Friday at the Zoo

I took the boys to the zoo this morning. What a great (and hot) day for it! We didn't see all the animals because I was flying solo, but the double sit 'n stand stroller was mighty handy today! We saw the monkeys, birds, elephants, and a few more interesting creatures.

Trying to get both boys to look at the camera is impossible. This is the best I could do, even with whistles and snaps. People were starting to look at me funny.

Mom look hippo!

Feeding the giraffe. A must for the Dickerson Park Zoo!

Gabriel was in heaven...he got to eat string cheese and applesauce for lunch. I forgot to bring babyfood so no veggies...thanks mom!

Farm Day

I took the boys to the farm last week. Christopher loves to go to the farm! As a matter of fact, every time we pass by the farm to go home he tells the animals night night...even when it's 2:00 in the afternoon!

These cows were butting heads with each other. I told Christopher they were probably brothers!
He got really excited when he saw this mule. He called it a tractor and had to climb in to "drive" it. Just wait til you see what tractors really look like when we go to Wisconsin!

Taking a peek in the chicken coop.

Great friends, food, & bananagrams!

So I'm really behind on my blogging, but a couple of weeks ago I made a delicious pizza from scratch and we had Teresa, our usual houseguest, over.

After we put the boys to bed, we broke out the bananagrams! I love this game :)

We have a joke about Chris being a diva. It was so funny that one of our Dove Promises said to be a dark chocolate diva!
I can't think of anything better to do on a Friday night than eat good food, play a great game, and eat dark chocolate with friends!

A few good pages...

Two weeks ago I went to Scrap-a-palooza 2, which is an all day scrappers paradise! I got Chris' father's day gift done while I was there, and I also did 3 layouts. I'm pretty happy with all of them. The pictures didn't turn out very clear, but you get the idea.

I stitched the snowflakes falling on the left side of this page. I also used foam stamps, brads, & die cut snowflakes.
I really like this page! I used a technique that I've never used before, called "masking" to do the title-love it!

This page turned out really cute. You can't see what the word blocks say so I have to tell you because I think it's pretty clever. It says "big P little p; what begins with p? Poopy peepee potty and a picture if you please!" Took a little influence from the dr. suess book.

When I showed christopher this page his response was "both in the bath!" That's why I titled it that...because he loves to point out "both" all the time! No, he can't read yet...he is just that cool.

I have been really slacking on the blog lately. I will try to post some new pictures of our activities this weekend. Things have been so busy lately! We are getting ready for the big drive to Wisconsin next weekend.

Out on the town!

Do you see this people...dressed, make-up, and out on a friday night with NO kids! My husband is so wonderful-he put the boys to bed and cleaned the house so I could go out with some friends for Artwalk. It has been years since I've done Artwalk without kids. When Christopher was a baby we would take him in the stroller or carrier, but that just doesn't happen anymore.

So, I got myself looking presentable and stopped by Teresa's apartment to pick her up and we met a group of friends from church. What you can't see is that Teresa is practically on her knees while I still have to stretch to be in the picture with her! The first place we stopped was a rock sculpture exhibit-we saw some fantastic pieces, but unfortunately I didn't think to take pictures of the art. Then we made our way to Mudhouse, a staple for a trip downtown. Then we headed to the square where the Springfield Farmer's Market was set up. The square is a great place to people watch, if you are into that-and I am! We saw these girls who were wearing newspaper dresses. And they say news print is going out of style! We saw our friend Denise, who was taking up her usual post under her jewelry tent...makin a living! We also saw lots of people, some would call them hippies, who were advertising for the legalization of "you know what". Lots of "interesting people"!

Then, as we made our way south, towards Walnut, I was the victim of a drive-by drink out the window. Yes...people actually throw their drinks out the window to try and hit pedestrians! It wasn't my favorite part of the night, but it gets better!

We stopped to listen to this group of kids singing some great Christian music. Look to the right of the picture...see the girl standing there. Well, we thought she was with these people, but we soon found out otherwise. She started wandering around talking to different people. Well, not so much talking, but more moving her lips and gestering things. She went up to our friend, Amber, and started putting her hand up the bottom of Amber's pant leg. We think she "saw" something crawl up her leg. Anyway, she did several weird and dangerous things until there was a growing group of people who were concerned/mesmerized by this girl, who, by the way, couldn't have been older than 16.

So, needless to say, the Police arrived, as well as an ambulance who took this girl to the hospital. I'm sure the rest of her night did not go so well. I would hate to be her parents getting that phone call!

So, after all that drama, the studios were closing for the night. We only made it to maybe 5 or 6 places, but most of the group decided to call it a night. Me and Teresa walked across the street and got some late night subs at Jimmy Johns. It had been ages since I had a sandwich from there!

After Jimmy Johns, I was so tired and ready for bed! We couldn't let the night end without a game of Bananagrams, so we headed to Barnes & Noble for some Starbucks and a quick game. I pretty much quit thinking after I made the word "captain"...I was pretty proud of myself! Teresa definately won that one. After they kicked us out of the store (they were closing) we finally called it a night. I dropped Teresa off at her place then headed back home to give Chris a big kiss for letting me get out of the house...then I crashed! This staying out late thing kicked my butt!

Sunny Days!

Last weekend I took Gabriel to Willard to spend some time with his "Auntie Cammi & Uncle Jason" at the pool. It was his first time in the water, other than the bath tub of course! He was pretty nervous for about 30 minutes...he held on for dear life and fussed for a bit, but after that he turned into a little fish! He was kicking his feet and giggling-so cute!

I had to take a picture...even though I have no business being in a bathing suit yet!
Then this weekend, we met up with some friends who also have two little boys-Tristan and Zane. We played at the park for a bit. Zane and Christopher had a blast swinging for ever and making "manly" grunting sounds. Then we kicked our feet in the wading pool. The water was a bit chilli, but running around kept us warm. Then we all sat under a shade tree for a picnic. What more can you ask for on a sunny Saturday morning?

Growin' Boys!

Somewhere along the way, my life turned in to a boy farm! Christopher has learned this month that Mommy is not a boy like everyone else in the house. This picture proves that I need a girl!

The boys have been doing so much growing and developing lately! Gabriel is sitting up and getting closer to crawling every day. He picks up toys, chews on them, and watches Christoher wherever he goes. It so cute to see Gabriel giggle at Christopher!

Look at those big eyes!

Christoher drew this picture a few days ago. He said it was a rainbow, Noah, and the ark. What a smart kiddo!

{and that is grape jelly on his face, not the beginning of a pre-teen wanna be stache!}

Ice cream trucks are a must for summertime! I never had this growing up, so I get just as excited as Christopher does when the ice cream man comes. I actually broke every rule I have as a mother and let him get a spiderman popcicle from the ice cream man before we ate dinner! Bad mommy!

Christopher has been to several birthday parties lately. These "jedidiah" teeth were a gift in one of the goodie bags from the Chuck-E-Cheese party he went to last week. He has never had something like this, and we were cracking up when he put them in! It was too cute to see his reaction when he saw his face in the mirror.

Gabriel is a baby food eating machine! He loves everything he has tried so far, except for the kiwi...that was a little tart! He is quickly catching up to Christopher. He is only about 6 pounds lighter...watch out buddy! And do you remember Baby Kyle? Well, he is getting SO big! We saw him over mother's day weekend and I couldn't believe how much he has grown. He is babbling, rolling all over, and still bald as a cancer patient! :) What a cutie.

Baby Food Makin' Days!

I finally took the time to get a big batch of baby food made for Gabriel. I have been getting by with just mashing up one or two meals at a time, but life gets busy and it's just easier to pull it out of the freezer when I'm in a hurry. I spent about 2 hours cooking lots of fruits and veggies.

The menu for this month includes:

* yellow squash and brown rice

* sweet pototoes

* green beans

* peas

* carrots

* blueberries

* broccoli

* mango

* pears

*kiwi

We have yet to try the kiwi and mango and I'm not sure how he will like them. So far, he likes everything he has tried. Sometimes he starts to yell at me if I give him too many bites of vegetables without a bite of fruit in between!

I love the way home-made baby food looks. The colors are so vibrant! I have the book Blender Baby Food if anyone is looking for a reference for making baby food. I use it as a reference for some things and to get ideas for yummy combinations, but you can pretty much make anything into babyfood...just use fresh ingredients and keep it simple!

Peek A Boo

Is there anything more precious to hear than a baby laughing? Especially when it's your own baby.

Mothers Day Weekend

This weekend I drove Gabriel to Edmond, Oklahoma to spend time with his Aunt Lauren and Uncle Eric. We had such a good time visiting with them and watching Gabe be his fun goofy self.

He showed them how he found his feet and tried to get them in his mouth!

He also had tons of fun playing with their weiner dog, Dexter! Dexter loved to lick all over Gabriel's face and body...which made Gabe giggle! Gabe kept trying to get Dexter to lick in his mouth...yuck!

He also tried to eat Dexter's ears! Dexter was a trooper. I think he is ready for his own baby soon ;)
Then Aunt Lauren took us Downtown to walk around a gorgeous botanical garden, called Myriad Gardens. We pushed Gabriel around in his stroller for a while and then we let him get out in the grass and play for a while. He had fun sitting up on his own (a new trick that he recently learned). He would hold on to the grass on either side of his body to help balance...so smart! :)

Inside the botanical garden is this huge "bridge" that you walk through. It like a giant greenhouse, and it is so gorgeous. You get all the beautiful plants and trees from the tropics with no deadly bugs or snakes.

Thanks Aunt Lauren and Uncle Eric for a fun weekend! We can't wait to come back and visit again!

When we got home from Oklahoma on Mother's Day, my in-laws were still in town. I had a good time visiting with them and seeing how cute baby Kyle is. Sorry...I didn't get my camera out for that! After they left to drive back home, me and the boys went to RibCrib for dinner. It was so yummy!

One of the best things about today was that Christopher told me "happy mama's day!" That was the first time I have ever heard those words from my own child and it was such a beautiful thing to hear. He is getting so big and I cherish every day that I get to spend with my little guys!

Random pictures and thoughts

Gabe is not a fan of his new homework assignment! He gets lots of tummy time with his toys out of reach until he gets mad enough to do something about it. I do eventually cave and help him out a little, but that's what Moms are for! He is getting his whole belly off the floor, but not yet getting up on his knees. I hope he is crawling by the time we go to Wisconsin in June...that would be fun!

I broke out the bubbles the other day when I was about to throw all the kids out the door! Just kidding, but it is amazing how bubbles can brighten your mood! Aren't Christopher's feet so cute!

The big boys snuggling on the kitchen floor. My boys have a sensitive side!
Christopher crawled in to Gabriel's bassinett. Instead of Chris telling him to get out, he thought it would be a good idea to take pictures. Way to encourage the kid. But they are cute pictures.
If I saw a picture like this of someone else's kid I would think "Wipe that kids mouth for crying out loud!". This is what happens when you have a two year old and a 6 month old...you stop caring if their mouth has crusty food on it from lunch...and it's after naptime already! I did eventually wipe it off. (note: I still care when we are out of the house!)

Bear is such a good dog! It is so cute to see them play together.

Chris was taking a shower and I was trying to get 5 more minutes of sleep. Christopher is so good at knowing when I don't want to get out of bed and he picks these times to try things he would never get away with. I crawled out of bed, rubbed my eyes, and walked in to the bathroom to see this...

My first thought...don't cats usually crawl into sinks?

6 Month Pictures

These are a few of my favorites. Some of them look so much like Christopher at 6 months!

We love cloth diapers!

Everyone knows I use them, but most people are a little aprehensive about them. Once I started researching cloth diapers, I decided I had to use them. I love them because I am not putting thousands of diapers in the land for our children to deal with years down the road, I never have to run to the store because I ran out of diapers, my kids have soft cotton on their bums instead of harsh chemicals and materials that will never biodegrade, and they are cute!

Well, I have been thinking about posting some information about cloth diapers, but then I ran across this post that has everything I would have to say and then some. So, if you are interested in cloth diapers this should be fun and informative for you. If you never think you would ever use cloth diapers, read it anyway...you never know! If you have any questions, I would love to answer them for you!