Bake & Play

Bake & Play is a new kids place that just opened up in Lakewood and the boys love going there! It's got a cute indoor play area and of course, baked goods. :) These are a few pics I snapped when we went with O'Neill & his sis Victoria. They always have so much fun with all the activities - climbing through the structure, trains, dress-up, blocks, etc!

Decorating cupcakes!

School Days, School Days

The school year has started again! Incidentally, Ben & Jack love singing the "School Days" song on the way to school, and we also sing "We're off to go to school..." in the car. I love that they request their school songs :)

This year was a lot easier for me, and a little easier for the boys. They were a little teary at drop-off the first week or so, but quickly adjusted and did great. They enjoy school and especially their juice at lunch! This is Ben & Jack on their first day of MDO 2013/2014. How cute are they? :)

Family Fun

I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but Ben & Jack love, love, love their family - and it probably goes without saying, but their family loves them just a little, too. Here are a few cute pics with Gigi & Poppy, Grandma & Pawpaw, & Aunt La.

Summertime Fun 2

We went back to the zoo and had time for the carousel - the boys loved it and had a great day :)

 

 

I'm not sure I would actually include "Potty Training" in the category of "summertime fun," but the pics are cute! We did the 3 day potty training method and it really didn't go so well. Jack actually got it the first day with very few accidents, but Ben had trouble catching himself before he started to go. Here's the thing; I wanted to potty train them to make it easier on myself during pregnancy, but I found potty training to be more difficult than diaper changing, as I had to remind them frequently throughout the day, clean messes/do more laundry, and it made going places more difficult. I see why people wait for boys! I decided to put it off for a while and come back to it when I'm more ready - them, too, I guess :)

 

"Baking" in the kitchen, dancing at Tickles for Toddlers, and dancing to some praise & worship music at breakfast:

 

We forgot to bring our pack & play to Gigi's one weekend, so Ben & Jack slept in Gigi's daybed & pull-out like big boys! They went right down and slept all night without falling off. The next morning we found Ben up on Jack's bed, playing. :)

We also went to the Children's Science Discovery Place in Tyler and had a great time! :

 

 

 

We do "hot dogs" (kolaches) many weekends, and this was the first time J took the boys while I slept in a little. They went in their jammies and were pretty interested in all the different donuts! I think they got a sprinkles & chocolate, but weren't really interested :) Also below, are another lazy weekend morning, and an evening with dad while mom was out - what little dudes!

And for a bonus summertime fun event, Beth & Matt visited from England! It's hard only seeing my favorite friend once a year, but I love getting to see her in person! We had some family/couple time, and we also got some girl time in with Amelia & Hilary while J & Matt babysat :)

Children's Garden

We love our Dallas Arboretum ("aboreta") membership and are thrilled with the new Children's Garden! We got to go to a sneak preview before it officially opened and had so much fun - the boys LOVED it! Jonathan and I frequently talk about how fortunate we are to live in Dallas, especially during this time of so much growth, with so many cultural and family-oriented opportunities/activities to enjoy. We didn't even get to see the whole thing, but J&B didn't want to leave! The toddler area was a hit, as well as all the water features, and they thought the treehouse was pretty cool, too.

Ben & Jack, I love watching your joy as you make new discoveries and have new experiences. There is nothing quite like hearing your delighted giggles as you enjoy something new. What a gift, to see the world through your child's eyes.

2 year pics - a little late!

These were the boys' 2 year pictures from Kimberly Wylie Photography. I won a sitting at an auction, and she is truly fabulous, but I'm pretty sure we are still making payments on the canvas prints from this session! My big 2 year old boys are so beautiful (okay, I will start saying handsome) and I love these pics!

Big Boy Beds!

These milestones are so bittersweet - J&B are ready for big boy beds. They haven't yet attempted to climb out of their cribs (thankfully) but we want to make sure they don't try, either, so we transitioned to big boy beds. The boys got out their handy manny tools and "helped" as we changed their cribs into toddler beds, and they did great! As you can see below, they couldn't wait to try out their new big boy beds :)

The transition went great, much better than I anticipated! The boys climbed right into their beds the first night, and we only had one fall. Ben fell out the first night and when I went in to put him back in bed, as I patted his back and tucked him back in, he said sleepily, "Tank you, mama," in the sweetest, softest little voice, and went right back to sleep. They stay in bed all night and wake up with the sun - what good sleepers we are blessed with! Ben sometimes says "It's time to start our day," or "It's a boo-tee-ful day outside!" - while Jack usually tries to snuggle in bed a little longer. I love these boys :)