My Grandpa

I don't remember what we were talking about as we sat on the swing together. What I do remember is going inside to get something and then looking out the screen door. I knew something was wrong so I called my grandma's name. She ran out the door and over to my grandpa on the back porch. Then she ran inside and called the ambulance. I remember them taking my grandpa away and my grandma going with them. I remember crying just one solitary tear. Then I was left to stay at the neighbor's house. I remember playing with toys and wondering what was wrong as I waited for my parents to come pick me up. He died that day of a massive heart attack. I remember the funeral and how I touched his hand as he laid there.

'

I miss my grandpa and I wish I had more time with him. I was 6 when he passed away. I often wonder how different life would be for my grandma if he would have been around the past 25 years. I wish he was still with us. I wish I knew his laugh, his old stories and his personality. I can't wait to see him someday in Heaven!

My grandfather's parents - They say I look like my great grandmother.

With me as a baby

Things I remember about him...
I remember his old pickup truck he would take me on rides in... his khaki coveralls he wore all the time... his tools in the garage to make his beautiful carvings... his cane... going on walks with him and he would throw quarters in front without me knowing it so I could find it... the way he would pull his glasses down on his nose to scare me... he bought me my first rabbit...sitting on his lap... his red hair and blue eyes...how proud of me he was.

Christmas traditions

This is my favorite time of the year. I started pulling out the Christmas decorations yesterday. The decorations, music and lights really get me in the holiday spirit. I just love everything about Christmas. I love spending time with family, buying thoughtful gifts for people, looking at Christmas lights and remembering the true meaning of Christmas.

I have this vivid memory from Christmas when I was 7. I remember laying on the couch, listening to Amy Grant Christmas tape and watching our snow frosted Christmas tree blink with colored lights. I remember being so happy and content. Even then, I loved the feel of the house on a cold night with a beautifully decorated tree and family around. A little Santa like this one in the picture always held presents in his pack for me when I was little. I had to buy one for the boys so they could enjoy the surprises too.

We have many traditions in my family that I want to pass on to the boys.

- Every year we get a new ornament that symbolizes the year. When my boys get married, they can take all the ornaments they have gotten since they were a baby.

- We all pile in the car and look at Christmas lights while singing Christmas carols. (Not Eric's favorite thing, but I love it of course)

- On Christmas Eve, we each get one present and sit around in a circle. My mom recites "The Night Before Christmas" and every time the word "AND" is said, we pass the present. If you have your present at the end, you can open it. Then we keep passing until everyone has opened their present.

- We always watch "Christmas Vacation" with Chevy Chase.

One tradition I love is the hunt for the last present Santa brings. Every year as long as I can remember, Santa hid one present somewhere for me to find. In my stocking he left a note with a clue and I had to search from clue to clue until I found the present. I remember finding a purple jam box in the dryer, earrings on the Christmas tree and a hamster in it's round running toy. I am embarrassed to admit that Santa did this until I was 25. That probably explains a lot about me to you! :)

I want my kids to have the same fond memories of Christmas. We might go a little overboard with all the traditions and I'm entirely too sentimental, but that is what makes it such a special time of the year. Spending time with loved ones and remembering Jesus' birth is what it is all about!

Having two kids means...

Never just running into a store... Always being the mediator... Packing 2 sizes of diapers, 2 sippy cups, 2 bags of pretzels, etc... Big double strollers that don't fit through doors...

Sharing your heart with two little people you love completely... Family hugs... Snuggling in bed...Seeing how much they love each other.

Several of my good friends are pregnant with their second children. I've told them it is definitely harder than having one, but it is so worth it. And yes, you do love your second child just as much as the first! Oh, and taking pictures of two kids is really hard! Here is the proof...

What does having three kids mean? Are we brave enough to find out?

Go Powboys!

Ethan loves watching football with his daddy. It could be that he is a born football lover, or it could be just a great excuse to stay up late. He yells "touchdown" and "go Powboys" at the TV. It's really cute. Today I found Trent and Trevor's old hand me down jacket and gave it to him. He was really excited to have a Cowboys jacket.



The boys had fun today playing under the playscape. They had their little collection of rocks and were happy as can be. Aren't they cute?

Back to reality

We are back home and back to reality now. No more sleeping in, eating desserts after every meal, napping or having help with the boys 24 hours a day. No matter how great your vacation is though, it's always so nice to come home. The boys played with their old toys like they were new and were happy to sleep in their comfy beds instead of pack-n-plays. We had a really nice Sunday full of laundry and spending time together as a family.

Happy Monday!

Taking the plunge

Well, the Longhorns lost the game against A&M. Since Eric and Kai have a running bet every year about the game, Eric had to jump in the lake. It was 42 degrees outside and there was not a ray of sunshine in sight. He did great though and had his horns up the whole time!

Jennifer and Kai are Aggies, so they taught Ethan to say "Gig 'em" the first night we were here. We retaliated by teaching Jake the UT horns.

Ethan loved helping Uncle Kai finish the 1000 piece puzzle.

These kids love the computer almost as much as their mommies.

Cute cousins

Here are some pictures of the kids glued to the TV. Gotta love those Little Einsteins!

A lazy east Texas day

The boys are having such a good time out here. They love playing with their cousins Emmy, Abby & Jake. We have been stuffing ourselves with yummy food, watching lots of football and making our Christmas lists. Kai & Eric have an annual bet about the UT-A&M football game: The loser has to jump in the lake. It's really cold out there, so I feel really sorry for the loser!

We headed into Jefferson today for some window shopping. They have cute little shops and the town is so quaint! They have a general store filled with jams, toys, candy and everything else you can imagine. We got our old standby Raspberry Chipotle sauce and an old-fashioned ice cream cone.

Austin disappeared this afternoon and after a search, I found him in the guest bedroom. He was laying on the bed with the covers pulled over him. He had a big grin and was so pleased with himself. Now Eric is convinced he is ready for a big boy bed. This momma is definitely not ready for that!

I hope you are all enjoying your turkey leftovers and this snuggly weather!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I feel truly blessed every day for all that God has given me. Here are just some of the things I am thankful for...

My husband... I am so thankful to have such a supportive husband. He is an amazing dad and the boys and I love him so much.

My boys... Sometimes I can't help but gush when I see my sweet little boys. I'm head over heals in love with them. Sure, there are tough days with two boys under 3, but I try to cherish the good moments and survive the tough ones.

Family... Eric and I both thankful for our families. Our parents are loving and supportive. We always have a great time spending time with our sisters and their families. We love watching our nieces and nephews grow up.

Friends.... I love my friends and feel really lucky to have each one of them.

'

On our wedding day, I remember sitting at the table eating dinner with our families. Eric told me to stop eating for a minute and take a look at everything around us. We looked around the candlelit room and saw all of our family and friends around us. We felt so loved and really had a moment to enjoy it all. If he wouldn't have said anything, I would have run around in a blur all night. I want my life to have that clarity and not be a big blur. That's why I try to soak it all in every day and thank God for all he has blessed us with.

That's enough of my sentimental Thanksgiving talk. Here are some pictures of us enjoying each other. It's been really fun even with 6 adults, 7 kids and 4 dogs. The cold front blew in yesterday afternoon and it got really chilly! The wind was really strong and the leaves were falling from the trees like rain. We roasted smores last night and the kids loved it.

We had a wonderful turkey lunch today with all the trimmings. We ate until we were stuffed and then enjoyed an afternoon chasing around the kids. We played Yahtzee tonight and Austin really enjoyed getting right in the middle of it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

To Grandmother's house we go

Greetings from Lake O' the Pines! The boys were great for their 5 1/2 hour trip in the car. They watched movies, played and slept a tiny bit. We only stopped to change their diapers once and they didn't complain at all. They were so excited to get out to the lake house and see their grandparents and cousins. We are so lucky to have such great little travelers!

It is so beautiful out here in the fall. The leaves are changing color and falling. A cold front is coming through tonight and I can't wait. I love being cooped up in the house with nothing to do but watch movies, eat, play games and relax.

The boys decided it would be fun to play in the lake with their clothes and shoes on. These are the times when I have to remind myself that they are boys and they can get dirty! The had the best time and ran around laughing and having a great time.

They love spending time with their grandparents, aunt and uncle and cousins! We will be out here the rest of the week and have a lot more fun times to come!

Austin hanging out in the dog water bowl

Walking with Granddaddy

Playing on the beach

We can never move!

I feel so lucky to have the neighbors we have! They are great friends as well as neighbors. We can count on them to feed our animals when we are out of town, let us borrow eggs and we love hanging out with them. Our cul-de-sac has 1 kid Ethan's age and 3 kids Austin's age. It's so fun to watch the kids play outside and have a great time together. I don't think we will ever move because we have so much fun hanging out with our neighbors and good friends. :)

Close enough friends to bleach each other's lips and pregnant bellies together!

Tye and Austin hanging out in the dog kennel.

Just another Saturday

We had a busy day today filled with hair cuts, steam cleaning and shopping. In the afternoon we headed over to my parents' house.
The boys love going over there. We all went for a walk and played in the trees. Their favorite thing to play with is the rocks in their front yard. Who knew rocks could be so entertaining? Tomorrow we have no plans except being lazy and spending time together and I am looking forward to it.

Eric's new love

Eric has a new love. She is slim, bright and modern and Eric can't take his eyes off her. Her name is Touch and she is a PDA phone from Sprint. Eric bought it for himself as an early Christmas present yesterday and has been playing with the phone non-stop since. It actually is pretty cool since it is a phone and mini computer including touch screen, music player, internet, email and mobile TV. I have accepted the fact that I married a spoiled rotten gadget guy. Hopefully someday I can win his attention back! :)

Yesterday's Hodge Podge

I sure love this kid.

Austin swang in the big boy swing all by himself and did great!

I finished Ethan's owl. I used an old plaid shirt of his to make the belly. He really likes it. Now I just need to finish one for Austin. Ethan layed out all his Disney books on his train table and put his trains all in a row on top. He loves to sort and organize things. Here is a picture of him standing proudly by his work.