TJ scored a goal in his first basketball game (after we told him to turn around 'cause he was heading for the wrong basket)!
The whole game was pretty hilarious because the kids weren't given much instruction other than "blue team: that's your goal, yellow team: that's your goal." And of course the kids never remembered. They just wanted to run the other way every time they got the ball even if it was under their own basket. They were super cute.
If you stick with it and watch until the end, TJ hands the ball back to his team mate after the little boy dropped it and then the little boy scored a goal. I was just as proud of him for his display of good sportsmanship as I was for his goal. So, Dwaine and I give him credit for an assist and a goal! Not bad for his first game!!
My belly at 18wks and my TJ at almost 5 yrs. He insisted on being in the pic :-)
As I am outgrowing most of my regular clothes but not quite ready for maternity clothes, this outfit has become my "2nd trimester uniform." I find myself wearing it all the time, but I do have about 3 shirts that go with the skirt so at least I can get a little bit of a different look each time. Loving all my sundresses right now too!
We had our sonogram this week!!! Look at that adorable little face!! Everything looked good, baby is weighing 7 or 8oz, moving all around, and kicking LOTS- even doing a few full leg extensions with great form! Somehow, I'm still not feeling a whole lot of those kicks (only a few every now and then), but I'm thinking that will change pretty soon!
Reality has set in that we will soon have 3 of these little monkeys running around. Craziness!! Oh and the fact that we will be entering the diapers, wipes, middle-of-the night crying stage again- definitely not ready for that! But I am ready for all the sweet cuddling, adorable first smiles, coos, laughs and fun milestones.
And as for whether this little one is of the girl or boy variety- we have decided to let that be a surprise!! To be announced sometime in December!
Today we went to Thrilling Thursday a the library for "Animal Tails." We saw and learned about a wallaby, a rat (yes, a rat), a boa constrictor, porcupine, bearded dragon, mini donkey, and an alpaca (I think I covered it all).
Then we had the opportunity to pet the snake and the alpaca. TJ thought the snake was super cool! He is such a boy. Alli got a little scared when the head got too close to her- can't say I blame her (even though this is a non-venomous snake).
Not sure how long TJ would have stayed there petting the snake if I didn't tell him we had to give the other kids a turn.
Alli with the alpaca. This thing was so calm and sweet. Apparently they are completely domesticated and I'm pretty sure this one is the animal lady's personal pet.
How cute is that?
TJ didn't care to touch the Alpaca, but I did and it was super soft- really thick and spongy fur.
We signed TJ up for the YMCA Little Dribbler program this summer- once a week basketball skills class, no games yet (I'm okay with that!).
Practicing his defensive moves.
Dribbling right handed then left handed.
And shooting the ball! Of course on his next turn (when I wasn't filming), he made a basket- without help from the coach. This goal is quite a bit higher than ours at home, so it took a little getting used to. At his second practice he made 2 in a row- some of the kids never get anywhere close, so we were pretty proud of him.
And I have noticed that he is a really great listener and follows directions like a pro (in class, not so much at home). He is always paying attention and doing exactly what he's told to do (really wish we could get some of that at home). But, it should serve him well in kinder! You can tell he really looks up to his coach too.
I must say- watching a basketball class full of 3-5yr old kids can be quite amusing at times, but they are all so cute and really great sports- I have yet to see anybody get angry or upset (short of a booboo or two)- they are just happy to be playing and learning.
As for Alli, she has been asking to take art classes for quite some time, so I looked for classes at a local kid's art studio and the only thing they had for her age group was a cooking class. I was told it would be half cooking/half art. She thought that sounded super cool, so we signed her up. Turns out they never have time for art by the time they are done cooking, so I feel really bad that she still hasn't been able to take art classes. But, she loves the cooking class, so no loss. And she'll get to go to open art with the credit we get when she misses a class while she's at grandma's house so she'll be happy about that.
Cutting potatoes to make french fries (with a plastic knife- I didn't think that was possible, but it actually worked quite well).
The first week they made french fries, baked fish with vegetables, and a smoothie. The second week they made pizza and brownies- the kids picked that menu! She has eaten everything she has made so far with the exception of some zucchini.
My big boy graduate who is apparently a lot littler than all his friends :-) I just love these big milestones with my little ones. Trying to soak it in as much as possible 'cause I have a feeling the next 13 yrs are going to fly.
TJ with one of his buddies. Unfortunately, he won't be going to kinder with any of his preschool friends. That's ok though- he'll just have a whole new set of friends! And he is super excited about starting kinder.
I, however, still can't believe he's old enough to go to school. But I have to admit, I am looking forward to a few months to myself before #3 arrives!
Alli proudly showing off that she lost her first tooth! We jokingly call her "toothless" now and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of her new tooth. This is exciting stuff!
We knew a plastic baby pool wouldn't cut it this year, but we also knew we wouldn't make it through a hot Texas summer without some water to swim in. So, we invested in the smallest above ground pool with a pump we could find. I was a little embarrassed to admit that we actually have one, but it was a GREAT buy. The kids are absolutely loving it and have already been getting lots of use out of it...
We took a road trip to New Mexico over spring break and had so much fun. The kids are at a great age for traveling and think it is so cool to stay in other people's houses (we rented a vacation cabin). Alli kept talking about how nice it was for those people to share their house with us. Yes, nice, with a price tag! We stopped at Carlsbad Caverns along the way to break up the trip. At the entrance to the cave. It was a LONG hike down, but lots of cool cave formations to look at... The whale's mouth.
Dwaine's stalagmite-tall and skinny.
The lion's tail.
We decided to wait for the elevator ride back out- about a 45 min wait- but well worth it to not have to hike back up and out- the kids never would have made it.
At the winter snow park the next day. No real snow but the fake stuff was still fun for tubing.
I think Dwaine and I had just as much fun snow tubing as the kids did (maybe more).
Souvenir shopping in Ruidoso!
We fed the deer at our cabin every morning and they definitely know the routine!
TJ having fun with the walking stick. Such a boy! Alli was the photographer on this one.
Valley of Fires.
Lava Rock as far as you can see- pretty crazy.
Three Rivers petroglyphs- Indian drawings from 600 or more years ago.
There was a ton of them- I could bore you with all the pictures but I just picked a couple of my favorites instead. I don't think I realized TJ's eyes were closed in this one when I uploaded it- oh well.
We went to White Sands on the way home- a huge hit with the whole family!
I'm so glad that I convinced Dwaine that this would be worth our time. He couldn't understand the fun in going to a beach without the water, but now he gets it! The sand is totally different- very powdery and soft. And we had a blast sledding down over and over...
Sand angels!
Taking a little rest. Alli is under the disc. Climbing up that hill is tiring!
More photography by Alli.
He is such a trooper. Alli wasn't quite as determined as he was. But she was happy to rest, take breaks, and sled when she had the energy.
TJ's footprints looked so cute in the sand.
My little model
Imitating his sister
Scenic drive on the way home.
We stayed at White Sands way longer than we anticipated so we didn't get home until VERY late. Thanks to Dwaine, we got home safely. I tried as hard as I could to stay awake and keep him company but finally crashed about an hour before we got home.
The kids can't wait to go back- hopefully when there is some real snow to play in and maybe even ski down. Maybe we'll head a little further north next time!
The only negative about the trip was the NASTY, NASTY stomach bug that TJ picked up (I'm assuming from a public restroom). He got sick the day after we got home and was down for an entire week- he looked so sickly and lost a lot of weight. "This is the worstest sick I've ever been" he said in a pathetic little voice. Somehow, none of the rest of us caught it- praise God for that!
My big boy graduate who is apparently a lot littler than all his friends :-) 
I just love these big milestones with my little ones. Trying to soak it in as much as possible 'cause I have a feeling the next 13 yrs are going to fly.
The backward jump
