Of course, we headed to the beach!
Michael was in little-boy heaven! He spent the whole time digging in the sand.
Sarah makes the cutest beach baby!
(Back at home) She is definitely turning into a Daddy's Girl.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Bay House
My Uncle Richard was kind enough to let us use his house on the San Leon peninsula. The kids and I enjoyed three days with my mom, nephew Cole, niece Kylie. The house looks directly out on Galveston Bay and we had fun rocking on the big porch swing and watching all the huge ships sailing by.
Of course, we headed to the beach!
Michael was in little-boy heaven! He spent the whole time digging in the sand.
Sarah makes the cutest beach baby!
(Back at home) She is definitely turning into a Daddy's Girl.
Of course, we headed to the beach!
Michael was in little-boy heaven! He spent the whole time digging in the sand.
Sarah makes the cutest beach baby!
(Back at home) She is definitely turning into a Daddy's Girl.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Fourth of July
For Independence Day, I took the kids to my folks house. What was going to be just a quick weekend trip turned into a week-long vacation due to some inner-ear problems I was having. (Yes, I'm better now.) So aside from a little vertigo, we had a nice long visit with Nana and Popie. My brother Joel came down with his kids, Cole and Kylie, and Stephan and Alison were there too.
The highlight was, of course, the fireworks. I let Michael stay up late to watch and he was in total awe; not a bit afraid! And surprisingly enough, he didn't burn himself with the sparklers!
We devoured the smoked chicken my brother, Stephan, made. Not only is he an excellent chef, he's quite the marksman too!
One day, Mom, Alison, and I canned tomatoes. It took all day! But I think we came out with over 6 dozen beautiful red pints. I remember my mom saying once that one of the cheeriest sounds she's ever heard is the "pop" of a canning lid sealing. After hours of boiling, peeling, slicing, and steaming, I have to agree.
Matt's mom came up to share a day with us, including taking Michael out for ice cream and to the park!
Higher, Grandma! Higher!
Back at home, we've invented a new sport--Plastic Bubble Racing! Thanks to a kiddie gimmick at our local grocery store, we have an over abundance of these vending machine bubbles. So one rainy Saturday afternoon, we realized the perfect way to recycle these babies is to race them in the water draining from our complex's parking lot. Now every time it rains, Michael want to go bubble racing.
After a visit with my cousin Chris and his wife Julie, who successfully survived potty training their twins, I have decided to revisit potty training with Michael. I must admit that have been dreading this ever since I became a mother. We're using a horse and carrot approach. Each potty session earns him an M&M. . . . As my mom said, it's not bribing, it's a reward. We also went out and bought him some fun character undies. He's pretty excited about all of it, and he's doing pretty well all things considered . . . as long as I remind him periodically. Keep your fingers crossed for us.
Giddyup Dinosaur!
It's never too early to begin training for a career in piracy.
Sarah is zooming all over the house these days. I can't go from one room to the other without her following me. Within the last few weeks, she has also learned to pull herself up to stand. She's still kind of wobbly, but she does pretty well as long as she remembers to hold on.
The highlight was, of course, the fireworks. I let Michael stay up late to watch and he was in total awe; not a bit afraid! And surprisingly enough, he didn't burn himself with the sparklers!
We devoured the smoked chicken my brother, Stephan, made. Not only is he an excellent chef, he's quite the marksman too!
One day, Mom, Alison, and I canned tomatoes. It took all day! But I think we came out with over 6 dozen beautiful red pints. I remember my mom saying once that one of the cheeriest sounds she's ever heard is the "pop" of a canning lid sealing. After hours of boiling, peeling, slicing, and steaming, I have to agree.
Matt's mom came up to share a day with us, including taking Michael out for ice cream and to the park!
Higher, Grandma! Higher!
Back at home, we've invented a new sport--Plastic Bubble Racing! Thanks to a kiddie gimmick at our local grocery store, we have an over abundance of these vending machine bubbles. So one rainy Saturday afternoon, we realized the perfect way to recycle these babies is to race them in the water draining from our complex's parking lot. Now every time it rains, Michael want to go bubble racing.
After a visit with my cousin Chris and his wife Julie, who successfully survived potty training their twins, I have decided to revisit potty training with Michael. I must admit that have been dreading this ever since I became a mother. We're using a horse and carrot approach. Each potty session earns him an M&M. . . . As my mom said, it's not bribing, it's a reward. We also went out and bought him some fun character undies. He's pretty excited about all of it, and he's doing pretty well all things considered . . . as long as I remind him periodically. Keep your fingers crossed for us.
Giddyup Dinosaur!
It's never too early to begin training for a career in piracy.
Sarah is zooming all over the house these days. I can't go from one room to the other without her following me. Within the last few weeks, she has also learned to pull herself up to stand. She's still kind of wobbly, but she does pretty well as long as she remembers to hold on.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Sarah's Crawling!
After a few weeks of wobbling on all fours, Sarah is now officially crawling. She's been zooming around the house a few days now having so much fun exploring things she hasn't been able to get to before.
She is also sporting two teeth now, and I finally got some pictures where you can actually see them.
Michael is as charming as ever. I thought Sarah's learning to crawl would make him more resentful of her, but it seems to be the reverse (for now anyway). The last few days he's started talking and interacting with her a little more. I think he's seeing her as more of a real person now that she's mobile.
Painting has become a favorite pastime. Here he is sporting his "craft apron" and "artist's hat."
We've gotten a lot of rain lately, even a few floods. They're not much fun to drive in, but they are lots of fun for splashing in puddles.
She is also sporting two teeth now, and I finally got some pictures where you can actually see them.
Michael is as charming as ever. I thought Sarah's learning to crawl would make him more resentful of her, but it seems to be the reverse (for now anyway). The last few days he's started talking and interacting with her a little more. I think he's seeing her as more of a real person now that she's mobile.
Painting has become a favorite pastime. Here he is sporting his "craft apron" and "artist's hat."
We've gotten a lot of rain lately, even a few floods. They're not much fun to drive in, but they are lots of fun for splashing in puddles.
Matt's the Man!
Last week, Matt found out that, after earning 3 A's last semester, he jumped into the top 5% of his class in law school. All that hard work really is paying off. I am so proud of him!
Aside from law school, he's also the best husband and dad. A man who wears many hats--literally.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Trip to Missouri
Two weeks ago, my mom and I packed the kids in the car and headed to Springfield, Missouri to visit my brother and his family. We hadn't seen them for almost 2 years and since then, we've had the addition of 3 new family members!
Our first day there, they threw a belated birthday party for "Nana."
Hyrum, Hunter, and Michael had a blast racing Hotwheels through a "tunnel" off the couch.
Nana with her three grandbabies: Sarah, Emma, and Justin.
Hyrum and Hunter were soooo sweet with Sarah. They hugged, kissed and coooed with her the entire visit. Hunter was especially affectionate! I guess they get lots of practice on the twins.
On Thursday, we took a trip to the Springfield zoo. It was so nice! It was a beautiful day, and the boys had a blast running from animal to animal. I think we made quite a sight, however, pushing around 4 strollers!
The petting zoo was a big hit!
Little boys and couch cushions. Could there be a better combination?
Friday, we made a trip to the Bass Pro Shops which have their headquarters in Springfield. ATVs and fishing tackle don't normally impress me, but this place is amazing! There are ponds, rivers, and waterfalls all over the store. Stuffed wildlife and huge aquariums are around every corner. There's even a live alligator! I'm definitely going to have to find one of these places in Houston.
The boys loved test-driving the ATVs and boats!
The whole crew: Jeremy and Justin, Megan and Emma, Hunter, Hyrum, Michael, Nana, Jennie and Sarah. (No, the grizzly isn't part of the family.)
The next day, we made a trip to the nature center near their house. It isn't just any nature center --it is a dedicated, protected forest. We trekked through the woods a bit
and saw this deer wading through the river right in front of us. It wasn't a bit afraid!
We also saw a water snake, a heron, wild turkeys, turtles, and, of course, frogs . . .
really big ones.
Fun at the park in the evening.
All six cousins: Hyrum and Justin, Sarah, Michael, Hunter and Emma.
After a fun-filled week, we headed back home. The night before we left, I had a sudden desire to see the Ozark Mountains, which are just south of Springfield. So, we changed our travel plans and took a longer, more scenic route to get home. It was worth it! Not only did we get to see the beautiful mountains, we also avoided the horrible storms and flooding that were going on in Oklahoma (which we didn't know about til after the fact.)
Our first day there, they threw a belated birthday party for "Nana."
Hyrum, Hunter, and Michael had a blast racing Hotwheels through a "tunnel" off the couch.
Nana with her three grandbabies: Sarah, Emma, and Justin.
Hyrum and Hunter were soooo sweet with Sarah. They hugged, kissed and coooed with her the entire visit. Hunter was especially affectionate! I guess they get lots of practice on the twins.
On Thursday, we took a trip to the Springfield zoo. It was so nice! It was a beautiful day, and the boys had a blast running from animal to animal. I think we made quite a sight, however, pushing around 4 strollers!
The petting zoo was a big hit!
Little boys and couch cushions. Could there be a better combination?
Friday, we made a trip to the Bass Pro Shops which have their headquarters in Springfield. ATVs and fishing tackle don't normally impress me, but this place is amazing! There are ponds, rivers, and waterfalls all over the store. Stuffed wildlife and huge aquariums are around every corner. There's even a live alligator! I'm definitely going to have to find one of these places in Houston.
The boys loved test-driving the ATVs and boats!
The whole crew: Jeremy and Justin, Megan and Emma, Hunter, Hyrum, Michael, Nana, Jennie and Sarah. (No, the grizzly isn't part of the family.)
The next day, we made a trip to the nature center near their house. It isn't just any nature center --it is a dedicated, protected forest. We trekked through the woods a bit
and saw this deer wading through the river right in front of us. It wasn't a bit afraid!
We also saw a water snake, a heron, wild turkeys, turtles, and, of course, frogs . . .
really big ones.
Fun at the park in the evening.
All six cousins: Hyrum and Justin, Sarah, Michael, Hunter and Emma.
After a fun-filled week, we headed back home. The night before we left, I had a sudden desire to see the Ozark Mountains, which are just south of Springfield. So, we changed our travel plans and took a longer, more scenic route to get home. It was worth it! Not only did we get to see the beautiful mountains, we also avoided the horrible storms and flooding that were going on in Oklahoma (which we didn't know about til after the fact.)
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
A Very Merry Un-Birthday
This morning, I asked Michael what he wanted to do today. He answered, "birthday party." That made me laugh, so I asked him whose birthday it was. Michael's? "No." Mom's? "No." Sarah's? "No." Toad's? (His stuffed frog.) "No." So, whose birthday is it? The answer was a resounding "Daddy's!"
So, we spent the whole day getting ready for Daddy's (un-)birthday party. We made a birthday card and party hats. We made a paper chain to decorate with. We even picked out birthday presents.
I took Michael to our pantry and asked him what we should give Daddy for a birthday present. He chose a can of olives, a can of black beans, and a tin of sardines (some of Dad's favorite foods), and we wrapped them up. We even made blueberry muffin "cupcakes" for dessert.
Boy, was Dad surprised when he got home!
So, we spent the whole day getting ready for Daddy's (un-)birthday party. We made a birthday card and party hats. We made a paper chain to decorate with. We even picked out birthday presents.
I took Michael to our pantry and asked him what we should give Daddy for a birthday present. He chose a can of olives, a can of black beans, and a tin of sardines (some of Dad's favorite foods), and we wrapped them up. We even made blueberry muffin "cupcakes" for dessert.
Boy, was Dad surprised when he got home!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Welcome, Summer!
Matt finished up his law school finals last week. Hurray! Two years down and one more to go. He was definitely ready for a break. The kids and I met him at school right after his last final and we headed to the beach. Michael, of course, loved it ...
especially feeding the sea gulls ...
but not so much the big waves. (Dad had to wade out and rescue him.)
Sarah tolerated it as long as she stayed out of the water.
We found a dead puffer fish. --Kind of yucky, but I thought it was pretty neat.
And Grandma came up for the weekend! We always love having her.
Fun pics:
For Mother's Day, Matt got me a "flirty apron." Now, I can cook in style!
Michael, King of the Laundry Pile. Laundry days are always fun at our house.
Sarah's first teeth just popped up. Poor girl, she had two teeth coming in at the same time and had a nasty cold to boot. There were a few days when she actually seemed cranky --weird because she is normally the mellowest baby ever! But now that the teeth are through and the cold is over, she's back to her happy self.
Michael sings the alphabet song:
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