The Evans Family

Pumpkin carving

2011-12-19T12:02:00.003-06:00

I have more pictures and events to blog about than I know what to do with, so my strategy at this point is to get the "easy" posts done as I have time, and then chip away at the epic posts (i.e. Disney World) when I am a little more motivated to tackle them.

So, back to Halloween...

Pumpkin carving with kids always sounds like more fun than it actually turns out to be. This year, Alex was very excited for me to open his pumpkin, then he took one look inside and emphatically stated, "I am not touching that."

Isaac, on the other hand, dug right in. Problem was, he didn't get the concept of actually removing the pumpkin guts. Instead, he found it much more exciting to pull out a handful of slimy pumpkin only to immediately throw it back in, then he would applaud himself for making a "basket".

Once Mommy had done all of the dirty work and removed the guts, Alex went to town with a Sharpie marker and sketched the face that he wanted me to carve out. He was very proud of his design.

Sad pumpkin :(.

(And here's a gratuitous shot of Mommy's little Zombie and littler Astronaut.)

Little Goldilocks

2011-12-19T08:26:00.004-06:00

So Isaac is 18 months old, and we still haven't taken him for a haircut. I have trimmed his sideswept bangs and snipped away at his mullet, so I think technically that counts as his first haircut. But we have yet to take him for a "real" haircut and chop off his baby curls, and what it really comes down to is that Isaac has the hair that Tim has always dreamed of. I have literally been forbidden to cut his hair, and I'm starting to wonder if Tim's plan is to grow Isey's hair out and turn it into a wig for himself. If that ain't a scary thought, I don't know what is...

Disney World or Bust: Part 3

2011-12-01T09:50:00.000-06:00

Since we were only going to be at Disney World for two full days, we decided to spend the first day at Magic Kingdom and the second day at Animal Kingdom. Magic Kingdom, as promised, was magical. My family went to Disney Land once when I was a teenager, but it was an entirely different experience going with my kids. Although, to be honest, I think I was more excited than they were. And they were pretty excited.

Since we only had one day to fit in all of the fun things we wanted to do, we made a schedule and mapped things out as much as possible. With Alex navigating, armed with a park map and his father's indian sense of direction, we knew we'd be right on track and right on time (too bad Alex is the only one who would get that awesome Sir Topham Hat reference, and he's probably not even going to read this...).

When preparing for this trip, Alex had picked out a special pair of Lightning McQueen sunglasses from Target to wear at the park which, of course, he left at home. So we weren't two minutes into the park before we had to make an unscheduled stop at the overpriced-doodads-and-chachkes kiosk, where A picked up a new set of shades.

Alex scoffs at the mere mention of anything princess-related, but he was super excited to see the castle that appears before the opening credits of all of his favorite Pixar movies.

Isaac, meanwhile, kicked back and went along for the ride. Even if he didn't appreciate the magic of Disney World, he loves to be outside and to watch people and see cool new things.

Our first scheduled stop was Tomorrowland, which promised fun kid-appropriate rides and shows, so we headed that way.

Needless to say, Alex was psyched at the prospect of riding roller coasters featuring his favorite Pixar characters. Word had it that there was an awesome ride featuring Buzz Lightyear up ahead...

Coming up next: Tomorrowland

Disney World or Bust: Part 2

2011-11-15T21:45:00.002-06:00

I have enough pictures just from the bus ride to Magic Kingdom to warrant an entire post. Can't you feel the excitement?

Prediction

2011-11-10T12:15:00.002-06:00

I saw this picture and thought, I know exactly what he's going to look like at 15 years old. Scary.

Halloween '11

2011-11-02T22:51:00.005-05:00

A lot of discussion and debate went down before we finally settled on the boys' Halloween costumes this year. I usually try to coordinate their outfits, but seeing as how Isaac won't wear a hat, a hood, a mustache, glasses, or any other item of clothing or accessory that would make for a good Halloween costume, there weren't many options left. So we settled on AlexBOT 4000 and a punk rocker, which I think worked out pretty well. The only thing that might have made it better is if Isaac would have let me pierce his face. Maybe next year...

Disney World or Bust: Part 1

2011-10-24T21:31:00.002-05:00

Off we go...to Disney World. Me and the boys boarded a plane from Dallas, my family boarded a plane from Chicago, and we all met up at the airport in Orlando.

Since we were staying at one of the Disney resorts, we got to board Disney's Magical Express, which played old Donald Duck cartoons all the way to the hotel. Those Disney people sure know how to set the tone for a fun family vacation!

Things only got more exciting when we got to the resort. There was just a buzz around Disney World that I can't really explain, and we hadn't even made it out of the hotel yet!

More fun to come...

Hooray for fall!

2011-10-23T22:26:00.000-05:00

Things I like best about the fall:

1. Football weather.
2. Being able to play Christmas music without Tim rolling his eyes.
3. That I can finally melt Scentsy's cool weather scents with a clear conscience.
4. That boys' clothing becomes significantly less ugly.
5. Scarves. Lots of scarves.
6. Boots. And tights. And tights with boots.
7. Pumpkins, and food made from pumpkins.
8. Soup.
9. The smell of wood burning.
10. Christmas lights going up.
11. Visits to the Arboretum.
12. Anticipation of the holiday season.
13. Blankets.
14. Playing outside with the boys.

Boys being boys

2011-10-17T22:46:00.003-05:00

Brothers

2011-10-05T21:14:00.002-05:00

A rare moment when neither of them is causing the other bodily harm. Love these boys.

Toddling

2011-09-26T21:16:00.002-05:00

As of a couple of days ago, Isaac is "officially" walking. He's been "sorta kinda" walking for a month or so, where he would take a few steps and then fall down, at which point he'd decide that it was easier to crawl wherever he was going. But it seems that he has finally decided that crawling is no longer the most effective mode of transportation, and here he is, in all his bipedal glory.

Disney World Teaser

2011-09-15T19:45:00.004-05:00

Someday I will post about our awesome family trip to Disney World, but for now, enjoy this sneak peak of Rachel, Isaac, and I aboard our XP-37 space cruiser, blasting away at Evil Emperor Zurg's robot minions with our standard issue laser cannons. What up, Zurg?

Summer '11: fallback career

2011-09-10T13:35:00.003-05:00

Sometimes when the boys are in the bath, I like to play my own version of Hair Battle Spectacular. Now that Alex is sporting a buzz, a 'do that isn't very conducive to creating fabulous hair sculptures, Isaac is my go-to model. I call this particular look the "Cowabunga Cowlick".

Summer '11: Swimsuits are overrated

2011-09-10T13:08:00.003-05:00

On many occasions this summer, we didn't even change out of our jammies before we headed outside to cool off in the sprinkler. As far as I'm concerned, it just meant one less set of clothing I had to wash.

Summer '11 pics: Alex's b-day treats

2011-09-08T23:06:00.004-05:00

The day after his birthday, Alex had donut pops with blue sprinkles for breakfast, then he and Grammy assembled and painted a model airplane that he got as a gift from one of his friends. A fine job, I'd say!

Summer '11 pics: Isaac at the water table

2011-09-07T10:01:00.010-05:00

I'm a little overwhelmed by the number of pictures I have yet to post from this summer, so I think I'm just gonna try to post a few each day instead of doing them all in one fell swoop. This has been a long and hot summer that included lots of popsicle eating, midday baths, road trips, craft projects, science experiments, playdates, and lazy afternoons in the baby pool.

Here are a few cute ones of Isaac at the water table.

Happy 4th Birthday, Alex!

2011-09-06T21:11:00.000-05:00

Sooo...Alex's birthday party. We had it in July at the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field, a little airport that's about a mile from our house. After a grueling photo shoot with Alex (featuring his awesome authentic flight suit that Aunt Rachel sent him from the Air Force Academy), I finally got a good picture for the back of his invitation.

It was nice to have the party somewhere other than my backyard because a) I don't have to clean my house before or after, and b) I'm limited on how many things I can bring and I only have 30 minutes to set everything up so it keeps party planning under control.

I designed a vintage airplane party pack for the decor and made the cupcakes myself, which kept things cheap and easy.

My plan to cover the tables with dozens of paper airplanes made out of scrapbook paper failed miserably because...well...do you have any idea how long it takes to fold dozens of paper airplanes? More time than I had, that's for sure. But Alex didn't care, he was just excited for another birthday party.

The Flight Museum has fun stuff for kids of all ages - a bounce house, toy planes, real planes, a million exhibits, a control tower for the kids to climb, games, books, and a movie theater that plays Jay Jay episodes at the touch of a button. Needless to say, the kids were entertained.

How handsome is my little pilot?

After lots of playing, the kids settled down in the cafe for some cupcakes and snacks.

Another birthday party survived by the Evans Family!

Happy 4th B-day, Alex!

By popular request

2011-08-22T20:51:00.002-05:00

I had finally had enough of Alex's unruly hair, which is plagued with uncooperative cowlicks and requires more hair product than all of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders combined. I mean, seriously, it is absurd that I spend more time doing my four year old son's hair than my own. I figured that a record breaking hot summer was the best time to try out a buzz cut, so Timothy took Alex down to the local kids' cuts place and this is what he came back with:

Luckily, Alex loves his new look, particularly the fact that it "stays down". Which it doesn't. It's just short enough that it doesn't "stick up".

I love the fact that I no longer have to wrestle him to the ground and attempt to plaster his hair to his head while he flails about. However, I may let it grow out again over the fall...when I can hide his bad hair days with a hat...

Isaac's Post-Party/Alex's Pre-Party

2011-08-16T09:14:00.000-05:00

After Isaac's party, we let him open a few of his presents. He got a bear that sang him happy birthday, two recordable copies of Guess How Much I Love You being read to him by both sets of grandparents (totally a coincidence!), a Melissa & Doug froggy pull toy, a Chuck Truck playhouse, and a really cool wooden book handmade by my mom.

Since the boys' birthdays are a month apart and not everyone would be able to come back for Alex's party, we decided to have a birthday brunch for Alex on the morning after Isaac's party.

Alex's "cake" was a donut with sprinkles from our favorite Saturday morning breakfast spot, "Yummy Donuts". Sadly, they know Alex's name there. And the fact that, to Daddy's dismay, he prefers a Hello Kitty or pink butterfly donut over a football one.

After brunch, Alex opened presents that the family had brought. He got all kinds of cool things, including a Cars recordable book read by Grammy and Poppa, a Buzz Lightyear laser gun, and an awesome custom made "board" game that B and Grampa conceived of and constructed.

Tim and I also got the boys a mini trampoline that they can jump on inside. We're hoping it will provide minutes of entertainment for the two of them. Cousin Charlee gave it a whirl for a few minutes herself.

We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and trying to stay cool, and Isaac showed Grampa his popsicle-eating prowess.

Fun times were had by all. Alex's second birthday party, coming up next...

Diet plan

2011-08-09T12:35:00.001-05:00

Alex (pointing at my stomach): Baby in your tummy!
Me: What? There is not a baby in there.
Alex: Well, it's getting bigger.
Me: Thanks a lot. Don't ever tell a girl her tummy is getting bigger. Girls don't like that.
Alex: Well why is it getting bigger?
Me: Probably because I'm eating too much.
Alex: Well then you need to stop eating so much and starting eating just a little.
Me: Thanks for the tip.

Isaac turns ONE!

2011-08-02T22:40:00.001-05:00

As previously posted, my sweet little baby boy turned one last month. We had a fun vintage surf-themed party in our backyard and invited our family and closest friends. I took some pictures, but things are always so frantic before (during and after) my parties that they never turn out the way I want, and I always miss things that I wanted to have pics of. But I did get a few good ones, so I decided to post a few of my favorites, followed by a slideshow with the rest.

Here is the invitation (front & back):

Welcome, surf dudes!

One of my favorite details about the party was this bunting I made with cute, vintage inspired fabric in beachy colors that I had planned to string up around the yard. Problem was, I didn't do a trial run, and the wind ended up funneling the cute fabric triangles into not-so-cute fabric tubes. The solution? My mom came up with the brilliant idea to secure each little triangle to the string with two little strings so the wind couldn't blow them around, then proceeded to tie each one herself. All 189 triangles. Times two strings. Now that's a good Granny.

I bought a big blow up pool, filled some smaller baby pools, and hooked up a good old fashioned Slip 'n' Slide to create our "ocean".

The "Snack Shack":

Party favors (surf-themed rubber duckies):

Some of the party guests:

And of course, the birthday boy, who loved having so many people around to celebrate him and loved his birthday cake!

One of my favorite pictures from the day:

It was a super fun party with friends and family and a great way to celebrate Isaac's first year. Here are the rest of the pics from the day.

Brothers

2011-07-31T22:29:00.003-05:00

This picture is a little old, as in before Isaac had any teeth, but it is priceless so I had to post it. These days, bath pictures would more likely depict Alex dumping water on Isaac's head or Isaac smacking Alex in the face with a bath toy. Brothers...

Boys & Bunnies

2011-07-25T15:42:00.003-05:00

Seeing as how I've yet to blog about Easter, I figured it's still okay to post this picture that has been sitting around my office since April. Isaac, as usual, wanted nothing to do with the furry little monsters, and paid them only enough attention to grab one by its neck and attempt to hurl it as far away from himself as possible. He wanted to do the same thing with the wooden eggs, come to think of it...Needless to say, Alex became The Keeper of the Bunnies and the Eggs, while Isaac's job was to sit still and look cute. Mission accomplished!

Toy to Toy

2011-07-22T08:59:00.003-05:00

I uploaded this second video of Alex reading earlier this month and forgot to post it. The novelty on the whole reading thing has since worn off a little, or perhaps laziness has trumped the excitement of being able to read because he just wants me to read to him now. At least I have a couple of videos so I can reminisce about the good ole days.

Isaac...

2011-07-13T11:56:00.002-05:00

...is one year, three weeks, and four days old.
...prefers older women.

...loves baby tylenol.
...likes to eat with a fork.

...had his last bottle three weeks ago. *Gulp, sniff.*
...can reach everything that you think is "out of reach".
...uses food as hair products.

...will drink out of any sippy cup.

...can drink out of a straw.
...started Mother's Day Out three weeks ago.
..."lights up the room" according to his Mother's Day Out Teachers.

...is starting to make "Alex faces".
...loves when someone wakes him up from a nap, but hates to wake up to an empty room.
...has fun with friends.

...gets excited and yells "Hi Dad!!" whenever he sees a phone.
...rubs his face when he's tired.

...can stand on his own but has no interest in walking.
...has grown four teeth in the last month.

...is a very busy boy.

...has versatile hair.

...usually chooses to color with crayons rather than chew on them. But not always.

...has taken an interest in books.

...is curious.

...still sleeps a lot.
...still loves his paci and his horsie.

...loves to be outside.

...has the sweetest face.

...is going to cause a lot of trouble. But he's going to do it with a wink and a smile.

Beating the heat

2011-07-05T20:18:00.000-05:00

We've been beating the heat here in Dallas by consuming lots of hydrogenated corn syrup and artificial flavorings that have been frozen into convenient little pops. Isaac had his first popsicle a few weeks ago, and despite a few instances of brainfreeze and the rancid look on his face in some of the pictures, he does enjoy the cold treat.

Mr. Potato Head

2011-06-28T16:04:00.004-05:00

Isaac likes mashed potatoes. But whereas most kids like to eat it, Isaac prefers the cleansing and rejuvenating qualities it provides when applied to the hair and skin.

A Day Out with Thomas

2011-06-12T22:48:00.001-05:00

*This post has been a loooong time coming (3+ months), so to preemptively answer your question, no, Isaac is NOT still in his helmet.*

Alex is going on 4 now, and his train obsession that began around the age of 2 is still going strong. Like, he seriously knows everything about trains. He can tell you how trains "couple" together, how the coal heats water and turns it into steam to make the train go, he knows when a train should pull off into a siding and when the station master needs to "change the points". It's unhealthy, really. And while the responsible thing would probably be to stage an intervention, we decided to enable his addiction by taking him to the Day Out with Thomas in Grapevine, TX. Well, technically, Grammy is to blame since she planned the day and bought the tickets.

We didn't tell Alex where we were going, so he was in the dark right up until we walked through the gates. He started to piece things together as he looked around and saw all of the Thomas-y stuff.

Then we shared the news that he was going to get to ride on Thomas, and he just about peed himself with excitement. We had to wait in line for a little while, but both boys were very patient.

The look on Alex's face when Thomas pulled up to the station was priceless.

All aboard!

Here are a couple of videos from the ride.

And what do you do after a ride with Thomas the Tank Engine? Get tats to prove it.

I told Alex that this better be the first and last time he gets a matching tattoo with his grandma.

Alex decided Isaac needed one, too.

A few photo ops and a stop at the gift shop later, our day out with Thomas concluded. Until next year...unless, by some miracle, Alex finds a new hobby...

Brothers

2011-06-04T15:55:00.000-05:00

Praise the Lawyer

2011-06-03T07:11:00.001-05:00

Me: Hey Alex, you're going to meet some new kids at VBS next week, and some of them might not know about Jesus. Maybe you can help teach them.
Alex: Yeah! And I can take your little red book with the verses in it. It's all about Jesus. And God. And the lawyer.
Me: The lawyer?
Alex: Yeah, the lawyer.
Me: Who's "the lawyer"?
Alex: He's the one who takes care of us.
Me: Do you mean the Lord?
Alex: Oh right. The Lord.

Upping the ante

2011-06-01T19:44:00.004-05:00

So the flashcard thing was pretty impressive and all, but Alex raised the bar tonight by making it through a Level 1 reader in record time. We've literally only read through it a few times, but tonight he was especially motivated to work on the words he didn't know, and I ended up videotaping him because he was doing so well.

When I stopped taping and we watched the video together, his reaction when seeing himself read a "real book" was absolutely priceless. He grinned from ear to ear, practically bursting with pride, and said, "I'm just so excited that I can read." Then he hugged me tight and said, "Thanks for videotaping me reading, Mommy. But don't send the video to anyone else because then I won't be able to watch it anymore." I assured him that we could share it with other people and still be able to watch it whenever we wanted to. He liked that idea.

So without further ado, here is Alex reading "Thomas and the Jet Engine".

Isaac...

2011-06-01T11:35:00.005-05:00

...is eleven months, two weeks, and one day old.
...adores his daddy.

...won't have to gum his wedding cake. His upper left and lower right teeth have finally busted through, and their counterparts will likely follow.

...does not like dogs unless they are of the stuffed and inanimate variety.
...crawls and cruises.
...requires his blankie, paci, and horsie at bedtime.
...loves to draw on a Magnadoodle.

...is a good sharer.

...often hears, "Ay que lindo!" spoken in his direction when we're in public.

...likes to play in the toilet. Specifically, he likes to throw the toilet paper roll into the potty and fish it back out again. Luckily he also likes to rummage through the cleaning products, so it all works out.
...is not fond of hats. Ironic since he spent a quarter of his life wearing a helmet.

...will chew on anything.

...has an unorthodox bottle-holding method.

...holds long conversations, although I have no idea what he's saying.
...has good hair. That makes one of us.

...loves to eat. Just put his food on his tray and back away slowly, or you're liable to lose a hand.
...eats the same things his brother does, which means one less meal for mama to make.

...has been introduced to baby gates. Doesn't love 'em.

...likes to turn his bottle upside-down and watch the contents drip out.
...can stack blocks.
...claps on command.
...gives high fives.
...loves a nice, sunny day.

...will be golden brown this summer, despite multiple layers of 50 spf sunscreen.

...and his brother will soon be conspiring against me.

...wishes his baby swing would go higher.

...hollers loudly and often, mostly just for the fun of it.

...hasn't gotten the devoted nightly reading time his brother always has, mostly because he'd rather sleep than read. Planning to remedy that soon...

...is so full of joy that it often overflows and spills out of his face.

Hooked on Phonics

2011-05-29T20:40:00.002-05:00

Alex can read! So he's not breezing through chapter books or penning novels...yet...but he can breeze through most of his flashcards and sound out the ones he doesn't recognize. And lest ye think I am one of those demanding parents that forces their child to study for five hours a day before letting them eat or play or use the bathroom, let me assure you, that only happens Monday through Friday. He totally gets the weekends off.

Brothers

2011-05-27T19:50:00.001-05:00

household staples

2011-05-15T14:51:00.004-05:00

Me: Hmm, what else should we sell in our garage sale?
Alex: How about an x-ray machine?
Me: Um, we don't have an x-ray machine.
Alex: Well, we could go buy one.
Me: You think we should go buy an x-ray machine so we can sell it to someone else?
Alex: Sure! Everyone needs an x-ray machine!

repairs needed

2011-05-10T15:08:00.002-05:00

Alex: The mail is taking forever to get here!
Me: That means you need to have more patience.
Alex: I know, but my patients aren't working!!

Stuff dreams are made of

2011-05-09T17:14:00.003-05:00

The boys entertained each other for over thirty minutes while I made dinner tonight. And it was just as wonderful as I had imagined it.

Isaac...

2011-05-05T21:31:00.002-05:00

...is 10 months, 2 weeks, and 4 days old.
...loves to clean up. If he takes something out of a box, he has just as much fun putting it back in.
...bats his friends in the head with his giant bear paws when he's happy to see them.

...usually gets a bath after dinner. For obvious reasons.

...may be gumming his food 'til he's twelve.

...has an infectious smile.

...wails like a tornado siren when he's ticked off.
...has forgotten that he ever couldn't crawl.

...is often standing up in his crib when I come get him after a nap.
...will say "hi"on command. Or when he sees someone worth greeting.
...will eat cereal or goldfish out of a snack trap. Awesome.
...is in the dreaded, "loves to play in the dishwasher when mommy's trying to load it" phase and the "stands up every three seconds in the bathtub" phase. Not awesome.

...has discovered Alex's train table. Things are about to get interesting.
...has turned diaper changing time into an aerobic activity.
...only stays still when he's sleeping.

...is not as innocent as he appears.

...doesn't like to be left alone.
...has twice as much hair now than he did a month ago.
...feeds Murphy from his tray when he's done eating.

...laughs at most things. Even the not funny ones.

...takes 2 naps, goes to bed at 6, and has been sleeping in. Hallelujah!

B, the boys, and some blocks

2011-05-05T11:41:00.002-05:00

Happy Thoughts

2011-05-02T00:03:00.001-05:00

My last post was such a drag that I figured I had to follow it up with something uplifting. Of course, this post will be bittersweet, all things considered, but let's focus on the sweet instead of the bitter, shall we?

Shortly after dad's diagnosis in March, my family came to The Big D for a visit. My mom flew in first and spent some time with us and the boys. Isaac showed off by doing what he does best, things like being really cute and doing funny things and being really happy. He also discovered Alex's Smart Cycle and thought he was the baddest thing on two wheels. I told him that would be true if he had a badder helmet than his boring white one with the lame shamrock sticker, like maybe one with flames or a skull and crossbones. Then he headbutted me.

Mom loves to give the boys baths, and the boys love to take 'em, so that worked out nicely.

My dad and my Grandpa Poppo road tripped in a few days later. While we were catching up in the living room, Alex had gone into the garage to ride his bike, and when I went to check on him, this is what I found:

I managed to take a picture that doesn't really capture the gravity of what was happening, so I'll have to describe it for you. Those pipes to the left are attached to the top of the hot water heater, and the white stucco wall in front of Alex is the partition around the half bath in the garage (don't ask). The boxes to the right are stacked up to no less than twelve feet off of the ground. So to put it into perspective, that would place Alex's head somewhere around the ten foot mark. Evel Kneivel Jr. had scaled a pile of empty boxes that we had stored in the bathroom to see how high up he could climb. Answer: 10 feet. Of course he didn't think far enough to wonder how he would get back down. After taking pictures of him and laughing while he calmly stated, "I need some help, I'm really scared", I called the rest of the family in to witness his feat before helping him down.

The first day they got here was beautiful, so we spent some time outside. Alex was very excited to play "Wrestle House" with Grandpa.

Isaac would have loved to play Wrestle House, but he hates the grass, so he sat this one out.

He got his own bonding-with-Grandpa time when we went back inside.

He got some bonding time with Poppo, too.

After they had gotten one day of relaxation under their belts, I put my folks to work. By now, they really should know better than to expect that a trip to our house is going to be a vacation. Because matching the energy level of two very busy boys isn't challenging enough, I roped them into helping me assemble a big wooden swingset that we had bought the week before, which ended up being a fun, if exhausting, family project.

The reviews for this particular swingset claimed that it would take 2 people 8 hours to assemble it. As Poppo said, it really takes 4 people 16 hours to put the thing together. We ended up taking two days to finish it, but we finished, and it didn't fall down when Alex climbed on it. Success!

Even little Isey got to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

We spent the rest of that afternoon enjoying the nice day.

Unfortunately that was the last nice day of their visit. I had promised 80 degree temperatures and sunshine, and the rest of week brought 60 degree temperatures and rain. Oh, and did I mention both of my parents came down with the stomach flu and had to be quarantined in the hotel for two days? Yeah, that wasn't on the agenda either. But it did mean that Poppo got lots of time to hang with the boys and gave him a chance to brush up on his Pacman skills.

It was really hard to see them go at the end of the week, but we decided that this was the first of many opportunities to create good memories. I'd say we succeeded.

It's gettin' heavy up in here

2011-04-30T20:25:00.003-05:00

So...I've been putting off this post because it means I will have to talk about my dad's ALS diagnosis, a topic that totally makes me want to wretch. But I'm only delaying the inevitable, so whatever, let's just do this.

My dad has been diagnosed with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, which is a rapidly progressing degenerative brain disease that affects the motor neurons, and to put it crudely, it suuuu-uuucks (meant to be read in a high-pitched sing-song voice). I was going to try to paraphrase the symptoms and describe the prognosis in the most sensitive way possible, but I finally gave up and decided to post the following excerpt from the ALS Association.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.

As motor neurons degenerate, they can no longer send impulses to the muscle fibers that normally result in muscle movement. Early symptoms of ALS often include increasing muscle weakness, especially involving the arms and legs, speech, swallowing or breathing. When muscles no longer receive the messages from the motor neurons that they require to function, the muscles begin to atrophy (become smaller). Limbs begin to look "thinner" as muscle tissue atrophies.

Although the cause of ALS is not completely understood, the recent years have brought a wealth of new scientific understanding regarding the physiology of this disease. While there is not a cure or treatment today that halts or reverses ALS, there are significant devices and therapies that can manage the symptoms of ALS that help people maintain as much independence as possible and prolong survival. It is important to remember that ALS is a quite variable disease; no two people will have the same journey or experiences. There are medically documented cases of people in whom ALS ‘burns out,’ stops progressing or progresses at a very slow rate.

He was diagnosed back in March, and so many things have transpired since then. It's one of those things that happens to other families, not your own, and months later we are still devastated, overwhelmed, and unable to fully accept the reality of the situation. One of the hardest things about it is the uncertainty, which makes it really hard to plan for the future. Some people live 2 years with the disease, and a small percentage live 20 years or more. There is no way of knowing whether he will be in a wheelchair a year from now or if it will take many years for his body to break down.

Whatever the case, they plan on selling the home that we grew up in, among other things, and it is likely that my dad will stop working as a full time home builder in the next month or so. We are in the process of organizing several fundraising efforts so that they will be able to live, pay high insurance premiums, afford alternative treatments that insurance will not cover, and hopefully raise enough that they can go on some fun trips while dad can still get around.

My mom is putting on a huge fundraiser at the end of May, so I will be heading to Peoria for a few days to help out and spend some time with my family. I am trying to finance a family trip to Disneyworld for the end of August so that the boys can have a magical vacation with their grandpa, so I have reopened my Etsy shop and I'm busting my butt to fill orders after the kids go to bed at night. I am also sending more designs to PaperBox Press, so if you know anyone looking for party invitations, birth announcements or stationary, send them my way, would ya?

For more info and updates about dad's treatments and fundraising efforts or to donate, you can check out our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/HelpTracyKickALS. I have also added a donation button to the top right side of my blog if anyone is so inclined. And if financial contributions ain't your bag, a few prayers thrown our way would be greatly appreciated, too.

Thanks so much for your support.

XOXO
Sarah

Stealing the Show

2011-04-29T11:48:00.004-05:00

Here's a little video from Alex's Spring choir concert on Wednesday. I took it with my Flip camera so it's a little far away and blurry. But don't worry, you may not be able to see him, but you will definitely be able to hear him.

Introducing...

2011-04-20T20:29:00.004-05:00

...Isaac's new head!

As of last Friday, Isaac is officially helmet-free! He wore his band for a grand total of 12 weeks, and he is now the proud owner of a beautifully, expensively, perfectly roundy round head.

They took before and after pictures to document the change, and there are several things that strike me as I look at the pictures: a) Isaac's torticollis was a lot worse than I thought, b) his head was a lot more lopsided in real life than it appears in the "before" pictures, c) he has grown up so much in 3 months, and d) my kid is insanely cute from every angle.

God is not a couch potato

2011-04-16T20:25:00.004-05:00

Alex and I have had a lot of profound theological discussions lately. Tonight, we covered this compelling topic:

Are there TV's in heaven?

A: Are there TV's in heaven?
Me: Ummm...I don't think so, buddy.
A: Well, how do you know there aren't TV's in heaven if you haven't been there?
Me: Good point. I guess there could be TV's in heaven.
A: What does God like to watch on TV? He probably doesn't watch Thomas movies...
Me: Even if there are TV's in heaven, I don't think God is sitting around watching TV. He's very busy and has a lot more important things to do than watch movies all day. God is not a couch potato.
A: Ha ha, couch potato......are there couches in heaven?
Me: Probably not, because like I said, God doesn't sit around watching TV.
A: You can still be a couch potato if you're sitting on the floor.
Me: Touché.

redefining "tough"

2011-04-11T18:42:00.008-05:00

Me: Hey Alex, what do you think of the new shoes I got?
Alex: Are they for me?
Me: Um, nooo...
Alex: Can I try them on?
Me: I guess so.

Alex: These shoes are scary.
Me: They're scary?
Alex: Yeah, 'cuz they're really tall.
Me: Your dad's reaction when he sees you in those shoes is what's going to be scary.
Alex: But they fit me!
Me: Sort of...you can get your feet in them, I guess.
Alex: Hey, I can walk in them, and now they're not scary anymore!
Me: They're not?
Alex: No, because I'm tough!
Me: Yeah. You're tough.

Isaac...

2011-03-26T20:24:00.000-05:00

...is 9 months and 9 days old.
...is occasionally the grumpy one.

...is usually a sweetheart.

...wakes up at 5am, no matter what time he goes to bed, usually with a stinky diaper.
...makes boy noises.
...is loud. No, I mean like, really really loud.

...should be hired to do the baby version of the "WWWAAAAZZZZUUUUUPPP???" commercials.

...loves kiwi, deli turkey, applesauce, mum mums, chicken nuggets, mandarin oranges, cheese, yogurt, blueberry waffles, macaroni and cheese, pasta, peaches, and hot dogs.

...would survive solely on Gerber Graduates Lil' Crunchies if I would let him.
...makes a mess when he eats.

...does a great "white trash baby" impression. If only onesies came in a "wife beater" version.

...still has no teeth, still acts likes he getting 'em.

...loves to play in water.
...makes hilarious faces.

...likes to rummage through trash cans.
...hears the word "no" more and more often these days.
...has an athletic build.
...wears 18 month clothes.

...outgrew his infant car seat, but LOVES his new big boy one.
...can crawl on carpet, but has a hard time on hardwood.

...loves to swing outside.
...dances and sings when he hears music.

...can pull himself up to stand, but doesn't do it often.

...hasn't found a sippy cup that he loves.

...has started to hold his own against Alex. A will rue the day he picked on his giant little brother.
...has no greater joy than spending time with his brother.

Isaac...

2011-02-27T20:46:00.003-06:00

...is 8 months, 1 week and 3 days old.

...loves to wrestle his brother (and usually wins).

...is starting to have an opinion. And I'm not sure how I feel about that.

...is curious.

...does not love his carseat.
...may be experiencing some separation anxiety.

...is very impatient when he's hungry.

...has been waking up at night for no apparent reason. I'm praying it's just a phase.
...still loves bathtime.

...will always stick his hands in his poop when you change his dirty diaper. If you try to give him a toy to keep his hands occupied while you're changing his dirty diaper, he will stick the toy in his poop.
...let's you know he's finished eating by punching the bottle and/or spoon out of your hand.

...throws his head back when he laughs really hard.

...loves his daddy.

...has finally started to hold his bottle.
...still flirts with baby food, but has fallen madly in love with finger foods.

...still has no teeth.

...will chew anything he can get his gums on, including, but not limited to: wood chips, stickers, the dirty plastic covering around newspapers, shoes, his brother's trains, and dust bunnies.

...scrunches his nose when he smiles.

...thinks standing up is, like, the coolest thing ever.
...waves and says, "hi" with a southern accent.
...should have a sore face from smiling so much.

...is a percussionist extraordinaire.

...has a very effective technique of scooting around the house on his belly.

...totally wigs out when his helmet comes off.

...likes to headbutt things. Don't go in for a kiss unless you wanna come out with a bloody nose.

encouraging bad habits

2011-02-17T10:22:00.003-06:00

Alex and one of his Christmas presents. I don't like to think of it as "playing with his food". I like to call it "culinary creativity".

My funny Valentines

2011-02-14T13:44:00.006-06:00

If it weren't for a hacking cough and runny nose that kept him home, Alex would have handed these out at his preschool V-Day party this morning:

Instead, me and my boys spent a leisurely day at home.

Return of the Primms

2011-02-13T21:30:00.003-06:00

The Primms came for another visit back in January, and this time, Alex was completely unburned and unblistered and without catastrophic injury of any kind. Off to a good start!

Seth had gotten Joy tickets to see Jim Brickman and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for her birthday, which meant we got to hang out with Oliver and Sullivan all night while their parents were out on the town. But not without having a light saber fight in the backyard first.

Once the boys had defeated {insert favorite Star Wars bad guy here}, we spent the rest of the afternoon playing inside.

Then we sent the gorgeous 'rents off for their fun evening.

The plan was to feed the boys dinner, let them decorate brownies for dessert, then give them baths and put them to bed. What I didn't realize is that brownies take forever to bake, so we improvised. The boys decorated their brownies, had baths while the brownies were cooking, then they ate the brownies in their underwear so they wouldn't get chocolate on their jammies.

And then the strangest thing happened...after feeding the boys fudgey, chocolatey brownies topped with handfuls of sugary candy, they started to act really goofy.

Somehow we got them all to go to bed shortly after dessert. Thank goodness for sugar crashes! Their visit ended too soon, and now we are planning a road trip to NWA. Be afraid, Primms! Be very afraid!!

At least he's wearing a helmet.

2011-02-09T08:41:00.006-06:00

I blame the media.

2011-02-08T15:20:00.007-06:00

So I just had a pretty heavy conversation with my 3 year old. Here's how it began:

Me: Man, Alex, you need a haircut already. I think I'm just going to have to start cutting it.
Alex: No, I don't want you to cut it.
Me: Why not?
Alex: Because it will look silly, and then everyone will laugh at me.
Me: What do you mean? Who would laugh at you?
Alex: Everyone at school would laugh at me.
Me: Do kids at school laugh at people if they look silly?
Alex: Yes, they laugh at people who look different.
Me: What does different mean?
Alex: People who don't look how they're supposed to.
Me: Well, who decides how people are supposed to look?
Alex: Everyone!
Me: So how are people supposed to look?
Alex: Not silly!

He went on to say that he would be sad if his friends laughed at him because he was "different", and when I asked if anyone had ever laughed at him because he looked silly, he said no. I asked him if he had ever laughed at anyone else because they looked silly, and he said no (although I'm not entirely convinced that's true). Then we started to talk about how people think of "silly" in different ways, and how it is not up to anyone to decide what anyone else should look like. He told me he knew that laughing at people was not a nice thing to do, but when I asked him if he would still play with his best friend if his friend got his hair cut in the shape of moose antlers, he told me no. Then I asked him if I got a silly haircut, would he still love me, and he told me no. Ouch. I then proceeded to explain that I would love him if his hair looked silly or if his face turned blue or if he grew elephant trunks out of his ears because family and friends love each other no matter what they look like. He looked skeptical.

I rambled on and on, explaining that God makes us all different, that we should never dislike someone because they look different or dress funny or have "silly" hair, and that we definitely should never laugh at other people because it hurts their feelings. I even suggested that if his friends were laughing at people, he could say, "Hey guys, laughing at other people isn't nice". He told me he wouldn't say that because saying that would make his friends sad.

Now, I'm not taking any part of this conversation too seriously (except maybe the part about how he won't love me if I get a bad haircut...), but I am left wondering, should my 3 year old already be worried about whether he'll conform to arbitrary standards of silliness set by other preschoolers? The fact that he's even thinking about it makes me a little uneasy. Aren't 3 year olds supposed to be footloose and fancyfree? Aren't they supposed to be worried about whether they'll get their favorite swing at recess or the biggest slice of apple at snacktime? I was hoping I wouldn't have to address self-esteem issues until puberty.

Is this normal? Is my child overly sensitive? Or am I making ado about nothing? Preschooler moms, please weigh in...

Isaac...

2011-01-31T20:20:00.000-06:00

...is seven and a half months old.
...has been introduced to solids. They have fallen in love and plan on running away together.

...crosses his legs at his ankles when he is relaxed.
...still loves a bath.

...needs a lot of baths.

...always kicks his legs when riding in his umbrella stroller.
...rarely keeps his shoes on for long. It doesn't stop me from trying.
...has "unacquired" a taste for Enfamil Gentelease formula, switched to regular formula, and now he farts like a Howitzer.
...likes to clap, mostly for himself.
...jabbers, mostly incoherently, although he says "ba-ba", "da-da", and "ma-ma" a lot. He's not referring to me, but I'll take it.

...has a lower voice than his brother. And his dad.
...laughs like Beavis and/or Butthead when he's doing something he's not supposed to.

...almost always has his tongue out.
...chews on stuff.

...loves to sing and dance and play the guitar and the drums.
...is as sweet as he appears in pictures.

...isn't crawling yet, but still gets around.
...is extremely ticklish, especially on his back and under his second chin.
...is very tolerant of his brother's antics.

...is insanely, disgustingly, melt-your-face cute.
...does, in fact, get grumpy on occasion. At least a couple of times a week.

Pre-Christmas '10

2011-01-30T21:49:00.000-06:00

Back to Christmas. We went to Peoria for Christmas this year (more on that eventually...) so we had pre-Christmas Christmas at our house with the Evanses the week before Christmas. At Christmas time. Did I mention it was Christmas?

While Isaac had a little breakfast with Poppa, Alex helped Grammy sort out the presents that Santa had left under the tree.

Isaac jumped right into the present-opening, and with a little help from Big Brother, he unwrapped all kinds of fun, new toys.

With a little help from Murphy Pup, Alex also opened lots of fun, new toys.

It appears that both boys avoided the naughty list this year, which doesn't surprise me about Isaac. Alex, on the other hand...looks like Santa let a few things slide. Whatever the case, both boys scored big time.

The grandparents didn't score quite as much, but I did make Grammy a scrapbook of her grandkids, my very first scrapbooking experience, which I enjoyed very much. I think Grammy enjoyed her scrapbook very much, too.

Timothy also got us all tickets to watch the Arkansas game from the TK suite at the American Airlines Center. The boys had a good time watching the game for a while, then found other things to do.

And that pretty much wrapped up our first Christmas celebration of '10. A week later, we packed everybody up and hopped a plane to Peoria, which I hope to post about soon. Ho ho ho!

Po' little ole Evans child

2011-01-22T16:23:00.002-06:00

As mentioned, Isaac is now the proud owner and wearer of a fabulously stylish and flattering DOC Band. He has been wearing it for 3 days now and has been doing great.

He got used to it right away and it doesn't seem to bother him at all. In fact, the only time he seems to notice it is when he's tired and tries to rub on his head and finds a big hunk of plastic instead. At that point, he usually tries to tug it down over his face, only to discover that wherever the helmet goes, his head goes, too.

He wears it for 23 hours a day, the one hour break being bath time and helmet-cleaning time. We can only clean it with rubbing alcohol because the inside is porous and will absorb water and soap, which can irritate his baby skin. We also take it off for his neck-stretching exercises throughout the day, but he basically has it on all of the time. He sleeps fine in it, which is a huge relief, and it hasn't bothered his skin at all, aside from making his head sweat profusely.

We had to pick Alex up from school after Isaac got his helmet on Wednesday, and it felt a little weird to take him out in public the first time with his new "accessory". But it turns out that everyone knows someone who's kid had to wear a helmet, so that helped soften the blow to my ego. And the people who weren't familiar with it were nice enough to ask questions, which was much less awkward than if no one had mentioned the big, white elephant in the room. You know, the one on my kid's head?

Speaking of the big, white thing on my kid's head...I plan to do something to make it appear a little less big and a little less white, but I have no idea what. I'm sort of overwhelmed by the possibilities. The frontrunner at this point is to cover it with decals and logos and leave a big space on the back with the words, "Your ad here". Then maybe that sucker can pay for itself.

End of the year events

2011-01-19T21:28:00.000-06:00

Yeah, so it turns out the holiday season doesn't get any less busy when you have two kids. I was totally stressed by the end of the year because Timothy was working 24-7 trying to bill as many hours as possible before year's end, leaving me to single-parent two little boys, to buy, wrap and ship Christmas presents for our whole family, to design, take pictures for, print and mail Christmas cards, and attempt to maintain some semblance of a livable household.

And what is the most logical thing to do when you are completely overwhelmed by the chaos of the holidays? Host parties at your house, of course!

We had three "get-togethers" in November and December, including a Playdoh Playdate with a few of Alex's friends, we had Charlotte over decorate gingerbread houses, and we attempted to get half a dozen 3 year olds to decorate cookies without eating all of the decorations. Attempted and failed. In fact, when we explained to the kids that the objective of the party was not to see whether an entire bottle of sprinkles would fit into their mouths, they left to find something more interesting to do. Basically, the kids ended up running around the house while the moms did the cookies, so I don't have a single picture of a single child decorating a single cookie. Maybe next year...

I tried to embed a slideshow of the events from my Flickr page...another failed attempt...so I have posted a few of my favorites from our gingerbread party, and you can see the rest here.

Sing Along with Isaac

2011-01-14T14:48:00.000-06:00

Big Baby

2011-01-12T10:37:00.007-06:00

Isaac had his appointment to get measured for his DOC band (aka Helmet aka Lopsided-Head-Fixer) last Wednesday and his 6 month check up last Friday, so here's the skinny on all of that.

He'll get his helmet on the 19th of this month and will have to wear it 23 hours a day for what we're hoping will be just 10 weeks. I will have to take him to the clinic weekly to have the helmet lining shaved out, which is how they make sure that everything is growing at the same rate and in the right shape. The hope is that his head will be perfectly round before he outgrows his helmet and needs a new one. Our egos and our pocketbooks may not be able to handle that contingency...

In the Good News department, Isaac is huge and healthy and happy and...did I mention huge? He measured in at 28 3/4" tall (above the 95th percentile), weighed 20 lbs. 10 ozs. (93rd percentile), and his head measured 18 inches (also 93rd percentile). So what this tells us is that a) he is consistently and proportionately humongous, and b) he is more humongous than his brother was. He has almost two pounds and over an inch on his big brother at 6 months, so I'm pretty sure Alex will rue the day he decided to treat his baby brother like a crash test dummy.

Everything else checked out great, too, so Isaac is in tip-top shape aside from his wanky noggin, which isn't a health issue anyway, and won't be an issue at all three months from now...Lord willing. Praise God for healthy kids!

Brothers VIII

2011-01-05T19:25:00.000-06:00

Roll the blooper reel

2010-12-21T20:42:00.001-06:00

The only thing worse than doing a high-pressure photoshoot with one little boy is doing it with two of them. Let's just say I'm not a very nice mommy when forced to pose and primp two tired and freezing cold kids, getting them both to look at me and smile at the same time, and trying to capture a single moment in time with my camera while keeping the little one from tumping over and planting his face into the ground.

This year's Christmas card photoshoot was no exception. And while I never did get the fabulous shot I was hoping for, I got a few that were good enough, and those were the ones that ended up on our Christmas card this year. Et voila.

By now, most of you have received our Christmas card and have already seen these pictures. But what you haven't seen are the many pics that didn't make the cut. Here are my favorite misfit photos (totally untouched, so don't judge me...) straight from the cutting room floor. Enjoy!

Isaac...

2010-12-21T19:31:00.001-06:00

...is 6 months and 4 days old.
...is sitting on his own (my favorite milestone, I'm totally psyched).

...sits in a high chair at restaurants (awesome).
...sits in the front of the grocery cart (Praise Jesus).
...still loves a bath.

...has graduated to a big baby bath tub.

...sports a natural faux hawk.

...gagged every time I tried to feed him rice cereal, so I skipped ahead to baby food.

...LOVES baby food and has no problem eating whatever delicious fruit or veggie puree I stick in his face.

...likes to grab for the spoon when I'm feeding him and ends up with more on his face than in his mouth. Perhaps that's why his skin is so perfect.

...enjoyed his first Neiman's Christmas parade this year.

...has the sweetest face on the planet.

...smiles 90% of the time.

...laughs 75% of the time that he's smiling.
...thinks almost everything is funny. Especially his brother's face.
...is big. And heavy. And my arms hurt.
...fits perfectly into 12 month clothes and is quickly moving into size 4 diaper territory.

...would prefer that I feed him, but I'm trying to convince him otherwise.

...still doesn't have any teeth, but still acts like he's gettin' 'em.

...loves to watch people when we are out-and-about, but is really a homebody.
...is very laid back but chock full of energy. If such a thing is possible.
...does not like to cuddle.
...looks like Alex in this picture.

...makes this face most of the time (even when he's not in his high chair):

...doesn't always cooperate at naptime.
...loves to eat paper. And wrapping paper. And paper towels. Did I mention cardboard? The kid would chew on a shoebox all day long.

...loves to play peek-a-boo.
...loves to play with his brother's toys.
...prefers noisy toys that light up and talk.
...is still the sweetest baby ever. I mean ever.

Brothers VII

2010-12-20T16:51:00.001-06:00

great big socks

2010-12-19T19:17:00.006-06:00

Apparently Alex doesn't remember getting stockings last Christmas because when we got the decorations out this year, I could not convince him that stockings were not meant to keep your feet warm.

Brothers VI

2010-12-19T19:05:00.005-06:00

Dear Alex,
One day your brother is going to be bigger than you. You might want to take that into consideration the next time you decide to sit on him.

love,
Mom

Rube Goldberg-in-training

2010-12-19T16:40:00.004-06:00

I knew all of those toilet paper rolls I saved would come in handy for something.

Thanksgiving '10: A Pictorial

2010-12-19T13:08:00.003-06:00

Yes, a pictorial, as in a whole lotta pictures, not a lotta words. When one is a dozen blogposts behind, one can't afford the luxury of providing a play-by-play narration of events. And in fact, I'll only be posting a mere fraction of the 300+ pictures I snapped from Thanksgiving week. The rest I'm gonna dump into a Flickr slideshow and stick at the end of this post for those of you have a lot more spare time on your hands than I do.

So here are a "few" of my faves from our superfun time in Eldo, and maybe just a few words about the highlights from the week.

We discovered that Isaac doesn't travel as well as one might think an "easy" child would. He falls asleep easily but doesn't stay that way, then he ends up all fussy and whiny and fidgety. That said, it could have been a lot worse...

Needless to say, we were all very happy to get to Grammy & Poppa's, and Isaac was very happy to get into jammies and sleep in his pack 'n' play instead of his carseat.

Grammy got the grandkids cute matching turkey shirts. We attempted to get some pictures (excuse the poor lighting due to "flash malfunction", aka "user error"...), starting with one:

Then two:

Things were going pretty well, so we attempted the hat trick:

So far, so good...

Uh oh...we're losing one...

Awwww, one down. It's all fun and games...

...'til a cousin loses an eye.

After gorging ourselves on a Thanksgiving feast, the whole family went outside to enjoy the nice weather and the new trampoline.

As if the trampoline wasn't fun enough, Grammy planned for us to play Minute to Win It, Family Edition.

Now, Alex is a big fan of the show, so when it was time for him to play "Junk in the Trunk", he knew just what to do ("junk" being ping pong balls, "trunk" being an empty kleenex box strapped to your waist, the objective being to remove all of the junk by shaking your trunk).

Friday night, my big boys bundled up and went to watch the El Dorado Wildcats play football. Go Cats!

On Saturday, we attended the annual Evans Family Reunion/Christmas Party. Alex won a head lamp in the gift exchange, which I think is some sort of hunting-related apparatus. I'm not entirely sure what the point of is (perhaps you run around the woods hoping to get a deer caught in your headlight?), but it made an appearance at Show-and-Tell the following week at preschool.

On Sunday morning, sweet cousin Charlee had her baby dedication at Marrable Hill Chapel. Afterwards, we attempted some more family pictures.

Other random activities from the week included eating, Christmas carols, more eating, and good ol' family togetherness.

Brothers V

2010-12-15T22:24:00.000-06:00

Say What!!????

2010-12-07T21:24:00.001-06:00

Brothers IV

2010-12-01T10:39:00.000-06:00

Brothers III

2010-11-29T21:25:00.000-06:00