The main man (aka Jonny) took a different position at AIG. He now works "regular" hours and has much more potential for growth. He seems to enjoy this position a lot. I'm not sure if it's the work or the fact that he's getting better sleep or a little bit of both. Unfortunately, the different hours leave little time for play. I'm sure he'd love to go hit a bucket of balls or start up softball again, but until we find the time we'll file that under "One Day."
Jonny and I are going to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary in March. We are super excited that Papa and Kiki are going to take on the zoo and we get to go on our 3rd trip as husband and wife. That's right, we've only been on 3 trips not involving the kids since we've been married. A decade ago when we got married at the Justice of the Peace we always said we'd renew our vows at 10 years with an actual wedding. We'd have a ceremony, get a DJ, have a reception. The works. Well, 4 kids later, we don't quite have the budget for a big shebang so we're headed to Vegas. Maybe for 15 or 20 years.
Mini Me (aka Alyssa) is 6 going on 16. She is way too smart for her own good. And a little too curious for mine. Her nose is always in a book and she's in such a rush to grow up. If she only knew. Of course, she is excelling in school. 1st grade seems to be a breeze for her. She is in her fourth year of dance. She takes ballet and tap. I'm not 100% if she's the next prima ballerina, but she seems to be enjoying it and that's all that matters right now.
Little Man (aka James) is in PPCD (Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities)through Katy ISD and is flourishing. I have nothing but good things to say about this program. It is helping him work through his Sensory Processing Disorder as well as preparing him for school. He will have another year of it before kindergarten and I am confident he'll be more than ready by then. James has a small obsession with dinosaurs. I now know more about dinosaurs than I ever thought possible. He played soccer last spring. I say play, but it was more like whine about soccer so he could get a snack. To us it seemed like torture. He loved it. He wants to play soccer again. So we will give it another go this spring.
The firecracker (aka Natalie) is giving me a run for my money. I love how I read articles about parenting the "strong-willed" child and think to myself this is my daughter. She is most definitely a threenager. Don't get me wrong, I am so proud she is so determined and she knows what she wants. But this is the child that causes me to hide in the pantry sneaking chocolate. She is spunky and funny. Natalie loves to be a princess and Buzz Lightyear all wrapped into one. How she does it, I'm not really sure, but she does. She wants nothing more than to hop on the bus with her brother and sister and go off to school. In due time, my love, in due time.
Baby girl (aka Charlotte) is my saving grace right now. She forces me to slow down and take in the world around me. She has grown so much in the last 5 months. Her little life has already been so full. Some days when I feel like I didn't accomplish much I remember laying on the floor playing with her is the most important job of the day. Right now she is definitely a snuggle bug and I love it. I have a feeling she'll be on the go at any moment so I'm trying to get all my snuggles in now.
