brotherly moments and birthday wishes

These boys may argue over toys and fight for attention frequently but I can't help but stop and really take in moments like these. Isn't this what life is all about? Watching my boys discover new things, have a conversation about nothing and just be Brothers.
It's the moments like these that make me so grateful for being able to be with these boys each day as they grow. I am able to watch these special moments that I sometimes missed from being busy? To me nothing is more important than this. NOTHING.

My grandmother's 86th birthday would have been today. I miss her so much, each and every day. I know that she is watching over these boys and capturing moments like these, just as I do. Her death helps me understand how precious life truly is. How our time here is about making moments matter. Not about things, but it's about relationships, love, memories, the way we make others feel. Right?
We miss you, Bonka...
every day, every moment...we miss you.
I still remember your smell, the way you'd say hello when I'd call, the way we'd rub noses each time we said goodbye, the way your hands felt-always cold and wrinkly, the way you'd focus so hard on your crossword puzzles. I use Dove soap because it smells like YOU, I can't seem to part with some of your things that are of no use to me, I loved Jacob's smile when we'd drive up to visit you...all these things I am SO afraid I'll forget. I want to remember ALL of these little things on this day and always. Happy Birthday, Bonka.

homework for the first day of school!

My big boy will be attending his first day of preschool for the last time today :-( Yep, he'll be in kindergarten next year and I'm already having a hard time dealing with that. So, this year it'll be preschool, three days a week so he gets used to the routine of school!

We had meet the teacher on Friday, which went really well. Our first homework assignment...making a patch for a classroom quilt! We had to be creative and make it all about our family so that's just what we did. We started out with his handprint in the middle...I love those little hands! Then added pictures of the four of us, and as we wrote his name he said he wanted to talk about the things he likes-I thought, what a perfect idea! So, he told me what to write and we filled up our square with things that Jacob likes... swimming, running, his bicycle, family, friends, Mom, Dad, Justin, movies, big trucks, camping and baseball! He was ready to keep naming off things, but I told him he ran out of space! Ha!

*To celebrate his first day, he and I played a game of soccer in the blazing heat yesterday and he TOTALLY BEAT ME! I mean it, I was really REALLY trying to win! Ha! By the end, he and I were both drenched in sweat but he was running around the yard, yelling " I beat Momma" and kept laughing! I told him while he's at school, I'll polish my soccer skills and we'll have a re-match!!!

REALLY??

Ok, so I think I've mentioned this on my blog before BUT this is outta control...I cannot tell you how many times we have been told by family, friends, STRANGERS(especially strangers!) that Jacob looks like "Jacob" or Taylor Lautner. If you have NO clue who I am talking about, here are a few pics of HIM...

and here's my sweet boy, who has been told by people, practically EVERYWHERE we go that he looks like Taylor....

I guess I should be flattered since Taylor is a super handsome(I'm totally Team Jacob anyway!)guy! Not sure I wanna picture my son as a sex symbol the way Taylor is being portrayed these days....but I guess I'll just keep taking the compliments as they are given!

At meet the teacher the other day, TWO people stopped to tell me this. Yesterday at Kroger, a woman yelled for her husband to come and look at Jacob because she said he could be Taylor's brother! Ha! Maybe I should take advantage of this and send his picture off to talent scouts and one day he'll play the PREQUEL to Twilight?? Hahahahahaha!!!

Mommy's back!

This past weekend was the FIRST time I've left my boys overnight :-(

It was my friend, Ashlyn's bachelorette party in Galveston and we had a great time! She is getting married in two weeks...a little girls weekend is what she wanted, so we rented a beach house and had fun visiting, laughing and drinking a few adult beverages too!

When I came home, the boys ran to me and gave me big hugs and told me that they missed me so much! Ahhh, these boys melt my heart...unless they're fighting and luckily they have been doing LESS of that these days! Yay!

All I know is that this Momma is happy to be home, loving on her boys after a nice, little weekend getaway celebrating my friends BIG DAY!

Our Boys + OUTSIDE= HAPPY!

It seems like no matter what time of the day, how we are feeling, or what we're doing...my boys ALWAYS want to be outside. And you've heard me complain about this ridiculous heat here lately ( 100 + temps) but we still end up OUTSIDE!

The other day, the boys and I went for a run, I pushed Justin and Jacob rode his bike at NOON...which means it was probably already 100 degrees out there and they did NOT complain...not even once! I am so proud that they are active and like to play and get sweaty!

Most days, if I'm inside cooking breakfast, lunch or dinner...I am watching my boys outside! Last night, Brandon and I cooked dinner and they boys played outside for probably THREE hours and then they were both mad when we made them come in and get ready for dinner! Ha! I love letting them play by themselves, but most of the time I have to be RIGHT THERE because Justin will try to eat bugs, sit in a mud hole or they'll work together at plotting something to do that they're NOT suppose to! Yea, they work together if it means coming up with something that'll get them into trouble :)

Sometimes I complain about having to go out there and sweat right along with them, but the truth is that I'm happy they love being outside SO much! I love that they enjoy all of the things it has to offer and hopefully they'll enjoy being outside with their Daddy and I for years to come!

Their new adventure they'd like to take is tent camping. Jacob has a tent that sleeps 10 and we've never used it, other than in our living room! Ha! So, I guess when things COOL OFF(like months from now!), we will have to take them! Not sure where to go and also not sure if I'll be able to rough it like that, but I'm for the challenge...I think??!

Hey, GUESS WHAT??!

I learned how to SWIM!!!

My mom, dad and brother are SO proud of me and you should see me swim ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE POOL, BY MYSELF! My parents knew I'd learn on my own terms and when the time was right...so the other day at my MeMe's, I took off my puddle jumper and did it! I can swim UNDER WATER and I go super fast :) Now I'm ready to say goodbye to my floaties FOREVER!!! *This is just another reason why my mommy is having such a hard time watching me grow up!

and our trip continued...

So, after our baby boy had his horrible accident...we considered packing up and heading home, but since we had just arrived that day and the doctor said he'd be fine...we decided to stay and we're sure glad that we did! This slide was SO cool...Jacob wasn't too crazy about it since you can see him here, MID AIR! And yes I think I did the slide at least 15 times! SO FUN! We were all like a bunch of kiddos!

our poor baby and his bandaged hands :-(

Jacob caught his first fish...and many more after that! This fully stocked pond was perfect for the boys to build their confidence and get some good practice, fishing!

and although we saw plenty of alligators, I never snapped good pictures of them because I was SO paranoid about the boys getting too close, that I wouldn't take my eyes off of them to grab the camera! Ha! Whoops!

And I'd like to say that the rest of the trip was easy going and perfect but we had ANOTHER incident! Tarah and I decided to drive around to look at the privately owned houses at Artesian Lakes while the big boys and Daddy's were fishing! So, we loaded up the little ones and drove around. We were about 20 minutes into our drive and she decided to turn around, because we had gone too far. All of a sudden, she tried to reverse and her Yukon wouldn't move...AT ALL. She was flooring the gas and...NOTHING! Her and I flipped out because we were out in the alligator-infested woods, with pine trees all around and the sun was setting. I started having flashing of the worst horror films and almost cried! I didn't have my cell phone, but thankfully she did! Not knowing what to do, I started digging the sand from under her tires...and it worked! She was able to go forward and we thought we were good! THEN, she got stuck again...now even further in the woods :-(. We got a hold of our husband's and they drove to where we were(thank goodness, they found us!!!), my husband has a Z71 4x4 truck, so he thought with one easy pull, we'd get the car out. NOPE. It snapped the tow strap in half and the car didn't move. Long story, shortened...my husband's truck got stuck too, both the Yukon and our truck had to be pulled out by a freaking, tractor! Thankfully, we were all ok and the trip ended happily...but I'm not sure our families should visit Artesian Lakes ANY TIME soon!!!