Who sleeps like that?

Answer: Ava

This is how Ryan found her in bed when he came home from work at one o'clock in the morning.

Look What the Wind Blew In

Michael had family event in Houston last week, so the Melink\Strickland clan hopped in their plane and made the 8 hour trip down to TX (better than 20+ hours of driving). Katie and Austin enjoyed a trip to a water park and hanging out with their cousins. However, what trip to TX is complete without a trip to San Antonio, so despite a very tight time line, thunderstorms, and too much traveling, they hopped back in their plane and took a detour to visit us. I think they were in town a total of 15 hours, but we made to most of the visit. Dinner at a local resturant with lots of picinic tables, a giant playgound, and astro turf field for the kids to play on. Austin was in heaven. Stayed up late talking. Then breakfast tacos brought back medical school memoires (or maybe nightmares) for Michael.

Gina-Mom and Katie got their baby fix.

Elizabeth got her plane fix. Ava found a new doll, "Little Katie." She made the real Katie carry around "Baby Ava." Austin ended up with minor surgery with a K-bar for a splinter. The time we had together was too short, we certainly wish we lived closer to all the grandparents. We enjoy their company, and I know they love seeing the kids grow up.

Happy Children

Included in this post are some random pictures of the kids at during their happy, not fighting with each other moments. Elizabeth and Ava are quite the fish. Swimming lesson have really helped. Even Ava is swimming now without floaties. True, she can only swim as far as one breath will take her, but she can hold her breath for a long time. Long enough for her to swim from one side of Gram's pool to the other.

Casey loves his crib and doesn't mind hanging out in it, the girls thought it would be fun to play in it with him. After about about 30 seconds of jumping around and trying to smoother Casey, I figured I better put them all on the floor before it turned into a cage match. Plus, I didn't the crib would withstand it either, but it has been a great hand-me-down crib, lasting through 5 kids. Good thing the crib mattress has a 20 year warranty.

Even at this young age, Casey enjoys reading. This is a beginner book for him, most of the time he reads 200-300 page hardback historical literature.

Casey is also very pleased that he can now climb into Ava's bed. The lower bunk is fast becoming a favorite hang out for the kids.

You did WHAT!

That was my mom's response when I told her that I took my girls to get their ear pierced. This was from a woman who didn't let me pierce my ears until I was 12. Personally, I thought I would wait until each girl was about 5-6 years old to let them get earrings. Ryan said he had no opinion in the matter. However about 2 weeks ago the girls started asking me to get their ears pierced. I am not sure who or what put the idea into their head, it is not like they know a lot of girls who have pierced ears. I told them it would hurt, I pinched theirs, and told them to think about it for a week. I figured it was no big deal. I already help them brush their teeth and wipe their butts, so what if I have to help them clean their ears for 6 weeks. Well, the week came and went, and they were still asking me, so I set a date for over the holiday weekend. On Sunday, we headed to the mall. At the store, there were a couple of other elementary school age girls debating getting their ears pieced. All of the girls watched and 18 year old guy get both ears pierce, which brought on a whole slew of questions of when could Casey get his ears pierced. My answer was not for a very long time. Still undecided, the bigger girls deferred their place in line to Elizabeth and Ava. The girls eagerly picked out their earrings. Elizabeth went with fake diamond, and Ava opted for pink jeweled flowers. Then I asked who was going to go first, each named the other. I thought that was going to be the end. I wasn't going to push the girls into piercing their ears. All of a sudden, Elizabeth told me that she would go first. She hopped up in the chair, but started to cry as they were marking her ears. I think she was a bit anxious about the pain, and the dozen people watching her. I asked her if she still wanted to do it, and she said yes. The store manager handed Elizabeth a lollipop, and the tears stopped. Two workers, two guns, two seconds later... earrings in... 20 seconds later all crying ceased. After seeing Elizabeth cry, even briefly, Ava said that she didn't want to get her ears pierced. I said that she could wait, and started packing up all of our stuff to leave. Then Ava started whining about wanting a lollipop. I told her that the lollipop was part of a package deal with earrings. She started to waver, and said that she wanted earrings and a lollipop. I put her in the chair, and as they were marking her ears, Ava tried to back out again. Knowing Ava, if she didn't go through with this I was going to have to listen to at least another week of whining about lollipops and ear piercing, so I told the ladies to load the guns and just do it. As with Elizabeth, they pierced both of her ears at the same time and she cried less than Elizabeth. She got her lollipop and couldn't be more pleased with her earrings. Both girls are tickled pink about their earrings (Ava complains minimally when I clean them), and they love showing off their sparkly earrings to their teachers, friends, and family. P.S. After Elizabeth and Ava got their ears pierced, one of the older girls followed through.

4th of July

Ryan had to work all of the holiday weekend, so the kids and I had a get together with our own friends. I made plans with my friend Christen, whose husband is an ER doctor currently serving in Iraq. When I think I have it rough, I just think of her trying to juggle three kids (Jenna 5, Ben 4, Ryan 2) by herself for 6 months. Elizabeth and Ben play on the same T-ball team, and the rest of our kids get along extremely well. Therefore, we had our own celebration at Christen's house with hot dogs, cake, and pool time (plus beer for the grown-ups). No fireworks, due to drought conditions here in San Antonio. It was a good afternoon, never as relaxed as you would hope it to be, but then again we were trying to referee 6 kids.

Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss

If Casey were a book that would be his title. Casey is the King of Noises. As soon as walk in the door after school/work, Casey stops in the laundry room to beat on the washer and dryer. Then he walks over to the fridge and sends all of the alphabet magnets skittering across the floor. He then pulls the electronic Leap Frog toys off the fridge and plays the ABC song and Animal Matching song over and over before he tires of them and throw the toys on the ground. During dinner, he will dump his food on the table and play his plate like a drum. As well as bang his cup and spoon on the table to the point that even the girls tell him to be quiet and that he is hurting their ears. Once I put him down in bed he will rattle his crib bars or rake a toy across the bars until he gets tired enough to fall asleep. He may not say anything right now, but he finds plenty of ways to make himself heard.

Growth Spurts

I usually remember to feed my kids, and they seem to be getting bigger. It is either that or patterns are getting smaller. My grandmother, Oma, has been knitting for as long as I can remember. First, Christmas sweaters for me and my siblings when we were little, then an occasional shawl or sweater as we have gotten older. Now with great grand children to knit for, Oma as been whipping out blankets, hats, sweaters, and dresses faster than you can blink. It is a good thing that the children's patterns don't take her more than a few days because she has 5 great grand kids to knit for now. Her most recent package included some pieces for Elizabeth. (Which is good because then I can pass them onto Ava.) Oma just saw a Elizabeth in February, but I guess just a few months can make a big difference in a growing toddler. Elizabeth was able to wear the skirt, and fortunately Oma's gift could be shared with Ava and Casey as well. On behalf of all the kids, Elizabeth says, "Thank you Oma for the skirt, sweater and dress."

My little fashion models.

Swim Extravaganza

While regular school is out of session, our daycare center takes a break from some of their pre-K academics. The kids do lots of arts and crafts, cooking projects, and play in the water. Kids under three get sprinkler time a few days a week, and Elizabeth gets to swim every day, since the center has a pool on site. Their school also teaches swim lessons, and we figured it would be a good idea for the girls to hone their water skills. Elizabeth was getting pretty comfortable in the water last summer, and could hold her breath while gliding underwater a few feet, so we were hoping that she would actually start swimming on her own after a round of lessons.

She did great! Not quite swimming on her own by the end of class, but way more comfortable in the water. Jumping in, floating, and she could jump in and swim as far as one breath would take her. If she wasn't at the side or couldn't touch the bottom after one breath then she panicked, but most of the kids in her class were in the same boat. Remarkably, she is now swimming on her own! I took the kids to the pool the last two weekends and on Saturday it just clicked for her. She can now swim back and forth across a pool without any assistance. She loves telling me how she doesn't need a floaty anymore.

Ava on the other hand thinks she can swim by herself but she can't. "Mama, I can swim all by myself." She keeps taking off her floaties and jumping into the pool. No fear. She can just barely kick herself to the surface. I have to admire her persistence and effort. Swim lessons were great for her. She will now jump in the pool unassisted, let me help her float on her back, and swim short distances under water. Once she can figure out how to use her arms and legs together, I think she will have it.

Deja Vu

June's Blog seems a lot like January's. Here I am writing about gymnastics shows, new fish, and parties again.

You have already heard about the big gymnastics show, so I guess I will move onto the fish. After a six months with us, Elizabeth's fish, Saint Nicholas, went to fishy heaven. His passing inspired Ryan to finally clean the fish tank, where he managed to kill off Pinkie and Merlin III in a matter of 15 minutes by placing them in a cup of water straight from the tap. The girls were more excited than sad about the loss of their fish, so a few days later we went to the pet store to buy some replacement fish. Ava picked out the same pink fish again and named her Pinkie. Casey got a yellow tail fish, Merlin IV. Elizabeth picked a black and orange shark fish, Sharkie Fish. Elizabeth has a knack for picking out the most agressive fish. Two days later, I found Merlin IV floating in the tank without his yellow tail or fins. I put Merlin IV in a plastic baggie and took him back to the store for a faster swimming fish. Merlin V, a orange and yellow fish, lasted past his warranty period but just this week he suffered the same fate as Merlin IV. I found Merlin V under a frog statue without a tail. Elizabeth swears that it was the resin frog that killed Merlin, not Sharkie Fish. For now, I think we will stick with two fish. Pinkie is a faster swimmer and likes the top of the tank, and Sharkie hangs out around the bottom. Hopefully, they can continue to get along. Their relationship reminds me a lot of Elizabeth and Ava. Finally, what is a summer without parties. Pool parties, summer parties, birthday parties, etc. You name it, my girls have attended. They will never pass up an opportunity for sugar.

Quote of the Day

Elizabeth: "Mom, when I turn 30, I won't have anymore birthdays"

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How does she know when to stop counting, and how nice would that be if it were true?

Context: Yesterday, the kids and I were in the car and Elizabeth was talking about car seats because Ava just got a new car seat and Casey got Ava's old one. Elizabeth was telling me about how she will get a booster car seat when she turns five, and when she is seven she won't have need a car seat anymore. Then she said that when she turns 30 she will also sit in a big girl seat, promptly followed by the above comment.

Motherhood Madness

For the next two weeks, Ryan is working 12 hours shifts, which leaves me playing single parent. I am not much of a basketball fan, but I have been told that zone defense never wins championships. Even when Ryan is around, we can't play man-on-man anymore, but we can still whoop up on the kids most of the time. However, when it is 3 against 1, it is an entirely different story. All I can do is pray that they go easy on me. This past Saturday they were delightful! We played a double header of T-ball, stopped by a store so that I could exchange some clothes, and went to the library to pick out some new books. Everyone took a nap, ate all of their meals, and were in bed by 8pm. Sunday was an entirely different story. Elizabeth gave Ava a haircut. Ava stole a lollipop from Casey, ate it right in front of him, made him cry, and then lied about it to me. No naps, no sharing, lots of whining, big messes with toys and food! I was reminded why Ava's nickname is Captain Destructo. I ended up putting them to bed without dinner before 7pm. Still they didn't all fall asleep until after 8:30pm. Arrgh! Sometime, I am very glad that I get to escape to work on Monday. My hat is off to stay at home moms.

Nothing to Wear

Don't you hate when you can't find anything to wear?

Show time!

Last day of gymnastics for the year and Elizabeth couldn't be happier. The past few weeks the kids practiced their routines, for the big show during the last class. Elizabeth made remarkable improvement in her skills as well as her attitude during the semester. She went from crying and not participating in January to cartwheels and smiles in June. She is glad to be taking a break this summer to take swimming lessons and play T-ball again. Ava on the other hand can't wait until her "birthday time" and she can start up gymnastics.

Rub a Dub, Dub, Three Kids in a Tub

A laundry tub that is, I am not sure the last time my kids set foot in the bathtub. However, they have been swimming everyday at school, and I think I may have hosed them off in the shower or sink occasionally after meals.

Sounds Great!

Ava's new favorite phase is, "That sound good, mom?" No matter how reasonable or absurd the request or statement is, she will end it with that question.

"I eat lunch and go to sleep, then go swimming. That sound good, mom?"

or this morning

"Mom, I get dressed for airplane, and have bubble gum. Sound good?"

Much to her chagrin, she ended up with yogurt and a banana for breakfast and then I dropped her off at school. She may get bubble gum later today, but we don't have any airline travel planned for awhile.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Reflecting back on growing up in San Antonio, Ryan says he remembers a lot of rain during the the month of May. This year was no exception. T-ball was plagued this season with soggy fields, canceled practices, and shorten games all due to rain. Plus, we had to contend with the swine flu. Still, Elizabeth managed to rise above it all and come out with a perfect batting average and zero errors. She is very proud of her t-ball trophy. She is taking it for show-n-tell on Friday. In addition, her new favorite color is orange. That may change, we start practice with the summer team this week and she will get a new jersey. At least, she still tells me that she loves T-ball and wants to play every day. In between rainy days, we spend a lot of time in the backyard. The girls love jumping on their trampoline, digging in the sandbox, and playing in their tree house.When we do have to stay in, the kids like to read books, play dress up, and color.

Fiesta Farm

About a month ago, I worked for BearingPoint, they went bankrupt and sold part of their business to Deloitte Consulting. Now I am still doing the same job just with a different company. Before I made the switch from Bearing Point, I took my remaining vacation time to have a fun day with the kids and my friend Cara while she and her son were still in town. I figured time to play with the kids was worth more, and then couple of bucks I would get for my vacation time. We met up with Cara and her sister at Fiesta Farm, which is a local petting zoo with ponies, llamas, goats, chickens, ducks, etc. Elizabeth got into feeding bunnies, goats and ponies. She also thought the tractor ride was a blast. Ava didn't want anything to do with the animal and even found her 2nd pony ride mundane. She enjoyed playing in the sandbox, and pushing Cara's stroller all over the farm. I forgot Casey's shoes, so he spent most the trip in the backpack. I am not irrational about dirt or germs, but there was way too much poop on the ground for me to let him walk around. He did still get to enjoy pony and tractor rides. Plus, he had a close encounter with a chicken that tried to take his PB&J sandwich.

Weekend Warrior Part II

Another weekend that Ryan was working and we were left to our own devices. At least we had T-ball. Elizabeth’s team won of course! Actually, every kid gets to bat, there are no outs, and every kid get to run around the bases, so keeping score is pointless. We only had half a team since parents were keeping their kids away for fear of catching the dreaded swine flu. Oh well, that meant more snacks and juice for Ava after the game. I think that is the only reason she likes to go to Elizabeth’s T-ball events. On Sunday, I met up with my girlfriend Cara and her son, Frankie, who were in town visiting family. We took the kids to an awesome playground with swings, slides, see-saws, merry-go-rounds, and other equipment that I had never seen before on a playground.

After awhile it got just to hot and we wandered over a Pet Expo. This expo had nothing but designer dogs, and their accessories (clothes, bags, beds, toys) for sale. Ava fell in love with a pink and black pet purse. Elizabeth opted for a little black Cockapoo. She kept saying that it would be okay with Dad because Sammy needed a friend. Somehow, I didn’t think Ryan was talking about a $400, eight pound, fuzzy puppy when he was tossing around the idea of getting a second dog. I decided it was best to leave with just my three kids and no puppy.

And what weekend isn't complete without a little face painting in the backyard. Casey opted out and I think he is cute just the way he is.

Weekend Warriors

Two weeks ago T-Ball was canceled and Dad was working, so the rest of us headed off to create our own adventures during the weekend. First up was riding ponies. We headed down to Fort Sam Houston's stables to snag a ride. Little did I know that after paying my $5 per kid, they handed me a horse and helmet and just said say in sight of the barn, which turned out great because I was able to give each girl a 20 minute ride before another kid showed up. This was Ava's first time to ride a pony, and this pony was almost as big as a horse. She was a little intimidated at first but decided she really like it. She definitely preferred that mode of transportation better than walking beside me while I led Elizabeth around.

(Casey was in the backpack.)

On Sunday, we climbed a mountain! It was grueling challenge mixed with paved trails and deer paths, but we finally made it to the top of the 4th highest peak in Bexar County. It was quite a rewarding experience to look down from the top of the mountain and see the highway, train tracks, and an IHOP. We celebrated our accomplishment with water and gummies.Actually, the girls did really great. I tried taking them into the wilderness about 18 months ago and it was a total and complete disaster, but I guess that is what happens to your kids when they grow up in a concrete jungle. Hopefully, the fresh air and wides spaces of TX will be good for them.

(Casey was in the backpack.)