Happy 4th of July!

by Amy | Jul 6, 2012 | mama confessions, Uncategorized

What a wonderful 4th of July we had this year!  There were no burn bans in effect.  We even bought some fireworks ourselves!  But, most importantly, we were able to give of our time and energy to invite friends over for lunch to BBQ and take food over to some friends’ house who just moved into town.  It was completely exhausting, but so worth it!  I only wish we would have had a little more down time to enjoy the day together, but I’m so happy we were able to enjoy our day.

Our celebrations started off with us all having dinner on Tuesday, July 3rd and going outside to watch the fireworks in the cul-de-sac with our neighbors Sue Ann, Lee and DeAnna.  We are able to see the fireworks display from Avery Ranch.  The firework display didn’t last very long, but the boys were so thrilled.  Julian was clapping and laughing…Tate was wide-eyed.  It was so memorable!

The next day, we got up and got the house ready for guests.  It wasn’t easy.  Both boys were extra needy and active.  Thomas and I were both attempting to wrap up some things — the yard, cooking, preparing the table, etc… and the boys seem to be on a path of destruction.  Nevertheless, our guests, Anita and Jan, came and we had a nice time.  Shortly after they left, we got ready and headed out the door to pick up Rudy’s and head over to Yasaswi and Dominique’s to welcome them to Austin.  Their kids were so cute and our boys just loved them and had the best time.

On our way home, we saw a lot of fireworks from the highway and then picked up some fireworks for the kids to enjoy.  There were only a few, but they were really fun and Tate thoroughly enjoyed them.  Julian was asleep by then, of course.

All in all, we had a wonderful day!  I am finding that the dog days of summer are getting to be more and more fun with these growing, funny, active boys.  There is never a dull moment, but we manage to always have a blast.  I love my little crew!

The boys

by Amy | Mar 24, 2012 | mama confessions, Uncategorized

This week has been another developmental milestone for both of my boys. 

For starters, Julian now has 8 teeth and counting…he wants to have a full set by his first birthday and he might make it!  He is continuing to pull himself up to everything and stand.  He sometimes puts one leg off to the side in order to have more balance and grasp things that he wants to play with.  It’s funny to watch him do this, because he just seems like he’s trying to be so cool. 

Not only that, but he is into everything and is starting to throw little (big) temper tantrums when he doesn’t get his way. WHOAH!  Who did he get that from?  He gets downright mad when he is not able to do what he wants to do and play with what he wants to play with.  He has been told he can’t have things for much too long.  Watch out, Tate!

Yesterday, he threw a fit on the changing table.  He doesn’t generally like to have his diaper changed anyway, so I always have to give him something to occupy his attention.  However, yesterday, he was completely mad at me for putting him down and let out some yells directed at me and hit his hand on his leg to show his anger.  I think we have yet to see what this guy is made of! : )

Mommy has been ultra fed up lately with Julian’s lack of sleep or, should I say, sleep patterns.  He takes 2 to 3 little naps throughout the day and acts tired and cranky quite a bit.  Then, at night, he is already ready to go to bed by 6:30pm.  Problem is, if I let him go to sleep that early, he will usually wake up within the hour to be nursed and put back to sleep.  This pattern goes on all night until finally, during one of his night wakings, he is completely awake and aroused and ready to play.  This has happened quite often lately and it’s making me crazy!  We are such a sleep-deprived family right now, it’s not even funny anymore.

Oh well, we love him anyway : ).  Today we went to the park and he played outside like the other kids.  I need to start remembering to bring his hat (whether he wants to wear it or not) and slather both Julian and Tate with lots of sunscreen.  It’s already heating up and I have to protect those sweet little faces!

Later on, after dinner, I was sitting in his room looking through some clothes I had just bought, and he started playing an unprompted game of peekaboo with me using one of the shirts and hangers.  It was so cute!  And, he was so proud of himself for doing this.  Every day, he is growing so much, understanding more and more and learning about how everything works.  It’s truly amazing to watch him grow and become such a sweet little man with his own personality — very different than his brother’s, I might also add.

Speaking of his brother…there is Tate.  What a big boy he is becoming!  We really have crossed a hurdle with his potty training as of the past week or two.  He was really fighting us and not wanting to go potty (and he still is, to a point), but he is now wearing underwear full time (except nights) and we are making it through most days without many (if any) accidents.  He doesn’t always want to go, but I can usually find a way to get him there with bribing or by giving one of his trucks or stuffed animals a voice.  He responds very well to “other people” telling him what he should do.  And if all else fails, I just fake a cry.  He usually responds to me crying and wants to do anything to stop me.  I know, that is sick.  But, hey…you gotta do what works!

In addition to his potty success, he is growing into such a boy in so many ways.  He speaks clear, full sentences and understands complex things now.  He was quite intrigued and saddened when a bird hit our neighbor’s window and died on the ground, for instance.  He also understood this past visit when my parents and sister/her family came to see us. 

I am also noticing that he is understanding more and more about socializing with other kids and that he is missing out when he is at home and wants to be around more people to play with.  Gone are the days when we were all he needed. 

This coming Wednesday (3/28), we are leaving to go to Austria for the first time since Tate has been born.  We are so thrilled that they will get to meet their family and all of our close friends.  I just hope it is a smooth sailing trip!

Tate is realllllly into monster trucks right now.  So much so that it is all he talks about.  Hot Wheels came out with these monster truck figures that have really cool moving wheels. Tate is all about that and pretty motivated to potty by them too. 

I love these boys with all my heart.  They are so funny and amazing…and might I also add, handsome little fellas too!

Ever changing

by Amy | Mar 4, 2012 | mama confessions, Uncategorized

We had a great day today.  We got up this morning and I made breakfast tacos.  Daddy continued to work on the tile in the front hallway (even though he had a bad back that was nearly killing him).  Tate played quietly most of the day while Julian followed behind.  I went to the gym and picked up a couple of bargains at a garage sale on the way home.  When I got back, I made the boys lunch and we went outside to play.  Tate road his tricycle and scooter around and had fun while Julian and I cheered him on by yelling, “On your mark, get set, GO!!!” and then he would race down the driveway.  After that, we all piled in the car, and I took the boys up to get the car washed.  When we got out, Tate came around the side where I was opening the door to get Julian out and bumped his head.  He didn’t cry, although he wanted to.  It looked like it hurt.  He even fell over from the door hitting him.  Poor little guy!  He now has a red bump on his eye brow.  Hope it goes away tmw.  After we got out of the car, we headed next door to sonic and got an ice cream while we waited on our car to be cleaned.  It was a lot of fun.  Julian especially enjoyed the ice cream.  Tate had a few bites, but was more interested in the BIG HUGE MONSTER TRUCK sitting in front of us and wanted to eat the peppermints they gave us.  After we finished, we headed back to the car wash and picked up our car.  It looked so nice and clean.  I told Tate we needed to do our best to keep the car clean and he seemed really interested in helping me do that.  We’ll see how long that lasts.

Fortunately, they both fell asleep on the way home, and I was able to run inside and get Thomas and we headed out to a birthday party for a friend’s 4 year old son.  The boys slept while I ran into Target and bought the present.  when we got to the party, there was a bouncy house.  Tate normally hates those, but this time he really enjoyed himself.  We had pizza and cake and Tate thoroughly enjoyed playing with the toys and watching the clown.  Julian immediately went for the crust of my pizza and was thoroughly content sitting and chewing on it for what seemed like an eternity.  Tate got a motorcycle made out of a balloon from the clown and that really impressed him.  The clown asked him if wanted to have his face painted, and he said “Yes” and sat down in the chair.  I knew that wouldn’t last long.  After the clown got all of the make up on Tate’s face, Tate’s lips puckered and he ran to me bawling and trying to rub it off.  We had to quickly run upstairs and attempt to get all the face paint off to avoid a scene.  It came off rather easily.  Julian was really tired, but with all the hoopla, there was no way I would have been able to get him to sleep, so I kept having to carry him around.  He finally settled down when he noticed the helium balloons in the air.  He began to play with one and it was so cute.  He had so much fun grabbing that balloon and was completely entertained.  He has been super fussy lately with a really runny nose and lots of congestion, so it was nice to see hiim in good spirits.

On the way home, both boys played with their balloons in the back seats until Julian started to fuss because he was so tired.  Tate finally looked over at him and said, “Julian! Just stop crying and take a nap!”  lol

All in all, it was a really nice day.  I hope Thomas’s back feels better tmw.  The boys continue to grow more and more each day and I am amazed at their personalities.  I love them so much!

Sweet Life

by Amy | Feb 27, 2012 | mama confessions, Uncategorized

This weekend was a beautiful weekend for our little family.  Nothing special was going on.  And to be honest, there’s lots to be done around our house.  None of us is feeling that well — we’ve all got this nasty cough and lots of congestion in our noses.  Tate’s still not potty-trained — although, he’d like you to believe he is.  Julian is still not sleeping through the night and he’s begun to wake up at 5:30am.  But, you know what?  We had a great time anyway. 

The weekend started off with Daddy bringing home some salmon filets from the store.  We had a great dinner (although Tate didn’t think so) and both of us crashed out early after putting the boys to bed on Friday night.  Far cry from former Friday nights of parties, movies and dinners at trendy restaurants.  On Saturday, we got up around 5:30am (Julian and I, that is) and Tate got up shortly thereafter.  We had a leisurely morning filled with banana bread muffins and coffee.  I went and worked out later on while Thomas watched the boys.  I came home to two screaming boys who had missed their Mommy during the 30 minutes she was gone.  I made everyone lunch when I got home and Thomas went outside to do some work in our completely dead yard.  He made some good headway with Tate closely by his side helping along the way.  I later came out with Julian and we went for a stroll in the red wagon.  Julian was such a trooper with his little sun hat on and his sippy cup in hand.  You would have thought he was in Heaven getting to sit across from his big brother and be such a big boy.  I kept looking back at them as I pulled them around the block and thought, “I can’t believe how big they are getting!!”  It truly seems surreal that Baby Julian is now 9 months old and able to do so much and understand so much more with every day that passes.  He has very clear ideas about what he wants and what he doesn’t want.  As sweet and easy-going as he is, there is nothing passive about this fella.  And there’s Tate.  My sweet, big boy Tate.  He is growing and changing everyday.  Not only physically, but emotionally and intellectually.  He has such an fascinating perspective and I so enjoy experiencing it through him.

After spending a good part of the day outside on Saturday, we decided to go out for dinner.  We all took showers and got cleaned up (like the good ol’ days) and headed out for a nice dinner.  As soon as we got to the restaurant, we realized both boys were sound asleep.  We carried them inside and made them a spot on the booth next to us and we ate while they slept. It almost felt like a date night.  We were able to have a peaceful dinner with no fussing, no crying, no interrupting.  It was a Godsend!

This morning, Thomas woke up with the boys at 5:30 and allowed me to sleep a little–which I desperately needed.  I got up and he made waffles.  The boys were cranky and tired.  I got ready and drove downtown to my job at the church to rehearse the children’s choir.  I hated leaving because:  1.  I was tired and didn’t feel like going.  2.  My boys didn’t feel good and didn’t want me to go.  3.  It was a nice day out and they were all going for a walk without me as I drove away.  But I went anyway.  I stopped by Starbuck’s on the way there  and saw a family with two boys who were probably around 6 and 8.  The parents were talking casually while the boys played with each other, and I thought, “One day, I can relax a little more and not have to keep such a close eye on them.”  I drove down to the church and the kids were delightful.  We truly had a great time.  I drove back and went to the store on the way home and picked up a few things in peace and quiet.  It was nice.  I came home and the boys were excited to see me.  I was excited to see them.  I missed them.

A little later, Thomas took the boys to the park so I could teach a lesson. After the lesson was over, they still weren’t home so I had some time to think and get some things in order before they arrived.  It was nice.  They got home and I was so happy to see them. I had missed them.  Thomas worked outside while Tate played in the yard and road on his scooter.  I made homemade mac and cheese while Julian played on the floor after his nap. At one point while I was finishing up, he climbed on top of the dishwasher door and started crying because he couldn’t get down. We went outside and talked to our neighbors a while.  I took Julian inside and gave him and Tate a bath.  We blew bubbles with our new bubble wand for the bathtub.  They both laughed and had a great time.  I had a great time and truly felt in the moment.  We played on the floor in the living room.  We took to the boys to their rooms and Julian played peekaboo around the corner and he and Tate laughed hysterically.  We put the boys to bed.

I recount all these details not to bore people, but to have a documented chapter of my life.  I know I will forget these little moments where nothing major is really going on.  I know I will forget the laughs in the bathtub and Julian playing peekaboo around the corner from Tate’s room and them both laughing hysterically.  I know I will forget and I don’t want to.

I write this to keep the memories alive.  But I also write to remind myself that the big stuff doesn’t only happen on big occasions.  It happens on days that are uneventful.  It happens on days when we have nothing planned.  It happens on days where there’s yardwork and housework that needs to be done.  It happens on days when we’re tired from not sleeping.  These memories are memories I want to cherish forever.  Being with my little family is so special and so important to me.  I never want to take our sweet life for granted.

Hanging Out

by Amy | Feb 20, 2012 | mama confessions, Uncategorized

Today has been a pretty good day just hanging out with my two kiddos.  Mommy tried but failed at going to the gym.  We went alright.  Everything seemed fine.  However, there was a new lady covering for our the one who is usually there and I think Julian was pretty tired, so after 15 minutes in Pilates class, the ladies came and got me.  Both boys were red in the face, snot dripping everywhere and in tears.  You would have thought they had been tortured.  OH well!  I learned long ago not to let that get to me.  There will be plenty of days I can work out.  We came home, I made lunch and tried to pick the house up a bit.  Another fail, but hey!  Gotta try!  We went for a walk around the neighborhood since it’s lovely outside today and now the boys are being babysat by a neighbor girl down the street.  Oh how I love holidays where the kids are out of school.  I use up my help and get them booked in advance so I can attempt to get a few measley things done around the house.

On that note…better go and finish what I started before my time is up!