Tweedle dee and tweedle dum

These two are just full of mischief and fun

Wahoowa

Writing

He wrote this all by himself!

Future pilot

Twins

Swings

Connor is really enjoying the swings at the park. Big brother still likes the baby swing too 

Then and Now: Hat

Then: Winter 2009

Now: November 2013

They sleep

I always like pics of the kids sleeping.  Somehow they look more their ages asleep.  I can look at them and realize how little they still are.

Connor usually sleeps on his belly crammed into the top corner.  When he was adjusting to the braces and still working on getting rolled over he would sometimes get stuck halfway.  (see the first pic).  

This one.  Sometimes I swear I forget he's only 4.  and barely 4.  He's so big now. Still sleeps with no blanket and no pillow. Weirdo.  

Necklace

Cameron made me this necklace to wear to my book club meeting. 

The pool!!!!

This glorious glorious pool is finally in.  

For a little while I thought this project was going to kill us.  Its been in the works since February?? Earlier? We were taking meetings with a finalized pool company before Connor was born.  And then Mike had surgery.  and we had a baby.  and the gas line needed to me moved.  twice.  and yada yada yada.  Its been a while.  There have been a lot of steps.  And we still have a few more little ones to go.  But the pool is fully functional, the grass has been replaced, the mosquito mister is installed, the pergola is one day's work away (though who knows when that day will be), the patio furniture is en route and yes, the weather is still nice enough in H-town to be using this baby with the help of the heater.  

Here's what the yard looked like when we started complete with playset and very large wood deck:

Deck demo-ed and staked out and ready for the excavator:

 Re-bar and plumbing...ready for gunnite:

 Pool looking good.  Yard looking like a war zone:

 We had to water the gunnite several times a day for 10 days to help it set correctly:

They came to put in the tile (no pics? and then they applies the pebbletec finish: 

 And immediately they FILLED THE POOL WITH WATER!!

The next day we could go swimming!: 

technical difficulties

y'all.  I have been having the hardest time with my computer.  the hardest time.  so I'm throwing in the towel on a few things and just moving forward.  Hopefully after the holidays I'll have time to take my computer in to get looked at or do some MORE troubleshooting.
For the foreseeable future pictures will all be from my phone and even though there are pictures on the big camera of things like Halloween and the pool its next to impossible to get them onto the blog.  so if you want to know what Cameron looks like as a high definition astronaut or Connor looks when the camera is fast enough to catch him so that no part of the picture is blurry or what our pool really looks like with good detail and color and composition, you'll just have to come to Texas.  ;)  

Connor 7 month update

Connor was sick most of this month.  He got a cold right before we headed to Virginia for Grammy's birthday celebration.  He had runny eyes (super gross!) and a stuffy nose that became a cough.  The cough lasted a few weeks and he finally seemed to be almost completely better but he has started sneezing and his nose is running again as well as his cough worsening in the last few days.  ugh.  Gotta love fall.  He is working very hard at sitting up - he's almost got it - and now that his shoes are off for longer each day he's spending more time in the exersaucer and door bouncer also.  He really is a very very chill baby, we get a lot of compliments about how "well behaved" he is but really he is just an angel.  As long as he's got his fingers to suck on, he's good.

This month Connor:

• Continues to sleep 12 hours a night.  Even with his cold and cough he has been sleeping well.
• Takes 2 hour+ naps. One around 10am and another around 2:30 or 3pm
• Is eating stage 2 foods.  Oatmeal for breakfast, Fruit or fruit/veggie for lunch, veggie and protein combo for dinner.  He really likes his oatmeal which is a miracle since I'm mean and still giving it to him plain
• Nurses 4 times a day.  Once in the morning, once after each nap and again at bedtime
• Has gotten another tooth.  He has the center two bottom teeth and now the bottom tooth to the left of those also.  Top center teeth seem close 
• Wears size 9 mos clothes (or 6-12) and a size 2 diaper during the day, size 3 diaper at night
• Wears his "shoes" 18-20 hours a day
• LOVES his big brother.  Is very fascinated by Cameron
• Has started really grabbing for things.  Loves my watch and is very interested in the forbidden tv remote and my phone
• Is ALMOST sitting up independently
• Likes the door jumper and exersaucer
• Likes to sit in the baby swing at the park
• Visited Virginia for the second time
• Celebrated his first Halloween and dressed up as an adorable teddy bear