Don't want to forget....

Yes, I'm a slacker. I didn't even post about the kids 3rd birthday party! I had good intentions of doing so, but the end of July, and beginning of August, also signals the beginning of a new school year...and I get so wrapped up in getting things ready for my classroom!

Their birthday party was a family party with a Toy Story 3 theme. I picked that theme for several reasons: 3 kids, turning 3, they like Toy Story, and because I saw a poster that just had a giant "3" in the middle of it----it seemed to fit perfectly! So, a friend here made their cake and it was exactly what I had pictured!! Perfect, absolutely perfect! And did I mention it tasted AMAZING?? Makes my mouth water just thinking about it now!

The kids got tons of great toys from family and friends. They are so blessed to be surrounded by so many people who love them!

This week marked another milestone in their lives...the beginning of preschool! They are going to a church preschool Tues/Thurs for 2 1/2 hours a day. This last Tuesday was the first day of school, and Avery had strep! We really wanted the boys to still go to school and were anxious at how Avery would react to leaving her brothers at school. Avery was feeling so poorly that she couldn't have cared less. John, Taylor, and I (Avery too!) all dropped the kids off and picked them up for the first day. The boys immediately went into their classroom and started playing! It was obvious they felt comfortable. When we went back to pick them up I was looking through a darkened window into their classroom. Avery said, "Mom, hold me, I want to see brothers." So, I picked her up and she got a huge smile on her face. Aaron and Adam had not seen us walk up. Just after I picked Avery up, Aaron turned around and saw her in the window. He ran toward the window yelling, "Avery! Avery!" It was so sweet and brought tears to my eyes!

The boys had so much to say about their morning! They told us about their Bible lesson saying "Mom, did you know God made me?" (Oh yes!! I knew that!) They talked about the lamb that they made, and the playground. It was just so sweet!

Unfortunately, everyone now has strep, so they were all unable to go to school today. But, there will be plenty of time to recover before Tuesday!

I have some pictures of the first school day on my phone that I need to upload, and then I can post them!

Here are some birthday pics!

Our Summer....

It's been a summer of "Firsts" at the Power Household! June was our 1st vacation, 1st time to stay in a hotel with the kids, 1st time to sleep in a real bed, 1st time to San Antonio (and all the 1sts included in that!) and when TT brought the kids back home and John and I stayed in San Antonio, it was the 1st time they were on the road that long without us! 

John, Taylor, and I took the kids to San Antonio mid-June. We had such an awesome time! After getting to San Antonio and getting them to nap, we went down to the RiverWalk. (Our friends from here, the Gills, went also. They have 3 kids: 20, 10, and 9). The kids wanted to ride in a boat SO badly, but by the time we ate dinner, it was alredy really late and we just needed to get them back to the hotel! Our hotel was a family suite, so there was plenty of room for the 6 of us. The kids shared a king-sized bed in the back room. John and I were in a room next to theirs, and TT had the sofa bed in the living area. We couldn't believe how well the kids did sleeping in the big bed together. I know that it helped they were all so exhausted!

The 2nd Day we took Sea World by storm! We started our day with a Sesame Street breakfast (before the park opened). Avery wasn't so sure of the characters, but the boys really enjoyed it! Afterwards we fed the dolphins, went through the aquarium, and watched 3 shows before leaving around 1. They ate lunch on the way back to the hotel and CRASHED immediately after laying down! That evening we took them to see Toy Story 3 (which we all loved) and went to eat some amazing Mexican food!

Aaron, Avery, and Adam in front of Sea World

Adam and I with Telly

Feeding the Dolphins

Watching the Sea Lion show....

The Whole Gang! Elmo, Aaron, TT, Zoe, John, Avery,

Adam, and me!

Besides Sea World, we've had many other fun days....swimming with friends, a weekend trip to Midland, going to my parent's house for three days, Dino World, library, Fossil Rim wildlife park.....The kids are so fun and are getting so independent! It's just SOOOOO much easier to pick up and go!

Quickly Approaching 3!

This, and the three posts following, are finally an update of what's going on in our world! TT took all of these beautiful pictures of the kids (and many more) for my Mother's Day present. I love the pictures SO very much!

Things here are going great! I've been off of work for two weeks now. We've done so much with the kids already! We've gone swimming (in a real pool) twice, gone bowling, watched a movie in the theater, and are making plans for much more! We are leaving this week for a 2-night stay in San Antonio. TT is going with us too, and we are very excited about going to Sea World. Before Sea World opens, we have tickets for a Sesame Stree breakfast with Elmo and others! We can't wait! Later this month we are going to spend two nights with my mom, start swimming lessons, and whatever other adventures we can find!

The kids are doing great at potty training! They've been in panties/underwear for a week now! Very few accidents, and are still wearing a Pull-Up at nap and a diaper at night.

I just can't believe how easy they are right now! They can do so many things independently, and it really makes life so much easier around here. I truly believe this time is the easiest we've EVER had since they joined our family! We've taken all the gates down in the house, so they finally have free-reign. (Except for our bedroom). They can get their own shoes, are starting to drink with regular cups at meal times, and can help do small chores around the house. It is so amazing!

Also, we are just having the best time! We are constantly surprised at what they say, how fast they are growing, and how blessed we truly are. Hope you enjoy this, and the next three posts. Maybe it will get you caught up!!

Avery

Oh, Avery! My little, independent, girlie-girl! I find myself just shaking my head at the things she does! She is so funny too, and so prissy!

Avery's newest thing is the red/yellow car that she drives around the house. Now, you know the car I'm talking about-- that Little Tykes coupe that most all kids have. Well, Avery's love for that car goes to a whole new level. She drives that thing ALL over the house. She will tell us she's going shopping, grab her little purse, get in that car, and then drive to a different area of the house. There you can see her pretending like she's buying stuff, and then she will drive it back to you. Frequent trips to the store happen for "Eggs, milk, and nachos." The other night, she even drove her car to the bedroom, and parked it right next to her bed. She got out of the car, crawled into her bed, and went to sleep!

Avery has gotten very adept at pretend play. Poor John was a doctor's patient one whole Sunday afternoon! She plays in the kitchen, shops, plays with her dinosaurs...talking quietly to herself most of the time. She also, however, LOVES to help around the house. She does a great job of helping with laundry and emptying the dishwasher. She likes to clean with wipees, takes pride in feeding Alex, and does a great job of holding the dust pan.

She can be SO incredibly sweet, or full of drama. Of course she won't leave the house without her bow! John has nicknamed her "Popcorn" for two reasons: she can eat her weight in popcorn, and she's little and always popping around the house. When you ask her what her name is, she will reply "Popcorn Power." Ha!! She can often be found singing lullabies to their stuffed animals, rubbing her brothers' hair, or kissing Bella's nose. She's our sweet girl!

I love this picture because she is laughing so hard!!

Adam

My Sweet Adam! He cracks me up. Adam tells it EXACTLY like it is! He is very much like John in so many ways. First of all, Adam is very stubborn! A few weeks ago they were eating breakfast at their picnic table in the living room. Adam didn't want to eat, not even one bite. John told him "Eat one bite and you can get up." Adam said "No. I don't want a bite, " and that was it. It was definitely a power struggle as Adam finally decided to take a bite 45 minutes later. There was plenty of staring between John and Adam....it was like watching an almost 3 year-old John in action!

Adam also is very verbal! He has a great vocabulary, memorizes books, and talks from the minute he gets up to the minute he falls asleep! We really work with the kids about using their words when they are mad instead of crying. So, frequently Adam's words consist of "Mom, I'm mad at you!" Careful about what you want kids to do, huh??

Adam is also very sweet and uses the word "Please" almost every time he asks for something. In fact, it is mostly, "Dad, I want to watch bowling, PLEASE..." Yes, he loves to watch bowling! He loves to watch any sport in fact. He is also very good a Wii bowling, and has bowled 140 by himself! Adam is VERY independent and doesn't really want a lot of help doing anything. Honestly, he has always been that way. I remember how difficult it was to spoon feed him as soon as he was barely able to do it himself. If he didn't want you to do it, he would just sit and cry and scream when you tried to feed him.

Aaron

This is the perfect picture of Aaron! It truly captures his fun and crazy personality! He is just so creative and witty..

The other night Aaron was on the potty when Avery came in the bathroom and needed to go too. After she was finished---and I didn't have a diaper handy-- I just snapped the top two buttons of Avery's night clothes and told her I would get a diaper when Aaron got finished. Aaron said, "Look, Mom..It's Super Avery!" And sure enough, her PJs looked like a cape! So, Avery stuck her arms out in front of her and started flying away!

Aaron is a very polite young man. He always uses his manners! There are times when I may say something like "Oh, no, Aaron..we don't need to do that now." He will smile, make a little giggle, and say, "Oh, Mom, I'm so sorry.. (laughing)." The other day I accidentally scratched him and when I apologized he said (giggling also), "Mom, it's ok." He also will give his brother and sister anything they want. If he has a toy and they want it, he will gladly turn it over. Likewise, if they have a toy he wants he will say, "Thank You, Adam. Thank You" and the other two know it's time to share.

Aaron gives the sweetest hugs and kisses, loves to hide under John's shirts (while they are still on John), eats like a horse, and at least once a day says "I'm so happy!" He will ask me, "Mom, are you so happy too?" Of course I am!! He is doing a great job brushing his teeth, potty training, and keeping us entertained!

New Weights

I never think about weighing the kids anymore. Just out of curiousity, I weighed them today.

Aaron: 31 lbs. 7 oz
Adam: 32 lbs. 4 oz.
Avery: 27 lbs. 8 oz.

She is so little compared to the boys!

Today I filled out their registration forms for preschool. Preschool....is it even possible?? It's a 3 yr-old school that is from 8:30-11:00 Mondays and Wednesdays. It won't start until September, but it seems so surreal filling out the forms! I've learned a great way to fill out forms for them too. I complete one set of forms with everything listed except the name and sex. I make 2 copies and then add their names and sex. Presto! Saves time over having to write everything 3 times!

Here are a couple of new pics of them playing outside in a tent and of them working in their "garden."

Adam and Aaron

According to Avery "Planting seeds and working the garden."

Avery, Adam, and Aaron