Mini Vacay

We were feeling spontaneous and decided a family trip to Galveston would satisfy our desire for adventure. Kirk was able to schedule a couple extra days off work, giving him some much needed relaxation time. This trip we decided to explore the attractions offered at Moody Gardens, rather than spending most of our time at the beach. I've read one too many reports lately about a flesh eating bacteria that's been lurking the waters along the coastline, so obviously avoiding the beach was the most sensible option. I really don't think anyone was devastated over it. The kiddos are always most impressed with the hotel room itself anyway. I can only hope they will always be so easy to please.

We arrived to Galveston with the expectation we wouldn't be able to check into our room until 4pm, so it was a really pleasant surprise when they had a room ready for us at 11am. We ventured over to the pyramids, featuring the aquarium and rain forest exhibits. Lyla and I enjoyed the penguins best, while Kirk and Max were fascinated by the sharks. Max was asking a lot of questions about sharks for the remainder of the day, mostly where exactly they live and whether or not they eat people. He has become increasingly more suspicious of sharks. The pyramids definitely kept us entertained, but afterward we were all ready to swim.

We opted for the hotel pool first, as we wanted to save the water park for a full day. I was swimming with Max when I remembered the last time we were together in that pool he was still baking in the womb. I informed him of this fun fact and he thought it was very funny. And Lyla was only one year old during our last visit to Moody Gardens. Once again, I can't believe how fast they grow up. They are both little swimmers now, although the swimming activity lost its appeal quicker than we expected. I guess that's what happens when you have a pool in your own backyard. I saw Max sitting on the ledge of the pool and his expression was pure boredom. It was pretty funny actually. I asked what was wrong and he said, "I just want to go jump on the beds." Hahahaha! SEE! The hotel room wins yet again. We were able to soak up a little more sunshine by holding him over with a scoop of ice cream, but then we headed back to the room. We were getting a little crispy out there anyway.

While in our room, we were pampered by two of the cutest hotel service attendants. They served coffee, tea, and I even got a back massage. They played telephone, making sure every button worked properly. Then we hunted monsters in the hallway and filled the ice bucket. Oh, and we can't forget about the ultra exciting elevator. Those things were seriously probably the highlight of their day. Haha! Lyla opened the curtains in our room first thing and said, "just look at this view!" This is a very ordinary observation, but I guess hearing such a grown up thought coming from a four year old really made me laugh. She is a funny one.

We found a really awesome spot for dinner. I am really excited about it because I feel like I never have a casual go-to restaurant to take our guests when we visit Galveston. It's always been a lottery and, I'll admit, we've picked some bad ones in the past. However, this new find is local, has a funfunfun (beachy) atmosphere, located right on the seawall, and best of all....super crowded. Ha. I'm just kidding. I wasn't a fan of that part, but sometimes crowds are unavoidable. I felt it was crowded and there wasn't even a wait yet, so I was surprised when I saw a line to the restaurant doors going down the stairs and around the corner by the time we left...hmm haha! Lines are generally a good sign when it comes to food, but I'm thankful we avoided that part.

Anyway, Max gave the mac & cheese two thumbs up. It seems he is a mac & cheese connoisseur these days, considering that is all he ever wants to order. My shrimp tacos were the best e.v.e.r. It could have something to do with the ocean being footsteps away, but amazing regardless. And Kirk had a burger, which he refused to give a five star review, but still found it quite satisfying. His onion rings could have made up for everything negative anyhow. Omg. And waffle fries. Omg. I probably ate most of Lyla's. Okay. This is turning into a Yelp review. But at least I have somewhere decent to take my peeps now, unlike a couple years ago when my dad was visiting and we ended up at Murder Bar & Grill. Yeah, that place was the worst.

We spent the next day at Palm Beach, which isn't a real beach and it isn't a real water park either. It's just the hotel fake beach and mini water park. I mean, it does have a lazy river, splash pad, and a couple water slides. That was plenty of stimulant for my little people. The kiddos especially enjoyed the water slide area, which was the perfect size for them. We were really surprised when we only had to join Lyla the first couple times before she was racing up the stairs on her own over and over and over again. She loved it. We had to peel her away from that thing in the end. I'm hoping all the fun she had will give her some confidence to finally go down our water slide at home. She has always insisted doing things on her own terms, even as a baby. And I'm continually learning better ways at responding to her personality. We finished our session of swimming with strangers, with the promise to both Lyla and Max that we will come back again soon. Although, it would be nice to visit those types of places without my brain automatically looking around and wondering what kind of body fluids every person is leaking. Yum.

The hotel hosted a fun movie night and we wrapped up our trip with a little shopping on the way out of town. It was our first official round of school shopping, which was exciting. Lyla is an expert shopper these days and I'm learning to keep my mouth shut if I want her to choose items I find fashionable. Any outfit suggestion that comes from me immediately gets the thumbs down from her. I'm all too familiar with that dynamic, except it appears the roles have finally reversed. Ha!

It was a wonderful weekend and we are grateful for the extra time Kirk was able to take off from work. We made lots of fun memories together. And great news, Max only injured himself once! That kid should probably just constantly wear a helmet for the next few years. I love my little family!

Handful of Happiness

Summer has officially arrived. We are over here just trying not to melt. The heat actually doesn't seem as dreadful as it has in the past, so I guess that means I'm adapting or something like that. I thought I would share a few giggle-worthy stories with the blog. I will try to keep them short and sweet, but sometimes I can't stop these hands from typing in rambling mode. 

I took Lyla with me to run some errands over the weekend and we stopped in at Marshall's. As we were approaching the entrance, we noticed two police officers escorting a couple into a cop car. It was obvious they had been shoplifting and I took the opportunity to explain the consequences of stealing to Lyla. Her response: "Well, the girl still looks cute." Haha! I didn't expect that observation to come from her, but I appreciate she found some silver lining. Yes, that will be one good looking mug shot. Then I considered maybe she thinks pretty people can't make bad choices. If only the world was truly that transparent...what a refreshing perspective we would all have.

The next story is about my little buddy, Max. We temporarily adopted a kitten while Kurt & Olivia were travelling over the past week or so. He is the sweetest little fur baby and Max immediately took full ownership of sir-no-name kitty. I was hesitant to allow the kitty to interact with Krew unsupervised, so Max was in charge of tucking kitty into our guest bedroom each night and closing the door. As the days passed and kitty warmed up to his new surroundings, I noticed the typical feline-canine tension was nonexistent between them. They even brushed noses more than once. I decided they passed the test and it would probably be fine to release kitty from his nightly prison. He would likely be happier exploring the house and/or sleeping somewhere of his own choosing. The only problem is I made this decision after Max was asleep, so he was not informed of the change in kitty sleeping arrangements. It didn't even cross my mind, to be honest. I just went to bed as normal. My eyes shot open at exactly 6:00 am and I was surprised to see Max standing quietly on my side of the bed. I asked what he was doing, as this is an unusually early wake time for him. As he cradled kitty in both his arms, he whispered, "kitty needs to go back to bed." I rolled out of bed giggling and helped Max get kitty settled in the guest room. I was thankful Max fell back asleep for a couple hours, but I imagine kitty felt robbed of his freedom. Haha! Sorry kitty. Max loves you!

My last story is about a conversation we had during dinner just this evening. We were making predictions about how much longer we think Lyla will remain taller than Max. This led to a discussion about puberty and Kirk pointed out that if Max follows in his footsteps he could potentially start growing hair in weird places in nine short years. Knowing I was being slightly dramatic, I expressed how heartbreaking that will be for me. That's when Lyla chimed in, "Mom, we will still be here. And we will always call you Mom." She won my heart with that logical statement. 

Annual Check-Ups: Lyla 4 & Maxwell 3

We visited the doctor this week to get a couple of annual check-ups marked off our list. It was the first time each of them were given an eye exam and for some reason I found that part entertaining. They aren't required to name letters yet, just shapes. I enjoyed how they called the same shape different names --- Lyla said it a circle, and to Max it was a wheel. Regardless, their answers earned them a pass, which is a good sign considering I was three when my eyesight took a nose dive.  

Lyla received four booster vaccinations during this visit. She was super brave and bragged the rest of the day about how she didn't cry at all. I will be sure to remind her of these tough girl inconsistencies next time she is on the verge of winning an academy award as I'm brushing her hair. It's similar to her reaction in the bathtub when she gets water in her eyes, as opposed to how easily she brushes it off in the swimming pool. She is quite silly, but I imagine her dramatics will come in useful throughout her lifetime. 

Max won't be due for another round of shots until we schedule a check-up again next year. We had to see the doctor on such a frequent basis when they were babies, it feels strange to finally be on an annual schedule. It's rare for us to visit the doctor for anything else and I feel pretty fortunate to have healthy kiddos. 

I suppose at some point I should probably stop posting their measurements to the blog, but for now I think it's still fine. I promise the exposure will stop as soon as I hear one of them pleading to keep their weight off the internet. I can already see myself hovered over my keyboard, calling each of them after they have moved out of the house, "Yes, hello sweetie, can you go weigh yourself for the blog?" Hahaha! Kidding. They would hang up on me for sure. 

Maxwell Monte: 

Height: 37.5 inches, 65th percentile

Weight: 33.6. lbs, 52nd percentile

Lyla Estelle:

Height: 43 inches, 88th percentile

Weight: 37.6 lbs, 54th percentile

Maxwell: Third Birthday

I finally have real internet access again. It was getting a little tricky living off cell phone data only, but clearly it's a manageable lifestyle. Although I still take full advantage of all the luxurious amenities offered to me, first world problems typically get a huge eye roll from this lady. Hopefully I can get in the habit of blogging on a regular basis again. There has been so many fun things happening in our lives, I would probably overwhelm myself trying to blog about all of it. So, with the exception of the birthday bash of sir Max, the past will be left behind and I will start blogging about life moving forward. 

We celebrated Max's birthday shortly after returning from Idaho. I was feeling like the energizer bunny, trying to adjust back to normal life after our trip while simultaneously plan a birthday party. Max requested a dinosaur party and we managed to pull it off, considering the short amount of planning time that went into it. As Kirk pointed out, Max will never remember the small details that I seem to dedicate to party planning. But let's be honest, I love parties! It's a happy kind of stress, for me at least. First world problems. 

We enjoyed an afternoon of swimming, eating cake, and digging up dinosaurs in the backyard. Yes, technically one would dig up fossils, but luckily none of the diggers made that connection. We all watched as Max ripped through his presents in record time. I would normally supervise a more thoughtful present opening process, but he was so incredibly fast and aggressive --- it was too funny to watch. He did stop for one second to read a birthday card. I found his intent focus to be humorous, considering he can't read yet. 

Texas has been on the receiving end of some atrocious amounts of rain lately, but I was grateful it took a short break during the party. I think Max had a fabulous time and enjoyed being the star of the show. Max turning three reminds me of how much he has changed since turning two. He remains pretty easy going most the time, but the layers of his personality are beginning to unfold. He is an adventure seeker and never lets fear stand in his way, which can be a bit terrifying at times. He is funny by nature. I always smile when I can hear a good belly laugh coming from him as he is playing...by himself. It usually involves any predicament he gets his action figures into, but I love a guy who can laugh at his own jokes. [insert Kirk emoji here] And above all, I admire how thoughtful he is, especially when it comes to caring for Lyla. Max is a big piece in our family puzzle and we are so lucky!

It's hard to believe we have a three year old again, for the second time. I'm pretty sure Lyla was just three. Life isn't slowing down and somehow that 17 month age gap just keeps shrinking. My heart does this funny thing when I think about what life was like when they were babies. It seems like yesterday and a lifetime ago all wrapped into one. The reason I try to capture so much of it is because I never want to forget. They are going to grow up tomorrow and their little voices, their laughter, and even their cry will never be the same. I know these are all precious moments, even on the days they make me feel insane. This motherhood business is a lovely experience and I'm looking forward to all the birthdays to come. 

Oh, and speaking of insanity. Max is on day seven of no pacifier. This comforting little item is known as the "baba" in our house. And I'm not sure who misses it more --- me or Max. The withdrawal symptoms have been super pleasant at bed time and I've definitely had to resist picking up another one, but I think we are through the worst of it. I can't blame him, the baba got us through some tough times together. We were building up anticipation for months about throwing away his baba when he turned three. He was even pumped about it, because obviously being three means you are way too old for a baba. I used this theory on Lyla and it worked like a charm, so I was hoping the same would unfold for the second child. Funny enough, I took three baba with us to Idaho and came home with only one lone survivor. We were keeping it around until the official throwing-into-the-garbage ceremony, but it vanished on its own. It was slightly disappointing, but it's gone and over with now. Bravo Max, Bravo!

Show Week

Lyla and Max had the opportunity to participate in a presentation at gymnastics to showcase all their skills they have learned over the past year. After missing two weeks of class due to our Idaho trip, I was a little worried they would feel lost going back to gymnastics. That ended up not being an issue whatsoever, you would have never known they missed any time at all. Max was promoted to Lyla's class a few weeks back and it's been fun watching him in an independent setting. I am continually impressed by Little Gym. We love the fun atmosphere, the kids admire their teacher, and the program has truly helped boost their overall coordination and confidence. 

Maxwell had a near tragedy at the Denver airport recently as we were approaching the downward escalator. I practically had a heart-attack as he fell down one step and stumbled to catch his balance, but I found myself crediting Little Gym as soon as my panic was over. The elevator would have been the obvious choice when travelling with two munchkins, but you go ahead and try out a ten hour layover and see how your decision skills are doing. I'll be waiting. 

I uploaded some videos to YouTube of the kids during their gymnastics presentation. I wanted to type out that I filmed them, but I guess that is no longer accurate. So what do people say? I video-ed. I recorded. I took a motion picture. Anyway, the videos can be found below. Enjoy!!!! You can just ignore my lame mom commentary. :)