Summers Eve

Spring here is summer everywhere else. It's a battle I deal with daily. It's so nice out, I feel as though I need to be outside so as not to waste the sunshine but at the same time the best time to be outside is in the early evenings. It was easy with mom here, cause cooking would be a team effort and things were done quickly and the kids were occupied and still got to bed on time.

Examining the tomato plants

 Many early evenings were spent in the back yard watering the vege garden. Mias pinto beans have pods now and getting bigger everyday and the tomato plants are flourishing. 

She loves the camera and the camera loves her

 Surprisingly, Mia is really good about watering the veges. I started out thinking Benton would be the better one at it cause he's older and he was really excited about all those seeds he shoved into the cart at Home Depot.

Headed to the park

 While Popo was here, we would take walks after dinner to the little park a couple blocks down. Perfect temperature. Mia, a true lady, took her purse. I ended up holding it. Benton is a force to be reckoned with with his bike riding skills. Now, I make him wear a helmet cause hes as fast as the wind. Daddy thinks his training wheels can come off. Mommy....excited at the thought but thats my baby! It means that he's grown up! :-( Noooooooooooooooooo

Peace out!

 The kids have been bugging me about going to the park every day. Mostly Benton. But with Popo back in Portland, and Daddy at work at the times that would be ideal to go to the park, it's just a little too much. Add on the dog. He wants to come too. So there has been many tears shed this week.

Whoosh

 Mia has always been a happy girl, but more so ever since she turned 2 and started being able to express herself with words. She was a happy but rather terror of a baby. For the first year of her life she had huge issues with poops and it would keep her up most nights and she also had a lot of digestive issues which didn't help either. So, a year or more of sleepless nights seem non existent when I now see her happy and smiling more often than not. Perhaps a huge reason why I'm a little hesitant about having another baby, ontop of other things.

Bringing the kid out in mom

 Popo getting in on the playground action! That park is such a wreck and I have no idea why the kids love it. Of course, at their age that doesn't really matter :-) I wish I could relax a bit more and be a little more free like they are. Responsibilities!

I'd like to think shes in deep thought, but really she's probably thinking 'Where is everyone?'

 Mia just loves the swing. She seeks thrilling speed and high climbs. She's a tomboy. A tomboy with hairclips and a purse.

Racing home

They miss their Popo. Benton tells me he's sad because popo is not here and Mia thinks popo is in the bathroom when the door is closed. Sad :-(

Mamas Know Best!

Growing as a mother to 2 toddlers, I am admitting through gritting teeth and as my mom always told me "Moms know best." ;-) A few times a week I find that I warn my children about a danger and when they disobey, they see that Mom was right. And I am smacked in the face with the fact that MY mom was right about things that she gave me advice about. How humbling. 

Mia and Benton checking out their plants

God worked it so that the soonest I could have my surgery was right around the time my mom said she would come visit, hoping that my surgery would be around then so that she could help me out with the kids and the house. Selfishly I just wanted to get the surgery over with. I'm supermom, I can do all things. Right? I mean, come on, the doc said I would be back to normal in like 2 days. 

Mom watering for me cause I couldn't lift more than 5 lbs

 Boy. Thank the Lord, His timing is perfect because I needed my mom there! She was a great help especially with the unexpected events that arose for Brandon at work that he really couldn't get out of. And of course my willing friend Cye who took the time out of her busy morning to drive me to the hospital. Definitely wouldn't have been as smooth sailing that morning had she not been there for me and made our whole family dinner that night.

Learning to ride a bike

 I was surprised how smooth sailing the entire process at the hospital was. I didn't wait more than 7 minutes before they called me back and hooked me up to the IV, gave me rest for 20 minutes, talked to my anesthesiologist before wheeling me into the OR waiting area where brandon met me. From there the doc came in to tell me the procedure, we waited for 15 minutes before they wheeled me into the OR and knocked me out. BEST SLEEP EVER. 1230pm I was trying to look at my incisions but my head was so heavy and Brandon just kept laughing at me. 2pm - Home and feeling like superwoman. That wasn't bad at all! I can go lift weights now. I woke up the next day like I had fallen on my face. I was awesome because I was on hydrocodone. Oh.

Yum

 All in all the the incisions themselves aren't nearly as painful and annoying as my insides having to figure out how to recover. We celebrated Moms birthday with a crab boil. We found a fresh seafood store. Whoohoooooooooooooo!!!! Invited the Lloyds to thank them for their help and I even managed to bake a Red Velvet cake. :-)

Yes, God and the role he gave us as Mamas, knows best.

Holidays are always exciting in and of themselves. A time to get together, share food, play and for the few lucky ones, be able to make it to their kids Easter parties at school! 

 Kids really make the holiday so much more fun. If it weren't for the kids, I'd just be working for somebody really hating the fact that I was at work. With the kids, I get to see them enjoy your friends, their innocence, their love, their ability to share despite their apparent inability to share at home. It gives you that pat on the back you so need when most of the time it feels like you are failing as a parent.

 Texas in April is suppose to be anything but chilly with a wind blast but it was this April morning. Everyones noses were dripping but we got through it.

 I may just have been an adult so long that I didn't realise what confetti eggs are, or perhaps I'm just oblivious but they are SO much fun!!!! I tried to smash one on Benton head but of course I had a hard egg shell and it just knocked him on the head. lol. SO......after that he thought that was how you were suppose to smash the eggs to get the confetti out.

 BIG mommy fail. Poor little Kyle. He got the brunt of Bentons egg smashing practice. Kyles mother probably thought I was the worse mother ever. :-( I was so busy taking pictures that I didn't catch onto how rough Benton was.

 Bentons amazing and loving teachers. Ms. Sarah and Ms. Martha. Oh how much they love my child and advocate for him.

What else to do after some egg hunting than chowing down on some confetti cupcakes! Beautiful Sadie and Benton.

 So, I got them a pinata. And fun was had!

 Mias party was right before end of school and I'm glad that it was because Brandons flight got cancelled and he was able to experience one of their parties! Which I am SO so so thankful for. I was surprised that they were all so awake after their nap!

 Mia was probably awake because shes been looking forward to her easter party for like 5 days now. lol. Mias best friend Kennedy. Who can be in a bad mood waking up to a sugar cookie and juice?

 Time for some hunting of eggs. Mia did a great job. She's pretty fast about getting candy apparently. Survival of the fittest.

 She fits into the dress that her aunty Tiff made her back in December! She's grown so much lately. She feels a couple pounds heavier this week.

This Easter my mom will be here with us which I am very excited about and I'm excited to make the kids resurrection rolls to teach them about Christs sacrifice for us, his 3 days in the tomb and his rising. Happy Easter Y'all! (officially Texanish)

Southern camping

I'm not one to do things out of the blue. I like to plan, plan, plan and then plan some more. Nevertheless, after the gym saturday morning, we were chitchatting with Jacksons parents in the parking lot of Golds gym and said "Man, it's beautiful. I'd hate to waste this day." 3 hours later we were on the road towards our campsite at Lake Corpus Christi.

 The kids were excited! We chose a tent site. This was going to be an all out rugged camping event. Oh wait....Rob packed a golfing net instead of a tent and only bought one of their blow up beds. Change of plans...STAT!

 So we opted for a canopy so that at least we would have shelter. Good one Roberto, good one. 

 We started that afternoon off by exploring a fort. The kids and dogs had a grand time running around and exploring. Mamas got a little weary of all those stone steps they were climbing up and down on. Phew, no incidents.

 Benton is looking more and more like daddy every day. It's so amazing to see a little "us" tottering around. It's not always fun and games though when you see yourself in them. For example, Mia will tell me to "Hold my horses," whenever I tell her to do something and to do it fast. Yeah, apparently I say that alot. Go figure. And Benton...he won't stop for food if he's got toys around. 

 Excuse me while I am make up free in this picture. I couldn't bring my to wear makeup when we were "roughing" it out for the weekend. I can't begin to tell you about my camping phobia. I honestly LOVE camping but I just can't get over the fact that I have to use the public bathrooms. I'm kind of a restroom snob. I grew up that way and it hasn't changed. Not one bit. So camping is tough for me. 

 Daddy and daughter. So sweet!

 They hang out too much with each other because when we asked them to take a silly picture, it's as if they could read each others minds cause all three of them did this instantly. Aih

 The men

 Locked up in jail ;-) 

 The kids were famished by 5pm so we grilled by the lake. AWESOME! Brandon whipped out his new camping grill. He cooked! What?

 No, we didn't leave the pup at home. He did well actually and one of the reasons we lived through the night. Our neighbors were playing their music so loudly till 3am! It didn't bug the kids any though so at least they got a decent nights sleep ;-)

 Cuddling together while the dads attempt to build a fire

 The next morning we woke up and went "fishing" and caught nothing. That was awesome and it was windy. Cye and I ended up sitting in the van because it was too much of a hassle with the kids flapping in the wind.

 Sad to be leaving

My sweet girl

Benton and Mia and the pinto bean stalk

A week ago, Mia came home from school with pinto bean seedlings! My 2 year old was able to grow pinto beans from scratch! I felt an itch in my fingers, that I just had to plant some veges! I have a black thumb so this was a huge risk. Spending money on seeds and soil and wood for a planter could just potentially go down the drain! But the thought of continuing to buy oddly monstrous onions and half wilted veges from the grocery store didn't seem all that attractive, when in Texas the heat is just perfect for growing plants.

 So...an hour and $130 spent at home depot resulted in a full saturdays worth of planting seeds! The kids loved helping plant and building the vege planter! They had so much fun!

 Mias pinto bean seedlings

We have quite the selection! Romaine lettuce, beefsteak tomatoes, pinto beans, carrots, brussel sprouts, onions, cantaloupe, broccoli and peppers.

 Not even a week later, we were out back just playing around and viola! The veges had sprouted! Yippee they survived the first stage of life being tendered by 2 toddlers and me!

 Mias Pinto beans grew SO well!!!Shes so excited and they are both so good about watering their plants.

 Our little lettuce coming along quiet nicely.

 Mia examining her hard work

 It's hard to see but the brussel sprouts are coming up!

 Summer is just around the bend and the weather is getting humid already. Humid enough that when I go outside for a few minutes, I need to spray perfume on myself. haha. Not SO bad that I sweat the moment I step out of the house though, so its really quite the perfect time to be outside with the kiddos in their playhouse. Mias so excited! It's time to "cook" dinner!

 Mr Benton surfing the texas waves in the backyard. Too adorable. He's growing like a weed and eating me out of my house.

After dinner, it's time for some pretend sleep. Where else would one sleep in a playhouse but on the kitchen counter? lol...silly munchkins.