One Last Hurrah

With the impending birth of the twins, we knew it was now or never if we wanted to take one last vacation as a family of three, so we packed our bags and made way for Gulf Shores for a week of sand, sun, and family fun.  We were accompanied by some of our favorite extended family members:  Ra Ra, PePaw, Ashley, Madalyn, Briena, Mamaw Ollie, Papaw Charlie, Aunt Cindy, and Logan.
Caleb did great on the ride down - only complaining when the music stopped playing from his headphones.

When we were finally settled in at the house we were renting, we set up the pack-n-play where Caleb was to sleep and placed him inside with his blankie, monkey and Mickey Mouse...unfortunately, Caleb discovered at that exact moment that he could break out of his sleeping prison.  One leg over the side.  Then the other.  Freedom!  We were finally able to coax him to sleep that night, but our first objective the very next morning was to acquire a full size crib...no price was too high to make sure that he (and Mommy and Daddy) was getting the sleep he requires.  I always knew that day was coming...I was just hoping it would not be on vacation in a strange house!
While we were at the store buying a new crib, Caleb was at the beach splashing in the ocean.

From all accounts, he had a wonderful first day at the beach!
The rest of the week was basically more of the same:  play in the sand, jump waves, swim in the pool, and repeat.

Did I mention that Caleb learned to swim by himself too?  Well, he had on his floaties, but he no longer needs us to hold onto him!

 We also worked in a trip to the local zoo.  It was a quick visit because some of us (Caleb...ok, and Mommy too) were too hot, hungry and tired to stay much longer. 

It was also a great time of hanging out with family.

 And, as you can see, the babies continue to grow larger and larger...

It was a great trip, which is a good thing, because we're not likely to do it again any time soon.  See you in about five years, beach!

Fourth of July 2015

My best friend from high school Christine and her husband Lawrence came over and cooked out with us to celebrate the Fourth of July this year. Caleb had fun hanging out with the guys while they grilled, while Christine and I caught up in the kitchen.  Caleb immediately took a real liking to Lawrence and eventually warmed up to Christine (whom he called "Tine").
Before it got dark, we had Christine take our annual picture decked out in our red, white and blue.

I was a little surprised that I could still fit into the same dress!

And, just for fun, here was last year's picture:

 And the year before:

I've been friends with Christine since we first met at the student council lock-in at the beginning of our freshman year in high school.  From then on, we did everything together...and we continue the trend to this day:  Christine is expecting twins just two weeks after me!  I think I may be just a bit larger than her though:

We can't wait to have lots of play dates together in the future!

Mama's Got a Brand New Ride

She's got a 266 horse power Lexus engine; she can go 0-60 in 7.2 seconds; she's got positive traction, 4 wheel independent suspension, 4 wheel disc breaks, a sunroof, and a sound system that has more bass than any minivan has the right to have.  That's right - we've broken down and bought a minivan.  When you're going to have three kids under 3, it's kind of a necessity. 
After what seems like an eternity of doing research and test driving vans all over the metro area, we have a new (to us) Toyota Sienna. 

 Not bad for a mom-mobile, right?

Here Tony and I are before we went out on our date to celebrate our 9th anniversary back in May - dinner and test drives!  

Caleb's already broken it in nicely (i.e., crushed gold fish all over the floorboard), which is exactly why we didn't buy it brand new!  Can you imagine what it will look like with three kiddos around to destroy it?!

Caleb Turns 2

Caleb turned 2 a few days ago!  It's been the most amazing thing watching him turn into a little boy.  Here's a little summary of what he's all about these days:
Favorite food:  Chicken Nuggets (although he loves all fruit and many vegetables too - he's the healthiest eater I know!)
Favorite word(s):  Chicken Nuggets (Are you seeing a theme here?  The other day he burst into the room and said, "Hey, Chicken Nugget!"  Sometimes he'll just be playing by himself saying "chicken nugget" every now and then.)
Favorite activities:  Bubbles, playing ball, pushing/riding in his car/truck, being tickled, little piggies

Favorite song:  Fruit of the Spirit from his Character Seeds Worship CD (he can say most of them by memory!)
Favorite book/story:  The Three Little Pigs

Everyday I'm shocked at the new words he can not only say but that he seems to truly understand.  
We're working on obedience.  He's usually pretty good at obeying Mommy and Daddy, but every now and then he has his issues.  His latest thing is we'll be walking through a busy parking lot, and he'll just decide to have a seat - in the middle of the parking lot!  We're working on it...He's also really good at saying he's sorry when he disobeys. 
The morning of his birthday, he asked to pee pee in the potty - and he did!  We haven't yet replicated it, but we'll get there in time.
He has an infectious laugh that attracts people from all around when we're out in  public.
He's loves his blankie, and he can't imagine a nap or going to bed without it.
He can say "I love you," although it comes out more like "I lu."
He gives the best hugs and the sweetest little kisses, sometimes just out of nowhere. 

We celebrated with a birthday party last weekend, and most of his favorite people were there.  It was a happy day that he's still talking about.

 He wasn't quite sure what to do with the smash cake.

We also took Caleb's first trip to the zoo with Ra Ra and Grandpa Jonathan. 

Picture Perfect

I went to the doctor this week for a check-up on the twins, and they snapped these perfect profiles:

Baby A is on the left.  Isn't she beautiful?  That's right - she's a she!   Baby B's on the right.  I think he's going to have a great sense of humor - see him laughing in the second picture?  Yep - he's a he!  One boy and one girl - perfect!

True Love

True love is...
...running to the store whenever your pregnant wife runs out of whatever the food choice of the week is (frozen waffles anyone?).
...finishing off the box of whatever last week's food choice was when your pregnant wife decides it's the most disgusting thing she's ever eaten.
...fixing the sprinkler system, even if it means numerous trips to the store and several afternoons spent elbow-deep in mud, because you know how much your wife loves her flowers.

...taking great care of and cleaning up after this sweet little face.

 ...worrying about and doctoring up this little sweet pea when he takes a tumble outside (notice the nice shiner on his right eye).

...offering to handle all of the middle of the night feedings when the babies arrive.
Mommy and Caleb already know this, but babies, when you get here you'll see that you've got one fantastic daddy who's going to put your needs above his own and take the best care of you, no matter what.  Because that's what true love is all about.