life is beautiful

samuel is nine months!

August 18, 2013kids

oh sam sam.

n i ne months old and what a personality you have!

at n i n e months you keep us on our toes. you have 3 top teeth that we can see now, especially when you giggle. you love music and you dance when you get excited. you still are a huge fan of clapping. you l o v e food. you favorite is to be able to pick it up. sometimes you try to take the food off of your spoon. you love blueberries, avocado, meats, yogurt, baby goldfish, graham crackers, cheerios and even tomatoes! i’m sure the food list will grow just like you ;). sounds like you are a perfect fit for our family. you are sleeping through the night 9pm to 8am most nights. you are ready for a nap around lunch and will usally sleep a few hours. your napping schedule reminds me so much of jacks when he was your age. however, now a days i don’t stress out about specific times, if you go down you go down 🙂 if not, i’m sure it will happen at some point in the day.

{forgive us for the snotty nose pictures… i guess it documents your first cold since last christmas}

you are crawling so fast. pulling up on everything. walking along the things you pull up on is the newest trick. it’s all so new and exciting to you! i love to watch you. you still are attached to your bevo wub a nub. we lost your puppy one so we pray we never lose this one or else we are in trouble. you love playing cars. you really move them back and forth to make them go, it is pretty darn cute to watch. your favorite toy right now is a shake and go lightning mcqueen car. it is so much fun to watch your eyes light up with it. you also love to play with and throw the ball around. you love giving kisses and you are still jack’s littlest, biggest fan. you recently started to crawl up to daddy when he walks in the door to give him hugs and kisses. oh man do you know how to melt our hearts.

nine months is such a fun age!

pictures are getting more challenging, but i’m determined to still try because you are just getting cuter. your hair is insane. daddy is reluctantly letting me trim the hair around your ears and the crazy strings on the backside this week. so i did cherish grabbing these pictures. no worries i know your hair will still be “out” there just not as long on the sides 🙂

you are a very happy nine month old and you never want to miss a beat. we love you so much and can’t get enough of this growing little personality of yours. we love our sam sandwich!

xxoo

“i think i might have found me my own kind of paradise …”

August 6, 2013kids, vacation

well after about 700 + pictures i think we narrowed it down to the following…

i don’t even know how to describe this past week. we looked forward to it for so long. so much anticipation of our whole family squeezed in a beach house for a solid week. it was perfect.

samuel you ate lots of sand. slept a l o t of the time due to so much activity going on around you as well as your f o u r top teeth coming in. jack you had a blast the first day out in the sand. you also enjoyed finding shells and putting them in buckets. i loved seeing all of my siblings, a l l at the same time!

i was also so happy that my aunt and two of my cousins were able to make it as well! it was so perfect!

from the baby girl of the family to the big girls …. there were nothing but smiles!

the lifeguards 😛

almost every evening we had game night for both the adults and the kids, there were such great laughs in this house.

and in the “later” evenings, we siblings got to have some great quality time together.

every morning the sun seemed brighter and brighter, it woke up the babies, the kids, and then all that noise woke up us parents 🙂 gramps would make eggs, we’d have some coffee and laugh about the night before, then it was time to lather up and head out to the beach!

kindle and i couldn’t get enough pictures. it was so addicting with the adorable kids and the beautiful setting. i’m still waiting for her to send some over 😛

oh samuel, this was probably your only time out near the water. daddy came in the night before. you were so happy to see him that morning. you two share something special. i knew i had to get these pictures of your almost not so gummy smile anymore.

the two things we always say about you.

that hair!

those eyes!

your favorite part of each day besides being held by me, or your teething tablets from kindle… the kitchen sink baths.

ohh my emma boo. you and granny have some good stories. i wont share on here. 🙂 let’s just say we had some great times!

my little man jack. this was probably the last chance you gave the beach. you really did love it. and you loved spending time with your cousins on the beach too, especially miss sydney and her musicals.

but after a few morning visits from the blue angels, you were petrified of seeing or hearing a plane outside. we couldn’t get you outside for anything. joshua was your little protector, at one point i tried to get you to come out onto the balcony, when i opened the door joshua ran to me and said…

“no no don’t let jat come outide! there is a TITE wif an AIRPLANE on it!”

oh. my.

we got a kick out of sydney. she is always in her own princess world. one morning i noticed she was out playing with uncle mike. it might have been the cutest thing i had ever seen…

i have to say having tween and teen nieces and nephews is almost more fun than the babies. they were so much fun to hang out with and always so so helpful with our babies!! i love them. the despicable me minions were the theme of the week. the littlest ones were known to get a hold of every phone and/or ipad that gramps and granny would let them have to play minion rush. so we had our own game going with the teens called “hide the minion” we had two mcdonalds minion characters that would be hidden in random spots of the house to make you laugh. if you found it you would hide it some where else.

these boys…

after many more attempts out to the beach, jack still wouldn’t budge. my poor baby decided to just catch up on his sleep.

oh my. jack. i love you so much.

cousin jude was entertainment for all. he’s all smiles and giggles but can sure stand his ground. it was so funny to watch his every move. samuel this was one of your very few chances not in my arms. you couldn’t see me, so you were okay. 🙂

another memorable night, our girls in the family started a tradition at christmas to clap after each gift that is opened. they decided to take it to the beach with an extra loud applause to anyone who walked out to the balcony one night after dinner. they sure had a good laugh when granny surprised them with a grand entrance…

on our last evening with chad and mendy, we celebrated with fireworks and made sure to get our pictures together with our cousins…

and just us f i v e.

jack watched from inside of course.

{another favorite picture that tells us about his week, indoors and perfectly happy.}

another night of surprises. granny found all the girls in her bed, while we watched the lightning show over the ocean… it was so gorgeous.

this balcony held some great memories from beginning to end. we really did share some good times. we laughed, we cried and then we laughed some more 🙂 there is nothing like family, and this week i realized there is nothing like my family and i am so blessed to be apart of it. we are all blessed. i hope it doesn’t take too long before we get to do something like this again. but from now until then, i hope to create more memories for my own little family. because that’s where it all begins.

xxoo

sweet summertime…

July 25, 2013kids

well i cannot believe we are here. it’s a l m o s t the end of summer. we have waited a long, long time for this trip and in just a few days we will be heading out for our first family vacation to gulf shores. the last time we were there it was just daddy and me.

newly weds with no real responsibilities at all…

it’s funny how having you two sweet boys can change us so much. we are so looking forward to our trip. mainly because daddy needs a big break before his next year in school. other big reasons are because we love seeing you guys play with your cousins and let’s face it, christmas isn’t enough family time for the year for this mama… also once we are there, there is no going anywhere! but first we have to brave the long road trip. we will need some prayers!

our summer has been a blast at home. samuel you have grown so much over these last few months. perfecting your crawl, pulling up on toys and furniture and really just trying new things every day. jack, i am in shock every day at how you have just become a little boy this summer. from our conversations each day to you running and jumping off the walls and furniture. oh my. you keep me busy. i love every bit of it.

the next post i’m sure will have picture overload. i can hardly wait!

happy vacation sweet boys!!

xxoo

jack

July 16, 2013kids

our little labrador puppy for the summer.

thanks to you, daddy doesn’t mind spending time watering the yard. you make it so much more fun.

and you think everyone should get in on the fun as well. i can’t get enough of you and your sillyness.

just a few months shy of your t h i r d birthday, i don’t even know how i typed that. you are a hoot. you talk a l o t .

you love to sing and dance. your favorite songs are “the thomas song” the thomas the train theme song, “hey mama rock me” wagon wheel and “the george strait song” give it all we got tonight. you also love to listen to “doggy in the window” on a cd we have but you can easily be talked into a “crunchy song” country song. you love to eat “spiderman treats” aka fruit snacks, yogurt and cereal. you love anything that has an engine. samuel is your best bud. you always make sure he is awake when you are and he goes wherever we go. we couldn’t ask for a better big brother for him. when we wake up in the morning you ask ” did you have a good sweep mama, daddy? yea me too” when we sit down to eat you always say “thank you for the dinner daddy.” your last check up you weighed in at 33 pounds and this mama believes it. you love changing your clothes through out the day, especially when you find a favorite t-shirt. right now its currently a toss up between spiderman, superman and ninja turtles.

last week mama finally got a day to go get pampered. { daddy gave me a gift card back on valentines day and it was every bit worth the wait } unfortunately, when i got back home to you guys, you were in your bed running a fever. you weren’t quite yourself the next day either.

that sunday night we had you sleep in our room. i think that was the key to keep you relaxed and it kept you from really coughing crying and wheezing. the next day we went to see your doctor and it turns out you did have croup. yet again! we are trying some medicine in hopes that you don’t have to go through this that often. it seems like almost every time you catch something, croup comes with it.

you are doing great this week and that makes us all happy! it’s so hard to see you when you aren’t your silly, sweet self. it’s also so hard to tell you to stay away from samuel, so he doesn’t get sick either. you love him so much and he loves you like crazy!

xxoo

eight month post { a week late eek!}

July 16, 2013kids

yes. im sorry sam sam. between brother getting sick and you working on your top teeth, its been a busy house over here. there has been a lot of coughing, crying, cuddling, biting, slobbering in this house this week. better late than never, right?

here you are at e i g h t whole months + one week :).

cute. as. ever.

this was such a fun photo shoot. we all got involved. who could keep samuel in one spot the longest?

at e i g h t months you are sleeping through the night. alleluia!! you have had a few crazy nights but for the most part i can count on hearing your sweet voice around 9:30 am or so. i am really. really. proud of you. you must be tired though. you are a mover! you are finally getting that crawl down.

you are also climbing up on anything and everything.

you are not the easiest to lay down for a nap. they vary from day to day. some days filled with lots of cat naps and others we get lucky with a few two hour naps.

you l o v e trying all kinds of new foods. this mama was so scared to start foods with you and you have almost demanded all food off of our plate and into your mouth. so far you have tried many fruits, veggies, chicken and turkey. you do a great job picking them up by hand. you also do a great job dropping them on the floor.

daddy thinks im nuts when i run to get you after i see you have pulled up on something to standing position. i’ve been saying “oh my goodness, you are too small, you are scaring me!” i just don’t think im ready for all the falls again. even though brother jack has entered a new phase of running into things and falling { for fun }. you think everything he does is funny. the newest thing that can get you to laugh the most… fake sneezing. so this house sounds like we are suffering from severe allergies lately. just to hear your giggles…

{daddy was able to help keep you still for most of the pictures. he’s the winner!}

sam sam, you are growing too fast for us, as is your hair. you have an awesome personality. it’s a very lovey, smiley, and determined one.

we love you so much and can’t wait to watch you grow even more this month!

xxoo

let freedom ring!

July 6, 2013kids

what a wonderful weekend we have had! we started off our independence day just right. we were able to attend mass and thank God for the freedom we have and it was beautiful as always! we then went home to pack up and head out for good ol’ hamburgers and hotdogs at nana and papaws house. sam, you enjoyed your very first independence day watching big brother in the pool. you weren’t quite ready for that yet sweet boy.

after lunch we headed out to brazos country to get a quick little picture with our bff. it was felicity’s first fourth too! samuel, you were amazed by her.

but i don’t blame you, she’s pretty adorable and she can do new tricks too!

gramps and granny had just gotten into town from a fredricksburg trip… so we made sure to swing by and grab some hugs and kisses.

{oh and pictures too 🙂 }

we made it back home in time to get maudie dog in the garage. she is not a fan of fireworks. at. all. the weather wasn’t helping either. this picture is classic. i wanted to grab a few snap shots of you boys before the weather got worse. i ran outside and set up. it was really windy and jack, you wouldn’t step out at all. sam this was your excited face….

and that’s a wrap! indoor pictures will have to do.

especially when jack is almost as scared as the dog when it comes to fireworks. we opted to have popcorn and m&m’s and enjoy them via television. jack you were happy as can be about this!

jack even tried singing along to some barry manilow. oh my. aunt colleen would be so proud!

our neighbors didn’t really get the memo that there should really be a cut off of fireworks after a certain time. we chose to make a pallet and watch some tv until it all died down..

at like o n e a. m. in the morning.

xxoo

“freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. we didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. it must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” ~ Ronald Reagan

everyday updates and outings …

July 5, 2013kids

brought to you by mama’s phone.

summer at our house, the boys got the memo not to wake up before 9 am. they rule.

so the other weekend was a fun filled, family weekend. so much fun, i forgot my beloved camera.

{ still sad about that }

Friday night was our first drive in movie date. to say mama was a little excited was a bit of an understatement. we stopped at a mom and pop burger joint before the movie. it was amazing! we will for sure be back for both the burgers and the drive in. jack you almost made it to the end of the movie, however you crashed the last f i v e minutes. mama and daddy gave monsters university two thumbs up!

that weekend we also made it to an astros game together! we met one of daddys classmates and his family. jack you did not want to leave. i’m guessing we will see many more ball games in our future with you boys.

the rest of our time lately has been spent hanging out in the water… any chance we get.

trying our best to stay cool in this awesome texas summer heat.

xxoo

miss genevieve turns s i x !!

June 30, 2013kids

wow, i cannot believe how fast s i x years can go!

today we celebrated miss evy’s 6th birthday, at no other than a skating rink!

it was so much fun!

i love watching these two!!

jack, im learning you are very good at trying things out! you really wanted to skate. it lasted almost a half loop and you were done. on the way home you said “no i not like skating.” i’m proud of you for wanting to give it a try though!

sam, you had your hair ready for the party!!

little miss sienna, oh how i could just sit and watch her eat. nadia has always said she eats anything and everything. i think samuel may follow her lead in her love for food. he even had some pizza tonight and screamed when i had to dig a big piece out of his little bitty mouth.

love these girls! can’t wait to meet the newest addition in less than a month! whether it’s a boy or a girl, i know he or she will be adorable just like the big sisters!

xxoo

who knew…

June 21, 2013kids

the happiness that t w o boys could bring me…

jack, you have become a bit obsessed with trains lately. “sing the thomas song mama!” is what i hear requested at least 10 times in one day. to say it is your favorite song is probably an understatement. you take the toy trains you have and push them around the grout of the tile in our house. you also have informed me that the stitching on our couch is also a train track…

you love. love. love. to sing. you always ask ” hey whats that you singing?” you try to interpret noises you hear too. that is the funniest. when you ask us questions you usually respond with “oh yeah i like that too” it might be my favorite response ever.

you have amazing bed head. it must be all that sleep you get and you know i’ve always loved how you love to sleep. you are working on saying “excuse me, mama” instead of “hey mama, hey mama, mama, mama, hey mama….. ” it drives me insane but at the same time i find it really comical. you are s t i l l a thumb sucker and a hair twirler. i’ve been really lazy at slowing that habit down. part of me thinks i am correcting you enough through out our day, do i really need to try another?!

you are the best big brother anyone could ask for. you get so excited when sam wakes up and you come and check on him when he is asleep.

it is a blast to watch you guys interact more and more.

samuel, you are on the move and getting faster and faster. we are almost into month eight. i know i’ll write up a post then. but for now, i just want to mention you have got some personality! you found your cry. i think it’s because our extended family poked fun of how quiet your cry was. oh well, you fixed that 🙂 it’s okay, it just has us tending to you a little quicker now that we hear you loud and clear. you love to be held and i love to hold you. (you aren’t quite as heavy as jack was at this age).

you’ve got the best hair e v e r . with two strands that are extremely long. you are smiling a sniffy smile. we can’t get enough of it. my absolute favorite thing you do right now is give kisses. you give the biggest stare and hum your way into a kiss. it makes my heart completely melt over and over and over again.

and last but not least, im treasuring the last of your gummy smiles! those top teeth are so close to coming through!

yep i have two mama’s boys… and i wouldn’t trade a thing!

xxoo

ps. thanks aunt dana for capturing them at their best 🙂 we have so much fun together just wasting time …love you!

everyone loves a texas girl . . .

June 19, 2013kids

i especially love these texas girls….

michaela, taylor, erika and sarah…

it was so much fun to kick back and take photos of you last week! you gals were troopers in this lovely texas heat and of course you looked beautiful! we decided to take these fun photos since michaela just finished her senior year of high school and taylor is entering into hers! time flies sweet girls and the future is all yours!