Yearly Check Ups

Today the boys had their yearly well child check up with the doctor.  It went really well until they were informed that they would be getting a flu shot.  Michael did really well waiting but David had a major crying fit!  He was mostly cried out by the time he got the shot, but refused to cooperate with the nurse an tensed up his arm.  That only makes it hurt but he wouldn't listen.  We have a very stubborn boy when he wants to be that way!

Anyway, the boys are really healthy and growing right on schedule.

David (age 7, will be 8 on Saturday): 4' 5" tall and 64 pounds

Michael (age 6): 3' 9.88" tall and 48 pounds

Overall, the doctor was very happy with their growth and progress.  They both laughed when tickled and he said that was a good sign!  Of what, I am not sure.

August is Birthday Month!

August is the Birthday Month for the Larkins Family.
 

Yep, all 4 of us have birthdays in August.
 

No, we don't have Birthday Cake all month long.
 

This year we decided to have one big party to celebrate the boys' birthdays and picked a Saturday about halfway between the two.  We rented a water slide bouncy house and set up the backyard for fun!  The bouncy house was at one end of the back yard while the pool was at the other end.  We placed the food and cake on the side with chairs grouped near by.  Over all, it was a great day!  The party officially started at 1:00 with a 'come-and-go' feel.  We cooked hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner for those still hanging out with us in the evening.  Everyone seemed to have a good time and the boys loved it! 

 

Putting stickers on the bubble bottles that went into the goody bags.

The 5-n-1 water slide bouncy house

David picked Spiderman for his cake,

Michael picked Batman for his cake.



David used the money he got for his birthday to buy what he wanted.
What little he had left went into his piggy bank.

Michael used the money he got for his birthday to buy what he wanted.
He decided to put what he had left over in his piggy bank!

 

Yearly Check-Up

The boys had their yearly Well-Check on August 7 this year and got great news!  They are both extremely healthy and free of ear wax build-up.  Yes, that last part is a huge answer to prayer since last year was bad with the Great Wall of Ear Wax for both boys (especially Michael). 

David's Stats:  Age: 6 11/12
                      Height: 50" (75-90%)
                      Weight: 53.5 pounds (50-75%)
                      BP: 102/60
                      Vision screen wasn't done since he had his eyes checked by an eye doctor back in June and is now wearing glasses for reading purposes (even though we make him wear them most of the time). 


Michael's Stats:  Age: 5
                        Height: 43.25" (50-75%)
                        Weight: 42.5 pounds (50-75%)
                        BP: 92/56
                        Vision Screen: 20/30 for both eyes

Doc said to keep on doing what we are doing (allergy meds, vitamins, fiber chews, etc) and that they are extremely healthy.  No concerns at this time.

Yeah!!!

Rest Time

Sunday afternoon 'Rest Time' at our house is usually pretty quiet.  The boys usually get to watch a movie while laying on their pillows on the couches and covered with their blankets.  Not yesterday.  Both boys lost the movie privilege so David was sleeping on his bed and Michael was on the small couch. 

He eventually fell asleep... 

Sheba likes to sleep on the couch as well.  She also likes their blankets.

 

David's 6th Birthday

We celebrated David's birthday with just us at home this year.  Chris took the boys out to breakfast at IHOP (Mama had to be at school for inservices) then to Toys-R-Us to pick out his gift from Grandma Bambi & Grandpa Mel.

 

Gifts from Mama & Daddy

Gifts he picked out from Grandma Bambi & Grandpa Mel

New bicycle from Grandma Lela & Grandpa Dave
(Daddy helped pick it out)

 

Michael's 4th Birthday

We decided to celebrate Michael's birthday simply this year.  We got together with Chris' mom and step-dad at Gatti Town  to celebrate.  We had a cake and the boys got to play in the arcade with Daddy & Grandma after dinner.

 

Gift from Mommy & Daddy (and Sheba!)

New bicycle from Grandma Lela and Grandpa Dave
 (Daddy helped pick it out)

Dinosaur and Alligator (he picked them out) from
Grandma Bambi & Grandpa Mel

 

Zoo fun

Last Wednesday (July 25), we went to the zoo.  It was a really nice day with little to no chance of rain for the morning/day.  It was rather hot and muggy, but few people in the morning.  We got there around 9:30 and left at about 1:00.  Just as we were leaving the area, it started to rain!  Talk about good timing!  We took the boys on the carousel and through the Dinosaur exhibit.  They really enjoyed it!

Chris took some really good pictures of the animals....

Blue Bell Tour

Thursday, July 12, we drove up to Brenham to tour the Blue Bell Creamery.  Of course, the weather wasn't very good (rained pretty much the entire drive there), but traffic was rather light.  Once we got to Brenham, the rain stopped and it was nice.  They weren't very busy and we got there about 5 minutes before a tour started.  Perfect timing!!

The boys did great and had a good time.  They were making ice cream sandwiches (regular & mini sizes), fudge pops, half-gallons of several different flavors and 3 gallon tubs of Dutch chocolate. 

The boys each chose Mint Chocolate Chip for their free scoop, Chris chose Southern Blackberry Cobbler and I had Key Lime Pie.  Since additional scoops were only $1 each, I had a scoop of Christmas Cookies in July and Chris got Mocha Almond Fudge & Red Velvet Cake.

Since Bella came with a DVD player built-in, the boys got to watch Kung Fu Panda on the way there and The Incredibles on the way home.  Made for a much better trip!! 

The weather on the trip home was nice and we stopped for a late lunch in Bellville. 

Skull Caps for the boys

I have decided to try my hand at making skull caps/riding caps.  About 2 weeks ago, I made one for Chris and it turned out pretty good.  I created the pattern out of tracing paper, using an old one as a base.  I have since refined the pattern and it is pretty darn great!  When the boys saw the one Daddy has, they decided they wanted one as well.  So, after going through Mama's drawers of fabric, they both decided on a Scooby-Doo camo print. 

Again, they are pretty darn great!  I can honestly say 'I'm good.'

Daddy with his cap

The boys with their new caps.  Looking good....

Hmmm.  Does the cap change behavior? 
Nope, I don't think so!  This is a normal stance for the boys....

Pool Fun

We decided to get a pool for the boys to play in this summer and they really enjoy playing in it! Even Sheba had fun. 

We found out the last time we had the pool full that all 4 of us will fit rather nicely, as long as no one moves around! 

Sorry, but I didn't get any pictures of all of us in the pool.  :(

David's Kindergarten Graduation

Wednesday, May 30, 2012 was the Kindergarten Graduation Ceremonies at Stephen F. Austin Elementary School.

David's class was 2nd in line and he did really well!  We are so proud of him!

Waiting for the kiddos to walk across the stage.

When we got there (30 minutes early), there weren't any seats left,
so Michael entertained himself on the portable basketball goal post.

The Principal of the school speaking at the beginning.

Now that they are all done, they sang to us.

See, I did it!!

David with his teacher, Mrs. Mahar.