Outdoor concert

We met some friends at the Village of Colleyville for the Red, White, and Sousa.  It was a great outdoor concert that had gourmet food trucks, so John Chris and I were pretty excited about the food.  When we arrived, we quickly found out that the food lines were about an hour long!  Even though their was music, Ryland, Harker and Colton decided to watch a movie.

Reed really enjoyed being outdoors with lots of people.  He ran around like a crazy man making tons of new friends.  This is a still moment only because John Chris is holding him.

After we found out about the LONG waits for food, John Chris had a great idea to just order pizza from the pizza shop down the road.  It was delivered before one of our friends got his food at the food trucks.  Crazy long wait for an hour and a half!

Stage shot!

Doctor visit

We noticed Reed had a small rash on his cheekbone under his eye.  We were unsure what it was, so I called the pediatrician to speak with the nurse.  He also had lots of nasty drainage coming out of his left ear thanks to his tube.  The nurse wanted us to go ahead and come in since the rash was near his eye, and they could go ahead and double check his ear.  I cringed at the thought of taking both of them to the doctor, but we headed on over.

Both boys were on their best bahavior at this visit, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well they behaved.  It was quite obivious that Reed adores his big brother, and he copies eveything Ryland does.  I love how he looks up to him, and I was able to catch him literally doing it in this photo.  My sweet, sweet boys!

Reed's rash was ezcema and needs to be treated with cream.  The ear situation was a bit yucky.  The doctor cleaned out all of the nastiness and put drops in.  Reed was NOT happy about the drops and screamed.  He is on 10 days of oral antibiotic and steriod/antibiotic drops.  Hopefully, he will be back to 100% in a few days.

Ladies Night

I had a fantastic night out with a wonderful group of ladies.  This was the first night out for the new MOPS steering team, and we had a blast.  We enjoyed the beautiful sunset on the outdoor patio at Glass Cactus, and we all had a blast laughing and chatting.  I am so excited for the upcoming year!

Mr. Accessory

I have been working on cleaning out and re-organizing the master closet, and the boys have been right there to help.  One item that caught Reed's attention was a hot pink croc embossed handbag.  He loves it!  He put blocks and cars in it and has been dragging it around.  Between the handbags, bracelets, and shoes, Reed knows how to accessorize.



By the pool

We all enjoyed a refreshing swim this evening.  We swam and played until it was time for bed.  We all were getting out of the pool and drying off when Ryland spread out his towel and laid down.  Reed saw this and had to join in the relaxing. Silly boys!

Chuck E Cheese's

One thing I love about Chuck E Cheese - all the momentos.  All kidding aside, we always make one of these sketch pictures, and I really do love them.  On this visit, we were quite shocked to have our photo taken in the first one, because we weren't ready.  On the second shot, we just decided this is good as it was going to get.

Ryland and I are pro snowboarders, or so this card says.  I would settle for just snowboarder, but this says pro.

The boys had a blast playing games and riding the different toys.  They both like riding with Chuck E and both looking at something other than where they were going. We had a fun evening of play and now it is time for bed.

Simming lessons

It is once again Monday and time for Ryland's swim lessons.  I had a short conversation with his teacher before the class started about him swimming at home and asked her to be a bit more aggressive with him.  She agreed and immediately put a pair of goggles on him.  I swear the goggles turned him into a under water maniac.  She still supported him on his stomach, but he swam back and forth from platform to platform with his face in the water.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  She didn't even ask him to put his face in the water, and he did.  Even as he sat on the platform waiting for his turn, he would stick his face in the water. 

All this junk in here

I caught Ryland in the pool/ toy box on the back patio taking everything out.  I asked him what he was doing, and he replied "all this junk in here".  Not really an answer to my question, but it definately was a comment that I would agree with.  I asked if he was looking for something, and he said yes.  He never told me what he was looking for, but he completely emptied the box.  Maybe he just wanted to take inventory.

Nap mat

Reed needed a nap mat for summer camp at his school. I was a little late ordering it, so he had been borrowing a pink one from a friend. His nap mat arrived today, and he was so excited. I unrolled it in the family room, and he hopped right in and covered up. He definately knew what it was and what he was supposed to do. He is getting so big too fast!

Movie date

Since we have summer movie tickets at Harkins, I thought a movie would be fun for just Ryland and myself.  The previous week didn't go so well for us three, but I wanted to try again. The movie was Horton Hears a Who, and I thought the meaning would be great for Ryland as well.  I lined up Reed with a sitter, and Ryland and I headed to our "date".  I was ready with a purse full of treats - popcorn, capri sun, etc. 

I enjoyed watching the movie, but I constantly had to tell Ryland to sit down or stop climbing on the rail.  By the end of the movie, I was on my hands and knees searching for my R locket off my charm bracelet that Ryland removed.  With tears in my eyes and everyone exiting the theater, I really thought I was going to just burst.  I was able to find one locket, but the other was not to be found.  :( 

Swimming like a shark

While I was at my painting class, I received a voicemail that Ryland had started swimming.  He was jumping in and swimming across the pool.  He was so excited and proud of himself, and it sounded like he was having a blast.  Before I left the art studio, I selected a Shark painting that I could give to my little shark at home.

When I got home, Ryland told me all about his swimming skills.  I told him how proud I was of him and gave him the Shark painting.  He told me he loved it and he can swim like a shark.

Washing and watching

It has been several months since John Chris has had a shiny, clean truck.  He had two great helpers assist in vacuuming and wiping the interior, but they both just watched him wash the exterior.  I am thinking he chose to contain rather than chase while washing. Looking good!

Look what I "grew"

The Easter bunny brought the boys some radish seeds several months ago.  We talked about planting the seeds, watering them, and enjoying the home grown radishes in a few weeks.  We read the instructions on the packet, and we followed them precisely.  We have deligently watered the plants, but we have been more than a little disappointed with what we have grown.  That is, until today.  Ryland found about 6 nice size radishes.  It was almost as if it was exactly a bunch were nestled in the plants' foliage.  He didn't even have to dig them up!  He was very happy and proud of what he had grown.  

And look what Reed found, the hose nosle.  These boys are just full of luck and skill today.  Great job!

Fun on the lake

We spent the evening on Lake Grapevine and had a blast. We loved visiting and laughing with friends, and all the kids were awesome. The boys enjoyed jumping off the boat and playing in the water. We had dinner and listened to live music at the old Little Pete's restaurant. To top off the night, we cruised around the lake and watched a firework show. 

It was a great night that totally wore the boys out. Reed was out before we got back to the dock.  I actually laid him on the dock while we emptied and loaded the boat on the trailer. We were only out of the parking lot when I noticed Ryland and Reed were both out.

Reed's well check

Reed had a wonderful 15 month well check.  He is growing and developing on track, and he was quite the ham with the nurses.  He weighed in at 26 lbs 7.5 oz - 75 percentile, 32.25 inches tall - 82 percentile, and his head was 19.25 inches - 90 percentile.

Reed didn't create a big fuss after the shots.  He barely even screamed.  He did throw a fit when I wouldn't let him play with the trash can.  How horrible!

Busted

Someone wasn't quite ready to call it a night.  John Chris and I could hear him bumping on the walls and jumping out of bed.  It was all fine until we heard the door open.  We tip toed up the steps to catch him peeking around the corner.  The flash confirmed he was busted.  He laughed and ran back to bed.

Stuffing his mouth

Reed is an eater!  He has always loved to eat!  Unfortunately, he likes to cram large amounts of food in his mouth.  We talk about taking bites and chewing up his food, but he still loves to shovel it in.  We all have to watch him to make sure he doesn't gag or choke.  Ryland is even in on the watching.  Ryland yells "You have too much in your mouth!"  Reed thinks this yelling is hilarious and he dies out laughing. I now think he is stuffing himself to get Ryland's attention.



Play group at the spash pad

Our play group met at the splash pad to enjoy some fun in the sun and water.  The boys had a blast playing with their friends and getting wet.  The splash pad is one of our favorite places to spend a summer day.  Hopefully, we will be able to enjoy it all summer without water restrictions this year!

Fun with friends

A great time with friends and family.  We had a huge spread of tasty food and lots of cool drinks.  Reed found a comfy beer box to sit in and quickly realized that it was stuck to his rear, which he thought was very funny.

Darrin pushed 4 kiddos with the support of Carl.  Great multi-tasking!

 

As always, Gracie was awesome with the little ones.  Benton was immediately smitten.

 

Ryland and Charlie wanted to play a little pong like the big boys, so John Chris set up a table just for the kids.  Juice pong!

 

Gracie took on the boys and held her own.

 

Chanda and Benton chilled by the snacks and enjoyed the craziness.

 

After a very competitive evening of juice pong, the kids devoured some delicious cupcakes. 

 

We made a huge pallet in the family room for all the kids, so they could watch a movie.  What a fun night!

 

Brad got a little silly in the later hours.  He transformed into Spiderman with the help of Ryland's swim fins. Ha ha ha ha!

Crazy fun

I know, the photo is sideways.  I have tried everything to rotate the image, and I finally just gave up.  It's funny because that pretty much sums up the day. 

We needed to order passports for the boys, so they will arrive in time for our trip to Anguilla.  John Chris and I made plans and picked today to meet at City Hall.  I had printed all the documents and filled them out, and I also made sure I had all the necessary documents to validate citizenship and identity.  I loaded the boys in the truck and took off to Town Square.  I wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to visit the Anthropologie sale before we had to meet John Chris. 

Town Square was bustling, so I was shocked that I lucked into a car leaving right by City Hall in the shade and on the end of the row.  I was more than thrilled.  It took a little while for the person to load up, but I was happy to wait.  I noticed another car pull up in the other direction and put their blinker on.  Hmmmm.  I sat there patiently, and as the car backed out the other car realized I wasn't budging and gave up.  I unloaded the boys and got them situated in the stroller, and we headed off the Anthropologie for 10 minutes of shopping.

I was in a heavenly place.  The rustic, clean scent of the store and the beautiful clothing and accessories almost had me in a trance.  Until I had to catch the clothes rack before it crashed to the ground.  My dear Reed must have really loved the feel of the adorable pants, because he was desperately trying to take them.  After a couple of sweet mom moments that included a few threats, I almost found myself begging them to be good for just a few more moments while I looked at the new sales items.  My nightmare was fueled by the young employee who kept telling Ryland how cute he was as he ran and climbed under the clothes rack.  Thanks!  He is so cute.  I then realized that my two angels were really putting a damper on my heavenly excursion.  I made a bee line for the door, just as John Chris walked in.

We head to City Hall only to find that the passport office was slammed.  There were 5 other groups of people waiting ahead of us, and I couldn't help but feel bad for them.  As we sat and entertained the boys, we overheard that checks were the only payment method accepted, and that 3 checks per transaction were necessary.  What?  I skimmed back over the paperwork, and the payment section said nothing of that nature.  I had only one check, so we had to make a decision.  I voted to give up and go home, but John Chris didn't think he would be able to get another afternoon off.  He headed to the house to grab the checkbook. 

I did the best I could to keep the boys from tearing that place apart, but there is only such much 2 active little boys could do in a waiting room.  We played with the globe a little before it turned into a pushing contest with the winner knocking it over.  I safely kept Reed from electrocuting himself with any one of the million electrical outlets.  I remembered I had a toy in my bag, so I pulled it out and started entertaining them with the circus zebra that flies out of the cannon.  I really felt great as they argued about whose turn it was to chase the flying zebra.  It was finally our turn, and John Chris walks in right before she calls us over to the desk.  All our paperwork looks great and our documents pass her inspection.  They boys take their photos, and I write out 3 individual checks for the fees. 

We are done.  Task complete.  John Chris is completely overwhelmed in just the fifteen total minutes he was there.  We both agree that MiCocina's dinner and drinks sound perfect.  The craziness only got a worse, and I knew it was time to go when the bus boy walked by our table and mumbled "JESUS" under his breath.  Yes, I would have to agree.  It was a mess.  I attempted to clean up as John Chris paid our tab.  We politely apologized to the tables around us as we head out, and both of the couples smile and laugh as they tell us how adorable the boys are.  I have to agree, but today was just off.

When we arrive home, Ryland starts begging to go swimming.  He immediately starts whining and crying.  I slipped his water wings on, and I made a dash for the pool.  I jumped right in which made him shriek with laughter, because I had my clothes on.  He jumped right in, and Reed followed right behind too.  The three of us laughed and giggled as John Chris snapped our picture.  This was the perfect end to a crazy fun day.