back to brunette

I love playing around with my hair... I am surrounded by boys & that along with pedicures are basically the only thing that remind me I am a woman! So, Michelle darkened my hair a little the other day. I'm not saying it wont be blonde again, lets face it.. it will probably be blonde, red & back to brunette before the end of the year. Yeah for hair dye!

eating machine

This past week Connor tried meatloaf, pork chops and spaghetti O's. Yeah Connor! He actually asked for meatloaf. We called pork chops, pork nuggets and it worked. He also tried quesadillas and he liked them. He is eating oatmeal and trying new cereals.

Our next hurdles will be eggs and lunch meats. Wish me luck!

This boy can eat

Ever since I can remember Connor has had eating issues. He just doesn't like to eat. One time I stopped offering him food and he went 3 days without asking for any. That old saying "kids wont starve themselves" does not apply to him. Over the past year it has gotten worse. Whenever he sees a food that he doesn't want he just throws up. Sounds crazy, but it is true. He walked by Ryan once while Ryan was eating a banana & he just threw up. It has been frustrating to say the least. He ate peanut butter & jelly every day for lunch for about a year. We met with our pediatrician about this & he told us that in 30 years this is by far the most extreme case of food aversion he has ever seen. GREAT! He has thrown up due to taste, texture, smell, sight. His advice to us was to use the same method we used for potty training. Basically, bribe him to eat. Well, about a month and a half ago we started this. It has gone great. He is eating all kinds of fruit. He eats corn, peas, sweet potatoes and egg plant. He finally tried spaghetti. You would think that all kids like spaghetti, especially an Italian one! But not this one. It makes me so happy to watch him eat a good meal. We had told him that once he turned 3 he was going to have no choice and he was going to have to eat whatever we gave him. I am glad we started early that way he is ready for the new rule.

My tough little man

Today Hudson had his 15 month check up. He weighed 27 lbs and was 32 1/4 ". Lets just say he is a big boy. He was amazing for the Doctor. He just sat & let the Dr. do his thing. Then the nurse came in & gave him three shots. I swear the kid did not move. He didn't cry or wince or squirm. I was actually worried that he may have passed out. But he was just taking it like a man. The nurse was pretty impressed as were we. We stopped at Publix for a cookie to celebrate. I love the free cookie at the grocery store. It keeps them happy while I shop & we don't bring a whole bag of cookies home.

I forgot a few of his words... cook, no & stuck. Whenever he can't get into or out of something he says "I stuck".

Some good laughs

Last night Brandon & I did something we do not do enough of. We had an actual date night. Sometimes we have his parents watch the kids and we run out for dinner & to run errands.... but that is not a date. Last night our good friend Kathy watched the boys. The boys were great for her. She is such a loving person & I know they can feel that. You know how kids can just sense good people. For those of you who know Tara (the girl who stayed with us during the mission trip), Kathy is Tara's Mom. It is nice to know that they were in good hands. Connor did however manage to get to stay up 1 hour past bedtime.... but that's OK.

Brandon & I went to Universal City Walk. We ate at Pastamore. I am usually not big on chain restaurants, but the sangria, calamari & salads were fantastic! I would go there again just for that. The pizza was good, but not great. The sangria was so good I asked for the recipe. After that we headed over to Hard Rock Live and watched a great comedian, Brian Regan. If you have never heard of him he is worth checking out. We laughed for 2 hours straight. You can check him out at http://www.brianregan.com/

Today after church we took the boys out to breakfast and it was by far the best meal "out" we have ever had with them. They both ate well, no one was trying to get out of their chairs. We actually enjoyed a meal in a restaurant together. I shouldn't act like we never do.. it's just that they are young and it is hard to sit in a chair for an hour with nothing to do.

After breakfast we took them swimming at the club & now they are down for naps. Connor has already asked to go back swimming after the nap. He loves it!

They are getting big!

Last night Connor got up out of bed to go pee. When he was done Brandon told him to go put himself back to bed. He really just wanted to see what would happen. So, we watched in the camera & there was our not even 3 year old. He shut his door, climbed into bed, pulled the sheet up & went back to sleep. We were proud and sad all at the same time. They are both growing up so fast. Hudson is understanding everything we tell him. He is communicating so well. Here is a list of his words.... Mom, Dad, down, eat, uh-oh, pool, milk, ball, dog, poop, diaper. I know there are more that I am forgetting. The other day Hudson made a tower of block that was as tall as him. It is amazing how the 2nd child learns things so quickly when he has a big brother to emulate.

Father's Day

This year for Father's day we did something a little different. I asked Brandon what he wanted to do & followed his instructions. Of course they started out with Breakfast in bed. Next was church and then we went to brunch with Brandon's family. Usually we would all spend the day together but Brandon & the kids were pretty bored on Mother's day as everyone just sat around & watched TV. Not exactly our idea of a fun Sunday. So, instead we went home after brunch, the kids took a nap & when they woke up we took them up to the club to go swimming. We had a great afternoon. Connor is swimming like a champ! After swimming we took the boys up to a local equestrian center to see the horses. Connor told us that he wanted to ride a horse his whole life. He has picked the one he wants to ride. It is of course the largest horse I have ever seen. They wont let him take lessons until next year. Then Brandon said he didn't want a special dinner... he wanted take out so there would be no dishes to do. I did not argue.. after all it was his day! We ended the night watching a movie. DeJavu with Denzel Washington. It was pretty good. Brandon is a great Dad and I am glad he got to do exactly what he wanted for his day.

Photos

Here are some more pictures from the photographer. She captured so many great shots.

Rebekah

These are only a few of the 50 awesome pics I took of my niece Rebekah. During their visit she really took to my camera. Every time she spotted it she motioned to me to turn it on & start snapping. She made great faces & even tried taking a couple of pics herself. What a little sweetie!

In Full Bloom

The magnolia tree outside of our house has begun to bloom. This is exciting for me as Magnolias trees are one of the only trees I actually enjoy in Florida landscape. I am not a fan of palm trees. I am also not a fan of the yucky hard grass and the super planned out landscaping. I live with it and go along with the "rules". But I prefer northern foliage.

Hands On

I have always considered Brandon & I to be "hands-on" type of parents. We like to play with our kids, not just watch them play. I guess we are just aware that there are only a limited number of years when they will want to spend time with us as much as we want to spend time with them. So we try to soak up every moment. When I looked at this pic it just screamed FUN. It was taken at Monkey Joe's. We took the boys on Monday night along with Damon, Kim & Tucker. The boys all had a blast and I think the parents did as well.

I know..... I know

I know I have been a slacker this past week. In my defense we have had family in town. I will try to blog a whole bunch the rest of this week. I have taken over 300 pics while my niece & nephew were in town & it is going to take me a while to go through them. The photographer who took pics of us while my Dad was in town sent me the pics. Here is a preview...

Daddy is home!

Brandon got home about 10am Saturday. Connor didn't know where we were going & when I asked him where he wanted to go more than anywhere in the world he said 'I want to go on a mission trip & get my Dad". Both boys freaked when they saw Brandon. Hudson did not let go for 2 days. Brandon helped empty the bus with Hudson in one arm. The trip went well and all of the kids did great work & had a great time as well. Hopefully some of the other people on the trip will fwd me some pics so I can share some of Brandon's adventure with you.

On Sunday night we had all of the adult mission trip participants & their spouses over for a get together. This was our first party in the new house. It went very well. It is always a blast when you have good food & good friends together.

Brandon's older brother & his family get into town tonight so I am sure I will be sharing tons of pics of the family in the next couple of weeks.

Thursday and Friday

Thursday I was on my own for most of the day. We went to the zoo with Katina & Erin & all of the kids. I must say that all of the kids behaved rather well. I was proud of my little guys. Hudson hadn't taken a morning nap and he was still a trooper. Tara went to the Dr. in the morning for her sinuses. She came back before dinner. After dinner we took the kids to the trail in our neighborhood for a nature walk. Then we played outside for a while.

Ryan, Connor & Owen playing Kangaroo

Connor & Ella ( this picture will be cool to show at their wedding!)

Hudson & Olivia (same thing... this will be a cute pic at their wedding)

Owen, Connor, Ryan & Ella all smiling

Friday I took Connor to swim class while Hudson stayed behind with Connor. Connor had a great class and even went to the bottom of the pool to pick up a ring. I was so proud of the little guy. Next I took Connor to the local country club to join for a summer membership. I really wanted to have some place close by to take the boys swimming whenever I want. Plus we get to use all of the clubs facilities. We took the boys out to Wendy's for dinner and then headed to a bounce house place to play the night away. Tara and I are a good team. We use a man to man defense against the boys & switch kids about every 15 minutes. I really don't know what I would have done without her this week. I am used to having the kids during the days, but I really like knowing that the break is coming at the end of the night. Plus I really enjoy talking to her.

Well, Brandon should be home in a few hours and I just know the boys are going to flip. I can't wait to see Connor's reaction especially. He had a hard time staying in bed tonight he was so excited.

Oh yeah, Hudson has a new word... burp. It is pretty funny. After he burps he gets a surprised look on his face and says "burp". He is saying a bunch of words. Plus he can imitate an elephant, lion and monkey. All pretty cute!