Say what?

Some serious moves.

So close yet so far away.

All you need.

Sometimes all you need is finding a Chick Hicks matchbox in your green smoothie to turn a grouchy mom into a smiling one. No joke, the car came shooting out of the ice dispenser and landed right in my mug. Haha.

All together.

What a joy it was to spend Christmas together with my family. To share our love of the outdoors, relax and laugh on the couch, just be together. Isn't that what the holidays are all about?

At Sledding Hill- a few wipe outs, a couple sky high jumps and my mom almost peeing her pants from laughter!

Hiking Coyote Song with my sister, brother, mom, dad and Callie (not in the pic).

So much patience Christmas morning.

Baby's First Christmas!

Eli so thrilled with his monster truck stash!

Mom and Callie.

Sweet boys.

We spent a day skiing and snowboarding at Sol Vista. Here is my sister, brother, mom and dad.

Boarding with my sis and bro. Matt and the kiddos went too. Great day!

Minute to Win It had to make its appearance~ go Jamie!

Sweet baby James warmed up to Callie.....on the last day.

Happy baby pose.

Easy going, laid back and full of smiles. Baby James is one happy boy!


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Daredevils.

Mary says Matt is raising these kiddos to be adrenaline junkies. I agree.

Here is my contribution~

First snow.

Only mid-October but we say, "I've been waiting for the snow to fall."

- The String Cheese Incident




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Crazy hair.

Luke: Mom, I want to have hair like Uncle Travis.

Me: Okay, lets call Uncle Travis and see how he does it.

We proceed to call Uncle Travis and leave a VIM (very important message) on how he achieves his do. Later that day a voicemail pops up.

Uncle Travis: Hey Luke. I am so flattered you want to do your hair like me. It is not that hard to do at all. All you do is put a little gel in your hand and mix it together. Then just make crazy time in your hair. Mix it up and make it all spiky. Give me a call if you want to know more.

5 minutes later-

one.

happy.

kid.

Big boy bed.

After our trip to California I was feeling a bit gutsy (or maybe just sleep deprived) and decided to move Eli into his big boy bed. It would make him and Luke roomies, which they love to call one and another. I was hesitant before because Eli was very fond of his crib and frankly, he likes to push the limits and I knew it was not going to be a smooth transition. During our trial run (the hotel on vacation) he only fell between the bed and the nightstand once so we decided to give it a go at home.

Beaming with pride!

About 15 minutes after this picture was taken he coerced Luke into sneaking out of the room and coming to find me, something Luke would have never thought to do on his own. Once Luke spotted me, he stated, "Mom, we are getting into mischief."

Eli is such the bad influence.

The nights have not gotten much easier but sure do warm my heart. They giggle, play, fight and jump off anything that stands higher than 4 inches off the ground. I love that they are cultivating a friendship all their own. When I check in on them I will often find Luke with his head covered by a pillow and Eli up still singing the ABC's or Daisy. Then two minutes later he will be out cold, fits his personality to a T.

Most amazing though is that this kid can actually sleep in the bed. Apparently he is keenly aware that if he rolls over he will bash his head on a truck or trophy because he will stay in that one position the duration of his nap. Cute.

Vacation with 5.

So we hit up California over Labor Day weekend and decided, if at all possible, we would like to make it an annual vacation! The weather was beautiful, the time was relaxing and we were able to enjoy the much needed time together. We made it with Baby James, he cried the entire plane ride both ways and was up four times each night but his happy demeanor throughout the trip made me soon forget.

The key to this bliss was staying at the hotel as much as possible. We were in California for four days and only spent one day out and about. The rest were spent frolicking at the beach or swimming in the pool. We started out this morning on a stroll to the beach and the boys went from making sand castles and dipping their toes in the water to.....

getting pummeled by waves and wearing their underwear in the ocean. I was so relieved Eli loved the sand between his toes this go around. Back in December he wouldn't go near it.

We all enjoyed our time at the pool. Baby James even kicked around a bit in the salt water pool.

Brace yourself, these boys are adrenaline junkies.

Band-aids.

One boo boo = 10 band-aids.

3 band-aids will be opened, put on and then taken off the wound for added effect. The other 7 will be used for the new scratches and owies that are found and can only be seen by the eyes of a 2 year old. A very dramatic and crocodile tear producing one at that. Good thing his love stretches as far as his cry!

Jesus, smells.

Heading up the stairs after dinner Luke and I got to talking about having God in your heart. His reply, "Yea, Grams said Jesus is in there too."

Oh and as seen in this picture, Luke is a thumb sucker. Not all the time, only when he has his beloved "Hucks," a crocheted blanket from his Grams. He sticks his finger through a hole in the corner, rubs his nose with it and sniffs. Which reminds me, Luke is a sniffer. His nose knows and since most everything I use is fragrance free he will always ask to use the restroom when we are out and about. Come to find out it is not because he has to go but because he wants to smell the soap. I am on to him!

Another big day!

The first part of our Florida trip was to celebrate another BIG DAY! My sister, Jamie's Spa/Bachelorette Party. She wanted something low key and intimate so a spa day at the Don Cesar was perfect.

Matt and the kidddos hung out at the pool with my dad and brother while we treated ourselves to massages and a rooftop lunch overlooking the ocean. Beautiful and amazing, just like my sister.

We stayed at a hotel on the beach and the kiddos loved the pool. Jex and the girls joined us and the boys just loved that. Funny enough, we could not go on the beach as Eli would not touch his toes in the sand. You would set him down and he would just balance on his bum not letting his feet or hands touch the ground and cry. So, the pool it was with lots of laughs!

Ah, what a trip!

Surfing in January.

California- San Diego.

After spending a few days in Orange County we headed south to San Diego. Unfortunately, it was not much warmer there but there was lots of fun to be had. We stopped by Matt's cousin's house. His name is Brett and he has a wonderful wife, Stephanie. They have two little peanuts that are about the same age as Luke and Eli. Steph is also pregnant with her third little guy! It was such a wonderful time.

Luke loved Ryder's Chargers helmet. No worries though- he is still a Steelers fan.

The next day Luke tasted his first In-N-Out burger. He was not afraid or shy about it. We also played our first miniature golf game with Luke (he is addicted now and practices all the time) and then hit the beach.

Our last day was a full 8 hours at LegoLand. Brett and Ryder were able to join us! This was the highlight for the boys. Luke had been doing extra chores around the house for a month and had saved his money to help buy the ticket. He enjoyed every moment but nothing could top riding The Dragon roller coaster no less than 5 times. Here is The Dragon roller coaster Take 1!

Eli was not tall enough for many of the rides. So, we saw these airplanes for the better part of an hour.

I always wondered why people would spend a mini fortune to take their kiddos to amusement parks, concerts, shows. Now I know. It is to see a smile like this.

Summer does a body good- part 2.

This summer Eli~

1. Was a beach impostor, he could walk the walk but could not talk the talk. He admired from a far or on my hip.

2. Fell in love with the tractor ride.

3. Tore it up on the dance floor.

4. Found a BFF. His cousin, Evelyse.

5. Gave himself a makeover. I knew this day would come. The boy loves to stack, open and play with my make-up. Give him 10 minutes with a tube of lipstick and he has the look of a broadway star.

6. Both laughed and smirked, in true Eli form.

Hello Fall!

Summer does a body good.

This summer Luke~

1. Perfected his 7th inning stretch song and is ready to belt it out at the big leagues.

2. Became fully potty trained. Oh, I thought this would never happen but with a little luck and free reign to pee off the porch if need be, the kid got motivated.

3. Became a huge fan of the cannon ball and various snorkeling techniques. He is hoping for an air tank.

4. Declares himself to be a surf expert.

5. Had his first trip to the dentist. I thought he might escape my "bad teeth gene" but no can do. Two cavities with a possibility of a baby root canal. He showed self restraint, a positive attitude and willingness to try.

6. Enjoyed lots of special treats on our trip to Florida. I think all the love made up for any ill effects this may have had on his health.