4th birthday festivities!

We celebrated Jameston turning four last Thursday night with a superhero-themed party at the playground. The older boys played,


And played,


And played!


We had pizza, cupcakes and ice cream


Evidence


Blake was all over the place!


Thankfully Brett could corral him with a cupcake :-)


Second-Cousin Jax had fun as well!


Our good friends lent us this bean bag toss game. How cool is it?! And it was fun for all ages...


Superhero buddies!


After da party the family headed to the house to open presents!


Jameston made out, as usual, like a bandit!


His new, customized cape, shields and mask!


Raphael!


The next morning we celebrated with some donuts and headed off to work/school, where he wore a birthday badge and got to read his (new) favorite book, called Super Jameston, with his class.

This boy!


After our short work/school day, we went to Braum's for a treat :-)


Our 4-year-old!


His favorites!


That night I made nachos and he opened one last present from our little family: again, superhero-themed :-)


His fave thing about the weekend celebrations?! We got a trampoline for the backyard!


Action shot!


When we're gutsy enough, they're both on there at the same time!


We have the dreaded 4-year appointment at doc's office next week, so I'll be sure to write a separate post about our sweet (and somewhat headstrong) boy!

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What a week

Let me preface this by saying that this is random. And not a big deal in the big scheme of things. But I have realized how we take certain conveniences in life for granted, like a cell phone and a car.

I hate technology. I mean, it is great when it works, but it really puts a damper in things when it doesn't! My phone went out on Sunday night (after I did the dreaded iOS update on our desktop computer; thankfully, I had backed up all of the photos I had taken the last few months right before this), and it.would.not.come.back.on. Problem is, Brett had just flown to Chicago and we do not have a phone line. Awesome.

Well, I took it into Apple on Tuesday. Although it happened during a software update, they chalked it up to a "hardware issue." Go figure. Even though I contested and said it was working FINE before the update. "Yes, ma'am. I know,  it doesn't make sense." You're right, it doesn't! But that didn't help my case any, and I needed a phone. Thankfully, Brett was due for an upgrade (we have two-year contracts with our provider), and he is a generous guy I tell you. And he let me use his upgrade to get me a new phone. Woohoo! Now, that's love, ain't it?!

During those two days, it was stressful (according to this Generation X yuppie) to not be able to get in touch with others, and for others to be able to get a hold of me. But you know what...I REALLY DID enjoy the peace and quiet (and not being tethered to technology and bombarded with texts and emails and such). I found it sort of liberating?! The main problem was that I had to bust out the "old" alarm clock since my cell phone is normally my alarm :-)

Fast forward two days to last night...Brett flies back into town and lands at DFW airport at 10:30. I get a text that his car won't start. C'MON! So, it is stranded there at the airport now, and guess what?! A lot of companies won't tow cars out of a parking garage at an airport. Really?! It seems to be an electrical issue, as in his key fob has bit the dust (it is almost 8-years-old, so it had a good run) and the car alarm system shut down the system. Go figure again. So, we are hoping it still has life (but SAAB went bankrupt and it ain't easy to get a new set of keys), but time will tell. We are down to one car for the weekend. Guess it is time to go car shopping for the minivan I am hoping for :-)

Pregnancy update

How Far Along? 16 weeks!

Maternity Clothes? Whyyyy not?! I surprisingly can still wear some of my normal wardrobe (at this point with Blake I don't think that was the case :-) but maternity pants are just sooo comfortable. I am a big fan of maxi skirts and dresses as of late, too!

Weight Gain? I don't track this really (I know, I know), but I have my next doctor's appointment next week, so they will let me know! I gained about 30-35 with both boys. Here we go!

Gender?  Don't know yet and not going to find out until the baby's birth day! Eeeek, hoping we can stick to our guns and resist finding out at the 20-week sonogram next month!

 

Sleep? For a couple of weeks now, I finally feel like I don't HAVE to have an afternoon nap. Don't get me wrong, the days we're home, I do try to rest/nap when the boys do! And I am, for the most part, sleeping WELL at night (except when Brett travels).

Food Cravings? Salads, pizza, Asian food, and sweets (some of that is healthy, right?) I do not want Mexcian food AT ALL this go 'round...what is up with that?!

Movements? Thought I felt hiccups the other night. I had them all the time with Blake. Love everything about being pregnant, but especially the movements!!

Symptoms? Nausea has been subsiding and energy is on the rise. Woohoo! My face is breaking out like I am a teenager again, and I am starting to get the allergy issues that I had with the other pregnancies. FUN!

Best Moment of the Week? Jameston really wants a baby sister, I mean he prays and talk about having a little sister ALL.THE.TIME. So, we are just trying to prepare him (and me, as well) if it is another boy, all that we can. The other night, he said in the bathtub, "I would love another baby brother. It would be so fun!" Phew!

This was from the other night, after Jameston said, "Mommy, your belly is getting bigger and bigger!"

 What I am looking forward to: Next week's appointment and scheduling the sonogram (so ready to see the bebe again and get past that anxiety of that appt.)! Oh, and all the holiday foods and eating for two :-)

Summer happenings

We are really enjoying the "cooler/non-triple digit" days this past few weeks, mainly after dinner with a bike ride or some sandbox fun. Bring on the cooler temps, these boys could live outdoors!
One Sunday night, before Brett flew out of town, we let them have a time in the sprinkler and on the motorized jeep. They had a BLAST!
The dynamics of our patio are about to change with a new arbor, some new furniture, etc. I am pumped because we like our morning visits out there :-)
We redid the upstairs landing to accommodate our ever-growing collection of toys. This used to be more of media room. Hey, they need wide open spaces and less TV right? :-)
One weekday morning we met some friends at a new jump place in Allen. Both boys had a ball!


So, I have been craving sweets with this pregnancy.  This morning was home-made waffles. I have been a baker these past few months! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, even if you are nauseous while making it!

Cookies and cakes are on the menu, too, don't you worry! 

Labor Day cake (with limited strawberries) after I realized I did not have all the banana pudding ingredients
 

Loaded up and headed out one morning (at 7:15) with breakfast in the car. The is the way we roll on those mornings Mommy takes the boys to daycare before she heads into work. Phew!

Night-time jam session before dinner

In late July, we met up with another group of friends at a small jump place in Plano. Jameston, of course, jumped himself tired!

Blake practiced his newly-learned walking skills :-)

Jameston, and his buddy, Jackson, sliding at the same time. Not so safe!

Boys and their toys! This is a favorite of Blake's at Granny's and Papa's house

Bubbles and bicycles!

Just give them some sticks!

Father's Day celebrations

Oh, we renovated our kitchen (backsplash and countertops)! I'll show a wider-scope pic when we update appliances and re-do the cabinets :-)

 

New sink! Now, I won't mind doing dishes as much standing at this beauty!

So we had the (not-so-fun) pleasure of a broken upstairs AC unit...in July. In Texas. Luckily, it so happened during much-cooler weather, and right before our week-long trip to Guatemala (where it was in the 70's :-) 

This boy seems so big these days! Can't believe he's about to be 4!!

We have taken a'many of trips to the neighborhood pool during this scorcher of a summer!

The handsome men in my life!

So blessed!

I was also fortunate to be able to take a kid-free, girls' trip with my mom and sisters in May to Rockport Beach. Lots of laying on the beach, eating out and cooking, and doing a whole lotta nothing. So fun!
This boy, his personality is something else! I know I say this, it seems, each month, but I LOVE this age!! Blake is all over the place and talking so much, his personality is really starting to come through. Love this boy!

We enjoyed some home-made popsicles this summer as well

We made a pit-stop, for the first time (believe it or not) at the Koffee Kup on our last trip to Austin in July. YUMMY!

We've had some visitors this summer! My cousin's little boy, Jax, who is about four months older than Blake. Little cutie-pie!

And we hosted our first co-op babysitting night at our house in August. How to get give boys' attention for longer than 5 minutes? Let's Go Fishin'! There were two other kids roaming around somewhere else in the living room during this pic :-)

The boys started their "new" classes at school at the beginning of September. They go there part-time, two-and-a-half days, the days this Mommy works, and they LOVE it. Can you tell?!

We love that they love it, too. Makes leaving them those days a little less difficult!

Brett and I were able to go to the Texas Tech vs. SMU game in Dallas this year, because we have AWESOME friends (SMU employees) who gave us their tickets. SCORE! It was a scorcher and a barn-burner (until the fourth quarter) but still a lovely date night with the hubby!

We have just started heading back to the playground in the last couple of weeks after nap times (late afternoon). The boys love it (and it gets us out of the house)! But we haven't stayed too terribly long, due to it still being crazy hot.

Like I said, come on cooler weather!!

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