Summer...Here We Come!

So Summer has officially started!! As usual I am sure it will just fly by, because our main goal for summer is to have fun and Mama rarely wants to hear the words, "I am bored!"

On Corbin's last day of Pre-K we met my Cousin Jennah and her family at Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine. (Chloe stayed home with Mummy) It was just a special trip for Corbin to celebrate going to Kindergarten next year. Corbin has such a blast with his cousin's Jaxson and Jantzen. They play so well together and Great Wolf is such a neat place. Corbin and Jaxson loved the lazy river and the wave pool best. We all played at the Water park late, stayed up late jumping on beds, played at the arcade, ate ice cream and had the best time. What a way to start off our summer!

I had to get Corbin's picture in front of the BIG Wolf...he was so excited to get in and start playing he seemed a little annoyed wtih me and said, "Come on Mom...I MUST see inside!!"

I love when I take pictures of our kids together. It always reminds me of my sweet cousin and how blessed I was to grow up with her. So when I see my light hair kiddos next to her dark hair kiddos...I always say, "just like their Mama's!"

Corbin loved that this BIG bucket of water dumped out every 5-10 minutes. He would just crack up laughing when it dumped on his head. The boys in the lazy river! Nice pose, Corbin.

Corbin is attacking the waves in the wave pool.
This was in the arcade as we were about to leave. We just were playing one more game and Corbin hit the jackpot...250 tickets. He couldn't believe it. He picked out something for him and something to take home to his sister!

We have also kicked off our summer with visits to our neighborhood pool and our neighborhood spray park. One thing about the street we live on, you can always find someone ready for some fun! Corbin and Chloe with next door neighbors Cody and Carter. (Yes...that is alot of "C" names...especailly when you are calling all of their names to get out of the street!...AND Cody and Carter just added a new baby brother, Cason to the family.) :)

All the kids at the spray park. Again, Corbin with the pose!Swimming time has arrived. Corbin is doing great with swimming...he can pretty much swim across the pool on his own. We still have to watch him pretty close and remind him to rest if he gets tired. Chloe will barely get her chin in the water and say, "I DID IT!! I am swimming!!" They both love the water and it is a fun family outing.

Corbin with his neighbor buddy, Will. They will be going to Kindergarten together.

Let's Play Catch Up!

Corbin Edward 5 years & 11 months/Chloe Dawn 2 1/2 yearsWow, it has been a long time since I have updated my blog. I keep waiting for things to slow down...not going to happen! We have been busy and summer has officially started for the Hines Household.

What has been going on? We have been busy with: swim lessons, soccer, t-ball, Little Gym, working at the Church, playing outside with friends and neighbors, getting ready for summer, planning our sitters so Daddy and Mama can be without kids for just a bit...I could just go on.

Let's start with soccer!!

Corbin's little team has played together for 4 seasons now...and WOW has Corbin grown as a soccer player. (the whole team has grown) Corbin has turned into one aggressive player! In one game this season he scored 4 goals. His last game was yesterday and he scored a goal during his last game of the season! (Even though we say, "it is about having fun and being a team player and not all about scoring a goal! WELL....it sure is fun to score a goal and win!)

We are very blessed to have such a great team and two of his coaches are our super close family friends! We have come a long way from the first season, when at the last game the main objective for the coaches was to get Corbin ONE goal (in the correct net) before the season was over. I am so proud of how much he has challenged himself this year. He has been brave, tough and a good team player. After each game he always tells us things like, "Did you see that ball hit me right in the tummy? It didn't hurt a bit!" or "That boy hit me right in the knee with his cleats! I didn't even cry!" He has had a positive attitude and enjoyed every bit of soccer! Next season....here we come...and watch out for #10!!

Corbin also does T-ball. Now I am one of those Mom's that thinks one sport is enough. So when David said Corbin should do T-ball and Soccer I was a bit nervous. David has been awesome and has totally helped with the two sports. He is home from work to help with practices and is always at the games. He even does soccer practice alone with Corbin and Chloe so I can go to my workout class. So all that to say....this 2 sport thing has worked out for us! (This year anyway)

Corbin has enjoyed t-ball too! He is on a team with two of his neighbors. I have to say they are the cutest in their t-ball uniforms. (see post before this one for t-ball pictures) David is an assistant coach for t-ball and that has been fun for both my boys to do together. Corbin's favorite things about t-ball are the following: sliding into home base, playing 1st base or pitcher (because you get the ball the most) and hitting and running the bases! ***Brag Alert*** After last game another coach came up to David and said, "Corbin's a really smart player!" It does seem he understands the game pretty well...and I haven't seen him spend a whole inning digging in the dirt like some 5 year old t-ball kids do. (it is cute when they do that) :) We will take a break from t-ball and start up again next Spring.

Chloe has been busy too! She runs around with us to all of her Bubba's activities...and I have to say she loves it. At swimming lessons she loves to go because Daddy always buys her a cookie AND a sucker. At soccer practice she gets to play with her best friends Emma and Avery! At t-ball practice she gets to swing and play with Oakley and Carter. She also is Corbin's biggest fan! Chloe will yell, "GO BUBBA!!" and clap her hands and sit in her little tot chair and be so proud of her brother.

Chloe and I every week go to Little Gym and have Mommy and Me time. This has been great for Chloe as she is pretty shy and I think she is really coming out of her shell now. She loves to swing on the bars, play bubbles, play balls, and do tummy rolls. ***Brag Alert*** Chloe was one of the first little kiddos to say her name "all by herself" in front of the group during circle time. It is amazing my baby girl is 2 1/2 and how much she has grown. (AND how much hair she has now!!)

There are several things I love about being a Mom, but I have to say my favorite thing is to watch my two gifts love each other. Now...there are moments we have to work through...more and more as they get older, but for the most part I am blessed that my kids get along so well and care for each other so much. Nobody else can make Corbin light up more than his sister. Nobody else can make Chloe shine more than her big brother.

It is our family's long running joke that Corbin could take care of Chloe all by himself. He is so thoughtful to her feelings. If we can't understand what Chloe wants...Corbin knows. If she is in the back seat on a trip and she is throwing a fit....Corbin can take care of it. If she is about to get in trouble...Corbin gets worried and tries to help her do the right thing.

Now he does have his moments where he has had enough. The other day Chloe did not want to come inside and I was about to just grab her, put her in time out and we were going to have it out. Well, Corbin comes out and says very matter of fact..."I can get her in." So he goes outside and says, "Chloe, Poppy is inside!" (she adores her Poppy) So at that, Chloe runs inside so happy almost jumping for joy....until she realizes she has been had and there is no Poppy! I said, "Corbin, that wasn't very nice!" Chloe is now throwing a bigger fit and screaming, "I want Poppy!" All Corbin said as he was walking by me was, "I told you I could get her in."

But other than a few bumps in the road that are certainly normal and expected, he is a fantastic big brother who always looks out for his sister.

We were at the mall playing and he never left her side because there was this boy that really wanted to play with Chloe. The boys kept going up to Chloe saying, "Will you be my friend?" Corbin would just step in front of Chloe and say, "She doesn't know what you are asking!" and then he would just move her around him. It was great I just sat down and relaxed while Corbin and Chloe played for an hour at the mall. :)

It can be heart-breaking at times how much he loves her. Two things come to mind. The other night during prayers Corbin just starts crying and crying hard. I asked what was wrong. He said, "I just had a bad thought!" "What if you forget sister at Church, and you forget to bring her home?" "What if she falls down the holes (drains) in the side of the street and we can't get to her?" "What if she gets lost?" His little 5 year old heart was so worried about his sister! We prayed to God about our worries and then I reminded him that his job was to be a kid and have fun and learn. Daddy and Mama's job was to take good care of Chloe and Corbin.

Then yesterday, Corbin and Daddy came home from running errands and Chloe was so excited to see Daddy. I found Corbin crying in his room and he said, "Chloe doesn't love me and didn't miss me!" In my head I am thinking, "Boy...puppy love is going to hard on this kid!" :) We just talked about her only being 2 and then Chloe came in and hugged on her bubba because she saw he was crying. ALL was better. Chloe has no idea how blessed she is to have a brother like him...I hope she will know someday! Corbin thinks she is the best....well...for now anyways! :)

1st T-ball game!

Go Rangers! Corbin had a great 1st T-ball game! He got two hits and grounded three balls and threw them to first...I think he got one out! So much fun!

No More Training Wheels

Today was a big day! It was no more training wheels day!! We have tried several times for Corbin to ride his bike without training wheels. He just has never seemed quite ready yet. Well, today he was ready! A little before Valentine's Day we got him a Razor (2 wheel scooter). We noticed that he picked it up pretty fast and his balance was improving because he was practicing on his Razor so much. Our neighbor told us that the Razor really helped his son conquer the no training wheel bike. So today, since it was such a beautiful day, we thought we would give it another try. We told Corbin how great he has been doing on his Razor and we think his balance is Awesome! I think that boosted his confidence, because HE wanted to try to ride his bike instead of his Razor. We went to the soccer fields at a nearby park....so it doesn't hurt when you fall. Well....that boy took off and did great. By the end of it...David got a workout trying to keep up with him. Corbin (as were we) was so proud of himself. We got in the car to come back home so I could get some pictures and video and he said, "I knew this was the day!" So here is another example of how my 5 1/2 year old baby is growing up. We are so proud of the hard worker he is and his great attitude today with this milestone. Love ya, bubba!

And he is off.....We were making such a fuss over Corbin, that Chloe wanted to ride in the street too. Chloe kept saying, "Look at me!!" She is doing great on her little bike and we kept clapping for her because she uses her pedals now! She was a big cheerleader for her brother too!

What have we been up to in February?

I thought I would post a few of my favorite pictures from February! This is more of a Random Picture Post...these pictures do not at all go together....but we have had a fun February!

We have had several pretty days for February! So when it is pretty outside you know people are hanging out on our street. The kids and "Big Kids" love to visit with the neighbors and get some fresh air. I do have to brag and say we have the best neighbors. We are more like family, now living on this street for almost 8 years now!
Here is Emma and Chloe playing babies outside. They are best buddies as are the girls brothers who are below riding their scooters. Most of Corbin's good friends have gotten a "Razor" (which is a two wheel scooter) for their 6th birthday's or for Christmas. Corbin only has a 3 wheel scooter and his 6 birthday isn't until this summer. Well, since we have had such pretty day's lately and our poor kid is really having to scooter hard to keep up on his 3 wheel....we had a little surprise. In this picture of the boys you will see Alex has a Razor and Corbin has his poor little Spiderman 3 wheel. Now, Corbin has been such a good sport and not complaining that he doesn't have a Razor. So after this picture we all piled in the car and took a trip to the toy store. We told Corbin we had to pick something out for his cousin Mia, so he didn't think twice about going. So when we get to the store we said, "Just Kidding!! Happy early Valentine's Day you get to pick out a "Razor!" He was so excited and for about 2 weeks never got off that Razor. He really picked it up faster than we thought. So now he can hang with his 6 year old friends. (Now Spiderman scooter has become Chloe's)

The first night he had it home, we had been letting him practice in the house on our wood floors in the small hallway. (I know...things you take back when you have kids that you said "I will never let my kid.." Anyway, he asked if the Razor could stay in his room over night? Whatever, we said "fine!" Well, that night he came in our room in the middle of the night and said he had a bad dream. So we made him a pallet on the floor. The next morning before Corbin got up we saw the Razor in our room too. So funny, he must of road the thing into our room in the middle of the night. He loves that Razor! Oh by the way, you cannot call it a "Scooter"....it is a "RAZOR!!" I still get corrected all the time! :)
Here are Emma and Alex's parents...whom are our good friends. This is us out for Valentine's Dinner. We share babysitters all the time and it is so nice to get out for an adult night! They are great friends to us.Here are my sweet Valentine's! They really do love each other....which I love to see and feel blessed about.
This picture cracks me up. So Corbin doesn't have school on Fridays and at times for a reward he gets to fall asleep in our bed watching a show. Once he is asleep we carry (or David does) him to his own bed. Well this night he must have been pretty tired....it didn't take long for him to crash while he was watching a show.

So here is my baby girl. She loves to watch me in the morning put my make-up on and get ready. I have some lip gloss and brushes that I let her play with and we get ready together. Well, the other day this is what I found. She was playing with Mama's mascara....which is not allowed! I walked in on her and she said, "Oh, sorry! Pretty?"
I had to take a picture close up...she really got some on her lashes.
When it is cold outside....one thing Chloe LOVES to do is go "shopping and ride train!" She usually goes all by herself, but this was a special day and bubba got to go along for the ride!

We had such a fun, busy month.....and it is not over yet! I have such a blast with my family and I am really trying this year to slow down and enjoy the small moments that go by so fast!

In God's Family

This picture was taken on February 12th 2009 right after evening bath. I laugh when I think of all the time Corbin's has surprised me with deep questions when I am not prepared. I love how he is always thinking and always asks great questions.

Corbin has such a heart for the Lord. He loves to learn about Him and ask questions and go to Church. He has been really into asking about Heaven and when we will all go there and at times his little heart is worried about Heaven. It can be a scary thing to think of when you are 5 years old...or any age for that matter! He has been worried that Poppy will go to Heaven soon and really wants to know when that will be. We just pray and ask God to help us not to worry and we remind him that in Heaven there is no pain or sadness and it is only a happy place where we can be with God our King.

Now back to my story of February 12th after bath time. So I am getting him out of bath and Corbin says, "Mama, are you in God's family?" I said, "Yes, bubba...and so are you!" Well, he put me in my place and said, "No I am not...I haven't said the special prayer to be in God's family forever!" So I said, "Well, do you want to say it right now?" He said, "Yes, I want to be in God's family forever!"

So, we called Daddy into the room and we all held hands on the bed and Corbin said the special prayer. Praise God for young hearts who yearn to be close to Him. What a blessing...I look forward to watching his growth and walk with God. I pray that the Lord will guide David and I as we help Corbin in His walk.

I had David take the above picture of Corbin so we could remember Corbin just how he was on this amazing day.

Ranch Feb. 2009

Every year around this time we take this picture at the Ranch of Corbin and Poppy. My Mom names all the areas of the Ranch and this is "Corbin's Tunnel!" So every year we take a picture of the guys walking down the tunnel. It is so neat to see how much he has grown. The first one was when he was 18 months.

Okay now this is funny! David and I had just got back from a long trip from Dewey and so I didn't want my picture taken....BUT Corbin wanted me to go up with him in the "bucket!" So, I went....even though it is not my favorite thing to do at the Ranch. So we were at the top and then my Dad put us down in a fast motion....in which I began to scream. My Mom took the picture (below) and it looks like I am screaming and only a few inches off the ground. BUT it was really fast and scary...trust me...it just doesn't look like it! :) Corbin was being so sweet and took my hand. He does this all the time and wasn't worried at all!

Can you tell he paid attention at the Rodeo?

Flying a kite with Poppy. It was Chloe's first time...she loved it!