AN EPIPHANY: August 2013

AUGUST 2013
Isaiah 3 years old, Jonathan 1.5 years old

My boys need their hair cut monthly.  And it hasn't always been the easiest thing to do with the two of them. At first is was Isaiah who would need to sit on my lap during his haircut but then Jonathan would start to get restless in his carseat and I would have to go attend to him pausing the haircut. Then it was Jonathan who needed the comfort of my lap while Isaiah toddled around the salon. Fingers crossed he stayed out of trouble.  On a really bad day I had to abort their haircuts all together because Isaiah refused to sit in the chair on his own and Jonathan wasn't quite old enough to quietly toddle around the salon on his own and keeping him contained in a car seat was no longer an option.   So last week when we went to get their haircuts and each one of them was swooped away from me...into two different chairs, at the same time, without  a care for their Mama;  I stood back in AWE.  What was happening to my life...to my babies?  Is this a sign of the times?  Will my life be getting this much easier?  One can only hope.  But I'd say this is the perfect time to take them on their first big vacation. Maui next month!!!!

 

July 2013 Patio Boating

July 2013
Isaiah 3 years old, Jonathan 1.5 years old

My hometown has two HUGE THINGS to offer:  clean air and pristine lakes.  So for the past two years my parents have been kind enough to take us out patio boating when we come up for our summer visits.  We had a blast this year chilling on Whiskey Town Lake.  Jaime and Caleb fished, we all swam and ate and enjoyed the great outdoors together.

 

FOURTH OF JULY- 2013

July 4, 2013
Isaiah 3 years old, Jonathan 1.5 years old

    Fourth of July is one of  my favorite holidays.  From the time we moved into our house, the Water Park that is located behind our property puts on a great firework show, so it has become the norm to celebrate the Fourth of July at our house each year.  We get together with Jaime's family and BBQ and swim all day long.  It was so exciting to see Isaiah and Jonathan realizing it's a holiday and we're celebrating our great nation.  Isaiah even exclaimed, "we're celebrating America!"  
    It is something extraordinaire, to have been born into such a great nation.  With all the civil unrest that we continually hear about going on in Egypt, Syria, and Iran, I am grateful to live in this nation that provides my family with religious and political freedom. God Bless America!!!

Going to the Movies As FOUR

JUNE 2013
Isaiah 3 years old, Jonathan 1.5 years old

First Movie As a Family-
Jaime and I have always loved going to the movies together but once Isaiah and Jonathan arrived it has become a rare occurrence.  Jaime being more of a movie buff than me has insisted on routinely taking Isaiah to go see the latest children's feature film.  Jonathan still being to young would stay behind at home with me.
But that all changed this month when we all went to ENJOY our FIRST movie together as a family. We had a blast sipping on our cherry  ice-es, munching on our buttery popcorn, and laughing at the movie Monster's University. Jonathan did great sitting on my lap the whole time.  Can't wait to do it again.  I love a family outings.

June 2013

JUNE 2013
Isaiah 3 years old, Jonathan 1.5 years old

Let the Swimming Begin!
    I go back and forth with putting the boys into swim lessons.  I'm in the pool with them so much I feel like why waste the money?  So for now, I've decided to do just that, teach them myself.  They are both doing great holding their breaths under water.  Jonathan shows less trepidation than Isaiah when taking the plunge under water, but Isaiah being older has better motor skills is able to swim back to the step from a distance.  They both love to get in there floaties (well floats that have been left behind by friends and nieces, hence the pink) and swim all over the pool.

All A Board- May 2013

MAY 2013
Isaiah 3 years old, Jonathan 1.5 years old

    Along with fishing the boys have taken a great interest in trains.  We frequent our Toys R US often, because it is located in the same parking lot of a restaurant we regularly visit for breakfast.  The toy store has strategically placed a Thomas the Train Table along with all its bells and whistles right in the middle of the Thomas&Friends toy aisle.  It has not gone unnoticed by either of the boys. Jonathan and Isaiah have become obsessed with their set-up.  They became enthralled with maneuvering the train figurines around the track, over the bridges and through the trap doors.  They would stay there for hours if I let them, so of course I want to take it home with me.
    But anyone who knows Thomas the Train toys, knows their prices are RIDICULOUS!!  One small wooden train alone is $15.00. To enjoy the same set up that TOYs R Us has to offer would be over $1000 to buy. So I tried my luck on Craigslist our (online local classifieds) and SURPRISINGLY there was a family of a five year old boy who had recently grown out of his train fever who were looking to sell his entire Thomas the Train collection.  We got hooked up with a table, tracks galore, countless Thomas the Train figurines, structures and 12 Thomas the Train DVDs for an unspeakable price of $150!!!!!  The boys can't stop playing with it.  It makes my heart sing to hear them in Jonathan's bedroom playing with one another. Even Jaime and I  have been enjoying setting up the train tracks for Thomas&Friends to chug along on.   Jonathan even sings "it's two, it's four, it's six, it's eight...(the Thomas theme song) as he pushes his train caravan along.  After breakfast Jonathan will excitingly turn to Isaiah and say,  "want to play trains brother?  "Come on brother!"  "Want to play trains?" And then he leads Isaiah upstairs.  COOLEST TOY EVER.

Embracing ALL That IS BOY

May 2013   
Isaiah 3 years old, Jonathan 1.5 years old

    As much as I love a great smelling perfume, getting my hair done and at times dressing up to the nines I was born a TOMBOY.  So now that I have been blessed with two beautiful boys, you better believe I am going to vicariously partake and (bask) in some of the glory of being a boy.  This includes but is not limited too:  mixed matched clothes, short, dirty fingernails,  going shirtless, peeing care-free in the bushes, wrestling continually,  wearing muddy shoes, sporting wild hair... or no hair at all for that matter.  NO HAIR AT ALL FOR THAT MATTER!?!
    This perk only dawned on me two weeks ago, while Isaiah, Jonathan, and myself waited patiently for their hair cuts.  The boy ahead of us sat down to get his head shaved and the light bulb went off. Although I was hesitant at first because it was such foreign territory for me, I knew I had to indulge.   The summer heat was approaching and this was just another HUGE perk that I...I mean... my boys get to relish.  No hair coming after baths, no taming the wild hairs with spray bottles in the morning, and especially no hair in the face or struggling with chlorinated tangles after swimming.  It's been wonderful, embracing all that is boy.  Here they are with their shaved heads: