Wednesday, June 27, 2012

A Little Getaway - A Long Drive

Aaron had to head to Galveston back in March for a convention at the Moody Gardens Hotel, so we packed up the fam and went with him.  It was just an overnight trip so we figured it was manageable for our first road trip as a family of 5. 

As it turns out, it was NOT as easy as it used to be!  With the arrival of Jack, Aaron's school schedule, and the fact that family help is now IN town, we travel SO much less than we used to!  We certainly didn't realize just what good little travelers Owen and Mason had become.  We were all out of practice!  What was supposed to take us about 4 hours ended up taking us 6!  On top of that, Owen came down with a fever.  He felt okay the first day but he was pretty miserable for the drive home.  We did make a couple of stops once we got into town, though.  The first was a quick visit to our old pediatrician, Dr. Nguyen.  We loved her so much so we wanted to say hi and introduce her to Jack.  It was great but I completely forgot to snap a picture.  Boo. 

We also stopped by our old house.  The kids remembered it and really wanted to go peek in the window.  Too bad there was a car in the driveway.  It was kind of weird showing Jack where we used to live, not that he'll remember his visit. 

We finally made it to Galveston and Aaron headed off to do his thing while the kids and I hit the pool.  Luckily, Owen was feeling pretty good from his Tylenol and was able to enjoy himself.  The kids were SOOO excited for their first dip in a pool this year.  We lucked out with a heated pool at the hotel.  Paige was even able to join us poolside for the evening!  It turned out to be pretty fun!

The next day we hit the pool again, but this time Jack took his first dip.  He thought it was pretty awesome and loved splashing his feet. 

On our way out of town, Aaron managed to run us down to 1 mile left in our gas tank while stuck in the HOV lane.  That was fun.

This is how we held hands in the parking lot.  They INSISTED on holding Jack's hands. (M, O)

First swim of the season (O, M)



Paige and Jack lounging by the pool.
Owen feeling better for a while.

Mason excited to be swimming!

Mason

Jack's first swim ever.  (O, M)

Snacks after swimming. (M, O)



Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Spring Bluebonnet Pictures (finally)

Way back in March, when the bluebonnets were in full bloom, we did the Texas thing and got some pictures in the bluebonnets.  Jack was 6 months and Owen and Mason were just about 5.  These pictures were taken by my hubby and I think they are some of the best he's ever captured.  I just can NOT believe my children are this BEAUTIFUL!!  


Owen, Jack, Mason




Owen, Jack, Mason





Jack, Owen, Mason







Sweetest face on the planet















Owen

Mason

Mason

Kisses for Mason

Eskimo kisses for Owen


Love!

Mason finally caught a butterfly

Owen, Daddy, Mason






Jack being crazy with Mommy

Family (M, O, J)

Trying to catch those butterflies (M, O)

There were SO many great pictures taken so here is the link to the complete album.

3-24-12 Bluebonnets

Nine Months

This picture pretty much sums up what it is like around our house lately!  Not even for a second can you take your eyes off this kid!  


He took NO time figuring out how to go from rocking on all fours, to crawling, to pulling up.  I bet it was about a week each.  I distinctly remember Owen and Mason took what seemed like forever to go from rocking on all fours to actually crawling.  I know it was at least a month, if not longer.  Jack, on the other hand, has big brothers to chase.



At nine months, Jack:

  • is just SO much fun, SO dang adorable, and SO loved by this whole family!  I don't even think Owen and Mason know how to express how much they love this little guy.
  • weighs 17 lbs, 15 oz (10%)
  • is 28" tall (25%)
  • has fallen out of his crib!!!  At the time, he had not displayed any ability of pulling up, so his mattress had not yet been lowered!  Eek!
  • loves playing with/chewing on the small water bottles, especially if they're cold.  He has been known to play and talk to an empty one for about as long as I've ever seen anything hold his attention.
  • has started to allow Mommy to rock him to sleep some nights.  
  • has perfected crawling and is working on pulling up.  *Just after his official 9 month birthday, he pretty much perfected pulling up, and loves to pull up on anything and everything!
  • seems to have a little temper (or he is just very opinionated).  Take something away from the boy and he squawks.  Lay him down to change him, he screams bloody murder.  
  • has become fascinated with ceiling fans.  I thought this happened around 3 months, but apparently not for Jack.  He will position himself between two rooms so he can see both fans.  
  • is Mama's shadow and prefers to be held by her over anyone else.  He can be completely content with someone else, but if he so much as hears her voice he starts to whimper.  
  • looks up when you ask him where the light or fan is.  This was Owen and Mason's first "command" too.
  • gives a smug look, a big grin, and then buries his face in Mommy's shoulder after he whimpers and contorts his body to get out of one person's arms and into hers.
  • has graduated to the big boy bathtub and goes nuts with excitement in his 2 inches of water.  I've never seen a kid switch back and forth from a seated position to a crawling position with such excitement!  He can't decide if he wants to flop his body around in the water or sit there and splash the water with his hands.
  • has shown his protest of baby food and has started absolutely scarfing down any table food set before him.  I'm convinced it doesn't matter what it is as long as he can feed it to himself.  Among his favorites are: puffs, avocado, cheese, chicken, cooked carrots, bananas, yogurt, and even chicken spaghetti.  
  • (I think) says "more" in sign language.  His looks more like a clap, which is why I'm unsure. He seems to have used it several times in the right context but it may have just been coincidence.
  • can often be heard saying "mamamama."  May just be him babbling, but he seems to say it when he sees/hears Mama, or wants Mama to rescue him from a diaper change or something he doesn't like. 
  • thinks it is hilarious when his Aunt Lindsay's husky licks his face or when our cat nips his hand because he pulled her ear a little too hard.
  • found the dog food, which found it's way to his mouth.  
  • thinks the springy door stoppers are the best invention ever.
  • can entertain himself with toys for a good while - longer that we would expect for this age (which still isn't all that long).
  • likes to have his head rubbed just like his mama, aunt, and granddaddy.
  • is super curious, always crawling off somewhere else than where we are to check something out.




Monday, June 25, 2012

Turning Five

Sigh.  So many emotions for Mommy on this birthday.  I honestly can't believe my babies are five, and so it's bittersweet.  I know, everyone says that.  When I look back over time, I no longer feel like Owen and Mason just joined the team.  These little guys have been with us for a long time now.  We are no longer adjusting to life with twins.  We got this.  Old hat.  Well, it is mainly due to just really easy, well behaved boys!  They are becoming much more self sufficient, which is excellent for us (and them).  They are bathing/showering themselves (with some light monitoring from mom or dad), they are getting their own drinks of water now that we have a cool new fridge, they've enjoyed making their own lunches (some of the time), they are buckling and unbuckling their own car seats, brushing their own teeth, and they need almost no help with their homework.  The only "help" we give them is to make sure they know what they're supposed to do, and then off they go.  So, yes.  Bittersweet.  Bitter because I know they're growing so fast.  In that same blink of an eye that was five years, they'll be TEN and awkward.  Gah.  Bitter because they are needing Mommy less and less.  I know they still need me, but it will never be how it was.  Bitter because they barely fit in my lap anymore with all those legs, arms, knees, and elbows.  I make it work though, and I sneak in all the snuggles I can get.  Luckily they still don't mind. 

But SWEET overtakes the bitter, I think.  It is sweet for me because of the way turning five makes my kids feel.  They are SOOOO excited about being five.  They are SOOOO excited about going to Kindergarten.  They are SOOOO excited about being taller, bigger, stronger, faster.  Mason even made a tiny (and I mean tiny) little mound of dirt a few months back and when he stood on it he asked me if he looked like a five year old.  And as every parents knows, seeing your kid beam with pride, exude excitement, and ask a million questions in anticipation of something they're looking forward to makes it absolutely worth it, no matter what it is.  They constantly asked how much longer til they turned five, they compared themselves to things (i.e. "when I'm five will I be this tall?"), they amazed themselves at how they can reach sinks without the use of a stool. 

Their actual birthday also happened to be a school day, which they requested to take a cookie cake.  Yes, they were also SOOOO excited about sharing a cookie cake with their friends after lunch.  Aaron and I ate lunch with them and they previously decided their bday lunch of choice was going to be from Sonic (probably one of the least frequented restaurants by our family, but, it was up to them).  And of course I got the obligatory birth time photos. 

We had a plan after school to go over to JumpStreet (indoor trampoline park) with some family and a few friends.  Granna, and our neighbors, Desoree, Scott, and Emma joined us.  For supper the kids requested pizza from Yaghi's and another cookie cake.  Granddaddy and Lindsay had now joined our group.  We ate the pizza at home, opened presents, ate sweets, and played with the new Kinect!  The afternoon and evening turned out great!


I snuck balloons in their room the night before...


And surprised them with a yummy breakfast (M).


One vanilla kid (M) and one chocolate kid (O).


The "favorite color" balloons were a big hit before school. (M, O)


Lunch with Mommy and Daddy, and as requested, cookie cake for their friends.


It so happened to be Mason's special helper week, so here he is doing his "guessing bag."


Every year I take a picture of them at their time of birth.  
Here's Owen at 2:03 pm on May 10, 2012!
FIVE!!!


Mason at 2:04 pm, May 10, 2012!!!



After school we went to JumpStreet (an indoor trampoline park) with family and our neighbor friends.
Here's Mason climbing out of the foam pit.


And Owen dragging himself out too.


After the requested pizza from Yahgi's, it was finally time for presents!
Jack gave them Star Wars jammies!  A big hit!


We got them a Magic Slushie Maker because Owen kept talking about this thing.  He sounded like Billy Mays trying to sell Orange Glo, giving all the pros to this contraption and all the cons to using a blender.  



Their "big" gift from Mommy and Daddy - XBOX 360 with Kinect!  
They don't quite know what to think!


A cookie cake with a bomb on it since their upcoming party was a spy theme.


Mason blowing out his candles.

 

Owen blowing out his candles.


Licking the icing, of course!


Jack with the birthday boys.


Owen and Granddaddy playing Kinect together.


Maosn and Granddaddy getting some air.


Lindsay and Mason getting even MORE air!


Mommy and her two precious five year olds!


These two boys are kind-hearted, well mannered, sharp as tacks, full of love (especially when it comes to their baby brother), inquisitive, wear-their-heart-on-their-sleeve, best friends and we couldn't ask for anything more.  We are blessed ten fold!!