Nap time?

It was so gorgeous outside the other day that Liz let the kids have quiet time outside in the clubhouse.  I don't know how much relaxing or napping they did, but the sure were excited about it.  They called me outside to show me their set up as soon as I walked in the door from work.

© 2011 Scott Everett

Looking good!

From Grampy:

© 2011 Scott Everett

Fun with breakfast

This is what I found when Matthew told me he was done with his breakfast.

I find his long legs surprising, too.

© 2011 Scott Everett

I think his swim goggles were on too tight

Date night!

Last weekend, church service was led by the youth.  After the service they had a reception / lunch, followed then by a raffle to thank the kids for a job well done.  All of these activities bumped right into Matthew's nap time.  He has started to give up his afternoon nap, but on busy days like that was, he certainly gets tired and had to handle without his nap.

Liz spent most of the time trying to entertain him so he didn't get into trouble; with varying degrees of success.  Soccer worked well for a while, but he was soon tired of that.  All the while, she was trying to pay attention to the important announcements being discussed.  Finally, Matthew ran up to her and asked to hold onto the raffle ticket.  At first Liz told him no, but soon relented when she realized that it might keep him still for a few seconds.

Sure enough, they had the grand prize winning ticket.  Of course he wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but was quickly excited when Liz told him that he won the prize.  She sent him up to the front to claim the gift card to Chili's and he just beamed.

Since then, he's kept close eye on the card.  We've kept it on the dining table so he can see it whenever he wants.  He gets all serious whenever he sees it and tells us, with all the formality his little head can muster, that he's going to take mommy, daddy, and Andrew out to dinner.

Well, tonight's the night.  I'll give him the little gift card before we go into the restaurant and let him pay.  I hope it's all he's dreamed it to be.  Funny little boy.

© 2011 Scott Everett

Matthew's new furniture

Just a couple weeks ago, Matthew finally got new bedroom furniture.  No more toddler bed for him.  Now he's in a big-boy bed.  For the first couple days he had to go check on it each time he entered the house. "I have to go check on my big-boy bed," he'd say as soon as we walked in the door.  I think it's a hit.

And, of course, he had to pose naked on the bed.  Oh well, it's good collateral for later in life.

© 2011 Scott Everett

Matthew is such a cutie

© 2011 Scott Everett

Perils of room design

We just got new furniture for Matthew's room (photos forthcoming).  He's been doing really well and has been super excited about it.  So much so, that for the first couple of days he'd randomly walk through the house and announce that he had to go check on his new bed.

Unfortunately, it all came to a halt for a little while tonight.  Several times after we had put both the boys to bed we thought we had heard one of them moaning.  We'd pause the TV, listen for a few seconds, convince ourselves it was a dog or the show, and resume the playback.  Just as Liz was getting up to get ready for bed, we finally heard Matthew crying in his bedroom.  Certain that he'd been upset most of the night Liz ran into his room to check on him.

I didn't hear anything further for a couple minutes while Liz was in there consoling him and tucking him back into bed.  What I did hear after she emerged was completely indecipherable.  She was laughing so incredibly hard that I couldn't understand a single word she said.

"Ahahahahahh *snort* hohohohoho *wheeze* ... *squeal* bwahahah!" was all I got.

Finally, she calmed down just enough for me to figure out the words "laundry basket" and "bed."  Huh?

OK, so here's what we think happened.  It looks as if Matthew got out of bed at some point to get a drink of water or something and on his way back got disoriented.  He tried to get back into bed, but went over to the corner of his room where the toddler bed had been.  His new bed is almost dead center along one wall.  He attempted to climb into his toddler bead, but only managed to sit down in the clothes basket, where he remained crying until Liz went in to rescue him.  Liz picked him up, put him down in his (proper) bed, and was ready to wait until he could calm down to go to sleep, which took all of about 6 nanoseconds.

Let's see if he remembers any of this in the morning.

© 2011 Scott Everett

Cub Scout trip to the zoo

And it seems to have totally baffled Andrew.

© 2011 Scott Everett

Last from the camping trip

So these photos don't really go together, but I didn't feel like stringing them out any longer.

I missed one of Andrew and the dog.

And then there's the pièce de résistance.  A shot of the three guys.  Here's the story.  Andrew loves camping.  A couple years ago I asked him what his favorite part of camping was.  He said S'mores and peeing on the tree.

Cut to this day.  Andrew pipes up after our hike that he has to go to the bathroom.  We passed the only bathroom about a half mile ago, so I just told him to go on a tree down from us.  We'll leave the ensuing discussion on how to manage that in 35+mph winds and concentrate on the end of the story.  As soon as Andrew left for the tree line, Matthew decides that he has to go, too.  I told him to go pee over there with Andrew.  I should have inquired on how urgently he had to go because he didn't even make it half way there before his pants were down to his ankles and he was trying go upwind.  I ran out to help him and accidentally left the camera with Liz who felt the need to grab this:

© 2011 Scott Everett

Hiking through the vast Texas landscape

All the way from prairie grasses to bluebonnets to short, stumpy trees.

© 2011 Scott Everett

What do boys do to entertain themselves around a body of water?

Why they throw sticks in of course.

And what does the dog do? Brings them back, of course.

© 2011 Scott Everett

So, we tried camping a couple weeks ago

I was afraid the kids would blow away in the breeze (35+ mph gusts).  Luckily, they stayed put, but unluckily, the tent didn't.  We packed it in the second night of our planned stay.  Now, who knows how to repair some bent tent poles?

© 2011 Scott Everett

It's been busy around here lately

I know I haven't posted in quite some time.  We've been rather busy lately, but here are a few from the garden a couple weeks ago.

© 2011 Scott Everett

I seriously debated on whether to post these.

I had the lights set up for Andrew and Matthew to have their portraits done (the last two posts).  After I finished with Andrew he told me to get in there.  As soon as I stepped into position he asked me to make some funny faces and fired off a couple of shots.  They're a little soft, but hey, A) he can't reach the focus button on my camera; and B) he can barely hold the camera up as it is.  He did get a kick out of it, though.

I guess I should quite stalling ... Here goes nothing ...

© 2011 Scott Everett

Andrew the Cub Scout

© 2011 Scott Everett

Rock star!

Liz bought Matthew a new backpack to take to school.  He thinks it's the coolest thing in the world and, I have to say, I pretty much agree with him.  He can pull off the dirty rocker look, too!

© 2011 Scott Everett

Stickworks

Here's the construction of the art installation:
http://www.waco-texas.com/Photo-Galleries/photos-stick-works.asp

Here are some photos I took:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sceverett/sets/72157626219874099/

© 2011 Scott Everett