To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. They know each other as they always were. They know each others hearts. They live outside the touch of time. -Clara Ortega

Wows at the Waterpark!

We made our first trip to the neighborhood water park yesterday! And if that wasn't fantastic enough. we rode our bikes and the boys rode in their bike trailer for the first time! And if that wasn't awesome enough, the Welty's also joined us for the afternoon! We all had a great time relaxing and cooling off in the hot afternoon sun. Jack was quite a different and way more confident little boy than the one from last summer. He and his new buddy, Mr. lifejacket, spent all afternoon jumping in by themselves, going under by themselves, and conquering any and all slides the place had to offer. Yep, that's right he even went down the humungous, giant, larger than life slide TWICE by himself! Unfortunately we don't have any pictures of this monsterish feat because the photographer (his father) was frozen in a slight panic as he watched me attempt to catch our slippery little salamander at the bottom. I, on the other hand, never had any doubts and was the picture of cool confidence. Yeah, right. : )

I Scream for Ice Cream!

Jason and I didn't realize till the last minute that Memorial Day weekend was going to be a bit early this year. He had already made plans to go out to Robert Lee and since we didn't have barbecue offers out the wazoo, he decided to stick to his plans so the boys and I took off for the grandparents. As most of you know, Gigi and Grandad aren't your typical grandparents. They are traveling fools, stay up later than Jason and I did pre-babies, and as I've already mentioned are crazy about festivals. Needless to say, time spent at their house is not exactly R & R so it was really different to have absolutely nothing planned for the holiday weekend. Gigi and Grandad aren't sure if they believe me, but it was actually really nice having a great time doing not much of anything. However just when I think our relaxation was at its peak, things go and get a bit crazy on us. What could cause this dramatic turn of events?? Why the faint sound of the ice cream truck, of course!! I was unaware of this at the time, but Grandad had been waiting for this moment for over a year. Unfortunately, he happened to be in the shower at go time so things didn't start out exactly as he might have envisioned. But as any good grandad would do, he jumped out of the shower and took off running for his wallet. Unfortunately, a stray toy on the floor among all the other millions of stray toys on the floor happened to be in his path. Although this encounter caused quite a bit of yelping, Grandad did not waver on his money mission. With cash in hand and Jack in his arms, they headed out the door. Luckily I was following close behind because Grandads ice cream truck finding skills were a tad rusty and they were off in the totally wrong direction. Once we were able to zero in on our target, we took off in a dead sprint with Hayesebear and Gigi right behind us. We caused such a commotion that a couple of neighbors came out to see what all the hubub was about. Nothing like a little ice cream action to get your adrenalin pumping and add some excitement to the day!

School's Out!

Jack had his last day of school on Wednesday so we decided that a pool party was definitely in order! Even though the water was still a tad chilly (more like freezing), it was a beautiful morning and the kids had a blast doing all the great things that make summer so much fun. The biggest hit by far was the race track slip-n-slide. Jack and his buds ran up and down and up and down...laughing all the way! Thanks to everyone for helping us welcome this summer with style!

I wrote a pretty sappy post about motherhood a few weeks ago so to balance things out a bit, I figured I'd write a not so sappy one today. One of the many great things about motherhood is that there are all these little things that happen throughout the day that remind you to never take yourself or this life too seriously. I had one of those today that I thought I'd share. I took the boys on an errand to Target (which seems to be the common denominator in many of my mishaps). Jack was getting a little restless while sitting in the cart and all his moving around was starting to make me nervous. I finally had to lay down the law and tell him about all the terrible things that could happen if he were to fall out of the cart. Jack listened, eyes wide, as I told him about how important safety is and how he needs to be very careful. I went on to tell him how he could crack his head open and we would have to go back to the doctor to get more stitches and that those stitches would make his other stitches seem like a walk in the park, etc, etc, etc. I then promptly rammed the cart full force into the fruit bin giving us all a fantastic case of whiplash.

I Love Festivals!

Jason has been working like a dog finishing off some landscaping in both our front and back yard. So on Saturday, the boys and I decided to do what we do best when daddy's hard at work and play even harder! We grabbed up our favorite playmates, Gigi and Grandad, and headed to the Strawberry Festival in Pasadena. The place was huge and we barely scratched the surface of all the things it had to offer. We did manage to squeeze in the most important things though...cheering on the pig racers, riding the tiny tractors, feeding the farm animals, and of course eating way too much fried food! We had a great afternoon "festivaling" it up in the hot summer sun! I actually wouldn't be surprised if Gigi and Grandad didn't head back for round two today. Those two are just crazy about their festivals!

Mama's Day!

My mom told me a story a while back about how when I was little she would pick me up from day care and we would often run to the grocery store before heading home. She said she would put me in the cart and we would make our way down the aisles, hugging all the way. This story has always made me smile because I love the idea of how we couldn't get enough of each other. I feel so lucky to have a mom who has been hugging me all the way through this life. She has been there through all the big things...giving me a high five when we got the church and the reception site nailed down for my fairytale wedding, showing up at just the right moment in the surgery recovery room to exclaim that my new son is "beautiful, absolutely beautiful" but she has also always there for all the little bitty things that mean almost as much. She loves me fiercely and I am forever grateful.

I have loved the idea of being a mom for a long, long time. Now that I am lucky enough to be a mom, I love the idea even more. It is hard to put into words how much my boys fill me up on a daily basis. There is nothing I love more than to nibble on Hayes' fatness or look into Jack's eyes as he's telling me a story. Their smiles and laughter should be bottled and sold to the highest bidder. I am so excited to watch them live their lives and it can bring me to tears to think of all that I dream for them. I only hope that I will always live up to all that the word "mom" carries with it...the big things and all the little bitty things in between. I love my boys fiercely and I am forever grateful.

Although there was some debate as to who was sharing whose day, I was lucky enough to spend my Mother's Day with both my mom and my boys. Not to mention, my sweet hubby and dad too of course. We had a fantastic time soaking up the sun at the beach and you could have chalked it up to a picture perfect Mama Day. That is until that night when Jack decided to do a face plant into the tile floor. We finished up the day with a trip to the ER for Jack's very first set of stitches! Six of them! Although it was a very painful experience for all involved, Jack is doing great and hasn't let his gigantic band aid slow him down a bit.

Did I mention that motherhood is also crazy, unpredictable, and completely exhausting??? : )