Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and everything else

Swooosh - did you hear that?  That was the sound of Christmas whizzing by.  Man, it felt like it would never get here and then I woke up and it was over.  We had a wonderful week of festivities though, so I guess the whirlwind literally flew by.  My birthday is on the 23rd and it always kick starts the Christmas celebrations.  Mom and Dad are so great at making my birthday special, not just as a side dish to Christmas.  I'm my own entree!  This year they took us all (me, Brian, the boys, and Matt & Alli) to Benihanas.  To say Carter was enamoured would be an understatement.  He had a blast.  Cole did too, though he wasn't has interested as Carter - I'm not sure any one could have been though.   There was alot of food flying in the air, and most of it was caught.  Carter even got to throw some edamame at the chef. 

Brian gave me a new digital camera to keep in my purse.  I have nice DSLR but it's so bulky that I can't drag it every where that I drag the kids and I miss out on so many photo ops.  It's hard enough to wrangle the two boys, much less that ginormous camera.  I haven't read the manual yet, and I need to, but I put it on the easy setting and took a few shots.  Pardon the blurry, dark or over flashed shots - I'll learn the ins and outs soon.

Uncle Matt and Aunt Alli.  As part of my birthday present, they took the boys out for the afternoon to Chuck E Cheese while I got my hair cut.  Brian said he thought that M&A were more excited about the outing than the boys, and that's saying alot!  They're are a wonderful Aunt & Uncle.

 Cole ate pretty well at dinner, but was really excited about my ice cream.  He's good with a spoon when he wants to be.

Our group shot.  I promise I'm not drunk, really.  I was just trying to keep my hat on as Carter was trying to bite it off. 

After dinner we went back to Mom and Dads were we did our annual Beer Draft.  They started this 4 or 5 years ago.  Mom and Dad pick out 20 or so different speciality beers (and a few large normal ones too) and then Brian and Matthew take turns "drafting" their picks - do you get the play on words there people.  Very clever I think.  In years past Brian would go for the 24+ ouncers and Matthew would go for the 12 oz eclectic ones.  Well finally they've learned each other tricks and now it's all out warfare.  3 years ago after seeing that Allison and I were left out, Mom and Dad started a Chocolate Draft.  No play on words there, just lots of yummy expensive chocolate that we'd never indulge in through out the year. 

The next night was Christmas Eve and after picking up Grandmama and running in and out of church (long story, let's just say that we were blessed that 2000 people were worshiping the birth of Christ under one roof), we came back to our place and had a Tamale Dinner.  We were embracing our non-existant Mexican heritage.  Or maybe I should call it our Tex-Mex heritage :)  Mom made awesome mexican rice, I made homemade charro beans and waited in line the day before to pick up 4 dozen of the best spicy pork tamales in town.  It was a fun evening.  Here is Carter helping me cut cilantro

 All the presents to and from Mom, Dad, Matt, Alli, me, Brian and both the boys.  Plus ones that Nan, Pee Pa, Nana, PaPa, Sissy, Ruppert, Jerry, Lois, yada yada all sent.  We are lucky to have such generous givers in our family.  We want for nothing :)  I will say, I did put up a few toys in the closet to bring down in May.  Since the boys have January birthdays, it's just overwhelming so I try to sneak a few away and then bring them down in a couple months for a nice treat.

 Instead of cookies, Carter thought Santa would want some of he and Daddy's special rice krispy treats.  Santa left a note the next day saying he was thankful for the change of pace, or something like that.

And of course the next morning was Christmas.  I made Matt & Alli come all the way from Kingwood to arrive at my house at 6:30 just to make sure they didn't miss Carter waking up.  There were on time.  As were Mom, Dad and Grandmama.  Turns out they were still asleep when everyone got there, but you can never be too careful. 

Carter on his new 16" Spiderman bike that he asked Santa for.  Cole asked for a tricycle.  He isn't quite tall enough to ride the 12" Trek that Carter is passing on. 

 Allison showing off her new purse from Mom & Dad.  Matthew hamming it up with his new work shirt.

 Carter is very excited about his new Batman cave that Nan and PeePa sent him. He told Santa he wanted one, but then changed his mind for the bike.  Glad to see Nan & PeePa have Santa's phone number :)

 And the favorite gift of all to Cole was the Buzz Lightyear that Grandma & Grandpa gave Cole - as did Uncle Matt and Aunt Alli.  Great minds think alike!  He loves anything Toy Story, but the talking Buzz is a huge hit.  We took the extra one back and will be getting a talking Woody when they're back in stock.

I like this picture because it is Matt and Alli prentending to be surprised after opening the patio heater Brian and I gave them.  Carter showed them the box earlier in the week and told them what it was.  Don't tell him a secret that you don't want anyone to know. 

 Choices Choices.  We got several Imaginext playsets that Cole just loves.  He loves figurines and pretend play.  I set them up all around him in the playroom like a big city.

 And Sissy - I told you he'd get lots of cool toys but would still find the Shake and Go Woody awesome.  I'm always right!!

 Carter received Spiderman skates and pads from Uncle Matt and Aunt Alli.  He tried them out on the patio, but mostly Brian just pushed him everywhere.

 The boys picked out some Superman underwear for Brian.  He's such a good sport.

 Playing with Buzz again.  "To Infinity and BEYOOOOOONNNNNDDDDDD"

 Some of the hundreds of Legos Mom and Dad got Carter.  They gave Cole some Duplo ones with a zoo theme, he loves to carry around all the animls and Carter builds the cages.  I love Legos too, except when I step on them...

 And to prove my theory right, it won't matter what name you put on the gift tag - Cole will play with Carter's toy and Carter will claim Cole's.  It's just how it goes.  Here is Cole on Carter's bike.

 And Carter on Cole's trike.

As you can tell we had a fun Christmas.  We spent alot of family time, Dad took off alot as did Brian. It was special.  Tomorrow is New Years eve and Brian and I are going to our first "adult party" since before we had kids.  Thanks to Mom and Dad for watching them.  We are going to enjoy a night out.  Depending on how incriminating the photos are, I might post some in the new year.

We hope you all had a Merry Christmas as well.  And a Happy New Year to come.  We anticipate a very blessed and bountiful 2011. 

Out and About

I meant to insert some pictures on the last blog from my camera phone, but ran out of time.  I just wanted to publish that blog and move on.  I'm going to try and keep up with the blog better, I know I know, I've said that before.  I don't want to think of it as a chore any more and if I go more than two weeks without posting than it IS a chore. 

So here are some pictures over the last couple months of things we do while we are out and about.  They're probably not in order, and I'm not going to even begin to try :)

At the annual Fire Fighters Parade of Lights.  It was cold, but we had a nice time.

Brian took this picture of Carter while they were out hiking. Carter always has to have a stick to hike with and this one was huge.

The Red Oak in our backyard. It might not be huge, but we love the color and unlike most other trees that people have planted in our backyard on our street - this one is thriving.

The finished product of our Christmas tree at home, minus a few things I added later.  But you get the idea.

Even though this Superman shirt is getting small, I just love it on him because it brings out how blue his eyes are.

The zoo has a new exhibit called the African Forest.  In it are 10 chimpanzees that are so social.  They love banging on the glass playing with the kids.  Carter was trying to give  kisses through the glass when one of them yawned.  It looks like the chimp is about to eat Carter though.

Cole reading at Wonderwild.  He is on the move all the time, but when he's not he loves to read and play by himself. 

For once Carter fell asleep in the car and Cole started pinching him to be awake instead of the other way around.  The tides they are a changin'

Carter and I at his Friendship Feast. All the 3 year old classes have a party outside together instead of individually in their classrooms.  I went to help setup, then stayed and enjoyed the party with him.

One of the things Cole says the most (in Cole English) is "Look at That!"  Here he is hollering "Look at That" while looking at Tom the Turkey who comes to Carter's school every year during Thanksgiving.

And here is Cole trying to ride Carter's bike.  He wants so badly to be able to ride a bike, he's just too little right now.  He can almost reach the peddles.  I have it on good authority from Santa that Cole is getting a tricycle just for him :)

In November, we took the boys with Mom & Dad up to Austin to go to their first UT tailgate, and Uncle Matt and Aunt Alli flew in from Denver.  While the game was lack lustre, we all had a good time at the tailgate.  No great pictures, but proof we were there :)

Also in November the boys went to a friend's birthday party at Pump It Up.  While I wasn't looking Cole climbed up a 30 foot inflatable slide and had the time of his life.  Fortunately he slides on his tummy feet first (much safer than sitting).  Carter had fun too.



Didn't even make it to the freeway before he fell asleep in the car.  Not surprising!

We met some friends at the zoo and got there early (I'm always early) so we rode the train.  Both the boys love trains, I just wish they weren't so expensive to ride! Now every time we go to the zoo they want to do the train and it's not part of our zoo membership. 

Well that's probably enough for now.  I sure hope I can keep my "promise" to update more regularly.  It's so time consuming to post stories and pictures when it's a long period of time.

"You've Got Your Hands Full"

I hear it all the time. Normally I nod along chuckling in agreement, all the while thinking "no not really, they're sweet boys who are just 'all boy.'" However lately I've been beginning to see the other side of things.  Cole is one of the most affectionate toddlers ever.  He kisses and hugs without prompting, just because he wants to.  He loves his family.  He runs to the door yelling "Daddy!" everytime Brian comes home from work.  He yells and screams when we leave Mom & Dad's house, he wants to stay longer.  And he snuggles all the time.  However! He is on the go constantly.  It's amazing how independent he can be even though he's such a Momma's Boy.  He plays well on his own and loves to explore at long distances from me (or whoever is watching).   It has it's pros and cons.  I'm glad he can entertain himself and find joy in looking for excitement on his own, but he's hard to keep track of.  He is super fast, seriously - fast.   I feel bad making him ride in a stroller while Carter gets to walk.  He hates it, he wants his freedom.  But for his safety, he has to be restrained :)

Cole's language is still mostly incoherant.  I call it the Cole Dialect of English.  He understands and responds to most everything you say to him, you just can't understand him.  He says "Look at that Mama" all the time, but it isn't annunciated at all, only the family really understands him.  He is doing really well in swim classes.  He was tested over Thanksgiving when he fell into Mom & Dad's freezing cold pool.  He popped up to the surface, rolled over and got his head floating long enough for me to run over and grab him out of the pool.  He was upset, cold and scared, but did the right things to keep him safe.  Swim lessons have officially been worth the cost. 

Cole has a definite affinity for Toy Story or dinosaurs.  He carries around tiny 3" figurines of the Toy Story characters all the time.  I have to keep a couple in my car for entertain purposes and always a few in the house to play with.  He will be having a Toy Story party in January.  Carter likes TS as well, but has grown pretty fond of all things superheros.  He'll be having a  Spiderman party.  Well, it's one party but to ease my motherly guilt there will be decorations for both, two cakes and I even went to the trouble of doing dual invitations.  Hey, it's for the baby books - I won't lie :)

Carter is pretty much no longer taking naps.  Every now and then if we've had a particularly eventful day, he'll fall asleep in the car on the way home.  But then it makes for a long evening and he's difficult to put to bed.  Ever since the time change he's been a breeze to get to sleep.  He goes to his room, reads a book, plays on one of our iphones for 10-15 minutes and then willingly turns it off and rolls over and goes to sleep.  It's nice not having to battle him any longer.  He is the ultimate negotiater though.  He thinks he has a solution and answer for everything.  If you tell him he can do A or B, he'll tell you.  "I know, lets do A THEN do B.  Is that a great idea?"  It's adorable.  When you tell him it's time to turn off the tv in 5 minutes he'll bargain for 10.  I've learned to stay firm, but he'll try and work you like a used car salesman.  It's cute.  He's also very observant.  I just put over 3000 lights on my 9 foot Christmas tree and missed ONE branch. He found it and asked me why I didn't put any there.  It's hardly noticable, but not to him.  He saw it right away.  He asks about 500 questions a day, and that's not an exageration.  He wants to know how everything works and he always remembers your explanations.  I have to be careful if I start making stuff up, he'll call me on it.  Even this morning he told me I was wrong and he was right and that Taco Cabana DID have pink lemonade.  He WAS right.  He is definitely my kid, always thinking he's right :) 

Carter loves to do arts and crafts and can write his own name.  He can count to at least 40 and knows all his ABCs, both lower and upper.  He loves to sing and make up his own songs (he got that from his Dad and Grandpa, they both sing silly made up songs).   Carter is doing well at swim lessons to, I predict he'll be promoted to Swordfish soon. He only has one more skill to gain in his current Dolphin class before he moves up.   He is a very good big brother to Cole.  Yes, he likes to wrestle with him.  And steal then hide his pacifiers, but he likes to help me help Cole.  He looks out for Cole and loves to play with him.  The last year has really been fun, watching the two of them become friends and not just siblings.  Its such a good age difference.  They play well together and want to play together. 

I'm excited about this Christmas season.  Carter is at a wonderful age for Christmas time.  He helped me decorate the Christmas tree, and has his own this.  I hand painted several glass ornaments with superhero logos and Mom gave him some Santa ornaments from her tree.  That wasn't enough so he stole a few from my tree as well.  Here he is helping me decorate.

 

We've seen Santa on a couple of occasions and Cole refuses to warm up to the old guy.  Here he is at Bass Pro.  I love this picture because Carter is so perfectly posed and Cole is as red as Santa's coat.

One thing Cole does like to do it be like his big brother.  Anything Carter does, Cole wants to try.  Here is his first attempt at painting.  It was a huge mess, but still a success.  He enjoyed himself.

Carter had his last soccer game in November.  He is showing off his trophy here.  We'll be signing him up for Spring soccer for sure.  He loved it.  One of his favorite sayings is "Is that a great idea Mommy?"  Well, during his last soccer game all the kids showed up and we had to rotate a few times and he needed to sit out one quarter.  He stormed off the field and hollered, "That is NOT a great idea."

After Halloween, Mom picked up some dress up clothes on super sale.  This is a replica Top Gun outfit.  He's pretty cute.

After a trip to Barnes and Noble recently, I realized Cole really liked playing with the trains and was no longer just ripping the pieces apart.  So when we got home I set up our track from when Carter turned two.  It's a hit!

Cole can really pull of the bed head, don't you think?

One of the reasons I adore Brian is that he can be very creative when the need arrives.  I can stare a seemingly empty pantry and he can come with some concoction for lunch or breakfast.  In the picture, he made an impromptu pinata out of kite string, lunch bag and some leftover halloween candy.  Carter had a blast.

Grandmama bought the boys some matching Christmas pajamas - which are the cutest things ever.  I attempted to take some decent pictures of them for the front of our Christmas cards.  Here are a few cute ones that didn't make the cut.

Here is a video of Cole "talking" while playing with blocks.  I didn't have the energy to do any video editing, so I apologize for the length.



And another long one from Carter's Christmas Pageant at school this week.  I had to zoom in, so it's kinda shaky in spots.  Remember, these are three year olds and there is 30 of them (all 3 classes) so don't set the bar high.  Also, the first two songs they sing aren't popular Christmas songs.  So don't even try to figure out what the heck they're singing.  You will recognize "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" though.