Princess Mommy!

Lincoln discovered a photo album of pictures from our wedding weekend, and he was in awe!!!!  He loved to name all of the people he recognized from the rehearsal dinner . . . parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends!  Then he flipped to a picture of Mommy in her wedding dress, and he was totally amazed!  He gasped and said, "Hey!  It's Princess Mommy and she's so beautiful!"  He continued to tell me at each picture how beautiful I was with my princess dress and crown and how handsome Daddy was, too!  It was the sweetest thing ever!!!! 

New Swimming Excellence!

Linc started a new session of swimming lessons this week, and he was totally excited!  He was bouncing out of his chair while we waited for his class to start!  What a super swimmer he was . . . he loved his new swimming partner and had the best lesson ever!  Ms. Kerin is his teacher again, and she even bumped him up to the more advanced class.  He really did great.  There was a "crying girl" in his last session that occasionally made him a little wimpery, but he was all confidence this time.  Hooray for our little fishy!

 Beau is really interested in joining a swimming class, but he has to wait until January before I am ready to sign up for a "Mommy & Beau" session.  For now, he's content to watch as long as he has a snack!  What a sweet face!

This week is the first lesson in the fall semester, and I'm already thinking I'm crazy for signing up for a 5:30 class in Plano!  We made it with time to spare this week, but I actually left work on time and had zero traffic . . . that can't be the norm!  At least the kiddos had fun, and we were home and having dinner by 6:20.  A fun night for all - what's better than that???

A Shower for Baby Jackson

I was so honored to host a baby shower for Samantha and Baby Jackson this weekend. Nana and Marte were my co-hostesses, and they were the best! We came up with such cute ideas, and everything came together seamlessly on Saturday morning. We welcomed our guests with an easel decorated with the shower invitation and a cute book display.

 The sign in table also contained our party favors and more of our book theme.  Moon Pies went with the book Goodnight Moon, and Swedish Fish we with the book One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish.  Moon Pies aren't exactly easy to find . . . unless you're looking in the right place, which happens to be not at the grocery store but at the gas station!  Cute stuff!  The favors were a hit with the guests.

 It was easy to decorate with books because my boys have a million!  I have been sneaking them out of their baskets, and they were so excited to see some of their favorites.  Scott did the flowers, and they were amazing!  He totally outdid himself, but we loved all of the arrangements.

 The food table was my favorite part!  We had a yummy lunch all centered around our favorite books:  baked ham and cheese sandwiches (Green Eggs and Ham), chicken salad bites (Chicken Little), antipasto skewers and fruit skewers (The Very Hungry Caterpillar), and carrots and celery in ranch (The Tale of Peter Rabit).  Everything was really yummy and went along with the books perfectly. 

 Well, maybe my favorite part was really the dessert table!  We had an assortment of cookies for the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, and of course a cake from Stein's.  I took them our copy of Goodnight Gorilla, and they made an amazing cake!

 Ok I couldn't resist giving a closeup of the cake.  Not only was it super cute, it was super yummy too! 

 It was so nice to spend a few hours together and celebrate mommy-to-be.  We always spend our Friday evenings together, so it was a fun treat!

 I caught Samantha in a funny pregnancy pose while chatting with a few guests! 

We had a great group of ladies who joined us.  Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun.  Samantha received tons of great things: sweet baby clothes and blankets, diapering necessities, and a car activity station for holding toys next to the car seat.  (I think I need to purchase this asap!)

 Just a close-up of the beautiful flowers . . .  I'm actually the lucky recipient of the flowers after the shower.  The house is filled with arrangements, and I am loving that!

 Lincoln and Beau were not in attendance, even though they would have loved to party!  They headed out with Daddy and Pops for a little fun.  I understand they hit up the mall (for the escalators of course).  Baseball practice was also on the agenda.  They had so much fun! 

 These silly guys not only get to enjoy the leftover cake and cookies . . . they get to bang on the number block from the front door decoration!  They've been making a ton of racket on that thing!  Beau desperately wants to climb on it like his big brother so I had to put a stop to Linc's climbing and jumping off.  (But not before this picture was made post-jump!)

I had so much fun with the theme, Samantha received lots of great gifts, and we all enjoyed the yummy lunch and fun time together - I'd say that makes for a successful baby shower!! 

School Fun

School has been exceptionally fun this summer!  Linc's Pre-School Teacher has lined up so many exciting activities over the last few months.  They have had a visit from the firetruck, a petting zoo, a cotton candy party, a magic show, a movie day, a show from David the Chicken, fun stories from Ms. Cookie, a foam machine, a visit from the Science Man, pajama day, rides on a Choo Choo Train, a watermelon fest, and pony rides.  They have been seriously busy, and he's loved to tell us all about the fun he's been having.  In between all of the activities, he and his buddies have been recreating what they've experienced.  I picked him up on an afternoon after the petting zoo, and he and Oliver had built their own petting zoo.  He was crazy-excited to tell me all about it.  (I'm not sure why he has on orange goggles . . . the dress up area is pretty popular there . . . he regularly has on strange dress up clothes when I get there!)

 Daddy drops the boys off at school on most days, and he snapped a pic of Linc and Will taking their turn with the computer.  They LOVE when they get turns on the computer.  The games are mostly counting and matching.  It is crazy that my little guy knows how to work a computer!  He couldn't say "bye" fast enough once he learned it was his turn on the computer!

 Beau has been enjoying school too, but I don't really have any pictures to prove it.  He always comes home singing the latest songs and can name all of his friends in his class.  Carrying his backpack is a must!  Today was finger-painting, and I understand that he was very exuberant with this activity!  His shirt was completely covered with paint . . . thankfully they cleaned up his hands and face! 

I am so thankful for the ladies who teach them so much each day. Sometimes I'm so surprised at what they learn.  Lincoln was just telling me about "responsibility" the other day, and how one carries out acting "responsibly".  Amazing!  His class is studying the letter "J" this week, and he demanded that we stop to get grape jelly on the way home.  Apparently he's decided that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are cool now . . . we should have studied the letter "J" earlier!!!  

Silly Guys!

We are never at a loss for silly with our two little guys!  They keep us (and each other) in stitches and are always up to silly antics.  Beau loves to "ride" the stuffed doggie, and he does it with gusto!!  He loves to be silly and really understands that he's doing something funny while we're laughing.  He eats it up!!

 My original silly monster doesn't ever disappoint!  Linc found himself without shorts the other night and took full advantage of the opportunity for laughs.  I'm not sure why he needed to locate a fire hat, but whatever!  He ran in circles through the house, squealing with delight, and sliding all over the place in his socks.  Those are some skinny legs he's baring!

I'm so thankful for healthy, happy and silly boys.  Each laugh is like magic.  I just need to remember this on those not-so-happy days when bad moods come out. 

I feel like I need to document that DJ Linc is in the house tonight!  He smuggled a karaoke microphone into his bed without my knowledge.  It must have been hidden under a one of two pillows or one of three blankets . . . or more likely under Franklin the turtle, Charlie Brown, Linus, the rubber ducky, the train car, the teddy bear, the treasure map, or one of the 5 books he has piled up in the bed.  We seriously need to get a handle on the amount of things in that bed!  Anyway, I'm cleaning the kitchen at least 30 minutes after he went to bed when I hear some awesome remixes of Twinkle Twinkle, If You're Happy, Old MacDonald, and a few others.  He pushes a button on the mic to change the song then sings along.  I'm thinking I should confiscate that while he's sleeping later this evening.  I don't think I want to chance a repeat if he wakes up in the middle of the night!

Picture Time!!!

I was planning to try a new photo-enhancing software package and needed a few models to photograph . . . Linc and Beau were happy to stand in!  Well, I guess I shouldn't say they were happy.  I had to bribe them both to stand still for approximately 60 seconds each!  At least I got a couple of great pictures to work with, and I love the enhancements.  (I guess I should have added the "before" pics.  Oh, well!)  The shadow is perfect, and their tone looks great. 

I had fun taking pictures of my cute little guys . . . as if I didn't already take enough pictures of them.  They are so not interested!  It turns out that I didn't even use the new software I was thinking of trying out because the one I thought had expired was still working.  Thanks, Kodak!  

Beau is 17 Months Old!

Another month older for Beau means a ton of new things happening!  Unfortunately two of the things were not fun . . . he had Hand Foot Mouth Disease and Pink Eye since the 16 month post.  He also had tons of fun and lots of learning!  He's such a happy kid, but he's also very sure of himself and not afraid to voice what he wants out of life!  He can be the sweetest little guy one moment then throw a massive fit over not getting his way a moment later.  I think that's pretty normal, so we're just trying to move on to the next phase by not responding to the outburst.  But more often than not, Beau's totally my squeezable teddy bear!  He loves to cheese-out for pictures, and I love his happy face! 

 I haven't weighed him lately, but he was 28 lbs two weeks ago.  I would venture to guess he has gained a pound or two since then.  He loves to eat!!  As long as I'm serving up the good stuff, he'll eat for hours.  Sometimes I have to force him away from the table!  His faves:  rotini with meat sauce (see messy face picture!), baked fish, macaroni & cheese, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, fruit salad, rice, grilled chicken, bananas, hot dogs, and any type of cracker or cookie.  We had a little veggie boycott right around the time he had Hand Foot Mouth Disease, but he's back on track with steamed carrots, green beans and broccoli.  Linc has been such a great example to show him that eating veggies is fun! 

Beau has learned so many new words this month.  I know the 8 days he spent in isolation with me, Nana and Minnie (alternating) was a real catalyst in his language development.  He had a lot of words before that, but I think he finally understood the concept that words have meaning during that time.  He can repeat any word that you say, then use it again when he wants to communicate.  Beau is really purposeful and direct with his words and gets that he's telling me something, not just randomly saying words over and over.  What a smartie!!!  (Like I needed another "talker" around here . . . )  His latest words are:  night-night, oh-no, come on (complete with a hand gesture), stuck (because Linc's always trapping him in a closet or corner), open, close, door, happy (only said while eating at the table-we discuss making a happy plate with Beau and Linc, and Beau always makes a happy plate and loves to say "happy" when he's done!), back pack, clock, hol-vee (means hold me), and finally he's learned to say "Lincky"!  I love that he runs up to Lincoln and identifies him, and Beau even grabs something of Linc's and tells me that it's "Lincky's"!!!   

I swear Beau is the sweetest, smartest, silliest little 17 month old ever!!!!  I hate that he had a bad month of illness, but I'm happy that he's well today.  He's such a little sponge and lives life to the fullest.  I can't wait for another month to watch him grow even more.  Happy 17 months Beau!!

Getaway!

After a few stressful weeks work stuff and our case of Hand Foot Mouth Disease, Mommy and Daddy needed to take a quick getaway to recharge.  We headed south to Houston to get a little relaxation!  The Magnolia Hotel in downtown was amazing.  I spent a few hours at the rooftop pool enjoying the sun and a book . . . and a pool full of bachelor and bachelorette party participants!  It was awesome people-watching, and I'm so glad that I'm not 25 and in their group!!!!  Houston is seriously HOT right now . . . I was thinking I was prepared for that because Dallas is too, but that humidity is crazy!  Of course I didn't take a picture of me lounging by the pool, but I did snap one of Minute Maid park just a few blocks away because we were going there later in the day.

 We hung out a few of Daddy's favorite Houston places before we checked out an Astros game at Minute Maid Park.  As we were getting ready, I unloaded my purse of all sharp or weird-sized items, knowing that I would need to sit on it due to the crazy-hot seat I would get in the ball park.  Not true in Houston though . . . their ball park has a roof and is totally air conditioned!  This Rangers fan who only goes to games at The Ballpark in Arlington is seriously used to the heat, and this was an amazing change!  We didn't even break a sweat!  Unfortunately the Astros are terrible, but that meant that we got incredibly good seats just a few rows off the field.  I even found myself cheering for the home team!  They are joining our AL division next year, so I'll have to relinquish my one-time fan status. 

It was a fairly quick getaway, but Kevin and I had a great time together.  It's so weird for us to do anything without the boys.  This is only the second time I've left Beau for the night, and only the fourth time I've left Lincoln for the night.  Perhaps they would like me to do this more often . . . they had so much fun with Nana and Pops this weekend!  I got lots of text updates and pictures, they went on a couple of fun adventures, and everyone enjoyed the weekend.  Kevin and I slept until 11:00 on Sunday morning, and my response to Kevin's inquiry of when the last time we slept that late was February 2009.  We were greeted with "Welcome Home" signs and "We Missed You" artwork and lots of hugs!!!  We missed Lincoln and Beau while we were away and talked about them most of the time.  I think we were all happy to be reunited, and we quickly got back into the routine of home.  Thanks to Nana and Pops for taking great care of the boys and for following my crazy 3 page list of instructions, and thanks to Kevin for planning a fun weekend that was stress free and fun for this Mommy who never goes more than 15 miles away!  I think we need to do this again . . . I'm just not sure how soon! 

Hair Cuts!

It has been FOREVER since the boys got haircuts - almost two months!  We went super short last time, but this time I asked for short on the sides and back and a little left on the top.  Lincoln and Beau were so good at our visit to Cool Cuts.  Ms. Olivia and Ms. Shay were so sweet!  Lincoln picked to watch the Cars movie during his cut, and Beau got an Elmo movie.  They were both glued to the tv. 

It's possible that I got an email coupon last week for $7.99 cuts, and that's what spurred our visit.  They usually charge around $18, so that's a huge savings!  I noticed that the coupon expires on September 15 . . . I think we'll be getting our hair cut again that day!!!  These guys will look super sharp!

Snack Buddies

Snacks are serious business for these brothers.  I can't even say the word snack without Beau running to the pantry to beat on the door for food!  Lincoln is always telling me he's so hungry for a snack, and Beau is always ready to join in.  I think we keep Teddy Grahams, Goldfish, Animal Crackers and Ritz Mini Sandwich Crackers (both cheese and peanut butter) in business . . . and the grocery store shelves empty!!!  It is totally unbelievable how much these two can put away!  We gathered on the couch for a quick bite, and I captured these two munchers in typical fashion.  Beau gave me a strong "cheese" while Linc backed away with laughter. 

 We played some silly peek-a-boo while snacking.  These guys have so much fun!

 Happy days like this one are the best!!!  I love my little snackers.  I try to offer healthier options for them, and they are usually game.  Occasionally they get Oreos or some other cookie treat (because I'm such a cool, easy-going kinda Mom - ha!), but we keep it fairly straight. 

What a fun Friday!  We had a visit to the library, a quick stop at Mommy's office (because Ms. Aimee has chocolate and Linc wanted to pay her a visit!), tons of playing and our usual fun dinner at Mi Cocina with Nana and Pops and the Hoggs.  We've got a lot more fun in store this weekend, so stay tuned!

Wordless Wednesday

No words necessary  . . .

Super Fun Playdate!

We had the most fun afternoon!  Linc's buddies from school came for a playdate, and we had the best time.  Will and Cooper are two of Linc's favorite friends, and he was insanely excited that they could come over to play.  He was busy planning snack options, filled the snack cups with fruit and goldfish, and even told me which tray to serve the snacks on!  The fun was everything he had hoped for, and all the guys were so well-behaved.  I laughed so much at the silly make-believe stories they were telling. 

It wasn't a total boy party because Will brought little Quinn, and Cooper brought little Lauren.  These two sweet girls were just precious.  They are both turning one soon, and they were so sweet.  They are both used to big brothers, so the boy-overload wasn't a big deal to them.  I'll never get to buy cute bubble suits or ruffles, but I did get to enjoy that for a few hours today.  Quinn might have stolen a few snack cups and sippy cups, and Lauren was happy to go with the flow.  Thanks to the girls for being so fun!

 Beau made the best of both worlds - - he hung out with the girls for a bit and enjoyed a little flirting and snacking.  He's such a beast but was pretty sweet with them.  He kept pointing at them and saying "girls"!!!  After a while, he ventured over to the boys-only clubhouse that the guys had constructed.  I wasn't sure if the older guys would consider Beau a "boy" or a "baby", but they invited him in to their lair.  He stayed on the outskirts but appreciated that they left the door open. 

I also had a super fun time with the mommies!  Ann and Stephanie are great to hang out with, and we had lots to talk about.  We all have kids at the same ages, they have all turned out pretty smart and funny, and we seem to have (somewhat) similar parenting styles.  (I'm sure they disagree with that last point, as they witnessed my germaphobia today.  I tried to tone it down a bit, but I do think that they think we are crazy around here!)  We will all miss Will and Quinn so much when the Drapers move to Fort Worth soon.  I am the most impressed that the kids played so well together.  No fights, lots of sharing, rarely a tear, and plenty of laughing . . . I think everyone was on their best behavior!  It always amuses me to watch Lincoln play with his peers.  These kids were making up crazy stories to act out, and their imaginations were blowing my mind!  I know I'm a bit partial, but I think Cooper, Will and Lincoln  (and Beau, Quinn and Lauren) win the gold star of playdates today.  Sooooo . . . what are the Drapers and Lees doing next Sunday afternoon????  Come back soon!

Baking Assistants

On this super warm Saturday, indoor activities were a must!  It's not forever hot like last summer, but it's been at least 108 degrees several days this week and 101 degrees today.  Beau and I hit up Hobby Lobby while Daddy and Linc went to (indoor) baseball practice.  After lunch, we decided to make cake balls!!!  Nana always makes them for birthdays, and we thought we should give it a try too.  I had two little helpers that were much more interested in eating snacks and playing with kitchen tools than actually helping me with the process.  I'm secretly thrilled that they didn't contribute any germs to the mix!!!! 

It turns out that making cake balls requires lots of patience because there's quite a bit of down time between steps.  Interestingly enough, neither Linc nor Beau possess very much patience.  After an excruciatingly long wait while the cakes baked and cooled, we were able resume activities and mix the crumbled cake the the icing.  Messy stuff, but again my helpers were happy to stand at the counter but do other things.  I guess I'm glad I was the only one covered in sticky cake!  So we're all excited that we're making cake balls . . . until Mommy ruins the fun and announces they have to firm up in the fridge for half an hour.  Nooooooo!  Another wait begins, and I am asked at least 100 times by Lincoln if the cake balls are ready yet.  When the time finally comes, we melt the bark and get to dipping.  Beau had a cup of Lucky Charms and was no way interested in what were doing, but he did insist on being near.  (I don't think he left the kitchen all day!!)  Linc was the official sprinkler, and sprinkle he did! 

 After all of that hard work, it was finally time to taste the finished product.  Success!!!!  The boys loved their strawberry cake balls with sprinkles.  Lincoln has never had strawberry cake and kept asking me why they put strawberries in there.  I don't remember why I bought that one a few weeks ago, but it was a fun surprise.  Beau didn't seem to care about the fact that it was strawberry.  He just said "cake" a few million times and chomped it up!

 Baking (waiting) is hard work, so we headed out to our favorite dinner spot to relax and enjoy a good meal.  The guys were so well behaved during dinner!  I was cleaning up our table at the end of the meal and only had to pick up one piece of food off the floor.  Our waiter even thanked me for our considerate behavior and neatness!  (He must not have been our waiter the time I gave Beau rice at that restaurant . . . it.was.a.disaster.)

My chatting with the waiter was taking too long so the guys went to play outside.  A little table drumming made everyone laugh!  I think they were all sweating after 5 minutes of activity!

After a long day of baking, playing and eating, we're all pretty happy.  There was only one brother-fight on record today, and Beau won.  Unfortunately, he bit Linc on the arm.  Linc was trying to take a toy away from Beau, and Beau wasn't having it.  Beau got a stern talking-to, and Linc got a band-aid.  I don't like biters, and Beau hasn't been one at all.  Hoping this is just a one-time thing!  We all had a happy day, lots of laughs, nice naps and yummy treats.  I think we're handling these 100+ degrees days pretty well.  But oh, how I dream of 75 degrees . . . October, please hurry!

Just Cute Stuff!

Wednesday's swimming lesson was super fun!!!!  It was Water Safety Week, and the kids really enjoyed the boating lesson!  Lincoln was thrilled to get in the boat and loved to float in his life jacket.  He told me later all about shouting for "help" and for a grown up to call "91".  (He didn't get all of 911, but he was the only one of the kids to get the concept!  I'll take that!)  We stopped for a Slurpee at 7/11 after the lesson, and Lincoln won over the store manager with all of his chatting and cuteness.  We have been promised free Slurpees on our next visit . . . Lincoln can charm anyone!

 Thursday was a Nana and Pops Day, and the boys really had a great time!  Nana is great to text me pictures of all of the fun throughout the day.  After naps, they got busy with crafts . . . Linc was painting and Beau was stamping.  I loved the artwork that they proudly showed off.  I was told that they enjoyed an indoor camp out, fun parachute games, lots of cinnamon rolls, and plenty of books and craft projects.

 After a full day inside, we needed to get out and socialize.  Our trip to Tom Tom was quite eventful!  Lincoln marched all through the store telling everyone who would listen what was on his list.  He informed a man in the freezer section that we weren't buying Popsicles today because we still had some at home, but that we would buy the shape Popsicles when we ate all of the ones in the freezer.  Thanks to that guy who politely acknowledged Linc's story!  While grabbing another (probably the millionth) gallon of milk, Beau spotted a box of Cheez-Its within grabbing distance.  He held on to the box with a death grip!!! 

 Cheez-Its weren't on the list, but I couldn't pry the box out of his hands.  We continued our shopping for at least five minutes while he kept the box safely in his grasp.  I'm thinking I'd rather buy a whole box of Cheez-Its for $2.00 than this box of 10 little individually packaged bags for $5.00, but he's breaking my heart with his cuteness . . . ok, I'm sold!!  

Seconds after I took this picture and texted it to Daddy, we pulled up to the yogurt section.  Beau dropped the Cheez-It box in less than a second and demanded strawberry yogurt!  Win-win for all!  We dumped the Cheez-Its and bought the yogurt that we were out of and saved $$$.  Food is serious business for Beau!  These guys never fail to entertain me!  I never know what the next day holds for us, but I'm praying for fun-fun-fun!  It's Splash Day at school, followed up by the mobile library and the ice cream truck!