Joshua's 1st's

We know that there will be lot's of firsts for Joshua but this weekend was full of big firsts for US.

Joshua went on his first outings to the movies. I tested the waters earlier in the week with a trip to the movies to see Zoo Keeper, which by the was was funny! Then, Mike and I were extremely brave to take him to see one of our favorites, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. 

Josh at the zoo in comfort

Joshua did really well. I got to see the movie almost all the way through. I did my best mommy magic (no pun intended) to help this movie experience to well. I bathed him before we left and got him all comfortable and well fed. And it worked! He woke up towards the end of the movie but not screaming and crying. He was just up and wanted to be held. To be courteous of my fellow movie goers, I did take him out of his carseat and walked down to the little tunnel area to watch the rest of the movie. Mike said you could still hear him but it wasn't that bad.

I did feel bad because on my way to usher Johua out of the movies, I spilled our bag of popcorn and knew that when the movie was over, Jeremy (who works at that same theater) would have to clean my mess for a change. Okay, maybe I didn't feel too bad about it :)

Yesterday was Joshua's first visit to the Houston Zoo. He did well considering it was  extremely HOT. I purchased an attachable fan a few weeks ago with the intent to use it on just such an occasion and it worked wonders. Joshua's first visit to the zoo in the Houston heat went well.  He slept most of the time and didn't get to see any animals, but he was there and it was fun.

Daddy & Josh taking in the a/c at the zoo

I can't wait til he is Bella's age and can tell us exactly what animals he wants to see and he knows his way around the zoo, just like Bella does now.

To cap off the day, we took Bella to the splash area in Hermann Park near the reflecting pond. She and Mike enjoyed themselves as they splashed in the water. I sat that one out in exchange for the heat and keeping an eye on Joshua and Brianna. Though, I could I have used some cooling off, Houston in July is just HOT and reminds me of my other favorite U.S. town during the summer.

Gotta love the wet hair and smile from ear to ear!

The only way to beat the heat!

Bella trying not to get wet..didn't work

Memories of Joshua's firsts were made this weekend and we can't wait for the many more firsts to come.

Quinceneara

In the courtyard of the church..before it started raining again

She wore boots instead of heals...a true Texas girl!

Getting ready to kick up her heals

Her cake was so good!

Lollipops custom made for her special day

Cotten Candy for the Candy Bar

The Candy Buffet

Our Diva for the day

Brianna's Sweet Shoppe

Brianna's Quinceneara was July 16th and it rained that day, of all days! We haven't had much rain in Houston since January and of course it would rain on her day!  We had a heck of a time getting all the decorations into the clubhouse to decorate prior to the big party, but with help from our family, all was done in no time.

Brianna looked absolutely beautiful! Her cousin did her makeup and I did her hair. She was definately a vision to behold. It was all about her that day and that is just how she liked it.

The church ceramony was wonderful. Deacon Al, the Deacon that married Mike and I was the one to officiate at the Quinceneara. This made the day even more special. After the church portion of the day it was time to eat, drink and be merry!  Mike and I had to rush back to the clubhouse after church to finish decorating. We were going non stop that day. I don't think either of us really sat down, reflected and took a moment to enjoy the day. However, I did take time out to do a little bit of dancing.

The real fun came at the end of the evening when we had to clean up and clear out of the clubhouse. Even with all of the help we had I still needed to do touch up cleaning the next morning in order to receive a full refund of our security deposit.

Oh, well, I am just glad that Brianna had a beautiful day. I mentioned to Mike that we can now start planning Bella's Quniceneara, he gave me that, "Oh heck NO" look and said when it comes her time, we will do what we originally wanted to do for Brianna....We are going to Disney World instead!  Sounds good to me, but then again, a trip to Disney World always sounds good.

Chores & Take Out Thursdays

I have to laugh when Thursdays come around each week. The reason being is because of my wonderful husband, Mike.

Let me explain why Thursdays are now considered funny in our home. When I got further along in my pregnancy with Joshua, it became harder for me to do some of my "chores" here at the house (mopping, sweeping, laundry) so Mike re-worked the Chore List here at the house, giving the kids, mainly Jeremy and Brianna, more responsibilties.

Well, while he reworked the chore list he assigned himself to be the designated dishwasher on Thursdays. Since he did this, we NEVER noticed that on Thursdays, he would always call me and ask if I wanted something to eat and he would stop and pick something up on the way home. I thought he was being sweet and he really was. However, he had alterior motives..NOT WASHING DISHES! Ha ha ha!

I think that over time I would have eventually noticed this but Mike outed himself a few weeks ago and we had a good laugh about it. Well, we let the kids in on this little secret and they laughed and couldn't believe that dad was being sneaky like that.

Last week I got a text message from Mike before he left work about dinner and Brianna said, No make him was dishes, but I was not about to cook so we had take out.

Today was the first Thursday in a long time that I actually cooked..hot dogs on the menu for us Byrons today. The only items to be washed are two pots, one the hot dogs were cooked in and one that the chili was cooked in. We ate dinner on paper plates :)

Now on Thursdays, I expect to get a call or a text from Mike before he leaves work about dinner & I think I will continue to have take out on Thursdays. If I don't have to cook & Mike doesn't have to wash dishes, that means we will have just that much more time to spend together in the evenings with the kids. 

{Immunizations, Pink Cowboy Boots & Freedom}

My how time flies when all you want is for it slow down or stop altogether. It seems like just yesterday that we were walking through the front door with our little man. Now, he is two months old and has gotten his first set of shots. He is now weighing in at exactly 10 lbs. and has grown to 20-3/4 inches long. He has almost doubled his birth weight and is well on his way to bulking up!

For the last eight weeks I have been relegated to the confines of my 1980 sq. ft. house. Yes, we have taken the occasional trek out of the house (HEB, Dr.’s office, quick lunch with my mom) but I have always kept Josh under wraps, safe from the wondering germ that might attach itself to my precious little man and make him sick.

Now, we have the freedom to go out and about. If I want to take Bella to the library for story time, we can do that. If we want to take him to our favorite family hotspot (Houston Zoo) we can. If we want to go and visit family, we can do that! I know that germs can still attached and take hold of him, but he now has some form of protection and that gives me some peace of mind.

Bella, however, was none too happy about her baby brother having to receive the shots. She hates them. What little kid likes getting jabbed in the leg with what looks like a mile long needle? She actually cried more than Joshua did. She also told the Dr. under no uncertain terms was she to give Josh anymore shot…EVER! The Dr. thought it was so sweet that she has taken on the role of “protector”. She said that it is the tale-tell sign of a great big sister in the works. I wholeheartedly agree with her. Bella has been great with the baby. So have Brianna and Jeremy. They being the bigger brother and sister have helped out a lot.

Bella was also complimented on her Pink Cowboy boots while at the Dr.’s office. For those of you who know Bella know that we call her our own little “Imelda Marcos”. She has more shoes than Mike, I, Jeremy & Brianna combined! But for all the shoes she has had, there are only two pair that she has worn to the hilt, her white French fries shoes (named as such because they were white dress shoes that were made my McDonald’s Kids Clothing with the Golden Arches on the insole of the shoe) and her PINK BOOTS! She absolutely loves her pink boots. She got them this year for Go Texan Day at her school and has worn them with everything from jeans, shorts, skirts and her pajamas. Today she wore them with a blue skirt and polka dot shirt. Those are her go to shoes and if they make her happy, then who am I to tell her she is not matching.

Jeremy has earned a bit of financial freedom himself. He has now joined the working class. He is working part time at a local movie theater and has had the first taste of job perks (a preview of Transformers before it was released to the public) and the all so dreaded TAXES. He is not happy with paying taxes and Mike and I told him, join the club.

Brianna’s Quinceanera is just around the corner and we are in countdown mode now. Her dress will be lovely and she looks absolutely beautiful in it.
Mike is still working in Galveston. As much as he says the drive is long, I know that deep down, if he had his way, he would move our little family to the island. I wouldn’t mind, but only if we could live in a totally renovated old Victorian house.(I have been watching WAY too much HGTV)

As for me, I have suddenly realized that my time with Joshua and Bella will be coming to an end in six weeks. Wow, time does fly when you’re having fun. My heart breaks just a little bit when I think of having to leave them but I know that I will be leaving them in good hands and I will actually be happy to return to the land of the working.

So for now, I will be happy for the time I have been able to spend with all of the kids so far this summer.

Gotta love summer time and all that comes with it: the sun, the sand, the smell of Hawaiian Tropic sun screen and of course Pink Cowboy boots!