A Winter Get-Away and Michael's Birthday

For some odd reason, Matt and I always seem to plan our "romantic get-aways" in the middle of February, in really cold places. ...Last year it was New York, the time before that it was Washington, D.C.  This year, it was Baltimore.  At least this time, however, Matt wasn't working through the entire trip, and we had no small children in tow. (Hmmm. Maybe the term "romantic get-away" wasn't such a misnomer this time.) We had a wonderful time!

The first day, we drove up to Pennsylvania to visit Gettysburg.  While not exactly "fun," it was an amazing, solemn experience and one I highly recommend to anyone visiting that area. The amount of sacrifice shown -- by those who fought and by the families who let them go --was truly humbling. I will never look at war and military service in the same way again.

The second day, we drove into D.C. and spent some time touring the Smithsonian, particularly the National Art Gallery and the Air and Space museum.

We tried to go up the Washington Monument. We booked it from one end of the Mall to the other to get there before the last tour (For future reference,"booking it" when you are six months pregnant is not a good idea!) only to find that it was closed due to a broken elevator.....So sad!........But, we did walk around the base and snap some pics before walking (more slowly this time) all the way back to our car at the other end of the Mall.

On Sunday, we visited with one of my very best friends and her family. Sarah and I have known each other since 6th grade and roomed together in college, and it was wonderful to catch up a little.  Her mom (who served as our Primary chorister when we were kids and whom I absolutely adored) was coincidentally visiting at the same time, and it was fun to see her again, too. In fact, I was enjoying visiting so much, I forgot to take a picture. :(  Oh, well. The memories remain.

We had a late flight home on Monday, so we spent the day walking around the Baltimore Harbor. We toured several old ships there on display and had a lovely luncheon overlooking the water.

Then, it was time to come home. Home to my little ones, who were having a great time being watched by Grandma.  I was really happy to find them still up when we got home late that night, so I could give them big hugs and tuck them in as usual. I think I missed them as much as they missed me.

Know what else I missed? Michael's eighth birthday!  He was such a sweetie, he didn't make a big deal about.... Maybe because he ended up have three birthday parties instead of just one.  One on the big day, while Grandma was here. Another "family party" the following weekend. (We had a "friend party" planned, but had to postpone it because he got sick. But understandably, he didn't want to postpone opening his presents.)

Joseph promptly confiscated Michael's light saber and started whacking everything in sight with it.  We ended up having to buy another one just to avoid the bickering between the boys over it.

And a new scooter, just what he wanted.

Then finally the following weekend, was able to have some friends over for cake and playing at the Bounce House!

A few weeks later, my little boy was baptized!  I can't believe he is growing up so fast. I am so proud of the young man he is growing into! He is one of the most conscientious, kind and responsible little boys I have ever come across..... Not that I'm biased, or anything.

A few other happenings this winter:

One of Sadie's paintings from art class was chosen for the annual Klein ISD Rodeo Art Show. She won a blue ribbon for her painting "Sheep on a Hill."

And going along with the rodeo theme, the kids at school celebrated the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo with a rodeo dance at school.

I got to help with Michael's class Valentine's Party. (Poor Sadie was sick, and totally missed it.)

Ada, Joseph, and I visited the Mercer Arboretum, one of our favorite places, just as the spring flowers came into bloom. Beautiful!

I had told my dad that I wasn't up to doing any gardening this spring with the baby coming and everything.  He just couldn't stand the thought of all that good dirt going to waste, so of course he came over and planted it for me.

Six week later . . .

What can I say? He just has the magic touch.

A Joyful Christmas

We enjoyed a lovely Christmas. It was busy ... but not too busy. Just the right mix of celebration and relaxation. 

We started things off with a Christmas party with our playgroup. We made some snowman crafts and then played reindeer games. Lots of fun!

Christmas morning, we were up bright and early getting into stockings.

 After breakfast, the real fun began . . .

Michael's (and Dad's) favorite gift was a small drone, which they are still learning to fly.

Ada's and Sadie's favorite gifts were their jewelry boxes full of necklaces and bracelets.

Joseph loved everything.  --Maybe you can't tell from his face, but that is his smile, at least the one he puts on for the camera.

 After unwrapping all the presents at home, we headed to Grandma's house!  We enjoyed a lovely dinner with Matt's extended family at his Grandma's (the kid's Great-Grandma's) house.  It was so nice to see everyone!

Even more presents!

Grandma's house is always fun, but this time we discovered a brand new torture device --tickle torture, that is.

On Monday, we visited Grandpa at work in the Fourth Court of Appeals. Michael led us in a mock-trial.

Sadie was accused of snitching some cookies from the cookie jar.

Adelaide and Joseph served as witnesses.

And Aunt Sarah was lawyer-esque, helping procure testimonies.

Later, we enjoyed Brackenridge Park, touring it by train with Aunt Sarah.

 One of the train stops was the Japanese Water Gardens where we ate a picnic lunch

and fed lunch to the koi.

It was pretty amazing. They are so tame they will swim up and stick their heads out of the water to take food from your hand.

Back at home, we said good-bye to Matt's well-loved, and well-used leather sandals. He bought these things when we were first married and has repeatedly refused to get rid of them until they literally fell apart. --You can even see where his toe had nearly worn completely through the sole.  So, he tossed these babies and went sandal shopping. (Yes, my friends from the "North." You can go sandal shopping in Houston in the middle of winter.) After visiting four or five stores, he came home with a pair of leather sandals that look almost identical to the first pair. I wonder if these could possibly last as long as the old pair?

One of Michael's presents was a robot kit. He was working on this as soon as we got home from Grandma's, and within an hour, he had walking, dancing, tumbling robot that he had built all by himself. He was soooo proud.

Joseph's favorite present was this "moon sand" kit from Aunt Rachel. The girls love it too. I have to make sure they give him fair time with it before they take over.  Way better than play-dough!

We also did our annual Gingerbread House contest. It was boys vs. girls this year

And the competition was intense!

.....And everyone had a lot of fun and ate a lot of candy!

It arrived a little late, but it's such a great present, who cares!?  My parents ordered the kids a swing set. Matt and Uncle Stephan worked for hours putting it together.

The result has been kid-heaven! The kids keep telling me that our backyard is now a park, and they spend LOT of time out there.

And last, but not least .... for those of you who haven't yet heard --Compton Baby #5 is on it's way and it's A GIRL!  Due May 23rd.  Of course the girls are super-excited. Michael was really wanting another brother, but I think he's gotten over the disappointment now. Joseph still doesn't have a clue, but has noticed that my tummy is getting bigger. --He keeps pushing on it and saying "squishy, squishy!"

I was pretty sick for most of the fall, but finally started feeling better just before Christmas. What a relief to be able to really enjoy the Holidays with my family, instead of trying to fake it! ...Hard times and yucky stomachs really make you appreciate and savor the happy times that much more.

Soccer, Glasses, and a Little Doggie

Michael played soccer for the first time last Spring, and he loved it so much we signed him up again this fall.  Sadie saw how much fun he had and wanted to play too. So we spent two and half months juggling two practices and two games a week.  I'm not sure if I want to try that again any time soon, but they really did have a great time!

One problem we kept running into this fall was rain nearly every Saturday during games. The kids didn't seem to mind, though.

Adelaide was busy too . . . With all the rain we had this fall, we had lots of mud in the back yard. One day when we had friends over, Sadie and co. ran in yelling that Ada was stuck in the mud. They weren't kidding.

Ada has mostly given up naps, but if you can get her to hold still for a few minutes, she will readily fall asleep. Here she is impersonating the Princess and the Pea.

My little Sunshine!

During Thanksgiving break, we visited our good friends the Mohontys.  Jenny had set up a Jewish sukkah (or "booth") on her balcony to celebrate Sukkot (or the Feast of Tabernacles). She showed us how to make a braided Swedish bread and we had a delicious little feast together.

Since school started, Sadie had been complaining that words were a little blurry sometimes, so I took her to an eye doctor and sure enough, she needed glasses. She chose a very stylish purple pair, and a radiant red pair as back-up.  She quite likes them.

Somehow, the kids found a bunch of these things. Joseph loves them.

One day, I walked into the kitchen and found Joseph on the floor next to a bowl of cheerios and a bowl of water. I was a little confused at first, so I asked him what he was doing. "I'm doggie" he said.