I have the greatest job in the world...

I also believe it is one of the hardest...and most rewarding. It is such a blessing to be able to stay home and watch my babies grow. And not a day goes by where I don't have at least one moment where I stop and think...now if I was working, I wouldn't be here for THIS, whatever this may be at the time, and I am so appreciative of our life and all that Jason does to give me the opportunity to have such an integral role in our children's life.

Beck turned 20 months this week. He's now sleeping in a big boy bed and doing great. The first night was a little questionable, he didn't want Daddy to leave his room, but since then, he's been great. And today he went down for a nap and bedtime without so much as a peep! He's talking so much now and it reminds me of why I loved this age with Kylie so much! 18 mo. to 2 yrs. old was by far my favorite stage with Ky, and I would say the same with Beck. He's a lot more difficult at this age than Ky was, but they soak up so much knowledge at such a fast pace and at no other time have I witnessed such an innocent amazement with life. He's obsessed with anything on wheels, mailman, cement mixers, delivery trucks, etc. A true boy to say the least! And for as much as I hated baby boy clothes (seriously...enough with the blue and tan stripes and teddy bears) I LOVE little 'big boy' clothes. Check out my sweet boy in his Tony Hawk outfit Nana bought him! =) I just love him to pieces.

Mesmerized while watching Dora, his newest love. When we go to pick Ky up from school, he has to stop at every Dora backpack on the wall and point and stare...and trust me, there are many!!!!!

First afternoon napping in his toddler bed.

Stratton turned 4 months this week. I really can't ask for an easier or happier baby. However, I might request one that doesn't have quite so big a head or crazy hair! Just kidding! Maybe....=)

This goober is nothing but giggles and grins. And I kid you not, he's the first of my children to have that full body smile that I would say lights up a room. He's definitely starting to teethe, as evidenced by the fact that he's constantly trying to fit his entire fist in his mouth and often times gags himself. This is so strange to see because he's never been that obsessed with his mouth prior. We go in next week for his check up, but I think he has started to slow down in terms of growth, but we'll see!

Welcome to Summer!

There is nothing like Texas heat in the summer time! And unfortunately, with a little one, it causes you to spend a good deal of time inside. Here are some pics of the munchkins from the last week.

Strat showing off his abnormally LARGE head....

I was trying to get a halfway decent picture of the boys together, but Beck and his ridiculous camera face prevents that from ever happening...

Kylie taking her 'class' of stuffed animals to the movies for a field trip...

Stratton amazed at his jumper that Stephanie is letting us borrow. He's still a little young for it, but I think he'll like it once he grows in to it.

Sharing an icee trying to keep cool!

His hair just keeps getting bigger....

No resemblance of each other at all...

Happy Birthday Jason!

Is there a sweeter way to celebrate your 30th birthday than having to kill the one creature you're most deathly afraid of? Probably, but such is life for my hubby. Many people in our neighborhood have talked of a crazy snake slithering about, including our next door neighbors. Jason even saw it slither past him while taking the trash out a couple weeks ago. Over the weekend, I got the 'lovely' opportunity to meet him face to face. I was on one of our front porch chairs watering our hanging basket when a strange sound caused me to look down. What do I see? This 3 foot snake coiled around the leg of the other chair not even a foot away from me. It unwrapped itself and slithered into a nearby bush while I ran into the house yelling for Jason to grab a shovel. An hour later, and we have him pinned behind one of the pots on the front porch, but the sucker wouldn't die. It kept lashing out at Jason with his mouth wide open. Now, I love my husband, but it is clear that snakes aren't really his 'thing.' We finally ended up killing it and later got confirmation that it is a large rat snake. Which I guess isn't surprising, from time to time you'll see rats who live in the holes in the retaining wall in the backyard. We also have a bunny nest back there, and there were baby birds who had just hatched in the hanging basket I was watering, which is what I think he was trying to get at. But anyways, I was proud of my hubs that he finally did the deed, even though it took about an hr =). Here are a couple pics I snapped after the fact. Jason ended up taking the head off. You can see it laying in the background. Even the pictures still give me goosebumps. But I knew for sure I was never going to work in the yard again until that thing was gone. Thank goodness Kiki wasn't out when I saw it, or I wouldn't be surprised if that snake had tried to get her!

Trouble...

It wasn't but 3 weeks ago that Jason and I were taking bets on how long it would be before Beck started drawing on the walls. Kylie is a huge arts and craft fan and often leaves her colors and markers around the house. Well, this week we got our answer! I was feeding Strat in the living room when I heard Kylie yell, "Beck is writing all over the wall." I thought to myself...and there it is! Anyways, this is the final product. I thought for sure I'd be more angry at this, but I just laughed. Either motherhood is making me soft...or I've learned my lesson and given up all hope of trying to control these crazy goobers!

Beck pulled his old pool hat and Sissy's goggles out of the pool bag and Kylie helped him put them on....he's such a funny little dude...

15 weeks...

At least I think that is what Stratton is now...It's sad to me when the week number gets so high that it's not easy to remember and too much work to confirm! =). The big boy is doing very well! He's giving me on average about a 7-8 hr. stretch at night, followed by him waking up around 5 am, and then sleeping until around 8. I can already tell that he isn't going to be a fan of the heat this summer. Even on our morning walks, around 9 am, it doesn't take long for his cheeks to turn pink and I can see how uncomfortable he is. He's really starting to grab at stuff and grasp your hands...or hair...pretty much whatever you put in front of him! I'm amazed at how content he is. He'll play in his play mat or sit in his bumbo, but really, he's fine laying on his pillow or sitting up in the corner of the couch for most of his awake time. He's still very verbal, and very loud, but nothing gets him going more than tickling him by squeezing his shoulders or running your fingers up his sides. Right now, this is my favorite because you can actually get him to laugh a deep belly laugh! He really goes with the flow for the most part, which in this family, is a good thing!

Kylie time

It isn't very often that Kylie and I have time to hang out just us two. This weekend, both the boys' naps happened to coincide with one another, allowing Ky and I time to enjoy being girls! I pulled out the camera as she 'posed' for me on the couch. This girl is such a goober. But she makes my heart melt. This week officially starts our 'summer' schedule, which means she's only going to school two days a week. THIS should be VERY interesting. I've been praying for patience, creativity, and most of all ENERGY! Every day I am amazed by how smart this little chick is and what a good memory she has...she def. gets this from her dad. The other day we were going over her brain quest questions and it asked how many legs a spider has. She incorrectly said six and then corrected herself saying, "oh yeah, insects have six legs. Spiders have eight." I asked her if she knew what spiders were called and she calmly responded, "arachnids." seriously? What 5 year old knows that? I asked her how she knew that and she said her teacher told her that at school once.....amazing.

Peace, Love and Happiness!

Her right eye is still a little swollen and you can tell in most of the pictures she takes, the doctor confirmed however that that's all it is, which was reassuring to hear.

My favorite!

Random...

The man...

Strat seems a little unsure of Sissy's excitement...

THE worst job in the entire world HAS to be cutting Beck's hair. We pull out all the stops...sucker, TV, Sissy's entertainment, and we usually end up getting about half the job done before he gives up. Go figure that his hair grows faster than any child's I've ever seen!

Beck found Kylie's heart stickers and took every last one off and put it on his shirt while he was in the play room by himself. Kylie was so upset that she cried, I couldn't help but laugh, he was so proud of himself. Here he is PROUDLY giving his cheese face and showing off his sticker abilities.

Strat is just now getting alright with his play gym...although apparently sometimes it lacks the entertainment factor as seen below.