well, hello!

5 months later.....

mason completed his first part of kinder and turned 6, has started reading and getting really good at addition and subtraction. he played another season of soccer and has just recently begun in basketballl, which he loves. he is such a kind, attentive, protective big brother, it is AmAzInG! he likes to build things with legos, mostly ships, role play star wars games, run around outside and play his gameboy (which is a total pain in the ass and i highly recommend not allowing your child to have a gaming device until he/she is older)

stephen has settled into being quite the 3 year old, meaning he is stubborn stubborn stubborn and smart smart smart. he has gotten to be such a big boy. he has been potty trained for months now, except for at night. he also is out of the crib. he goes to mothers day out at our church two days a week and loves it (even though he says he doesn't) when he is home with nicky and i he is a good little helper and buddy. he is starting gymnastics next week which i think will be fun and will help him with his balance and coordination. the most frustrating thing about him is that he likes to wake up around 5:30, yes... A.M.!! and although mike generally gets up with him its killing. me. the cutest thing about him, or one of them, is that he hates kisses. he always wipes them off. always.

nicholas will be turning 1 in two days. i cannot believe it. he started walking a few weeks ago and is really getting good at it :) he LOVES to eat and one of his favorite words is "more" which means more food right now mommy. we are still breastfeeding as well. he has gone back to waking me a good one to two times a night. i have not had consistent good nights of sleep in over three years, and i am over it :) when i stop nursing we will have to sleep train i'm afraid. he says mama, dada, ball, more, he also says what we have deciphered as brother. he waves, claps, plays peek-a-boo, stands up on his own. he is so freaking cute with his whispy hair and gapped tooth full face smiles :) he is easygoing, but definitely has some opinions aboout things. he too has started at the church school on tuesdays and thursdays, which he loves! he is in the same room as when we go to church so he was comfortable from the beginning and they said it has been like he has been there all year.


mike has been at his new counseling job at HRC for 6 months and applied and been accepted to the MSW program at Our Lady of the Lake University. he starts in September, it is an 18 months advanced standing program. i am so proud. Freedom House has been rocking and rolling, our census has been down the last couple of months but we made it to our second anniversary of being open in december. we celebrated our EIGHTH wedding anniversary this month. after eight years i love my husband, he is my best friend and i couldn't ask for a better partner in this world. at the end of the day the little things that make me want to ring his neck are just that...little things. i feel so free to be who i am, whoever that is, free to follow my heart, persue my dreams, do what i need to do to take care of myself even if that makes things more burdensome for him. i love you babe, even more than i did when we decided to start this life.

I am starting at the University of Houston Clear Lake next week and for the first time in almost 10 years will be setting foot in a classroom. I am a little nervous about finding the balance with school/work/family/myself but am sure that it will happen. Freedon House for Women opened up in June, after almost five months i thought we would have to shut down but we have built up some residents and things are going well. i feel very blessed to be a part of whats happening over there. a year ago today i was almost a week overdue with nicky and could not wait to get that baby out. time goes so fast. a part of me is sad that the days of me having little babies is coming to an end but really i look forward to the next chapters in our lives.

we had our first holiday season as a family of five, and it was awesome, from halloween to christmas! mike and i often lay in bed and talk about how incredibly wonderful our three boys are. i do not have the words to express my gratitude to the creator of all of this. although i have many moments of almost unendurable frustration and hopelesness, my children and husband challenge me so much and force me to continue to grow and seek love.