Fourth of July, 2011

For the 4th this year, Crockett, Jess and Chris came down to visit! We were both bored and so we were so happy they could come and spend a couple days with us. On Sunday we cooked out burgers. Monday morning we loaded up and went to the Parade. The boys loved it...it was an interesting parade, but the boys enjoyed it quite a bit! Braidy and Crockett just watched and clapped for everyone as they walked by. They all looked cute and festive in their red, white, and blue. After the parade we put the sprinkler under the trampoline and the little boys stripped down and they all jumped and wrestled on the slippery trampoline. Good fun with the cousin! We had a great weekend. The best part might have been the SMORES BARS Jess and I made. They were sinful. So good. I meant to take a picture, but they got eaten up too fast....mianly by myself!!!

Quin's "Only Child" Week!

While the older 2 boys were in Houston, Quin was an only child for the first time ever! I think he loved it, but missed his brothers too! It was pretty quiet around these parts, but he got LOTS of loving....and all of mommy's attention! While it was just us, we:

hung out with my BFF Tabor Touchstone (he moved back, yay!!!!!) - look closely, they're already telling each other secrets!:



practiced our rolling and scooting...he's quite the mover now...he rolls and slithers EVERYWHERE!:



snuggled lots before bedtime (there's just something so sweet and peaceful about a freshly bathed baby in their jammies), and


took a trip to dallas to get my brothers back, and we got to go to the ZOO!




What did momma and daddy do with only one child? Momma read a few books. we went on a date to the Parade of Homes while LuLu babysat Mr. Quin, we enjoyed time alone with Quin, missed the heck outta J and B....but enjoyed a little R&R, too! We are lucky to have a Nena and Pops who want to spend an entire week with two very active and energetic boys! I know they will treasure these memories forever!

Father's Day 2011

We were lucky enough this year to have both my dad and Ryan's dad here in town for Father's Day, as well as Ryan, of course! We (it was a group effort) cooked beef tenderloin, a garlic cream horseradish sauce, some mean green chili potatoes, and salad for lunch. It was delicious! The daddy's especially enjoyed it. After lunch Braidy and John were heading back to Houston with Nena and Pops for the week, for Nena and Pops Camp! They were super excited and we were excited for a quiet week also! We took a few pictures, but didn't get all we wanted because it was pretty rushed after lunch to get out of town, since there was a LONG drive ahead. Happy Father's Day to Ryan, Poppa, Pops, and Papaw! We are so blessed to have each of these men in our life. We love them all dearly!

s.e.v.e.n.

Quin is now SEVEN months old...doesn't seem possible, but it is!

This month you haven't started sitting up yet, you'll do the "tripod" for a little bit but then fall over. You aren't crawling yet, but you'll "swim" on your tummy like you really want to go somewhere. Just recently I saw you almost get up on all 4's so I don't think crawling is too far off, but maybe another month or 2. You eat like a champ. You eat a fruit for breakfast and a veggie and a fruit for dinner. Your favorite veggie is sweet potatoes and squash and your favorite fruit is ALL of them! You still nurse 6 or so times a day. You still wake up once during the night, but the last couple of weeks you have started sleeping much better. You still nap GREAT! 2 naps that each are 2 or 3 hours long. You go to bed around 7:30 and wake up around 7 or 7:30, or whenever daddy slams down the potty lid and wakes you up, haha! =) You love to swing outside, you like to roll around on the floor. You can roll all the way across the room, definitely a mover. I think a tooth will poke through any second now...you chew on your fist constantly and your nose is running like a faucet, so I'm thinking it's all TOOTH related! You still have a small patch of dark brown hair in the back from birth, but everything else has fallen out. Your hair seems to be getting long! I love after bathtime when I give you a comb-over, you look so handsome. Nothing sweeter than you in your jammies, all lotioned up, smelling and looking so sweet! We're finishing up the last of the size 3 diapers, so in the next few days you'll be in a size 4 (yes, the size Braidy was wearing at the time of potty training, age 2.5!) Your 9 month jammies are getting a little short, but in most clothes 6-12 months are still perfect. I think you weigh about 21 lbs. You love to talk to us. No one can get you to laugh like Braidy can. You think he hung the moon! I bought you a sippy cup and you like it, but more to chew on it than anything. Although you're still super easy going, you've found your "voice" this month! Your belly laugh is the greatest. Your smile brings so much joy to anyone who sees it. Your right dimple is always there, and it's so precious! You're still mommy's sweet little boy.

John's 6 year old pictures

Here are some of John's 6 year old pictures. Dave Ramsey doesn't really have an envelope titled "Professional Photos 4x a year", so I am trying to take pictures of the boys for their birthdays....(although I bet if it were Dave's wife making this horrid budget, she would have included it!) I am no pro, but hopefully with time and LOTS of practice I will be good enough to take great pictures of my family!

Cousin Camp Day 3...final edition

Our last day of Cousin Camp....we have a little time left tomorrow, but Crockett's mommy will be here in the morning. I know he will be excited to see her! Although, he's been calling Ryan and I "momma and daddy"....I know the second he sees his momma he'll be so happy! I have just answered to it though....I know he just hears Braidy all day and gets confused! Pretty sweet. Ok, a run down of our day.

Woke up a little earlier this morning, ate some breakfast, watched some Mickey, played with some toys. Went to get John from camp, came home and went outside to play because the mornings are the PERFECT weather! The boys jumped, played in dirt, might have been really interested in the trash can outside, ate some of Braidy's "Coppa Candy" from the circus, stole my Sonic sweet tea (yes, cotton candy and sweet tea at 10am...I hope Jess lets Crockett come back to camp again!), jumped and had some fun.







Me, being the crazy lady that I am, thought this would be a great time to try to take some cousin/brothers pictures. We don't have any pictures of all 4 boys together nor do I have a picture of all 3 of our boys....let me just say that 90% of the pictures turned out something like this. I don't know how real photographers do it, but I almost killed my firstborn. Ok, not really. Do not call CPS. But seriously, he made this impossible.

For lunch we met LuLu at BlueSky for some yummy lunch and some fun time playing in the sand! We love that place! The boys played, ate, and played some more. Even Quin got in on some sand action (and check out the rolls on his thunder thighs....they scream SQUEEEEZE ME! love it)



After a good nap time for us ALL (yes, me included today!) the boys played some more, we ate some yummy hotdogs for dinner and our friends and neighbors, the Galanos', came over for some delicious watermelon! All the kids had fun playing together. We are so blessed to have such sweet neighbors and friends. We just adore them! As you will see, Crockett had his first skateboarding attempt. Luckily, it didn't roll. Wouldn't want to have to call mommy telling her he broke his arm on the skateboard!



Must tell funny story, so years from now we can look back and all laugh!!! As our friends were leaving, Braidy told Ryan he had pooped in his pants. After a meeting with the spankin spoon, it was bath time and Ryan was in charge, because I was bathing, nursing, and putting Quin to bed. Well, Crockett happened to be dirty too....Ryan thought he deserved "overtime" for changing 2 stinky boys....well he goes back in to bathe them and Crockett pooped in the tub! Lucky Ryan! haha. He is a good daddy and good uncle for cleaning everyone up, but he was disgusted. It was pretty funny. I am sure he does not agree! Good times!

After a bath, John, Daddy, B, and C went on another bike ride....I went out to watch them as they left. Ryan goes side to side as he is riding and the boys LOVE it. They think it's pretty funny and were just laughing all the way down the street.

We've had a great few days with our cousin. All the boys have played so great together...the only time they fight is in the car and that might have something to do with the fact that they are all squished together like sardines! John has been so sweet to play with the little ones, share his toys, and help them when they need help. Quin has just enjoyed the entertainment, and lots of extra hugs and kisses from Crockett who still adore the "bebe"! We will be so sad when he leaves us tomorrow. We've had the best time!

Cousin Camp Day 2

Our first full day was a success! And I don't really feel any more tired than usual at the end of a long day, so definitely a success!!! We woke up this morning and pretty much went straight outside. Crockett slept until 9 (nice!) and then wanted outside. They had a mid-morning snack of goldfish for Crockett and a leftover, half-eaten, melted kit-kat (found in Crockett's backpack) for Braidy. They were a sight at 10am. Crockett continued to throw little dirt clods at me and still thought it was really funny. Whatever makes him laugh and smile, i'll take! Sweet Quin swang (swung? was swinging?) while we were outside. John jumped some but was pretty tired because he had been at football camp since 8.


After a little while outside we began to get bored, so I brought out the play-doh. Makes such a mess, but sure makes kids happy. Or so I thought. Crockett DID NOT like the play-doh! He immediately wanted down and cried when I put it close to him to play with. The other boys played for a little bit, and Crockett played with Buzz....and was as happy as a lark.


For lunch we had a picnic in front of some ToyStory...don't look too close or you may be jealous and see my gourmet lunch I cook for my children regularly.

After lunch we played on our new slip n slide. It was $10, and we definitely got what we payed for. However, it provided about an hour of good entertainment, so that is worth it in my book! The slipped, slided, and ran around like wild banshees. After our front yard looked like a giant mud pit, we decided to come in....after I soaked them with the hose a few times. They all loved it.



Outside + Water = good naps! They took a good nap....we then played outside some more, built "towers" in braidy's room, knocked the towers down, had some important and very serious convo (see picture below), Quin watched his brother and cousins be silly, ate some dinner, and the little boys stayed here with daddy while I took John on a photoshoot. The boys jumped while daddy mowed the yard, and then when John and I got home they went on another long bike ride. Same story, 2nd verse....bath and bed...only tonight they are watching "How to Train Your Dragon"....I bet in 10 minutes I'll go check on them and there will be 6 closed eyes! At least 4, last night Braidy played while the other 2 slept for a while. Looking forward to another fun day tomorrow!