Pensacola and Halloween

Oh no! There is a T-Rex and an Alligator at my door!

360 Degrees Ferris Wheel at Pensacola Beach

Matthew sharing his dinosaur with Thomas.

Playing on the beach! We were the only ones out there. It was so nice!!

Matthew got to pet the alligator at the Pensacola Zoo. We also trick or treated there too. Matthew was way more interested in the animals than the candy...until we left then all I heard from both was "I want a sucker"

Our giant balcony! Perfect for the kids to run around.

We toured Fort Pickens

We got the see the Blue Angels practice. It was pretty cool. We also toured the Naval Museum. Lots of really neat airplanes. Thomas and Matthew had a blast!

Great Trip! One of my favorites!

Happy, Happy Birthday!

Matthew had a blast at his birthday! He turned 3, but tells me he is 2 and doesn't want to be three.

The cake Matthew picked out

The kids eating. So cute! I didn't take many pictures because they were all mostly just playing at the park.

One of the kids brought this motorcycle. We turned around and Thomas had gotten it and was trying to ride it. Too cute!

The boys at St. James Fall Festival. Feeding the elephant for a prize

Couldn't resist! Of course we would have a dinosaur pumpkin! The boys love it!

The boys painting their pumpkins

Fall=Fun

I am loving this Fall weather, even though it is hot for a few days, then cool for a few, but at least it is more pleasant. Matthew's 3rd birthday is Monday, and we are looking forward to his "blue t-rex" birthday party. He loves, loves, loves dinosaurs, and t-rex are by far his favorite. Thomas is 20 months now, and I can already tell he will be 2 in a few months ;) He is such a sweet, happy boy, but he is definitely starting his fits. Here are a few recent pics since I haven't posted in a while. I will post more after Matthew's birthday. Dinosaur exhibit- Our course we had to go!!

The McDaniels came to visit a few months ago. We took kids down to the beach.

These boys just love each other! So sweet!

We took the boys to a wedding last weekend. They were tearing up the dance floor! So cute! Had a blast! Best Wishes to Melissa and Beau!

This picture pretty much sums up the night! Love it! They had some pretty good moves. I was impressed.

18 months

Thomas is 18 months now! I can't believe it! He talks really well and says so much! He is so happy and is just so much fun! I do still put him in a stroller when we go places; otherwise it is so hard chasing Matthew and Thomas...A lady at the library asked me the other day how old Thomas was, I said 18 months, she said "Wow, and you still put him in a stroller!" I call it survival. I do let him out once we get where we need to be, but I am not sure how much longer I will be able to get away with this ;) I will say that Matthew minds much better now and usually will stay close to me. (not always though) Thomas' check up went great! He weighed 23 lbs and 4 oz. and was 32 in tall. Both were the 40%. Most people who see him say "He has really filled out and is stocky". I will say he loves to eat, but he is also a picky eater. I feel like I have two little boys now, and Thomas for the most part is no longer a baby. Even though Matthew still calls him "his baby". Thomas really does think he can do everything Matthew does. I tell people all the time, it is like they are twins, but at different stages..just close enough to have similar interest, but far enough apart that they don't do everything the same yet, even though they try. I think once Thomas gets a little older it will be so much easier. (like old enough that we can play with play dough and not worry about Thomas eating it.) They will both start school in a few weeks. Matthew will go 2 days a week. Thomas will go 1. I am looking forward to having some one on one time with each one so that I can do the things I have been wanting to do with each one. I do love these boys! They make me laugh every day and many days want to pull my hair out ;)

July??

I haven't posted in a while because nothing much has really been going on. I don't really know what we did in July, and I can't believe it is already August!! Thomas has gotten 8 teeth in the past 2 months. He actually hasn't been too cranky considering. He is talking so much now saying just about anything we say. He loves Roscoe. He adores Matthew and really watches/mimics his every move. He always wants to know where his daddy is. He loves playing with the dinosaurs and making them roar. Overall he is such a happy little toddler. He is starting to throw fits though. Sometimes I don't even think he knows why he is crying. He can make statements now such as "Lets go, there it is, whats that, i want my daddy/mommy" Matthew is becoming so much more mature. He still has his tantrums, but seems to understand things better now. We talk all day long about anything and everything. He is very curious and likes to know what is going on. He still LOVES dinosaurs. When he plays with them, he makes them talk to each other now. I love listening to what he is making them say...usually stuff like "Hey dinosaur, do you want to play with me? Are you feeling ok? You gotta take a nap. You have to go to time out"...Not sure where he is picking all this up ;) His new thing is staying in his pjs when we are at home. If we go somewhere, we have to put his pjs back on when we get home. He is a very sweet big brother. He always makes sure Thomas has something to play with. He does still take things away from him, but overall looks out for his brother. I have noticed that the boys get jealous of each other and compete with each other for our attention now. When I am holding one, the other "needs" to be held. If I try to hold them both, they start pushing each other and try to see who can wrap their arms around me the tightest. While it is very flattering, it also can get out of hand. They usually act that way more to me than anyone else. I guess since I am the one they are with all the time. We are having to discipline them now more than ever especially Matthew. It has been very challenging. I have been reading parenting books. I do recommend "Bringing Up Boys " by Dr. James Dobson with Focus on the Family to anyone who has boys. It started out scaring me, but ended up being a good eye opening book about boys and the challenges of raising them into good, christian men. Now I am reading another one of his books "The Strong Willed Child" I will let you know how that one is when I am done. Hopefully I will get some guidance on how to raise these precious boys in a christian manner ;)

June

June was a super busy month for us. We did a lot of traveling this month, but have had a blast! Paul's parents have been so nice to watch the boys so much for us this month. I do think the boys enjoyed time with Nana and Pawpaw, Nana and Pawpaw enjoyed time time with the boys, and Paul and I enjoyed not having to cater to our kids for a few days- win win for everyone :) Thanks Nana and PawPaw, we love and appreciate you! Paul had a work conference at the Grand Resort in Alabama. I was able to go for a night without kids. I really enjoyed hanging out at the adult pool reading my book and not having to chase kids around!! Paul and I also celebrated our 5th anniversary in Colorado this year. We stayed in the Beaver Creek/Vail area and had a blast! I love going out west in the summer. It is absolutely beautiful, and you can't beat the weather! I even went hiking! I was also able to go meet some girlfriends from college in Gulf Shores for a few nights. Then we took a trip with Paul's sister's family and his parents to the beach. The weather was rainy the first day, but we were able to go to the beach, pool, and get ice cream. The boys had a blast, and we enjoyed our visit with everyone. The boys are so much fun these days. Thomas' personality is really coming out now which is very similar to Matthews. He loves to dance, is usually smiling and happy, loves shoes, cuddling, being chased, going places, balls, his brother, and talking (basically copies everything you say). Matthew is such a big brother to him. He is always loving on him, taking his toys, telling him what to do, etc. He is also starting to following directions much better. Yay! He can sit in big church now with me (you can hear Thomas yelling in the cry room). He went to Vacation Bible School at St. Mary's and made it all week by himself. I was so proud of him! He was unsure the first day, but I think he really enjoyed going. I also took Matthew to the Waterpark the other day, and he had a blast! We celebrated July 4th at the Yacht Club last night. The boys swam, went down water slides, ate cotton candy and ice cream, and we even lasted for the fireworks at 8:45. We didn't get home until 10, but the boys were troopers and really enjoyed it. We have had a great summer and have been very spoiled. I am looking forward to just hanging out around Gulfport during July!

Our Resort. We hiked up a trail by the resort. I was of course scared that bears would get me so we didn't go too far. It was beautiful. My favorite part was sitting on the balcony with coffee or wine enjoying the views!

Rocky Mountain National Park. We rented a car and drove through the first day we were there. The elevation got to me that day considering we flew from New Orleans to 12,000 + feet above sea level in one day. I let Paul get out and take all the pictures because I was scared of the wild animals. LOL

The Waterfall at the top of Hanging Lake Trail. Gorgeous.

Hanging Lake Trail which we hiked. It was a little over 2 miles, but very steep. Notice the sign says " Caution: Trail is difficult". It was fun though.

Colorado river between the canyons.

Just an idea of what our trip was like ;) Matthew and Whitt wrestling.

All four kiddos in the tub! Thanks Eric for bathing them all.

The Williston Family on the beach.

Whitt, Matthew, and Pawpaw playing in the waves.

The kids enjoying ice cream

Out on the balcony.

At the explorium playing with the puzzles. Matthew's newest favorite.

Playing on the boat with the fish.

Payson and Matthew loving on each other. Yes, the both have red hair...too cute.

Playing in all the balls

Memphis

We went to Memphis this past weekend and met our friends, the Glass family. We went to the zoo and saw the dinosaur exhibit, rode the camels, and got to see all the animals. Matthew's favorite was the pandas. He now curls up in my lap and says he's a "cute, baby panda". We went to the Mud Island River Park where there was a replica of the Mississippi River that you could walk though, and we rode paddle boats. We went to the Children's Museum, Botanic Gardens-My Big Backyard, Shelby Farms/Park. We got to eat at all our favorite restaurants Movie and a Pizza, BBQ shop, El Porton, Half Shell, Hueys. We had so much fun. Matthew and Thomas got to play with James (He was born same day as Matthew )while we got to visit with our friends, Kim and Randall, when we weren't chasing kids. We had a great time!

James and Thomas at the Museum

Matthew and I riding the camel at the zoo.

Shelby Farms Park

Matthew and Thomas in the "nest" swing at the park

Matthew and James searching for dinosaur bones at the zoo.

Mud Island River Park

Matthew jumping across the Mississippi River.

Matthew climbing the rock wall at the park. (He is fearless!)

Matthew driving the Firetruck at the museum.

Matthew climbing up the big caged in thing at the museum...did I mention he was fearless

Botanic Gardens-My Big Backyard. Lots of cool stuff there, but my camera died so didn't get any pictures.

Matthew and James at the museum.

Matthew and Thomas on the cot at the hotel watching movie and having a snack.