Turtle Tuesday

I think it's so cute that Reid is star struck by Cole. He looks up to him and wants to do EVERY-SINGLE thing that Cole does. This is very cute but some of the time it causes conflict. If Cole wants to play with one toy, Reid automatically wants the same thing so that he can play the same exact game. We need 2 of EVERYTHING!

Cole likes cheeseburgers, but we can't ask for "cheeseburgers" at restaurants. He wants us to ask for a "hamburger with cheese, meat, bread and seeds" (he likes the poppy seeds on top). :)
We bought some word flashcards for Cole and he can "read" 8 words (2-4 letter words like: and, up, said).

His Longhorn face.

We had great plans of taking Cole camping for the first time, this past weekend. Reid will be ready next year, but right now he'd be too hard to keep up with (selfish..I know).... We had a reserved campsite in Lake Somerville, but the weather had different plans for us. Instead, we had a slumber party at the Simmons'. We set a tent up in their play room, added blow-up mattresses, sleeping bags and sprinkled a couple of excited kids! It looks like we won't get to try camping again until the fall when the weather gets cooler. By the time our calendars free-up, it will be too hot to camp.

Is it already almost April? Reid will be 2 years old next month. Cole will be 4 in less than 3 months. I need to get on the ball planning their birthdays parties! We are keeping them low key this year and taking advantage of the fact that Reid is only turning 2 and won't be too picky- just yet! :)

My Reid making Rice Crispy treats with Daddy.

I missed Turtle Tuesday. Then, I tried Turtle Thursday and missed that one too. So, here is my third attempt... On a Saturday afternoon. Turtle Saturday??  :-)

I’ve got a fever. The Spring kind… We are ready for Spring to start. SO ready to enjoy the sun. I've already contacted the swim lesson instructors for Cole and Reid and they won’t even have their schedule’s ready until the end of April. Why isn’t everyone on the same page?? :) We are taking the kids to Galveston for 4 nights in June with the Knott’s and the Simmons’ and I can't wait to watch them play in the sand and water! I'm ready for "splay day" to start at school. I'm ready for the long sunny days, even if it’s 822 degrees outside!

Reid is such a boy. I laughed out loud when my almost 2 year old, found a tampon in a box and turned it into a shooting gun within .5 seconds of finding it! Boys…

Reid has amazed me with how much his vocabulary has expanded over the past several weeks. He is using a couple of 2/3 word sentences and repeats everything we ask him to repeat! Actually, he will repeat as long as he is not feeling shy. It’s so cute because he is definitely shy, where Cole isn’t. Cole doesn’t have an ounce of shyness in him; he’s more like me. He still likes to use that as an excuse and tell me, “but I’m shy mommy”. Does he really think he can fool me?!


Cole woke up last night crying. When we went to check on him, he was still asleep stirring around but crying. When I asked him “what’s the matter baby?” he responded “you guys didn’t let me do it!”. I explained that it was just a dream and he settled right back to being soundly asleep. It’s comical to learn what a 3 year old finds to be SO TERRIFYING that it would wake them up in tears.
Yes, that is food on Reid's face in the picture below. I just love his sweet face in this pic.

HATE!

Want to know the one thing I HATE in this world? Cancer. If I was a doctor, my mission would be to conduct extensive research and find a cure. If I was a millionaire, all Cancer charities would be very well funded. If I was Miss Universe, I would not ask for peace on Earth. It’s cliché. I would ask for a cure for cancer. This monster attacks so many lives each year. So many people I love are currently fighting it and beating it; my Grandpa, my aunt Betsy, my uncle Edward and Pam Keen. My uncle Pepe lost his battle to pancreatic cancer about 1 ½ ago. It’s so heart breaking. I recently learned of a 2 year old baby girl (www.LaylaGrace.org) that is in her last days of her fight against Neouroblastoma (a childhood cancer). I don’t know her or her family, but I allowed myself to inmerse in her story because I felt I owed it to her. I allowed myself to truly feel saddened by everything that I read and I cried on every entry of Layla’s journal. Some tell me I shouldn’t read stuff like that because “it’s too depressing”. How can one ignore it and act like it’s not happening? This little girl is an angel on Earth. She is only 2 and she has impacted my life (and thousand others) in ways I can’t explain. She has over 30,000 Twitter followers. Did I mention that she is 2 (as in two. dos!)? This is Layla Grace.

It’s just not fair. Parents and babies should never have to endure something like this. EVER! Please pray for Layla. So, that she doesn't feel fear or pain. Pray that she feels an overwhelming amount of love alongside her Mommy and Daddy. Please pray for her Mommy, Daddy and 2 sisters, for peace and comfort during this terrible nightmare. Please pray for those we love, that are affected by this monster.

I call my babies my "turtles". Sometimes, they are my "turtle heads". If you could add the love that every single parent in the world feels for their child, you would be able to get an idea of the feelings I have for these 2 turtles. Their personalities are really starting to emerge and become more consistent. They are polar opposites but still manage to be best buds! Cole is  animated, energetic, incredibly intelligent and so full of life. Reid is sweet as honey yet determined and strong willed (does that include temper?). :) He is my little free spirit that will do whatever he sets his mind to in life!

Cole is really enjoying soccer this year. He has practice every Wednesday and the games are on Saturday mornings. This season, he is playing for the YMCA. He gets homework and they emphasize learning the Y values. I can't believe he has them memorized already! We aren't taking Reid to the practices since they start at 6:30pm (bedtime is 7pm) so Joe and I take turns each week. Makes it nice for Joe and I to have one-on-one time with each of our babies. Reid loves going to the games and he yells "DOLLLE" on the side lines until the little vein in his neck pops out. So cute!

Welcome and Happy Valentine's Day!

First off, welcome! So glad you decided to click on the link on our Babysites!  Secondly, Happy Valentines Day! Thirdly, please bare with me while I get the hang of this thing. What NOT to expect from this site: a creative expert blogger, Martha Stewart arts and craft show, living on the edge/crazy family journal. :-)

I can't believe that this is our 10th Valentine's Day together.  At times, it feels like we met yesterday. Others, it feels like me met a lifetime ago. I can't imagine life with any other man. We decided not to do Valentines gifts this year, since we just got back last Monday from a 5 day stay stay in Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico. Joe and I went skiing for the 1st time with our friends Tony and Amanda and had a blast! It was very unusual for us to head to the cold, but we are SO glad we did it!

Our lodge.

Today, the boys and I made cookies for Joe (see header). The one on the left with 20 pounds of icing, was iced by Cole. :) We also went to Will's 2nd birthday party. I can't believe he is 2!!! Here is a picture of Reid eating Will's cake. The kid LOVES cake! It's amazing! Reid is starting to repeat everything. He still sounds like he is of Chineese descent, but it's becoming clearer every day. I love listening to him try to say a new word. It makes me smile, every single time!

This one, on the other hand, doesn't care too much for sweets. He ate, but gave it up half way through for grapes. In terms of eating habits, Reid is so much more like Joe and Cole is just like me.
Today, Papa John told me something that Cole said to him the other day. Papa John was reading Cole a story and as Cole listened and watched him read, he asked "Papa John, why is your face falling down?" Papa John said, "that's what happens when you get old." Cole then proceeded to grab Papa John by the cheeks and said "my Daddy's cheeks aren't like that?". While we were watching ESPN, there was a short segment on Nascar. Cole asked me, "Mommy, why are they driving Hot Wheels?". Then, they showed some men with pom-poms. Cole asked "Why do those boys have Cheerleader hands?" He comes up with the craziest things.

Anyway, my main goal is to continue to document our little life for ourselves (my diary, of sorts), our family (especially those in Peru that don't get to see the boys very often) and my friends.  Hope your Valentine's Day was as sweet as candy!

PS/. This may be completely "over achiever" of me, but I hope to change the header every holiday month. Just, don't hold me to it. :-) There is a slight possibility, that you'll have this Valentine's Day header for Christmas. ha!