Imagination and New Things

Well, it has only been a few days or so and I am already posting again. This is what I call progress. Life around here has been progressing as well, in it's own new way. It is starting to feel like this new schedule and set of responsibilities, challenges and motivators is our real life. I am working on finding a balance between school work, household stuff, being a mom, being a wife and being a Whitney. "Book Club" was this week which always help to balance me and give me some time with the girls. I am starting to make cooking a priority so that Vaughn's work day can be more defined, not to mention a little longer (in hopes that he won't have to work so many nights). I have cooked two great dinners this week already with little help, but a lot of encouragement from Vaughn! These were completely new recipes to our household and we have really liked them so far. I have enjoyed cooking and having a goal to meet by the end of the day. I have done some of my prep. work during Charlotte's nap times which makes it a little more peaceful. The kids and I have not done any major activities this week. We have played at the house and enjoyed our newly repaired and painted sunroom/playroom. Here are some photos of the kiddos with the tunnels and cubes which Carter pretends are dinosaur decoys (Dino Dan on Nick Jr. has inspired a lot of dinosaur imaginative play in our house).

Charlotte screaming "ball"

Charlotte in the sunlight

Carter is spying something with his "big eye" and Charlotte looks a little grossed out!

Carter dressed himself up as a cowboy...Dino-rain boots, no shorts, and a western belt with an empty gun holster...He totally thinks he looks like Sheriff Woody from Toy Story (at least I got him to trade in the Fedora for a cowboy hat this time)!

A Great (sort of new) life

Life in the DuBroc house has been doing a lot of changing lately and the changes have mostly been happening in my life. I have left my job as a Case Manager for a foster care agency to return to graduate school. I will be officially starting the Occupational Therapy program at Texas Woman's University in the fall. This summer, I am taking two classes though to get a bit ahead and get my feet wet. It is amazing that I no longer have to worry about my work phone ringing in the middle of the night. I really thought that it would take awhile for the stress of my job to wear off, but this has simply not been the case. I have not even really thought about it much. I am so thankful to get to be with my kids so much more and to be more "with them" when I am here. All of these changes have made me think more about enjoying everyday and appreciating all that I have. Now that my situation has given me more time to appreciate my family, I see how much I was letting the stress of work cloud my perceptions of my life. I. have. a. great. life. One of the major thoughts that keeps rolling around in my head is..."what if today is the last day of my life??? and then...what if it isn't?". I want to somehow find the balance of living each day with some sense of abandonment and joy, but also I want to wake up the next day proud of what I have accomplished the day before. I want to smile through whatever work I have to do and to find joy in whatever my day holds...whether it be laundry or a midterm...playdates or nick jr. shows. It has been so nice that though I am busy with school assignments and readings, my time is mine to schedule and so I am feeling so much freer to do fun things with the kids during the week. To be honest, I took the kids on outings while I was still working, but I felt guilty about it (really!). So, my new goal is to use this blog as a record of the lives of my awesome kiddos, but also as place of (shallow) reflection for me. Anyone who knows me, knows that I will not get too deep on the internet...I am way to skiddish for that! We did take a fun trip to the Children's Aquarium at Fair Park today, but my photos are less than shareable, so I will post photos of our next great adventure!

If someone actually reads this and then is utterly disappointed that there is nothing about the kids in my post...here you go. They are amazing! Carter is almost 3 1/2 and is too smart for my own good. He is negotiating with us constantly and is learning how to control his emotions. Carter is obsessed with Toy Story and acts like Buzz Lightyear about 70% of the time. You must speak Toy Story to communicate sometimes. Charlotte is a tough and happy kid. She is very physical and has the cutest pigtails in the world. She is a little stubborn, but smiles all day long. She loves Carter so much. She calls for him in the morning when she wakes up. She is talking more and more everyday. She knows a lot of words, but I cannot get her to say her own name. I am so happy to have the kids that I have...they are strong and funny and loving.

DuBroc Update 2011

Well, I have not updated the blog in months...in fact it was 2010 when I last posted anything. I should be embarassed, but well, I am just proud that I am finally doing a post now. The kids have been keeping us very busy and entertained. Since my last post, Carter has turned 3 years old and Charlotte had her first birthday. Charlotte is walking...practically running and Carter is such a "kid". Carter is a three year old without a doubt and has given us a run for our money lately. Carter has fallen in love with Toy Story and he has no idea that he is a decade later than the world on this trend. He has no idea that there are several Toy Story movies. Carter is also very into dinosaurs. He knows more dinosaurs at 3 years old than I had ever heard of before this year. Charlotte is funny and she is very entertained by Carter and games in which people pop out at her. Charlotte has a few words, but she is definitely more physical than verbal. Charlotte loves to see herself with her hair up, but will NOT sit for it to be done. Charlotte has quite a little temper and will stand up for herself without hesitation. She is climbing onto the furniture, but unfortunately she has no concept of gravity and so we have to follow her around to prevent a nosedive from the couch. So, life is busy and exciting and frustrating and overwhelming and funny. We are looking forward to spring and some major time outdoors. Happy March to all!

Halloween 2010

We had such a great halloween this year. I helped with Carter's Halloween Party at school and he loved it! There class was so excited about the costume parade and the special craft and snack. They were all so cute in their costumes! It was a great way to start the Halloween weekend. On Halloween, Sloan, the pink bunny, came over to trick or treat with the kids. Carter was dressed up as a cowboy in a costume that MamaDu made for Vaughn or Beau. We got so many compliments on the costume...he looked amazing! Charlotte was a monkey....which is perfectly appropriate as she never stops moving and is always climbing and crawling and creeping. She was super cute and we added a bow to make sure she was a girlie monkey. We took some photos and a lot of our favorite people came by to see the kids in their costumes. Carter was so excited about halloween and trick or treating. We had been talking about it for a week or two, so he seemed to understand the process. We still weren't sure if he was going to get it or not. He got it! He was so ready that he was pushing us out of the house. He had no fear about saying "Trick or Treat" and by the end of the night was saying "Howdy Folks", "Thank you, Happy Halloween" and talking about the other costumes. Carter has been slowly eating away at his candy stash, but seemed to think the big reward was the actual trick or treating. It was a great way to start the succession of fall/winter holidays. Carter has definitely moved on and we talk about Santa EVERYDAY!

Carter on "Uncle Rick the horse" (named after Vaughn's Uncle Rick)

Carter and Charlotte

Sloan, Carter and Charlotte

Fall is here

Charlotte says "pffft" to pumpkins

Carter says cheese

Carter giving Charlotte a sweet kiss

Sloan, Carter and Charlotte...color coordinated and cute!

Sloan knows how to take a picture...my kids are a little tuned out

The end of summer and the beginning of fall have been very busy and overwhelming. I have gone part-time at work and I am taking classes in order to apply for my master's degree. The kids are keeping us on our toes. I hope that when Charlotte looks back at my lack of posts during her first year, she knows that I post less because I am busy loving my time with her and Carter. Charlotte is growing up so fast. She is crawling, pulling up, cruising and trying to stand without holding on. She is the toughest girl that I have ever met. I am not sure where she got the gene, but she is seriously tough. Charlotte will crawl over obstacles as a way to push herself (her cousin Sloan is a favorite obstacle). Charlotte is a great eater and is so tall. She is just such a happy baby, unless she is in the car for too long--then she can WAIL! Carter is in preschool this fall and really likes it. When he tells stories of his day at school, I just die. He gives the funnies details and he seems to like the role of storyteller. Carter is sweet most of the time, but it has started to bother him when his little sister takes his toys. He is letting that terrible two's thing slip a little at those moments. Carter loves to go outside and watching cars "go backwards" entertains him to no end. We have gone to the fair recently and Carter loves the animals. Both of the kids love to go on walks and go to the park. We seem to be getting into a rhythm with our new schedules now that the semester is half way over and hopefully I will better about taking and posting pics of the kids. I just feel so lucky to have such a wonderfula family and I am so excited about fall and winter with our family of four!

Family Vacation 2010

Vaughn, Carter, Charlotte and I went to Lake LBJ with my parents and my aunt last week. It was so much fun! We spent a lot of our time just hanging out and potty-training. Carter did great and by the end of the week, he was using the big potty all of the time. We went to the Safari Zoo again and Carter loved it even more this year. He even fed a camel named Goober and touched his head. Carter got to ride a pony at the zoo and he loved his pony...named "Ashley". Charlotte seemed to be content at least while we all fed buffalo, ostriches, camels, llamas, etc. She just rode along in the carrier with Vaughn. My dad has recently purchased a boat and Carter made him feel pretty confident in his purchase every chance he got! Carter LOVES the boat! He literally jumps up and down with excitement about going on a boat ride and when he gets out of the boat, he always says that it was "Super Fun". Carter fished on the boat with Vaughn and DV. He also fished on the banks by the house with my dad....he had on my dad's straw hat and his jammies! Our week was filled with wildlife. In addition to our vast nature experiences at the zoo, we saw several deer and a peacock everyday at the house. We also had visits from Canada Geese, ducks, and turtles. Carter just does not understand how amazing this truly was! Carter greeted every animal with a huge hello and I am pretty sure that, due to his television experiences, he fully expected a verbal greeting in return. When he saw the geese, he looked at me and asked "where are the goslings?". We also had a great visit with our friends the Burnhams...it is so great to see Carter and Jack actually play together. Brynn and Charlotte are destined to be great friends....they just aren't quite aware of this yet! All in all, we had a great vacation (the drives are already almost forgotten) and we are so thankful to my parents for the week at the lake! Carter on the BOAT!


Charlotte...I mean seriously...so CUTE!

Riding a pony in a circle...Carter loves anyone named Ashley!

Charlotte and Daddy at the Safari Zoo

Big Day at the DuBroc House

On Wednesday (June 9th), we had a huge day! Charlotte rolled over from her tummy to her back both directions. Carter was so cute...he cheered her on as we kept putting her back to try again. Carter also had a HUGE day of his own...Carter peepee-ed in the potty. He was so excited and he actually did it two more times that day. We have hit a bit of a wall since then, but he is still interested and making progress. Carter is growing up so fast. I am simply thankful for the reminder that I will not be changing diapers for the rest of my life. Yeah for milestones and growing up! I am so proud of my kiddos and it is really cool to see them cheer each other on (even if it is a bit one-sided for now).