Star Spangled Kids

I'm participating in a fun link up I saw on Kristy and Chelsea's blogs today!

I've always loved the 4th of July. It's a simple holiday that I don't feel has been over commercialized (yet) and we all get time off work to spend with our families. Growing up, the fourth of July was a time our family got together to grill burgers, swim and then we would grab our lawn chairs and head to watch the city fireworks show. With my own family, we haven't really started any traditions because the boys aren't old enough yet. However, I am particularly excited for the holiday this year because we are headed down to Tiki Island for the weekend for swimming, fireworks and relaxation. If all goes well, we are planning to keep Connor awake so he can see the fireworks, too - and hopefully not be scared of them!

Here are a few snapshots of what my boys will be wearing this Fourth of July!

Connor (2.5) is wearing an Old Navy tank top. He calls it his Kaka Shirt, affectionately named for his Uncle Kevin, who wears this style of tank top all summer long. And Connor is holding a basketball...of course! Every picture needs a prop.

Parker (7 months) thankfully sat still long enough for a picture. He is so busy moving around these days. He's wearing a smocked Jon Jon I ordered from Smocked Auctions. Connor also wore it on his first Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July from our family to yours!

Hope everyone has a safe and fun Fourth!

Aloha Summer!

We had our first taste of summer last weekend and it was so sweet and sunny. I woke up with a summer hangover on Monday - meaning I wanted to go back in time and redo the weekend it was so good! My friend Julie however, might have experienced a real hangover....but that's another story!

We started Saturday at the Memorial Park Train - Connor's favorite place - to celebrate Emily's 2nd birthday! It was a fun morning. Then we headed down to Galveston for William's 3rd birthday at the beach. It was the first time for Connor and Parker to go to the beach. And, unbeknownst to me, it was also Jeremy's first time at a Galveston beach. I can't believe he's been in Houston 15 years and he hasn't been to the Galveston beach. Anyway...Connor LOVED the beach. We held hands and walked into the waves and he would giggle and jump each time one came. Back on shore, he would jump up and fall onto his bottom in the sand - it was hilarious. Then he spent time scooping up wet sand and dumping it into his bucket, over and over again. We had the best time. I even brought Parker into the water to sit and splash (his latest trick!). We had a blast!

Parker - 7 months old (he got a few bug bites...eek!)

After the beach, we kept the party going and went to Tiki with some of our friends. All of the kiddos enjoyed playing in the pool together! After this day, these kiddos were worn out (and so were the adults!) We spent time in the pool again the next morning and seriously had the best time. Such a fun way to kick off the summer!

Love these girls!

Hey -- it's 8 kids, pretty much the best we could do!

I have realized lately that I make this face in a lot of pictures...hmm...

Connor loved when "Mista Will" threw him up, up, up!

Connor loves to give Parker kisses. "I kiss baby right there!" So sweet!

Excited for a long, hot summer!

Memorial Day at the Ranch

We took our first vacation with my family for Memorial Day and headed out west to a dude ranch resort. Total Texas Move, right? We rented a house at a ranch in Bandera where they had a water park, golf, horseback riding, putt-putt and probably some other amenities I can't recall.

Connor went up a day early with my mom and stepdad so that he could go to the Memorial Day parade in Bandera. He loved it, and has toted around his red, white and blue beach ball they threw him like its a prized possession. On Saturday, we all arrived at the house, along with the crazy storms that hit Texas that day. We spend most of that day inside playing pool, sitting on the back porch and playing games.

On Sunday, we hit the water park! Connor loved the water slides and the bigger kids enjoyed either laying out or floating the lazy river. Alex (10) had the best time with Connor on the slides and swimming. She is so great with the littles! That evening, we had a round of family putt-putt which was fun. 

Parker spending some quality time with Daddy!

Leslie, Mom and Heidi bonding during the rainy day!

After the failed attempt to ride a pony. Remember how much he loved it at the rodeo? Apparently, he forgot.

My birthday cookie cake got a little squished!

We can't wait to go back next year!

The Boys: 6 months and "2 half"

PARKER

It's hard to believe Parker has been a part of our family for six months now. He has grown into such a happy and (mostly) healthy baby. We haven't gotten to the bottom of his allergy/colic/screaming very loudly issues yes, but hopefully soon.

At his six month checkup, he tipped the scales at a whopping 24 pounds. He has already tripled his birth weight -- yikes!! Parker Man is a load to tote around, as you can imagine. He still just has the two teeth on bottom that came in at the end of four months/beginning of five months. I feel like he's constantly teething though (like every other infant out there). He laughs so hard when Connor plays "peep a boo" with him - it's the cutest thing. He is rolling all over and he sits up very well. He's a strong little boy! I can't even imagine what is in store for us once he's crawling. He is never still - unless he is asleep. Parker is constantly on the move and kicking those legs! It should come as no surprise that he loves to eat - especially mum mums and fruit. When we were at lunch a few weeks ago, he grabbed a piece of Texas toast off of Jeremy's plate and shoved it in his mouth -- are you kidding me?

Those rolls though!

Connor

Connor is learning more and more each day -- this is such a fun age, and he's got such a sweet disposition! He knows his ABC's and sings them all the time. He can count 1-20 (sometimes mixing up a couple of the teens) and he knows his colors and several shapes. He will tell you that he is "two half" and baby is "zero." He still calls Parker "baby" about 85% of the time, but gosh he sure loves his little brother! He likes for Parker to "watch me baby" as he shows off whatever he has just gotten into. He's incredibly curious and when we see new people he always asks, "What name him?". Cracks me up! Some of his other favorite phrases are, "I do it myself", "I don't want to" and "I don't like it". Have I mentioned that he's two? Connor's favorite foods are applesauce and raisins and he loves to drink "cold wa-er" (water with ice). His favorite toys are his fire trucks and choo-choo's (of course)!

I think my favorite part of the day with Connor is reading to him at night. By then, Parker is asleep and I can focus all of my mommy attention on Connor. We have silly time, read the books he has picked out, say our little prayers, and give kisses. I will ask, "Can Mommy have 5 kisses?" And he will giggle and say no, and then I change the number, and then eventually just smother him in kisses. 

They dressed him up in graduation gear at school. Can't even. 

I love when I pick him up from school in the afternoons. He drops whatever he is doing and runs to my arms with the biggest smile, "mommy, mommy, mommy!" This moment washes away the stress of the day as he makes me feel like as a mom, I'm doing something right. And sometimes, I so desperately need this affirmation. 

God Bless Texas {Bluebonnets}

Every spring, I look forward to plopping my babies' into a patch of weeds bluebonnets and taking their pictures. It's like a right of passage in the Lone Star State, one of which I've only been made aware of since having kids. Call me a follower, but I really buy in to the whole bluebonnet thing. My Texas pride swells up in my chest when bluebonnet season rolls around. I spend a fair amount of {what's left of} my brain power pondering what they will wear, where we will go and then I promise myself not to overgram my kids and fill up your news feeds.

Lucky for us, the greatest bluebonnet patch was about a 4 minute drive away from our house. On a beautiful Saturday morning, the boys woke up way too early - in my opinion, anyway - so we loaded them up and headed off to take pictures.

I'm really pleased with how the pictures turned out. I dressed Connor in pants this year, since last year he was in shorts and hated the tall grass rubbing against his legs. And since Parker has rolls on rolls on rolls, it was a no brainer to put him in overalls. And of course we didn't leave the house without M&M's and fruit snacks to bribe Connor to smile. Whatever works, right?

He is 2 years and 5 months old (exactly) here. 

I love that when we told Connor to get close to Parker, he had to be head to head. He loves his baby!

Look at all of those chins!

They're perfect! Can't even!!! Gah!

Happy Spring to everyone!

Our Easter

Easter is probably my favorite holiday. I like it even more than Christmas. There, I said it. I've probably lost a few readers now. But to me, Christmas has become so rushed, commercialized and overbooked that it's just too much freaking work. For Easter, I don't have to decorate a tree, buy presents for everyone that interacts with me or my kids, and go to parties. My radio stations aren't hijacked for six weeks with holiday music, and I don't have to be politically correct when wishing folks a Happy Easter. And don't get me started about that Elf on the Shelf. Easter is simple, and on behalf of all the moms who don't live next door to Hobby Lobby -- let's keep it that way. 

Now, where was I? Oh yes, Easter. 

Connor had an egg hunt at school on Thursday. He is so methodical about egg hunting, and it cracks me up. He picks up an egg, opens it, surveys (or eats) the candy, hands me the egg and then moves on. In the time Connor hunted 4 eggs, the older kids had already collected their 12 allotted eggs and had moved on. 

Connor's class. E-tee (Ethan), Tess Mer Clr (Mary Claire) and their teacher, Ms. Chely

Pondering what he thinks about the jelly beans in the egg...

On Saturday, our neighborhood had an Easter Egg hunt that was a blast. We have 50 kids in our little neighborhood, many that are right around the ages of Connor and Parker. The dads went and hid all of the eggs at 8:30 and then at 9:00 the kids were free to hunt. The 0-3 year olds hunted eggs on the opposite side of the street than our house and this time, Connor got more in to it. We practiced picking up eggs, putting them in his basket and then opening all of them at the end. He caught on and would run to each egg and say, "Oh my egg!" So cute! After the egg hunt, there was an appearance by the Easter Bunny (one of the dads on the street was suckered in to wearing the costume). Connor wasn't sure at first, but then he finally wanted to take a picture with him and kept giving him high-fives!

That's Connor's cheese face!

After the neighborhood egg hunt, we spent the rest of our day out in Deer Park with Grammy and Paw Paw. My mom put together an over the top Easter basket for Connor. I wish I had a picture of it before Connor tore in to it. Mom puts a lot of effort in to the presentation of gifts and I love it. His basket was adorable and filled to the brim with sidewalk chalk, bubbles, books, Veggietales, and an ambulance and firetruck that both make noise (thanks, Mom!). He had a blast hunting for his eggs in their backyard and playing with his new bubble gun. Then while Parker napped, we took him to the park to play. It was fun for us to just do something with Connor and give him our undivided attention!

Hunting his eggs to put in his choo-choo basket!

He loved shooting Paw Paw with the bubble gun!

We had a blast with him at the park!

Parker was there, too! Parker Man...you'll get to run around with big brother and hunt eggs next year!

On Easter Sunday, we ended up at Urgent Care with Parker and missed church. This was heartbreaking for me, as this was my first Easter morning to not spend at church. There were tears. But, Parker was okay and that's all that matters. We had lunch with my family at Lupe Tortilla and then went to Tiki for a crawfish boil. Connor did his first crawfish races and went on a boat ride with Uncle Pete.

We had a great Easter weekend celebrating Jesus and celebrating our family. 

He is risen, indeed.

Houston Rodeo

To say that Connor had fun at the rodeo would be a gigantic understatement. He had a blast! It was one of my favorite days I've ever had with Connor, and I loved that my mom came along to share in the fun with us (and let's be honest...I needed all the help I could get with both boys in tow).

When we got there, Connor said he wanted to "ride horse"...but knowing him, I knew we would get up to the pony rides and he would refuse to do it. WRONG. He was game for it! He even let the worker pick him up and put him on the horse. All I could think was, "he is going to lose it at any moment!". But, he never did. He had the best time and kept smiling and saying, "My ride horse!' and petting the horse. And he also asked me where his cowboy hat was...sorry, buddy. I don't even have a cute rodeo shirt to put you in like baby brother. Next year, I'll be more prepared!

The Houston Rodeo does such a great job catering to little ones. We had fun wandering through their farmer's market, pretending to ride the tractor, and petting all of the animals at the petting zoo. Connor did this adorable squeal when he would pet one of the animals. He wasn't timid at all. He would get in their face and greet the animals. "Hi, goat, hi" he would say. This kid of mine is hilarious! The best part was when he was saying hi to the llama, he went ahead and gave it a kiss. Are   you kidding me? My mom and I about lost it!

Parker came with us, too, and was a champ. He stayed in his stroller most of the time and loved just looking around. This little one does not like to be bored, so he enjoyed being out and about. I love this picture below. Connor at his first rodeo in 2012 and Parker at his first rodeo. How cute is this outfit? (Parker had already kicked off his boots before the picture was snapped).

What a fun day with my boys! Can't wait to do it again in 2016!

Spring Break

This sums up our Spring Break so far.

Little man has had a fever for FIVE days. Basically since the clock struck "Spring Break" on Friday, he has had a fever of at least 102. The fever has slowed him down some, and he's also got what I call a day care cold - runny nose and cough. I'm hopeful that this week will end with two healthy babies.

Parker got his first ear infection last week (at four months old). He never ran a fever, just stopped sleeping well. Luckily some meds cleared his infection right up.

And all of the family - in laws included - have shared a tummy bug for the past few days. So, yes, our Spring Break can only go up from here!

Before you feel too sorry for us, we've had a fun Spring Break despite all of the ailments. We are in Baton Rouge and we went to the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Ya'll - this was an absolute blast! People in Louisiana make everything into a party, and I love it! We were at the family-friendly part of the parade and it was full of music (mostly "Uptown Funk"), beads, balls (see Connor's new football, pictured above), candy, cups and toys. Connor had a blast with his cousins. He also loved seeing the "march bands" going by - he's obsessed with marching bands! This was such a fun outing and I hope it wasn't our last St. Patrick's Day Parade in BR!

So, here's hoping the rest of our Spring Break is filled with more sleep, fewer "nose yucks" and lots of fun with my boys!

Mom Motivation

To me, this quote speaks volumes. It's hanging prominently in my craft room and is on repeat in my head daily. When I glance at it, I am reminded to make the most of these years with my babies. To listen to them; to get down on their level and look at them face to face; to play peek a boo for the 100th time; to try to figure out what the heck they are saying with their two year old vocabulary; to get up and shake it during the "Hot Dog Dance"; to celebrate even the smallest milestones with them; and most importantly, to just put aside my grown up agenda (and if I'm being honest, my iPhone) and play. That's what I want them to remember. That I was never too busy or too distracted to just be their mom. These days are numbered and I hope to make every one of them count.

So, here's to being the mom's we want them to remember!

The Boys: 3 Months and 2 Years

I think we are finally getting used to being parents of two. It's been such an adjustment going from one to two. The freedom we were used to with Connor (being more on the go, able to easily get out the door, etc.) is long gone for the moment. Don't get me wrong, we are on the go quite a bit, but it just takes longer and requires more planning with Parker in tow.

Connor is at my favorite age -- but surely I've thought this about every age he's been at! He talks in little sentences, can sing his ABC's and other songs, knows numbers and shapes and is so observant! Right now, he loves to sing Wheels on the Bus, Humpty Dumpty, Jesus Loves Me, No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Muffin Man, Thumpkin and Hey Fightin' Tigers (of course!). It's the cutest thing listening to him sing! We've also been doing "big hugs" and saying "Can I have 4 kisses...and he will give me 4 kisses" (or however many I ask for). Gah! Just when I think I can't get enough of Connor, the next day he does something else adorable and I fall more in love with him. Little people are just the cutest!

Parker is adorable, of course. All of his coo's and grins melt my heart. He loves to move his legs like crazy, smile with his adorable dimples, and chew on his hands! He sleeps through the night most of the time, which is lovely! We haven't gotten a lot of great pics of him...he's not hamming it up for the camera yet! My favorite thing is to kiss his cheeks. Connor had these meaty cheeks, and while Parker's are not small by any means, they are more dense and you can really get good kisses!

First smile to finally catch on camera! Love my Parker Man!

Those legs and that belly...can you even stand it?

First time to get the kiddie cart at Kroger - he was so excited about the flag and he was a great grocery helper!

He loves taking a bubble bath and blowing the bubbles! He says "my bow" and "mama bow" (blow)

Much to my surprise, I love being a boy mom! But I also realize we aren't to the stinky, dirty, icky stages just yet...and that's okay with me!

My 2014

My highlight of 2014 was this:

Meet Parker Henry Ford. Born on Wednesday, November 5th at 5:47 p.m. This little nugget weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces and he was 21 1/4th inches long. He came out kicking, crying and peeing!

We found out we were expecting Parker in March. This was a huge HUGE surprise to us. I feel like life just kind of happens to Jeremy and me. We don't really make a lot of big plans (besides a weekly dinner menu, if that). We go about our day to day routines and big things happen along the way -- a trip, new house, new car, babies. This is probably why we are so good together. We just take things as they come our way.

Here are some of my favorite memories from 2014:

This kid. He makes everyday fun. In the car, he loves for us to play "round and round and round and round" also known as "Wheels on the Bus." He does the motions to "Itsy, Bitsy Spider," "Happy and You Know It" (and taps his chin for "and your face will surely show it"...hilarious) and "Skinny Marinky." Never a dull moment in the car!

He was an LSU football player for Halloween (you aren't surprised). We had trunk or treat with our Sunday School class and our trunk tied for first place for the decorations. It was a fun tradition we started with our littles as they went from car to car getting candy and goodies!

Stop it. He's saying "cheese" and he's dressed like an Indian. Can't even handle this cuteness.

Connor and his baby Par-ka on Christmas Day. What a special Christmas we had in Baton Rouge with these two sweet ones.

This summer we took a trip to Hunt, TX, with friends and spent a long relaxing weekend on the Guadalupe. It was a fun vacation and we enjoyed playing outside, the Crider's rodeo and late night games! 

Love doing life with these people. This is our Sunday School class...and they have so richly blessed our lives.

Parker man at just 3 weeks old! Filling out his 3 month clothes already. I sure loved being home with him every day during maternity leave. 

LSU didn't have a remarkable season, but Connor loved tailgating and going to a game. His favorite part? The band performance at halftime! "More band" he kept saying!

Before pregnancy really kicked in (and the summer heat) I spent three mornings a week running with these girls. They were worth waking up at 5 a.m. for. We ran several 5K's and enjoyed pushing each other and staying in shape together. Hopefully I can get back in the running game again in 2015!

We moved! We have a bigger home in a darling neighborhood that is perfect for our growing family. We've really enjoyed making our new house into our home and settling in. We are enjoying the extra space and the YARD!

Connor turned 2 by doing his most favorite thing - riding the choo-choo! This year, he fell in love with choo-choo's! There's nothing sweeter than seeing your child get so excited for something! He had the best time at his birthday party riding the train at Hermann Park. He would move his arm up and down and say "choo-choo!" and say "Mama ride choo-choo; Dada ride choo-choo; I ride choo-choo!" 

This was definitely an unforgettable year! Here's to 2015!

15 months!

Little man is 15 months old. At his checkup this week, he weighed 30.5 pounds and was 33 1/2 inches long. He wears 24 months/2T clothes and he still only has 6 teeth. He's growing so quickly, and time is passing by too fast! Since I'm not updating the baby book monthly anymore (and I'm a little thankful for that, let's be honest) I need to still keep up with documenting what Connor is up to these days! His favorite thing to do is walk around, no matter where we are (parking lot, restaurant, etc.)! He is so busy! He walks and shrieks and screams happy sounds. So fun!

His favorite toys:

Balls

The Fisher Price dog that he can pull

Wooden knob puzzles (really just so he can bang the pieces together)

Toilet paper

Wooden spoons

The sprinkle shakers from Connor's own shelf in the pantry

His words:

Dada (first word)

Mama (my favorite word!)

Ball

Dog

Bye-Bye (with a wave toward himself)

Up (he usually says this while he's laying on the ground and he puts his legs up in the air!)

Nana (as in banana)

Out-ide (outside...his favorite place to be)

No (he usually says it when we are reading the Find Spot books)
All done (and he puts his arms out to the side like he's motioning "I don't know"
Hello (and pretends he's talking on the phone by putting whatever object he's holding up to his ear)

Connor is a busy little man, and he keeps us on our toes! Not many quiet moments around our house anymore. But, we wouldn't have it any other way. I'm amazed at how smart he is and how much he understands. What a blessing to watch him grow up and discover his world!

Here are a few recent pics from the past couple of months!

Sliding at the park...I think we did this 20 times that day!

Celebrating our friend Preston's birthday! Blurry picture because he was SO busy walking all over the place!

During the first Houston "snow" day we went to Wonderwild to get some energy out!

Think he has enough bath toys?

First trip to the Zoo in January. He loved the petting zoo!

What a fun age! We are having a blast!
B