Honorary Texans

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When we left Chapel Hill, we made some of our best friends “honorary Texans”. They didn’t quite embrace the title in the beginning but we can tell that at least two of them are finally coming around.

Lee & Lindsay decided to take a quick trip before Baby #3 (!!!!) arrives and came to Austin to see what the fuss is all about. The Sheehan’s so kindly watched the boys while we spent time eating, drinking, eating some more and relaxing with the Ballew’s. It was a wonderful weekend that we were sad to see end.

Cheap Entertainment

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GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Bubbles!

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Sam and Ben spent 20 minutes today enjoying some bubble time. Sam really wanted Ben to catch the bubbles but he was only interested in laughing as they floated by.

Our First Born

Poor Sadie has fallen pretty far down the totem pole since Sam & Ben came along. But we still love her and want to make sure she’s featured on the blog along with her siblings. She’s still as wild, curious and free as ever!

Are you teething?

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I know it’s been written about a 100 times already, but I never grow tired of watching Sam and Ben interact. The older Ben gets, the more he’s amused by his brother’s actions. Of course, Sam LOVES all of Ben’s baby toys and loves to “show” him how to use them. Sam’s latest trick is putting teething rings in his mouth. Who knew that Sam was teething again?!?

What's that spoon doing?

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Ben had his first experience with rice cereal last night. It went better than I remember our first try with Sam at this age. I can’t say he loved the taste, but he allowed the spoon to enter his mouth without too much of a fuss. My big helper Sam gave it a try at the end. Sam was surprisingly gentle. Unfortunately, Ben had pretty much lost his patience by this point so Sam only got a few tries. After this experience, I know that Ben is two things:

1.) Very, very patient
2.) Very, very much in love with his brother…otherwise he never would have tolerated him shoving the spoon in his mouth.

Gentle Giant

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Blackmail 101

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Scott and I can’t wait to put Sam’s rehearsal dinner video together. We’ve already got the lead picture!

Rainbow Monkey

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Scott’s parents gave Ben a rainbow monkey for Christmas. It’s his new favorite toy. He loves to wrestle with it on the ground while biting its tail. It’s too cute!

Fun at the Park

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Tony Romo, Is That You?

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I grew up watching the Cowboys play every Sunday afternoon at my Gigi & Grandad’s house. The entire Lindsey clan would gather at their house for lunch (that Gigi always made) after church. So, to say that I’m a devoted Cowboys fan is an understatement. Troy Aikman was my first love!

Ever since we moved to Houston, Scott has been pushing the Texans on Sam (more to get under my skin than anything else). I, in turn, have been teaching Sam ALL about the Cowboys…especially Tony Romo.

But Sam hasn’t quite been able to grasp exactly what Romo looks like. Every time he sees a football player (white, black, short, tall, fat, thin) he says, “Mommy, Daddy TONY ROMO!” It’s become quite the joke. And while it makes us laugh every time, we weren’t too surprised when this happened because he does the same thing with Tiger Woods and golf.

But we’re working on it and maybe by next season he will have mastered what everyone on the Cowboys team looks like…now if Scott could just score us some great tickets to the new stadium!

A "How To" Guide on Declining a Party Invitation

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Have you ever been truly sad that you couldn’t attend an event? I have. I’ve also struggled with how to convey to the host just how bummed we were to miss it. Well, here’s what you do…

My grandmother couldn’t attend Ben’s baptism. So, she took a picture of herself dressed in appropriate attire, attached it to a hand written card and mailed it to us. The front of the card reads, “Ben, this is the Granny who is old and she would have looked like this at your Baptism – except for the earrings”. The last part about the earrings is my favorite because it’s truly something that she would say.

Grandma – Sorry you couldn’t be at the baptism, but thanks for making us smile about it!

Trip #2 to the ER

Sweet Sam busted his bottom lip this morning while playing at the park. Of course, Scott had run to the car to get something for Ben when it occurred. There was blood all over his face so we were surprised to see that the cut was actually quite small. After the EMTs checked him out we headed to the ER where he received 2 stitches. They brought in 3 people to hold him down but Sam didn’t cry, wiggle or pitch a fit. What a big kid! When we got in the car Sam was pretty lethargic until Scott mentioned that we were getting him a milk shake for lunch. It’s amazing the power of a chocolate milkshake.

Pump It Up

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Sam celebrated his 3rd birthday with friends at Pump It Up. It was 1 ½ hours of non-stop jumping and running followed by lots of drinking (Capri Suns) and eating (pizza). I think all of the parents left the party as exhausted as their children.

Goodnight Sam & Ben

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We end each night by reading a few books to the boys. Scott usually reads to Sam while I read to Ben. The past few nights Sam has requested group storytime.

The Doctor's In

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Yesterday I took both of the boys to their 3 year and 4 month check-ups. Sam loved it when the doctor came to take his blood pressure (107/53 for those that care). He kept telling the nurse that we had one at home. I guess he remembers when I had to monitor my blood pressure at home while pregnant with Ben.

Sam was such a helper while the doctor was checking over Ben. At the end of the appointment Ben received his shots. Of course he started screaming which seemed to upset Sam. While I was trying to comfort Ben, Sam came over and gave him a kiss on the head. It was the sweetest moment!

Both boys are continuing to grow (especially Ben!!) and thrive.

Ben’s statistics:
Length – 26 ½” (94%)
Weight – 14 lbs, 12 oz (50%)
Head – 17” ( 75%)

Sam’s statistics:
Length – 37”
Weight – 32 ¾ lbs

Please notice the background of the pictures where Ben is in the exersaucer.

Sibling Love

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Sadie and Ben had a good 2 minute love fest this afternoon. When Ben is in his exersaucer he’s exactly the right height for Sadie to lick him. Germs…we love germs!

Round and Round we GO!

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The weather has been cold & rainy for the past few weeks so we’ve been looking for indoor activities to do with the boys. On Monday, Betsy & I took the kiddos to the Memorial City Mall to play on the indoor playground and ride the carousel. Sam & Sean could have gone round & round all day.

Birthday Celebration at SLDS

ccSam’s birthday month continues! Today, at school, he was called up in Chapel and received a birthday blessing. Afterwards, he (and Emmie…a classmate who has a birthday the same week as Sam) continued the celebration with DaCapo’s cookies. Hearing ten 3-year-olds sing Happy Birthday was the sweetest noise ever!

Why?

Have you ever wondered how many licks it takes to get to the center of a lollipop? I haven’t but this morning while the boys and I were driving to school I started thinking about this question. Not because I truly care, I always bite into it before I reach the center, but because I have this same question regarding the word “why”.

How many times does Sam have to ask “why” before he’s done with a subject?

I love how curious he is but I’m running out of answers and the internet is useless when you’re driving down the street. Tomorrow my goal is to count how many “whys” I’m asked in a two hour period, and to try and satisfy Sam’s curiosity by having an answer to ever question he asks!

Bless you, Ben

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Ben was baptized this morning at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. He was a trooper and made everyone in the congregation laugh when the preacher introduced him. He was so exhausted from being sprinkled with water that he slept through the rest of the worship service.

A special thank you to our wonderful family members (and our neighbors David & Chasity) for taking time out of their busy schedules to celebrate this special occasion with us.

Benny Boy

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Sam called Ben “Benjamin Scott” from the day he came home from the hospital. His teachers even asked us if Ben was going with the double name because that’s what Sam always called him at school. A few weeks ago he decided to shorten it to Benjamin. But now he’s got an entirely new name for Ben…Benny Boy. Poor Benny Boy…I wonder what he’ll be called next week.

Happy 3rd Birthday Sam!

Where has the time gone? Sam turned 3 years old today and we spent the day celebrating & enjoying his favorite things in life.

Our day included:
-Getting donut holes for breakfast. He ate his entire bag while Scott was driving them home from the donut shop.
-Opening presents…he’s become a pro over the past few weeks
-Riding the train at Hermann Park
-Eating lunch at Lupe Tortilla (rice, beans and queso anyone?) while running back and forth to the sandbox that has diggers & slides in it
-Going to Target to pick out a toy (this was actually a reward for going #2 in the toilet…we’re getting very close to being fully potty trained!)
-Playing golf and digging in the dirt with Scott in the backyard (Ben and I supervised)
-Eating a hot dog & fritos (yum! yum!) at James Coney Island
-Enjoying TCBY yogurt with plain m&ms for dessert

We think Sam thoroughly enjoyed his day. Let’s just hope his tummy doesn’t hurt too much tomorrow!

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009!

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We spent the last day of 2008 hanging out together as a family. As we reflect on the year, we know we have so much to be thankful for. Scott started a new job that he truly enjoys. Not only does he love going to work most days, he gets to spend MUCH more time at home. This is wonderful for everyone. Sam made true friends at school and learned everything from going potty in the toilet to Mother Goose nursery rhymes. We would never have imagined earlier in the year that we would be having real and meaningful conversations with him by December. He’s grown by such leaps during 2008! We also welcomed a happy & healthy baby boy in August. While Ben is only 4 months old, he continues to engage and interact with the world around him more and more each day. The happiest part of most days is watching Sam & Ben together. The love and bond they have as brothers has grown so much in the past 4 months. We look forward to what 2009 brings!

Time to draw

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Sam was thrilled when we opened the curtains and he discovered that he could “write” on the windows!