Pool & Bumbo Fun

Gran bought Wesleigh this little pool. We tried it out for the first time tonight after dinner.

He was so excited when he saw it...
A little hesitant, but sticking his toes in...

Well, maybe I will just stick my head in through the rainbow...

blowing bubbles

drinking from the water hose...

He was taking the water hose, digging in the sand with it, then putting it in his mouth. Then, he would get in the water, and blow bubbles to wash his mouth out. Then, he would repeat...

Gotta play in the sand...

Yummy....

This is the pool after the play. 500 million trips in and out and in and out of the pool. We had fun. Thanks Gran!!


Ethan was sleeping during the pool fun, but today he discovered how fun it is to sit in his Bumbo seat. Wesleigh had this seat when he was little, but due to his big head and weak neck, he never really liked it, so it never got used. Ethan loves it!

A little smile for mama. He wasn't in the smilin' mood.

Look at me, I'm a big boy!

Hangin' with the big boys

Watching my brother play...just moments before he ran over me with his big truck!! Gotta love that big brother!!


My sweet boys are such a joy!! They are growing up too quickly, I am trying to enjoy every second!!

Dirt Fun

We've been busy with these boys!! They keep me busy during the days!! They are so wonderful and they bring so much joy into my life!! We had a great weekend. Gran and G-Pa came down on Saturday morning and helped with the play set project...more of that toward the end of the post. Gran was a huge help with the boys. I was able to get some stuff done around the house. Poor Gran, is frequently passed right by when it comes to the Grandkids. They all adore G-Pa, and she claims she has "no grandkids" that are hers!! Don't get me wrong, they all love their Gran, but G-Pa is just the greatest thing ever!! Wesleigh is no different than the rest. He threw a 10 minute inconsolable fit when G-Pa left him in the house to go outside and work! Gran played with him and comforted him, but realized once again, that G-Pa stole another grandkid from her. Jaedyn is probably the closest she has to a kid that likes her the best, but she still adores G-Pa and it depends on the day. Well, Gran, Ethan is yours and he thinks your great!! He appreciated all the sweet loving you gave him this weekend!! I can't speak for the future, but for right now he is "your" grandkid!! Gran, maybe you need to get yourself a 4 wheeler of your own...maybe that will help!! :-) Even if they don't always show it, they all love and adore you too!!!

We attended a financial workshop at the church on Sunday. It was a super long day, but I feel it was a great thing for us to do.

This is Wesleigh at 2 months

Ethan at 2 months

EthanWesleigh...

Such different, sweet little boys!!

This is my little man chillin' in his high chair while mama cooked dinner.

An acrobatic horse rider! Climbing is a new skill that Wesleigh is perfecting.

YeeeHaww!! this little horse's ear squeeks when you squeeze it. Last night when he was playing on it, I told him to squeek the horse's ear, and he was pulling on his own ear instead! It was too funny!

Cutie. I never get tired of that gorgeous smile.

sliding down the slide

He had been playing in the office (where he doesn't belong) and he got into these little sticky dot things...that is what is stuck to his face!

On the go...

So, here are the pictures of the first phase of the swing set project. G-Pa helped to spread the dirt. They were trying to get it level for the playset, and G-Pa came up with the idea to tie rope to a ladder, put Caleb on top and then him and Jim pulled it. It worked like a champ!!

Fun for Caleb...work for Jim and Jack

Our neighbor, Mr. Black helping out...if you can't read the sign over his head it says "She Thinks My Tractor is Sexy"!! He was so gracious to help us on Saturday. He has me baffled as a way to pay him back. I am usually able to brib/pay help with food. I even made cookies, but he is diabetic, and wouldn't even join us for lunch. So, I don't know what to do to repay him, I will have to think outside the box!

Daddy shoveling...Wesleigh running to each place that Daddy threw the dirt!! He was filthy and tired at the end of the day!

Mr. Black spreading the dirt...

We are doing well. Both the boys are thriving. Wesleigh is a climbin' fool. He is talking more and more and he keeps us laughing. It makes me wonder what we did for entertainment before he came along!! Ethan enjoys sharing that precious smile and cooing at me. I love every minute of it. I can't believe how quickly time is passing these days!!

Lovin' Spring

We are loving spring time!!! Obviously in this part of Texas, we don't have "spring" for very long! I love it because we can open up the house and let the fresh air in! So wonderful. Yesterday we were able to keep the house open all day. That doesn't happen too often. Most of the time by 4 o'clock we close it down because it is getting too warm.

I have no pictures to share today, just words. I am feeling very blessed right now. I have 2 amazingly healthy, growing, crazy little boys.

Wesleigh is so smart! I know all parents say that about their kids, but he really is! A while ago, he learned how to stack blocks in towers of 3. Yesterday he very proudly stacked a 6 block block tower!! It was so awesome. He was so proud. He would stack 6 blocks, then knock them over, and do it all over again! He has also become a total pro at following commands (at least when he wants to)! I can tell him, to put something back where he got it from, and he does. I can ask him where his cup is, and 9 times out of 10 he will go to which ever room he left it in and pick it up. Now, that 1 out of 10 times that he can't find it, it takes me 10 minutes and a tour through every room in the house to find it!! He is busy busy and into everything, but growing smarter everyday! He loves it outside and sneaks out at every opportunity he gets!!

Ethan gets stronger everyday! He is sleeping better too. He is in bed every night by 9, and he gets up around 4-5 am, eats 4 ounces, then goes back to bed until 7:30-8:30 am. It is awesome and I am so blessed!! Both of my boys have been champion sleepers!! God most know that I am a better mommy when I am well rested!! Ethan loves to smile and look around exploring his world. He loves to squirm and splash in the bath tub. And his latest thing is to sleep on his tummy! He was sleeping very restlessly both during the day and night, so I tried him on his tummy again, and we are both loving it!! Wesleigh slept on his tummy from 5 weeks on. I know my pediatrician would have a coronary...but I don't care!!

Our backyard has exciting things ahead in the next week or so! Any minute now an 18 wheeler will show up and dump a load of sand in the back yard. Jim and his dad will spend Saturday getting the dirt spread into the right places. Jack and Patti are coming for the weekend to help out, hang out, and bring down the playset. Then next weekend, my parents are coming on Friday for my birthday, then Jim, Dad, Guy, and Jaedyn will build the playset that weekend!! We are so excited! It is going to be awesome! It is huge! We had to buy sand to put underneith it so that when the falls happen (which they will), the kiddos are falling on something a little softer than the rock that currently exists in the backyard.

We are excited about the playset and blessed with our wonderful family! I promise to post pictures of the boys soon!!

Aunt Jackie's Wedding Fun!

Well, this past weekend was the big wedding adventure in San Angelo. Jim’s sister, Jackie married Jerry Gift on Saturday. I think it was about a year ago that they met and fell in love. They decided somewhere around last July/August (I think) that they couldn’t live without each other!! So, since then, their lives have been building to this wedding!! It was beautiful! The weather was in their favor. The wind was a little much, but afterall, we were in West Texas, so you have to expect some wind!! Not a cloud in the sky, about 85 degrees, and absolutely gorgeous!! The wedding was at a place called Canes Cove. It is a nice little place on a cove (imagine that) of Lake Nasworthy. It was a beautiful setting; the only downfall in my opinion is that the water was a HUGE temptation to my sweet, 16 month old. It was like a magnet that kept drawing him in!! It scared the life out of me. I know just how quickly accidents happen, and the whole time we were out there, both Friday night for the rehearsal and Saturday for the wedding, I was a nervous wreck!! He is so quick, and can be gone in an instant. Even when we were inside the building, I didn’t let him out of my sight. Even when he was with someone else, Jim, anyone, I still tried to keep an eye on him. I just couldn’t relax with that water so so so close!! I fully intend on finding swimming lessons this summer and starting to teach him the basics of water safety/survival, but for this weekend I was a nervous wreck!!
Jaedyn was a flower girl for the wedding. She was such a pro at it. I think this made the 5th wedding that she was the flower girl in, so is there anyone that knows that role better?? I doubt it. She is such a little diva princess, that the role suits her so well!! The dolled up hair and painted fingernails, fancy socks and ballet slippers for shoes is just about a dream come true for that girl!! She had a wonderful day, followed by a busy night full of twirls and spins on the dance floor! I don’t know if that girl sat out a single dance. If she didn’t have anyone to dance with, she danced alone. She had a blast, and looked beautiful doing it!
Guy passed out programs for the wedding, but his most important role was to read 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 during the wedding service. He did an amazing job. That boy can read, it comes naturally to him and he seems to enjoy it. He certainly didn’t get that trait from his father, but we are both proud to encourage it every chance we get. I know that Jim is so relieved that so far, 1 out of 4 has escaped his reading difficulties. He is hoping and praying that the other 3 don’t struggle with it as he has. But, if they do, we will just take one day at a time, and overcome it just as he has!! Guy looked handsome and did a great job in his role. He also danced the night away. But, let me just tell you, he has NO problem walking up to a girl and asking her to dance. He always goes for the older ones too!!! It seems to work out for him…when he puts his hand on their “back”, it usually ends up being their butt because of the height difference…it seems to be working for him now, but we will see in the future!!
Wesleigh had a blast as well. That boy ran around and around and around!! He loved the water, the grass, the trees, and especially the dirt around the trees!! He ran around until his news shoes rubbed blisters on his feet. He did pretty good for pictures, but in true Wesleigh fashion, when he was done with the picture thing, he was DONE!!! Wesleigh is always in bed by 8 to 8:15 pm every night!! He is usually totally exhausted by then, and wants to go to bed, so who is to argue right??? Well, on Friday night, he was in bed by 9:45pm, then on Saturday night it was closer to 11 pm. Right around 8, on Saturday night he started to melt. He just wanted to be held by me or Jim, and wanted nothing to do with anyone else. Many people offered, but he was just not having any of it!! Thank goodness it was during this time that Ethan decided to take a long nap, so we could devote all our energy (what was left at that point) to Wesleigh. Once he got over that 8 pm hump, which took about an hour, he got a little better. I was SOOOOO relieved when he finally went to G-Pa and gave me and Jim a little break. After that he was cool hanging out with Gran, G-Pa and dancing the night away with Jaedyn. He was super duper tired by the time we headed toward the house, but he still only slept until 7 something!! There is just too much to do to sleep in at Gran and G-Pa’s house!!
Sweet little Ethan still HATES the wind, so he didn’t have as much fun as the rest of us. When he was in his stroller I kept a quilt draped over it so that I could keep most the wind off of him. Other than that, we tried to stick to the less windy areas, which being in West Texas were few and far between. He was generally happy to be cuddled by anyone and everyone. Aunt Dena saved the day during the wedding ceremony when both Wesleigh and Ethan decided to melt on mommy!! They cuddled and cuddled until he finally fell asleep!! Thanks so much Aunt Dena, I really don’t know what I would have done without you!!! Ethan took his first twirl around the dance floor with mommy and daddy! Did I mention that we had Wesleigh too? It was very interesting!! J
We had a fabulous time. It was a long day, but it was fun. Jim and I danced 2 dances. One with both children in tow, but then, when the DJ played “When You Say Nothing At All” we passed the kids off to Gran and G-Pa and took a solo twirl around the dance floor. That is the song that we danced our first dance as husband and wife too, so it holds a very special place for us!!
One wedding down, one to go!! My brother asked Caye to marry him last month, so they are next in line to get married!! However, it will be a very simple ceremony followed by a party. How simple and how big is still being debated at this time, but I don’t expect it to be much more than close family and friends, but it will be wonderful too!!
So, the wedding was great, the weekend was full, and I have tons of pictures to prove it!! These are the best of the best, but believe me; I have plenty more where these came from. Overall that day, I took over 350 pictures. However, with my camera that is easy to do!!

My sweet boys!
Crazy Wesleigh...who knows what he is doing here??!!

so cute, so guilty looking!

Jaedyn, little Miss Diva herself

Destiny, Clayton, and Jaedyn. Destiny and Clayton are Jackie's new step-kids. Destiny just turned 4, and Clayton will soon turn 3.

Guy, Destiny, Clayton, and Jaedyn

Jaedyn and Guy. Don't they look good!!??

Daddy and his 4 kids. I think it still amazes him somedays that he is the father to 4 kids! Actually during the dance on Saturday night, one of the guys that Jim knew growing up was sitting just behind us. Obviously Wesleigh and Ethan were with us almost constantly, but then Guy and Jaedyn would come and go. The old friend finally shouted from behind us "Hey Jim, just how many kids do you have?? It was funny!!

Daddy and Guy looking as handsome as ever.

Before the wedding...Ethan eating, suprise suprise!

Jim was the lone Usher and this is him escorting his mom to her seat. At least she remembered to put her heals back on!! She was sporting her tennis shoes only moments before this picture!! I don't blame her, as she was obvliously running around taking care of things that day and about 100 before that!! She worked her tail off, and it was a beautiful wedding to show for her efforts!! Job well done Patti!!

Clayton escorting his two beauties. At 2 1/2 he is almost the same size as them at 4 and 5!! He is a big boy, and he can eat as much as any adult!

The boys, it their double stroller for the first 5 minutes of the wedding. Then they both melted!! Aunt Dena took Ethan, and I hung out with Wesleigh. Thanks again Aunt Dena!

Jack escorting Jackie down the aisle! Poor Jackie had the first MS spell that she has had in almost 3 years this past week. She was feeling pretty crummy earlier in the week, but seemed to feel great on Saturday. She danced the night away, and was at the airport by 6 am Sunday morning to catch a flight to Cancun!!

The ceremony from my view!! It was a very nice setting.

Here Ethan and I are, escorting Wesleigh back toward the party!! He liked to wander away frequently...mostly toward the water's edge. He just couldn't resist!

Guy, Jaedyn, Wesleigh, Me, and Ethan

Cute boys!

Aren't they just so stinkin' cute???

Ethan is starting to smile for this picture!

Uh oh...Wesleigh is starting to role him off...Mommy wasn't fast enough, because he was actually able to role him onto his face in the grass, but Ethan didn't care at all!!

Here we have fingers up the nose...

same fingers in the mouth....YUM

All four of them!! So cute.

oopps...here we go again, face plant in the grass...see my hand as I was trying to save the day!! Ethan is such a trooper!

Still rolling...he was determined to get rid of him!!

A family picture with all six of us at last!!

another good one.

Wesleigh's clapping in this one!

Gran and G-Pa with their 7 grandkids. Guy, 8, Caleb, 8, Jaedyn 5, Destiny, 4, Clayton 2, Wesleigh 1, and Ethan 2 months. For years and years they had 3 grandkids, Guy, Jaedyn, and Caleb. Then, in 2007, Wesleigh was born. Then in 2008 Jackie met Jerry and added Destiny and Clayton. Then in 2009, sweet little Ethan finished the count off at 7. Short of a miracle, they are done at 7! Jackie and Jerry have made sure they won't be adding any, and we are doing our part to make sure that there isn't a #8!!

Hmm...imagine that...Wesleigh stealing the show??

It's so funny how when you add kids to life, your definition of the perfect picture evolves!!

Why is it that everyone but crazy Wesleigh can behave???

This is probably the best one!

Gran and G-Pa and our 4!

A feeble attempt at some mommy and little boy pictures...this was after all the other pictures and Wesleigh wouldn't have another minute of pictures! And look at sweet little Ethan, just chillin'!

Wiggle worm...I finally just set him free.

Ethan all partied out...

Gran and Wesleigh dancin' it up...

Guy and Jaedyn dancing..

Jaedyn, Wesleigh, G-Pa

Jack and Patti after a very long day!

Jaedyn dancing with Dillon

Jaedyn trying to convince Wesleigh to dance with her

Jaedyn and Wesleigh dancing...he had ditched his shoes and socks!

still dancing...

dancin' fools...

yep...you got it...more dancing

wow...all this dancing has made me tired, I think I will just sit and rest a while...who cares if it is in the middle of the dance floor...I'm cute, people will dance around me!

Jaedyn being spun by Clayton...he is a lot shorter, this is interesting!!

All in all, it was tons of fun!! Everyone looked great and had a blast! Congrats to Jackie and Jerry, may you be incredibly happy and blessed together!!