Changes

There have been a few changes around here recently.  On the cusp of a tiny baby being brought into our home, our middle child has decided to grow up a little.  I'm really amazed by it all.  At the end of February we bought a new awesome bunk bed for the big boys.  Will transitioned from his crib without a problem.  I think he is thrilled to be able to share a room with Matthew and now have full access to all of his toys.  Matthew is enjoying his roommate, too, and he delights in instructing him when it's time to wake up in the morning.  Steven and I always peek in at them before we go to bed at night, and Will is always in some weird, contorted position sleeping soundly.  These boys are great sleepers, let's pray we are blessed with one more!

The weekend after Easter, Dad & Ann were in town to visit and attend Matt's football game.  They came bearing gifts--a new swimsuit for Matt and new sunglasses and underwear for Will.  Will wasn't too excited about the underwear--he spent his time playing with the sunglasses and the new Lightning McQueen lunchbox they gave him.  Then, that Saturday evening after Dad & Ann had already left to go back home he told me he wanted to wear his underwear.  Really?  I said ok but that meant he had to go sit on the potty.  He complied.  He wore them the rest of the evening--one accident and one potty success.  We started the learning process again the next day after church.  Monday was a replay of what I went through with Matthew when he was learning--I like to call it the runaround.  I could tell Will needed to go #2 but he just wouldn't give in.  He held it all day even though we made about a million trips to the bathroom.  He wouldn't sit there long enough to get the job done; too scared.  Details aside, he finally did it right at dinner time as I was cooking and Steven was at work.  He put up a fight too; after some tears and sweat he looked up and said, "I did it!!!"  And he's done great ever since.  No accidents; even at night time.  It's AMAZING.  So incredibly proud of our Will.

Where does one go to celebrate such incredible potty training success?  Phil's Icehouse of course.  Grandma & Grandpa joined us along with Uncle Tim & Aunt Pam.  We all applauded his success and praised him for what a big boy he is.  I don't think he understood what was happening, but he was thrilled to get to eat french fries for dinner and eat ice cream.

The celebratory dinner was my way of ending the jellybean rewards for each potty success we'd been giving all week.  It worked.  So, we are a diaper-free house for 3 whole weeks!!!!  Will held on till the 9th hour, didn't he?  No matter.  It's better than his big brother; that kid was still in diapers over 3 months after I brought Will home from the hospital.  Stubborn I tell you.  Will's pants are really falling down now without that diaper.  His tush is so small, but it sure looks cute in those underwear.

Easteriffic

Yes, Easter was a few weeks ago, I know.  I've been having issues with Blogger; it hasn't been wanting to upload anymore of my photos, but today it's not complaining.  So, onward we go with the Easter report!  On Saturday while Steven was working the kids and I dyed Easter eggs.  They were very excited to get to do it, and I have to say the mess was very minimal this year.  Matt was extra careful while placing his eggs in the dye.  Will enjoyed dunking his eggs into each color several times.  Beautiful creations!  And Matt & I enjoyed hard-boiled eggs all the next week while Steven gagged each time he opened up the fridge.

This year was another Easter without Steven around, boo.  It's just not the same with him at work on such a huge, meaningful holiday.  However, we made the most of it.  The kids delighted in their Easter baskets that morning, and then we went to church.  Matt sat in the service with me and enjoyed the music and following along with the pastor as he read scripture.  Afterward, we came home for a little lunch and a nap for Willybird, then we headed out to Mimi & Papa's for Easter fun with the family.  I was so thankful to not have to cook or bake a single thing.  I just got to show up and enjoy!  What a gift.

The kids could hardly wait to hunt Easter eggs.  After we feasted on a lovely meal that Mimi & Papa prepared, the adults headed outside to hide the eggs.  Matt instructed us to make it really, really hard, and we did our best.  I think they were challenged.  We left some out in the open for the little guys who squealed with delight.

Mary Claire and Caroline even found some up this great climbing tree.  Matt's competitive spirit truly came out, and he had his game face on.  He even tried to take one claimed by Ava right from under her nose.  That boy is serious about collecting candy and/or money filled eggs.

So much adorableness!  I can't believe how big all these kids are getting.  It's nuts!

Shady Grove

Good Friday, the kids were out of school and Steven had the morning off so we took advantage and had a nice lunch at Shady Grove. Look at that baby belly...yowza! It's about to have it's own zip code. The stares and sympathetic smiles from strangers have become even more frequent, if that is possible. I get it. I look like I should fall over at any moment!

 This son may not look like this father, but he is cut from the same cloth. The older Matt gets, the more I see that he is a lot like his handsome daddy.

And then poor little Will has a crippling fear of bugs. This particular day it was a butterfly that tortured him. He was more than distraught. Not long ago while Steven was out back mowing the lawn, Will went and got his little mower and mowed right alongside him happy as can be. That is, until he caught a glimpse of a little yellow butterfly cross his path and he lost it. He dropped that mower and ran screaming away. Hysterical.

This and That

Here are some random snippets of our life over the past few weeks. I love this one of Henry & Will down by the creek behind Tim & Pam's house when we were all together celebrating Zach's birthday. Will refers to Henry as "my Henry". "Mommy, where is my Henry?" "Is my Henry going to be there?" Those two have bonded.

Recently, we had ourselves a lovely little picnic at the park behind our house with ALL the Joneses, the Reners and Nicole. The weather was splendid, the food was awesome, and the company and scenery were fantastic.

While Matt & Ava ventured off into the wilderness making themselves scarce, these two little boys remained mainly on the playground or at our picnic table grazing.

Such a great shot of Ken & Joyce. Best in-laws ever.

And, almost 11 years of marital bliss right there. :)

Making the most of the fleeting spring weather, we've dined al fresco as often as possible.

At Torchy's Tacos recently the boys were testing out some new and goofy camera poses.

Matt got to go on a special outing with Steven and Uncle Tim the 1st Sunday of April. I'm pretty sure this was his first visit to the Crown & Anchor pub. Won't be his last I'm sure.

Then they went to the Longhorn's Orange & White football scrimmage. Incidentally, that same day 12 years ago Steven took me to that same very scrimmage right after he had proposed to me at a picnic lunch. All I remember is staring and my ring and stupidly grinning at him, not paying a lick of attention to the football players. I was just thinking about how badly I wanted to tell my roommates and friends and didn't fully understand why he wasn't letting me. I figured it out at the surprise engagement party that evening at Trudy's. What an awesome day that was.

Spring Break Jville

I think I'll backtrack a bit and tell about our trip to Jacksonville over spring break. The last weekend of spring break we loaded up a UHaul to the 4Runner and made our way to East TX. Since we got bunk beds for the boys and new dressers we found ourselves with an overabundance of furniture. So, we hauled a mattress and dresser to Jville.

Becca, and Tim & Pam were there for the fun as well. The boys wanted to take their bikes, so we found ourselves keeping it classy in chairs on the driveway watching them zoom all over the place. You'll see I'm holding the basketball.

We even got to see the Prewitts one afternoon! What a special treat that was. Mason and Anslee have grown about a foot since I last saw them. Mason & Matt had a blast together re-enacting a NASCAR race with Matt on the Strider and Mason on his Razor scooter. There were several replays of gruesome crash scenes as well. Will darted here and there in the middle of all that crazy action on his "motorcycle". Sweet Anslee wasn't too sure what to do with all those rowdy boys and didn't stray too far from her mommy. It was great getting to catch up with that sweet family.

Perhaps it wore out these two? Blanket brothers.

But, a little pickle juice straight from the jar will perk you right up! Ick. They loved it. They also loved getting to play with all their daddy and Uncle's old toys all weekend. Yet again, another wonderful time in Jacksonville with family!

When we left Sunday after lunch, we were mere miles outside of Jville before Will fell asleep. Matt followed shortly thereafter. Aren't they cute when they're sleeping?

Game On!

Matthew's long, prestigious football career has finally begun! I signed Matt up for flag football back in February, and at the end of March he had his first practice and first game. This organization is sponsored by the NFL, so all the teams are NFL teams. Matt plays for the Panthers, and he and his team are up against the Giants and the Texans this season. Repeatedly. For 6 weeks. He was SUPER excited the first day of practice. He got his game-day jersey and his flag belt. At practice I learned he needed a mouth guard, so afterward we went in search of one of those. 5 & 6 year olds need a mouth guard? What kind of game is this?? He's still getting used to the thing. Practice was hilarious; no one knew what was going on but they were all so enthusiastic about playing. Matt was totally bragging to all his new friends that he was a super fast runner and that he had played football before. If you count playing in the backyard with your dad and little brother! Their first game was the following morning.

Matt was all set to go. I expected pure chaos on the field because these kids don't even know the fundamentals or rules of playing the game. There's only one kid on the team that has even played before.

Matt had quite the fan club present that morning; Team Rener, Grandma & Grandpa, Poppi & Grann, and Uncle Tim & Aunt Pam. Steven caught most of the game before having to leave for work, wah-wah. I'm pretty sure he was the only dad on the sideline wearing a tie. :)

Coach Ryan did his best to prep the boys for the game. He really is a sweet, patient man and is perfect for working with these little boys. I am just pleased that Matt listens to him and does his best to follow his instructions.

When really, that first game, all the kids were preoccupied with their mouth guards. Hilarious.

Watching the game was like watching a blooper reel; the snapping of the ball and QB to center exchange, the handoff from QB to RB and repeated dropped balls, the "take the ball and run that way!!!" yells. So, so funny. Matt's first run with the ball he totally ran in the wrong direction. We were all beside ourselves and yelling like crazy. He finally headed back in the right direction and ended up scoring a TD.

The kid can run. He's pretty fast once he knows which way to go! He said his favorite part is defense where he gets to try and pull flags. This week at practice the coach really focused on the fundamentals, and we saw some improvements at this week's game. These kids still have a lot to learn, but they are having a blast.

Steven is having a hard time reconciling his high expectations with the reality that these are 5 & 6 year olds playing football for the first time. Kids standing around and running the wrong way drove him up a wall yesterday. I thought they did better. And Matt scored another touchdown. It's funny, when Matt told his Aunt Sarah that he had scored a touchdown, he was sure to say "and my Daddy never scored a touchdown, but I did!". That's right, Matt. It's going to be a great season. Go Panthers!