Beach "Vacation"

This past weekend we had a little beach vacation with Seth's parents.  I use the word "vacation" very loosely because I wouldn't consider anything with little children a restful experience right now.  Especially when the youngest one decided to pull an all-nighter the first night we were there...

We drove to Mustang Island in Port Aransas to let the boys experience the beach for the first time.  I have made many memories here over the years and hope they will too!

Jake got right down to business.  Playing in the sand.  He was ob-sessed.

Drew in the sand was a different story.  Because Drew was literally IN the sand.  It was everywhere and he was such a mess.  It would get on his hands, he would rub his eyes, cry because sand was in the eyes...repeat.

So happy and in his element!  Jake didn't really care for the ocean as much as the big sandbox to play in.  I know he will love coming back with his friends one day!

A few moments of relaxation.

Building sandcastles with Popo and Nonnie.  They were good sports!

And here we go...

Drew, on the other hand, loved crawling in the water.  The saltwater didn't seem to bother him and we would carry him back when he got too deep and he'd do it all over again.

Daddy and Drew

Popo and Nonnie with their grandsons

Family picture - they were mad we stopped their playing to take a quick picture.  We're such tyrants.

For any of you that have been to Port A, remember when this was just a little shark mouth??  They had built a HUGE shark in front of the souvineer shop and Jake was obsessed with this.  He requested to see the big shark about 1,000 times.  We even had to drive a different way out of town on the way home so we wouldn't pass it again!

Almost the same size, right?

Look at those teeth.  We told Jake we had to leave because the shark had to eat dinner and we didn't want to be his food.  Jake said the shark was "probably going to eat a sandwich?  With strawberries and Cheetos?"

We had a lot of fun and were so proud of how well the boys did in the car!  (I'd like to thank Target and their $5 Batman movies...) I don't think we're up for a 5 hour drive again anytime soon but at least we survived with relatively little crying and all our hair.  

But speaking of relaxing...

Seth and I will be going on a REAL-LIVE VACATION in just a few weeks!  Yes, I will be laying out at that pool and reading books and magazines all day.  And sleeping if I want.  And eating when I want.  And talking to friends when I want.  

Uninterrupted.  

If you didn't catch my point.

(Cue Hallelujah chorus)

Things Jake Says (Part 2)

I could probably write a novel just on the funny things that Jake says.  His vocabulary has grown like crazy and he sometimes has us wondering just where he learned certain words!  

(We will never let our friend Garrett hear the end of it because one time Jake randomly said a bad word and when asked who taught him that he said, "Mr. Garrett".  HA!)

(He didn't really teach him the word.)

(To my knowledge at least.)

(And I didn't either, just for the record!)

I try to keep a list of the really funny things but I only have so many pieces of paper.  So...

-Chic Fil A is "Chick elay".  It used to be "Choo Choo lay".  He looooves going there and will point out the restaurant if we drive by.

-As all little boys, he is obsessed with superheros.  His favorite is Batman and he has been talking about his Batman birthday party for FOREVER.  Months.  He also wants to be Batman for Halloween and wants Drew to be "Jokert".  NOT Joker.  Jokert.  (We also eat dinnert).

-Instead of Humpty Dumpty, he calls him "Honky Donky".  Hysterical.  He has changed it a couple times to "Hunky Dunky".  But he will say the nursery rhyme like this, "Honky Donky sat on a wall, he fell off and the egg broke!  All the king's horses couldn't put him all back together??" (While shaking his head side to side)

(Carousel ride from a date with Mommy a couple weeks ago - I know, I'm super cool!)

-His friends Macie & Lexi were the ones who introduced him to the applesauce pouches.  So now he calls it "MacieLexi applesauce".  He would even request it at school.  I'm sure his teachers thought we were nuts.  We also have MacieLexi milk (boxed milk) and MacieLexi popsicles (Go-Gurt).

-Instead of fish sticks, we eat "fish nuggets".  Chicken spaghetti is also "chicken nugget spaghetti".

-He calls Drew "Little Boy Drew" and "Drewbie".  Sometimes I call Drew "Captain Crazy" because he is just that.  I told Jake he would be "Captain Cookie" because he loves cookies and he looked at me like I was a moron and said, "No, I'm just Jake".  He also says that if I call him "Jake the Snake".  He'll say "I'm not a snake, I'm a big boy". :)

(Again, from our date...lunch at Panera.  So happy to get some one-on-one time with Mommy!)

-The other day we were reading a book about God and at the end he said "Amen!...oops, not amen!" and got a little embarrassed.  It was so cute.

-When we say something like, "Hey, who did that?", he'll say "I!" instead of me.

-Jake still calls his lovey his "bay bay".  We usually try to correct him but this one is just too cute to change.

-I make pigs in a blanket a lot and Jake gets confused sometimes and calls them "towel pigs".  Same general idea, right? :)

-It's funny because when you have kids, you realize things you must say a lot.  Jake frequently says, "Oh man!" and always works "probably" into sentences...not always in the correct way.  It cracks me up because he uses it so seriously.  For instance, I'll give him his lunch and he'll look at it, make a face and say something like, "I probably don't like that.  I probably not hungry no more.".  HA.  

-He rolls his eyes at me.  A lot.  We have seen some major 'tude lately.  If I ask him to do something he doesn't want to do, he'll point his finger at me and say, "NO, no no no no no no no."  So sweet.........

(You know I'm sarcastic, right?)

-The other day he told me Drew got 2 pops for having a dirty diaper!  Not sure where that came from but he's also started putting toys in time out.  Specifically Batman and Woody.  They are the worst behaved.

-Jake remembers everything!  When we went to the store today he asked if we were getting a Batman costume (for Halloween).  I talked about that weeks ago.  He just doesn't let it go!  Definitely the most strong-willed little kid I know.  He is really observant and pays attention to little details.  We will read a book with a huge dinosaur on the page and instead he will point out a little bird in the corner.  When driving he will point out letters on signs ('Look, there's a "B"!) or pictures on billboards (do they have to be impressionable at such a young age??)

This doesn't even begin to capture everything but I really wanted to write this down so that I can look back and maybe remember some of these cute things!  I'm sure we'll have a Part 3 sooner than later. :)

"Chi Chi" Reunion

A couple weekends ago, I was lucky enough to have a girl's weekend with some of my best friends!  Seth got some quality time with our boys and I got a much-needed break and quality time with the girls!

We got together on Friday so that Jake and his buddy Noah could hang out.  They loooove playing (and bathing) together!

On Saturday we had a terrible morning at the spa.  Just miserable.  Massages and pedis, could it get any worse?? ;)

Susan, Me, Dabney, and Paula

(We realized afterward it was maybe awkward...or illegal...to take pictures in the locker room.  Oops.)

We spent a fun afternoon at the Galleria and then went to dinner and a movie.  Without children, might I add.

I just had the idea to post a group picture of us from middle school but I think I might lose all my readers.

I love these girls so much and can't wait until we get together again - hopefully before next year!

Drew - 13 Months

Drew, 13 months has come and gone.  I feel like you've grown up a lot this past month.  You are starting to understand more and are trying harder to communicate!  This age is both fun and hard...I love seeing it a second time around.

You weigh 20.6 lbs and are getting bigger everyday!  You're now wearing size 12-18 month clothes, a size 4 diaper, and size 3 shoes.

You have 9 teeth now.  This includes 2 random molars that have come in on top (plus the top front 4 and 3 in bottom front).

You have yet another ear infection.  This is really the only type of "sickness" you've had and I feel terrible because you have them all the time!  You have a check up in a few weeks and if it's still there we will go see an ENT.  I thought this was the saddest picture.  We were outside playing last week and you just laid your ear on this chair while Jake played.

You are such a cuddlebug and love to snuggle with us.  You love to give hugs and kisses, wave goodbye, clap, and can sign "all done".  

You have the cutest curls in the world!  I might cry the day we have to cut these off!  They really start to get crazy when you are sweating or outside.  And on that note, you love to go outside!

You've started to develop a little "temper" this month.  If you don't get something you want, you will scream until Mommy gives in.  And you usually want toothbrushes, chapstick, water bottles, or my food.  Sometimes you will even "tripod" on the floor with your head on the ground for a couple seconds.  You're still young enough for this to be cute. :)

You are so so busy.  You are always hot or sweating because you move so much.  Here I caught a rare shot of you sitting still. :)

You say "mama", "dada", "uh-oh", "dog", "Tucker", and "bath".  I really think you might have said "Jake" yesterday but am not sure...

You loooooove dogs.  You point and shriek "DA!" when you see one (or any other animal).  It's so cute.

You definitely love to eat.  The only thing you don't like is fruit (but you will eat applesauce).  You will touch it to your lips, make a bad face, and throw it on the floor.  Crazy kid.  You LOVE little smokies, grilled cheese, hot dogs, mac & cheese, yogurt, beans, and pretty much everything else we eat.

You still have some separation anxiety but will immediately go to mommy, daddy, Nana, Nonnie, Aunt Kim, and Miss Gloria (your Sunday school teacher.  You and Jake have both LOVED her.)  Let's hope this gets better soon!

You aren't walking yet but are so close.  You will walk between pieces of furniture or will take a couple steps before falling down and crawling.  You are standing independently for longer periods of time now as well.  I'm afraid that when you do start walking it will quickly turn into running!

Drewbie, you are such a sweet little boy!  Just stop growing up quite so fast.

Strike a Pose...Vogue...

We just got Drew's 1 year pictures in the mail so I was anxious to share them with y'all!  The pictures turned out pretty good considering the session was a borderline disaster.  It was windy, almost past bedtime, and Drew hated his birthday cake...as you'll soon see...

I love a good family picture! We are so blessed.

Not listening and laying on the ground sometimes pays off and turns out to be a cute picture - ha!

Drew and his crazy hair

One of my favorites!

Love these little boys and their sweet little moments!

WHY DO YOU LOOK SO OLD?!

We did a short cake smash at the end of our session.  Let's just say it didn't really go as planned.

Why would you give me cake?!  I want meat and cheese! :)

Clearly I am obsessed with having and taking pictures (don't even get me started on the boxes of middle/high school pictures in the closet) but I wouldn't trade these for anything.  I love having these memories to look back on!!

This Just In...

There was a screen protector on my screen protector.

All is well with my soul.

So This is Where He Gets it From...

I just wasted 30 minutes of my day trying to successfully install a clear screen protector on my phone.

(Sidebar: why do we get these cool sleek phones and then spend just as much money buying things to protect them?  Gosh, I wish I was in the smart phone protection business.)

I made sure there was no dust in my vicinity, I washed my hands, the kids were in their rooms, nothing could go wrong...I was in the ZONE.

And why?

Just like Phelps, Strugg, Kerrigan, and all other Olympians who have gone before me, I was about to attempt the most important screen protector installation of my life.  

And I botched it.

I immediately called Seth to let him know of our 911-esqe situation.

Mary:  I AM ABOUT TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK!  I SCRATCHED UP THE SCREEN PROTECTOR ON MY PHONE AND THERE ARE AIR BUBBLES EVERYWHERE!

Seth:  Wait, you scratched the screen on your phone?

Mary: NO I SCRATCHED THE SCREEN PROTECTOR AND I COULD.JUST.DIE.  MY DAY IS RUINED.

Seth:  But it's just the screen protector?

Mary:  THAT IS NOT THE POINT.  I WANT TO STOMP AROUND AND GO OUTSIDE AND SCREAM BECAUSE I WAS IN THE ZONE AND I SCREWED IT UP ANYWAY.

Seth:  Is this really an emergency?

Clearly it's obvious that men don't understand anything.

And the next time Jake's Nutri-grain bar breaks in half on accident, I will be a little more sympathetic. Because now I know it truly is almost like the end of the world.

(Don't even act like you didn't already think I was crazy)

Weekend in East Texas

Last week I got brave and took the kids sans Seth to East Texas to visit my mom and grandparents.  Luckily Aunt Rachel stepped up to ride in the car with me because everyone knows how fun 5 hour car rides are with 2 kids that don't love the car!  They did awesome on the way there...not so awesome on the way home...but we survived so that is all that counts! :)

I hated that it was so hot outside because there are lots of fun things for Jake to explore in their yard.  So we would stay outside for 30 minutes or so then come inside for a popsicle!

Jake helped Papa hang his flag.  He also watered a lot of flowers, sorted through pinecones, looked for bugs, and played in the dirt.  A little boy's dream.

Such a shame they got all the attention.

"Batman" and his cape after dinner one night.  The superhero took off a little too quickly after the meal and it ended up on Nanny's nice carpet.  Major party foul.

Can't forget about Superman!

You think it's hard to get 2 kids to all look at the camera?  This was probably take 30/120.  :)

We had a lot of fun catching up and Jake did not want to leave!  But then he remembered Daddy was at home and that was enough incentive to get back in the car.  

Thanks for having us Papa, Nanny, and Nana!

Keeping Mama on Her Toes

Lately I've had a lot of people make comments like, "Wow, those boys keep you so busy" or "When do you get time to rest?" (answer: not often). Clearly it's obvious that my hands are full! 

(Moms of 5 kids, stop rolling your eyes)

Drew is a little TORNADO.  When Jake was this age, he could sit still for long periods of time.  He would sit on the bathroom counter while I got ready in the morning and nothing was destroyed.  

Now do a 180 and I'll introduce you to...

Drew.

My word.  He is the funniest little boy and is constantly moving.  He gets into everything and it has completely thrown us for a loop.  I use to laugh at those moms that didn't trust their kids with fingerpaint, Play-doh, and other things that could get messy.

Yeah.  It will be a long time before Drew gets to fingerpaint. :)

Trying to put his shoes on...we do this a lot.

Turning 1 has also meant learning how to throw a little baby tantrum.  Very dramatic!

How can you not love this kid?

Not to invade Jake's privacy or anything, but he was just making the silliest faces on the potty yesterday.  Mr. Personality!

Little did we know that little brother was pooping in the bathtub when I turned my head.  See?  A MESS!

"Cheese"!

Good dental hygiene is super important.

Ah, don't we all feel better now?  You got your picture fix and I don't feel as guilty anymore.  

Now I can get back to my summer TV schedule which, I must admit, is just fabulous.  Is anyone else loving the new Dallas??!

This Drew is Made for Walkin'

Look who is finally starting to get more confident on his feet!

He's definitely still a crawler but just this evening, Drew has started standing on his own and taking more steps at a time.  

 

I realized after I took this video that he is wearing the same pjs as Jake in one of his first walking videos...we love us some hand-me-downs!

 And now I will go hide behind a pillow and cry.

 (After I watch these videos 27 more times)

Well...?

Jake's reaction when I told him I needed to post on the blog ASAP...

My thoughts exactly.