May Day

We have had a wonderful and jam-packed weekend!

Dark and early Saturday morning, all five of us piled into the car for a trip to the Houston medical center. We were glad to be going for a reason other than a doctor's appointment. The Blanton-Davis Ovarian Cancer Research Program at M. D. Anderson was hosting the 13th annual Sprint For Life. Our cousin and friend Jenn Johnson passed away last November after battling ovarian cancer, and we were blessed to walk with her parents and other friends and family members for Saturday's 5K. A lot of tears, laughs, and stories were exchanged throughout our walk, and everyone was thankful for the experience.

The group photo was before the walk. We were all a little ragged around the edges afterwards; no group photo included to help us save face. The full day of family festivities were a bit much for a few of us.

Sunday brought the Randolf kids, Katie and Graham, for an extended visit; a family emergency resulted in parents Peter and Kirsten being out of town for the weekend. Katie and Graham are each six months younger than Alyssa and Jackson respectively. A fun-filled day of a house-full of children resulted. Check back next week to see if the Hoy House is still standing, but a trip to the neighborhood park, a viewing of the Disney movie "Earth" complete with popcorn, and a sleep-over were the big things that kept the kids busy.

In between the large scheduled events of the weekend, we had several big moments. Matthew decided to wait until the family visiting from Chicago had left before making a couple of huge steps in his development. Katie and Matthew spent 20 minutes "talking" on Saturday night, and he made his first non-crying sounds! Very exciting and a huge development for Matthew and his parents. *grin* Sunday morning, Katie saw another big moment for Matthew. Quickly grabbing the camera, I captured it to share with everyone.

Matthew grabbed the butterfly on his bouncy seat on his own. On the great Matthew roller coaster this weekend has definitely been a high point. A very high point.

Meanwhile, Jackson had a breakthrough of his own. Katie had been hiding a new (and as of yet too large) pair of shoes for Jackson. This is a very special pair of shoes; Toy Story's Woody and Buzz Lightyear adorn the sides. Jackson found these and immediately coveted them. When informed that they wouldn't fit and instructed to put them back, Jackson did just that without hesitation, question, or whine! I'm still in complete shock.

Not to be outdone, Alyssa had a big moment of her own. She helped Jackson clean the playroom (without being asked/prodded by parents). It was spotless!

A huge thank you to Papa Tom, Grammy Karen, (Godfather) Uncle Gary, and (Godmother) Auntie C. Their first trip to visit us here in Houston was wonderful; we can't wait until their next trip to Texas. Sprint for Life 2011 is less than 52 weeks away!

Truly a momentous weekend was had by all. Hope you had a great one as well!