A Visit from Family

Jarod's cousin Brittney and her cute family stopped by to say hello this past weekend, on their way to and from San Antonio. We were so happy to have them stop by, even though it was so short. We were able to go to church together, and the boys spent the whole time "sharing" cars with each other. I loved having someone else's baby to hold during sacrament meeting...there's nothing better than being able to kiss and cuddle a baby, and pass them off when they need to be fed, or if they're fussy. I was very happy to get a little baby fix, so THANKS BRITTNEY!! Carly and the boys loved the baby. I thought their reaction to his gummy smile was pretty hilarious. Thank goodness babies don't come with teeth, right?!

Bike Night

Jarod took Josh to bike night last week, to have some guy bonding time. I did his hair in a Mohawk so that he would look tough, and fit in with all the bikers there. Everyone thought he was pretty cute, and well...he is. As you know we don't have a motorcycle anymore, and that wouldn't have worked anyway, so they went in the '54. Jarod is convinced that Josh is bad luck, because on the way home they ran out of gas on the interstate. While they were waiting for me to arrive with the gasoline, they managed to sit in a fire ant pile. Josh is now recovering from ant bites all over his body. This experience, along with their father and sons' experience, is making for a bad track record for Josh. Oh well, I'm sure they'll keep trying, and truthfully, Josh is still talking about bike night. He loved seeing all the motorcycles and hanging out-just the two of them.

Thanks Grandma Tess!

Carly got another early birthday present, this time from her Grandma Tess. To go along with the rest of her dance attire, she got ballet shoes, and a ballet skirt. She was very excited about it. We can't wait to start dancing next Friday!

Mohawk Babies

Since the boys' hair is so long, it goes into a Mohawk really easily. Check out their 'dos.

What is Up

So, not much has been going on since my last post. Now that we know we're not moving, things have calmed down, a little bit. While Jarod is staying with the same company, in the same city, he's got a new boss, new location, and new position, which makes it feel like a whole new job sometimes. Things have been very busy for him, and we look forward to seeing more of Daddy when work isn't quite so hectic.

The kids and I have been trying to get life back to normal. Well, I've been trying to get life back to normal for them. I've been endeavoring to take them to the pool every day. It's been a good little routine so far. They get outside time that doesn't cause heat stroke, and we all get to work on our tans. Of course, theirs all look better than mine.

Here are some random pictures I've taken.

We've decided to start Carly in dance class this year for her birthday. She's really excited about it. Since class starts September 8th, and her birthday isn't until October 7th, we told her that this was going to be her birthday present, and she seemed to understand the concept of getting her birthday gift much earlier than her actual birthday. She was so excited to get her dance gear. We are still lacking ballet shoes and skirt, if anyone knows of a good location to get those. I was able to get her tap shoes for $7.99, and leotard for $4.99. I was super excited. It was like a mini shopper's high. When we got home from shopping, she wanted to put her garb on immediately. She then proceeded to show me her dance moves. At first they looked very ballet-like. After a couple poses, however, they started looking like kung fu moves. I hope I'm going in the right direction for her.

Hey, We're Texan Y'all!!

One morning I was doing the boys' hair, and Jack got in line first. Josh loves doing his hair spiky, with the hair glue that Rachel turned me on to. When he saw me just combing Jack's hair, he informed me that he didn't want that, he wanted spiky hair. His hair is so long right now that I decided to try a Mohawk. He loved it, and loved telling everyone at Daddy's work that he had a Mohawk. I think these two are pretty studly. The other day when Josh was getting out of the tub, he told me "mommy, look at my muscles!" I hope he isn't always this skinny. :)

I've also been busy switching the kids' rooms around. For some reason, I always get a little antsy to move my kids out of the crib when they get to be about 22 months, and Jack is no exception. Yesterday I rearranged the rooms so that the boys would be sharing, and Carly would have her own room again. I moved furniture, hung pictures, rearranged toy closets, and put the crib in the attic, and then picked up Carly's new mattress. I wish I'd done this months ago, it looks so good. I think it might be staged better now than when the house was on the market. Carly is very excited to have her own room, and a new bed. She was jumping up and down just about all day, and was very helpful in moving/putting away toys. Her new mattress is so comfy I think I may take up sleeping in her bed. So, ATTENTION EXTENDED FAMILY: you now have a comfy place to sleep when you visit...COME VISIT US!!

Aunt Kerilynn

We were happy to have Kerilynn visit for a week. Carly always gets excited when company comes, and this was no exception. She talked for weeks about Kerilynn sharing her bike with her, and sleeping in her bunk bed. Neither of which actually happened. I think she's having some withdrawals, not having Kerilynn around. She keeps telling me that Kerilynn is coming to visit again in 5 days. We had a great time with Kerilynn while she was here. We went to Zilker Park to check out the Nature Center and dig for dinosaur bones when we were done looking at the animals.

We also went to Kiddie Acres so the kids could enjoy the rides. They have little kid carnival rides, and pony rides. It was a lot of fun, but also SUPER hot! Jack didn't really enjoy the rides, unless mommy was with him. Funny kid.

Jack was a one handed riding cowboy.

Carly looked like she'd been riding horses for years.

Josh loved, loved, loved, the airplanes.

It was funny to see Jack reacting to all the rides. He would be okay until it started up, and then he would progressively get more upset. Finally on the car ride, he'd had it and they let me on the ride.

Carly was comforting Jack during the boat ride. Josh was just loving the ride!

On the cage ride Carly had to ride alone, and I had to ride with the boys. Josh kept saying "we're going up, now we're going down, now we're going up, now we're going down"...over and over and over. I thought it was hilarious.

I think the boys like the water mister the best. They loved soaking their heads.

Of course, we also took several trips to the pool. This summer is shaping up to be the hottest summer in Austin's history. In the mix we took some girl bonding shopping trips and got pedicures. It was a great trip, and as always, saying goodbye is hard to do. Thanks for the great visit Kerilynn!!

Carly and Josh just love Kerilynn, and Josh was very upset that he wasn't going on the airplane.

Sisters

For Jarod

A few weeks ago we bid farewell to Jarod's fifth motorcycle in 4 years. We might actually make it a few months without buying another one this time. What a stud!