One-Year and Three-Year Check Ups

For extra entertainment this morning we took the boys to their check-ups. Bristol is still in the same percentages he was 22 pounds and 12 ounces and 31 inches. That put him at 75% in head circumference, 75-90% in height, and 25-50% on weight. So, still the string bean he's always been.
Beck on the other hand weighed 42 pounds and was 41 1/2 inches tall. So he's at 95+% in height and weight. Dr. Mouser checked the chart and said he's the size of an average 4 1/2 year old. I guess that means we're growing him at a 150% average.
It'll be fun to see them as they get older, I wonder if Bristol will fill out like Beck or if he will be the bean pole kid we all knew in school. ;)

Tara & Louis are Engaged!

Big news from Burleson tonight! Jeff's cousin, Tara and Louis got engaged yesterday on Valentine's! Very exciting!

Bristol's First Birthday

We celebrated Valentine's Day with Bristol's birthday dinner. I know its cliche, but I can't believe it's been a year old already. Bristol is so sweet and happy, all of the time. My dad calls him the 'eye of the hurricane' because he just hangs out and watches the rest of us run like crazy around him. These are some pictures of last night - Bristol partied like a rockstar complete with yellow Power Ranger underwear on his head. Obviously it was a swinging party for a one year old! The cake was good if I do say so myself, but I did spring for the decorations on top this time. He'll only turn one once right? From here on out they'll just get older. 7, 3 &1 and before I know it they'll be 17, 13 & 11 - time flies when you're having fun and we continue to live by our family motto: We may not have it altogether, but together we have it all. Great words to live by especially on a day like this!

Fun Times Around the House

Keeping the boys clean is a constant battle. The picture of Beck just cracks me up - he's such a mess. And Bristol is finally clean, still not walking, but clean!

Natalie's First Birthday

There were four of us at E&Y that were pregnant at the same time. Number 3 of the 4 turned 1 on February 1st. The Devine Miss N, also know as Natalie, had her first birthday party. It was a fun mix of E&Y and MLR people, and all for of us crossovers were in attendance. The first is Luke Merz, bornAugust 1st; birthday girl Natalie Bendes, born February 1st, Celia Schaefers, born December 5th; and then Bristol with his crazy smile, born February 14th. I've also got a pic of Madalyn with Dillon Edge, Peggy's son. It was a fun party and had a really cool snake cake. Heather is so creative!

Lehman Cheer Camp

On a Saturday before her basketball game, Madalyn went to cheer camp at Lehman High School. Here is her hugging all of the cheerleaders when it was over. She got to perform the following Friday during half time at the Varsity Boys basketball game.

Basketball Season

Yes, it's basketball season again. I'm coaching Madalyn's team and assistant coach for Beck's team. We are halfway through the season, but it is tons of fun! They don't keep score for the little boys - they play on modified goals and a smaller court (free throw line to free throw line). It's like herding cats. They have no attention span and Beck goes from playing peek-a-boo behind the goal to blowing dust bunnies across the floor. Good times. Madalyn's games are a lot more intense and we're two for three. Go Mystics and Blazers!

Basketball Season

Yes, it's basketball season again. I'm coaching Madalyn's team and assistant coach for Beck's team. We are halfway through the season, but it is tons of fun! They don't keep score for the little boys - they play on modified goals and a smaller court (free throw line to free throw line). It's like herding cats. They have no attention span and Beck goes from playing peek-a-boo behind the goal to blowing dust bunnies across the floor. Good times. Madalyn's games are a lot more intense and we're two for three. Go Mystics and Blazers!

Eric's 3rd Birthday

Our cousin Eric and Beck were born the same day, 3 hours apart at Seton hospital. We celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese where the boys posed under the table and Bristol hung out with Jeff and Cody playing the race car game. Didn't I mention it was a kid's party? The cool thing was Eric's shirt which you can't see - it says What will it be a boy or a girl? A very fun way for Kim and Danny to announce their pregnancy, stay tuned for an October addition to the family!

Bristol the Runningback

Well, not a running back since he's not actually walking yet, is there such a thing as a crawlingback? Regardless, Bristol had a lot of fun with a foam football Jeff had gotten with a Christmas present. Now it is full of teethmarks - and note the neat tape on his as we attempted to keep the cotton balls in his ears after the tube surgery.

Girl's Night Make-Overs

While the boys went to the Monster Truck
rally, the girls came over to house for margaritas and waxing. Thankfully Brandy is a licensed aesthetician, so while she was making us prettier the little girls got prettier with new makeup they got for Christmas. They have Ella in training early!

Madalyn's Missing Front Teeth

Madalyn lost her two front teeth over the holidays. Now there is another on the bottom that's gone. The tooth fairy brought her $10 a tooth for the front ones, she may be broke soon.

Bristol - 11 months

Bristol is getting so big and he loved Beck's birthday cake! He makes some of the funniest faces and is so close to walking.

Day Two Ice Storm 2007

As most of you are in Texas - you know that it froze for three days last week. It was good times, let me tell you. The kids got out a little bit and skated across the yard. I took the picture of the icicle laden Tonka truck from the warmth of the kitchen window.

Beck's 3rd Birthday

Beck's 3rd birthday was the first day of Ice Storm 2007. It was a great day, he got presents throughout the day to keep him entertained. We played Chutes and Ladders and he got new clothes. The best part was the new outfit he put on after his bath- it lasted less than two hours before he somehow had gotten two rips in the back of it. Urgh! We just had dinner at the house with Mom, Dad, Cody, and Julie. His real birthday highlight was last Saturday - all of the boys had gone out to see the Monster Trucks at the Alamodome. Beck absolutely loved it.
The pics are of his favorite truck Grave Digger from the show, and Beck all the way in the present bag trying to find the last of everything MiMi and PaPa gave him. You can barely see his feet!

Bristol's ear tube surgery

No pictures for this one, but just wanted to update that Bristol's surgery to insert tubes in his ears today went very smoothly. We were in and out of the Children's hospital in about 3 and a half hours and he did a great job. He's been great this evening, the discharge is kinda gross, but wrestling him down for ear drops in each ear will be a lot of fun the next 5 days. Not that we're counting.

Bristol's ear tube surgery

No pictures for this one, but just wanted to update that Bristol's surgery to insert tubes in his ears today went very smoothly. We were in and out of the Children's hospital in about 3 and a half hours and he did a great job. He's been great this evening, the discharge is kinda gross, but wrestling him down for ear drops in each ear will be a lot of fun the next 5 days. Not that we're counting.

The Cheetah Girls in Austin!!!

Thankfully, many of you don't even know who the Cheetah Girls are, but to Jeff's credit he took our beautiful daughter out on a date for her 7th birthday to see them at the Erwin Center. (Note the cheetah fur wrap, and her birthday is actually the 12th for those of you that were there!) They are a Disney creation that Madalyn really likes, almost as much as High School Musical. They really enjoyed themselves, especially buying front row tickets from a scalper and getting a bootleg t-shirt after the show. A night out with Jeff is never dull!

New Year's at Brandy's

As keeping with tradition, we all gathered at Brandy and Bryon's garage/bar for New Year's festivities. Note how beautiful all of us ladies are looking, except that drunken Jeff cut poor Julie out of the picture. Almost- we can still see that pretty smile!
The best part was Jeff proclaiming what a great picture it was after he took it. I should have audited it! ;)
L to R - Kim, me, Brandy, Jessie and Julie

Christmas continued in Burleson

We headed up to Burleson on Friday the 29th to continue the festivities of the Christmas season. The drive up in the pouring rain was fun, but it was all good once we arrived. We did a Christmas with MawMaw at the nursing home, then went back to Aunt Pat's for the serious present throw down. Madalyn really enjoyed her Easy Bake Oven, and I enjoyed the throw back to my own childhood baking with lightbulb. The kids also helped Maria make fresh salsa that morning, to compliment the homemade tamales - YUM! Beck's Spiderman outfit made it's second appearance so he could show it to PawPaw, but he also had to shake his booty with the Itsy Bitsy Spiderman he got. The last one is a little blurry, but it's of all the burly Bunch kids - Erin, Trace, Madalyn, Beck, Jake, Lea, Bristol and Zach.
The highlight of my trip was definitely going for a ride with the nephews, who are both 15 and needed someone older than 21 in the car to drive with their permits. I seriously don't know how my parents did it. ;)