Camping

We headed out to camp again with the Reners on Friday. The weather was warm and beautiful, so it made for some good swimming. Matt took to the water a little better this time. It might have been because I got in with him this time. We created a nice little inner-tube nest for Will to sleep in there at the dock.The kids did a great job of entertaining themselves for the most part. At one point they got out all the floats and noodles from the storage shed and made what Ava called a "rainbow festival." It was amusing. The men fished and had a good time. We ate a lovely dinner of smoked sausage, and then the kids wanted to be tossed around in the hammock.Will & Uncle Zach:I think we all slept pretty well in the camper that night. Saturday was nice. Matt was a cranky mess all day--frankly, it was due to the fact that he hadn't gone #2 in nearly 6 days (since the on-set of potty training). More on that later. He did swim some, and he did a lot of snacking.After lunch Matt was completely unraveling, so we packed up and headed home. We were in the car all of 5 minutes and Matt was asleep. He never falls asleep in the car anymore. Steven put him in bed when we got home, and he slept until I woke him up at 5. We had a great time. We went to church this morning and now the boys are both catching up on some much needed sleep. I think we might be headed for a sno-cone this afternoon for our little potty trainer who's doing so well. Hey, it's a reward for me, too!

Training

I realize that I haven't really taken many pictures lately. Shame on me! But, here's a cute one of Will chillin' in his pjs. I decided (notice I didn't say Matt decided...) that this week we would begin potty training again. Seriously, it's time. I'm willing to do whatever it takes, including crazy bribes to get Matt to ditch the diapers already and sit on the potty. We began yesterday. After Matt woke up I told him it was the big day and he totally balked. I'd been preparing him for it for weeks now; telling him that once preschool was over we were going to start practicing on the potty again. The tears came almost immediately, and I could tell it was going to be a long, miserable day. He whined & cried for a diaper for probably an hour. He even brought me a diaper. I couldn't even get him to go in the bathroom much less sit on the potty. I talked him through it I don't know how many times but he still wasn't going along with it. Finally, close to lunchtime I saw him wiggling around and I knew he needed to go. He got on the potty, and let me tell you it was a success! I don't think I've ever praised him so much. He was glowing with pride. He went again that afternoon after his nap. Hooray! He was so excited he wanted to do it again. I'm encouraged by the success so far, but we still have a long way to go. He is a stubborn boy. I'll keep you posted. In the mean time, pray for me.

Who's wrestling who?

We've had a nice week. It's gone by fast. This was Matt's last week of preschool until August. Boo. We will both miss it. Wednesday evening we met up with Alison and Josh at a local ice cream place that has a playground. They were on their way to the beach and had a stop-over in Austin, so we got together for the evening. Matt had vanilla ice cream with gummy bears. I thought I might get to share a few bites with him, but he ate nearly all of it. Not sure what I was thinking. We also hit up the pool again this week, but this time Grandpa joined us and I was actually able to get in the water. It was chilly, but Matt loved it once again. We've enjoyed time with Steven's parents, and Matthew has had no shortage of attention. Will either, really.Matt is finally getting the hang of pedaling. And steering. Granted, both skills still need some work, but he's made huge progress. He's just not that excited about it. He'd rather have me or Steven draw road signs on the ground with chalk. Or listen to a cd outside. What are you looking at giraffe?? Little Will is growing up. He'll be 4 months old tomorrow! He's still rolling over from tummy to back but not the reverse yet. This week he just found his feet and is now grabbing at them all the time. He really focuses on his hands and likes to suck on them. He's found his thumb and really likes it. When I put him to bed at night he immediately sticks that little thumb in his mouth...it's adorable. Speaking of bed, he's sleeping beautifully through the night from 8 to 8 or 9 to 9...basically 12 hours from whenever he gets to bed. So nice! He's also cutting a tooth! He's been working on it for a few weeks now. It's his top left incisor; I already feel the point of it breaking through his gums. Ouch. Therefore, he's soaked in drool. He's still giggling and smiling though. He goes in for his 4 month check up in early June.
Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!

Long Weekend

Steven took Friday off this past week, so he was home with us Thursday through Sunday. Oh so nice. The pool behind our house has already opened up, and since it was sickeningly hot Thursday afternoon we decided to go for a swim. Matt was super-excited. He and his daddy went all over that baby pool and then spent some time in the big pool. Matt can actually barely stand up by himself in the big pool now...the water laps at his ears. It was Will's first look at a swimming pool, and he was highly entertained. We didn't get in this time...I realized I don't even have a swimsuit for him much less a swim diaper. He was quite content to observe and coo the entire time. We had to drag Matt away at 6:15. Looks like we'll be headed back real soon.Friday afternoon after Matt got done with preschool we headed out to meet Zach & Joy for some camping fun. Joy's mom has a sweet camper that sleeps 9 people, so we were all able to cozy up in there for the night. Matt had fun watching Ava jump from the dock into the lake over & over again. That girl is a fish, it's quite impressive. Matt just complained about his life vest and then pitched a fit when I put him in the water. He then only tolerated the water while sitting in a float being pulled around by all the adults. So I guess lake swimming is not his thing. The perch were biting, and Will and I caught a little one. Matt will hate me one day for this picture. But it really says a lot. The way Ava's gazing at him and pulling at his arm like she put him up to the ridiculous goggles and frog floatie. Good stuff.We enjoyed burgers and then some smores after the kids finally fell asleep. They started off in the same bed but after Matt's jimmy-leg we discovered it was best to separate them. Will slept in the pack & play, and did great until 4 a.m. when the poop he'd been holding all day finally caught up to him. Ick. We all woke up early the next morning to a forecast of rain, so we packed up and headed out. The rain had already begun to fall as we were trying to head out.After a huge nap for Matt at home (3+ hours) we met up with Joy & Ava again at Dart Bowl. Matt was thrilled for the first 3 turns but then the novelty of it kind of wore off. He still enjoyed it, but you could tell the excitement had kind of worn off. I was proud that he could chuck the ball as hard as he did. Steven's parents drove into town that afternoon and joined us there as well. Ken even bowled with us. Matt and Ava both were requesting food, so after one round we headed out to EZ's.The kids ate good dinners and were deserving of a milkshake. I ate all my dinner so I got one too! It just takes me back to college. I wish I could still get that student discount. Sunday we went to church and had a pretty relaxed day. This week is Matt's last week of preschool until the fall. What am I gonna do???

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is an interesting day for me. It holds so many emotions. I lost my mother to cancer 2 and a half years ago, and there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about her. So, these past few years Mother's Day has had a bit of a sting to it for me. I remember growing up what a big deal Mother's Day was at our house. Bryan & I adored our mother and would shower her with whatever homemade gifts & cards we had or small gifts we could purchase with the money we had saved. On Sunday we'd always have lunch out at the Country Club in Lake Jackson after church. Dad would give her flowers, and I know she felt like a queen the entire day. So much has changed. Now whenever the day rolls around I am altogether thankful for the mother I had and full of sorrow that she is gone. I hold on to the memories of her and pray they never stray from my mind. On the other hand, Mother's Day is wonderful because I have the privilege of being Matthew & William's mommy. God has so greatly enriched my life with these two precious boys. I look at them in amazement each day. Now I know that fierce, intense love that my mother always tried to describe to me. This year it was a pretty quiet day. It was Steven's weekend to work, so the kids and I went to church, I worked in the nursery (13 babies--we were busy!), and we came home for lunch and a nap. This morning we found Will sucking his thumb in his crib. Not sure how often he does this, but it sure is darn cute. As much as he is always sticking his hands in his mouth we figure it's inevitable. Most notably, Will has been sleeping through the night for well over a week! He's down about 9:00 now and wakes anywhere from 7-8 in the morning. Oh man is it nice. I'm like a new woman. I go in his room in the morning and he just looks at me with a big grin on his face, so happy to see me. I love it!!!

Matt's Adventure

Dad & Ann drove Matthew back to our house Thursday afternoon, and it sounds like he had a great time. Naturally, I can't get much information out of Matthew as to what he did, so thankfully Dad & Ann stuck around a while to fill me in on the fun that was had. Tuesday night after he arrived in Houston he went to a puppet show which I'm told he enjoyed. He even sat up front on the floor with all the kids. Wednesday he went downtown and saw all the high rises and got to go into my dad's building and see where he works. He enjoyed riding the escalators & elevators. And of course he was spoiled with whatever food or drink or snack he wanted. It's good to spend time with the grandparents! When I talked to Matt on the phone Wednesday evening he told me he was going to stay there for 11 more days! Honestly, I don't think he was really ready to come home. He didn't seem to miss us too much. I know he was having fun. Dad & Ann enjoyed having him as well for some good one-on-one time. It was such a sweet gig hopefully we can do it again some time!Will & I got a lot done without our chatty little 3 year old around. It sure was quiet though. I was able to listen to whatever music I wanted to, so that was a bonus. It was nice to have some alone time with Will. The boy loves face-to-face interaction. I sat him in the Bumbo seat and he seemed to like it. He likes to sit up, so I figured he'd enjoy it. Look at these two watching Curious George. Will always cranes his neck to see the TV. He's hooked already.
Matt made me a Mother's Day card at preschool yesterday. Inside it says, "my favorite thing my mom does for me is...makes me snacks." How true. How true.

Dallas

This past weekend we spent our time up in Dallas with our good friends Chris & Alison and their adorable son, Josh. It almost didn't happen because Josh had a bout with some kind of virus that week, but after the fever subsided and the doctor deemed him okay we made the drive up Friday afternoon. Matthew was beyond excited. He's always asking to go to Josh's house so when I told him that's where we were headed that weekend, the days couldn't pass by fast enough. Matt did great in the car--he had dozens of signs to look at and music to enjoy. Will slept basically the entire ride.We got there and Josh showed Matt all his cool toys, and they played like best pals. The boys shared a room that evening, and let's just say that not much sleep was had by anyone so Alison found a different solution for Saturday night. Saturday morning Chris & Steven played in a BYX alumni golf tournament, and Alison was hosting a baby shower at her house so Matt, Will & I sought outside entertainment. Since it was raining we went to the Galleria where there was a play area and then ate lunch at Chick-fil-A. The storms continued that afternoon and evening so we were trapped inside the house. Thankfully, the boys took great naps due to their lack of sleep the previous evening. We enjoyed dinner with them that evening and even got in some Rock Band. Look at these two up to no good.We really had a great time and always enjoy hanging out with the Browns. We've been friends for a long, long time. Our ride back home was great--again, Will slept the entire way and Matt gazed at the road signs.About 2 weeks ago Will started giggling, and I swear it's the cutest thing ever. The first couple times he did it he got so worked up he got the hiccups. He continues to sleep well at night and is awake more and more during the day. He can really get those legs and arms moving. And he's quite talkative. Basically, he's a pure joy and we're enjoying every moment of him!Today after preschool, Matt is headed to Poppi & Gran's to spend a couple days with them. He's excited. Can't wait to hear how it goes!