odds and ends

We are getting LOTS of use out of our back deck.  When it's just me and the kiddos and it's a little difficult to lug all 3 downstairs to the backyard, I just lock all the gates and let them loose on the deck.  Here's a picture I took while washing dishes - Reese is building with her Legos on the back table.

Speaking of the back deck, I've decided to get this hot tub up and running since the cooler weather is here.  I drained it after I took a water sample to Leslie's Pool Supply and they shook their head at me.  He threw around words like "hospital" and "staph infection" and that was all it took to convince me to drain it and start over.

I took out all the filters, head rests and other parts that I can soak in a chlorine solution overnight.

And then I got to work!!!    Vinegar, baking soda, a few rags and lots of lots of elbow grease.   Looks pretty good, huh?

I will fill it tomorrow morning and I have a spa guy coming at noon to walk me through the system.  Maybe Saturday night we will get a nice soak once all the chemicals are balanced!!

Let's go outside!!!

This is why we moved to Austin.  We are having so much fun in our backyard.  We can play outside for hours and never break a sweat.  The kids are loving all the room we have to run around.   Reese and Stella have already learned the areas that they can play in and the areas that are off limits.  They might need a reminder once in a while, but overall I can sit back and watch them play without having to chase them.   The first area they love to play is where the playground equipment is.  Steve and Lynda brought our Houston plastic playground to us and the previous owners left one for us.  So we have two!!   Wes also hung a swing in that area.  The girls love to slide and swing.  (On this particular day, Stella found a pet rock that she carried around all day, as you will see.)

Next to the playground is a bush covered in small colorful flowers.  Both girls love sticking their nose into the bush to get a sniff.  

Another favorite is chasing footballs in the flat, green space and running a lap around their track.  Down the stairs, around the gravel path, up the other staircase, then back to where you started.  Reese runs this track about 20 times a day.  Surprised she still has a bootie left.  

Another play spot is down the hill at the fire pit.  The girls like to gather piles of acorns on the stone bench.   And you'll notice the "Relax" sign hanging on the tree.  That is Wes's early birthday present.  We spotted it 2 months ago while furniture shopping and Wes really liked it.  I kinda shrugged my shoulders and acted indifferent.  But inside, I was thinking "That is the perfect birthday surprise!!  I'll hang it when he's out of town!!!)  So while Anadean was here, we made plans to hang it while the kids were napping.  And just as I was going in the garage to grab it, the garage door opened.  Wes was home early!!!!  So I made him hide in his office and wait until we had it up.  Not quite the surprise I was hoping for.... I had planned on not saying a word and waiting until he noticed it.  Whatever!!  Still love the sign.  And he did too!!!!

And while we are cruising around the yard, poor Drake is stuck in his exersaucer watching all the action.  But he doesn't seem too upset about it.

Here's a picture of Reese working on her i-pad next to Dean, her new best friend.  

And here's a sweet one of Daddy reading with Reese.  

Videos - Here is Drake standing up.  SOOOOOO close to walking.  

And Drake laughing.

The girls love to take turns going down the slide.

We're back!!

Sorry for my blog hiatus.  Let's get caught up.  Wes and I enjoyed a fantastic 4 day weekend at the Ritz-Carlton outside of Tucson, Arizona.  Lynda and Steve came in town to watch kiddos while we were gone.  (thank you, thank you, thank you!!)  After our disastrous road trip and a week of sniffles, we were ready for a few days to ourselves.  This was Wes's President Club trip, so we were joined by eight other employees and their spouses.  We had a blast.  Slept in late, ate some great food, hung out by the pool, got a massage, etc.  But as always, we were happy to get home and see the kids.  Drake kept Nana up at night (bad Drake!!) but Reese and Stella did great:) 

One of our sitters has taught Reese how to take pictures of herself using an i-phone.  It's her favorite thing to do if we leave our phone laying around.  Here is a collection of her selfies. 

 

 Reese and Drake playing in the kitchen. 

Mmmmm, doughnuts.

Pretty Stella.

Road Trippin'

Our road trip didn't go quite as planned.  We left Thursday morning at 9:00 and headed to Dallas.  The kids were doing great!  I moved Reese and Stella to the 3rd row.  They had a bucket of toys between their car seats.  They would dig in, find a book or toy to play with and throw it on the floor when they were done.  After the bucket was empty, I would grab all the toys off the floor and they would do it again.  They did this all the way to Dallas, where we met the Alinks at a McDonalds around 12:00.  After a quick lunch and a few minutes on the playground, we loaded up the kids and headed to Alabama.   Stella passed out for a nap and Reese played on her i-Pad for a couple of hours.  Drake was also doing great.  He was with me in the 2nd row and alternated between cat naps and playing with his toes.  We stopped again around 6:00 pm at a Chik-fil-A and had a quick dinner.  We were only 3 hours away!!!  And things only got rough during the last hour.  Everyone was cranky, tired and uncomfortable.  I sang "The Wheels on the Bus" the last 30 minutes to keep the peace.  We were super excited to pull up to our cabin at Mom and Dad's house.  Everything was ready for us - 3 cribs for kiddos, 4 twin beds for Wes, myself and Anadean.  Little school desks filled with new notebooks and pens for Reese and Stella.  Boxes of books and toys.  A stocked mini fridge (including Mom's homemade brown bread and strawberry jam) and snacks to munch on.  Everything was going great!!!!  Until it wasn't.  We hoped the kids would be so exhausted from their car trip that they would pass out and sleep in.  No such luck.  We were up all. night. long.  Reese would cry out, which would wake up Stella.  Then she would start crying and Drake would get up.  We'd get the girls settled and feed Drake a bottle, only to have the cycle start all over again.  We spent all day Friday trying to catch up on sleep. And then it got worse.  I had Stella down in the huge field behind the house.  She was in heaven, running and running and running.  It was time to give them a bath so I grabbed her arm on one side and my niece Emma grabbed the other.  We started running, holding Stella's hands in ours and giving her a lift off the ground every once in a while.  I pulled a little too hard one jump and Stella screamed in pain.  I was pretty sure I had dislocated her shoulder.  Her right arm hung limp at her side and she refused to move it.  I tested my theory with M&M's, holding her good arm down to see if she would use the other arm.  Fail.  So Wes took Stella to the emergency room, where they popped it back in place.  That night went a little better, but still lots of wake ups.  We decided early Saturday morning that we would be better off in our own home.  Wes has some big meetings on Monday and Tuesday and the thought of doing a few days without him (although I still had plenty of help) was unsettling.  We said our goodbyes and loaded up the car.  The trip home went a little faster by using a few back roads.  We cut about an hour and a half off our trip time.  Only 2 quick stops to re-fuel the car and our bellies.  We quickly bathed and fed the kiddos and dropped them in bed so we could collapse on the couch.  Around 11:00, I went up to check on Reese because I heard coughing and she was super congested.  She kept coughing herself awake because she had a hard time breathing.  And Stella was right behind her.  Stella had a fever, as well.  So Tylenol and Vapo-Rub all around and by 3:00, everyone was back asleep.  So far today has been great.  Both girls are in a good mood and besides a runny nose, they are feeling good.  Drake seems to have avoided the plague thus far.  And so our road trip story ends.  At least I know the kids can survive a long car ride.