Winterton Wonders

San Antonio

2009-09-09T03:30:00.000-05:00

Elijah had to go down to San Antonio for a week for work and me and the kids we able to go with him. It was such a great opportunity and we really appreciate Elijah's boss for giving the ok. So on Easter morning, we packed up a rental car (that Nationwide paid for) and headed down to SA.

Noah would not wear his headphones any other way. It did not seem right to him that they were supposed to go behind this head. Crazy kid.

Proof that my kids have had a Slurpee!! In a town full of one brand of gas station, we do not get the luxury of this cold treat, so when we stopped for a potty break we treated them to a cold one! If only I could find a store with a Slush Puppie machine!!

The next few pics are of what me and the kids did while daddy was working...poor daddy. We got to play all day while he had to work.

We went to the fabulous San Antonio Zoo and could have spent the entire day there. We missed the whole Africa part and I am not sure when the next time my boys will get to see elephants and giraffes again. Because the zoo where we live definitely...definitely does not have elephants or giraffes. They like to capture native animals roaming around the zoo, cage them up and trow a placard on the outside and call it good. But, we also do not have to pay to go to our zoo...there is a trade off. I guess?

Feeding the Lorikeets. The boys were TERRIFIED!! Terrified I tell you!! I really really wanted to go in to feed them, and since I was alone, I tortured them and made them go with me. I Loved it!! The boys...cried. Both of them could not get out fast enough. And when I determined I didn't get enough pictures, I almost had to leave them outside to fend for themselves! But I am not sure if I have scared them too much about strangers or birds, but they crept in very unwillingly for one last picture.

This was a really cool stepping stone bridge that led to the kids play area. I love this picture because it really tells you a lot about the personality of my boys. Jacob will go first, and Noah is right behind him...watching EXACTLY how he did it. Jacob has asked on so many occasions...Why does Noah say the same things I do, or why does Noah want to do the things I am doing. I try to tell him that Noah sees him as the coolest thing in his tiny little world. He is his hero right now and that he loves him so much. Noah has even cried a couple times that Jacob didn't want to play with him. I cant believe this is already starting.
After the bird cage torture, I waited to reward them for not stomping on any of the tiny little birds so we stopped for a popsicle! I love those faces!!

Did you know this FAB zoo also has a little beach? Our water fountains are hit or miss at our zoo!! They had so much fun!! They have never put their tootsies in sand and water like this and desperately wanted to build a sand castle but I did not come well prepared. Instead, we ran up and down the water and splashed each other!!

This was after dinner with Elijah's Boss on the river walk. We were waiting for a river taxi to take us back to our hotel. The boys loved the river walk.

Blurry pics ahead-----Sorry!

Not sure where my waist went in the below picture?
The next day, while daddy had to work again, we headed to the Children's Museum! It was pretty awesome too!

The boys on some trolley/bus that I am sure was important to the people of San Antonio at some point.
Noah played Dental Receptionist

They both "milked" a huge plastic cow. It had plastic udders and you had to squeeze them correctly to get the milk err water to come out. Again...I had to force this one. How many times will they have the the opportunity to do this again?! Or want to do this?

They played in an "old general store". I ordered my groceries and they found them for me and I had to pay them.
Then a fight almost ensued when there was not enough dishes for each of them to carry the groceries on so we made a b-line to the downstairs grocery store!!

This was such a fun part of the museum!! They had a little mini grocery store. The boys could choose ANYTHING off the shelf and put it in their basket and take it to the mini WORKING registers and scan the items. They thought it was so much fun!!

The below is pictures of us at dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe. The boys enjoyed the hanging snakes and the gorilla that would pound his chest every 15 minutes.

I will do another post about our trip to Sea World during our visit to San Antonio. That is a whole post in it's self. We had such a great time and it was such a wonderful opportunity!

Let Me Hold You Longer...

2009-08-20T12:00:00.000-05:00

Along with his budding creativity and super hero capabilities, my Jedi will be leaving me to enter the wild world of Kindergarten!! I could not be more excited, terrified, sad and proud then I am right now. That little guy right there, made me a mommy! He made me the one thing in life I always wanted to be, and he is starting his future. I hope we as parents have said the right things up till now that have given him the confidence that he will need to meet a new friend. I hope he takes the overwhelming patients he has with his 3 year old brother and uses that when he cant figure out math problems or when someone cuts in the lunch line. I hope he takes the love he has for his little stuffed kitten and applies it to a love of The Gospel of Jesus Christ. This child is such a special and unique little boy, and I cant wait for him to go out to discover the world, and for the world to discover him. Jacob starts Kindergarten on August 24th! Welcome to the world little man!!

Jacob's Preschool Graduation in May 2009

This was a poem that was read during the graduation ceremony. I went home with a totally different feeling in my heart!!

Let Me Hold You Longer
By: Karen Kingsbury

"Long ago you came to me, a miracle of firsts:
First smiles and teeth and baby steps, a sunbeam on the burst.
But one day you will move away and leave to me your past,
And I will be left thinking of a lifetime of your lasts.
~~~~~
The last time that I held a bottle to your baby lips.
The last time that I lifted you and held you on my hip.
The last time when you woke up crying needing to walked.
When last you crawled up with your blanket, wanting to be rocked.
~~~~~
The last time that you ran to me still small enough to hold,
The last time when you said you'd marry me when you grew old.
Precious, simple moments and bright flashes from the past -
Would I have held you longer if I'd known they were the last?
~~~~~
Our last adventure to the park, your final midday nap,
The last time when you wore your favorite faded baseball cap.
Your last few hours of kindergarten, last days of first grade,
Your last at bat in Little League, last colored picture made.
~~~~~
I never said goodbye to all your yesterdays long past.
So what about tomorrow -- will I recognize your lasts?
~~~~~
The last time that you catch a frog in that old backyard pond.
The last time that you run barefoot across our fresh-cut lawn.
Silly, scattered images will represent your past.
I keep on taking pictures, never quite sure of your lasts...
~~~~~
The last time that I comb your hair or stop a pillow fight.
The last that I pray with you and tuck you in at night.
The last time that we cuddle with a book, just me and you.
The last time you jump in our bed and sleep between us two.
~~~~~
The last piano lesson, last vacation to the lake.
Your last few weeks of middle school, last soccer goal you make.
I look ahead and dream of days that haven't come to pass.
But as I do, I sometimes miss today's sweet, precious lasts...
~~~~~
The last time that I help you with a math or spelling test.
The last when I should that yes, your room is still a mess.
The last time that you need me for a ride from here to there.
The last time that you spend the night with your old tattered bear.
~~~~~
My life keeps moving faster, stealing precious days that pass.
I want to hold on longer -- want to recognize your lasts...
~~~~~
The last time that you need my help with details of a dance.
The last time that you ask me for advice about romance.
The last time that you talk to me about your hopes and dreams.
The last time that you wear a jersey for your high school team.
~~~~~
I've watched you grow and barely noticed seasons as they pass.
If I could freeze the hands of time, I'd hold on to your lasts.
For come some bright fall morning you'll be going far away.
College life will beckon in a brilliant sort of way.
~~~~~
One last hug, one last good-bye, one quick and hurried kiss.
One last time to understand just how much you will be missed.
I'll watch you leave and think how fast our times together passed.
Let me hold on longer God, to every precious last.

My Big man turned 5

2009-07-28T00:44:00.011-05:00

Please don't call this a come back... More of a crawl forward. I am sooo sick of facebook, but I wanted to keep everyone updated. There is way too much to tell you since what...last October, so I will go from here on, and fill in when I can.

Jacob turned 5 in March and we celebrated at Chuck e Cheese. again. It is becoming a family tradition to celebrate there. No clean up, cheap games, cheap pizza. No escaping the teenage guards at the roped off door! He really had a great time! And so began his obsession with Star Wars! He has an internal struggle every day when he puts his cape on. Weather he should be Batman, or a Jedi Master.

Great friends = Fun birthday memories!

He loved his Leapster!

Sorry bud...everyone gets clothes on a birthday in this household!!
He loved them!!

We love that games are only 1 token!

No this is not a random picture from winter...This was on the day he was going to have his party. There was a FREAK snow storm that day! It melted by the afternoon, but snow at the end of MARCH? What? So we opened the rest of his presents at home with family and he has been Batman/Jedi Master ever since!

Happy Birthday bud! I love you!

Super Hero Haul!

2008-10-30T15:05:00.004-05:00

My little super heroes did a little trick or treating at MDO today and what a haul!!

Noah got more than his older brother which still confuses me. How did those tiny hands rake in more then those of his bigger brother? It must have been Jacob's inner voice (hopefully the one that echos mine, but reassures like the Spirit) saying, only take one and leave some for the other kids.

But my, what a conundrum we had when we got home. I told them both they could have one candy, and also a snack since the thing to give these days is mini packages of Teddy Grams or popcorn.

Noah just wanted whatever was brightly colored and was the easiest and fastest to open. I gave him some Starburst and Teddy Grahams.

Jacob picked out a mini package of Gummie Life Savers, and a bag of pop corn his teacher gave him. He could not come to terms with how he was supposed to eat both the pop corn and the candy? Was he supposed to "leave the pop corn for another time when we have a movie" he asked? I assured him, "No, it is ok, you can have candy AND the popcorn snack!". He was elated!! Until he opened the candy. His little naive self asked, what are these? I told him they are gummy candy and to chew them. This is going to the kid that negotiates any type of snack/food/drink with a piece of gum. It is a rule, if the gum comes out or goes down, he is done with it. He will forgo a snack, for that last 20 minutes of gum chewing. (Thanks Grandpa Baker!) Well, he pops it in his mouth, and is excited by it, but after chewing...he SWALLOWS IT! He screams, Mom! I SWALLOWED IT!! (with 4 left in the little pack) I again had to reassure him, it is ok, you are supposed to swallow it. He very cautiously ate the rest, but was very confused with why I said they were gummy and why it was ok to swallow them?!

Playground Games

2008-10-29T18:31:00.006-05:00

I have been tagged!!

The idea is to go to your 3rd picture file and your 4th picture. Ok, so this is probably going to depress me for next 3 years.

Wow, what 2 kids, 10 years and a lot less me time will do to you.

I have a couple other totally valid excuses, but man, that is not fair!

Ok, so since I have few readers, and this is basically to fulfill my duty as a family historian, lets see....Abi, Shaunna and umm.....SURPRISE ME!!!

5th folder, 9th pic!! Have fun guys!!!

Ready, Set, Go, Go, GO!

2008-09-20T22:06:00.000-05:00

A couple weekends ago, on an outing with the boys, we decided to try our hand at the races. No, not the ponies, the GO-Carts!! Can I tell you, this is the best kept secret for 4 year olds. They have a couple kid size cars that Jacob got to drive, and he had a great time!

We later had a family date with Jacob's equally car obsessed best friend, Drew and his chaperone's and we all had so much fun!! Jacob rode with Elijah in the blue car and Noah rode with me. The teenagers that work there apparently throw caution to the wind and let any age kids ride. So both Noah and Avery got to ride!! We had such a great time!

My Superheros!

2008-08-11T09:00:00.005-05:00

They are so cute!! All Noah wants to do is whatever his big brother is doing! Jacob has started to make the natural progression toward super hero's. He will tell you he likes Batman, Superman, Power Rangers, Spiderman and Iron Man. I am not sure who set this all in motion but it is fun. He has watched a few episodes of Power Rangers and maybe a Batman cartoon or 2, but he is pretty obsessed. He will tell you he likes cars too, but that they are not superheros.

Noah wants to be in the cool club so he follows Jacob around and submits to his daily battlefield training. They are so cute and love their new PJ's.

I really need a healthy dose of estrogen in my house. They jump off coffee tables, chase each other from one end of the house to the other, and can make a sword out of ANYTHING!

Jacob is still such a tender boy though. He has a little black and white stuffed kitten that is his baby. He also misses his "little blankie" if we are gone from the house for too long. But give him anything that is longer then 3 inches and tie that little blankie around his neck like a cape and he is in a cloak of little boy super hero madness.

They make my world a beautiful place

2008-07-06T16:46:00.003-05:00

I was looking over some pictures, and I can not believe how fast these last 4 years have gone. Jacob is 4 1/2 and Noah will be 2 next month. Looking at pictures from when Noah was born, I cant fathom Jacob being so young. He is such a passionate good kid, sometimes I never thought we would get this far. We are making leaps and bounds with Noah. He is talking so much more now and he is such a ham. Those days when I feel like they have been in time out all day, I will look at this and remember, that they make this world a beautiful place. They are my world, they are my laughter and although sometimes I wonder sometimes where they came from, they are my kids.

Sometimes I do want them to walk the plank, but today, they were just to cute!!

2008-05-20T23:13:00.004-05:00

I found some of those foam craft projects at Michaels the other day, and we had a bunch of fun being pirates!! arrrrr!!

Pouring Out Blessings

2008-05-09T23:58:00.000-05:00

Wow! What a wild past 6 months!! We have had some incredible blessings come our way recently. This all started in August. Elijah got a promotion and was able to transfer off of the phones, to database programming. Then in November-ish, we found out me and my Sr. Manager at work won an award for "Delivering the Purple Promise"
It really was a team effort but the region office chose 2 of us to win the award. We basically tracked a package for a guy that was on his way to a car show and found out it was on its way to our Overgoods department in Salt Lake City. Since the trailers have to go through Amarillo via I-40 to go most anywhere, we tracked the driver down, and the other team members shuffled through 500+ packages to find this one rim for this guy so he could get on a plane to CA. So, in November we found out that along with this award, we each won $750.00. Just in time for Christmas!! We would also have the opportunity to be recognized in a banquet at the corporate office in Pittsburgh in a later time.

Well, several weeks after that, Elijah received an email regarding an idea he submitted through his companies IDEA program. The idea was that Nationwide should offer its subscribers a deductible savings plan. They are able to set aside a certain amount of thie r premium each month to go into a savings account and if they ever need it for either a house claim or vehicle claim, it is already saved and set aside within the company. I thought it was a great idea!! And so did Nationwide!! They told him that by being chosen as a great idea, he won $1000.00!! And he would be recognized in a banquet later.

We got the travel details for Elijah's banquet and noticed in one email it said among the $1000.00 already awarded, there would be 2 grand prize winners for submitting the best ideas. So, we get to Columbus, and everything was great!! We were in a very nice hotel, and we were able to tour the corporate office the next morning. We then head off for the luncheon. It was BEAUTIFUL!! The table setting so pretty and lunch was great!! After lunch, they start the award process, all in all, Elijah was the last to be called among like 12 people and he was one of the grand prize, $10k winners!! HOLEY COW!! Did this just happen?!?! I am so so proud of him!! He has really shown such perseverance and commitment to providing for his family and we have truly been blessed.

Fast forward one month and it is April 23rd. We get to go to Pittsburgh for the FedEx Purple Promise banquet. They spared no expense either. The banquet was wonderful!! We got to meet so many great people.

To make a long story not so much longer, we also just received notice that Elijah's team had some restructuring and he received a 24% raise!!

WOW!

Actions Speek Louder Than Words

2008-04-19T01:20:00.007-05:00

I had the sweetest little moment the other day with Noah.

As many of you know, he has a speech delay that we are working on with ECI. He also had ear tubes placed and his adenoids out on Thursday April 4th.

Amazingly, we have really noticed a change. He is more willing to repeat sounds and is babbling more. He also is signing a few things very well now.

Well, the other day, I put him in bed for a nap. We have this thing where we lay down with the boys and either sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and tickle their backs, or talk about their day. So, after our routine. I was getting up and I said to Noah "Tell Momma you love me". He paused, and sat up and gave me the biggest hug. It was so sweet. He has never spoken those words, but I felt it stronger then any words could say at that moment.

Some Funny LDS Videos

2007-10-01T17:35:00.000-05:00

Ohh The Places We Will Go.....

2007-09-24T21:51:00.000-05:00

I guess I am a little out of order in my postings, but I wanted tell you guys about all the fun things were were able to do this summer.

In April, we bought a new van through Elijah's work resale program. It was an agents vehicle, and whenever they upgrade to a new vehicle, they put them up for sale. This is the 2nd vehicle we have bought through this program. The prices are usually about half of Blue Book.

We have been wanting a van since our Ford Focus was busting at the seams when Noah was born. We found one we liked in New Jersey. We thought it would be a good excuse to visit our family up East. We stayed with my aunt Vicki and cousin Lisa and her family in Philadelphia and then drove down to West Virginia to visit my mom.

The kids had such a great time. While in Philadelphia my Aunt took us downtown and we rode the ducks in the Delaware River. It was so great!! We spent Easter morning at Lisa's house, then we drove down to West Virginia. That was the first test the kids had to pass in order to drive all the way back home to Texas a few days later. If they didn't pass, we were dropping them off at the Liberty Bell. We drove through Harrisburg and then down to Charleston. We took the kids to Hershey Park. It was so much fun!! I think Elijah and I had more fun then the kids. We finally made it to my moms house Sunday evening and we spent the whole week with her. It was so nice to spend time with her and she loved having the kids around.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We made our journey back to Texas by the following Sunday night by driving half way across the country with the kids and a brand spankin new van. (New to us at least) The boys did great!! Jacob had his DVD player, and Noah slept and just hung out the whole time. It made us want to do it all again. Noooooo....do you think we are that crazy?

The Whole Cast of What?

2007-09-19T16:13:00.000-05:00

Yo Gabba Gabba that's what!!

Why do they do this to parents? NickJr has yet another new show on that is called Yo Gabba Gabba. It has 5 alien characters in it and one human that is the puppet master. I cant really explain what they do, as I generally use this time to vegg on the computer, but judging from the titles, they have a good message. Some examples are; Friendship, Being Careful, Saying Sorry. So, if he likes any show, this is annoyingly ok.

So, we didn't make it to church a few weeks ago because we are all kinda sick around here. Noah is getting 4 teeth and had this viral thing and had a fever. I had a sinus infection and Jacob had congestion and runny nose. Elijah just wanted to take care of all of us.

Jacob really likes to do crafts and glue things. I have been saving a lot of the empty toilet paper rolls to make crafts. So what better to do with them then to make puppets!! So, just using a picture printed from the internet, Jacob (ok, ok....I got a little obsessed over my little companions all he really did was squirt the glue out) made the whole cast of the show!! (Except the DJ) Here are his prides and joy.....

Funnier In My Head

2007-09-19T15:29:00.000-05:00

Blogging is the new black.

Please forgive me if my future posts are not funny, or witty as the best blogs should be. I have been forced into this. (You know who you are) I would like to write and share all the deepest depths of my soul, but I can not type as fast as my mind whirls. So, you will get what is typed and what it typed comes from my limited time between my monsters needing: snacks, a time out, a nap, or scooping up a handy one year old eating the crumbs off the kitchen floor.

I have been thinking of blogging for a time now. We are told to write for our posterity. I have never been good at journaling. I pulled out the dusty thing when my son was born a year ago, and the last time I wrote was 2 1/2 years prior to that when my oldest was born. How do you begin? Where do you begin? Do you start a whole new journal because you could maybe crack the old one open sometime and fake it a little? Do you go a few pages forward as if to start a new chapter? How do you begin, "Dear Journal, It has been a while....So much has gone on." Where would you end? I hate the pressure of handwriting a journal and feeling what I really felt that day, is nothing to be shared by my great grand children's children. I'm sure the legends of those days will be retold in great detail. Handed down from generation to generation as the best are.

I love the idea of being able to write, erase and try again. It is not permanent, although I guess it could be. (Stalkers, do not push that print button!) Trying again is something that is safe for me. That way I can actually do it, and if it doesn't work, I can just edit and try again. But I guess you have to try it for it to be ok.

Please enjoy the chronicles of the Winterton Wonders

WW

Noah's Birthday

2007-09-01T22:32:00.000-05:00

Noah turned one on August 29th, 2007. We had a birthday party for him at a local park. He had a lot of fun!! Jacob had lots of friends there so he never got bored. There was a playground right next to our picnic area so all the bigger kids were able to play and have a good time. We cooked hot dogs and had lots of great things to snack on. Noah had a cupcake with yellow frosting and he loved EVERY bit of it!! He got lots of new toys and Jacob loves showing him how to use all of them.