last day of vacation

Today my "vacation" is coming to an end. It is always bitter sweet to end the vacation. You are ready to get back to life, and yet not ready to leave the fun life you've been leading for a week. I'm looking forward to seeing my sweet boys again, and yet wishing Aaron was coming with me to see them too!

It has been a great week of lots of eating out (one of my TOP FAVORITE things to do), lots of couple time, and me by the pool reading a great book and soaking up the rays! That is my idea of a great week.

So, today around noon I head back to real life. Back to my boys, back to being a mommy and back to what I love doing.

sleeping good.

Two nights down and one to go here with my hubby in Padre. I have had the BEST two nights of sleep that I have had in a long time. No baby monitor to listen to, no children within 10 feet of your bed, no sharing beds with children - NOPE just me and my hubby in a KING size bed. I LOVE it!

I love my kids more than anything, but nothing beats a week alone in a hotel room with no kids!

luggage is in BROWNSVILLE

So last I heard the luggage had arrived in Brownsville around 10:30 PM and will be delivered to our hotel in Padre sometime before 6 AM. We told them to call our room WHENEVER it arrives. We'll see how happy Aaron will be at 3 in the morning when he has to go down to the front desk!

Back to Trinity

I'm back in Trinity for the day. It is slow here and I need that sometimes. Slow days to do laundry, watch a movie, read a book, finish a magazine. Today is all laundry day for me and movie day for the kids. Right now they are enjoying some Pops time and I'm knee deep in laundry.

The kids and I drove from Giddings yesterday to Jordan and Kristen's house in Conroe for dinner with them, Paul (Kristen's dad) and my parents. It was fun and rowdy. The kids were a little wound up after being in the car for 3 hours. It won't be long until JOrdan and Kristen have little Porter running around crazy everywhere.;

Here's a funny kid story for you. Before we went over to their house we stopped at Old Navy to get Baby Porter a present. As I was checking things out and trying to decide on what to get Big Boy was talking about giving the gifts to the baby. I told him that he could give the baby one and his brother could give the baby one too. He thought for a moment and then said ... and Kristen can eat the presents to give them to the baby in her belly! It took me a minute to understand, but he was thinking logically how those presents were going to get to that baby in Kristen's belly! What a thinker we have on our hands!!!

Tonight after dinner the kids and I will drive to Pearland to spend the night with some of our favorite friends, Matt & Rachel and baby Ava. The kids are super excited to stay there. We have been with them the whole last week and so the kids are comfortable around them and love Baby Ava as everyone calls her!

A few weeks ago I thought I wasn't going to get to go to South Padre with Aaron and was kinda bummed about it. I mentioned to Rachel that I wasn't going to be able to go b/c the people that were watching our kids backed out and without even hesitating she volunteered to watch them while I am in Padre with my lover. How amazing of a friend is that! So, she'll have plenty of practice this week with having more than one baby! I pray that my kids are on their BEST behavior and don't miss their mommy too much while I'm gone. I think they'll love to "help" with baby Ava, and it sounds as though Rachel has fun things for them planned like the museum, pool, and water park (for kids of course!).

I have been looking forward to this week for a long time now. We'll be at Student Life Camp on the Beach. As I have said before SL puts on some of the BEST camps around and so it is always a relief to be somewhere that you know will take care of you and treat you well. Also SL Beach camps are a blast! I LOVE the beach, even if it is a TX beach, and I love being alone with my hubby with no kids. I don't think we have a trip planned this year for us with no kids, so this will be our trip for the year, even if Aaron is "working"!!! It is nice to get away with no kids - if you have kids and don't do this - YOU MUST start this year. It is a MUST for your marriage to be the best it can be. Men, plan a trip for your wives. Don't make them do it, you take the initiative and make them feel special! Aaron is fabulous at this and I love that about him so much.

Okay I have heard my children calling for me and should show them that I am still here! I hope and pray that your week is FABULOUS and I should have lots of good news to share with you this week! I can't wait!

a few pics ...

here are some pictures from our walk the other night. both boys were sporting their new shades and both boys spent most of the walk snoozing and sweating!!! nothing like sleeping in the sun!




I LOVE this picture. My boys are the LUCKIEST boys alive. They have all these men in their lives that love them and support them and will be some of their greatest fans in life. I'm one proud momma!

And then lastly, this is one cute boy that I want to show off!!!

random pictures ....

I have so many pictures to share from my recent trip through TX.

Here are some from the train ride from Palestine to Rusk and back. Big Boy loved it had a blast. Little Boy liked it but wasn't too impressed and we were all happy when he finally crashed on the way home!



Fredricksburg was lots of fun!




Big Boy took this pic of mom and I!



While in Fredricksburg we went to the Wilderness Farms and went through the butterfly exhibit. Big Boy loved finding all the butterflies and letting them land on him!






Nana and Pops with the boys before we left their house for Grandma and Grandpa's house.


The whole family before we went to Marcus and Chrystal's wedding, which was wonderful!

Maris and I at the wedding.

The whole family this morning at First Pres of Houston for Easter.

TEXAS

Yes we made it safely to TEXAS on the airplane the other day. Big Boy was SO EXCITED to fly on an airplane and did so well. He kept waiting for the plane to arrive and told everyone he came in contact with that he was going on an airplane! They all laughed b/c so were they and everyone else that was around us!!!

We had to walk down stairs to the plane outside and then up stairs to get on it. UGH for a mom with two toddlers, a carry on bag, a backpack full of toys and snacks and a stroller. BUT a very nice man and lady helped and we made it on the plane just great. Big Boy was hilarious b/c he was in front of me and by the time I showed the lady our ticket so she could tell me what row we were in (not sure why I didn't figure that one out while we were waiting for the plane, but oh well) Big Boy had already planted himself in the first seat he found and was trying to get buckled up!!! I laughed at that one and had to convince him that our seats were somewhere else.

Little Boy fell asleep about an hour into the flight and slept for 30 minutes. I was blessed b/c that morning I had prayed specifically for three things. #1 that no one would have to poppy on the plane. #2 that Little Boy would sleep some, and #3 that Big Boy would not need to potty. The first two were great and about 20 minutes before we landed Big Boy informed me he needed to potty. So off all three of us went to the little potty in the back of the Continental Express Jet. It was a tight squeeze, but we made it and Big Boy went potty while I reminded him ever 5 seconds not to touch anything and Little Boy kept occupied by completely emptying the entire roll of toilet paper!!! At least he was touching anything on the nasty floor!!!

Our trip has been fabulous and I feel as though we've done so much. We drove to Tyler yesterday to visit the flowers. Seriously three weekends in March they have the azalea trail and the flowers were beautiful!!! It was just my mom, my grandma, my aunt Sarah and myself since Kristen and her mom kept the boys for us! Then we had dinner with the Kiel's and enjoyed that so much as well.

Today we were up early and drove to Palestine to ride the train from there to Rusk. Big Boy loved riding on a "thomas" and both of them did fairly well considering we were on that train for an hour and a half there and then had an hour and a half for lunch, and then an hour and a half back!! Little Boy finally crashed on the way back.

I have been running here and it has been hard. My parents work at Trinity Pines Conference Center and there is a mile loop around the camp that I've been doing. Half of it is up and half of it is down. Wow the up part is hard! I ran 8 miles on Friday in one hour and 14 minutes. I have never run continuously for that long in my entire life. I think I'm ready for this half marathon to be over! 4 more weeks! My knee has not bothered me in a few weeks. After the last time it started hurting so bad I took some time off and things have been better. I'm now only running about 3-4 times a week instead of 5-6. I also usually take a mortin after long runs and ice my knee after long runs too.

Okay well I must get back to their house since I"m in the office using wireless internet. Tomorrow is lazy day for us! Yeah! Tuesday we're off to Brownwood to visit Mimi and then Wed and Thursday night we're in Fredericksburg!!! Then on Friday my hubby flies in and we head to his parents house for the weekend. I CAN NOT wait to see him. I miss him! He is home alone and I know he is missing me!!! Love you baby!

I'll take a a bloody mary and two apple juices!

I don't even know what a bloody mary tastes like but I always see people on airplanes getting them and tomorrow may be my day to experience one! I am already stressed out about what is going to occur tomorrow around 9:45 am when I board an aircraft with my two boys and no hubby. OH MY GOSH what have I gotten myself into! Big Boy has flown several times but doesn't remember any b/c it was all before he was two and before his little brother joined us as well. Little Boy has never flown and is really the one I'm thinking might send me over the edge and straight into a bloody mary. He is not one to like to sit still (what 16 month old boy does though) and is going to give me a run for my money on the plane.

I plan on bringing lots of snacks and toys, quiet ones for the fellow plane travelers, to keep them entertained. If anyone has any advice on flying with two children ages, 3 and 16 months, please let me know TONIGHT!!!

PS - The bloody mary is a joke ..... I will be a responsible, calm, and happy mom the entire 2 hours!!!!