Phone Pictures

I finally pulled the images off of my phone - it had been awhile. I found some funny ones I couldn't help but share....

Ethan was laughing really hard one evening when he was taking a bath. (laughing or crying are generally not great signs.) Concerned, I went in there to find this. There really aren't any words, but I had a good laugh.

This was another instance of where I got a little concerned. I was getting Harper ready for bath when she got really quiet. (I guess I should add quiet to my list of "warning signs") I found her cuddling with Ironman. I guess we don't need to worry about getting her any dolls.

And Owen has provided us with some "material" as of late. I don't know if it's the age/stage or what, but he's been making us laugh a lot AND ask each other "what do we do???"

He potty trained for about 5 hours a couple weeks ago. He woke up and insisted on wearing big boy underwear. I've always known that if it's going to happen it was going to have to be his idea, so I've been waiting for him to initiate. Of course this particular day we had different people coming to the house to work on our kitchen, a billion errands to run, etc. But we went with it. Oh, he was excited. He did really well all morning with no accidents. We decided to eat lunch at a park since I didn't have my kitchen, and while we were there it all fell apart. It fell apart all over our picnic blanket. After that he decided big boy underwear didn't "work" and he needed his diapers again. I have no idea when we'll try again...but I do know I am not looking forward to it.

And the last Owen story came from last week. I let the boys take turns going first picking out a cartoon they want to watch in the afternoon. It was Ethan's turn to go first and Owen threw a fit of massive proportions. I told him it was Ethan's turn to go first and that he didn't have to watch Ethan's show if he didn't want to. He replied, "FINE! Me not watch it at all!" And he didn't. He laid face down on the couch with his eyes closed for the entire 20 minute show. I'm pretty sure he didn't open his eyes once. When it was his turn, he popped up had a big 'ole smile on his face, asked for Bob the Builder and all was right with the world again. He truly is more stubborn than I am. Oh, my....

Grandma's

We went to visit Grandma Debbie last weekend. When we got there, the kids were greeted with hugs, smiles and some peach water (much to the boys great delight!). It was a gorgeous weekend, so we spend a lot of time out on Debbie's great back porch. Owen and Ethan stripped every cushion off of the patio furniture and played "cement workers", "astronauts", and "pilots" for what seemed like hours. Harper loved having as much attention she could get when her brothers were playing outside!

I was really not feeling well the whole weekend (I caught whatever virus the kids had and it then turned into a sinus infection), so I didn't do a very good job of capturing all that we did while we were there. The boys and Grandma went to the park on Saturday morning, had a fun lunch at McDonald's, and then we went to the zoo that afternoon. The boy's favorite animals to see were the monkeys! Afterwards we ate dinner at Ted's Escondido and I think that may have been the highlight of my weekend! Oh, Ted's how I have missed your tortillas...

Sweet E

Here's a picture I took of Ethan the other day while still trying to figure my camera out. I am working at learning to make eyes "pop". I find myself staring at his eyes trying to figure out what color they are!

My first born is growing up... I rely on his help more and more with his brother and sister. I was trying to get dinner on yesterday when Harper decided that all she wanted was to be held. Ethan said he'd be her babysitter and proceeded to sit on the floor with her, giving her toys and making her laugh. So sweet. I feel like at times he is my little clone (poor kid). I understand his sensitive feelings and what makes him tick. It's helpful, but there is something uniquely difficult dealing with a person that is very similar to yourself! I honestly don't know if we'll be able to home school...he and I butt heads almost immediately when we try to do something! Regardless, I am so proud of my little guy and thankful for his sweet little spirit!

The Three Kids at 6 Months

It's been funny hearing comments about how much Harper looks like her brothers. For the most part people think she looks like Owen, but I definitely see some of Ethan in her expressions. Chris was looking at pictures of all three kids, and he said the one thing they all have in common is their large heads. He said it looks like I Photoshopped a big head on a small body...surely one day they'll grow into them, right?

OU vs TX

OU vs TX is kind of like a family holiday at the Hoyle house. Chris informed me that it might be bigger than Thanksgiving to them... Anyway, we headed to Paw Paw's to watch the game and hang out with the family. My morning started with my boys yelling Boomer! Sooner! It's still odd to me that MY children are OU fans...

Owen could have cared less about the game; all he wanted to do was to ride the tractor and 4-wheeler. As soon as we go there he told Paw Paw it was time to go get the eggs. That boy is in heaven on farm. While everyone watched the game he played outside driving his 4-wheeler around (a little tricycle).

 Chris enjoyed watching the Sooners win big as well as playing some catch with his brother.

 Harper hasn't been real sure what to think of Paw Paw's deep voice, but it didn't take long for her to warm up to him on this trip! They were buddies by the end.

Harper also LOVES her big cousin, Alyssa. Alyssa fed her lunch, held her, and played with her most of the day. I have a feeling Harper is really going to look up to Alyssa... Of course Ethan loved playing with Adam, and he could spend all day in the play room going through all the old action figures Paw Paw has. 

Thanks, Paw Paw, for the wonderful day!

A New Blog

About 4 years ago (?), our friend, Shawn, suggested that we do a meal swap once a month. Everyone would make one meal for multiple families and then we would swap those meals between us so we only had to make one thing but would get several different meals. (does that make any sense?!) I was skeptical, honestly, but boy, was I wrong. It's been a genius idea that we've continued ever since. We've had some really good recipes come through the mix and there has been some discussion on how we could get a place to compile all the "keepers". So, we've started a new blog where we're going to post our favorite recipes. Feel free to check it out, and definitely let us know if you have any recipes to share!