Where are the bluebonnets?

Another challenge of having three children - PICTURE TAKING!! Ainsley has always been very photogenic AND I could sit for days and just take pictures of her in action with nothing else going on. Well, it's a little different story now. All three of them have runny noses but I wanted some pictures with the flowers before they were gone! The sun was in our eyes (note to self - early morning would have been much better!!)Their eyes were watering and I don't think I ever got all three to look at the camera at the same time, although I like the ones of them looking elsewhere. I have a new respect for professional photographers who get great pictures!!

I guess we are too late this year? We have always found this little field of bluebonnets to take great pictures in but this year they were gone! I thought it was around this time of year when we had done this in the past but who knows....too much on my mind these days!! So we drove around through parks and such looking for a good backdrop. Ainsley was dying to see some flowers. The boys I'm sure could have done without but they were dressed so cute we had to find something. An hour later....we ended up back in our neighborhood and found some great wildflowers. It is along a big grassy area and away from heavy traffic - It was perfect!!! I think this is our new favorite spot! Thanks for the great prop Amanda!! Ainsley loves her rocking chair she got from being in your wedding!

Fun with Friends...

Last week we met some neighborhood friends at the park for a nice morning out. The boys LOVE being outside. Last Thursday, when the boys were at school we picked up one of Ainsley's friends to play with for the day. We are both really enjoying this time together and the boys seem to really enjoy their day at "school". They are full of giggles when we come to pick them up!!

Sunday, Sunday...

Handsome boys ready for church Ainsley had to get one with her baby in the picture! We had "Blessing of the Animals" after service. Jake could definantly use a blessing or two!!! It was a really sweet service and the kids LOVED it!! The crime scene....What do you think happened when we got home? I was talking with Ainsley and she was rubbing her hands through her hair and her hair was falling out. Then I did it and it continued to fall out. My paranoia and nieveness went into full force and I think my child has a horrible illness and her hair is falling out!!!! I didn't want to jump the gun and accuse my sweet angel of cutting her hair if she had not - so off I go to investigate.....I see some strands in the office, I see a WAD in her bathroom trash, I see her orange scissors on the bed with a trail of hair leading to the scissors and another WAD on the side of her bed! Okay, I'm pretty sure of what happened now! and she is going to live! SWHEW! I always thought this was such a funny story when parents of my students would tell me of their first hair cut!!! Well she has a few layers now but luckily she's got alot of hair and you can't really tell. It goes up in a pony tail and hides it well. There are a few whispies sticking up on the top! I got my hair cut Friday night and when I got home she said "I love your hair mom, I want mine cut just like yours!!" She's a girl of action!

A visit with old friends....

This was one of my FAVORITE 2 year-olds that I taught at Parker Chase when I was teaching pre-school! We ran into Eavan(at the top of slide) at a neighbors t-ball game when I was pregnant with the boys and it has been so fun being back in touch with her and her mom!! Eavan is now 7 and in 2nd grade (I"m pretty sure?) and her mom Heidi also worked at Parker Chase while I was there. Ainsley's friend Callie was also over for the afternoon. The girls all had a blast together!! Eavan was dying to see the boys and of course they were asleep when we got there. When it was time for them to go her mom started calling for her and couldn't tell where she was....slowly we saw a guilty face pop out of the boys room and shortly (at that second) the boys were suddenly awake! It was sweet though. She was so excited to meet them.

Creative Thinking...

see explantation below. I somehow got these in backward order again!

After watching a music program Ainsley was inspired to play the violin. When we were at Greenhill the orchestra would always come play for the little guys and I was even drawn to the violin. I think I would like to take lessons (are you laughing mom - saying "yea, right?") I was the typical kid who wanted the beautiful outcome but I was NOT willing to practice! Anyway, she started talking about the violin and looked at me with this lighbulb moment and said "I can play the violin" she ran and got her guitar and a stick and went at it!

Ainsley went and dug out my huge box of construction paper and misc scraps. She started cutting and taping and going to work. She dressed up in a fancy dress and said she was getting married. She decorated her playroom with misc paper pieces for the event. She then cut, taped and fitted each of her brothers with king crowns! I love it!

The teacher in me eats this up!!! I'm sure Ainsley will be (if she isn't already) using this to her advantage. If she can come up with a good reason/need I'm pretty open to letting her try it out or understanding to something that has already happened! So fun to see it all being played out.

4 month check up

Well the boys are actually a week shy of being 5 months but we just got in for their 4 month check up!! They are doing well! They got 4 shots and did very well considering. Brody weighs 11lbs 5oz and Findley weighs 11lbs. Our doctor said their weight was fine but they did go down a little in overall percentiles for weight of babies their age so...we are slowly introducing cereal (help with weight and get more iron in their diet - supposedly breastmilk doesn't have as much as the iron added to formula and cereal?) and the bottle I'm pumping at night I'm adding in at the end of the day instead of storing! They are now sleeping much better and pretty consistantly will go down around 7:30/8. We wake them at 10:00 for their last feeding and then they don't wake up until around 5:30am!!! and then they go right back to sleep for another 3/4 hours. What PROGRESS!! They are not really fond of their cereal quite yet. They pretty much lock their lips and take in a very little bit. Ryan reminded me that Ainsley was like this at first also. So hard to remember since she is such a wonderful, healthy eater now! They thankfully take the bottle very easily. Brody almost was holding his on his own - well he was but he wasn't getting any milk!

The boys have always slept being swaddled. They love it. We have the "miracle blankets" which we call the straight jacket!! They wrap around their arms and keep them straight down at their side and then another piece of fabric wraps around their whole body. I haven't been brave enough to give them up entirely but now that they are rolling over I think it is getting close! This was my first successful attempt at nap w/o blankets! They fussed alot more than usual but they did it! They don't sleep as long so will definantly take some practice. A little at a time - I'm not ready to miss anymore sleep!!!

Saturday at the Arboretum

Their spring celebration was a Texas theme so they had these stick pony races... Ryan and Ainsley running under the fountains.... Rolling down the hills of lush greens!! Having a picnic on the hill

Ainsley and I on a hayride Ryan and Ainsley hanging out with the cattle Riding the bulls! Ryan lasso-ing his daughter!!

Family picture Findley and I It was really windy when we first got there. Too cold for the boys to get out of their carriers but finally towards the end of our outing it warmed up and they got to get out and stretch a bit!! They loved it!

Mommy and Ainsley's special day!!

Ainsley and I had a wonderful day today just she and I. The boys went to their first day of Mother's Day Out. It is at our church and with the same women that watch them on Sunday so I felt very comfortable and this was just much needed! We ran a few errands - got some new shoes and then headed to the Galleria for some Ice Skating! I wasn't sure how she would take to this new venture but she LOVED it!! She wasn't hesitant at all and wanted to do it enthusiastically all by herself!! By the end (it only lasted about 30/45 minutes!) She was scooting around on her own. She also loved just sitting down and touching the ice?! What form!!! And the best ending....daddy came and met us on his lunch hour. We didn't have time for lunch together but she loved having her daddy watch her. It was a wonderful day!

Western Day

Ainsley had western day at school. She was very excited to dress up and thanks to our neighbors contributions we had a pretty cute "gid-up"!!