Self pic #2

Here is our second attempt of taking our own family picture! I had it printed in black and white because it seemed to hide my roll better!

Picnic dinner

The boys wanted me to make them hot dogs for dinner "like we have when we go camping". And they wanted to eat them in their tent in the living room. So that's what we did for dinner tonight! It was just like camping, the boys had to keep the animals (Scotty) away from their food while they ate! The boys tried something different out on me tonight. Usually they fight with each other. Tonight they decided to team together and gang up on me! I swear they were plotting their next move in the bath tub tonight! It was total chaos! I think it was a combination of them both being VERY tired and the excitement of seeing each other after being apart all day. But the good thing is it's 7:15pm and they are both in bed. Now if I can just make it to 9pm before falling asleep that would be great! (Note: Mason was working hard on putting on a serious face! How did he do?!)

Together Again

The boys love Gattiland, so as a treat for Mason finishing his first day of kindergarten we went there for dinner. Alex was so happy to have Mason back by his side. He really missed him today. And it seems that Mason missed Alex too. They were so sweet tonight. Here they are walking into Gattiland hand in hand!

Usually the boys fight about who is going to sit next to me. But tonight Mason said he wanted Alex to sit by him (before Alex even made it into the room). When Alex got to the dining room he immediately said he wanted to sit by Mason. Here they are sitting next to each other!

After dinner they played games together and had a blast. Here is Mason schooling Alex in air hockey!

They are so sweet and cute when they aren't fighting with each other! :)

Day one complete

This afternoon Alex and I parked at my mom's house and walked to Mason's school to pick him up. He came out of the side door by the playground and was so excited to see us on the other side of the fence. Normally if he has a hard or emotional day he will cry when he first sees me, but he just smiled really big and stood anxiously waiting for his teacher to dismiss him.

Of course I was asking a million questions about his day but he just wanted something to drink and to go to Gammie's house and see Lucky (the dog!)
We were all so happy to see Mason. Alex and I had a really nice day. We spent quality time together and there was no fighting. It was great. I think I am going to make it through the year without going insane! :)

I asked Mason what he thought about his first day and he said it was boring! I am sure his opinion will change by next week. He said he didn't really want to go back tomorrow but I told him that it would probably take him a few days to adjust and then he would really look forward to going to school!

First day of KINDERGARTEN

We survived waking up in the middle of the night to start Kindergarten today! Here is Mason wondering why he is waking up when it is still dark outside. I told him to go potty and get dressed. He didn't even have the energy to WALK to the bathroom!

Andy did a great job this morning making us laugh so Mason wouldn't think about being nervous. Mason was so big today! He didn't say anything about not wanting to go to school but I knew he was nervous because he wouldn't eat or drink anything this morning.

Here is Mason in his classroom. We made play dough to bring to class today so he was making a dinosaur out of his play dough. He wasn't really into taking pictures at this point! He was trying so hard not to cry. His eyes welled up with tears when I was about to leave but he kept it together. I was so proud of him. His teacher came over to him and started talking to him so I could sneak out.

I was proud of myself. I didn't cry! I thought I would be sobbing, but I feel really comfortable about his class & his teacher. His teacher is awesome and he has a couple of friends in class. I think they will be kept so busy today he won't really have time to think about missing us! I know the first week or so will definitely be an adjustment, but I am confident he will love school! He has matured so much this summer. I am really, really proud of all he has accomplished this summer and how much he has grown up.

Evening at the park

Last night we went to the little park in our neighborhood. We figured it was the last night we could stay out late since school starts tomorrow! Here is Alex swinging his own way!

Here are my boys!

Mason has become an avid swimmer this summer. We are so proud of him. He only had 3 private swim lessons this summer but I guess it was all he needed. He swims like a fish now. He can swim the length of our neighborhood pool without touching the sides and without floaties. He jumps off the diving platform into the deep end and swims to the side of the pool with no problems.

Mason has also accomplished the monkey bars at the park. There are 11 monkey bars and he can make it to nine before jumping down. I can't believe how much he has grown this summer. I'm not ready to send him off to kindergarten, but I know it's time! He is going to have so much fun this year!

Self pic

Every year before school starts we are scrambling to find a family picture which is requested by the boys teachers. Every year we don't have one so we have to hastily take one at the last minute. Here is our attempt to take our own family picture right before bedtime tonight. Can you tell we are all in our pajamas?! We decided we would have to try again tomorrow as the picture below wasn't one we wanted hanging on the walls in our kids classrooms!

A few lines from today-
Today Andy was making us all laugh (as usual) and here is how our conversation went.
Mason: "Daddy is silly huh?"
Heather: "Yes, he is."
Mason: "Why did you pick that kind of Daddy?"
Heather: "Because he is the best kind of Daddy to pick."
Mason: "I know!"

Jungle Java

The boys and I met Tina and Lindsey at Jungle Java today. It's a place in Round Rock that has an indoor playscape and sells coffee, smoothies and food. It was $7.50 a child to get in and after about an hour the kids were ready to go. There wasn't much to do and it was VERY crowded. For $15 we would much rather go to Ready, Set, Play or Inflatable Wonderland. I wasn't very impressed with this place, but at least we tried it out and know for the future.

The slides were a little different with the huge speed bump in the middle. Alex usually got stuck and had to stand up to get going again. Then several times some of the bigger kids would roll balls down the slide which would hit the kids going down the slide in the back. Tina and I were the only moms watching their kids.

They had a zip line that Mason and Lindsey enjoyed.

Kindergarten Orientation

Last night we took Mason to his Kindergarten Orientation at Brookhollow. I can't believe he is already going to Kindergarten. I was so nervous before we went wondering who his teacher would be and if he would know anyone in his class. When we got to school we found Mason's name on the class list and found out his teacher would be Mrs. Laurence. We also saw that two of his preschool buddies would be in his class as well. There was an instant sigh of relief on my part knowing he would have two familiar faces in his class. Once we went to his classroom and met his teacher I was even more excited about Mason's first year in elementary school. His teacher is wonderful from the little bit we know of her. She is very sweet and she is so passionate about her job. She read all of us a book called "Leo the late bloomer" which is about a lion that matures at his own pace and at the end of the book he says "I made it!" She said that is what she hopes each of her kids will say at the end of the year. She seems so patient and excited about working with each child's strengths and helping work through each child's opportunities. She also read a poem about being a kindergarten teacher which I of course cried through. It was really sweet. She seems like the type that will love all of the kids in her class like her own! I think Mason is going to have a great year. She also has a class pet, a Guinea pig named Bed Head! Mason was really excited about that! I am still anxious about the LONG day they will have. Mason has to be at school by 7:25 and won't be out of school until 2:45. Yikes!! It will be an adjustment for all of us!
I will be teaching again this year at Pecan Street Preschool on M/W/F. Alex will be going there too, so M/W/F will be a busy day for all of us.

After the orientation Alex was so happy to see Mason. We were only gone a couple of hours but Alex was so glad his brother was home! Alex asked Mason if he would read him his bedtime stories so here is Mason "reading" to his brother!

Mason is still a huge fan of his scooter. He rides it any chance he gets!

Here is little man riding his bike, with his blankie of course!

Happy 7th Anniversary

Today Andy and I celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary (our 9th year together)! Of course, when your anniversary is on a Monday and you have two kids, it's pretty much like any other day. But Andy gave me my anniversary gift this weekend but giving me some "me time" and taking me to Chuy's! Tonight we made dinner for my dad. My mom is in Arkansas for work so we hung out with my dad. He is doing much better. I think he still has a road ahead of him as far as recovery but he seems to be in less pain.
Happy Anniversary Honey! I love you!

Firehouse Subs

For lunch today we went to Firehouse subs in Round Rock. It was one of the best sandwiches I have ever had! Andy and I both got the club sandwich. It was delicious!! The boys loved it. Their meal came with their very own fireman's hat and two Oreo cookies! What else could you ask for!

Me time

Yesterday was such a great day for me. I got to go shopping and to lunch with my mom--just the two of us! It was really nice. When I got home I put Alex down for a nap and Andy took Mason to the pool for two hours. So I decided to take a nap too. When I woke up Andy took us out to eat at Chuy's (my favorite restaurant)! This morning Andy took the boys and Scotty for a walk so I can catch up on some laundry (and blogging of course)! I haven't had a break from the boys in over a month and this weekend was a much needed one. Not that I don't love them with all my heart, but sometimes in order to continue to love them with all my heart, I need a small break! :)
This coming week is our last week of summer before school starts. I can't believe how fast this summer went. I can't believe Mason is starting Kindergarten! We don't have anymore babies at our house!

The tooth fairy better visit tonight

Tonight Dana came over for dinner. Dana, Mason and I were eating dinner when all of a sudden Mason started crying. Dana and I looked over and his tooth was on the table. Dana and I started screaming and clapping and Mason was still crying! We were so excited that he lost his first tooth. Mason wasn't sure what was going on. All he knew was that his tooth was on the table and he had blood in his mouth. But after he realized Dana and I were so excited he started getting excited too. A long time ago Mason received a tooth fairy pillow decorated in A&M material as a gift. I went and found it in his closet and put his tooth inside. He put the pillow under his pillow tonight! I think the tooth fairy that visits our neighborhood hasn't heard of inflation and still gives out a dollar per tooth. So hopefully Mason is excited about that in the morning! He could always buy a pack of gum or something!

Tyler's surprise

Today Mason and Alex finally got to see the "surprise" that Tyler (the son of my parent's boss Sara) MADE! He built the scooter Mason is riding on below. It's really cool and Mason LOVES it. We normally leave the boys riding toys at my parents because we don't have sidewalks in front of our house, but we HAD to bring this one home with us today! We will have to have Tyler over so he can see first hand how much the boys like riding the scooter/bike/skateboard! I'm not sure what the technical name is for it!



These next few pictures were taken at the mall today. I lost a diamond from my engagement ring at some point yesterday, so I had to take it to Helzburg's to be repaired. Thank goodness for the warranty!

Now Alex can ride the tricycle without having to fight Mason over it! Even though Mason has a regular big boy bike with training wheels, he still preferred to ride the tricycle. Maybe it was just because his brother wanted to ride it!

Just wanted to say thank you to all of our family and friends that have been praying for my dad's quick recovery from his surgery on his broken arm. It was a really bad break and it will probably take awhile to heal but he is a trooper for sure! I really wanted to post a picture of it but I wasn't sure how many weak stomachs were out there!

Another jumping day

Yesterday the boys had lots of energy that needed to come out! So we met Tina and Lindsey at Ready, Set, Play in Round Rock. They played and bounced and jumped until they were worn out! It was great!





So cute!! They are best buds! They haven't seen each other very much over the last month so they were excited to get to play together yesterday!