YO! It's a party!!!

Marcus' 2nd birthday bash was a success! This year we went the 'Yo Gabba Gabba' route! Yup - he is a HUGE fan of this show, as weird as it may be! We had the kiddie pools set up in the backyard to keep the kids cool as they played in the water and the playscape. After enjoying some time in the hot sun for awhile, we then enjoyed some pizza, fruit, and vegetables. Later, cupcakes and ice cream. We were thankful to our friends and family who came and celebrated this special event. From the look on his face, we knew Marcus had a fantastic time! That what it was all about - mission accomplished!

Marcus' 2nd Birthday!

2 years old, already?! Boy how the time has flown by!! It's unbelievable that my son has enriched our lives and made us so incredibly happy in such a short time. It feels like he's been with us forever! I'm going to sound cliche (sp?), but I can't imagine my life without him. I knew that somewhere he was always meant to be in our lives. We are very lucky to have such a sweet boy! So because I can't believe it's been so long, I had to throw in a newborn pic of my little MAN! Looking forward to many more incredible memories you will make for us!

Daddy's Day 2010!

This day was a very relaxed day hanging at the house. I made my husband a simple breakfast and then we were figuring out what to eat for later in the day to wrap up his Father's day. I had his upside down pineapple cake baking in the oven so all meals had to be figured out around the dessert. Being pregnant, I think about my meals quite often.
Then we had daddy open up his gifts, which consisted of the usual, but something he looks forward to getting - shirts for work, undershirts, socks, and a "tool" of some kind (this year a laser thinger ma-jiger). In addition to that, I got him a record player/CD/cassette/MP3 player radio. It's the kind that looks 'old fashioned' I guess you could say. Then I bought him two records - yes, records!- that I found at Half Price books. He really liked his gift and we were so glad about that! Then lastly, it was even more special taking a picture of all of them together because we knew that another little one would be coming soon! I love my family!

Summer Fun!

It's been a long while since I've posted....I think I had all the time and then before I knew it, the time passed. Here's a quick update with this and other posts to come.

Here the kids enjoyed some pool time in the backyard at the beginning of the summer. It's good to get out at our community pool, but we also wanted one to keep in the back because then the kids can run from the pool to the playscape. Much more fun for the kids, and yet much more fun for mommy and daddy because everyone tires themselves out! :) We look forward to more evenings like this!

Celebrate!

This was a very proud day for Analissa, her dad, grandma, and I. This was the day she graduated as a 5th grader and now begins the journey of higher education.

I shed some tears as her principal recited a beautiful poem and then watched as she walked up with grace to receive her "diploma". Then it was just about the overall joy of her primary years. What memories I will have of her first day of Kinder, field trips, her struggles, her accomplishments, and the wonderful teachers she's had along the way.

I am very proud of her and only wish for her continued success as she gets older. Congratulations Analissa!

Strawberry Pickin'!

Today was great weather! Therefore, we took the kids to Marble Falls to pick some strawberries! This was the first time we've done it because we've heard a lot of good things about it, so- why not do it?! We first had a great lunch by the river at River City Grill (also a new place we were trying) and then headed out to Sweet Berry Farms. It was a bunch of fun watching the kids pick strawberries and watch Marcus pick up dry mud! Needless to say he also loved stepping on them too because the bottom of his shoes were entirely red! It was a great day for some fantastic family fun! We look forward to next year's family adventure there because we'll also have our new little one!

Marcus' carrot club

The baskets the Easter bunny had ready for the kids

Easter 2010

Easter was low key, but it was spent with the people who matter the most! We were up earlier than I would have liked, but it was worth it. The kids woke up to seeing their baskets on the table. Elena quickly had a theory of how the Easter bunny got into our house to deliver the baskets. She said he had a special ring that gets him inside to surprise all the kids the next day. Sounded pretty reasonable to me!
After the kids looked through their baskets and sifted through the candy, we were kind of bummed because the morning was misty which made the backyard wet. We knew we couldn't have an outdoor egg hunt, but we waited patiently for it to get better. Once we had breakfast and was sort of just hanging out, it got closer to it being lunch time. I figured we needed to have the egg hunt and not waste any more of the day. The kids were anxious to get to it, too. So, we stuck everyone in one room and Andy and I hid the eggs around the house. Then when they became loose, the kids went crazy! Marcus on the other hand, just grabbed a few eggs and then quickly opened them up to find what was inside - coins!
Before we knew it, the sun had come out it was quickly getting warmer! Of course, that had to happen! But Elena got to play on the playscape for awhile, Analissa was watching the cartoon version of Alice in Wonderland, and all the while Marcus was taking his nap. Unfortunately, Marcus woke up from his nap with a fever, so he's been hanging out on the couch watching cartoons. My poor baby! Then we winded down the night by getting ready for school and work tomorrow. It was a great Easter day, minus the small mishaps. Happy Easter to all!

A Spring 'Break'!

1st day with his cast

Smiling on his first day with his cast :)

We were having such a great Spring Break when halfway through, Marcus had a slip off one of our living room chairs and ended up fracturing his leg. It was the most awful experience I've had to go through. He fell Tuesday late afternoon and didn't recover as quickly as he normally does from him being a monkey. He began to limp and it was difficult for him to walk. By the next morning, he didn't get better so we got him to the doctor's right away. Then we had to go get x-rays and then a visit to an orthopedist. Once there, we waited forever for the doctor to come in and begin all the questions that made me very uneasy. I know it's their job to be thorough because I'm sure she's dealt with some very unfortunate accidents (if you know what I mean), but once you are the one who's under the radar it's very uncomfortable, saddening, and heartbreaking because all you want to do is get your baby better and fixed.

All the while Andy was out of town a few days and wouldn't be back until late that night. Then the next day Marcus would have to get x-rays on the rest of his body. Again, it was a horrible nightmare to see my child go through all this, but he really was fine and great through the whole thing. A cast on his leg was certainly not keep him from doing anything and everything.

He's been such a trooper through these past two and a half weeks. It's more me who was having a hard time with it. But we look forward to tomorrow when he FINALLY gets his cast off! I'm more excited than I think he realizes.