Thanksgiving 2010

We went camping for Thanksgiving this year. We went to Inks Lake near Austin. We went down on Wednesday and came back Saturday. We met up with Spencer's brother, Trevor, and his family. When we got there on Wednesday, the weather was pretty nice. It wasn't too hot or humid. We set up the tent and got things in order. Spencer did most of the setting up, but Tarren and I helped here and there.

Tarren LOVED it. There was plenty of dirt for him to play with and plenty of rocks/leaves. He was so dirty after the first 10 minutes. Tarren is kind of a clumsy child. He doesn't look when he is walking or running. So, he falls alot. By the end of the trip, his knees were covered in bruises and scratches. When he saw me taking pictures, he kept saying "I smile" and getting in front of the camera. It was cute.

I had Samuel in a carrying thingy. It is called the jellybean. It was quite handy. There wasn't really a great spot to put Samuel down and he wanted to be held. So, I was able to make him happy and still be able to move around and help out.

The first night wasn't so bad. Samuel slept well in the packnplay, but Tarren did not sleep as well. So, he ended up sleeping with me. On Thanksgiving, we woke up to a beautiful morning. We hung around the campsite for a bit and then Spencer, Trevor and the kids went canoeing. Tarren and Samuel statyed in their camper and took a nap. I stayed with them and read a book. The temperature dropped and it got quite cold. We stayed in camper for awhile and when they got back from canoeing we started our Thanksgiving meal. It was so yummy. Trevor fried a turkey. Thursday night was not so fun when we went to bed. We bundled up the kids and put Tarren in a mummy sleeping bag. I think he slept the best of all of us. Samuel didn't wake up until the morning to eat, but I had to get out of my warm sleeping bag and heat a bottle up. That wasn't too fun. The temperature warmed up nicely and we decided to go on a hike on Friday. Samuel fell asleep in the jellybean while we hiked.

Friday night was even colder than Thursday night. Samuel ended up waking up in the middle of the night crying. So, I brought him to bed with me. He is a good cuddler. We slept pretty good. He woke up in the morning hungry. It was sooo cold when I had to heat the bottle. I can say that I am not a fan of camping with a baby on a bottle. When I went out to go to the bathroom, there was ice on the car. So it was pretty dang cold! We packed up and headed home. It was so nice to take a nice long hot shower and sleep in my warm comfortable bed. It was great to see Trevor and his family and spend Thanksgiving with them. I think the kids did a pretty good job of camping. Samuel is teething and was kind of cranky here and there, but overall he was pretty happy.

HALLOWEEN!!!

We decided our theme for this year was going to be the Wizard of Oz. I was Dorothy, Spencer was the scarecrow, Tarren the tinman and Samuel was the lion. We had a blast. We get our pictures done every year professionally. The best part is walking in the store all dressed up. After we took our pictures, we went to the Trunk or Treat at church. It was fun times. Tarren really loved going and getting all the candy. He woke up the next morning wanting his pumpkin. When he got it, he had a look of concern on his face and he said,"mama...where's the candy?" I had dumped it out into our candy basket. I can't wait till next year...I think I already have our theme.

Samuel's 4 month check-up

Samuel went in for his 4 month check-up on Tuesday October 19. Here are his stats: weight - 15lbs - 53%, height - 24.75 - 46%, and head - 17 inches - 75%. He is getting pretty chunky. He is still not as fat as Tarren was at this age, but he is on his way. I can't believe how fast they grow. He is such a happy smiley baby. However, when he starts to get hungry he screeches. It is quite loud. He loves to watch his big brother play and loves to be held.

Samuel's baby blessing and Houston Zoo

Spencer gave Samuel his baby blessing in church yesterday. We had a lot of our family come to it. It was neat because my brother had a audio recorder, so he was able to record the blessing. I can never remember exactly what is said. So, it is nice to have that. We came back to our house for a late lunch. It was a lot of fun and my sister-n-law made this awesome cake.

Samuel in his baby blessing outfit.

Samuel wore the same baby blessing as Tarren. Samuel is on the left and Tarren is on the right. It is interesting how they look a like, but there are also a lot of differences. I love these two little boys! They make life so great!!

We went to the Houston Zoo for labor day. It was a lot of fun. It was hot and humid, but it wasn't as bad as it could be. We had some pretty good cloud coverage. Tarren really enjoyed it this time. Samuel he wasn't to excited. He slept somewhat, but most of the time I ended up carrying him. He really is alert and likes to look around and see what is going on. We rode the train and then we went to eat at Pappas. We left just before the big rain storm came. It was a lot of fun!

Birthday Party and 2 month check-up

We went to Chucky Cheese last weekend for my cousin's son's birthday. It was a little hectic for me because I had 2 kids and Spencer had to work. Tarren wanted to run all over and touch all of the toys. So, I left Samuel with my Aunt while I followed Tarren around. His idea of playing the games is a little different. He wanted to play air hockey, but he didn't want to hit it back and forth. He wanted to keep putting the puck in the slot and getting it out. So, we did that for awhile.

We went to play the skeet ball, but he didn't want to let go of the balls. He wasn't quite strong enough to get it up, so I helped him. However, once the last ball was gone he was very sad. He kept saying over and over, "my ball" and raising his hands like where did they go.

We tried the game where you hit the alligators that pop up. He drop it after a second and I had to finish it for him.

He rode a little ride with the birthday boy, Reese.

It was a lot of fun, but quite tiring also. We enjoyed seeing all of the family and visiting.

Samuel had his 2 month check-up on Thursday. I remember the stats, but not the percentage he falls in. I usually get a paper with the print out, but I had to get his shot record paper and some other papers signed for his daycare. So, in all of the craziness, I forgot his stats. I do remember he was 12lbs, 22 1/2 inches long and his head I think was 16 inches.(I could be off a little) It was funny to watch Tarren in there. Anything the doctor did to Samuel, Tarren wanted done to him. However, when it came to the shots Tarren did not want to join in. He just watched. The doctor said he is growing excellent on the curve and is right on track. The only thing is he is favoring one side of his head, so it it starting to go a little flat. So, we roll up a blanket and put it on that side to make him keep his head to the right. He is growing fast and his personality is starting to come out. He sleeps through the night, but he usually crys for a few minutes when we first lay him down. We had to have him sleeping through the night because I went back to work and it would have been really hard to function if I had to get up all hours of the night.

Yes, he is wearing a "born in 2008" onesie. We recycled Tarren's clothes and he was born in 2008. That is why I don't like to buy clothes that have the dates on them because it doesn't make since if you use them for another kid.

Back to School!

I can't believe how fast summer went! It seems like just yesterday we were getting out for the summer and now it is time to start again. I have to go back for training next week. It is going to be hard to get back into the swing of things. I am so used to just hanging out around the house and not getting ready all day. We finally got Samuel to sleep in his crib last night and to stay asleep the whole night. We will see if it last. I hope it does because I can't imagine getting up through the night once I go back to work. It would be killer. He is almost 2 months and chaning everyday. He is starting to pack on some weight. He goes back for his 2 month check-up in a week, so we will see what his stats are. I love to see their little personalities develop. He is starting to smile more and interact with us more.

Copy Cat

It is amazing how much kids see and copy. Tarren will follow us around and copy what we are saying and doing. Just this morning, I was working out and he was copying my motions I did with my arms. Most of the time it is cute, but there have been a few times that I have found not to be so funny. We were in Wal-Mart the other day waiting in line. There was a brother and sister in line in front of us with their mom. The boy kept hitting the girl and laughing. The girl just shrugged it off and pushed him away. Tarren was watching them intensely and then he turned to me, with a smile on his face, and raised his hand getting ready to hit me. I told him no and he put his hand down and looked at me confused. He looked back at the brother and sister and then back at me. I told him that hitting was not ok. We make sure and clarify with him now about things he sees. We like to watch America's funniest home videos and they have clips of kids that climb out of their cribs. Tarren always is very intrigued by it. Spencer tells him every time we see those clips, "Tarren that is a no no." It has worked so far. It just amazes me how much kids copy cat.