G Court Lake Trip

Our sweet neighbors, the Higleys, rented a boat for an afternoon at Beaver Lake and invited several people from our street to go with them. The kids were beyond excited as they all got new fishing poles and got to skip naps for the day. We had enough amazing food to last us a week, and the swimming and diving off the boat made the time fly by. It was the perfect day to go to the lake and hang out with some fellow G Court-ers!

Cousins

The boys have gotten to see their Oklahoma cousins quite a bit lately, and it's been fun watching them play together. Claire and Owen are still working out their relationship. She wants him to be a baby so she can take care of him, but he's not loving her trying to carry him around. So, they end up just fighting over the same toys and their Papi. Jack and Ethan spend their first hour or so together working through who is in charge. I can't decide if they ever really figure it out, or if they just get tired of fighting. I was able to capture a few of their first interactions together...
They do always end up having a great time together, and there are generally tears when one has to leave the other. So, at least we know they like being together!

A few random pics...

This is what happens when your big brother gets stickers in the mail and mom tries to check her email...


And I admit it...I have been appealing to my boys sense of pride in an attempt to get them to eat... Ethan has weighed a pretty much steady 30 pounds for the last year and a half, and Owen has held steady at 22 pounds for the last 6 months. I know I will never have linebackers, but I still try to get them to eat in whatever way I can. Apparently telling them that each bite makes them stronger and their muscles bigger causes them to eat a little more. Is that bad??! Here is a picture of my much stronger guys with clean plates (and Iron Man symbols drawn on their chests).

Family Pictures

When we were in Stillwater last weekend we were able to get family pictures taken by CAT Photography. Charity took pictures of my brother's family, and they turned out so well we decided we had to copy. In spite of the 104 degree heat, she did a great job of capturing the boys. Thanks, Charity!

My Supermen

My Chef

I have to admit, I am a little slow... For as long as Owen has had the ability to express his desires, he has always wanted to be in the kitchen with me when I am cooking meals. This has boggled my mind b/c for one, I don't want to be in the kitchen, and also b/c Ethan has never had any desire to help out with meals. So I would spend most of my time trying to convince Owen that he really did want to go play with his brother somewhere else... (bad, I know) Finally, after seeing him play "cooking" at Josh and Caylee's house it hit me that he actually wants to cook in the kitchen with me! Craziness. So, I cleared off a shelf in the kitchen for him to have as his counter top and have given him bowls, tongs (his favorite), spoons, and a few lids to pots, and he is as happy as can be. He "cooks" all day long. (apparently he's quite passionate like his brother - just about something totally different!) It's pretty funny to watch b/c he'll say "hot", blow on whatever is in his bowl, stir, and then put the lid back on. We are going to have to figure out what to do with snacks though...I thought he was eating them, only to find an eclectic mixture of crackers, apples, and fruit snacks in his "pots and pans"...gross.