Keeping Up With the Kaisers

Founder's Plaza at DFW Airport

2011-11-21T21:30:00.004-06:00

Some of my girlfriends from the MOMs Club and I took our boys to the Founder's Plaza at DFW Airport. The Observation Area has incredible views of many types of aircraft as they take off and land. In addition, they have telescopes, historic information, a commemorative monument and a radio that broadcasts air traffic control communications from the FAA tower. The weather was overcast, windy and cold but that didn't seem to bother the kiddos. We brought a picnic lunch, the kids ran around like wild animals and we all enjoyed watching the planes fly right in front of us.

Grapevine Lake

2011-11-21T21:24:00.004-06:00

My brother-in-law and niece live across the street from Grapevine Lake which is about 20 minutes from our house. We took the kids, his girlfriend and her daughter down to the lake for a walk. We walked for about an hour and a half and the kids found all sorts of sticks, rocks and shells. Isn't life grand as a kid?!?

Random Pictures

2011-11-21T21:20:00.004-06:00

Just thought I would post some cute and funny random pictures of the boys :)

Halloween

2011-11-21T21:07:00.005-06:00

This year was the best Halloween yet because both boys were at an age where the understood it and were excited about it. We dressed up as a family this year. The boys were dead set on being superheroes for a year so we all planned to dress accordingly; however, daddy showed them the knight costumes and the boys saw the swords and their minds changed very quickly! The boys were knights and I was a princess. The wore their costumes quite a bit before Halloween, just to play dress up and beat each other up with their swords! They also had a Halloween party at school and with their friends in the MOM's Club so the costumes got lots of wear ;)

On Halloween night, they ran the first half of the night and charged the houses with such vigor! Colt sang "Trick or Treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat" to about a third of the houses - that's my ham! They loaded up on the goods and were exhausted when we returned home.

Pumpkins at the Arboretum

2011-11-21T20:50:00.011-06:00

Once again we attended the Great Pumpkin Festival at The Arboretum. With over 150,000 fall flowers and 50,000 pumpkins the grounds looked incredible! We went with a group of friends from the Mom's Club, and as always, had a fun time. The kids ran around the the grounds with all the pumpkin houses and mazes made of hay. We sat through the kid's story time; however, all of our kids ended up standing right in front of the woman reading because the ground was wet (great picture op!). Both boys got their faces painted this year - Brooks like Batman and Colt was the Hulk. The kids enjoyed playing in the old houses/cabins and Indian TP's too!

The Texas State Fair

2011-11-21T20:35:00.007-06:00

We took both the boys to the Texas State Fair this year. We had a great time! The boys loved the dog show, especially the dogs who ran and jumped into the water while catching a frisbee. The boys visited the fair "farmer's market" where they planted seeds to grow fruits and veggies, gathered food, fed seed to the animals and drove a tractor. We ate junky fair food, toured the car show (Colt got a picture with Bumblebee from Transformers), went to the petting zoo and the kids rode a few rides. We thought for sure they would fall asleep in the car on the way home but no such luck. These boys have more energy than the Energizer bunny!!!

The Hulk

2011-11-21T20:32:00.002-06:00

Brooks is all about superheroes these days! We went to a festival in our town and he has his face painted like The Incredible Hulk. They did a great job!!!

Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-21T20:29:00.004-06:00

We had our annual visit to the pumpkin patch with the boys, my brother-in-law and our niece. Most of my pictures are of Colt because he wanted to take a picture with all of the cut-outs! The kids always have a great time jumping in the bounce houses, finding their way through the maze and taking the hayride through the pumpkin patch.

Happy 40th Alex!

2011-11-18T15:24:00.002-06:00

Yes, Alex hit the big 40 this year! Alex and I went to London for a 40th birthday getaway (so many pictures I am too overwhelmed to go through and put on the blog). But, for his actual 40th birthday, we had all of our family over for dinner. It was a great time, the kids had a blast and we enjoyed the time with each other.

Happy 4th Birthday Brooks!

2011-11-15T11:52:00.011-06:00

I can't believe my first born baby is already 4 - OY! Brooks decided that he wanted a superhero birthday party at the gym where we go play quite often. We asked everyone to dress up in their favorite superhero shirt, we had a Batman piñata and served cupcakes with every superhero topper we could think of. The kids had a great time running around and bouncing off the walls and I think the parents were happy that the kids were worn out when they left.

Happy, Happy Birthday to my biggest boy!

Jailbreak Mud Run

2011-11-15T11:32:00.006-06:00

Some girlfriends of mine from the MOMs Club, Alex, my brother-in-law and I decided to run our first mud run and it was a blast! It was a 5k through lots of obstacles and even more mud. It rained the two days prior to the race which made the mud even deeper, thicker and more abundant which in turn made the race incredibly hilarious and fun.

Brooks & His Buddies

2011-07-31T21:38:00.002-05:00

Brooks and a few of his buddies getting ready to go swimming.

Dinner with Aunt Heather

2011-07-31T21:37:00.002-05:00

Cute picture of Brooks and Aunt Heather at dinner downtown.

4th of July Parade

2011-07-31T21:28:00.006-05:00

The boys with their cousin Madison at the Coppell 4th of July parade.

Visit From the Presnell Family

2011-07-31T21:22:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful visit from one of my oldest and dearest friends, Laura, and her family. She has a boy, Tucker, who is a few months younger than Brooks and a new little baby girl, Rennie, who was only about 8 weeks when she came to visit us. Brooks and Tucker have known each other since they were babies but they live in San Francisco so we don't see them often. We had such a ball having them around even if it was only for a quick day visit. Can't wait to see them again!

Boys First Race

2011-07-31T21:17:00.003-05:00

Brooks keeps asking if he can run with me so I finally entered them into their first official race. The boys raced a 50 yard dash on Mother's Day weekend before my mom and I did a 5k race with the boys in tow. The race wasn't timed but they ran in packs of about 10 kids and each one got a medal when they finished. The boys had a great time and they were so proud when they crossed the finish line! What fun to watch them run!

Nash Farm

2011-07-31T19:05:00.004-05:00

I took the boys to a great little farm in Grapevine called Nash Farm. Nash Farm is a historic farm bought by the Nash Family, a part of a migration of farmers who settled in Grapevine in 1859, a couple of years before the Civil War. The farm is 5.2 acres and the original house where the Nash Family settled retains much of its original structure but needs to be completely restored.

The kids had a ball at the farm. They were able to hoe and rake their own dirt next to the actual crops that are being grown there now. The kids pet a cow, horse and even held a chicken. We picked up our own watering cans and watered the vegetables that were being grown in the garden outside of the farm house and the kids were able to learn how crops are grown (and not bought in stores!). We took a tractor ride and then headed to the barn to sit on some old tractors and play with toy tractors and trucks.

Rasta Coltie

2011-07-31T19:02:00.003-05:00

I just thought this was a funny picture of Colt. He really likes his Bob Marley shirt and I guess Grandma had a wig to go with it!

Spanish Schoolhouse Bike Parade

2011-07-31T18:56:00.004-05:00

Every year the boy's school puts on a bike parade where all the kids can participate with their bikes or scooters. They set it up in the parking lot and the kids ride in circles and through a "car wash" where the teachers blow bubbles and spray them with water. They also have popcorn and lemonade for the kids as well as sidewalk chalk for siblings who attend. It is always a hoot to watch the kids and this year we had both of the boys participate.

Walking with Nana & Poppy

2011-07-31T18:46:00.003-05:00

Nana and Poppy take their dogs for a long walk every Saturday morning and the boys go too when they spend the night. It is around 3.5 miles so they walk and ride in the stroller. On their walk, they get to feed the turtles and catfish and the end of their walk always ends at Corner Bakery (which they call the bagel store) for a delicious breakfast outside. After breakfast, they go play in the fountains by the shopping center where Corner Bakery is located and they throw coins and get wet.

Medieval Times

2011-07-31T15:26:00.003-05:00

We finally took the boys to Medieval Times and they had an absolute ball! They each got a crown and a flag for the team they were to cheer for and they got completely into the horses and jousting. They even played "knights" and "jousting" for a week afterwards. Every time we drive by now they ask if they can go back into the castle and watch the knights fight.

Cousins

2011-07-31T15:18:00.004-05:00

The boys just absolutely adore their cousins. We have always lived close to Alex's brother and our niece, Madison, who is 7 years old; however, the boys met another cousin of theirs for the first time a few months ago. My cousin and her husband just moved to Wichita Falls (her husband is in the Air Force) and they have a little girl, Kira, who is almost 2. The boys and Kira became instant friends and are so sweet together. It is so nice to have wonderful family so close by. My cousin, Alexis, is expecting another girl in November so they will have a 3rd cousin - FUN!

YUMMY Smoothie!

2011-07-31T15:16:00.003-05:00

The boys and I started making a smoothie every morning for breakfast. We add lots of DELICIOUS fruit as well as spinach and carrots. What a great way to get veggies in the kids (and daddy) and they love it!

Cabin Trip!

2011-07-31T15:05:00.007-05:00

We finally took Colt up to the cabin and both boys had a blast! We went with the other owners, and long-time friends, and spent the days hiking, playing at the park, walking all the dogs and running around being crazy. And like Brooks did up at the cabin at 2 years old, Colt decided he was done with the crib and was ready for a "big boy bed." What a fun trip!

Bike Ride with Dad

2011-07-31T15:00:00.005-05:00

The boys helped Alex prep for their bike ride by pumping up the tires on his bike. We have such big helpers!

Well Dressed

2011-02-20T21:42:00.002-06:00

Both boys like to pick out their own clothes now. I just thought this was a great picture of Colt with one of my favorite outfits that he has picked out. Well, he just picked out the jacket and jeans and I matched the shirt, socks and shoes. What a cutie pie!

Fort Worth Children's Museum

2011-02-20T21:32:00.010-06:00

Nana and I took the boys to the Fort Worth Children's Museum and the boys had a great time. They got to dress up as doctors, play with babies, get measured by a talking giraffe, play with trains, see snakes and spiders, check out dinosaur skeletons and slide down slides. Their favorite part was digging for dinosaur bones in the sand and water. They like nothing more than to get dirty!

OUCH!

2011-02-20T21:29:00.003-06:00

Colt is into jackets with pockets right now. He loves to put his hands in his pockets while he is walking. We were leaving their school and walking through the parking lot when Colt tripped over Brooks' backpack wheel and fell. Unfortunately, his hands were in his pockets and he had nothing to break his fall but his poor little face. The kid is tough as nails, bled profusely and scared mommy but only cried for about 5 minutes. I took him to the doctor just to make sure he didn't need stitches and we were at the play area/park immediately after the doctor. Tough kid.

Lincoln Logs

2011-02-20T21:26:00.002-06:00

Brooks and mommy building lincoln log houses during the ice storm days!

Finally Snow!

2011-02-20T21:17:00.008-06:00

We had an entire week this year where the road were completely iced over and school was canceled. It was crazy! However, we finally got one day with great snow so the kids and dogs could actually get outside and play. We made snowballs, snow angels, the dogs went crazy, we had a snowball fight and then went sledding with the neighbors on a wake board down a hill in front of our house. The kids and adults all had a blast! And of course we topped it off with hot chocolate - YUMMY!

Colt Turns 2!

2011-02-20T20:58:00.013-06:00

I can't believe it but Colt turned 2 on January 23rd! I can honestly say that I don't truly enjoy this age. Brooks, and now Colt, have made this age extremely trying; however, he really is a sweet and absolutely hilarious kid when he wants to be!

The party turned out to be perfect. He LOVES Mickey Mouse so we decided to have Mickey come entertain the kids (so we didn't have to!). Mickey came through the front door playing loud music, carrying balloons and games, and he even sounded just like him. Colt was completely surprised as he had no idea he was going to attend his party.

The kids had a blast playing parachute, watching magic tricks, dancing and of course with all the balloon animals, swords and hats. We had cake and ice cream and the party was over. A definite success!

40th Wedding Anniversary

2011-02-20T20:41:00.007-06:00

My parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in January and my sister and I threw them a surprise party. We invited their closest friends, some of which they have known for 40 years. We had it on the roof of my sister's lofts, catered by On the Border Mexican food and their was lots and lots of beer and wine. We set out pictures around the entire room of my parents and their friends - many of which were from their wedding or pictures of them when they were in their mid-20's. They were a hoot and I think everyone enjoyed reliving the years.

It was wonderful to be with so many old friends. Many of my parent's friend's kids were there as well because growing up we were all like family. My mom's sister and one of her brother's flew in for the party which was a cherry on top of the surprise party. And, my parents were completely surprised; therefore, it was a success!

How To Train Your Dragon

2011-02-20T20:38:00.002-06:00

Yes, my kids LOVE the movie, "How To Train Your Dragon." So, Alex found some viking outfits for the kiddos and these were taken right after they opened them up. Now they like to pretend fight like the vikings - very cute and funny!

New Year's Eve Party

2011-02-20T14:54:00.007-06:00

We had a little get together at our house for New Year's Eve. I decided I was tired of just sitting at home while the kids went to bed early so we did a "kid New Year's Party" and it was quite fun. We ordered pizza, decorated cookies, played with sparklers and had lots of food and drinks. Everyone was gone by 9:30PM, and we were in bed by 11:30PM, but at least we celebrated with friends!

Visit With Santa

2010-12-04T17:18:00.003-06:00

We took the boys to a MOMs Club event to see Santa. I can't believe it but both boys sat on Santa's lap and Brooks even told him what he wanted for Christmas! Not sure what is up with Colt's "smile" but I think you call that a "Chandler Bing Smile!"

Holiday Decor

2010-12-01T20:32:00.006-06:00

I am Jewish and grew up celebrating Hanukkah. Alex grew up celebrating Christmas. We decided to celebrate both holidays with the boys. Hanukkah started tonight, December 1st and the boys opened up two presents for the first night and will open one present each night thereafter for 8 nights.

The boys were super cute tonight. The boys repeated after me while we said the prayer as we light the menorah. The first present they opened was from Nana & Poppy. Brooks opened a fire truck menorah and Colt received a train menorah - they are ADORABLE! Now they have their own menorahs which is pretty cool. Then they opened a present from Alex and me. Each received a personalized book including their names and friend's names as party of the story. We read them before bed tonight.

Colt was hilarious as he ran around the house trying to sing, "Hanukkah 'O Hanukkah!" I have been singing that song to them all week and they love it. All he knows is the word Hanukkah so he just dances around and kind of sings it. Brooks sings it as well but he knows a few more words, and then he just sort of makes up others. Too funny!

Fun first night of Hanukkah!

Silly Boys!

2010-12-01T20:21:00.004-06:00

Brooks was circling toys in a magazine with a red Sharpie (mommy's fault) and he was being so good. He then says, "Mommy look!" I turned around and he had drawn a line from the top of his head and down to his chin. He thought it was hilarious and all I could do was sigh and laugh. I googled, "How to get permanent Sharpie off skin" and found either toothpaste or makeup remover and it worked for the most part. No more Sharpies for the kiddos!

And then there is my little ham, Colt. This kid is a ham - the class clown! He is my patience-trying, ornery and aggravating child; but, I guess I said the same thing about Brooks at this age (minus the class clown). He really does make us laugh :-)

Family Photos

2010-11-29T21:01:00.011-06:00

We had our yearly family photos done by a friend of mine, and professional photographer, in the MOMs Club. We decided to have them done at the Grapevine Train Station so the boys could run around in a place they found interesting and fun - and boy did they ever! What a beautiful and fun morning we had!!!

ICE! at the Gaylord Texan

2010-11-29T17:43:00.012-06:00

The Gaylord Texas Hotel & Convention Center puts on this AMAZING 14,000 square foot ICE! exhibit featuring a variety of holiday scenes and sculptures hand-carved by visiting artisans from Harbin, China. They make it so you think you are visiting the North Pole. They provide HUGE, warm jackets since you enter into a 9 degree space with with TWO MILLION pounds of ice! It is incredible!

This year they recreated Charlie Brown and the whole Peanuts gang from "A Charlie Brown Christmas." There was even a slide made of ice for the kids. Brooks went down a dozen times before he was so cold we had to finish the tour, quickly!

After we left the ICE! exhibit, we headed into the main area of the hotel where all the decorations are, specifically the trains! My boys LOVE trains!

Go Rangers!

2010-11-29T17:40:00.002-06:00

Just a sweet picture of my boys in their Texas Rangers shirts during the World Series!

Ice, Ice Baby

2010-11-29T17:26:00.005-06:00

Yes! My boys LOVE the song, "Ice, Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice. We play it all the time at the house just so we can see them dance. This particular day they decided to wear their hats (which they NEVER wear) and glasses. It cracked us up. Colt looks so gangsta when he dances :-)

Halloween

2010-11-29T16:11:00.017-06:00

We had lots of fun activities leading up to the big night. We had a few parties and we also took the boys to a friend's house to see Halloween decorations in their glow-in-the-dark jammies.

A friend from the Mom's Club decorates her house for Halloween and Christmas each year. Her Halloween display included a pumpkin chorus that sang every 5 minutes, an odd bus stop, a GIANT spider, an ethereal ghost, a spooky graveyard and a murder! We tuned our car radio on to a specific station that was linked to the music she played at her house. They boys thought it was very cool!

We also had a MOMs Club Halloween party at the park. The kids all dressed up in their costumes, had lots of yummy treats and played pretty hard.

Brooks and Colt's school, Spanish Schoolhouse, had their own Halloween party. This is a really cute picture of Brooks and his best buddy, Lane.

And then there was Halloween night! I figured the kids would go out around 6:30PM for about an hour before they just couldn't walk anymore; however, I was VERY wrong! We ended up staying out until almost 9PM as the boys couldn't get enough trick-or-treating. We didn't even get home to hand out candy so we had a TON of candy at our house. The boys had so much fun and Colt was a big hit. He said, "trick-or-treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat" at almost every house and then he blew everyone kisses when he left. What a little ham!

Fall at the Arboretum

2010-11-29T15:35:00.008-06:00

The weather was beautiful this fall and the Dallas Arboretum had their Great Pumpkin Festival with over 40,000 pumpkins! We went with a group of friends from the Mom's Club and we all had a great time. The kids ran around the the grounds with all the pumpkin houses and mazes made of hay. Brooks got his face painted like Spiderman, his favorite superhero at the moment, then we played a bit by the fountains and had lunch. The boys crashed out when we got home which is always a plus!

Firetruck Ride

2010-11-29T14:53:00.006-06:00

Those of you who know Brooks knows that he is infatuated with firetrucks and firefighters and anything that has to do with either one! We drive by our own fire station once a day and visit a few times a month - they actually know us there!

So, my father (Poppy) is on the city council in his town of Highland Village and he mentioned this to the HV fire chief and asked if they would be allowed to take Brooks for a ride in the fire truck for his 3rd birthday. The chief was SUPER nice and said they would be happy to so we dressed the boys up in their fireman outfits (Halloween costumes) and we surprised him with a trip to the fire station.

The firefighters were amazing! We got a grand tour of the station, they boys played in the firetrucks ambulance and sprayed the big truck hose. The big surprise was the ride AND they said our entire family could ride! Brooks and Colt sat in the 'big boy' seats with Poppy and Alex and I sat up front (Nana didn't go with us). The fireman sounded the siren for the kids which of course we all loved. We all had a blast and Brooks had a permanent grin on his face. What a fantastic birthday present for him!!!

Texas State Fair

2010-11-29T14:28:00.008-06:00

Alex and I took Brooks to the Texas State Fair for the first time. Grandma watched Colt so we could enjoy some alone (and sane) time with Brooks, who is really pretty easy to take places now :-)

Brooks had a blast at the fair. We rode the HUGE ferris wheel amongst other fast spinning rides that made mommy sick, looked at the awesome train set up in the greenhouse garden, watched the dog show, went to the petting zoo and ate lots of junk food including ice cream and funnel cakes! And, the boy was definitely pooped once we headed home!!!

Brooks' 3rd Birthday!

2010-11-29T13:28:00.014-06:00

Wow, it has been ages since I have been on this blog and I can't believe I let it go this long. The boys are getting so big and changing so much. A lot has happened since my last post but I can't catch up from that long ago so I will start with Brooks' 3rd birthday.

I can't believe it but Brooks turned 3 this past October. We had a rough go through the 2's and when he turned three it was like a light bulb went off in his head. He all of a sudden became this big boy and changed his attitude to one where he is much easier to get along with!!! He is so super sweet, he acts like a much bigger kid and is just easier all the way around. He is even a fantastic big brother most of the time. I am really liking his age right now :-)

He had a super fun FIRETRUCK themed birthday party at a place where he and Colt were taking sports classes. Their coach hosting the party and had the kids running around, playing sports and games for about an hour. They had a blast!

After the craziness of exhausting themselves from running around, we headed to the party room for pizza and cake. We had a really cool firetruck cake and Brooks did a great job blowing out his candles.

After the party, the entire family came back to our house and Brooks opened his gifts. He got LOTS of great stuff including about 5 loud trucks. What a fun day!

Jumping on Nana's Bed

2010-07-06T21:57:00.002-05:00

The boys are finally at an age where they are starting to really play together well. Brooks likes to tell Colt what to do and Colt enjoys following Brooks. It is sweet really. My mom and dad kept them a few weekends ago and she caught a little video of them playing on her bed and I thought it was pretty funny. Colt just does and says whatever Brooks does and says...

Dancin'!

2010-07-06T21:30:00.004-05:00

Ok, so Alex and I are huge fans of the show 'GLEE' and think the remakes of the music are WAY better than the originals (most of the time). And, our boys LOVE to dance - just like mommy and daddy. Brooks has this great dance where he hops from one foot to the other with his elbows out. It cracks us up.

So, is it bad that my kids' favorite songs are the Glee versions of Amy Weinhouse's 'Rehab' (Colt's fav) and Kanye West's 'Gold Digger?' (Brooks' fav) They ask for those two songs all the time - at home AND in the car! They know a lot of the words, Brooks especially to 'Gold Digger.' It is really hilarious. At least they also love the classic by Vanilla Ice, "Ice Ice Baby!"

Swingin'

2010-07-05T22:15:00.003-05:00

Finally Colt is big enough to be pushed fast on our tire swing on the home swing set. The boys love to be pushed fast and then they like when I spin it while it is going around. It makes me sick to watch but they think it is the bomb! The faster it spins and turns the better.

NO MORE BINKY!!!!

2010-07-05T22:06:00.004-05:00

I never thought I would be so excited to say this but, "NO MORE BINKY!!!!!" Brooks finally 'gave up' his binky. Actually, he kept getting out of his bed one night so I told him that I would take it away if he got out of bed one more time. And, I ended up taking it away. I thought it would be at least a week of awful screaming and crying at night but it was only one night of heartbreaking crying. He kicked at his door, banged on his door and cried for about 45 minutes that night. After that, he went to sleep and only asked for it twice the next day. SO EASY!

So, for his 'big boy giving up his binky' gift, we got him (and Colt) the coolest little John Deere tractor/car. He loves it and is so proud when he drives it. It only took about two days for him to become a great driver. He and Colt look so sweet tootling around the backyard on it.

Dallas Aquarium Trip

2010-07-05T21:56:00.004-05:00

Some friends from my MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) group and I took our kiddos to the Dallas Aquarium to beat the summer heat. The last time I went was when Brooks was about 13 months old and I was VERY pregnant with Colt. Brooks enjoyed it then but he got so much more out of it this time. And, Colt thought it was pretty darn awesome as well. They both got to feed the Tucan, there were lots of ooo's and ahhh's when we saw the HUGE alligator and the large turtles and stingrays; however, I think their favorite part was the shark tank. We stood in a tunnel and the sharks swam all around and over us - pretty AWESOME!

Camel Ride

2010-07-05T21:45:00.002-05:00

We are members of the Dallas Zoo and have spent quite a bit of time there because the boys LOVE it. Brooks and Alex even took part in the camel rides. Brooks thought it was way cool!

Jumping on the Bed

2010-07-05T21:09:00.002-05:00

I just thought this was a funny video my mom took of the boys jumping on her bed. It is great to see the boys playing together and Brooks leading the pack - at least for now :-)

New Running Buddy

2010-07-03T14:41:00.003-05:00

My new running buddy in his great new running outfit (wish I could wear that)!

Ready for a Ride

2010-07-03T14:39:00.001-05:00

Daddy taking Brooks and Colt out for a bike ride. The boys love going out in the bike trailer and this is one of my favorite pictures of them.

Love'm Boots

2010-07-03T14:37:00.002-05:00

I just thought this was a great picture of Brooks before school one day. He picked out his own shoes - and of course he chose his "Woody" boots. Love'm boots!

City Councilman

2010-07-03T14:31:00.005-05:00

Congratulations to my dad who is now a City Councilman in Highland Village! We went to witness the swearing in and now he is known as "Honorable John McGee" (HA! Pretty funny if you ask me!) YAY Dad!

The Bridge

2010-07-03T14:25:00.002-05:00

I took the kids to feed the ducks at the park one day and they insisted that we spend 30-45 minutes running across a 'bridge' on a dock. They were actually very funny and had a ball following one another (usually Colt following Brooks). It was at least 98-100 degrees outside, but I sucked it up for the kiddos. Thank goodness they ran out of water and we had to head back to the car!

End of the Year School Show

2010-07-03T14:19:00.004-05:00

Brooks had his 'End of the Year' school show and it was absolutely adorable. He danced like a champ; however, his hat was WAY too big for his head and it kept falling over his eyes! It was pretty hilarious!

Singing the ABC's

2010-05-02T13:40:00.002-05:00

Brooks learned his ABC's a couple of months ago and just started singing it out of the blue one day. He likes to sing with Leap (the frog) but many times he just sings it on his own. Unfortunately, I never seem to have the camera when he starts singing by himself so this is as good as it gets for now.

I guess all those times we played or sang the alphabet song really paid off!

Baseball Player?

2010-05-02T13:24:00.002-05:00

Now that we have Brooks swinging the bat correctly and hitting the ball too (he can even hit a pitched ball), I think it is time we teach Colt! He has found his new favorite toy but he will not let Alex show him the correct way to hold the bat. The funny thing is, he usually holds the bat with one hand and slightly under one arm, and he hits the ball right off the tee without hitting the tee! It is pretty hilarious and he gets really excited.

Brooks' School Bike Parade

2010-05-02T12:13:00.008-05:00

Brooks' school blocked off the parking lot and turned it into a 'parade route' for the kids and their decorated bikes/scooters. It was more of a 'bring your bike or scooter to school and ride around for an hour' fun day! We decorated Brooks' tricycle with blue, red and yellow curly ribbon and a HUGE Spiderman balloon. He loved it! It was actually VERY cute and the kids had a blast. They had a 'car wash' station set up where the staff sprayed the kids with water as they went through. One of the teachers dressed up as a police woman directing traffic. They provided sidewalk chalk for the kids and kid spectators and they also served popcorn and lemonade.

Colt enjoyed watching the kids and doing sidewalk chalk in the parking lot. I am sure he would rather have been riding around though! Brooks' best buddy, Lane, was there too!

Reading

2010-04-30T20:59:00.006-05:00

I just thought these were sweet pictures of the boys reading books outside. Brooks reads LOTS of books now (of course they are memorized) and he likes to read them to Colt. I had to laugh at the video below of Colt trying to take the book from Brooks. We "disciplined" both kids but it was pretty funny!

It was such a beautiful night, so we ate dinner outside, which we do a lot these days.

Duck Feeding

2010-04-30T13:54:00.009-05:00

The weather has been so amazing lately so we have been taking lots of trips to the park to feed the ducks. The boys love to hang out at the park and ponds. Brooks and his BFF, Lane, bring their bikes / scooters and Colt chases after the birds. Daddy even had a day off to come with us which is always a fun treat for the boys.

Crazy Hair

2010-04-30T13:52:00.002-05:00

Brooks had a crazy hair day at school and mommy forgot about it. Fortunately, the teachers had plenty of red spray paint for his hair so now he looks like daddy!

Bling!

2010-04-30T13:49:00.002-05:00

I was wondering when Brooks would try on all of my costume jewelry! This is the one and only time so far and I thought it was pretty cute.

Learning Tower

2010-04-30T13:40:00.004-05:00

So I invested in the awesome Learning Tower for our kitchen. Brooks likes to help me cook and Colt is starting to get to that place. The step stool we currently use is too small for both kids and the boys are too crazy on it. This stool ROCKS, it is safe and keeps them both in place and away from the things I don't want them touching. The height adjusts lower as they get bigger. I also bought the easel that hooks onto the side so they have something to keep them busy if one wants to cook and the other just wants to play. It has a chalkboard on one side and dry erase on the other.

They love it so much that they wanted to eat standing up the first day I got it - the things kids find to be fun :-)

Muddy Boys!!!

2010-04-30T13:19:00.004-05:00

Ah yes, boys and the mud. It's like they can't get dirty enough just playing outside so they have to find the mud pit in our backyard to play in. They jumped and rolled around in it for at least an hour before I stripped them down naked and wrapped them up in towels to get warm and clean up. Notice no shoes - it was pretty darn chilly out. At least they had a great time!

Tire Swing

2010-04-30T13:12:00.003-05:00

The Kaisers moved up to Flower Mound over Christmas of last year and their house has an awesome backyard. Alex's brother, Bret, put up a tire swing on one of the very large trees out back and Brooks absolutely LOVES it!

Thomas the Train

2010-03-08T13:20:00.014-06:00

A "Day Out with Thomas the Train" came to Grapevine, TX and of course we couldn't miss that! They turned the train that goes from Grapevine to Fort Worth into Thomas and took us on a short 20 minute ride. The kids LOVED it - especially Brooks who is totally into trains right now.

Not only was there a train ride, but they had a complete set up in Grapevine including a huge tent with LOTS of train tables and sets put together for the kids to play with, a Thomas jump house, an awesome train display for the kids to watch, a petting zoo, story time and a music show.

We went in the petting zoo twice and both boys went crazy, especially Colt who had never been to a petting zoo before. They chased those poor animals around and Colt was screaming with excitement as he chased the little chickens around the pen. It was pretty darn hilarious!

The boys also enjoyed the music guy as he let them join in the fun by playing their own tambourines, bongo drums and maracas. They were dancing and singing and Brooks even jumped in to join the conga line. What a trip!

Beautiful Day at the Park

2010-03-08T09:29:00.003-06:00

We had a beautiful day last week where the temp hit 70 degrees and the sun was shining. We went for some frozen yogurt after school and spent a few hours at the park running around with friends from the MOMs Club. What an awesome day!

Snow Days in Texas!

2010-03-08T09:03:00.007-06:00

Wow! We had some great snow here in Texas this winter even if it was only a couple of days. We bundled the boys up and headed outside for some snowman making, snow angels and good 'ole fashion snowball fights. Colt wasn't too fond of the snow actually. He was pretty chilly and still not real steady on his feet so walking in the snow posed a little problem. However, he eventually warmed up to it (somewhat) and didn't cry too much. Brooks LOVED the snow and ran around in it for hours. We changed his pants, socks, shoes and gloves MANY times b/c they were so cold and wet.

Alex took the time to make an awesome igloo while Brooks was at school! It was large enough to fit both he and Nash. We filled up a water bottle and put blue coloring in it so Brooks could spray it blue. It was pretty darn cool! Alex and our high school neighbor, Conner, took Brooks sledding one day too. What a great couple of days playing in the snow!

Fun at Nana & Poppy's House

2010-03-08T08:55:00.004-06:00

My parents keep the boys one night a weekend (most weekends) and they always get some great pictures of the boys playing. They definitely come back worn out (and my mom is especially worn out too!!!).

I so appreciate that I have such wonderful and helpful parents and in-laws that live so close. I love that my boys get to see them at least a couple of times a week and they will grow up close to their grandparents. We are very blessed!

Hanging Out

2010-03-08T08:53:00.003-06:00

We decided to have a garage sale so my mom came over to help label everything. These are just some pics of the boys hanging out while we were getting everything ready.

New Swing Set

2010-03-07T19:09:00.004-06:00

So, we finally broke down and bought a new swing set for the boys. We have this huge backyard and can't put in a pool so a swing set is perfect! We hired a couple of guys to put it up (since this is what they do for a living) and it took them 8 hours to put it together - YIKES! Brooks was a great helper, bringing out his own drill to help with the building process. We are outside playing on it almost every day.

Quirky Child

2010-01-15T14:05:00.002-06:00

Brooks can be such a funny kid! Sometimes he likes to wear his helmet at meal time but in the car with mommy - come on! I am not that bad a driver! He also has found a new love for my fuzzy bedtime socks which he wears as boots - HA! Gotta love the quirkiness!

Lovin' the Cold Weather

2010-01-15T14:02:00.003-06:00

The poor boys (and mommy) had been cooped up way too long due to ice on the patio. It was GREAT to finally get out and play in the backyard if only for an hour or so! The cold didn't bother the boys at all.