{Easter 2014}

It has been a whirlwind of a weekend and I am trying to recover at the moment, but had to share the adorable pictures of the boys and their cousins!  I absolutely love how Ben loves holding his baby cousin Jack.  He was in hog heaven!

 

Luke (4), Molly (2), Ben (2) and Jack (6 months) 

 

We had three birthday parties back to back yesterday and were gone from about 10:00 am to 7:00 pm so we started the weekend with a bang. The boys were completely sugared out which made me rethink the candy eggs for their baskets. It was a fun day, but we were so happy to be home last night.  The boys went to bed and then we had a few finishing touches on their Easter surprises. 

Today we woke up and had the boys get their Easter baskets, then did a little egg hunt in the backyard before going to church.  All before 9:00 am!  We then headed to my parent's house and did a hunt there and had lunch. We headed home for a quick nap for Ben and then we had Chat's mom come over for dinner.  We finished off the day with confetti eggs which the boys loved.  That will have to be a tradition for years to come.  All in all it was a great Easter with amazing weather!

These boys make holidays so fun!

{Life Lately...A Month Of Change}

Life has been pretty busy lately with some big changes. Chat is still in MBA school and has just recently started a new job.  It is with a wonderful opportunity and we are so thankful he has it! But it has changed things around here.  We see a lot less of him and there is a lot more one on one time with me and the boys. Sometimes that is good and sometimes not-so-good!  But we are managing and know this time won't last forever.  Chat has about a year left in school and being done will free up some of his nights so the boys can see him more. I can tell they really miss him...as do I.

 

But we are managing to have lots of fun still even though the days tend to be long!  I realized I have documented ZERO about just normal day-to-day life, so I wanted to get caught up...

 

We visited a fun new park in the Heights that had a wooden train.  You know who loved it...LUKE!!  He had an absolute ball on this thing. Apparently a man built this with his own hands and donated it.  It was amazing!

 

Since the train park was near Chat's brother's restaurant, we had to stop by and say hello and eat a hotdog or two!  Luke looks so much like Chat.  Love these two!

The warm weather has arrived!  Which means my children try to get naked every chance they get.  And play in the hose...(Nope Ben is not potty trained, but he loves underwear.  He peed in this pair at least 4 times outside that day!).

We got working on planting new flowers in the flower bed.  We let Luke pick them out.  Since his favorite color is red, guess what color flowers we got????

Again, more nakedness.  I think about 5 minutes after this picture, they took the underwear off. 

Ben started soccer!  He has loved watching Luke play soccer over the past year and begs to get on the field.  So I decided it was his turn!  Well, it was good for the first 5 minutes or so.  Then he just wants to hang out on the sidelines with Luke.  Then we go to Luke's practice an hour later and he begs to be on the field.  I don't think it is soccer that he loves...it is his brother.  Oh well!

We got to Target a lot....and Ben always finds something to accessorize himself with.  I am thinking he will look good if he ever has to wear glasses.  Love this boy!

We went to the first Kite Festival in Houston. It was fun, but nothing too amazing for the boys.  The weather was gorgeous though and since the boys love being outside it was worth it!  They really liked running down the hills until they got caught up in kite string.  So it was time to head out...

The boys really enjoyed their snow cone treats afterwards much better than the festival!  Luke picked the 'rainbow' flavor.

Ben picked purple.  They were both delicious!

Ben has been doing a bit better with his sleeping, however we do have some nights where he struggles going down.  One night Chat went and laid in his room to get him to lay down (so he would realize that he is in fact tired).  After 30 minutes I realized I hadn't heard or seen anything in forever, I go in to check on them and they are all asleep...including the dog!

The boys and I randomly will go ride the train at the zoo.  It is one of our favorite things to do when the weather is nice!  This day the train was packed.  We have only about a month left before the horrific heat arrives so we are trying to enjoy it while we can.

We randomly take selfies of ourselves and send them to daddy throughout the week too.  Example A...

Fridays is the day where I just have Ben.  Luke goes to school and I take Ben to a Little Gym class.  After class we sometimes run errands or go home and hang out together.  Last week, Ben really wanted to go to the park.  So off we went!

Then he wanted a hotdog, so as a treat I brought him to James Coney Island for the first time.  He ate every single bite of this plate.  He was in hotdog heaven!

And then there are the terrible twos :).  Ben is getting better as he talks more and more, but there are times where he just can't get a handle on his emotions.  And then this happens...

I have no idea why he was upset.  Something set him off and...well...this is the result.  I just have to laugh it off and give him some space when this happens.  Sometimes I deal with it better than others, but overall we are chugging along through the twos.  If he is anything like Luke, three will be a much better year for this squirt.

Well that is us the past month or so.  A month of change but such good things as well!

{Bluebonnets 2014}

I hate when the boys get sick.  Last fall/winter, someone in our family was sick for what seemed like five months straight.  It was awful!  No one prepares you for the endless sickness once you have more than one child.  Whatever one gets, the other one gets and then you end up getting and then it is time for the first one to get sick again. So I was expecting the worst this year. But surprisingly we got through the fall and all the holidays without a big sickness. Actually barely even a cold. But as soon as the seasons started to change and we felt that spring air, both boys ended up sick at home for almost a week with a fever and some sniffles. Actually it was only about two to three days for each of them, but they staggered it, so I was home with at least one of them for a week.

I could only watch one more episode of Peppa Pig, so on the Thursday of that week, I decided we were going to get out. Luke was better and Ben was about 70%.  We were probably okay to be out in public, but I figured we still needed a bit more time to recover before going somewhere with a bunch of other children. But I just had to get out of the house. So I loaded up the boys and we headed out 290 to find some bluebonnets. We ended up driving almost an hour close to Chappel Hill and Brenham, but I finally found some that would make a good place for pictures. 

It took me bribing them with a Bucee's icee for them to cooperate for pictures, but I was really happy we went!

 

I love these next three and how it played out.  These brothers are so freakin' cute!  Well, when they are not fighting like crazy.  Let's be honest. 

Luke was a bit more eager to accept my bribes of sugar and let me take a few more pictures of him. I think at this point Ben was getting tired since he was still not feeling well. So I didn't fight it and just got a few of Luke. Next year, Ben watch out! I will take a roll of just you!

Although it was a bit of a drive, I am so happy to get these pictures!  It was a cloudy day, but we still managed to get some really good ones. I know I will treasure these forever. But I can't resist tell the story behind the pictures so I remember that too --- sickness, sugar bribery, a few tantrums.  The reality of motherhood are these beautiful pictures, but also the not-so-perfect stories to go with it. And I love them both.

{The Beginning of Baseball}

I knew when I married Chat over seven years ago that baseball was going to be a big part of our lives.  So four and a half years ago when I was laying on that ultrasound bed and I found out that Luke was going to be a boy, I instantly imagined the day when my little boy would be on the field with his hat and glove with his dad.  And a few weeks ago, it became a reality!  It was actually a really cold morning and so many of us were shivering and uncomfortable, but I couldn't help LOVE every minute of that first practice/game.  It will be one of those days I will always remember!

 

One of Luke's friends dad is the coach and he asks many of the dads to help. It is such a group effort since it truly is corralling cats with 12 four year olds. Chat is loving being on the field with Luke!  Such a cute father/son if you ask me...

Luke's best friend is on the team and that just adds to fun of the game.  These two boys love each other. And so I love that they get to experience all these firsts together! Now keeping them from goofing off and messing with each other throughout the hour is a whole different story...

Luke is on a team with lots of his friends which makes it so much fun for the boys. They are all such different personalities so it is so fun to see how they all play the game. And goof off. It is hysterical to watch these guys learn the game and have a lot of fun together!  I personally love the dog pile that happens every time as they all run to try to field the ball when someone hits it.  It is quite comical!

Luke giving me the thumbs up!  He is one happy boy on the baseball field! I secretly was a bit worried that our boys wouldn't like baseball -- Chat's true love (beside me!). Chat always told me it would be okay if they didn't like it, but I wanted at least one of our sons to enjoy the game.  To be able to have that bond with their father. So I was so happy to see the joy that baseball brings Luke. It may not last forever, but it sure is nice for the moment.  Which is all I could ever ask for.

I know one day I may lose all the men in my life to this game, so I am embracing it and going to be the best baseball mom I can be!  Oh and if you were wondering what Ben was doing on the sidelines as Luke was playing, this picture will tell you....

Ben was doing what he does best...EATING!  Here is to a wonderful first t-ball season with my baseball buddy Luke!

{My Silly Boys}

It doesn't get much better than this!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh how beautiful weather makes brotherhood that much better!



{The Fro}

I can't even begin to count how many times we get asked where Ben gets his curls.  We think it my be my mother's father (my grandfather), but we still aren't so sure.  No one really has this type of curly hair in our immediate family, so it is quite the conundrum.  But oh do I love his curls! 

I think I love how unexpected it is.  Since Chat and I are very similar in appearance, I sometimes thought I would just know how our children would turn out.  And then came Ben...our little curly haired surprise.  His curls didn't really start showing up until he was about a year old which I think is a bit unusual too.  But boy did they come and they have stayed so far.  We are taking him for haircut #2 tomorrow, so with each cut we will see how long these curls plan to hang around. 

When it is super humid outside, he gets tendrils, tiny little curls close to his head.  But other days, when it is dryer outside, they air out a bit and you can see how long his hair actually is. His hair just kind of poufs out on some days.  And we see "The Fro"...

It is too funny!  He has such different looks because of his hair.  Some days his hair looks 100% different than the above picture.  It is really remarkable that his hair does these things because Chat and I have such different hair.  I just look at this picture and cannot stop laughing.  He is too cute for words!

Benny boy is such a little nut right now and his hair matches his personality perfectly -- crazy, cute, unruly, wild, a mess, and just absolutely perfect.  Good thing he is cute because I would have certainly given him away recently with all of his crazy tantrums. Just kidding...I think we will keep him!

{Luke: 4 Years Old}

My sweet Luke has been four years old for over two weeks and has been loving it!  He tells everyone (and I mean everyone, even random people on the street) that he is four.  He is one proud big boy!  We made it to his four year check-up yesterday.  Here is what is going on with my buddy boy...

 

 

1.  Luke is 3'6.75" (92%) so he is still on the tall side.  He is the spitting image of his daddy.  He wears pretty much all 5T sizes for shorts, jeans and shirts now.  I feel like he will be in the big boy section at the stores soon.  I feel he outgrows his clothes so quickly.  

 

2.  He weighs 45 lbs 6.4 oz (96%) so even though he is super skinny, he is dense and his weight proves that.  He is a super picky eater, so he mainly lives off of pretzels, dried cherries and apples.  And Chick Fil A nuggets for a treat. And milk. The boy loves milk and wants it all the time. But I can tell it is a comfort thing because he has to drink it from a certain cup and has to have his blanket when he drinks it.  He loves sprite and gets it when we go out to eat sometimes if we need an incentive for him to stay in his seat. Don't tell him it is actually half water and it isn't quite supposed to taste like that. 

 

3.  Luke passed his vision and hearing test with flying colors!  He actually enjoyed telling the nurse the letters as she pointed them out and had a huge grin on his face as he raised his hand when he heard the beep through the head phones.  As his mother, I was beaming with pride.  I know it seems so small, but to see him take direction so well and do everything with pride and a smile makes me tear up.  He truly is becoming my big boy.

 

 

4.  We found out that Luke hates to have his blood pressure taken.  He put it on okay, but as it tightened up, he pretty much freaked out.  Like really freaked out.  So needless to say the reading we got was not accurate.  We tried again with no success so we decided to give him a little bit of time. Just talking about it minutes later brought him to tears, so he just isn't quite ready for everything.  And that is okay by me.

 

5.  He wears an 11.5/12 shoe and his foot is still wide as ever.  If it doesn't come in an extra wide, we aren't buying it.  Which saves me a ton of money!  We order one sneaker every couple of months and that is what he wears till he outgrows it.  The only other shoe he wears is a croc because nothing else fits him. So although I am sad that he really only wears two types of shoe, it is actually better because it would be one more thing to grow out of pretty quickly.  Oh and he still calls his New Balances his 'rescue shoes' (still not sure why) and his crocs his 'pool shoes' even though we rarely go to the pool. 

 

6.  Luke is currently learning to write his name and the sounds of the alphabet. He knows all his numbers and can count backwards. He works on cutting with scissors too.  He goes to school three days a week -- Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00 to 2:00.  He loves school and gets so excited when we tell him it is a school day!  I ask him what his favorite part of school and it is always "the playground".  He loves to be active and outside.   

 

 

7.  I had Luke evaluated for his speech due to some articulation concerns.  Although we haven't gotten the full report, it may be that he doesn't need therapy after all.  The therapist thinks that most of the things he is struggling with are age appropriate and will work out over time.  She even said some of his articulation is better than a kindergartner's, so that was great to hear.  He did great at the evaluation too!  The therapist said Luke was very observant as he pointed things out in the pictures that no other child had ever pointed out in all her years of doing this.  She also mentioned that he was one energetic little boy!  Apparently due to his chattiness and the way he liked to run everywhere, I got this comment. Ha!

 

8.  Luke's favorite thing to do right now is either ride bikes, play chase or play hide and seek.  He has started to really like Play Doh too and also build forts.  And of course, my little social butterfly loves to be with his friends.  It is his favorite thing of all.  His best friend is still Connor and he tells me he loves Connor at least once a day.   

 

9.  He has started to finally color!  He has never really been in to sitting still and using crayons or markers, but the past few weeks, he has flourished.  His drawings are getting more detailed and a little bit more accurate.  We spend lots of time now at the kitchen table drawing houses and dinosaurs and other things that really don't look like much.  But he is loving it and so am I!

 

 

10.  Luke still loves trains, but I finally see the obsession slowing down.  He still likes to talk about trains a ton and always gravitates to them when we see them, but he plays with them significantly less at home.  It is nice to see him have other interests! 

 

11.  He hates band aids.  He will scream bloody murder if I even try to put a band aid on him. 

 

12.  Luke is such a good big brother.  He loves Ben and has done a much better job of including him.  Ben has turned into quite an instigator though and will go up and just hit Luke over and over.  Luke gets really upset when this happens.  He will hit back at times and always wants me to go over and "tell Ben the rules" or put him in time out.  We are working on not hitting back just because Ben hits him and using his words to get Ben to stop (which Ben totally doesn't so he doesn't really see the point - ahhhh!).  Most of the time, they play well and it is wonderful to see.  When they are in moods and not doing so well, cover your ears because you just hear screaming ALL DAY LONG.  With lots of tears.  Just now, I heard all this screaming and so I walked in and asked what the problem was.  I got "Ben was bothering me."  This is VERY typical.  Brothers will be brothers I guess. 

 

13.  He is such a sensitive guy.  If I get mad at him, he gets very upset and says sorry over and over again.  Then he will ask "Mommy, are you happy now?" and will even cup my chin in his hands.  He really does not like to disappoint anyone, especially me or Chat.  He gets very concerned if we are upset with him.  A lot of times when I am fussing at him, he starts to cry and will say something like "you aren't proud of me" or "I'm not a good boy".  I realized that I had to change the way I corrected or 'fussed' at him so the focus wouldn't turn to him being upset -- that we would still be talking about the behavior I wanted changed. 

 

 

14.  Luke is very polite!  He says please, thank you and excuse me with ease and often.  He is a kind little boy who enjoys being nice to others.  There is nothing more that I wanted for my children -- to be kind, show compassion and be honest.   

 

15.  He goes to Sunday school each Sunday with ease.  He still doesn't talk much about God and Jesus, but I think he is listening.  We try to say a prayer before dinner and if not then, I try to do it with him before bed.  It is hysterical what he comes up with to pray for!

 

16.  He is still playing soccer and starting to get more into it and just started back up with swim lessons.  And the best of all, we start T-Ball in just two weeks!!!  We are pumped.  Bring on the orange slices because this baseball mom is ready!

 

I could go on and on about the changes and developments in Luke, but I guess I have to stop somewhere.  He continues to make us so happy each and every day!  As with all kids, he has his hard days and can drive us crazy at times but four years old has been great for our guy.  I try to remember what Luke was like at 2 (ohmylanta was that tough!) and how far he has come in two years and what a difference it makes.  Especially when we have challenges with Ben and his terrible twos.  It is not the kid, it is the age :).  I can't believe another year has passed...