Like Peas and Carrots

These two love each other so much.  Sure there's fighting over toys or a good space on a couch, but overall they love each other and truly enjoying spending time together.  It makes my heart so happy.

We played hard this summer which meant there was lots of nap time in the car.

Cute outfits and all...

Morning cartoon time.

Just playing around.

Loving on each other is just a daily thing for these two.

This could be my favorite picture of these two.  Pure joy.

Dress up time!

Making cookies together. 

Riding the wagon around the cul-de-sac is always fun.

One Month

Only one month until my precious baby girl turns two.  I can hardly believe she is getting so big.

I love this age!

My mom always said that 4 was one of her favorite ages.  I can totally see why.  Brooks is so much fun right now.  He can actually have conversations, ask questions, engage in activities, remember things that actually have meaning, and he says some REALLY funny things.  Here are some of my favorite funny things Brooks has said:

Brooks was sitting on the potty and I was in the bathroom with him.  And since I was in the bathroom, I decided to let out a little toot.  This was Brooks' response:

"Mom, I love you - but not when you stink...like eggs.  Did you have eggs for breakfast?"

Me: "Brooks, mommy's throat hurts today."

Brooks: "Okay mom, then I won't punch you in the throat."

After some serious VBS talks about how God created the world, Brooks was naming everything that he could see that God created.  And then he said this:

"Mom?  Do you know what God made?  Your sunglasses!  But he didn't make poop and teetee, mom, because he only makes nice things."

I love the school where Brooks and I go.  I love that they are encouraging him to pray for others.  This is what he did on our way home from school the other day:

"Mom?  I want to tell God something." (Then he rolls the window down and shouts out the window at the top of his lungs.)  "GOD?!  HELP TALLY'S CHIN FEEL BETTER.  GOD?!  YOU'RE SPECIAL.  YOU MADE THE FLOWERS."  (And then he rolled the window back up.)

"This little piggie went to the market.  This little piggie got married.  This little piggie went to HEB.  And this little piggie went weeweewee all the way home."

After his soccer game (which he lost 18-3) Brooks came sprinting over to the sidelines to give us some high-fives.  We did the typical, "We're so proud of you" and "You did great out there, Buddy".  All he could say was:
"Yeah.  And I scored, like, how many goals?"
Mom and Dad: "One."
I guess this might only be funny to those who are lucky enough to see Brooks play.  Let's just say that he's really having fun...and that's all that matters.  He just happened to kick the ball in the net - and we were really excited for him.  Little man just kind of let it go to his head - I guess he was having so much fun that he just "lost count" of his goals.  Too funny.

Just plain silly.

At the Dallas Zoo.

4 year check up.

Best Buds.

Loving some baseball in the front lawn.

Like I said - Best Buds.

First Day of School

Well, Brooks and I embarked on something new this year - we both changed schools, and now we are both going to Summit Christian Academy.  I told about changing schools all last year.  I knew it would be a big change, but I just kept praying about it and it just seemed like the right thing to do.
More money?  No.  Closer to home?  No, further actually.  God's calling?  Yes.  And that's really all that matters.  Everything about this job is amazing.  I love that Brooks and I can go to school together. I love that I get to pray with my students and teach them God's Word.  I love that my coworkers pray for me and are always there to encourage me.  I love that Brooks is in an environment where everyone loves Jesus and every lesson points back to what He teaches.  It's a good place for us in more ways than one, and I feel so very privileged to be teaching there.  Brooks is loving every minute of his time there as well.  He loves his Pre-K teacher, Mrs. Stephens, and he has made so many great friends.  His classroom is right across the hall from mine, so it's fun because we get to see each other so much throughout the day.  Chad took him to school on the first day (since I was busy doing my own first day business).  I guess it would've been cute to get a picture of the two of us together at school, but the pictures of Brooks will have to do.

Laneybug

Oh man, this girl cracks me up and drives me crazy all at the same time.  Seriously.  There is never a dull moment.

The Great Outdoors

Well...it doesn't get much better than hunting and boating in Texas.  That's what we do, right?  Brooks absolutely LOVES hunting with his Daddy.  He was so excited when we told him we were going out to our friend's ranch for dove hunting season.  He enjoyed shooting the gun (with Daddy's help), riding the four-wheeler, going for boat rides, playing with his friend (Brody), and just being a boy in the great outdoors.

San Antonio Surprise!

So, again...summer was coming to an end and Chad and I realized that we didn't take a family trip like we did last year.  We really enjoyed it the previous summer and I wanted to make it a tradition.  So - on a Thursday night Chad got lucky on priceline.  All of a sudden I heard, "Well, I guess we're going to San Antonio tomorrow."  He bid so low that he didn't think he would get the hotel...but he did.  We hadn't even really finalized going, but the hotel was booked!  So, I quickly packed up all the kids stuff, my stuff, and some snacks and other essentials you need when traveling with a four-year-old and a toddler.  We drove to San Antonio early Friday morning (after booking the hotel and packing just the night before) and made it to Sea World by 10:30.  Since I'm a teacher I get a free pass every year, and Delaney is still free since she's under 2.  It was a heck of a deal.  We spent all day at Sea World going to show after show, seeing all the animals, and riding lots of rides with Brooks.  It was 5:00 by the time we left (it was a "no nap" day for everyone), and luckily we only had to drive 5 minutes to The Hill Country Hyatt.  We changed right into our suits and hit the pool.  We had dinner pool side and ate s'mores pool side.  I took Laney to bed and Chad and Brooks stayed outside to watch the movie on the big screen.  The next day we spent all morning at the pool floating the lazy river, swimming under waterfalls, and building sand castles on the "beach".  By the time we left at 1:30 the kids were completely wiped.  It was a perfect little vacation close to home.  I look forward to another adventure next year.

Brooks rode this big ride with Chad.
If you look closely you can see Brooks gripping the lap bar for dear life.
He loved it and wanted to ride again. 

Feeding the dolphins.  Laney's called them, "Dolphs!"

Floating the lazy river...not so lazy with two crazy kids.

S'MORES!

Oh yeah - roasting some marshmallows!

Apparently Laney was too into her s'more to stop and smile for the camera.

There is nothing better than waking up and snuggling together in a hotel room.  

Ready to go home!

Playing with Friends

Well, summer is over (I guess it has been for weeks now), and I am realizing that I neglected posting some pretty fun things.  Right before it ended, back in August, the kids and I took a trip up to Arlington to visit some friends.  Brooks had a BLAST with all his friends.  Of course, the mommies had fun staying up late and talking as well.  First we stayed a few days with Cari and Parker and Pierce.  It's great because Brooks and Parker are just 11 months apart, and Delaney and Pierce (who I forgot to get a picture of) are just 6 months apart.  They all played so well together.  Brooks and Parker played nonstop.

Brooks and Parker were always coming up with crazy things.  

Seriously?!  I heard them giggling and I came in to find them hiding in Parker's laundry hamper.  
Silly Boys.

They did manage to chill for a few minutes and snuggle in bed to watch some cartons.  

We also went to visit Melissa and Ethan and Averie.
We had a great time at the Dallas Zoo.

Cheers...to 10 years!

Well, I can hardly believe that Chad and I have been married for 10 years.  That makes me feel like I should be older than I really am.  And sometimes it feels like just yesterday that we got married, and sometimes it feels like it's been forever!  We have grown so much in the past 10 years - as individuals and as a couple.  Highs.  Lows.  And I wouldn't trade any of it!  To celebrate we planned an East Coast trip.  My dad always thought it was a good idea, so it was kind of fitting in more ways than one.  We flew into NY and then traveled up the coast.  Our days went like this:
Day 1: Fly into NY and stay in Time Square
Day 2: Rent car and drive to Newport, RI
Day 3: Drive to Cape Cod (Actually Anniversary)
Day 4: Cape Cod
Day 5: Drive to Boston
Day 6: Boston
Day 7: Drive back to NY
Day 8: Return home
Just in case your really bad at counting - that's EIGHT DAYS away together.  Our families took turns with the kids, which was such a blessing to know that I didn't have to worry about them one bit.  I did miss them like crazy, but the sleeping in, eating out, no schedules, relaxing, and one-on-one time with my husband quickly distracted me.  I can't possibly pick pictures (out of the 400 that we took) to capture all the great things that we did.  But - here are some highlights of each day...

First Night at The Press Lounge in NY city.

Day 2 - Newport Rhode Island.

Day 3 - Cruising around Newport, watching the boats go by.

Day 3 - Anniversary Dinner at The Ocean House in Cape Cod.  That's 1 1/2 of lobster on Chad's plate.

Day 4 - Cape Cod, MA.

Day 5 - Leaving Cape Cod and heading to Boston, MA.

Day 5 - "Cheers" from Boston, MA.

Day 6 - Enjoying an AMAZING lobster hoagie with tons of butter on the Boston Harbor.

Day 6 - Harvard University

Day 6 - Red Sox game at Fenway - truly a highlight!

Day 7 - Back in NY at The Hudson Morgan.

Day 8 - Run through Central Park before leaving NY.

 As you can see, Chad took lots of the pictures by reaching his long arms out and snapping it himself.  I was crazy camera happy on this trip because I didn't want to forget a thing.  We had so much fun exploring, traveling, relaxing, and just having adult conversations.  There's a whole other part to this trip, which involves the memory of my dad, but I'll save that for another post.  This will have to do for now.