Family at the O.K. Corral

We Moved!!!!

2011-06-24T14:38:00.000-04:00

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Swimming Lessons!

2011-06-22T15:19:00.000-04:00

Wyatt and Reese both started swim lessons this week. Wyatt took them last winter, but hasn't been back since. We figured that with all the swimming that they're doing it's safer for them to learn, so we signed both of them up. It's nice because my schedule at work (while awesome) didn't really allow me to take them to things like swim lessons during the week, but now I can! Swim lessons is just another fun thing to do for them, but they're learning a lot, too.

It was raining on the first day of lessons, so I stood under a cover to take these!

Reese is right in the middle of the picture!

Getting ready to do her next "qualifier" to move up to Station 2

Wyatt is practicing his bobbing skills so he can qualify for station 3

Pulling in her teacher Miss Sidney

Wyatt sitting on the side waiting for his turn!

Class meets 4 days a week for 30 minutes. They have classes all summer long (9 weeks!), but I've signed them up for 5 weeks. They will be going every other week. I signed them up late, so we got stuck in the 12:15 class for the first session, but they'll go at 9:45 for the rest of the summer. Thank goodness! They are both passing out in the car on the way home, and I have to give them lunch at 10:45. They've started calling that meal their "snunch," because I give them a snack and lunch at the same time! Ha! It's crazy to think that after tomorrow their next class is after the Fourth of July. Where is this year going?

It's been great to watch Reesie interact with other kids. I wasn't too worried about her going to school in the fall, but I had just a little trepidation. Now? There is none. This girl is a social butterfly! It will be so fun to watch her start school and soccer in the fall!

Father's Day Gift - The Extras

2011-06-21T21:57:00.000-04:00

I took a ton of pictures the other day just to get 4 good ones, so here are some extras!

Father's Day Weekend

2011-06-21T14:26:00.000-04:00

The kids and I didn't do much this weekend. We spent most of Friday morning and afternoon running errands and swimming with Katie. Reese ended up with a stomach bug Friday night that lasted about 12 ridiculous hours. Every three hours I was cleaning up after her "issues." Around 9 and again around 12 she threw up in her crib, so I made a bed for us on the floor in the living room. She came out and Star Wars was on TV. We turned the TV off quickly, but the next day she told Wyatt, "Wyatt, I got to watch Star Wars with Mommy and Daddy last night, and you didn't." Ha! Fortunately she used the bowl I put next to her for the rest of the night. Needless to say, we spent most of Saturday in the house!

Brian spent the majority of Father's Day this year at work :(. We were thrilled last year that he had Father's Day off for the first since he started working, but things have changed a little over the last year. I thought about taking the kids to the park to play, but Brian was worried it would be busy and he wouldn't get to visit with us anyway.

The kids and I spent the morning at Munden Point Park taking care of part of Brian's Father's Day present. I love Munden Point Park! It's out of the way, it's on the water and there is so much to do! I took the kids' pictures holding a chalkboard listing the reason they love their Daddy, and then made it into a collage at Walgreens. Super cute. I'm upset because I was so busy wrangling the kids that I didn't think about what I would put across the top if the collage and there are some serious issues with verbs there. And my husband is no slacker when it comes to the English language. He noticed immediately. But he didn't seem (too) bothered by it.

After our trip to the park we came back home to grab swimsuits and headed over to see my parents. The kids spent the afternoon swimming (Wyatt is going off the diving board now!) and playing. I was able to leave them there to go pick up the prints from Walgreens, but that didn't work out too well for Hudson. Apparently he is having some serious separation anxiety. He has now earned himself the nickname "Screamer." He cried from the second I left until the second I walked in the door. I guess this is what happens when you stay at home with them all the time?

We planned to go out to dinner with Brian's parents, but they ended up coming here for pizza instead. The kids had a lot of fun visiting with Mimi and Baba after their trip to Disney World last week. Even though Mimi spent most of her time fixing a toy parachute that Daddy and Wyatt broke immediately upon use! It was a fun Father's Day, but we're really looking forward to spending some time together tomorrow when Brian finally gets a day off (it's been 8 days straight)!

Just a Little Hudson

2011-06-17T16:48:00.000-04:00

Hudson has been such a happy little boy lately! He loves playing with his toys, and the big kids' blocks are his new favorite thing. I'm starting to doubt whether this kid will crawl. Everytime he's on his tummy and starts to move he rolls onto his back. He's getting pretty good at standing though, so I wouldn't be surprised if he went straight to walking!

And another shot of my little Daddy's boy...

Weekly iPurge!

2011-06-16T13:48:00.001-04:00

We don't always take our camera with us everywhere (it's a little big), so we use our iPhones a lot! Dumping my iPhone seems to be a good look back at our week...

We've gone to Skinny Dip twice this week! So yummy! I chose low fat red velvet frozen yogurt with cheesecake. Brian went for strawberry yogurt with strawberries and bananas. Reese likes chocolate with sprinkles and Wyatt likes vanilla with M&M's!

At Skinny Dip celebrating Wyatt's last day of school! Hudson adores his Daddy!

An outtake of the pictures I tried to get of Wyatt on his last day! This is probably the best one, but he wasn't holding the sign.

While Reese was still at my mom's last week for a sleepover, I took the boys to Lock Park. After going through a series of bridges, boats then have to pass through the locks (which are to the right of this picture). Last week was a big boat festival, so a ton of boats passed through while we were at the park. Wyatt LOVED it!

In addition to Reese's cow girl boots that she sported last week, she also insisted on leaving the house in her rain boots. I bought her some super cute sandals the other day that she loves, so she seems to like wearing them more! But like I told Brian, as long as she looks cute from the shorts up, I'm good!

Um, we bought this for Wyatt at Target on Monday. And then Brian decided to wear it? Actually, we all ended up as a super hero at some point that day. Reese was Spiderman, I was Iron Man, Wyatt was Captain America. We're a family of super heroes!

Blueberry Barbecue Salmon

2011-06-15T14:11:00.001-04:00

Brian and I are really trying to eat at home more often. I like to wait and eat with him when he gets home at night, which frequently means that the kids get one dinner and then we get another (and ours is some sort of fast food - Wendy's, Wawa, Subway). It's easier for us all to eat together in the winter when he's home by a set time every night, but I can't feed the kids dinner at 8 at night :)! Anyway, as a result, I'll probably be sharing some of my recipes with blog-land!

I knew Brian was craving salmon last week, so I picked some up at the store. Now, I usually buy fresh salmon, but this Archer Farms frozen package looked pretty good, so I got it at my new expanded Target.

If Brian were home early enough, I probably would have just seasoned it a bit and let him grill it. But since I had to throw it in my oven, I decided to go with my old stand by:

Blueberry Barbecue Salmon

Ingredients

1 tbsp Blueberry Jam

1 tbsp Barbecue sauce

Salt & Pepper

It's super easy. I put the salmon on a foil lined baking sheet and then sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Then mix the barbecue sauce and blueberry jam together and then coat half of it on the salmon. I broil it on high for 5 minutes, take it out, put the rest of the sauce on top and broil it for another 5 minutes. Brian would prefer his salmon to be "sushi-like," but that's not my thing!

It tastes super yummy with whole grain rice and green beans with almonds! It's really a quick meal that can be put together in just a few minutes before he gets home (or after the kids are in bed).

First and Last

2011-06-14T11:20:00.000-04:00

Today is Wyatt's last day of school!

I thought it would be fun to compare his first day photo....

With a photo of the last day (which he absolutely did not want to cooperate with).

I can't believe that the year is over, but I am beyond pleased with how well he did. I'm also a little broken up about how big he is now! And um, I'm also a little puzzled about when I'm going to run my errands this summer! I love this boy!

A Trip to the Train Trestle

2011-06-10T18:33:00.000-04:00

Brian had his first day off in three and half weeks on Monday! We were all so excited that he was home with us. We took it pretty easy that morning and then Brian decided to take Wyatt to do something fun. Train tracks run right behind our neighborhood and a train passes by about 5 or 6 times a week. The kids love to run out to the deck and watch it pass and have even made their way over to the tracks a few times to see it up close (sometimes it stops right on the tracks for awhile and the conductor waves to them). Last year the train derailed and literally hung right off the track!

Source

Brian has literally been planning this adventure for awhile. He needed to google map the best way to get to the train bridge and then figure out how he to navigate the back roads. Fortunately, the entrance is just a neighborhood away, and the Jeep fit right through the opening!

The Intracoastal Waterway

Sitting in front of the tracks. There was a lot of rock throwing that went on that day! Boys will be boys!

Walking along the tracks (just as a note: we can hear this thing from 5 miles away. Everyone was safe)! The trusty, rusty old Jeep got them there!

And of course, apparently a train came by and crushed a turtle. Wyatt found this to be incredibly interesting!

The boys had a blast and Wyatt didn't stop talking about it all day! Or all week, really. I foresee lots of trips for them in the future, especially since the Jeep can get them there. Brian thinks that the van might fit back there too, so maybe we'll take all the kids one day!

iPurge!

2011-06-09T16:38:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures purged from my iPhone this week...

I am excited to report that these grapes came from...drumroll please...TARGET! I was barely able to contain my excitement last Saturday when we went to the store and I saw produce! I will also say that I've never seen grapes this fresh at any other local stores. They are crisp and delicious and I have joined Reese in snacking on them a ton this week!

This beauty was delivered before the Brad Paisley concert last Friday! Isn't it pretty? I think it needs a name...

My mom is retired now. Kind of. She's using all her accumulated leave before she retires at the end of the month and starts a new job. She's taken each of the big kids this week for sleepovers. On Tuesday it was Wyatt's turn (tonight is Reese's). Daddy took her on a "date night." When I told her she was going on a date with Daddy she said, "I need the dress he bought me! And a bow!" They went out for ice cream and then went to Target where he bought her flowers!

~~Wyatt~~ I was really craving some chocolate chip cookies this week (cough, cough). We used Splenda instead of sugar and applesauce instead of butter. Delish!

Reese and I ran errands yesterday while Wyatt was still with my mom. I am such ~~an easy going mother~~ that I let her leave the house with these boots on. I about hyperventilated, but I figured she looked cute from the shorts up, so people would know that was her "choice" not mine!

Brian and I went to Home-a-rama on Monday night. We've been before and it's always a neat place to get ideas for your home. We actually went to one while we were selling our house and fell in love with a house - but not the location of the neighborhood. Anyway, this picture was in one of the houses and I found it at Target the other day. I'm thinking about getting it, painting the frame, and putting it in Reese's room. Love it!

Hudson is 7 Months Old!

2011-06-08T22:09:00.000-04:00

Here is what Hudson is up to this month:

He is almost 18 pounds. He looks huge, but it's probably because he's the "shortest" of the 3 at this age!
Wears size 3 diapers comfortably - he's on his last pack of Pampers. Next pack we're switching back to Up & Up!
He is officially wearing 6 month sleepers and mostly 9 month clothes. He also has a few 12 month shirts that he wears on occasion!
He still gets his milk from mommy, but he is a solid food eating fool! We tried rice cereal for 2 weeks after he turned 6 months, and since then he's had carrots, squash, sweet potatoes and peas! Today he had his first taste of fruit - apple/pear sauce. I like making his food because I have more control over what goes in, and I like how much cheaper it is.
He sleeps in sleep sacks now. No more swaddled arms!
I am going to completely jinx myself by typing this (because the number one rule about babies sleeping through the night is that you don't talk about babies sleeping through the night - like Fight Club), but he has become a dream sleeper lately. He no longer sleeps in his swing (I don't feel like he's even been in it over the last few weeks), he sleeps in his bassinet at night. His room needs one more coat of paint and then he will be upstairs!
He is at times difficult to keep awake until bedtime (7:30ish). I've discovered that I can distract him different ways and it usually helps. His routine is a little more flexible than Reese's was at 7 months. He usually is up around 5:30 or 6, eats cereal at 8, nurses again at 11, goes down for a nap around 12, sleeps for about an hour and then wakes up to nurse. He eats dinner at 5 and is immediately bathed. Once he's clean we kind of switch up the toys (exersaucer, sitting, etc.) to keep him happy until bedtime!
He said Dada this month, and now babbles it all the time. This morning while he was eating he kept distracting himself by saying "dadadadadadadada" over and over again!
He still likes to play in his exersaucer, and he LOVES sitting up and playing with his toys on his own! He sits on the floor with a bunch of toys around him and reached for things and pulls them closer. We also busted out the doorway jumper on Monday and he loves that too! It's so fun to watch him play with the same things his brother and sister enjoyed.
No more teeth so far. But based on his mood swings, I think they might be on their way!
If he would just stay on his tummy, I think he would be so close to crawling. He starts to kick his little legs, but then he just rolls onto his back and he has no interest in getting back on his tummy.
He also likes to stand assisted. I feel like we have even more toys we need to grab out of the attic - and I'm packing up all the little pieces that came with Wyatt and Reese's things!

Brad Paisley!

2011-06-06T14:57:00.001-04:00

So for like, I don't know, the 4th year in a row we made it to the Brad Paisley show! This year we didn't decide to go until last week when there was a Groupon for two tickets (actual seats, not lawn), but we had a great time. Seriously, he puts on such a good show. I'm not really a person who's hopped on the Blake Shelton bandwaggon - I don't dislike him, just not a huge fan - so preferred his opening acts the last two years - Dierks Bentley and then Darius Rucker. Actually, Dierks win by default!

Last year when we got the tickets through Brian's work we were super close to Brad when he was out in the "cheap seats," but we still had great seats this year (just should have brought the camera last time)! I seriously can't stress enough just how good of a show he puts on. I loved it! His new album is also a-mazing!

A lot of other country artists come here each year - Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, etc., but I find their music to be um, awful. Don't get me wrong, I loved Tim McGraw in the 90's and I think Rascal Flatts has had a few good songs, but with an overwhelming majority of crap mixed in. Probably because they spent about 5 years releasing a new CD every year, which made the pickings slimmer and meant they released about 50 songs that were crap on those albums. I love Kenny Chesney and I always look forward to his concerts, but I've listened to his new CD and have similar concerns about the path he is taking as well. If his concert has a lot of new stuff, well, I won't be a fan. We've seen Carrie Underwood (3 - counting the Idol tour), Lady Antebellum (2) and Zac Brown Band (2) over the last few years and they are awesome! Our country "pass" at the local amphitheater is getting a little stale! They need to add those 3!

First Waterpark Trip!

2011-06-05T13:12:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday I took the kids to the waterpark! It was this guy's first trip to see Daddy at work (during the summer).

I know Brian thought I was nuts to take all three kids alone! He comes out to visit and spends time with us, but he can't be totally hands on because he's working. I have to say that the three of them were so good. Wyatt is a pretty good listener, but Reese is still in that defiant stage. She's not a big fan of listening!

I feel like this is what she did the whole time! For some reason she was such a little scaredy cat. She wanted nothing to do with the slides - but she's already jumped off my parents diving board!

The kids were really excited to check out some of the new things at the waterpark this year. One thing that they love is this new water play section. The bucket dumps every few minutes - and that scares Wyatt and Reese a bit. They have tons of fun when water isn't dumping out, but they aren't fan of water in their eyes!

Having fun! (He did get caught under the bucket!)

This was more up my little Reesie's alley that day!

Hudson LOVED these little bouncy swings!

Brothers having fun!

Hudson took some time away from swinging to visit with Daddy when he came out. He loves his Daddy so much! Not just because he's got him in the palm of his hand either (but he totally does).

I am so excited to take them back some more this summer! They have a ton of fun, and seeing Brian is such a big bonus!

Wyatt's Team Party and a Tides Game

2011-06-04T10:57:00.000-04:00

The Dodgers had a team party at Coach Jim's house after their last game. It was a fun place for the kids to hang out with each other - there was a pool, a trampoline and a swing set.

Wyatt was beyond excited to get his trophy!

Wyatt was the youngest kid on his team, and barely met the cut off to play. Coach Jim said that when they told him that he had another 4 year old on his team (there are 2 others) he was concerned about how safe it was going to be for him. And that he stopped being concerned when Wyatt got to practice and hit the ball to the outfield! Ha!

Brian and I are both so thankful that he ended up on a team where the coach is so good with the kids. He actually teaches them and shows them what to do and works with them on their batting stances and catching the ball. Some teams just kind of showed up and it looked like they had no idea what was going on! Unfortunately both of Coach's kids age out of tee ball next year, so Wyatt will stay with the Dodgers, but end up with a new coach (hopefully with one of this year's assistants).

After the party we surprised Wyatt and took him to a Tides game! Mimi and Baba came over to watch the little kids and we took just him. The waterpark had a luxury box at the game thanks to a food vendor, so we got to sit up there and watch the game. After a day of no naps and game and a party, Wyatt was a little tired and he fell asleep on the way there.

He bounced back pretty quickly once we got to the stadium. In fact, he got really into the game. One of Brian's co-workers recorded a video of it, but Wyatt was doing some trash talking.

He was particularly upset because the pitcher kept trying to pick the guy off of first base, and Wyatt kept shouting, "Throw the ball to the batter!" He was cracking us up! He also started telling us that there were plays at first and second, etc. One season of tee ball and he thinks he's an expert!

Hudson's Six Month Check Up!

2011-06-03T14:33:00.000-04:00

Let me start by saying - he is LOVING solids (and these are all iPhone pics).

Last week was Hudson's six month well baby appointment. The appointment was first thing in the morning, so it was an adventure getting out of the house on time and then dropping the big kids off at my parents' house. Not too hard when the boys are up by 5:30 or 6 everyday, but still a little crazy! Hudson loved having some story time with Daddy! He doesn't get to see Daddy too much nowadays (not that any of us do) because the waterpark is open for the summer. Hopefully it will slow down soon, but there are a lot of changes that come with new bosses, so we just have to wait and see!

Here are Hudson's stats at 6 months:

17 pounds, 12 ounces (43rd percentile)

25.5 inches (9th percentile)

17.2 head circumference (40th percentile)

Here are Wyatt and Reese's stats at 6 months.

And by the way, Hudson is probably Reese's identical twin (even though he's a boy. with brownish/red hair).

Hudson also got two more shots at this check up. I missed them because I ran to the bathroom, but they seemed to be a little painful. I did have to give him some Tylenol that night, but other than that he seemed fine. He is such a little trooper, and fortunately now his appointments are every three months - so at his next appointment he will be joined by his big sister for her three YEAR check up while he's there for his nine month appointment - crazy!

Just A Little Reesie

2011-05-31T21:31:00.001-04:00

A few pictures for a big update (that I've been waiting to share because I didn't want to jinx it!). She is now completely potty trained! I am just so excited that she is trained and entire year before Wyatt was (he waited until 3 and a half to do what she did by 2 and a half)! In addition to saving me tons of cash, she is also ready for school in the fall, easier to take places (although I will say that it's MUCH easier to take care of um, business in public, with Wyatt), and just so much more grown up with those pesky diapers and pull ups!

Anyway, I took these at Wyatt's last game when she was being particularly cheerful and kind to her little brother. She can be such a sweet little girl when she wants to be!

School Update!

2011-05-30T11:21:00.000-04:00

Wyatt's school does "pony pictures" each spring, and we just got his back from his teacher at our parent teacher conference last week!

How adorable is he on that pony? He was so excited when we pulled into school and he saw them!

We had our second parent teacher conference with his teacher, and it was so nice to get some feedback about how Wyatt is doing. We can call anytime, but unless he comes home without a stamp, I've never really felt compelled to!

A few funny tidbits that we discovered are that Wyatt thinks our address is "close to his school," our phone number is "1," he wants to be Buzz Lightyear when he grows up, and he is apparently the most eager cleaner - upper in his class. If you were going to ask me which one of those things I'm most surprised by, it would be the cleaning!

Academically he is doing really well! He just needs to finish writing his letters to get into a phonics book, and we'll keep working on that through the summer. For a little kid who only goes to school twice a week, that's a pretty big accomplishment. No one in his class is in a phonics book yet, but she said he's one of three who are pretty close! The thing we found most surprising was that Wyatt, who drives along in the car and goes through his life telling me what letter every single thing he sees starts with, will not tell Ms. Cindy any letter sounds! He is such a little stinker! She said that he is a leader in the class, and the little kid that everyone else wants to play with. She said that he shares well some of the time, but that in a class of all boys, they all always want to play with the same thing!

At his school we can either walk them in and go in to get them, or we can do "car pool," where they take him out of the car in the morning and then bring him out and strap him in when I pick him up. Before Hudson was born (and I was still working), pick ups and drop offs were Brian's thing, and Brian always walks him in and goes in to get him. Since I almost always have the other two I always car pool. Wyatt told me recently that he loves car pool because he feels like a big boy when he gets to walk in by himself. His classroom is right at the front of the school, so one day I watched him go in his class. He hopped through the doorway and started high fiving his friends! I was laughing so hard at how big he seemed and part of me was so sad because he is getting so big!

One more thing I don't want to forget, on Thursday I picked him up and asked him how his day was. He told me, "Mom, it was great! I got a sticker for being the best dancer in my class. Ms. Cindy have me and Joshua stickers and we high fived!" I am a little shocked by this dancing accomplishment, but he was just so proud of himself!

Wyatt's Last Game!

2011-05-28T22:56:00.000-04:00

Wyatt's last tee ball game was last Saturday (told you I'm behind). I can't tell you how bummed we were that his season was ending. When we were getting ready for the game that day he told me that he doesn't want to play soccer anymore, just baseball! They do have Fall Ball, so he will probably play that, but I hate limiting his sports at the age of 4! Unfortunately, scheduling really just limits us to one!

For most games there were three coaches on the field with him - two in the field and one with the pitcher (mainly to stop any balls that might hurt the kids). For the final games the coaches left the kids in the field on their own (except the pitcher) to give them a chance to make their own decisions. It was a pretty big step for the kids to figure out where the plays were and doing it on their own.

He played in the outfield for two innings, and he also got to pitch (we he loved)!

He made a few good stops with throws to first, which I guess is probably the only thing they can really do when "pitching" in tee ball!

Who's on first?

He got three good hits, and he had a great day!

It amazes me that last year when he was playing soccer we couldn't get him to give the other team high five's!

Final team huddle!

He was not interested in taking a picture at all!

It was a great season, and we are just so proud of what a great job he did. Not only was he the youngest kid on his team, he barely met the cut off to play. Things that I was worried about, like his attention span, his size (in comparison to everyone else) and his socialization became non issues. He learned so much in just one season, and he still asks every day if he has a game anytime soon. I am so looking forward to watching this guy play as he gets bigger!

Hudson's First Trip to Busch Gardens!

2011-05-27T17:00:00.001-04:00

We have been talking about going to Busch Gardens for awhile, but we were finally able to go the Sunday before last (and yes, I am so behind on blogging that I am writing about something we did almost two weeks ago)! It was Hudson's first trip, and I have to brag about him. He was such a little dream. He sat nicely in his stroller all day and didn't cry or whine. Such a good little baby!

Our first stop as usual was Sesame Place. Reese loved seeing Abby Cadaby. I couldn't believe she got her picture taken with her!

Because I was pregnant last summer, I didn't get the "opportunity" to ride this ride with the kids. This ride is about as hard core as I go. I don't know why I can't ride roller coasters anymore, I used to love them!

Hudson tried to cross the bridge!

I just love the facial expressions in the next few pictures! The looks on their little faces make it so worth it! There are times they don't listen. They throw tantrums. They drive me crazy some days. But there is nothing better in this entire world than seeing them happy and having fun! And the smiles make the bad days disappear from my memory (kind of).

We had a really fun day, and by the time we left (around 3:30) everyone was exhausted. Hudson was not thrilled during parts of the ride home, and I think we were shocked that Wyatt didn't fall asleep. There was massive traffic on the highways and we ended up using the maps app on our iPhones to get us home a back way! They had such a great time, and once we get an idea of what Brian's work schedule is going to be this summer we will definitely plan another trip!

At the Imagination Movers Concert!

2011-05-23T11:51:00.002-04:00

The kids just had THE BEST time at the Imagination Movers concert. Their music is really great - something I don't mind listening to in the car - and the kids LOVE it. The best part of the show by far was that the guys actually came into the audience. Wyatt got high fives from Rich, Scott and Smitty, and he was thrilled. Reesie was dancing in the aisle, and she got some high fives as well. They had such a good time! It was definitely worth the drive and the money.

Here are a couple of videos (a little shaky) featuring their high fives from Rich and Smitty!

On Our Way to See the Movers!

2011-05-19T13:08:00.000-04:00

We bought tickets to see the Imagination Movers in concert months ago. I can't remember if it was the week before I had Hudson or the week after, but it was definitely around the time he was born. Because we learned our lesson from Brian telling the kids things like, "We're on our way to see Mickey Mouse!," as we pulled out of our driveway for a 16 hour trip, we decided to wait until we were on our way to Richmond!

We left Hudson with Brian's mom for the day, so here are Wyatt and Reese's reactions to finding out the news (Hudson's reaction would have been very boring anyway)! More about the concert later!

A Couple Funnies

2011-05-17T22:46:00.000-04:00

Here are just a few things the kids have said or done lately that made us laugh (and I don't want to forget!):

Wyatt saw a picture on his car seat, and while my mom was strapping him in, he said, "Look Didi! That means, don't pinch little boys pee pee's in the buckle!" That's never actually happened to him, but I'm pretty sure that right now getting pinched down there is his worst fear!

Last night the kids didn't agree on which show they wanted to watch before bed. Wyatt wanted to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Reese preferred the Fresh Beat Band. I told them that they needed to settle it while I bathed Hudson, or they wouldn't watch a show. This what I heard:

"Reesie, don't you want to watch Mickey Mouse?"
"No. I want to watch the Fresh Beat Band!"
"Reesie, it has Daisy and Minnie. You like them. They like to wear pretty bows in their hair, just like you."
"Um, no Wyatt."
"But it has Toodles. You get to pick the Mousketool and it's like a game!"
"Oh. Okay, Wyatt. I would like to watch Mickey Mouse!"

Hudson's First Word!!

2011-05-16T15:01:00.000-04:00

On Friday morning I was getting ready to change Hudson's diaper and he was babbling like crazy. Just as clear as day he said "Dada" three times! I think I shouted, "oh!" and then pointed to him because Brian looked over from the kitchen and I told him to listen! Hudson said "Dada" again for his Daddy to hear, and now he's saying it all the time. Over the last two weeks he has become such a big boy, he sits up to play all the time (and he is so happy doing it), he actively plays with all of his toys, he's starting to creep when he's on his tummy, and now he's starting to learn words. I can not believe that he is getting so big, it seems like he was just born!!!

Strawberry Pickin'

2011-05-14T21:15:00.000-04:00

On Thursday we went strawberry picking with Stephanie and Natalie. I told the kids that we were going and that morning, and they asked about it all day. We left right after naps and dropped Hudson off with my mom so I would have more hands to wrangle the big kids (and take their pictures!)

Wyatt, Natalie and Reese. Wyatt did a pretty good job making sure no green strawberries ended up in our basket. Let's just say, a few got chucked across the strawberry field.

Walking through the strawberries

This is how Wyatt chose to pose for a picture. He's not big into having his pictures taken right now.

Checking out the horse on the other side of the fence.

"Downtown Pungo." This is where the Strawberry Festival is held every year. I haven't been in ages (Brian always works Memorial Day Weekend), but I'd like to go back. They have strawberry everything and a parade and a lot of carny activities. I was actually in the parade ages and ages and ages ago when I was in middle school!

"Super" jumping.

Reese looking for a red strawberry.

Reesie and Natalie

Running to pay for the strawberries. They were so excited to bring them home, and then Wyatt said, "Hey Mommy, I don't think I'm going to eat the strawberries, I just picked them for you and Reese and Daddy."

I was amazed by how cheap the strawberries and the other fresh produce was. In addition to the strawberries I also picked up some potatoes, and I'll probably go back soon to get some more veggies. I think this caused my sister to refer to me as a "locavore." I had never heard this term before, but it was on her AP English exam!

The fresh strawberries are sooooo good, and we've been eating them constantly. I still can't get Wyatt to eat them, but he is the pickiest eater on the planet. He eats like, 6 non-snack items. Chicken nuggets, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, yogurt, cheese, oranges, apples and carrots (very slowly). He'll eat his weight in pretzels and goldfish, but that's about it. The kid doesn't even like ice cream. Or Chick Fil A chicken nuggets. He has no idea what he's missing, but thank goodness Reese isn't that picky (or picky at all). But I will get him to eat this strawberries. Even if I have to make strawberry shortcake to get him to!

Visiting with Mason

2011-05-10T21:05:00.000-04:00

My mom and Dad kept Mason last weekend while Marc and April went to a NASCAR race in Richmond. We were really excited to see him - we rushed over Friday afternoon to see him, and then he came to Wyatt's baseball game on Saturday. He has gotten so big since we saw him a month ago, but I know first hand that's what babies do. Check out the pictures of Mason and his BIG cousin - we can't wait to see him again!

We love him,even if he's an Orioles fan!

Visiting?

"Hey Big Baby, you're really annoying me."

Baby cousins!

All 4 of them! Wyatt and Reese just finished a jam session with their keyboard and guitar!