the art of self-restraint

I am practicing self-restraint today: my children are still alive.

Life in fast forward mode

I feel like I am in a movie and someone is continually hitting the fast forward button.  It hasn't been that long since my last post, but so much has happened. Trey is completely out of pull-ups, even at night time (thank you, God for saving us a TON of money - those suckers are expensive!). He started soccer yesterday, too.  Luke no longer eats baby food at all! In fact he eats what Trey eats, and usually more of it. Oh yeah, the big one: LUKE WALKS!!! Yep, it's true, and yes, he's only 8 1/2 months. He is not officially a walker yet but has walked on his own several times. We have unsuccessfully tried to video it for you all to see. What we DO have is  a video of him using the walker (taken about a week prior to his first unassisted steps). I know it's not the same, but it's what I've got-sorry.

Splashing in puddles on a rainy day (yep, I'm an awesome mom:)

Hanging out at the splashpad

Handsome Luke

First day of Soccer

Father/Son bonding time

Home sweet...vacation!

We recently took a trip to Colorado: the distant, but never forgotten home that we long for. Here is my abbreviated version of that trip and what has been happening since:

Day 1- Trey excitedly runs up to the airport window and exclaims, "It's a Southwest one! And a tug! There is a tug and it's going to push the airplane back!" While sitting on the plane he looks out his window and says, "I can see the engine". A man sitting nearby tells us, "he's going to be an aeronautical engineer when he grows up". Since we have been back he has been playing airplanes nonstop, and I am continually surprised by how much he learned that I was unaware of. He came up with the idea to use cardboard paper towel tubes to make jetways for his planes. He pulls his planes up to the gate and tell me that the engines are slowing down. He will also pretend to load the luggage in the plane, and he even told me, "the guy needs to see if the umbrella stroller can go down there".

LUKE CRAWLED!!!! He must have been sick of being trapped on planes, in a stroller, and in a car-seat for the day. We got to the hotel and set him down, and off he went!

Trey wheeling his suitcase through the airport

Posing in front of the airplane and the tug

Day 2- We headed to Colorado Springs to visit Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Wilma. Trey jumped on the trampoline in their backyard and LOVED IT!!!!! Gary jumped too, and even did some flips. Luke started walking while holding onto only one hand. I'm a little scared he is going to skip walking and go from crawling straight to running.

On the teeter-totter in Cheeseman Park

Luke on his personal trampoline with the help of Aunt Wilma

Go, Gary!!!

"Wheeeeeee!"

Day 3- Trey woke up while it was still dark and asked to jump on the trampoline. We hiked up a trail called 7 bridges; we made it to bridge #3. Trey fell asleep in the car on the way, and he woke up cranky. He refused to walk and made Gary carry him the whole way. We got some amazing views, and some massive muscles. We got to see the cousins (Austin, Hunter, and Megan) for a few hours, and Trey was really sad to see them go.

Posing at Bridge #3

By the time we made it back to the car, Luke was asleep.

Days 4-6- We spent these days in Broomfield, which is northwest of Denver, and is actually closer to Boulder. Gary had to work, so the kids and I spent some time just hangin' around the area. We spent most of our time at the mall across from our hotel, which by the way, is AWESOME! There is a kiddie playplace, AND a giant sand area outside with a waterfall and everything. There is even a jungle gym outside of Borders bookstore - what more could a parent ask for in a mall. Maybe special family parking (you know, sort of like the handicapped parking spaces, but for people with small kids): oh yeah, they have that too!

On the dinosaur in the playplace

Building a sandcastle at the mall

Eating sand...yum!

Again with the drums!