So, I never said that I would be good at this sort of thing.
A quick update:
Grouper is still with us! Though, he is definitely worse for the wear. Homeboy has decided that the whole bathrom al fresco is too much trouble for him. Of course, this creates much more work for us. Still, he is a good dog and I'm glad he's with us.
We had a great birthday party for the boys on March 5th. Will post pics soon. Had a general boy birthday theme with all sorts of birthday goodness. Teddy spent the night parked in front of the sno cone machine. Good thing I made homemade syrup out of real fruit. We rented a bounce house and sno cone and popcorn machines and had all sorts of goodies to eat. I used up some of my ridiculous stash of scrapbook paper by making buntings, hanging flowers, birthday hats for the kids and tiny cupcake picks with the boys' faces. Super cute. I didn't have the heart to throw any of it out. Hence, a few more rubbermaid containers in the garage! (Sorry Ryan...) Alas, a good time was had by all.
Teddy update:
Teddy has certainly his the "terrible threes" in many ways. Though, he is still cute as a button and very compassionate. He still loves Thomas the Train, bounce houses, race cars and every Disney Pixar movie. Though he is a pill to get to eat in general, he will down a fair amount of string cheese (peeled like an octopus), ice pops and popcorn.
Matty Guns:
Still without teeth, #2 is growing like a weed. In the 75% in height, he will likely be bigger and taller than his big brother. (We'll see) Matty began walking about a month or so ago. He is all over the place and starting to follow Teddy everywhere and get into his stuff. Just the other night, I caught him saying "uh oh" when he dropped a toy. In his usual fashion, Ryan said, "Oh, I've heard him say that before... (Thanks for telling me) Matty will eat his weight in anything you put in front of him. Though, I can see he is also partial to string cheese, grapes and saltines. Actually, saltines are pretty much the bulk of his diet.
All in all, I can say that I am so glad I had two boys. Never would have thunk it... But, definitely thankful.
Other randomness:
We spent Ryan's spring break down in South Florida so he could do a few charters. Ryan's Grandma McBride is in her last stages of dymentia. So, we spent some time with her and doing a few fun things as a family in between fishing and fish tank maintenance. I tried to make cake pops for the first time for a get together with the Brandels. Lots of cursing later, I think I got 12 out of a whole box of cake mix. But, they were cute and tasty! (More pics, I promise)
We took the boys to Disney World for the second time. This time, Uncle Manny and Aunt JenJen went with us. (Also more pics to come) Teddy was a little more aprehensive of the characters. But, you could tell he remembered going before and knew exactly which rides he wanted to go on again. Matty enjoyed himself a bit more than last time. Or, at least he stayed awake for more of it.
Easter was very fun this year. Teddy was a little confused about the whole thing, calling the eggs "Christmas Eggs." We had a huge hunt at the church, then a little hunt at the house for the boys. Matt did a good job picking up eggs with a little help from Dad. "The Easter Bunny" made a jelly bean trail to the baskets that led to a hiding place under the dining room table. Chocolate bunnies, peeps, and of course Thomas the Train and one of those Sing A Ma Jigs made it into the buckets. We finished up Easter with a dinner at the Evans' where Jeannie had another little hunt for the boys. Needless to say, there was plenty of candy in the house for weeks. (I still have a little stash of the good jelly beans that only come out at Easter time)
With better success, I tried my hand at brownie pops which are definitely easier and super yummy. I have to say, though, the white chocolate pairs better with the richness of the brownie center.
Last but not least, I made some pretty adorable pig cupcakes today. Will definitely post pics! I made them for a friend's pig roast. Though, sadly, we are missing out on the party as Matty caught Teddy's croup and has a 104ish fever this evening. Poor little dude. Building that immune system is something we've been working hard on these days! I would say we have 3-4 days of healthiness around here before one of the four of us catches something. C'est la vie!
Ok, I've done it. "You're" (whoever that is) pretty much up to date. Will try and post pics soon.
