Monday, July 18, 2011

The Aquarium

Our summer funtivities continue…

Our friend Kathy, invited us to spend the day with her at the Houston Aquarium.  We had never been before, and were thrilled about the opportunity to go.  DSCF4905

The boys got to ride their first carousel.  Logan loved it.IMGP0103Nathan was hesitant about it, but ended up acting like it was okay.  DSCF4906-2 

We also got to ride the train and be awed by the sharks in the shark tunnel.  IMGP0181

We had lunch there, too.  Fabulous food and atmosphere, but the cranky kids kind of put a damper on the overall mood by this point. 

There were many more exhibits we could have visited, but time was short, so we’ll just have to make it a point to go back to see the rest.

The day was HOT, but we had FUN!  Kathy, thank you for treating us to such a great day.  We really enjoy spending time with you.  Also, Kathy took awesome pictures of the day and linked them to my facebook page.  You can check those out there, if you want.  There’s a really cute one of Nathan making friends with a 3 1/2 year-old boy while waiting in line for the carousel. 

*Kathy, I tried to snag the pics from facebook to post here, but can’t.  Do you think we would work out a way for me to get copies of the pics you took?

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Just Rambling

After the boys go to bed, Todd and I usually unwind in the studio – each of us in front of a computer, and the TV on between our 2 monitors.  We’ll sit here and fiddle for hours.  I read blogs, facebook, articles, watch videos, eat my nightly Oreo cookies with whole milk, etc.  Basically, I waste away until about 11:30 then I drag off to bed.  But, the past couple of nights, I have left the studio early and gone on to bed to watch TV and fold laundry.  I realize I’m just unwinding in a different room, but getting a chore done while relaxing has been kind of nice. 

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The first 3 weeks of summer vacation were so busy!  The first week was our fun girls’ trip to Vegas.  The second week, my sweet friend Nikki visited.  The third week was spent at my Grandma and Grandpa’s house.  The boys and I tagged along with Mom and had a wonderful visit with “Granny” and “Papaw”. 

Silly Nathan would not take that red “Heart Breaker” hat off the whole visit!  Doesn’t he look like such a big boy?DSCF4877Logan giving sugars to Papaw  DSCN1629Granny read many books to the boys… And she wore hats at their request. DSCN1639More books… Uncle Tony! DSCN1642Mommy duty never ends… Getting Jammies on. DSCN1643 Nathan & Logan acting like Granny & Papaw on their computers; which is much like Mommy & Daddy in the evenings! ;-) DSCN1646Rediscovering their love for Baby Einstein’s Old MacDonald’s Farm.  It’s fun to watch and name each animal and the sounds they make. DSCN1650 Fun in a baby doll stroller.DSCN1700  

We got to be there for Uncle Tony’s birthday and were just a day short from being there for Cousin Lyndsi’s birthday.  DSCF4881

The boys are too big for their Pack-n-Plays, but not quite big enough to sleep on a palate, so we got them Pea Pod Plus’.  They’re like pop-up tents with an airbed base that slides into a pocket.  They’re really cool!  Of course, it took a little time for the boys to take to them.  I expect they will have a lot of fun with them as they get older.  Logan slept in his just fine.  Nathan, well, not. so. much.  Sleep was a battle the whole time we were there with him.  He’s a sensitive mama’s boy and made my life very difficult while we were there.  Not to mention that he made many ears hurt.  But, when it was not time to sleep, he had a great time.  He ended up sleeping with me many times, which never happens!  I’m so glad Logan is generally easy-going.  I don’t think I would have any hair if both boys flipped out like Nathan did.

This is a Pea Pod Plus.  Not a picture of ours (thanks Google Images), but cool, huh?!imageCousin Lyndsi helped set their Pea Pods up.DSCN1644

Mom, Granny, and Papaw let me sleep in one day while they fed the boys breakfast then played outside.  They had so much fun running around with their 3 grandparents, and I hear the the grands had lots of fun, too.  Granny and Papaw play just as hard as the boys!DSCN1692DSCN1666

We had such a great visit.  I just wish we lived closer.  Nathan talks about “Granny’s House” and Papaw a lot.  Thank goodness for webcam!

While we were gone, Todd started building cabinets to put in our bathrooms.  He didn’t anticipate the project to take very long, but he’s meticulous!  These things are perfect, and despite my impatient nagging to just get them done, he has put a lot of care into making them nice for our home.  They are in the process of being painted (oil paint takes a long time to dry!), but they are almost done and they are going to be so great to have!  Ah, a place for toilet paper, towels, soaps… all in the bathroom!  Novel idea!