Egg Hunt #1

What a beautiful weekend we had here! It really was perfect--except, Steven was working of course. Boo. The kids and I tried to take advantage and spent most of our time outside. We had a picnic lunch at the park by our house on Saturday. We got there and I couldn't quite figure out what was going on, but I think there was some kind of TCU alumni gathering there--all I know is there was a huge TCU flag stuck in the gravel and everyone was wearing purple. The kids were playing and Matt was making new friends when all of a sudden we heard this drum beat and looked to see two Chinese dragons come dancing up the sidewalk to the park. Apparently this party had hired them and we got to enjoy watching them. Matthew was fascinated. He and another little boy he'd just met ran all over the playground and pretended the dragons were chasing them. And at one point they were! We picked a great day to head to the park, that's for sure.

Sunday we went to church (which was awesome!!) and then headed out to the Quarries for lunch and egg hunt that our church put on. Matt was more than excited and could hardly wait to get there. It was gorgeously sunny but windy and a little chilly in the shade. My brother and his sweet family were there so that made it even more spectacular for Matt & Will.

Here's my little Muffin. He was thoroughly entertained by his cousins. At least for awhile. Then he remembered that he hadn't napped and it was 2:00 and he lost it. He was a trooper though.

When it came time for the egg hunt Matt gathered up with his age bracket. I love this picture...he's awkwardly talking to some little girls and introducing himself. I was proud of Matthew; he didn't mow anybody down and nor did he hoard all the eggs and get too many. He did a great job. I think it helped that I prepped him with a little pep talk before it all began. So maybe he does listen to some of what I say...

It was a thoroughly enjoyable day. My kids were wiped out and slept all afternoon. This week we have more Easter parties and preparations for Sunday. I think Easter is my favorite holiday. It's a beautiful time of year, Easter candy is my favorite of all year (hello Peeps & Cadbury eggs!), and mostly I love what Easter is all about--our risen Savior.

Spring Break

Our Spring Break week was really nice. Matthew was out of school but still ended up having quite a full social calendar for the week. The weather was perfect--most days. We met Ava & baby Henry at the park one day. Keeping an eye on Will at the park will wear you out for sure. He's still crawling so he gets filthy and he of course can't resist the buffet of rocks and leaves all around him. He crawls up and over whatever he can, repeatedly. It's fun to watch him though because he's so active and excited to be in the midst of the bigger kids.

Wednesday we met up with my long time friend Lori and her two girls at Zilker park. Three cheers for Facebook reconnections! Lori and I have known each other since the 4th grade. She and I were in gymnastics together and then cheerleaders in Jr. High and co-captains of our cheerleading squad in high school. Back in the day she was totally my B/F/F. We lost touch once we left high school and my folks moved away from Lake Jackson. Then we ended up having an anatomy class together at UT. So random! Anyway, we lost touch again and then she found me on Facebook a few months ago and come to find out she lives in Austin not too far from us. Craziness. Her daughters are 3.5 and almost 1, so my boys had a blast playing with them. Zilker was insanely crowded that day thanks to Spring Break so the train ride was out for sure. We did walk down and feed the ducks. My son, true to form, ate the stale tortillas that were intended to be duck food.

Friday Aiden & Cole came over to play. We started off at the park and then ended up at our house. My favorite part was watching Aiden & Matt race each other on the back porch on their big wheels. Lots of intentional crashing. Saturday we had fabulous plans to meet up with the Reners and Tim & Pam out at Joy's mom's camper and do some fishing and hot dog grilling all in celebration of Zach's birthday. But...it rained. A lot. And it was so cold and windy. We had to scrap that plan and do hot dogs at the Rener's house instead. Steven was especially disappointed since he'd spent a lot of time preparing his reels the day before. Soon, Steven, we'll try again.

William got his first sunburn last week with all those gorgeous, warm sunny days. The thought of sunscreen hadn't even crossed my mind. What a negligent mother I am! But, he does look cute with sun on his face. That little boy has really been cracking us up lately. His jibber jabber is constant and he delivers it with such meaning and feeling. You know he really thinks he's communicating with you. The other day he signed "more" to me for the first time. I haven't really drilled him with any of the signs for words but you would think by now he would know some of them that I've done. He was out of water and I asked him if he wanted more and he looked up at me and put his little hands and fingers together and signed more. He probably thought I was crazy with the elated, over-the-top reaction he received. He loves to imitate--especially anything that Matthew does. Will also loves a big pile of pillows or blankets he can crawl over or into. Or he loves a wrestling match with Steven. Good times at the Jones house!

A Wedding

Last Saturday we attended Paul & Rachel's wedding. It was held at our church and it was a lovely event. It was a beautiful spring day in Austin, perfect for a wedding. This was Matthew's (& Will's) very first wedding to attend. I did a lot of coaching ahead of time with Matt as to what to expect and what kind of behavior would be appropriate for the ceremony. Caroline, Mary Claire & Ava were ring bearer and flower girls so we had the joy of watching them walk down the aisle and then attempt to remain still and quiet throughout the ceremony. Matt was also mesmerized when my brother, Bryan, sang. The boy loves music.

The girls did well up front...my favorite moment was seeing Ava silently mouth to her mother, "I'm doing a good job!" She was quite proud of herself, it was cute. My kids on the other hand were quite a different story. Matthew would loudly whisper to me at all the wrong moments and had one question after another along with a big case of the wiggles. And William...what to do with a one-year-old in a church pew who needs to be quiet and it's his naptime but he won't just cuddle up to one of us? Steven & I both wrestled him and he got sent from one lap to another. He also spent a good time on the floor at Steven's feet rummaging through the diaper bag. He had quite a lot to say so if that ceremony was recorded one would undoubtedly hear little Will's chatter and impatient screams. Somehow we made it through without having to sneak out at any point so I was relieved.

At the reception we enjoyed some yummy food but we were all really looking forward to cake. When it came time to cut it all the small children in attendance flocked to the cake tables and began grabbing plates & forks. They could hardly wait for the bride and groom to eat their slices. And then Paul and some of his friends began to serenade Rachel and I thought Matt's patience was about to give out. Once they stopped singing Matthew very loudly said, "Now we can have some cake!!!" We were one of the first ones in line and got a very generous slice of both cakes. Both were delicious but the best was the groom's cake: an oreo flavored cake in the shape of Homer Simpson. Divine!

It was a really lovely wedding and we are so happy for Rachel & Paul. Congratulations!

Brothers

William is doing his best to be wherever his brother is these days. I think Matthew is often doing the same. Matt likes to bait Will with toys or snacks in an effort to get him to follow him wherever he wants him to go. Most often they have the most fun in the kitchen pulling things out of the cabinets and the pantry. And eating snacks of course.

At the beginning of this wagon ride Will was sitting up straight. At this point Matt's got him in a choke-hold, but Will was still enjoying himself. Matthew was actually in the mood to be photographed so I got a smile from him every time I took a picture. A miracle!

This is funny... The other night Steven was giving the boys a bath and Will was already out and roaming about in the bathroom and began to pull out some of my lotions. Steven remarked that he wasn't sure why mommy kept her fancy lotions in a drawer where Will could get to them, and Matt replied, "she probably did that so she could reach them because she's short." Yep, good answer Matt.

We're enjoying this warmer weather and sunshine we've had lately. I was happy to brush the dust off my flip-flops and paint my nails for the first time in months! Let me say that my feet were ready to see the light of day, not my winter pasty-white legs. (shudder) Hooray for Spring!

Sleepy

I realize that I have been blessed and perhaps spoiled with a child who is very skilled and agreeable when it comes to sleep. Matthew is nearly 4 and a half and still takes a long, luxurious afternoon nap; on most days that is. I marvel at his need and desire for sleep. When we talk about his days' activities he thinks about the things he will do before nap time and then after nap time. He is generally ready for that nap and most often asks for it. And even on those days when he's disagreeable about going to his bedroom, once he's in bed and we shut the door he's out. He has always been my marathon napper. When he went down for a nap earlier in the afternoon not too many months ago he would often sleep for 3 hours. Now it is more like 2. This nap has saved me. It is God's grace and provision for me and my sanity. It has been especially helpful with the addition of William into our family. At the moment we have an hour or two in the afternoon when they're both asleep. That is nice right there.

I speak about these things because I know we're in the twilight of Matt's napping days. I'm beginning to see end drawing near. It's got to happen, right? He turns 5 this year! Missing a nap is longer an extreme detriment to Matt's behavior, but it does still affect him. He & Ava had a very active day of playing together this week, and I had let Matt skip his nap that day. We got home from their house and he was whiny and generally pitiful. It was all I could do to get him fed, bathed and into bed. He told me he wanted to go to bed when Will did. That's at 7:00, mind you. How much longer will these blissful naps of Matthew's last? I have no way of knowing, but I will continue to savor them while I can.

The little one I don't see as having as much a need for sleep as Matt, but lately he's been trying to prove me wrong. Like right now, he's going on almost 2.5 hours for his morning nap. I feel this means we are moving toward dropping the morning nap and transitioning to one, long afternoon nap. Will loves his bed though, that's for sure. In the evenings he dives for it and wiggles his way to the corner of the bumper and commences to sucking his thumb and finding his happy place.

Thank you, Lord, for children who love sleep.

King Baby

It was a lovely day on Saturday, so after a quick trip to Central Market and a Whataburger lunch the kids & I walked down to the park. We weren't the only ones who thought it was a good day to go to the park. Matthew did his usual running around & looking for someone to befriend and Will found his favorite spot at the bottom of a slide that he could climb up and down from and still have access to rocks to put in his mouth. There were lots of other kids around and a couple of boys (I'd say 8 yrs or so) started watching Will. They were fascinated with him that he could crawl and stand up and babble loudly and clap. For whatever reason these boys began to follow Will. They crawled on their hands and knees just like Will and later dubbed him "King Baby." They bowed down to him and hovered over him. Matthew of course was playing right alongside them. Then Will began to draw the attention of little girls. Two of them asked to hold him and I had to politely refuse. The boys were still following him and so now he had a herd of children surrounding him. He was getting a little tired of it so I thought I would rescue him by putting him in the swing. Then all the kids wanted to take turns pushing him in the swing. Oh my. Needless to say I told Matt is was time for us to go. He wasn't too happy with me about having to leave his new friends. We walked home and this is what I heard coming from Matthew: "Mommy I'm tired, I can't walk, it's too far, when are we going to get there, my tummy hurts, I'm thirsty, I can't carry this stick all the way home, help me." It's not a far walk for those who know that we live literally right by the park. Will was exhausted from all the attention and both boys took 2 hour + naps. Success!