Preview

Here's a preview of the little ones recent "photo shoot" Remi politely declined to be in all but one picture! Good thing Marshall decided to be such a cutie!

Puddle

I love this little progression.
Spot puddle from afar...

Gingerly step into said puddle...Puddle intrigues...But not enough...
On second thought...I like puddle...
Ta-ta for now!

A boy and his helicopter

Remi got a special treat this week while Katie and I took him to visit Dada in Galveston. He got to sit in Dada's helicopter and tour the flight deck! The boy was thrilled to say the least! Marshall came too but was not as thrilled.

A Swimming We Will Go

While Katie was here we took Marshall swimming for the first time ever! Remi is not much of a fish and he prefers to stick to the kiddie pool, so it works out great for all of us. We are very fortunate to have our neighborhood pool literally in our backyard, because our outings never last long! It's too darn hot around here.

KATIE!!! PRIME RIB!!! FUN!!!

Oh, how we love when Aunt Katie comes for a visit. I think she has beaten all records when it comes to the frequency of her visits. Remi is her #1 fan. His face lights up with a smile every morning when he sees her and realizes she is still here.
We have been having a great time shopping, eating, shopping and playing Wii. Katie, the little ones and I made a special trip to the newly opened Sprinkles Houston. An over-priced yet delicious little place to satisfy your cupcake cravings. We were worried that we would have to wait in crazy lines, but 5 minutes later we walked away with 8 cupcakes, two of which were free because we whispered the secret word provided by Facebook (and you thought FB was a worthless waste of time!)

My favorite was the carrot cupcake
Remi liked the counter better than anything else.
Time-out for a cute pic! Marshall is NOT eating the lollipop, this picture is just deceiving.
Remi has been obsessed with bowling on Wii Sports Resort, which is actually quite dull, so we decided to take him "real bowling." Our boy was in 7th heaven! We set up bumpers and he used a ramp to bowl. Remi was so good at taking turns and cheering us on. He looked great in these little kicks:
Showing off his ramp skills:
We won't be world champs anytime soon...
How did I let a toddler beat me?
Two thumbs up for bowling!
Just a side note: Katie got a kick out of dressing Remi in 12 mo girls pants. Just a cool dude following the fashion trends.
I swear Remi owns shirts, but it's HOT here!
I don't know if I really need to explain the following pictures...Keith loves to cook and he'll try anything once. He claimed he wanted to make Kaite a special dinner while she was here. But he obviously had some selfish motives when it came to preparing this Salt Crusted Prime Rib. He and Katie battled Houston rush hour traffic to pick up this chunk at a specialty meat market (who in their right mind travels 50 miles round trip for meat???) Keith made dinner while we watched the world cup. Needless to say he was quite satisfied with the results.
Spices...
Salt...
Crusty...
Ta Da!

My Darling Remington

Had to share some videos of the boy. He cracks me up.
Remington is learning to talk at his own pace. We are trying to encourage him by using flashcards. He imitates Candice by holding the cards to his face like she does. So cute.

Rem-o has been great at communicating with hand signals. While he is working on saying "please", I taught him how to beg. Cracks me up! How can you say no to that face?

I Love a Parade!

The little ones and I braved the scorching heat and oppressive humidity to watch our small town 4th of July parade. Nothing fancy. Shriners, horses, bratty kids who think they can sing. No frills, but it has been our fun little tradition since Remi was born. They give out boatloads of candy, one huge incentive. This was Marshall's first parade, and we marked it by having him wear the same outfit Remi wore to his first parade. We got a great spot and met up with Remi's friend Sam. They did great waving their flags and catching candy. Trying to keep them cool was a nightmare, so we ended up bailing about 3/4 through. That evening we visited Callie's fam to do sparklers and ground blooms. Remi was not a fan, not in the least. Let's just say we won't be attending any big fireworks shows for a few years. He wouldn't even watch from my window our neighbor across the street light his roman candles. Funny, he loves seeing them on TV...

Marshall Newletter: Month Four

Dear Marshall,

Today you turn four months old!

Nicknames: Mister, Angry Kitten
You are a spunky little thing! You have decided many things for yourself this month. Firstly, you determined that a baby of your caliber no longer requires a pacifier unless it is of the thumb variety.
Secondly, you love to be a part of things. Whether it be sitting in your Bumbo during mealtimes, or hanging out on the couch with us when we watch TV, or even sitting in your bouncer in the bathroom while I get ready for the day, you always want to be included!
Thirdly, you love to talk and sing! You often yell yourself to sleep. It's not crying, just very loud talking. You will jibber jabber at anything with a face. You seriously talk more than Remi does.

You have abandoned need for your swing, my crutch. I have to do all the legwork to get you to sleep now. You love sprawling on the couch for naptime. I just moved you from the pack and play in the master bedroom to the crib in your room. I was worried at first, but you do great and sleep through the night pretty consistently.

You love your big brother and he loves you! Remi always kisses you goodnight and snuggles with you first thing in the morning. Remi gets worried if he thinks I'm leaving you behind when I put him in his carseat before I load you in. He often gasps when he hears you crying and I can pretty much trust him not to clobber you when he plays near you. He loves it when you get to lay in his crib. I hope you will be best buds.
You are a fatty! Wearing 9 month outfits and size 3 diapers!
We love you, nugget!
Love,
Mama