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!

A New Year

A few days after Christmas, Mark and I took the boys to Target, just to get out of the house.  We do that a lot.  Go places just to go.  None of us do very well when we are cooped up inside for more than a day or so, so there are often mornings when Mark and I look at each other (while Grumps 1 and Grumps 2 are melting into puddles of despair at our feet) and say WHERE SHOULD WE GO?!!  This means trips to Lowes, the mall or any other indoor place that has wide aisles for the stroller and is loud enough for the occasional shriek.  The destination on this day was Target.  And not even our neighborhood Target. Oh no, we need variety here and a road trip that is longer than five minutes to stretch these outings as long as possible.  So we went up to Plano to go to the Super Target. Cue angels singing.

Now I can wander around Target with absolutely no agenda or anything in particular I am shopping for any day of the week.  Am I right ladies??!  I could easily kill an hour or two going up and down every. single. aisle. and buying all the things.  But Target is not so leisurely when you have a husband and two one-year olds in tow.  It's more like a rapid lap around the perimeter (must keep moving or Parker will decide he'd rather you carry him than ride in the stroller) looking at holiday clearance and vacuum cleaners (yes, that is exactly what we did).  We might have lasted 25 minutes in there before we were out of Cheerios and getting close to two meltdowns. 

On this particular morning it was very cold and slightly raining.  So basically perfect weather for unloading two grumpy boys from the stroller, strapping them into their carseats, taking off the stroller seats, loading them into the back of car, dumping out all the Cheerios that fell down into the bottom of the stroller, and then folding it up and lifting it into the car.  While we were doing this (and getting rained on and freezing, btw) a pick-up truck was ever so slowly coming up to us in the parking lot.  I thought that he wanted our parking place and was thinking, "Seriously?! Can't you tell that this is not a quick process so you should just scoot on past us and find a spot a little farther away?!" when he stopped beside us and rolled his window down.  An older man, probably my parents' age, peeked over the window and into the cold and smiled at us.

"You're doubly blessed," he said.

And Mark and I looked at him and back at each other, nodding.  We knew he was right.

August

I know it is not August yet, but it might as well be.  Where did the summer go?!  I can't believe school starts back up in a month.  Four weeks.  EEEK.  It feels like we only just started our lazy (ha) days at home, and now they are already running out.

The boys are napping right now.  Both of them.  Are asleep.  This feat was not achieved lightly.  It took almost 20 solid minutes of screams of rage.  Parker did not think he needed to take a nap, so he voiced his opinion quite loudly.  In fact, don't tell him that I was actually about to wave the white flag and go get him out of his bed, giving up on the afternoon nap.  But when I creaked the door open, he was sprawled out asleep.  Whew.

So now I sit with a dishwasher that needs unloading, laundry that has been in the dryer for days, and a list of things I need to start working on for school in the fall.  But instead, I'm watching a Nicholas Sparks movie I've been saving in the DVR {The Vow} and dusting off the ol' blog.

Our summer has been going really well.  I thought we would be going stir crazy and looking for things to occupy our days, but we are actually so busy that I don't even think we have had a full week at home with just me and the boys, all day everyday.  Family visiting and friends staying over and summer vacations and long weekends with the grandparents have stacked up and made the weeks fly by.  I think it is all winding down now though, which is great.  I look at the days left at home this summer and feel a pull on my heart for when Henry and Parker will go back to their school in August.  Even though the days are long and often hard and I am constantly saying prayers for patience under my breath, I really do treasure this time with my boys.

{Sidenote: I have already rewinded The Vow three times because I am not even paying attention to it.  Gah! Must use this quiet time to watch depressing chick-flicks where either Rachel McAdams or Channing Tatum is GUARANTEED to die.  Thanks a lot, Nick.}

For a few weeks, Parker's hair made the best ever faux hawk. 

Henry and Grandma

These photos are getting tougher and tougher to take, since Parker is MOBILE now!

Hankie!

Henry and Dad on the ferry to Galveston

Seeing the ocean {okay it's really the gulf} for the first time!

At our beach house, "Purple Haze"

Quick Christmas Snapshots

Mom and Henry in Prosper

Feeding Henry Bear while watching Football

Uncle Wes with Henry 

(I promise we also take pictures of Parker, but he is a way better sleeper than Henry, so he is usually snoozing while this little guy demands to be awake and/or held!)

 A little blurry… but Mark and me on Christmas morning

Parker’s Reindeer Bum!

Kelly and Wes

Ryan and Whitney

Ann-Marie and Henry

<3

Christmas!

Christmas Eve in our Christmas PJ's, getting ready for our first trip to Muenster to stay at Grandma and Grandpa’s house

After mass on Christmas morning, which was the boys first time attending church.  Henry slept the entire time and didn’t even know that he was there, while Parker squirmed through it all!  I think he wanted to sing all the songs.

Henry and Parker’s first Christmas was fun and festive, with celebrations in both Prosper and Muenster with all the grandparents, aunts and uncles.  Santa made a visit to Muenster and brought the boys their very first {covered} wagon!  It was so big that we had to leave it at Grandma’s house…. no room in the car with two grown-ups, two babies, two dogs and a whole lot of luggage and gear! {Thanks, Santa}

Tonight we are ringing in the New Year with these little guys, hoping we can stay up until midnight!  Happy 2014 to everyone!

40 Weeks

Today, December 1, is my due date.  Whhhaaatt??  You mean I could still be pregnant right now?  Shoot me now.  That would be miserable.  Miserable.  MISERABLE!

Instead, these two little bears have been on the outside for almost five weeks now.

Henry

Parker

We celebrated Thanksgiving with an overnight road trip to Mark’s parents’ house in Prosper.  They are only about 45 minutes away, so it was a nice trial run at leaving town with the boys.  Our car was packed to the brim with them, their gear, our two dogs, and the dog gear.  We had a great time and having so many extra hands around to hold, feed and change the babies meant that Mom and Dad got to take some naps!  

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  We are gearing up for Christmas now.  And in case you were wondering, nope… neither of the boys’ stockings are finished yet.  Oh well.  Maybe by 2016?

To the Weekend!

We are enjoying our first weekend at home as a family with the cold fall weather, lots of college football and visits from the grandparents.  Parker and Henry will even get to meet their aunt and uncle, Ryan and Whitney, for the first time!  With all the helping hands at the house, I’m hoping to run some errands while others stay with the boys.  We still have some girl stuff to return and some other items to grab for P and H.  Like a second swing.  That thing is worth its weight in gold around here!

Enjoy your weekend!  I can’t believe Thanksgiving is next week.  So much to celebrate!