Just Because...

The Theater

Anyone recognize this scene?

Once again, Mama Jo treated us to some fun over in Dallas. She took us all to a little Children’s Theater to see a precious production of Goodnight Moon. Scott and I couldn’t imagine how they could turn that little book into a one hour play, but they did and it was so cute! Hannah was on the edge of her seat the entire time and Nathan only got really antsy toward the end. Scott was able to stand up with him near the entrance so he could still see the stage.

Hannah found Pinkalicious during the intermission.

Nathan was right behind her saying, “Me too, me too!”

Thanks, Mama Jo! You know how to show us a good time!

Here We Go…

Once again, let the potty-training begin!

truck underwear- check

superhero underwear- check

treats- check

encouraging words from Hannah- check (she gets a treat when he potties too)

disinfecting wipes- check

carpet cleaner- check

excited little boy- double check!!

Digger, Dumps Party

Since Nathan loves heavy machinery, we thought a construction birthday party would be perfect this year. I got most/all of these ideas from Pinterest and it was really simple because you just decorate with lots of trucks and toys that little boys usually already have. Scott was such a sport and dressed up for the occasion:)

Home Depot just gave me these little aprons for free. They give them out during their kid workshops on Saturdays. They were a hit!

The cake was a Pinterest find and very easy. You just did a hole in the top and fill it with crushed oreos.

Thanks to a great friend for making this little road for Nathan. We love playing with it and it was a great addition to the party.

The Birthday Boy enjoying his cake!

The kids dug around in the sandbox with trucks and diggers.

All the cousins.

Happy Birthday, Nathan! We hope you had fun!

Nathan, 2 years old

Oh my…Nathan’s two!  We took these portraits in Scott’s suit from when he was two.

Here is Scott at age two (sorry for the glare)

We serenaded you on your birthday and you acted so shy.

You are one of a kind, little man. You have your mommy wrapped around that little finger of yours. You're one of those kids that their parents have a hard time disciplining…not because you’re an angel by any means…but because of that smile. I have to leave the room most of the time when your in trouble because you make me laugh.
You love to sing! Some of your favorites right now are Trust and Obey, Jesus Loves Me, and the Aggie War Hymn. You sing in the car, around the house, and are dancing anytime music is playing. And when I say dancing, I mean throwing your elbow out and flapping it like a chicken. Oh, and you throw a few spins in there too.

You love to aggravate your sister! Who knew it started so soon? Sometimes, she will call your name in the car and you will just ignore her completely…like you don’t even hear her. It drives her bananas. How do you know how to push her buttons at two?

You love to read! Some of your favorites (right now) are Goodnight Gorilla, Have You Seen My Cat, Richard Scarry’s Things that Go, If Waffles Were Like Boys, and Goodnight Construction Site.


Like most little boys, you still love running, jumping, climbing, wrestling, etc. If anyone is sitting on the floor you think they are inviting you to tackle them….so you do. And most of the time, surprisingly, you don’t get hurt. But you have a cut above your eye right now and I’m not sure how that happened.  You love to ride your bike (tricycle) in the driveway and swing on the swingset “high to the sky!”  You also love all sorts of balls.  Football is favorite, followed by baseball, soccer, basketball, golf balls, tennis balls, etc. 
You can recognize the A&M logo just about anywhere.  Yesterday we were eating dinner at Fuzzy’s and they had some basketball games on.  You pointed up on the screen and yelled, “Aggies!!" I knew the men weren’t playing so I assumed you were wrong, but sure enough, the A&M women’s team was on.

You love to pray at mealtime (mostly because Hannah prays and if Hannah does it, you will be right behind her saying, “me too! me too!”) Most of the time, your prayer sounds like this…oh, and for some reason you always whisper when you pray: “Dear God, tank you diggers, dumps, diggers, dumps, diggers, dumps. Amen.” This is another scenario where I should have a straight face, but I always laugh.
You love people…and they love you back! Your babysitters, Sunday School teachers, and family members all adore you. You are the kid that is happy to go in the room and happy to leave. You wave and tell everyone “hi” at the grocery store. Even your doctor at your check-up was smitten with you. Instead of making you pick a toy from the bin, he went in his office and gave you a “special” toy….a little blue truck. You really do make people smile.

Nathan, God has blessed you with so many good things. I pray you will give them all back to Him one day. Lay them at his feet and watch Him use you for His glory and your eternal good.

Swing Set Construction

We came back from the ski trip on Friday, and I spent all day Saturday and Sunday putting together a swing set for the kids.  We got it at Costco.  It came in six boxes and had about a million pieces. Special thanks to some good friends who came over on Saturday to help me with a lot of the two man tasks.  Here are some pictures from the ordeal.

Sorting the pieces

Nuts, bolts, and screws

All my tools

In progress

My helpers had to take a break

Getting closer

Functional, but not quite complete (roof missing)

Finally done!

This has been a big hit with the kids.  They love to swing, and it was nice to have for Nathan’s birthday party.

Ski Trip 2013

I took off work the first week of February, and we all went to Angel Fire for some winter fun.  Hannah had skied some last year so we were eager to see what she could do on the mountain.  It was a great trip.  The snow was pretty good and the mountain was basically empty.  I skied five days, Jennifer skied three days, and Hannah skied four days.  Hannah did awesome.  She did her wedge and could stop and turn on her own.  On the last day, I took her to the top of the mountain and she skied all the way down by herself.  I just went down in front of her and skied backwards.  Then Pappy skied along beside her and made sure she didn’t go off the mountain.

Here is my little ski bunny on the way up the ski lift

And at the top.  She was quite stylish thanks to Nana

We took lots of videos.  Here are some of the better ones

This is one of us learning and practicing on the bunny slope

She got comfortable enough to dance while she was skiing

Here she is demonstrating her turning and stopping skills

When we were back at the house, we did some sledding in the back. 

And Nathan took a turn on the skis

Nathan liked it at first, until he fell off and his face went in the snow. He was done at that point, and if you asked him about sledding or skiing, he just pointed to his face and said “FACE!!!”

Jennifer took a bit of a tumble on Wednesday and dislocated her thumb.  She ended up having to get a small cast put on it for a few weeks.

Other than that, it was a great trip and we are ready to see what Hannah (and Nathan) can do next year.