A Day at the Arboretum

So the Arboretum is one of my very favorite places - I just love it! I have been anxiously awaiting Spring so that we could take Evan. We barely missed the tulips, but of course it's always beautiful there! And of course, I always go a little camera-crazy while we're there!

Enjoy these pics!





Wheee!! Evan loved being lifted into the air...



"That was so much fun, Daddy - do it again!"



"You crack me up, big brother!"



"It's like I'm looking into a mirror." Seriously... Evan is the spitting image of Preston.




Evan was so excited, he was "bonking" his big brother up side the head!



God is good.



"Hmmmmm.... I think these hands might be deeeelicious!"



Evan loved the Arboretum... the weather was perfect and he loves being outside! And the soft, green grass felt so good on our toes!





So like I mentioned in the previous blog... sitting up is serious business! There were no smiles... but now falling down, that's a different story - that is hysterical! See more pics below...



Oh no, he's going down... help, Daddy!



Almost down, this is great, Daddy!



And we're down... that is hilarious!



And so let's do it again...



ALRIGHT, I know you all are bored to tears... I warned you that I get a little camera-crazy sometimes!! Enjoy these last few pics of the boys!

Sweetie Pie Evan

Oh, what a sweet and funny boy we have in little Evan! He is pure joy! I can't imagine life without him. He turned 6 months old on April 8th and he is just loving life and all of the new tricks he is learning!

Now that we have a little more room, we were able to pull out some new toys for him! One of the first was his highchair. Meals can get pretty messy, so it's nice finally having the highchair put together. And as you can see, he thinks he is the cat's meow in his new highchair! He was so excited the first time we put him in it - yeah, a new toy! He finally gets to eat right beside us at meals - so fun!

He started sitting up at 6 months old and gets very serious when he is sitting... it's like he is concentrating and focusing. I've been able to get a couple of pictures of him sitting, but not many smiling - it's just too serious, no time for smiles, mom! Oh - and he does have two bottom teeth - they came in around 5 months actually... so all of our toys are getting good use, in his mouth of course. And he loves chomping down on the spoon when you feed him.



He still loves being on his tummy and he is the rolling machine.... he'll roll all the way across a room in a matter of seconds. And he's getting good about spotting something that he wants and rolling to get it! Uh oh - need to make sure this house is "Evan proofed".

And the picture below... this is always funny when babies do this... we call it "swimming", he's just paddling away - places to go, people to see apparently!



And here is one of Evan's favorite - his brother. Oh, are we in love with our brother - they are so in love with each other. It's very sweet. Preston is so gentle and so loving and just so proud of Evan. He entertains him while I am fixing his food and fetches me diapers and bibs... he is a great help! And Evan just lights up when he sees Preston... and even cries when Preston walks away sometimes. Preston delights in every smile that he gets from Evan, and especially loves it when he can make him laugh! And Preston marvels every time Evan accomplishes something new, he is excited about every milestone! Oh, pretty soon I'll have TWO wild and crazy boys RUNNING through this house!



Evan's other favorites... his Daddy of course - although he is a bit of a Mama's Boy right now.... I'll take that! I love that I'm able to spend this precious time with him at home; it's priceless. He also LOVES being tickled and loves it when you laugh out loud at him and clap for him... those things will always get a laugh. And I actually found one day that he loves the sound of a zipper... so to get a laugh all you have to do is say "ziiiipppp!" Too funny!

He is loving having his own room and sleeping in his nice, bigger bed! He is my snoozer... takes great naps and sleeps almost 12 hours most nights! We had his 6-month check up and he is a tall guy - in the 90th percentile like his brother. He is still our "Spit Up King" - you can't take the boy anywhere without packing a few dozen bibs and burpies... it's quite the scene. I think he'd weigh 30 pounds if he kept it all inside! The doctor says it should get better by 9 months old... please!!!

Well, of course I am still playing catch up on the blog - so I need to save some of Evan's new tricks for his 7-month update - so much happens in a month - that's it for now!

I'll leave you with my boys...

A Winter-y March

So, I'm still trying to play catch up with the blog... and I just couldn't leave out that we got some absolutely beautiful snow in March - twice! This particular snow was really great - we got so much! More snow than I've seen in a while and I've lived here my whole life! Most the time we get that yucky ice and sleet - but this was snow - beautiful powder white SNOW!

Preston was so excited to play in the snow. It was actually a week before we closed on the house, but school was delayed so we drove up to the house and played in our front yard! Evan was sacked out in the house while Preston and I had a snowball fight and goofed off!

The streets were so beautiful - and all the trees and rooftops were covered - it was very peaceful and crisp! I'm not sure if I could live somewhere that has snow 3-4 months out of the year, but it sure is a pleasant escape every once in a while... we actually had a "season" in Texas! Whoo hoo! You know we'll have a "Summer" season in Texas, why can't we skip that one year - or at least skip the triple digits!

Just as a sidenote - we have seriously had the craziest weather this Spring! First.... two rounds of snow, then I think we have had some of the most severe thunderstorms and wind that I've seen in a while. And since we've been in the house we have had 5-6 tornado warnings - not watches, warnings! The sirens have gone off three times, I think - as the boys and I have had to pile into our front closet! Oh - the joy of Texas weather. It's such a cliche - but it is true... if you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes and it will change!

Here are some pics of our winter-y weather!

Preston could have played all day...



Can you see the snowball mid-air?



It's hard to see in this picture - but the snow was literally piled knee-deep at the edges of the fence!



And this picture just does not do justice to how beautiful these trees were in the drive up to our neighborhood... it was like a postcard.

The Big Move

WOW - So we'll start with the move... it honestly seems like it was ages ago and it was just March 16th. But when I think back to our closing day and then when we actually moved into the house - WOW, it's almost hard to remember not living in this house!? Weird, huh? Or, maybe that's just my mind blocking out the year we spent in the apartment with two kids, two dogs and waaaay too much stuff! Hmmmmm..... Seriously, we are elated to finally be in the house and it's awesome having more room and a backyard - we are very blessed. And we are so blessed that so many of you have come to visit and we've even hosted a couple of meals already... we hope more of you will come over soon! So here's my attempt to re-cap the move...

Well, unlike the building process, the move happened so quickly. We had our walk through and were going to wait two weeks to close to let them finish everything up and then we decided that we wanted to just go ahead and close (even though we hadn't packed a single box yet) and get moved in before Spring Break! So we closed several days early and moved in on Sunday, March 16th. But then Preston, Evan and I were able to spend Spring Break in our jammies unpacking! My sweet husband was only able to take off one day because, of course, this move fell at the worst time.... tax season! Ugh! But after April 15th was over he took off more than a week and kept busy on my "honey do" list! Thank you, Dad! Thanks for all the painting and the hanging - and yes, for even painting a couple of rooms twice because I decided that wasn't exactly the color I wanted... what a husband.

So, thinking back to that glorious Sunday... what a day! We had movers move in the big stuff and decided that we'd take care of the "few little things" left in the apartment that we hadn't yet packed (okay, more than a little was not packed when the movers showed up!). It seemed like a few things, but then you pack a couple of boxes and look around and all the stuff has multiplied and it's still there! We couldn't believe that all of the "little stuff" left in the apartment filled the U-Haul twice!!! And we're talking about the big U-Haul, not the little trailer hitch that holds a large dog. But I'll tell you - as you can see from his face in a picture below, Preston was born to move - he loved every minute of it and was a GREAT help and I can't even tell you how much he loved that U-Haul... note to self, a good present for Preston this year... a ride in a U-Haul! Everytime he sees one now he reads what state it's from and remembers the good old U-Haul days. He and Evan were both such troopers with many very late nights and weird meal schedules and lots of hard work... I was so thankful to have these easy, breezy kids! Because, moving with a baby takes a little more effort for sure! You just have to sit back and realize that all the stuff in the boxes ain't going anywhere - it'll still be there!

So just when we got everything moved over from the apartment... we remembered, we still have more "little stuff" left in three storage units! Geez!!! Seriously, if I ever talk of moving again - please, please, slap me! Don't get me wrong, we are so thankful to have a warm home and I am so grateful for my very hard-working husband... but seriously, if we move again - everything is staying here and we'll just start fresh at the new place!!!

I was definitely made to relax once I realized that I was being foolish to think that I could have everything unpacked in a week! Really, Amanda.... just the bathrooms alone took forever it seemed like.... seriously, how many lotions do I need? Have you bought stock in Bath and Body Works?? You should! You don't realize you have "collected" so many things until you have to unpack them! And oh, how quickly you then starting chunking stuff! I mean, why did I pack this anyway? You get some perspective after a year in an apartment not living with these things! You realize you don't need them! Getting rid of stuff is so liberating!

And as I was feeling overwhelmed - without even mentioning it, some relief arrived... I don't think we were in the house two or three days before my dearest friend, Susan, came to help! She was such an angel and is truly my God-given sister. We are so thankful for our family of friends. In fact, we called Todd, Susan's husband, at the very last minute on the Saturday before our move and he was so willing to come help Erick load that U-Haul... we could have never done it without Todd or Susan - seriously! I am so thankful for their dependability and friendship!

So it took a little more than a week, but we are pretty settled in now - everything is unpacked and we are slowly painting rooms and decorating. It'll be a work-in-progress for a very long time I'm sure. But it's fun finding new places for things and decorating. We are enjoying getting to know our new home and making new memories as a family. Preston and Evan are just loving it! Evan finally has his own room - I have to admit I was a little sad to see him leave his pack-n-play at the bottom of our bed! But he loves his crib in his pirate room! And Preston is so proud of his "log cabin" room and immediately takes everyone to it when they come in the door. We found a wonderful artist who came and painted both of the boys' rooms. They are adorable. I know, I know... everyone keeps saying - update the blog, we want to see pictures of the house... well, guess what?!? The outside is all you're gonna get! If you want to see the inside you've gotta come visit! That's right... you have to come put up with us!

The last couple of months have really been some of the best in my life... I would definitely do it again. It has been a great adventure for our family and we look forward to many wonderful years in this house. My tales of woe are so insignificant. God is Good and God is Faithful.

Well, I know there is so much more to share, but I think I may need to wrap up this entry for the sake of already rambling on too long! Oh, did I say how much I am enjoying the now 60-second drive to Preston's school! Oh, yes! Especially with gas prices these days! It's fantastic!

Enjoy these few pics!! More to come soon...

Preston thought crashing into all the packing paper was a blast!


Evan and Daddy "working" with power tools to put his new crib together!


Here is Preston soooo proud to be riding with Daddy in the U-Haul!


And the first thing we moved in - Evan and his toys! Here's a birds-eye view of Evan enjoying his time playing while we moved in furniture.


And sweet Aunt Susan and Preston helping organize our clothes! I have never had such a beautiful and color-coordinated closet! It is fabulous - thanks to Susan!

Drum Roll Please - We're Back

Well, hello, hello and hello again! Yes, I am on the blog, finally, and I will attempt to play catch up as I haven't posted since February!! Hey - we've been just a little busy! Hee hee! Let's see how much I can get "blogged" tonight!!! Oh, it's on...