodeo, Easter. Since it's practically a holiday here, we donned our bandannas and headed for the Houston Rodeo today. I've had lots of friends tell me how great it is for the kids, so I decided to set aside my crowd aversion and be fun! Unfortunately my camera stopped working not long after we arrived so I don't have nearly as many pictures as I wish, but here are a few. I played it up big time so the kids thought we were doing the greatest thing ever. And I have to say that it was pretty neat. There were all sorts of animals to see and touch and we even watched the cutting horses for awhile. The enormity of all that goes into our livestock show and rodeo baffles the mind. And it goes on for 3 weeks. It's pretty amazing. Riding the train-thing-a-ding from the parking lot to the event - possibly Graham's favorite part!

Pretending to plant seeds on the farm.

Marin has a thing for large animal costumes. I'm afraid she may have liked this cow better than the real ones.

Farewell rodeo until next year.

Happy Birthday Papa Motter

2010-03-03T18:23:00.000-08:00

Here are a few videos for Papa. Enjoy!

Sickies

2010-02-26T11:08:00.001-08:00

Well, Marin had the flu all week and Graham got it a few days ago so we've been home bound and taking lots of Motrin. They're so cute when they're sick (except for when they're barfing) and in some ways it's a nice break from normal life. There has been a lot of lying around with a fever...

But before all the sickness, we had a visit from my cousin and his wife from California. Here's Vivian on the right with her friend Cathy

And Joel with Jeremy hanging out in the kitchen.

Graham has been gathering lots of wood for the fire - it has been an especially cold winter here. It almost snowed again the other day - what's going on? I find as I get older that spring gets sweeter and sweeter. I really look forward to the fair weather and beautiful gardens. I don't think it has quite surpassed my love for fall, but it's getting close.

And more silliness - there's never a shortage.

We've been able to hang out with some good ol' friends who recently moved near us, the Spauldings. Here are their 3 kids, the Stites' 3 kids and our 2. We knew each other long before any of these kids arrived and I hope we know each other when these kids are having kids of their own. Good friends.

My little girl is 4!

2010-02-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my little girl is 4! The older she gets, the more I love her and am so thankful to have her in this family. She's still as feisty as ever but with a little more self control this year. And she's started this new thing where she stops and says, "Mom, you're a really great mom." I feel an enormous responsibility to be this great mom to my little one, despite how busy or stressful life seems, and to point her to God in all I do. Not just with my words, but with my whole being. I thank God that His love for her and care for her life is far beyond what I can provide and I rest in entrusting her to Him who is able to keep her from falling and to present her before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy (Jude 24).

We had a little party for her and we were fortunate enough to have warm weather and no rain! I didn't ever think she would be able to have a party outside in January, but I was mistaken. They played, ate, decorated their own cupcakes, Marin opened presents and then they played some more.

Don't parents tell their kids to stay away from adults who try to play with them on the playground? Stranger Danger.

Christmas!

2010-01-10T21:35:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas was really really great this year. We were at home with nowhere to go and it was so relaxing and fun! The funny thing is that the kids didn't even know they were supposed to jump out of bed and rush for the presents. They just got up late, ate breakfast and played with some of the toys they got at grandma's house the night before. We had to actually tell them to open their stockings. I have a feeling next year will be different. We stayed in our PJs all day and just enjoyed ourselves. What a treat. I carried on my mom's tradition of giving us new PJs on Christmas Eve and Marin really loved her new footed jammies. We seriously played for a few hours before opening presents and Jeremy and I marveled at the strangeness of it all. This was a present Graham got the day before from Auntie Steph.

Marin is notorious for getting into my lip gloss so she was thrilled to get her own lip gloss (chapstick) in her stocking. It was destroyed after a few days, but hey, it was good while it lasted.

Graham, never one to hold back his enthusiasm, thought everything in his stocking was amazing.

Here he is trying to hide with his beloved animal crackers. I think I'm going to make them a stocking tradition.

"Dad, can you check to see if these have my name on them?"

And over the next few days I randomly decided to make these dolls for Marin. Of course they took a lot longer to make than I expected, but projects always do. They turned out cute though.

But alas, New Years came and it was time to take down the tree. I was sad, really sad. I mean it. My tree had really started to smell good (it smelled better as it died!?!) and it was so hard for me to take it down. Sadly, Christmas stuff made up a lot of my decorations and my house looked so bare, so empty, when I took it all down. What a no good, very bad, feeling. Farewell tree and all other things Christmasy.

Birthday party for Jesus

2010-01-10T20:53:00.001-08:00

Mariana does a great job orchestrating our annual birthday party for Jesus. She dressed up like an angel and read them the Christmas story. She's so animated and keeps their attention really well. Then we did crafts and cupcakes. It was great.

I want so badly for our Christmases to be worshipful and to be used as a time to draw us near to Christ and to make our hearts cherish him more. I've been praying about how that can happen more in our home, all the time, but especially at Christmas. God came to be with us, how amazing.

Christmas Cont...

2010-01-10T20:13:00.000-08:00

Ok, I lied, it's not really Christmas Continued. It's more like December Continued. I forgot to post these pics from Grammy's trip, like this one of Graham being treated to an ice cream (quite possibly his first, "I get to eat it all by myself," cone). He's not enjoying it at all. She also helped me pick out a tree this year and we found a nearly perfect tree, thank you God. I just have a hard time going home with a lopsided, crooked, patchy tree. But I prayed that we would find a good tree and voila, we found one. I tried a fraser fir for the first time this year and decided I really really like them. I haven't given up on the noble fir, but it's got some competition. The kids obviously don't care what kind of fir we end up with, just as long as they get to play in the lot. And yes, Marin has something sparkly on her forehead and yes, Graham's hair is flapping like Fabio's and yes, he's had a haircut since then.

The kids were great "helpers" as they put up/broke/ate the candy canes. I'm pretty sure that not a single one made it through Christmas.

Grammy, in her never ending quest to get me to be dirty, got the kids some play dough and they had a blast making snails and snakes and who knows what.

And this picture is just a cute one of Graham. Enough said.

Thanksgiving (out of order)

2010-01-01T20:06:00.000-08:00

I was looking at a friend's Thanksgiving pics and I realized that I had forgotten to post my own Thanksgiving pics. Almost all of Jeremy's extended family came down to Houston so we had a large, fun gathering. I love the contrast between these first two pictures of Mema and Papa. I think they're watching TV in the second pic (probably football). Whatever it is, it doesn't look pretty.

Andy, little Whitt and Papa

Reese and Josh

This pic just cracks me up...I love it.

Steph and Mel

David and Liz's baby, Tatum

Graham and Papa

Anna's girls with Whitt

Anna, Sarah and Izzy

This is a cute one of Anna and Mel

Christmas at Grandma's

2010-01-01T19:25:00.000-08:00

Well there's no shortage of Christmas-ish games to play at Grandma's house. Miniature snowy neighborhoods all lit up and magnetic ice skaters set the mood.
We were minus half the family this year but still had a great Christmas Eve together. The Strubens and other Wetherells were missed.
Jeremy passed on his pearls of wisdom to Reese

and Graham headed for the big present.

Uncle Josh helped the manimal tear into his gifts

and Marin excitedly played peek-a-boo behind her new kitchen (complete with sizzling stove and ringing phone). It may sound like overkill, but they love love love how the stove lights up and makes sizzling noises. This brings me to the point of batteries. I guess I'm just not used to little kids' presents because I was totally blindsided by the constant need for batteries. I should have known better, but I didn't and we ended up making several trips to the store for the costly things.

Marin and I both like this Sleeping Beauty nightgown that KK gave her.

Dr. KK to the rescue.

Look Auntie Steph, cars, real cars!

Mema and Papa's 60th Anniversary

2010-01-01T18:26:00.001-08:00

We were in Lindale the weekend before Christmas for their 60th! I can't imagine living 'til 60, not to mention being married that long. We had a party for the ever-spry couple at their church and got to hear some childhood stories from siblings and friends. And as usual we stayed at the ranch, which is always fun for us city folk.

One morning we went on an adventure through the woods with Madalyn and Andy pointing the way...

built bridges over small streams...

wandered through the forest...

and eventually found the lake.

Graham, who thought we were on a dinosaur hunt (he really did), finally gave up his search and had fun throwing sticks in the water.

The Little Man

2009-12-14T16:56:00.000-08:00

Here's just a cute video of Graham singing. I love it. I especially love how he stops and says "cheese" to the camera because he thinks Jeremy's going to take a picture of him.

Momentous Day, Part two

2009-12-14T13:16:00.000-08:00

So I just wrote about the snow on Dec 4th, but something just as important (if not more) happened that very same day. My mom, who I've been begging to get her ears pierced for years, finally did the deed. She's always said that she doesn't want to bother with earrings, but out of the blue she announced that she thought she'd finally get her ears pierced. So at the age of ___ she and I went out in the snow to Claire's, the pre-teen heaven, and sat in the brightly colored store while a lady with no sense of humor at all pierced mom's ears. I couldn't believe it was really happening after all these years.

Showing her idea to prove that she is indeed over 18!

It's hard to see, yes I know, but there are little cubic zirconia in those ears.

Winter Wonderland, Houston Style

2009-12-08T19:31:00.000-08:00

December 4th was a momentous day for us. It snowed in Houston. Real snow. We don't own mittens or gloves (because we live in Houston, duh) so we all had numb hands as we frolicked in our winter wonderland. Jeremy suited up,

Marin checked the weather,

And we headed outside!

Even Grammy was in town to enjoy our unusual weather.

In-law feud? I'm not sure.

Work, shmerk, it's snowing!

Sickies

2009-12-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

Marin and Graham have both had Swine Flu in the last week and it has reminded me of something I really like about having sick kids. Ok, so there are lots of not-so-nice things about sick kids (barf, etc.) but I just love how sweet they are when they feel bad. There's no talking back, no whining, no fighting between siblings. Just a sweet, snuggly kid who wants hugs and love. I love that.
So Aunt Corey was here over Thanksgiving and took some pics of us outside (yes, Graham was sick while we were taking pics). I'll soon post some of them because there were lots of cute ones. Santa, can I get a super expensive camera for Christmas so my pics look like Corey's?

Halloween, Finally!

2009-11-13T12:34:00.000-08:00

Halloween was on a Saturday this year, which was fun. We started the festivities by carving pumpkins with Marin's friend Audrey. The girls carefully drew out their jack-o-lantern face options and then chose their favorites. Graham snacked on apples and tried to grab the knife.

Don't be deceived, the girls only scraped the pumpkins for a second and the moms slaved away for the next 20 minutes to get all that junk out. Then we baked the seeds and enjoyed the fruits of our labor. Ok, not really, but it's a fun thought.

By 5:00 costumes were on and we were headed for our neighborhood Halloween parade. I'm still not sure why I've bothered to go for the last 2 years. It's pretty much a mob of kids and parents that walk around the block following a fire engine. No really, it's a mob. I mean hundreds of people! And this year the fire engine couldn't even be there so we walked behind a police car. It was fun, really. Actually, I'm not sure.
I did have fun watching my cowboy and cowgirl though. Their cuteness was overwhelming.

Audrey and Marin enjoyed walking together and after our stroll around the block we let them do some trick-or-treating.

Graham got candy from the world's largest whoopie cushion...

and was quickly done with the trick-or-treating. After hitting a few houses he realized that he didn't need any more candy, he just needed someone to open what he already had so he could start eating. He would hold up a piece of candy and walk up to the nearest adult (even strangers) and plead with them to open the package.
All I need is a seat and a lollipop. Halloween heaven.

And just like that, it was over. I was the saddest of all.

The Mind of a Little Girl

2009-10-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

Marin: Where are you going?

Me: I'm going to teach ballet.

Marin: Are you going to the Little Girl Nutcracker Ballet?

Me: No. Where did you hear about the Little Girl Nutcracker Ballet?

Marin: In 1 John 3:18. And when you go, you'll get glitter and diamonds and jewels from the fairies.

Pop Goes the Weasel

2009-10-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

Grammy's birthday package for Graham finally arrived and in it was this great Jack in the Box that he is thoroughly enjoying...

It's October - that means Pumpkins!

2009-10-03T19:50:00.001-07:00

We went to our local nursery and decorated pumpkins today. I do believe I've passed on my pumpkin obsession to my kids.

Marin made sure no one was stealing her ideas

And Graham just hung out.

They made funny faces,

Got tired,

And went home happy!

First Day of School

2009-09-20T20:28:00.001-07:00

Well, I tried desperately to get Marin to look at the camera. I mean, it's her first day of pre-school so she has to have good pictures! Oh well.

Marin is loving school, which I knew she would with her independent little self. The week before school started we went to the open house to meet her teacher and check out her new classroom. Marin had so much fun playing in the room that she looked at me and said, "Mom, when are you going to leave me at school?" AKA, "Mom will you please leave so I can have fun here with all these toys and my new friends." Don't shed any tears for me, I'm used to the "see ya mom" look I get from her when I drop her off at church.

My little girl is growing up and I just love her. I am so thankful for you Marin and couldn't image a better daughter.

Some Birthday Videos

2009-09-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

I forgot these videos from Graham's party. Evidently Graham thinks he turned 5.

Granimal Turns 2!

2009-09-07T18:19:00.000-07:00

Well my baby isn't really a baby anymore (tear). He's an adorable, playful, energetic ball of boyness and now he's 2! I'm just in love with the little guy despite his destructive tendencies and his ultra picky appetite. My new favorite thing is that he points to any and very truck he sees and says, "Choo choo truck". He seems to have his trains and his trucks mixed up, but hey does it really matter?
So here are some pictures from his party at my in-laws house...

"Look Dad, I made a reverse mohawk on my cupcake"

"Oh me, oh my, it took turning 2 for me to finally get some manly PJs." I should be ashamed that Graham wears Marin's old PJs to bed most nights (but I'm not).

Ballet class

2009-09-05T18:46:00.000-07:00

Marin has been super excited about ballet class and she loves going although she doesn't pay much attention to her teacher and prefers her own ADD-ish routine. She's not a sit-still-and-be-quiet child, that's for sure. And there's not a shy bone in her body. I was thinking that she would want to be teacher's pet, like me, and get all the gold stars and be the best at everything. Yeah, not so much.

Growing Up

2009-09-05T17:25:00.000-07:00

It's been hitting me lately that my kids are really growing up! Graham is no longer my little baby boy. He's now a 2 year old, a real 2 year old. I can't believe it. And Marin, well she started ballet classes last week and she starts school next week. It's really mind blowing to me. I have to say that I really like her age right now. She's eager to help because she loves the praise she gets from it and hey, I like the help. She'll get diapers for Graham and bring up the dishes. I'm just soaking it up because I know soon enough I'll be getting the "Get lost mom" look when I ask her for favors. And she says the funniest things. The other night Jeremy was sharing some of the sales techniques he's been learning and Marin (looking exasperated and falling off the couch) says, "Don't sell to me Daddy." The way she said it was just hilarious.

Here is a picture that I took at 11pm. I was making my nightly rounds to check on the kids and I came across this when I went to her room. I guess her room was too dark for her and she wanted to be near the light that was coming from the hallway.

The girl needs very little sleep and plays in her room long after bedtime until she finally falls asleep somewhere. This was the strangest place I've found her though.

Beach Days

2009-08-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

We've had lots of weekend adventures recently. Jeremy and I went on a marriage retreat last weekend and left the kiddos with his parents. When Jeremy was dropping them off Marin said to him, "Graham is going to miss you, but I'm not going to." And sure enough, she didn't.
The weekend before that, we went to North Padre with his parents. So I can say for the record that it is nicer than Galveston but Graham, Bill and I all had tar on the bottom of our feet at one point or another - draw your own conclusion. Marin absolutely loved loved loved the water and wasn't at all afraid, unlike her brother who stayed safely on the sand the whole time.

God made the...

2009-07-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

This video speaks for itself. I just love it.

ABCs

2009-07-16T11:24:00.000-07:00

My friend Mariana has been nice enough to plan little alphabet lessons for our daughters. Audrey and Marin have a lot of fun with it and let's face it, the moms have fun too. Well at least I do, seeing as how I just show up at her house and she has everything ready to go. Give the girl some props!

Is this normal?

2009-06-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

Uncle Andy has been training Graham in the ways of the Wetherell men. I'm not really sure what I think about this.

And the great thing is that he clobbers me at the end.

Mini Sooger Boogers

2009-06-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

You know that horrible, deplorable Jack In The Box commercial for mini sirloin burgers? Marin has been walking around saying...

Funny Sayings

2009-06-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

So Marin is always saying funny things (I know every child her age does but it always seems funnier when it comes from your own kid). I forget them almost immediately but here are a few I've managed to remember...

Saying #1

Marin had been told on more than one occasion that she's not allowed to get into Grammy's tasty lip gloss. So Marin strolls into the room looking guilty and says, "I didn't get into Grammy's lip gloss. Don't smell my lips."

Saying #2

Grammy: Are you telling me the truth Marin?

Marin: I'm not lying. I'm guilty.

Saying #3

So I was trying to have a teachable moment with Marin. You see, my wedding ring had been lost for over a week and I had just found it in this basket in the guest bathroom. So here I am telling Marin how God had answered my prayers and how I finally found my ring in the basket. She laughed and said, "I know, I put it there."

She thought it was so great that God had allowed me to find the ring that she had hidden. Good thing she didn't put it in some obscure bag that I had thrown away!

Saying #4

Ok, this isn't a saying at all, it's a doing. Graham knows that he's not supposed to bang his fork (or anything else) on his highchair tray. So, he was joyfully disobeying tonight and as his fork crashed down on the tray, a cheerio went flying in the air and dropped right down Corey's (his aunt) shirt as she was eating dinner at our table. It was really funny, but maybe you had to be there.

Men over 30

2009-06-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

We went to the Children's Museum last weekend for a birthday party and I thought Marin was going to have so much fun. Well, she did, but someone else had even more fun. They need a section of the museum dedicated to men over 30. Seriously. I kept telling Jeremy that it was time to go up to the party room because lunch was waiting and I found that I kept repeating myself because he just couldn't be torn away from his creation (you make this flying contraption and then stick it in the wind tunnel to see how well it flies). Good times.

And now to the real kids...

Pat on the Back

2009-05-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

I was giving myself a pat on the back today because Marin was behaving so well and I was sure it was because of my good parenting. When Jeremy got home I told him all about how sweet and polite she had been. It seemed that some real progress had been made. Well, it turns out that it wasn't progress, it was a guilty conscience. Better win mom's favor with good behavior so she doesn't explode when she finds out what you did. As we were putting them to bed Graham started gagging on something in Marin's room and I was afraid he was going to puke everywhere. I would gag too if I was chewing on POOP! Marin had left a pretty little pile-o-poop in her room (I think she did it when she was supposed to be napping) and Graham found it. I think that's the second time Graham has eaten poop.
So, a word of wisdom...If your child is on especially good behavior, don't pat yourself on the back, look for the poop.

Graham...

2009-05-15T19:10:00.001-07:00

After blogging about Marin, it occurred to me that I really must document Graham's life right now since he's in such a boy stage (I say this knowing that he may stay in this stage forever). Jeremy looks proudly at his son and says, "He just has a lot of testosterone." Well, that testosterone is destroying my house and physically abusing me. We started calling him Your Highness after he began beating me when I got him out of his bed and didn't immediately have a bottle ready for him. Don't get me wrong, he's still the apple of my eye and quite possibly the cutest little guy on the planet. But despite what others had warned me about boys, I still wasn't prepared for the hitting, throwing and other acts of violence that he employs throughout the day. And now that he's getting bigger, he's even a threat to Marin. Well honestly, she deserves it.
I understand now why men are sent off to war and why men do the heavy lifting. Graham's just doing what God made him to do. I just need to figure out a way to channel his manliness. Three cheers for boys!

Look Auntie Mel, I'm pumping my legs!

2009-05-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

Marin has long refused to pump her legs and I've never known if she just couldn't figure out how to do it or if she was just refusing to try. Whenever I would try to teach her she firmly resisted, saying that she didn't know how and begging me to push her. "Higher, Higher" she would yell as I pushed and pushed, my arms growing tired, but not so tired that I would refuse her the joy of swinging.
Well her Auntie Mel is visiting this weekend and the two of them went in the backyard for a late night swing. I went out and spied on them as they watched their shadows and looked at the stars. And then they hopped back on the swings and Marin did a little push off the ground and started swinging all by herself as if she'd been doing it for years. "Look Auntie Mel, I'm pumping my legs" she said as they swung together.
I almost fell over. I couldn't decide if I was proud of her or mad at her for fooling me for so long. She is a stubborn one so I shouldn't be so surprised. It's a commentary on human nature, I say.
So, here's to tricky little princesses!

Life Goes On

2009-05-07T18:09:00.001-07:00

Yes, life does indeed go on whether or not you're blogging. That would be a "not" in my case. Our computer has been broken for about a month, which doesn't help. We've had job loss and flooding and all sorts of interesting things going on in the Wetherell home. Fortunately the kids are oblivious to the drama and just continue on with their adorable selves. Some days I just stare at them in amazement because I can't believe how big and smart they're getting. Marin says the most hilarious things and is still pushing the limits as much as she can. And Graham is so "boy" it's ridiculous. His physicality is destroying my house (and sometimes causing personal injury) and the laid back personality I thought he had is proving not to be so laid back. So, without much ado, tweedledee and tweedledum welcome you back...

Marin wants to know if anyone else is obsessed with eyebrows like she is.

I check on the kids every night before going to bed (one of my quirky mom things) and I found Marin asleep with marker all over her eyebrows. She can't get enough.

Graham still has a shoe obsession

But even shoes come in second to balls...

Chuck E. Cheese, Really?

2009-02-13T12:10:00.000-08:00

I never thought I would say it, but I took my daughter to Chuck E Cheese for her birthday. And it really wasn't bad. In fact, it was easy on me, fun for the kids and not too crowded. I'm a fan. The poor Chuck E Cheese man was swarmed with kids trying to hug him to no end. He tried several times to wave goodbye and walk away, but that didn't disuade the kids one bit. They wouldn't let him leave.

We had a small party with just a few friends and it was really fun. Marin even got her purple cupcakes with snakes on them. For those who haven't heard, she started saying around Christmas time that she wanted purple cupcakes with snakes on them for her birthday. Who knows where she came up with that idea but it was stuck in her head for a month so I felt like I really had to do it. A little food coloring and some gummy worms did the trick.

Here's the, "blank stare with a hint of a smile" that Marin gets when she's on a fun overload.

Blowing out candles on the purple cupcakes with snakes on them.

And Graham, well he's always up for a party!

Even the big kids had fun.

I Don't Love My Family

2009-02-07T20:53:00.000-08:00

I am always amazed at how my little ones are growing up and discovering new things every day. Last night was rough for poor Marin and after being disciplined she said through tears, "I don't love you mommy." Gulp. It wasn't like she was being mean, she just really had hurt feelings and was upset with me and all she knew to say was, "I don't love you mommy." She said it over and over through tears and even said that she didn't love her family anymore. I know her well enough to know not to take it personally, but it was still sad because she was really hurt and was trying to express her feelings. I can't put my finger on it, but there was just something about it that showed she was getting older and figuring things out.

After going to her room to think it all over she came back (15 minutes later) and said, still in tears, "I really do love you mommy and I do love my family" and then she gave me a huge hug. I just told her that I always love her, even when she gets in trouble, and she and I had a wonderful bonding time. It was truly one of the sweetest times I've ever had with her and I'm thankful to God for it. My little girl, in all her 3-year-old emotions, is growing up, figuring out life and melting my heart.

I've Fallen Off The Blog Wagon

2009-02-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

When you struggle to remember your blogger password, you know you've fallen off the blog wagon. But here's my attempt to hop back on. I never did post pics of Christmas in California, so...

The Graham Meister welcomes you all to view the California happiness.

It was freezin' beezin' while we were there and one morning Jeremy took the kids on a walk to the local Starbucks in the sub-zero weather. There's just something cute about kids when they're all bundled up.

On Christmas Eve we all got jammies (as is the tradition) but Jeremy got beef jerky instead (he doesn't wear jammies and would much rather have jerky). Oh the joy. Even Graham tested his manliness against the hot and spicy strips.

We saw uncle Andrew and got to hang out a bit (kid free) which was fun

Had a slumber party with the cousins (which resulted in very little sleep for all of us)

And Marin got Tinkerbell, her favorite present by far. She ran in circles around the house singing, "Tinkerbell, Tinkerbell, Tinkerbell all the way." Here's a video of her at least an hour after getting Tinkerbell and yes, she's still singing about it.

So many other stories but alas, Christmas was 6 weeks ago and it's time to move on.

Tales of Christmas Past

2009-01-11T19:07:00.000-08:00

"Gee whiz, Christmas sure is swell"

Graham and Marin had a blast this Christmas. We celebrated with Jeremy's family a few days early and the kids got more presents than they knew what to do with. Graham was up to his usual antics...

as were the brothers

and Auntie Mel brought gifts from a far off land (The Netherlands).

Marin even got her very own car

although Graham thinks it's his.

Through The Years with My Little Pony

2009-01-04T19:16:00.000-08:00

Marin sadly looked up at me tonight and said, "Christmas is over at our house." We took down the last of the decorations and it is finally sinking in that yes, Christmas is indeed over. Sad.

I promise I will post some yuletide pics soon, but for now, a commentary on My Little Pony. While in California, my mom pulled out a pony that I used to play with back in the day and we couldn't help but notice how different it was from a modern day pony (I would know because Marin has a whole collection).

It's interesting that even this toy has followed some of the style trends and morphed into the mold of modern beauty. So, without much ado...

My pony

Marin's Pony

Notice the curved matronly lines of the elder pony compared to the trim, sleek and dare I say sassy lines of the youngster. Marin's pony looks like she does pilates and yoga (as evidenced by the reduced size of her behind). She also sports highlights, legs that flare at the bottom, larger more defined eyes and I'm sure she's had a "lifestyle lift". No double chins here. She's a looker (by our modern standards of course). So here's to all the My Little Ponies of the past, present and future!

I'm Teaching My Ballet

2008-12-13T20:36:00.001-08:00

We have this noise maker that plays a few classical songs (it came with my pack-and-play) and Marin has been carrying it around in her purse, turning on the music and saying, "I'm teaching my ballet" while she dances around. She even brought it to the park. You can't see it but the purse with the "music" is on that bench.

I know, it looks like tai chi.

You can tell that this was a few weeks ago because she's in short sleeves which is a thing of the past. It even snowed in Houston last week. That's right, snowed!

I Forgot

2008-12-13T20:21:00.000-08:00

So, I'm not really sure how I forgot, but I did. Aunt Corey treated Marin to her first ever manicure (ok, she just got her nails painted) and I totally forgot to blog about it. And to top it off Corey got her new sunglasses and a bracelet from Gymboree. I'm kind of feeling sad that I missed it all. It was like a mommy - daughter date except that the mommy wasn't there :(

Ok, I'm over it.

We also thought it would be cute to put Corey's scarf on Graham's head. I should take him on the plane like this to see if they're doing baby profiling. Corey also took this pic of Marin which is one of my favorites now. She's stargazing, aahhh.

The X List

2008-12-13T20:08:00.000-08:00

We recently tried to take a Christmas picture of the 4 of us for our cards, but after exhausting the kids' (and Jeremy's) patience, we just went with a pic of the 2 kids. Here are the honorable mentions though...

Candy Cane Lane

2008-12-13T19:27:00.000-08:00

So, our church has this children's Christmas bonanza every December and Marin and I went today. She got to decorate a cookie, pet the animals (including the hugest camel EVER) and ride on some scary carnival-looking rides. I say scary only because they looked like they might just fall apart at any minute. I think someone sautered some metal together, spray painted it and tried to pass it off as a real ride. Ok, Ok, I'm really not complaining because the whole thing was free, I'd just like to say that I'm glad we're all still alive. Three cheers for the church carnival. To give credit where it's due, our church is super generous with the whole "candy cane lane" event and it's tons of fun for the kids. enough said.

So here is Marin enjoying a pony ride and the swings (that spun them around backward???).

Marin Singing & Potty Time

2008-12-01T15:47:00.000-08:00

I just have to say that I think this is Jeremy's first ever blog entry...

Marin was singing (Cebu is from Veggie Tales) and Graham was clapping. Then she realized she had to go potty. The look on her face is classic.

Fun Attack

2008-11-26T11:38:00.000-08:00

So our neighbors were kind enough to give us their old play set. They even helped disassemble it and reassemble it in our yard. It is a hand-me-down of a hand-me-down, but it's still sturdy and works just fine. The kids were only slightly excited about it...

Ok, they're really excited about it.

Christmas Is About Giving Right?

2008-11-25T18:50:00.000-08:00

Ok, so we were at Costco tonight and we bought a present for Marin's cousin there. Marin really wanted the toy so I tried to seize the moment to explain that it was a gift and that Christmas is about giving to others because God gave us Jesus. However I realized that as I was proudly passing down these deep truths, Marin, who had not stopped saying, "It's Mine," had increased the volume and was now yelling, "IT'S MINE IT'S MINE" over and over again. So much for, "Yes mother, you're right, it is better to give than to receive."

Grrr - A tribute to Graham

2008-11-11T19:27:00.000-08:00

"Grrr" is only one of the noises that the Granimal makes. He's becoming quite proficient in his own growling language. And his boy side is coming out more and more every day. He's going to be one of those rough and tumble kind of kids, I can tell. Almost every day he adds another bruise to his poor head and if an opportunity to climb presents itself, he jumps. Grammy visited us this last week and was kind enough to get us some light fixtures (which we badly needed). While we were putting up the ceiling fan, he started climbing up the ladder. Just look at his mouth - you know he's going, "Grrr."

So, here are some things that I love about Graham...

He'll lay his head on you and snuggle

He tolerates abuse from his sister extremely well

He is so fun to tickle and play with

You can tell he's going to be a sweet guy (like his dad)

And last buy not least, he's just so darn cute!

Three cheers for Graham!!!

Trick-Or-Treat

2008-11-11T17:58:00.000-08:00

Ok, Grammy taught Marin the word "Thief". As in, Mommy's a thief for stealing your Halloween candy. How much candy does a 2 year old need anyway? By the way, I didn't steal all her candy. Some of it I gave away to trick-or-treaters who came to our door after I had run out.

Anyway, she had fun cleaning out her first pumpkin and watching mommy carve it (which is much harder than I remember).

In true Granimal fashion, Graham immediately ripped off his tiger hat which left him looking less like a tiger and more like a boy in striped pajamas. Oh well. Here he is ripping it off.

We went to our neighborhood's Halloween parade where we marched around the block behind a firetruck. It was out of control and super crowded. We couldn't even see the firetruck. Marin's friend Audrey was there to share in the fun. I've been saying for a year that Marin has to be a marathon runner for Halloween in honor of her running-mania. It's just fitting.

I don't know if you can see it, but the girls are staring at the boy dressed like a hunter and holding a RIFLE. No one's running for their life. The parents are probably saying, "Oh, look at Tommy and his adorable costume." Only in Texas.

We're Here

2008-10-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

We finally moved into the new house a few weeks ago and we're slowly (and I mean slowly) getting settled in. We are loving our new neighborhood and our neighbors and we laugh about the things that we're NOT going to miss about our old neighborhood, like the annual Halloween horror across the street. Would you really want Satan overseeing your house one month out of the year?

Fortunately Marin called him Spiderman and we laughed about how Spiderman was on the roof. We're also not going to miss the crazy screaming family a few houses over, the tejano music blasting at midnight and the frequent bangs from our nearby factory (or whatever it was). But most of all we're not going to miss having only 2 bedrooms. Our poor son now has his own room and will no longer be wheeled around in his pack-and-play in the middle of the night. The kids are loving getting to play outside more, especially Graham who darts for the door the minute it opens. He sure is a boy - eating dirt, destroying whatever he can get his hands on, climbing on everything. And Marin is excited about her new pink bedroom. She says, "Pink, I love pink!" We are so thankful for our new house and as I start to get discouraged about all the work it needs, I remind myself that I really do love it here and that God gave us this house, not the one next door, this one. That's good enough for me. Here's the dynamic duo, hammers in hand.

Back Home, Kind Of

2008-10-03T19:47:00.001-07:00

We made it back home last weekend after our power was restored! Woo Hoo! It's a little strange though because we moved back in but we couldn't help but think that we were going to be moving out for good in 2 weeks. What a time of transition and change as we continue trusting God for every next step. There has been a lot going on in the Wetherell household, too much to mention, but here are a few events from these last few weeks (not including Ike - he already got his own blog entry).
So, I've known that Marin would probably cut her own hair one of these days although I didn't expect it to be so soon. She was so excited when she ran up to me and exclaimed, "Mommy I cut my hair, it's sooooo pretty." I'm not sure pretty is the word I would have chosen...maybe crooked. The great thing about curly hair is that it hides these incidents pretty well and after persuading her that mommy needed to fix her hair and make it even prettier (by cutting off tons on the other side of her head), it was looking much better (and shorter). Hey, a little lopsided is better than super lopsided right? Here's just some of the damage.

While we were without power we took a trip to Jasper to see Andy and Corey and it was a lot of fun, especially for Jeremy who went golfing with Andy every day. Their house backs up to a golf course and the whole area is really amazingly beautiful. This part of east Texas is heavily wooded and really green. Here's Jeremy explaining the finer points of golf to Marin. He also tells her not to play in the sand trap.

She doesn't listen.

We all had fun riding around in the golf cart and Corey taught Marin how to drive - kind of. And then there's the Granimal. He just did his normal Graham-things. Chillin' in the hammock, breathing fire, the usual.

He is walking everywhere and getting into everything. It was probably a month (at least) from the time Marin took her first steps to the time she started walking on a regular basis. It took Graham about 3 days to cross that bridge and he hasn't looked back. They are just so different. What a super sweetie he is. And so cute I can hardly handle it.

And ok, last but not least, here is Marin after falling on her face. The only reason I post this is because I keep waiting for the perfect time to take them for pictures. Well, it has turned into quite a wait because Marin always has some sort of facial wound/scab/bug bite gone wrong/thing she's been picking at for a month that's now a scar. I keep wondering what's next. Poor Marin.

And on the much cuter side, did I mention that she wears the nightgown that I used to wear when I was her age? I love love love it.

Hurricane Ike Take A Hike!

2008-09-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

So I'm not sure I want to be in town next time a hurricane comes through. We didn't sleep a wink on Thursday night as we watched the unbelievable out our windows (although the kids amazingly slept through the whole thing). There's nothing like watching the trunks of your enormous pine trees sway back and forth in the wind or like the sound of branches falling on your roof as you pray that nothing huge falls on you. Fortunately we didn't have any serious damage done to our current house and our new house had some roof damage but it was minimal. We are thankful to God for keeping us safe through the incredible storm and for allowing us to stay with Jeremy's parents afterward. They are some of the select few who have electricity right now. We feel for all the people who are leaving town right now because they have no power and are running out of food because the stores are either closed or empty.
I thought we would post some pictures of what we encountered after the storm. It really was like we were transported to another planet. Both our old and new houses are in heavily treed areas and all the yards are covered in branches and downed trees. It is an incredible sight. As we scoped out the neighborhood we were amazed at how many downed trees there were but how very few of them had fallen on houses. It seemed gracious of God to spare so many people's homes. Please pray for our city as we slowly recover from all the damage.

Before and After

2008-08-28T19:15:00.001-07:00

Ok, I should have just called it "before" because we're still a ways off from "after". Our house is going to make for great before and after pictures in the end because it was such a mess to begin with. For your enjoyment here are a few pics. There were 3 confirmed layers of wallpaper on this wall and possibly 4. Steph and I worked for hours to get a quarter of this wall done so we gave up and brought in the pros.

Does anyone want to freshen up in the restroom?

Yes these cabinets really did come down much to my elation.
Here's Steph "Take it to the Next Level" Thibodeaux who made sure no one went hungry or thirsty.

And Josh deserves props for ALL that he has helped us with.

Thirty year old brown carpet anyone?

Here's to borders!

Where have we been?

2008-08-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, it has been over a month since I've blogged and I promise I have a good excuse...We're moving! So, here's the rundown :

The offer we made months ago on a house was finally accepted and we moved into full gear to get our house on the market. We cleaned like crazy and moved out before anyone (Marin or Graham) could destroy anything and landed with our oh-so-generous family. Josh and Steph were kind enough to let us stay with them for a week and a half until we had a contract on our house. I can't imagine what it would have been like to try to keep my house looking perfect while living there. I know people do it, I'm just not sure how. So Marin got to take advantage of "Resort Thibodeaux" (swimming, eating powdered donuts for breakfast, access to all of Kaitlyn's toys).

All joking aside, it was an extremely stressful time for us. We were buying a new house without having sold our old one, which most would say isn't the best idea. But we felt the time was right so we went for it - kinda crazy considering my non-risky self. I felt like barfing for a week straight but kept pressing forward. It has been God's grace (really) that has helped me through each day and continues to help me now that we're remodeling our new house and still waiting to close on our old one. There has been issue after issue with the new house because it is old but we're staying thankful to God and trusting that once we get all the problems fixed, our new house is going to be a great place to live. We really are thankful for it. It's in the neighborhood that we really wanted to live in and it's big enough for us to stay in for quite awhile.

Anyway, once we left "Resort Thibodeaux" and returned home, the kids were back to their old antics...playing in the cabinets together and other destructive activities.

Late Night Thoughts

2008-07-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

I was just thinking about how fortunate I am to have my two kiddos. It's amazing how their behavior can drive you nuts one minute and have you laughing the next. God knows you need the slobbery kisses and hilarious comments to make it through all the tantrums and messes. Graham does this adorable thing sometimes where he looks at me and raises his eyebrows - it's just the cutest thing. I wonder if he'll have Jeremy's ability to move his eyebrows in strange ways???? He has been sleeping little, crying a lot and biting me (yes, I'm still nursing!) but then he'll give me the eyebrows or some other adorable face and I'll remember that I'm still in love with this bald, fat little man.
I mentioned in passing that Christmas was going to be so fun for Marin this year and for days now she's been telling me that she wants to go to Christmas (like it's somewhere we can go). It is so cute. And yes she's still talking about Rosie and how she gave Rosie a hug when we went on our trip (to the museum). Then she'll throw in that Rosie is just like Barney.

Hairball

2008-07-17T13:07:00.001-07:00

Hairball! Ok, seriously, what IS this?

Give Rosie A Hug

2008-07-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

We went to the Children's Museum today and ever since we got home Marin keeps asking to see the picture of her hugging Rosie, this slightly scary chipmunk looking thing that was at the museum. We ditched Graham this morning and had a mother-daughter day with some friends.

So in Marin's honor, here she is with Rosie. It's funny how some kids like these creatures and some kids are scared to death of them. Poor Will (aka wheel) was terrified and hurt himself trying to run away. Jeremy has a funny story of a little boy who wouldn't stop screaming in terror when "Shamu" walked into the room. Seriously, who thought of dressing an adult like an animal anyway? It's traumatizing kids around the world.

There are all sorts of fun things to do at the museum like crawling around in old cars, milking a fake cow, face painting, the list goes on.

The Brown Boys (minus Jude), Braden and Ethan.

It Has Been Awhile

2008-07-16T18:39:00.001-07:00

Well, it has been awhile since I've blogged. We've been busy getting our house fixed up to sell and it has been crazy. We ended up staying at Jeremy's parent's house for several days because of tile work and painting that was being done.

I love my kids. They bring me so much joy and I couldn't imagine life without them. Marin is little miss independent and is curious about everything. I see other kids clinging to their parents, but not Marin - she's got places to go and people to see. Grandma bought her this ballerina outfit and she loves wearing it around the house with her tiara that recently broke (sadly, it's the fate of almost everything around here). And yes, she's trying to do passe in the picture below, pointed toes and all. I wish I could remember all the funny things she says - there are a million a day. She's in the, "No mommy, I do it" stage. Ok, quick question for other moms...Is there anything you do to keep your kids from twirling their hair? She does it all the time and it makes these horribly tangled knots that she either pulls out or I cut out. Any suggestions?

There is someone else around here who doesn't have enough hair to twirl (and I don't mean Jeremy). Oh yeah, it's the Grahamster/ Manimal/ Grahamarama/ Grams. That tubby little hunk of cutie love. He was quick to pull up but doesn't seem interested at all in walking yet. I am so curious to see what he looks like and how he acts when he's older. He's quite different from Marin, that's for sure, but I'm so used to her that I can't imagine how he'll be. For now, He's the manimal!

4th of July Miracle

2008-07-04T08:49:00.000-07:00

Jeremy mowed the yard yesterday and this morning we spotted this huge mushroom that sprouted overnight. Did you know they could grow that fast. It's a 4th of July Miracle!!!

Picture courtesy of our not-so-great camera phone.

No Hug

2008-06-27T07:21:00.000-07:00

Well, our camera is broken again and it may just be time for a new one. So no pictures this time but a cute story instead. Marin has been playing this cute game with me lately...
I'll ask her if I can have a hug and she'll say, "No hug". Then I'll kind of make a sad face and she'll imitate me and say, "Mommy sad". Then she'll wait a minute before declaring that she has changed her mind and she'll come give me a hug. It is super cute.
And speaking of cute, Graham is cute all the time. He's getting into everything and stands up constantly. He has lots of smiles for me and he loves his daddy. I wish I had some pics of him.
We're still trying to buy a house, but without much success. We've bid on 2 in the last 2 weeks but lost both of them to other people. It makes you just want to give up and stop looking, but we need to move eventually, so we're sticking with it.
Happy blogging until next time.

Staggering Cuteness

2008-06-04T13:20:00.000-07:00

Here's my big stander.

The Barfs

2008-06-03T18:25:00.000-07:00

Marin had a case of the barfs yesterday so she got to sit in her tent and watch movies all day. I was preparing myself for a whole week of barfing (like when she had rotavirus) but fortunately it only lasted 1 day! Thank God.

She cracks me up with the things she says. If she's disobeying I'll tell her that she needs to quit and she'll usually just continue right along with her bad behavior but when I tell her she's going to get a spanking for it she says, "ok, I change my mind."

Here we are on healthier days.

Graham is still doing the army crawl and I'm wondering if he'll ever crawl for real. His new favorite thing is to pull up on anything that will support him - he loves to stand. He is so precious and cute and I just love him to death.

Park Day

2008-05-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

We went to the park last week with all the friends. I know I've said it before,

but my daughter is a Runner.

I'm wondering if it's a sign of future athletic greatness???

One thing is for sure. She loves yelling NO.

Her favorite is yelling "NO Baby Graham" in this gruff 80 year old smoker voice. It happens about 100 times a day over almost anything ... touching my shoe, reaching for her toy, crying too loud.

Anyway, here are some pics of the park. And yes her friend Tatum did show up in the same swimsuit.

My Smiley Boy

2008-05-11T18:09:00.000-07:00

Well, the Grahamster is getting around now. He's not officially crawling, but he does the army crawl and manages to get to where he wants. I had a guilty mom moment today (on Mother's Day of all days). I was doing some caulking in the living room and he was crying in his highchair, which is a normal occurrence (the crying, not the caulking). He often cries around dinner time so even though it was unnerving, I thought I would let him sit there while I finished up and cleaned my hands off. When I finally got to him (10 minutes later) I saw that his arm was painfully stuck in the highchair and I had to pry it free. I felt so guilty for not checking on him while he was crying for me to come help him. It's the inevitable mom guilt.

On a brighter note...
The Granimal makes me laugh all the time with his cute faces. Jeremy has this amazing ability to make the craziest faces and the Granimal may have the same skills. Keeping it in the fam!

Believe it or not, I have pictures of Marin making this same scrunched up face.

Something was really really funny.

I'm gonna getcha .

Just another pic so you can see how cute I am, in case you forgot.

Wetherell Update

2008-05-06T07:05:00.000-07:00

Well, there's been a lot going on around here. We almost signed a contract to buy a house last Friday, but the night before our option period ended, the person who was going to buy our house backed out so we had to also back out on the house we were going to buy. We were super disappointed and sad about it all, but we trust God and know that He is still working it all for our good! We were selling to a friend so we didn't have our house on the market and now we're trying to decide whether to put it on the market or rent it out. Decisions decisions.
But anyway, here are some pics of Marin. She is at such a cute stage right now...talking all the time and keeping us entertained with all the funny things she does. I've mentioned before about how she runs everywhere she goes (which is still true) and it's such a picture of her personality... always on the go, independent, spirited and pushing the limits.
Here she is trying on my veil and having fun playing dressup.

To say that she likes stickers would be a major understatement. Here we are with Thomas the Train and all his buddies on us.

The Reggae girl rocking out to her boombox at Devon's house.

This Is How We Wear Our Bandaids

2008-04-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

Marin is showing us how to properly wear a bandaid. Once it is in place you must try to walk around while holding up your pant leg, limping and moping as if in pain (even though you aren't). It's an art, I must say.

I have a question for you moms: do your kids pick at themselves all the time (scratching scabs, pulling out their own hair, etc.)? Marin does and I'm hoping it's just a phase. The other day I found a clump of hair in her bed which she no doubt pulled out and then played with for awhile. I hope she doesn't have tricotillamania, that hair pulling disease.

The Graham-daddy is doing great. He is scooching all around but isn't crawling yet.

Cheerios Anyone?

2008-03-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

Marin thought she would help feed Graham today. Enough said!

Happy Easter

2008-03-24T09:38:00.000-07:00

This Easter was especially meaningful for me, maybe because I have kids, and it left me wanting to find new ways to make it a special time every year for our family. Not special as in more bunnies or eggs, but special by finding ways to worship God and rejoice that Christ is risen! I have a few ideas but I'm open to hear how your parents got you spiritually ready for Easter and what type of traditions you had surrounding the holiday.

Ok, so along the lines of bunnies and eggs, Auntie Steph did the great Easter Egg Hunt at her house yesterday and hosted us all to a great time with good food. Marin and Kaitlyn really liked finding the eggs and much to Marin's delight, her aunt and grandma let her eat all the chocolate in the eggs (see pictures below). So much chocolate, that she didn't go to sleep until 10 last night. She had been in her bed for an hour and still wasn't sleepy so we let her watch a movie with us (Dan In Real Life - yes it was good) and put her to bed afterward.

So here are the girls with baskets in hand awaiting the big hunt.

Did I mention chocolate?

Thanks Grammy for the Easter Cards. Marin really enjoyed Graham's card. She wants me to tell you that it was tasty!

Real Men Work

2008-03-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

So Jeremy has installed drainage pipes and built a deck in the last 2 weeks. I am so thankful for all his hard work. He was fortunate to get tons of help from Randy and Andy. Three cheers for our helpers!

Ok, this picture has nothing to do with manual labor. Graham and Marin took a bath together for the first time tonight and I just had to post a picture!

Ballerina Day

2008-03-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

When I got Marin out of bed this morning the first thing she did was twirl around and say, "Ballerina". It was super cute but also left me wondering where she learned that word??? I sure didn't teach it to her and I doubt she learned it at church. She even found a finger puppet with a tiny (and i mean tiny) tutu on and she immediately called it a ballerina. Regardless of where she leaned this, she was having a blast dancing around so I of course taught her some arm positions and took the opportunity to pull out a tutu her grandma gave her before she was born. She had a blast playing ballerina all day and it was "tutu cute".
I keep telling myself that I need to write down all the cute things she does before I forget them, but I'm not the best at doing it. Here are a few though...
- I found her squishing something all over her hands. It looked like soap and was sticky like soap but when I asked her what it was she answered, "boooogers." Must have been a lot of boooogers.

- One of our favorite things to do is to give each other a kiss and then simultaneously go, "aaaahhhh" while moving our heads back and forth. You'd have to see it.

- I don't know why, but I love how she calls a bathing suit a baby suit.

- When my mom was here she started this thing where she points at something, covers her mouth and pretends to laugh about whatever she pointed at. I guess I must cover my mouth when I laugh sometimes.

There are many many other things I love, but those are just a few. She is so much fun right now.

Our Week With Grammy

2008-03-07T10:54:00.000-08:00

We were happy to have Grammy here last week and had a great time with her. The morning after she left, Marin woke up and looked all around the house for her. It was so sad to have to tell her that Grammy wasn't here anymore. Grammy went picture crazy and caught lots of cute ones of the kiddos.

Notice the drop of drool :)

Green Thumb?

2008-03-05T14:11:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I didn't actually do much of the gardening myself because I was watching the kids, but Jeremy and my mom worked hard to get our once ugly planters into "yard of the month" shape. My mom tried to teach me what she could about shrubs and flowers but I don't know how much of it took. Here are our MUCH improved front planters and my favorite little helper.

All that work makes you hungry

Thanks Auntie Mel

2008-03-05T14:03:00.000-08:00

Well, after 2 months in the mail your present finally got here. I love both of the tights and they fit Marin perfectly. She looks like a true Dutch cutie. Thanks Auntie Mel!

Can't Help But Show More Pics

2008-02-18T19:02:00.001-08:00

My little fatty deserves a few more pictures so here you go...

We're not missing any meals around here!

We're Back

2008-02-16T16:44:00.000-08:00

After yet another long break, I'm back with a few new pictures! There are lots of differences between baby #1 and baby #2, one of which is how fast time goes by. Graham just seems to be getting older so quickly. I can't believe that I can already sit him up in the boppy like a big boy.

I love how Marin tilts her head to the side every time I tell her to say Cheese.

And the prettiest pretty princess you've ever seen, thanks to Marin.

Fun Birthday Times

2008-01-30T12:46:00.000-08:00

Well I still have no pictures (except this one from our phone) but in honor of my friend Mariana, I am going to post anyway. I saw her at church yesterday and thought I should follow her ever-blogging lead and catch up on mine a little. Since our camera is getting fixed again I'll have to paint a word picture of our life right now:

GEIBZUKBLEIUJKLSJDKFJGNRJKOIVYYVW

Yes, it's all jumbled and crazy. Marin is a wild child but absolutely adorable and Graham is getting bigger and more manly by the day. I'm starting to think that I need to get organized here because life is chewing me up and spitting me out right now. My house never seems to be clean, I'm forgetting important dates/appointments/etc., and I never seem to have anything to make for dinner even though I go to the store all the time???

I can blame some of it on the flu that has left me with little energy and 50% brain function. But really, let's get it together! I only have 2 kids, not 10!

So my little Marin turned 2 last week and we celebrated on Sunday. She quickly learned the Happy Birthday song and has been singing, "Appy Birday ear Marinny" all week. She has also figured out the whole present thing and loves ripping open the wrapping paper. I discovered that she already has candle blowing-out skills and I'm not sure where she learned them. She blew/spit out her candle with precision and it was so cute that we sang Happy Birthday a 2nd time and had her re-blow out her candle just for fun. What a cutie she is.

And then there's the Graham who is just chunky and adorable. I feel so blessed to have my two kids and I am really enjoying my time with them. As my dad used to say of me, they're "practically perfect in every way." (a line from Mary Poppins of course).

So here's the blurry phone pic from her b-day.