July 2010

July was full of play dates to the pool, playing in the sprinklers, and going to "the jumping place", as Aidan calls it...anything to stay cool!

Play dates with my good friend Andy and her kids, Jack and Clara...I looked forward to these dates every week!!!
Bella, Jack, and Aidan at one of the jumping places

Swimming at their pool...it is really nice! The kids loved it and we enjoyed having some adult conversation! : )

How stinkin' cute is Miss Clara in her swimsuit?!?


Trips to Mom and Gene's house...these were like an escape for all of us...a change of scenery is always a good thing!
Playing in the backyard

Gavin running away with the sprinkler

Sweet moment with Bella and Aidan playing DS

Watching my cousins play outside...wanting to be out there, but it was just too hot for me!


Bath in Grammy's sink...makes me think of my Mamaw! : )

Playing in the tents


Playing in the water in our backyard...




At a family reunion for my mother-in-laws side of the family...




Fun at the mall...
Aidan on one of those bungee-jumping/trampoline things

Cuties

On the carousel

Sliding

Aidan in the hurricane tunnel

Tired from all that playing


My mom and I also threw a baby shower for her goddaughter, Taysha. We had it at a little bakery and were very pleased with how it turned out. I had so much fun making the diaper cakes for each of the tables, and mom and I both enjoyed shopping for pink! : )
The room

Mom, Taysha, and Me

June 2010

I really had good intentions of blogging a lot while I was off this summer. But, as you can see, that didn't happen. I guess I've been having too much fun during the days to take the time to do it and I'm too dead at night to sit down and concentrate! I have had a blast at home with the boys, but they are certainly tiring!!! I've also had my niece, Bella, during the days most of the summer. So here are some of our fun times from June...

Star Wars Concert
RJ has been taking Aidan out for "big boy days"...just Daddy and Aidan get to go. At the beginning of the summer, he took Aidan to a Star Wars Concert...there was a symphony playing the music from the movies (which Aidan loves...we will hear him singing Star Wars tunes as he plays), movie clips on big screens, laser show, and characters to mingle with afterward. When they got home and I asked Aidan about it, I could tell that he loved it and was so proud to have gone to it with his Daddy.

My handsome boys on the way out the door to go to the show.


Father's Day
We didn't do anything special for father's day...just hung out and enjoyed the day. The boys surprised their daddy with matching "My Dad's a Rockstar" t-shirts...pretty cute!


The Great Wolf Lodge
Every summer my parents take all the grandsons on a vacation, and I am lucky enough to tag along since I'm not working. This year, we went to The Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, TX. The room was adorable with a log cabin cubby for the boys to sleep in. The main attraction is an indoor water park, which the boys all loved. They also have a really cool scavenger hunt that is somewhat modeled after Harry Potter. Each kid gets a "magic wand" and a clue book and they wander around the hotel trying to accomplish these quests. As one of my good friends put it, "you have to have a doctorate to be able to figure this thing out!" The younger ones teetered out, but Sage and I beat the dragon...after 2 days...and that wasn't even the end of the game!!! It was a really fun trip and a great place to go with kids!

Waiting in the lobby.

The boys in their log cabin.

One of the cute paintings by their beds.

The water park...the boy's favorite part was the huge bucket that dumped tons of water every 15 minutes or so.

The boys on the scavenger hunt.

Gavin getting in on the action.

Sage fighting the Dragon.

At dinner...all the kids got Wolf ears. : )


Aunt Candy met us for dinner one night...everyone loved seeing her!!!

One last pose before we left.


Trip to Victoria
We went to Victoria for my mother-in-law, Mona's, birthday and redecorated a bedroom in her house for her. We stripped the wallpaper and painted the room. RJ took his mom to pick out new bedding. And, he replaced the blinds with faux wood ones. We have all been helping them redo the upstairs of the house for a while, and we were happy to add this to the makeover.

Aidan helping us paint...he was so proud and will point out to everyone that looks at the room which corner he helped with!

We kicked ourselves for not taking "before" pictures, but these are a couple of the "after" shots.



More of our summertime fun to come...

Oh Spring...How We Loved You!

Summer is in full force already, but I never posted any of our fun from the Spring. So, here ya go...

While the weather was so nice, we would hurry home from school and scooter or ride bikes around the neighborhood until it was time for supper. On weekends, we would scooter to nearby parks to play.

On our way to the park


Swinging


On our way back home...stopping for some "power"...aka grapes! : )


I enjoyed looking out into the backyard at our blooming rose bushes.


Rylie loved the weather, too!


We went to an outdoor event at Aunt Mari's work...there was fun for the kids, live music, and yummy food...we all had a fun afternoon!

Petting the miniature horses


Walking with Aunt Mari


We got our faces painted!


Just chillin


We had a wonderful Easter weekend, too. We celebrated with Grammy and Grampy at their house first. Then, the Gonzales family came to our house the next afternoon to hunt eggs and have lunch. We had fun watching the boys hunt for eggs in the backyard. Aidan was very into it this year...definitely collected the majority. Jason was a little distracted by the play set and having fun in the backyard. And, Gavin wasn't walking all that well yet, so he was content to find a few and then sit and watch the action. It was fun going through all the eggs with them afterwards and seeing what was hidden in each one!

Aidan with all his loot Easter morning...the Easter bunny was good to him!


Gavin trying out his new shoes (which he's already outgrown!).


My attempt to get a pic of the boys together


"Hunting" Eggs


Counting his eggs


"Peek-a-boo" Jason


Me and my boys


If only the spring-like weather would stick around a little longer...we sure did enjoy being out in it while it lasted! But, we are still looking forward to a fun summer. I only have 2 more weeks of work and then we're off until August! : )

Mother's Day

Today, I am reminded of these three things...three truths that I know and think of often, not just on this "special" day, but worthy of noting none-the-less...

1) I have the most wonderful mom in the world! She is the most giving, caring, kind-hearted, and strongest woman I know. She was dealt a crappy hand at a young age...lost her husband, was left alone with 2 babies, no degree, and no job. I'm sure she was a selfless mom from the day we were born, but I was too young to remember those days. What I do know is that in that time of despair, she picked herself up and chose to live for her babies...she created a world in which my brother and I felt much love and support, we never wanted for anything, and never really knew how hard times were for her...in that moment, before I really understood or knew it, she became my hero. And, now, I get to watch her with my children...amazing, once again. She would do anything for them, too! There were some rough spots...as there are for all families...but I truly do not know if I could have done what she did...in fact, finding out if I could is my greatest fear. I pray that none of us have to learn if we are that strong, but I thank God that my mom was and is today. Thank you for being such an awesome inspiration to me, mom. I only hope that I can be the same to my children. I love you more than I could ever describe Mom...Happy Mother's Day!


My mom, her mom, me, and my boys


2) I have an amazing Mother-in-Law! She has a huge heart and would do anything for anyone...whether family, friend, or stranger. She is always ready to lend a helping hand and support in any way possible. She is not possessive of her children...she has always let them spread their wings and fly...knowing that they were rooted and would return home. She is always very kind and understanding when "sharing" us at the holidays...I know I am very blessed in this area as many of my friends have a hard time with that! Mona, I love you, and hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day...we enjoyed spending it with you!


Mona and all four of her grandchildren


3) Last, but certainly not least, I am blessed every second of every day by the two reasons I am able to celebrate this day. I cannot even express how they have changed me and the love I feel for them...I know other mother's understand that! As I rocked Gavin to sleep tonight, and again as I patted Aidan a little while later, I was moved to tears by the overwhelming love I feel for them. As a friend once said, having children is like having your heart beat outside of your body...so true! Aidan and Gavin, thank you for calling me mommy and letting me share in all of your sweet moments. If all the boys and girls in the world were lined up for me to choose from, I would choose both of you! I love you more than you will ever know!


Me and my boys


Happy Mother's Day to all the moms in my life!!!

One Year Stats

I took Gavin for his one-year well check yesterday, and the doc confirmed that we have a big boy on our hands...

*He weighs 28 pounds and 9 ounces, which is off the charts for his age!
*He is 32 inches long, which is in the 95th percentile!

He is very healthy, though, and right on schedule with his development. He started walking today. He's been standing on his own and taking one step for a while now. But, this morning, he walked about 5 steps in the living room. He has only done it a couple more times throughout the day...10 or 12 steps was his max. A little more confidence and I think he'll be running before we know it!

I'll leave you with a fun pic from his birthday bash...riding his new 4-wheeler! : )

One

Gavin turned one today. It was right about this time last year that I was delivering him. RJ was on the side of the road somewhere between here and the valley listening to everything on the phone, and my mom and best friend Megan were with me in the delivery room. What a wild day that was. I woke up that morning with contractions, but denied it all day because RJ was gone on business, and I wasn't going to have this baby without him here. But, the contractions never stopped...I taught all day, came home and rested...drank lots of water hoping the contractions would go away. Finally, when I knew it was the real deal, I told RJ he needed to get on the road and come home. My mom took me to the hospital and by this time, there was no denying that Gavin was coming. We got to the hospital around 5:30 or 6:00PM and he was in my arms a few hours later.

After we had Aidan, RJ and I worried that we wouldn't be able to feel the same way about another child. We loved Aidan so much...how could it be the same with the 2nd? What we didn't know is that our hearts would grow that day and open wider to take in this new baby. Gavin has filled our lives with such joy...he has been like a ray of sunshine from the moment he was born. He is hands-down the best baby I've ever been around. He rarely cries...if he does you know something is really wrong. He is starting to get a little personality now and sometimes tries to show a little attitude, but he is still happy when he does it and usually laughs afterwards. He and Aidan have very different personalities. Aidan is our cautious child who thinks everything through and has a specific way he wants things to go. Gavin just goes for it. I have a feeling that he is going to be a little dare-devil because he is not afraid of anything. He is sweet, yet fearless.

What he is up to these days...
*He says a few words: Mama, Dada, tries to say Aidan (which is the cutest), uh-oh, no, more...
*He is cruising all around the furniture still and will stand on his own for quite a while. But, he will only take one step. Then he'll plop down and crawl. He is doing the one step thing more often now, so I suspect he'll take off any day.
*He "dances" when music comes on.
*He wakes up happy in the morning and shows me a smile when I go in to get him.
*He falls asleep in my arms at night and I hold him for a long time...this is one of the sweetest moments of my day.
*He has 4 teeth on top and 2 on bottom.
*He LOVES to eat and will eat as much as his big brother.
*He adores Aidan...he wants to be with him all the time and mimics everything he does.
*He loves to slide...head-first! His daycare has a small toddler sized playset...he will crawl up the stairs and then slide down...then crawl around and do it over and over again.
*He has become quite the escape artist...not only can he get out of all our barricades, but he has recently learned how to crawl out of his exersaucer (head-first again!)...can't use that to contain him anymore!

I am so blessed with my babies. I cannot imagine life without either of them, and I am so grateful to be able to experience being their mommy.

Gavin, your joy is contagious. I pray that you keep that quality about you all of your life. May you always have a joy in your heart and spread it to those around you. Thank you for all that you have brought to our family. Mommy and Daddy love you more than you will ever know!

Then

and Now

Firsts

Our boys are growing up so fast and experiencing new things every day. I've been thinking of all the "firsts" that they've both encountered lately, and I thought I would share them...

First Hair Cut...We took Gavin for his first hair cut. We were wanting it trimmed a little bit, but the lady just kept cutting and cutting. None of it seemed to phase Gavin at all, but I almost hyperventilated in the shop as I watched the hair keep falling! It is short and it makes him look so much older, but he is still a cutie-pie!
Before

After


First Time to the Driving Range...RJ has picked up a few golf clubs lately and started going to the driving range up the road...he is really enjoying learning about golfing and has been wanting to take Aidan with him. So, he surprised him one day with a club and took him out to the range. Aidan loved it and was so excited to tell me how good he did! He looks like such a big boy in these pictures!




First French Fry...Aidan loves McDonald's, and his little brother is taking after him! During a recent visit to McDonald's Gavin tried his first french fry...and second...and third, etc...and loved them all! : )




First Bike Ride...Santa left a big-boy bike for Aidan this Christmas, and we have just recently been able to get outside and let him try it out. He is hesitant at first and gets frustrated when he has a hard time, but he is doing well. He told me the other day that he wants to leave the "little wheels" (aka training wheels) on forever!


First Birthday...I cannot even believe I am about to write about this one. But, this past weekend, we celebrated Gavin's first birthday. The real day is tomorrow, so I will share more then. But, it was a wonderful day full of family and food and fun presents for the birthday boy!

Eating his first bite of cake

With all of his loot

Sweet Birthday Boy



Aidan and Gavin,
I am having the time of my life experiencing life through your eyes. I have enjoyed these "firsts" as much as you have, and I look forward to all the firsts of the future! I love you both so much...you make my heart full! Mommy