The "Radio" and Celebrating Baby J

I am seriously frustrated with myself and the lack of blog posts so I know you must be too!  These pictures have been uploaded for a while just waiting for my commentary.  Oh well.  Here goes...

We took the kids to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo again this year!   They kept calling the Rodeo, the "Radio" hence the title.  We had a day filled with family fun!  My sweet boys are so photogenic and patient with me taking their picture All.The.Time!

They had an exhibit just like Little Hands on the Farm at the State Fair of Texas where you pretend to be a farmer!  The boys loved it, especially "selling" their goods for a snack!

Here they are posing with the real cows before "milking" the pretend cows inside the barn!

They worked up an appetite, so afterwards they shared a corn dog with Daddy!  You can't go to a carnival and not eat carnival food!

The petting zoo was a big hit too, especially the baby kangaroo!  Here J is hoping up and down like a kangaroo!

I love seeing all the brand new baby animals at the birthing center!  This is always my favorite part!

Mommy with her boys before checking out the cars and tractors!

Thumbs up for the Houston Livestock Show and "Radio"!

On a completely different note except for the connection of boyness.  I got the privilege of co-hosting a baby shower for my sweet friend Alissa during the same weekend.  She is having a baby boy named Jason next week!  His big sister Sophie is one of our little J's favorite friends too!  She is so sweet and will be an amazing big sister!  

She takes such good care of her baby dolls, so we know she will do great with their baby J!

I had so much fun making this diaper cake for Alissa!  I am just itching to host another baby shower so I can make another one!  Congrats Franklins and we can't wait to meet baby J in just a few short days!

Love Fest 2011

So, I am very delinquent in posting this, but I couldn't miss the opportunity to post about Valentines Day 2011 with my sweet love bugs!  First, here is a look back to Valentines Day 2010:

We went to the zoo and shared a lot of family time!  You'll notice this year Johnny is wearing the shirt Angel wore last year.  I just LOVE both my lil' Romeos!

This year we kept it pretty simple which lately is the name of the game for us.  Johnny brought some flowers and cards to his teachers at his MDO's celebration the Friday before Valentines Day.  I just couldn't get it together to bring flowers to Angel's teachers on the actual day.  I guess it's the thought that counts.  Both boys passed out Valentines to their classmates.  This year they chose Toy Story 3 Valentines that they addressed themselves.

In the evening we celebrated at home with a little something from mom and dad.  This momma knows the way to my littlest boys' hearts, monster trucks and candy!

I just love shopping for cards in the "son" section!  Both Angel and Johnny are such a wonderful gift to us and I relish every opportunity to lavish love on them!  The boys also made cards for their grandparents and daddy which were very sweet!  You can't beat home made!

All 3 of my guys have stolen my heart, completely!  Here are my forever Valentines: 

Jeff has been busy at work, but he still found the time to get me a sweet card, roses, and a little teddy bear.  My man is the best!

He and I also were able to get away for a weekend retreat with our Sunday School class the weekend before Valentines Day.  It was wonderful, refreshing, and such a blessing!  Not to mention very edifying for us both in our marriage and as individuals.  We love our church and the young couples that we are honored to walk through life with.  Our sweet friend Allison captured this precious picture of us at the retreat!  I think it is so sweet!  And well the man kissing me is pretty sweet too!

Our "snow" day in pictures

So, Houstonians are a bit nuts. Heaven help us but if there is snow in the forecast we all lose our minds! Well there was snow in the forecast for today so everything shut down in preparation for the approaching Winter Storm of 2011. Well, we woke up to some ice and unfortunate car accidents from ice on the roads, but no snow. I think it important to say that I am one of those "better safe than sorry" people, so I am grateful for all the cautions that were taken.

The boys were a bit disappointed, but it really didn't faze them much. I was the total opposite when I was a kid. I would have freaked out, so I had a plan for how to handle the boys' disappointment. We talked about how weathermen make guesses or predictions, but only God knows.

Angel's teacher had given them a homework assignment to make a snowman. I asked Jeff this morning what we should do about it. He suggested we make one out of paper. Later he told me he was kidding, but he should know better than to kid like that with this COM (Craft Obsessed Momma)! I cut out the shapes and the boys glued it all together and decorated it. I taught them to draw snowflakes by telling them to make a letter "x" and then Jesus' cross over top. Who knew that explanation would work, but it did?!

Proud Angel with his snowman

This next picture is not my favorite of J, but I added it to show you the bright and sun shinny day out the window! Poor Mr. Weatherman! I know you are feeling defensive today, but thanks for the extra day with all of my sweet boys!

Here's a better picture showcasing J's snowman and his precious smile!

We made paper snowflakes too. I helped the boys fold them and then they each decided what shapes they wanted where. I had to do the cutting because child safety scissors just wouldn't cut it, literally. Our snowflakes turned out a bit more colorful than the real deal too. The boys got to see that each snowflake was different and we talked about how God makes each person unique and special just like snowflakes! It was "snow" much fun sans the actual snow!

Christmas Finale/ New Years

Between Christmas and New Years we went to San Antonio for a couple of days. Unfortunately, I was quite sick with strep so we had to pair down our plans and spent more time in the hotel than we originally planned. Thankfully the boys love staying in hotels and they were content just hanging out playing their handheld games.

We did have dinner at the Magic Time Machine restaurant. I remember going to the one in Dallas when I was a kid and Jeff who had also been there thought the boys would love the costumed waiters. We had Cruella de Vil as our waitress, but the boys also got their beloved Spider Man's autograph. It was a fun experience.
We also went to Fiesta Texas, but it was really crowded and I wasn't feeling well so we headed home earlier than planned. The boys were anti-long lines and kept getting out of line after getting through half of it. They did ride a few things though and it was a nice relaxing couple of days as a family of 4.
On New Years weekend we spent time with the Hendrickson clan. The Carpenter family came and our boys just love playing with cousin Clayton and cousin Drew. It's hard to believe next year we will have another little man in the mix. The energy they expand is increasing to the 5th degree so they will keep us all on our toes!

Unfortunately I was still sick and I felt awful I couldn't be myself during our special time as a family. The strep was icky and lasted 3 weeks. It took 2 rounds of anitbiotics and 3 doctor visits to get relief! Our boys didn't seem to mind though. They were too busy playing with Drew and Clayton!

All four boys loved playing together with their new toys, including Drew's new trampoline!

All 4 boys also got a head light just like Poppa D! They were all so very excited! They always wanted to play with Poppa D's every time they visited my parents. Now, they all have their own!

I can imagine that taking a picture of all the boys together will also get more difficult as our family grows, but oh it is so worth it!! We love all of our nephews/cousins so much! Thanks Gran and Poppa D for hosting us all and for all you did to make our time with you so special! Thanks Sarah and Wade for coming into town with your precious boys to celebrate with us!

Albus Family Christmas

We went to visit Jeff's parents on the day after Christmas. It was fun to meet our newest niece/cousin, Kinlee, born on December 1! Unfortunately our camera's battery died before we were able to take a picture of her in all her sweetness! But here is her big brother, Austin opening the Lego game we got him.

And now the big sister, Kayleigh with her new learning table from us! She is such a sweetie always patting her brother and sister like a little momma.
We got to see cousin Liam again and he is growing so quickly and now crawling, We are glad he and his mom and dad have moved back from Colorado. Hopefully we will see them more often now.
Our guys loved all the fun games, clothes, and monster truck paraphernalia they received. Thanks Lisa and Jamie, Cortney and Matt and Meme and Papa! We love you all!

Christmas Day

So, I am trying to catch up on Christmas posts. It is ridiculously late, but please humor me. Here is a collage of our first Christmas in 2009. It was such a sweet time as a family of four! I will never forget the boys' giant smiles and the excitement of that day!

Now on to 2010, but the same sweet smiles and excitement!

The boys loved their stocking goodies and played with the contents for so long we had to remind them about the gifts under the tree!

Sweet brothers with sweet Christmas smiles! I wish I could figure out how to download the video I have of them singing Feliz Navidad to blogger. It is precious! Those of you on Facebook might have seen it there.
Angel is so proud of his new Bible cover to carry his Bible to church in! I pray he never loses his excitement for learning about God and ultimately comes to know God personally as well.
Both boys continue to LOVE Hot Wheels cars. This is such cheap entertainment that I am all for it!
Now, this is not cheap, but well worth the investment. Angel has been asking for a DS since the summer. This is rare for him so we knew he really wanted it. It was the last gift he opened and up until then he kept saying, "Oh Santa couldn't find the DS....That's ok." His little face just lit up when he opened it! I have been pleasantly surprised at how he has continued to enjoy it daily and takes such good care of it. He is becoming such a responsible little guy!
This picture is one of my favorites of the day, but it seriously was like the 20th try for me to capture my sweet Johnny's smile. I am loving my new camera with it's super quick shutter speed, but even still Johnny was very patient with me!
Johnny got some favorite toys he has been eying for some time too! He has been asking for this Iron Man car for a while now, but it sounds like "Army Car" when he says it. Good thing he pointed it out to me at the store or I might have gotten the wrong thing!
The Hot Wheels cars made another appearance. We have hundreds but they remember which ones are theirs and even who gave them to them when. Heaven help me! I had to bust out the Sharpie marker and tag them with a "J" or "A" for my own sake for times of disagreement! Oh brotherly "love"!

Johnny also loves his new trampoline! The somewhat annoying automated British woman that counts his "bounces" can't even keep up with him! I know how that is, as I am always a few paces behind myself! However, I love this alternative to his attempt at jumping on beds and from furniture!

Our big family gift is a spring break trip to Colorado which will include a visit to a giant snow fort, a horse drawn carriage ride, and tubing.

Here are some other favorite photos of the boys opening presents! They were genuinely excited about each one, including all the warm clothes we bought for our trip to Colorado!

I just love my sweet guys!
All four of them smiled for the camera, including Harvey!
But these 3 have my heart, forever!

Christmas Eve

To start off our Christmas Eve post, let's look back at Christmas Eve 2009. We started some sweet traditions with the boys including attending the candle light service at church and opening Christmas pajamas.

We continued these traditions in 2010.
Here are my 3 gentleman at our house before leaving for the service.
And me with my 2 littlest loves!
Yay for Christmas PJs!

We put out Christmas cookies me made for Santa and read the Christmas story from the Bible before heading off to bed to dream of sugar plums!