Our New Family Toy

Chris and I have been talking about things to keep the boys busy this summer and about getting something for them to play on in the backyard.  Since both boys love water (splashing, swimming, etc), we decided to get a pool.  I've been looking at several recently and this past Saturday, we went to Wal-Mart and got one.  It took just over an hour to set it up and several hours to fill.  It is not huge, but is big enough for the boys to play in.  We got the 12 foot x 30 inches one with a pump to keep the water moving.  Sunday afternoon (late) we went out to try out our new pool.  The water was freezing but the boys had a ton of fun.  Now all I need is a nice reclining lounge chair to sit in while they are playing in the pool. 

 

Set up and filling!!!

Still too short to climb in on his own

Wanted Daddy to throw him in!!

Getting adjusted to the cold!!!

 

See, I can fit

Where's my chair???

Okay, not the most flattering pictures of the adults, but hey, this is who we are!  :)

Spring Break 2013

This year we spent Spring Break at home.  Overall, we had a quiet week; stayed around the house most of the time, spent one day at the zoo, ran errands, had a doctor visit (not sick, just a check-up) and spent time together as a family and with friends.

Monday: The boys and I went to a doctor visit for David.  He has had some major nose/snot issues and we needed to get it checked out.  Long story short, his nasal passages were very swollen and blocked causing the snot back up.  After listening to the doctor tell him about having to blow his nose ALOT and take the nose spray every night or end up going to a special doctor who will have to stick something up his nose to clean it all out, he has decided to blow his nose often (and when prompted) and submit to the nose spray.  So far, the spray seems to be working.  He is less nasally sounding when talking, breathes through his nose more and can chew while keeping his mouth closed.  We are hoping that with all this clearing up, it will help him at school.  He was on the verge of a really nasty sinus infection and I am glad that we caught it in time!  After the doctor, we ran errands and had a fairly good day!

Tuesday: The boys helped Chris crush cans in the garage in the morning and then after lunch, David got to go on a ride around the block twice on Chris' motorcycle.  He really enjoyed it and we are looking to get him a helmet that fits properly soon.  Michael got to sit on the motorcycle behind Daddy, but didn't get to go riding since he has to be at least 5 years old (according to state law).  It is giving him something to look forward to when he turns 5 in August.  We also went to the playground down the street and the boys rode their bikes.  We had a race coming home and both Chris and I were a bit winded from following with the boys (Chris was pacing along side of David and I was pacing/running along side of Michael).  I think we all slept well that night!

Wednesday: We left early to go to the Houston Zoo for the day.  I have learned to pack light (we had one backpack that carried all we needed: lunch, snacks, drinks, extra change of clothes for the boys, wallet, keys, cameras, first aid kit, etc).  We took turns carrying the backpack (I had it for most of the time) and enjoyed lunch while there.  It wasn't totally crowded, but was busy since it was vacation time for many of the people in the area.  We left around 1:00/1:30 and both boys fell asleep before too long.  It was a great day! 

Thursday: Chris had to work, so the boys and I had a relatively quiet day at home.  We watched movies, read books, played games and just spent a mostly lazy day in the house.

Friday: Chris had to work again, so the boys and I had a quiet morning at home before spending most of the rest of the day running errands & grocery shopping. 



Ice Skating

This past Saturday, David was invited to attend a Pizza and Ice Skating birthday party for one of his classmates.  Michael and I tagged along.  We had a great time!  Chris had to work, so he missed out on all the fun, but got to see pictures at dinner (we met him at the McDonald's that is in Wal-Mart) and hear about it from the boys.  The boys had never been skating (any kind of skating) before and I haven't been skating since ???????  We all laughed so hard! 
The boys fell quite a lot at the beginning and then David took off and did great!  It was almost like watching someone who had skated several times before!  I think we found a sport that he can do well in.  Michael took a bit longer to get his rhythm, but when he did it was way too funny to watch!  I did good to take pictures while skating on the ice, so I wasn't able to get any video of his style.  It was kind of a penguin waddle, while running on his toes.  I did fine as long as no one touched me and was very proud of myself for staying on my skates the whole time!  I didn't fall, however, I did check Michael into the wall quite a lot when he would grab my leg!
Some of the pictures are dark, but enjoy them anyway!

 

 

Skates are on

David starting out

Michael trying to not fall

Holding on and having fun

'Breakdancing' on the ice
(actually falling, but doing a neat job of it!)
 

Look, I'm skating

Two tired and wet little boys and one aching Mama!
We skated for about 2 hours.

Christmas Advent Book Countdown

Aunt Liz (Rachael's sister) stopped by a little while ago with a gift for the boys: a basket of wrapped books to count down to Advent.  They get to open one book a night to read and count down the days until Christmas (there are 24 books).  The calendar has been marked with who gets to choose the book each night (have to take turns) and we opened and read the first one tonight (David got to choose!).  Aunt Liz has been doing this with Cousin Charlie and it is a wonderful idea!  I think that we will need to continue this tradition.....

 

 

Fun da Middle Cupcakes

I've wanted to try the Fun da Middle cupcake mix but haven't until today.  I bought the yellow cupcake mix that has chocolate in the middle.  I really like that it only makes 12.  Of course, after I got home I realized that I didn't have any cupcake liners, so Chris was nice and went to Randall's (the nearest store) to get some.  They really were easy to mix, fill & bake.  I had a can of ivy green cupcake frosting already in the pantry to top them with.

The boys and I had cupcakes after dinner tonight.

 

 



Fun

Not quite ready to fill Daddy's shoes, but trying to!

David jumping off the diving board



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....