Last Thursday, almost a week ago, Mason decided to start climbing out of his crib. He climbed out twice during naptime and once during the night. After a long discussion Eric and I decided the time had come to convert the babies' cribs to toddler beds. This wasn't a tough decision except I was going out of town for the weekend so Eric would be doing the transition by himself. We decided that the responsible thing to do would be to switch them before one of them broke their collarbone (wouldn't want that to happen again!!) While I was going to Oklahoma to visit Grandma and hang out with Rach, Eric was home converting the cribs. So far the transition has gone really well. Granted, we've found Mason asleep on the floor a few times and last night the babies were both asleep in Mason's bed. We took a picture because it was just too cute.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Transition
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Seven Years!!
On July 7th Eric and I celebrated our 7th Anniversary. I can't believe it’s been seven years. My how time flies when you are having fun. We've lived in three states, owned three houses and have three beautiful children. There is a song by Jason Mraz that pretty much sums up how I feel about my life and partner. Its called "Lucky"
I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been....
Lucky we're in love every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed...
I can't imagine sharing my life with a more perfect partner. Eric really is my best friend and every day I love him more than the day before. This year to celebrate our Anniversary my Mom watch the kiddos and we went on a date. We went to dinner and a movie. We had planned on seeing The Hangover, but when we go to the theatre only the first two rows were available. We tried sitting that close, but I started getting motion sick so we decided to see Transformers. It was exactly like I thought it would be, lots of action and some super bad A cars. It was even kind of a funny. I really didn't care what we saw. Just spending some time together was awesome.
Ready for our date!!
Friday, July 10, 2009
4th of July
Our friends the Finnestads came down from Oklahoma to spend the weekend with us. We had a BLAST!! On Friday we went to the local water park. It was so much fun. I can't think of another place where people of all ages, or in our case ages 21months to 32 years old can have that much fun. The babies loved the splash part and the big kids and Daddys loved going down the big slides. We forgot out cameras so I don't have any pictures to share. I will try to remember it the next time we go and we will be going back.
On the 4th of July we had a small get together. We set up a mini water park in the backyard. The kids had so much fun going mach speed down the water slide and landing in the little pool. After playing and dinner we went over to my Mom's neighborhood to watch the fireworks. Even though we had good spots to watch the fireworks the kids weren't very into it. I think we were too far away for it to hold their attention. Maybe next year we can get close enough to hear them. Oh well, we still had fun and I really enjoyed the fireworks show. Enjoy the pictures.
The backyard waterpark was a BIG hit.
Braeden, Mason, Kendal, Reece and Syd jumping on the trampoline.
The Family of Five. Obiviously Syd wasn't very into having her picture taken.
The Finnestads, Ross, Braeden, Angela and Reece.
Reece, Syd, Kendal and Braeden having snacks before the fireworks started.
Mason and Macky enjoying some popcorn and M&M's.
Watching fireworks.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Better Late Than NEVER
I haven't blogged in WAY too long. I'm going to try and catch up then stay up to date. Here are some pictures from the last couple of months. I will give you the highlights.
May - Mother's Day & Trip to ABQ. I had a wonderful Mother's day. I got to spend the day with my family and my Mama. We went to brunch at the Cheesecake Factory and it was YUMMY. We dressed the kids in their Easter clothes that they never got to wear. We also had a wonderful trip to New Mexico. We spent a week in Albuquerque that included a day trip to Las Cruces. It was so nice to see all of our family. It was relaxing and fun. Even the drive out and back went well. I can't wait to visit again soon.
All dress up and ready for brunch!
Pretty Macky
Grandpa and Mason in ABQ
Playing outside at Grandpa and Grandma's house. It was a little chilly!!
The Pirate Ship!! This was its maiden voyage.
Kiki and Mason at the pond watching the Pirate Ship.
Macky the water baby. I finally got enough floatation on her so that she can enjoy the water and I won't have a nervous breakdown. She is fearless!
Monday, April 13, 2009
18 months
A couple of weeks ago the babies had their 18-month check up (I know…I’m a little behind)
Here are their stats: Mason 34in & 26lb 5oz . Mackenzie 35in & 28lb 10oz.
I can’t believe how big they are getting. To put their size in perspective, Syd was 36in and 30lbs at 2, and she was considered big. These two are GIANT sized!! They say about 50 words (including Sydney) and are starting to put together 2-3 word sentences. They have started to say please, which is so cute. They can climb up the rock wall side of our playground, which makes me incredibly nervous. They have started using the potty, but not on a regular basis. I really just wanted to introduce them to it, but they have both been successful, which is great. They think it is a game. They are FINALLY constantly sleeping through the night. I think this is my favorite accomplishment. I was beginning to think they it would never happen. They have been sleeping really well for about 3 weeks now. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will continue. Everyday they learn a new skill or say a new word. Their development is so fast right now. They are a lot of fun. They have such different personalities. Mason is my charmer and Mama’s boy. He is still kind of demanding, but a total boy’s boy. He likes balls, bats or anything that can be used like a bat. His favorite thing to do is play in the huge flowerpot outside. He thinks it is his personal dirt pile. Macky is reserved, sweet, but has a heck of a temper. She is definitely the sneakiest one in the house. I guess the quiet ones usually are! She loves going down the slide, but will not play in the dirt with Mason. She usually just pokes it with her finger and then moves on to something else. I don’t think she likes to get her hands dirty. They are starting to play together, which also means that they are starting to fight a lot more. We’ve had several know down drag out fights over the grocery cart and other toys lately. I have a feeling that these fights will probably get worse before they get better. I love how all three kids interact and play together. You can really see how much they all love each other. The dynamics of three is never dull that’s for sure, but I wouldn’t change it for the world!!
Macky on their potties.
Mason my little sooner fan.
Daddy did Macky's hair. Isn't it cute??
Mason the Chef. He loves to wear an apron while I cook.
Smiling Macky. She is such a happy little girl.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Spring Break
Last week was Spring Break. My father-in-law (Robert) came out for a few days on a last minute trip. It was so nice to not have school or anything else to worry about while he was visiting. We went to the park, which is becoming one of my favorite things to do with the kids. The kids played, we had a picnic and then went for a long walk. It was awesome!! The next day we went to the zoo with my friend, Val and her twin boys. It was quite an adventure. Five kids, three and under is never boring. We had a good time and the weather was great. My only complaint was the crowds. It was so crowded. What did I expect on a beautiful day during Spring Break?? We made it through in one piece and without losing any one. I think everyone had a great time. On the way home Robert decided to pick up supplies to re-finish our picnic table (it was in dire need). He worked on it until Eric got home and it looks great. I thought it was time for a new one, but I guess it just needed a Dad’s touch. Thanks Robert. I’m not sure who enjoyed a visit from Grandpa more, the kids or Grandpa. Either way, it was great to see him. We can’t wait for the next visit. Below are a few pictures from the last week. Enjoy!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Giddy-Up!
Today we went to a ‘Cowgirl’ themed birthday party. It was so much fun. It was at stables and they had horses for the kids to ride. All three kids rode the horses and had a great time. It was a little cold, but that didn’t stop them from thoroughly enjoying themselves. Syd was a little hesitant at first, but once she realized that the horse wasn’t going to hurt her, she relaxed and enjoyed the ride. The babies also had a good time riding the horses. Enjoy the pictures.
Cowgirl Macky before the party.
Kiki and Mason
Syd, "This is kind of scary."
Mason, "Go dog." (he was a little confused.)
Monday, March 9, 2009
Trip to Oklahoma
On Friday, Syd and I headed to Oklahoma (my Mom followed us) for a short getaway. We left Friday morning and arrived in OKC at 12:45pm. We had a nice lunch with my Mom, best friend Angela, and her two kids at Pei Wei. After lunch, we went back to her house and she was nice enough to highlight and cut my hair. While we were doing hair, the kids played outside. The weather was so nice, a little windy, but I guess that is to be expected in Oklahoma. Ross (A’s husband) and I had planned earlier in the week to surprise her with a babysitter so that all of us could go to dinner. She was definitely surprised. I love surprising people! Dinner was so good, but the conversation and company was even better. Angela and I stayed up way too late talking and watching television.
Saturday was a very busy day. We (Angela, my Mom & I) were hosting my friend Heather’s baby shower. Everything went great and I think the shower turned out really nice. We hardly had any food leftover and Heather got a lot of great presents. I can’t wait to meet baby Carson. While we were having the shower, my sister was nice enough to take Syd to the Paint Station. They painted a ballerina, bear and a butterfly. Syd had a great time hanging out with her Auntie Autie and Syd can’t stop talking about all of the fun they had. After all of the festivities, Syd and I headed home. The trip was kind of short, but really nice. I really enjoyed going to Oklahoma and hanging out. Syd loves playing with her “best friend Braeden” and I enjoyed getting to have girl talk with my best friend as well. I can’t wait until we can do it again.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
New Friends and a Play Date
A few months ago, my Mom and I took the babies to the mall (Syd was in school). Let me preface this with, we NEVER go to the mall. I HATE the mall and pretty much avoid going at all costs. For some unknown reason, we decided to go and get out of the house. I was having a run of particularly bad days and I thought a change of scenery would help. While we were in Baby Gap, I noticed another mom with two babies about the same age as M &M’s. Mase and Mack were very interested in them. I asked their age and, sure enough, they were about a month older than the babies. We started chatting and found out that we live in the same town, our husbands are both named Eric and are both engineers. We exchanged information, said good-bye and went our separate ways. I called a few days later and, since then, we have really hit it off. It is nice to finally have found a friend that lives in the same town and has kids the babies’ age.
Today we decided to go to a local park, go for a stroll/walk and then let the kids play. The park was awesome. It has really long walking trails that go through these wooded areas. Syd liked walking through the trees and she even got to hear a woodpecker. After our long walk we let the kids play on the playground. After the park we took the kids to McDonald’s for lunch and a little more play time. Needless to say, we got a lot of stares. I think it had something to do with 5 kids under 4 that seem to mesmerize people. We both got a kick out of it. Today was a lot of fun. I definitely think we will do this again soon.
I also wanted to post some recent pictures of the kiddos.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Naptime? No Thanks!
As you can tell from the title, naptime has become quite a struggle at our house. It started with Sydney being “disruptive” at school during naptime. I talked to her teachers about it and they assured me that she wasn’t the only one and that they were, “dealing with it.” Needless to say, that was not sufficient for us, so we talked to Syd about her behavior. She reported that she couldn’t sleep because the other kids were too loud. I have no idea if this is true or not, but I do know that if other kids are talking then the chances of Sydney lying quietly are slim to none. Even though Syd wasn’t sleeping at school she was continuing to nap at home without too much fuss or complaint. For some unknown reason Syd is trying, with much resistance from me, to give up naps at home. This has been happening off and on for a couple of weeks now. Last week she told me that she wasn’t tired at all and didn’t know how to sleep. What the heck?? She has slept great nearly every day of her life and all of a sudden my wonderful little napper is giving them up, just like that? The whole ‘giving up the nap’ thing wouldn’t be that big of a deal except Sydney starts having major, major meltdowns in the early evening. I know it is because she is so tired, but seriously that doesn’t make them any easier to handle. I’m trying to come up with creative ways to resolve this problem. So far, Eric and I have come up with the idea of putting a clock in her room and telling her that she has to rest until a certain time. I’m hoping that this will work and, even if she doesn’t sleep, she will at least rest. Hopefully she will be a little less grouchy in the evenings. I guess only time will tell. Wish us luck.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Finally Better
The last few weeks have been a little rough around here. It seems like we have been fighting some sort of sickness for weeks now. First, it was the upper respiratory infection, then some sort of fever virus and finally the babies broke out with rash-like bumps around and in their mouths. After completely disinfecting the house twice and several proclamations of, “We are better, we are not sick any more.” I think it finally worked. Thank goodness!!
My Daddy has been in town this week, which translates to lot of play, a date, an adventure to the zoo and one very messy cupcake experience. My parents watched the kids for us on Valentine’s Day and we were able to enjoy a nice dinner with just the two of us. This is quite a treat and one that we really appreciate. We went to Bravo Italiano in Arlington. I had Pesto Tortellini and Eric had the Crabcakes, then we both treated ourselves to dessert. It was Yum-O!
We are ready for our date.
Granddad & Syd checking out the animals.
Giddy-up pony!
This is fun and scary, but I like it.
I love cupcakes!!
