The Black Family

Baking lemon crinkle cookies

2012-01-27T13:49:00.005-07:00

Big Boy Bed

2012-01-25T12:10:00.004-07:00

We decided to take the bunk bed down and make two beds for the boys. Jake was sneaking into "grandma's bed" in the guest room for two weeks because he liked the "air" above her bed. He didn't like having the bunk above him. Jonah has had a hard time transitioning to his big boy bed. He doesn't like to stay in it. He is slowly getting better but he still has to be put to bed once or twice a night because he gets out and cries at the door. The room is a bit cramped with the two beds side by side but it's manageable.

Sunday Funny Faces

2012-01-22T21:14:00.002-07:00

Tree Climbing

2012-01-18T12:17:00.004-07:00

There are some advantages of living in Texas, like climbing trees in the winter barefoot.

Gymnastic Class for Jacob

2012-01-09T11:05:00.003-07:00

Jacob started his gymnastic class today at WOGA. He loved it. He's the only boy but that didn't seem to bother him. He liked doing the backward soumersault. He asked if I could help him practice.

Hopscotch + Bikes

2012-01-04T10:53:00.012-07:00

Christmas Morning

2011-12-31T17:11:00.009-07:00

At 6:45a we heard the boys stirring. I went in to their room and said I think we had a visitor and Jake ran in to tell Dan that Santa had come. He was so excited and Jonah followed suit. There were shouts of "I've always wanted one of these" from Jacob every few minutes. Jonah was happy to just sit and play with his Imaginext Dinosaur Mountain the whole time. Jacob took it upon himself to open every ones gifts. He was having the time of his life. Dan and I just loved watching them and being excited with them about each gift they opened. Christmas is the best with small children. After the chaos of unwrapping we quickly got ready for church and headed out. Dan did a beautiful job directing the choir and participating in a quartet. Our church service was beautiful and it was so nice to spend time worshiping on Christmas. After church we had leftover pizza and took a long luscious nap.

Christmas Eve Party

2011-12-29T14:34:00.008-07:00

What a crazy and fun Christmas Eve we had with seven other families! The evening included good friends, yummy food, gingerbread house decorating and the Christmas story.
Jacob and Dan counting the presents.

Jacob choosing a present to open Christmas Eve.

So much fun!

Christmas Eve Eve at the Zoo

2011-12-25T16:05:00.010-07:00

Dan took Friday off and we went to the Fort Worth Zoo. It was chilly but we had the zoo to ourselves. It was a lot of fun. Jacob enjoyed the monkeys and searching for the snakes in their habitats. He also loved riding in the wagon with the warm blanket. Jonah loved touching the snake, feeding the birds, running everywhere and the ice cream!

Christmas Sugar Cookies with Jacob

2011-12-22T14:34:00.002-07:00

Jacob helped make sugar cookies today for our Christmas Eve Party.

Jonah and the tree

2011-12-20T08:16:00.003-07:00

Jonah just can't help himself... he won't leave the ornaments on the tree.

...or the advent calendar.

A bit under the weather here...

2011-12-18T21:25:00.002-07:00

We've got the flu bug. So much for flu shots! Thursday morning at 3am Jonah started vomiting. Friday morning I began. Saturday morning Jacob. Dan has escaped it thus far...

Jacob happy and jumping around before he got it.

"It's beginning to look alot like Christmas..."

2011-12-11T13:10:00.006-07:00

At the beginning of December we setup our tree, hung our stockings and started our advent calendars. The boys look forward to a treat from the cool advent calendar that Aunt Sarah made and a toy from their Imaginext advent calendar each morning.

Impromptu Christmas Family photo shoot accomplished with a stool, cake platter and books as a makeshift camera tripod.
I thought it was so sweet that Jake put his arm around Jonah during one of the pictures.

The Gameroom Christmas Tree

2011-12-07T14:22:00.004-07:00

A few weeks ago we set up an artificial tree in the gameroom for the boys to decorate and make ornaments for. Jake enjoyed putting the colored ball ornaments on and Jonah enjoyed ripping them off.

Thanksgiving Dinner

2011-11-28T21:26:00.006-07:00

Thanksgiving Day started off with Dan playing at our ward Turkey bowl. He came home all smiles and sweaty. Then I put him to work setting up for our Turkey dinner.

This was our first experience cooking a turkey. We didn't have a clue what we were doing. As we were prepping the Turkey we couldn't find the giblets. I called my dad to find out where they were but he didn't answer. I then called my sister in a panic because we really needed to get the turkey in the oven so it would be done on time. She asked if we had checked the bum? Dan's response to me was, "I'm supposed to put my hand where?"
We had a kids table for the boys.

Jake trying out his pilgrim hat.
Jonah was in heaven playing outside as Dan was working on his "Honey Do List."
Our good friends William and Sarah carved the turkey for us. There wasn't any meat left on the bone. I'm so glad he was willing to do this because it grosses me out.

Dan loading up a plate for Jonah. We had so much food.
Jonah's not so sure about something...
Our good friends.

Finally, the best part of Thanksgiving for me Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie and Chocolate marble pie. Yummy.

Good Old Fashion Birthday

2011-11-16T14:07:00.008-07:00

Jacob turned 4 years old. We celebrated the day with lots of balloons, presents and cupcakes. The funniest part of the day was when Jacob woke up. We said, "Happy Birthday Jacob, you're four years old today." Jacob responded, "I'm not four yet because I'm not tall like you guys and I don't have hair in my arms(pointing to his armpits.)" Oh that little brain of his. Love it.

Paradise Beach Cozumel

2011-11-10T13:09:00.005-07:00

Our last port of the cruise was Cozumel. We decided on Paradise Beach. The water was a bit chilly and Jacob didn't want to stay on the beach he wanted to swim in the pool that we passed on the way into the beach. So... we swam in the pool for two hours.

Had the pool to ourselves for a long time.

The boys enjoying some tropical drinks.

Jonah swiping a quesadilla.

Turtle Farm in Grand Cayman

2011-11-09T06:26:00.005-07:00

In Grand Cayman we headed to the Turtle Farm by taxi. It was nice to get a glimpse of the island on our drive. We passed through the town called Hell. There is a post office there where you can send postcards from Hell. Pretty funny. The Turtle Farm had several tanks with giant Sea Turtles to touch and pick up. The boys enjoyed getting in one of the designated tanks to swim with the turtles.

The best part of the Turtle Farm was watching the kids swim/play with the turtles. Jake was a bit timid and just wanted to observe. Jonah wanted to touch all of them.

Stopped for a swim at a public beach after the turtle farm.

Doctor's Cove Beach Jamaica

2011-11-08T07:13:00.004-07:00

After two days at sea we were ready to get off the ship and go to the beach. We headed for Doctor's Cove Beach and it didn't disappoint. It was our favorite port. The beach was beautiful and we had so much fun swimming and playing in the sand.

Dan and Dave took a taxi ride around Montego Bay after the beach.

Cruise Ship Highlights

2011-11-07T12:40:00.010-07:00

Sailing away from Galveston, TX.
The only playtime for Jonah was from 8a -10a. We were really disappointed with the lack of things for our 18 month old. We did a lot of chasing around the ship and climbing stairs to entertain him on our Sea Days.
Jake was able to go to Camp Carnival each morning to do crafts, games, stories, etc. He loved it. Jonah got to hang out with mom and dad since he was too young for Camp Carnival. There are some perks to being with us though. He enjoyed smoothies.
Jake enjoying Camp Carnival.
The boys enjoying some food from the buffet. There was always plenty to eat. Mealtimes were a little hectic.

On Halloween the boys wore their Halloween Jammies to go on a Trick or Treat hunt around the ship. Grandpa Black was kind enough to go ahead of the group scouting out the next spot for candy.

We rented Cars 2 to watch in our room and ordered some room services.
Jonah was not aloud to use the pools because he was in swim diapers but we found this kid pool and decided to take our chances and let him swim. No one kicked us out however, the wind was so strong he didn't last long.

We had fun dressing up for formal dining nights. Each night we met Grandma and Grandpa Black for dinner in the fine dining restaurant. It was nice to chat about what we had done during the day.

Dinners were pretty long for our little guys. We brought in reinforcements...candy, the DS and angry birds.

We found the arcade and had some fun.

Jake loved seating on the windowsill watching the islands as we docked.

Dr's Cove Beach Jamaica

2011-11-07T06:08:00.003-07:00

Church Trunk or Treat

2011-11-07T05:44:00.004-07:00

This year our church Trunk or Treat activity was the weekend before Halloween which worked out great for us because we were going to be gone the next weekend. We were asked to do a little game at our car for the kids. I dusted off the Monster from Jake's 3rd birthday and created a little pumpkin to sit beside him. The kids loved playing the bean bag tosses. These pictures are from before the party started.

Random Pics

2011-10-23T20:19:00.002-06:00

The Dreaded Fence

2011-10-23T13:18:00.005-06:00

For two weeks now we have been working on the backyard fence. Dan spent a week power washing it each evening before it got dark. Then we spent two full Saturday's staining it and several nap times during the week to get the fence done. It looks fantastic. We are so glad we did it but we'll never do it ourselves again.
We had no idea what color the fence was under the gray until Dan started power washing.
Before:
Powerwashed and dried:
Stained Caramel:
We didn't do the bleach solution so we didn't get rid of some of the water stains from the years. It is a little splotchy. Oh well. It looks way better.

Jonah 18 Months Old

2011-10-20T18:42:00.003-06:00

Jonah's nickname these days is "Turbo". He has one speed - Fast. He is constantly running into doorjams, walls, and he falls down a lot. He loves to be outside playing. His favorite foods are yogurt, Lucky Charms, hot dogs, fruit, cheese, oatmeal and beans and rice. He carries around a knight from the Imaginex toy series all day long. He loves the book "Moo Baa La La La". He loves to bug his big brother by body slamming him. He is a rough kid. He doesn't like it when Dan and I sing. He says NO over and over again until we stop. This really annoys Jake because he likes us to sing to him. He's a fiesty little guy and doesn't like to be told what to do. (Dan always poses the question, "I wonder who he gets that from?")

Saturday Morning Jobs

2011-10-08T20:39:00.004-06:00

Each Saturday morning Jacob does three jobs around the house. He cleans the three toilets, dusts the stairs and wipes down the windowsills. He's favorite is cleaning the toilets. I'm hopeful that he'll continue to do his jobs without complaint for many years to come... I can hope right?

Reading in the Nook

2011-09-29T18:21:00.002-06:00

Still working on our reading nook but it's nice to see it being used.

Cooler Temperatures

2011-09-24T19:58:00.003-06:00

Looks like we survived The Texas Summer of 2011. The temperatures are cooling and we're enjoying the nice weather. Jacob enjoys painting outside and Jonah enjoys playing on the slide. I enjoy puttering around pulling weeds and sprucing things up. It's nice to be able to be outside again.

A Few Sunday Morning Pics

2011-09-20T15:30:00.002-06:00

Plano Balloon Festival... what a joke!

2011-09-20T13:43:00.003-06:00

We finally made it to the famous Plano Balloon Festival held each year in September. Dan describes it best with, "I just paid to get into a carnival without the benefits of rides."

We sat in traffic to get there. Walked several miles from our car to get into the festival grounds. Waited in long lines and overpaid for our corn dogs, lemonade and roasted corn. Not a single hot air balloon went up because of some wind. A crazy Jonah that just wanted to run away and cranky kids. So many people everywhere. Blah. We won't be returning.

Another funny from Dan, "I just wasted $50 and lost three hours of my life." Ha ha... we just laughed the whole way home about what a joke it was.

Happy 32nd Birthday Dan!

2011-09-15T17:09:00.002-06:00

Weekend Roadtrip

2011-09-14T12:41:00.005-06:00

Dan was going to the BYU vs. UT Austin football game this past weekend so the boys and I decided last minute to tag along. We had a great little weekend roadtrip. We spent Friday night in San Marcos. The boys were so excited to spend the night in the hotel. They watched the Disney channel, swam at 8:00AM the next morning, had popcorn and watched a movie with Dad as I shopped at some outlets nearby. Saturday afternoon we spent visiting Josh, Julie and their boys. We had a great visit. Saturday night Dan went to the football game with Josh and the boys and I went to check out the Bat Bridge just a block from our hotel in downtown Austin. I thought it was fun but the boys didn't seem to care much. They just wanted to go back to the hotel to play video games and go to sleep. Jake loves to sleep on the sofa beds at hotels. He thinks it cool to have his own bed and watch TV. Jonah loved exploring and looking in the mirrors in our room.

Dinner at Rudy's in some town along the road. This is a popular BBQ chain here. Jonah loved the corn.
8:00AM swimming Saturday morning after breakfast.

Waiting for the Bats to come out on the Bat Bridge.

Jonah checking himself out in the mirror.

The Gameroom

2011-09-01T13:12:00.006-06:00

We finally finished removing the wallpaper and painting the gameroom. We painted the trim white and used light silver sage on the lower half of the wall. We still have lots of things we want to do with the room. We're working on making their reading nook, hanging pictures, and mounting the tv to the wall, etc. We spend a lot of time in here and the boys are enjoying all the space to run and play in.

The reading nook will be where the dresser is. We will mount the tv to the upper wall and have books shelves on the lower wall with plenty of seats and cushions to snuggle and read on.

It's a work in progress and we are loving it. It's so much better than the dark green paisley wallpaper and burgundy trim.
Some before shots:

Wallpaper removed.

Utah

2011-08-29T12:44:00.010-06:00

A last minute trip to Utah with the boys to pay our respects to my grandfather who passed away the day after my birthday. It was a bitter sweet trip. We loved the time we had to spend with family.

Grandpa Veater's funeral. He was such a wonderful example of how to serve others and extremely talented with his hands. I was lucky enough to get a few things he made such a wooden board with pegs and a ring with his "Rocking V" brand. We'll miss you grandpa.

Swimming with Veater cousins in Bountiful Utah.

Historic Wheeler Farm in Murray Utah. Jonah was in heaven. He's really into animals and making animal sounds. Jacob enjoyed the tractors.

Swimming in Grandma and Grandpa Black's backyard with cousin Lily.

Happy Birthday to Me

2011-08-25T21:14:00.005-06:00

I turned 32 on August 12th. We celebrated by going to breakfast at Breadwinners, where I had breakfast tacos and fresh OJ. Then we packed up and went to the lake to play on the beach. After exhausting ourselves at the lake we went to lunch at Mel's Coney Island to eat hot dogs and onion rings. We returned home for a nice nap and finished the day off with 6 different cupcakes from Cupcakery. I had a splendid birthday.

Art Camp

2011-08-11T17:28:00.005-06:00

Jacob participated in an art camp this week.

Day one - He created an art sketch book

Day two - The class did Paper mache but Jake didn't want to get his hands messy. He built lego towers and took pictures instead.

Day three - He built a tower out of sticks and painted on canvas.

I plan on hanging this in the kitchen.

Beating the Heat

2011-08-03T20:45:00.005-06:00

Wow, it's been hot here. Thank goodness for our neighborhood pool, popsicles and our little blow up pool.

Post dinner, hence the pasta sauce all over Jonah's face. Summer evening bath...

Buzz

2011-07-27T12:24:00.002-06:00

This morning I gave the boys some much needed hair cuts. I did Jake firsts and his turned out pretty good. Jonah really needed one too because his hair was hanging in his eyes. I decided to attempt to cut his on my own with the help of a lollipop. Bad idea. The cut started out well until Jonah squirmed and bam went a chunk of his hair. I had no choice but to buzz it. It went down hill from there. He was all over the place and his hair is totally uneven. It's a good thing he's so cute. So much for nice little boy haircut with a comb over, now it's army man.

Wild Things

2011-07-24T20:31:00.004-06:00

This is the kind of "dress up" I get with boys.(Love it.)

Attack of the Lion.

Is it Halloween yet? I wonder if we can dress up for Halloween on our cruise?
Jonah roaring.

Giggling at Jake's Gorilla suit.

Sunday with the Cousins

2011-07-20T12:37:00.004-06:00

Sunday evening my little bro and three of his kids came to visit us. (We missed you Jen and Kadence.) It was great to see them. Jake and Jonah enjoyed playing with their cousins. Thanks for the visit!

Saturday Night at the Ballpark

2011-07-19T15:40:00.004-06:00

Saturday night we went to our local minor league team the RoughRiders game with friends. We had a great time and the boys loved playing with their friends.

A Busy Saturday

2011-07-18T12:24:00.013-06:00

We decided to take down the tramp until the late fall because it's too hot to jump on and isn't being used much. Not to mention it's killing my grass! One last jump session in our jammies.

After taking down the tramp and doing some yard work we cooled off in the sprinkles and did the slip-n-slide. It was around 9 in the morning at this point.

This is what Jonah was doing the whole time... drinking the water.

Jonah 15 Months

2011-07-15T21:04:00.003-06:00

Jonah lounging and playing in pillows.

At Jonah's 15 month appointment he weighed 23lbs (40 percentile) and was 70 percentile for height. Still tall and slender.

He is totally into cars and the dragon castle. He loves to be chased. He is constantly asking for pop pops (popsicles) and trying to open our bottom freezer to get them out. His diet consists of lots of fruit and dairy products. He is really into feeding himself with utensils. He dips his spoon handle into his yogurt and licks it off. Most of the yogurt usually ends up in his hair and all over his face. We really have to be careful with Jake because Jonah has started tossing his food over the edge of seat and it splashes all over the floor. It is a danger zone for Jake when Jonah's eating dairy products.

Jonah has 8 teeth and we think molars are coming in because he drools and gnaws on everything. Plus he's clingy. We've had some very long days and my patience has been thin!

Jonah is extremely determined. He does not quit until he gets what he wants. I'll offer him different snack options and he'll just say no and push each one away until I offer what he wants.

He loves to play and he plays rough. Jake comes to me several time a day to tell me that Jonah hurt him in someway. Jonah just loves to follow his big brother round. I hear Jake telling Jonah he needs privacy.

At night Jonah loves to brush his teeth. He gets mad and cries if we don't put tooth paste on his toothbrush. He sucks it off so we don't put much on.

Jonah is very accident prone. He is always bumping into something, tripping, slamming his face into a ledge or bumping his head. He's busted his lip three times open. Always has bruises on his forehead and shins. He's dangerous and has no fear.
Jonah's current word list:
Dad deee
Mom meee
Nana = banana
Pop pops = popsicles
Mine
No
Ball
Hi
Go
Show = movie
ink = drink
bear = berries
teeth = tooth brush

Blazing Hot

2011-07-15T20:18:00.003-06:00

Last night the boys and I went to watch Dan's Ultimate Frisbee game. It was blazing hot. We were melting even in the shade of our umbrella while sipping slushies from Sonic. It was fun for minute to watch Dan's awesomeness on the field... and then we left.
Warming up before the game.
Huccaneers is the name of Dan's team. Arrrr matey!
Red faces and sweaty. Yuck.

Holiday Weekend with Cousins - Part 3

2011-07-07T21:08:00.008-06:00

We celebrated the 4th of July with a parade in McKinney, snowcones, Spring Creek BBQ and a two hour nap. We didn't even see any fireworks because we were too tired by the time it was dark. It's a good thing we went to bed early because Jake woke us up at midnight because he was wheezing and coughing. We had to give him a treatment. The next morning we took him to the doctor because he was having a hard time breathing and found out he has Bronchitis. He's recovering now and doing better.

We were lucky enough to find a bit of shade to watch the small town parade.

Isaac and Jonah watching the Hot Dog eating contest at Spring Creek BBQ.

Holiday Weekend with Cousins - Part 2

2011-07-07T20:52:00.004-06:00

After feasting on fresh lemon basil fettucini with a tomato basil garlic mozzarella yumminess sauce and a fresh spinach fettucini with Alfredo sauce and bruschetta we headed to Haggard Park in Plano for their patriotic concert.

Jonah eating gummi bears.
Jake keeping hydrated.

Holiday Weekend with Cousins - Part 1

2011-07-07T20:22:00.007-06:00

We had an enjoyable weekend with The Sollis Family. Saturday was spent at the farmers market where we picked up some fresh pasta for Sunday dinner and a cupcake from Dimples. To escape the 100 degree weather we ate at our favorite Mexican joint Posados and then naps were had by all. To finish off the day we splashed in the backyard pool with popsicles and then had a movie with popcorn in the gameroom. Goodtimes with the cousins.

Buddies

2011-06-27T20:28:00.002-06:00

Late evening swims are the best.

Father's Day

2011-06-21T12:14:00.002-06:00

Backyard Swimming

2011-06-11T22:04:00.005-06:00

We spent the evening swimming in our backyard. The boys loved it and we loved watching them have fun.

Private Swim Lessons

2011-06-09T11:28:00.006-06:00

After Jake's 6 group swimming sessions we decided he needed just a couple private lessons to really get him comfortable with swimming. It was just what he needed. He has been doing great!
Pushing off the steps to swim across the pool with his face in the water.

Learning to dive into the water...ouch belly flop.
Today during Jake's 2nd lesson Jonah decided to climb in with his clothes on. Lucky for him I had a swim diaper on hand but no swim suit today.

Typical Jonah having a snack while waiting for Jake at the pool.

Another Sprayground and Swimming

2011-06-04T17:37:00.004-06:00

We had a fun filled week swimming everyday at our pool. To change things up a bit we headed to a sprayground yesterday. It wasn't the best but it was close. The boys were more interested in the snacks than running through the water. Jake just wanted to go swim so we went to the pool afterwards. All this swimming sure is making for good afternoon naps. Yay!

Jake's Final Swim Lesson

2011-06-01T21:27:00.002-06:00

We are so proud of Jacob. Here is a little video of him swimming on his last day of swim class.

We have been going swimming in the evenings to practice what he learned in his swim class. He cries everytime we tell him it's time to go home. He's a little fish.

Memorial Day Fun

2011-06-01T09:12:00.006-06:00

We enjoyed Donuts, a cool new park, the spraygrounds and hots dogs on Memorial Day.

Father and Son Campout

2011-05-29T16:27:00.004-06:00

Dan took Jake to the Father and Son campout about two weeks ago. They had a great time together. Jake loved being in the tent and jumping on their camping pads.
I think the pictures sum up how Jake felt about the experience.

First Family Swim of the Summer

2011-05-29T15:54:00.004-06:00

We headed to our neighborhood pool yesterday and had the whole pool to ourselves. It was great. Jake loved the water and cried when we had to leave. Jonah wasn't sure what to think. The water in the kiddie pool was a bit chilly. He kept wanting to crawl in the water but it was too deep. He did enjoy exploring the lounge chairs along the pool in the warm sun. It's really warm here so we'll be back tomorrow for Memorial Day.

Backyard Hose Fun

2011-05-27T09:50:00.005-06:00

Instead of taking a bath I let the boys play in the hose after dinner. They loved it. (Jonah's face is covered in strawberries and red velvet cake.) I love to see my boys play together.

Jonah Walking

2011-05-24T17:45:00.004-06:00

For several weeks now Jonah has been taking a few steps. This week he has been taking several steps. He is really figuring it out now. It is fun to see him walking. Our baby gate is gone and he's coming and going up and down the stairs as he pleases.

Swim Lessons For Jake

2011-05-18T13:04:00.005-06:00

Jake started his swim lessons today. He did great and loved it. It was interesting watching him participate in an organized activity for the first time. He was obedient except when he forgot and would wonder off into the pool when they were working on something by the edge. He had to be reminded to come back to the group a few times. He loved jumping into the pool with the noodle. He did not like putting his face in the water because water kept going in his eyes he said. I explained that he was suppose to close his eyes and he said he'd try that next time. Funny boy.

Jonah and I watched from the playground.

Random Cuteness

2011-05-14T19:18:00.005-06:00

Jonah loves to be outside and here he is looking out our window longing to be outside.

Jonah loves toy cars...

and pillows to jump and dive into.

The boys love to play in the clean clothes laundry basket.

Little trouble maker playing in the curtains.

Making a mess at breakfast with oatmeal and mangos.

Not too many photos of Jake because he doesn't like me taking his photo much these days. I usually have to bribe him with something to get a photo of him.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T20:20:00.007-06:00

Son like mother.

Son like father.

Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas

2011-05-07T22:40:00.004-06:00

This morning we headed to Dallas to see the Nasher Sculpture Center. Our visit only lasted 45 minutes but we enjoyed the little outting on this Mother's Day weekend. The coolest exhibit was the Martin Creed Exhibit - Half the Air. The room was filled with giant golden balloons. Dan braved the balloon room while Jake, Jonah and I watched. We also enjoyed the giant neon Statuesque exhibit that is visiting Nasher right now.

Dan's favorite exhibit. Do you see the shadow of the person in the middle of the sculpture?
Jonah loved roaming around.

Easter Sunday

2011-04-26T15:43:00.002-06:00

Jonah did not want to hold still for pictures.

Easter Weekend

2011-04-26T15:27:00.005-06:00

Our neighborhood had an Easter Egg hunt Saturday morning. The boys were a little overwhelmed by all the kids.

l

Climber

2011-04-25T12:27:00.004-06:00

The other day I took some laundry out of the dryer and when I returned to put more laundry in, I found this:

Family Photo

2011-04-22T11:40:00.006-06:00

While in Utah last month we decided to try to get a family photo. Here's how it went...

Hopefully, we'll have better luck next time!

Our One Year Old Jonah

2011-04-20T12:35:00.005-06:00

Two weeks ago our baby boy turned one. We had a low key birthday since we celebrated two weeks earlier in Utah. The day began with sprinkled donuts and a ride in his new red wagon. We met Dan for lunch at Firehouse subs to celebrate the birthday boy.

At his year appointment he weighed 22 pounds and 31 inches long. He's 50 percentile for weight and 80 percentile for height. The doctor said he's going to be one of the guys that can eat anything he wants and never be obese.

He seems to be taking an interest in walking. He will hold one hand of ours and walk now. He continues to balance for long periods standing. He loves to climb, sort the laundry, open and close anything, turn pages, explore the backyard or park. He's started pointing and waving. He added "Ba" to his list of sounds he makes. He can't get enough of diving into pillows on our bed.

Jonah is such a sweet little guy when he wants to be otherwise he's a little firecracker with tons of energy and he can be really ornery. He loves to play but hates to have his clothes and diapers changed. He has started throwing tantrums and he does them with gusto! He learned from the best... Jacob. Jonah and Jacob are starting to play together and it's fun to hear them giggle and quite frequently get frustrated with each other too. Usually because Jonah is not playing the way Jacob wants him too.

We love Jonah.

Road Trip to Kansas

2011-04-15T12:27:00.008-06:00

Let the journey begin... Jonah enjoying his ride facing forward. We stopped for dinner in a small town on the border of Texas and Oklahoma called Gainsville. We enjoyed some hometown cookin' at Sarah's. Which by the way was a saloon with a brothel upstairs in the 1800's. Very quaint and I made myself sick on the Lemon cream pie with 3-4 inches of real whipped cream on top. Coloring while waiting for our food to arrive. First leg of the trip we stayed outside of Oklahoma City in a hotel. The boys loved diving into all the pillows on our king bed. Jakes highlight of any hotel stay is lounging in his own bed with popcorn watching the Disney Channel. Jonah either slept or was mad about being in his carseat the whole trip. After arriving in Wichita, Jeff and Rachel took us to a really cool old park. It was a bit windy but the kids enjoyed the slides, swings and teeter totters. Jonah enjoying some wood chips. Isaac and "Drake" (Isaac's pronuciation for Jake) We enjoyed seeing these two sweet handsome boys finally! Ben and Sam's blessing day. Jake enjoying one last popsicle with Anna and Isaac before we hit the road to come home. Pit stop in the middle of Oklahoma to nurse Jonah. The boys found sticks to have a sword fight with. Thanks Rachel and Jeff for spoiling us as the Sollis B&B! I'm still craving that yummy Pad Thai you treated us to. I came home and made those yummy sweet potato fries which you made on Sunday Rachel. Jake and Jonah are missing their cousins. Hope to see you guys in July.

Texas Blue Bonnets and Wind

2011-04-14T07:36:00.005-06:00

Blue bonnets on a Sunday evening two weeks ago.

First Birthday Party - The Little Texan

2011-03-27T15:18:00.012-06:00

We celebrated Jonah's first birthday in Utah with both sides of our family. It was a great party. I had so much fun planning this party and hosting it with my mother. We had plenty of casual foods, cowboy hats and bandanas, and an amazing Buckaroo drawn by my mother-in-law Mary and stand build by my father-in-law Dave. Some of the older cousins played horse shoes outside and the younger cousins played pin the tail on the donkey indoors. Jonah enjoyed his lemon cupcake with cream cheese frosting.

Haircuts and Bathtime

2011-03-14T14:19:00.006-06:00

This morning I took the boys to get their haircuts. They were in need badly. Then they needed a bath after their cuts because they were sticky from lolli's and hairy from their cuts.

Can you tell that Jonah is teething from the next shots? (He has at least four coming in at once.)

Get me outta here, I'm done mom!

Wild and Crazy

2011-03-08T06:20:00.005-07:00

Trampoline Season Has Begun

2011-03-07T08:19:00.007-07:00

Dan and Jacob setup the tramp this past weekend. It was enjoyed by all. This was Jonah's first tramp experience and he loved it. He roamed the pad exploring. Dan jumped with Jonah and everytime Dan stopped jumping Jonah would rock his little body back and forth until Dan started jumping again.

Jonah 11 Months old

2011-03-02T13:06:00.004-07:00

Jonah does everything with gusto. He devours his food, attacks us with kisses, crawls with speed, screams in high pitches, grunts as he throws tantrums, cries in impatient waves, and plays with excitement.

Tooth number five has made its appearance. He has started waving, which by the way is adorable. He loves to crawl. Occasionally I'll see him stand by himself. He's really into toy cars. He bops to some music. Still loving the toilet. He can't stand to nurse when he hears his dad and brother playing without him. He squeals as I put him down and he crawls as fast as he can to be with them. He giggles anytime Jake makes funny faces at him. He still hates to have his diaper changed and clothes put on him, he screams the whole time. He loves to open and close doors. Frequently I find him shut in a room crying to be let out. He continues to love any fruit, avocados, noodles, and oreos. He's such a good little guy. He is determined and good natured. We love him.

Afternoon Ride

2011-02-22T13:18:00.004-07:00

We're enjoying the nice weather by riding bikes and smelling hyacinth outside our front door.

Jonah Ten Months Old

2011-02-19T06:37:00.005-07:00

Jonah is such a sweet little guy. He is an early bird. He is usually up by 6a, loves to nurse and then attack Dan with big slobbery kisses. His open mouth kisses are so sweet but so wet. Both boys come get in our bed when they wake up in the morning and it's fun to snuggle and play with them, most days. Jonah loves when his big brother plays with him. Sometimes they play so nicely and other times Jonah just bugs Jake. Too funny. Jonah loves to be chased, tickled and peek-a-boo. He is constantly trying to get near any toilet in our home. We have to barricade them. If he's not trying to get to a toilet he's trying to unplug any plug he can get his hands on. He is extremely determined and feisty. He is good at self entertainment most of the time but enjoys attention of his brother. He can go up and down the stairs, we're still working on turning around to go down the stairs. He loves to gnaw on anything. I frequently find something in his mouth and he can't seem to leave the lava rocks alone in our backyard. He has four teeth, two bottom and two top teeth. He is a good eater and lets us know he wants something by screaming. This is annoying because it takes several tries before we can figure out what he wants and the whole time he is getting upset and screaming. He loves fruit. He holds his sippy cup and drinks now. He has been standing for a few seconds on his own and I expect he'll be taking some steps soon. Some nicknames we use for him are: brother, Jonah baby, buddy, and bubba. We adore Jonah and love to hear him giggle. He's such a dear child.

Playing Outside

2011-02-16T13:40:00.005-07:00

Playing outback in our jammies. Ahh... we love warm Texas winters.

Cooped Up

2011-02-07T13:57:00.003-07:00

After a long week of freezing weather, ice and snow we are starting to thaw out. It was a long week of trying to entertain the boys inside. One day Jake found his Great Grandpa Black's boots in the closet and tried them on. He makes a cute cowboy.

Jacob took this photo of himself wearing the boots.

A Fort

2011-02-02T20:57:00.002-07:00

Iced In

2011-02-02T20:38:00.003-07:00

We've been iced in for two days now. The happy part of this storm is that Dan has been working from home. We've been having snacks and lunch with him. We'll be sad when the ice melts and he has to go to work again. In the mean time we'll enjoy our whole wheat cinnamon rolls (we're trying to eat healthier around here) with Dan.

Jake ate two cinnamon rolls.

Jonah was sad when they were all gone.

Jonah, where are you?

2011-01-25T08:21:00.002-07:00

Jonah, where are you?

Busted little brother.

Sheepish grin at being caught.
Finishing the job.
Pure joy.

Stair Climber

2011-01-18T13:10:00.005-07:00

For about a month now Jonah has been mastering the stairs. He loves to climb. I have to barricade the stairs when we are downstairs because he wants to go up them all the time. A few times I have found Jonah at the landing of the stairs when I wasn't looking. One time I heard Jacob screaming at Jonah and when I went to see what the ruckus was about it was Jacob pulling Jonah away from the edge of the stairs. Apparently Jacob and Jonah went up the stairs and then Jonah wanted to go head first down the stairs but Jake was the hero and saved him. All day after that Jacob kept reminding me that he was a hero. We love these boys.