Horsey!

Mommy's friend Anita's husband Jay made the boys a rocking horse for their birthday/Christmas.  It's really nice; Jay did an amazing job.  The boys love it and are already testing the limits, seeing how far forward/.backward they can rock it.  Jay was clever in his design however, foreseeing such things.  It will take some work for them to crash and burn on this horse.

We're 2-rific

We rang in the New Year by celebrating with our friends and cupcakes for the boy's second birthday. The birthday celebration was low key since Christmas was jamb packed with parties that it took a week to come down off our sugar high. The boys embraced Christmas and were like little social sponges soaking up the attention of visiting family. The big change brought by the turning of the year was our upgrade to toddler beds. Too many nights we heard the crashing of toys, furniture, and heads as the boys would launch themselves out of their cribs. Although the first weeks were spent sleeping everywhere but the bed, we have now started to stay in for at least half the night. The boys have found comfort in being able to access each others bed but someone usually gets kicked out and sleeps on the floor. In addition to the beds the boys are showcasing their growing skills. They are talking in sentences of which we have no idea what they are saying, they are very good at names and identifying body parts, they like to sing and walk on their tippy toes. Aron is very curious about anything that could be hot and Aden has perfected No! Oh what the year will bring us. Hopefully potty training and a few less emergency room visits than what we estimated for our FSA.

Christmas Train, The Sequel

Tonight we made our second annual trip to the Christmas Train in Alvin. The boys had a blast riding the train and admiring the lights while devouring mommy's kettle corn with Uncle Evan. Aden took a particular liking to hot chocolate as well. We tried a picture with Santa, but the boys were too afraid this year; so Mimi and Pap Pap posed with them. It was a fun night washed down with some Sprite and pizza for the finale.

Where the Wild Things Are

Our wildlife theme continued with a visit to wildlife park in Alvin. It is a privately owned ranch that houses all sorts of rescued exotic and endangered animals. Not only do you get to see them, but you get to take a tram ride and feed them. Others roam around freely and you can pet them. There were zebras, rhinocerus, ostriches, giraffes, alligators, antelope, buffalo, camels, and some gigantic horned cattle from Africa. It put the infamous Texas Longhorn to shame! They also breed and sell these exotic animals. Daddy was considering a zebra or a zonkey for the back yard, but Mommy talked him out of it. Aron also rode a horse, but Aden chickened out. Mimi and PapPap came with us. Everyone had a great time.

Visit to the Zoo

We visited the zoo yesterday morning and saw all sorts of animals. Cool snakes and lizards, elephants, sea lions, apes. Aden made special friends with an older orangutan named Rudi. The boys had a blast and took a serious nap afterward.

Trick or Treat

I have to say our first Halloween was a sweet success. We took the boys out trick or treating in their little red wagon, dressed on a mission for treats. The first house we went to just had a bowl of candy by the door but it was enough for Aden to discover his first love, KitKat. He had managed to eat most of the bar through the paper by the time we got out of the driveway. Good thing we were not far from the house because I had to send Daddy back for wet wipes. The second house answered the door and we were ready with basket in hand. Aron had been holding on to his KitKat like it was a wad of $100 but soon realized he didn't have to protect his chocolate as he was given a handful of candy. His little eyes lit up and his mouth dropped open like he had just been given a gift from God. From that point on we were on the hunt to fill our bags. By the fourth house we were pushing the door bell and holding out our bag. It was at this house that I opened a Tootsie pop for them and Aden was now in a love triangle with Kat and Tootsie. Who to choose? They sucked on those pops for the rest of the street and Aden had made it down to the chewy center by the time we were home. A bath was required after all the sweet sugar dripped down our hands. Aron was insisting that he continue eating his pop in the tub. We tried to wait it out but he stuck with it until I had to pry it out of his hands. Whoever coined the phrase "its like taking candy from a baby" obviously didn't have kids because Aron put up a good fight. Now as I write enjoying the bounty of chocolate my little skeletons gathered for me, I am listening to them bounce off the rails of their cribs giggling, talking about their score.

Big Weekend Before Halloween

We had a big weekend. Saturday we visited the Pumpkin Patch at the local Methodist church. The boys quickly asserted themselves as the hooligans there to bust up the joint, wearing their skeleton costumes and tossing every little pumpkin they could get their hands on.



















Sunday we visited Old MacDonald's Farm in Humble. Grandad came with us; he told everyone a story about how he had brought Mommy here 30 years ago and the place had barely changed. We got to pet and observe lots of different farm animals. The big event of the day was taking our first horsey rides. Both boys thought it was really neat, grinning ear to ear in the saddle. To end the day, the boys each got to choose their very own pumpkin to take home for Halloween.