Spring is in the Air

The weather is perfect here in Texas this month. It's sunny and 75-80 every day, and we have been taking full advantage of it. One of our friends hosted a St. Patrick's Day picnic at a park in Roanoke, and the kids had a great time. We played, road bikes, and flew a kite all the while enjoying green snacks and beverages. Hannah had a small mishap while we were playing that involved the removal of her skirt so you will notice that she is pantsless for quite a few of the pics. I'd like to say that she ROCKED those leg warmers and t-shirt, and that pants are definitely optional when it comes to her style :-).

Greyson enjoying his lunch
My favorite baby boy Nolan. He's Lindsey's baby, and he is quite possibly the sweetest boy EVER :-).
Hannah in all of her sassy glory
We brought along our friends Scarlett and Amy (aka - Mimi) to the picnic to join in on the fun. Hannah and Scarlett are best buddies for sure :-).
Weeeeeeeee!
The boys were happy to chase the kite while the little kids were in charge of flying it. Look at all of those handsome boys in green.
Hannah loved it!
Post skirt removal ride with Scarlett
She sure loved this motorcycle. She looked like a little rollergirl.
We also have been working on cleaning up and planting our yard. Greyson has always enjoyed putting on his Diego gloves and helping out. This year, we got Hannah her own Dora gardening set so she could join in on the fun. The kids were thoroughly amused with sweeping off their deck :-).
Hannah with her new "toos." It was so cute. Everytime we would move from one area of the yard to another, she would yell out, "Wait! I need my toos," and she would run to get them before we could start. She was quite the "helper."
Working in the herb garden.
Our seedlings are about ready to be transplanted to the back yard so the kids will have their very own plants to tend to this summer. We plan on making them in charge of watering and weeding around them. It seems like a good way to encourage responsibility and taking pride in our yard. Pics to folllow, and happy Spring everyone!

Catching Up

So I found my little digital camera which had some pics from earlier in the year. Here is my way of catching up.

Hannah and Greyson opened up gifts during the ice storm back in February, and here are some of the highlights.
We found this fabulous little Mexican restaurant around the corner that has an outdoor playground for the kids. This place is officially my new "go to" spot for the Spring :-). LOVE IT!
We spent the day over at our friend, Carrie, Gavin & Hayden's so the kids took a shower together and watched TV in bed before we left. These kids are all OBSESSED with Bubble Guppies.

Planting a Garden

We had the most beautiful weather a few weekends ago so the kids, James, and I planted a little garden while doing some yard work. We planted some sunflowers along with some mystery seeds in this little greenhouse that we will put outdoors once they are a little bigger. Hannah and Greyson each planted 3 and so far they are doing great. I can't wait to share the pictures of them in the yard. Greyson LOVES to check on them every day and see what kind of progress they're making. James and I really do enjoy working in our yard for some reason, and we're looking forward to planting some new things in the coming weeks.

Greyson adding the water and seeds

Hannah doing her share

Greyson was glued to the plants for a while after we first planted them. He kept saying, "Wait Mommy! I think I see something! It's growing!" Patience is hard for us all :-).

More studying. Love this boy!

Wishing you all a happy and healthy Spring.

Riding Adventures

Things have been a bit crazy lately, and I honestly haven't take too many pictures. The good thing is that the ones I did get are SUPER stinkin' cute. We had an afternoon over at Grandma and Grandpa's a few weeks ago, and the kids went on a bike and scooter riding marathon. Hannah got to wear her new Barbie helmet from Grandma, and it just so happened to match her outfit that day (what are the odds :-)). Hannah has discovered a love for scooters, but she hasn't quite mastered the whole push with one foot while balancing with the other. It's pretty funny to watch. Greyson is officially the Big Wheel riding machine! He was doing full 180 skid outs, and I was darn proud. That's how we do! Enjoy.

A Trip to the Zoo

Happy Springtime! Well it may not be officially Spring, but it sure has felt like it here in Dallas lately. James had Monday off for President's Day so we enjoyed the long weekend by going on lots of family outings. We went to this cute park up in Highland Village, fed the ducks, and had a picnic. Sunday, we decided we would head out to the Ft Worth Zoo for the first time. We went with some friends, and we had a great time! Spring time was rampant at the zoo, and we had some close encounters with the wildlife that took some explaining for the kids. It seemed that all of the animals were in the mood for love which was pretty much hilarious for all of us!Greyson pet his first snake, and he took the biggest interest in all things amphibian. I think we usually skip this part of the zoo, becuase we figure that Hannah won't sit still for it or Greyson was too young. Boy were we wrong. Greyson had to show Daddy every single animal in every single aquarium before we could leave the exhibit. Hannah was interested in the big stuff, but then she was ready to move on. Greyson could have spent the whole day there. It would make Grandpa pretty proud since he loves lizards and snakes. Hannah told us that her favorite animal was the tiger or the crocodile, and I guess that pretty much sums up her personality :-). She's feisty!A look at the wildlife


We finished off the weekend by taking the kids to see Gnomeo and Juliet at Studio Movie Grill. I swear I don't think they care what we do if there is an endless supply of popcorn available. We had a great weekend, and we are looking forward to our next adventure!

Cousin Fun

There is one thing Greyson and Hannah love, and that's spending time with their Cousin Cody! The weather has continued to stay perfect so we decided to bask in the sunshine together. We had a great time going to the park, digging in the dirt, and going to lunch before they headed out of town this past weekend. Greyson informed me that Cody is his "best buddy!" This is no huge surprise, but it's still so cute to hear him talk about it :-). Here are some highlights from our outing!

The Check Ups

Since James and I decide to have our kids so close together (totally on purpose ;-)), they both get their special annual check ups with the pediatrician around the same time. AND, since I am awful about updating the baby book I decided I would post the progress here.

Greyson had his 4 year check up a few weeks ago, and he was the model patient as usual. We did a Denver developmental screening, and he was on track with the average 5 yr 2 mo old so that was pretty exciting to hear. He continues to grow and stay at the top of the curve (no surprise there). He was 46.3lbs (95th perc), and he was 42.5" tall (90th perc). I don't think he was standing up perfectly straight for the height measurement, but it doesn't really matter. We know he's a big boy, and we love him! The sad part of the appointment came when they went to do his shots (he got THREE). He has not received any vaccines (other than the flu shot) since he was 2, and he really wasn't all that vocal then. He was very aware of everything that was going on, and when it happened he was heartbroken. After the first one, our nurse Barb rushes in with the 2nd. I don't know if I can adequately describe the look on his face when she gave him the 3rd :-(. He was just crying and asking me why they were hurting him. It just broke my heart, and I was ECSTATIC to know that he will not need anymore shots (again, other than the flu shot) until he is 11 years old. That is just crazy to me to think that he is now officially ready to enter the school system *tear*. I'm not ready to have a kindergartner so it's a good thing I have Pre-K next year to prepare him (and me) for the next step in his educational journey.

Hannah just had her appointment yesterday, and it always surprises me how well she does for Dr. Kaplan. It's like she's going nuts one minute running around and acting crazy, and then she's suddenly this calm, well-behaved child that I don't even recognize. It's SO not fair :-). We also completed a Denver developmental screening for her, and she was on track with most 3 yr 1 mo olds. She's an over-achiever like her mother I think, and I know that chasing and trying to keep up with her smart big brother keeps her moving along. She weighed 27.6lbs (60th perc), 35" tall (80th perc), and her head circumference was 19 1/2" (90th perc). The doctor did ask some questions about her weight gain since she dropped 15 percentage points since her 18 month checkup. They assured me that she was developing perfectly normally and all but that I just need to make sure to keep up with her ever increasing calorie needs. I can switch to 2% milk, but I can't put her on skim milk with the rest of the family. This is a different conversation than we had at Greyson's 2 year check up where they said that he was welcome to switch to skim milk lol. I think it's really just because she is so active and always trying to be like Greyson. She is a great eater, and I think she's just becoming more tall and slender like a big girl instead of my little chubby toddler. I miss having a baby around, but it's so fun to watch them each changing and surprising us every day. They are a wonder, and I feel so blessed to have them.