well, that went fast

I am sitting here at the kitchen table with the boys while they eat their breakfast and I decided to check on the blog, where I see that the last time I posted was during the first week of my summer break.  And now here I am, on my LAST Monday of summer break.  Where did the time go??

This summer was a lot of fun.  Last year, I struggled through many of the days at home with two babies, just trying to make it until the time when Mark got home from work and could help out again.  The days were L O N G.  This year was so much different.  Since Parker and Henry are older, we could do so much more.  Honestly, there were very few days that felt like last summer - survival.  This year was jam packed with activity and I love that we were able to leave the house and go somewhere almost every single day.  That kept all three of us from going stir crazy!

A week from today I start back at work for a new school year.  I am excited for a new year, but also completely avoiding getting ready for it.  My classroom is a mess and I do not feel prepared to get back in the groove yet.  So I think I will relish these last days of summer freedom and scramble to figure it all out next week.  That sounds doable, right?

Friday Favorites

It's Friday!  Not just any Friday, but the first Friday of summer vacation!!!

I am ready for some down time and a slower pace of life for the next few months.  I also finished grad school this May, so I am finished with homework and paperwork FOREVER!

Cheers to a great weekend!  I hope everyone can enjoy the sunshine and long days.  I know we will make the most of them for sure.  Bed time just keeps getting later and later around here.

Summer Sun

After an entire month of rain, we are welcoming the June sunshine with open arms.  And lots of bubbles.

We are also loving trips to see the grandparents and all the times they come to visit us.  We are lucky to have both sets of grandparents only about an hour's drive away, so we get to see them often.  Plus, grandpa always has popsicles in the freezer!

Our neighborhood pool opened a few weeks ago and we took the boys for the first time on Sunday.  It was finally warm and sunny and we were hoping they would like the water.  Lucky for us, they did!  I am seeing a summer with late evenings at the pool with these two little fish.

Parker cannot resist an opportunity to dance.  He heard to music at the pool and started to do his signature wiggle.

Henry was in a trance watching all the big kids play and slash around in the main pool.  He was looking about 4 years old and I know he was imaging joining them all one day.

We love you, Spring Break

This week was Spring Break for me and the boys!  It was the perfect mix of fun family time and a few days of getting to relax, since they boys are spending the end of the week with their grandparents!

To start the break off, we went to Tulsa to see my sister and brother-in-law, as well as many of Mark's friends from college.  Just about everyone has kids now and as we sat at the kitchen table with children running around us and screaming, we laughed and remembered the days when we used to get together sans kids and just stay up late with all the adults.  This time, everyone was ready for bed at 9:00 - kiddos and parents!

My sister and her husband both work for Prairie Ales, a brewery in Tulsa.  We took the kids up to the brewery for a tasting one evening.  Well the kids just ran around and played with the barrels while the adults did the tasting!  It worked out great. 

We also visited the Oklahoma Aquarium, which was the perfect activity to wear Henry and Parker out before we got in the car and drove the four hours home.  Parker slept all the way until we stopped for gas in McKinney, and even though Henry slept only about half the trip, he did keep his grumps to a minimum.  So this road trip was a success all around!  I think the boys are old enough now that longer car rides are much more doable for us.

After the Tulsa trip, I took Henry and Parker up to Muenster to spend a day at my parents' house.  They are really into cows right now, so we took a couple spins around the property to check on the longhorns.  My mom was at work most of the day when we were there, so it was just us and Grandpa, which made for a really fun day.

We really lucked out when the Schwan's man showed up while we were there!  A cool truck that drove all the way down the drive, and then grandpa bought popsicles for the boys to try too!

Parker climbed up onto this step on the deck and was doing his ninja tricks, leaning way back behind him.  Henry was doing the same on the step above him and it was so funny!

Take me to the cows, Grandpa!

Henry's dream came true when he got to pet a cow!

We ended the day with drinks on the front porch, watching the sun go down.  Oh wait, there was no sunset watching because of the time change!  Instead, we roasted as the sun beat down on us.  Oy.

A rather tame rabbit came through the yard and Henry and Parker realllllly wanted to be its friend!

My mom let the boys splash around in this birdbath, which was filled with water from all the rain and snow the week before.  They thought it was the best. thing. ever.  And then we went inside and took baths because who knows what was growing in that water!

We drove home at bed time and had a nice morning at home the next day.... and then the other grandparents came to get the boys for the weekend!  So that means this mom had a day at home ALONE today which has not happened once in the past 16 months {at least not that I can remember.. an ENTIRE day home TO MYSELF!} It was glorious.  Thank you, Spring Break.  We look forward to your return next year!

Henry and Parker's First Birthday!

Back in October {you know, over four months ago}, Henry and Parker turned one!  I never blogged about their birthday, but I have a great reason to hop in my time machine and share it today.  One of my favorite blogs, Twin Talk, is turning ONE today {yay!} and they are hosting a link up for twin's first birthday posts.  Plus, I am on Spring Break this week so I have a little bit of time to dust off the ol' blog and join the link up.  So welcome to Henry and Parker's First Birthday!

October 29, 2014

Silly birthday poses

We did not really plan a big birthday party for the boys. We wanted to just celebrate with family, which is exactly what we did.  I was thrilled however, when my sister and brother-in-law from Oklahoma City and my brother and sister-in-law from Austin both emailed me and said they wanted to come to Dallas for the occasion. Add in grandparents and local family and our little shindig turned into a pretty big deal!  The morning of the party Henry was grumpy and acting so out of character.  We ended up taking him to the doctor and discovering he had a small ear infection (our first one ever, on his birthday!) so we were a little behind schedule getting things ready.  But everything came together eventually and hey, a great thing about having family only for the party is that they don't care if they show up and nothing is ready!  They will gladly help blow up some balloons, throw together the food and decorate for the party, so Mom can go take a shower :)

I hung up pictures of the boys on the mantle and my sister made adorable first birthday prints to display.  This was a super last minute thought that she put together for me in about two days, which was awesome!  We got cupcakes from Central Market, which were yummy and super affordable. 

Guests

If you thought a small birthday party means not very many presents, you would be wrong.

Parker

Henry and Grandpa

 Neither of the boys were that impressed with the cake, but Parker gave it more of a taste than Henry, who pretty much just threw it on the floor!

We have this large, grown-up-sized tricycle that we pulled out during the party.  It was a hit with everyone!

The picture above with the boys laying in the birthday party aftermath makes me laugh.  It was a great day and Henry and Parker had so much fun, despite spending the morning at the pediatrician and barely getting a nap that afternoon.  The best part was that their birthday party was the day before Daylight Savings Time and they wore themselves out so much that they slept an hour later the next morning {which NEVER happens!}  They set themselves to the new time without even knowing it!  

Happy Birthday, sweet boys!