Splashing in Kemah

We took full advantage of another weekend at home by not staying home at all! We celebrated one of JD's friends' b-days Saturday morning, and then headed to another friends' house to watch some football in the afternoon. On Sunday we went to church as usual and then headed to Kemah for some outdoor fun. We spent the majority of our time at the fountain splashing around, but we also rode the train, which both kiddos loved. I got lots of pictures of the kiddos splashing around. I think I could tell a separate story for each one, but I'll limit myself to a few...for your sake!

Both JD and Audrey were a little hesitant to get started playing. They watch from the sidelines for a while before Audrey got up the courage to try it out. She walked over to one of the holes, stood on it, and waited. I guess they're smart enough not to spray when you do that, so she waited for a while. Finally, she stepped off, and when it sprayed she stuck her head in! This was quickly followed by a shocked look and running back to Ross and JD. Then she just giggled and took off!

Ross was able to persuade Jackson to move a little closer to check it out, and then Audrey took him by the hand and showed him what to do for a change!

After that, both kiddos couldn't be stopped! They would run around, find a spray of water, stick their heads in, and squeal with delight as they ran back to us. I especially love the picture in the bottom right of this collage where it looks like the boys are all standing around watching the cute, brave girl!

She's a Daddy's girl though!

As I said, I took a lot of pictures. You can find the rest of them in the album.

Bowling

The Sunday before last, it finally rained in Houston! To celebrate (and entertain the kids) we took Jackson and Audrey bowling for the first time! It was a hit. I didn't get very many photos because the lights were off so folks could watch the football game, which Ross appreciated but also meant I couldn't get very good pictures. Instead of focusing on taking pics, we just enjoyed playing the game. The ramp was in use by another family when we first got there, so we taught both kiddos how to bowl "granny-style". Later they got to push the ball down the ramp, which was tons of fun too!

There are a few more pictures in the album.

Sweet Moments

I just wanted to share a few moments from today...

Recently, Jackson has been very interested in playing doctor. He asks if anything hurts and then proceeds to fix us, so I bought him a doctor kit. Today when we gave it to him, he put the stethoscope on and held it to Ross' chest. Ross asked, "What do you hear?" Jackson replied, "I hear God talking!" If you haven't guessed, when Jackson has asked us where God is, we've told him God is everywhere and lives in our hearts. I guess he understood the concept!

Audrey had a first today. She's been asking to sit on the potty lately, and today she actually went! I think we still have a long way to go before we'll be ready to truly potty train, but I love the idea of being done with diapers soon!

Ross has been gone on travel all week for work, so today I got a little break. While I went to a party at my friend, Melissa's house, Ross took the kiddos to the park. They had a great time as you can see, and there are more pictures in the album!

We rounded out the afternoon with a little down time at home that included a hair cut for Jackson, and then met up with our friends, Jennifer, Scott, and Sydney, for dinner at Lupe. It was a great day!

Audrey is 18 Months Old!

Audrey is 18 months old today! It's hard to believe how much she has grown and changed since her birthday. She's talking a good bit now, and loves to imitate EVERYTHING Jackson does...good or bad.

Looking back at the post from when Jackson was 18 months old, they are very similar developmentally. Audrey could probably be drinking exclusively from a cup, but we still give her a sippy cup frequently at home to make our lives easier. They only give her a cup at school, so she gets lots of practice there. She also eats with a fork and spoon really well aside from turning them upside down when they get to her mouth.

Just like Jackson, she loves to dance and sing songs. Her favorites are even similar to Jackson's at this age. I love watching the two of them hold hands and sing Ring Around the Rosie. Audrey likes to fall down almost as soon as they start!

She has also started trying to count, which is really cute. The numbers all sound different and have a particular cadence, but only a few of them sound like the real number.

Audrey loves playing at the park, which we did today with the Fulliloves. The swing, the slide, and the bubbles the Fulliloves brought were given lots of attention! We also visited the geese. Audrey was looking pretty cool with her shades on!

There are a few more pictures from the park in the album.

Labor Day Weekend in Grapevine

We met up with our good friends, The Tims, in Grapevine, TX for Labor Day weekend this year. We rented a 1940's house that was perfect for our stay...aside from a little plumbing problem the first night that the owner had taken care of the next day.

We got there Friday night, got settled, enjoyed some delicious pizza from a local place down the road, and spent the evening catching up.

Saturday morning, we enjoyed relaxing a little before getting everyone ready and heading to Grapevine Mills Mall with the intention of taking the kids to Legoland or the aquarium. The mall opened at 10. We arrived at 10:15 to discover long lines for both places. We were told it would probably be 5:30 before we could get in, so we came up with plan B!

We bought tickets to come back on Monday and decided to let the kids ride the carousel and go to Build-a-Bear, which was a hit! Then the dads graciously took the kids back to the house for a nap while Barbara and I did some power shopping. We got the boys some matching pajamas for that night, which they loved. Here's a shot of the kiddos with their animals, which were named Hunter, Mr. Giggles, and Ah-Ah.

Heath cooked breakfast for us Sunday morning, and we just let the kids play. Then we made our way to the Grapevine Vintage Railroad where we rode in one of the old, Victorian cars to the Stockyards in Fort Worth. It was a 1.5 hour ride one way, and the kids did really well. Their attention was captured by the cowboys that were "robbing" the train! Who knew you'd be given money and a badge when you were robbed on a train?

Here are a few of my favorites of Carter on the train.

The Stockyards were filled with fun. There were rodeo clowns making balloon animals (or swords in our case), a petting zoo, a "jail", and of course, some longhorn cattle amidst all of the stores and restaurants. Each of the kids made their best mad, prisoner face in the jail including Ross.

After watching the cowboys drive the cattle down the street, we watched a gun fight between the local marshall and some riff-raff. The guns were a little loud for our kiddos, but they really enjoyed it despite being startled. The marshall killed the riff-raff at the end, and I think Jackson felt bad for them because he decided they needed a hug, which they gratefully accepted. In return they gave him a spent shell, which he loved!

The next morning we loaded up our stuff and headed back to the mall to get in line for Legoland. The timing worked out perfectly, and we had a blast on the rides, watching 4-D movies, and of course, playing with legos! I didn't bring my camera with me to Legoland, but it was a lot of fun. Jackson and Ross made a car and tested it on the ramps while Audrey played with big, soft legos.

We left at lunch time and headed home. The kiddos crashed while eating, and we had a good trip home despite having to make a slight detour for a wildfire in the median of I-45. We saw 3 wildfires on our way home, and two of them looked very serious. It made all of the news feel much more real to be so close to some of the devastation...praying for everyone involved, as well as for some much needed rain!!!

As usual, there are more pictures in the album.