Back to School

Bryce went back to his nursery school today. He is going 3 days a week this year and was pretty excited to go. Last year the first couple days were tough on him so I was relieved that he was looking forward to class. My pictures are terrible. He was much happier than I could capture...

Ivy also had a great day. We are doing a gymnastics class and she loves it. Today the teacher asked if Ivy would like to do a forward roll. Ivy grinned and climbed up on the mat. Sarah started ti put Ivy into position and before you could spot her she did her perfect roll. Sarah and I were very impressed. She loves flipping off the furniture at home so I'm glad we have a nice safe place to let her experiment...

The Bust Out

I harken back to a simpler time. A time where we would put our children in their beds, and they would stay there. As Edith and Archie would say..."those were the days!" Well, not so much any more. One of our small children...the one who sleeps in a bed and is not guarded by four slatted walls...feels that bed time is merely a suggestion, and not a requirement. He has developed a sneaky little habit we like to call the "bust out".

As implied by the name, anywhere from 10 seconds to an hour after he gets in bed we hear the slow turning of the handle; the slight creak of the door; and then the all to familiar giggle/snort or faint call of "mommy" or "daddy" (although that's only if no one has spotted him immediately upon his escape). And while this is common place most evenings...sometimes several times per night, I do think our favorite is when on a Friday night, Paige and I are in the media room watching a movie and we here a soft tap tap tapping on our door. It's hard to get mad...it's even harder to keep a straight face because it's so cute when he gives you that "I just did something I'm not supposed but I know you think it's funny and you're not going to yell at me Smile." You can't fully appreciate the silliness until you see it live, but I managed to film the escape one evening just to give you a taste...Enjoy.

Woot there it is...

Woot the hell is woot? Well, apparently it's a website where every day they post a deal and you can take it or leave it. You know, the kind of deal that could bankrupt you based on how much money you're saving? Sure, maybe you didn't need a canine rectal thermometer that has a blacklight on the other end, but it was so cheap how could you pass it up?

Well, thankfully...on occasion there is something worth while. In this case, one evening in between beating my father and her sisters in Facebook Scrabble, Barbara saw something she thought was too good to pass up...a Thomas the Train Engine Set. So...it showed up today and Josie didn't even have time to maul the FedEx man before Bryce had the package open.

He didn't think Paige was doing a very good job putting it together, so he took over reading the instrcutions...
And before you know it...he and Thomas and Stanley were off to play


Thanks Pops and Barbara!!!

Family gathering

What would a weekend be without a trip to my parents? This weekend was special because my grandparents, Aunt Barbara and Uncle Arnold, and Aunt Carol, Uncle Philip and cousin Mandy were all out for lunch. Bryce is getting over the croup and Ivy was coming down with it. Slightly sick kids make for calm well behaved kids. Everyone had a great time.

Dresses

We had friends over for dinner on Saturday and Ivy and I thought we would wear cute summer dresses. She looked so pretty we had to take a picture. Bryce was equally cute but too busy trying to take his own pictures with another camera that he would stand still long enough to pose.

Splash Party

We had the kids party in the backyard on Saturday. Bryce was excited and kept saying "after nap, splash party"...well nap only lasted about 4 minutes but he stayed happy all afternoon so it didn't really matter. Big thanks to everyone who came and also to my parents who took us out to dinner afterward.

Walk this way

Well...we knew the day was coming. Ivy's been thinking about walking since the spring. Once she saw this big kid running and jumping around the house she knew she was all about it. Unfortunately for her, I think her focus was backwards as she seemed to focus heavily on trying to jump before she could actually walk. I think she's since realized a more balanced training program consisting of both power walking and her plyometric jumping would ultimately lead to more core strength and better results. I'm glad she's finally figured this out because the cost of PowerBars and Energy drinks was about to bankrupt us. We've already missed the deadline for the 2009 Chicago Marathon so she'll have to wait another year for her Boston Marathon qualifying time in the under 3 group...in the meantime...she'll work on more gracefully exiting the couch after she's climbed on top and not getting herself stuck on top of the play table.

Happy Birthday Bryce!

Bryce is 3 today! He celebrated with Gabby. She came to gymnastics and then took us out for lunch. His party is this weekend. My kids love celebrating birthdays over as many days as possible...
Ms. Sarah sang happy birthday

Bear walk on the bars

On the beam

Milkshakes!

Party

We went to my parents' today to celebrate Uncle Mark's birthday, Mimi & Papa's anniversary, and the sale of my grandparents' lake house. Bryce loved yo-yoing with Uncle Arnold, singing with Papa, and digging with Jack. Ivy alternated between chasing the dogs and letting people hold her. She is going through a cute phase where she wants everyone around her to hold her. Big thanks to all the family for stuffing the kids full of pizza and cookies and making sure they passed out on the way home.

Dentist

I took Bryce to the dentist on Monday for his 1st checkup. I was trying to keep the whole thing low key so I didn't take a camera. Apparently I'm the only parent in the world who doesn't come prepared because the hygienist asked if I wanted to take pictures and then looked at me funny when I said no.

Bryce did great. He hopped in the chair, sat still for a cleaning and even took x-rays. I couldn't believe how he maturely he handled the experience. He was very proud of himself and came home to tell Russell that he had no cavities. He has no idea what cavities are but he knows that he doesn't want them. Good thing we didn't take Ivy, she's been biting lately...

Trip to the beach

My grandmother was nice enough to let us borrow her condo in Port Aransas for a long weekend. I went there as a kid and was so excited to take my kids. We all had a such a good time. Bryce loved all of the digging in the sand and Ivy loved the ocean waves. My parents did a great job entertaining the kids and it was great to have Dede come visit us there. One of our best trips ever!

More Family Fun

Russell's mom and stepdad came to spend the weekend with us. It is hot here so we tried to plan a mix of indoor and outdoor activities. We took the gang to the farmer's market and LBJ library and spent a lot of time playing at home.

A Girl's Birthday Wish...Waco

Ivy woke up today and said, "Da...dada...Ma..da...deg" which translates to, "Hey, you tall people, I'd really like to continue my birthday week with a trip to the doctor so they can jab me with some needles and then pile in the car and head up to Waco for the afternoon." So...who are we to disagree?

Ivy had her 1 year checkup and weighed in at a slender 18 lbs 1 oz and 27.5 inches. She's still in the 10th percentile, but the doctor said that 10 is the new 90 so Ivy feels well ahead of the curve on that. She did get some shots, but a bouncy ball and a band aid helped to fix the water works pretty quickly.

After that...we hopped in the car and headed to....(drumroll please) Waco.

My Grandmother (Nanny) and Aunt Dot were visiting my cousin Hilary in Dallas. Nanny wanted to see the kids so we agreed to meet in the middle. We went to Cameron Park (in Waco) and had a picnic. Bryce loved playing with his cousin Morgan and Morgan enjoyed have a(nother) boy to boss around. They were fast friends and they were pretty cute running around together.

and Ivy had fun entertaining new people.

After a hot day running around and playing it was back home for some pizza (on the way home, Bryce announces "Hey Russell (he calls me Russell), I think maybe pizza for dinner." Great idea...so that's what we did. Glad we got up to see some family...we always say we'll do it more...hopefully this year we mean it :)

Ivy's 1st Birthday!

We will be celebrating Ivy's birthday along with Bryce's in July. They have the same friends, 2 parties seemed silly. Apparently no one thinks that was a good idea except for me so Ivy will be celebrating almost daily for the next 60 days :) We started off with a family dinner on Sunday. Russell is traveling today so he was going to miss the actual day. He missed her birth too so I feel like a trend is starting here...

My mom and grandparents came in today and we sang and ate cupcakes. Bryce is loving all the parties!

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms that read our blog. We're having a great day. Took the kids for a run this morning and then it was off to swim and picnic at the pool. By the time we left Bryce was doing all the stuff he did last summer. We start swim lessons in June so hopefully he will learn some new skills. Ivy took to the pool like she does everything, follows after Bryce with no fear. We're going out for pizza to complete a great day!

Sweet Berry Farm

We met the Gray family for strawberry picking at a farm about an hour from here. The kids had so much fun! Bryce loved patting the goats, picking and eating the strawberries and digging for potatoes. A picnic and a homemade strawberry popsicle rounded out the perfect day.

Apple dessert?

Dinner...check. Playtime...check. Bath...check. PJ's...check. Apple desert...huh?! One of these things is not like the others. On a normal night, we eat dinner, play for a bit, take baths, and maybe have a snack. Usually this is something nutritious like an apple or raisins...sometimes we get crazy and have pudding or ice cream (usually before bath). The other night, about the time where either Paige or I would head downstairs for a "fresh apple" as Bryce calls it...he announced his desire for "apple dessert". "Oh, Bryce...you want an apple for desert?" "NNNNOOOOO!!!!" Bryce replied..."I want apple dessert!!!" Hmmmm...isn't this a quandary? What the hell is apple desert? Have we had this before? Does he think he means apple pie? Does he mean a turkey sandwich? The line of questioning to investigate went something like this:

Paige: Bryce did Mommy make this for you before?
Bryce: No...yeah
Paige: Did Mommy get it from the fridge or the pantry?
Bryce: Yeah
Paige: Did Mommy get it from the fridge?
Bryce: No...the pantry
Paige: Mommy got it from the pantry?
Bryce: No...the fridge
Paige: Did you eat it with a spoon?
Bryce: No...the pantry?
Paige: It came from the pantry?
Bryce: A spoon...and a plate
Paige: Ok...I'll make it...just how you like it
Bryce: NOOOOO....yeah!!!!!

Paige then exits the room. Bryce (and Daddy quite honestly) watch as Paige whirls around the kitchen cutting, slicing, microwaving, toasting...I think I even saw a Bunsen burner and a few test tubes come in to the equation. She was either making dessert or doing some kind of science experiment for the North Koreans. A few minutes later Paige bursts in to the play room holding...what else....Apple Dessert (coming to a Friday's menu near you). At that moment we exchanged a look that I'm sure all parents have in their arsenal. Without saying a word...the exchange went like this:

Me: WTF?
Paige: I have no idea, but he's buying it...so just roll with it
Me: Got it...but really...WTF?
Paige: Who cares...he's eating it
Me: True...nice job

And there you have it...one apple dessert. The best I could tell before Bryce inhaled it...it did involve some kind of apple product, but quite honestly...it was gone before I could get a good look.

San Antonio Zoo

It was time for our annual trip to the zoo with my mom. Bryce has been talking about seeing a giraffe for months so I was excited to show him one. The giraffe's are towards the back of the zoo so it was fun to watch him race around yelling"Gabby, let's see what's over here". We finally get to the giraffe and...there are trucks working in the exhibit. Bryce barely glanced at the giraffe, all he wanted to do was watch the trucks. Really? We can do that in our own neighborhood.

Both kids enjoyed the goats. It was the only time we took Ivy out of the stroller and she loved grabbing the poor goats' hair. Bryce had fun petting and brushing.

A quick picnic by the train station and we were all worn out and ready to head home. Big thanks to Gabby!

Pops & Barbara Visit

Harry and Barbara came to visit. We stayed close to home but did have one exciting outing. Harry bought Bryce a set of real golf clubs. Russell and Harry took Bryce to a field and let him hit. He is still talking about the "big hits" he made.

Ivy loved showing off her mobility to a new audience. You can see her moving around toys here but she'll happily rearrange furniture if I let her.

Passover

We had seder at Arnold and Barbara's house on Saturday. They were nice enough to make sure that Bryce and Ivy had a very enjoyable experience. My cousin Pam was in charge of Ivy. Pam's mission was to keep Ivy well fed so that she would stay quiet and happy. It almost worked. Ivy loves to eat that occasionally she would holler so that everyone knew how delicious her meal was. Bryce sat next to me and had his favorite treat, an apple. He listened well and commented a few times. Things like...is it time to sing happy birthday and I need to hold the shank bone. A big thank you to everyone who cooked, cleaned and entertained.

.

Yeah Orange, Yeah White

Yeah Longhorns...FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT. Some of the most important words in a young man's life. Or at least right up there with "mommy", "daddy", and "can some one hand me a bottle opener, this isn't a twist off". Sunday, Bryce and Daddy went to the conclusion of Longhorn football spring practice. They play a scrimmage, the band and cheerleaders are there, it was even complete with TV timeouts...it's a big to do. I figured with no opponent, it would be easy to explain

Q. Do you know who's playing?
A. The Longhorns

Q. Who are you rooting for?
A. The Longhorns

Q. Who won the game?
A. The Longhorns

Bryce had a great time. The stadium was a BIG hit and he really enjoyed clapping and putting his horns up for touchdowns...which coincidentally were always scored by the Longhorns. The only downside is I may have emphasized the tackling a little too much, because after the game I'm pretty sure he dislodged one of my ribs.

Papa's Birthday

We celebrated my grandfather's 83rd birthday on Saturday. Bryce was ready to eat the cake at 8am. Luckily when we met everyone for lunch my brother brought Bryce a new truck so that helped distract him. Bryce stood right next to Papa when we sang happy birthday and helped blow out candles. It was really cute. Ivy loved all the attention and showed everyone how fast she can crawl. We were so busy talking to all of the people that came in that I forgot to take pictures. Here are a few from Phil and Adam's camera.

Road Trip to Corpus

Well, it was time. A right of passage. A family trip. Sure we've loaded the car up for a trip to Gabby and Jack's...the whole 1 hour trip. A snack bite of car trips...piece of cake. This weekend was different. A full boar, load the trunk, pack the suitcase, gas up the family truckster and head East...3 1/2 hours to Corpus Christi to visit Dede (or Dee Dee as I had to put in my GPS so that it didn't pronounce it like Deet).

Sure there were nerves...would the plan work? Leave at nap time, sleep most of the way, have a snack and distract with trucks and cows for the rest...and it did. Went off without a hitch. Actually the whole weekend went great. Everyone ate, slept, pooped, played, and was generally in a good mood (including Mommy and Daddy). We met Paige's Aunt Susan and Uncle Bill for dinner on Friday at one of Corpus' finest dining establishments - POETS (Piss On Everything Tomorrow's Saturday - c'mon...gotta love it).

Then Saturday, Dede took us to the Texas State Aquarium which was a HUGE hit. Bryce loved the dolphin show and the turtles and seeing some really big fish. Then in the afternoon we got to feed the ducks and walk around the little lake near Dede's house. Bryce made quick friends with the big black swan who followed us around thinking we had more bread crusts.

But, I have to say the highlight of the trip for Bryce was probably staying at the hotel. It was such a big hit that when he finally realized we were turning in to our neighborhood, he got upset..."more hotel...I need to put the key in the door". He loved that the lights on the door turned green when you put the key in...he loved that his pullout sofa bed was huge...he liked watching TV in bed and eating popcorn (at the Embassy Suites they do happy hour every night and that means free drinks and popcorn). All in all...dolphins were cool, but hotels are AWESOME.

Oh...and Ivy had a good time too...just a different experience for her. Ivy is quite mobile right now and her favorite thing...toilets. Don't ask me how, but as soon as we put her down, no matter where we are, she makes a bee line for the toilet. So...she saw some of Corpus's finest porcelain thrones from the ground up.

So thanks to Dede for being such a great hostess...everyone had a GREAT time. In fact, we had a such a great time we might even do it again...although, we'll have to make sure the next place has popcorn and potties so everyone is happy.

Wait...come back here...

It didn't last long. We waited almost 2 years for Bryce to start walking. Less than 12 months later, Ivy is on the move. She's thought about crawling since December. She had this sort of inch worm action working where she could slinky her way to get something if she really wanted to, but in the last 2 weeks or so she's figured it out. This brings about this interesting dilemma that I'm sure all parents face. Since December we've been encouraging the crawling..."c'mon, Ives...you can do it"..."here you go...c'mon"...you get the idea. Within the last 2 weeks those chants of encouragement have turned into..."wait, come back here" and "Ivy, where are you?". I'm not sure what we expected. Certainly we wanted her to crawl, just as we wanted Bryce to walk...I just don't think we wanted her to go anywhere! Perhaps a baby treadmill where she could crawl in place would be the solution...that way everyone wins. Either way...here she is getting her crawl on. Gotta go...she left again.

Bob the Builder

Bryce loves Bob the Builder. When my grandfather told my mother that he heard a live Bob the Builder show was coming to San Antonio, she insisted we take Bryce. I've been trying to explain that we were going to meet Bob and what it means to sit and watch a show on stage. Who knows what Bryce was thinking but he's been very excited. Well, we went on Saturday and he loved it! The 1st act he sat very still and watched every move. By the 2nd act (yes there was intermission and I think it was only so people would buy more souvenirs) he got into it and clapped and danced along.

Ivy did not attend. My dad watched her and my great aunt Barbara was nice enough to come over and keep an eye on my dad :) Ivy loved all the attention as always and showed off how well she moves around these days. She crawls and pulls up on everything. Russell is trying to video her so check back for that.

This is what we saw, but not where we saw it. You can only imagine...