Basketball Fans

We've been enjoying many good Aggie Basketball games here lately. Adam & Andrew can't sit through a movie or a church service but they somehow are able to make it through a double header at Reed Arena (as long as we keep the kettle corn coming ;-). Maybe we need to bring a bucket of popcorn to church with us next time, lol.

Check out Mister's Baby Blues

Kate & Ben look like twins in their cute outfits

Between games we went down to the practice courts for "Kids Court" with our friends Hudson & Jackson. The boys really enjoyed running around in a real gym.

Check out his jump shot!

Outdoor Fun

Sorry I've been such a bad blogger! It's been crazy around here lately, Daddy's been working out of town several days a week and the boys have been wearing me out.

Here are some picture from some outdoor fun at the ranch. Andrew has finally conquered his sensory issues with the ride on toys. He was so proud of himself (and so was I)!!

Mr. Tough Guy!

The sky was was really pretty!

Wore themselves out!

Big Boy Bedroom

When we were in CO the boys slept in real beds, not on crib mattresses in toddler beds like they did at home. Their sleeping habits in CO were drastically different and we noticed they were sleeping longer and napping better. We wondered if it was because they were more comfortable. Those crib mattresses are hard as rocks in order to be SIDS proof.

After much deliberation on what to do we decided to convert their cribs into Full Size beds. We considered twin beds, bunk beds, sharing a bed. But in the end it seemed most economical and practical to convert their existing beds since their room is wide enough to fit two full size beds and to keep them in separate beds since they can't seem to leave each other alone.

This was definitely the right decision! The boys are sleeping very well and are sleeping in about a full extra hour! A bonus is that I can now lay in bed with them and read books snuggled up together. It's been really nice!

It was fun to pick out new bedding. We went with Pottery Barn Kids Ryder Train quilt sets and they are so cute and soft. And the boys are so proud of them, they love to point out the red caboose on their sheets!

Since we had to get new mattresses I was excited to find a great deal on Serta memory foam mattresses at Overstock.com and they charge practically nothing for shipping. I was nervous to buy a mattress off the web that we'd never tried out in person but it had a great review and an awesome price and we haven't been disappointed. In fact I went in to calm Andrew down when he woke up crying in the night because his brace was hurting him and I was so comfortable I accidentally fell asleep for four hours in there. When I woke up I had NO idea where I was. It was pretty funny, I was very impressed with the comfort of his mattress.

Another cool product I found online is called the Bed Bug Bumper. I used them on their beds to keep them from rolling off the bed in the night. They are a great foam bed rail that is cheaper, softer & safer than a traditional rail and it doesn't interfere with the bedding. It fits snugly and easily under the mattress pad.

One more thing left to do, we are going to paint the walls to make their space a little happier. I'll post pictures after that project is completed but it will probably take a while to finish.

Pee Wee Basketball

Adam & Andrew recently started PeeWee Basketball through the local parks & rec department. It was pretty funny to watch all the little kids running around but the first practice was pretty chaotic. Right now they are just working on skills but the final two sessions they will have some little games. They start every session with stretches and warmups, which are hilarious!

And finally, here's a pic of my sweet nephew Ben taking a snooze in the basket at Target.

Adam & Andrew at Age Three

Adam:

• He Loves Waffles for breakfast, He likes to eat soups, especially gumbo! His favorite foods are sweets like cake and cookies and he'll do about anything to get them
• His favorite show is Oso and Imagination Movers
• Adam loves to go to the ranch and ride his 4-"Leeler"
• Since Adam is potty training we constantly have embarrassing moments in public restrooms like when he said loudly "I no go poo poo, my bottom is CLOSED!" or after a successful trip "I made a giant stinky poo poo like "_____" !!!"
• If you hurt yourself he wants to kiss your bobo and will then ask you "You feel better now Mama?" Which of course, how could you not when he is questioning you with his clear blue eyes and sweet face.
• Adam's hair is still that baby soft/fine texture and is pretty wavy. I LOVE his hair because it makes him still seem like my baby to me but daddy is always grabbing the scissors and trimming off the sweet curls he gets at the nape of his neck.

Andrew

• Andrew loves "Brown Juice" which is what he calls V8 Fusion, His favorite foods are Sausage and he can eat a TON of it (his daddy calls him Andouille Sausage because of his love for sausage and also because Adam has always pronounced his name Andoo", Andrew also loves grilled chicken and chicken nuggets, and CANDY and any other sweets, he LOVES kettle popcorn and calls in MY Corn
• Andrew's favorite shows are Go Diego Go and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
• Andrew is always asking to go ride Pa's tractor
• He is really turning into a chatter box and if you ride in the car with him he talks non stop, often repeating the same questions over and over again
• Andrew is such a hoarder, he stuffs his mouth and keeps food in his cheeks for long periods of time and what he can't fit in his mouth he stuffs in his pockets. I have to constantly check his britches before throwing them in the wash. There is always food, coins, toys, or rocks stored in his pockets.
• He LOVES to dance and will turn his air hockey table off and on over and over so he can dance to that Soccer World Cup "Ole' " song.

Both boys are constantly asking everyone, including random people in the grocery store, to come to their house and see their Dinosaur, John Deere Tractor or air hockey table: "Come see my John Deere Tractor!!!!". Or they'll ask "What did you get for Christmas??" Too funny!

They have entered into this new wresting/physical play fighting stage and it's driving me crazy. It's pretty much constant and I can't seem to break them from doing it. It starts out friendly and fun but quickly escalates to scratching and hitting.

Having two boys the exact same age is often very challenging. I notice that when I have just one of them with me, it is SO easy. They obey and are sweet and pleasant. But as soon as they are together, it suddenly gets about 10 times harder. I feel like I spend nearly all my time refereeing and breaking up fights and administering discipline. They have amazing batteries that never seem to run out. By the end of the day I'm so sick of hearing my own voice and it's so incredibly exhausting! But in spite of the frustrations, these two little boys are absolutely precious and they've captured my heart unlike anything I could have ever imagined. They have so much personality and are so thoughtful, bright, and ALIVE!

At night I love to go in and watch them sleep for just a bit before I head to bed myself. Their sweet faces are so soft and look so pure when they are asleep. I can't help but study them and take them all in. How their eyelashes lay softly on their cheeks. How their mouths stay partially open and they sigh ever so quietly as they dream. Why can't they stay this way?? They are just growing up entirely too fast and watching two grow up simultaneously makes it seem even that much faster.

I wiped tears from eyes as I watched their chests rise and fall, knowing that they'll never be this small again, every day we seem to be racing faster ahead towards boyhood. Every day I wonder "Have I done enough?" "Did I show them enough love and attention?" "Did I spoil them too much?" "Did I point them to Christ as much as I could have?" "Will they ever know how very much I love them?"

Thank you Father for this day that you've made, let me always rejoice and be glad in it!

Wedding Weekend from the Boys' Perspective

While Daddy was off doing groomsmen stuff in DFW the boys and I had fun entertaining ourselves in the Big D. The first night we stayed with our friends Greg & Lacey and the boys had fun chasing around Toby, their dog and camping out in their sleeping bags.

The next day we went over to Uncle Stevie's place

Then before the wedding we found this fun indoor park in Southlake where the boys had a good time getting some of there energy out.

We road in a cute train

Adam road a mechanical zebra

The boys "played" puttputt golf for the first time

When we got back to the room after the wedding the boys were sacked out!

Back home. This is Andrew working on his fine motor skills by peeling an orange (which he won't eat)

Wedding Weekend

We spent the weekend in DFW celebrating the marriage of our special friends Natalie & Spencer. It was nothing less than magical! Every detail and event was just so beautiful and personal and fun. I felt like I was attending a fairytale wedding out of a movie or something. Kenny was a groomsmen and he was quite handsome ;-)!

Gorgeous Church!

Rehearsal Time

The Rehearsal Dinner was in the Speedway Club overlooking Texas Motor Speedway. It was the nicest rehearsal dinner I've ever been too. The atmosphere and food were both amazing and Spencer's Uncle did all the floral arrangements which were stunning! These were the prettiest flowers I've ever seen!

Kenny & I with the Bride & Groom

These next photos are from the wedding reception which was also incredible. Everything from the food to the band was awesome! Plus more gorgeous floral arrangements, Spencer's Uncle is very talented.

My photos just don't do justice to the flowers. This arrangement was huge!

The boys got to come down (we were staying at the same hotel as the reception) for a brief appearance and enjoyed checking out the band and eating the delicious cake.

Excited to take candy with them back to the room

When the bride & groom departed, they were followed out by the band playing "When the Saints go marching in". Pretty cool!

Thanks Natalie, Spencer & your families for a fabulous and memorable weekend. We wish you ALL the best!!

This & That

Just some pictures from the last few weeks.

Two of my boys tired and napping together

Cute Lil Aggies at the Basketball game

Riding home from the game the boys had to share the tight backseat with Katie. The boys were less than polite saying "No No Katie, no sit by me!" Awwwww so mean!

Using their Christmas art supplies

Party Time

My brother, sister, I and our families had a surprise 60th birthday party for our dad. He's very hard to sneak stuff past so I was really impressed that we were able to pull off such a big surprise! It was stressful getting it to all come together so close to all the holidays especially since we were in Colorado the whole time until the day before, with Dad right there! This was the first time I've had a real big event like this in my home, we snuck in about 50 of Dad's family and friends and had a real special time.

Trip down memory lane

Pa was not expecting what greeted him around that corner!

I think he was most mad that he was dressed in windpants, not his normal party attire ;-)

Oooh La La, a Victoria Secret Bag

What's in it?

Matching His & Hers Snuggies, LOL!

The kids loved playing with the gift wrap of course

The kids were pretty interested in the grown ups "snowcone" machine ;-)

Mmmmm yummy salt!

The boys loved looking at the old pictures of Pa

Thanks EVERYONE for helping to make Pa's Birthday so special and a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my awesome Dad!!

Winter Fun

We came home from CO last Thursday but here are some photos from our last few days in the mountains.

Playing with the helmets, safety first!

Adam waiting his turn to bungee jump

Andrew staying warm in the stroller

To Infinity & Beyond!!

Another gondola ride

They LOVE their cousin Kate

We celebrated my birthday with a yummy ice cream cake!

Showing their muscles

31 Years Old and Feeling Quite Blessed!

This is what happens when you are stuck inside for too long with your 6 year old female cousin, a nice ponytail on top of the head. He seems to be enjoying this do' a little too much!

Oh No, not a head band too!

There were 5 in the bed and the little one said . . . .

One last gondola ride to close out the trip

I hope they always love each other this much!

On the way to the airport!

Oh my goodness, my baby looks SO grown up!

On the way home from the airport we got to visit our puppy dog Bailey. Remember her? She's been away at puppy dog school but will be coming home at the end of the month. Isn't she pretty??

Home Sweet Home!!