The Mamminas

Merry Christmas, 2011!

2012-02-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

2011 was our year to travel up to Memphis to celebrate Christmas with the Bellican family. The boys always do such a great job traveling in the car, and this trip was no exception! We are always so excited to visit our families--I just look at everyone's faces and am blown away by how blessed we are--we love each other so much, and we all love seeing each other and spending time together.

The first night we got there, we were treated to some good ole' Memphis barbeque
(Corky's, of course!)

During the day on Christmas Eve, we simply enjoyed each other. These boys loved hanging out together. Not sure if they were watching Thomas or Mickey Mouse here, but whatever it is, they are into it for sure!!!

tractor-ride traditions!

One of the main things the boys look forward to when they visit "The Big H" (aka my parents' house) is a tractor ride with Papa!!!

Bookus gets a turn! (yes, he still calls himself that--so sweet!)

Later that evening we all went over to Aunt Mandy's house for dinner. The kids got to open a Christmas Eve gift...

new pajamas for all! aren't the cousins cuties?

We finally got the kids down and settled in for some Wii playing.

Super Mario, anyone?

our little family on Christmas day

Anthony takes a pic with Aunt Michelle and Uncle Josh
(isn't my sis gorgeous?!?)

So, apparently, while we were all playing the wii, Mandy and Justin's van got broken into, and their GPS was stolen. The cops came out to take a look--the boys were fascinated by the police car. Here are Anthony and James trying to get a good look.

Little Lucas wants to see too!

meal time was never calm with these three--don't you just love the smathering of crumbs on the floor? notice they are mostly under lucas' chair--my messy boy!

we had a "help yourself" lunch of different kinds of soup--yum!

From right: our cousin Jeff and his girlfriend Kristen (in town from Atlanta), Michelle and Josh

Meme plays Santa while the boys tear into their gifts--they loved it!

Baby Reese loved watching all the action!

Lucas was so excited when he opened his mickey mouse!

the first thing he did was give mickey a big hug, then a kiss--my sweet baby

anthony was so excited to open some new construction trucks underwear!!!

the boys all got helicopters that flash lights and make lots of noise!

Reesy-Piecey in her Christmas bow--
Can I take her home with me???

these goofballs are nothing but trouble

but they sure do love every minute of life

i think i'll keep 'em!!! :)

Thanks so much, mom and dad, for a wonderful trip! It always seems too short! Wish we had gotten a group shot--that one's always a little tricky! We sure had fun, though! Thank you so much for working so hard to make this Chistmas memorable and special for all of us! We love you so much!!!

Some Pre-Christmas Fun

2012-01-21T11:17:00.000-08:00

We had some fun in the weeks leading up to Christmas...

anthony still LOVES going to Lowe's to see the forklifts!

we started this in the summer as a cheap way to have fun while staying out of the 110 degree weather, and he still asks to go there every time we drive past one!

Mario and I at the Meyerson Symphony Center--We got to go to a Michael W. Smith Christmas concert here with some old friends from Joshua Expeditions. MWS was accompanied by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra...so beautiful!

pictures my sweet boys made me to wish me a happy birthday on the 17th

They weren't feeling well, so we went looking at Christmas lights and put them to bed. Mario and I quietly celebrated my birthday at home with some presents and some tiramisu--yum!

yay! the immersion blender i wanted! soups and smoothies, here i come!

one week our playgroup had santa and mrs. claus come visit. they were the most sweet couple from our friend jill's parents' sunday school class, and apparently, they make a TON of "santa stops" every season! they played the part so well! this is the first time my kids have ever sat on santa's lap, so they weren't sure what to think! they were fully convinced it was fun after santa let them pull some m&ms out of his big bag of goodies! (thanks, jill, for setting this up for us!)

we went out into the greenbelt behind our house to do a photo shoot to get some good pics for this year's christmas card--here are some of my favorites...

two cuties

lucas kept wanting to put his hands in his "pockets"--it was so adorable--he missed his pockets completely every time, and just shoved his hands inside his overalls!

tried to get some "playing in the leaves" shots--that didn't turn out so well! they sure had fun throwing leaves, but we didn't get any good pics, and then, they didn't want to stop throwing the leaves so i could get a shot of them sitting! guess i should've saved that one for the end--lesson learned!

one of my favorites--and the one that made the christmas card! it captures their everyday personalities so well! these boys just love living life! every single day they are just so joyful!

this was my other favorite!

can't believe my babies are growing up so fast!

they look like little boys instead of babies--i always tell them they better slow down!

i'm trying to treasure every minute of them being little!

Thanksgiving Week-Long Celebration

2012-01-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

Well, we went into the holidays with a bang! Super busy, but fun, fun, FUN! Mario's parents and brother were able to come visit us here in McKinney for a little over a week. It was constant activity (I guess it always is with the little ones), but it was very relaxing at the same time. The boys had a ball with their Nonno, Nonna, and Uncle Benny (or "Buncle Benny" as Lucas calls him). :) Once again, we were spoiled with good food and great company. Just wish you guys lived a little closer so we could do this more often!

the boys play with their garbage trucks while the family gets unloaded

oops! garbage trucks are supposed to stay inside!

family dinner #1--pork tenderloin

doing sticker books with Nonno

wow! here comes the garbage truck!

Anthony loves watching them come down the alley

watching a special show with the garbage trucks by their sides

these two are nothing but trouble ;)

Lucas loves playing "horsey" with Dada

goofing off with Nonno

family dinner #2--pulled pork (Nonno's secret recipe)
I have to say, it does rank right up there with some Memphis bbq I've had

Lucas is ready to thank God for his food
(Every time I pick him up from Sunday School, his teachers comment on how he folds his hands so nicely during prayer time--sweet boy)

Nonna takes the boys for a long walk Thanksgiving day morning

there they go!

Anthony has gotten so fast on his bike that it's hard to keep up while pulling Lucas in the wagon!!!

Nonna snapped this one on her phone--they are so happy playing outside!

my adventurous boys

they still get along really well most of the time--

they both have caring spirits

LOTS of cooking going on!

this was the indoor work crew

and this was the outdoor work crew!

(Uncle Benny worked both shifts! haha!)

and, YES, that's our turkey on the grill--a first for us, and it was DELICIOUS!!!

uncle benny shares some pistachios with anthony

cutie--he loved them!

the boys love playing games on daddy's ipad

putting the finishing touches on our meal

family dinner #3--TURKEY!

Happy Thanksgiving!
We always have so much to be thankful for every day!!!

making chalk pictures outside the next morning

on his bike again

oops! where's your helmet, Anthony?!?

taking a little snack break

two sweet brothers

two goofy brothers!!!

family dinner #4--italian sausage and portabella mushroom gnocci
Uncle Benny's early Christmas present to us was playing chef for a night. It was awesome! The kids were in bed, I didn't have to pay a babysitter, and the food was WAY more incredible than anything I would've paid money for...thanks Ben--It was AMAZING!

Will you come back and do it again?--next week is open for us!!! ;)

our gourmet menu for the evening--food to die for!

wonderful service!

boys reading curious george the next morning

We tried to spend the morning in downtown mckinney.

It was miserably cold and drizzly, so we came back home pretty quickly.

we did stop for one quick picture in the sled

family pic at church the next morning

guess which one was being a stinker!!!

so handsome

these two are pretty handsome too!

david and marsha came by for a visit--what a fun time of catching up!

more backyard fun

don't you just want to squeeze him?!?

we celebrated our Christmas morning on 11/28

the boys had fun passing out all the gifts

Nonna reads a new Thomas book to the boys

Anthony is all smiles

Lucas stomps around in Anthony's new snow boots

uncle benny got a meat ginder--just like grampa's

these brothers always find something to laugh about!

these brothers loved wrapping themselves in the ribbon!

mario got the shopvac he's been wanting for awhile

Anthony and Lucas proudly look at their new dvds--thomas and cars!

Nonna got some yummy smelling ulta lotions

Nonno got some cash to put towards a new trolling motor

Dad and Benny in the garage working on some projects

the girls take the little boys to the park to run some energy out

they still love the slides

of course, the wood chips are still their favorite part!!!

Lucas tries on Anthony's helmet--silly boy!

they love helping with the mail

scooting around the backyqard

building a lego tower the next morning

Nonna gets in a few more snuggles before they have to get back to Chicago

Uncle Benny gets his last bit of time in with the boys as well

they don't get to see him a lot, but they sure do love him!

everybody wave goodbye to Nonno and Nonna!

(uncle benny flies out in the afternoon)

We sure enjoyed every minute of it! Please come back and visit again really soon!

Sweet Dreams

2012-01-06T14:38:00.000-08:00

I can't imagine anything but sweet dreams when you're this laid back and relaxed as you snooze...sleep well, little Lucas!

All Things Halloween 2011

2011-12-14T20:09:00.001-08:00

Well, it's a little strange to be posting halloween pics when it's December already, but better late than never, right? Here are our long overdue adventures from the end of October...

in the days leading up to Halloween, the kids wanted to wear their costume hats all the time--here they are eating breakfast in them!

Anthony was a mailman for Halloween...I might have mentioned the idea early on, but he took it and ran with it. He loves watching the mail lady out of our front window, so he kept insisting he wanted to be a mail LADY. Eventually he understood that since he is a boy he has to be a mailMAN! silly boy! He waited for the mail lady one day all dressed in his costume so he could pick up the mail get a picture with the mail truck!

handsome little postal worker with his homemade trick or treat box

Lucas was a UPS delivery man. We received the costume as a gift from some friends up in Chicago when Anthony was born. The combination of these costumes was the biggest hit everywhere we went!

cutie little UPS worker also with a homemade box

some pics we snapped in the backyard one day

i couldn't get enough of them!

the hugs are so sweet

love anthony's sweet smile in this one

lucas' face in this one makes me giggle every time!

they are teasing me because i kept telling them to leave their hats on! haha!

one of the activities at our church's fall festival--they had a little kid play area with tons of different sizes and shapes of colorful mats

the kids had a ball climbing...

jumping and balancing...

... rocking, sliding, and rearranging. genius idea!

taking a little break from the games and having a taste of those treats

we ran into Anthony's good friend Audrey while there--what a cutie little strawberry! (thanks for the pic, lacey...i helped myself! all mine turned out blurry!)

the boys try their hand at the bean bag toss

another day at home, the boys decorated mini pumpkins with markers and stickers

posing with their big pumpkins in the fort

we decided to paint our pumpkins this year instead of carving them! so fun!

almost time for trick-or-treating...can you tell they're excited?!?

sweet, goofy boys
these little smiles tug at my heartstrings every single day!

posing for a pic while trick or treating

(i promise we didn't go around the neighborhood in the afternoon! we go right before it starts getting dark)

they really enjoyed the glow sticks that Nonna sent them in the mail...what a fun surprise!

And a couple of quick movies...

we made it to the fall festival early, so they had the entire bounce house to themselves for a little while!

this one's for you, mom! i know you wanted to be with us again this year! we missed having you here! the boys had a ball once they got going...(this was the first or second house they stopped at). love you!

October Visit to Memphis

2011-12-07T17:05:00.000-08:00

Mid October, Mario had the opportunity to go on a fishing trip with his dad. He dropped the kids and I off at my parents' house in Memphis for a long weekend. We did a lot of fun things with the kiddos. They especially enjoyed playing with their cousins! It's picture overload again, but here's a snapshot of our time at "The Big H" (that's what the kids call Meme and Papa's house!).

me and my little "Bookus" (as he calls himself)

We got to visit Delle, Peggy, Michelle, Lexxis, and Landon at their home. They treated us to a yummy lunch, and the kids had a ball playing!

One day we went to the HUGE new park out at Shelby Farms. The first area the kids played on was the "climb and slope nest".

Reese snoozed while the boys played.

My boys loved the "musical ramp"....these hanging gongs were all over--the kids found some sticks and started banging away making some beautiful music! It was great!

Lucas and James playing on the "climbing wall" of the climb and slope nest

Basically, the ground was made of non-skid rubber (like a running track). It sloped down with 4 huge slides of differing widths and heights. Anthony's first try down!

He got brave pretty quickly and started going down head first!

oh, he had a ball!

anthony showing lucas the ropes

wheeeeee!

lucas ready to try his hand at the big slide

what a rush!

he loved it!

anthony tries backwards

james did a little sliding, but he had more fun playing with the rocks

big cheers from his mommy when he decides to go down! yay james!

aunt mandy helped the kids on the bungee swings in another area of the park

james enjoyed this one!

cutie smile!

the park had this adorable padded swing shaped like a big basket! it was in high demand, but the boys snagged a turn!

can you tell they loved this one?!?

these cousins love each other so much!

wish they made these swings for big people too!!!

Grandad came over and was able to snag a picutre with all the great-grandkids

then it turned into one big jumpfest! poor reese!

anthony loving on his uncle josh

these two are up to no good! :)

dinner around the Bellican table--corky's...YUM!

our family is going to outgrow this room before too long!!!

the boys love playing outside at the playground in the backyard!

anthony lines his forks up on the balance beam that i used to play on!

lucas plays in the playhouse...or should we call it a "fort" now for all these boys?

james going down the slide

my sweet big boy

little reese snuggled in her blanket, watching all the activity

It was a beautiful fall day--we decided to go on a family walk on the trails behind the house.

James and Anthony lead the way!

twins!

don't you love the height difference!

Papa pushes Lucas in the stroller

sweet happy boy

james was really power walking along the first stretch

james loves his uncle josh

anthony would run ahead and yell, "come on guys!"

sweet lovebirds michelle and josh

we stopped to look at the beautiful horses

when we got back home, the boys helped Papa collect some firewood

anthony was very enthusiastic about his big job

lucas was a big helper too

the perfect end to a perfect day--a huge bonfire!

we used to do this all the time growing up

it's been quite a few years since the last one, but hopefully this will be a new tradition

lucas loves his marshmallows, oh yes he does!

what an adventure!

i think this was the best part of the weekend for them!

trying to get a shot of all the kiddos before we leave!

there we go...that one will work!

thanks, meme and papa, for letting us come for a visit!!! our time there always seems too short! we love you and love how you share your home and your lives with us! miss you!!!

Energy Levels

2011-12-01T10:03:00.000-08:00

Just a quick video to allow the general public a glimpse into the energy levels of our home...

Mario was trying to get Lucas to do his forward roll, but he decided he wanted to keep doing seat drops instead. Why? Well, he just started doing them on the bed, so the floor is the next logical place to do a seat drop, right? Why not?

How this child does not injure his back doing this...I have no idea!

It's not like he has a lot of padding on his backside!

Grama and Grampa Visit + A Trip to the Pumpkin Patch!

2011-11-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

In mid October, Grampa and Grama drove all the way down from Kansas to visit us for the weekend! It sure was a treat! We squeezed in alot of playtime, including a trip to the pumpkin patch!

Mario toted Lucas around in the backpack

Anthony wanted to hold Grama's hand

Here we are!

Pumpkin Patch 2011

Anthony went straight for the pumpkins

This lovely little butterfly kept landing on Grampa

Aren't our grandparents beautiful?!?
(outside and inside--truly amazing people)

The boys had so much fun feeding the animals!

I love Lucas' expression here with his mouth open--haha!

He's concentrating!

It was so much fun sharing our yearly tradition with Grama and Grampa

When Anthony ran out of animal feed, he tried feeding the goats rocks.

Hmmmm, wonder why they weren't as interested?

This was Lucas' first time feeding the animals. Last year, he sat in the stroller with his paci and watched. My baby is growing up!

I think he liked the goats best

Anthony loves animals and is so sweet to them

Grampa and Lucas waiting for the hayride

watching with excitement

view from the front--it was a big one...it had several of these trailers crammed full with people!

Anthony had fun seeing the sights

Lucas had a ball in Grampa's lap

Anthoy chose to sit extra close to Grama

I love this sweet picture

Lucas loved picking through all the pumpkins--they all looked great to him!

sweet baby boy

Anthony found his favorite!

a quick family photo

grama and grampa's turn!

the boys were losing it, but don't our grandparents look beautiful?

We went out for dinner to Babe's, and after that, the boys had a blast checking out the train!

So fun! I had a great video clip of Grampa explaining the train to Anthony. It was too big to upload on my blog, but it was so cute! Anthony asked a ton of questions, and Grampa patiently answered every one of them. Grampa knows a ton about trains. Anthony was super interested in his locomotive lesson!

We'll have to get this boy on a real train ride one of these days!

Oh, these boys adore their grandparents--yes, they do!

A little video clip of Grampa blowing bubbles for Lucas. I love how these two have not lost touch with their "inner child"!

Thank you, Grama and Grampa, for being such godly, loving examples for these boys and for us! It means so much to us that you made the trip to see us and that you make our relationship with you a priority. Your legacy for the Lord shines so brightly! You are welcome back anytime!

Just For Papa

2011-11-16T12:55:00.000-08:00

This one's just for you, Papa! Lucas says and does the exact same thing every time I put his sunglasses on! He tries to do the "thumbs up" and says "Yeaaaaaah". When I do it back, he says "like Papa". So cute!

Meme and Papa Visit!

2011-10-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

Toward the end of September, Meme and Papa came to Texas to visit us!!! Papa was only able to stay for a long weekend, but Meme remained another week after that! We had so much fun, and the boys just adore their time with them! Here's a snapshot of some of the fun things we did...

we spent some time at the park near our house--Lucas loves the swings

I love Anthony's sweet smile

playing "drums" by banging sticks on the railing of the pavillion

and on the table :)

yes--as I was discussing with a sweet friend just today--it IS asking too much to get the boys to look at the camera when taking a picture! But they sure do love their grandparents!

me and my sweet dad

goofballs

Meme and Papa brought a special surprise from Memphis--garbage trucks!!! Wow! Who knew garbage trucks could be so much fun??? Here we are six weeks later, and they still get played with every single day! Of course, every Wednesday, the highlight of the day around here is watching the recycling and garbage trucks collect our waste! Anthony begs me every week to go sit behind our garage outside so we can watch them up close!

Lucas loves books lately!

I love that I had reinforcements to do some extra reading with him!

We ventured out to downtown McKinney...

We decided to take a little horse-drawn wagon ride!

the boys thought it was pretty cool

Lucas sat in the barber shop and watched Papa get a haricut

we stopped for pizza before heading home

Lucas wearing Papa's hat and playing on his leapfrog phone

oh! here we are with the new garbage trucks again! Lucas definitely keeps up with Anthony--they push these babies all over the house--FAST!

picking up acorn "trash"

Meme brought a special treat--Bugles! I didn't even know they made those still! Why is it that you don't have to teach a kid to put bugles on their fingers?!? They somehow know it's what you're supposed to do! ;)

monkey see, monkey do!

Lucas has to try it too!

Anthony and Lucas gave us a musical concert--they play these instruments every day too!

jamming out

we went to the Plano balloon festival one day

They loved these dogs that were waiting for adoption.

Anthony got to sit in a real police car! The policeman even let him hold the handcuffs!

picking lollipops off the lollipop tree at one of the booths

Lucas loved his beads

they had so much fun in the bounce houses

they didn't want to get out!

silly Anthony!

Lucas doing some reading again

Lucas' favorite book right now is "Roly Poly Pangolin" by Anna Dewdney

Anthony loves propping them up and flipping through them

the more books the better, i say...

but i'm starting to run out of space!!!

My mom scoped out Founder's Plaza--a lookout point near DFW airport where you can watch the planes come and go. We grabbed some ChickFilA and had a picnic while we watched.

I think Lucas was having fun

both boys loved it! we watched plane after plane after plane

It was fun to see them get so excited over something so simple (and free!)

American Airlines--our airline of choice!

Anthony especially liked the UPS delivery airplanes

we tried to take a picture, but someone was uncooperative :)
(hint--it wasn't the one on the right!)

Thanks, Meme and Papa, for making the trip down here. Can you come back soon??? We miss you! We love having you on our "turf"!!!

September At Our House

2011-10-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

Maybe you have noticed--maybe not...For the past few months I've been trying to capture some of the "ordinary" that goes on in our home. It might not look like anything special when I post the pictures, but these are the day-in and day-out moments I don't ever want to forget. Being silly, laughing, horsing around in the backyard, enjoying special treats...yeah, these are the little things that make my life with these kids and my husband truly happy every single day. I know I've got a long way to go, but I want to relax and take pleasure in the simple things in life...

enjoying some "daddy time"

friends caleb and joshua came over for the afternoon--we went to get a snow cone treat
anthony and caleb rode the wagon

joshua didn't have any treats, but he still enjoyed the ride in the stroller
wait a minute--is that a bit of a smile i see? from a kim kid???
(what you don't see is the picture i snapped before this one was super serious!)

lucas loved it! he rode mario's back in his backpack. i know it's a little ghetto, but we had to take lucas and caleb's shirts off because we were afraid the spilled snow cone might stain!

anthony's dark blue shirt didn't matter

LOVE those grins--they are definitely having a ball!

some batting practice in the backyard

he really puts some muscle into that swing

love how happy he looks

baseball season is daddy's favorite time of the year!

tickle time!

watching big brother

Lucas loves playing ball

close up

can't get enough of this sweet baby

anthony is the king of the fort

love the dirty face--he's been playing hard

handsome boy

you can tell by his face that he really enjoys life to the fullest

close up

my babies--getting too big too fast

horseplay with daddy

it sure is non-stop energy around here--but that's the way we like it!

on a trip to the mckinney farmer's market, we stopped to listen to the live music. one of the musicians let anthony hold his bass guitar.

(this was after the man saw anthony start to cry when we told him it was time to go home)

anthony and lucas play doctor

epidural, maybe?

might i add, Lucas is an EXCELLENT patient!

i know before too long i'll miss the days of little handprints on our grill and scribbles on our brick walls

one of the highlights of the month was when the city of mckinney decided to repair the sidewalk almost right in front of our house! wow! we spent several afternoons outside watching the men work instead of taking naps!

anthony was so excited to see both a backhoe loader and a cement mixer right on our very street! he loved watching the trucks and how they work!

more horsey riding on dada...we'll miss this too before too long!

LOVE that mario plays with them so much!
these boys sure do love their daddy

Bedtime At Our House

2011-10-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

So, these clips are some typical scenes from bedtime around here. The energy doesn't stop at bedtime! They will go, and go, and go, and finally just conk out!

This is their favorite bedtime song "Who's the King of the Jungle?" Mario and I first learned it while we were working for Fellowship of Christian Cheerleaders. If you can't tell what they're singing, the lyrics are "Who's the King of jungle? Who's the King of the sea? Who's the King of the universe? And Who's the King of me? JESUS!" I certainly hope and pray these boys make Jesus the King of their hearts very soon.

The boys love doing seat drops (or "secrets") on the bed. Of course, they love anything that involves flinging their bodies in the air. They look pretty sleepy, don't they??? ;)

Our Little Drummer Boy

2011-10-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

Here's what Anthony is really into lately--drumming! (Oh, don't worry--he still loves his trucks most of all). I love his creativity in this first video clip...He's never even seen a real drum set here, yet somehow makes a very realistic setup. Too cute how he changes keys in the middle, and my favorite part is the way he ends it!

So, in light of his new found passion, we decided to make a trip to Guitar Center to let Anthony play on the child size drum sets they have there. Well, as you can imagine, he loved it and didn't want to leave. We have some ex-drummers on both sides of the family, so we'll see if this lasts. Notice the end of his segment is similar to the one in the movie above. Love it.

Highchair Entertainment

2011-10-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

Mealtime always seems to be a prime opportunity to capture the funny little things the kids say or do--most likely because they are confined to their chairs and can't run away!

This first one is Lucas' "no means yes" phase. Anthony goes around saying, "Lucas says no to everything." We're still working on manners, but it sure is kinda cute when he turns down ice cream then reaches for it!

The second clip is Anthony's imitation of a storm. I'm not sure where he got the "lightning" thing with his eyes, but I love his innocence! Don't ask me why he's wearing underwear on his head again--they are his favorite pair, I guess. Notice Lucas' chubby little finger at the end pointing to the "puppies" on Anthony's head!

Barbarians Eating Watermelon

2011-10-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

the title says it all....

so if you step on something sticky on my kitchen floor, please kindly ignore it! ;)

Some August Love

2011-10-10T19:09:00.001-07:00

sending some August love your way...

classic Lucas expression

homemade finger paints--pretty colors!

a little dab at first

now they're getting it

the finished product

ummmmm, what happened to the colors??? ;)

Lucas' cutie patootie in his "jeans" diaper

enjoying one of our summertime favorite fruits--watermelon

stay tuned for some video clips

Bellican Family Vacation: Gatlinburg

2011-09-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

In July we went with my parents and siblings to Gatlingurg, TN for a family vacation. It was a LOOOOONG drive for us, so we spent the night at my parents' house on both ends of the trip. July was a pretty rough month for our family in general. We had all four been sick (Mario was super sick over the first half of our vacation!). Our AC unit quit working at our home, and the couple of days before leaving for our trip (while trying to pack and get things ready) we were staying at a hotel. The 100+ degree heat made our home unbearable, and it was WAY hotter in the attic, so the repairman could only work on it during the evenings. Mario's company car had been rear ended, and he was in a battle with the insurance companies over who was at fault. My car was in the shop as well. It was complete chaos to say the least. So, while we were longing to "get away from it all", the being away made it harder to deal with the issues going on here. It was crazy, but we had fun on our trip anyway, and we LOOOOOOVED spending time with our family. Here are some photos of the trip--it's a long one--picture overload!!! :)

Lucas and cousin James play keyboard together at my parents' house

Lucas gets a kiss from Grandad--his great grandfather

Mario holds sweet baby Reese

Uncle Josh makes Lucas laugh

Our "cabin" in Gatlinburg--we literally drove almost straight up a mountain to get to this place! It was kinda scary, but the kids thought the steep incline was super fun! We won't mention how Papa, Aunt Michelle, and Uncle Josh got lost on the wrong mountain at 3 am, in the dark, in the pouring down rain when they came a little later...now, talk about scary!!!

the outdoor hot tub

the kitchen--already making ourselves at home!

our living area
(excuse the couch cushions--they had just been steam cleaned and were air drying!)

the bedrooms all looked similar--rustic and roomy

the game room
notice the little munchkin already trying to play the video game!!! hehe!

the theatre room

beautiful views from the back deck

our first big adventure--a trip to the aquarium

The Mammina and Payne families did this while the Bellican and Artz families did the big zip lines!

the beautiful jellyfish were mesmerizing!

the kids thought so too..."you're getting very sleepy"
um, can we take these home with us???

Anthony getting up close and personal with the sea creatures

It was very kid-friendly--one of the best (maybe THE best) aquariums we've ever been to!

the boys loved being so hands-on

the natural setting and lighting were really cool

my sister Mandy, her husband Justin, and their son James
(baby Reese is theirs too, but not pictured)

our little family
(look at Mario's eyes...you can tell he doesn't feel good)

the coolest seahorse i've ever seen

a HUGE "tunnel" of sea life
you ride the moving floor so you can take it all in

Mario comes face to face with his greatest fear--good thing they're behind glass!

the large jellyfish--simply beautiful

I love watching my kids discover God's creation!

by far the kids' favorite--the GIANT spider crabs!

oh yes, i meant GIANT!!!

that thing looks like it wants to eat Lucas for lunch!!!

back at the cabin, here's how the boys entertained themselves (and us!)
they chased each other across the deck...

they rocked in the rocking charis...

we read books
(and of course, anthony was particularly fond of "playing" the video game downstairs, but i forgot to get a picture of it!)

my sweet little love

group shot with the cousins

our next big adventure was the water park--Splash Country!

Anthony went down the slide first with Mama

Lucas went down with Dada

James went down with his daddy
We mostly stayed in this kids' area where we found some shade

After a full action-packed day, someone is looking a little sleepy!

We took Anthony on some bigger slides while Lucas sat with Meme and Papa and had a banana...

and some graham crackers...

and, well, you get the idea! this boy can eat!

here's sweet baby Reese in her swimmy suit

she slept the day away in the shade at the waterpaark

Aunt Michelle and Uncle Josh getting some relaxing in

my sister Mandy's sweet family (minus Reese again)

Here's what our family looked like by the end of the day--sleepy thumb sucker on the right and major meltdown on the left...good times!

And the adventures keep coming!

The next day we went to Ober Gatlinberg--an amusement park and ski area up in the mountains overlooking the city. It's a little "stuck in the 1960's", but we had fun. Here are Anthony and I on the chairlift.

Daddy and Lucas about to step off
(I made Mario ride with Lucas because he is so squirmy--I didn't want him to wiggle right off!)

the Payne family

Here's an idea of how steep it is--yikes--no seatbelts!

At the top we rode back down to the bottom on the alpine slides! The kids got a huge thrill out of that! Here come Mandy and James!

we caught Mario doing this quite a bit

the kids enjoyed a playground there as well

big boy Lucas tries the slide

my kids have never played in a ball pit before--they thought this was fantastic!
(of course, i tried to pretend i wasn't thinking about germs--they are only kids once, right?!)

this little train was by far the best part of the day for the boys

so cute--

it just kept chugging around this track off and on all day

love this sweet grin

engineer lucas making sure all the gears are functioning normally

last but not least there was a pretty steep water slide...we got into a little raft and down we went! this is uncle justin and james

lucas wanted to go down with uncle justin too!
i love how he was big enough to do everything that the older boys did

mario takes anthony down.

i went down with mario too, and it was suprisingly more thrilling than it looks--definitely gives good butterflies

we ended the day with a merry-go-round ride for all!

we often found the boys hanging out together "reading" books after their naps

james slept one room over from anthony, so when anthony woke up, he'd join james in his bed and read to him

little burrito baby snoozing again--isn't she beautiful?!

this is Papa's idea of babysitting--Thomas the Tank on the big screen

love how they all have their matching sippy cups with inchbug labels

big boys in their matching mickey mouse jammies--thanks, Meme!
(notice how they are all holding their loveys)

sweet baby face--he kept up with the big boys all week

Reesey-Piecey taking yet another nap!
I had to hold this baby a lot since my babies would rather be running than in my arms :)

our group shot--you should see the "out-takes"...they are hilarious!
but i think you've seen quite enough pictures here

Thanks, Meme and Papa for a wonderful trip. The best part was just seeing you and being with our families. We love you so much and can't wait until our next adventure!

Indian Warfare?

2011-08-23T20:14:00.001-07:00

No....just face paint!!! Actually, according to these boys, it's pretty boring if you just keep it on your face! They turned it into body paint art!

riding his faithful steed, er, i mean, truck

the war cry

cornered--up against a wall

scheming...how do we get ourselves out of this mess?

by being completely adorable!!!

yes! it's working! our captors are letting us go!

grab your steed and head for the hills!!! ;)

Happy Independence Day!

2011-08-23T18:51:00.001-07:00

Our 4th of July this year was pretty low key. We attended a morning parade--it still got pretty hot on us, though! The kids had a ball. We met up with our friends the Williams and hung out in their truck bed--what a great spot to see the parade go by! We absolutely cherish this country and the gift of our freedom. God Bless America!

the McKinney parade has definitely gotten a little bigger and better since the last time we saw it two years ago

Anthony's favorite part was the fire trucks...

they had some current ones as well as some old timey ones

the classic "lucas face"
look how red his little cheeks are

so Americana--

sitting in the back of a pickup truck in a Ralph Lauren t-shirt waving the American flag...

LOVE IT!

trying on a sun hat

now all he needs is a little hay to chew on

lucas enjoyed the horses the most

We are so thankful and so proud to be Americans.

We are so thankful for all the men and women who daily risk thier lives to fight for our country's freedom. Hopefully we can instill this same gratitude and love of country into our kids.

We came home for naps (well, the kids at least), and later we spent the evening with the Headleys for a nice dinner celebration! I forgot to take pictures, but dinner was lovely, and the flag cake was divine!

We we got home late but we still busted out the sparklers!
Anthony's first time doing sparklers all by himself--what a big boy!

Look at his face--he's so proud!

To Memphis: Meeting Reese and James' Birthday Party

2011-08-19T13:25:00.000-07:00

Mid June we took a road trip to Memphis to finally meet baby Reese and to celebrate James' 2nd birthday! It was a short trip, but the kids had a ball. We love it here in Texas, but we certainly miss being near our families!

We were eating dinner one night and happened to look out the window--this is what we saw...a skid steer! Uncle Josh works in the landscaping business and was able to bring this baby home to my parents' house for all the boys to see! Anthony is REALLY into all types of trucks right now, so it was a fantastic surprise!

going for a ride with Dada

Uncle Josh just scored a million cool points!

One tradition the boys always look forward to is riding Papa's tractor! Well, actually, it's a riding lawn mower, but the kids think it's wonderfully exciting!

Anthony made it very clear--"I like the green tractor better than the yellow tractor (referring to the skid steer); the yellow tractor is too loud!"

Now, it's Lucas' turn to ride with Papa...he's waving "hi" to the camera.

thanks, Papa, for the special tradition

can't forget James! He loves it too!

I told Lucas to give baby Reese a kiss--can you see how he's cutting his eyes at me, like, "Are you serious, Mom?"

I LOVE this sweet smile!

handsome James pulls the wagon

Lucas loves playing with the rocks in the driveway

they enjoy having all this land to run around on!

a couple days later we celebrated James' birthday with a Thomas the Tank party plus swimming

lots of fun splashing around

what a fun whale pool!

the whole group of kiddos--anthony and lucas, james the birthday boy, and some neighborhood friends--taylor and lawson

anthony had a blast pushing this dump truck down the slip n slide

i took a break from the excitement to feed sweet baby Reese...

i ADORE this adorable outfit!

she's about 2 weeks old here

time for presents!!! the chaos begins...but it sure was fun!

sweet james getting ready to blow out his Thomas candle...i love that face--like he can't believe it's actually his special day.

Lucas is ready for his piece of cake!

(notice it's the normal "Lucas face"...i love it!)

Anthony was thrilled to sing Happy Birthday to his cousin

before we left the boys did a group hug in the bay window at my mom's home

this is their special spot to jump and dance around

Lucas adores James

one more picture of sweet Reese before we head home

a couple of quick movie clips of the boys' dancing in the window...James wasn't too sure about it at first

now they're all getting into it! i love how they watch and imitate each other...james copies lucas; james copies anthony; lucas copies james--too funny!

Happenings in June

2011-08-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of what we're up to this summer...

If you look out the window REALLY closely, you can see what all the excitement is about...the garbage truck!!! It's one of the highlights of the day every Wednesday for these boys! :)

more bathtub mohawks

(or "hohawks" as Anthony calls them)

Anthony finds this fun and exciting--yes, that's underwear on his head!
At least it's clean--I think!

We went swimming in our friend Kayden's neighborhood pool

sweet friend Kayden

reading stories with Mama

it's too hot to go play outside these days unless we go early in the morning!

Anthony playing dress up in his fireman's helmet

we hosted our Community Group at our home at the end of June...

Audrey was the only friend that was able to make it (and her baby sister Elle--not pictured)

this was right before bedtime...

can't you tell they are SOOOO sleepy!!! ;)

what a great friend Audrey is, though

nothing but trouble--these two

(but I wouldn't change a thing!)

Lucas has discovered that he likes Oreos--very much!

Mario and I decided to have a date night "in" for our 6th anniversary, so the kids went out! haha! We got some local grass fed beef, and Mar grilled out our steaks--they were better than most restaurant steaks we've had! (i just got a picture of the food--forgot one of us!!!)

short video clip of Anthony dancing...he has 6 songs on this guitar, and he has a different dance to every single one! this one is our favorite! nice moves, sweet Anthony! we love you!

Meet My New Niece

2011-08-13T20:47:00.001-07:00

Reese Laney Payne...born May 27, 2011

6 pounds, 4 ounces

She was born a few weeks early, so she had to stay in the NICU for a little while. This is a sweet pic from when she was about a week old, shortly before she got to go home. Doesn't she just look like a perfect little baby doll??? Just beautiful! Can you tell I'm a proud auntie??? She and her mama (my twin sister Mandy) are doing just great and getting settled now as a family of four. More pics to come when I share our visit to Memphis to meet her for the first time.

Nonna Visits!

2011-08-12T15:36:00.001-07:00

Get ready for picture overload again!!! Nonna came to visit in mid-May and stayed for for two weeks! We squeezed a lot of fun in a short time period. Both Nonna and her camera take great pictures...thank you, Nonna, for sending me all the pics you took! We so enjoyed having you here...you are welcome back antime! We love you!!!

Lucas loves playing in the kitchen

Anthony organizes the snakes that Nonna brought him

Lucas shows Nonna his snake too

Anthony works on his flying skills

he still loves his tricycle

Lucas loves hearing Anthony read to him

I love hearing their sweet giggles

Nonna loving on these boys

going for a ride in the wagon with Nonna leading the way

Anthony takes the lead, looking cool in his shades

boxes--their favorite new toy ;)

Nonna took Anthony to the park

he loves those slides!

Anthony loves his Nonna too--sweet picture

I baked some cookies for us all to enjoy

Lucas REALLY enjoyed them!

sweet Lucas in his swing

He still prefers a little help on the slide

look at this big boy...where did my baby go???

Lucas snags Anthony's tricycle while he's not looking

Lucas hanging out with Dada

Mario and I get a date night!!!

Anthony helps Daddy mow the yard--still one of his favorite things to do

Lucas watches from the window

On Saturday while I work, Mario and Nonna take the boys to the famer's market in downtown McKinney

a special treat--picking out honey sticks

yummmmmm

I love how my sweet boy stops to smell flowers

Nonna and Anthony watching the musicians across the street

I join the crew, and we stop to say hello to the policemen on horseback

trying out the tractor in front of Local Yocal, an organic meat and dairy shop

look at that face--he's loving it!

cool dude Lucas, sporting the shades

look at me and hubs relaxing in the yard--when does that ever happen?!?

big boy lucas practicing his hit

artwork on the patio

anthony fills up his tank

celebrating Ma's birthday with a salmon dinner

Happy Birthday! So glad we got to spend it with you!

panna cotta dessert instead of birthday cake--make a wish!

the birthday girl with her flowers and presents

Nonna brought water pistols for the boys

they had a ball learning how to use them

if it involves water, messes, or noise, they are all about it!

sweet little faces

I am in LOVE!!!

Lucas "helped" me make Daddy's birthday cake

what can i say??? he's a good little helper

Mario's birthday was next...

Happy Birthday, Dada!!!

enjoy your chocolate peanut butter cake!

Lucas enjoyed it for sure

my handsome hubby opening his presents

We surprised Mario with tickets to the Rough Riders game

taking in all the sights, sounds, and smells of the ballpark

the Kims joined us out on the green

Duece the mascot always makes us laugh

I got to snuggle with sweet baby joshua

Nonna and Anthony root for the Riders

a baseball game isn't a game without a hotdog

Kristin's turn to chase after the kiddos

Anthony and Caleb had so much fun rolling around and laughing together

Lucas joins the big boys for some fun

these boys are 100% boy

sharing chips with Dada makes them even more tasty

"woo-hoo riders!"

"wow! dada is the best ever!"

getting a good look over the fence

in the wake of disaster...the popcorn disaster, that is!

beautiful fireworks show after the game

mommy's favorite--the gold ones

Lucas enjoys Nonna's mickey mouse pancakes

Anthony was thrilled as well

Mario treated his mom to lunch--so glad they squeezed a little mother/son time in!

our special friend that's been visiting our yard (until we repaired our fence, that is!)

We had some major storms come through right before Ma had to leave. Anthony was awake, and heard on the weather station that there were some tornados in the area. We didn't get any tornados near us, but for days afterwards, Anthony couldn't stop talking about the "tormatos"!!!

Thanks, Ma, for a really special visit...let's do it again soon!

Our Babies

2011-08-12T15:13:00.000-07:00

Just a quick picture of each of us with our babies for mother's day and father's day, respectively. How does time go by so quickly??? It's such an honor to be their parents...they are such a gift to us!

Happy Easter 2011

2011-07-20T19:57:00.001-07:00

Our Easter this year was pretty low key. We spent the day opening Easter baskets, celebrating at church, playing in the backyard, and we did an Easter egg hunt at a church down the street. It was one of the nicest holidays we've had in awhile because the day just ran in a calm and smooth way. Some of these first pics are from Saturday night when we decided to dye our eggs...nothing like waiting until the very last minute! Anthony's friend Caleb came over to play.

some attempts at using that skinny wire egg holder stick that comes in the dye kits

notice how the clothes are now off

forget the stick! hands work just as well

the finished (perfectly imperfect) product

the brownish green eggs are the ones anthony decided to experiment with in several colors!

"These hands will look great in our Easter pictures tomorrow, Mom!"

two buddies, just chillin'

(this is caleb's "serious" face that he usually has at our house)

but we did get a few smiles out of him! i think he was having fun!

this little guy was having fun as well

special Easter treats waiting to be opened

some pre-breakfast jelly beans never hurt anyone!

enjoying the special animal chairs from Nonna and Nonno

the aftermath

(it's really not as bad as i thought it would be)

two smiling cuties

love their grins

so sweet

my babies are growing up too fast

wow! everyone is looking at the camera...that's a first!

bubble practice

lucas always wants to be a part of whatever anthony is doing

anthony was really getting the hang of it

lucas giving daddy some kisses

love this!
what a great reaction!

anthony is so proud of his bubble blowing

mario's unique way of pushing the kids in the swing

(it's a hard job, but someone's gotta do it!)

The Boys Visit Memphis

2011-07-04T13:44:00.001-07:00

While Mario and I were in Oregon, the boys went on adventurous trip to "The Big H"...(that's what they call my parents' house in Memphis). Meme and Papa drove all the way down to McKinney, picked them up, and drove them back to Memphis. They were excellent travelers according to my parents, and were just good natured with good attitudes the majority of the time. They had a ball! I'm sure my parents were tired, but you could tell these boys loved every minute of it! Thanks, Mom and Dad--we had an amazing trip, and it was made possible because of your love for these kiddos!

all buckled in and ready for the road trip

the look on my dad's face says it all...."what have we gotten ourselves into???"

running out some energy before getting back in the car

breakfast of champions--cheerios and milk

one of anthony's favorite pastimes--riding Papa's "tractor" (aka riding lawnmower)

hanging out with cousin James was a real treat

playing hard--hot and sweaty

visiting at Aunt Mandy's house and playing with Kramer

they loved playing with "new" toys at James' house

lunch break!

scoping out the garbage truck! pretty cool!

lucas always looks up to his big brother anthony

just dancing and goofing off

the kiddos got to visit the Memphis Zoo

Aunt Michelle joined Meme and Papa in taking all three boys out for a fun day

Meme and Papa show the boys the penguins

"Look, Papa!"

Aunt Michelle and James want to see too

watching the giraffes (Lucas' favorite!)

this is the good life--being strolled around, water and snacks provided at your every whim

having fun during a break for lunch

"come on, james, hold my hand"

cutie pie lucas

majestic tiger

all tuckered out after a fun day (and a fun week!)

Thanks, Meme and Papa, for loving these boys like your own! You're the best!

Our Trip to Oregon

2011-07-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

In April, I had the opportunity to fly to Eugene, Oregon, in order to officiate at the first ever NCATA (National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association) nationals competition held at the University of Oregon. I judged the meets on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, then Mario joined me, and we took off for a little weekend getaway. (Sorry, I was so busy I didn't take a single picture during the time of the competition! Hope to get those soon!) We rented a car and casually drove up the Oregon coast to eventually fly out of Portland to get back home. It was a wonderful time to reconnect, relax, and enjoy discovering a part of our country that neither of us had ever been to. Get ready for picture overload--the scenery was just beautiful.

just look at all that green--we see nothing like that in Texas!

this one's a little blurry, but that's moss hanging from the trees. the air is so moist here.

a beautiful drive

we stopped at tons of beaches along the way to play and to look at the scenery

our little rental car

love the rocky coastline

posing on a rock

remarkable

we saw this sign for the "world's largest sea lion cave" and had to go check it out

in front of the sea lion "family" statue getting ready to go inside

we went down about 12 stories underground and were still above this MASSIVE sea lion cave! it spans about the length of a football field

what is really neat is that the sea lions are totally 100% in their natural habitat. they come and go as they please, hunt fish, breed, etc.

close up

we could see the Heceta Head Lighthouse from the cliff of the caves

we stopped here for a bite of lunch to enjoy the local seafood

our first night we stayed at the baywood shores b&b

we rented the cape cod room

it had a nautical theme, alright!

it was a wonderful place to stay--the owners were very hospitable.

view from the b&b

on the road again! another beach stop

simply beautiful

lookout point

random waterfall along the side of the road

swamp vegetation in oregon--we just don't see stuff like this in the southwest

of course we had to stop at some cheese factories along the way

first up--blue heron cheese company...

we ate a bite of lunch here and did a wine tasting

cute little farm right outside the factory

love seeing those mountains!

we couldn't miss out on tillamook

we tasted their cheese and had to give their ice cream a taste test too!

we took a self-guided tour of the facility...
yes, those are huge blocks of cheese!

back on the road--mario and i both loved these rocks off the shore

marvelous

we kept seeing TONS of signs for espresso EVERYWHERE! we were wondering if people around here need a boost because of all the rain and cloud coverage! we don't have that problem is texas!

more amazing scenery

our second b&b, the Arch Cape Inn and Retreat, with a lot of European charm. the views were great; they had a bottle of wine and cheese and cracker plate waiting for us when we arrived in the afternoon. and, let me just say, breakfast was spectacular--very gourmet!

our room, the Parisian, was designed as a replica of an apartment in Paris where the owners used to live. much of the furniture is French antique, brought over by the owners themselves.

a trail from the inn leads to the beach

mar took his coffee along as we went to explore

beautiful

gorgeous

we still weren't ready to go home!

it was our last night there, so we made dinner reservations and had some time to kill. we decided to do a 1.5 mile hike up a moutain. seems tame enough by the looks of it.

the foilage is like nothing i've ever seen

just to give some perspective, here's me standing by the roots of a tree! wow! these trees are massive!

here's mario dwarfed by the trees as well

here's a view from the top looking down--it was quite the hike! i only needed one break--mario didn't need any! guess i'm a little out of shape!

another lighthouse in the distance

the view from the top was well worth the effort...and we worked up quite a good appetite!

did i already mention how we love these rocks?

it was simply a fantastic trip! by the way, we ate at this little restaurant called "The Irish Table". Mario and I think it is the best kept secret in Cannon Beach. We would go back just to visit this restaurant again!!!

My next post will be pictures of what our kids did while we were away! Stay tuned!!!

What We Do For Fun

2011-06-07T09:21:00.000-07:00

Here's a glimpse into our lives around the house in March and April...

lots of pics, then a few videos at the end!

Hanging out with Dada being "cool"

eating ice cream from the ice cream truck

mohawks in the tub

photo op during one of our evening walks

big brother too!

Daddy loving on his boys

trying to get everyone to look at the camera is challenging these days!

leggo masterpieces

trying to be like big brother with his socks and red bag

"where's lucas?"

just chillin'

taking the hummer out for a spin

(daddy has to run alongside and help keep it on the road!)

there they go!

playing in the fort

giggles at bedtime

"cooking" for Dada

handsome boys

brotherly love

heading out for a wagon ride

lots to see

our favorite rock

"ahhhhhhhh!"
(getting our energy out!)

relaxing with Dada

(usually just Anthony likes to do this, but this time Lucas wanted to climb on top!)

two little monkeys jumping on the bed

jam session with Dada

Lucas practices his swing

Anthony's rendition of "Jesus Loves Me"

Okay, just as a side note, see how many pictures of Mario are in this post? Can I just tell you that I'm IN LOVE with this man?!? I'm so proud of how he makes such a conscious effort to spend time with these boys on a DAILY basis--and actually has fun doing it! His love for our kids makes him EVEN MORE attractive to me, and I know these boys will benefit from it their entire lives. Thanks, honey, for being such a great Dada....xoxo!

Happy Third Birthday, Anthony!

2011-06-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

Mid-March we celebrated Anthony's third birthday with an airplane themed party. We decided to keep things small, so he had just a couple of his closest friends over to share in his special day. My parents were able to come in town for the event too, so that made it extra fun! Here are some pictures of our bash.

My mom and I spent the few days before the party refinishing this play kitchen as one of Anthony's gifts. It used to be pink, yellow, and blue with a pink checkered backsplash--sounds lovely, I know! ;) It was alot of work, but it turned out great!

Anthony gets to try out his new kitchen before his guests arrive.

What's for lunch???

enjoying Meme and Papa

the airplane cake

We hung some craft airplanes from the light fixture.

Anthony couldn't wait to dig in!

Mommy and the birthday boy

Lucas was ready to celebrate too!

He is playing peek-a-boo with Daddy

hamming in up for the camera

"I see you!"

When the guests arrive, we are all treated to an impromptu concert.

The kids loved playing outside--the weather was gorgeous!

Anthony and Michael drive the Hummer

Audrey and Lucas take a turn

When the kids came inside, they got to decorate some airplanes with stickers and glitter glue. Later the husbands had more fun playing with them than the kids!

Anthony could hardly contain himself as everyone sang "happy birthday"!

make a wish!

he would rather eat the fruit than the cake! silly boy!

but the cake tastes pretty yummy too!

Anthony and Lucas with friends Brody, Audrey, and Michael (and Michael's big brother Matthew helping out)

the gifts in their luggage to go with our airplane theme

Anthony enjoyed opening his gifts! Here he had just stuffed a wad of cash in his pocket! haha! How he knew to do that, I have no idea!!!

The doctor's kit from Aunt Michelle and Uncle Josh was a big hit!

this is what present-opening time looked like...organized chaos!

we loved it!

Anthony was thrilled with his new bike from Meme and Papa

Once the party was over, Lucas finally got his hands on that new kitchen too!

He's loving it! Cutie pie!

letting go of some balloons outside with Meme and Papa--it's fun to watch them fly away!

Meme loving on Lucas

my two boys

still having fun after the party's over!

Happy birthday, my sweet Anthony! Hope you had an extra-fun day!!!

My Baby Turns Three!

2011-05-07T12:33:00.000-07:00

Anthony turned 3 on March 4, 2011...I can hardly believe it! The time has gone by so quickly! Well, since we weren't celebrating his birthday for another week, we had a special present for him to open on his actual birthday and spent the day doing some fun things!

his birthday surprise...what could it be???

opening the package...just look at that grin!

wow! his very own lawnmower--just like daddy's!

Ever since I can remember, Anthony has loved to push things. He'd push carts, strollers, and buggies at church, friend's houses, etc. Our playgroup met at one of our friends' parents' houses who are on a lot of land. (I think I blogged about that before) When Anthony had pushed their play lawnmower the entire time we were there (a couple of hours), I knew I had to get him one as an outside toy. Ever since he opened this one, he's been helping his daddy cut the grass.

Can you tell how much he admires his daddy??? :)

Anthony's First Gymnastics Class

2011-05-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

At the end of February, we did a trial class with Anthony at The Little Gym to see how he would like it and if he would even be interested in taking some type of group class. He's always climbing and jumping and flipping around, so I figured a gymnastics class would be a good place to start. It was a really new experience for him, and I wasn't sure how he would do. He was in the 3 year old class (and this was right before his birthday, so technically he was still 2!). He attended the class all by himself--it was not a mommy & me class. So, I had to sit on the other side of the glass and watch. Let me just say that he did really, really well at listening to his teacher and following instructions! I was so proud! He had soooooooo much fun, and as soon as he walked out to me he asked if we could come back! We may do a trial class at a real gymnastics gym to see how they compare.

all ready to attend his first gymnastics class

here's where we went

his class and his teacher (who was fantastic with the kids, by the way)

he did quite a bit of thumb-sucking while he was figuring things out

i love how attentive he is in this picture!

(i'm not just being a bragging mommy, but i was watching all the other kids, most of whom are regular attenders of this class, and anthony was the best listener out of all of them!)

Some video clips I thought were cute...

Learning to follow directions by running and then "freezing" when the teacher stops

Anthony gets instruction on a forward roll down the cheese mat...I love his "ta-da" at the end!

They did a little bit of everything in the class...some "squat-ons" on a vault mat, chin-up pullovers at bars, walking one foot in front of the other on beam, some obstacle courses, and of course, lots of running around on the floor.

This video cracks me up. Anthony is trying first on these parallel bars to do it like the teacher told them (I think they were supposed to crab walk across). He's not quite getting it, so he tries another method, and then finally just runs through! Haha! See how happy he is, though? So fun!