Birthday Celebration

To celebrate my birthday today, Don came home from work early and we went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner then went to the Silver Stars game. It was Donnie's first women's basketball game and he loved it!! Cadynce had a blast dancing to all the music and eating ice cream with Daddy. View Album for more pictures.

Our Little Swimmer

We've been going to the pool every night when Don gets home from work, and Cadynce is getting so good at jumping in and kicking her arms and legs to come up to the top. She is holding her breath now when she's under water so she's not drinking too much anymore. Don is constantly trying new things with her which is why she is so good. Her favorite thing to do now is to throw her torpedos then jump to Don. He holds on to her then they both go under and she picks them up off the bottom of the pool. She can see them now with her new goggles. View Album for more pictures. Click here for videos.

Mimi's Visit

Mimi came out to visit us and meet Donnie for the first time. Unfortunately, Grandpa hurt his shoulder just before the trip and couldn't make it (he's feeling better now, though). Cadynce had a great time hanging out with Mimi and showing her all of her stuff, singing, dancing, swimming, and talking non-stop!! We enjoyed going to the pool to swim every day. Cadynce got to show off her mad swimming skills. We went to lunch a couple of times, but mostly just hung out and played. Don and I got to sneak away and see a movie one night in between feedings. That was a special treat. Mimi was a big help to me while she was here (my pantry is looking pretty fantastic!) I always enjoy a nice break from cooking and cleaning too:) View Album for more pictures.

A Week with Namah

I had everything planned out perfectly...my due date was June 8th so my mom would fly out on the 4th and I had my doctors appointment set up for the 5th then I would go into labor on the 6th.  Donnie had other plans and arrived 4 days before my mom got here, but it all worked out great anyways.  It was so nice having my mom here to help out with the cooking, cleaning, and laundry while I recovered from the 5 minute delivery.  It was a great distraction for Cadynce as we adjusted to life with another baby. I also had a couple of appointments that I was glad I didn't have to take on by myself just yet.  Cadynce is doing great and she loves to hug and kiss on Donnie (a little too much sometimes).  She has a hard time letting him sleep and wakes him up quite often.  Donnie is so layed back compared to Cadynce as a baby.  He's only waking up once at night to eat and when he wakes up he doesn't cry.  View Album for more pictures.

Donnie IV (Updated)

This is the guest blogger, Don III, tonight.  Jackie's a bit tied up, so I thought I'd get some photos out into the blogosphere.  We can hardly believe it, but Donnie IV finally arrived early this morning (and a week ahead of schedule)!  We had a pretty busy day on Sunday; we worked in the children's area at church and went over to the Felker's house for dinner.  When we got home and put Cadynce to bed, Jackie started "feeling crampy."  Translation: she was in labor!!!  We stayed up all night watching TV and timing contractions, but they never got any closer than every 8-12 minutes.  At around 4 a.m., Jackie got a little frustrated and didn't think she was making much progress, so we decided to call Nicole (so she could come over and be with Cadynce) and head to the hospital.  We arrived at the hospital around 4:50 a.m. and what do you know?!?!  My off-the-charts pain tolerant wife was completely dilated and ready to push!  After a relatively frantic 20 minutes of getting Jackie ready to deliver, keeping me from passing out, and discovering Donnie's heartbeat was a bit slower than it ought to be, Donald Morrow Clark IV was born at 5:22 a.m.  He weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces, was 19 inches long, and was healthy as can be.  Once we got settled in at the hospital, I went over to Nicole's and picked Cadynce.  As we expected, she simply couldn't keep her hands off of him and kept saying, "I want to hold Donnie!!"  Jackie's really sore, but feeling better by the hour; Donnie is eating really well and getting lots of sleep.  All I can say is - God delivered a miracle once again - what an unexpected, surreal, and amazing morning!  

Click here for photos. New videos here.

Memorial Weekend

For our holiday weekend we decided to drive to the coast again this year and go to the Texas State Aquarium and the beach like we did last year.  We got up early on Sunday and drove to the Aquarium first.  We got to see the dolphin show when we first got there then made our way to all the other animals.  They have a great playground for kids to play outside so we ate lunch and let Cadynce play for a long time.  She had fun chasing all the birds and standing under the fans that blew a mist on her.  When it was nap time we headed for the beach and Cadynce slept on the drive there.  The beaches were packed so we just found the closest one that was open and parked.  We got to play for a while before the clouds started rolling in.  Cadynce had a blast and it was a little more fun this year since she was a year older.

Monday Don worked outside for several hours putting rock on one side of our house.  Grass won't grow and it's become a big mud pit that the dogs like to get dirty in.  Cadynce had fun helping Don with her little plastic shovel and he would let her ride in the wheel barrel which she thought was really cool.  We just enjoyed the rest of our day hanging out and we went to the pool with the rest of the neighborhood.  View album for more pictures.  Click here for videos.

Playing in the Rain

Happy Mother's Day

Cadynce and I spent our morning helping at church while Don was on his way home from his friends wedding in Chicago.  Don got to spend some time with his family with the wedding so close to home.  Don got home after Cadynce's nap and we went straight to the pool.  Anytime we ask Cadynce if she wants to go to the pool she starts screaming "YES" and tells us to get our swimsuits on.  She likes to take her duck so she can throw it and swim after just like we do in swim class.  She is learning how to hang on the side of the pool then put her feet up and push off the wall to me.  She is a little too brave in the water which makes me a little nervous.  Her arms and legs do not stop when she is in the pool and she has a hard time keeping her mouth closed so she drinks a lot of water.  The other day we were driving in the car and she had her baby with her and I heard her start singing one of the songs we sing in swim class and then telling her baby to keep her mouth closed.  It was great listening to her be the mom.

For dinner we went to a burger joint we love called Bigz.  They have a great area for the kids to run around and play.  We ate outside and played while we waited for our food then again when we were done.  Cadynce loved being able to run around and chase her football.  View album for more pictures.  Click here for videos.

Look at my Headband!