BEAUTIFUL day in the neighborhood...

It has felt like spring, but they say it will not stay. I guess it is only January, so we'll take what we can get! SO we took advantage of the beautiful day and went to a park with trails and a lake and ducks and all. I got a super good workout pushing the 100 pound double jogging stroller through some of the trails! I mean, I tried to jog, but man I'm outta shape and that thing is heavy when loaded! whew!

I don't know why but I just love this picture. Maybe because this is the most candid picture of their normal all day faces.

After our stroll & PB sandwiches Ryder played on the playgound like a BIG boy!

He climbed up the playscape and went straight to the biggest of the 4 slides. (It was huge!!) I thought, oh he'll turn around and go down the other one...

Nope! He only went down the big one. But I had to stand at the bottom & catch him - at least he still lets me do that!

Since little sister had slept most of the time we were at the park she decided to play this afternoon while brother slept!

She really had her back legs up in crawling position today... I thought I might cry. Slow down, sister!!!

Mimi + Date Night!

Mimi came through on her way to and from a conference this weekend. She got some quality time with the babies and we got a date night!

Paisley in Ryder's cowboy hat! haha!

Daniel and I went out for a fun date night last night. We ended up having a a really cool Sushi dinner at Kenobi. We love sushi, but were extra brave last night trying some new kinds. It was awesome sushi - maybe the best we've ever had and a super cool place too. Should have taken pics of our sushi, but we got so excited when it came out that we just chowed down! oh well.


After dinner we got some coffee, went to half price books, and walked around a while before going to see The Blind Side. I know, we're a little behind, but we seriously haven't see a movie SO long. The last movie we saw is out on dvd now! So, Blind Side is what we chose and we were not disappointed. It was awesome, inspiring and a MUST see. Made me wanna be a better mom & person in general. It's always good to leave a movie feeling that way, huh? Good movie, good date, good night... and super good babysitter ;)

garage band!

So this is the boys' new thing I guess - hangin' in the garage practicing guitar! (Since Daddy's been kicked out of every other room in the house by these kids & all their stuff!) Here Ryder has his guitar on...

Now strumming Daddy's guitar - he learned to use the pick this week.

And now "stomping" the knobs on Daddy's pedal board!

Ryder's been really into his drums this week too. He practiced at church during worship practice last week with some big sticks! And he's been sitting in front of the tv watching the "Fresh Beat" & playing along!

My house is just getting louder and louder by the day...

*update*

We went to Paisley's 4 month check-up this morning.  She's 13 pounds and 24 inches.  That's about average in height and a little under average in weight.  The dr said it's probably due to the fact that she's already sleeping 9-10 hours straight at night.  Not to worry though, she's happy and healthy.  I think the weight is right where it should be since she seems to be just a little more petite.  I mean, you've seen the pics- the child is not skinny!  She's got rolls!  AND... speaking of rolls she chose this morning at the dr's office to roll over for the first time... that is right after I told him she wasn't rolling over yet!  He said put her on her belly and when I did she rolled right over and made a liar out of me!!!  So that's where we are.  When I got home I had to go back and look to see how big Ryder was at this point because I knew he was bigger than this.  Sure enough he was 16 pounds and 25.5 inches!  Little sister is just a little peanut!

4 months!

Paisley is 4 months old today! A little social butterfly is what she's becoming. She smiles & "talks" to everyone. She's in the yummy snuggly phase that I wish Ryder would revert back to sometimes other than when he's sick! She knows our voices well and is becoming much more interested in what Ryder's up to these days. She is growing rapidly, but I still feel like she's much more petite than Ryder at this age, still fitting into a lot of her 0-3 month clothes. Guess we'll see when we go for her checkup this week! Here's the little sweetie, now at 4 months!!!

Another week in our little corner of the world...

It's been another pretty normally week around here. Tuesday night Daniel & I actually got an overdue date night. We went to dinner and then met my starbucks people at the hockey game. There's a new arena in the area where the Texas Stars play (basically the minor league of the Dallas Stars). It was a fun night.

Ryder's been really into coloring this week! He sat for almost a 1/2 hour one morning coloring! (Really, this child has not sat anywhere for that long since he was able to move!)

I was watching him from the other room and I look over and he was, "coloring" his toenails red! haha!! And then when I laughed and asked him what he was doing he pointed to mine and smiled!

Little Paisley is getting more active, enjoying some play time, and has been trying her hardest to roll over all week.


This afternoon after his nap Ryder was in our room hanging out and taking pics of himself I guess...

And he decided to wake up sister from her nap as well.


And this afternoon she hung out in her exersaucer!

So this week will most likely be remembered as the week Paisley had a little run in with the floor. (And the week I almost had my first panic attack!) We'd just gotten home and I sat her back down in her carrier in the bathroom for a minute and then picked the carrier up to take her in the other room. When she leaned forward and the handle of the carrier snapped into place she fell forward out of the carrier... onto the tile bathroom floor. She cried for a minute, I cried longer. I was/am pretty much traumatized. Daniel was on his way home already so he got here and surveyed the damage while I talked to the nurse on the phone. Sad, but her little nose broke the fall and bled for a minute, but I think it kept her from hitting her head hard at all! By the time Daniel got home she looked up at him and smiled and we knew she was fine. Thank you Jesus for making these little babies so resilient! Lesson learned: she's already more mobile than we thought! So that's our drama for the otherwise calm and normal week!

author & perfecter of my faith.

As I write this blog today my heart is heavy. Not for myself. No matter how much I feel stressed in the day to day up-keep of life, and no matter how much I feel pressure around me and no matter how much I wonder how everything is going to get done and be taken care of and paid for, there is so much more going on around me. My heart hurts for people around me going through so much more...
We have friends who are barely making ends meet. We have friends whos young parents are dying and they are dealing with deep issues & burdens that people my age shouldn't have to deal with yet - and aren't prepared to deal with yet. Same friends who's sister MY age is going though chemo after a double mastectomy. Friends who's kids have illnesses they are being told they will deal with for the rest of their lives from such a young innocent age. Friends who's parents go in for a routine check and find they have cancer and have to make choices immediately to affect the whole family - one who's father is in surgery today as the family holds on to faith that it will be gone as he comes out. Friends around us desperately wanting to have a baby and being told they can't.

My prayer today is for them. That they may feel his GRACE and mercy today. God refresh them, show them you are in control no matter how easy it is to doubt. I am reminded of an old Nicole Nordeman song, "Help me Believe:"
Take me back to the time
When I was maybe eight or nine
And I believed
When Jesus walked on waters blue
And if He helped me, I could too
If I believed
Before rationale, analysis and systematic thinking
Robbed me of a sweet simplicity
When wonders and when mysteries
Were far less often silly dreams
And childhood fantasies
Help me believe
'Cause I don't want to miss any miracles
Maybe I'd see much better by closing my eyes
And I would shed this grownup skin I'm in
To touch an angel's wing
And I would be free
Help me believe

Yesterday at church Morgan talked about how God is a mystery and that is part of our romance with him. We don't always have to know the what & the why. Instead let us focus on the who we are to become in Him and & how we can live. And today I will add to that HOW we can help those in need around us.

I have to remind myself today that HE is the author & perfecter of MY faith...

Just a week in January.

So it's been a pretty normal week around here - finally. Here are some random pics from the random week!

Thursday we prepared for the big Longhorn game... well it didn't turn out as hoped. Poor Colt got hurt hurt and down we went, but here are my little longhorns on game day anyway!


This is last night- Daddy & his babies! They were reading Ryder's new monkey night-night book. :)

And here's Ryder giving sister a hug & trying to share his paci with her!

And tonight, big boy taking his bath...

And little sister watched...

Think her eyes are blue now?!?

let it be a happy new year.

We had a very low key New Years. After all being sick this week and still fighting off congestion & junk we spent last night at home alone with no plans other than to relax, take care of sick babies and hopefully make it to midnight! We put them to sleep and I made a yummy little spread for the two of us. I broke open my new Julia Child's cookbook and whipped up (quite literally) a lemon butter sauce for some shrimp which turned out pretty yummy. I made some artichoke dip, mini crabcakes, and we had a little brie as well. Not too shabby I guess.


We then made a pallet in the living room floor, shared some Ben & Jerry's and watched Rockin' Eve on tv... then we fell asleep! I woke up at exactly 11:58 and promptly woke Daniel up to watch the ball drop & the decade end together! So that's our exciting end to the 2009.
Today we slept in a little and I was greeted with breakfast in bed! We relaxed, rested and then went to do a little after Christmas shopping/exchanging. Little did we know everything closed at 6, so after eating a leisurely dinner at CPK we only had time to go to a couple stores! oops, oh well. Paisley didn't seemed to mind. She has been such a sweet little trooper through these holidays and this was her tonight having a little tummy time when we got home:

So here's to the new year and the new decade! Can't believe it's already 2010! Not going to make any of the normal resolutions... we all know what we need to do, right? Instead I'll go with this, I stole it off of another blog I read:
Ann Landers put it nicely…
Let this coming New Year be better than all the others. Vow to do some of the things you’ve always wanted to do but couldn’t find the time. Call up a forgotten friend. Drop an old grudge, and replace it with some pleasant memories. Vow not to make a promise you don’t think you can keep. Walk tall, and smile more. You’ll look ten years younger. Don’t be afraid to say, ‘I love you’. Say it again. They are the sweetest words in the world.