Winter Camp 2013

For the 2nd year in a row Spencer spoke at the Southcliff youth group's winter camp. All 4 of us set out on Friday morning to Camp Tejas in Giddings, TX about 3 hours away just east of Austin. All 4 of us stayed in the same room - little house on the prairie style- for 4 days and 3 nights! And really I can't complain, the boys both did really great! Trying to keep a 3 yr old quiet while his 4 month old brother naps is quite a task! Seth loved all the outdoor stuff like canoeing with spencer, "fishing" off the bridge in the creek and playing on the playground and chasing around the other kids! The newly potty Seth didn't miss a beat in the car or the entire weekend!! Spencer spoke on the different world views and what they need to be aware of as they approach college. All in all it was a fun weekend but it wore all of us out!!



the bridge right beside our cabin




daddy and noah at wintercamp



seth loved sleeping on the bottom bunk

didn't take him long to find the basketball and soccer ball

this is how I toted Noah around all weekend

Seth was obessed with the camp cat

Seth's favorite thing at camp

Seth was in heaven!

off to the playground

the huge playground

loving the swing

the boys in the fort

going down the slide chasing his friend Hudson

afternoon nap- wiped out!

he was saying, "I think I can" as he was climbing

in a "cage" with Hudson

swinging with Noah

he had sand all over him

the last night at camp

in a daze from exhaustion- going home

All aboard the potty train!

While most people counted down to Christmas, this year I counted down to potty training day.  2 days after Christmas we crossed the line from pull ups to big boy underwear, at least during the day.  The night before I covered our couch cushions with trash bags and towels just in case and Im glad I did.  The first day there were a lot of accidents, so much so that I wasn't sure if he was ready. He did however sit on the potty whenever I asked him to.  But Spencer encouraged me that he was ready and to keep at it.  Needless to say I was glad that day 1 was behind us.  Day 2 something surprising happened that morning...he got up off the couch and went to sit on the potty without being asked! Training went on officially for another 4 days...I was just nervous about getting him out of the house, so we stayed in for about a week! Now he can hold it for up to an hour and goes on his own when he needs to! He's also doing great at church and at school with his new found independence as a big boy!  

 so proud that he completed his first potty chart!

he looks mighty cute in his little undies!

Texas Christmas 2012

Lots happened in December. We made a gingerbread house, Seth really got into Christmas, I took Seth to the dr the morning of my birthday for steroids to get rid of his cough, spencer took me to see trans-Siberian orchestra in Dallas, it snowed on Christmas day, we made a birthday cake for Jesus and Noah and Kaylee got to spend their first Christmas together. Enjoy the pictures of our December!

new tradition of making a gingerbread house



some little boy did not want to take his medicine

its that time of year again-breathing treatment time

on our way to see trans-siberian orchestra

a great birthday surprise

what a great show

Noah is his Christmas PJs ready for Christmas morning

Seth's first bike! He loved it

we made a birthday cake for Jesus and had it for breakfast Christmas morning

such a sweet gift

Papaw helping Seth figure out his legos

Kaylee's first Christmas

cousins first Christmas

the cousins

our little rudolph- hat made by my mom

Thanks uncle stew and aunt K

Gammie and Kaylee

White Christmas in Fort Worth!

Loves his little elephant from Pop and Gran

Thanks Pop and Gran

Thanks Papaw and Gammie

Daddy and Noah

Mommy and Noah

Aunt Shelley and Kaylee

love my little Noah

the boys are blurry but still a cute picture

first Christmas

singing happy birthday to Jesus

Christmas Cuties

Both boys got to experience being on stage front and center! Noah as baby Jesus at our church Singing Christmas Tree performance and Seth's Christmas program at school. Noah did great in both services on Sunday! He actually fell asleep on stage the first service and yawned through the second service. Over the last few weeks Seth has been practicing his songs at school and I have been trying to work with him here at home and really talk up the program. In my mind I could really see it go really well (where he stayed on stage and sang) or really bad (where he sits down or runs off the stage or cries and puts his hands over his ears). Seth did GREAT! He sang the songs and did some of the motions. I was so proud of him! Afterwards their class had a little party and next week on the last day before the holidays, he gets to wear his PJs to school! Also on this past Monday we got our first "snow" more like a light dusting that lasted only a few hours in the morning.  Seth loved seeing it on his slide and playgroud.  We went outside for all of 5 minutes...it was just too cold!

Here is a link for a video of Noah's perfromance:

 http://youtu.be/epuPRKQ4-Nk

Mary (McKynna) and Joseph (Zach) with baby Jesus (our Noah)

Noah front and center

Noah as baby Jesus

the wise men coming

all the wise men and stable boys

worshipping baby Jesus

Seth's program-he's on the front row in red on the far right

Seth's program- doing some motions

clapping for himself

getting a little shy but still doing great

Seth's program

Seth's program- I think he's about done

our first "snow"

sweet Noah all bundled up ready to go shop with Mama

Noah- 3 months

We are already 1/4 of the way to Noah's 1st birthday ?! Crazy to think that way but its true and time is just rolling right along. Noah's little neck and back muscles are getting stronger everyday! He's no longer what you would call a "bobble-head." He's really starting to giggle and smile even more! He's still a great sleeper and lwakes up once or twice a night. He loves to try and smile and play during his nightly feedings, but I have to try really hard not to smile back so he doesn't think it's play time. We love our sweet easy going blue eyed baby!