So. Busy. Around. Here.

What we've been up to.
celebrating fathers. enjoying free snowcones. meeting maggie. going running at waterway. doing laundry. standing up. doing dishes. clapping. waving to others (even though it looks like we are waving to ourselves). swimming. staying cool inside. playing with friends. reading books. seeing armadillos in our backyard.
Enjoying Summer.











how sad. I didn't get a picture with Chris and the boys on Fathers Day. (tear)

Mary AND Martha challenge.

I have taken on a challenge. I have committed to do the Mary/Martha challenge for the next 31 days. If you want to join me...check out:

http://31daystoclean.com/

Day 1
Why I clean Mission Statement:
It might not make sense (to you) but the following reasons/statements are why I clean.
Organized. Purposeful.
Steward of Blessings.
Calm.
Tidy. Healthy. Safe
Sanctuary.
Mercies New Everyday.

Day 2: Clean out freezer and refrigerator. Wow. It feels great to purge! I love an organized fridge! I wonder what tomorrows challenge will bring?


I had a little bit of "help" at the grocery store today.
Wow. Today I was that mom with the big giant car-buggy. Sigh.

And a little snack. Nothing like bringing back some memories from childhood. My friend Kelly's mom used to make these oyster cracker snacks all the time. Yum! (not bad for an iphone picture, huh?)

Cheerios on the Floor.

Last year,

one year ago,

we brought our boys home.

Our home has changed a lot since then. We have a lot of fisher price, plastic, brightly colored toys. We don't light candles on our coffee table anymore. In fact, the house doesn't always "smell" as nice as it used to. We have sippy cups in our sink, bottles in the fridge (although less then we used to!), and cheerios on the floor.

We also have lots of laughter and smiles.
Storytime that warms the heart.
Bathtime with giggles.

Cute front teeth.
Dimples.

Today, we added "two toddler/big boy car seats" to the list.

We have two infant carriers...packed up in the garage.

Wow! That was fast.

Cam and Daddy play some games together.

We had a great weekend with our cousins! We fed the fish at the boardwalk.
...went on a boatride.


...and hung out with mommy!

The best medicine.

Today the boys didn't feel well. And when they don't feel well, they are not their happy-go-lucky selves. It makes for a long day.

So, what we all needed at the end of the day was a little story time. The boys love when we read books...and the more animated the better. Their laughter was the best medicine for the diagnosis of "a bad day".

(Chris tried to sneak into the room while we were reading; sorry for the poor video quality and lighting).

Simplicity defined.

What a great Memorial Day weekend!
Chris and I had a little "date weekend".
We went to visit some dear friends at their home in Albany, Texas.
Our families were nice enough to
watch the boys for us while we were away.
We missed them so much while we were gone...
but it was great to get away for a little while.
Albany is a small west Texas town-
full of simple pleasures and a proud history.
Simplicity.

It was refreshing!

We loved getting snapshots and emails of what the boys were doing while we were away! Here are a few of my favorites!

Blackberries!

So, I have had to let a few things go. Having a clean kitchen (all the time) is one of them. And today...I put this challenge to the test. One word: Fresh, ripe, BLACKBERRIES for snacktime.

(oh, and Cam learned to clap (as seen in the second picture). and yes....blackberries were everywhere. )

Iron-man post.

Well, in honor of the Ironman competition here in The Woodlands this weekend (way to go Corey!), it is only appropriate that this post will be very long!

So that is either a fair warning for you...or you have been waiting because I have been MIA in blogland for a long time.

It has been difficult to catch our breath around here. We have been so busy...turning ONE and all! Crazy!

(this is still just a small sample of the party.)

Although we had a big cowboy bash planned for the boys...we wanted to make their actual birthday very special too. So, what better way to do that than to return to the NICU...one year later. Then...to top it all off...we enjoyed some yummy cupcakes that dad brought home. Cam wasn't so excited about the texture of the icing and Sullivan couldn't get enough of it.

(we are so big we can now sit in the chairs in the NICU waiting room)

getting ready to celebrate.

Before the boys actually turned one...I wanted to take some pictures of the boys. So...off to Old Town Spring we went. It was a lot of fun. Thanks for your help, Andrea!

And lasty, I thought I should include just some general pictures from our week(s). In no particular order:

(phone pictures)

I had the best mother's day ever. Thanks!

The boys love the water!

So glad Cam feels better!

Playing with a new birthday toy.Thanks for reading a book to us! We had fun visiting!

We love our twin friends! Happy Birthday, Erin!

Crawfish festival. Such a great time with great friends!
Watching the Ironman.

Tired from watching the Ironman and asleep on the bike ride home.

The end. At least for now.