Opening Day

We have finally found and purchased our backyard pool. Matthew got his way on this one...it's totally over the top, but we're having with it! And the water gun we got too. William wasn't as jazzed about it. He totally balked at the cold water and demanded to get out. Hopefully as the days get hotter and hotter and the pool water gets warmer he'll be a fan.

Matt's last day of school was this past Friday. They had a big party with pizza, inflatables and face painting. I was surprised to see that Matt agreed to let them paint his face as that is not typical Matt behavior. I think his friends can convince him to do lots of things. So now summer has officially begun for us!

I didn't think I'd ever be able to say this, but little Mr. William has been using his tiny legs to walk these days. He's been walking more and more everyday. Unlike Matt where Steven & I would sit several feet apart on the floor and beg him to take steps to us, Will prefers to do it all on his own. I can't even hold onto to his little finger. He wants to figure it out and stumble along all by himself. He's so excited about it and is almost to the point where he prefers walking over crawling. Almost. A few more days I think. And yes, his little arms are straight up in the air helping him balance. It's so cute.

Kiddie Acres

Last Saturday we went to Kiddie Acres for a friend's birthday party. We had not ever been there before, but what a treat it was. It's like an old school kids amusement park complete with kiddie rides, mini golf, a tiny ferris wheel, a carousel, pony rides and a concession stand where you can get nachos, a pickle, sno cones and numerous other delights.

William thoroughly enjoyed the birthday cake.

Matthew loved all the rides but his favorite was the train. We rode that twice.

This was William's face while watching the train go by. So cute.

We didn't get around to playing mini golf, so Matthew already has a reason to go back. And go back we will.

The Woodlands

A week ago we made the trip to The Woodlands to visit my dad & Ann. It was our first time there since they had made the move so we were all anxious to see their new (temporary) place. It's a condo with 4 levels and many staircases so the kids had lots of fun exploring the new space. Their place is situated kind of right in the heart of the city so we were able to walk wherever we wanted to go which was nice. Matthew was immediately taken with whatever snacks/treats they had and asked for them constantly. Like any good grandparents would do they obliged. :)

We walked to the mall one morning and rode the merry go round and spent some time at the kid's play area. William seemed to like the ride even though he sucked his thumb through most of it.

That afternoon we hit the splash park, and Matthew totally loved it. He jumped right in there and had a grand time. William was not so smitten. He acted just like Matt did at that age--he touched the cold water and screamed like he was hurt and personally offended. Instead, William spent his time crawling around and taking a few tiny steps here and there.

It was a great visit, and we enjoyed getting to catch up with Dad & Ann and hear about their recent adventures and view ALL of their fantastic photos! I can only hope we get to do such amazing travels one day. Thanks for a great time, guys, and get ready because Matthew is already planning his next visit!

Mmm...sno cones!

I took the boys out for our first sno cone of the season last week. Matthew had been begging for a solid week, and after complying to my wishes of eating all his lunch and acting on his best behavior he was rewarded with a frosty treat! You can see he went with rainbow. And he ate every last bit of it. I devoured mine as well. Hopefully it will be the first of many this summer! Will ate a few bites but then began to shiver after he'd take a bite and eventually clamped his mouth shut. He opted for sitting in the trunk with us and playing with my keys and camera. I'm convinced he'll be converted eventually.

Probably the best was watching all the college kids come rolling up in hordes. Mmm-hmm, I remember those "study breaks" really well. That's how I got hooked on these things!

Lemonade

Saturday morning was a neighborhood-wide garage sale here where we live. Although we didn't host one at our house, Tim & Pam did so the boys and I went over so Matthew could assist Ava with her lemonade stand. He'd been looking forward to it all week and was really excited to get to help her. And what a great team those two are. They really got into it and sold tons of lemonade. I'm sure it didn't hurt that they were adorable and chasing each other around the tree and playing ring around the rosey in the front yard.

William was doing his best to try on Aunt Pam's hats. And get his hands on all her breakable items for sale.
Once the sale was over the kids got to bust open a pinata that was left over from Nicole's fabulous Cinco de Mayo party last weekend. They were begging all morning to break it open. And break it open they could not. It took Uncle Tim to finish the job, but they didn't care. It was just the two of them and you should have seen them hoarding candy--Ava was gathering it up in her skirt and Matt was piling as much as he could into his arms. It's like they were looking over their shoulders expecting some other horde of children to come and take their stash away. Matthew has no idea that I left half of that candy at Tim & Pam's house. Seriously, we're still working on Easter candy around here. Thanks, Nicole, for the pinata! We ended the morning with a Whataburger lunch that both boys devoured. Then they both slept for hours. A little Mother's Day gift for me!

The Cat

Ah, Moses. Lately, he has taken to sleeping underneath Will's crib. It's quiet, dark and secluded so I can see why he likes it. I didn't figure this out for a few days though, so he's napped with Will a few times. He doesn't usually make any noise in there and thankfully stays under the bed instead of joining Will in the crib. But, I've caught on to his game and now I have to check under the bed before putting Will to sleep at night. Will of course loves to peek at him under the crib. Will still finds the cat fascinating and approaches him out of curiosity and amusement whereas Matthew finds him annoying, a nuisance and on occasion good for a laugh. I suppose I have similar feelings toward Moses.

Moses is a reminder of our life before children. He came into my life at a time when I was far from home, newly married, jobless, and lonesome for some companionship. Of course I had my wonderful husband with me but he was either in class or studying his numerous drug handbooks & glucagon molecules or working. I got Moses shortly after our first Christmas together as a married couple, and he was a delightful companion. Steven graduated from pharmacy school and we made the pilgrimage from Amarillo back to Austin. I happened to have the cat in the car with me on the drive down. He sat at my feet and howled the entire way. All 10 hours or however long it took us with that U-Haul. I'm not sure that cat was ever the same.

Our lives have changed quite a bit since those seemingly simple days in Amarillo. The cat used to like me but now he has some evil plot against me. I get attacked out of nowhere. All I have to do is walk across the room and he charges at me typically sinking his teeth into my calf. If he wasn't so heavy I'd kick him across the room. I'm not sure that William has even outgrown the cat yet. Moses has done irreperable damage to our furniture with his claws. I find his hair and litter from his box all over the house and it makes me crazy. I sweep my floor multiple times a day--Steven thinks I'm insane. He howls at us from outside our door in the morning demanding food even if there's some left in his bowl from the day before. He eats grass when he's outside and then vomits it up once he comes inside. I feel like he is forever underfoot as well. He always seems to be somewhere that I don't want him to be. And moving him is no easy task. Neither is cutting his nails. And if either Steven or I are sitting on the couch or chair in the living room he comes and sleeps on one of us; usually Steven. You're probably asking yourself if I even like this cat anymore.

Well...we're definitely sure that this will be our last pet for many, many years. There are many days when I feel that if the cat wandered off outside never to return I'd totally be okay with that. As much as that cat tortures me with all his idiotic behaviors, at the end of the day he is still part of this family. That's why I'll still scratch his little head when he's desperately seeking affection. He receives discipline like the other children in our house, but somehow after 8+ years of life he hasn't learned anything. Oh right, he's a cat.

Matt Tom

I figured it was only fair that I catch you up on Matthew since I gave you all of Will's latest news. I was just commenting to some friends this weekend that year 4 has been my favorite so far. The words that come out of his mouth are often times hilarious, confusing, thought provoking and are always spoken at a ridiculous volume. Seriously, I'm right here--you don't need to yell! And he talks all the time. Especially at meal time. That seems to be the time his mind is really processing things. That's when we have our most serious and silly conversations. He usually remembers funny things that have happened at school that he never remembers to tell me when I pick him up. How was school Matthew? It was good, I played. But then at the dinner table he'll tell me that at the playground at school that day he and two of his buddies were racing but he didn't want to race anymore and was all hot and sweaty so he went and sat in the shade with his teacher, Ms. Bee.

What is incredible about this little boy is that he is reading. No, we've done no drilling or training or special teaching at all. He just has the knack and the desire. He's been reading for nearly a year now and just gets better at it everyday. It's kind of freaky to me that he just taught himself but it's really neat. He's always loved letters and words, and over time has recognized a lot of words by sight. Now he'll sound out words he doesn't know. Blows me away to hear him read. He gets shy about it though at times. The other day he was playing in the bath tub while I was putting Will in bed and I heard him reading the back of the soap bottle. "Lather up for baby soft skin!"

Matthew is my little chef. He's too big to sit on the counter anymore so he either drags in his big steps or uses my step ladder to watch and help me in the kitchen. If he even hears my mixer or food processor he comes running from wherever he is. He wants to watch, help pour, open things, stir, push buttons, or whatever I will let him do. He's only burned himself once on the stove. Lesson learned for sure. His help may be a little heavy handed and messy at times but it makes me smile. I will do whatever I can to encourage his cooking skills and appreciation for food. Not to mention I have sweet memories of sitting on the counter for numerous years watching my mom cook.

One of the more annoying Matthew traits is his inability to dress himself. And he insists on undressing completely from the waist down when using the bathroom. I liken it to his refusal to potty train. He could do it if he wanted to take the time to be still and do it, but he just won't. So, like last year with the potty training I've told him that once school is over in May we're going to buckle down and tackle getting dressed. I expect him to come whining to me and holding a ball full of clothing begging for help.

He's got this new walk that he does. It's hilarious. He puts his hands down at his sides, shrugs his shoulders and shuffles sideways with his legs. All with a strange chicka-chicka sound effect. Today we were leaving the park and he said, "Hannah wait--I have to show you one more thing!" And he busted out the crazy walk. So proud.

He's my big, sweet boy. He'll still snuggle up with me and rest his head on my shoulder while I read to him. He loves back scratches. He'll still give me a big hug and a kiss when I leave him places. He tells me he loves me. It's the sweetest thing to hear. He's growing up fast which is exciting and sad all at once. He tells me that he'll stop sucking his thumb and snuggling his "B" when he goes to kindergarten. Good thing he's got another year!