Memorial Day Weekend!

I have sooooo been looking forward to this long weekend.  I had intended to take off on Friday as well to spend some bonus time with my boys, but those plans were scrapped last minute as work issues arose and I wasn't able to pick up the boys until 4:30 that day.  Boooooo!

Saturday we hung out at our pool with our new neighbors and their little boy.  After going out to dinner and relaxing in the driveway that evening after putting the kids to bed, we called it a night as well.  Jordan had to work on Sunday, so I headed to Meow Meow & LoLo's apartment that afternoon with the boys.  We packed up to go down to their pool and relax.  They were such greats hosts for us, grilled out a great meal, and played in the water.  We headed back to their apartment and we crashed there for the night.  Jordan's new job is about 10 minutes away from their apartment, so it worked out great for him to head back to work on Monday.  As he headed to work, we headed back down to the pool again.  Austin has become such a little fish and gets braver each time we go.  Today, he realized he could float (either in his life vest or arm floaties) in the deep-end.  Chase also enjoyed some playtime at the pool, too.  It was nearing naptime, so we loaded the car back up and headed back home.  Thankfully, both of them took a long nap once we got home, which also gave Mommy a chance to catch a quick snooze as well.

I can't believe it's back to work tomorrow already. :(  Luckily, it's a short week, and Jordan's bringing Austin up to have lunch with me on his day off on Thursday.  Yay!!

Happy Memorial Day!!  Here's a few pics from our mellow weekend......

Drying off in Mommy's arms

'

Chase taking a power nap

Hot dogs and Cheetos!

Trying to sneak some more Cheetos when he thought nobody was looking

What a pimp!!

Swimming with his arm floaties

What a great pose!

Brothers forever!

First Visit to the Pool!

Yesterday we ventured up to our neighborhood pool and splash park for the first time this season to cool off and relax.  Before we went, I ran to Target and bought Austin and Chase each a new float.  Austin loved his!  And Chase, well, he was more interested in taking a nap in the stroller.  Surprise, surprise. :)

Since going to Great Wolf last weekend, Austin has become a little fish!  We're heading to Meow Meow and LoLo's apartment and pool for a cookout tonight, so I'm determined to get Chase in the water.  And my nearly 5 month old is wearing size 12 months swimsuit. :) Pics to come.

School Pictures!

It's school picture time for the Hougham Boys!!!!

Summertime fun begins!

Tonight we ventured down to the 'Concert on the Lake' Series down at the Rockwall Harbor.  Just living the life in the suburbs. :)  Austin loves going down there to see all the puppies, dance around, and (if he's lucky) eat frozen yogurt.  We picked up Chick-fil-A on the way for us to eat for dinner, and we had a great time hanging out down there relaxing.

I'm working on trying to plan out some more summer activities, including a trip to San Antonio for Sea World, Hawaiian Falls, going to see Cars 2, and a return trip to Great Wolf Lodge.  Can't wait!

Grrrrrrreat Wolf!

I emphasis the word 'Great' above, because it was!  My only complaint............that we didn't stay more than one night!  Ah, what a blast that place is; worth every penny.  After packing up what seemed to be way too much crap, we headed to the Lodge Saturday afternoon.  Jordan had to work til 6:30, so he met us there after he got off work.  Katrina and Logan met me there and helped get the boys and our bags unloaded. We checked in, got our bracelets, changed clothes, and headed to the water park.  When checking in, they sold me on the 'Paw Pass' which was an up-front purchase of all these activities and things that I was most likely going to by anyways.  Just add it to my tab.  Since the 'Rapture' was supposed to happen yesterday, I thought, 'What the heck, the world's going to end, let's live it up; we won't have to pay the credit card bill now!'  Silly me; I'm thinking Citi will want their money next month now.

I had bought Austin a life jacket last year to take on the cruise, but he never needed it.  I wasn't sure he would cooperate when it was time to put it on, but he surprised me.  I didn't make him wear it all the time, but it was handy to have.  Austin loved sitting on the jet ski's and shooting water at everybody. 

The kids play area was amazing and kept him entertained for sure.  At the beginning, he was a little hesitant at doing anything and was hanging on for dear life on our first trip to the lazy river.  But he soon warmed up into the water bug I wished he would be.  After all, this trip wasn't free and I wanted my money's worth! :)

Chase was such a trooper the whole time.  We sat in the water and splashed around a bit.  He rode in mine or Jordan's lap through the lazy river and didn't really mind having all the water being splashed on him.  He would let me know when he got sleepy and take a catnap.  That kid was not disturbed the least bit by all the noise and kids running around in there.

When Jordan arrived at 7, we changed out of our swimsuits and headed down to the buffet. 

Granted, it was $16 a person, but it was convenient.  And Austin definitely enjoyed the dessert section to say the least.  I don't think he ate one healthy thing the entire time. Oh well. 

After filling our bellies, we headed down to where all the action was.  We got 25 tokens for the arcade with the Paw Pass, so Austin had some fun in there. 

Then we did their version of 'Build-a-Bear'.  I had intended on us going down to the Clock Tower for story time, but we definitely weren't settled down by then. 

We finally headed back to our room.  We had reserved the 'Kid Kabin Suite', which was complete with a separate area with bunk beds, a twin bed, and a tv of course.  Austin was in heaven! 

After watching the Mavs whoop up on the Thunder, we got some shut eye. 

A cheery little boy greeted me at 7am next to my bed, ready to go to the water park.  Hah, it doesn't open til 9 buddy, back to bed!  I did the easiest thing and crawled in his bed with him and we all slept til 9:30.  Chase got a quick diaper change at 7am too, and then got in the bed with Daddy to continue to snooze.

After snacking on some convenient breakfast snacks I had packed for us, we packed up our stuff, took it to the car, and then headed back to the water park.  (Water passes are good the day of check-in and check-out; what a bargain!)  Austin insisted on eating his breakfast on the balcony.  He loved watching airplanes fly by from the nearby airport.

Austin was way more excited today and quickly got back into the swing of things.  We took turns playing with kiddos so that the four of us would be able to enjoy the big kid attractions as well. 

I took Austin to the 'Cub Club' to color his t-shirt that came with the Paw Pass. As he left me to color the shirt as he played in a clubhouse, I recognized one of the workers.  If you caught the episode of 'Undercover Boss' for Great Wolf Lodge, they were at the Grapevine location on the show.  The CEO 'worked' in the Cub Club area and the employee that was training her (Bree) was there!  I told her I recognized her from the show and we chatted as I sat in a chair that only allowed half of my bobo to sit on, just six inches off the ground.  What a day!

As the clock struck 2pm, I knew our traditional nap-time had long passed and we should probably start packing up soon.  We got changed, got a quick spider tattoo for my Spiderman, and headed to the car.

What a whirlwind trip, that went by too fast!  We are already trying to figure out when we can go back this summer for 2-3 days.  We're not planning on taking a big vacation this year, so this will definitely do!

Going to the Lodge......

I'm scrambling around at midnight trying to pack up all the necessities for our trip to Great Wolf Lodge tomorrow.  So excited! But I forgot how much stuff you had to pack for a baby.......geez!  And add a toddler to that.

Austin has been excited all week, talking about going to the waterpark.  I hope it lives up to all the hype.  Stay tuned for my detailed blog review......

What's wrong with this picture?

I see a long life of mischievousness in my future with this one.....

Behind the wheel of Mommy's car

Just playing around in the kitchen, sans pants

Wearing all of Mommy's bracelets

Oh Lord, give me strength!

Play Ball!

Today was a family fun day at the Ballpark to watch the Texas Rangers.  My company hosted the entire Dallas office and their families for a game.  Tickets, parking passes, food & drink, all free for us!  It's been awhile since they have done a big family event, so we jumped at the chance to go (and show off my boys!).  We could not have asked for a more perfect weather day! It was sunny and 73 degrees outside; perfect day for a ball game, especially with kids. 

My sweet neighbor was nice enough to let me borrow her Baby Bjorn to carry Chase in for the long walk from the parking lot to the stadium.  It worked out wonderfully and Chase loved it!

Our company had the entire Hall of Fame museum reserved for us to eat at before-hand, and then we headed to our seats.  I was worried that our seats would be on the other side of the ballpark in the sun.  But we go super-lucky and our seats ended up being right outside the Hall of Fame in shaded seats, next to the aisle.  Score!! Once seated it was Chase's turn to eat, and then he dozed off for a good nap.  He didn't seem to mind all the hooting and hollering around us at all.

Austin LOVED dancing to the music, cheering, and clapping.  I was worried he wouldn't be into it, but he had a blast.  And he always loves to people-watch. :)

Surprisingly, we lasted until nearly the 7th inning; much longer than I had originally planned on.  So, we made the long walk back to the car and headed home.  But we had a great time and it was nice to socialize with some co-workers outside of work.  And introduce my handsome little boys.

Kids say the funniest things!

Austin can pretty much hold a conversation with me these days and he never ceases to amaze me at the things that come out of his mouth.  So, I thought I would share a few of his best quotes.

• After returning back to work, it was a bit of an adjustment.  I came home from work one night, sat on the couch, and said I was pooped.  He just started yelling, 'Mommy pooped her pants! Mommy pooped her pants!'  Let's just hope he doesn't go to school telling people that!
• This morning on the way to school, I had the radio on Kidd Kraddick.  Austin told me he didn't like that song and for me to change the channel.  I skimmed through some stations and came to 'Pour Some Sugar on Me'.  He immediately started clapping his hands, dancing, and telling me to make it louder!  He is definitely his father's child.  I'm envisioning the two of them singing it at karaoke in 20 years and taking their shirts off. :)
• Everyday on the way home from school when we exit the highway, there's a few potholes that I do my best to avoid.  And everyday Austin yells, 'Mommy, you a crazy driver!'
• He got a Little Tikes grill for Easter as a gift, so I bought him some food/accessories to go with it.  Each evening, he comes to take my order, asking if I want some mac-n-cheese and corn on the cob.  Same order, every day. 
• This kid's got an eye for the Bud Light logo.  He can spot it anywhere, even from 500 yards away on a billboard or 18-wheeler.  Frequently, there's a Bud Light truck unloading at the local convenience store when we're driving home.  He gets so excited when he sees it and yells, 'Look Mommy, Daddy's juice.  Daddy's juice!'  No comment on this one. :)
• This past week, his favorite thing to say is 'Mommy, you go to timeout!'

Oh, the things kids will say. It's always good for a laugh, no matter what time of day.

Love those eyes!

Happy Mother's Day to Me!!

My birthday used to be my favorite holiday/celebration.  That was before I got to experience the joys of motherhood.  Now, I love Mother's Day the most.  It's a day where I can look at my boys and think, 'Wow, I did that! (with a little help from Jordan, of course!)'.  For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to be a mom.  Yes, even more than I knew I wanted to go into Accounting in high school, there was nothing more important to me than having children of my own one day.  It's not always giggles and laughs, but it's the best job in the world!  I've enjoyed the past two Mother's Days with Austin, but I think this one will be even more special with both of my boys...

Our family is now complete, and I have my two boys to be thankful for.  Here are the gifts they made for me at school this week!  I love that they do things like this!

 My gift from Chase

My gift from Austin

Yesterday, Austin went with Jordan to go run some 'errands', which is code for 'I was in training all week and didn't have time to get a card for you yet!'.  When they came back, Austin walked in the house carrying these beautiful flowers and gave me the biggest hug and kiss!

I'm hoping that I get to relax most of Mother's Day and that some fairy will come clean my house, do the laundry, and cook dinner. I guess I can keep dreaming......

4 Months!

It seems that Chase is just growing up waaaayy too fast!  I literally feel like we just brought him home from the hospital last month.  Today he's 4-months old, and it's just going to make Mother's Day just so much more special to have both my boys and know that our family is complete.  I took Chase on Thursday to the pediatrician for his well checkup and shots.  He weighed 15lbs. 14oz. (70th percentile) and measured 24 1/2 in. long (45th percentile).  He's pretty much right on the money from where Austin was at this stage.  He's consistently sleeping around 11 hours straight through at night, occasionally waking up for a quick diaper change.  We couldn't have asked for our boys to be any more mellow and 'easy'.  They have made the 'baby' stage as easy as possible on us. :)

We've developed a pretty good routine during the work week now and it's not as stressful.  But I'm still exhausted at the end of the day after getting both of them to bed.  But totally worth it all.

He absolutely loves his Einstein jumper! 

Sweet boy!

Such a chunky monkey!