We're cutting the cord...

...FINALLY!!
We have taken the much needed plunge and enrolled AJ into pre-school. The school is small and very close knit which I love. I feel very comfortable sending AJ there and I just know he is going to have a blast.

We have thoroughly enjoyed being able to have him at home with us and to be a part of everything he does but we know this is what he really needs. He has been asking for quite some time now to go to school so that he can spend time away from Noah and have something that is truly just his. He is growing up so fast, I miss my baby but I enjoy the big boy he is becoming.

School starts next Wednesday so I will post pics and write about his first day of school then. YAY for my big boy! Okay, I think I may cry now....

All He Wants To Do Is DANCE, DANCE, DANCE!

So the boys had their first hip-hop dance class today and LOVED it! AJ was a bit upset at first because they combined the 3-4 and 4-5 year old classes because their were so few kids and he wanted to be away from Noah. But, he got over it and being in the same class REALLY helped Noah. I wasn't able to get any pics today because I was afraid if I hung out in the classroom it would make things harder for the boys but I will try to get some soon.

They were so cute. We got to watch them the whole time from a tv monitor in the parent lounge and we had many laughs, as you can imagine. When the class was over the teacher actually told us that the class was great for Noah but that she felt AJ needed to be in a more advanced class. She said he really needs a teacher to push him and teach him "real" moves because he has the whole thing down in his head and all these ideas for dance moves. We are going to look into finding a more advanced class for him. If anyone knows of one, please let us know. Who knows, we may have the next Wade Robson on our hands!

Their next class is on Thursday and they are already talking about going back. Maybe I will be able to snap a few pics or a short video clip to share with you all.

Special Dates

Those of you who know us well know that we do most everything as a family. The boys, however, are getting to the point where they really crave one on one special time with us so we had a special "date" night last night.


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Daddy decided to take AJ to his very first Cowboys game. AJ has enjoyed watching football with daddy since he was just over a year old, long before he ever discovered his love of cartoons! So, Brady thought it was time to take him to see all the action live. AJ was so stoked to be going to the game and even more excited that it was just him and daddy going.















They sat on the 3rd row and got an up close view of the players. They even got to watch T.O. warming up before the game.















Unfortunately AJ wasn't quite up for sitting through the whole game and they left at half time. Oh well, you live and you learn, right?















Noah and mommy had a dinner date at The Magic Time Machine. We had a great time, just the two of us. Noah got to see G.I. Joe, Tinkerbell, Snow White, Wonder Woman, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Captain Jack Sparrow - which he knew only as a pirate. We even got to play some arcade games and Noah played air hockey for the first time, which he now loves.













Afterwards he sat and had a caricature drawn and we hung it in his room.











I'm glad we had some special time together with the boys. I think we will have to make this a regular thing!

Spin Cycle

So we went to a neighborhood mom and tots playdate, at a playground we've never been to, on Thursday and found our new favorite outdoor play space! They had this awesome spinning "cup" chair that AJ fell in love with. He thought it was so much fun! Now if only we could get a few of these for our own backyard, that way mom and dad could get in on the fun!


(sorry, the video came out a bit blurry)

How come we didn't have these things when we were younger???

PEARLY WHITES

The boys had their first dental appointment today. Now I know some of you may be thinking, "you're just now going to the dentist?", but there are so many conflicting opinions as to when they should go. Some people told us at one year, some said by the two year mark, we heard by four years, and someone even told once they get all their teeth. SO, we just went when WE felt the time was right, for all of us. My boys tend to be a bit on the shy side and don't care much for going to the doctor and being the center of attention to someone they don't know at all, so we were a little anxious about this visit. But we've known about the appt. for two months so we talked them about every few days and told them the things that might happen and why they needed to go. We told them it was important to keep your teeth healthy so they look pretty, feel good and so that you have them for a long time.

Well, all our anxiety turned out to be for nothing! They did AWESOME! The dentist office is great. They have an indoor playground for the children to play on while waiting to go back. Then they got to pick out a movie they wanted to watch while in the chair and the tv is attached right to the chair... very cool.

They were completely content and had no worries. When the hygienist came in they felt so comfortable that they just opened right up to her and weren't really shy at all. They both sat perfectly still while they had their teeth cleaned and examined, they both got x-rays done, and then got a fluoride treatment.

Afterwards they got to pick out a toy, two stickers, a pencil and a new toothbrush. They thought they were pretty cool and really liked having pretty white teeth.

When it was all said and done the verdict was as follows...

NO CAVITIES, which we knew :)

AJ has a slight over bite and his teeth are slightly off centered...no biggie

AJ does need to stop sucking his thumb though and it was great for him to hear it from the Dr. instead of just mom and dad

Noah on the other hand has a cross bite and will have to wear a space retainer around age 6 to widen his top teeth so that they center over his bottom teeth instead of being lop-sided. He also is missing a tooth, as in it never formed, and instead the next tooth tried to split to form two but didn't quite succeed...also not a biggie - however, he may be missing that tooth as an adult tooth, we'll see.

SO, all-in-all they have beautiful healthy teeth.

Now let me see those pearly whites!

Can We Do It Again?

We went to Adventure Landing on Friday to get out of the house for the day. The boys loved it and didn't want to leave.

They played putt-putt golf for the first time. It was fun but interesting! AJ got the concept right away but Noah just couldn't seem to figure out how to hold the putter. He just wants to go, go, go... no time to slow down and actually LOOK at the putter to see what he's doing. That's Noah for you though, and we love him for that. AJ however got 2 hole-in-ones and did great over all. None the less we all had a great time playing even though it was smoldering outside!

After golfing we went in to cool off and play video games. We won lots of tickets (almost 1500) and when it came time to pick a prize all Noah cared about getting was a little rubber ball that was all of 10 measly tickets. Needless to say, we were at the prize counter for a while trying to spend those tickets. You gotta love the simple pleasures of a 3 year old.

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We then headed back outside to ride the go-carts. We had a lot of fun. AJ and Daddy rode 3 times but Noah wasn't too crazy about the whole wind in the face and eyes thing so we only rode once, then watched from the "pit". We next attempted to do the bumper boats but the boys weren't tall enough so the boys decided they wanted to drive the little kiddie carts by themselves. They looked so cute. AJ did great but poor Noah.... bless his heart, we love that he's so active but the child has no slow down button. And ANY task requiring thought, attention and multi-tasking, well forget it! So the man rode with him to help him steer while he focused solely on pushing the gas pedal.

By the time we left we were pooped but we had a wonderful day. And of course the first thing they asked was...

"Can we do it again?"

Breakin' It Down B-Boy Style!

Okay, so some of you may know that AJ has pretty much always loved to dance. And we are not just talking cute little bouncing to the music here people, this boy GETS DOWN! He's really into break dancing and hip-hop/ street dancing.... you know the kind they make all the movies about (Step Up, You Got Served, How She Move, etc..(which I might add are some of his favorite movies)) He's been asking us for almost two years now to put him in a dance class but I wasn't sure if they had them for his age or where to look. Well, we finally found one and signed him and Noah up!

Now, those of you who know me well know that I have ALWAYS loved dancing, so of course this is really exciting for me. Starting on the 26th they will be taking a hip-hop tumble class at the Dallas Powerhouse of dance two days a week. They are both very excited, as are we, since this will provide them with a much needed break from us and each other (they will be in different classes) twice a week. Wish us luck in our new, FUN journey and I will definitely keep you updated and post pictures of the boys dancing.

The Florida Keys

So I know that I promised pics from the Keys but there are so many I thought the easiest way to share them would be to add a link to the slideshow. That way anyone who actually wanted to view them, and had the time to, could.





We truly loved our vaca in the Keys. If we ever actually buy a beach house, be it a permanent residence or just a vacation home, it will most likely be in the Keys.

I mean...who wouldn't love to wake up to this view every day?!?!

Here is the link to the slideshow:
http://s91.photobucket.com/albums/k285/amosborne/Flrida%20Keys%202008/?albumview=slideshow

The Lovely Florida Keys....

After our week in JAX we headed to the Keys. Here is a slideshow of some of our pics of the beautiful water and Mallory Square (where we did all our shopping and site seeing). They truly live by the motto no shoes, no shirt, no problem! If it were up to Brady, the house would already be on the market and we would spend the rest of our life in the Keys.

JAX - Atlantic Beach

As promised, here are a few pics from our week at the beach house in Jacksonville.

AJ learned to boogie board this year. He actually did really well for only being 4 years old and he loved it! Well, except for when his timing was off and the waves knocked him off the board and into the water. But mommy and daddy were always right there to help him up. He even got what he called his first "surfing injury" when he scraped his back all up along shells while riding a wave in. He was so cute!












During the days the boys played on the beach building sand castles, looking for shells, and playing with cochina shells in the sand.

In the evenings we took walks on the beach as the sun was setting to enjoy the beautiful view. The boys enjoyed looking for and chasing the ghost crabs as they ran in and out of their holes.





Of course one of the best things about summer is eating summer treats. Look at these faces.... ones only a mother could love!

I mentioned in my last post that our cousins came in early to spend the day with us. Here are a few pics of the boys all playing together. They really had so much fun with them!

HOME SWEET HOME

So, we are (sadly) back home from our trip to Florida. We had a fantastic time and even the long days in the car went pretty well. Thankfully AJ never got sick, not once, out of 6 full days in the car, split up of course. We headed to Jacksonville first and spent a week at the beach house. Brady's cousin Lisa and her husband and two boys (Cam and Zach) came in on our last full day and we had a great time catching up with them. The boys loved meeting and playing with their cousins! Sadly they live in NC so we don't see much of them.

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Once our relaxing week in JAX was over we hopped in the van and headed to the Florida Keys. We spent three days in Key West and never wanted to leave! The water was unbelievably beautiful. It was so green and blue that it looked dyed. Incredible! The actual beaches though leave a little to be desired because they are all man-made, the sand is actually rocks and crushed coral (quite rough on the feet), and there are no waves. We also really enjoyed walking around Mallory Square and taking in all the shops and historical sights. And let me tell you, this city literally never sleeps! They have their first happy hour at 7AM and then they just continue on into the wee hours. It's crazy!

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There will be pics but we are still trying to get settled back in so I just haven't had a chance to download them yet. Stay tuned.....