It's amazing how difficult it is for me to find time to update the blogs.  I think the last pictures that I posted to LamoureuxLife are from Christmas :(  Oh well, hopefully when my kids get older and realize that there is no where they can go to scroll through the highlight pics of their childhood they will understand that mommy was a little busy.

Life has been very good lately.  Each morning I wake up early and head to the beach for a workout.  Sometimes I jog barefoot on the beach, sometimes I do the stairs, sometimes I bring my 5 lb weights, and just about every time I do some kind of ab and upper body workout on the platform at our access.  I have finally gotten to the point where I love to workout.  I look forward to it every morning and getting out on my own really makes the rest of the day go so much smoother.  There is nothing like waking up to the sand and waves.  Unfortunately the exercise has not curbed my sweet cravings so I'm not so sure that there are really any obvious results from my workouts but I like to think they justify an extra cookie or two each day.

Elek and B started school again last week. Elek is in VPK and B is in the 3 year old class.  So far we have all loved their new school, Grace Lutheran.  It is a very laid back environment and the religion factor is far less "in your face" than it was at First Baptist.  On the second or third day of school when I picked Elek up his teacher said that "Elek needs to make sure he does his morning work each day."  Apparently he had made up several excuses as to why he shouldn't have to.  Sometime tells me this is a report we might get from teachers in years to come as well.  Elek is a  pretty bright boy but if there is something he doesn't want to do he's going to go into lazy mode.  It was the third or 4th day of school when B's teacher asked me if B was allowed to use markers.  "Yeah, just not at home because she and her brother always seem to make a huge mess and draw all over each other when I let me," I said.  "Ok," her teacher, Mrs. Risner, responded, "because Beata told me, 'you're going to be in trouble for letting me use markers because I'm not allowed to." What a little sass!  Of course I had a talk with Elek about doing his work and with Beata about talking respectfully to adults but man, watch out teachers of Indialantic, my kids are coming!

The kids and I spent a month in St. Pete during the major portions of our kitchen remodel (which is lingering on, unfortunately) and I swear I brought back a 10 year old boy instead of the 4 year old I left with.  Just about everyday we were there Elek and B got to hang out with their big cousins, Sy and Liam.  The majority of the time they were outside making forts and weapons in Weeta's yard. It was crazy how the beating heat and swarms of mosquitos never phased them and certainly didn't deter them from wanting to stay outside.  We had several "Lord of the Flies" moments when it seemed that they were all ready to kill each other but for the most part they surprised all of us and got along wonderfully.  It was funny how they always seemed to pair off, too.  Elek and Sy always buddied up, as did B and Liam.  It was clear that Elek worshiped Sy, following him everywhere and praising him over and over for his skill at fashioning bows and arrows from sticks and palm fronds and setting booby traps.  And his admiration for his big cousin continues to be evident now as his mannerisms, facial expressions, and jokes all seem to mirror what he saw in Sy this summer.  A month was a long time to be in my mom's house but, truth be told, I could have stayed longer!  It was a great visit!

Andrew continues to drill the kids in chess almost daily.  He is trying to prepare them for a tournament at the end of September.  Luckily for him, they still love to play the game.  It won't be long before they are kicking my butt and I couldn't be prouder!

And speaking of proud, holy guacamole, I was incredibly proud of my Little B at her first ever soccer practice last week.  She has never shown much interest in the game and wasn't too thrilled when I told her that I signed her up for the Little Waves team this season.  And at the beginning of the practice when they were learning to stop they ball with their foot, I was sensing that she wasn't too into it.  BUT as soon as they put on the jerseys to play a mock game, that girl transformed into a pro soccer player (ok, so maybe not but as a mother and as one who comes from a not-athletic-at-all family, I certainly thought so)!  Beata and another little girl, Elaina, went head to head on the field and really it was as if they were the only two playing.  All of the other little kids seemed to have their head in the clouds, roaming about and paying no attention to the ball.  But B and Elaina knew exactly what to do.  They stole the ball from each other, turned it around, and both made about 3 goals each!  It was so exciting to watch!!! And B was totally cut throat.  It is clear that she has inherited her parents' competitive nature....but with a little more attitude mixed in.  She was doing a little shoving to get to the ball and at one point, as they were running to the side lines for water, she gave Elaina an ever so slight hit on her belly.  It was one of those, "was that a hit? did she mean to do that?"  but ultimately I think it was and I think she did.  I had a stern talk with her about it.  I also told her to tell Elaina "good job" which she had a very hard time doing but eventually, after enough coaxing, did.  I knew she was competitive but on this day she really took it to a whole new level.  I loved seeing her competitive streak (minus the hit of course), I just hope she doesn't let fear of losing deter her from trying at all like I have in the past.

I bet you thought I forgot that I have a third kid?  Don't worry, I haven't.  Though poor Augie does sometimes get the short end of the mom-and-dad's-attention stick.  It's gotta be hard for the little guy to compete with his very energetic and talkative big brother and sister but if it bothers him you would never know it.  He loves to be where the action is and that is usually around Elek and B.  He loves to sword fight and will even play dead, flinging his body over the couch and laying motionless before he comes back to life laughing.  He also loves going outside and finding sticks to use as swords.  Andrew got Elek and B a couple bows and arrows and Augie will mimic shooting them as best as he can.  He laughs when he toots. He takes one, usually pretty short, nap each day (I think because he doesn't want to miss out on anything).  He hardly plays with any of his own toys.  In fact I'm thinking about getting rid of the baby toys that I have left because he could pretty much care less about them.  He would much rather be getting his hands on whatever Elek and B are playing with- wands, tubation tubes, dolls, whatever.  And he is a tank.  In the pool he has never cried about being dunked and at the beach he has taken some pretty rough beatings from the waves and not let out so much as a whimper.  He just gasps to catch his breath and goes right on with whatever he was doing.  Language-wise I think he is a little behind where B was at this age and way behind where Elek would have been but I'm not worried.  Between the few words that he does have (ball, balloon, milk, mama. book, more, mama, and dada) and gestures, he has no problem communicating his needs.

Last weekend I flew to Texas to see my mom and Mami Sarita.  It was my first time without any kids for more than 12 hours in 4.5 years!  I was scared to fly on my own but the trip went smoothly and I am so glad that I went.  Mami Sarita is not doing well.  The day before I got there she had a fall and has been bed-ridden since.  My mom is taking such good care of her.  Watching a child show their parent the selfless love that their parent gave to them when they were young was a beautiful thing.  I am so glad that I got to see Mami Sarita and to be there for my mom who has been there for me countless times before.  I am also glad that Andrew got to spend some time with his mom and grandparents, who visited Melbourne while I was gone, and that Andrew got to get in some quality bonding time with Augie.  He is such a supportive and loving husband and father and if I haven't said it on here before (I hope I have), I feel so lucky to have him!

Off to get Augie out of bed and pick up the older two from their first time at lunch bunch!