Playing

It was another working weekend for Steven, so the boys and I took full advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and enjoyed Saturday morning at Zilker Park. We rode the train first thing, and both boys were super excited. Will sat still for the whole ride and enjoyed seeing all the dogs running around, cyclists and runners all over the place. Matthew wanted to know where we were exactly and what that street was over there and what is that building way off in the distance and how long is this track and how fast is the train going? Oh man. The questions, I tell you!

Those two were all over the playground, and Will freaked out all the on-lookers with his tiny size and mad climbing skills. Matthew is such a sweet big brother. He followed Will wherever he went and helped him when needed and was so good looking out for him. Now, if we had had a friend there with us it would have been a different story...but since it was just us they stuck together like glue.

We have been having some awesome races on the back porch lately. With all the bikes and scooters and things we have all kinds of options for everybody to ride on. It's been a lot of fun. Will says, "Go Mommy! Go Daddy!" Matthew claims to clock speeds at 400 mph even on the curves. He's crazy.

Will just scoots along trying to keep up, it's the cutest thing. Dad & Ann sent Will a climb on slide apparatus that the kids have been enjoying. Matthew especially likes to tump it over and climb on it that way. Because that's more fun, right?

Another remark about the weather...how is it that it's 75 today and then the low for tomorrow is 19??? Doesn't seem right. Here comes winter again!

Some Stats

Will had his 2 year well check yesterday with Dr. Brown. Alison, you will appreciate this...Will was very confused because he kept asking if we were going to see Josh. Nope, no Josh Brown at Dr. Brown's office. But anyway, the visit went really well; he didn't need any shots so that kept us tear-free. He weighs nearly 22 lbs. now, and if you can believe it that actually lands him on the charts for his weight for the very first time since he was born (10th %ile, but still...). He is a mere 30 in. tall, so that still leaves him off the chart in that aspect. But, he's grown 2 inches since she saw him last summer, and that's saying a lot for Mr. Will. She was pleased with his growth, and Will was a well-mannered, patient boy while she checked him over.

Matthew had his very first dentist appointment last week. I know, I know. He's 5. I was worried about what they would say about his grey teeth up top that have been that way since last spring, but it turns out that nothing needs to be done. The nerves in those 2 teeth are dead, but the permanent teeth above them look great, so we don't need to worry about removing them. Whew! Matt did so well sitting in that chair and doing everything the hygienist asked of him. He was even able to sit still long enough to have x-rays taken. I was proud of him. He walked away with an awesome new Shrek toothbrush and some Sponge Bob toothpaste. Wahoo!

William is 2!

William Henry turned 2 years old yesterday. Wild! Time has flown by. We celebrated his birthday Sunday after church here at our house. Will was in the middle of a pretty gross cold so he was neither feeling well nor in the best of moods for his party. He woke up in a cranky mood and was ultra, super-duper clingy so that was kind of unfortunate. Thankfully, he eventually warmed up (after cake time) and was able to enjoy himself a little.

We had an awesome Yo Gabba Gabba themed party for him. I even made him an iron-on Brobee shirt and a Muno shirt for Matt. Steven made me pose with my creations. I went with Thunderscloud subs again for lunch, and they were tasty.

I made a DJ Lance boom box cake.

And DJ Lance cupcakes. They were funny.

Will was all smiles for the singing of Happy Birthday, and I know he enjoyed his cupcake. I think it's the only thing he ate all day long.

The big kids enjoyed playing outside even though it was a little chilly.

We had a pinata, and inside it happened to be some awesome mustaches. Yesssss!

Hold me Daddy!

We came back inside and played a game. Those of you who have seen the show may be familiar with the "There's a party in my tummy" song....well, in the spirit of pin the tail on the donkey we instead played put the party in Brobee's tummy. The kids had a blast with it.

Yes, coloring Brobee took a long time. Matthew helped with about .05% of it. Quitter.

We opened presents once it was down to just us family. I'm not sure if Will was able to rip any of them open because of all his cousins and his big brother swarming him, but he didn't seem to mind at all.

He got some awesome Brobee shoes. It was a fun party even though the birthday boy wasn't feeling like himself. I'd say today he's probably 80% better, so that is wonderful. Clingy, whiny, no-eating, coughing, oozing, fussy Will is not my favorite. He is adorable, funny, smart, willful, silly, adventurous, independent and so much fun wrapped up in the tiniest little body. He brings me joy everyday! It's a paradox to me that he's only been around for 2 years yet those 2 years have gone by so fast! What's up with that? I love my Will. Happy Birthday, buddy.

Peas in a Pod

The kids and I made a little trip up to Dallas the first part of this week. It just so happened that Matt's good buddy, Josh, was celebrating his 4th birthday. We headed up north I-35 as the temperature steadily dropped, and we gazed out our windows at the snow covering trees and rooftops, and made it to our friends' house.

The playing commenced immediately, and all three boys were more than glad to be reunited. Matt & Josh always just pick up where they left off and play like they are best friends. It is so fun to watch them. Josh was excited to show Matt his bunk bed, and later that afternoon they turned off the lights in there, found a flashlight, and played "goodnight". It may have been a little too fun in there or perhaps they enjoy each other's company a little too much because I heard them talking at 5:30 a.m. that first morning. That might account for Josh's face in this picture. And Will, as usual, is just happy to be a part of it all.

Tuesday was Josh's big day, and his mommy made him a special pancake breakfast to start his birthday off right. Yum! Josh opened gifts after breakfast and was so sweet and patient with Matt as he "helped" rip everything open.

That afternoon was party time at Pump It Up! Matt & Will were all over it as is their custom, and I once again got a good workout and questioned why I wore long sleeves. Oh yeah, it was like 20 degrees outside, that's why! I hoisted Will up the huge slide at least 5 times in a row. Each time we would reach the bottom he was squealing with laughter and saying, "More! Again, again!!!" I'll be glad when those little legs grow just a liiiiiiiiittle bit more.

Most of the time Matt was connected at the hip with Josh, but at any brief moment that they weren't, he was right by Will's side. I love watching their brotherly relationship develop. Matt is really a loving big brother and does a great job looking after his little brother. Will craves his brother's attention and approval. In the mornings when we get up Will always asks to watch a show (usually Yo Gabba Gabba), and if Matt is still lingering on the computer with Google Maps Will will say, "Ma-nyew sit here, show." He doesn't want to watch the show unless Matt is snuggled up next to him on the couch. Aaawww.

Back to Josh's party....we got a pretty decent group shot, and I was pleased that Will stayed put for the duration of the photo shoot.

Josh is totally into Scooby Doo these days, so Alison made him a really incredible rendition of the Mystery Machine. Seriously, she spent hours on it...I was there! I realized that I have been there for 3 out of 4 of Josh's birthdays. I missed his 2nd because I was due to give birth in a matter days. So, Alison & I have this tradition going of staying up late, I watch her decorate her son's cake and keep her company while sipping on wine. That girl has talent, y'all. One day she's going to move to Austin and we're going to open up our own shop. Right, Al?

As you can see, Will LOVED the cake. He ate every morsel. I was concerned that I would never get the blue icing out of his clothes, but it came right out...but I did see that icing again. In more than one diaper! The party was awesome, and we all had a great time.

Thank you once again, Brown family, for housing us and letting us be part of your sweet boy's special day.

Photo Recap

So much to catch up on! It's a New Year! Awesome. We've been having fun. Matthew received a fabulous new bicycle for Christmas from Poppi & Grann. He's getting pretty good at it--at least he's getting pretty good at biking circles around the patio.

I look kinda cool on it too. And strangely, it seems to fit me fairly well.

Here's our family portrait from the night we went to the Rener's to enjoy Ken's homemade egg nogg. I swear Matt didn't have any.

These two love to snack together. Kindred spirits I think as far as snacking goes.

To celebrate Joy & Ken's shared birthday and as a belated birthday celebration for Steven as well, we headed to Dart Bowl. Bowling is one sport Matt can get excited about.

The enchiladas at Dart Bowl are a must. Mmmm...cheesy.

Will stayed entertained (for a time) with the balls and the air blowing his hair straight up on the ball holder thingy.

Look at this bunch. They really don't like each other do they?

So, does Will look like Uncle Tim or does Uncle Tim look like Will?

We came back to our house for some cake. Yesssss!

New Year's Eve we spent with the Rener's. It's become a time-honored tradition to ring in the New Year together. Joy broke in her awesome new deep fryer she got for Christmas with some delicious fried chicken and fried okra.

The kids had a blast with the sparklers, but perhaps had even more fun with the glow sticks. We ended up hiding them Easter egg style in the dark and they'd run and go fetch them. Endless fun! Happy New Year y'all!