baby laughs and pumpkin carving

Before carving pumpkins the kids were playing outside with Rolando. Adam thinks loud noises are super funny, especially big dogs that bark. Recently we walked down to the mailbox and there was a big dog that was barking. Adam was scared at first, but then the dog got louder and he was laughing so hard. So now when anyone barks or makes a loud noise he thinks it's super funny. I love baby laughs.

Here are some pictures of the kids and us cutting the pumpkin.

pumpkin patch

A couple weeks ago we took the kids to the pumpkin patch at the Elgin Christmas Tree Farm. We had some yummy food, got some nice pumpkins, and enjoyed the cool weather. Ava had fun running around and seeing the animals, and Adam had a great time watching her and the other people. The hayride was just too much for him and finally put him to sleep.

Adam--5 months and food

So, Adam is 5 months old now and has changed so much. He is not as fussy now, even though he has his moments daily, and loves to smile and play with his favorite new toys, his toes. He went to the doctor last month and was 15 lbs. 11 oz. and 23 1/8 in. He's a chunker! The doctor asked how much he eats, and carefully tried to tell me to take it easy on the every two to three hour feedings. But how do you calm down a hungry, crying/screaming child? Well, you feed him of course. So she suggested that we start him on cereal in the mornings to see if that helps. It brought back a lot of memories when Ava first had cereal. I swear they make the same faces. Here are some pictures of our big boy.

"You're makin' me nervous!"

On Sunday we had dinner over at my mom's house. Ava loves spending time at Nunny's because she gets to eat and play with her jewelry. After dinner Ava was standing on my mom's jewelry box and singing and dancing. She is such an entertainer. She had some ugly toy that belonged to my brother when he was younger. It looked like a cross between a woman superhero and a scorpion. Kind of weird and ugly, but she carried it around earlier, so I thought it was no big deal. I took it and told her I was going to get her with it, just teasing her a little. She said, "No, get it away. That's so ugly." So I did it again and she repeated it, but just a little louder, and then followed with a brief pause and "ugh...you're makin' me nervous!" We were laughing so hard, I thought I was going to pee my pants. My mom says that all the time, and I actually didn't realize how often that saying comes out of my mouth as well, but she picks up everything. The funny thing to me is how she uses certain phrases correctly and with such emotion.

Later she decided to drink from the sprinkler at Nunny's house, which turned into about 15 minutes of sprinkler fun.

Moody Gardens

We decided to take a mini vacation with the kids and my mom to Moody Gardens in Galveston. After much packing and many suitcases later we were on our way. We spent 2 nights there, but I packed at least a weeks worth of clothes for the kids. The ride down there and back was okay, but I really forgot how hard it was to travel with an infant. Adam didn't really care for the 4 1/2 hour drive, but Ava did okay. Here are some pictures from our trip.

Ava loved Cha Cha the frog, at the Rainforest Cafe.

Ava and Rolies having fun in the pool.

He was trying to teach her how to float on her back .

She decided jumping in was more fun. She got really brave.

This jump took them both under.

We got up early the next morning to go to the Aquarium, Rainforest, Children's Discovery Museum, Dinosaurs Alive, and their man made beach. Yes, we're crazy! It was way too much for one day. That evening did not include the most precious moments of our trip.

Ava loved the aquarium and was looking for Dori and Nemo. I don't think Adam really cared where we were as long as we were out of the heat and humidity. I was right there with him!

Ava was not so fond of the dinosaur exhibit. They were animated, and some were pretty loud.
She had her hands over her ears almost the entire time.

After our day of insane fun, we were walking back to the hotel to get ready to go to dinner, and Ava fell asleep as Daddy carried her. That hasn't happened since she was super young. She is definitely one who still needs a nap every day. (Notice the flower in her hand...even though she was out, she held onto that thing for quite a while. Before she fell asleep she was pretending that it was the flower that held the speck from Horton Hears a Who).

On our way out of Galveston we stopped to spend a few minutes at the beach. Ava didn't really want to get wet, even after we put her swimsuit on, and Adam wasn't sure what to think about his first trip to the beach.

A visit to Round Rock

Ava and I took a trip up to Round Rock yesterday to visit my college friend Becky, and her kids, Lillian and Andrew. We had a good time. We met them to eat and then headed over to her house for some playtime. It was lots of fun, and Becky and I had some time to visit while the kids were playing and napping.

Here is a picture of the girls in '07. Lillian was about 7 months and Ava had just turned 1. They sure have grown up!

Butler Park

Today we took the kids to Butler Park to play in the water and mostly just to get out of the house. We had fun. Ava seemed to like the shallow little pools and wasn't too sure about the water spraying up at her at first, but eventually really got into it. Adam just hung out in the shade with one of us.