Gone Fishin'

Colin took the boys fishing in Grandma's pond. The boys loved catching their "brown" fish. Even caught a catfish which was VERY exciting.

Emily came by with her two little girls for a quick visit and Abby was the bravest of all - and was the first to touch the fish. The boys followed suit, because of peer pressure.



Hooked...

And caught!


Kourtney came to visit, too!
It was so good to see good friends!


Cooper, still insure about getting too close to the fish.

Wish I had pictures of the boys stomping down crawfish holes with my mom and brother. Evidently they loved it. I think it is hilarious, that when we first got there, Jackson was fascinated by the hundreds of little mud towers around the yard. His expression when I told him that crawfish live in there ... it was priceless.

Over the River, and Through the Woods

Our visit to Lake Charles was a dream come true for the boys.
I have so many wonderful memories playing in the yard when I was growing up.
It really was wonderful to have them enjoy it just as much.

We explored the pond.
Looked for frogs and turtles.

"The sky is falling, ..."
Cooper was really interested in the trees,
and was staring up at them while he was running.

Screaming back and forth across the pond to each other.

Not sure what Cooper's facial expression is all about - but he was shouting something very important to Jackson.

Wish they all could spend more time here.
I just can't handle the drive by myself - once Charlie is a little older it will be fine. Cooper and Jackson did great on the trip. Charlie, well, he did okay.

Colin explored with them.
They flew a kite - they LOVED it.

He tried to convince Jackson it was fun to climb the big oak tree.
J's face shows how he felt about it.

I think freedom to run is really good for these boys.

Colin caught a lizard, and they were all eager to look and to touch it.
Not so interested in holding it.


Later that day we went to play at a park, and then went to the boardwalk to have lunch.
Didn't account for all the picnic tables to be spoken for, so we just popped a squat on the walkway. There were lots of bugs. Lots.
I tried to get a grib on myself, but I am afraid that the "city" life has spoiled me a little.

The weather was great. I mean, extremely humid -
but at least it wasn't too hot to enjoy being outside.

Colin took the boys fishing, I'll post again soon with those ...

Cupcake Cookies

I'm loving this new cookie cutter from Crate and Barrel.
Made these for our Bake Sale last weekend.

We're in Lake Charles visiting Grandma and Uncle Daniel.
Having a great time.
Colin and I are escaping to New Orleans tomorrow to have 24 hours to ourselves.
And a good friend of mine, Jared, is getting married on Saturday night.
Lots of pictures to come...

Outside

It's been so gorgeous outside. Can't spend enough time in the sun.
It's almost fooling me into thinking that this summer won't be miserably hot.

Here are the older boys before swim lessons the other day. They were avoiding me as they HATE the spray sunscreen and say it's too cold. Really?

Our friend, Mrs. Dove, is back! She's been making nests every year in a pot on our bakers' rack. And she chose the smallest pot possible this year.. Poor thing is crammed in there, and looks terrified every time we open the back door. And she gets WET when it rains. I'm thinking doves might not be the smartest birds.

We are enjoying our backyard as much as we can before the mosquitoes and heat take over.

Eleven Months

Charlie is eleven months old. Eleven. As in, one month away from turning one!

Yippee!

I love this time. I love first birthdays. I love the fact that spit up will surely end soon!

This month's photo shoot was close to impossible. I must have taken 30 pictures in about 5 minutes, and I think 25 of them were just blurs, since he was repeatedly jumping out of the chair.

He is sleeping through the night - from about 7:30 pm- 6am. He takes really pathetic 3o minute naps, so he's been rather cranky. I'm trying to "sleep-train" him, and I am fine with him crying himself back to sleep, but he is really mad when he wakes up. SCREAMING. Major tears. And best of all, waking up Cooper from his nap. So, then I am left with two grumpy boys. Oh, and there is Jackson who never naps anymore. So, three grumps.

This too shall pass. I know, from previous experience, that he WILL outgrow this.

I'm just looking to his first birthday- the magical day where all of my problems will be solved. Ha.

New tricks this month ...

Trying to clap, just waves his hands up and down as frantically as he can - slapping them together. It's funny.

Standing on the couch or bed, and then falling backwards - after some inspiration from his 2 older brothers. I would like a jungle gym in our house for these monkeys.

Starting to wean him from nursing - I'm ready for that stage to pass, too!

He's eating really well - but he's the pickiest eater of all. Likes to push things away and throw his plate onto the floor when he's done with the "good stuff."

Standing alone for a second or two at a time.

Not at all interested in climbing the stairs. In fact, we could probably take the gate down and never have to worry. I remember Cooper at this age (who was not only walking, but moving VERY quickly for the stairs).

LOVES flipping through books. Could care less about any baby toy - rattles, teethers, etc. He's really social, and only interested in a few toys. He will spend quite a bit of time turning the pages of a book.

Love this shot. I can't wait until he starts talking. I feel like his expressions say so much already, when he starts putting words with them, he's going to have LOTS to say.

I'm going to soak up this month as much as I can.
But, also look forward to the toddler stage ahead.

FW Zoo with Grandma Cathy

Last Wednesday I heard at knock at our door. Colin went to get it, and in walked my mom. It was such a surprise - I couldn't even react. She said "Happy late birthday!" and I just sat there with a confused look on my face. Jackson and Cooper just started talking to her like it was a normal thing for her just to walk in.... It was so funny. What a great surprise!

On Thursday I was able to go to Jackson's Mother's Day thing at his school without Cooper and Charlie, which was so nice.

Friday, we headed to the Fort Worth Zoo, along with every school in the state. There were HUNDREDS of school buses. I could have cried. It was pretty crowded. The first hour or so was a little tough - so many school kids. But then it cleared out a bit, and it was fine. The boys had so much fun, and I was so glad to be able to take them. There is NO way I could do it alone.

Jackson loved the dinosaurs that were spread around the zoo. Cooper wanted to see them from far, far away. He kept saying, "pretend, pretend..." but every time they moved or made noise, he looked at me as if he wasn't so sure they weren't real.


The boys were so excited to eat at the Crocodile cafe again. This turtle was following them around. They couldn't stop giggling and running back and forth. Charlie thought it was hilarious.

Charlie tried to sleep in the stroller. Poor guy - he was wiped out.

We rode the train. Waited for quite a while, and the conductor, engineer, whoever drives the train, must have been in a hurry. The ride lasted about 2 minutes.

We stayed a little too long, but had such a great time.

Cooper was nodding off, too as we made our way to the van -
like a million miles away from the zoo.

Frank Buck Zoo

A couple of weeks ago, I took the boys to the Frank Buck Zoo in Gainesville, Texas.
We met up with the Wilsons and the Hallorans.

Some of the crew

When did this baby grow up?


Feeding the giraffes - so fun!

Cooper was all talk - but too scared at the last minute.
Jackson kinda threw the carrots at them.

Jackson was happy to run ahead and be a big boy.
The size of this zoo was so nice - it was very manageable with all three, well, with help from Maria and Adrienne it was very manageable.

Well, Natalie is smiling.

And Henry wanted a solo shot.

Cooper was thrilled to see a "water buffalo" just like in his favorite book,
Panda Bear, Panda Bear.


We had a great time.
The zoo was small, and not too crowded -
Easy to keep an eye on the boys.
We had a picnic lunch across the street at this amazing park.

There were lots of field trip groups, so we skipped playing there -
but let the boys ride the train.


I stayed behind with Charlie and the strollers.
Natalie and Henry are hiding behind the others I guess!

Fun day! Worth the drive - which was about an hour.
As we were leaving I took the boys to the bathroom, but realized I couldn't get in with the stroller, and couldn't figure out what to do with Charlie while I lifted Cooper onto the toilet.
So, I just let Cooper go pee pee in the froggy potty (which now lives in our van ...) and Jackson watered some nearby plants in the parking lot. It was fine until one of the school groups on a field trip walked by as Jackson was standing there, pants around his ankles.
Whoops. At least the kids got a laugh I guess.