Walking 101

We're walking! And we never stop! The boys started walking about a month ago. And those 30 days have been full speed ahead. It seems they only have two settings: "on" and "off." There is no middle speed. The "off" setting occurs when they are in their cribs, strapped into their high chairs, or when one bumps into the other (which is quite often).

My vocabulary consists of consoling and congratulating the whole day through! "You did it! Yeay!" or "I'm so proud of you!" On the other hand, I do spend a lot of time saying things like: "I'm sorry you bumped your head on brother, but I don't think he meant to plow you over" or "I know brother walked over your back and head, but I'm not sure he knew you were sitting there." It seems our day is a series of near misses and collisions. :)

I stopped following them around long ago. Because inevitably they always go in the opposite directions. You can see from the photos below that they circle the house through the kitchen. Usually running into each other around corners.

Fall is here...I have no plants.

Fall is officially here. I usually take note of the seasons by measuring the level of "deadness" of my potted plants. Somewhere between the end of the scortching Texas summers and the beginning of fall, my enthusiasm for watering my potted planes wanes. And so, I often look out on the porch only to discover withered leaves, cracked potting soil, and bare branches.

However, it seems my plants have met a different fate this year. Oh, the plants are still dead alright, but instead of me being the perpetrator, I recently caught two little critters red-handed de-potting my precious plants.

Oh, they look innocent enough in their critter-sized GAP sweatshirts (ps - thanks Nana).

But these critters are dangerous! Especially the one on the left.

I mean, there he is - in broad daylight - pawing through my pots!

...throwing them around like a wild animal!

And here he is eating the dirt - now that's definitely "critter" behavior!

Well, offering to share the dirt with Dad is sort of nice...

Aww...he's really upset.

Dada to the rescue. Sometimes even plant-robbing critters need a little help.

Hat, Hat, Hat...

Hat is said three times...by patting your head three times. At least that's the way Zach says it. We are teaching the boys baby sign language. They are picking up all the phrases that have to do with food ("more" is their favorite - go figure). But recently, Zach picked up the word hat and now he goes around patting his head all the time. For months we've tried to get them to wear baseball caps as a way to protect them from the sun. But no - they would rip them off the second we put them on. No, all the sudden, Zach can't get enough of his. He likes to wear it sideways, frontways, backerds (backwards), and any which way he plops it on. He also likes for mom and dad to wear it although we look a little silly with a child's cap on. I'm pumped about what his means for winter..cute little stocking caps here we come. Now if we can just get sweet Jonah to jump on board, we'll be all set...



Credits: Golden Afternoon kit by Sugarplum Paperie

Pool Days

You gotta love HEB. A couple of weeks ago, I bought a kiddie pool for 9 bucks on sale! It came with all these cute colored balls. Jonathan and I were so excited. We promptly filled it up, added the balls, and plopped the boys inside. We were sure they were going to love it. Bathtime is always a hit, so why not an outside bath?

Well, the pool wasn't quite a hit. The water was freezing (duh, mom and dad!), and so they lasted about 2 seconds. Long enough for me to get a picture. We haven't used it since. I'm not sure the 9 dollar photo was worth it, but the boys are still enjoying the colored balls!

Credits: Vera Lim "Gift" freebie. Pioneer Woman "Soft and Faded" photo shop action.

Kids Day Out

At 9:00 am this morning, I dropped the boys off for Kids Day Out. At 9:20 am I began think this wasn't such a bright idea. But we all survived! And when I picked them up 2:00 this afternoon they seemed to be happy, having enjoyed a day of playing with new friends and learning new things. Every Tuesday, we'll repeat the schedule. I'll try to include some pics, but we left our camera in Houston after a recent trip this weekend.

What did mom do on her day off? She had planned to spend the whole day writing her Bible study and working on some campaign stuff for church. But instead she ran about a zillion errands and had a delicious lunch with good bud Amanda. Work can wait! Right?

Here's a recent pic of the boys destroying our window blinds. :)

Unexpected Gift

Something happened to me this week. I received an unexpected gift from one of my favorite digital scrapbooking designers - Ellie Lash - by leaving a comment on her blog. I received a coupon to use in her store and bought her "Shabby Spice" kit. I love it so much and can't wait to scrap more pages of the boys with their dad. The kit has warm tones and masculine colors, so it is perfect for warm summer days and the beginning of fall. Thank you Ellie! You made my week!

Credits: Ellie Lash "Shabby Spice" kit; Font - Desyrel.

Summer Fun

Today was a good day. We walked around our neighborhood in our wagon. We played. We napped. We snacked. Before dinner, Dad treated us to Bluebell popcicles. We loved them. But, we loved the popcicle stick even more!