Monday, December 9, 2013

Snowed in!


Wellll, more like iced in. Dallas got hit with some bad weather on Thursday night, and we've been pretty much cooped up inside since! But we've made the most of it :-) Because we are an outdoors family (and maybe a little crazy), we got out in the cold Friday thru Sunday!

At first, B didn't know what to think of the snow...
Jameston had been asking to get out in it since we talked about the weather changing! He would wake up from his nap or nighttime slumber and look out the window first thing to see if it had snowed!
Once we got outside, Blake was really concerned about where his bucket of chalk was...
Winter Wonderland of a backyard
Our snow-loving boys! (and that bucket of chalk :-)
They had fun hitting and kicking the icicles off of the trampoline :-)
Brett had to still work Friday, so this was some "mommy and me" time :-) We had fun but probably only stayed out there 45 minutes or so!
On Friday afternoon, my cousin and her son headed over since they were without power. We are so thankful to have kept electricity throughout the storm, as many locals did without. 

Saturday afternoon, after naps, we decided to brave the elements and go to the grocery store. They boys had some extra energy we wanted them to burn off!
Later that night, we spent some more energy with our Advent calendar activity for that day: making home-made Christmas cards for family (trees that donned their fingerprints as ornaments)! We are forgoing the customized cards this year (sorry friends, one less in your stack) since we hope to send out a birth announcement once little brother/sister arrives!
Yesterday morning, the boys took turns helping me "wrap" their Aunt Maggie's present. It wasn't pretty, but it got wrapped. And they loved it!
And yesterday before lunch, we decided to do our own form of "sledding" down a small hill in our neighborhood. The boys rode in laundry baskets and had a field day! It was so fun to watch them take it all in!
Love my boys! 
So blessed to have gotten to spend the last three days holed up together :-)


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Monday, December 2, 2013

Thanksgiving

Absolutely love this time of year. Time with family, time to reflect on our abundant lives, and time spent anticipating Christmas. It is even better experiencing it all with your children!

As a family, we are truly blessed. For reasons not to be mentioned on this-here-blog, last year was a hard year. In fact, this time last year we were living a nightmare. It really never sunk it what we were going through, and maybe that is why I am not ready to blog about it. But, nevertheless, it is a year later, and we are SO VERY THANKFUL for all we have!
We loaded up the boys and headed out early Thursday morning for West Texas. By early, I mean "pajamas and breakfast in the car, and they were coloring before 8:00" early! We left at 6:30 :-)
 Overall, they did great and napped (thank goodness) on our way, and we arrived before noon! 
 
Gotta love the plains of west Texas...miles and miles of cotton fields. And the pertiest sunsets!
Brett's cousin, Brittany, and her family hosted about 25 of the Winters' crew! 

The big kids' table, with Layne, Gage, Ian, and Jameston busy coloring with their great-grandmother before mealtime.
We ate around 1, so Blake was ready! Ha! The little kids' table...
Miss Aubrey and Mister Wyatt later joined him :-)
That afternoon, we played outside, 
  decorated cookies, and watched football :-)
 
And we ate all day long! Some of the little ones roasted marshmallows that night
 The seven first and second cousins also later enjoyed popcorn and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"


The next day, Brett and I and the boys headed out to Christoval to visit a friend of his from Austin. They live on a ranch in a beautiful log cabin home. The boys had a field day feeding the animals and checking in on the baby sheep!
Oh, and Jameston loved "driving" the jeep!
The cousins sure had a grand time together! Here is Miss Aubrey, 2, who LOVED the playset!
And Blakester was obsessed with the slide
These four boys played (and fought) like boys :-) Jameston has said he already misses them!

Until next Thanksgiving!
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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

25 weeks!

How Far Along? 25 weeks!
(As I said on Instagram, I hate self-portraits! But, it seems that is the only way this pregnancy is going to be documented since we are too busy wrangling two busy boys at home, and they'd want to be in the picture :-)

Maternity Clothes? Duh. Especially since the holidays are upon us, I have fully embraced elastic-waisted clothes!
 
Weight Gain? Probably around 15-ish lbs. Our scale at home is broken, and my doctor doesn't bring it up.
 
Gender?  ??? We have names! Not sharing quite yet, but we are set if it is another mister or little sister. Hints: initials are W.S. for a boy and E.F. for a girl.

Sleep? Sleeping well, and apparently snoring! Ha, Brett LOVES that side-effect :-)

Food Cravings? Sweets! Random craving this pregnancy has been fruit snacks; so I just help myself if I'm getting the boys theirs. At least it's healthier than pound cake, right?

Movements? All the time. I feel this baby a'kicking more at night than I recall with the boys. I hope this doesn't correlate with how much he/she will be up at night :-) 

Symptoms? Newest one is issues with my skin. My complexion is going nuts. Nothing a little make-up can't cure (on the days I actually wear it)! Congestion and heartburn still rule. 

Best Moment(s) of the Week?: Going to doctor yesterday and hearing that everything is right on track, and hearing that baby's heartbeat. Music to my ears!

Also, I am in FULL-ON nesting mode, have a hard time falling asleep at night thinking of all the things we need to do before March. AHHHH!

What I am looking forward to: Spending the holidays with friends & family, and watching it all through the boys' eyes! Oh, and hearing everyone's predictions! I think it is a GIRL because this has been a different pregnancy, but that could just be wishful thinking :-) Three boys would be fun, too (exhausting, but fun)!

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Big day!

Yesterday was a busy, busy day in our house!
First up, I lugged both boys to the dentist. Jameston was all smiles!
Getting x-rays!
He was a great patient for the hygienist, Danielle!
But he didn't like the bubblegum flavor...big surprise!
No cavities! Proud of our big boy (and good brusher)!
Little bro sat right next to big bro and watched intently
He didn't know what to think about it when it was his turn...
Once he got the shades, he temporarily acquiesced!
Cool cat!
And he loved the chair!

Ms. Danielle didn't take long just looking at his teeth, she sees his 2nd molars already trying to come in! I figured I'd better take him in now, since it may be a little more difficult with a newborn when he turns 2!
Jameston also "wrote" and colored Christmas cards for the military
while Blake colors his Sesame Street book (and I cooked dinner :-)
Oh, and Brett buzzed the boys' hair (we have been talking about doing this for some time now) into temporary mullets!
It didn't last long, because it looked a little uneven (and Dub-T) in the light :-) Now they both have matching buzz cuts (and look more alike)!

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Friday, November 15, 2013

Stats are in!


I took Blakey to his 18-month appt. yesterday. It was delayed thanks to the allergic reaction he had right before he turned 1. Anywho, here are his stats:

Height: 36 inches
Weight 32.15 pounds
(Both are > 100% )

Although the pediatrician is not worried about his BMI, she is concerned about his allergies and sinuses (poor kid gets it from his momma). So, here's hoping Zyrtec does the trick!

We love our Big Boy, Blake!
 
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Insta-Friday

Just an Instagram-push for you on this Fall Friday :-)

The reason I do this here blog is because it is our family's scapbook (since I am not as with-it as I'd like to be with their scrapbooks and baby books :-) Here is Blake's 1st year blog-book from Blog2Print. Love it!
One of the best things about dressing boys? Hats! The boys geared up for the cold front that hit this week, even before we headed out the door :-)
We've had family in town to visit the last few weekends. Blake and cousin Wyatt had their share of fun (and fights) while they were here! It'll be fun to watch these two interact in the years to come!
Four tow-headed cousins in the tub!
How to keep four kids entertained at once? All the "cool" stuff, like an air compressor, found in the garage!
I "had" to make a trip to Sprinkles one afternoon...this baby needed a cupcake :-)
Love our oldest's love of coloring. This is his "five senses" contribution to my desk at work. Sweet boy!
Friday afternoon movie date with my loves
Daddy's home! Jameston and Daddy working on their letters
Blake working on his letters and numbers in the bathtub. Can't resist a bare baby bottom picture!
Crazy hair post bath and some Tech football! Blake's newest words, thanks to college football, are "touchdown" and "nice!"
Just a little wrestling each night...boys will be boys!
Coloring together

Ha! This one is funny...we had a BIG bbq dinner at our house (we're talking over 40 people from Brett's work) one Friday night. And the kids went a little crazy coloring on the craft table. And I changed Mr. Blake's diaper the next day on that table. With wipies on bottom and drawings on the table, a temporary butt tattoo resulting...had to take a pic!
My three firemen at Firehouse subs one weekday for lunch
Playing animals upstairs
Crazy bath hair! Think it's time for haircuts :-)
Trampoline crazy hair!
Music time
Piano boys: we get lots of use out of our electronic keyboard. Thinking about enrolling Jameston in lessons in the next year or two.

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