Tuesday, April 16, 2013

{Our First Family Roadtrip: Jackson, MS}

We survived our first family roadtrip!  Chat really wanted to take me and the boys to visit his alma mater -- Millsaps College in Jackson, MS.  We originally had this trip planned in March, but Ben got sick and we didn't want to risk being so far away from the medical care in Houston.  So we rescheduled and boy did it not disappoint!  Other than a long drive home on Sunday due to Ben not napping really, it was a wonderful time.  I think we all had a blast and I personally felt relieved that we did it and that it was a success!

We headed out bright and early on Friday morning.  Our goal was to be on the road by 9:00 am and we beat the clock and was out the door by 8:45.  We were trying to get to Lafayette, LA by noon with no stops.  The boys did pretty well for the most part between movies and me singing (the favorite -- Luke Luke Bo Buke Banana Fana Fo Fuke Fe Fi Fo Fuke LUKE!).  Ben started to get a little fussy and tried to fall asleep, so I had to work hard to keep him awake.

We actually managed to get there on schedule without Ben falling asleep or driving us nuts and pulled into a Chick-Fil-A a little bit before noon.  We ate and let the boys get their wiggles out at the little play area there.  Chat left and went and got gas and the boys played hard.  It is so cute, Luke finds friends wherever he goes now.  He is one friendly little guy and never seems to meet a stranger!
 
That blur is Luke running around like crazy at Chick-Fil-A!
 
We were back on the road by 12:45.  Ben fell asleep by about 1:15 (yay!!!!!!!!) and Luke fell asleep closer to 2:00.  They slept the rest of the drive!  Talk about a huge relief.  Chat and I were able to relax a bit more and also talk a bit which is always nice.  Luke is great in the car because he really watches the DVD player, but Ben is a crap shoot.  Sometimes he watches, but he usually needs more entertainment...usually from me which can be pretty exhausting for a long road trip.  We pulled into Jackson right around 4:00 pm and headed to the hotel to check in.
 
Oh, so happy to see this!
 
We stayed at the Cabot Lodge, a local hotel right near campus.  It took us only about 30 minutes to check-in, get all the luggage up to our room and freshen up before Chat was ready to head to the baseball field.  We got there about 4:30 pm for a game that started at 6:00 pm.  We said hello to a few people at the field then Chat walked the boys and I around the Millsaps campus.  Although very small compared to the campus I am used to (Go Texas!), it was beautiful.  It was hilly with lots of green grass and beautiful buildings.  The boys loved running around...especially after a 7 hour car ride. 
 
Checking out the Conference Champion trophy Chat helped win!
 
Running around the fountain on campus.
 
Picking up sticks
 
Running in "The Bowl"
 
Monkey see...
 
Monkey do.
 
 
After we walked around for awhiel, we headed back to the field.  The game that night was a lot of fun for all of us.  The boys ran around while Millsaps beat their opponent which made Chat soooo happy.  Luke met two little friends -- one a little 3-year-old girl and they played hide-and-seek and the other a little 2.5-year-old boy named Cobb and they played trains.  Both Ben and Luke met a friend together -- a 12-week-old puppy named Charlie.  They were in heaven playing with that little guy! 
 
Luke sitting in the bleachers at the game.
 
Luke and his new friend Cobb (and Thomas and James of course!)
 
Luke and Charlie the puppy
 
After the game, there was a check presentation for alumni who have given to the baseball program for Grand Stands.  Chat was able to go up there and it was a nice little ceremony.  Afterwards, there were hotdogs and hamburgers for everyone and we all just stood around or found a curb to sit and eat dinner.  We were starving since it was close to 9:00 pm.  After that we headed back to the hotel and got everyone ready for bed.  I put Ben down around 9:45 and the rest of us fell asleep about 45 minutes later.  It had been a loooooong day for all of us, but great memories for us all.
 
Luke watching Daddy during presentation
 
While Ben played with the bats on the field!
 
The night didn't go so well for Ben.  He had a bad cough and it kept waking him and I up.  We booked two adjoining rooms, so he and I were in one room.  He also didn't sleep so hot in the pack n play, so he would cry out a bit.  Let's just say I was thankful when the sun rose.  I was ready for that night to be over!  We went downstairs and ate breakfast and then all took showers and got ready for the day.  We spent a couple hours driving around Jackson and Chat showed us different parts of towns and his old favorite places, like the local watering hole.  Jackson was a very pretty town.  It is unbelievable that it is the largest city in Mississippi because it is still so small and so spread out.  We also went and took a picture of Chat and the boys next to the Millsaps sign.  I think he was one happy dad at this moment. 
 
 
During the drive Ben took a nap since he was so tired from going to bed so late and then not sleeping well.  He woke up in time for all of us to meet an old fraternity friend of Chat's for lunch.
 
After lunch we headed back to the baseball field for a 1:00 pm game.  We all stayed for a while, but the sun was pretty bright and I didn't bring hats or sunscreen for the boys and I started to worry they were going to get burned.  So I brough them back for naptime at the hotel while Chat stayed at the game.  Well, they didn't sleep at all...
 
Acting sleepy?
 
Nope!
 
Still not!
 
The boys looooooved the hotel phone.  They played with it every second of being in that room.
 
Ha ha!  Still horsing around...no sleeping here!
 
One more that shows proof that I was on the trip!
 
But it was nice to relax, snack and let them hang out for a bit.  We had an hour or so of just horsing around in the room and then we headed back to meet Chat at the field.  Millsaps won the game again so it was a great end to the afternoon.  We drove back to the hotel around 4:45 and Luke fell asleep in the car.  We went to the lobby for their popcorn and happy hour where Luke slept on my lap and the rest of us ate and drank.  That was one nice glass of Chardonnay after a hot day outside.  We also talked to other parents of players and other guests in the hotel.  Luke finally woke up and the boys ran around with other kids there and we enjoyed some down time and spirits while chatting with everyone. Everyone was so friendly and they quickly became friends. 
 
Luke passed out on my lap at happy hour.
 
I noticed we were very popular among everyone at the hotel and at the game.  Men and women would flock to us and want to talk to the boys and say hello to Chat and meI.  At breakfast one morning, a man next to me at the bagel toaster said, "Oh you are the woman with the two baby boys!".  I then realized what was happening.  All these parents were 15 to 20 years from where we are today.  They are back at their son's college watching him play baseball.  They watched us with nostalgic eyes and remembered the times we were in -- us chasing the boys up and down the halls of the hotel, the chubby legs on Ben, Luke wanting to push the elevator buttons, the giggles that came out of them.  They looked at us and saw their past.  They made constant remarks such as "I remember those wonderful times" and "I know it is hard with two so young, but it gets easier" and "I miss that time when my son was that age".  It was sweet really and at times I felt lucky to be at the stage we are at -- even though I probably only got 4 or 5 hours of sleep.  It really put things in perspective. 
 
About 7:00 pm we headed to a local pizza and ice cream restaurant where we scarfed down delicious pepperoni pizza and had some yummy treats.  As you can see, Chat got a banana split...
 
One happy boy with that dessert!
 
Ben was happy with his treat too!
 
We got back to the hotel by 9:00 and all of us were in bed and asleep by 9:45.  We all slept great that night and got a much better nights rest -- shows you what exhaustion will do to you!  It started to storm real bad around 4:00 in the morning and the thunder was very loud.  But I still slept great.  We woke up kinda late around 7:45 and got packed up and then headed down for breakfast.  We got on the road shortly after around 9:00 and started out for our rainy ride home.
 
The drive home was a bit harder than the drive up.  Ben was fussy and tired of being in the car and let us know about it.  We had to make two stops instead of one due to this.  Ben only slept 1 hour of the 7 hour trip and, well, it was tough. Even Luke seemed to get a bit restless.  Considering what we were asking of them at this young age, I still think they did pretty darn well.  We made it home a little after 4:00 pm and we were all happy to be home. 
 
This pretty much sums up Ben on the way home.
 
All in all, it was a great first roadtrip.  I think Ben will improve in the car as he gets older and has more of an interest in watching shows.  But we made some wonderful memories and I know how much this meant to Chat.  So I was happy we were able to do this with him.  I am one lucky lady to have my three boys. 


Thursday, April 11, 2013

{Soccer Envy}

Someone really wanted to be out on the field....

Monday, April 8, 2013

{Backyard Fun}

My boys are the happiest when they are outside...and when there are popsicles involved!  Today was one of those days.  It was so nice outside -- not too hot and with a nice breeze -- and the boys had fun just hanging out in the backyard.  They didn't fight and scream as much as they usually do and they found sticks, our 100-year-old swing set we inherited with the house, dirt and other things to keep them happy and occupied.  The dogs sunbathed in the grass and I laid on a blanket and watched everyone enjoy the afternoon and got to snap a few pictures of this nice Monday...

I am thankful for today because who knows what tomorrow will bring? 


 
 

 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

{Ordinary Days}

This week has been a bit of a slow one.  I started the week out not feeling very well after a busy Easter weekend and the weather has been rainy and a bit chilly, so we have been laying low for the most part.  But the boys are still having some fun...

Our dogs get some seriously lovin' by the boys!
 
 
Lots of bubble time before a big storm hit...
 
 
 
 
We did get out for a trip into the train store to get Luke his prize for going to bed without crying for six nights in a row.  He was one happy guy!  And I was one happy and proud mama. 
 
He chose Annie and Clarabelle for his reward.
 
Playing on Mom and Dad's bed...a favorite! 
 
They look like they are getting along.  Think again!
 
Someone's hair stood straight up in the humid air...
 
Finally, a quick trip to visit great-grandma. 
Luke wanted to sit by her as he watched some Thomas and she felt so special...
 
Happy Wednesday!

Monday, April 1, 2013

{Easter 2013}

It is hard to believe Easter has already come and gone and we are officially in April.  Time is officially flying by!  Okay, get ready for the longest post ever.  Trying to sum up the last week in one post...

Easter started last weekend actually with the neighborhood Easter egg hunt.  We have loved this hunt in the past, however, this year the weather was yuck.  It was raining just enough to be annoying.  The kids didn't seem to mind so they quickly got the hunt started!  We rushed through it a bit, but the boys enjoyed it and got a few treats before we retreated to the car...

Ben surprisingly picked up what the hunt was all about!

Luke was all business.  He takes egg hunting very seriously.
 
My goal was to get a picture of the two of them together. 
Well...it's the two of them.  Just not smiling or looking at the camera. 

Got them looking at the camera, but still no smiles. 
They sure look like they are having fun... 

Later in the week it was time to dye some eggs!  This is the first time I did this with the boys and it actually turned out to be a real hit.  I am not a fan of hard boiled eggs and I just saw Martha Stewart on the Today show talk about blowing out eggs.  I decided that was going to be our plan of action.  Luke loved watching me blow out the eggs and was glued to the sink where I was doing it.  It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be and by the end I had perfected doing it with only creating a small whole.  The blown eggs...


This guy was super excited to get started!  We headed outside on the picnic table to start dying to help reduce the mess.


Both Ben and Luke loved dying the eggs.  Ben of course was into everything and keeping him involved and busy so he wouldn't crush the eggs was a bit challenging, but it worked out okay.  Luke loved it and was really good at it and using "gentle" hands.  He would get frustrated with Ben at times, but overall not too much screaming.  Which is success in my book.


First lesson of egg dying...if the eggs are hollow, they will float.  Therefore, you must hold them down.  Which really means this will be a harder process for a toddler and a 3 year old.  I am still glad I did this method, however, Ben kept grabbing them out of their little tubs and Luke's hands were dyed all sorts of colors since he pretty much used his fingers to hold them down. 

Floating eggs...

Here were the finished products!  Pretty good I would say.  You may notice there are only 11 eggs.  So where is that final egg??


This was the only casualty of the activity.  I couldn't stop Ben before he crushed one of the eggs...


Since the eggs were hollowed out, I plan to keep one or two as a momento of the first time we dyed eggs together.  In the meantime, they sit in this basket on our dining room table as decor.  The only Easter decor in the entire house.  Major mom fail in decorations this year!


Now we get to Easter weekend.  First, we had Chat's mom over for dinner on Good Friday night.  I made the meal and she came over with egg and bunny cookies that she made.  We spent time with the boys and watch some March Madness basketball. 

Chat was scheduled to work all weekend, so we had to be creative when we could do our egg hunt at home.  The only time he could get away for an hour was Saturday morning, so Saturday morning it was!  He gave me the signal he was on his way home, so I distracted the boys with a movie and I headed out to the backyard to hide the eggs.
 
The boys loved the hunt, specifically Ben!  He became quite the little hunter.  Luke loved it too, but he would go to each egg, immediately open it and take the candy then throw the empty egg on the ground.  No matter how much I explained how he should do it, that was his method, so we just let him enjoy.  Here are the only two pictures I took that morning of the boys hunting/with their treats.

This boy loves him some candy.  Look at that smile...



They also got their Easter baskets that morning too.  The best thing that the Easter bunny brought...confetti eggs!  We taught Luke how to break them on our shoulder's and he got such a kick out it!  I am thinking confetti eggs might be a new tradition.


Luke playing with the confetti from the eggs

That afternoon/evening we headed to Chat's stepdad's house for some more egg dying, some cookie decorating and pizza.  Luke loves it over there because he gets to play with so many kids...especially his sweet cousin Macey. Clearly I am slacking in the picture department becasue this is the only one I took all evening. 

Luke, Macey and Ben playing Ring Around The Rosy

Easter Sunday finally came!  Chat was at work, so I got the boys ready and we made it to church.  The boys had a rough morning actually and when I dropped them off at the church nursery, they were both howling.  Luckily they both recovered pretty quickly and when I picked them up they were all smiles.  We then headed to my parent's for Easter lunch.  I didn't take one picture there.  Not one!  I am so mad at myself for not getting a picture of the boys in their Easter outfits together.  Hopefully my sister has a few that she can share with me.

We went home for naps after lunch and another egg hunt that my parent's organized. Chat got home later that day and we all loaded up to go to the Astros Opening Day game that night with my dad (Grandad!).  Talk about fun!  We were in a suite so the boys could run around and have endless food and drinks.  It was a ball!

Luke and Grandad walking into the stadium hand in hand

All my boys at the ballfield!

Luke watching down below (although he ran around more than watched!)

Lyle Lovett sang the national anthem when we got there.  At one point, I was letting Ben run around in the hallway and look who walked about 10 feet from us....

Ben's first celebrity sighting!

It was a busy, fun week!  Now it is back to the normal.  Luke is at school, Ben is taking a nap.  All is right with the world :).