phone update

I am waiting to get other peoples pictures from Charlies birthday party before I blog it, so until then I decided to clean out my phone again and get those pictures "taken care of":)

I finally got up with the times and put instagram on my  phone..loving it..if I can remember to use it!

Daddy was changing a diaper and Charlie begged to do it with him..I just wanted proof for later:)

My reminder..this kid loves to hang on the umbrella polls..half the time he is more content to hang on them then get in the pool..future poll dancer?!

Cannot remember if I have blogged this one...but I swear we feed him..look at those ribs..remember my rolly chubby baby:(

Family birthday with the Ways at Reata in Ft. Worth..this was Daddy's birthday dinner back in July.

Doing a fun project at Tuttis house..You heat rocks in the oven at 400 for like 15 min and then when you run a crayon over them, it melts a bright pretty color.  I had held off on doing this project since I knew he would touch the rocks and hurt himself at least once..well, we finally did it and he did touch the rocks once..and then never again..well, pretty much!!  He did think this was a super cool project..once again, I joined in and had fun and so did Daddy and Tutti!

they were actually really bright and pretty..but this is camera phone quality!

I made a fun rainbow cake and after googling it, I grabbed the recipe from Martha Stewart.  It tasted good, but I have a few changes I'll make next time...not cooking it on parchment paper will be one..the cake layers were so slim once half the cake stuck to the parchment paper:(  But, like every other kid out there...he thought it was soooo cool once we cut into it.  Also, I made the frosting with toasted coconut which it why it looks so rough!

We also took him and Brady to Chuck-E-Cheese and then to the water park...Brady spent the night and it took the boys all of 5 min to fall asleep..they were exhausted!!

Charlie was trying so hard to be "big brother and protector" and Easton was exerting his "I'm not a baby anymore".....they are such a mess!!

If I let him..he would have stayed on this one ride all day..he loves, loves, loves to drive things!

Took this picture of his cake from Texas Star with my phone..notice anything wrong with it??  It took me three times of looking at it to notice my sweet baby was celebrating his 40th birthday...whatthecrap!!!!  I was a bit frustrated that it was messed up since I was using a credit on this cake from the last cake they screwed up...a minor misspelling of Congradulations on the last cake.  I mean, we all know I cannot spell worth anything, but even I know congratulations.  I'm also pretty sure I am not the first one to request it on a cake.  Suffice to say, I'm done with Texas Star:(  The fact that my QUARTER sheet cake was also $60 helped seal the deal....

Katie and Addison spent the night after Six Flags and I just had to document the greatest bed head!!

We collected sea shells on our trip to Galveston for a project I had seen.  When we got home we got to work making our pet rocks/pet shells.  Easton cracks me up here!!

Bradley was having fun, but I took to long hovering over him and snapped this right as he looked up...side note..I love my hubby in his glasses:)

We tried to let Easton help and get involved, but lets be honest..all he wanted to do was eat the shells!!  We painted fast and his shells looked cute!

Charlie loved this project..and he chose his colors!

the finished project:)

The boys plus mommy and daddy's...Bradley got crafty and put the boys initials on the rocks..I took the funky rock that no one wanted and decided the funky rock need a funky look..The one rock Charlie didn't want was the one that became his favorite!

We also did a "birthday week" this year and Charlie got to open a present a day until his birthday and he LOVED it!  We grabbed little things this year for his daily gifts and they were a huge hit!

Probably the biggest hit was the hatching dinosaur..it ended up taking him 7 days to fully hatch..and by fully, I meant that on day 7 mommy smashed him out of shell when no one was looking...he was supposed to be hatched in 2 days.  Charlie loved checking on him and declaring that " he has hatched more" every 3 minutes!

When Charlie was at my moms, he would get text updates of Buddy..he thought that was fun to get play-by-play updates of Buddy's progress!!

Crazy boy asked for green oatmeal for breakfast...LOVE IT!!!!!!

Galveston/Kemah

We headed to Galveston and Kemah this past weekend with out friends, James, Tylene and Grayson!  We had a fun time and Bradley and I were thrilled with how good the kids did during the car ride and in the hotel..especially at night..the night time in in a hotel always make me want to go back home:)  But the kids were awesome!!  Good sleeps makes for a good day!

We packed a bunch of snacks and always made sure the kids had something to eat..it makes all the difference with my kids!  Charlie was not thrilled with his snack apparently!

We headed to the pool until our friends arrived..pool time never gets old:)

..the impossible picture..someone was always NOT looking!

I love/hate pictures where they so big to me:(

Every time we passed this window, the boys would go check out the boats..somehow that never got old.

really..I got nothing...

This was how Easton spent the first hour at the beach!

Sweet baby Grayson rockin a sweet sunscreen mowhawk:)

this picture makes me smile!!

this big kid loved the ocean..he did not mind the salt water in his face, but the first time it went up his nose, he was MAD!!

We (Tylene) finally put out this blanket to keep Easton from eating the sand..which I KNEW he would eat...it was a constant battle to keep sand out of his mouth while we were there..

The three boys..Grayson and Charlie looked cute here..but Easton was finding sand for his mouth..

and Charlie was playing with his feather here (gross) and Easton looked cute!!..as he shoved more sand in his mouth:(

We ate dinner one night and it was Cajun food..Charlie actually tried everything we offered him, but he didn't like any of it...and dinner took forever.  So, at 10pm at night..we headed to Cracker Barrel to get Charlie some mac-n-cheese...for my kids, being up and eating at 10pm..it's a big deal that they were so happy!!

proof..

even this sweet boy was still smiling!

The highlight of the trip..the most anticipated moment for Charlie..feeding the stingrays in Kemah!  We had talked through the feeding  a lot..to make sure he knew how to do it and what he was feeding them!  He actually fed one stingray..but he dropped many shrimp into that water.  He had strict requirements of which stingrays he would feed...particularly, only the small ones!  If a big one came his way..the shrimp often hit the water!  I was proud that he actually did it..even I was squeamish at first..and I too pulled my hand out when a big stingray came by!

he preferred Daddy feeding them..and I don't blame him..so did I!!:)

the window was neat..the kids could watch as Daddy held the shrimp and fed the stingrays.  I tried to get Easton out and give him an aerial view..and he was not impressed!  He wanted to be in front of that window!

Charlie wanted to get hi face painted..once he realized they did not paint your eyes:)  Random to me that he chose Wolverine??  He had no idea who he was choosing, but his 2 current favorite colors are blue and yellow..so that may have helped!!  The nice lady made my morning by saying how great Charlie did...better then kids twice his age:)  He asked for mirrors to see his face the rest of the day!

wish I had gotten his whole face..it was so him.  He LOVED it, but the smile he put out was so..suppressed..so him!

2/3rds of my cool boys!

I felt for a moment I had bad mommy judgement.  I want my kids to love roller coasters.  Bradley does not and I would love to have someone enjoy them with me..and someone to go to Six Flags with me..and I think I found someone!!  Charlie and me rode the Ferris wheel together and while we were up high and could see all the rides I told Charlie to pick one more to ride. He chose the carousel..I pointed out the we can ride that whenever we got to Grapevine Mills...then asked him to choose another.  He chose the airplanes that are..weak?  I said we could do those at home to..where, I am not sure? 

So, I just went ahead and chose one!  We rode the Mexican hat..and it flies...like super, super fast.  I really questioned myself after Charlie said he was scared and didn't want to..crap, was I going to be that parent with the crying kid in line?!?!

I told him he would be fine and that you were allowed to scream all you wanted...we got on and half way through he said "Mommy, I'm scared".  I told him it was okay to be scared, but he was safe and fine..and that he was totally allowed to scream.  That was all he needed to hear....he screamed and giggled the rest of the time!!  We were both so proud of him when he got off!!

Another great trip with James and Tylene!!  Looking forward to next year!!

another catch up..

Well, I think I just may stay behind on blogging this summer!  It's summer..I'm busy..blogging slacks..it is what it is!! 

We took Charlie to a Rangers game and it was fun, but dang it was HOT.  We were at the game that set a record for "highest temp at 7:00pm game".  At least it was dollar ice cream night!  We didn't get a picture of the three of us, but we grabbed on of the two of us for the adoption scrapbook...2 pictures down, 30 to go.

We swam with friends...Charlie LOVES Ella...cant blame him..I do too!!

Everyone was supposed to be waving here...

this little guys was whopped and fell asleep here like 5 min later!

just being green and carpooling:)

Dude, he can rock a pink jeep!!

Popsicles in a pool....the only way to survive this hotter then crap summer

we checked another thing off our summer to do list..bowling:)  Charlie LOVED this....loved, loved, loved it!

sweet form

Easton wanted to crawl don the lane sooo bad.  He was less then impressed when we told him no...I guess telling him no is kinda new to him..he does not seem to be adjusting well:)

Not every project is a good one..this was a miserable fail.  I found a site of fun kid things and making a bouncy ball was one of them..our first ball failed..we found a new recipe and it was a bust the second time....oh well, attempting to make it and getting dirty were half the fun!